Category Archives: News
Inequality
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“It’s why I think about it as a lost decade for families.”
– Larry Mishel, president of the liberal think tank Economic Policy Institute, in response to a report by the Federal Reserve about the sharp decline in net worth of the American middle class in the period from 2000 to 2007.
The Federal Reserve report notes that the average income for U.S. families fell 11.1% in that period; the first time since the late 1940’s that workers made almost no progress on wages throughout an entire business cycle.
And, the Republican response? Obama is a socialist, and we just need to keep giving Wall Street more tax breaks! Thanks to tax breaks for all those “job creators” we’re in the worst economic recession in 80 years. But, those assholes in the GOP still don’t get it.
Filed under News
Red Rose Day
Today, June 12, is “Red Rose Day.” Red roses are the most popular color of roses, which in turn, are one of the most popular flowers. They were actually introduced to Europe from China in the 1800’s. Red roses are a symbol of love and romance. The color red itself is also perhaps the most striking, since it’s a primary color. But, red grabs people’s attention; one reason why stop signs are red and red lights adorn police cars and ambulances. Therefore, it’s considered an aggressive color. But, since red is the same color as blood, it’s an emblem of life. In Greek and Roman mythologies, the red rose was affiliated closely with the deities of love, Aphrodite and Venus, respectively. And, as you might suspect, June happens to be the most popular month for weddings in the Northern Hemisphere. You really don’t need a special day or occasion to give someone a red rose; just give one or more to those special people in your life.
Special thanks to fellow blogger Sunny Sleevez who describes herself as a “freckly red head.” That just happens to be my favorite hair color, so sometimes, things just turn out right.
Filed under News
Tax Rates, 1960-2010
This puts the taxation mess into perspective. The wealthiest 10% still won’t be scrambling to update their resumes should tax rates be evened out, like they were in the 1990’s. In other words, Ann Romney really won’t have to go out and find a job for the first time in her adult life. Besides, she’ll have a stroke when she realizes, at her age, it’s tough out there. Source.
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“I couldn’t get a disease named after me, so I settled for a tax.”
– Billionaire investor and businessman Warren Buffett, on the so-called “Buffett Rule,” a proposal that would make Americans with annual incomes above $1 million to pay a 30% tax rate.
He doesn’t have to worry about not having a disease named after him. There are plenty of people in both houses of Congress – mostly Republicans – who could take his place on that level.
Filed under News
Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert is a resident of the Hopi community in Arizona and therefore, is very concerned about Senate Bill 2109, which I’ve discussed in previous posts; including just yesterday. The Hopi and Navajo communities are still battling against this piece of pending legislation. This post is from Matthew’s blog “Beyond the Mesas,” in which former Navajo Chairman Peter MacDonald explains why SB 2109 is fraught with danger and racism. I honestly think Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain still believe the Hopi and Navajo communities will just let this go and ultimately not fight it. Let’s show them how wrong they are!
MacDonald: If Navajo can build casinos, it can build waterlines
Gallup Independent June 7, 2012
By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — If the Navajo Nation can borrow $200 million to build casinos, why would it give away the Navajo people’s future for $199 million worth of groundwater projects when it could borrow the money, build the pipelines itself and not have to answer to anybody?
That’s what former Navajo Nation Chairman Peter Mac-Donald wants to know.
“It doesn’t make sense to me at all,” he said. “You don’t have to give anything away that belongs to your people and particularly to the future generation.”
But that is exactly what Navajo will be doing if it agrees to the proposed Navajo-Hopi Little Colorado River Settlement and the two water projects it offers, he believes.
“It’s really sickening to see senators and representatives exploit the economic misery of the…
View original post 854 more words
Petition Update
Little Colorado River
As I first reported back on April 4, Arizona Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain proposed Senate Bill 2109, the “Navajo – Hopi Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2012,” this past February, which would give Arizona corporations total control over the state’s waters. Mining interests were a key player in the bill’s development. More importantly, though, the bill would require the residents of the Navajo and Hopi communities to relinquish all rights to ground and subterranean water, including the right to sue for damages resulting from possible water contamination.
It’s one of the most egregious pieces of legislation to come before the U.S. Senate. Kyl and McCain obviously think the Navajo and Hopi people will just roll over and let this become law. I started a petition shortly after learning about this on Change.org to demand the bill be removed from consideration. It’s garnered close to 10,000 signatures, but I’d like to see it reach and surpass that goal. Please forward this on to interested parties and invite them to take action. Regardless of whose livelihood is at stake, mining companies have a poor history of community welfare. This situation could happen anywhere in the nation. It already has in some locations, such as Oklahoma’s Tar Creek area, which I know a lot about. I lived and worked in that area for nearly 4 months in early 2005. Trust me when I tell you that mining companies have no problems wreaking havoc on the environment and leaving surrounding communities to deal with the adverse health effects. Thank you all who have supported this petition.
Filed under News
Video of the Day
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is the most advanced spacecraft ever designed to study the sun. Since being launched by NASA in 2010, it has steadily examined the sun’s atmosphere and magnetic field. On June 5, 2012, the SDO gathered images of one of the rarest celestial events: the “Transit of Venus.” This video is a compilation of those extraordinary images.
Chief Writing Wolf 