Tag: Conservative Agenda
Topic Header
Postal Service Can Brave Rain, Sleet, Snow, Even Dog Bites — But Not Congress
Normally, this is the kind of number-based story that would go in our Enumerati section. If it were, it would look something like this:
60— Number of bills Congress has introduced to rename post offices, 17% of all bills passed
0— Number of bills Congress has introduced to address the Post Office’s insolvency
But the story needs more explanation, and ABC’s Amy Bingham reported the infuriating facts.
It’s not the Post Office that’s broken. It’s Congress.
In the 18 months the 112th Congress has been sworn in, the House has introduced 60 bills to rename post offices. Thirty-eight have passed the House and 26 have become law. During those 18 months, the House has produced 151 laws, 17 percent of which have been to rename post offices, according to Congressional Democrats.
Not a single bill has come to the House floor aimed at reforming a Postal Service, which is bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates.
What Bingham meant when she said “bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates” is something most Americans don’t know or understand. The reason the United States Postal Service (USPS) is in trouble is not because people pay bills online and it’s not because postal employees aren’t as service-oriented as the private sector (a claim of which I am unconvinced), and it’s damn sure not because of unions.
The reason the postal service is failing is because Congress set it up to do so in 2006.
Fast Food Restaurants Used as Proxy for Ludicrous Culture Wars in America News Now…It’s time for all of America’s fast food chains just to come out and reveal their positions on the most important political issues affecting America right now. Would Taco Bell let the Bush tax cuts expire, Andy? Does KFC think it’s time to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba? What is the Cheesecake Factory’s position on abortion? These are important questions, Andy. What is Dairy Queen’s attitude toward a pre-emptive strike on Iran? America needs to know. I can’t enjoy a Strawberry Cheesequake, Andy, wondering whether Dairy Queen would allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon. And hold that burrito, Chipotle! Why don’t you let me know your view on the ethics of stem cell research first?
John Oliver, on the podcast he shares with fellow comedian Andy Zaltzman, The Bugle. Oliver was marveling at how American opinion is shaped.
John Oliver, on the podcast he shares with fellow comedian Andy Zaltzman, The Bugle. Oliver was marveling at how American opinion is shaped.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Stand Up for Marriage Equality — Beautifully
Cannot stop listening to this song.
The right-wing conservatives think its a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition
Playing God
Ahh nah, here we go…
Inside One Chick-Fil-A Store on “Chicken Pride Day”
For those of you who don’t have a Chick-Fil-A store nearby, here’s the short version.
The president of the franchise, which serves fried chicken patties on a white bun with mayonnaise and pickles, recently spoke out against same-sex marriage. Dan Cathy, whose father, Truett Cathy, founded the chain, said in part, “We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”
As Cathy came out of the homophobic closet, the Muppets pulled their kids meal toys from the stores, which led to right wing support which led to…this video, from Randy Rainbow.
New Study Links Support for Voter ID Laws to Racial Resentment
Despite its conclusion, the study was not produced by Duh University and at least one surprising tidbit it uncovered shows it.
New research from the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication found that people with high “racial resentment” scores, along with those who consider themselves Republicans and conservatives, are most likely to be concerned about the largely imaginary issue of vote fraud.
Intense vote fraud investigations in Iowa have produced a confused elderly man who voted twice, a college student whose parents are divorcing who didn’t get the postcard, and a lady who lives at the address on her voter ID but gets mail elsewhere
To gauge their depth of racial resentment, non African-American survey respondents were asked how strongly they agreed with these statements:
- I resent any special considerations that Africans Americans receive because it’s unfair to other Americans.
- Special considerations for African Americans place me at an unfair disadvantage because I have done nothing to harm them.
- African Americans bring up race only when they need to make an excuse for their failure.
Not all liberals and Democrats came up clean in the survey.
A Recession of Republicans’ Making
4.4%
Projected growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013, if Congress avoids another debt ceiling fiasco when they debate extending the Bush tax cuts on income over $250,000 after the November elections. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), who made the estimates, also projects 2 million new jobs next year if Congress acts responsibly. If not, the CBO says the economy will go back in recession.
Salt Lake City Winter Olympics: Hey Mitt, You Didn’t Build That
We’ve been stupefied at the public relations disaster that has been Mitt Romney’s European vacation.
Especially amazing is that the candidate would want to draw attention to his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics, particularly in light of his effort to disavow the impact of infrastructure and public works in American business success (and if you don’t think it makes a difference, just ask a Somalian).
Romney used his role as CEO of the 2002 games, held in Mormon world headquarters, aka Salt Lake City, Utah, to jump-start his successful bid for governor of Massachusetts. But as this article in the Washington Examiner notes, the event wasn’t exactly a one-man show.
Romney: “No matter how well we did cutting costs and raising revenue, we couldn’t have games without the support of the federal government’
In Romney’s book “Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games,” Romney describes in a chapter entitled “Funds from the Feds” how he lobbied Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for funding, saying he “would need hundreds of millions of dollars worth of federal support from a long list of departments.”
“No matter how well we did cutting costs and raising revenue, we couldn’t have games without the support of the federal government,” Romney wrote.
If Guns are the Problem, More Guns are the Solution
I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.
Pres. Obama, making a rare statement in support of restricting the types of assault weapons, and presumably, military protection gear, tear gas canisters, and other explosives used by the Batman movie theater killer. Obama, who is constantly accused of leading the charge for gun control (Bumper sticker: “I’ll keep my guns and money, you keep the change”) has actually been little threat to gun ownership. Meanwhile, gun supporters have successfully reframed the debate from needing guns for hunting to needing them for personal protection. According to the gun lobby, safeguarding one’s home explains the rise in stockpiling of paramilitary weapons and ammunition since 2008.
Olympics Illustrate the Failure of Romney-esque Ideas
The Olympics, known for being above politics yet always in the shadow of them, haven’t even started but the games are a showcase for the themes that are driving election year debate.
Privatization, a tenet of American conservatism and tea baggery, isn’t providing a very good answer to the question, “How’s that working for you?” The private security firm the British government hired at an equivalent of $444 million is unable to provide enough trained staff members in time for the games.
Guess who’s bailing them out? That’s right, Mr. and Ms. British taxpayer will provide army troops and police officers to make up the for the failure of the private sector to prepare security guards.
And then there’s outsourcing. American politicians and members of the public expressed outrage that the Ralph Lauren designed Team USA uniforms were — like almost everything else sold in this country — made in China. The company was caught short by the criticism, China was offended, and let’s face it, the entire country can be embarrassed that the lack of confidence corporations have placed in the American worker, coupled with our desire for more and ever cheaper goods, was exposed on the world stage. It did, however, lead to one of the lamest assurances ever released on company letterhead.
Ralph Lauren promises to lead the conversation within our industry and our government addressing the issue of increasing manufacturing in the United States and has committed to producing the opening and closing ceremony Team USA uniforms in the United States that will be worn for the 2014 Olympic Games.
Should we expect the role of tax cuts for the rich, issues around unionized labor, and restriction of women’s reproductive rights to make appearances before the games end?
