I miss Keith O...
Countdown dissects the debt deal
Here's the link:
http://current.com/shows/countdown/videos/special-comment-the-four-great-hypocrisies-of-the-debt-deal
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
State of the Economy: Where's the Wealth?
When commenting on the state of the economy, someone close to me had this to say: People stay poor because they don't save their money or use it wisely. And penalizing the people who are responsible for their money, making them carry the burden [for the poor] is classism, bordering on socialism.
I was stunned. It was the second time in recent weeks I became painfully aware of the importance of history. Specifically this nugget of truth: when African Americans don't know their history, they leave themselves open to repeat it. That means their foundation in the present is shaky at best.
Most European Americans know a thing or two about English history. Before the film's opening credits they probably knew the Other Boylen Girl by name or could tell you that, while Elizabeth would soon be Queen, her beloved Dudley would never be King of England. After school many Jewish American children attend cultural studies to learn about their rich history.
But outside of Black History Month, Harriett Tubman and WEB Dubois, how many African Americans know the history behind why a disproportionate percentage of people of color remain in poverty?
For me, that statement about the poor may as well have indicted my father and his legacy. It was a slap in the face to everything he worked for all his life.
My dad was one of the wisest people I know. He was a military veteran, serving in World War II and the Korean war. He worked hard and saved virtually every nickel and dime he earned. He took pride in his home he invested in it for his family. He saved all his life and when I was old enough, he walked me and my piggy bank filled with weekly allowance straight to the nearest bank to open up a savings account.
But he couldn't save his way out of poverty. And no matter how comfortable our lives were, and how middle class we strived to be, the fact is that house he worked hard to make a home is smack in the middle of what is now a crime infested ghetto. The wealth he saved for all of his life barely makes a decent down payment in today's economy.
Poverty has little to do with who saves what. It has everything to do with who is denied opportunity and who isn't.
My dad didn't deserve to be refused housing in certain neighborhoods or to have the value of his home artificially kept low. He didn't deserve to be redlined out of his wealth.
But how to you explain this to someone who hasn't lived it firsthand? I was grateful to stumble across Tuesday's segment of the Rachel Maddow show, hosted by Melisssa Harris-Perry, which outlines why the new conservative talking point, that people are poor because they are careless with their money is not only not true, but also ignores the underlying issue of racism that is at the core of economic disparity in this country.
Use the link below if the video box doesn't appear.
The Rachel Maddow Show: US wealth gap reflects racism's legacy
Dr. Thomas Shapiro, the Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy at Brandeis University, talks with TRMS guest host Melissa Harris-Perry about a new report showing a wider than ever wealth gap between whites and people of color.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/43904424#43904424
I was stunned. It was the second time in recent weeks I became painfully aware of the importance of history. Specifically this nugget of truth: when African Americans don't know their history, they leave themselves open to repeat it. That means their foundation in the present is shaky at best.
Most European Americans know a thing or two about English history. Before the film's opening credits they probably knew the Other Boylen Girl by name or could tell you that, while Elizabeth would soon be Queen, her beloved Dudley would never be King of England. After school many Jewish American children attend cultural studies to learn about their rich history.
But outside of Black History Month, Harriett Tubman and WEB Dubois, how many African Americans know the history behind why a disproportionate percentage of people of color remain in poverty?
For me, that statement about the poor may as well have indicted my father and his legacy. It was a slap in the face to everything he worked for all his life.
My dad was one of the wisest people I know. He was a military veteran, serving in World War II and the Korean war. He worked hard and saved virtually every nickel and dime he earned. He took pride in his home he invested in it for his family. He saved all his life and when I was old enough, he walked me and my piggy bank filled with weekly allowance straight to the nearest bank to open up a savings account.
But he couldn't save his way out of poverty. And no matter how comfortable our lives were, and how middle class we strived to be, the fact is that house he worked hard to make a home is smack in the middle of what is now a crime infested ghetto. The wealth he saved for all of his life barely makes a decent down payment in today's economy.
Poverty has little to do with who saves what. It has everything to do with who is denied opportunity and who isn't.
My dad didn't deserve to be refused housing in certain neighborhoods or to have the value of his home artificially kept low. He didn't deserve to be redlined out of his wealth.
But how to you explain this to someone who hasn't lived it firsthand? I was grateful to stumble across Tuesday's segment of the Rachel Maddow show, hosted by Melisssa Harris-Perry, which outlines why the new conservative talking point, that people are poor because they are careless with their money is not only not true, but also ignores the underlying issue of racism that is at the core of economic disparity in this country.
Use the link below if the video box doesn't appear.
The Rachel Maddow Show: US wealth gap reflects racism's legacy
Dr. Thomas Shapiro, the Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy at Brandeis University, talks with TRMS guest host Melissa Harris-Perry about a new report showing a wider than ever wealth gap between whites and people of color.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/43904424#43904424
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Christian Science Monitor: The big lie is crumbling
Now that Rupert Murdoch's media empire is crumbling at the seams, it's a good time to dissect his propaganda machine. Fox News, specifically, is a dangerous outgrowth of rampant Republican fear mongering at the expense of people of color. While phone hacking is beyond outrageous, what's truly cause for concern are the abuses of power by New Corps, his media conglomerate, and the misinformation it thrusts onto the political debate.
President Obama was right in describing Fox as "destructive to [America's] long-term growth."
Of course spreading misleading and blatantly wrong information is nothing new. It was a pinnacle of the Hearst empire in the 50s and 60s. However, Hearst never had such global reach, nor the ability influence global markets with a bed of lies.
The Christian Science Monitor recently looked at President Obama's accomplishments contradicting some of the misinformation:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Walter-Rodgers/2011/0527/The-big-lie-that-Obama-can-t-lead-is-crumbling
President Obama was right in describing Fox as "destructive to [America's] long-term growth."
Of course spreading misleading and blatantly wrong information is nothing new. It was a pinnacle of the Hearst empire in the 50s and 60s. However, Hearst never had such global reach, nor the ability influence global markets with a bed of lies.
The Christian Science Monitor recently looked at President Obama's accomplishments contradicting some of the misinformation:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Walter-Rodgers/2011/0527/The-big-lie-that-Obama-can-t-lead-is-crumbling
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Blame Game
Today I got a robo-call from Dick Morris, the conservative pollster and hooker patron, trying to "take America back" -- I guess from President Obama -- by buying his book in order to "make America great again." Forget the fact that the majority of Americans voted for Obama and still support him. The call went on to call the President an "idealog who rammed the deficit up to 14 trillion dollars by expanding government to likes never seen in American history. Really?
Unfortunately it's all a lie. I've been a conservative for years, but if the conservative ideals are worth fighting for, why do Republicans feel the need to lie to get others to support them?
The truth is adeptly told in this Washington Post article written by Lori Montgomery, Published: April 30. She writes:
"The nation’s unnerving descent into debt began a decade ago with a choice, not a crisis.
In January 2001, with the budget balanced and clear sailing ahead, the Congressional Budget Office forecast ever-larger annual surpluses indefinitely. The outlook was so rosy, the CBO said, that Washington would have enough money by the end of the decade to pay off everything it owed."
She goes on to do the simple math that sums up our deficit woes:
"Big-ticket spending initiated by the Bush administration accounts for 12 percent of the shift. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have added $1.3 trillion in new borrowing. A new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients contributed another $272 billion. The Troubled Assets Relief Program bank bailout, which infuriated voters and led to the defeat of several legislators in 2010, added just $16 billion — and TARP may eventually cost nothing as financial institutions repay the Treasury."
And Obama?
"Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus, a favorite target of Republicans who blame Democrats for the mounting debt, has added — 6 percent of the total shift."
SIX PERCENT.
You can read it for yourself here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/running-in-the-red-how-the-us-on-the-road-to-surplus-detoured-to-massive-debt/2011/04/28/AFFU7rNF_story.html?fb_ref=NetworkNews
In the meantime, I have a great idea: Let's stop blaming President Obama for the enormous hole dug into the economy by the Bush tax cuts. In reality, if you cut billions of dollars worth of income out of the economy, you get exactly what we have today, a massive deficit.
Unfortunately it's all a lie. I've been a conservative for years, but if the conservative ideals are worth fighting for, why do Republicans feel the need to lie to get others to support them?
The truth is adeptly told in this Washington Post article written by Lori Montgomery, Published: April 30. She writes:
"The nation’s unnerving descent into debt began a decade ago with a choice, not a crisis.
In January 2001, with the budget balanced and clear sailing ahead, the Congressional Budget Office forecast ever-larger annual surpluses indefinitely. The outlook was so rosy, the CBO said, that Washington would have enough money by the end of the decade to pay off everything it owed."
She goes on to do the simple math that sums up our deficit woes:
"Big-ticket spending initiated by the Bush administration accounts for 12 percent of the shift. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have added $1.3 trillion in new borrowing. A new prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients contributed another $272 billion. The Troubled Assets Relief Program bank bailout, which infuriated voters and led to the defeat of several legislators in 2010, added just $16 billion — and TARP may eventually cost nothing as financial institutions repay the Treasury."
And Obama?
"Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus, a favorite target of Republicans who blame Democrats for the mounting debt, has added — 6 percent of the total shift."
SIX PERCENT.
You can read it for yourself here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/running-in-the-red-how-the-us-on-the-road-to-surplus-detoured-to-massive-debt/2011/04/28/AFFU7rNF_story.html?fb_ref=NetworkNews
In the meantime, I have a great idea: Let's stop blaming President Obama for the enormous hole dug into the economy by the Bush tax cuts. In reality, if you cut billions of dollars worth of income out of the economy, you get exactly what we have today, a massive deficit.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
My Latest WTF Moment: Keith Olbermann leaves MSNBC
It was the tweet read 'round the world.
Early Friday evening, MSNBCs Countdown with Keith Olbermann began like it always does. Legendary NBC Nightly News theme music. Check. Keith's summary of stories we'll be talking about. Check. Thurber teaser? No check. Hmmmm...
That night Olbermann tweeted his show promos as usual, counting down from first to last. Then at 7:30 p.m. came a change. The tweet: @KeithOlbermann ShowPlugSupplemental: We will have a slight change in the Thurber selection tonight.
That lone tweet was the only indication something massive was about to happen. Keith Olbermann and MSNBC would part ways.
Earlier that night Olbermann announced an entirely different Thurber selection. At 6:30 Keith tweeted that the Friday nightly Thurber read would be a repeat: @KeithOlbermann ShowPlugLast: And back where we started on Fridays with Thurber: The Peacelike Mongoose.
But as the hour moved on and it drew closer to showtime, something changed. Something big enough to warrant a different Thurber with a different moral ending.
PHOPHETIC VOICE
In the end, Olbermann chose Thurber with an ending that speaks to the importance of asking questions. Thurber's: The Scottie Who Knew too Much concludes with a moral: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers."
Was the change significant? Or just a minor flux?
The moral of Peaceable Mongoose, while a repeat read for Olbermann, speaks to a mongoose who dared be different being betrayed by its peers. Instead Olbermann switched to a poem that highlights the importance of probing for a better understanding of a situation.
In the immortal words of Peter Finch, "So..."
Did Olbermann know going into the night that it would be his last? Or did something change Friday night right before his show?
In the final minutes of Countdown, Olbermann announced to his legion of nightly viewers he had been told it was his last show. He went on to recount the classic scene from Network, where Finch urges viewers to stand up and shout "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more..." He expressed gratitude that, unlike previous times, he had been given more than 15 seconds to say goodbye.
Reportedly Olbermann was in the midst of a $30-million, multi-year contract. But the rivalry between Olbermann and MSNBCs President Phil Griffin is no secret. Adding fuel to massive speculation, Olbermann's abrupt departure marks the anniversary of NBCs controversial yanking of Conan O'Brien's late night talk show, to-the-day. It also came within days of the controversial FCC approval of the Comcast/NBC merger.
Did Comcast have anything to do with pulling the plug? Or did the tension between Olbermann and Griffin finally reach its breaking point? Did MSNBC negotiate a non-compete clause that would keep Olbermann from taking his show to another network? Does the quick change in the moral behind the breakup give us clues?
It's better to ask some of the questions, than know all the answers.
Olbermann signed off with his traditional throwing of the night's script. But sorely missing in the closing moments was the fond banter between Olbermann and his protege -- immediately succeeding commentator, Rachel Maddow. Rachel had the night off, so viewers missed her initial reaction to Olbermann's announcement, which might have given some indication of how sudden the departure really was.
Minutes after his final sign-off MSNBC aired its regular Countdown promo, highlighting its popular, mercurial, but now suddenly departed host -- leaving viewers scratching their heads and left with an even greater sense of loss.
From Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/462783-Olbermann_Out_At_MSNBC.php
Olbermann Out At MSNBC
'Countdown' host's last show was Friday
By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/21/2011 9:06:09 PM
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's best-known anchor and lightening rod broadcast his final show on the network Friday.
In an on-air farewell on Countdown, Olbermann said he had been told that this was his last show, which might indicate he'd been fired by NBC Universal, which had suspended him in November for making campaign donations to Democrats. But he also said there had been times that "all that surrounded the show . . . were too much for me."
The reason for the departure was not immediately clear. "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract," said the network in a statement released as Olbermann went off the air. "MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
NBCU this week moved a step closer to being controlled by Comcast Corp., with the FCC approving the cable giant's transaction with General Electric, NBCU's current owner. The deal is expected to be finalized Jan. 28.
Given Olbermann's outspoken persona and his anti-establishment views, there has been speculation that Comcast would be less tolerant of his behavior on-air and behind the scenes with management.
One insider said that Comcast was informed of the deal made to terminate Olbermann's contract before it was announced, but that it was not involved in the decision.
Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice confirmed: "Comcast has not closed the transaction for NBC Universal and has no operational control at any of its properties including MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was announced that we would not interfere with NBC Universal's news operations. We have not and we will not."
An MSNBC spokesman would not comment on the situation beyond the network's statement.
Comcast said back in November it had no role in the suspension or reinstatement of Olbermann.
"Comcast is not in any way involved with decisions made currently by NBC News," the company said in a statement in November. "We have pledged that when the transaction is concluded, Comcast will abide by the same policies for NBC's news and public affairs programming that have been in place since GE acquired the company in 1986. Comcast is committed to the independence of NBC's news operations."
MSNBC had to shuffle its lineup in the wake of Olbermann's exit, a move made easier by the emergence of Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell as anchors whose shows on some nights draw more viewers than Olbermann's program Countdown.
On Monday, The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell will move from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m., with The Ed Show will move from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Countdown had been airing at 8-9 p.m. The Rachel Maddow Show remains at 9 p.m. O'Donnell will repeat at 11 p.m., replacing an Olbermann rebroadcast, and Cenk Uygur, MSNBC contributor and host of Web show "The Young Turks," will fill in as host of the 6 p.m. hour.
Olbermann helped MSNBC build viewership by taking on President George W. Bush and Fox News, attacking both with features such as "Worst Person In the World." He particularly went after Fox host Bill O'Reilly. The tension between the two hosts required high-level intervention from executives at both GE and Fox News parent News Corp.
Olbermann also created enemies inside and he was close to being fired a few times in addition to the campaign contribution issue in November. In his farewell broadcast, he thanked a large number of people, but did not include either NBC News President Steve Capus or MSNBC boss Phil Griffin.
Of Olbermann's departure, Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said, "Keith Olbermann did real journalism and spoke truth to power during the Bush years when most reporters fell down on the job. For that, he is a hero to many Americans -- including the 300,000 people who signed our BoldProgressives.org petition to put Keith back on the air last November." Olbermann had donated to two candidates endorsed by Green's PAC.
"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not, with some noting that the Comcast-NBC merger was approved by President Obama's FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski just this week," Green added. "We'll see what develops. But regardless, Keith: Good night and good luck."
Early Friday evening, MSNBCs Countdown with Keith Olbermann began like it always does. Legendary NBC Nightly News theme music. Check. Keith's summary of stories we'll be talking about. Check. Thurber teaser? No check. Hmmmm...
That night Olbermann tweeted his show promos as usual, counting down from first to last. Then at 7:30 p.m. came a change. The tweet: @KeithOlbermann ShowPlugSupplemental: We will have a slight change in the Thurber selection tonight.
That lone tweet was the only indication something massive was about to happen. Keith Olbermann and MSNBC would part ways.
Earlier that night Olbermann announced an entirely different Thurber selection. At 6:30 Keith tweeted that the Friday nightly Thurber read would be a repeat: @KeithOlbermann ShowPlugLast: And back where we started on Fridays with Thurber: The Peacelike Mongoose.
But as the hour moved on and it drew closer to showtime, something changed. Something big enough to warrant a different Thurber with a different moral ending.
PHOPHETIC VOICE
In the end, Olbermann chose Thurber with an ending that speaks to the importance of asking questions. Thurber's: The Scottie Who Knew too Much concludes with a moral: "It is better to ask some of the questions than to know all the answers."
Was the change significant? Or just a minor flux?
The moral of Peaceable Mongoose, while a repeat read for Olbermann, speaks to a mongoose who dared be different being betrayed by its peers. Instead Olbermann switched to a poem that highlights the importance of probing for a better understanding of a situation.
In the immortal words of Peter Finch, "So..."
Did Olbermann know going into the night that it would be his last? Or did something change Friday night right before his show?
In the final minutes of Countdown, Olbermann announced to his legion of nightly viewers he had been told it was his last show. He went on to recount the classic scene from Network, where Finch urges viewers to stand up and shout "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more..." He expressed gratitude that, unlike previous times, he had been given more than 15 seconds to say goodbye.
Reportedly Olbermann was in the midst of a $30-million, multi-year contract. But the rivalry between Olbermann and MSNBCs President Phil Griffin is no secret. Adding fuel to massive speculation, Olbermann's abrupt departure marks the anniversary of NBCs controversial yanking of Conan O'Brien's late night talk show, to-the-day. It also came within days of the controversial FCC approval of the Comcast/NBC merger.
Did Comcast have anything to do with pulling the plug? Or did the tension between Olbermann and Griffin finally reach its breaking point? Did MSNBC negotiate a non-compete clause that would keep Olbermann from taking his show to another network? Does the quick change in the moral behind the breakup give us clues?
It's better to ask some of the questions, than know all the answers.
Olbermann signed off with his traditional throwing of the night's script. But sorely missing in the closing moments was the fond banter between Olbermann and his protege -- immediately succeeding commentator, Rachel Maddow. Rachel had the night off, so viewers missed her initial reaction to Olbermann's announcement, which might have given some indication of how sudden the departure really was.
Minutes after his final sign-off MSNBC aired its regular Countdown promo, highlighting its popular, mercurial, but now suddenly departed host -- leaving viewers scratching their heads and left with an even greater sense of loss.
From Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/462783-Olbermann_Out_At_MSNBC.php
Olbermann Out At MSNBC
'Countdown' host's last show was Friday
By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/21/2011 9:06:09 PM
Keith Olbermann, MSNBC's best-known anchor and lightening rod broadcast his final show on the network Friday.
In an on-air farewell on Countdown, Olbermann said he had been told that this was his last show, which might indicate he'd been fired by NBC Universal, which had suspended him in November for making campaign donations to Democrats. But he also said there had been times that "all that surrounded the show . . . were too much for me."
The reason for the departure was not immediately clear. "MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract," said the network in a statement released as Olbermann went off the air. "MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
NBCU this week moved a step closer to being controlled by Comcast Corp., with the FCC approving the cable giant's transaction with General Electric, NBCU's current owner. The deal is expected to be finalized Jan. 28.
Given Olbermann's outspoken persona and his anti-establishment views, there has been speculation that Comcast would be less tolerant of his behavior on-air and behind the scenes with management.
One insider said that Comcast was informed of the deal made to terminate Olbermann's contract before it was announced, but that it was not involved in the decision.
Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice confirmed: "Comcast has not closed the transaction for NBC Universal and has no operational control at any of its properties including MSNBC. We pledged from the day the deal was announced that we would not interfere with NBC Universal's news operations. We have not and we will not."
An MSNBC spokesman would not comment on the situation beyond the network's statement.
Comcast said back in November it had no role in the suspension or reinstatement of Olbermann.
"Comcast is not in any way involved with decisions made currently by NBC News," the company said in a statement in November. "We have pledged that when the transaction is concluded, Comcast will abide by the same policies for NBC's news and public affairs programming that have been in place since GE acquired the company in 1986. Comcast is committed to the independence of NBC's news operations."
MSNBC had to shuffle its lineup in the wake of Olbermann's exit, a move made easier by the emergence of Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell as anchors whose shows on some nights draw more viewers than Olbermann's program Countdown.
On Monday, The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell will move from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m., with The Ed Show will move from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Countdown had been airing at 8-9 p.m. The Rachel Maddow Show remains at 9 p.m. O'Donnell will repeat at 11 p.m., replacing an Olbermann rebroadcast, and Cenk Uygur, MSNBC contributor and host of Web show "The Young Turks," will fill in as host of the 6 p.m. hour.
Olbermann helped MSNBC build viewership by taking on President George W. Bush and Fox News, attacking both with features such as "Worst Person In the World." He particularly went after Fox host Bill O'Reilly. The tension between the two hosts required high-level intervention from executives at both GE and Fox News parent News Corp.
Olbermann also created enemies inside and he was close to being fired a few times in addition to the campaign contribution issue in November. In his farewell broadcast, he thanked a large number of people, but did not include either NBC News President Steve Capus or MSNBC boss Phil Griffin.
Of Olbermann's departure, Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said, "Keith Olbermann did real journalism and spoke truth to power during the Bush years when most reporters fell down on the job. For that, he is a hero to many Americans -- including the 300,000 people who signed our BoldProgressives.org petition to put Keith back on the air last November." Olbermann had donated to two candidates endorsed by Green's PAC.
"A lot of people are trying to figure out if this was truly voluntary or not, with some noting that the Comcast-NBC merger was approved by President Obama's FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski just this week," Green added. "We'll see what develops. But regardless, Keith: Good night and good luck."
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Shady Credit Card Practices Unveiled
I found this article interesting in light of my own experiences with JP Morgan Chase, particularly them hiding terms of agreement by refusing to provide paperwork to document mortgage terms and insisting to only do business by telephone.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/chase-sec-whistleblower-complaint-credit-card/19768015/
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/chase-sec-whistleblower-complaint-credit-card/19768015/
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Fiscal Conservative? Who's fooling whom?
The Tea Party says they want to cut the federal budget deficit and curb deficit spending. If true, why are they supporting Republicans, who have not only spent the country into a fiscal hole over the past eight years, but also have only supported proposals that add to the budget crisis moving forward?
For example, Republicans say they oppose cap and trade legislation - legislations that would cut the deficit by $19 billion. They also support saddling the country with another $700 billion by supporting tax breaks for people who make more than a quarter million a year.
Most of the federal budget goes to defense spending. That makes trimming defense budtet waste a high priority. After all, a reported 9 billion dollars simply disappeared in Iraq because of little or no oversight. Yet Republicans are proposing 14billion in new nuclear weapons spending.
Even though the new health care law is projected to slice $138 billion from the deficit, Republicans want to repeal it. And they want to waste money rallying around a legal appeal on the insurance mandate -- one of the key provisions Republicans added to the legislation.
Teabaggers would go a long way to improve their credibility with the American public by supporting policies and politicians who actual help stop the budget crisis instead of help make it worse.
Additional Information:
Rachel Maddow: Will Democrats stick to their guns?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40225510/
Patrick Cockburn on Missing Billions in Iraq and Soaring Cancer & Infant Mortality Rates in Fallujah
For example, Republicans say they oppose cap and trade legislation - legislations that would cut the deficit by $19 billion. They also support saddling the country with another $700 billion by supporting tax breaks for people who make more than a quarter million a year.
Most of the federal budget goes to defense spending. That makes trimming defense budtet waste a high priority. After all, a reported 9 billion dollars simply disappeared in Iraq because of little or no oversight. Yet Republicans are proposing 14billion in new nuclear weapons spending.
Even though the new health care law is projected to slice $138 billion from the deficit, Republicans want to repeal it. And they want to waste money rallying around a legal appeal on the insurance mandate -- one of the key provisions Republicans added to the legislation.
Teabaggers would go a long way to improve their credibility with the American public by supporting policies and politicians who actual help stop the budget crisis instead of help make it worse.
Additional Information:
Rachel Maddow: Will Democrats stick to their guns?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40225510/
Patrick Cockburn on Missing Billions in Iraq and Soaring Cancer & Infant Mortality Rates in Fallujah
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