Today's edition of quick hits:
* A bold, worthwhile protest by women in Afghanistan:
* Syria: "An Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander has been killed inside Syria by rebels battling Iran's close ally President Bashar Assad, Iranian officials and a rebel leader said on Thursday."
* Climate crisis: "The federal government is facing significant financial risks related to extreme weather events, and states and cities can no longer depend on it for extra help after such events occur, the Republican chairman of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Friday."
* Korean peninsula: "South Korea flexed its military muscle on Thursday by staging large military drills and disclosing a new cruise missile capable of hitting any target in North Korea, as the North became increasingly candid about its intentions to build intercontinental ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads."
* More good economic news: "Foreclosure filings in January plunged to their lowest level since April 2007."
* What her fans were waiting for: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) opened her first hearing on the Senate Banking Committee with a bang, pressuring regulators to take financial institutions found to have violated the law to trial."
* Rough start: "President Obama's proposed commission on electoral reform aimed at improving voting efficiency and reducing long wait times for voters is producing heated criticism from advocates on both the right and the left."
* Not exactly a ratings bonanza: "President Obama's Tuesday State of the Union address had the fewest viewers of any since 2000 and failed to boost his approval rating."
* A step closer to equality in Illinois: "On a 34-21 vote, the Illinois Senate passed a marriage equality bill at a little after 3 p.m. Thursday."
* The loss of a brilliant scholar: "Ronald Dworkin, a legal philosopher and public intellectual of bracingly liberal views who insisted that morality is the touchstone of constitutional interpretation, died Thursday in London. He was 81."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Climate crisis? Climate change? Storms and cold and hot and not and wind and clam and humid and arid and so on and so forth. This is junk science funded by government for government.The lawmakers have no intention of abiding by the climate laws the enact sweety, how long is gonna take for you to figer this out?
It's time for little criminal Darryl Issa to become a "good" Republican:
"These events are primarily the responsibilities of the cities and states," Issa said at the news conference. "And I will point out that we can no longer assume that the federal government will come in with an emergency supplemental [funding] every time there is an [extreme weather] occurrence. We have a responsibility to be proactive: Proactive in asking the states and the cities to be prepared to meet more of these requirements. Proactive in making sure that we withhold the funds, either through insurance funds or through actual appropriations, that are appropriate for the real anticipated events."
So Southernomics now controls the government. From the speech by Confederate Traitor #2, Vice President Alexander Stephens, describing the Constitution of the Confederacy in 1861:
Allow me briefly to allude to some of these improvements. The question of building up class interests, or fostering one branch of industry to the prejudice of another under the exercise of the revenue power, which gave us so much trouble under the old constitution, is put at rest forever under the new. We allow the imposition of no duty with a view of giving advantage to one class of persons, in any trade or business, over those of another. All, under our system, stand upon the same broad principles of perfect equality. Honest labor and enterprise are left free and unrestricted in whatever pursuit they may be engaged. This old thorn of the tariff, which was the cause of so much irritation in the old body politic, is removed forever from the new.
Again, the subject of internal improvements, under the power of Congress to regulate commerce, is put at rest under our system. The power, claimed by construction under the old constitution, was at least a doubtful one; it rested solely upon construction. We of the South, generally apart from considerations of constitutional principles, opposed its exercise upon grounds of its inexpediency and injustice. Notwithstanding this opposition, millions of money, from the common treasury had been drawn for such purposes. Our opposition sprang from no hostility to commerce, or to all necessary aids for facilitating it. With us it was simply a question upon whom the burden should fall. In Georgia, for instance, we have done as much for the cause of internal improvements as any other portion of the country, according to population and means. We have stretched out lines of railroads from the seaboard to the mountains; dug down the hills, and filled up the valleys at a cost of not less than $25,000,000. All this was done to open an outlet for our products of the interior, and those to the west of us, to reach the marts of the world. No State was in greater need of such facilities than Georgia, but we did not ask that these works should be made by appropriations out of the common treasury. The cost of the grading, the superstructure, and the equipment of our roads was borne by those who had entered into the enterprise. Nay, more not only the cost of the iron no small item in the aggregate cost was borne in the same way, but we were compelled to pay into the common treasury several millions of dollars for the privilege of importing the iron, after the price was paid for it abroad. What justice was there in taking this money, which our people paid into the common treasury on the importation of our iron, and applying it to the improvement of rivers and harbors elsewhere? The true principle is to subject the commerce of every locality, to whatever burdens may be necessary to facilitate it. If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden. If the mouth of the Savannah river has to be cleared out, let the sea-going navigation which is benefited by it, bear the burden. So with the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi river. Just as the products of the interior, our cotton, wheat, corn, and other articles, have to bear the necessary rates of freight over our railroads to reach the seas. This is again the broad principle of perfect equality and justice, and it is especially set forth and established in our new constitution.
As can be seen from the words of these two traitors, Issa and Stephens, the Republican Party has become the Confederate Party.
I hope our representatives will remember this principle the next time some Red State has a climate-related disaster, when the morons of Texas, Louisiana, Mississip[pi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee or Arkansas come begging with hat in hand. Let them rot!
The article about the Federal government not being available to assist in natural disasters due to climate change is disturbing to say the least. Darrell Issa believes that its up to the cities and states to respond to victims of floods, hurricanes, etc.
I wonder if his position is the same with regard to federal relief for California earthquake victims.
Probably so, unless the earthquakes are in far Southern California which he represents.
OTOH do you want to pay for people's insurance to build on the beach, in flood zones, and then bail them out with billions each time the weather gets bad? It encourages irresponsible behavior.
The climate change deniers now want to accept that it exists so they can cut funding?
Gosh that is like a tea party fan getting ticked off because the cut to defense spending affects his job!
Careful what you ask for, you just might get it.
GO ILLINOIS! So proud of my home state. We can do this!
your proud of ill? wow. they are bankrupt and your proud of them?
Well so are you and you prove it post by post. Fox news viewers less informed then third world poor who never seen a TV.
what kind of argument is that. ad-hominum. nice. can't respond so attach the man. nice.....
The nice thing about courting and marrying someone who has never seen or heard Motown routines is that they think it is so wild and romantic when you perform them. (Example this one from the Contours)
The not so nice thing on Valentines day 15 years later is when the bones don't work as well as they used to and repeat performances are demanded, and then the children rush into the room wondering why mama put papa in so much pain.
Well at least they didn't catch me caught on the barbed wire. I guess the humiliation could have been worse.
That's romantic. But love should not hurt. Perhaps you should try stretching before throwing your back into doing The Twist.
Not exactly a ratings bonanza: "President Obama's Tuesday State of the Union address had the fewest viewers of any since 2000 and failed to boost his approval rating."
The State of the Union speech is just a "campaign" speech. A lot of promises made and grand plans, then back to business the day after. The speech has become mostly a cheerleading exercise with standing ovations and hoots and hollers, along with some well placed guests to emphacize a certain topic. Besides, with the 24 hr news cycle nowadays, there is no reason to watch the speech....anyone that is paying attention already knows the state of the union.
Right except you believe that the wealthy will trickle down a golden stream on your head because an insane soap salesman told you that. You haven't paid attention for over 30 years and you prove it every post.
yeah right whomitmay...and of course you believe that everything the President says at the SOTU will actually happen - and "with not one dime added to the deficit. Of course, as usual here you just use crude language to get across your point....which is nothing. Any opinion that isn't in total agreement with your lock-step with the left mindset almost always results in a meaningless grade school comment. At least you are probably living in bliss thinking that everything is all cool and fine ...because the POTUS says so (and everyone cheered at the end like it was Oprah giving away cars).
Maybe repuknicans have it right about 'welfare'. Maybe governments can not afford to keep subsidizing people. Our new governor in Indiana (Mike '2nd stupidest person on the face of this earth' Pence) has come down squarely on this position. However, he is ok with taxpayers providing $100 MILLION to the wealthy Hulman family to make improvements to their family owned Indianapolis Motor Speedway so that it is more profitable for them.
"Anything to add?"
In some not so good economic news:
GDP in the euro zone fell 0.6% in the fourth quarter. It was the third straight GDP decline and fifth straight quarter in which the currency bloc failed to expand. For 2012 as a whole, GDP fell 0.5% from the prior year.
4Q GDP in Germany fell 0.6%. France, the bloc's second biggest country, declined 0.3%. Other large economies including Italy, Spain and the Netherlands contracted.
Italy's GDP plummeted 0.9% from the previous quarter, a much sharper rate of decline than the third quarter. Spain's downturn also deepened. Portugal's GDP slid 1.8% in the final three months of 2012, double the third quarter's rate of decline.
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/euro-zone-economy-plunges-in-4q-20130214-00117#.UR1neB2-o3s
Add the USA to the list of those whose economy contracted in he 4th qtr.
Which proves two things....The world economy is interconnected [American exports dropped 5.7% in the same period as international demand weakened] and the U.S. economy fared better than the Eurozone....contracting 0.1%, mostly driven by cuts in defense spending...
Interesting thing that is starting to shake the Italian media spectrum: Mario Monti, who is running for Italian Prime Minister in elections in two weeks time, has hired David Axelrod in order to counsel him. And it is not working. Monti is only fourth in the polls while Berlusconi is enjoying a late-revival. And some are even asking if Axelrod is really working for Monti, since Monti's most recent TV interventions and interviews have shown an impressive lack of preparation, confidence and even interest in subjects. Since the world knows that Obama doesn't specifically hold Berlusconi in his heart ("tanned" joke, anyone?), some have seen this as an attempt from the USA to influence the election in Italy against Monti. Nothing to fear, however: the left-wing Democratic Party (yes, like the one on our shores) is leading in the polls, and the most favored coalition will be one including the DP and Monti. However, expect more crackpot theories from our dear friend Bunga Bunga-Meister (from "Germany sold state titles to eject me off my seat" to "British banks want to sink my corporation", he has been in fully-fledged madness mode on this subject ever since last December)...
Been patiently waiting and waiting for anything from the Maddow Brotherhood on the the Chris Dorner news, but alas nothing. She makes a huge fuss over a drink of water and wont blog anything on this mass murderer? Typical.
Next time let's have the Republican "response" before the President's speech, you know, kind of like the warm up act. After Howdy Doody and Water boy wonder, I'm sure the next act will be hi-larious.
A little Dylan for the castaways?
Now the senator came down here
Showing ev'ryone his gun
Handing out free tickets
To the wedding of his son
And me, I nearly get bursted
And wouldn't it be my luck
To get caught without a ticket
And be discovered beneath a truck
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Which is already pretty high, no? I find it hard to believe that people didn't watch this. When they did, apparently they approved by 67% ...
it's funny that this media outlet has not mentioned the ohio democrat poll worker convicted of voter fraud. she admitted to multiple votes.
there is also nothing about Jack loooooooo's cayman island bank account. funny because all we heard during the election was romney's taxes and overseas accounts.
why is msnbc dropping the ball/ maybe it's cause they are excited that ge sold out.
"It's funny that this media outlet has not mentioned the ohio democrat poll worker convicted of voter fraud. "
No really, since that hasn't happened. "A poll worker in Ohio admitted that she voted twice in the last presidential election. She mailed in her absentee ballot, and then claims that she was afraid it might not be counted, so she voted again at a precinct."
At this time, there's no evidence that both votes were counted. Since she voted absentee, the in-person vote should have been cast on a provisional ballot..unclear if that was the case. One of the reasons that the Ohio vote wasn't certified until late November is to look out of this type of double vote. She has not been arrested, let alone convicted.
did you get to the part where multiple ballets were sent in from the same adress with different names? with similar hand writing.
Three other absentee ballots, all from Richardson's address and filled out in similar handwriting, were received by the election board the same day her absentee ballot was received. According to Richardson, one of the ballots belonged to her brother who, she said, stays at her house "from time-to-time." Another belonged to Markus Barron, who, according to Richardson, lives at her home.
Richardson admitted voting for Montez Richardson, claiming she had power-of-attorney to do so and believed that all of the votes she made were legal
has been accused of voter fraud and admitted voting multiple times for Barack Obama,
but I thought voter fraud didn't happen? criminals are like cockroaches. for every one you catch there are thosands that you miss.
The investigation also found that her granddaughter, India, also voted twice, but the young woman denied the charge and told WCPO that her grandmother filled out her absentee ballot for her.
why do I have to do the reporting here. hmmm makes you wonder what else are the liberal propaganda gatekeepers not telling us.
"I thought voter fraud didn't happen"
Uh, nobody is arguing that. The easiest way to commit voter fraud is by absentee ballot. What doesn't happen is in-person voter fraud via false identity.
In this case, the one in-person vote was done under her real name. No ID law would have helped.
how do you know it does not happen, if you don't require id?
Because studies say so.
"Over the past decade Texas has convicted 51 people of voter fraud, according the state's Attorney General Greg Abbott. Only four of those cases were for voter impersonation, the only type of voter fraud that voter ID laws prevent."
"In Minnesota, there have been 10 total cases of reported fraud and no cases of reported voter impersonation since 2000.
"A study of the 2008 election conducted by the Wisconsin Justice Department has turned up just two instances of people “double” voting, six people who engaged in voter registration shenanigans and 11 ex-cons who violated the prohibition on felons voting."
A Virginia study came to the same conclusion.
Here's a helpful article from the Wall Street Journal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443864204577621732936167586.html
I live in Ohio which requires ID but not a PHOTO ID. It also requires the voter to sign next to a facsimile of their signature. There is simply no way I could vote as Captain Kid or that you could vote as Helen Bedd.
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/Voters/FAQ/ID.aspx
Living Wage!
Really low-hanging fruit: With Walmart as our #1 employer paying poverty level wages, you don't get to oppose a living wage because it will hurt "job creators" (who just scored record profits while wages hit an all-time low) AND rabidly support cuts to social welfare programs (for those working at poverty levels). Otherwise, system is broken. Start over.
it's unfortunate but increasing min wage does hurt "job creators" or more percise, small bus. many small bus pay employees min wage and then suplement with cash. this is done to avoid taxes and keep labor cost low. so increasing min wage increased small bus labor cost and hurts employee because employers will reduce cash payments.
The job creators are the min wage workers. Like your so concerned about small businesses when its clear you don't know what a small business is. Here is a clue
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-chapman/fortune-500-firms-masquer_b_243239.html
Once again a Fox news viewer proves he knows less then a native of the rain forest that doesn't know what TV is.
are you realy citing the huff post? because they are not some massive liberal blog that hell bent on pushing this nation toward communism.
as far as my concern for small bus. it's pretty great because i own one. I know the truth is hard to hear but it must be said.
If you don't like walmart bus ethics don't shop there. I don't because they sell too much china made crap.
"the middle class has been hammered"- joe biden. a true statement from an administration that lies like no other. But, the main reason for the middle class's current situation is the feds policy of qe. the price of everything has gone up except wages because there are so many people unemployed/not counted.
"The irrefutable truth is that a vast majority of supposed small business groups in America are shams"
Huh???????? Are you really that ignorant? Where are you from? Oh i get it, you just make stuff up or qoute radical left printed lies.
Was actually a little worried there was someone out there that actually believed that.
I know quite a few struggling small buisness owners, not a single one is attached to anybody, especially not a F500 company.
Nice try though, you had me going for a second.
Post WWII up until the 70s, the minimum wage tracked (almost to the penny) with the inflation rate and productivity gains. And economic growth was strong. Since then wages have stagnated (adjusting for inflation) and productivity continued to soar. Economic growth paled in comparison to the prior period. What did surge, however, was income inequality and corp profits. Just play a simple game of connect the dots.
Consumers are the real job creators, not "job creators", who used to just be called the rich. Giving people at the lower end of the income scale more money to spend will only benefit the economy. Just ask Henry Ford.
Neoliberal economics of the last 40 years has been a disaster. It's clear that only the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. And the middle is disappearing.
If there is a viable good or service out there that finds it can't pay an increase in the minimum wage, someone else will. Because right now, we have socialism for the wealthy (see Walmart, Wall Street, banking, oil, etc) and capitalism for the working class. Pick up your game, "job creators".
And while I'm thinking about it, I will add something else. All I hear about is the "rugged individualism" of the capitalist. Our misunderstood superheroes. Yet somehow they are supposedly terrified of "uncertainty". That's why we have to continue to deregulate (because, you know, they self-regulate) and continue to reduce their taxes. We just don't want to alarm them in any way; they are quite the skittish bunch.
Want to know how frightened they are about "uncertainty"? They've moved most of their operations to China.
"Job creators"
Post WWII up until the 70s, the minimum wage tracked (almost to the penny) with the inflation rate and productivity gains. And economic growth was strong. Since then wages have stagnated (adjusting for inflation) and productivity continued to soar. Economic growth paled in comparison to the prior period. What did surge, however, was income inequality and corp profits. Just play a simple game of connect the dots.
post hoc er go propter hoc..
consumer are the job creater because they are the demand that firms face. but thats it.
Henry ford made his fortune by inventing the mechansed assembly line and using it to increase productivity/lower production cost.
as far as ruggen individualism. yes capitailst do not like uncertainty. but it's not economic uncertainty it's uncertainty of government intervention. you cant control market prices for raw materials or labor but you can control tax.
Regarding sensible gun control -- How about green and white bracelets to show solidarity with the Sandy Hook victims and all other victims of gun violence? Proceeds could go to Gabby Giffords' PAC. I would buy one in a heartbeat. My husband killed himself with a gun.
what about controling guns do you think is going to stop people from violence? remember laws don't prevent anything they just make society able to penalize people that break them. drugs are illegal, driving drunk, and prostitution. but all still occur. if guns become "controled" then the gov will have them, criminals/gangs/cartels will have them buy peacful law abiding citizens will not.
VERY interesting. You’ll never
hear the Obama Administration or the Drive-by Media discuss these facts.
"Why is it the progressive liberal
who steals guns then goes and kills movie goers and children in school has never
been a NRA member?"
Ft
Hood - Registered Democrat- Muslim
Columbine
- Too young to vote - both families were registered democrats and progressive
liberals
VA
Tech - Wrote hate mail to Pres Bush and to his staff. Registered
Democrat
Colorado
Theater - Registered Democrat, staff worker on the Obama campaign, occupy wall
street participant, progressive liberal
Connecticut
School Shooter - Registered Democrat, hated Christians
Common
thread is that all of these shooters were progressive liberal
democrats."
Interesting...isn't
it? Maybe we should ban Democrats instead of guns!
Wonder why CBS and NBC both picked up stories about Atress Hannah and others demonstration at the White House protesting Obama on the Keystone Pipeline. I had predicted that after the election, Obama would quietly approve. Did he do such? I never saw that if he did- but then why did they demonstrate?
For those of you who didn't find love on St. Valentine'sDay:
http://www.gopvalentine.com/Default.aspx
No wonder they can't figure out why the nation doesn't take them seriously.
Hahaha! Now that's funny! I sent them all a card.... Thanks for the link!