The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
This category is a main category for post dealing with political issues and politicians at any level of government.
The Alito nomination comes at a critical moment for the Democratic Party. With President Bush’s poll numbers plummeting, Democrats are finding a new optimism about their chances in 2006 and 2008. But to capitalize on the Republicans’ weakness, the party needs to show that it has an alternative vision for the country.
Read moreLess than a week after a Washington Post story about the existence of the CIA’s secret prisons, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) have called for an investigation into the leak of this information. “Such an egregious disclosure could have long-term and far-reaching damaging and dangerous consequences.”
Read moreHouse conservatives are currently debating a budget bill that cuts federal programs by $54 billion over five years, and would drastically affect services for mostly poorer Americans. “The cuts would impose new costs on Medicaid beneficiaries, cut assistance for child support enforcement, trim student loan spending, cut back agriculture supports, and curb eligibility for food stamps.”
Read moreFor some time, the conservative “position” on health care has been a stalwart commitment to the status quo, resisting any proposals for sweeping reform. Two new studies comparing global health data — one by American Progress distinguished senior fellow Tom Daschle, another by the Commonwealth Fund — spell out what this position entails: conservatives apparently are content with a health care system that ranks #37 in the world (behind both developed and developing countries).
Read moreAdministration and Congress turn their back on veterans.
Read moreThis guy fits right in with the current crop of Republicans. During his 1990 nomination as an appeals court judge, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito promised to recuse himself, to avoid potential conflicts of interest, in cases “involving Vanguard, in which he owned mutual fund shares; Smith Barney, his brokerage firm; First Federal Savings & Loan of Rochester, N.Y., which held his home mortgage; and his sister’s law firm.”
Read moreLast week, the United Methodist Church Board of Church and Society–the social action committee of the church that both President Bush and Vice President Cheney belong to–resoundingly passed a resolution calling for withdrawal with only two ‘no’ votes and one abstention.
Read moreThe House Agriculture Committee approved budget cuts Friday that would take food stamps away from an estimated 300,000 people and could cut off school lunches and breakfasts for 40,000 children.
Read moreHere is an incredable video about the war by the American Friends Society. Three minutes that will have you choked up.
Read moreI might as well get a post about Bush’s Supreme Court Nominee out of the way. In bowing to the religious fanatics on the right, he’s pretty much sealed the fate of our Constitutional rights to be left alone by the government.
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