Archive for January 24, 2012
Obama — Enough!
I’m a political news junkie. I live and breathe politics. But @10:13 p.m. ET and almost 60-minutes on, Obama’s State of the Union address is putting me to sleep.
Imagine what non-news junkies are doing. They’re not watching and that’s my point.
Bad move Obama team.
Mitt, Thanks for Releasing Your Tax Returns Today
Last week, when Mitt Romney announced he would release his 2010 tax return and a “summary” of his 2011 tax return on January 24 (as in today), I read a tweet (for the life of me, I wish I could remember who it was from) saying something like: Romney wants to upstage Obama’s State of the Union address.
For a second I thought, yeah, he does. Then I realized that no, the media will chew on the State of the Union address on Tuesday night and Wednesday (and Thursday and Friday), not so much during the day today.
So, again, I wish I could remember who sent that tweet. In retrospect, I think it might have been from a Romney supporter; a Romney supporter who was drinking his or her own Kool-Aid.
Because as it turns out, nothing could be more perfect for President Obama than to have had those returns released today — that 13%-something income tax rate fresh in the mind of those of us who pay at least twice as much.
Take it away Obama (please!).
There are 2,200 Species of Praying Mantises?
Take a three-minute break from politics folks. It’s going to be a long year. Let’s pace ourselves.
Did you know there are approximately 2,200 species of praying mantises? I didn’t. And man-oh-man, some of them are r-e-a-l-l-y strange:
Photo: Igor Siwanowicz
Photo: Igor Siwanowicz
As I’ve said before, Mother Nature knows sure knows how to mix and match colors! Wow.
Who needs a color consultant when you’ve got this kind of artistry?
See the slide show here.
Romney Paid Half the Taxes Obama Paid in 2010
President Obama paid nearly double the tax rate of Mitt Romney in 2010, despite earning only a fraction of the income.
The president paid 25 percent of his gross income in federal tax, compared to Romney’s 13.7 percent.
The Obamas’ gross income was $1.8 million and they paid $454,000 in federal taxes. The Romneys reported earning $21.7 million and paying $3 million in taxes…
In 2010, Mitt Romney Made in 14 Hours What it Took My Family All Year To Make
Mitt Romney made $21.6 million in 2010.
Photo: AP/ Charles Dharapak
How does that compare to what you made?
In the case of my family and our total household income, i.e., that of my husband and I, it took Mitt 14 hours, 46 minutes and 15 seconds to make what the two of us made in 2010. In other words, by January 1, 2010 — New Year’s Day — at 2:46:15 p.m., after getting up from a nice brunch, Mitt had made what it would take my husband and I the following 364.5 days to make.
Go here to see how long it took Mitt to make what you made in 2010.
Mitt Romney’s Unfavorable Rating Skyrockets
Wow. Check out this chart from Talking Points Memo:
Wow. At the beginning of the chart, on October 6 (see interactive version at link above), Romney’s unfavorable rating stood at 33%. On Sunday, the last day of the chart, it was 49.3.
The “liberal media” is trying to convince us that ah shucks, paying just over 13% in taxes on millions of dollars ain’t no big deal but I hope this chart indicates that We the People aren’t buying it. Because it is a big deal. Romney is the poster boy for the lobbying the rich have done to change the tax code in their favor. No, Romney didn’t do anything illegal (far as we know), but the laws that give people like Romney such a break weren’t written on their own.
Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Koch) to Boycott State of the Union
From the Denver Post:
We were surprised and disappointed by the laconic press release that Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn sent out Monday announcing that he “will not attend today’s State of the Union Address” because “Congressman Lamborn does not support the policies of Barack Obama.”
We hadn’t noticed that the Colorado Springs Republican was particularly supportive of the president’s policies in 2009, 2010 or 2011, either, yet that didn’t stop him from attending those State of the Union speeches. What would propel him into a one-man boycott this time?
After all, if every Republican who “does not support the policies of Barack Obama” decided to stay home, the chamber would end up half empty and the address would amount to a partisan Democratic rally. Surely basic professional courtesy, not policy consensus, induces most Republicans to pencil in attendance, whatever their personal opinion of the comander in chief.
The same of course holds true when a Republican resides in the White House. President George W. Bush was reviled by many Democrats, yet by and large they were willing every January to accord him the formal respect that Americans expect from the opposition on such occasions.
Note that Mr. Lamborn was awarded an A+ by the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity because, like a marionette, he votes exactly the way the richest brothers in the world tell him to. Maybe by boycotting the State of the Union, he’s hoping for an A++, and who knows how many more thousands in campaign contributions.
Barney Frank Kicks Some A**
On January 20, the New York Times Magazine published an interview with the retiring Senator Barney Frank (D-MA) titled: The Not So Retiring Barney Frank.
This quintessential Barney Frank quote is my favorite part:
Interviewer: You’ve long argued for the decriminalization of marijuana. Do you smoke weed?
Barney Frank: No.
Interviewer: Why not?
Barney Frank: Why do you ask a question, then act surprised when I give an answer? Do you think I lie to people?
Interviewer: I thought you might explain why you support decriminalizing it but don’t smoke it.
Barney Frank: Do you think I’ve ever had an abortion?
Go get ‘em Barney!
Oh, and memo to the “interviewer:” Really? REALLY?
Westboro Baptist Church to Protest at Joe Paterno’s Funeral
Here we go again:
Joe Paterno will be honored in services over the next three days in State College, Pa., and there will not be an absence of controversy.
A public viewing for Paterno, the legendary former Penn State coach who died Sunday at 85, will be held from 1-11 p.m. Tuesday at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on the Penn State campus. Another viewing will be held from 8 a.m. until noon Wednesday, with a private funeral scheduled for 2 p.m. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Jordan Center, the basketball arena next to Beaver Stadium.
Officials of the Westboro Baptist Church intend to protest, according to the daughter of the church’s pastor, and bring their anti-homosexuality message to State College. The church has targeted services for Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs, as well as military funerals.
Margie Phelps tweeted that “WBC will picket his funeral,” adding, “He’s in hell. Don’t partake of your neighbor’s sin!”
I hope something like this happens in response:
People in Weston, Missouri banded together on Saturday. They wanted to protect loved ones who were saying goodbye to a fallen soldier and stood up to members of the Westboro Baptist Church who planned to protest at Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell’s funeral.
Sadell died October 24 from injuries he suffered in a surprise attack in Afghanistan.
On Saturday, there was quite a turnout of people who wanted to keep the protesters away from the funeral.“I’d say probably half the people in Weston are here,” said Eric Moser, Marine Corp veteran.
Weston has less than 2,000 residents, and hundreds of people showed up to support the family of First Sgt. Sadell.
“If you think about it, they’ve all gone to serve just so we could be able to do this,” said Rebecca Rooney who organized the supporters. “He didn’t die in vain.”
Rebecca Rooney is a Weston resident who wanted to stand up against Fred Phelps and his followers.
“We got everybody here early so we could take up all the parking spots,” Rooney said. “We did that so Mr. Phelps wouldn’t have a contingency that was really close.”
Supporters came armed with patriotic music and American flags. The protesters didn’t stick around long once they saw the supporters.
The Westboro people have a right to protest but other people have a right not to hear it.
