heron

a somewhat ot tidbit, posted with a liberal alert: columnist: registering poor to vote 'like handing out burglary tools to criminals' | tpmmuckraker link to the original column: articles: registering the poor to vote is un-american couldn't tell you whether this guy is a lone looney or reflects sentiments present but unspoken in his community. i confess to considerable observer bias, but where does the constitution say that voting rights must depend on the size of your bank accounts and stock portfolios? there is certainly class warfare being waged ... the question being who declared war on whom?

May he reap his eternal reward asap.

The coffee is brewed too weak for me and the superfluous packaging could fill a landfill in a few months. Have tried both Keurig and Tassimo ... not impressed.

Now, here's something that's truly scary: The 2012 Speculatron Weekly Roundup For August 19, 2011

Here's a look at what I believe to be one of the reasons for the anti-EPA rhetoric from Republican candidates: Fracking - ProPublica It's a collection of investigative articles on the subject of natural gas and the unanswered questions about hydraulic fracturing - fracking - and what it might be doing to ground water supplies. I worry a lot that, in our panic over the economy, jobs and high energy prices, such questions get lost. Who benefits from ignoring these issues?

Interesting piece from FactCheck.org:

It's heartening to see that some folks have figured out that it's a bad idea to poop where you eat. Of course, if they are pooping where we are eating ... well that's a different story. Just more liberal class warfare.

Child Poverty Rate Climbs In 38 States

An unfortunate comparison, given David's behavior while king.

Thanks, Tweety ... I was wondering when someone would point that out. I've seen so many comments here about "those people" sucking at the government teat. I've never seen them acknowledge that our paychecks are, in large part, expressed from the same organ. But, of course ... "government can't create jobs". So ... cutting or eliminating spending should have no effect on wages and unemployment, right? I wonder if, in all this belt-tightening, the prescription drug benefit will be modified to allow Medicare to negotiate prices.

double post - sorry

Yep, minimum wage/no future jobs galore. Anyone here try to live on a minimum wage job recently? An alternative interpretation:Texas Kaos:: Rachel Maddow Debunks Rick Perry's "Texas Miracle" Myth If RM is too "radical" for you, try this: The sad facts behind Rick Perry's Texas miracle - The Washington Post That last observation only goes back to the beginning of the last century ... it doesn't even cover the wars on Mexico and the indigenous populations that grabbed the land for him in the first place. The two quotes above are opinion pieces by liberals and they do disagree about the facts on the poverty rates. Imho, whether fourth or eighth out of 50, it's still a pretty dismal picture of the job market in Texas. But the facts are easily checked.

A totally liberal humorous riff on Perry by a homey ... take it for what it's worth to ya: Must-Reads: The Late, Great Molly Ivins on Rick Perry | Mother Jones

Not to mention corporations are people.

That would make Massachusetts top benefit $15/hour ... and aren't benefits figured on a claimant's prior pay rate? Also, that's before taxes. Having lived in Massachusetts for most of my life, I know the COL. At that rate of pay, if you pay rent, you probably won't have heat in the winter. When I lived there, rents in Boston ran about $800/month/bedroom and up ... probably higher now. Not high off the hog at all. Would still love to know the pay offered if it was less than unemployment and for what kind of work. I agree that there are those who would rather not work if they can manage not to starve while doing so. But I can't believe that it's the majority of unemployment beneficiaries ... nope ... we're not getting the whole story here.