Nature in America

One of the things we take for granted as Americans is wildlife. Specifically, wildlife in urban areas. I remember years ago, an Italian friend was visiting me in the Chicago suburbs and he absolutely freaked out that there was a rabbit in our side yard. He told me that you just wouldn't see wildlife in urban areas in Europe. I never really thought about it, but he's right. I've since had several French friends tell me the same thing - they're just astounded by the plethora of wildlife in American cities.

The photo above is from a reader in Greenwich, CT. Here is her email to me:

John, thought you might enjoy this picture, even though this big guy freaks me out! Last Friday morning in back of my condo in Greenwich, with his kill draped over the branch. He sat there for hours! My friend took the picture, the poor squirrell was like a prop for the hawk's preening. I researched and they do eat the whole prey. Took a few hours though! And we did not stay around to witness! The next day, Saturday, when I came home from shopping in the Pm he was on a branch in the parking lot, spread his wings and scared me to death, my goodness he is huge! You look closely at the picture , you can even see his "creepy" eyes!

Anyway, thought you might enjoy the picture and think how strange it is to have this "hunter" bird with his prey no less in a condo complex in Greenwich (35 minutes away from Midtown Manhattan!)

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George Will stands by his discredited global warming column and will regurgitate the same false information in his next column

George Will can't believe that men hug each other (which is an odd observation coming from someone so prissy.)

I can't believe that a Washington Post columnist would print falsehoods and distort the truth, then refuse to admit his mistake, then continue pushing the falsehoods. But, that's the case with George Will. Media Matters got an advanced copy of his upcoming column:

In his forthcoming column -- obtained by Media Matters for America in advance of its publication -- George Will doubles down on his previous global warming distortions, once again misusing sea ice data to falsely suggest that the data undermine the overwhelming evidence that humans are causing global warming. In his new column, Will falsely claims that in his February 15 column, he "accurately reported" on the contents of an Arctic Climate Research Center (ACRC) document when, in fact, the document he cited rebutted the very argument he was making. The ACRC document that Will relied on actually stated that the sea ice data are consistent with the outcomes projected by climate-change models. In the words of TPM Muckraker's Zachary Roth, Will's new column "amounts to a stubborn defense of the amazing global warming denialist column he published earlier this month, that was ripped apart by just about everyone and their mother."

Will should spend more time worrying about the veracity of his columns and less time obsessing about men hugging. He's further damaged the already damaged credibility of the Washington Post's editorial pages and the Post has allowed it by standing by their man. Fred Hiatt himself is sticking up for Will, (but probably not hugging him.)

This is beyond disturbing. Will is letting his deeply held partisan views cloud whatever judgment he has left. This is how careers end -- or it should be.

One other thing: If a progressive columnist authored a blatantly false column in the Washington Post, the Republicans on Capitol Hill will be up in arms. There would be speeches and resolutions galore. But, there has been silence from the Democrats over George Will's egregious error and his failure to own up to it. See, many Democrats still think the Washington Post editorial page matters. It doesn't (unless one is worried about being invited to the "right" cocktail parties here in D.C.) Read the rest of this post...

Bankers, bonuses and trickle down

To be fair to the spouses, these bankers could always find a second or third job, right? If the tables were turned, you know that's what they would be asking of others.

Divorced bankers who have had their bonuses cut are trying to wriggle out of millions of pounds worth of maintenance payments they promised to pay their children and former wives. Dozens of ex-husbands in the City are going back to court to ask judges to reduce divorce settlements that were agreed in much rosier economic times.

Two of the City's leading law firms advising bankers and wealthy businessmen confirmed that they were helping husbands get better maintenance deals in light of their clients' reduced financial circumstances.

Sandra Davis, head of family law at Mishcon de Reya, told The Independent: "We have had a number of male clients who have been forced to renegotiate settlements where maintenance awards were substantial. These were based on projected bonuses and salary levels which have not been sustained in the economic downturn."

Read the rest of this post...

Massive crowd of 11 people show up for Joe-the-Plumber book signing last night in DC

Damn. I'd have shown up and asked him if he's paid his taxes yet. Once again, this is the best the Republican party has to offer. Oh, and he sold 5 books. Read the rest of this post...

Paying for the budget includes tax increase on wealthiest Americans

Throughout the campaign, Obama said he was going to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. That made John McCain and the rest of the Republicans apoplectic. They thought the tax increase on the rich would surely result in an Obama loss. But, Obama won -- and he's following through on his campaign promise. The NYT's Robert Pear dissects the numbers:

President Obama will propose further tax increases on the affluent to help pay for his promise to make health care more accessible and affordable, calling for stricter limits on the benefits of itemized deductions taken by the wealthiest households, administration officials said Wednesday.

The tax proposal, coming after recent years in which wealth has become more concentrated at the top of the income scale, introduces a politically volatile edge to the Congressional debate over Mr. Obama’s domestic priorities.

The president will also propose, in the 10-year budget he is to release Thursday, to use revenues from the centerpiece of his environmental policy — a plan under which companies must buy permits to exceed pollution emission caps — to pay for an extension of a two-year tax credit that benefits low-wage and middle-income people.

The combined effect of the two revenue-raising proposals, on top of Mr. Obama’s existing plan to roll back the Bush-era income tax reductions on households with income exceeding $250,000 a year, would be a pronounced move to redistribute wealth by reimposing a larger share of the tax burden on corporations and the most affluent taxpayers.

Administration officials said Mr. Obama would propose to reduce the value of itemized tax deductions for everyone in the top income tax bracket, 35 percent, and many of those in the 33 percent bracket — roughly speaking, starting at $250,000 in annual income for a married couple.

Under existing law, the tax benefit of itemizing deductions rises with a taxpayer’s marginal tax bracket (the bracket that applies to the last dollar of income). For example, $10,000 in itemized deductions reduces tax liability by $3,500 for someone in the 35 percent bracket.

Mr. Obama would allow a saving of only $2,800 — as if the person were in the 28 percent bracket.

The White House says it is unfair for high-income people to get a bigger tax break than middle-income people for claiming the same deductions or making the same charitable contributions.

This will give the GOP a rallying cry: Protect the really rich. I mean, besides right wing whackos, they're the party of the rich -- the John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, George Bush and Dick Cheney kind of rich.

Obama is returning the tax code to where it was under Bill Clinton. That worked for the economy then. You can't really say Bush's tax policy did much for the economy. Most Americans were happy with their economic situation at the end of 2000. Not so true for the end of 2008. Read the rest of this post...

Bush UN ambassador jokes about nuking Chicago since Obama is from there

The cream of the crop of the Republican party is attending the CPAC conference today in Washington, DC. It's where the party's best and brightest show up and demonstrate to the American people how totally bankrupt the Republican party has become. Case in point? Bush's UN ambassador. These folks still haven't learned their lesson. They think the entire nation is inhabited by Rush Limbaughs and Phyllis Schlafflys. No, they only inhabit the leadership of the Republican party. The rest of the nation is quite normal, thanks. And that's why the GOP won't be back in power for a very long time. Read the rest of this post...

Holocaust-denying bishop 'apologizes' for, but refuses to recant, his claims that only 300k died in Holocaust, no gas chambers

What a piece of work. First, he apologizes that his words offended some people - he just had no idea anyone would find it hurtful for him to claim that the Holocaust, for the most part, never happened. Uh huh. But putting that ridiculous claim aside (we're now adding false witness to his crimes) he didn't recant his views. Simply said he was surprised anyone found them offensive. How long is our German pope going to tolerate this hateful anti-Semitic nonsense?

(And anyone who doesn't think it relevant that the first German pope is coddling Nazi sympathizers, well, clearly isn't up on their history. The German Catholic church, and the German chancellor, clearly find it relevant, and they have rightfully stepped up to the plate and condemned this nut, in addition to castigating the Vatican for its tolerance of intolerance. And considering the historical whispers about the Vatican being far too accommodating of the Nazis, you'd think someone in the Holy See might want to get it right this time.)

I thought the Vatican simply had a soft spot for pedophiles. Apparently, we can now add genocidal Nazis to the list of papal peccadillos.

While Williamson apologized in a statement Thursday to all those who took offense and for the distress he caused, the bishop did not specifically say that his comments were erroneous, or that he no longer believed them.

"If I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich, I would not have made them," Williamson was quoted as saying in the statement carried by the Zenit Catholic news agency.

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GOP chair Steele compares Jindal to "Slumdog Millionaire"

In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the lead character is Indian. And he's illiterate and from the ghetto, but somehow he manages to prove he's the smartest guy on the block, but no one believes him. And Bobby Jindal is Indian-American. Get it? They're both Indian. Isn't that funny? Oh, and I guess Steele meant that no one can believe that Jindal actually got to be governor on his own merits either - since that's what the movie is based on. Why doesn't Steele think that Jindal could get there on his own? More from Ben Smith. Read the rest of this post...

Pentagon ends photo ban on war dead return

The Ministry of Truth is no more.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced this afternoon that the Pentagon has decided to lift the complete ban on video and photos of the return of the war dead to US soil.

Now, it will be up to the families of the service members killed in Iraq and Afghanistan whether to allow such media coverage.

At his daily briefing, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "The president asked that the secretary of defense review our policy toward media and photos at Dover air base for victims returning of -- from Iraq and Afghanistan. And what the...president supports is a policy consistent with that that we have at Arlington cemetery, which allows at the families position for that to be open, which allows them to make that decision and protect their privacy if that's what they wish to do."

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CNBC: Obama's call for regulation 'spooked' market

Where to start with this CNBC gem? If the market doesn't like the President calling for a new era of regulation and responsibility after one of the hardest falls in decades, tough. Anyone who is flustered by the words of Obama and wants to run because of a drop at the end of a day needs to get out of the business immediately. The market has benefited the elite and traders and has trashed the retirement investments for a few hundred million so apologies if I don't cry over Wall Street's drop on Wednesday. If CNBC and the cheerleaders are unable to see the necessity - yes, necessity - to improve the system for all Americans, too bad for them.

The AP has more.

"We can no longer sustain 21st century markets with 20th century regulation," Obama said after meeting with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the chairmen and top Republicans of the two House and Senate committees charged with writing new regulatory legislation.

Obama leveled a broad indictment of the industry, saying the current financial crisis occurred when "Wall Street wrongly presumed the markets would continuously rise and traded in complex financial products without fully evaluating their risks." But he also blamed government regulators for not adequately protecting consumers.

In calling for a sweeping regulatory change, Obama is providing ballast to his still unfinished effort to shore up the ailing industry. As such, he is taking both a policy and a political step designed to assure the public that bailing out banks is not his only prescription for the industry.

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Norm Coleman can't win and GOP Governor says not having another Senator is hurting Minnesota

The Minnesota recount has been very complicated. Norm Coleman has done his best to make sure of that. But, one thing is clear: Coleman cannot win. At this point, it's looking more and more obvious he's working at the behest of the Senate Republicans to keep Al Franken from becoming the 59th Democrat in the Senate. Coleman knows the political press corps can't deal with complicated issues so he's playing to that. Witness the idiotic comments by one of the Washington Post's top political writers, Shailagh Murray about a "re-vote." Idiotic. But, Norm Coleman is now saying the same thing. Thanks, Shailagh.

Big shot Republicans are raising money for Coleman to keep this battle going and to keep Franken out of the Senate. Don't forget that Coleman has George Bush's election lawyer, Ben Ginsberg, tying up the legal process. But, for those paying attention, it's clear Coleman's lawsuit isn't going so well.

So, it's no wonder that Coleman's protracted effort has resulted in yet another example of the GOP in-fighting that already popping up in so many places. Think Progress highlights an intra-state battle between the Republican Governor, Tim Pawlenty, and the former Senator:

But the longer the seat remains vacant, the longer the citizens of Minnesota remain underrepresented. Indeed, today on C-SPAN, Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said that the lone representation in the senate is hurting the state:

HOST: [H]as it hurt the state not having a senator, a second senator available? […]

PAWLENTY: Yes, it has put Minnesota at a disadvantage when there’s only 100 senators total and you are missing one and it is one of two from your state, that puts you at a disadvantage. When you have big legislation being decided and you are trying to fight for your perspective, or your influence on a piece of legislation it puts our state at a disadvantage.

The Republicans are using the Coleman lawsuit to obstruct the Obama agenda. That's what this is really about, not that any political reporter, like Shailagh Murray, could ever figure that out. The Republicans don't want the Democrats to have 59 Senators. It's a whole hell of a lot easier to get to 60 from 59 then it is from 58.

And, one last thing, if a Democrat was stringing this out, the Republicans would have raised holy hell. The pundits would have been calling for the Democrat to concede. Democrats would have been calling for the Democrat to concede "for the good of the country." And, the Democrat probably would have already conceded. It's time for Norm Coleman to concede for the good of the citizens of Minnesota. But, Norm Coleman would never think like that. No Republican would. Read the rest of this post...

Your questions for the head of OMB?

Joe and I have been invited on a 2pm conference call today with Peter Orszag, Director of the OMB, to talk about Obama's budget that's being released today. This is a great opportunity to question a senior administration official, on the record. If any of you have any suggested questions, please post them in the comments. Read the rest of this post...

Kentucky paper on GOP Senate smackdown: "Sen. Jim Bunning all but declared war on his own party's Senate campaign chairman"

Even more GOP in-fighting, this time an intra-GOP Senate caucus battle between Senator Jim Bunning and Senator John Cornyn who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Bunning's threatening to sue the political committee of his fellow Republican Senators. And, let's not forget that Bunning's Senate colleague from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, is the leader of those Senate Republicans.

Sen. Jim Bunning all but declared war on his own party's Senate campaign chairman yesterday and threatened a lawsuit if anyone is recruited to run against him in next year's Republican primary.

The Kentucky Republican has said repeatedly that he will seek a third term next year, even though he has raised relatively little campaign money and some key members of his party reportedly believe he should retire.

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Bunning lashed out at Sen. John Cornyn, the Texan who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the Senate.

"I don't believe anything John Cornyn says," Bunning said.

Now, that may be the first time I ever agreed with Jim Bunning on anything. I don't believe anything John Cornyn says, too.

Republicans are really doing a number on each other. It's hard to keep track of all the intra-GOP battles. It's a free-for-all. And, it's only going to get worse. Read the rest of this post...

$634 billion for health care in Obama's budget

Obama said he was serious about health care. His budget is serious about health care. Very serious:

President Obama is proposing to begin a vast expansion of the U.S. health-care system by creating a $634 billion reserve fund over the next decade, launching an overhaul that most experts project will ultimately cost at least $1 trillion.

The "reserve fund" in the budget proposal being released today is Obama's attempt to demonstrate how the country could extend health insurance to millions more Americans and at the same time begin to control escalating medical bills that threaten the solvency of families, businesses and the government.

Obama aims to make a "very substantial down payment" toward universal coverage by trimming tax breaks for the wealthy and squeezing payments to insurers, hospitals, doctors and drug manufacturers, a senior administration official said yesterday.

Embedded in the budget figures are key policy changes that the administration argues would improve the quality of care and bring much-needed efficiency to a health system that costs $2.3 trillion a year.

By first identifying a large pot of money to underwrite health-care reform -- before laying out a proposal on who would be covered or how -- Obama hopes to draw Congress to the bargaining table to tackle the details of a comprehensive plan. The strategy is largely intended to avoid the mistakes of the Clinton administration, which crafted an extensive proposal in secret for many months before delivering the finished product to lawmakers, who quickly rejected it.

I'm impressed by the strategy -- and the number.

UPDATE: Health Care for America Now, a campaign with the sole mission of obtaining "quality, affordable health care we all can count on," is also impressed with this first major step:

"It's one thing to talk about doing comprehensive health care reform this year, but President Obama's proposing a $634 billion down payment on health care shows true commitment to getting it done in 2009," said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager for Health Care for America Now. "The budget is just the beginning. Now we join President Obama in asking Congress to start work on legislation that guarantees quality, affordable health care for all with the choice of a public health insurance plan and standard, comprehensive benefits that meet our needs. We also challenge Members of Congress determined to counter the President no matter what he proposes to put aside petty political gamesmanship and do something valuable for the people they've been elected to represent. The health of our families, our businesses, and our economy depends on it."

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convenes today here in DC. It's the biggest gathering of the most extreme of the right wingers and convenes with a speech from the leader of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh.

This year, CPAC is meeting against the backdrop of a Republican Party on the verge of civil war. We've got the RNC Party Chair threatening "retribution" against three GOP Senators. We've got GOP governors fighting among themselves -- and one of them attacked the GOP congressional leaders as "inconsequential" (which is true, but harsh coming from one of their own.) And, then we've got Jindal. More than anything, his speech exposed a huge rift in the GOP. Most of them loved his speech, but there was some very vocal disapproval. That led to another round of GOP in-fighting and forced Rush to defend Jindal. This GOP fratricide is getting really ugly. It's quite amazing just how out in the open their battles have become. How fun.

I'll probably wander over to the Omni to check out CPAC today or tomorrow. It's a frightening gathering, sort of like a bad movie featuring a cast of braindead clones intent on destroying those who don't think or look like them.

On to the news... Read the rest of this post...

Jindal criticized for "volcano monitoring" attack

Ignoring such a serious problem would be as ridiculous as ignoring the levee system in New Orleans, since he's talking about natural disasters with the risk for death and destruction. CNN:

"Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington," Jindal said.

But Marianne Guffanti, a volcano researcher at the U.S. Geological Survey, said, "We don't throw the money down the crater of the volcano and watch it burn up."

The USGS, which received the money Jindal criticized, is monitoring several active volcanoes across the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Hawaii. One of those is Mount St. Helens, about 70 miles north of Vancouver, Washington, and neighboring Portland, Oregon.

The volcano killed 57 people when it erupted in 1980 and sputters back into action periodically, most recently in late 2004 and early 2005, when it sent plumes of steam and ash thousands of feet into the air.

USGS researchers are also keeping a close eye on Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano, about 100 miles from Anchorage, which is predicted to go off again within a few months. Its last eruption, in 1989, disrupted air traffic and forced down a commercial jet that sucked ash into its engines.

"If we can give good information about what's happening, that system of diversions and cancellations all works much more efficiently," Guffanti said. "And fewer people are delayed and standard business is resumed quickly."

Louisiana is no stranger to natural disasters itself, having been devastated by hurricane Katrina in 2005. But Timmy Teepell, Jindal's chief of staff, said the governor stands by his statement.

Great. Stand up for the same stupidity that led to the disaster in New Orleans. That will impress America. Read the rest of this post...

Singapore's export focused economy drops 16.4% in Q4

Exporters are finding it increasingly difficult to find importers. The upside years delivered impressive growth but it's now equally bad on the downside. It would be interesting to follow what the real numbers are in China as opposed to the governments manipulated export figures because if they are anything like neighbors in the region, they have to bad.

Singapore issued revised 2008 GDP estimates on Thursday showing the export-reliant economy contracted by 16.4 percent in the fourth quarter, and reiterated its forecast that it will shrink by 2-5 percent this year.

"The economy is likely to continue to perform weakly in the first half of 2009," the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a 130-page detailed survey of the Singapore economy in 2008.

The manufacturing sector will be weighed down by declines in global demand for electronic products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, the ministry said, while financial services are likely to slow as volatile markets keep many investors on the sidelines.

Singapore's economy shrank 16.4 percent on an annualized, seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis but grew 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008, the ministry said in a statement.

Read the rest of this post...

British banking giant RBS posts record loss

But wait just a second. I thought the Wall Street cheerleaders were telling us the worst was behind us? Could they have been wrong? Oh the horror!

Royal Bank of Scotland has suffered the biggest loss in British corporate history and revealed that it would need to sell up to £19.5bn new shares to the taxpayer to insure £300bn of its most troublesome assets.

The scale of the losses suffered by the part-nationalised bank exacerbated the row about a £650,000 pension being drawn by former chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin, who is 50 and left last month after almost a decade at the helm.

Treasury minister Stephen Timms said the current RBS board was "extremely concerned" by the pension deal, which threatens to undermine government claims that it would not reward failure.

The figures from RBS today showed a statutory loss of £40bn, which falls to £24.1bn if technical issues relating to the bank's acquisition of ABN Amro are ignored. It largely comprises £7.8bn of trading losses and £16.8bn of writedowns caused by paying too much for acquisitions, notably ABN.

The City had been braced for £20bn of writedowns so the overall loss is slightly lower than expected.

But Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said: "These historic and humiliating losses bring into sharp focus just how reckless RBS's former management team have behaved.

"The whole country is paying the price through job cuts and repossessions on a massive scale. It is time to take control and fully nationalise this bank.

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Cheese sandwiches for "deadbeat" parents

And by "deadbeat" parents, the article is referring to parents who are late with paying for school lunches. I don't know if I would call them deadbeats in this context and singling out kids sounds pretty nasty to me. The parents who call to thank the schools sound like the same compassionate conservatives that we saw too much of the previous eight years. That such a rich country can be so nasty to kids reminds me of why I found the right wingers so revolting in every possible way. I did not grow up in a family with much money but thankfully we were never in such a situation. I can only imagine how mortified I would have been if I was pulled from the school lunch line like this.

Faced with mounting unpaid lunch charges in the economic downturn, Albuquerque Public Schools last month instituted a "cheese sandwich policy," serving the alternative meals to children whose parents fail to pick up their lunch tab.

Such policies have become a necessity for schools seeking to keep budgets in the black while ensuring children don't go hungry. School districts including those in Chula Vista, Calif., Hillsborough County, Fla., and Lynnwood, Wash., have also taken to serving cheese sandwiches to lunch debtors.

Critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment for children whose parents can't afford to pay.

"We've heard stories from moms coming in saying their child was pulled out of the lunch line and given a cheese sandwich," said Nancy Pope, director of the New Mexico Collaborative to End Hunger. "One woman said her daughter never wants to go back to school."

Some Albuquerque parents have tearfully pleaded with school board members to stop singling out their children because they're poor, while others have flooded talk radio shows thanking the district for imposing a policy that commands parental responsibility.

Anyone else reminded of Reagan and his infamous change to declare ketchup a vegetable? What miserable bastards treat kids like this? Read the rest of this post...