Senate Negotiators Agree to Cut Education

I found this CNN article via Huffington Post

Essentially, billions of money marked for school construction was cut from the stimulus plan. I guess because building and improving schools doesn't provide jobs. But I could be wrong. About why the money was cut.

I am very disappointed in the Republicans for having played politics with children's education. I consider myself fairly informed about the current state of public schools in America, and I wonder what Republicans senators like Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are going to say to parents and students of white poor, rural schools. I mean, yes, there're black poor, urban schools, but these parents and children voted overwhelmingly for the Democrats. But if it's one thing I've always figured about well-to-do whites, it's that they'll screw poor whites over if it means keeping an extra buck for themselves, then pull a Rush Limbaugh move and encourage poor whites to blame their problems on people of color.

Anyway, this whole thing sucks. I just wanted to give you the latest info since I was up and am feeling okay. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be back to ignoring politics and on to subjects I find not as depressing.

Not Just Cuts to Taxes, Unfortunately

Hat Tip to Jack and Jill Politics

Huffington Post obtained a memo of Senator Ben Nelson's proposed cuts to the stimulus bill (pdf).

While his spokesperson, Jack Thompson, is apparently arguing that the list is unimportant because it's days old and negotiations are ongoing, I do think it important to note where politicians head when looking to shave money from the budget.

Total Reductions: $80 billion
Eliminations:
Head Start, Education for the Disadvantaged, School improvement, Child Nutrition, Firefighters, Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, Prisons, COPS Hiring, Violence Against Women, NASA, NSF, Western Area Power Administration, CDC, Food Stamps
*****************************
Reductions:
Public Transit $3.4 billion, School Construction $60 billion
*****************************
Increases: Defense operations and procurement, STAG Grants, Brownfields, Additional transportation funding
*****************************

Yeah. We can't shave our overbloated military budget, which, by the way, gives tons of money to projects politicians know are a waste. We can't possibly ask the wealthy to be their brothers' keeper. No. Let's target the people who can't defend themselves.

Contact your Congresspeople. I am.

Tax Cuts?! Tax Cuts?!

I am fed up with the Republicans. They have to be the stupidest bunch in politics around the world. And to make matters worse, they have a healthy dose a pure evil, too.

After all this time and whining and complaining, they finally get something they should be happy with. Something they should be thrilled with in my opinion. A Senate stimulus plan that is 58% spending and 42% of the same tax cuts that got us in the mess in the first place. And David Vitter, who won his seat after castigating Bill Clinton for dishonoring the Oval then turned around a slept with a couple of prostitutes at least, is leading the Republican delegation who is asking for "time" to look things over. They wanna read exactly what's in the 42% of tax cuts.

Now, on one hand, you can't blame them. They don't want "tax cuts" that are targeted to workers. They especially don't want "tax cuts" that really aren't "tax cuts" at all that are targeted to the working poor, those who work but don't make enough to pay income tax. No. Even though these are the people who're really hurting, the people who haven't caused this whole mess, god forbid they get some help.

Not to mention, the unemployed, whose numbers keep growing by the day, don't pay taxes and therefore can't receive any tax relief.

Really. The Republicans are just putting on this whole show just to make sure President Obama fails. This isn't about the stimulus. This isn't about doing what's "right" for America. Economists across the ideological spectrum all agree Washington is gone have to turn the spigots wide open. So it's not the economics of the bill. Not the tax cuts, not the amount of spending, none of that. They just want Pres. Obama to fail, pure and simple.

The past 8 years have demonstrated that Republicans neither care nor know what's best for American citizens. Yet, they have the gall, the unmitigated audacity to get self-righteous over this?

You, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and all the other Congressional conservatives should be mortality ashamed of yourselves. Really.

You know what I hope? I hope Pres. Obama burns them Monday, and the final bill has everything the House Democrats wanted in the first place. The family planning spending, the National Mall grass, and everything. And if the Republicans want to filibuster, for once, make them stand and talk and explain to everybody why they want this recession to become worse.

This Is Solidarity

This is what solidarity is about. Make no mistake about it, the union knows this simple act isn't enough for peace. But the immediate objective isn't peace, it's solidarity. And I'm a little insulted that the Israeli leader is making sarcastic comments suggesting otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for murder. If for only my faith, I'm for nonviolent protest. But knowing what Israel is doing to Palestine . . . eh . . . - No1KState


South African Dock Workers Won't Unload Israeli Goods

Associated Press
February 4, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/04/world/AP-AF-South-Africa-Israel.html?_r=1

JOHANNESBURG

South African dock workers won't unload ships carrying
goods from Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians,
a union leader said Wednesday.

Randall Howard, general secretary of the South African
Transport and Allied Workers Union, said it appeared a
ship carrying goods from Israel was nearing Durban's
port. If once the ship docks its cargo is determined to
be Israeli, he said, union workers won't unload it.

"We will make that contribution," he said. "The
historic and heroic struggle of the Palestinian people
for self-determination ... is a struggle that SATAWU
supports."

Last year, South African dock and freight workers
refused to unload a ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe
to protest Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's rule of
the neighboring country. In the case of Israeli goods,
Howard said, it did not matter whether they were
weapons of vegetables.

"If it's an Israeli product, we're going to boycott
it, plain and simple," he said.

In Israel, Foreign Minister spokesman Yigal Palmor
said: "If these people think that by refusing to
unload shipments from Israel they are promoting peace
they should go back to school because they have misread
the situation in the Middle East big time."

Israel's three-week military offensive against Gaza,
which killed hundreds of civilians before ending last
month, sparked protests in South Africa. Israel says
the operation was aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire
from Gaza.

Howard, decrying Palestinian as well as Israeli
violence, says Israeli attacks were "extremely
disproportionate."

Strong South Africa-Israel ties cultivated by the white
government in the apartheid era have been maintained
since the onset of majority rule. South Africa also has
a close relationship with Palestinians, thanks to long-
standing connections between the governing African
National Congress and the Palestinian Liberation
Organization.

Febuary: Black History Month

Here's what I have to say about Black History Month: Carter G Woodson had a great idea several decades ago. And in the absence of a more inclusive national history, Black History Month remains pivotal. We celebrate "white" history all 12 months, so anyone complaining that there's no White History Month needs to catch a clue. Now, I believe it is important to note that much of black history involves white people, just as much of "white" history involves black people. So, there is some inherent danger in the separate notion of "black" history to the extent that it can engender the idea that black people suffered at the hands of some mysterious force and not the white people with whom they share citizenship and/or this country. But, again, in the absence of a more comprehensive history, I think it necessary to take the risk. Also, I would like to be part of a movement that has the teaching of a more comprehensive history in our schools as its goal. In fact, let me look into that and get back to you. Since I celebrate and discuss black history all year no matter the month, that's about all I'll be saying in regards to Black History Month. Anything else will be along these same lines.

Now. In other news, I just saw Lauren's kids yesterday. They're doing okay. They are scary smart. And I mean that seriously. I saw some of the work they produced in daycare and was frightened. I'm waiting for one of them to explain e=mc2 to me. The youngest, who I'll call Babygirl, sneezed in my face. Luckily, I'm pretty sure that was a regular, "clearing the system" sneeze and not a flu sneeze. The middle child, who I'll call Sasha cause I think both she and the youngest Obama daughter are clowns, did a lot of laughing and giggling. The oldest, who I'll call Smart Pants, insisted on answering "Lauren" when I asked her what my name was. Her older cousins kept telling her "No1KState," so I'm pretty sure Smart Pants kept saying "Lauren" just to be funny. I asked her, "Why are you messing with me?" She just smiled.

And me? I'm good. One of my great-aunts is making me some yum-yums! It's a baked desert with pecans. I'm not a cook, so that's all I can tell you about it. The interesting thing, though, is that she's my maternal grandmother's sister. (Well, this particular great aunt. I have several.) And it occurred to me that while my grandmother had four daughters (Living at least. We know she and Grandpa had a child before they got married who died as a baby or was stillborn. We thought it was a boy, but I saw some other info that it may have been a girl.), only one of them had a daughter by birth - and that daughter of a daughter is me. If we were Amerindians, it would be my son who would become chief. Plus, I don't know, every time I think about that, I feel some added pressure to make good on my grandmother's genes. You know? There is another daughter of a daughter, but she was adopted. And I'm the older of the two of us, anyway. But don't get it twisted, I love her like a sister. Hurt her and I'll cut you.

Lastly, let me thank my new readers. I'll do my best to give you accurate info with some great thinking behind it.