Submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
It seems like everywhere you turn there is a story about the how bad the deficit is and how the government must make drastic cuts to save the economy and reduce the deficit. The Tea Party is clinging to their demands for $100 Billion in budget cuts or they say they will shut down the government. “Rep. Mike Pence (R) of Indiana, a tea party favorite in Congress, urged taking a hard-line on budget cuts – and if that meant a shutdown, then so be it. “If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, shut it down,” Congressman Pence said, eliciting a chant of “Cut or shut! Cut or shut!” from the crowd. Republicans worried about blame for a shutdown might not be so happy with Pence for that.” Christian Science Monitor
It is interesting to note that cuts in the bloated defense budget were not included in the demands made by the Republicans and Tea party faithful. They want to cut the programs that seem to do the most good for the poor and the middle class, all the while allowing the wealthy and corporations to get tax breaks and tax credits. We have seen the stories detailing so many of the big corporations that paid little or no federal tax. “Last week, the New York Times reported that General Electric (GE), the world’s largest corporation paid nothing in federal corporate income taxes in 2010. In fact, the company made over $14 billion in profits and actually received a $3.2 billion tax benefit.” Think Progress
That is an amazing statistic. GE not only paid no federal taxes, they actually got billions in tax credits! That means that all of those nurses, and firemen and state workers who were in danger of losing their jobs, paying more in insurance premiums and losing their collective bargaining rights in states across the union because of the dire economic situation in their states, actually paid more taxes to the Federal Government than the Third largest corporation in the world! Why aren’t the Tea Party faithful going after the GE’s of the world to share in the sacrifice?
The Tea Party is not satisfied with the large cuts that have been already made and those offered by the Democrats, they simply want to tear away at the heart of the programs that help you and I. They want to end all funding to Planned Parenthood that would actually put poor women in the street looking for serious health care programs because they are also demanding to defund The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as they refer to it as. “With a hard deadline looming, talks to prevent a government shutdown have been stymied for a week because Tea Party members of the House have demanded everything: not just some of their cuts but almost all of them, and not just a reduction in spending but a reduction only in the programs they don’t like. Many are insisting Democrats also agree to nonbudgetary riders, like ending the financing of Planned Parenthood or health care reform. “ New York Times
Why does the Tea Party want to attack the programs that help the most people? Why doesn’t the Tea Party include the Defense budget in its budget cut plans? Why does the Tea Party not want to force our largest corporations to pay their fair share of Federal taxes? I submit that the Tea Party is only concerned about helping themselves. Just who makes up the Tea Party? According to one poll, the majority of the Tea Party is comprised of white, male, wealthy Republicans. “The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.” And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.” ‘ New York Times
If I read this poll correctly, the Tea Party hates Obama and they think black people and poor people are getting all of the breaks from the government. They also want to end wasteful government spending, but most of them want to keep “government’s big hands” off of their Medicare and Social Security! In other words, I want mine, but the hell with everyone else! These guys might be well-educated, but they must not be well read if they think the poor and minorities are getting all of the “big breaks” from the Federal government. Maybe they need to stop listening to intelligent politicians like Michele Bachmann and Rand Paul and start reading Prof. Turley’s blog! What is your take?
Respectfully submitted by Lawrence Rafferty, (rafflaw), Guest Blogger
My brother was born on April 8, and today would be the day, had he not died in response to physicians disregarding my concerns about cancer risk and had he received timely and effective cancer-preventive surgeries, as I did, I would be congratulating him on his 75th birthday, today.
He died in January of 1987, and I did not “lose him.”
His sociology thesis work remains a core aspect of what I do as a supposed scientist.
He and I often walked through this world to the cadence of a different drummer than methinks most people notice.
And I stopped for a little while to cry, because, like then, when I sought unsuccessfully to find words that would work, I continue to unsuccessfully seek words that will work.
And, being alive, I simply do not quit while I am alive.
Perhaps someone will find words that work in a trillion years, perhaps sooner?
I continue to experience life in accord with whatever happens, as it happens, is both necessary and sufficient.
And why not? What is happening is what is happening, whether or not I like what is happening, whether or not I believe or disbelieve what is happening?
Or, did I miss something important, again?
RE: eniobob, April 8, 2011 at 6:59 am
AY,OS:
Got off the blog I see before you guys disclosed your individual loses,Have been there in losing a child at an early age and know the feeling that is impossible to describe.
From my family to both of you and yours stay strong for you are the strength of the people around you.
AND
RE: Otteray Scribe, April 8, 2011 at 8:48 am
We knew we were different, but now we know why. Studies show the brains of conservatives are overdeveloped in the part that processes fear, while the brains of liberals are more highly developed in the areas that process complexity and ambiguity.
(see links in original posting by OS — Brian)
AND
RE: Chan, April 8, 2011 at 9:22 am
####################################
My wife was “obviously” pregnant twice before out daughter was born. Three “obvious” pregnancies and one child. We completed the adoption of our son, Michael, the month before our daughter was born to us.
February 14, 1996, St. Valentine’s Day, the day we had planned to celebrate our son’s 28th birthday, the day the Roman Catholic priest allowed my wife and me to sprinkle holy water on the caskets of our son and his wife. Defective welds in a Mercury Sable automobile our daughter-in-law picked out.
While I am well familiar with sorrow, grief, tragedy, hatred, abuse, and other painful aspects of the human condition, I am completely unfamiliar with “losses” in what I find to be the usual sense.
I did not “lose” my son or daughter-in-law. Yes, they died and no longer walk in body around this world. Yet the future which I had planned involving our son and his wife did not happen. I never lose what I never had, and I have never had a future except as a form of imagination.
Not only that, but I only have the past as a form of imagination I think may be named memory, and I only have the present moment as a form of imagination I think may be called, “now.”
My whole life, as I actually experience it, is really only imaginary. I cannot even test whether or not I exist, nor whether my imagination exists, nor whether I imagine imagination.
What remains for me if all I experience is imaginary imagination?
What remains for me is a life as though astonishingly perfect in a spiritual world in which a life such I observe myself living is as though, in a social world sense, by a-priori definition, categorically impossible.
And I can, after decades of effort, put words to how I experience my life:
“Whatever happens, as it happens, is both necessary and sufficient.”
I am inclined to guess that, for people who (unlike me) have successfully socially transitioned from being unborn to infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood, the way I live is quite perfectly absurd.
When our son and his wife were killed, I did not lose anything, because the future, in which I would have taught the trades of electrician and carpenter to our son, never happened, and therefore, having not happened, could not be lost.
Instead of losing a future which never happened, I gained a sense of tragic grief and sorrow the likes of which sometimes yet tend to stun me.
However, I expect no other person to have a life quite like mine and I expect that I will not have a life quite like that of anyone else.
I have, perhaps in stupid vanity, previously mentioned the work of Erik Homberger Erikson and his “epigentic” theory of psycho-social development. In Erikson’s epigentic model, the first stage of psycho-social development is the resolution of “trust versus mistrust,” and is, methinks, the essence of the infant-child transition of typically around 18 months age.
Something appears to me to divide people into warring clusters, and I am unable to rule out that the dividing principle is grounded in what particular individual people learn, through experiences, can and what can not be deemed properly to be trusted.
I wonder whether it gets lively when some people’s social-environment circumstances allow them to learn to only to trust mistrust in some important aspects of life?
While I agree that it may be ridiculous for just two brain areas to determine political affiliation, perhaps how ridiculous that is may be a function of how much of a person’s brain is included in said two brain areas?
What if “free will” is an imaginary delusion of devastating intensity?
What if there is no destiny?
What is hatred?
Chan,
“Yes, history is ‘facts’ but those ‘facts’ are often times manipulated for various reasons.”
Then they aren’t facts. They are lies. Also, an extremely funny statement coming from someone with a track record of making up definitions and history.
“So one has to be careful of just whose ‘facts’ one is using. I would have thought an educated woman such as yourself would understand ‘historical facts’.”
No. The facts are the facts as demonstrated by empirical proof. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but no one is entitled to their own facts. This is also an extremely funny comment for the afore mentioned reason.
“I have always thought political orientation is something one comes to by some sort of preexisting condition. People don’t necessarily make a rational decision about their political views but find a political philosophy based on how it ‘speaks’ to them.”
So in other words you have always thought biology is destiny. You’re big on “gut thinking” as demonstrated by your posts. Specifically thinking with the small intestine. Just like our former Traitorous Criminal Decider in Chief. But wait! There’s more . . .
“But because of free will and reason a person is able to reject a system that may not be rational or doesn’t quite seem right after further reflection.
However it is rather ridiculous to assert that just 2 areas of the brain are responsible for political orientation. I would think it is much more complex and nuanced than that.
Biology is not destiny.”
Once again showing that thinking and reason isn’t really your strong suit, ‘Chan’. If it were? You’d realize that you have just contradicted yourself.
Then again, with that stunted anterior cingulate cortex and mutated gigantism of the right amygdala you would naturally not be very good at the complex task of rational thought and prone to respond to complexity and conflict, both political and economic, with violence and stupidity. Not so surprisingly, your factual history of posts here reveals that you do indeed respond to political and economic complexity in precisely this way. Just like that notoriously arch-conservative, traitorous, famous “gut thinkers” and war-pigs for their own personal fascist profit, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
Free will simply means you have a choice. Not being able to properly process complexity in a complex universe means that you will not always make the correct or rational choice because you have relied upon emotional reactions like fear and gross intellectual oversimplifications and lies. Therein lies the fundamental flaw of conservatism as demonstrated by historical action.
Very interesting link (about the brain). But rather hard to nail down.
I read an article about cab drivers in London who have an area of their brain which has increased in size based on their need to remember the streets of London.
To me this indicates an elastic/plastic brain. But would make sense, the areas of the brain used most would be larger.
I have always thought political orientation is something one comes to by some sort of preexisting condition. People don’t necessarily make a rational decision about their political views but find a political philosophy based on how it “speaks” to them. But because of free will and reason a person is able to reject a system that may not be rational or doesn’t quite seem right after further reflection.
However it is rather ridiculous to assert that just 2 areas of the brain are responsible for political orientation. I would think it is much more complex and nuanced than that.
Biology is not destiny.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/07/david-prosser-wisconsin-supreme-court_n_846431.html
The Waukesha County Board also heavily criticized the clerk after she brushed aside their recommendations for improving election security. At one point during a hearing in January, board chairman Jim Dwyer grew exasperated with Nickolaus and said, “There really is nothing funny about this, Kathy. Don’t sit there and grin when I’m explaining what this is about.” (end excerpt)
Something isn’t right…
(Great links and comments. Thanks to all.)
We knew we were different, but now we know why. Studies show the brains of conservatives are overdeveloped in the part that processes fear, while the brains of liberals are more highly developed in the areas that process complexity and ambiguity.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110407121337.htm
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/04/07/brain-structure-differs-in-liberals-conservatives-study/
Vote-Counting Error Rocks Wisconsin Court Race
Apr 8, 2011 – 7:30 AM
From AOL
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/08/vote-counting-error-rocks-wisconsin-court-race/
Excerpt:
Nickolaus worked for 13 years for a Republican caucus that was controlled by Prosser when he was Assembly speaker in 1995 and 1996. She was given immunity from prosecution in a 2002 criminal investigation into illegal activity by members of the caucus where she worked as a data analyst and computer specialist.
The corruption probe took down five legislative leaders, all of whom reached plea deals. Nickolaus resigned from her state job in 2002 just before launching her county clerk campaign.
Nickolaus also has been criticized by the Waukesha County Board for her handling of past elections and lack of oversight in her operations.
An audit of Nickolaus’ handling of the 2010 election found she needed to take steps to improve security and backup procedures, including by not sharing passwords. The audit was requested after the county’s director of administration said Nickolaus had been uncooperative with attempts to have county experts review her systems and confirm backups were in place.
UPDATED: Conservative Waukesha County Clerk “Finds” 7,000 Votes For Prosser
By karoli
From Crooks & Liars, 4/7/2011
http://crooksandliars.com/breaking-news/conservative-waukesha-county-clerk-f
Excerpts:
4:30pm Update: In her press conference about a half-hour ago, Kathy Nickolaus claimed she failed to import the results from Brookfield City into her master tally that was reported to the press. The numbers she reported as an ‘update’ which gave Prosser 7,000 more votes were clearly reported in real time on election night.
As expected, Brookfield city voters ran up a good turnout in the state Supreme Court race and gave incumbent Justice David Prosser nearly 11,000 votes.
Unofficial, unaudited results showed 76 percent of city residents who voted picked Prosser, with 24 percent voting for challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg.
The numbers were identical to the ones Nickolaus just reported. She claims they weren’t imported into the spreadsheet, but if that were true, the discrepancy should have been 14,715 votes total.
Part of the problem is how she’s using different numbers for the same conclusion. The difference between 14,715 and 3,456 is 7,403. Those would be the “extra”. But in order to believe her, you have to assume the AP just let an entire town and a bunch of precincts stand at ZERO despite having reported in nearly 15,000 votes.
–>End update
*****
It seems that Kathy Nickolaus has a history with regard to questionable election practices:
The issue came to a head when Nickolaus removed the election results collection and tallying system from the county computer network this spring and installed it on standalone personal computers in her office. She has said they are backed up with redundant systems.
Director of Administration Norman A. Cummings said Nickolaus has been uncooperative with attempts to have information technologists review the system and confirm the backups.
He said he isn’t interested in placing the system on the county network, but he wants to know whether the system is functional and secure and whether the county will have to replace equipment and programs in the next budget year – in time for the next presidential election.
“It is not a good idea to have one person in charge of everything,” Cummings told the committee. “There should be someone who also reviews things. I’m not saying it should be IT. But there should be more accountability than there is now.”
Nickolaus had asked for a postponement of the discussion because she had scheduled poll worker training before the matter was scheduled for committee action.
In several memos to the committee, she said she didn’t have confidence that security wouldn’t be breached with the county’s information technology department.
She presented information from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission that said voting systems should never be connected to a network not under the election official’s control.
She also said she’s running the most current election software certified – as required – by the state.
The only old equipment, she wrote, was a computer that collects results from local polling places by modem over the telephone lines.
Waukesha County is one of three or four counties that use that method.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca Statement on Waukesha County Vote
From WBAY/ABC, 4/8/2011
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=14407732
“The way Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus revealed her discovery of 14,300 previously uncounted votes raises disturbing questions, particularly in light of her past partisan history. She has been the subject of multiple complaints from other Waukesha officials on how she handles elections and keeps public information to herself outside the official county system where others can verify it.
The new Supreme Court race vote totals she “discovered” during canvassing not only swung the election but also put the race just barely past the amount needed to trigger a state-financed recount.
It is especially troubling that she waited more than 24 hours to report the startling discovery and then did so at a press conference and only after she verified the results. This makes it all the harder to challenge and audit the integrity of the vote.
The partisan, political history of Ms. Nickolaus and the serious concerns about the quality of her performance found in an audit raises the question of whether an investigation is warranted. The public deserves to know that the votes were counted properly.
County Clerk Nickolaus, who worked in the Assembly Republican Caucus under then Minority Leader and Speaker David Prosser, has a history of clashing with county officials over her election responsibilities. She has drawn criticism from the County Board Chairman and other County Supervisors as recently as January for her unwillingness to adhere to audit recommendations. Internal Audit Manager Lori Schubert indicated that after last fall’s elections that Nickolaus needed to improve security and back-up procedures. Director of Administration Norman Cummings late last year indicated that they have not been able to verify that her system is secure.
Her approach raises questions about the integrity of the election to the highest court in our state.”
AY & OS,
I missed some of the comments when I came back to this thread in the wee hours of the morning. I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child. It must leave one with a pain that never goes away.
My mother was the eldest of four children. Her parents lost a son and a daughter in early adulthood. My maternal grandparents cherished their grandchildren–all girls. They enjoyed our laughter and our silly antics. I spent many of my happiest and most memorable childhood days at their home–where the family always gathered for holidays.
Stamford Liberal:
Yes, history is “facts” but those “facts” are often times manipulated for various reasons.
So one has to be careful of just whose “facts” one is using. I would have thought an educated woman such as yourself would understand “historical facts”.
I think you are in way over your head, but then that is just my personal opinion.
Thanks to all…I have found life goes on whether we want it to or not…so its best to get moving…and stay focused on the goal…..
AY,OS:
Got off the blog I see before you guys disclosed your individual loses,Have been there in losing a child at an early age and know the feeling that is impossible to describe.
From my family to both of you and yours stay strong for you are the strength of the people around you.
Well, well .. Kathy Nickolaus sounds as if she might be reaching for Katherine Harris status. This error is certainly going to inflame the base and energize a whole bunch of people.
What Nickolaus publicly stated happened through “Access” and saving is impossible. Things are going to get very interesting.
Keith Olbermann is doing a new version of his Worst Person in the World Countdown segment at his Fok News Channel site. Here’s a link to the April 7, 2011 Worst Persons of the Day video:
http://foknewschannel.com/video/worst-persons-of-the-day-for-april-7-2011/
Ed Schultz talks to John Nichols of The Nation about the Waukesha County story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42485733#42485733
I’ve been out of the loop most of the day. I’ve been trying to get work done on a couple of stories that I hope to post this weekend.
Interesting development in Wisconsin. Thanks to all who provided us with links to the ongoing Prosser/Kloppenburg story.
Since April is National Poetry Month, I’ll leave you with a couple of my favorite Arthur Guiterman poems:
ANCIENT HISTORY
I hope the old Romans
Had painful abdomens.
I hope the old Greeks
Had toothache for weeks.
I hope the Egyptians
Had chronic conniptions.
I hope that the Arabs
Were bitten by scarabs.
I hope that the Vandals
Had thorns in their sandals.
I hope that the Persians
Had gout in all versions.
I hope that the Medes
Were kicked by their steeds.
They started the fuss
And left it to us.
*****
ON THE VANITY OF EARTHLY GREATNESS
The tusks which clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.
The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf,
And I don’t feel so well myself.
Lottakatz,
Great link. I think this discovery smells fishy.
Good article at HuffPo with updates. This needs to happen. A trustworthy, bona fide result (whatever the outcome) needs to be tabulated by a disinterested party. If that’s possible. A 24 hour time lag between an ‘error’ being found and annonced is a lot of time to play with the materials in question both electronic and paper.
**
“UPDATE: 10:22 p.m. — The group Citizen Action of Wisconsin is calling for an immediate federal investigation and impoundment of all computer equipment, ballots, and other relevant evidence needed to verify a fair vote count in Waukesha County.
“Given the shocking character of this afternoon’s revelations, and its tremendous importance for the perceived integrity of Wisconsin’s governmental institutions, it is absolutely essential that there be a full investigation which is so beyond reproach that all Wisconsin citizens can have faith in the validity of the outcome,” said Robert Kraig, executive director of Citizen Action. “In the current political climate in Wisconsin, only an investigation by a U.S. Attorney can be seen by all citizens of the state as independent and above politics.” ”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/07/david-prosser-wisconsin-supreme-court_n_846431.html
Maples susurrus
The wind whispers to us all
Voices of those gone