LEAD STORY-NEW YORK TIMES: Governor, Legislature Agree to Tax the Wealthy to Close Budget Gap

This should be must-reading for Gov. Markell and the General Assembly:

The new plan, which would expire after three years, would represent the largest state income tax increase in recent history, significantly larger than the surcharges imposed from 2003 to 2005, when the state last faced a major recession.

The plan would raise $4 billion a year by creating two new tax brackets, the highest one affecting those who earn $500,000 or more. If approved by rank-and-file lawmakers in the Assembly and State Senate, the tax increases would be a major victory for unions and liberal advocacy groups and a signal of the new balance of power in Albany, where Democrats won control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office in last year’s election.

Although the proposed tax has been called a “millionaires’ tax,” it would affect those with incomes starting at $300,000, who would be taxed at a rate of 7.85 percent. The highest bracket would carry a tax rate of 8.97 percent — the same as New Jersey’s current highest rate.

Hmmm, see the similarity? Democrats now control both houses of the Delaware General Assembly. It only stands to reason that a progressive governor would want to restore progressivity to the Personal Income Tax in Delaware.

BOSTON GLOBE:  Boston College Cancels Appearance by William Ayers

Last minute cancellation, here’s the explanation, if you can call it that:

A spokesman for Boston College issued a brief statement yesterday, referring to the cancellation as an “internal matter at a private university.”

“After extensive discussions between student organizers and university administrators, a decision was reached to cancel the event,” BC spokesman Jack Dunn said in a statement. “In light of additional information that was shared with the students on the actions of the Weather Underground, including their alleged involvement in the killing of a Boston Police officer in nearby Allston, and out of concern for the safety and well being of our students, we believe that the appropriate decision was reached.”

One of the event organizers has a different perspective:

“One of his (Ayers’) big ideas is of educating the whole child, which is sneakily similar to the Jesuit idea cura personalis, which is care for the whole person,” said Roberts. “So we saw the obvious similarities here, and that’s why we invited Ayers to speak.”

Ayers is a professor, and recognized urban policy expert, at UIC. BC has uninvited a professor. The organizers, however, will take the event off-campus. Aren’t Jesuits supposed to be fairly enlightened?

BELLINGHAM (WA) HERALD: National Parks Developing Solutions to Reduce Carbon Footprints

Excellent article heralding the wave of the future. Plenty of ideas that might be incorporated locally as well. No word yet on how Rush Limbaugh intends to ‘celebrate’ these steps forward. Maybe you can come up with some ideas. No doubt ‘a price’s’ includes beans and farting, but that wouldn’t be much of a change for Rush.

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: Secular Pro-Business Mayor Just What Jerusalem Needs?

Nir Barkat seems like the kind of person who might be able to bridge some of the huge religious schisms in Israel. But first, he’s trying to bring Jerusalem into the 21st Century. Or, at least, the 20th.

ASIA TIMES: Disgraced Neo-Cons Don’t Fade Away, They Just Form New Think Tanks

The usual suspects. William Kristol, Robert Kagan, Dan Senor. And, of course, the first keynote speaker: John McCain. Keep an eye on these guys. They’ve proven how dangerous and wrong-headed they can be.

Newspapers falling like dominoes seems to be one of the themes of the year, not unlike the 2 or so banks per week handed over the the FDIC.  It never seems quite real until one thing just crystallizes it all.

And this is it. Just go see what squeezing every last dollar out of a once awfully good paper looks like.

One of my daily reads is George Parker’s AdScam/The Horror! If a blogger could be considered no holds barred, it would be Parker. Even though I am not involved in advertising, Parker’s rants are occasionally humorous, always laced with profanity and often instructive.

Take for instance yesterday’s post, Kudos to Bob Garfield. Parker writes:

Yes, I have taken the piss out of Bob in the past, but you have to take your hat off to him occasionaly, not just for being around longer than the dirt in my back yard, but for frequently hitting the nail firmly on the head.

Parker goes on to tell us to read Bob Garfield’s article, Future May Be Brighter, but It’s Apocalypse Now, in AdvertisingAge.

His piece in this weeks AdAge, titled “Future may be brighter, but it’s Apocalypse now,” should be required reading for every douchenozzle currently running any piece of a floundering media company

[snip]

Read the parable of the 14 year old who can create a global television network with applications that are built into her laptop, to get a grasp of how fucked traditional media, and the fucking dinosaurs who run it are. I insist that all AdScammer’s read this piece. Now, damn it, now!

Apologies to the reader as we have taken a small detour prior to getting to actual point to of this post, Garfield’s piece which details how fucked the institutions of media and marketing are.

Chicken Little, don your hardhat. Nudged by recession, doom has arrived.

[snip]

The sky is falling, the frog in the pot has come to a boil and, oh yeah, we are, most of us, exquisitely, irretrievably fucked.

Garfield dissects the financial troubles of newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, TV networks, cable and, yes, online publishers. Yes, if you are a traditional media giant, apocalypse is nigh, the fat lady is no longer singing, she has  sung and left the building.

Garfield sums up the issue nicely in his Newspaper section:

The audience doesn’t imagine that all cars want to be free, or that all toasters want to be free, or that all paper towels want to be free, but it somehow believes that all content wants to be free.

So, in the words of Parker, don’t be a douchenozzle, go and read Garfield’s article now.

An intriguing proposal from U. S. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland. This would not in any way help the giant media conglomorates, but it appears that this might help local newspapers survive and, maybe eventually, thrive.

Cardin introduced a bill that would allow newspapers to choose tax-exempt status. They would no longer be able to make political endorsements, but could report on all issues including political campaigns.

Advertising and subscription revenue would be tax-exempt, and contributions to support coverage could be tax deductible.

Cardin said in a statement that the bill is aimed at preserving local newspapers, not large newspaper conglomerates.

“We are losing our newspaper industry,” said Cardin. “The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.”

On the surface, this appears to make sense to the Beast Who Slumbers. Of course, maybe if Congress had withstood Newt Gingrich’s push to enable newspaper owners to own TV stations and vice versa, which paved the way for Murdoch, among others, this wouldn’t have been necessary.

Fortunately, this blog has some serious students of newspapers who comment here. So, to anon, Geezer, and everybody else, whaddayathink?

And, decoupled from Gannett (if that’s possible), could this be a model that could lead to the renaissance of the News-Journal?

THREAD UPDATE: FROM WDEL’S ALLAN LOUDELL:

“I’ll be interviewing Senator Cardin on-the-air about this tomorrow (Wednesday) at about 12:15 p.m. during the “WDEL Delaware News at Noon”.

Thanks, Allan. ‘Bulo will be listening.

Arlen Specter can presumably breathe easier. Chris ‘Tweetybird’ Matthews has signed an extension w/MSNBC that will keep him there until after the 2012 elections.

Matthews denies that he was raising the specter (too easy, ‘bulo knows) of a possible race as a bargaining ploy:

Mr. Matthews said that he had been serious about the Senate seat, now held by Arlen Specter, a Republican, and took umbrage at any suggestion that he might have been using the idea as negotiating leverage.

“I think it’s unfair people think like that,” Mr. Matthews said. “That’s sacrilegious.”

He said he had held a lifelong love affair with the Senate. “I grew up reading ‘Advise and Consent.’  (Well, it was a long book.)

“I would go to Washington on high school trips with the band and I would see senators just like in ‘Advise and Consent.’ Humphrey, Dirksen, Goldwater.” He added, “To be a senator was the greatest thing in the world.”

So, whaddayathink? Would you rather have seen Matthews run for the Senate? Would you prefer to see someone else in his place on MSNBC? Does he need to switch to Decaf? Inquiring minds want to know.

LEAD STORY: Philadelphia Inquirer: HOW THE FEDS GOT FUMO.

Somebody’s got to say it. There is not a newspaper in the country doing better investigative work than the Philadelphia Inquirer. Today’s ‘howtheydunit’ is a definitive analysis of how the best the Federal government has working for them can take down even the most powerful lowlife. While it’s not an investigative report per se (the federal agents did the sleuthing), it tells a very complex tale in an easy-to-understand manner. If you think that’s easy to do, try it sometime. 

Boston Globe: Lessons for Delaware? Mass. Tackles State Pension Reform.

This article raised a question or two in ‘bulo’s coconut. Can a state legislator who has another state job, largely b/c the legislator IS  a legislator (*cough* Tony DeLuca *cough*, and about 10 others), be building two full state pensions at the same time? ‘Bulo suspects the answer is ‘yes’, which should be changed to ‘no’. Plus, shouldn’t something be done to discourage early retirees with full state pensions (usually the State Police) who then step into legislative careers or other low-stress second pension sources? At least make sure that it isn’t a full legislative pension.

Chicago Tribune: Southern States Want to Promote Tourism Through Confederate History Month.

They claim it’s just like Black History Month. Only without, you know, blacks. ‘Bulo thinks he knows a bad idea, badly promoted, when he sees it.

Christian Science Monitor: Alexander-Mania Sweeps Macedonia. Neighbors: We’re Getting Screwed, Greek-Style.

Make up names for the rides at the Alexander the Great Theme Park and Curio Emporium.

Dallas Morning News: Texas to Tackle CO2 Emissions.

No, they’re not gonna put little recapture devices on cows’ butts (You people are so ignorant). And, no they’re not calling it global warning (Those people are so stubborn). But Texas appears ready to jump before they are pushed by the EPA. ‘Bulo’s favorite?: “Their aims range from capping the state’s CO2 emissions to positioning Texas to become, as some put it, the Saudi Arabia of carbon disposal.

Despite The Beast Who Slumbers’ irreverence (he once headlined a rasslin’PPV called ‘Brazen on the Brazos’, you should’ve seen his perfectly-rippled musculature back then), there’s some damn good stuff in this article. For example, ‘Bulo did not realize that Texas is the nation’s leader in clean windpower. Now he does. Read the whole thing, it’s good.

McClatchy Newspapers: Medical Marijuana Debate Over. States Won.

Will Markell attend Marleyfest this year? Seriously, this could be a modest revenue enhancer. Not that ‘bulo cares either way…although he might be able to provide some technical assistance.

NYTimes: Are Rich Schools Getting Disproportionately Richer from Education Stimulus Funds?

Sure would be nice to see some way to equalize out the seemingly-random nature of who gets the money.

San Francisco Chronicle: Governator Considering Run to Terminate Sen. Boxer?

What would Sunday morning be w/o a little Political Hot Stove Talk?

Update:  Donviti add’s this to the fold:  Another FRANK RICH That you MUST READ TODAY

LEAD STORY: EPA TO SHUT DOWN SHAM BUSH PROGRAM ON VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE   -Philadelphia Inquirer

Proof that investigative journalism can still work. The Inky uncovered just what a sham (and environmental threat) the so-called ‘Performance Track’ program was:

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration intends to close an EPA program heavily promoted by the Bush administration that rewards voluntary pollution controls by hundreds of corporations with reduced environmental inspections and less stringent regulation, according to EPA sources and internal e-mails.

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is expected to sign, as early as this week, a memo terminating the Performance Track program, senior EPA officials said yesterday.

Performance Track offers regulatory perks to corporations that pledge to save energy and reduce pollution. Entry into Performance Track, EPA’s premier voluntary “green club,” is supposed to be reserved for companies with sterling environmental records, but has been denounced by environmentalists as a public-relations charade.

EPA’s decision comes three months after an Inquirer investigation found that Performance Track lauded companies with suspect environmental records, spent millions on recruiting and publicity, and failed to confirm members’ environmental pledges independently. The program became so desperate for new members, The Inquirer found, that it turned to gift shops and post offices to pad its numbers.

A senior EPA official said in an interview yesterday that The Inquirer’s findings had played a role in Jackson’s decision.

The Inquirer’s investigation of Performance Track was made public in December in a four-part series on the Bush administration’s subversion of the EPA, the federal agency charged with safeguarding human health and the environment.

The Inquirer found that the Bush administration’s antiregulatory bent had driven down funding, regulation, and employee morale as senior political appointees censored the agency’s scientific findings in ways that consistently benefited corporations.

A tip of the Somnambulo Sombrero to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read the entire article, and then go back and read the entire investigative series. It will, at first, make you sick. But then you’ll remember that elections really matter, and so does an effective free press. 

AIG to Pay Out More Millions in Bonuses -Washington Post

Anywhere from $165 mill to $450 mill. Nationalize the bastards, tell ’em that if they can’t live without the bonuses, they’ll have to live w/o their jobs, and be done with it.

Drill, Baby, Drill No More -NYTimes

No, not the Obama policy, the free market at work to ensure higher prices at the pump.

Col. Sanders and KFC to End Cubs’ Futility? -Chi. Sun-Times

Can statue of the bearded one (no, the OTHER bearded one) end the curse of the billy-goat?

Conservative Radio Talk Drying Up in California -LATimes

As goes California, so goes Delaware?

Legislation Will Help Schools Teach Financial Literacy -McClatchy

Could this be the beginning of the end of the credit card industry as we know it?

If you were reading the mainstream media, you would have missed this.

A Nazi-sympathizer and white supremacist, distraught over the election of Barack Obama, purchased ‘depleted uranium’ over the ‘net (!?).

According to the dispatch from ‘Raw Story’, trust-fund millionaire James Cummings had the resources to construct a ‘dirty bomb’ and had been in contact with white supremacist organizations:

“According to an FBI field intelligence report from the Washington Regional Threat and Analysis Center posted online by WikiLeaks, an organization that posts leaked documents, an investigation into the case revealed that radioactive materials were removed from Cummings’ home after his shooting death on Dec. 9,” reported the Bangor Daily News.

“Amber (Cummings) indicated James was very upset with Barack Obama being elected President,” reported the Washington Regional Threat and Analysis Center (PDF link). “She indicated James had been in contact with ‘white supremacist group(s).’ Amber also indicated James mixed chemicals in the kitchen sink at their residence and had mentioned ‘dirty bombs.'”

“Also found was literature on how to build ‘dirty bombs’ and information about cesium-137, strontium-90 and cobalt-60, radioactive materials,” said theBangor Daily. “The FBI report also stated there was evidence linking James Cummings to white supremacist groups. This would seem to confirm observations by local tradesmen who worked at the Cummings home that he was an ardent admirer of Adolf Hitler and had a collection of Nazi memorabilia around the house, including a prominently displayed flag with swastika. Cummings claimed to have pieces of Hitler’s personal silverware and place settings, painter Mike Robbins said a few days after the shooting.”

He was killed by his wife before he could do further damage. In December. 

Will some of the media apologists who occasionally visit this site please explain to El Somnambulo why this story has been virtually ignored by the mainstream media, both print and electronic? Are white supremacists building ‘dirty bombs’ with the possible intent to kill the President not newsworthy? Is this such a commonplace occurrence that it is considered ‘dog-bites-man’? Would the media apply the same standard to, say ‘the shoe bomber’, anyone with an Islamic surname, or to a left-wing whacko engaged in this kind of behavior?

Simply put, can someone with any understanding of journalism please explain why this story has been ignored everywhere except in the local Bangor paper?

Is anybody with a functioning brain awake at editors’ desks across the country? Or has editing been contracted out to Swedish chimps as a cost-saving measure?