The WAWG Blog

Republican Representative Thinks You Should Not Have the Right to Vote for Your Senators – Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) is calling for a strong re-assertion of state’s rights against Congress — in the form of a Constitutional amendment to eliminate the direct popular election of Senators, and go back to the pre-17th Amendment setup of state legislatures appointing them.

Palin Tells Followers to ‘Reload’ and ‘Aim for’ Democrats – Since the passage of health care reform last weekend, there has been increasingly violent language coming from opponents of the legislation, along with vandalism directed at Democratic members of Congress.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has now done her part to raise the rhetorical intensity, telling her Twitter followers, “Commonsense Conservatives & lovers of America: ‘Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!'”

Palin then refers supporters to her Facebook page, where she once again employs gun imagery in the form of a map of the United States showing gun crosshairs over the targeted districts.

For Those Inciting and Supporting Hate – The hateful acts that occurred at the tea party rally in Washington this weekend were not isolated incidents — they are part of a growing pattern of violent rhetoric, racially charged imagery, and paranoid conspiracy theories emerging from the Republican party’s grassroots supporters.

Republicans officials have contributed to this atmosphere with fear-mongering and coded racism, and they have actively courted this element of their party. It’s time that Republican leadership is forced to address what it’s helped to create.

Please join us in confronting Republican leaders and demanding that they take responsibility for tamping down the bigotry and hate among their supporters, and that they disavow the fear-mongering that leads to it. And please ask your friends and family to do the same — unless we take a strong stand against this kind of hate, it will continue. We need as many people as possible — of every race — demanding that it stop.

Senate Republicans Refusing to Work Past 2 p.m – Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. — a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted today : “Disappointed. Rs refusing to allow hearings today. Had to cancel my oversight hearing on police training contracts in Afghanistan.”

Sen. Mark Udall also complained that he had to delay a hearing on the cause of Western forest fires.
Republicans blocked testimony from Admiral Robert Willard, United States Navy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; from General Kevin Chilton, United States Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and from General Walter Sharp, United States Army Commander, U.S. Forces Korea. They also shut down a hearing on helping homeless veterans.

Global Warming Solves Territorial Dispute – A tiny island claimed for years by India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal has disappeared beneath the rising seas, scientists in India say. The uninhabited territory south of the Hariabhanga river was known as New Moore Island to the Indians and South Talpatti Island to the Bangladeshis.

Recent satellites images show the whole island under water, says the School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta. Its scientists say other nearby islands could also vanish as sea levels rise.
In the past, however, the territorial dispute led to visits by Indian naval vessels and the temporary deployment of a contingent from the country’s Border Security Force.

“What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming,” said Professor Sugata Hazra of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Calcutta.

George W. Bush Wipes Hand On Bill Clinton’s Shirt After Shaking Hands With Haitians – During their first joint visit to Haiti this week, George W. Bush appears to have wiped his hand on Bill Clinton’s shirt after shaking hands with a crowd of Haitians.
If that is what happened, it builds on Barack Obama’s story of Bush’s compulsive need for hand sanitizer. But whatever Bush’s reason, it looks pretty bad. Video at the link.

Republicans Seeks Federal Mandate: Everyone Must Buy Their ‘Bullshit’ 😉 From a Republican Press Release: 😉

“Too many folks, particularly young people with brains, refuse to voluntarily buy into our bullshit, so we’re gonna’ make them join our cow manure exchanges, and even give them tax credits for it.”

Regards,

Jim

First, the Good News:

How to Win in November: Just Three Words – “Tell the Truth” – The truth is very important, but I don’t think you need me to tell you that. What I feel we all need to be reminded of is the telling part. We need to tell everyone, and we need to tell it often.
That’s why I write-up these Bad Deeds; so that you can recognize bunk when you see it or hear it, and so that you can educate others. Please help by spreading the word, or better yet, get your friends on the Bad Deeds distribution list. Just drop me an e-mail. – Jim
(You can see the long, long history of Bad Deeds.)

An Idea for a Bumper Sticker
“Dear Sarah,
That hopey, changey thing is working just fine for me!”

Tell the Senate to Pass the Final Fixes to Health Care Reform
Get us across the finish line.

Be Part of History – President Obama will soon sign comprehensive health care reform into law. Supporters now have a chance to add our names as “Co-signers” of this historic legislation — adding our names next to President Obama’s to show our pride in helping bring about this great achievement.

Organizing for America will establish a permanent archive with all the signatures, so that generations to come will have a record of those who stood together in this moment and won this fight for our future.

More Hope and Change: House Approves Huge Changes to Student Loan Program – Legislation hailed by supporters as the most significant change to college student lending in a generation passed the House on Sunday night. The student aid initiative, which House Democrats attached to their final amendments to the health-care bill, would overhaul the student loan industry, eliminating a $60 billion program that supports private student loans with federal subsidies and replacing it with government lending to students. The House amendments will now go to the Senate.

Passage of Health Care Reform from David Frum, Former Speechwriter to President George W. Bush –

Conservatives and Republicans today suffered their most crushing legislative defeat since the 1960s.

It’s hard to exaggerate the magnitude of the disaster. Conservatives may cheer themselves that they’ll compensate for today’s expected vote with a big win in the November 2010 elections. […]

No illusions please: This bill will not be repealed. Even if Republicans scored a 1994 style landslide in November, how many votes could we muster to re-open the “doughnut hole” and charge seniors more for prescription drugs? How many votes to re-allow insurers to rescind policies when they discover a pre-existing condition? How many votes to banish 25 year olds from their parents’ insurance coverage? And even if the votes were there – would President Obama sign such a repeal?

We followed the most radical voices in the [Republican] party and the [Conservative] movement, and they led us to abject and irreversible defeat. […]

So today’s defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For them (Democrats), it’s mission accomplished. For the cause they purport to represent, it’s Waterloo all right: ours (Conservatives).

And now, on with the Bad Deeds:

Conservative Blogger Calls for President Obama’s Assassination – Self-described conservative blogger and writer Solomon Forell called for Obama’s assassination on the eve of House Democrats’ passage of health care reform.

“ASSASSINATION! America, we survived the assassinations of Lincoln and Kennedy. We’ll surely get over a bullet 2 Barack Obama’s head!” Forell Tweeted.

He added: “The Next American with a Clear Shot should drop Obama like a bad habit. 4get Blacks or his claim to be Black. Turn on Barack Obama.”

Tea Party Protests: ‘Ni**er,’ ‘Fa**ot’ Shouted At Members Of Congress – Preceding the president’s speech to a gathering of House Democrats, thousands of protesters descended around the Capitol to protest the passage of health care reform. The gathering quickly turned into abusive heckling, as members of Congress passing through Longworth House office building were subjected to epithets and even mild physical abuse.

A staffer for Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told reporters that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) had been spat on by a protestor. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a hero of the civil rights movement, was called a ‘ni–er.’ And Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was called a “faggot,” as protestors shouted at him with deliberately lisp-y screams.

The Buffalo News reports that Rep. Louise Slaughter’s district office in Pine View, New York, was vandalized on Saturday. Sometime early this morning, someone threw a brick through the front window of her Pine Avenue office.

The Associated Press reports that Capitol Police arrested the man who spit on Cleaver, but the Congressman won’t press charges.

Cigna Gives $110.9 Million Compensation Package To Ex-CEO – Insurance giant Cigna last year gave compensation packages worth more than $120 million to two executives who left the company, according to a filing with the SEC on Friday.

The vast majority of that total went to former chairman and CEO H. Edward Hanway who left his post with a retirement package worth $110.9 million — which included $18.8 million in executive compensation for 2009, as well as a healthy pension plan, deferred compensation and stock options.

Hanway’s retirement package is sure to provide fodder to reform proponents, who insist that too much money and resources are wasted on the excesses of the private insurance industry — often at the expense of consumers.

In addition to Hanway, former Cigna Executive Vice President and CFO Michael Bell received a $10.9 million executive compensation package in 2009. Bell left the company abruptly that year — no reason was given for his departure.

Cigna’s current president and CEO, David M. Cordani, earned a salary of more than $6.5 million in 2009, according to the SEC filing. With more than $19 billion in revenues reported in 2008, Cigna remains one of the most profitable insurers in the country.

Palin’s Latest Health Care Lie – Yesterday, Sarah Palin tweeted:

“Shocking new questions re:whether military healthcare plans r protected under Obamacare. How will underpaid troops afford their own purchase?” [sic]

Palin then posted a Twitter link to a National Review blog raising the issue of whether military health care plans would be covered under “Obamacare” — the derogatory term that the right-wing has labeled health care reform legislation.

As is often the case with Palin, it was as duplicitous as it was disingenuous.

Palin — who her former aides in Alaska say was often “clueless” about the legislative process — was apparently unaware that the House was in the midst of passing legislation yesterday (by a bipartisan vote of 403 to 0) that specifically protected all members of the military from any requirements mandated by the health-care legislation.

John Rowan, head of Vietnam Veterans of America, lauded the passage of the House legislation and said that it “ensures that health care programs for veterans, active duty military, retired military, and their families/survivors will not be affected negatively by the pending health care reform legislation.”

He labeled Palin’s assertions — and others who joined her in raising such allegations — a “false alarm.”

David Gregory Allows Boehner to Tell His ‘Best Healthcare System in the World’ Lie Again – While discussing whether or not the Democrats are going to have the votes to pass this health care bill, John Boehner repeats the talking point that the United States has the “best health care system in the world” with predictions of doom and gloom if the bill passes.

Rather than pointing out that we’re actually about 37th in the world with our health care outcomes, Gregory jumps in there before Steny Hoyer can respond and shows a picture of Nancy Pelosi on a horse trying to herd cats and changes the subject instead.

Is it asking too much of these talking heads to call one of these guys out after they’ve told this lie about a thousand times on the television?

Electric Generating Facility Near Richmond, Texas, Released 889 Pounds of Mercury – In a report released Wednesday, Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project found that the W.A. Parish electric generating facility near Richmond, Texas, released 889.2 pounds of mercury in 2008. drastic reduction in the emissions could have been achieved if all plants had installed up-to-date pollution controls.

“But right now there is nothing on the books to regulate these plants,” said Ilan Levin, an attorney for EIP, a nonpartisan nonprofit group.

Regards,

Jim

Earlier this evening, Frank Schaeffer in his latest blog posting, predicted this moment.

Being the eternal pessimist, I was surprised when it happened. The right-wing authoritarians, all 212 of them, have failed to block the correction of America’s biggest human rights violation.

Those right-wing authoritarians (RWA), in both parties, who were raised in a fear-based, strict-father worldview environment and who believe the individual is entirely responsible for their situation are a real problem for this country – just as the Loyalists were a couple of hundred years ago. They are breaking our government, transferring our vital common wealth to the extremely rich with tax cuts for the wealthy and privateering, and taking us back to the type of government that we rebelled against in the late 1700s.

It’s amazing to me that they were finally beaten tonight. They have an unsurpassed communication/misinformation machine that has been in high gear for a long time trying to kill health care reform, and there has been little effective response to it.

I’m amazed at the amount of snail mail with its push polls and false issues that comes to our home for the one Republican who lives here and the lack of snail mail for the rest of us. They know how to reach and manipulate their base and get them to tell their leaders, through those polls, what the leaders want to hear so they can claim they speak for America.

They lost the 2008 election by a large margin. Now, they have been beaten, barely, on health care. Health care for those not like the RWAs, but the tens of thousand who die each year due to lack of health care, the hundreds of thousands who must declare bankruptcy due to catastrophic health issues that were not of their making and those millions who could only get health care from the emergency room, which we all pay for.

My thanks to all those who made it possible!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now for my prediction. We’ve won this battle, but the bigger struggle goes on and will only get more heated/violent as the right-wing becomes more aggressive. Our domestic terrorists are a much more real threat to this country than the international ones.

Like I said – the eternal pessimist.

Per Capita Health Care Costs – International Comparison

Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership President is No Rocket Scientist – Voicing concern about the cancellation of NASA’s troubled Constellation program, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership president Bob Mitchell said the following at a luncheon at the new Holiday Inn in Webster:

If we don’t have control of space and the Russians do, they could easily shoot down our satellites and we would have no cell phones.

A logical mind might ask:

· Don’t cell phones operate from cellular towers, not satellites?
· We have astronauts in space now. How could they stop anyone from shooting at our satellites?
· Isn’t NASA working with the Russian space agency? Don’t our astronauts work side-by-side with Russian cosmonauts?
· Haven’t we been without a means to transport our astronauts for extended periods (2 years or more) several times before?
· Aren’t the American commercial space ventures expected to be flying manned missions to the International Space Station in just a few years (before Constellation would be able to)?

Mr. Mitchell is trying to preserve good jobs in the Houston area. But saying dumb things doesn’t help.

Fox News Lying About Health Care Reform – On Tuesday and Wednesday, Fox breathlessly promoted what it claims to be a new survey from the New England Journal of Medicine showing doctors oppose health care reform, but there’s a problem: the non-scientific survey was conducted months ago, was not published in the NEJM, and, according to a spokesperson for the journal, it has “nothing to do with the New England Journal of Medicine’s original research.” A video compilation of Fox’s false claim is at the link.

Despite the Lies, Here is What the Health Care Compromise Bill Does

1. CUTS THE DEFICIT Cuts the deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years (2010 – 2019). Cuts the deficit by $1.2 trillion in the second ten years.
2. REINS IN WASTEFUL MEDICARE COSTS AND EXTENDS THE SOLVENCY OF MEDICARE; CLOSES THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG DONUT HOLE Reduces annual growth in Medicare expenditures by 1.4 percentage points per year—while improving benefits and lowering costs for seniors. Extends Medicare’s solvency by at least 9 years.
3. EXPANDS AND IMPROVES HEALTH COVERAGE FOR MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES Expands health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans Helps guarantee that 95 percent of Americans will be covered.
4. IS FULLY PAID FOR Is fully paid for – costs $940 billion over a decade. (Americans spend nearly $2.5 trillion each year on health care now and nearly two-thirds of the bill’s cost is paid for by reducing health care costs).

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Uses Slanted Polling Tactics – We know that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will spend millions on advertising to try to stop the Democrats’ final push on health care — $10 million in the last two weeks ago or so, according to our colleague Jeff Zeleny. But this week, the organization that calls itself the largest small business lobby deployed another, more subtle weapon from its arsenal: the poll.

On Monday, the Chamber announced the results of voter surveys it commissioned in 10 swing Congressional districts currently held by Democratic legislators. The polls were carefully targeted.
Instead of randomly selecting their respondents, the Chamber of Commerce sampled from voter lists, a practice many media pollsters do not endorse because the lists are often outdated and are generally not representative — they do not include unlisted telephone numbers, for example. Moreover, the firm that conducted the surveys, Ayres, McHenry & Associates, identifies itself as a partisan (Republican-leaning) firm.

Republican Senator Sounds Like a Character from “The Godfather” – Senator Tom Coburn made this threat yesterday:

If you’re a House Democrat who voted against health reform the first time and change your vote to yes, we’ll block any appointment you may receive after you lose your seat for changing your vote.

Don’t Be Guilty of the Bad Deed of Non-Action – This is it: The fate of health care reform will be decided in the next 48 hours.

It could come down to a vote or two. And that means that right now, every last message to Congress makes a difference.

It’s an all-hands-on-deck moment. Even if you’ve already called and written your representative, it’s time to send one last message. If you haven’t yet weighed in, now’s the time. And please send this on to friends, neighbors, colleagues, former roommates, and anyone who cares about health care reform.

Glenn Beck Out to Destroy Church Pastors Who Question Fox News – This past week, Glenn Beck publicly revealed that his staff is moving beyond simply twisting the news for ideological ends to now funding opposition research and internet attack campaigns with the stated purpose of destroying the personal credibility of pastors who dare to question statements made by FOX commentators.

Bart Stupak: I Don’t Listen To Nuns – In two interviews yesterday, Michigan Congressman Bart Stupak revealed a great deal about himself. First, in what shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, Stupak told Fox News that he doesn’t listen to nuns. Why would he? They’re only women, after all. And we know the men run the institutional Catholic church. According to Fox:

Congressman Bart Stupak, D-Mich, responded sharply to White House officials touting a letter representing 59,000 nuns that was sent to lawmakers urging them to pass the health care bill.
The conservative Democrat dismissed the action by the White House saying, “When I’m drafting right to life language, I don’t call up the nuns.” He says he instead confers with other groups including “leading bishops, Focus on the Family, and The National Right to Life Committee.”

Insurance Company Targeted HIV Patients to Drop Coverage – In May, 2002, Jerome Mitchell, a 17-year old college freshman from rural South Carolina, learned he had contracted HIV. The news, of course, was devastating, but Mitchell believed that he had one thing going for him: On his own initiative, in anticipation of his first year in college, he had purchased his own health insurance.

Shortly after his diagnosis, however, his insurance company, Fortis, revoked his policy. Mitchell was told that without further treatment his HIV would become full-blown AIDS within a year or two and he would most likely die within two years after that.

So he hired an attorney — not because he wanted to sue anyone; on the contrary, the shy African-American teenager expected his insurance was canceled by mistake and would be reinstated once he set the company straight.

But Fortis, now known as Assurant Health, ignored his attorney’s letters, as they had earlier inquiries from a case worker at a local clinic who was helping him. So Mitchell sued.

In 2004, a jury in Florence County, South Carolina, ordered Assurant Health, part of Assurant Inc, to pay Mitchell $15 million for wrongly revoking his health insurance policy.

In September 2009, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s verdict, although the court reduced the amount to be paid him to $10 million.

Previously undisclosed records from Mitchell’s case reveal that Fortis had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy. As was the case with Mitchell, their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators.

Today is the Seventh Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq – If we are really to keep America safe, it’s essential we remember exactly which American politicians empowered Iran, Al Qaeda and the Taliban from 2001 to 2008, and why. History will be repeated not only if we forget it, but also if we let it be rewritten by those whose ideological zealotry and boneheaded decisions have made America less safe to this day. Here are some quotes to help you remember how this mess came about:

“Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.”
“Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.”
—Cheney
–
“My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.”
—Cheney (3/16/03)
–
“We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”
—Condoleezza Rice (9/8/02)
–
“Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof—the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.”
—George W. Bush (10/7/02)
–
My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we’re giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence.”
—Colin Powell, United Nations Speech (2/5/03)
–
On Sept. 7, 2002, [Judith Miller] and fellow New York Times reporter Michael Gordon reported that Iraq had “stepped up its quest for nuclear weapons and has embarked on a worldwide hunt for materials to make an atomic bomb.” As proof, she cited unnamed “American intelligence experts” and unnamed “Bush administration officials.” Subsequently, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld all pointed to Miller’s story as justification for war. On April 22, 2003, she told PBS’s Newshour that WMD had already been found in Iraq: “Well, I think they found something more than a ’smoking gun.’”
—Think Progress (Miller now works for Fox News)
–
“[T]he area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction were dispersed. We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.”
—Donald Rumsfeld (3/30/03)
–
“We found the weapons of mass destruction.”
—Bush (5/29/03)
–
Ted Koppel: [Y]ou’re not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is going to be done for $1.7 billion?
Andrew Natsios [Agency for International Development]: Well, in terms of the American taxpayer’s contribution, I do. This is it for the U.S.
–
—Nightline (4/23/03 Funny how the tea party crowd never uttered a peep as Bush funded his war with borrowed, off-the-books money that added a couple trillion dollars to the national debt.)

Regards,

Jim

We interrupt the Bad Deeds for these announcements:

The Top Ten Immediate Good Deeds You’ll Get When Health Care Reform Passes – As soon as health care reform passes, the American people will see immediate benefits. The legislation will:

· Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans;
· Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool;
· Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all individual plans;
· Lower seniors prescription drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole;
· Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage;
· Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all plans;
· Require plans to cover an enrollee’s dependent children until age 26;
· Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing;
· Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions;
· Require premium rebates to enrollees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs.

Obama Health Overhaul Will Lower US Budget Deficit – According to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO), President Barack Obama’s historic health overhaul legislation would remove 130 billion dollars from the US budget deficit through 2019, and will remove another 1.2 trillion from the deficit in its second ten years.

And now, on with the Bad Deeds:

WellPoint’s Giving for Uninsured Falls Far Short of Promise, Records Show – In 2007, just as Democrats took control of Congress, WellPoint pledged that its charitable foundation would spend $30 million over three years as part of a “comprehensive plan to help address the growing ranks of the uninsured.”

But according to tax filings, company promotional material and former executives familiar with the initiative, WellPoint never came close to fulfilling that pledge. A company spokeswoman disputed that Wednesday.

However, WellPoint’s public records indicate that from 2007 to 2009 the foundation gave less than $6.2 million in grants targeted specifically at helping uninsured Americans get access to coverage and care — barely one-fifth of what was promised and just 11% of the charity’s total giving over the last three years.

Fox News Host Interrupts President Obama 16 Times in Testy Interview – When President Obama agreed to be interviewed by Fox News, he surely didn’t expect to be soft-balled. But he probably didn’t foresee the interviewer interrupting him more than a dozen times, and having to repeatedly point that out.

Host Bret Baier insisted on discussing the parliamentary procedures Democrats are mulling in order to squeeze the health care bill through, and a visibly frustrated Obama kept urging him to focus the substantive issues.

“The reason that I think this conversation ends up being a little frustrating is because the focus, entirely, is on Washington process,” he said. “And yes, I have said that is an ugly process. It was ugly when Republicans were in charge, it is ugly when Democrats are in charge.”

Interrupted at 16 different points during the exchange, Obama demanded he be allowed to fully respond to the questions. “Bret, let me finish,” he repeated a number of times.
When Baier accused the president of dodging his questions, the president responded, “Well, I’m trying to answer your questions and you keep on interrupting.”

Boehner Cheers Up Bankers: ‘Don’t let punk staffers take advantage of you’ – The Senate Banking Committee is finally considering a bill to reform the financial system that collapsed nearly a year and a half ago. The bill would make the biggest changes to U.S. financial regulation since the 1930s, and the its fate will determine “the prosperity of the U.S. economy over the next 25 to 50 years,” according to The Wall Street Journal. But, House Minority Leader John Boehner is already cheering up bankers concerned about how the bill will affect them.

Even if the Senate approves the legislation, Boehner promised anxious bankers that reconciling it with the House’s own bill will push the process back at least another year. (With Boehner leading the obstructionism in the House. – JLV)

“Don’t let those little punk staffers take advantage of you and stand up for yourselves,” Boehner said.

Boehner was speaking to an “enthusiastic crowd of bankers” at the government relations summit for the American Bankers Association when he assuaged their fears of answering to the government for banking practices that critics say brought on an economic meltdown. (Who’s side is this guy on? Isn’t he supposed to be representing all the people in this country? – JLV)

Wachovia Bank Pays $160 Million to Stop Drugs Probe – Wachovia has agreed to pay US prosecutors 160 million dollars for its failure to stop drug money being laundered to Mexican affiliates, the DEA said Wednesday.

The embattled bank admitted it failed to stop an estimated 110 million dollars from being sent from the US to Mexico by wire transfer that was used to buy cocaine-transporting aircraft.

The Drug Enforcement Administration said Wachovia-run foreign exchange houses in Mexico — or casas de cambio (CDCs) — were involved in the illicit trades between 2004 and 2007.

At least four aircraft bought with the cash were later seized along with large quantities of cocaine, by unnamed foreign governments.

The DEA said the bank had agreed to pay the fine to “resolve charges that it willfully failed to establish an anti-money laundering program. In light of Wachovia’s willingness to acknowledge responsibility for its actions and omissions… the government has agreed to defer prosecution of the criminal charge in the information for 12 months,” the agency said.

FBI Thinking About Monitoring People with First Name “Jihad” 😉 – With the woman known as “Jihad Jane” making a court appearance today and a woman named “Jihad Jamie” surfacing in Colorado, the FBI is facing increasing pressure to start monitoring people whose first name is “Jihad.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before,” said FBI spokesman Ronald Cartdale. “When someone starts calling herself Jihad This-or-that, it really should set off some alarm bells.”
Mr. Cartdale said that the FBI was considering putting together a “Scary Name List” of people whose names might include coded messages that are hostile to the United States.

“For example, it’s recently been brought to our attention that there’s a gal in Wyoming named Brandi Wantstoblowupamerica,” he said.

Regards,

Jim

CNN Hires Right-Wing Extremist to Spin the News – As if there isn’t enough insanity on the airwaves, CNN is rolling out a new 7PM ET show including Red State’s (the web site) Erick Erickson. Let’s have a look at some of his opinions and agendas he’s leading:

· About Ted Kennedy: “Today Ted Kennedy plots our deaths…” (h/t The Political Carnival)
· About Judge Souter: “[he] is a “goat f*&king child molester”
· He thinks Rush Limbaugh is Jesus.
· He openly called for armed revolt and beating politicians to a bloody pulp.
· He said the media “gang-raped” conservative politicians.
· Suggested that the Nobel Committee had an affirmative action quota
· Said that “leftists are Nazis” and the Nazis were liberal socialists.
· Said that the Alaska Democrats gave out Sarah Palin’s SS# (a fact he pulled wholly from his posterior)
· Told his readers to send Olympia Snowe rock salt for her work on HCR. (Rock salt melts snow–get it?)
· Suggested that Obama was friends with a child molester
· Claimed the left has more dominance in the blogosphere because the right are too busy raising the children they didn’t abort.

C’mon, CNN. Red State is the heavily-funded, longstanding arm of the Republican wingnut online noise machine. Erickson is a propaganda-spinner. How about someone who can do in-depth factual reporting?

Tea Partiers Mock And Scorn Apparent Parkinson’s Victim – Video shot by the Columbus Dispatch from today’s Honk and Wave in Support of Health Care at Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy’s district office contains a segment wherein the teabaggers mock and scorn an apparent Parkinsen’s victim telling him “he’s in the wrong end of town to ask for handouts”, calling him a communist and throwing money at him to “pay for his health care”.

When Teabaggers Get in Office – Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli has been in the news a lot lately. You may have heard about the letter he wrote earlier this month to all of Virginia’s public colleges – UVA, VA Tech, William and Mary, etc. calling on them to drop policies banning discrimination against gays and lesbians. He claims they have no legal authority to adopt such policies.

Or maybe you heard Cuccinelli speculate about whether President Obama was born in the United States. In this recently unearthed recording from the campaign trail, Cuccinelli can be heard telling a birther that he might be able to challenge federal laws on the basis of Obama’s birth place. Cuccinelli has since dashed off a denial, but the fun doesn’t stop there.

In another recently unearthed recording, Cuccinelli told a crowd that he’s worried about the government tracking his family. He said he might not register his newborn son for a Social Security number because “it is being used to track you.” He also claimed that many other Americans aren’t registering for Social Security numbers for the same reason.

Cuccinelli’s hard line against gays, paranoia about the Social Security Administration, and openness to birther conspiracies prove that he is the real deal – a bona fide Teabagger of the highest order. And now he’s the chief legal officer of an entire state.

For anyone wondering what a Tea Party-controlled GOP might look like, keep your eyes on Virginia.

Stephen Colbert’s I’s on Edjukashun – the Texas School Board – Video at the link.

Bachmann-Steele Overdrive: Who’s Steering the GOP Bike? 😉

Regards,

Jim

Top Ten Rick Perry Failures – Rick Perry’s calculated political pandering has divided Texans, threatened our progress, and kept Texas from fulfilling its true potential as a national leader.

Texans have paid the price for the “Pay to Play” politics that profits Perry’s special interest cronies, including “Perry Payments” to foreign toll road operators, a failed deregulation experiment that leaves Texans paying the highest utility rates in the nation and insurance companies that have doubled the price of premiums since Perry took office.

Here are the Top Ten Rick Perry Failures:
· #1: “What Recession?”
· #2: Perry: A Bad Prescription for Children’s Health
· #3: Perry’s Political Cover-Up Compromises Texas Criminal Justice System
· #4: Perry Education Report Card: F
· #5: Perry’s Stimulus Hypocrisy Costs Texans
· #6: Perry Prices Texans Out of a College Education
· #7: Perry Taking a Toll on Texans
· #8: Utility Rates Out of Control
· #9: Homeowners Insurance Rates Skyrocket During Perry’s Tenure
· #10: Health Insurance Premiums Increase 91.6%

Regards,

Jim

Karl Rove: I can’t stop lying – NBC was the latest stop on Karl Rove’s book tour for ‘Courage and Consequence.’ Revising history has been his main focus recently, and this morning’s interview with Tom Brokaw focused on Iraqi oil revenues.

Addressing a Congressional panel, former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz claimed that Iraqi oil revenues would help pay for reconstruction of the country. Sunday, Karl Rove denied the Bush administration ever made that claim.

“[T]he suggestion that somehow or another the administration had as its policy, ‘We’re going to go in to Iraq and take their resources and pay for the war’ is not accurate,” Rove told NBC’s Tom Brokaw.

Wolfowitz’s statement at the time, according to Think Progress was, “The oil revenue of that country could bring between 50 and 100 billion dollars over the course of the next two or three years. We’re dealing with a country that could really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.”

Sarah Palin: I can’t stop lying – Sarah Palin infected the health care debate with damaging misinformation last year when she claimed the package includes “death panels.” And as Democrats make their final push to enact the bill, she has reiterated it again. Palin coined the term in a Facebook entry last August, leading to heated controversies about the reform effort.

But the notion that the concept exists in any form in the legislation has been debunked by The Associated Press and FactCheck.org, among other organizations. The nonpartisan PolitiFact awarded it “Lie of the Year” in 2009, a testament to its inaccuracy and far-reaching impact.

On Sunday, Palin took to Facebook to revive the claim as it purportedly pertains to the “rationing” of health care. “Government health care will not reduce the cost of medical care; it will simply refuse to pay it,” the former vice presidential candidate wrote. “And who will get left behind when they have to ration care to save money? “Please ask yourself: who will be left behind?” she continued. “And who will decide — what kind of panel will decide — who receives the health care that government will obviously have to ration?”

A Sick Conservative Mind – As you may know, Senator Harry Reid’s 69 year old wife and 48 year old daughter were involved in a bad car accident Friday. Normal, decent Americans would ignore what political party they were in and hope the best for them. But this is what Conservative commentator Dan Riehl, who has appeared on CNN), put on his web site:

“Isn’t It Time To Euthanize Reid’s Wife?

I’m not sure I quite understand this, given that cost is so important as a burden to taxpayers when it comes to health care. If Democrats want so badly to abort babies because of it, why are we bothering with someone who has a broken neck and back at 69? It sounds to me like she’s pretty well used up and has probably been living off the taxpayers for plenty of years to begin with. Aren’t we at least going to get a vote on it? …

I realize her crook of a husband and his pals in Congress have excluded themselves from the mess they’re going to compel everyone else to join, but we’re still paying the bills, are we not? I don’t see that she’s worth it at this point, frankly. I can’t recall her ever doing anything for me. Come on, Harry – do your civic duty. The nation’s broke and counting on you guy. Pull the plug and get back to work. And don’t bill us for a full day today, either. This is no time to be sloughing off. Air freight her home, you can bury her during recess on your own time and dime. Or are you going to bill us for that, too?”

Corporate Entity Becomes ‘Candidate’, Kicks Off Bid for Congress – When the Supreme Court decided the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, henceforth allowing corporate soft money to influence U.S. elections, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) cynically opined that it would lead to the election of the “congressman from Wal-Mart.”
Turns out, he may be right.

Meet Murray Hill, Inc., the first corporation to run for Congress in the United States. The corporate candidate already has its own Web site, a Facebook page with 2,600 fans and an online ad on YouTube.

“Until now, corporations only influenced politics with high-paid lobbyists and backroom deals,” the company’s YouTube account declares. “But today, thanks to an enlightened supreme court, corporations now have all the rights the founding fathers meant for us. That’s why Murray Hill Incorporated is taking democracy’s next step– running for Congress.”

Hill said in a statement that its campaign would put people “second, or even third.”

Texas Approves Radical Right-Wing History Books – For the next ten years, millions of students in Texas and across the country will read history textbooks suggesting that the actions of witch-hunt instigator Joseph McCarthy were justified. They will read about religious icon John Calvin instead of Thomas Jefferson (Hint: Jefferson wasn’t an orthodox Christian and considered himself a man of enlightenment and reason). They will read a description of the US government that includes the words “constitutional republic” but not the word “democratic.”

These are just a few of the changes an ultra right-wing Texas Education Board has tentatively approved for the state’s history curriculum. There is one more stage for approval, but the board voted yes to the changes in a 10-5 vote. That’s 10 Republicans voting yes and 5 Democrats voting no, making the chances for reevaluation almost negligible.

Once fully approved, it will be a decade before the board reviews the curriculum again.
Most of the board’s members make no secret of their intent to instill their own religious and political ideologies into public schools, and the consequences of their activism have far-reaching consequences.

Texas buys so many of the country’s textbooks that publishers tailor their books to match its standards as closely as possible. In other words, students in Rhode Island and Texas could be reading about the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation’s Founding Fathers at the same time. But they won’t be reading about the rationale for a separation of church and state. That’s gone, too.

But, there’s always Fox News to offer the counterbalance. In an article titled “Expert: Reagan gets the shaft in textbooks,” Professor Larry Schweikart says the quality of a textbook can be ascertained with the “Reagan test”. If it has President Ronald Reagan, it’s a winner.
( See how simple everything is when you’re a Conservative. Eliminate all that worry about accuracy, just do the Reagan test. – JLV)

Why Does Glenn Beck Hate Jesus? – Christian Conservatives have this internal conflict between their Christian teachings and their Conservative everyday lives, but they usually ignore it. But Glenn Beck has stirred things up with his statements saying, that they should “run as fast as you can” from any church that preached “social or economic justice” because those were code words for Communism and Nazism.

He also managed to bring the National Council of Churches–once a powerful umbrella organization for Christian churches–out from hibernation, in the form of a withering response from leader Peg Chemberlin. Progressive evangelical leader Jim Wallis, taking a page from his conservative counterparts, is calling for Christians to boycott Beck’s shows. And Beck has given the folks who come up with slogans every week for church signs plenty of material to work with.

More on this subject at: The Ultimate Contradiction-in-Terms: Right-wing Christianity

The Vile Plutocrat: a Website That Exposes the Bad Deeds of the Rich – Despite the high-minded ideals of our founding forefathers and the basic liberties they sought to protect for the common man, we are a culture built on a foundation of greed and corruption.

We pretend to be disgusted with foreign cultures employing social systems that arrange status by class, yet we are blind to the way capitalism has created the same stratifications within our own society.

As a people, we revere wealth and privilege to the point of absurdity … to the point of making excuses for the indiscretions and abominations of those individuals lucky enough to hit life’s financial lottery. We envy wealth so enthusiastically that we delude ourselves into believing that “hard work” will make us all rich beyond our wildest dreams without taking the time to notice how our wealthy came to their lot in life. Extreme wealth is canonized and hero-sized to the point that we allow entitlement to usurp common sense consensus issues like universal health care, educational opportunities, retirement, living wages, legal issues, taxes, fair treatment under the law, and the political process.

History has shown that the only societies that stand the test of time are those societies capable of recognizing that a strong, healthy, happy, educated, and financially secure middle-class is the only way to guarantee a stable future for all.

Spineless Democrats: But This Guy is Not One of Them – Speaking in Orlando on Friday, Palin said she “got to meet quite a few candidates who are lining up in a contested primary who want to take out Alan Grayson.” She added: “What can you say about Alan Grayson? Piper is with me tonight, so I won’t say anything about Alan Grayson that can’t be said around children.” This is where Palin should have remembered, don’t mess with Alan Grayson.

Grayson’s email reply was straight to the point. He began by referring to Palin as “the former half-term Governor, current-nothing and future-even-less,” and snapped, “Atypically, Palin was wearing clothes that she had paid for herself.”

In response to Palin’s attack on Rep Grayson, Grayson actually complimented Palin. Grayson praised Palin for having a hand large enough to write Grayson’s entire name on it. He thanked Palin for alleviating the growing shortage of platitudes in Central Florida. Grayson added that Palin deserved credit for getting through the entire hour-long program without quitting. Grayson also said that Palin really had mastered Palin’s imitation of Tina Fey imitating Palin. Grayson observed that Palin is the most-intelligent leader that the Republican Party has produced since George W. Bush.

Grayson said that the “Alaskan chillbilly” was welcome to return to Central Florida anytime, as long as she brings lots of money with her, and spends it. “I look forward to an honest debate with Governor Palin on the issues, in the unlikely event that she ever learns anything about them,” Grayson added, alluding to Politifact’s “liar, liar, pants on fire” evaluation of much of what Palin has said. “Scientists are studying Sarah Palin’s travel between Alaska and Florida carefully. They hope to learn more about the flight patterns of that elusive migratory species, the wild Alaskan dingbat.”

How to Bribe a Supreme Court Justice – The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has organized a political non-profit linked to Tea Party activists whose activities can be supported to an unlimited extent by corporations whose donations need not be disclosed to the public. Similarly, Mrs. Thomas is under no obligation to disclose her compensation to anybody.

Mrs. Thomas’ own biography reveals that she has been employed by a series of right wing organizations — an entity controlled by former Congressman Dick Armey, whose FreedomWorks is much of the money behind the Tea Party gatherings, Hillsdale College (well known as a favorite of hard right students), the Heritage Foundation, and the Chamber of Commerce, the preeminent purveyor of laundered corporate money. None of these organizations need reveal their corporate backers.

Regards,

Jim

Earmark Hypocrisy – In the years leading up to their seizure of power in 1994 it seemed that Republicans care about eliminating pork more than almost anything. But after the election, it was a different story. Not only did they not make good on their promise to banish earmarking, they literally sent the process through the roof. Government programs that had never previously contained earmarks became saturated with them. Programs containing only a few earmarks became almost nothing but earmarks. The Labor-Health, Human Services and Education bill went from having no earmarks in 1994 to $33 million in earmarks in 1996, nearly a $100 million in 1998, half a billion in 2000 and more than $1 billion in 2002.

House Republicans will meet today to announce that they are renouncing the use of earmarks. How do you think that’s going to play out this time if they return to power? Any differently?

Conservatives Target 11-Year-Old Boy Whose Mom Died From Lack of insurance – An 11-year-old boy whose mother died after losing her health insurance has become an advocate for health care reform — and opponents of reform are gunning for him.

The image of an 11-year-old boy with a sad story championing the health reform effort appeared to be too much for some conservative commentators, with columnist Michelle Malkin accusing the Democrats of “wielding the human kiddie shield as its last-stand defense for Demcare.” Other Conservatives have also attacked the boy for having liberal connections.

Marcelas Owens of Seattle lost his mother in 2006 after the 27-year-old woman was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, a condition that can lead to heart failure if left untreated. Due to missed work, Tiffany Owens lost her job, and with it her health insurance. Not long after, she died of her disorder.

Owens appeared at a Capitol Hill press conference flanked by the Democratic leadership on Thursday and said, “I don’t want any other kids to go through the pain that our family has gone through,” Owens said. “My grandma and I want Barack Obama and Congress and everybody to come together and to help get the health care bill passed.”

Glenn Beck Wants You to be Scared of Popular Music – Glenn Beck has repeatedly attacked popular music as “propaganda” that is helping to advance a progressive agenda and undermine America. Among his crazy rants:

· Beck and crew call Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” “anti-American.”
· Beck warns viewers that Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” is “about a progressive utopia.”
· Beck analyzes the Beatles’ “Revolution” to illustrate progressives’ plan to slowly institute Marxism.

(Actually, Inside that noggin of his throbs:
· the sound of 4 punk rock bands playing simultaneously,
· what you hear when you spin the dial of an old AM radio,
· the sound of 200 pairs of copulating cats,
· and The Battle Hymn Of The Republic,
All at the same time. – JLV (from a comment on the site))

Conservatives on Texas State Board of Education Want to Teach Fantasy – The Texas State Board of Education is holding hearings on changes to its social studies curriculum that would portray conservatives in a more positive light, emphasize the role of Christianity in American history and include Republican political philosophies. Conservatives argue that the proposed curriculum, written by a panel of teachers, emphasizes the accomplishments of liberal politicians — like the New Deal and the Great Society — and gives less importance to efforts by conservatives like President Ronald Reagan to limit the size of government. (Hint: the New Deal and the Great Society actually happened to some extent, whereas limiting the size of government was only talked about. But, limiting the effectiveness of government under Conservatives actually happened. – JLV)

Health Reform Myths – An article by Noel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman dispelling Conservative lies about health care reform.

It will actually save us money, reduces the Federal deficit, and extends coverage to many who suffer now.

Repent Sinners, or We’ll Shoot! – A web site called “Amarillo Repent” has a heading of “Army of God” and states,
“This site is not designed for non-christians, It is designed as a recruitment tool to call certain Christians to spiritual warfare.”

It also has photos of guys in battle dress with weapons scattered throughout the text.
They also seem to believe that Earth Day is some demonic Earth Worship, and that you get breast cancer from having an abortion.

(So this web site doesn’t look like it’s designed for Christians to me, not based on the Christ that I know. – JLV)

Regards,

Jim

Fox News Inaccurately Reporting State Board of Education Action – Fox News in recent days has repeatedly broadcast highly inaccurate information about the State Board of Education’s efforts to adopt the new social studies curriculum standards.

Here are the facts. The direct quotes come from the March 10 broadcast of Fox & Friends.

Fox: “Texas board of education begins hearings today on proposed changes to textbooks…”
The truth: The State Board of Education today is expected to take a preliminary vote on updated social studies curriculum standards. The standards detail what teachers are to teach in each class. New social studies textbooks are not scheduled to be selected until 2011.

Fox: “So one of the proposed changes is to start history class in the year 1877.”
The truth: Texas has and always will teach U.S. History from the beginning until present day. U.S. History through Reconstruction is taught in the eighth grade and those standards can be found in the middle school standards, which are called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Here is a link to the middle school standards. U.S. History since 1877 is taught in 11th grade.

Fox: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington have been removed from the textbooks.
The truth: The standards, not textbook, are before the board this week. Lincoln is required to be included in the first and eighth grade history classes, as well as in the U.S. government class. Washington is required to be taught in kindergarten, first grade, fifth grade and eighth grade. Here is a link to a document detailing those historical figures, including Lincoln and Washington, who are required to be taught as part of the standards. There is another list of individuals who are suggested for inclusion.

Additional modifications are still possible to both lists as the board debates the standards during its March and May meeting.

Fox: Independence Day and Veteran’s Day are being deleted from the textbooks.
The truth: Again, the new history textbooks have not been written yet but they will be based on the curriculum standards adopted by the board. The standards currently under consideration cover Independence Day in kindergarten, second and fifth grades. Veteran’s Day is included in kindergarten, first, second and fifth grades.

Fox: References to Christmas have been deleted.
The truth: A TEKS review committee briefly recommended removing Christmas from a list that mentioned one major holiday for each of the world’s religions. The committee recommended leaving Easter in the document. The State Board immediately rejected this idea and a reference to Christmas was restored in the standards months ago and can be found in sixth grade in standard 19(b).

Fox: Textbooks adopted in Texas will be used classrooms across the country.
The truth: Each state has its own textbook selection process. Publishers may offer other states the Texas edition of a book but they are not required to select it.

Republican Talking Points About Cost of Health Care Reform Not True – The Congressional Budget Office released its new cost estimate for the Senate version of the health care reform bill on Wednesday and found that the measure would reduce the deficit by $118 billion over 10 years.

Republicans Misrepresent How Americans Feel About Health Care Reform – Republican lawmakers are dramatically out of sync with American citizens on health care, with large majorities of people looking for bipartisan cooperation that’s nowhere in sight.

A new Associated Press-GfK Poll finds a widespread hunger for improvements to the health care system, which suggests President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies have a political opening to push their plan. Half of all Americans say health care should be changed a lot or “a great deal,” and only 4 percent say it shouldn’t be changed at all.

Republican Senator Admits Their Game Plan Is To Sow Doubt On Reconciliation – Hoping to trip up health care reform as it enters its final procedural stages, leading Republicans are trying to sow doubts in the minds of House Democrats that the Senate will end up fixing the legislation in ways that they like.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) admitted, during a press conference organized by health policy journal Health Affairs on Thursday, that his role now is to make skeptical House Democrats even more doubtful that the Senate can change the bill it passes using reconciliation. He insisted that tough votes on non-health care related topics are bound to come up, raised the specter that the reconciliation process will shut the Senate down, and even questioned whether the president can use reconciliation in the first place.

The whole session, which lasted about an hour, was a remarkable illustration of how disinterested the Republican Party actually is in the substantive aspects of the health care bill — so dedicated are they to simply stop the process in its tracks. [Stopping everything President Obama wants is their goal, even if they have to contradict themselves. If you are not with them (right-wing authoritarians), you are the enemy and must be defeated.]

Liz Cheney’s Attacks on DoJ are ’Shoddy and Dangerous’ According to Former Bush Attorney General – Michael Mukasey, President George W. Bush’s last attorney general, has added his voice to a growing conservative chorus of condemnation against Liz Cheney’s attacks on Department of Justice lawyers who represented Guantanamo Bay detainees.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Mukasey argues that an ad from Keep America Safe, the pressure group headed by former Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter, is part of a “shoddy and dangerous” trend of politicizing the work of lawyers.

The New York Times noted on Tuesday that even Bush White House Attorney John Yoo objected to Cheney’s campaign. Earlier this week, 19 former members of the Bush administration signed a letter condemning Liz Cheney’s group for launching the attack. Among the signatories was Ken Starr, the lawyer known best for his turn as special prosecutor investigating the Clinton administration. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham also attacked the Keep America Safe ad.

Republican Party Sends Out Fake Census Forms – The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the Republican National Committee (RNC) recently sent out deceptive political fundraising letters that looked like U.S. Census letters so they could fill their campaign accounts with cash from a misleading and deceptive fake census letter, leaving taxpayers like us to foot the bill!

The Census Bureau was concerned that these misleading mailings would undermine response rates for the official census forms, which arrive in mailboxes next week. By misleading and confusing Americans about which forms to return, lower mail response rates of Census forms increase government costs because a census employee is sent to every home that does not respond by mail.

The US Census estimates every one percent decrease in the mail response rate costs taxpayers approximately $85 million to send census workers back to re-count. The House of Representatives voted today 416-0 to ban these misleading fundraising letters disguised as 2010 Census forms.

Warn your friends about the FAKE GOP Census:
On Twitter:
On Facebook:
By Email:

Proposed Bill Would Do Away with Some Dietary supplements and Make the Price of Others Go Up – The stated aim of his so-called Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA) is to curb doping in major league sports. But in reality, the bill will do more harm than good. The FDA already has power to do more to stop illegal steroids. What’s most troubling is that if Senator McCain’s bill passes, it would repeal key protections in the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) and give the FDA sweeping new powers.

What would this mean for us? It would likely lead to drastically fewer supplements available and higher prices.

Please take a moment and urge your Senator to oppose this harmful anti-supplement legislation.

Incompetent Terrorist: Underwear Bomb Could Not Have Blown Up Plane – Even if the “Underwear Bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had exploded his device on Christmas day, 2009, the Airbus A330 would have survived, according to an experiment conducted by a BBC documentary team.

Using a decommissioned Boeing 747, Joseph, Wyatt and the BBC team set about recreating the conditions of last year’s attempted bombing. While the person sitting next to Abdulmutallab probably would have died, the worst injury most passengers would have suffered would have been ruptured eardrums.

Video: Glenn Beck Attacks Stephen Colbert – Not real, but really funny.

Regards,

Jim