suren's blog

Explaining Obama

Submitted by suren on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 10:40

The most recent "compromise" negotiated by President Obama has deepened the conversation about his tendency to compromise when the American people, and the rest of the world, expect real leadership. In the next few weeks we'll carry a number of different approaches to the President by cherry-picking from the web. In the present piece, political psychologist Drew Westen reconnects us with those heady days that followed the election in 2008 and shows us how the capable story-teller President failed to offer a counter narrative that "bends the arc of history toward justice." 

Four Dead in Massachusetts... "It is important not to make connections!"

Submitted by suren on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 23:56

June 1, 2011: The Springfield Republican editorializes somewhat tritely that, "tornadoes show how fast life can change." Still recoiling from the tragedy that has just befallen their city, the writers can be forgiven. The Wall Street Journal, however, has few excuses for Donald Boudreaux's opinion piece in which he complains about "how seriously Americans [may come to] treat climate-change doomsaying." He attacks (but does not link to) a sarcastic editorial by Bill McKibben that appeared in the Washington Post last week.

Fifty-nine percent: Tax the Rich!

Submitted by suren on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 15:02

Two recent polls by Gallup affirm support for the idea that the rich must pay their fair share. On April 11, 2011, 59% of the respondents indicated that next year's budget should include "higher taxes on for families with household income higher than $250,000 and above." Another Gallup survey (on April 14, 2011) with somewhat different wording found a statistical tie in response to the question, "Do you think our government should or should not redistribute wealth by heavy taxes on the rich? The results should 47% choosing "should" and 49% opting for "should not" (with a 4 percent margin of error). Given the loaded wording, it is a remarkable percentage in favor of heavy taxation. Nearly 60% also indicated their preference that "money and wealth should be more evenly distributed" among Americans.

Madrick: Ryan Plan Won't Work

Submitted by suren on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 14:33

Two dogs that won't hunt are at the core of Representative Paul Ryan's budget proposals: privatising Medicare and tax cuts for the rich. In a  sharp rebuttal, Roosevelt Institute Fellow, Jeff Madrick shows that even if we accept the budget cutting goals, Ryan's plan fails the country. For one thing, turning the efficient Medicare program over to the private sector immediately increases administrative overhead costs. On the second topic: tax cuts for the rich--like those initiated by Ronald Reagan--have been be paid for regressive Social Security payroll taxes.

NYT: A Rational Budget for the Pentagon

Submitted by suren on Wed, 04/20/2011 - 20:05

The New York Times editorial board has rightly called attention to the irrational nature of the US government's military spending. A further step is needed: recognizing that immediately ending the wars abroad and bringing all the troops home will increase our security, halt the bloodletting and stem our nation's economic overreach. Here's the Times editorial:

Runciman: The Offshore Elites

Submitted by suren on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 17:42

Today states and nation states compete with one another for investment and the resulting jobs. In the end, politicians of whatever stripe are more accountable to investors and less to voters. This situation is often presented as a natural outcome of globalization and economic development. In a review of two recent books, David Runciman, a well-known British political scientist, shows that seemingly unrelated developments: the resurrection of London as a center of global finance, the stationing of corporations in Delaware, the rise of sovereign wealth funds, and even Saif al-Islam Ghadaffi's philanthropy, are all connected with the relentless pressures of pro-business lobbyists and less with elections.

Klein: On Joining 350.org

Submitted by suren on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 14:16

Naomi Klein is perhaps the leading North American intellectual of the anti-corporate globalization generation. Her evolution from writer-activist and documentarian to public intellectual of social democratic stripes housed at the The Nation marked a coming of age for that generation. Her decision to join the board of 350.org in the midst of their important campaign challenging the US Chamber of Commerce may signal another important and welcome transition for her generation and for the climate change movement. Klein sees the Chamber of Commerce campaign as signalling the climate movement's recognition that the "struggles for economic justice, real democracy and a livable climate are interconnected." 

FoE: De-fund Big Oil, Not Vital Programs!

Submitted by suren on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 14:53

"The money is there!" That's the message from Friends of the Earth as they call on the US Senate to tax polluters--instead of gifting them $200 billion:

"House Republicans are pushing reckless, extreme and unfair spending cuts to vital social programs, the economy and the environment -- and are now threatening to shut down the government in mid-March if they don’t get their way...

"Yet $200 billion in giveaways to polluters remain intact."

So FoE is mounting a campaign to message the Senate. Click here to learn more.

 

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