December 2007 archive

Yes, there is much corruption in the Democratic Party. Yes I would personally like to throw Nancy out on her ear. Yes I am disgusted by the shameless cowardice and/or self aggrandizement of too many Democrats in Congress.

However

I do not belive the Democratic Party is capable of what The Republican Party  – lead by its criminal  leaders have done to this country. Make no mistake. The Democratic Party must improve it’s pathetic records of sheep like cowardice as represented by the current Congress. But stoop this low? No. Only Today’s GOP leadership is capable of this

You’d expect this sort of nonsense from Congress when the Republicans are in charge, but really doesn’t Chairman Waxman have anything better to do with the Oversight Committee?

“This is a sad day for Major League Baseball but a good day for integrity in sports. It’s an important step towards the goal of eliminating the use of performance enhancing substances.

“The Mitchell report is sobering. It shows the use of steroids and human growth hormone has been and is a significant problem in Major League Baseball. And it shows that everyone involved in Major League Baseball bears some responsibility for this scandal.

“We are going to ask Senator George Mitchell, Commissioner Bud Selig, and the President of the Major League Players Association, Don Fehr, to testify at a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Tuesday, December 18. We look forward to their testimony on whether the Mitchell report’s recommendations will be adopted and whether additional measures are needed.

Yeah, the ball players used performance enhancing drugs. But, then we have a “president” who has lied to Congress and obstructed justice. So much for integrity in our government. Not to mention our planet’s at the tipping point…

Priorities. Whatever. Play ball!

Thanks for looking. Please don’t rec pony party, hang out and chit chat, and then go read some of the excellent offerings on our recent and rec’d list.

Two straight days of a two anda half year old has quite worn me out! I’m off for a long nap. I thought I’d better quickly put something together before I go, just in case I sleep longer than planned…

A couple of my favorite tunes of the moment in no particular order….

celebrate!

who will buy:

roving eye:

holly days:

This from AP should bring cheers and applause:

The New Jersey Assembly approved legislation Thursday to abolish the state’s death penalty, making Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s signature as the only step left before the state becomes the first in four decades to ban executions.

Lawmakers voted 44-36 to replace the death sentence with life in prison without parole. Corzine, a Democrat, has said he will sign the bill within a week.

This is a fantastic victory by abolitionists in New Jersey, and something that should inspire those in the other states.

The vote comes as state executions across the US are on hold until the Supreme Court decides the lethal injection challenge.

Break out the champagne!!

Details on the vote now at Blue Jersey.

WaPo suggests the victory had its roots in the state’s finances:

The repeal bill follows the recommendation of a state commission that reported in January that the death penalty “is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency.” But equally persuasive to lawmakers was not saving lives but money — it costs more to keep a prisoner indefinitely on death row than incarcerated for life.

And Reuters adds:

In New Jersey, a legislative commission in January 2007 recommended abolishing the death penalty, saying there was no clear evidence it deterred the worst crimes, and that it was “inconsistent with evolving standards of decency.”

I am so very pleased with this!  This is the best good news I’ve had all week!  I hope you all are enjoying this even a tenth as much as I am!!  

Canada is vilified in the US as a country with high taxes. Sure they have universal health insurance, but look how much they pay in taxes!! Not like here in the good ol’ US of A.!

Right?

Actually, maybe not. According to a recent study from the World Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Paying Taxes 2008: A global picture, Canada ranks 99th out of 178 for total tax rate. (Top-ranked are low-tax havens like Vanatu, the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates; bottom-ranked are a number of sub-Saharan countries where taxes actually exceed 100% of commercial profits – ouch.)

Canada at 99th beats out the US at 102nd.

Oh the Fear of the Corporate Controllers and Managers of our world!

I wish I had a photo of a gnarling tiger to put here.  But I can only say,

DO SOMETHING!  DO SOMETHING NOW!

The “Des Moines Register” has banned Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel from tomorrow’s Democratic debates.  Here’s the reason, as reported in 12/13/07 USA today:

Kucinich protests exclusion from Des Moines debate; should he get an invitation?

Six-term Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is crying foul over tomorrow’s Des Moines Register debate for Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign today issued a lengthy protest against his exclusion from the debate, the last before the Jan. 3 caucuses.

The newspaper’s standards for participation include at least 1% in its statewide poll and an office and paid staff in Iowa. Republican Alan Keyes, who has not been in any debates this year and has done little if any campaigning, has made the cut for today’s GOP debate, which we’ll be live-blogging here at 2 p.m. ET.

Kucinich’s campaign said today he has been excluded because “his Iowa field director operates from a home office rather than a rented storefront.” The campaign quoted newspaper editor Carolyn Washburn as saying, “It was our determination that a person working out of his home did not meet our criteria for a campaign office and full-time paid staff in Iowa.”

Kucinich’s campaign says Marcos Rubinstein, its field director and state coordinator, runs the campaign from his home office in Dubuque, “bolstered by a dozen-or-so other senior campaign staff who have traveled the state over the past several months.”

The campaign also notes that Kucinich is the top-ranked candidate in online polls conducted by Democracy For America and Progressive Democrats of America and both groups plan to advertise for him.

What do you think? Should Kucinich get an invitation? Should Mike Gravel get an invitation? Was it right to include Keyes in today’s debate? We welcome your (polite, civil and thoughtful) comments.

(above from:  USA Today, “On Politics” by Mark Memmott & Jill Lawrence, 12/13/07)

I’ve got to go to a doctor’s appointment, so I can’t write any more than this.  But you know how to find it.  Go there and leave your comments.  I did.  I’ll also mail the DMR later.

Feel free to add a Gnarling Tiger if you wish.

The EC: prudent system established by the founding fathers to prevent tyranny of the majority, or obsolete system that waters down the influence of voters in more populace states? Recent history, of course, would incline liberals to disfavor the EC, but what about the big picture? What’s your opinion, and what evidence is it based upon?

We’re hosting an experimental debate to investigate the Electoral College. The debate includes essays (which anyone is encouraged to write; we’ll add the links to the list) and a structured platform created at the neutral third-party site cruxlux that permits point-counterpoint debate. If you’re interested in hammering out the strengths and weaknesses of the EC, or arguing your case to an audience with diverse political viewpoints, check it out. (I have nothing to do with cruxlux and can’t moderate or otherwise control the debate there, it’s all user-driven.) Below the fold, I’ve reproduced the explanatory post from SC.