There’s a really good reason we want to send Alan Grayson back to Congress: The man gets it, he expresses it, and he has fire in his belly. Here, on the Bill Maher show, he shuts down the idiots spouting “but what do they want?” and gives as succinct a summary of the Occupy Wall […]
On the one-year anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, thousands vowed to shut down New York’s financial center, and nearly as many New York Police vowed to prevent that. The NYPD gridlocked lower Manhattan with police checkpoints, making it harder for New Yorkers to get to work than to vote (NY […]
On September 17 last year, a spontaneous movement erupted that brought thousands together to change the way America looks at our democracy. One year later, thousands have gathered at ground zero of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Zucotti park, to re-occupy and remind America that there is still a whole lot of work to be […]
As activists gear up for a renewed Occupy Wall Street protest for Monday’s one year anniversary of the movement’s founding, the New York Police Department is gearing up the harassment and arrests. CODEPINK co-director Rae Abileah was arrested, also for no apparent reason; there is speculation that the NYPD had specific individuals targeted for arrest […]
By David Brin Somewhat turgid, overblown and self-righteous, an article by Sara Robinson on AlterNet nevertheless takes a look at the present Culture War that’s tearing America apart and calls it what it is. What I have long realized that it is. Nothing less than Phase Three of the American Civil War. In fact, I would couch things […]
By David Brin Much in the news is an effort by the Koch brothers – coal barons David and Charles – to seize complete control over the Cato Institute, which has long touted itself as the leading libertarian think tank in the United States. Staffers and fellows at Cato have been beating the drums of insurrection, calling for support […]
By David Brin Total Information Awareness? NSA (the National Security Agency) is building a mammoth electronic spy center in Utah. The $2 billion Utah Data Center, to be completed by Sept. 2013, will be five times the size of the US Capitol. Its purpose: to intercept, decipher and analyze torrents of information flowing through the […]
By David Brin In an earlier political posting I pointed out that the top federal income tax rate – for earned income – has seldom been lower than it is right now.. and the rate that Mitt Romney pays on dividends is half of that. Federal taxes, in general, are at one of the lowest points since 1912… suggesting […]
By David Brin To listen to Republicans, you would think we have the most oppressive tax rates ever, with the federal government hogging ever larger portions of the national economy. Ever hear of Orwellian anti-truth? That is where you repeat the exact opposite of the truth and people start believing it. But drop by and look at […]
By David Brin Russ Daggatt’s latest missive discusses whether the Stimulus Bill has had good effects. His analysis is well worth perusing… and spreading the link. My own take on things is more abstract. So let’s step back and examine how Democrats and Republicans have become identified with two quite opposite economic theories. We’ll start with the Republicans, […]
By David Brin Why should Mitt Romney and the fabled “one-percent” pay only a 15% marginal tax on investment income … half the rate charged to a dentist or auto mechanic on wages earned from work? This was not the case until recent Republican Congresses slashed taxes on passive, unearned dividends and capital gains. The rationale for […]
Watch the video of President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address (followed by the full text) Also, check out our analysis: State of the Environmental Union, 2012, and the GOP response here. Send a message to President Obama that you support him in taking stronger stances on the environment – either a basic message on […]
The Democratic Party is circulating talking points in advance of President Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight (at 9 pm EST, 6 pm PST). UPDATE: We’ve got the full text and video of the State of the Union here. Also, check out our analysis: State of the Environmental Union, 2012 Send a message to President […]
Last week, the Beltway narrative was quite firm: the race for the GOP nomination was over. Mitt Romney had won Iowa, he’d won New Hampshire, he was leading in the polls in South Carolina – why bother continuing to vote? Stick a fork in it and give him the crown. But a funny thing happened […]
As promised, a SuperPac associated with Newt Gingrich has released a killer video that shows just how much of a job-destroyer Mitt Romney was in his years as a venture capitalist. As President of Bain Capital, Romney epitomized everything that has gone horribly wrong with America: Talking piously about efficiency and restructuring, but in fact […]