Political News Bits of the Day
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Stop Worrying about Food Stamp "Fraud"
"Over at the Weekly Standard blog, Jeryl Bier raised an alarm on Friday about the rise of food stamp (aka SNAP) fraud.
The howler in the piece is that although the headline says food stamp fraud is up 30 percent, you soon realize that
the fraud rate only rose from 1.0 percent to 1.3 percent."
Link
"Over at the Weekly Standard blog, Jeryl Bier raised an alarm on Friday about the rise of food stamp (aka SNAP) fraud.
The howler in the piece is that although the headline says food stamp fraud is up 30 percent, you soon realize that
the fraud rate only rose from 1.0 percent to 1.3 percent."
Link
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Irrefutable Proof that Darrell Issa Completely and Totally Lied About the IRS Scandal
"...the Inspector General’s May 2013 report “left out critical information that skewed the audit’s findings and set the stage for Republicans to make completely baseless accusations in an effort to tarnish the White House,” according to the recipient of the bogus aforementioned letter, Michigan Democrat Sandy Levin.
His full statement is worth a read: “Once again it is clear that the Inspector General’s report left out critical information that skewed the audit’s findings and set the stage for Republicans to make completely baseless accusations in an effort to tarnish the White House. These new documents make it clear the IRS scrutiny of the political activity of 501(c)(4) organizations covered a broad spectrum of political ideology and was not politically motivated.”
“Left out” is nice speak for redacted on purpose, which is nice speak for lied, in this case.
Today we found out via an IRS training presentation that the IRS targeted “ACORN successors” in addition to Democratic-leaning “Emerge” groups — the only groups to actually be denied non-profit status, by the way. They were on the “Be On the Look Out” BOLO lists that we have heard so much carping about.
We also found out that the progressive term “Emerge” was redacted in the presentation when it was originally released by the IRS in early July."
Link
"...the Inspector General’s May 2013 report “left out critical information that skewed the audit’s findings and set the stage for Republicans to make completely baseless accusations in an effort to tarnish the White House,” according to the recipient of the bogus aforementioned letter, Michigan Democrat Sandy Levin.
His full statement is worth a read: “Once again it is clear that the Inspector General’s report left out critical information that skewed the audit’s findings and set the stage for Republicans to make completely baseless accusations in an effort to tarnish the White House. These new documents make it clear the IRS scrutiny of the political activity of 501(c)(4) organizations covered a broad spectrum of political ideology and was not politically motivated.”
“Left out” is nice speak for redacted on purpose, which is nice speak for lied, in this case.
Today we found out via an IRS training presentation that the IRS targeted “ACORN successors” in addition to Democratic-leaning “Emerge” groups — the only groups to actually be denied non-profit status, by the way. They were on the “Be On the Look Out” BOLO lists that we have heard so much carping about.
We also found out that the progressive term “Emerge” was redacted in the presentation when it was originally released by the IRS in early July."
Link
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Killing Obamacare Is Killing The Republican Party
"...the number of Americans willing to directly identify with the Republican Party... has been declining fairly steadily for the last several years. The latest poll from Pew Research Center — perhaps the most reliable of all pollsters — has the GOP down to only 19 percent identification:
![Image](http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/pollster-party-id-555x370.png)
Link: http://tinyurl.com/n2bnoj2
"...the number of Americans willing to directly identify with the Republican Party... has been declining fairly steadily for the last several years. The latest poll from Pew Research Center — perhaps the most reliable of all pollsters — has the GOP down to only 19 percent identification:
![Image](http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/pollster-party-id-555x370.png)
Link: http://tinyurl.com/n2bnoj2
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Excerpt:Indium Flappers wrote:One by one, California agents track down illegally owned guns
"California is the only state that tracks and disarms people with legally registered guns who have lost the right to own them, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris. Almost 20,000 gun owners in the state are prohibited from possessing firearms, including convicted felons, those under a domestic violence restraining order or deemed mentally unstable."
California is often a leader of future trends. I hope other states pick up on this common sense action.
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Do you think there's any chance that "mentally unstable" could come to include political dissidents, (like Brandon Raub, see here and here,) or LGBTQAs, (see here)?Dardedar wrote:Excerpt:Indium Flappers wrote:One by one, California agents track down illegally owned guns
"California is the only state that tracks and disarms people with legally registered guns who have lost the right to own them, according to Attorney General Kamala Harris. Almost 20,000 gun owners in the state are prohibited from possessing firearms, including convicted felons, those under a domestic violence restraining order or deemed mentally unstable."
California is often a leader of future trends. I hope other states pick up on this common sense action.
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Yes. And appropriately so.Indium Flappers wrote: ..."mentally unstable" could come to include political dissidents, (like Brandon Raub,">>
No.or LGBTQAs,
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
I see. I find this disturbing, but I think it's a question of ethics, so I won't bother calling you out over it.Dardedar wrote:Yes. And appropriately so.Indium Flappers wrote: ..."mentally unstable" could come to include political dissidents, (like Brandon Raub,">>
Why in the world not? Are there not numerous cases in which the government is given some power, and then once a different party steps in and gains that power it uses that power for some purpose the other party would object to, or would say it would object to?Dardedar wrote:No.Indium Flappers wrote: or LGBTQAs,
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Of course there are, but that can happen with any law. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to not argue that all laws are bad because they can be misapplied, despite your tendency to confuse details with principles.Indium Flappers wrote:Are there not numerous cases in which the government is given some power, and then once a different party steps in and gains that power it uses that power for some purpose the other party would object to, or would say it would object to?
"Debating with a conservative is like cleaning up your dog's vomit: It is an inevitable consequence of your association, he isn't much help, and it makes very clear the fact that he will swallow anything."
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
I just don't find the appeal to a slippery slope persuasive here. Those that are little more fear driven than I, may have different results. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slippery_slopeIndium Flappers wrote: Are there not numerous cases in which...
This is why we have judges and juries interpret how/when laws apply and when laws become outdated or counter productive to the outcomes we as a society want, we as a society change them through our representative government. See the positive changes on MJ happening just today I believe. A little late due to America's conservative puritan bent, but better late than never.[used for] some purpose the other party would object to, or would say it would object to?
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Certainly I would not argue that all laws are bad, but given the kind of absurd treatment I've seen people give members of the LGBTQA community, I would not find it too far-fetched to imagine that some of them would happily lock up or otherwise harm queers through the law, nor too far-fetched to imagine that they could end up actually getting such a law passed. Disarming someone seems easier than locking them up.David Franks wrote:Of course there are, but that can happen with any law. I'm sure you're intelligent enough to not argue that all laws are bad because they can be misapplied, despite your tendency to confuse details with principles.Indium Flappers wrote:Are there not numerous cases in which the government is given some power, and then once a different party steps in and gains that power it uses that power for some purpose the other party would object to, or would say it would object to?
I hope it won't happen, and I would assume the ACLU or similar would do everything in their power to stop such a thing from happening. But we'll see.
Also, I confess to not knowing what "MJ" is.
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
"Mary Jane"-- Marijuana. (I guess marihuana would go by "MH".)Indium Flappers wrote:Also, I confess to not knowing what "MJ" is.
"Debating with a conservative is like cleaning up your dog's vomit: It is an inevitable consequence of your association, he isn't much help, and it makes very clear the fact that he will swallow anything."
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
This is going around with Republicans again lately, so:
Iraq's WMD stockpiles didn't exist.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/wor ... -wmd_x.htm
There's no reason to believe the weapons were moved to Syria since, once again, they didn't exist.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6834079/#.UiElvBusio_
Iraq's WMD stockpiles didn't exist.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/wor ... -wmd_x.htm
There's no reason to believe the weapons were moved to Syria since, once again, they didn't exist.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6834079/#.UiElvBusio_
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
The slippery slope fallacy is when you argue against something that may happen rather than what is actually happening. And your claim is far-fetched. When they are locking up gay people for being gay, then that is a whole different situation and argument and one which you will have a whole army of support rising up to stop it.Indium Flappers wrote:I would not find it too far-fetched to imagine that some of them would happily lock up or otherwise harm queers through the law,...
Right now you refer to a situation involving "a state that tracks and disarms people with legally registered guns who have lost the right to own them." I think that's a good thing. It doesn't follow that because this is happening, something else undesirable will happen. That doesn't follow.
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
Alright, agreed, it doesn't follow.
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
12 Years After the Attack, Young Soldiers at Guantanamo Bay Are Getting 9/11 History Lessons
excerpt:
excerpt:
Young soldiers at Guantanamo Bay would have been in grade school when the 9/11 attacks occurred. But the government is making sure the terrorist attacks are fresh in their minds.
The FBI now holds briefings for military personnel stationed at Guantanamo about the attacks and their connection to the island prison. Five detainees are currently being tried for their role in plotting 9/11. There are 161 other prisoners there too, about half of whom have been cleared for transfer.
"We may become the makers of our fate when we have ceased to pose as its prophets."
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
~ The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask
6. Why hasn’t the United States fixed this yet?
Because it can’t. There are no viable options. Sorry.
The military options are all bad. Shipping arms to rebels, even if it helps them topple Assad, would ultimately empower jihadists and worsen rebel in-fighting, probably leading to lots of chaos and possibly a second civil war (the United States made this mistake during Afghanistan’s early 1990s civil war, which helped the Taliban take power in 1996). Taking out Assad somehow would probably do the same, opening up a dangerous power vacuum. Launching airstrikes or a “no-fly zone” could suck us in, possibly for years, and probably wouldn’t make much difference on the ground. An Iraq-style ground invasion would, in the very best outcome, accelerate the killing, cost a lot of U.S. lives, wildly exacerbate anti-Americanism in a boon to jihadists and nationalist dictators alike, and would require the United States to impose order for years across a country full of people trying to kill each other. Nope.
The one political option, which the Obama administration has been pushing for, would be for the Assad regime and the rebels to strike a peace deal. But there’s no indication that either side is interested in that, or that there’s even a viable unified rebel movement with which to negotiate.
It’s possible that there was a brief window for a Libya-style military intervention early on in the conflict. But we’ll never really know.
Washington Post
6. Why hasn’t the United States fixed this yet?
Because it can’t. There are no viable options. Sorry.
The military options are all bad. Shipping arms to rebels, even if it helps them topple Assad, would ultimately empower jihadists and worsen rebel in-fighting, probably leading to lots of chaos and possibly a second civil war (the United States made this mistake during Afghanistan’s early 1990s civil war, which helped the Taliban take power in 1996). Taking out Assad somehow would probably do the same, opening up a dangerous power vacuum. Launching airstrikes or a “no-fly zone” could suck us in, possibly for years, and probably wouldn’t make much difference on the ground. An Iraq-style ground invasion would, in the very best outcome, accelerate the killing, cost a lot of U.S. lives, wildly exacerbate anti-Americanism in a boon to jihadists and nationalist dictators alike, and would require the United States to impose order for years across a country full of people trying to kill each other. Nope.
The one political option, which the Obama administration has been pushing for, would be for the Assad regime and the rebels to strike a peace deal. But there’s no indication that either side is interested in that, or that there’s even a viable unified rebel movement with which to negotiate.
It’s possible that there was a brief window for a Libya-style military intervention early on in the conflict. But we’ll never really know.
Washington Post
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
We should check back in a few months and see how this fear mongering goes for these wingnuts. Buy Gold!
***
"Economist Caution: Prepare For 'Massive Wealth Destruction'"
"Take immediate steps to protect your wealth . . . NOW!
That’s exactly what many well-respected economists, billionaires, and noted authors are telling you to do — experts such as Marc Faber, Peter Schiff, Donald Trump, and Robert Wiedemer. According to them, we are on the verge of another recession, and this one will be far worse than what we experienced during the last financial crisis.
Marc Faber, the noted Swiss economist and investor, has voiced his concerns for the U.S. economy numerous times during recent media appearances, stating, “I think somewhere down the line we will have a massive wealth destruction. I would say that well-to-do people may lose up to 50 percent of their total wealth.”
When he was asked what sort of odds he put on a global recession happening, the economist famous for his ominous predictions quickly answered . . . “100 percent.”
Faber points out that this bleak outlook stems directly from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s policy decisions, and the continuous printing of new money, referred to as “quantitative easing” in the media.
Faber’s pessimism is matched by well-respected economist and investor Peter Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. Schiff remarks that the stock market collapse we experienced in 2008 “wasn’t the real crash. The real crash is coming.” ...
Where Trump, Faber, and Schiff see rising debt, a falling dollar, and a plunging stock market, investment adviser and author Robert Wiedemer sees much more widespread economic destruction.
In a recent interview to talk about his New York Times best-seller Aftershock, Wiedemer says, “The data is clear, 50 percent unemployment, a 90 percent stock market drop, and 100 percent annual inflation… starting in 2013.”
NewsMax
***
"Economist Caution: Prepare For 'Massive Wealth Destruction'"
"Take immediate steps to protect your wealth . . . NOW!
That’s exactly what many well-respected economists, billionaires, and noted authors are telling you to do — experts such as Marc Faber, Peter Schiff, Donald Trump, and Robert Wiedemer. According to them, we are on the verge of another recession, and this one will be far worse than what we experienced during the last financial crisis.
Marc Faber, the noted Swiss economist and investor, has voiced his concerns for the U.S. economy numerous times during recent media appearances, stating, “I think somewhere down the line we will have a massive wealth destruction. I would say that well-to-do people may lose up to 50 percent of their total wealth.”
When he was asked what sort of odds he put on a global recession happening, the economist famous for his ominous predictions quickly answered . . . “100 percent.”
Faber points out that this bleak outlook stems directly from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s policy decisions, and the continuous printing of new money, referred to as “quantitative easing” in the media.
Faber’s pessimism is matched by well-respected economist and investor Peter Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. Schiff remarks that the stock market collapse we experienced in 2008 “wasn’t the real crash. The real crash is coming.” ...
Where Trump, Faber, and Schiff see rising debt, a falling dollar, and a plunging stock market, investment adviser and author Robert Wiedemer sees much more widespread economic destruction.
In a recent interview to talk about his New York Times best-seller Aftershock, Wiedemer says, “The data is clear, 50 percent unemployment, a 90 percent stock market drop, and 100 percent annual inflation… starting in 2013.”
NewsMax
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
If memory serves, Milton Friedman was the wanker that started the "SS is a Ponzi" scheme horseshit. Here's a nice roast of libertarianism:
The True History of Libertarianism in America: A Phony Ideology to Promote a Corporate Agenda
Before Milton Friedman was earning plaudits as an economic genius, he was a shill for the real estate industry
and an early pioneer for big business propaganda known as libertarianism.
Excerpt:
"Every couple of years, mainstream media hacks pretend to have just discovered libertarianism as some sort of radical, new and dynamic force in American politics. It’s a rehash that goes back decades, and hacks love it because it’s easy to write, and because it’s such a non-threatening “radical” politics (unlike radical left politics, which threatens the rich). The latest version involves a summer-long pundit debate in the pages of the New York Times, Reason magazine and elsewhere over so-called “libertarian populism.” It doesn’t really matter whose arguments prevail, so long as no one questions where libertarianism came from or why we’re defining libertarianism as anything but a big business public relations campaign, the winner in this debate is Libertarianism.
Pull up libertarianism’s floorboards, look beneath the surface into the big business PR campaign’s early years, and there you’ll start to get a sense of its purpose, its funders, and the PR hucksters who brought the peculiar political strain of American libertarianism into being — beginning with the libertarian movement’s founding father, Milton Friedman. Back in 1950, the House of Representatives held hearings on illegal lobbying activities and exposed both Friedman and the earliest libertarian think-tank outfit as a front for business lobbyists. Those hearings have been largely forgotten, in part because we’re too busy arguing over the finer points of “libertarian populism.”
Milton Friedman. In his early days, before millions were spent on burnishing his reputation, Friedman worked as a business lobby shill, a propagandist who would say whatever he was paid to say. That's the story we need to revisit to get to the bottom of the modern American libertarian "movement," to see what it's really all about."
Link
The True History of Libertarianism in America: A Phony Ideology to Promote a Corporate Agenda
Before Milton Friedman was earning plaudits as an economic genius, he was a shill for the real estate industry
and an early pioneer for big business propaganda known as libertarianism.
Excerpt:
"Every couple of years, mainstream media hacks pretend to have just discovered libertarianism as some sort of radical, new and dynamic force in American politics. It’s a rehash that goes back decades, and hacks love it because it’s easy to write, and because it’s such a non-threatening “radical” politics (unlike radical left politics, which threatens the rich). The latest version involves a summer-long pundit debate in the pages of the New York Times, Reason magazine and elsewhere over so-called “libertarian populism.” It doesn’t really matter whose arguments prevail, so long as no one questions where libertarianism came from or why we’re defining libertarianism as anything but a big business public relations campaign, the winner in this debate is Libertarianism.
Pull up libertarianism’s floorboards, look beneath the surface into the big business PR campaign’s early years, and there you’ll start to get a sense of its purpose, its funders, and the PR hucksters who brought the peculiar political strain of American libertarianism into being — beginning with the libertarian movement’s founding father, Milton Friedman. Back in 1950, the House of Representatives held hearings on illegal lobbying activities and exposed both Friedman and the earliest libertarian think-tank outfit as a front for business lobbyists. Those hearings have been largely forgotten, in part because we’re too busy arguing over the finer points of “libertarian populism.”
Milton Friedman. In his early days, before millions were spent on burnishing his reputation, Friedman worked as a business lobby shill, a propagandist who would say whatever he was paid to say. That's the story we need to revisit to get to the bottom of the modern American libertarian "movement," to see what it's really all about."
Link
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: Political News Bits of the Day
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer