The Rich Are Not Entitled to Bankrupt the United States
"Tax Avoidance: $2,200 Billion
That's $2.2 trillion in tax expenditures, tax underpayments, tax havens, and corporate nonpayment. It is estimated that two-thirds of tax breaks accrue to the top quintile of taxpayers."
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Corporate Full-Service Restaurants also Cost Taxpayers Billions
Corporate Full-Service Restaurants also Cost Taxpayers Billions
"McDonald’s and other fast food chains aren’t the only restaurant companies whose low-paid workers need food stamps and Medicaid to get by. According to a new report "The Public Cost of Low Wages in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry" from the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), the giant corporations operating or franchising full-service restaurants also cost taxpayers billions in public assistance for workers who are not paid enough to make ends meet."
"McDonald’s and other fast food chains aren’t the only restaurant companies whose low-paid workers need food stamps and Medicaid to get by. According to a new report "The Public Cost of Low Wages in the Full-Service Restaurant Industry" from the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), the giant corporations operating or franchising full-service restaurants also cost taxpayers billions in public assistance for workers who are not paid enough to make ends meet."
A Tale of Three States: California, Kansas, and Florida
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/15/1371066/-A-Tale-of-Three-States-California-Kansas-and-Florida
"Kansas is collapsing. In four short years, since the tea party takeover, Kansas has had three credit downgrades along with a billion-dollar budget deficit. They are struggling to fund basic services and their education system is hanging on by a thread, with cutbacks making it almost dead last in teacher quality, pay, student spending and pupil-teacher ratio. It's so bad that REPUBLICAN state Sen. Wint Winter Jr. said Brownback's tax cuts have been a "train wreck".
Yet while the Sunflower state is falling apart, the Eureka State is CRUSHING it.
By any metric you use, California has become the best state in the union for investors."
"Kansas is collapsing. In four short years, since the tea party takeover, Kansas has had three credit downgrades along with a billion-dollar budget deficit. They are struggling to fund basic services and their education system is hanging on by a thread, with cutbacks making it almost dead last in teacher quality, pay, student spending and pupil-teacher ratio. It's so bad that REPUBLICAN state Sen. Wint Winter Jr. said Brownback's tax cuts have been a "train wreck".
Yet while the Sunflower state is falling apart, the Eureka State is CRUSHING it.
By any metric you use, California has become the best state in the union for investors."
Minnesota Republicans Pass Bill Banning Cities From Raising The Minimum Wage. Seriously.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/25/minnesota-republicans-pass-bill-banning-cities-from-raising-the-minimum-wage-seriously/
"Thankfully, Minnesota still has a sane Governor and a State Senate that is controlled by Democrats, so it is unclear whether Republicans can successfully maneuver the bill into law. If they fail, and let’s hope they do, then all they will have accomplished is to shamelessly demonstrate the sickening “screw the poor” mentality that has infected the Republican Party. I guess we should be grateful that they aren’t even trying to hide it any more."
"Thankfully, Minnesota still has a sane Governor and a State Senate that is controlled by Democrats, so it is unclear whether Republicans can successfully maneuver the bill into law. If they fail, and let’s hope they do, then all they will have accomplished is to shamelessly demonstrate the sickening “screw the poor” mentality that has infected the Republican Party. I guess we should be grateful that they aren’t even trying to hide it any more."
The Koch Brothers Try To Fool The American People With An Evil PR Campaign
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/25/kochs-claim-theyre-politics-americans-well-being-profits.html
"It was reported on Thursday that the Kochs are launching an “aggressive new defense” of Koch Industries with particular emphasis on educating Americans that their political ambitions in paying Republicans to eliminate the government is not driven by a desire for more profits, but is “rooted in the Kochs’ decades-long quest to increase well-being in society"."
"It was reported on Thursday that the Kochs are launching an “aggressive new defense” of Koch Industries with particular emphasis on educating Americans that their political ambitions in paying Republicans to eliminate the government is not driven by a desire for more profits, but is “rooted in the Kochs’ decades-long quest to increase well-being in society"."
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Runs To The Koch Brothers To Save His Plummeting Approval Ratings
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/25/indiana-gov-mike-pence-runs-to-the-koch-brothers-to-save-his-plummeting-approval-ratings/
"If Indiana Governor Mike Pence didn’t realize that his signing of the discriminatory Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was political suicide, he sure does now. Apparently, the now-infamously bigoted governor is doing something that many desperate Republicans have done to win elections or to save their ratings: Run to the Koch Brothers."
"If Indiana Governor Mike Pence didn’t realize that his signing of the discriminatory Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was political suicide, he sure does now. Apparently, the now-infamously bigoted governor is doing something that many desperate Republicans have done to win elections or to save their ratings: Run to the Koch Brothers."
There’s One Issue That Undoubtedly Proves The Ethical Differences Between Democrats And Republicans
There’s One Issue That Undoubtedly Proves The Ethical Differences Between Democrats And Republicans
"But while there are many issues where Democrats and Republicans are very different (women’s rights, abortions, gay rights, the minimum wage, social programs to help the poor, tax rates, immigration, voting rights), there’s one issue above all else that I feel really showcases the ethical differences between the two parties: Overturning Citizens United, passing campaign finance reform and getting money out of politics. Most Republicans vehemently oppose overturning Citizens United, laughably proclaiming (as our Supreme Court did) that money somehow equals free speech."
"But while there are many issues where Democrats and Republicans are very different (women’s rights, abortions, gay rights, the minimum wage, social programs to help the poor, tax rates, immigration, voting rights), there’s one issue above all else that I feel really showcases the ethical differences between the two parties: Overturning Citizens United, passing campaign finance reform and getting money out of politics. Most Republicans vehemently oppose overturning Citizens United, laughably proclaiming (as our Supreme Court did) that money somehow equals free speech."
The GOP’s pathetic money groveling: Why the Republican nomination will go to the highest bidder
The GOP’s pathetic money groveling: Why the Republican nomination will go to the highest bidder
"If there’s one thing the Republican field’s disgusting groveling for cash should show us once and for all, it’s how much money it takes to buy a nomination. This “donor primary” is shaping up to be as hard fought as any down-and-dirty local election between a hard core Tea Partyer and an old school main-street conservative. The amount of money being collected is going to be breathtaking. The main question now is whether or not the candidates can even find enough places to spend it all."
"If there’s one thing the Republican field’s disgusting groveling for cash should show us once and for all, it’s how much money it takes to buy a nomination. This “donor primary” is shaping up to be as hard fought as any down-and-dirty local election between a hard core Tea Partyer and an old school main-street conservative. The amount of money being collected is going to be breathtaking. The main question now is whether or not the candidates can even find enough places to spend it all."
What Happens In Vegas This Weekend Could Decide The Next Republican Presidential Nominee
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/04/24/3650498/gop-sheldon-adelson-primary/
"Mega donor Adelson and his wife Miriam spent nearly $150 million on the 2012 election — more than the Koch brothers — and are likely to match that amount this campaign cycle. With his $32 billion net worth, Adelson was the single largest campaign donor in American history."
"Mega donor Adelson and his wife Miriam spent nearly $150 million on the 2012 election — more than the Koch brothers — and are likely to match that amount this campaign cycle. With his $32 billion net worth, Adelson was the single largest campaign donor in American history."
It's Not the 1 Percent Controlling Politics. It's the 0.01 Percent.
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/04/one-percent-campaign-giving
"In other words, about 1,200 Americans control more than 40 percent of election contributions."
"In other words, about 1,200 Americans control more than 40 percent of election contributions."
Boehner Attempts to Undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/23/boehner-attempts-undermine-consumer-financial-protection-bureau.html
"The CFPB makes businesses accountable by protecting consumers. Boehner wants to reverse how this works, and make those who protect consumers held accountable to businesses."
"The CFPB makes businesses accountable by protecting consumers. Boehner wants to reverse how this works, and make those who protect consumers held accountable to businesses."
Friday, April 24, 2015
Watch: Nobel Economist Destroys 35 Years of Trickle-Down Reaganomics In 2 Minutes
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-nobel-economist-destroys-35-years-of-trickle-down-reaganomics-in-2-minutes/
"The evidence that the Republican vision of economics is fatally flawed is too great to ignore, yet they keep trumpeting it to cement the status quo and cripple the working families of America forever."
"The evidence that the Republican vision of economics is fatally flawed is too great to ignore, yet they keep trumpeting it to cement the status quo and cripple the working families of America forever."
New Study Proves Once Again That “Trickle-Down Economics” Are A Massive Scam
New Study Proves Once Again That “Trickle-Down Economics” Are A Massive Scam
"If you look at this study and grasp how supply and demand works, it’s very clear that a strong economy which benefits all Americans (including the wealthy) depends on more money in the hands of more consumers, not more money in the hands of the 1%. Trickle-down economics are nothing more than a lie that has been repeatedly debunked"
"If you look at this study and grasp how supply and demand works, it’s very clear that a strong economy which benefits all Americans (including the wealthy) depends on more money in the hands of more consumers, not more money in the hands of the 1%. Trickle-down economics are nothing more than a lie that has been repeatedly debunked"
Walker Goes To Minnesota, Gets Burned, Blames Democrats
Walker Goes To Minnesota, Gets Burned, Blames Democrats
"Minnesota has been kicking Wisconsin's butt on just about every economic measure. The reasons are myriad, but the biggest four reasons are health care, minimum wage, unions and pay equality."
"Minnesota has been kicking Wisconsin's butt on just about every economic measure. The reasons are myriad, but the biggest four reasons are health care, minimum wage, unions and pay equality."
Tax cuts for the rich made Kansas broke — so now Republicans move to raise taxes on the poor
Tax cuts for the rich made Kansas broke — so now Republicans move to raise taxes on the poor
"Let’s say you’re the Governor of Kansas. The tax cuts for the rich you pushed through a couple years ago mean you’re in a world of budgetary hurt, and you’re not sure how you’re going to pay for basic expenses like roads and schools this year. What do you do? Repeal tax cuts? Absolutely not. You’re Sam Brownback. You balance your books on the backs of the poor, and cite fiscal prudence as a moral justification."
"Let’s say you’re the Governor of Kansas. The tax cuts for the rich you pushed through a couple years ago mean you’re in a world of budgetary hurt, and you’re not sure how you’re going to pay for basic expenses like roads and schools this year. What do you do? Repeal tax cuts? Absolutely not. You’re Sam Brownback. You balance your books on the backs of the poor, and cite fiscal prudence as a moral justification."
'Right to Work' Debunked: Economists Find Anti-Worker Laws Lead to Lower Wages
'Right to Work' Debunked: Economists Find Anti-Worker Laws Lead to Lower Wages
"workers in RTW states are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance or pension coverage."
"workers in RTW states are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance or pension coverage."
Woo Hoo! Obama Administration Rewriting Overtime Laws
Woo Hoo! Obama Administration Rewriting Overtime Laws
"this will be a huge help to many working people"
"this will be a huge help to many working people"
Taco Bell Lobbyists Send Congress 6,000 Thank You Tacos For Fighting Unions, Healthcare Laws
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/22/taco-bell-lobbyists-send-congress-6000-thank-you-tacos-for-fighting-unions-healthcare-laws/
"It’s not unheard of for politicians to give special considerations to interest groups based on perks, but selling out thousands of workers for some cheap Taco Bell tacos is pretty harsh."
"It’s not unheard of for politicians to give special considerations to interest groups based on perks, but selling out thousands of workers for some cheap Taco Bell tacos is pretty harsh."
The Real GOP Primary Is Almost Over | The Nation
The Real GOP Primary Is Almost Over | The Nation
"Only through the fun-house mirror created by wealthy donors, and in a system where the Koch brothers plan to spend more than the Republican National Committee, do we get candidates like the ones we just saw in New Hemisphere."
"Only through the fun-house mirror created by wealthy donors, and in a system where the Koch brothers plan to spend more than the Republican National Committee, do we get candidates like the ones we just saw in New Hemisphere."
Scott Walker, forever tarnished: Republican governors have tanked the GOP brand
Scott Walker, forever tarnished: Republican governors have tanked the GOP brand
"What do Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal all have in common? They’re all sitting governors who’d like to be president, sure. But what else?
How about being embarrassingly bad at job creation? That’s right. From January 2011 through January 2015, Louisiana under Jindal ranked 32nd in job creation with 5.4 percent growth over four years. Wisconsin under Walker ranked 35th, with 4.85 percent growth. New Jersey under Christie ranked 40th, with 4.15 percent growth. This compares with a national average of 8.21 percent.
Even Ohio’s John Kasich, who’s worked more with Democrats—most notably by agreeing to Medicaid expansion under Obamacare—and thus tarnished his brand with conservative purists while puffing himself up with Beltway pundits — only ranked 23rd. He’s still under the national average, with Ohio’s 6.23 percent growth. Ohio has yet to get back to 2007 employment levels, “The nation and the majority of other states reached this benchmark in 2014,” said researcher Hannah Halbert, in a statement from Policy Matters Ohio.
And then there’s Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, once a 2016 hopeful cheered on by Grover Norquist and supported by supply-side icon Arthur Laffer in his crusade to slash (and eventually abolish) Kansas state income tax—a sure-fired job-creation move, according to the promises of all concerned. Justly dubbed a “failed experiment” for the massive deficits it has generated, the experiment also produced only lackluster job growth of 5.95 percent, ranking 28th in the nation—better than Walker and Christie, sure, but lower than its neighbors in Nebraska (25th) and Oklahoma (14th)."
"What do Scott Walker, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal all have in common? They’re all sitting governors who’d like to be president, sure. But what else?
How about being embarrassingly bad at job creation? That’s right. From January 2011 through January 2015, Louisiana under Jindal ranked 32nd in job creation with 5.4 percent growth over four years. Wisconsin under Walker ranked 35th, with 4.85 percent growth. New Jersey under Christie ranked 40th, with 4.15 percent growth. This compares with a national average of 8.21 percent.
Even Ohio’s John Kasich, who’s worked more with Democrats—most notably by agreeing to Medicaid expansion under Obamacare—and thus tarnished his brand with conservative purists while puffing himself up with Beltway pundits — only ranked 23rd. He’s still under the national average, with Ohio’s 6.23 percent growth. Ohio has yet to get back to 2007 employment levels, “The nation and the majority of other states reached this benchmark in 2014,” said researcher Hannah Halbert, in a statement from Policy Matters Ohio.
And then there’s Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas, once a 2016 hopeful cheered on by Grover Norquist and supported by supply-side icon Arthur Laffer in his crusade to slash (and eventually abolish) Kansas state income tax—a sure-fired job-creation move, according to the promises of all concerned. Justly dubbed a “failed experiment” for the massive deficits it has generated, the experiment also produced only lackluster job growth of 5.95 percent, ranking 28th in the nation—better than Walker and Christie, sure, but lower than its neighbors in Nebraska (25th) and Oklahoma (14th)."
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Dems Unite Around $12 Minimum Wage
Dems Unite Around $12 Minimum Wage
"Democrats in Congress are uniting around a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour."
"Democrats in Congress are uniting around a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour."
“Democracy, sponsored by Koch Industries”: 2016′s scary new landscape
“Democracy, sponsored by Koch Industries”: 2016′s scary new landscape
"Charles Koch, David Koch, and a few of their Fortune 500 friends would be purchasing the five most viable Republican presidential candidates for themselves. Primary voters wouldn’t be getting democracy so much as they’d be getting Democracy: Sponsored by Koch Industries. Republicans across the country would get their chance to pick from among a handful of candidates, but those candidates will have all converged around a platform drafted by a Randian ideologue."
"Charles Koch, David Koch, and a few of their Fortune 500 friends would be purchasing the five most viable Republican presidential candidates for themselves. Primary voters wouldn’t be getting democracy so much as they’d be getting Democracy: Sponsored by Koch Industries. Republicans across the country would get their chance to pick from among a handful of candidates, but those candidates will have all converged around a platform drafted by a Randian ideologue."
Chris Christie gave top donor hidden millions from state pension system: report
Chris Christie gave top donor hidden millions from state pension system: report
"New Jersey rules require Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration to cancel investment contracts with firms whose officials raise or donate money to the governor’s political campaigns. But his administration has paid more than $16 million in pension fees to the financial firm that was led by Christie’s chief fundraiser and top donor, Jon Hanson.
The money -- far more than previously disclosed -- flowed to Hanson’s company, Prudential Financial, and its related funds that the state pension system has invested in."
"New Jersey rules require Republican Gov. Chris Christie's administration to cancel investment contracts with firms whose officials raise or donate money to the governor’s political campaigns. But his administration has paid more than $16 million in pension fees to the financial firm that was led by Christie’s chief fundraiser and top donor, Jon Hanson.
The money -- far more than previously disclosed -- flowed to Hanson’s company, Prudential Financial, and its related funds that the state pension system has invested in."
Koch 2016 Roadmap To Victory Leaked
Koch 2016 Roadmap To Victory Leaked
"It is a prospectus, of course, because the Kochs approach our politics as purely a business deal in need of some seed funding to make the business take off."
"It is a prospectus, of course, because the Kochs approach our politics as purely a business deal in need of some seed funding to make the business take off."
Texas GOP Removes Public Integrity Unit’s Power To Investigate Or Prosecute Texas GOP (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/22/texas-gop-removes-public-integrity-units-power-to-investigate-or-prosecute-texas-gop-video/
"On April 20, Texas republicans voted to protect themselves from ethics investigations, by placing “elected officials” into a special class of public entities that cannot be investigated by the state’s Public Integrity Unit."
"On April 20, Texas republicans voted to protect themselves from ethics investigations, by placing “elected officials” into a special class of public entities that cannot be investigated by the state’s Public Integrity Unit."
Dependence On Koch Money Is Damaging Our Democracy
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2015/04/20/dependence-on-koch-money-is-damaging-our-democracy/
"This dependence, or addiction if you prefer, is detrimental to our political system. When most people think of an addiction, they equate it to inanimate things like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. In America, we have a more serious problem and that is the dependence of our politicians on the money supplied by the Koch brothers and other right wing extremists that is being used to buy our government.
When the Supreme Court ruled on FEC v. Citizens United in January 2010, they opened a Pandora’s Box that has allowed the total corruption of our political system through the use of ‘dark money’ support from unnamed sources. Declaring that money equals speech and that donors to political organizations, many posing as non-profit organizations, do not need to declare who their benefactors are has allowed unscrupulous people like the Koch brothers to flood our political landscape with candidates that are no more than puppets, paid to do whatever is demanded of them.
Here is how it works. They find a buffoon that is pliable, ignorant, and willing to be bought. Ideally, the selected ‘candidate’ will have some degree of personal charisma, but not too much ability for independent thought. They then convince this person that they are a perfect ‘candidate’ and give them a false sense of superiority that makes them think that they have what it takes to succeed in the political forum.
They flood their ‘candidate’ with dark money contributions from unnamed sources and make the entire campaign dependent on that money. All the chosen ‘candidate’ has to do is follow the directions of his or her handlers to be elevated high into the American political system, possibly even as high as the White House."
"This dependence, or addiction if you prefer, is detrimental to our political system. When most people think of an addiction, they equate it to inanimate things like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. In America, we have a more serious problem and that is the dependence of our politicians on the money supplied by the Koch brothers and other right wing extremists that is being used to buy our government.
When the Supreme Court ruled on FEC v. Citizens United in January 2010, they opened a Pandora’s Box that has allowed the total corruption of our political system through the use of ‘dark money’ support from unnamed sources. Declaring that money equals speech and that donors to political organizations, many posing as non-profit organizations, do not need to declare who their benefactors are has allowed unscrupulous people like the Koch brothers to flood our political landscape with candidates that are no more than puppets, paid to do whatever is demanded of them.
Here is how it works. They find a buffoon that is pliable, ignorant, and willing to be bought. Ideally, the selected ‘candidate’ will have some degree of personal charisma, but not too much ability for independent thought. They then convince this person that they are a perfect ‘candidate’ and give them a false sense of superiority that makes them think that they have what it takes to succeed in the political forum.
They flood their ‘candidate’ with dark money contributions from unnamed sources and make the entire campaign dependent on that money. All the chosen ‘candidate’ has to do is follow the directions of his or her handlers to be elevated high into the American political system, possibly even as high as the White House."
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Banking Giant Warns Clients Of Fossil Fuel Investment Risks
Banking Giant Warns Clients Of Fossil Fuel Investment Risks
"Global banking giant HSBC has warned investors of the growing risk of their fossil fuel assets becoming useless, in a private report seen by Newsweek.
In the report, titled ‘Stranded assets: what next?’, analysts warn of the growing likelihood that fossil fuel companies may become “economically non-viable”, as people move away from carbon energy and fossil fuels are left in the ground."
"Global banking giant HSBC has warned investors of the growing risk of their fossil fuel assets becoming useless, in a private report seen by Newsweek.
In the report, titled ‘Stranded assets: what next?’, analysts warn of the growing likelihood that fossil fuel companies may become “economically non-viable”, as people move away from carbon energy and fossil fuels are left in the ground."
Kochs Defeated in Montana: 6 Lessons America Can Learn From This Rural Western State | Alternet
Kochs Defeated in Montana: 6 Lessons America Can Learn From This Rural Western State | Alternet
"Montana is the only state where the Kochs got beaten down like this."
"Montana is the only state where the Kochs got beaten down like this."
Rand Paul Kissing Koch Brothers' Asses: 'Libertarianism' In A Nutshell
Rand Paul Kissing Koch Brothers' Asses: 'Libertarianism' In A Nutshell
"Of course, all of this is perfectly normal to a ‘libertarian' like Rand Paul because the political brand name masks the true nature of the philosophy at work: it's anarchism for the rich. Charles and David Koch learned their politics from Robert LeFevre, whose famous "Freedom School" taught lessons on autarchy - the abolition of all government except for the individual, making everyone their own dictatorship and reducing all society to a kind of right wing syndicalism. (Of course, LeFevre had only survived the Great Depression because of those terrible government relief programs.) Based in Colorado, in concept LeFevre's failed dream community resembled Galt's Gulch, the magical make-believe wonderland of strangely Marxist bliss where Ayn Rand's fictional ‘producers' hid out from the maddened ‘moochers' in the world of Atlas Shrugged.
Sen. Rand Paul, who prefers to create his own ophthalmic certification board rather than submit to the indignities of regular recertification by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, definitely likes to make his own rules in the classic LeFevre mold. He's his own best "special interest," and so are the Kochs. You can tell how much he admires them for it."
"Of course, all of this is perfectly normal to a ‘libertarian' like Rand Paul because the political brand name masks the true nature of the philosophy at work: it's anarchism for the rich. Charles and David Koch learned their politics from Robert LeFevre, whose famous "Freedom School" taught lessons on autarchy - the abolition of all government except for the individual, making everyone their own dictatorship and reducing all society to a kind of right wing syndicalism. (Of course, LeFevre had only survived the Great Depression because of those terrible government relief programs.) Based in Colorado, in concept LeFevre's failed dream community resembled Galt's Gulch, the magical make-believe wonderland of strangely Marxist bliss where Ayn Rand's fictional ‘producers' hid out from the maddened ‘moochers' in the world of Atlas Shrugged.
Sen. Rand Paul, who prefers to create his own ophthalmic certification board rather than submit to the indignities of regular recertification by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, definitely likes to make his own rules in the classic LeFevre mold. He's his own best "special interest," and so are the Kochs. You can tell how much he admires them for it."
Koch Brothers Declare Scott Walker Is Our Man
Koch Brothers Declare Scott Walker Is Our Man
"Charles and David Koch, the billionaire co-owners of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately-held companies in the world and the overseers of one of the biggest private political organizations in the country, told Republican donors in New York on April 19 that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is their man for President."
"Charles and David Koch, the billionaire co-owners of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately-held companies in the world and the overseers of one of the biggest private political organizations in the country, told Republican donors in New York on April 19 that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is their man for President."
Scott Walker's cheap shirt maybe wasn't so cheap for Wisconsin taxpayers
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/20/1378913/-Scott-Walker-s-cheap-shirt-maybe-wasn-t-so-cheap-for-Wisconsin-taxpayers
"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, going for the "everyday guy" vote in the Republican presidential primary, has a story he likes to tell about using so many coupons at Kohl's that "The next thing you know, they’re paying me to buy that shirt." Audiences are supposed to respond by thinking "Gosh, just think how careful he'll be with taxpayer money," but there's a funny story about Scott Walker, Kohl's, and taxes."
"Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, going for the "everyday guy" vote in the Republican presidential primary, has a story he likes to tell about using so many coupons at Kohl's that "The next thing you know, they’re paying me to buy that shirt." Audiences are supposed to respond by thinking "Gosh, just think how careful he'll be with taxpayer money," but there's a funny story about Scott Walker, Kohl's, and taxes."
Scott Walker is the absolute worst: Beneath his “Everyman” facade, a grossly incompetent administration
Scott Walker is the absolute worst: Beneath his “Everyman” facade, a grossly incompetent administration
"This weekend we learned that Scott Walker hopes his “Everyman” shtick will obscure the fact that, in the words of Esquire’s Charlie Pierce, he was “hired by Koch Industries to manage their Midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin"."
"This weekend we learned that Scott Walker hopes his “Everyman” shtick will obscure the fact that, in the words of Esquire’s Charlie Pierce, he was “hired by Koch Industries to manage their Midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin"."
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Kochs Anoint Scott Walker As The Chosen One For 2016
Kochs Anoint Scott Walker As The Chosen One For 2016
"interesting that the original NYT headline was "Kochs Signal Support for Scott Walker" until someone changed it to "G.O.P. Donors Signal Support for Scott Walker." Just more evidence that they're hopelessly addicted to Koch."
"interesting that the original NYT headline was "Kochs Signal Support for Scott Walker" until someone changed it to "G.O.P. Donors Signal Support for Scott Walker." Just more evidence that they're hopelessly addicted to Koch."
Monday, April 20, 2015
Bernie Sanders Busts The GOP Plan To Take Health Insurance Away From 27 Million Americans
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/20/bernie-sanders-busts-gop-plan-health-insurance-27-million-americans.html
"Republicans are planning on gutting Medicare and throwing 27 million people off of their private insurance in order to pay for tax cuts to the top one-tenth of one percent."
"Republicans are planning on gutting Medicare and throwing 27 million people off of their private insurance in order to pay for tax cuts to the top one-tenth of one percent."
Elizabeth Warren's Comprehensive Wall Street Reform Agenda
Elizabeth Warren's Comprehensive Wall Street Reform Agenda
"Warren hits the nail on the head. To be pro-business and pro-market, you have to some rules that guarantee a level playing field, you have to have cops on the beat, and you have to have a regulatory and judicial system willing to actually prosecute the businesses who break the rules -- no matter how big, wealthy, and powerful those businesses are in the marketplace and political system. Market competition does not work if one business is so big and powerful that it can squeeze out its competitors, and if the rules give unfair advantages only to the richest and most politically powerful.
The people who refer to Elizabeth Warren as anti-business just don’t get it. What she is in reality is anti-predator, anti-cheater, anti-monopolist, and anti-cronyism. If you have a fair system that regulates those market and competition-stifling things, then it helps the vast majority of businesses to fairly compete. What this speech reminds us is that Elizabeth Warren is a pro-business, pro-market progressive."
"Warren hits the nail on the head. To be pro-business and pro-market, you have to some rules that guarantee a level playing field, you have to have cops on the beat, and you have to have a regulatory and judicial system willing to actually prosecute the businesses who break the rules -- no matter how big, wealthy, and powerful those businesses are in the marketplace and political system. Market competition does not work if one business is so big and powerful that it can squeeze out its competitors, and if the rules give unfair advantages only to the richest and most politically powerful.
The people who refer to Elizabeth Warren as anti-business just don’t get it. What she is in reality is anti-predator, anti-cheater, anti-monopolist, and anti-cronyism. If you have a fair system that regulates those market and competition-stifling things, then it helps the vast majority of businesses to fairly compete. What this speech reminds us is that Elizabeth Warren is a pro-business, pro-market progressive."
Faux Democracy and the Tea Party: How Far Back Does It Go?
http://wallstreetonparade.com/2015/04/faux-democracy-and-the-tea-party-how-far-back-does-it-go/
"Manipulating Americans to organize or protest against their own interests is the sine qua non of big corporate front groups. These groups are alternately known as astroturf organizations because the grass in “grassroots” is fake turf.
Just how fake that turf is came into crisp perspective on April 2 when Christine Stapleton, an investigative reporter at the Palm Beach Post, revealed that a protest rally called by the Tea Party of Miami and Florida Citizens Against Waste used paid actors from the Broward Acting Group as faux protesters."
"Manipulating Americans to organize or protest against their own interests is the sine qua non of big corporate front groups. These groups are alternately known as astroturf organizations because the grass in “grassroots” is fake turf.
Just how fake that turf is came into crisp perspective on April 2 when Christine Stapleton, an investigative reporter at the Palm Beach Post, revealed that a protest rally called by the Tea Party of Miami and Florida Citizens Against Waste used paid actors from the Broward Acting Group as faux protesters."
Koch Funding of Universities Shrouded in Secrecy
Koch Funding of Universities Shrouded in Secrecy
"But that’s not all the money buys. As students at Florida State University and Clemson University discovered in 2011, grant agreements (Memorandums of Understanding, or "MOUs") between universities and the Charles Koch Foundation often give the Kochs influence over the hiring of professors and development of course curriculum. In other words, on top of reshaping scientific studies to further their bottom line, the Kochs are also trying to reshape public education to match their libertarian ideology."
"But that’s not all the money buys. As students at Florida State University and Clemson University discovered in 2011, grant agreements (Memorandums of Understanding, or "MOUs") between universities and the Charles Koch Foundation often give the Kochs influence over the hiring of professors and development of course curriculum. In other words, on top of reshaping scientific studies to further their bottom line, the Kochs are also trying to reshape public education to match their libertarian ideology."
Martin O’Malley Comes Out Swinging Against GOP, Calls Their Economic Theories ‘Bullsh*t’ (AUDIO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/20/martin-omalley-comes-out-swinging-against-gop-calls-their-economic-theories-bullsht-audio/
"But it was the economy that took center stage during the interview as O’Malley came out swinging at the Republican economic policies of trickle-down theory and fewer regulations:
“The Republican Party is doubling down on this trickle-down theory that says thou shalt concentrate wealth at the very top of our society. Thou shalt remove regulation from wherever you find it, even on Wall Street. And thou shalt keep wages low for American workers so that we can be more competitive. We have a different theory. Our theory as Democrats and as the longer arc of our story as Americans is that we believe that a stronger middle class is actually the cause of economic growth. What ails our economy right now is 12 years of stagnant or declining wages, and we need to fix this.”
Indeed, O’Malley is determined to raise the minimum wage even higher than the $10 an hour President Obama has proposed. Such a move would almost certainly lift millions of Americans out of poverty and even the playing field in an economy that has tilted heavily in favor of the wealthy. One reason for that is the Republican policy of deregulation, which has help enrich corporate executives at the expense of worker safety and worker’s rights. As a result, Americans work more and earn less."
"But it was the economy that took center stage during the interview as O’Malley came out swinging at the Republican economic policies of trickle-down theory and fewer regulations:
“The Republican Party is doubling down on this trickle-down theory that says thou shalt concentrate wealth at the very top of our society. Thou shalt remove regulation from wherever you find it, even on Wall Street. And thou shalt keep wages low for American workers so that we can be more competitive. We have a different theory. Our theory as Democrats and as the longer arc of our story as Americans is that we believe that a stronger middle class is actually the cause of economic growth. What ails our economy right now is 12 years of stagnant or declining wages, and we need to fix this.”
Indeed, O’Malley is determined to raise the minimum wage even higher than the $10 an hour President Obama has proposed. Such a move would almost certainly lift millions of Americans out of poverty and even the playing field in an economy that has tilted heavily in favor of the wealthy. One reason for that is the Republican policy of deregulation, which has help enrich corporate executives at the expense of worker safety and worker’s rights. As a result, Americans work more and earn less."
Jeb Bush Becomes Latest Republican To Admit Trickle-Down Economics Is A Scam
Jeb Bush Becomes Latest Republican To Admit Trickle-Down Economics Is A Scam
"It’s no secret that the only “plan” Republicans really have to address job creation is to push for deregulation and cut taxes – two things that have unequivocally proven time and time again that they have almost nothing to do with creating jobs. If tax cuts and deregulation actually led to strong economic success, Bush’s eight years in the White House would have yielded record growth.
Instead, just the opposite happened; record-setting income inequality dominated his last few years in office, leading to the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. Well, since all other economic indicators under President Obama have been overwhelmingly positive, many Republicans have been left with no other alternative but to complain about the growing problem of income inequality. It’s an interesting complaint considering the wage gap between the average American and the richest among us really began to grow once Reagan and his fellow Republicans forced trickle-down economics upon us. You know, the belief that the more money we give the rich, the better it will be for the rest of us. If you just laughed and/or cried, I don’t blame you.
Well, over the last 30+ years we’ve given the rich plenty. In fact, over that time they’ve done better than at any other time in our nation’s history, while the rest of us continue to fall further and further behind. So, the questions I always ask is, “When does that wealth start to trickle down? Just how rich do the wealthiest among us need to be before the rest of us finally start benefitting?” Naturally, believers in the asinine theory of trickle-down economics never seem to have any answers for those questions."
"It’s no secret that the only “plan” Republicans really have to address job creation is to push for deregulation and cut taxes – two things that have unequivocally proven time and time again that they have almost nothing to do with creating jobs. If tax cuts and deregulation actually led to strong economic success, Bush’s eight years in the White House would have yielded record growth.
Instead, just the opposite happened; record-setting income inequality dominated his last few years in office, leading to the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. Well, since all other economic indicators under President Obama have been overwhelmingly positive, many Republicans have been left with no other alternative but to complain about the growing problem of income inequality. It’s an interesting complaint considering the wage gap between the average American and the richest among us really began to grow once Reagan and his fellow Republicans forced trickle-down economics upon us. You know, the belief that the more money we give the rich, the better it will be for the rest of us. If you just laughed and/or cried, I don’t blame you.
Well, over the last 30+ years we’ve given the rich plenty. In fact, over that time they’ve done better than at any other time in our nation’s history, while the rest of us continue to fall further and further behind. So, the questions I always ask is, “When does that wealth start to trickle down? Just how rich do the wealthiest among us need to be before the rest of us finally start benefitting?” Naturally, believers in the asinine theory of trickle-down economics never seem to have any answers for those questions."
14 Reasons The Rich Wouldn’t Exist Without The Poor
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/20/14-reasons-the-rich-wouldnt-exist-without-the-poor/
"Americans, constantly in search of someone to hate, have landed lately on the poor. States are passing laws that tell poor people what they can and can’t eat and, at the same time, businesses resist raising the minimum wage to a level above where people need help to survive.
The poor are demonized. They are called lazy, useless and moochers. The poor, however, are some of the hardest working of all Americans.
One of the typical arguments by poor shamers is that the poor should get educations so they could get better jobs, but the truth is that the jobs that are done by the poor are absolutely vital to our country. Without them, there would be no country, and there would certainly be no rich people."
"Americans, constantly in search of someone to hate, have landed lately on the poor. States are passing laws that tell poor people what they can and can’t eat and, at the same time, businesses resist raising the minimum wage to a level above where people need help to survive.
The poor are demonized. They are called lazy, useless and moochers. The poor, however, are some of the hardest working of all Americans.
One of the typical arguments by poor shamers is that the poor should get educations so they could get better jobs, but the truth is that the jobs that are done by the poor are absolutely vital to our country. Without them, there would be no country, and there would certainly be no rich people."
Walmart Heir Does Not Deserve Assets It Would Take a Worker a Million Years to Earn
Walmart Heir Does Not Deserve Assets It Would Take a Worker a Million Years to Earn
"So try and wrap your head around the two statistics cited above: 1) Six people (Walmart heirs) have passive net worth - the money is inherited through stock; they don't need to do anything to earn it - equal to more than the bottom 40% of the people in the US; and 2) It would take a Walmart employee working a 12-hour day a million years to earn just one Walmart heir's financial assets.
Think of these two figures as the 2016 political campaign unfolds and you hear many politicians call for an increase in "economic opportunity." It is a disingenuous term because it implies that the problem with the economy is not that money has been massively redistributed upward in the last few decades, but rather that we need a more "pro-business" environment. This is a canard, because loosening regulations and lowering taxes on the wealthy over many years has led to a giant economic chasm between the haves and have-nots, not narrowed it.
Income inequality is going to be talked about a lot less, by Republicans and most Democrats. Income inequality, when fully exposed, explodes the myth of trickle down economics in which wealth, in reality, is redistributed to the rich from the pockets of the working class and poor."
"So try and wrap your head around the two statistics cited above: 1) Six people (Walmart heirs) have passive net worth - the money is inherited through stock; they don't need to do anything to earn it - equal to more than the bottom 40% of the people in the US; and 2) It would take a Walmart employee working a 12-hour day a million years to earn just one Walmart heir's financial assets.
Think of these two figures as the 2016 political campaign unfolds and you hear many politicians call for an increase in "economic opportunity." It is a disingenuous term because it implies that the problem with the economy is not that money has been massively redistributed upward in the last few decades, but rather that we need a more "pro-business" environment. This is a canard, because loosening regulations and lowering taxes on the wealthy over many years has led to a giant economic chasm between the haves and have-nots, not narrowed it.
Income inequality is going to be talked about a lot less, by Republicans and most Democrats. Income inequality, when fully exposed, explodes the myth of trickle down economics in which wealth, in reality, is redistributed to the rich from the pockets of the working class and poor."
Scott Walker's New Budget Is So Brutal Even Republicans Are Afraid Of It | Alternet
Scott Walker's New Budget Is So Brutal Even Republicans Are Afraid Of It | Alternet
"The governor is proposing massive cuts to programs that are crucial for seniors and the disabled."
"The governor is proposing massive cuts to programs that are crucial for seniors and the disabled."
The 1 percent plays us for suckers: There is no meritocracy and they’ve strangled the American dream
The 1 percent plays us for suckers: There is no meritocracy and they’ve strangled the American dream
"Eighty percent of Americans possess 7 percent of our nation’s wealth. Anyone still championing the reality of the American dream is either delusional, dishonest or criminally uninformed. Dream or no dream, the American way of life isn’t simply dying a slow death. It’s being strangled. The killers are people like Professor Mankiw, who is not uniformed. The killers are millionaires and billionaires who abide by the mantra: no new taxes. The killers are political organizations like Americans for Prosperity, a special interest group that hosts the annual Defending the American Dream Summit.
The American dream is a lie, and those who attend DADS, and politicians backed by Americans for Prosperity, are actively working to foment it. These pols and lobbyists intimate that the rich are—to put it plainly—in possession of a greater value system. A better work ethic. A life-affirming set of beliefs. A more productive appreciation of the family. Americans who don’t abide by these values are discovering—lo and behold—that they suffer accordingly.
This argument—declining American values—isn’t conservative. It’s not an attempt to hold fast to the good old days of tradition and morality. The declining-values argument is supremacist. It’s that simple. Those who espouse it skew toward older, richer, whiter and, make no mistake, in this argument, at heart, is one clear declaration: Our values did, do and should reign supreme."
"Eighty percent of Americans possess 7 percent of our nation’s wealth. Anyone still championing the reality of the American dream is either delusional, dishonest or criminally uninformed. Dream or no dream, the American way of life isn’t simply dying a slow death. It’s being strangled. The killers are people like Professor Mankiw, who is not uniformed. The killers are millionaires and billionaires who abide by the mantra: no new taxes. The killers are political organizations like Americans for Prosperity, a special interest group that hosts the annual Defending the American Dream Summit.
The American dream is a lie, and those who attend DADS, and politicians backed by Americans for Prosperity, are actively working to foment it. These pols and lobbyists intimate that the rich are—to put it plainly—in possession of a greater value system. A better work ethic. A life-affirming set of beliefs. A more productive appreciation of the family. Americans who don’t abide by these values are discovering—lo and behold—that they suffer accordingly.
This argument—declining American values—isn’t conservative. It’s not an attempt to hold fast to the good old days of tradition and morality. The declining-values argument is supremacist. It’s that simple. Those who espouse it skew toward older, richer, whiter and, make no mistake, in this argument, at heart, is one clear declaration: Our values did, do and should reign supreme."
Friday, April 17, 2015
As Cities Raise Their Minimum Wage, Where's the Economic Collapse the Right Predicted?
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/04/economic-collapse-prediction-minimum-wage-raise
"The bigger threat to the economy may come from not raising the minimum wage. Even Wall Street analysts agree that our ever-widening income inequality threatens to dampen economic growth. And according to a new study by the UC-Berkeley Labor Center, it's the taxpayers who ultimately pick up the tab for low wages, because the federal government subsidizes the working poor through social service programs to the tune of $153 billion a year."
"The bigger threat to the economy may come from not raising the minimum wage. Even Wall Street analysts agree that our ever-widening income inequality threatens to dampen economic growth. And according to a new study by the UC-Berkeley Labor Center, it's the taxpayers who ultimately pick up the tab for low wages, because the federal government subsidizes the working poor through social service programs to the tune of $153 billion a year."
8 Nightmare Scenarios That Would Come to Pass If GOP Presidential Speeches Became Reality | Alternet
8 Nightmare Scenarios That Would Come to Pass If GOP Presidential Speeches Became Reality | Alternet
"From shredding social safety nets to imposing evangelical Christianity, the America described in Republican speeches is a terrifying place."
"From shredding social safety nets to imposing evangelical Christianity, the America described in Republican speeches is a terrifying place."
Thursday, April 16, 2015
The Benefits of Collective Bargaining: An Antidote to Wage Decline and Inequality | Economic Policy Institute
The Benefits of Collective Bargaining: An Antidote to Wage Decline and Inequality | Economic Policy Institute
"Wages have been stagnant for a generation despite sizable increases in overall productivity, incomes, and wealth. For instance, our nation’s output of goods and services per hour worked (productivity, net of depreciation) grew 64 percent from 1979 to 2014, while the inflation-adjusted hourly wage of the typical worker rose by just 6 percent.1 The single largest factor suppressing wage growth for middle-wage workers has been the erosion of collective bargaining."
"Wages have been stagnant for a generation despite sizable increases in overall productivity, incomes, and wealth. For instance, our nation’s output of goods and services per hour worked (productivity, net of depreciation) grew 64 percent from 1979 to 2014, while the inflation-adjusted hourly wage of the typical worker rose by just 6 percent.1 The single largest factor suppressing wage growth for middle-wage workers has been the erosion of collective bargaining."
Warren takes on Wall Street and 'the unfinished business of financial reform'
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/15/1377944/-Warren-takes-on-Wall-Street-and-the-unfinished-business-of-financial-reform
"This speech sounded similar notes to the rip-roaring one Warren gave from the Senate floor last December, but here Warren laid out her vision for how to put an end to "too big to fail" financial institutions. She suggested either capping their size altogether or not making government-backed insurance available to investment banks."
"This speech sounded similar notes to the rip-roaring one Warren gave from the Senate floor last December, but here Warren laid out her vision for how to put an end to "too big to fail" financial institutions. She suggested either capping their size altogether or not making government-backed insurance available to investment banks."
Indisputable proof that Republicans are warriors for the aristocracy
Indisputable proof that Republicans are warriors for the aristocracy
"Unfortunately for the conservatives, inequality is becoming impossible to ignore and the people are starting to wake up to what is happening. The confusion on the right about how to handle it is a sign that it’s verging out of their control. And again, as Nyhan pointed out in his NYT piece, simply paying lip service to a democratic, egalitarian concern is probably not going to be enough to give them cover when the Republican stereotype of being servants of the rich is so deeply embedded in our political culture."
"Unfortunately for the conservatives, inequality is becoming impossible to ignore and the people are starting to wake up to what is happening. The confusion on the right about how to handle it is a sign that it’s verging out of their control. And again, as Nyhan pointed out in his NYT piece, simply paying lip service to a democratic, egalitarian concern is probably not going to be enough to give them cover when the Republican stereotype of being servants of the rich is so deeply embedded in our political culture."
Obama’s Financial Reform Just Made The World A Little Bit Safer For The Other 99%
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/16/obamas-financial-reform-just-made-the-world-a-little-bit-safer-for-the-other-99/
"One of the things Dodd-Frank did was force companies like GE to play by the same rules as banks and SURPRISE! GE wants no part of it. It’s no fun to play if you have to play fair. So now GE is dropping its “shadow banking” division and the financial industry just got a bit safer.
Exactly what Obama’s financial reform promised to do. But SHHHHHH! Don’t tell anyone!
The funny part about this is that Republicans swore on a stack on Bibles that Dodd-Frank would make banks and faux-financial institutions like GE act even MORE recklessly since they were legally designated as SIFI or “systematically important financial institutions” (translation: Too Big To Fail). Republicans “reasoned” that these companies would rely on the government to bail them out again.
Of course, Republicans were full of it because they knew that Dodd-Frank would impose severe restrictions on “Too Big To Fail” banks and companies. These restrictions would force them to keep enough money on hand to make bailouts unnecessary. Essentially, Dodd-Frank told the SIFIs that they could gamble all they want but they had to be able to pay their gambling debts in full if they crapped out. If there is one thing the rich hate more than poor people, it’s gambling with their own money. Republicans get really sad when the 1% can’t have their cake and eat it, too. And your cake. And his. And hers. And that guy over there’s cake, as well.
Dodd-Frank may not be perfect, but it’s making the world just a little bit safer from the greed and depredations of the rich. And any day that the rich lose a bit of their ability to destroy lives is a good day in my book."
"One of the things Dodd-Frank did was force companies like GE to play by the same rules as banks and SURPRISE! GE wants no part of it. It’s no fun to play if you have to play fair. So now GE is dropping its “shadow banking” division and the financial industry just got a bit safer.
Exactly what Obama’s financial reform promised to do. But SHHHHHH! Don’t tell anyone!
The funny part about this is that Republicans swore on a stack on Bibles that Dodd-Frank would make banks and faux-financial institutions like GE act even MORE recklessly since they were legally designated as SIFI or “systematically important financial institutions” (translation: Too Big To Fail). Republicans “reasoned” that these companies would rely on the government to bail them out again.
Of course, Republicans were full of it because they knew that Dodd-Frank would impose severe restrictions on “Too Big To Fail” banks and companies. These restrictions would force them to keep enough money on hand to make bailouts unnecessary. Essentially, Dodd-Frank told the SIFIs that they could gamble all they want but they had to be able to pay their gambling debts in full if they crapped out. If there is one thing the rich hate more than poor people, it’s gambling with their own money. Republicans get really sad when the 1% can’t have their cake and eat it, too. And your cake. And his. And hers. And that guy over there’s cake, as well.
Dodd-Frank may not be perfect, but it’s making the world just a little bit safer from the greed and depredations of the rich. And any day that the rich lose a bit of their ability to destroy lives is a good day in my book."
Hillary Clinton, Progressive Democrats Back ‘Fight for 15’ Protests | The Nation
Hillary Clinton, Progressive Democrats Back ‘Fight for 15’ Protests | The Nation
"No Republican members of Congress nor potential GOP presidential candidates mentioned the movement."
"No Republican members of Congress nor potential GOP presidential candidates mentioned the movement."
Thousands Across U.S. Rally For $15 Minimum Wage
Thousands Across U.S. Rally For $15 Minimum Wage
"The movement has expanded rapidly. The restaurant employees were joined by thousands of low-wage peers from other sectors, including retail, child care, and home health care."
"The movement has expanded rapidly. The restaurant employees were joined by thousands of low-wage peers from other sectors, including retail, child care, and home health care."
Largest-Ever Strike Hits Fast Food Industry In 230 Cities
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/04/15/3647217/fast-food-strikes-2015/
"Wednesday’s actions took place in cities on both coasts, the south, and the midwest, and it even went global, with strikes in Italy and New Zealand."
"Wednesday’s actions took place in cities on both coasts, the south, and the midwest, and it even went global, with strikes in Italy and New Zealand."
20 Low-Paying Jobs Scott Walker Isn’t Qualified For Because They Require A Four-Year Degree
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/16/20-low-paying-jobs-scott-walker-isnt-qualified-for-because-they-require-a-four-year-degree/
"All of these jobs, which are all EXTREMELY admirable professions, where those who hold the positions are severely underpaid, require applicants to hold a Bachelor’s degree and sometimes higher. And they are all jobs for which Scott Walker isn’t qualified to apply.
It’s also obvious Walker holds a loathsome attitude towards higher education in general seeing as he just destroyed higher ed funding in Wisconsin so he could use the money to help build a new basketball arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Some people actually like to learn, Walker.
Is it really too much to ask those who seek to become the leader of the free world to have at least what we require from our Kindergarten teachers?"
"All of these jobs, which are all EXTREMELY admirable professions, where those who hold the positions are severely underpaid, require applicants to hold a Bachelor’s degree and sometimes higher. And they are all jobs for which Scott Walker isn’t qualified to apply.
It’s also obvious Walker holds a loathsome attitude towards higher education in general seeing as he just destroyed higher ed funding in Wisconsin so he could use the money to help build a new basketball arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Some people actually like to learn, Walker.
Is it really too much to ask those who seek to become the leader of the free world to have at least what we require from our Kindergarten teachers?"
Bernie Sanders Calls For A Mobilization Of Millions Of Americans To Take Down The Kochs
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/15/bernie-sanders-calls-mobilization-millions-americans-takedown-koch-brothers.html
"The Beltway press will continue to obsess over the horserace elements of 2016, but for 99% of the country what is at stake is their voice and power in our elections."
"The Beltway press will continue to obsess over the horserace elements of 2016, but for 99% of the country what is at stake is their voice and power in our elections."
Dear Religious Right: The Republican Party Is Playing You For Fools
Dear Religious Right: The Republican Party Is Playing You For Fools
"The Republican party is using these social issues to make the richest among us even richer by getting millions of Americans to vote for an economic platform that literally only benefits millionaires and billionaires."
"The Republican party is using these social issues to make the richest among us even richer by getting millions of Americans to vote for an economic platform that literally only benefits millionaires and billionaires."
Jeb Bush Funneled Almost $2 Billion in FL Pension Funds to Brother's 'Pioneer' Donors
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377654/-Jeb-Bush-Funneled-Almost-2-Billion-in-FL-Pension-Funds-to-Brother-s-Pioneer-Donors
"This is the same scam Chris Christie has been running in New Jersey - looting State Pension Funds to reward political donors."
"This is the same scam Chris Christie has been running in New Jersey - looting State Pension Funds to reward political donors."
Report: US Taxpayers Bear 'Hidden Cost' of Poverty Wages
Report: US Taxpayers Bear 'Hidden Cost' of Poverty Wages
"U.S. taxpayers pay roughly $153 billion each year to supplement employers who refuse to pay a livable wage"
"U.S. taxpayers pay roughly $153 billion each year to supplement employers who refuse to pay a livable wage"
Bonanza for the Super-Rich: The Fund Managers' Tax Break
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/30162-bonanza-for-the-super-rich-the-fund-managers-tax-break
"Handing taxpayers' money to some of the richest people in the country increases inequality."
"Handing taxpayers' money to some of the richest people in the country increases inequality."
How Jeb Bush's Pension Deals Enriched His Brother's Donors
How Jeb Bush's Pension Deals Enriched His Brother's Donors
"While Jeb Bush was governor of Florida, state pension officials committed at least $1.7 billion to financial firms whose executives were “Pioneer” fundraisers for his brother’s presidential campaigns."
"While Jeb Bush was governor of Florida, state pension officials committed at least $1.7 billion to financial firms whose executives were “Pioneer” fundraisers for his brother’s presidential campaigns."
Hillary Clinton Backs The Overturning Of Citizens United Via Constitutional Amendment
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/14/hillary-clinton-backs-the-overturning-of-citizens-united-via-constitutional-amendment/
"I hope the Koch Brothers are shaking in their boots, because this may be their last election in which they can just shovel money and pollute our discourse."
"I hope the Koch Brothers are shaking in their boots, because this may be their last election in which they can just shovel money and pollute our discourse."
Hillary Clinton Rocks The Kochs By Announcing Support For Overturning Citizens United
https://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/14/hillary-clinton-rocks-kochs-announcing-support-overturning-citizens-united.html
"The issue of the wealthy and corporations being able to buy our democracy through unlimited and unaccountable campaign contributions is the biggest current threat to our electoral and political systems." Remember folks, only one party brought the Citizens United case to the Supreme Court. Just like only one party was behind the case to gut the Voting Rights Act.
"The issue of the wealthy and corporations being able to buy our democracy through unlimited and unaccountable campaign contributions is the biggest current threat to our electoral and political systems." Remember folks, only one party brought the Citizens United case to the Supreme Court. Just like only one party was behind the case to gut the Voting Rights Act.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Diving Into The Dark Money Of Scott Walker's Bradley Foundation Donors
Diving Into The Dark Money Of Scott Walker's Bradley Foundation Donors
"If anyone wanted a reason to overturn Citizens United, Michael Grebe and his Bradley Foundation would be one of the poster children for it."
"If anyone wanted a reason to overturn Citizens United, Michael Grebe and his Bradley Foundation would be one of the poster children for it."
Media Largely Ignore The GOP's Dark Money Problem
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/04/13/media-largely-ignore-the-gops-dark-money-proble/203262
"Media have largely ignored news that likely Republican presidential contenders in 2016 are using dark money and secretive nonprofit groups to sidestep campaign finance laws"
"Media have largely ignored news that likely Republican presidential contenders in 2016 are using dark money and secretive nonprofit groups to sidestep campaign finance laws"
Where The Presidential Candidates Stand On Equal Pay
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/04/14/3646349/equal-pay-2016-candidates/
"Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Paul has voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act multiple times. He also compared the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Soviet Politburo dictating wages"
"Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Paul has voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act multiple times. He also compared the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Soviet Politburo dictating wages"
Watch: Bernie Sanders Lists 4 Awful Things All 2016 GOP Candidates Have In Common
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-bernie-sanders-lists-4-awful-things-all-2016-gop-candidates-have-in-common/
"Sanders lets loose, exposing the Republican field and listing four awful things they all have in common: “After you get through the nuances of a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz or a Jeb Bush, their views are pretty much the same: that is, tax breaks for billionaires, more spending for the military, cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and accepting as much money as you can from billionaires. That is the Republican DNA: make the rich richer while everyone else becomes poorer"."
"Sanders lets loose, exposing the Republican field and listing four awful things they all have in common: “After you get through the nuances of a Rand Paul or a Ted Cruz or a Jeb Bush, their views are pretty much the same: that is, tax breaks for billionaires, more spending for the military, cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and accepting as much money as you can from billionaires. That is the Republican DNA: make the rich richer while everyone else becomes poorer"."
There’s A Reality About Hillary Clinton That Many Liberals Need To Face
There’s A Reality About Hillary Clinton That Many Liberals Need To Face
"It all goes back to one simple fact: If liberals don’t want to get behind whomever is the Democratic candidate for president in 2016, then a Republican is going to occupy the White House after President Obama. This isn’t me trying to sensationalize anything or using hyperbole, I’m just telling you the truth. Even if we break this down to its simplest form, ignoring any mention of who is or isn’t running for president, then the question really comes down to: Who do you want potentially replacing four Supreme Court Justices in the next 8 to 10 years – a Democrat who supports same-sex marriage, abortion rights, health care and the separation of church and state, or a Republican who opposes all of that and then some?"
"It all goes back to one simple fact: If liberals don’t want to get behind whomever is the Democratic candidate for president in 2016, then a Republican is going to occupy the White House after President Obama. This isn’t me trying to sensationalize anything or using hyperbole, I’m just telling you the truth. Even if we break this down to its simplest form, ignoring any mention of who is or isn’t running for president, then the question really comes down to: Who do you want potentially replacing four Supreme Court Justices in the next 8 to 10 years – a Democrat who supports same-sex marriage, abortion rights, health care and the separation of church and state, or a Republican who opposes all of that and then some?"
Watch: Sen. Warren Slams ‘Arrogant’ Banks for Wanting to ‘Shut that Woman Up’
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-sen-warren-slams-arrogant-banks-for-wanting-to-shut-that-woman-up/
"She focuses her argument on the sheer arrogance of the banking firms and the influence that they wield in Washington, and she has only two demands from Wall Street: “Don’t cheat people…and no more ‘too big to fail'”. America has a dire need for consumer protection, not only from predatory financial institutions but also from the effects of their reckless gambling; America learned that the hard way when the big banks sent our economy into the worst recession since the 1930s."
"She focuses her argument on the sheer arrogance of the banking firms and the influence that they wield in Washington, and she has only two demands from Wall Street: “Don’t cheat people…and no more ‘too big to fail'”. America has a dire need for consumer protection, not only from predatory financial institutions but also from the effects of their reckless gambling; America learned that the hard way when the big banks sent our economy into the worst recession since the 1930s."
The Biggest Nightmare For Republicans Has Been Confirmed: Hillary Clinton Will Win In 2016
The Biggest Nightmare For Republicans Has Been Confirmed: Hillary Clinton Will Win In 2016
"Republicans tried their best for the past 2+ years to do just about everything they could to dissuade her from running, but their efforts were always going to be futile because she’s simply not afraid of them. Heck, she’s the only reason why they pretend to care about Benghazi. It’s amazing, Republicans have put more effort into investigating four American deaths in Benghazi than they did figuring out why nearly 4,500 Americans died in Iraq in a war based on blatant lies by the Bush administration. George W. Bush and his administration not only fabricated “evidence,” they’ve admitted to war crimes – but Republicans want to hold Hillary Clinton “accountable” for one attack on an embassy? Oh, and by the way, during the Bush administration we saw thirteen attacks on our embassies with 60 people dying as a result. But yes, by all means, let’s spend well over two years investigating an attack that’s already been investigated numerous times. Not that I’m trying to say that the loss of life that night in Benghazi wasn’t tragic, I’m just trying to put the hypocrisy of the Republican “outrage” over one attack into perspective considering what we saw during Bush’s eight years and how little Republicans seemed to care about any of it. But just how terrified are Republicans of Hillary Clinton? Well, terrified enough to have basically been campaigning against her for nearly three years – something I’ve rarely seen in politics. The truth is, no matter what clown ultimately emerges from the circus that’s going to be the GOP presidential primary, she’s going to absolutely crush them. She’s already ahead of every potential Republican candidate in most polls and she hasn’t even been trying."
"Republicans tried their best for the past 2+ years to do just about everything they could to dissuade her from running, but their efforts were always going to be futile because she’s simply not afraid of them. Heck, she’s the only reason why they pretend to care about Benghazi. It’s amazing, Republicans have put more effort into investigating four American deaths in Benghazi than they did figuring out why nearly 4,500 Americans died in Iraq in a war based on blatant lies by the Bush administration. George W. Bush and his administration not only fabricated “evidence,” they’ve admitted to war crimes – but Republicans want to hold Hillary Clinton “accountable” for one attack on an embassy? Oh, and by the way, during the Bush administration we saw thirteen attacks on our embassies with 60 people dying as a result. But yes, by all means, let’s spend well over two years investigating an attack that’s already been investigated numerous times. Not that I’m trying to say that the loss of life that night in Benghazi wasn’t tragic, I’m just trying to put the hypocrisy of the Republican “outrage” over one attack into perspective considering what we saw during Bush’s eight years and how little Republicans seemed to care about any of it. But just how terrified are Republicans of Hillary Clinton? Well, terrified enough to have basically been campaigning against her for nearly three years – something I’ve rarely seen in politics. The truth is, no matter what clown ultimately emerges from the circus that’s going to be the GOP presidential primary, she’s going to absolutely crush them. She’s already ahead of every potential Republican candidate in most polls and she hasn’t even been trying."
Elizabeth Warren Goes On The Daily Show And Proves Why The Left Loves Her (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/10/warren-daily-show-corporate-money/
"Warren continued with her matter-of-fact chastisement of the corporate controlled political establishment, saying:
“Powerful corporations (and) rich people have figured out that if you can bend the government to help you just a little bit, it’s a tremendous payoff. And if you can bend it to help you just a little bit more and a little bit more, the playing field just gets more and more tilted, and the rich and the powerful just do better and better"."
"Warren continued with her matter-of-fact chastisement of the corporate controlled political establishment, saying:
“Powerful corporations (and) rich people have figured out that if you can bend the government to help you just a little bit, it’s a tremendous payoff. And if you can bend it to help you just a little bit more and a little bit more, the playing field just gets more and more tilted, and the rich and the powerful just do better and better"."
The Infographic that Destroys All Republican Lies About Obama’s Economy
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/the-infographic-that-destroys-all-republican-lies-about-obamas-economy/
"The numbers are in, and here’s an infographic detailing exactly of how President Obama has healed our ailing economy, and solidly refutes all the Republican doomsday lies, half-truths, and distortions that they disseminate through their right-wing propaganda machines.
Since Pres. Obama took office, America has added 7,206,000 jobs. He dropped the high unemployment rate that he inherited from President Bush by 2.3%, to 5.5%, the country’s average rate since 1948. Startups are growing rapidly, birthing 220,000 new businesses in just three months. Despite all the accusations of his “socialism” and his crippling regulations, corporate profits are soaring and the S&P 500 index is up by 157%. America’s oil production has gone up by 83% and we have cut our foreign oil imports by half. Alternative energy sources produced 252% more electricity- 5% of all energy we produced last year."
"The numbers are in, and here’s an infographic detailing exactly of how President Obama has healed our ailing economy, and solidly refutes all the Republican doomsday lies, half-truths, and distortions that they disseminate through their right-wing propaganda machines.
Since Pres. Obama took office, America has added 7,206,000 jobs. He dropped the high unemployment rate that he inherited from President Bush by 2.3%, to 5.5%, the country’s average rate since 1948. Startups are growing rapidly, birthing 220,000 new businesses in just three months. Despite all the accusations of his “socialism” and his crippling regulations, corporate profits are soaring and the S&P 500 index is up by 157%. America’s oil production has gone up by 83% and we have cut our foreign oil imports by half. Alternative energy sources produced 252% more electricity- 5% of all energy we produced last year."
Wall Street has gobbled up billions of New York City pension dollars
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/09/1376654/-Wall-Street-has-gobbled-up-billions-of-New-York-City-pension-dollars
"But you know what we're told again and again: It's those greedy public workers who expect to have pensions when they retire—they're the problem when pension funds fall short. Not the Wall Street fees or the states, like Chris Christie's New Jersey, that haven't contributed their share to pension funds and have paid hundreds of millions of dollars in management fees.
It may have taken New York City a little too long to get to the point of saying "hey, wait a minute—Wall Street is getting too much of our workers' pensions," but good for Comptroller Scott Stringer for getting there and going public. Now he has to follow through."
"But you know what we're told again and again: It's those greedy public workers who expect to have pensions when they retire—they're the problem when pension funds fall short. Not the Wall Street fees or the states, like Chris Christie's New Jersey, that haven't contributed their share to pension funds and have paid hundreds of millions of dollars in management fees.
It may have taken New York City a little too long to get to the point of saying "hey, wait a minute—Wall Street is getting too much of our workers' pensions," but good for Comptroller Scott Stringer for getting there and going public. Now he has to follow through."
Saturday, April 11, 2015
The 1 percent are parasites: Debunking the lies about free enterprise, trickle-down, capitalism and celebrity entrepreneurs
The 1 percent are parasites: Debunking the lies about free enterprise, trickle-down, capitalism and celebrity entrepreneurs
"The rich don't generate jobs. Rising tides do not lift all boats. And they probably built that with government help"
"The rich don't generate jobs. Rising tides do not lift all boats. And they probably built that with government help"
This is how the oligarchy wins: Money, politics, and the perils of part-time lawmakers
This is how the oligarchy wins: Money, politics, and the perils of part-time lawmakers
"It’s not entirely surprising conservatives support part-time legislatures — they want the rich and powerful to run over everyone else."
"It’s not entirely surprising conservatives support part-time legislatures — they want the rich and powerful to run over everyone else."
10 Government Handouts That Prove Who The Biggest ‘Takers’ Actually Are
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/10/10-government-handouts-that-prove-who-the-biggest-takers-actually-are/
"While many sit and complain about all the supposed money the poor are taking or not contributing in tax dollars, maybe they should stop for a moment and think about how much multi-billion dollar companies are failing to pay in taxes. Guess what, we’re not broke? We just don’t collect. These businesses love to make money off American citizens, yet when it comes to giving back to the nation that gave them the opportunity to make that fortune? Nope. In fact, they often receive subsidies."
"While many sit and complain about all the supposed money the poor are taking or not contributing in tax dollars, maybe they should stop for a moment and think about how much multi-billion dollar companies are failing to pay in taxes. Guess what, we’re not broke? We just don’t collect. These businesses love to make money off American citizens, yet when it comes to giving back to the nation that gave them the opportunity to make that fortune? Nope. In fact, they often receive subsidies."
Friday, April 10, 2015
GOP Plots to Win 2016 Presidency Without a Majority Popular Vote
GOP Plots to Win 2016 Presidency Without a Majority Popular Vote
"For a concrete example of how this plays out, look at the results of the 2012 congressional election. That year, according to BloombergBusiness, "nationwide, Democratic House candidates combined to win about 1.4 million more votes than Republicans." The result, however: The Republicans ended up with 234 congressional seats and the Democrats with 201."
"For a concrete example of how this plays out, look at the results of the 2012 congressional election. That year, according to BloombergBusiness, "nationwide, Democratic House candidates combined to win about 1.4 million more votes than Republicans." The result, however: The Republicans ended up with 234 congressional seats and the Democrats with 201."
Maybe There Should Be A Maximum Wage — Check Out How Much These CEOs Make Per Hour
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/08/maybe-there-should-be-a-maximum-wage-check-out-how-much-these-ceos-make-per-hour/
"When workers need additional assistance from the government, that’s not welfare for the workers, that’s welfare for the businesses that choose not to pay their employees fairly."
"When workers need additional assistance from the government, that’s not welfare for the workers, that’s welfare for the businesses that choose not to pay their employees fairly."
Reporters Guide to ALEC’s "Rich States, Poor States" Report
Reporters Guide to ALEC’s "Rich States, Poor States" Report
"The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is slated to roll out its annual "Rich States, Poor States" publication this week. The document, whose lead author is economist Arthur Laffer, is sold to the press as an objective, academic measure of state economic performance, but should instead be viewed as a lobbyist scorecard ranking states on the adoption of extreme ALEC policies that have little or nothing to do with good economic outcomes.
The ALEC entity that publishes the report, the Center for State Fiscal Reform, has received large grants from the Bradley Foundation, the Searle Foundation and the now-closed Claude M. Lambe Foundation, one of the Koch family foundations. These foundations are major funders of a national right-wing infrastructure that includes ALEC and the State Policy Network, 64 state-based think tanks that produce reports, talking points and more to advance ALEC’s agenda of tax breaks for corporations, steep budget cuts and attacks on unionized workers.
ALEC brings together corporate lobbyists and state legislators to vote on "model" bills behind closed doors, which are then introduced by ALEC state legislators across the country. ALEC is almost entirely funded by industry, including Koch Industries, which has long served on the ALEC board, Altria (the former Phillip Morris) and Exxon Mobil."
"The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is slated to roll out its annual "Rich States, Poor States" publication this week. The document, whose lead author is economist Arthur Laffer, is sold to the press as an objective, academic measure of state economic performance, but should instead be viewed as a lobbyist scorecard ranking states on the adoption of extreme ALEC policies that have little or nothing to do with good economic outcomes.
The ALEC entity that publishes the report, the Center for State Fiscal Reform, has received large grants from the Bradley Foundation, the Searle Foundation and the now-closed Claude M. Lambe Foundation, one of the Koch family foundations. These foundations are major funders of a national right-wing infrastructure that includes ALEC and the State Policy Network, 64 state-based think tanks that produce reports, talking points and more to advance ALEC’s agenda of tax breaks for corporations, steep budget cuts and attacks on unionized workers.
ALEC brings together corporate lobbyists and state legislators to vote on "model" bills behind closed doors, which are then introduced by ALEC state legislators across the country. ALEC is almost entirely funded by industry, including Koch Industries, which has long served on the ALEC board, Altria (the former Phillip Morris) and Exxon Mobil."
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Bernie Sanders Shreds Rand Paul By Unmasking His Great Libertarian Fraud
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/09/bernie-sanders-shreds-rand-paul-unmasking-great-libertarian-fraud.html
"Bernie Sanders exposed Sen. Paul as being the same old kind of Republican. Beneath Paul’s rhetoric about liberty and freedom is a candidate who is a pro-billionaire corporatist who believes that the wealthy are entitled to more freedom, and that the same freedoms that he talks about with such reverence don’t apply to women and gays.
Sen. Sanders hit on all of the major contradictions that make Rand Paul an unelectable fraud. Paul may hold a few good positions, but the core of his ideology is solidly Republican, and not any different from his fellow GOP candidates."
"Bernie Sanders exposed Sen. Paul as being the same old kind of Republican. Beneath Paul’s rhetoric about liberty and freedom is a candidate who is a pro-billionaire corporatist who believes that the wealthy are entitled to more freedom, and that the same freedoms that he talks about with such reverence don’t apply to women and gays.
Sen. Sanders hit on all of the major contradictions that make Rand Paul an unelectable fraud. Paul may hold a few good positions, but the core of his ideology is solidly Republican, and not any different from his fellow GOP candidates."
Scott Walker’s Supreme Court Coup
Scott Walker’s Supreme Court Coup
"Scott Walker unseated his sharpest opponent last night. But you won’t learn that from much of the media coverage.
The fact that Walker and his big money allies tricked Wisconsin voters into stripping Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson of her title was not considered a story by the 100 or so national reporters now assigned to cover Walker’s run for the White House. And the fact that the GOP slipped the law change onto the ballot just as the John Doe criminal probe of Walker and his big money allies came before the court, was not worth mentioning in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."
"Scott Walker unseated his sharpest opponent last night. But you won’t learn that from much of the media coverage.
The fact that Walker and his big money allies tricked Wisconsin voters into stripping Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson of her title was not considered a story by the 100 or so national reporters now assigned to cover Walker’s run for the White House. And the fact that the GOP slipped the law change onto the ballot just as the John Doe criminal probe of Walker and his big money allies came before the court, was not worth mentioning in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."
Walker's War On Academia Causes Preemptive Brain Drain
Walker's War On Academia Causes Preemptive Brain Drain
"Wisconsin is not only losing top notch candidates. Every UW campus is offering buy outs to hundreds of employees in preparation for the cuts.
Students in the system are not only losing quality faculty, but even the fatted calf of sports are getting cut due to Walker's myopic and maleficent budget.
I don't know, but Walker must have been really traumatized by his failure in college to hold such a malicious attitude to higher learning."
"Wisconsin is not only losing top notch candidates. Every UW campus is offering buy outs to hundreds of employees in preparation for the cuts.
Students in the system are not only losing quality faculty, but even the fatted calf of sports are getting cut due to Walker's myopic and maleficent budget.
I don't know, but Walker must have been really traumatized by his failure in college to hold such a malicious attitude to higher learning."
IL Republican Gov Cuts Autism Funding -- On World Autism Day
IL Republican Gov Cuts Autism Funding -- On World Autism Day
"State funding cuts are threatening services for people living with autism, as families who receive help through a program called the Autism Project say they will be devastated by its elimination."
"State funding cuts are threatening services for people living with autism, as families who receive help through a program called the Autism Project say they will be devastated by its elimination."
The Republican Party Has Literally Become the Party of Stupid
The Republican Party Has Literally Become the Party of Stupid
"This is a party that’s no longer being led by people such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt or Dwight D. Eisenhower – instead, clowns like Ted Cruz, John Boehner and Rand Paul are calling the shots. It’s devolved into a party where the “icons” many look to for “insight and information” are knuckle-draggers such as Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent and Mike Huckabee."
"This is a party that’s no longer being led by people such as Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt or Dwight D. Eisenhower – instead, clowns like Ted Cruz, John Boehner and Rand Paul are calling the shots. It’s devolved into a party where the “icons” many look to for “insight and information” are knuckle-draggers such as Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent and Mike Huckabee."
Tour of the GOP 2016 Posse: A Noah's Ark of Right-Wing Specimens | Alternet
Tour of the GOP 2016 Posse: A Noah's Ark of Right-Wing Specimens | Alternet
"The 2016 Republican presidential posse is now in its right-wing flavor-of-the-month phase."
"The 2016 Republican presidential posse is now in its right-wing flavor-of-the-month phase."
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
It’s Not Too Late: Save Democracy By Amending the Constitution | The Nation
It’s Not Too Late: Save Democracy By Amending the Constitution | The Nation
"The Constitution should be clarified so that it sustains rather than throttles democracy. Do away with the Electoral College. Ban the practice of gerrymandering. Close the loophole that allows governors to appoint cronies to vacant Senate seats. And then get serious: ask, as Congressman Victor Berger did more than a century ago, why America maintains a House of Lords–like Senate where, today, the vote of a member elected by 121,000 Wyomingites can cancel out the vote of a member elected by 7.8 million Californians. Consider electing members of the House to four-year terms that parallel those of the president, so that the popular will of 131 million voters in the presidential elections can’t be stymied by 90 million midterm voters."
"The Constitution should be clarified so that it sustains rather than throttles democracy. Do away with the Electoral College. Ban the practice of gerrymandering. Close the loophole that allows governors to appoint cronies to vacant Senate seats. And then get serious: ask, as Congressman Victor Berger did more than a century ago, why America maintains a House of Lords–like Senate where, today, the vote of a member elected by 121,000 Wyomingites can cancel out the vote of a member elected by 7.8 million Californians. Consider electing members of the House to four-year terms that parallel those of the president, so that the popular will of 131 million voters in the presidential elections can’t be stymied by 90 million midterm voters."
Weeks After Rushing Right-To-Work, Wisconsin Republicans Prepare Their Next Attack On Labor
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/04/06/3643175/weeks-rushing-right-work-wisconsin-republicans-prepare-next-attack-labor/
"Republicans in Wisconsin now say they have a “better than 50 percent” chance of scrapping state laws that ensure construction workers a living wage.
Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) plans to tack his bill to repeal the state’s nearly century-old “prevailing wage” law for construction workers on local and state projects onto the massive state budget that must pass some time in the next few months."
"Republicans in Wisconsin now say they have a “better than 50 percent” chance of scrapping state laws that ensure construction workers a living wage.
Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) plans to tack his bill to repeal the state’s nearly century-old “prevailing wage” law for construction workers on local and state projects onto the massive state budget that must pass some time in the next few months."
Big Business Tries To Buy WI Supreme Corporate Chief Justice
Big Business Tries To Buy WI Supreme Corporate Chief Justice
"The corporate controlled Republicans did ram through this amendment and the referendum to approve this change will appear on the April 7 ballot."
"The corporate controlled Republicans did ram through this amendment and the referendum to approve this change will appear on the April 7 ballot."
Republican Policies Are Literally Contradicting Their Entire Ideology
Republican Policies Are Literally Contradicting Their Entire Ideology
"Then there’s always their love of tax cuts and supposed hate of our national debt. Let me break this down a bit. In the 80′s, under Ronald Reagan’s leadership, we massively cut taxes – which then led to our national debt nearly tripling. Then there was George W. Bush who came in and passed more tax cuts, promising they would eliminate our national debt within a decade – but instead they added nearly $5 trillion to it. Being that tax cuts have never proven to create jobs, just more debt, Republicans literally support economic policies that drastically decrease the revenue this country takes in (which always leads to an increase in our national debt), while claiming to be the party that represents fiscal responsibility. Meanwhile, the GOP hasn’t had a president from their party balance the budget since Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 50′s. Only in the delusional minds of Republicans can you believe that you’re the party for fiscal responsibility, yet every Republican president for the last half century has left office with a larger national debt than before they went in."
"Then there’s always their love of tax cuts and supposed hate of our national debt. Let me break this down a bit. In the 80′s, under Ronald Reagan’s leadership, we massively cut taxes – which then led to our national debt nearly tripling. Then there was George W. Bush who came in and passed more tax cuts, promising they would eliminate our national debt within a decade – but instead they added nearly $5 trillion to it. Being that tax cuts have never proven to create jobs, just more debt, Republicans literally support economic policies that drastically decrease the revenue this country takes in (which always leads to an increase in our national debt), while claiming to be the party that represents fiscal responsibility. Meanwhile, the GOP hasn’t had a president from their party balance the budget since Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 50′s. Only in the delusional minds of Republicans can you believe that you’re the party for fiscal responsibility, yet every Republican president for the last half century has left office with a larger national debt than before they went in."
Walker Continues To Skirt Campaign Finance Laws
Walker Continues To Skirt Campaign Finance Laws
"We all know that Walker's hunger for money and power are all consuming and he has shown on multiple occasions that he has no qualms about breaking the law to obtain more of either of those things."
"We all know that Walker's hunger for money and power are all consuming and he has shown on multiple occasions that he has no qualms about breaking the law to obtain more of either of those things."
Friday, April 3, 2015
Kansas School Districts Shut Down Weeks Early Thanks To Gov. Brownback’s Tax-Slashing Zeal
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/04/03/3642787/kansas-schools-close-early-due-to-money-drought/
"A pair of Kansas public school districts will close down early this school year and the state’s current leadership is so committed to continuing a radical, budget-destroying tax cut experiment that it won’t furnish the resources necessary to allow these communities to finish out the academic calendar."
"A pair of Kansas public school districts will close down early this school year and the state’s current leadership is so committed to continuing a radical, budget-destroying tax cut experiment that it won’t furnish the resources necessary to allow these communities to finish out the academic calendar."
Republicans are Mad Because Obama is the President They Wished George W. Bush Had Been
Republicans are Mad Because Obama is the President They Wished George W. Bush Had Been
"the bottom line is, President Obama has owned Republicans his entire time in office. Despite their best efforts, our economy has still grown and our unemployment continues to fall. In nearly every major legislative battle, from the government shutdown; to the Affordable Care Act; to the Keystone XL pipeline; to raising taxes on the rich; to the debt ceiling; and even funding for the Department of Homeland Security – Obama has won every battle."
"the bottom line is, President Obama has owned Republicans his entire time in office. Despite their best efforts, our economy has still grown and our unemployment continues to fall. In nearly every major legislative battle, from the government shutdown; to the Affordable Care Act; to the Keystone XL pipeline; to raising taxes on the rich; to the debt ceiling; and even funding for the Department of Homeland Security – Obama has won every battle."
McMorris-Rodgers Posts Video Promising To Repeal ACA In Spite Of Constituent Support
McMorris-Rodgers Posts Video Promising To Repeal ACA In Spite Of Constituent Support
"she received almost no negative responses, but just ignored all the positive ones. Because billionaires."
"she received almost no negative responses, but just ignored all the positive ones. Because billionaires."
Protesters Speak Out Against Citizens United By Interrupting The Supreme Court
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/04/01/protesters-speak-citizens-united-interrupting-supreme-court.html
"Citizens United was never about free speech. What the Supreme Court’s campaign finance decisions have done is empowered the wealthy, while disempowering the individuals who are supposed to be represented by our elected politicians."
"Citizens United was never about free speech. What the Supreme Court’s campaign finance decisions have done is empowered the wealthy, while disempowering the individuals who are supposed to be represented by our elected politicians."
Jeb Bush In Deep Trouble Over Illegal Campaign Activity (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/02/jeb-bush-in-deep-trouble-over-illegal-campaign-activity-video/
"According to federal election laws, a candidate who is “testing the waters” in a presidential run must report campaign activities and abide by campaign finance laws."
"According to federal election laws, a candidate who is “testing the waters” in a presidential run must report campaign activities and abide by campaign finance laws."
How the Economy Favored the 1 Percent Over 100 Years Ago | Alternet
How the Economy Favored the 1 Percent Over 100 Years Ago | Alternet
"The plutocracy of the Gilded Age isn't that different from today's huge gulf between the rich and poor."
"The plutocracy of the Gilded Age isn't that different from today's huge gulf between the rich and poor."
McMorris-Rodgers Pretends Obamacare Isn't Really Obamacare
McMorris-Rodgers Pretends Obamacare Isn't Really Obamacare
"She's voted to repeal this law 52 more times than I've had to visit the doctor since I had health insurance, and her votes have been to repeal the ban on pre-existing conditions provisions and coverage for young people on their parents' policies.
She knows, just like we all know, that the Affordable Care Act is the sum of many parts, and you can't just have the consumer protections without the other parts. She's just too much of a candy-ass coward to admit she doesn't give a damn."
"She's voted to repeal this law 52 more times than I've had to visit the doctor since I had health insurance, and her votes have been to repeal the ban on pre-existing conditions provisions and coverage for young people on their parents' policies.
She knows, just like we all know, that the Affordable Care Act is the sum of many parts, and you can't just have the consumer protections without the other parts. She's just too much of a candy-ass coward to admit she doesn't give a damn."
New Jersey’s Lottery Is A Shining Example Of The Trouble With Privatization
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/01/new-jerseys-lottery-is-a-shining-example-of-the-trouble-with-privatization/
"What’s interesting is that New Jersey’s lottery had growing sales and the highest profit margin in the country. Privatizing shouldn’t have even been on the table, and yet, it was. And look what’s happened."
"What’s interesting is that New Jersey’s lottery had growing sales and the highest profit margin in the country. Privatizing shouldn’t have even been on the table, and yet, it was. And look what’s happened."
Astroturf on Steroids: Did Right-Wing Group Fake Anti-Net Neutrality Emails?
Astroturf on Steroids: Did Right-Wing Group Fake Anti-Net Neutrality Emails?
"Emails expressing opposition to the Obama administration's net neutrality rules may have been faked by a right-wing group led by a former policy and legislative strategist for the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity"
"Emails expressing opposition to the Obama administration's net neutrality rules may have been faked by a right-wing group led by a former policy and legislative strategist for the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity"
Thursday, April 2, 2015
“Kansas continues to bleed revenue”: News keeps getting worse in conservatives’ anti-tax utopia
“Kansas continues to bleed revenue”: News keeps getting worse in conservatives’ anti-tax utopia
"Two weeks after the utterly delusional Gov. Sam Brownback proclaimed in a radio interview that Kansas’ experiment in supply-side economics was “working,” the latest batch of numbers from the Sunflower State further put the lie to the utterly delusional governor’s assertion."
"Two weeks after the utterly delusional Gov. Sam Brownback proclaimed in a radio interview that Kansas’ experiment in supply-side economics was “working,” the latest batch of numbers from the Sunflower State further put the lie to the utterly delusional governor’s assertion."
Wall Street’s new student loan scheme: Subprime loans are coming to financial aid
Wall Street’s new student loan scheme: Subprime loans are coming to financial aid
"This in effect turns student learning – and by extension, the students themselves – into a commodity that can be speculated on. In a financial environment populated with ISA investors, students then become like pork bellies or yen, and schools get turned into test-preparation factories, ignoring subjects and skills that are not assessed.
That could be what Wall Street wants, an education system focused on spitting out products that fit into pre-conceived business models, while less money goes toward educating those “other kids"."
"This in effect turns student learning – and by extension, the students themselves – into a commodity that can be speculated on. In a financial environment populated with ISA investors, students then become like pork bellies or yen, and schools get turned into test-preparation factories, ignoring subjects and skills that are not assessed.
That could be what Wall Street wants, an education system focused on spitting out products that fit into pre-conceived business models, while less money goes toward educating those “other kids"."
Who's on Your Side - Elizabeth Warren or Jamie Dimon?
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/29988-who-s-on-your-side-elizabeth-warren-or-jamie-dimon
"If billionaires like Jamie Dimon can walk into the office of a US senator and mock her to her face, something is truly rotten in at the core of US democracy."
"If billionaires like Jamie Dimon can walk into the office of a US senator and mock her to her face, something is truly rotten in at the core of US democracy."
Defiant Elizabeth Warren Tells Wall Street If They Want To Fight Her, “Bring It On”
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03/31/defiant-elizabeth-warren-tells-wall-street-fight-her-bring-on.html
"Warren’s combative tone should remind the Wall Street firms that she will not be intimidated or bullied. While many politicians are willing to cave in to big dollar donors to keep the campaign coffers filled, Warren has built her political career on fighting moneyed interests and financial corruption."
"Warren’s combative tone should remind the Wall Street firms that she will not be intimidated or bullied. While many politicians are willing to cave in to big dollar donors to keep the campaign coffers filled, Warren has built her political career on fighting moneyed interests and financial corruption."
This Is Why Wall Street Banks Are Throwing A Hissy Fit Over Elizabeth Warren
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/03/31/this-is-why-wall-street-banks-are-throwing-a-hissy-fit-over-elizabeth-warren/
"If Warren has her way, the big banks would be broken up into smaller entities that cannot pose a threat to the world economy, and regulations would be put in place to protect consumers from greed and predatory practices. Make no mistake, Wall Street banks still want to have free reign to do whatever they please, and it is clear that banking CEOs are still arrogant and greedy. Warren represents a threat to them because she sides with the people, and for that, she should be in the White House. Just imagine how frightened Wall Street will be when that happens."
"If Warren has her way, the big banks would be broken up into smaller entities that cannot pose a threat to the world economy, and regulations would be put in place to protect consumers from greed and predatory practices. Make no mistake, Wall Street banks still want to have free reign to do whatever they please, and it is clear that banking CEOs are still arrogant and greedy. Warren represents a threat to them because she sides with the people, and for that, she should be in the White House. Just imagine how frightened Wall Street will be when that happens."
Anti-Wall Street Public Stands Behind a Resolute Elizabeth Warren
Anti-Wall Street Public Stands Behind a Resolute Elizabeth Warren
"Why are the big banks trying to intimidate the Democratic Party? Because the most outspoken senator - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - is proposing that the big banks should be broken up."
"Why are the big banks trying to intimidate the Democratic Party? Because the most outspoken senator - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) - is proposing that the big banks should be broken up."
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Conservatives’ history problem: Why they’re doomed by their own “Golden Age”
Conservatives’ history problem: Why they’re doomed by their own “Golden Age”
"In a spirit of constructive criticism, may I suggest to the ideologues of the right that they embrace, as their official Golden Age, not the Gilded Age North but the “New South” between Reconstruction and the Progressive Era."
"In a spirit of constructive criticism, may I suggest to the ideologues of the right that they embrace, as their official Golden Age, not the Gilded Age North but the “New South” between Reconstruction and the Progressive Era."
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