Citizens United decision is taking us further down the path of corporate slavery and a Corporate Aristocracy.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Koch oil billionaires seek demise of democracy
Tea party is "grassroots" and oil subsidies are needed to support a troubled industry - yeah right.
Another reason campaign finance reform is needed ASAP!!
Runaway Military Spending Edges Out Education
Apparently spending on the military is much more important than educating our children because obviously educated people vote to cut military spending
Biofuels: Autos compete with fuel for the body
Plagued by politics
Biofuels are an example of what not to do
A special report on feeding the world Feb 24th 2011 | from the print edition
The wrong shade of green
“THIS is the craziest thing we’re doing,” says Peter Brabeck, the chairman of Nestlé. He is talking about government biofuels targets which require a certain proportion of national energy needs to be met from renewable fuels, most of them biofuels (ie, ethyl alcohol made from crops, usually maize or sugar).
Oil companies begin demonstrating why we cant eliminate their subsidies
"Every penny increase in the cost of a gallon of gas tears more than a billion dollars from the economy each year, experts say. It takes those dollars out of the hands of people who might spend them in their communities -- at restaurants and craft shops, or on the services of the local carpenter -- and sends them instead to large oil companies."
This is what the oil companies will say when we discuss eliminating oil subsidies. There will be some short term pain but this is the only way to ween ourselves from foreign oil and begin making the transition to sustainable clean energy
Clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com
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Bahrain, Business News, Economic Recovery, Egypt, Lybia, Middle East, Middle East Protests, Oil, Oil Small Business, Small Business, Small Business America,
Business News
Sharon James, co-owner of a carpet-cleaning company in the San Francisco Bay Area, thought her business was finally recovering from the Great Recession.
(Are rising gas prices affecting your daily life? Tell your story below.)
After a difficult 2010, in which sales dropped five percent, it seemed that business at Stanley Steemer was starting to pick up. Former customers came back. The spring-like weather in the community of San Leandro made people more willing to spend money, she said. Her Stanley Steemer franchise, part of a larger company, was poised to benefit from a new advertisement on national television. She planned to hire four new technicians in anticipation of extra business in the spring.
Then, oil prices soared.
"Every day that I see on the news that it's gone up over a hundred dollars a barrel, I cringe," James said. "That's coming out of our profit line."
Oil prices have spiked in recent weeks, as purchasers fear upheaval in the Middle East could disrupt the world's supply. A higher oil price translates into higher gas prices for consumers and higher transportation costs for businesses. Small businesses, which create 70 percent of the nation's jobs, according to government estimates, have been hit especially hard.
Just as the economy has begun showing signs that a real recovery is gathering momentum, high fuel prices now threaten to impede progress. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, an industry benchmark, has risen 20 percent since the beginning of the year, going from about $95 to nearly $114. It's the highest price since the fall of 2008, after a summer of record-high oil prices helped drag the economy into recession.
Every penny increase in the cost of a gallon of gas tears more than a billion dollars from the economy each year, experts say. It takes those dollars out of the hands of people who might spend them in their communities -- at restaurants and craft shops, or on the services of the local carpenter -- and sends them instead to large oil companies.
Given that consumer spending makes up roughly two-thirds of economic activity, that's a considerable concern: Recent surveys have shown marked improvement in so-called consumer confidence, but as the numbers increase at the gas pump, so does worry about the future, sowing a new reluctance to spend.
"I don't think the economy is going to contract, but it is going to cause consumers and business to rethink their spending plans and hiring for this year," said Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group, who until recently stood out as one of the more optimistic forecasters. "Uncertainty and instability will cast a big cloud."
James' carpet-cleaning company in the Bay Area has poured money into fuel in the weeks since protests began in the Middle East. Gasoline powers the eight trucks the business sends out daily and also the machines it uses to clean carpets, upholstery and hardwood floors. Each truck typically uses a full tank of gas every day.
In January of 2010, the business' fuel cost, its largest expense after payroll, was $4,966, James said. In January of this year, it was $6,572, an increase of 32 percent. James dreads seeing February's bill.
Weak DEMS Capitulate to Noisy GOP?
Stop cutting our benefits and start collecting taxes from the wealthy individuals and corporations.
Stop blaming govt. pensions and social security and cut military spending.
Stop subsidizing the most profitable industries in the world and start subsidizing sustainable clean energy.
Clipped from act.credoaction.com
Tell Democratic Leadership: Don't cave to Republican extremists on the budget.
It's breathtaking to think that the Republicans would risk a government shutdown because Democrats won't unilaterally capitulate to their demands for concessions in some of the most intractable ideological wars of our time.
But last week the House passed and sent to the Senate for consideration an extremist's wish list under the guise of the "Continuing Resolution." The Continuing Resolution (CR) is a must-pass bill that is necessary to maintain funding for the federal government while Congress debates the 2011 budget.
Democrats must stand their ground. But progressive champions in the Senate won't be able to fight if their leadership preemptively cuts a deal with Republicans.
Unfortunately, such a deal may already be underway. The Huffington Post has reported that Democratic leadership and key Appropriations Committee staffers met Thursday to identify cuts in social spending drastic enough to appease Republican demands for devastating spending reductions.1
Friday, February 25, 2011
Obama's Proposed Budget Pumps Up Support for Electric Cars, Bipartisanship Hard to Come By | PluginCars.com
So how much of the GOP preference for SUVs and gas guzzling autos is tied to their macho ego?
Factory Farming Partly to Blame for Obesity and Spiraling Cost of Healthcare
Let's see if I can frame this picture for you. Large corporations continue to put small farmers out of business / and/or acquiring them. Those larger corporations have to produce better profits every quarter to satisfy their shareholders. They increase their profits by selling MORE for LESS. That means hiring illegal immigrants who they let go when they are not needed. They inject more and more of their animals with anti-biotics and steriods (which must be expensive too) to help them grow faster and larger. Crowd those suckers into a smaller area.
All the while they get subsidies from the US Govt.
And remember those small farmers that were put out of business. If they are in need of "help" getting by, that is seen as welfare and they are lazy bastards sucking on the welfare tit of government.
But hey, you get artificially low prices for chicken, pork, and beef so you can EAT MORE, rather than eating more vegetables as a percentage of your diet, not getting fat and unhealthy, not needing extra medical care - Oh wait, that's not covered by your health insurance policy because that's a preexisting condition.
Lesson here is: Its ok for corporations to get subsidies but not ok for people.
Clipped from www.themeatrix.com
Learning about sustainable food and the problems with factory farming can be daunting, but with a little effort you can quickly learn enough to make the safest and wisest food choices for you and your family.
Here, we introduce you to the major issues surrounding sustainable agriculture and factory farming. Below we’ve provided simple overviews of the issues – click on the headers to read the full report!
Additives
Much of the food we find at today’s supermarkets is highly processed and contains numerous food additives. These substances are used to change the way food tastes and looks (altering the color and texture), to improve the nutritional quality of foods (adding vitamins and minerals), and to increase the food’s shelf life to prevent spoilage.
Air Pollution
Industrial farms produce massive amounts of animal waste that is known to release greenhouse gasses into the air. Aside from the air pollution that comes from farm waste, the industrialized food system also burns significant amounts of fossil fuels to power the trucks that distribute products.
Animal Welfare
As farms have become more industrialized, animals have become more of a commodity. They are considered units of production, rather than living, breathing beings, and as a result these animals are treated inhumanely. But increasingly, more and more consumers are demanding better treatment of animals.
Antibiotics
Because of the crowded and unsanitary conditions on factory farms, animals are often fed low doses of antibiotics. Antibiotics are also used to make the animals grow faster. This is contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is important because ecosystems rely on the interaction of a variety of plant and animal species, and because various breeds of animals and plants have valuable genetic material. Industrial agriculture is one among many unsustainable human activities that has lead to rapid decreases in the world’s biodiversity.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Mexico Surpasses Iraq and Afghanistan in War Fatalities
This is not news. It happened a long time ago. Why doesn't the Mexican government BEG America to LEGALIZE IT! Because they are Right Wing, Bible Thumping Bush fans?
If its not the drug cartels, its the monopolies silencing the media so why care who does it?
Funny, manufacturing moves from Mexico to China and the number of impoverished in Mexico and illegal immigrants from Mexico increase significantly... You should hear about who the agriculture immigrants are and who they work for in the US and what forced them into unemployment.
Clipped from www.npr.org
Enlarge Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA military police officer patrols at the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico, in March.
Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesA military police officer patrols at the scene of a murder in Juarez, Mexico, in March.
Second of five parts
Mexico has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. So far this year, eight reporters have been gunned down. Last week, five were reported kidnapped — four of them in Durango state and one in Zacatecas state.
Some 25,000 people have been killed over the last 3 1/2 years in drug-related violence.
Unbiased information has also been a casualty.
Journalists in some parts of the country have stopped covering the drug trade entirely after their colleagues have been kidnapped, killed or threatened. Others say they have limited reporting on crime to only what is in official government press releases. Some even say they report whatever the local cartels order them to print.
"This record level of violence is really unprecedented," says Carlos Lauria, head of the Americas program at the Committee to Protect Journalists.
By the organization's tally, more than 30 Mexican reporters have been killed or have disappeared since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels in December 2006.
"We only see these numbers (of murdered journalists) in conflict ridden countries like Iraq and Somalia," Lauria says.
Bush Administration's Arrogant Certainty Applied to War
Funny. Critics of Obama say he's arrogant. Perhaps. But he's trying to do the right things for American people and people worldwide. His values are spot on.
Meanwhile, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush oversold the Invasion of Iraq. Smart. All this to get OIL contracts?
Meanwhile, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush oversold the Invasion of Iraq. Smart. All this to get OIL contracts?
Rumsfeld Blames the Intelligence Community on the Mistakes of Iraq
You are the top man responsible and you are blaming the intelligence community! Meanwhile your thinktanks produced papers explicitly detailing how and why Iraq should be invaded PRIOR to 9/11.
Rumsfeld Denies Hard Sell of WMD in Iraq
He's making money now selling his book and thousands. no wait.. millions of heartland conservatives with guns will read his book and buy into his story...
Now he is BACKTRACKING on what he said then...
THIS IS WHAT LYING LOOKS LIKE! It doesn't hit you in the hit th moment they say it. You find out later you dingbats!
Now he is BACKTRACKING on what he said then...
THIS IS WHAT LYING LOOKS LIKE! It doesn't hit you in the hit th moment they say it. You find out later you dingbats!
GOP targets teachers pay and benefits to reduce budget deficit?
So the State and Federal tax revenues are down because the banking giants gambled with subprime mortgages which they then sold to pension fund managers. The funds lose a lot of money and instead of pressing the bankers for some of their billions, the GOP goes after teachers with a $50,000 salary?
Certainly Teacher Unions are partially to blame for schools not performing better but Union membership is at an all time low. The Financial CORPORATIONS are sitting on all time HIGH profits but teachers' unions and pensions are the scapegoat and target for budget cuts?
WHO VOTES FOR THESE PEOPLE? Fools who only watch Fox News?
Clipped from www.nytimes.com
How Chris Christie Did His Homework
Mark Peterson for The New York TimesBy MATT BAI
Published: February 24, 2011
Like a stand-up comedian working out-of-the-way clubs, Chris Christie travels the townships and boroughs of New Jersey, places like Hackettstown and Raritan and Scotch Plains, sharpening his riffs about the state’s public employees, whom he largely blames for plunging New Jersey into a fiscal death spiral. In one well-worn routine, for instance, the governor reminds his audiences that, until he passed a recent law that changed the system, most teachers in the state didn’t pay a dime for their health care coverage, the cost of which was borne by taxpayers.
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And so, Christie goes on, forced to cut more than $1 billion in local aid in order to balance the budget, he asked the teachers not only to accept a pay freeze for a year but also to begin contributing 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health care. The dominant teachers’ union in the state responded by spending millions of dollars in television and radio ads to attack him.
“The argument you heard most vociferously from the teachers’ union,” Christie says, “was that this was the greatest assault on public education in the history of New Jersey.” Here the fleshy governor lumbers a few steps toward the audience and lowers his voice for effect. “Now, do you really think that your child is now stressed out and unable to learn because they know that their poor teacher has to pay 1½ percent of their salary for their health care benefits? Have any of your children come home — any of them — and said, ‘Mom.’ ” Pause. “ ‘Dad.’ ” Another pause. “ ‘Please. Stop the madness.’ ”
Fwd: War is Good For the Aviation Industry
Dont forget we subsidize Boeing with low interest loans and taxpayer funded research so they dont have to.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it has selected Boeing to supply a new generation of aerial refueling tankers in a deal worth more than $30 billion.
"Boeing was a clear winner," Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said after Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley announced the winner of the years-long competition.
Donley said Boeing beat out its archrival, European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), to provide 179 tankers in the first phase of the program to replace the aerial refueling fleet. He indicated that both companies met all 372 mandatory requirements of the contract but that Boeing submitted the lower bid.
The tanker is to be designated the KC-46A, and the first planes are to be delivered by 2017, Donley said.
"This was a spirited competition, with both offerers acquitting themselves well," he told a Pentagon news conference.
The competition for the contract ...
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=83ec2509bf3a25326feb21e000af5e16
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Conservatives prefer to deal with social issies instead of creating jobs
GOP wants government out of their lives when it involves taxes and guns, butthey get in everyone elses face about marijuana and gay rights.
NEW YORK — Angered conservatives are vowing to make same-sex marriage a front-burner election issue, nationally and in the states, following the Obama administration’s announcement that it will no longer defend the federal law denying recognition to gay married couples.
"The ripple effect nationwide will be to galvanize supporters of marriage," said staff counsel Jim Campbell of Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group.
On the federal level, opponents of same-sex marriage urged Republican leaders in the House of Representatives to intervene on their own to defend the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, against pending court challenges.
"The president has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging Congress," said Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. "It is incumbent upon the Republican leadership to respond by intervening to defend DOMA, or they will become complicit in the president’s neglect of duty."
Conservatives also said they would now expect the eventual 2012 GOP presidential nominee to highlight the marriage debate as part of a challenge to Obama, putting the issue on equal footing with the economy.
Gay rights activists welcomed Wednesday’s announcement from the Justice Department, sensing that it would bolster the prospects for same-sex marriage in the courts. Among Democrats in Congress, there was praise for Obama’s decision and talk of proposing legislation to repeal the law altogether.
"I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It was the wrong law then; it is the wrong law ...
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bostonherald/news/~3/hOCTboEcDos/view.bg
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US Senators Brainwashed by American Military to Keep War Going
FUD To bolster military spending, sounds like the cold war years.
Either we haven't learned that this is obvious or we dont care?
Meanwhile the GOP wants to cut education, social security, and healthcare benefits here at home.
And people vote for them? Why? FUD works on them too
Fiscal Responsibility And Runaway Military Spending Are Not Compatible | NEWS JUNKIE POST
Clearly since we overspend on the military we should cut social security
Circumstances in the world we refuse to alter extort oil subsidies from us.
If we reduce the oil subsidies, Big Oil will pass on the additional cost to us in the form of higher prices. True.
So is the a tax or policy mechanism to protect us from this?
If we gave clean energy half the subsidies we give big oil, we might become less dependant on foreign oil or even less willing to drill in challenging places like the gulf.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Banks have US Govt and its Citizens By the Balls!
This is a great film. Every American should see it. My guess is that most Democrats and progressives will agree, most middle class Republicans will argue that its the individuals that made their own choices.
So the question is, is it the Banks fault for taking advantage of our greed or the government's fault for being servants of the banks vis a vis the campaign finance mechanism.
US Govt Allows US Corporations to Murder Citizens
Harsh title but it caught your attention. Seriously, you need to watch this movie. See the clip below from YouTube.
Meat, Corn, Oil, fast food, pharma are feeding on us like parasites and ripping out the innards of all that was once good in America in favor of the greatest corporate profits ever, and a congress that is a servant to those corporations
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