Today's edition of quick hits:
* As promised, President Obama took his fiscal message on the road today, delivering a speech at a toy factory in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia. He described the Republican plan to hold middle-class tax cuts hostage "a Scrooge Christmas."
* Israel's retaliation: "As the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the Palestinians' status Thursday night, Israel took steps toward building housing in a controversial area of East Jerusalem known as E1, where Jewish settlements have long been seen as the death knell for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
* A new study documents the extent to which ice in Antarctica and Greenland is melting into the sea -- and speeding up -- intensifying the climate crisis.
* Indefinite detention: "The Senate voted late on Thursday to prohibit the government from imprisoning American citizens and green card holders apprehended in the United States in indefinite detention without trial."
* Keep a close eye on this one: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday announced Democrats would circulate a discharge petition to force a House vote to extend current tax rates only on annual household income below $250,000."
* Susan Rice's GOP detractors lose another talking point: "Republicans aimed criticism at U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice Thursday for having modest stakes in companies that did business with Iran.... Senator John McCain maintains investments in two of the same companies -- ENI and Royal Dutch Shell --through funds revealed in his financial disclosures."
* The U.S. Chamber of Commerce makes the transition from an 800-pound gorilla before the elections, to "a wounded 500-pound gorilla" now.
* And though Congress will probably never go for it, transitioning from paper $1 bills to $1 coins would save the country about $4.4 billion over the next three decades.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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Europe's first gay / "feminist" mosque where gays and women can worship side by side had its first worship today. (Video here from Reuters). Best new thing in the world.
Unlike the US, which has gay imams and gay muslim worship in many localities through the group Muslims for Progressive Values (source huffpo), same sex marriage is illegal in France. Concern about violent reactions has caused organisers to keep the location of the first Paris worship session secret.
(guardian article on organizer Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed)
(thelocal.fr interview of Zahed)
Now I keep thinking of a production of "A Christmas Carol" with Boehner as Scrooge
"Are there no Prisons are there No workhouses"
Dickens stated the idea for Scrooge came from a headstone he misread for a man named Ebenezer Lennox Scroggie. It said "Meal Man", but Dickens misread it as Mean Man- something that he felt was a heavy load to carry into eternity. The weird part is that Scroggie apparently was the grand nephew of Adam Smith.
Noel Langley updated Dickens' story for the Alistair Sim Scrooge, with a backstory of Scrooge's rise. He created a Mr. Jorkin- a profiteer playing with the loose money available from financial revolution in 19th century London. He buys up companies and "revolutionizes" them to modern practices. He hires Scrooge away from Fezziwig and drives the sentimental man with ties to his workers out of business (there is a Bain like scene where a concerned worker asks if he will still have a job, Scrooge offers him one at significantly reduced pay). Jorkin is found to be an embezzler, but the matter is covered up so the investors will not panic. Marley and Scrooge provide the funds to save the company, but their terms are harsh, and they seize control of the company.
The Romney Economy article in NYMag mentions the disdain that Romney's peers had for the sentimentalists running businesses- who kept on employees for non bottom line reasons. It is like they are describing Fezziwig when the article describes the management of companies that Bain preyed on:
This was precisely what Romney thought of Obama. Sloppy, sentimental.
This closely echoes Langley's Jorkin- Scrooge charicature of market fundamentalists- those who bow down before Adam Smith as the prophet who advocated that the greatest social good would naturally emerge if the greatest freedom was allowed for the invisible hand of unfettered market mechanisms.
I just watched that version of the movie about three days ago. When you compare the business practices that Dickens was writing about and match them up against the current batch of people from companies like Bain you can see the similarities and that the tactics haven't changed that much in 150 years. I thought it was an adaptation that Dickens woiuld not only have aproved of but understood quite clearly.
Of course, the thing is that Smith actually did not advocate what the social darwinists think he did - the real Adam Smith would have been lambasted as a "Fezziwig" for his own ideas.
Shhh. TC.
Don't tell them he believed in progressive taxes, government help for emerging companies (shades of Solydra!), and so on. Of course, that is the problem with fundamentalists of every stripe- They seldom actually read what it is that their "Idols" said- which is the point. Idols are stony and not supposed to speak- They are for giving mystical weight to whatever you want them to say.
Dragoon- there is a passage from google books on the analysis of Langley's rendition you might be interested in. (link) I found it as part of some work I did on a WP article on Fezziwig.
I'm all prepared to read my favorite line"The spirits have done it all in just one night".
Is the Susan Rice Secretary of State kerfuffle at tactical thing to get Kerry out of the Senate? Maybe so they could run Scott Brown again?
Is the weather nice on that planet you've been visiting?
This is sooooo "last Monday." :-)
Scott Brown has already found his true forte, he's working on an exercise video with Paul Ryan. Then back to Playgirl. He's chosen vanity, above and beyond all else. He's going to get his daughters involved in the whole process also. He likes being a star. And plus he's not going to have time for politics anymore, what with all those kings and queens inviting themselves over to his house.
As a Mass. resident I believe Scotty's baggage will be much,much heavier if he runs again.
Susan Rice's GOP detractors lose another talking point
I suspect that if President Obama signaled that John Kerry would not be nominated for any cabinet post, no matter what, then the Susan Rice complaints would fade away. Republicans really do seem desperate to get another shot at getting Scott Brown back into the Senate.
Could Deval Patrick name himself as an interim Senator and then run, full time, against Scott Brown in '14?
He'll have to change his first name, just because we know what the right will do with it.
If the financial sector is so afraid of the debt, and do not want taxes raised, they can chip in and pay it off. There is plenty of money out there.
Hear, hear. Perhaps a transaction tax.
How about taxing capital gains and dividends the same as earned income, on a progressive rate. The more you make the more you pay.
Israel's retaliation: "As the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the Palestinians' status Thursday night, Israel took steps toward building housing in a controversial area of East Jerusalem known as E1, where Jewish settlements have long been seen as the death knell for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
It is tragic that the corporately owned media (including MSNBC & Steve Benen) can NOT have a discussion or provide information that involves Israel without making it a one-sided misrepresentation. Olmert, the former Prime Minister of Israel supported the UN providing the upgraded status for Palestine. There is substantial political support within Israel for dealing differently and fairly with the Palestinians. There is much divergence of opinion within Israel on many issues that the ameriKan sheeple are never provided by the media. Unfortunately, our politicians and media personalities are afraid to present any set of information or opinion that diverges from that of the Likud Party and AIPAC. The American Corporately Owned Media presentation of the Middle East does not acknowledge that there are other political parties and opinions within Israel that differ from the Likud Party would be matched if they refused to acknowledge any political party other than the republicans in our country.
The dilemma that Israel faces is that they have only three choices. One choice is a two state solution. A second choice is to provide Israeli citizenship rights to ALL residents in the state of Israel (or drop the pretense of being a democracy). They cannot take this second option because Jews would become a minority in Israel! The third choice is the extermination or expulsion of non-Jewish residents from the evergrowing territories that they claim ownership of. The third choice is that of the Jewish far-right in Israel and seemingly of the Likud Party. This third choice is akin to Hitler's lebensraum and are not viable for the deserved long term survival of Israel.
An analysis of this latest land grabbing move by NutAndYahoo is that he is being counter-productive by making the only long term viable solution of two states of Israel and Palestine harder to achieve.
The interesting thing is that if you go read the Old Testament as the history of Israel, you suddenly discover that all the great catastrophes that happened to them back then were the result of their "dickishness" (like this) with people like Nebuchadnezzar, who finally got tired of them and smacked them. Nitwityahoo and the Jewish Nazis he has for political allies think they are "on top" here, but when they find themselves expelled from the UN and WTO and everything else, and all the surrounding countries including Europe close their borders to them, it won't matter how much support they're able to finagle out of the US or how many nukes they built with the technology they stole from us.
They're so busy sowing the seeds of their own destruction again. It's sad they're so blind.
Letting the Jews back into the Middle East (as payoff for the Rothschilds etc. financing England in the First World War) makes as much sense as giving North America back to the Indians.
Israel has decided to get cocky. Revenge is not the answer, moving forward is. Their egos seem to be misplaced. They are only protecting themselves from ghosts. They are over-reacting to everything and causing a lot of unsolicited drama. Noone is out to get them, they are paranoid. If they want to feel safe, then give the Muslims what they need. Hitler like the devil was defeated a long time ago. Their ego is unaware of this, because they're living in the past.
The problem with Israel-Palestine relations is that both sides want to keep killing each other. There's really nothing stopping peace but man made abstract contracts. A two state solution is nothing more than magic bullet thinking because after that solution the two states will still have to coexist something neither side seems entirely committed to in a peaceful manner. So we'll have two states that will just be at war. Mark my words if they do act on that they will keep fighting. I'm certain of that much. Honestly what's stopping them from just ending the fighting? In reality nothing but themselves. The idea of a two state solution is used as an excuse to justify continuing hate by both the Israelis and Palestinians.
If they got those two states it would be something else...one side would demand some new territory and the fighting would continue. As I see it there's only enough land there for one tiny, insignificant little country so they're all going to have to just get used to living in peace. That or just finally wipe out the otherside. Sadly I think that's the only way this will really end.
In terms of international relations and negotiations between the two sides it's complicated by the fact that negotiations require concessions from both groups. Israel doesn't want to do that because they never get anyhing from the Palestinians....partially because they have nothing to bargain with...so there's that. Fair or unfair it none the less complicates things. Then you've got hamas as the now elected government of the palestinians and they will continue to seek to kill Israeli civilians, that obviously doesn't help either.
If you ask me they're both foolish, and revenge hungry and neither side has any right to the worthless land they keep killing for. Palestine was never a nation and neither was Israel. Judea died before the Romans get there the right of return is like giving Germany, France, and North Africa to Italy since the Romans once owned it. I'm black should I have a right of return to Africa. I'd like some all expenses paid divine ownership of some ancestral lands, that would be nice. Hell I'd like some of that FL farm land my and many other black families owned that big money decided to buy out of everybody's hands......
Ultimately we the US should stop being mediators in any state creating discussion, that include any two state solution talk. I believe we must stop humoring their land fights because in doing so we validate their idiotic fighting. The world community should stop pretending what they're fighting over has any real value.
From the dollar coin article:
Basically, there would be more money that people have that they don't use. It would make the government money, but that money is coming from somewhere - the fact that people would have a little less fluid money overall. This sounds to me like something that helps the government, but at a hidden cost to the public.
That is half the story. The other point here is that coins last for decades where the average paper bill is only a couple of years. Since you do not have to replace currency so often, there is savings there. Instead of replacing a dollar say, every two years, you replace after 20 years or more. That would save a bunch.
I do like the new Presidential coins and have no problem using them daily.
I prefer to have dollar coins in my pocket instead of dollar bills in my wallet. I wish three-dollar and five-dollar coins also were available.
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday announced Democrats would circulate a discharge petition to force a House vote to extend current tax rates only on annual household income below $250,000."
OK, so aren't these extensions of the "Bush tax cuts" that some complained about for the past few years? Now they are OK - even though they still aren't really "paid for". I guess it just matters who is in office. Raising the taxes on the wealthy will be just a fraction of what is needed to get the deficits under control, yet no one seems to think that by letting these tax cuts continue - which BTW is what put a lot of debt on the books - is a problem when it comes to deficit spending and debt.
Right now it's a balance between reducing the deficit and not harming the continued growth of the economy.
Increased taxes on income above $250,000 will have little or no impact on economic growth. A growing economy increases tax revenues and increased revenues reduces the deficit.
Allowing all the Bush tax cuts to expire would put too much strain on the currently still-fragile recovery and most likely cause another recession. Tax revenues decrease during recessions. That alone would reverse the recent decreases in the deficit, but there'd also likely be tncreased spending required to meet the effects of the recession and the deficit would begin to increase.
I believe it's spelled S-T-O-O-G-E Christmas.
It's time for 'boner' to circumvent his caucus before he becomes totally impotent.
Connecting two of the items above:
http://www.onearth.org/article/susan-rice-obama-secretary-state-tar-sands-finances
Hmmmm....
It is disappointing to see once again that the MSNBC news blackout on Bradly Manning and Wiki-leaks is still in effect.
Whether or not he sent data to Wiki-leaks, he is a whistle blower that is being imprisoned and tortured in our name, you and I, by our government. The unindicted war criminals he exposed are running free to order and commit more crimes. Since Rachel makes it a very big deal that ANYONE who serves in the military deserves recognition, it is puzzling that this seems to be the story that cannot be mentioned by her or seemingly anyone else at MSNBC but Chris Hayes. Even NBC.com has done some reporting on this.
The fact that the information in the UNCLASSIFIED State Dept. memos had much to do with the Arab spring starting in Tunisia and moving on from there would seem to be a net plus for democracy everywhere. Yes, it did not make the US look good, but that was because we were not doing good things, unless you were a US multinational company, especially an oil company.
If you want really good reporting on Bradley Manning, I suggest you read Ed Pilkington's reporting at the Guardian.co.uk at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/bradley-manning
On Obama's road show:
So yesterday, with Obama effectively saying take it or leave it to the republicans, it came to me that there is one and only one way that Obama and the democrats can get the whole enchilada and force the republicans to capitulate in the fiscal cliff negotiations - a discharge petition in the house to force a vote on the senate passed bill extending the Bush tax cuts for all but the very rich. A discharge petition, which would have to be signed by a majority of house members, would force an up or down vote on the house floor on the senate bill. But of course that would require, assuming all democrats sign it, that at least 25 or so house republicans sign it as well. Extremely high risk, high reward. If successful Boehner is effectively destroyed as house majority leader. Combine that with filibuster reform in the senate and the democrats could break the Washington logjam and actually govern! So I get up this morning and out of curiosity google 'fiscal cliff discharge petition' and viola! there it was, an apparently little reported announcement yesterday by Pelosi that unless there is movement by the republicans the democrats will file a discharge petition for a vote on the senate bill on Tuesday! A coincidence that this happened on the same day that the White House told the republicans to like it or lump it? So either there is a coordinated campaign between the White House and Obama, or Pelosi is winging on her own. In either case they had better know what they are doing and know how to count, because if they really go after the discharge petition and fail Boehner is greatly strengthened. So watch the news over the next week or so and see if talk of the discharge petition starts to appear. If so we are in for a complete political thermonuclear exchange between Obama and Boehner!
If the discharge petition fails because no Republicans will sign it, it will be proof that the Republicans are at fault when everyone's taxes go up. (Everyone who pays income taxes that is; we still have the 47% who pay no income taxes and who will not be affected by the fiscal cliff/curb.) The Democrats win either way.
Rachel, I love you dearly but this is the first time you have been dishonest on your program. Whether you agree or disagree with our drone policy please don't just say the U.S. flew a drone over Yemen and killed a "american citizen" and leave it at that. Next time be sure to include this american citizen was actively planning terrorist attacks on the U.S. and was behind the Christmas Day shoe bomber, was exchanging e-mails with the Fort Hood killer. http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/02/from-the-grave-al-awlaki-calls-for-bio-chem-attacks-on-the-u-s/ Thank you.
And not only had we taken out al-Awalki we also took out the bomb-maker in the caravan.
To TCinLA0 You're level of good old fashioned antisemitism makes me marvel only a little less at all the so called progressives who post here that led it stand with no argument. And while there is free speech it shouldn't have stopped Steve who is responsible for this blog from having something to say. Shame on you.
Yes I realise that my post has a spelling error and a grammatical one as well but the message still resonates. How do progressives let an antisemitic comment stand without challenging it. No wonder there is such extremism festering in the world. The level of indifference is the reason.
Elections have consequences and president Obama , no matter what the republicant's say, DID win with a MANDATE from the American people...
1, TAX THE RICH MORE !.. as in back to Clinton era tax brackets...
2, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WEAK ECONOMIC RECOVERY !...
first thing I would do if I was Obama is REPLACE the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency EDWARD DEMARCO, this guy is a republican appointee serving a republican AGENDA !... The middle class of America can use the same assistance afforded WALL STREET, in the form of principal reductions on underwater mortgages Mr. president, this is NOT rocket science...
It would help give a boost to the housing market and spur this weak economic recovery... The American people also want to listen to politicians in washington TALKING about JOBS not about "Fiscal B*llS**t" or Entitlements cuts, which is another code word for PRIVATIZATION of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare...
Anyway, it's nice to see Obama for a change acting like he has a pair of brass balls...
Nominate Susan Rice for Secretary of State, better choice would be Bill Clinton but hey we can't win'em all.. Leave John Kerry in the senate, nominate Chuck Hagel for secretary of Defense.. Not nominating Susan Rice now would look WEAK coming from a president who just got re-elected... And we all know the real reason republican'ts want Kerry as secretary of state is to open the democratic held seat for Scott Brown in massachusetts ..
Anyway, if it will get the rich to pay more in TAXES then I say lets take the DIVE !...
I would be willing to pay an extra $2,000 in taxes just to be able to stick it to these RICH 2% mutherfckrs who think their money and influence can buy VOTES in Washington!..
I believe WE THE PEOLE just proved underwise in this past election !...
Canada has had the loonie, our coin Canadian dollar, and the twonie (the 2 buck version) for close to 25 years. The transition was absolutely effortless. These are beautiful coins, easy to save and exchange.
Why is this a big deal to Congress? Could save $44billion? Get it done!