Attacks on ACORN have class warfare at their base

I have no dog in the supposed fight against the voter registration group ACORN.

Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to pin the voter fraud tail on the ACORN donkey.

This attack doesn't pass the smell test.

First off: It wasn't Democrats who claimed class warfare in this election. It was John McCain during the last presidential debate.

McCain spoke the words class warfare.

Secondly: ACORN, regardless of their problems and issues, focus primarily on registering the poor and minorities (who are over-represented amongst the poor).

The Republicans are using the political version of that old childhood chestnut: The one who smelt it is the one who dealt it.

Not only are the Republicans engaging in class warfare against the poor, like they've done for years with their advocacy of trickle-down economics, but they are attacking a group whose intention is to help the poor and under-represented participate in the system that treats them so poorly.

Of course the Republicans don't want the poor and minorities to participate. If they participate, chances are they will vote against policies that everyone knows helps the rich at the expense of the poor.

In another transparent attempt to diminish voter participation, the Republicans are engaging in a pretext attack using ACORN as a proxy for the poor and minorities.

What is a Pretext Attack?

It occurs when someone targets actions and groups associated with those they cannot tolerate rather than directly attacking those they cannot stand. In this case--The Poor and minorities.

I find this whole thing shameful and lacking in honor and courage. A pretext attack is the mark of douchebags and craven wusses.

If there is any reason for disliking a party, cowardice and dishonor tops my list. Why John McCain, who claims to be for honor and integrity, affiliates with such cowardice makes me feel sorry for him.

ACORN may be engaging in fraud, but there are better ways for Republicans to tackle that issue. They need to show the spine to acknowledge openly the truth--that truth being that they don't want the poor or minorities to vote.

That's the truth.

Foreclosure crisis is tied to job stagnation and job loss. Class warfare is at the root of blaming the poor for mortgage mess

I've followed the housing crisis closely. What I've noticed in my hometown is that the hardest hit part of town is also the poorest.

When I look at job loss numbers since 2003, the hardest hit have been the poorest.

From a factual standpoint, job loss is the number one reason for foreclosure.

So what does this tell me?

It tells me that those who blame the foreclosure mess on people who "bought more house than they could afford" may be engaging in class warfare.

This underscores the need for jobs in this country. If people are gainfully employed with good employment prospects and with wages that are not stagnant, then they'll pay their bills.

Most people who lose their house to foreclosure didn't choose foreclosure. Circumstances created the problem. Obviously, some create their own mess, but with the numbers we're seeing, I doubt that so many would willingly or foolishly screw up in such a fashion.

Job creation has stopped in the country because the incentives are to move blue collar jobs offshore. Blue collar jobs are the province of the poor.

Without jobs, people have no money to spend. Without money to spend, people lose things that cost money, like houses and cars. Without money, the economy grinds to a halt.

So explain to me again how the victims of the housing mess are somehow to blame for their plight, while those who created the instruments leading to this mess are off the hook?

You can't. Furthermore, attempts to tie the crisis to one specific group, especially a group with the least amount of control over the situation, strikes me as stupid.

The problem is incredibly complex, but if blame must be placed, let us place it first at the feet of those with the greatest degree of control first. Who would that be? Bankers, Wall Street, and the Government.

Religion is losing market share to Science in the mental health department

The results of this study are not surprising.

Historically, religion was the sole purveyor of treatment for those with mental illness.

The change to a medical view on what is essentially a medical phenomenon--mental illness--will not come easily to religion.

Religion is fast losing part of its market share to science, so to speak.

It was only a matter of time

I guess it was only a matter of time before legal work would be outsourced.

The legal profession in the U.S. is already hamstrung by the incentives to create more lawyers.

Law schools are profit centers and make little effort to weed people out. Why would they when they can get three years of tuition?

With competition so fierce, many lawyers find it hard to stay in the profession.

As an attorney myself, I can speak to the difficulty in generating enough revenue to live a decent lifestyle. The well-to-do attorney is a thing of the past.

Outsourcing of legal work is only another nail in the coffin of a lucrative legal career.

Probably the only area of expertise that cannot be outsourced is litigation. Why?
Courts will always need a warm body to be present to argue motions and conduct trials.

Infrastructure spending leads to job creation and an economic turnaround

The tough economic times we find ourselves in demand some needed change from Washington.

We need a return to the New Deal. We need a New New Deal.

I've said this before in months past, but it bears repeating:

We need infrastructure spending.

By beginning new public works, the government will create jobs.

We need new jobs to replace the ones lost since 2003.

These new jobs will prime the economic pump and get consumption flowing.

I've never understood how it helps the economy to give more money to people that have plenty. They don't go out and spend it like someone who lives paycheck to paycheck does. In fact, the wealthy just squirrel it away, keeping it out of the economy.

When people are put to work, they spend. When people spend, more jobs are created to service their demands.

It's a win-win.

History is trying ot repeat itself. We must remain forever vigilant againt the loss of our soul

History should never be far from our minds when we examine the rumblings of masses.

When I see the federal government under the control of a right-wing president make a power grab in the form of nationalizing the banking system.

When I see the members of that same president's party resort to bigotry, hatred, and outright xenophobia to win an election, I cannot turn a blind eye to the rise of the Third Reich in Germany.

Hitler flamed the hatred and prejudices of Germans during bad economic times to seize the reins of power. What was the result? Millions dead, and a country further destroyed and embarrassed for its misdeeds.

We can ill-afford to march down that same path. We, as a nation, must fight the easy certainty of hatred, prejudice, and eventual decline that will follow such a choice.

Scary sign in nationlization of banks. One world order not far behind

Here's a scary sign. When the government begins taking over buisnesses essential to our economy then we all should pay attention to history.

Hitler did this. So did the communists.

Where are we going people? Wake up America!

Media fallacy in pursuing "balance" spelled out.

Here's a link to the description of the fallacy I referred to in a previous post about the media's attempts at "balance."

This explains the fallacy in plain and simple terms.

The middle is not always correct.

Social Psychology has answers as to why people behave like assholes in political situations

Another instance of science showing why people do things we all know is wrong.

All done in the name of fitting in.

Critical thought and willingness to be (shall we say it...) a maverick is the only way to stand up and man up when the truth is involved.

Republicans do not have the market cornered on being mavericks. In fact they are followers like everyone else given the right circumstances

Study makes short work of a touchstone of Right-wing ideology

This story shoots holes in the notion prevalent among ideologues on the Right that college is a place where "fuzzy-headed, liberal, professors" indoctrinate the nation's youth.

As with all chimeras, the facts say more about the believers in such false notions than it does about those it inaccurately purports to describe.

The Right has a long and troubles association with education and anti-intellectualism.

If you look back to the Third Reich (A Right-Winger's wet dream of a time...), one of Hitler's first actions was to either kill or exile all the college professors. He did this because education and mental discipline were anathema to the Nazi ideology.

The good thing about college is that it teaches people to argue, debate, and exercise critical thinking (At least that's what it's supposed to do..).

Hitler knew critical thinking would undermine his plans, so he took steps to short circuit the potential for critical thought.

The Right similarly hates critical thought and this underscores why the image of the liberal college professor indoctrinating the nation's youth into the liberal church is used to scare like-minded ideologue.

This study is great.