May 7, 2012

Please rec to show your support for the people of France, England and Greece in

rejecting austerity against the 99% as the way forward.

Putting the screws to the non-hyper-wealthy is not only brutal and immoral, it has never ever been demonstrated to work:

How to End This Depression - Paul Krugman

Please rec this post if you've had enough of this austerity bullshit. Until this sickness stops, this depression doesn't stop: it's that simple.

May 2, 2012

We can start with the 2011 State of the Union Address

So we need to cut it, but not slash it, for future generations. Obama kept using this cute phraseology after the SOTU, until he got busted by the press:

Briefing room word games: What's a 'slash' versus a 'cut' in Social Security?

Then of course, last summer, during the fully-fake "eat your peas" budget crisis, Obama called for cuts in Social Security and other entitlements:

"We then offered an additional $650 billion in cuts to entitlement programs -- Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security." - Obama, July 22nd 2011

Offered is bad enough. But demanded? Rep. Conyers: Obama Demanded Social Security Cuts--Not GOP

Obama demanded Social Security cuts. That's awful.

And when we take into account the other maneuverings - Obama's Simpson-Bowles commission, repeated untruths about the original purpose of Social Security, bizarre assumption used by Obama's Social Security Trustees that force pessimistic projections, etc... It's bad, bad stuff.

March 26, 2012

Incredible: Single Payer way more popular than ObamaRomneyCare.

From today's NY Times:

Poll: 47% Disapprove of Health Care Law

More Americans continue to disapprove of the federal health care legislation than support it, with a deep partisan divide underscoring their views, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll.

Passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act has never won the support of most Americans in surveys by The Times and CBS News, highlighting the Obama administration’s lack of success in winning over the general public to its signature domestic accomplishment.

...

More independents agree with Republicans about the law than with Democrats, with 51 percent of these important swing voters saying they disapprove of it.

by contrast, polls have consistently shown that two-thirds of Americans want Medicare for All

Medicare for Alll would cost a hell of a lot less than ObamaRomneyCare, is clearly constitutional, and people actually want it, bigtime. But it requires political courage: politicians saying "no" to some of the 1%.

So here we are.

March 24, 2012

WTF is wrong with Bernie Sanders? Seriously.

Yesterday, the Senate took a BIG bipartisan step in helping our economy by passing Eric Cantor's JOBS Act. The House previously approved it, and President Obama will sign it.

Practical people like Eric Cantor, Chuck Schumer, you and me understand that our economy is being held back by all of those Washington regulations on Wall Street. If only Wall Street could be free of its regulatory shackles, the 1% could take what's left to be took, and the country would be better off.

But nuts like Sanders won't let go, all they do is whine! Here's how Sanders greeted this breakthrough:

"At best, this bill could make it easier for con artists to defraud seniors out of their entire life savings by convincing them to invest in worthless companies. At worst, this bill has the potential to create the next Enron or Arthur Andersen scandal or an even worse financial crisis.

Have we learned nothing? Deregulating Wall Street led to the worst financial crisis since the 1930s. Now the same people who caused this horrible recession are telling us that more Wall Street deregulation will create jobs. Give me a break. I strongly support providing small businesses with the tools they need to create jobs. Sadly, that's not at all what this bill will do."

And that Mary Schapiro, the commie running the Securities and Exchange Commission? She whined to the Senate:

“Too often, investors are the target of fraudulent schemes disguised as investment opportunities... As you know, if the balance is tipped to the point where investors are not confident that there are appropriate protections, investors will lose confidence in our markets, and capital formation will ultimately be made more difficult and expensive.”

Incredible! Don't they realize that the free market will regulate itself? It's never failed yet.

Let's drink a toast together to the new spirit of bipartisanship in Congress. Last November it was the three Bush "free" trade bills, yesterday Wall Street deregulation... who can predict what's next? Maybe Newt will get his wish and they can end those meddlesome nanny-state child labor protections.

January 26, 2012

Why is DU down on Geithner? He did the dirty work that needed to be done.

If I recall correctly, Geithner was one of the few people willing to put Elizabeth Warren in her place when she tried to find out what happened during the Wall Street meltdown:

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That woman is scary! If she unseats Scott Brown, the job creators will get the vapors and we'll all pay for it.

January 24, 2012

Can't people on DU find forgiveness in their hearts?

I'm continually amazed by the callousness I find on DU.

Our President wants to put the robo-signing mess behind us. Why is that so controversial? Have we become so hardened that we cannot find a little forgiveness in our hearts?

Sure, these good folks committed perjury that wrecked many thousands of lives - but not once did they commit perjury about their own personal sex lives. And they sure as hell didn't smoke pot. Given these facts, I believe that they are not a danger to society. And I hope that you'll join me in cheering the end of the private Hells that these bankers have been living in.

Tomorrow is a new day. Let's forgive and forget.

January 14, 2012

So we're slashing more government jobs in a Depression

We're going to merge government agencies to "cut waste and duplication". That's just brilliant. Hoover-licious. And it seems the the newly neoliberal world of DU loves it, just loves it.

Remember that FDR joker? He started programs to give people makework, just to have an excuse to give them government cash that wasn't welfare. And we can see how that bullshit worked out: unemployment dropped 40% in four years, and the economy grew at 8% a year. Those poor bastards didn't know how awful they had it, what with things getting better and all.

Thank God we don't have to worry ourselves over the prospect of unemployment dropping 40% in four years, and the economy growing at 8% a year. Bank profits would go down or some other bad thing, no doubt.

January 5, 2012

Hey purists: there's NO WAY Obama could have recess appointed Elizabeth Warren to head CFPB

NO WAY. The REPUBLICANS would have BLOCKED IT.

Now we have a SUCCESSFUL appointment, thanks to our president's FAR-SIGHTED and POLITICALLY-REALISTIC moves.

So pull your heads out of your butts and drink a BIG STEAMING CUP OF REALITY.

January 4, 2012

I can confidently identify tonight's winner

NotRomney won tonight, by a 3:1 margin. Romney is second, Paul third.

It will be interesting to see which NotObama ends up running in the general election against the NotRepublican. Hopefully the NotRepublican wins.