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"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
—Justice Louis Brandeis_________________________ 
Mother Jones- America 10 Years After Sequestration May 21, 2013
- Conviction of Genocidal Dictator Efrain Rios Montt Overturned by Guatemala's Highest Court May 21, 2013
- Why the Government Surveillance of Fox's James Rosen Is Troubling May 21, 2013
- 4 Ways Apple CEO Tim Cook Spins Tax Avoidance May 21, 2013
- "Mark Is Not Going To Die In Vain": New Yorkers Rally After Murder of Gay Man May 21, 2013
The Hill- The FBI’s surveillance power in the aftermath of BostonLast month’s tragic attack on the Boston marathon leaves us wanting answers — not just about why it occurred, but why we failed to prevent it. One tempting answer is that the FBI could have prevented the Boston attack if it had more power and fewer legal encumbrances. That seems to be the wrongheaded if understandable impulse of former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I- […]
- Pope Francis condemns the cult of greed, Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan support itIn recent remarks that were stunning and profound, Pope Francis harshly criticized what he called "the cult of money" and condemned what he called the "dictatorship" of economies that are socially unjust and morally unfair.These remarks, reported in The Daily Telegraph and highlighted on the Drudge Report (but not in major American media) […]
- Baucus on IRS: 'I have a hunch that a lot more is going to come out'Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the Senate Finance Committee Chairman, predicted in an interview airing Sunday that the scandal surrounding the Internal Revenue Service selectively targeting conservative political groups will grow. Read more... […]
- Poll: 83 percent oppose allowing knives on airplanesEighty-three percent of likely voters are opposed to allowing knives on airplanes, according to a poll commissioned by a union for flight attendants. The survey was conducted after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pushed earlier this year to allow knives with blades smaller than 2.36 inches onto airplanes for the first time since the Sept. 11 […]
- Poll finds younger people expect their costs to rise under ObamaCareNearly two-thirds of people younger than 40 expect their health insurance premiums to rise because of the healthcare law. Read more... […]
- News bites: DOT picture dayYour morning transportation speed-read: Read more... […]
National Memo- Leading Senate Democrat: IRS Behavior Intolerable May 21, 2013WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading Senate Democrat says the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups was intolerable, and he is promising to get to the bottom of how it happened. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus made his remark Tuesday as his panel began Congress’ second hearing on the extra scrutiny the IRS gave Read More... […]
- Teen Star Zendaya Finishes 1st On ‘Dancing’ Finals May 21, 2013LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four finalists are vying for the “Dancing With the Stars” title, and just one point separates the top two contestants. A new champion will be crowned Tuesday. Football pro Jacoby Jones, Olympian Alexandra Raisman, singer Kellie Pickler and 16-year-old Disney Channel star Zendaya each did three dances on Monday’s episode of Read More... […]
- Justin Bieber’s Monkey Becomes German Property May 21, 2013BERLIN (AP) — Justin Bieber’s pet monkey is now the property of Germany. Mally the Monkey was seized by German customs March 28 when Bieber failed to produce required vaccination and import papers for the animal after landing in Munich for a European tour. He had until midnight Friday to produce those documents. Customs spokesman Read More... […]
- Depardieu To Play A Chechen Man Seeking Revenge May 21, 2013GROZNY, Russia (AP) — French actor Gerard Depardieu will star in a drama about a Chechen man who seeks revenge for the killing of his son. Chechnya, a southern Russian province, has been in the spotlight since it emerged that the suspects in April’s Boston marathon bombing are ethnic Chechens. The predominantly Muslim province was Read More... […]
- Uganda Leader’s Legacy At Stake In General’s Case May 21, 2013KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Analysts in Uganda say an army general’s concern that officials are at risk of assassination if they oppose President Yoweri Museveni’s plan to have his son succeed him is controversial because it challenges the president’s reputation as a moderate leader. Police raided a Kampala newspaper Monday to search for evidence against Read Mor […]
- SAfrican Court Acquits Brother Of Oscar Pistorius May 21, 2013JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Oscar Pistorius’ older brother cried tears of relief Tuesday as a magistrate acquitted him of culpable homicide and negligent driving for the death of a woman in a road accident. The case attracted international interest because the two Pistorius two brothers — including double-amputee Olympics star Oscar — faced court cases for Read More […]
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"If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich."
—John F. Kennedy_________________________ Maddow Blog- What James Inhofe sees as 'different' May 21, 2013We talked earlier about Oklahoma's junior senator, Republican Tom Coburn (R), announcing last night that he will only support federal disaster relief -- for his own constituents -- if it's financed by comparable spending cuts elsewhere. But what about Oklahoma's senior senator? … […]
- In Oklahoma, safe rooms can save lives May 21, 2013The tiny town of Tushka, Oklahoma, sits a couple hours drive southeast of Moore. And like Moore, Tushka is vulnerable to tornadoes. A twister rated EF-3 struck Tushka in 2011, leveling much of the town. But as the Tulsa World noted at the time, Tushka was not defenseless: […]
- 'Apologize to Apple'? May 21, 2013Apple may be one of the nation's richest companies, but it did so by avoiding billions in taxes here and around the world. Congressional investigators found that the tech giant created "a web of subsidiaries so complex it spanned continents and went beyond anything most experts h … […]
- Obama to Oklahoma: 'You will not travel that path alone' May 21, 2013President Obama spoke from the White House this morning on yesterday's devastation in Oklahoma, giving the public an update on rescue efforts and how Americans can help with emergency relief. For those who can't watch clips online, I posted a full transcript after the jump. […]
- Parties moving in opposite directions May 21, 2013I suspect Republican officials, especially in Washington, had high hopes about the latest batch of polls. After all, the Beltway has embraced "scandal mania" in recent weeks, subjecting President Obama to near-constant criticism, even though the controversies don't relate to him … […]
- Why Virginia Republicans are 'panicking' May 21, 2013Jamelle Bouie summarized the issue perfectly yesterday: "The Virginia GOP has essentially posed an experiment: Can we win off-year elections regardless of who we run?" That's funny, but it's not hyperbolic. Virginia is no longer the Republican stronghold it once was, and at least … […]
The Hill business, lobbying- How Reagan inspired a buzzwordDeborah Wince-Smith has been connecting the dots of science, technology and economics for more than 25 years. Read more... […]
- Unions break ranks on ObamaCareMonths after Obama's reelection, a variety of unions are publicly balking at how the administration plans to implement the law. Read more... […]
- K Street lobbyists say their near-term priorities are scandal-proofK Street lobbyists are confident their legislative priorities won’t be thrown off course by executive branch scandals. Read more... […]
- Bottom Line• BUDGET. Political science professors are getting lobbying help from a former congresswoman. Barbara Kennelly Associates, headed up by former Rep. Barbara Kennelly (D-Conn.), has Read more... […]
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"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
—John Kenneth Galbraith_________________________ Paul Krugman- Sharing Abuse Fairly May 21, 2013I'm for it. […]
- The Theory of Interstellar Finance May 20, 2013Coming soon. […]
- Where Are The Deficit Celebrations? May 20, 2013Think of the scolds left behind. […]
- Dead Ingot Bounce May 20, 2013Thud. […]
- Macroeconomic Machismo May 20, 2013Seriousness, not sadism. […]
Robert Reich- Global Capital and the Nation State May 20, 2013As global capital becomes ever more powerful, giant corporations are holding governments and... […]
- The IRS and the Real Scandal May 17, 2013“This systematic abuse cannot be fixed with just one resignation, or two,” said David... […]
- Pyromaniacs on the Potomac: The Problem With Obama's Second Term May 16, 2013Six months into a second term and the Obama White House is on the defensive and floundering:... […]
- The Triumph of Progressivism: Graduation 2013 and 1968 May 14, 2013Many of you soon-to-be college graduates are determined to make the world a better place. Some of... […]
- Working Mother's Day May 12, 2013My mother went into paid work soon after my father’s clothing store was flooded out in a... […]
Handy
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"(Men often) forget that constructive change offers the best method of avoiding destructive change; that reform is the antidote to revolution; and that social reform is not the precursor but the preventive of socialism."
—Theodore Roosevelt_________________________ Media Matters- Solange Uwimana: Fox News Contributors Sign Letter Urging Immigration Reform Defeat May 21, 2013At least six Fox News contributors have reportedly signed on to an open letter opposing the comprehensive immigration reform legislation currently being debated in the Senate. Fox News, which has admitted it is the "voice of opposition" on certain issues, has long ignored and even fostered such unethical behavior from its personalities. According t […]
- Simon Maloy: The Enduring Legend Of The Bureaucrat Whisperer May 21, 2013The Wall Street Journal opinion page is turning into the go-to source for documenting President Obama's supernatural influence over the thoughts and actions of IRS employees. Reagan DOJ veterans David Rivkin and Lee Casey wrote a May 21 Journal op-ed arguing that fault for the IRS's inappropriate targeting of conservative non-profit applicants lies […]
- Media Matters staff: WND Asks Why Bestiality Isn't Treated The Same As Homosexuality May 21, 2013WND columnist Les Kinsolving equated homosexuality to bestiality, suggesting that people who engage in bestiality should receive the same legal protections afforded to gay people in same-sex relationships. In a May 20 column titled "Why Not An Additional 'B' To LGBT?," Kinsolving suggested that people engaged in bestiality should be allow […]
- Carlos Maza: Will Media Outlets Fall For The Anti-Gay Boy Scout Trap Again? May 21, 2013As the Boy Scouts prepare to vote on whether to change the organization's ban on openly gay members, news outlets should resist the urge to let anti-gay activists frame the debate around concerns about pedophilia and sexual abuse. On May 23, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will vote on a proposal that would rescind the organization's ban on openly […]
- Hannah Groch-Begley: "Irrelevant": Fox Distorts Obama Adviser's Remarks In Continued Scandal Mongering Campaign May 20, 2013Fox News distorted remarks from White House Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer to falsely claim the Obama administration felt recent controversies involving the IRS and the attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, were "irrelevant." Pfeiffer's full comments made clear, however, that the administration felt the IRS targeting particula […]
- Remington Shepard: Fox Attempts To Reinvigorate Its Campaign Against Susan Rice May 20, 2013Fox News baselessly accused former U.N. Ambassador and potential National Security Adviser Susan Rice of willfully lying about the Benghazi attacks during her September 2012 Sunday news show appearances, despite it being widely reported that Rice used talking points approved by the intelligence community. In fall 2012, Fox News claimed that Rice lied in her […]
Electoral reform
David Cay Johnston- A gamble down on the boardwalk September 14, 2012Americans who think more legalized gambling can ease their state and local tax burdens should take a close look at the travails of Atlantic City. When gambling is available everywhere, is it profitable anywhere? […]
- A tale of two healthcare plans September 11, 2012No issue affecting taxes so clearly divides the two parties in the U.S. election as healthcare. The two parties, in their platforms, describe very different approaches to healthcare economics. Both use political plastic surgery to cover up ugly truths. […]
- Romney and Ryan’s dangerous tax roadmap September 7, 2012Romney and Ryan's approach favors dynastic wealth with largely tax-free or completely tax-free lifestyles, encouraging future generations of shiftless inheritors. What we need instead is a tax system that encourages strivers in competitive markets, not a perpetual oligarchy. […]
- Why ZIRP may mean zip August 31, 2012Even if you are not one of the 44 million Americans lucky enough to be in a private-sector traditional pension plan, you should care because if enough fail, your tax dollars will be needed to clean up after them. […]
- The victims of low-interest locusts August 10, 2012Another financial crisis looms for U.S. taxpayers: collapsing investment incomes for older Americans as artificially reduced interest rates force them to use up their savings and drive more pension plans into failure. […]
- The troubled trade deal with South Korea July 31, 2012In March, the United States and South Korea implemented a Free Trade Agreement that President Barack Obama touts as more significant than the last nine such agreements combined. I think the president suffers from irrational trade exuberance. […]
- Idle corporate cash piles up July 16, 2012IRS data suggests that, globally, U.S. nonfinancial companies hold at least three times more cash and other liquid assets than the Federal Reserve reports, idle money that could be creating jobs, funding dividends or even paying a stiff federal penalty tax for hoarding corporate cash. […]
