Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act

Pennsylvania GOP’s Budget Cuts Mean Police Response To 911 Calls Could Take Days

Pennsylvania GOP’s Budget Cuts Mean Police Response To 911 Calls Could Take Days: "Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) has consistently advocated for steep budget cuts that compromise public safety and essential government services. For instance, he signed into law a budget that slashed education funding by $900 million. Instead of lawnmowers, one school district had to resort to using sheep to cut grass.

Now, The Patriot-News reports that the state’s proposed budget cuts could force the Pennsylvania State Police to layoff 500 state troopers. As a result, Pennsylvanians who call 911 for emergency assistance may have to wait days before the police can respond...."

What Is The Real Cost Of Military Equipment?

That is insane...

The New Standoff: Clean-Car Jobs Vs. Disaster Relief

The New Standoff: Clean-Car Jobs Vs. Disaster Relief: "The once-rare possibility of a federal government shutdown has reared its head again — this time over House Republicans' desire to offset spending for disaster relief with money for other, unrelated projects.

A clean car loan program has become a key battleground. The House spending bill would take $1.5 billion from the program for disaster relief. Democrats say that would be a huge mistake...."

Super Committee - Cut Corporate Taxes, Loopholes Later (Maybe)

The Dirty Little Red State Secret: Welfare Disguised as Defense Spending

The Dirty Little Red State Secret: Welfare Disguised as Defense Spending: "Charged with finding the cuts to balance the budget for the debt ceiling debacle that Republicans built, Senator Kyl and his Republican friends cry foul when the cuts come near home.

If you’re wondering why Republicans are whining about possible cuts to the defense budget in the Super Committee that wouldn’t even be in place had Republicans not held the country hostage over raising the debt ceiling, one of the main reasons is because they hail from districts and or states that rely on military spending, or they are chairman of the Armed Services Committee or the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Charged with finding $1.5 trillion in cuts to reduce the budget, John Kyl (R-AZ) threatened to quit the Super Committee today if defense cuts were on the table. At a luncheon held by the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, CNN reports that Kyl said cuts should come from “entitlement” programs like Medicare and Social Security, not defense spending....."

Ohio Becomes First American State To Sell Prison To Private Company

Ohio Becomes First American State To Sell Prison To Private Company: "COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A lockup along the shores of Lake Erie has become the first state prison in the nation to be sold to a private company.

Lake Erie Correctional Institution in northeastern Ohio's Ashtabula County is the only one of five state prisons up for sale that will be sold, state officials said Thursday. Corrections Corporation of America will buy it for $72.7 million, more than the $50 million needed from the privatization effort to balance the state's prison budget.

The four other prisons for sale didn't generate offers advantageous to taxpayers, state officials said.

CCA, the nation's largest prison operator, takes control of the Lake Erie facility in Conneaut on Dec. 31, pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the move....."

Cenk Rips CNN Obama Analysis By Fareed Zakaria

Starbucks' CEO: Halt the political donations

Starbucks' CEO: Halt the political donations: "Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Howard Schultz is winning support for his call to withhold political contributions from U.S. lawmakers until they strike a "fair, bipartisan" deal on the country's debt, revenue and spending.

Schultz recently led the world's biggest coffee chain through a painful but successful restructuring that returned it to growth. In his letter Monday, he also challenged fellow U.S. business leaders to do their part by hiring workers to give the national economy a much-needed jolt...."

What Hurt US's Credit Rating?: The Disproportionate & Perilious Influence of Ignorant Tea-Partiers

How Almost Everyone Just Got Screwed In One Chart

Real Sh*t: Felonious Munk Presents "Stop It B! OBAMA PAY YOUR F*ckin BILL"

*Vulgar Language Warning*

(Not So) Super Illegal Committee

Bickering and Gridlock

Howard Dean: Tea Party Stoners Are Too High To Govern

Rachel Maddow Debunks GOP Talking Point That S&P Downgrade Was Due To Debt

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The Debt Deal's Failure

The Debt Deal's Failure: "In narrow economic terms, the debt deal is actually not a big deal, neither as good as its advocates claim nor as terrifying as its opponents fear. The actual cut to the 2012 budget, the only budget over which this Congress has control, is $21 billion out of total expenditures of $3.7 trillion—a pittance. Everything else can and will be changed by future Congresses. What the deal does is kick tough choices down the road, this time to a congressional super­commission that will have to come up with a larger plan to reduce debt. And it does nothing to spur growth, without which the debt will expand well above projections. That’s why the usually circumspect Mohamed El- Erian, head of Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund, grades the deal somewhere between an incomplete and a fail. “Other than eliminating default risk emanating from a self-manufactured crisis,” he writes, “there is nothing good about America’s debt ceiling debacle.”..."

Sen. John Kerry: This Is The ‘Tea Party Downgrade’

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Mainstream Media Ignores S&P Attack On Republicans

Mainstream Media Ignores S&P Attack On Republicans: "Have you seen, anywhere, in any media, or even heard reported or repeated on NPR, the following sentence? “We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act.”

It’s right there on Page 4 of the official Standard & Poors “Research Update” – the actual report on what they did and why – published on August 5th as the explanation for why they believe Congress – and even the Gang of Twelve – will be unable to actually deal with the US debt crisis..."

When Americans Asked For Bipartisanship The Republicans Said No

When Americans Asked For Bipartisanship The Republicans Said No: "In any country with a democratic-like government, there will always be partisanship despite the need for a unified approach to accomplish anything. It is human nature to have opposing viewpoints and it is beneficial to always consider different approaches to solve a problem because no one side or person can possibly anticipate every eventuality in reaching a goal. American politics are mired in partisanship and voters want both sides to work together to solve problems and move the country forward, but their pleas have been disregarded by Republicans who are not willing to compromise on anything. Indeed, Democrats have given up more to the GOP than their supporters like and despite making difficult concessions, the Republicans refused to budge and nearly sent the economy into a major depression..."