Saturday, April 16, 2005

 

Fraidy Cats

The Bush Administration is running scared. No, not from the recent global terrorism report that shows terrorist attacks are on the rise but from the fact that such information might actually get out to the American people. God forbid that people be informed! So what do they do? They eliminate a government report that they have relied on for 19 years. No news is good news, right?

Check out this Knight Ridder article:

"The State Department decided to stop publishing an annual report on international terrorism after the government's top terrorism center concluded that there were more terrorist attacks in 2004 than in any year since 1985, the first year the publication covered."

Where to begin:
1) the Bush admin. is losing the war against terror, and these 2004 statistics "raise disturbing questions about the Bush administration's frequent claims of progress in the war against terrorism."

2) the Bush administration's attempt to eliminate this report is another attempt to try to limit the free flow of information. CIA analyst and State Dept. terrorism expert Larry Johnson stated that "Instead of dealing with the facts and dealing with them in an intelligent fashion, they try to hide their facts from the American public."

So, to sum up, how should a President react to the news that terrorist attacks are as high as they have been in 20 years? Put more funds into homeland security? Secure our borders and ports? Work to create an international coalition to fight terrorism? Wrong, wrong, wrong. In this administration, the correct answer would be to play politics and "avoid releasing statistics that would contradict the administration's claims that it's winning the war against terrorism." See, Bush doesn't care about defeating terrorism, just the illusion of defeating terrorism. Feel safer? With head-in-the-sand responses like this one, even yellow dogs are turning into fraidy cats.

KR Washington Bureau | 04/15/2005 | Bush administration eliminating 19-year-old international terrorism report

Thursday, April 14, 2005

 

No Parks Left for Yellow Dogs

Here's a scary report that shows that, under the Bush administration, we are losing acres and acres of parks and wilderness areas to mining and industry:

"In 18 major decisions over the past four years, the EWG analysis shows, the administration of President George W. Bush has consistently adopted mining, oil and gas industry positions in decisions on public lands, overturning protections for remaining, pristine natural treasures throughout the West.

Among the areas once protected but now open, or proposed as open, for business are nearly 60 million acres of roadless areas that hold tap water supplies for millions, and 3.2 million acres of wilderness quality land in Utah and Colorado."

Why does George Bush hate America and the land we live on?

"When we drill and mine our natural treasures, we destroy some of the things that make America special. It's time to reclaim these natural treasures as our own."

Indeed. More trees, less Bush!

Environment News Service (ENS)

 

More Fat-Cat Tax Breaks

More on the Bush administration's welfare to the rich:

The Republican-led House has voted to repeal the estate tax paid by the wealthiest Americans. Let's make this clear--this tax cut benefits only the richest of the rich, such as the Paris Hilton's of the world. Is it worth sending the US deficit spiraling even further to give tax breaks to those who don't need them?

"The nation can ill afford to give a handful of millionaires a permanent pass on inherited wealth.  Although very few Americans pay the estate tax, repealing it would do serious damage to the federal deficit. The estate tax repeal would cost more than $1 trillion over the first ten years after the full repeal goes into effect in 2011 - on top of the accumulated deficits from other tax cuts and spending priorities. When the bill comes due for all this debt, rest assured it will be middle class Americans who are forced to pick up the tab for handouts to millionaires and billionaires."

Looks like the yellow dogs will be cleaning up after the fat cats once again.

The Right-Wing Way: Making Life Easier for Millionaires - American Progress Action Fund

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

 

Wednesday Woodchuck Blogging





The woodchuck watching continues...

No little ones yet.



Monday, April 11, 2005

 

Fat Cats Get More Corporate Welfare

This article on the bankruptcy bill exposes it for the crock that it is--a protection for predatory lenders over consumer protections. But protecting big business and screwing the average consumer is the Republican way. At least this Republican writer sees things for what they are:

"As a Republican, it disappoints me to say this, but I understand why people call the GOP the party of big business. When Washington pushes for more responsibility among debtors, but not loan-shark-like lenders, when its "ownership society" principles don't make big corporations own up to their role in the bankruptcy problem, the GOP is toadying to big business."

This comes on top of the Republican-controlled Senate's rejection of a measure to cap credit-card interest rates at 30 percent. The writer asks, "Why should Washington want to protect lenders, who charge desperate people as much as 36 percent in per annum interest?"

A textbook example of Dubya's "on-your-own(ership) society."

Bankruptcy bill or welfare for usurers?

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