Politics Plus

Yesterday, my router gave up the ghost, so I had to rush out and buy another.  After I returned, my COPD flared up for the rest of the day and night, keeping me from sleeping, so this is today’s only article.  I’m current with replies, albeit excessively briefly so.  Tomorrow appears routine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:51 (average 5:24).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s the latest from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Scores:

Standings:

						Points
Rank	Team Name	W-L-T	Pct	Streak	Waiver	For	Against
1 (1)	TomCat Teabag Trashers	11-2-0	.846	W2	6	1550.44	1293.58
2 (2)	hugos renegades	8-5-0	.615	L2	5	1435.88	1313.24
3 (3)	Progressive Underdogs	6-7-0	.462	W3	4	1350.10	1312.16
4 (4)	Playing without a helmet	5-8-0	.385	W1	3	1230.06	1381.94
5 (5)	MittsMagicJock	5-8-0	.385	L1	2	1280.64	1332.42
6 (6)	Texans Will Rise Again	4-9-0	.308	L2	1	1240.78	1454.56

This week will be the last of our regular season, and we move into our playoffs next week.  Jerry and I have already clinched the top two seeds and will have first round byes.

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: A Big Box Store Proves You Can Take Care Of Your Staff And Still Make A Profit

There is, however, one area in which Wal-fart beats Costco hands down: greed.

From NY Times: “What we are putting forth is a credible plan that deserves serious consideration from the White House,” Mr. Boehner said.

The White House was critical of the proposal. “The Republican letter released today does not meet the test of balance,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the communications director. “In fact, it actually promises to lower rates for the wealthy and sticks the middle class with the bill. Their plan includes nothing new and provides no details on which deductions they would eliminate, which loopholes they will close or which Medicare savings they would achieve.”

Republicans did produce proposals that could create a political backlash. Of the plan’s savings, $200 billion over 10 years would come from changing the way the government calculates inflation, which would slow benefit increases in programs from Medicare to Social Security and raise taxes by slowing the annual rise in tax brackets. Republican aides said that it would be unpopular, but that it was the right response to deficits still topping $1 trillion.

The Republican plan also called for $600 billion in cuts to federal health care programs, including an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare and increased means testing to shrink health benefits for more affluent elderly Americans… [emphasis added]

Did I predict this, or did I predict this? Also, see this.

From Think Progress: A constant conservative charge against President Obama is that he is inherently anti-business. However, businesses keep defying the storyline by making larger and larger profits, rebounding nicely out of the Great Recession.

In the third quarter of this year, “corporate earnings were $1.75 trillion, up 18.6% from a year ago.” Corporations are currently making more as a percentage of the economy than they ever have since such records were kept. But at the same time, wages as a percentage of the economy are at an all-time low, as this chart shows. (The red line is corporate profits; the blue line is private sector wages.):

Corporate Criminals hate Obama, not because the business climate under his administration is bad, but because they want full latitude to prey on consumers, and that’s what Republicans are offering.

Cartoon:

After spending most of yesterday manufacturing ZZZZZZs, I feel almost human again and ready to start a new month.  I’m current with replies.  Tomorrow is a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  Sadly my Broncos’ meditation with the Bucs will not be televised. 🙁

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:46 (average 5:41).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Rachel Maddow On How The Republican Party Hasn’t Learned One Damned Thing

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

Let S = what Republicans say. Let D = what Republicans do. S – D = ∞.

From NY Times: Israel is moving forward with development of Jewish settlements in a contentious area east of Jerusalem, defying the United States by advancing a project that has long been condemned by Washington as effectively dooming any prospect of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A day after the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade the status of the Palestinians, a senior Israeli official said the government would pursue “preliminary zoning and planning preparations” for a development that would separate the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem from Jerusalem. If such a project were to go beyond blueprints, it could prevent the creation of a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.

What stronger indication could there be that the intent of the Netanyahu government is to default on their treaty obligations and pursue a one state solution?

From Washington Post: Details of Obama’s opening bid leaked Thursday, and the president drove home its central message at a campaign-like rally in Pennsylvania Frida: He’s refusing to budge on top tax rates for the wealthiest Americans, and he’s refusing to make significant preemptive concessions to Republicans. Republicans have spent the last 24 hours or so howling in protest.

“It’s not acceptable to me, and I don’t think it’s acceptable to you, for just a handful of Republicans in Congress to hold middle-class tax cuts hostage simply because they don’t want tax rates on upper-income folks to go up,” Obama said outside a toy factory in Hatfield, Pa.

Dang! What audacity!! How dare he act as though he won the election!!!

Cartoon:

I’m hurrying to get done, so I can rest before leaving for volunteer work in prison.  I’m current with replies.  Since I shall return home late, having missed sleep, and shall be overly tired, please expect no more tomorrow than an Open Thread.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 4:07).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: BOOM: World’s Awesomest* Astrophysicist Destroys December 21 Prophecy In A Snap

I’ve noticed that the people hyping the December 12 idiocy tend to be the same people infamous as 9/11 truthers.

From Washington Post: Wonkbook’s Number of the Day: 60 percent. That’s the percentage of Americans who support higher taxes on higher incomes, according to a new Post-ABC poll. Seventy-three percent of Democrats and 63 percent of independents support an increase, whereas 59 percent of Republicans oppose increasing taxes on the well-off.

Republicans are completely out of step with America, as usual.

From Daily Kos: He doesn’t have a vote in the Senate anymore, but he has a critical interest in how the legislative process works. Or in the case of recent years, doesn’t. So President Obama is backing the filibuster reform plan from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

To avoid confusion, the plan this author attributes to Harry Reid, is really the plan proposed by Oregon’s Jeff Merkley and Tom Udall (D-NM).

Cartoon:

Someone needed to remind Palestinians then, and someone needs to remind Israel now.

Yesterday I almost missed my doctor’s appointment.  My MAX train could not cross the Willamette River, because the Steel Bridge would not lock down properly, after being raised to allow a ship to pass.  I had to leave the train and catch a bus that crossed using a different bridge.  Fortunately the doctor was understanding when I called and said to come again.  It’s such an improvement for my foot to be out of pain.  I’m current with replies.  Today is a prison volunteer day, and I will not return home until late, having missed sleep.  Therefore tomorrow expect only an Open Thread.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:24 (average 6:11).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s that latest from our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends.

Scores:

TomCat Teabag Trashers	Playing without a helmet
116.30	77.06
hugos renegades	Progressive Underdogs
108.68	128.00
MittsMagicJock	Texans Will Rise Again
123.02	121.42

Standings:

						Points
Rank	Team Name	W-L-T	Pct	Streak	Waiver	For	Against
1 (1)	TomCat Teabag Trashers	10-2-0	.833	W1	6	1394.26	1205.54
2 (2)	hugos renegades	8-4-0	.667	L1	5	1347.84	1157.06
3 (3)	Progressive Underdogs	5-7-0	.417	W2	4	1244.38	1251.44
4 (4)	MittsMagicJock	5-7-0	.417	W1	3	1192.54	1230.88
5 (5)	Playing without a helmet	4-8-0	.333	L6	2	1128.52	1293.84
6 (6)	Texans Will Rise Again	4-8-0	.333	L1	1	1180.06	1348.84

It’s good to be back to my winning ways.

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Al Gore Uses Song To Teach Us A Few Things About A Climate On The Brink

There’s no more to say. Reality must take precedence over InsaniTEA.

From NY Times: For Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, the loss of Mr. Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent who is the chairman of the homeland security committee, goes beyond personal deprivation and could profoundly affect their ability to influence foreign policy. Though he frustrated many Democrats with his interventionist ideas, Mr. Lieberman gave Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, both Republicans, a veneer of bipartisanship that lent credibility to their policy goals.

Bipartisan?!!? You can fertilize your veggies with that load. LIEberscum was a Republican even before Connecticut voters prevented him from running as a Democrat. Traitor Joe will be replaced by a real Democrat.

From CBS: Congress returns to work in Washington this week with a to-do list worthy of an overworked single mom.

They’re back?!!? AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!! 🙁

Cartoon:

If England and Ireland, why not Israel and Palestine.