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Mentally Incapacitated By Wealth

The Article: The rich are different — and not in a good way, studies suggest By Brian Alexander at MSNBC.

The Text: Psychologist and social scientist Dacher Keltner says the rich really are different, and not in a good way: Their life experience makes them less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish.

In fact, he says, the philosophical battle over economics, taxes, debt ceilings and defaults that are now roiling the stock market is partly rooted in an upper class “ideology of self-interest.”

“We have now done 12 separate studies measuring empathy in every way imaginable, social behavior in every way, and some work on compassion and it’s the same story,” he said. “Lower class people just show more empathy, more prosocial behavior, more compassion, no matter how you look at it.”

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And What A Fine Plan It Is

Ah, the Onion at it’s finest:

WASHINGTON—Calling a GOP victory in the 2012 presidential election antithetical to the party platform, top Republicans revealed a new long-term political strategy Tuesday: reelecting Barack Obama and making his life even more of a living hell than it already is.

“For three years, the Republican Party has coalesced around the single goal of making President Obama’s every waking moment sheer and utter torture,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. “But we can’t continue to do that if he’s not in office.”

He Was A Hypocrite Before He Wasn’t

It turns out that Mitt Romney’s hypocrisy on health care and abortion is also incredibly personal. As reported by Salon:

In a 1994 Senate debate with Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney revealed a startling chapter from his past: A close relative had died many years earlier in a botched illegal abortion, shaping Romney’s stance in favor of safe and legal access to abortion for all women…

The relative he was referring to back in ’94, Salon has learned, was a Detroit woman named Ann Keenan. She was the sister of Romney’s brother-in-law and died at the age of 21 in 1963, a full decade before Roe v. Wade. While much of what happened remains murky, an investigation by Salon has uncovered never-reported details about her life and death, including: how she died (an infection); that her grief-stricken parents asked for memorial donations to be made to Planned Parenthood; and that the family apparently wanted to keep the death quiet because Romney’s politically ambitious father, George, was then governor of Michigan.

Five Reasons You Should Vote For Obama In 2012

From the country nearly defaulting to the shooting of House Representative Gabrielle Giffords, it seems like American politics can’t get any more insane than the events of 2011. Well, prepare for the crazy-gauge to get cranked up to 11 because we’re about to enter into a Presidential election year. In the previous election, we got unending shrieks about Obama’s heritage, the typical fear-mongering surrounding terrorists and homosexuality, and Sarah Palin almost made it to within a heartbeat of the presidency if American didn’t vote for Obama in 2008.

As we approach what will undoubtedly be one of the most shrill and frustrating deaths that logic and reasonable debate have faced, it makes sense to pause and reconsider exactly what we’re looking for in a presidential candidate. Republicans, demonstrating their endless ability to make perfect the enemy of good, have failed to become excited by any of the current candidates. On the other side of the aisle, liberals have been displaying quite a bit of disappointment with Hopey McImpossibleStandards Obama.

Liberals are in a slightly better position, having an inspiring, capable candidate with years of proven experience who can still totally make us cry sometimes. I can’t speak for every Democrat, centrist or disillusioned Republican, but I think Barry O deserves another 4 years, and here are the top five reasons why you should vote for Obama in 2012:

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