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By Ken Brosky
Friday, Apr 18 2008, 11:24 AM
Well, here we go! It's time for the weekend homework, and this week I'm going to provide you with a number of links to Web sites that you can use again and again. I'll try and do this again in the future, but for now, this will give you a great head start. Bookmark these. Climate Progress -- Run by a scientist who's actually conducted empirical research on global climate change, this is a great resource. He's funny, intelligent and has no problem calling out Democrats or Republicans who are unwilling to accept scientific facts. Global warming is real, it's important, and we have technology available right now to begin combating the problem. David Sirota -- One of my favorite columnists and author of Hostile Takeover. Sirota takes Republicans and conservative Democrats to task, focusing mainly on corruption related to lobbying issues and how bribery can affect a politician's decisions. In addition, he makes a point of showing the positive side of government and how grassroots organizations are making a real difference. Well worth subscribing to. Paul Krugman -- A liberal economist, one of the best on this planet. Krugman's analyses on everything from the dangers of unregulated forces to universal health care to classic economics is always well researched and intelligent. Enjoy these. The most recent posts are excellent.
Filed under: liberal, conservative, democrats, taxes, Bush, fiction, nazi collaborators, dupont, corporations, america, republican, authoritarian, john edwards, hillary clinton, conservatives, tax cuts, liberals, right wing, presidential race, president, smear campagin, muslim, insurance, health insurance, medicare, neoliberals, canada, journal-sentinel, halliburton, david sirota, telecommunications, condoleeza rice, war, iraq lies, roger clemens, short stories, books, literature, ralph nader, alaska oil spill, supreme court, oil spill lawsuit, washington post, greg palast, september 11, 9/11 investigation, air america radio, thom hartmann, sudan, genocide, joseph stiglitz, chickenhawks, illegal occupation, 5 years, environmentalism, earth hour, nrdc, john mccain, progressives
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By Ken Brosky
Friday, Jan 25 2008, 01:09 PM
Funny how, just two years ago, there was
little to no talk about "The Economy," as if the wage disparities that
have been occurring since the Reagan era weren't worth talking about,
as if the accrued debt from working-class Americans wasn't a problem,
as if the skyrocketing health care costs and low-wage jobs were simply
an effect of a healthy "Economy."
What's changed so far this year? I'll tell you exactly what's changed: the rich are getting pinched.
Now, all of a sudden, it's a massive issue. Money is falling out of the
hands of the wealthiest one percent and now we're suddently facing a
crisis. I've got news for our government: this has been a crisis ever
since Ronald Reagan took office, ever since he began applying free
market policies like cutting taxes for the wealthiest of the wealthy in
order to let it "Trickle Down" while raising taxes for the rest of us
and shutting down as many government programs as possible, including
the Department of Labor which now almost always sides with
corporations. And then Clinton pushes through "Free Trade" that cuts
American jobs and forces the rest of the working class to compete with
desperate third-world individuals who are more than happy to work in
sweatshop-like conditions for dollars a day simply to survive in their
deregulated economies pushed through by the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund.
Conditions have been getting worse
since the 80's, and now anytime anyone suggests actually taxing the
rich at a fair level, conservatives demonize them as "Socialists."
Anything that could actually level the playing field, any regulations
or fair taxes on the rich are demonized immediately by conservative
think tanks who pretend to be defending "Freedom."
"Freedom!"
they say, "Freedom for the market to regulate itself! Freedom for
individuals who reject BIG GOVERNMENT, Freedom for all!"
Who are these people who claim to fight for freedom? Why, they're the freest people on the planet:
Rich. White. Men.
When
they cry "Freedom!" they mean only freedom for themselves and their
friends, to accumulate more wealth and push down more workers. The free market has failed miserably a number of times since the 70's,
which is why these conservative think tanks focus on demonizing all
criticism as "Socialism" and shove the word "Freedom" down our
collective mouth without a spoonful of sugar.
Now all of a
sudden the market is stumbling and the rich are losing money. And NOW,
only now, it becomes a problem. I've got news for Bush and the
Democrats: I'm taking my rebate and paying off my debt ... let this
corrupt economy continue its freefall. You think this is bad? Just wait until the security bubble bursts. The Bush administration has spent close to 1 trillion dollars propping up the military industrial complex, pouring money in that doesn't provide a return on investment (like, say, a new highway or better schools). You think this is bad? It's gonna get a lot worse.
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