The WAWG Blog

Texas State Board of Education ‘Manipulated’ and ‘Politicized’ Texas Curriculum Standards According to Conservative Group – The conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute released an analysis that says Texas’ new social studies curriculum standards are so politicized that they will undermine the education of a generation of Texas kids[, and keep the state under Republican control].

The think tank’s analysis charges that the right-wing bias in the standards is so bad that it almost mirrors the kind of indoctrination promoted by schools in the old Soviet Union. It also says members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) “showed themselves determined to inject their personal religious beliefs into history education.” And it slams those state board members for displaying an “overt hostility and contempt for historians and scholars” in writing the new standards.

Mike Huckabee Wants Americans to Be Indoctrinated at Gunpoint – Mike Huckabee has just been caught on video, at a Christian supremacist conference, stating that Americans should be forcibly indoctrinated at gunpoint. The organization which hosted the “Rediscover God In America” conference, United in Purpose, has edited Huckabee’s comment from footage of his speech, but not before People For The American Way’s Kyle Mantyla captured the unedited footage, in which Mike Huckabee states, “I almost wish that there would be, like, a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced – forced at gunpoint no less – to listen to every David Barton message, and I think our country would be better for it.”

David Barton is the leading promoter of a brand of falsified American history altered to support the claim that America was founded as a Christian, rather than a secular, nation. As Chris Rodda, who has authored an entire book debunking Barton’s brand of pseudo-history, writes, “I was quite surprised … to come across a video clip from this conference on the People for the American Way (PFAW) Right Wing Watch blog with the headline “Huckabee: Americans Should Be Forced, At Gunpoint, To Learn From David Barton.” I had watched Huckabee’s speech. How on earth could I have missed a statement like that? Well, I didn’t. It had been edited out of the webcast that I had watched.

In Two Years, the US May Fall Behind China in Science Research – China will soon surpass the US as the country that publishes the most scientific papers. China is currently only second to the US now and will be the dominant publisher of scientific papers by 2013, a report by the Royal Society says. China, says the BBC, has increased spending on science by 10% since 1999 and now spends over $100 billion on science. In 2006, China’s schools graduated as many as 1.5 million science and engineering students.

Republican Budget to Kill Innovation, Clean Energy and Transportation – The Republican budget proposal completely kills the following in FY2011:

• Green Jobs Innovation Fund
• High Speed Rail, Intercity Passenger Rail Grants
• Washington Metro grants
• EPA Climate protection program (automotive technologies)
• DOE Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan (50% reduction in 2011, 100% reduction in 2012)
• HUD Energy Innovation fund
• EPA climate change grants to local governments

Regards,

Jim

While reading through a 1967 college text on Today’s ISMs by William Ebenstein, I came across this statement on wealth distribution in America as of 1953:

… the top 3 per cent [sic] owned 33 per cent [sic] of all wealth, and the top 10 per cent [sic] owned 56 per cent [sic].

This was contrasted with Britain in 1953, where,

… the top 3 per cent [sic] owned 49 per cent [sic] of all wealth, and the top 10 per cent [sic] owned 76 per cent [sic].

This is a limited comparison, but America didn’t appear as plutocratic as Britain back then.

So, how is America’s wealth distributed today?

According to an article by Professor G. William Domhoff of UCSC, in 2007, the top 1 percent owned 43 percent of financial wealth and the top 10 percent owned 83 percent. In other words, the middle class and poor own only 17 percent of the nation’s wealth. This is a huge drop from the 44 percent those same citizens owned in 1953.

Notice also that the top group for 2007 has been narrowed by two percent and that the percent of wealth for this smaller group is ten percent greater than for the larger 1953 group. We are now a plutocracy.

What makes this transfer in America’s wealth distribution even more remarkable is the 1967 college text’s context for the 1953 numbers.

The chapter title is “Democratic Capitalism.” The subsection of the chapter where these wealth numbers were stated is titled “Why socialism has not spread in the United States.” Within that subsection, the following text was provided by the author:

The basic reason [for socialism not spreading] lies in the fact that American capitalism – more than any other economic system in the world – has given to the people now much of what socialism promises them for the future. Specifically, socialism bases it appeal on two main promises: (1) social equality and (2) the abolition of poverty. Although no one will argue that American capitalism has lived up to 100 per cent [sic] to these two principles, it must have done so to a very large extent, since socialist propaganda so far has had little effect.

Well, that was written in 1967 and America has changed – American capitalism is failing the vast majority of it’s citizens. Those citizens who claim to be capitalism’s biggest supporters can’t see the growing plutocracy. They are the conservatives without conscience, which includes most Republicans, Blue Dog Dems, Tea Party members, and Libertarians.

U.S. Corporations Not Paying Taxes, But Getting Paid by Taxpayers – America’s largest corporation, General Electric, did not pay any taxes on their $15 billion in profits last year and instead got a $3 billion tax refund.1 But it doesn’t end at G.E….

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont put out a Top 10 list of corporations with high profits and no taxes in recent years including Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Boeing and Carnival Cruise Lines. Over the last two years, Wells Fargo earned $37 billion in profits but got a $4 billion tax refund. 2 And Hewlett-Packard reported over $9 billion in profits last year, but paid the same amount in taxes as someone earning just $30,000 a year.3

This is not about business incentives, which are fine and can be valuable in helping to kick start the economy. This is about a system gone completely off the rails in which corporations are getting an unnecessary free ride at the expense of everyone else.

Congress is on the verge of shutting down over Republicans’ demands for deep, draconian cuts to everything from public broadcasting and reproductive health to college loans and programs that feed poor children. So why aren’t increases in revenue, beginning with basic Tax Fairness for corporations, on the table too? Conservatives seem hell-bent on slashing funding for every program under the sun that helps ordinary Americans, including Social Security and Medicaid, just so they can protect corporations’ free ride.

The New York Times reported that corporate taxes made up only 6.6 percent of all federal revenue in 2009, but were 30 percent of total revenues the mid-1950s. It’s not hard to see that closing loopholes and ending billions of dollars of giveaways in corporate welfare could solve most if not all of our budget problems. Don’t let this Tea Party Congress pay for corporate welfare on the backs of poor and middle-class families. Demand Tax Fairness Now!

While Republicans, the media and too many conservative Democrats continue to play to the false narrative that deep cuts are necessary, including cuts to essential retirement and health care programs, everyone is ignoring the real elephant in the room: that profit-swollen corporations are shorting America and its taxpayers billions of dollars every year. Congress can show they are really serious about budgets and deficits by making corporations pay their fair share, and making it the top priority over cuts.

Call on Congress to collect corporations’ fair share in taxes before forcing through cuts that will harm millions of Americans.

Republican Lawmakers in Arizona Want to Cut Taxes for the Rich, Raise Taxes on Everyone Else – Republican Lawmakers in Arizona want to change to a one-size-fits-all income tax, which would raise taxes for 88 percent of Arizona filers while cutting them for the 12 percent with a taxable income of more than $100,000 a year, a legislative analysis shows.

Last Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee approved the bill on a 4-2 vote. Last week, the House of Representatives gave it a party-line OK, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

Republican Presidential Candidate Says ‘I Would Not’ Appoint A Muslim In My Administration – Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said that if elected president, he would not appoint a Muslim in his administration. Cain should check his understanding of the U.S. Constitution, which states in Article 4:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

Fox News “Reporters” Knowlingly Lied On-Air About Obama – In newly uncovered audio, a Fox News executive boasts that he lied repeatedly during the closing days of the 2008 presidential campaign when he speculated on-air “about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism.”

Speaking in 2009 onboard a pricey Mediterranean cruise sponsored by a right-wing college, Fox Washington managing editor Bill Sammon, who is also a Fox News vice president, said the following:

Last year, candidate Barack Obama stood on a sidewalk in Toledo, Ohio, and first let it slip to Joe the Plumber that he wanted to quote, ‘spread the wealth around,’ ” said Sammon. “At that time, I have to admit, that I went on TV on Fox News and publicly engaged in what I guess was some rather mischievous speculation about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I found rather far-fetched.

Sammon’s “mischief” wasn’t limited to his on-air appearances. Sammon also pushed Fox News colleagues to play the socialism card. On October 27, 2008, Sammon sent an email to staffers highlighting what he described as “Obama’s references to socialism, liberalism, Marxism and Marxists.”

Monsanto Dictating What Types of Seeds Farmers Can Plant (and Thus What Types of Food We Can Eat) – Monsanto has been able to control important market access for family farmers. Today their power has grown too great, they own more than 90% of the GMO seed genetics in the world and this is having a harmful impact on farmer’s right to choose what type of seeds they want to plant and how American consumers want their food produced. Monsanto’s excessive market share harms farmers, the environment, innovation and our democracy.

Last year the Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Agriculture held a series of 5 workshops investigating anti-competitive practices in the food and agricultural sectors. Nowhere are these abuses more prevalent than in the extreme market share enjoyed by the seed and chemical company Monsanto, which has a virtual stranglehold on seed supplies in crucial sectors that has severely limited farmer’s choice in what traits they can buy. Monsanto’s control of the seed market is so high that 93% of soybeans, some 82% of corn, 93% of cotton and 95% of sugar beets grown in the U.S. contain Monsanto’s patented genes.

Let President Obama and the Department of Justice know that you care about organic integrity by following this link from Food Democracy Now.

Regards,

Jim

As seen below, if Republicans would stop giving our national wealth away to their rich friends, the majority of the people in this country would not have to suffer so much:

Republicans want to cut $11.2 billion from early childhood programs,
But they spent $11.5 billion per year on tax cuts for millionaires’ estates.

Republicans want to cut $8.9 billion on low-cost hosing programs,
But they spent $8.9 billion allowing mortgage interest deductions for vacation homes (10-yr. cost).

Republicans want to cut $7.6 billion from supplemental nutrition for poor families,
But they loose $6.7 billion by allowing “estate planning” techniques used by the wealthy to avoid taxes.

Republicans want to cut $4.6 billion for teacher training and after-school programs,
But they will loose $5.2 billion by removing the limit on itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers in FY2011.

Republicans want to cut $4.1 billion for job training for unemployed and new workers,
But they spent $4.1 billion on tax breaks for offshore operations of U.S. financial companies.

Republicans want to cut $2.5 billion for Low Income Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grants to poor families,
But they will spend $2.5 billion on tax breaks for oil companies as write-offs for drilling and oil well coats in FY 2012).

Republicans want to cut $2.5 billion for community health centers,
But they spent $4.9 billion by extending alcohol fuel tax breaks.

Republicans want to cut $2 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants,
But they will spend $2.3 billion in a tax loophole for managers of hedge funds and private equity funds in FY 2012.

Republicans want to cut $420 million for legal services for the poor,
But they spent $312 million by allowing companies to write off their punitive damages (10-yr. cost).

Republicans want to cut $317 million for Title X family Planning,
But they spent $303 million on special tax breaks for the timber industry.

And in summary: – Republicans want to cut $44 billion from programs that benefit the citizens of our country,
But they could have saved $42 billion in just one year (FY2012) by not extending the Bush tax cuts for the top tax brackets.

Regards,

Jim

Republican Bill Would Shut Down Down Weather Satellites – The Republican-controlled Congress took steps to eliminate $700 million in funding for NOAA’s satellite program in its bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year (until October 2011). Though that bill is still being negotiated, the three-week continuing resolution that keeps the government open until April 8 also contained cuts to NOAA’s vital satellites. Making these short-sighted cuts now will force taxpayers to spend three to five times as much to buy exactly the same equipment 18-months down the road—a delay extremely likely to leave the nation without coverage since our current satellites are approaching the end of their projected service lives.

If Congress refuses to fund new environmental monitoring satellites to replace aging spacecraft that could fail at any time, it will undoubtedly expose Americans to increased risk from storms, floods, blizzards, and hurricanes.

Without the satellite data, NOAA’s forecasts lose as much as 50 percent of their accuracy. Failing to maintain our satellite network, according to NOAA, would reduce future flood preparedness time from days to mere hours, putting human lives at risk.

Meanwhile, more and more science is emerging that strengthens the link between unprecedented weather phenomena and human-caused global climate change.

(Oh, maybe that’s why Republicans want to shut down the satellites: Left side of mouth: We need more science before taking action. Right side of mouth: Shut down science before it shows any more facts! – JLV)

Republican Budget Proposal for Texas Will Result in 335,244 More Lost Jobs – Yesterday, the LBB came out with a report that told the truth about the disastrous cost of the Texas Republicans’ slash-and-burn budget— 271,746 jobs lost in 2012, and 63,498 more jobs lost in 2013.

As Paul Burka noted in his report at Texas Monthly, the projected job losses are devastating and “testify to human misery, and to the empty, self-congratulatory boastfulness of Texas’s leaders over the past decade.” Burka further said, “Perry, Dewhurst, Craddick, and yes, Straus—they have proven that they are so wed to their ideology, they will let the state go down the drain rather than take responsibility for the carnage that their policies have produced.”

When faced with the truth about the budget shortfall, the Republicans instead engaged in denial about the budgetary realities needed to prevent these massive job losses. Texas Democrats urged their Republican colleagues to wake up and face reality about the major job losses that they’ll cause with the current budget.

With all this bad news, maybe it’s not surprising Perry had to get away from it all for a few days. He’s off to sunny California again, the land he loves to hate, for meetings and political speeches. But the myth of Texas’ economic superiority continues to crumble. With news like the jobs report from the LBB, pretty soon Perry is going to be all out of talking points.

Rick Perry Appointment Helps Buddy Make Millions – The man selected to run one of Gov. Perry’s economic development funds got rich off of private deals while running the fund for more than four years. A Texas Ranger investigation found that Perry appointee Alan Kirchhoff worked with one of the Fund’s advisory committee members to set up deals with companies seeking awards. Using his inside connections, Kirchhoff was able to turn his life from bankruptcies and failed businesses to become a millionaire.

Texas Generates 38 Percent of all Hazardous Waste in the Entire United States – Well folks, here is yet another interesting factoid on why Texas should continue to be regarded as the bright and shining light of rampant, unfettered capitalism; the state is freaking aglow in hazardous wastes. Just keep it a secret and do not tell anyone, it might scare the newcomers and tourists off.

According to 2009 data from the EPA, Texas alone, generates 38.1 percent of all hazardous waste in the entire United States. Yes, you read that correctly, nearly 40 percent of all hazardous waste in our entire country is created by just one state! Texas produces three times more hazardous waste than second place Georgia and more than 46 other states combined. Welcome to Perryland, where regulation doesn’t get in the way of profit.

The largest hazardous waste generator in Texas in 2009 was Solutia, Inc. of Alvin with 3,595,422 tons. Number two was BP in Texas City with 2,094,240 tons.

Regards,

Jim

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

House Republican Budget Cuts Would Strangle Innovation – Instead of proposing a budget that invests in future clean-tech jobs, the proposed House Republican budget turns back the clock to the Bush administration era when there was relatively little investment in clean tech and other countries began to lap us. The proposed House GOP spending bill for the remainder of 2011 would strangle clean-tech innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth.

Their proposed disinvestments in energy efficiency and renewable technologies and their disruption of business assistance and job-training programs would wave the white flag of surrender in the international race to lead the clean-tech industry in the 21st century. Americans should know that House Republican leaders want to force our best innovators, business people, and investors into an endless pit stop while we watch another nation cross the finish line first.

Texas State Representative Bill Zedler: Defending Academic Fraud – Mother Jones magazine has published excerpts of a conversation with state Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, regarding the lawmaker’s House Bill 2454 — what should be called the Academic Fraud Protection Act. It would force Texas institutions of higher education to look the other way when creationists fraudulently promote “intelligent design” as legitimate science in classrooms.

In his discussion with Mother Jones, Rep. Zedler pretty much says it shouldn’t matter that “intelligent design”/creationism proponents aren’t making claims based on science:

Bill Zedler: If somebody does decide to weigh in, why should they be discriminated against?

Mother Jones: Because they don’t have the scientific evidence to substantiate their views.

Bill Zedler: The debate ought to be: “How did it happen?” But we’re not gonna allow that one to be brought up! I don’t think they oughta be thrown off campus if they come up with it.

Of course, creationists aren’t being “thrown off campus” if they bring up the topic. Good grief. In any case, Rep. Zedler goes on to complain that campus creationists are victims of “political correctness.” Then Mother Jones traps him:

MJ: Is banning discrimination “political correctness”?

BZ: Not at all.

MJ: So banning discrimination against gay people, in your view, is not a reflection of political correctness?

BZ: Well, here’s the deal, all we are saying is that you should be able to debate it. There is a difference between having a law to do something and a law where we ought to be able to at least discuss it.

Never mind Rep. Zedler’s predictable attempt to change the subject from his hypocrisy on whom the state should protect from workplace discrimination. He goes back to an argument we’ve heard over and over: “intelligent design”/creationism gets no respect in science because scientists are intolerant of debate.

No, Rep. Zedler. “Intelligent design”/creationism gets no respect in science for the same reason alchemy and astrology don’t: they’re not science.

Texas colleges and universities already protect academic freedom for faculty and students. But the Legislature shouldn’t force them to protect academic fraud.

See more of the interview:

Wisconsin Republican Senator’s Mistress Gets State Job With 35% Raise – Wisconsin Republicans say the state is too broke to pay for teachers, but they just gave the 26-year-old mistress of a union-busting Republican Senator a state job with a fat raise. It’s a classic Republican scandal filled with hypocrisy, cronyism, and their special version of “family values.”

Here’s the story. Last year, Wisconsin Republican state Senator Randy Hopper left his wife to live with a young Republican political operative. Last month, as Governor Scott Walker unveiled legislation calling for deep cuts in state workers’ salaries and collective bargaining rights, Hopper’s mistress was hired by the state on the advice of Scott Walker’s cabinet as a “communications liaison.” Further, her salary is 35% higher than her predecessor’s.

The Lies and Distortions About the Health Care Act Continue – One year ago, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, ending a knock-down, drag-out political fight that lasted more than a year., If anyone thought the law’s passage would end distortions about the health care law, they were seriously mistaken. Politifact.com conducted more than 400 separate fact-checks on health care since 2007, including more than 150 since the law was signed in 2010. So many false statements, and many are rated “Pants on Fire.” Check the link (23 pages of rated statements).

Gingrich’s Facebook Fail: Statement On Libya Flip-Flop Directly Contradicts February Statement On Fox – Earlier today, ThinkProgress exposed that Newt Gingrich completely reversed his position on Libya. On March 7th he criticized Obama for not acting on Libya and said he would “exercise a no-fly zone this evening.” This morning Gingrich said, “I would not have intervened.” What’s followed has been a series of convoluted and contradictory explanations.

Regards,

Jim

Republican Plan to Sharply Cut Federal Spending Will Destroy 700,000 Jobs Through 2012 -A report, by Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi says the Republican plan to sharply cut federal spending this year would destroy 700,000 jobs through 2012. It also predicts that the GOP package would reduce economic growth by 0.5 percentage points this year, and by 0.2 percentage points in 2012 and that while cuts and tax increases are necessary to address the nation’s long-term fiscal problems, cutting too deeply before the economy is in full expansion would add unnecessary risk.

Republican Tax Chairman Wants to Reduce Taxes for the Richest Americans – Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he hopes to cut the tax rate for the richest individuals and corporations to 25 percent. During George W. Bush, the top tax rate was reduced to 35%. Under Bill Clinton, when we had a budget surplus, it was 39.6%.

What effect will another tax reduction for the rich have on jobs? Let’s say you are the CEO of a business, and ask your sales manager if your business is going to sell more widgets in the coming quarter and he says no, because most people can’t afford to buy more widgets now. Would you say that because you (or the company) got a tax decrease, you are going to hire more workers, even though there is no additional work for them? Hint: If you do, the stockholders will fire you for mismanagement.

And, according to the Wall Street Journal, lowering taxes on the wealthiest Americans to 25 percent would cost $2 trillion over a decade. [More on ultra and mega rich.]

Republican Congressional Candidate Says Bus Blacks to Farms to Pick Crops – Congressional candidate Jack Davis said in a Republican Party endorsement meeting that Latino farmworkers should be deported and that inner-city African-Americans should be bused to farms to pick crops.

States Are Using Enron-Style Budgeting According to Bill Gates – During his recent presentation at the recent TED conference in Long Beach, California, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates accused state governments of creative accounting methods that would have made Enron executives blush. “The guys at Enron would never have done this, this is so blatant, so extreme,” he said. “Is anyone paying attention to what these guys do?”

Gates points out that sleight-of-hand funding techniques allow states to appear to have balanced budgets on paper, but in reality, money is being shifted about like the Queen of Hearts in a game of Three Card Monte.

States use tricks like borrowing funds from one-time proceeds or the sale of state property- something Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin is doing by selling state-owned power and water plants to private businesses. But these tactics produce only enough money for one budget year and leave the state with the same shortfall year after year. Gates plans to use the Gates’ Foundation website to expose state budget practices in his campaign to eliminate what he feels is fraud at the expense of the nation’s children.

Rush Limbaugh Mocks Japan, Jokes That ‘Gaia’ Struck Because They’re Environmentalists – Republican radio talk show kingpin Rush Limbaugh got a kick out of one caller today who suggested that since Japan is so environmentally friendly, maybe the Earth or “Gaia” reached out and slapped them for it.

Limbaugh seemed so amused by the theory that he ran with it, turning a warped tangent into some kind of sick joke, seemingly to mock the media and Japan amid an unprecedented disaster.

Regards,

Jim

U.S Giving As Much As $62 Billion in Subsidies Each Year to Fossil Fuel Companies While We Complain About the Deficit – Estimates of the value of US federal subsidies to the domestic oil and gas industry alone (not coal) range from “only” $4 billion a year, to an amazing $52 billion annually. Coal subsidies are roughly another 10 billion annually. A recent comprehensive study of US energy subsidies (see graph below) identified $72.5 billion in federal subsidies for fossil fuels between 2002-2008, or just over $10 billion annually. It is ludicrous that any of our tax dollars would support such an established industry.

Globally, subsidies are also difficult to estimate but they are likely more than $600 billion annually. Many of these subsidies are intended to keep the price of gas affordable in developing countries. A recent technical overview of global fossil fuel subsidies can be found here.

The Obama Administration has proposed with the G20 nations that they all eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. Although this process has generated some new studies and data, so far zero subsidies have actually been eliminated as a result.

To take action and learn more about why subsidies are so difficult to eliminate, please visit Dirty Energy Money.

Koch Industries – Born in the Soviet Union; Now Destroying Democracy Here – Koch Industries, the international conglomerate owned by Charles and David Koch, is not only the second largest private company in America, it is the most politically active. As ThinkProgress has carefully documented over the last three years, Koch groups have spent tens of millions to influence government policy — from financing the Tea Parties, to funding junk academic studies, to undisclosed attack ads against Democrats, to groups promoting climate change denial, to a large network of state-based and national think tanks.

The dirty secret of Koch Industries is its birth under the centrally planned Soviet Union. Fred Koch, the founder of the company and father of David and Charles, helped construct fifteen oil refineries for Joseph Stalin before expanding the business in the United States.

Koch funds both socially conservative groups and socially liberal groups. However, Koch’s financing of front groups and political organizations all have one thing in common: every single Koch group attacks workers’ rights, promotes deregulation, and argues for radical supply side economics. Not only do the Kochs’ front groups pad Koch Industries’ bottom line, they supply the Koch brother’s talking points. In fact, for his opinion piece, Charles heavily relied on front groups he finances for statistics. The “freedom index” cited by Charles is a creation of the Koch-funded Heritage Foundation, and the erroneous “unfunded liabilities” claim was supplied by the Koch-funded National Center for Policy Analysis.

U.S. Giving Billions to Mining Corporations Under a 19th Century Mining Law – Mining for hardrock minerals — like uranium and gold– on public land is governed by a 19th century mining law. So, 21st century mining companies still get public minerals for free, and they don’t have to comply with environmental rules that even coal miners must. The legacy: polluted water, compromised public health, and hundreds of billions in corporate giveaways.

But finally, President Obama — in his 2012 budget — has proposed real reforms. Land managers would be able to decide when and where mining takes place on public land, and miners would have to pay a fair return to taxpayers for mining public minerals. The funds generated would pay for cleanup of the mining messes of the past at some of the 500,000 abandoned hardrock mines, including uranium mines.

It’s time to stop the corporate giveaways to hardrock mining companies and make Obama’s reforms a reality.

Philips Global Took $7 Million of Taxpayer Money to Keep Jobs in U.S., But is Now Closing U.S. Plant – America’s taxpayers gave Philips Global $7 million, in stimulus funds to continue investing in U.S. manufacturing jobs. But Philips would rather take the money and run. Philips is about to close one of its most profitable lighting plants, leaving 275 workers in Sparta, Tennessee, jobless and an entire community devastated. Where are those jobs going? Mexico.

The union workers who make Philips lighting fixtures in Sparta have been doing things right for 40 years. They’re committed, hardworking, and excellent at their jobs. In fact, their plant was named one of North America’s 10 best in 2009 by Industry Week Magazine and even won Philips’ own “lean” manufacturing award last fall.

And it’s not as though Philips is a sinking ship. The company is a giant in the electronics industry, and profits in its lighting division are skyrocketing. There’s no plausible argument for destroying these jobs.

That’s why Scott Vincent, a 33-year veteran of the Philips plant, was so blindsided by the company’s move. “I think Philips feels that we are just a number and that they can take what they’ve got here and plug it in anywhere, but they can’t. We’re a group of people with the experience and know-how to make this place run.” Scott and his coworkers, along with community and small business leaders, elected officials, and workers’ rights activists, are working together to convince Philips that outsourcing these jobs is just plain wrong.

Send your letter to Philips CEO Gerard Kleisterlee and tell him if he wants to keep our tax dollars, he’d better keep these jobs in America.

Iowa Republicans Introduce “Give A Gun To A Schizophrenic” Bill – Republicans in Iowa revived a bill that would allow Iowans to carry weapons in public without permission from a sheriff, without any form of background checks and without any training requirements. The bill is modeled after similar legislation already in place in Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming.

Iowa’s Agriculture Industry Trying to protect Those That are Cruel to Farm Animals – Iowa’s agriculture industry is pushing legislation that would make it illegal for animal rights activists to produce and distribute such images.

Agriculture committees in the Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that would prohibit such recordings and punish people who take agriculture jobs only to gain access to animals to record their treatment. Proposed penalties include fines of up to $7,500 and up to five years in prison. Votes by the full House and Senate have not yet been set.

Doug Farquhar, program director for environmental health at the National Conference of State Legislatures, said Iowa would be the first state to approve such restrictions but Florida is considering similar legislation. The Iowa measure was introduced after a number of groups released videos showing cows being shocked, pigs beaten and chicks ground up alive. A video at a hatchery in Spencer showed male chicks being tossed into grinders.

“It’s very transparent what agribusiness is attempting to do here,” said Bradley Miller, national director of the Humane Farming Assn., a California-based group dedicated to protecting farm animals from abuse. “They’re trying to intimidate whistleblowers and put a chill on legitimate anti-cruelty investigations. Clearly the industry feels that it has something to hide or it wouldn’t be going to these extreme and absurd lengths.”

Regards,

Jim

Republican View of the Mentally Ill: Ship Them to Siberia to Freeze to Death – New Hampshire Republican State SenatorMartin Harty told Sharon Omand, a Strafford resident who manages a community mental health program, that “the world is too populated” and there are “too many defective people,” according to an e-mail account of the conversation by Omand. […] Harty confirmed to the Monitor that he made the comments to Omand. […] Omand says Harty then stated, “I wish we had a Siberia so we could ship them all off to freeze to death and die and clean up the population.” Omand said Harty appeared to be serious. After Omand responded that his idea sounded like what Adolf Hitler did in World War II, Omand said Harty responded, “Hitler did something right, and I agree with (it).”

Michigan’s Republican Governor Slashes Corporate Tax Rate By 86 Percent, But Hikes Taxes for Working Poor – As we’ve been documenting, several conservative governors have proposed placing the brunt of deficit reduction onto the backs of their state’s public employees, students, and middle-class taxpayers, while simultaneously trying to enact corporate tax cuts and giveaways. Govs. Rick Scott (R-FL), Tom Corbett (R-PA), and Jan Brewer (R-AZ) have all gone down this road.

Gov. Rick Snyder (R-MI) has proposed ending his state’s Earned Income Tax Credit, cutting a $600 per child tax credit, and reducing credits for seniors, while also cutting funding for school districts by eight to ten percent. At the same time, as the Michigan League for Human Services found, the state’s business taxes would be reduced by nearly $2 billion, or 86 percent, under Snyder’s plan:

Business taxes would be cut by 86 percent from an estimated $2.1 billion in FY 2011 to $292.7 million in FY 2013, the first full year of the proposed tax changes…Taxes on individuals from the state income tax would rise by $1.7 billion or nearly 31 percent, from an estimated $5.75 billion in FY 2011 to $7.5 billion in FY 2013, the first full year of the tax changes.

Snyder has also asked that the state be given the power to dismiss local government and appoint emergency “town managers” who could break contracts and “strip powers from elected officials.”

Kansas Legislator Suggests Using Hunters in Helicopters to Control Illegal Immigration, likens Immigrants to Feral Hogs – Kansas Republican State Rep. Virgil Peck said Monday it might be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral hog population has been controlled — with hunters shooting from helicopters.

Michigan’s Republican Governor Wants the Power to Auction Off Its Towns to Corporations – Gov. Rick Snyder in Michigan has also asked that the state be given the power to dismiss local government and appoint emergency “town managers” who could break contracts and “strip powers from elected officials.” The plan: Use the budget crisis to starve cities and towns, then put in an “emergency town manager” who could (1) kill any contract the town entered into AND (2) dismiss elected officials AND (3) “disincorporate” the town itself. Oh, and the emergency manager can be a corporation. (Imagine the bribing for that contract!)

Republicans Attempting to Do Away With the Agencies That Can Help Prevent Another Wall Street Collapse – In case you hadn’t noticed, the U.S. economy is still recovering from a major financial crisis caused by reckless Wall Street practices. As part of its response, Congress in 2010 beefed up two investor cops to clean up crime in the suites and created a new cop to protect consumers. But the new House of Representatives has taken steps to de-fund all three – the investor cops at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the consumer cops at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It’s now up to the Senate to save consumer protection. The dean of U.S. personal finance columnists, Jane Bryant Quinn, says that the CFPB is “badly needed,” but that the Republican House “whacked” it.

Republicans to Spend $50 Million to Make Capitol Environmentally Unfriendly -The U.S. House GOP is conducting an all-out assault on the Environmental Protection Agency. As an example, Congressional Republicans have declared war on the compostable cups and cutlery that were introduced as part of the Green the Capitol initiative that Democrats rolled out when they were in the majority.

It’s basically the GOP’s environmental agenda in a nutshell: irrational rejection of anything remotely smelling of green.

The office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) took a look at the GOP’s program and estimated that it will actually cost $50 million over the next 10 years to un-green the Capitol. That’s because reverting back to the Capitol’s environmentally unfriendly ways means ending programs like composting and single-stream recycling, double-sided printing, reducing water use, and managing computer power more efficiently—all of which save money in the long run.

Oh, and not to mention jacking up health care costs if any Hill staffers should get cancer, since the EPA considers styrene “a suspected carcinogen.” What was it the Republicans were saying about runaway spending again?

Republican Anti-Gay Rights Senator Admits He is Gay – Republican Roy Ashburn announced he is gay during a radio interview in California, where he sits on the state legislature. Last year, Mr Ashburn opposed a bill to establish a day of recognition to honour murdered gay rights activist Harvey Milk. He has also voted in the statehouse against efforts to expand anti-discrimination laws and recognize out-of-state gay marriages.

Regards,

Jim