Thom's Blog

Thom's blog - Thursday January 6th, 2011

You need to know this. President Obama pledged to start withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in the middle of this year – however the Wall Street Journal is reporting today that an additional 1,400 troops are quietly being deployed later this month to boost combat forces in Southern Afghanistan. There are now nearly 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan. And this new surge makes you wonder if things are as rosy as the President suggested in the war strategy review last month. Or – if things are actually deteriorating like other onlookers such as the Red Cross and a

Buckle up – and get ready for two years of this stuff…

Members of Congress will be sworn in today – and Republicans will officially begin their rule over the 112th session of the United States House of Representatives. And what can we expect? For starters: higher deficits. Republicans will reform PAYGO rules in the House to exempt tax cuts for the rich. Also – Republicans have set a date for repealing Obama's health insurance reforms - reforms that save Americans hundreds

How to Stop Islamic Extremism 101

After Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it was a good idea to create permanent military bases in Afghanistan to perpetuate the War on Terror abroad – Republicans in Congress are poised to continue the War on Terror at home – by going after Muslims in America in ways that may well create more radicals than they catch. Incoming Republican Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Peter King has already promised he will hold hearings on

Thom's blog - Tuesday January 4th, 2011

You need to know this. After Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said it was a good idea to create permanent military bases in Afghanistan to perpetuate the War on Terror abroad – Republicans in Congress are poised to continue the War on Terror at home – by going after Muslims in America in ways that may well create more radicals than they catch. Incoming Republican Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee Peter King has already promised he will hold hearings on the threat posed by normal, traditional, historic Islamic communities within the United States, communities t

Thom's blog - Monday January 3rd, 2011

You need to know this. In 2 days – Congress will reconvene for it’s 112th session – with Republicans firmly in control of the House of Representatives. On that day – a series of votes will be taken to approve new rules for the House – set by the Republican majority. Among these new rules: each new piece of legislation will now be required to include a statement regarding its constitutionality – also the Democrats’ previous rule known as PAYGO – which required all new spending legislation to be paid for by cuts to other programs – will be dismantled to exc

Republican Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan will have “stunning and unprecedented” powers....

In 2 days – Congress will reconvene for it’s 112th session – with Republicans firmly in control of the House of Repres entatives. On that day – a series of votes will be taken to approve new rules for the House – set by the Republican majority.

Stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship American jobs overseas....

President Obama may have another massive tax cut in the works – this one for America’s giant corporations. The White House may be considering cutting the 35% corporate tax rate next year. The rate is the highest in the world – but with so many loopholes in the law – most companies don’t pay nearly 35%. Also – as most businesses divert their profits into the hands of individuals who play some of the lowest income ta

Thom's blog - Thursday, December 30th, 2010

You need to know this. Government officials in New York and New Jersey are facing a lot of criticism for their responses to the “thunder snow” that occurred in the northeast on Sunday. A “thunder snow” is a bizarre weather phenomenon when thunder and lighting are present during a snowstorm. Freak weather like this could also be a symptom of global warming. Regardless – New York City is practically shut down – and Mayor Michael Bloomberg is in the hot seat as many are claiming he was unprepared to respond to the storm ahead of time. In New Jersey – Repub

The United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

Since taking office – President Obama has tried to reach out to indigenous Native Americans in a number of ways. Recently – the President announced support for the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People – a document previously opposed by former President Bush. As the State Department says – the declaration is not legally binding – but it does work to, “address historical inequities faced by indigenous communities in the Un

Thom's blog - Wednesday December 29th, 2010

You need to know this.

Starting to Feel like a Peon?

Good news!

Thom's blog - Tuesday December 28th, 2010

You need to know this. While much of the media’s focus has been on Julian Assange over the last few months – there’s been little attention focused on a soldier who sits in solitary confinement in Virginia – Bradley Manning. Manning is the fellow suspected of leaking the original classified documents to Wikileaks. He was caught after he started conversing online with a notorious hacker named Adrian Lamo. After Manning admitted the leak – Lamo turned him over to authorities. Now – it’s these chat logs between Lamo and Manning that are receiving a lot of a

Thom's blog - Monday December 27th, 2010

You need to know this. The mainstream media has been taken over by Conservative ideology. A new Pew Research Center Survey studied the media exposure of politicians during the recent midterm elections. What they found was – out of the ten most covered candidates during the election season – the top 3 were all Republicans. And most surprising – Sarah Palin – who essentially has no job and was not running for one – received three times more coverage to spew her talking points than the sitting Vice President Joe Biden. Also – conservative commentators like

The 111th session of Congress has passed more legislation affecting more people than any other Congress since the 1960’s...

On Capitol Hill - The START nuclear treaty passed a cloture vote yesterday in the Senate. 67 Senators agreed to end debate on the treaty setting up a final vote for passage today. Majority Leader Harry Reid will need all of those 67 votes to hold for the treaty to garner the necessary 2/3 majority for passage – and thus securing an important foreign policy victory for President Obama. And for that matter – the rest of the world that w

Thom's blog - Wednesday December 22nd, 2010

You need to know this. President Obama is preparing to sign an executive order that will affirm the White House’s policy of indefinite detention for suspected terrorists. In other words – President Obama is following the same path as President Bush when it comes to throwing the legal rights of a suspected criminal out the window. 48 detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been selected for indefinite detention and will remain incarcerated with no charges brought against them for as long as the White House deems necessary. That number is likely to grow over the comin

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