‘Voices & Thoughts’ Archives
Congress repeals the Bill of Rights
Editorial Opinion Are you a terrorist? The answer might surprise you. Why is this important? The U.S. Senate recently passed the Defense Authorization Bill with a little discussed amendment that effectively destroys the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth amendments, effectively gutting the Bill of Rights. See “Constitution of the United States, Bill of Rights."This was all done in the name of combating terrorists, but applies to everyone, to anyone whom the ... Full Story
Who are the 1%, Vote Now
Know the Facts In just the last generation, the richest 1% almost quadrupled their incomes. The average wealth of the 1% is 225 times bigger than the wealth of the typical household – the highest it’s ever been. Three decades ago, CEOs made about 40 times as much as an average worker – now CEOs make almost 200 times as much as regular employees. Last year, half of Americans earned less than $26,000 while CEOs at top 500 companies raked in an average of $11 ... Full Story
Merck—Too Big to Prosecute?
Merck—Too Big to Prosecute? December 6, 2011 There is a surprising reason why the government won’t go after drug companies for serious crimes. It is because government programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Administration would then be barred from doing business with them! In 1999 the FDA approved Vioxx, a drug created by Merck and Co. to treat arthritis. Vioxx was pulled off the ... Full Story
After Signaling Support, John Boehner Calls Tax Break
After Signaling Support, John Boehner Calls Tax Break For Middle Class ‘Chicken-Shit’ Alex Seitz-Wald on Dec 2, 2011 at 4:10 pm Despite their stated opposition to tax increases, Republican lawmakers have been largely cool or even hostile to a proposed extension of the temporary payroll tax cut, pushed by President Obama and Democrats. Finally, this week, Republicans seemed to relent as GOP congressional leaders publicly urged their caucuses to vote for an extension of the ... Full Story
America the Battlefield
America the Battlefield: The End of the Rule of Law December 5, 2011 By John W. Whitehead “All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined… could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and ... Full Story
GOP wants to kill Smokey the Bear
Smokey Bear up in smoke? House GOP takes aim By Emily Heil Is nothing sacred? We get that House Republicans are dead serious in their efforts to trim federal spending and cut the national debt, but we had no idea how far they were willing to go...until now. They may be proposing giving the axe to none other than the beloved icons Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. Yes, that’s Smokey of “only you can prevent forest fires” fame and Woodsy, ... Full Story
If you knew the new Newt
My Man Newt By Maureen Dowd In many ways, Newt is the perfect man. He knows how to buy good jewelry. He puts his wife ahead of his campaign. He’s so in touch with his feelings that he would rather close the entire federal government than keep his emotions bottled up. He’s confident enough to include a steamy sex scene in a novel. He understands that Paul Revere was warning about the British. Mitt Romney is a phony with gobs ... Full Story
“Taxing the rich is not a job killer”
In Business Insider Venture Capitalist Shreds The Idea That Taxing The Rich Is A Job Killer by Lisa Du In an Bloomberg op-ed yesterday, venture capitalist Nick Hanauer laid out a very different point of view on the age-old, Republican-favored argument of "if taxes are raised on the rich, job creation will stop." This particular point has been at the forefront in opposing nearly every policy debate about raising taxes on the rich. Hanauer's contrarian view looks at the ... Full Story
How Republicans are being taught to talk about Occupy
How Republicans are being taught to talk about Occupy Wall Street By Chris Moody ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Republican Governors Association met this week in Florida to give GOP state executives a chance to rejuvenate, strategize and team-build. But during a plenary session on Wednesday, one question kept coming up: How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street? "I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," ... Full Story
FBI Accused of Secretly Investigating Christian Street
FBI Accused of Secretly Investigating Christian Street Preacher, Placing Him on Terrorist Watch List WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to information provided to The Rutherford Institute, the FBI has been conducting a secret investigation into the associations and activities of a Christian street preacher and is believed to have added the preacher to its terrorist watch list. Inclusion on the FBI’s terrorist watch list, which is a secret list maintained by the government, can hamper one’s ... Full Story
