North Korea fires on South Korea. Sixty years ago, that might have touched off a world war. That it probably won’t do that today is progress of a sort.
McClatchy: New poll undercuts GOP claims of a midterm mandate
Ezra Klein: The future of Social Security in one graph.
I like it when Democrats do graphs. They show numbers, stat’s, and put everything in ink.
When Republicans make a graph, I get the feeling that they stole some poor kid’s “Etch-a-Sketch,’ and drew lines willy-nilly, depending on whether they wanted them to go up or down. And, if someone calls them on it, they can just turn it over, shake, start agian, and dare the next person to call them wrong. Rinse and repeat…
As for their mandates, they haven’t had one in a long time. They splinter issues and public opinions, and, if they win, they claim the splinters form a mirror on society. No, they’re splinters on what you want them to look at. And besides, if they did form a mirror on society, Alice would sue them for what they’ve done to her looking glass – they’re not using it right.
Off topic,but I have share this…I was reading comments on a story about the GOP attacking Elizabeth Warren for her lack of transparency when I ran across this perfect comment: “AMERICA- It’s time to choose. Do you want to live in Bailey Park, or in Pottersville?”
I wasn’t really that familiar with the writings of Erza Klein, but the link to the Social Security graph got me interested. I saw Rep. Ryan’s “roadmap”, and with a little googling found this:
Rep. Paul Ryan’s Daring Budget Proposal
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/02/rep_paul_ryans_daring_budget_p.html
Daring indeed. I wonder if the Tea Partiers really understand what they voted for. Won’t they be surprised if they get it.
Sad to say, I think even Ryan’s roadmap is optimistic. The USA is going down, broke and busted. Reaganomics, the Laffer Curve, a few decades of “financial innovation” (ie Wall St Ponzi schemes), etc – a system so broken that no one can fix it.
I suspect it’s more that no one wants to fix it — those in a position to do that are doing very well indeed and see no reason to change things.
Strange results on the McClatchy DADT poll, since polls have been trending upward over the past few years, with some reporting 70% or better and all with solid majorities supporting repeal. Totally weird.
Candide: I’m afraid you’re right. We are closer to a complete melt down than people realize. I tell my students that empires/governments/countries really do disintegrate. It’s usually because you have a huge crisis and a government that is unable to deal with it. Many a dynasty fell in China because of the in-fighting amongst the eunuchs and ruling class. I believe we have all of the scenarios going on at this moment; huge crisis and a system that was built on honor and reasonableness (think cloture and filibuster) being used for no other reason than to gain political power. We have a ruling class that has selfishly kept an enormous amount of wealth and corporations that are back making record profits while the common man is pushed further and further into despair. Those profits built on opportunistic CEO’s who used the most recent crisis to drive down wages and benefits for working people. The recession’s over people, it just hasn’t trickled down to us bottom feeders. The greed that drives capitalism is also its demise.
I think that the idea is for the Wall Street crowd to get their hands on whatever “savings alternative” the population can be persuaded to accept as a retirement plan in lieu of Social Security as we know it. Of course, what just happened in the mortgage business won’t happen to those funds. Utterly unnecessary, but: SNARK!
buckyblue,
“the in-fighting amongst the eunuchs and ruling class.”
That’s the best description of the Democrats and Republicans in DC I’ve ever heard!
George W. Bush, also said that the American voters had given him a mandate, and right away he went after socialo security program. This should make it clear to every one that the republican party thinks a mandate for them is to go after ss.
buckyblue.. Nice comment! If you want to treat your students to a very important lesson in the disintegration of America, and how exactly one can become a eunuch in today’s political environment … have them review the video footage of Senator Russ Feingold attempting to bring forth a motion to censure George Bush for his blatant violation of our Constitutional guarantees in defiance of our laws and our founding principles. Have them keep an eye toward the complete abdication of moral authority so clearly displayed when not a single member of that body could find the strength to stand along side him… thus, and therefore rendering a man of conviction and honor into a eunuch.