Friday Open Thread
Welcome to your Friday open thread. Today is a special Friday, it’s Friday the 13th! I hope only good luck finds you today.
I like this guy, Jared Bernstein, Chief Economic Advisor to the Vice President.
John Boehner wants a lot of people to lose their jobs.
We were awfully surprised to hear Rep. Boehner come out for killing jobs en masse in his own state and district by stopping the Recovery Act on last Sunday’s news shows.
Though we’re sure he didn’t know it, the Congressman is advocating to kill the expansion of the Butler County Community Health Center and bring some of the twenty-five highway projects across the district to a grinding halt. Across the state of Ohio, he said that approximately 4 million working families should get an unexpected cut in their paycheck as the Making Work Pay tax credit disappears, unemployed workers should go without unemployment benefits, and major Ohio road projects like the US-33 Nelsonville Bypass project and the Cleveland Innerbelt Modernization project should be stalled or stopped. Oh, and some of the more than 100 clean energy Recovery projects employing workers across the state should be shut down.
That would be the direct consequence of his suggestion that we shut down the Recovery Act: “There’s still about $400 billion or $500 billion of the stimulus plan that has not been spent. Why don’t we stop it?” Now if you have been following this blog, you know that the notion there is “$400 billion or $500 billion” in Recovery Act funding unspent couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, we’re right on track to hit the goal set when the Recovery Act passed: that 70% of the $787 billion in funds would be “outlaid” or provided in tax benefits by September 30, 2010. But you don’t have to take our word for it – independent fact-checker Politifact.com recently rated Rep. Boehner’s claim flat-out false. As they noted:
[R]ight off the bat, Boehner’s $400 billion to $500 billion figure is much too high.
But then they go on to say:
[W]e think it’s misleading to refer to even that lower number as “unspent” stimulus, because much of the $292 billion has been obligated, even though it has not been paid out.
One’s of the right’s big talking points is that there are unspent stimulus funds. Those are actually funds put aside for the middle-class tax cuts. Ezra Klein notes that since the recession began in 2007, we’ve lost 8M jobs. Only 41,000 jobs have been lost since the stimulus went into effect.
Remember how George W. Bush is the worst president ever? Today’s Republicans make him look good in comparison. Former Bush aide Michael Gerson criticizes the push by today’s Republicans to repeal the 14th amendment.
Today’s dispute over birthright citizenship reveals the immigration debate in its starkest form. Usually, opponents of illegal immigration speak of giving lawbreakers what they deserve. But this does not apply in the case of an infant. Consider two newborn babies at, say, Parkland Hospital in Dallas. One is the child of citizens, the other of illegal immigrants. Critics of birthright citizenship look at the child of immigrants and feel . . . disturbed? Outraged? But why? Do they see a child somehow tainted by illegality? That hardly seems fair. A burden on resources? No more than any other poor child. An alien lacking allegiance? How could they possibly know? Why not a soldier, or an entrepreneur, or, as the Constitution specifically permits, a president?
For nearly a century and a half, Americans have taken the view that these two children at Parkland start their lives as equals. They acquire their rights not because of their parentage or their bloodline or the permission of politicians but because they are born in the United States.
The radical, humane vision of the 14th Amendment can be put another way: No child born in America can be judged unworthy by John Boehner, because each is his equal.
It’s scary to think it could have been worse. Bush was a moderating influence over Cheney? Oy.
Tags: Open Thread
Gays and progressives should do more of this.
“Gay Rights Groups, Progressives Push to Exploit Target Corp. Backlash”
Corporations that love your $, but support politicians that hate you, don’t deserve your business.
D – there is a huge Facebook group already organized. And many people have been returning purchases to Target and closing their credit card accounts because of this.
that is jsut the socialist Obama propaganda getting in the way of the Free Market. If the Free Market see fit to elect a politician, we should do what it wants. blessings of money be unto HIM.
I have to stop and thank you all for making the job of totally dismantling your ideology a walk in the park. Your campaigns are financed by billionaires like Soros and you dare to comdemn Target for picking a side? I knowa, I know do as you say, not as you do…but seriously, its TOO easy to pick you apart, that is why you have managed to piss off most of America in just under 4 years under liberal leadership. Bravo!! Hell, at this rate your party is sinking faster than the Titanic! You may now commence with blaming W for this message and the cold reality that must be overtaking you that deep down you KNOW that the feelgood utopian hash-bash you have advocated for for 100 years is imcompatible in this country. But I give you marks for intensity, and belief, however tragically misguided it may be.
And another teabagging neanderthal emerges from their cave with pearls of wisdom. Thanks for playing, your parting gifts will be sent to you.
maybe he can take a hint from his name and do us all a favor..
and yes, i mean jonestown…. caught that after i hit Submit Comment but wanted to hint he off himself anyway.
I nominate myself for asshat comment.
University of Miami President, Donna Shalala, 69, gets the Arab Treatment at Ben-Gurion Airport
Interrogated for 2.5 hours
Got to love the Mercedes Marxists here who try to deny reality. According to Libs Bush captured the Lindbergh baby but Cheney got him off. Every economic policy you rail against Baby Boy Obama voted for.
When does that clown really become President?
Too bad on election day the corrupt dems and bozo liberals are going to as popular as a fart in church.
IATT is the fart in church. You offer nothing useful here, as usual. Now, go play in your own sandbox and leave the adults to discuss things of importance.
IATT,
Which of us drives a Mercedes and how do you know that.
http://fucktea.com/
shopping for the next Drinking Liberally
Now hold on a minute–let’s take a lookback to history. The 14th Amendment was intended for slaves to be assured citizenship (anyone remember Dred Scott), and the Chinese influx of the 1890’s. That’s a whole different scenario than non-citizens making headway to a border in early labor to secure citizenship for a child, and a sympathy pass to a mother delivered. Citizenship being granted was the least the US could do in both the slavery and Chinese incidents in light of the horrendous conditions they were brought here under. Birthright by what you want to freely excercise is “safe harbor” of a fraudulent nature. I’m sure Dred Scott would have gladly traded citizenship, to not find himself in the circumstances he and his friends, family endured. The incident of which you speak–gladly desires AND seeks after the establishment of such, because of the milk and honey to follow. I don’t blame them–but we don’t have to make it legal.