Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Things to Know - 6 June

Matt Wuerker

1.  Matt Taibbi, of Rolling Stone.  His article on the current political situation in California really paints a picture on why I moved here to Claremont, CA 1 year ago.   The Republican extremists trends and policies in the past several decades is what got the state into where it is today.  The emerging power of "Latinos and urban professionals" has been chipping away at the GOP base, and has forced the Republicans to adopt extremist positions to gain any wedge favor.  Now, it does not work, and other areas, except the white corners of the states of america, are looking to California to see what is in store for them.  After setting down in my new home, I checked to see who my Congressman was.  It was a Republican guy by the name of David Dreier, and he was one of Grover Norquist's pledge guys, and I did not like his politics, so I wrote him a letter and told him so, and that I would work hard to get him voted out of office.  So what did he do...he saw the handwriting on the wall and quit.  Now, our job on this election day is to see which Democrats represents our district.  It works for me, it can work for you:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/california-reaming-why-the-golden-state-booted-the-gop-and-other-states-will-too-20120604

2.  Time for a visit with Bill McKibben for the status of the climate change arguments and how the deniers are now having a tough time getting people to fall for the BS:

3.  This is not a happy report or good new for Wisconsin or for anyone near the progressive movement.   However, it does provoke a thorn in peoples' sides that if anything is going to change, it is going to have to be something that can overcome the stampede of Super PAC money and to get out and work harder than ever before:

4.  To put into perspective what the Wisconsin recall results mean, this is a good start:

5.  In just a few paragraphs, Thomas Friedman takes all the significant economic achievements of all the significant countries in the last half century, and tells where they used their economic wealth and either pissed it all away or did something well.  In the case of the States of America, he says we had great growth...so what did we do with it?   We went on two unfunded and costly wars, crafted up an unfunded Medicare drug bill, and racked up a pile of debt in the process.  Read on for the rest of the results of his report card:

6.  Reading this article convinces me that my generation has slipped into the "dirty old men predator" category, and that from now on, should I be wanting to buy books for young children or possible future grandchild, that I should avail myself of the internet and Amazon:

7.  The Supremes are going to be busy with similar-themed appeal cases landing on their docket in the coming year.  California's Prop. 8 is next in line:

8.  This Steve Lopez column theme is being played and replayed all over this country and school districts.  It is sad.  We who benefited and could see a vibrant public school system that offered solid basic subject matter as well as music, arts, and a smattering of humanities, see the harm that is being done.  Are we witnessing the dismantling, or is this just a bump in the road.  Are we taking a breather, or are our best days now behind us?:

-- 

Juan

"First you're an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity."
       -- Martin Myers
"If you look good and dress well, you don't need a purpose in life." 
       -- Robert Pante
"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee." 
       -- Abraham Lincoln
"Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet." 
       -- Mae West
"Have you ever noticed what golf spells backwards?" 
       -- Al Boliska



Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)