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Mitt Romney, CPAC Rock Star by Terrance Heath, OurFuture.org | February 10, 2012
I have to admit, for a progressive being at CPAC can feel like being a "stranger in a strange land." For a black, gay progressive it's a bit like being dropped on another planet, with almost no breathable atmosphere; a very lonely, claustrophobic place. It's hard to feel otherwise, when you're surrounded by people extolling a vision of American with no place for you in it. (I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss GOProud. On the plus side, I got a party invite from gay, Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger.) The lack of oxygen makes you lightheaded. The isolation, in the midst of the crowd, plays tricks with the mind. Maybe that's why, before I left for lunch, I thought Rick Santorum was CPAC's rock star this year. Obviously I need air. I returned from lunch with a clear head. As I fought my way to the media room, through the capacity-crowd lined up for Romney's speech, past those being directed to the overflow rooms, to watch Romney speak via closed-circuit-television, I realized who the CPAC 2012 rock star really is. The fresh air not only cleared my head, but reminded me of what I already knew about conservatives and the Republican party. read more »Bank Settlement: $25 Billion Down, $675 Billion to Go by Van Jones, OurFuture.org | February 10, 2012
This week a $25 billion settlement was announced in which big banks pay up for a portion of their bad deeds in the home foreclosure crisis. Everyone is trying to determine whether this is a good deal or a bad deal. Here is how I score it. This deal represents small progress on a small problem. Now it's time to make big progress on the big problem. read more »Here Is A Budget That Works by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | February 10, 2012
President Obama is preparing to roll out his 2013 budget. If he wants a budget that gets rid of the deficit, meets human needs and does the things that polls show the public overwhelmingly wants done, The People's Budget Is The Template! This is the budget proposal from the Congressional Progressive Caucus. read more »Why Millions Won’t Get Help From Big Mortgage Settlement by Cora Currier, propublica.org | February 10, 2012
The Obama administration is billing today's $25 billion agreement between most states and five banks that engaged in flawed or deceptive practices as a big win for struggling homeowners. Most of the money in the settlement isn't a penalty, or a fine levied on the banks. Instead, the biggest slice of the settlement will be money banks put toward principal reduction -- reducing the amount owed by struggling or underwater borrowers. (Banks will also put smaller amounts toward refinancing and other ways of helping people get back in control of spiraling debt.) Getting a break on their mortgages could help the millions of homeowners who owe more on their home than it is worth. But many of them won't qualify — thanks to government-owned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. read more »The Mortgage Deal with the Devil by Robert Kuttner, prospect.org | February 9, 2012
The long-awaited mortgage deal between the federal government, 49 state attorneys general, and five big banks that was announced Thursday is pretty thin gruel, but it could have been a lot worse. The Obama administration dearly wanted this deal so that it could demonstrate greater help for homeowners and, in turn, relieve the damaging impact of the housing collapse on the economic recovery. The administration’s main programs to date, the Home Affordable Mortgage Program and later the Home Affordable Refinance Program have been notable failures because they were voluntary to the banks. The actual relief under this latest deal is a drop in the bucket measured against the $700 billion by which mortgages are underwater. The best thing that can be said for the deal is that it could be a down payment for much deeper homeowner relief, if state attorneys general and the newly activated federal prosecutorial task force get serious about bigger criminal and civil suits against banks. read more »Money and Morals by Paul Krugman, The New York Times | February 9, 2012
Lately inequality has re-entered the national conversation. Occupy Wall Street gave the issue visibility, while the Congressional Budget Office supplied hard data on the widening income gap. And the myth of a classless society has been exposed: Among rich countries, America stands out as the place where economic and social status is most likely to be inherited. So you knew what was going to happen next. Suddenly, conservatives are telling us that it’s not really about money; it’s about morals. Never mind wage stagnation and all that, the real problem is the collapse of working-class family values, which is somehow the fault of liberals. But is it really all about morals? No, it’s mainly about money. read more »Digging Holes at CPAC by Terrance Heath, OurFuture.org | February 9, 2012
I knew it was going to be a good day when the first thing I saw at CPAC was Herman Cain's bus. read more »The GOP’s New Push To Defang The CFPB by Suzy Khimm, The Washington Post | February 9, 2012
Republicans couldn’t stop President Obama from installing Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But they hope they can rein the bureau in by passing legislation. The House GOP is now moving forward with bills that would remove the CFPB director from overseeing the Federal Deposit Insurance Company and allow Congress to directly control its funding every year. The bills are DOA in the Democrat-controlled Senate. But the GOP’s new bills provide a clear guide to what is likely to happen to the CFPB if Republicans take full control of Congress and/or the White House. read more »Sam Brownback's Anti-Poor Agenda by Abby Rapoport, prospect.org | February 9, 2012
The GOP presidential primary has offered some odd debates on who cares about the "very poor" and whether there should be a "safety net" or a "trampoline" to help people get out of poverty. Meanwhile, in Kansas, it seems Governor Sam Brownback is hoping to dig a bigger hole for the poor fall into. Between his tax plans and his approaches to school funding, Brownback's agenda overtly boosts the wealthy and makes things harder for the poor. While many liberals speculate this to be a secret goal, Brownback is hardly making a secret of his agenda. read more »Wisconsin Stars at CPAC by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive | February 9, 2012
This week, conservatives will be gathering in Washington, D.C., to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Dubbed “Mardi Gras for the Right” by one rightwing reporter, the three-day festival “celebrates everything conservatives hold dear, including free-market capitalism.” Conservatives hold Wisconsin dear, as two Republican Badgers are giving keynote speeches. Representative Paul Ryan from Janesville takes the stage Thursday night, while Governor Scott Walker addresses the crowd on Friday night. read more »
The Latest
Wikipedia Foundation: English Wikipedia anti-SOPA blackout, wikimediafoundation.org | January 17, 2012
Democrats think Obama's playing tax-cut extension fight well , The Miami Herald | December 15, 2011
Article Publication Date:12/15/2011Robert Borosage was quoted in an article in the Miami Herald about the debate to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. more »
Globalize This: Occupy UK converges on London, The Guardian | November 20, 2011
Summary:Some interesting ideas an tactics from across the pond, please pass on to any OWS people you might know :-)
The Occupy movement continued to acquire momentum on Saturday as protesters from camps across the country converged in London to begin shaping a national campaign.
Some interesting ideas and tactics from across the pond, please pass on to any OWS people you might know :-)
"The Occupy movement continued to acquire momentum on Saturday as protesters from camps across the country converged in London to begin shaping a national campaign."
Robert Borosage on C-Span Talks Jobs And the Economy, wc-spanvideo.org | October 17, 2011
US Steelworkers Form Collaboration with MONDRAGON, usw.org | March 6, 2011
Summary:
MONDRAGON, the World’s Largest, astonishingly successful, Worker-Owned CooperativeIs this the cultural and economic firebreak against the degenerate civilisation Banksters and a few Billionaires would have us all live in?
Take a look and spread
MONDRAGON, the World’s Largest, astonishingly successful, Worker-Owned Cooperative
Is this the cultural and economic firebreak against the degenerate civilisation Banksters and a few Billionaires would have us all live in?
The 16 Profitable Companies That Pay Almost Nothing In Taxes, businessinsider.com | February 19, 2011
Summary:America's corporate tax rate is 35 percent.
But 115 companies on the S&P500 pay less than 20 percent in taxes, according to a study the Capital IQ and The New York Times. That's not even counting 37 companies like Citigroup and AIG that received more in tax credits than they paid.
America's corporate tax rate is 35 percent.
But 115 companies on the S&P500 pay less than 20 percent in taxes, according to a study the Capital IQ and The New York Times. That's not even counting 37 companies like Citigroup and AIG that received more in tax credits than they paid.
Obama Budget Plan: Cuts To Target Working Poor, Middle Class & Students, Huffington Post | February 15, 2011
Summary:Hope, change, faith, fairness and equal opportunity.
Simple ideas that drove the Obama election to the Presidency. As an independent progressive, neither right nor left, these are values I cherish.
This headline is numbing. the implications are profoundly disturbing.
Hope, change, faith, fairness and equal opportunity.
Simple ideas that drove Obama's election to the Presidency. As an independent progressive, neither right nor left, these are values I cherish.
This headline is numbing. The implications are profoundly disturbing.
TARP expected to cost U.S. only $25 billion, CBO says, The Washington Post | November 30, 2010
The Troubled Assets Relief Program, which was widely reviled as a $700 billion bailout for Wall Street titans, is now expected to cost the federal government a mere $25 billion - the equivalent of less than six months of emergency jobless benefits. more »
Bernanke's `Cheap Money' Stimulus Spurs Corporate Investment Outside U.S., bloomberg.com | November 18, 2010
Summary:Among all the rhetoric about jobs, stimulus, Keynes, Friedman, the true nature of what grinds on in America's Corporate circles is revealed in this article.
If your in Copper you have to go where the copper is. If someone is keen to give you cheap taxpayers money to do it and isn't too bothered about where it gets spent. You would be a fool no
Among all the rhetoric about jobs, stimulus, Keynes, Friedman, the true nature of what grinds on in America's Corporate circles is revealed in this article.
If your in copper you have to go where the copper is. If someone is keen to give you cheap taxpayers' money to do it and is not too bothered about where it gets spent. - you would be a fool not to take it.
Bank Of America Tries To Frame Foreclosure-Gate As Simply A Case Of Misspelled Names, wonkroom.thinkprogress.org | October 26, 2010
Article Publication Date:10/25/2010Since the foreclosure fraud scandal — in which banks were caught allowing “robo-signers” to approve potentially fraudulent foreclosure forms — first hit the national airwaves, Wall Street banks have been trying to downplay the extent of the problem, claiming that it only has to do with paperwork mistakes and not a compete disregard for due process and property rights. more »
