Blog Archive: October, 2012

Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games.

You haven't heard much...or perhaps anything...yet about a disaster relief supplemental appropriation for the state and local governments and individuals who were hit so hard by Sandy.

More »»

Originally published at TruthOut.

One of the major growth industries in Washington is the promotion of budget hysteria. Well-funded groups have weekly, if not daily, events designed to hype the country’s budget situation. Much of the national media, most importantly the Washington Post, have enlisted in this effort, devoting both their opinion and news sections toward this goal.

Unfortunately for the deficit-crisis industry, the facts may stubbornly refuse to cooperate. Any discussion of the deficit requires separating out the short-term and the long-term story. The short-term story is very simple. The economy collapsed in 2008 when the housing bubble burst. That is the story of the large budget deficits that we have seen in the last five years: full stop.

More »»

Poll after poll has shown that the public rejects the millionaire-oriented, tax-cutting, government-slashing austerity plan known as "Simpson Bowles." And yet politicians in both parties keep trying to force it through the legislative process under the banner of a "Grand Bargain." Word is they're going to try again, either during the lame-duck session or when the new Congress convenes in January. more »

More »»

Candidate Mitt Romney is trying to "get the job done" of winning, doing anything and saying anything to accomplish that, no matter the hard done in his wake. more »

More »»

MORNING MESSAGE: Is Sandy God's Stimulus?

more »

More »»

Hurricane Sandy was the stimulus nobody wanted. It took a terrible toll in lives, homes, and dreams. For the families who lost loved ones the tragedy will never end. And yet, in a bitter irony, this terrible storm will spur the kind of spending we should have been seeing all along. There will be jobs, at least for a while -- in construction, road work, repair, and other lines of work. more »

More »»

I know it's a tough line to walk, but I think Mitt just fell off of it: more »

More »»

It's been rumored for some time that my governor, Maryland's Martin O'Malley, is considering a run for the White House in 2016. O'Malley has dropped a few hints himself. He tested the waters at the Democratic convention, and launched a national PAC this summer. If O'Malley does run for president in 2016, he got closer to getting my vote thanks to his handling of hurricane Sandy. Specifically, Gov. O'Malley won me  over by fulfilling a promise to keep our lights on by keeping his "boot up the backside" of our local power utility — the one our previous Republican governor left virtually unregulated.

More »»

Last week Mitt Romney delivered possibly the most dishonest presidential campaign speech in American history. It contains lie after lie, distortion after distortion, and trick after trick. more »

More »»

Mitt Romney kept quiet last week when the subject was rape and God’s will. He remained silent the week before when the news was all about Illinois factory workers pleading with him to stop his alma mater Bain Capital from offshoring their jobs. more »

More »»