Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Krugman - Missing
This Obama bit is really getting old. I can't remember the last time he actually stood up for a typical "Democratic" ideal.
And to think, we're going to be stuck with this farce of a Democrat in 2012. Oh joy! Another 6 years of giving away anything and everything to Republicans. Are there no real Democrats left at all? Democrats were thoroughly hoodwinked by Obama in 2008.
The President Is Missing
by Paul Krugman
What have they done with President Obama? What happened to the inspirational figure his supporters thought they elected? Who is this bland, timid guy who doesn’t seem to stand for anything in particular?
I realize that with hostile Republicans controlling the House, there’s not much Mr. Obama can get done in the way of concrete policy. Arguably, all he has left is the bully pulpit. But he isn’t even using that — or, rather, he’s using it to reinforce his enemies’ narrative.
His remarks after last week’s budget deal were a case in point.
Maybe that terrible deal, in which Republicans ended up getting more than their opening bid, was the best he could achieve — although it looks from here as if the president’s idea of how to bargain is to start by negotiating with himself, making pre-emptive concessions, then pursue a second round of negotiation with the G.O.P., leading to further concessions.
And bear in mind that this was just the first of several chances for Republicans to hold the budget hostage and threaten a government shutdown; by caving in so completely on the first round, Mr. Obama set a baseline for even bigger concessions over the next few months.
But let’s give the president the benefit of the doubt, and suppose that $38 billion in spending cuts — and a much larger cut relative to his own budget proposals — was the best deal available. Even so, did Mr. Obama have to celebrate his defeat? Did he have to praise Congress for enacting “the largest annual spending cut in our history,” as if shortsighted budget cuts in the face of high unemployment — cuts that will slow growth and increase unemployment — are actually a good idea?
Among other things, the latest budget deal more than wipes out any positive economic effects of the big prize Mr. Obama supposedly won from last December’s deal, a temporary extension of his 2009 tax cuts for working Americans. And the price of that deal, let’s remember, was a two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts, at an immediate cost of $363 billion, and a potential cost that’s much larger — because it’s now looking increasingly likely that those irresponsible tax cuts will be made permanent.
More broadly, Mr. Obama is conspicuously failing to mount any kind of challenge to the philosophy now dominating Washington discussion — a philosophy that says the poor must accept big cuts in Medicaid and food stamps; the middle class must accept big cuts in Medicare (actually a dismantling of the whole program); and corporations and the rich must accept big cuts in the taxes they have to pay. Shared sacrifice!
I’m not exaggerating. The House budget proposal that was unveiled last week — and was praised as “bold” and “serious” by all of Washington’s Very Serious People — includes savage cuts in Medicaid and other programs that help the neediest, which would among other things deprive 34 million Americans of health insurance. It includes a plan to privatize and defund Medicare that would leave many if not most seniors unable to afford health care. And it includes a plan to sharply cut taxes on corporations and to bring the tax rate on high earners down to its lowest level since 1931.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center puts the revenue loss from these tax cuts at $2.9 trillion over the next decade. House Republicans claim that the tax cuts can be made “revenue neutral” by “broadening the tax base” — that is, by closing loopholes and ending exemptions. But you’d need to close a lot of loopholes to close a $3 trillion gap; for example, even completely eliminating one of the biggest exemptions, the mortgage interest deduction, wouldn’t come close. And G.O.P. leaders have not, of course, called for anything that drastic. I haven’t seen them name any significant exemptions they would end.
You might have expected the president’s team not just to reject this proposal, but to see it as a big fat political target. But while the G.O.P. proposal has drawn fire from a number of Democrats — including a harsh condemnation from Senator Max Baucus, a centrist who has often worked with Republicans — the White House response was a statement from the press secretary expressing mild disapproval.
What’s going on here? Despite the ferocious opposition he has faced since the day he took office, Mr. Obama is clearly still clinging to his vision of himself as a figure who can transcend America’s partisan differences. And his political strategists seem to believe that he can win re-election by positioning himself as being conciliatory and reasonable, by always being willing to compromise.
But if you ask me, I’d say that the nation wants — and more important, the nation needs — a president who believes in something, and is willing to take a stand. And that’s not what we’re seeing.
Original.
And to think, we're going to be stuck with this farce of a Democrat in 2012. Oh joy! Another 6 years of giving away anything and everything to Republicans. Are there no real Democrats left at all? Democrats were thoroughly hoodwinked by Obama in 2008.
The President Is Missing
by Paul Krugman
What have they done with President Obama? What happened to the inspirational figure his supporters thought they elected? Who is this bland, timid guy who doesn’t seem to stand for anything in particular?
I realize that with hostile Republicans controlling the House, there’s not much Mr. Obama can get done in the way of concrete policy. Arguably, all he has left is the bully pulpit. But he isn’t even using that — or, rather, he’s using it to reinforce his enemies’ narrative.
His remarks after last week’s budget deal were a case in point.
Maybe that terrible deal, in which Republicans ended up getting more than their opening bid, was the best he could achieve — although it looks from here as if the president’s idea of how to bargain is to start by negotiating with himself, making pre-emptive concessions, then pursue a second round of negotiation with the G.O.P., leading to further concessions.
And bear in mind that this was just the first of several chances for Republicans to hold the budget hostage and threaten a government shutdown; by caving in so completely on the first round, Mr. Obama set a baseline for even bigger concessions over the next few months.
But let’s give the president the benefit of the doubt, and suppose that $38 billion in spending cuts — and a much larger cut relative to his own budget proposals — was the best deal available. Even so, did Mr. Obama have to celebrate his defeat? Did he have to praise Congress for enacting “the largest annual spending cut in our history,” as if shortsighted budget cuts in the face of high unemployment — cuts that will slow growth and increase unemployment — are actually a good idea?
Among other things, the latest budget deal more than wipes out any positive economic effects of the big prize Mr. Obama supposedly won from last December’s deal, a temporary extension of his 2009 tax cuts for working Americans. And the price of that deal, let’s remember, was a two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts, at an immediate cost of $363 billion, and a potential cost that’s much larger — because it’s now looking increasingly likely that those irresponsible tax cuts will be made permanent.
More broadly, Mr. Obama is conspicuously failing to mount any kind of challenge to the philosophy now dominating Washington discussion — a philosophy that says the poor must accept big cuts in Medicaid and food stamps; the middle class must accept big cuts in Medicare (actually a dismantling of the whole program); and corporations and the rich must accept big cuts in the taxes they have to pay. Shared sacrifice!
I’m not exaggerating. The House budget proposal that was unveiled last week — and was praised as “bold” and “serious” by all of Washington’s Very Serious People — includes savage cuts in Medicaid and other programs that help the neediest, which would among other things deprive 34 million Americans of health insurance. It includes a plan to privatize and defund Medicare that would leave many if not most seniors unable to afford health care. And it includes a plan to sharply cut taxes on corporations and to bring the tax rate on high earners down to its lowest level since 1931.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center puts the revenue loss from these tax cuts at $2.9 trillion over the next decade. House Republicans claim that the tax cuts can be made “revenue neutral” by “broadening the tax base” — that is, by closing loopholes and ending exemptions. But you’d need to close a lot of loopholes to close a $3 trillion gap; for example, even completely eliminating one of the biggest exemptions, the mortgage interest deduction, wouldn’t come close. And G.O.P. leaders have not, of course, called for anything that drastic. I haven’t seen them name any significant exemptions they would end.
You might have expected the president’s team not just to reject this proposal, but to see it as a big fat political target. But while the G.O.P. proposal has drawn fire from a number of Democrats — including a harsh condemnation from Senator Max Baucus, a centrist who has often worked with Republicans — the White House response was a statement from the press secretary expressing mild disapproval.
What’s going on here? Despite the ferocious opposition he has faced since the day he took office, Mr. Obama is clearly still clinging to his vision of himself as a figure who can transcend America’s partisan differences. And his political strategists seem to believe that he can win re-election by positioning himself as being conciliatory and reasonable, by always being willing to compromise.
But if you ask me, I’d say that the nation wants — and more important, the nation needs — a president who believes in something, and is willing to take a stand. And that’s not what we’re seeing.
Original.
Friday, April 8, 2011
No more cumadin!
This week, the wife's doc told her she could stop taking the cumadin (Warfarin) she's been on since January, ever since she fractured her ankle and developed a DVT (deep vein thrombosis - blood clot). Yes! She's a healer!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
GEeee
Good news from GE, and it's about time. Why is it so hard for our sacred, much-vaunted businesses in this country to set some money aside and open up some new facilities in this country? Sure, people overseas will work for a small fraction of what U.S. workers expect, but where is the loyalty to your own country?
I think we need to trash this whole "free trade" bullshit. It has done little but move technology and jobs overseas. U.S. companies should be PUNISHED and not REWARDED for moving jobs overseas. They should be REWARDED for keeping jobs here.
This story tends to offset (a little) those recent stories about the mega-billions that GE has made over the last few years while not paying ONE CENT in taxes, and THEN demanding concessions from the unions!
GE To Build Largest Solar Panel Factory In U.S.
NEW YORK -- General Electric says it's going to build the nation's largest solar panel factory, part of a $600 million dollar bet on the future of solar power in the United States.
The new plant will employ 400 people and produce enough solar panels to power 80,000 homes per year, GE said Thursday. The company isn't saying where the plant will be located, but it does say that there are multiple locations being scouted.
GE says its thin film solar panel has been certified as the most energy efficient of its kind by the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. The technology for the panel, called CdTe thin film, lends itself to low-cost, large-scale manufacturing.
GE recently acquired PrimeStar Solar Inc. a maker of thin film solar panels based in Colorado.
Original.
I think we need to trash this whole "free trade" bullshit. It has done little but move technology and jobs overseas. U.S. companies should be PUNISHED and not REWARDED for moving jobs overseas. They should be REWARDED for keeping jobs here.
This story tends to offset (a little) those recent stories about the mega-billions that GE has made over the last few years while not paying ONE CENT in taxes, and THEN demanding concessions from the unions!
GE To Build Largest Solar Panel Factory In U.S.
NEW YORK -- General Electric says it's going to build the nation's largest solar panel factory, part of a $600 million dollar bet on the future of solar power in the United States.
The new plant will employ 400 people and produce enough solar panels to power 80,000 homes per year, GE said Thursday. The company isn't saying where the plant will be located, but it does say that there are multiple locations being scouted.
GE says its thin film solar panel has been certified as the most energy efficient of its kind by the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. The technology for the panel, called CdTe thin film, lends itself to low-cost, large-scale manufacturing.
GE recently acquired PrimeStar Solar Inc. a maker of thin film solar panels based in Colorado.
Original.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
April Stargazing
With the constellations of winter on their way out, the stars of spring dominate the sky for most of the night. Leo, the season's signature constellation, stands high in the south by the time the last glow of twilight fades away. Look for the backward question mark that outlines his head and mane, and the small triangle to its left that marks his tail. Virgo follows Leo across the sky. And Boötes, the herdsman, rises in the northeast, marked by yellow-orange Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
More stargazing information: http://stardate.org/nightsky
Radio Program Highlights
Hear StarDate every day on more than 360 radio stations nationwide or subscribe to our podcast: http://stardate.org/feeds/podcast.xml
April 4-10: Charging past the bull. The Moon charges past the shoulder, the face, and the horns of Taurus, the bull, this week, and we'll have details. We'll also have details on a "great" observatory, plus a lot more on the night sky.
April 11-17: Follow the water. Missions to Mars have found that there's water all across the Red Planet -- a resource for future exploration -- and for possible life. Join us for Martian water, plus a possible explosive birth for a Martian moon.
April 18-24: A basketful of planets. A single spacecraft has tripled the number of possible known planets -- it found as many as 1200 of them. We'll have details, plus the profile of a single star system with at least six planets.
April 24-30: Traffic jam. There's a planetary traffic jam in the dawn sky this week. Only one of the planets is easy to see, but the others are climbing into better view. And the Moon rounds out the crowd. Join us for this and much more.
April Program Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates
Open House in Fort Davis
Come enjoy an Open House at McDonald Observatory on Saturday, April 9. The day of free, family-friendly events runs from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., and includes tours of large research telescopes, science talks, a star party and other telescope viewings. We'll also have hotdogs, face painting, and balloons.
For more information and to make your reservations for the free events, which are likely to fill up, see: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/openhouse
Getting a Facelift for Science
The Hobby-Eberly Telescope is about to get a facelift. This summer, engineers will lop off the package of mirrors, instruments, and electronics sitting 60 feet above its primary mirror and replace it with one that is heavier and more sophisticated. The replacement will give the giant telescope a wider yet sharper view of the sky and support a new set of powerful instruments that will allow it to begin probing the mystery of dark energy.
Read More: http://hetdex.org/updates/facelift.php
News From the Observatory
Texas Astronomers Find Super-luminous Supernova
Astronomers led by graduate student Emmanouil "Manos" Chatzopoulos and Dr. J. Craig Wheeler of The University of Texas at Austin have found another extremely bright, rare supernova to add to the new class of exploding stars that University of Texas astronomers identified a few years ago. Supernova 2008am is one of the most intrinsically bright exploding stars ever observed. At its peak luminosity, it was over 100 billion times brighter than the Sun. It emitted enough energy in one second to satisfy the power needs of the United States for one million times longer than the universe has existed.
Read more: http://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/2011/0328.html
Astronomy Night at the Museum
An evening of free, family-friendly astronomy events will be held on April 11 at Austin's Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. From 7-8 p.m., the Austin Planetarium will conduct shows in its mobile planetarium. At 8 p.m., University of Texas at Austin astronomy professor Jenny Greene will speak on "Black Holes: Tiny but Powerful" in the Spirit Theater. Additionally, astronomers will be on hand from 7 to 9 p.m. to answer questions at an "Ask the Astronomer" booth. These events are held in conjunction with the American Astronomical Society's Division of Dynamical Astronomy Meeting being held in Austin April 11-14.
More information: http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/education/adults.html#astronomy_night
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remember
deja vu
indeed
Delete Fox "News"
Probably
