Understanding Class Warfare Hysteria
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
The recent outbreak of hysterics over “class warfare” occasioned by President Obama’s deficit reduction plan from a week ago was a highly revealing event. The super-rich have enjoyed overwhelming prosperity and a rapidly accelerating share of the national income over the last three decades. They also enjoy a position of privilege within the cultural and political elite, which paradoxically rallies around them and has come to see them as a vulnerable minority threatened by populist currents, however faint those may be.
And they are faint, indeed. To understand the hysterical character of the “class warfare” charge, consider the basic lay of the land. Here is a chart showing the share of national income earned by various income groups alongside their share of the tax burden:
Still making excuses: Obama blames economic misery on Americans getting ‘a little soft’
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
Barrack Obama claims the U.S. had ‘gotten a little soft’ in the last couple decades and needs to ‘get back on track’.
The president was talking about the state of the economy during an interview with a local TV station from Orlando, Florida, when he made the comments.
He told WESH-TV’s Jim Payne: ‘The way I think about it is, this is a great, great country that had gotten a little soft and we didn’t have that same competitive edge that we needed over the last couple of decades.
‘We need to get back on track.’
Mr. Obama has faced heavy criticism for his handling of the economy, and the current unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent is threatening his re-election bid.
He acknowledged that with the current economic climate it is a particularly ‘challenging’ time for young people.
Taxing times
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
Which governments take the biggest chunk from a $100,000 salary?DENMARK has the highest rate of income tax for a person earning $100,000, according to a survey of effective tax rates in 93 countries published on September 29t
Study finds ‘magic mushrooms’ may improve personality long-term (VIDEO)
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
A new study suggests that a single dose of psilocybin — the active ingredient in “Magic Mushrooms” — can result in improved personality traits over the long term.
Bernie Sanders Is The First US Senator To Support Occupy Wall Street
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
On Countdown With Keith Olbermann, Sen. Bernie Sanders became the first US Senator to voice his support for Occupy Wall Street.
As NYPD Probes Footage of Police Brutality, Recording the Cops Still a Felony in Illinois
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
People around the country are rightly outraged at NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna after multiple recordings of him indiscriminately pepper-spraying unarmed Occupy Wall Street protesters surfaced. If not for those recordings, Bologna would likely have never been identified and held accountable for his ruthless behavior. Meanwhile, in the state of Illinois residents are regularly arrested for recording on-duty police in public, regardless of the circumstances, thanks to a draconian eavesdropping law.
Phony Fear Factor
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
Despite what Republican presidential candidates are saying, regulation and taxes are not responsible for America’s weak job growth.
The Onion Live Tweeting Congress Hostage ‘Breaking News’ (POLL, VIDEO)
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
Satirical news publication The Onion broke the news on Twitter about an hour ago of a hostage situation involving Congress, but the story is not true and a number of Twitter users are saying it’s not funny. It all started with this tweet:
Wisconsin Gearing Up Recall of Governor Scott Walker…Game On!
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
It’s not a matter of if but rather when Wisconsinites will begin the recall process against Governor Scott Walker. Activists in the group Wisconsin Recall Task Force met Tuesday evening to discuss the most effective way to launch their recall, with focus on the timing. Poor Scott Walker, if it’s not the FBI, it’s the people.
Trust in government is at all time low
Sep 30, 2011 Opinion
A CNN/ORC International Poll released Wednesday morning indicates that only 15 percent of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do what’s right just about always or most of the time. Last September that figure was at 25 percent. Seventy-seven percent of people questioned say they trust the federal government only some of the time, and an additional eight percent volunteer that they never trust the government to do what’s right.