Saturday, August 09, 2008

2017

Tired of Republican presidential candidates and administrations that pander to the club for growth wing of their party by always clamoring for larger and more frequent tax cuts? Tired of Republican administrations bent on invading and occupying middle eastern countries for hundreds of years?

Then 2017 is the magic number for you to remember. In 2017, the party's over for Republicans always looking to bust the budget and rule the world. In 2017, Social Security income will for the first time in decades fall short of what's needed to pay monthly benefits. This means that beginning in 2017, Republican administrations and Republican congresses won't have the Social Security surpluses to kick around anymore. Or rather, beginning in 2017, when Social Security is no longer running a cash-flow surplus--as it currently does and has done since the 1980's--Republicans bent on wars without end and tax cuts for the rich and famous, won't have any Social Security surpluses to help them out, and they'll have to either borrow the money from outside of the government, or start trying to live within the country's means. In 2017, Republicans, who have always threatened to starve the beast of government but who have in actuality always governed like drunken sailors--will actually have to start cutting back on the military outposts they want to establish around the world and tax cuts they want to enact at home.

2017--When things really start to get fun.

Monday, August 04, 2008

Anthrax (cont.)

David Neiwert:

One thing we do know: Once it became apparent that the phony theory that the anthrax contained bentonite -- which was how the attacks were originally connected to Iraq -- would not hold water, it was also clear that this was a case of pure domestic terrorism, and very likely right-wing terrorism at that. And it was at this point that all interest in solving the case, both on an official level and within the media, evaporated.

I'm not sure I'd go quite as far as Neiwert here. There was, apparently, an ongoing, FBI-led investigation of the matter, which resulted in the events of last week. So there was some official level interest in the case, however questionable its effectiveness or purpose.

But as far as the upper reaches of political officialdom are concerned, all interest certainly evaporated. And obviously all interest evaporated among the media elite as well. And to be truthful, the anthrax-blackout on the part of the administration and media helped suppress interest in the story among liberal bloggers, too.

But the obvious stinkiness of this story should encourage a more widespread diligence, from professional and non-professional investigative sources now. Or not. I've no doubt the professional media would just assume this story go away. And we obviously can't let that happen.