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Saturday, April 16, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Life Lesson
Andrew Sullivan offers an excellent assessment of the current state of abortion politics inthe February 7th issue of The New Republic.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Kaus on Social Security and the SOTU
Mickey Kaus makes an observation that I have been waiting to see, noting that if we did not establish personal accounts at all, benefit cuts would be much smaller. His opinion that Bush will be able to take credit for any improvements to Social Security, to the detriment of Democrats, is intriguing.
Social Security Details
The LA Times has a good report on the details emerging about the privatization plan. My favorite part:
When a worker did retire, he or she would have to spend at least part of the money on an insurance policy that would guarantee he or she remained above the poverty line and, therefore, would not have to turn back to the government for benefits.
So, essentially, Bush is passing the "safety net" to private industry. The only thing that's surprising is that it's so brazen.
When a worker did retire, he or she would have to spend at least part of the money on an insurance policy that would guarantee he or she remained above the poverty line and, therefore, would not have to turn back to the government for benefits.
So, essentially, Bush is passing the "safety net" to private industry. The only thing that's surprising is that it's so brazen.
Why Social Security will not go "bankrupt"
Democrats should be sharing these simple truths with the public, it's a fairly simple message to convey.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Medals of Distinktion
...courtesy of the Economist (Dec 16 issue):
Mr Bush bestowed the presidential medal of freedom, America's highest civilian honour, on three men closely associated with the Iraq war: George Tenet, responsible for the intelligence beforehand; Tommy Franks, who led the invasion but was responsible for security afterwards; and Paul Bremer, who was in charge of the occupation and disbanded the Iraqi army.
Mr Bush bestowed the presidential medal of freedom, America's highest civilian honour, on three men closely associated with the Iraq war: George Tenet, responsible for the intelligence beforehand; Tommy Franks, who led the invasion but was responsible for security afterwards; and Paul Bremer, who was in charge of the occupation and disbanded the Iraqi army.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
News from Saudi Arabia...
...courtesy of the Economist (Dec 9 issue):
When the government was short of cash, the royals appeared to consider liberal reforms, which many Saudi journalists and businesspeople were demanding. But now that their money worries have lifted, and their worries about security have grown more acute, they have gone back to their old reactionary habits.
In March, a group of reformists were jailed for calling for a constitutional monarchy. Three are still awaiting trial. In September, the government issued an edict banning all state employees, which means most working Saudis, including academics, from publicly questioning state policy. In October it announced that long-promised elections for 178 town councils, now due in February, would be for only half of their seats, with women entirely excluded. Few people have bothered to register to vote, prompting one columnist to lament that Saudis show less interest in polls than in the stock index.
When the government was short of cash, the royals appeared to consider liberal reforms, which many Saudi journalists and businesspeople were demanding. But now that their money worries have lifted, and their worries about security have grown more acute, they have gone back to their old reactionary habits.
In March, a group of reformists were jailed for calling for a constitutional monarchy. Three are still awaiting trial. In September, the government issued an edict banning all state employees, which means most working Saudis, including academics, from publicly questioning state policy. In October it announced that long-promised elections for 178 town councils, now due in February, would be for only half of their seats, with women entirely excluded. Few people have bothered to register to vote, prompting one columnist to lament that Saudis show less interest in polls than in the stock index.
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