The US spends most of its education dollars on the least educable.
Indirection: Maybe what the Government really wants to do is to keep US citizens from traveling to Europe and seeing how their citizens take to the streets to express their displeasure at the rich and powerful.
Tempest/Teapot: There's been a lot of press about GMAC, JP Morgan and others engaging in less than savory foreclosure filings. But let us not get over excited – the fact is the homeowner took out a loan, the homeowner did not keep up the payments, and in the end the homeowner isn't going to own the home. He may get to live in it a year and a half while the comedy unfolds, but sooner or later he's out.
Because It's Secret: The Supreme Court has ruled that NSA does not have to admit that it intercepted electronic communications by lawyers representing Guantanamo inmates. If they admitted they had it would damage US prestige. If they admitted they hadn't, same thing.
Liar's Poker: Iraq now claims to have the forth-largest oil reserves in the world. Claims being the operative word.
Math: The Republican Pledge to slash spending by $100 billion would have to take about 20% of the federal funding away from aid to local police, education, cancer research and other 'social' programs. The trouble with grandiose ideas is in translating them into reality.
The Difference: Purveyors of luxury items are having a good season – stuff people don't need is selling well. Meanwhile, those who hawk their goods to the middle class are suffering. Draw your own conclusions.
Future Watch: In Obion County, Tennessee, the fire department still rolls on all fires. But when it gets there it checks to see if the property is up to day on its payments to the department. If not,they'll take cash – no checks – or watch it burn. That's one version of America. Mine is the other one.
Another One: Ron Johnson, GOP candidate for Senator from WI, says global warming is an unsubstantiated theory that shouldn't be used to formulate policies, especially those that would hurt American businesses. He also testified against the Child Victims Bill (which was defeated) that would have given more rights to abused children. He opposed the bill because it would have cost the state more money.
Long Haul: Across the nation 40 states have slashed budgets to close a $84 billion cumulative shortfall. Fire stations have been closed, teachers cut, social services eliminated, libraries cut and dog pounds closed. Next year states will face $72 billion in budget shortfalls and in 2013 the gap will be yet another $64 billion – all to be met by cuts and more cuts until nothing’s left. What's the point of the state if it cannot provide essential public services?
Summation: Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi has a long piece on the GOP's Tea Party affiliate which concludes that Tea Partiers are a bunch of pissed-off but irrelevant older white folks who are scared silly of the modern world. Irrelevant, because the Tea Party has been taken over by the BP/Goldmanite powers that already have both major political parties and all the rest of us by the balls anyway. It doesn't matter who wins on Election Day, enjoy the show.
6 comments:
Future Watch & Long Haul: >> How do you propose to pay for all of this? Monopoly money? Shove the bills on our children and their children? Completely debase our currency to the point no sane person/country will accept it?
Future Watch didn't link to the article for me, perhaps this is it http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/04/county-firefighters-subscription/
Mr. Elliot: while it is true that the energy collapse will force a cutback on public services, at this point in time the major factor causing their decline is the greedy elite sucking up a disproportionate amount of our collective wealth. They have no interest in fairness or a rational approach to service reduction. They will be bleeding us every bit of the way down while denying that it is getting worse.
I am part of the shrinking middle class, but I have no desire to turn this into a class warfare type debate. Truth is we're spending money like drunken sailors and can no longer afford to do so. We're mired in expensive wars and policing the world. Our politicians are constantly finding new ways to spend our money and buy our votes. Worse yet they soon won't even worry about currying our favor or buying our votes. We don't have the money to compete with the banksters (who we've spent trillions bailing out) and the rest of corporate America. The spending machine is growing out of control and we'll be the ones footing the bill. One way or another.
For those who haven't guessed, SAR is on vacation this week - it's being mailed in and First Reader isn't able to clean up the errors, so just relax. One more and then there's silence until the operation gets scheduled and I come back to my usual haunt.
ckm.
We also spend most of our health dollars on the least healthy ... and i'm soaking up way more than my share.
"What's the point of the state if it cannot provide essential public services?" --- Precisely. Just as the evil emperor G Norquist has foreseen.
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