Politics Plus

Yesterday I could not sleep.  I have no idea why.  My COPD was no more severe than normal.  Sleep just would not come.  The upshot is that I feel exhausted, so I’m posting just this to avoid overtaxing myself.  I’m current with replies and should return to normal tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:25 (average 7:23).  To do it click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Salem News: America has moved backward over the last half century. There is now representation without taxation, which is the opposite of the founding philosophy. What America has now is a culture where a few thousand people control the political and corporate worlds and are not taxed. Because they control the political process, they have almost entirely freed themselves of a tax burden.

The reality of inequity has become skewed beyond recognition, and preventing more equity is the mission of the Republican Party.

From NY Times: What’s really needed is a new act that makes access to the polls a universal American right. The Voting Rights Act remains necessary to prevent continuing racial discrimination, but bringing lawsuits under Section 2 of the act (which applies to the entire country and is not being challenged) is enormously difficult and costly. Preliminary injunctions to stop discriminatory election practices outside covered areas are rarely granted.

Racial prejudice was the principal target of the 1965 act, but the partisans who control so many state election systems have often gone beyond race in their attempts to rig voting to their advantage. Voter ID laws that impose a burden on students, the elderly or the poor, for example, should become as presumptively illegal as racial burdens are now. So should registration systems that make it harder for immigrants or non-English speakers to get on the rolls, or districts gerrymandered for political gain.

A country that takes pride in its democratic system should provide all voters with basic voting standards. Though Ms. Miller and other Republicans seem to think that federal mandates “would disrupt our already well-run system of elections” in the states, millions of voters have experienced something very different. Solving that problem is as urgent now as it was 50 years ago.

I could not agree more.

From MSNBC: Ed Schultz covered the same Republican hate that I did Sunday.

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

In the Republican War on Women violence and threats of violence are too extreme a tactic to allow.

Cartoon:

This was the first move in the “banana wars” to maker Latin America safe for United Fruit.

Yesterday I slept virtually all day, and it was just what I needed.  I’m feeling much better, except that I can’t stand springing ahead.  An hour is too valuable to give up.  I have a month’s grocery delivery coming today.  Hopefully unpacking and stowing them won’t take too much out of me.  I’m current with replies, and should be here tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:37 (average 4:45).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: WARNING: You May Actually Weep While Watching The Film Version Of Wisconsin’s Epic Uprising [This Short Take is about 1 1/4 hours long.]

Walker sucked so much Koch that he is still Fartfuhrer of Fitzwalkerstan. Through the dedication of oppressed people like these, that SHALL change.

From USA Today: President Barack Obama is poised to select Justice Department official Thomas Perez to be the next labor secretary, according to two people familiar with the deliberation process.

With solid support from Labor and Latinos, Perez appears to be an all too infrequent excellent choice.

From The Hill: Attorney General Eric Holder’s surprising comments this week about difficulties prosecuting big banks has lit a new spark under the debate over large financial institutions that has lingered for years on Capitol Hill.

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Holder tackled a wide range of issues from drone policy to gun control, but it was his comments on big banks, after hours of testimony, that raised eyebrows among Wall Street backers and critics…

…“The size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy,” he said. “That is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large."

If they are too big to be held accountable for their crimes, which amount to open class warfare, they are too big to exist. Even if breaking them up will hurt the economy, lets get it over with. The longer we wait, the worse it will be.

Cartoon:

Yesterday I got lots of sleep, and I needed it.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow should be routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:44 (average 5:41).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: The Funniest Anti-Gay Marriage Ad We’ve Seen In At Least Two Weeks

This obvious satire makes an excellent point. Republicans act as though who other people love threatens their ability to love. It does not. If threatens only the popularity of their hate.

From NY Times: Four years ago, as a newly elected president began his efforts to rescue the economy and strengthen the social safety net, conservative economic pundits — people who claimed to understand markets and know how to satisfy them — warned of imminent financial disaster. Stocks, they declared, would plunge, while interest rates would soar…

…Sure enough, this week the Dow Jones industrial average has been hitting all-time highs, while the current yield on 10-year U.S. government bonds is roughly half what it was when The Journal published that screed…

…the important point about these particular bad predictions is that they came from people who constantly invoke the potential wrath of the markets as a reason we must follow their policy advice. Don’t try to cover America’s uninsured, they told us; if you do, you will undermine business confidence and the stock market will tank. Don’t try to reform Wall Street, or even criticize its abuses; you’ll hurt the plutocrats’ feelings, and that will lead to plunging markets. Don’t try to fight unemployment with higher government spending; if you do, interest rates will skyrocket.

And, of course, do slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid right away, or the markets will punish you for your presumption.

Click through for the rest of Krugman’s excellent editorial that explains why Republican policies are no better than their predictions.

From ABC: Standing firm on new firearm restrictions, Colorado Democrats are on the cusp of advancing aggressive gun-control proposals Friday in a state balancing a history of heartbreaking shootings with a Western heritage where gun ownership is treasured by many.

There is really no conflict between the two. Sensible regulation poses no threat to responsible gun use, just like licensing and registration poses no threat to responsible driving.

Cartoon:

Baggers are still stuck on just fingers.

Yesterday I had to walk another 1 1/2 miles, so I’m quite tired, but not so much that I cannot blog. I’m current with replies, however briefly.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:41 (average 5:09).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From USA Today: States with more gun laws have fewer gun-related deaths, according to a new study released Wednesday by Boston Children’s Hospital.

This is NOT rocket science!

From CNN: Overriding a veto by Arkansas’ Democratic governor, the state’s Republican-controlled House and Senate approved a bill to ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, the most restrictive such law in the country.

Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, vetoed the bill Monday, saying it "blatantly contradicts the United States Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court."

And the Republican War on Women goose-steps on.

From The Oregonian:

In case you were wondering how much U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley disdains the automatic "sequestration"-driven cuts to education, here is a rundown of what he called them Wednesday:

• "Completely unacceptable"
• "Very draconian"
• "Unwise"
• "Dumb and dumber"

During a conference call with reporters, Merkley showcased not only his views but those of Oregon educators who agree with him.

Jamie Zartler, a teacher at Grant High in Portland, put it this way: "Congress is mugging our kids."

Merkley was swift to lay out the negative numbers facing Oregon schools — a $10 million hit to funds for high poverty schools, a $6.4 million cut for special education and a $3.5 million drop in money for Head Start.

Dumber kids for America! It’s the Republican way!

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