Thom vs. Nick Gillespie - How about the 49 percent on the public dole?

New Blog Out challenging Scott Brown on his ability to spot native Americans by sight

As Scott Brown doubles down on his war on native American a new blog comes out

Scott Brown: "As you can see," I'm not a Native American

I encourage all you non-Native-American Native Americans out there to send your own message -- let's teach Sen. Brown a lesson about identity.

More after ye olde squiggle.

you can find blog here: http://notanativeamerican.blogspot.com/ 

News from The Associated Press

News from The Associated Press:

'via Blog this'

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Three weeks after a massive Catalan separatist march in Barcelona - the biggest since the 1970s - the independence flags still flutter from balconies across Spain's second largest city.

Spain's crushing recession has had this divisive consequence: soaring popular sentiment in Catalonia that the affluent region would be better off as a separate nation.

On Thursday, regional lawmakers voted to hold a referendum for Catalonia's seven million citizens to decide whether they want to break away from Spain. The Spanish government says that the referendum would be unconstitutional. And it's unclear if the "Yes" vote would win - even in these restless times.

But it looks more likely than ever that Catalonia may ask to go its own way.

"I have a big Catalan flag on the balcony. I put it up a week before the demonstration on Sept. 11 and it is still hanging there," said Gemma Mondon, 46, a mother of two. "I think we would be better off if we can manage our money. I think we would do much better."

Original Post Here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SPAIN_CATALAN_INDEPENDENCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Daily Kos: Miami Herald: Koch brothers trying to buy FL Supreme Court

Daily Kos: Miami Herald: Koch brothers trying to buy FL Supreme Court:

'via Blog this'

We know that the Kochs are trying to buy the presidential election, but did you know they are also trying to buy the Florida Supreme Court and pack it with Rick Scott appointees?  Cheers to Carl Hiassen of the Miami Herald for calling them out:

The new stealth campaign against three Florida Supreme Court justices is being backed by those meddling right-wing billionaires from Wichita, Charles and David Koch.  They couldn’t care less about Florida, but they love to throw their money around.  Last week they uncorked the first of a series of commercials from their political action committee, Americans for Prosperity. The targets are Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince....

The mission of the Kochs, hiding as always behind their super PAC, is to get the three justices dumped at the polls so that Gov. Rick Scott can appoint replacements.

This is worth repeating: If the Kochs have their way, Rick Scott — yes, that Rick Scott — gets to pack the Supreme Court with his own hand-picked crew.

Yikes is right.

More below.

The 3 justices are up in November for a yes or no merit retention vote.  The Republican Party of Florida has joined in the effort to oust these justices:

The three of them are sitting on a combined political war chest of over a million dollars, given to them by special interest groups, trial lawyers and political activists. And they are red-faced with anger that voters get to decide their fate at the ballot box.

The Palm Beach Post also has an editorial decrying the GOP tactic:

The Republican Party of Florida ... wants justices Lewis, Pariente and Quince off the court because they have ruled, correctly, against GOP-written constitutional amendments and against interests that support the party. If the justices don’t get 50 percent of the vote, Gov. Scott gets to appoint their replacements.

The main theme of the GOP is that the 3 voted in favor of Al Gore in the 2000 recount case and voted to reverse the conviction of a murderer who "silently acquiesced" in his lawyer's decision to admit guilt, even though both of these decisions were before the last retention election for these justices.  They are also attacking the Court's 5-2 decision rejecting GOP legislative action to derail the Affordable Care Act.

"This year appears to be the first time justices have certified opposition in their quest for merit retention since the system was created in the 1970s, elections experts said."

If you would like to contribute to the PACs who are fighting this attack on the justices, seeDefend Justice from Politics or Democracy at Stake.

Originally posted here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/30/1138107/-Miami-Herald-Koch-brothers-trying-to-buy-FL-Supreme-Court

J.K. Rowling Vs Mitt Romney On Taxes

Excellent piece two thumbs up for JK Rowling.

Where do 53% of your Tax dollars go? One Video EVERYONE should see.

Tide For Mormons Very Funny

This says it all about state of US labor

Want to Fix Education? Fix the Economy for the Students and Teachers

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

View from the campaign season

Scott Brown is absolutely threatening to launch the first full scale Indian war in one hundred and fifty years. He has increasingly gotten full-scale and racist nasty as you would expect him to when the polls threaten the Wall Street bankers with the seat they bought in Massachusetts fair and square. That would be a full set back for the financial industry as it means they'll have to search around for somebody new that they can buy. Still don't worry about Scott, if things continue to go south, he's an affable young man who hit the lottery last time when he won his senate seat. He has a wonderful retirement plan. Not just as a public servant but K street also appears to have a way of rewarding their employees when they've done so much for them. They don't give them a watch, but rather a job corrupting future "public servants." The emphasis here really should be on servant part.

Everything Scott Brown learned of Native Americans

The Brown race is not the only one of interest. Todd Akin from Missouri running as the candidate for the legitimate rape party. The Republicans have shown an inability to even govern the nuts in their own party. At least Akin hasn't turned into a witch yet and turned everybody into a newt.

Then comes Mitt Romney with his 47 percent. How can someone running for president be so stupid? That means Romney has to capture the other 51% in its entirety to win which shouldn't be so hard when the candidate turns on the charm offensive. Mitt if you really feel that way wait until you're in a room with your closest friend, a mirror, before you vocalize your feeling and then after you do break the mirror  Who would think that the help that serves you drinks and food could ever resent the fact that you just called all their hopes and desires irrelevant? The best thing about this is that it was Jimmy Carter's grandson, the man who has been vilified as a human punching bag for thirty years by the Republican candidates, who helped break him. Yes toward the end of his time in office his economy may have stagnated a little but Carter wasn't stupid enough to insult half the country in front of an open microphone.

The usual Jimmy Carter BS

Obviously this was before Reagan and sunrises were invented

Meanwhile the Republican candidates: Ryan, Romney (when you catch him on the flop of his flip/flop cycle), Tommy Thompson, Linda McMahon, Todd Akin threaten Social Security, medicare and medicaid  Just because so much of the public money went into the banker's coffers before disappearing and thus leaving communities insolvent, doesn't mean that anyone in the banking industry should be held  responsible; but instead you should stop the taxpayers from getting services that this missing money could have been used to pay for. Next the public will start expecting a middle class jobs with middle class pay and a pension into old age. The sad part is how many Americans work so diligently work against their own interest because it seems so much easier to listen to political manipulators than it is to pick up a book or look up an article on some new information.



Democrats should not celebrate the collapse of the Republican Party into intellectual irrelevance. The Democratic party is much too buddy/buddy with big business too and the the fact that the other side doesn't believe in Science - government regulators, that corporations aren't people, the people shouldn't have the right to shoot people at will, that government has no right to come between you and your significant other, that government should have to give something back to ordinary citizens for all the money it takes, or that government should even be allowed to exist at all - is nothing to celebrate. We need more than in this country to apply pressure on our own leaders to do the right thing. The fact of the matter we're in serious danger of only having one party and it will be a corrupted party.

Aabbbbbaaabbbbb That's all folks

MITT ROMNEY IS NOT FIT TO BE PRESIDENT - SHARE THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman

Good look at what's behind education.

"EDUCATING MAGGIE" | The Real Parents #WontBackDown Against #ALEC |

The actors need to research about the films they make rather than be puppets for Rupert Murdoch

Black Financial and Fraud Report

Massachusetts if you live on Wall Street you've got a true friend on your side: Scott Brown

Scott Brown (R: Wall Street)

And the good news he's 100% white and he didn't get any breaks in life, (if only you, like in the Wizard of OZ once suggested, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain or in this case the money that Wall Street banks has been stuffing in his pockets). Remember he's just an ordinary guy from Wrentham who drives a truck, at least he does in all his ads. I believe he has a driver to take him downtown to pick up his checks from the financial firms for being a good kid and doing their bidding.

You're a very bad man

Scott Brown with his own Wizard. It's funny I haven't seen him in any of his ads riding around in his truck. "No thank you for my job David Koch. You know before you made me a senator I use to have to pose nude in magazines."

US Calls Julian Assange 'Enemy Of State'

Detroit Woman to Mitt Romney: "What ARE You Thinking?"

Song for the night. U2 - Please

U2s song of the Irish troubles.

So you never knew love
Until you crossed the line of grace
And you never felt wanted
Till you had someone slap your face
So you never felt alive
Until you almost wasted away
You had to win
You couldn't just pass
The smartest ass
At the top of the class
Your flying colors
Your family tree
And all your lessons in history

Please
Please
Please
Get up off your knees
Please
Please
Please

So you never know
How low you'd stoop to make that call
And you never knew
What was on the ground till they mad you crawl
And you never knew that
The heaven you keep you stole

Your catholic blues
Your convent shoes
Your stick on tattoos
Now they're making the news
Your holy war
Your northern star
Your sermon on the mount
From the booth of your car 
Please
Please
Please
Get up off your knees
Please
Please
Please
Leave me out of this

So love is hard and love is tough
But love is not what you're thinking of

September
Streets capsizing
Spilling over
Down the drain
Shards of glass splinters like rain
But you could only feel
Your own pain
October
Talking getting nowhere
November
December
Remember
Are we just starting again

Please
Please
Please
Get up off your knees
Please
Please
Please
Please

So love is big bigger than us
But love is not what your thinking of
It's what lovers deal
It's what lovers steal
You know I've found it hard to receive
'Cause you my love I could never believe

Read more at http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/13661/#LqGvGM1477wYgSBI.99 

Richard Wolff - Spain & Greece - Is This What Collapse Looks Like?

Mitt Romney on Bain's plan to buy and "harvest" companies

For Godsakes don't let Romney around a microphone

SNL: Obama in Ohio.Funny

The Mitt Romney Latino Outreach Program

Reaction to "Won't Back Down" Shows Critics Have Learned Something - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Reaction to "Won't Back Down" Shows Critics Have Learned Something - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

It is hard sometimes for advocates of public education to see our own movement, when we are active participants in it. But the critical and public reaction to the movie "Won't Back Down" is providing us with some evidence of how far we have come in the past two years.

It was two years ago that documentarian Davis Guggenheim released "Waiting For Superman," heavily loaded with the message that unions protect bad teachers, tenure provides jobs for life, and charter schools are the only hope for our children. The movie was a commercial failure in the theaters, but it was boosted by a $2 million grant from the Gates Foundation to pay for national publicity. It was also the centerpiece for the first Education Nation week hosted by NBC, which prominently featured its heroes, Michelle Rhee and Geoffrey Canada. Oprah even devoted two shows to promoting the movie.
Reviewers were mostly favorable towards "Waiting For Superman." The web site Rotten Tomatoes aggregates reviews, and also collects feedback from ordinary folks who have seen the movies.

"Waiting For Superman" got an overall rating of 89%, with an audience score that was 84% positive.
Flash forward two years, and witness the release this month of "Won't Back Down," another movie heavily financed and promoted by education "reformers," with a similar message that teacher unions are obstacles to school improvement. This time the reaction has been decidedly different. The Rotten Tomatoes site indicates a reviewer score of only 35% so far, in spite of efforts by staffers at Students First to boost the score.

This could just indicate a lousy movie, but a look at what the critics are writing suggests there is a far greater awareness of the complex issues at play in our schools. Movie critics have learned a lot in the past two years. Perhaps all of our writing and marching (and even striking) has begun to make a dent in public awareness.

originally here: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/09/reaction_to_wont_back_down_sho.html

Republican Lynches Empty Chair Representing President Obama

New fiction from Friend of the Blog Amy Willoughby Burle

My friend Amy Willoughy Burle has a new book of short story coming. She is a tremendously talented writer who I've known for years and I expect you will hear great things from her in the future. She has contributed an article here on nursing homes and have even had fiction on this site. Please consider supporting her. If you buy it on my site you are helping to sustain the information on this blog too. Information is on the right.

The Simpsons - Burns' Campaign Team

Linda McMahon Proposed Social Security "Sunset" At Tea Party Forum

Linda McMahon Proposed Social Security "Sunset" At Tea Party Forum:

'via Blog this'

NEW YORK -- In little-noticed remarks at a Tea Party town hall meeting earlier this year, Republican Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon proposed introducing a "sunset provision" into the Social Security Act.

McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, has consistently dodged questions about cutting government entitlement programs in her two Senate runs.

Speaking before a group of Tea Party supporters in Waterford, Conn. on April 20, however, McMahon said she would consider making major changes to Social Security, from raising the retirement age to means-testing benefits. She also proposed introducing a "sunset provision" -- the legislative term for putting an expiration date on a law unless it is renewed.

It's unclear what McMahon meant when she spoke about a "sunset provision" for Social Security, and her campaign did not directly address the word in a statement. McMahon's spokesman defended the candidate's record on entitlement programs and attacked her opponent, Chris Murphy.

"Linda McMahon is committed to reforming entitlements without breaking the promises we've made to our seniors," said Todd Abrajano. "Linda McMahon will never vote for a budget that cuts Social Security for seniors, and unlike Chris Murphy she would never have voted to cut Medicare by $716 billion."

At the April Tea Party gathering, McMahon said in response to a question about how to "strengthen" Social Security and Medicare that "we cannot continue doing things the way we are doing with Social Security. We're just simply going to be bankrupt."

The candidate later continued, "In other words, I believe in sunset provisions when we pass this kind of legislation, so that you take a look at it 10, 15 years down the road to make sure that it's still going to fund itself. Social Security will run out of money if we continue to do what we're doing, if we rob the trust fund, if we think that there's any money there."

Originally posted here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/linda-mcmahon-social-security-tea-party_n_1917626.html

PS I think the key to her remarks is the part about getting rid of Social Security more than helping the elderly.

John Stewart promotes labor pain's on his show kind of

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Daily Show Correspondent Strike
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Rare Bird - Redman (remastered)

In honor of the flap Scott Brown released a hidden gem.

Scott Brown the great white father

Good one from Toles

Spanish Police Crack Down on Protesters Surrounding the Parliament

Aljazerra weighs in on Greece too

Athens explodes right after Madrid

 rally in the Greek capital turned violent when protesters in Syntagma Square lobbed Molotov cocktails at police, who retaliated by firing tear gas at the demonstrators.

Security forces also reportedly used flashbang grenades and pepper spray to push protesters back from the parliament building. According to Greek newspaper Kathimerin, the police had been ordered to refrain from using chemicals against protesters.

Around 70,000 people, as estimated by Reuters, gathered in front of the parliament for the country’s biggest anti-austerity protest since the new government came to power.

"EU, IMF out!" shouted the angry crowd. 

"For the past two-to-three years we've been living an incredible social catastrophe," one of the protesters told Agence France Presse. "My salary has been cut by 50 percent. I have two children and tomorrow I don't know if I'll have a job."

Clashes erupted in different parts of Athens Syntagma Square, with demonstrators throwing fire bombs at police.

Full Story here: http://rt.com/news/greece-strike-demonstration-athens-011/

Rachel Talkes on the Scott Brown debacle too

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Brown goes racial. Good coverage on the Ed show.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Romney speaks on Education

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Protesters clash with police in Spain

From RT: 'Democracy kidnapped!' Madrid police fire rubber bullets as thousands surround Spanish Congress

Madrid riot police have cleared Plaza de Neptune of protesters, with about 200 officers securing the surrounding blocks. At least 60 people have been injured and 26 arrested as police used batons and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Local emergency services have confirmed that at least 60 people, including eight policemen, were injured in clashes between police and protesters, El Pais reports. One of the wounded is believed to be in critical condition, while one of the injured policemen suffered a severe concussion.

Riot police dispersed the protesters, dragging some who had tried to get through police lines by their arms and legs. An uneasy order was restored and reinforcements were brought in to try and disperse the crowd. 

Thirteen of those arrested have been detained after a group of protesters tried to break through the police barrier for the first time. Further arrests were carried out during the following clashes, bringing the total number of arrests to some 60, El Pais reported.

Authorities estimate that about 6,000 people took part in Tuesday’s protest. Over 1,300 riot police officers were deployed in the capital, which is more than a half the country's riot police force.

Protests organizers have decided to repeat the protest and block the Parliament once again on Wednesday.

original post: with pictures http://rt.com/news/spain-protests-parliament-crisis-942/

Mitt Romney: Teachers Unions' Contributions To Political Campaigns Should Be Limited

Mitt Romney: Teachers Unions' Contributions To Political Campaigns Should Be Limited: """

'via Blog this'

"I don’t know that I would prevent teachers from being able to strike,” Romney said, acknowledging that "allowing to teachers to strike on matters such as comensation" is within their rights.

Instead, Romney said the focus should be on removing the teachers unions' money from the political equation.

“We simply can’t have a setup where the teachers unions can contribute tens of millions of dollars to the campaigns of politicians and then those politicians, when elected, stand across from them at the bargaining table, supposedly to represent the interests of the kids," Romney said. "I think it’s a mistake. I think we’ve got to get the money out of the teachers unions going into campaigns. It’s the wrong way for us to go. We’ve got to separate that.”

originally posted: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/mitt-romney-teachers_n_1914968.html

LP: Good to know that teachers right to contributing to the political system should be limited but corporations should be able to put in unlimited money. If only the teachers would in-cooperate.

Wisconsin got to love it

I concur absolutely

Billionaires & Ballot Bandits Book Trailer

order from my blog: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/

Cheese Head Hypocrisy: Union Crusher Scott Walker Wants Union Refs Back After Packers Loss

Cheese Head Hypocrisy: Union Crusher Scott Walker Wants Union Refs Back After Packers Loss:

'via Blog this'

This isn't about teachers, firemen, and policeman. It's about something serious football waaaaaaaaaaaaaah

It's enough to make one of those goofy triangular Swiss cheese head foam hats that Wisconsin sports fans wear twirl around six times and curdle before your eyes.

Upset with a call by a non-union referee that resulted in the Green Bay Packers losing a Monday night football game, the Koch brothers' anointed lead union buster, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, called for only union refs to call NFL games.  According to Gannett News,

Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who made a national name for himself by going after public employee unions last year, posted a message on Twitter calling for the return of the NFL’s locked-out unionized officials after a disputed call led to a Seattle Seahawks 14-12 victory over the Packers on Monday night.

“After catching a few hours of sleep, the (hash)Packers game is still just as painful. (hash)Returntherealrefs,” Walker tweeted early Tuesday….

Walker’s spokesman Cullen Werwie tried to spin the governor’s post on Tuesday, saying it wasn’t meant as a pro-union political statement. Walker’s tweet was being widely mocked on Twitter in light of his push last year that effectively ended collective bargaining for teachers, nurses and most other public workers.

“I don’t think this anything to do with unions, but has everything to do with refs making bad calls,” Werwie said.

Okay, so the governor who broke the back of public union collective bargaining in Wisconsin – and would crush all unions if he could, by many accounts, is implying that the union refs are better at their jobs.  Well, maybe he's got a point – and that applies to many public employees who have long years of training and experience.

One of the great ironies here is that the Green Bay Packers are the only team in the NFL owned by a city: the people of Green Bay. They are non-profit as a result of this.  So this, if you are a Tea Party kind of guy, makes them a "socialist football" team, right?

Not only that, but during the Wisconsin uprising against Walker's anti-collective bargaining legislation, many of the most prominent Green Bay Packer players sided with the public unions.  Why?  Because the gridiron athletes are members of a union: the National Football League Players Association.

So Governor Scott Walker, the go-to man of GOP billionaires for busting unions and dismantling government, supports union refs, a union football team, and ownership of that team, the Green Bay Packers, by the community – without a profit incentive.

Next time there is a recall effort against Walker, he should be targeted as a promoter of sports socialism – because he is.

The Gannett headline, after all, is, "Union-buster Scott Walker calls for return of union refs."

Originally posted here: http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/17528-cheese-head-hypocrisy-union-crusher-scott-walker-wants-union-refs-back-after-packer-loss

Scott Brown staffers do "Indian war whoop", "tomahawk chop"

Way to go these brain surgeon Buffalo Bills.

Rachel Maddow - Scott Brown takes the racial low road

Ann Romney responds to campaign criticism: You People Leave Mitt Alone!

Bad calls mount as as anger to scab referees does. Billionaires who don't care about the product they sell prosper.

Elizabeth Warren for MA | TV Ad: Family

Elizabeth Warren answers back Scott Brown's attacks on her Indian heritage.

Tommy Thompson Says He Has A Plan To "Do Away With Medicaid And Medicare"

Tommy Thompson has a plan to kill Medicaid. Who better than me to kill the last entitlement program.

Romney in Final Push to Alienate Remaining Voters : The New Yorker

Romney in Final Push to Alienate Remaining Voters : The New Yorker

NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—With just forty-three days to go until the election, Mitt Romney is in a race against time to offend the few voters he has not already alienated, his campaign manager said today.

“So far, Mitt’s efforts to make voters dislike him have gone exactly as planned,” said the campaign manager Matt Rhoades. “But let’s not kid ourselves—we’ve still got a few supporters out there and we’ve got to find ways to piss them off.”

As Mr. Romney embarked on a bus tour with the goal of spreading additional unease about his candidacy, his campaign manager reflected on a program of systematic alienation that has so far “worked like clockwork.”

“We really got the ball rolling at the Olympics,” Mr. Rhoades said. “I seriously doubted that Mitt could turn a visit to London into a show of international ineptitude, but he was like, ‘Matt, trust me—I can do this.’ ”

Mr. Rhoades also credited the addition of Rep. Paul Ryan to the ticket for being “invaluable” in scaring off potential voters: “Mitt knew he could get booed off the stage at the N.A.A.C.P., but it takes someone special to get booed off the stage at the A.A.R.P.”

The campaign manager acknowledged that there were “a few hiccups” in the plan to turn off voters, but that the Romney team worked quickly to fix them: “At the Convention in Tampa, Clint Eastwood was planning to go out and read a prepared speech endorsing Mitt. I pulled him aside and said, ‘Clint, that will ruin everything we’re trying to do here. Shout at a chair instead.’ And then we were golden.”

The “secret video” showing Mr. Romney at a fundraiser was another coup for the campaign, Mr. Rhoades said, adding, “We actually shot that video ourselves and then ‘leaked’ it to Mother Jones. It was the simplest way we could think of to take forty-seven per cent of the votes off the table.”

Mr. Rhoades admitted that he is gratified by how well the campaign’s plan to offend different constituencies has worked so far, but with only six weeks to go until the election, they are leaving nothing to chance: “This week, we’re releasing a video of Mitt swinging a cat by its tail.”

originally posted here:  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2012/09/romney-in-final-push-to-alienate-remaining-voters.html#ixzz27RHHMKIv

Mitt Romney Show: forty seven

The Mitt Romney Show: Forty Seven from John Busher on Vimeo.

Scott Brown: Republican, Why Not?

Self-deportation station

Self Deportation Station with Mary Steenburgen & George Lopez from Mary Steenburgen

Ted Koppel assesses Fox News

Horny Mitt Romney

Is that fair to the guy who makes $50,000 and paid a higher rate than yo...

Yes Mitt thinks it's fair that his tax rate is lower than someone making 50K. It's good to have a president who represents everyone.

Song for the night. The Boss is 63. Bruce Springsteen - Surprise Surprise

Crooks and Liars: Chris Hayes: 'This is What Plutocracy Looks Like'

Of course this is what plutocracy looked like during the gilded age.

Or here:

And of course you have Mitt Romney talking to his plutocrats

Cheryl Describes Meeting Mitt Romney - OFA Colorado

A second good cartoon from Clay Bennett

Good Clay Bennett cartoon very funny

Schools Matter: Today in NYC a rally against Don't back Down. Look at Chicago Teacher Union and you'll see real thing

Schools Matter: Today in NYC:

'via Blog this'

PARENTS "Won’t Back Down"

FROM FIGHTING THE CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF OUR SCHOOLS!

The film “Won’t Back Down” is backed by conservative billionaires Rupert Murdoch and Philip Anschtuz. The law portrayed in the movie, called parent trigger, claims to be about parent empowerment but actually promotes the privatization of public schools and blaming teachers for struggling schools. The movie claims to be 'inspired by actual events' but not a single school in the country has successfully used Parent Trigger. 

This Sunday, at the red carpet world premiere of the movie, JOIN us in showing Hollywood & the paparazzi the REAL parents who "won't back down."

=> Sunday at 4:30pm

Ziegfeld Theatre

Meet at corner on 54th st. and 6th Ave. Midtown

Subways: B, D, E to 7th ave, N, Q, R or F to 57th St.-7th Ave.

For more info, call or Email Julian Vinocur (212) 328-9268,julian@aqeny.org

originally posted here: http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/09/today-in-nyc.html

From Celebrity net worth:

The players in the movie who are nowhere near the kids they pretend to care about on film.

Rosie Perez net worth 8,000,000

Maggie Gyllanhaal 15,000,000

Viola Davis 3,000,000

Holly Hunter 14,000,000

Two rich people who play poor people, on the big screen, who are helping a couple of billionaire's attempts to change the flow of public money into billionaire pockets.

The Ones who are bankrolling the movie. They've spent so much time in the inner city schools that they just have love for the underprivileged students. Either that or they're hoping to get their hands on the public money and their other businesses or hoping to get a cut of the education money

Rupert Murdoch 8,300,000,000

Philip Anschtuz 7,000,000,000 (34 richest man in the world)

Either that or maybe they can give up all their acting gigs and their business deals and take a job as a first year teacher in New York. They can show their great care. They will have to take a huge pay cut and might have to cut back their lifestyle a little.

 A first year teacher in New York City teacher starts at roughly 38,000

Todd Akin's Apology. Funny

Todd Akin's Apology from Creed Bratton

A golden oldie: an ode to Sarah Palin. Pretty Funny

The Ballad of Sarah Palin - watch more funny videos

QE3 Another Fed Give Away to the Banks

The banks own private ATM machine. The only difference they don't have to pay it back. A depression will be a bonanza for the banks as they gobble up the country's assets and give nothing back to their people.

Kofi Annan Commission Criticizes US Election Financing

Annan Commission Criticizes US Election Financing:

'via Blog this'

LONDON — A commission headed by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan charges that the soaring cost of U.S. elections is a major hindrance to democracy.  The charge appears in a report published Friday by the Global Commission on Elections and Democracy, which says its goal is to promote the integrity of elections.

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan spoke to VOA at the launch of the report in London.

He says each nation must develop an election framework that suits its needs.

"There are certain fundamental issues or fundamental requirements, which each country should try to respect.  Beyond that they know their society better, they know their environment better and they may come up with approaches that work for them.  You cannot expect everyone to solve the same problems the same way," Annan said.
In the report published Friday, the commission laid out what it sees as prerequisites for elections to take place with "integrity."

The 12-member commission includes former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former secretary general of the Council of the European Union, Javier Solana.

Also on the panel is Vidar Helgesen, head of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

"The world has seen over the last 20 years a considerable rise of democracy and correspondingly a considerable rise in the number of elections.  But we have also seen that while governments and the international community has gotten better at organizing elections, authoritarian leaders have also become better at rigging elections and they do that in more advanced ways," Helgesen said.

The report says there are five major challenges that must be overcome for elections to have integrity.  They include an effective rule of law; strong, impartial electoral management bodies to oversee the vote; and regulated political financing.
Helgesen singles out the United States as a country where, he says, uncontrolled political financing is a problem.  He says soaring costs are undermining citizens' trust in their system.

"The American people through credible opinion polls have indicated that the problem is on the rise.  Two-thirds of the American people say that their trust in the political system has been weakened by the recent developments in political financing - the Super PACS. 

Even more people think that politicians can more easily become corrupted and Congress is to a large extent representing special interests rather than the holistic interests of society," Helgesen said.

Spending in the U.S. has been boosted by a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that effectively scrapped limits on corporate and union spending in elections.  Now Super PACs, or political action committees, and tax-exempt advocacy groups can support candidates without a cap on spending, as long as they do not coordinate with official campaigns.  
Those in the U.S. who advocate increased spending on elections say it helps promote democracy.

Paul Sherman is an attorney at the Institute for Justice, a libertarian law firm based in the United States.  He says high campaign spending means a more informed electorate.

"By having reduced regulations on campaign finance it makes it easier for more different types of voices to get in so we don't have a political debate that is dominated entirely by the central parties themselves," Sherman said.

The Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security is an international initiative aimed at promoting the integrity of elections.  It was launched in South Africa last year.

Funding for the report came from the Kofi Annan Foundation, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, along with the governments of Australia, the Netherlands, and Norway.

• Originally Published here: 
http://www.voanews.com/content/election-us-cost-commission/1508505.html

LP: I would never say those political ads inform anyone other than make people sick.