Friday, December 24, 2004
Election’s Over, Screw the Young:
College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules that govern most of the nation's financial aid.
Because of the changes, which take effect next fall and are expected to save the government $300 million in the 2005-6 academic year, at least 1.3 million students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation's primary scholarship for those of low income, according to two analyses of the new rules.
In addition, 89,000 students or so who would otherwise be getting some Pell Grant money will get none, the analyses found. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/education/23pell.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=
Election’s Over, Screw the Poor
In one of the first signs of the effects of the ever tightening federal budget, in the past two months the Bush administration has reduced its contributions to global food aid programs aimed at helping millions of people climb out of poverty.
With the budget deficit growing and President Bush promising to reduce spending, the administration has told representatives of several charities that it was unable to honor some earlier promises and would have money to pay for food only in emergency crises like that in Darfur, in western Sudan. The cutbacks, estimated by some charities at up to $100 million, come at a time when the number of hungry in the world is rising for the first time in years and all food programs are being stretched. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/22/politics/22aid.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position
Election’s Over, Iraq is screwed Now they can admit that all’s not well. Attacks are everywhere. Juan Cole summarices the state of things in Mosul, which is “paralyzed” following the bombing earlier this week.
Schools, offices and shops were closed in Mosul, a city of over a million, on Wednesday as US troops conducted house to house searches in the southern and western areas of the city for the guerrillas who planned the bombing of the mess hall at the nearby US base on Tuesday. http://www.juancole.com/
William Pfaff on Torture: The etiology
This started early. Proposals to authorize torture were circulating even before there was anyone to torture. Days after the Sept. 11 attacks, the administration made it known that the United States was no longer bound by international treaties, or by American law and established U.S. military standards, concerning torture and the treatment of prisoners. By the end of 2001, the Justice Department had drafted memos on how to protect military and intelligence officers from eventual prosecution under existing U.S. law for their treatment of Afghan and other prisoners.
In January 2002, the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales (who is soon to become attorney general), advised George W. Bush that it could be done by fiat. If the president simply declared "detainees" in Afghanistan outside the protection of the Geneva conventions, the 1996 U.S. War Crimes Act - which carries a possible death penalty for Geneva violations - would not apply.Those who protested were ignored, though the administration declared it would abide by the "spirit" of the conventions. Shortly afterward, the CIA asked for formal assurance that this pledge did not apply to its agents. http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2004/12/21/news/edpfaff.html
Torture: Lack of Outrage So, we know it began long ago, that it tracks on up to the very Top. So, where’s the outrage? Then again, there wasn’t that much in ’34 Germany either. Maybe the better conservatives can save us, as surely their core values must be shaken anew.
Wall Street salivating- quietly- over “private accounts”
President Bush prepares to disclose the details of his plan to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars of future Social Security funds into privately held investment accounts, Wall Street has begun a muted lobbying campaign, chastened by bolder forays that failed in years past.
So far, the chief executives of most financial firms have refused to take a public stand in support of private accounts, wary of being seen as too eager to embrace a potential new revenue stream.
At last week's White House economic meeting in Washington, they were conspicuous in their absence from the Social Security panel. Even in direct meetings with President Bush, who actively campaigned on the issue of Social Security, executives have shied away.
There are signs, however, that the industry is becoming a little more aggressive in pushing for private accounts, through a loose assemblage of trade associations, business coalitions and conservative research centers. These groups have lately begun trying to raise money from business interests and to marshal support on Capitol Hill, while also seeking to deflect criticism that Wall Street is behind the move simply to reap rich rewards for administering the accounts. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/business/21lobby.html?pagewanted=print&position
The Robust / Fragile Economy Business pages are split between cheerleading and warning of burgeoning trouble. Friday’s NY Times was no exception, noting “positive economic reports” while contrasting headlines included “Growing Global Unease Over Ballooning Deficits.”
The latter:
White House officials are already trying to assuage bond investors about the administration's attempt to overhaul Social Security, a project that is likely to require the government to borrow as much as $2 trillion over the next decade or two.
Anxiety about a potentially steep fall in the dollar could prompt foreign investors to demand higher interest rates on Treasury bonds to compensate for the risk of a plunge in the value of those bonds.
But the more immediate pressure, and potentially a greater danger for Mr. Bush, is that foreign investors may be losing their appetite for the flood of Treasury bonds being sold to finance the federal budget deficit.
Foreign capital inflows to the United States, which finance the trade deficit and to some extent the budget deficit, have slowed significantly. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/24/business/24dollar.html?oref=login
Right Wing Glee: Newsmax celebrates: Fun to be a Rightie…
Americans Flee to the 'Red' States The Census Bureau reveals that people continue the exodus from intolerant, high-cost states such as Massachusetts to enjoy the greater freedom of Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas ... Massachusetts was the only state that had a population decline, albeit down a slight 3,800 people, or 0.1 percent, to 6.41 million. Demographers speculated it could have been caused by an exodus of people leaving to escape rising costs in the Boston area. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/12/22/84715.shtml
The reality:
"Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah would each gain one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives if districts were reapportioned today," according to an analysis by American City Business Journals. "Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, on the other hand, would each lose a seat." http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/bizoutlook/?jst=b_ol_lk
How the Other Half… Wall Street Journal item
When Nick Hexum went looking for a home in South Florida a little over a year ago, he wanted something right on the ocean. But while some buyers were paying more than $1 million an acre, he found a spot with the right price and plenty of beach -- in all directions.
To land his bargain, Mr. Hexum, lead singer of the rock band 311, purchased his own island. He paid $2.8 million for a six-acre piece of land a mile offshore called Money Cay, complete with a three-bedroom home. "I got a great deal," says Mr. Hexum. "It's just me and the great blue ocean." http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110323741166802618,00.html?mod=at%5Fleisure%5Fmain%5Fweekend%5Fjournal%5Fends%5Fonly
-R
College students in virtually every state will be required to shoulder more of the cost of their education under new federal rules that govern most of the nation's financial aid.
Because of the changes, which take effect next fall and are expected to save the government $300 million in the 2005-6 academic year, at least 1.3 million students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the nation's primary scholarship for those of low income, according to two analyses of the new rules.
In addition, 89,000 students or so who would otherwise be getting some Pell Grant money will get none, the analyses found. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/education/23pell.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=
Election’s Over, Screw the Poor
In one of the first signs of the effects of the ever tightening federal budget, in the past two months the Bush administration has reduced its contributions to global food aid programs aimed at helping millions of people climb out of poverty.
With the budget deficit growing and President Bush promising to reduce spending, the administration has told representatives of several charities that it was unable to honor some earlier promises and would have money to pay for food only in emergency crises like that in Darfur, in western Sudan. The cutbacks, estimated by some charities at up to $100 million, come at a time when the number of hungry in the world is rising for the first time in years and all food programs are being stretched. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/22/politics/22aid.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position
Election’s Over, Iraq is screwed Now they can admit that all’s not well. Attacks are everywhere. Juan Cole summarices the state of things in Mosul, which is “paralyzed” following the bombing earlier this week.
Schools, offices and shops were closed in Mosul, a city of over a million, on Wednesday as US troops conducted house to house searches in the southern and western areas of the city for the guerrillas who planned the bombing of the mess hall at the nearby US base on Tuesday. http://www.juancole.com/
William Pfaff on Torture: The etiology
This started early. Proposals to authorize torture were circulating even before there was anyone to torture. Days after the Sept. 11 attacks, the administration made it known that the United States was no longer bound by international treaties, or by American law and established U.S. military standards, concerning torture and the treatment of prisoners. By the end of 2001, the Justice Department had drafted memos on how to protect military and intelligence officers from eventual prosecution under existing U.S. law for their treatment of Afghan and other prisoners.
In January 2002, the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales (who is soon to become attorney general), advised George W. Bush that it could be done by fiat. If the president simply declared "detainees" in Afghanistan outside the protection of the Geneva conventions, the 1996 U.S. War Crimes Act - which carries a possible death penalty for Geneva violations - would not apply.Those who protested were ignored, though the administration declared it would abide by the "spirit" of the conventions. Shortly afterward, the CIA asked for formal assurance that this pledge did not apply to its agents. http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2004/12/21/news/edpfaff.html
Torture: Lack of Outrage So, we know it began long ago, that it tracks on up to the very Top. So, where’s the outrage? Then again, there wasn’t that much in ’34 Germany either. Maybe the better conservatives can save us, as surely their core values must be shaken anew.
Wall Street salivating- quietly- over “private accounts”
President Bush prepares to disclose the details of his plan to funnel hundreds of billions of dollars of future Social Security funds into privately held investment accounts, Wall Street has begun a muted lobbying campaign, chastened by bolder forays that failed in years past.
So far, the chief executives of most financial firms have refused to take a public stand in support of private accounts, wary of being seen as too eager to embrace a potential new revenue stream.
At last week's White House economic meeting in Washington, they were conspicuous in their absence from the Social Security panel. Even in direct meetings with President Bush, who actively campaigned on the issue of Social Security, executives have shied away.
There are signs, however, that the industry is becoming a little more aggressive in pushing for private accounts, through a loose assemblage of trade associations, business coalitions and conservative research centers. These groups have lately begun trying to raise money from business interests and to marshal support on Capitol Hill, while also seeking to deflect criticism that Wall Street is behind the move simply to reap rich rewards for administering the accounts. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/21/business/21lobby.html?pagewanted=print&position
The Robust / Fragile Economy Business pages are split between cheerleading and warning of burgeoning trouble. Friday’s NY Times was no exception, noting “positive economic reports” while contrasting headlines included “Growing Global Unease Over Ballooning Deficits.”
The latter:
White House officials are already trying to assuage bond investors about the administration's attempt to overhaul Social Security, a project that is likely to require the government to borrow as much as $2 trillion over the next decade or two.
Anxiety about a potentially steep fall in the dollar could prompt foreign investors to demand higher interest rates on Treasury bonds to compensate for the risk of a plunge in the value of those bonds.
But the more immediate pressure, and potentially a greater danger for Mr. Bush, is that foreign investors may be losing their appetite for the flood of Treasury bonds being sold to finance the federal budget deficit.
Foreign capital inflows to the United States, which finance the trade deficit and to some extent the budget deficit, have slowed significantly. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/24/business/24dollar.html?oref=login
Right Wing Glee: Newsmax celebrates: Fun to be a Rightie…
Americans Flee to the 'Red' States The Census Bureau reveals that people continue the exodus from intolerant, high-cost states such as Massachusetts to enjoy the greater freedom of Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas ... Massachusetts was the only state that had a population decline, albeit down a slight 3,800 people, or 0.1 percent, to 6.41 million. Demographers speculated it could have been caused by an exodus of people leaving to escape rising costs in the Boston area. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/12/22/84715.shtml
The reality:
"Arizona, Florida, Texas and Utah would each gain one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives if districts were reapportioned today," according to an analysis by American City Business Journals. "Iowa, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, on the other hand, would each lose a seat." http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/bizoutlook/?jst=b_ol_lk
How the Other Half… Wall Street Journal item
When Nick Hexum went looking for a home in South Florida a little over a year ago, he wanted something right on the ocean. But while some buyers were paying more than $1 million an acre, he found a spot with the right price and plenty of beach -- in all directions.
To land his bargain, Mr. Hexum, lead singer of the rock band 311, purchased his own island. He paid $2.8 million for a six-acre piece of land a mile offshore called Money Cay, complete with a three-bedroom home. "I got a great deal," says Mr. Hexum. "It's just me and the great blue ocean." http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110323741166802618,00.html?mod=at%5Fleisure%5Fmain%5Fweekend%5Fjournal%5Fends%5Fonly
-R
