Bad Deeds for 3-25-2011

 

Indiana Prosecutor Told Wisconsin Governor to Stage ‘False Flag’ Operation – Emails show that an Indiana prosecutor and Republican activist suggested Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker stage a fake attack on himself to discredit unions protesting his budget repair bill.

In an email from February 19, Indiana deputy prosecutor Carlos F. Lam told Walker the situation presented “a good opportunity for what’s called a ‘false flag’ operation.”

“If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions’ cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions,” Lam said in his email. “Employing a false flag operation would assist in undercutting any support that the media may be creating in favor of the unions.”

Lam first lied that he did not send the e-mails. Lam is the second Indiana prosecutor to resign over suggestions to use violence in Wisconsin.

 

A Video Summary of the Republican Governors’ Bad Deeds – Jon Stewart explains how the relationship between Republican governors and their states went from cool new boyfriend to psychotic stepdad. Video at the link:

 

Texas House Budget Plan Would Cause Huge Job Losses, According to Official Estimate – The House plan to cut $23 billion from the state budget, including $7.8 billion in school formula aid and more than another $1 billion in school grants, would have a devastating impact on employment and the economy in our state. That assessment comes not from outside critics of the House budget but from lawmakers’ own expert in-house budget analysts at the Legislative Budget Board.

The LBB analysis says the state would have 272,000 fewer jobs in 2012 and 335,000 fewer in 2013 under the House budget coming to the floor for a vote on April 1. These figures include private-sector job losses totaling 117,000 in 2012 and 146,000 in 2013. Of course the estimated total job losses also imply massive reductions in public employment at all levels. The overall effect would be to boost the state’s unemployment rate above 10 percent and stunt economic growth.

It was in 2006 that the legislature, prodded by Gov. Rick Perry, forced school districts to cut local school taxes and promised to replace the lost school revenue with proceeds of a new state business tax. That business tax has never produced the revenue needed, and the state now has a structural shortfall of $5 billion a year as a result.

The current House plan cuts $7.8 billion from education while the Senate budget cuts $4 billion.

 

Republicans Attempt to De-Fund Science

In the Republican-proposed spending bill, NASA Earth Science for FY2010 is cut by 95% (from $320 million down to $17 million); for FY 2011, the Republican spending bill completely eliminates the NASA Earth Science program.

So for the past several years, we’ve heard Republicans say we should not take action on climate change, pollution, etc. until we have more science. Now they want to make sure that we never get that science. (Science and education are their worst enemies.)

 

Congressional Delegation From Texas Leading the Opposition on Capitol Hill Against Life-Saving Clean-Air Standards – Four of the top six mercury-emitting power plants in the U.S. are in Texas (based on 2009 data). They are responsible for more mercury air emissions from power plants (10,715 pounds) than the next two states combined – Pennsylvania (4,629 pounds) and Ohio (4,166 pounds).

One drop of mercury pollution per year – about a gram – is enough to render all fish in a 20-acre lake unfit for human consumption. Yet, every year nationally, more than 72,000 pounds of mercury air pollution rain down on our communities and are absorbed into our streams, rivers, and lakes.

Texas alone accounts for 1/7 of the national total. And just four large coal-fired power plants in eastern Texas are responsible for half of the state total.

Yet, unlike 17 other states, Texas has not passed a statewide mercury pollution limit for its power plants. And the Congressional delegation from Texas has been leading the opposition on Capitol Hill against life-saving clean air standards and the important work of the EPA.

 

Donald Trump: America’s Future Kim Jong Ill 😉

Regards,

Jim