Daily Archives: Dec. 24, 2007

System rigged against American dream

Dec. 24, 20071:01 p.m.

Monopolyman An integral part of the American dream for many is the hope that their children will have an even more prosperous life than they themselves enjoyed. A recent Pew study, however, found that the dream is fading. On the backs of bloated credit card bills and rising costs of living, many families are dancing with the breaking point. Meanwhile, the rich keep getting richer. Bob Herbert of the New York Times blames the growing inequality on the system.
"We’re running out of smoke and mirrors," he wrote. "The fundamental problem, the problem that is destroying the dream, is the extreme inequality pounded into the system by the corporate crowd and its handmaidens in government. . . . When such an overwhelming portion of the economic benefits are skewed toward a tiny portion of the population — as has happened in the U.S. over the past few decades — it’s impossible for the society as a whole not to suffer."
Posted by Kristin Mehler

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Economy | Comments (123)

Gifts for that political geek

Dec. 24, 200712:58 p.m.

Pauldollar Still looking for Christmas presents for that politically minded certain someone? The New York Times political blog made a top 10 list of gifts for political geeks. It included a voting machine from Palm Beach County, Fla., which is for sale for $219.95 on a Web site run by Dennis Kucinich’s campaign; an instructional judo video done by Russian President and Time magazine Person of the Year Vladimir Putin; and a commemorative Ron Paul liberty dollar.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under U.S. politics | Comments (3)

Open thread 12/24

Dec. 24, 20071:05 a.m.

Thread_3

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (35)

Good riddance to in-state tuition suit

Dec. 24, 20071:03 a.m.

Hispanicstudents The legal challenge to the 2004 law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Kansas public universities and colleges hit the wall last week when the federal appeals court in Denver denied a request that the full court rehear the case. This decision again hinges on the lack of legal standing of the out-of-state plaintiffs to challenge the law because they didn’t face “concrete and imminent” injury.
But the law remains a modest and humane recognition that capable illegal immigrant kids — brought to this state by their parents — ought to have the same shot at college as their fellow Kansas high school graduates. When they better themselves by going to college, Kansas benefits, too.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Immigration | Comments (57)

Huckabee putting fear of God into GOP establishment

Dec. 24, 20071:01 a.m.

Huckabeepointright It’s the Republican establishment that is most concerned about the rise of GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. That’s because Huckabee’s surge “represents a break with what has been standard operating procedure within the GOP for more than a generation,” wrote Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne. Huckabee’s evangelical supporters are bucking the marching orders of entrenched religious right leaders, Dionne said, and his economic populism has Wall Street worried.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Presidential race | Comments (100)

Do not price college students out of the pill

Dec. 24, 20071:00 a.m.

Birthcontrol 2007 has not been kind to poor college students on birth control pills. Since the Deficit Reduction Act took effect in January, the price of birth control for college students has gone from pennies a day to around $50 a month. That may not seem like much, but for a student sans steady income, it makes the pill a luxury. The American College Health Association reports that as pill prices rise, so do student visits for emergency contraception and pregnancy tests.
The solution is simple: Change the language of a few bills to include college health providers on the list of discount-eligible pharmaceutical providers, at no expense to the taxpayer. Supporters include Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
It should be noted by those blocking such action that women at that age are prescribed birth control to regulate a wide array of medical issues aside from pregnancy prevention.
Posted by Kristin Mehler

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under American life | Comments (50)