The can’t-do attitude of Blue Dogs
July 22, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is
Attention Blue Dogs
July 22, 2009
by David SafierThis says it well. If President Barack Obama succeeds in signing a major health care reform bill into law – one that provides a public plan for people currently priced out of the system – he will achieve what at least three presidents before him had hoped for, and failed to do. And
Health insurance lobby cherry-picks data in effort to defeat health care reform
July 22, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Washington Post reports on the maxim “lies, damn lies, and statistics” used by the health insurance lobby to cherry-pick data in its effort to defeat healthcare reform and maintain the status quo. The article debunks point by point the inconsistencies and half-truths by insurers in their efforts to defeat healthcare reform.
The Accidental Governor floats a trial balloon to Democrats
July 22, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: At her Tuesday press conference, the Accidental Governor floated a trial balloon to Democratic legislators. She said that she might allow the state property tax to go back on the books this fall if doing so would result in Democratic support for a ballot referral to raise the sales tax. Brewer, Democrats
UPDATE: More navel-gazing at the Legislature
July 21, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: On Monday the Legislature convened for the third week of the Special Session, but could not muster a quorum. Only 26 members of the House and 12 members of the Senate showed up. No quorum? No big deal, lawmakers say They held some discussions on the budget impasse, and agreed to reconvene
I regret the error
July 21, 2009
by David SafierI wrote a post about tax hikes, estate taxes and Tea Partiers. In it, I approximated the amount an estate has to be worth before it's taxed at $1 million. A reader corrected me. A single person's estate has to reach $3.5 million before it's taxed. For a couple, it's $7 million. The
Obama lowers crime rate
July 20, 2009
by David SafierWhat the hell. Why not give Obama credit for the lowered crime rate? No one has a better reason. Violent crime has plummeted in the Washington area and in major cities across the country, a trend criminologists describe as baffling and unexpected. The article doesn't give Obama credit, and no sensible social scientist
President Obama on health care reform at Children’s Hospital
July 20, 2009
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: President Obama addressed health care reform on Monday at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Obama directly challenged the partisan comment from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) last week. Text of prepared Remarks by the President on Health Care at Children's Hospital (excerpt): Now, there are some in this town who are content to
