Be INFORMED

Saturday, June 25, 2011

American Taliban Heel: Governor Rick Scott

  No shock to the system for those of us who keep up with politics, especially when it comes to those Taliban members of the GOP who have taken to thinking that they are in a communist state.

  Florida governor Rick Scott is one such crook,and I present to you his latest antics when it comes to bringing more jobs to Florida.

   By way of Christine Stapleton @ Palm Beach Post

    Gov. Rick Scott visited the South Florida Water Management District headquarters this morning for the ceremonial signing of a bill that cuts the district's property tax revenue by about $128 million and is expected to cause many of the district's 1,933 workers to lose jobs, salaries or benefits.

     Speaking for several minutes before a sparse crowd, the Republican governor said the bill fulfilled his campaign promise to cut taxes, streamline government and hold agencies responsible for their spending.

     "The most important thing to creating jobs is lowering taxes," Scott said. "We've had great success in job creation."

     Asked if he had any comment for the workers in the district's headquarters who would lose their jobs as a result of the bill, Scott said he was focused on building private sector jobs.

     "It is a bit of an insult to the people of South Florida for the Governor to fly down on his private plane to offer the average homeowner a tax cut that amounts to less than 50 cents a week, just as our region is experiencing water supply shortage of such great magnitude," said Kirk Fordham, CEO of the Everglades Foundation.

     State Rep. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, did not attend the signing but issued a statement later saying the governor "behaved insensitively" by appearing at the district to sign the bill on the verge of staff cuts.

     "We can agree to disagree on the merits of the bill the governor signed, but to come to Palm Beach County and rub salt in the wounds of people who will soon go home to their families unemployed is insulting and unnecessarily cruel," Clemens said.       

     Rick Scott: ASSHOLE AT LARGE

Friday, June 24, 2011

Friday Funnies

Copyright © 2011 Universal Press Syndicate

Cagle Cartoons

 

Copyright © 2011 Creators Syndicate

 

David Letterman :“New Republican Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is fluent in Chinese. In a short period of time the Republicans have come quite a long way. The last Republican president wasn't even fluent in English."

Jon Stewart: "No! Not Captain Buzzkill! Not the guy who looks like everyone who ever fired your dad! He's gonna suck all the fun right out of this crazy thing. Just look at the online video announcing his run. It looks like it could double as an ad for erectile dysfunction pills. 'Mitt Romney: for when the moment's right.'"

Conan O'Brien : "Lenscrafters is upset with Tea Partier Michele Bachmann because she called Planned Parenthood 'the Lenscrafters of abortion.' Lenscrafters released a statement today calling her 'the Costco of crazy.'"

Jay Leno: "Did you see that video where a crying baby is handed to President Obama? As soon as the president holds the baby it stops crying. Do you know how rare that is these days; that a politician is handed a baby from a crowd and it's not his?"

"That's pretty amazing. The baby stopped crying as soon as the president held it. Obama should try that with John Boehner."

"Sarah Palin has canceled the rest of her bus trip around America. She had to quit before she got to Mount Rushmore and somebody asked her to name the Presidents.”

Conan O'Brien: "Today Sarah Palin canceled her bus tour, reportedly canceling dates in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire. When asked why, Palin answered: 'It turns out those places are nowhere near each other.'"

Social Security Under Attack…

…and this should come as no surprise to anyone as you should have known that the Republicans would be placing a target on this most popular program for retirees. Yes, once again, the American Taliban and the Koch Brothers are pushing for privatization of Social Security as well as a rise in the retirement age to the age of 69.

   It is class warfare and you and I are on the losing end of this stick at this point in time only because we have a weak leader in the White House who has a bunch of wimps helping him in both the House and the Senate. Thus far, the majority of the Democrats have been both spineless and gutless when it comes to doing battle against the Republicans and their corporate masters. Let us not forget that quite a few of the Democrats are also bought and paid for by the likes of the Koch brothers and big business. I’m wondering lately if President Obama is also in the midst of the group.

  Let us listen to a little bit of the dirt in the Koch brother’s closet, and to who the two donate some of  their cash to. It seems that spreading falsehoods and misinformation to the general public is an expensive task.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dismal Times For You, Great Times For The Wealthy

   Take a look at this from Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management World Report for 2011. It would seem that High net worth individuals (HNWIs) are doing just fine in this economy of “ sacrifice ).

Globally, HNWIs’ financial wealth grew 9.7% in 2010 to reach US$42.7 trillion, surpassing the 2007 pre-crisis peak. The global population of HNWIs grew 8.3% to 10.9 million. Regionally:
––The population of HNWIs in Asia-Pacific, at 3.3 million individuals, is now the second-largest in the world behind North America, and ahead of Europe for the first time. The combined wealth of Asia-Pacific HNWIs had already topped Europe’s in 2009, and that
gap widened in 2010.
––Europe’s HNWI wealth totaled US$10.2 trillion after growing 7.2% in 2010, while Asia-Pacific HNWI wealth was US$10.8 trillion, up 12.1%.
––North American HNWI wealth hit US$11.6 trillion in 2010, up 9.1%.
––Latin America saw another modest gain (6.2%) in its HNWI population in 2010 and HNWI wealth rose 9.2%. The Latin America HNWI segment has proved relatively resilient and stable in recent years (the number of HNWIs shrank just 0.7% in 2008) and HNWI wealth is now up 18.1% from 2007.

--India’s HNWI population entered the Top 12 for the first time and Australia edged up another notch to No. 9.

Over time, the HNWI population is very gradually becoming more fragmented across the globe, but its geographic distribution in 2010 was much the same overall as it has been, and 53.0% of the world’s HNWIs were still concentrated in the U.S., Japan, and Germany. Ultra-HNWIs posted slightly stronger-than-average gains in their numbers and wealth. The global population of Ultra-HNWIs grew by 10.2% in 2010 andits wealth by 11.5%. As a result, Ultra-HNWIs accounted for 36.1% of global HNWI wealth, up from 35.5%, while representing only 0.9% of the global HNWI population.

   Of course, the wealthy in the United States are doing extremely well in our tough economy, no major shock there, is there?

The population of HNWIs in North America rose 8.6% in 2010 to 3.4 million, after rising 16.6% in 2009. Their wealth rose 9.1% to US$11.6 trillion. The U.S. is still home to the single largest HNW segment in the world, with its 3.1 million HNWIs accounting for 28.6% of the global HNWI population.

   Still, the Republicans and more than a few Democrats want to give these hoods, most who pay little to no taxes, even more tax cuts while states have to cut their budgets by firing teachers,and basically busting unions of firefighters and police. Let us not forget the pension scam being run by all states under Republican control.

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Those Outsourced Jobs

Tenn. Factory Worker Tells Truth About Outsourcing

By  The Electrical Worker @ Daily Kos   Wed Jun 22, 2011  

Employees of the Philips lighting fixture plant in Sparta, Tenn., were among those honored for their efforts to keep an award-winning light fixture plant from moving to Mexico June 20.

They were invited to tell their story before 400 people at the annual awards celebration sponsored by the labor rights organization American Rights at Work in Washington, D.C.

Bo McCurry, a 25-year employee, told the crowd

I’m here today on behalf of a group of people who are losing their jobs in Sparta, Tennessee. But more than that, I’m here today on behalf of every family in America -every community and economy that is suffering for the same reason that we are -a European-owned company is abusing our trade laws and taking our jobs.    

I want to speak today to every person who has ever considered holding a share of Philips stock, bought a Philips light bulb or installed a Philips light fixture - because you’re not going to like what they’re doing with your money.  What they’re doing is not good for America, for Sparta, for me and my family. But it’s not even good for the company and stockholders, in the long run.

The factory had received numerous awards over the years for excellence, including being named one of North America’s top 10 plants by Industry Week magazine in 2009.

But without explanation, Netherlands-based Philips – which purchased the factory in 2007 – announced last fall that it was shutting down it down and moving most of the work to Mexico by 2012, putting 275 workers out of a job.

As industry analyst Kevin Meyer wrote about the closure announcement, it was:

Yet another decision completely disconnected from business reality … Build a new plant, hire a couple hundred new people at a cheaper wage, training them, and deal with initial quality issues. Somehow that is cheaper than preserving the knowledge, creativity, and experience of a couple hundred employees at a 46-year old facility that has reinvented itself.

The Sparta plant would be the sixth U.S. Philips facility outsourced since 2007.

Says McCurry:

America – we’ve got to pay attention here. There is a reason that the Euro has been doing so well while the dollar has not.  There is a reason that we have more people dealing cards in casinos than running lathes in this country. We’ve been asleep at the wheel while other countries have bought up all of our factories and then taken our globally competitive business and put it in other places. They pocket all of the profits – we let them do that – but now, we don’t even have an opportunity to make a living by making that money for them.

Go to www.tellphilips.com for more information.

Originally posted to The Electrical Worker on Wed Jun 22, 2011 at 08:38 AM PDT.
Also republished by Class Warfare Newsletter: The Plutocracy VS the Working Class.

 

“Weird Al" Does Lady Gaga

    I’m in the mood for nothing but dumb crap today so I present to you this video of  “ Weird Al “  Yankovic doing his take on Lady Gaga’s  “ Born this way “ (C) 2011 Volcano Entertainment III, LLC, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

2012 Political Bumper Sticks…

….are slowly coming out and appearing on an automobile near you so I’ve taken the time to round up a few shots of the most popular ones out thus far Actually,these came to me in an email.

 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Jon Stewart On Fox News Sunday

   I missed the exchange between Stewart and host Chris Wallace on Sunday’s show because I have the propaganda network (Fox) blocked on my television.

  From what I have seen and heard this morning, I missed a good show. Stewart did tell Wallace that Fox News viewers were the most misinformed when it came to current events and I would have loved to have been sitting next to a die-hard Fox viewer when Stewart said that. He should have held up a “ stupid “ sign at the same time.

Now, what you may have seen on the show was the FoxNews edited version of a snippet of the interview. The following is what Fox cut out. There is quite a difference.

 

Now, what you saw on the television.

 

Last,but not least, the entire episode. Have to click the link because the Fox video will not embed.

 

Voter Fraud?

E.J. Dionne Jr. at  The Washington Post had a little write up about the GOP’s efforts to make voting next to impossible for low-income and minority voters, all under the guise of cracking down on the almost non-existent voter fraud issue.

An attack on the right to vote is underway across the country through laws designed to make it more difficult to cast a ballot. If this were happening in an emerging democracy, we’d condemn it as election-rigging. But it’s happening here, so there’s barely a whimper.

The laws are being passed in the name of preventing “voter fraud.” But study after study has shown that fraud by voters is not a major problem — and is less of a problem than how hard many states make it for people to vote in the first place. Some of the new laws, notably those limiting the number of days for early voting, have little plausible connection to battling fraud.

   The general public is not complaining about this problem yet only because they have not had to go change their addresses and/or their state i.d.’s yet. As has been noted before, the senior citizens will have problems at voting time because many of them do not have a driver license, and collage kids will be pressed to get an i.d. because the republicans have made it no longer acceptable to use their collage issued i.d.’s.

   The only true voter fraud is being done by the states in which the republicans are getting away with this kind of bullshit.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Pardon Me, Sir. Your Reality Check Bounced

By  citizen blues     Sat Jun 18, 2011    

         “ … Down with Obama! ‎....and down with pansy cry-baby democrats who want big government  and out of control spending and stimulus plans that don't work!!! HA!”   ( Comment made on Facebook)

      I am a Democrat and I do NOT want big government. I want efficient government. I am tired of driving on potholes. I do not begrudge paying my taxes, but I expect others to do the same. It’s shameful that I pay a higher percentage in taxes on my unemployment benefits than multi-millionaires do on their fortunes. Where’s the “shared sacrifice?” If you think there’s fairness in that, then your reality check has bounced.

      All I hear from the Republicans is the need to cut……. And cut they did. The extension for the COBRA subsidy wasn’t even on the table during the last fight to extend unemployment benefits. So I lost my private health insurance because $475 per month was not economically sustainable while I await the miracle cure for asthma.  The one bright spot I see is that thanks to “Obamacare” my student insurance can no longer exclude “pre-existing conditions,” which means I can actually get treatment for my asthma.       

      Yet the Republicans keep talking about cutting more……. This time it’s Medicare. It will be my generation that gets double hit since we’ve already paid 30 years into Medicare and will continue to pay into a system that won’t be there when we need it. If I can’t purchase affordable health insurance now, what’s the likelihood of it when I’m 20 years older and living on a fixed income?

      And the Republicans keep talking about cutting even more…….. Many of them don’t even believe what they’re saying. They parrot the talking points while counting on the Democrats to oppose them so their legislation doesn’t pass. April 15th of this year, Republicans introduced a budget that was even more extreme than Paul Ryan’s. When the Democrats collectively changed their votes from “no” to “present,” chaos ensued on the house floor. Once the Republicans saw their budget was going to pass, many of them frantically changed their votes to “no.” Their bluff was called and they killed their own bill. Even Republicans recognized the absurdity of their budget proposal and acted accordingly.

      How about sitting down to have a real conversation? Do we need to get a handle on the national debt? Yes. Absolutely. I don’t know of anyone who disputes that. Does the Paul Ryan budget plan reduce the deficit? Yes, it does. In 10 years. What does it do for the deficit now? Nothing. Nada. Nil. For the first three years of Ryan’s plan, every single spending cut is matched with a tax cut for the wealthy so the overall reduction of the federal deficit is $0.00! Yep, that’s right. Three years of zilch. Zip. Way to go on the voodoo economics, Paul!

      Let’s connect a few dots here for those who are challenged with rubber reality checks. You, my friend, are paying $4 per gallon for gas. Exxon-Mobile had record breaking 1st quarter profits this year, paid nothing in taxes, collected a tax rebate and is still raking in your tax dollars in the form of federal subsidies. Exxon, you get to advance to “GO” and collect $200 million - again.

      I wrote a letter to the editor of my local newspaper back in December applauding Republican Senator Coburn from Oklahoma for insisting that the 9/11 First Responders Bill be paid for in the budget before it was passed. I commended the Senator on his fiscal sensibility and lamented that we don’t see more of that from both Democrats and Republicans. The problem I had was that Senator Coburn and his Republican colleagues were all too busy stampeding to extend the Bush Tax Cuts to bother asking how we were going to pay for those.

      Our country’s budget deficit = an increase in spending to fund two wars + reduction in revenue through tax cuts. This is not algebra. This is basic, simple math. We are not going to cut our way out of this deficit. It’s too big for that. We are going to have to increase our income. It will take both.

      But what do I know? I’m just “a pansy cry-baby democrat who wants big government and out of control spending…”

Originally posted to citizen blues on Sat Jun 18, 2011
Also republished by Community Spotlight.