August 6, 2012

Curiosity: NASA Mars rover lands successfully, proves government can still work

On November 26, 2011, NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), a robotic probe, on an 8 month trip to the planet Mars. Early Monday, August 6, 2012 the Mars rover Curiosity successfully landed in the Gale Crater on the Martian surface.  Major private contractors on the project include Boeing and Lockheed Martin, but make no mistake, NASA is still a government agency, and the successful launch and landing of Curiosity (which is the size of a car) on Mars is proof that government can still accomplish big things.

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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 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 21, 2012

Mitt Romney’s ‘you didn’t build that’ moment

President Obama accurately explained in a recent speech (used out of context by the right for political gain) that the people who start businesses rely on the infrastructure that “We the People” have built. In a civil and democratic society, we collectively build the roads, bridges, schools and employ the teachers that make it possible for anyone with a dream to pursue it and start a business. Remove politics from the equation and you won’t find many who would disagree with this, but there are many who forget it when they say government is the problem, not the solution. This is not a zero sum game. The success of business, the economy and capitalism itself can be achieved through hard work in both the public and private sectors.

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July 19, 2012

Obama’s ‘you didn’t build that’ remark leads to yet another lie by Romney and conservatives

In a speech last week President Obama had his Elizabeth Warren moment. The president accurately explained (although he could have worded it better) why government has a role in the economy. At no time did Obama say that business owners aren’t responsible for creating their own businesses. He’s only pointing out what should be obvious unless you are someone who believes without proof that government is always evil or wrong. In other words, a right-wing partisan hack.

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July 7, 2012

AP – Is Libertarianism Gaining Ground In American Politics?

As a liberal I can agree with libertarians on some social issues. Libertarians, at least true libertarians, would not want government telling women what to do with their bodies. Libertarians also tend to see the nonsense that is the war on drugs, particularly when it comes to marijuana. And as a liberal I feel strongly about person freedom and civil liberties, but I also recognize the role that government can play as an extension of the community. If institutions like government aren’t working it’s our job to make them work, not rebel against them. I believe a fundamentalist libertarian worldview is untenable on a hot and crowded planet of 7 billion people.

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July 6, 2012

Former GOP Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman To Skip Republican Convention

Jon Huntsman Results Party - photo by WEBN-TVJon Huntsman announced he will not be attending the Republican convention later this summer. This would not be news except for the reason he gave for not attending. Huntsman said, “I will not be attending this year’s convention, nor any Republican convention in the future, until the party focuses on a bigger, bolder, more confident future for the United States – a future based on problem solving, inclusiveness, and a willingness to address the trust deficit, which is every bit as corrosive as our fiscal and economic deficits.” I once again say Jon Huntsman is Mr. Reasonable. This doesn’t mean I would support many of his policies, but at least he isn’t in lockstep with a party that thinks government and politics is a big game to be utilized to favor the wealthy ruling class while impoverishing the already impoverished.

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April 19, 2012

PA Sen. Pat Toomey: Only A ‘Small Segment’ Of Americans Are In Need

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) apparently believes the poverty problem in this country is overblown. At least that is what I interpret from his statement that Americans “who really need help” are only a “small segment of our society.” Toomey made these statements while unveiling the Senate Republican budget plan for 2013. Toomey and his budget cohorts have concluded that the current assistance programs “encourage dependency.” This is nothing new, many Republicans have made similar statements for years and decades. Every time I hear a Republican make a claim like this I ask, “where’s your proof?” Well OK, I haven’t asked them personally, but you know what I mean.

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