January 30, 2014
Let’s Decide Fate Of Social Security, Medicare, On The Words Of An Email Chain Letter
So here’s an inane chain email by some anonymous fool…
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January 28, 2014
State of the Union 2014, Official GOP Response: More Anti-Obamacare Babble
In the official Republican response to President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said, “No, we shouldn’t go back to the way things were, but the President’s health care law is not working.”
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January 24, 2014
Economic Inequality Is A Clear And Present Danger To American Democracy
The phrase “clear and present danger” is the standard by which freedom of speech can be abridged. As the saying goes, nobody has the right to shout “fire” in a theater. The United States Supreme Court began citing this standard in 20th century rulings, reaffirming that freedom of speech stops at the point where it puts pubic safety in peril. The idea is controversial, but it should be understood that constitutional rights are not absolute. Whether you agree with this standard as it applies to freedom of speech, is of little importance here. It only matters that you understand what it means, because economic inequality is a clear and present danger to American democracy.
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January 20, 2014
Taxing The Rich: A Liberal Argument For A Progressive Tax System To Grow The Economy
Conservatives will play the “class warfare” card if you dare mention a tax increase on the rich. And if you talk about income inequality, well, this means you are simply envious, and you are trying to “punish success.” But for this conservative “logic” to be rational, wouldn’t we have to consider the current progressive tax system to also be unfair? — Well, as it turns out, that is exactly what many conservatives say about progressive taxation, but it doesn’t mean their assessment is sound.
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January 20, 2014
President Obama Says Marijuana Less Dangerous Than Alcohol, Shows Support For Legalization
Just as he did on same-sex marriage, President Obama has “evolved” on the criminality of marijuana. Well, to be fair, it’s entirely possible the president has always held his current opinion on pot, but you’d be hard-pressed to believe that is the case until recently.
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January 13, 2014
Talking Absolutes: The Language Of Free Market Conservatives
Free market conservatives say government cannot address the problem of poverty. They say government can’t create jobs. They assume all people who are not making a living wage must not be working, or working hard enough, and so that means they are undeserving of any government assistance. And they say government cannot give to someone unless it has taken from someone else.
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January 7, 2014
Inexplicable Republican Opposition To Extending Unemployment Benefits
Okay, I did say it’s inexplicable, but let me take a stab at it anyway. Republicans are opposed to extending unemployment insurance because it does not solve the problem of joblessness. Fair enough, I can agree unemployment benefits do not lead directly to job creation, but that itself is not a reason to deny people those benefits. It’s not like jobs aren’t being created because unemployment insurance is a thing.
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November 21, 2013
Harry Reid And Senate Democrats Vote To Limit Filibuster Use
Today Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Democrats voted for the so-called “nuclear option,” to end the procedural filibuster and the 60-vote threshold for judicial and executive nominees. Democrats had good reason to change the Senate rules in the middle of a session because Republicans have managed to double the all-time number of judicial and executive nominee filibusters during Obama’s presidency. Now that’s some bat shit crazy conservative obstruction.
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November 17, 2013
Medicaid Expansion Success Means Liberals Should Go On A National Health Care Offensive
It’s time for liberals to go on the offensive. It’s time for a new strategy. Instead of defending progress from 50 years ago, we need to carve out our goals to achieve progress over the next 50 years. And when it comes to social policy, the best defense is a strong offense. Social Security faced fierce opposition in its day, and so did Medicare several decades later, but outside the right-wing fringe, these programs are popular and are examples of progress carved out by politicians who went on the offense to achieve social and economic justice.
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November 10, 2013
So President Obama Lied To You About Your Health Care Insurance Plan
So it turns out President Obama, the same president you’ve scoffed at, ridiculed, and displayed contempt for, lied to you about your insurance plan. Obama said, “If you like your plan, you can keep it,” and now that turns out not to be true for you, Mr. Outraged Republican.
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