The GOP is Gaming Port Security Funding & Airports Miss 21 Bombs. I Feel Safe!

by Rio Flores on March 17th, 2006

After being outmaneuvered previously on port security issues, the Republicans are playing the game hard, but do they really have the best interests of American Security at heart?

This past week Senate Republicans blocked increases of $1.7 Billion in “badly needed” funding and instead lead the 90-8 passage of a $978 million dollar increase. This past week in the house, the GOP rejected an increase of $1.25 Billion (article). After Sen. Robert Menendez had submitted a different bill for $965 million (D-NJ), Sen Mitch McConnell (R-KY) submitted a very similar bill for $978 million (article). The Republican controlled congress brought this latter bill to a successful vote and passage. Way to go Republicans – at least the LAT thought so (article)! My guess is some lazy reporter say a press release and didn’t bother to do any real journalism.

Aw gawsh, golly. I love these Republicans! They know that now is not the time to play politics with our national security! And they’ll tell you so, just ask.

Finishing out the week, the Government Accountability Office released a damning report in which 21 out of 21 airports failed to detect bomb making materials (article). Under funded ports and weak airport protection! I feel safe!

Bush’s New Budget Aims: Screw the Poor

by Rio Flores on February 13th, 2006

From BusinessWeek:

“The contrast in President Bush’s new budget could not be more stark. On one hand, he wants to eliminate what he likes to call the “death tax” — a levy imposed on a handful of the nation’s biggest estates. On the other, he wants to end Social Security’s lump sum death benefit — a $255 check that the families of many of the nation’s poorest use to help pay for their funerals.”

Read more here.

It’s funny how some people interpret “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do?). Per W’s interpretation, the appropriate course of action is to minimize tolerances for the poor and give more “incentives” to the wealth. Maybe he reckons that the more incentives the Republicans create for being wealthy, the more Americans will actually become wealthy.

African Perspective on African Commission

by Rio Flores on December 31st, 2005

I thought this was an interesting point of view from a Ugandan radio journalist on the results of the African Commission. I disagree with some of his notes, but will have to write about that later. The radio broadcast can be found here (real player needed - sorry).

Paying for Boomers’ Excesses: A Pretext to Dismantle Social Security?

by Rio Flores on December 30th, 2005

I came across this interesting transcript from the BBC, discussing how Gen-Y will wind up paying for the excesses of Baby Boomers and questions how willing they will be to continue to do so.

While I believe the problem in the UK is more acute, I wonder if in the U.S. the Republicans could eventually use this as a pretext to finally dismantle the New Deal. They might try to use this issue as their “in” to the younger generation, right when the Republican base would be aging into oblivion.

I guess we’ll know in 10-20, or maybe even 30 years.

Do Blacks fault the President more for Katrina because they’re Black?

by Rio Flores on December 27th, 2005

Shortly after the Katrina disaster, a number of news organizations (including CNN) noted that African-Americans disproportionately believed race and poverty were factors in the slow response and distribution of aid. Salon even alluded to it in a recent war room post (toward the bottom). While the previously mentioned CNN polls numbers were higher*, the following Newsweek poll has results more typical of similar such polls.

These results appear quite striking, but take a look at the following:

Notice that about 48% of Democrats say race and poverty are a factor as do 53% of Non-whites? Also remember these surveys have a MOE of 3%. When we recognize that approximately 90% of African-Americans identify as Democrats, one begins to question where the cause and effect relationship lies. Are Non-whites responding as they do as a more direct result of their race or because of their political beliefs?

P.S. I’m a Democrat. This is in no way intended to question the political views of a minority population, but instead question the numerical analysis of news organization that would eagerly sensationalize information to boost ratings, even at the risk of reporting inaccuracies.