9/11 First Responder Bill Passes

After multiple filibusters and blocks from Republicans, the 9/11 First Responders bill (officially called The James Zadroga 9/11 Health Bill) has passed. The bill was intended to provide around $7 billion in care for responders by closing multiple corporate tax loopholes. This would have actually resulted in a bill that would have been deficit neutral. However, Senate Republicans balked at this because it went against their core belief that everything should be done to make the rich richer. Closing the tax loophole was removed but that wasn't enough. Despite adding nearly a $900 billion to the deficit by extending the bush tax cuts along with some extras for the rich, Republican Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mike Enzi of Wyoming balked at the $7 billion price tag. The final cost of the bill is $4.2 billion that might be paid for by foreign tourists and business visitors.

Once again, while this was debated for months, the Tea Party remained silent on this issue even though they happily invoke 9/11 frequently, are against anything that adds to the deficit and I would think would support the closing of tax loopholes. Yet again a reminder that the Tea Party is another name for Republican and neither group is nearly as patriotic or fiscally responsible as they claim to be. How people that are not rich (aka make under $250,000) continue to support such hypocrites is something I will never understand. The real shame is this was an easy bill to pass that should have been taken care of this summer without all the nonsense.

Net Neutrality Guidelines Created

Yesterday, the FCC issued new guidelines that are an attempt to at least move somewhat forward in a codified version of net neutrality. For those that may only get their info from Fox News, the idea behind net neutrality is real simple - all bits are created and should be treated equally. By this it means those that help get the data from point A to point B shouldn't have the ability to charge more for one type of bit over another, charge to get bits faster than others or anything else that results in some types of data being treated differently than others. By the way, not discussed is if want to treat data differently, that means the telecoms have to monitor and track what the data is for, in effect they will have to know everything you do online. Everyone, especially Americans should be for net neutrality then right? Ironically, the rules passed have basically angered everyone.

Links of the Week

Daily Show Smacks GOP for Blocking 9/11 Bill
When Jon Stewart gets angry, that is usually when the Daily Show is at its finest. Thursday's episode is an example of that as the laid a smack down on the GOP who, in a quest to add $900 billion in debt so the rich can get richer, continues to filibuster the 9/11 First Responders bill. The bill would help provide healthcare coverage to the brave men and woman who searched day and night searching for lost loved ones after that tragic day. As Stewart points out, you would think the party that gets outraged, with a huge assist from Fox News, on any little 9/11 related slight would be all over this bill but nope. This is a no brainer. This bill, more than any other, shows beyond doubt that the GOP has only one priority - get the rich richer. If not rich, then you can frankly just go to hell as far as they care. Not much better is the press which continues to show indifference, I guess because it isn't "sexy" enough but more than likely because they can't handle more than one major story in a 24 hour period. Anything then that and their on air talent gets lost. The entire episode should be watched as it begins with Stewart’s outrage, goes into an interview with a few 1st responders and then has Stewart correct so-called religious Mike Huckabee who manufactured excuses for the GOP's behavior but corrected every step of the way by Stewart. Why anyone supports a party that makes it clear that if you don't belong in the top 2% they could give two craps about you is something I will never understand.

Watching Fox News Makes You Stupid
As the graph shows, the more you watch Fox News, the less you know. Since Fox makes its bread and butter by essentially selling the same lie over and over until people believe it is true, can't really say the results are surprising. Still, having a scientific study back it up does not hurt. The study was based on polling 616 voters, finding how much they watched each network and what they knew about certain facts. Emphasis on facts. Not opinion, not policy but actually proven facts. The result is all there on the graph. You watch Fox News, you risk becoming stupid. Need more proof, go chat up a random Tea Partier.

Links of the Week

Gawker Media Passwords Released to Public
If you have ever commented on Gawker, IO9, Gizmodo, Lifehacker or other sites of the company, then you need to change your password ASAP. You might also consider changing your password to any sites that make use of that same username and password combination especially if used for personal information.

Fox News Boss Orders Slanted News
For a while now Fox News has claimed it is a real news organization by saying there is a difference between its real news times and its opinion news times. Realistically there is no difference as the network is truly 24/7 GOP opinion machine but many remained convinced. New proof further supports this notion as a memo from Bill Sammon, a Fox Managing Editor, pretty much forced all Fox News reporters, on air talent, etc to make sure they use GOP approved phrasing for things like "government option" instead of "public option" because in polls it shows people would support that wording less. After the memo went out, the change went into effect across the board in all the "real" news hours.

Obama Caves on Bush Taxes

To really no surprise of anyone, President Obama did as predicted and once again caved to Republicans on the Bush Tax cuts. The agreement is rather remarkable in the sense it is probably the first time these last years where Republicans may actually vote on a bill they compromised on (this use to be SOP before the Bush era). When Obama caved to Republicans before they all voted no as a block. This happened with health care which was compromised to the point it wasn't much different than the GOP's 1994 health care plan. The bailout which was supposed to have more stimulus spending was compromised to a 40% tax cuts for 98% of the country (which failed to recognize those cuts to no surprise) that every economic expert across the war said would result in a stimulus bill that would have a minimal impact on the economy. Something, two years later we now know was true.

The resulting compromise extends the Bush tax cuts while extending unemployment insurance. The Bush tax cuts will be extended two more years. The estate tax will be altered to protect the first $5 million of an inheritance with 35% tax rate. It used to be the first $2 million before the "Death Tax" moniker made it sound like it affected every American instead of only 1% because most Americans are stupid and can't be bothered to get more information than a made up label. The price tag for this is $10 billion or 2x what Obama's stupid federal employee freeze will "save".

The Earned Income Tax Credit and few others will be extended adding another $40 billion cost. Unemployment insurance, which the GOP voted down, will get a 13 month extension for a cost of $56 billion. Payroll taxes will get a 2% tax cut (so lunch once a pay period on the government, whoopee) which will cost $120 billion. It also has the odd investment spending bill that lets businesses deduct 100% of their investment spending for next two years. Conditional tax cuts work (something the GOP should embrace more but since the rich is their only priority that will never happen), but usually it’s something like 30% if bring a business in, or hire X number of workers. Not sure what a 100% write-off would accomplish. The suggested cost is $200 billion in tax revenue. Overall, this may have an impact of adding $426 billion to the deficit, ironic considering what the GOP campaigned on. Then again, if Americans paid more attention to history and not buzz words, they would know the GOP has never been fiscally responsible. Very hard to be when the goal is to give condition free money to corporations and the rich.

The GOP continue to claim that tax cuts for the rich will fix everything, ignoring the fact that hasn't worked for 10 years now and really 30 years if look at the failure of trickledown economics from 80's on (again unless rich as had 500% growth while everyone else remained stagnant). Unconditional tax cuts do nothing for the economy. The rich don't use it to create jobs or give raises and it has no impact on people's spending. A business either has the sales to support their hiring or they don't. When given to the rich and corporations, it is simply added it to the bottom line and nothing more. Now we are extending that failed economic policy for two more years. So Obama caved and the GOP got their wish for the next two years but at least some very minor stimulus was seeded in.

If Fox News continues its pretty remarkable run and Americans continue to stop using their brains, it is pretty clear the GOP figures they will get control of Congress so can go ahead and make the cuts permanent without regard for the impact it will have on the deficit. Good job Tea Party. Not even one month has passed and already the GOP has tossed you to the side. Next time look at history and recognize the GOP doesn't give two craps about you unless part of the upper 2%. Next time don't vote on the fantasy that you might win the lottery and become rich but on your current practical needs.

Links of the Week

R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen
The now late, great comedian and movie star Leslie Nielsen died Monday from complications with pneumonia. The actor starred in the Airplane, Naked Gun and many other hilarious movies. Thanks for the laughs

Republicans Vote Against Tax Cuts for 98% of the Country
You know that issue that Republicans ran on, claiming fiscal responsibility with tax cuts? The issue that helped give birth to the Tea Party (because frankly they are stupid)? Yeah that one. It turns out; to no surprise (if now historically the GOP has never been fiscally responsible and only care about the rich) none of the GOP and Tea Party elected officials really believes in it. The House passed bill to make the Bush tax cuts for 98% of the country. All but 3 Republicans in the House voted against it. Why? Because the bill didn't include a $700 billion bonus tax cut for the other 2% of the country. A bonus that would go straight to the deficit, therefore not be fiscally responsible. The GOP claims giving tax cuts to the rich helps everyone. I point to the last 10 years when the rich got way richer while everyone else's wages and job security remained static or got worse. For 10 years we already had those Bush tax cuts and all we got was two recessions, stagnant job growth, stagnant wages and $3.5 trillion added to the deficit. How dumb does someone have to be to believe that continuing them will suddenly bring different results? Ten years, $3.5 trillion added to the deficit and what do we have to show for it? Not much? Exactly. So why support giving the rich another $700 billion bonus? So the GOP is on the record for being against tax cuts for 98% of the country. Why in the world did Democrats not try this before the election when those votes might have been used against the GOP?