BMBS

The good news is … Fed Chairman Bernanke didn’t commit “treason” when he announced yesterday that the Fed will do absolutely nothing to stimulate the economy.  Republican candidate Rick Perry had warned him that any Fed program that helps the Obama Administration right the economy would amount to “treason.”

The bad news is … we’re apparently cooked because, in part, the Fed refuses to do anything.  Bernanke seems to think that his word is so magical — he said he’s “optimistic” — that it alone will fix things.  At least he admitted, “It may take some time.”

At least through 2012?

Failing to pass legislation to recriminalize abortion, Virginia’s Republican leadership is using regulations to force women’s health clinics out of business.  The Republican regulations specify the width of hallways, the height of ceilings, and the size of awnings over entrances, among other things, to make even tiny clinics meet the standards of hospitals.

Virginia, with a population of about 8 million, has 22 clinics that perform abortions.  Many health centers say most of their services are for primary and preventive care, such as cancer screenings, prenatal care and HIV/AIDS tests. About 25,000 abortions were performed in Virginia last year, including those at hospitals and doctor’s offices, according to the Health Department.

It’d be understandable for people — either so-called “pro-choice” and so-called “pro-life” — to wonder why politicians fanatically opposed to government regulation would resort to it aggressively to impose an agenda that fails in legislative and judicial venues.

Texas Governor Perry is the nation’s leader in executions.

Sources: Death Penalty Information Center; staff reports. The Washington Post.

(Comparison with other states, below.) Continue reading →

According to the Washington Post, Sarah Palin’s political team fought back yesterday against speculation that she will run for president (you know, the speculation that she’s encouraging), saying that anyone claiming to have special knowledge about her plans is maliciously misleading the American people.

SarahPAC released a statement that said all speculation (whether she’d run or not) was wrong: “Any professional pundit claiming to have ‘inside information’ regarding Governor Palin’s personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public.  These are the same tired establishment political games that fuel the 24 hour news cycle and that all Americans will hopefully reject in 2012, and this is more of the ‘politics-as-usual’ that Sarah Palin has fought against throughout her career.”

Fact, not speculation:  Palin’s polls continue to erode.

Today’s New York Times has an interesting discussion about male circumcision, including a link to a site that says:

“Baby boys can and do succumb as a result of having their foreskin removed. Circumcision-related mortality rates are not known with certainty; this study estimates the scale of this problem. This study finds that approximately 117 neonatal circumcision-related deaths (9.01/100,000) occur annually in the United States, about 1.3% of male neonatal deaths from all causes. Because infant circumcision is elective, all of these deaths are avoidable. This study also identifies reasons why accurate data on these deaths are not available, some of the obstacles to preventing these deaths, and some solutions to overcome them.”

Governor Perry never misses a chance to criticize government.  The Lone Star State added more than 1 million jobs during the past decade – true – but look at where the greatest growth was:

How Texas compares with the most populous states.

Washington Post 8/20/11

Many of the multinational corporations demanding tax breaks for “creating jobs” are actually creating them overseas, not here.  In the data they provide to the US government they leave out that not-so-minor distinction.

According to a great article in the Washington Post, the latest aggregate data show that multinationals cut 2.9 million jobs in the United States and added 2.4 million overseas between 2000 and 2009.

They deserve more tax cuts for outsourcing American jobs?

Full article, below Continue reading →

A Tulsa World reporter asked Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) whether he thought Obama was trying to destroy the country.  Coburn’s answer:

“No, I don’t . . . He’s a very bright man. But think about his life. And think about what he was exposed to and what he saw in America. He’s only relating what his experience in life was. . . . His intent isn’t to destroy. It’s to create dependency because it worked so well for him. I don’t say that critically. Look at people for what they are. Don’t assume ulterior motives. I don’t think he doesn’t love our country. I think he does.

“As an African American male, coming through the progress of everything he experienced, he got tremendous benefit through a lot of these programs. So he believes in them. I just don’t believe they work overall and in the long run they don’t help our country. But he doesn’t know that because his life experience is something different. So it’s very important not to get mad at the man. And I understand, his philosophy — there’s nothing wrong with his philosophy other than it’s goofy and wrong [laughter] — but that doesn’t make him a bad person.”

Bachmann, speaking at a rally today in South Carolina, said:

“We change the economy by changing the tax code. How many of you love the IRS? No! It’s time to change it. I went to work in that system because the first rule of war is ‘know your enemy.’ So I went to the inside to learn how they work because I wanted to beat them.”

This is different in substance and tone from her previous rationalization of her work for the IRS.

San Francisco’s BART system made it impossible for people to use cellphones in some of its stations for three hours yesterday to disrupt planned demonstrations over a police shooting.

BART officials say that that it’s illegal to demonstrate on platforms or aboard the trains, and that it has set aside special areas for demonstrations.  The company’s statement says, “BART temporarily interrupted service at select BART stations as one of many tactics to ensure the safety of everyone on the platform.”

Should we tolerate shutting down “social media” anywhere the purpose is “to ensure the safety of everyone”?