Quotation for Today: Yes, Congress Needs to Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act

The quotation for today captures the essence of the banks' roles in the current, ongoing financial crisis that has wrought great havoc and intense pain on the American people.  The current financial crisis didn't have to happen; it was facilitated by the intense and unholy alliance between the Congress of the United States and Wall Street bankers.

Quotation for Today: Protecting the Health Care Freeloaders

Across the jump, the quotation for today assists us in understanding the significance of the Affordable Care Act and its positive effect on middle- and working-class Americans.  Equally important, the Republicans' illiberal effort to dismantle the law and protect the health care freeloaders is questioned.

Quotation for Today: Corporate-Welfare Kings: The Modern-Day Robber Barons

The redistribution of income and wealth is the focus of the quotation for today.

Quotation for Today: It Is Truly 1929 Again or America's Corrupt Banking System

The quotation for today introduces an article which makes a strong case that Jamie Dimon, Chief Executive Officer of JP Morgan Chases, should resign from the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York -- the Federal Reserve bank that helps regulate JP Morgan Chase and other Wall Street banks.

Quotation for Today: Republican Tactics to Distract the Voter

Can the American people regain control of the nation's financial system or will they continue to suffer outlandish financial repercussions at the hand of out-of-control bankers?


The quotation for today highlights the efforts of the Speaker of the House, John Boehner (Republican of Ohio), to distract us from the threat of extreme, unnecessary risks to the nation's financial system; financial hazards that are created by out-of-control banks and their vainglorious managers.

Quotation for Today: Do Republicans Worship a False Economic Deity?

The meme for this election season is political candidates, mainly Republicans, extolling themselves as "job creators."  The quotation for today provides insight into who are the true job creators, and as you might have guessed, they are not the people who are praised and deified by Republican politicians.

Quotation for Today: Romneynomics Is Wrong for America

Republican presidential wannabe, Mitt Romney, has made the return to Bushnomics the central idea of his political campaign. These are the same economic policies that provided tax breaks for American companies that off-shored thousands of American jobs to foreign countries. Conversely, President Barack Obama has advocated tax breaks for American companies who create jobs for Americans, not foreigners.  


Across the jump, the quotation for today captures the essence of the economic policies that GOP presidential wannabe, Mitt Romney, thinks is good for America.

Securing a Robust American Middle Class

The fact that Congress is not working to help the Main Street economy recover and to ensure the security of the American middle class should be emphasized vigorously and continuously.  Across the jump, a few actions that Congress can take to help restore a viable and strong middle class are discussed.

Quotation for Today: E Pluribus Unum - Still Working Toward That Ideal

The quotation for today, across the jump, highlights the continued struggle for equality and voting rights in the United States and against illiberalism; a narrow-mindedness that still can be found in the halls of Congress. 

Quotation for Today: Affirmations

The quotation for today, across the jump, provides us with a clearer picture of the presumptive GOP presidential candidate's attributes than the one we may have had.

Quotation for Today: Indiana Republican/Tea Party Candidate Exhorts Civil War?

The quotation for today, across the jump, offers a clear illustration of the extreme political views of the Republican Party.

Quotation for Today: Republicans Destroying the Dreams of America's Next Generation

As the quotation for today illustrates, the Republicans are willing to do anything to block taxes on the ultra-rich in America and this includes destroying America's college-loan system that helps pay for the tuition of middle- and working-class Americans.

Quotation for Today: American Capitalism: A Failed Economic System

The quotation for today introduces an interview conducted by The European, and it emphasizes the extreme economic and financial degradation that American middle- and working-class workers have experienced. 

Push Back Against the Republicans' Anti-Democracy Laws

Republicans' efforts to rollback democracy by restricting voting rights for Americans are well under way.  The heinous Republican efforts are disguised as preventing voting fraud of which there is virtually none.


Working indefatigably to push back against the Republicans' wicked efforts to restrict voting rights of Americans are several grass-root groups. These grass-root organizations are working to ensure the voting rights for the people targeted by voter-restriction laws enacted by Republican-controlled state legislatures.  To read more about the Republicans' anti-democracy laws and how you can help fight back against them, go here.


The irony of the Republicans' fight against voter fraud is that the one, recently criminally-proven case of voter fraud was committed by the Republican Secretary of State for Indiana, see here.

Quotation for Today: Disabusing Americans of Another Fantastic Lie (Updated)

The quotation for today, across the jump, introduces us to an excellent follow-on article to the piece about retirement that was introduced in the previous Quotation for Today.

Quotation for Today: The 401k Confidence Game or Why We Must Have a Financially Strong Social Security

The urgent need for a financially strong Social Security program, one that will replace 75 percent of a person's final income, is captured in the quotation for today. 

Quotation for Today: Mitt Romney and Robert Bork, Severe Conservative Twins

The nightmarish administration that a Robert Bork-advised President Mitt Romney would bring to the United States was captured superbly in the quotation for today, across the jump.

Quotation for Today: The Confederate State of Arizona

The quotation for today, across the jump, aims our attention at what are the true goals of Arizona's immigration law.

Quotation for Today: The Extreme Candidate of the Extreme Party

Across the jump, the quotation for today introduces us to the Republican presidential wannabe, Mitt Romney, whose extreme political stunts insult the intelligence and honesty of the American people.

Quotation for Today: America's Income and Wealth Gap - A Republican Creation

The quotation for today -- across the jump -- captures the fact that Republican government, economic and monetary policies of the past 30-plus years have created the greatest income and wealth inequality in the United States since before the Great Depression.

Quotation for Today: Is The United States Tax Code a Thieves' Code?

The United States tax code is an abomination and it is destroying the financial well being of middle- and working-class Americans.


The quotation for today -- across the jump -- aims our attention at the principal, infamous attribute of the United States tax code; a tax code that is the upshot of 30 years of Republican government, economic and monetary policies. 

Quotation for Today: Mitt Romney's New Best Friend Forever (BFF)

The quotation for today shines a bit of light on a dark recess of the 2012 presidential race.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 26.

Courtesy of a graph by Jared Bernstein (former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden), a picture of the regressiveness of state and local taxes can be seen here.


To read Jared Bernstein's companion story to the graph go here.


It seems that should the federal government decide to obtain revenue via a sales tax or value-added tax (VAT), then federal taxes would be as regressive as present state and local taxes.

Quotation for Today: People Who Fill In Line Seven on the IRS Form 1040

Wages and salaries that are insufficient to support families, as represented by the Brookings-reported fact that 28 million American tax filers received the earned income tax credit (E.I.T.C.) in 2010, is an indictment of Wall Street-based capitalism and Republican economic and monetary policies.  


Across the jump, the quotation for today aims our attention at the problem of stagnant wages and salaries; wages too meager to support a family.

Quotation for Today: American Corporations: Once World-Class Producers, Now World-Class Predators

The quotation for today introduces a compilation of articles that discusses the behavior of corporations in American society. The articles review the historical behavior of corporations and contrasts that historical behavior with the way corporations conduct themselves nowadays; contemporary conduct resulting from corporations becoming "financialized."

Quotation for Today: Chris Christie's Tunnel Story and Mitt Romney's Tax Havens

The quotation for today shines a light on the hypocrisy of the Republicans' budget cuts; cuts that mainly harm middle- and working-class Americans while bestowing benefits on the ultra wealthy.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 25.

Yesterday, Mitt Romney's tax return for the year 2010, with line seven (wages/salaries/tips income -- the main source of income for the 99%) on the 1040 left blank, was highlighted in this post. The tax form depicts Mitt Romney's tax information down to the adjusted gross income (AGI) figure on line 37. 


Today, an explanation of the Buffett Rule or what I refer to as the Fairness Tax Rule, which is a proposal to make the tax code more equitable and fair and is presently up for a vote in Congress, is presented here.  


As you watch the explanation of the Buffet Rule/Fairness Tax Rule, please keep in mind that news agencies, here and here, have reported that Romney's effective tax rate for 2010  -- when his AGI was more than $21.5 million -- was less than 14 percent. 

Quotation for Today: An Abuse of Power

The quotation for today and the story it introduces remind us of the old adage that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Please continue across the jump to read the quotation and a synopsis of the article.

Again, Why Medical Care Ain't Broccoli

The notion by a Supreme Court Associate Justice that the commercial medical care system of the United States is comparable to the commercial buying and selling of broccoli is a specious argument at best. Moreover, the comparison of the commercialized health care market to the broccoli market shows an inveterate indifference to human suffering and pain.  


To understand how different the commercialized health-care market is from the broccoli market, please continue reading this post on the other side of the break.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 24.

To view the upshot of Republican economic policies and why Mitt Romney has a true problem understanding wage-earning, middle- and working-class Americans, then go here. Please note the lack of information on line seven.


As this picture shows, Mitt Romney is a true rentier, and of course the economic and monetary policies of the United States are guided by rentier principles.


To read the BuzzFeed companion article for this picture, then go here.

Quotation for Today: Mitt Romney's Welfare Policies (Updated)

Social Darwinism appears to be alive and well in the Republican Party and plutocracy is the ruling theory that guides the GOP. The plutocratic governance of the GOP is maintained, nourished and reinforced by its economic welfare policies for the One Percent. 


As the quotation for today highlights (across the jump), the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, is a strong advocate of welfare policies for the One Percent; policies that would continue the intense inequality that is now prevalent in the United States. This  inequality was created by 30 years of Republican economic policies that are embraced by Mitt Romney.

Quotation for Today: Is Mitt Romney A Paul Ryan Wannabe?

The quotation for today points the reader at the 'empathy gap' in the Romneyville Budget,also known as the Mitt Romney-embraced, Paul Ryan Republican Budget.

Quotation for Today: Celebrating Easter Weekend, American Style, With a Heinous Gun-Related Murder

Again, we appear to have a racially-based, hate-crime carried out against African-Americans.  The quotation for today highlights the logicalness of the theory that the shooting of five African-Americans by two white men was a racially-based hate-crime.

Mitt Romney's Alternate Universe

In the alternate universe of Republican presidential wannabe, Mitt Romney, the truth is the opposite of what Mitt Romney declares is the truth.  To understand Mitt Romney's alternate universe, go here.

Quotation for Today: Start Spreading the "News"

The quotation for today is about conservative efforts to bash an American-made automobile.  The quotation for today also provides an opportunity to highlight articles on the myth-making machine of the Republicans and their unpatriotic right-wing adherents.

Quotation for Today: American Jobs and Republican Bullying

The employment report for today shows the economic policies of the Obama Administration  -- the stimulus established in March of 2009 -- are still creating a steady growth in jobs. According to an April 2012 article by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, four million private-sector jobs have been created over the last 25 months.  


Now, and as the quotation for today highlights, the Obama Administration has been "swimming" against a horrific and unpatriotic Republican current of obstructionism and bullying that has thwarted job creation. This Republican obstructionism and bullying are being done for the sake of political gain for the Republican Party.

Quotation for Today: Mr. Supreme Court Associate Justice, Medical Care Ain't Broccoli (Updated)

A parent's pain and worry about the commercially-insured care of a severely ill child are captured in the quotation for today.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 23.

Recently, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the Romneyville budget.  To view who wins and loses in the GOP's Romneyville budget, go here.


Related information on the Republicans' Romneyville budget can be found here.

Quotation for Today: Putting America's Energy "Eggs" in One Basket

Big Oil and its bought-and-paid-for Republican politicians  -- via their Vote 4 Energy political campaign -- want you to believe that the only energy policy choices for the United States are greater energy independence on fossil fuels or more perilous energy insecurity.  The quotation of today, across the jump, reminds us of the cost of energy independence that relies solely on fossil fuels and their by-products and offers a different path to energy independence.  

Quotation for Today: Rich Whites Only! (Not An April-Fool Joke)

The quotation for today focuses our attention on the 'Rich Whites Only' sign --  the new sign of American apartheid -- that is on "display" at the airlines' security checkpoints.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 22.

Courtesy of work on income tax reform by the Congressional Research Service, across the jump is a graph of the beneficial distribution of four tax expenditures. The information is provided in a graph of concentration curves; an adaptation of the Lorenz Curve.

Quotation for Today: A "Nathan Detroit" in Every Governor's Mansion

The quotation for today reminds us that life for middle-and working-class Americans truly is becoming a crap shoot.

Republicans Stealing the Postal Workers' Pension

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is working a bill to "modernize" the postal service.  For more information on the postal service modernization bill, please continue reading across the jump.

Quotation for Today: Paul Ryan's Romneyville Budget or Creating A Modern-Day Hooverville

The Republican budget for the United States of America is the theme of the quotation for today.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 21.

Today, the U.S. House of Representative passed the GOP budget, also known as the Paul Ryan budget.  To view the impact of the Republicans' budget on college students who utilize Pell Grants, go here (PDF).


For Jared Bernstein's article on the Republicans' budget and its effect on the Pell Grant program, go here. 

A Fool's Analogy

One of the analogies used by a Subprime Court (aka U.S. Supreme Court) justice  was comparing the commercial activity of medical care to buying broccoli.  The Subprime Court justice who made this comparison is so blinded by political ideology that he cannot reason well.


To understand how foolish this analogy is, I recommend reading the material provided here.

Quotation for Today: What a Misfire!

The quotation for today aims our front sights on the nation's practice of making the innocent victim the subject of debate (e.g., his dress, in the wrong place, school records, etc.) in a gun-caused killing versus the gun and the shooter. What a misfire!

Quotation for Today: Medical Care: An Involuntary and Imperfect Marketplace (Updated)

The quotation for today offers us a look at one of the fundamental truths that makes necessary the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  The quoted comments were part of the Solicitor General's argument in the case Department of Health and Human Services, et al., (Petitioners) v. Florida, et al..  The Supreme Court of the United States, over a period of three days, is presently hearing arguments in the case.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 20.

The enclosed explanation of the labor report by Gary Burtless, a Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, is an opportunity to understand the horrible effects of the Congressional Republicans depraved actions that obstructed President Obama's efforts to help the U.S. economy recover and to create jobs for America's unemployed. 


The labor report is published monthly by the United States Department of Labor, and Gary Burtless' explanation of it can be seen across the jump. Please note  Mr. Burtless' key points made at the end of the presentation.

Quotation for Today: Citizens United Ruling Undermines America's Democracy

The quotation for today, across the jump, focuses our attention on the corrosive and corruptive effects of unlimited donations in support of political campaigns. These unlimited donations are a result of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. A critical aspect of the Citizens United ruling was the Supreme Court's narrow definition of political corruption to mean bribery.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 19.

This week the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will hear arguments about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).  Should the justices decide ACA is unconstitutional, then the impact will be devasting on many Americans who are insured through the Medicare program with its infamous, Republican-created "donut" hole for prescription drugs.


The benefits to Medicare recipients of the ACA/Obamacare vice the Republicans' plans to privatize Medicare can be seen here.


Related information:


Health Care Blessings of ACA/Obamacare.

Quotation for Today: Pulled by the Nose

Is the United States drifting into another unnecessary war in the Middle East or is it being pulled by the nose into such a war? The quotation for today highlights an article that describes the views of foreign affairs experts on the possibility of another war in the Middle East.

Your Congress at Work

Enclosed are links to a House bill (H.R. 1038, 112th Congress) and a an article on the web site for Coconino County, which is located in northern Arizona.

Quotation for Today: Florida's Stand Your Ground Law Is a License to Murder

With the quotation for today, perhaps we begin our look at the accomplices in the murder of Trayvon Martin.  For as surely as I write this post, the Florida legislature and governor  -- who in combination enacted the heinous law known as Stand Your Ground -- are guilty of murder too.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 18.

According to United States Energy Information Administration data for the year 2009, the United States only got 0.8 percent of its energy (as calculated in BTUs) from two of the most abundant energy sources available to mankind -- solar and wind power. Oh, solar and wind power are inexhaustible too.


For a view of how upside down United States energy policy is, go here.


You can read Jared Bernstein's companion article to the energy consumption graph here.


Related information is available here.

Quotation for Today: The Words of Trayvon Martin's Murderer

The quotation for today illuminates the heinous paranoia of the man who stalked and murdered Trayvon Martin; a paranoia nourished on racism.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 17

Matt Browne, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, wrote in his Huffington Post article that Mitt Romney is an advocate of David Cameron-style economic policies.  To see how well Mitt Romney's favorite economic policies have worked in the real world, go here.


The companion story by Paul Krugman can be read here.


Matt Browne's Huffington Post article.

Notwithstanding Republicans' Devilish Tactics, ACA Is a Health Care Blessing

In presenting this post on the issue of health care, I would like to begin with a passage from a study done by the Employee Benefit Research Institure (EBRI).

This [EBRI] article examines the impact that repealing PPACA [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act] would have on savings targets [read costs] for health care expenses in retirement. The estimates suggest that retirees with high levels of prescription drug use throughout retirement would see their savings targets [costs] increase roughly 30-40 percent were the coverage gap reduction in PPACA repealed. 

To learn more about the EBRI report and retiree health care costs, please continue across the jump.

Quotation for Today: The Insanity of America Writ Large

As if we needed another example of the insanity of contemporary America, we have one in the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin; yes, 17-year old Trayvon was stalked and murdered by George Zimmerman. 


The quotation for today illuminates the insane and cowardly Stand Your Ground law of Florida that permitted this murder, and other murders in Florida. 

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 16.

You can get a picture of the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act here and read the companion article here.


Related information is available here and here 

Quotation for Today: Republican-Controlled Congress Is Obstructing U.S. Economic Recovery

The quotation for today gets to one of the core reasons as to why the economy of the United States is sluggish. Although the reason cited for economic sluggishness in the United States has nothing to do with regulations or the economic policies of the Obama Administration, it does help highlight the failure of the Republican-controlled Congress' economic policies; policies that have blocked job-creating actions, thereby obstructing the economic recovery in the United States.

Quotation for Today: The Defeat of Knowledge and Wisdom

A nation getting overrun by ignorance and idiocy is the theme of the quotation for today.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 15.

The deterioration in income for working-class Americans can be seen in the graphic map presented here. An analysis of the data in the graphic presentation reveals the fact that you need to earn 150% - 350% of the minimum wage rate (based on a 40-hour workweek and region of the country) to rent a two-bedroom unit in the United States at Fair Market Rent.


Jared Bernstein's companion story to the graphic map can be read here.


Related information:


Revisiting Poverty in America 

Quotation for Today: Where Is "Blondie" When You Need Him?

Many of you have already heard of Greg Smith's stinging critique of his former employer, Goldman Sachs. The quotation for today amplifies Mr. Smith's critique of Goldman Sachs and expounds on the perverseness of Wall Street, historically and contemporarily.


Reminder: Goldman Sachs is a Wall Street mega-bank that received government assistance during the early days of this Little Depression; when the Wall Street banks were collapsing under the cumulative weight of their financial "engineering." 

Revisiting Poverty in America

During this contemporary era of intense income and wealth inequality in America  -- when the character of a person is determined by the size of his or her bank account -- the impoverished people living among us are often invisible.  These impoverished Americans are viewed as being the 'other America,' and the article highlighted in this post provides a look back at the origin of the concept of the 'other America.'

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 14.

The need to expedite the health care protection enacted in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is illustrated here.  Please continue across the jump for more information.

Quotation for Today: Return of the Social Security and Medicare"Sharks"

Just when you thought it was safe to "get back in the water," we discover -- via the quotation for today -- that the Social Security and Medicare "sharks" have returned to the waters off "Social Security Island"; apologies to Peter Benchley and the producers of the movie, Jaws.

United States Exports Safe Foods and Imports Unsafe Foods

The article presented in this post focuses our attention on the unsatisfactory state of affairs in the food production business.  Please accompany me across the jump to learn more about the non-inspected and possible unsafe foods that are imported into the United States.

Quotation for Today: Courts Used to Redistribute Income and Wealth to the One Percent

The quotation for today highlights another tool -- bankruptcy procedures -- that is being used to redistribute wealth to the One Percent.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 13.

In economics and finance, the notion of a wealth effect -- increased consumption based on a perceived increase in wealth -- is well known.  Conversely, true wealth increase (measured by income change) is a bit different, as pictured here.


David Cay Johnston's companion article to the true-wealth-increase picture can be read here.


Related information:


Permanent insecurity for the 99 percent.

Quotation for Today: Creating Jobs the Republican Way

Via the quotation for today, we are introduced to the Republicans' job program; it will surely cause a drop in the nation's unemployment rate.

Is the Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline a Potential Menace to the Environment?

Again, Republicans are deceiving Americans about the Keystone XL pipeline and how it will make America energy independent. Not!!!  


The article, highlighted on the other side of the jump, should disabuse Americans of any benefits accruing to middle- and working-class Americans from the Keystone XL pipeline.

Quotation for Today: Public Moral Hazard

Republican presidential wannabes and their supporters inveigh against their idea of private immorality while ignoring the endangerment of public morality by Wall Street bankers and corporate executive officers.  The quotation for today reminds us of the violations of public morality by Wall Street bankers and corporate executives.

Quotation for Today: Real Oil Men Drill for the Tough Oil

The enclosed quoted remarks offer insight into the future nations struggling to maintain their oil-based economies.  The upshot of the quotation is that nations can begin to wean their economies off oil and onto more sustainable energy sources, or they can prepare to bear the high costs of an oil-based economy. These costs will be measured not only in money for oil-based products, but also in the costs of economic crises, environmental disasters and international strife.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 12.

Possibly the worst ever, continuous plunder of the United States treasury is shown here and you can read the companion story here.


You can read a related story here.

Quotation for Today: 'Permanent Insecurity'

The quotation for today captures well the contemporary America built on 30 years of Republicans and Alan Greenspan's economic and monetary policies.  

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 11.

The historical evolution of extreme income inequality in the United States is shown here.


The Y-axis intersects the X-axis at the year when the doubling of income share for the one percent began.  


Related information:


Konczal, Mike. "Welcome to the 1% Recovery." New Deal 2.0 5 March, 2012. 

Quotation for Today: Not Just Wrong, But Damnably Wrong

The quotation for today fits right well with Mitch Daniels estimate of Iraq war costs.  Mitch Daniels, in a rebuttal to Lawrence Lindsey's estimate of $100-200 billion war cost (which turned out to be very wrong), estimated the Iraq war would cost $50-60 billion. Now, across the jump to the quotation for today.

Quotation for Today: The Moneyed Interest and Mitt Romney

The role of money -- post Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision -- is the focus of the quotation for today.  What does money say about a political candidate?

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 10.

Again, we are presented a graph of the intense inequity (or iniquity) of the American capitalistic system -- an economic system based on 30 years of Republican and Alan Greenspan economic and monetary policies.  The graph, a comparison of the rise in the distribution of income to the top one percent in the United States and Sweden, can be viewed here.


Paul Krugman's article accompanying the graph can be read here. 


Related information is available here.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 9.

Nowadays, Americans are working longer hours to offset stagnant/lower hourly wage rates and the graph depicting the current hourly/weekly wage phenomenon can be seen here.


Jared Bernstein's companion story on the Fed's job report and the aforesaid graph can found here.


The graph in this post complements well the information presented here.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 8.

The general, inequitable character of the contemporary American economy -- punishing labor while rewarding the rentier class -- is portrayed vividly here.  


To read the companion story by Mike Konczal go here.  Paul Krugman's op-ed, "Rule by Rentiers," provides a sketch of the power of the American rentier class.


Related information:


"Rescuing America." Exempli Gratia 8 March, 2012.

Rescuing America

The Main Street American economy  -- the place where middle- and working-class Americans live and work -- is in dire need of rescuing and the Obama Administration is working intently to rescue it.  


This rescue of the Main Street economy will take considerable time -- remember the Main Street economy, operating for almost 30 years under Republican economic policies, has suffered tremendous neglect during approximately 30 years .  Across the jump, via excerpts from several articles, you can read about the need to resuscitate the Main Street economy and the efforts of the Obama Administration and other leading institutions to rescue the Main Street economy of the United States.

Quotation for Today: The Political Essence of Family Vacations

The quotation for today captures well the allegorical theme presented to us in the tale of the Mitt Romney-family vacation to Canada.

Many of you may have heard of how Republican presidential wannabe, Mitt Romney, transported Seamus -- the family dog -- on the roof of the family car when he took his family on vacation to Canada. Evidently, during the trip, Seamus -- the family dog -- suffered from a digestive-system illness that necessitated the washing of the family car. For the political essence of this tale, please continue reading across the jump.

Quotation for Today: Has the Republican Party Become a Religious Organization?

Again, the issue of church-and-state and a religious test for politicians raises its ugly head. The quotation for today and the related articles capture well the dangers to freedom posed by fusing church and state and applying religious test for politicians; a threat to freedom that the nation's Founding Fathers warned us about.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 7.

In this issue of "A Thousand Words," the theme is the national debt and the presidential candidates.  The effect on the national debt of each presidential candidate's federal policies are portrayed here.


The companion story can be read here.

Quotation for Today: School Discipline: An Excuse for Racism

The inequitable nature of the United States education system is the thrust of the quotation for today.  It is not surprising to find intense inequity in public education since inequity is the leading economic feature of this contemporary Age of Greed; a time when hedge fund and former hedge fund managers a la Mitt Romney pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries. 

Quotation for Today: More Middle East Entanglements: Why?

The quoted comments cited in this post refer again to ultimatums and force with respect to another Muslim nation in the Middle East.

Quotation for Today: GOP's Culture War Is More Than Just a War on American Women

In continuing the good fight against the bullying of women by Republicans, comments from a medical provider are offered.

Quotation for Today: Persistently, the GOP Bullies Women

The quotation for today is correct in its conclusion about fighting the gynephobic policies of the Republican Party.

A Thousand Words, Vol 1, Issue 6.

For a snapshot view of how Americans are working smarter and harder than ever to leave a decent legacy for future Americans go here, and you can read the associated story here.

Quotation for Today: GOP Stigmatize Hard-Working Americans

Inveterately and instinctually, the Republican Party presidential wannabes and powerbrokers speak their true feelings when they talk of American workers as special interests. The GOP elites view the one percent as their true constituency, not the hard-working Americans  --  the middle- and working-class Americans  --  who are the heart and soul of the 99 percent and America. The quotation for today condemns the Republican Party's presidential wannabes for stigmatizing industrious American workers as special interests.

Quotation for Today: Exuberant Industriousness

In Virginia's General Assembly, gynophobic Republican legislators continue to work with exuberant industriousness to enact laws that endanger the health of women.  The quotation for today captures one aspect of how Virginia's newly passed, gynophobic legislature -- mandating politically-driven medical procedures (e.g., sonography, etc.)  -- endangers women health care.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 5.

The picture, referenced via a hyperlink, highlighted in this post speaks volumes about the appreciation of labor in contemporary America.  You can view the picture here. 


Yes, I read the company's rebuttal to the picture here, and for two reasons I didn't find the response to be a credulous one.  The first and most important reason is the customer didn't publicly rebut the picture, and the second reason was the company's rebuttal was not clear as to the incorrectness of the credit card receipt.

Quotation for Today: Disparaging Critical and Scientific Thinking

What is GOP presidential wannabe, Rick Santorum, true issue with public education?  The quotation for today gives us a convincing answer to this question.

Quotation for Today: Creating an American Plutocracy

The quotation for today reminds us again of the loathsome nature of the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.  Equally important, the quotation and the article referencing the quotation provide insight into how the majority of the Supreme Court justices viewed the impact of their Citizens United decision.

Quotation for Today: Moral Hazard - A Dog Whistle

The quotation for today opens a discussion about the somewhat arcane economic concept known as "moral hazard" and how it -- by excusing greed and selfishness -- is used to pervert our sense of community.

Pillorying Private Citizens; Shame on America

The twisted nature of American society is captured well in the two articles highlighted in this post.  There is something dreadfully wrong with America and its mores when we pillory public school teachers.

Quotation for Today: Stupid Men Provoke Unnecessary Wars

The quotation for today raises the questions: Who is generating the hype about Iran developing nuclear weapons? What is the motivation of the people and organizations who are generating the Iran nuclear commotion.

Quotation for Today:Virginia's Republican Bullies

Continuing the good fight against gynephobes is the theme of the quotation for today.  Republican presidential wannabe  --  Rick Santorum  --  and America's Roman Catholic bishops seem to be the public voices for America's contemporary gynephobes.

Santorum's Coded Speech on Theology

Recently, there has been a great deal of reporting on the criticism of President Barack Obama's faith by Republican presidential wannabe, Rick Santorum.  Follow me across the break to learn about two articles that detail some of Mr. Santorum's criticism and indirectly highlight one of Mr. Santorum's phobias.

Quotation for Today: A Secret System a la Nixon's White House Tapes

The quotation for today, as the post's sub-title teases the reader, introduces a story about alleged illegal activity by government workers. The alleged illegal activity involves government workers performing partisan political work while on the public payroll.  Apparently, the government workers, while performing their partisan political work, were utilizing electricity bought and paid for by taxpayers.

Oil, Oil, Oil: The Fuel of International Strife

It is now almost 23 years since the oil tanker  --  Exxon Valdez  --  ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The middling-size oil spill of the Exxon Valdez accident continues to wreak havoc with the ecosystem in Prince William Sound. Now, the oil industry wishes to build a new pipeline to a seaport in the United States or Canada. Over the jump, you can read more about these oil goings-on.

Quotation for Today: Lobbying for Inequality

The quotation for today opens a discussion about poverty, middle class, elites, capitalism and democracy.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 4.

Today, we get a graphical look (link is across the jump) at the impact of inequality on poverty in the United States. Along with inequality, five other factors that affect poverty are portrayed.

Quotation for Today: The Great Undoing of the Social Safety Net

The undoing of the social safety net is the theme for today's quotation.

A Thousand Words, Vol.1, Issue 3.

In America, you could be in the top 400 of income "earners" and pay an effective tax rate that is between zero and ten percent.  Follow me over the jump to learn more about the top 400 "earners" in America.

Quotation for Today: Republicans' New, Old Gospel

In this world of intense income and wealth inequality in which we live, it is encouraging to see that some of our political leaders recognize the potential destructiveness of that inequality.  The possible effect of intense income and wealth inequality is the theme of the quotation for today.

Organized Criminal Enterprise? RICO Act Applies?

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) successfully brought a case against a hedge fund and its Chief Executive Officer. The hedge fund utilized a late-trading scheme to profit off mutual funds that invested in international assets.  For more on this case and the civil fines ordered follow me across the jump.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 2.

To understand the problem with American government policies on women's health care, go here.  To take action on this important subject, continue reading on the other side of the jump.

Quotation for Today: Phobic Mania

Today, the quotation provides an interesting look at a peculiar dialogue where a Republican politician poses a question, then answers the posed question in his theocratic-educated, xenophobic voice.

The Vampire Squid and the Bank of Canada?

In the Rolling Stone magazine of April 5, 2010, Matt Taibbi wrote an article (cited across the break) about Goldman Sach's global financial reach via its former employees.  In that article, Taibbi described Goldman Sachs as "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." This post provides another example of the "vampire squid's" financial reach.

Quotation for Today: What Property Laws?

The quoted comments in this post again direct our attention on the misdeeds of the mortgage and banking industries; wrongdoings that led to the Great Recession and the current Little Depression.

Protecting the United States' Economy from Artful Banking

The 111th Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act  --  a new law to govern banks and the financial industry  -- and President Barack Obama signed it into law in  2010.  The Dodd-Frank Act establishes a banking rule called the Volcker Rule; named after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.  The Volcker Rule is the focus of this post and the article highlighted in it.

PNREF: A Citizens United Created Political Group

Who is the political group Public Notice Research & Education Fund (PNREF)? Who finances PNREF?

Quotation for Today: Caring Health Care, For All

The quotation for today helps us to understand why the United States' health care system, in order to faithfully and adequately serve the American people,  must be improved.  The rigid, narrow minded focus of a leading segment of our nation illustrates that we still have a great deal of work remaining.

Quotation for Today: Just Life

Today's quotation provides an interesting view on the subject of adults sexually abusing children.

A Thousand Words, Vol. 1, Issue 1.

The failure of American political leadership during the past three decades is well captured in a picture that accompanies a story about Apple and Foxconn.  The picture can be viewed here.

Quotation for Today: Warped Nature

The quotation for today introduces us to a discussion about the warped nature of modern American conservatism and the conservative movement's standard-bearer -- the Republican Party.

Regulating Capitol Hill Insiders

This post highlights a news story about Wall Street professionals lurking around Capitol hill in order to obtain inside information that will help them profit in the Wall Street casino.

Quotation for Today: Compromising First Principles

The quotation for today raises a critical political issue that the American electorate must confront in this presidential-election year.

Quotation for Today: A Democracy Or A Theocracy?

The efforts of religious groups and Republican politicians to carve out an exemption to the Constitution of the United States are the focus of today's quotation. It is clear that these religious organizations Republican politicians believe their sectarian dogma triumphs the Constitution of the United States.

Quotation for Today: What First Amendment Rights?

The quotation for today offers up an opportunity to assess if the Constitution of the United States applies to all its citizens or not.

Gangsters and Banksters: A Serial Tale, Part VII

In this seventh post of Gangsters and Banksters, we have another tale of bankers inflating the value of assets that are included in products to be sold to unsuspecting clients.

The Banking, Mortgage and Financial Brethren

The continued saga of misbehavior by banks and their related brethren in the mortgage business is discussed in this post.  The tale outlined in this post will amplify the information that previously was provided in the "Quotation for Today"; a sordid story of alleged mortgage foreclosure fraud and the ensuing lawsuit against the alleged perpetrators.

Quotation for Today: Banking On Fraud

With today's quotation, we are introduced to a lawsuit against three too-big-to-fail banks.

Indiana Republicans Find Voter Fraud

As many of you are probably aware, paranoid Republicans have worked themselves into a frenzy about nonexistent voter fraud.  Well it appears that Indiana Republicans have found a true case of voter fraud.

Quotation for Today: The Failure of Mitt Romney's Safety Net

The quotation for today, across the jump, captures the singularly, quintessential consequence on many Americans of Republican-guided economic and governmental policies that began with the election of Ronald Reagan.  Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, wishes to continue these egregious economic and governmental schemes; strategies that favor Wall Street mandarins and the remainder of the One Percent at the expense of the 99 Percent.

Quotation for Today: Mitt Romney And The "Fortunate" Poor

Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, in a recent interview on CNN declared he was not concerned about poor Americans.  Well, as the enclosed quotation for today illustrates he has plenty of company.

Quotation for Today: U.S. Government for the One Percent, Bought and Paid For

With today's quotation, we continue to look at how the One Percent is fighting back against democracy and economic fairness in the most ferocious and undermining way imaginable; utilizing super PACs and 501(c)(4) non-profit groups to name a few known categories facilitated by the United States Supreme Court's decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Gangsters and Banksters: A Serial Tale, Part VI

Today, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged four former bankers and traders of the Credit Suisse Group with engaging in a fraudulent scheme to overstate the prices of $3 billion in subprime bonds.

Inane Rules of the NCAA

The inane rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association are examined in the article that is reviewed in this post.

Quotation for Today: State Disapproved Freedom of Conscience

Religion's war on freedom continues in the United States.  The quotation for today, on the other side of the break, illustrates the extreme lengths that religious fanatics will go to in their attack on freedom.

Quotation for Today: The NCAA's Discriminatory Attitude Toward Disadvantaged Athletes?

There are two things that I no longer do: One is watch any television show on Rupert Murdoch's Fox television stations and the second is watch National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA)-sanctioned college sports. Today's quotation, across the jump, addresses one of the reasons that I don't watch NCAA-sanctioned college sports.

SEC Charges Executives and Accountants With Financial Fraud

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges former executives and accountants of an American medical device company's British subsidiary with fraud.

Former Presidents With Extensive Business Experience: Herbert Hoover, Warren Harding, Jimmy Carter, Bush I and Bush II

Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, is running for President of the United States based on his extensive business experience as an executive in the private equity firm, Bain Capital.  As referenced in the op-ed cited across the jump, Presidents of the United States with extensive private business experiences are 'near the bottom of most rankings.' 

Quotation for Today: Back To Failure, Mitt Romney's Campaign Theme?

Today's quotation, across the break, offers a bit of insight into Florida's Republican primary and how the 99 Percent are still suffering from the Republican policies of the George W. Bush presidential years. Those policies benefited mostly the One Percent and their Wall Street bankers; bankers who used residential mortgage-backed securities, credit default swaps and other, pernicious financial instruments to enrich the One Percent while sowing massive destruction on the Main Street economy.

Quotation for Today: Potholes, Dirtier Air and the One Percent

As the 2012 president campaign races full-throttle ahead, one of the major issues will be that of the tax rates levied on the wealthiest Americans.  Today's quotation, across the break, provides insight into that question.

Quotation for Today: A Tax Code for, by, and of the One Percent

The quotation for today addresses the inequity of the United States tax code; a tax code that benefits the One Percent and punishes the 99 Percent.

Putting Mitt Romney's Low Tax Rate In Perspective

The effective tax rate for Mitt Romney was reported to be 13.9 percent. Since many people do not know their effective tax rate, the article highlighted in this post will help you put Romney's low effective tax rate into perspective.  I strongly believe, based on personal experience, the effective tax rate that most Americans pay is equal to or higher than Mitt Romney's tax rate.

Quotation for Today: Swiss Mitt: The Quintessential Davos Man?

The quotation for today, across the jump, explores the issue of who among the people gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland pays taxes at a higher rate.

Quotation for Today: U.S. Supreme Court Creates a Plutocracy

In today's quotation, across the jump, we are given another look at the impact of the United States Supreme Court's infamous, democratic-destroying decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case.  

Mitt Romney's One Percent World

Mitt Romney's release of his 2010 tax return has further pullback the curtain on  the intense income and wealth disparity in the United States.  As pointed out in the Quotation-for-Today post, Romney utilized foreign bank accounts as part of his wealth management strategy; the complete nature of that strategy is yet to be known. 


Across the jump, an article that examines Mitt Romney's 2010 tax return provides clues as to how Romney "earned" his income while "working" at Bain Capital.

Quotation for Today: Romney's Bank Accounts In Switzerland and the Cayman Islands

Mitt Romney, the leading Republican presidential candidate, released one year of his tax returns (2010 returns) and a pro forma tax return for 2011.  Romney's tax return information pointed out that he had bank accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. Both countries are notorious as being havens for tax cheats.  

Today's quotation (across the jump) highlights the fact that Romney, although invested via a blind trust, could have addressed the location of his bank accounts; but he didn't.

Quotation for Today: The Upshot of "Citizens United v. FEC"

The quotation for today, across the jump, addresses the essential impact of the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 08-205 (2010). 

Quotation for Today: Wrongheaded Republican Economic Policies Harm Nation

The quotation for today, on the other side of the break, highlights the fact that the United States  --  mainly due to wrongheaded Republican economic policies over the past 30-plus years  --  has fallen far behind other first- and second-world nations in investing in its infrastructure, manufacturing, education, job skills and alternative energy.

Quotation for Today: Biased Barristers Bleed Bankrupt Blacks?

Is the United States' bankruptcy system another tool, a la the criminal legal system, for impoverishing non-white Americans?  The quotation for today, on the other side of the jump, suggests that could be the case.

Quotation for Today: Tax Laws Embedded With Economic Inequality

The quotation for today, on the other side of the jump, emphasizes the economic inequality embedded in the tax laws of the United States.

Killing Europe Cruelly With Economic Austerity

The European Union is embarked on the ruinous path of economic austerity during a recession.    


Across the break are a few highlights from Jeff Madrick's article on the destructive effects of the economic austerity measures implemented in the eurozone.

A Look at One Aspect of the Republicans' Money Cartel

As the Republicans' money machine shifts into high gear, it is an imperative that the voters understand how the Republican money machine operates.  An article by Andy Kroll provides us with the details of one aspect of the Republicans' money cartel.

Quotation for Today: Politicians Bought and Paid For With Corporate Money

"We have never seen anything like this in terms of the amount of money being raised and spent. The scale of it is the surprise. They are spending more than the candidates are."

Trevor Potter

Education or Prison

The funding of K-12 education in the United States deserves special and immediate attention, and none more so than spending on education in the state of California.

Quotation for Today: Arrogance of the One-Percent

“I don’t intend to release the tax returns. I don’t.” 

Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for President of the United States

Destructive Numbers: 4.42% and 1.03%

The numbers shown on the subject line for this post help make the case that there truly is a school-to-prison pipeline in the United States.

Le Figaro.fr: France Adapting Economic Strategy

The downgrade of France's debt to "AA+" from "AAA" has the French government  reviewing and changing its economic strategy.

Quotation for Today: Tuskegee Airmen

"It's because it's an all-black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all…I showed it to all of them and they said, 'Nooooo. We don't know how to market a move like this.'"

George Lucas

Le Figaro.fr: Sarkozy's Policy Is Downgraded, Not France

France's discontent over Standard and Poor's downgrading of France's debt rating to "AA+" from "AAA" is evolving into a political firestorm.

Quotation for Today: Corrosive Nature of Income and Wealth Inequality

 “I spent four years in undergraduate school, four years in medical school, three years as a resident and three years as a fellow. You have to look at the people who are complaining.”

Anu Chandok, M.D.

Le Figaro.fr: France's Debt Downgraded, Socialist Blames Sarkozy

On Friday 13 January, 2012 Standard and Poor's downgraded France's sovereign debt to "AA+" from "AAA" and this post highlights one politicians reaction to the downgrade.

Quotation for Today: Leveraged Buyouts of Governments

“I cannot have success with my policies if the E.U.’s policies don’t change.”

Mario Monti 

Mitt Romney's Central Tendency

As Mitt Romney continues his quest for America's political "holy grail"  --  President of the United States  --  it is clear that the candidate estranges himself from the truth, even when the lie is obvious.  The article introduced in this post explores this character flaw.

Quotation for Today: Romney's Vision for America

“He did it to try to save the business.”

Mitt Romney

Hedge Fund Auditor Pleads Guilty

A former audit partner at accounting and consulting firm BDO USA LLP pled guilty to criminal charges for lying to SEC enforcement.

Quotation for Today: Private Equity, Still An LBO Firm

"Being known as a leveraged-buyout-deal shop wasn't the most attractive label out there. Private equity has a much nicer ring to it."

Colin Blaydon

March of the Republican Dolls

May the article introduced in this post should provide you with many laughs

Quotation for Today: War Is Hell And So Is Coming Home

“My whole driving behavior changed. I live in a state of anxiety when I’m driving.”

Susan Max

Quotation for Today: One-Percent Policy Pals

“They hit it off immediately. They became friends, pals, as they had a great deal in common.”

George Harris

Quotation for Today: An Offer They Can't Refuse

"There's 24-plus systems in the Southern California Edison area that have been installed in the last three years that we have not been able to negotiate an interconnection agreement on. We think we are close at times, but then nothing. We were successful with PG&E, but with Southern California Edison...." 

Jack Williams

Quotation for Today: Moving On Up

"Average gasoline prices are moving up as we enter the new year, a trend that has held since 2008. We're starting 2012 about 20 cents per gallon higher than 2011, setting up an ugly year for motorists."

Patrick DeHaan

Quotation for Today: The Impoverished Elderly

"Please, please keep me in mind. I can start any time you like."

Kate Hamon

Gangsters and Banksters: A Serial Tale Part V

In this international tale of Gangsters and Banksters, we look at what could be illegal trading on non-public information -- insider trading -- by the wife of a Swiss banker, and not just any run of the mill Swiss banker.

Quotation for Today: If Corporations Are People, Then Who or What Isn't?

"The reasoning of Citizens United applies with even greater force to noncitizens who lawfully reside in the United States." 

Paul Sherman

No Longer Mr. Lincoln's Party

The passage on the other side of the break captures the essential nature of the Republican Party.

Quotation for Today: The New Arms Race

“Even at a trillion dollars, this is a shallower build-down than any of the last three we’ve done.  It would still be the world’s most dominant military. We would be in an arms race with ourselves.”

Gordon Adams

Quotation for Today: Kitchen Table Economics

"... when people in D.C. talk about deficits and debt, by and large they have no idea what they’re talking about — and the people who talk the most understand the least."

Paul Krugman

Quotation for Today: The Roberts Court: Disreputable and Politicized

“I have complete confidence in the capability of my colleagues to determine when recusal is warranted.” 

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States.