What the Hell Do You Mean Cut Government Spending?

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Monday January 21, 2013 · 9:00 AM PST

2013/01/21 · 09:00

Obama and the Democrats appear headed for a few small victories against the Republican theology of tax cuts FOR the rich and spending cuts FROM the poor. But, while we may have won a handful of skirmishes--a temporary debt ceiling increase and some modest tax increases--make no mistake, we are still facing a protracted and grueling war. Republicans remain as irrationally devoted as ever to their Cut & Gut Gospel: Cutting the safety net and Gutting the tax base.

So, how do we meet this challenge? What we need to do now is to truly attack and defeat the core of their anti-tax, anti-government, and ultimately, anti-democratic philosophy. We need to begin by creating the right narratives, slogans, poetry, and prose that will finally win this war for the good guys. This diary will attempt to open a can of poetic whoop on the collective Republican booty; and if inflicting my poetry on the world doesn't defeat the Republicans through artful turns of phrase, perhaps it will bring them to their knees by making them say: "Geez! Would somebody please pay that guy to stop writing poems?" Hey, either way, it's a win.

So, trickle down the page with me, dear reader, below the squiggly, orange Laffer Curve, and the poetic secret weapon shall be unveiled.

tekno2600

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Saturday December 08, 2012 · 1:57 PM PST

2012/12/08 · 13:57

It's been way too long since my last diary. So, with holiday time approaching, I figured I now have even less excuse than normal for not writing a new diary.

This diary is really just a short poem inspired by the all the recent talk about the "Fiscal Cliff," or more accurately, the "Gentle Fiscal Incline." Republicans are apparently once again in the holiday spirit. But, one has to wonder which spirit they are channeling. Answer the poll below and let's find out.

But, regardless of which poltergeist is currently pulling their strings, they are now in the process of preaching an austerity gospel that would make Ebenezer Scrooge, and even his sidekick Scrooge McDuck, blush.

Anyway, I don't claim to be a great poet. But the poetic muse moved me this morning. So, don your beret and meet me below Le Fleur de Kos...if you dare!

Poll

27 votes Show Results

What "Holiday Spirit" are Republicans channeling?

27 votes Vote Now!

What "Holiday Spirit" are Republicans channeling?

Ebenezer Scrooge - Their old school favorite

4 votes

Scrooge McDuck - An even more cartoonish representation of their greedy policies

6 votes

Saint Ronnie of Trickle Down Abbey. The patron saint of wealth inequality and deregulation.

17 votes

Brotherhood of the Hoodie

tekno2600

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Sunday March 25, 2012 · 10:20 AM PDT

2012/03/25 · 10:20

---
As I sit here
Bloggin' in my hoodie
I had no idea
It had transformed me
Into a racial stereotype
A dangerous other
To be chased and
"Questioned"
With deadly force.
Rest in Peace
Trayvon Martin.
From all who wear hoodies
You're now our brother.

Poll

6 votes Show Results

Are you a member of the hoodie brotherhood?

6 votes Vote Now!

Are you a member of the hoodie brotherhood?

Yes

4 votes

2 votes

Why SlutGate Drives me Crazy!

tekno2600

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Wednesday March 07, 2012 · 10:16 AM PST

2012/03/07 · 10:16

It's usually the first few words out of peoples' mouths that determine the basis for their argument. People often focus on what comes downstream of those words, but do not necessarily spend as much time dealing with the initial assumptions or premises. In the case of Rush Limbaugh, he has always had an child-like inability to grasp the relevant information for an issue that's being discussed, much less to make accurate assumptions. So, as he waddled into the discussion of birth control and Sandra Fluke, it is no surprise that he got it wrong and then applied the most disgusting language he could think of to put some shock value around his hastily formed premise. But, I think it is really the multiple levels of false premises, rather than the words used that should get talked about more in this controversy:

She is having so much sex she can't pay for birthcontrol. So, she wants you and me (i.e taxpayers) to pay for her to have sex.

There's a lot of stupidity bundled up in that statement. Right off the bat, the idea that Rush knows how much sex Ms. Fluke is having, or that having a lot of sex somehow results in skyrocketing birth control costs, is transparently stupid. But, I think the even more critical lie to focus on here is that this has anything to do with tax payer funding or the newly invented "freedom to prohibit" that many religiously affiliated institutions think they have now found in the Constitution to allow them to dictate other people's medical care. Rush, of course, would like to make this whole argument about saying a few naughty words, but follow me after the jump, my sluty friends, and I will explain why focusing on some additional levels of Rush's false premises is more important than ever. Read More

It's the Church That's Taking Employees' Religious Freedom, Damnit!

tekno2600

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Tuesday February 07, 2012 · 7:13 PM PST

2012/02/07 · 19:13

I just wrote a letter to Obama urging him not to back down in requiring contraceptive coverage options for non-church employees at Catholic affiliated organizations. I decided to make it an open letter, because I do not see enough reporting on this story that points out that Obama is the one standing up for religious freedom and it is the church that is fighting against religious freedom.

The church is trying to prohibit employees, many of whom are not Catholic and do not work in church related jobs, from having health plans that cover contraception. It should also be pointed out that no one is forcing people to use contraception just because it is covered. The cost of covering contraception in an insurance plan is much lower than if that burden is put directly on individuals. Yet, somehow the narrative keeps getting framed as "Is Obama violating Catholics' freedom of religion?"

I say "Hell No!" So, follow me beyond the Fleur de Kos below and I will explain this from the point of view of an Irish Catholic who did time in Catholic schools and churches until the age of 18, and is now a happy atheist (like many ex-Catholics).

tekno2600

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Monday October 31, 2011 · 4:00 PM PDT

2011/10/31 · 16:00

I wrote a diary the other day saying I do not envy the 1%. They assume I am jealous of them and want their money, but in reality, I am not some zombie Karl Marx, rising up today on Halloween to redistribute their income, and devour their brains. Seriously, where would I ever find brains among the right wing country club set?

All I really want is a fair shake. I just want that anyone-can-make-in-America chance I was promised when I bought into the American Dream. Unlike many 1 Percenters on Wall Street, I also want to keep my integrity. I am not willing to do anything for a buck. Money is not all that defines me.

But, there seems to be some confusion about who the top 1% really are. Some people seem to refer to other people (or themselves) as 1 Percenters, when they really are just upper middle class. For now, we can loosely define upper middle class as household incomes of about $200,000. However, there are a number of things that are unclear or misleading about what income level or class the 1% falls into.

So, join me beyond the great orange pumpkin, my friends, and I will elucidate further...

tekno2600

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Sunday October 30, 2011 · 3:59 PM PDT

2011/10/30 · 15:59

I have been wanting to write this diary for a while to capture the key lessons learned about the Occupy Movement and busting the worst myths that have been created around it. My first excuse for not writing this sooner is that I had to wait for a while to see how things shook out. Second, I am not a prolific diary writer, at least not lately, as I find my talents lie more in the short commentary genre, or what my grade school teachers would have called "smartassery." That does explain my longtime signature line:

Just doing my part to piss off right wing nuts, one smart ass comment at a time.

But, the time has now come to write a diary about the lessons and myths of the Occupy Movement, including those from the Right, the Left, and various points in between.

However, before the fold, let me lay out my main point about the worst mischaracterization I have seen so far about OWS: That we are angry at Wall Street because we envy them or resent what they have. False! Let me address this very clearly:

I do not envy you, Wall Street. I do not want to be like you. I do not even want all the ill-gotten money you have.

Follow me below the squiggle for a fine and furious rant where ALL shall be explained...

tekno2600

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Saturday January 29, 2011 · 12:02 PM PST

2011/01/29 · 12:02

Hello kosKids, it is time for another episode of my robo animation series Obama vs. the Tea Party. This is a follow up to last week's video on DeficitMania, where Robo Obama completely destroyed the deficit hysteria that the Tea-Publicans have been pushing lately about the need for massive and immediate spending cuts.

This episode deals with TaxCutMania, which is perhaps an even bigger problem in the upcoming budget battles. We face an uphill struggle to get people to understand just how nonsensical it is to keep spending trillions of dollars to give Tax Cut Welfare for the Rich.

But, enough talk...on with the show...where ~~I explain~~ I mean Robo Obama explains the absurdity of the claim that: "Tax cuts don't cost money, they just let people keep more of their own money."

tekno2600

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Sunday January 23, 2011 · 9:41 AM PST

2011/01/23 · 09:41

Update: Part 2 of this video is now up. Click here to watch the next episode: TaxCutMania - Obama vs. the Tea Party, pt 2.

Part 1

I decided to try my hand at making the little robo animation below to debunk some of the hysterical DeficitMania we have been hearing from the Tea-Publicans lately about how we must immediately have massive spending cuts, no matter how many jobs it would cost. They never really explain why it is such an emergency to cut spending all of a sudden, especially given the weak state of the economic recovery, which is very likely to stall if they start gutting the budget. They also cannot explain why they had no problem with massive spending by Reagan-Bush-Bush, or why they continue to support massive deficit SPENDING, as long as the spending is disguised as a tax cut (mostly for the rich). I guess their main problem, other than being brainwashed tools, is that they just cannot stand to have the government spend money when it benefits middle-income and low-income Americans, instead of wealthy elites. But, the generic rhetoric they use to justify this is that they want a "small government."

Poll

18 votes Show Results

How crazy are the tea baggers?

18 votes Vote Now!

How crazy are the tea baggers?

They are so crazy they actaully believe the line that "tax cuts do not cost the government money because they just let people keep more of their own money." Therefore, we could all pay zero taxes and it would not cost the government anything to operate.

9 votes

They are crazy enough to shut the government down unless they get draconian spending cuts, including the elimination of PBS, Amtrack, and the National Endowment for the Arts?

5 votes

They are totally freakin' crazy, but the establishment Republicans will not let them shut down the government because it would hurt the party.

2 votes

They are so crazy they actually think Sarah Palin's word salads are kind of tasty.

2 votes

A Pro-Choice Poem for Election 2010

tekno2600

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Sunday October 17, 2010 · 10:03 AM PDT

2010/10/17 · 10:03

I decided I needed to write the following poem to address a critical issue in this election, and an issue that has become increasingly divisive in American politics for at least the past 40 years. Abortion is the hottest of the hot button issues, and for those who think abortion is murder, this issue often determines their entire voting decision, trumping even economic policies that may benefit them. Obviously, however, the majority of the country believes abortion should be an individual's choice, so clearly they do not equate it with murder, which cannot be considered just a choice. So, is there any way to have a discussion on this issue?

tekno2600

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Tuesday July 27, 2010 · 10:39 AM PDT

2010/07/27 · 10:39

Like many of you who once were or still are members of Obama's Organizing for America, I received a message from Michelle Obama this morning asking me to sign the President's 49th Birthday card. I signed it with some kind wishes, but also offered some tough love, inspite of the fact that some here have accused me of being an "Obamabot."

Look below the jump to see how an Obamabot offers some frank comments to a president who has not been able to do all I hoped for (mainly because of Republican obstructionism in the Senate), but is worlds better than the Republicans (imagine if Alzheimer McCain & Sideshow Sarah had won), and he is still the most powerful friend Progressives have.

tekno2600

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Sunday March 08, 2009 · 7:33 AM PDT

2009/03/08 · 07:33

On March 4th, 2009, Glenn Beck did one of his patented crazy-eyed-interviews with the rather elderly leader of the U.S. Communist Party, Sam Webb. I am not defending Webb or his organization, but I also realize that there is no economy in the world that is purely capitalistic or socialistic. All economies are mixed. So, while Beck uses the word Socialism as a terrible boogey man, an insult and a blasphemy that he assumes all Americans will recoil from in horror like it is the antithesis of peace and freedom, it really just means things like Social Security, Medicare, public schools and highways, and the Weekend (i.e. the 40 hour work week). Join me below the fold for more answers to Glenn "McCarthy" Beck and his many, many misconceptions.

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What the Hell Do You Mean Cut Government Spending?

Cuts FOR the Rich; Cuts FROM the Poor

Brotherhood of the Hoodie

Why SlutGate Drives me Crazy!

It's the Church That's Taking Employees' Religious Freedom, Damnit!

Who are the 1%? Not all millionaires, but they make a million on average

We Don't Envy You, 1 Percenters...We Don't Even Like You!

[Robo Animation] TaxCutMania - Obama vs. the Tea Party, pt 2

[Robo Animation] DeficitMania - Obama vs. the Tea Party, pt. 1

A Pro-Choice Poem for Election 2010

My Happy 49th Birthday Wish to Obama

Glenn Beck's "Socialist" Hysteria