Check out the video shot by Scott Mcpartland, capturing the OWS phenomenon last October. I was very pleased to be a witness to a remarkable collection of folks trying to change the status quo through peaceful protest.
Remember OWS?
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Monthly Archives: March 2012
Should Uncle Sam Stick it to the Sinful?
America is a very sick country, and sickness is big business, and business is very, very good. Health insurers and healthcare providers rake in record profits year after year, and in fact, stand to benefit further from President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which they fought so hard against to the tune of $86.2 million contributed to the Chamber of Commerce. Continue reading
Will Frustration Drive Democrats to vote Republican in 2012?
Amidst all the discussion surrounding Occupy Wall Street, the 1% and the 99%, and accusations of class warfare, there is another group of folks that do not seem to get any airtime: The Begrudgers. I am referring to the ordinary, hard working folks frustrated and enraged by all the petty fraud they see on a day to day basis, especially in the area of entitlement programs like Medicaid, Public Assistance and the food stamp program, SNAP. Ever drive by a Welfare office on a sunny afternoon, seen lots of people outside smoking, snacking and socializing ? Continue reading
Lessons learned from the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Many of the GOP talking heads and Republican strategists commonly espouse deregulation or recommend limiting government standards of safety for workers and the environment as ways to encourage the growth of industry and business, the hope being that the “job creators” will spread the wealth around. They ignore oil spills, coal mine cave-ins, and nuclear accidents all occurring in living memory when these statements are made. They always claim that business owners can be counted on to sensibly regulate themselves without interference from unions, that they really care about their own employee’s safety and well being, and they will be the ones to help America succeed if the bad, old Government just gets out of the way! And their Democrat colleagues fail to fight for current standards, let alone try to improve on the state of the American workplace. Continue reading
Money Cult
Just a quick thought, as someone who really does not have a lot of money, it kind of tickles me the way Americans treat successful businesspeople with reverence and awe. This worship of the wealthy manifests itself in many ways. The media breathlessly follows the activity of the young rich heirs and heiresses, who are famous for basically being wealthy, with a zeal formally reserved for movie stars. Continue reading
Predatory teachers, and the depiction of children in media
The New York and California teacher/student sex abuse stories abound in the news in recent years, really got me thinking. Responsible adults need to pay attention to what’s polluting the public sphere, as well as acting to helping a child in cases of abuse, at the least sign of trouble. Continue reading
Chris Christie, the Crankiest Governor
You can tell the mood in America is pretty dark when an elected official scores popularity points just for displaying temper. Hardly a week goes by without New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s latest testy remark making the news, the latest of which involves calling a Iraq war veteran/Navy Seal an “idiot” during a heated exchange regarding a upcoming merger of two universities. Continue reading
Apply the Broken Window Theory
My friend Vito often references the ‘broken window theory’ when we are discussing the efficacy of the NYPD’s ‘Stop and Frisk’ practices. Vito, a retired detective, cites the theory’s useful ideas in part as the reason for increased police presence on the street and subsequent decreased crime in the five boroughs, from the hellish rates of robbery and murder seen here in the 1970′s. Continue reading