Today's editorial comics

Today's editorial comics.

And now for a change some FoxTrot

Abolish social security now !!!

Social security in its current form should be abolished. Why, you ask? Take a look at the following quote from a social security actuary.

Stephen Goss, the nonpartisan chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, said the nation faces a pinch in 2009 because excess payroll taxes flowing into the program will begin to decline, halting the growth of surplus money that Congress has been tapping to fund other government programs.
full article here

The actuary is suggesting that social security is in trouble because it is failing to fund other government programs. So fix the system not because it is going bankrupt in 2042 but because congress would no longer be able to use the money to fund subsidies for corporations, pork barrel projects and tax cuts for the rich.

Using social security money to fund the general fund is the most regressive form of taxation. Income above $ 90,000 is not subject to the 12.4% social security tax. So the poor pays a higher percentage of their income as taxes than the rich. A person earning 15,000 dollars an year would pay 12.4% of their income as social security taxes. While a person earning 1 million dollars would pay just 1% of their income as social security taxes. This is fine if the money goes to a lock box which would be used to fund social security liabilities in the future. But the money is diverted to the general fund and is squandered by the Congress. No wonder extremists like Krauthammer keep claiming that the social security trust fund is a myth.

So what is the solution? Increasing the social security tax or increasing the income cap on social security would not remove the fundamental regressive nature of the system. One way this unfairness could be addressed is if the income cap is removed. Then the rich will have to pay the same tax that the poor pays. Or we could go with Al Gore’s lock boxes. We lost the best chance to fix the social security when the Supreme Court awarded the 2000 presidential election to ‘W’.

We have a deal

Click here for the full article.

So finally there is a deal on Filibuster. The Armageddon is averted. Both the left and the right are mad at the decision. So this must be a damn good deal for the republic. Here are some salvoes from both the sides.

First from the left

MyDD

This deal is politically damaging to the Democrats. Owen, Pryor and Brown are all in.

Eschaton

I don't know about you, but I don't like it.

But the right is super pissed...

Captain Ed

So far, no one really has the agreement, but from what I've seen on television up to now, the GOP only got votes for 3 nominees and the Democrats still get to keep the judicial filibuster "under extraordinary circumstances." This is the exact scenario that I foresaw when I heard that the centrists were gathering in the smoke-filled room. They coughed up the Constitution and got guaranteed votes on less than half of their nominees.

Powerline Blog

What a hideous deal! ... .
Someone explain to me why the Republicans haven't been rolled once again. To me, it looks like a pathetic collapse on the part of the Republicans--not the leadership, but Senators like McCain who sold out their party.

Ace of Spades

John McCain is in full peacock mode.

Buzz Blog

This so called "deal" was a retreat from earlier claims that Democrats were willing to approve five of the seven filibustered nominees. Talk about bad negotiating tactics - McCain and company actually lost ground when the GOP held all the cards.

Scared Monkeys

COMPROMISE REACHED! REPUBLICANS SCREWED!

Coming soon to U.S. Senate

Click here for the full article.

nuke_mushroom.jpeg

This weeks editorial comics

Social Security




Tom Delay and Republican ethical problems





Budget and Bankruptcy bills





ANWR & Bush oil policy




Media





Bush Appointments




General comics





Trouble with the Irish Republican Army






Gay marriage amendments





China





Baseball : Congress hearings




Syria





Bolton at UN





Atlanta and Wisconsin Shootings




Michael Jackson


Martha Stewart

This weeks editorial comics

Iraq



Social Security



Bankruptcy Bill



Lebanon



Bolton (U.N)



Martha Stewart



Dan Rather



Others

Mr. Feingold, are you running for something?

He certainly seems to be courting the bloggers. Check out his post in MyDD diaries. Senator Russ Feingold's post

McCain linked to corporate donations

Click here for the full article.

This could torpedo McCain’s bid for presidency in 2008. Group tied to McCain accepted money from a corporation regulated by McCain.

A senator promotes a government policy sought by a corporation while a tax-exempt group closely tied to him solicits and gets $200,000 from the same company.

McCain's help to Cablevision Systems Corp. included letting its CEO testify before his Senate committee, writing a letter of support to the Federal Communication Commission and asking other cable companies to support so-called a la carte pricing.

McCain's assistance in 2003 and 2004 was sandwiched around two donations of $100,000 each from Cablevision to The Reform Institute, a tax-exempt group that touts McCain's views and has showcased him at events since his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign.

The group also pays McCain's chief political adviser, Rick Davis, $110,000 a year. Cablevision's donations accounted for 15 percent of the institute's fund-raising in 2003, tax records show.

But..

McCain had expressed interest in exploring the a la carte option for years before Cablevision advocated it

A sad day indeed...

This weeks editorial comics

More below...


From CNN..


From Atlanta Journal constitution...


From Washington Post...

Final breath of the dragon?

Click here for the full article.

Bush is squandering his political capital faster than you can say lame duck. Right wing attempt to privatize social security has stopped dead on its heels. Now the White House is going for the Hail Mary. Six weeks of intense marketing to convince Americans why their money is safer in the hands of Wall Street.

White House officials are telling Republican lawmakers and allies on K Street that they must begin to overcome opposition to President Bush's proposal for changing Social Security within six weeks, GOP strategists said yesterday.

FCC coming to its senses (atlast)

Click here for the full article.

U.S. communications regulators Monday rejected complaints that the broadcast of "Saving Private Ryan," a film depicting the U.S. landing in France during World War II, violated indecency limits.

The Federal Communications Commission unanimously decided that ABC television affiliates did not violate indecency regulations when they aired the movie on Veteran's Day in November, despite complaints about profanity and violence.

Power failure brings down wikipedia

Click here for the full article.

Wikipedia, worlds best encyclopedia, was brought down yesterday by a power failure. You could help wikipedia by donating here.

Bill Maher defines politics

Click here for the full article.

I love Bill Maher (In a strictly platonic way). I found the following in his website.

DNC Chair : Dean

Click here for the full article.

Dean has got over 250 endorsements for DNC chair. This would put him over the top.

Republican Presidential Candidate for 2008?

Who do you think would be the Republican Presidential candidate in 2008. To vote click here. To view the results click here.

Leave a comment if you want to add more candidates to the poll.

Democratic Presidential Candidate for 2008?

Who do you think would be the Democratic Presidential candidate in 2008. To vote click here. To view the results click here.

Leave a comment if you want to add more candidates to the poll.