We are almost done with primaries. I know it seems like forever. Today Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island get to vote for their choice for Democratic and Republican presidential nominee. Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania are “closed” primaries, iow, you must be a registered in the Democratic or Republican Party to vote. Rhode …
Tag: Politics
Apr 26 2016
“Just Let Them Die”
The world and the United States are currently experiencing a increase of opiate overdoses that, in some parts of the US, has reached epic proportions. Take the state of Maine where in 2015 drug overdose deaths increased by 31%, most of them due to heroine. Recognizing the need to save lives, the state legislature, urged …
Apr 25 2016
Making Sense of the Puerto Rican Debt Crisis
Puerto Rico is broke and in debt to the tune of $73 billion. It needs to be able to declare bankruptcy which can’t do unless the US Congress lets them. There is a bill (pdf) in the works that will do that and provide financial assistance but there are a group of people who don’t …
Apr 19 2016
2016 Primaries: New York Has Its Day
The polls opened in most of southeastern New York at 6 AM and at Noon in the rest of the state due to some antiquated law that no one can rationally explain. NY is a closed primary, so you must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote. New voters had until March 25 …
Apr 15 2016
The Global War On Terror Hoax
It has long been suspected that the Saudi Arabian government was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and that are supporting Sunni terrorism throughout the Middle East. Yet, the US government has continued to support them with billions of dollars in military aid. Now, on the heels of President Barack Obama’s …
Apr 08 2016
Take the F Train
New York City’s tabloid papers are known for their eye popping front pagees, but headlines from the New York Daily News attacking the Republican candidates for the presidential nomination deserves a special Pulitzer Prize for their scathing honesty, if no not for their dead on New York City bluntness. Thanks to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow for …
Apr 08 2016
Spoiled Cherries Atop an Arsenic Sundae
From Uncle Charlie. Need I say more. This Lawsuit Against Rick Snyder Over the Flint Water Crisis Is Brilliant Let us return this week to the great state of Michigan, where people are still wondering why their tap water looks like a Vulcan’s blood and what Rick Snyder, their narcoleptic governor, is doing about …
Apr 06 2016
Senator Doctor Warren Schools A GOP Witness
At the Senate Banking Committee hearing on Tuesday, titled “Assessing the Effects of Consumer Finance Regulations,” Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) took a former Federal Reserve deputy director to the woodshed on his role in the run-up to the 2008 fiscal crisis. The Republicans’ lead witness Leonard Chanin, former Deputy Director of the Division of Consumer …
Apr 05 2016
2016 Primaries: Wisconsin’s Turn
The polls in Wisconsin primary opened at 7 AM CT. The primary is also a general election for state and local judicial candidates. Wisconsin voters are very highly engaged and the turn out, even for local elections tends to be higher than other states. That may change. This is the first election since the new …
Apr 04 2016
SCOTUS: One Person, One Vote Upheld
The US Supreme Court handed a conservative challenge to one person, one vote principle a unanimous defeat. In Evenwel v Abbott the court ruled (pdf) that states could count the total population, not just eligible voters, in drawing legislative districts. The plaintiffs claimed that redrawing electoral districts based on the population of citizens and non-citizens …
Mar 31 2016
About Privacy and Security
A Conversation on Privacy With Edward Snowden, Noam Chomsky, and Glenn Greenwald Alex Emmons, The Intercept NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden joined MIT professor Noam Chomsky and The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald on Friday for a discussion on privacy rights hosted by the University of Arizona College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The panel was moderated by …
Mar 25 2016
Long Lines for Voters in AZ: Blame SCOTUS
The voters in Arizona’s heaviest populated district, and largest Latino population, Maricopa County faced waits as long as five hours. Why? Because of a lack of polling places. Why did they lack polling places? The Robert’s Supreme Court, when the conservative majority gutted by declaring the Voting Rights Act’s Section 5 unconstitutional. The Arizona Republic …