A Glimpse of Wisconsin's Future under Walker

An interesting story showing what Wisconsin has to look forward to after a few more years of Scott Walker.  Some Wisconsinites talked about moving to Tennessee or other points south if Walker was recalled.  Well, they don't have to move to a poor southern state now.  Scott Walker is doing everything he can to turn Wisconsin into one.

Mike Huckabee Is Full of It

I used to regard Mike Huckabee as somewhat less strident and hateful than his Fox News brothers and sisters.  But his recent hateful harangue after the Newtown tragedy calls that judgment into question.  He basically said "serves you right" for removing God from who knows where.

My thanks to Michael Hidalgo at Sojourners (sojo.net) to set Huckabee on his ear:

...One commentator suggested that it was precisely because God was not there that this heinous act happened. Gov. Mike Huckabee claimed we should not be surprised to see this kind of violence since we have removed God from our schools and our society. His sentiment is to say, “God is NOT here.” If that is the case, then it surely can explain the existence of pure evil that we saw displayed on Friday.

However, thinking like that of Gov. Huckabee suggests that we somehow have the power to remove God from our schools and our society. This kind of God is quite small, weak, and impotent  — one that is dictated by the mere whims of humanity. This is not the God of whom Matthew spoke.

Matthew spoke of the Almighty God fully embodied and revealed in the person of Jesus. So much so that he claimed he was Immanuel: God with us. He is here not in spite of the pain, nor did he come to explain it away. God is here in the midst of our suffering....

 Nothing much to add to that.

I Share Krugman's "Sick Feeling"

Krugman's blog today talked about that "sick feeling" of a return to Obama's 2011 cave in,  It is looking like he might be doing it again.

From Daily Kos:  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/19/1172128/-Make-Boehner-own-the-horrible-stuff?detail=hide


Obama hasn't even started his second term and he seems to be caving already.  Let's hope not.

Chew on This, All You Hate Mongers

Thanks to VetGrl via Daily Kos for this blog post.  The right-wing hate mongers make great sport of slandering America's teachers.  Read this post about some of the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Here is part of the post, at the very end:

This is Victoria Soto, and although I didn't know her, she is my hero. I don't know too much about her, but I know a lot of people who do know her and she's amazing. Victoria was a Stratford high graduate and only 27. She was killed today after she hid her first graders in closets and cabinets and told the shooter they were in the gym. He killed her and not one of her children were harmed. I have never been more proud to be from Stratford or to be a teacher. God bless Victoria, her family and friends, and all of those who were involved today in anyway. Victoria is a true hero.

The language in the blog post is pretty strong, but in this case, for the Michelle Malkins and Rush Limbaughs of this world, it's well earned.

Fiscal Cliff (Not)

I think am that I agreeing more and more with Howard Dean's assessment that the best deal we progressives will get on the fiscal non-cliff is no deal at all.  Someone said a long time ago (I'm not sure who said it first) that a bad deal is worse than no deal, and Boehner and the Republicans are demonstrating that any deal with them will be a bad deal.  In January we will get a tax increase and spending cuts with entitlements (I hate that word) basically untouched.  That's an immensely preferable deal to the Republicans' wimpy "revenue" increases and cuts that would largely hurt those that can least afford it.  I'll take my chances with the recession that might be caused by the fiscal cliff over the one caused by any deal with the Republicans.

Let's hope that Obama's new-found backbone is for real.  It seems to be so far.

Christian Life Resources Still on the Right Wing Fringe

Christian Life Resources (CLR) has repeatedly shown that it is a Republican activist organization.  It is less frequently that it exhibits its tendency toward the fringiest of the fringe of that party.  There is currently a story on its website (here's the link) opposing the UN treaty addressing the rights of the disabled.  The treaty has been ratified by 150+ nations and is supported by the likes of George H. W. Bush, John McCain, and Bob Dole.  But the CLR and its Tea Party fringe allies opposed it.

The CLR story states that the treaty "leaves open the potential for the international community to permit sterilization or abortion for the disabled".  Oh really?  Leaves open?  Potential?  Permit?  Yikes!!  These are pretty vague words to justify the leap to "pro-abortion". CLR and its cronies have shown that by assuming there's a conspiracy around every corner, and by randomly connecting the dots of enough degrees of separation, anything can be proved to be "pro-abortion".  As I said here before, by their reasoning, public roads and highways are part of that pro-abortion conspiracy because people drive on them to get to the clinic.  It's embarrassing.

A Short Message to Those Who Have Signed Petitions Asking to Secede From the Union | The Nation

Thanks to Calivin Trillin at The Nation:

A Short Message to Those Who Have Signed Petitions Asking to Secede From the Union | The Nation

Dividend Taxation

A couple days ago I caught a few minutes of Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (of CNBC) spewing the tiresome right-wing pablum about the supposed double taxation of stock dividends.  As usual, the argument centers around the idea that a stockholder in a corporation is an "owner" and therefore the "owner's" profits are being taxed twice.  This is a good example of the politics of assertion:  if you assert something over and over, you start thinking of it as a fact.

But in point of fact, a shareholder is just that: a shareholder, not an owner.  Saying they are the same thing doesn't make it so.  If you are the owner of a company--like a sole proprietorship--then you have total liability.  A shareholder in a publicly traded company has almost no liability.  Also, let's say I own stock in General Electric.  If I were truly an owner, then I should be able to call the CEO and have him tell me to which political candidates or causes GE is giving money.  I am not able to do that today.  There are a whole host of things that make an "owner" and  "shareholder" different.  (Not to mention the fact that GE routinely pays no corporate tax anyway, so the double taxation argument goes out the window.)

As to the whole idea of double taxation, it's really a superficial and flimsy concept.  If I have a job and pay taxes on my earnings and then hire a plumber and pay him out of those after-tax earnings, Ms. Caruso-Cabrera's argument is that the plumber should pay no taxes because that money has already been taxed.  In effect, almost all the dollars flowing through the economy have already been taxed many times over.

So puhlease...stop whining about taxes on dividends.  It's getting very boring.

Phony Obamacare Scapegoating

Here's an article from The Street (hardly an Obama apologist website) suggesting that investors be wary of companies that are blaming Obamacare for all their business problems.  Papa John's, for example, seems to have expense issues from management incentives and bonuses rather than hourly workers.  My own attitude is that if you complain that Obamacare is putting you out of business, then you probably aren't a viable business anymore. Most companies seem to be adjusting without whining about it.

As an investor, I will assume that if management is complaining about the Affordable Care Act, it has management issues and is using the ACA as an easy scapegoat to mask its management deficiencies.  There are plenty of other companies to invest in.

Christian Life Resources: An Arm of the Republican Party

The following quote (here's the link to the entire article) appeared on the Christian Life Resources (CLR) website this morning:

In a disappointing night for pro-life advocates, pro-abortion President Barack Obama defeated pro-life candidate Mitt Romney in the race for president.

Through this after-the-fact endorsement of President Obama's opponent, CLR demonstrates once again that it is an active participant in Republican politics.  CLR's feeble protestations to the contrary are meaningless.  Oh yeah...just to accentuate this reality...a few days before the election, Christian Life Resources had as a guest speaker at it's national convention the local Milwaukee right wing talk radio host (and wonderful family man) Charlie Sykes.

Not much doubt about the political affiliation of this WELS-affiliated group.  It's disappointing that the WELS leadership continues to endorse this by its silence.

Paul Ryan's Values

I see that on Sunday Paul Ryan accused Barack Obama of compromising our nation's Judeo-Christian values.  Interesting criticism from a guy whose moral mentor is a proud atheist.

Tuesday Morning Squawk Box

I surfed past Squawk Box on CNBC (aka Fox News Lite) this morning, as well as yesterday (mostly with the 'mute' button pressed).  It looks like a mini Romney campaign rally.  Obama-hater Jack Welch yesterday and Obama-hater Ken Langone today.  I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise.

That three-hour morning time slot from 6 to 9 AM is largely devoid of journalistic integrity.  It actually had some integrity back in the Mark Haines days. (Rest in peace, Mark, we miss you lots.)  Aren't Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin ever embarrassed?

Re-Elect the President

This editorial (here's the link) in The Nation pretty well sums up how I feel.  Here's an exerpt:

...A victory for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in November would validate the reactionary extremists who have captured the Republican Party. It would represent the triumph of social Darwinism, the religious right, corporate power and the big money donors who thrive in a new Gilded Age of inequality. It would strike a devastating blow to progressive values and movements, locking us in rear-guard actions on a range of issues—from the rights of women, minorities, immigrants and LGBT people to the preservation of social insurance programs and a progressive tax structure. Inside the Democratic Party, Obama’s defeat would embolden the Blue Dogs and New Dems, who have greased the party’s slide to the right. Whatever disappointments we have with Obama’s first term—and there are many—progressives have a profound interest in the popular rejection of the Romney/Ryan ticket....

This is by no means a prediction of victory.  It's just a good summary of the stakes at hand.

Please Explain

One of the main puzzlements for me over the years of the Obama administration has been the reality disconnect between the commentary on places like CNBC (aka Fox News Lite) about how bad Obama is for business and the markets, and what the actual facts are:  record profits in almost all industries and a stock market that has risen more than 60%.

Okay, so here's my problem.  The stock market has pretty much steadily increased during the Obama presidency.  It was around 8,200 when he took office in January 2009. On the day of the first debate October 3 it was around 13,500.  Well, since then Romney's poll numbers have steadily improved and the Dow has steadily gone down.  I thought it was supposed to go the other way.  Someone let me know if Joe Kernen and the other Obama haters on CNBC have explained this.  Maybe someone else can.

I may have to unretire if Romney's poll numbers keep improving.

Benghazi (and a Few Other Things) in Perspective

This article (see link below) includes a nice calm perspective on Libya and "confirmation bias".  It's worth  a read.


http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Opinion/Print-Page.htm?EdNo=001&Info=0210323

More from the CNBC Conspiracy Fringe

I usually try not to watch CNBC before 9 AM (at least not with the sound on!), since Squawk Box has basically turned into Fox News Lite.  But today I saw that Ken Langone (another Obama-hater) was on, along with the resident Obama-haters Rick Santelli and Joe Kernen, so I thought I'd see what kind of nonsense they were spewing today.  Of course, they were all defending Jack Welch, and adding their own unfounded accusations.

Is anyone else tired of Santelli's whining?  He may think he is yelling and therefore proving he is (1) more correct and (2) more sincere than the rest of us.  But it's not really yelling: it's just whining real loud.  He repeats his unfounded accusations and then says draw your own conclusions.   But when someone calls him on this and draws the only plausible conclusion--that he is accusing the Bureau of Labor Statistics of conspiracy--he denies it and whines some more.  What a crybaby!  Even Larry Kudlow thinks he's gone too far!

I don't know why they even bother having Welch, Langone, etc., on the show.  You already know what they are going to say.  Just play a tape from last time and save your money.

I can't believe at least some of the colleagues at CNBC aren't embarrassed by this.  Or have they all given up any semblance of journalistic integrity?

Jack Welch: A Dishonorable Man

T. Boone Pickens has shown he is not a man of his word.  In 2007--with typical bluster--Pickens made a promise (on which he later reneged) concerning the untruths which he funded with the Swift Boat liars.  He demeaned not only John Kerry but all veterans.  And then he broke his promise.  It is clear in my mind that Mr. Pickens is not a man of integrity.  When I see him being interviewed on TV, I turn him off.  Why would I care to hear the opinions of someone with such lack of honesty and character?  I'm under no illusion that he would even care what I think, but at least I can live with myself.

And now Jack Welch can be added to that list of of men without honor.  Okay, Jack.  I get it.  You hate Barack Obama. And Joe Kernen and the other Welch worshippers on CNBC give you plenty of opportunity to express your dislike of the man.  But if you think that your reckless tweet about the Bureau of Labor Statistics is only a criticism of President Obama, you are wrong and shouldn't be allowed to get off the hook.  You have impugned the character and integrity of many honest people at the BLS, with no evidence or justification.  You are a dishonorable man.

Thanks to Daily Kos for this explanation:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/28/1137374/-Polls-Show-Unfair-Weighting-to-Obama?detail=hide

Official Voices of the Republican Party

There used to be three official voices of the Republican Party:

1. Fox News
2. Rush Limbaugh
3. Grover Norquist

Well, you can add a fourth now:

    4.   Benjamin Netanyahu

Will keep you posted....

The Tea Party is the Republican Establishment now (along with Grover and Rush), all on display at their convention.

"This isn't the party of Lincoln. It's not even the party of Reagan or Goldwater. The new Republican Party has been cleansed of anyone unwilling to kiss the ring of Limbaugh and swear allegiance to the writ of Grover. That makes it a smaller, less flexible, less capable party. A party that's not about anything except a sort of smug self destruction. If conservatives can't see that, don't worry, everyone else can. Americans tuned in to watch, and what they saw was that the resulting product isn't just ugly. It's... sad."

Read the whole article here.

Quote of the Day

In the category of "I wish I'd said that", here is one from Bob Cesca of Huffington Post (via DailyKos), commenting on Romney's goofy statements after the events in North Africa:

"One of Romney's many miscalculations -- and a mistake that many hawkish Republicans make -- is to confuse obnoxious loudness with foreign policy expertise.

The opposite of a foreign policy neophyte isn't a scolding jerkass who pops off with saber-rattling bromides and political agitprop. Romney could have been a statesman about the events in North Africa and appeared dignified -- perhaps qualified -- in the process, but instead he decided to be a braying crackpot. Anyone with a lapel pin and a pulse can do that. Leaning on the warhawk slogan switch doesn't amount to anything resembling international leadership gravitas."

Pretty much sums up the whole list of right wing foreign policy "experts":  John Bolton, the entire Cheney family, William Kristol, Rush Limbaugh, etc.  There is lots of bluster and very little in terms of substance, not to mention actual results.

"T"-Word Anyone?

I don't know what anyone else thinks, but there's no doubt in my mind that if there was a sitting Republican president, and the Democratic candidate made the kind of statements that Mitt Romney has made the past day or so concerning the events in Benghazi and Cairo, the word "treason" would be plastered all over Fox News, talk radio, and the right-wing blogosphere. 

Interesting Chart

Have you heard how bad Obama is for business and the stock market?  Here's an interesting article and chart from Bespoke Investment Group's website.  (I don't think they are socialists, but then I'm not a Teabagger or Hank Williams Jr.)  Bloomberg Television also has a short clip about it on their website.  The chart is very instructive.  Also,

"...Of the eleven Republicans since 1900, the DJIA has averaged a gain of 20.4% during their first 1,325 days in office.  That may sound good, but for the eight Democratic Presidents since 1900, the DJIA has seen an average return of 54.9%, or more than two and a half times the average return of Republicans!..."

The article is entitled "One Chart Republicans Don't Want You to See" and you can find it and the accompanying chart here.

Piles of Manure

It's almost comical to watch the Paul Ryan apologists trying to justify his mischaracterization of the GM plant closing in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin in 2008.  His original speech (you can see the link on my post of August 17) had two piles of manure.  (1) He claimed that Obama was responsible for the plant in Janesville even though it happened on George W. Bush's watch in 2008.  (2) He seemed to suggest that the $4 gasoline prices of 2008 were also Obama's fault.  Go figure.

The fact that he repeated this theme at the RNC suggests that his dishonesty was intentional and it just makes the manure piles a little bigger.

And now you have conservative commentators--on the internet and elsewhere--falling all over themselves tortuously reconnecting the dots of Ryan's words in an attempt to make them "accurate".  Good luck with that!  Trying to cover up the original manure piles with additional BS just makes those heaps of manure bigger and stinkier.

Revisionist History of the Housing Crisis

I pretty much stopped reading Amity Shlaes' columns on Bloomberg a couple years ago.  She has become the queen of revisionist history.  I stopped reading her when she actually said that FDR had nothing to do with getting us out of the Depression;  if we had just kept following the economic policies of Cal Coolidge the Depression would have been over in no time.  Really...I'm not making this up.  Talk about revisionist history!

Well, I didn't learn my lesson well enough I guess.  I read her op-ed column today.  It's her take on the mortgage interest deduction.  There are good arguments to be made for getting rid of the deduction, but her analysis of the housing crash is just another bit of revisionist history.  Guess who were the only causes of the housing crash?  You guessed it...Freddy, Fanny, and the Fed.  In other words, it was all the fault of government.

Earth to Amity...The housing crisis in its enormity was caused by (1) the reckless securitization of mortgages; (2) rating agencies that rated these securities AAA; (3) derivative products that were designed and sold to "guarantee" these securities; and (4) the fact that such products were totally unregulated.  All four of these issues were failures of the private sector.  It didn't happen because of too much government; rather, there wasn't enough government regulation.  It's hard for the true believers like Ms. Shlaes to own up to this fact, because it is a matter of religion to them that every problem is cause by government.

Freddy, Fanny, and the Fed all have existed for many years.  Isn't it ironic that Glass-Steagall is repealed and the bill to regulate the types of derivatives I mentioned above was defeated, and a relatively few years later we have the biggest financial meltdown and housing crisis since the Depression?  Trying to blame it on Freddy, Fanny, and the Fed is the ultimate revisionism.

It was my own fault for actually wasting my time by reading the column.

In Case You Didn't Know...Jon Stewart Is Funny

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How Soon We Forget...Or at Least Paul Ryan Did

I saw this item today in Daily Kos. It seems that Paul Ryan gave a speech (in Ohio, I think) where he blamed Obama for the GM plant closing in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. The only problem is that the plant closed while George W was in the White House. The last SUV came off the assembly line in December of 2008, and was planned for well before that. The video from Kos gives a pretty good chronology.

Well...for one thing, Janesville residents may wonder why Ryan has such a shaky grasp of the city's recent history, but oh well. Oh yeah...the $4 gasoline he talks about must be the $4 gasoline price when Bush was president, earlier in 2008. I guess he forgot that, too?

Another Bain Story

Another story (link is here)--this one from William Cohan at Bloomberg--showcasing Mitt Romney's vision for America.

Bain Capital Creating More Jobs (In China)

Here is a story on another fine example of Bain Capital job creation (in China).

Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand

I am welcoming (maybe challenging is a better word) my WELS brothers and sisters (as well as any other Christian right-winger) to comment on Paul Ryan's claim that atheist Ayn Rand provides the moral basis for capitalism.  I can hardly wait to see the way you rationalize your way around this, but I'm sure you will try.  I will be interested in seeing the Biblical references you use to justify Ms. Rand's moral authority.

Can you imagine what would happen if a Democrat claimed an atheist for his or her moral hero?  Yikes!!

Sunday Morning

Okay, so I'm sitting in church this morning and it's the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost and the Epistle reading for today is part of Ephesians Chapter 4, which includes the following passage:

...I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace....

And then I list in my head all those who have been put forth as spokespersons for the Christian Right.  Folks like Michele Bachmann, Tony Perkins, Sarah Palin, James Dobson, Michelle Malkin, Franklin Graham, Ann Coulter, etc. etc.  I am amazed at the disconnect.  It's pretty hard to reconcile this passage from Ephesians with the hatefulness, divisiveness, arrogant judgmentalism, and general neo-Phariseeism that is the stock in trade of this list of people and most of the Christian Right.

It's even more disappointing (but, alas, not surprising) that my church body (WELS) gives its tacit endorsement to all of this nonsense.  It appears that WELS is willing to overlook all sorts of doctrinal false teaching, so long as they agree with their politics. 

Oh Yeah, I Remember Phil Gramm

I saw the other day that Phil Gramm said the repeal Glass-Steagall had nothing to do with the financial meltdown of 2008.  I guess the big question is whether there is anyone left in the world who cares what Phil Gramm has to say about anything?  Even conservative Time magazine gave him credit where credit is due.  We tried it your way, Phil.  Thanks for nothing.

Right On, Doonesbury

I, for one, am glad to see that Garry Trudeau isn't pulling any punches in his Doonesbury strip this week.  The voter suppression laws and efforts among the various states really are the 21st-century version of Jim Crow.

Another "Oops" from Mittens Romney and the Republicans

I came across this item on another blog that I follow.  It's a follow up to the "You didn't build that" deception from the Wingnuts.  You can see the whole article here.

Star of Romney ‘My Hands Didn’t Build This’ Ad Received Millions in Government Loans and Contracts

  ...In a new TV ad, Romney features an offended New Hampshire businessman, saying, “My father’s hands didn’t build this company? My hands didn’t build this company? My son’s hands aren’t building this company?"

The New Hampshire Union Leader’s John DiStato today reports that in 1999 the business in question, Gilchrist Metal, “received $800,000 in tax-exempt revenue bonds issued by the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority ‘to set up a second manufacturing plant and purchase equipment to produce high definition television broadcasting equipment’…” In addition, in 2011, Gilchrist Metal “received two U.S. Navy sub-contracts totaling about $83,000 and a smaller, $5,600 Coast Guard contract in 2008…”

The businessman, Jack Gilchrist, also acknowledged that in the 1980s the company received a U.S. Small Business Administration loan totaling “somewhere south of” $500,000, and matching funds from the federally-funded New England Trade Adjustment Assistance Center.

Way to go, Jack.  Looks like you should be doing an Obama campaign ad rather than one for Romney.  It seems that you got just the kind of help that Elizabeth Warren and Obama have been talking about.

The Latest on Christian Life Resources

I still monitor Christian Life Resource's (CLR) website quite regularly.  I let a lot of their misrepresentations pass--it gets a little tiresome after a while--but they are pretty much up to the same stuff.

This week, they had another reference to the Affordable Care Act as health care rationing.  Even most right wingers have given up on this argument, but CLR continues to trot it out every now and then, just to remind us that they are in the hip pocket of the Republican (aka Tea) Party.  As I mentioned a couple times in the past, they seem okay with Arizona Governor Brewer's actual rationing health care, because they are too busy complaining about ACA's nonexistent rationing.  (Oh yeah I forgot...she's a Republican isn't she?)

We can also be reminded CLR's ill-advised entry into partisan politics after another of Michele Bachmann's crazy accusations, this time that the Muslim Brotherhood had infiltrated the State Department, Congress, and other areas of the the government.  Christian Life Resources has provided quasi-endorsements of Ms. Bachmann in the past.  It should serve as a lesson to them that when you do that, you can't just endorse a small part of that politician; you are stuck with all the warts.  It makes CLR appear foolish and can't help but harm what is supposed to be its true mission.  But maybe they have become more interested in politics than in their original purpose.  It's sad.

Some Help for the Wingnuts

It's been amusing to see the posts on Facebook and other places quoting Obama as saying, "If you've got a business, you didn't build that."  I really do try to be patient with my Right-Wing friends.  After all, they do seem to have short attention spans and have trouble processing more than a sentence or two at a time.  Maybe that's the problem they are having here.  They rely on someone else to pick out one sentence for them from an entire speech.  If you get most of your information from either Fox News or chain emails--and it's debatable which of those two is more reliable--the rest of us need to make allowances for you.

But for those Right-Wingers that want to try to focus for a few additional seconds, here is the entire paragraph from which the above sentence is extracted:

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.  There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.  Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.  Somebody invested in roads and bridges.  If you’ve got a business. you didn’t build that.  Somebody else made that happen.  The Internet didn’t get invented on its own.  Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

If you try real hard, you might be able to process the whole thing.  We will try to be patient.

For those Wingnuts who feel really adventurous, the whole speech can be found  here (and many other places).  Take your time, I'm sure you can get through it eventually.  Good luck.

CNBC Rates Texas Tops for Business

I see that CNBC has rated Texas the top state for business.  This despite the fact that it ranked very low in "quality of life" and in the bottom half of states in "education".  It's estimated that 25% of Texans are without health insurance.  (When asked about it, Gov. Perry suggested that it's simply a lifestyle choice people make to not have insurance.)

Well, anyway, it got me to thinking....  According to Wikipedia, there were 180,000 slaves in Texas by 1860, about 30% of the total population of the state.  It's probably a reasonable guess that 50% or more of the "workers" in the state were slaves.  Imagine how high a score CNBC would have given Texas back then when half the workers in the state were working for free!

I Guess Mark Neumann Is Improving

Wisconsin Senate candidate Mark Neumann has moved up on the scale.  His previous statement rated by PolitiFact got a "Pants on Fire" rating.  His most recent one

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/jul/08/mark-neumann/uncle-sams-borrowing-leaves-less-businesses-gop-wi/

moved up a notch to simply being "False".

Way to go Mark!

Rick Snyder's Welcome Vetoes

What a nice surprise on this Fourth of July to read that our Governor Rick Snyder has vetoed a set of voter suppression bills passed by the Republicans here in Michigan.  While us Lefties may have plenty of disagreements with Snyder, we should also acknowledge that he is not among the loony variety of governors elected in several other states (Wisconsin, Florida, et al).  He has not waged the sort of wedge politics that Walker has in Wisconsin.  It's nice to have disagreements with political opponents without that sort of divisiveness.  Despite our differences, I think Snyder (unlike Walker) wants to be governor of all the people in the state, not just the fringe on the Right.

So here's to you Governor Snyder...have a great Fourth of July.

Typical Straw Man Argument

If anyone needs an example of the kind of straw man argument used by the Right Wing, here is a quote from Thomas Sowell I saw floating around Facebook the last couple days:

“It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.”

On the contrary, the whole point is that we think we can afford it, which is why we are in favor of it.  It's the Right Wingers who say we can't afford it and aren't willing to pay for it.  It's a cute quote but it's nonsense.

A Primer on Canada for Wingnuts

A pretty funny post from Daily Kos:

So you are sick of the tyranny and want to move to Canada. A guide.

What Are the Odds?

Okay, so I was thinking...now that the Supreme Court has announced its decision on the ACA...what are the odds that Scalia and his fellow Republicans will heed Scalia's words after Bush v Gore to "Get over it"?  It's only fair, right?  I'm waiting....

Neumann Joins the Loonies

They must have done something to the water in my (former) home state of Wisconsin.  We have Walker and Johnson, and now Senate candidate Mark Neumann is also residing in that parallel universe.

http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2012/jun/29/mark-neumann/obama-and-team-socialists-wisconsin-gop-senate-can/

Looks like the Republicans are having a contest to see who can amass the most "Pants on Fire" ratings.  I expect the Koch brothers are providing the prize money.

Rubio's Anti-Logic

I just saw an interview with Marco Rubio and his tortured explanation of how the ACA is a huge tax increase.  It seems that if you disobey the law, then you get fined and the IRS is charged to collect it.  Rubio apparently believes that these lawbreakers shouldn't be held to account, and if they break the law, then the IRS is the villain for enforcing it.  Yikes!  Here is a sitting United States Senator taking the side of the lawbreaker!  Tell me Senator Rubio--does that mean that I, too, can decide which laws I get to ignore and have immunity from enforcement?  Just how many do I get to pick?  This defense of lawlessness is a recurring theme of the Tea-Party tainted anti-logic in the parallel universe where many Republicans now live.

Nicely Said

I just got my first issue of Jim Hightower's neat little newsletter, "The Hightower Lowdown".  The front page has a quote that pretty well summarizes today's Christian Right and Republican Party.  It's attributed to a French writer and economist, Frederic Bastiat, in 1850.  It's worth repeating and remembering:

"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it."

Nicely said...

A Quick Review

If you watch CNBC (and, to a lesser extent, Bloomberg Television), you would see that it is conventional wisdom that a Romney win in November would be good for investors.  It's presented as if beyond dispute.

I've done it before here, but let's have a little review of the past four presidents, two from each party:

When Bush Senior took office in January 1989, the Dow was at about 2,220;  when he left four years later it was at about 3,250.  A nice increase of 45% or so.

When Bill Clinton was president, he started with the 3,250 from Bush the First and left office four years later with a Dow of 10,588.  A nifty increase of 225%!!!!

In his eight years,  Bush Junior turned Clinton's 10,588 into a Dow average of about 8,230....a decrease of about 22%!!!

Barack Obama has been in office for over three years and the Dow closed today at 12,415.  So, in his 3+ years the Dow has gone up right around 50%.

So, the two Republicans were up 45% (pretty good) and down 22% (a disaster).  The two Democrats were up 225% and 50%  (yes even that socialist Obama beat both the Bushes so far).

Just sayin'....

Romney's Non-Apology

Leave it to the Brits to catch the nuances of the Romney bullying story.  The problem isn't with what it says about Romney's character when he was 17 or 18.  Rather, it's what it says about his character today.  Read this column in the Guardian:

Mitt Romney and bullying: missed opportunity, missing humanity

Pretty good column compared to the superficial and benign treatment in the American press.

Doonesbury

Everyone should be checking out the latest Doonesbury series.  It's about a Fox News reporter embedded with the military in Afghanistan.  In today's best line a female GI says of Fox News:  "It's like getting your news from the town drunk."

Ann Romney

I am sure that Ann Romney is a fine woman and a wonderful mother.  And when you run into her at Aldi or Walmart, I'm sure you can share many parenting stories that you have in common with her.

Christian Life Resources and Politics (Part 10)

The fact that Christian Life Resources (CLR) is a shill for right-wing extremists and the Republican Party is now beyond dispute.  As a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)--with which this group is supposedly affiliated--I find this appalling to no end.  It is only compounded by CLR's dishonesty in trying to claim otherwise.

This fact is proven almost every day on CLR's website, but nowhere is it more apparent than in its choice of speakers at its national conventions.  Cal Thomas has been keynote speaker for at least two conventions in the past.  In 2010, the right-wing blogger/columnist Patrick McIlheran was a featured speaker.  And now, following the 2012 convention, there is a fundraising dinner with featured speaker Charlie Sykes, the well-known extreme right-wing talk radio host in Milwaukee.

The fact that Christian Life Resources (and apparently the WELS) fails to see the inappropriateness of this blatant and unabashed political activism shows how deeply entrenched they have become in the world of right-wing politics.

Would Right Wingnuts Support a "Do Not Treat" List?

Floyd Norris' blog in today's Times business section has a nice idea.  It seems to address all of the (nonexistent) constitutional problems the Right has invented.  Just have a "Do Not Treat" list.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/how-about-a-do-not-treat-list/

Somehow, I don't see them accepting it.

More Lies from Christian Life Resources

Christian Life Resources website has printed more lies about the long ago debunked "death panels".  (Patient Denied Medical Treatment Dies After Rationing)
Connecting this to the Affordable Healthcare Act is pure fiction.  (Note to Christian Life Resources:  the fact that you use the term "Obamacare" is intentionally disrespectful and shows once again that you are improperly engaging the organization in partisan politics.)

Where were you when (Republican) Governor Brewer cut the transplant list in Arizona and people died (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20027668-10391704.html)?  This was real rationing and real people died and nary a whimper out of Christian Life Resources. You were apparently too busy whining about death panels that do not exist to notice the ones that actually do.  You have repeatedly denied partisanship, but your actions continually prove you wrong.

You should be ashamed that you have once again engaged in misrepresentation to further your political point of view.

Trayvon Martin

Make no mistake about it:  to those gun nuts who think the whole populace should be armed, and for those who advocated for "stand your ground" laws, this is exactly the type of America they wanted.

Signs That the Right Wing Lemmings Have Taken the Republican Party over the Cliff

• I am nostalgic for moderates like William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan.
• The party of Lincoln now believes that the wrong side won the Civil War.
• Ayn Rand and the John Birch Society represent the core beliefs of the party.
• Grover Norquist and Rush Limbaugh appear to be the accepted spokespersons for the party.
• The Christian Right used to be (sorta) Christian;  now it worships the triune god of gun rights, American Exceptionalism, and supply-side economics.  (Can you say "secular humanism"???)

Some Apolitical Good News for a Change

Something everyone can be happy about:

 

Dire Poverty Falls Despite Global Slump, Report Finds

By ANNIE LOWREY

Published: March 6, 2012

A World Bank report shows that the global recession, contrary to economists’ expectations, did not increase poverty in the developing world.

See the whole article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/world/extreme-poverty-down-despite-recession-world-bank-data-show.html

Neo-Pharisees

We went to church last night and I was struck by the Ash Wednesday gospel reading, from Luke 18:

To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'  But the tax collector stood at a distance.  He would not even look up at heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'  I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

As a little exercise, I substituted names of people associated with the Christian Right for the word "Pharisee" in the above reading (with appropriate gender modifications).  Sarah Palin, Franklin Graham, Michele Bachmann, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and Rick Santorum are just a few examples.  I was amazed at how accurately this parable describes the Christian Right.  They are the Neo-Pharisees of the 21st century.  They have chosen the self-righteous hubris of the Pharisee instead of the humility of the tax collector.

More Misleading Stuff from Christian Life Resources

A recent article on the Christian Life Resources website (christianliferesources.com) had the following statement:

"A federal appeals court has upheld a pro-life law in Texas allowing women a chance to see an ultrasound of their unborn child prior to an abortion."  Note the phrase "allowing a woman the chance..."

Here is a quote from the story in the Chicago Tribune:

"The Texas law, enacted in 2011, requires abortion providers to display the ultrasound images and describe them in detail. Women cannot decline to hear the physician's description of the image unless they qualify for an exception under the statute. Exceptions include if the woman suffered rape or incest or if the fetus has abnormalities."  (emphasis added)  Note that the law requires, rather than allows the viewing of the ultrasound.

I don't have any quarrel with their opposition to the law, but I wonder why Christian Life Resources--a supposedly Christian organization--finds it necessary to misrepresent the law?  If you favor the law then why would you be embarrassed to describe it accurately?  Is it okay to misrepresent because you think it serves a higher purpose? Smacks of moral relativism.

Christian Life Resources and Politics (Part 9)

Christian Life Resources (CLR) just created its new website, and it's even worse than before.  We used to get articles from LifeNews.  Well, okay, articles isn't really the right word.  They are biased right-wing Republican opinion pieces masking as pro-life news articles. 

Well, now in addition to these propaganda pieces we also get to have links to Robert Fleischmann's personal blog (he's the executive director of Christian Life Resources).  Why he thinks that his personal opinions belong on the CLR website is beyond me.  One of the postings (http://www.robertfleischmann.com/?p=47) is basically his personal opinion as to why he opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act.  He kind of says he's not opposed to ways to assure everyone has access to health care, but he doesn't like this law.  But I closely followed the debate and where CLR positioned itself in the debate. They clearly never had any interest in encouraging common ground. It's interesting that I never once saw a discussion of the possibility that access to healthcare might actually reduce the demand for, and number of, abortions.  The fact that they avoided this kind of discussion calls into question CLR's true motives in opposing the law. They opposed the law from the beginning and published articles on their website to that effect.  Some articles they published opposed any sort of national health care.  If he is serious about wanting more universal healthcare, I encourage Pastor Fleischmann himself, or one of his Republican bedfellows, to lay their plan out there for all to see, rather than sniping at the only serious proposal that someone actually had the courage to enact.  Perhaps if he had encouraged his Republican friends to stay at the table, he might have gotten a bill more to his liking.  You kinda had your chance, so stop your whining....

The most troubling part to me is that the positions taken in this regard are not Biblical.  In fact, they are often specifically un-Biblical.  CLR is a WELS-affiliated organization.  I challenge the leadership of WELS, as well as its parish pastors, to call out Pastor Fleischmann on his false teachings.