Sustainability and Politics

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Poll: Obama edges Romney in second debate - CBS

Yep. http://m.cbsnews.com/storysynopsis.rbml?pageType=politics&url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57533850/poll-obama-edges-romney-in-second-debate/&catid=57533850

O'Malley: Romney Worse Than Bush on Social Issues

Yikes.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc/49442807/

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Mitt's Spinning and Spinning

Mitt Romney's tax plan is mathematically impossible: he can't simultaneously keep his pledges to cut tax rates 20 percent and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax; broaden the tax base enough to avoid growing the deficit; and not raise taxes on the middle class. -- Josh Barro, Bloomberg, October 12, 2012.

Mitt Romney's tax plan is mathematically impossible: he can't simultaneously keep his pledges to cut tax rates 20 percent and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax; broaden the tax base

to avoid growing the deficit; and not raise taxes on the middle class. -- Josh Barro, Bloomberg, October 12, 2012.

Moe, 1 sec ago

We haven't forgotten about your tax returns, Romney. What are you hiding?

Goose Tooth, 3 secs ago

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

President Obama Vows 'Determined' Performance at Second Debate - ABC News

President Obama Vows 'Determined' Performance at Second Debate - ABC News

""What he spent most of his time doing [in Denver] was hiding the ideas that he's been running on for the last year and that the American people had essentially rejected," Obama said in the interview. "And so they desperately tried to cover up what exactly they've been proposing."

"The president cited Romney's comments on abortion in an interview Tuesday with the Des Moines Register as one example of his challenger trying to "hide" his real views.
"Four weeks before an election, he is trying to cloud the question" on abortion rights, Obama said, "because he understands that most women think they can make their own health care decisions."

Google Mitt Romney = Completely Wrong

Mitt Romney Google Bombed Himself - Yahoo! News

Completely wrong -- Google search here https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&tok=AwTudoBzms7uZtnLuWNH_g&cp=13&gs_id=dh&xhr=t&q=completely+wrong&safe=off&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=35243188&biw=1275&bih=638&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=BwF2UMqwCpD2igKmsIDQDQ

***California Prop. 30 & 38: Looking for Budget Reality

There's a Hole in the Bucket | Election 2012 | East Bay Express

"Both are also equitable measures if you consider the massive gains in income by the wealthiest Californians over the past two decades. Data from the Franchise Tax Board shows that the state's top 1 percent saw their incomes rise by 50 percent while the bottom 20 percent suffered a decline of 20 percent in income."

"The California Budget Project, a nonpartisan organization well-known for its rigorous analysis of state policy issues, holds a more optimistic view, and has even taken the rare step of endorsing Prop 30. "Prop 30 would raise much needed revenues as part of a balanced approach to closing state budget gap over the long haul," said the CBP's senior policy analyst Jonathan Kaplan. While the organization supports Prop 30, Kaplan clarified that it's taking a neutral position on Prop 38."

***Mitt Romney Is Misrepresenting Abortion Position - Disingenuous Double-Talk

Mitt Romney Is Hiding Abortion Position, Not Softening It, Obama Campaign Says

"Despite having pledged to "get rid of" Planned Parenthood funding and appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, Romney told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday that restricting abortion access is not part of his agenda. Just two hours later, his campaign immediately walked back the statement. Romney "would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life," spokeswoman Andrea Saul told National Review Online."

""He is trying to close the deal, I would imagine, just like he did in the boardroom when he was with Bain Capital," Stephanie Cutter, President Obama's campaign manager, told reporters on Wednesday. "Romney has been dishonest about his plan on issue after issue. His dishonesty on abortion is only one example.""

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Obama regaining ground after Romney debate bounce - Video on NBCNews.com

Romney on foreign policy - Style over substance baltimoresun.com

Romney on foreign policy - baltimoresun.com

"Style over substance

Our view: Aside from rhetorical flourishes, Romney's foreign policy prescriptions differed little from those of the president

... On all these issues, Mr. Romney seems to think that all the United States has to do is show its muscle and the world will obediently comply with its wishes. But that's not the way the real world works; we learned that during the Bush administration. Mr. Romney claims the U.S. needs action, not words, to reclaim its leadership position among nations, but so far all he has offered is to speak louder and carry the same big stick."

I've been thinking some about the Winter Solstice, the Mayan end of the 30,000-year-cycle on 12/21/12.

What if in fact the world did end? Even though this probably will not happen, to live consciously it is honest for us to take a bit of an inventory.

Am I happy with how I've lived my life? (Yesterday, I thought mostly yes, with some areas for improvement, as below.) Are there changes I would make?
Would I have tried to forgive those that were hostile or disappointing to me?
Would I spend more time with those I loved the most, telling them that, feeling that more?
Would I be happier, grateful for what I have, what I've experienced, the joy, the beauty in this world?

Maybe the answer is yes to all of the above.
So this time can serve as a point of rebirth for all of us. If we think about it.

Because somewhere along the line I realized I think maybe mankind deserves it. !
The way we are killing each other, killing the planet.
How selfish we are, and snotty to those around us. Petty, competitive. Why is this? Do we have to behave this way? (I say no, it greatly detracts and misdirects energy from the full-time celebration in which we could engage, the great multi-cultural, multi-rhythmic dance we can sustain here.)

Maybe God or the Great Universe is fed up, and will pull the rug out from under us.
Don't think I can say we could blame Him/Her/It.

But it probably won't happen. (Probably not! This time.)

Still we are finite on this ride.

It is a time to think, am I happy with how I've lived my life?
Hopefully most of us can say yes.

For the part of us that have a little worry, a little sadness....
This is the time to be present.
This is the time to be the person you want to be, that can die at peace, that can hope to every day be able to look yourself and the Universe in the eye and say, how beautiful, smiling, and thank you. Let's do that.