Education.

No superman, my deep affection for John Legend notwithstanding.

War, Military, Defense

Costs

• Bwwahahahaha... :(  Mitch Daniels (OMB) in 2002: THREATS AND RESPONSES: THE COST; WHITE HOUSE CUTS ESTIMATE OF COST OF WAR WITH IRAQ - New York Times  (12/31/2002)
• The administration's top budget official estimated today that the cost of a war with Iraq could be in the range of $50 billion to $60 billion, a figure that is well below earlier estimates from White House officials.
• Cost of war since 2011
• Losing Our Way - Bob Hebert NYT, 3/2011 
• we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and police officers, and generally letting the bottom fall out of the quality of life here at home
• What $312 million (MD jackpot) can buy: 1 Day in Afghanistan - baltimoresun.com (3/2011)

Human Costs

• Casualties of War | (2011)  ...a single battalion based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, who since returning from duty in Iraq had been involved in brawls, beatings, rapes, drunk driving, drug deals, domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, kidnapping and suicides. Returning soldiers were committing murder at a rate 20 times greater than other young American males. A seperate investiagtion into the high suicide rate among veterans published in the New York Times in October 2010 revealed that three times as many California veterans and active service members were dying soon after returning home than those being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. We hear little about the personal hell soldiers live through after returning home.”
• The Veteran Suicide Epidemic - AlterNet (6/13/2012) http://goo.gl/LlklC -- Now that our troops are actually coming home from Iraq, many are killing themselves. Why?

Libya

• 10 ways Libya 2011 is not like Iraq 2003 Juan Cole (3/2011)

Iraq

• Condi Rice Blind To Hindsight On Iraq: 'It Was A Security Threat' | ThinkProgress (Nov 2, 2011) http://bit.ly/soa3fA 

Aghanistan

Spotlight on the Senatorfold

Looks like Scott Brown is becoming more and more like Mitt Romney--his positions change whenever it is convenient.  Thought he was a moderate?  Maybe he was.  Well he's not any more.

The senator, who probably hasn't looked at the bill he supports, simply didn't believe it. Brown kept arguing that the Blunt Amendment is only about religious freedom. He's wrong. 

The Republican proposal aims to allow all private-sector employers to deny any health services that businesses might find morally objectionable. Do you work for a grocery store owner who opposes contraception? You're out of luck. How about an accounting firm that doesn't like HIV tests? Too bad. Are you an employee at a factory that finds cervical cancer screenings offensive? Good luck to you.

--The Maddow Blog - Scott Brown stumbles on policy basics  

---
We know he loves attention!

Excellent analysis of the political and media game that Scott Brown has been playing--one in which he says the "moderate" thing, even tho it belies his conservative votes, and in so doing gathers credit from the media and thus successfully paints himself as a palateable "independent", electable/voteable by the MA voter.  This time, it's about Planned Parenthood and Title X funding, but there's a pattern with his votes on unemployment, wall street regulation and on and on.  Worth a full read but here's an excerpt:

Local Action, Big Impact

(copy of this email) Elections, Citizen Activists become Citizen Candidates, An Act to Invest in Our Communities (fair taxation), Beer Party

Vote Scott Muldoon for Town Meeting

UPDATE APRIL 2012: I am linking back to this post, from here, to urge people to again vote for (Kenneth) Scott Muldoon, who has been redistricted into Precinct F for 2012.  I'm editing this post to remove the info from 2011 that would be confusing for today's vote, in 2012! 2012 ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY APRIL 10

I was very excited to hear that Scott Muldoon, our friend, Obama 08 phone bank captain, and tireless advocate for progressive causes and candidates, has decided to run for Needham Town Meeting!*

Scott's thoughtfulness and thoroughness on the issues, commitment to Needham and its citizens, will serve our town's legislative body well.

If you live in Precinct F g, or know people who do, please vote for Scott Muldoon for Town Meeting!  (If you  want to ask the candidate questions, I'm sure he won't mind me sharing his contact info (as I have done it so often before for phone banks and other activities):  email him at Scott.Muldoon(at)Gmail.com.  I would also be very happy to try to address any questions you might have about Scott, town meeting or anything else, and help you find the info if I can't help you!

I am also hoping that Scott will be able to make it to the 3rd Ever Pre-Election Beer Party, tentatively scheduled for April 10 (Sunday) at my house (remember, it's the New Tradition:  beer party at my house on the Sunday before the Tuesday election!)

*check your precinct by entering your address at WhereDoIVoteMa.com, or by looking at Needham's Precinct Map from the town website.  

Raise Revenue, Invest in Our Communities, Our Futures

[UPDATE:  for latest scoop on this bill, see the Progressive Massachusetts legislation guide, (to go directly to the Act to Invest page, click here)]


An Act to Invest in Our Communities (House Docket 2553 02261 & Senate Docket 01416 1012: click links on bill #s to see the Bill's progress thru the legislative process.
UPDATE: GENERAL HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 5/5/2011--please contact your legislator ASAP)

For lots of great information on this, go to One Massachusetts's materials on revenue reform.

Nice overview of what's true/false about taxes in Massachusetts and why we are where we are today.

We need lots of grassroots pressure on the legislature to pass this. Please contact your representatives and urge their support--and ADVOCACY!--of "An Act to Invest in Our Communities".

from CBPP.org

Needham residents, contact:
State Senator Richard Ross: 617-722-1555, richard.ross@masenate.gov
State Representative Denise Garlick: 617-722-2430, denise.garlick@mahouse.gov
--NOT IN NEEDHAM? FIND your State Legislators here


AFTER YOU'VE MADE YOUR CALL/EMAIL--CHECK IN BELOW, so we can begin to measure our grassroots impact/efforts!:



MORE INFO

• Post Blue Mass. Group:: Please, Raise my taxes (3/2011)
• Sen. Jamie Eldridge on Budget Priorities (3/2011)
  • The fact is, our communities can’t afford more cuts, especially not two billion dollars. This is the time to invest in our communities, to keep the quality schools and services that make our state a good place to live and do business.// Everyone has programs and services they want the government to spend money on, but very few want to talk about how those services are paid for – with tax dollars. We all need to do a better job of being honest about the reality of our budget, and what we do and do not value as a Commonwealth.

Response from State Sen. Ross, 4/13/2011

Thank you for contacting my office about the “Act to Invest in our Communities “ bill. In this difficult economic times it is crucial to continue to invest in our public infrastructure to continue to provide for the high quality services the people of the Commonwealth have come to expect from their government institutions. That being said we must also find a way to encourage business growth and reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate. While these problems seem disconnected, they both impact the already strained budget that the legislature is beginning to tackle in the coming weeks and months.

That is why I will be interested in the information and financial analysis that will come to light after the public hearing of An Act to Invest in Our Communities. While I appreciate the creative approach to raising revenues, we need to know more about the broad impact of this legislation on the Commonwealth and on the services, such as education, that you mentioned.

Thank you for contacting me and if you have any future questions or concerns please contact my office.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Ross

State Senator

//

The Middle Class Fights Back: Wisconsin and more

(related content at: On Unions, "Class Warfare" and "It's the Economy, Stupid" posts)

Those greedy, lazy teachers succubi (from 2/28/2011)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crisis in Dairyland - Angry Curds
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Teachers vs. Wall Street 3/2011

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crisis in Dairyland - For Richer and Poorer - Teachers and Wall Street
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Contact Scott Walker directly : govgeneral@wisconsin.gov or (608) 266-1212\

On the Protests/Argument

• Sarah Palin Bombs In Wisconsin As Only 6,500 Attend Tea Party Rally, Politicus (April 16, 2011):

• "Forget being a presidential candidate, Sarah Palin isn’t even a decent headliner" 
• More on Sarah Palin in this separate blog entry
• MoJo, 3/1/2011: How will it keep going?

Polls, polls, polls

• Baacklash: Cops, firefighters turn on GOP in labor fight - POLITICO.com  (3/2011)
• Wisconsin Poll: Republican Enthusiasm Gap Vanishes in Wisconsin. Silver lining. 3/2011
• Daily Kos: Majority of early emails sent to Scott Walker were oppositional  ((3/2011)  

In Bed with the Corporatocracy

• The Republican governor's budget plan would open the state up to a corporate asset-grab not seen since robber baron capitalism (3/2011, Guardian)  
• A peek into Governor Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" reveals a shop of horrors that is just the opposite of actually repairing the budget. Among the items listed in the bill until Wednesday night were selloffs of state power generation facilities – in no-bid contracts notoriously prone to insider dealing. The 37 facilities he wants to sell off that produce heating and cooling at low cost to the state's universities and prisons. Walker's budget repair bill would have unloaded them at a low price, presumably to campaign contributors such as Koch Industries – and then stick the bill for producing this power at higher rates to Wisconsin taxpayers in perpetuity. (And this is all being sold as a "taxpayer relief" plan!) Invariably, this will make its way into new legislation once attention is diverted from the current controversy.

This is a Political not a Fiscal Issue

• Walker Emails show steps considered to punish Democrats (3/2011) 

Allies/Supporters of WI Union

• Catholic Bishops Back Wis. Union Protesters - Beliefnet News (3/2011)
• The Back Forty » Hey, GOP: How’s That Union-busting Thing Working Out for You?  (5/12/2011)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crisis in Dairyland - For Richer and Poorer
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

(3/3/2011, Crisis in Dairyland: For Richer and Poorer)

Government/Public Employee Compensation

• Wisconsin public unions: Don't join the government to get rich | The Economist (2/2011)