All the doomsday predicting and blustering from both parties about SEQUESTRATION (thunder, lighting, hitchcock shadow) has me feeling like Stephen Colbert when he said:
“I spend so much time in the world that is spinning all the time that to be in the no spin zone actually gives me vertigo.”
Its puzzling to see folks rail against government spending, then rail against cuts to government spending.
Unless it is not about more or less government spending, but about WHAT the spending is on. At that point though, we aren’t talking about big government vs. small government, we’re talking about more government spending on things I like, and less government spending on things you like.
Case in point:
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell began his term with a “Smaller Government, Stronger Economy” agenda.
But this past Monday, Gov. McDonnell sent a letter to President Obama opposing significant cuts to federal government spending:
The automatic sequestration reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 are already having a significant adverse effect on the Commonwealth. When fully implemented, they could force Virginia and other states into a recession.
Two days after sending this letter to President Obama opposing cuts to federal government spending, Gov. McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia legislators saying he opposed more health care spending on Virginians because:
“The country is broke, and I will not support policies that make it worse.”
I don’t begrudge the Governor for wanting to spend money on some things over other things. But lets be honest in this debate: its not about shrinking government. Its about more Government for me, and less Government for you.
— Gen. Stanley McChrystal (Retired)
— Plato (via Sojourners)
Here is what we know:
1. Private markets, rather than the GSEs, created the subprime mortgage boom.
2. The Community Reinvestment Act and the GSE’s affordability mission didn’t cause the crisis.
3. There’s a lot of research to back this up and little against it.
4. Conservatives arguments tend to blur the definition of subprime.
5. The government policy that likely made an impact were deregulatory actions.
We, as citizens of the Republic, can no longer ignore the questions and perils surrounding our Governments power to kill American citizens:
There may be extraordinary occasions when killing a citizen is permissible, but it should never be acceptable for the government to refuse to acknowledge the act. How can we be free if our government has the power to kill us in secret? And how can sovereign authority be accountable to the people if the sovereign can refuse to own up to its actions?
Pakistani American Dr. Taymiya Zaman writes a beautiful and moving piece about her homeland, a place everyone thinks they know about.
“So much for a widespread stereotype. According to data tracked by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina and released Friday (.PDF), there were nine terrorist plots involving American Muslims in 2012. Only one of them, the attempted bombing of a Social Security office in Arizona, actually led to any violence. There were no casualties in that or any other incident. And the Triangle study tracks indictments, not convictions.”
Haris Tarin from MPAC nails it:
“We know that there are instances of domestic violence in all communities and none of us are immune. Sadly, I hear numerous stories of domestic abuse from counselors, therapists and Imams, who spend their time dealing with these issues.
This is why the Muslim Public Affairs Council, with our coalition partners, is launching a campaign that will contribute to the advocacy of this legislation. We are striving to provide our leaders and community workers with the resources to get this legislation passed.”
Among legislation being considered during the current General Assembly session are proposals that would extend eligibility for in-state tuition to certain undocumented students.
These proposals should be considered very carefully by legislators for their ability to make a very substantial, long-term investment in our state’s workers and our economy.
There is no disputing the long-term value of a college education.
First, earnings for adults increase with years of education and degree completion. In Virginia, an individual who completes a bachelor’s degree earns almost $55,000/year compared to $30,000/year for someone with a high school diploma or equivalent. The difference is vast. Getting a college degree increases median annual earnings by $25,000.
Second, the state also sees a clear return on investment from a college education since higher-earning individuals would pay more in income, property, and sales taxes. State and local taxes paid by a person with a college degree, earning about $55,000/year, are roughly $4,600/year.
A high school graduate who earns around $30,000 will pay almost $2,500 in taxes. That means the additional earnings of a college degree holder translates into over $2,000 more in state and local tax revenue each year.
The fact is immigrants in Virginia are already contributing to Virginia’s economy in important ways. Virginia’s immigrants are already the most educated immigrants in the nation. While immigrants comprise about 11 percent of Virginia’s population, they represent roughly 17 percent of its entrepreneurs. And immigrants accounted for over 40 percent of the growth in entrepreneurship in the state between 2000 and 2010.
Virginia reaps substantial economic rewards from our prosperous foreign-born population. To help keep Virginia’s economic competitiveness sharp, we should continue to invest in measures that promote the talent and skill development of our immigrants, including opening access to our state colleges and universities to certain categories of unauthorized immigrants.
(Source: tcifiscal)
Faith is a work in progress. Good works must be faith in progress.
I doodled a thing. [x]
Marissa Mayer, Yahoo CEO, announcing the company’s agreement to acquire Tumblr. On Tumblr, of course. Tumblr. +...
Are pretty much the best thing ever. If you have one, I highly encourage you let them know. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget.
Our problem is that we look at the Islamic requirements to forgive others and to not talk badly about others as some sort of favor to others.
When...
Was wary for my wrists. Should have paid more attention to the shoes. My feet are
torn.
up.
Window Socket - Kyuho Song & Boa Oh
So this is an absolutley brilliant idea! Just attach the plug on to a window and it will...
