some interesting links

I have had so many thoughts about what has gone on over the past two months since i have written but I have been too busy to write. I am extremely distressed by several things that have come up: 1. the stimulus package and how the republicans have been dealing with this.
2. retreating on Bush's terrorism laws, extraordinary rendition, and guantanamo
3. Obama's bipartisan foibles
4. Netanyahu being the prime minister of Israel
5. sending more troops to Afghanistan (such a stupid decision)
6. bombing civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan
7. Taliban being 100 miles from Islamabad by Pakistani government acquiescence
8. The oncoming depression that will be worse than 1930s
9. The manner in which both banking executives and wall street executives live in a
totally ego centric world - giving themselves millions in bonuses
10. The fact that, during this financial debacle no one seems to be really discussing the
underlying issues - that is the utter failure of our economic system to retain
stability over the long run. Since the late 1970s we have had one major downturn
after another with seeming recoveries and balooning growth that ends up deflating.
We should be smart enough to design a system that serves everyone rather than
the top 1%.

Here are some links to several articles that I think capture some of these issues in a very serious way:

High Noon: Geithner v. the American Oligarchs

Former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), MIT Sloan School of Management professor and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Simon Johnson examines President Obama's plan for economic recovery.

Dump the GOP

Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain

Former GOP Congressman Joe Scarborough was doing his MSNBC morning yak-fest on Friday, and made a comment about how President Obama's newly-finalized stimulus package has "greatly offended Republicans." His guests all agreed with solemnly nodding heads, yeah, you're right, Joe, Obama offended the Republicans. Greatly and stuff.

Ending the Hidden Agenda Behind Tax Cuts

Something as simple as a metaphor can mean the difference between shared prosperity and widespread suffering.

It's time to tell the truth about tax cuts. This phrase dominates political discourse and is coughed out every time a conservative public figure opens his mouth. It is treated like the basis of sound reasoning, yet no one points out what should be obvious - that "tax relief" and "tax cuts" are just code words for destroying the capacity of government to serve the public.

We've heard over and over again that the source of society's problems is the government.

Have fun!