On Thursday night’s “Daily Show” Jon Stewart took a break from speculating about the GOP presidential race and did a lengthy segment on conservative pundits’ contradictory views about the rich and the poor when it comes to deciding how to lower the deficit. While the GOP wants to make low-level spending cuts to social, educational and other programs, President Obama and company suggest taxing the mega-rich. So it was pretty surprising this week when Warren Buffet wrote his op-ed saying he and his millionaire cohorts ought to be paying more taxes. Fox News called it “Class Warfare,” with one pundit even calling Buffett a Socialist, which got a hilarious reaction from Stewart: “You really have no f**king clue what Socialism is, do you?” Stewart argued that closing corporate tax loopholes and raising the marginal tax rate to raise $700 billion over 10 years would be favorable, but a montage of Fox News hosts showed how they believe differently. They claim that Obama’s plan is “demonizing” the rich and the “private jet class.” Another argument is that it wouldn’t even “make a dent” in our debt. In the second segment, however, Stewart shows how the same pundits feel about the same taxes being implemented on the poor. It turns out they don’t have the same “why bother” attitude, as another montage showed, when it comes raising their taxes or cutting their programs. “All we have to do to raise $700 billion is cut 700,000 NPRs. It’s almost too easy!” Stewart joked. The most eye-opening part of the Stewart’s bit occurs when, like the pundits he’s mocking, takes out pen and paper and devises a plan he assumes Fox News would enjoy: The bottom 50% — which controls 2.5% of our national wealth — has $1.45 trillion. To raise $700 billion we just take half of everything they own! It’s that simple. Watch both clips below to see the full segment, including Stewart’s reaction to Fox News’ audacious break down of what constitutes “Poor.” Surprise: if you have a refrigerator you probably don’t need any financial assistance. WATCH: Part one WATCH: Part two Some international users can watch here
Continue reading …Editor's Note: The following commentary by NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell was posted late this afternoon on CNN.com . It's time to weigh in on the Christine O'Donnell v. Piers Morgan dust-up Wednesday. In short, O'Donnell's behavior was beyond indefensible. It was downright bizarre. The questions Piers Morgan put forward may have been trite, even seemingly silly, but given to whom they were being posed, they were not inappropriate. He asked if in her heart O'Donnell has committed lust. He asked her views on gay marriage. He asked her views on witchcraft and on masturbation. Titillating questions? Sure, but O'Donnell has staked out public opinions on all these fronts and it is those public statements she's made that invite questions like his. She had to know she'd be asked these things when she accepted the interview invitation. If she didn't then she's living in a parallel universe. Moreover, Morgan was neither Chris Matthews rude nor Keith Olbermann offensive. He simply asked the questions. O'Donnell had no right to reject the questions. Even worse, in declaring them inappropriate she made an ass of herself. She answered the gay marriage question by declaring, over and over, that the answer could be found in her book, which book she was there to promote, except she refused to discuss her position on gay marriage, which was in the book. She declared she was there to “talk about the issues I chose to talk about in the book,” and when asked by Morgan, “Do you answer that question in the book?” she answered, “I talk about my religious beliefs, yes. I absolutely do.” But she wouldn't answer his question about gay marriage, and instead accused him of being rude to her. Nonsensical is too kind. She is a buffoon. O'Donnell had no right to walk off the set. But in a sense I'm glad she did — if it means she'll never come back. Conservatives do themselves no favors by defending this woman and she is doing conservatives no favors by going on national television programs to talk about — God only knows what she'll talk about, or not talk about, next. Please, Christine O'Donnell, call it a day.
Continue reading …Editor's Note: The following commentary by NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell was posted late this afternoon on CNN.com . It's time to weigh in on the Christine O'Donnell v. Piers Morgan dust-up Wednesday. In short, O'Donnell's behavior was beyond indefensible. It was downright bizarre. The questions Piers Morgan put forward may have been trite, even seemingly silly, but given to whom they were being posed, they were not inappropriate. He asked if in her heart O'Donnell has committed lust. He asked her views on gay marriage. He asked her views on witchcraft and on masturbation. Titillating questions? Sure, but O'Donnell has staked out public opinions on all these fronts and it is those public statements she's made that invite questions like his. She had to know she'd be asked these things when she accepted the interview invitation. If she didn't then she's living in a parallel universe. Moreover, Morgan was neither Chris Matthews rude nor Keith Olbermann offensive. He simply asked the questions. O'Donnell had no right to reject the questions. Even worse, in declaring them inappropriate she made an ass of herself. She answered the gay marriage question by declaring, over and over, that the answer could be found in her book, which book she was there to promote, except she refused to discuss her position on gay marriage, which was in the book. She declared she was there to “talk about the issues I chose to talk about in the book,” and when asked by Morgan, “Do you answer that question in the book?” she answered, “I talk about my religious beliefs, yes. I absolutely do.” But she wouldn't answer his question about gay marriage, and instead accused him of being rude to her. Nonsensical is too kind. She is a buffoon. O'Donnell had no right to walk off the set. But in a sense I'm glad she did — if it means she'll never come back. Conservatives do themselves no favors by defending this woman and she is doing conservatives no favors by going on national television programs to talk about — God only knows what she'll talk about, or not talk about, next. Please, Christine O'Donnell, call it a day.
Continue reading …Editor's Note: The following commentary by NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell was posted late this afternoon on CNN.com . It's time to weigh in on the Christine O'Donnell v. Piers Morgan dust-up Wednesday. In short, O'Donnell's behavior was beyond indefensible. It was downright bizarre. The questions Piers Morgan put forward may have been trite, even seemingly silly, but given to whom they were being posed, they were not inappropriate. He asked if in her heart O'Donnell has committed lust. He asked her views on gay marriage. He asked her views on witchcraft and on masturbation. Titillating questions? Sure, but O'Donnell has staked out public opinions on all these fronts and it is those public statements she's made that invite questions like his. She had to know she'd be asked these things when she accepted the interview invitation. If she didn't then she's living in a parallel universe. Moreover, Morgan was neither Chris Matthews rude nor Keith Olbermann offensive. He simply asked the questions. O'Donnell had no right to reject the questions. Even worse, in declaring them inappropriate she made an ass of herself. She answered the gay marriage question by declaring, over and over, that the answer could be found in her book, which book she was there to promote, except she refused to discuss her position on gay marriage, which was in the book. She declared she was there to “talk about the issues I chose to talk about in the book,” and when asked by Morgan, “Do you answer that question in the book?” she answered, “I talk about my religious beliefs, yes. I absolutely do.” But she wouldn't answer his question about gay marriage, and instead accused him of being rude to her. Nonsensical is too kind. She is a buffoon. O'Donnell had no right to walk off the set. But in a sense I'm glad she did — if it means she'll never come back. Conservatives do themselves no favors by defending this woman and she is doing conservatives no favors by going on national television programs to talk about — God only knows what she'll talk about, or not talk about, next. Please, Christine O'Donnell, call it a day.
Continue reading …If you’re walking through New York City today, you may notice that your AT&T phone just got a little bit faster. But you probably won’t. The carrier activated a new broadband cell site in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area in Midtown — somewhere between Times Square and the Upper East Side — in a five-block area that few tourists ever visit. The company says the upgrades are part of a larger plan to enhance coverage across the nation and eventually roll out 4G LTE coverage, with help from recently acquired T-Mobile — that is if all goes well in court , of course. Continue reading AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …If you’re walking through New York City today, you may notice that your AT&T phone just got a little bit faster. But you probably won’t. The carrier activated a new broadband cell site in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area in Midtown — somewhere between Times Square and the Upper East Side — in a five-block area that few tourists ever visit. The company says the upgrades are part of a larger plan to enhance coverage across the nation and eventually roll out 4G LTE coverage, with help from recently acquired T-Mobile — that is if all goes well in court , of course. Continue reading AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …If you’re walking through New York City today, you may notice that your AT&T phone just got a little bit faster. But you probably won’t. The carrier activated a new broadband cell site in Manhattan’s Turtle Bay area in Midtown — somewhere between Times Square and the Upper East Side — in a five-block area that few tourists ever visit. The company says the upgrades are part of a larger plan to enhance coverage across the nation and eventually roll out 4G LTE coverage, with help from recently acquired T-Mobile — that is if all goes well in court , of course. Continue reading AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit AT&T enhances network in part of Manhattan you probably won’t visit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Jesuit Michael Rossman Sees the Pope’s Arrival at World Youth Day 2011 World Youth Day: United in Faith Pilgrims Greet Pope Benedict XVI’s Arrival at World Youth Day 2011 Phyllis_Higgins says: ABENGOA : will compensate the emissions generated from World Youth Day 2011 http://t.co/9DPSU2d
Continue reading …Hey African-American men, does your afro make you feel … like a savage? Because Nivea for Men seems to be betting that it does. The company is under fire for a new ad bearing the slogan “Re-Civilize Yourself” over an image of a black man holding the head of his old,…
Continue reading …How could you not trust an adorable, bubbly octogenarian? Seriously, even if we saw her promoting the Shake Weight, we’d be reaching for our phones in droves. Betty White, the beloved Golden Girl and the world’s favorite grandmotherly figure (Sorry, Grandma!), has been rated as America’s most trusted celebrity. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the
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