Move Your Money: Bank Locally!

Here is an easy way to both make a political statement and make your household more financially secure.  If you are banking at a large national bank such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, or Citibank, move your assets to a local bank in your area.  Your assets in these smaller banks are still insured by the FDIC and many smaller banks contract for other forms of deposit insurance such as DIF.  Certainly, you will want to do your homework and choose an institution with a good reputation in your area, and which is convenient for you to physically visit when that form of contact is necessary.  These smaller, local banks will offer on-line banking, direct deposit, debit cards, on-line bill paying and all of the other services that you've come to expect from the giant national banks.  What they won't come with is the giant fees, the need for huge government bailouts, or the ponzi schemes that have been par for the course for the past two years.

What is more, moving your money will help your community.  Big national banks are not lending to small businesses right now, at least not in any significant form.  Local banks, which are the lifeblood of local credit economies, continue to do so and the more local money that these institutions can bring under their financial umbrella, the more lending to local persons and businesses they can do.

Make your money safer and send a message to both Wall Street and DC?  Seems like a no-brainer to me!  This idea was first brought to my attention as a movement at The Huffington Post and there is even a how-to video out now.  So, for what are you waiting?

30 December 2009

Humor from the Zeroes

The Huffington Post has put up the -- supposedly -- 25 funniest skits from the 2000s.  Here were my favorites.

Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) on SNL

I'm F**king Matt Damon by Sarah Silverman (adult material)

More Cowbell on SNL

Dick in a Box on SNL (adult material)

And if you liked, Dick in a Box, you might also like:

Mother Lover on SNL (adult material)

Not on The Huffington Post list is one of my favorites:

A Day in the Life of Natalie Portman on SNL (adult material)

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention an entire web series, The Guild, that targets the culture of the massive multi-player on-line (MMO) gaming community.  If you are a gamer, it is a treasure.  My favorite sketch of The Guild is actually a music video and not part of the series itself.  Geeky fun.

Enjoy!

22 December 2009

Cat on Vacuum vs. Dog in Sweater

Nice looking cat.  Bad-ass, too!

21 December 2009

Progressives Against Obama... Danger!

It should come as no surprise to readers of this blog that I'm somewhat disenchanted with President Obama.  I have no doubt that he is intelligent and that he is thoughtful.  I certainly don't doubt that he is patriotic.  However, many believe that he suffers from being too pragmatic.  The famed White House reporter Helen Thomas said yesterday on NPR that she believes that he lacks courage.  Perhaps this is a reflection of being too pragmatic?  However much we progressives may grumble -- and however much this grumbling may be warranted -- we should remember something: the election of 2000 and the alternatives to Obama.  America is far from perfect.  Obama is far from perfect.  Be this as it may, it could be much more bleak.  On this front, I think a reader post by JG on TPM today is worth reposting here in full.

I've been getting really depressed lately about politics. I was at first depressed because the public option was dying, but now I'm much more depressed because of the anti-Obama frenzy I've been seeing coming from progressives.

I don't know if these progressives are not old enough or simply have chosen to forget the year 2000, but there was a sizable disenchantment on the left with the Democratic mainstream then as well. And it manifested itself as both lack of enthusiasm for Gore and a movement for Nader. The lesson is clear -- if you're not willing to settle for a moderate and fight for a Gore, then you will get eight years of a Bush. I hate to think who that Bush could be in the next cycle.

But, but, but, Obama is so disappointing! Sure. I get it. And we should let him know it. But withdrawing support from Obama? When he has to deal with birthers, and tea partiers, and beckites, and the assorted nuts du jour? It's bound to backfire. There is absolutely no upside to vitriol against Obama, and there is so much downside. Think of how much better off this country would be if we had a centrist, semi-corporate-friendly Democratic president from 2000 to 2008. Not ideal by a long shot, sure. But we lost so much in those years. Another Republican future scares me.

The myth of the equivalency of the parties, that it will be easier to make things better if we let them get worse -- these are the most dangerous ideas to us at this point. It's the biggest threat to my hope, at least.

As always, I encourage you to hit the source site in full: TPM.

17 December 2009

On Small Businesses & the Good Citizen

My parents forwarded a writing to me recently that had been forwarded to them from another relative. Such is the viral nature of the Internet, no? Per their instructions, I read it and, now of my own accord, I will place it here. Thereafter, I will write a few comments of my own.

"There are no rewards for personal excellence in a socialist society...only entitlements for personal mediocrity."

The Employee Meeting:

I would like to start by thanking you for attending this meeting, though it's not like you had much of a choice. After all, attendance was mandatory. I'm also glad many of you accepted my invitation to your family members to be here as well. I have a few remarks to make to all of you, and then we'll retire to the ballroom for a great lunch and some employee awards.

I felt that this meeting was important enough to close all 12 of our tire and automotive shops today so that you could be here. To reassure you, everybody is being paid for the day --- except me. Since our stores are closed we're making no money. That economic loss is mine to sustain. Carrington Automotive has 157 full time employees and around 30 additional part-timers All of you are here. I thank you for that.

When you walked into this auditorium you were handed a rather thick 78-page document Many of you have already taken a peek. You were probably surprised to see that it's my personal tax return for 2008. Those of you who are adept at reading these tax returns will see that last year my taxable income was $534,000.00. Now I'm sure this seems rather high to many of you. So ... let's talk about this tax return.

Carrington Automotive Enterprises is what we call a Sub-S - a Subchapter S corporation. The name comes from a particular part of our tax code. Sub-S status means that the income from all 12 of our stores is reported on my personal tax return. Businesses that report their income on the owner's personal tax return are referred to as "small businesses." So, you see now that this $534,000 is really the total taxable income - the total combined profit from all 12 of our stores. That works out to an average of a bit over $44,000 per store.

Why did I feel it important for you to see my actual 2008 tax return? Well, there's a lot of rhetoric being thrown around today about taxes, small businesses and rich people. To the people in charge in Washington right now I'm a wealthy American making over a half-million dollars a year. Most Americans would agree: I'm just another rich guy; after all ... I had over a half-million in income last year, right? In this room we know that the reality is that I'm a small business owner who runs 12 retail establishments and employs 187 people. Now here's something that shouldn't surprise you, but it will: Just under 100 percent ... Make that 99.7 percent of all employers in this country are small businesses, just like ours.

Every one of these businesses reports their income on a personal income tax return. You need to understand that small businesses like our s are responsible for about 80 percent of all private sector jobs in this country, and about 70 percent of all jobs that have been created over the past year. You also need to know that when you hear some politician talking about rich people who earn over $200,000 or $500,000 a year, they're talking about the people who create the jobs.

The people who are now running the show in Washington have been talking for months about raising taxes on wealthy Americans I already know that in two years my federal income taxes are going to go up by about 4.5 percent. That happens when Obama and the Democrats allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. When my taxes climb by 4.5 percent the Democrats will be on television saying that this really isn't a tax increase They'll explain that the Bush tax cuts have expired .. Nothing more. Here at Carrington we'll know that almost 5% has been taken right off of our bottom line. And that means it will be coming off your bottom line.

Numbers are boring, I know ... But let's talk a bit more about that $534,000. That's the money that was left last year from company revenues after I paid all of the salaries and expenses of running this business. Now I could have kept every penny of that for myself, but that would have left us with nothing to grow our business, to attract new customers and to hire new employees. You're aware that we've been talking about opening new stores in Virginia Beach and Newport News . To do that I will have to buy or lease property, construct a building and purchase inventory. I also have to hire additional people to work in those stores. These people wouldn't immediately be earning their pay. So, where do you think the money for all of this comes from? Right out of our profits .. Right out of that $534,000. I need to advertise to bring Customers in, especially in these tough times. Where do you think that money comes from? Oh sure, I can count it as an expense when I file my next income tax return . But for right now that comes from either current revenues or last year's profits. Revenues right now aren't all that hot ... so do the math. A good effective advertising campaign might cost us more than $300,000.

Is this all starting to come together for you now?

Right now the Democrats are pushing a nationalized health care plan that, depending on who's doing the talking, will add anywhere from another two percent to an additional 4.6 percent to my taxes. If I add a few more stores, which I would like to do, and if the economy improves, my taxable income ... our business income ... could go over one million dollars! If that happens the Democrats have yet another tax waiting, another five percent plus! I've really lost track of all of the new government programs the Democrats and President Obama are proposing that they claim they will be able to finance with new taxes on what they call "wealthy Americans.."

And while we're talking about health care, let me explain something else to you. I understand that possibly your biggest complaint with our company is that we don't provide you with health insurance. That is because as your employer I believe that it is my responsibility to provide you with a safe workplace and a fair wage and to do all that I can to preserve and grow this company that provides us all with income. I no more have a responsibility to provide you with health insurance than I do with life, auto or homeowner's insurance. As you know, I have periodically invited agents for health insurance companies here to provide you with information on private health insurance plans.

The Democrats are proposing to levy yet another tax against Carrington in the amount of 8 percent of my payroll as a penalty for not providing you with health insurance. You should know that if they do this I will be reducing every person's salary or hourly wage by that same 8 percent. This will not be done to put any more money in my pocket. It will be done to make sure that I don't suffer financially from the Democrat's efforts to place our healthcare under the control of the federal government. It is your health, not mine. It is your healthcare, not mine. These are your expenses, not mine. If you think I'm wrong about all this, I would sure love to hear your reasoning

Try to understand what I'm telling you here. Those people that Obama and the Democrats call "wealthy Americans" are, in very large part, America 's small business owners. I'm one of them. You have the evidence, and surely you don't think that the owner of a bunch of tire stores is anything special. That $534,000 figure on my income tax return puts me squarely in Democrat crosshairs when it comes to tax increases. Let's be clear about this ... crystal clear. Any federal tax increase on me is going to cost you money, not me. Any new taxes on Carrington Automotive will be new taxes that you, or the people I don't hire to staff the new stores I won't be building, will be paying. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You've heard about things rolling downhill, right? Fine .. then you need to know that taxes, like that other stuff, roll downhill. Now you and I may understand that you are not among those that the Democrats call "wealthy Americans," but when this "tax the rich" thing comes down you are going to be standing at the bottom of the mud slide, if you get my drift. That's life in the big city, my friends ... where elections have consequences.

You know our economy is very weak right now. I've pledged to get us through this without layoffs or cuts in your wages and benefits. It's too bad the politicians can't get us through this without attacking our profits. To insure our survival I have to take a substantial portion of that $534,000 and set it aside for unexpected expenses and a worsening economy. Trouble is, the government is eyeing that money too ... and they have the guns. If they want it, they can take it.

I don't want to make this too long. There's a great lunch waiting for us all. But you need to understand what's happening here. I've worked hard for 23 years to create this business. There were many years where I couldn't take a penny in income because every dollar was being dedicated to expanding the business. There were tough times when it took every dollar of revenues to replenish our inventory and cover your paychecks. During those times I earned nothing. If you want to see those tax returns, just let me know.

OK ... I know I'm repeating myself here. I don't hire stupid people, and you are probably getting it now. So let me just ramble for a few more minutes. Most Americans don't realize that when the Democrats talk about raising taxes on people making more than $250 thousand a year, they're talking about raising taxes on small businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department says that six out of every ten individuals in this country with incomes of more than $280,000 are actually small business owners. About one-half of the income in this country that would be subject to these increased taxes is from small businesses like ours. Depending on how many of these wonderful new taxes the Democrats manage to pass, this company could see its tax burden increase by as much as $60,000. Perhaps more.

I know a lot of you voted for President Obama. A lot of you voted for Democrats across the board. Whether you voted out of support for some specific policies, or because you liked his slogans, you need to learn one very valuable lesson from this election. Elections have consequences. You might have thought it would be cool to have a president who looks like you; or a president who is young, has a buff body, and speaks eloquently when there's a teleprompter in the neighborhood. Maybe you liked his promises to tax the rich Maybe you believed his promise not to raise taxes on people earning less than a certain amount. Maybe you actually bought into his promise to cut taxes on millions of Americans who actually don't pay income taxes in the first place. Whatever the reason .. your vote had consequences; and here they are.

Bottom line? I'm not taking this hit alone. As soon as the Democrats manage to get their tax increases on the books, I'm going to take steps to make sure that my family isn't affected. When you own the business, that is what you're allowed to do. I built this business over a period of 23 years, and I'm not going to see my family suffer because we have a president and a congress who think that wealth is distributed rather than earned. Any additional taxes, of whatever description, that President Obama and the Democrats inflict on this business will come straight out of any funds I have set aside for expansion or pay and benefit increases. Any plans I might have had to hire additional employees for new stores will be put aside. Any plans for raises for the people I now have working for me will be shelved. Year-end bonuses might well be eliminated. That may sound rough, but that's the reality.

You're going to continue to hear a lot of anti-wealth rhetoric out there from the media and from the left. You can chose to believe what you wish .. .but when it comes to Carrington Automotive you will know the truth. The books are open to any of you at any time. I have nothing to hide. I would hope that other small business owners out there would hold meetings like this one, but I know it won't happen that often. One of the lessons to be learned here is that taxes ... all taxes ... and all regulatory costs that are placed on businesses anywhere in this country, will eventually be passed right on down to individuals; individuals such as yourself. This hasn't been about admonishing anyone and it hasn't been about issuing threats. This is part! of the education you should have received in the government schools, but didn't. Class is now dismissed.

I won't get into a policy dispute with this person. That would simply be too lengthy and comprehensive an undertaking for the hours of my day. However, beyond being more than a bit of a tool in terms of his tone, I believe that this person's greatest sin is that of being too much of an American. You see, we Americans assume that our way is the only way and that anything done differently elsewhere is by that very definition inferior. He's only telling you how he sees it from his vantage point within the context of his tiny little view of the world.

What I'd like to speak about here is the fact that there are other economic paradigms in which this conversation could have taken place. Had that happened, the conversation -- well the one-way conversation -- would have been very different. This is due to a difference not only in values, but in perceptions.

Our business owner made it perfectly clear that he values two things: his nuclear family and what he sees as his money. I say this not purely as an indictment. I value both a great deal myself. Hell, I could shoot just about anyone over either and sleep contentedly thereafter. (Well, probably not shoot exactly; I'm a horrible shot.) Having said that, however, he values his employees not at all. Under his definition of capitalism, those who he employees are no different than the machines in his buildings or the tires that he sells. They are simply there to turn a profit. He will provide a "fair wage" only in the context of a minimum wage. After all, what is fair is what the market will bear, nothing more and nothing less. Moreover, he will provide "a safe workplace" for his employees again only because the government tells him that he must... or because the cost of not doing so is greater than the economic cost of doing so. Thus, omitting the government for a moment, our business owner would tut-tut and grind his workforce into hamburger if it netted him more money at the end of the day than would protecting their health. Even the meeting that he is holding with them is for his benefit, not theirs. And if you think that I am wrong, I suggest that you reread his writing again.

What isn't said here is that there are alternatives to the economic paradigm under which this man -- under which America -- is operating. These other economic rubrics seem to be working elsewhere... working differently perhaps, but I would argue just as well at the very least. If I am correct, or even if they are working at all, would it not be wise to study them? To see what might be incorporated in our own economic and/or political models to improve our lot as a nation?

Whether John Q. Tire knows this or not, there are no purely Socialist nations any more than America is purely capitalist one. In the "socialist" nation states at which he would very likely sneer, small businesses also provide most of the jobs and and thus also number the greatest list of employers. They do this in a system where health insurance is very likely not an issue for employers because it is handled by the government. Should, however, this not be the case, I cannot imagine that these same employers would not take it as a matter of course that they not only have an obligation, but a duty to their employees to provide this care. This is a perception not of employer/employee, but one of human rights and human responsibilities. These businesses turn a profit, provide employment, and do so within the context of a different social contract. Let's look at some few of the things that such social contracts seem to provide these nations in relation to the US:

• Workers in these often-called socialist nations work fewer hours and vacation more.
• Their citizens spend more time together as a family and parents spend more time directly parenting their children.
• These nations have a lower infant mortality rate, hospital mortality rate, and a greater life expectancy. Moreover, their life expectancy is not going down.
• Citizens consistently rate both their quality of life and their own personal happiness as being greater.
• These citizens have greater, more direct ties to their elected officials and they have more direct means to influence the actions of these officials. In other words, their societies are more democratic.

Unlike Mr. Tire, I don't think that I have all of the answers, nor will I play the demagogue. I think that this discussion is a valuable one to have. The point, however, is to have it within the context of a full range of facts... or rather the best, honest attempt at doing so that any of us can muster.

I would argue that this same tire business could, and very likely does, exist in any of the so-called socialist nations of the world. It will provide rewards as great to both its owner and its employees, although I will grant you that those rewards may differ from those seen or even recognized in the United States. My homework for Mr. Tire is for him to grapple with the concept that the rewards, both macro and micro, from this possible tire business may be even greater than that of his own.

It is a question of how societies set priorities, of how citizens value each other, and of what citizens value in their own lives on a day-to-day basis. Wrapped up in these questions is the macro-level issue of the ability -- and will -- of citizens to influence both their political leaders and their forms of government to fit their wishes.

Perhaps we have the America that we want. If you think so, I wouldn't worry too much. Movement in America is glacial. If not: learn, consider, act.

15 December 2009

Junk Science & Science Skepticism

Josh Marshall wrote an interesting op-ed piece at TPM on the topic of folks who choose to disbelieve the science of global warming simply because it goes against their political beliefs -- and I would add, their economic well-being. There was also a good reader reply to this same piece that is also worth a look.

11 December 2009

Economic Reform: USA Loses

On a day when any banking reform protecting consumers was defanged -- at the hands of Democrats acting the role of Republicans -- I offer this Rolling Stone article by Matt Taibbi titled Obama's Big Sellout. With the public option dead now, too, in the battle over health care reform, it was a banner day for... well, almost for no one.

10 December 2009

Facebook Snafus

I'm not on Facebook. I don't ever plan to be on Facebook. I can't imagine that anyone cares about what I had for breakfast and I have no interest in reconnecting with ghosts from my Christmases past. That said, it seems that it can provide me with comedic relief.

9 December 2009

Cats: "The Fly Guy"

One of my fellow cat-loving friends sent me the link to a short web movie called The Fly Guy on the site Simonscat.com. It captures cat behavior this this scenario perfectly. In fact, my wife and I had one of our cats pretty much follow this routine this past weekend in our bedroom, although thankfully with less destruction. :-)

The site features other short films as well.

Enjoy.

8 December 2009

Mike Capuano for Senate

The Democratic primary to choose a candidate to run for Ted Kennedy's former Senate seat will be held next Tuesday. I am backing Congressman Mike Capuano in the race. There are a couple of candidates that would probably be acceptable by today's standards -- and yes, that is a very low bar -- but I feel that it is Capuano who would best serve both Massachusetts and the country as a whole.

Capuano for Senate. Vote Tuesday and yes, voting does matter.

3 December 2009

104,100

One thing that I forgot to mention in my post regarding President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan is the fact that there are 104,100 civilian workers under contract to the Department of Defense in that country. Just as in Iraq, much of America's power is being projected by proxy, attempting to do via civilian contractors what we are unable to do via military means.

2 December 2009

Prohibition Bowling Alley

From Nick Carr at The Huffington Post:

I received a very unexpected email last week:

We recently purchased a building in Queens, and while clearing out the basement we discovered a two lane manual bowling alley in very good condition. We did some research and this basement was most probably a club during the Prohibition era. Would you or someone you know be interested [in the space]?

A hidden Prohibition-era bowling alley? Yes, definitely interested. I took a trip to see it today - Just incredible

I just love stuff like this! Very cool. The photos at the link are most interesting.

2 December 2009

Obama & Afghanistan

Last night, the president outlined a plan to send 30,000 additional military troops to Afghanistan. As you can imagine, reaction is varied. Many Democrats may actually be against the decision, while many Republicans may support it. However, in this day of Republican cat-callers never being able to say anything good about Obama, the Conservative press is not in line with some of the Republican political establishment and the establishment itself cannot 100% support the president on anything for fear of their base. As David Kurtz of TPM notes:

The Republican talking point this evening in reaction to the speech is that if Obama is really, truly, unconditionally committed (no fingers crossed behind his back) to the Afghanistan effort, he wouldn't set an "artificial" deadline for withdrawing troops.

This was, of course, a Republican mantra throughout Bush's second term in resisting Democratic efforts to end the Iraq War. But what they don't seem to remember is that even Bush himself came around by mid-2008 to setting a timeline for withdrawal.

Glenn Beck, as rancid a human being as ever existed in the US, presented his resounding raspberry to the president. Stephen Colbert pokes that balloon here very nicely. God bless Colbert.

A large body of responses can be found on The Huffington Post.

What do I think? I honestly don't know, which is quite different from where I was in the time leading up to the war in Iraq. That war I was against from the get-go. Here the situation is different, in large part because we have a backdrop of eight years of fighting already under our belt. Should we have been focused on Afghanistan entirely since the days after 9-11? Of course, but if wishes were horses, even pigs would fly. The problem with any line of attack in the region is very much like our issues in Iraq. Namely, to have any hope of winning a military victory, we must achieve a political and moral victory as well. Our goals and our methods must be fully embraced by the Afghan people. We must work with an Afghan government that is fully embraced by its people and seen as its guardian, not as a pawn or as the mafia. And because the problems in Afghanistan are intimately tied with Pakistan, these similar objectives must be achieved simultaneously with both the people and the government of that nation as well.

Finally, all this must be achieved against a backdrop of domestic political and moral ambiguity. I see no way for Americans to unite around this war effort. Even if another foreign attack were to hit us now domestically, we would not see the come-together spirit that President Bush squandered after 9-11. Rather, it would further serve to splinter America's political "leadership" and its people. Thus, the political objectives that must be achieved for victory are built upon a foundation of shifting sand, a foundation that exists in America, in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan.

Is Obama's choice of military option correct? Maybe. Can it work? Only if 1,000 stars line up just right. And the real problem is that any other choice needs those same 1,000 stars to line up to work, too.

I hope that the president is correct. Moreover, I hope that he is right. And God help us all.

2 December 2009

Addition: I'm going to add a link to an op-ed by Thomas Friedman since it is not linked via The Huffington Post above.

Addition: Thoughts of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. His thoughts on Americans preaching about corruption are interesting.

The Great Deficit Scare

Economist Paul Krugman has outlined (1) why those screaming about the size of the American deficit are wrong regarding the issue, (2) what the deficit means for the American economy going forward, and (3) provides an historical context for the numbers being thrown around willy-nilly. It is a most interesting read, like everything Krugman writes. You can see it here on The Huffington Post.

1 December 2009

Comcast & NBC

Comcast, the largest cable provider in the US, is in final negotiations to purchase the NBC network and its related media properties, which include movie production and other TV networks. This is bad for several reasons, among the most important is the concept of Internet neutrality. You can read all about the deal and why it is important on The Huffington Post. Sadly, for those of you who follow media-related matters, you will know that this purchase is likely to get the green light from both the Obama Administration as well as those with oversight review. Still, I urge you to make your voice heard in opposition to the purchase of NBC by Comcast. You can do so here through FreePress.net. Click on the red "take action" banner on that page to go to a secure area. FreePress is an outstanding organization.

1 December 2009

The 29 Best Chalkboard Gags In "Simpsons" History

The title pretty much says it all. From The Huffington Post.

29 November 2009

Al Gore Goes Crazy!

Former Vice President Al Gore appeared on SNL and told how, to fight global warming, he was going to "out crazy the crazies." Funny stuff.

23 November 2009

What Happened to the Public Option?

Robert Reich writes about the ever-dwindling public option portion of health care reform over at TPM. Politics in this country just makes you want to punch a puppy!

23 November 2009

Understanding Sarah Palin

Frank Rich has a great op-ed out in The Times about Sarah Palin, her place in America right now, and how things may play out for her in the years to come. Worth a read.

22 November 2009

Bill Moyers' Retirement

As noted on The Huffington Post:

Bill Moyers is leaving weekly television.

The New York Times' Elizabeth Jensen reports that the PBS newscaster is retiring from his Friday night program, "Bill Moyers Journal," on April 30, 2010.

"Bill Moyers Journal" launched in April 2007.

Jensen reports that it was Moyers' intention to retire at Christmas this year, but PBS asked him to stay on through April to help raise funds.

"I am 75 years old," Moyers told Jensen. "I feel it's time."

I totally understand Moyers' decision. That said, it is a sad day for journalism, a sad day for PBS, and sad day for those of us who have enjoyed not just the Journal, but the great many wonderful programs and projects with which he's been connected over the years. If you have not seen Bill Moyers Journal, do yourself a favor and tune in. Record it or catch it on the Interet if your social life takes hold on Friday night, but catch it while you can.

21 November 2009

Fox Cooking the Books, Part 2

On November 11th, I noted how Fox "News" had been caught splicing film footage from multiple events -- without disclosure -- in an effort to lie to the public. They are at it again. Do they not understand that folks are watching?

From Rachel Slajda of TPM:

Yesterday afternoon, Fox News used footage from 2008 McCain-Palin rallies when talking about the "crowds" coming out to see Sarah Palin on her book tour, which started yesterday.

Today, they issued an on-air apology for the mistake.

"We mistakenly aired what's called file tape of Sarah Palin. We didn't mean to mislead anybody in that tease. It was a mistake, and for that we apologize," said a host of Happening Now.

As Josh Marshall of TPM noted:

We just had that new daily segment on Fox News where they apologize for getting caught using phony video to inflate GOP crowd sizes the previous day.

Fun new segment.

LOL. Of course, I would laugh harder if it were actually a mistake.

19 November 2009

"Going Rogue" Goes Rogue

Late Night did a funny bit regarding Sarah Palin's book Going Rogue in which the book, well, goes rogue. Highlights include the book shooting Rachel Maddow and sleeping with the novel New Moon.

18 November 2009

Subaru Safety

As many of you know, I have become quite a fan of Subaru vehicles and the reasons for this keep mounting. The insurance industry has released their annual list of the safest cars. Subaru had more models than any other individual maker and was the only maker with all of its vehicles on the list. The ability to love after a crash... it's what makes a Subaru a Subaru.

18 November 2009

A New Meaning for Headstone!

From The Huffington Post:

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri vetoed legislation last week that would give same-sex couples the rights to claim the bodies of and make funeral arrangements for their deceased partners. He said such legislation was a "disturbing trend" signifying the erosion of traditional marriage.

Stephen Colbert took both Carcieri and the Catholic Church to task last night, the latter for threatening to close its homeless shelters in DC if gay marriage becomes legal there. "I mean, they have no choice. After all, as Jesus said, 'If you wish to be perfect, go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, unless a couple of dudes register at Pottery Barn, in which case, f**k the poor,'" Colbert quipped.

He went on to "applaud" Carcieri for his stand against giving gay couples the right to post obits for and bury their partners saying, "This is an assault on marriage from beyond the grave. They're like gay zombies."

See the link to play the show clip.

17 November 2009

Financial Meltdown: 10 Years to the Day

The financial meltdown in which we find ourselves began ten years ago today... exactly. The Glass-Steagall act was repealed a decade ago and anyone with half a brain knew that it would ultimately lead to the sorts of financial problems the country has faced. I remember speaking out against it at the time and it is one of the reasons that I count Bill Clinton's presidency as a complete failure. Your country and its "leadership" sold you down the river for 30 pieces of silver.

You can read about this sad anniversary in The Huffington Post.

12 November 2009

Fox Cooking the Books

As noted on TPM, with video:

On the Daily Show last night, Jon Stewart pointed out that, in a segment about Rep. Michele Bachmann's tea party rally at the Capitol last week, Fox News' Sean Hannity used footage from the much bigger 9/12 rally, apparently to pump up the attendance numbers.

You can also read about this on The Huffington Post.

11 November 2009

Colorado Springs

I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a beautiful area now populated by and large with those who have dead souls.

I do still know some folks in the city who are good people, which warms my heart. Still, most of the news coming out of there isn't pretty.

Sad.

11 November 2009

The State of the GOP... & America?

Paul Krugman has a great op-ed out titled Paranoia Strikes Deep regarding the current state of the Republican party, how it differs from seemingly similar moments in earlier times, and how it could mire the nation in an ungovernable mess for decades to come.

9 November 2009

The Circle of Life

Without a kill, I suppose that it is a rim shot, not "one in a million."

9 November 2009

Wall Street: Just Plain Wrong

Arianna Huffington has a great op-ed out today titled Why It's Wrong When Wrongdoers Are Allowed to Admit No Wrongdoing. It deals with a specific incident on Wall Street, but is illustrative of how our system of "justice" deals with white collar crime on a large scale. It begins:

"The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."

So wrote Milan Kundera in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. It is one of my favorite quotes and it popped into my head as I was reading about last week's settlement between JPMorgan and the SEC in which the banking giant agreed to pay a $25 million penalty and cancel $647 million in fees owed by Alabama's Jefferson County as the result of a complicated derivatives deal that blew up in the county's face.

As part of the settlement, JPMorgan neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing -- despite ample evidence that it had engaged in plenty of wrongdoing. Things like paying off local officials with millions to win no-bid contracts worth billions and convincing county officials to switch from fixed-rate bonds to bonds hedged with risky derivatives -- a switch that has driven Jefferson County to the brink of bankruptcy. "We have been victimized by our creditors," said a county official.

JPMorgan released a statement that it was "pleased to have reached a settlement with the SEC," and acted as if it was practically a disinterested party: "The charges relate principally to municipal transactions that occurred six and seven years ago. JPMorgan has since discontinued that business, and the employees in question are no longer employed by the firm."

So no wrongdoing admitted, and time to move on to the next lucrative money-printing scheme. How tidy. This is what passes for justice on Wall Street these days. If you commit a petty crime and hammer out a plea bargain, you'll have to admit wrongdoing as part of the agreement. But put on a suit and commit a billion dollar crime and you won't even have to admit you did anything wrong. It'll be as if it never happened. Which, of course, makes it much more likely that it will happen again.

You can read the entire piece at the link above.

9 November 2009

Addition: Further illustration of the point.

The Timidity of Governing

Arianna Huffington has a new writing today regarding David Plouffe's new book The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory. She indicates that the book is a good, insightful one. However, it also serves as something of a counterpoint to how President Obama is leading versus how candidate Obama campaigned. That book, she says, might be called The Timidity of Governing. No doubt.

We need a lion, not a lamb.

3 November 2009

Obama Undermines Investor Protection

From Shahien Nasiripour at The Huffington Post:

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been telling Democratic members of the House Financial Services Committee that he supports amending the Investor Protection Act of 2009 -- a bill designed to beef up protection for investors -- in order to exempt small businesses from a requirement in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that mandates audits of internal controls. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in 2002 in the wake of accounting scandals at Enron and Worldcom that rocked investors and damaged confidence in the markets.

"This has enormous significance to individual investors," former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt told the Huffington Post. "This is something the Republicans could never have accomplished, and what a bitter irony it is that the Democrats...are emasculating the best piece of legislation of the past 20 years."

You can find the balance of the story at the link above.

Obama continues to fail us.

2 November 2009

Too Big to Fail

Robert Reich has a great writing on The Huffington Post regarding what should be done to the mega-banks that are still a major threat to the United States... and why the necessary steps won't be taken.

31 October 2009

Defense of Marriage!

Now here is a defense of marriage! As noted by Gazelle Emami on The Huffington Post:

Philip Spooner is a lifetime Republican, World War II veteran and, to everyone's surprise, a gay marriage supporter. The 86-year-old gave a heartfelt speech in support of gay marriage to Maine's Judiciary Committee back in April, and the video has just now become an internet hit.

Spooner's voice wavers often as he weaves his own life story into the speech, using his experience as a soldier as his main defense for gay marriage. He lists his accomplishments in the war, among them serving in Patton's Third Army and carrying POWs back home, making it clear that he's a true American -- and according to Spooner, there's nothing more American than fighting for equality.

Check out the video via the link above. And thank you Mr. Spooner.

22 October 2009

Jesus Had 2 Dads

A friend who was at last week's march in Washington sent the following to me:

From the National March for Equality, October 11, Washington, DC a sign about Jesus that requires a little thinking, grace and a sense of humor. I give thanks to God to be part of the Pro-LGBT Movement in our Church and society with people and signs like this one. Enjoy and feel free to share this with others.

Note: Photo link lost. Was here. Here is a link to a similar sign.

LOL. I like it.

19 October 2009

Edit: New link on 22 October 2009.

GOP: An App for That

A friend sent this YouTube link along taking Congressional GOP members to task with an Apple advertising spoof. Classic.

19 October 2009

Fox News!... not Noise?

What is that old saw about a stopped clock being correct twice a day? Shepard Smith proves this after a fashion with a recent interview on Fox News about health care reform with Senator John Barrasso (R-WY).

6 October 2009

"Health Care Wednesday"

Keith Oldbermann will be focusing on health care reform on Countdown Wednesday, turning the entire show into one of his "special comments." As noted on The Huffington Post:

Keith Olbermann will deliver an hour-long "Special Comment" on health care Wednesday night, MSNBC announced Tuesday.

Wednesday's "Countdown" will be devoted entirely to "Health Care Reform: The Fight Against Death." According to a network release, it will focus on "the need for and meaning of health care reform in the United States" and Olbermann will "propose group action by patients, and how patients can reclaim the debate over health care reform."

Olbermann has, thus far, delivered two "Special Comments" related to health care reform: one, on August 3, slamming members of congress for being in the pocket of the health care lobby; and another on August 10, calling Sarah Palin's "death panel" claims "dangerously irresponsible."

5 October 2009

Dance, Baby, dance!

Okay, watching this baby dance is a hoot. He (he?) obviously takes so much joy in it. And I love that his dad is enjoying it with him.

I am told that this is the Beyonce video for which she won the Video of the Year at the recent VMA awards and in support of which Kanye West ran wild. Seriously, this passes for Video of the Year now? West is an idiot for many reasons, but thinking that was one of the best music videos of all time is an insult... to most of the 1980s. Basically, it is Mickey with better special effects and a higher level of hand-eye coordination. Sheesh.

The fellow who linked the baby video for me also linked this take on Single Ladies. There is joy on display here, too, but of an entirely different variety. This kid can dance, but mercy that is one wacky outfit!

1 October 2009

Addition: BTW, the kid's hand motion 38 seconds in truly makes it for me!

GLBT History Month

October is GLBT history month. Check out the official website here.

1 October 2009

Senate Vote: Public Option

From Robert Reich at TPM:

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a critical day in the saga of the public option. Democrats Charles Schumer (New York) and Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia) are introducing an amendment to include the public option in the bill to be reported out by the Senate Finance Committee -- the committee anointed by the White House as its favored vehicle for getting health care reform.

Before you read another word, call and email the Senate offices of Democrats Max Baucus (Montana), Tom Carper (Delaware), Robert Menendez (New Jersey), Kent Conrad (North Dakota), Jeff Bingaman (New Mexico), John Kerry (MA), Blanche Lincoln (Arkansas), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Maria Cantwell (Washington), and Bill Nelson (Florida) -- telling them you want them to vote in favor of the public option amendment. And get everyone you know in these states to do the same. Hell, you might as well phone and email Republican Olympia Snowe (Maine) and make the same pitch.

You can find the full text of Reiche's piece here. You can find contact info for your senator here. And it will take the vote of your Democratic senators. Republicans will not be on board. Unfortunately, too many Democrats are bought and paid for, too.

Background: Every dollar squeezed out of Big Pharma and Big Insurance is a dollar less that you'll have to pay either in healthcare costs or in taxes to cover healthcare costs. The two most direct ways to squeeze future profits are allowing Medicare to use its huge bargaining leverage to negotiate lower drug prices, and creating a public insurance option to compete with private insurers and also use its bargaining clout to get lower prices and thereby push private insurers to offer lower rates.
...
Last Thursday, for example, the Senate Finance Committee rejected Ben Nelson's amendment to require Big Pharma to give some $160 billion in discounts to Medicare -- thereby reducing the bonanza Pharma would reap from the healthcare bill. Not surprisingly, all Republicans voted against the amendment. But it was defeated only because Dems Baucus, Carper, and Menendez voted with the Republicans.

29 September 2009

Addition: Votes were held on two public option amendments today. In both cases, the public option failed to pass.

The first amendment, the more "liberal" of the two, but also ironically the more fiscally conservative, was put forward by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D- WV). The vote against it was 15-8. Democrats who failed America today by voting against this amendment, joining all of the Republicans on the committee in so doing, were Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Tom Carper (D-Del.).

The second amendment, put forward by New York's Charles Schumer, failed to pass 13-10. Again, all Republicans sold out their constituents. Joining them were Democrats Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.). Lincoln voted by proxy, not even bothering to show up for the vote.

There will be no public option in the Senate Finance Committee's "health care" bill.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/29/first-public-option-amend_n_303228.html

Protect Insurance Companies PSA

This is funny.

23 September 2009

Free Food for Rescued Animals

An organization called TheAnimalRescueSite.com, a partner of PetFinder.com, has an on-line charity promotion to provide food to animal shelters around the country for rescued animals. Simply by clicking a button at TheAnimalRescueSite.com, a donation will be made by the advertisers on that page to the organization that will be used to supply the food. No other action is required other than clicking the button and no personal information need be provided. This can be done once per day from any computer to provide continual, needed donations -- so bookmark the site and return daily! It is a worthy cause, brought to my attention by my sister who raises assistance dogs, and I hope that you will take part. Thank you.

22 September 2009

The Marshmallow Test

You'll see.

18 September 2009

Public Option: Insider's Take

As noted on The Huffington Post -- quoted in part here -- with transcripts and video of the exchanges:

Speaking before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Tuesday, former health insurance industry executive-turned-whistleblower Wendell Potter warned that if Congress "fails to create a public insurance option to compete with private insurers, the bill it sends to the president might as well be called the Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act."

Potter also struck back against one of the key arguments made against the public option: that it would have an unfair competitive advantage over private insurers.

'Contrary to the misinformation being disseminated by the health insurance industry and its allies, the public insurance option would not have a competitive advantage over private plans," Potter told the committee. "It would have to meet the same benefit requirements and comply with the same insurance market reforms as private plans. "

Potter, who was previously a vice president of communication at Cigna, also sharply criticized Democratic Senator Max Baucus' health care reform bill in a conversation with reporters Monday, calling the plan an "absolute gift to the industry."

16 September 2009

Trivial Personal Trivia

Twenty years ago today, I had my left ear pierced.

15 September 2009

Dowd on Political Racism

Conservative New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd tackled the topic of racism against President Obama, from both Congress and state officials, in her column on Saturday. Josh Marshall of TPM blogged about the column thusly:

Kudos to Maureen Dowd for going there. 'There' being some public recognition of what should be inescapable by now: that a lot of the more electric and intemperate reactions to President Obama come from people who cannot or will not accept that a black man is the President of the United States.

I think Dowd was right to see it behind Wednesday night's outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson (R) of South Carolina, a man previously best known as one of the last hold-outs for keeping the confederate flag flying over the Capitol in South Carolina. And you didn't have to wait for the night of the speech though. The day before the speech, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) of Georgia said Obama needed to show some "humility" when he showed up on Capitol Hill Wednesday night. I've heard presidents criticized, pilloried, even villified for lots of things. But I don't think I've ever heard one warned to show some humility.

It's no accident that both comments came from white men from the Deep South in their early to mid-60s. I won't say because I don't think this is all the GOP, just as I don't think that all the opposition to Obama is rooted in atavism and paranoia. But it is a big chunk of it. And it's the 'chunk' that's got the voice at the moment and increasingly seems to be calling the shots.

Dowd has it exactly right. Sadly.

14 September 2009

Darwin Movie: &*%$!!!

From The Huffington Post:

Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning producer of Creation, said he was astonished that such attitudes exist 150 years after On The Origin of Species was published.

"That's what we're up against. In 2009. It's amazing," he said.

"The film has no distributor in America. It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the US, and it's because of what the film is about. People have been saying this is the best film they've seen all year, yet nobody in the US has picked it up.

Read the whole story: Telegraph

14 September 2009

Maher's Directions for Obama

Bill Maher makes some very good points, as introduced here on The Huffington Post.

On "Real Time" Friday night, host Bill Maher closed his show with some sharp words for the Obama administration with regards to how they have responded to criticism from figures such as Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin.

Maher called the White House "cowards" for allowing Van Jones to resign following a series of right-wing attacks and for capitulating to those who complained about the nature of Obama's back-to-school speech.

"The Democrats just never learn. Americans don't really care which side of an issue you're on as long as you don't act like pussies," Maher said.

Maher then criticized Obama for trying to win over those who vehemently disagree with him, insisting that the president should instead "stand up for the 70 percent of Americans who aren't crazy."

"When are we going to actually show up in all this," Maher said.

As usual, Maher is funny and has great points to make.

12 September 2009

Wall Street: No Change

From the New York Times, an article on how little Wall Street has changed since the melt down began last year. Reform? Don't believe the hype.

12 September 2009

Obama's Health Care Speech

Here is video of the president's speech last night to Congress on health care reform. Its text can be found here. Reaction to the speech varied. Dan Froomkin wrote for The Huffington Post. A good follow-up to that piece is Paul Krugman's Why the Public Option Matters.

10 September 2009

Addition: Robert Reich on why a so-called trigger for a public option won't work.

Al Franken's US Map

This is really, really cool. From HuffingtonPost.com:

Senator Al Franken drew a surprisingly accurate map of all fifty U.S. states at the Minnesota State Fair recently.

The senator from Minnesota demonstrated his talent during a recording for Minnesota Public Radio. The video is set to music, so it's impossible to hear any "oohs" or "ahhs" from the audience.

This isn't the first time Sen. Franken drew the map for an audience. Franken showed off his cool party trick and auctioned it off during a 2007 Democratic fundraiser in Minnesota.

The current drawing can be found at the first Huffington Post link above.

9 September 2009

Neffinger on Health Care Reform

John Neffinger has a very interesting take on the tactics of health care reform over at The Huffington Post. It is well worth the read.

7 September 2009

Reich to Obama on Health Care Reform

Robert Reich called on President Obama to put up or shut up next week at his speech before Congress.

3 September 2009

Addition: Also see the letter sent by the Congressional Progressive Caucus to the president today.

Huffington on America Today

If you read only one thing this week, make it this latest writing by Arianna Huffington at The Huffington Post. Titled Has Obama's Handling of the Bank Bailout Undermined Health Care Reform?, it begins thusly:

Given the media's ADD, I imagine the discussion on health care will quickly revert to where it was before Ted Kennedy's death -- filled with chatter about the Gang of Six's latest pronouncements, and whether there are or aren't death panels in the House bill.

But before we move on to the minutiae and the moronic, let's do some big picture stocktaking, using the valuable perspective last week's look back at Kennedy's career and speeches provided.

This weekend, Sam Tanenhaus, the senior editor at the New York Times Book Review, wrote that Kennedy's passing brought to an end a vision of liberalism that "holds that the forces of government should be marshaled to improve conditions for the greatest possible number of Americans, with particular emphasis on the excluded and disadvantaged."

But shouldn't the vision of marshaling forces to improve conditions for the greatest possible number of Americans be the appropriate goal for any civilized society? We can argue about what precisely should be the proper balance between government, the private sector, and philanthropy. But is there any doubt that this goal is what our political discourse should revolve around?

After all, the vision of improving conditions for the greatest possible number of Americans is not the exclusive province of liberalism. And because it is the ultimate goal of society, it is about right versus wrong, rather than right versus left.

That is pretty decent political philosophy, however hard it may actually be to apply it to America today. After noting how things should be, Huffington details how things are. And how things are -- well -- that's not too pretty a picture.

Take the bank bailouts. The dust is finally beginning to settle on that front, and what we are seeing doesn't bode well for the ongoing health care fight.

Two days after Senator Kennedy's death, and thus not given much attention, there was a shocking piece in the Washington Post about how America's "too-big-to-fail" banks have gotten even bigger since the meltdown. Four banks (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citi) now issue 50 percent of America's mortgages and control two-thirds of the nation's credit cards. According to FDIC chair Sheila Blair, this kind of consolidation of power "fed the crisis, and it has gotten worse because of the crisis."

And the consolidation isn't over. As WaPo's David Cho points out, these mega-banks now get even more favorable treatment from creditors because the creditors know the banks will be bailed out by taxpayers if they take on too much risk. This favorable treatment includes lower borrowing costs than other banks are able to get. This, in turn, will put even more of these smaller banks out of business, furthering the concentration of wealth and power. And Democrats are ceding the populist field of trust busting to Republicans.

Though the big four banks have all recently announced multi-billion profits (with a bottom line handsomely padded by all of us), three dozen smaller banks have gone under in the last two months.

As Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Economy.com puts it: "the oligopoly has tightened." Which is what oligopolies tend to do when left untended.

The rich get richer. The middle class gets screwed. The poor are barely a blip on anyone's radar. Why indeed would anyone trust government? Not the idea of government. As jaded as I am, I love the idea of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I'm simply painfully aware that our government is run by men... men who ultimately care only for themselves. Certainly, they care not for the health of their countrymen.

Rob Johnson, economist at the Economic Policy Institute, and former Chief Economist of the Senate Banking Committee, blogging on HuffPost, nailed it:

By refusing to stand up to the oligarchs and set proper boundaries in defense of society, they fed the cynics and dissipated the magic that Obama had created for real change. The administration seemed closer to Jamie (Dimon) and Goldman Sachs than to us. The lesson: if you fail to defend society once, people lose faith. The loss of faith carries a high price, and we're paying that price now in the arena of health care reform.

And yet the administration is shocked -- shocked that Americans aren't rallying behind its vague health care plan. They can try to blame it on Fox News or town hall crazies, but I hope they know that much of the health care anger is a proxy for bailout anger.

Americans feel it in their gut that the White House is treating the big business health care establishment the same way it handled the big business Wall Street establishment. The president seems to believe that what's good for Goldman Sachs and PhRMA is, ipso facto, good for the country. We keep hearing from the administration how its health care plan is good for "choice and competition." But we see how well "choice and competition" have fared in the financial sector.

1 September 2009