Here are all the Senate representatives who have decided they WANT you to be taken advantage of by the credit card industry by not putting an interest rate cap at 15% :

Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)

38 Republicans voted NAY on this bill, meaning 38 Republicans are owned by the Credit Card industry and the banks, just as Dick Durbin suggested:

“…the banks — hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created — are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place.”

Some of the usual suspects voting Nay here include the corrupt Richard Shelby, David Vitter, Mitch McConnell, John McCain (just an idea of who he’d favor if he became our President), Sam Brownback, and every Lobbyist’s favorite Senator, Orrin Hatch.

Not a SINGLE Republican voted for this bill.

Now, I’m not going to exclude some of the democrats who make up this list. Nearly half of them voted against it as well, including Joe Lieberman (big surprise), Evan Bayh, Arlen Specter (real prize he’s become), John Tester, and Mary Landrieu.

According to Bernie Sanders, the conduct of the credit card companies and banks would land others in court. 1/3 of card holders have interest rates above 20%. Some are even as high as 40%. But when you have such a powerful lobby in the pocket of the entire Republican party (and some in the Democrats camp as well), this becomes business as usual.

From Sanders (Huffington Post):

“When banks are charging 30 percent interest rates, they are not making credit available,” said Mr. Sanders, who noted credit unions are limited to 15 percent. “They are engaged in loan-sharking.”

Nice going, pricks. We’ll remember you when election time comes. Thanks for the support.

Politics, Verbal Paintball credit card interest rates, john mccain, mitch mcconnell, republicans who vote against you, Richard Shelby, senators owned by banks, senators owned by lobbyists

From Dick Cheney, courtesy CNN Politics:

“This is about fundamental beliefs and values and ideas … what the role of government should be in our society, and our commitment to the Constitution and constitutional principles.

You know, when you add all those things up, the idea that we ought to moderate basically means we ought to fundamentally change our philosophy,” Cheney also said. “I for one am not prepared to do that, and I think most of us aren’t. Most Republicans have a pretty good idea of values, and aren’t eager to have someone come along and say, ‘Well, the only way you can win is if you start to act more like a Democrat.’”

And here’s a reiteration of what some of these values are:

• Invasion of privacy when it pleases us

• Constant campaigns of fear to keep the masses controllable

• Free enterprise that benefits the top 1% at the detriment of everyone else

• Religious fringe/narrow minded philosophies (climate change a myth, creationism not)

• Wars based primarily on corporate interests and fed to us as patriotic necessity

It hardly ends with this small sampling. The point, however, is not lost. Cheney’s statement is a false representation of our country and the former republican party for that matter. In fact, it’s the kind of things a potential dictator might offer.

Our government is built on checks and balances not because the country believes in an extreme philosophy but due to the opposite; we are a moderate nation. Take a few people who think black and a few who think white and mix them together. What do you get?

The comforting thing about democrats (and also the most frustrating thing in terms of passing policy into law) is that they understand this inherently. In fact, democratic politicians can very rare agree on issues that are part of their party’s platform because there is no herd mentality in the party. Many consider themselves individual thinkers, others as conservatives (blue dogs) and some as radicals. In the end, we have ONE party that represents America.

The republicans, on the other hand, have veered off into Gattaca-ville. They believe their platform promotes freedom and individuality but their too blind to see the truth - situations like Teri Schaivo, phone-tapping, torture approval methods and pre-emptive wars have, until the last 10 years, been a fringe mentality. Thanks to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their Nazi-like followers this kind of thinking about what a democracy is has been pushed into the mainstream. Granted, much of it was pushed through the gauze of fear (mushroom clouds, alert levels, enemies within), but thank God America finally came to their senses.

And that brings us to Cheney. More than anything said before, this statement above proves beyond a doubt that these people never had any intention of working with the rest of us. They maintained their fringe mentality and always intended to shove it down our throats whether we liked it or not. Lets face it, if we DIDN’T like it, we were branded as traitors. As long as we did, we would cheer for the team and become blindly complacent to corruption (Halliburton), laziness (Katrina) and a lack of oversight and enforcement of laws (mortgage industry) that has undone our reputation and the world’s economy.

Current News, Politics Bush administration, democracy, Dick Cheney, Gattaca, Halliburton, Katrina, moderate republicans

Once again, these filthy cowards in the Bush administration (this time, in the form of Condi Rice) are still trying to justify torture because of September 11th. I find this so disingenuous it defies logic. By their admission, the September 11th attack opened up the window to the “anything goes” form of retribution.

Their logic goes something like this:

<i>We were attacked on September 11th, so we will take any means necessary to pull information out of potential informants, no matter the consequences or pain induced.

We were attacked on September 11th, so the laws of privacy for ALL Americans no longer apply. Why? Well, because we were attacked.

We were attacked on September 11th, so it’s necessary to attack Iraq. Why? Don’t you remember? Terrorists attacked our citizens! Why are you pressing me on this? Don’t bother me with your cowardly “but the terrorists were Saudi’s” bullshit.</i>

America has been a beacon for other countries because of the extent of our freedoms and the depth of our example as good citizens of the world. We’re not perfect and we have erred (many times in many ways); Propping up puppets in third world and middle east countries, such as the Shah in Iran, for example. But the majority of our efforts have been for the betterment of people here and elsewhere. Why? Because we ARE (or have been) our government in one way or another.

The Bush administration took us backwards - and very simply because they were so shit-in-their-pants scared of everything around them after 9-11 that they figured anything was acceptable. Want to know what a coward looks like? That’s it. A courageous person would take stock in the situation and soberly decide the best course. Bush and his people acted like chickens with their heads cut off and knives flailing in both hands.

And I still suspect our government knew some of the limits of our enemy - and even if they didn’t, there are things this country should never be and never do because the response to our fall from grace damages our security more than anything else in this world will.

We win with our enemy by destroying their reason to exist. It’s more nuanced, more complicated and less concrete, but it’s the only way to actually come out on the better side of this thing.

That is what this country did with the KKK. If we had taken KKK members, tortured them, put them into rendition, killed family and friends accidentally and lied about our reasons, we would have had MORE of them and a civil war in the U.S. again.

Anyway, here is our previous incompetent Secretary of State tripping over herself trying to justify the lies and criminal behavior of herself and her asshole administration:

I particularly like the line “Unless you were there…”

Nice excuse for committing crimes, bitch.

Current News, Politics abu ghraib, Condoleezza Rice, George Bush, republican liars, torture

From a commenter named Lungfish in Huffington Post:

The GOP are against everything except supporting corporate interests in the face of all common sense and forcing their Superstitions into our legal system and expecting us all to convert. They are against education, women’s rights, American workers, the middle class, accountability for businesses and corporations who violate the law, accountability for criminal acts by their Party and Administration, etc… They are for handing out a trillion dollars to Wall Street and demanding zero oversight, torture, etc…

Their own Administration denied that we were in a recession two years ago and they didn’t lift a finger to do anything about it, preferring to leave it to their successors. They scream about fiscal resonsibility but the megadebt to the Chinese was a result of their funding drive for the Iraq war…and where were they when the bailout for Wall Street happened? They were all for bailing out failed corporations that did not deserve to survive but they complain about capital investment to keep us from careening into financial ruin….

What principles? When it comes to accountability for GOP they lock ranks and try to change laws rather than hold their own accountable.

It is inevitable that hoards of republicans will try to rationalize the Arlen Specter switch. Surely, he must be an evil, purely politically motivated person. He must be weak. He must be trying to get back at them, etc. etc. etc.

The truth of the matter is, he’s just had enough. The only difference is it was a long journey for him where for many others it was 8 years of disasterous policies. As well, the republicans are acting like the same nasty, belligerent spoiled children they’ve always been. They just can’t see past their own navel when it comes to their platform and the quality of their constituents.

I’ll do that for them and cut to the chase: If you are still a republican, after ALL that’s happened in the past 8 years, after all the deaths, swindles, cheating, lying and stealing - you are an absolute moron. This is not a debatable point here. There has been more than enough solid, unambiguous evidence that the republican party is a party built for one type of person - rich, white and connected. If you are one of those people, you have every reason to stay republican - well, except for the lack of inclusion, the bigotry and a culture devoid of empathy for anyone but themselves (take a look at the aftermath of Katrina, again).

Fuck you people if you still believe you’re relevant. You’re far from it. Stupidity has no place in a democracy, at least not deliberately - and you dead-enders can all be classified as the stupidest of the stupid.

Thanks for your support.

Current News, Politics Arlen Specter, GOP, Michael Steele, republican dead-enders, republican losers

From CNN

Fox Broadcasting Company announced Monday it will not carry President Barack Obama’s prime time press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the first time a broadcast network has refused an Obama administration request for that valuable airtime.

No matter how hard they try, the right wing is having a helluva time controlling information like they once did. As far as Fox is concerned, you need only watch the Chris Wallace show this past Sunday to understand that their agenda has not, and will never, change. That show - which, as usual, included arrogant dead-enders William Kristol and Brit Hume, was like watching a time capsule; Regarding the torture debate, both men defiantly defended Bush and Cheney when given the opportunity - and, when not, displayed their disgust at the pretention of this being a legal issue. Hume in particular is a sour-faced asshat who’s contempt for anything even moderately liberal is barely contained. It’s a shame for him that the rest of the thinking world doesn’t see things in the same black, white and concrete way he does. Thank God for that.

The world has taken a turn, idiots - and it’s not in your favor. Criminal behavior in politics, at least for the moment, is not negotiable. The fact that it ever was is grotesque. Sure, it’s happened under both parties, but for now we have someone who genuinely show’s no ambiguity in his position. That should be applauded, not criticized.

Then again, stupid people never learn. You want to continue propping up a bunch of criminals and murderers, go right ahead. You were the same people who defended Nixon when he committed crimes considerably less lethal than this bunch - and you’ll be the same one’s to stupidly and ignorantly defend the next trash bag of a human being who gets the political power to defend maybe one of your issues.

What the hell. I’m sure even Hitler had an issue or two you could get behind and, therefore, rationalize the rest of his behavior.

Current News, Politics Brit Hume, Fox, Hitler, Obama Prime Time Press Conference, William Kristol

Thank you, Sean Penn, for stating so simply what is childish, simple-minded and seriously wrong with the right’s assessment of Obama’s recent encounter (Huffington Post):

I know President Chavez well. Whether or not one agrees with all his policies, what is certainly true of Chavez is that he is a warm and friendly man with a robust sense of humor. To treat such a man coldly is akin to spitting on him. As a country we’ve done enough of that. Say what you will, but it has only resulted in the self-celebration of our smirking spitters, while costing us international respect, American lives, and left wounds in the hands of our children’s future. The Cheneys, down to the O’Reillys and Hannitys and Limbaughs, effectively hate the principles upon which we were founded. They are among the greatest cowards in all of American history. I applaud an American President who’s tough enough…to smile.

The saddest outcome of our last eight years has been the absence of common sense. Even in a leader we disagreed with there was an assumption that foreign policy required finesse. Reagan knew this. Clinton was a master at it. It’s only been recently, with the advent of GW Bush, that the “bully” approach has been given any credence.

If you asked the average conservative person in 1985 whether nastiness, aggressiveness and arrogance would help us in our relations with our world neighbors, you’d get a quick “what, are you fucking kidding me?” look. Ask the same conservative dittohead back in 2004 and you’ll find you’re in a conversation with a frat boy. It’ll start with a gutteral “yeaahhhh!!!”, move into macho posteuring and end with the suggestion that those who don’t feel the way he does about Bush’s approach are traitors and pussies.

In America (and certainly other countries), with every new Leader comes a new personal style - a style that the country adopts into it’s culture. We saw this with the new Monarchy in Britain during the 1870’s when Queen Victoria gave rise to the buttoned-down “Victoria Era.” We’ve seen in recent times the youth culture’s rise during Kennedy, the down-home southern values that followed Carter’s four years, and the political correctness that followed Reagan. If that leader is a spoiled child, like Bush has been, that same me-first attitude poisons the overall culture. If that person is a true adult, one who takes responsibility for his mistakes and treats other with dignity and respect (unless they absolutely don’t deserve it), then we have a country and a culture that shows some promise and maturity once again. It’s seems that Obama is that man.

All I can say is thank God we’re rid of George W. Bush and his ilk. He’s been a poisonous force so lethal it almost did us in. But American’s are not stupid, even though they can vote that way sometimes. Bullies, in the end, never win.

Current News, Politics Barack Obama, Chavez, George W. Bush, republican losers, republican whiners, Sean Penn

An article in Burnt Orange Report tries to explain current republican political anger:

Republicans started cutting taxes for corporations and top income earners under Ronald Reagan.  He convinced Congress to cut the top marginal rate from 69 percent in 1980 to 28% in 1988.  This approach then started to trickle down to the states.

The Center for Public Policies Priorities, a non-partisan research center based in Austin, provides an annual report called “Who pays Texas Taxes?”  In 2009 Texans with incomes less than $27,000 have to pay 12 percent of their income to the state.  The tax burden for Texans earning over $117,000 is just 4.9 percent.  No wonder the average Texan is angry.  After 30 years of “Republican tax cuts,” the benefits have never trickled down to us.

Bill Clinton tried to fix this disparity.  He raised the top marginal rate to 39 percent and gave middle class families several tax breaks.  For example, he proposed the child tax credit to help families pay for day-to-day expenses, and, the Hope Scholarship for students entering college.  Through a combination of tax cuts and increases Clinton created the first budget surplus since World War Two.

Republicans are angry. Their house of cards has collapsed and grand fleecing of the rest of America has been exposed for what it is. The few left have no place else to turn but to their own hatred of everything beyond the scope of their own navels.

Agree or disagree with the democratic doctrine, but one of the many things it promotes is concern for the welfare of others. You don’t have to be the most compassionate person in the world to understand that what benefits the bottom 30% will benefit the top 30%. To me, this is a no brainer. Businesses thrive when EVERYONE can afford goods and services. Stockbrokers get richer when their client base grows beyond just the top 1%. The cost of our government gets CHEAPER when we’re not paying down an enormous credit card issued by countries like China and Saudi Arabia. And, as a consequence, our security as a country is increased when we don’t have to compromise our relationships with other nations due to our overwhelming debt.

George W. Bush put this country on the path of disaster. Obama is doing all the right things to move us off this path. If the hard-headed, prejudice, selfish, narrow-minded dead-enders want to complain about this, create right wing extremist groups in response or act as spoilsports in Senatorial races like that of Coleman and Franken, lets let them.

They’ve shown us who they are. We’ve seen their anger first-hand - and we reject it as a country.

Politics Al Franken, Norm Coleman, republican anger, republican losers, right-wing extremist groups

One of my biggest beefs revolves around assholes who not only want us to follow “their” values, but change law to do so. None is more obscene then the crusade by a lawyer named Lori Carangelo and her appeals to abolish adoption. This woman is a world class cunt. It is, unfortunately, the only word to describe someone who, due to their own personal issues, would attempt to thwart the joy many deserving children should have by finding a family that wants them, and the desires of many well-meaning parents-to-be who, due to many reasons, cannot have children genetically or have a place in their existing families that calls for another child.

Here’s a few choice “facts” you’ll find on the website of this bitch:

While many factors come into play with regard to criminal behaviors, the fact of the adoption, and Adopted Child Syndrome is purposely overlooked at trial because it is “politically incorrect” to explore adoption’s negative effects on the adoptee. In FBI statistics, 76% of the world’s serial killers are in the United States; 90% are male.

Serial killers have been a fascination for forensic psychologists who profile killers by their crime scenes. Separating this group from other adoptees who kill is the fact that they kill strangers. Researchers have noted that, “to an adoptee, everyone is a stranger.”

It has long been documented that former foster kids are overrepresented in America’s prisons….Example: “69% on inmates in California State Prisons were former foster children; 60% in Massachusetts were foster children” according to testimony on the Congressional Record. The same appears to be true of adoptees…. Example: According to FBI stats: “16% of 500 serial killers are adoptees.”http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/foiaindex_s.htm and according to Dr. Mike Aamodt, Radford University, “14% of 225 serial killers are adoptees.”

Thankfully, there are those out there who are willing to expose Ms. Carangelo’s facts for what they are - pure bullshit. This from Sandra Hanks Benoiton’s blog:

What I found surprising is that Ms. Carangelo uses research on the “adopted child syndrome” to support her claims of adoptees mental health issues. The research she quotes is out of date…1953 to be exact. Twenty years later, the University of Washington observed a pattern of birth defects in unrelated children. The common denominator for all these kids was maternal alcoholism. Funny, no where on her site does Ms. Carangelo address the issue of FAS and how that diagnosis provides an adequate explanation for the mental health issues, problems with police and disrupted school experiences that whe blames on adoption. Nor does she discuss the percentage of alcohol affected children who are available for adoption because of neglect related to addiction.

If you dislike adoption, lady, don’t adopt. Because of your hateful personal need to apply legal means to this issue - and the prejudice and lies apparent from your website - you deserve to be publicly berated.

Lifestyle, Politics, Verbal Paintball adoption, crime, Lori Carangelo

From CNN:

The GOP budget would repeal the entire $787 billion economic stimulus package except for an extension of unemployment insurance benefits. It also would roll back a recently passed 8 percent spending boost in the budget for the remainder of the current fiscal year.

At the same time, the federal share of Medicaid payments would be converted to block grants for the states. Medicare would be transformed for Americans younger than 55 by allowing them to choose from a series of preapproved private insurance plans, with premium payments from the federal government to insurers varying according to an individual’s age, income and health.

So the republican’s answer to our economic problems is…do nothing.

This proposal is pathetic and insulting. All it is essentially is extend unemployment benefits without any boost to the job market (because, as we know, the market knows how to regulate itself and create jobs and wealth on its own) and push the bullshit private investment plans for Medicare, an obvious attempt for the insurance lobby to muscle into the conversation.

Thanks, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. Thank you for letting the American people see what treasonous assholes you really are. All you’ve done is play to your small, but rich, constituents and all the lobbyists that no longer have a voice in the Obama administration. Your budget will do nothing to help our current crisis and I’m sure you know it. You also know it has no chance of being passed, but it does give you a chance to cowardly avoid doing anything for the country that involves a decision on your part.

Go screw yourselves, traitors.

Current News, Politics john boehner, mitch mcconnell, republican budget proposal, republican lies, republican losers

From CNN Ticker, here is a quote from a commenter named “Nelson” who’s view of our world is so completely off it’s mindboggling:

It is terrifying that this country is now being run by an ‘empty suit’ with nothing but left wing dogma directing his every move. America is in deep trouble and the liberals posting here with their hate filled rhetoric toward an American POW, Sen. John McCain and the talented and poised Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, says oh so much more about the characterless left. The DNC “hate Palin talk” is so canned (that’s program to the uneducated lefties in the ACORN crowd) that it is really sad they can’t find anyone with 1/2 a brain to speak intelligently or read a book or magazine to come up with some new talking points on their own.
The liberal media elected Obama this time, but they may not be so lucky in 2010. His intolerance to be questioned about his motives will soon be his downfall………patriotic, tax paying Americans are taking note.

Where do these people come from and what are they watching and reading to give them this sort of skewered reality. Obama an “empty suit.” The “the talented and poised Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin?” And, of course, “The liberal media elected Obama this time.”

Well, “Nelson” your ability to make excuses and absurd rationalities for how the world has worked in the past year is really, truly pathetic. Obama is hardly an empty suit. Want to see an empty suit, take a look at your former President. Sarah Palin showed no talent or poise on the campaign trail at all (especially when she was pumping up the racists at her rallies), and “the liberal media” didn’t elect Obama. Your fellow citizens did. THEY live in the real world, not your Hannity/Rush fantasy land where your failed and corrupt leaders are golden boys. Get a clue.

Current News, Politics john mccain, Obama, Sarah Palin