Democracy's Last Hurrah?

March 4, 2009

With the dawn of a new economic age of uncertainty for the world, can democracy survive in a time when the U.S. has lost its appetite for so strongly promoting democracy? The answer: the financial comeback must come first, and a scaled back agenda in the meantime will allow for the significant expansion of totalitarianism.

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Senate Ignores McCain, Keeps $410Bn in Spending, Earmarks Intact

March 4, 2009

$410B spending bill with thousands of earmarks is supported overwhelmingly 63-32 as Senators ignore colleague McCain’s pleas to avoid such pork barrel spending in times of economic crisis. McCain proposed $32B from the measure, would’ve kept several agencies at last year’s funding levels. “Business as usual in Washington.”

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The Most Important Thing is: Who Gets the Credit?

March 4, 2009

Obama’s withdrawal plan follows exact recommendations of Washington think tank. Surprising to some, it’s not the well-known Center for American Progress, but the Center for a New American Security (headed by Michele Flournoy) whose plan essentially gives Iraq more support and longer troop deployments.

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Lewis on Iceland's Fall: Wall Street on the Tundra

March 4, 2009

Michael Lewis pens the tale of Icelandic downfall: “You have a dog and I have a cat. We agree that they are each worth a billion dollars. You sell me the dog for a billion and I sell you the cat for a billion. Now we are no longer pet owners, but Icelandic banks.”

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"Trillions in Savings" Based on Assumption Iraq Surge Continuing for Decade

March 4, 2009

Rep. Paul Ryan questions OMB and J-Date star Peter Orszag about the White House’s $1.6T in savings claim from drawing down troops, ending combat presence in Iraq by 2010. Turns out this “savings” is based on assumption Iraq surge would have continued at 2008 levels for ten years. No wonder it’s a savings.

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Cost: If Not Limbaugh, Who's the GOP's Leader?

March 4, 2009

RCP’s Jay Cost offers his accurate assessment: “who is looking out for the interests of the whole party? The answer: nobody. The title is actually a trick question. American political parties do not really have leaders, except when they temporarily control the White House.” So can’t the answer be: No one?

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Admin's New Budget Raises $31B in Taxes, Fees on Energy Production

March 4, 2009

The energy crisis killed Obama’s promise for a windfall tax on oil companies, but the new budget anticipates $31B in new levies, mostly by adding fees, an excise tax, and repealing tax deductions, including preventing companies from deducting their drilling costs. They won’t pass this on to consumers, now will they?

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Obama's Swagger Provokes Different Reactions Based on Race

March 4, 2009

“Dog-whistle politics.” Just as W signaled his sympathies by quoting scripture, Obama signals racial minorities he’s still one of them as POTUS. McWhorter: “Imagine John Kerry or Hillary Clinton saying, ‘Yes, we can!’ It would have sounded phony — only in what I call a ‘black-cent’ can it sound prophetic and arousing.”

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News From the World of Branding: The Mark of the StimPack

March 4, 2009

Isn’t it great how shiny, well designed stamps with all the best fonts and symbols can totally fix an economy? Following once again in the tradition of FDR, the ARRA mark (that’s short for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) will let people know where the money they earned yesterday is being spent tomorrow.

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Worker Fired for Saying She Was Bored on Facebook

March 4, 2009

Miss Swann, 16, said she was hauled into the manager’s office of on Monday and fired because of the comments on the social networking website. She had been working as an office administrator at Ivell Marketing & Logistics in Clacton, Essex.

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