February 15, 2014

Mergers Like Comcast-Time Warner Are NEVER Good For Customers

When one massive corporation merges with another massive corporation, the result is never good for customers. The spinmeisters can say what they will, but these mergers are not done to benefit customers, instead they are done to service greed. This is the capitalist formula: Grow, and grow some more, and then when it seems there’s no more growth potential, do whatever you can to grow yet again. And for many very large companies, it is the merger that has allowed them to continue to appease those shareholders. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts calls this a “pro-consumer” merger. “The combination of Time Warner Cable and Comcast creates an exciting opportunity for our company, for our customers and for our shareholders,” said Roberts in a media conference call. But that is a lie, as mergers like Comcast-Time Warner do not lead to lower prices and higher competition, they lead to the exact opposite, and that is hardly “exciting” for customers. But he is right about one thing, this is exactly what the shareholders want. These mergers are not about doing right by the customer, they are about doing right by the shareholders, and that includes top executive compensation.

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January 31, 2014

Is Government Inherently Corrupt?

Conservatives believe government is inherently corrupt. They believe government cannot be trusted to do anything really important except for national security, oh yeah, and regulate women’s bodies. Oh, and also stifle access to the voting booth. And I guess on those two issues, conservatives actually are right, government is corrupt. Well, more specifically, certain people in government do corrupt things, like play master of the uterus.

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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 8, 2014

The Economics Of Moral Outrage, How Liberals And Conservatives Differ

At some point we as a society need to come to terms with the fact that economic status is not a good barometer for morality, and it certainly tells you nothing of the character of a human being. You are not in higher moral standing because you earn a larger paycheck. And a person should not automatically be assumed morally suspect because they are unemployed, or can’t pay their mortgage, or can’t keep food on the table.

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December 18, 2013

The REAL Problem With The Obamacare Website

I’ve figured it out. I’ve cracked the code. Do you want to know the REAL problem with the Obamacare website? It’s the name. It confuses conservatives. For decades conservatives have admonished government health care, calling it all sorts of names and characterizing the people who advocate for true universal health care as un-American.

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October 24, 2013

Conservatives Believe All Democratic Presidents Are Illegitimate

One thing is clear if you pay attention to politics, there’s a large contingent of conservatives in this country who believe a Democratic president, any Democratic president, is automatically illegitimate. It doesn’t matter that the Democratic president was elected by a majority (or plurality) of American citizens, because that never actually happened, according to conservatives. See in conservative fantasia, they believe most Americans are conservatives too, and because they believe this, that means no Democrat, especially not one with any liberal ideas, could possibly win a presidential election on the merits.

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October 22, 2013

Government Offers Reasonably Priced ACA Collector’s Edition In Lieu Of Actual Affordable Care

WASHINGTON, DC — Glitches in the federal health care exchange website (healthcare.gov) have prompted the Obama administration to offer an alternative to the affordable health care promised under the new law, at least temporarily. To demonstrate their ability to offer an affordable product, anything really, the White House released this statement today to appease Republicans on Capitol Hill and the tens of millions of Americans who still do not have access to affordable health care insurance.

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October 16, 2013

Government Shutdown: The Ridiculous Republican Spectacle Is Over, For Now, We Hope

Of course, until the House votes on it, you really can’t say anything is over. But it appears the ridiculous Republican spectacle, which shut down the government and brought the United States within hours of default, will finally end tonight. The Senate is voting right now, the House is supposed to vote later this evening. And what did Republicans get for shutting down the government? Nothing. Well, other than a ding to their poll numbers.

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