Friday Open Thread [5.31.13]

Yesterday, there was a protest at the Sallie May HQ down in Newark:
They carried signs, chanted and sang as they marched to Sallie Mae's offices before the company's annual shareholder meeting. They came demanding to meet with company leaders in hopes of airing their concerns with rocketing student loan debt. "We were sold degrees that aren’t worth what they were worth," said Sara Fitouri, a first year law school student at the University of Denver who is $145,000 in debt. "We don’t believe students should have to pay those debts." The students were successful in getting company officials to agree to a sit down meeting with leaders. Sallie Mae Board Chairman Anthony Terracciano told the students they would get their meeting, but not today because company leaders were all busy in board meetings.

Thursday Open Thread [5.30.13]

If you haven't been following the saga of Toronto's alleged crack-smoking and murdering mayor, you should start here with Josh Marshall, who has been following the story in depth. Sometimes our enemies reveal why they are our enemies. Exxon's CEO on his opposition to alternative energy and cutting our dependence on oil:
"What good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?"
So you may have heard yesterday that President Obama has tapped a former Bush official to lead the FBI and you may have screamed a little bit to yourself. But there is a good reason why....

The Men Of FOX News Latest Freak Out

First, this happened: Women are not only more likely to be the primary caregivers in a family. Increasingly, they are primary breadwinners, too. Four in 10 American households with children…
Wilmington Budget Follies

Wilmington Budget Follies

For the past few weeks, the back and forth over coming to some agreement over the Wilmington budget for the next fiscal year has been a source of a great deal of cynicism, exasperation and a fair amount of entertainment. While there is not alot to be proud of here -- at bottom we have a new administration who seems to think that they can get things done by fiat. For all of the yelling and screaming about what the Wilmington City Charter says -- it still gives the Administration the power to spend the money that City Council allocates to it. That is pretty basic everywhere. Even though the Council spent much of its time rubber-stamping much of the Baker Administration's work, I wish I could be more hopeful in a more energized Council who will actually do what the Charter expects of them.

Wednesday Open Thread [5.29.13]

NY Congressman Peter King (R):
"We know the type of suffering that people go through during these types of crises and we're not going to hold - I'm certainly not going to hold the good people of Oklahoma hostage because they may have some hypocrites in their delegation. [...] We had to wait over 100 days before we even got the aid approved to New York and New Jersey. Now, we find the senator from Oklahoma who voted against aid to New York and New Jersey saying that aid should be sent to Oklahoma because there's a difference between tornado assistance and hurricane assistance. This is absolute hypocrisy."
And we have some polling goodness inside..
BREAKING: State GOP Chair John Sigler Resigns

BREAKING: State GOP Chair John Sigler Resigns

.... for personal reasons. The News Journal alert I just received described the decision as being abrupt. From the First State Politics blog over at the NJ, Sigler resigned via a letter to party leaders this morning, saying:
“It is with deep regret and a profound disappointment that I must inform you that, due to newly emergent and totally unexpected circumstances that are completely beyond my control, I am unable to continue to serve you as the Chairman of the Republican State Committee of Delaware,” said Sigler, a former National Rifle Association president who took over the party after the devastating 2010 elections.
This feeling… a mixture of celebration and sadness… I felt it in 2009…

This feeling… a mixture of celebration and sadness… I felt it in 2009…

when a certain failed vice presidential candidate decided that she craved money and fame more than she craved political office and you know... doing the job she was elected to do. When she quit, I felt happy enought to dance in the streets for she was not in government anymore and could no longer hurt her constituents and damage the country with her Christofascist theocratic politics. But I also felt sadness for two reasons: 1) she was no longer going to be in office which meant it was likely she was not going to be a presidential candidate and thus a very easy opponent to destroy in a 45 state landslide, and 2) it meant that she was going to be more present in our culture than less (i.e. Dancing with the Stars, reality shows, constant appearances, her role in the 2010 elections). Former failed presidential candidate and radical right Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is retiring. She will not seek reelection.