February 2011
notesonascandal asked: Wow! Are they serious? Who can live off of $5.00 p/hr?? That person would be a slave. A slave to government programs: Foodstamps, Medicaid, Subsidized Housing, etc. That's not living free. That's not "The American Dream". They would work hard with NO BENEFIT besides just the hard work. The affluent (and even the working class) would look down at them in their 45hours,...
A question
Conservatives love to say how progressive taxation punishes success, and that all of the very rich have worked very hard to make the huge amounts of money they bring home every year. Which begs the question:
If the CEO of a major corporation earns 300 times as much as that corporation’s average employee, does this CEO also work 300 times as hard? Does this CEO deserve their money 300 times...
theworldisnotenough1 asked: Even if you abolish minimum wage, it doesn't turn people into indentured servants. They still have a choice to work or not to work. If people they were getting "no benefit" for themselves, why would they even work in the first place? American employers understand they couldn't get away with paying people nickels for their labor, but people might well still work for, say, $5/hr....
theworldisconfused asked: With respect to the minimum wage and the unemployment rate, I'm going to quote the very highly respected economist, Paul Samuelson:
"Most studies indicate that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage would reduce employment of teenagers by between 1 and 3 percent. The impact on adult employment is even smaller. Some recent studies put the employment effects very close to...
"Most studies indicate that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage would reduce employment of teenagers by between 1 and 3 percent. The impact on adult employment is even smaller. Some recent studies put the employment effects very close to...
humancomputer asked: are there any current examples of america supporting its working class? i.e. not from 1914, which was before the "military-industrial complex" and all the other relevant etc.? p.s. things like food stamps make money for jp morgan so let's keep in mind private corporations guising as government programs as we search for an example - and did i mention how nice it would be to find one?
eddyizm asked: My reply was too long to fit. This is for your Minimum wage question :
This argument is completely unrelated to real life and has much more in common with the Reaganomics and trickle down economic theory than hard facts. A higher wage, minimum for this arguments sake, directly relates to the amount of cash put into the working class pockets. This money (after meeting bare essentials)...
This argument is completely unrelated to real life and has much more in common with the Reaganomics and trickle down economic theory than hard facts. A higher wage, minimum for this arguments sake, directly relates to the amount of cash put into the working class pockets. This money (after meeting bare essentials)...
theworldisnotenough1 asked: The higher the minimum wage, the less people firms are willing hire. Therefore, unemployment increases. That's why a minimum wage makes it harder for you to find a job. That's one of the most elemental concepts of microeconomics. Also, if people freely consent to work for less than the current minimum wage (assuming it was abolished), that's hardly slavery. I don't agree with...
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Mandatory Army survey says atheists are unfit to... →
From the site:
I’m a bit furious about a mandatory survey that I just took. The survey, Soldier Fitness Tracker (SFT), measures individual soldier’s competency in four areas: Emotional, Social, Family, and Spiritual. As a foxhole atheist, I was a little annoyed at first, but I’ve learned that I’ve really got to pick my battles on some issues. This quickly turned into one of those issues....
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www.fucktheteaparty.com →
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Isn't it ridiculous?
travors:
It embarrasses me to live in an age when our greatest scientific minds have to waste their time arguing against the ridiculous supernatural nonsense spewed by ignorant religious fundamentalists.
(For more from me on atheism try: Human Beings and the Arrogance of Heaven or People of Faith or God Bless)
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What To Do When Someone Dies: Online Accounts →
In our modern Internet age, there are multiple places where we interact and communicate online. From standard email accounts and Facebook to Foursquare and Twitter, an individual can juggle as many as several dozen online accounts at one time. And when an unexpected death occurs, this can leave several loose ends that need to be tied up before you can finally say your goodbyes.
No amount of...
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“We support repeal of laws that impede the ability of any person to find...”
– Libertarian Party on Jobs - Party Platform
How does a minimum wage impede my ability to find work? And even if it did, why would I work for less than the current minimum wage? That’s not work, that’s basically slavery. Oh and way to go on repealing child labor laws. Nice group, those...
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“That was another one of those WTF moments that when he has so often repeated,...”
– Future Republican presidential nominee SARAH PALIN, reacting to the President Obama’s call for America’s new “Sputnik moment” during his State of the Union speech.
Oh, I wish I’d heard this last week.
(via inothernews)
Wait she blamed the fall of the USSR on the space race? Seriously? Now...
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The Role of Labor Movements in Egypt →
Some things about Egypt that you may not have read about until now: “From 2004 to 2008 alone, about 1.7 million workers have engaged in 1,900 strikes and other forms of protest, demanding everything from wage increases to job security in state-owned industries that were privatized.” (That is not a thing that newspapers have room for in general, so we would not have heard much until...
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Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates... →
The ink was barely dry on the PPACA when the first of many lawsuits to block the mandated health insurance provisions of the law was filed in a Florida District Court. The pleadings, in part, read -
The Constitution nowhere authorizes the United States to mandate, either directly or under threat of penalty, that all citizens and legal residents have qualifying health care coverage.
It turns...
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Is the legendary Lost Ark buried in Japan? →
Speculation surrounding the lost Ark at Mt. Tsurugi can be traced back to the work of Masanori Takane (1883-1959), a literary scholar with a deep interest in kotodama (lit. “word spirit”) — a Japanese belief that words and names hold mystical powers. Through his kotodama research, which involved the study of ancient history, philosophy, theology and cosmology, Takane came...
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Breaking: Republican Party partners with GM to...
It will be called the “Preibus” and it’s available in one color only: red.
Standard features:
sunroof (to keep that tan going)
ashtray (for your butts)
large “made in america” sticker on the bumper
widest front seat available in it’s class
Get yours today!
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atedgeoftheuniverse asked: The best argument I've seen against nationalized health care is the sheer size of the United States. I think a national health care system would be fantastic, but how would you implement it with minimal overlap and maximum efficiency?
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Psywar →
Psywar is a sterling debut documentary from writer-director Scott Noble. It is chock full of interviews with thinkers, historical background, and excellent narration by Mikela Jay.
Psywar explores the evolution of propaganda and public relations in the United States, with an emphasis on the “elitist theory of democracy” and the relationship between war, propaganda, and class.
This film is...
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“In the 1960s, a student at Harvard Law School addressed parents and alumni with...”
– :
(via shanexcore)
A marked increase in nationalism & patriotism is one of the signs of creeping fascism.
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The Fix - RNC is $23 million in debt →
section9:
evangotlib:
goodreasonnews:
The Republican National Committee has about $23 million in debt as it prepares for the 2012 election cycle, new Chairman Reince Priebus announced Monday.
They can’t run anything right…whether a country or their own internal organizations.
Maybe they should cut expenditures?
And this is the fiscally responsible party? How much does a trip to a...
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Health Care in Sweden →
sixkindsofbullshit:
I know that many people in the US are scared out of their wits that the US is “going the way of Sweden” and turning into a socialist society. I almost laugh out loud every time I hear that. For starters…the US is so FAAAAARRRR from being a socialist nation it’s not even possible. Secondly, going the way of Sweden wouldn’t really be so bad if you consider some of the...
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Republicans
jasencomstock:
correlationstonone:
Will declare victory if the SC rules the individual mandate unconstitutional. All those “repeal” calls will be nightmares come true. And for once, the Tea Party will have made a cogent point about the Constitution.
ha. This post is also my: I wish the legion or so of liberals I follow would stop moaning about this ruling.
The tea baggers are all talk....
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“…the “war on science” is only the most blatant, surface manifestation of a...”
– David Brin (via azspot)
January 2011
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The More Americans That Go On Food Stamps The More... →
JP Morgan is the largest processor of food stamp benefits in the United States. JP Morgan has contracted to provide food stamp debit cards in 26 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. JP Morgan is paid for each case that it handles, so that means that the more Americans that go on food stamps, the more profits JP Morgan makes. Yes, you read that correctly. When the number of Americans on food...
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When the politically fueled murder of a 9-year-old... →
jonathan-cunningham:
idonteverwanna:
Wow.
“As her mother tells it, 9-year-old Brisenia Flores had begged the border vigilantes who had just broken into her house, “Please don’t shoot me.”
But they did — in the face at point-blank range, prosecutors allege, as Brisenia’s father sat dead on the couch and her mother lay on the floor, pretending that she too had been killed in the gunfire.”
...
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“…American [right-wingers] have long had their own private Europe of the...”
– Paul Krugman, “Their Own Private Europe” (via ryking)
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Watchcorruptpolitics:
Real Time with Bill Maher: American Exceptionalism.
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When the TV Anchor Is Sexy, Men Forget About the... →
armeck:
savagemike:
armeck:
Which is why the male Fox News audience remains uninformed and Rachel Maddow’s fans know EVERYTHING.
Well except Rachel Maddow IS attractive. Sheesh, don’t be a hater.
Well, we’ll just disagree on that point right there.
That’s fine, but your implication is that the only reason anyone would listen to her is because they don’t find her attractive,...
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An Open Letter to President Barack Obama
thenoobyorker:
Dear President Obama:
As political scientists, historians, and researchers in related fields who have studied the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, we the undersigned believe you have a chance to move beyond rhetoric to support the democratic movement sweeping over Egypt. As citizens, we expect our president to uphold those values.
For thirty years, our government has...
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When the TV Anchor Is Sexy, Men Forget About the... →
armeck:
Which is why the male Fox News audience remains uninformed and Rachel Maddow’s fans know EVERYTHING.
Well except Rachel Maddow IS attractive. Sheesh, don’t be a hater.
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Wikileaks Reveals U.S. Backed Egyptian Uprising →
machines-repaired:
The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.
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5 countries with low taxes →
But but but but taxes are too high! I want my money!
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kohenari asked: I think we're probably right around the same age. I have a memory of watching the Challenger explosion about 100 times. I probably only saw it four or five times, but it was so devastating ... especially because virtually every school was watching it live since Christa McAuliffe was going to be a teacher-in-space. I also vividly remember Reagan's speech after the disaster ... but I find...
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go:
Army tanks line up in Tahrir Square early Saturday in Cairo.