Obama signs order to improve mental health access for veterans, faster suicide prevention contacts

Obama signs order to improve mental health access for veterans, faster suicide prevention contacts
"Before heading out for a speech at Fort Bliss, Texas, today, President Obama signed a executive order directing the Department of Veteran Affairs to expand its suicide prevention mental health services. In addition to adding new staff for this purpose, the department will bolster its own efforts by seeking partners among local mental health professionals.

Veterans with mental health issues—including post-traumatic stress syndrome and the effects of traumatic brain injuries that have been so common in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—complain that getting appointments with Veterans Administration mental health staff can take months. Rather unhelpful when suicide is a possibility"

Romney-Ryan: The Medicare Killers | Common Dreams

Romney-Ryan: The Medicare Killers | Common Dreams
"But Mr. Ryan’s big lie — and, yes, it deserves that designation — was his claim that “a Romney-Ryan administration will protect and strengthen Medicare.” Actually, it would kill the program."

7 Facts About Mitt Romney’s Economic Plan He Doesn’t Want You To Know

7 Facts About Mitt Romney’s Economic Plan He Doesn’t Want You To Know: 2) It raises taxes on the middle class. A Tax Policy Center analysis found that Romney’s plan would raise taxes on middle class families byup to $2,000 if he were to keep his promise to maintain the current level of revenue. A later analysis that added in the cost of Romney’s corporate tax cuts nearly doubled the size of the tax hike on the middle class to as much as $4,000 for a family of four.

Chump Change: The Rich, Especially Adselon, Are Different From Us | Common Dreams

Chump Change: The Rich, Especially Adselon, Are Different From Us | Common Dreams
"With yet another study finding that the rich lie, cheat and steal more than the rest of us, and the GOP greedily embracing Citizens United in their platform - more of those people's money! - a little perspective on the fortunes of Sheldon Adelson. The $25-billion casino mogul has already given Republicans at least $5 million to retain control of the House, and has now reportedly pledged $500,000 to one candidate."

Are you a journalist? Politico leads the crop of post-Ryan reporting failures

Are you a journalist? Politico leads the crop of post-Ryan reporting failures
"At this point, thanks to various individuals who have had the meager audacity to know what Paul Ryan was going on about at the time he was going on about it, we have a fairly good list of the biggest lies uttered in Paul Ryan's speech. Among the biggest is Ryan's attack on $700 billion in Medicare savings under Obama, an attack rather effectively neutered once anyone with half a brain in their heads remembers that Paul Ryan quite specifically has always supported and included those same cuts in his own budget proposals, and so Paul Ryan talking about "saving" Medicare from the very cuts he himself has been endorsing is a Damn Curious Thing at best. Bigger still is Ryan's casual assertion that Obama damaged the credit rating of the United States, which is also a Damn Curious Thing when you consider the rating agency involved specifically called out Paul Ryan's personal band of Congressional anarchists and privateers as the seminal reason for downgrading that credit. Then there is the GM plant that announced its closing during the summer of 2008, before Obama had even gained the small pleasure of trouncing the now perpetually crabby John McCain in state after state after state, much less before he was in any position to do anything about a plant closing in Paul Ryan's neck of the woods."

Paul Ryan: Wrong for the Middle Class

Paul Ryan's speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa was full of wrong and misleading statements. If you've seen any coverage of it, you know that the consensus among journalists and independent observers is that it was factually challenged. As the National Journal stated: "Paul Ryan is long on style, shorter on facts" He lied about Medicare. He lied about the Recovery Act. He lied about the deficit and debt. He even dishonestly attacked Barack Obama for the closing of a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin -- a plant that closed in December 2008 under George W. Bush. Paul Ryan failed to offer one constructive idea about what he would do to move the country forward.

Bush Administration Praised Closure Of Auto Plant That Ryan Now Blames On Obama

Bush Administration Praised Closure Of Auto Plant That Ryan Now Blames On Obama: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) claimed during his convention speech Wednesday that President Obama is responsible for the closure of a GM plant in Janesville, Wisconsin. However, as many media outlets have noted, GM announced plans to close the plant in June ’08 — long before Obama was even elected — and it ceased major operations [...]/p

6 Worst Lies In Paul Ryan’s Speech

6 Worst Lies In Paul Ryan’s Speech: Vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is taking flack on the morning news shows for his keynote address at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. His speech was riddled with false claims, so much so that even Fox News wrote, “To anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to facts, Ryan’s speech was an [...]/p

Greed and Debt: The True Story of Romney and Bain Capital | Common Dreams

Greed and Debt: The True Story of Romney and Bain Capital | Common Dreams
"By making debt the centerpiece of his campaign, Romney was making a calculated bluff of historic dimensions – placing a massive all-in bet on the rank incompetence of the American press corps. The result has been a brilliant comedy: A man 

makes a $250 million fortune loading up companies with debt and then extracting million-dollar fees from those same companies, in exchange for the generous service of telling them who needs to be fired in order to finance the debt payments he saddled them with in the first place. That same man then runs for president riding an image of children roasting on flames of debt, choosing as his running mate perhaps the only politician in America more pompous and self-righteous on the subject of the evils of borrowed money than the candidate himself. If Romney pulls off this whopper, you'll have to tip your hat to him: No one in history has ever successfully run for president riding this big of a lie. It's almost enough to make you think he really is qualified for the White House."

They Love the Lies Paul Ryan Tells | Common Dreams

They Love the Lies Paul Ryan Tells | Common Dreams
"But the “deficit hawk” congressman who voted for two unfunded wars, a budget-busting prescription drug plan that steered billions into the accounts of Big Pharma, and the bank bailout of 2008 made his choice long ago. He’s not going to level with the American people. He’s going to try to make them believe things that are not true.

The biggest Ryan fantasy is the austerity lie: the one that says the wealthiest country in the world is going broke because some children are educated, some sick people are cared for and most old people are afforded a measure of retirement security. As lies go, it’s an effective one. Most of the delegates to this year’s Republican National Convention certainly seem to believe it.

But the reality that Paul Ryan would do anything to avoid is this. If the Wall Street speculators, bankers and CEOs who have contributed millions to Paul Ryan’s congressional campaigns would simply pay their fair share of taxes, if American assets were not off-shored to tax havens, if American jobs were not sacrificed in a free-trade driven race to the bottom, the country’s fiscal fortunes would be entirely different.

The man who claims to offer “good-faith reforms and solutions equal to the problems” is just another fiscal fabulist.

That’s exactly what the delegates to this year’s Republican National Convention wanted. And that’s why Paul Ryan’s speech was such a hit.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t true."

Reintroducing the real Paul Ryan

Reintroducing the real Paul Ryan
"On Medicare: We already know that his plan would effectively end Medicare, turning it into a privatized voucher system. The vouchers given to seniors to purchase health insurance would decrease in value relative to the cost increase of health care, sicker and older people would stay in traditional Medicare, costing it more and more, and retirees would be forced to spend much more out of pocket to get less care. And yes, the cuts proposed by Ryan and Mitt Romney will hit current seniors, not just the under 55 crowd.

• On Social Security: Ryan calls Social Security a Ponzi scheme, and he's not just a Social Security privatizer, he had a plan that was so extreme, George W. Bush, the only president who's ever tried to privatize Social Security, rejected it.
• On the War on Women: Ryan's a true warrior, as anti-choice as Todd Akin. He says that the talk of "forcible" rape didn't mean anything, it was just "stock language" and that rapeis basically just a "method of conception."

Reintroducing the real Paul Ryan

Reintroducing the real Paul Ryan
"

• On Medicare: We already know that his plan would effectively end Medicare, turning it into a privatized voucher system. The vouchers given to seniors to purchase health insurance would decrease in value relative to the cost increase of health care, sicker and older people would stay in traditional Medicare, costing it more and more, and retirees would be forced to spend much more out of pocket to get less care. And yes, the cuts proposed by Ryan and Mitt Romney will hit current seniors, not just the under 55 crowd.
• On Social Security: Ryan calls Social Security a Ponzi scheme, and he's not just a Social Security privatizer, he had a plan that was so extreme, George W. Bush, the only president who's ever tried to privatize Social Security, rejected it.
• On the War on Women: Ryan's a true warrior, as anti-choice as Todd Akin. He says that the talk of "forcible" rape didn't mean anything, it was just "stock language" and that rapeis basically just a "method of conception"."

FACT CHECK: Yes, Romney’s Tax Plan Requires A Middle-Class Tax Increase

FACT CHECK: Yes, Romney’s Tax Plan Requires A Middle-Class Tax Increase:  A recent study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that Mitt Romney’s tax plan, which purports to be “revenue neutral,” would require households with incomes under $200,000 to pay higher taxes, on average, in order to [...]/p

Second GOP Governor Doubts Validity Of Romney’s Welfare Attacks

Second GOP Governor Doubts Validity Of Romney’s Welfare Attacks: Several weeks ago, the Romney campaign launched dishonest series of attacks claiming that the Obama administration has “gutted” welfare reform by removing welfare’s work requirements. Early on Wednesday, Gov. Sam Brownback (R-KS) admitted that the attacks have no basis in reality, a fact already well explained by major media outlets. “You agree that these claims [...]/p

GOP Platform Suggests Billionaires Should Be Able To Give Unlimited Donations To Mitt Romney

GOP Platform Suggests Billionaires Should Be Able To Give Unlimited Donations To Mitt Romney: The Republican National Convention Tuesday adopted a party platform that embraces the highly unpopular Citizens United ruling, opposes meaningful campaign finance disclosure, and actually calls for allowing donors to give more money to politicians. In a section entitled “The First Amendment: Speech that is Protected” the platform states: The rights of citizenship do not stop [...]/p

Romney's ILLEGAL TAX Avoidance.

Unions, inequality, and faltering middle-class wages | Economic Policy Institute

Unions, inequality, and faltering middle-class wages | Economic Policy Institute
"Between 1973 and 2011, the median worker’s real hourly compensation (which includes wages and benefits) rose just 10.7 percent. Most of this growth occurred in the late 1990s wage boom, and once the boom subsided by 2002 and 2003, real wages and compen­sation stagnated for most workers—college graduates and high school graduates alike. This has made the last decade a “lost decade” for wage growth. The last decade has also been characterized by increased wage inequality between workers at the top and those at the middle, and by the continued divergence between overall productivity and the wages or compensation of the typical worker.

A major factor driving these trends has been the ongoing erosion of unionization and the declining bargaining power of unions, along with the weakened ability of unions to set norms or labor standards that raise the wages of comparable nonunion workers. This preview of the forthcomingThe State of Working America, 12th Edition presents a detailed analysis of the impact of unionization on wages and benefits and on wage inequality."

Declining Unionization Caused One-Third Of Increase In Wage Inequality During Last 40 Years

Declining Unionization Caused One-Third Of Increase In Wage Inequality During Last 40 Years: Nearly one-third of the increase in wage inequality among men over the last four decades is attributable to the declining unionization of the American workforce, a new study from the Economic Policy Institute found. Declining unionization is responsible for roughly one-fifth of the growth in wage inequality among women over the same time period (from [...]/p

Voter caging...should Rep. Tim Griffin be in jail?

One of the speakers who took to the stage earlier today at the RNC was Congressman Tim Griffin - who really should be sitting in a jail cell right now. Why's that?

Renewable Electricity Nearly Doubles Under Obama: ‘I Think They’re The Future. They’re Worth Fighting For’

Renewable Electricity Nearly Doubles Under Obama: ‘I Think They’re The Future. They’re Worth Fighting For’: Non-hydro renewable electricity generation has nearly doubled since President Obama took office, reaching 5.75 percent of net electricity, according to figures from the Energy Information Administration. In 2008, before Obama entered the White House, non-hydro resources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass represented just over 3 percent of generation. Today, they total nearly 6 percent. [...]/p

Republicans Debate How Much To Cut Education While China And India Invest More

Republicans Debate How Much To Cut Education While China And India Invest More: Republicans have been internally debating just how much to cut federal spending on education, but their platform unveiled this week at their convention in Tampa Bay does little to clarify their vision beyond referencing that no new [...]/p

Mitt’s secrets and lies: Romney’s tax rules aren’t the same as yours

The 8 Worst Examples of Fox News Election Journalism Malpractice (In Just 8 Weeks) | Alternet

The 8 Worst Examples of Fox News Election Journalism Malpractice (In Just 8 Weeks) | Alternet
"Mitt Romney, the Original Bankster , continues to be evasive about his international business affairs, and he refuses to release more than a single year of tax returns in order to quell speculation. His electoral prospects have not been noticeably enhanced with the addition of Wisconsin congressman and right-wing extremist Paul Ryan to the ticket. So, the GOP PR machine (aka Fox News) has swung into action"

Fox News' Megyn Kelly Spreads Propaganda That Mitt Romney Is 'Self Made'

Fox News' Megyn Kelly Spreads Propaganda That Mitt Romney Is 'Self Made'
"My God, George Romney was worth a huge fortune and was Michigan royalty as their long-serving governor. If Romney fell into the kind of real hard times that average Americans do every day with no way out, George would have bailed him out as many times as was required. As it was, Romney got the privileged leg up of an expensive prep boarding school and Harvard education, courtesy of Dad's name and wealth. Many wealthy kids try to make it on their own and it's one thing for a person who has no safety net to venture out into the world, but another when you have a gold-plated safety net in the form of a rich and connected dad waiting their to catch you.

Megyn breathlessly gushes over Mitt like a love-struck puppy."

Ohio Secretary Of State Fires Board Of Elections Officials For Supporting Weekend Voting Hours

Ohio Secretary Of State Fires Board Of Elections Officials For Supporting Weekend Voting Hours: Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted has fired two Montgomery County board of election members who voted for expanded early voting hours on weekends in defiance of his state-wide directive ordering them to restrict voting hours to weekdays only. Dennis Lieberman and Thomas J. Ritchie, Sr. were suspended immediately after voting to expand the board’s [...]/p

Crime-Ridden New Jersey City Busts Police Union To Save Money

Crime-Ridden New Jersey City Busts Police Union To Save Money: A New Jersey city often described as the most dangerous in the country will no longer have its own police force, as a crunched state budget has intensified an effort to reduce costs by busting the local police union. Camden, New Jersey ranks among the most crime-ridden cities in America — in 2008, it had [...]/p

10 Things the GOP Platform Hates About You | Alternet

10 Things the GOP Platform Hates About You | Alternet
"The GOP of 2012 is a big tent. Especially if you're a white, wealthy, currently elderly, heterosexual, Christian, non-DC resident who plans on living forever."

Prison, Drug War Spending Rockets While Higher Education Funding Declines | Common Dreams

Prison, Drug War Spending Rockets While Higher Education Funding Declines | Common Dreams
"In 2012, both corrections spending and student debt hit $1 trillion milestones, leading higher education advocates to wonder how prison costs soak up education allocations, thus hurting the economy and limiting low income students’ access to campuses."

Paul Ryan Didn't Work All That Hard To Help His Own Hometown

Paul Ryan Didn't Work All That Hard To Help His Own Hometown
"Considering how little concern Paul "Atlas Shrugged" Ryan has for his hometown constituents, is it any wonder that supporters had to rehearse when to cheer for him pre-rally?"

Romney tells miners 'you've got a great boss.' That boss made them lose pay to listen to Romney.

Romney tells miners 'you've got a great boss.' That boss made them lose pay to listen to Romney.
""You've got a great boss, he runs a great operation here," Mitt Romney told a group of Ohio coal miners at a Murray Energy mine on Aug. 14, before launching into an attack on President Obama's supposed opposition to coal. That "great boss," it turns out, had made the miners' attendance at the Romney event mandatory and unpaid"

Republicans: Our welfare ad is a lie. And it works. So we're sticking with it

Republicans: Our welfare ad is a lie. And it works. So we're sticking with it
"The Republicans claim Obama is gutting that reform. Fact-checkers have found Team Romney's claims to be, putting it charitably, baloney."

Unpopular with minorities, Romney targets 'white vote'

Mitt Romney continues to lie and use the racial "dog whistle" to target the white vote.

6 Right-Wing Zealots and the Crazy Ideas Behind the Most Outrageous Republican Platform Ever | Alternet

6 Right-Wing Zealots and the Crazy Ideas Behind the Most Outrageous Republican Platform Ever | Alternet
"The official 2012 Republican Party platform is a far-right fever dream, a compilation of pouting, posturing and policies to meet just about every demand from the overlapping Religious Right, Tea Party, corporate, and neo-conservative wings of the GOP. If moderates have any influence in today’s Republican Party, you wouldn’t know it by reading the platform."

Mitt Romney, repeating welfare lies, says Obama wants to 'shore up his base'

Mitt Romney, repeating welfare lies, says Obama wants to 'shore up his base'
"Mitt Romney is continuing his prolonged episode of mendacity so extreme that the media is repeatedly calling him out on it in straight news stories. That is, he's continuing his attack on President Barack Obama for the waivers Obama's administration has proposed granting states on welfare-to-work requirements but has not actually granted yet. Those are the same waivers Romney took advantage of as governor of Massachusetts, not to mention the 2005 letter he signed asking for more waivers. Romney really thinks he's got a winner here, and he's going to push it as far as he can"

'Remember When Sick People Used To Hold Online Bake Sales?'

'Remember When Sick People Used To Hold Online Bake Sales?'
"If this election's about anything, it's about the fact that here, in the richest country in the world, a dying man still has to hold a virtual bake sale to pay for much-needed medical care. We've made a start. Hopefully, we'll finish it. One day, we'll tell children stories about a time when sick people had to publicly beg for help and they'll look wide-eyed and say, "Really?"

Don't let the loons take away that progress."

Michigan GOP Governor Dismisses Romney’s Auto Rescue Opposition: ‘It’s History’

Michigan GOP Governor Dismisses Romney’s Auto Rescue Opposition: ‘It’s History’: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney haven’t always seen eye to eye on the rescue of the auto industry that saved hundreds of thousands of American jobs. Romney has held several positions on the topic: he wrote an editorial calling on the government to “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt” before the [...]/p

Sensata Workers React to Romney Bragging about Chinese Sweatshops

Sensata Workers React to Romney Bragging about Chinese Sweatshops
"Employees of the Bain-owned company Sensata, about whom Kenneth blogged about back in June trying to save their jobs from being outsourced, watched the video and were asked for their reactions."

HuffPost: Romney asserted active role in Bain to claim half-million dollar tax deduction in 2010

HuffPost: Romney asserted active role in Bain to claim half-million dollar tax deduction in 2010
"In other words, if Romney's deduction was legal, it means his claim to have had no involvement with Bain after February of 1999 was pure fiction, because as late as 2010, he claimed more than $500,000 in expenses related to his Bain investments. Of course, if it wasn't legal, Romney has other problems."

The Republican "Small Goverment" Fraud | Common Dreams

The Republican "Small Goverment" Fraud | Common Dreams
"For those people who can see beyond the deluge of slick campaign advertisements, it should be clear enough that the Republican Party’s claim to support “small government” is a fraud. That claim is only an attractive mask, designed to disguise a party of privilege."

Four Ways the Ohio GOP is Already Stealing the 2012 Election | Common Dreams

Four Ways the Ohio GOP is Already Stealing the 2012 Election | Common Dreams
"Clearly the Ohio GOP is once again geared up to deny the vote---and vote count---to as many Democrats as it can.  If it succeeds, as it did in 2004, Barack Obama stands little chance of being re-elected."

Teaching People to Hate Their Own Govt. Is at the Core of the Project to Destroy the Middle Class | Alternet

Teaching People to Hate Their Own Govt. Is at the Core of the Project to Destroy the Middle Class | Alternet
"Your goal for this step is to figure out how to teach the middle class to hate their own government using a strategy that takes into consideration the political climate of the United States of thirty years ago.

Teaching the middle class to hate their government was an essential part of the plan to implement Corporate Feudalism. A middle class cannot exist without a strong government. This is because only a government has the power to stand up to the giant corporations of today’s world, or the powerful individuals and private armies of earlier times. It is the government that enforces the laws to protect the middle class from those who would like to become their economic rulers. That is why prior to the Industrial Revolution and the creation of the middle class all economies were run according to some version of the feudal system. If you want to put an end to the middle class and replace it with a feudal republic, you would need to change people’s perception of their government."

The Billionaires Bill of Rights | Alternet

The Billionaires Bill of Rights | Alternet
"Billionaire corporate interests and other well financed anti-labor forces are waging a major drive to stifle the political voice of workers and their unions in California that is certain to spread nationwide if not stopped - and stopped now.

At issue is a highly deceptive measure, Proposition 32, on the state's November election ballot, that its anti-labor sponsors label as an even-handed attempt to limit campaign spending. But actually, it would limit - and severely - only the spending of unions while leaving corporations and other moneyed special interests free to spend as much as they like."

Corporate America’s newest union insult

Corporate America’s newest union insult
"Put it all together, and you see the sleight of hand: In the same way rapacious oil companies try to green-wash their brands to align them with environmental sentiment, the particular industries and companies airing these ads are subtly “worker-washing” their brands in an attempt to equate themselves with populist economic outrage. That they can accomplish this with so few noticing proves that in the age of truthiness, anything can be corporatized — even the anti-corporate zeitgeist.

Paul Ryan Struggles With the Inconvenient Demands of Democracy | Common Dreams

Paul Ryan Struggles With the Inconvenient Demands of Democracy | Common Dreams
"Ryan and Zerban have fundamentally different positions on the issues. Ryan wants to undermine Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid with what former House Speaker Newt Gingrich refers to as “right-wing social experimentation,” while Zerban would preserve these programs. Ryan opposes meaningful healthcare reforms that would expand access to care while cutting costs, while Zerban supports the real reform of a “Medicare for All” program. Ryan supports free-trade deals and manufacturing policies that have led to the shuttering of major industrial facilities in Janesville (a General Motors plant), Kenosha (a Chrysler plant) and Oak Creek (a Delphi plant) during the course of his Congressional tenure, while Zerban favors fair trade policies designed to protect jobs, communities and the environment. Ryan advocates for narrowing the definition of rape as part of an aggressive push to limit reproduction rights, while Zerban supports a woman’s right to choose."

Romney's Racism: In the Gutter with Gingrich | Common Dreams

Romney's Racism: In the Gutter with Gingrich | Common Dreams
"Although every fact-check has shown he’s wrong, Romney and the Romney-phile propaganda groups keep pounding away at their message with ads like this one"

Paul Ryan hates babies

Paul Ryan hates babies
"The future of our nation is on the table in the next election. I'm voting to put food on that table."

CHART: How Ending The High End Bush Tax Cuts Saves Nearly $1 Trillion

CHART: How Ending The High End Bush Tax Cuts Saves Nearly $1 Trillion: President Obama has promised to end the Bush tax cuts on income in excess of $250,000 when they expire at the end of the year, with his aides saying that he is “100 percent committed” to preventing another extension. Of course, Republicans are again saying that all of the cuts should be extended, even as [...]/p

Romney’s Blood Money » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Romney’s Blood Money » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names
"Recent revelations about Mitt Romney’s highly profitable company Bain Capital help connect the dots between offshore tax shelters, shady investors; and the role that ill-gotten gains plays in today’s casino-like finance capital.

Both the Los Angeles Times and Huffington Post published investigations in the last month showing that over a third of the $37 million raised by Romney to launch Bain Capital in the mid-1980s came from rich Latin Americans, the bulk of it from Salvadoran families linked to death squads."

GOP: A Party That Hates Women | Alternet

GOP: A Party That Hates Women | Alternet
"Missouri GOP senatorial candidate Todd Akin's absurd comment that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in cases of "legitimate rape" is disgusting. It also points to a deeper problem within the GOP.

Plainly, this is a party that hates women."

Fox News' Selfish Partisan Evil Endangers Navy SEAL

Fox News' Selfish Partisan Evil Endangers Navy SEAL
"On Thursday, Fox News outed the identity of a Navy SEAL who co-wrote a book on the Osama bin Laden raid. I won't link you to the article nor will I tell you the name they published, but their abject evil in promoting the OpSec group as endangering national security while outing the name of one of the people actually involved in the mission should be obvious."

5 Countries Where You Don't Have to Work Yourself to Death to Make Ends Meet | Alternet

5 Countries Where You Don't Have to Work Yourself to Death to Make Ends Meet | Alternet
"Earlier this summer we explored some things we could do as a nation to improve work-life balance, from the basic (paid sick leave, anyone?) to the truly innovative. This time, we're looking around the world: which countries fare better than ours in helping citizens survive without working themselves to death?

Of course, it’s hard not to respond to this question: “hmmm anywhere without child labor and a two-day weekend!” After all, not only do we rank among the worst in terms of paid leave for parents or family sickness and have zero mandatory vacation hours, Americans often don’t even take the vacation we’ve got!"

Romney Invested In Company That Is Outsourcing Jobs, Forcing Workers To Train Their Chinese Replacements

Romney Invested In Company That Is Outsourcing Jobs, Forcing Workers To Train Their Chinese Replacements: Workers at Sensata Technologies, a business based in Freeport, Illinois, have been protesting Mitt Romney’s campaign stops across the country all summer because the company, which is owned by Bain Capital, is laying off workers in order to hire employees in China. Bain took control of Sensata in 2006; last year, it took over the [...]/p

RNC speaker's business experience blows holes in party's 'We built it' theme

RNC speaker's business experience blows holes in party's 'We built it' theme
"Since it began operations, FSM has received $15 million in federal contracts two-thirds of which were obtained non-competitively. In fiscal 2012 alone, the company has received more than half a million dollars in government contracts with the Air Force and defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin. Valenzuela's business thrives on government help. Couldn't live without it. She also obviously believes that it's not just the federal government that helps business, but local as well since she is chairwoman of the Economic Development Advisory Panel for the City of Milford."

Tax experts find shady, possibly illegal, dealings in documents related to Romney's Bain investments

Tax experts find shady, possibly illegal, dealings in documents related to Romney's Bain investments
"As if there weren't enough reason to demand that Romney show us his tax returns, the Bain documents show the kinds of things that such disclosure might shed some light on. And these are, of course, just what one website has been able to get its hands on."

7 Birthers Speaking At The Republican Convention

7 Birthers Speaking At The Republican Convention: Mitt Romney’s invocation of birtherism on Friday took his campaign to a new level of involvement with the bogus idea that President Obama is actually Kenyan-born and therefore ineligible to serve as Commander-in-Chief. But that dog-whistle theory has already been embraced by many major Republicans with whom Romney has long been happy to consort. Indeed, [...]/p

Baldwin hits Thompson on refusal to release taxes

Baldwin hits Thompson on refusal to release taxes
"Republican Tommy Thompson has been emulating Mitt Romney in his bid for Wisconsin's open senate seat. He's made his millions, and the taxes he did or didn't pay on that are none of your goddamned business. It's a good opening for Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and she took it."

President Clinton Makes Pitch to Middle Class in New Obama Ad

President Clinton Makes Pitch to Middle Class in New Obama Ad
"But he's absolutely right -- the entire Republican economic plan consists of repealing Dodd-Frank, Obamacare, and pretty much anything else the US Chamber of Commerce wants, plus cutting taxes for rich people. We've seen that movie before. And by just appearing in the ad, Clinton will remind everyone who doesn't have an offshore bank account that their lives got better in the 1990s, and got much worse in the Bush '00s."

Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom: Craig Unger on Stolen Votes, Political Attacks, Billionaire Ties

Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom: Craig Unger on Stolen Votes, Political Attacks, Billionaire Ties
"From Democracy Now, once again Amy Goodman's the only one out there reporting on Rove's stolen elections and the death of Mike Connell when he was about to testify against Rove about what they did on Ohio. Here's another reminder of how disgusting it is that Rove is out there gaining power again instead of sitting in a jail cell" -Crooks and Liars

Corporate Profits Rebound But Household Income Falls In Wake Of Great Recession

Corporate Profits Rebound But Household Income Falls In Wake Of Great Recession: Household incomes have fallen faster since the end of the Great Recession than they did during it, even as corporations have returned to greater profitability than they reached before the Great Recession. Corporate profits passed their pre-recession levels earlier this year, but according to a new study from Sentier Research, household incomes have fallen behind, [...]/p

Millions Go Hungry as Congress Considers Food Stamp Cuts and Drought Threatens Crops

Millions Go Hungry as Congress Considers Food Stamp Cuts and Drought Threatens Crops
"Nearly one in five Americans could not afford the food they or their families needed at some point in the past year, and now anti-poverty advocates are pressing Congress to abandon proposed food stamp cuts as a historic drought threatens to drive up food prices across the country."

Federal Reserve Sells Last Of Its Stake In AIG, Turns $18 Billion Profit

Federal Reserve Sells Last Of Its Stake In AIG, Turns $18 Billion Profit: The Federal Reserve of New York sold the last of its stake in American International Group (AIG), the insurance giant bailed out by the federal government in 2008. In selling the last of its assets related to the AIG bailout, the Fed earned an $6.6 billion profit for taxpayers, bringing its total profits from the [...]/p

Before Granting Interviews, Romney Demands Reporters Agree Not To Ask ‘About Abortion Or Todd Akin’

Before Granting Interviews, Romney Demands Reporters Agree Not To Ask ‘About Abortion Or Todd Akin’: On the campaign trail today, Mitt Romney refused to grant interviews to any reporters who wanted to know about his position on abortion, or about Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), the Senate candidate whose “legitimate rape” comments sparked outrage over the weekend from Democrats and Republicans alike. One CBS correspondent, Shaun Boyd, explained that only four [...]/p

Romney: I'm not just entitled to my own opinions, I'm entitled to my own facts

Romney: I'm not just entitled to my own opinions, I'm entitled to my own facts
"Here's the key point about this waiver: Massachusetts wasn't using it to "gut" welfare reform. The waiver was put in place because Massachusetts had its own welfare reform policies that were more aggressive than federal law. In other words, Mitt Romney knows, from personal experience, that getting a section 407 waiver isn't the same thing as gutting welfare reform. In fact, waivers can help reform be even more effective. There's no question but that Mitt Romney is aware of this, yet he nonetheless continues smearing President Obama with false attacks on welfare, because he not only feels entitled to own opinions, he feels entitled to his own facts—as long as they suit his personal ambition."

Romney Plan Would Raise Taxes On Middle Class To Finance Massive Corporate Tax Cut

Romney Plan Would Raise Taxes On Middle Class To Finance Massive Corporate Tax Cut: pA recent analysis based on the loose outlines of Mitt Romney’s proposed tax plan — which would disproportionately benefit the wealthy and corporations — found that to remain revenue neutral, as Romney insists it will, it would have to raise taxes on middle- and lower-class families. The result, the Tax Policy Center concluded, is that [...]/p

In Order To Form a Less Perfect Union: The Politics Of Fear, Outrage and Distraction | Common Dreams

In Order To Form a Less Perfect Union: The Politics Of Fear, Outrage and Distraction | Common Dreams
"Once again, the Republicans are managing to distract the country from their extremely unpopular economic positions – positions that help the uber rich and corporations at the expense of low and middle income wage earners."

Women’s rights at stake - BostonHerald.com

Women’s rights at stake - BostonHerald.com
"Maybe the GOP missed the Centers for Disease Control’s 2011 report that an astounding 18.3 percent of American women have been raped in their lifetimes. That’s a lot of women now wondering whether their particular nightmare would qualify as “legitimate” or “forcible” enough for Akin and Ryan, the self-appointed arbiters of rape."

Romney, Ryan, and The Devil’s Budget: Will America Keep Its Soul? | Common Dreams

Romney, Ryan, and The Devil’s Budget: Will America Keep Its Soul? | Common Dreams
"The destruction of The Public is not reversible. It would be the death of the very idea of America. Here’s what it would mean.

Even more, a lot more, of the nation’s wealth than the current 40 percent going to the top 1 percent. Poverty up. Opportunity gone. No way for the poor and middle class to get a college education, and maybe not even a decent K – 12 education, and certainly not public pre-schools. As unemployment rises, competition for jobs gets greater, and so wages get even lower and pensions and health benefits disappear. As the public control of the airwaves disappears with the FCC, the corporate control of news rises, and objectivity of reporting gets much lower. Freedom of the press becomes meaningless. When the military controls almost all of the budget, it gets immensely strong in society, threatening civilian control of the military. When the EPA and FDA disappear, say goodbye to clean air, clean water, and safe food. Wilderness in the National Parks will not exist: it will be destroyed in the race to get at our natural resources — wood, minerals, oil and gas.

Along the way, there will be all the cruelty that Democrats are now warning against — the elderly, children, and the poor going without medical care, and so suffering and dying. The unemployed losing their homes. Our young people unable to get the education what would give the freedom to “pursue happiness” — and thus being forced into lives the keep them from being fulfilled. And much more."

Voters Reject Romney’s Medicare Privatization Plan

Morning Briefing: Voters Reject Romney’s Medicare Privatization Plan:  In the latest New York Times/CBS News/Quinnipiac University poll, voters in the three key swing states of Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin trust President Obama by a wide margin over Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to handle Medicare, an issue that ranks behind only the economy and health care in importance to voters. – At [...]/p

Republicans try new twist on old Medicare lie

Rep. Paul Ryan told voters today he didn't want to bore them with the details of his and Romney's plan for Medicare. But we promise not to be bored if he tells us the truth about the plan and what it will really cost seniors. Ed Schultz explains the facts and talks to MSNBC Political Analyst and columnist for Bloomberg View about whether the Republicans will fool voters in the debate over healthcare.

Meet the Washington Sugar Daddies Who Keep Wall St. Flush with Cash | Alternet

Meet the Washington Sugar Daddies Who Keep Wall St. Flush with Cash | Alternet
"How much is democracy worth to you?

If you’re like most people, it’s priceless. But for the hedge funds and insurance companies on Wall Street, it does have a price tag. And now, thanks to a new report by Global Exchange, we know the number on it: approximately $4.2 billion. That’s how much the Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (F.I.R.E.) sector has invested in political influence through campaign contributions and lobbying since 2006. That comes to $1,331 a minute spent on political power."

Paul Ryan Attempts To Disavow Paul Ryan

Watch as Republican candidates and elected officials avoid answering tough question by repeating nonsensical talking points. Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the Republican Party have a Todd Akin problem that will not go away before the election. Watch in disbelief as Paul Ryan absurdly attempts to disavow Paul Ryan.

Paul Ryan's Top 10 Falsehoods and Outrages... from Just His First Week on the Campaign Trail | Alternet

Paul Ryan's Top 10 Falsehoods and Outrages... from Just His First Week on the Campaign Trail | Alternet
"Paul Ryan charges that Barack Obama has ‘stolen’ $700 billion from medicare for his Obamacare. In fact, these expense reductions do not cut Medicare benefits,  and, moreover, Romney and Ryan supported these reductions!  The difference is that they would give the savings to the affluent, whereas Obama uses them to cover the presently uninsured."

Bankrupt States Listen Up -- Colorado Stands to Earn Huge Bucks If It Legalizes Weed | Alternet

Bankrupt States Listen Up -- Colorado Stands to Earn Huge Bucks If It Legalizes Weed | Alternet
"The passage and enactment of a statewide marijuana ballot measure this fall could generate as much as $60 million in savings and revenue, according to a just published budgetary analysis prepared by the Colorado Center on Law & Policy."

Wall Street Tightens Grip on Public Water as Local Residents Suffer | Common Dreams

Wall Street Tightens Grip on Public Water as Local Residents Suffer | Common Dreams
"Investment bankers and other major financial players are increasingly swooping in on public water utilities and other municipal services in cash strapped towns to the detriment of local residents, according to a new report released today by advocacy group Food & Water Watch. Vulture capitalists are increasingly facilitating the privatization of public infrastructure, taking control of public utilities while skimping on services and causing steep price hikes -- all the while making massive profits."

Nuns On The Bus Tour Stops In New York To Protest ‘Devastating Romney-Ryan Budget’

Nuns On The Bus Tour Stops In New York To Protest ‘Devastating Romney-Ryan Budget’: The Nuns On A Bus tour that made stops at 10 congressional offices in nine states in July is back on the road protesting the House Republican budget’s damaging cuts to programs that benefit the poor and middle class. The tour, comprised this time of a different set of faith leaders and community action groups, [...]/p

The Lies About The Romney Budget

Ezra Klein, "Budget Wonk," analyzes the TRUE Romney / Ryan Budget which cuts over 60% to Education, Medicaid & Food Stamps to poor children, and gives a 25% tax cuts to the richest 1%???

FDR Exposes the Origins of the Romney/Ryan "Big Lie"

"It seems that right-wingers - we call them Republicans here in the US - haven't changed their strategies much at all over the years - that Romney and Ryan are following an old, old pattern. According to Godwin's Law - the first person to use a Hitler comparison in an argument - loses. Well...call me a loser - and call President Franklin Roosevelt a loser too - because in 1944 - while running for re-election - Roosevelt compared the Republican's political strategy that year to Hitler's. Now don't expect President Obama to compare Republicans to Hitler like Roosevelt did. He shouldn't. But he should call out the liars - and use the actual word "liar" in doing so. Because if he doesn't - then the propaganda machine on the Right won't stop - and he could be left wondering, on November 7th, how he lost an election when the Republican and Rove and Koch Brothers attack ads were all filled with lies - big, big lies. Consider it a warning, Mr. President. Oh, and one more thing - in that same speech that Roosevelt called out Republicans for using Hitler's techniques - he also called them out for suppressing the vote - which just so happens to be the Republican strategy today too - right alongside lying. The more things change - the more they stay the same"