Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts

Friday, October 10, 2008

Ms Under Estimated

There are a couple of video's that you might enjoy viewing at Ms. Under Estimated's site. This site is worth watching. View msunderestimated.

$700 Billion Bailout

This is just a little of what is in the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.

"New and improved
Lawmakers demanded numerous changes to the Treasury Department's original, three-page proposal, including limits on how much executives may be paid if their firms sell assets to the government. Congress also added an oversight board to supervise the program, raised the cap on Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. account coverage from $100,000 to $250,000, and required steps to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
Sweeteners added an estimated $150 billion in costs, including a provision that shields 24 million taxpayers from the alternative minimum tax. The new law also has tax relief provisions for disaster victims; research and development tax credits; a hybrid car tax credit; and tax breaks for teachers who spend their own money on school supplies.1"

Source:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-bailout4-2008oct04,0,6267511.story

Obama on the Issues

This is where Obama stands on the issues.

*Abortion: Obama feels women should be trusted to make their own decisions on abortion and that they should be legally available, but also supports unwanted pregnancy prevention measures.

*Civil Rights: Obama strongly supports equal rights and opportunities regardless of race, gender, or physical ability. “There is not a black American and white American and Latino America and Asian American - there is the United States of America.

*Corporations/Regulation: Obama believes that corporations should be responsible for work conditions and pensions and that there should be tax incentives for corporate responsibility. He feels we should close tax loopholes for companies that relocate abroad. (I believe that he has changed his view on tax incentives for corporate responsibility; or it's just another one of his lies!).

*Crime & Punishment: Obama is opposed to the death penalty, but feels that some “heinous crimes” justify it. He supports alternate sentencing and rehabilitation over building more prisons.

*Drug Policy: Obama feels we should address prevention, focusing on unemployment. He admits to having used marijuana (among other things..) and understands why young people are drawn to drugs.

*Education: Obama calls for a sense of urgency about improving our education system and that there should be incentives, including higher pay, for increasing the number and quality of teachers. He argues that “No Child Left behind” is under-funded. (Is this why there are so many stupid people out there now???)

*Energy Policy: Obama supports raising CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards as well as more investment in hybrids and greater ethanol production. He also advocates conservation and the development of alternative fuels, including further exploration of nuclear power.

*Family Values: Obama feels that faith is central to family life and that parent must instill values and ideals in their children. He also feels that all children should receive age-appropriate education regarding sexual abuse.

*Foreign Policy: Obama feels NATO needs to be strengthened, that China is a competitor not an enemy, and that US policy should promote democracy and human rights. He also advocates African development and support for Israel. “We shouldn’t have strategic ambiguity .."

*Gun Control: Obama feels we should ban semi-automatic weapons and institute more possession restrictions. “I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturer’s lobby.

*Health Care: Obama believes that the federal government should provide health care for everyone. He also feels that we need to increase competition in the insurance and pharmaceutical markets and advocates better funding for AIDS research and prevention.

*Immigration: Obama feels there should be a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, but argues that it must be earned. He supports border patrols and a border fence as well as holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers.

*Jobs & Unemployment: Obama believes that the minimum wage should be a “living wage” and argues that the burdens of globalization are placed on the backs of workers. He argues that tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs and that unions should be strengthened.

*LGBT Rights (Gay & Lesbian): Obama believes that anti-discrimination laws should include sexual orientation and supports strong civil unions and equal rights, but stops short of supporting gay marriage.

*National Security: Obama feels we should support veterans and address the deficiencies in the VA system. He advocates appealing (does he mean repealing? To rescind or revoke?) “don’t-ask-don’t-tell”, giving our troops the best training and equipment available, and growing the size of the military to maintain rotation schedules.

*Oversight and Reform: Obama advocates public campaign financing with free TV and radio time. He (His) “soft money” contributions and “bundled” money from lobbyists, but argues that influence comes more from access than the money itself.

More on next post...

Source:
http://www.issue2008.com/campaign/candidates/barack-obama-candidates/

Thursday, October 9, 2008

McCain on Issues

This is where John McCain stands on the issues.

*Abortion: McCain opposes abortion with exceptions for incest and rape, but doesn’t feel that a constitutional amendment will happen.

*Civil Rights: McCain generally supports civil rights and supports affirmative action for specific programs, but without quotas. He is also a long-time advocate Native American rights.

*Corporations/Regulation: McCain opposes “corporate welfare” and feels we should close corporate loopholes and veto pork-barrel spending.

*Crime & Punishment: McCain believes there should be more community policing, that there should be stricter sentencing and more prisons. He also feels that judges have limited scope under the Constitution and that we have enough hate crime legislation.

*Drug Policy: McCain supports stricter enforcement of stricter penalties for drug crimes. He advocates prevention and education and public/private partnerships for treatment. “I can’t support the legalization of marijuana. … It is a gateway drug.

*Education: McCain supports rewarding good schools and advocates charter schools, as well s allowing the states to decide on school vouchers programs. He’s against nationally imposed standards for funding and feels that such programs penalize students.

*Energy Policy: McCain believes that oil profits should be reinvested in nuclear power. He feels we should develop alternative fuels and strengthen emission controls, but does not support the Kyoto Protocol. He has changed his position on ethanol, feeling it now “makes sense”. (Kyoto Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol is the International Framework on which the reduction of greenhouse gases is used in an effort to prevent anthropogenic climate change.)

*Family Values: Supports housing for low-income families, flex-time and family leave, tax incentives for college savings, and parental involvement in children’s media consumption.

*Foreign Policy: McCain advocates overthrowing “rogue governments” and “assertive multilateralism”. He believes in engaging with China, urging political reform, but no diplomatic or trade relations with Cuba. He feels it is naïve to exclude nuclear weapons as a tool of diplomacy .

*Gun Control: McCain feels we should prosecute criminals “rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens”. He opposes holding firearm manufacturers liable for gun violence as well as opposing restrictions on assault weapons. He supports safety lock mandates.

*Immigration: McCain believes in giving illegal aliens a path to citizenship, arguing that 14 million illegal aliens is “de facto amnesty”. He advocates fines, waiting periods, and deportation depending on circumstances. He feels that comprehensive reform starts with border security.

*Jobs & Unemployment: McCain is not a strong advocate for unionization, but feels we must protect small farmers. (More)

*LGBT Rights (Gay & Lesbian): McCain feels that gay marriage should be left to the states and that the “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” policy is working and should be kept in place.

*National Security: McCain strongly opposes the use of torture and rendition. He argues that the military’s political leaders should have a military background and that a Commander in Chief needs experience more than briefing books. (Rendition (law), a legal term meaning "handing over")

*Oversight & Reform: McCain has been a leading proponent of campaign finance reform and advocates restricting PACs, lobbyists, and special interest groups and banning corporate and union contributions to end the “influence-peddling scheme”.

More on the next post...

sources:
http://www.issue2008.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
Website: www.JohnMcCain.com
http://www.issue2008.com/campaign/candidates/john-mccain-candidates/

Monday, October 6, 2008

Barack Hussein Obama II

Name:
Barack Hussein Obama II
Position:
U.S. Democratic Senator
Born:
August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Education:
Obama attended Punahou School from 1971 until his graduation from high school in 1979.
Undergraduate:
Obama studied at Occidental College for 2 years in Los Angeles, CA. He then transferred to Columbia University in
New York City, where he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and specialized in International Relations in 1983.

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Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.

Name:
Joe Biden (Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr.)

Position:
Senior Democratic United States Senator from Delaware.
He is both the 2008 Democratic Vice Presidentail nominee & re-elect candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Born:
November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Education:
Archmere Academy, 1961.

Undergraduate:
Biden graduated from the University of Delaware in 1965 with a Bachelor Of Arts degree in both History and Political Science.
He received his Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968. His first year there he was accused of
plagiarizing pages of a law review article. He was allowed to retake the course. During this time, Biden received 5 student draft
deferments (dodged the draft because of being a college student) with the first in 1963 and the last in 1968. This was during the height of the Vietnam War.

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John Sidney McCain III

Name:
John Sidney McCain III
Position:
U.S. Republican Senator
Born:
August 29, 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone
Education:
John attended Episcopal high School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria, Virginia, graduating in 1954.
Undergraduate:McCain graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958. He also graduated from flight school in 1960.

Undergraduate:
McCain graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1958. He also graduated from flight school in 1960.


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Sarah Louise Heath Palin (Republican VP Nominee)

Name:
Sarah Louise Heath Palin
Position:
Governor of Alaska - December 4, 2006-presentNamed by 2008 Republican Presidential candidate John McCain as his choice for Vice President on August 29, 2008. The first woman to appear on a GOP presidential ticket.
Born:
February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho
Education:
Graduated Wasilla High School, Wasilla, Alaska in 1982.
Undergraduate:
Attended Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu. Studied business administration in fall 1982.Attended North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene. General studies major in spring and fall 1983. Attended University of Idaho. Studied journalism with an emphasis in broadcast news in fall 1984 and spring 1985.Attended Matanuska-Susitna College in Palmer, Alaska. Fall 1985.Attended University of Idaho. Spring 1986-spring 1987. B.S. in communications-journalism. Graduated spring 1987.

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SNL Tina Fey as Sarah Palin in Palin/Joe Biden Debate

Here is Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey portraying Sarah Palin once again. Here is SNL's interpretation of how the Palin/Biden debate went.


I watch about 3/4's of the debate. While there are some truths in what SNL portrays, There are a lot of misrepresentation as to what happened as well. Safe to say that SNL does not care for or respect Sarah Palin.
Maybe instead of talking about politics, the cast should run for Governor, Senate, Congress, President, etc. How well would they be able to stand up to their own scrutiny?

Gov. Palin and Katie Couric get real and adorable SNL skit by Tina and Amy

Here is Saturday Night Live's skit of the live interview starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as Sarah Palin and Katie Couric.


Does anyone get their knowledge of the current political situation from SNL?

Tin Fey and Amy Poehler as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton SNL

I realize that this is not new, but here is a direct link to nbc dot com Saturday Night Live's actual skit. Sarah Palin will be in the news for a while. We might as well enjoy the parts that we can. :)

Sorry, I haven't learned how to do the embedded video links yet.
Enjoy!