Rape In The Eyes Of The GOP

In the kaleidoscopic eyes of the GOP, rape has as many colors and dimensions as the rainbow!

Student Loans = New Subprime Mortgages?

The Article: Are student loans the new subprime mortgages? by Marian Wang in Salon.

The Text: More than a decade after Aurora Almendral first set foot on her dream college campus, she and her mother still shoulder the cost of that choice.

Almendral had been accepted to New York University in 1998, but even after adding up scholarships, grants, and the max she could take out in federal student loans, the private university — among nation’s costliest — still seemed out of reach. One program filled the gap: Aurora’s mother, Gemma Nemenzo, was eligible for a different federal loan meant to help parents finance their children’s college costs. Despite her mother’s modest income at the time — about $25,000 a year as a freelance writer, she estimates — the government quickly approved her for the loan. There was a simple credit check, but no check of income or whether Nemenzo, a single mom, could afford to repay the loans.

Nemenzo took out $17,000 in federal parent loans for the first two years her daughter attended NYU. But the burden soon became too much. With financial strains mounting, Almendral — who had promised to repay the loans herself —withdrew after her sophomore year. She later finished her degree at the far less expensive Hunter College, part of the public City University of New York, and went on to earn a Fulbright scholarship.

Continue Reading

Mitt Romney, Venn Diagram Edish

The midway point between creepiness, shameless self-promotion and, of course, highfalutin glamour? Mitt Romney.

Obama, The Communist?

Remember, folks. Democracy works both ways — everyone’s voice can be heard if they make their way to the polls, including the dingbat here who called Obama a communist. Vote!

Plotting Expectations

Appears in The Economist.

RESTORING confidence in America’s future is one of the overarching goals of Mitt Romney’s economic plan, entitled “Believe in America”. The very fact of his victory in the presidential election on November 6th would generate “a great deal of optimism”, he argues, even before he got a chance to do anything. Some economists doubt the president has that much sway over the economic mood. But assuming the office does hold such clout, which presidents have used it most successfully? The University of Michigan has been surveying consumer expectations every month since 1978 (and less frequently since 1946). The chart shows the change from the month before the presidency is decided to the month before a new administration is determined. The chipper Ronald Reagan, who declared “morning in America”, succeeded in raising the index 22 points during his first term. But his performance was bested by both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Indeed, it turns out that the man Mr Romney is seeking to oust has lifted consumer expectations by more than any other elected president has managed in a single term. But that result should not lift Mr Obama’s own spirits too much. The only president to pip his performance was Gerald Ford, who assumed the presidency after Richard Nixon’s resignation. But Ford still lost the subsequent election.