Which Korea Has The Biggest Army?

 

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Giant Mouse Milking Contest To Take Place Tonight At City Hall Followed By Search For Light At The End Of A Tunnel

Have you ever milked a mouse? Well that's what the anti-tunnel crowd metaphorically hopes will happen at tonight's "tunnel debate". Just what we need more capitol hill hipster nerds and His Honor the Mayor talking endlessly about all the things that can possibly go wrong when you decide to get out of bed in the morning or fix a city problem.

Oh here's the handy pie chart to help put things into perspective and to outline what your probably going to hear from the anti tunnel crowd. 

Republicans With Voters Help Tell Everyone In State To Go Fuck Themselves

I think the Governor is trying to say: Okay voters you didn't want to institute a state income tax on rich people here in our state. You don't like paying the extra 3 cents for that candy bar or soda pop that helps maintain that fat ass of yours, and you agree with Tim Eyman that the minority party Republicans in the state legislature should have veto power over any tax increase proposed by the majority party Democrats so....

You'll Get Nothing!

I also think we should find if Tim Eyman attends church and then send all the people who are going to fall through the cracks over there so the congregation he belongs to can take care of them...

McGinn Personification Of Seattle All Talk No Action Politics When It ComesTo Tunnel Proposal

It's been more than ten years of political regimes,  planning, debating, elections, proposals, counter proposals, environmental impact studies, confrontations, posturing. begging the feds for money, promises not to obstruct construction if elected and having the Alaskan Way Viaduct continue to crumble, yet Mayor "in over my head" McSchwinn calls for the city council to "slow down" on making a decision to sign off on the deep bore tunnel project. His plan: 

"McGinn says the tunnel is too expensive and not environmentally sound. He prefers tearing down the waterfront viaduct and dispersing traffic the roughly 100,000 vehicles that use it every day on city streets." (he obviously has never lived in West Seattle or south of downtown)

The Mayor latest ploy proves beyond a shadow of a doubt he is truly in the tradition of all other modern day Seattle politicians who would rather talk a proposal to death than take action to do something about it.

How To Fix For The Economy: Reorganize and Empower Labor Into A Political Force To Reject The Capitalist Crapola...

I love it went academics say things like "any sensible person would join an anti-capitalist organiztion, and then add, "you have to". The point of his talk being that, "capitalism is CRAP" and that it is inherently headed for either boom or bust. Meanwhile the middle class suffers from the fallout and the rich speculators get richer off the sweat and labor of the workers. Outdated leftest propaganda, maybe not.

Progressive Drama Queens Willing To Throw Middle Class Under The Bus To Prove Their Point

One of Andrew Sullivan's readers writes.....

"I’m a progressive Democrat and I am bewildered, appalled and exasperated by the reaction of most of my political cohort to the tax deal. My reasons are partly strategic, along the lines of your observations that it’s far better for Obama than what could have been expected and gooses the economy leading up to 2012. But my main concern is that all these Democrats (and Bernie Sanders), who profess to care about the middle class and unemployed (and, in my experience, truly do), are willing to throw those folks under the bus for what amounts to a chance to thumb their noses at the rich. Now, I’m no fan of the rich. A 90% tax bracket for billionaires sounds just fine to me. But I’m middle class. I do not want, and really can’t afford, to have my taxes go up, even marginally.

If I were still unemployed (thank God, I’m not anymore, but that’s another story) and facing a cutoff of aid, I would have been panic-stricken as the month began, elated at the news of the deal, and horrified at the actions of the Congressional Dems to sink it. Do they really think the Reeps will OK some new deal to keep the benefits flowing and the middle-class tax cut, if the House torpedoes the current deal? That’s just insane.

What’s sure as death and taxes is that if this deal is upended, great hardships will be visited on millions of people this holiday season. And, BTW, you can kiss 2012 goodbye. The Reps used the unemployed and middle class as pawns, to pry an upper-class tax cut from Obama. But the Dems are not even affording them that measly status, ignoring them altogether. I am almost completely baffled. I know these people and I know they’re intelligent and caring. I just don’t know what’s gotten into them on this issue."

 And then there's this Washington Post/ABC poll..

Pissed Off About Economic News Photo Of The Day

British University Students protesting increase in tuition last week...

How The Corporate Masters Won Or Where The Hell Are The Y and Z Generation Of Rebelling Youth

It seems to me that most of the so called rebellious types among our young people are not really very politically motivated or at least it could be said they lack a real focus on current events. Has this generation of America's young people dropped the ball when it comes to questioning anything really? Are they more interested in their own personal well being and getting ahead then in the betterment of society as a whole?

Yes, they make general protestations about the malaise of mind that living an unauthentic life in modern society brings, but have any of these young and energetic kids really done anything in mass numbers to protested the 2 wars or the corporate takeover of our government?

Meanwhile in France and Britain young people are at least willing to raise hell and put their ass on the line when their tuition gets tripled or social programs are cut. Hey take those earphones off I'm talking to you and asking you a question?

It maybe time for you to burn baby burn! (figuratively speaking, of course)

Bubba Feels Your Progressive Pain In The Butt About The Tax Cut Compromise Too

Can we have two Presidents at once please? Clinton loves politics you can tell, he oozes politics from his pores and he still got that steel-trap mind. Obama cuts out to go to a Christmas party with the wife and Bubba remains to meander on for a half hour because he's just having the time of his life for sure.

Got 10 Hours To Spare? Here's The Entire Unabridged Bernie Sander's Filibuster Speech

Thanks to: because somewhere on the Internet this deserves to be looping forever...

What The Mayor Should Be Talking About Concerning The Tunnel

Mayor's Weekly Question Period....

What the mayor should talk about in detail is what exactly is his vision for the replacement or demolition of the AWV.

As far as I can determine all that he and his anti-tunnel minions at the Stranger have done is snipe at this or that aspect of the DBT plan. The DBT IS THE COMPROMISE reached by every other stakeholder involved with the project. In the final analysis, if there is no tunnel or some sort of replacement for the AWV 100% of the traffic will become SURFACE TRAFFIC. Therefore, comparing how many cars are using the Ballard bridge now and that will use the tunnel in the future and the cost of present day tunnel construction is a bullshit analogy. One was built in 1917 and one has to be built for what it costs today. Plus the better comparison would be the cost of the AWV not the Ballard bridge. The replacement of the AWV with another elevated highway will cost as much as the tunnel without the benefit of recreating the waterfront or having a highway (the current viaduct) while the replacement is taking place.

The questions are:

1. What the hell is your detailed plan for the AWV replacement Mr. Mike "the obstructionist" Mc Schwinn if the tunnel is not acceptable?

2. Why don't you just say you don't want the tunnel under any circumstances and that every other government entity in the state and city of Seattle who thinks it's a good compromise can go fuck themselves because you and some wonks at the Stranger claim to know what's best for the City.

3. Do you know how many jobs the replacement of the AWV with a tunnel will create? (the answer in case you give a shit is approximately 30.000 union wage jobs)

4. How will people commute through, or to the city while whatever your plan for the AWV turns out to be, is implemented?

5. Do you really ride you bike all over the place or do you just want people to think you do?

6. Were you actually totally against the tunnel under any circumstances and trying to kill it when you said you wouldn't obstruct the tunnel construction before the election?

7. If it was just political theater and total bullshit, did you say that because your internal polling showed you'd lose the election unless you said you wouldn't obstruct the tunnel.

Please feel free enter you answers in the comments...

 

Ask An Irishman About Who's To Fault For The World Financial Crisis

I love this guy. The "Celtic Tiger" is a euphemism for the Irish economy, by the way.



Thanks AK..

Tax Cuts Comes Down To Idealistic Bullshit Versus The Reality Of What Is Best For Working Class

The Golsby......

Congressional Democrats Not Addressing Tax Cuts Before Midterms Lead To Tax Cut Compromise Fiasco

Who sold out whom?

"Once again we are caught up in the moral superiority snobbishness idealism of the elitist left demonstrated by the likes of Olbermann, Maddow, and Huffington, who tend to be more interested in minutia and finite details of the issue and who's to blame than accepting reality and moving forward to finding a solution that best serves the working class."

The question is what is the end game for House Democrats who continue to play chicken with themselves in refusing to bring the Obama tax compromise proposal to the floor for a vote. I think they will attempt to get Republicans to sweeten the package. But I don’t think that if push comes to shove that they will go so far as to reject the package.


Democrats play a dangerous game because if they do not accept the Obama compromise or something close to it and the tax cuts expire for everyone rich and poor on December 31st they will be blamed for the tax increases. The failure to get what they want when it can be argued their bargaining power was the strongest can be found in the fact that congressional leaders and the white house did not to take action to address the tax cuts before the midterm elections.


Now Congressional Democrats are blaming the White House and Obama for his failure to address the issue before the election. Many liberals were surprised that Democrats did not take this issue of tax cuts for the rich up before the election. It seemed like it could of set up the perfect narrative for them to use on the campaign trail against Republicans and demonstrate how Republicans are more than willing to protect the interests of the rich and privileged over that of the middle class. I suspect that Democrats in Congress for reasons that seem somewhat indefensible now saw the pre-midterm tax cut fight as a overall negative and something that would somehow hurt them at the polls. If the Democrats had brought up the tax issue before the election would it of made a difference in the outcome? Well we will never know for sure, but certainly it couldn’t of hurt given the final outcome and the lost of 65 seats in the house in the midterms.


The lame duck Congress voted on continuing the tax cut for the middle class and raising taxes on those making over $1 million. It failed due to a lack of 60 votes to break the filibuster in the Senate. This has lead to the Obama compromise now on the table which gives Republicans what they want in exchange for taxes not going up on the middle class, an unemployment insurance extension and some other simulative taxes. 80% of the taxes proposed in the compromise package benefit the middle class while 20% give tax breaks to the rich. Here’s the chart.

Liberals Going Wild Over Obama Tax Proposal Should Get A Freaking Grip

Jesus, what a pathetic self destructive temper tantrum outcry from the left over the Obama tax cut proposal. Most of this nonsense about letting the tax cuts expire to show some sort of resolve against the Republicans is unrealistic given exactly what it would mean and what may be lost if such a strategy were followed to the end. Check out the reactions from stammering progressives when ask what they would do instead of just bitching about the tax cut proposal captured in the video below from Lawrence O'Donnell's Last Word program yesterday. Realists are calling the tax package a second stimulus since most of the money spent in the proposed package will go to things that benefit the unemployed or the middle class.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be swallowing hard on this. God knows the rich should be paying more taxes. But given the circumstances Obama has at least shown the ability to pull the trigger instead of just posturing some purist position and get something in return while the Democrats still control the lame duck Congress. The alternative is a tax increase for everyone, complete uncertainty and loss of bargaining power after the Republicans retake power in the house and gain even more power in the Senate January 1st.

Frankly I think the President got the best possible package he could given the votes he needs to pass the legislation in the Senate. Liberal drama queens simply don't see that Obama is doing the best he can given the make up of the Congress and mistakenly they may be the ones buying into the anti Obama Republican narrative on the issues of the day. But what makes me mad is that I think bashing Obama is a stupid counterproductive practice, given what this man has done in the first two years of his presidency.

I may get in trouble for saying this but it seems to me that many of the most vocal critics of Obama and the tax compromise are a new class of mostly one issue prone pro DADT bloggers who have their panties all in a knot because Obama hasn't waived a magic wand and got this particular issue, although important, not made into the number one Democratic Party government priority. Their extremely pissed about it and jumping at every chance to throw a personal hissy fit at what they perceive as Obama not living up to his campaign rhetoric. I say to them, I think most Americans don't see DADT as a number one issue facing America right now.

It's the economy stupid!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Councilman Rassmussen Calls Mayor Irresponsible and Obsessed About Tunnel Project

Here's the Seattle Channel program Inside/Out conversation with viaduct administrator Ron Paananen and Seattle City Council transportation chair Tom Rasmussen about the deep bore tunnel. One of the interesting parts of the discussion covers the Mayor's complaining about the increase of surface traffic that the tunnel supposedly will cause. Paananen and Rasmussen point out that McGinn is being irresponsible to obsessively complain about the surface traffic overflow issue because he fails to address the fact that 100% of traffic will be on the surface if the tunnel is not built. It is also interesting that the Mayor really has no alternative plan should the tunnel not get built.  Dear Mayor were will all the traffic go?

Seattle Channel Video can be played in Flash Player 9 and up

War Is What Is Bankrupting America And Stopping Us From Putting People To Work

Talk about tax cuts and stimulating the economy this way and that is all the rage with Americans. Meanwhile we continue to miss the point that the terrorist win by making us spend billions of tax dollars everyday because of our inability to extricate ourselves from our dirty little wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bin Laden is probably sitting in his air conditioned cave now laughing at us.

It's Called A Filibuster Stupid: Slog Story Blames Obama For Coming Apocalypse In Post About Tax Cut Battle

Below is the closing line from a story entitled "It just keeps getting worse" (worse than McCain and Palin in office I guess) by Charles Mudede over at the SLOG about Obama's supposed inability to increase taxes on the rich while continuing Bush's tax cuts for the middle class.

"I honestly believe his whole presidency will be defined here and now. If he backs down on this one, he will lose an entire generation."

Please spare us this bullshit!

Breaking: Two Democratic bills, one calling for continuing the tax cut for folks under 250K and one calling for no tax increase for people under a million failed in the Senate this morning. 

Why is it Progressives don't understand that Obama is hamstrung because there simply are not enough Democratic votes to pass a cloture motion in the Senate as the majority is now constituted, and it will get worse in January. This morning's votes on the tax cuts is a prime example. The cloture vote needed 60 D's to cut off debate and it got 53 votes.

Obama certainly realizes the votes aren't there, but most liberals apparently don't. This morning's votes in the Senate to extend the tax cuts for the middle class, which expire at the end of the month, failed for this reason. This lack of action is taking place in a lame duck congress that supposedly has 60 Democrats who are eligible to vote. The reason the vote took place now is because the tax cuts for everyone expire December 31st and that the D's majority in the Senate will be weakened further when the new Congress is installed in January and the house will go over to Republican control.

Democrats wanted to make a symbolic stand in favor of the middle class on taxes. The Democratic plan, knowing they could not win from the start, was to give Democrats a narrative and cover to blame Republicans for the failure to not continue middle class tax cuts and failure to begin taxing rich people who can afford to pay more taxes in a time when the government can use the money

So Obama has had three choices all along given the present and future head counts.

1. Veto any bill that comes to his desk on tax cuts. Therefore raising taxes on everyone rich and poor. Liberal certainly would not love this choice.

2 Compromise: allowing the tax cuts to continue for everyone in exchange for extending unemployment benefits.

3. Support what every the tax advisory group he's put together recommends, which will probably be a variation of number two.

The progressive leadership crisis is in the legislative branch of government not in the executive branch. Obama is not a king.

Now that liberals have had our "symbolic" votes in the Congress on whether to extend the tax cuts for only people making under 1 million but not those over that amount I wish liberals would shut up about Obama "losing an entire generation." This it poppycock, and also blames him for something he really has no control over.

I suppose we'd all like Obama to go on a nationwide tour for the next two weeks and call Republican "heartless bastards who only care about the rich" because it would make us lefties feel better, but in the end the Republicans are going to have their way because they're heartless bastards and THEY HAVE THE VOTES.

This is not Obama's fault, liberals should see if nothing else he's a realist. The fault lies with  lame ass Blue Dogs Democrats, conservative Democrats and because of weak leadership in the Senate.

Billions For War And Millionaire Bailouts Nothing For Unemployed Workers

Republicans in Congress are heartless bastards. One of the aspects of extending unemployment benefits is that the money received by the unemployed actually stimulates the economy. Economic experts estimate that 800,000 additional jobs will be lost as a direct effect of not extending unemployment benefits.

The benefits not only keep people on the brink from starving or going without entirely, but it also puts money back into the economy immediately because it is spent immediately paying the rent and utilities or at the local grocery store, doctor's office, cafe,  or gas station. The only conclusion has to be that Republicans want the unemployment rate to rise so they can use it as political fodder to attack the administration. This is criminal and evil behavior.

We Need A New Socialist Labor Party But Let's Not Call It That

I've had it up to here with the corporate oligarchy controlled political parties, both Republican and Democratic. Blue Dogs, Centrists, Tea Baggers and the plain old angry white guy wingnuts, the whole lot of them. We need to form a new major political party boys and girls. One that will fight for the working and middle class. What do you think? Take a short survey....