Archive for April 3, 2009
Re Ted Stevens and Re-Doing Elections
No, there shouldn’t be a do-over election in Alaska because circumstances have changed regarding Ted Stevens. The Justice Department dismissed the charges against Stevens because the incompetent Bush administration lawyers who prosecuted the case totally screwed it up. They blew it re the rules of discovery and what they did can’t be undone such that there can be a new or fair trial.
In November I voted for “Boulder liberal” Mark Udall (D-CO). Udall has since joined a group of Blue Dog Republidems whose stated goal is to “protect business interests.” Things have changed. He’s done a one eighty. I want a do-over.
Think about the reality of that — how crazy our system of government would be if every time the circumstances surrounding a candidate – or a former candidate - changed and we demanded a new election. The result? Total chaos.
What’s Angela Merkel’s Husband Wearing?
(Hang in there Michelle.)
QVC as Predatory Television
Every once in a while, especially after I’ve had the kind of day that makes me want to have flat brainwaves, I surf over to QVC to see what they’re doing. The gardening shows crack me up, the way they tempt viewers with fully mature, three foot tall, bushy, wildly blooming perennials that were grown under absolutely perfect conditions whereas what you get when you place an order is a tiny sprig in a 2″ paper pot.
Right now they’re airing an “EternaGold” show featuring a bangle bracelet for – get this – $848.00 to $919.00, depending on the size. This gets to me. I imagine lonely people, drunk people, people who had no intention of spending almost $1,000 on a piece of jewelry today (that’s something one thinks about in advance, IMHO) regretting it tomorrow or when the bill comes. I think this kind of thing is essentially predatory television. It prays on our credit oriented, shopaholic society.
I’m not as articulate about this as I’d like to be because I’m conflicted. Obviously, QVC has a right to exist but I feel so sorry for the people who are seduced into spending that kind of money, on the spur of the moment, without ever expecting to do so.
We Need to Fire These “Democrats”
Ten Democrats Republidems voted to protect the children of millionaires yesterday, thus voting against core Democratic party principles. Money quote: Under Obama’s budget, “99.8 percent of estates will never — ever — pay a penny of estate tax. The heirs of the remaining 0.2 percent of estates are who Ms. Lincoln and Mr. Kyl are so worried about.”
Take action if any of these “Democrats” are in your district.
Rupert Murdoch is Killing the Wall Street Journal
What a surprise huh? It was so predictable. Here’s a rather sad resignation letter from one of its employees.
This is such unenlightened thinking on Murdoch’s part. He should try to retain the Journal’s reptation for excellent reporting, not turn it into another tabloid, of which we have plenty. Then again, Murdoch’s contribution to journalism has been to destroy it, so I guess the unenlightened thinking came from the family that sold the Journal to him, trusting (no one knows why) his word that he’d maintain its high standards.
The Real Unemployment Rate is More Like 17%
We keep hearing numbers in the 5 and 6 hundred thousand when it comes to lost jobs and though those numbers have been huge for what seems like a long time now, we rarely stop and add them up, week over week or month over month. So think about this: 2 million people have lost their jobs this year alone.
Officially, the unemployment rate now stands at 8.5%. But, if you include the people who aren’t counted in the job loss numbers – the people who have left the labor force entirely or who are working part-time but want to work full time – the rate is more like 17%.
And the banks who we’re bailing out with our tax dollars aren’t doing anything to help the situation: Foreign Workers Could be Replacing Charlotte N.C. Bank Employees. Which could lead to more of this: At least 13 people killed at NY immigration center (though we’re still learning the details behind the gunman’s motives in this case).
Ward Churchill Was Right
The jurors in Ward Churchill’s lawsuit against the University of Colorado agreed that CU “unlawfully fired” him for “expressing his political beliefs.” (A campaign lead, in large part, I might add, by that guy who claims to be looking out for the little folk and for America as a whole, Bill O’Reilly.) The judge will now decide whether CU has to reinstate Churchill or pay him a lump sum of money (or both, I presume).
The powers that be at CU are, of course, horrified.
As Cornel West said, “Success is defined in our society as being well adjusted to injustice.” Thank God for maladjusted jurors. We need more maladjusted people around here.
