altara

Thursday, November 11, 2010

White House Gives In On Bush Tax Cuts

Whatever happened to audacity? Win or lose, stick to your guns and make the Republicans vote against middle class tax cuts. Make them vote to protect unaffordable cuts for the rich while they rail against government deficits.

Word is that the White House will agree to extend all cuts for a year or two. Do they think that Congress will then be more responsible?

As E.J. Dionne Jr. of the Washington Post put it "Any wholesale extension would be a shameful and abject capitulation that would just prove how easy it is to bully Democrats."

And posted here a few days ago: "During the lame duck session, Democrats should not capitulate, nor even compromise. It certainly does no good to have a short extension of the Bush tax cuts; that just puts them in the hands of a more Republican Congress. Why not just let let all cuts expire as the law specifies and introduce in this session a slightly reduced tax reduction for the middle class?

Let the Republicans vote against that. With the richest 1% of Americans now taking home about 25% of all income (compared to 9% in 1976), let the Republicans justify more benefits for the rich."

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

After the murder of Dr. Tiller and other abortion providers, you would think that distributing a WANTED poster with names and addresses of individual abortion providers,which could well incite harmful action, would warrant serious punishment. Not so in the case of Flip Benham. His trial is the first prosecution under a new North Carolina law against targeting individuals at their homes. If convicted, he would face a few months in jail.

In Oakland a transit cop who shot and killed an unarmed black man was given a sentence of 2 years.

Blackwater killings of civilians in Iraq have gone unpunished.

But possession or cultivation of marijuana can bring sentences ranging up to 1 year or 5 years in prison.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

"No One Will Be Charged In Destruction Of CIA Interrogation Tape"


Nor for torture, nor political firing of U.S Attorneys, etc. Change we can believe in?

Monday, November 08, 2010

"GOP Climate Change Deniers Running For House Energy Committee"

Is Bush back - along with his book?

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Democrats Divided on Tax Cut Strategy

During the lame duck session, Democrats should not capitulate, nor even compromise. It certainly does no good to have a short extension of the Bush tax cuts; that just puts them in the hands of a more Republican Congress. Why not just let let all cuts expire as the law specifies and introduce in this session a slightly reduced tax reduction for the middle class?

Let the Republicans vote against that. With the richest 1% of Americans now taking home about 25% of all income (compared to 9% in 1976), let the Republicans justify more benefits for the rich.