Where's the Outrage?

Being a corporate CEO is sweeter than ever. Being an average American doesn’t look so good in comparison.

From TP:

After the longest recession since WWII, many Americans are still struggling while S&P 500 corporations are sitting on $800 billion in cash and making massive profits. Now, economists from Northeastern University have released a study that finds our sluggish economic recovery has almost solely benefited corporations. According to the study:

“Between the second quarter of 2009 and the fourth quarter of 2010, real national income in the U.S. increased by $528 billion. Pre-tax corporate profits by themselves had increased by $464 billion while aggregate real wages and salaries rose by only $7 billion or only .1%. Over this six quarter period,corporate profits captured 88% of the growth in real national income while aggregate wages and salaries accounted for only slightly more than 1% of the growth in real national income. …The absence of any positive share of national income growth due to wages and salaries received by American workers during the current economic recovery is historically unprecedented.”

The New York Times adds, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average real hourly earnings for all employees actually declined by 1.1 percent from June 2009, when the recovery began, to May 2011, the month for which the most recent earnings numbers are available.”

So as average wages fall, and nearly 14 million people remain unemployed, America’s economic recovery has almost entirely benefited corporations. This development adds another chapter to the decline of the middle class, whose incomes are shrinking and wages are stagnating. Last year, top executives’ salaries increased 27 percent, while workers’ salaries increased only 2 percent. At the moment, income inequality in America is the worst it’s been since the 1920s, as the richest 1 percent make nearly 25 percent of the country’s income.

Tags: Business, Economy by ecthompson md
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I continue to be flabbergasted by the callousness of Republicans. Eric Cantor has decided that $2 billion isn’t worth worrying about. I guess if you can’t worry about $2 billion then maybe $4 trillion could get his attention, maybe. The fact that the direct and indirect costs of the war could be as much as $4 trillion is not really a revelation to me. The problem I have is that Republicans continue to insist that throughout the Bush administration these wars were not to be expensive. As a matter fact, they suggested that it would be cheap. Remember how Donald Rumsfeld and his minions suggested that Iraq would pay for itself using oil revenues? We never even had the opportunity to have a real debate over the cost of the war because the wars were “paid for” by supplemental funding (deficit spending). Not once did Republicans stand up as a group and state they were spending an enormous amount of money and getting almost nothing in return. Not one of them said that we needed to cut something in order to pay for the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. Not one of them suggested that we needed to raise revenues in order to pay for these wars. Yet, now, when we try to spend money to stimulate the economy and make life better for the middle class, the Republicans are having none of it. Their hypocrisy is infuriating.

From Yahoo News:

When President Barack Obama cited cost as a reason to bring troops home from Afghanistan, he referred to a $1 trillion price tag for America’s wars.

Staggering as it is, that figure grossly underestimates the total cost of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the U.S. Treasury and ignores more imposing costs yet to come, according to a study released on Wednesday.

The final bill will run at least $3.7 trillion and could reach as high as $4.4 trillion, according to the research project “Costs of War” by Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. (http://www.costsofwar.org)

In the 10 years since U.S. troops went into Afghanistan to root out the al Qaeda leaders behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, spending on the conflicts totaled $2.3 trillion to $2.7 trillion.

Those numbers will continue to soar when considering often overlooked costs such as long-term obligations to wounded veterans and projected war spending from 2012 through 2020. The estimates do not include at least $1 trillion more in interest payments coming due and many billions more in expenses that cannot be counted, according to the study. (more…)

Tags: Budget, Military by ecthompson md
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Republicans, as far as I know, have always been and always will be all business, all the time. They are huge supporters of capitalism and, more importantly, unfettered capitalism. They do not believe that capitalism should be restrained by silly government regulations (to them, all regulations are silly). The rest of us understand that unfettered capitalism leads to massive abuse of workers, of customers and of other businesses. The rest of us understand that without appropriate controls capitalism is not about competition but instead it is about crushing your opponents. Capitalism is about making money and that’s it. Yesterday we saw another example of unfettered capitalism – Massey Energy. Massey Energy appears to have wanted to do just about anything in order to make money. Cut corners? Okay, as long as we can make money. Risk miner safety? Okay, as long as we can make money. This is an example of why we need a government big enough to stand up to folks like Massey Energy.

From WSJ (WSJ link may require a subscription):

Massey Energy Co. could have prevented the West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 workers last year and the company failed to disclose some hazards in reports it provided to government inspectors, federal safety officials said Wednesday.

Patricia Smith, the U.S. Labor Department’s top lawyer, said not recording hazards where required was a potential criminal violation of the Mine Act and “we have notified the U.S. attorney of that.”

The Justice Department’s probe of the accident is continuing, it said recently. Its investigation has so far resulted in a criminal indictment against the former head of safety at the Upper Big Branch mine for allegedly attempting to destroy evidence. He has pleaded not guilty.

The April 2010 explosion at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, W.Va., was the worst U.S. coal-mining disaster in 40 years. It resulted in several wrongful-death lawsuits against Massey and led to the resignation of the company’s chief executive and the sale of Massey to Alpha Natural Resources Inc. of Abingdon, Va.

At a briefing Wednesday in Beaver, W.Va., Kevin Stricklin, coal administrator for mine safety and health at the Mine Safety and Health Administration, said, “We found there to be two sets of books” kept by Massey. (more…)

Tags: Business by ecthompson md
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The Fourth of July will be here soon.

(Above–Black Americans observing the Fourth in 1939 in St. Helena Island, South Carolina.)

What books would be helpful to learn more about the American Revolution and about America?

As I’ve said before, I don’t believe the Revolution was a liberal or conservative event in the sense we think about such things today.

Some of the Founding Fathers were religious. Others were not.  The Revolution had some aspects of a tax revolt. But who can know if folks in the early days of the nation would not have paid more taxes to get all the garbage out of the street or to prevent so many women from dying in childbirth?  Some of the founders believed in government being run from state capitols. Others supported a stronger national government.

Anybody who asserts that the American Revolution was a liberal or conservative victory in the modern sense is more concerned with today’s politics than with historical facts.

At the bottom line, it is up to you to know and understand our shared history. If you allow others to define your past, they will likely use that power to help bring about a future you don’t want.

(Below–1887 Fourth of July picnic in Custer County, Nebraska.)

Here are six book suggestions and a history blog suggestion that are strong sources to learn about the life in North America before colonization, after colonization, at the time of the Revolution, and to learn about the full history of our nation.

* 1491–New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann

There was a whole world here before 1492. 1492 is one marker in history. There is little understanding of who lived in the Americas before Columbus. American history did not begin in 1492 or  in 1620 when the Mayflower arrived.

* Mayflower–A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

There are starting points in American history other than the landing of the Mayflower. Yet learning the story of the Mayflower is basic to knowing our history.

* Before The Mayflower—A History of Black America by Lerone Bennett.

In many ways, nothing is more central to the American experience than the history of black Americans. So much has turned on the decision to bring black people to America, and on how those unwilling immigrants responded to life in North America.

* American Colonies–The Settlement of North America by Alan Taylor

This book is a good way to learn about the British colonies. It includes chapters about not just the 13 colonies we all know and love, but also has chapters on British Canada and about colonies in the Caribbean.

* History of American Women–A blog.

This blog is a useful resource to know more about women of early American history.

* Patriots–The Men Who Started The American Revolution by A.J. Langguth

This book reads like a novel. It is an enjoyable and informative way to learn about the events and personalities of the Revolution.

* The Penguin History Of  The United States by Hugh Brogan

The Penguin History is a one-volume non-ideological account of our nation that discusses the events of the Revolution and then goes on to provide the full context of American history. While I do sometimes read history books written from the left or the right, I find I’d rather have a balanced account that leaves ideological judgements up to the reader.

As a liberal, I’m confident that an examination of the facts–In a way both comprehensive, and sympathetic to the strengths and weaknesses of our fellow men and women— will lead to a view that America is best when it is welcoming of people of all kinds, and that government has, in tandem with the hard-work of a free people, a role to play in providing a basic social safety net for its people.

In any case, it is your responsibility to learn your history and to consider what this history means in terms of your beliefs and actions in the world.

Learn the past so you can be a hopeful and relevant part of the future.

(Below–How some see the Fourth of July. It is fine as far is it goes. But there is so much more. The painting–called The Spirit of ’76– is by Archibald Willard.)

Tags: Books, Other Political Thoughts by Neil Aquino
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A new study says that sea levels are rising at the fastest rate in 2000 years.

(Above–The sea is all around us.)

Is this complete proof that global warming is taking place and causing the seas to rise?

You can’t prove it for 100%.

Any bit of doubt allows corporate intrests–and the Republican Party that corporate interests own–to avoid discussing this issue in any serious fashion.

Here is the EPA climate change website.

I know— The EPA website is socialist plot to take away our SUV’s and make us all drive Yugos.

The new sea level study has been completed with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Here are some facts about the NSF–

“The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…” With an annual budget of about $6.9 billion (FY 2010), we are the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities.”

If we would just cut all funding for the NSF, than the problem of global warming and rising sea levels would go away.

Here are some details from the NSF sea level study—

“The rate of sea level rise along the U.S. Atlantic coast is greater now than at any time in the past 2,000 years–and has shown a consistent link between changes in global mean surface temperature and sea level…. The team found that sea level was relatively stable from 200 BC to 1,000 AD. Then in the 11th century, sea level rose by about half a millimeter each year for 400 years, linked with a warm climate period known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Then there was a second period of stable sea level during a cooler period called the Little Ice Age. It persisted until the late 19th century. Since the late 19th century, sea level has risen by more than 2 millimeters per year on average, the steepest rate for more than 2,100 years.” [Read more →]

Tags: Environment by Neil Aquino
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I know that Michele Bachmann is trying to convince everyone that she is a serious candidate. That’s great, but doesn’t a serious candidate have to do her homework before opening her mouth? There seems to be a lack of simple fact checking and a basic understanding of history. First (this week), Michele Bachmann confused John Wayne the actor with John Wayne Gacy the serial killer. Then she admitted the mistake without really figuring out that John Wayne the movie actor was different from John Wayne Gacy. She doesn’t seem to the know the difference between Wayne the actor and Wayne the real guy who had tons of flaws. To hold up John Wayne as a Conservative example is problematic at best. First, there is a question about his dodging being drafted in WWII. With many actors, including Henry Fonda, signing up for the war, Wayne was free to fill the void and make tons of dough. Secondly, Michele Bachmann is one of those family values conservatives. Wayne was married three times. He had several affairs, which doesn’t seem to live up to the family values standards. Finally, Wayne made some statements about White supremacy in an interview that should cause anyone to raise an eyebrow.

This brings me to today’s “open mouth and insert foot” moment. So, she has previously said that the founding fathers had worked to end slavery. This wasn’t and isn’t true. No matter how you try to spin the acts of the founding fathers, they didn’t try to end slavery. As a matter of fact, they tried to avoid the subject. George Washington owned slaves. The slaves weren’t free until after both George and his wife Martha died. Thomas Jefferson is probably the most progressive of the founding fathers, and he had a sexual relationship with one of his slaves. Bachmann stated that John Quincy Adams worked to end slavery. This may be true but John Quincy Adams was not a founding father. His father, John Adams, was a founding father. John Quincy Adams was 20 when the Constitution was signed and if I’m not mistaken was out of the country in France at the time. Now, to be fair, the picture of the founding fathers in slavery is mixed. In order to keep the southern states and defeat England a compromise had to occur. The south would not have joined the union if slavery was outlawed. This is a fact. As a rule, the south wanted all of the slaves counted which would have given the south more representation in Congress than the north. The north wanted no slaves counted. The compromise was that slaves would count as 3/5 of a citizen. The founding fathers weren’t perfect. They were political animals who understood the political reality. I’m not aware of one founding father who walked out of the process because slavery was not abolished. This is the bottom line. Their political priority was defeating the British and getting a young nation together and that meant accepting slavery for the time being. Michele Bachmann proves that her knowledge base with regard to slavery and the founding fathers is flawed at best.

I don’t expect any candidate to know everything. I know that they say tons of things while trying to get elected. So the more that you say the more opportunity there is to get something wrong. I do expect that a candidate does his or her homework. If you are going to talk about the founding fathers then you should know that 56 “fathers” signed the declaration of independence. The Declaration was written by Jefferson and amended by Franklin and John Adams. These are the basic points and Bachmann doesn’t appear to know the basics. Maybe she should watch the TV miniseries John Adams. Maybe that would help her.

Update: I really don’t understand why some one would do this. Are they morons? So, somebody decided to change Wikipedia to match the Bachmann facts and not the actual facts. C&L has more -

Whatever happened to the notion that you were not entitled to your own facts?

[I]t appears that [Michele Bachmann's] supporters have altered Wikipedia to make it appear that John Quincy Adams was a Founding Father, even though he was only a child when his father John Adams, America’s second President, signed the Declaration of Independence.

Michelle Bachmann also misspoke yesterday, saying that John Wayne was born in Waterloo, Indiana, when in reality John Wayne [Gacy] the serial killer was born in Waterloo, Indiana. The Wikipedia page for John Wayne was also changed to make his birthplace Waterloo, Indiana, even thought John Wayne was born in Winterset, Indiana.

Sigh. The authoritarian cognitive dissonance that would rather vandalize an online encyclopedia rather than admit that Bachmann’s grasp on American History is lacking is frightening.

But what is more frightening is that someone can make these kind of stupid mistakes, double down on them and then still be considered a “serious” candidate and not laughed off the field.

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
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The GOP is continuing to push for cuts, cuts and more cuts. These cuts will do nothing to help the economy or middle America yet they continue to push.

From Political Animal:

In 1982, with the economy struggling badly and unemployment pushing 11%, President Reagan agreed to a tax increase. Under the thinking that dominates Republican thought in the 21st century, such a policy would, of course, represent true insanity. After all, “everyone knows” tax increases “kill jobs.” If there was already a jobs crisis, why would Reagan dare do such a thing?

At the time, the right was livid, and made all kinds of drastic predictions about the consequences of this misguided policy. Bruce Bartlett, a former official in the Reagan administration, this week flagged a letter U.S. Chamber of Commerce president Richard Lesher sent to Congress in August 1982, analyzing the proposed tax increase:

“If H.R. 4961 is passed in these troublesome economic times, we have no doubt that it will curb the economic recovery everyone wants. It will mean a lower cash flow as more businesses pay more taxes, with a depressing effect on stock prices. It will reduce incentives for the increased savings and investment so badly needed to improve productivity and create more jobs. It will mean higher prices for many products and services. It will increase government costs in caring for those who, because the economy is held down, cannot find employment.”

As Bruce noted in his column, “It would be hard to find an economic forecast that was more wrong in every respect.” He added that it wasn’t the Chamber that had it backwards.

Economist Arthur Laffer told his clients on July 26, 1982, that the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which raised taxes by about one percent of GDP, “will stifle economic recovery,” “retard economic growth,” and undercut “the economy’s ability to enter into a period of expansion.” On August 20, 1982, he told his clients that TEFRA “will tend to lengthen and deepen the recession.” Writing in the New York Times on September 12, 1982, economist Norman Ture said the administration’s claim that TEFRA would promote economic growth was “bizarre.” He said it would “weaken the impetus for economic growth” and make the economic recovery “less certain and less vigorous.”

All of this, we now know, wasn’t even close to being right. Almost immediately after Reagan raised taxes by quite a bit, the economy began to soar.

This isn’t just some historical footnote. This is worth keeping in mind because the basics of modern Republican economic thought are, quite literally,always wrong. It’s not a matter of ideological or philosophical differences — these questions have been put to the test, repeatedly for decades, and the tenets of conservative economic policy have an unyielding track record of failure.

It’s awfully embarrassing, or at least would be if they were called on it more.

[Read more →]

Tags: Congress, Economy, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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From the Chicago Tribute

The question was never whether Rod Blagojevich was guilty but how long he could stay out of jail. The answer to the “stay out of jail” question is not much longer.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A federal jury today convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 17 of 20 counts, finding he brazenly abused the powers of his office in a series of attempted shakedowns captured on undercover government recordings.

Blagojevich showed no reaction as the jury announced their decisions. Once the verdicts were read, he sat back in his chair with his lips pursed, looked toward his wife Patti and whispered, “I love you.”

As the first guilty verdict was read, Patti Blagojevich slumped into the arms of her brother, who stroked her head. She kept shaking her head “no” as the jurors left the courtroom, and once the judge was gone, the former governor grabbed his wife’s right hand and hugged and kissed her.

Blagojevich spoke only briefly as he and his wife left the federal courthouse. “Patti and I are obviously very disappointed,” he said at a bank of microphones. “I frankly am stunned.”

Blogojevich spoke briefly as he and his wife left the federal courthouse. “Patti and I are obviously very disappointed,” he said at a bank of microphones. “I frankly am stunned.” The two then walked to a waiting car as some in the crowd booed. (more…)

Tags: Domestic Issues by ecthompson md
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A friend of mine sent out this marvelous e-mail. I have to share it.

Fifty years ago today a miracle occurred.  One of the best jazz albums of all times was recorded, Sunday at The Village Vanguard, featuring Bill Evans on piano, Paul Motian on drums (still playing the NY scene), and Scotty LaFaro on bass (killed in a car crash less than two weeks after this recording).  This is a desert-island disc and features some of the most telepathic communication between players ever heard in any form of music.

Even people who know nothing about jazz are familiar with Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, which I think of as a Friday night album – the day’s work is done, the room is dark, you’ve got a glass of your favorite wine or scotch, you are quietly sitting with someone you love, and the music communicates for you.  Go back and look – you’ll find that Bill Evans wrote the liner notes for that masterpiece, played piano on all except “Freddie Freeloader,” and co-wrote “Blue in Green” and “Flamenco Sketches.”

Sunday at the Village Vanguard is different – it should be subtitled Sunday Morning on Your Front Porch Reading the Paper and Drinking Coffee, or maybe Sunday Morning in Front of a Fireplace Watching the Snow Fall Outside.  If anything, it is even more contemplative than the Miles’.  It is so still that it demands you stop everything and listen.

Orrin Keepnews recorded and produced the album.  Born in 1923, he is still alive and talks about some of his classic recordings on various YouTube sessions, including this one (see video above) on the Vanguard recording, tempting fate by waiting until the last day of a multi-week gig to set up his recording equipment.  He was blessed with a miracle.  Years later, he was rewarded with a Bill Evans composition, “Re: Person I Knew,” an anagram of his name. [Read more →]

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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From Climate Progress:

The pace of extreme weather events has remained remarkably high during 2011, giving rise to the question–is the “Global Weirding” of 2010 and 2011 the new normal? Has human-caused climate change destabilized the climate, bringing these extreme, unprecedented weather events? Any one of the extreme weather events of 2010 or 2011 could have occurred naturally sometime during the past 1,000 years. But it is highly improbable that the remarkable extreme weather events of 2010 and 2011 could have all happened in such a short period of time without some powerful climate-altering force at work. The best science we have right now maintains that human-caused emissions of heat-trapping gases like CO2 are the most likely cause of such a climate-altering force.Human-caused climate change has fundamentally altered the atmosphere by adding more heat and moisture. Observations confirm that global atmospheric water vapor has increased by about 4% since 1970, which is what theory says should have happened given the observed 0.5°C (0.9°F) warming of the planet’s oceans during the same period. Shifts of this magnitude are capable of significantly affecting the path and strength of the jet stream, behavior of the planet’s monsoons, and paths of rain and snow-bearing weather systems. For example, the average position of the jet stream retreated poleward 270 miles (435 km) during a 22-year period ending in 2001, in line with predictions from climate models.

A naturally extreme year, when embedded in such a changed atmosphere, is capable of causing dramatic, unprecedented extremes like we observed during 2010 and 2011. That’s the best theory I have to explain the extreme weather events of 2010 and 2011….  [T]he ever-increasing amounts of heat-trapping gases humans are emitting into the air puts tremendous pressure on the climate system to shift to a new, radically different, warmer state, and the extreme weather of 2010 – 2011 suggests that the transition is already well underway. A warmer planet has more energy to power stronger storms, hotter heat waves, more intense droughts, heavier flooding rains, and record glacier melt that will drive accelerating sea level rise. I expect that by 20 – 30 years from now, extreme weather years like we witnessed in 2010 will become the new normal.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a quote from Dr. Ricky Rood’s climate change blog, in his recent post, Changing the Conversation: Extreme Weather and Climate:“Given that greenhouse gases are well known to hold energy close to the Earth, those who deny a human-caused impact on weather need to pose a viable mechanism of how the Earth can hold in more energy and the weather not be changed. Think about it.”

That’s from the conclusion of a comprehensive must-read analysis by uber-meteorologist and former Hurricane Hunter Dr. Jeff Masters.  Masters has the most comprehensive review I’ve seen — with images and graphs — of the remarkable extreme weather of last year. (more…)

Tags: Environment by ecthompson md
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One of the things that I really, really dislike about Washington is stupid stuff like this. I understand that some in Congress don’t like what the President is doing in Libya. Okay, if you don’t like what the President is doing then get some of your friends in Congress to vote to defund the Pentagon. Or you can pass a new law which would stop all military action in Libya. Don’t waste time with a resolution that has no teeth. Don’t waste time. Focus on stuff that isn’t simply symbolic. Focus on the economy. Focus on jobs!!!

Tags: Congress, Military, Obama administration, Rachel Maddow Show by ecthompson md
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Finally, youtube is being populated with some great funk from the late ’70s. This is perfect for a Friday night. Boosty Collins is one of the greatest bass players of our time.  At age 17, he was playing with James Brown. He may not have originated funk, but he was close.

Artist: Bootsy Collins
Tune: Stretchin’ Out

Tags: Music by ecthompson md
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With Eric Cantor walking out of the high-level debt ceiling negotiation, I thought it’d be interesting to look back and figure out how many times the House Majority Leader and his colleagues voted to raise the debt ceiling under George W. Bush. One would figure, because they are fiscally conservative, they probably only voted to raise the debt ceiling once or twice under the eight-year tenure of George W. Bush. The GOP hypocrites raised the debt ceiling 19 times 7 times [the original number was an error, sorry. One of my commentors pointed this out. The best data that I have found comes from the Congressional Research Service.](and added over $4 trillion worth of debt) under George W. Bush and not once did they hold the president hostage to debt ceiling negotiations.

Think Progress has more:

After pushing the government to brink of shutdown last week, Republican Congressional leaders are now preparing to push America to the edge of default by refusing to increase the nation’s debt limit without first getting Democrats to concede to large spending cuts.

But while the four Republicans in Congressional leadership positions are attempting to hold the increase hostage now, they combined to vote for a debt limit increase 19 times 7 times during the presidency of George W. Bush. In doing so, they increased the debt limit by nearly $4 trillion. [Read more →]

Tags: Budget, Obama administration, Party Politics, Taxes by ecthompson md
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When your campaign is in shambles, you’re desperate. You have to figure out a way to become relevant again. Newt Gingrich’s world, by all accounts, is falling apart. Newt hasn’t been a powerful player for more than a decade, yet he’s been able to convince conservative donors that he still relevant. He’s been able to start several political action committees and fill the coffers with millions of dollars. Now those funds have been drying up. So former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decides to run for president. His campaign gets off to a bumpy start when he denounces the Ryan tax plan, which is simply more giveaways to big business and the wealthy. Secondly, his top campaign officials resigned. Thirdly, his fundraisers resigned. If you are a Republican and your campaign begins to falter, you don’t admit defeat. You don’t admit your own mistakes and try to figure out a way forward. Instead, you double down. You increase the rhetoric. You play the race card. This is exactly what John McCain and Sarah Palin did when it was clear that they were losing the presidential race just three years ago.

From TPM:

He explained that “in May, we had 41% unemployment among black teenagers in America.” That means if Republicans can put on a brave face, they might be able to turn the African American vote their way.

Think of the social catastrophe of 41% of a community not being able to find a job. But we have to have the courage to walk into that neighborhood, to talk to that preacher, to visit that small business, to talk to that mother. And we have to have a convincing case that we actually know how to create jobs.

“The morning they believe that, you’re going to see margins in percents you never dreamed of decide there’s a better future,” Gingrich said. “It takes courage, it takes hard work, it takes discipline and it’s doable.”

Now, it is clear that the economy is failing minorities. The economy has been failing minorities for well over a decade. The last time the minority community saw significant employment and significant income growth, Bill Clinton was President. Yet, Newt Gingrich did not want to point out that the economy is failing everybody and has been for more than a decade. Instead, he wanted to point out that a black man was failing the Black community. The implication, of course, is that if he can fail the Black community then, of course, he is failing everybody. President Obama has done the best that he can with a recalcitrant Republican Party. They’ve wanted him to have no success. (Remember Rush Limbaugh’s statement) They have thwarted him on every occasion. Every additional stimulus has been voted down.

Black unemployment from 1980 - 2011

Just think for a moment how President Obama would have been roasted and toasted if he had proposed a targeted stimulus toward the Black community. I wonder what Newt Gingrich would’ve been saying that? The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

Tags: Obama administration, Party Politics, Race by ecthompson md
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Just in (Homegrown terrorists):

Two men have been arrested in Seattle in what federal agents say was a terrorist plot to attack a military recruit processing station in Seattle.

Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, aka Frederick Dominque Jr., 32, of Los Angeles were arrested Wednesday and charged in a complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Among the charges were conspiracy to murder U.S. officers, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and unlawful possession of firearms.

Both men appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Alice Theiler, who ordered them held pending a detention hearing next Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is set for July 7, which will be held only if the men are not indicted by a grand jury before then. (more…)

Tags: Terrorism by ecthompson md
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Extreme conservative House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has pulled out of the ongoing debt ceiling talks in Washington.

Republican Senator John Kyl of Arizona–who has a problem with facts–has also left these talks.

It appears that additional stimulus and possible tax increases for those most able to pay may be on the table as needed steps to help the economy.

What a welcome difference from the Republican strategy of working to keep the economy from recovering in order to hurt President Obama politically.

I’m wary of all sides in these talks. It is hard to see how the unemployed and the poor have any champions in Washington. Millions of hard-working middle class Americans also seem left out as the rich get richer and corporations gain more power each day.

Let’s hope that President Obama and Democrats in Congress stand up for everyday Americans in these talks against a borderline disloyal opposition that wants to dismantle our government for the benefit of a greedy few, and in the name of pre-Civil War notions of small government.

Tags: Congress, Domestic Issues, Economy, Other Political Thoughts by Neil Aquino
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Here are excerpts from an obituary that recently appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer for Frank Williams Sr.—

“At the funeral service this afternoon for Frank Williams Sr., (Above) the eulogy will take mourners back to the 1940s and ’50s, when Mr. Williams was a Cincinnati boxer. ”The minister’s going to say he fought the good fight,” said Williams’ daughter, Donna Wells of Bond Hill. “God had made my daddy a fighter and he fought it ’til the end.” He was one of heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles’ first professional opponents, in 1940, according to the book “Cincinnati Boxing.” He was also a longtime sparring partner of Charles. His last fight was against Alzheimer’s disease, one he ultimately didn’t win. Mr. Williams died June 11 at Indian Spring Health Center, Oakley. He was 81. Mr. Williams worked in construction for 36 years, first for Turner Construction, then Messer Construction….”

Here are facts about former world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles.

The place where Mr. Williams died–the Indian Spring Center in Cincinnati–is where my father died in March. The obituary says that Mr. Williams died of Alzheimer’s disease. I have no idea how long Mr. Williams was at Indian Springs, but there were patients at the facility who did have Alzheimers. I can still visualize some of these folks.

None of these people remained able to fight a boxing match.

Here is a link to facts about Alzheimer’s disease.

It is good to see the story of someone who may have been one of the people I saw each day in the 3 1/2 weeks I spent visiting Indian Spring earlier this year.

Everybody has a story. Everybody has accomplishments. We’ve got to remember this fact even when people are at the end of life and are tired and not what they once were.

Tags: General, Sports by Neil Aquino
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The Swing

• I took some golf lessons with my grandson yesterday. We then played a couple of holes of golf. Playing with a seven-year-old is clearly different than playing with my normal partners.
• President Barack Obama announced a loose timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. I’ve talked about Afghanistan on a number of occasions on this blog. In 2006 and 2007, I referred to Afghanistan as the “good war.” That was probably a little naïve. If our goal remains to make sure that there is no sanctuary for Al Qaeda, I’m not sure that we’ve achieved that goal. I don’t think that we have the ability to remove lawlessness from the world. (Al Qaeda will always look for pockets of the world where government intervention is minimal. There remain vast spaces of Asia, Africa and the Middle East where this is still true.) So maybe our strategy should be to infiltrate pockets of extremism and strike when they become a threat. Anyway, I believe that President Obama has made the right step in drawing down our presence in Afghanistan.
• The McKinsey healthcare study has been widely panned. I think that healthcare needs to be a basic right in the United States. We need to extricate employers from the health-care system. Employers need to stick to what they do best. We need to be able to pay for basic healthcare services (we can argue or discuss what those basic healthcare services are) through a government based program.
• Denny Green, as coach of the Arizona Cardinals, had a famous tirade after losing a game. He stated, “They are who we thought they were.” I think the same can be said for Godfather Pizza CEO and Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. The former CEO was asked about oil production and he said his solution would be to appoint oil executives to a commission or a board and they would tell him which regulations they would follow. Mr. Cain, we have been through this before. This was a core belief, a core principle of George W. Bush. Let industry police themselves. Sounds good, if it weren’t for all that money they would make by skirting the rules. Bush implemented such policies in Texas as governor and of course he implemented the same policies as president of the United States. What we got was lawlessness. Air quality worsened. Water quality worsened. Oil prices increased. The reason that we had several food recalls was that we weren’t policing the food industry any more. They cut corners and people died. We saw none of the benefits that Republicans have touted.
• More on the Justice Clarence Thomas ethics scandal. I have no idea how we can make this guy resign. He will not bow to pressure. Congress has little or no stomach for true investigations. Everything seems to turn into a political circus on Capitol Hill. I doubt the Justice Department wants to take on something so controversial. Therefore, Justice Thomas and his shady ethics will continue.
• Oh, let’s get back to Herman Cain. He’s happy to play the race card whenever it suits him. I think that suggesting that Jon Stewart is attacking him because he’s Black is not a good strategy. I think when you say something stupid like all bills should be no longer than three pages, you should expect to be late-night fodder.
• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is pulling out of the deficit reduction talks. I think it’s a wise move. If you have no intention of compromise you shouldn’t take part in a discussion which requires compromise.
• Harvard study finds that peanuts are good for you and potatoes, not so much. If you want to stay slim, stick with peanuts.
• It appears the United States and several industrial allies are going to tap their oil reserves to release somewhere around 60 million barrels of oil over the next 30 days in order to compensate for the loss of Libyan oil.

Claude Monet's water lilies

• A reclusive heiress who recently died has left a Monet water lilies painting to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. I love Claude Monet‘s water lilies series.

Tags: Afghanistan, Healthcare, Military, Party Politics by ecthompson md
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Why does this iPad seem to need to sync every time I hook it up? I just want to download one thing right quick and bam! I’m slowed by an iTunes update or my iPad sync’ing everything that I have bought just on the iPad with my computer. What was going to be a 10-minute project is now and hour watch both systems update.

Tags: General by ecthompson md
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After much fanfare, Sarah Palin (trade mark pending) began a bus tour of America, which was stupid from the start. What was the purpose? If she was going to whip up support then you would have figured that she would have started her tour in the deep south where she had tons of support. Instead, she decided to start her tour in the Northeast! In the liberal northeast. What was she thinking? Well, there seems to be some question as to whether Sarah has quit her tour. The fact that there is a question really says everything that you would want to know.

Update: I have a problem understanding why anyone would take former Governor Sarah Palin seriously. Does anybody understand why she left her governorship? Basically, she gave a speech announcing that she was leaving the governorship never stated why she was leaving. So, fundamentally, she quit. In my opinion, I don’t know this for a fact, it appears that she quit in order to make more money. It appears that she quit in order to be in the spotlight more because as governor of Alaska do not exactly in the national spotlight. How can you take somebody like this seriously?

Tags: Party Politics by ecthompson md
2 Comments »