I Wish He Had Succeeded……Huh???

Like for the first two days of the GOP convention I was trying to find a fact check article that had some substance but was pretty much unsuccessful.  It seems that Clint Eastwood’s rambling rants to an empty chair was the highlight of the night. Of course, Mr. Romney pulled out the “Obama Medicare $716 billion cut which has been already thoroughly discounted.  The other … Continue reading I Wish He Had Succeeded……Huh???

Catholic Leaders And The Ryan Budget….

Source:  Catholic Leaders to Rep. Paul Ryan: Stop Distorting Church Teaching to Justify Immoral Budget | Faith in Public Life. “If Rep. Ryan thinks a budget that takes food and healthcare away from millions of vulnerable people upholds Catholic values, then he also probably believes Jesus was a Tea Partier who lectured the poor to stop being so lazy and work harder,” said John Gehring, … Continue reading Catholic Leaders And The Ryan Budget….

Ryan’s Factual Shortcuts…..

Source: FACT CHECK: Ryan Takes Factual Shortcuts in Speech – ABC News. Laying out the first plans for his party’s presidential ticket, GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took some factual shortcuts Wednesday night when he attacked President Barack Obama’s policies on Medicare, the economic stimulus and the budget deficit. I must admit that Mr. Ryan really knows how to give a speech. He got the … Continue reading Ryan’s Factual Shortcuts…..

The Hawks….

Source: Paul Ryan weighs in on Middle East policy – First Read. He continued: “In the past day, Iran’s president called our ally Israel, quote, a cancerous tumor that must be excised. Let me be really clear. Under President Romney, our adversaries will think twice about challenging America and our allies because we believe in peace through strength. There will be no daylight between America and … Continue reading The Hawks….

As Usual – Half Truths or Half-Lies….

Source:  Fact check: Christie’s keynote address – USATODAY.com. Christie: Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world’s greatest health care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an American citizen and her doctor. Fact Check comment:  As we just said in our first item on the convention, the Affordable … Continue reading As Usual – Half Truths or Half-Lies….

Ayn Rand – Mr. Ryans Hero….

Source: Ayn Rand Railed Against Government Benefits, But Grabbed Social Security and Medicare When She Needed Them | Alternet. Ayn Rand was not only a schlock novelist, she was also the progenitor of a sweeping “moral philosophy” that justifies the privilege of the wealthy and demonizes not only the slothful, undeserving poor but the lackluster middle-classes as well. Her books provided wide-ranging parables of “parasites,” “looters” … Continue reading Ayn Rand – Mr. Ryans Hero….

Putting a Face On It…..

Source: Michael J. Fox’s new TV comedy is headed to NBC – The Clicker. NBC has ordered 22 episodes of the untitled single-camera comedy that will star Fox as a husband and father of three from New York City dealing with family, career and challenges — including Parkinson’s disease. Filming will begin this year for a fall 2013 premiere. I really enjoyed the Michael J. Fox … Continue reading Putting a Face On It…..

Nudges….

This is another aside post that is somewhat linked to the previous one. In that post I discussed how I replied to some fellow Christians Facebook comments about how it was not the government’s job to take care of the poor. These Christians admitted, but it seems not many of them do, that it is the church’s job to do that. I then went on … Continue reading Nudges….

Paul Ryan’s Peculiar Definition of Bipartisanship

Source: Paul Ryan’s Peculiar Definition of Bipartisanship – Businessweek. … Instead of getting rid of the fee-for-service model—Medicare as we know it, in which the government pays providers directly—and opening everything to the free market, Medicare would compete directly with private plans regulated by government exchanges. And rather than pegging the growth rate of Medicare to the Consumer Price Index, as Ryan had proposed, Ryan appeased … Continue reading Paul Ryan’s Peculiar Definition of Bipartisanship

Post office nears historic default on $5B payment – The Denver Post

Source: Post office nears historic default on $5B payment – The Denver Post. Government agencies have a well-earned reputation of moving slowly in response to changes. I think the Post Office is a prime example of that. Here are some words from the source article indicating that molasses movement. FedEx and UPS and the Internet seem to be making the Postal Service obsolete.” Banks are promoting electronic … Continue reading Post office nears historic default on $5B payment – The Denver Post

15 technologies we’ll still be using in 2030…

source:  15 technologies of today we’ll still be using in 2030 – Gadgetbox on NBCNews.com. This is a very interesting article about what the author thinks will still be around in 18 years.  It is kind of risky making these types of predictions but since money is not on the line there isn’t much to be lost by the author. For the most part I … Continue reading 15 technologies we’ll still be using in 2030…

Sea rise faster on East Coast than rest of globe – USATODAY.com

Study: Sea rise faster on East Coast than rest of globe – USATODAY.com. From Cape Hatteras, N.C., to just north of Boston, sea levels are rising much faster than they are around the globe, putting one of the world’s most costly coasts in danger of flooding, government researchers report. U.S. Geological Survey scientists call the 600-mile swath a “hot spot” for climbing sea levels caused by … Continue reading Sea rise faster on East Coast than rest of globe – USATODAY.com

Public overwhelmingly supports large defense spending cuts

Source: Public overwhelmingly supports large defense spending cuts | iWatch News by The Center for Public Integrity. While politicians, insiders and experts may be divided over how much the government should spend on the nation’s defense, there’s a surprising consensus among the public about what should be done: They want to cut spending far more deeply than either the Obama administration or the Republicans. Anyone who … Continue reading Public overwhelmingly supports large defense spending cuts

America’s Small Businesses….

I was a small business owner for six years after I retired from the big business corporate world. But being a sole proprietor with no employees I really don’t have a good view of just what small businesses are really about. The Republican political leaders say small businesses are the growth engine of our country and we shouldn’t tax them by taking away the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000 annually.

How many of the so-called small businesses were like mine just a guy in a shop building things for customers? How many hire more than a handful of employees? I decided to look into this.

Here is a link to a bunch of numbers in this area:  http://www.census.gov/econ/smallbus.html 

  • There are approximately 29 million business in this country
  • Of those 29 million about 22 million are business with no employees
  • Only one million firms have more than 9 employees
  • Only 90,000 (0.3% have more than 100 employees
  • Across the United States, small business failure rates rose by 40% between 2007 and 2010
  • Only about one if five small businesses will be in existence five years after its creation

Continue reading “America’s Small Businesses….”

Another Republican Moderate Gone… “The center cannot hold”

Source: First Thoughts: The center cannot hold – First Read. “I have reached the conclusion that the atmosphere today, and the reality that exists in the House of Representatives, no longer encourages the finding of common ground” “I have to say that I’m frustrated by how much we — I mean the Republican Party — are willing to give deferential treatment to our extremes in this … Continue reading Another Republican Moderate Gone… “The center cannot hold”

Early Church Historians…

The Future of Faith (Cox, Harvey) As we have seen, these early Christian “historians” were neither critical nor neutral. They were not even historians. They were churchmen who aspired to become the leaders of the next generation of Christians. They were anything but disinterested, and they had an agenda that was not particularly hidden. Looking for a potent way to establish their own authority, they … Continue reading Early Church Historians…