Cartoon of the Week: Generosity

Congress Looking At An Avenue For State Bankruptcy

Although there has been no bill written or even introduced in Congress, the NY Times is reporting that back room discussions are being held about the possibility changing federal bankruptcy law to allow states to declare Chapter 9 or some form of it.  While there are no specifics, as there is no bill, prominent Republicans such as Newt Gingrich are floating this as an idea to deal with bulging state obligations amid a lack of revenue:

Mr. Gingrich discussed the proposal in a Nov. 11 speech before the Institute for Policy Innovation, an anti-big-government group based in Lewisville, Texas. According to a transcript of the speech on Mr. Gingrich’s website, www.newt.org, he said: “I … hope the House Republicans are going to move a bill in the first month or so of their tenure to create a venue for state bankruptcy, so that states like California and New York and Illinois that think they’re going to come to Washington for money can be told, you know, you need to sit down with all your government employee unions and look at their health plans and their pension plans and, frankly, if they don’t want to change, our recommendation is you go into bankruptcy court and let the bankruptcy judge change it, and I would make the federal bankruptcy law prohibit tax increases as part of the solution, so no bankruptcy judge could impose a tax increase on the people of the states.”….

So far, proponents of the legislation said they have not yet recruited a congressional sponsor for the proposed measure. “We’re still shopping for the guy who is going to carry it,” Mr. [Grover] Norquist said.

Most of this current discussion seems to have been sparked by a column written by David Skeel for the Weekly Standard entitled "Give States a way to Go Bankrupt" although there have been discussion in the past.  Personally, I don't think this has a prayer in the Senate, and while the GOP is touting it, I don't fully understand why.  Although Mr. Skeel touches on the probable constitutional conflicts of this approach, it is peculiar to me that the party that often touts state's rights might be willing to push a bill that challenges state sovereignty this much.  Aren't state budgets homogeneous to themselves and shouldn't they be made to meet the obligations they have made to their citizens?  Regardless, this is one of the more interesting stories I have come across lately and am following it with a keen interest.  

H/T - Naked Capitalism

Some Republicans Turning On Scott Brown

Although he has already raised millions in campaign cash, some Republican groups are starting to turn against Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown:

Scott Wheeler, who heads the National Republican Trust PAC, said the group never expected Brown to toe a consistently conservative line, given his home state. But Brown's vote for the New START Treaty with Russia in late 2010 was a bridge too far, Wheeler said.

The PAC spent about $95,000 on independent expenditure ads on Brown's behalf in the run-up to the January 2010 special election. That's a fraction of the amount other groups, like the Republican and Democratic senatorial committees, spent on the race. And the National Republican Trust isn't a major financial powerhouse; it raised $1.1 million through late November 2010, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, and spent $1.4 million on elections.

But the PAC has a national network of donors, and Wheeler promised he would use the committee's resources against Brown.

"We're going to finance a primary opponent," he said. "I might even ask him to give our money back."

Anyone who expected ideological purity of a Republican Senator from Massachusetts borders on delusional to begin with, but it seems to me that drawing the line in the sand over that START treaty is a little rash.  Regardless, Brown seems to be ok for now, but more defections will only make his road to reelection in a perennial blue state more difficult.  I urge the GOP to look to the nomination of Sharon Angle for clues as to where this road leads.

Some Reading On Egypt

One cannot exist right now and not be inundated with coverage over Egypt.  Here are some things I found interesting:

Egypt and The Limits of U.S. Power
Obama's Handling Egypt Pretty Well
Letter From Cairo
What Do Israel & Iran Have In Common
WH Prepares For Life After Mubarak
Obama's Shift On Egypt
Who's Behind Egypt's Revolt

Joe Turnham's Farewell To The ADP

LINK

H/T - Left In Alabama

The GOP Wants to REDEFINE RAPE

hat tip-lamh34

from Washington Monthly:

THE ODIOUS GOP PLAN TO REDEFINE RAPE.... Last week, after a rather pointless vote to repeal the entirety of the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans announced their second major initiative: the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act."

It was additional evidence that the new House GOP majority isn't exactly focused on the economy and job creation, and it seemed like another gesture to the party's far-right base. After all, existing law already restricts public funds for abortions.

Today, Nick Baumann takes a closer look at the proposal, and highlights an odious provision that proponents would use to redefine rape.

For years, federal laws restricting the use of government funds to pay for abortions have included exemptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. (Another exemption covers pregnancies that could endanger the life of the woman.) But the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," a bill with 173 mostly Republican co-sponsors that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has dubbed a top priority in the new Congress, contains a provision that would rewrite the rules to limit drastically the definition of rape and incest in these cases.

With this legislation, which was introduced last week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Republicans propose that the rape exemption be limited to "forcible rape." This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible. For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion. (Smith's spokesman did not respond to a call and an email requesting comment.)

Given that the bill also would forbid the use of tax benefits to pay for abortions, that 13-year-old's parents wouldn't be allowed to use money from a tax-exempt health savings account (HSA) to pay for the procedure. They also wouldn't be able to deduct the cost of the abortion or the cost of any insurance that paid for it as a medical expense.

I'm going to say this again:

THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE.

Plain and Simple.




fromBooMan Tribune:

What the Republicans are clearly saying here is that it is okay to force a mother to carry her rapist's child to term in all cases except where clear physical force is used. Implied force wouldn't be enough. The use of drugs of alcohol to stupify a women into submission would not qualify. Statutory rape that didn't involve physical force would not qualify. Blackmail wouldn't qualify. Mental retardation or diminished capacity wouldn't qualify.

Look at what won't qualify.

Stop pretending that they aren't what they are. They are misogynists. They want to control women. They want to control what a woman does with her own body. Let's be clear. Let's be honest about this.

This is who they are. They get into power, and look at what's important to them. It's not jobs. It's not putting people to work. It's taking away rights from women.

Date rape isn't rape...tell that to the young women that I worked with in college as a volunteer, whose lives were shattered and they had to put their lives back together after they were raped. Talk to a young woman who wakes up, knowing that she was drugged, and not knowing what the hell happened to her the night before. Take that young woman, and her being brave enough to actually come in and ask for help. Ask any woman who has had to undergo the invasive and humiliating process of doing a rape kit. Sit with her as she sits there and waits at the six month and year mark of getting the HIV test, because she doesn't know who sexually assaulted her, and if they were infected.

Don't tell me those women weren't violated and raped.

Their hatred and misogyny against females is plain to see. Stop pretending that it isn't what it is. You don't have the right to tell me, or any other woman, what she can and cannot do with her body. And, you certainly don't get to 'redefine' sexual assault to suit your RELIGIOUS PURPOSES.

HELL NO.

Geithner Attends Davos & Calls For Gradual Spending Cuts

Tim Geithner was the first representative of the U.S. in 11 years to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos and it was most likely to reassure the financial world about the sustainability of U.S. debt and plans to reduce that deficit over the coming years.  Mr. Geithner called for gradual reduction in U.S. debt as to not stall the tenuous economic recovery:

At Davos, therefore, delegates have been speculating over whether the US will be able to enact a sensible fiscal policy before there is a global rejection of the US dollar.

The seriousness of the situation is underlined by the fact that Geithner is the first Treasury Secretary to appear at the World Economic Forum in 11 years.

“There is a much greater recognition across the US political system that our fiscal position is unsustainable in the long-run,” he told the WEF, but added that measured, gradual decreases in spending were the way to go, otherwise they would put the economic recovery at risk. 

What Is Rape?

Mother Jones has an article on how federal law defines "rape" and what the new GOP anti-abortion bill means for those linguistics.  Really just seems this bill was ill conceived and thrown together.  If the GOP is serious about this then they might need to start over.

And 2012 Is Under Way...Well Sort Of

A student from Yale has launched a Draft Mitch Daniels effort in Iowa and is airing this ad during the Pro Bowl to try and get Mitch Daniels to seek the Presidency:


LINK

H/T - Wonkette

Questioning The Intelligence Of The GOP Agenda

There was some interesting reading in Frank Rich's newest column that detailed public opinion in some initiatives and in particular made me question the political intelligence of some current GOP positions.  Conventional wisdom on the right is that President Obama over reached with "health-care" or the "stimulus" or "government spending" in general and that has led to the recent success of the GOP.  Here are some interesting facts that detail a different story:

But in 2011, it’s not just the revelation of cuts to specific popular programs that threatens to turn Americans against the Republican Congress. New polls show that Americans don’t even buy the principles behind these specifics. To hear the G.O.P. wail about it, you’d think the entire country was obsessed with the federal debt — cited 12 times in Ryan’s under-11-minute speech. But only 18 percent of Americans chose the deficit as a top priority for Washington in the most recent NBC/Journal survey and only 14 percent did in the New York Times/CBS News poll. Job creation was by far the top choice — at 43 percent (Times/CBS) and 34 percent (NBC/Journal).

Health care was a low-ranked priority too in those polls. And for all the right’s apocalyptic rants about the national horror of “Obamacare,” most polls continue to show that Americans are evenly divided about the law and that only a small minority favors its complete repeal (only one in four Americans in the latest Associated Press/GfK survey). The surest indicator that voters are not as inflamed about either the deficit or “Obamacare” as the right keeps claiming can be found in Karl Rove’s Wall Street Journal musings. To argue that Americans share his two obsessions, Rove now is reduced to citing polls from either Fox or a Brand X called Resurgent Republic, which he helpfully identifies as “a group I helped form.” 

I do think the Republicans can gain some traction with the deficit and budget, but when they start trying to defund the health-care bill they better be prepared for the onslaught because the main part that they have control over will be the funds for expanding Medicaid to poor people.  And also, expect criticism over cuts to Medicare and Social Security, although they won't propose any, because of the general hawkishness of the GOP on the budget right now.  First and foremost, if the GOP decides to "shut down" the government by not lifting the debt ceiling they, like Gingrich, will lose that fight.  Ultimately, I feel like they posture and then raise the ceiling, but this will be a test of how far the "Tea Party" people have pulled the GOP to the right.

And The PR For Gun Control Begins

In the wake of the Arizona shooting of several people, including a Congresswoman, there has been more speculation than actual action for a renewed focus on gun control.  For most people there needed to be a time to "heal" so to speak before they contemplated action on the topic.  It appears that time has passed as some more mainstream, but still activist, organizations like Democracy for America have joined the fray and began calling for more (but limited) action in gin control.  It seems even some left-wing organization or scared or at least aware of the power the gun lobby holds.  It will be interesting to see if President Obama is willing to expend a great deal of political capital on something that he won't get sweeping reforms anytime soon and will largely make little difference.  I doubt it.  Here is the letter from Gov. Dean:

We can both protect our second amendment rights and keep our communities safe from illegal gun sales.

I was given an "A rating" by the NRA eight times during my years as Lt. Governor and then Governor of Vermont. Guns and hunting are part of our way of life in Vermont. But I don't think any Vermonter or gun owners anywhere can argue against common sense changes to our background check system to make our communities safer and more secure.

And common sense changes are exactly what Mayors Against Illegal Guns is proposing that President Obama and Congress take action on right now. They have a two-part goal. First, we already have laws that make it illegal for guns to be sold to felons, drug abusers or the mentally ill. The problem is that states and federal agencies are not required to make sure these prohibited purchasers are included in the background check database. That must change.

Second, it's time to stop the sales of guns without a background check at all. Right now, anyone can go to a gun show and purchase as many guns as they want no questions asked, no background check, nothing.

It's common sense to fix these two loopholes and make America safer from illegal gun sales.

Join me in adding your name right now

Every day now it seems more news comes out about how these background check loopholes make America less safe. In the last week alone, the Federal government discovered that hundreds of guns bought in Arizona made their way to Mexico to help drug cartels destabilize the Mexican Government. This is not only a threat to the people of Mexico. When loopholes in our laws allow drug cartels in Mexico to stockpile guns, we can all agree it is also a threat to the United States. It's not just the conclusion of progressive Democrats, it's a conclusion drawn by Republican officeholders in the southwest as well.

Now, The Washington Post reports that President Obama is planning to speak out on guns in a special address soon, but it's not clear what actions he plans to take or goals he plans to set.

President Obama is listening. Now's the time to make sure the President and Congress know exactly where we stand.

Please join me now in calling on President Obama and Congress to fix gun check loopholes today

When progressives stand up for our core values of strong communities, security and liberty, America wins.

Please join us today and thank you, Talmadge, for everything you do.

-Howard

Gov. Howard Dean, M.D.
Founder, Democracy for America

New Democratic Party Chairman Mark Kennedy

tattoo basman cool

Kuokuang Gets Orange Light At EPA

Plans by the Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co (國光石化) to spray concrete not far off the coast of Dacheng Township (大城), Changhua County destroying most of a wetland area (one of the last remaining untouched wetlands on the west coast) has been delayed by an EPA panel:

The panel, made up of members of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) committee at the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), university professors and government representatives, was holding its fourth review.

Prior to the meeting, media reports were speculating that the panel was likely to give the case a conditional approval and allow it to be reviewed by the EIA Committee, which has the final say on whether the proposal should be approved or rejected. Some reports said the chances of such a conclusion being reached were high, because the EPA was seeking to settle the controversial project before the Lunar New Year holiday next week.

While the panel did not approve the plan, its ruling still fell short of the expectations of the project’s opponents, who asked that Kuokuang drop it altogether.

Although Kuokuang has proposed reducing the scale of the planned petrochemical complex, critics said the watered-down project still poses a threat to the environment.

Those media reports were borne out to some extent when, and this is from an eyewitness at the meeting, the Chair of the meeting Chiang Pen-chi (蔣本基) announced before the meeting began that this would be the last meeting on this issue - leading to the accusation that a conclusion had already been reached, one that would settle the matter before the Lunar New Year.

Some nice quotes from activists against the development:

“Decades ago, when the Formosa Plastics Group [台塑集團] announced it would build a petrochemical industrial park in Mailiao Township [麥寮], Yunlin County, people welcomed it, but now they regret it,” said Lin Ching-tuo (林清拖), an elderly farmer from Wanggong Township (王功), Changhua County, which is close to Mailiao and Dacheng.

“The large quantities of smoke produced by oil refineries in Mailiao not only pollute the air, but also damage the health and the quality of life of people in neighboring areas,” Lin said. “Consequently, we should stop the project before it becomes a reality.”

Activist Yang Ru-men (楊儒門), who also runs an organic farm and a farmers’ market, told the crowd that although residents could receive cash compensation for the project, “however much cash you receive, it cannot make up for the loss of your health.”

“Of course economic development could help us live longer, but what good does it do if it means just staying in a hospital bed longer?” he said.

Shark Killers - Taiwan is World's 4th Largest

This graph from "The Future of Sharks - A Review of Action and Inaction,"  a report released, as featured in the TT today, by the wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC and the Pew Environment Group and scheduled to be reviewed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries next week.

NOTES FROM THE REPORT

The Top 20 for the period 2000 to 2008 are listed in Table 1 (See also Figure 1). The Top 20 is an arbitrary construct and in considering this report, it is important to bear in mind that:

Although the Top 20 account for nearly 80% of total reported shark catch, the top four shark catchers (Indonesia, India, Spain and Taiwan) account for more than 35%.

Five of the Top 20 (Portugal, Nigeria, Iran, the United Kingdom and South Korea) each account for less than 2% of the global reported shark catch.

The 20th-ranked catcher accounts for 1.4% of global reported shark catch, and six that are not in the Top 20 account for 1% or more of the catch:
Canada (1.39%),
Peru (1.21%),
Yemen (1.17%),
Australia (1.15%),
Senegal (1.06%)
Venezuela (1.00%).

BEN'S NOTES

The figures used for the report do not seem to include China or North Korea, both of which are likely to also engage in shark fishing.  Furthermore, the figures are estimates based on what countries self-report - those self-reported figures are likely lower than actual numbers fished.  What this report does well is illustrate the extent of the problem - a problem that is likely already affecting biological food chains in all our oceans.  Anyone got good ideas of how to demotivate people from engaging in shark fishing or eating shark-fin soup?  

Further information:
My post on shark-finning
My post on finning in Taiwan
Greenpeace East Asian Tour
Greenpeace and their action in Kaohsiung

Rahm Clears Hurdles To Run For Mayor

The Illinois supreme Court has cleared the way for Rahm Emanuel to seek the office of Mayor in Chicago with a unanimous vote:

The decision doesn't necessarily end the litigation -- Rahm's foes may appeal to the Supreme Court -- but it's likely the last word. And the residency discussion -- in which the public is very much on Rahm's side -- has pretty much drowned out any chance of a substantive challenge to him.

Chinese Year of The Rabbit Cartoon

* This cartoon has been banned in China.  It makes an explicit warning to the Government of the PRC that Chinese people could well revolt en masse over what are perceived to be escalating incidents of injustice or lack of rule of law.  I publish it here with the caveat that I do not endorse nor wish to encourage any individual or collective acts of revolt in the PRC by Chinese or foreign citizens.  A translation of the Chinese and some analysis of the content can be found here.*

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