Where's the Outrage?

I’m trying to get a speech together for tomorrow. I know. I shouldn’t wait until the last minute. Anyway, I’m writing like a mad dog.

• The House just voted NOT to raise the debt ceiling.

Today’s RoundUp is from Political Animal:

* Is Karzai threatening NATO? “In one of his sternest warnings yet concerning civilian casualties, President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday that NATO must stop air attacks on Afghan homes immediately, or face ‘unilateral action’ from the Afghan government.”

* On a related note, Dems want out: “It’s more angst than outright anger, but House Democrats are showing real unity for the first time in pressuring President Barack Obama on Afghanistan — with influential moderates now expressing their impatience alongside the anti-war left that drove the early Iraq war debate.”

* President Obama visits Joplin, Missouri, and promises follow-through: “The cameras may leave. The spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored. We’re not going anywhere. That is not just my promise; that’s America’s promise.”

* While meeting with Joplin’s victims, the president was also seen inone heck of a photograph.

* Yesterday, President Obama marked Memorial Day with a speech at a service at Arlington National Cemetery.

* A shaky Sudanese deal: “Northern and southern Sudanese officials have agreed to a preliminary arrangement on demilitarizing the border between them, the African Union said Tuesday, though some officials from both sides immediately expressed skepticism of the deal, particularly its ability to resolve the dispute over the contested Abyei area.”

* Syed Saleem Shehzad: “A well-known Pakistani journalist has been found dead after being abducted over the weekend in an upscale neighborhood of the capital and receiving repeated threats from Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency.”

* Gen. Martin Dempsey to replace Adm. Mike Mullen as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

* As more physicians leave private practice to work at hospitals, they’re moving to the left politically. But that’s not the only reason.

* The World Health Organization had said cellphones pose no public health risk. The WHO position has apparently shifted: “Radiation from cellphones is ‘possibly carcinogenic’ to humans, according to an international expert panel organized by the World Health Organization to evaluate the safety of the increasingly ubiquitous electronic devices.”

* Remember the Fairness Doctrine? A few congressional Republicans are still scared of it.

* Daniel Luzer: “With cuts for America’s state universities getting ever more drastic, is it time for a new design for these schools?”

* Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is convinced gay and lesbians can simply choose to be straight. And if they don’t, he says, they shouldn’t serve in the military.

* Oh how I wish CNN were capable of better judgment: “Proving once again that there’s no standard by which many mainstream media outlets are willing to hold sloppy propagandist Andrew Breitbart, CNN this afternoon invited the discredited blogger on the air to discuss the Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY-D) Twitter story. “

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson md
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This weekend before you slap those drumsticks on the grill, let’s remember those who truly fought for our freedom.

Have a safe, happy, and thankful Memorial Day.

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson md
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• Sergio Garcia is fading at the Byron Nelson Championship in Dallas, Texas. Whatever he thought he fixed in his mental game isn’t fixed. Currently, Joe Ogilvie leads by one stroke.
• I find it interesting that Fox News has decided to keep Sarah Palin on the payroll since it’s clear that she is now exploring a presidential run. They dropped Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum as soon as they were considering a presidential run but not Sarah Palin. Why? Is it that Sarah Palin isn’t really considering a presidential run? Maybe Sarah Palin is doing her Donald Trump bit and simply trying to drum up publicity for herself. She’s been able to cash that publicity in and make some significant money (just bought a new house in Arizona).
• No matter how much the public thinks that Paul Ryan’s budget balancing, Medicare killing plan is wrong for America, the Republicans are continuing to push it. If you’re in a hole, I guess you can do one of three things – stop digging, continue digging or try to climb out of the hole. Republicans have decided to continue digging.
• The LA Times has a nice and very long discussion on Bruce Ivins, who was the odd researcher accused in the anthrax killings. I’m still not convinced that this is the guy. Yep, he is weird, but being weird isn’t a crime.
• President Obama is in Joplin, Missouri today. My heart and prayers continue to go out to the residents of Joplin.

• I really dislike politicians who in front of the cameras in Washington talk about cutting this and cutting that but when they’re at home in front of their constituents they’re bashing the government for not doing more. Today’s example is Representative Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania. He voted to cut EPA funding; yet, in front of his constituents is complaining that the EPA is not doing more.
• Former Senator John Ensign is hoping that the Department of Justice cannot use incriminating e-mails which will surely land him in jail. Basically, as I understand it, the Senate Ethics Committee could obtain evidence in multiple different ways which may not be transferable to the Department of Justice. For more information on this legal conundrum read this.
• I continue to be amazed at how the Republicans are trying to sell this “cut and grow” idea to the American people. Republicans, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, continue to try to sell the American people on trickle-down theory. If all we did was cut this or that money would then roll down to small business and small businesses would thrive. Over the last 30 years we’ve tried this theory so many times and as a whole it hasn’t worked. The one thing that is clear with trickle-down theory is that the rich get richer.
• So far, I think the most interesting candidate on the Republican side is Mitt Romney. He’s trying to walk a tight rope. He’s trying to play up his credentials as a financial wiz but the same time separate himself from the Wall Street Christians and against that which nearly destroyed our economy. He has the same type of balancing act with healthcare. He can’t support the national healthcare reform that was passed by Congress last year or he’ll alienate many Republicans. At the same time, he’s trying to push his own credentials as a healthcare fixer because of what he passed in Massachusetts, which is almost identical to the national healthcare reform plan. Finally, lots of evangelical Christians are unsure if they can embrace a Mormon. It is difficult if not impossible to win enthusiastic Republican support without the support of evangelical Christians.
• The New York Times is trying to tell me that their coverage is so great that I should pay $35 per month for their award-winning reporting. It seems to me that the Wall Street Journal has outstanding coverage also. They’re asking me to pay a third less than the New York Times. What’s up with that? Are the Washington Post and the LA Times going to follow suit? One of the distinct advantages of the Internet was that I was able to access multiple different sources of information. Am I going to have to shell out money for this information? Is advertising revenue down that much?
• Everyone is not flocking to the theaters just because the movie is in 3-D. For some reason this is a surprise to Hollywood. (Psst, Hollywood… we will sit down and look at movies that are entertaining and enjoyable. More like Thor and less like the Green Hornet.) As a whole, I haven’t found the 3-D experience to be all that additive to a excellently written film. I just saw the movie Thor and I didn’t think that the three-dimensional qualities were helpful at all. BTW, I’m looking forward to seeing Kung Fu Panda 2. I really enjoyed the first one. I”m hoping that they, the producers, don’t screw this sequel up.

So what’s on your mind the Sunday afternoon?

Tags: Budget, Environment, Healthcare, Sports by ecthompson md
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From ClimateProgress:

Parts of West Texas, Oklahoma and adjoining states are suffering from a drought that rivals the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.  Some scientists say this is a kind of “global weirding” heralding climate change.

Were it not for the Biblical flooding of the Mississippi River and, well, Biblical whirlwinds slamming the Midwest, the “hellish” side of Hell and High Water would be the big news.  Last month a “record breaking 1.79 million acres burned across the country” and most of that was in Texas, NOAA reported.

The Houston Chronicle reported this week, “Texas’ farmers and ranchers are coping with their eighth drought in the last 13 years, and this one, while still young, has a chance of slamming producers with their biggest losses ever, officials said.

Nearly four fifths of Texas is under extreme or exceptional drought.  Reuters reports, the “dire drought” has “expanded across the key farming state of Kansas … the top U.S. wheat-growing state” over the last two weeks, “adding to struggles of wheat farmers already dealing with weather-ravaged fields.”

“It is pretty bad,” said Kansas state climatologist Mary Knapp. “For a lot of these areas… the last significant rainfall was in July of last year.” (more…)

Tags: Environment by ecthompson md
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Why the Bulls lost [ 2:52 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

• I’m sorry, I believe that basketball is about skilled athletes figuring out away to put the ball in the basket. What we witnessed yesterday with the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls was more of a wrestling match. If you can’t shoot, I just don’t know how you play the game of basketball. The Chicago Bulls only had one shooter on the floor the whole game. Derek Rose has proven that he can carry a team deep into the playoffs but he’s going to need help if he and the Chicago Bulls are gonna go to the finals and win. Congratulations to the Miami Heat. I still think that there might be something physically wrong with Dwyane Wade. Lebron James was incredible, especially down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Again, the problem that I have with this whole series is reflected in the field goal percentage of the either team. Chicago shot 36% from the field and Miami shot 39% from the field. In my opinion, that’s not basketball.
• Texas Governor Rick Perry is considering a run for president. The Republicans need somebody else to enter the field, I guess.
• Michele Bachmann has done herself no favors in Iowa. It seems that over 300 Republicans had paid $75 apiece to see Michele Bachmann, a tea party darling, in person. She didn’t show.
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell seems to want cuts in Medicare before agreeing to raising the debt ceiling. Republicans seem to really, really want to dismantle Medicare.
• The popularity of Florida Governor Rick Scott seems to have plummeted. Unhappy voters seem to be barred from some of his events.
• Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has reiterated that defaulting on our debts can have some serious consequences.

Tags: Budget, Party Politics, Sports by ecthompson md
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Over the last 24-48 hours, there’s been a dustup over some comments that radio talk show host and television personality Ed Schultz made on his radio show. As far as I can tell, there’s no instance in which someone deserves to be called a “slut.” One has to be very careful about off-the-cuff remarks. In my opinion, we should confront and combat, when possible, the actions and words with which we disagree. Specifically, labeling those who disagree with us as a this or a that is uncalled for. I applauded Ed Schultz for his heartfelt apology.

From Mediate:

Schultz was discussing Ingraham’s comments about President Obama’s trip to Europe and…you know what? The backstory really doesn’t matter here. What was he thinking? I can’t think of any possible situation where it would be ok for him to call a woman a slut. I don’t know. Maybe if Ingraham herself had walked into the studio wearing a shirt with the words “Hey, please call me a slut” written in big letters. Even then it would be a bad idea.

Look, if you don’t agree with something the woman says, you can feel free to call her an “idiot” or a “jerk” or a “big, stupid poop-face.” Whatever you want. Just don’t call her a slut, you big, stupid poop-face!

For the billionth time, when insulting someone in the media, don’t use a word that has negative connotations connected to their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, of unchangeable physical )features or handicaps. Why is this so damn difficult to understand? Ed, weren’t you just yelling at Eric Bolling for saying the President drank “forties?” (more…)

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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The Dallas Mavericks are going back to the NBA Finals. I have been waiting for this for five years. I didn’t think that Dirk Nowitzki could lead the Mavericks to the finals. In a way, I was right. Dirk had plenty of help. He has played very well, some might say great, but his teammates have also played well. Shawn Marion was outstanding today. I thought that he was done several years ago but he has stepped up his game. Jason Kidd. I knew he was done 3 -4 years ago but he has played extremely well in the playoffs. Jason Terry has continued to play like Jason Terry – up and down. I didn’t think that Rick Carlisle was that hot as a coach. I was wrong. He coached his butt off.

I do tip my hat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They played hard. They played with energy. They played with heart. Kevin Durant needs to learn how to be a superstar. He is a great player but he has to call for the ball at the end of the game. It is a must. Everything should go through him. Durant needs to sit down and look at a Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant video. Don’t look at the dunks but study how they ran the offense late in playoff games. They didn’t always take a shot down the stretch but they did make plays so that either they themselves or one of their teammates took the shot. Durant has to learn that the ball will always be safer in his hands. He is the superstar. Harden is a beast and should be a starter. Westbrook should be traded. Too many stupid plays. One “oh, shit” erases ten “that a boy’s.”

The Dallas Mavericks seemed to have patterned themselves after the San Antonio Spurs. Let’s hope that it is a winning formula.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
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Republicans have been trying to convince the American people that we don’t have any money. They have used the financial collapse of Wall Street to scare Americans into believing this tale. It is true that the average American is having problems paying his/her bills. That is because everything is going up except their salary. Wages have been flat or depressed for over 30 years. We (our government) have promoted policies which have allowed corporations to play a game of labor arbitrage, which has depressed our income and fattened the wallets of CEOs. We have showered big business with tax breaks and have done nothing to help the average worker. As a matter of fact, we have made it harder on the average Joe by deregulating almost everything and tearing up the economic safety net.

From EPI:

Incomes, on average, have grown substantially over the last three decades, both in absolute terms and per person. The good news is that projections show comparable income growth over the next three decades, too. The chart shows the annual levels of per capita income for 1980-2010 and 2010-40. Adjusting for inflation, per capita income was $28,684 in 1980, steadily increased to $47,737 by 2010, and is expected to rise to just over $75,000 by 2040. With this level of past and future income growth, we as a nation are not broke—governments can afford the investments and services we need, and employers can provide rising compensation to employees.

And we won’t be broke if we make appropriate choices. The future prosperity of the broad middle class hinges on the economic policies and structures that determine how this future income is generated and shared. For instance, federal and state governments certainly face deficits today, and those deficits are primarily the result of tax policies (Bush-era cuts for the wealthy) and the impact of the Great Recession (which will lessen with time). But with the per capita income growth over the next three decades projected to match that of the past three, we have the means to pay for the government programs we need, and should do so.

Update: I have a commenter focus on this post like a laser. He has had several thoughtful questions. I would just like to add that blotting government spending on one axis versus income on the other axis only reveals a part of the picture. We need to see more in order to truly evaluate if government spending is truly out of control. We need to look at GDP also. Anyway, I would like to point everyone to this nice paper by EPI. It explained that we aren’t broke and we can afford to pay workers more.

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
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I’ll try and get the video of our President before Parliament as soon as I can. (Found it!! See below)

From MSNBC:

In a speech to both houses of the British Parliament Wednesday, President Barack Obama declared that the trans-Atlantic alliance between America and Britain is indispensable to the goal of a more peaceful and prosperous world.

He said it will remain so even as more nations take on the responsibilities of leadership around the world.

Countries like India and Brazil actually owe their fortunes to U.S.-British leadership, Obama contended during his speech at London’s Westminster Hall on the second day of a state visit to England.

Before delving into the countries’ relationship, Obama laced the beginning of the speech with humor, saying the most recent speakers in the hall were the pope, the queen and Nelson Mandela, “which is either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke.” He referred to the two countries’ early relations as “a small scrape about tea and taxes.”

Tags: Obama administration by ecthompson md
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Tags: House of Representatives, Party Politics by Neil Aquino
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Tags: NASA, Science by Neil Aquino
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• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out criteria for peace in an address before Congress. The one point that he made that I think deserves underscoring is that the leadership of Israel has acknowledged that there needs to be a Palestinian state, but the leadership of the Palestinian Authority has never said there should be and must be an Israeli state.
• Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is going to stand trial for killing or ordering the killing of unarmed protesters. As a rule, if you’re an ousted dictator, you need to get out of the country.
• Do you remember when gas prices went through the roof in 2008? Everybody was standing around trying to figure out what was going on. Well, I think everybody settled on commodities traders. It appears the US government is suing some of these commodities traders. Basically, the government is saying that these commodities traders bid up the price and then sold short to make money both on the upside and the downside of oil prices. In the meantime, you and I just simply paid more at the pump… for no good reason. I wonder if this is exactly what is happening now??
• For all those Republicans and conservatives who thought it was a bad idea to prop up the American automotive industry, now we can give them a big fat raspberry as Chrysler begins to pay back the American government and therefore you and me, the American people. This is what believing in America is all about.
• There’s a big election in New York. The New York-26. This is a very Republican district. The polls have just closed. This is supposed to be a referendum on Medicare. As a rule, I think these general pronouncements, calling elections referendums on x or y are usually wrong. All politics is local; at least that’s the way the saying goes. How did the candidates run their campaign? That determines who wins and who loses the majority of the time. The Republican candidate Jane Corwin publicly stated that she embraced the Paul Ryan plan to end Medicare. When you publicly embrace an unpopular position, expect to get some blowback from your constituents… like you will not get elected. Kathy Hochul is the Democrat. I hope that she has put together a smart campaign. I hope that she has worked hard. She has a unique opportunity to win this race. Election results can be found here.

Tags: Economy, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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You know, there are some days when you sit in front of the computer keyboard and all you want to do is play computer games. Today has been one of those days.

• The death toll in the deadly tornado in Joplin, Missouri has risen to 122.
• Is there a link between the terrible tornadoes that has destroyed most of Joplin, Missouri and climate change? Of course not (click the link before you comment on my sarcasm).
• A new poll suggests that Americans are more worried about the deficit than they are worried about defaulting. Again, another poll that shows that Americans do not put things together as well as I would like. Exactly what would happen if we defaulted on our national debt is described in this article in Slate. It is not a pretty picture. The probability of us defaulting on our debt has actually been calculated. You can find those calculations here.
• Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General, seems to be trying to rehabilitate his image. After disgracing himself and his family he’s got a lot of work to do.
• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has sunk to a new low. He has now stated that aid to help the victims of the Missouri tornado needs to have offsets. He can go find all of those offsets by asking the Chamber of Commerce to fork over some of that money that they seem to be sitting on. Even the Hammer, Tom Delay didn’t go this far.
• We need to rethink government contractors and political spending.
• If you are a Republican and you’re going to hold a town hall meeting, you can expect some angry seniors to show up and ask you about your vote to end Medicare. So, as a young congressman, how do you face this mob? You don’t. You call security and have them and the reporters escorted out of the room. Very Classy Representative Justin Amash.
• Representative Patrick McHenry (of my state of NC) acts like a jerk to Elizabeth Warren for no particular reason. Whether it was a misunderstanding or a mix up doesn’t matter. We can still treat each other with dignity and respect. In the south that is how we are raised. I have no idea how Rep McHenry was raised.
• The Patriot Act, which I thought was a done deal, isn’t.  Rand Paul wants to vote on several provisions and, because of this, Senate majority leader Harry Reid has tabled a motion to extend the Patriot Act. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
• The Dallas Mavericks showed a lot of heart and tenacity by pulling out a victory in Oklahoma City last night to take a 3-1 led in the best of 7 series. On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Thunder caved under pressure. The Dallas Mavericks are down by 15 points with just over 5 min. to play in regulation. Dirk Nowitski played amazingly down the stretch with excellent leadership from Jason Kidd. Oklahoma City Thunder got no leadership from Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook. If you’re a Dallas fan it was on the watch, if you’re in Oklahoma City fan it would break your heart.

Tags: Budget, Environment, Healthcare, Party Politics, Sports, US Attorneys by ecthompson md
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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

This is so, so sad.

From St. Louis:

A massive tornado that tore through the southwest Missouri city of Joplin killed at least 89 people, but authorities warned that the death toll could climb Monday as search and rescuers continued their work at sunrise.

City manager Mark Rohr announced the number of known dead at a pre-dawn news conference outside the wreckage of a hospital that took a direct hit from Sunday’s storm. Rohr said the twister cut a path nearly six miles long and more than a half-mile wide through the center of town, adding that tornado sirens gave residents about a 20-minute warning before the tornado touched down on the city’s west side.

Much of the city’s south side was leveled, with churches, schools, businesses and homes reduced to ruins.

Fire chief Mitch Randles estimated that 25 percent to 30 percent of the city was damaged, and said his own home was among the buildings destroyed as the twister swept through this city of about 50,000 people some 160 miles south of Kansas City. (more…)

From KC Star:

The tornado, estimated to be an EF4 by the National Weather Service, tore a six-mile-long path from one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide through the middle of Joplin on Sunday. Much of the city’s south side was leveled, with churches, schools, businesses and homes reduced to ruins by winds estimated as high as 190 to 198 mph. Officials have estimated 2,000 buildings were damaged.

Rescuers have made three sweeps, block by block, in their search for survivors. Authorities have not released names or other details of the victims.

“There are going to be some things out there that are hard to see and hard to stomach,” Nixon said.

“We’re going to cover every foot of this town to make sure every person here, who was here, is accounted for,” Gov. Jay Nixon said. “…There are still lives out there that need to be saved.”

The death toll from Sunday’s tornado is now 116, city officials said this afternoon, with an estimated 400 injured. (more…)

Tags: Environment by ecthompson md
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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has announced that he is running for president. I do know that he has been running for president for over two years. I haven’t spent much time studying Governor Pawlenty and his “conservative credentials.” What I did notice was that in his interview on the Today Show, he seemed to quote, almost verbatim, the Michael Douglas character from The American President (strong movie I highly recommend). I guess quoting from a movie is not necessarily a bad thing unless you’re trying to sell yourself as genuine and original. Check out the clip below and see for yourself. Was the former Minnesota Governor quoting from a movie?

Pawlenty quotes American President [ 1:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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• The Dallas Mavericks tried as hard as they could to fumble away victory against the Oklahoma Thunder. In spite of what looked like a concerted effort to lose, the Mavericks made just enough plays down the stretch to win.
• Since I’m alive today, I guess that means the world did not end. I find apocalyptic thinking kind of interesting. This is been a part of man’s consciousness for thousands of years. Live blogging here.
• Maine representative pulls a gun on a reporter. I’m guessing that sanity is not a criteria for political office.
• Herman Cain, CEO of Godfather’s pizza, has announced that he’s running for president. WooHoo!
• Mitch Daniels, Indiana Governor and former director of the Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush, has decided he is not going to run for president.
• For reasons I don’t understand, President Barack Obama announced nothing new with regards to Israeli – Palestinian policy, yet conservatives went nuts.  (Romney – President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus. He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace.) What conservatives heard was “the 1967 borders.” What President Obama said was “returned to the 1967 borders…” and this is the important part… “with land swaps.” The land swaps would account for some of the settlements and the security concerns that Israel has to have. We have to get off of Square One. For the security of Israel, Palestine and the United States, we need an equitable solution to this problem. Some in Israel are supporting Obama’s plan.
• In yet another article justifying the stupid and sometimes criminal behavior of powerful men, Time Magazine jumps into the fray. Society is different today than it was 30 or 40 years ago. Officially, men and women are supposed to be in monogamous relationships, but in reality, powerful men played by different rules. Times have changed. We live in the age of the Internet where almost nothing can be kept secret. Preying on younger women is no longer okay. Using your position of power to manipulate the legal system or to “course” someone have sex with you is no longer okay. It hasn’t been okay for decades. The list of men that have gone astray is long and wide ranging. I think the words of Senator Tom Coburn are probably needed here. Allegedly, he told Senator John Ensign, while he was waiting to have a rendezvous with his mistress, “put your pants on and go home.” The top 10 political sex scandals are worth a read if to reinforce the idea that some men stray often.
• The final round of the Colonial is going on right now. To say that David Toms had a bad day yesterday would be an understatement. He shot a 4 over par after shooting 8 under par on Thursday and Friday. He starts today’s round one stroke back. If he can play a solid round of golf he can still win this tournament. Charlie Wi leads the tournament by one stroke at the start of today’s round.
• Finally, in NBA basketball, the Miami Heat play the Chicago Bulls this evening. The Miami Heat with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade have an opportunity to take control of the series. They’re playing at home. There’s no reason to believe they shouldn’t be able to out hustle, outshoot and out muscle the Chicago Bulls. The question is how badly do they want it.

Mavs veerse Thunder [ 2:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Israel, Obama administration, Party Politics, Sports by ecthompson md
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I understand that Republicans hate public education. Basically, anything that helps the middle class get ahead must go. I understand this but to cut education and then shell out millions of dollars on a theme park is simply wrong.

From CP:

In December, I reported that the Kentucky creationism theme park set to open in 2014 will “include dinosaurs.” The park “will feature a 500-foot-long wooden replica of Noah’s Ark containing live animals such as juvenile giraffes.”  It will also include “a replica of the Tower of Babel with exhibits.”

TPM — the source of this photo illustration — called it the “Park of the Covenant.“

Now the park has been granted $43 million in state tax breaks.  At the same time, “the state has gone through eight rounds of budget cuts over the past three years,” including cuts to “education at all levels” and a pay freeze for all teachers and state workers.

The National Center for Science Education has said of creationism that “students who accept this material as scientifically valid are unlikely to succeed in science courses at the college level.” (more…)

Tags: Party Politics, Religion by ecthompson md
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On Thursday I was on the radio with Blake and Lesley of Local Edge Radio. Now this was fun.

Local Edge Radio 5-19-2011 [ 27:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Podcasts by ecthompson md
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• Dallas Mavericks are trying hard to blow their best chance to win an NBA championship. They looked tired, slow and disinterested. If they keep playing like this they will be able to watch the Thunder in the championship game.
• Newt’s implosion is extremely interesting. It is almost as if he has jumped into a large bowl of tar and somehow he didn’t think that it was going to stick to him.
• Even the lowly Chrysler looks like they have plans to pay our money back.
• How about a constitutional amendment to over turn the Citizen United decision? Um, I don’t know about that.
• Patriot Act has been extended in a double secret meeting. Dems and R’s agreed on something… anything. This should be a cause for celebration but something just doesn’t feel right about it.
• Man walks after being paralyzed from the chest down with the aid of electrical stimulation and a computer. Totally Cool. (for those who want to read the scientific study, you can find it here.)

More on Newt Gingrich’s epic debacle. There is a reason that Newt Gingrich stepped down as Speaker of the House and has never run for another elected public office. This is not an accident. Newt Gingrich has a flair for over-the-top rhetoric. In order to paint himself in the best light, he will use the starkest metaphors to illustrate his point. So, to make himself seem like the biggest and best authority on Medicare, he contrasted himself against Paul Ryan and the Democrats. This was classic Newt Gingrich. Of course, he threw Paul Ryan and all of the other House Republicans off a bridge since he accused them of social engineering. He spent the better part of this week trying to weasel his way out of this epic mistake. In an effort to backtrack without looking weak he blasted those who criticize him and, of course, that included the great grand pooh-baw of everything conservative, Rush Limbaugh. PA has an excellent rundown on Newt’s week. Stephen Colbert took Newt Gingrich’s press release and asked John Lithgow to read it verbatim. This is funny.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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It is important for us to remember how we got here. Obama trying to jump start the economy isn’t the problem.

From CBPP:

Tax Cuts, War Costs Do Lasting Harm to Budget Outlook

Some commentators blame major legislation adopted in 2008-2010 — the stimulus bill and other recovery measures and the financial rescues — for today’s record deficits. Yet those costs pale next to other policies enacted since 2001 that have swollen the deficit. Those other policies may be less conspicuous now, because many were enacted some years ago and they have long since been absorbed into CBO’s and other organizations’ budget projections.

Just two policies dating from the Bush Administration — tax cuts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — accounted for over $500 billion of the deficit in 2009 and will account for $7 trillion in deficits in 2009 through 2019, including the associated debt-service costs. [7] By 2019, we estimate that these two policies will account for almost half — nearly $10 trillion — of the $20 trillion in debt that will be owed under current policies.[8] (The Medicare prescription drug benefit enacted in 2003 also will substantially increase deficits and debt, but we are unable to quantify these impacts due to data limitations.) These impacts easily dwarf the stimulus and financial rescues, which will account for less than $2 trillion (less than 10 percent) of the debt at that time. Furthermore, unlike those temporary costs, these inherited policies (especially the tax cuts and the drug benefit) do not fade away as the economy recovers.

Without the economic downturn and the fiscal policies of the previous Administration, the budget would be roughly in balance over the next decade. That would have put the nation on a much sounder footing to address the demographic challenges and the cost pressures in health care that darken the long-run fiscal outlook.[9] (more…)

Tags: Budget by ecthompson md
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