This campaign slogan was used by Barry Goldwater in 1964. Things were going really well, until the opposition countered with “In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts.”
We have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling… the United States.
–Clarence Darrow at the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Welcome to the late great United States – a country in economic and moral free fall. A country in thrall to a cult of greed, selfishness, and ignorance.
Once, the US was a leader in science. Today, most Americans are scientifically illiterate and one of the major political parties – Republicans– largely rejects science and scientists as “elitist.” Research budgets are being slashed.
Once, US infrastructure was the envy of the world. Our planes, our trains, our highways, our damns, bridges, buildings and communication systems were the benchmark against which other countries measured their worth. Investing in it created well-paying jobs and wealth-generating capacity.
Once, the US system of laws and regulations was recognized as the pre-requisite of a civilized and prosperous society. It created transparent markets; honest securities exchanges; level playing fields for all players; equitable sharing of wealth between workers and managers; safe and humane working conditions; a clean and livable environment. Today, most Americans think government regulation destroyed the economy. They even believe that the plutocrats who destroyed this regulatory infrastructure — the most successful wealth-generating machine in the world’s history — are the “job creators” and the source of the formerly shared prosperity that is now disappearing into the coffers of the few from the wallets of the many.
Once, the US educational system was the preeminent model for educating the populace. While our Universities are managing to hold on to their esteemed position by their thumbnails (partly by attracting talented foreign students), our K-12 programs are not keeping up.
What do these all have in common?
They were the source of our national prosperity and they were funded or enabled in whole or part by the government.
Grandfathering Explained
The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives recently indicated that it will be seeking to repeal regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that govern the “grandfathered” status of health plans. As this aspect of the health reform law gets more scrutiny, it may be useful to review some of the specifics of how grandfathering works.
The purpose of grandfathering: As provisions of the ACA go into effect, grandfathering provides for a smoother transition by allowing health plans to remain as is and not be required to implement certain aspects of the law’s new rules and protections.
Here’s something for Congress to keep in mind ahead of the debate on President Obama’s jobs proposal: Congress is tied for its lowest approval rating ever, with only 12 percent of Americans approving of the way Congress is handling its job. The only other time when Congress was so unpopular was October 2008, at the height of the economic crisis. Broken down on party lines, the Republicans are slightly less popular than the Democrats, with 19 percent approving of the Republicans in Congress and 28 percent approving of the Democrats. Only 6 percent of registered voters say most of members of Congress have earned re-election.
Does anyone know of a good lawyer who deals with landowner’s rights when an easement has been violated and damage was done ? This happened in Butler County and the landowner has been promised restitution and the powers to be keep giving him the runaround.
On a serious note – Do you think Hillary would have put up more of a fight for the Progressive idealogue than Obama has?
Or do you think Hillary would have provided cover for the corporations like Obama has?
Obama has bent over backwasrds to compromise with Republicans who have shown time after time after time that they do not want to compromise – they want all or nothing.
I think Obama’s approval rating would be much higher if Obama gave Republicans the ‘nothing’ they said they wanted if they did not get it ‘all’.
I don’t know what to think sometimes.
But my grown son at the time of Obama’s election did say that he was surprised a black man won the presidency but he doubted if a woman would ever win the presidency.
And now with the what looks like the black president’s failure – will we ever see a woman president?
I don’t know how well Hillary might have done but based upon the last two years, I wish I had the opportunity to support her, again. Could not have been worse.
“…44 percent—of self-described tea party Republicans…”
That third of Americans who believe Clinton would have been a better president than Barack Obama and most especially the 44% tea baggers who would never vote for any democrat, will never know — right along with the rest of us. I understand it’s difficult for that group of people to recognize any successes but the rest of us have acknowledged that President Obama’s first success was in garnering the party nomination. Hillary Clinton never appeared on the ballot.
This is two years old, but I doubt the republican war on women has attracted anyone to their party.
Women More Likely to Be Democrats, Regardless of Age
Women from 18 to 85 are more Democratic than men of the same age
A new Gallup analysis of almost 150,000 interviews conducted from January through May of this year sheds new light on the substantial gender gap that exists in American politics today. Not only are women significantly more likely than men to identify as Democrats, and less likely to identify as independents, but — with only slight variation — this gap is evident across all ages, from 18 to 85, and within all major racial, ethnic, and marital-status segments of society.
Overall, the data confirm that men currently have a much more even distribution of party identification than do women. The range across the three partisan groups for men is just 6 points, from a low of 28% identifying as Republicans to a high of 34% identifying as independents. On the other hand, the range for women is a much larger 16 points, from 25% Republican to 41% Democratic.
There are only 17 women in the 100 member U. S. Senate, all but five of those are from the Democratic Party. There are 75 female members of the U. S. House — 17 republicans and 58 democrats.
A 20-year-old girl named Becky from London posted a picture of one of the pages of her Moleskine notebook on Tumblr. It has, as they say, gone viral and less than a week later is making waves across the Internet.
It’s a simple thing: Becky wrote down, the “things we say today which we owe to Shakespeare.” It’s phrases like “send him packing,” “makes your hair stand on end,” and “lie low.”
John Boehner’s misfire on pending federal regulations
In a speech Thursday before the Economic Club of Washington, Speaker Boehner made an impassioned case about how federal regulations were harming businesses and imperiling jobs. This is indeed an important issue — one that the Obama administration claims it is also trying to tackle.
As part of his evidence, Boehner pointed to “219 new rules” that were in the works, which he said “will cost our economy at least $100 million.” He suggested the impact could be immediate. As he put it, “our economy is poised to take a hit from the government of at least $100 million — 219 times.”
Boehner, in recent weeks, has pressed the White House for answers about these 219 new rules. In a letter to President Obama dated Aug. 26, Boehner wrote: “This year the Administration’s regulatory agenda identifies 219 planned new regulations that have estimated annual costs in excess of $100 million each.”
So we wondered — where did this “219” number come from? And does it really mean what Boehner suggests?
Boehner left the distinct impression that 219 new regulations were hanging like a Sword of Damocles over the U.S. economy. But it turns out the number of potential regulations is inflated, as well as the potential impact. Many of the regulations may turn out to have substantial costs, but others could have benefits, as a report on the speaker’s Web site makes clear. Boehner wins points for admitting he may have overstated his case, but overall his statement contained significant factual errors.
Business owners add employees when they need more help to move their products or services. If they could sell ___% more, ship them faster, deliver the goods and services, and reap the profits more quickly and in greater amounts by adding manpower they would add manpower without regard for taxes, regulations…
Has Boehner and Gang ever thought if more American were working, there would be more demand for products and services and then businesses of all sizes would benefit?
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
This campaign slogan was used by Barry Goldwater in 1964. Things were going really well, until the opposition countered with “In Your Guts, You Know He’s Nuts.”
The Fall of the United States
by John Atcheson
We have the purpose of preventing bigots and ignoramuses from controlling… the United States.
–Clarence Darrow at the Scopes Monkey Trial.
Welcome to the late great United States – a country in economic and moral free fall. A country in thrall to a cult of greed, selfishness, and ignorance.
Once, the US was a leader in science. Today, most Americans are scientifically illiterate and one of the major political parties – Republicans– largely rejects science and scientists as “elitist.” Research budgets are being slashed.
Once, US infrastructure was the envy of the world. Our planes, our trains, our highways, our damns, bridges, buildings and communication systems were the benchmark against which other countries measured their worth. Investing in it created well-paying jobs and wealth-generating capacity.
Once, the US system of laws and regulations was recognized as the pre-requisite of a civilized and prosperous society. It created transparent markets; honest securities exchanges; level playing fields for all players; equitable sharing of wealth between workers and managers; safe and humane working conditions; a clean and livable environment. Today, most Americans think government regulation destroyed the economy. They even believe that the plutocrats who destroyed this regulatory infrastructure — the most successful wealth-generating machine in the world’s history — are the “job creators” and the source of the formerly shared prosperity that is now disappearing into the coffers of the few from the wallets of the many.
Once, the US educational system was the preeminent model for educating the populace. While our Universities are managing to hold on to their esteemed position by their thumbnails (partly by attracting talented foreign students), our K-12 programs are not keeping up.
What do these all have in common?
They were the source of our national prosperity and they were funded or enabled in whole or part by the government.
continue reading —
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/15-0
The comments to this piece are interesting.
Grandfathering Explained
The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives recently indicated that it will be seeking to repeal regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that govern the “grandfathered” status of health plans. As this aspect of the health reform law gets more scrutiny, it may be useful to review some of the specifics of how grandfathering works.
The purpose of grandfathering: As provisions of the ACA go into effect, grandfathering provides for a smoother transition by allowing health plans to remain as is and not be required to implement certain aspects of the law’s new rules and protections.
Continue reading —
http://healthreform.kff.org/notes-on-health-insurance-and-reform/2011/september/grandfathering-explained.aspx
Congress’s Ratings Hit Record Low
Here’s something for Congress to keep in mind ahead of the debate on President Obama’s jobs proposal: Congress is tied for its lowest approval rating ever, with only 12 percent of Americans approving of the way Congress is handling its job. The only other time when Congress was so unpopular was October 2008, at the height of the economic crisis. Broken down on party lines, the Republicans are slightly less popular than the Democrats, with 19 percent approving of the Republicans in Congress and 28 percent approving of the Democrats. Only 6 percent of registered voters say most of members of Congress have earned re-election.
Does anyone know of a good lawyer who deals with landowner’s rights when an easement has been violated and damage was done ? This happened in Butler County and the landowner has been promised restitution and the powers to be keep giving him the runaround.
Posted without much comment.
But posted anyway because, well, that’s the kind of smart ass I am!
🙂
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/poll-third-americans-believe-clinton-ve-better-president-152358495.html
The what-if’s of life – huh?
On a serious note – Do you think Hillary would have put up more of a fight for the Progressive idealogue than Obama has?
Or do you think Hillary would have provided cover for the corporations like Obama has?
Obama has bent over backwasrds to compromise with Republicans who have shown time after time after time that they do not want to compromise – they want all or nothing.
I think Obama’s approval rating would be much higher if Obama gave Republicans the ‘nothing’ they said they wanted if they did not get it ‘all’.
I don’t know what to think sometimes.
But my grown son at the time of Obama’s election did say that he was surprised a black man won the presidency but he doubted if a woman would ever win the presidency.
And now with the what looks like the black president’s failure – will we ever see a woman president?
I don’t know how well Hillary might have done but based upon the last two years, I wish I had the opportunity to support her, again. Could not have been worse.
“…44 percent—of self-described tea party Republicans…”
That third of Americans who believe Clinton would have been a better president than Barack Obama and most especially the 44% tea baggers who would never vote for any democrat, will never know — right along with the rest of us. I understand it’s difficult for that group of people to recognize any successes but the rest of us have acknowledged that President Obama’s first success was in garnering the party nomination. Hillary Clinton never appeared on the ballot.
I would like to see a woman president in my lifetime -do you think we will get one?
I hope so.
Elizabeth Warren seems to be a wise and talented woman. She will be an asset in the U. S. Senate.
This is two years old, but I doubt the republican war on women has attracted anyone to their party.
Women More Likely to Be Democrats, Regardless of Age
Women from 18 to 85 are more Democratic than men of the same age
A new Gallup analysis of almost 150,000 interviews conducted from January through May of this year sheds new light on the substantial gender gap that exists in American politics today. Not only are women significantly more likely than men to identify as Democrats, and less likely to identify as independents, but — with only slight variation — this gap is evident across all ages, from 18 to 85, and within all major racial, ethnic, and marital-status segments of society.
Overall, the data confirm that men currently have a much more even distribution of party identification than do women. The range across the three partisan groups for men is just 6 points, from a low of 28% identifying as Republicans to a high of 34% identifying as independents. On the other hand, the range for women is a much larger 16 points, from 25% Republican to 41% Democratic.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120839/women-likely-democrats-regardless-age.aspx
There are only 17 women in the 100 member U. S. Senate, all but five of those are from the Democratic Party. There are 75 female members of the U. S. House — 17 republicans and 58 democrats.
A 20-year-old girl named Becky from London posted a picture of one of the pages of her Moleskine notebook on Tumblr. It has, as they say, gone viral and less than a week later is making waves across the Internet.
It’s a simple thing: Becky wrote down, the “things we say today which we owe to Shakespeare.” It’s phrases like “send him packing,” “makes your hair stand on end,” and “lie low.”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/15/140520535/things-we-say-today-and-owe-to-shakespeare?sc=fb&cc=fp
John Boehner’s misfire on pending federal regulations
In a speech Thursday before the Economic Club of Washington, Speaker Boehner made an impassioned case about how federal regulations were harming businesses and imperiling jobs. This is indeed an important issue — one that the Obama administration claims it is also trying to tackle.
As part of his evidence, Boehner pointed to “219 new rules” that were in the works, which he said “will cost our economy at least $100 million.” He suggested the impact could be immediate. As he put it, “our economy is poised to take a hit from the government of at least $100 million — 219 times.”
Boehner, in recent weeks, has pressed the White House for answers about these 219 new rules. In a letter to President Obama dated Aug. 26, Boehner wrote: “This year the Administration’s regulatory agenda identifies 219 planned new regulations that have estimated annual costs in excess of $100 million each.”
So we wondered — where did this “219” number come from? And does it really mean what Boehner suggests?
The Facts —
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/john-boehners-misfire-on-pending-federal-regulations/2011/09/15/gIQAufuhVK_blog.html
The Pinocchio Test
Boehner left the distinct impression that 219 new regulations were hanging like a Sword of Damocles over the U.S. economy. But it turns out the number of potential regulations is inflated, as well as the potential impact. Many of the regulations may turn out to have substantial costs, but others could have benefits, as a report on the speaker’s Web site makes clear. Boehner wins points for admitting he may have overstated his case, but overall his statement contained significant factual errors.
Boehner also said that corporations are so hammered by regulations that they are scared.
But if things are so tough, then why are they making record-breaking profits?
Business owners add employees when they need more help to move their products or services. If they could sell ___% more, ship them faster, deliver the goods and services, and reap the profits more quickly and in greater amounts by adding manpower they would add manpower without regard for taxes, regulations…
Has Boehner and Gang ever thought if more American were working, there would be more demand for products and services and then businesses of all sizes would benefit?
The big corporations are the ones sitting on the huge amounts of money, I don’t think that’s as true of small businesses.
You’re probably right – the big corporationsa are also the ones that seem to buytheir own Puppet Politicians.
For Just Tens Of Dollars A Day, You Too Can Sponsor A Struggling ‘Job Creator’
If you don’t, who will?