Thom's blog
It's time for the masses to be represented in Congress.
This won't come as a surprise to many of you, but unless you are an bankster or a billionaire, you're not being represented in the United States Senate. According to a new study published in Political Research Quarterly, Senators in the last five Congresses have consistently voted to benefit their wealthy constituents. And, those votes virtually ignored the political will of everyone except those at the top.
Buying congress people isn't paying off for Big Business.
It turns out that Republican obstructionism is quite costly for big business. A new report from the Huffington Post found that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce isn't getting much return for the $69.5 million dollars they invested in Republican candidates in the last two elections. In fact, Republicans have blocked many of the measures that the Chamber supports, and supported many efforts that the Chamber opposed.
No one is watching the watchers...
It's not like we needed any more proof, but documents released by Edward Snowden show that the NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times every year. According to an internal NSA audit obtained by the Washington Post, there were nearly 3,000 incidents of unauthorized collection, storage, access to, or distribution of legally protected communications between 2011 and 2012 alone.
Oh, won't somebody please think of Mitt Romney???
The bankers, billionaires, and wealthy elite are losing one of their favorite offshore tax havens. The Cayman Islands has finally agreed to cooperate with the U.S., and make it more difficult for the wealthy to stash money overseas. Officials in that nation have agreed to accept provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, which will take effect in July of next year.
Our deficit is shrinking...
Most Americans may not know it by listening to Republicans, but reality shows that our deficit is shrinking. And, if you didn't know that, you're not alone. A new Google poll found that nearly half of Americans think that the deficit is actually increasing. During the first ten months of 2012, the government spent 973 billion dollars more than it took in.
Another Obamacare delay...
Yet another key provision of Obamacare meant to protect consumers is being delayed - the Obama Administration is holding off on instituting out-of-pocket expense limits. That provision would have put a cap on the total amount an insurance company can charge individuals or families for deductibles, co-pays, and prescriptions.
AG Holder is re-thinking the War on Drugs.
The Justice Department is overhauling the way they deal with non-violent offenders. Today, Attorney General Eric Holder unveiled a plan to change how the federal government prosecutes drug offenders. The goals of his plan are to ease prison overcrowding, save taxpayer money, and limit the use of unjust mandatory minimum sentences.
We’re All Being Poisoned by Deregulated Capitalism
There’s an undeclared war going on between the rich and the poor right here in the United States and the rich think they’ve found a way to win it.
The President's plan for homeownership gets mixed reviews...
Yesterday in Phoenix, President Obama laid out his plan to help more Americans become homeowners.