Be INFORMED

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Senator Schumer:Democrats Jobs Plan

  Sen. Schumer gave a lecture on the economy and jobs at the Economic  Policy Institute on Thursday, which contained a draft of a  jobs plan including a Highway Bill, and a few other goodies. He also had a few choice words about the Republicans and their tax cut vision for creating new jobs.

   You can watch Schumer’s speech here.

     Prepared Remarks

The evidence is clear: the Republican approach of 'cut, cut, cut' over the last six months has undermined our economic recovery.

Toward the end of last year, the recovery was gaining momentum – GDP grew 2.6% in the third quarter and 3.1% in the fourth quarter. But in the first half of 2011, as the federal government increasingly withdrew support from the economy and Republicans continually blocked us from doing anything to create jobs, growth has fallen to less than 2%.

(snip)

The Republicans can say all they want that we can cut our way to prosperity, but is at odds with all the empirical evidence we have. We know from history, as well as from what we are seeing in other parts of the world right now, that cuts on the scale they have proposed in the middle of a recession will lead to lower economic growth and less job creation, not more.

We have now been playing entirely on the Republicans‘ field for six months and the recovery has only slowed. We have seen enough to know that their approach is not working.

  Then, he went where President Obama should have gone.

And we need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable question – are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012? It's one thing for them to block programs they have always opposed. But when they start to contradict themselves by opposing programs they have supported—such as pro-business tax cuts—we are left to wonder.

    I’m just sayin..

Friday, July 01, 2011

Friday Funnies: Holiday Edition

   America celebrates another birthday this July 4th weekend so all of you stay safe out on the roadways, and be careful with those fireworks.

Bill Maher: "Newt Gingrich said Republicans shouldn’t be afraid to go into black neighborhoods and tell them Obama failed them. To which every Republican replied 'You first.'"

"New Rule: Stop asking Miss USA contestants if they believe in evolution. It's not their field. It's like asking Stephen Hawking if he believes in hair scrunchies. Here's what they know about: spray tans, fake boobs and baton twirling. Here's what they don't know about: everything else. If I cared about the uninformed opinions of some ditsy beauty queen, I'd join the Tea Party."

Jimmy Kimmel: "Michele Bachmann is kind of like Sarah Palin but without the charisma — or marksmanship. You know, maybe we should stop telling kids that anyone can grow up to be president of the United States."

"Sarah Palin says she should be ready to make a decision on running for president by December 2012."

Conan O'Brien: "Sarah and Bristol Palin made an appearance at a book store. Apparently, it was 'Bring Your Daughter to a Place You Never Go Day.'"

"Yesterday Sarah Palin said that she read Bristol Palin's new book and she found it 'shocking.' When asked what was shocking, Palin said 'the fact I read a book.'"

Michele Bachmann said her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, is the birthplace of John Wayne, when it is actually the birthplace of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. She then said her favorite sitcom from the 80s is 'Charles Manson in Charge.'"

David Letterman: "Chris Wallace at Fox News asked Michele Bachmann if she is a flake. I think that's an insult to the fine folks at Kellogg's."

"Blagojevich said he was stunned by the verdict. Apparently, he wasn't paying attention during the trial."

Stephen Colbert: "She announced her presidency from Waterloo -- a name synonymous with victory."

“It is no secret that our economy is in the dumpster, because our economy knows the dumpster is where you can sometimes find old muffins.”

Craig Ferguson: "Whitey Bulger's brother was a politician. So one brother was operating in a world with no morals, dealing with the lowest of the low, and the other one was a mobster."

 

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Timothy Geithner Leaving The Treasury?

  That is the story coming from Bloomberg on Thursday, and this will be great if he leaves as he has done enough damage to the American economy as it is. Of course, he will probably go to work for Goldman Sachs and continue to screw Americans out of their cash on an individual basis.

Geithner, 49, has told associates he needs a break from government service after dealing with the turmoil that followed the collapse of Wall Street firms, including Bear Stearns Cos. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., first as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as Treasury secretary.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has signaled to White House officials that he’s considering leaving the administration after President Barack Obama reaches an agreement with Congress to raise the national debt limit, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Geithner hasn’t made a final decision and won’t do so until the debt ceiling issue has been resolved, according to one of the people. All spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions.

  Maybe this hood will be replaced with someone that we can believe in, such as Elizabeth Warren, which would really send the Republicans into a tizzy. There would be GOP exploding heads everywhere that you turned. How about some of that change that we can believe in, Barack?

Jon Stewart: Balancing The Budget

  Stewart tackled the Presidents news conference which he gave on Wednesday.

 

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Jon Stewart Still Ragging Fox News and Stephen Colbert Makes Fun Of Governor Rick Scott…

   …who has posted at his website a letter that his fans can send in to newspapers in the guise of letters to the editor praising him and the job that he has done thus far in Florida.

  Jon Stewart:

 

The Colbert Report

 

Fox News Viewership Declines Again…

…so one has to wonder if the viewers have finally figured out that the news channel is really a propaganda arm of the conservatives, and that maybe those viewers are tired of being rated as the most misinformed on current events.

   The latest Q2 2011 ratings have Fox News as being the only cable news network losing viewers year-over-year, while CNN had double-digit growth compared to the same period last year.

image

Primetime:

In M-F prime, CNN was up +16% in total viewers (725k vs. 625k) and +29% in the key demo (235k vs. 182k) compared to Q210, while MSNBC’s growth was less, increasing only 3% among total viewers (924k vs. 894k) and 13% in the demo 25-54 (277k vs. 245k).  Fox News continued to lose viewers vs. the same quarter a year ago, declining -6% in M-F prime total viewers (2.151m vs. 2.293m) and down -14% in the demo 25-54 (506k vs. 585k).

 

Jon Stewart Rags On Future Penitentiary Resident Rod Blagojevich

 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Michele Bachman: Fantasy Land

  So this clown kicked of her official run for the Republican presidential nomination today with some more of her factually inaccurate claims about the make-up of the Tea Party, claiming that the group is made up of folks from all over the political spectrum.

  She said:

The liberals, and to be clear I’m NOT one of them, want you to think the Tea Party is the Right Wing of the Republican Party. But it’s not. It’s made up of disaffected Democrats, independents, people who’ve never been political a day in their life, libertarians, Republicans. We’re people who simply want America back on the right track again.

    Gallup says that the Tea Party is massively made up of conservatives with 8 out of 10 saying that they are Republicans, and some 92% of strong supporters voted voted Republican in the 2010 elections.

  Michele, do you ever read any of the actual polling and statistics? Do you ever read?

Michele Bachman

  By flitedocnm    Full Post   Mon June 27, 2011

There are far, far too few good jobs, and far too few even crappy jobs. The middle class is in big trouble.

Let's say this again: the problem is JOBS.

People don't care if the Tea Party is the carefully orchestrated voice of corporate America. Nobody gives a damn that the solutions proposed by Bachmann and her ilk are exactly what got us into this mess.

Michele Bachmann should not be "misunderestimated". She is not stupid. Yes, she's on the far fringe of the right, and is championing ideas that are demonstrably economically suicidal for the middle class. And yes, she's a religious fundamentalist who is only too willing to invent facts, change history, and impose her narrow theocratic vision on this country. But advertising works, and fear is a powerful force.

This nation right now craves strong leadership. When Obama stood tall a few weeks back, and said that we would not allow the Republicans to decimate Medicare, his popularity soared.

If Obama caves to Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor on the debt ceiling, the exact opposite will happen.

Michele Bachmann will present herself as a strong leader. She is god and country. She has answers.

Does it matter that she's all bluster and window dressing, and that her ideas are nuts? Does the public care that there are no jobs because nothing has been done to curb corporate greed and Wall Street excess?

Not a whit.

Bachmann will define herself as the anti-Obama, the exact opposite of the President who has failed to provide jobs.

She could win the nomination.

Monday, June 27, 2011

The New Tea Party,Republican,Conservative Theme Song…

…and I got this idea from a website that I visited on Sunday. I would have liked to have been able to link to the site, but it seems that I neglected to bookmark it. I had to browse for quite some time to find the video, but I did finally find it.

   So, without further ado, my tribute to John Boehner,Mitch McConnell,Newt Gingrich,Mitt Romney, and all of the rest of the American Taliban members on the right side of the political spectrum. There also are a few so-called Democrats who belong here also.

I present to you Mr. Dennis Leary.

 

 

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Senate Republicans Kill Off 40 Year Old JOBS Bill…

….so the next time that John Boner Boehner in the House asks “ Where are the jobs?” just remind him that either he or Bitch Mitch McConnell and their partners in crime keep killing any jobs bills that would help the American citizens. All of this crap just to regain the White House in order to loot even more cash from the United States and to put the middle class down into the poverty class.

  By MinistryOfTruth @ Daily Kos   Sat Jun 25, 2011

On June 22nd, Senate Republicans filibustered to death yet ANOTHER jobs bill.

    This time Senate Republicans killed funding for a 40 year old program, the EDA (Economic Development Administration). I have written about this bill as it moved through Congress recently, but now it is DEAD, and we have Republican politicians and their voters to thank for it.

If you want JOBS, don't vote Republican.

via Steve Benen.

    The result is the apparent end of a program that even the most far-right members have embraced in the recent. Hell, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), arguably the Senate’s most right-wing member, held a workshop last year to help South Carolina businesses and organizations take advantage of EDA opportunities. Yesterday, DeMint led the fight to kill the EDA.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said last month that funds from an EDA grant “would pave the way for the creation of new jobs and business opportunities, which will strengthen the region’s economy.” He voted to kill the program, too.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said just two weeks ago that an EDA grant would bring “a much needed boost to the local economy.” He voted to kill the program, too.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has called EDA projects “key to our region’s future economic development.” He voted to kill the program, too.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) recently boasted, “I have long been a supporter of EDA programs.” He voted to kill the program, too.

It’s bad enough when Republicans rely on a bizarre ideology to stand in the way of good ideas. But what are we to think when Republicans won’t even allow a vote to fund a program they claim to like?

The Political Animal

I know what we ought to think.

We should all be thinking that Republicans are total assholes.

We should think that Senator Jim DeMint is Captain Asshole.

We should all see how obvious it is that the GOP is fighting to keep things as fucked up as possible. I mean, it's not like Republicans can run on Obama's bad economy if they just let Democrats go around fixing it. No, instead, Republicans are trying to throw a monkey wrench into the works by doing everything they can to keep a real recovery from taking place in America, because that would be good for Obama. Only assholes hope for more suffering, and if people aren't suffering by the time the 2012 elections roll around the GOP is going to be in deep shit, so it is very important to the near future of the Republican party that things suck as much as possible for the lower 98% of America.

Senate Democrats are trying to do something to create jobs, and Senate Republicans will not let them. They WANT things to get worse so they can blame it on Obama.

Just like any real patriot would. Nothing is more patriotic than causing suffering to your fellow citizens so you can score political points and undermine the President of the United States.

You know, real patriotic stuff.      

A bit more detail on the bill that was filibustered.

The EDA has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, and this reauthorization bill was introduced with bipartisan co-sponsorship and passed out of committee without any dissent from Republicans. But after two weeks of debate, the bill was unanimously filibustered by Republicans and has now been pulled from the floor.

Like the last jobs bill to die in the Senate, the bill was bogged down and ultimately killed by dozens of controversial and unrelated amendments that were submitted to it. Senate rules do not require amendments to be germane to the bill they are submitted to, so individual senators can choose to use any bill to force a vote on any of their pet issues. By the time the EDA bill was killed, 99 amendments had been submitted, and the list read like an overview of current hot-button political topics. The amendments included everything from raising the debt ceiling, to repealing health care reform, repealing financial regulatory reform, expanding offshore oil drilling, and more.

OpenCongress.org

    This is the GOP game plan every time: Waste as much time as possible, then vote NO, even if you used to support it before.

    Because we all know that what Republican voters REALLY wanted as they screamed "WHERE ARE THE JOBS!" before the 2010 elections is a bunch of Republican politicians who would kill any job initiative or jobs program they can. You see, according to assholes, what the American economy needs now more than ever is for the Republican party to kill every jobs creation bill possible so we can get down to what American workers really need, which is obviously more tax breaks for the rich.

Total assholery achieved.

So every single Republican voted to filibuster this jobs bill, and Ben Nelson (D-NE), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Amy Klobaucher (D-MN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) helped. Hooray for liberty.

At this point, I don't know who the biggest assholes are, the very wealthy GOP politicians and insiders, or the misinformed saps who voted for them and just cost themselves their own jobs, their Medicare, their Social Security, and all so they can pile on more tax breaks for the rich and Corporations as they fight to take our country back to the glory days of George W. Bush and Herbert Hoover.

Spiteful assholes, cynical fools, corrupt bastards, each and every one of them.

Because the last thing America needs right now is Economic Development. That would be good for Obama and bad for the GOP, so we can't have that.