enlarge Credit: PR Watch There have been buzzings about a potential Senate run by Elizabeth Warren for some time – but things kicked in high gear Tuesday afternoon when EMILY’s List Director Stephanie Schriock tweeted she’d meet with Warren in Massachusetts the day previous. Roll Call also reported Warren was “wooing democrats at Boston house parties.” Today the superhero of the economically disenfranchised announced she is filing paperwork to open an exploratory committee for the U.S. Senate race against Scott Brown who replaced Ted Kennedy after his death. Scott Brown has been no friend to regular Americans. When it comes to big banks on Wall Street, Brown refused to vote for a tax on banks and hedge funds with over $50 billion in assets. When everyday families can’t make ends meet, surely Brown could support them over companies with over $50 BILLION in the bank?! But no. Americans took the hit once again because Brown refuses to put people first. In a piece by Yves Smith on Naked Capitalism Elizabeth Warren becomes the target of a fantasy Presidential run, but the same benefits of her unwinable race against President Obama can also be true as a viable challenger to Scott Walker. Warren has been branded as a scourge of banks. Even though it should be common sense that selling exploding toasters is bad business, the fact that she talks repeatedly and persuasively about the need for rules to have markets work well makes her a threat to much of Corporate America. Note that their heated opposition to the idea of fair play reveals the importance of treating customers badly, looting the official coffers, or both to their business models. So why should she bother? She has become a forceful, self appointed advocate for middle class American families. She has thrown her weight behind this objective since she worked on the Harvard Bankruptcy Project more than a decade ago (it served as the basis for her and her daughter’s book The Two Income Trap). Whether you agree with the wisdom of her choice or not, that was what motivated her to take the position as adviser to the Treasury and President and start up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and suffer an aggressive hazing in Congress and in the media by banking industry shills operating through the Republican party. So she is willing to take pain and less than certain bets to advance her goals (we thought she was never going to be head of the new agency. . . ” She is a tireless advocate for people like us at a time when so many feel Washington chooses corporate welfare over the economic interests of everyday Americans. While many prefer Warren to remain on the outside of the political elite, throwing stones alone is rarely as powerful as a U.S. Senator fighting for our issues. As a Senator she would have the weight of her office to not only speak to Americans directly and honestly about what is wrong with our economic instability, but she could propose legislation, conduct hearings, and demand accountability with Massachusetts voters – indeed all of us – behind her. Good luck Elizabeth!
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enlarge Credit: PR Watch There have been buzzings about a potential Senate run by Elizabeth Warren for some time – but things kicked in high gear Tuesday afternoon when EMILY’s List Director Stephanie Schriock tweeted she’d meet with Warren in Massachusetts the day previous. Roll Call also reported Warren was “wooing democrats at Boston house parties.” Today the superhero of the economically disenfranchised announced she is filing paperwork to open an exploratory committee for the U.S. Senate race against Scott Brown who replaced Ted Kennedy after his death. Scott Brown has been no friend to regular Americans. When it comes to big banks on Wall Street, Brown refused to vote for a tax on banks and hedge funds with over $50 billion in assets. When everyday families can’t make ends meet, surely Brown could support them over companies with over $50 BILLION in the bank?! But no. Americans took the hit once again because Brown refuses to put people first. In a piece by Yves Smith on Naked Capitalism Elizabeth Warren becomes the target of a fantasy Presidential run, but the same benefits of her unwinable race against President Obama can also be true as a viable challenger to Scott Walker. Warren has been branded as a scourge of banks. Even though it should be common sense that selling exploding toasters is bad business, the fact that she talks repeatedly and persuasively about the need for rules to have markets work well makes her a threat to much of Corporate America. Note that their heated opposition to the idea of fair play reveals the importance of treating customers badly, looting the official coffers, or both to their business models. So why should she bother? She has become a forceful, self appointed advocate for middle class American families. She has thrown her weight behind this objective since she worked on the Harvard Bankruptcy Project more than a decade ago (it served as the basis for her and her daughter’s book The Two Income Trap). Whether you agree with the wisdom of her choice or not, that was what motivated her to take the position as adviser to the Treasury and President and start up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and suffer an aggressive hazing in Congress and in the media by banking industry shills operating through the Republican party. So she is willing to take pain and less than certain bets to advance her goals (we thought she was never going to be head of the new agency. . . ” She is a tireless advocate for people like us at a time when so many feel Washington chooses corporate welfare over the economic interests of everyday Americans. While many prefer Warren to remain on the outside of the political elite, throwing stones alone is rarely as powerful as a U.S. Senator fighting for our issues. As a Senator she would have the weight of her office to not only speak to Americans directly and honestly about what is wrong with our economic instability, but she could propose legislation, conduct hearings, and demand accountability with Massachusetts voters – indeed all of us – behind her. Good luck Elizabeth!
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ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Aruban authorities announced plans Tuesday for an extensive search involving police, firefighters and possibly the military as investigators try to determine what happened to a missing American woman. The search was expected to start later this week and would be centered around the southern part of the Dutch Caribbean island near where 35-year-old Robyn Gardner was reported missing by her travel companion, Solicitor General Taco Stein said. “We are trying to put a substantial team together” to conduct the search, Stein told The Associated Press. Police and firefighters searched an abandoned phosphate mine in the area but did not find any trace of Gardner. ROBYN GARDNER PHOTOS: The new search will involve many more people and will cover a larger area in the hunt for the woman’s body or any evidence linked to her, Stein said. The woman was reported missing Aug. 2 by companion Gary Giordano, who said she was apparently pulled away by ocean currents while they were snorkeling. The pair had come to Aruba on July 31 for a short vacation. Giordano, a 50-year-old business owner from Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been detained on suspicion of involvement in her death. His attorney has said he had nothing to do with her disappearance and has called for his release from jail. WATCH:
Continue reading …ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Aruban authorities announced plans Tuesday for an extensive search involving police, firefighters and possibly the military as investigators try to determine what happened to a missing American woman. The search was expected to start later this week and would be centered around the southern part of the Dutch Caribbean island near where 35-year-old Robyn Gardner was reported missing by her travel companion, Solicitor General Taco Stein said. “We are trying to put a substantial team together” to conduct the search, Stein told The Associated Press. Police and firefighters searched an abandoned phosphate mine in the area but did not find any trace of Gardner. ROBYN GARDNER PHOTOS: The new search will involve many more people and will cover a larger area in the hunt for the woman’s body or any evidence linked to her, Stein said. The woman was reported missing Aug. 2 by companion Gary Giordano, who said she was apparently pulled away by ocean currents while they were snorkeling. The pair had come to Aruba on July 31 for a short vacation. Giordano, a 50-year-old business owner from Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been detained on suspicion of involvement in her death. His attorney has said he had nothing to do with her disappearance and has called for his release from jail. WATCH:
Continue reading …George Stephanopoulos Scolds Companies Who Relocate Overseas Because of High Taxes: ‘Unpatriotic’
August 17, 2011 No CommentAccording to Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos, companies that go overseas as a result of high taxes in America are ” unpatriotic .” The ABC host, who has repeatedly lobbied for higher taxes throughout his journalistic career, endorsed Warren Buffett's call for the rich to pay a higher percentage in taxes. Talking to Donald Trump, Stephanopoulos cajoled, “Warren Buffett made another splash, saying it's not right, he a billionaire, pays 17 percent in taxes when his secretaries and receptionists pay more. Isn't he right about that?” (According to columnist Cal Thomas , Buffett's efforts would make little difference.) Trump insisted that he would be willing to pay higher taxes in order to stay in America, but many of his colleagues wouldn't. The GMA anchor attacked, ” But that's unpatriotic, isn't it? ” On October 18, 2006 , Stephanopoulos grilled then-President Bush over comments he made about the Democratic plans to pull troops from Iraq: “So you don't think that's questioning their patriotism when you say that?” Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative, touts most liberal talking points, but fighting for higher and higher taxes has been one of his more constant themes. Some examples from the MRC's Profile in Bias : “You also have said that we have to have bold ideas for energy independence, and your theme is ‘courage to change.’ Just about every expert on energy says the best way to become energy independent is to raise the price of oil and gas, to have a serious energy tax. Why not call for it?…Couldn’t we become independent much more quickly if we had the kind of energy tax you see in Europe?” — ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to Democratic presidential candidate Tom Vilsack on This Week, December 3, 2006. “I mean, if the deficit continued to grow, it’s not responsible to say you’re never going to raise taxes….Ronald Reagan also increased taxes….So it’s, ‘Read my lips,’ you’re never going to vote to raise taxes?” — George Stephanopoulos to conservative Stephen Laffey, who was challenging liberal Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island’s GOP Senate primary, ABC’s This Week, September 3, 2006. George Stephanopoulos: “You say roll back the tax cuts for the wealthy. He [President Bush] says no tax increase of any kind. We’re spending $5 billion a month in Iraq, probably $200 billion on Katrina. Something’s got to give.” Former President Bill Clinton: “Well, that’s what I think.” — ABC’s This Week, September 18, 2005. “So what would you do about those deficits if you were Treasury Secretary today? What taxes would you raise?” – ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin on This Week, November 16, 2003. A partial transcript of the August 17 interview, which aired at 7:05am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Jake. We've already seen some of that on the bus trip. Now to my exclusive interview with Donald Trump. He's been keeping a lower profile since bowing out of the presidential race a few months back, but Trump is taking meetings with the GOP field. The website Should Trump Run is still going strong and the Tea Party favorite is tougher than ever on President Obama. And as you'll see, he's also quite taken with the newest candidate in the race, Texas Governor Rick Perry. DONALD TRUMP: I think he's a very impressive guy with a very good record so it'll be interesting to see how he does under the spotlight. I think he's going to do well. STEPHANOPOULOS: He already got a reputation from shooting from the hip that Ben Bernanke if he went for a quantitative easing number three, printing more money- RICK PERRY: Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous or treasonous. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you agree with that? TRUMP: Well, he's using an expression. I mean, I saw that and- STEPHANOPOULOS: Pretty harsh expression. TRUMP: Everyone made such a big deal. It's an expression. STEPHANOPOULOS: You don't believe that this in some way shows he's not ready? TRUMP: Oh, I think he's very ready. Hey, he's like everybody else in this country we're all frustrated, so I think he has the right to show some emotion. STEPHANOPOULOS: And that headline in Texas, more than a third of the jobs created in the entire country. TRUMP: It's a great headline. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's a great headline. But what about beneath it? Some people look at the record and say, “It's due to population growth. These are mostly low wage jobs. This is not a model for America.” TRUMP: I think at this point America would accept anything in terms of job, whether it's great jobs or okay jobs. We need jobs. We're losing jobs to China, to India, so many other countries. STEPHANOPOULOS: How about Mitt Romney? TRUMP: Well, I don't know him. And, you know, it's interesting. Sarah Palin called. I have a lot of respect for her. Michele Bachmann called. She was here last week. The only one I really don't know is Mitt Romney. STEPHANOPOULOS: He touts a background similar to yours. He says his 25 years in business is what sets him apart and that's what America needs right now. TRUMP: Well, I think that's a good point, but if you look at his record as governor, it wasn't totally stellar. His job production was not great. In fact, it was the third worst in the nation. There are some pretty negative things with respect to Mitt Romney which, frankly, he's going to have to overcome. STEPHANOPOULOS: And what do you make of Michele Bachmann? Is she electable? TRUMP: She is a great, wonderful woman. I got to know her a couple of weeks ago and she is just energetic, very smart, I think she is badly treated by the press, much as Sarah Palin is in my opinion. STEPHANOPOULOS: The Newsweek cover? TRUMP: I thought the Newsweek cover was a disgrace. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's talk about taxes. Warren Buffett made another splash, saying it's not right, he a billionaire, pays 17 percent in taxes when his secretaries and receptionists pay more. Isn't he right about that? TRUMP: There's many different views on that and I can also tell you that a lot of people will go elsewhere to do business if you start taxing. STEPHANOPOULOS: But, 17 percent isn't much for a billionaire. TRUMP: Well, I deal with Wall Street all the time. You're going to have a mass exodus. But, if you go back to certain companies, for us to be subsidizing oil companies is absolutely insane. And, frankly, the oil companies really facilitate OPEC. The worst abuser we have is OPEC. Oil should be selling at $25 to $30 a barrel. George, the biggest problem we have, every time this economy gets a little bit of a head of steam they raise the oil prices.
Continue reading …George Stephanopoulos Scolds Companies Who Relocate Overseas Because of High Taxes: ‘Unpatriotic’
August 17, 2011 No CommentAccording to Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos, companies that go overseas as a result of high taxes in America are ” unpatriotic .” The ABC host, who has repeatedly lobbied for higher taxes throughout his journalistic career, endorsed Warren Buffett's call for the rich to pay a higher percentage in taxes. Talking to Donald Trump, Stephanopoulos cajoled, “Warren Buffett made another splash, saying it's not right, he a billionaire, pays 17 percent in taxes when his secretaries and receptionists pay more. Isn't he right about that?” (According to columnist Cal Thomas , Buffett's efforts would make little difference.) Trump insisted that he would be willing to pay higher taxes in order to stay in America, but many of his colleagues wouldn't. The GMA anchor attacked, ” But that's unpatriotic, isn't it? ” On October 18, 2006 , Stephanopoulos grilled then-President Bush over comments he made about the Democratic plans to pull troops from Iraq: “So you don't think that's questioning their patriotism when you say that?” Stephanopoulos, a former Democratic operative, touts most liberal talking points, but fighting for higher and higher taxes has been one of his more constant themes. Some examples from the MRC's Profile in Bias : “You also have said that we have to have bold ideas for energy independence, and your theme is ‘courage to change.’ Just about every expert on energy says the best way to become energy independent is to raise the price of oil and gas, to have a serious energy tax. Why not call for it?…Couldn’t we become independent much more quickly if we had the kind of energy tax you see in Europe?” — ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to Democratic presidential candidate Tom Vilsack on This Week, December 3, 2006. “I mean, if the deficit continued to grow, it’s not responsible to say you’re never going to raise taxes….Ronald Reagan also increased taxes….So it’s, ‘Read my lips,’ you’re never going to vote to raise taxes?” — George Stephanopoulos to conservative Stephen Laffey, who was challenging liberal Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island’s GOP Senate primary, ABC’s This Week, September 3, 2006. George Stephanopoulos: “You say roll back the tax cuts for the wealthy. He [President Bush] says no tax increase of any kind. We’re spending $5 billion a month in Iraq, probably $200 billion on Katrina. Something’s got to give.” Former President Bill Clinton: “Well, that’s what I think.” — ABC’s This Week, September 18, 2005. “So what would you do about those deficits if you were Treasury Secretary today? What taxes would you raise?” – ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin on This Week, November 16, 2003. A partial transcript of the August 17 interview, which aired at 7:05am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Jake. We've already seen some of that on the bus trip. Now to my exclusive interview with Donald Trump. He's been keeping a lower profile since bowing out of the presidential race a few months back, but Trump is taking meetings with the GOP field. The website Should Trump Run is still going strong and the Tea Party favorite is tougher than ever on President Obama. And as you'll see, he's also quite taken with the newest candidate in the race, Texas Governor Rick Perry. DONALD TRUMP: I think he's a very impressive guy with a very good record so it'll be interesting to see how he does under the spotlight. I think he's going to do well. STEPHANOPOULOS: He already got a reputation from shooting from the hip that Ben Bernanke if he went for a quantitative easing number three, printing more money- RICK PERRY: Printing more money to play politics at this particular time in American history is almost treacherous or treasonous. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you agree with that? TRUMP: Well, he's using an expression. I mean, I saw that and- STEPHANOPOULOS: Pretty harsh expression. TRUMP: Everyone made such a big deal. It's an expression. STEPHANOPOULOS: You don't believe that this in some way shows he's not ready? TRUMP: Oh, I think he's very ready. Hey, he's like everybody else in this country we're all frustrated, so I think he has the right to show some emotion. STEPHANOPOULOS: And that headline in Texas, more than a third of the jobs created in the entire country. TRUMP: It's a great headline. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's a great headline. But what about beneath it? Some people look at the record and say, “It's due to population growth. These are mostly low wage jobs. This is not a model for America.” TRUMP: I think at this point America would accept anything in terms of job, whether it's great jobs or okay jobs. We need jobs. We're losing jobs to China, to India, so many other countries. STEPHANOPOULOS: How about Mitt Romney? TRUMP: Well, I don't know him. And, you know, it's interesting. Sarah Palin called. I have a lot of respect for her. Michele Bachmann called. She was here last week. The only one I really don't know is Mitt Romney. STEPHANOPOULOS: He touts a background similar to yours. He says his 25 years in business is what sets him apart and that's what America needs right now. TRUMP: Well, I think that's a good point, but if you look at his record as governor, it wasn't totally stellar. His job production was not great. In fact, it was the third worst in the nation. There are some pretty negative things with respect to Mitt Romney which, frankly, he's going to have to overcome. STEPHANOPOULOS: And what do you make of Michele Bachmann? Is she electable? TRUMP: She is a great, wonderful woman. I got to know her a couple of weeks ago and she is just energetic, very smart, I think she is badly treated by the press, much as Sarah Palin is in my opinion. STEPHANOPOULOS: The Newsweek cover? TRUMP: I thought the Newsweek cover was a disgrace. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's talk about taxes. Warren Buffett made another splash, saying it's not right, he a billionaire, pays 17 percent in taxes when his secretaries and receptionists pay more. Isn't he right about that? TRUMP: There's many different views on that and I can also tell you that a lot of people will go elsewhere to do business if you start taxing. STEPHANOPOULOS: But, 17 percent isn't much for a billionaire. TRUMP: Well, I deal with Wall Street all the time. You're going to have a mass exodus. But, if you go back to certain companies, for us to be subsidizing oil companies is absolutely insane. And, frankly, the oil companies really facilitate OPEC. The worst abuser we have is OPEC. Oil should be selling at $25 to $30 a barrel. George, the biggest problem we have, every time this economy gets a little bit of a head of steam they raise the oil prices.
Continue reading …Want a Reservation at One Hot D.C. Restaurant? Prepare to Sign a Contract
August 17, 2011 No Comment
The restaurant may have Rogue in its name, but the joint certainly looks to keep its patrons in line. Many elite eateries have strict policies on cancellations and photography, but Rogue 24 has taken what’s usually an implicit verbal contract to a binding level. That’s right, get your pen out. Rogue 24, headed by chef
Continue reading …Here are the trending topics on Yahoo and Twitter in the Philippines for today: Twitter 1. #LiesIveToldMyParents 2. #OnceYouGetMarriedYouCant 3.
Continue reading …Hold the applause, please: Taylor Momsen is quitting acting at the ripe old age of 18. (Critics would say she stopped acting years ago.) The bad, bad girl says she has quit Gossip Girl —though other reports say her role was slashed by bosses —and will now focus on…
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Ukraine’s ex-president says Orange revolution partner acted against national interests in signing 2009 gas deal with Russia The former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko, has testified against his Orange revolution partner, Yulia Tymoshenko, in her abuse of office trial. The scene on Wednesday underlined the disappointment many feel in Ukraine after hopes for reform raised by the massive 2004 pro-democracy demonstrations and Yushchenko’s ascent to the presidency dissolved in factional squabbling and political paralysis. Yushchenko claimed that the former prime minister was driven by political gain when she
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