"NEVER LET A SERIOUS CRISIS GO TO WASTE"

Those words were spoken by Rahm Emanuel in November 2008 and used by Glenda Beck and others to stoke fear in the rubes.   Over the last two weeks or so, we've heard the gasbags rave about how public sector pensions are killing the states and on the face of it, these raves seem to have some validity. Only on the face, as Kevin Drum informs us, because what's really killing the states in the Great Recession:

The recession blew a huge hole in the already shaky finances of state governments, causing them to lose nearly one-third of their revenue in 2009, according to a Census Bureau report released Wednesday....Overall, total state government revenue dropped 30.8 percent, to $1.1 trillion, between fiscal 2008 and 2009, according to the report.

A NEW MEANING FOR THE WORD "DUTY"

From Rep. Allen West (R-FL):

"It’s my duty to stand up and defend Israel."

OOOH! FOAMER LEVIN ATTACKS KNOW-NOTHING O'REILLY

Not because Bill O'Reilly is incredibly ignorant but because according to Levin, O'Reilly had been kissing Pres. Obama's ass.

THIS IS GETTING CRAZY

Health care expenditures in 2009 set a record: $8084 per person.

Health Spending By U.S. Outpaced Insurers in 2009 as Economy Struggled
By Jeffrey Young - Jan 5, 2011 5:00 PM MT
BLOOMBERG

Total U.S. spending on health care rose to $2.49 trillion in 2009 from $2.39 trillion the prior year. Health care accounted for 17.6 percent of the gross domestic product in 2009, growing by one percentage point, which was the largest- ever single-year increase since federal auditors began tracking spending in 1960.

Though national health-care spending rose 4 percent in 2009, the smallest increase ever recorded, its share of gross domestic product increased because the economy shrank by 1.7 percent that year, the report said.

THE FREEPERS...

They pretty much disappeared from POLITCO threads but are still numerous on AOL NEWS threads like this one.

THE "RULE OF LAW" RUBES STRIKE AGAIN

Two GOP House bozos voted on items despite the fact that they had not been sworn in!!!  So much for "constitutional conservatism." More here.

MORE ON "RIGID DESIGNATORS"

I've been reading Frank Manuel's history of Utopian thought in the West and he claims that Turgot (1727 - 1781) introduced the notion of progress into our thinking and that he may have influenced some of our Founding Fathers, most notably Benjamin Franklin.  The notion of progress could mean that there is a great deal more flexibility in the meaning of our Constitution because the writers assumed that over time, meanings would alter and expand.

LEAKERS BAD, CHENEY GOOD

The Obama Administration has no problem punishing government officials who leak information to the press but is unwilling to tackle the crimes of the Bush Administration.

Ex-CIA officer charged with giving reporter secrets
Thu Jan 6, 2011 4:24pm EST
By James Vicini

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A former CIA officer was arrested on Thursday on charges of illegally disclosing national defense information about Iran to a New York Times reporter who wrote a book.

The U.S. Justice Department said Jeffrey Sterling, 43, was charged with six counts of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and one count of unlawfully keeping national defense information, mail fraud, unauthorized conveyance of government property and obstructing justice

In other cases, Stephen Kim, a foreign policy analyst who worked at the U.S. State Department, was charged in August with leaking a top-secret intelligence report to a news reporter last year.

Also last year, a former high-ranking official at the National Security Agency was charged with illegally possessing classified information that he allegedly gave to a reporter at the Baltimore Sun newspaper.

NO TITLE NEEDED

World Net Daily & Columnist Frank Gaffney Argues 'Islamism Has Infiltrated' The Conservative Political Action Conference ...And They Blame Grover Norquist!

This is a whole new dimension in Teh Krazy.   Let's hope this helps discredit the war mongers.

WHAT WERE THE FOUNDERS' POSITIONS ON "RIGID DESIGNATORS"?

OK, I know that's an anachronism because the term didn't exist until the philosopher Saul Kripke wrote about it in 1980.  For Kripke, a rigid designator meant exactly the same thing in ALL possible worlds and "pain" is one example of such a term.

Now, did the Founders intend all the terms of the original Constitution to be rigid designators?  It seems clear to me that they didn't because that would be an unreasonable restraint on its applicability.  One example are the provisions in Section 8 for the military.  Only the Army and the Navy are mentioned but that shouldn't mean that the Air Force is unconstitutional.

Now, does this flexibility also apply to the 8th Amendment, which in part prohibits "cruel and unusual punishments"?

In some cases, we know the original meaning but the meanings of the words themselves have changed over time.  A good example is the need to revise the original King James Bible:

A major reason for revision of the King James Version, which is valid for both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is the change since 1611 in English usage. ...
The greatest problem, however, is presented by the English words which are still in constant use but now convey a different meaning from that which they had in 1611 and in the King James Version.

Thus, the King James Version uses the word "let" in the sense of "hinder," "prevent" to mean "precede," "allow" in the sense of "approve," "communicate" for "share," "conversation" for "conduct," "comprehend" for "overcome," "ghost" for "spirit," "wealth" for "well-being," "allege" for "prove," "demand" for "ask," "take no thought" for "be not anxious," etc.

I think today we would agree that what "cruel and unusual" meant in say 1791 is included in what we mean today. I also pretty sure that some of what we mean today by the phrase would not be covered under the 1791 meaning.

ANOTHER ARIZONA DEATH

This should be unacceptable; it is certainly immoral.

Tucson hospital: Patient denied transplant coverage dies
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star Arizona Daily Star
Posted: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 4:57 pm

Tucson's University Medical Center confirmed today that a patient who was refused a liver transplant because of state budget cuts has died.

The death was "most likely" due to the defunding of the organ transplant, said Jo Marie Gellerman, University of Arizona Department of Surgery spokeswoman.

The patient is the second person to reportedly die while waiting for one of the transplants that were cut.

UPDATE: The Daily Beast and The Political Carnival have also reported this story.

BILL O'REILLY IS PROFOUNDLY IGNORANT

He doesn't know what causes tides and also claims that no one else knows.  For the record, Kepler  (1571-1630) was the first to propose that the gravity of the Moon causes tides on Earth.

THIS IS VERY GOOD NEWS...

Republicans Lower Goal for Cuts to Budget
By JACKIE CALMES
Published: January 4, 2011
NY Times

WASHINGTON — Many people knowledgeable about the federal budget said House Republicans could not keep their campaign promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending in a single year. Now it appears that Republicans agree.

This will certainly piss off the Baggers. Already, some are talking about a 3rd Party.

GLENDA BECK ISN'T GETTING IT DONE IN NYC

WOR 710 AM is dropping The Glenn Beck Show because of low ratings but Dobbs, Smerconish and Savage will be staying.  Beck was also dropped last November by Philadelphia talk radio station WPHT.

UPDATE: Beck is also a FAIL in Boston.

ANOTHER NARRATIVE CONTRADICTION

On his radio show, Sean Hannity does ads for a firm that helps individuals deal with the IRS and he makes a point of telling the listeners that you can't do this alone.  I think a similar logic applies to unions, something that Fats Limbaugh couldn't acknowledge.

I JUST WANT TO HAVE THIS HANDY...

because we all know wingnuts tell Zombie lies.

PolitiFact's Lie of the Year: 'Death panels'

By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.

Of all the falsehoods and distortions in the political discourse this year, one stood out from the rest.
"Death panels."

IF JUSTICE SCALIA IS CORRECT ABOUT THE 14THAMENDMENT

then he should cite evidence that shows that the people who passed it did NOT think "any person" included women.

FDR, DEFICITS AND BAGGERS

Baggers often falsely claim that WW II pulled us out of the Great Depression, not FDR's programs.  Baggers also claim that Federal budget deficits are terrible for the economy.   If we look at the deficits and the GDP during FDR's time as President, we see that the Baggers are wrong again.

FANNIE AND FREDDIE WERE THE VICTIMS...

not the culprits, no matter what Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck say.

BofA settlement with Fannie, Freddie "clears air"
Jan 3 06:27 PM US/Eastern
By PALLAVI GOGOI
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - Bank of America Corp. reached a $2.8 billion settlement with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over claims that one of its businesses sold bad mortgages.

The settlement is the biggest yet involving banks and the two government-backed mortgage giants, which continue to suffer huge losses from the collapse of the housing market. Analysts and investors have been waiting to see how hard a line Fannie and Freddie would take with big mortgage lenders such as Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.

The claims stem from mortgages sold to Fannie and Freddie by former mortgage giant Countrywide Financial, which Bank of America bought in 2008. The two government-backed agencies buy mortgages from lenders and re-sell them to investors. They want banks to buy back mortgages that had incorrect information about the income and other qualifications of borrowers.

It was the second settlement in a week. The first involved Ally Financial Inc., which agreed to pay $462 million in lieu of buying back faulty mortgages from Fannie Mae in the future.

THIS IS SO WRONG...

"Grub first, then ethics."
- Bertolt Brecht

DNC chairman Tom Kaine said that Pres. Obama had to concentrate on other things ahead of job creation, including the Deepwater Horizon blowout.

UPDATE: Atrios makes a very good observation: "I imagine if Sarah Palin were tweeting about the unemployed they might start paying attention to it a bit more."

...AND TAKE THE BAGGERS WITH YOU!!!

Our local lunatic pastor has some company...

End of Days in May? Christian group spreads word
By TOM BREEN
The Associated Press
Monday, January 3, 2011; 10:01 AM

RALEIGH, N.C. -- If there had been time, Marie Exley would have liked to start a family. Instead, the 32-year-old Army veteran has less than six months left, which she'll spend spreading a stark warning: Judgment Day is almost here.

Exley is part of a movement of Christians loosely organized by radio broadcasts and websites, independent of churches and convinced by their reading of the Bible that the end of the world will begin May 21, 2011.

In August, Exley left her home in Colorado Springs, Colo., to work with Oakland, Calif.-based Family Radio Worldwide, the independent Christian ministry whose leader, Harold Camping, has calculated the May 21 date based on his reading of the Bible.

REP. ISSA AGREES WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT?!?

He at least agrees with the part that focuses on reducing waste and fraud in Medicare:

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), incoming chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he plans to hold hearings on Medicare fraud and waste in January and February. “Here you have $100 billion of waste,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

GEORGE WILL FOLLOWS THE RADIO GASBAGS

I guess bashing public unions  will be the next "big thing" for the conservative Noise Machine.  Nice to see that Donna Brazile set bow-tie boy straight.

THE REAL NUMBER IS 56%

(h/t Zaid Jilani at Think Progress)

A CNN/Opinion Research poll found that Americans opposed HCR by 50% to 43%, with 7% undecided but if you look at the internals of the poll, a full 13% oppose it because it isn't liberal enough, so overall we can conclude that 56% are in favor or want more "commie" health care.

HCR REPEAL IS A LOSE-LOSE FOR THE GOP

First of all, repeal will alienate one of their supposed core groups, small businesses:

Health-care changes are arriving - slowly
By Chelsea Conaboy and Tom Avril
Inquirer Staff Writers
Posted on Sun, Jan. 2, 2011

Ken Weinstein plans to offer health insurance to four more of his employees this year, three at a real estate business and one at the Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy.

...a tax credit, beginning with the 2010 return, for small businesses that offer insurance to employees. The credit is available to businesses whose employees make less than $50,000 on average, and it is worth up to 35 percent of what the employer spends on insurance.

Weinstein said that he currently insured two employees - including himself - and that the tax credit would help him add four managers to the plan. He has 55 full- and part-time workers, mostly at the diner, and said he would have to raise menu prices to cover more of them.

"We need to offer small businesses like mine an incentive to insure more people," he said, adding that premiums had risen 15 to 20 percent a year. The legislation, he said, is "a move in the right direction."

Second, failure to repeal HCR will further alienate the Baggers.

DEATH PANELS, ARIZONA AND INDIANA

Steve Benen points to a WaPo op-ed by Norm Ornstein on the real "death panels" enacted by the state legilatures in Arizona and Indiana.  Here I'd just like to point out that these states have reduced the number of state employees since the beginning of the Great Recession.

First, Arizona:

Indiana:

IS THE TIMES SPREADING A TALK RADIO MEME?

In this article, the NY Times seems to be giving support to a right-wing talk radio meme:

Across the nation, a rising irritation with public employee unions is palpable, as a wounded economy has blown gaping holes in state, city and town budgets, and revealed that some public pension funds dangle perilously close to bankruptcy.

I searched Google News and Polling Report for any polls about how Americans feel about public employee unions and nothing turned up, so I wonder why the Times thinks the irritation is "palpable."

IRAQ A "NOBLE MISSION"?

That's what neo-con war whore Fouad Ajami once called it and I'm sure 20 years from now others like him will still be defending this massive war crime.   Of course, the women of Iraq and the Christians there have a much different perspective.

DEFEATED BUT NOT GONE

Jessie Kelly is a right-wing extremist who ran against Raul Grijalva (AZ, CD-7) and lost.   He's cut a couple of radio ads for an evangelical group Vision360 which is part of the Lausanne Convenant.  I have a feeling that Kelly doesn't know much about the Covenant because some of its tenets are contrary to wingnut social theory.

Here are three examples:

Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbour and our obedience to Jesus Christ. (1974)

We affirm that the proclamation of God's kingdom of justice and peace demands the denunciation of all injustice and oppression, both personal and structural; we will not shrink from this prophetic witness. (1989)

They said that acting on God's behalf must include giving people the right knowledge and skills to combat environmental problems, as well as advocating alternative energy sources and seeking to ensure that each locality was an ‘ideal eco-habitation.’ (2010)