FRI JUN 01, 2012 AT 01:35 PM PDT
GOP Plan to Win Power by Killing Jobs
by Congressman George Miller
Their approach is fiscally irresponsible, economically unsound, and morally indefensible.

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The Republican plan to win political power by killing jobs started in 2009 by declaring that their number one priority was to see our President fail. The next step was to obstruct all legislation that could create jobs. They followed that up by sowing severe doubt and fear in the economy last August by fabricating a fake crisisover the debt ceiling. They caused rigid stalemate by opposing any balanced plan to reduce the deficit. And now they are threatening to default on America’s debt again.

They refuse to let a highway bill out of Congress, directly taking hundreds of thousands of jobs out of the economy. They insist on cutting taxes again for millionaires, oil companies and corporations that ship jobs overseas, while making middle class families pay for every spending cut.

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What we are seeing is not simply the usual partisan disagreements in Washington. The independent scholars Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein said we are witnessing the most partisan environment in their 40 years of analyzing Congress and that the Republicans are at fault for blocking anything that President Obama might want.

Republican leaders in Congress are knowingly consigning a generation of American families, students and seniors to a lower standard of living and are threatening America's standing in the world economy, all for one crass, partisan purpose – to win political power on behalf of their special interest supporters.

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the rest:http://georgemiller.house.gov/2012/06/miller-statement-on-may-jobs-numbers.shtml

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/01/1096620/-GOP-Plan-to-Win-Power-by-Killing-Jobs

Source: Think Progress

Elections Officials Throughout Florida Refuse To Use Rick Scott’s Inaccurate Lists To Purge Voters
By Josh Israel on Jun 1, 2012 at 11:00 am

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– Sarasota County: Joyce Soltis, administrative assistant to Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent (R) told ThinkProgress that the county received 14 names of from the state as sure-fire non-citizens. At least two to three of them have already proved their citizenship to the county and one was removed after indicating that he or she was not an eligible voter. Soltis said that while the remaining 10 or 11 voters have not responded, due to the significant inaccuracies on the list, the office has decided “We are not purging anyone,” from that group.

– Volusia County: Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall (R) told ThinkProgress that that county received 15 names from the state. One was not even sent a letter, because the voter is currently serving in the military and another has already proven citizenship. But she said they have no plans to remove any of the remaining 13 voters unless her office receives clear proof. “To say the least, the list is very suspect,” she explained.

– Hillsborough County: The Tampa Tribune reported today that Supervisors or Elections Earl Lennard (R) has also decided not to remove any voters on the unreliable list from the rolls without first receiving corroborating evidence that the voters are not citizens.

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Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/01/493206/florida-elections-officials-refuse-purge-voters-inaccurate-lists/

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– Pasco County: Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley (R) told the Tribune that the state had told supervisors that this purge list was “the low-hanging fruit” with “rock-solid data that they were not citizens.” He expressed frustration that the state has put them in a catch-22, complaining “If we truly comply and remove those that don’t respond, then folks say we’re suppressing voter rights. If we don’t, we have people saying we’re allowing non-citizens to vote.”

– Marin County: Because it has proven to be anything but “rock-solid” data, Supervisor of Elections Vicki Davis (R), president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, told the Tribune that she believes “most of the counties” have decided not to purge any voters without other evidence.

Source: Talking Points Memo


A powerful Arizona lawyer called for a criminal investigation into some of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s officers on Thursday after a long-awaited autopsy determined they were partly to blame for the death of Latino military veteran in December.

Attorney Michael Manning told TPM he planned to ask for an outside agency to examine the case of Ernest “Marty” Atencio, who lost consciousness and later died following a fight with law enforcement officers inside one of the sheriff’s jails in Phoenix.

Manning said the results of an autopsy released this week, six months after the death, proved what surveillance footage from the jail had already led him to believe: that Atencio would still be alive if sheriff’s detention officers and Phoenix cops hadn’t ganged up on him, pinned him down and given him electric shocks with a stun gun.

“When you look at the report, coupled with the video of Marty’s torture and death, plus interviews with witnesses, it confirms that this was a fairly gratuitous manslaughter of Marty Atencio,” Manning said. “They took it to the lethal level and really killed him in an absolute jailer riot.”

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/joe_arpaio_ernest_marty_atencio_autopsy_report.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

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http://www.scribd.com/doc/95505832/Ernest-Marty-Atencio-s-Autopsy-Report

Robert Reich
The Jobs Stall

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American consumers don't have the cash or the willingness to spend more. Not only are they worried about keeping their jobs, but their wages keep dropping. The median wage continues to slide, adjusted for inflation. Average hourly earnings in May were up 2 cents -- an increase of 1.7 percent from this time last year -- but that's less than the rate of inflation. And the value of their home -- their biggest asset by far -- is still declining. The average workweek slipped to 34.4 hours in May.

Corporate profits are healthy largely because companies have found ways to keep payrolls down -- substituting lower-paid contract workers, outsourcing abroad, using computers and new software applications. But that's exactly the problem. In paring their payrolls, they're paring their customers.

And we no longer have any means of making up for the shortfall in consumer demand. Federal stimulus spending is over. In fact, state and local governments continue to lay off large numbers. The government cut 13,000 jobs in May. Instead of a boost, government cuts have become a considerable drag on the rest of the economy.

Republicans will have a field day with today's jobs report, taking it as a sign that Obama's economic policies have failed and we need instead their brand of fiscal austerity combined with more tax cuts for the wealthy.

But that's precisely the reverse of what's needed.

the rest:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/may-jobs-stall_b_1562394.html

The New York Times' coverage of the grand unveiling is here. I love this bit:

"Behave yourselves," a grinning Mr. Bush said to the audience, which included his longtime political guru Karl Rove and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Turning to President Obama with a look of mock chagrin, Mr. Bush said, "Thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends to my hanging."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/us/politics/obama-hosts-george-w-bush-for-portraits-unveiling.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

TWEET:


Translation:

My American guests were fascinated with all the gay nannies in Sweden. I explained that they were the children's fathers.

http://echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com/2012_05_27_archive.html#1384367121943060380

FRI JUN 01, 2012 AT 07:07 AM PDT
Wisconsin John Doe investigation launched after Scott Walker's office stonewalled initial inquiry
by Laura Clawson

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's story about the John Doe investigation that has led to criminal charges against three of his former aides, an appointee, and a major donor and has just hit 13 people granted immunity and counting is that sure, it surrounds him, but he himself is not only innocent of all wrongdoing, but actually initiated the investigation. It turns out that, like so many of Walker's stories about his actions, is not quite the way it happened:

* Barrett on offensive against Walker in debate: Last night was the final debate of the Wisconsin recall battle, and Tom Barrett seized on new allegations about non-cooperation with investigators by Walker’s previous office, and news of a 13th Walker aide granted immunity, to hammer Walker as corrupt and divisive.

The Dems’ closing message has focused almost entirely on Walker’s alleged misconduct and dishonesty, and on the idea that only by ending the Walker experiment can Wisconsin reunite and move forward again. Bill Clinton arrives today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum-if-you-vote-out-obama-it-will-make-you-feel-better/2012/06/01/gJQA1svh6U_blog.html







&feature=player_embedded

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/walker-barrett-spar-on-jobs-in-final-recall-debate/article_bf0b5a74-aba0-11e1-af56-0019bb2963f4.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/01/1096417/-Tom-Barrett-s-amazing-moment-that-even-local-news-admits-was-the-highlight-of-the-debate

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-danziger/murdoch-ailes_b_1561199.html