Sheldon Adelson appears to be reaching for his checkbook again.
The CBO defends the 2009 stimulus.
A look at the tax returns of the 400 wealthiest American families.
One Wisconsin recall race is still not decided.
It looks like Big Tobacco really did prevail in California.
Another federal judge finds DOMA unconstitutional.
The Boy Scouts of America will review their ban on gay scout leaders.
Rep. Darrell Issa apparently has a mole in the Department of Justice.
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I just updated my definition of "creepy".
You should hold off on that update until we hear whether or not Walker Kleefish gave the Koch brothers celebratory tongue-baths.
To claim that the ARRA (Stimulus) failed or claim that it created ZERO JOBS, contradicts the findings of the CBO. Is the CBO infallable? No. But if someone disputes their reports, please explain why they think it is wrong. Otherwise just pompous partisan hot air - and indicates ignorance or lack of intellectual honesty.
The CBO is required to issue a report every quarter - "Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output"
Go to www.cbo.gov and search for "ARRA" and you will get a link to a whole bunch of reports including these reports.
If you follow the link to a specific report, you get to a page that has a link to the document itself (pdf) and also the Blog Post (Director's Blog - Douglas Elmendorf).
The Blog Posts are short summaries. The reports themselves are "fascinating" - ummm ... go into way more details that just make me cross-eyed :P
From blog post May 25, 2010
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"Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the economic stimulus package, certain recipients of funds appropriated in ARRA (most grant and loan recipients, contractors, and subcontractors) are required to report the number of jobs they created or retained with ARRA funding after the end of each calendar quarter. The law also requires CBO to comment on those reported numbers. Today CBO released a report to satisfy that requirement."
Looking at recorded spending to date as well as estimates of the other effects of ARRA on spending and revenues, CBO has estimated the law's impact on employment and economic output using evidence about the effects of previous similar policies on the economy and using various mathematical models that represent the workings of the economy. On that basis, CBO estimates that in the first quarter of calendar year 2010, ARRA's policies:
The effects of ARRA on output and employment are expected to increase further during calendar year 2010 but then diminish in 2011 and fade away by the end of 2012.
The point is lost.
Fox News and the right-wing media don't hear you, and neither do their audience. And their audience is bigger than yours.
Thanks for the Reuters tax article. In a more perfect world such a report would call for action.
Hmph.
In a perfect world, such modern day calls for action wouldn't be necessary, as we would've been following the precedent for a successful economy set by smarter people long before we screwed it up.
Somebody always has to crash the party.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/06/07/interloper-of-the-venus-transit/
Seriously. That deserves at least a mini- BNTITW today. Hubble photo-bombing Venus.
Looking at today's corporate campaign contributions, I'm wondering how many jobs that money could create if invested in American infrastructure and manufacturing. If that money was coupled with the federal tax breaks for big energy, it could have even more impact.
If you multiply this month's corporate spending on elections by 5 months (June, July, August, September, and October), and if that total was invested was in American infrastructure and manufacturing, the unemployment rate would be under 8 percent by October.
Of course, these current corporate investments in politics are creating jobs in the advertising industry, just as federal tax complexity creates jobs for accountants for the wealthy.
Daily I receive requests for donations from numerous non-profits such as the United Way, Paralyzed Veterans, Salvation Army, American Cancer Society, Red Cross, School fundraisers, and Environmental Organizations, as well as requests to support my church, and, of course, from different political campaigns. There is only so much donation I can afford while these corporations are buying our electoral system.
Citizens United is a disaster for American democracy, but it is also a disaster for all those non-profits and charities and public purposes that will not get my money because I have to spend it to counter corporate dominance of American and global economy, society, and environment.
Bush economic policies crashed both the American and European economy. As President Clinton stated, a Romney Presidency would be catastrophic. Its a scary time...on the Darwinian edge.
And yet, here we, the voters, are, letting politicians do nothing about it.
Wait, I take that back. We're encouraging politicians to do nothing about it.
So, about your fancy electronic gadgets, gizmos, and devices...
http://kotaku.com/5916501/report-one-thousand-workers-riot-at-foxconn
What's the cost of your electronics? Worker revolts in other manufacturing countries over the quality of life? While, here in the US, we willingly give away the worker rights won by workers decades before us. Just like big business gave away jobs to other countries.
If I was a gay man I would find Rachel very attractive...
So, what you are saying is that you are incapable of distinguishing male from female. That does increase your dating pool, but I have to wonder whether you have corresponding inability to distinguish gay bars from all the rest. That would make for some very interesting evenings, Don.