By Alan Colmes
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, sounding much like his father, the great orator
Mario, urged a
return to progressivism, with his state as an example.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, had two emotional fulcrums
in his sprawling 78-minute address: gun violence and Hurricane Sandy. But most
of the speech was devoted to an onslaught of proposals favored by the left wing
of his party.
He proposed increasing the minimum wage to $8.75
an hour from $7.25 an hour, public financing of elections, tougher greenhouse
gas standards, solar jobs programs, a $1 billion affordable housing initiative,
grants for schools that extend school days and a 10-point women’s rights program
that garnered loud applause for its provisions strengthening abortion rights
laws and enacting equal pay legislation.
“We are a community based on progressive
principles,” the governor said, in a speech to several hundred lawmakers and
guests at an auditorium in the Capitol complex. “We must remain that progressive
capital of the nation.”
2016 anyone?
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Rich Republican socialite turns against GOP
The Daily Beast reveals that a rich Republican socialite is mad at the GOP as
Governor Christie continues to attack Congressional Republicans. MSNBC's
Lawrence O'Donnell discusses the GOP losing streak with MSNBC's Krystal Ball and
Steve Kornacki.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Watch Alex Jones Lose His Mind
By
Taylor Berman
Hours after he was arrested for refusing to take off his shoes at a TSA checkpoint, Alex Jones lost his damn mind during an interview with Piers Morgan on Monday night. Jones, the conspiracy mad radio host who helped start the petition to have Morgan deported for his gun control advocacy, said all sorts of amazing insane stuff — it definitely merits watching in full — but here are some highlights.
When Morgan asked about the relatively low level of gun-related violence in Britain, Jones barely let him finish before launching into a bizarre rant that somehow managed to include references to Mao, Castro, Stalin and the recent gang rape in India.
Jones then went on to insult Morgan's reputation, challenging him to a Chris Jones-esque fight.
Hours after he was arrested for refusing to take off his shoes at a TSA checkpoint, Alex Jones lost his damn mind during an interview with Piers Morgan on Monday night. Jones, the conspiracy mad radio host who helped start the petition to have Morgan deported for his gun control advocacy, said all sorts of amazing insane stuff — it definitely merits watching in full — but here are some highlights.
When Morgan asked about the relatively low level of gun-related violence in Britain, Jones barely let him finish before launching into a bizarre rant that somehow managed to include references to Mao, Castro, Stalin and the recent gang rape in India.
Britain took the guns 15, 16 years ago. Tripling of your overall violent crime. True, we have a higher gun violence level, but overall, muggings, stabbing, deaths — those men raped that woman to India to death with an iron rod 4 feet long. You can't ban the iron rods. The guns, the iron rods, Piers, didn't do it, the tyrants did it. Hitler took the guns Stalin took the guns, Mao took the guns, Fidel Castro took the guns, Hugo Chavez took the guns, and I'm here to tell you, 1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms! It doesn't matter how many lemmings you get out there in the street begging for them to have their guns taken. We will not relinquish them. Do you understand?
Jones then went on to insult Morgan's reputation, challenging him to a Chris Jones-esque fight.
Why did you get fired from the Daily Mirror for putting out fake stories? You're a hatchet man of the New World Order. You're a hatchet man! And I'm going to say this here, you think you're a tough guy? Have me back with a boxing ring and I'll wear red, white, and blue, and you'll wear your Jolly Roger.
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Man Who Defeated Allen West
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy
careened through underground catacombs connecting the Capitol complex
Thursday, bumping into pockets of other wide-eyed freshmen lawmakers and
seasoned members.
He snagged his congressional pin and voting card, prepped for his swearing in an hour later and awaited a swarm of Murphy kin heading to his office.
Murphy's Communications Director Erin Moffet, a bit more tenured in the halls of Washington, caught a rookie mistake.
"Patrick, your shoe is untied," said Moffet, formerly with U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings' office. Murphy shrugged it off, still grinning. "Don't get it caught in the escalator," she sighed. He finally obliged.
Murphy, who became the youngest member of Congress at 29 years old Thursday, has chipped away at the normal freshman learning curve and chores — figuring out his way around, setting up the office, picking up paperwork, even taking one significant vote for Hurricane Sandy relief money.
After a nationally prominent election tussle with Allen West , however, fellow Democrats want to help Murphy shine among the class of 84 newbies.
"Patrick is a guy who is going to spark some new life," said freshman U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach. "He's got good values, he's going to be willing to work across the aisle and compromise, and I think that's what the public wants now."
Opponents haven't formally lined up yet, but Republicans are watching closely to see how well Murphy lives up to that bipartisan billing in a divided House. In District 18, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 2 percentage points, the Jupiter Democrat already is fundraising for anticipated 2014 opposition.
But the same big Democratic congressional names that vouched for him during the campaign — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen and more — are now helping Murphy on the Hill. Vice President Joe Biden even showed up for Murphy's swearing-in party.
"Beating West definitely helped put me on the radar screen for a lot of people," said Murphy, an accountant and businessman. "But I think, beyond that, my age, hopefully eagerness to learn, perhaps not as stubborn as some members, (Democratic leaders) appreciate that."
Hoyer, a Maryland lawmaker, guided Murphy through the committee selection process. The result — Murphy landed a spot on the Committee on Financial Services, his top choice.
"Those are very sought-after spots, so it's a testament to the fact that Patrick is already held in good standing," said Van Hollen, D-Md.
The committee deals in securities, housing, insurance and banking issues — all big issues for Martin, St. Lucie and northern Palm Beach counties in his district. They also provide lucrative fundraising opportunities, a perk because Murphy may not be able to rely as much on anti-West money next election. West, R-Palm Beach Gardens, hasn't publicized his political plans.
Just after Christmas — days before West left office — Murphy still used West as a fundraising backboard over his stance against the fiscal cliff deal. His bout with West brought in more than $30 million among candidates and outside groups, the most in any House race.
"By giving to Patrick's campaign today, we can send a strong message to Allen West that his juvenile behaviors aren't what we want in Washington," the campaign said in a December fundraising email.
Murphy said he's also working to win supporters who specifically just wanted to see West lose.
"Being on a committee, being in certain designated positions in Congress, there are groups that want to support you as well," Murphy said. "I don't know if it counters (not facing West), but it's definitely another mitigating factor."
U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, a Tequesta Republican who left the Treasure Coast to clinch a central Florida district, supported West when he decided to run in District 18. Both West and Murphy moved to run on the Treasure Coast. At the Capitol last week, Rooney met Murphy's family, and commended him for his reaction to the fiscal cliff deal.
Murphy expressed frustration that the closed-door deal didn't address the debt limit and spending cuts. The two lawmakers already are planning to introduce a bill, possibly on Everglades restoration.
"For a freshman, I've been impressed with his ability to sort of say what he really believes, versus what Pelosi wants him to say," Rooney said.
Murphy had President Bill Clinton, former Gov. Charlie Crist, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and more politicos on his campaign's side. Rooney, who comes from another politically connected big Irish family, said those connections can only take Murphy so far.
Murphy's family runs Coastal Construction Group in Miami, which has divvied up campaign contributions between Democrats and Republicans. Rooney's family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Palm Beach Kennel Club and several bars.
"It's nice to have those guys (Clinton and Biden) at your parties, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that," Rooney said. "What Patrick needs to focus on right now is learning the procedure of the House and the procedure of the committees."
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat from West Boca Raton, said the big issues are overly politicized in the House. But Murphy can still work with Republicans in a variety of topics that aren't divisive, he said. For example, the House passed Deutch's bill helping Chinese drywall victims New Year's Day. His co-sponsor was Virginia Republican Rep. Scott Rigell.
"We just need to be able to apply that to the bigger issues we face as a nation," Deutch said. "I think having people like Patrick, with the experience and enthusiasm he brings, will help us get there."
He snagged his congressional pin and voting card, prepped for his swearing in an hour later and awaited a swarm of Murphy kin heading to his office.
Murphy's Communications Director Erin Moffet, a bit more tenured in the halls of Washington, caught a rookie mistake.
"Patrick, your shoe is untied," said Moffet, formerly with U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings' office. Murphy shrugged it off, still grinning. "Don't get it caught in the escalator," she sighed. He finally obliged.
Murphy, who became the youngest member of Congress at 29 years old Thursday, has chipped away at the normal freshman learning curve and chores — figuring out his way around, setting up the office, picking up paperwork, even taking one significant vote for Hurricane Sandy relief money.
After a nationally prominent election tussle with Allen West , however, fellow Democrats want to help Murphy shine among the class of 84 newbies.
"Patrick is a guy who is going to spark some new life," said freshman U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach. "He's got good values, he's going to be willing to work across the aisle and compromise, and I think that's what the public wants now."
Opponents haven't formally lined up yet, but Republicans are watching closely to see how well Murphy lives up to that bipartisan billing in a divided House. In District 18, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 2 percentage points, the Jupiter Democrat already is fundraising for anticipated 2014 opposition.
But the same big Democratic congressional names that vouched for him during the campaign — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, House Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen and more — are now helping Murphy on the Hill. Vice President Joe Biden even showed up for Murphy's swearing-in party.
"Beating West definitely helped put me on the radar screen for a lot of people," said Murphy, an accountant and businessman. "But I think, beyond that, my age, hopefully eagerness to learn, perhaps not as stubborn as some members, (Democratic leaders) appreciate that."
Hoyer, a Maryland lawmaker, guided Murphy through the committee selection process. The result — Murphy landed a spot on the Committee on Financial Services, his top choice.
"Those are very sought-after spots, so it's a testament to the fact that Patrick is already held in good standing," said Van Hollen, D-Md.
The committee deals in securities, housing, insurance and banking issues — all big issues for Martin, St. Lucie and northern Palm Beach counties in his district. They also provide lucrative fundraising opportunities, a perk because Murphy may not be able to rely as much on anti-West money next election. West, R-Palm Beach Gardens, hasn't publicized his political plans.
Just after Christmas — days before West left office — Murphy still used West as a fundraising backboard over his stance against the fiscal cliff deal. His bout with West brought in more than $30 million among candidates and outside groups, the most in any House race.
"By giving to Patrick's campaign today, we can send a strong message to Allen West that his juvenile behaviors aren't what we want in Washington," the campaign said in a December fundraising email.
Murphy said he's also working to win supporters who specifically just wanted to see West lose.
"Being on a committee, being in certain designated positions in Congress, there are groups that want to support you as well," Murphy said. "I don't know if it counters (not facing West), but it's definitely another mitigating factor."
U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, a Tequesta Republican who left the Treasure Coast to clinch a central Florida district, supported West when he decided to run in District 18. Both West and Murphy moved to run on the Treasure Coast. At the Capitol last week, Rooney met Murphy's family, and commended him for his reaction to the fiscal cliff deal.
Murphy expressed frustration that the closed-door deal didn't address the debt limit and spending cuts. The two lawmakers already are planning to introduce a bill, possibly on Everglades restoration.
"For a freshman, I've been impressed with his ability to sort of say what he really believes, versus what Pelosi wants him to say," Rooney said.
Murphy had President Bill Clinton, former Gov. Charlie Crist, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and more politicos on his campaign's side. Rooney, who comes from another politically connected big Irish family, said those connections can only take Murphy so far.
Murphy's family runs Coastal Construction Group in Miami, which has divvied up campaign contributions between Democrats and Republicans. Rooney's family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Palm Beach Kennel Club and several bars.
"It's nice to have those guys (Clinton and Biden) at your parties, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that," Rooney said. "What Patrick needs to focus on right now is learning the procedure of the House and the procedure of the committees."
U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, a Democrat from West Boca Raton, said the big issues are overly politicized in the House. But Murphy can still work with Republicans in a variety of topics that aren't divisive, he said. For example, the House passed Deutch's bill helping Chinese drywall victims New Year's Day. His co-sponsor was Virginia Republican Rep. Scott Rigell.
"We just need to be able to apply that to the bigger issues we face as a nation," Deutch said. "I think having people like Patrick, with the experience and enthusiasm he brings, will help us get there."
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Will Social Security get chopped in debt ceiling talks?
President Obama has already shown willingness to
reform Social Security and now Republicans are baiting him into including
benefit cuts in a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,
joins Ed Schultz to explain what people can do to ensure Social Security is not
part of the latest economic deal-making in Washington.Saturday, January 5, 2013
Paul Ryan: Flood insurance for him, yes; Sandy relief for the Northeast, no
NBC’s Mike Viqueira joins Martin Bashir to report on how Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.,
could vote for a flood relief bill for his own district – but not a similar bill
that will bring much-needed, albeit delayed, relief to Hurricane Sandy victims.
Former Head of U.S. Mint Says Trillion Dollar Coin is Legal
Philip Diehl, head of the U.S. Mint from 1994-2000, tells Capital New York that the minting of a trillion dollar coin to circumvent a fight over the debt ceiling is perfectly legal.
Diehl was head of the Mint when the law giving authorization for such a move was passed and says, "My understanding of how this all works suggests that this is a viable alternative."
He added: "One of the ironies in this story is that a GOP Congress passed the legislation over the objections of a Democratic Treasury, and now, today, Treasury may well be in a position to use the law as leverage to neutralize the GOP's threat to hold the debt limit hostage."
The Daily Beast has more on the possible tactic.
Diehl was head of the Mint when the law giving authorization for such a move was passed and says, "My understanding of how this all works suggests that this is a viable alternative."
He added: "One of the ironies in this story is that a GOP Congress passed the legislation over the objections of a Democratic Treasury, and now, today, Treasury may well be in a position to use the law as leverage to neutralize the GOP's threat to hold the debt limit hostage."
The Daily Beast has more on the possible tactic.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Merkley, Udall Release Filibuster Reform Plan, Claim Between 48 and 51 Votes
By David Weigel
This afternoon, as the pomp of the 113th Congress's opening wound down, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall -- the freshmen behind filibuster reform -- sat reporters down to tell them of coming victory.
This afternoon, as the pomp of the 113th Congress's opening wound down, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall -- the freshmen behind filibuster reform -- sat reporters down to tell them of coming victory.
"Reform of the rules will be front and center when we return," said Udall, referring to the work Congress would do after the president's inauguration. "I don't think you should infer anything into the fact that we've delayed the vote. Momentum is on our side -- my uncle Mo used to refer to the 'big mo.'"
That was an ominous reference -- Mo Udall spoke of momentum right before losing key Democratic primaries -- but Udall confidentally spoke of "51" votes for reform in the reformers' pockets. Merkley would only refer to "48" votes, and Democrats have balked at saying who was still holding out. (Hint: Mark Pryor, Carl Levin, Joe Donnelly.) But when someone pointed that out, and asked whether a rival, weak bipartisan reform would stunt the plan, Merkley joined the confidence parade.
"Most serious reforms of the rules occur because the leader has 51 votes behind him," he said. "That's where Harry Reid is now. When I refered to 48, I was only referring to public whip counts. But Harry can say 'I have 51 votes with me.' That's what allows him to negotiate."
The rule changes in question were handed out to reporters; both senators averred that the "talking filibuster" was the hardest to build a majority for.
- Eliminate the Filibuster on Motions to Proceed: Clears a path to debate by making motions to proceed not subject to a filibuster, but providing two hours of debate.
- Require a Talking Filibuster: Forces Senators who filibuster to actually speak on the floor, greatly increasing public accountability and requiring time and energy if the minority wants to use this tool to obstruct the Senate.
- Expedite Nominations: Reduces post-cloture debate on nominations from 30 hours to 2 hours, except for Supreme Court Justices (for whom the current 30 hours would remain intact).
- Eliminate the Filibuster on Motions to Establish a Conference Committee: Reduces the steps to establish a conference committee from three motions to one, and limits debate the consolidated motion to 2 hours.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Morning Joe Millionaires Continue Their Demand That Obama Cut Social Safety Nets
By Heather
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting really tired of watching a bunch of extremely rich pundits sit around and tell the rest of us that there just hasn't been enough shared sacrifice from the working class, the elderly and the poor yet in order to solve our deficit problem. But that's exactly what the viewers are treated to day after day on MSNBC's three hour long Villager conventional wisdom regurgitation-fest called Morning Joe.
This Wednesday was no exception and immediately following the so-called "fiscal cliff" debacle coming to a conclusion, and the pundits on there didn't miss a beat with demands that President Obama had better get out there and use his bully pulpit to explain to the American people that we're all just going to have to be willing to give a little more in order for Republicans to not kill the hostage called the world's economy over this upcoming debt ceiling standoff.
This week we had Tom Brokaw going on Meet the Press and telling everyone that there's nothing wrong with raising the retirement age for Social Security and telling the lie that Americans are living longer. It's little wonder he'd have that view since he's not ever going to have to worry about his retirement security. And yes, rich people like himself are living to be older. Not so much for most of the rest of us.
If these guys want to go on the air and pontificate about how we ought to get a pound of flesh out of the working class, I think their salaries and net worth ought to be displayed right under their names in the chryon for the viewers. Maybe they'd feel a little differently about their opinions.
According to Forbes, Brokaw has an estimated net worth of $70 million.
And if the site Celebrity Networth is accurate, Scarborough's is $18 million and Brzezinski's is $8 million.
I'm not sure what some of the others who were on there this Wednesday like David Walker, Chuck Todd, Dan Senor, Richard Haas and Mark Halperin are worth, but I'm pretty sure they're all being paid really well and aren't worried about relying on Social Security for a comfortable retirement as well. But every one of them was joining in on carping about the deficit that none of them cared about it when Bush was blowing holes in it a mile wide with tax cuts and wars that weren't paid for. Deficits only matter when Democrats are elected as president.
And as far as Walker's claim that his group has gone around the country and gotten a positive response from ordinary people as they explained to them that they need to cut our social safety nets in order to balance the budget, well, that's not the experience our own Susie Madrak had when she went to one of them. As she noted:
They also keep pretending like Social Security adds to our deficit. It doesn't and it has a surplus. And if they want to solve the problem with Medicare, we need to fix our health care costs over all. We pay way more than any other developed country with worse outcomes and putting seniors into the private insurance market doesn't solve the problem. It just shifts the costs around and drives them up. But you won't hear that discussion while they're pounding their fists about lowing the deficit.
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting really tired of watching a bunch of extremely rich pundits sit around and tell the rest of us that there just hasn't been enough shared sacrifice from the working class, the elderly and the poor yet in order to solve our deficit problem. But that's exactly what the viewers are treated to day after day on MSNBC's three hour long Villager conventional wisdom regurgitation-fest called Morning Joe.
This Wednesday was no exception and immediately following the so-called "fiscal cliff" debacle coming to a conclusion, and the pundits on there didn't miss a beat with demands that President Obama had better get out there and use his bully pulpit to explain to the American people that we're all just going to have to be willing to give a little more in order for Republicans to not kill the hostage called the world's economy over this upcoming debt ceiling standoff.
This week we had Tom Brokaw going on Meet the Press and telling everyone that there's nothing wrong with raising the retirement age for Social Security and telling the lie that Americans are living longer. It's little wonder he'd have that view since he's not ever going to have to worry about his retirement security. And yes, rich people like himself are living to be older. Not so much for most of the rest of us.
If these guys want to go on the air and pontificate about how we ought to get a pound of flesh out of the working class, I think their salaries and net worth ought to be displayed right under their names in the chryon for the viewers. Maybe they'd feel a little differently about their opinions.
According to Forbes, Brokaw has an estimated net worth of $70 million.
And if the site Celebrity Networth is accurate, Scarborough's is $18 million and Brzezinski's is $8 million.
I'm not sure what some of the others who were on there this Wednesday like David Walker, Chuck Todd, Dan Senor, Richard Haas and Mark Halperin are worth, but I'm pretty sure they're all being paid really well and aren't worried about relying on Social Security for a comfortable retirement as well. But every one of them was joining in on carping about the deficit that none of them cared about it when Bush was blowing holes in it a mile wide with tax cuts and wars that weren't paid for. Deficits only matter when Democrats are elected as president.
And as far as Walker's claim that his group has gone around the country and gotten a positive response from ordinary people as they explained to them that they need to cut our social safety nets in order to balance the budget, well, that's not the experience our own Susie Madrak had when she went to one of them. As she noted:
You know what most of them wanted to do? Soak the rich -- and cut defense spending. [...]And of course absent from this conversation was any discussion about what to do to get Americans back to work. If we were at full employment and had some sort of decent economic growth in the United States, this deficit problem would take care of itself because we'd have more people paying taxes.
I thought maybe it was just my table, but when they tabulated the results, it was pretty much the same throughout the crowded ballroom of several hundred attendees.
They also keep pretending like Social Security adds to our deficit. It doesn't and it has a surplus. And if they want to solve the problem with Medicare, we need to fix our health care costs over all. We pay way more than any other developed country with worse outcomes and putting seniors into the private insurance market doesn't solve the problem. It just shifts the costs around and drives them up. But you won't hear that discussion while they're pounding their fists about lowing the deficit.
Boehner Says He'll No Longer Negotiate with Obama
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) "is signaling that at least one thing
will change about his leadership during the 113th Congress: he's telling
Republicans he is done with private, one-on-one negotiations with
President Obama," The Hill reports.
"During both 2011 and 2012, the Speaker spent weeks shuttling between the Capitol and the White House for meetings with the president in the hopes of striking a grand bargain on the deficit. Those efforts ended in failure, leaving Boehner feeling burned by Obama and, at times, isolated within his conference."
Instead, he'll try to "pass bills through the House that can then be adopted, amended or reconciled by the Senate."
"During both 2011 and 2012, the Speaker spent weeks shuttling between the Capitol and the White House for meetings with the president in the hopes of striking a grand bargain on the deficit. Those efforts ended in failure, leaving Boehner feeling burned by Obama and, at times, isolated within his conference."
Instead, he'll try to "pass bills through the House that can then be adopted, amended or reconciled by the Senate."
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Christie Slams House Republicans
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) absolutely
unloaded on House Republicans for spiking the hurricane relief bill last
night. It's must-see video.
Fiscal Cliff Bill Passes House
Posted by Tor at 11:56 PM
Ending a climactic fiscal showdown in the final hours of the 112th Congress, the House late Tuesday passed and sent to President Obama legislation to avert big income tax increases on most Americans and prevent large cuts in spending for the Pentagon and other government programs.
The measure, brought to the House floor less than 24 hours after its passage in the Senate, passed 257 to 167 with 85 Republicans joining 172 Democrats in voting to allow income taxes to rise for the first time in two decades, in this case for the highest-earning Americans. Voting no were 151 Republicans and 16 Democrats.
Ending a climactic fiscal showdown in the final hours of the 112th Congress, the House late Tuesday passed and sent to President Obama legislation to avert big income tax increases on most Americans and prevent large cuts in spending for the Pentagon and other government programs.
The measure, brought to the House floor less than 24 hours after its passage in the Senate, passed 257 to 167 with 85 Republicans joining 172 Democrats in voting to allow income taxes to rise for the first time in two decades, in this case for the highest-earning Americans. Voting no were 151 Republicans and 16 Democrats.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Congress Plunges U.S. Over The Fiscal Cliff
With only hours left until the end-of-year fiscal cliff deadline,
Congress is not expected to make a deal regarding the fiscal cliff.
Only hours after President Barack Obama and leading members of Congress said on Monday afternoon that a deal between lawmakers was within reach, reports out of Washington suggest that a compromise will not be made before the new year. Bloomberg News and CNBC both reported eight hours before the 12-midnight deadline that no vote would be made before the end of the year.
If the fiscal cliff can’t be averted, there will be a lot in store for the new year. Taxes will go up, spending will go down and the limit on how much money the United States can borrow will once again be maxed out.
For starters, just about every working American can expect to see changes in their paycheck in 2013. If a deal isn’t cut on Capitol Hill before January 1, payroll taxes will increase across the board by two full percentage points, at least for the first $113,700 of income earned. Payroll taxes will rise instantly from 4.2 to 6.2 percent, snipping a substantial amount of money from every middle- and lower-class worker’s paycheck starting right away to help save the country from default.
Even those who don’t need to work will be asked to endure some austerity policies, too: Americans earning high wages will be asked to pay all new taxes to cover the cost of Pres. Obama’s hallmark health care legislation, and Capital gains and qualified dividends will be subject to higher fees, as well.
Those already without work won’t be having it any easier, either. Extended unemployment benefits will be over instantly for around 2 million residents, effecting many of the Americans on the lookout for work but unable to find any — currently around 7.9 percent of the labor force. Additionally, those looking for assistance will be subjected to a scaled back entitlement program, with funding for Medicare expected to be trimmed by around one-third.
The unemployed, of course, won’t be the only Americans pinching pennies. Should Congress fall to act in time, federal spending will see some significant changes. Also inevitable if the Senate and House can’t hold it together are billions of dollars in defense spending being stripped away. In all, sequestration would trigger around $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts, with an estimated $55 billion being taken out of the Pentagon in just 2013. During the next decade, the military would miss out on around ten-times that amount.
"If they are allowed to occur as currently scheduled, the long-term consequences will permanently alter the course of the US economy's performance, changing its competitive position in the global economy," Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University and Chmura Economics and Analytics determined in a report on sequestration earlier this year. According to those researchers, more than 2 million Americans will see their jobs eradicated in just 2013 because automatic spending cuts will make their jobs essentially obsolete.
Of course, tax hikes aren’t imperative and the military budget might be saved from a severe slashing. Democrats and Republicans in halves of Congress are trying to come to an agreement that will see lawmakers making serious sacrifices in order to keep the country afloat during a time of tremendous fiscal turmoil.
“Analysts expect that the austerity crisis will weaken the economic recovery and quite possibly plunge the United States back into a recession,” the Washington Post reports this week.
Back in June, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that Washington lawmakers would have until the end of the year to iron out a deal or suffer some seriously grim consequences.
“The so-called fiscal cliff would, if allowed to occur, pose a significant threat to the recovery,” Bernanke warned. “If no action were taken and the fiscal cliff were to kick in in its full size, I think it would be very likely that the economy would begin to contract or possibly go even into recession, and that unemployment would begin to rise.”
That was six months, though, and senators and congressman have but only a few hours before the new year arrives.
Speaking from the White House Monday, December 31, Pres. Obama offered an early afternoon address that seemed to suggest a deal was almost all set.
"Keep the pressure on over the next 12 hours or so," he said. "Let's see if we can get this thing done."
Only hours after President Barack Obama and leading members of Congress said on Monday afternoon that a deal between lawmakers was within reach, reports out of Washington suggest that a compromise will not be made before the new year. Bloomberg News and CNBC both reported eight hours before the 12-midnight deadline that no vote would be made before the end of the year.
If the fiscal cliff can’t be averted, there will be a lot in store for the new year. Taxes will go up, spending will go down and the limit on how much money the United States can borrow will once again be maxed out.
For starters, just about every working American can expect to see changes in their paycheck in 2013. If a deal isn’t cut on Capitol Hill before January 1, payroll taxes will increase across the board by two full percentage points, at least for the first $113,700 of income earned. Payroll taxes will rise instantly from 4.2 to 6.2 percent, snipping a substantial amount of money from every middle- and lower-class worker’s paycheck starting right away to help save the country from default.
Even those who don’t need to work will be asked to endure some austerity policies, too: Americans earning high wages will be asked to pay all new taxes to cover the cost of Pres. Obama’s hallmark health care legislation, and Capital gains and qualified dividends will be subject to higher fees, as well.
Those already without work won’t be having it any easier, either. Extended unemployment benefits will be over instantly for around 2 million residents, effecting many of the Americans on the lookout for work but unable to find any — currently around 7.9 percent of the labor force. Additionally, those looking for assistance will be subjected to a scaled back entitlement program, with funding for Medicare expected to be trimmed by around one-third.
The unemployed, of course, won’t be the only Americans pinching pennies. Should Congress fall to act in time, federal spending will see some significant changes. Also inevitable if the Senate and House can’t hold it together are billions of dollars in defense spending being stripped away. In all, sequestration would trigger around $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts, with an estimated $55 billion being taken out of the Pentagon in just 2013. During the next decade, the military would miss out on around ten-times that amount.
"If they are allowed to occur as currently scheduled, the long-term consequences will permanently alter the course of the US economy's performance, changing its competitive position in the global economy," Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University and Chmura Economics and Analytics determined in a report on sequestration earlier this year. According to those researchers, more than 2 million Americans will see their jobs eradicated in just 2013 because automatic spending cuts will make their jobs essentially obsolete.
Of course, tax hikes aren’t imperative and the military budget might be saved from a severe slashing. Democrats and Republicans in halves of Congress are trying to come to an agreement that will see lawmakers making serious sacrifices in order to keep the country afloat during a time of tremendous fiscal turmoil.
“Analysts expect that the austerity crisis will weaken the economic recovery and quite possibly plunge the United States back into a recession,” the Washington Post reports this week.
Back in June, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that Washington lawmakers would have until the end of the year to iron out a deal or suffer some seriously grim consequences.
“The so-called fiscal cliff would, if allowed to occur, pose a significant threat to the recovery,” Bernanke warned. “If no action were taken and the fiscal cliff were to kick in in its full size, I think it would be very likely that the economy would begin to contract or possibly go even into recession, and that unemployment would begin to rise.”
That was six months, though, and senators and congressman have but only a few hours before the new year arrives.
Speaking from the White House Monday, December 31, Pres. Obama offered an early afternoon address that seemed to suggest a deal was almost all set.
"Keep the pressure on over the next 12 hours or so," he said. "Let's see if we can get this thing done."
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Deal Reached To Prevent Milk Price Hike
By Alan Colmes
Leaders in the House and Agriculture committees agreed to a one-year extension of the farm bill, which could stop milk prices from doubling in early 2013.
Leaders in the House and Agriculture committees agreed to a one-year extension of the farm bill, which could stop milk prices from doubling in early 2013.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman
Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., indicated the House could vote on the bill
soon, though House leaders have not yet agreed to put the bill on the
floor. In addition to the one-year extension that has the backing of the
committees, the House GOP is also considering two other extension
bills: a one-month extension and an even smaller bill that would merely
extend dairy policy that expires Jan. 1.
Expiration of those dairy programs could
mean higher prices at the grocery store within a few weeks. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack said Americans face the prospect of paying $7 for a
gallon of milk if the current dairy program lapsed and the government
returned to a 1948 formula for calculating milk price supports.
President Obama can easily satisfy and silence liberal critics
By Demo_Chris
Some folks have said that President Obama’s liberal critics are purists, and that we will accept nothing less than progressive perfection. That, like the Tea Party folks on the right, anything less than this leaves us frothing in self-righteous rage.
I disagree. In my opinion, silencing the critics is easy.
Your liberal critics are not fools. We understand that politics is the art of the possible, and that it requires compromise. We knew this when we voted. But the promise, the expectation, was that we were sending a champion of our beliefs to the negotiation table. Someone to fight for our principles.
We voted for someone to demand and fight for…
* Ending the wars.
* Drastic cuts in military spending.
* Closing Gitmo and all the secret prisons.
* Eliminating the Patriot act and all domestic spying.
* Removal of the cap on social security.
* Lowering the age of eligibility and increasing benefits.
* Increasing safety net spending.
* Massive and necessary infrastructure investment.
* Radically increasing the tax rate on affluent Americans.
* Taxing capital gains as income.
* Significant efforts to address wealth inequality.
* A champion of civil rights for ALL.
* Eliminating so-called Free Trade Agreements.
* Blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants.
* Serious action to address global warming.
* Single payer healthcare.
Obviously, being intelligent people, we knew we would not get everything we wanted; we might not get anything we wanted. We knew our champion might have to compromise, but our beliefs would be represented.
President Obama asked for that job. Now he is refusing to do it. He is positioning himself, not as the champion of liberal democratic voters (or even the majority of Americans), but as the voice of rational conservatism.
President Obama, silencing your liberal critics is easy. Stop representing the GOP, and start representing the people who voted for you. That’s the job you said you wanted, so do it.
Some folks have said that President Obama’s liberal critics are purists, and that we will accept nothing less than progressive perfection. That, like the Tea Party folks on the right, anything less than this leaves us frothing in self-righteous rage.
I disagree. In my opinion, silencing the critics is easy.
Your liberal critics are not fools. We understand that politics is the art of the possible, and that it requires compromise. We knew this when we voted. But the promise, the expectation, was that we were sending a champion of our beliefs to the negotiation table. Someone to fight for our principles.
We voted for someone to demand and fight for…
* Ending the wars.
* Drastic cuts in military spending.
* Closing Gitmo and all the secret prisons.
* Eliminating the Patriot act and all domestic spying.
* Removal of the cap on social security.
* Lowering the age of eligibility and increasing benefits.
* Increasing safety net spending.
* Massive and necessary infrastructure investment.
* Radically increasing the tax rate on affluent Americans.
* Taxing capital gains as income.
* Significant efforts to address wealth inequality.
* A champion of civil rights for ALL.
* Eliminating so-called Free Trade Agreements.
* Blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants.
* Serious action to address global warming.
* Single payer healthcare.
Obviously, being intelligent people, we knew we would not get everything we wanted; we might not get anything we wanted. We knew our champion might have to compromise, but our beliefs would be represented.
President Obama asked for that job. Now he is refusing to do it. He is positioning himself, not as the champion of liberal democratic voters (or even the majority of Americans), but as the voice of rational conservatism.
President Obama, silencing your liberal critics is easy. Stop representing the GOP, and start representing the people who voted for you. That’s the job you said you wanted, so do it.
Eagles fire Andy Reid
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Andy Reid has been fired after 14 seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, with the official announcement coming Monday, according to a person informed of the team's plans for releasing Reid.
The person, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the Eagles haven't made any announcement yet, was unsure if it will be spun as Reid resigning or if he'll be fired, but said it's clear he will not coach the Eagles after Sunday's 42-7 loss to the New York Giants.
HOT SEAT: Who's in trouble as Black Monday nears?
"Either way, I understand," Reid said in his postgame press conference. "If I'm here again, I'll love every minute of it. If I'm not, I'll understand that, too."
The Eagles denied that Reid had been told that his stint with the team is over.
Three of Reid's four children were at the game. Sons Britt and Spencer were on the sideline. His wife, Tammy, and his daughter, Crosby, sat on a folding table waiting for him after the locker room. They got into a golf cart with him as he drove off. Another daughter did not attend.
Reid's son, Garrett, died of a drug overdose while working with the team in the strength and conditioning program during the preseason.
Reid, who has one year remaining on his contract, has said repeatedly he wants to coach next season and is expected to garner interest as jobs begin to open Monday. The San Diego Chargers and the Arizona Cardinals are at the top of the list of potential suitors.
Reid and owner Jeffrey Lurie met on Friday, though there are conflicting reports as to whether Lurie told Reid he's going to be fired. CSNPhilly.com, citing two Eagles sources, said Reid was told he will be fired. The Eagles' radio broadcast stated Lurie did not tell Reid he's out.
Reid said Sunday he hasn't spoken to Lurie about his future.
In his tenure with the Eagles, Reid was 130-93-1 in the regular season, good for most wins in franchise history. But he was 10-9 in the postseason, with the 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX obviously the most painful of the defeats.
Reid's Eagles also dropped a pair of NFC Championship games at home (to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2003 and the Carolina Panthers in 2004) as well as two on the road (to the St. Louis Rams in 2002 and the Arizona Cardinals in 2009).
Several candidates could be atop owner Jeffrey Lurie's wish list, including Oregon coach Chip Kelly and Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.
SKFU teases us with what could be a native PlayStation Vita hack
By
It seems hacking progress is regularly attempted outside of the PSPemu (which is the typical eCFW and VHBL) by SKFU. Awhile back you may remember our reporting on news that the developer SKFU was able to get a developer PS Vita and had slowly started to peal back the veil of his own Vita exploit by releasing common app paths in the Vitas filesystem.
Now, SKFU has revealed a picture of what could be a native Vita exploit, confirming that he has made progress with that Dev unit. SKFU posted the picture below and playfully teasing us by saying “VHBL is not the only thing working on 2.02
”
It
seems that if this photo is correct, SKFU has been able to do a very in
depth analysis (something we saw with his reveal of the Vitas common
app eboot paths) of the Vita and has made some progress in his
investigations. What’s shown in the picture is a custom icon and naming
of said application.
It seems hacking progress is regularly attempted outside of the PSPemu (which is the typical eCFW and VHBL) by SKFU. Awhile back you may remember our reporting on news that the developer SKFU was able to get a developer PS Vita and had slowly started to peal back the veil of his own Vita exploit by releasing common app paths in the Vitas filesystem.
Now, SKFU has revealed a picture of what could be a native Vita exploit, confirming that he has made progress with that Dev unit. SKFU posted the picture below and playfully teasing us by saying “VHBL is not the only thing working on 2.02
”It
seems that if this photo is correct, SKFU has been able to do a very in
depth analysis (something we saw with his reveal of the Vitas common
app eboot paths) of the Vita and has made some progress in his
investigations. What’s shown in the picture is a custom icon and naming
of said application.
But don’t get too
excited yet. Showing icons of homebrews in the XMB has always been
possible on the PSP, it didn’t mean the PSP would accept to run them if
they weren’t signed. The PS Vita however is known to prevent you from
even copying homebrews to the memory stick, so SKFU has at least figured
out how to do that… or is this just a feature of the dev units?
This could be a false lead, but as of now this is the only known one outside the pspemu, besides Yifanlu’s UVL. This
is likely to be a huge and developing story so stay tuned for more
information, we’ll try to reach out to SKFU for more details on this.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Racism in America
2012 brought us the re-election of America's first African-American president, and it also brought us a surge in hate speech and racist stunts. The latest comes from a man in Kentucky, who has put up an Obama mannequin with a watermelon in front of his house. Michael Eric Dyson talks with activist Marcia Dyson and Marc Morial of the National Urban League.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Matt Damon: ‘The Game Is rigged’
Matt Damon rather infamously said in 2011 that he wouldn’t mind if President Barack Obama — whom the actor had supported in 2008 — was a one-term president because he’d rather have a “one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done.” (The comment even earned Damon some flak from the president himself.)
But, he still did his part to give Obama a second term, admitting that he still voted for him in November.
“I assume there will be some Supreme Court appointments in this next term; that alone was reason to vote for him,” Damon told Playboy magazine in its January 2013 issue. “I don’t think I said anything a lot of people weren’t thinking. It’s easier now more than ever in my life to feel the fix is in, the game is rigged and no matter how hard you work to change things, it just doesn’t matter.”
Damon also was asked for his thoughts on Clint Eastwood’s performance at the Republican National Convention (the two worked together on 2010’s “Hereafter”).
“I heard the backlash, but I never saw the whole thing because I just didn’t want to see my friend … you know. Look, his knowledge of filmmaking is so vast and deep that he can wing it beautifully on the set. What he did at the RNC was an unrehearsed bit he decided to do at the last minute. You can’t go onstage and do 12 minutes of stand-up completely unrehearsed. But I agree with what Bill Maher said — Clint killed it at the convention for 12 minutes, and the audience loved him. I wouldn’t do that unless I spent a month rehearsing.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)