(no subject)

[gwydion]

* Obama basically announced his intention to cave on Medicare. The Republicans laughed out loud at his idea that the CEOs should be asked to pay in as much as their secretaries in taxes. After all, the whole point of republican economic policy is to shift as much of the tax burden away from the wealthy as possible. It already looks to me like the newest deal is going to be trading away help for the poor and disabled and getting nothing back in the way of tax equality for the rich. Sigh.

* May I repeat in response to the Republican economics plans, no cutting the corporate tax rate even further will not create demand, which is the only reason companies would start hiring more people. Rehiring school teachers, librarians, etc. and paying people build, repair, and upgrade infrastructure injects money into the demand side, which will stimulate private industry. Tax amnesty for corporate tax cheats will not make jobs; it will only encourage future wrongdoing. No, tax subsidies to industries already making the highest profits in all of history do not make new jobs. If they were going to do that, they would have already done so. no, all it does is tax money from middle class tax payers to give to the rich. Since the rich already have more money than they can ever use, giving them more will not create demand. All it does is concentrate wealth upwards while taking yet more money out of the economy. The same goes for tax cuts for the rich. Adding money to the bottom in the form of unemployment insurance payments, social security, cash assistance, etc. is worth between $1.30-$1.50 for every dollar spent in terms of economic growth. A dollar given to the wealthy is only worth $.30. In other words, every dollar spent on corporate subsidies or corporate and top bracket tax cuts is actually taking $.70 out of the economy. This is economics 102, and I'm having trouble understanding why so many people are pretending these figures aren't well known or correct.

Even simpler, even though Republicans are out there tonight claiming firing people magically creates jobs, it doesn't. I'm pretty sure a seven year old would understand that hiring adds jobs and firing them takes jobs away. I know I could add and subtract in first grade. My question is, why can't so many congress people do the sort of math problems I did every day in first grade?

* If the Deficit is such a crisis, why not start by bringing all the troops home instead of wasting blood and treasure on Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems to me that would be a way more sensible start than firing teachers and firemen. Just saying.

* At the start of Rick "frothy residue" Santorum's presidential campaign, his campaign page was showing third under Santorum for a google search, after two pages about "frothy residue." He's now down to fifth after the definition and several pages arguing in favour of "frothy residue" as official definition. I'm guessing I'm not the only one out there deliberately google searching "santorum" whenever his names came up to make sure "frothy residue" stays on top.

* The PSA on top is heartwrenching: http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2011/09/some-powerful-videos.html

* Regarding the second video in the above, I am reminded of a conversation I had long ago on a roof in downtown Corvallis. It was after the town was invaded by for Aryan nation guys, and the ensuing kerfuffle. A gentleman asked me why my beliefs were objectively any better than theirs. I pointed out that my beliefs allow bigots the right to exist, to free speech, and to practice their beliefs in their own homes as long as they do nothing criminal and refrain from hurting others. Their beliefs require me and (here I listed mutual friends of mixed race (including my lover), non-christian religions, or non-straight orientation) to all go to the ovens. If their beliefs are ascendant, we all die. If my beliefs are ascendant, no one gets murdered over them.

I do not think it is in society's best interest to deny a whole segment of its citizens their civil rights just so that another group won't get it's feelings hurt. The life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness should always trump people being torqued off for being correctly labelled bigots.

* I can't remember the last time I saw a purpose built ashtray. So often now, they are other objects repurposed. The ashtrays I grew up with were heavy glass with brightly coloured adverts around the edge. To my toddler self, these were mysterious and fascinating legends. It was a horrible disappointment when I learned to read that they remained utterly mysterious, the names of french brands of cigarettes and alcohols advertized in cafes all over Paris, but utterly meaningless to me.

I had a similar disappointment with Babar and Asterix, when I went to try to read them for myself, the letters failing to resolve into meaning.

So many things in life are like that really.

* The Right to representation is under threat: http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2011/09/attack-on-legal-representation-scares.html

* Texas wildfire relief: http://txwildfirerelief.org/

* neo_prodigy found, "I am Not a Secondary Character: Queer Kids in YA, and Why We Need to Do Better:" http://muserising.com/?p=633

* Halloweenies and a new Forum only BPAL dropped today. There's also a seasonal gallery worth of goodies here that one could easily miss: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/pickmangallery.html

* Tea, coffee, and cocoa circular swap open: http://www.bpal.org/topic/74582-teacoffeecocoa-lovers-circular-swap/page__pid__2026972#entry2026972

* O.o: http://cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com/374471.html

* Someone has already written a One Salt sea Filk! How cool is that!: http://catsittingstill.livejournal.com/221208.html

* Snerk: http://lettersfromtitan.tumblr.com/post/9948936516/what-if-elizabethan-teenagers-had-fandoms

* John Stewart Speaks for me here: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-7-2011/indecision-2012---oh-my-god--rick-perry-is-going-to-be-our-next-president?xrs=share_copy

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Comments

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

This is what annoys me about trickel down economics and the idea that giving more money to the rich will help them create jobs - it's ridiculous. It assumes that, with extra money, employers will employ more people EVEN IF THEY DON'T NEED THEM (when the opposite seems to be the cases with staff cuts to the bone since things like unpaid overtime are the norm now). If Richard Branson gets more money, he's not going to buy more airplanes, run more Virgin airline flights, hire more pilots etc - UNLESS THERE IS A DEMAND for them. And if poor people and middle class people can't afford to fly - there will be no demand. Ultimately, you give money to the rich and they invest, move it to tax havens or, maybe, buy some high end luxuries above what they normally would. This is not economy stimulus

Now give money to the poor and they go out and spend. They pay down credit cards, they buy clothes, they buy a decent meal, they replace the car that is held together with duct tape and prayers, maybe they have that holiday they haven't had for 10 years, they add a couple of luxuries to a scaled down budget. They put the money RIGHT BACK into the economy, right into creating demand, producing jobs etc.

It's not just economics, it's common sense

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

It's like none of these people were paying attention during the Regan and George W. Bush presidencies.

Common sense doesn't enter into this anywhere, this is class warfare and we've lost.

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

If you look at major revolutions in 'recent' history, starting with the American revolution, the people driving them came from primarily the upper middle class. Look at the French, Chinese, and Russian revolutions. The people behind them weren't poor, they were those who had some measure of education, and the means to organize. These are the people who have the time to look at the wealthy and say "we want that", and the resources and time to do something about it.

The Republican assault on the middle-class and their drive to destroy is a counter-revolutionary action: destroy the middle class (but leave enough of them in place to run things, and small enough and scared enough that they're #1 concern is not losing their position) and expand the poor. The poor do not have the time or resources to revolt, or organize effectively and come after the wealthy.

This is in no way, shape, or form about what is best for the US, it's about what's best for a small, wealthy elite with a pathological need to acquire more, more, and then some more wealth, no matter the cost to anyone else. The Republicans have done a masterful job of selling this program to its victims by repeatedly claiming "You too can one day be one of the wealthy... do you want to have to pay those taxes?"
Cutting education and encouraging teaching to the test helps drive down critical thinking, which helps their agenda. People who don't think, don't question.

I'm sorry I don't have a link to this, but I read a study 5 or 6 years ago that more than 80% of Americans planned to win a lottery to pay for their retirement. Rational thinking isn't a part of our culture, and is actively discouraged. All of which helps drive this agenda.

Re: Common sense doesn't enter into this anywhere, this is class warfare and we've lost.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

Trust me, it bears out for medieval peasant revolts. The leaders tend to be your upper peasants (rural middle class), the ones with large farms and enough leisure to to organize, or your urban middle class, the folks with successful workshops and lots of apprentices and journeymen. The leaders are nearly always the local equivalent of middle class.

Starving people don't have time and energy to organize, nor are they likely to be literate. In medieval and early modern peasant revolts, there are pamphlets circulated amoung these better off commoners and read out loud in pubs to folks who can't themselves read.

Yep, what you said is pretty much my point, and just generally what i've been on about the last few years.