OY…! DO WE NEED A REAL MENSCH…!
0736 by Jeff HessVia she who Writes Like SheTalks…
30 October 2008
30 October 2008
OHIO’S GOP RUNNING INTO WALLS…
0722 by Jeff HessOhio Republicans thought they could throw a trump card by having President George Bush sic his army of lawyers in the Department of Justice on Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and 200,000 Americans socialists who registered to vote in 2008.
But once again they got slapped down.
The Department of Justice will not require Ohio to disclose the names of voters whose registration applications did not match other government databases, according to two people familiar with discussions between state and federal lawyers.
Jeff Coryell sums up the story well.
In short, the Ohio Republican Party’s hysterical flailing at Brunner for “concealing evidence” and “facilitating voter fraud” is pernicious nonsense and little more than a smokescreen for voter suppression.
All of which just makes the Ohio GOP’s training meeting this weekend all the more hilarious.
30 October 2008
30 October 2008
OPEN THREAD: WHY VOTE FOR YOUR CANDIDATE…?
0530 by Jeff HessJill at Writes Like She Talks wrote a post on 6 September offering brief insights into why she and seven women she knows are voting for their candidate come 4 November.
I liked the no-judgment style of the post and have challenged Jill to do more. Since I’d never ask anyone to act in a way I would not act myself, I told Jill that beginning 6 September and until 3 November I will post this open-thread question to my readers:
Why are you voting for your candidate for President of the United States?
I impose only two restrictions:
First, I’m not going to comment in the open thread. This is not about me debating or supporting my readers, I honestly want to know why you are voting the way you are.
Second, in your comment, you may only offer positive reasons why you are voting for your candidate. Negative reasons why you are not voting for your candidate’s opponent will be redacted or removed.
So, what are your reasons? Make your case.
29 October 2008
29 October 2008
WHAT THEY SAID…
1621 by Jeff HessDuring the current financial crisis, I have been reading and listening to stories about how people are trying to deal with suddenly lowered incomes. What often surprises me is the description that some people give of their lives before the crisis hit. Although they seem to be people who have jobs and incomes similar to mine, they live lives that are quite different. They have mortgages that are three to five times my own, eat out at restaurants four or five times per week, and routinely go on vacations to exotic locations. People seem to have the sense that this is what normal life is or should be, rather than an exceptionally extravagant lifestyle. Or maybe it is me who is out of step.
I particularly wonder about retirees who feel that they are entitled to a very good life in their so-called ‘golden years’, the sense that they are somehow entitled to play golf and go on cruises and travel the world, and who vehemently oppose any tax measures that might lower their lifestyles even slightly in order to provide more public services or benefits to those less well off. Because such people tend to vote in large numbers, politicians pander shamelessly to these well-to-do retirees, especially in states like Florida and Arizona, further encouraging this sense of greedy entitlement.
At the same time I see old people continuing to work at low paying jobs that require considerable physical energy long after they should have retired, obviously because they need the money to just make ends meet. Surely some well-to-do older people can forego a few of their luxuries so that all old people can spend their last years with dignity, and not be forced to push their ageing bodies through difficult workdays.
The only things I feel that anyone is entitled to, that are fundamental human rights, are the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and health care. Everything else is a luxury that is nice to have but not an entitlement. Living to a ripe old age with reasonably good health is itself is a gift, a luxury denied to many people. We should be thankful for it.
29 October 2008
29 October 2008
WHERE OUR $700 BILLION IS GOING…
1601 by Jeff Hess
I just saw PNC boss James Rohr interviewed by a Channel 3 reporter at Cleveland City Hall. Approximate quotes:
Channel 3 reporter: “Did PNC get National City”s bailout money?”
Rohr: “That”s for other people to discuss.”
I think that means: “You bet, and it tasted great (burp).”
And Robert Reich adds:
Paulson’s taxpayer-financed bailout continues to put money into the wrong pockets…
[B]ig bank beneficiaries of the bailout should be barred from (1) paying lobbyists who have anything whatever to do with administration or implementation of the bailout; (2) buying up other financial institutions; (3) paying dividends to shareholders; or (4) paying any bonuses or severance packages to any executives — as long as the bailout continues. There’s simply no excuse for using taxpayer dollars for any of these purposes.
Listen to what Dave The Fisherman has to say about his 401(k).
29 October 2008
HOW TO CREATE A CLASSROOM BRAND…
1543 by Jeff HessThe subject matter doesn”t always speak for itself.
Great teachers waste no time in answering the unspoken question on every student’s mind, “Does anything important happen in this class?”
Communicate passion.
Via Ask Dr. Kirk…
29 October 2008
29 October 2008
MY COMMENTS…
1539 by Jeff Hess29 October 2008
WHAT THEY SAID…
1522 by Jeff HessAccording to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, the biggest Wall Street banks now getting money from the government are just “too big to fail.” Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke uses a different euphemism – he calls them “systemically critical.” The point is that if any of them goes down, it could take the whole financial system with it. So we taxpayers have to keep them up.
We”re hearing the same argument elsewhere in Washington for saving General Motors. It”s just “too big to fail.” So Congress is considering a bailout that would keep GM afloat and sweeten a merger between GM and Chrysler.
Pardon me for asking, but if a company is too big to fail, maybe – just maybe – it”s too big, period.
Maybe?
29 October 2008
AND MAKE US SAGES WITH TRANSFIGURED FACES…
1511 by Jeff HessWhy I Voted the Socialist Ticket
I am unjust, but I can strive for justice.
My life”s unkind, but I can vote for kindness.
I, the unloving, say life should be lovely.
I, that am blind, cry out against my blindness.
Man is a curious brute – he pets his fancies –
Fighting mankind, to win sweet luxury.
So he will be, tho” law be clear as crystal,
Tho” all men plan to live in harmony.
Come, let us vote against our human nature,
Crying to God in all the polling places
To heal our everlasting sinfulness
And make us sages with transfigured faces.
– Vachel Lindsay, from General William Booth Enters into Heaven, and Other Poems (MacMillan, 1919)
Via Sherry Chandler…
29 October 2008
MORE GNAWING ON SKULLS…
1431 by Jeff HessOK, is this a prayer meeting or a WWF cage match?
And if it rains in San Diego on Saturday, will that be a sign?
29 October 2008
MUCKING OUT THE BLOGPILE…
1430 by Jeff Hess
I’m constantly tossing interesting websites into what I call my blogpile. Some of them find their way here in the form of regular posts, but more often than not they languish and get buried deeper in the pile. The end result is that I have to go back and do a bit of shoveling. Today’s item is Strip 10 Years Off Your Age in 10 Days.
29 October 2008
29 October 2008
THIS ISN’T WORTH FISKING… BUT IT IS HILARIOUS…
1309 by Jeff HessThis is what delusion looks like.
No. 1 The first and foremost reason McCain-Palin will win is the absolute arrogance, elitism, condescending, patronizing and in-your-face voter suppression campaign… being conducted by the national media on Senator Obama”s behalf.
No. 2 The Gallup poll after Labor Day has historically been a predictor of the winner of the Presidential election. The person leading in that poll wins the Presidency…
No. 3 There are six states that since 1972 have voted for the winning Presidential candidate. These are predictor states. They pick winners every time. McCain will win every one of the following six states: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Continue Reading »
