Corporate media’s preference for”centrism” canoftentranslate intoreporting that casts two sides of a debate as equally belligerent or unwilling to compromise. ABC reporter Jonathan Karl‘s report yesterday on This Week (4/3/11) offers a perfect example of the absurdity of this worldview.
His focuses was on the battle over the federal budget. On one side are Tea Party activists who want deeper spending cuts. Karl notes that this createssome frictionbetween the activists and GOP leaders. Then there’s the other side of the debate:
KARL: Democrats have their hot heads, too. One Obama administration official said the Republican bill, which cuts $5 billion from the Agency for International Development would kill kids. That’s right. Kill kids.
RAJIV SHAH, USAID ADMINISTRATOR: We estimate, and I believe these are conservative, that HR 1 would lead to 70,000 kids dying.
Karl then turns to former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Deansaying that Democrats could benefit from a government shutdown. Karl closes with a snide reference tothe choice confronting lawmakers: “Compromise with extremists out to kill kids?”
Budget cuts have actual, real world consequences–especially when you’re talking about health aid to the Third World. This is not in serious dispute. But apparently talking about those effects is a problem.
What Karl considers hot-headed extremism is Shah’s claim that deaths will occur due to, among other things, cuts to USAID’s anti-malaria programs. Others will die because they would lose access to life-saving medicines. Others will die at birth.
New York Times food writer Mark Bittman points out that many anti-poverty organizers have organized a fast to draw attention to the GOP budget cuts. He’s joining them, and writes that some organizers are praying that God create a “circle of protection” around the world’s poor and hungry.
What a bunch of hotheads.
Well written and to the point.
Ideological republicans like to cut foreign aid which has a direct impact on global health and improves the world’s opinion of the United States.
Another favorite republican talking point is eliminating the department of education. That would end all pell grants to college students, making higher education even more unattainable for our nation’s lower and middle classes.
To see how we can reduce our deficit without cutting home heating assistance for the poor, planned parenthood, or the corporation for public broadcasting, check out http://jasonbeets.blogspot.com/2011/01/balancing-budget-primer-by-jason-beets.html
Plans that both pay off our national debt and institute monetary reform have been proposed by Mises economists, proponents of Friedman (i.e. http://www.themoneymasters.com), and others. We need an objective comparison of the merits of the various plans and to initiate a plan that is in the best interest of the U.S.. America grows weaker and less able to affect change by the day, as we discuss WHY monetary reform is needed. It is time shift the focus to HOW this should be done.
H.R.6550 — National Emergency Employment Defense Act of 2010 (Introduced in House – IH)
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.6550:
This Bill is to be reintroduced in the 112th Congress by Dennis Kucinich. Money will issued by the Treasury as provided in the Constitution and then spent into circulation. Under this plan interest will not be paid to banks that have been privileged until now to create money from nothing with the issuance of debt.
The economics of a sovereign government is different than that of corporations. Corporations have too much influence in government and media with the result that this difference is not generally understood.
The U.S. has been waging economic warfare against “third world” countries, as a matter of policy, just about forever hasn’t it? When we’re not “taking out” 9 year old boys in Afghanistan. Killing kids is what we do. Some might call it terrorism, I suppose, though it’s usually called, “Looking out for American Interests.” The whole dying kids thing is generally not talked about too much, in the wide world or here at home.
P Andrews: You are right; we need a rational discussion of how we construct our budget. But it will never happen. Republicans are not interested in what’s good for the country. They’re out to line their own pockets, and those of their owners – oops, I mean their campaign contributors. Until we get private money (any private money, even little tiny contributions from people like me) out of our elections, we will have no reasonable people in government.
I must say that many of you remind me of myself as a young boy wishing for this or that.Wish all you want.There is no longer money to do a great many things we WISH to do.Even those things(debatably) good for our national interest.And that is not due to evil greedy Republicans, or Stupid -spending like drunken sailor Dems.It is due to our government as a whole being fiscally short sighted.Our government has been a lousy steward of the peoples hard work.The right is trying to kick its way out of that box.The left thinks MORE government is the answer.Everytime i see a world disaster and America rushing to be the first to help I wonder….Where is the money coming from?Are we printing it or borrowing it?Yes and yes.
Americas downturn will have horrifying effects everywhere.
As far as malaria….Let us remember that green types eliminated DDT in the 6os with what we now know was faulty science.(It is now being used again).In the interm…… 20 million dead from the infection.As i say “The road to hell is pave with liberal good intentions.
Michael e. just STFU, you are an idiot as always. die already!
Just kidding do not want you dead, just want you to be more honest and not just a shill for your party and FOX noise.
the usa doesnt care abt kids. soldiers have orders to run down kids who get in front of the vehicles. 100s of 1000s of kids have been killed, maimed, blinded, lost arms, legs, eyes,and been blown up in af/iraq. the usa gov doesnt care, nor do americans. kill their ppl, control the oil, dominate the world, power and wealth in hands of fewer and fewer who lie to keep control, and fools keep believing in the goodness and greatness of america.
americans=whine whine whine abt money. but spend trillions on killing. how many kids did u kill today americans? oh, i forgot, your media wont tell u. if blood were money, americans wd be pumping kids for their blood. why do u pretend to care abt kids? go read your wall st journal
americans love dead babies. this is all in a day’s work-
In a flash, Mr. Mohammed said, several American and Afghan soldiers kicked open the door of his home. The Americans, he said, had beards, an almost certain sign that they belonged to a unit of the Special Forces, which permits uniformed soldiers to grow facial hair.
â┚¬Ã…“Who are you?â┚¬Ã‚ Mr. Mohammed recalled asking the intruders.
â┚¬Ã…“Shut up,â┚¬Ã‚ came the reply from the Afghan soldier.
Mr. Mohammed said he was taken to a nearby base, interrogated for several hours and let go as sunrise neared.
When he returned home, Mr. Mohammed said, he went next door to his son’s house, only to find that most of his family had been killed: the son, Nurallah, and his pregnant wife and two of his sons, Abdul Basit, age 1, and Mohammed, 2. Only Mr. Mohammed’s 4-year-old grandson, Zarqawi, survived.
â┚¬Ã…“If you spent some time here, you would see that we are not the kind of people who would get involved with the Taliban,â┚¬Ã‚ Mr. Mohammed said. â┚¬Ã…“Anyway, what was the fault of the babies?â┚¬Ã‚Â
Regarding Michael’s claim about the DDT bans….
http://kenethmiles.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_kenethmiles_archive.html#107570569615970184
More information egarding Michael’s claim about the DDT bansâ┚¬Ã‚¦.
http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/ddt-junk-science-malaria-and-the-attack-on-rachel-carson/
Helen that article by the good Dr 7 years agois the one i spoke of that has been soundly demolished y new studies.
Link to the new study, please.
Look at tons of studies (Arizona U)…Harvard….Mass Med.They will simply point to a fact.If DDT was used many people today would be alive.A.o Klime etc.Does it have a hell of a half life?Yes it does.Will it do damage to eco-systems…yes undoubtably.I don’t know any chemical free of that.Is that more important than the people saved…Hell no.I must say though that I am a bad person to argue for the use of ANY chemical in eco systems.I am a bit of a freakazoid in that I don’t use anything on my grounds.Of course we are talking about millions who have died since the ban.So like all things you must weigh the pros and cons.And even though men in the 40s would eat DDT to show how safe it was(and never suffered ill effects within the norm range)I sure as hell would not recommend it.
Agent orange was a defoliant used in Vietnam.Very effective at creating a “clear”zone that kept many posts from being over run and our men killed.Also very effective at causing problems long after its use to the men it kept alive.New less invasive chems of course would be better.
The only Arizona studies I can locate mention 1947 and 1974….what study are you referring to?
Oddly enough, it turns out the person who ate DDT to prove it’s safety was attached to the university.
There is a recent study of household dust from two professors there….they discovered DDT in it.
I can’t find any Harvard DDT/Malaria study newer than 2000. What study are you referring to?
I did find a Harvard study from 2005 that links DDT to miscarriages.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/archives/2005-releases/press09142005.html
What is “Mass Med?” Do you mean The University of Massachusetts Medical School? They never did any DDT study I can find.
Do you mean the Massachusetts Medical Society who publish the New England Journal of Medicine? The only study I could find was from 1957.
Links please.
Helen, I refer you to Internet Rule #14: http://rulesoftheinternet.tk/14