tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95371832009-02-20T21:17:17.254-05:00Proselytizing for Reality Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1113399363155865162005-04-13T09:36:00.000-04:002005-04-13T09:49:20.926-04:00

Stop collecting as much taxes on the wealthy. Yes, did you know that taxing the wealthy has a horrible effect on our economy? If they can't buy that new yacht, then the terrorists have already won.Yahoo! News - GOP's Estate Tax Push May Work in SenateWASHINGTON - House Republicans call it the "death tax," but their effort to repeal permanently the estate tax has itself succumbed three different

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1112730313934084962005-04-05T15:45:00.000-04:002005-04-05T15:46:46.443-04:00

David Sirota, fellow at the Center for American Progress, has a post detailing The Loan Shark Prevention Act that has been introduced by Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The bill does three things.1. Cap interest rates at 8% above what the IRS charges income tax deadbeats. Currently, the cap would be 14%, the same level that the Senate approved by a 74-19 vote in an amendment offered by Sen. Al D’

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1112138329076040272005-03-29T18:12:00.000-05:002005-03-29T18:18:49.156-05:00

Just posted this over at MyDDBoy was I surprised when I got a letter today from the the conservative Christian wackos at the American Family Association that advocated for assisted suicide. But that's just what the letter advocates.The title of the message was enough to really shock me:Terri's Case: The Roe v. Wade of Euthanasia: Terri's father says the courts are in control of this countryYou

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1112107840286556192005-03-29T09:31:00.000-05:002005-03-29T10:36:35.166-05:00

Paul Krugman has been pointing to the rise of the revolutionary Right since Bush was handed power by the Supreme Court. In his column today he takes a look at the Shiavo case and examines the threat that the Theo-Cons pose to our Democracy.Democratic societies have a hard time dealing with extremists in their midst. The desire to show respect for other people's beliefs all too easily turns into

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111779701224160602005-03-25T14:41:00.000-05:002005-03-25T14:41:41.226-05:00

The New York times has an interesting series today on the replacement of the dot-com bubble with a real estate bubble.eal estate-crazed Americans have started behaving in ways that eerily recall the stock market obsession of the late 1990's. In Naples, Fla., some houses have been bought twice in a single day, an early-21st-century version of day trading. Buying stocks on margin has morphed into

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111618987550540462005-03-23T18:03:00.000-05:002005-03-23T18:03:07.550-05:00

My man Outlandish Josh Koenig sent me the following link today. If you want to know what schemes and conspiracies Minister Al-X has brewing (other than the usual world domination) give a look at the section Taking on creditors. So what would a newly evangelical kind of progressive movement look like in 2005 and beyond? Here’s an idea. One thing that nearly all Americans share is debt. Building

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111618383459515182005-03-23T17:53:00.000-05:002005-03-23T17:55:04.383-05:00

Over at Kos, Jerome a Paris has an article which shows, conclusively, that there is no link whatsoever between lower taxes and higher growth rates.Republicans, when contacted for a comment, held their collective hands over their ears and chanted "free market good, Bush good, everything is good and right in the world, liberals are Satan" and other irrational gibirish.

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111546643926750932005-03-22T21:57:00.000-05:002005-03-22T22:54:16.216-05:00

Just put up a post over at Young Philly Poltics about the PA race... Here's a part:I personally could care less what any of these polls say. PA is going to be hotly contested and anyone out there who found comfort in the polls where Casey was shown to be way ahead is fooling themselves. Underestimating Santorum and the Republicans is suicide.That's why I really can't believe that the PA Dems are

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111419286822374132005-03-21T10:34:00.000-05:002005-03-21T10:34:46.823-05:00

This site has stories from people who have gone through bankruptcy due to Medical Bills. If you want to know the real effects that this bankruptcy law is going to have, give it a read. These damned deadbeats, with all their lavish spending on medications and emergency treatments! When will they learn that only the strong survive in life? Get Sick, Go Broke

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111172029268560052005-03-18T13:53:00.000-05:002005-03-18T13:53:49.266-05:00

Crooks and Liars has John Stewart's take on Wolfowitz's nomination up on their blog. Yes, never mind the fact that Paul Wolfowitz doesn't have an economics backgroud, he should run the World Bank because it's a similar sized organization. Too bad they nixed the part of the video about Bush's big balls.... Ah, you can find it here at Comedy Central. I'm pretty sure Bush only has one ball but

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111163821447017572005-03-18T11:35:00.000-05:002005-03-18T11:37:01.450-05:00

Michael Lind takes Wolfowitz to task a little harder at SalonWolfowitz is the Mr. Magoo of American foreign policy. Like the myopic cartoon character, Wolfowitz stumbles onward blindly and serenely, leaving wreckage and confusion behind.Critics are wrong to portray Wolfowitz as a malevolent genius. In fact, he's friendly, soft-spoken, well meaning and thoughtful. He would be the model of a

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111157839991893222005-03-18T09:57:00.000-05:002005-03-18T10:26:40.530-05:00

Krugman takes a look today at the nomination ofPaul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank. Krugman chooses not to focus on the numerous failures of Wolfowitz and his neo-Con(artist) ilk in securing Iraq, and instead looks at the free-market ideology behind some of the screw-ups.Before the Iraq war, Pentagon hawks shut the State Department out of planning. This excluded anyone with development

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111073944884149792005-03-17T10:39:00.000-05:002005-03-17T10:39:04.883-05:00

Apparently the drug war isn't just racist and classist, it's sexist as well. America's war on drugs is inflicting deep and disproportionate harm on women — most of them mothers — who are filling prisons in ever-rising numbers despite their typically minor roles in drug rings, the American Civil Liberties Union and two other groups contend in a major new report. The report, "Caught in the Net,"

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111070170085310692005-03-17T09:36:00.000-05:002005-03-17T09:47:22.313-05:00

The Rude Pundit has another take on the fake news that the Bush Administration has been spewing out. And I think I have a new favorite blogger! We have located the anti-Coulter, now somebody get this man a TV show!!!What's been lost in the big, mighty hullabaloo over the Bush administration's massive use of fake TV news packages to promote its policies as if poll numbers were Nielsens is this:

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111069592548168912005-03-17T09:26:00.000-05:002005-03-17T09:33:58.913-05:00

This would be funny if it wasn't so fucking scary. Viewer Beware"WHAT DOES Jon Stewart of 'The Daily Show' have in common with the Bush administration? They're both unabashed about putting out fake news. The Bush administration's version consists of video news releases -- government-produced, government-funded spots packaged to look and sound like regular television reports, complete with fake

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1111010510028214802005-03-16T16:49:00.000-05:002005-03-17T09:48:53.433-05:00

The blogstorm over Tom DeLay is growing. Here are some links to some good posts on the issue.Daily DeLay is a one-stop shop for DeLay news. Jolly Buddha, my favorite non-frontpage MyDD writer, has a good diary about the heat DeLay's taking. Burnt Orange has a roundup of other blogs posting on the subject, while CommonBlog has a roundup of the major news outlets coverage of DeLay's mounting

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110844194505350582005-03-14T18:49:00.000-05:002005-03-14T18:49:54.506-05:00

I just started a forum discussion over at MfA regarding John Bolton's nomination for UN Ambassador... Sorry for the profanity, but it pails in comparison to the one finger salute the Bush Administration is giving to the world by nominating John Bolton for the post of UN Ambassador. Check out this video of Bolton slamming the UN at some conference. In it he claims that "there is no U.N.", that

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110835220446420532005-03-14T16:20:00.000-05:002005-03-14T16:25:56.496-05:00

I have seen the future of the Democratic Party, and his name is Montana Governor Brain Schweitzer.Here's Gov. Schweitzer reopening the famous M&M Bar and Cigar Shop (via Kos).A Democrat who likes guns, throwin em back, and kicking Republican ass. Just my kind of guy.

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110576811183052742005-03-11T16:33:00.000-05:002005-03-11T16:33:31.183-05:00

Yglesias today offers a frightening look at the amount of time that Congress takes to read a bill before voting on it He notes: Clearly, at times it's necessary to put a premium on speed and it may not be possible to discuss everything in as leisurely a fashion as one might like. Looking at the legislation in question, however, it's clear that such pressing emergencies rarely account for the

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110565202181830882005-03-11T13:20:00.000-05:002005-03-11T13:47:12.286-05:00

I'm always a bit perplexed and amazed by the causes that evangelicals and right wing Christians take up.I'm no expert in the Christian Bible, but I don't think that Jesus ever mentioned either abortion or homosexuality. I do know that he defended one sexual deviant (Mary), and he scolded the moral hypocrites who were about to murder her that "he who has no sin should cast the first stone." I also

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110487442962903512005-03-10T15:36:00.000-05:002005-03-10T15:44:03.116-05:00

I find this very interesting given that I seriously dreamed about studying at Annenberg for a few years. Man, good thing I chose to get into Politics instead, it's so much more honest than what Anneberg is doing...Pandagon: Woo-Hah!: I stopped reading Factcheck.org near the end of the 2004 election cycle because of this article. It was the sort of blatant hackery that they should have either

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110320741248405002005-03-08T17:25:00.000-05:002005-03-08T17:25:41.246-05:00

Joe Biden, along with all of the Republicans in the Senate and a few other DINO credit-company sluts, just sold out our soldiers, the elderly, and the downtrodden, by voting for cloture on the bankruptcy debate. This is a dark day for the working-class and poor people of this nation and a great day for slave labor.

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1110316073345213112005-03-08T16:07:00.000-05:002005-03-08T16:07:53.346-05:00

Actually, I'm just over at the new Draft Zinni blog I started.

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1108950646708108982005-02-20T20:28:00.000-05:002005-04-07T13:23:25.370-04:00

*Please note that this is a draft. The actual posting for this will end up at Young Philly PoliticsLike most Democrats, I’m sick of losing. Losing, however, is a symptom of much greater problems for Democrats and Progressives. One major part of the problem is structural—we lack an effective and efficient party organization, we lack sufficient messaging capabilities—but the other problem stems

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9537183.post-1108653391969768092005-02-17T10:10:00.000-05:002005-02-17T10:16:31.973-05:00

The New York Times today reports that 5 Units of Military Reserve may miss their recruiting goals. I wonder why that could be? Could it have anything to do with the extended duty the reserve is seeing? Could it be that there just aren't enough Americans willing to die for Bush's fucked up crusades?WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 - In a sign of continued stress on the armed forces from operations in Iraq,

Alex Urevick-Ackelsberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03625472176533667379noreply@blogger.com0