If You’re A Conservative Who Hates Taxes - Please Do The Following

• Do not use Medicare.
• Do not use Social Security
• Do not become a member of the US military, who are paid with tax dollars.
• Do not ask the National Guard to help you after a disaster.
• Do not call 911 when you get hurt.
• Do not call the police to stop intruders in your home.
• Do not summon the fire department to save your burning home.
• Do not drive on any paved road, highway, and interstate or drive on any bridge.
• Do not use public restrooms.
• Do not send your kids to public schools.
• Do not put your trash out for city garbage collectors.
• Do not live in areas with clean air.
• Do not drink clean water.
• Do not visit National Parks.
• Do not visit public museums, zoos, and monuments.
• Do not eat or use FDA inspected food and medicines.
• Do not bring your kids to public playgrounds.
• Do not walk or run on sidewalks.
• Do not use public recreational facilities such as basketball and tennis courts.
• Do not seek shelter facilities or food in soup kitchens when you are homeless and hungry.
• Do not apply for educational or job training assistance when you lose your job.
• Do not apply for food stamps when you can’t feed your children.
• Do not use the judiciary system for any reason.
• Do not ask for an attorney when you are arrested and do not ask for one to be assigned to you by the court.
• Do not apply for any Pell Grants.
• Do not use cures that were discovered by labs using federal dollars.
• Do not fly on federally regulated airplanes.
• Do not use any product that can trace its development back to NASA.
• Do not watch the weather provided by the National Weather Service.
• Do not listen to severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
• Do not listen to tsunami, hurricane, or earthquake alert systems.
• Do not apply for federal housing.
• Do not use the internet, which was developed by the military.
• Do not swim in clean rivers.
• Do not allow your child to eat school lunches or breakfasts.
• Do not ask for FEMA assistance when everything you own gets wiped out by disaster.
• Do not ask the military to defend your life and home in the event of a foreign invasion.
• Do not use your cell phone or home telephone.
• Do not buy firearms that wouldn’t have been developed without the support of the US Government and military. That includes most of them.
• Do not eat USDA inspected produce and meat.
• Do not apply for government grants to start your own business.
• Do not apply to win a government contract.
• Do not buy any vehicle that has been inspected by government safety agencies.
• Do not buy any product that is protected from poisons, toxins, etc…by the Consumer Protection Agency.
• Do not save your money in a bank that is FDIC insured.
• Do not use Veterans benefits or military health care.
• Do not use the G.I. Bill to go to college.
• Do not apply for unemployment benefits.
• Do not use any electricity from companies regulated by the Department of Energy.
• Do not live in homes that are built to code.
• Do not run for public office. Politicians are paid with taxpayer dollars.
• Do not ask for help from the FBI, S.W.A.T, the bomb squad, Homeland Security, State troopers, etc…
• Do not apply for any government job whatsoever as all state and federal employees are paid with tax dollars.
• Do not use public libraries.
• Do not use the US Postal Service.
• Do not visit the National Archives.
• Do not visit Presidential Libraries.
• Do not use airports that are secured by the federal government.
• Do not apply for loans from any bank that is FDIC insured.
• Do not ask the government to help you clean up after a tornado.
• Do not ask the Department of Agriculture to provide a subsidy to help you run your farm.
• Do not take walks in National Forests.
• Do not ask for taxpayer dollars for your oil company.
• Do not ask the federal government to bail your company out during recessions.
• Do not seek medical care from places that use federal dollars.
• Do not use Medicaid.
• Do not use WIC.
• Do not use electricity generated by Hoover Dam.
• Do not use electricity or any service provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Do not ask the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild levees when they break.
• Do not let the Coast Guard save you from drowning when your boat capsizes at sea.
• Do not ask the government to help evacuate you when all hell breaks loose in the country you are in.
• Do not visit historic landmarks.
• Do not visit fisheries.
• Do not expect to see animals that are federally protected because of the Endangered Species List.
• Do not expect plows to clear roads of snow and ice so your kids can go to school and so you can get to work.
• Do not hunt or camp on federal land.
• Do not work anywhere that has a safe workplace because of government regulations.
• Do not use public transportation.
• Do not drink water from public water fountains.
• Do not whine when someone copies your work and sells it as their own. Government enforces copyright laws.
• Do not expect to own your home, car, or boat. Government organizes and keeps all titles.
• Do not expect convicted felons to remain off the streets.
• Do not eat in restaurants that are regulated by food quality and safety standards.
• Do not seek help from the US Embassy if you need assistance in a foreign nation.
• Do not apply for a passport to travel outside of the United States.
• Do not apply for a patent when you invent something.
• Do not adopt a child through your local, state, or federal governments. 
• Do not use elevators that have been inspected by federal or state safety regulators.
• Do not use any resource that was discovered by the USGS.
• Do not ask for energy assistance from the government.
• Do not move to any other developed nation, because the taxes are much higher.
• Do not go to a beach that is kept clean by the state.
• Do not use money printed by the US Treasury.
• Do not complain when millions more illegal immigrants cross the border because there are no more border patrol agents.
• Do not attend a state university.
• Do not see any doctor that is licensed through the state.
• Do not use any water from municipal water systems.
• Do not complain when diseases and viruses, that were once fought around the globe by the US government and CDC, reach your house.
• Do not work for any company that is required to pay its workers a livable wage, provide them sick days, vacation days, and benefits.
• Do not expect to be able to vote on election days. Government provides voting booths, election day officials, and voting machines which are paid for with taxes.
• Do not ride trains. The railroad was built with government financial assistance.

The fact is, we pay for the lifestyle we expect. Without taxes, our lifestyles would be totally different and much harder. America would be a third world country. The less we pay, the less we get in return. Americans pay less taxes today since 1958 and is ranked 32nd out of 34 of the top tax paying countries. Chile and Mexico are 33rd and 34th. The Republicans are lying when they say that we pay the highest taxes in the world and are only attacking taxes to reward corporations and the wealthy and to weaken our infrastructure and way of life. So next time you object to paying taxes or fight to abolish taxes for corporations and the wealthy, keep this quote in mind…“I like to pay taxes. With them, I buy civilization.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

via: What Would Jack Do

Debt Problem Solved Tea Party Watch This Video Then Raise Taxes On Wealthy

Bush tax cuts and wars mainly responsible for US debt.

In The Next 20 Years One Third Of US Nuclear Power Plants Will Reach The End Of Their Lives

via: Best of the Blogs

Arrogant Hipsters At Stranger Know Best: Think Most Citizens - Democratic Party Activists - Union Members - Governor - County Executive - City Council - Aero Machinists - Longshoreman Are Idiots

This week's Stranger anti-tunnel cover theme depicts cartoon characters driving off a cliff with the caption, "Don't follow the idiots". Based on that statement probably at least half the good people in Seattle and almost 90% of the political establishment are too stupid to think for themselves. Yes, in the minds of the minions who occupy the genital centered echo chamber world of the Stranger newsroom, where writers are usually most impressed by the last fad or prima donna they happened to run into, you're just another working class idiot if you may like the tunnel.

Here's a list of local citizen idiots according to the all knowing hipsters at the Stranger:

Seattle's Democratic Activists
the Seattle City Council, Labor Unions
The County Executive
The King County Labor Council and most Labor Unions in general
The Port Commission
Dan Evans
Gary Locke
King County Democrats
King County Young Democrats
46th District Democrats
34th District Democrats
36th District Democrats
11th District Democrats
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 46
Aerospace Machinists Local 751
Adam Kline, State Senator, 37th LD
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, State Senator, 36th LD
Ed Murray, State Senator, 43rd LD
Sharon Nelson, State Senator, 34th LD
Scott White, State Senator, 46th LD
Joe McDermott, King County Council
Larry Phillips, King County Council
Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle
West Seattle Democratic Women
The Municipal League of King County
A Majority of the State Legislature

And the rest of the people who have openly endorsed the tunnel as the best option to replace the AWV. Many of these pro-tunnel citizens have been engaged in the debate from the beginning and simply have come to the conclusion that the tunnel is what works, given 10 years of talking about it.

I think the anti tunnel campaign has sunk to a number of similar sounding self-important themes about values and group think. It spouts a holier than thou type of message that says they somehow know what's best for you, your family, and everyone who considers themselves to be a real Seattlelite, and now according to the Stranger, if you disagree you're an idiot. 

The no tunnel people really don't have a plan for replacing the viaduct, just a wide eyed dream of some sort of Utopian car free Shangri-La off in the future. It's not based much in the present or concrete and relies heavily for support on the ignorance of its readership and their tendencies for terminal political correctness. Most, I suspect will vote against the tunnel because the master Stranger has spoken.

Remember these are the same people who gave us Mike McGinn. How's that working?

Like most people,  I dislike attempts at social engineering by anyone."You're too stupid to figure it out for yourself people" is their subtle message. We know what your values should be. We're elite pricks, everyone knows that. Sounding more and more like family values Republicans than they realize.

Vote Yes on Referendum 1, can we just get something actually done around here.

Compelling Reasons For Building The Deep Bore Tunnel (Revisited)

This post originally was published on this blog in October 2010.

Nearly four years ago I argued in a post that the deep bore tunnel was the real compromise for replacing the crumbling Alaskan Way viaduct architectural monstrosity. Although we have moved closer to the actual beginning of construction there still remains a number of very vocal entities in Seattle who continue to act like Chicken Little when the idea of getting on with building the damn thing comes up.

The main opposition seems to be Mayor McShwinn, bicyclists, certain eggheaded writers at the SLOG that love hairsplitting , a number of provincial thinking no tunnel folks, who I doubt own vehicles or need to use the viaduct on a regular basis, the don't tax me no matter what conservatives like Tim Eyman and people who like the view while driving on the upper deck of this deathtrap of a highway.

Many Seattleites remain skeptical. I think this is due mostly to a disinformation campaign, scare tactics, stonewalling, vague conspiracy theories put forth by the opponents and red herrings arguments coming from narrow-minded politicians, environmentalists who ride bicycles as the main means of transportation and anti-tunnel revisionists partially listed in the previous paragraph. Presented with the realities and benefits of building the tunnel I think that a majority of the citizens will come to the conclusion that the deep bore tunnel should be built.


It was a memorable moment when candidate McShwinn ended up mitigating his position in opposition to the tunnel just prior to the election, based on his advisors realizing that it would mean a probable election defeat. We know now that that this political theater was actually quite disingenuous. McShwinn never really liked the tunnel idea based on the ideology that everyone in the future apparently will be riding a bicycle, taking a bus or perhaps using space ships as a means of transport to get goods to market. Something that is unrealistic given the present day and foreseeable future demand for a corridor other than I-5 that will be needed to move people and deliveries through the city using personal or business trucks and vehicles.


McShwinn remains the main obstacle to progress. Even the City Council, to their credit, revolted and decided that it’s now time to move on towards actual construction. I think the citizens of Seattle and the region have had enough of the Chicken Little ideologically driven nay-sayer's conspiracy theories that drive their arguments in opposition to constructing the tunnel. The message from the opponents of the tunnel often appears to be based in a condescending form of social engineering that tells people, "we know best when it comes to people who still find it necessary to drive a personal vehicle",  or that building a tunnel is is some vague way an attack on Seattle's "values".  Please!


The main “red herring” argument against the tunnel seems to be that it will cost too much and create “cost overruns” that the city’s taxpayer will be force to pay. Lesser “pink herring” arguments runs the gambit and go something like this: That a tunnel built so close to the water will be an engineering impossibility and will probably cave-in during an earthquake. That there won’t be enough exits from the tunnel directly to downtown. That commuters won’t be as inclined to use public transit or ride their bike to wherever their going instead of driving. Somehow they surmise that a major traffic corridor through the city isn’t needed anymore once the viaduct is removed. Their current talking point is surface traffic increasing because tolling will make drivers more inclined to find other routes. An argument that fails to point out that 100% of the traffic will be on the surface streets if we go with their vague idea of using surface streets and transit. Finally, they like the views from the viaducts northbound upper deck when driving into town with their out of town relatives in the car. If those excuses don't hold water just claim that the sky is falling.

Let’s look at these arguments.

It cost too much and cost overruns:

Please name me a major capital hybrid project of this scale anywhere in the world in the last 100 years that didn’t have cost overruns? The Brooklyn Bridge had cost overruns. Have a contractor give you a estimate for major work on your house and the rule of thumb is that it will probably cost more then you thought it would cost in the beginning so add 15% to the estimate.

We should be looking at this project like the once in a lifetime project it is, and therefore it’s going to cost lots of money simply based on the size and scope of the undertaking. Considering the numerous long-term benefits the replacement of the viaduct and seawall will surely generate its worth it, given the increase in commerce it will bring for the region and its inhabitants. It’s really more about controlling cost overruns.

Lawmakers have gone on the record repeatedly stating that cost overruns will be controlled and the city’s responsibility for paying them mitigated. But, the Mayor continues to use this dishonest sandbag in a rather outmoded way. McShwinn really doesn’t want a tunnel at all and I believe he really never did. Most reasonable lawmakers, who have to answer to their constituents too, have moved on. They, at least, have the courage to see that building the tunnel is the real compromise here given the options that we have all been talking about ad nauseum for years now.

That the tunnel can’t be engineered safely, will be a construction nightmare and unsafe. The tunnel will eventually probably “cave-in”, during the eventual earthquake:

Hey scardicats,  please! They build a tunnel under the English Channel didn’t they? We even built the downtown transit tunnel that most people don’t feel is going to collapse anytime soon. Modern engineers must have a good laugh about this objection. Bold engineering ideas help build this country. It’s duplicitous to say this tunnel will ultimately be unsound. If the region has a “big one” earthquake most shit will cave in folks no matter how well or when it was built. Earthquake faults are better understood today and engineers will take that into consideration. Digging tunnels is common place nowadays and this tunnel is nothing that modern engineers can't handle.

There won’t be enough exits directly to downtown:

It is truly the nature of the beast. Eventually people will adapt to the changes and learn how to navigate the new highway system. Though there are varying opinions about such matters, such as the loss of access ramps to downtown. I think overall the tunnel will be a traffic moving improvement and environmental benefit by reducing the overall amount of traffic over time given the combination of plans to improve surface transit , foot and bicycle traffic options.

People will still be more inclined to use cars rather then public transit:

When someone lives on Vashon Island, as I do, or in West Seattle or Ballard they actually need their car to efficiently get to central Seattle and beyond. Businesses have to make deliveries and trucks need to move goods. Not everyone wants or desires to use public transit or bicycles. People will use public transit when the city builds a viable transit system. Seattle’s politicians and citizens have missed the boat when it comes to actually building a real transit system in this region for years and we continue to lag behind most modern cities. The politics of having a modern transit system caught up in the same process that now stalls the tunnel construction. We continue the local political tradition of having a lack of vision or chutzpa. 

We don’t need two major traffic corridors anyway. Let them use I-5:

This excuse is tied to “let them use I-5 for a while as the only way to get to town and then for sure they’ll be willing to consider riding a bike”. Seattle and the region need two major traffic corridors through the city. I-5 was not designed to handle the traffic increase that would take place if the highway 99 were not available. Commerce must move goods and services to market. Emergency response services would be impaired. You can’t use a bicycle or the bus if you’re a plumber going from south Seattle to Ballard to a job site.

Tolls are unfair or will force people to take other surface routes.

Historically tolling to support transportation projects is nothing new in Washington State. I recall paying tolls for years to paid for the first Lake Washington floating bridge. The amounts of the tolls for the tunnel have not been agreed upon, and will be adjusted so that they make the cost of using the tunnel acceptable to most drivers. I think most reasonable people understand that capital transportation improvements of this nature require reasonable tolling.


The sky is falling:

Perhaps on a second term for Mayor McGinn

But there are also many compelling reason why constructing a deep bore tunnel is the best option for the city. Here are a few:

Safety:

Everyone agrees that the Viaduct needs replacing, is falling down and that a major earthquake could cause the structure to actually collapse with deadly results. The construction of the new tunnel also will include construction of a new seawall replacing the failing one that now exists.

Quality of Life:

Once the tunnel is constructed and the viaduct demolished Seattle should have one of the best waterfronts environments in the world. Everyone, even the “stop the tunnel” crowd, agrees the viaduct has been an architectural mistake. It’s ugly, blocks the waterfront from the downtown business district and actually serves as a “fence” that blocks economic development from happening in what potentially could be one of the most viable redeveloped neighborhoods in the world.

Small parks will line the areas where the viaduct once lived and promenades and city streets will replace most of the urban mess that now exists. New Businesses and shops are sure to thrive along this new viaduct-less thoroughfare. Hundreds if not thousands of new jobs can be generated by the redevelopment of the area. Seattle’s downtown will once again be connected more directly to the water. Traffic and smog will be reduced while walking and bicycles traffic will be enhanced and safer.

Jobs and more Jobs:

I have argued for some time that building the tunnel and seawall will bring thousands of union wage jobs during construction. Call it a super massive local stimulus plan if you want.These workers will be buying goods and services in the local economy. Billions of dollars will be pumped into the area directly related to tunnel and waterfront construction. In this time of economic insecurity it’s a no brainier. Local labor leadership and workers agree and estimate 30.000 new construction jobs with be created. As I said above the redevelopment of the neighborhoods surrounding the new tunnel will also create countless jobs.

The new deep bore tunnel option will keep traffic flowing during construction:

Completing the tunnel before the viaduct is removed will assure the least amount of disruption of the thousands of cars that use the corridor each day. A surface only option or replacement option would severely disrupt traffic for years during demolition and/or replacement. Most political leaders realized that keeping the viaduct open to traffic during construction of the tunnel was the real compromise.

Need for Action:

As I have said above. Most political types and many citizens agree that it's a time for action. 10 years of discussion meetings and committees on what to do with the viaduct is long enough. Had Mayor McSchwinn not been elected I think this project would have be closer to starting today. McSchwinn and his anti-tunnel allies need to realize that the tunnel “is the compromise” that knowledgeable citizens, stakeholders, most of our elected officials, and many sincere citizen activists have reached. Further delay will only add more cost to the project in the long run.

It’s time to build the tunnel, so let's get on with it.

The Entire History Of Egypt In Five Minutes

 Allah loves the Internet......

via: carwinb

Occupy Wall Street September 17th 2011

Join non violent US Days Of Rage protest on Wall Street September 17th or protest in your city or state capitol. More information here. 

Olbermann Calls For Group Actions Street Protest Over Debt Deal

If anything Keith Olbermann special comment tonight really shows he's not working for the likes of MSNBC anymore. "Something happen here, what it is ain't exactly clear"....

Looking At The Debt Ceiling Deal And Why Liberals Are Such Terrible Negotiators

During the1970’s I worked as a labor union business agent and organizer for a large union that represented white-collar employees. One of the responsibilities of the job was to negotiate contracts for members who were represented by the union. When I was preparing to negotiate a contract I would hold a series of meetings with employees to formulate a union contract proposal.

The initial proposal by union members usually ended up being a wish list. I knew from the beginning that many of items in the proposal would eventually be changed through negotiations, paired down, compromise or eliminated. Before I began negotiations it was important to identify the items in the union’s proposal that were sacred cows, or items that the union and its membership felt were important enough to strike over. I knew that in the end the sacred cow items in the union proposal would not be acceptable to the company without a fight. It was imperative that if I wanted to be successful it would be necessary to make it known to the company that the union members were willing to strike to get the items they believed were sacrosanct and therefore absolutely necessary if we were to reach a final agreement without a work stoppage.

Ultimately the union’s success in negotiations was determined by the willingness of the membership, not the negotiator, to draw a line in the sand. I knew that the company’s fear of a shutdown of their business was the nuclear option in any negotiations. If the playing field is level and there is a credible threat that employees will strike, the employer will usually take the union’s demands seriously.  If there is no real threat of a strike they will not.

The problem often was that employees were not willing to strike. Employees would fain the idea of striking, but when the time came to exercise that power they would become fearful because of barrage of company propaganda about being replaced with scabs and the general lack of solidarity within the bargaining unit. It was every man or woman for himself or herself syndrome. The members would eventually cave in such situations and have to accept a union contract that often did not contain many of the important conditions they were demanding at the beginning of the negotiations. 

Two examples: There was a group of employees I represented who were not willing to strike for any reason to get what they wanted. When I began negotiations with the company the company knew this. The union’s position was weak and the company acted accordingly. Instead of collective bargaining the negotiations were reduced to collective begging and long-winded philosophical arguments.

In another negotiations the employees were quite militant and more than willing to strike to get what they considered important improvements in their wages and working conditions. Add to this the fact that the company, a container cargo shipping multinational, knew that if the union of clerks I represented stuck that the Long Shore Union and Teamsters would honor the picket line our union members set up. This would mean the loss of the ability of the company to do business and the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollar for each day the shutdown continued. The company was more then willing to be reasonable in negotiations, a labor stoppage was averted and the employees ended up with a contract that contained some of the best wages and working conditions for office workers on the West Coast. The company was not reasonable out of a kindness of heart. 

Liberals don’t exercise power very well. They hate conflict and love compromise. They shy away from anything that appears to require a knock down drag out fight. They want to get along to go along. Although these are honorable traits they do not impress greedy self interested men. Liberals are often not willing to stick their necks out when the going gets tough. They expect the other side to be reasonable. The other side, in this case Republicans and the tea party, are the polar opposite. They know that in order to get what you want you have to exercise, not just talk about power. Liberals often don't have the stomach for the fight or are too compromised by political correctness to be effective.

The real question is who really has the power in the given situation. An old union official I mentored under called it “the bullets”. “ You can’t get anything without the bullets” he would say.  I defined that as the ability to severely disable or destroy your opponent if necessary in order to get what you want. Exercising the real power you have effectively is the bottom line in any politically based negotiations, not using reasonableness or factual philosophical arguments that support your position.

You will not gain anything politically unless you are actually willing to exercise the real power you have as a union, political party or as an individual. Fear and an unwillingness to take action are not going to lead to change or favorable agreements. This is a basic tenet of politics and for some reason liberals for the most part seemed to have missed this fact somewhere along the line. Liberals are often more interested in electing personalities than people tough and principled enough to get the job done. LBJ didn’t have a pretty personality, but he understood how to use power. He also demanded party loyalty and solidarity.

Today, although the Democratic Party has a majority in the US Senate and a President in the white house they are really a splintered party. Progressives constantly talk about the weakness of Obama, meanwhile centrist and blue dog Democrats that are not really liberals vote with conservatives when the going gets tough. More interested in being reelected then being conceived as being liberal or progressive. Add to this the money it takes to get elected and the corporate control that it brings over politicians and you have turned the government and elections into a toxic cesspool. Although it would appear that Democrats control much, they don’t really have “the bullets”. It’s a mistake for Progressives to really think the Democratic Party will have the power and willingness to exercise it in the foreseeable future.

The President is certainly a centrist, conciliatory and a compromiser more then he is not and it would appear whether he has the power or not. But the real question is has he failed to exercise power when he has actually had it. It could be said that he has never had real power because he has always been dealing with a party that has been splintered and factional.  Frankly I believe that many so called Progressives don’t often understand the legislative processes as they are now constituted or the arcane rules that make it more difficult to really control the ultimate outcome and success of legislation, especially with a weakened and disorganized party without much discipline and where many Democrats are really moderate Republicans.

In retrospect, it probably is true that Democrats would've had a better chance of passing a budget and raising the debt ceiling in the lame duck session of 2010 when they numerically controlled majorities in both the House and Senate. They did not do this apparently because they were afraid of the fight, and the perceived controversy that such a fight would've caused in the minds of the voters. In the end it didn’t matter, because their fear of using the power they presumably had versus their desire to appear reasonable and uncontroversial ended up bringing about the electoral debacle of 2010 that strengthened the Republicans and the radical tea party's power over the Congress we find ourselves stuck with today.

How Hwy 99 Tunnel Opponents Spend Their Time

click on image to enlarge

Stop Using The Analogy Of Balancing Your Checkbook Or Cutting Up Your Credit Cards As Being The Same As Raising The Debt Ceiling Dumbshits

Gee-whiz it sounds all warm and fussy and all American, but it's not even close. This tea party rhetoric is for economic simpletons and the ignorant.  Unfortunately, listening to C-Span phoned in comments proves that this comparison has taken hold with much of America's dumb and dumber. The US economy is a tiny bit more complex than balancing your fucking checkbook and paying down you credit card debt while sitting at the kitchen table.

Think about it please. Almost all businesses borrows money when needed. The money is lent based on the company's credit rating and promise to repay the money. Most Americans don't pay cash for everything. Most American wouldn't own a house, big screen or car unless they could use credit. So the availability of credit is part of the American Dream, it's the same for the nation. Buying things over time with credit when it wouldn't be possible if you had to pay cash for everything is what made America and its middle class the economic engine for the world. The real question is how you manage and use the debt.

The Treasury lends money to the country when needed to pay it's debts. If the government is required to pay cash for everything (the balance budget amendment) you'll also be saying goodbye to social programs that support millions of Americans. Because taxes are so low, especially for the wealthy, the government will not have the cash to pay as you go. The government underwrites the borrowing it does to pay for needed programs including such things as, war, protection of the environment, infrastructure by selling treasury securities, it's often called printing money. The much talked about 14th amendment to the constitution was put in place in part to assure that the government will always have a way to pay its debt even if it didn't have the cash by using its own credit backed up by government securities.

"The analogy about balancing your check book and getting your finances in order is wrong. The right analogy for not raising the debt ceiling is going out and having a spending spree on your credit card and then refusing to pay the bill. That's what not raising the debt limit is." Ben Bernanke

Turns Out GOP Pols Who Rail Against US Debt Can't Seem Manage Their Personal Debts

 More GOP hypocrisy file..

The Deep Bore Tunnel Plan Was The Compromise Reached By A Majority Of Citizen Stakeholders

10 years of eggheaded talk and hairsplitting is enough. Let's get on with construction. Vote yes on Referendum 1. When all the options were examined the consensus of the stakeholders was that building the tunnel was the most workable solution.

Infographic: Watching The House Debt Ceiling Debate On C-Span

"I am a small business owner most years, I make over $250,000, and you know Republicans keep on saying they can’t tax the wealthy; they’re the job creators. Ed, They’re wrong. As a small business owner, I am not a job creator. The middle class in this country is the real job creators, those people making $30.000, $40,000, $50,000 a year. Ed, you know two-thirds of our economy is driven by consumption. That consumption is not being done by the top 2%. It’s the vast middle class, people listening have to understand that businesses exist to create a profit. You have to make businesses hire by creating demand for their goods and services. We have a demand problem in our economy, not a cash problem for businesses, Business owners, wealthy people, they don’t need more cash."

Dennis for Kansas City on the Ed Shultz Radio Show yesterday.

click on image to enlarge

The Speech On The Debt Crisis Obama Should Have Given

Maybe the President should of channeled a little more outrage like Peter Finch did in the famous scene from the movie Network.

More Evidence That Republicans Stole 2004 Presidential Election

Would America be engrossed in 3 wars an economic crisis now if Senator John Kerry actually had won the White House in 2004?

The probability of widespread vote manipulation in Ohio during the 2004 presidential election appears at this point to be one of the most underreported political stories of the century, and another prime example of the main stream media dropping the ball on a story that could of literally changed American history.

Republican Kenneth Blackwell  the Ohio Secretary Of State at the time and Michael Connell who served as the IT guru for the Bush family and Karl Rove seems to be at the middle of the vote "hacking" plot, further exposed in recent court filings.  Court documents and testimony add additional credence to the probability that the election was stolen for George Bush. The new evidence also indicate the hacking of votes may of been controlled directly through the White House.

Kerry lost the State of Ohio by 118775 votes amid reports of widespread voting irregularities. Had Ohio gone to Kerry he would of been elected president. Connell died a month and a half after giving a deposition about the allegations in a suspicious small plane crash. It will be interesting to see if we ever get the truth. It would not surprise me or anyone with a brain if we found out that Carl Rove was the middleman in this criminal manipulation of the outcome of the 2004 election.

Bill Maher Talks About The Stupidity Of Republican Pledges

The Ultimate Middle Class Revolt - Let's Just Not Pay Our Personal Bills Or Taxes Then..

Just follow the Republican and Tea Party's radical example of a dine and dash by skipping out on paying your bills like they have for their fucking wars, and gigantic tax breaks for the already filthy rich. When your mortgage holder, creditors or the debt collector calls demanding money just tell them "it not my problem it's yours", and would  they be open to making you a low interest loan which you may of may not pay back. Looks like I'll need a bigger car to live in....

Pass The Beano - Goldy's Gas Problem Also Points To Depletion and Contamination Of Seafood Supply

I'm a Pescatarian, meaning I don't eat red meat, only seafood. Therefore it was a double whammy with Goldy's post this morning on Slog about his gas problem that he believes may of been caused by contaminated chicken and this related story in the Everett Herald about what local seafood should only be eaten in moderation because of contamination.

Goldy makes a worthwhile point that unless something is done about protecting our food supply, and I'd add reducing pollution, over fishing and corporate farming methods, we'll all have a bigger problem then just indigestion. By the way, reducing your intake of meat, including chicken, helps the environment by reducing carbon emissions and in the long run is probably better for your overall health.

If You Own A TV Or Microwave You Can't Be Considered As Poor According To Dobbs And O'Reilly

This segment from last night's O'Reilly Factor, which featured an interview by Bill of Lou Dobbs, would be hilarious if it weren't a prime example of what many pompous, conservative, out of touch, rich white men accept as a definition of what constitutes being considered not poor in America.

O'Reilly and Dobbs claim that many that are considered poor actually make money working in an undefined underground economy. But, they conveniently fail to mention anything about the massive underground economy that exist for the wealthy and tax evading corporations.

via: Crooks and Liars

What Would Eisenhower Say About Today's Republican Extremists

Maybe something along these lines....

via: SocialistTexan

Larry Summers Interview Addresses A Wide Range Of Topics

Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary and former adviser to President Obama, spoke to the Aspen Institutes's Walter Isaacson at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference about everything from the deficit crisis to the technology bubble to his character in The Social Network.

"The idea that these people are threatening to make the country default so they can get their way is beyond belief. Look, on the merits of the deficit policies and the budget policies, I obviously tend to share the President's views.  But you can make perfectly reasonable arguments for, in the direction of what the House majority favors. But threatening to make the country default?  I mean it is not something that should be treated as a civilized discourse."

Okay Michele Then I'm Not Going to Pay Any Of My Bills From Here On Out And See What Happens

Backmann quoted yesterday on debt ceiling negotiations:

“It’s time for tough love,” Mrs. Bachmann told supporters at a rally. “Don’t let them scare you by telling you that the country’s going to fall apart.” 

"Time for tough love"?  I'd hate to think what default would would mean for the poor and middle class, and the economy and debt ceiling doesn't exactly equate to the pop-psychology that they talk about on the Dr. Phil show....

Different Day - Same Old Shit

Video - Syrian Photographer Shot While Filming Government Crackdown

Heart wrenching video not recommended for the light hearted. Man apparently shot by sniper while filming during government crackdown in Homs, Syria.

The Five Kings Who Rule America

The five corporate leaning justices on the Supreme Court are the real kings who rule America as outlined in The Daily Take With Thom Hartmann.

War Making Corruption At Center Of US Spending Problems

Military spending and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have bankrupted the country...

First World Problems

18 Oil Or Gas Spills Per Day In US

"Not counting the BP disaster, we found at least 6,500 spills, leaks, fires or explosions nationwide - that's 18 a day. Overall, at least 34 million gallons of crude oil and other potentially toxic chemicals were spilled. That's triple the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill."

The high profile oil spill in the gulf last year or the current spill in Laurel, Montana only scratch the surface when it comes to the number of spills or accidents taking place on a daily basis just in the US. An industry spokesman's response,"we're lucky it's not worse." Instead of acting with some inkling of responsibility these multi billion dollar companies give us bullshit like this or this. Sorry about the Goldman Sacks of Shit ad that proceeds the CBS News video...

Dine And Dash Republicans Leave MIddle Class With Bill

10 Inconvenient Truths About the Debt Ceiling.......

Channeling Ernest Hemingway 50 Years After His Suicide

 Hemingway fishing with his drink, gun and son "Jack"

50 years ago today on July 2nd 1961 Hemingway committed suicide.

I admired Hemingway for his fame as a writer, his stories and his macho two fisted manly drinking lifestyle. I think I set out in life to emulate Hemingway and other manly men like him from the days of my first thoughts on the subject. I have empathy for the many biographers and psychiatrists who have struggled over the years since his death to explain this complicated alcoholic and self-centered legend of American letters.

Like Hemingway I found out early in life that alcohol could suppress the many demons within me. There was enough material in my life to produce a good Death Of A Salesman type novel, the family dramas, the bigger than life domineering father figure, the disappointments and the expectations. I joined the army in 1965 at 18 to escape and “be a man” and see the world. After the Army I lived in France and Spain hoping to connect in some subconscious way with Hemingway’s bohemian early days. It always included excessive drinking, debauchery and risk taking.

Later my personal selfishness exacerbated by alcohol led to my abandonment of my basic responsibilities to my wife and children. Of course, my parody lacked the talent, fame, war and money. But on a much smaller scale it mimicked the emotional turmoil which I  tempered with drink. The near death experiences, accidents, bar room brawls and occasional thoughts of suicide became recurring daily events.

It was not until I turned 42 that I realized that drinking was an endgame. I relished in it even though I was slowly dying inside and out. Many alcoholics reach a jumping off point where life with or without alcohol seems impossible. Many unfortunately choose to end it like Hemingway did, unable to comprehend a way out while believing their lack of control is a sign of weakness.

Remarkably, I found a solution that worked for me. I feel that many experts and biographers complicate things when it comes to analyzing the reasons for the self-destructive lifestyles of troubled alcohol and drug abusing individuals, like Hemingway. I believe egomania underlies the demise of most of these individuals. Outside influences play a large part certainly in shaping the eventual self-destruction, but ultimately it comes down to the responsibility of the individual to realize that their personal defects are at the heart of the real problem.

I don't condemn men and women like Hemingway who are caught in this trap. As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, "First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you."

 

Milton Berle Was Right

Berle was often accused of plagiarism for copying the material of others for use in his own act. This video puts forth the premise that the roots of creativity are always based in copying the ideas of others.


Everything is a Remix Part 3 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

The Impacts Of Fracking Info Graphic

 click on image to enlarge

via: The Daily

Average American Too Misinformed To Understand The Debt Ceiling Argument

"Negotiating With Ideological Terrorists on the Debt Ceiling"

The Republican Impervious to Reason Litmus Test

In 1546 the Roman Catholic Church condemned Copernicus because he believed that the planets circled the sun. In 1633 Galileo was denounced and sanctioned for supporting the theory. It wasn't until 1939 that the church officially admitted the mistake. Today we see a similar problem with the, blame it mostly on religion and American jingoism, Republican party which requires its leaders to pass a difficult litmus test. The requirements are outlined in an editorial in the St Louis Post-Dispatch called "Eight myths to chill an old-school Republican soul".

#SharedSacrifice - It's Time To Stand Up To The Bullshit Attacks On The Middle Class

"The middle class is collapsing". Most Americans agree with Bernie Sanders, whether they like him or not. Congress is incapable of acting because both parties have sold out to the corporate oligarchy. Join the conversation via the twitter hash-tags #SharedSacrifice or #USDOR

The Dollar Redesign Project

The dollar redesign project has some interesting examples of new designs ideas for our paper currency. For some reason I have a feeling conservatives wouldn't like the set of designs that include the FDR $100 bill below or the design for a new one dollar bill.

How To Rape Your Mother (Earth) And Like It - From Your Friendly American Petroleum Institute

In the name of profit and greed the energy companies and their public lobbying voice The American Petroleum Institute continue to promote the lie that mining of Canada's tar sands only consideration should be creating jobs and a freedom from foreign oil. They never talk about reducing oil consumption through conservation or the extensive environmental and health damage these mining methods cause. Nor do they ever mention the enormous consequences tar sand mining has on carbon emissions and climate change.

In reality these methods have caused major environmental damage, are making people sick and adding significantly to the world's carbon emissions that drive climate change. The institute is the mouthpiece and lobbyist for the oil industry.

The ads almost always promote the safety and the abundance of energy sources that are "right underneath your feet". We only have to  exploit these hidden sources to create "thousands" of jobs and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.  If only the politicians, environmentalist, and your mother, the earth, would just get out of the way.

"Gee whiz I didn't know that" the friendly female voice interjects...

Here's an example of the API's sweet and family friendly bullshit....



and here's a report on the widespread destruction related to tar sands mining in Canada:

US Day Of Rage Gathers Steam - Non Violent Organization Ramps Up Protests Against The Corporate Oligarchy

After many months of building an organization US Day of Rage has launched its new website today. The organization, which up until now has been mainly based around social media and twitter, is now moving on to the next phase of non violent protest with a national effort for boots on the ground citizen protests in key cities and state capitols around the country directly aimed at the corrupted and corporate controlled political system .

USDOR believes that most of the evils and inequities citizens experience in the course of their daily lives can be traced directly back to well meaning citizens relinquishing political power to this global network of corporations and a political system that continues to be co-opted by them. USDOR's main aim is presently focused on stopping corruption they believe is caused by the out of control and unregulated influence that corporate contributions have on our political system.

USDOR has setup an extensive social media network on tweeter and facebook to facilitate these planned future people protests.

Here is excerpt from the USDOR manifesto with links for those who may want to get involved:

Corporate influence corrupts our political parties, our elections, and the institutions of government.

Bought by hard and soft dollars, disloyal, incompetent, and wasteful special interests have usurped our nation’s civil and military power, spawning a host of threats to liberty and our national security.

We have had enough.

Legitimate government is born of the self-interest and will of the people expressed by its citizens in free and fair elections. It does not spring from a tyranny of corporate or royal patronage, or a system or ideology that runs counter to the aims of life.

The institutions of government were designed to protect the principles of our democratic republic and to serve the will of citizens.

Corporations, even those owned by foreign shareholders, use money to act as the voices of millions, while individual citizens, the legitimate voters, are silenced and demoralized by the farce.

Free and fair elections inspire good citizenship and public service, because they engage the intelligence and genuine good will of the American people.

They produce the kind of stewardship our nation desperately needs, because they ensure that citizens can influence their destiny, and make genuine contributions to society.

Free and fair elections remedy the myriad ills and abuses of a corrupt and illegitimate government, which preys on the resources and spirits of citizens. These abuses and ills are listed on the official US Day of Rage twitter hash tag #usdor.

For these reasons, we come together now to organize a national and non-violent protest.

We demand that integrity be restored to our elections.

One citizen. One dollar. One vote.

For many citizens understanding and dealing with the scope of the problem of runaway corporate influence on our political institutions and our lives has been a daunting undertaking.

We came across this piece via The Raw Story where Pulitzer-winning author and former New York Times reporter Chris Hedges offers his revolutionary world-view. In the video below, his recent “Endgame Strategy” piece for AdBusters is read aloud by George Atherton.

Boeing Outsourcing - Runaway Shop Tactics Translate Into Poorly Built & Engineered Planes

Boeing's greedy once admired barons of the airline industry continue to commits hari-kari.....

The freaking bottom line is the only thing that matters to these wizards of industry nowadays. Not loyalty to their employees, not patriotism, not loyalty to  the communities that help them become the rich and powerful entities they became. Anybody with a pea brain knows that The Boeing Company ran to South Carolina to avoid having to bargain with the Machinist Union and the other unions here in Washington State that for most of their existence as a company built their planes. It's an unfair labor practice to do that. Or it used to be a unfair labor practice.

Everyone thought that The NLRB has been neutered by a succession of anti-worker federal administrations and political sellouts. But recently it offered up a ruling on the Boeing move to South Carolina that made it look like the old NLRB. The one setup in the 1930's to protect the collective bargaining rights of workers. The ruling said that Boeing moved its plant to avoid the union and by doing so had discriminated against the machinists in Washington State because of their union activities.

The underlying problem, that the company doesn't seem to get, is that the Boeing Company doesn't build planes that are as good as the ones they used to build. Why you may ask, outsourcing work to unproven factories and workers across the globe, many experts believe, caused the delays, engineering quality drop offs and skyrocketing cost of the next generation 787 Dreamliner. Which is now several years behind schedule.

Build it cheap instead of building a quality product was the company's new mantra. Forget the fact that Seattle is the envy of the nation because of its skilled workforce, especially when it comes to building jet planes. Yes, maybe we demanded more money and our dignity, but it was worth ever penny. Boeing's name used to be synonymous with quality built planes, but not so much now. Washington State ate, slept, and breathed The Boeing Company. Generation after generation of Northwest family members worked at the company. It says much about the supposed loyalty this company had for this community.

The gnashing of teeth and whining over the NLRB decision by these pompous corporate dolts and their right wing scab cronies would lead you to think someone killed their first born child. They beleive their good businessmen, but in the end whether the machinist union wins the day or not Boeing will have destroyed the goose who laid their golden egg because of their greed and disloyalty to this community that's played a key role in making them successful in the first place.

A Libertarian Paradise - Free Of Government Regulation

The Real Cost Of Filling Up?

via: grist

The Trickle Down Bull Crap Argument Rules The Day

Chart of the day. Corporate taxes are now lower then during the administration's of Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush. The standard Republican argument is that lower taxes on the rich create jobs, but research shows that exactly the opposite is true. But the lying continues.

Instead of creating jobs what has been created are massive cuts in government services,  programs, jobs, health care and aid to education. The effect of this is to exacerbates the economic stagnation we find ourselves in today. More government spending is needed now, not less. The Democratic Party's strategy should be to articulate this message effectively instead of running from it.

via: Best of the Blogs

36th District Democrats Endorse Yes Vote On Tunnel Referendum #1

At least two-thirds of active PCO and other key Democrats located in the neighborhoods that border both ends of the proposed AWV Hwy 99 Tunnel have now endorsed the project. The 36th District composed of the Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Belltown, Fremont, and Greenwood neighborhoods recommended a yes vote yesterday. The 34th District comprising West Seattle and Vashon Island's neighborhoods endorsed a YES vote on the tunnel referendum last week.

These are the people that have direct experience traveling the Hwy 99 corridor and not eggheads sitting at the Stranger, in the Mayor's or councilperson O'Brien's office kept busy trying to make up sanctimonious and negative shit about building the tunnel. Both the 34th and 36th require a 2/3 majority of those voting for an endorsement.

Most elected officials have long supported the tunnel as the best option to replace the crumbling Alaskan Way Viaduct. Officials estimate that $800 million dollars would be lost if  tunnel construction were stopped now. Opponents have offered little in the way of actual concrete ideas on how to handle the traffic or what it would cost should the tunnel not be completed thereby  putting ALL traffic onto surface streets or the already gridlocked I-5.

Eh- Some Drunks High on Molson's and 220's Trash Vanhoserville Tarnish Lord Stanley's Legacy Forever - Bruins Suck

Ironic thought.... working class can't connect the dots.. The government can send your sons, daughters brothers and sisters off to fight and die in some questionable foreign war. Runaway corporations and banks can steal the people's money and put deadly pollutants into the environment and poison the food supply with impunity. The government can take away your ability to effectively bargain for better working conditions. The rich can exploit the poor without punishment. The political system is so corrupt and unresponsive that it is almost entirely ineffective. Your civil rights have been co-opted in favor of a police state mentality and fear mongering.

Wait a minute that's the US not Canada. Maybe not....

The only thing apparently that really pisses you off enough to take to the streets in Canada is losing a fucking ice hockey championship. The chant "fuck the bruins, fuck the bruins" while you destroying a police car is a rather haunting non sequitur.

These hockey riots reflect the anger of the young with those in power, with authority in general and with the status quo enforcer police. The general perception by the young is that society has failed to create justice and equity or a Stanley cup champion.  The large crowds of disgruntled  hosers fresh from losing the championship game and high on Molson's and 220's  provided an opportunity for them to manifest some Canadian misdirected working class anger, eh?

Lopping Off Some Super Rich Wiener

This is the shit the mainstream media should  be talking about instead of Weiner-gate 24/7. Fucking hacks!

Transportation Not The Only Reason: Building The AWV Tunnel Will Create 30,000 Jobs

Progressives and some economists on the left say that we need a new stimulus plan now to ward off a double dip recession. Though a Republican controlled congress probably won't go for that. Seattle is lucky because if we are smart and bold we won't need the wing nuts in Congress to create a stimulus program of our own. The plan of which I speak will create 30.000 mostly union wage high paying new jobs in the region. All we have to do is stop the egghead reasoning, nit-picking and misleading information campaign by obstructionist who continues to interfere with moving forward.

What could this stimulus program be you may ask?  It's simple, build the deep bore tunnel.

One of the most compelling reasons for building the tunnel in this jobless economy is that it will create lots of jobs. In fact years of union wage construction jobs and other jobs at new and existing businesses that will come with the eventual transportation improvements and revitalization of the entire waterfront.

We have only to overcome one final hurdle. We can do it by voting YES on Proposition #1 August 16th. Your pioneer square waitress will thank you later when the establishment she works at is full of tunnel construction workers having lunch.

Message To Youth: Being A Misfit Is Always A Good Thing

I'm put off by beer commercials where the subtle message is that it's unmanly to be different. This goes beyond beer commercials really, because it's a general trend in America. If your a misfit, the thinking goes, your supposed to be ostracized as a mental case. I know I'm telling you something you already may know. But, I think lots of people need to be reminded of the fact that people who choose to be different are always the ones who create the really meaningful things in life. Young people especially need to hear this message because of the overwhelming peer pressure they experience when they find out they may not be the same as their contemporaries wish them to be.

Style arbiter Glenn O'Brien (great last name) talks about how men's fashion is effected by this peer pressure to conform.

Patty Murray Playing Key Role In Effort To Keep Dems Majority In Senate

Many insiders think it will be a uphill battle. Murray has taken on the challenge as the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Many give Murray credit for raising more money than the Republican counterpart Senate campaign at this stage of the game.

Just Keep Telling Yourself That Climate Change Is Total Bullshit

But, maybe you won't... after you watch this video.

Removal Of South End Of Viaduct 6 Months Ahead Of Schedule

Who needs a fancy tunnel anyway? Motorists and businesses who regularly need to use the Hwy 99 corridor overwhelmingly say we do.

The viaduct was closed Saturday so that state Department of Transportation crews could tear down two columns to make way for the new southbound Highway 99. It reopened late Saturday night. "We're scheduled to take down the south end of the viaduct here six months early,"  says Matt Preedy of the state DOT. But right now workers need room, so they closed northbound lanes from the West Seattle Bridge to Royal Brougham. Southbound lanes were completely shut down Saturday. "Then you don't have many options left, right? - when the viaduct is closed," said one motorist who was caught in the jam. This weekend's gridlock could be a glimpse at traffic in October, when the viaduct will close for nine days so crews can knock down nearly a mile of elevated road. If nothing else, the weekend closure shows just how dependent Seattle is on the viaduct,  and how much strain it causes when the major thoroughfare is not available. (via KOMO story on this weekend's closure of the viaduct)

Happy Birthday Ted Fliss

Ted was a quintessential Queen Anne boy and raconteur friend of mine who pasted away in February. Today would of been his 66th birthday. I found this rare Polaroid the other day that Ted sent me in 1967, when he was in Vietnam. At the time I was in the Army stationed in Germany. There was no letter with the photo, only a short note on the back that said, Ah sucker, Watcha doing?

Georgetown Carnival Happens Saturday Noon To 8pm

Be sure to check out the Freakatorium.

Need A Date With Someone Who Loves Cats?

Attention online daters, here's a creepy ad that was apparently posted on eHarmony as this cat lady's video Bio. Meow!



via: The Daily Dish

Holier Than Thou Slog Story On 34th District Dems Endorsement Of Tunnel Only Reflects Their Overwhelming Bias

The Slog post is tainted by their uppity, we know best, holier than thou anti-tunnel position. Their comments on the 34th 68% recommendation for approval of Prop 1 attempts to give the impression that somehow those of us who live in the 34th are not informed enough about the issue to really know what we are doing or what's best for our district. The story's bias is palpable, based on comments like this one: 

"That's to be expected from West Seattle residents who use the Alaskan Way Viaduct more than residents of other neighborhoods."

  

Da! 

I'm a 34th district PCO and attended the 34th district endorsement meeting and like most of the Democrats there, voted to endorse the pro-tunnel Proposition 1. Maybe the 34th District (West Seattle and Vashon Island) Democrats recommended approval of Prop 1 because we are sick of obstructionists like the Slog and McShwinn and 10 years of delay on a highway we actually NEED to use on a daily basis. 

We actually KNOW how important it is to have the Hwy 99 corridor modernized, and as soon as possible. We also know the pie in the sky no-plan they propose that calls for improved transit, using I-5, bicycling and "other" surface options would be more expensive, cause even more gridlock and will not best serve an overwhelming number of people who live in the 34th, who actually have to drive a vehicle to get their goods, services and themselves to market. 

Surprise - Study Shows Bush Tax Cuts Complete Failure

10 years after the fact, studies from the Tax Policy Center and other economic think tanks show that the Bush tax cuts didn't create enough jobs, a claim that Republicans often used as the original argument for the cuts. It appears that the tax cuts mainly went into the pockets of rich and cut government revenues that help put the country on the road to today's federal deficits.

Australian Climate Scientists Who Support Tax On Carbon Emmisions Recieve Death Threats

Australian climate scientists are receiving death treats these days over their support for a tax on carbon emissions. One scientist was even threaten with death for promoting tree planting. This seemingly innocuously wholesome ad, which features Cate Blanchett and a cute little baby, outlines the supporters position for the tax. But the ad has also apparently been riling up the anti-environmental redneck crowd down under.

Via: Grist Magazine

McShwinn's Bike Crashes

One term mayor? The polls are in and the citizens of Seattle aren't happy with Mike apparently. The question would seem to be is his approval rating crashing because he's bunging up the viaduct replacement or because he not doing a very good job in general as mayor of Seattle. The appointment of his bicycle club buddy brought a load of bad press. Which he didn't really handle well.

Is he alienated people with his elitist approach to politics and getting things done, or not done? He seems to me to be a Mayor who comes across as only interested in some of his constituents,  i.e. people who think everything you read in the Stranger is actually useful and hip along with the people who want to turn Safeco field into a velodrome. Rather than being a mayor for all the citizens of Seattle it appears he has chosen to pander to certain groups in my estimation. I guess we'll know more after the schizophrenic citizens of Seattle vote on the viaduct replacement issue in August.

Advice for Boys - "Keep Your Wiener In Your Pants"

I remember when I was a kid and my brother was going out on one of his first dates. My father told him to "keep your wiener in you pants" as he went out the door.

Which I thought was very funny and bold as a young boy even though I didn't really know entirely what wiener he may have been possibly talking about given my age at the time. It's good manly advise I'm sure now in retrospect for anyone today who thinks that sending compromising photos over the internet is somehow a good idea ever.

Message to an ex-girlfriend: I did the honorable thing and deleted all those wonderful photos you emailed me way back when we were in the infatuation stage.  So you can now run for political office if the opportunity presents itself.

Congressman Anthony Weiner is in hot water for sure. It's looks more like Weiner will be barbecued to me. We are sure of one thing there will now be enough Weiner double entendre headlines to fill a book. The point is I would think after today's revelation he's totally fried.

It's rather heartbreaking for us who thought he was one of us and loved his rants against the Republicans. Poor wife too.

Weiner is on TV now admitting he sent the photos. I know your asking yourself, why would a US Congressman send nude photos of himself to anyone. Who the hell knows. It will be a tragedy losing this progressive voice and more importantly the credibility it so often carried. Not many people on the fence are going to trust much he says from here on out even if his rather candid admission today somehow ends up saving his congressional seat in Congress or his marriage.