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Courtesy of The Guardian
The US just fired ship-to-ground into Yemen. Did you know?
Probably not. Only a catchy headline made me look. Meanwhile we have the air sucked out of our whole world’s news organizations by an orange haired buffoon…
Shouldn’t we be talking about Yemen in this presidential campaign? Apparently not. Instead all the weekend’s attention is focused on a “hick” sheriff wearing a cowboy hat two sizes too large, talking into a camera saying he and his comrades are bringing out the pitchforks… Talk about crazy….
Here is a brief rundown of the REAL crazy of this week.
Saturday 8 October, a 500lb laser-guided US-made bomb was dropped on a funeral procession by the US-sponsored Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels who, the Saudis say, are backed by Iran…
This bomb killed more than 140 people, mostly civilians, and wounded more than 525 people. Human Rights Watch called the incident “an apparent war crime”.
The US strongly rebuked Saudi Arabia between the $110 billion of arms we’ve already sold them since Obama took office, and the newest $1.5 billion, just approved for future delivery.
The US also supplies the Saudis with necessary intelligence and logistics to prosecute its war, as well as aerial refueling of the Saudi’s strike-bombers…
The US is concerned we will be implicated in future war crime prosecutions.
The US announced we would use a heavy hand with the Saudi’s and force them to be more humane in their killing of Yemeni’s.
The guerrillas fired on US warships in the Red Sea. .US Navy countermeasures caused the missiles to fall harmlessly in the water.
The US retaliated on Thursday the 13th by taking out 3 of the rebel’s radar sites with a barrage of cruise missiles from a destroyer.
This attack marked the first time the US has fought the rebels directly in Yemen’s devastating civil war… though we have been behind drone strikes against Al Qaeda there for years.
The US has a historical tendency to get mired down in Middle East Conflicts.
Content, Image and interview courtesy of Delaware Politics.Net
In an effort to repeat their past glory, Sher Valenzuela has taken Christine O’Donnell’s new mantle… She has become the new Republican “Prima Donna” and the new “Great Attractor”…
I believe it was Al Mascitti who said it on Tuesday… What do Christine O’Donnell and Mike Protack have in common? There was never an office they DIDN’T run for…. I believe he called them political opportunists, and I will use that word today…
I’ll let Sher herself explain her opportunism in her own words….
“this is the first chance we (republicans) have to win in twenty years and I could not let it slip away.” (notice nothing about being a…. treasurer?)
After a chat with State Republican Chairman Charlie Copeland in October, Mrs. Sher Valenzuela pondered running for the position of State Treasurer, (notice nothing about being a …… treasurer?)
“No one was saying anything different or speaking up for our conservative values”, (notice nothing about being a ….. treasurer?)
She was also unhappy that the other GOP candidate is perceived by her not to have an appreciation for the state’s dependence on Casinos… (notice nothing about being a….. treasurer?) Anybody notice a trend here?
“I think the best qualifications for this office in terms of what we need to bring to the arena, is business background. This office should be involved in economic development. We should be looking to build our economic future,” … (Hello… it’s a treasury office, not a governor’s race… Quick question: do you even know what a Treasury Officer does?)
She further states that two of our top ten revenue sources include casinos and unclaimed property, and that both are unreliable.“One of the focuses of the office should be calling attention to the fact that some of our top revenue sources are unreliable and developing more reliable revenue through economic growth,” So getting rid of half a billion dollars, to make that up on a tax rate of 6%, we need salary income growth of $8.3 billion a year covering that short-fall. At a job rate of $50,000/year we would need to hire 166,000 people and put them to work… Currently there are 26,000 listed as unemployed, so we would need to import 140,000 people into this state in one year to do what Sher says she wants to do…
Everything revolves around that economic engine. Hopefully people know that I am not a fly-by-night person seeking office. I am not a person with baseless political aspirations, but the key to getting our state back on track is reducing unnecessary regulation and incubating new businesses” Yeah, how well did that work in the Bush years?
“We don’t need people in office acting like they are smarter than the people they serve. Ken Simpler (Valenzuela’s opponent) was working with a Democratic Official’s son to turn the Seashore State park into a casino location, What would Democrats do with that? ”
“more jobs, less government. I don’t know why the chief financial officer can’t go in with sleeves rolled up to reduce regulation and offer new ways to have sustainable revenue through economic development.” Sher, read the Job description….
Our education process will also include the state’s top ten revenue drains ????? (like education? like highways?) Does she think she does the state budget instead of the governor? ?????
Valenzuela states that she will be an advocate of cutting taxes and reducing the size of government, while unleashing Delaware’s economic engine so the people of Delaware have sustainable sources of revenue.
Now, where have we heard this before? Where someone who shoots from the hip challenges a methodical thoughtful person in a Republican Primary and hits them over the head with a brickbat as soon as they pay the filing fee? Familiar?
Let us not bring up the gigantic contradiction… That elephant in the room here…. She’s for less government, unless they are guaranteeing millions of dollars in loans to her business or contracting with her business to the tune of millions as well. She literally wrote a book about how to exploit loopholes and get government money. Don’t believe me? She’s even selling it on her campaign website!?
Ms. Valenzuela criticizes Mr. Simpler because he was willing to invest his “OWN” money in casinos. I guess if he had gotten a government grant it might have been different…
Furthermore In Sheryl Valenzuela’s world Republicans are never to associate with Democrats, much less they are not to do business with Democrats, and certainly not, if this includes their children.
“Hopefully people know that I am not a fly-by-night person seeking office.” Naa! Why would they think that? You only woke up on the morning of the last day for filing and jumped in a race that had a declared candidate, forcing a primary…….
We have a new Christine O’Donnell who is running: because she thinks she can win….
Did anyone else notice there was nothing about being …… a treasurer?
Now, listen to her opponent…. Ken Simpler…..
“When I began exploring this race, I began with a premise that a two billion dollar portfolio should be managed by someone with experience managing a billion dollar portfolio.”
Sometimes doing things Simpler, is best.
I’ve commented on a lot of local blogs today. There is a common theme that needs pulled up for discussion.
Can we trust today’s polls?
Chart Courtesy of Michael Brogan, Political Forecaster(right click for full view)
I say no.
First, the numbers being given do not match the 80% support Obama has on the street.
Second, with today’s technology, it is rudely simplistic to assume that polls aren’t being tweaked. Even as simply as choosing who to call, That one factor can throw a poll off the deep end. And don’t think, you’re cookies don’t tell everyone how you vote…
Hmmm, who should we call to represent Delaware… kavips? … or Ms. Evans?… it is that easy.
Third. The average national poll consists of 700 people. That means 7 people can throw a percent; 4 people throw it, if you round up or down. And you tell me you can’t “randomly” find 4 more conservatives than progressives, or vice-versa?
Fourth. The polling organizations are companies that pay out dividends to someone. People buy stock; they want results. Obviously reporting that a race is over in August, does little to generate more polls. More polls equal more revenue. There is considerable pressure to keep a national race appearing closer, than it really is.
Fifth. Who checks the veracity of pollsters? No one. There is no watchdog exacting penalties over fake results. So how do we trust it is real? Exactly. We can’t…
That is enough. Polling is only believable if it fits in with the general scheme of things as we see it.. If 80% of the population is hopeful this recovery is real, and happy about YAY! JUST PAID UNDER $3.50 FOR A GALLON OF GAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, then any poll not showing Obama leading 80 to 20 is simply a fabrication of one’s imagination…..
And in local elections? Forget it. Ask your neighbor who their county commissioner is? Yep. Exactly.
Can you guess which company had the lowest tax percentage?
If you guessed Pepco Holdings, which own Delmarva Power, you guessed correctly… They paid a tax rate of -57.6% over a three year period. Pepco, the electricity utility that serves Washington, D.C. Pepco reported profits of $882 million in 2010, and negative taxes of $508 million — earning that negative tax rate of -57.6 percent.
That means unemployment, education, vital construction, and jobs, all got cut, to swell Pepco’s profits 57.6% higher than they would have been naturally.
In 2010, Verizon reported an annual profit of nearly $12 billion. The statutory federal corporate income tax rate is 35 percent, so theoretically, Verizon should have owed the IRS around $4.2 billlion. Instead, according to figures compiled by the Center for Tax Justice, the company actually boasted a negative tax liability of $703 million. Verizon ended up making even more money after it calculated its taxes.
That means unemployment, education, vital construction, and jobs, all got cut, to swell Verizon’s profits $703 million higher than they would have been naturally. (They then turned around and cut their workers pay and benefits, creating the strike that occurred during September).
Perhaps most famously, General Electric raked in $10.5 billion in profit in 2010, yet ended up reporting $4.7 billion worth of negative taxes…..
That means unemployment, education, vital construction, and jobs, all got cut, to swell General Electrics profits $4.7 billion higher than they would have been naturally.
Here is Eric Cantor’s Republican philosophy in a nutshell. And since he is Republican you might as well get back at him by blaming every Republican you see.. for it.
Americans must pay more themselves. More for insurance, more for pensions, more for health care, more for gas, more for electricity, more for water, more for state taxes, more for local taxes. They must do that while earning less. What used to come out of the $6.2 billion in corporate profits, is now coming out of the consumer.
This is EIC for billionaires. It is as if we said,.. we feel you didn’t make enough so we are giving you back money from those Americans who do pay taxes, so you can live within your means…..
This is why there are Occupy Demonstrations by hard working Americans in almost every city, county, and state across this union….
All America needs is to increase the taxes on the 1%…
That is all it will take to turn this nation into the America we’ve always dreamed of…
This was uttered in response to calls from Republicans that the call for a tax on millionaires was the initiation of class warfare.
Funny.
It’s like Republicans shot their own children, and when the police came with guns drawn, started taunting them as murderers.
Republicans only, only, and only Republicans are guilty of class warfare.
This is not conjecture. There is proof……
Truth is, since Republicans came to power, the rich have done better… Better at the expense of the upper middle class, the middle class, the lower middle class, and those below the middle class.
Four classes of people have had their lives go from better to worst under Republican policies….
But, during the Clinton years… every class of people got better off, as each year under a democratic administration passed by….
The bottom layer was better off at each years end, than when that year first began.
The lower middle class was better off at each years end, than when that year first began.
The middle class was better off at each years end, than when that year first began.
The upper middle class was better off at each years end, than when that year first began.
And the upper crust, the upper class, the top group of people including millionaires, billionaires, and trillionaires, were all better off at each years end, than when that year first began.
There you have it. Proof that Republicans practiced class warfare; Proof that the Democrats don’t..
You can lie, cheat, scream, scold, squeal, rant, gnash your teeth, rent your clothing, prostrate yourself before your lover, and drink lots of beer. It still won’t change the math…
Americans do much better when taxes are higher on millionaires and on capital gains…. The higher the taxes, the better off are all…….
Always have; always will. Now is the time to push tax rates up to where they were in Ronald Reagan’s era. 50%. Republicans seemed to like the math… then….
You will soon be hearing the opposition flinging this number… blaming Obama for $3 million a minute being added to our deficit….
How does one respond to that? With the truth, of course…
Wow, That’s really good, especially when compared to the $20,203,057 a minute George W. Bush added to our deficit… Sure looks like we need more Democrats and fewer Republicans ….
(Remember the deficit was projected to be completely down to zero in the year 2008, had the Bush Tax Cuts never have been enacted……. ) Hence making him now responsible for the entire debt up to when Obama’s term began.
Eric Cantor was tipped off early that the firm of Standard and Poors was going to devalue the dollar, irregardless of whatever deal they came up with.
Prior to the devaluation of America’s Treasury bonds, Eric Cantor had sent a letter (how did he know…), warning the Tea Party Republicans that pressure to raise taxes would be ratcheted up by the upcoming Standard and Poor’s devaluation….
He was right… Thank goodness, after 12 years, with this devaluation, we are finally starting to hear a few of the common sense arguments on the main stream media, that illustrate for all… that raising taxes to “now” be our best economy grower.. .
If you read Standard and Poors correctly, their report implies that the Tea Parties line (the one about NOT raising taxes), IS the primary obstacle that prevents the fixing of America’s debt problems… By implication, that makes the election of Tea Party candidates, the sole reason our bonds were devalued. (On the other hand, according to the ratings agencies, Obama receives high marks for his part in trying to make a better life for all Americans.)
In a secret email, Eric Cantor says…..
“Over the next several months, there will be tremendous pressure on Congress to prove that S&P’s analysis of the inability of the political parties to bridge our differences is wrong. In short, there will be pressure to compromise on tax increases. We will be told that there is no other way forward. I respectfully disagree.” Eric Cantor
He knew well in advance…
He continues….
“We have said from the beginning of the year, the new Republican Majority was elected to change the way Washington does business. We were not elected to raise taxes or take more money out of the pockets of hard working families and business people. People understand Washington can’t keep spending money that it doesn’t have. They want to see less government – not more taxes.
Back up: we were not elected to…. take more money out of the pockets of hard working families and business people……..
No one said anything about more taxes for the 99% on the bottom… At issue is how much to tax the 1% on the top…
Taxing the top 1% at a marginal rate of 40% and increasing capital gains taxes to a rate of 40%…… actually PUTS MORE MONEY BACK INTO THE POCKETS OF HARD WORKING FAMILIES AND THOSE BUSINESS PEOPLE RUNNING THE ESTABLISHMENTS THOSE FAMILIES CHOOSE TO PATRONIZE……..
So you see, Mr. Cantor.. Raising taxes on the top 1% is not a conflict of interest for you… You said so yourself….. We’ll support you in not raising taxes on the bottom 99%…
Raising taxes on just the top 1%, is good.. WHAM!!!!! It jump-starts the economy…. Whereas,….
Cutting taxes for the top 1%, is bad… We all know this is fact. You don’t need me to explain it; you know just from living through the past 12 years of the Bush Tax cuts… The last 12 years have made the Clinton Tax Hike Years in comparison, seem like the true Guilded Age..Gosh, it seems like so, so long ago, when everything was perfect.
The Bush Tax cuts, collapsed the economy…..
Tax Cuts kill jobs. Always have… always will….
(but what is really, truly, profoundly sad, is this exhortation from Eric Cantor) “When given the choice between bettering the American economy, and getting more Republicans in power, you better vote for getting more Republicans in power…Our new motto: F*ck the economy!”)
kavips 