Robert Reich sez:
Corporate tax "reform" is high on the Republican agenda because the GOP's corporate patrons are demanding payoff from their investments in the 2014 election. Watch your wallets. Here are the four biggest right-wing whoppers about corporate taxes:
1. The U.S. corporate tax rate of 35% is one of the highest among advanced countries. True but misleading. The effective corporate income-tax rate – what corporations actually pay after all deductions, credits, and loopholes – is 27.7%, close to the average of all rich countries (27.2%).
2. Today's corporate tax rate is high by historic standards. Baloney. In the 1950s it was over 50%.
3. The corporate tax reduces corporate profits, which makes it harder for corporations to hire. Wrong. Corporate profits today are the highest they've been since World War II as a percentage of the economy.
4. Lowering the corporate income-tax would spur economic growth. Baloney. There's no relation between corporate tax rates and growth. In the 1950s and 60s, when the corporate tax was over 50%, the economy grew faster (at an annual average rate of 3.9%) than it has since the rate was reduced.
Don't let the right get away with their whoppers about corporate taxes. Spread the truth.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
GOP Anxious To Screw The White Working Class That Elected Them
Earlier this month, white working class Americans provided the margin for GOP victory in the election and now, as those Republicans prepare to take office, the screwing of those working class Americans is about to begin.
A deal is in the works between house Republicans and aides of outgoing majority leader, Harry Reid for a tax package totaling $440 billion in breaks to businesses. The Republican will legitimately call it a tax cut, but for millions of working people, it is anything but. The deal which focuses on renewing existing tax breaks, leaves out renewal of the Earned Income Tax Credit and a child tax credit for working families.
The outrage is here.
Voters totally ignored reality and voted in these cretins. One has to wonder if these voters will realize what is being done to them by their "heroes". I won't hold my breath. Middle class voters often vote against their own best interests.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Obama Threatens to Veto GOP Plan to Screw Middle Class and Give More Huge Tax Breaks to Corporations
Congress has nearly reached bipartisan agreement on a tax bill that would retroactively renew tax breaks that expired at the end of last year, making them permanent. But President Obama has said that he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk because it heavily favors business while ignoring middle and lower-income families. "The president…
Friday, November 28, 2014
San Francisco Public Defenders Office Slams Ferguson Grand Jury Decision/Process
Link.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2014 · BY TAMARA APARTON
San Francisco, CA — After reviewing the transcripts and evidence released Tuesday, San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released the following statement today on the grand jury’s decision against indicting police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
“As San Francisco Public Defender, I am deeply disappointed with the grand jury’s failure to indict Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. A series of questionable, and in my opinion, biased legal and ethical decisions in the investigation and prosecution of the case presented to the grand jury led to this unjust result, most notably allowing a local prosecutor with strong family connections to police supervise the investigation and presentation of the evidence. This ethical failure resulted in the exceedingly rare step of the prosecuting attorney refusing to recommend an indictment against the police officer he was prosecuting. The police investigation and inquiry itself were rife with problems:
- Because it was a grand jury inquiry and not a trial, Wilson took the stand in secrecy and without benefit of a cross-examination. Prosecutors not only failed to probe his incredible testimony but frequently appeared to be bolstering his claim of self-defense. Transcripts reveal that witnesses whose accounts contradicted Wilson’s were rigorously questioned by prosecutors.
- Dorian Johnson, the key witness who was standing next to Brown during the encounter, provided strong testimony that called into question Wilson’s claim that he was defending his life against a deranged aggressor. Johnson testified that Wilson, enraged that the young men did not obey his order to get on the sidewalk, threw his patrol car into reverse. While Wilson claimed Brown prevented him from opening his door, Johnson testified that the officer smacked them with the door after nearly hitting the pair. Johnson described the ensuing struggle as Wilson attempting to pull Brown through the car window by his neck and shirt, and Brown pulling away. Johnson never saw Brown reach for Wilson’s gun or punch the officer. Johnson testified that he watched a wounded Brown partially raise his hands and say, “I don’t have a gun” before being fatally shot.
- Wilson’s description of Brown as a “demon” with superhuman strength and unremitting rage, and his description of the neighborhood as “hostile,” illustrate implicit racial bias that taints use-of-force decisions. These biases surely contribute to the fact that African Americans are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than whites in the U.S., but the statement’s racial implications remained unexamined.
- Prosecutors never asked Wilson why he did not attempt to drive away while Brown was allegedly reaching through his vehicle window or to reconcile the contradiction between his claim that Brown punched the left side of his face and the documented injuries which appear on his right side.Wilson, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall and 210 pounds, is never asked to explain why he “felt like a five-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan” during his struggle with Brown, who is Wilson’s height and 290 pounds.
- The police investigation itself revealed strong biases toward the police officer and against Michael Brown, leading to an ongoing federal investigation into the police department’s history of discriminatory policing practices, use of excessive force and violations of detainees’ constitutional rights.
It is important that communities throughout this country re-evaluate and reform our processes by which justice is determined. We must work to ferret out biases that threaten the very foundation of society and taint decisions rendered by our justice system.
It is also critical that we acknowledge the impact of implicit bias in decisions regarding stopping, investigating, arresting and prosecuting citizens, and in gauging whether deadly force is necessary. We must also demand that law enforcement agencies begin using available technology, such as police body cameras, to improve transparency and accountability to the public they are sworn to serve. And we must pledge to honor the request of Michael Brown’s family to work together to ensure that this tragedy is not repeated as it has been in the past.”
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Hospitals seek a Texas Way to expand Medicaid
Expanding Medicaid may be anathema to Texas political leaders. For hospitals, though, it would be a godsend.
Baylor University Medical Center lost $172.8 million on uncompensated care last year.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas reported uncompensated care of $86.5 million. Methodist Dallas Medical Center reported $154.7 million.
And Parkland Health and Hospital System reported $1.488 billion of uncompensated care. […]
The Texas Hospital Association is trying to remedy that, at least in part. It wants to coax Governor-elect Greg Abbott and the Legislature to use federal funds available through the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid with a private insurance model.
Baylor University Medical Center lost $172.8 million on uncompensated care last year.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas reported uncompensated care of $86.5 million. Methodist Dallas Medical Center reported $154.7 million.
And Parkland Health and Hospital System reported $1.488 billion of uncompensated care. […]
The Texas Hospital Association is trying to remedy that, at least in part. It wants to coax Governor-elect Greg Abbott and the Legislature to use federal funds available through the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid with a private insurance model.
Story's in The Dallas News.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
When Government Succeeds
Paul Krugmann has an interesting article in the New York Times where he explains how wrong many conservative commentators have been regarding the government that has been voted in by the American people
He points out that "cures" to the Ebola freakout demanded by conservatives were not needed, and in fact, judging by the lack of Ebola cases originating in the USA, scientists from the CDC and the HIH do know their bidness, while politicians only know hyperbolic bloviating.
Recent polling shows the vast majority of Americans are happy with their health insurance, especially those who have it for the first time thanks to the ACA. People are paying their premiums, which have risen less than they normally do historically.
The government investment program that lost some dough on Solyndra is raking in profits of $5 billion or more. Conservatives would have killed the whole thing, costing Americans billions of $$. Not smart.
Then there's the deficit. Conservatives have been wrong again. In actuality, "... the deficit has indeed come down rapidly, and as a share of G.D.P. it’s back down to pre-crisis levels."
Republicans are so bad for America.
He points out that "cures" to the Ebola freakout demanded by conservatives were not needed, and in fact, judging by the lack of Ebola cases originating in the USA, scientists from the CDC and the HIH do know their bidness, while politicians only know hyperbolic bloviating.
Recent polling shows the vast majority of Americans are happy with their health insurance, especially those who have it for the first time thanks to the ACA. People are paying their premiums, which have risen less than they normally do historically.
The government investment program that lost some dough on Solyndra is raking in profits of $5 billion or more. Conservatives would have killed the whole thing, costing Americans billions of $$. Not smart.
Then there's the deficit. Conservatives have been wrong again. In actuality, "... the deficit has indeed come down rapidly, and as a share of G.D.P. it’s back down to pre-crisis levels."
Republicans are so bad for America.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
America The Stupid
Boy, 8, accidentally shot by sister, 9, in critical condition, police say
Mom often leaves kids unattended, oh, of course there are guns in the house to play with.
Yes folks, yet more proof that stupid people should not have guns. And there seem to be plenty of stupid people in the USA.
“Impeachment would be a consideration.”
Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer says any executive action from the president on the issue of immigration would constitute “an impeachable offense.” Republican Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) says “impeachment would be a consideration.” Republican Walter Jones (R-North Carolina) says “we have the option of impeachment.”
Can they please get a grip? A president has the constitutional responsibility to decide how to enforce laws and focus scarce enforcement resources. If the Republicans want to impeach Obama for using his enforcement discretion over deportations of undocumented people in America, let them try. The American public doesn’t want the U.S. government turned into a partisan doormat. Bill Clinton’s popularity soared after the House impeached him in 1998. ~ Robert Reich
Friday, November 14, 2014
O'Bamacare More Popular Than Republicans, So Naturally Republicans Say "Repeal It!"
Republican Party Favorable/Unfavorable Ratings
Healthcare/Healthcare Coverage Ratings
Sources:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/11/14/study-people-who-have-obamacare-overwhelmingly-like-it-republicans-vow-to-repeal-anyway/
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/republican-party-favorable-rating
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
America The Stupid
Yes, some peeps are too stupid to own firearms.
West Virginia Man Shoots Himself While Playing Russian Roulette
West Virginia Man Shoots Himself While Playing Russian Roulette
Thanks To The Chickens Voting In Foxes To Guard Their Henhouses, We Get This...
Gushing over Republican victories in last week’s election, WorldNetDaily columnist Lord Christopher Monckton hopes that the GOP will immediately go after President Obama’s “bogus ‘birth certificate’ on the crime scene that is the White House website.’”
Monckton, clinging to long-discredited birther conspiracy theories, writes today that “Congress must at once announce an investigation into the forgery” and “take on Mr. Obama and the army of vicious leftists with whom he surrounds.”
See more here.
Monckton, clinging to long-discredited birther conspiracy theories, writes today that “Congress must at once announce an investigation into the forgery” and “take on Mr. Obama and the army of vicious leftists with whom he surrounds.”
See more here.
Revealed: Ronald Reagan Apologized For America
Barack Obama gets falsely accused of apologizing for America, but a newly-released recording of a conversation between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher reveals a contrite and apologetic Ronald Reagan.
Would-be president Mitt Romney once said: “I will not and I will never apologize for America. I don’t apologize for America, because I believe in America.” Factcheck.org goes through the various times President Obama “apologized” and concludes no such apologies ever occurred.
Story's here.
Today O'Bama Called On Regulators To Protect The Internets Pipeline. The Usual Subjects Objected
Net neutrality is defined as the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.
Always looking to make the additional bucks, many service providers are trying to change laws to allow themselves to charge services like Netflix higher fees to carry their content. The service providers would throttle the speed of anyone who would not pay the higher fees. Of course, ultimately, it would be the consumer who would have to pay extra as these fees would be passed on to the customer.
Today, O'Bama called on regulators to treat internet service as a public utility, keeping net neutrality in effect. You can imagine who would like that: millions of consumers who utilize the interwebs. You can also imagine who would be against net neutrality: internet service providers (such as Verizon) and, of course, most Republican politicians.
As the foolish Ted Cruz sed, "'Net Neutrality' is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government." This idiotic tweet shows that Cruz, as most Republicans, is only interested in protecting the highest possible profits of corporate America at the expense of American consumers.
Always looking to make the additional bucks, many service providers are trying to change laws to allow themselves to charge services like Netflix higher fees to carry their content. The service providers would throttle the speed of anyone who would not pay the higher fees. Of course, ultimately, it would be the consumer who would have to pay extra as these fees would be passed on to the customer.
Today, O'Bama called on regulators to treat internet service as a public utility, keeping net neutrality in effect. You can imagine who would like that: millions of consumers who utilize the interwebs. You can also imagine who would be against net neutrality: internet service providers (such as Verizon) and, of course, most Republican politicians.
As the foolish Ted Cruz sed, "'Net Neutrality' is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government." This idiotic tweet shows that Cruz, as most Republicans, is only interested in protecting the highest possible profits of corporate America at the expense of American consumers.
Congratulations, America, for voting these cretins into power. Don't complain when your votes backfires in your faces. I, on the other hand, didn't vote for these unAmerican assholes, so I can complain to my heart's content.
Jehovah’s Witness leader complains: Gay people are plotting to put everyone in ‘tight pants’
'Ya can't worship God in tights.
A member of the ruling council for Jehovah’s Witnesses warned members during a recent sermon to avoid “metrosexual” fashion trends because they are part of a plan by gay designers to get people to wear what he considers indecent clothing, PinkNews reported.
“What’s happened now is that it’s really caught on more, the tight suit jacket and the tight pants,” Anthony Morris III says inan audio clip posted online on Saturday. “Better known as tight pants. They are tight all the way down to the ankles. It’s not appropriate. It’s not sound of mind.”
Morris, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 2005, reportedly delivered the remarks during a Nov. 8 sermon. He said that younger men were more prone to follow the “tight pants” trend than older members. He also accuses women who wear Spanx leggings or other tight exercise clothes in public of betraying their faith.
A member of the ruling council for Jehovah’s Witnesses warned members during a recent sermon to avoid “metrosexual” fashion trends because they are part of a plan by gay designers to get people to wear what he considers indecent clothing, PinkNews reported.
“What’s happened now is that it’s really caught on more, the tight suit jacket and the tight pants,” Anthony Morris III says inan audio clip posted online on Saturday. “Better known as tight pants. They are tight all the way down to the ankles. It’s not appropriate. It’s not sound of mind.”
Morris, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 2005, reportedly delivered the remarks during a Nov. 8 sermon. He said that younger men were more prone to follow the “tight pants” trend than older members. He also accuses women who wear Spanx leggings or other tight exercise clothes in public of betraying their faith.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
HOW VOTER SUPPRESSION HELPED PRODUCE THE LOWEST TURNOUT IN DECADES
On Tuesday, older, white voters — who traditionally support Republicans — went to the polls in droves, while turnout among traditionally Democratic groups — the young, the minoritized, and women — was down. Indeed, overall turnout declined to an estimated 36.6% of eligible voters, the lowest rate of participation since the 1940s, despite the $3 billion spent by candidates, political parties, and super PACs.
Yes, President Barack Obama’s poor performance and approval rating undoubtedly played a role in the lower turnout. But the evidence is piling up that systematic voter suppression, including voter ID laws and dubious vote-fraud prevention software, played a significant part in keeping people from casting ballots, as well.
Take the situation in Texas, where Democrat Wendy Davis lost badly to Republican Greg Abbott in the gubernatorial race. More important than her expected defeat is that the Lone Star State had the lowest voter turnout in the country at 33%, down from 38% four years earlier. It’s difficult to determine to what precise extent Texas’s new voter ID law is to blame for the poor turnout, but “there are somewhere between 600,000 and 1.4 million registered voters in Texas without state ID,” according to Kathleen Unger, whose nonprofit, VoteRiders, works to get people the documents they need to vote. Working through local organizations, two-year-old VoteRiders went into Houston’s Harris County this year in response to what Unger called its “very restrictive” voter ID law.
Despite such efforts, some Texans were still unable to vote. Think Progress’ Alice Ollstein recently documented how some Texas voters were dropped from the rolls or denied ballots because they couldn’t afford new IDs. Ollstein couldn’t quantify such incidents, but a recent Government Accountability Office report on voter ID laws in Tennessee and Kansasfound they decreased turnout in those two states in 2012. In Texas, there are indications the same thing happened this year, including the fact that provisional ballots increased by half on Tuesday to 16,463, an uptick from the 8,000 issued in 2010. Provisional ballots are given to voters who have difficulty proving their eligibility, and because some thwarted voters don’t even bother to cast them, they are a proxy for larger problems.
“THE GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE HAD NO EXPLANATION AT ALL AS TO WHERE THOSE VOTERS WENT.”
In Georgia, meanwhile, nearly 40,000 new voters mysteriously vanished from the rolls, possibly due to scrubbing by a controversial software system known as Crosscheck. Turnout was only34%, which is down six percentage points from 2010.
Story's here.
America The Stupid
Floriduh is arresting people for feeding homeless folks. See, it's now legal to starve in Floriduh if you don't have a home.
Story's here.
Story's here.
America The Stupid
Some proof that many Americans are not suited to gun ownership...
5 YEAR OLD SHOT IN THE HEAD WHILE SITTING ON HER GRANDFATHER’S LAP
5 YEAR OLD SHOT IN THE HEAD WHILE SITTING ON HER GRANDFATHER’S LAP
Saturday, November 8, 2014
NY Pastor Thinks Starbucks' Secret Ingredient Is The 'Semen of Sodomites'
The right wing is insane. More proof:
Last week, James David Manning, pastor of ATLAH Worldwide Missionary Church in Harlem, posted a video claiming that semen is the secret ingredient in Starbuck's lattes.
Manning's flight from reality seems to have been brought on by the public's reaction to another bizarre claim he made last week, that "upscale sodomites" are spreading Ebola in Starbucks. In response, LGBT supporters gave away free Starbucks coffee outside Pastor Manning's church.
It seems Pastor Manning is very suspect of that free coffee.
"My suspicion is they’re getting their semen from sodomites, Manning warns. 'The semen flavors up the latte and makes you think you are having a good time drinking it!"
Last week, James David Manning, pastor of ATLAH Worldwide Missionary Church in Harlem, posted a video claiming that semen is the secret ingredient in Starbuck's lattes.
Manning's flight from reality seems to have been brought on by the public's reaction to another bizarre claim he made last week, that "upscale sodomites" are spreading Ebola in Starbucks. In response, LGBT supporters gave away free Starbucks coffee outside Pastor Manning's church.
It seems Pastor Manning is very suspect of that free coffee.
"My suspicion is they’re getting their semen from sodomites, Manning warns. 'The semen flavors up the latte and makes you think you are having a good time drinking it!"
Story's here.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Midterm Disaster: What Is It That Americans Want From President Obama?
Obama is very unpopular. I get it. Apparently people don’t like the deficit being reduced, Bin Laden being killed, keeping terrorism at bay, increasing employment, providing healthcare to every American, making the country a more tolerable and accepting place for everyone, and even reducing gas prices. What’s the problem? Does Obama have to make house calls for every single individual in this country and give them a neck massage?
Okay. The voters want change. So, take Iowa, for example. You got this Republican with a very annoying fake laugh that says Obama is a dictator who is apathetic. Wait. How can he be apathetic and a dictator? She also says he’s not doing anything. So he’s a lazy apathetic dictator. When told by a reporter that there was only one case of Ebola in the country right now she said that was his opinion. So obviously the voters are hungry for stupid.
Best Interweb Comment I've Seen This Mornin'...
Kevin Kehres
5 November 2014 at 9:31 am
We live in a country where 42 percent of adults say they believe in ghosts, 36 percent say they believe in creationism, 36 percent say they believe in UFOs, 29 percent say they believe in astrology. And those people vote.
The people have the government they deserve.
Frankly, it won’t affect me much. The Republicans aren’t going to lower my taxes, nor raise them (my state legislature did that last year so that the really rich guys could get another solid gold toilet for their third yacht). My health insurance isn’t through the ACA. My community isn’t anywhere near where fracking would be profitable. And no one in my immediate circle is likely to need a therapeutic abortion (or an elective one) anytime soon. Global warming? I’ll be long dead by the time Miami drowns. So…I’m good.
The rest of y’all are fucked.
5 November 2014 at 9:31 am
We live in a country where 42 percent of adults say they believe in ghosts, 36 percent say they believe in creationism, 36 percent say they believe in UFOs, 29 percent say they believe in astrology. And those people vote.
The people have the government they deserve.
Frankly, it won’t affect me much. The Republicans aren’t going to lower my taxes, nor raise them (my state legislature did that last year so that the really rich guys could get another solid gold toilet for their third yacht). My health insurance isn’t through the ACA. My community isn’t anywhere near where fracking would be profitable. And no one in my immediate circle is likely to need a therapeutic abortion (or an elective one) anytime soon. Global warming? I’ll be long dead by the time Miami drowns. So…I’m good.
The rest of y’all are fucked.
The Insanity Of American Politics
The majority of voters like lefty stuff: legalizing mariajeuanny, supporting the rights of all people to marry the person they love, no more wars, access to contraception, no gridlock in gummit, yet they vote in the Party of War On Drugs, homophobia, boots on the ground, contraception is abortion (contraceptives OTC is a smokescreen), and gridlock (several Republican leaders met in secret a few years ago to agree to oppose everything O'Bama proposes, remember?)
Monday, November 3, 2014
Communists in the USA are more popular than Congress!
If you listened to the right-wing media in this country, the Democratic Party is a bunch of die-hard Marxists seeking to impose communism on the nation. Of course, conservatives seem to have no idea what Communism even is, but that is besides the point. They firmly believe that the Democratic Party is seeking to impose a Soviet style of hardline communism right here in the USA. This is, of course, rubbish. And, to shine even more light on what they are arguing over, there actually are real Communist parties — those founded on Marxism — in the United States, such as the Communist Party USA (founded in 1919), the Socialist Labor Party of America (founded in 1876), the Socialist Workers Party (founded in 1928), and the Socialist Party USA (founded in 1901). The right-wing only needs to turn their gaze upon real, self-admitting communists to see for themselves how insane they sound.
But then, realize, these parties are ancient, with multiple decades behind them, if not being over a century old, a feat surpassing almost any other contemporary third-party in the United States. The Libertarian Party only dates back to 1971, the Constitution Party having roots a bit further back to 1967. The only political party aside from the two major ones which can rightfully claim to be older is the single-issue Prohibition Party, which dates to 1869 and which won a grand total of 519 votes nationwide in 2012. And this is in spite of decades of concerted effort to stamp out Communism in the US, and even the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Yet today, these parties, and other, newer Marxist parties, are starting to grow. Ironically, this might be due to the right-wing’s continuing attack on Communism. Because the right-wing continues to attack Communism despite having few examples in the world which to attack; it has made the Marxist ideology attractive to a new generation disillusioned over the failures of trickle-down economics and the hard-right objectivist philosophies which failed today’s youth. This is likely why polls now find thatCommunism is more popular than Congress. In all fairness, however, so is Jar jar Binks.
But, beyond the humor factor, there is an underlying discontent with the system, and unlike the Libertarian model, which ignores facts in order to push a fantasy, the Marxists actually are presenting solutions. They may not be the best solutions; they might not be the worst, but they actually are solutions to the problems we are facing which are rooted in reality. And as a result, they are starting to achieve electoral success. In Washington State, the incumbent Democratic candidate, Frank Chopp, had to debate socialist candidate Jess Spear last month, a debate in which it is widely reported that he won. But it remains a debate against a candidate who, twenty years ago, you would never imagine being up on stage in the first place.
But then, realize, these parties are ancient, with multiple decades behind them, if not being over a century old, a feat surpassing almost any other contemporary third-party in the United States. The Libertarian Party only dates back to 1971, the Constitution Party having roots a bit further back to 1967. The only political party aside from the two major ones which can rightfully claim to be older is the single-issue Prohibition Party, which dates to 1869 and which won a grand total of 519 votes nationwide in 2012. And this is in spite of decades of concerted effort to stamp out Communism in the US, and even the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Yet today, these parties, and other, newer Marxist parties, are starting to grow. Ironically, this might be due to the right-wing’s continuing attack on Communism. Because the right-wing continues to attack Communism despite having few examples in the world which to attack; it has made the Marxist ideology attractive to a new generation disillusioned over the failures of trickle-down economics and the hard-right objectivist philosophies which failed today’s youth. This is likely why polls now find thatCommunism is more popular than Congress. In all fairness, however, so is Jar jar Binks.
But, beyond the humor factor, there is an underlying discontent with the system, and unlike the Libertarian model, which ignores facts in order to push a fantasy, the Marxists actually are presenting solutions. They may not be the best solutions; they might not be the worst, but they actually are solutions to the problems we are facing which are rooted in reality. And as a result, they are starting to achieve electoral success. In Washington State, the incumbent Democratic candidate, Frank Chopp, had to debate socialist candidate Jess Spear last month, a debate in which it is widely reported that he won. But it remains a debate against a candidate who, twenty years ago, you would never imagine being up on stage in the first place.
Story's here.
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