I continue to improve and hope to return to full speed this week.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:33 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From MoveOn: What If MoveOn.org Was A City?
Kudos to MoveOn, a most valuable resource!
From NY Times: In the fight over the federal budget deficit, Social Security has so far been untouched. That may soon change.
In last year’s “fiscal cliff” debate, President Obama offered to reduce the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for Social Security benefits, a spending cut favored by Republicans and scorned by Democrats. Republicans rejected the offer because Mr. Obama wanted tax increases in exchange, while Democrats said it would be too harmful. More recently, Senate Democrats did not include Social Security reforms in their budget and specifically rejected a COLA cut. The House Republican budget also steered clear of explicit cuts to Social Security, a move partly aimed at isolating Mr. Obama.
The question now is whether Mr. Obama will again propose to cut the COLA when he unveils his budget next week. We think he should not do so. The president might want to seem like he is willing to compromise by renewing his call for a COLA cut. But Republicans already spurned his offer and are unlikely to take him up on it now. They are more likely to paint him as a foe of Social Security, which would be reinforced by Democrats’ opposition to the cut.
Even if Mr. Obama avoided those pitfalls, a COLA cut is a bad idea, as we will explain in this editorial. It also is a distraction from the real problems of Social Security.
Click through for the rest of an excellent editorial. I agree that the COLA should be based on an intensive investigation in to what the actual changes in cost of living for seniors are. The article does not offer a projection, but I believe such an investigation would justify a COLA increase, not a cut. I disagree with one thing. The long term solution is to scrap the cap.
From Crooks and Liars: Exxon’s Pegasus Tar Sands Pipeline Ruptures in Central Arkansas
Once again, we have a demonstration of the environmental safety we can expect from moving especially toxic tar sands oil through a pipeline. We can expect the same if Keystone XL is approved, except on a much larger scale.
Cartoon:
At the time, due to the immaturity of youth, I was fixated on Vietnam, so I failed to recognize the good thinks he did.
6 Responses to “Open Thread–3/31/2013”
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3:59 Good doggy.
3:30 WOOF! WOOF!!
Looks like you are the big dog around here now.
4:12 Tom & I need some rescue dogs.
I prefer the term "top dog" as I don't need any reminders of my shoe or body size. LOL! Just throw me a bone!
Puzzle — 3:30 WOOF! WOOF!!
MoveOn — WooHoo!!!!!
NY Times — Political will is probably the biggest concern.
It is imperative that the frenzy that passes these days for deficit debate not engulf Social Security. There are rational and acceptable fixes to the program that could preserve it for generations to come, if political will can be found to enact them.
The author offers several steps (one being increase the cap, not remove the cap) for a solution which totally make sense. Unfortunately, the Congress is too concerned with playing ideological games over governing the country for the people. And corporations, the 'people' that Republican/Teabaggers represent, are not people at all, despite what SCOTUS and Citizens United say.
As St Ronnie opined some years ago now, SS has nothing to do with the budget. I wonder if Republican/Teabaggers want to rescind his sainthood?
Crooks and Liars — I heard about this on the news yesterday. The one thing in favour of ExxonMobil is the speed with which it responded, dispatching over 100 oil workers to deal with the problem. However, that is about it. This reminds me of the Kinder Morgan pipeline rupture in the City of Burnaby a few years ago. That was a result of a backhoe knicking the line which was not on the right place according to maps. That problem had local resident's homes literally covered in oil and unlivable for over a year. While the remediation has been done, I wonder now what that episode will do to the value of those homes when people want to sell. The homes are still very close to the refinery. And I agree, the Keystone XL will so much bigger if it has a spill. It is not worth it.
The only right decision in my mind is to NOT approve the Keystone XL, nor the Enbridge Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan twinning in Canada. This spill and its consequences must be thoroughly investigated and blame and costs applied.
Cartoon — Of course I remember Johnson, but being Canadian and still a high school student, he didn't touch my life very much. But you're right TC, there were many accomplishments, and I am sure that you are not the only one for which the Viet Nam War overshadowed other things. Here are a few points from Wikipedia: