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Francis K. DeVuono's picture

Nationalize ANWAR

By Francis K. DeVuono
July 19th, 2008

British P., Dutch Shell, Exxon, the Kuwaitis? Who? What? Why should I (Mr. American Joe Citizen) give anyone of these foreigners the right to take My Oil.

I'm the American here.

Anwar is National Park (that's my land) --not some T. Boone Pickens ranchero in Texas. more »

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myles spicer's picture

Why American Capitalism is in a funk

By myles spicer
July 18th, 2008

Phil Gramm, not withstanding, it is not only our economy that is in the toilet, American Capitalism is also in a funk. And, I contend it is largely due to a failure of leadership at the corporate level, and the policies of the current administration. more »

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David Sirota's picture

CAF STAFF

"Centrists" Running the Asylum

By David Sirota
July 18th, 2008

OUTSIDE OF WACO, TEXAS - I'm filing this weekly column dispatch at a rest stop outside of Waco, Texas on my way to the Netroots Nation conference. On the drive from Dallas, I've been listening to talk radio and obsessing over the concept of "the center." more »

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Timothy Gatto's picture

1984 in 2008

By Timothy Gatto
July 18th, 2008

An editorial in The New York Times, No Friend of the Workers, today http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/opinion/18fri2.html?ref=opinion was a scathing indictment of the Labor Department. Now I don’t want to lecture anyone about what they should be paying attention to, but this one was too hard to ignore. The editorial was spot-on in it’s reporting, and that was gratifying in itself. more »

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Natalene Ong's picture

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Bush, McCain, and the Republican Congress slashed student aid programs

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

Bush promoted and McCain supported the largest cut to federal student aid in history. During "the raid on student aid," the last Republican Congress slashed $12.7 billion from student loan programs. Aid was restored and enhanced only after Democrats took over Congress in 2007.

Source
Democratic Caucus. INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION. Democratic Caucus. [Online] [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.dems.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={967D862D-601C-48B7-9893-86F157E261C1}&DE={8E46D3E4-7618-4945-B04C-CFF337027D7E}.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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Under Bush, direct federal aid to college students declined while subsidies for private student loan companies skyrocketed

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

While Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress, federal funding for Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans remained flat, while federal work study funds and Byrd Honors Scholarships declined. Conversely, funding for the Family Education Loan Program, a program which subsidizes private student loan companies, more than doubled from $25 billion in 2001 to $51 billion in 2007.

Source
US Department of Education. Fiscal Year 2001-2009 State Tables for the U.S. Department of Education. US Department of Education. [Online] July 1, 2008. [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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At least two-thirds of college students graduate with some debt

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

The average debt among college graduates exceeds $19,000. One-fourth of all students borrow $25,000 or more. These statistics were last published by the U.S. Department of Education in 2004, so they understate current student debt.

Source
US Department of Education. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study . US Department of Education. [Online] [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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College costs have risen dramatically during the Bush Administration

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

Tuition and fees at a public four-year college have increased from $3,500 to nearly $6,200 since Bush took office—an increase of 46 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. Tuition at private colleges also became more expensive, increasing on average from $16,000 in 2000-01 to $23,700 in 2007-08.

Source
College Board. Trends in College Pricing. College Board. [Online] 2007. [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/trends_pricing_07.pdf.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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Drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would, at most, lower the cost of a barrel of crude oil by 50 cents

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

Drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would, at most, lower the cost of a barrel of crude oil by 50 cents in 2025, a drop in the bucket compared to the $90 increase in the price of a barrel of oil during Bush's presidency. Suspending the 18-cent federal gasoline tax over the summer would, at most, cover the cost of a half-tank of gas. more »

Source
AP. Study: ANWR oil would have little impact. MSNBC. March 16, 2004. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4542853/. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials . American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials News. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. May 8, 2008. http://news.transportation.org/press_release.aspx?Action=ViewNews&NewsID=172. Center for American Progress Action Fund. McCain Plan to Cut Oil Company Taxes by Nearly $4B. Center for American Progress Action Fund. March 27, 2008. http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/pdf/oil_tax.pdf.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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Bush obstructed efforts to increase fuel efficiency

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

In December 2007, the day after Bush signed Democratic legislation which modestly increases fuel efficiency standards, the administration blocked laws enacted in 18 states that would improve auto efficiency rules for a majority of Americans.

Source
BRODER, JOHN M. and BARRINGER, FELICITY. E.P.A. Says 17 States Can’t Set Emission Rules. New York Times. [Online] December 20, 2007. [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/washington/20epa.html?_r=2&oref=slogin%3C&oref=login
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Admire-ees

Rick Perlstein's picture

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Lessig at Netroots Nation

By Rick Perlstein
July 19th, 2008

In a Netroots Nation keynote speech, Larry Lessig made the point that Al Gore proposed that the 1994 Telecommunications Act contain a title deregulating cable and DSL. Congress, Lessig reports, went berserk: "How can we extort donations from the telecommunications industry," they basically said, "if we don't regulate them?"

The title was struck. more »