Jefferson Weeps...

Chinese Struggling Less Than Americans to Afford Basics

2011-10-15T01:08:00.001-04:00

Really interesting discovery available directly through the Gallup Polls, themselves - I believe it's safe to consider Gallup a somewhat dependable news source, that, if anything, I thought had a tendency to lean a bit right... Well, here's a story that has been a long time in coming and could significantly alter one's worldview (if one were open to such things in the first place...)

Head on over to Gallup and read more on how [The] Chinese [are] Struggling Less Than Americans to Afford Basics

Poster: 51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution

2011-10-04T17:09:00.001-04:00

From the fine folks over at "YES! Magazine" we get this article - a poster, really - showing 51 ways to spark a "commons" revolution.

For those not familiar with the term, here is a Wikipedia article about a (the!) classic essay dealing with the topic, entitled "Tragedy of the Commons"

As for the rest of you? Head on over to:
Poster: 51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution @ YES! Magazine

A Report from the Frontlines: The Long Road to #OccupyWallStreet and the Origins of the 99% Movement

2011-10-02T23:23:00.009-04:00

Been watching & waiting before discussing this, but I need to address the issue at *some* point - might as well be now! I'm still planning on getting to *one* of the "occupied zones" - be it NYC, Boston, Providence, Hartford, or even my old hometown of New Haven...

Meanwhile...

Given the delay in posting this, why don't we start with a summary of how things led to "Occupy Wall Street" and the "Occupy Together" "Occupations" around the country, Canada, (ex: Toronto, Vancouver) and other nations around the world!

Here's an article from http://ampedstatus.org that should do the job nicely: A Report from the Frontlines: The Long Road to #OccupyWallStreet and the Origins of the 99% Movement @ AmpedStatus

Freedom to die

2011-09-23T17:22:00.001-04:00

From the article: "Despite the existence of charity care and county hospitals, though, the human cost of uninsurance persists. The best estimate I am aware of is that 45,000 people die every year because of their lack of insurance.

But, f**k them, because I've got mine. Am I right? They're lazy, irresponsible, poor, probably black, certainly unwashed and they have nice cell phones, so they are subhuman pieces of shit who deserve what's coming to them. And an individual mandate is an unconscionable impingement on my personal liberty.

This is, as best I can tell, the libertarian take on the ongoing crisis of the uninsured. We are all free, and some lucky duckies are free to die."

Read the whole story at the "Movin' Meat" blog: Freedom to die

Obama to GOP: If this is `class warfare,’ then get ready for a very long fight...

2011-09-23T00:36:00.002-04:00

"The other day, Obama threw the charge of “class warfare” back in the GOP’s face, arguing that Republicans were the ones waging class warfare on behalf of the wealthy" Today he calls them out by name, and is ready for a long fight..."

Read the rest at "The Washington Post" Obama to GOP: If this is `class warfare,’ then get ready for a very long fight

A low in jobs, mobility, marriage for young adults

2011-09-23T00:35:00.004-04:00

New 2010 census data show the wrenching impact of a recession that officially ended in mid-2009. It highlights the missed opportunities and dim prospects for a generation of mostly 20-somethings and 30-somethings coming of age in a prolonged slump with high unemployment.

Here is the story from the Associated Press: A low in jobs, mobility, marriage for young adults

Live Coverage: Occupy Wall Street

2011-09-23T00:35:00.002-04:00

From "Reader Supported News'" we have a "live" feed from the financial district... Live Coverage: Occupy Wall Street

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Says Executing An Innocent Man Is Not Unconstitutional

2011-09-23T00:34:00.006-04:00

This little number comes to us via @Being Liberal and @Kelly Glover “This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is “actually” innocent. Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged “actual innocence” is constitutionally cognizable.” So, who cares that they may be innocent, they are sentenced to die so kill them."

Here's the back-story at "Addicting Info" Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Says Executing An Innocent Man Is Not Unconstitutional

Mainstream media’s failure to cover Wall Street protests

2011-09-23T00:34:00.005-04:00

Whomever controls the media controls the people... But, no, *our* (corporate-owned) networks would never engage in any coverage blackouts or partisan censorship...

Here is Will Bunch, author of ‘The Backlash,’ on mainstream media’s failure to cover Wall Street protests from the "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" show: Mainstream media’s failure to cover Wall Street protests

U.S. Justice System Murders Troy Anthony Davis

2011-09-23T00:33:00.002-04:00

Recanted testimony, no DNA match, no real evidence to speak of, and still, they go ahead with the execution of a man most likely innocent...

Read more at "Addicting Info" U.S. Justice System Murders Troy Anthony Davis

House GOP Rejects Tax Cuts For Middle Class

2011-09-18T03:05:00.002-04:00

Well, we may be witnessing a seemingly contradictory and rather unusual tax turnabout amongst our elected officials. It seems that the Republican Party managed to find a tax cut that *they* don't like - most likely because the intended beneficiaries aren't going to be their longtime BFFs - the super-wealthy or multinational corporations. (You may still want to check outside for the arrival of flying pigs...)

The article from ThinkProgress goes on to say, "Republicans finally found a tax cut they didn’t like in the payroll tax holiday. What’s unusual about the payroll tax, which funds Social Security, is that cutting it almost entirely affects middle- and working- class people. Because the tax only applies to the first roughly $100,000 a person earns someone who makes $200,000 or $300,000 gets the same tax cut as someone making $100,000."

Read the rest of this amazing "feel-good" story (just kidding)
OK... read the rest of the article describing yet another Republican Party attack on the middle-class and working poor in its long-standing war against the working classes in: House GOP Rejects Tax Cuts For Middle Class @ ThinkProgress

Can the Middle Class Be Saved? - Magazine - The Atlantic

2011-09-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

Can the Middle Class Be Saved? - Magazine - The Atlantic

The Greater Recession: America Suffers from a Crisis of Productivity - Derek Thompson - Business - The Atlantic

2011-09-08T20:14:00.000-04:00

The Greater Recession: America Suffers from a Crisis of Productivity - Derek Thompson - Business - The Atlantic

Why the Republicans Want to Raise Your Taxes - US News and World Report

2011-09-08T20:09:00.000-04:00

Why the Republicans Want to Raise Your Taxes - US News and World Report

Why Political Reformers Should Be Careful What They Wish For - Edward Tenner - Politics - The Atlantic

2011-09-08T20:02:00.000-04:00

Why Political Reformers Should Be Careful What They Wish For - Edward Tenner - Politics - The Atlantic

Jobs Will Follow a Strengthening of the Middle Class - NYTimes.com

2011-09-08T19:54:00.000-04:00

The Limping Middle Class - NYTimes.com

20 Reasons To Thank Labor Unions

2011-09-05T14:48:00.000-04:00

20 Reasons To Thank Labor Unions | Addicting Info

REPORT: The American Middle Class Was Built By Unions And It Will Decline Without Them

2011-09-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

REPORT: The American Middle Class Was Built By Unions And It Will Decline Without Them | ThinkProgress

Hello Corporate Profits, Goodbye Worker Pay

2011-07-07T13:15:00.000-04:00

"Since World War II, there's never been a worse recovery for jobs and worker pay. And never a better one for corporate profits."

Read more from the Curious Capitalist blog at Time: Hello Corporate Profits, Goodbye Worker Pay - The Curious Capitalist - TIME.com

The final nail in the supply side coffin

2011-07-07T13:12:00.000-04:00

Taxes are low and corporate profits are high, but nothing is trickling down to the American worker.
Read more at Salon: The final nail in the supply side coffin - How the World Works - Salon.com

Sharia my aching arse...

2011-04-07T14:56:00.003-04:00

I would ask anyone who thinks there is a threat of Sharia Law being instituted ANYWHERE in this country to explain, using small words and visual aids, their justification for that contention.

Oh...There are some caveats:

a) Since we have a constitution and it contains some very SPECIFIC limits on church/synagogue/mosque influence over the state, what is happening in other countries, under other legal strictures is IRRELEVANT.

b) Any presumption that we are a "Christian nation" or that western religion is somehow inherently superior to, or more correct than, Islam is unsupportable, and IRRELEVANT.

c) There is no proof that ANY religion is correct in assuming there is a god - much less that the god in question is any more the correct one than was RA, Zeus, Yaweh, Jesus or the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

d) If your religion has a history that includes gratuitous violence, insurrections against the government, crusades, inquisitions or other horrors, you don't get to assume Islam won't become just as spineless and civil as the others did when exposed to Denim jeans, Coca Cola and Rock and Roll and pot.

Now, let's hear some reasoned arguments...

[ crickets.......................................... ]

I thought so.

What 52 Years Of Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Looks Like

2011-03-29T17:59:00.002-04:00

"Why has the federal tax burden on the nation’s 400 highest annual incomes decreased by two-thirds, while the median American family’s is on the rise?"

See the infographic from MoveOn: What 52 Years Of Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Looks Like @ MoveOn.Org

Wal Mart v. Dukes and the Matter of Size

2011-03-29T15:41:00.001-04:00

"Tomorrow the Court will hear arguments in one of the most important civil rights cases in the country’s history. Their decision will pave the way for further progress or stop it dead in its tracks. In Wal-Mart v. Dukes, one million employees take on the largest public corporation in the world in a case that could cost the company $1 billion. But this case is about something much bigger than $1 billion; it is about whether or not any American citizen will have the ability to try to stop illegal bias in the workplace. In David v. Goliath, the Supreme Court will decide who gets the slingshot."

"Consider this — it is infinitely cheaper to pay off one employee (or bury her in legal fees) and to continue the illegal pay disparity than it is to pay all employees what they should have been paid all along. By limiting the ability of similar individuals to act as a group, the Court will diminish the individuals’ power to challenge a bigger (and richer) wrong-doer. It is only the ability to challenge illegal bias as a group that renders the action economically viable for the plaintiffs (and yes, for the lawyers who work for them). Similarly, it is only the threat of action by a group that makes illegal bias economically un-viable for a corporation.

As it happens, in matters of law and money, size does matter.

If the Supreme Court upholds the Ninth Circuit and agrees that “mere size does not render a case unmanageable,” regular Americans will be able to challenge illegal bias in the workplace. If the Supreme Court strikes down the Ninth Circuit’s decision, they won’t."

Read the article at Truthout: Wal Mart v. Dukes and the Matter of Size

We Are One - April 4th

2011-03-29T14:27:00.001-04:00

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, where he had gone to stand with sanitation workers demanding their dream: The right to bargain collectively for a voice at work and a better life. The workers were trying to form a union with AFSCME.

Beginning with worship services over the April 1 weekend, and continuing through the week of April 4, unions, people of faith, civil and human rights activists, students and other progressive allies will host a range of community- and workplace-focused actions.

Join us in solidarity with working people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and dozens of other states where well-funded, right-wing corporate politicians are trying to take away the rights Dr. King gave his life for: the freedom to bargain, to vote, to afford a college education and justice for all workers, immigrant and native-born. It’s a day to show movement. Teach-ins. Vigils. Faith events. A day to be creative, but clear: We are one.

Visit the website at: We Are One April 4

Why Are Republicans Frightened of Poor People and Students?

2011-03-10T22:34:00.001-05:00

"The GOP’s legislative assault on everything and everyone that it doesn’t like continues unabated. The midterms ensured that the GOP will be able to push through changes that attempt to fundamentally change the political paradigm in this country. This is nothing new, Republicans are quite good at using government and the legislative process to proscribe political power and win elections."

"These proposals are nothing but a partisan ploy to depress the turnout of people whose peers tend to vote for the other side. Students, low-income Americans, and ex-felons are watching their rights and their voice, their political power, be legislated away. It’s time for all of us to stand up and say no."

Read the rest of the story at: We Are Now.org