SAR #14316

We blame the story teller for the story.

Fairness Doctrine: China and the US have reached a significant agreement to reduce their respective carbon emissions. The US will undertake (“has pledged”) to up its previous pledge of reducing CO2 emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 to a 26% reduction by 2025. China agreed to get 20% of its energy from non-fossil sources by 2030 and to stop its emissions growth by that date. In that a significant part of Chinese emissions go to make salad-spinners for Walmart, this seems fair. Unachievable by either party, but fair. Not nearly enough to stop the oil and coal folks from killing us all, and it's only promises, but you gotta start somewhere. The Republicans started by declaring the whole thing unnecessary and a non-starter.

Perfection: Faced with the greatest scientific challenge ever – global climate change - the Republicans turn our future over to a man who doesn't believe in science, much less global warming – James Inhofe (Denialist, OK) who says American is being played for fools. I agree, but I'm pretty sure he's the one who's playing us.

Bingo: “The secret to raising the minimum wage may be to stop trusting Democrats.” 
 
Non-Compete Clause: Ayn Rand's self-serving, self-centered, amoral version of capitalism, which despises both democracy and the American experiment and panders to the masturbatory dreams of adolescent boys, is likely to destroy Planet Earth and call it victory.

Baby/Bathwater: For those who claim the lack of steam in the atmosphere proves that global warming is a hoax, there's this: The surface of the earth is mostly water. That water, down to 2,000 meters below the surface (over a mile down), has been steadily warming all along. “Global warming” is really “ocean warming”. 
 
Spot Quiz: Name a major US bank that has not paid fines or made restitution for financial crimes. Then name a major US banker who has gone to jail for committing these crimes.

They're Back! Revolving credit (think credit cards) is picking up again, and most of the growth in credit (or debt, depending on which side of the mailbox you're on) is among those with credit scores under 660. The subprimes; remember them? They've gotten over 9 million credit cards and nearly 8 million store credit cards. Merry Christmas.
 
Quoted: "The problem of the last three decades is not the 'vicissitudes of the marketplace,' but rather deliberate actions by the government to redistribute income from the rest of us to the one percent. This pattern of government action shows up in all areas of government policy." Dean Baker 
 
Thought Experiment: How many adherents does it take to make a religion? What claim does a religion, regardless of its size or lack thereof, have on the public square? Why are government offices closed on Sunday?

Noted: “There is a currency war ongoing.  It's objective is the subjugation of whole peoples, including the domestic public.  In a very real sense it is nationless. There is an 'audacious oligarchy' of self-defined rulers who move freely between private industry and government, whose primary objective is preserving and furthering their own power and self-interest.” Jesse

Porn O'Graph: Lobbying one over the net.