Aurora Shooting Victims Now Being Harassed By Gun-Nut Conspiracy Theorists | Alternet

Aurora Shooting Victims Now Being Harassed By Gun-Nut Conspiracy Theorists | Alternet
"It’s not just  people in Newtown, Conn., who are being harassed by conspiracy theorists. In Aurora, Colo., things have gotten so bad that prosecutors this week requested that the names of victims’ families be redacted from future court documents to spare them from “relentless contacts by proponents of purported ‘conspiracies'."

Pastor Apologizes for Praying Alongside Muslims, Jews at Newtown Vigil

Pastor Apologizes for Praying Alongside Muslims, Jews at Newtown Vigil
"A pastor in Connecticut has apologized for taking part in a vigil for the victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School because his church does not allow worshiping with other faiths.

Rev. Rob Morris of Newtown's Christ the King Lutheran Church offered a letter of apology after he was reprimanded by church president Matthew Harrison for "joint worship with other religions," according to the Religion News Service.

King Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, which bans ministers from praying alongside Muslims, Jews or even other Christians."

Radioactive Eye Glasses …Silverware…Zippers…Hip Joints… Anyone? | Common Dreams

Radioactive Eye Glasses …Silverware…Zippers…Hip Joints… Anyone? | Common Dreams
"DOE, the steward of the sprawling—and massively contaminated—American nuclear weapons complex, wants to lift a ban on recycling imposed in 2000. That action came in response to an earlier proposal to sell radioactive metal from DOE facilities to scrap metal recyclers. Once the contaminated metal is mixed into the scrap supply, it could be turned into virtually anything made with metal.
The problem is, products contaminated with radiation give off alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays, depending on the radioactive element (radionuclide or radioisotope) present."

Affordable Care Act’s ‘donut hole’ fix saves seniors $5.7 billion

Affordable Care Act’s ‘donut hole’ fix saves seniors $5.7 billion (via Raw Story )

The Affordable Care Act’s prescription for the so-called “donut hole” in Medicare Part D has saved America’s disabled and elderly $5.7 billion on prescription drugs since being implemented, according to a report published Thursday (PDF) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The patch…

Quelle Surprise! New York Times Takes Up Empty Threats by Rich Over Taxes « naked capitalism

Quelle Surprise! New York Times Takes Up Empty Threats by Rich Over Taxes « naked capitalism
"Brace yourselves. We are only going to hear more kvetching from the rich for being asked to take a wee dose of the austerity medicine they are all too happy to force on the middle class and poor."
Read more at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/02/quelle-surprise-new-york-times-takes-up-empty-threats-by-rich-over-taxes.html#SwHwUktJYfbVPziV.99 

US Fiscal Debate Could Learn From Norway

US Fiscal Debate Could Learn From Norway
"Norway has the largest budget surpluses in the developed world, no net national debt, citizens enjoy a robust safety net, and unemployment is below 3%. (1) (2)

What is Norway’s secret, other than refusing to join the European Union?

Before the discovery of off-shore oil in the late 60s, Norway’s lackluster economy earned the nickname ‘Europe’s ugly duckling’. But Norway’s subsequent success has as much to do with public policy as their fortuitous location near petroleum reserves.

Norway’s overall tax as a share of GDP is among the highest in the OECD–for corporations, it is the highest. Norway’s corporate tax revenue as a share of GDP is above eight percent—the highest in the world and four times higher than the US. (3) By comparison, the US is the third lowest taxed country and the second lowest for corporations. (4) In other words, if a US company sought lower tax rates by relocating to another country, as they regularly threaten, there is only one country in the world they could go: Iceland. (5) Contrary to the myth of job creators, high rates have not crippled Norwegian entrepreneurs. In fact, Norway produces more successful business start-ups than the US. (6)"

End Offshore Tax Havens

Ayn Rand Classes Forced on Children

Conneticut and Hawaii Take Up GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams

Conneticut and Hawaii Take Up GMO Labeling Fight | Common Dreams
"The fight to label genetically modified (gmo) foods is now on in Hawaii and Connecticut signaling that, despite big agriculture's defeat of California's Proposition 37 in November, proponents of seed and food sovereignty refuse to back down."

Bill McKibben: Ahead of Keystone XL Rally, Fossil Fuel Divestment Expands Across U.S. Campuses | Alternet

Bill McKibben: Ahead of Keystone XL Rally, Fossil Fuel Divestment Expands Across U.S. Campuses | Alternet
"McKibben talks about the growing movement to divest from fossil fuel companies and what pressuring Washington has achieved so far."

Post Office Changes: Who Will It Hurt?

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Study Finds 80% of All Antibiotics in US Used for Big-Ag | Common Dreams

Study Finds 80% of All Antibiotics in US Used for Big-Ag | Common Dreams
"In 2011, more antibiotics were sold for use in meat and poultry production than ever before—at least four-fifths of all antibiotics used in the US—according to a new report by Pew Charitable Trusts."

The Stem Cell Breakthrough That Could Help Solve America’s Organ Transplant Shortfall

The Stem Cell Breakthrough That Could Help Solve America’s Organ Transplant Shortfall: In a technological breakthrough that holds special promise for the future of stem cell research, researchers at Heriot Watt University have successfully used a 3D printer to create viable human stem cells of a predetermined shape and size, CNET News reports. The development — which constitutes a novel and unprecedented application of an already-nascent technology [...]/p

More Austerity Cuts Coming to the States | Common Dreams

More Austerity Cuts Coming to the States | Common Dreams
"The Great Recession has quietly devastated public services on a state-by-state basis, with Republican and Democratic governors taking turns leading the charge. Public education has been decimated, as well as health care, welfare, and the wages and benefits of public sector workers. The public sector itself is being smashed. Since the recession began, states have made combined austerity cuts of at least $337 billion, according to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities."

Iowa Bill Would Jail Raped Women for 'Murder' of Single-Cell Zygotes

Iowa Bill Would Jail Raped Women for 'Murder' of Single-Cell Zygotes
"A bill introduced by nine Republican state lawmakers in Iowa on Wednesday would define abortion as "murder," sending doctors and raped women who terminate pregnancies to jail.

State Rep. Tom Shaw says that he authored House File 138 to protect human life, whether “you’re a zygote, an infant, a teenager or an adult"."

Being American Is Bad for Your Health | Alternet

Being American Is Bad for Your Health | Alternet
"That stark sentence  appears in the January 2013 issue of the  Journal of the American Medical Association, and it comes from the authors of a landmark report -- "Shorter Lives, Poorer Health" -- on differences among high-income countries."

Hating Karl Rove: Not Just For Liberals Anymore | Alternet

Hating Karl Rove: Not Just For Liberals Anymore | Alternet
"With his new Conservative Victory Project, Rove seeks to knock off Tea Party candidates in GOP primaries. Tea Party leaders are crying treason."

Brennan and Kiriakou, Drones and Torture | Common Dreams

Brennan and Kiriakou, Drones and Torture | Common Dreams
"John Brennan and John Kiriakou worked together years ago, but their careers have dramatically diverged. Brennan is now on track to head the CIA, while Kiriakou is headed off to prison. Each of their fates is tied to the so-called war on terror, which under President George W. Bush provoked worldwide condemnation. President Barack Obama rebranded the war on terror innocuously as “overseas contingency operations,” but, rather than retrench from the odious practices of his predecessor, Obama instead escalated. His promotion of Brennan, and his prosecution of Kiriakou, demonstrate how the recent excesses of U.S. presidential power are not transient aberrations, but the creation of a frightening new normal, where drone strikes, warrantless surveillance, assassination and indefinite detention are conducted with arrogance and impunity, shielded by secrecy and beyond the reach of law."

Opening Message at Brennan Hearing: 'Stop CIA Murder' | Common Dreams

Opening Message at Brennan Hearing: 'Stop CIA Murder' | Common Dreams
"'Stop CIA Murder' was the message that opened the confirmation hearing of CIA nominee and drone war architect John Brennan Thursday afternoon as he faced the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Senator Bernie Sanders Talks Corporate Tax Cheats And Discusses The Corporate Tax Fairness Act

Let's Face It, Ayn Rand's Gospel of Selfishness and Billionaire Empowerment Is the Dominant Ideology | Alternet

Let's Face It, Ayn Rand's Gospel of Selfishness and Billionaire Empowerment Is the Dominant Ideology | Alternet
"Between stupidity like this, and the re-birth of Ayn Rand through corporate-funded think tanks and Hollywood movies, the Billionaire Class wants to make sure the next generation buys into a toxic ideology that’s quite literally destroying the world as we know it."

PERRspectives: For Republicans, Everything is the Holocaust

PERRspectives: For Republicans, Everything is the Holocaust
"Republicans in 2012 still lost among Jewish voters by over a 2-1 margin. The reasons for the GOP's consistently dismal performance are no mystery. Survey data show that Jewish Americans overwhelmingly rejectthe Republicans' reactionary social policies and mockery of education and science. Worse still, many of the right's hardline supporters of Israel see God's chosen people as biblical cannon fodder needed to fulfill End Times prophecy. And then, as Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) showed this week, Republicans routinely compare Democratic positions on guns, education, health, taxes, the debt--and almost everything else--to the Holocaust."

Corporate Front Group Spreads Nonsense Research Against Paid Sick Days

Corporate Front Group Spreads Nonsense Research Against Paid Sick Days: Connecticut’s paid sick days law — which requires businesses in the service sector with more than 50 employees to allow their workers to accrue at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours they work — went into effect in January 2012. This week, the Employment Policies Institute released new “research” on [...]/p

How Republicans Quietly Mandate Transvaginal Probes When They Think No One’s Paying Attention

How Republicans Quietly Mandate Transvaginal Probes When They Think No One’s Paying Attention: During the height of last year’s outcry over the GOP’s “War on Women,” transvaginal probes became one of the most recognizable symbols of the Republican Party’s overreaching anti-abortion policies. Particularly when Virginia pushed forward with a controversial measure to require all women seeking abortions to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound, women’s health advocates decried the practice [...]/p

If only the rich knew what was best for them

If only the rich knew what was best for them
"Not even the very wealthy can continue to succeed without a broader-based prosperity. That's because 70 percent of economic activity in America is consumer spending. When most Americans are becoming poorer, they're less able to spend. Without their spending, the economy can't get out of first gear. That's a big reason why the recovery continues to be anemic."

Baby Boomers Take Huge Hit On 401k Plans. Now What?

Baby Boomers Take Huge Hit On 401k Plans. Now What?
"The current generation of soon-to-be retiring baby boomers is screwed. Between health care costs eating through retirement savings, the housing crash, and the likelihood that many of us who lost jobs in 2008 probably won't ever find one again, we're the biggest victims of Reagan 'trickle-down' theories."

How The Civil War Between Karl Rove And Tea Party Could Cost The GOP The Senate

How The Civil War Between Karl Rove And Tea Party Could Cost The GOP The Senate: Think of the brewing Republican civil war between establishment-types like Karl Rove and right-wing Tea Party activists as a bullfight. Initially, in 2009-10, Rove and establishment Republicans were scared of this new, large group that had entered the ring. It was unruly, unrefined. As time progressed, though, Rove came to see its strength and the [...]/p

Rig the Vote: Wisconsin Has Best Election Practices in the U.S., So Why Are They Under Attack?

Rig the Vote: Wisconsin Has Best Election Practices in the U.S., So Why Are They Under Attack?
"For years Wisconsin has been a model for election administration. Pew Charitable Trusts just rankedWisconsin as one of the highest-performing states in the nation during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles, and praised the Dairy State for allowing voters to register at the polls on election day. That practice has helped the state achieve the second-highest voter turnout rate in the nation. High voter turnout should be celebrated as a sign of a vibrant democracy. Unfortunately, some members of Wisconsin's GOP leadership apparently view the state's consistently high voter participation rate as a "problem" that needs fixing."

12 Months of Misinformation: Explaining Fox News’ ‘Record Low’ Credibility | Alternet

12 Months of Misinformation: Explaining Fox News’ ‘Record Low’ Credibility | Alternet
"After another year of airing misinformation and embarrassing gaffes, it’s no surprise that Fox News continues to lose Americans’ trust"

Why Are Conservatives Trying to Destroy the Voting Rights Act? | The Nation

Why Are Conservatives Trying to Destroy the Voting Rights Act? | The Nation
"The current campaign against the VRA is the result of three key factors: a whiter, more Southern, more conservative GOP that has responded to demographic change by trying to suppress an increasingly diverse electorate; a twenty-five-year effort to gut the VRA by conservative intellectuals, who in recent years have received millions of dollars from top right-wing funders, including Charles Koch; and a reactionary Supreme Court that does not support remedies to racial discrimination."

Oops We Did It Again: Anonymous Hacks the Federal Reserve | Common Dreams

Oops We Did It Again: Anonymous Hacks the Federal Reserve | Common Dreams
"Proclaiming, "Now we have your attention America," Anonymous on Monday breached the Federal Reserve's Emergency Communications System, used to communicate with bankers during natural disasters or other emergencies, and posted a trove of data that included 4,600 banking executives' credentials - a dump one admirer called "a spearphishing bonanza"."

Why We Must Rescue the U.S. Postal Service From the Brink of Death | Alternet

Why We Must Rescue the U.S. Postal Service From the Brink of Death | Alternet
"For three years Congress debated what to do. Finally, in 2006 it passed a law that requires the Postal Service to pre-pay its health insurance fund by depositing an additional $5 billion a year for the next 10 years into the insurance fund to offset for the phantom accounting deficit under the unified budget. No other public or private agency is required to do anything remotely comparable."

Minnesota's Moose in 'Precipitous' Decline | Common Dreams

Minnesota's Moose in 'Precipitous' Decline | Common Dreams
"The moose population in Minnesota is in "precipitous" decline, the state's Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday, and adds evidence to a recent report documenting the catastrophe climate change has already brought to the nation's wildlife."

Wild Horses Sold to ‘Kill Buyer’ by BLM Contractor » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Wild Horses Sold to ‘Kill Buyer’ by BLM Contractor » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
"The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has been trying to convince the public that the BLM does not sell wild horses to slaughter, but the Wild Horse Freedom Federation has obtained proof that a BLM Long Term Holding contractor sold wild horses directly to kill buyer Joe Simon, who is well known for sending horses to slaughter, and who owns JS Ranch (“Farms”) in Perkins, Oklahoma."

Five Reasons Why Fewer People Trust Fox News Than Ever Before

Five Reasons Why Fewer People Trust Fox News Than Ever Before: A poll released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling shows that fewer people than ever trust Fox News as a source for accurate news and reporting. Just 41 percent expressed trust in the network — down from 49 four years ago — while 46 percent said they distrust Fox. There’s an obvious reason why: Fox misrepresents [...]/p

Republicans Applaud The Slow Death Of The US Postal Service

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The Revisionaries: Texas State Board Of Education Rewrites Textbooks

Watch The Revisionaries on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

U.S. Corporations Haven’t Been Paying The Full Corporate Tax Rate For 45 Years

U.S. Corporations Haven’t Been Paying The Full Corporate Tax Rate For 45 Years: In 2011, U.S. corporations paid a 12.1 percent effective corporate income tax rate, a 40-year low. The statutory corporate tax rate is 35 percent, but companies drive their rates fare lower due to the proliferation of loopholes and deductions and the growing use of offshore tax havens. This isn’t a new problem, as Goldman Sachs’ [...]/p

Postal Cuts Are Austerity on Steroids | Common Dreams

Postal Cuts Are Austerity on Steroids | Common Dreams
"Ryan and his fellow proponents of austerity manufactured the current crisis in USPS funding, when they enacted the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA). The PAEA forced the Postal Service to prefund its future healthcare benefit payments to retirees for the next seventy-five years. That’s something no major corporation could or would do, as it required the service to divert more than $5 billion annually to pre-pay the health benefits of retirees who have not yet been hired."

Is the U.S. #1, or #What? | Alternet

Is the U.S. #1, or #What? | Alternet
"Gross Domestic Product is the only factor where the U.S. ranks as #1, which we do both on "GDP” and on “GDP as a Share of World GDP.”

Health Care has the U.S. ranking #34 on “Life Expectancy,” and #41 on “Infant Mortality.” Education in the U.S. is also mediocre. On “Quality of Primary Education,” we are #38. On “Primary Education Enrollment Rate,” we are #58. On “Quality of the Educational System,” we are #28. On “Quality of Math and Science Education,” we are #47. On “Quality of Scientific Research Institutions,” we are #6. On “PCT [Patent Cooperation Treaty] Patent Applications [per-capita],” we are #12. On “Firm-Level Technology Absorption” (which is an indicator of business-acceptance of inventions), we are #14. Trust is likewise only moderately high in the U.S. We rank #10 on “Willingness to Delegate Authority,” #42 on “Cooperation in Labor-Management Relations,” and #18 in “Degree of Customer Orientation” of firms."

Republican Congresswoman Likens Regulations Of For-Profit Colleges To The Holocaust

Republican Congresswoman Likens Regulations Of For-Profit Colleges To The Holocaust: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) compared efforts to regulate the for-profit college industry to the Holocaust during a speech Tuesday. Speaking at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Foxx invoked a famous Holocaust maxim in order to defend for-profit colleges against increased scrutiny. “They came for the for-profits, and I didn’t speak up,” the [...]/p

Wonder Warren

Wonder Warren
"To help settle a probe into illegal mortgage practices, servicers were ordered to review all foreclosures between 2009 and 2010. The senator from Massachusetts thinks the public has a right to know what they found."

Former Top U.S. Military Official Warns Iran Attack Would Require Occupation Lasting ‘Tens Of Years’

Former Top U.S. Military Official Warns Iran Attack Would Require Occupation Lasting ‘Tens Of Years’: Former Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff James Cartwright today said that military strikes on Iran would not completely end its nuclear program. Appearing at a conference of the Center for Strategic and International Studies titled “Dealing with a Nuclear Iran,” Cartwright laid out what he saw as the difficulties inherent in launching a [...]/p

Offshore Tax Havens Robbed States of Nearly $40 Billion in 2011 | Alternet

Offshore Tax Havens Robbed States of Nearly $40 Billion in 2011 | Alternet
"States across the country lost nearly $40 billion dollars of revenues in 2011 due to offshore tax havens, according to a new report by U.S. PIRG Education Fund. The study reveals that corporations account more than $26 billion of lost revenue, while wealthy individuals are responsible for the rest. The blow to states rests on top of nearly $150 billion of lost annual federal revenue due to corporate loopholes.

In a statement, PIRG said everyday Americans bear the burden when the nation’s wealthiest elites avoid paying their fair share. Tax haven abusers benefit from our markets, infrastructure, educated workforce, and security, but they pay next to nothing for these benefits. Ultimately, taxpayers must pick up the tab, either in the form of higher taxes, cuts to public spending priorities, or increased national debt."

Transcripts Show Corrupt Traders Planning To Rig Global Financial Markets: ‘It’s A Cartel Now In London’

Transcripts Show Corrupt Traders Planning To Rig Global Financial Markets: ‘It’s A Cartel Now In London’: The Royal Bank of Scotland will have to pay more than $600 million to U.S. and UK regulators for its role in rigging the LIBOR interest rate. RBS is one of several banks that rigged LIBOR in order to make huge profits, as regulators looked the other way. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today released [...]/p

Noam Chomsky: Who Owns the World?

Noam Chomsky: Who Owns the World?
"If you study international relations theory, there's what's called the ''realist'' school, which says there is an anarchic world of states, and those states pursue their ''national interest.'' It's in large part mythology. There are a few common interests, like survival. But, for the most part, people within a nation have very different interests. The interests of the CEO of General Electric and the janitor who cleans his floor are not the same. Part of the doctrinal system in the United States is the pretense that we're all a happy family, there are no class divisions, and everybody is working together in harmony. But that's radically false."

Federal Reserve: We Got Hacked by Anonymous | Alternet

Federal Reserve: We Got Hacked by Anonymous | Alternet
"The hacktivist collective released the personal information of over 4,000 Wall Street executives during Superbowl Sunday."

Obama Extends Record Of Deficit Reduction

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4 Secretive Ways Wall Street Extorts You | Alternet

4 Secretive Ways Wall Street Extorts You | Alternet
"While our political elites warn us about becoming the next Greece (do we get the tasty retsina, good weather and nice beaches too?), the real "tax and spend" game is taking place on Wall Street, hidden from view. In fact, Wall Street is essentially exerting a hidden tax on us day in and day out -- but we don't even notice or get anything back in return."

Thanks To Congressional Incompetence, Saturday Mail Delivery Is History

Thanks To Congressional Incompetence, Saturday Mail Delivery Is History: Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, Congress has for years forced the USPS to pre-fund 75 years’ worth of pensions for its employees, a requirement not made of any other public or private institution. That means that the Postal Service is footing the bill for employees it hasn’t even hired yet.

The USPS doesn’t actually receive money from the government, but still needs Congressional approval to make any changes to its structure. An analysis in July showed that the USPS, without its pension requirement, would have a $1.5 billion surplus.

GOP Tries To Hide Extremist Base With A Rebranding

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Lake Michigan Water Level at All Time Low | Common Dreams

Lake Michigan Water Level at All Time Low | Common Dreams
"Ongoing drought and above average temperatures have pushed the water level in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, considered a single body of water, to an all time low, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on Tuesday."

Pennsylvania GOP Has Plan B For 2016 Electoral Vote Hijack

Pennsylvania GOP Has Plan B For 2016 Electoral Vote Hijack
"Undaunted by rejection of their first effort to hijack 2016, Pennsylvania Republicans soldier on with a new scheme for awarding unearned electoral votes to Republican candidates and weakening their state's influence on Federal elections."

NRA Endorsement Actually A Curse For Candidates, Poll Finds

NRA Endorsement Actually A Curse For Candidates, Poll Finds: Endorsements from the National Rifle Association might be doing political candidates more harm than good, according to a new poll from Public Policy Polling. In a national survey, 39 percent of voters said that they are less likely to vote for a politician whose candidacy has garnered NRA backing. Only 26 percent believe they’re more [...]/p

‘Don’t Say Gay’ Sponsor Compares Homosexuality To Injecting Heroin

‘Don’t Say Gay’ Sponsor Compares Homosexuality To Injecting Heroin: Tennessee state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) is making the press rounds to stump for the new and worsened version of his odious “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits teachers in grades K-8 from acknowledging the existence of homosexuality and also requires school officials to out gay students to their families. He has already made it [...]/p

GOP Senators Obstructing The Consumer Protection Bureau Receive Loads Of Wall Street Donations

GOP Senators Obstructing The Consumer Protection Bureau Receive Loads Of Wall Street Donations: 43 Republican senators signed a letter last week saying that they would obstruct any nominee to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, regardless of qualifications, unless the CFPB is weakened. Republicans are essentially attempting to nullify a federal law via obstruction; Congress passed and President Obama signed a bill creating a CFPB, but the GOP [...]/p

Was General David Petraeus Targeted for Take-down by the Military? | Alternet

Was General David Petraeus Targeted for Take-down by the Military? | Alternet
"Was the ambitious General David Petraeus targeted for take-down by competing interests in the US military/intelligence hierarchy—years before his abrupt downfall last year in an adultery scandal?"

8 Reasons Why Cantor’s Rebranded GOP Looks Just Like The Old GOP

8 Reasons Why Cantor’s Rebranded GOP Looks Just Like The Old GOP: On Tuesday afternoon, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) delivered a speech that sought to “rebrand” the GOP as a party that can advance legislation that would improve the lives of the “most vulnerable” Americans. “Our solutions will be based on the conservative principles of self reliance, faith in the individual, trust in the family, [...]/p

Exposed: Whole Foods' and the Biggest Organic Foods Distributor's Troubled Relationships with Workers

Exposed: Whole Foods' and the Biggest Organic Foods Distributor's Troubled Relationships with Workers
"The company recently fired its underpaid and overworked unionized workers at its Auburn, Washington, distribution center for going on strike, and illegally hired non-union replacement workers."

Corporate Lobby Tells Businesses To Shift Cases To GOP-Friendly Court

Corporate Lobby Tells Businesses To Shift Cases To GOP-Friendly Court: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is capitalizing on the radical federal appeals court decision that held unconstitutional several of President Obama’s recess appointments to help businesses skirt workers’ rights in as many cases as possible. In a memo to its members, the nation’s top corporate lobbying shop urged businesses seeking to challenge rulings against them by the National Labor [...]/p

The UK is showing us why austerity is dangerous, but are we paying attention? | Economic Policy Institute

The UK is showing us why austerity is dangerous, but are we paying attention? | Economic Policy Institute
"The lesson here is two-fold. First, near-term deficit reduction can significantly harm economic growth. And second, as this approach drags on the economy, it will also exacerbate the deficit and debt. In other words, the U.K. austerity approach—which is intended to reduce the debt and boost the economy—actually does the opposite."

Blacks, Hispanics Waited Almost Twice As Long To Vote As Whites In 2012

Blacks, Hispanics Waited Almost Twice As Long To Vote As Whites In 2012: During the November 2012 election, Black and Hispanic voters waited nearly twice as long to vote as whites, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis. New York Times graphs summarizing the analysis show that white voters waited an average of 12.7 minutes, while Black and Hispanic voters waited an average of 20.2 minutes: Long lines in several [...]/p

Republicans Return With a New Scheme to Rig the Electoral College | Common Dreams

Republicans Return With a New Scheme to Rig the Electoral College | Common Dreams
"Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has been blunt about his determination to rig the Electoral College. So it should come as no surprise that, even after his partisan minions were "named and shamed" into distancing themselves from an initial strategy for gaming presidential politics, keyRepublicans have returned with another plan to make it possible for a GOP loser to "win" the 2016 presidential race."

Facts No Remedy For Anti-Obama Conspiracy Theories

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U.S. Prison Population Seeing 'Unprecedented Increase' | Common Dreams

U.S. Prison Population Seeing 'Unprecedented Increase' | Common Dreams
"The research wing of the U.S. Congress is warning that three decades of “historically unprecedented” build-up in the number of prisoners incarcerated in the United States have led to a level of overcrowding that is now “taking a toll on the infrastructure” of the federal prison system."

On The 20th Anniversary Of The Family Medical Leave Act, Meet The Republican Men Who Voted Against It

On The 20th Anniversary Of The Family Medical Leave Act, Meet The Republican Men Who Voted Against It: Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The law, which passed with bipartisan support, gave workers new job protections in the event of a pregnancy or family medical emergency, mandating 12 weeks of unpaid leave. And while FMLA has failed to cover all workers — only employers [...]/p

Proof That Cutting Government Slows The Economy

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2 Years in Jail for Sitting on a Milk Crate? The Shocking Ways America Punishes Poor People Living on the Street (Hard Times, USA) | Alternet

2 Years in Jail for Sitting on a Milk Crate? The Shocking Ways America Punishes Poor People Living on the Street (Hard Times, USA) | Alternet
"Laws all over the country are designed solely to target the homeless, a glaring example of the criminalization of poverty in America. There are better solutions."

Eight Senators Vote To Block Violence Against Women Act

Eight Senators Vote To Block Violence Against Women Act: Eight Senators on Monday voted not to consider the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, a bill that protects victims of domestic violence. The Senators who voted against moving to debate on the bill were: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Tim Scott (R-SC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Rand Paul (R-KY), [...]/p

Who Needs to Win to Win?

Who Needs to Win to Win?
"In the immediate aftermath of last November’s election, the Republican Party, snapped suddenly out of the self-delusion of imminent victory promulgated by the Karl Roves and Dick Morrises of their party, came face-to-face with grim reality: Most of America hated them. And the Americans who didn’t hate them were dying off at a disconcerting pace. Something, nearly everybody both inside and outside the party agreed, would have to be done to rehabilitate the party brand. These were the choices: change, or continue to lose.

Since the New Year, though, a third possibility has emerged. What if Republicans don’t compromise with public opinion, but also don’t lose?

A glimpse of such a future came slowly into view in the weeks following the election, when Republican legislators in Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio floated, with varying levels of commitment, a plan to rig the Electoral College."

Breaking the Chains of Debt Peonage | Common Dreams

Breaking the Chains of Debt Peonage | Common Dreams
"The only way to break this fear and passivity is to organize workers to break the cycle of mounting debt. And the first step to achieving independence from debt—the primary form of political control by the corporate state—is to raise the minimum wage. There are other solutions—forgiving mortgage and student debt, instituting universal health care, establishing a nationwide jobs program to rebuild the country’s Third World infrastructure, and green energy—but none of this will happen until we are able to mount a sustained mass movement that discredits the corporate state. This mass movement will arise, as Nader says, when we mobilize around the minimum wage."

The NRA Enemies List: AARP to YMCA to Britney Spears to Hallmark Cards | Common Dreams

The NRA Enemies List: AARP to YMCA to Britney Spears to Hallmark Cards | Common Dreams
"Among them: The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, American Firearms Association (say what?), Consumer Federation of America, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, U.S. Catholic Conference, YMCA, Tony Bennett, N Sync, The Temptations, Geraldo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Levi Strauss, Kansas City Chiefs, Time Warner, etc etc. Man, the NRA's world must be getting some lonesome. Scary."

Study: Republican Gerrymandering Cost Democrats 1.7 Million Votes In Just 7 States

Study: Republican Gerrymandering Cost Democrats 1.7 Million Votes In Just 7 States:  Republicans so effectively gerrymandered congressional maps before the 2012 election that Democratic House candidates would need to win the national popular vote by over 7 points in order to win back the House. Last November, the American people preferred Democratic House candidates to Republican House candidates by almost 1.4 million votes, [...]/p

Wisconsin's "Shameful" Gerrymander of 2012

Wisconsin's "Shameful" Gerrymander of 2012
"The GOP's partisan redistricting process has come under renewed scrutiny in recent months, with gerrymandered maps helping Republicans hold Congress despite receiving fewer votes than Democrats, and state legislators discussing plans to rig the presidential election by awarding electoral votes according to those contorted boundaries. But out of all the states re-drawing Congressional boundaries along partisan lines after the 2010 elections, Wisconsin's gerrymandering may have been the most egregious."

Pennsylvania Republicans To Introduce New Election-Rigging Plan

Pennsylvania Republicans To Introduce New Election-Rigging Plan: Last month, Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus called up “states that have been consistently blue that are fully controlled red” to rig future presidential elections by changing the way electoral votes are allocated. Under Priebus’ proposal, blue states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania would stop awarding electoral votes to the winner of the [...]/p

Paul Krugman Destroys GOP’s Talking Points On Government Jobs

Paul Krugman Destroys GOP’s Talking Points On Government Jobs: On Sunday, economist Paul Krugman hit back against GOP claims that public sector employment has increased under Obama, and that such jobs consist mainly of wasteful bureaucrats and somehow count less economically than private sector ones. Back in September it was tea party Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) toeing that line, and this morning it was [...]/p

AL Teacher Rants About Michelle Obama's 'Big Butt' and 'Queers'

AL Teacher Rants About Michelle Obama's 'Big Butt' and 'Queers'
"When the tea party gained prominence, my husband scoffed at my insistence that they were propelled by racism. But the more he saw of them, the harder it became for him to deny. All of the things that existed when George W. Bush was president suddenly became tyranny when an African American man occupied the White House."

How the Public Can Win the New Financial War | Alternet

How the Public Can Win the New Financial War | Alternet
"Wall Street lobbyists blame unemployment and the loss of industrial competitiveness on government spending and budget deficits – especially on social programs – and labor’s demand to share in the economy’s rising productivity. The myth (perhaps we should call it junk economics) is that (1) governments should not run deficits (at least, not by printing their own money), because (2) public money creation and high taxes (at lest on the wealthy) cause prices to rise. The cure for economic malaise (which they themselves have caused), is said to be less public spending, along with more tax cuts for the wealthy, who euphemize themselves as “job creators.” Demanding budget surpluses, bank lobbyists promise that banks can provide the economy with enough purchasing power to grow. Then, when this ends in crisis, they insist that austerity can squeeze out enough income to enable private-sector debts to be paid.

The reality is that when banks load the economy down with debt, this leaves less to spend on domestic goods and services while driving up housing prices (and hence the cost of living) with reckless credit creation on looser lending terms."

Seattle Coffee Chain Charging 'Sick Leave Surcharge' Of 1.5%

Seattle Coffee Chain Charging 'Sick Leave Surcharge' Of 1.5%
"this shameful little tale of passive-aggressive douchebaggery: A coffee chain owner whoannounces a "surcharge" to cover the city's new mandatory sick pay law -- instead of quietly raising his prices:"

Obama Administration’s New Birth Control Rules Already Gaining Support Among Catholic Leaders

Obama Administration’s New Birth Control Rules Already Gaining Support Among Catholic Leaders: On Friday, the Obama Administration announced updated regulations for its birth control rule that requires employer-based insurance plans to offer contraceptive services without a co-pay. The new rules address concerns from both Catholic groups and women’s health organizations — clarifying that women who work for religious employers will still be able to access no-cost birth [...]/p

GOP Lawmaker Behind Abortion Ban: ‘We’re Not Going To Allow Minorities To Run Roughshod’

GOP Lawmaker Behind Abortion Ban: ‘We’re Not Going To Allow Minorities To Run Roughshod’: On Wednesday, the Arkansas Senate approved an unconstitutional bill to ban abortion as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. As The Nation’s Lee Fang noted Friday, this is part of a larger strategy by chief sponsor Sen. Jason Rapert (R) to remake America as a arch-conservative country. Rapert explained his long-term goals in a [...]/p

43 GOP Senators Threaten Obstruction Unless Consumer Protection Bureau Is Weakened

43 GOP Senators Threaten Obstruction Unless Consumer Protection Bureau Is Weakened: When the Dodd-Frank financial reform law first passed, Senate Republicans refused to confirm a director for the newly-created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They promised to block any nominee — regardless of that nominee’s qualifications for the job — unless the Bureau was weakened and made subservient to the same bank regulators who failed to prevent [...]/p

Scott Brown Is Out!

Scott Brown Is Out!
"We've added Ed Markey to our Blue America page so please donate if you can. He's a real progressive and we need more of them in Congress."

Rebuking Austerity, Americans Say: Strengthen Social Security | Common Dreams

Rebuking Austerity, Americans Say: Strengthen Social Security | Common Dreams
"While recent proposals from lawmakers and corporate CEO 'extremists' have put Social Security benefits on the chopping block, Americans are coming out in strong support of the vital program. They are saying: Preserve it.  Fund it.  Strengthen it.  Raise our taxes for it."

'Just the Beginning': US Drought Kills Hundreds of Thousands of Trees | Common Dreams

'Just the Beginning': US Drought Kills Hundreds of Thousands of Trees | Common Dreams
"The historic drought of 2012, which continues to ravage over half of the contiguous US, has a new legacy: the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the Midwest."

Manmade Carbon Pollution Has Already Put Us On Track For 69 Feet Of Sea Level Rise

Manmade Carbon Pollution Has Already Put Us On Track For 69 Feet Of Sea Level Rise: The bad news is that we’re all but certain to end up with a coastline at least this flooded (20 meters or 69 feet): The “good” news is that this might take 1000 to 2000 years (or longer), and the choices we make now can affect the rate of rise and whether we blow past [...]/p

Sandy Hook ER Doctor Tesifies

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Five Possibilities for the Next Great Progressive Push | Common Dreams

Five Possibilities for the Next Great Progressive Push | Common Dreams
"Obama’s second inaugural address opened some hope of a brighter progressive future, yet virtually all the critical economic and distributional issues were off the table—and the pain is likely to continue. Paradoxically, the failings of traditional politics—and the anger that is already building up—suggest strategic possibilities that focus on critical institutions, along with opportunities for the step by step “evolutionary reconstruction” of basic ownership of the economy at different levels."

The 25 Most Vile Statements by Fox News' Newest Pundit | Alternet

The 25 Most Vile Statements by Fox News' Newest Pundit | Alternet
"As Erick Erickson leaves CNN for Fox News, let's take a look at why the station will love its newest employee."

Exxon, Chevron Made $71 Billion Profit In 2012 As Consumers Paid Record Gas Prices

Exxon, Chevron Made $71 Billion Profit In 2012 As Consumers Paid Record Gas Prices: While 2012 might not be a banner year for Big Oil profits, it wasn’t a bad one either. With just BP left to announce 2012 earnings, Big Oil earned well over $100 billion in profits last year, while the companies benefit from continued taxpayer subsidies. Average gas prices also hit a record high last year, [...]/p

Exposed: How Whole Foods and the Biggest Organic Foods Distributor Are Screwing Workers | Alternet

Exposed: How Whole Foods and the Biggest Organic Foods Distributor Are Screwing Workers | Alternet
"Whole Foods is under investigation for 45 violations of federal labor law."