- I’m sure this happened. (Gin and Tacos) Dear Everyone, Read this, then read my response:
…The child looked at me and said “Well, why is he homeless?”. I explained to her that he used to work in a factory, but after his factory was taken over by a Wall Street hedge fund his job was shipped to Vietnam where they pay someone a small fraction of his salary and benefits to do the same job. His life savings and retirement were wiped out by the stock market crash in 2008, and because he was a factory worker with no college degree, he couldn’t find another job. He lost his home to foreclosure, after the bank refused to modify his mortgage.
She ponders that for a second and says “Well, what if everyone gave him $5 instead? There’s a bunch of us; if we all gave him $5, he’d have way more than $50. He could buy food, rent an apartment, find a job, and take night classes at a community college. Then, when he’s back on his feet, he can give $5 too.”
And I looked at this little girl, and I said to her, “That’s called socialism, and besides, why should I help anyone when I already have all the money I need?”
And she looked back at me and said “No, that’s called being a decent human being. And you should help him because someday, that homeless man could be you. Asshole.”, and promptly gave me a raspberry.
- Timothy Geithner: “You can’t legislate away stupidity and risk-taking and greed.” (Huffington Post) Dear Timothy Geither, True, but as it turns out you CAN legislate means to prevent a few morons, gamblers, and financial hoarders from screwing everyone else over when they fuck up on a truly colossal scale.
- Allen West: Obama Tax Rates are “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (Huffington Post) Dear Allen West, You mean the same tax rates that are among the lowest in history on pretty much everything and everyone? You must be comparing them to Iraqi WMDs: imaginary.
- Rupert Murdoch admits NoW phone-hacking cover-up (The Guardian) Dear Rupert Murdoch, I’ll believe that neither you nor any of your top lieutenants had anything to do with this when pigs can fly and it rains bacon.
- White House threatens to veto CISPA cybersecurity bill, ahead of Friday’s vote (The Verge) Dear Congress, This is what leadership looks like; take note.
- All Downhill From Here (Doghouse Riley) Dear Dick Lugar and Richard Mourdock, Die in a fire.
- Our President Has Soul. Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With That. (Charles P. Pierce – Esquire) Dear CPP, Tell that to residents of the Deep South.
- Obama’s Fallon Appearance Violated Campaign Law (Big Hollywood) Dear Breitbartards, There used to be a law on the books that did exactly what it is that you’re suggesting: it’s called the Fairness Doctrine, which was struck down by Ronald Reagan and is single handedly responsible for the creation and flourishing of Right Wing Talk Radio. So, if you want to pick this fight, be my guest, because you guys have WAY more to lose than we do. Please, save us the trouble and hoist your own petard.
- The Corruption Law That Scares The Bejesus Out of Corporate America (The Atlantic) Dear Corporations, If you’re scared of an anti-corruption law, might I suggest perhaps being less corrupt?
- The Postal Service Is a Civic Institution, Not a Business (The Atlantic) Dear Everyone, This is exactly why we need a Postal Service. Also, I really enjoyed The Postman, starring Kevin Costner.
- Conservatives Need Social Issues to Paper Over Their Fiscal Failures (The Atlantic) Dear Conor Friedersdorf, It’s because abandoning social issues would shine a spotlight on the complete and utter failure of conservative economics for the last fifty years, and permanently discredit them as a governing party.
- The Last Best Chance for Campaign Finance Reform: Americans Elect (The Atlantic) Dear Lawrence Lessig, Get that weak ass thirty party Americans Elect bullshit out of here. Rather than create a third party, let’s focus on having two ACTUAL political parties. One Liberal. One Conservative. Not one Moderate, one Batshit Fucking Crazy.
- Should Occupy Embrace Specific Goals When It Reemerges? (The Atlantic) Dear Conor Friedersdorf, Of course it should. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of dirty hippies getting pepper sprayed by cops-cum-soldiers for no reason.
- Maybe There Is Actually Hope for “Centrist” Politics? (The Atlantic) Dear James Fallows, Why? Because Marco Rubio is dipping a toe into the water to see how much the Right is gonna freak out if he starts talking about Immigration reform? Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit.
- Scary Thought: Biden May Be Right about Romney’s Foreign Policy (The Atlantic) Dear Robert Wright, As someone that lived through eight years of the Bush II Administration, I can only express pure astonishment at the fact that you are only now figuring out that the GOP’s foreign policy now consists entirely of “Blow up brown people on top of the sand which is on top of the oil.”
- And this is why it was foolish to crack those teleprompter jokes (The Atlantic) Dear David Graham, Let’s not forget about the giant dog-air raid siren for racists. Never mind that every public speaker uses a teleprompter at some point. Hoisted by the own petard again!
- Are Democrats afraid of Marco Rubio? (TPM) Dear Benjy Sarlin, No.
- What The Fight Over Student Loans Is Really About (TPM) Dear Brian Beutler, Or, it’s about the American Right freaking the fuck out about a black man in the White House and doing everything in their power to run this country into the ground so as to deny him a single legislative accomplishment, ensuring that no one of any color will ever again inhabit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
- Newt Gingrich Wins Race For Biggest GOP Debt (TPM) Dear Ryan J. Reilly, Considering pretty much every venture Newt Gingrich has ever been associated with has eventually gone down in financial flames, his Presidential campaign should be no different.
- John McCain Lights Into “Imaginary” War On Women (TPM) Dear John McCain, Go call your wife a “trollop c***” again and then come tell us that the GOP isn’t waging a war on women.
- Scientists Stumped By Sun’s Asymmetrically Reversing Magnetic Field (TPM) Dear Mayans, Well played.
- GOP Sets Up A Showdown On Violence Against Women Act (TPM) Dear John McCain, Go tell your party to stop trying to deny legal protections to victims of violence who happen to be women, then come tell us the GOP isn’t waging a war on women.
- Christoper Bryski, Rutgers Student, Died But His Student Loan Lives On (Huffington Post) Dear Student Loan Industry, This is exactly the kind of bullshit that kept me from taking a job with you last year.
- Missouri GOP Rep. Says Federal Student Loans Gave America “Stage Three Cancer of Socialism” (ThinkProgress) Dear Person Holding The Sign In The Picture In This Article, I love you.
- House GOP Would Kick 280,000 Children Off School Lunch Program To Protect Tax Cut For Millionaires (ThinkProgress) Dear House GOP, Have you no shame? Literally taking food out of the mouths of children to protect the super wealthy?
- Despite backing subsidies for Big Oil, Mike Pompeo (R-Koch) says wind energy doesn’t deserve financial support. (ThinkProgress) Dear Mike Pompeo, Eat a dick.
- Tony Perkins: Questions about Obama’s Birth Certificate are “legitimate” (ThinkProgress) Dear Tony Perkins, Keep fucking that chicken, dick.
- After previously praising her, Paul Ryan now disses Ayn Rand: “I reject her philosophy” (ThinkProgress) Dear Paul Ryan, But what are you going to do with your crusty copy of Atlas Shrugged now?
- Mississippi Governor: Democrats “One mission in life is to abort children.” (ThinkProgress) Dear Phil Bryant, No! You’ve discovered our dastardly plot. Next you’ll start telling everyone about our plans to build a Mobile Abortiondrome to give mass abortions on the go!
- Spirit Airlines won’t refund dying Veteran’s ticket. (ThinkProgress) Dear Spirit Airlines, Fire your PR group; they’re obviously incompetent.
- SB1070 Supporters Break Out The Hate In Front of the Supreme Court: “Go back to your third-world armpit.” (ThinkProgress) Dear SB1070 Supporters, You mean like Arizona?
- Bob Kerrey: War With Iran Will “Make Iraq And Afghanistan Look Like A Cakewalk” (ThinkProgress) Dear America, If Mitt Romney starts talking about WMDs in Iran, IT’S A TRAP.
- Connecticut abolishes the death penalty for future crimes. (ThinkProgress) Dear Connecticut, Nicely done.
- Military Shift Campaign Donations From Ron Paul To Obama In March (ThinkProgress) Dear Military, Could it be you’re supporting the candidates that are least likely to send you to die in some foreign country where you’re not welcome? Perish the thought.
- The rise of Arab republics? (Al-Jazeera) Dear President Obama, Stop supporting repressive monarchist governments in the interest of regional stability.
