Newt and Trump Talk ‘Apprentice’ Program For 10 Poor Kids
Poor kids could work as Janitors
Poor Children have no values, no work habits, no cash unless it’s gotten illegally
Child labor laws are stupid
Tag Archives: act locally aim globally
TGIF &Some News
just another rant …
Isn’t it bad enough we have to hear Republicans , talking heads or Pundits use this moment to jack the President all around only to have to hear our own progressives and some libs say this that or the other about how the President has obviously mishandled crossing his t’s or dotting his i’s, I get heated when I hear this nonsense. I do not understand all the nic-pic nor is it worth the time because the lawmakers in Congress as territorial as they are create the laws and all those complaining about how the President should remind each other often. The ordinary person has no idea what is actually going on behind closed doors and we never will but taking what pundits, TV hosts or political strategists do for a living, as the truth is just wrong. I used to listen to those directly involved in our political process, which, if it is coming from the conservatives it unfortunately is growing in misinformation and a party meme that is not only extreme but gives me the creeps. The things happening in both Chambers of Congress since Republicans decided to go to the dark side has made this voter distrust most if not all the words coming from McConnell, speaker Boehner, leader cantor who put Profit before the People and then Grover Norquist ahead of country. Americans should not have to suffer at the hands of, because of or due to a small group of unruly Teapublicans who seem to have forgotten they not only are supposed to be our fellow Americans they were voted into office to work for all Americans not just their respective States. Yet, the Teapublican have proved to be scary and controlling the leaders of their party. They are reckless, ruthless, and insanely responsible for the S&P rating downgrade forced upon the US. It is obvious that the brinksmanship that Republicans engaged in gave the S&P a sense of uncertainty and a lack of trust in any break in the gridlock.
This has been a tough week; the rhetoric on the airwaves is always toxic but the nastiness even hints of discriminatory talk, which has been ongoing for the last 24 months seems to be increasing. If you listen to Teapublican surrogates, many are trying to stir up trouble for the President and or second-guessing what the debt deficit, the bad employment numbers and the economy’s effect on his bid for a second term. It is sad, disappointing, let alone irritating to have to listen to my own Political Party try and put his behavior in a box. The point is he has to do what he can to get to the ultimate end and that is to bring back the Middle and Lower Class as well as our Democracy. It is a heavy lift to take on decades long of BS only to have not only the opposition work to bring you down by bring the econ to the edge of death but with friends like the pl the rest of us Obama Supporters need to remember … Barack Obama said he could not do this by himself… why? because of the obstacles that is Teapublican ideology
FYI – how often do we have to remind those out on the ledge …the opposing party is not your father’s conservative political brand.
The last guy seemed to have done everything for his Oil and Corporate friends and very few things for the Middle and Lower classes if at all.
We may not all agree with the President’s efforts but given what he has to work with, I just do not understand why most progressives and or libs have been the worst whiners ever who also seem to be holding President Obama at a higher standard than President in the past. I like to think about where we would be if the McCain/Palin ticket had won but not too long, you will get sick. There is no question; President Obama has obstacles to jump over, Republicans like McConnell who stated his job is to make Barack Obama a one term President as well as a goal post that keeps being moved by the Republican Party. President Obama has delivered on about 85% of all his promises even with all the bs going on all political levels and will need ALL of our support - no whiners need apply as the professional and elite left demands seem driven with hints of childishness. Apparently, that type of behaviour is unacceptable from both sides of the political aisle and has been called out by Standard &Poor. Is anyone else offended that a group rumored to be among those “Raters” giving out random AAA ratings to worthless toxic waste is still recognized and respected. It makes me wonder just what side of the political aisle this group is from and given what we do know they need to answer some question and be investigated for their rumored part in our financial crisis.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Other News
Pres. Obama Speaks About Middle East Pea
UPDATE: Author & Journalist Christopher Hitchens Dies at Age 62 – click here for his C-SPAN appearances
Review Continues of Euro Debt Crisis and U.S. Impact
“The Contenders” Historians Roundtable Discussion
The Untold Story … Horne of Africa
The recent images of men, women and children starving in the Horn of Africa tell a painful story of famine and suffering. How does a nation recover from a devastating food crisis? To find out, Chip Duncan and Salim Amin returned to a Ethiopia, to a place where famine caused a massive death toll over 25 years ago. What they discovered was surprising and hopeful. In partnership with One, they created a documentary showing the contrast between 1984 and present-day Tigray. Read their words below, view a preview and watch their powerful short film. << click on link for VIDEO
In Somalia, innocent people are dying needless deaths due to a famine driven by politics and war. Those who are dying need our help and our voice.
Drought is a challenge faced by people around the world. Climate change is now making droughts more common and less predictable. But drought shouldn’t equal famine. Famine is the outcome of poor infrastructure, corrupt governments and warring factions who choose to use food as a weapon.
During our recent work in Ethiopia, we had a chance to revisit the site of the 1984 famine. Our film uses footage and stills from that famine to remind us of the suffering and of its causes. Our story also chronicles the policies and infrastructure put in place during the last two decades to build sustainable agriculture. Water retention systems, irrigation, improved transportation systems, terraced farming, training programs, improved seeds and fertilizers – this is the new legacy in Tigray Province. It’s a story worth sharing so people everywhere can promote small scale agriculture while motivating governments to make similar investments in the future.
Chip Duncan
Director, “The Untold Story”
I made a journey following the footsteps of my father from 25 years ago. When Mohamed Amin made that journey a quarter of a century ago, he never imagined it was one that would change his life forever. He had covered every major story in Africa over four decades, but nothing prepared him for what he saw in Korem in October 1984.
A famine of biblical proportions, with more than 5 million people on the verge of starvation. A famine that was, to a large extent, man-made. The ruler of Ethiopia at the time, Colonel Haile Mariam Mengistu, was using the famine as a tool to suppress the rebel movement that was rising against his brutal regime from the north of the country. He didn’t want the world to know this famine existed.
The pictures that my father shot on the plains of Korem changed his life and changed the world. They prompted the greatest single act of charity of the 20th century and saved the lives of millions of Ethiopians. After this story, he changed the way he looked at news coverage. He cared for the first time in his life and did everything he could to keep the story in the headlines. Those images were amongst the most powerful and iconic images in television history.
I was expecting to see Korem still reeling from the effects of that massive famine. It takes generations to repair that kind of damage, but I was in for a shock. I went in with the best TV production team I had ever worked with, and what we saw stunned us all! A massive drought is taking hold of the Horn of Africa once again, but Korem and Tigray Province is an oasis of crops. Irrigation schemes that have been put in place over the last decade. There’s also a new awareness of the types of crops to grow and how to market and sell them for the best prices; and new resilient seeds have all transformed a community from being “takers” to being “providers”.
The farmers of Tigray Province have proved that drought doesn’t have to equal famine, and smart aid can work.
Salim Amin
Chairman
Camerapix/A24 Media
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In 2012, Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and others on the far-right are planning to spend nearly half a billion dollars to influence the political debate. Their goal is to make sure that the national dialogue protects their own deep pockets at the expense of the rest of the nation.
ThinkProgress is working around the clock to fight back with the truth. This past year, we traveled around the country to confront the right-wing with tough questions. We exposed their underhanded tactics, and crunched the numbers behind their radical policy schemes.
Next year, there is even more at stake and we need to work even harder. But we can’t do it without your help. We need to raise $25,000 this week to help fund our reporting for the coming year.
Please click here to pitch in $5 and help us bring the facts to the 99%.
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- After Herman Cain told us in an interview he would not be comfortable with a Muslim in his cabinet, we began a campaign to fight back against Islamophobia in the conservative movement.
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Our influence is scaring many on the right. The powerful corporate front group ALEC kicked our reporters out of a conference, and the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity launched a smear campaign against one of our writers.
We need your support now, more than ever, to keep up the fight in 2012.
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Read this and sign up to take action …Debbie Wasserman Schultz
If you value your right to vote, you need to look at our interactive report on how it’s being threatened — and believe me, you will be amazed by some of the stuff in there. Then, sign on to fight back:
http://www.protectingthevote.org
Here’s why:
In at least 40 states, Republicans have introduced laws that would make voting more difficult for everyone — particularly minorities and young voters.
Coincidence? Of course not. It’s all for partisan gain. GOP leaders have said it themselves: They do better when fewer people show up to vote.
That’s right: Right here in America, some people are actually trying to make sure fewer people show up at the polls next year.
This is an issue that Democrats have always fought for — bringing more people into the electoral process. It’s central to who we are. That’s why we’re jumping to action right now — and our vigilant voter protection team is on the case, digging in on these suppression efforts every day. Check out our report now.
When you do, you’ll see that some of these new laws are downright absurd. You can vote with a gun license in Texas, but not a student ID. In some states, even a Veterans ID card wouldn’t be sufficient photo identification to vote. Republicans are trying to justify their suppression efforts by claiming “voter impersonation” is rampant, but here’s what’s funny:
Between 2001 and 2007, there were just nine possible occurrences of voter impersonation. (During that same period, 352 people were killed by lightning, and there were more than 32,000 reports of UFO sightings.)
Republican lawmakers have already rammed through laws like these in Wisconsin and Florida, and given that they currently control both chambers in 24 other state legislatures — nearly all of which also have Republican governors — I’ll bet they’re thinking they’re going to keep getting away with this.
They’re banking on you not doing anything about it. Let’s show them that’s a bad assumption to make — and that we’re just getting started fighting this.
Here’s how we can beat this:
First, we spread the word about these laws, so that we’re poised to fight them — one ballot initiative, one state legislature at a time.
Second, we compound our on-the-ground efforts to register and educate new voters in all 50 states. Because here’s something we know: One of the best ways to thwart any voter suppression efforts is going to be by making 2012 the largest turnout ever — even larger than 2008.
Sound like something you want to be a part of? Learn more, and sign on to join us now.
Because this isn’t about Democrats and Republicans. It’s not about red states versus blue states. It’s about a fundamental right that should transcend the politics that some of our own representatives are foisting on our democracy.
We’re slapping that down right now, and that starts with a massive showing of support from people like you. Read our report, add your name, and stay tuned:
http://www.protectingthevote.org
Thanks,
Debbie
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Chair
Democratic National Committee
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Obama & Biden: You Will Pay If Congress Doesn’t Act
by UpTakeVideoon Dec 3, 2011
In this week’s address, President Obama tells the American people that although the United States has created private sector jobs for the past 21 months in a row, that is not enough for struggling Americans. We must continue growing the economy by passing the payroll tax cut, which will give the middle class a tax cut of $1,500 and provide small businesses more money to hire workers by cutting their payroll taxes in half. The President urges all Americans to tell Congress not to raise taxes during the holidays and act in the best interests of middle class families and pass the tax cuts now.
Good afternoon,I’ll cut to the chase: If Congress doesn’t act soon, middle-class Americans will see their taxes go up starting on January 1st, taking almost $1,000 out of the pockets of a typical familynext year. Last year, President Obama and members of both parties in Congress cut the payroll tax for 155 million workers, putting money in your pockets. Now, that tax cutis expiring. So in September, the President and I proposed extending that tax cut and cutting your taxes even further: giving the typical family a $1,500 tax cut. Steps like this won’t just help families feel more secure in their budgets, it’ll give them more money to spend at local businesses that will hire more people and make investments in new equipment too.
We thought the extension would win bipartisan support again. How could Republicans in Congress, some of whom have pledged not to raise taxes by a penny, oppose extending the same tax cuts they just passed? But after years of protecting expensive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, many Republicans now say we should let this middle-class tax cut expire.
There’s a lot at stake here for you and your family, and the better folks understand how much more they may have to pay, the easier it will be to get Congress to do the right thing. We’ve put together a calculator to show how much of your money hangs in the balance.
Last week, we finally got some good news from Capitol Hill. Congress passed another measure from our American Jobs Act, creating tax credits for companies that hire veterans – and yesterday President Obama signed the bill into law.
But folks, as important as that is, it’s not nearly enough.
There is not a single good reason – not one – why Congress should stop there. Just like that tax credit will help ensure returning service members can find a job, the American Jobs Act helps put Americans back to work by jump starting the private sector and creating an economy that’s built to last. Congress ought to pass the rest of our proposals, too.
And Congress should start with protecting your paycheck.
Let me lay out the facts: Today, because of our tax cuts, everyone who collects a paycheck contributes 4.2 percent of their wages in payroll taxes. But if Congress doesn’t act, that tax will go up two percentage points, to 6.2 percent. That might not sound like much, but to an average family, that’s a difference of almost $1,000 a year.
President Obama and I have proposed cutting the rate even further – down to 3.1 percent. That would give a tax cut to 160 million workers next year, providing a $1,500 cut to the typical middle class family.
We have 40 days for Congress to take action. That’s 40 days for Republicans in Congress to do the right thing for the country – or 40 days before they force middle-class families to pay almost $1,000 more.
Take a minute to calculate what’s at stake for you:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobsact/calculator
Sincerely,
Vice President Joe Biden
Campaign 2012
Who will win the GOP nomination?
It doesn’t matter.
There has NEVER been a more extreme field of candidates.
Renew your 2012 membership now to help us reach our $250,000 goal and stop extremism from defeating the American Way.
As a member of People For the American Way, you know as well as I do all that’s at stake with the upcoming elections, and that 2012 will be an absolutely critical year for our country.
Our nation has already begun what I believe will be one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history.
That is why I’m asking you, Carmen, to help People For the American Way be prepared now and have the biggest impact possible in this critical presidential election year.
Our nation is facing a potential sweeping right-wing takeover. This is no exaggeration. With dishonest extremists like Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Herman Cain vying for the GOP nomination, and the possibility of a Radical Right-controlled Congress, Supreme Court, and White House, you and I should be very concerned.
So much of what you and I care for is at stake, but you can help us prevent a right-wing victory next year by renewing your membership for 2012 now.
The threats to the issues you and I hold dear are not idle speculation. If you’ve watched any of the GOP presidential debates, you know that these extremists are quite open about their plans for radically changing America.
They want to roll back civil rights, women’s reproductive rights, and recent hard-won progress toward equal rights for gays and lesbians… they block every effort to help the economy and the middle class to protect tax breaks for corporations and the richest 1%… and they seek to undo both separation of church and state AND the separation of corporation and state.
Say “no” to their plans by immediately renewing your membership for 2012 early with a generous donation to our year-end campaign. YOU can help us reach our $250,000 goal and support PFAW’s efforts to beat the right wing in the 2012 elections.
Your membership contribution will finance our opposition campaign in the coming elections as well as our ongoing efforts to battle right-wing legislation on Capitol Hill, and our many other campaigns to fight the increasingly extremist Far Right movement.
Thank you in advance for your continued support, I’m confident you’ll help us close out 2011 strong and be ready for the battles that 2012 brings.
Sincerely,
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P.S. The Tea Partiers and right-wing extremists have committed themselves to an unyieldingly rigid conservative orthodoxy … tax cuts for the wealthy without compromise, deregulation without common sense, and social conservatism without an ounce of compassion or respect. We cannot let them win. Renew today.
CBO: Cost Estimates for S.9131,HR2992,S.535,S.300,S.1421,S.500,S.75 & Medicare Part D
- Cost Estimate for S. 1931, Temporary Tax Holiday and Government Reduction Act
Cost estimate for the bill as introduced on November 30, 2011 - Cost Estimate for H.R. 2992, Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act of 2011
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on November 17, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 535, Fort Pulaski National Monument Lease Authorization Act
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on November 17, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 300, Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2011
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on October 12, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 1421, A bill to authorize the Peace Corps Commenorative Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on November 10, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 500, South Utah Valley Electric Conveyance Act
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on November 10, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 75, Discount Pricing Consumer Protection Act
Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Novermber 3, 2011 - Spending Patterns for Prescription Drugs Under Medicare Part D
Economic and Budget Issue Brief
the Progress Report
YOU Have The GOP On The Run
Back on Their Heels After the 99 Percent Fight Back
What a difference two and a half months makes. The 99 Percent movement is now part of our culture, is changing the narrative, and is here to stay. The New York Times looked at just one example of the impact the movement is having:
Protesters have succeeded in implanting “We are the 99 percent,” referring to the vast majority of Americans (and its implied opposite, “You are the one percent” referring to the tiny proportion of Americans with a vastly disproportionate share of wealth), into the cultural and political lexicon. [...]
Perhaps most important for the movement, there was a sevenfold increase in Google searches for the term “99 percent” between September and October and a spike in news stories about income inequality throughout the fall, heaping attention on the issues raised by activists.
“The ‘99 percent,’ and the ‘one percent,’ too, are part of our vocabulary now,” said Judith Stein, a professor of history at the City University of New York.
GOP Tries to Message Away the 99 Percent — Because the Movement is Having an Impact
At a retreat with Republican governors, Republican message guru Frank Luntz expressed his concerns at the growing power of the 99 Percent:
I’m so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death.
In response to his fears, Luntz held a seminar to instruct Republicans on how to discuss the issues the 99 Percent have elevated. Here are some lowlights of Luntz’s anti-99 Percent newspeak:
1. Don’t say ‘capitalism.’
“I’m trying to get that word removed and we’re replacing it with either ‘economic freedom’ or ‘free market,’ ” Luntz said. “The public . . . still prefers capitalism to socialism, but they think capitalism is immoral. And if we’re seen as defenders of quote, Wall Street, end quote, we’ve got a problem.”
2. Don’t say that the government ‘taxes the rich.’ Instead, tell them that the government ‘takes from the rich.’
“If you talk about raising taxes on the rich,” the public responds favorably, Luntz cautioned. But ”if you talk about government taking the money from hardworking Americans, the public says no.Taxing, the public will say yes.”
3. Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the ‘middle class.’ Call them ‘hardworking taxpayers.’
“They cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the ‘middle class’ and the public will say, I’m not sure about that. But defending ‘hardworking taxpayers’ and Republicans have the advantage.”
Some unsolicited advice for the GOP: the 99 Percent and our economic problems can’t be dismissed
One Percenter Piles On: Tax the Rich to Help the 99 Percent — The Real ‘Job Creators’
When it comes to protecting the wealthiest Americans from having to pay their fair share, the GOP usually trots out one of two euphemisms for the wealthiest Americans: “small businesses” or “job creators.” (Neither of which are really valid, by the way.)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), for example, explained yesterday why 345,000 millionaires shouldn’t have to pay a very small surtax on their income above $1 MILLION in order to prevent a tax increase on 160 MILLION Americans:
We just think we shouldn’t be punishing job creators to pay for it. The Democrats can say they just want some people to pay a little bit more to cover this or that dubious proposal. Think about that. The Democrats’ response to the jobs crisis we’re in right now is to raise taxes on those who create jobs. This isn’t just counterproductive. It’s absurd.
In a must-read op-ed on Bloomberg News today, successful entrepreneur and bona fide member of the 1 Percent Nick Hanauer destroys the Republican argument:
I’m a very rich person. As an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, I’ve started or helped get off the ground dozens of companies in industries including manufacturing, retail, medical services, the Internet and software. I founded the Internet media company aQuantive Inc., which was acquired by Microsoft in 2007 for $6.4 billion. I was also the first non-family investor in Amazon.
Even so, I’ve never been a “job creator.” I can start a business based on a great idea, and initially hire dozens or hundreds of people. But if no one can afford to buy what I have to sell, my business will soon fail and all those jobs will evaporate.
That’s why I can say with confidence that rich people don’t create jobs, nor do businesses, large or small. What does lead to more employment is the feedback loop between customers and businesses. And only consumers can set in motion a virtuous cycle that allows companies to survive and thrive and business owners to hire. An ordinary middle-class consumer is far more of a job creator than I ever have been or ever will be.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed
Why has inequality gone up so much?
Towards smarter politics in art, as a means to better art.
It’s about time for some trans issues wins.
New Hampshire’s Republican House speaker doesn’t want college students to vote because they’ll vote “liberal.”
Newt Gingrich is adamant: poor kids should be put to work to “clean the bathroom.”
President Obama speaks out on World AIDS Day.
A former Chase bank employee admits that his company pushed minorities into subprime mortgage loans.
The state of Florida gets into the business of radical treatment of immigrants.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) admits that not all rich people are “job creators,” and she even wants to raise some their taxes.
Other recent Progress Reports
Nov 30, 2011: Another Way The GOP Can Kick The Economy While It’s Down
Will the GOP Really Block Extended Unemployment Benefits? This week, we’ve been talking about the extension of the payroll tax cut that the GOP is likely to block tomorrow — which would have disastrous economic consequences and raise taxes on 160 MILLION Americans. But there’s another equally important piece of must-pass legislation Congress must take [...]
Nov 29, 2011: Sabotage, Continued
Is The GOP Really Willing to Sabotage the Economy to Protect the Wealthy & Hurt President Obama? As a reminder, here’s how Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described his priorities: The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president. A few weeks ago, we took a [...]
Nov 28, 2011: The GOP’s Middle Class Tax Increase
The GOP Will Let Your Taxes Go Up, But Not a Dime More From Millionaires In the wake of the super committee’s inability to reach an agreement because Republicans refused to make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share, there are several very important items that Congress must deal with before leaving town for Christmas [...]
Nov 23, 2011: The GOP’s Oath To The One Percent
One Oath to Rule Them All You’d think the oath that mattered most to our elected leaders would be this one: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the [...]
