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Republican Math:

tinfoilandtea:

think-progress:

Affordable: $1 TRILLION per year in tax cuts for the rich

Unaffordable: $6 BILLION per year to help millions of students

And don’t forget about the “low priority” food spending for low income women and children so those poor suffering rich folk can have their tax cuts!

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motherjones: The YWCA weighs in on the importance of the Violence Against Women Act. There are three reasons some Republicans are trying to block the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act: Gays, immigrants, and Native Americans.
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Since her death in 1979, the woman who discovered what the universe is made of has not so much as received a memorial plaque. Her newspaper obituaries do not mention her greatest discovery. […] Every high school student knows that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But when it comes to the composition of our universe, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know.

— Jeremy Knowles, discussing the complete lack of recognition Cecilia Payne gets, even today, for her revolutionary discovery. (via alliterate)
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destroythegop: A few other things President Obama has done… (via that So-shul-ist Rag, Forbes ) Extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes Created an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes Required economic justification for tax changes Implemented “Women Owned Business” contracting program Changed standards for determining broadband access Established a credit card bill of rights Expanded loan programs for small businesses Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes Extended the 2007 Alternative MinimumTax patch Closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan Required children to have health insurance coverage Expanded eligibility for Medicaid Expanded eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP) Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years. Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals Expanded the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq Began removing combat brigades from Iraq Created a military families advisory board Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts Opened “America Houses” in Islamic cities around the globe Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan Increased funding for local emergency planning Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA) Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions. Provided affordable, high-quality child care Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West Increased funding for national parks and forests Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient Expanded Pell grants for low-income students Pursued a wildfire management plan Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires Expanded access to places to hunt and fish Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Reformed mandatory minimum sentences Created a White House Office on Urban Policy Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders Established ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps Created a Social Investment Fund Network Bolstered the military’s ability to speak differentlanguages Appointed the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer Provided grants to early-career researchers Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Created a national declassification center Appointed an American Indian policy adviser Created new financial regulations Increased funding for land-grant colleges Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees Signed a “universal” health care bill Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012 Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve Raised fuel economy standards Invested in all types of alternative energy Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars Asked people and businesses to conserve electricity Required more energy-efficient appliances Created a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans Created job training programs for clean technologies Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption Supported high-speed rail Supported airline service in small towns Invested in public transportation Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit Considered “smart growth” in transportation funding Shared environmental technology with other countries Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009 Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits Supported network neutrality on the Internet Reversed restrictions on stem cell research Killed Osama bin Laden Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency Included environmental and labor standards in trade agreements Created an international tax haven watch list Made permanent the Research & Development tax credit Required automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans Required automatic enrollment in IRA plans Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system Created a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges Required full disclosure of company pension investments to employees Provided easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans Invested in electronic health information systems Phased in requirements for health information technology Required that health plans utilize disease management programs Required providers to report measures of health care costs and quality Held hospitals and health plans accountable for disparities in care Implemented and funded proven health intervention programs Prevented drug companies from blocking generic drugs Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices Worked with schools to create more healthful environments for children Improved recruitment of public health workers Mandated insurance coverage of autism treatment Fully funded the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives Doubled federal funding for cancer research Increased participation in cancer-related clinical trials Fully funded the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Set a national goal to provide re-screening for all 2-year-olds for developmental disorders Commissioned a study on students with disabilities and their transition to jobs or higher education Set goals and timetables for implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities Reduced the threshhold for the Family and Medical Leave Act from companies with 50 employees to companies with 25 employees Provided a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave Required employers to provide seven paid sick days per year Streamlined the Social Security disability approval process Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas Established standards of care for traumatic brain injury treatment Made the Veterans Administration a national leader in health reform Reduced the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog Instituted electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness Expanded the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault Fully funded debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries Created a fund for international small and medium enterprises (SME) Launched robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel Limited Guard and Reserve deployments to one year for every six years Ended the “Stop-Loss” program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments Fully and properly equipped troops Created a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need Included humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting Reviewed weapons programs Modernized ships and invested more in small vessels Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors Restored the government’s ability to manage contracts by rebuilding our contract officer corps Created a system of incentives and penalties for defense contracts Establish a Global Education Fund Strengthened the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping spread of weapons of mass destruction Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010 Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons Developed a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy Mandated standards for securing personal data Required companies to disclose personal information data breaches Worked to persuade the European Union to end credit guarantees to Iran Seek to negotiate a political agreement on Cyprus Restructured and streamlined USAID Increased the size of the foreign service Urged China to stop manipulation of its currency value Pressed China to end its support for regimes in Sudan, Burma, Iran and Zimbabwe Created a public “Contracts and Influence” database Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings Conducted regulatory agency business in public Promoted more pre-school education Expanded Early Head Start and Head Start Reformed No Child Left Behind Doubled funding for Federal Charter School Program and require more accountability Addressed the dropout crisis by giving schools incentives for more dropout prevention Created Teacher Residency Programs that will send teachers to high-need schools Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers Simplified the application process for financial aid Increased the number of high school students taking college-level courses Created incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration Improved water quality Regulated pollution from major livestock operations Strengthened federal environmental justice programs Increased funding for organic and sustainable agriculture Partnered with landowners to conserve private lands Created a community college partnership program Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey Supported wetlands protection Promoted economic development in Mexico Supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Vigorously pursued hate crimes and civil rights abuses Signed the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act into law Supported regional innovation clusters Helped low-income areas get phone and Internet service Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons Increased the supply of affordable housing throughout metropolitan regions Invested in transitional jobs and career pathway programs Fully funded the COPS program Improved emergency response plans Capped interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations Improved climate change data records Supported improved weather prediction program Offered prizes for advances in consumer technology Encouraged contests and programs to interest students in science Increased research opportunities for college students Strengthened the levees in New Orleans Directed revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection Shook loose federal money for rebuilding the Gulf Coast
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The stuff that’s made America great—liberty and justice for all; the idea that there should be a middle class that you should be able to get into by working hard; that no matter what your gender and race is you should be able to participate fully in society; that the environment has a value that should be protected by government action, that children shouldn’t be made to labor under awful conditions but in fact every child should be in schools learning—all those values are the values that progressives and liberals defended in the last century and still defend every day. We are the ones who are defending America the beautiful through our environmental commitments. We’re the ones who are defending the Statue of Liberty’s stand for the newcomer through our stand for immigrants. We’re the ones who stick up for liberty and justice for all including lesbians and gays and other folks who might be left out. And yet we never claim the deep patriotism that our work implies—to the great detriment of our own cause and of the country. And I’m now, having had my own patriotism challenged repeatedly, willing to stick up for my own love of this country.

— Van Jones (via azspot)
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2ndart: Clockwork Orange Chicken? 
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shortformblog: futurejournalismproject: Of Total Income Increase in 2010… Steven Rattner, a Wall Street executive and New York Times Op-Ed contributor, writes: In 2010, as the nation continued to recover from the recession, a dizzying 93 percent of the additional income created in the country that year, compared to 2009 — $288 billion — went to the top 1 percent of taxpayers, those with at least $352,000 in income. That delivered an average single-year pay increase of 11.6 percent to each of these households. Still more astonishing was the extent to which the super rich got rich faster than the merely rich. In 2010, 37 percent of these additional earnings went to just the top 0.01 percent, a teaspoon-size collection of about 15,000 households with average incomes of $23.8 million. These fortunate few saw their incomes rise by 21.5 percent. The bottom 99 percent received a microscopic $80 increase in pay per person in 2010, after adjusting for inflation. The top 1 percent, whose average income is $1,019,089, had an 11.6 percent increase in income. Steven Rattner, The New York Times. The Rich Get Even Richer. Yikes. The balance is off.
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I’m gay, absolutely nothing against anyone, anything. If you do not have it in their direction, I will accept it. I am someone who has the other direction and there is no problem. Arigato gozaimasu.

— Rick Santorum-san (via ricksantorum-san)
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