SeniorJunior

The Most Successful (and Destructive) Propaganda Campaign Ever    Have you noticed? In our budget discussions we-the-people are like a one-legged man.... ...Trying to dance with a huge, two-legged woman. Half the equipment we need for movement is missing. Simply gone. Our dancing partner has more equipment than she needs. There could be four horses under that tent of a dress. Guess who leads? And one after another of us, including really smart people amid the dummies, don't seem to notice the situation. The "one legged man" - the middle class and poorer folks seeking a solution for our ailing national, state and local government budgets - is in a dance with absolute apocalypse. A strong, fair , intelligent, problem-solving dance (discussion) is necessary for us to have any hope of avoiding this apocalypse. So who is our dance partner? Not that good old foursome, Conquest, War, Famine and Death. So who? How about Oligarchs and their Lobbyists, Propagandi

Sort of Makes Me Sick Something is wrong here . "Public Employee Pension Funds Underfunded by $1.5 Trillion" When a state government negotiates pensions for state workers, then fails to fund them... that's, let's see... Lying (to the future pensioners), Irresponsible (to taxpayers), Damaging (to the economy) and Stupid (beyond belief). That's obscene in my book. Of course corporations have been making the same obscene decisions as well. It just seems stupider when it is our state legislators and executives doing it. Why don't we hear some specifics, like which legislators and governors did it? Why aren't they the object of our scorn? Why aren't they held accountable? But no, the public worker unions - who negotiated in good faith, and assumed the other side would act in good faith - get the blame. Who's side would you say the "corporate media" is on? Reporting a big story and leaving out the

Great Minds, etc. I love it when someone I admire and respect agrees with me. Today, Mr. Klein , The Washington Post’s wunderkind (he’s 26!) highlighted four NY Times pieces that I just happen to think are super. He did it in his “Wonkbook” newsletter. (It’s free and good every day!) 1. Paul Krugman’s “ Eat the Future ” about how the Republican budget slashes are “unserious and inhumane” and kind of dumb in that they hardly touch the deficit while they crush actual people (Don’t forget, they slash NPR & PBS too). 2. Steven Pearlstein’s “ It's Make-or-Break Time for Manufacturing ” about how government can help (hear that, Repubs?), but it’s also up to the multi-national corporations to stop the cancerous loss of manufacturing in America. 3. Felix Salmon’s “ Wall Street’s Dead End ” about how the market is no longer doing what it’s supposed to do, let all Americans share in the success of American companies. I’v

Tough to Find, But Definitely Worth It! A tool made in the USA! And at a Big Box store (Home Depot) to boot. In these times when it's harder and harder to find that "Made in U.S.A." note - especially on tools - this was a great find. And it's a great tool. Super stripper, bolt trimmer, etc. Klein Tools. The default store for tools, "Harbor Freight" is the big chain that is basically a Chinese manufacturing outlet. I challenge you to find "Made in U.S.A." there. I think I'm becoming a protectionist. Horrors. Pretty soon, I will propose a boycott of S. Korean cars. But I'll wait 'til I research it a bit more.

...About Climate Change If you are casting a dragnet for clarifying info on the (apparently to some) confusing facts about the REALLY BIG MESS we are heading into with our dosing the atmosphere with our carbon refuse, try this site . Like weekly. It's on my new favorite web site, Architecture 2030 . Give it a shot. pix credit

...Years Old! My Mom. Today. This is that sweet girl at 17. And she still looks good. Not many dudes my age can still go see their moms in person. Happy birthday, Jimmie Duff. love, scooter

Here Come the Republicans! Oct. 1 ( Bloomberg ) -- U.S. House Republicans’ pledge to cut $100 billion from the federal budget next year would slash spending for education, cancer research and aid to local police and firefighters. A 21 percent cut in Pell Grants would take almost $5 billion from student tuition. A 21 percent cut across the board would take about $15 billion from education. A 21 percent cut at the National Institutes of Health would take about $6 billion from health research. A 21 percent cut would take $400 million from police. I could go on, but it makes me cry, and you don't want a sobbing blogger. Especially when letting the tax cuts for those making over a quarter million bucks a year expire would save all that and have about the same impact as those cruel cuts on the budget. You know I don't think the Democrats are always right, but I agree with their statement about all this cutting into the hearts of our citizens: “It will have a serious impact