Ha! Surviving Yet Another Week!

Tags

Election 2012, GOP, Humor, life in the foothills, Medicare, Mitt Romney, New Mexico, Paul Ryan, satire, teabaggers, women's rights

 

 

Naw, not as bad as all that, but yesterday was not our funnest day. The Contrarian had an appointment at the VA in El Paso so we negotiated that trip of lefts and rights and ended up at our destination. Much thanks to the smart phone and google maps which makes this sooo much easier.

Anyway, the El Paso VA hospital is on a military installation, part of Ft. Bliss, I assume, and so there are uniforms everywhere. (The Contrarian had been referred there by his doc at the regional VA office here in Las Cruces for some tests to determine the cause of his balance problems.)

As a sufferer of PTSD, one of his triggers is government and military edifices, so his stress was up, and mine goes up when his goes up. Well, anyway, we got ‘er done as the saying goes and returned home to a anxiety-ridden puppy who had ripped insulation from the garage door and managed to screw up the opening and closing mechanism as well. That with his chew toys left in the laundry room along with food and water which were untouched during our absence.

So today is a definite day of chillin’. The Contrarian is working on the door, and I made some roasted corn dip, and have a load of laundry a goin’ and am half-watching UP with Chris Hayes which my beloved tapes for me each weekend so I can watch the entire thing.

Whew.

So, while we are doing this, Willard is out on the stump *nudge, nudging, wink, winking* with his racist base, by making a “joke” about nobody ever asking him for his birth certificate, because “everybody knows where I was born.”

As Mark Shields said Friday night, the tiniest book in the world is the one entitled Mitt Romney’s Joke Book.

Joke my foot. It the usual pandering to the base. All the polling when you look deep enough, suggests that Romney’s chances are not something to bet in favor of  and so, it’s try try try to excite the crazies to order their sane neighbors at gun-point if necessary to the polls to vote for him. He actually did ask his “supporters” to convert someone by election day. Sad jackass.

So instead of talking about the economy, we all talked about Todd Akin and his nutzy thinking about how women’s bodies work.

Now we can put that all down to one crazy, but remember that Paul Ryan wants no exceptions to the denial of abortion that he so desires, and he wants to be but one heart beat from the Presidency.

And again, we note that Willard has the backbone of a jelly fish. So, I’m thinkin, it’s just best if we send these two back to the abacus room from whence they were hatched.

Just add it to the unending list of both sides issues that our wonderful Willard lives in. He’s for everything before he is against it.

And I hear he has a new excuse for not releasing his taxes. I just caught the headline so don’t quote me, but it seems his church doesn’t allow that. Now I wonder why if that be the case, and I wonder about how separate he really things church and state are, if that is true.

Me? I think that Willard discovered that Santa Claus wasn’t real, and decided he would never believe in anything again, except that he should be president to show his daddy that he could achieve what that dad couldn’t.

I see it this way. Paulie is good at dazzling with numbers, and of course so is Willard cuz they are numbers nerds. I’m not, and probably you aren’t either.

So, before I’m gonna believe a word that comes from their 1% lips, I’m gonna remember than in general they have been opposed to just about everything that I am for, and since they didn’t dispute their determination to dismantle this socialist program of medicare back in the day before it “mattered”, I’m thinkin’ I’m just not gonna believe a syllable coming from between their capped teeth.

Which all comes down to a platform that the GOP can sure sell to the crazies, of which there is about 15%, but of course to the rest of us, it just looks, well, crazy.

I think that it should be noted that a whole bunch of these illegits seem to be cross-eyed to boot. I don’t know what that means, I just note it.

So kiddies, it’s been another fine week and I hope you are planning lots of relaxing things to do on this a Saturday, fun-day designate. And be sure to rest on the Lord’s day, which is rest-day designate. And joy of joys we get to do it all over again after that!

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• Obama Campaign Uses Romney ‘Birther’ Joke to Raise Funds, Question GOPer’s Fitness for Office (abcnews.go.com)
• #FutureMittJokes, Now (motherboard.vice.com)

 

Snarking My Way Along

Tags

Election 2012, GOP, Health care, Humor, Medicare, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, religion, voting

 

 

I do believe that Willard and Paulie could win a contest of “whoppers” told. The crap spewing forth from those rich lips is unbelievable.

The best that Boehner the Orange can say about his pal Paulie, is that he is not a knuckle dragger conservative. That must be the Tea-Pots.

But Willard said nobody should run for President (or be a heart-beat away I assume) who doesn’t have at least 3 years in the real world of business. But Paulie has sucked off the government teat his entire life. According to Ayn Rand, that’s not compromising principles but merely recuperating “reparations”.  Go Paulie Go!

Meanwhile, it is being hotly debated whether the Willard penchant for lying is a character flaw, or a mental defect.

It is hard to understand how he can blatantly tell lies (the one about “you didn’t build this” being the MOST obvious), and not know they are lies.

Does the desire to be King of the World really cause one abandon all principle? Or is the absence of any principles the hallmark of a presidential candidate? A hard decision I reckon.

I almost look forward to the occasional gaffes by the Dems. To watch the GOP talking heads blow gaskets over the perceived “outrages” is utterly funny.

Did you see Sarah explain that she couldn’t think of a single Republican who had EVER  said such mean and outrageous things in a public campaign.

Jon Stewart then followed with a long series of snippets from her 2008 campaign. Pallin’ with terrorists ring a bell? Sistah Sarah, thou memory is short.

The Tea Tippers are sure busy telling me about how I am losin’ my freedoms at light speed. And it’s all to do with that usurper in the “WHITE” house, who shoulda have known, well that the BACK door was his entrance.

Anyway, they don’t seem to be yappin’ a bit about losing their freedom to vote across Amerika. Oh but, I forgot. It ain’t “their” kind that is, is it. It’s the young and the old and the poor and the NOT WHITE who are, and who gives a damn about them?

Which is why they are all for this supply side economics of which they know nothing at all, except that anything that takes away from the moocher class is a good thing–except that when you listen in on those conversations at those country club establishments of which ordinary folks can’t attend except as waiters–you too are declared to be of the moocher class.

And if you get you way, you will soon find that out. And then who are you gonna come crying to?

Still the choice is hard for the average red-neck.

Where are the PROTESTANTS?

Politics make strange bedfellows they always say.

And one of them doesn’t believe in condoms so I’d be very careful if I were you.

And while both sides sling mud with varying degrees of misleading jabs, we continue NOT to have the conversation that should be the hallmark of a civilized democratic society.

Do we believe that everyone who is born is a human being, precious and to be cherished such that he or she should be fed, clothed, housed, educated, medically cared for, provided with meaningful work at fair wages and with time to enjoy one’s life? Is that the bottom line basics that all of us deserve?

Or do we believe that we live in a jungle where the fittest survive, and if you are lucky, you get the best of things, and if you are not, you scrap by with hard work thankful for the end of your life and some peace?

Which is the promise of our founding? Which is the hope of our parents? Which is the vision of our species?

But then again, maybe we don’t deserve any better:

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• Paul Ryan’s Biggest Influence: 10 Things You Should Know About the Lunatic Ayn Rand (alternet.org)
• Boehner Call Conservatives “Knuckle-Draggers” (markamerica.com)
• Quote of the Day: Paul Ryan May Be Conservative, But He’s No Tea Party Knuckle Dragger (motherjones.com)

 

It’s a Boy!!!

Tags

Election 2012, GOP, health insurance, Jan Brewer. immigration, life in the foothills, Medicare, minorities, Paul Ryan

This is our lovely boy Diego! Isn’t he a cutie?

Well, we are prejudiced no doubt. We chose him Tuesday afternoon and he is now fully ensconced in the house, and right at home.

Technically, he is still not wholly ours, since he was only off the streets for 72 hours before we saw him at the shelter. Since he cannot be neutered until he has all his shots, we cannot adopt him formally until then. However, we are his foster parents and have his shots scheduled for a couple of weeks, and his neutering about mid September.

He is just a smart guy and so loveable. He looks a lot like Bear but he has a snub of a tail and wiggles his butt to display his happiness. He’s very laid back and loves being adored, and adore him we do.

He’s walked with me twice now, and has learned rapidly to stay to the left. He’s not aggressive with other dogs and may not be able to bark–so far he just growls happily and whines when he wants something.  We don’t even have to worry about him running, since he stays very close even outside unleashed. We are so happy!

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Remember this woman?

Remind you at all of this woman:

Yes, well I thought it might.

It would be hard to find a woman who is more hateful and mean on this planet.

Even Republicans find her actions awful and “unhelpful” to the GOP.

What has she done? Nothing more than sign an executive order denying all the new “dream-like” immigrants who will have temporary worker status, the right to obtain a driver’s license or ID in her precious state.

I certainly hope that she has her gravesite picked out. I’d advise it to be on the floor of the grand canyon. You can’t get too close to home ya know Jan. Beelzebub will be hosting your coming home party in HELL.

What a douche.

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One can only assume that the R-R folks (Romney-Ryan) believe that the electorate is stone stupid. I suppose one comes to that conclusion from living in ivy-league land all one’s life, never in want, never required to DO anything to eat or secure a roof over your head.

Ryan WE KNOW recommended the same cuts in the Medicare budget that the President has done. Let’s get this clear. The President’s cuts are not to benefits or beneficiaries. They are to doctors and hospitals compensation. And that money will be replaced by the exchanges once in place in 2014. Ryan’s take away are given to states under his desire that vouchers be offered to seniors which allows them “buy” insurance (which won’t be easily done of course), and the doctors are NOT made whole again.

Still R-R continue the lie that Obama “robbed” Medicare and they wouldn’t, when the truth is, they really would rob medicare which Obama of course didn’t.

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Okay, next to Mean OLD Jan Brewer, who has the layers of sedimentary history of Arizona etched on her face (okay that was mean), the next meanest nastiest individual is the state judge from PA, who ruled that the voter registration law in PA is okay even though admittedly there is no voter fraud problem in PA. I mean really? REALLY?

Need we add that the judge is a Republican?

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I’m convinced that the GOP has accepted the fact that it is the party of old white men, with a few confused Negroes and a lot of submissive women added for spice. Soledad O’Brien has been twice raked over the coals by GOP operatives  because she refuses to let them get away with the $716 billion cut to Medicare that is the favorite GOP meme going. When former Governor Sununu from NH refused to explain his claim, he told her to “paste a Obama sticker on her forehead.” When she refused to accept these blatant lies from T-Paw, he asked her if she understood English.

Well, she does, and well, you guys just are so good with women and Latinos aren’t ya?

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Yesterday, I was at the pool, and  chatting with a woman I know from my aerobics class. She asked if I was “raised in this area” to which I replied, “No, I’m originally from Michigan, by way of Connecticut and Iowa.” She replied, “ahh, that explains the accent.”

ACCENT? I don’t have no stinkin’ accent!  Really I don’t.

Now this is an accent:

Thanks to Don from Massachusetts for the two pics.

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• CNN Host O’Brien Defends GOP Budgets (gestetnerupdates.com)
• Pawlenty suggests that Soledad O’Brien doesn’t understand English (rawstory.com)
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All the News that Can Be Got Between Noon and Noon-fifteen

Tags

banking, consumer protection, GOP, Health care, Humor, Medicare, Michele Bachmann, paleontology, Ryan plan, voting rights

I know that the fine business of news reporting once upon a time was an honorable craft. I know that because I have heard and read about Edward R. Murrow and I remember Walter Cronkite. You know, reporters who actually spent time tracking down a story that was important.

Today, we have almost none of those types at least in the media. It’s all a dog and pony show now. Make sure it’s got all the bells and whistles, keep it short, make the video entertaining. Fluff it up.

One of the reasons that I was for an early resignation by Anthony Weiner, was not because of the hideousness of his crime, but because he would prove to be a distraction since the media would opt for the easy story–sex sells, and we all know it.

Weiner shares the spotlight with the trial of a mother for the death of her child. For several hours a day we are informed of the last detail of mom and dad’s testimony as well as about the new forensic science of “smell”. (There is a sealed can of “death” odor in case you missed it.)

Given these propensities, it comes as no surprise that the crazy Bachmann woman is getting just loads of press since the “debate” of a couple of nights ago. Albeit, some suggest that her bar was lower than a master limbo dancer could get under in the first place, but she got high marks for “having a command” of the facts, and being aggressive. Somehow that has catapulted her into the race as a viable candidate.

I suggest that this is only in the minds of the media asswipes who muse over such things while sipping that appletini at a long lunch. She’s fun, controversial, and easy to cover. The fact that if you were to look at her numbers nationally, she ranks in the barely negligible range, is of no matter. It is important that she is looking good in Iowa.

Well, let me inform you that Iowa is, nowadays, no bellweather of Republicanism. It is a rogue state of insanity produced by the strange animal known as caucus. See, we don’t all go to the polls and vote here in our primary. No, those of us who have a few hours to waste, go and sit with a bunch of other people with time on their hands (or very very serious interests in who gets the nod), and we argue, and argue and argue until the “caucus” for that district reaches a consensus. Since many of the folks are neighbors and friends, well, you can see the possibilities. Bottom line, caucuses wildly don’t reflect the average voter in the state. They do represent very special interests.

That Bachmann will do well in Iowa’s caucuses is correct. That it means much of anything is entirely another thing.

So, in the interests of not getting all wacked out of shape over this Bachmann “surge” let us recall that the woman is an idiot, second only to that fine piece of work, the Wasilla Witch. If you need reminding, then take a look at this list of Bachmannian crazy. Surely the domkoffs of the GOPpery are not this insane? Or stop by Politicususa and read their summary of the lady’s right-wing evangelical nuttery.

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 It probably goes without saying to the crowd that comes around here to read the news that the Ryan plan is awful–simply awful. It screws the elderly and no amount of saying it doesn’t will change that fact. Republicans are simply lying when they claim otherwise. What the CBO tells us, is that worse, it will raise costs astronomically. A good report on all this at Crooks and Liars today.

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Let me see if I can remember this correctly. Once upon a time banks had no regulation to speak of. This was back in the Bushy years. And they overreached, and then the entire economy teetered on the edge of destruction. Now the GOPers are determined that the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency shall have no money and nobody to run it, because banks need to be left unfettered to do their thing. Yeah, makes sense. Once again, the Rethuglians in Congress show us just how little they are interested in people. Who would think that anyone would be against protecting consumers except the fat cats who are trying to screw them–oh yeah, that would be the Repuklicans wouldn’t it?

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Couldn’t resist this little gem fromPolitical Irony:

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We’ve been reporting here now and again about voter suppression laws being enacted in GOP controlled states throughout the US. USA Today has done an editorial on the subject, calling a spade a spade. Again, there are no real issues with voter fraud here or anywhere. This is just a GOP dirty trick to suppress largely Democratic voters who are students, poor and the elderly. Note that in no case do these new suppression laws address absentee voting which is universally considered more open to fraud, but which the GOP deems most likely to be cast by Republicans.

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And just cuz you need to know this stuff, some stuff on evolution and the failure of mankind to make much evolutionary progress in the last 40-50 thousand years, go read this great article. It’s a great new book by one of the leaders in the field of evolution and man. It’s called the Origin of Our Species.

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What’s on the stove: chicken cacciatore, salad, bread

Lining Up the Wacka-doodles

Tags

birthers, budget, Donald Trump, economy, Fox News Idiocy, GOP, Health care, Media, Medicare, Sarah Palin, tax cuts, unions, Wisconsin

 

It’s hard to find a subject that amuses me more than the incessant clamor by the extreme right about Obama’s birth certificate. Everyone knows it is a non-issue but it keeps the rabble busy. A bit like giving your 4-year old magazines to rip up, letting your finish your tax return undisturbed.

The fact that “The Donald” has taken up this cry is actually a bit surprising to me. I thought the man slightly smarter than that. Mind you, I said, only slightly smarter. No man who is so narcissistic as to create such an elaborate faux “do” to encircle his bald head has sufficient “something” to lead the free world.

The smarter (again that has an elusive meaning when applied to the GOP) elements are weeping copiously at this turn of events. Their party is be-speckled with screech owls like The Donald, The Michele, The Sarah, The Newt, The Rick, the Mikey,  all howling (to mix a metaphor, and you know that’s always fun) about this and other equally ridiculous notions that have their trollish followers all rubbing their nether regions with increasing vigor.

Equally rich is the fact that immediately after the President’s speech on the budget, which called out Paul Ryan for the dick-head that he is and put a stop to that blather about “courageous” straight-talk, the GOP is out in force with its talking points.

It was a “speech” and not a plan, they all echoed in perfectly toneless refrain. Moreover, he was “mean” when it came to them. Mean I say, mean. This coming, as so many of the pundits pointed out, after two plus years of calling the President, “not a real American,” “not a citizen,” “a Kenyan”, “a socialist,” “a Muslim,” “a communist sympathizer”, “a champion of abortions,” and one who is “deliberately trying to destroy America.”  Yeah, I can feel the love in all that.

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Ya have to laugh. If you follow the link here, you will see a picture of Paul Ryan holding in his little claws his budget proposal. It is entitled “The Path to Prosperity”. Yeah and the line of cars heading down the road are all Mercedes and Hummers, Lincolns and Rolls Royces.

The real point here, is that the GOP has screwed themselves. Today, we are told the House will “pass” the Ryan plan. It’s main points are to extend the Bush tax cuts, and privatize Medicare. Except that the electorate, and even their own base is solidly in favor of not touching Medicare and the country as a whole is overwhelmingly in favor of ending tax cuts for the rich.

The Democrats seem to have finally captured that they now hold all the cards, and merely have to drive this home again and again. Charts and graphs are useful here folks.

A double whammy is that the debt ceiling will be raised (so everyone predicts) and the teabaggers shriek they will wreak vengeance upon all the Republicans who vote for it. The Democrats are throwing parties all over Capital Hill. Things couldn’t look any better at this point at least.

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This oughta be rich. The Walker supporters (all ten of them) are having a anti-union rally in Madison tomorrow. And guess who is coming? None other than our dear Sarah, the marginalized, Sarah who? Yes, our darling girl is gonna come and support Walker. Except Walker won’t be there. And neither will any rational GOPer who has any desire to capture the White House. I just wonder by how many thousands the pro-unioners will out number the anti-unioners? Thirty to one? More? Can’t wait to see.

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If you thought my rant about the J Crew pink toenail thingie was silly, well I wasn’t the only one by far who thought the entire crazy episode was stupid. A number of Andrew Sullivan’s readers wrote to him about their experiences as parents under similar circumstances. Read on. I am vindicated! lol.

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This is why Fox Noise is a disgusting partisan mouthpiece for the GOP: On their website, Fox posted this headline “GWU student’s suicide tragically coincides with Obama visit.” Of course the two things had NO relationship, and as outraged students and others besieged Fox with e-mails and calls, the offensive and foully innuendo provoking story was taken down from the website. Proving once again that there is nothing quite as low as Fox and it’s hatred of all things Obama.

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And you all have a luciously wonderful weekend. See ya tomorrow with more news.

Related Articles

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Nothing That Follows is Meant to Be a Factual Statement

Tags

abortions, budget, debt ceiling, economy, gas prices, GOP, John Boehner, John Kyl, Koch Brothers, Medicare, oil speculation, PPH, taxes, Women's issues

Sen. Jon Kyl as a Youth

You might have missed it. John Kyl said that PPH uses 90% of its government funding for abortions. It actually uses about 3%. When his office was contacted in regards the discrepancy, they said,

“Senator Kyl’s remarks were not meant to be a factual statement.”

As you can imagine, everyone from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert down are having a field day.

“Not meant to be a factual statement” is the new “I’m lying in hopes of deceiving people to agree with my position.” And yes Jon, we do understand that “everyone on your side of the aisle” is doing this. But well, you know, what your mom said, “that don’t make it right, boy.”

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Johnny “Cheetos” Boehner, is a good little soldier. Word is he’s been asking his parents (big business) if it’s okay to screw around and have some fun with the debt ceiling issue. Word is he was told “NO” or it’s off to the corner for you Johnny. Seems business sees this issue as a good deal different that government shutdowns. Johnny was free to play games on that, but not with the debt ceiling.

Which goes to show you, that sometimes I may actually be right. Remember, just days ago, I urged the President to stand his ground on this issue. Others apparently now agree with me. Wow, do you think I should run for office?

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The Ryan budget plan is simply draconian. The man who voted for the Bush tax cuts, the medicare prescription drug bill, and both wars, is now fully willing to protect the rich and destroy every safety net that the poor and seniors have. The issue is now being framed as a moral choice–are we going to put the onus of the budgetary difficulties only on the poor and those least able to weather them, or are we going to do the fair thing, and ask the rich to pay taxes at a rate that many millionaires agree was fair, during the Clinton Administration?

Shall it be children and women, working and poor who bear the brunt or billionaires and millionaires? Sen. Mark Begich asks us to make a moral choice.

And lets not forget, that the deficit problem will disappear if we do only one thing: let the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Yes, if the GOP is truly about the business of eliminating the deficit, then it’s a no-brainer. But of course they aren’t really about that are they?

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Being nearly 61 years of lovely age, I admit that Medicare and Social Security are on my mind a lot, and I definitely have a “horse in the race” as goes budgetary issues. Our move to New Mexico (at least the easy life scenario) is based at least in part on those expected checks starting next April.

While most “solutions” don’t call for impacts to be made on either that would affect me, I don’t care to get on that slippery slope at all if at all possible. Robert Reich has a post on this issue, and says that Medicare is the solution, not the problem. Good reading.

And further, polling suggests  a plurality of Republicans favor taking no action against Medicare, and instead they favor raising taxes on the rich. Ah, GOP you have a problem I think.

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The Contrarian keyed me on to this next one. I was wont to put the blame for rising oil prices on OPEC, and their taking advantage of unrest in the Middle East. Turns out its good old Americans who are doing the dirty deed. Oil speculation, fostered by guess who? The Koch Spawn. As you might expect, the GOP does it best to reduce any regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Koch controls oil from the minute it leaves the well until it is sold to retailers and speculates on pricing, along with its good buddy Enron. Think Progress has this important story. But another example of the rich getting richer and the rest of us paying the price.

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A good post entitled “9 Things the Rich Don’t Want You About Taxes.” Shockingly, the GOP has been dishonest with us. Please read all the crap they push and all too many of us take as gospel. All the usual stuff is debunked, along with the idea that tax cuts for the rich create jobs. Yeah, well we kinda have figured that one out haven’t we?

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What’s on the stove? Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, salad, bread

Related Articles

• Jon Kyl Is Sorry If He Gave Anyone The Impression That The Things He Says In Public Are Factual (huffingtonpost.com)