Exposing 5 of the Biggest Lies Republicans Tell About the Economy
"Republicans are literally advocating for the exact same types of economic policies we saw passed during George W. Bush’s presidency that led to historic income inequality and the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. It makes absolutely no sense. Despite the overwhelming evidence that Republican economic policies do nothing but favor the rich, they continue to insist that these same top-down policies are the only way to “save the American dream.” Meanwhile, it’s these types of policies that are killing it."
News And Opinion About The Republican War On Women And Issues Important To Women
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
Farm Sanctuary Gets Lift from Celebrity Couple Jon and Tracey Stewart
Farm Sanctuary Gets Lift from Celebrity Couple Jon and Tracey Stewart
"Offering a boost to the animal rights movement and farm animals everywhere, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart and his wife, advocate and former veterinary technician Tracey, announced this weekend that their property in Middletown, New Jersey, will be the fourth outpost of the nation's largest and most effective farm rescue and protection organization."
"Offering a boost to the animal rights movement and farm animals everywhere, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart and his wife, advocate and former veterinary technician Tracey, announced this weekend that their property in Middletown, New Jersey, will be the fourth outpost of the nation's largest and most effective farm rescue and protection organization."
GOP and the Rise of Anti-Knowledge
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/10/29/gop-and-the-rise-of-anti-knowledge/
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam." (Reposted)
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam." (Reposted)
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
Marco Rubio Is Blocking His Own Judicial Nominee
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-judicial-nominee_563123d7e4b00aa54a4c69ed
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
Dennis Hastert’s Felony Plea: Another Milestone for GOP’s Dismal Record
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/28/dennis-hasterts-felony-plea-another-milestone-for-gops-dismal-recor/
"The guilty plea involves Hastert lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about agreeing to pay someone $3.5 million to hide his past misconduct. The past misconduct mainly involves sexual misbehavior in which he sexually abused a student when he was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School.
Add one more notch to Republican corruption and criminality."
"The guilty plea involves Hastert lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about agreeing to pay someone $3.5 million to hide his past misconduct. The past misconduct mainly involves sexual misbehavior in which he sexually abused a student when he was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School.
Add one more notch to Republican corruption and criminality."
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
Staffing Up For Corruption
Staffing Up For Corruption
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
Bush Admin. Secretly Warned Republicans To Sell Stocks A Week Before 08′ Crash
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/bush-admin-secretly-warned-republicans-to-sell-stocks-a-week-before-08-crash/
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
Bernie Sanders Drops A Major Truth Bomb About Republicans On ‘The View’ (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/26/bernie-sanders-drops-a-major-truth-bomb-about-republicans-on-the-view-video/
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
Why Conservative Lawmakers Are Deeply Threatened by Women Comfortable With Their Sexuality @alternet
Why Conservative Lawmakers Are Deeply Threatened by Women Comfortable With Their Sexuality @alternet
"It is conservative men, drunk on power, calling women sluts and then rolling up their sleeves and knocking us back into place. It is conservative men letting us know that they own our bodies and reproductive capacity, which according to the Bible have been theirs since the Iron Age."
"It is conservative men, drunk on power, calling women sluts and then rolling up their sleeves and knocking us back into place. It is conservative men letting us know that they own our bodies and reproductive capacity, which according to the Bible have been theirs since the Iron Age."
Nonprofits that spent millions backing Southern candidates accused of breaking campaign finance laws
http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/10/nonprofits-that-spent-millions-backing-southern-ca.html
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
She's supported the white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof, and she's up for re-election.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/26/1440029/-A-member-of-the-same-white-supremacist-group-as-Dylann-Roof-is-up-for-re-election
"An affiliate of the same white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof is up for reelection on Tuesday.
Mississippi State Senator Lydia Chassaniol was a confirmed member of a racist hate organization called the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) as recently as 2009. While she has refused to confirm or deny her membership more recently, she has not ever publicly disavowed or apologized for her active role in the organization.
If the Council of Conservative Citizens sounds familiar, it's probably because of Dylann Roof, the man who killed nine black people in a South Carolina church earlier this summer. The manifesto he wrote attempting to justify his crimes credited CCC for his anti-black views.
There is nothing subtle or inferential about it: The Council of Conservative Citizen is an explicit white supremacist group."
"An affiliate of the same white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof is up for reelection on Tuesday.
Mississippi State Senator Lydia Chassaniol was a confirmed member of a racist hate organization called the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) as recently as 2009. While she has refused to confirm or deny her membership more recently, she has not ever publicly disavowed or apologized for her active role in the organization.
If the Council of Conservative Citizens sounds familiar, it's probably because of Dylann Roof, the man who killed nine black people in a South Carolina church earlier this summer. The manifesto he wrote attempting to justify his crimes credited CCC for his anti-black views.
There is nothing subtle or inferential about it: The Council of Conservative Citizen is an explicit white supremacist group."
Koch Brothers Panic As Support For Their “Tea Party” Drops To Historic Low
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/koch-brothers-panic-as-support-for-their-tea-party-drops-to-historic-low/
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
A Statewide Attack on Public Health and the Environment Is Underway in North Carolina @alternet
A Statewide Attack on Public Health and the Environment Is Underway in North Carolina @alternet
"The measure was shepherded through the Senate by Sen. Trudy Wade, a Greensboro Republican and veterinarian who was first elected in 2012. The N.C. League of Conservation Voters has given her a lifetime environmental score of 0. Among the top contributors to her campaign are the real estate industry, special trade contractors and the trucking industry, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics."
"The measure was shepherded through the Senate by Sen. Trudy Wade, a Greensboro Republican and veterinarian who was first elected in 2012. The N.C. League of Conservation Voters has given her a lifetime environmental score of 0. Among the top contributors to her campaign are the real estate industry, special trade contractors and the trucking industry, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics."
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
Club for Growth and Koch Industries shown to be key financial backers of Freedom Caucus candidates
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/24/1437517/-Club-for-Growth-and-Koch-Industries-shown-to-be-key-financial-backers-of-Freedom-Caucus-candidates
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
Friday, October 30, 2015
Paul Ryan's Chairmen Do End Run On 9/11 Responders
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-committee-chairmen-9-11-responders_56334e28e4b0c66bae5bf417
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
10 Taxpayer Handouts to the Super Rich That Will Make Your Blood Boil
http://usuncut.com/class-war/10-corporate-welfare-programs-that-will-make-your-blood-boil/
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
Jeb! Bush has a plan for America seniors, sort of, and it isn't pretty
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/27/1440952/-Jeb-Bush-has-a-plan-for-America-seniors-sort-of-and-it-isn-t-pretty
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
Ted Cruz Embraces Fringe Monetary Policy That Went Out Of Style In The 1930s
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/29/3717416/ted-cruz-gold-standard-debate/
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
Ben Carson’s Deadly Lies Put Profits Over People
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/10/ben-carsons-deadly-lies-put-profits-over-people/
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
Liar Fiorina Gets Defensive When Questioned About Her Bad Information
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/30/liar-fiorina-gets-defensive-when-questioned-about-her-bad-informatio/
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)