HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Recession’s pain reaching deep into the economic recovery. “The buying power of Americans continues to be weaker than it was when the recession ended four years ago, underscoring the lasting damage wrought by the downturn, according to a report released Wednesday. Inflation-adjusted median household income has declined 4.4 percent, to $52,098, since June 2009, the official end of the recession, said the report by Sentier Research, an Annapolis data-analysis firm headed by two former Census Bureau officials.” Maybe we haven’t really “recovered” at all.
Archive for 2013
August 22, 2013
ELIANA JOHNSON: Ignoring the Facts on the IRS: House Democrats pretend, unconvincingly, that the agency was neutral toward tea-party groups.
Related: The Hill: House investigators see ‘contradictions’ in IRS official’s testimony. “Top House Republicans are pressing a central figure in the IRS targeting controversy over what they see as inconsistencies in her testimony. Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) say that other IRS staffers are contradicting Holly Paz’s statements about when agency officials in Washington found out about the scrutiny given to Tea Party groups. The two lawmakers are also asking Paz about her statements that the IRS didn’t really know how to judge how much politics 501(c)(4) groups were involved in.”
WHITE HOUSE TRYING TO intimidate journalists?
LAWS ARE FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE: Inspector General: IRS May Be Violating Copyright Law on 89% of its Software.
Like, you know, taxes.
GALLUP SURVEY REPORTS BIG JUMP IN UNEMPLOYMENT. “According to a daily tracking poll from Gallup, the nation’s unemployment and underemployment rate has jumped significantly in the last month. The latest poll out Wednesday said unemployment was 8.9 percent compared to 7.8 percent a month ago. Gallup also reported the underemployment rate now stands at 17.9 percent. Gallup says its unemployment and underemployment rates are calculated as a percent of the workforce. Daily results reflect 30 day rolling averages based on telephone interviews with about 30,000 adults. Last month, the U S government reported unemployment at 7.4 percent. However, because results are not seasonally adjusted, Gallup says they are not directly comparable to the numbers reported by the U S Burea of Labor Statistics.”
I suppose this could just be an aberration, but it’s not promising. Perhaps things haven’t come all that far from the early days of hope and change, when this iconic photo captured the national mood.
TED CRUZ: Chuck Norris Wears Jim DeMint Pajamas.
HOPEY-CHANGEY: UPS To End Health Benefits For Spouses. “United Parcel Service has told its white-collar employees that it will stop providing health care coverage to their spouses who can obtain coverage through their own employers, joining an increasing number of companies that are restricting or eliminating spousal health benefits. U.P.S., the world’s largest package delivery company, said its decision was prompted in part by ‘costs associated with’ the federal health care law that is commonly called Obamacare.”
THOUGHTS ON WHY trust is more important than the law. I agree, as I’ve noted more than once.
ROLL CALL: Obama Hasn’t Evolved on Pot — Yet.
“GERMANY IS NOT A NATION OF SURVEILLANCE:” NSA scandal looms large in German election.
August 21, 2013
ROGER SIMON: Enemies, A Horror Story: Syria, Obama and Iran. “Our president dithered at the outset of this war, when he might have done some good, and has continued to dither vis-a-vis Syria’s patron Iran, which is exponentially more dangerous as nuclear weapons are to chemicals.”
ALTHOUGH I’M SYMPATHETIC, SOME MIGHT REGARD THIS AS A TAD SELF-SERVING: Facebook’s Zuckerberg: Internet Access Is A Human Right.
AT AMAZON, Digital Deals Galore.
MICKEY KAUS: The Gang Lamar! Forgot. “Why do I have a vague sense of unease, as if there were some major issue Alexander isn’t addressing … you know, there was a big fuss about it a couple of months ago …Something that’s motivating his primary opponents …maybe even the first issue they raise. … A controversial major bill he recently voted for, perhaps–one of only, say, 14 Republicans to do so? If Alexander doesn’t even dare mention this mystery issue–in what is clearly supposed to be a candid, meet-’em-head-on statement–what does that say about the issue? That he’s scared of it.”
Lamar should just thank his lucky stars that it isn’t me running against him. . . .
FEEL THE HOPE AND CHANGE: Obama Administration vs. Quadriplegic Student Loan Debtor:
With the increased costs of living as a quadriplegic, Mr. Myhre’s monthly income does not cover the monthly expenses for a basic standard of living. He has relied on credit cards and the generosity of his caregiver to make ends meet each month. Out of Mr. Myhre’s $3,526 monthly budget for basic expenses, his caregiver covers $1,423 out of her own pocket. Mr. Myhre’s monthly income is $2,015, and with the help of credit cards, he has been paying $2,103 each month. The burden of this situation led both Mr. Myhre and his caregiver to declare bankruptcy in 2012.
The DOE argues that it would not impose an undue hardship on Mr. Myhre to repay his student loan because he is working full time.
I wonder if he even qualifies for an ObamaPhone.
HEY, IT’S NOT THE SOUTHERN ESCAPE-FROM-POVERTY LAW CENTER: SPLC sues to keep all students in failed schools.
HATRED AND DEMONIZATION: Thom Hartmann: ObamaCare Foes Are “Stone Cold Killers.”
NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG: The Atlantic: This Homeland Security Employee Is Preparing for a Coming Race War.
A Department of Homeland Security employee who works on, among other things, the procurement of guns and ammunition for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spends his nights and weekends preparing for a coming race war and advocating for anti-gay causes, according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. Meet Ayo Kimathi, a.k.a. “the Irritated Genie,” who told his bosses at the DHS that his anti-white, anti-gay site, “War is on the Horizon,” was just an entertainment site that sells concert and lecture videos. . . .
The DHS employee advocates for:
* The mass murder of white people. His site says, “warfare is eminent, and in order for Black people to survive the 21st century, we are going to have to kill a lot of whites – more than our christian hearts can possibly count.”
* A conspiracy theory arguing that white people are trying to “homosexualize” black men in order to make them more effeminate and therefore weaker. As part of this, Kimathi, praises a series of laws in some African countries that criminalize LGBT behavior and people. Kimathi also advocates for the supremacy of black men above black women — he offers tips on his site, for instance, “to help every Black woman in the world understand what she needs to do to keep a strong Black man happy.”
Well, okay then.
KEN FROM POPEHAT: “How to know that Syria is, in fact, using chemical weapons on its people: They did it on the one year anniversary of the ‘red line’ warning. Anniversaries mean things. I don’t support a Syrian intervention. I’m not sure a fascist Iranian-Russian puppet is any worse for America than the Al Qaeda superstate that would follow it. In fact it’s probably ‘better.’ But if you’re going to give ‘red line’ warnings, you should kick ass when the line’s crossed. We’re just taking names. We’ve gone from the world’s policeman to the world’s hall monitor.”
Speaks loudly. No stick. Obama acted stupidly by issuing that warning. Now he’s in a box of his own making.
JEFF DUNETZ TO JAMES CLYBURN: How Dare You Call Me NAZI, Rep Clyburn-I Have Family Who Died In the Holocaust. Clyburn’s civil-rights-era moral standing has long since been disgracefully squandered. He’s just a hack.