To abolish slavery, abolish masters.
Revised Standard Version: May saw only 54,000 jobs added to the US economy (while another 39,000 were deducted from the March and April reports). Unemployment rose to 9.1%, but U-6 declined to 15.8% as discouraged job seekers left the labor pool. It would take 250,000 additional jobs every month for the next 66 months to get back to 2007 levels of unemployment. Today the average unemployed person is idle for 39.7 weeks and 1 out of 3 has been unemployed for over a year. Elsewhere, Greek workers have blockaded the Finance Ministry to protest the latest austerity measures.
Quoted: “He who warned, uh, the ... British that they weren’t going to be taking away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells and making sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be secure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.” Sara Palin on Paul Revere's role in history.
Today In Rioting: Bahrainian police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters. After clashes in Yemen the government claims the president is still alive, which is more than can be said of many protesters. In Syria, security forces continue to kill protesters while the world looks on, 'concerned'.
Is Our Children Learning? Perhaps. A student yearbook in Arkansas lists George W. Bush and his VP as two of the 'worst people of all time'.
One For One: The House GOP is going to cut over $900 million from federal nutrition programs, removing about 500,000 women, children and seniors from the programs. That is about the amount of money the Bush tax cuts give the rich – every week.
Dry Spell: Over half of Texas is officially suffering from an “exceptional” drought. In Oklahoma it's 30%.
The Formula:The government continues to lend money to the banks at near zero interest rates and borrows it back at over 3%. In all, the Fed has given more than $3 trillion to financial institutions this way. Bonuses all 'round!
Getting There: Mitt Romney’s pledge to keep federal spending under 20% percent of GDP is a promise to make deep cuts on both Medicare and Social Security and call it progress.
Asked & Answered: Will we continue to repeat the economic mistakes of the past? Yes. For 2 years the GOP has insisted that the deficit is the problem, not unemployment. They're going to say it again tomorrow, demanding immediate spending cuts (and thus increased unemployment) as the price of raising the debt limit and avoiding a U.S. default. Then they'll run against Obama blaming the unemployment figures on him.
Pets R Us: There are 38 million households in the US with children and 43 million with dogs.
Commons Ground: Why are there not far more severe taxes on pollution and polluters? It would raise needed funds while encouraging more responsible behavior on the part of corporations. Oh, wait, the corporations would vote no and carry the day 1 to 0.
Houses Without Mirrors: When you see those fat people in tight clothes waddling down the mall do you sometimes wonder whether they have mirrors at home?' Ditto, Republicans who blame Obama and the Democrats for the wonders that Bush and the GOP achieved. There's plenty of blame to go around.
Only In America:Police and firemen in Alameda, California stood on shore and watched a man drown because they did not have proper certification to attempt a water rescue, leaving them open to possible lawsuits if they attempted to save him and failed. City officials said budget cuts did not permit them to pay for the required certifications. Wonder how they're set for liability insurance.
Porn O'Graph: Picture/Words.
6 comments:
There's certainly enough blame to go around. The Bush tax cuts were a stupid, unnecessary move. But, at the risk of you censoring points you don't like, the tax cuts weren't limited to the rich, and I think they all should be repealed. I would also point out that the Democrats demagogued them yet never (to my knowledge) took any action to repeal them.
I was taught that actions speak louder than words.
Re Anonnymous 2:16. CKM, do you censor "points you don't like"? It'd be news to me. Lots of blame to go around, it's just that the current crop of Republicans are particularly odious. A large percentage of the Democrats are wholly owned subsidiaries of the same folks that own the Republicans, they're just less enthusiastic about being scum-bags (usually).
Hmmm. Fair question, Kwark. As many Anonymous commentators shriek, I do have a famous lefty, liberal, socialist etc. bias - in general I prefer people to profits and suspect that kicking the poor and elderly to the curb will come back to haunt us. And I do enjoy poking The Fun at the GOPers. I even mostly agree with Paul Krugman.
That said, I'm not sure what "censoring points I don't like" would mean. Am I less enthusiastic about making fun of the Dems or the lefties etc? Yeah.
But I don't think I shave points to make points. And Anony 2:16 is right - the tax cuts were not limited to the rich, just wildly skewed in their favor. So draw a line somewhere around $45,000 and repeal all the Bush tax cuts above there. Then change the tax code so that all income - earned and unearned, wages, interest, dividends, capital gains, bribes and kickbacks - is taxed the same.
But the point was that the tax cuts that go to the rich in a single week would pay for the full year of cuts the GOPers want to make in our food aid to the poor and elderly. The Greater Point is that we are - or were - a better society than that and have lost our way.
ckm
CKM, it's your blog and I not only respect your right to make any points you want, I love your blog even though I disagree with many of your political and economic positions, because I usually learn something. But I was disappointed that you deleted my comments earlier this week.
Anony 1.13 - I assume the unsigned comments that got deleted were yours - why not sign your note, even with a pretend name, so we can feel some sense of a person? The comments were deleted because I found them shrill and uninformative assertions of a point of view and not contributions to a discussion, mame calling, in fact.
I rarely (maybe once a month) delete a comment - and never if it is discussive and not dismissive or derisive. What we seemed to have is a sincere difference of opinion as to the nature and content of the comment. The decision of the judge is not reviewable.
But have at it, sir or madame, with data based and relatively polite commentary.
ckm
And a good one, Drewbert. First Reader is an abnormally happy person and he thought it was funny, too.
ckm
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