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Tea party supporters serve the interests of the super rich.

September 2, 2010
Though most tea party supporters think that they are marching for "American values" and "Freedom", they actually are supporting the interests of the super rich, and corporate America.
They think that they are marching for lower taxes for Main Street, but in reality they are marching for lower taxes for the richest one percent of Americans, and for higher taxes for themselves. They are also marching for bad roads, a bad education system, a retirement age of 70, a low quality public transport system and bigger income inequality. I just mention a few things.
As if life isn't already bad enough for the working people of America.
Most of these people also think that Obama is a moslim, and a lot of these people think, that he is not a "born American". Maybe there is no hope for America, but there certainly is no hope for these people.

For some interesting background information go to these links:
The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party - New York Times
Covert Operations The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama. - The New Yorker

Talking heads.

August 29. 2010
I was watching ABC’s round table today.
George Will is telling the public that things cannot go on like this. The government is lending 42 cents of every dollar it spends, he tells us. This will of course lead to a bigger government debt. After having said that, he proposes to extend the Bush tax cuts for the richest ONE percent of the US population.
Donna Brazile mentions the fact that this will add another 700 billion to the government debt.
I guess that, if it is in the interest of the super rich, deficits suddenly do not matter anymore.
This is the republican “stimulus plan” Give more money to the super rich and it will benefit the economy.
What are the other solutions brought up by Richard Haass, George Will and Susie Gharib?
They want spending cuts. And a better solution for our problems, they say, is structural solutions like pro growth tax reforms, job training and educational reform (Susie Gharib)
Richard Haass wants a “more predictable economy about regulation and taxation”.
He also says that the German economy is growing again because the government is cutting government spending. That is not true.
The German economy is recovering (we hope) after a period of Keynesian economic policy. At the moment the German government wants to cut government spending, and if they keep their word, that will probably undo the positive effects of the Keynesian stimulus.
What strikes me is that the conservative pundits do not make a difference between long term economic problems and short term economic problems; between long- term economic policy and short-term economic policy.
Of course it is a good thing to work on structural long-term problems, but first we have to get out of this recession.
There are 15 million Americans without a job. This is the official number. The real number of unemployed is probably about 25 million. Will these people get a job in the short run, when we start working on improving education? These people need jobs NOW. And that means that we need another economic stimulus.

Why the senate is a dysfunctional institution.

8-17-2010
For everyone who is wondering, why it is so hard to get new legislation through the senate; read this article: Filibusters and arcane obstructions in the Senate: newyorker.com

Referendum in Missouri? What referendum?

8-15-2010
Sometimes I am really amazed how the mainstream media manage to parrot the "results" of a fraud that is called a political referendum.
Click on this link to see what this "referendum" really was about:
LINK:Missouri's Proposition C inaccurately being sold as a referendum on health care reform - Examiner

How the stimulus turned out to be a big success, and how a bigger stimulus would have been an even bigger success.

8-9-2010
On the 14th of July the Council of Economic Advisers published a new report stating that the government stimulus added between 2.5 and 3.6 million jobs to the US economy, and boosted economic growth by 2.7 to 3.2 percent.
As was to be expected the Republican Party immediately denied that the stimulus worked.
Sadly enough for the GOP the independent economist Mark Zandi commented that he and other private sector economists came to the same conclusion as the CEA. According to Zandi the numbers reported by the CEA are reasonable estimates.
Mark Zandi and Alan Blinder made similar estimates in a paper published on July 28th.
The paper opens with a brief description of the situation in the period that Obama took office:
"The U.S. economy has made enormous progress since the dark days of early 2009. Eighteen months ago, the global financial system was on the brink of collapse and the U.S. was suffering its worst economic downturn since the 1930s. Real GDP was falling at about a 6% annual rate, and monthly job losses averaged close to 750,000. Today, the financial system is operating much more normally, real GDP is advancing at a nearly 3% pace, and job growth has resumed, albeit at an insufficient pace."
Mark Zandi, Alan S. Blinder: How the Great Recession Was Brought to an End; page 2.

Earlier this year (May 2010) the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the fiscal stimulus raised the level of real gross domestic product (GDP) by between 1.7 percent and 4.2 percent; lowered the unemployment rate by between 0.7 percentage points and 1.5 percentage points, and increased the number of people employed by between 1.2 million and 2.8 million.
IHS Global Insight and Macroeconomic Advisers also reported, that the stimulus created about 2.5 million jobs.
And even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (not particularly a left-wing organization) acknowledged that "earlier policies" did stabilize the economy.
The Chamber of Commerce probably meant that the Obama administration saved the U.S. economy and U.S. people from a free fall, and prevented the Second Great Depression. But it is very hard for this business group to say it out loud. They do not like this administration.
Where are the good times when the Bush administration did everything big business asked for?

The Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Party have their own stimulus plan. The best stimulus for the national economy is to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the rich. (The people with 250.000 income per year or more).

Government interventions in the economy were a success

07-28-2010
This is the conclusion of a research paper published by Alan S. Blinder and Mark Zandi.
The comment made by John Taylor, who says that he is very surprised by the results, is no surprise to me. The man is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution which is a conservative and libertarian think tank.
Link: New York Times - In Study, 2 Economists Say Intervention Helped Avert a 2nd Depression

A teachable moment

07-26-2010
Still reading conservative blogs and watching FOX news?
Read this: There’s a Battle Outside and It Is Still Ragin’

Dutch America Page moved from 2littledogs.com to us-nl.com

07-24-2010
Because there were domain problems, that could not be solved by my web host in a timely manner, I had to move the Dutch America Page to a new domain and a new host. The new domain is us-nl.com. I am sorry for the inconvenience!

Wall Street Bill has passed the Senate

5-20-2010
Today the financial reform bill has passed the senate (59-39). Four Republican senators voted for the bill. Among them Scott Brown and Olympia Snowe.
The senate version is tougher on Wall Street, than the House bill. One of the important changes is for instance the introduction of a consumer protection agency.
Wall Street bill nearing finish line as Senate passes legislation 59-39 - The Hill
Senate Passes Broader Rules for Overseeing Wall Street-New York Times
A Summary of the Senate Bill

More good news from the job market.

05/07/2010
In April 290000 new jobs were created. That is 90000 more than the 200,000 that were expected.
Some commentators are trying to downplay the numbers. According to them, a lot of this surge has to be attributed to the hiring of census workers by the government. They also stress the fact that the unemployment rate went up to 9.9% (was 9.7%).
But even if you do not count the census jobs as "real" jobs (I really do not see why you would not), there are still 224,000 new jobs left, created by the private sector.
The unemployment rate went up because a lot of unemployed people, who had given up looking for jobs, are getting more optimistic, and re-enter the labor market.
The job number for March (162,000 new jobs) was revised upwards to 230,000.
An important positive effect of the growing job numbers for the economy will be increased consumer spending.
LINK: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Do we need new rules for the financial markets?

4/27/2010

More regulation of the financial markets, yes or no? That's what it is all about in congress in the coming weeks.
After the near collapse of the (world)economy in 2008 and 2009, the high unemployment rate, the home foreclosures, the loss of retirement income for many seniors, the answer should be simple: yes, of course.
But, this is all about ideology. The democrats are more likely to support far reaching regulation. The republicans have a problem with that.
The GOP is against "big government" and more friendly towards Wall Street.
LINK: G.O.P. Blocks Debate on Financial Oversight Bill - New York Times

Republicans don't want Obama to end unemployment problem

4-10-2020

The Associated Press reports that Obama's jobs agenda is stalled in congress, because the Republicans don't want to spend any money on it.
Diminishing the budget deficit is more important than diminishing unemployment.
click here
Dutch translation: click here

Yahoo offers a daily podium for Fox.

4-5-2010

Today I went to the political video section in my yahoo portal. This evening the first four political video's were anti-liberal attacks. The first one was a video clip in which Obama answers a woman, who has a question about health care and taxes. He talks for seventeen minutes and Fox cuts more than fifteen minutes.
What is left (only one minute and forty seconds!) is a couple of lines that are totally taken out of context.
Maybe Yahoo wants to be Fair and Balanced too.
Link: Cut and paste by Fox News Channel

Bad news for the Republican Party

April 2, 2010
Most Republican politicians had to swallow some bad news today. The prospects for the US economy are looking better than expected.
Employers added 162,000 jobs in March.
Signaling Jobs Recovery, Payrolls Surged in March

The Ugly Republican

3-24-2010

So now we have death threats against House Democrats who voted for the bill.
Already during the presidential election campaign in 2008, there were red flags everywhere. See for instance HERE: The Terrorist Barack Hussein Obama - NYT
Of course the GOP leaders don't want to take any responsibility for what is happening.
Read: The backlash: Reform turns personal-Politico

The Party of "No"

Polls suggest many Americans are opposed to the health bill, but Republicans face portrayals as the “party of no.”
LINK: G.O.P. Faces Drawbacks of United Stand on Health Bill - NYT

Health care bill passed!

03-21-2010

In a historical vote the House passed the health care reform bill (219 - 212 votes).
For the best information about the changes go to Kaiser Health News.

Latest about health reform-2

Stupak is going to give a press conference at 2 PM Washington time. According to MSNBC Stupak is going to vote yes.
Definitive house vote expected late tonight.
Pat Buchanan: "They probably have a comfortable margin."
Stupak is going to vote yes. Democrats go for an up or down vote. Drop "Deem and pass". Stupak told the press that he reached an agreement about abortion. He and several other anti-abortion democrats will vote yes on the health care bill.

Tim Ryan, house democrat, criticizes Tea Party republicans.

Latest about health reform

3-21-2010
Bart Stupak might still vote yes, though for now it is still no.
But with or without Stupak, it is certain that this bill will pass. On TV the republicans are constantly warning that the Democrats will lose the fall elections.
That there is a populist uprising taking place against the Democrats. One guy on CNN said that the tea party was just the tip of the iceberg. Well, it is nice to hear that the republicans worry that the Democratic party is going to lose votes.
That is REAL bipartisanship.

Harassing people and racial slurs... some tea partiers need an anger management course

March 20, 2010

Of course the denial is there: "Democrats were planted in the crowd, and shouted the n-word", "it is made up by the main stream media", "liberal propaganda"; but people who were there, and were the targets of the slurs know better.
Were all the protesters protesting against health care reform today? Or were a lot of them actually protesting against a black man being president? Or was it a protest against the Democratic Party, being in charge now, because the majority of the American People wanted them to be in charge. "We the people", remember?
I hate to say it, but a lot of these people need a training in Civility.
LINK: Protesters hurl slurs and spit at Democrats - CNN
LINK: Staying KKKlassy Hate Rules The Day
LINK: Take the Civility Pledge

It is close, but it will pass!

3-20-2010

Tomorrow is decision day.
Healthcare bill lurches towards Sunday vote - salon.com
WHIP COUNT: House Democrats' positions on the healthcare reform bill - The Hill

Dutch mad at NATO general.

3-19-2010
The presence of gay soldiers in the Dutch army was "part of the problem in Srebrenica" an American general says at a US Senate hearing on allowing gay people to serve openly in the US military. In Srebrenica (Yugoslavia) 8000 Muslims were killed by Serbian forces in 1995
Yes, this is the USA in the year 2010.
LINK: Dutch fury at US general's gay theory over Srebrenica - BBC

FOX

3-18-2010
I posted this one on Twitter, but forgot to post the link here. It is an interesting article by Howell Raines.
It asks a simple question: "Why don't honest journalists take on Roger Ailes and Fox News?". Do you know the answer? I don't.
LINK:Washington Post

Warren Buffett = Axl Rose

Warren Buffett owns Geico, and plays a rock singer in a Geico commercial. Funny.

LINK: Warren Buffett as Axl Rose

Dennis Kucinich changed his mind

3-17-2010
It took some time but Dennis Kucinich told the press today in a news conference that he is going to vote for the Health Reform Bill.
And that is an important step forward on health care reform.
Some progressives want to add an amendment to the bill which includes the public option.
Luckily that is not going to happen. It would mean the end of health care reform for the next 10 years.
The democrats already have a problem getting enough votes to pass the bill without the public option.
Also today, a lot of interest groups gave their support to health care reform; among them nuns from about 50 religious orders. A rebellion in the catholic church.

The Coffee Party

3-14-2010

And there it is. The logical answer to the tea party. The Coffee Party.
Because there are lots of people, who know that the government often is the solution, not the problem.
Link: web site Coffee Party
Link: Coffee vs. Tea: A political movement is brewing

Why health care reform?

3-13-2010

If you still do not understand why we need this health care bill passed, read this:
The Cost of Doing Nothing on Health Care - NYT

Why is the GOP suddenly against reconciliation and a simple democratic majority vote?

3-11-2010

Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, wrote a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in which he explains why a simple majority vote on a revision of the health reform bill is a legitimate, democratic procedure.
See : democrats.senate.gov/newsroom

Nothing new: another republican smear campaign

Just for your information: Politico reports about a new republican campaign strategy. The smear campaign is directly linked to the RNC (Republican National Committee). And, no surprise, the big bosses don't know anything about it.
LINK: RNC document mocks donors, plays on 'fear'
LINK: Republican leaders distance selves from 'fear' doc

Mr. Bunning's moment of fame

3-2-2010

One senator can, single-handedly, uphold the extension of unemployment benefits for millions of unemployed people and their families.
Bunning's individual filibuster is nothing more than political posturing at the cost of American families, that are already suffering from the recession.
A side-effect of this filibuster is a 21-percent cut to doctor’s Medicare reimbursements. The reason for that is, that the senate cannot pass a bill that was approved a week ago. The bill would have prevented this cut.
LINK: Bill to Extend Jobless Benefits Hits a Partisan Roadblock - NYT

The health care summit

2-25-2010

For some important moments in today's "bipartisan" health care summit go to:
yahoo newsroom
If this get together does not lead to anything, then there still is the possibility of reconciliation:
go to: Politico - Live Pulse

How the stimulus plan gave the economy a big boost.

2-24-2010
The Congressional Budget Office is an independent organization.
The CBO estimates that the stimulus plan (the ARRA) has created up to 2.1 million jobs. And it will create more in the time to come.
This happened in spite of all the sabotaging of the plan by the GOP.
The stimulus also boosted economic growth in the fourth quarter.
Real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) was 1.5 to 3.5% higher in the fourth quarter "than would have been the case in the absence of ARRA".
The CBO also points at the fact that the stimulus had a considerable multiplier effect. I will not go too deep into this, because that would be too confusing for the people who were against the stimulus. They probably didn't have economics in their package in high school, and if they had, they were probably sleeping anyway.
Personally, I think that this is a big victory for the Obama administration.
For many conservatives (not all, there are also reasonable and decent conservatives out there) this is bad news. For the average American worker it is good news.
It is a pity that it was politically not feasible (read: the GOP was against it!) to have a bigger stimulus plan. With a bigger stimulus plan, many more people would still have their job. It would have prevented a lot of the misery that we see now.
Link: CBO-blog
If you want to read the whole report: Report

Leave a comment: click here

Income Distribution

Under Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, tax cuts for the big corporations and lower tax rates on personal income led to a disproportionate rise of income inequality in the US. Those cuts were especially beneficial for the rich. Today, income inequality is much higher in the US than in any other developed country.
When considering income inequality in the US and the lack of universal health insurance, it is more appropriate to call the US an underdeveloped country.
The CIA World fact book contains a list that ranks the countries of the world by income inequality.
The higher the so-called gini index, the higher the inequality in family income.
The US is ranked 44, which is very high, compared to the West-European nations.
And, not surprisingly, it is in the good company of other poor countries, like the Phillipines, Uganda and Uruguay.
To the American voters who vote Republican, I would like to say: "Keep up the good work!"

Rank	Country	Distribution of family income (Gini index)	Date Information
40	Philippines	45.8	2006
41	Uganda	45.7	2002
42	Jamaica	45.5	2004
43	Uruguay	45.2	2006
44	United States	45	2007
45	Cameroon	44.6	2001
46	Cote d'Ivoire	44.6	2002
47	Iran	44.5	2006
48	Nigeria	43.7	2003
49	Turkey	43.6	2003
50	Guyana	43.2	1999

last update: 2/14/2010
By Simon Sunday

Senator Shelby of Alabama blocks 80 presidential nominees.

February 9, 2010.. Just because one senator of one state does not get the money for his pork projects, the whole country has to suffer.
One would think that senators are there to make the Senate work, and deliver legislation. Instead, one party is determined to keep the country in a gridlock.
And this is happening while we are in the worst recession since the Great Depression.
LINK:GOP Senator: Not Saying 'No' to Obama Nominees Anymore - ABCnews
Leave a comment: click here

State of the Union

1/26/2010
For an interesting report of the State of the Union click HERE _ Yahoo! news
Don't forget to watch the video with the grumpy conservative judge Samuel Alito. He certainly does not like to be there.
He is sitting on the left, next to judge Sotomayor. Yes, Sonia Sotomayor was accused of judicial activism by the Republicans. How ironic!

Democracy in America: a Banana Republic

January 21, 2010
"If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the United States, they are going to own it." Woodrow Wilson

For all those people who were waiting for change. There is a lot of change, but it is coming from another direction.
Having a lot of politicians in their pocket was not enough.The conservative Supreme Court allows the big corporations to own congress.
Link: Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Finance Ruling

What caused the Democratic loss in Massachussets?

1-20-2010
Nobody knows for sure, what caused the loss for the Democrats. There were no exit polls in Massachusetts.
The Republicans say that it is Obama and his health care bill. They stress again and again that the majority of the American people is against health care reform.
It sounds good, especially if you want to win votes, but it IS a lie. A quarter of the people who are against Obama's health care reform bill, don't like it because it does not go far enough! So in reality the majority of the American people want the Obama Health Care Bill or even more health care reform, which means a public option.
The reason why Coakley lost is very likely a combination of factors:
- high unemployment and high economic insecurity for the middle class and the poor (yes, I am sorry to have to bring it up again, but this is the outcome of the Reagan-Bush-Republican policies over the last thirty years)
- the fact that the whole health care reform process has taken too much time. Now whose fault was that?
- the party that wins the presidential election usually loses in the mid-term election year;
- a wrong strategy of the Democratic Party in Massachusetts and yes, Coakley ran a dreadful campaign (see the Newsweek article), and was an awful candidate.
But as Axelrod already stated: the Democrats cannot walk away from health care reform. That really would sink the party.
Maybe the Democrats should be glad that this wake up call came so early in this election year. It is time to fire up the democratic base.
Link: How Coakley blew it in Massachusetts - Newsweek
.

Coakley concedes loss before 8:30 pm. Brown republican senator.

1-19-2010
Already before the result was final, there was a heated argument between Coakley�s campaign staff and the national democrats, about who was to blame for the debacle.< Br> Prospects for the democrats look dim in 2010, after this defeat.
And the main question right now is: �What is going to happen with the health care reform bill?�
Just let the House vote for the senate bill� or reconcile the bills. Take a tough stance towards the republicans. Throw bipartisanship out with the garbage, and put the blame for the economic misery of last year where it belongs: the GOP. The Grand Obstructionist Party.

Decision Day in Massachusetts

1-19-2010
Reading all the polling results, there is only one conclusion possible: a lot of them are not polls but PO's. Political Operations. Just a couple of days ago, I went to the Pajamas web site, and read that Brown had taken a 15 point lead, just like that! Overnight! Yeah right!
Alaska is suffering a heat wave tomorrow, with a high of 93. If you buy this you probably also believe Pajamas.
But of course, it might work! A lot of voters vote for the projected winner.
Do I take the polling results of Daily Kos for granted? No.
The only thing left for somebody looking for the truth is the following link. It leads to the Boston Globe.
In close race, Coakley and Brown push towards finish line

The democrats have a problem in Massachusetts, and the country too.

01-16-2010
On Tuesday January 19th Massachusetts will vote for a new senator. It concerns the vacant senate seat of Edward Kennedy, who died last year. Normally spoken the seat should go to the Democrats. After all Massachusetts is a democratic state. But everything has changed, now that the Republicans are throwing in a lot of money and people, and the Republican Scott Brown turns out to be a stronger candidate than expected. Martha Coakley, the candidate for the democrats, has conducted a rather passive campaign, in contrast to Brown who has tried to reach as many voters as possible, during his campaign.
A victory for Brown will give the republicans the opportunity to block the health care reform bill in the U.S. senate.
Brown is a staunch conservative, who always has belonged to the Bush camp and one would think, that that would make a victory in Massachusetts quite unlikely. Especially, if there is a big democratic voter turnout. But will the democrats be able to fire up their base in the very short run?
A victory for Coakley, will be very important to save the health care reform bill, and it will also be positive for the Democratic chances in the elections for U.S. congress, in November.
It is kind of stupid that the democrats didn�t see this coming. Oh well�

Democracy in America

01-06-2010
The discussion about health care reform once more revealed the undemocratic character of the US senate. Every State is represented by two senators.
This means that Alaska for instance (700,000 residents), has as much power in the US senate as California, 37 million residents! A bit odd, to say the least.

Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

12-25-2009
For some people this may be bad news, but for most people America has become a better country.
LINKS:
Senate Passes Health Care Overhaul on Party-Line Vote _ New York Times
Democrats see GOP hypocrisy in health care debate - USATODAY
Tidings of Comfort

A historic moment!

12-20-2009
Health insurance will not be a privilege anymore, but a right for every American. And it was about time!
This will improve the lives of millions and millions and millions of people.
Health Bill Passes Key Test in the Senate With 60 Votes - New York Times

This bill sucks, but it is a lot better than what we have now.

December 17,2009.
The single payer system never stood a chance, the public option is out, and now buying into medicare for 55+ seniors is out of the deal too.
But it would be extremely stupid to vote against the health care reform bill because it does not go far enough. Too may people, especially the uninsured, are dependent on this legislation.
Three very good things in the bill are:
- patients cannot be refused coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition;
- lifetime or annual caps on the amount of care that patients can receive will be forbidden;
- and... a lot more Americans will have health insurance.
It is cynical that only two out of 60 democratic senators can cause so much damage. Oh well.....
Liberal Revolt on Health Care Stings White House - New York times

Why is Joe Lieberman against a moderate health care reform proposal?

December 14, 2009.

Senator Joe Lieberman is going to support a Republican filibuster against the current Senate Health Care Reform Bill.
According to a Common Cause Report published in June of this year Lieberman is number 3 in the top 20 Senate recipients of health industry campaign contributions, 2000-2008.
And in the top 20 senate recipients of the health insurance industry he is number 2. (Chris Dodd is number one here). What a coincidence!
Links:
For the complete report, including this top 20 (page 5, table 1) go to: top 20 Senate recipients of health industry campaign contributions, 2000-2008 - Common Cause
See also: Lieberman Rules Out Voting for Health Bill - New York Times
And: Talking Points Memo - Health Care Reform In Peril; Lieberman Threatens Filibuster Over Medicare Buy In

BIG insurance

December 12, 2009

So you don't want government to control your health care? Instead you will be controlled by two big insurance monopolists. And, big surprise, they are only in it for the money.
How a Few Private Health Insurers Are on the Way to Controlling Health Care

What most health care reform polls do not tell you.

12-10-2009.

Did you also wonder how it can be, that a majority of the American people opposes Health care reform, while, at the same time, a majority is for the public option? The answer is actually quite simple: about a quarter of the people who oppose health care reform, do so because they think the proposals don't go far enough. They do not oppose health care reform. They do oppose the current health care reform plans.
Links:
- Attytood Blog
- Polling Report Take a good look at the Ipsos/McClatchy Poll questions.

Recovery

December 4, 2009.
Stimulus plans DO work, even moderate ones. (Though the stimulus should have been bigger).
The surge in temp hiring a few weeks ago, is a pretty reliable indicator that the job market is doing better than most economists thought.
Jobs Report Is Strongest Since the Start of the Recession
Temp job market can be a mixed blessing for workers

USA military spending.

December 4, 2009.

I often hear at dinner-table discussions that other countries like Russia, North Korea, Iran and particularly China are a big military threat to the USA. When I bring up, that the USA military expenditures are higher than those of the rest of the world combined, people always stare at me in disbelief. From now on I will refer to this web site. That'll teach them!
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htm

Hunger in the richest country of the world

November 29, 2009

Being the richest country is something else than being the richest people. A large part of the population is poor. One million children regularly go to bed hungry.
As soon as this kind of news is published, some "experts" are denying that there is hunger. But denial won't make the problem go away. The truth is that income inequality in the USA is still growing. And one million hungry children is one of the consequences.
LINKS:
Record numbers go hungry in the US - Guardian.co.uk
Report: More Americans Face Hunger - National Public Radio
Report isn't accurate gauge of hunger in America, some experts say - Los Angeles Times

Democrats move on with health care reform.

November 23, 2009
After Thanksgiving the health care reform bill, brought to the floor by Harry Reid, will be debated. The bill passed the procedural vote on Saturday: 60-39 votes.
58 Democrats and 2 independents voted for floor debate. 39 Republicans voted against.
Three "moderate Democrats" are against a public option (government run insurance) and/or federal funding of abortion. Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, and Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Sen Joe Lieberman, an independent and former democrat, is against a public option.
He says that a public option will make health care more expensive, in spite of the fact, that the Congressional Budget Office reported, that this is not the case.
Sen Olympia Snow (Republican Senator) voted against a Senate debate of the bill.
LINK: How the Senate health care reform bill avoids increasing the deficit - Examiner.com

Fortunately there are also other voices in the GOP: GOP's King: Let's Be Smarter

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