I Joined a Credit Union: Part 3

Tim Geithner said to leave your money in big banks......

Glad I joined the Credit Union....


h/t to Atrios

Citizens United vs FEC

I think I am going to puke.....

More later.....

Roe v Wade: 37 Years

In the early 70's and 80's, when I was coming of age, the resources to young women to have control of their reproductive health were more widely available than today. Public Health clinics were more numerous, non profit clinics for women were not haunted by anti choice groups outside their doors and a young woman could go to a private practice for services without fear that her parents be contacted thus violating her privacy. My experience in school was everyone was fully educated about how our bodies worked, we had discussions regarding our sexuality, contraception, disease and so on.

Slowly, but, surely through the years this has been eroded by decreased funding, outright bans (Hyde amendment) and lobbying from religous and anti choice groups.

It really pains me to know women that are not much younger than me not value themselves to believe that full access to reproductive health information and services is about freedom to make choices about her own health and life no matter what her religious views are. I find it hard that, feminist or not, some believe the state would be better at making choices for women than for themselves, putting themselves down as second class. I find it hard to believe that some feel that God justifies killing a physician practicing legal medicine.

Amanda says it well. 

 

Coakley Defeat Referendum on Obama's "Bipartisanship"

So a virtual unknown right wing candidate beats out Martha Coakley in Massachusetts for Ted Kennedy's seat.

How could this happen? Who is to blame? Oh, my! What is the left going to do?

From Digby:

"The Democrats are all running around this morning looking panicked and freaked out which doesn't give anyone confidence. Everyone seems to forget that a year ago, Obama only had 58 votes in the Senate and everyone was in a state of near hysteria over his massive institutional power and soaring mandate. Now he has 59 and he's suddenly impotent. But this reaction was sadly predictable. And the message from the media and their centrist muses is also predictable --- move right immediately. SOS."

And Evan Bayh thinks that we should cater more to the centrists and the independents.

The problem has been that this overwhelming bipartisan need is stifling any real changes needed on Main Street. It is giving all the "changey - hopey" goodness to the Corporates Gods and leaving the rest of us behind.

Drew Weston knows this bipartisanship just ain't gonna cut it:

"The White House has squandered the greatest opportunity to change both the country and the political landscape since Ronald Reagan. It should have started with a non-watered-down stimulus package big enough to stop the bleeding in the job market -- and a smack-down of any Republican who dared to utter the word "deficit" after 8 years of reckless, unpaid Republican spending. It should have followed with stringent regulations on Wall Street and protection of homeowners and small businesses instead of with a jobs creation program inside the administration for failed bankers and failed regulators. A stimulus -- including a jobs program -- strong enough to prevent the hemorrhaging of 700,000 jobs a month and a muscular approach to the bad actors who had crashed the economy would have gotten the public firmly behind the President and the Democrats, demonstrating to the average voter that they have a choice between one party that's on their side and another that's not. Instead, the White House just blurred the lines between the parties so the average American couldn't tell the difference."

But, I wouldn't expect any push for progressive causes from our President because he isn't a progressive.

I hope this isn't breaking new for you.

Calling Out Hate Talk Regarding the Disaster in Haiti

It amazed me during the Katrina disaster how the insensitivity and the lack of humanity just bubbled up from the hearts of some people.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them." Barbara Bush regarding Katrina refugees in Houston. I can feel the love......

"When these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage." Neal Boortz on victims of Katrina. But, this asshat never claimed to be sensitive. He just wants to keep selling advertising.

A few folks have taken up the ball on insensitivity and bigotry in the wake of disaster in Haiti. 

I could make a huge list of things written and said that is insensitive and just plain stupid, ignorant comments about the disaster in Haiti and its people.

Pat Robertson is there with a greatest hit. His "Deal with the Devil" comments takes this Talibangelical dipshit to new lows. Susie Madrak's post over at Crooks and Liars talks about Haiti's real deal with the devil in a historical context.

David Brook's drivel in the New York Times on January 14th is eloquently translated by Matt Taibbi at Truth/Slant.

And if you have Pat Buchanan scolding you for insensitive remarks about the disaster in Haiti, well then.......

MLK Jr Day: Time to Give to the Community

January 18th is the day to celebrate the birth if Martin Luther King, Jr.

Historically this is a day of service to the community.

The Great Recession and earthquake in Haiti has brought forward many opportunities to be of service to so many in need.

Give blood, clean your closet out and donate items, donate some time or money to anything you feel may contribute. The AJC has suggestion for us in the Atlanta area here.

Coakley - Brown Race Tight

The special election race between Republican State Senator Scott Brown and Attorney General Martha Coakley seems to be in a dead heat. President Obama traveled to Massachusetts this Sunday to get the out the Democrats out to vote.

"The president made a direct appeal to independents who are trending away from the Democrat and sought to court voters angry over Wall Street abuses. He assailed GOP candidate Scott Brown, who downplayed his party affiliation during the campaign, as just another typical Republican who sides with special interests" according the AP.

The media has predicted gloom and doom for Coakley. Some polls are showing a four point lead for Coakley, but, a heavy turnout would help.Organizing for America (OFA) has sent over 3500 volunteers and Dem volunteers are jamming the Coakley headquarters.

Quite frankly, the need to save the Senate seat is obvious. The need to save this Senate seat from the health care reform industry handout is not so important. Between how a Cadillac health plan is defined (vision, dental and yearly cost) and the mandates I have really lost all interest. Really the bill should be killed. 

Oh, and BTW, Obama had no plans to go to Massachusetts until the shocking trends in the polls showed Brown gaining.  Maybe he just wanted to make sure the corporate whore Senator is his type of corporate whore.

Why Orange Teams Are Wrong:Tennessee Fans Go Bezerk

Lane Kiffin's decision to leave UT for USC Trojans did not sit well with Tennessee fans.

From the Huffington Post:

"Riots broke out across the Knoxville campus and flames are visible in some photos posted on Twitter. Fans even went so far as to deface the legendary Tennessee Rock, scrawling numerous obscenities and threats"

Well, the students past the spelling test on the rock... as well as the anatomically correct diagrams.

Warning: Images at link NSFW.

Orange teams are wrong, really.

Go Dawgs.

I Joined a Credit Union Part 2: Move your Money Movement

I wrote an earlier post on closing my accounts at the "too-big-to-fail-bank" and moving to the credit union. I have talked to friends about this and two people I know have done this as well.

The Huffington Post is promoting a "Move Your Money" movement. Here is a posting with a video from Bill Maher regarding this populist movement.

You can find a credit union at this link.

Let's face it, "The Masters of the Universe" are only getting more powerful and using our tax money to stay in power and these clowns feel they "earned" all this by bringing the economy to its knees. These are not achievers or producers. They are crooks.

This is a movement that the Left and the Teabaggers can get together. Lord, I NEVER THOUGHT I would ever say anything like that.

Cagle's Senate Budget Task Force

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle has announced the members of his task force to make recommendations regarding the state's budget crisis.

According to the AJC  "The members of the seven-member task force are: Max Blocker, of PricewaterhouseCoopers; Monye Connolly, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Geogia; Greg Duncan president of North American Operations at UCB, Inc.; Edward Heys of Deloitte & Touche; Ronnie Labrato of Georgia Power; Kelly McCutchen of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation; and Suzanne Sitherwood of Atlanta Gas Light."

Pretty much a "Who's Who" of business. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation is an alleged non-partisan, "pro-market" think tank that are proponents of privatization of public services and tend to lean against environmental regulation. The others are from Georgia's largest businesses.  

This group looks quite similar in make-up to Sonny Perdue's task force leaders to solve the ongoing Chattahoochee River Basin water wars: John Brock, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, and Tim Lowe, president of Lowe Engineers, are co-chairmen of the Governor’s Water Contingency Task Force. In an article by Jay Bookman in the AJC the 87 member water task force has just one environmental group represented.

The budget task force will make recommendations before the end of the session,

Stay tuned to see what policy changes will be recommended to benefit the big businesses of Georgia and some folks running for office this election year.

Georgia's Lawmakers Begin 2010 Legislative Session

"The budget is in bad shape," said Rep. David Ralston (R - Blue Ridge), in reference to the many cutbacks that will have to made during this year's legislative session. Tax collections for the first half of the fiscal year were down $1.1 billion. Part of this has been offset by $1.4 billion dollars of stimulus money and state reserves. However stimulus money is expected to decline after the beginning of the next fiscal year in July. Lt. Governor Casey Cagle will introduce a committee of seven executives from Georgia companies and accounting firms to make recommendations on state government restructuring before the session is over in February. This has been reported in the Rome News - Tribune.

"In the General Assembly, so-called study committees are often created to research issues between legislative sessions, usually made up exclusively of lawmakers and offering their recommendations either jointly to the House and Senate or to one of the chambers. However, no chamber in recent memory has called on a committee entirely of outsiders to research during a legislative session and report back before adjournment."

Ethics, transportation, education and the banking crisis in Georgia will also be hot issues.

This is also an election year.

As they say, "Get the popcorn ready!"

City of Milton, GA Ends Privatization Contract with CH2M Hill

According the the AJC Milton, Ga has ended its privatization "experiment" of city services. CH2M Hill was contracted to perform the "day to day duties" of municipal government such as sanitation, keeping the roads in good repair and keeping up with zoning compliance.

“We just elected to eliminate the middle man,”according to Chris Lagerbloom Milton's City Manager.

The municipality hired 20 of CH2M Hill employees to stay on with the city AND GAVE THEM A SMALL PAY RAISE with existing benefits. One employee said that CH2M Hill did not offer her to continue working for the company according to the article.

The city will save about $1 million dollars a year. How about that " business is more efficient than government?" What the hell happened here?

During The late 90's and early 00's water privatization in large cities was viewed as a way for municipalities to save revenues. Mayor Bill Campbell of Atlanta in 1998 entered a water works contract with United Water Services. The Atlanta Business Chronicle in August 2002 detailed the souring of this relationship between Mayor Shirley Franklin and United Water. The complaints from the city included "billing, maintenance, timely emergency responses and consistent record-keeping." During this time I do recall friends of mine getting water bills that were up in to hundreds of dollars for one month's use. The Downtown area's antiquated water system was in desperate need of complete overhaul as storm runoff and sewage were going through the same lines and the city was levied huge fines from the EPA for all the disrepair. United Water was just not the answer to all these issues.

So, free market folks, tell me why this did not work?

Remember when President Bush proposed that part of payroll taxes for Social Security into private saving accounts that would be invested in stocks? These accounts are like 401(K) accounts. Let me ask you this: over the past ten years how much did you earn on your 401(k) after the the market booms and busts and all the fees? Probably would have done better putting it in a jar and burying it in the back yard. Privatized accounts would have been reduced as much as 20% to 30% by fees charged by investment bankers, trustees and account administrators. "This occurred in Great Britain, Chile and other countries that adopted privatization. In both Great Britain and Chile, privatizing Social Security has been judged a failure because retirees' benefits were greatly decreased by 'fees.' " More facts on that here.

I am not against companies doing business and making a profit. I am against business taking over functions that the government should handle. Things that are for the public good, that everyone needs, that will benefit everyone. Like education, health care and clean water.

Damn. I am such a commie.................