Daily Show gets it wrong, Birther issue is racist

In covering the news last week that President Obama had the State of Hawaii release his “long form” birth certificate, Jon Stewart and the Daily Show took some shots at several talking heads on MSNBC saying the whole birther issue was racist. I love Jon and the show but this time his quest for equivalency led to a false conclusion.

The tag line for the video clip says it all:

Larry Wilmore claims that the birther controversy isn’t racist — it’s just an opportunity for Republicans to scare old people. (05:11)

The problem is that Stewart and Wilmore ignore the 800 lb gorilla in the room. The questions about Obama’s citizenship would have NEVER come up if he was a WHITE MAN named Steve.

If that isn’t pointing out the racism I don’t know what else would. The whole birther farce is as disgusting as the Willie Horton ad used in the 1988 elections or what Karl Rove did to John McCain in 2000 in South Carolina.

Daily Show: Wilmore – Longformers – Scared Old People

60 Minutes carried Big Corp. water on tax rate story

The CBS News show 60 Minutes usually can be counted on for hard news about controversial subjects but a recent story about corporate income tax rates in the US showed how even a once great investigative news show can present a story so lopsided one would think it was repeating a press release.

Correspondent Lesley Stahl had a story about some large corporations who have moved their headquarters out of the country to dodge the US’s 35% tax rate on corporate income. She showed that some of the moves were a sham when she went to talk to the people in charge and they weren’t there.

Next came a short section where Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) complained about the companies that were dodging the taxes and questioned their patriotism.

Stahl then spent the remainder of the time giving big corporations an opportunity to whine and complain about the hardship of paying their fair share even though most don’t actually pay it and when they didn’t back in 2004, it didn’t help the economy.

Economist Martin Sullivan told Congress these patent and profit transfers are accounting tricks that have allowed companies to chip away at the 35 percent and save tens of billions of dollars. He says that from 2007 to 2009 these maneuvers helped lower Pfizer’s average tax rate to 17 percent; Merck to 12.5 percent, and GE to just 3.6 percent.

“It’s really remarkable, as I review the data, is the consistency with which you see this phenomenon. The taxes are going down, the profits are shifting offshore at an accelerated rate over the last few years,” Sullivan said.

So now these companies have profits accumulating overseas in places like Zug.

If they bring the money home, it’s taxed the full 35 percent. If they leave it overseas, the IRS can’t touch it. In other words, the tax law all but forces companies to keep their money out of the country, indefinitely.

“We leave the money over there. I create jobs overseas; I acquire companies overseas; I build plants overseas; and I badly want to bring that money back,” John Chambers told Stahl.

Chambers told Stahl Cisco has almost $40 billion overseas that could be brought back to the U.S.

The total amount of money U.S. companies have trapped overseas is $1.2 trillion. Chambers is advocating for a one-time tax break to allow them to bring that money home at a rate of, say five percent. That would, he says, stimulate the economy and create jobs.

“What is your downside for money that isn’t going to come back anyhow? I’d say your downside is zero,” he told Stahl.

But the Obama administration opposed this idea. When it was tried in 2005, the Treasury did rake in billions of dollars, though very few jobs were created.

A look at the world’s new corporate tax havens

John Chambers of Cisco also complains “All we’re asking is: Give us a level playing field. Get us close.”

Of course Chambers doesn’t say that Cisco and others who have operations in Europe don’t have to pay health insurance for workers – the European Union has universal health care and his fellow businessmen fought tooth and nail against the US health care reform efforts that then led to a much watered down “Affordable Healthcare Act”. Also as noted briefly we did try a one time tax reduction and it failed to generate jobs.

The story Lesley Stahl did the other night was about as bad for the middle class as the long wet kiss the entertainment division does with the show “Undercover Boss”.

Sure corporations should have a chance to lower their overall tax rate but it needs to be done with a fair intent – not as a dodge. Average Americans have been though the legal system for less.

I wouldn’t be opposed to a lower tax rate but that then must be balanced with a closing of all the loopholes. Fair is fair.

What is the REAL nanny state?

The preamble of the US Constitution says: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” That means the government should act in the best interests of the people and in a way that betters our lives such as protecting our health, liberty, and property. Some conservatives like Senator Rand Paul complain about a “nanny state” restricting our freedom to eat as much as we want when we want, waste energy, and to be homophobic no matter that doing all that might encroach on other’s rights.

Recently Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said:

Sen. Rand Paul, in a tussle with an Energy Department official Thursday, complained about what he described as burdensome, “busybody” regulations that were forcing him to buy a bad bowl.

“Frankly, my toilets don’t work in my house. And I blame you and people like you who want to tell me what I can install in my house, what I can do. You restrict my choices,” Paul said.

The issue on the table was a 2007 law requiring a phase-in of energy efficient bulbs. Paul and others are trying to repeal portions of the law, arguing that it restricts the American consumer.

At a Thursday hearing on the issue, Paul — a freshman Republican who shares a libertarian streak with his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) — aimed his complaints at Kathleen Hogan, a deputy assistant at the Energy Department.

He began his remarks by asking Hogan if she was pro-choice. She replied that she was “pro-choice of bulbs.”

“The point is that most members of your administration probably would be frank and would be up front to characterize themselves as being pro-choice for abortion,” Paul said.

Toilets join light bulbs on Sen. Rand Paul’s list of necessities burdened by ‘busybody’ rules0

Setting aside the ridiculous point of comparing abortion to buying light bulbs, he isn’t the only cheap labor conservative to complain about government regulations that force you to change the behavior you are use to.

I understand Paul’s point about low flow toilets. Early models were clunky, but the current models are cutting edge and leave the old complaints behind.

I support the use of CFL or LED light bulbs over the old inefficient incandescent bulbs that haven’t really changed in over 100 years. I have several CFL bulbs and one of them I bought in 2003 and it is still working. I have not had to change a light bulb for more than 3 years now and I have seen a slight reduction in my electric bill. I plan on moving to the even better LED bulbs once the costs moderate a bit more.

What moron would want to spend money on old bulbs and give up savings on their electric bill? Sen Rand Paul I guess and other Luddites like him. Besides I would rather spend extra now for new technology and make that transition than be forced to do it later when we have to save energy either because oil is running out or some other nasty reason. I’m sure there will be someone who demands the right to pay $10 a gallon to gas up their old SUV that gets 5 miles to the gallon.

To me that is being stupid.

There is also complaints about the insurance mandate and other parts of the new health care reform law, belly aching about the First Lady’s efforts to curb child obesity, and the First Family speaking out against bullying.

They might have a point about the insurance mandate of the health care law over reaching by taxing people who don’t buy health insurance, but who would want to let insurance companies decide if life-saving procedures were cost-effective? Why do some people want to put profit over people? How is that moral?

At least if the government decided what was covered, those decisions wouldn’t be based on the bottom line. Just talk to people who spend hundred of thousands of dollars so they can have a few more weeks with their loved one. Compassionate people can’t and won’t put a price tag or profit over their loved one.

I don’t worry about rules and regulations meant to benefit the most people but I do worry, and find it ironic, that people like Senator Rand Paul thinks its okay to interfere in a woman’s health decisions while whining about the government doing that to us.

He would rather force women to have unwanted children, have the IRS police if tax dollars were used for abortions, yet doesn’t want to spend money to help take care of those children.

It seems when Democrats “overreach” they at least help the most people but when the GOP overreach they want to hurt the most people.

What is really a “nanny state”? One that tries to better the human condition or one that wants to be a selfish ass.

Rep Jim Jordan wants to hurt the elderly and disabled

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-4th) is on the shadow budget group that suggests cuts in the budget and it seems he wants to cut social security and medicare. Like many cheap labor conservatives his cutting didn’t include a Marine vehicle being built in his district. He would rather hurt the elderly and disabled.

“I believe the American people are ready for the tough measures that have to be implemented to put the country on the right path,” Jordan said. “There are sacrifices that are going to have to be made by everyone. The American people get it. The most-important question is, will the political class display the same kind of courage that the American people have displayed.”

To Jordan, this year’s budget battle is only the beginning. He points out that the current temporary spending measures deal only with what is known as discretionary spending – the 12 percent of the budget that finances the annual operations of the government. He is talking of eventually taking on the real cause of the deficit: the entitlement programs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

“The discretionary side is a down payment or a first step,” Jordan said. “It’s not going to solve the problem. Everything else has to be looked at, including how to save and reform Social Security and Medicare. The speaker has been clear that will be part of budget. We couldn’t agree more.”

Budget cutting raises tensions between Ohioans Boehner, Jordan

First of all what he said about entitlements causing the deficit is a LIE. The majority of the deficit comes from extending the Bush tax cuts at the end of 2010.

Like all cheap labor conservatives they never talk about corporate America paying their fair share which they don’t.

Republicans like Jordan talk out of their ass especially when it comes to specific cuts. From the same article mentioned at the start, it noted:

As much as Jordan wants to reduce spending, he does have his exceptions. When the Obama administration wanted to cut millions of dollars for a Marine vehicle built in Jordan’s district, the conservative Republican fought to save the money.

Yep he wants to kick Grandma to the curb but don’t mess with his pet project that benefits his district. The fact is that the elderly, disabled, and poor have taken the brunt of the bad economic times we live in. It is time for the corporate world to pay their fair share.

Kirk Herbstreit has left home

Over the weekend I saw some tweets and a Dispatch article about ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit and his family leaving Columbus and moving to Nashville Tennessee. That struck me as odd since Herbie is a dyed in the wool Buckeye. The reason he gave to the Dispatch was that relentless fans were driving him out of town. His reason didn’t surprise me.

Former player and ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit said he and his family are moving to Nashville, Tenn., 10TV News reported.

Herbstreit told the Columbus Dispatch that in his role with ESPN he has to be objective about the Buckeyes.

He said most fans understand that, but said a small percentage of them are so relentless in criticizing him that he has to move.

Herbstreit: ‘Relentless’ Fans Forced His Move To Tenn.

I met Kirk in the fall of 1988 when he was a freshman at Ohio State. The then new head coach John Cooper had decided that freshman football players needed to be more social with regular students like myself, so the players were housed in Morrill and Lincoln Dorms next door to Ohio Stadium. My room in Lincoln that year was in the same suite as Kirk and several other freshman football players.

There was Kirk and his roommate Paul. Next door was Len Hartman and his roommate Judah Herman – both would become starters for Ohio State in their years there. There were two more players in the other dorm room but I can’t remember their names. I really got to know and hang out with Kirk, Paul, and some with Len and Judah.

Kirk back then was typically shy with any new person but once we all got to know each other he opened right up and was fun to hang out with. He had the confidence and arrogance that comes with a hotshot football player. He liked to party and be with his girlfriend at the time. For someone like me, a lifetime OSU fan, it was fantastic when we would get treated better because Kirk was with us.

I remember going to a huge house party off campus where many OSU players showed up. Watching basketball player Chris Jent escorting not one but three dates around was awesome in my immature mind at the time.

Kirk brought his Nintendo game system to school and based it in my room because he didn’t want people traipsing through his room. We would play RBI Baseball all the time. Kirk played the Detroit Tigers and knew some way to make sure he won each game. He would hit the game winning home run, drop the controller and leave the room. It drove all of us nuts and we spent most of the year trying to figure out how to beat Kirk. During Spring Quarter we did finally beat him. There was a crowd in our room often for these games. We also played Tecmo Bowl football a lot.

I also remember he didn’t take criticism well. He hated not being liked. He was used to being told how great he was especially as a player but when he got to Ohio State some people didn’t like him and we heard the stories when he complained about it and we knew it bothered him.

“Relentless fans” have been the bane of his existence during his time with ESPN. I admire his effort to not be a Homer for Ohio State and think he gets too much grief here in Columbus for trying to be impartial.

What is a “Homer”?

What is a homer? I’m glad you asked. It is being a committed hometown or favorite team fan to a fault. This is a sports syndrome that many people get when they stop looking at something objectively and are subject to regional and cultural biases surrounding them. Fantasy football team owners: we are not general managers in the NFL, so stop saying “WE” when you address your favorite team. Stop jumping on your team’s, coaches, GM’s and owner’s back every time something happens that you didn’t like.

When (and when not) To Be a Homer

Most of the Columbus media are “Homers” toward OSU but Herbstreit is not. I think that’s why the relentless fans harp on him so much. He has a premier gig as ESPN commentator doing many of the big games. Some of them include Ohio State and some fans expect him to show bias toward OSU during the broadcasts.

It’s funny because there are several former players that work other sports like Clark Kellogg in basketball and I don’t see them getting hassled but then again maybe they do but it doesn’t bother them as much.

I actually feel bad that Kirk felt he needed to move away but knowing him like I do, it doesn’t surprise me.