Thursday, April 28, 2005
Because Paris Hilton Really Needs Another Tax Cut
The Radical Republicans in the House and Senate have reached a deal on the budget. Just in case there are any lingering doubts as to the state of our democracy the Reuters blurb makes it clear that we're fast approaching the end of the republic. "[T]he negotiations, in which Democrats were not allowed to take part, produced an agreement among Republicans to get $10 billion in savings over five years from Medicaid, the health care program for the poor that is run jointly by the states and federal government." Excluding the Democrats is an easy way to make sure that the Radical Republican agenda of fucking the poor and running the country into the ground can continue unabated. I'm really curious about exactly what the Radical Republicans were negotiating over, whether to fuck the poor a bunch or a whole bunch? Just remember, when the folks kicked off Medicare end up in the emergency room and are unable to pay the bill, the rest of us will end up paying the bill one way or another.
The Radical Republicans in the House and Senate have reached a deal on the budget. Just in case there are any lingering doubts as to the state of our democracy the Reuters blurb makes it clear that we're fast approaching the end of the republic. "[T]he negotiations, in which Democrats were not allowed to take part, produced an agreement among Republicans to get $10 billion in savings over five years from Medicaid, the health care program for the poor that is run jointly by the states and federal government." Excluding the Democrats is an easy way to make sure that the Radical Republican agenda of fucking the poor and running the country into the ground can continue unabated. I'm really curious about exactly what the Radical Republicans were negotiating over, whether to fuck the poor a bunch or a whole bunch? Just remember, when the folks kicked off Medicare end up in the emergency room and are unable to pay the bill, the rest of us will end up paying the bill one way or another.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Fall of Saigon, Part II
This little quote from General Myers brings back memories of Vietnam. In a recent news conference Myers said that the anti-American insurgency is "about where it was a year ago,' in terms of attacks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said but he said American and Iraqi troops are gaining ground in the two-year-old conflict." The quote is via CNN.com. The last several days I've been reading up on the history of the Vietnam War and it is becoming increasingly clear that those who said that Iraq is Bush's Vietnam were correct. We've become stuck in a quagmire because policy makers ignored the facts on the ground and nuances of local politics because they were blinded by ideology. In each case, the administration tried to impose handpicked rulers who were corrupt and who had little real support in the country. In Vietnam and now in Iraq we have a military public relations machine that keeps telling us that victory is right around the corner. Remember how the assault on Fallujah was going to break the back of the insurgency? Remember how the elections were going to put an end to the insurgency? Remember....? And on it goes. More American men and women in and out of uniform die or are wounded. Each day more and more Iraqis die or are maimed and we are no closer to leaving and the Iraqi's are no closer to democracy, let alone having a stable supply of electricity. With 50 or 60 attacks a week, or even 30 or 40 attacks a day, it's a bit hard to have, in the words of incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "a stable environment inside of which you can rebuild your schools, you can have your electricity turned back on, the water and humanitarian aid can continue to flow, and the people can meet publicly and decide for themselves what kind of government they want." But don't worry, according to the Bush fantasy machine everything is coming up like daisies in Iraq. We're about to turn the corner, just like we were this time last year, or just like we were late last summer. Just imagine how bad things in Iraq would be if we had elected that other fellow with a "plan" to get us out of Iraq and turn things over to a real government or even to the U.N. Why there'd probabbly be 100 or more attacks a week because the insurgents would be emboldened by our "weakness" or they would just wait us out knowing our "plan." Much better to have no plan at all and have the carnage continue. It is clearer than ever that Iraq has become a festering wound that is slowly sapping our ability to do anything positive any where in the world and which will slowly infect and further poison the U.S. body politic. The similarities to the second Nixon administration are getting scarier and scarier every day.
This little quote from General Myers brings back memories of Vietnam. In a recent news conference Myers said that the anti-American insurgency is "about where it was a year ago,' in terms of attacks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said but he said American and Iraqi troops are gaining ground in the two-year-old conflict." The quote is via CNN.com. The last several days I've been reading up on the history of the Vietnam War and it is becoming increasingly clear that those who said that Iraq is Bush's Vietnam were correct. We've become stuck in a quagmire because policy makers ignored the facts on the ground and nuances of local politics because they were blinded by ideology. In each case, the administration tried to impose handpicked rulers who were corrupt and who had little real support in the country. In Vietnam and now in Iraq we have a military public relations machine that keeps telling us that victory is right around the corner. Remember how the assault on Fallujah was going to break the back of the insurgency? Remember how the elections were going to put an end to the insurgency? Remember....? And on it goes. More American men and women in and out of uniform die or are wounded. Each day more and more Iraqis die or are maimed and we are no closer to leaving and the Iraqi's are no closer to democracy, let alone having a stable supply of electricity. With 50 or 60 attacks a week, or even 30 or 40 attacks a day, it's a bit hard to have, in the words of incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "a stable environment inside of which you can rebuild your schools, you can have your electricity turned back on, the water and humanitarian aid can continue to flow, and the people can meet publicly and decide for themselves what kind of government they want." But don't worry, according to the Bush fantasy machine everything is coming up like daisies in Iraq. We're about to turn the corner, just like we were this time last year, or just like we were late last summer. Just imagine how bad things in Iraq would be if we had elected that other fellow with a "plan" to get us out of Iraq and turn things over to a real government or even to the U.N. Why there'd probabbly be 100 or more attacks a week because the insurgents would be emboldened by our "weakness" or they would just wait us out knowing our "plan." Much better to have no plan at all and have the carnage continue. It is clearer than ever that Iraq has become a festering wound that is slowly sapping our ability to do anything positive any where in the world and which will slowly infect and further poison the U.S. body politic. The similarities to the second Nixon administration are getting scarier and scarier every day.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Still a Ways to Go....
Georgie has named a new chairman of the Joint Cheifs of StaffThe New York Times reminds us exactly what kind of man he is. As Baghdad was falling to U.S. troops,
Georgie has named a new chairman of the Joint Cheifs of StaffThe New York Times reminds us exactly what kind of man he is. As Baghdad was falling to U.S. troops,
Gen. Peter Pace was asked in a television interview what the United States military could do to help democracy take root in Iraq.Seems that two years later we're still working on providing that "stable enironment." That helicopters are still being shot down, car bombs going off, and U.S. soliders are still being killed on a weekly basis, not to mention that the electricity isn't really on exposes the compelete and utter failure Georgie's adventure in Iraq has been. Meanwhile we get a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who is well skilled at parroting neo-conservative fantasies. It's good to know that the people who helped get us in this mess still have their jobs or have been promoted by Georgie. So much for personal accountability.
'What we can help do,' General Pace replied, 'is provide a stable environment inside of which you can rebuild your schools, you can have your electricity turned back on, the water and humanitarian aid can continue to flow, and the people can meet publicly and decide for themselves what kind of government they want.'
Thursday, April 21, 2005
The Steep Price of Georgie's Folly
From the LA Times comes news that Georgie's little adventure in Iraqi will cost more than "$300 billion." Hmmmm....now I vaguely remember various Republicans attacking John Kerry for suggesting that the Iraq war cost $200 billion. So now less than four months into Georgie's new term the cost is $100 billion more than what Georgie and his minions found outrageous just six months ago. Of course, with all the tax cuts for the rich, Georgie & his "base" won't be paying for the War in Iraq anyway so what do they care. BTW, are the Bush twins still unemployed? I'm just wondering because given the ongoing carnage in Iraq and the ongoing recruiting problems faced by the Army and Marines maybe they could enlist and do something for their country. I mean, the Bush family does have a long history of enlisting in the military when their country needs them--especially when freedom and democracy are on the line.
From the LA Times comes news that Georgie's little adventure in Iraqi will cost more than "$300 billion." Hmmmm....now I vaguely remember various Republicans attacking John Kerry for suggesting that the Iraq war cost $200 billion. So now less than four months into Georgie's new term the cost is $100 billion more than what Georgie and his minions found outrageous just six months ago. Of course, with all the tax cuts for the rich, Georgie & his "base" won't be paying for the War in Iraq anyway so what do they care. BTW, are the Bush twins still unemployed? I'm just wondering because given the ongoing carnage in Iraq and the ongoing recruiting problems faced by the Army and Marines maybe they could enlist and do something for their country. I mean, the Bush family does have a long history of enlisting in the military when their country needs them--especially when freedom and democracy are on the line.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Cats and Dogs Living Together....
ABC News reports, "Connecticut on Wednesday became the second state to offer civil unions to gay couples and the first to do so without being forced by the courts." I'm sure the wingnuts will be all up in a dither over this. For them it will yet another sign that the world is coming to an end. For the rest of us it is a sign that there is still hope left after all. Though, somehow I can't help but think it will prompt Tom DeLay and company into holding hearings or passing some kind of legislation that attempts to override a state action. Of course, that will have to wait until they finish dismantling the federal courts.
ABC News reports, "Connecticut on Wednesday became the second state to offer civil unions to gay couples and the first to do so without being forced by the courts." I'm sure the wingnuts will be all up in a dither over this. For them it will yet another sign that the world is coming to an end. For the rest of us it is a sign that there is still hope left after all. Though, somehow I can't help but think it will prompt Tom DeLay and company into holding hearings or passing some kind of legislation that attempts to override a state action. Of course, that will have to wait until they finish dismantling the federal courts.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Grim Numbers for Georgie & Co.
The latest Harris Poll® (#28, April 14, 2005) has some bad news for Georgie, his Cabinet, and the Radical Republicans in Congress. Seems most people have a negative view of them. Can't imagine why. Really, because everything from the economy, to the war on terror, to that little adventure in Iraq, to the attempt to destroy Social Security is going just fine. I mean so what if wages have been stagnent, or if health care costs have been soaring, or if Osama is still running around footloose and fancy free, or if there are fewer private sector jobs today than there were in the heady go-go days of 2001, and so what if energy prices are soaring; we have a new bankrupty law and lots of other corporate give aways to be happy about. Of course, these numbers shouldn't worry Georgie. After all, he doesn't read polls, which sounds nice, until you realize that means he and his cabal don't really care what you think. They're serving different masters. They're on some sort of mission. And of course, none of them except for the suckers in Congress have to run for re-election anytime soon. But don't worry, by the time the mid-term elections roll around we'll be back to weekly terror alerts and sightings of Osama (I for one have really missed the weekly updates on the color status of the country--in fact I feel kinda empty inside not knowing what threat level we're at and it makes picking out a shirt and tie combo in the morning all that more difficult without the daily art lesson). Anyway without much more ado, here are the numbers in all their glory.
The latest Harris Poll® (#28, April 14, 2005) has some bad news for Georgie, his Cabinet, and the Radical Republicans in Congress. Seems most people have a negative view of them. Can't imagine why. Really, because everything from the economy, to the war on terror, to that little adventure in Iraq, to the attempt to destroy Social Security is going just fine. I mean so what if wages have been stagnent, or if health care costs have been soaring, or if Osama is still running around footloose and fancy free, or if there are fewer private sector jobs today than there were in the heady go-go days of 2001, and so what if energy prices are soaring; we have a new bankrupty law and lots of other corporate give aways to be happy about. Of course, these numbers shouldn't worry Georgie. After all, he doesn't read polls, which sounds nice, until you realize that means he and his cabal don't really care what you think. They're serving different masters. They're on some sort of mission. And of course, none of them except for the suckers in Congress have to run for re-election anytime soon. But don't worry, by the time the mid-term elections roll around we'll be back to weekly terror alerts and sightings of Osama (I for one have really missed the weekly updates on the color status of the country--in fact I feel kinda empty inside not knowing what threat level we're at and it makes picking out a shirt and tie combo in the morning all that more difficult without the daily art lesson). Anyway without much more ado, here are the numbers in all their glory.
CURRENT RATINGS OF PRESIDENT, SENIOR CABINET MEMBERS AND
PARTIES IN CONGRESS
"How would you rate the job (READ ITEM) are/is doing –
excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor?"
Excellent | Pretty Good | Only Fair | Poor | Not Sure | Positive* | Negative** | |
% | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
President George W. Bush | 14 | 30 | 27 | 28 | * | 44 | 56 |
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld | 12 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 2 | 42 | 56 |
Vice President Dick Cheney | 10 | 27 | 31 | 29 | 3 | 37 | 60 |
Republicans in Congress | 5 | 31 | 40 | 22 | 3 | 36 | 61 |
*Positive = excellent or pretty good.
**Negative = only fair or poor
Saturday, April 16, 2005
This Just In...
According to CNN,CNN.com Georgie admits to reading newspapers! And even more shocking he's using them to find out what is own adminstration is up to and what new rules the Department of Homeland Security is writing.
According to CNN,CNN.com Georgie admits to reading newspapers! And even more shocking he's using them to find out what is own adminstration is up to and what new rules the Department of Homeland Security is writing.
'When I first read that in the newspaper about the need to have passports, particularly today's crossings that take place, about a million for instance in the state of Texas, I said, 'What's going on here?'' Bush said when asked about the rules at a meeting of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.I don't know which is more troubling, that Georgie is just now admiting that he reads newspapers or that he needs to read them to find out what his own adminstration has been doing. Georgie's handlers don't seem to have a great answer either, "The White House did not say why the president was unaware of the plans his administration announced just a week earlier." Those plans, by the way, are to require everyone, including visitors from Canada and Mexico and even U.S. citizens to have passports before they enter or re-enter the Homeland. I can't wait until Georgie expresses surprise that he has approved rules that require Americans to get permission to travel abroad. Now, don't you have a baseball game or maybe a NASCAR race to watch or something?
Thursday, April 14, 2005
That Bush Economy
Yep. The Radical Republican engineered economic recovery is just spinning along like a well-oiled machine. Stocks were down again today. In fact, they hit new low for the year. In the Reuters.com story there is this delicious little tidbit, "'There is no compelling reason to buy stocks right now on technical reasons from a macro-economic point of view. You're safer not doing anything right now.'" Sounds like the economy is in good shape and we should all rush to invest our retirement savings in the stock market. Heck, let's borrow a couple trillion dollars and invest it in the stock market. Of course, before the Radical Republicans can do that they have to force the rest of us to admit that there actually is a crisis--something they've been unable to do despite a two and half month tax payer funded crisis tour by Georgie & Co.
Yep. The Radical Republican engineered economic recovery is just spinning along like a well-oiled machine. Stocks were down again today. In fact, they hit new low for the year. In the Reuters.com story there is this delicious little tidbit, "'There is no compelling reason to buy stocks right now on technical reasons from a macro-economic point of view. You're safer not doing anything right now.'" Sounds like the economy is in good shape and we should all rush to invest our retirement savings in the stock market. Heck, let's borrow a couple trillion dollars and invest it in the stock market. Of course, before the Radical Republicans can do that they have to force the rest of us to admit that there actually is a crisis--something they've been unable to do despite a two and half month tax payer funded crisis tour by Georgie & Co.
Drunk on Power
Well, yesterday Tom DeLay asked the House Judiciary Committee to review the federal court's role in the Terri Schiavo case. Remember, this was a role he and the rest of his Radical Repulblican cabal forced into the federal courts. But it appears that since the federal courts didn't act in manner to the liking of Mr. DeLay he's going hold them responsible by "reviewing" thier conduct. I wonder if this will include reviewing the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case? If you listen to people like James Dobson, a scary but necessary thing to do, you know that Justice Kennedy is public enemny number one. One quote by DeLay from The New York Times really caught this crank's eye. "'We set the jurisdiction of the courts,' Mr. DeLay said. 'We set up the courts. We can unset the courts.'" Sounds like someone is forgetting the spirit of the Constitution. DeLay is technically correct, but any attempt to tinker with the federal court system on the level that he's planning would throw this country and the whole idea of independent judicary into chaos. It's more short-sighted poltical manuevering from the party of "principles." The scary part is that the principles driving Tom DeLay and the rest of the Radical Republicans are not the same principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Today it is the Schiavo case, what happens when Tom DeLay doesn't like the decisions handed down on a terrorism case, or if one of his favorite corporations suffers a legal set back? One of the things that keeps huge amounts of captial flowing into the U.S. to finance the Radical Republican debt is the belief that the U.S. is a country where the rule of law is respected. Not so anymore under DeLay & Co. After spending much of the 1980s and 90s pushing the idea of teh rule of law in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere the Radical Republicans have decided that it isn't such a great idea after all.
Well, yesterday Tom DeLay asked the House Judiciary Committee to review the federal court's role in the Terri Schiavo case. Remember, this was a role he and the rest of his Radical Repulblican cabal forced into the federal courts. But it appears that since the federal courts didn't act in manner to the liking of Mr. DeLay he's going hold them responsible by "reviewing" thier conduct. I wonder if this will include reviewing the Supreme Court's decision not to hear the case? If you listen to people like James Dobson, a scary but necessary thing to do, you know that Justice Kennedy is public enemny number one. One quote by DeLay from The New York Times really caught this crank's eye. "'We set the jurisdiction of the courts,' Mr. DeLay said. 'We set up the courts. We can unset the courts.'" Sounds like someone is forgetting the spirit of the Constitution. DeLay is technically correct, but any attempt to tinker with the federal court system on the level that he's planning would throw this country and the whole idea of independent judicary into chaos. It's more short-sighted poltical manuevering from the party of "principles." The scary part is that the principles driving Tom DeLay and the rest of the Radical Republicans are not the same principles laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Today it is the Schiavo case, what happens when Tom DeLay doesn't like the decisions handed down on a terrorism case, or if one of his favorite corporations suffers a legal set back? One of the things that keeps huge amounts of captial flowing into the U.S. to finance the Radical Republican debt is the belief that the U.S. is a country where the rule of law is respected. Not so anymore under DeLay & Co. After spending much of the 1980s and 90s pushing the idea of teh rule of law in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and elsewhere the Radical Republicans have decided that it isn't such a great idea after all.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Freedom and Democracy, Part.....
CNN.com reports more Freedom and Democracy in Iraqi,
CNN.com reports more Freedom and Democracy in Iraqi,
A blast near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk killed 12 Iraqi security personnel trying to defuse a roadside bomb Wednesday, officials said.But hey it's messy stuff.
Insurgents in Baghdad also attacked an Interior Ministry official, and three bombings in the capital targeted U.S. military vehicles.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Coalition of the Fleeing
BBC NEWS reports that Poland will pull its 1,700 troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. It seems that the Europeans from both "Old" and "New" Europe have had enough and plan on leaving no matter the situation. The BBC reminds us that
BBC NEWS reports that Poland will pull its 1,700 troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. It seems that the Europeans from both "Old" and "New" Europe have had enough and plan on leaving no matter the situation. The BBC reminds us that
Italy, with just over 3,000 troops in Iraq, has said it wants to pull its contingent out as soon as possible.Hopefully, the "messy" phase of Freedom and Democracy will be over by the time the Europeans leave. At the very least those tens of thousands of Iraqi troops Georgie claims have been trained by last November had better be ready by the end of 2005 or things could get real messy.
The Netherlands (about 800 troops) and Ukraine (1,600 troops) have begun phased withdrawals of their contingents.
The last Ukrainian troops are due to leave by mid-October.
Bulgaria (about 500 troops) also wants to pull its troops out this year.
George Bush's America, or Fuck the Workers
The New York Times in a story about the fate of workers in America after four years of George Bush's tax cut induced nightmare notes that, "Even though the economy added 2.2 million jobs in 2004 and produced strong growth in corporate profits, wages for the average worker fell for the year, after adjusting for inflation - the first such drop in nearly a decade." This wouldn't be so bad if Georgie & his cabal of Radical Republicans hadn't touted the tax cuts for the rich as benefiting the average worker, or if health benefits for workers had improved over the same period, or if CEO pay hadn't continued to increase, or....But realy, no matter how you slice it, this is bad news, especially when you stop to consider, "[w]age growth has trailed far behind productivity growth over the last four years, and the share of national income going to employee compensation is low by historic standards." While some of blame for the stagnant wage growth, much can be blamed on corporate greed. Productivity since 2001 has risen by 4.1%, but wages have only risen by 1.5%. Combine that with sky rocketing medical insurance premiums for those lucky enough to have a job with benefits and sky rocketing gasoline, heating oil, and natural gas prices for for everybody else and it's not a good time to be a wage earner. Add to this the steady round of tution increases at most state universities and community colleges because of shrinking contributions from the state because of the "need" to cut taxes on investments and capital and it's becoming increasingly to not become downwardly mobile (let alone upwardly mobile) in George Bush's America. Many in corporate America cite the cost of health benefits as fueling the downward pressure on wages. If this is the case, and the recent news coming out of GM makes it likely that it is in part true, then killing the Clinton health plan doesn't look like such a smart move now. Of course George Bush and the Radical Republicans have no interest in "reforming" health care in the U.S. because it isn't a government program.
If we let George Bush and the Radical Republicans continue on this path we're going to start seeing a brain and talent drain where those with skills and intellectual capital will start moving to countries that provide health care as a basic right and where a social saftey net exists. If and when that starts to happen....
The New York Times in a story about the fate of workers in America after four years of George Bush's tax cut induced nightmare notes that, "Even though the economy added 2.2 million jobs in 2004 and produced strong growth in corporate profits, wages for the average worker fell for the year, after adjusting for inflation - the first such drop in nearly a decade." This wouldn't be so bad if Georgie & his cabal of Radical Republicans hadn't touted the tax cuts for the rich as benefiting the average worker, or if health benefits for workers had improved over the same period, or if CEO pay hadn't continued to increase, or....But realy, no matter how you slice it, this is bad news, especially when you stop to consider, "[w]age growth has trailed far behind productivity growth over the last four years, and the share of national income going to employee compensation is low by historic standards." While some of blame for the stagnant wage growth, much can be blamed on corporate greed. Productivity since 2001 has risen by 4.1%, but wages have only risen by 1.5%. Combine that with sky rocketing medical insurance premiums for those lucky enough to have a job with benefits and sky rocketing gasoline, heating oil, and natural gas prices for for everybody else and it's not a good time to be a wage earner. Add to this the steady round of tution increases at most state universities and community colleges because of shrinking contributions from the state because of the "need" to cut taxes on investments and capital and it's becoming increasingly to not become downwardly mobile (let alone upwardly mobile) in George Bush's America. Many in corporate America cite the cost of health benefits as fueling the downward pressure on wages. If this is the case, and the recent news coming out of GM makes it likely that it is in part true, then killing the Clinton health plan doesn't look like such a smart move now. Of course George Bush and the Radical Republicans have no interest in "reforming" health care in the U.S. because it isn't a government program.
If we let George Bush and the Radical Republicans continue on this path we're going to start seeing a brain and talent drain where those with skills and intellectual capital will start moving to countries that provide health care as a basic right and where a social saftey net exists. If and when that starts to happen....
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Because Freedom is Messy
Aljazeera.Net reports that more of that messy Freedom and Democracy happening in Iraq.
Aljazeera.Net reports that more of that messy Freedom and Democracy happening in Iraq.
Twenty-nine people were killed and scores wounded in attacks against Iraqi security forces and civilians on Saturday, the second anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's government.
In the deadliest attack, 15 Iraqi National Guard members were killed on the main highway through Latifiyah, about 50km south of Baghdad, Defence Ministry sources said.