Politics

motherjones: mybygonevexations: motherjones: Sadly, the Sikh...

jjconnor — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:09:38 -0400

mybygonevexations:

motherjones:

Sadly, the Sikh temple shooting brings us up to 58 mass shootings in the last 30 years—most of which happened using legally-obtained guns.

As usual, some people are using a tragedy to further their arguments about gun control.

We get this lot. But we think Adam Serwer nailed it after the Aurora shooting: “National tragedies are political. They’re too important not to be.”

motherjones: ilovecharts: Super misleading chart from Fox...

jjconnor — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 21:12:54 -0400

motherjones:

ilovecharts:

Super misleading chart from Fox News. A 4.6% increase looks astronomical but is miniscule compared to historical levels

-chaddyr23

This is why I love you guys.

Perspective FTW.

robertreich: WHY WE HAVE TO RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH AND END THE...

jjconnor — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:30:20 -0400

robertreich:

WHY WE HAVE TO RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH AND END THE BUSH TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY (AND BILL CLINTON AGREES)

I was on CNBC Tuesday when Bill Clinton gave an interview saying that, given the deadlock between Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, it seemed likely the Bush tax cuts would be extended in 2013 along with all spending. When asked to comment, I said Clinton was probably correct.

But, of course, Republicans have twisted Clinton’s words into a pretzel. They say the former president came out in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy – in sharp contrast to President Obama’s position that they should not be.

It’s typical election-year politics, except for the fact that the Republican megaphone is larger this time around due to all the Super PAC and secret “social welfare” organization bribes, er, donations that are filling Republican coffers.

Here’s the truth. America has a huge budget deficit hanging over our heads. If the rich don’t pay their fair share, the rest of us have to pay higher taxes — or do without vital public services like Medicare, Medicaid, Pell grants, food stamps, child nutrition, federal aid to education, and more.

Republicans say we shouldn’t raise taxes on the rich when the economy is still in the dumps. This is a variation on their old discredited trickle-down economic theories. The fact is, the rich already spend as much as they’re going to spend. Raising their taxes a bit won’t deter them from buying, and therefore won’t hurt the economy.

In reality, Romney and the GOP are pushing an agenda that has nothing whatever to do with reducing the budget deficit. If they were serious about deficit reduction they wouldn’t demand tax cuts for the very wealthy.

We should have learned by now. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 were supposed to be temporary. Even so, they blew a huge hole in the budget deficit.

Millionaires received a tax cut that’s averaged $123,000 a year, while the median-wage worker’s tax cut has amounted to no more than a few hundreds dollars a year.

Bush promised the tax cuts would more than pay for themselves in terms of their alleged positive impact on the economy. The record shows they didn’t. Job growth after the Bush tax cuts was a fraction of the growth under Bill Clinton – even before the economy crashed in late 2008. And the median wage dropped, adjusted for inflation.

Let’s be clear. Romney and the Republicans are pushing a reverse-Robin Hood plan that takes from the middle class and the poor while rewarding the rich.

According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Romney’s tax plan would boost the incomes of people earning more than $1 million a year by an average of $295,874 annually.

Meanwhile, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Romney’s plan would throw ten million low-income people off the benefits rolls for food stamps or cut benefits by thousands of dollars a year, or both. “These cuts would primarily affect very low-income families with children, seniors and people with disabilities,” the Center concludes.

The rich have to pay their fair share. Period.

Take a look at this video, in which I provide the three key reasons. (And pass it on.)

awalt2069: YES!

jjconnor — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 21:45:19 -0400

awalt2069:

YES!

"The drug war is causing crime. It is just chewing up young black men. And it’s killing Newark.” In..."

jjconnor — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:05:41 -0400

“The drug war is causing crime. It is just chewing up young black men. And it’s killing Newark.” In 2001, Booker told CNN, “you have incarceration rates in this country now that are outrageous…you aren’t really solving the problem by just throwing people in jail.”

- Newark Mayor Cory Booker Declares Drug War ‘A Failure,’ Endorses Medical Marijuana | ThinkProgress

He is absolutely correct!
(via tinfoilandtea)

"‎”Paul Ryan points to the existence of poverty as proof that antipoverty programs aren’t working...."

jjconnor — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:03:31 -0400

“‎”Paul Ryan points to the existence of poverty as proof that antipoverty programs aren’t working. It’s like saying clean air and clean water laws aren’t working because there’s still pollution… so we should get rid of them?””

- —This Week in Poverty blogger Greg Kaufmann (via thenationmagazine)

Robert Reich: How Odd that Mitt's Smitten With Clinton

jjconnor — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:00:58 -0400

Robert Reich: How Odd that Mitt's Smitten With Clinton:

robertreich:

Mitt Romney is full of praise for Bill Clinton even as he heaps scorn on Obama.

“Almost a generation ago, Bill Clinton announced that the era of big government was over,” says Romney, “Clinton was signaling to his own party that Democrats should no longer try to govern by proposing a new program…

thenationmagazine: In case it’s still not absolutely clear,...

jjconnor — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:50:44 -0400

thenationmagazine:

In case it’s still not absolutely clear, check out this explainer on why we need a Volcker Rule.

theatlantic:

JP Morgan’s $2 Billion Loss Was Four Times the Alleged Cost of Financial Regulation

"The press still thinks [global warming] is controversial. So they find the 1% of the scientists and..."

jjconnor — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:46:35 -0400

“The press still thinks [global warming] is controversial. So they find the 1% of the scientists and put them up as if they’re 50% of the research results. You in the public would have no idea that this is basically a done deal and that we’re on to other problems, because the journalists are trying to give it a 50/50 story. It’s not a 50/50 story. It’s not. Period.”

- Neil deGrasse Tyson, podcast interview (via dionthesocialist)

reuters: A new Gallup poll shows sentiment on the legality of...

jjconnor — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:05:14 -0400

reuters:

A new Gallup poll shows sentiment on the legality of same-sex marriage is close, with 50% of people surveyed in favor of the law recognizing same-sex marriages as valid, while 48% of those surveyed think it should not be valid.

The poll shows, politically, the most support for same-sex marriage comes from those who identify as Democrats. Most who identify as Republicans came out in opposition to same-sex marriage. [REUTERS]

READ MORE: President Obama voices support for same-sex marriages

motherjones: More US states allow sex with animals than allow...

jjconnor — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:21:31 -0400

motherjones:

More US states allow sex with animals than allow gay marriage.

AL, FL, KY, MA, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH, TX, VT, WV, and WY have no direct prohibitions on the sexual assault of an animal.

CT, DC (not a state), IA, MA, NH, NY, and VT have legalized gay marriage.

Even after saying he personally supports gay marriage, President Obama still believes states should be allowed to vote to outlaw it.

Robert Reich: The Answer Isn't Socialism; It's Capitalism that Better Spreads the Benefits of the Productivity Revolution

jjconnor — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:19:01 -0400

Robert Reich: The Answer Isn't Socialism; It's Capitalism that Better Spreads the Benefits of the Productivity Revolution :

robertreich:

Francois Hollande’s victory doesn’t and shouldn’t mean a movement toward socialism in Europe or elsewhere. Socialism isn’t the answer to the basic problem haunting all rich nations.

The answer is to reform capitalism. The world’s productivity revolution is outpacing the political will of rich…

"I like that about the Republicans; the evidence does not faze them, they are not bothered at all by..."

jjconnor — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:25:53 -0400

“I like that about the Republicans; the evidence does not faze them, they are not bothered at all by the facts”

- Bill Clinton (via think-progress)

think-progress: Clinton’s Labor Secretary schools Romney on how...

jjconnor — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:21:22 -0400

think-progress:

Clinton’s Labor Secretary schools Romney on how economics work.

"All he does is make scary noises about the deficit, with mood music, with organ music in the..."

jjconnor — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:42:22 -0400

“All he does is make scary noises about the deficit, with mood music, with organ music in the background about how ominous it is, and then propose a plan that would in fact increase the deficit.”

- Paul Krugman on Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan. (via think-progress)

abaldwin360: Wages for Americans age 25-34 have decreased 5%...

jjconnor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:36:18 -0400

abaldwin360:

Wages for Americans age 25-34 have decreased 5% since 2001 while tuition rates have increased 8% PER YEAR on average.

Photo

jjconnor — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:43:50 -0400

think-progress: 31 Republican men voted against the Violence...

jjconnor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:53:50 -0400

think-progress:

31 Republican men voted against the Violence Against Women Act in the Senate today. All 5 Republican women voted for it.

Surprise.

Robert Reich: The GOP's Death Wish: Why Republicans Can't Stop Pissing Off Hispanics, Women, and Young People

jjconnor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:52:34 -0400

Robert Reich: The GOP's Death Wish: Why Republicans Can't Stop Pissing Off Hispanics, Women, and Young People:

robertreich:

What are the three demographic groups whose electoral impact is growing fastest? Hispanics, women, and young people. Who are Republicans pissing off the most? Latinos, women, and young people.

It’s almost as if the GOP can’t help itself.

Start with Hispanic voters, whose electoral heft keeps…

Photo

jjconnor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:01:55 -0400