spare change

Israel OKs 1,600 new homes in east Jerusalem
By ARON HELLER (AP) –
JERUSALEM — Israel approved the construction of 1,600 new homes for Jews in disputed east Jerusalem on Tuesday — a move that immediately clouded a visit by Vice President Joe Biden aimed at repairing strained ties and kickstarting Mideast peace talks.
The Interior Ministry announced the construction plans just as Biden was wrapping up a series of warm meetings with Israeli leaders. There was no immediate reaction from the vice president.
Relations between Israel and the Obama administration have been chilly precisely because of the settlement issue.
The U.S., like the Palestinians and the rest of the international community, believes that Israeli settlements built on lands claimed by the Palestinians, including east Jerusalem, undermine peace prospects. President Obama has been more outspoken on the issue than his predecessors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed calls from the White House to halt all settlement activity, agreeing only to a limited freeze that does not include east Jerusalem.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCnd...

FCC to pitch free or low-cost Web service as part of broadband plan

By Tony Romm - 03/09/10 12:18 PM ET

Federal officials now seem to be considering ways to create "a free, or very low-cost wireless broadband service" for Web users who cannot afford more expensive broadband coverage.

The Federal Communications Commission briefly pitched the idea following this week's Digital Inclusion Summit, a forum that focused on ways to extend broadband coverage to the millions in the United States who still lack it.

Ultimately, the FCC provided little details of that ambitious access plan, versions of which some state and local lawmakers have also pitched, and in many cases, have promptly abandoned.

But the FCC did note in a statement on Tuesday that it was one of many ideas it has included in its forthcoming National Broadband Plan, due to congressional lawmakers next week.

“In order to ensure long term American competitiveness and prosperity, we must not leave one-third of the nation behind,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in the statement, repeating his agency's goal of achieving 90 percent broadband penetration by 2020.

“The National Broadband Plan provides a vision for federal, state and local leadership and partnerships with the private and non- profit communities that will bridge the digital divide and transform America into a nation where broadband expands opportunities for all,” he said.

The Hill

...but my instincts are saying they want something from the ISPs and are setting this up as a bargaining chip...again.

March 9
Memo to all liberal talkers of the JONES NETWORK:
Today is officially hating on Eric Massa Day.

"The only people more crazy than Eric Massa are people that believe that 911 was an inside job. There I said it."

Thank you, an fu very much Bill Press.

smcgee43 -- check out this great post from Taozen
Submitted by nora on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 10:56pm.

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/5669#comment-399300

Ya gotta go to a bout..you might love
new
Submitted by Alice on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 12:25am.

it!

And look you can help name them!

...
HELP NAME THE TEAM!

Nice research. I deliver to the Cup of Joe. They used to have the coolest, and most obnoxious barista in Northern Michigan working there.

No espresso for you!

(I hope you got a chance to read this: Calling All Rebels
by Chris Hedges.
Loaded with a lot of the Decider's favorite philosopher Camus--
"A living man can be enslaved and reduced to the historic condition of an object. But if he dies in refusing to be enslaved, he reaffirms the existence of another kind of human nature which refuses to be classified as an object."

That's some good shit. Here.)
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-2

fuckers

Israel OKs 1,600 new homes
Submitted by Leah on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 4:12pm.

Next Tuesday
Rachel Corrie (April 10, 1979 – March 16, 2003)
http://www.rachelcorrie.org/

"Progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows that there is simply no space between the United States and Israel,"
Joe Biden

US reassures Israel over security

Joe Biden, the US vice-president, and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have held talks over the perceived threat posed by Iran and on reviving the Middle East peace process.

"The Iranian regime will have to chose between advancing its nuclear programme and advancing the future of its own permanence," Netanyahu said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/03/20103911246747207.h...

I'd love to participate but just being around all of this sunshine makes me so happy I can't be around normal people.

Honestly, I suspect our planet rules. Let's keep it.

Submitted by ghettodefender on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 6:35pm.
Joe Biden, the US vice-president, and Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, have held talks over the perceived threat posed by Iran and on reviving the Middle East peace process.

-------
2007
During the interview conducted by the Jewish 'Shalom TV' Biden said, "I am a Zionist. You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist."

If only our zip wasn't in code!!!

Bring the mustard lady smooth...

And don't look back!!!

Sinep Dream.

that is all :)

"this machine kills fascists"

Tomorrow Mars goes from retrograde back to direct...

Here is one astrologers version of what we have been experiencing over the last few months...check it out...it's a little freaky, but might 'splain a few things about a few things...to some...

Mars retrograde in Leo [Dec. 20, 2009 – Mar. 10, 2010]

Sorry, but it ain't tomorrow yet. (As Annie will tell ya'.)

I’m for a public option. Just not this public option.
by Karoli on March 4, 2010

I see a ton of enthusiasm for the public option. I understand it. Emotionally, I agree. Intellectually, not so much. A public option is attractive on paper but has some serious and real pitfalls in my view. I understand why people don’t want to ‘let insurers win’ on this and also why they hate having commercial insurers as their health insurance choices, but there are still some very practical, non-procedural reasons to stop and think it all through.
Read on here:
http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/2010/03/04/im-for-a-public-option-just-not...

Goldman Sachs sued by big pension fund over pay
NEW YORK
Mon Mar 8, 2010 5:59pm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) was sued on Monday by a large union pension fund that accused the Wall Street investment bank of overpaying its executives.

The International Brotherhood of Electric Workers fund filed the lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court, seeking to recover money for the company on behalf of other shareholders.

It seeks to stop Goldman from allocating roughly 47 percent of 2009 net revenue as compensation, saying such allocations "vastly overcompensate management and constitute corporate waste."

The lawsuit also wants Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and others in management, rather than shareholders, to be responsible for charitable contributions that Goldman is making as a an apology for its activities.

Goldman has been at the center of a public debate over how much banks should pay out in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, after taking billions of dollars of federal bailout money.

Last week, Goldman said it would cap 2009 compensation expense at $16.2 billion, for a 36 percent compensation ratio, despite posting a record profit.

The bank also said its board rejected several shareholder demands to investigate recent pay awards and recoup excessive pay, while admitting it could face "negative publicity" from media portrayals.

Goldman spokesman Ed Canaday said: "We believe the lawsuit is completely without merit." A lawyer for the plaintiff did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The lawsuit is similar to one filed in the same court in January by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, which oversees public transit in the Philadelphia area.

The case is International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 Pension Fund v. Blankfein et al, Delaware Chancery Court, No. 5315,

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Steve Eder; Editing by Steve Orlofsky.)
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62763320100308

yeah,

Mars was as near when George did Saddam.

Hey, Avatar: Roger Dean Wants His Islands Back

Avatar’s floating islands compared to Roger Dean’s painting:

Avatar

Roger Dean

More

"this machine kills fascists"

WTF!

I can't believe these guys rippin into Dennis Kucinich for having solid FDR Democratic principles and having the gall not to cave in.

Marcos wants to put in a primary challenger against Dennis! F - you!

I keep hearing how this wonderful healthcare bill will ban exclusion for pre existing conditions. But there is never any follow up on the fact that they will charge more! They will charge a lot more too if you are older, etc. They will keep the undesirables out....Just watch.

We will be mandated to buy from these huge criminal rackets and Marcos is just so happy to run into their open arms.

Anyone know how the subsidy will work? I bet they will base it, not on income, but do something like with any public assistance. Your worth. Own a house? Sorry, don't qualify. Money in the bank? Sorry, apply again when your broke, etc, etc.

"this machine kills fascists"

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com earlier in the fall, was that subsidies would be based strictly on income and number of dependents. However, they could always have fucked it up more in the meantime.

Hi Stormcrow.

Yeah. Markos can kiss my ass. I wish we could primary him.

I'm a Grayson groupie again.

shines on an elven mouse
and Jews in spurs
Hang out in gay bars
And peas made out of granite
Will drive around in cars

This is the age of
Gay Roger Maris
Gay Roger Maris
Oh Maris!
Oh Maris

It was all those a-o posts I read earlier. They got the better of me.

I've been drinking again.
I'll go back to my corner.

He will make a way.

if anyone is interested.

I will trim it back at the beginning pretty soon.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9442C83A8E47A939

Yeah. Markos can kiss my ass. I wish we could primary him.

That's prime RT material.

Thank you!

You've been plagiarized, but in a well intentioned meaningful way.

I will.

But thanks.

I shouldn't be fucking around with shit like that.

I should be...

Fucking off now.

Stupak Gets A Primary Challenge From The Left

"A former teacher and county commissioner will challenge Rep. Bart Stupak in the Aug. 3 Democratic primary in Michigan, the Detroit Free Press reported this afternoon.

Saltonstall told me her "two passions" are health care reform and choice. And after spending the last 20 years voting for Stupak, Saltonstall said he managed to run afoul of both of them."

W00t!

"this machine kills fascists"

Blanche Lincoln: Health Care Stance May Be Shifting Toward Reform
ERICA WERNER | 03/ 9/10 05:07 PM |

WASHINGTON — A moderate Democrat insisted Tuesday she remained opposed to pushing a health care bill through the Senate with a simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what was in the legislation.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., who is facing a more liberal Democratic primary challenger as well as GOP opposition, said those comments didn't represent a change of heart on her stance against the controversial majority-vote procedure known as "reconciliation."

"I don't support reconciliation! All I said was I want to see what's in it," Lincoln told reporters outside the Senate chamber. She walked quickly into a senators-only area without elaborating.

Lincoln had earlier answered two questions on her position on reconciliation by saying she wanted to see what was in the legislation – without reiterating that she opposed the procedure.

The fate of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul depends on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid securing a majority of votes to push ahead on the legislation, possibly in the next three weeks. Reid, D-Nev., can't afford to lose too many of the Democrats – Lincoln among them – who backed the health care bill on Christmas Eve.

For Lincoln, the issue puts her in the political cross-hairs as she tries to fend off a primary challenger and hold onto her seat in a Republican-leaning state. Her success this fall could go a long way to determining whether Democrats maintain their majority in the Senate.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which hopes to capture Lincoln's Senate seat, had quickly seized on Lincoln's earlier remarks to contend that "Lincoln's shifting positions and constant equivocations are completely politically motivated."

Democratic leaders are looking at a two-step approach to pass President Barack Obama's sweeping health care overhaul in the next several weeks. The House would approve the Senate-passed health bill from last year, despite House Democrats' opposition to several of its provisions. Both houses then would follow by approving a companion measure to make changes to the Senate bill. The companion measure could pass under rules allowing for a simple majority vote in the Senate, thereby skirting Republican opposition – the process called "reconciliation."

Weeks ago, Lincoln had issued a statement saying she opposed that approach. One of the more endangered incumbents, she recently drew a primary challenge from Democratic Lt. Gov. Bill Halter in the state's May 18 primary.

Story continues below
Halter has said he supports passing health care with a simple majority, a position he repeated through his campaign's Twitter feed Tuesday, moments after Lincoln released a statement reiterating her opposition to the approach. But at a press conference in Little Rock, Ark., later in the day, Halter said he'd have to see the package of changes being written to accompany the Senate bill before saying whether he could support it.

"I have not seen those proposed changes. I will look at those changes and will assess them and will make a decision based on that," Halter said.

Eight Republicans are running for the party's nomination for the Senate seat.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/blanche-lincoln-health-ca_n_491...

scared shitless.

Say anything.
Do anything.
Just get re-elected.
Then do what you want.

No?

If not for all of the embarrassing misconduct allegations Massa has to go through, I swear it looks like Rahm and Massa got together and planned a full metal PWNing of Glenn Beck.

So far this is nothing but Massa recanting everything, falling on his own sword over and over again and not giving Beck a goddammned thing and and Beck just growing more and more frustrated and repeating his questions...Massa even said he owed Emanuel an apology!

Rahm must have his children in a basement somewhere.

"this machine kills fascists"

Submitted by maggiesboy on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 10:13pm.
scared shitless.
Say anything.
Do anything.
Just get re-elected.
Then do what you want.
No?

...and the reason she is being "primary-ed" is that no matter how she ends up voting it's NOT for US.

Thanks for the info.

Since the dems have been all about...concede, concede, who knows where we will end up.

It really bothers me when the MSM and now the KOS founder, marginalize real liberals.

If Markos had a fraction of the smarts Dennis has, he would realize that if others in power had taken a stand for a real public option, or medicare for all, we would not have given so much away to begin with.

The stand the congressman is making now, may have even had a chance to get some things back.

But now that Markos is putting down Kucinich, he is effectively working for the corporate shills and helping to weaken any bargaining power Dennis had to improve this bill.

What a jerk.

If not for all of the embarrassing misconduct allegations Massa has to go through, I swear it looks like Rahm and Massa got together and planned a full metal PWNing of Glenn Beck.

...the Dems finally "got their game on." By all accounts, there are more in favor of the health care reform--right-wingers after watching the "show" and left-wingers after Limpballs pledging to leave the country :)

Maybe that's a good sign. Hope so.

There's plenty of year left and it seems it will be a wild ride.

I wonder if Jon Stewart will do the Massa thing tonight? Might have happened later than his taping.

toniD's Ya Think?

Submitted by StormCrow on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 10:34pm.
The stand the congressman is making now, may have even had a chance to get some things back.

...and his comment may have just helped fill Kucinich's campaign coffer. I sent him a contribution after that remark.

Doris 'Granny D' Haddock Dies At 100

Source: WMUR, Manchester

DUBLIN, N.H. -- Former U.S. Senate candidate and longtime political activist Doris "Granny D" Haddock has died. She was 100.

Her spokeswoman, Maude Salinger, told The Associated Press that haddock died at her home of chronic respiratory illness, surrounded by her son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Haddock gained national recognition when she walked across the country to call attention to the issue of campaign finance reform. The trip started in 1999 and ended in 2000.

"At 90 years old, I walked across the country -- 3,200 miles," she told News 9 in a January interview. "I walked every step."

http://www.wmur.com/news/22792574/detail.html

RIP Granny.

toniD's Ya Think?

European Union urges U.S. to join in action against speculators

Source: The Oregonian

European officials urged the U.S. to join in a crackdown on speculators who bet against Europe's currency union, warning they might ban some credit default swaps -- opaque financial instruments blamed for worsening the world financial crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that "quick action is needed," calling on the U.S. to "make a gesture" and curb the trades. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, in Washington, DC to meet with President Barack Obama, is also calling for curbs on speculation which he blames for making his country's debt crisis worse.

The European Commission threatened to ban "purely speculative naked sales on credit default swaps of sovereign debt" and said it would ask for a similar move globally at the Group of 20 summit of leading and emerging economies in June.

Credit default swaps are a form of insurance for buyers to protect them against the risk that a seller or borrower would default on a security such as a government bond. In "naked" sales, the buyer does not hold the underlying asset and faces no such risk -- but can make a profit on the swap itself. Papandreou on Monday compared the practice of selling naked credit default swaps to buying insurance on a neighbor's house and then burning it down to collect.

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/03/european_union_urge...

toniD's Ya Think?

BREAKING-Dorgan, Tester, and Akaka sign on to public option-making 40!

Edited on Tue Mar-09-10 07:09 PM by jenmito
Just heard it on Ed's show from Adam Green from Progressie Change Campaign Committee.

ETA link to list of those who signed so far: http://whipcongress.com /

toniD's Ya Think?

Dem lawmaker pushes for Congress's first pay cut since Depression
By Jordy Yager - 03/08/10 12:04 AM ET

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) is raising the bar on freezing lawmaker salaries this week as she continues her push to garner support for her bill that would cut congressional pay by $8,700 next year on top of denying members their automatic cost-of-living increase.

With Congress’s approval ratings spiraling downward, criticism of government bailouts running rampant and unemployment hovering at 10 percent, a cost-of-living pay increase for lawmakers has become largely unpopular, with many members proposing to follow what they did this year and freeze their own pay again in 2011.

But Kirkpatrick wants to take it a step further and has put forward a measure that would not only halt the automatic pay increase that members get according to law, but also cut their pay by 5 percent next year, which would amount to more than $4.7 million in overall savings to taxpayers.

“Families across the country are getting by on lower wages and finding ways to cut back during the downturn, and these are the folks that pay our salaries,” said Kirkpatrick in a statement.

“The federal government’s budget is in much worse shape, so why shouldn’t senators and representatives have to feel the same pinch?”

Kirkpatrick’s office said that this would be the first time Congress decreased its pay in 77 years – the last time being in the midst of the Great Depression on April 1, 1933. Her measure has garnered 21 cosponsors so far, since it was introduced last week.

“It has been 77 years since Congress’ last pay cut [and] I believe we are long past due for another,” she said.

The law governing congressional pay raises requires members to vote against getting a raise. Otherwise, the raise takes effect automatically.

Congressional cost-of-living adjustments are calculated using a formula based on changes in private-sector wages and salaries as measured by the Employment Cost Index. Since this method began in 1990, Congress has accepted a raise 13 times and denied itself a pay increase seven times.

The base pay for a House member is $174,000, though leaders earn a higher salary.

The House voted not to give itself a raise in 2009 and again in 2010. By rescinding the $2,610 salary increase for each member in 2010 (a 1.5 percent pay increase above current salaries), lawmakers saved taxpayers more than $1.4 million.

Another $2.5 million was saved by preventing the $4,700 increase for each member from going into effect in 2009.

In 2008, members did not opt to rescind their pay and received a $4,100 increase, or 2.5 percent, amounting to more than $2.2 million.

More than a dozen members put forward measures that would have rescinded their automatic pay raise for 2010 or required members to vote for their pay raise.

Again, many members have put forward measures to freeze salaries in 2011, with Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) leading the charge, while Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) is striving to cut lawmakers’ pay each year the government runs a deficit.

And Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) wants to scrap the automatic cost-of-living system altogether and establish an independent commission to assess possible pay raises, which would then be subject to an up-or-down vote.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is pushing to freeze spending on their offices’ operations until the nation’s unemployment rate and national debt are lower.

Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) is leading the charge to eliminate any increase in member representational allowance (MRA). The measure would prohibit an MRA increase in any year that the national unemployment rate is above 6 percent or in any previous fiscal year that the Treasury Department has declared the nation’s debt more than $5.5 trillion.

The mounting support for the freeze comes as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Legislative Branch subcommittee on Appropriations, declared last month that any possible raise in the office allowance that members receive next year is expected to be small, adding that this year’s increase was 1.6 percent.

Source:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/85383-dem-lawmaker-pushes-for-congress...

...according to her website:
http://kirkpatrick.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&i...

Cisco Systems, has announced the launch of a super-fast and effeciency-focused router technology which will be at the heart of "the next generation of the Internet". A key impetus for its development is keeping pace with the growing demand for video, which Cisco calls today's "killer app."

To put the power of this router (which will be used by service providers as part of the internet backbone) in perspective, it delivers 322 terabits per second. This speed translates into the entire printed collection of the Library of Congress being downloaded in a second. Put another way, it would enable every single person in China to make a simultaneous video call, or deliver every movie ever made in 4 minutes. (Storing them would be another matter, however.)

The CRS-3 is at the heart of this technology. This is the newest version of what is known as Carrier Routing System 1- which is one of the largest production routers.

Although you can't buy one for your home, this router will be used by service providers to bring you faster and hopefully, more fault-tolerant mobile broadband, video and cloud-based services. Cisco expects this to be available in final release in the third quarter of this year.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2361129,00.asp

toniD's Ya Think?

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – IBM researchers on Tuesday said they have discovered a way to make Earth-friendly plastic from plants that could replace petroleum-based products tough on the environment.

The breakthrough promises biodegradable plastics made in a way that saves on energy, according to Chandrasekhar "Spike" Narayan, a manager of science and technology at IBM's Almaden Research Center in Northern California.

Almaden and Stanford University researchers said the discovery could herald an era of sustainability for a plastics industry rife with seemingly eternal products notorious for cramming landfills and littering the planet.

"This discovery and new approach using organic catalysts could lead to well-defined, biodegradable molecules made from renewable resources in an environmentally responsible way," IBM said in a release.

The "green chemistry" breakthrough using "organic catalysts" results in plastics that could be repeatedly recycled, instead of only once as is the case with petroleum-based plastic made using metal oxide catalysts. more...

http://rawstory.com/2010/03/ibm-invents-earthfriendly-plastics-plants/

This would be wonderful! It would also help bring down the price of oil.

♦

toniD's Ya Think?

Thanks for the reminder!

I just went to the Kucinich site and contributed as well.

Massa: 'I Wasn't Forced Out. I Forced Myself Out. I Failed' (VIDEO)
Eric Kleefeld | March 9, 2010, 5:29PM

Appearing on Glenn Beck's TV show, former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) bluntly admitted that his resignation, over allegations of sexual harassment, was his own fault.

"I wasn't forced out. I forced myself out. I failed," said Massa. "I didn't live up to my own codes. I own this. I take full and complete responsibility for my misbehavior. And goodness only knows what allegations they're gonna throw at me. There's even new ones today and we're gonna talk about that."

"Now they're saying I groped a male staffer. Yeah, I did," Massa also said. "Not only did I grope him. I tickled him 'til he couldn't breathe and then four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday."

"I should have never allowed myself to be as familiar with my staff as I was, I never translated my days in the Navy to being a Congressman," Massa said.

Beck asked Massa whether he ever groped members of his staff sexually. "No," said Massa. "When you take things out of context in D.C., this is what it's all about"

Massa also stood by his descriptions of lewd conduct that he has said routinely occurs in the Navy. Beck joked that perhaps Massa could show him a "tickle fight" in the Navy.

"I'm gonna show you a lot more than tickle fights," said Massa. He also added: "Can you imagine transporting back to this today? It looks like an orgy in Caligula. And anybody that's been in the Navy knows it."

Massa maintained that he had initially decided not to run again for Congress due to health concerns. He also showed recent x-rays, saying that it was not known whether spots in the x-rays were scar tissue or tumors: "My wife, doctors have been asking me from day one not to run." It was then the increasing level of accusations regarding alleged harassment that caused him to resign, he said.

Massa also complained that the investigations against him have not followed any standards of secrecy: "It's the Potomac two-step."
video at link

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/massa-i-wasnt-forced-out-i-fo...

toniD's Ya Think?

Gibbs Fires Back At Chief Justice Roberts Over Obama Criticism

The White House fired back at Justice John Roberts Tuesday night, after the Supreme Court Chief told a crowd that he found it "very troubling" that President Barack Obama would criticize the court during his State of the Union address.

In a statement sent to reporters, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that the only troubling thing was the 5-4 ruling by the court, which said that corporations could spend unlimited amounts of money advocating on behalf of candidates in elections. Roberts leads the court.

"What is troubling is that this decision opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections - drowning out the voices of average Americans," Gibbs said. "The President has long been committed to reducing the undue influence of special interests and their lobbyists over government. That is why he spoke out to condemn the decision and is working with Congress on a legislative response."

The push back against the Supreme Court header from the White House seems almost unprecedented in its directness, though White House officials claim previous administrations expressed equally public criticisms of the court. Undoubtedly, it's bound to spur another round of debates over what constitutes proper decorum between the two branches.

The president already stirred the pot when, during the State of the Union address in late January, he called out members of the court to their face over their ruling in Citizens United. The remarks were welcomed as a healthy rebuke by good government groups, who viewed the decision as a practical disaster for removing moneyed interests from politics. Conservatives saw it as an offensive lecturing inappropriate breach of etiquette.

Roberts, himself, made it clear where he stood on Tuesday, telling a crowd at the University of Alabama that the president had "denigrated" the State of the Union into "a political pep rally."

"The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court - according the requirements of protocol - has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling," Roberts said.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/gibbs-fires-back-at-chief_n_492...

toniD's Ya Think?

*bleh*....

The White House fired back at Justice John Roberts Tuesday night, after the Supreme Court Chief told a crowd that he found it "very troubling" that President Barack Obama would criticize the court during his State of the Union address.

...or, I guess Roberts would like to be addressed 'almighty god.'

-That's some good shit. Here.)
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-2-

Turns out that hierarchical protocol wasn't followed when the staff was told to take down the "READING IS SEXY" sign...also, there is a board of supervisors passed 'law' about the official display policy. That policy wasn't broken, so the people involved have written to the administrator asking him to rescind his order as well as to follow protocol next time, and to not allow anonymous people to direct the county's actions..without identifying themselves and allowing public debate on their complaints by the people involved...Had anyone stuck up for me and my library cats in this manner some years ago, a. i would know who the fucking douchebag in my midst is, and b. I would be taking care of the library cats in their native environment and dewey and decimal would still be together instead of one up here in the hills and one down there at the neighboring building...

o At anytime since the Dems got control of Congress (a two-year period), the Dems could have moved/started the process to fix these major problems that are now the only decent part of the so-called healthcare "reform" packages -- the Drug Plan D donut hole, the Drug Plan D no-price-bargaining clause, the pre-existing condition problem, the rescision problem, the anti-trust exemption for insurance companies, and so on. In essence, the Dems sat on these so that they would be used like extortion to make a horrid pro-profiteering "reform" package appear decent. They did it to camouflage a medical insurance industry BAIL-OUT package with MANDATED premium purchases that will never protect The People from the predation of the Insurance Industry.

o The so-called "reform" package will give the Insurance Industry a BAIL-OUT that will amount to $350 billion$ -- money which the Insurance Industry will be able to use to make sure there is NEVER NEVER NEVER adequate progressive legislators in Congress who en masse will revisit the healthcare issues in order to return to "complete the reform". When people say we can always "come back" to fix what is not right and get single payer later, they are NOT thinking about 'following' that BAIL-OUT money. (That money will be used to confuse voters on what the healthcare issues are (maybe even used to disinform about Medicare and Social Security), confuse voters about progressive causes and candidates. This is not an impossible scenario).)

This so-called reform package -- with all its benefits for the strengthening of the Insurance Industry's predatory/profiteering hold on The People -- is passed at our own peril.

Anyway, that's how I feel about it tonight.

tells it like it is.
_ _ _ _
brr | wtf

I would've voted for him,
but as i remember, he dropped out
before the day of the illinois
primary. For ME it was Obama or Clinton.
_ _ _
brr

"Thnx everyone for bravely going into
WalMart to prove their own website wrong
I've posted all the winners on:
http://www.michaelmoore.com"
about 6 hours ago
_ _ _
brr

Jobless Aid, Tax Breaks Set To Pass Senate

WASHINGTON — Legislation blending help for the jobless with popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals is slated to pass the Senate Wednesday over protests from conservatives who say it adds too much to the $12.5 trillion national debt.

But compassion for the jobless and the political power of an annual package of tax breaks is likely to produce a bipartisan vote to pass the measure, even though it would add more than $130 billion to the budget deficit over the next year and a half.

The bill would provide unemployment benefits of up to 99 months in many states for people mired in joblessness as the economy slowly recovers from the worst recession in decades. The measure easily cleared a procedural hurdle Tuesday by a 66-34 vote, with eight Republicans voting with Democrats to break a GOP filibuster.

The measure illustrates the great extent to which direct help for the jobless and the poor makes up a large portion of Democrats' election-year agenda on jobs – and threatens to squeeze out other items amid concerns about a budget deficit projected at a record $1.6 trillion this year.

The sweeping bill cleans up a host of unfinished congressional business from last year that languished as the Senate focused on health care. It would also prevent doctors from absorbing a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments and extends through December a generous 65 percent subsidy of health insurance premiums for the unemployed under the COBRA program, at a cost of $10 billion.

Democrats also hope to finish work this week on a far smaller job-creation measure blending additional highway spending with new tax breaks for companies that hire the unemployed. The Senate could clear the measure for President Barack Obama's signature by Friday.

Wednesday's larger bill also provides the annual extension of $26 billion worth of tax breaks for businesses and individuals that are popular with senators in both parties.

The $66 billion cost of providing additional months of unemployment checks – the core benefit is 26 weeks – is added directly to a budget deficit expected to hit $1.6 trillion this year. Federal cash to help states with Medicaid adds about $25 billion more.

"Even though these programs may be good for your state, a senator has an obligation to stand up and say 'no more,'" said freshman GOP Sen. George Lemieux of Florida. "No more spending our kids' future. No more bankrupting the promise of this country."
Story continues below

But Democrats said it would be heartless to cut off unemployment benefits to the long-term jobless and contended that the benefits inject demand into the economy, helping to lift it.

"This is not just some technical bill," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. "This bill helps real people. Failure to enact this bill would cause real hardship. Failure to enact this bill would cost jobs."

The tax breaks include a property tax deduction for people who don't itemize, lucrative credits that help businesses finance research and development and a sales tax deduction that mainly helps people in the nine states without income taxes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/jobless-aid-tax-breaks-se_n_492...

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Payday Loans Exempt From Consumer Protection Rules Under Corker Proposal

New York Times:

Senator Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who is playing a crucial role in bipartisan negotiations over financial regulation, pressed to remove a provision from draft legislation that would have empowered federal authorities to crack down on payday lenders, people involved in the talks said. The industry is politically influential in his home state and a significant contributor to his campaigns, records show.

The Senate Banking Committee's chairman, Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, proposed legislation in November that would give a new consumer protection agency the power to write and enforce rules governing payday lenders, debt collectors and other financial companies that are not part of banks.

Read the whole story: New York Times

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/payday-loans-exempt-from_n_4927...

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Some execs get 'pity' bonus
By David Ellis, staff writerMarch 9, 2010: 4:05 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Maybe you missed your earnings target last year or your stock was crushed. But if you're a corporate executive, that might not necessarily prohibit you from earning a generous bonus.

Following an unprecedented period of economic turmoil, a number of corporate boards appear to have taken pity on executives last year. In some instances, they handed over millions of dollars in so-called discretionary bonuses to managers.

At United Technologies (UTX, Fortune 500), which manufactures everything from elevators to helicopters, its top six executives collected a combined $4.5 million in bonuses last year, even though the company failed to reach its goal of matching its 2008 profit performance.

Board members at the company defended the move however, maintaining that earnings at peers fell much further, while the company managed to achieve other important milestones, including not cutting its dividend.

"The Committee believes it achieved the appropriate balance in rewarding strong relative performance despite an absolute decline in earnings in 2009," the company wrote in its annual proxy statement.

Other companies deemed that top-performing execs were simply not compensated enough last year.

Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) CEO Howard Schultz, for example, was awarded a $1 million bonus for helping to turn around the Seattle-based coffee retailer, bringing his total 2009 pay to $12.1 million. Board members originally ordered Schultz to forgo his salary and did not allow him to participate in the executive bonus program.

Typically, executive bonuses are judged based on a variety of factors, such as the company's stock performance, year-end earnings or other fundamentals.

But after the economy unraveled much faster than anyone ever anticipated, targets that once seemed attainable for many executives quickly moved out of reach. As a result, some boards looked elsewhere for indications that 2009 was indeed a good year.

"This was a year in which many [compensation] committees found themselves in that position because of the economy," said Rose Marie Orens, senior partner at the compensation advisory firm Compensation Advisory Partners.

At computer-maker Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Fortune 500), for example, the best gauge was the company's performance against its peers. After deeming that CEO Mark Hurd was "not fully rewarded" by the $14.6 million bonus he received under the firm's annual incentive compensation program, the firm added a $1.2 million bonus for doing better than rivals like Dell. more...

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/news/companies/bonuses/index.htm?hpt=C2

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43 Percent Of Americans Have Less Than $10K For Retirement: Survey

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The percentage of American workers with virtually no retirement savings grew for the third straight year, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The percentage of workers who said they have less than $10,000 in savings grew to 43% in 2010, from 39% in 2009, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute's annual Retirement Confidence Survey. That excludes the value of primary homes and defined-benefit pension plans.

Workers who said they had less than $1,000 jumped to 27%, from 20% in 2009.

Confidence in ability to save enough for a comfortable retirement hovered at 16% of respondents, the second lowest point in the 20-year history of the survey.
A drop in the bucket

"Americans' attitudes toward retirement have clearly tracked the economy the last couple of years, and that seems to be the case in 2010," said Jack VanDerhei, EBRI's research director and co-author of the survey, in a statement.

The percentage of workers who said they have saved for retirement fell to 69%, from 75% in 2009.

While VanDerhei attributed the decline in current savings rates to job losses, mortgage problems and the suspension of corporate 401(k) matches in 2009, he said the economy isn't entirely to blame.

"In previous years, there were a whole lot of people who had nothing to begin with," said VanDerhei.

The gap between what Americans have saved and what they'd need for retirement is forcing workers to prolong their working years.
The ultimate guide to retirement

According to the survey, 24% of workers said they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year, up from 14% in 2008.

But even as fears over health care costs and job prospects mount, the survey found that only 46% of workers have tried to calculate what they need for a comfortable standard of living in their golden years.

"People just don't want to think about this," said VanDerhei. "Everybody thinks they're too young to think about it, until suddenly they're too old to do anything about it."

In general, financial planners say that retirement savings, including Social Security benefits and pension, should be large enough to provide about 80% of pre-retirement income.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/pf/retirement_confidence/index.htm

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China's exports up 46% in February

Source: BBC News

China's exports jumped by 46% in February compared with a year ago, raising hopes of a strong recovery in global trade.

The increase was higher than analysts' expectations of a rise of between 35% and 40%.

It is likely to increase pressure on the Chinese government to raise the value of the yuan, which the US in particular complains is undervalued.

China's imports also rose strongly, increasing by 44.7% last month.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8559088.stm

toniD's Ya Think?

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/5706#comment-399535

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Because of fundraising difficulties, Worldfocus will be going off the air after the April 2 broadcast.

During our nearly 18 months in production, we’ve sought to inform viewers about life around the world — as we said in our very first broadcast, to give you a better idea how the other 6.5 billion live.

Anchor Daljit Dhaliwal explains our decision to go off the air and thanks our many partners, experts and viewers.

http://worldfocus.org/blog/2010/03/08/our-worldfocus-broadcast-will-go-o...