By Nick Paleologos, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET
Between 1979 and 2008 (basically the Reagan-Bush years), 36% of all gains in household income went to America’s richest 1%. As we moved through those three decades, this obscene disparity actually got worse. By the time George W. Bush was halfway through his second term, the richest 1% of Americans were sucking up a staggering 53% of all income gains in our country. Today, the richest one out of every 10,000 households in America grabs a larger share of our national income than at any other time since we started keeping records–in 1913!
As if that wasn’t bad enough, a self-promoting doofus named Grover Norquist has actually convinced enough craven politicians that the wealthiest one percent are also entitled to pay a much lower tax rate on their much higher income than the rest of America’s working stiffs. And the guy he keeps pointing to in order to justify this absolute insanity is Ronald Reagan.
OK, I didn’t vote for The Gipper. And it is true that Reagan believed in lower tax rates for everybody. But he also believed that taxes should be fair. And that whatever the top tax rate (in his time, 28%)–millionaires should pay it.
Since the end of the Reagan years, the top tax rate for bus drivers climbed to 35% while the top rate for millionaires dropped to 15%.
Reagan thought that was ridiculous—and said so at the time.
Last week–by a 3 million vote margin–America agreed with Reagan (and incidently, Obama). It’s time to get this deficit under control. And the first step is to tax wealth at the same rate as work. We will never start growing the middle class again in this country until the rich (and their political apologists) stop insisting that the highest earners should have the lowest tax rates.
Memo to what’s left of the Tea Party: Even Ronald Reagan thought that was stupid.
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Aha!!! And the secret of movie popcorn.
I love those “aha moments.”
You know the kind…Like when you finally realize why and how movie theaters get away with charging $4.75 for a bucket of popcorn (chewy air, basically, with artificial butter flavoring).
I think I figured it out.
You know when you are at a movie with your spouse and a scene begins that reminds you of a recurring disagreement you’ve had with your spouse on som e petty matter? And the scene takes a decided and clear turn in the direction you did not want it to take? And you sense it is only going to get even more apparent and more embarrassing to you? And you are waiting for the person representing your spouse is going to say the exact same words on screen that your spouse has said to you. Except this time the entire audience is on her side?
And you know that she knows. And suspects that she knows that you know.
At that exact moment, you stand up, let out a sigh to indicate boredom, and say, “I’m going to go get some popcorn.”
And you go in the lobby by the concessions until the scene is over and a new scene is far enough along that she may have forgotten (or out of courtesy, really, not mention) the scene when you return to your seat. And you start to feel a little relieved.
But before you go back inside the theater you go up to the concession stand and say, “I’ll take an bucket of popcorn, please.” And however much they want to charge you for it, you will pay. Even $4.75.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
The Politics of Tech
Did you know that SpaceX has no patents? They don’t – the reason is that the founder, Elon Musk, considers China to be their greatest competitor and published patents would make it too easy for China to copy them. [Business Insider]
The push for a mandatory internet filter in Australia is now dead. [TheNextWeb]
Google’s groundbreaking fiber network in Kansas City is up and running! [Google Fiber Blog]
Here’s a fun list of things Australians have invented. [BBC]
This company is developing a live feed of Earth from space – pretty cool! [Urthecast]
Here is a “virtual keyboard” for the iPhone that was developed by a student in the UK. [BGR]
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET
In my latest column for The Huffington Post, I explore how average citizens — you and me — can influence policymakers to promote problem-solving, instead of hyper-partisan paralysis.
Although we’ve re-elected President Barack Obama, much of the president’s success depends on what happens in Congress. If we want our country to move forward over the next four years, we need Congress and the president to put political point-scoring aside and work to solve our country’s most pressing problems.
The most immediate challenge is the fiscal cliff, which threatens to push America back into recession, unless Democrats and Republicans in Congress — working with the White House — can cast aside partisan interests in favor of a balanced solution. Each side will have no choice but to support some things it doesn’t like and take political risks. But with the fiscal cliff looming at the end of the year, time is running out and tough choices are necessary.
It has become clear that fundamental change is needed to make Congress work more efficiently and effectively to address this cliff and more of America’s most pressing problems. Given how little time our representatives spend actually working together, it’s no surprise that breakthroughs are few and far between. House members spend almost as much time in their home district or traveling as they do legislating. Instead of working at problem solving in Congress, they are focused on partisan infighting and planning the next campaign.
In order to truly solve problems, lawmakers need to come out from behind their bunkers and start talking with colleagues on the other side of the aisle. It’s happened before. President Ronald Reagan and Democratic Speaker Tip O’Neill put partisan interests aside to shore up Social Security’s finances. A Democratic Congress and President Dwight Eisenhower agreed to build the interstate highway system. More recently, President Bill Clinton worked with Republicans in Congress to reform welfare programs.
We can’t wait for Washington to get to work. That’s why No Labels — a growing grassroots movement of about 600,000 Democrats, Republicans and independents who favor a new politics of problem solving — has put together two common-sense action plans — Make Congress Work! and Make the Presidency Work!These plans would improve communications across partisan lines, modify or eliminate rules that promote gridlock, and establish new timetables for taking action. Most importantly, they would foster a new environment of leadership in Washington.
A famous scientist with a hair style I envy once wrote, “Everything should be kept as simple as possible but not simpler.”
Simplicity, a novel concept that couldn’t possibly be true in exercise, could it? I mean with all the 3am infomercials about insane workouts using everything from your body weight to the kitchen sink and weight loss products that promise “instant results.” There is no such thing as “instant” results but there is a strategy of simplicity I tend employ. In continuation with this blog and all its wisdom, I would like to take the time and share some knowledge with those people looking for that perfect weight loss book or that magic cure to get rid of love handles. Well now you’re asking how I lose weight. How do I keep the weight off? In my career as a personal trainer I have realized one important thing: keep it simple. Nutrition and weight loss are very simple. Just follow my instructions.
1. Don’t over eat. Figure out why and when YOU do overeat. Is it an emotional reason? A lack of planning? Maybe just a lack of knowledge and accountability. We don’t get better unless we know what is preventing us from turning the corner, so access yourself and stop overeating. Keep it simple.
2.Carbs are not bad they are your #1 energy, use them as such. Stay away from foods with a lot of sugar, choose oatmeal over donuts, broccoli over bread and apples over bananas. Keep it simple.
2A. Get rid of the sugar in your diet. You don’t need it, its only making problems worse, say goodbye! Keep it simple.
3. Eat smaller portions. Learn when to say no to seconds and thirds. Your body does not have to eat that entire pizza, save the rest for the dog, I am sure he gets hungry too. Keep it simple.
4. Dessert is a habit, not a physiological need for survival. Habits can be broken. Just say no to the banana split. Keep it simple.
5. When eating out (if you must!), say no to Whoppers, Big Macs, and Thick burgers. Say yes to Grilled Chicken. When asked, “If you want fries with that,” Say my trainer said no. Keep it simple.
6. Eat smaller and more frequent meals. Humans are periodic eaters and continual metabolizers. In order to increase that metabolism we have to eat more frequently. For example, in order for the fire to burn it needs wood, same thing applies to your metabolism. Keep it simple.
This is by no means an all-inclusive list but you get the point. Weight loss is not that difficult nor is it that complicated; it just requires a little knowledge and a lot of gumption. If you want to continue to eat whatever you want you have two options:
Move a lot (a lot!)
Or keep gaining weight year after year after year.
Then one day you might realize that trainer guy was right. Keep it simple!
Once upon a time, after the campaign rallies were over, the ballots counted, the concession calls made, and the victory speeches given, the American campaign season ended. Politics remained a sport for those who chose to engage, but most of us happily moved on. Some actually took to the business of governing. Today, a multibillion-dollar election industry swings into motion before the confetti is swept away. It is an industry that thrives on year-round conflict. And the Jewish community is anything but immune from its reach.
To see the evidence of this transformation, one has only to look at the surprising number of start-up Jewish organizations — advocacy groups, media outlets, and legal operations — that enter the communal arena with their politics on their sleeves. They come from the left and right and are joined by networks of activists. At face value, there is nothing wrong with this political activity. We enjoy a rich pluralistic tradition of argumentation and debate within the Jewish community. But while we thrive on this vocal pursuit, we are now witnessing the emergence of a new partisanship. It is bolstered by the belief, sometimes grounded in reality, but often clouded by fantasy, that every decision made, every speaker heard, every word of every resolution will have a profound impact on world events. And so large issues are acted out on small stages. Again, there is nothing wrong with this activity — until the hubris of a grand impact takes hold. Then, compromise slips out the door. As with political campaigns, there can only be winners and losers in this enterprise. The prize is never to be shared. Robust debate morphs into blood sport.
What we lose as a result is enormous. Our capacity to debate, share, listen, and compromise is diminished; eventually, even our sense of klal Yisrael wanes. Rather than engaging in discourse that provokes new ways of thinking — and that may even change minds — we find ourselves in camps, with large blocks of Jewish voices that cannot comprehend how there could possibly be Jews who see important issues in a different way. Voices on either side, buoyed by confirming networks, isolated from earnest conversation across conflicts, enter the debate seeking a winner-take-all result. In the end, we all lose. To the outside world, it is just noise.
Read the rest of… Ethan Felson: The Politics of Compromise
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
What can begin as a “Point of Resistence” can turn into a “Right of Passage.”
Which is a bummer.
Tonight I was with my daughter shopping for clothes. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror wearing what were “Dad jeans.” And it was my moment to slink into depressive moment or rage against nature.
I asked for the “Jeans department” to regain my youthful dignity. After pawing through rows of Vin Diesel jeans, torn, ripped, stone washed, bleached and with cute button flys (for guys who would think having a cute button down fly is a good idea).
After refusing help several times from the sales clerk, I finally broke down and said, “Basically I am trying to find some, you know, jeans. That are ….um… ‘age appropriate.’ But not too obviously age appropriate.”
He asked me my size and said, he may have something in the back….like Lucky Jeans. He brought me three pair of what I immediately exclaimed were “Dad jeans.”
Another shopper about 5 years my junior started laughing and said, “Look, man, Lucky’s are OK.”
I said I would browse some more. I did but after 5 minutes felt the end of the “jeans phase” of my life ending.
Like when I was no longer able to get away with collecting Pop-a-Shot tickets at Gattilamd for a prize.
At 35. As I walked out the clerk shouted “Any luck?” “Nope!” I said. “Just gonna have to admit my jeans days are over.”
I paused. “Do up have white socks, sandals and plaid shorts in this section?” And I didn’t have to use the qualifier “age appropriate.”
By John Y. Brown IV, on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET
I was as disappointed as any other Republican with last Tuesday’s election results. President Obama defeated Governor Romney soundly in the Electoral College while also defeating him, albeit by a lesser margin, in the national popular vote. Republicans also lost seats in both chambers of Congress.
This was a pivotal election. On Tuesday, we learned that the large expansion of the federal government that took place in President Obama’s first term will likely continue without a Republican president or more conservative House or Senate to intervene. Whether Republicans like it or not, Obamacare is here to stay. The same is true of Dodd-Frank Act and many other expansions of federal power that took place under this President.
Likewise, whoever was elected president in 2012 was destined to play a major role in the budgetary reforms that are needed to bring our country to long term financial solvency and short term fiscal sanity. With President Obama, we can expect to see heavier tax hikes and military cuts and much smaller domestic spending cuts than we would have under a President Romney. Entitlement reform will be hard to achieve in any meaningful way with a President who is already on the record as opposing raising the retirement age, cutting benefits (even for the wealthy), or having any sort of market based changes within the various systems.
The point here is that with so much on the line, my party lost big last Tuesday in an election that had huge implications for the future of public policy.
The easy impulse is to find blame (the devastating storms, the power of incumbency, an Obama friendly media, etc.) that will relieve us from the harder (but also more rewarding) task of asking ourselves honestly where our party came up short.
What was it that made swing voters break towards President Obama instead of Governor Romney in the final days of the campaign?
Most commentators tell us that it was because Republicans came off as too extreme on social policy like immigration, abortion and other hot button social issues. These extreme positions, the argument goes, caused republicans to lose critical support from minorities, women and youth. I believe there is more than a grain of truth to what those commentators are telling us.
Most minorities don’t support Republicans because of issues like immigration but more because they are drawn to the populist economic message that Democratic Presidents typically promote. These segments of voters generally support higher taxes (on the “rich”) and more public services.
Read the rest of… John Y. Brown, IV: Why We Lost — Republicans Need to Connect to Middle America
By Jimmy Dahroug, on Wed Nov 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET
The Consumer Federal Protection Bureau’s decision to regulate credit agencies is a significant step to protect consumers. Until now, there was no central entity in the federal government to oversee the major credit reporting agencies. The credit market affects just about every American family through car loans, mortgage applications, and more minor lines of credit, yet reporting system is flawed. For the average person, appealing a simple mistake on a credit report can be a long, onerous process.
The name Agency in Credit Reporting Agency almost connotes a sense of authority. It may even lend the impression to consumers that these credit agencies are quasi-governmental agencies, or that they are at least important enough to be regulated by the government. After all, an “agency” sounds pretty important and official. Surely, these “agencies” are accountable to consumers, aren’t they?
The truth is credit agencies are businesses. As consumer expert Clark Howard explained in an interview, we, the consumers, “are not [even] the customers.” Banks, credit card companies, and even potential employers are the ones who pay for our credit reports. They are the customers.
As a result, a consumer’s satisfaction with the accuracy of their credit reports is not one of the credit reporting agency’s primary concerns. As Clark Howard explains, credit agencies simply “slice and dice our credit information. Their only real objective is to package and sell, without an interest in [ensuring] that the information is wholly accurate.”
Read the rest of… Jimmy Dahroug: Oversight of Credit Agencies Long Overdue
Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old healing system founded in ancient India, is derived from the Sanskrit words ayusmeaning life, and veda meaning wisdom. Ayurveda, the wisdom of life, offers a time-tested guide for a life of happiness, vitality, love and purpose.
From the Ayurvedic perspective, human beings are not viewed as mere thinking physical machines, but rather as fields of intelligence in dynamic exchange with the energy and information of the environment. Health is a state of vibrant balance in which all the layers of one’s life are integrated—the physical, the psychological, the spiritual.
In this system, the great elements of the universe, the mahabutas, are reflected in our own physical bodies and psychological make-up. The element of fire, tejas, in particular, plays a vital role here as it is the very force that enables proper digestion, integration of nutrients, emotions, ideas and experiences.
Based on the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health course, I’ll be teaching a free class at the Festival of Faiths in Louisville, KY this Sunday, November 18, from 11:30am-1:00pm.
Come and learn about your own mind/body constitution and discover how to help your tejas burn as brightly as it is designed. This session will be interactive and experiential including lecture, discussion, pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation.
