7/1/2011
I have a voracious appetite for internet memes, video, podcasts, news and analysis, so each morning I’ll share several links that you can consume during your “morning grumpy”.
1. Van Jones, liberal firebrand, has started a new movement you should give a shit about. It’s called “Rebuild The Dream“. It’s the liberal answer to the Koch-funded Tea Party. I’ll let Van explain the three pillars of the movement. Check it out.
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2. This conversation at Forbes is about Detroit, but it might as well be about any rust belt city.
3. The Sunlight Foundation has created some excellent tools to increase government transparency, including something called the Influence Explorer. The tool shows that Bank of America is among the heaviest investors in Congress. Bank of America made $3,613,051 in campaign contributions in the 2009-10 election cycle, 62 percent of which went to Republicans. Read about how much other banks and investment firms have donated to influence policy.
4. In the current economic recovery, 88% of national income growth has gone to corporate profits while just 1% has gone to wages. Wow.
5. Have kids? You’ve undoubtedly read them the book “Goodnight Moon“. Here is the backstory of the meandering, royalty-funded life of the guy who inherited the rights to the book.
6. Contrary to what Republicans keep repeating on all those “liberal media” channels, Americans are fine with raising some taxes along with cutting spending in a bid to cut the deficit and the debt.
7. Still think Fox is “Fair and Balanced”? Well, let this be proof that it was never intended to be anything but a GOP propaganda machine. Seriously.
8. Keith Olbermann says goodbye to Glenn Beck. Fantastic.
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9. Reading material for the weekend, The Atlantic highlights the 14 Biggest Ideas of the year.
The Buffalo Record 
In the current economic recovery, 88% of national income growth has gone to corporate profits while just 1% has gone to wages.
If Obama’s a “socilist” as the teabaggers claim he is, he’s a pretty damn incompetent one.
I gotta admit, I don’t ahve a problem with allowing Bush’s relief from his Daddy and Cltinon’s tax increases expire. Since they would make up only about 400 billions per year, and the annual budget deficit is 1.6 trillions, I would make that contingent upon codifying 1.2 trillions per year in cuts FIRST. After those cuts, that expiration seems pretty trivial.
These politicians have a credibility problem today. We all believe that they’ll raise taxes when they say they will (well, except to allow that relief to expire in 2010…) but who believes that they’ll cut 1/3 or more of budgeted spending? No tax increases should even be considered until they codify those cuts, not because we don’t need the money but because the politicians of ANY party cannot be believed if they only promise spending cuts later.