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June 14, 2011 03:39 PM UTC

Tuesday Open Thread

  • 30 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“If we are surrounded by the trivial and the vicious, it is all too easy to make our peace with it.”

–William Bennett

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30 thoughts on “Tuesday Open Thread”

  1. While the Republican’t Party is shrieking and hooting about the debt ceiling and having a conservative dick-measuring contest, people are still unemployed and still waiting for someone to create some jobs.

    President Obama can follow the plan listed below simply by suing the powers of the Executive Branch..unless, of course, The Orange Man passes some asstastic legislation to block it…


    Jobs council to Obama: Here’s how to create one million jobs quickly

    President Obama meets with his jobs council, which offers him its proposal for how to add one million positions to the US job market without help from Congress.

    Neither President Obama nor most economists see quick fixes to the nation’s 9.1 percent unemployment rate. But the president’s official jobs council offered a list of “fast-action” proposals that the council said could create more than a million jobs without the need for major legislation from Congress.

    The proposals come as the economy has slowed to a disappointing crawl, and as Washington policymakers are mired in tense and politicized negotiations over the federal budget. Some new jobs policies could potentially help both the economy and offer the president a chance to stand above partisan politics, locking arms with leaders from the business community.

    Obama didn’t offer any major policy announcements after meeting Monday with his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in Durham, N.C. But the council’s proposals include:

    *Form business partnerships with community colleges to train more workers for today’s open jobs.

    *Streamline permitting processes to speed more construction projects. Council members Jeff Immelt of General Electric and Ken Chenault of American Express said some simple steps could achieve this goal “without undercutting the protections that our regulatory system provides.”

    *Make it easier for foreign tourists to obtain visas to travel to the US.

    *Help small employers get more loans with help from the Small Business Administration.

    *Help construction workers pick up their tools again with a campaign to upgrade commercial and government buildings for energy efficiency.

    http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/P…

    Again, that would be the President’s Job Council, not the shrieking idiots in charge of the House…

    1. an investor needs to develop the project and right now those folks see way to much risk in the current environment to make the equity investment.

      From Obamacare to Omabafinance to the Department of Labors fascist directives on where you can build your next plant, investors are troubled.

      The costs for manufacturing fuels has skyrocketed and trial lawyer jackpot awards face every operations manager daily.

      Hint to your big government friends Danno …. The government should incrementally ease the burdens on businesses … Doubling the cost of permits by agreeing to cut in half the time to process is just more bribery from an unjust government.

      As to you comment that ….

      people are still unemployed and still waiting for someone to create some jobs.

      You’ve tried your best, but the American mentality and history of personal responsibility and individual initiative are what creates jobs. It’s not the government Danno.

      I understand the situation, your core principles of government first all others to follow, are what has driven the failed policies and 17% real unemployment. I think you’ll find your favored politicians taking more like business investors as the election draws near, the question is will they confront their defualt positions to automaticatlly turn to the wrong principle of government first thus pushing us further to the point of needing QE3.

      1. We have job openings at my company. Over the past 2 years we have consistently had jobs where if the right person came through the door, we would hire them immediately.

        The problem is a lack of qualified candidates. And the root cause of that is a dysfunctional education system in this state. For K-12 it is not even graduating 30% and of the other 70%, a boatload are not ready for college. At the college level, there aren’t enough students which falls back to funding levels and the lack of enough college ready kids coming out of K-12.

        So yes, the state has a gigantic impact on the job market.

        1. 1. the massive and successful union boss leadership and their 40 year tradition of highly “successful” k-12 reform policies.

          2. the development of a multi generational underclass that continues to benefit from massive government entitlement programs.

          Fatherless families, the abortion of 10-20+ million American babies and an aging population without generations to backfil it have proven to really work for your business.

          I say let’s continue to abort more Americas, open the boarders and really go to town with reforming America.

          Work areas to focus on include: ObamaFood, ObamaEd, ObamaHigherEd, ObamaChemicals, Obamalightassembley, ObamaFuels, Omabacars, ObamaHVAC, Obamainternet, Obamaroads …..

      2. …banks and other financial institutions are sitting on Billions of $$$ that could be in the hands of investors and small biz, yet they hang onto their wad of cash “because they can.”

        Could this be the reason why Rep Perlmutter is introducing the My Capital Access for Main Street Act to get banks lending again? seems like the Invisible Hand of the Market needs to get whacked by the Big Fed Stick!

        Is the private industry stepping forward to hire our warriors returned from Iraq and AFPAK? Fuck no – they can’t be bothered to look past their rigid HR rules and see that an enlisted soldier who did IT support for a Combat LAN is more qualified to work at Cisco than the 20-sumthin’ who just wandered out of college.

        Who is doing something? – the UNIONS!

        Recently, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the US Postal Service that helps ensure thousands of new job opportunities for veterans.

        http://www.apwu.org/news/webar…

        Not only did they use their collective bargaining powers to help out our veterans, they put together a job guide on how to get hired, and they don’t care if you’re a union member or not to access the training!

        Is there a single responsible corporate entity (other than Blackwater) that’s trying to get our vets into the workforce? Other than Microsoft, hell no!

        ‘tad, the Private sector is going to stand around with their thumb up their ass waiting for someone else to start hiring. Someone has to drag their ass into being part of the solution!

        (BTW – this last post (while frogwash) is a much more readable post than your usual crap. Keep it up!)

        1. Stop creating new government programs and mandates. Start reducing the influence of government.

          Follow Kennedy’s lead …. cut taxes in a measure and viable fashion. Follow (can’t think of one Democrat except Governor/Secretary Locke) and slash government spending in a measured and sustainable manner.

          Are you so proud that nearly 50 million of 300 million Americans are on food stamps, that you remain blinded by the success of the benefits of the next government program you have planned

          1. everything would be peachy right now. Bush did his tax cuts close to a decade ago, and Congress and Obama have extended them. Then they reduced payroll taxes.

            Just when will tax cuts produce jobs? Another 10 years? 20?

          2. The public by large percentages demands programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.  That hasn’t changed in years and its not going to change.  It’s true of all generations.  The key here is to increase taxes on all to pay for these programs.  The Bush tax cuts were unnecessary as has been shown by what actually occurred (happened with the Reagan tax cuts too and if you were around during the Kennedy era, which I suspect you were not, then too).  I don’t make enough for the millionaires’ tax, but between my wife and I we pull down more than enough to have a beautiful house in a mountain neighborhood, travel, pay to put our kids through college and have sufficient assets for retirement, and then some.  The Bush tax cuts gave me $3000 per year.  I don’t need it.  The government does.  Libertad, if you want to pay for your parents retirement and medical care, you should have them opt out of Medicare and Social Security.  But, then I’ve always suspected you’re a rich kid with too much money and time on your hands.

    1. My neighbor who runs a UFC gear company bought himself a nice big flag this week and has it properly lighted at night. Saw another neighbor taking her outdoor flag down in bad weather. Looks like the Flag Code is not dead after all.

  3. Romney won. Bachmann surged. Cain disappointed. Pawlenty whiffed. Gingrich slept. Santorum fretted. Paul scolded.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

    There wasn’t a serious foreign policy question for the first hour-and-a-half of the debate. Social issues didn’t get much traction, either. When John King asked if the candidates would reinstate Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, Romney complained that he’d prefer to be talking about the economy. it was clear what everyone expected this debate — and, by extension, this election — to be about.

    I didn’t watch the debate but of all the written commentary this morning I have to say this was the most concise.


    1. When John King asked if the candidates would reinstate Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, Romney complained that he’d prefer to be talking about the economy.

      Well that’s just plain honesty.  There’s no answer any Republican can give that doesn’t either seriously hurt their chances at the nomination, or seriously come back to haunt them in the general.  Of course Republicans don’t want to be asked about reinstating DADT.

      1. for abortion, Medicare vouchers, privatizing Social Security, tax cuts for the rich, tax exemptions for the oil companies, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans spending, infrastructure spending, schools, vouchers, agricultural subsidies, renewable energy, tax deductions for mortgage interest, the 23% VAT, reducing taxes on capital gains, and on and on and on.  Geez, I didn’t even have to think about the above sutff to come up with that list.  Think what I would come up with if I just sat down for 10 minutes.

        I think the fact that REpublicans are being open and trying to pass their ridiculous and unpopular programs now is real gutsy of them.  At lease now, after more than 20 years of hiding their actual agenda, they’re actually telling the American public what it is.  I’m happy.  Now I can go back to all my “Country Club” Republican friends and thell them I told them so.

        And the Ryan plan?  Everyone knows that you don’t touch these types of programs unless everyone is on board.  If you try, you get defeated.

        I refust to respond to ‘tad, I refuse to respond to ‘tad, I refuse to respond to ‘tad.

    2. Private. Sector.

      …, … … …, ……….

      JOBS!

      Apparently they are going to hire people at some point to figure out Step Two. #Irony #Winning

      Otherwise, good summary.

  4. This morning’s Sassy (she’s our Brittany) returns from the back yard has Obama in deep doodoo — strongly right-leaning turds heavily outnumber the strongly left-leaning turds by a factor of almost 4 to 1.

    Analyst’s are puzzled as to how to ascribe this strong right-leaning showing.  (Sassy appeared to sleep through the entirety of last night’s candidate debate.)

    If the later returns from today’s front yard polling remain consistent, it looks like 2012 could be very tough for Democrats.

          1. And shedding like crazy. Sweet all the same! She’ll be a year on 6/23, pretty well trained, and she only ever destroyed one of my least favorite high heels.

            I have to move to Arkansas the last weekend of the month. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s really excited for the yard, eleven of my nieces and nephews, and air conditioning. Not the fleas though. Those are going to suck.

            I don’t know about her party affiliation. We went raw food and she’s the only non-kosher thing in my house now. Pork, especially the… bottom foot part?, is her favorite. Feel like I don’t know her at all!

  6. Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade

    The announcement made on 14 June (18:00 UK time) comes from scientists at the US National Solar Observatory (NSO) and US Air Force Research Laboratory. Three different analyses of the Sun’s recent behaviour all indicate that a period of unusually low solar activity may be about to begin.

    On the plus side, this would give us a bit of breathing room to address global warming. But the giant down side is Luddites like Inhofe and others will double down on wishful thinking trumps science and many more will agree with them.

    1. We Dems should stop worrying about jobs and start putting a protective blanket of soot around the planet.

      On the flip side, if the Potomac freezes, then Obama may really be able to walk on water. To be fair, though, it will probably mean the end of civilization and we will all be toast.  

    2. Life has thus far cheated me out of a cuddly enormous companion with which I could enjoy madcap adventures, evade sabertoothed tigers, and in the end, learn a valuable lesson about friendship and the value of diversity. Should we encounter an Ice Age, I trust that this deficiency in my worldly experiences will be rectified forthwith?

      /didn’t have a TV as a kid

      //but still managed to fall TOTES in love with Snuffleufagus

      1. shortly after they were cast out of Texas by Jesus and the apostles?  (It’s so hard to keep all this biblical history straight — probably should have paid more attention during Sunday School instead of pouting over what I was missing on Rocky and Bullwinkle) — perhaps we should call in an expert . . . Oh Beejee?

        BTW whereas I do, on occassion, travel into Texas on business (in fact I’m writing this as I sit in DFW waiting for my last connection today), I do have sufficient discretion and common sense to keep from broadcasting those embarrassments all over the interwebz . . . . . . . . Doh!!!

        2. 1) Don’t look now, but I think you just did. There’s still time to claim you were hacked…

          2) Cowgirl, luv. Texas may be a state filled with the kind of people who completely unironically add twinkling flower gifs and Bible quotes to their email signatures–for their work email–but those people are, nonetheless, my peeps, provided they have  horses, which most of ’em do.  

  7. Prop 8 ruling was upheld. Claims that Judge Walker couldn’t be impartial were called “warrantless.”

    “The presumption that Judge Walker, by virtue of being in a same-sex relationship, had a desire to be married that rendered him incapable of making an impartial decision, is as warrantless as the presumption that a female judge is incapable of being impartial in a case in which women seek legal relief,” Ware said. “On the contrary: it is reasonable to presume that a female judge or a judge in a same-sex relationship is capable of rising above any personal predisposition and deciding such a case on the merits.”

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/…

    And a judge decided that all married couples should have equal rights to go bankrupt, regardless of gender make up. A same-sex couple married during the brief period it was legal were granted equal protection under the law. Take that, DOMA.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06…

    1. The U.S. House did not file a brief defending DOMA in the bankruptcy case.

      Second most interesting bit: the bankruptcy court decided to send a message with the ruling – they got 20 judges from the court to all sign the ruling, and explicitly decided to rule on the Constitutionality issue, which they would not normally do.

      By comparison, the ruling upholding Walker’s position as trial judge for Prop 8 was minor.

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