THE HEADLINES

OBAMA AND CHAVEZ IN A NATION’S DISASTERS: A STUDY IN CONTRAST AND NOT TO OBAMA’S ADVANTAGE.

(Courtesy GlobalResearch.ca)

(Global Research)

Mike Whitney describes how Hugo Chavez responded to the flooding disaster in Venezuela by declaring state-provided housing and sustenance for all victims of the flooding. Obama responded to the BP spill oil disaster by allowing BP to go “scot-free” from accountability for its negligence in having destroyed livelihoods and eco-systems in the Gulf region, even appearing in ads touting the company’s supposed sterling efforts in cleaning up its own mess. Obama’s indifference to the general welfare of Americans is as “bad” as that of Bush, says Whitney.

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THE LEGAL BILLS OF FANNIE AND FREDDIE ON FRAUD CHARGES ARE BEING PAID BY U.S. TAXPAYERS.

(New York Times)

New York Times did a bit of investigative reporting to uncover documents showing this disturbing fact. The two mortage loan firms, mired in law suits of clients in response to their allegedly fraudulent accounting practices, are being subsidized for their legal defense to the tune of $132 million in Treasury funds. With this fact now in the open, officials are scrambling to remedy what appears to be an inappropriate expenditure of public revenues.

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THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN TEXAS?

(Houston Chronicle)

That, according to GOP legislators and local officials as well as business leaders, would be Al Armindariz, Texas administrator for the federal Environmental Protect Agency. Armindariz affronts local sensibilities by refusal to allow pollution permits to manufacturing plants that he says is just a matter of doing his job under the provisions of the Clean Air Act. Texas conservatives join the national chorus of demanding that environmental regulators go easy on regulatory zeal lest they threaten the “jobs, jobs” mantra about to be enshrined in a presidential State of the Union address. As for the Clean Air Act, that turkey needs to be cleaned.

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POLITICAL RHETORIC ASIDE, OFF-SHORING OF U.S. JOBS LIKELY TO CONTINUE UNLESS LABOR MOVEMENT SERIOUSLY GETS ITS ACT TOGETHER.

(In These Times)

Roger Bybee describes the struggle of the electrical union to prevent Esterline electronics from re-locating from Taunton, MA to a low wage site in Tijuana Mexico. Only by extraordinary action was the union able to secure a favorable level of severance pay for local workers losing their job, but could not stop the off-shoring operation itself. Nor, says Bybee, is American labor generally likely to stem the tide of jobs moving out of the country with the bipartisan support of “free trade” deals like that being ardently supported by the President with South Korea, and the “missing in action” of politicians like MA Senator John Kerry who spoke angrily of “Benedict Arnold CEO’s” who take their businesses out of the country but didn’t left a finger in support of the anti-offshoring efforts of electrical workers in his own state.

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‘WE ALL HATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING—EXCEPT THE PARTS WE LIKE.”

(St. Petersburg Times)

Howard Troxler, political columnist for St. Petersburg Times, issues a warning that Florida people will shortly experience the consequences of their support of “read-my-lips-no-new-taxes” GOP legislature and Governor as they find that the state can no longer close its huge budget gap by raising fees (not taxes!) for everything in sight, and by accepting the largess of support from that very “big government” that conservatives de-cry. The pedal will hit the medal when the public realizes that the cutting of public services from everything from schools to firefighting will be only way that this balanced budget will be achieved—and most people are going to “like” the very parts of “government” being cut. How you gonna save us, Florida tea party?

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Quote of the day…

When you start the conversation with ‘How should I shop?’ rather than ‘Should I shop?’ then you’ve already given in a little bit.

Gwendolyn Hustvedt, an assistant professor of fashion merchandising at Texas State University, quoted in an article skeptical of “environmentally friendly” alternatives in consumer choices (like “fake” rather than “real” leather).

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