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.