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The Buffett rule will get a vote in the Senate today...
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– but it likely won’t be able to overcome a unified Republican filibuster. President Obama’s proposal would force millionaires and billionaires like Warren Buffet and Mitt Romney to pay at least the same tax rate as working Americans. Currently – America’s super rich take advantage of loopholes created by the Bush tax cuts – and pay far lower rates than even a lot of middle class Americans. |
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Mitt Romney has some advice for young people starting out—just 
Joe Biden is out on the campaign, assuring voters that 
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Mitt Romney wins big! If you like that headline, savor it. You won’t be seeing it again. 
George Zimmerman is 
Do something nice for a stoner today—
The AFL-CIO is out with their new Executive Pay Watch report – revealing that CEOs at Fortune 500 companies made on average $12 million each in 2011. They’re now getting paid 380-times more than their average worker. That’s a slight increase since 2010 – and a massive increase since 1980 – when, before Reaganomics, CEOs were paid only 42-times more than their average worker.
On the campaign trail, 
Children are the biggest victims of the current housing crisis.
Ted Nugent isn’t backing down from 
Perhaps we should have expected that as the presidential race got clear and focused, we'd be hearing more nonsense coming from those who want to see Barack Obama lose. Trouble is, these surrogates (as opposed to supporters) can't even get their crazed rants straight. Two of the latest are the aged rocker Ted (my next hit song is coming) Nugent, and the alleged religious broadcaster Dr. Richard Land. In a way, their demented ravings have a lot in common.
Today is tax day... 
The Buffett Rule will get a vote in the Senate today...| (0) Comments | |
Tags : Topics: Politics, Social Issues Social: Politics, Social Issues People: Barack Obama, Franklin Roosevelt, Grover Norquist, Mitt Romney, Ronald Reagan, Warren Buffet | |
Small businesses are screwed. Giant transnational corporate tax dodgers are costing small businesses thousands of dollars. Not only have 26 major American corporations used tax loopholes to avoid paying any federal taxes over the last four years, but roughly $60 billion in revenue is lost every single year thanks to corporations stashing cash in offshore bank accounts. And guess where that money has to be recouped from – working people and small businesses. According to a new report by the U.S. PIRG – corporate tax dodgers cost every small business more than $2,000 each every single year. As the PIRG report says, “Instead of competing on a level playing field, small businesses and those without offshore tax havens must pick up the extra tax tab and compete against the artificially lower costs of multinational companies using tax havens.”
You can see the effect of this unfair competition in Main Streets across America – where small businesses have shuttered – and massive corporate chains have set up shop. These giants are monopolizing US towns.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600. Follow me on Twitter @Thom_Hartmann.
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George Zimmerman is being charged with second degree murder, the highest charge possible without using a grand jury. It was a brave move by the special prosecutor. And it’s hard to be brave in a state with so many armed lunatics. Special Prosecutor Angela Corey said “we only know one category as prosecutors, and that’s a ‘V.’ It’s not a ‘B,’ it’s not a ‘W,’ it’s not an ‘H.’ It’s ‘V,’ for victim.” Unfortunately, the Sanford cops weren’t nearly as good with the alphabet. The special prosecutor may only see one category of V for victim, but the NRA has a couple of different categories for everybody—A for armed, and G for Guilty. And nobody is ever in both of those categories at the same time.Yesterday, Mitt Romney made a big push to get himself some chicks. It didn’t work too well. The cast of “Revenge of the Nerds” did a smoother job of appealing to the ladies. Romney was trying to deny that there was a GOP war on women by claiming that President Obama was the one waging war on women. That, more than anything else, proves that there IS a GOP war on women. The moment that Mitt Romney accuses President Obama of anything, you know that it’s because that’s exactly what Mitt Romney is guilty of. But Mitt’s big chick initiative got off to a rocky start when the campaign couldn’t answer a simple question. The problem is that when you’ve created a web of lies as complicated at the Romney campaign, there is no such thing as a simple question. When asked if Romney supports the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, all that the Romney campaign could say was “We’ll get back to you on that.” They might as well have just said “Oops—we have to get our story straight on that.” The Lilly Ledbetter Act allows women to sue over pay discrimination. Republicans overwhelmingly oppose it, while women overwhelmingly support it. You know what that means—Mitt Romney has to do both!
The Republicans continuously deny that they are conducting a war on women. In fact, they put almost as much effort into denying the war on women as they do on waging the war on women. Maybe the Republicans just object to calling what they are doing a “war on women.” Perhaps they would prefer it if we called it a “police action” against women.
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Americans are screwed by the food we eat. On the heels of a report by the Center for Disease Control showing a drastic 78% increase in cases of autism in America since 2002 – a new study suggests that the food we eat might be responsible. The peer-reviewed journal, Clinical Epigenetics, links increased autism cases to the widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup in the American diet. As the study’s co-author Dr. David Wallings said, “To better address the explosion of autism, it’s critical we consider how unhealthy diets interfere with the body’s ability to eliminate toxic chemicals, and ultimately our risk for developing long-term health problems like autism.” According to the study – consuming high fructose corn syrup can lead to the loss of zinc in the body – making it more difficult for the body to rid itself of toxic metals like mercury and arsenic that have an adverse effect on brain development in children.
Could studies like this deter major food corporations that are using high fructose corn syrup in their products to feed Americans? Probably not.
Listen to me LIVE Monday thorugh Friday 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600. Follow me on Twitter @Thom_Hartmann.
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DEVELOPING: The special prosecutor is expected to bring charges against George Zimmerman this afternoon.In the Trayvon Martin case, George Zimmerman’s lawyers have become his former lawyers, while keeping open the possibility that they may become his future lawyers—all of which is par for the course in this bizarre case. There were cases on the “X-Files” that didn’t have as many weird twists as this one. The lawyer said Zimmerman has “cut off all contact and has started doing things without telling me he’s doing them.” Well, now he knows how that 911 operator felt back on the day of the incident.
Zimmerman is telling people he doesn’t have a lawyer. He said those lawyers were just his “legal advisors.” Does George make a distinction? He certainly didn’t see any difference between “neighborhood watch volunteer” and “duly sworn police officer.” One of the lawyers said he thinks Zimmerman has post-traumatic stress disorder. Zimmerman should have considered that possibility before he caused this entire stressful situation. It’s not like the guy was sent to Iraq or Afghanistan—he was in suburban Orlando, shooting an innocent kid. I’m sorry if he finds the fallout from that to be stressful.
The lawyers said that Zimmerman called the prosecutor on his own. That’s never a good thing for a suspect to do. He also called Sean Hannity. That’s never a good thing for anybody to do. How did George Zimmerman get through to Sean Hannity? Would people have believed him when he said he was George Zimmerman? Maybe he just told Hannity’s people that he was a rightwing gun nut, and Sean took the call.
In his withdrawal speech, Rick Santorum didn’t mention Mitt Romney at all. But when you think about it, Mitt beat his opponents with 100 percent negative ads, so Mitt Romney actually won the nomination without mentioning Mitt Romney.
Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich’s campaign has bounced a $500 check for the filing fee to appear on the ballot in the Utah primary! Yeesh, Newt! Get a clue! Even Rick Santorum had the sense to bail before the wheels completely fell off. Maybe Newt can get the state of Utah to give him a half-million dollar line of credit like Tiffany’s did.
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As banks have once again returned to making pre-recession profits – thanks mostly to their taxpayer bailout – they’re once again preying on the poor with subprime lending. A new report by Experian shows that credit cards lender handed out 1.1 million new credit cards to people with damaged credit in December of last year. That’s 12% jump from just one year ago.The banks prefer those with low credit because they can jack up interest rates as high 29% - and charge endless over-the-limit and late fees. Every year – banks make tens of billions of dollars on just fees – not interest payments. Targeting the poor to maximize fee income is not responsible banking – it’s predatory banking.
And today, banking makes up nearly a quarter of our entire economy. That means an entire quarter of our economy now depends on screwing over poor Americans. We need to break up the power on Wall Street – and create an economy with a strong manufacturing base that can once again support a middle class.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 6 PM. Follow me on Twitter @Thom_Hartmann.
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In the 1967 movie "In the Heat of the Night", Rod Steiger's character utters a phrase that has stayed with me for all these years. "I've got a motive which is money and a body which is dead!" For some reason, this phrase comes to mind when thinking about Trayvon Martin. Not so much the motive part, but the part about the body, which is dead. It's been over a month since this 17 year old took a bullet to the chest. George Zimmerman, an armed neighborhood watch volunteer, has admitted shooting him. However, nothing about this situation speaks to normal police procedure, and justice for Trayvon's family still seems distant.The latest developments read like a novel. Zimmerman's lawyers held a press conference Tuesday, to announce they were withdrawing as his legal representatives. They said they hadn't been in contact with him since Sunday, and Zimmerman wasn't returning their texts, e-mails, or phone calls. In the interim, their (former) client set up a Website seeking donations, had an off the record conversation with Sean Hannity, and contacted the office of special prosecutor Angela Corey. The attorneys, Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig, then proceeded to comment on Zimmerman's mental state, describing him as stressed out. They also hinted he may have left the state of Florida, posing a thorny problem for special prosecutor Corey.
First things first. The lawyers should have kept their mouths shut if they truly had Zimmerman's best interest at heart. They could have bowed out without holding a press conference, which only made them seem self serving. Beyond that, however, is the one elusive word seems to have gotten lost in the drams. That word is justice. Angela Corey says she'll release new information in a couple of days. We don't know if that new information means George Zimmerman will be arrested and charged with any crime. That would be the first baby step toward easing the pain of Trayvon Martin's parents. Debates about race won't do it. Determining if Zimmerman is white or Hispanic (he's both), or whether he's Jewish (he's Catholic) won't do it either.
We don't yet have a motive, but we sure have a body, which is dead, and will be to all eternity. We've seen as this case has evolved extraordinary gestures of sympathy, compassion, anger, rage, racism, and yes, just plain stupidity.
When will we have justice? You tell me.
UPDATE: Special prosecutor Angela Corey announced late this afternoon that second degree murder charges aill be rbought against George Zimmerman. This is the first step toward justice mentioned above.
Listen to The Mark Riley Morning Show Monday through Friday from 6 to 9 AM. Follow me on Twitter @MarkRileyMedia.
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Tags : Locations: Florida People: Angela Corey, Craig Sonner, George Zimmerman, Hal Uhrig, Rod Steiger, Sean Hannity | |
George Zimmerman has launched a website and he’s using it to solicit donations. That’s one of those things you could see coming, but which still shocks you—kind of like the rash of killings after the Stand Your Ground laws. The first thing on the site is the statement “I am the real George Zimmerman.” Thanks for the heads up, George. Please don’t shoot. It’s not that big of a site, but it’s really amazing that every sentence on this site manages to be incredibly offensive on some level. George says “On Sunday February 26th, I was involved in a life altering event...” A life altering event? For Trayvon Martin, it was a life ending event. George assures visitors “This website’s sole purpose is to ensure my supporters they are receiving my full attention without any intermediaries.” Wow. George, we’ve already seen what happens when someone gets your “full attention.” No thanks! And “without any intermediaries”? Thank God! When I’m giving money to a guy who shot an unarmed kid, I don’t want some sleaze ball scammer getting a cut of it.The topper of the George Zimmerman website is the “album” page. It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen on the internet, and yes, I realize just how extreme that statement is. The page has a photo of graffiti that says “Long live Zimmerman” (the photo was just removed - here's a screenshot from earlier today). It was spray-painted by vandals on the black cultural center at Ohio State University! Uh George, when the only message of support you can find is racist graffiti, maybe you should skip the messages of support. His supporters say George Zimmerman has already been convicted in the court of public opinion. With this awful website, it looks like he’s arguing for the stiffest sentence that the court of public opinion can hand out. The text says “This page is dedicated to persons whom have displayed their support of Justice for ALL.” George, we fully support justice for all. And in your case, justice would consist of an arrest and a conviction.
Also today President Obama is on the campaign trail pushing for the “Buffett Rule,” that would make sure the very rich pay a fair share of taxes. It’s perfect! Not only would an Obama reelection deny Mitt Romney a job, Obama is also running on a platform that would make Mitt pay fair taxes on the money he’s already making! Mitt Romney isn’t just on the wrong side of this problem—he IS this problem.
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Had George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin on a battlefield in Iraq – he would have been punished. But on the streets of Florida – Zimmerman walks free. The organization VoteVets.org points out today that Florida’s Stand Your Ground law gives more leeway to shooters on the streets of America than our armed forces have to deal with hostile insurgents in Iraq.
According to the Rules of Engagement - which all our soldiers must follow – when confronted with a threat – the soldier is required to shout a verbal warning first, then show their weapon, then try to physically restrain the threat, then fire a warning shot, and then – if nothing else works – they are allowed to shoot to kill. But according to Florida’s Shoot First law – which was written by Wal Mart and the NRA with the help of the American Legislative Exchange Council – a person only needs to feel threatened and then they can jump right to shooting people.
More than 20 states have passed similar ALEC-written shoot first laws since 2005 – leading to a 25% increase in justifiable homicides across the nation. When on the rules of engagement on the streets of America are more lenient than on the streets of Baghdad – then something is rotten in America.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600. Join the conversation at 1-866-987-THOM.
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Tags : Topics: War_Conflict Social: War_Conflict Locations: Baghdad, Florida People: George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin | |
Comedian Bill Cosby isn’t afraid to point to the role of the gun in the killing of Trayvon Martin. Cosby said “When you carry a gun, you mean to harm somebody, kill somebody.” The irony is that a gun turns someone who is otherwise afraid of everybody into someone that everybody needs to be afraid of. And under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, that person doesn’t even have to be afraid of getting arrested.Around the country, Stand Your Ground laws lead to a sharp increase in justifiable homicide cases. Part of that is because, under Stand Your Ground laws, virtually every homicide is justifiable. It turns out that Stand Your Ground laws end up causing some very blood-soaked ground. Back when we had reasonable laws, there used to be a saying “Use a gun, go to jail.” Now it’s more like “Use a gun, go home.” Heck, in Sanford, Florida, they don’t even have a second part to that saying. Their slogan is “Use a gun. Period.”
In reporting on the awful shootings in Tulsa, a CNN reporter read a quote from a suspect’s Facebook page, and actually said out loud the phrase “F-ing N-word.” That’s not a term you hear on the air, unless you’re watching a live interview with a victim of Tourette’s syndrome. The weird part is that the reporter, Susan Candiotti, didn’t say it accidentally. Before she said the phrase, she warned “Please excuse the language, it’s very sensitive.” Actually, Susan, the language is very IN-sensitive. She says “excuse the language,” and then she says “f-ing n-word.” That’s like saying “pardon me” before knocking somebody unconscious. How do you possible think it’s OK to say that on TV? The only way that phrase is not over the line is if you decide there is no line. Oh, and the video showed a screenshot of the offensive Facebook page, with the phrase in question blurred-out. So I guess you were fine, if you had your TV muted.
Finally, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz says that Republicans are actually rooting for economic failure. Rooting? They’re much more than cheerleaders. They’re actually out on the field trying to beat the economic recovery.
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Tags : Locations: Florida, Sanford, Tulsa People: Bill Cosby, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Susan Candiotti, Trayvon Martin | |
As nearly 13 million Americans look for a job – federal funding to retrain Americans workers and prepare them for the jobs of the 21st century are drying up. Funding for job-training programs across the country is down 18% from 2006 – even though there are six million more unemployed Americans today. Funding for counseling for the unemployed – like resume guidance and job interview coaching – is down 13%. In fact – funding for job retraining for Americans is roughly half of what it used to be more than a decade ago.
So now – even though the economy is slightly improving – business are having difficulty finding Americans workers who are trained and qualified to handle the new job. President Obama’s budget proposal called for a massive increase in job retraining programs – increasing funding to nearly $3 billion a year. Studies show this is a good economic investment, as every dollar spent on retraining unemployed Americans for new jobs yields as much as eight dollars for the local community.
However – multi-millionaire Congressman Paul Ryan’s Republican trickle-down austerity budget once again slashes funding for federal job retraining programs. Under their proposal – it’s far more important to give $3 trillion in tax breaks to the super-rich than give working Americans new job skills.
Listen to me Monday thorugh Friday LIVE from 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600.
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Republicans are attacking President Obama for supposedly trying to “intimidate” the Supreme Court... and it’s all in an effort to intimidate President Obama. The President wasn’t even criticizing judicial activism. He was merely quoting the arguments that Republicans have used against the Supreme Court. If what he said was out of line, it was a line out of the Republican playbook. Mitch McConnell flat out told the President to “back off.” Don’t try to be a tough guy, Mitch. You come off like a parakeet trying to pick a fight with a housecat.Ted Nugent has weighed in on the Trayvon Martin killing. Why ask Ted Nugent about a shooting? You already know he’s going to take the side of whoever did the shooting, so why ask? It’s like asking Rush Limbaugh if he wants a slice of cheesecake. The deepest thoughts that Ted Nugent ever had are expressed in the lyrics to “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang.” I don’t care what else he has to say. Ted says that we should be ashamed that the media is convicting George Zimmerman “of cold blooded murder.” Ted, the shame isn’t that the media has convicted him—they haven’t. The shame is that cops haven’t even arrested him. Nugent added, “but I’ve got some perspective, working in law enforcement for most of my life.” Oh! Law enforcement! So that’s what you were doing on stage wearing a loincloth all those years... enforcing the law!
When the Republican Convention is held in Tampa, Florida this year, it will be illegal to have a squirt gun outside the convention hall—but perfectly legal to have a real gun. Welcome to Florida—now, duck! The state of Florida prohibits Florida towns and cities from restricting firearms. So Tampa is banning clubs, hatchets, switchblades, pepper spray, slingshots, and chains... but not guns! So if somebody comes at you with a gun, you don’t even have access to anything else to defend yourself! Well, except for another gun, of course. Heck, they’ve even banned shovels, so you can’t even bury your friend if somebody shoots them! They banned shovels? Who are they taking security precautions against—the Three Stooges? Why not also ban monkey wrenches, seltzer bottles, and cream pies?
Listen to me Monday through Friday from 6 PM to 8 PM on WWRL AM 1600. Follow me on Twitter @RandiRadio.
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Tags : Topics: Law_Crime, Politics Social: Law_Crime, Politics Locations: Florida, Tampa People: George Zimmerman, Mitch McConnell, Obama, Ted Nugent, Wang Dang Sweet Poontang | |
If you turned on Fox News today, you’ll see the word “thug” repeated so often that you’ll think you’re watching a gangsta rap retrospective on MTV2. Between Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Karl Rove, the rightwing echo machine is throwing the word “thug” around more than Tupac, Biggie, and Trick Daddy rolled into one. Why “thug”? Because terms like “bully” just don’t have that extra zing of racism that the rightwing wants. The way they’re using “thug,” it’s a racial slur, and a vicious one at that. They shouldn’t even be allowed to say the word “thug” out loud. It should be called the “T-word.” And when Karl Rove uses the term, it definitely becomes a racial slur. Of course, that’s true of an awful lot of words.Bizarre—a federal appeals court judge has reacted to President Obama’s comments about the Supreme Court by demanding that the Justice Department write an essay recognizing the Court’s authority. Really! The Obama administration was given extra homework for acting out! This is like some kind of weird punishment for a misbehaving school kid. Why didn’t the judge demand that they clean the blackboards too? The judge said “The letter needs to be at least three pages, single spaced, no less and it needs to be specific. It needs to make specific reference to the president’s statements.” Oh, and make sure you have footnotes too! And put it in one of those term paper binders that they sell at Staples!
Read Attorney General Holder's letter here
Everyone in the rightwing echo chamber is claiming the President questioned the Supreme Court’s authority to review the Constitutionality of a law. That’s because there’s nothing to criticize Obama about if they don’t make something up. For the record, President Obama never questioned the Supreme Court’s authority. Heck, he didn’t even question their judgment, which is something anyone familiar with Citizens United would want to do. On the contrary, the President said that he was confident that the Supreme Court would make the right decision. And now the rightwing is attacking him essentially just for saying that there is a right decision.
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Spotted: Spring 2012 Fashion TrendsBy Damion West
As a regular on Clay Cane Live, I am the resident fashion guru. We've talked everything from award mishaps to the best underwear. But after a frigid winter a new season is upon us. Finally, spring is here and bold statements, are the new basic.
Designers have set out to deliver collections that focus primarily on a polished ease. Giving us all the things we love most: classic tailoring, blocks of color, vibrant prints, geometric moods, and details galore. You’ll also find cues from the 50’s that will encourage you to unleash your inner Mad Men and a 20’s elegance, jazzing up the scene and making wherever you are feel like a “Fiesta in Blue." Still not sure how to go about your shopping? Below are a few tips that will help you spring ahead of the class:
- It all begins with tailoring; find fits that best showcases your silhouette.
- Get Sporty! Think sportswear and you’ll be ready for a variety of social situations.
- Details in the Fabric: Mesh, Mercerized Cotton, Silk/Linen Blends, Jersey. Think functional!
- Add a pop of color: Block or accentuate; color breathes life into any ensemble.
- Go Geometric: Be it print or cut, structure is an undeniable identifier of a fashionista
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Accessorize! Showoff your personality
and transition any outfit from flat to fabulous.
With upcoming warm weather, we won't ever be able to avoid booty shorts and cleavage from the girls—and boys. But ladies and gents, a touch of class goes along way!
Listen to me tonight on Clay Cane Live at 11pm EST. We'll be talking filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk and star of Ghost: The Musical Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Follow me on Twitter @DreamDig.
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The banksters and technocrats, pushing austerity in Greece, now have blood on their hands
On Wednesday – a 77-year-old retired pharmacist walked up to the Greek Parliament building and shot himself in the head to protest the crippling austerity measures that are ripping apart that nation. The man – whose name has not been released – left behind a note reading, “I have no other way to react apart from finding a dignified end before I start sifting through garbage for food.”
His suicide prompted thousands of Greeks to take to the streets in central Athens in fresh new protests against trickle-down austerity. Since trickle-down austerity began in Greece – suicide rates have jumped up 40%. Not only is trickle-down austerity bad economically – it’s bad morally as well. Yet it’s just the thing that the Republican budget written by multi-millionaire Congressman Paul Ryan would bring to the United States.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600.
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Well, it definitely seems that Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee. Mitt is inevitable—just like death and taxes. But then, if you’re as rich as Mitt Romney, taxes aren’t inevitable at all.Mitt may be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean that the hardcore base of the Republican Party has to accept the inevitable. Heck, they refuse to accept that Obama won in 2008, and that actually already happened. Conservatives face the prospect of voting for a nominee that they refuse to accept as their nominee in order to defeat a president that they refuse to accept as their president. They simply refuse to accept reality. Some states are very red, but the reddest state of all is the state of denial.
Rick Santorum must struggle to remain relevant. But then you get the feeling that’s been the case for Rick for his entire life. Now Rick has to try to win his home state of Pennsylvania. He’s failed to do it in the past. That’s why he’s “former Pennsylvania Senator” Rick Santorum. Pennsylvania is where Rick Santorum is best known. And when you’re Rick Santorum, that’s not a good thing for your electoral prospects. Last night, Rick told his supporters “the clock starts tonight!” Take another look, Rick. If your clock doesn’t say that your time has run out, then I think your clock has stopped. But then we knew that Rick’s clock had stopped, just from the fact that he’s living in 1956.
Rush Limbaugh called President Obama “a thug” over comments that Obama made about the Supreme Court. I don’t know what it takes to be a true “thug,” but I think you have to do more than make mildly critical comments. From what Rush said, you would think that Obama had the presidential limo drive by the Supreme Court while he sprayed it with automatic weapons fire. The President said that he was “confident” that the Supreme Court would uphold the healthcare law, and that they “should understand” the individual mandate is necessary. Somebody call 911! Classic—conservatives think that they should be allowed to carry guns and shoot down anyone who they find threatening, but if the President of the United States makes a legal point, he’s stepped over the line!
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Minimum wage workers are screwed. While Republicans in Congress want to drop or throw away the federal minimum wage – new data shows that the minimum wage in America is woefully inadequate. The current minimum wage is pegged at $7.25 – but given the price increase of pretty much everything over the last few decades – from healthcare to housing to education – that $7.25 doesn’t get you very far.
In fact – today’s minimum wage needs to be nearly ten dollars to have the same buying power as it had in 1968. The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that somebody earning the minimum wage would wipe out an entire year's income JUST to pay for a family health insurance plan. During the heyday of the middle class – from the 1940’s to the 1970’s – one good union job could support a family of four and provide all the basic essentials.
That doesn’t exist anymore – and now we’re a nation made up of the working poor who are collecting wages that give them no chance of chasing down the American Dream. Economies grow when working people have money in their pockets – not when the super-rich are given trillions of dollars in tax cuts and are expected to trickle that money down to the rest of us. It’s time to put in place a real living wage that a family can actually live on.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600.
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We have another senseless tragedy on an American college campus, and we ask ourselves....why? A 43 year old former student at an Oakland, California Christian college decides to settle a score by killing seven innocent people. And as we scratch our heads, the obvious question eludes us. When, if ever, will we get real about gun ownership in this land of the free? Americans of all races, creeds, ethnicities, and intentions feel we must have a gun. It is, after all, our Second Amendment right! Isn't that what the National Rifle Association tells us? If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.Actually, not so much.
The Trayvon Martin case is a startling example of an agressive person with a licensed gun and its result is a 17 year old kid is dead. However, if you simply look at carnage on college campuses, the numbers are startling. Since 1991 (November to be exact), 94 people have lost their lives when somebody who was supposed to studying higher education decided it was a time to kill instead. 33 of them were at Virginia Tech back in '07. Others are more difficult to remember. How about 2 dead at Simon's Rock College, 3 at San Diego State, 4 at the University of Arizona, and two more dead at Virginia Tech in December of last year.
In all, 94 dead in about 20 years. Whether the guns were legal or not almost doesn't matter. It's a broken system that allows people to purchase guns, then go out and kill people. This list of course, doesn't include high schools like Columbine, or post offices, fast food restaurants, or shopping centers (remember Gabby Giffords?). It also doesn't include a 10 year old kid from Norway who was visting his dad in Brooklyn the other day. He was shot in the abdomen by one guy trying to settle a beef in Williamsburg. The young man's father asks the same question so many people do. Why so many guns? What's the point? Thankfully, the 10 year old was released from the hospital after being treated.
I have a friend, a doctor, who specializes in the removal of bullets from the bodies of young people. He has a formidable reputation for bringing gunshot victims back from the brink. How ironic that in the world's most "civilized" nation, there are doctors who make their reputations this way. And sadly, we'll move on from the massacre at Oikos University in Oakland, just like we did after all the others. And we won't give a thought to our love affair with the gun.
Will we?
Listen to The Mark Riley Morning Show Monday through Friday 6 AM to 9 AM on WWRL AM 1600.
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Today, President Obama shredded Paul Ryan’s budget plan. He did it verbally, but it would have been a nice touch if he had physically fed it into a shredder as well. President Obama called the Ryan plan as a “Trojan horse.” The only difference is that at least the Trojan horse was well designed. Odd, that the Republicans would use a Trojan horse. They’re so dead-set against birth control that I wouldn’t think they would want to use any kind of Trojan. The President also called the Ryan budget “nothing but thinly veiled social Darwinism.” Even more irony! The Republicans don’t believe in Darwin any more than they believe in using Trojans.Paul Ryan boasts that his budget plan has a “new approach” to Medicare. Yeah, his new approach is to sneak up on Medicare from behind and strangle it. Ryan says his plan will “guarantee quality affordable health care for seniors” by “forcing insurance companies to compete.” The only competition among insurance companies will be to see who can run away from the sick and the elderly faster. There is a reason that Paul Ryan looks so scary-creepy. It’s God’s way of warning us that he is dangerous. It’s the same reason a rattlesnake has a rattle.
The only good news is that, no matter how bad Paul Ryan’s budget plan is for you, it’s even worse for the Republican Party. By embracing the Ryan plan, the Republicans are falling into a trap. The delicious part is that it’s a trap they set all by themselves. Ryan’s plan kills Medicare, gives billions in tax breaks to the very rich, and destroys the middle class. It looks like it was designed by a lunatic… or somebody working for the Obama reelection campaign. The GOP wants to sell this disastrous budget by saying it proves Republicans will make the tough choices. All it proves is that Republicans will make the wrong choices.
The FBI is trying to determine if George Zimmerman was racially motivated in his pursuit of Trayvon Martin. I don’t think George was after Trayvon’s Skittles. I would guess Zimmerman’s actions in chasing Trayvon were racially motivated, based just on the fact that we’re talking about someone named “Trayvon” and not “Trevor” or “Trisha.”
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Tags : Topics: Politics, Social Issues Social: Politics, Social Issues People: George Zimmerman, Obama, Paul Ryan, Ryan Exposed | |
Not only are the long-term unemployed screwed out of the American Dream – they’re also dying younger.The New York Times is reporting on a new study showing that the long-term unemployed (those out of work more than six months) are twice as likely to die within a year of unemployment as are those who are employed. Even 20 years after getting back to work – those Americans who experienced long-term unemployment in their younger years still have a 15% greater chance of dying early.
According to the study – a worker who lost their job at age 40 and had to deal with long-term unemployment – will likely lose a year to a year-and-a-half off their life from having missed preventative healthcare and chronic stress. Currently – 40% of America’s unemployed have been out of work for more than six months. And they’ll be dying younger because the social safety net that used to catch them has been cut away after thirty years of Reaganomics, Clintonomics, and Ayn Rand's trickle-down morality.
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Experts say that the person heard screaming on the 911 tape of the Trayvon Martin killing was not George Zimmerman. It’s nice to have experts, but I could have told you who was screaming for help—just by looking at who needed help that night. And it wasn’t George Zimmerman. Claiming that Trayvon’s screams were his own just compounds what George Zimmerman did. Those screams are Trayvon’s last words—and George Zimmerman tried to take those last words from him and use them in his own defense.The video of the unscathed George Zimmerman at the Sanford Police station is being compared to the Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination. There is one big difference—the Zapruder film didn’t definitively settle anything. The video shows George Zimmerman’s head in pristine form. The thing that takes a brutal beating in that video is George Zimmerman’s story. If you inspected a carton of eggs and they all looked like the back of George Zimmerman’s head in this video, you would say “all good!” and buy the eggs. It’s possible there are some small marks on the back of Zimmerman’s head that don’t show up in the video. But they wouldn’t fall under the heading of “lacerations.” They would be what mothers have always referred to as a “boo boo.”
Ann Coulter says that the Trayvon Martin killing does not implicate Stand Your Ground laws. Stand Your Ground laws allow people to shoot anyone who they feel threatened by. It’s odd that they are being defended by a woman who constantly threatens everyone.
Even if you didn’t win the Mega Millions jackpot, you may have won the office pool if you had March 2012 as the month that Keith Olbermann would get fired from his job at Current TV. Current TV said that Keith Olbermann was fired for “serial, material breach of contract.” But really, he was fired for being Keith Olbermann. You’d think they’d know this was bound to happen. After all, they hired him for being Keith Olbermann.
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Pay no attention to the lies already coming from the Right – corporations are paying less in taxes in America than they’ve paid in 40 years. According to the Congressional Budget Office – despite American corporations making enormous profits last year – their second best in a generation - they paid on average only 12.1% in federal taxes. That’s far below the 35% corporate tax rate that Conservatives claim is crippling business in America. At 12.1%, American corporations are paying the lowest taxes in the entire developed world. It’s also a staggering drop off since the last quarter century – between 1987 and 2008 – when corporations paid on average a 25.6% corporation tax rate. When corporations and the very, very wealthy aren’t paying their fair share in taxes, then working people have to pick up the slack. That’s exactly what’s happened in recent years – and one reason why the United States has one of the highest level of wealth inequality in the developed world – and why the middle class is disappearing right in front of our eyes.
Listen to me LIVE Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 6 PM on WWRL AM 1600.
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