October 2, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
The above video shows the altercations leading up to the unprovoked macing of two women by an NYPD detective inspector, identified by online activists as Anthony Bologna, a finding confirmed by the NYPD itself. The incident has raised serious questions about what the planned response to the protests was, and whether there were orders in place for officers to intervene to halt the peaceful demonstrations. In the video, there are numerous incidents where individual officers, apparently acting in a disorganized and spontaneous fashion, physically strike, tackle, drag or pepper-spray unarmed civilians on a public street.
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September 20, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Today, the 20th of September, 2011, the discriminatory US military policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, which required thousands of gay personnel to serve their country while keeping their private life secret. Honorable people were discharged only because someone else found out they were not heterosexual. In some cases, the ideal military officer for a highly skilled, difficult-to-fill position were discharged despite being the most qualified person for operationally vital positions.
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August 9, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Wisconsin is holding six recall elections tonight in response to popular petition to unseat Republican state senators who supported Gov. Walker’s plan to strip public servants of their collective bargaining rights. Each of the six Republican incumbents occupy senate seats representing districts drawn by Republicans to ensure Republican victories, so any victory represents a significant shift in party preference.
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August 9, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is being sued for allegedly formulating policies that led to the torture of multiple American citizens, at the hands of American military personnel in Iraq. Now, for the second time this month, in two distinct cases, a federal court has found that Mr. Rumsfeld does not enjoy any immunity for actions occurring either during his service as Secretary of Defense or in a war zone.
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August 3, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Allegations that the so-called Tea Party caucus has degenerated into little more than a lobby for the wealthy interests that back them gain credibility when they support tax hikes on the vulnerable, and which will have a direct negative impact on the middle class. It should be well understood by all: the House Tea Party Republicans have pushed for and supported—the anti-student provisions in the failed Republican-only House bills were far worse—tax hikes that will make college more expensive and eat way at middle class wealth.
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August 2, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Two public opinion surveys released today are raising eyebrows among political analysts, as they show the sharp disapproval the American people feel toward the hardline elements in Congress that nearly drove the nation into default. A CNN/ORC poll found that 77% of those polled believe members of Congress involved in the debt negotiations behaved like [...]
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August 2, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Pres. Barack Obama today addressed the nation from the White House Rose Garden, explaining how the grand compromise on debt and deficits will play out, as negotiations on new debt reduction continue. He spoke after the United States Senate passed the controversial debt deal, with the second significantly bipartisan vote in two days. Obama said [...]
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August 2, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The composition of the national debt is a complex history of policy decisions, governmental priorities and Congressional authorizations. Republican opponents of Pres. Obama have suggested that debt and deficits have “exploded” since he took office. They have sought to paint the president as a “tax and spend liberal”, because that accusation fits their standard campaign [...]
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August 1, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Tonight, Pres. Barack Obama announced to the nation and the world that he and the leaders of both parties, in both houses of Congress, have reached agreement on a plan to raise the nation’s debt ceiling through the 2012 election and into 2013. The deal immediately cuts $1 trillion, then relies on “triggers” to guarantee [...]
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July 30, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
List of Legislative Riders on H.R.2584, The Interior & Environment Approps bill for FY12 39 provisions in the bill specifically eliminate environmental protections in service of big polluters and GOP campaign donors *In order as they appear in the bill, with section numbers cited. Blocks Endangered Species Act Designations [Language on page 8]: Prohibits funding for [...]
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July 30, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Speaker of the House John Boehner has insisted on enforcing a strategy whereby his party dictates all federal budget policy, no matter the law, no matter the makeup of Congress, no matter the risks to the future of the United States of America. Now, after a wasted week of partisan isolationism and refusal to negotiate, he has passed a radical one-sided plan that will hurt most Americans, while doing little to solve the debt crisis or stave off a credit downgrade.
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July 29, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Less than two hours after the passage of House Republicans passed a hobbled version of “cut, cap and balance”, the Senate rejected the so-called Boehner plan. This now opens the field of negotiation for a weekend of heated, anxious, uncomfortable compromise debt plan negotiations, in both houses, as leaders attempt to cobble together broad bipartisan coalitions in both houses.
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July 29, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
After nearly two months of intense, relentless, high-pressure negotiations over whether and how to raise the ceiling for government borrowing, Speaker John Boehner’s debt-reduction plan passed the House of Representatives, with 218 Republican votes in favor, and 22 Republicans voting with all of the Democrats to oppose it. The measure is expected to fail, this [...]
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July 29, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
The Republican party’s demand that any deal to raise the debt ceiling—normally achieved by passage of a single line of legislative text—include a balanced budget amendment is a complex tangle of distractions, rooted in campaign rhetoric and a desire to frustrate the process of economic recovery. The last constitutional amendment to pass, the 27th, was [...]
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July 29, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Around 10:52 am, the news emerged from Capitol Hill that Republicans were planning to change the controversial Boehner spending-cut bill, and call a floor vote some time today. There was speculation that House leaders were planning to cut funding for Pell Grants—needed financial aid for college students—in order to win the support of Tea Party [...]
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July 28, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
Speaker of the House John Boehner appears to have made an astonishing miscalculation in his legislative strategy, designing proposed legislation to be viable only in a 100% party-line vote, even though as many as 120 of his own members have vowed not to support raising the debt ceiling. Speaker Boehner would need to round up [...]
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July 28, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Speaker of the House John Boehner has an admittedly difficult task, trying to corral rogue Republicans who have vowed to oppose raising the debt ceiling, even with the threat their actions could plunge the nation into an economic depression. But today, his speakership inched closer to calamity, as his push to pass a limited package [...]
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July 27, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Bruce Bartlett, former deputy budget director for Pres. George H.W. Bush and aide to Pres. Reagan, says the Bush tax cuts have added at least $3 trillion to the debt, and other Bush policies led to an increase of $4 trillion in the debt. When Bush took office, budget projections showed a $6 trillion surplus, [...]
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July 27, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) today addressed the Senate, calling for reasoned cooperation between the two parties and the two chambers, to craft a serious budget deal that can avoid a credit downgrade. He admonished hardline Republicans in the House to recognize that the Constitution they have sworn allegiance to institutes checks and balances, that no [...]
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July 27, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Wisconsin’s governor Scott Walker has signed into a law a controversial requirement that voters present photo ID in order to exercise their right to vote. Now, he has announced plans to close as many as 16 motor vehicle offices, every one of them in districts that favor Democrats. What’s more, Walker’s plan includes expanding hours [...]
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July 26, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
While House and Senate leaders are now moving away from Pres. Obama’s $4 trillion debt deal, proposing far less in real long-term debt and deficit reduction, Standard and Poors is threatening to downgrade the nation’s credit rating for bond sales. The rating agency is demanding $4 trillion in deficit reduction, calling for a plan that will put the debt trajectory on a “sustainable path”.
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July 26, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
If the leadership of the House of Representatives does not craft a bill that can work as a bipartisan compromise that will pass both houses, and be signed into law, they will be knowingly imposing on the entire American economy a steep “tax”, in the form of rapidly escalating interest rates. Those interest rate increases [...]
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July 25, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
At least 80, possibly as many as 120 House Republicans have now vowed they will vote against raising the debt ceiling, no matter what the makeup of the compromise reached, no matter the consequences for the economy, for national security, or for America’s future. Speaker John Boehner is caught between a rock and a … well, the smart thing would be for him to work with Democrats, so he can pass something serious and save the country from an economic disaster of his own making.
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July 24, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
House Speaker John Boehner appears to be under attack from an intransigent House Republican caucus that will not allow him to retain any credible leadership if he agrees to a debt and deficit reduction plan that includes any tax increases of any kind. While select Republicans in the Senate agree with the deficit commission recommendations and the Gang of Six proposal—which recognizes the need to increase revenues to deal with escalating deficits—, radicals refuse to agree to any compromise.
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July 24, 2011 :: staff :: One Comment
In a bizarre interview with Fox News’ Chris Wallace, House Speaker John Boehner appeared embattled, distracted and without a firm grip on any solution to the debt ceiling crisis. He seemed to be unable to speak about the debt ceiling crisis in any truthful manner, repeatedly attacking Pres. Obama for not being willing to make a deal, despite Obama offering far more than any president, Democratic or Republican, in debt and deficit reduction, in fact offering far more than Boehner himself was seeking.
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July 23, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
The Bipartisan Policy Center has found that if there is no agreement to raise the debt limit by August 2, the Treasury Department would fail to pay 44 percent of its obligations. That 44 percent of government spending, over a year, is equivalent to a real decline in GDP of 10 percent. The number is that high because the Treasury Department has been making fiscal adjustments since March, in order to stave off default. Those adjustment have been pushed as far as possible and cannot continue to push back the deadline, beyond August 2.
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July 23, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Speaker John Boehner walked out of debt ceiling negotiations this morning, informing the press, and only then the White House that he was not planning to return to negotiations. Shortly after 6 pm EDT, Pres. Obama spoke to the press, and took questions, explaining that the deal offered to House Republicans was far more favorable [...]
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July 22, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner has walked out of debt ceiling negotiations, with reports suggesting the Gang of Six proposal may have led to his rejection of a deal more favorable to his side than to the Democratic side. The Gang of Six proposal was based on the suggestions of a bipartisan budget-deficit commission, and included the need to raise revenues to help fund responsible deficit reduction.
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July 22, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Today, the Speaker of the House of representatives abandoned debt ceiling negotiations, while putting the entire House on recess for the weekend. He did not return White House phone calls until after 5 pm, only to explain that he was now rejecting any plan of any kind that would raise taxes by any amount. After moving toward a credible compromise that would involve serious debt and deficit reduction, Boehner suddenly returned to the radical “starve the beast” anti-tax policy of Grover Norquist.
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July 22, 2011 :: staff :: 2 Comments
80% of Americans want tax increases to form part of a responsible, viable, comprehensive debt and deficit-reduction plan. Only 20% of Americans agree with the radical Tea Party position that there should be zero new revenues to help fund a comprehensive plan for debt and deficit-reduction. Even among Republicans, only 26% believe a serious debt and deficit-reduction plan should be done entirely with spending cuts.
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July 18, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The road to economic recovery must run through major new infrastructure upgrades, innovation and development. The American infrastructure was once the envy of the world, a valiant testament to the ingenuity and collaborative muscle of a free people; now, it is crumbling [pdf] from malignant neglect, and the cynicism of our political system’s dealings with money.
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July 16, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
We will not fall magically into a rising tide of job creation, just by depriving ourselves of services and privileges we have built into our way of life and on which our prosperity depends. And we will not create jobs by privileging those industries that are doing the least to innovate. Innovation is the American way; it is what the nation has always struggled to accomplish, and it must be the cornerstone of a new job-creation boom.
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July 15, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently published an op-ed, in which he argued that “If Washington actually had the discipline to live within its means over the long term, every American citizen would not owe $46,000 toward the national debt.” The rhetoric is effective, but the logic is flawed; not every American “owes” an equal share of the national debt.
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July 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
A federal appeals court has ruled that Congress acted within its Constitutional authority when it passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, last year. Importantly, the three judge panel voted two to one, with one Republican nominee and former Scalia law clerk in the majority, that the individual mandate is in line with Congressional authority to regulate interstate commerce.
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May 5, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
There is a simple response to the GOP hardliners who say bin Laden’s demise justifies waterboarding and other torture techniques used under the Bush administration, and that is: if it had worked, it would not have taken 10 years to locate bin Laden. What “led” the US intelligence community, and SEAL Team Six to bin Laden’s fortified compound was long-running, diligent intelligence work of the kind that is hampered and obstructed by irrational fits of violence, torture and vengeful behavior.
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April 28, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
In his weekly address, President Obama laid out his plans to address rising gas prices over the short and the long term. While there is no silver bullet to bring down prices right away, there are a few things we can do. This week, the Attorney General launched a task force dedicated to rooting out fraud or manipulations in the oil markets. The President called for finally ending the $4 billion in taxpayer money that the oil and gas companies receive annually. And, we need to continue safe, responsible production of oil at home. But in the long term, we need to invest in clean, renewable energy. That is why the President strongly disagrees with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent.
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April 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
GOOD.is has released this infographic illustrating the significant disparity between the current demographic makeup of the United States Congress (both houses combined) and the actual population of the United States. There is a clear drag on progress in most Americans’ access to Congressional office, and it appears the composition of Congress would shift to the Democratic party, given the current policy platforms and voting tendencies of distinct (and overlapping) demographic groups.
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April 3, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The United States Supreme Court is preparing to hear oral arguments in a landmark campaign finance case, in which a wealthy candidate who chose not to use public matching funds alleges those funds amounted to an illegal enhancement of his opponent’s speech. That assisted speech, the argument goes, was an unconstitutional government intrusion into the [...]
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March 27, 2011 :: The Editors :: 2 Comments
Today, Juan Cole published an open letter to the political left, asking them to understand the humanitarian urgency of the situation in Libya, and to balance their desire for an end to war and foreign interventions against the need to protect human life and ensure that a viable democracy movement is not put down through massive slaughter of thousands or tens of thousands of civilians. Cole is right. Though military action is never the best of all possible outcomes, it is sometimes the only way to protect innocent human life against plans of deliberate mass murder.
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March 24, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
There has been a lot of controversy among members of Congress as to whether Pres. Obama “consulted” adequately with the Congress before intervening in the Libyan crisis. The controversy is mostly cynical politicking by opponents of Obama who were demanding Obama intervene, right up until he did. In fact, Pres. Obama sent notice to Congress, [...]
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March 17, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
National Public Radio is a resource that belongs to the American people. It is not government controlled, has no editorial bias in terms of ideology or party, and is the nation’s most extensive network of committed professional journalists delivering reliable information to American citizens, via the radio. Federal funding is a commitment to enabling the American people to benefit from the founding principle that a free and independent press makes us freer and more resilient to the challenges a democracy faces.
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March 15, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The president’s proposed budget for 2012 includes $36 billion in loan guarantees for the development of new nuclear power plants. The United States has still not solved the problem of where to securely store nuclear waste material for the time frame necessary. In Japan, two nuclear reactors appaer to be in meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The $36 billion would be far more wisely spent developing a clean energy economy based on advanced solar and wind technology.
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March 10, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Rachel Maddow reports on the Michigan governor’s legislation giving himself emergency powers, including the power to dissolve local governments, take over cities, unincorporate entire municipalities —the equivalent of erasing them from the political map— and remove elected officials, replacing them with his own unilaterally appointed substitutes.
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March 10, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Last night, the Republican party is Wisconsin decided to shirk the law, ignore a direct warning from the Assembly minority leader that their actions were a flagrant violation of the law, ignore established process and pass a fiscal proposal as if it were not a fiscal provision. The Senate majority leader, responsible for staging and carrying out this maneuver, said openly that the ban on collective bargaining was intended to make it more difficult for Pres. Obama to win re-election.
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March 10, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
In Wisconsin last night, the Republican state Senate stripped public employees of nearly all collective bargaining rights in a hastily called vote, in a dubious parliamentary maneuver. They did not notify the public or the minority party of their actions with adequate time for debate, and in just 13 minutes, they erased 50 years of progress on labor rights in Wisconsin.
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March 10, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
The majority leader of the Wisconsin state Senate, Scott Fitzgerald, admitted today on FOX News that the radical budget plan he and his brother and Gov. Walker are trying to force on the people of Wisconsin is a deliberate strategy to cripple the Democratic party in 2012 and make it harder for Pres. Obama to win the state of Wisconsin.
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March 9, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Republicans in the Wisconsin state Senate have voted to force through a bill banning collective bargaining for public employees in the state. The move is being described as a new parliamentary move, without precedent and possibly without any legal foundation. There are now accusations of clear ethics violations in the process used to force the measure through, and threats of legal action.
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March 9, 2011 :: staff :: One Comment
The governor of Michigan is trying to force through the legislature a bill that would establish emergency rule, LITERALLY. Gov. Snyder is seeking emergency powers that would enable him to 1) unilaterally declare a “financial emergency”, 2) disincorporate entire municipal governments, 3) dismiss elected officials with no replacement election to follow, 4) seize control of local civil services, 5) hand taxpayer money, services and POWERS to private, for-profit firms.
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March 3, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Every wave on the ocean that has ever risen up and refused to lay back down has been dashed on the shore, but it is the very purpose of a wave to rise up, because once it rises up above the horizon it finally has the perspective to see that it’s not just a wave, that it’s a part of a mighty ocean. And the sharpest rock on the wildest shore can never break that ocean apart, they can never wear that ocean down, because it’s the ocean that shapes the shore.
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March 2, 2011 :: staff :: 3 Comments
After the governor of Wisconsin first ordered the state capitol closed to the public, then ejected protesters, then refused to ease restrictions on access, a judge has ordered the closure reversed, requiring that the state government allow full public access to the building during business hours. The governor’s officials responded that by allowing public officials, staff and scheduled visitors to enter, they were already in compliance.
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