If you prick corporations, do they not bleed?

Posted on August 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

“Corporations are people, my friend,” says Mitt Romney, who looks like a middle-aged Ken doll and acts like he has an industrial coolant coursing through his veins. Or maybe I’m just prejudiced against soulless enemies of the poor and jobless, even after these enemies stop wearing neckties and pretend to be regular Joes.

From ThinkProgress:

Romney’s antagonists are right that corporate money flows right into Romney’s pockets. Indeed, Romney has taken more money from corporate and other lobbyists than all the other GOP candidates put together, and this will likely only be the beginning for Romney if he becomes the GOP nominee.

Ever since the Supreme Court revealed that it shares Romney’s inability to distinguish between corporations and actual human beings, corporations have lined up to buy GOP victories in elections across the country. After Citizens United, conservative secret donors outspent progressives 8 to 1 in the 2010 election cycle.

Footnote: The New Bottom Line suggests sending this message to Romney on Facebook or Twitter: “Hey Mitt Romney, you say corporations put money in people’s pockets. We want to know, which people?”

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Politics, unemployment, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

London looters bypass bookstores… Sign o’ the times?

Posted on August 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

Looter A: Listen, mate, two quid will get you ten boxes of the latest Franzen, in hardcover.
Looter B: Bollocks! What about the new Xbox 360 games?

Cutbacks in social services for the poor helped trigger riots this week in England, and good old consumerism kept enthusiasm high among participants. Interestingly, looters were quick to hit outlets that sold hi-tech toys, but they shunned bookstores. Were they put off because they don’t read or because books have little resale value?

From The Atlantic Wire:

Most people seem to be embracing the theory that the rioters simply didn’t want books, particularly in the digital age. “The only shop NOT looted down the road from where I live was Waterstones [bookstore],” British author Patrick French tweeted. “I guess the rioters have Kindles–bought or looted.” Martin Fletcher touched on a similar theme at the end of a report for NBC News. “A final thought that may say a lot about our times,” he concluded. “In this shopping center every store had been looted but one, the book store.” The “underlying message for bookshops,” The Economist adds, is “hardly front-page news: looters, like more conventional consumers, are all too happy to ignore their wares.”

Big Green Bookshop co-owner Simon Key, however, suggests the rioters may have been motivated more by economics than pure consumer desire. “The people who were doing this were mainly going for phone shops, high fashion shops and HMV, looking for stuff that they could sell on,” he told The Financial Times. “Bookshops weren’t top of the list.”

Posted in arts, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, humor, livable cities, mainstream media, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

One reason so many current movies suck

Posted on August 11, 2011 by oddmanout215

Beware, paunchy whiners

The leading men are either pumped up and dim or paunchy whiners who still live with their parents. Hollywood actors used to have more range. Even in the hippie era there was Robert Redford, who could do romantic comedy then convincingly portray legendary Indian fighter Jeremiah Johnson. Now we have Zach Galifianakis, Jeremiah Johnson’s ugly brother, playing the type of guy who couldn’t fight his way up to the bar at happy hour.

It’s not only that the current crop contains few men who can play badass, heroic types. It’s that they apparently can’t even play strong, ordinary guys who have to deal with bad bosses, joblessness, poverty and other ordinary problems.

A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis recently wrote:

The male archetypes populating contemporary movies don’t line up with reality, yet they offer clues about what the men of our dreams look like, or at least what moviemakers are trying to sell us. What do men want? What does it mean to be a man? How does a man relate to other men? And perhaps above all, how does he relate to women, who increasingly occupy a separate sphere on the big screen…

OK, there are relatively young male stars with gravitas — Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Matt Damon and a few others.

But look at most of them — Zach, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Steve Carroll, Ryan Gosling, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Kevin James, Shia LaBeouf, on and on — and tell me what there is that’s admirable or even interesting about the new “archetypes.” Do women really want see movies about homely guys who seem apathetic and lame? Or about guys who can’t assert themselves unless they turn into comic book superheroes? Or are such movies aimed only at male audiences?

Clarification: Yes, every generation thinks the next generation sucks, but in this case the evidence is too damning to allow for any other conclusion. Wanna fight about it? I didn’t think so.

For women readers: Who are your favorite male movie actors?

Posted in arts, humor, mainstream media, movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Obama a liability in Wisconsin recall efforts?

Posted on August 11, 2011 by oddmanout215

To establish a majority in the state Senate, Wisconsin Democrats needed to defeat three of the six Republicans challenged in recall elections held Tuesday. They defeated two. A good day but not good enough, arguably because Barack Obama and other national Dem leaders make it hard for voters to distinguish between Dem and Republican philosophies of government.

From FDL:

The consistent message from the national Democratic Party and President Obama is that “this is the era of austerity…” Although [Obama] claimed to favor worker rights, he unilaterally froze federal worker salaries. And then he told the elderly that they needed to accept “adjustments” in their pensions and health care after extending tax breaks for the wealthy… With such a profoundly misguided and destructive message coming from the president and national leaders, it must have been particularly difficult for Wisconsin citizens to explain why voters should recall Republican state senators for taking positions their president and party were embracing in Washington. To be sure, Wisconsin’s Tea-Party Governor [Scott Walker] is a fraud, and his party’s actions have been abusive and excessive in slashing state programs and benefits. But Walker’s budget goals and methods are consistent with those of his national counterparts…

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

SugarHouse workers to bet on unionizing

Posted on August 10, 2011 by oddmanout215

Sure, the SugarHouse Casino next to the Delaware River is an eyesore and a sick solution to the scarcity of good jobs in Philadelphia. However, casino workers deserve job security and a fairer share of the loot that’s not being sucked out of Philly by Chicago billionaire Neil Bluhm and others with large stakes in the gambling parlor.

A group of union leaders and preachers showed up in person at the casino Friday to officially inform management that a unionization effort was in progress. City Paper noted:

What will happen next isn’t clear: The workers could file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board, but that process would likely take months, if not longer. They could also ask SugarHouse to extend voluntary recognition.

Good luck, but watch out for Bluhm and the politicians in Philly and Harrisburg who used every dirty trick in the book to get SugarHouse up and running.

Posted in casinos, City Hall, City Paper, economic collapse, Great Recession, Philadelphia, Politics, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Sexist-crazed NOW leader rips Newsweek

Posted on August 10, 2011 by oddmanout215

It’s “sexist,” says National Organization for Women President Terry O’Neill, in high dudgeon over Newsweek’s cover photo of crazy-eyed Michele Bachmann looking crazy-eyed. As if readers might look at the photo and suspect Bachmann is… you know, crazy. As if her on-the-record views don’t encourage this suspicion.

Bachmann said in 2004 that being gay is “personal enslavement,” and that, if same-sex marriage were legalized, “little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and that perhaps they should try it.” Speaking about gay-rights activists, that same year, she said, “It is our children that is the prize for this community.” She believes that evolution is a theory that has “never been proven,” and that intelligent design should be taught in schools.

The above quote-out is from a recent New Yorker profile of Bachmann, carefully written and free of judgmental assertions. Guess what — she still seems crazy.

O’Neill also objected to Newsweek referring to Bachmann as “the queen of rage” and declared that no man would be labeled “king of” this or that. Maybe not, but mainstream media outlets (the New Yorker aside) routinely portray public figures in ways that reflect what they imagine their audiences think of these figures.

This has nothing to do with sexism. Howard Dean was toast in 2004 after that tape of him urging supporters to keep fighting was shown. The media portrayed him as borderline crazy, though he was anything but.

Would O’Neill have objected if Newsweek ran a flattering photo of Bachmann with a text that dishonestly portrayed her as well-educated, rational and tolerant? I doubt it.

My point is that O’Neill is wedded to tired old slogans and can’t see the forest for the trees. She should choose her battles more wisely instead of saying things that end up as talking points on Fox News.

Posted in humor, mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Toomey = tax breaks for the rich, no new jobs

Posted on August 9, 2011 by oddmanout215

Don’t forget to turn out tomorrow to ask Pat Toomey where the jobs are, but don’t expect a straight answer. This guy toes the party line, as I found out during a recent back-and-forth with him or, more likely, with his e-mail flack.

From: Sen. Pat Toomey
To: David McKenna

Thank you for contacting me about the debt limit… As you know, the debt limit is an important issue before Congress right now. The current limit, which was last raised in February 2010, is $14.3 trillion… As you may know, total federal spending has doubled since 2000. In addition, recent deficits have grossly exceeded those that we were running only a few years ago… It is clear that Washington has a serious spending problem, and the American people want Congress to make the tough choices necessary to address it… I therefore value your input as I continue working with my Senate colleagues on the debt limit and restoring fiscal responsibility. Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

From: David McKenna
To: Sen. Pat Toomey

Yes, Washington has “a serious spending problem” in that it spent vast amounts of taxpayer money to salvage banks in 2008 rather than to put back to work the millions of people left jobless by the economic collapse… Most of our debt stems from the George W. Bush years and involves massive tax breaks for the rich and spending on foreign wars. Now, with so many people jobless and tax rates for the wealthiest at record lows, it is almost impossible to generate sufficient revenues to keep the deficit from skyrocketing… Your sudden interest in the “debt limit” would seem to have less to do with “restoring fiscal responsibility” than with trying to permanently install outrageously low tax rates… Thank you for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Philly’s turf war against flash mobs

Posted on August 9, 2011 by oddmanout215

I had to laugh when I saw the Agence France-Presse story about the “flash mob curfew” now in effect in my obscenely humid hometown:

The measure was the latest effort to secure a city famous as the site of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence and drafting of the US Constitution, but which has spent years trying to overcome violent crime.

The story has a written-from-a-distance feel, which probably means the writer has no idea how much more violent Philly was a few years ago (in terms of fatalities) or in the early 1980s, or in the early 1970s, when gangs fought throughout the city to expand their turf, and God help you if you walked past the wrong gang’s favorite streetcorner.

The reason Philly violence is getting special attention now is because the punks in the flash mobs have been beating up people in Center City and are therefore a threat to affluent residents, tourists, big spenders from the suburbs and, in general, the city’s somewhat improved national and international image.

The curfew is to send a message: If you guys want to maim or kill people, do so in your own neighborhoods, away from the well-off sections of town.

Posted in City Hall, economic collapse, Great Recession, humor, livable cities, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

London calling… for more firefighters

Posted on August 9, 2011 by oddmanout215

Fans of the Clash must feel nostalgic watching events unfold in London and other English cities, where economic austerity (starve the poor) and rioting are back in style. The New Yorker quotes a Labour Party official who warned last fall that cuts to public and social services were a recipe for chaos:

These unpalatable and unnecessary cuts will be disastrous for our community. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives risk throwing us back to the 1980s, when the frustration and anger that flowed from squandered talent and relentless poverty led to social unrest.

I guess Prime Minister David Cameron, who was vacationing at a villa in Tuscany, thought such warnings were a lot of rot.

Cameron’s counterparts in America no doubt feel the same way about warnings from those who think impending large-scale spending cuts will have dire social consequences. Riots in America? Don’t be ridiculous.

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A no-class-system-in-America joke

Posted on August 8, 2011 by oddmanout215

Oldie-but-goodie found on the Internet — Two English professors run into each other and start shooting the breeze:

Professor A: “B, old chap, I haven’t seen you for a long while.”
Professor B: “I’ve been away in America researching my new book.”
Professor A: “Ah, what’s the topic?”
Professor B: “The persistence of social classes in America.”
Professor A: “Why, I didn’t think they had social classes in America!”
Professor B: “Neither do they. That’s how they persist.”

For weeks blowhards from both major political parties insisted the country would implode without “across the board” sacrifices. But then both houses of Congress voted for legislation that did not include long-overdue tax increases for the wealthy. Then, after having helped seal the disastrous deficit deal, Barack Obama called for a “balanced approach” to reducing the deficit.

To do otherwise would be to risk being accused of “class warfare” by David Brooks, aka the Earnest Weasel, and other right-wing propagandists, who also like to make the contradictory claim that there are no classes in America.

But Obama doesn’t take risks and he doesn’t believe in classes, except for the elitist gang that helped bring him to power — the one that stretches from Wall Street to certain Ivy League schools to the University of Chicago.

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Depression, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, taxes, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment