‘Voices & Thoughts’ Archives
Obituary: John Giggey
John Thomas Giggery July 28, 1977 - December 28, 2012 John Giggey passed away early Friday December 28th, 2012 at his home in Berthoud, Colorado. He is survived by his wife Deborah Giggey, his son Devon Gordon Giggey, his parents Alan and Eva Johnson and loving sisters Amanda Fudge, Maggie Johnson, and Sarah McGrory. John was an amazing father and devoted husband. He was a loving son, caring brother, an incredible cousin, a beloved nephew, dedicated uncle and a loyal and honest friend ... Full Story
The Koch Brothers Empire: ruling America
Inside The Koch Empire: How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America This story appears in the December 24, 2012 issue of Forbes. A man who, by FORBES’ careful measure, is one of the 50 most powerful people in the world, one of the 20 wealthiest–and one of the dozen most vilified–is perpetually in a position to reflect. But given it’s Charles Koch’s 77th birthday, the calendar demands it. Especially with the presidential election that Charles has ... Full Story
Honest Conservative?
Bruce Bartlett: ‘My Life on the Republican Right And How I Saw It All Go Wrong’ By Brad Friedman on 11/27/2012, 3:33pm PT We've been quite remiss by failing to offer the The BRAD BLOG's much-sought yet rarely-bestowed "Intellectually Honest Conservative" Award to Bruce Bartlett, Ronald Reagan's domestic policy adviser and George H.W. Bush's Deputy Asst. Secretary for Economic Policy. We were reminded of our delinquency again ... Full Story
David Pakman on guns
By David Pakman Immediately after the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, out of control and often nonsensical debate about gun control made national headlines. After being silent for days, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre held a press conference at which he did not accept any responsibility for the role played by firearms availability and “gun culture,” a culture heavily supported by the NRA, in the mass shooting that took the lives of 20 children, 6 adults, ... Full Story
The 12 Days of a Capitalist Christmas
By Paul Bucheit On the first day of Christmas my employer gave to me a penny for every $3 the richest 130,000 Americans make. It's been a national tradition since 1980. On the second day my doctor showed me TWO Americans needing mental health care, but only one of the two could afford treatment. The doctor informed me that the fifty states have cut $1.8 billion from their mental health budgets during the recession, and that the 2013 Republican budget proposes further cuts. "It's ... Full Story
Obituary: William Albert Kuess
William “Bill” Albert Kuess, 92, of Berthoud died December 20, 2012, at the Berthoud Living Center. He was born September 25, 1920, in Vernon, Wisconsin, to William C. and Ella (Kaske) Kuess. Bill grew up in Vernon and Big Bend, WI and graduated from Waukesha High School in 1939. He later enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in WWII from 1943-1946 in Guam with the Navy Seabees. After the service he married Arlis Martin on October 3, 1947, in Vernon. Bill worked as a Milkman for ... Full Story
Daris Howard: Giving Away Christmas
Giving Away Christmas by Daris Howard I was working on a humorous Christmas story when the news came about the massacre of 20 children in Connecticut, along with the deaths of many adults that gave their lives to protect the children in their care. My two youngest daughters are about the same ages as some of the children that were killed, and I was too stunned to continue writing. Later in the afternoon, I went to my daughters’ concert. When it ended I ... Full Story
Worst reactions to Sandy Hook shootings?
6 Worst Reactions to the Newtown Massacre By Jeff Fecke The horror of the massacre in Newtown, Conn. is still fresh, and yet already, there are people out making fools of themselves in its wake. It’s not particularly surprising that gun fetishists would be resisting calls to consider — just consider — some reasonable changes in gun safety policies. But that’s not what elevates a reaction to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School to truly reprehensible. No, the ... Full Story
Teachers die protecting children
America’s Teachers: Heroes or Greedy Moochers at the Public Trough? by: Dave Lindorff Viki Soto I’ll be brief here. Let’s just note that the heroic teachers who died while courageously trying to protect their kids at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, and the others who survived but stayed to protect the kids, were all part of a school system where the employees are members of the ... Full Story
Republican base = Low Information Voters
Low Information Voters - the Republican Electoral Base By Bob Regl (about the author) The Republican Party has become the nation's repository for low-information-voters (LIVs). Its evolution into its present form started in the late 1960s when it initiated its "southern strategy"; i.e. after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 it started to wean southern segregationists from what had been the Southern Democratic party's "Solid South" - the "Dixiecrats." These new ... Full Story
