December 2011
36 posts
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In order to hold that alliance, however, the Republican Party has had to become...
– Ezra Klein’s review of economic policy in 2011.
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Think Progress: 11 Quotes From 2011 →
think-progress:
1. “There’s been class warfare going on for the last 20 years, and my class has won.” — Warren Buffett
2. “Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.” — Hillary Clinton
3. “Today, we are all Troy Anthony Davis. Tonight, a little piece of all of us will die.” — Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
4. “Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22-out-of-30 top al-Qaida leaders who’ve been...
Bank of America to pay $335M to settle claims of... →
Investigators concluded that Countrywide charged more than 200,000 blacks and Hispanics higher fees and interest rates than comparable white borrowers between 2004 and 2008. In addition, officials claim the firm advised more than 10,000 minority borrowers to take riskier and more costly subprime loans, even though they could have qualified for more traditional mortgages.
Although, the fact...
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Santa Claus came early this year for four former executives of Washington Mutual...
– Simon Johnson, writing for Project Syndicate on “Austerity and the Modern Banker”
GOP wants to make unemployment more humiliating →
Ezra Klein on “some unpleasant provisions tucked away in the House GOP’s proposed unemployment insurance reforms”
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House Republicans have a point. Making tax policy two months at a time is no way...
– Ezra Klein in today’s Wonk Book
Extension of Tax Cut Stalls in House as G.O.P.... →
The House Republican leader’s rejection of a short-term, bipartisan Senate measure to extend a payroll tax break set the stage for a bitter year-end Congressional collision.
It also mirrors a well-established pattern of House conservatives undermining Mr. Boehner’s efforts to reach bipartisan compromises on a variety of fiscal matters. In July, Mr. Boehner and Mr. Obama were close to reaching a...
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Running Chicken: Ron Paul, Racism, Bad Arguments →
kohenari:
I’ve become absolutely fascinated by the number of arguments I’ve seen recently about Ron Paul and racism. It doesn’t much matter to me if Ron Paul espouses racist ideas or has simply associated himself with people who do. But what amazes me is the lengths to which some people will go to defend…
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As Permafrost Thaws, Scientists Study the Risks →
Experts worry that if the permafrost thaws in the Northern Hemisphere, huge amounts of carbon will be released into the air, greatly intensifying global warming.
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News Bulletin: Ron Paul Is a Huge Racist →
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Just 62 bills were signed into law through November this year, meaning that 2011...
– Bloomberg, “Congress Gets Failing Marks on Economy” (via harddriveexperiment)
Thanks Tea Party!
The top 1 percent since 1990: getting richer →
A look at how much the Top 1% gets - throughout the world.
That’s one of the things that I like about him — because he’s been consistent...
– Christine O’Donnell, appearing on CNN to endorse Mitt Romney. (via officialssay)
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There are two very different tax-policy conversations playing out in the...
– Ezra Klein
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Paul Krugman: Debasing The Dollar, Not →
Paul Ryan, thwarted by facts yet again
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One lesson that the world has learned since the financial crisis of 2008 is that...
– Kevin O’Rourke, on Europe’s suicidal policy.
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The quest for a clear, simple answer recalls the discussions that have followed...
– Joseph Stiglitz, on why moralizing Europe doesn’t do any good.
Statistics of the day...
thepoliticalnotebook:
Women in Afghanistan are 200 times more likely to die in childbirth than to be killed by a bomb or bullet.
1 in 11 women in Afghanistan are likely to die in childbirth, the world’s highest rate of maternal mortality.
#importantthingstothinkaboutwhiletheBonnconferenceproceeds
[source]
Out-of-control government isn't the driving force... →
Paul Krugman: Lies, Damned Lies, And Elections →
Back in 2000, George W. Bush made a discovery of enormous consequence: you could base a whole political campaign on claims that were flatly untrue, like the claim that your big tax cuts for the wealthy went to the middle class, or the claim that diverting Social Security funds into private accounts would strengthen the system’s finances, and reporting would never point this out. That’s when I...
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I believe that Mitt Romney represents the one percent and I believe that Newt...
– GOP presidential candidate and former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer (via think-progress)
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FACT: Obama's job-crushing economic policies have...