August 4, 2012

USPS defaults on $5.5 billion payment. Is congress purposely killing the Postal Service?

On Wednesday the United States Postal Services was unable to make a $5.5 billion payment due to the U.S. Treasury. This is the first ever default by the “off-budget” service. I say off budget because the USPS is self-sufficient. It’s operating costs are paid for by the services it sells (i.e. stamps). The requirement to pay the $5.5 billion is a problem that congress created and since congress has chosen to allow the USPS to default, I have one simple question: Is congress intentionally trying to kill the Postal Service?

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August 4, 2012

If government was willing, the unemployment rate could be as low as 5%

Another month end, another jobs report. On Friday we received the numbers for August and it was both good news and bad news for President Obama. The good news is that the economy added 163,000 jobs in July which was well above analyst expectations. The bad news is that the unemployment rate ticked up from 8.2% to 8.3%. That small of a change in the unemployment rate (in either direction) isn’t really significant, but the unemployment rate could be several whole points lower by now if government did what it always does in a bad economy: spend money.

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August 3, 2012

Paul Krugman: Neither candidate is offering a realistic tax plan

Running for office, especially president, has become more about the sport of it, more about the person running, and less about the country. Because of this we get fiscally reckless tax policy from both sides of the isle that panders to an ignorant, self-absorbed public. It’s easy to call for tax cuts. It’s weak to call for tax cuts when you know taxes need to be raised. At least on some level President Obama recognizes this with his call to raise taxes on the top 2%. Mitt Romney however, is completely delusional on tax policy. The idea that you can severely cut taxes and make up for it by closing loopholes and growing the economy is ludicrous. It’s what you say to people when you are more concerned with winning a job and less concerned with serving the country.

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August 2, 2012

Senator Harry Reid says Romney “didn’t pay taxes for 10 years”

This story has been widely reported, but I thought I’d write about it because I like to call out nonsense, left or right. In case you missed it, Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) revealed to the Huffington Post that a Bain Capital investor told him that Mitt Romney “didn’t pay taxes for 10 years.” Reid added, “Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain.” Not certain? Seems to me if you are the majority leader in the Senate you might want to be sure before throwing around charges like that. Reid also said, “His poor father must be so embarrassed about his son.” Really Reid? Bringing Romney’s father into your bullshit story? Even if your story is true, saying that his dad would be embarrassed is really a low blow. Jon Stewart called out Reid’s bullshit on last night’s Daily Show segment titled, You, Harry Reid, Are Terrible:

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August 2, 2012

Republicans endorse English as official language, offer nothing constructive to create jobs

All you hear from Republicans is how President Obama has failed on the economy and how the “stimulus didn’t work,” yet Republicans offer nothing constructive. The one thing that “do nothing” Republicans in congress are actually quite good at doing? Obstruction. Well, that and trying to pass bills that have nothing to do with improving the country, whether it’s nearly 3 dozen votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), restrictions on women’s rights or today’s waste of time: a hearing about an “English-only” bill proposed by, you guessed it, House Republicans.

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August 1, 2012

You are poor because you aren’t working hard enough

Yeah, I said it. You are poor because you aren’t working hard enough. You find yourself in poverty because you lack the work ethic of the rich and successful. You are a freeloader if you are on food stamps or unemployment insurance. Why don’t you get off your ass and find yourself a job already? I’m tired of your whining. I’m tired of my tax dollars being used to support your sorry ass. Stop being a drain on society and make something of yourself. You live in America, home of the American dream. If you aren’t wealthy, you only have yourself to blame.

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July 31, 2012

Affordable Care Act: Women’s preventive health services begin August 1, 2012

Starting tomorrow a long list of preventive health benefits for women kicks in as part of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) provided a rebuke of Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) call for a vote to repeal Obamacare. In her response she listed the women’s preventative benefits that will go into effect on August 1, 2012:

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