That Good Old Tea Party Influence
Posted on October 29, 2013 in Political Cartoons
Thankfully, it seems that with shutdown-related public outrage pointing to strident Tea Party loons of the GOP, that thin branch of power might have snapped.
Despite McConnell And Paul’s Efforts, Obamacare A Win In Kentucky
Posted on October 29, 2013 in Articles
The Article: Obamacare a win in Kentucky by Jonathan Miller in The Daily Beast.
The Text: Politics in my old Kentucky home has, for centuries, been awash in irreconcilable contradictions.
We stuck with the Union in favor of our favorite son, Lincoln, but then joined in common cause with the Confederacy after the Civil War had ended. A century later, we boasted some of the nation’s most progressive civil rights laws; yet, to this date, we still feature many of America’s most segregated societies. And while Kentucky’s been one of the largest beneficiaries of the New Deal/Great Society welfare state, the dominant strain in our politics remains a fierce anti-government, anti-tax worldview.
Kentucky’s perplexing and hypocritical aversion to big government has been exploited brilliantly by our senior senator Mitch McConnell, who’s capitalized on our cultural resentment of elite interference to transform the Bluegrass State into a deep-red citadel in federal elections. More recently, our junior senator Rand Paul catapulted McConnell’s vision much further than Mitch intended, placing Kentucky in the crosshairs of the Tea Party revolution. But while these two political icons and their surrogates clash over the depth of government slashing, they’ve been steadfastly united behind one common vision: the defeat, and, more recently, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
Four College Kids Try Living On $1 A Day
Posted on October 28, 2013 in Videos
Say what you will about these college kids–that their 56-day adventure in poverty is an unescapable daily nightmare for most, that this documentary is yet another example of the West exploiting the poor for their own gain, what have you. Despite its obvious issues, the series (which can be found here) provides valuable insights into how 1.1 billion people live from day to day through a familiar–and therefore potentially more powerful–voice box. It’s worth a watch.
An Attorney Makes His Case For Legalizing Marijuana
Posted on October 28, 2013 in Articles
The Article: Marijuana is safer than alcohol by Dan Riffle in CNN.
The Text: Anti-marijuana crusaders like Kevin Sabet, while well-intentioned, are promoting policies that lead to more violence and disease in our society. In his recent CNN.com op-ed, Sabet argues we should keep marijuana illegal. But as long as marijuana remains illegal, profits from sales go to criminals and drug cartels, and adults will continue to be punished for using a substance less harmful than currently legal drugs.
Confused? Let’s back up. For more than 80 years, our government has spent tens of billions of taxpayer dollars fighting a war against marijuana. We arrest three-quarters of a million adults every year, 87% for simple possession rather than production or sales of marijuana. Courtrooms turn into assembly lines churning out probationers — mostly minorities — with convictions that will make it virtually impossible to find employment.
The result? Marijuana is universally available, used by almost half of Americans at some point in their lives, and we’ve enriched murderous drug cartels fueling violence in Mexico that has claimed more than 60,000 lives.
