Wednesday, September 22, 2004
What’s Happening, Iraq: Bush for withdrawal?
The “journalist” Robert Novak posits that the Administration will withdraw next year. Is this real? Hard to know, though Novak is well connected. Suffice to say that the Bushies have no plan and it would be smart to get out. Or, in view of the talk of massive military moves after the election, the “strategy” will be a reprising of Kissinger and Vietnam, 1972-3, when we escalated our bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong then got our troops out.
Inside the Bush administration policymaking apparatus, there is strong feeling that U.S. troops must leave Iraq next year. This determination is not predicated on success in implanting Iraqi democracy and internal stability. Rather, the officials are saying: Ready or not, here we go.
This prospective policy is based on Iraq's national elections in late January, but not predicated on ending the insurgency or reaching a national political settlement. Getting out of Iraq would end the neoconservative dream of building democracy in the Arab world. The United States would be content having saved the world from Saddam Hussein's quest for weapons of mass destruction. http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak20.html
What’s Happening, Iran:
Notable article, for the debate within the Administration and for the distortions that the author spits out, e.g. Saddam was developing nukes.
At a time when the violent insurgency in Iraq is vexing the Bush administration and stirring worries among Americans, events may be propelling the United States into yet another confrontation, this time with Iran. The issues have an almost eerie familiarity, evoking the warnings and threats that led to the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein, and stirring an equally passionate debate.
Like Iraq in its final years under Saddam Hussein, Iran is believed by experts to be on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb. In Iraq, that proved to be untrue, though this time the consensus is much stronger among Western experts.
In addition, as with Iraq, administration officials have said recently that Iran is supporting insurgencies and terrorism in other countries. Recently, top administration officials have accused the Tehran government of backing the rebels in Iraq, something that officials fear could increase if Iran is pressed too hard on its nuclear program. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/politics/21diplo.html
James Carroll: Good to have his voice back. He makes “us” uncomfortable, which is desirable.
In this political season, the momentous issue of American-sponsored death is an inch below the surface, not quite hidden -- making the election a matter of transcendent importance. George W. Bush is proud of the disgraceful history that has paralyzed the national conscience on the question of war. He does not recognize it for what it is -- an American Tragedy. The American tragedy. John Kerry, by contrast, is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative. We see that reflected in the complexity not only of his responses, but of his character -- and no wonder it puts people off. Kerry's problem, so far unresolved, is how to tell us what we cannot bear to know about ourselves. How to tell us the truth of our great moral squandering. The truth of what we are doing today in Iraq.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/09/21/why_americans_back_the_war/
Post CBS: In sum, this is what the flap is supposed to obscure.
None of the new paperwork addresses the lingering questions surrounding Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War, how Bush's own records indicate he missed mandatory duty for months at a time, or how he managed to go unsupervised for nearly two years. The federal court order stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Associated Press in June to obtain all of Bush's relevant records. In February, when White House aides told reporters they had made public "absolutely everything" about Bush's military service, the AP noticed several obvious gaps and went to court to obtain additional documents. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/20/bush_guard_records/index_np.html
Washington Post op eds Change. Due to Kerry’s speech? Perhaps. The press has awaited more vocal opposition. Richard Cohen and George Will joined E.J. Dionne in their pessimism about the invasion/occupation, for the need to tell more truth about the worsening ‘situation.’
Dionne adds:
I'm as weary as you are that our politics veer away from what matters -- Iraq, terrorism, health care, jobs -- and get sidetracked into personal issues manufactured by political consultants and ideological zealots. But the Bush campaign has made clear it wants this election to focus on character and leadership. If character is the issue, the president's life, past and present, matters just as much as John Kerry's.
Dan Rather has answered his critics. Now it is Bush's turn. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37081-2004Sep20.html
Next Line of Attack on Kerry?:
Remember Gore and the Buddhist Temple fundraising issue? Well, Paul Harvey, the arch-conservative radio commentator (heard in Boston on WBZ, everywhere in The Heartland) has been talking of Kerry campaign fundraisers meeting with a “secret agent” from South Korea, broaching that question of whether a foreign government is trying to influence our election. Harvey threw in that two Kerry aides have “admitted” being part of the CBS memo deception. Let’s see if it has traction.
The AP report:
A South Korean embassy official who met with John Kerry fund-raisers to talk about creating a political group for Korean-Americans was in fact a spy for his country, raising concerns among U.S. officials that he or Seoul may have tried to influence the fall presidential election.
South Korean and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Chung Byung-Man, a consular officer in Los Angeles, worked for South Korea's National Intelligence Service at the time he was meeting with Kerry fund-raisers.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Kerry-South-Korea.html
Decency and Winning: This election has underscored the dilemma for many liberals. Wanting to be decent and fair, punches are pulled, reasoning is emphasized. But their opponents are with no such inhibitions / scruples. They play by Karl Rove’s rules; they do what it takes to win. So now, and especially if Bush wins, the choice is to either (1) stay decent and lose; (2) risk a further degrading of the quality of debate / democracy by doing a variation on Rove, or (3) to at least effectively label and condemn what is being done, showing the Rove-Ailes pattern across the decades. Continuing to exercise #1 risks many of us acting on our thoughts of relocating to Toronto, Vancouver, Melbourne, etc.
While Kerry is speaking more bluntly and substantively- though his critique is on the deceit and execution, not on the policy- he still has not condemned what Rove has done, and he’s still behind.
Full Disclosure: I consulted to the Campaign and found them open to advice, both on technique (utilizing Talk Radio) and the crafting of their message, especially about Iraq. While they were successful meetings, it is a tad alarming that 6 weeks out they needed help with the message.
The “Debates”: Don’t Hold Your Breath.
If the stakes weren’t high, it would be another laughable situation. The Democrat’s negotiator, Vernon Jordan, Clinton friend, agreed to terms that do not allow the candidates to address each other, and in the Town Hall debate, the questioners are not allowed follow-up. Some debates. Good work Vernon. Did you learn your negotiation skills from Warren Christopher? Or, are you signed on for Hillary’s campaign?
Doing What’s Comfortable. It’s arguable that the Right continues to out-organize the Left as they work harder, are more disciplined and focused and are less competitive with each other. And, they never lose sight of their goal. Liberals can tend to do what’s comfortable and convenient and are prone to hand-wringing at the expense of action.
Noting some of this, Michael Moore urges action.
Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"
Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.
They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.
Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"
No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2004-09-20
Privatizing Social Security: Wall Street Bonanza
We knew that The Ownership Society was all about a further transfer of public funds to the private sector. It is being labeled thusly and the Kerry campaign promises to deal with it.
President Bush's push to create individual investment accounts in the Social Security system would hand financial services firms a windfall totaling $940 billion over 75 years, according to a University of Chicago study to be released today.
Sen. John F. Kerry plans to use the paper, by economist Austan Goolsbee, as he campaigns in Florida today, hoping to open a new line of attack against Bush. The Democratic presidential nominee is expected to say that Bush's Social Security plan is a sop to Wall Street donors, who are among the Bush campaign's biggest financial backers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39923-2004Sep21.html
Bill Moyers Speech: Too full to summarize. When you have the time… I enthusiastically recommend it. How he will be missed… I include but one theme.
Secrecy is contagious. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced that "certain security information included in the reactor oversight process" will no longer be publicly available, and no longer be updated on the agency's website.
New controls are being imposed on space surveillance data once found on NASA's web site.
The FCC has now restricted public access to reports of telecommunications disruption because the Department of Homeland Security says communications outages could provide "a roadmap for terrorists."
One of the authors of the ASNE report, Pete Weitzel, former managing editor of The Miami Herald and now coordinator for the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, describes how Section 214 of the Homeland Security Act makes it possible for a company to tell Homeland Security about an eroding chemical tank on the bank of a river, but DHS could not disclose this information publicly or, for that matter, even report it to the Environmental Protection Agency. And if there were a spill and people were injured, the information given DHS could not be used in court!
Secrecy is contagious – and scandalous. The Washington Post reports that nearly 600 times in recent years, a judicial committee acting in private has stripped information from reports intended to alert the public to conflicts of interest involving federal judges.
Secrecy is contagious, scandalous – and toxic. According to the ASNE report, curtains are falling at the state and local levels, too. The tiny south Alabama town of Notasulga decided to allow citizens to see records only one hour a month. It had to rescind the decision, but now you have to make a request in writing, make an appointment and state a reason for wanting to see any document. The state legislature in Florida has adopted 14 new exemptions to its sunshine and public record laws. Over the objections of law enforcement officials and Freedom of Information advocates, they passed a new law prohibiting police from making lists of gun owners even as it sets a fine of $5 million for violation. http://www.alternet.org/story/19918/
Tax Bill: Another one in the works, and while it isn’t as tilted toward the extremely wealthy, it rewards comfortable families with tax cuts and increasingly harms the struggling via a rising income threshold.
The WaPost condemns and reminds us of the b.s. that occurred when it was passed:
The legislation would extend the three "middle-class tax provisions" set to expire next year: the $1,000 child tax credit, the marriage penalty fix and the 10 percent tax bracket. These provisions are expiring because lawmakers, in a gimmick-ridden feint at fiscal responsibility, insisted that the 2003 tax cuts couldn't cost more than $350 billion over 10 years. To keep the ostensible price tag down, lawmakers structured the most popular provisions to run out at the end of this year, knowing they would extend them later.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37118-2004Sep20?language=printer
Housing Cuts Proposed: Hardly surprising
The Bush administration has proposed reducing the value of subsidized-housing vouchers given to poor residents in New York City next year, with even bigger cuts planned for some urban areas in New England. The proposal is based on a disputed new formula that averages higher rents in big cities with those of suburban areas, which tend to have lower costs.
The proposals could have a "significantly detrimental impact" in some areas by forcing poor families to pay hundreds of extra dollars per month in rent, according to United States Representative Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican. That extra burden could be too much for thousands of tenants, "potentially leaving them homeless," Mr. Shays wrote in a recent letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/22/nyregion/22housing.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position
Integrity in Journalism Impressive to learn that Reuters drew a line, refusing to accede to the politicizing of their dispatches.
Having their bylines appear in newspapers is an unexpected bonus for news agency reporters. But now Reuters has asked Canada's largest newspaper chain to remove its writers' names from some articles.
The dispute centers on a policy adopted earlier this year by CanWest Global Communications - the publisher of 13 daily newspapers including The National Post in Toronto and The Calgary Herald, which both use Reuters dispatches - to substitute the word "terrorist" in articles for terms like "insurgents" and "rebels." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/business/media/20reuters.html
Polls:
*IBD/TIPP Bush over Kerry, 46% to 43%, among likely voters. Bush has a one point lead among registered voters.
*Zogby Battleground Poll, Kerry winning the electoral count, 297-241. *Electoral Vote Predictor: Kerry 239, Bush 256.
*Harris Poll: Bush’s ratings now 45% positive, 54% negative.
So, the race remains winnable.
Homeland Security in Action: Cat Stevens
He’s still on the Peace Train, so we needed to be protected from Cat Stevens, now Yusef Islam. The former folk singer was barred from entry into the U.S.- his London to D.C. flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine. Really! Then, since he wouldn’t promise to not record ever again, he was expelled “on national security grounds.” He was asked because of his dangerous sentiments, such as this posting after 9/11: “No right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action: The Quran equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity.” Since Yusef Islam, a rather traditional Muslim, has been a spokesperson for understanding between the West and the Islamic world, his expulsion doesn’t counter the belief that the U.S. is waging war on Islam.
It is a Wild World, indeed. http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/index.shtml
-R
The “journalist” Robert Novak posits that the Administration will withdraw next year. Is this real? Hard to know, though Novak is well connected. Suffice to say that the Bushies have no plan and it would be smart to get out. Or, in view of the talk of massive military moves after the election, the “strategy” will be a reprising of Kissinger and Vietnam, 1972-3, when we escalated our bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong then got our troops out.
Inside the Bush administration policymaking apparatus, there is strong feeling that U.S. troops must leave Iraq next year. This determination is not predicated on success in implanting Iraqi democracy and internal stability. Rather, the officials are saying: Ready or not, here we go.
This prospective policy is based on Iraq's national elections in late January, but not predicated on ending the insurgency or reaching a national political settlement. Getting out of Iraq would end the neoconservative dream of building democracy in the Arab world. The United States would be content having saved the world from Saddam Hussein's quest for weapons of mass destruction. http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak20.html
What’s Happening, Iran:
Notable article, for the debate within the Administration and for the distortions that the author spits out, e.g. Saddam was developing nukes.
At a time when the violent insurgency in Iraq is vexing the Bush administration and stirring worries among Americans, events may be propelling the United States into yet another confrontation, this time with Iran. The issues have an almost eerie familiarity, evoking the warnings and threats that led to the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein, and stirring an equally passionate debate.
Like Iraq in its final years under Saddam Hussein, Iran is believed by experts to be on the verge of developing a nuclear bomb. In Iraq, that proved to be untrue, though this time the consensus is much stronger among Western experts.
In addition, as with Iraq, administration officials have said recently that Iran is supporting insurgencies and terrorism in other countries. Recently, top administration officials have accused the Tehran government of backing the rebels in Iraq, something that officials fear could increase if Iran is pressed too hard on its nuclear program. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/21/politics/21diplo.html
James Carroll: Good to have his voice back. He makes “us” uncomfortable, which is desirable.
In this political season, the momentous issue of American-sponsored death is an inch below the surface, not quite hidden -- making the election a matter of transcendent importance. George W. Bush is proud of the disgraceful history that has paralyzed the national conscience on the question of war. He does not recognize it for what it is -- an American Tragedy. The American tragedy. John Kerry, by contrast, is attuned to the ethical complexity of this war narrative. We see that reflected in the complexity not only of his responses, but of his character -- and no wonder it puts people off. Kerry's problem, so far unresolved, is how to tell us what we cannot bear to know about ourselves. How to tell us the truth of our great moral squandering. The truth of what we are doing today in Iraq.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/09/21/why_americans_back_the_war/
Post CBS: In sum, this is what the flap is supposed to obscure.
None of the new paperwork addresses the lingering questions surrounding Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War, how Bush's own records indicate he missed mandatory duty for months at a time, or how he managed to go unsupervised for nearly two years. The federal court order stems from an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Associated Press in June to obtain all of Bush's relevant records. In February, when White House aides told reporters they had made public "absolutely everything" about Bush's military service, the AP noticed several obvious gaps and went to court to obtain additional documents. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/09/20/bush_guard_records/index_np.html
Washington Post op eds Change. Due to Kerry’s speech? Perhaps. The press has awaited more vocal opposition. Richard Cohen and George Will joined E.J. Dionne in their pessimism about the invasion/occupation, for the need to tell more truth about the worsening ‘situation.’
Dionne adds:
I'm as weary as you are that our politics veer away from what matters -- Iraq, terrorism, health care, jobs -- and get sidetracked into personal issues manufactured by political consultants and ideological zealots. But the Bush campaign has made clear it wants this election to focus on character and leadership. If character is the issue, the president's life, past and present, matters just as much as John Kerry's.
Dan Rather has answered his critics. Now it is Bush's turn. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37081-2004Sep20.html
Next Line of Attack on Kerry?:
Remember Gore and the Buddhist Temple fundraising issue? Well, Paul Harvey, the arch-conservative radio commentator (heard in Boston on WBZ, everywhere in The Heartland) has been talking of Kerry campaign fundraisers meeting with a “secret agent” from South Korea, broaching that question of whether a foreign government is trying to influence our election. Harvey threw in that two Kerry aides have “admitted” being part of the CBS memo deception. Let’s see if it has traction.
The AP report:
A South Korean embassy official who met with John Kerry fund-raisers to talk about creating a political group for Korean-Americans was in fact a spy for his country, raising concerns among U.S. officials that he or Seoul may have tried to influence the fall presidential election.
South Korean and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Chung Byung-Man, a consular officer in Los Angeles, worked for South Korea's National Intelligence Service at the time he was meeting with Kerry fund-raisers.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Kerry-South-Korea.html
Decency and Winning: This election has underscored the dilemma for many liberals. Wanting to be decent and fair, punches are pulled, reasoning is emphasized. But their opponents are with no such inhibitions / scruples. They play by Karl Rove’s rules; they do what it takes to win. So now, and especially if Bush wins, the choice is to either (1) stay decent and lose; (2) risk a further degrading of the quality of debate / democracy by doing a variation on Rove, or (3) to at least effectively label and condemn what is being done, showing the Rove-Ailes pattern across the decades. Continuing to exercise #1 risks many of us acting on our thoughts of relocating to Toronto, Vancouver, Melbourne, etc.
While Kerry is speaking more bluntly and substantively- though his critique is on the deceit and execution, not on the policy- he still has not condemned what Rove has done, and he’s still behind.
Full Disclosure: I consulted to the Campaign and found them open to advice, both on technique (utilizing Talk Radio) and the crafting of their message, especially about Iraq. While they were successful meetings, it is a tad alarming that 6 weeks out they needed help with the message.
The “Debates”: Don’t Hold Your Breath.
If the stakes weren’t high, it would be another laughable situation. The Democrat’s negotiator, Vernon Jordan, Clinton friend, agreed to terms that do not allow the candidates to address each other, and in the Town Hall debate, the questioners are not allowed follow-up. Some debates. Good work Vernon. Did you learn your negotiation skills from Warren Christopher? Or, are you signed on for Hillary’s campaign?
Doing What’s Comfortable. It’s arguable that the Right continues to out-organize the Left as they work harder, are more disciplined and focused and are less competitive with each other. And, they never lose sight of their goal. Liberals can tend to do what’s comfortable and convenient and are prone to hand-wringing at the expense of action.
Noting some of this, Michael Moore urges action.
Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"
Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.
They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.
Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"
No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2004-09-20
Privatizing Social Security: Wall Street Bonanza
We knew that The Ownership Society was all about a further transfer of public funds to the private sector. It is being labeled thusly and the Kerry campaign promises to deal with it.
President Bush's push to create individual investment accounts in the Social Security system would hand financial services firms a windfall totaling $940 billion over 75 years, according to a University of Chicago study to be released today.
Sen. John F. Kerry plans to use the paper, by economist Austan Goolsbee, as he campaigns in Florida today, hoping to open a new line of attack against Bush. The Democratic presidential nominee is expected to say that Bush's Social Security plan is a sop to Wall Street donors, who are among the Bush campaign's biggest financial backers. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39923-2004Sep21.html
Bill Moyers Speech: Too full to summarize. When you have the time… I enthusiastically recommend it. How he will be missed… I include but one theme.
Secrecy is contagious. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced that "certain security information included in the reactor oversight process" will no longer be publicly available, and no longer be updated on the agency's website.
New controls are being imposed on space surveillance data once found on NASA's web site.
The FCC has now restricted public access to reports of telecommunications disruption because the Department of Homeland Security says communications outages could provide "a roadmap for terrorists."
One of the authors of the ASNE report, Pete Weitzel, former managing editor of The Miami Herald and now coordinator for the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government, describes how Section 214 of the Homeland Security Act makes it possible for a company to tell Homeland Security about an eroding chemical tank on the bank of a river, but DHS could not disclose this information publicly or, for that matter, even report it to the Environmental Protection Agency. And if there were a spill and people were injured, the information given DHS could not be used in court!
Secrecy is contagious – and scandalous. The Washington Post reports that nearly 600 times in recent years, a judicial committee acting in private has stripped information from reports intended to alert the public to conflicts of interest involving federal judges.
Secrecy is contagious, scandalous – and toxic. According to the ASNE report, curtains are falling at the state and local levels, too. The tiny south Alabama town of Notasulga decided to allow citizens to see records only one hour a month. It had to rescind the decision, but now you have to make a request in writing, make an appointment and state a reason for wanting to see any document. The state legislature in Florida has adopted 14 new exemptions to its sunshine and public record laws. Over the objections of law enforcement officials and Freedom of Information advocates, they passed a new law prohibiting police from making lists of gun owners even as it sets a fine of $5 million for violation. http://www.alternet.org/story/19918/
Tax Bill: Another one in the works, and while it isn’t as tilted toward the extremely wealthy, it rewards comfortable families with tax cuts and increasingly harms the struggling via a rising income threshold.
The WaPost condemns and reminds us of the b.s. that occurred when it was passed:
The legislation would extend the three "middle-class tax provisions" set to expire next year: the $1,000 child tax credit, the marriage penalty fix and the 10 percent tax bracket. These provisions are expiring because lawmakers, in a gimmick-ridden feint at fiscal responsibility, insisted that the 2003 tax cuts couldn't cost more than $350 billion over 10 years. To keep the ostensible price tag down, lawmakers structured the most popular provisions to run out at the end of this year, knowing they would extend them later.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37118-2004Sep20?language=printer
Housing Cuts Proposed: Hardly surprising
The Bush administration has proposed reducing the value of subsidized-housing vouchers given to poor residents in New York City next year, with even bigger cuts planned for some urban areas in New England. The proposal is based on a disputed new formula that averages higher rents in big cities with those of suburban areas, which tend to have lower costs.
The proposals could have a "significantly detrimental impact" in some areas by forcing poor families to pay hundreds of extra dollars per month in rent, according to United States Representative Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican. That extra burden could be too much for thousands of tenants, "potentially leaving them homeless," Mr. Shays wrote in a recent letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/22/nyregion/22housing.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position
Integrity in Journalism Impressive to learn that Reuters drew a line, refusing to accede to the politicizing of their dispatches.
Having their bylines appear in newspapers is an unexpected bonus for news agency reporters. But now Reuters has asked Canada's largest newspaper chain to remove its writers' names from some articles.
The dispute centers on a policy adopted earlier this year by CanWest Global Communications - the publisher of 13 daily newspapers including The National Post in Toronto and The Calgary Herald, which both use Reuters dispatches - to substitute the word "terrorist" in articles for terms like "insurgents" and "rebels." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/business/media/20reuters.html
Polls:
*IBD/TIPP Bush over Kerry, 46% to 43%, among likely voters. Bush has a one point lead among registered voters.
*Zogby Battleground Poll, Kerry winning the electoral count, 297-241. *Electoral Vote Predictor: Kerry 239, Bush 256.
*Harris Poll: Bush’s ratings now 45% positive, 54% negative.
So, the race remains winnable.
Homeland Security in Action: Cat Stevens
He’s still on the Peace Train, so we needed to be protected from Cat Stevens, now Yusef Islam. The former folk singer was barred from entry into the U.S.- his London to D.C. flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine. Really! Then, since he wouldn’t promise to not record ever again, he was expelled “on national security grounds.” He was asked because of his dangerous sentiments, such as this posting after 9/11: “No right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action: The Quran equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity.” Since Yusef Islam, a rather traditional Muslim, has been a spokesperson for understanding between the West and the Islamic world, his expulsion doesn’t counter the belief that the U.S. is waging war on Islam.
It is a Wild World, indeed. http://www.yusufislam.org.uk/index.shtml
-R
