The right-wing claim that government spending under President Obama is "out of control" is, of course, sheer nonsense. Now, we have Forbes magazine and the Wall Street Journal, two bastions of conservative journalism, confirming that, in fact, spending by the federal government is growing at a slower rate than at any time in 60 years -- since Eisenhower! Two compelling charts:
Listening to the radio in the car this weekend, I heard an "On the Media" segment with host Bob Garfield interviewing OTM producer Sarah AbdurrahmanIn about her recent attempts to find out what sorts of information the U.S. government has collected about her. She explains how she sent out personal Freedom of Information Act Requests to numerous government agencies. After hearing this segment, I've decided to do the same.
Think the FBI, Secret Service, or other federal agencies haven't collected any information about you? You may be surprised. Listen to Sarah's story and you, too, may decide to write in to find out what the government's files say about you. I've just done it. It's easy. As Sarah explains, one way to do it easily is to start here at Get My FBI File.
If you don't already know why Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) is the epitome of what is wrong with American politics and government these days, see this post by Jim Fallows today.
Shame on Shelby. And shame on all of us Americans for letting this sort of pathological idiocy cripple our system of government.
Here's a chart that anyone wanting to understand current discussions about deficits needs to see. Jim Fallows explains why it matters.
It's no great insight. Everybody recognizes that the horrific thing about recent policy debate in Washington is that the Republicans have succeeded in shifting the discourse to their turf. Rep. Paul Ryan's cynical and sinister budget proposal, which would destroy Medicare as we know it, dismantle Medicaid, and defund many other programs that help the poor and dispossessed in America -- BUT PROTECT LOW TAXES ON THE WEALTHIEST! -- is now driving the discussion.
Can President Obama, in his speech tomorrow night, change the direction of this? We'll see. Meanwhile:
As Iron Knee notes, "Considering that the Boston Tea Party was actually against the East India Tea Company (the then equivalent of a multinational corporation) it is difficult to believe that the founders of this country really intended for corporations to have the same rights as people and for money to be considered protected speech."
