First We Need the Democracy Part...

"In strong and vibrant democracies, a generous social-welfare state is not a road to serfdom but rather to fairness, economic equality and international competitiveness."

- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Economist, Columbia University

It's Your Money

Every time I get my PG&E bill, they include some notice of a petition to the California PUC requesting a rate increase to cover things like "regulatory costs" and other items. These requests are for increasing the core electricity & gas rates...but take a closer look at your bill. You'll notice that our privatized utility monopoly is already recovering various regulatory fees:


Think about it...we're paying the cost of their compliance with regulations...we're footing the bill for cleaning up their nuclear mess...and yet they want to keep raising rates so they can keep bribing politicians, making more money, and paying out executive bonuses.

Ft. Hood Shootings Likely Stress-Related...

Interesting:

This year alone, the base is averaging over 10 suicides each month - at least 75 have been recorded through July of this year alone.

That's an absurdly high number. Something smells....

Guv'mint-Run Healthcare Administered to Protestors of Guv'Mint-Run Healthcare

I have a weak spot for delicious irony. And this story reads like it's straight out of The Onion...When US Rep (and noted victim of The Crazy) Michelle Bachmann organized her "press conference" and encouraged teabaggers, birthers, and other friends of Orly Taitz to attend, the last thing she probably expected was a Spinal Tap moment:

But, as with a similar rally by Democrats a week before, unpredictable things tend to happen in the wide-open spaces of the Capitol's West Front. Minutes into the rally, a breeze toppled the American flag from the stage.

More ominously, a man standing just beyond the TV cameras apparently suffered a heart attack 20 minutes after event began. Medical personnel from the Capitol physician's office -- an entity that could, quite accurately, be labeled government-run health care -- rushed over, attaching electrodes to his chest and giving him oxygen and an IV drip.

...

By the time it was over, medics had administered government-run health care to at least five people in the crowd who were stricken as they denounced government-run health care. But Bachmann overlooked this irony as she said farewell to her recruits.

"You," she said, "are the most beautiful sight any of us freedom fighters have seen for a long time."

Stonehenge anyone? The stupidity continues:

The lawmakers set the tone early, when Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) asked for the Pledge of Allegiance because "it drives the liberals crazy" to hear the "under God" part (his bravado was premature, for he left out the word "indivisible").

My goodness people...if you're going to pull pseudo-patriotic martyrdom bullshit, at least get it right. But this part really bugged me:

The actor Jon Voight, standing with the lawmakers, said of Obama: "Could it be he has had 20 years of subconscious programming by Reverend Wright to damn America?"

Yes, Jon. And Reverend Wright made you abuse and abandon your super-hot daughter too. Oh, and I think he was probably behind those two hillbillies who almost raped you and made your buddy ned squeal like a pig too. You know them boys was on guv'mint-run healthcare, dontcha? Sometimes I think Ronny Cox got the rawest deal in that movie...he was the best of 'em, you know.

National Cookie Day

Today is National Cookie Day. Here's my favorite way to celebrate: