Immigration & Republicans

just another rant …

It has been a long week; one in which many people on the right who either held a political position, are in office, work in radio and or are on TV regularly seem to be spewing nasty comments that most adults were taught early… people with manners do not spit at others, call out racial slurs or imply anything violent.  This is the 21st Century people not the 1800′s and though it seems like people on the right are trying to take steps backward to a time when people of colour were things, seen but not heard and who built monumental landmarks because they were forced to do it, they were owned, they were raped all because of their race. We all know, slavery of any kind to anyone is just wrong and the latest rhetoric from some on the right seems to not only long for the 1800′s but I got the feeling some felt the antebellum days were a better time. Well, that genie was let out of the bottle and it will never, never be shoved back into any bottle again.

It’s only Wednesday…

Lawmakers in DC have decided to handle immigration reform thankfully, as States have clearly tried but not in the best interest of America. I am worried that the public including non-whites are being kept out of the loop as States such as Arizona take steps to keep whom they call “illegals” from crossing the border… now in the 21st Century the State of Arizona almost gave its police the right to decide who is legal and who is not? While many states tried and still are moving toward race based exclusions,  racial profiling is already a problem; to say all police are corrupt is wrong but given the times this is yet another move from people on the right that should scare us all…forcing many to go underground again.  Is this a move to make people of colour carry a card…green or otherwise? Sounds like racial profiling to me and most people won’t admit it but the farming industry has been using illegals for decades…any and all immigration manipulation will effect farming in America; reform yes .. punishment for something Americans  started but did nothing to stop now use guns and laws to combat an issue that needs to be reformed but done with knowledge that immigration has was and does aide our economy here in America.

The notion that people in public service let alone those voted into office know right from wrong is take for granted and that journalist have standards or that having respect for people is not only right but civilized behavior. Yet, people such as Michelle Bachmann, Huckabee, bob McDonnell, Limbaugh, Glenn beck, fox and Murdoch promote, pays seem to be helping the teaparty in their efforts and those efforts have not been good.

It is a moment in time that seems surreal; a time when people on the left or at least left of center need to make sure the crazies do not … repeat … do not get in or back into office.  It seems that the times are bringing out some good, mostly bad and very ugly side of people in political positions that have a great impact on not just a select few but a huge portion of our society; it is negative and needs to end. What better way to end the negative then to use all upcoming elections to change things from Red States to blue/purple States.

Instead, people on the right who support the things ted Cruz, Paul Ryan, Grover Norquist and caribou Barbie seems to be promoting …fear as if “they” have to take back the country. The quip implies that something foreign has the country, which offends me and that “ hopey changey thingy” comment she makes is not only childish she definitely needs to be kept from holding any Public Service/Office Position from now on… in the best interest of ALL Americans.

Besides, we have change and it started out when 53% voted were willing to see who was competent, had the interest of all people in mind and who definitely understand complex issues… The current President is smart and just happens to be a person of colour who spoke of change and laid out what that would entail.   Yes, most of us who voted for President Barack Obama wanted him to move more left of center to get things done without Republicans to govern based on Democratic ideology.  Fortunately, PBO knows he needs to be a centrist, while members of the Democratic Party in Congress …if they had the courage could do the things 53% of the population voted for Americans would see change we could all  believe in.  It would mean a substantial improvement and reforms health-care, climate, energy, education will make America number one in the Nation again for everyone not the select few that republicans seem to represent

Practicing exclusion is a step backward…

Top 3: Elizabeth Smart, “Lazy” Millennials,and Benghazi

ELIZABETH SMART SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ABSTINENCE ED

THE BIG BENGHAZI DEBUNK

WHY TIME PUT A WOMAN ON THIS COVER

That Happened

By ThinkProgress War Room

10 Crazy Things the Right Did This Week

Another week, another 10 helpings of crazy brought to by the right wing.

1. Heritage Foundation puts out shoddy report claiming immigrants are takers not makers, conservatives pounce. In a remarkable display this week, the Heritage Foundation put out a study claiming that immigration reform will cost $6.3 TRILLION over the next ten years (Ed. note: it won’t). Immediately, conservatives like Grover Norquist and groups like the American Enterprise Institute and Cato stepped up to trash the report.
2. Heritage Foundation report co-written by racist who has previously written for white nationalist websites. The co-author of the aforementioned report, Jason Richwine, wrote his PhD dissertation about how racial minorities like Hispanics have inherently lower IQs. In addition to these obviously racist views, he also wrote for a white nationalist website and appeared at a conference alongside a well-known white nationalist. Richwine resigned from Heritage late Friday afternoon.
3. Senator proposes ‘Downton Abbey amendment’ to immigration reform bill. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is an avowed enemy of immigration reform including a pathway to earned citizenship, but he appears to have found some jobs he approves of undocumented immigrants being allowed to have: domestic workers. Lee proposed an amendment to allow undocumented immigrants to be hired, but only as domestic workers, specifically including cooks, waiters, butlers, governessess, maids, valets, gardeners, footmen, grooms, and chauffeurs.
4. Shadowy conservative group cuts ad featuring New Hampshire moms, except the moms turn out to be GOP activists. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has seen her standing with Granite Staters plummet since she voted against expanded background checks. AnIowa-based secret money group rode the rescue this week with an ad backing Ayotte that purported to show regular moms supporting her. It turns out these regular moms were actually regular GOP activists.
5. House GOP stages Benghazi hearing, learns nothing new. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) continued the GOP’s Benghazi witch hunt this week with a dramatic hearing. After the hearing, however, Issa admitted that the only thing we learned is that it was a terrorist attack — something President Obama acknowledged in the Rose Garden the day after the attack happened. In other words, we didn’t learn anything new at all as a result of the hearing. In fact, many of the GOP’s star witnesses actually debunked various right-wing conspiracy theories.
6. GOP senate nominee claimed a $281,500 deduction that the IRS has referred to as a “tax scam.” Massachusetts GOP senate nominee Gabriel Gomez made an agreement with a local conservation association not to alter the facade of his historic home, something which earned him a $281,500 tax deduction. It turns out that he was already legally barred from making any changes. The IRS and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have both highlighted this practice as an egregious “tax scam.”
7. Tea Party activist calls for armed march on Washington, D.C. A Tea Party radio host called for protesters carrying loaded rifles to cross into the District of Columbia, which has very strict gun laws, from Virginia. After the police indicated they would meet the gun-toting protesters at the D.C. line, the host then called for mass lawbreaking in addition to the armed gun march.
8. GOP demands budget process then prevents said process from happening. For the past few years, the GOP has demanded that the Democratic-controlled Senate pass a budget and then confer with the House under the “regular order.” Democrats passed a budget in March, but now Senate Republicans are blocking Senate Democrats from starting an official conference committee with the House, since that would expose the GOP’s unwillingness to compromise. “I think for us to after four years of complaining about Harry Reid’s failure to bring up a budget and then we do one and block conference is something that’s incomprehensible,” said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
9. Fox News brings on convicted cover-up expert to discuss alleged Benghazi cover-up. Following the aforementioned House GOP hearing on Benghazi, Fox News brought on Oliver North to discuss the alleged cover up. North himself was of course actually convicted of participating in the Iran-Contra cover-up.
10. NRA makes some suspicious suggestions. At their national conference last weekend, the NRA suggested that parents store their firearms in their children’s rooms (in case of a home invasion). And the NRA’s youth magazine suggested that children build their own indoor, at-home shooting ranges.

BONUS: An exhibitor at the NRA’s national convention was selling a female zombie target that bleeds when you shoot it, which the company called “the ex-girlfriend.” After outcry from groups like UltraViolet, not only did Amazon drop the product but the company agreed to stop making it.

Is your member of Congress afraid of Regulatory agencies

just another rant …

What we need are MORE Regulatory agencies doing their jobs … period

If you hear the noise, the fear mongering coming from Teapublicans you might want to laugh first, tilt your head to the side then furrow your brow and ask where were you when the reports came in that we were losing 750,000 jobs month after month, that several financial institutions crashed due to some big time corruption.  Unfortunately, job creators are sitting on trillions of dollars due to excessive regulation going on in a time when lack of it created our financial crisis is offensive as some Americans continue to lose homes, jobs and health care. It is not lost on me that Teapublican members of Congress have conveniently  forgotten about the Bush agency parties, drilling permits approved of with tankers that probably were just on the edge of being technically safe.  How remarkable is it to hear the current nonsense about the Keystone XL pipeline after all that happened and was exposed during the BP spill is a lesson in what members of Congress will do say and push when their personal investments are involved. It is obvious they have forgotten what led up to the Massey Mine disaster as well.  Fact is, there are things that need strict guidelines, most parents want Clean Air, Clean Water and not only affordable health care but some of us would actually pay a smidge more to make sure that food, flights and anything else that seems too big to handle for an individual can be by the Government and not privatized.  If Teapublicans believe privatization is the only way to create more jobs remember; that it also means your cost for services will go up which folks are complaining about now … right; an increase in insurance premiums would be just a start. I like having firefighters, cleared roads, police, the EPA and FEMA because it is worth paying the Government to act for everyone not just a select few. I will not forget the man who failed to pay his protection fee which resulted in his house burning down; that is what privatization does. I expect the Government to be our children’s watchdog for their health, our future and corrupt regulators need not apply.  While the Heritage Foundation is the Teapublicans training ground with quite different attitude about regulations, it is my contention that the Heritage Foundation opinion should not be driving what Republicans in Congress say do or vote. Yet, the Grover Norquist’s of the world and the Heritage foundation like organizations just do not understand that they only represent a small percentage of voters and after having read your 10/12 article it definitely sounded like the Heritage Foundation would love to go around the voter if they could. I find it almost amusing to read how conservative groups rationalize their feelings about regulations. The Heritage Foundation subscribes to wanting a new society. That in itself should scare us all.  Then again, it just sheds light on how out of touch your group is and if this is the meme being pushed on members of Congress who are not only supposed to be working for the People paid by “We the People”, a truly sad example of what being a member of Congress means.

I totally get Capitalism. We all strive to be self-sufficient. I just happen to believe it should be with a lower case c, which includes small businesses, and those who aspire to get ahead not just or only for big Corporations who more often than not seem to send opportunities and jobs overseas to avoid regulations .

The featured picture Is called “Faces”  taken from the National Museum of African American History and Culture article

Trash …. Republican trash

Keep on talking trash…Republican trash since 2009

8/11/2012

Americans have been bombarded with a whole lot of crazy talk from what I have got to say are RWNJ’s and while some of us may gasp at most or all of what conservatives throw out at voters.  There is no doubt that Romney’s Veep choice should without a doubt open the eyes of all that have been trying to decide which side of the aisle and what side of history they  want the next generation to read about them. The choice seems clear to me

I ask you … is talk really cheap ?…

They say talk is cheap but until you actually listen and read between the walls of words to find out what exactly is in the Ryan Budget do we find the cheap and ugly truth . We all keep hearing folks describe rep.Paul Ryan as young, preppy  dapper and a smooth talker, but they forget that Congress has heard his budget plan at least 2 times and it got voted down; somebody should let him know that renaming it will not do a thing to sell it. The fact is no matter what folks are calling it now,” the pathway to prosperity”, only seems to accept and cover the wealthy. Mr. Ryan seems to promise to save Medicare, close tax loopholes and of course, demand cuts in entitlements and spending by trillions. Yet, the R&R Ticket has no intention of cutting military spending and the big push to keep the bush bonus dollars is still a thorn in the sides of the middle class . The Republican solution is also an American problem because paying for the Romney and Ryan ambition will be off the backs of  the poor.  The hit to our economy took and its slow recovery does not seem to faze Republicans, but then again the right words can mask the most blatant of realities.   It will only take a few Republican votes or lack thereof  to put the Middle and Lower classes on the endangered list . And that mission to cut slash and burn public service jobs while handing out thousands in tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires has been raised and doubled down with the addition of Paul Ryan to the ticket as the budget go to guy Romney has decided upon goes into God and Nature mode. I will admit that a sense of calm came over me given all that we know about Romney’s 59 whatever and now his 5-point plan that seemed full of code to me is now an overt plan to gut Medicare Medicaid and Social Security.

I cannot help but wonder  what with the Ryan ambition who will suffer most, the new poor the been poor since forever or just anyone who clearly does not fit into Grover Norquist’s realm of Mitt Believe

A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

In Other News …

President
Campaigns in Ohio and Nevada  1pmET

University
of Denver Hosts Discussion on Colorado Politics

RNC’s
Platform Meetings Prep for Upcoming Convention

the Progress Report: GOP Doubles Down

By         ThinkProgress War Room

GOP Doubles Down in Favor of Outsourcing, Against American Workers

Did you know that you’re actually paying to ship American jobs overseas? It’s shocking but true. Thanks to a broken tax code that’s rigged in favor of the privileged few, companies actually get a tax break when they ship operations — and American jobs — to other countries. They get a deduction and the rest of us foot the bill.

Asking middle class workers to pay to ship their own jobs overseas? That’s just crazy.

Crazier still?

Today, Republicans in the Senate voted almost unanimously to protect these outrageous giveaways to corporations that ship American jobs overseas. The bill got a 56-vote majority, but Republicans used a filibuster to kill it. The Bring Jobs Home Act would do two things:

• Abolish tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas
• Create new tax incentives that reward companies for that bring jobs home to America

Aside from apparently being in favor of rewarding companies for shipping American jobs overseas, why would Republicans do this?

Two words: Grover Norquist. Almost every single Senate Republican has promised this Washington lobbyist that they will never, ever raise taxes or end a single giveaway to special interests. And not only has Mitt Romney signed this same pledge to a lobbyist, he wants to give companies even more incentives to create jobs in other countries instead of here in America.

Today’s vote shows you just how far Republicans will go to protect tax giveaways to the wealthy and special interests. It also shows why we need to fix our tax code so it helps build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few and their lobbyists.

IN ONE SENTENCE: Today, Republicans once again chose to side with companies who ship jobs overseas instead of with American workers and companies that bring jobs back home to America.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

Marriage equality is expected to be in the Democratic party platform.

A guide to consumer brands helping to bankroll right-wing attack ads.

Speaker Boehner (R-OH) calls Michele Bachmann’s McCarthyite accusations “pretty dangerous.”

George Zimmerman says it was God’s plan for him to kill Trayvon Martin.

Karl Rove thinks the Bain attacks are working.

Another poll finds that Americans want to see what’s in Mitt Romney’s tax returns.

Romney oversaw a company that used one of the most infamous illegal tax shelters of the 1990s.

Want to know more about Romney’s Afghanistan policy? Don’t ask his campaign.

Another day, another Romney lie about the president.

 

 

Other recent Progress Reports

Jul 18, 2012: The GOP War on Women is Back

Republicans Just Can’t Help Themselves While of course the war on women never really went away, Republicans have been slightly quieter in recent weeks about their attacks on women, women’s health care, and equal rights in the workplace. Well, House Republicans just launched another big offensive in their war on women’s health. Here’s the rundown. [...]

Jul 17, 2012: Did Mitt Romney Pay ZERO Taxes?

A Shocking Possibility Our tax code is broken — really broken. It’s rigged for the rich and against the middle class. How rigged? It’s possible that Mitt Romney paid no federal taxes at all in 2009, which would explain why once again today he said he wouldn’t release any tax returns from before 2010. Let’s [...]

Jul 16, 2012: The Outsourcer-in-Chief Strikes Again

The Romney Plan for Jobs…in Other Countries We already know that Mitt Romney shipped American jobs overseas to countries like India, China, and Mexico while stashing millions of dollars in overseas tax havens like Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, and Switzerland. Now he wants American companies to follow his lead. Let’s take a closer look at [...]

Jul 13, 2012: Republicans Are Getting Nervous About Mitt Romney

Republicans Agree That Mitt Romney Needs to Come Clean It’s not just people on the left who are concerned about Mitt Romney’s outsourcing of American jobs at Bain Capital, his shady foreign finances, and what’s hidden in his tax returns. Some Republicans also agree that his record is fair game and that Romney needs to [...]

the Progress Report : Romney, Come Clean

Republicans Are Getting Nervous About Mitt Romney

By         ThinkProgress War Room

Republicans Agree That Mitt Romney Needs to Come Clean

It’s not just people on the left who are concerned about Mitt Romney’s outsourcing of American jobs at Bain Capital, his shady foreign finances, and what’s hidden in his tax returns. Some Republicans also agree that his record is fair game and that Romney needs to come clean and release more of his tax returns.

Here’s the rundown.

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele:

“If there’s nothing there, there’s no ‘there’ there, don’t create a ‘there.’ Put out as much information as you can. Even if you don’t release 12 years worth of tax returns, at least three, four, five. ”

Rep. Walter Jones (NC):

“I think he should release his financial records and I think if he does it in July it would be a lot better than in October,” Jones told CNN. Romney’s extension for completing his latest tax return goes until October.

“Obviously people know he’s rich, nobody holds that against him,” Jones said, but added, “whenever you are asking for the vote of the American people that you need to fully disclose what your holdings are, if you have any.”

Jones said he’s not a financial expert, but he said Romney should release the last 6 -7 years of records.

Rep. Pete Sessions (TX), who chairs the House Republican re-election effort:

“His personal finances, the way he does things, his record, are fair game,” Sessions said. While he declined to name a specific amount of information or number of years’ worth of tax returns Romney should release, he called the issue a “legitimate question.”

Former RNC Chairman and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour:

Barbour told CNN Tuesday that he would release the returns if he was in Romney’s shoes. “I would. But should it be an issue in the campaign? I don’t think it amounts to diddly.”

Republican stragesist Rick Tyler:

“Mitt Romney had an opportunity to answer these questions during the primary,” said Rick Tyler, who ran the pro-Gingrich super PAC that spent millions attacking Romney on the Bain issue. “ He did not answer these questions and now they’re coming up again.”

Tyler warned that the newest Bain twist has the potential to inflict real harm if Romney doesn’t start providing answers.

“I saw Andrea Saul’s robotic response, which was the same as it’s always been,” Tyler said, referring to Romney’s press secretary. “That doesn’t comport with documents that have his name on it after 1999 that list him as CEO who was making money off of transactions. If he wasn’t making money from Bain, then his tax returns from the period in question would reveal that.”

Tyler said Romney needs to be frank and provide all the details necessary to explain his role in the company after 1999. He hypothesized that there could be more documents to come.

“Only [Romney] can provide that information,” Tyler said. “Or we’ll just have drip, drip, drip to November.”

Republican strategist Ana Navarro:

“I feel like we are watching a rerun of an episode from the Republican primary with the return of the releasing of taxes issue,” she said. “It turned into a big deal during the primary, and pretty much got diffused when he released the one-year of returns. I wish he’d hurry up and release more tax returns so this distraction would go away.”

It’s also worth remembering that one of Romney’s own Republican rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, first called on Romney to release his tax returns way back in October. Perry followed up during a debate in January:

“It is important for Mitt to release his tax returns. The fact is we can’t fire our nominee in September.”

IN ONE SENTENCE: There is bipartisan agreement that Mitt Romney needs to release his tax returns so we can get to the bottom of his record at Bain Capital, secret Bermuda corporation, shady foreign accounts, and the unfair loopholes and tricks he used to pay an ultra-low tax rate.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

Why Mitt Romney’s story about Bain just doesn’t add up.

President George H.W. Bush attacks the GOP tax pledge: “Who the hell is Grover Norquist, anyway?”

The media wasn’t allowed to take any pictures of Mitt Romney together with Dick Cheney.

The Senate will vote on the DISCLOSE Act next week and the NRA is already threatening senators.

Even if automatic cuts go into effect in January, defense spending will still be larger than it was in 2006.

Thirteen reasons why this is the worst. Congress. Ever.

This week’s chronicle of Mitt’s mendacity.

Lizz Winstead on her edgy material, hecklers, and new memoir.

The Washington Post’s fact checker has jumped the shark.

• 
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Other recent Progress Reports

Jul 12, 2012: Who Exactly is Mitt Romney Lying to?

It’s Time for Mitt Romney to Come Clean An explosive report in today’s Boston Globe has raised even more questions about Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital and what he’s hiding in his tax returns. Here’s the rundown. WHAT MITT ROMNEY SAYS: He says left Bain Capital in February 1999 to go run the Olympics [...]

Jul 11, 2012: The GOP Just Won’t Get Over It

31st Time the Charm? Nope. Republicans refuse to get over the fact that they flat out lost the fight over health care — first in Congress, then at the Supreme Court. They just won’t move on to other things like, say, jobs and the economy. This bizarre obsession with health care played out once again [...]

Jul 10, 2012: Paris Hilton is NOT a Job Creator

Middle Class Workers Are the Real Job Creators As we discussed yesterday, Republicans always falsely claim that we can’t raise taxes on the wealthy because they are the “job creators.” In addition to the fact that the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy did not and will not create jobs, cutting edge new economic research confirms what [...]

Jul 9, 2012: You’re Being Held Hostage

It’s Time for the GOP to Set the Middle Class Free Republicans are at it again. They’re taking middle class tax cuts hostage in order to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans — including millionaires and billionaires. Today, President Obama and Democrats called for an immediate extension of the Bush tax cuts for everyone making [...]

wicked Wednesday …&some News

just another rant …

The spectacle that is the Republican Party is … also like Debord‘s book,” La Société du spectacle“and suggests among other things …

“With the term spectacle, Debord defines the system that is a confluence of advanced capitalism, the mass media, and the types of governments who favor those phenomena: “the spectacle, taken in the limited sense of ‘mass media’ which are its most glaring superficial manifestation”.^[4] The spectacle is the inverted image of society in which relations between commodities have supplanted relations between people, in which “passive identification with the spectacle supplants genuine activity”.

 The book by Debord is worth reading and perfect for what I am ranting about … change, misleading, misquotes, ugly images coming from the media and Republican Capitalism taking over in Congress

In 2009, We were all listening and hearing various folks in the msm, interest groups and others  make comments and complain about Obama having taken a great first step toward change but hasn’t gone far enough to sedate or fulfill the promises he made during his campaign. No President is going to make all their constituents happy but the Negative comments became bold, louder and more frequent. The unfortunate part of this was that the media gave too much PR to Republican rhetoric and some in the “professional left” followed, taking part of that 53% believing that we are tilting over the edge of an abyss. It pissed me off then and now after 3.5yrs I cannot say that the “professional left has been paying attention. I don’t know about you but I know that change takes time. In the case of America, it takes a Congress that is able and willing to put political differences aside for the greater good, we all learned about in school. It also takes a Congress that will accept the First Black President was elected by 53% of the population and that the word compromise is not dirty or bad but an action used in their daily lives with friends family and co-workers. However, Teapublicans/Republicans like Speaker Boehner Mitch McConnell made back room deals in those quiet rooms while listening to organizations that lobby and give money to politicians like Grover Norquist ending that old saying one-person one vote.

The list below gives the reader a sense of those professional left who kept whining right on through the 2010 elections. I have no idea why the professional left thought the campaign agenda should be placed above correcting what the last guy left him to fix. All I know is that the comments and the whining gave me the distinct impression some of these folks probably did not understand, care and did absolutely nothing to help push shove or throw things at Republicans in order for them to do the People’s Business. The fight for 2012 should include without a doubt the people listed below or we will all suffer. Well, I will admit the lame duck session was not bad but why wait for a lame duck session.

We need everyone to step up and speak out about what accomplishments and progresses President Obama has made since

**Environmentalist… like Phil Radford stated among other things,” Obama is missing in action” as it, relates to global warming …in an article written by Bryan Walsh from Time Magazine…

**Gay/Lesbian leaders… are starting to make comments about Obama not going far enough on don’t ask/don’t tell but today he announced he will enact federal benefits for same sex couples …moving too slow stating their needs have been set aside. Come on… People of colour know what being impatient means …

**Health-care liberals… are impatient and talking about how they put Obama in office and threatening a change in 2012 …

**Wall Street … flexed their muscles to show Obama who really is in charge of the market …

Change will happen, but President Obama cannot do it all himself, we need to call, write and March to let Congress know that, “We the People” 53% voted but the Party of NO is cancelling each vote with filibusters while obstructing our Economy and Democracy in both Chambers of Congress.

“The spectacle is not a collection of images,” Debord writes, “rather; it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images.” 

^{In Other News …}

Atty. Gen. Holder Back on Capitol Hill

Defense Secretary, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Testify on Defense Budget

Secretary Geithner Prepares for Upcoming G20 Summit

Chamber of Commerce Releases Nation-wide Job Growth Study

Mitt Romney Addresses Business Roundtable in Washington, DC

Sen. Finance Cmte. Examines Tax Reform & U.S. Energy Policy

a Budget to Benefit the 1%

The GOP Budget In One Chart

By         ThinkProgress War Room              on Apr 13, 2012 at 4:38 pm

A Budget to Benefit the 1 Percent

Tax Day is coming up on April 17, so it’s worth remember who will pay more in taxes under the Ryan-Romney Republican budget — the poorest Americans — and whose taxes will be cut in dramatic fashion — the very wealthiest Americans.

If the percentages aren’t shocking enough, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the Ryan-Romney budget would give each millionaire a $265,000 tax cut on top of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which it of course also extends.

It should also be noted that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has promised to close trillions in unspecified tax loopholes, which would likely result in tax increases for millions more middle class Americans than are depicted in this chart.  We can’t say for sure, however, because Ryan refuses to name a single one of the loopholes he’d close.

IN ONE SENTENCE: Instead of ending Medicare in order to slash taxes on millionaires, it’s time to pass the Buffett Rule so millionaire start paying their fair share.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

Gallup finds overwhelming public support for the Buffett Rule.

General election in a nutshell: President Obama wants to increase his own taxes, Mitt Romney wants to lower his own.

Ron Paul may finally get a chance to defeat the Federal Reserve after all.

For the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, “religious liberty” means being able to discriminate against gay people.

American taxpayers are subsidizing dirty coal development to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.

One result of the tough economy is more job diversity on television.

Bank of America proves how heartless they are. Again.

Why the Buffett Rule is more than just a gimmick.

A city the size of Chicago that doesn’t have a sewer system.

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Apr 12, 2012: Mitt Romney’s Pledge to the 1%

Why is Mitt Romney Making Pledges to a Washington Lobbyist? We’ve previously told you about the 1% Pledge — a pledge run by Washington superlobbyist Grover Norquist that the vast majority of Congressional Republicans have taken.  Instead of merely pledging to uphold the oath they take to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” these [...]

Apr 11, 2012: GOP War on Women, Mitt Romney Edition

Equal Pay for Equal Work? Romney Will Have to Get Back to You Even as top party leaders, including Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, continue to denounce the GOP’s very real war on women as a “fiction” “manufactured” by Democrats and the media, Republicans continue to add more fuel to the fire. The Romney [...]

Apr 10, 2012: Rick Santorum’s TOP TEN Attacks on Mitt Romney

The Primary Is Over, But These Attacks Will Live On Late this afternoon, Rick Santorum announced that he was suspending his campaign, effectively handing the Republican nomination over to Mitt Romney.  A top aide to the former Pennsylvania senator told reporters that Santorum and Romney agreed to meet in the near future, and Romney sent out [...]

Apr 9, 2012: NEW VIDEO: President Reagan Backs the Buffett Rule

Even the Gipper Wanted Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share Last fall, when President Obama debuted the Buffett Rule — the simple idea that millionaires and billionaires should pay at least the same tax rate as middle class workers — we climbed into the wayback machine and found a video of President Ronald Reagan decrying “crazy” [...]

the Progress Report: Mr. 1%

Mitt Romney’s Pledge to the 1%

By         ThinkProgress War Room              on Apr 12, 2012 at 4:37 pm

Why is Mitt Romney Making Pledges to a Washington Lobbyist?

We’ve previously told you about the 1% Pledge — a pledge run by Washington superlobbyist Grover Norquist that the vast majority of Congressional Republicans have taken.  Instead of merely pledging to uphold the oath they take to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” these Members of Congress also pledge to never, ever raise taxes on anyone and/or end any of the wasteful tax loopholes and giveaways written into our broken tax code.

While some Republicans have recently come to their senses and publicly, even angrily denounced the 1% Pledge, at least one continues be locked in: Mitt Romney.  Earlier this week, the lobbyist author of the 1% Pledge underscored that it would force Romney to oppose the Buffett Rule no matter what:

But Norquist voiced confidence that there’s not a chance the presumptive GOP presidential nominee will back away from the tax pledge, which binds office holders to “oppose any and all efforts” to increase the marginal income tax rate.

“He has basically endorsed the Ryan plan,” Norquist said in reference to the House GOP budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), which would lower the top individual tax rate to 25 percent. “He’s signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, so he’s put in writing that he would never do this.

“And what House of Representatives would allow him to and what Republican Senate would allow him to? This is not going to be an option,” Norquist added.

Not that we had any doubts about Romney’s ironclad opposition to making the very wealthiest Americans like himself pay their fair share in taxes, but here’s the rundown on what else Mitt Romney’s 1% Pledge  means in practice.

Mitt Romney’s 1% Pledge in Action

Mitt Romney has promised a Washington lobbyist that he will never, ever:

• make the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share
• make huge corporations pay their fair share (or even any taxes at all in some cases)
• end the unfair tax loopholes that allow millionaires like himself and the billionaires funding his campaign to pay a lower tax rate than middle class Americans
• end the unfair handouts to hedge fund and private equity managers (like Mitt Romney himself)
• end tens of billions of dollars in handouts to Big Oil
• end unfair tax loopholes that pay companies to ship jobs overseas
• end unfair tax loopholes for vacation homes and yachts
• end unfair and ridiculous tax loopholes for things like wealthy horse breeders or corporate jets

And of course we know that for every dollar in giveaways to the wealthiest 1 Percent and special interests that Mitt Romney pledges to protect, that’s one more dollar he’ll cut from Social Security, Medicare, and programs that benefit middle class families.  In fact, that’s exactly what Romney’s already said he’ll do: slash programs for the middle class in order to give trillions more in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

IN ONE SENTENCE: Instead making pledges to Washington lobbyists to protect every last tax giveaway to the wealthy and corporate special interests, we need leaders who will pledge to uphold the Constitution and do what’s best for the country.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

Tennessee Senate passes legislation to warn students that hand-holding is a “gateway sexual activity”.

Anti-union Gov. Scott Walker will face a primary challenger in Wisconsin’s recall election.

Meet the anti-women surrogates representing Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

Meet the right-wing fringe group whose support Mitt Romney is touting today.

Conservatives attack Hilary Rosen for raising children as a lesbian.

The male Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates tells female activist that she’s too stupid to understand his defense of ALEC.

Labor gets in on the Super PAC action with new Workers’ Voice PAC.

The Republican National Committee came out in favor of gay adoption, for a few minutes anyway.

Happy Sixth Birthday, Romneycare!

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