Month: December 2010

The Grinich Who Stole The Senate

I have watched the US Congress very closely since the general election of 2008 and have witnessed a few things that I find interesting……for one, the extreme partisanship……the obstructionism and the all round political tap dance that has been playing out in Washington….

We watched a whole group of people held “hostage”,  for lack of a better word,  so that another class could make more money and the promise was that these rich people would create more jobs and make the economy more solvent……then we saw a group who wrapped themselves in the flag after 9/11 refusing medical aid to the 9/11 responders…….or the the health sector, especially the insurance, get millions more customers in a mandate…..or the group that bitches that programs are too expensive and not funded….push through other programs that are NOT paid for and did not use the hearing process, that they demand for other programs…..

With all that amusing stuff, the one that is most surprising is the “maverick”  John  McCain….after his loss to Obama in 2008, he has become the cranky old man of the Belt Way……his maverick days are far behind him now and his days are filled with bitterness……….

Joe Klein: “I used to know a different John McCain, the guy who proposed comprehensive immigration reform with Ted Kennedy, the guy — a conservative, to be sure, but an honorable one — who refused to indulge in the hateful strictures of his party’s extremists. His public fall has been spectacular, a consequence of politics — he ‘needed’ to be reelected — and personal pique. He’s a bitter man now, who can barely tolerate the fact that he lost to Barack Obama.”

McCain should go ahead and leave the Senate….he is NO longer a elder lawmaker…but rather a bitter old man that is holding a grudge for losing to Obama….

Haley Barbour–Southern Revisionist

As most of my readers know I live in the South and most specifically, Mississippi and our governor is Haley Barbour……I hear the national pundits talk about his political savvy and all that he has done for the GOP and for that matter all that he has done for the state…..thinking…….thinking…..just what has he done for Mississippi residents that is that amazing?  Infant mortality is high, education is low, obesity is high, poverty is running amok…..so what has he done?  Oh yeah he brought a Tonka Toy (Toyota)  plant to the state that hired about a 100 people…that oughta put a dent in the unemployment rate……

Sorry, I digress…..I just do not see where this man is all that and a bag of chips…but then I am not a national pundit…..

The meat of this post is about the racism that still exists in the South, especially Mississippi…..talk to someone in the state and they will deny it and follow up with some of my best friends are black….a sure sign of lying……or the will say that the rebel flag is a sign of heritage…well that part is true…it is a symbol of the heritage of  HATE….

With that said, the hero of the GOP was interviewed and talked about the days of the civil rights movement in Mississippi…..

In an interview that set off a new round of debate on Monday about racial attitudes and politics, Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, a potential Republican presidential candidate, recalled the 1960s civil rights struggle in his hometown, Yazoo City, saying, “I just don’t remember it as being that bad.”In a profile published Monday in The Weekly Standard, Mr. Barbour also talked about the White Citizens’ Councils of the late 1960s, which opposed racial integration. Mr. Barbour, a teenager and young adult during the 1960s, said that in his town, they were a positive force, praising them as “an organization of town leaders” who refused to tolerate the racist attitudes of the Ku Klux Klan.

“In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan” would be “run out of town,” Mr. Barbour said. “If you had a job, you’d lose it. If you had a store, they’d see nobody shopped there. We didn’t have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City.”

Revisionism…..those councils were there to fight against blacks becoming part of society…..they were attacked at the their jobs if they tried to integrate, the we attack if they tried to shop in white shops (by attack I am talking about social pressure, though physical pressure was NOT unheard of in Mississippi)…..it is just a continuation of the hate that had built up in the state…..Barbour has very selective memory….and he is a BS arrtist…after all he is a lobbyist in Washington….

His attitude is the same as most Mississippians from age 50 to 90….they are racists and try to cover it with total BS……

He Barbour wants to be a national candidate anytime soon he had better back off this and spin it another way……or he will not be a candidate for president….something he dreams about……

Haley Barbour, Southern revisionist personified!

2010 Info Ink’s Person Of The Year

Every year we at Info Ink try to award the Assie for the most anal statement of the year and the Person of the Year……it is our way of acknowledging the accomplishments of a few during the course of the year….we try to be fair and unbiased but that is sometimes harder than others…..in the past we have awarded the credit card the honor because it symbolizes the credit crunch that began in 2008 and last year we gave it to Sen. Libermann for his running amok as an independent…this year we had a bunch to choose from….we had Joe miller of Alaska and O’Donnell of Delaware…..we had some in the financial sector and even more in the political arena and after much deliberation we came up with the following as our Person of the Year……

After much deliberation we have looked at all the nominees and we have chosen our pick for person of the year………May I have a drum roll and let the trumpets blare……send in the dancing girls………pole optional…..

Once again the Info Ink Person of the Year is not an actual person but rather a thing….and that thing is……(pause for effect)……the Tea Party Movement……

We chose the TP because……while it started off as a true grassroots movement with anger toward the Washington establishment but somewhere along the way they allowed their message to be hijacked by big money interests and they gave us some memorable candidates…Sharon Angle, Joe miller and Christine O’Donnell, to mention only a few….it also tapped into the growing anxiety of the American people over thew economic situation……it allowed special interests dictate what the issues were…..and it set the stage for an interesting Congress in 2011….

It also gave the purveyors of fear and loathing a venue for their wrapped sense of history and government…..mouths like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, that Malkin woman, O’Reilly or the biggest wind bag (both literally and physically) Limbaugh…the Tea Party gave them the outlet and the audience to increase their subscribers and their bank accounts…..

The Tea Party chose leaders that represent the very thing that they were fighting against……and any movement that can accomplish that deserves a special recognition……

We Are All Centrists

Or Why We Hate Labels……….

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Political Science/Political Theory/

Lecture

We hear daily, especially if you are a political junkie, that the country is a centrist country, wither center right or center left, and that we all are that with a few exceptions of those lunatics on the far right and far left…..most media pundits say that we move to the center after each election, because that is where most Americans are located…is that true?

Centrists are fence sitters……most Americans are fence sitters….ergo, most Americans are centrists

You may think about it for a long time, but the answer will always be the same……yes we are….we are a centrist people…..but why are we a centrist people?  It is NOT because of the thinking of the people….but rather the political system that forces us to be centrist….yes I said forces…..why?

The two party system comes to  mind first……the voter has NO choice beyond Dem or Repub….any other choice and it is marginalized by the media so that the two parties may continue their strangle hold on the electorate….

Rhetoric may be Left or Right, but action is almost always center….very few exceptions…….and then there this new movement of centrists or moderates, if you will….No Labels, they call themselves…..they do not want to be put into a certain ideologue camp………they are CENTRISTS!……..but think about that for a moment….(pause here for reflection)…….

Here is Nolabels.org statement of purpose:

  • Americans are entitled to a government and a political system that works – driven by shared purpose and common sense.
  • Americans deserve a government that makes the necessary choices to rein in runaway deficits, secure Social Security and Medicare, and put our country on a viable, sound path going forward.Americans support a government that works to spur employment and economic opportunity by encouraging free and open markets, tempered by sensible regulation.
  • Americans want a government that empowers people with the tools for success – from a world-class education to affordable healthcare – provided that it does so in a fiscally prudent way.
  • America should be free from discrimination and should embrace the principle of equal opportunity.
  • America must be strong and safe, ready and able to protect itself in a world of multiple dangers and uncertainties.

Holy crap!  What novel ideas!  Sounds like every other party and their statement of principles…..where is this any different than the crap we live with now?  Just looks like another PAC that is seeking money to advance their ideas and their candidates….none of it sounds anywhere near a new idea…..

A new organization of centrists that will NOT be labeled…..fine,  but first…..

Sorry guys….that is a LABEL!

You may call yourself a conservative or a liberal (present day progressive)….but that is all it is a title that bestowed on yourself to explain, to  try to explain, why you feel or believe the way that you do.  Below the rhetoric, we all are centrists….it is NOT a special movement afoot….it has been that way since the beginning in 1787 and we just enforce that center path with our choices…….

These so-called centrists want us to believe that there is another way of governance, other than the two party system….there is Not…why?  Because we are all centrists…….we have always been a centrists country……

This effort kinda remains me of another con job, Unity ’08, it was a “movement” of moderates to find a better way than the two parties….but it was mostly to raise money and to try and get Bloomberg to run….nothing about issues other than some vague concept of working together…….a con job will always be a con job…..smells more like a money scam…….

The Family That Lies Together…….

Okay we hear all the time about some guy that is doing his daughter after school before Mom gets home from work….or some Mom that is boiking her son and his friends while Dad sells shoes….and according to our beliefs, both moral and religious, it is a crime and should be punished harshly….right?

I recently got a tweet from Newser…..

The Swiss parliament has drafted a law that would allow parents to have sex with their children or siblings to have sex with each other, provided everybody involved is a consenting adult. “First-degree” incest is already legal in countries including France and Russia, but the Swiss measure hasn’t won widespread support, with conservative lawmakers labeling it “completely repugnant,” and polls showing a clear majority of the public in opposition.
A lawyer for David Epstein, the Columbia University professor accused of having an incestuous relationship with his adult daughter, says that while people are right to be morally opposed to incest, the Swiss bill to tolerate “what goes on privately in bedrooms” has merit. “It’s OK for homosexuals to do whatever they want in their own home,” he tells ABC News. “How is this so different? We have to figure out why some behavior is tolerated and some is not.”

I would like to hear from those that have a valid opinion on this matter…….Should a family be allowed to lay together?

Yes Irene…Another Train Wreck

As my loyal readers know, I seldom tackle gossip….but there are times that need to be addressed and this is one of those times…..

Can you remember the days of yore when we had the meltdowns of the likes of Paris, Lindsey, Britany?

You remember the shaving of the head and the antics of K-Fed and the string of child mishaps that befell our young Britany Spears the breaking news daily of her numerous digressions….a train wreck!

And then there is Paris (the broad not the city) who only claim to fame is her last name……and the Hilton name does not care the same weight it use to…but there is still a pile of cash and then her sex tape that had the web abuzz and her trials and jail time, all 10 minutes of it……a train wreck!

And then there is the most recent idiot…Lindsey Lohan….who could not give up her booze and drugs long enough to make a judge happy…..then her idiot mother and douche bag father that does not help her in anyway….a train wreck!

But who could be the next one waiting in the wings for her chance at “stardom”?

Well, about 4 years ago I predicted it would be little miss Miley that would be the next “great train wreck”……I said that because of her ways of dress, her disturbing pics with her father and her general look and attitude….but I did qualify it by saying that after her 18th birthday would be the starting point…..

And 5 days after her 18th and she had this much fun…..

http://bit.ly/iidpLT Now you tell me….whatcha think?  Train Wreck!

The Final Tally Or …You Owe…You Owe

Soon the Prez will sign the new tax cuts bill into law and there were a few tweaks….but what is the final tally of the bill?

Well, thanx to BusinessWeek we have them for you to see……and judge for yourself…..

The package extends:

–Lower rates for taxpayers at every income level. The top rate, on taxable income above $379,150, would stay at 35 percent, instead of increasing to 39.6 percent. The bottom rate, on taxable income below $8,500 for individuals and $17,000 for married couples, would stay at 10 percent, instead of increasing to 15 percent. Cost: $186.8 billion.

–More generous itemized deductions for high-income households. Cost: $20.7 billion.

–A more generous $1,000 child tax credit. Cost: $71.7 billion.

–Marriage penalty relief, increasing the standard deduction for married couples. Cost: $18 billion.

–A more generous Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families. Cost: $15.7 billion.

–A series of tax breaks for students and their families, including interest deduction for student loans and an exemption for employer-provided educational assistance. Cost: $3.3 billion.

–A deduction for tuition and related expenses for higher education, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $1.2 billion.

–A tax credit of up to $2,500 for students’ higher education expenses. Cost: $17.6 billion.

–The top capital gains tax rate of 15 percent. Cost: $25.9 billion.

–The top tax rate on dividends of 15 percent. Cost: $27.3 billion.

–Through 2011, enhanced jobless benefits for people who have been unemployed for long stretches. Cost: $56.5 billion.

–A series of incentives for selling, using and producing alternative fuels, including ethanol. Many of the provisions expired at the end of 2009. They would be extended through 2011. Cost: $11.3 billion.

–A $250 deduction for out-of-pocket classroom expenses by teachers, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $390 million.

–A federal income tax deduction for state and local sales taxes, taken mostly by people who live in the nine states without state income taxes, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $5.5 billion.

–The ability of older Americans to withdraw up to $100,000 a year from Individual Retirement Accounts, tax-free, to donate to certain public charities, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $979 million.

–A business tax credit for research and experimentation expenses, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $13.3 billion.

–Tax breaks for capital improvements to restaurants and other retail buildings, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $3.6 billion.

–A tax break for active investors in foreign-based banking, securities and insurance firms, for 2010 and 2011. Cost: $9.2 billion.

–Increased depreciation and expensing for capital investments by businesses. Cost: $21.8 billion.

The package also:

–Spares more than 20 million middle-income households from tax increases averaging $3,900 from the Alternative Minimum Tax in 2010 and 2011. Cost: $136.7 billion.

–Imposes a lower estate tax for the next two years, allowing couples to pass estates as large as $10 million to heirs tax-free. The balance would be taxed at 35 percent. Cost: $68.1 billion.

–Provides a one-year Social Security tax cut for all wage earners, from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. Cost: $112 billion.

There she be!  And NOT one penny of it paid for….just add another trillion to the deficit….take it out of petty cash…..NO one will notice…..what happened to those guys and gals that were so concerned about the cost of all the programs….and why was this pushed through without hearings or a CBO score?

It will be fun to see who uses this as a political tool…..

The Afghan Review

As promised, the president will have his up-to-date review of how things are going in Afghanistan…….i have said that they are NOT going well at all, but I am in the minority….or at least I thought I was….

A new ABC News-Washington Post poll finds a record 60% of Americans “say the war in Afghanistan has not been worth fighting, a grim assessment — and a politically hazardous one — in advance of the Obama administration’s one-year review of its revised strategy.”

With that said the review that will be given to the president today will say…..

THE OVERVIEW

“Specific components of our strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan are working well and there are notable operational gains.

“Most important, al-Qa’ida’s senior leadership in Pakistan is weaker and under more sustained pressure than at any other point since it fled Afghanistan in 2001. In Pakistan, we are laying the foundation for a strategic partnership based on mutual respect and trust, through increased dialogue, improved cooperation, and enhanced exchange and assistance programs. And in Afghanistan, the momentum achieved by the Taliban in recent years has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in some key areas, although these gains remain fragile and reversible.

“While the strategy is showing progress across all three assessed areas of al-Qa’ida, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable.”

(Thanx to Reuters for the overview)

First of all, what would you think it was going to say?  Did you really thin it was going to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

The troops will start home next July….good sign?  Nope…..it is to make it appear that part of the campaign promises are being upheld…….they rumor is we will reevaluate our mission (what ever that is) in 2014….what happens then?  Another 10 years…maybe?

We Americans, the people as the politicians like to refer to us as, are dead set against this war and 60% are, if that was the Senate it would be the “super-majority” that we are always hearing about, why are we still there fighting a war that CANNOT be won?  If we leave it to the generals, we will be there when my granddaughter turns 18 and we we there when she was born….I would say that is long enough….cut your loses and let the a/holes go back to the 12th century…….

It Is All So Much Worthless Rhetoric!

The media and politicians spend a lot of time talking about the problems and the so-called solutions….the media spends a couple of weeks a year dedicated to energy or education or the deficit….they talk with experts and the talk with normals and they program this spot or that….all highlight the problem and all appear to want to be sincere….and then there are our politicians, you know….. those elected ones that cannot act like a mature adult once they get their votes and rent an office in Washington….. the silly ballet that we call the US Congress.

CBS, MSNBC and others have spent time, a couple of weeks a year,  and money on “Green is Universal” and other such catchy titles where they discuss the problems of energy….we listen to the oil man Pickens who wants to make more money with Nat Gas….or some leader of some foundation that throws a wealth of stats at the view to make their point……and then they stress the dire need for some action on this front…..and then we wait and wait…..nothing has been done after nearly 40 years of these “talks” and programming…..it is all so much worthless rhetoric!

And they choose a couple of different weeks to focus on education…we hear how we need to change the system because we are falling way behind the rest of the world….we hear from this expert and that group, we hear about a successful program in Harlem and then we hear from lawmakers who want to make a difference….and then we wait and wait….and once again…It is so much worthless rhetoric!

Then we have to sit through endless hours of the media bitching about the deficit and then we must listen to the media talk with all the Congress people about the problem and the solutions….we have elections where the people loudly voted for more action on the deficit…..and then the Congress goes and votes for the largest increase in the deficit in years…..over a trillion it will cost for the new tax plan and NOT one job will be created from all this action……and yet again….it was all so much worthless rhetoric!

All this valiant effort is nothing but a sugar high!  A temporary action that has NO lasting outcome or an effective solution other than some feel good moments for those participating in the so called “solutions”….all they accomplish is some questions with NO answers and little promise of solutions….it is all so much rhetoric!

Take a look at what you are getting from the people you elect to protect you from disaster….

Some perspective on the tax cut deal from Ezra Klein: “The $858 billion package does more damage to the deficit than anything other piece of legislation passed during the Obama presidency. It’s also expected to receive the largest bipartisan majority of any major piece of legislation the Senate has considered in the last two years.”

I do not know how much long Americans can go through life with blinders on…..For the love of God……find some people that will be willing to do what it takes to make us energy independent or an educated country or at least find some politicians that are NOT wind bags of worthless rhetoric!

More Than Meets The Eye

It is now official…..we will take the Bush tax cuts in place and yes the wealthy will get wealthier thanx to our president and the Congress…..you have heard all the scuttle-butt…..about the jobs or about the need or about…well whatever the kings of power want you to hear…..but as usual there is more to the story than some would like you to know…..

For instance, the GOP has been yelling about the run away spending of the Obama administration….how he is some sort of drunken sailor when it comes to the government…..and the soon to be speaker of the House called the taxation of the rich as some sort of pile of “chicken crap” (pretty good summation from a real statesman) (sarcasm, BTW)…..

But with all the speeches and all the promises and all the crap….what will it cost to continue  the Bush tax cuts……thanx to CNNMoney for the breakdown…..

Unemployment benefits: $57 billion. The package would also leave in place for 13 months the option to file for extended federal unemployment benefits — which go as high as 99 weeks in states hit hardest by job loss. The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that a year-long extension would cost $57 billion.

Social Security tax break: $120 billion. The package would also offer workers a 2% payroll tax holiday next year, so that instead of paying 6.2% on their first $106,800 of wages, they will only have to pay 4.2%. The White House estimates the measure would cost $120 billion.

Individual tax credits: $40 billion. The compromise framework would also extend for two years the increased value of a number of tax credits that benefit low- and middle-income tax filers, such as the earned income tax credit, the child credit and a revamped tax credit for college costs. The measure would cost $40 billion, the administration said.

Business tax breaks: Cost unclear. It is still not clear how many business tax breaks are in the package. Some, like an extension of the research and development credit, has drawn bipartisan support and is typically renewed annually. But also included is a new temporary option for businesses to write off 100% of their expenses in 2011. A cost estimate was not immediately available.

Estate tax: $88 billion. The compromise framework also includes a lower estate tax, which barring any changes would return in 2011 with a $1 million exemption level and a top rate of 55%. Instead, under the proposal, the exemption level would be raised to $5 million and the top rate lowered to 35%. The administration said it didn’t have a cost estimate yet, but a review of an estate tax proposal with similar parameters by the Tax Policy Center suggests the cost could be roughly $88 billion over 2 years.

Yep…sports fans they will be expensive!  But I thought we were on this kick of deficit reduction….is that not what the last election showed all the analysts?

The one part that I am suspicious of is the part about the social security payroll taxes decreased by 2%…yes it will give people a bit more money in their pockets…..but it will decrease the amount of money in the fund…..which will make it weaker and will help it go bust sooner….the GOP will most likely get their way on some of their moronic SS proposals…..

This is a win-win for the GOP…..not only do their base, the rich, get lots of cash to play with…but they also will weaken an already weakened SS fund….which will mean that something may have to be done sooner than later….and that is their plan and their desire…..I can hear the yells for cuts in entitlements as I type…..

And one last thing…thgis is now Obama’s tax cuts, no longer will it be laid at the feet of Bush……anything that goes wrong will be the sole possession of Obama and the Dems….makes for a great election season…..

To my friends on the Right…..do you recall all the whining, screaming and crying about a government take over?  This bill had NO committee, had NO CBO score and NO real debate and yet it has become law….now you may start screaming about the government takeover that you were so worried about in the recent past……(insert sound of a cricket here)……