TomCat

Republicans Plan to Rely on Terrorism

Posted by TomCat at 12:31 am Politics

Sep 152013

In 2011, I predicted that, if Democrats caved-in to Republican blackmail on the debt ceiling, it would just open the floodgates on even more Republican terrorism. I was furious when Democrats caved-in, opening the door for the Republican sequester. Was I right or what? Never again!

Two years ago, Congressional Republicans took the unprecedented step of holding the debt ceiling hostage in order to extract draconian spending cuts. Now, the GOP’s willingness to sabotage the American (and global) economy may be about to take an even more dangerous–and obscene–turn. House Republicans are suggesting they will not support an increase in the U.S. borrowing authority this fall unless Democrats agree to "revenue-neutral" overhaul of the tax code. That is to say, Republicans are threatening to trigger a default unless they get a deal that doesn’t reduce the deficits at all.

The latest GOP extortion couldn’t come at a worse time. After all, the federal budget sequester which began in March is already slowing economic growth and costing American jobs. Meanwhile, the CBO and analysts like Goldman Sachs have forecast that Uncle Sam’s rapidly shrinking annual budget deficits will soon put U.S. national debt levels on a sustainable path. (That reality even prompted House Speaker John Boehner and Budget Committee Chairman to admit that "we have no immediate debt crisis.") Now, two years after the GOP’s first debt limit blackmail hammered consumer confidence and job growth, Republicans are preparing a new ransom note. As Politico recently explained:

Now, momentum is building to tie a rewrite of the Tax Code to hiking the debt cap, which will need to be raised by the fall because the limit will technically be hit this month. Top lawmakers and aides on the House Ways and Means Committee have quietly begun mulling over and crafting mechanisms that would attempt to "commit Washington" to tax reform over the next five months, several sources involved with the planning say.

… [emphasis added]

From <Daily Kos>

Translate "tax reforms" as more tax welfare for the 0.1%.

Chris Hayes explains the issues in detail.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

When Obama and the Democrats caved in 2011, it was a huge mistake. It must never happen again. We lave no choice, but to allow the Republican Party do do whatever damage they will, while making sure that they face the political consequences for doing so. Eventually Boehner and Cantor, who already know they’re on a path to political suicide, will cave-in on both the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling, and allow the small, sane minority of Republicans in the House vote with Democrats.

The bottom line is this, when we give in to terrorism, it guarantees more terrorism, and this Republican sedition is terrorism.

EPA: A Good Idea, but Not Far Enough

Posted by TomCat at 12:31 am Politics

Sep 152013

Every day we pump more and more carbon into our atmosphere. The effects are already self-evident and likely to become catastrophic. In response to this, the EPA is changing the regulations for for new coal fired and gas fired utility plants. I support these changes, but they do not go far enough.

Following up on President Obama’s pledge in June to address climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency plans next week to propose the first-ever limits on greenhouse gas emissions from newly built power plants.

But even before the proposal becomes public, experts on both sides of the issue say it faces a lobbying donnybrook and an all-but-certain court challenge. For a vast and politically powerful swath of the utility industry — operators of coal-fired plants, and the coal fields that supply them — there are fears that the rules would effectively doom construction of new coal plants far into the future.

While details of the E.P.A.’s proposal remain confidential, experts predict that it will include separate standards for carbon dioxide emissions from plants fired by natural gas and by coal. Plants using comparatively clean gas would be permitted to emit perhaps 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour, a ceiling within easy reach using modern technologies.

Coal-fired plants, meanwhile, may be allowed to emit as many as 1,400 pounds per megawatt-hour. But coal is so heavily laden with carbon that meeting even that higher limit would require operators to scrub carbon dioxide from their emissions before they reach the smokestack, and then pump it into permanent storage underground… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

When corporations externalize costs, they are effectively making someone who is not involved in a transaction pay for part of the costs of that transaction. In this case, those costs include the severe weather damages, increased health care costs, environmental degradation, etc. for 1,000 and 1,400 pounds per megawatt hour, respectively. Further, the regulations do not cover emissions from existing plants.

The solution is to internalize not only all carbon costs, but all pollution costs of any kind. That is, every polluter, from the driver of the most fuel efficient hybrid to the filthiest Koch Brother, must pay 100% of the costs for every ounce of their pollution. Unless consumers pay what it really costs to produce and use fossil fuel products, green energy is at an unfair disadvantage, and the free market cannot function as it should. Of course, that may drive utility costs higher than some can afford, but that human misery is also a cost of our national addiction to fossil fuel, so the fossil fuel industries must also subsidize utility service for the victims of their past abuses.

Our current fossil fuel industries operate under vulture capitalism, not free enterprise.

How about a flatulence tax on the 1%? 😉

Open Thread–9/15/2013

Posted by TomCat at 12:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 152013

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 93. Just maybe the extreme heat has ended a day early, but my two weather sources are 13° apart. I’m still over-tired from the week. Don’t forget to set your fantasy football lineups, and Patty, YOU NEED A TIGHT END!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:57 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MSNBC: Ed Shultz talks about un-brainwashing Faux Noise viewers.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In short, there is more than one kind of viewer of the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise. Regular folks, who watch it, because they don’t know any better can be helped. But neither flavor of core viewer can be helped. The core viewers that say "Kill!", are getting exactly what they want, so they will not accept help. The core viewers that say "Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a", are just too stuck on stupid!

From Right Wing Watch: Two weeks ago, the Christian Broadcasting Network tried to cover up remarks made by Pat Robertson, the founder of CBN and host of its flagship show the 700 Club, about how he believes gay men wear special rings that cut the hands of people they meet in order to infect them with HIV/AIDS.

CBN not only had the video we posted of Robertson’s comments removed from YouTube by complaining that it violated copyright laws, but also edited the comments out of its own broadcast of the show.

We reposted our video elsewhere, but CBN also had it removed from websites such as Vimeo and Dailymotion.

We filed a counterclaim with YouTube asserting that our video was protected by Fair Use and yesterday we finally received word that our video had been restored…

Kudos, to RWW! As for Robertson, I trust that, in the end, “Blood Diamond Pat” will hear, "I never knew you!"

From Politico: Senate Democrats have had all they can take from David Vitter and his fixation on Obamacare — and they’re dredging up his past prostitution scandal to hit back.

Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has infuriated Democrats this week by commandeering the Senate floor, demanding a vote on his amendment repealing federal contributions to help pay for lawmakers’ health care coverage.

But Democratic senators are preparing a legislative response targeting a sordid Vitter episode. If Vitter continues to insist on a vote on his proposal, Democrats could counter with one of their own: Lawmakers will be denied those government contributions if there is “probable cause” they solicited prostitutes…

LOL!! I love it!! Vitter has demanded that the Senate Ethics Committee investigate Harry Reid over this. Now, I’m no fan of the Nevada Leg Hound, but the very notion of Diaper Dave demanding an ethics review epitomizes GOP Hypocrisy!

Cartoon:

15Cartoon

Nice Talk, Leg Hound, but…

Posted by TomCat at 12:27 am Politics

Sep 142013

I refer to Harry Reid (D-NV) as the Nevada Leg Hound, because, whenever it really matters, he humps a few Republican legs, begging for votes, whines, rolls over, and plays dead. Here is an opportunity to see the Nevada Leg hound in full whine mode.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Thursday said that efforts by tea party-backed Republicans in the Senate to use an energy efficiency bill to defund Obamacare was evidence that "anarchist have taken over" Congress.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Reid said that some senators had attempted to derail the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act with unrelated amendments.

"The anarchist have taken have taken over," the Nevada Democrat observed, throwing up his hands. "They've taken over the House, now they're here in the Senate."

"We're in a position here where people who don’t believe in government — and that’s what the tea party is all about — are winning, and that’s a shame."

Reid pointed out that Republicans had not allowed a single amendment to be offered that had anything to do with energy. In fact, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) had vowed to block every amendment until his measure to exempt lawmakers from the health care reform law came up for a vote…

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

Here’s that video:

The Nevada Leg Hound says we have not accomplished much. That's so true, but one big reason for that is that the Leg Hound has not done what he NEEDS to do!

nuclear_blast

Rixar13 Has a BIG Mouth! ;-)

Posted by TomCat at 12:27 am Blog News, Politics

Sep 142013

46-Rixar13

This is Richard’s very first Big Mouth Award, and that in itself is surprising as he’s been here almost every day, commenting prolifically, for well over a year now. His comments are pithy, and his humor is off the wall, making him a good fit here. At the rate he is improving at Jig Zone, we’ll soon have to add Rocked (Richard) to Bigfooted (Lynn), Mashed (Patty), Crunched (Jerry), and Catboxed (guess who ;-)). Please join me in congratulating this welcome progressive activist!

Open Thread–9/14/2013

Posted by TomCat at 12:26 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 142013

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 92, and the semi-day off helped. Yesterday was not quite as hot. Today will be, because the sun just hit the breezeway. Sunday can’t come soon enough!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:10 (average 5:16). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: A group of thousands of "patriots" was planning on taking over Washington, DC yesterday, by force if necessary. According to their Facebook page [Seditionists delinked],

We are NOT going to ask congress to Impeach Obama And HIS Administration,

We ARE going to DEMAND it!

They were planning on using tractor-trailers to block the roads into and out of the city. The trailers would also serve as temporary jail facilities in which to hold members of Congress and other officials who didn’t comply with their demands. They were not going to be armed themselves, but planned to have an armed citizen’s militia waiting in the wings in Virginia to come and save them if authorities in DC became violent. Some of the planners envisioned this as a multi-day event.

This was the gathering that was so nuts that even angry wingnut lunatic Police Chief Mark Kessler of Gilberton, PA distanced himself from it.

They had it all planned out. They were pissed and they weren’t going to take it anymore…

Nobody showed up! 😀

From NY Times: A few days ago, The Times published a report on a society that is being undermined by extreme inequality. This society claims to reward the best and brightest regardless of family background. In practice, however, the children of the wealthy benefit from opportunities and connections unavailable to children of the middle and working classes. And it was clear from the article that the gap between the society’s meritocratic ideology and its increasingly oligarchic reality is having a deeply demoralizing effect.

The report illustrated in a nutshell why extreme inequality is destructive, why claims ring hollow that inequality of outcomes doesn’t matter as long as there is equality of opportunity. If the rich are so much richer than the rest that they live in a different social and material universe, that fact in itself makes nonsense of any notion of equal opportunity…

Click through for an excellent editorial by Paul Krugman. Republicans are working hard to replace the class system with a caste system.

From MSNBC: Rachel Maddow examines the racist Republican "white vote" strategy.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ted Cruz is different from many other Republicans. He does not hide his racism in what he says or does. Most Republican politicians speak of equality, but act as racists. Once even the Republican Party would have condemned Ted Cruz. Now they may nominate him for President.

Cartoon:

14Cartoon

Open Thread–9/13/2013

Posted by TomCat at 1:37 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 132013

I’m writing for tomorrow, day 91, and this is tomorrow’s only article. The temperature at my desk will top 100° today, tomorrow and Saturday, so color me miserable. Tomorrow id Friday, the 13th, so although I am Caucasian, I will still be your honorary black cat.

FridayThe13th

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:29). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) was harshly critical today of President Obama’s nationally televised address about Syria this week, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “The President’s decision to think before attacking another country flies in the face of American foreign policy.”

“The United States of America has been involved in countless armed conflicts since this great nation was founded,” Mr. McCain said. “Many of those would never have happened if we’d stopped to think about them first. Sadly, the President seems not to have learned this lesson of history.”

Calling the President “an Ivy League law professor who never met a thought he didn’t like,” Mr. McCain said that he was urging Mr. Obama “to please take thinking off the table.”…

Andy’s satire has captured McConJob’s very soul!

From MSNBC: Rachel Maddow on complexity of Mideast problems.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As complex as the problems are, Republican solutions are simple. Whatever Obama is for, they are against it, even when they said they were for it yesterday. That is not governance. It is sabotage and sedition. Crowley made a lot of sense.

From Right Wing Watch: American Family Association spokesman Bryan Fischer yesterday tied together the closure of an Oregon bakery that refused to serve gay customers who were trying to find a wedding cake and the rapidly-collapsing story of an Air Force officer who insists he was punished by a superior over his views on gay marriage. Fischer said that the two accounts were proof of growing anti-Christian persecution in Obama’s America.

I can say for a fact that he’s lying about the bakery. The proprietors refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. Political activists organized a boycott and reported them to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). The Oregon Equality Act of 2007 guarantees that people can not be denied service at a public business, based on sexual orientation. (Oregon leads the way!) BOLI launched an investigation, and the bakery shut down voluntarily to avoid criminal charges. Their hateful discrimination was more important to them than their business. All they had to do is to obey the law, and the problem would have vaporized. Also, LGBT folk don’t shout “Homo Akbar”. That lie is a World Net Daily meme.

Cartoon:

13Cartoon

Contrary to Republican lies, Democrats did NOT invent the national debt.

Pseudo-Christian Blood Diamonds

Posted by TomCat at 1:29 am Politics, Religion

Sep 122013

During the civil war in Rwanda, millions of Americans, made contributions to aid refugees from that conflict. But most of the money that those caring people gave through one organization, Operation Blessing, ended up financing diamond mining instead. The profits were then hidden away offshore to evade the lawful taxes due. This was done by one of the most despicable Republicans alive.

A new documentary may be one of the highest-caliber shells fired across Pat Robertson’s bow in a long time. Back in 1994, Robertson’s humanitarian organization, Operation Blessing, claimed to have raised scads of money to help thousands of Rwandan refugees who fled across the border to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But according to Mission Congo, slated to premiere tonight at the Toronto International Film Festival, much of that money actually went to fund a diamond mining operation run by Robertson.

Mission Congo, by David Turner and Lara Zizic, opens at the Toronto film festival on Friday. It describes how claims about the scale of aid to Rwandan refugees were among a number of exaggerated or false assertions about the activities of Operation Blessing which pulls in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in donations, much of it through Robertson’s televangelism. They include characterising [sic] a failed large-scale farming project as a huge success, and claims about providing schools and other infrastructure.

But some of the most damaging criticism of Robertson comes from former aid workers at Operation Blessing, who describe how mercy flights to save refugees were diverted hundreds of miles from the crisis to deliver equipment to a diamond mining concession run by the televangelist.

Read more about the film at the festival Website. The allegations it makes would send a chill down the spine of any fair-minded viewer. Officials with Doctors Without Borders told the filmmakers that Operation Blessing was more or less nonexistent in one of the hardest-hit towns, Goma–only one tent and seven doctors. Then, several weeks later, even that minimal effort apparently stopped… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

I urge you to click through and read the rest of this article to learn how most of the operation was just a front for Robertson’s diamond mining, how he ignored the plight of the refugees, how he cheated the millions who trusted him, and how he hid the money away. No authentic Christian would behave in this way, but then, Robertson has nothing to do with Christianity. He’s a Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian.

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