Today's edition of quick hits:
* Progress begets progress: "The Obama administration announced on Thursday that it would ease the ban on investments in Myanmar, rewarding the country's political and economic opening over the last year."
* I suspect that'll be a lively hearing: "JPMorgan Chairman Jamie Dimon will testify before the Senate Banking Committee on his bank's multibillion-dollar trading loss."
* Last night, the House passed its watered-down version of the Violence Against Women Act, 222 to 205, mostly along party lines. The bill, which conflicts with the stronger, bipartisan Senate version, now heads to a conference committee.
* Adam Serwer reports on an Obama-appointed federal judge that has blocked part of last year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
* When Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) talks about restricting voting rights, I listen.
* It'd be nice if criminals would leave Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer alone.
* Republicans and some in the media made a fuss about the Senate rejecting President Obama's budget, but it wasn't President Obama's budget.
* The TED conference is committing to spreading ideas, but if those ideas relate to tax fairness and addressing economic inequalities,TED's commitment suddenly wanes.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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Simple solution: Have your exact budget submitted instead of just the "topline numbers" as an senior administration official said this was. Submit your budget and let the Senate and House vote.
This is such an easy fix. What do you think the Administration will do about it? Do you think they will have their budget submitted? My guess - nope.
Do you think it will matter to the House? My guess - nope. Why? Because it's related to Obama.
It's not will it matter to the House, but will it matter to the Democrats. As it stands the case is being made that not a single Democrat voted FOR President Obama's budget...again. The President is trying to make the case that it wasn't really his budget, just a proposal that uses his "topline numbers" without any details.
The fix would be then, have your budget with details submitted for a vote. Simple. Would it still not get a single vote? I don't know, he hasn't submitted it for a vote, so he says.
Just a heads up...
I would like to share with you a number of changes to student financial aid for the 2012–2013 academic year due to Bush's signing of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007.
· Federal Pell Grant Eligibility
Students are limited to 12 full-time semesters of Federal Pell Grant eligibility during their **lifetime**.
· Subsidized Loans
**Graduate students are no longer ...eligible to receive Federal Direct Subsidized Loans on federal aid packages** provided on or after July 1, 2012. Students may still receive unsubsidized loans.
· Elimination of Interest Subsidy for Federal Direct Loans
Direct subsidized loans **will not be eligible for an interest subsidy during the six-month grace period**.
· Undergraduate Loan Interest Rates
Interest rates for subsidized federal loans for undergraduate students **will increase to 6.8%**.
· Elimination of Repayment Incentives
The Department of Education **no longer offers repayment incentives, such as reduced interest rates, to Federal Direct Loan borrowers**.
Consumers are the job creators. What a concept. Buying things spur the economy. Whoda thunk it?
John Lewis... my hero.
What's this I hear about Steny Hoyer and Democrats bringing up a bill to assist voting, rather than try to prevent an extremely rare voter fraud?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57436606-503544/democrats-push-back-against-voter-id-laws/
I guess we all have to keep fighting hard, like John Lewis et.al. did.
p.s. Maybe we can ask Donna Summer relatives to use her video "she works hard for the money" to rally women voters and say "she got us", Joe Biden and Barack Obama "get us".
You are making those "God fearing" good Christians on the right look like lying thieving whores and all you are doing is exposing them for what they are.
It was great to see him fight back against that bill or amendment. These guys that are trying to push these bills through are young and restless I guess. They have no idea what some of our American Citizens went through fighting for justice. They need a long, hard, strong lesson about History. John Lewis was one of these strong individuals now we need more to come forward and show these young spoiled brats who were brought up with silver spoons in their mouths, which then turn them into silver-tongued devils, how important and hard the Americans have struggled in this Country in order to bring about Justice For All. They have pledged allegiance now it is the GOP's turn to do the same. They are so lost.
You have to have an ID that is state approved to cash your pay check, rent a place to live, buy a house, get a job, drive a car, get electricity, open a bank account, buy booze and smokes, go to the movies, and on and on .
But when you go to vote now it is a big eefffing problem to show your ID......
Florida has voter ID law, and it is not keepig anyone from voting.
Just ask Debbie Whaz-her-name-shlitz.
None of those are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Point is you need a photo ID to live, this is nothing more than a red hairing the leftwingnuts like to make noise about.
I mean you liberals can not be happy with the economy and the over 12 million people out of work, the over 40 million on food stamps, 3 years of over 8% unemlpoyment.
Or is that all good in your book?
Stupidida, you are uninformed. Millions of Americans don't have/use photo IDs because they have had no need for one. The elderly and disabled often don't drive. Remember that there is life outside of urban areas, where one would rarely need to respond to a "Papers please" order. My most recent photo ID is from 1998, and I've used it only once. To make the ID demand even more complicated, some places (like WI) saw a shuffling around of DMV offices that makes it very hard to obtain an ID if one doesn't have a car. This effectively blocks many, many people -- largely, the poor, elderly and disabled -- from voting.
Beyond that, let me note that the term is "red herring," not "hairing." Take time to learn what Obama inherited from the Bush presidency per Bush's extreme spending, the Bush tax cuts, and Bush's major increase in job exporting. There is no magic that can fix an economy deeply damaged by significant upward wealth redistribution coupled with massive military spending. It's going to take years, if it can be done at all. Remember, Bush said that he wasn't concerned about deficits, and neither was the Republican Party. Within days of becoming president, however, Obama began getting attacked by Republicans for not making the Bush economic disaster all better!
What a line of BS...
I live in a state with voter ID laws, and the number of people registered to vote has increased. and the state is Florida.
don't feed the trolls!!!!
At the last MLK parade, there were voter register booths all over the place, people walking asking if you would like to register to vote.
When you vote in Florida you show you voter registration card and your ID. Now, all states have voter registration cards you have to show it in order to vote.
What is the problem with showing your ID as well???
Jared Bernstein: Thank you for having the gumption (5.17.12) to point out that Clinton's welfare "reform" has been a disaster (as well as, too often, a tragedy). What happened was that Clinton offered up the poor as a sacrifice in an effort to deflect Republican attacks. Because it was a Dem who did this, the otherwise-progressive media (and certainly, the mainstream media) has ignored the consequences of Clinton's decision. Indeed, the indifference just leaves one numb. These issues are actually quite complex (per the impact of workfare labor on suppressing overall wages, impact on the lives of most former recipients, etc.). Some 15 yrs after Clinton ended the entitlement to poverty relief, there has still been no public discussion about modern US poverty, the poor, or the realities of the former welfare programs. Thank you for raising this issue. I hope others will have the courage to research this issue and bring this information to the public.
Thank you, John Lewis! Seriously, his statement on equal rights for gay as well as straight Americans was powerful, eloquent, and an example of the best this country has to offer.
The TED head caved and released the video. Let the viewers decide was the phrase, IIRC.
Here's the embed code:
*Although I was a launch Newsvine user, I've never tried to embed video in one of its comments so I'm crossing my fingers to see if it works.
Damn it, I even managed to up myself accidentally. [shame]
The link to the (temporarily) censored TED talk:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/bBx2Y5HhplI
The media did not explain the budget votes at all very well. Republicans jumped all over it, and I still believe that the media made a point of not making the point what the budget votes really were at the time: Pure nonsense, and it's no wonder Democrats didn't vote for it.
I still hear folks yarping about the unanimous down votes, but folks were totally clueless as to the facts surrounding those votes.
The media needs to report the news, as it is, not entice people with headlines of no substance and commentary that's biased. There should be no hint of opinion, no embellishment, and no dragging it in the dirt to milk ratings.
Of all things, any informational outlet that speaks directly to the people (aside from obvious political commentary) needs to be unbiased and factual.
Unfortunately, we'll never get that, and we will remain sadly misinformed.
Ala MSNBC.....
Be a real shame if Schlutz, Maddow, O' whats his name, Mathews, would have on some people from the other side.
The ed show is all a bunch of liberal hacks and preachers.
Maddow talks to her viewers like they are all a bunch of 3 year old kids.
O' whats his name, is so full of him self, his show should be called, "I Love Larry"
Mathews is half in the bag most the time, and is like watching an old drunk man trying to explan what happened when he was a sober kid.
Then there are the Saturday morning shows on MSNBC, UP with Hayes, dude thinks he is smarter than everyone on the planet. MHP she is a hot red, but is a maddow/hayes clone.