just curious

The way she lies, is someone doing a fact check on this one? Based on her history, it has about a 10% chance of being true that she is really quitting.

Sadly the circumstances that produce a Bachmann have been made pretty permanent in our country – gerrymandered districts where only one party really has a chance, an electorate filled with fear and poorly educated on issues and a media that plays to those components. Plus we have people who have been so poisoned by the propaganda that they would never ever vote for any Democrat no matter what the facts tell them. As a high school student we were amazed that the electorate of the late 19th and early 20th century could have been so ill-informed, now we are repeating history.

Armed March On Washington Called Off
If you hadn’t heard, a Tea Bagger radio personality named Adam Kokesh had called for “patriots” to show up at a bridge outside Washington, DC on the morning of July 4th bearing arms and ready to march fully armed into Washington. What could possibly go wrong?

However much fun marching fully armed into Washington, DC and confronting the riot prepared police force it looks like it will not happen. Kokesh has called it off. Boy, this one could have been lots of fun.

Education Reform In Iowa.

Governor-for-life Terry Branstad will sign his education reforms into effect Monday. I doubt this will be the last time we hear of education reform from Branstad. The ALEC model calls for essentially the end of public education so that private industry can belly up to the public trough and rake in their profits. Privatized charter schools and busting unions – that is the future that ALEC is slowly pushing the country to state by state.

Terry Branstad was a founder of ALEC and is still a believer. So expect to see a push in Iowa to charter schools especially if Branstad is re-elected in 2014. That for me is the biggest single reason to vote against Branstad 2014.

If you think privatized charter schools will be a great thing for students, then you are not paying attention. Charter schools top priority will be to make a profit. This can be done by cutting teacher salaries among other things. They will need to post good student results, so they will be allowed to choose their students. They will operate in a much friendlier atmosphere than public schools have ever been allowed to. Even with that throughout the US charter schools still do not equal public school performance.

Religious Fundamentalism A Mental Illness?

Well at least one neuro scientist in Britain thinks so. Considering the malicious behavior it spawns in this country, I can’t say I disagree. We see all sorts of “religious” people calling for cutting all and any benefits for the poor and sick, the jobless, they call for torture of enemies and can accept no one who does not believe as they do. Anyway, now that homosexuality is no longer a mental disease, this fills in a hole. Maybe Marcus Bachmann can convert his clinic into something that could treat fundamentalism. I know who he can have as patient #1.

Important SCOTUS Decision On Obamacare

Briefly, the question was if a law is ambiguous, who gets to interpret that law. In this case, SCOTUS said that the federal bureaucracy in charge of the law gets to interpret the law. The other choice would have been a court interpretation. The immediate beneficiary would seem to be Obamacare.

Yet another way Republicans would try to damage the new health care law by tying it up in court. Now that avenue seems to at least be restricted somewhat.

From An Email On Social Security
The annual Social Security Trustees Report is in–and as we knew, it shows that Social Security’s surplus ($2.8T) is large and growing, and can pay out 100% of promised benefits through 2033. (from Michael Phelan of Social Security Works)

Or said another way – Republicans are totally lying about SS and only want to STEAL YOUR MONEY AND GIVE IT TO WALL STREET! This is your money, not”the government’s” and it’s payout is guaranteed by the “full faith and credit of the United States” because the money is invested in the safest investment in the world, US Treasuries. Don’t let these bastards steal your money. They will do it by changing laws, so the best way we can guard it is with good, New Deal Democrats.