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February 25, 2004
Circular Logic
So let us get this straight. Bush started out with a surplus. He passed a number of short sighted tax cuts that have helped put America into debt. Now, we are in so much debt that we should cut Social Security benefits rather than restore sane levels of taxes on the wealthy. So says Greenspan anyways:
In testimony before the House Budget Committee, Greenspan said the current deficit situation, with a projected record red ink of $521 billion this year, will worsen dramatically once the baby boom generation starts becoming eligible for Social Security benefits in just four years.He said the prospect of the retirement of 77 million baby boomers will radically change the mix of people working and paying into the Social Security retirement fund and those drawing benefits from the fund.
"This dramatic demographic change is certain to place enormous demands on our nation's resources - demands we will almost surely be unable to meet unless action is taken," Greenspan said. "For a variety of reasons, that action is better taken as soon as possible."
Now I thought to see a Bush denial that he would cut Social Security benefits. Instead we get this: "my position on Social Security benefits is, those benefits should not be changed for people at or near retirement." Of course! Bush won't cut plans for the retiring generation. Instead Bush's plan is to cut benefits for future generations! How sweet of him. And to think I was worried about what might happen between now and retirement age!
Posted by seamus at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2004
AWOL, sure.
Look, I haven't talked a whole lot about the whole George W. Bush was AWOL thing. Do I believe he was AWOL? Yes, I believe that the preponderance of evidence suggests that he was. But I also believe that there are far greater problems with what George Bush is doing today to spend too much time on this subject. This guys past should have warned us against allowing him to take on the Presidency. But it didn't and he has become the miserable failure that Gephardt declared him to be.
All in all, however, Kevin Drum over at Calpundit has done the best reporting on this issue. And he has an excellent post tonight that summarizes what we know and what we don't know based on the record of evidence before us. Go check it out, but remember that the key point here and now is the hypocrisy of a man who dodged service in Vietnam only to risk the lives of good Americans in a faux war 30 years later.
Posted by seamus at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
Understanding the Unemployed
This kind of stuff makes me sick. George Bush has always had jobs created for him by his family's influence. So it probably doesn't phase him that he will be the first President since Hoover to oversee a loss in jobs for Americans. Nor does it apparently phase him that he can announce one week that we'll see 2.6 million new jobs, only to backtrack one week later. Does this guy actually have any credibility?
Posted by seamus at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
Troubling
Interesting how Bush can find this troubling. I find it troubling that the President is more interested in undermining the loving relationships of others than they are in keeping to their pledge not to interfere with the states on this issue.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush said Wednesday he was troubled by gay weddings in San Francisco and by legal decisions in Massachusetts that could clear the way for same-sex marriage.He declined to say whether he was more inclined now to back a constitutional ban. However, he spoke privately with conservative Catholics about the issue, and activists who favor such a ban said the president would soon announce his support.
``I have watched carefully what's happening in San Francisco, where licenses were being issued, even though the law states otherwise,'' Bush said. ``I have consistently stated that I'll support law to protect marriage between a man and a woman. Obviously these events are influencing my decision.
To look at the pure pleasure that gay and lesbian couples are able to express upon being given the right to express their love and commitment for each other is just wonderful. I appreciate it when people express love for each other and show this level of commitment to their future. I don't understand how others can look at loving relationships with such disdain.
Don't get me wrong. I understand the arguments. I just don't agree with them. I was also born into this society. I have seen the dislike that heterosexuals have for the gay and lesbian community. I just can't understand it. I can't even understand the prejudice that I expressed at a younger age on the subject. I guess I just don't think that prejudice should be tolerated.
Posted by seamus at 08:07 PM | Comments (0)
February 17, 2004
Confessions of a Yankees Fan
Well, I wouldn't be a good Yankees fan if I didn't at least comment on the A-Rod deal. You know, on its surface it seems like a big deal. But underneath it seems mostly superficial. After all, whlie A-Rod has proven his abilities over time, Soriano has shown to have as much potential as A-Rod (if not more). And Soriano was my favorite Yankee. And we now have a gaping hole at second base. And no lefty starting pitchers. That is not all that good.
But I'm excited anyway. For one, although Soriano is great he still had question marks. I don't think there rae any questions about A-Rod which is a step up. Although I begrudge the Yankees buying their way to championships, I don't think the A-Rod deal truly represents that. The Giambi deal did and the Brown deal did represent the Yankees wealth. But the A-Rod deal better represents the stupidity of the Texas Rangers (for signing an unforgiving contract), the inability of the Red Sox (to close the deal), and the willingness of the Yankees (to take a chance). Many teams could have closed on A-Rod. The Yankees were the last team to try so I don't think it is a big deal that they closed.
And hell, who isn't going to be excited about having their favorite team get better. It is pretty exciting to look at that lineup. I can't wait for the season to begin. And don't think I don't understand why others hate the Yankees - I figure it is something similar to the bad feelings one Seamus has for the Lakers. And I should add that I'm all for some form of salary caps.
Posted by seamus at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
Don Henley on Music
Today the music business is in crisis. Sales have decreased between 20 and 30 percent over the past three years. Record labels are suing children for using unauthorized peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing systems. Only a few artists ever hear their music on the radio, yet radio networks are battling Congress over ownership restrictions. Independent music stores are closing at an unprecedented pace. And the artists seem to be at odds with just about everyone -- even the fans.Contrary to conventional wisdom, the root problem is not the artists, the fans or even new Internet technology. The problem is the music industry itself. It's systemic. The industry, which was once composed of hundreds of big and small record labels, is now controlled by just a handful of unregulated, multinational corporations determined to continue their mad rush toward further consolidation and merger. Sony and BMG announced their agreement to merge in November, and EMI and Time Warner may not be far behind. The industry may soon be dominated by only three multinational corporations.
Posted by seamus at 10:38 AM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2004
Scary Racism
Well, College Republicans across the country continue to show us what Republicans ultimately stand for:
BRISTOL, Rhode Island (AP) -- A student group at Roger Williams University is offering a new scholarship for which only white students are eligible, a move they say is designed to protest affirmative action.The application for the $250 award requires an essay on "why you are proud of your white heritage" and a recent picture to "confirm whiteness."
"Evidence of bleaching will disqualify applicants," says the application, issued by the university's College Republicans.
This is disturbing. As if white Americans don't have enough priviledge. There is a growing phenomenon on college campuses nationwide where College Republican groups openly promote bigotry and hatred. This is just the latest example.
Posted by seamus at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2004
Rural Internet
Yeah, I run a weblog. I do website work for a couple of organizations. And my wife and I have our own website. But don't be fooled, I'm (almost) completely clueless about the internet. So I'm not 100% sure what the implications of this are, but as a rural resident of northwest Pennsylvania I did find it interesting. Apparently, the FCC is considering allowing electric companies to provide internet service over the electric utility lines. What is involved? I haven't a clue. What are the implications for internet service? I don't know. But since I can't get broadband, DSL, or satellite service I'm interested.
Posted by seamus at 07:16 PM | Comments (2)
Exporting Jobs... is Good?
Crossposted from the Swing State Project:
Bush was in Pennsylvania today trying to put some spin control on statements made by the Chairman of White House Economic Advisors. Chairman said earlier this week that "Outsourcing is a growing phenomenon, but it's something that we should realize is probably a plus for the economy in the long run."
Bush's spin (with Santorum and Specter at his side): "The numbers are good," Mr. Bush told an audience at Central Dauphin High School, near Harrisburg. "The numbers are good, but I don't worry about numbers, I worry about people. There are still some people looking for work because of the recession. There are people looking for work because jobs have gone overseas. And we need to act in this country. We need to act to make sure there are more jobs at home, and people are more likely to retain a job."
But he didn't exactly disagree with his advisor's statements either. This take from the NY Times is interesting: "In Pennsylvania today, the president spoke about the need for educating people for "the jobs that are being generated in the 21st century." Although he did not say so, Pennsylvanians know those kinds of jobs are not, generally speaking, in the coal and steel industries, which were twin pillars of the Keystone State's economy for many decades."
Posted by seamus at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2004
What he Said...
What Krugman says because I couldn't say it much better myself. Besides I'm in a ranting mood tonight and its better to let the more focused speak.
Posted by seamus at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2004
I'm Back for a Vent
More venting soon. Here is a pure rant for tonight.
Tonight's Washington Post piece by Howard Kurtz starts out with the following bluster of unproven, unlikely absurdity:
President Bush suggested to his staff that he appear on "Meet the Press" on Sunday as a way of answering questions about Iraq after a barrage of Democratic criticism against him, a White House official said yesterday.
How interesting. Have you ever noticed that Bush is always taking all of these great initiatives that his brilliant political staff like Karl Rove never think of. You see, it was the sailor's decision to put up the "Mission Accomplished" sign and it was Bush's decision to do Meet the Press.
What bothers me, isn't that the administration makes these claims - but that the press reports them as fact with the atribution solely as an after thought. A true journalist would at least write, "The White House tells us that it was Bush's idea to show up on Meet the Press this Sunday. Of course, the White House always implies that political initiatives were Bush's ideas even as documents released on behalf of Treasury Secretary O'Neill might suggest otherwise." So we proceed:
Bush's decision to submit to an hour-long interrogation by NBC's Tim Russert comes as Democrats John F. Kerry, Howard Dean, John Edwards and Wesley K. Clark have been denouncing him not just on Sunday morning shows but on programs ranging from "Hardball" and "Larry King Live" to David Letterman's "Late Show" and Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," where Edwards announced his candidacy.
Why of course, it was "Bush's decision to submit to an hour-long interrogation..." Bull. How do we know that this is pure bull spin? Well, the fourth paragraph tells us who really claims this was Bush's idea.
Communications Director Dan Bartlett said that Bush, who plans to appoint a commission to examine intelligence failures on Iraq, "felt it was important that the American people hear his thinking on this issue and pursuing the war on terrorism." On Tuesday, Bush suggested "Meet the Press" because of the "lengthy format" and because "Tim Russert has an enormous amount of respect," Bartlett said.
Here is my problem with this. Reporters continue to report claims made by administration spokes peoples as fact without requiring verification. To make the statements in the first two paragraphs outside of quotes, without attribution is to substitute claims made by propaganda artists for the White House for truth. This is irresponible journalism - period.
This may seem a bit on the trivial side, but this is exactly the type of biased journalism (where positive attributions about Bush are attributed as fact while similar statements about others, including but not limited to Democrats, are always qualified as claims). And I just felt like venting about it.
Posted by seamus at 11:43 PM | Comments (0)
Bush on Meet the Press
Bush is going to be on Meet the Press this Sunday. I'm tying to figure out why the administration agreed to this at this time. Usually, if they need to grab the headlines they put out Cheney or Rice or Powell. You know, people who can at least think independently on their feet no matter how much rubbish it is. So why Bush? Why now?
They probably have some agreed framework for the show. Limitations on questions and follow-ups. How tight the framework is might tell us something about why Bush, why now.
If Russert gives Bush a hard time - that tells me that they didn't have much leverage over Russert here. It tells me that Bush is desparate. They know his popularity is falling and he needs to do something to arrest his sinking ship. They need to regain the subject of debate. Bush received no bounce, but a dip, from the State of the Union. There are I don't know how many investigations and commissions reviewing his administration's work at this point. Bush's economic policy is killing jobs, he lied about the costs of his medicare program, he has had to shift his rationale for invading Iraq exactly how many times now, and I think it is quite interesting that only 15% of Canadians support him (maybe we should all move there?).
I wouldn't be surprised if Bush trots out gay marriage as his primary re-election issue. That is what they will use to try to regain the debate. Outrage over the Massachusetts liberal and gay marriage. Nothing works better than gay bashing. And hell, Kerry is already caving declaring his total agreement with Bush tonight (said he opposes equal treatment under the law). I think Republicans see Kerry as the inevitable nominee so it might be a full frontal to obstruct Kerry's rise coming this Sunday.
But why Bush? It is so risky to put Bush before Russert for an hour. I guess they've been working towards this with the Fox and Walters interviews. But considering how bad he bombed those, I can't figure out what they expect to gain. Did they catch Osama and plan to announce it on the Sunday show? I don't think so. Do they anticipate good jobs numbers tomorrow? Well, that hardly would make up for the inevitable fact that Bush will be the first President since Hoover to oversee a net job less in his first term.
Either something is not right (they have something up their sleeve) or the Bush team sees that their Titanic just struck in iceburg. I'm not sure which is the case but this is what I am waiting to see.
Posted by seamus at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)