Perfectly Legal Rape and Pillage of the Middle Class
This is astounding:
The top 1% now takes in an astounding 16% of national income, up from 8% in
1980. The tax codes protect them, just as they protect corporate America,
through a vast system of loopholes.
John Edwards, in his criticism of GOP policies that reward wealth over work, has been making the same point consistently: The middle and working classes of this country are carrying a disproportionate amount of the tax burden, showing up for work and picking up the tab for funding this country while the wealthy move money around in accounts, take tax breaks and call it a day.
Lieberman,Schmieberman
Once again, Tweety is wrong. I heard Chris Matthews say on election night that Joe Lieberman was in the catbird's seat, that he would hold a great deal of power in the new Congress, and a colleague repeated this to me Thursday. Actually, not so much. Lieberman is neutered, as
Kos points out:
Furthermore, Lieberman will caucus with the Democrats. That's fine. Hopefully he's learned his lesson and will actually go back to representing the people of Connecticut. If he does, he'll be fine in six years. If he doesn't, he'll be right back where we started and will face an even more mature people-powered movement. And all he has to do is look at the 2008 Senate calendar, and the almost dozen serious Democratic pickup opportunities, to realize that any thoughts of switching parties would be a short term power-play at best.
Lieberman has been neutered. If he leaves the caucus for short-term gain, he loses all leverage and power and harms his long-term interests. Yet he doesn't stay in the caucus as a Democrat, but as an independent. And in that capacity he can criticize the Democratic Party all he wants without it being a story of "Democrats versus Democrats". He can flirt with Bush without it being a case of "bipartisanship".
In any case, Lieberman is the old. An artifact of a bygone era. Let him sunset in the Senate as we look to our future leaders -- people like Tester, Webb, Klobuchar, Brown, McCaskill, Whitehouse, and so many exciting new faces in the U.S. House.
And Joe said yesterday: "Call me a Democrat."
Worthwhile Event
For local people:
Meet Elizabeth Edwards, new author (of the fall release, acclaimed memoir SAVING GRACES) and dedicated reader (two of her favorite books are Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD and Eudora Welty's THE OPTIMIST'S DAUGHTER). She will speak at the Orange County Literacy Council's Fall Fundraiser, held for the first time at the elegant Siena Hotel. The program will benefit the Orange County Literacy Council and the work they do to break the cycle of illiteracy throughout the county. November 19, 2006
5pm until 7pm
The Siena Hotel
1505 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Tickets are $65. Call 919.933.2151 for reservations.
YES!
I don't have much time to post, just a quick note to say how happy I am with the outcome of the election. With Democrats in control of both houses of Congress, hopefully we can address the culture of corruption and the constitutional crisis facing our country.
I give the credit for this to Howard Dean's 50 state strategy. He enlisted and empowered Democrats every where to stand up, work hard and win!
Even though we won big, our work is not over. We have to stay focused on giving the voters what they wanted when they chose us over the Repugnicants. We have to keep working as hard as we did in the campaign to make sure the voters know who truly represents their interests.
During the campaign, I did volunteer work for my local precinct and I urge you to do the same. All I did was some data entry, but there are lots of other jobs to do. Call your county Democratic party office, find out who your precinct leader is, and volunteer. And give money if you can.
Speaking of which, I wish the Democrats would make campaign financing reform one of their biggest issues. The current system, in which the candidate with the most money is likely to win, is ridiculous.
Kerry Flap
First, John Kerry has to have the worst advisors in the world. He didn't respond to the Swift Boaters when he should've reamed them and he apologized over his screwing up a joke when he shouldn't have. Or at least if he was going to apologize for any misperception he should have at least asked when Shrub was going to apologize for all of his mistakes, mistakes that have costs tens of thousands of lives.
But, once again, the real villains here are the media. They ate this story up, like they do everything the GOP spoonfeeds them. They fell for it hook, line and sinker, like they have for th past 12-15 years. It was really a non-story, yet it dominated the news cycle for what, 3 days? And only the media is to blame. When will they stop responding to Republican manipulation?
When the republic falls, the media will bear much of the blame for shirking their duty to seek and tell the truth.
