If Americans once looked east to Washington as the new Camelot, during the presidency of John F. Kennedy, should they be now be looking west to San Francisco and cities ringing the San Francisco Bay as the new ecotopia?
As Congress struggles to free itself from the corporate tar-baby that has entrapped most old style politicians, the new West is moving in the direction of the new economy. Free of the drag of entrenched corporate interests, the new West promises to remake America in the image of its people, not its failed politicians.
More...
March 12, 2010
A Bogus Choice Between Creating Jobs and Protecting Federal Lands
Following the recent leak of a Department of Interior memo about preserving America's public lands, some members of Congress have aggressively declared their support for a corporate takeover of federally-owned lands. You'd think they would be better informed about the tremendous benefits of protected lands that belong to the American people. Sadly, some short-sighted politicians have presented a bogus choice between creating jobs and better protecting areas that the federal government -- and therefore the American people -- already own.
With the news this week, some politicians have many people believing that ideas being considered by the Obama Administration constitute a "land grab" by the federal government. Let's be clear -- the land in question is already existing federal property. The question is: should that land be used to preserve America's national treasures, or should we allow its future to be put at risk by special interests that make large campaign contributions to Washington politicians?
More...
With the news this week, some politicians have many people believing that ideas being considered by the Obama Administration constitute a "land grab" by the federal government. Let's be clear -- the land in question is already existing federal property. The question is: should that land be used to preserve America's national treasures, or should we allow its future to be put at risk by special interests that make large campaign contributions to Washington politicians?
More...
March 11, 2010
What Would Art Vandelay Do?
U.S. businesses and many in Congress have long complained that our export promotion and export enforcement efforts are not strategic, well-coordinated or well-funded. Increasing U.S. exports is a vital part of promoting economic growth that benefits all Americans, including the Middle Class. There is much work still to do to ensure that the United States has smart, progressive policies in support of trade. However, the Administration's new export agenda is an excellent start.
The Administration has proposed significant new funding for promoting U.S. goods and services exports to foreign markets, and the President's new Export Promotion Cabinet should help to bring more coherence and a more strategic vision to an export promotion process that is spread across many different agencies. "One-Stop Shops" for U.S. exporters - an idea that Third Way has also proposed for clean energy exporters -- should help the many U.S. firms that would like to expand to foreign markets but who don't know enough about export opportunities and the export process. This is especially important for small and medium businesses. Mobilizing our entire government in support of U.S. exports - from cabinet officers, embassy officials, ambassadors and the President himself - will help our companies and workers compete better against foreign competitors that are very often backed by their governments at the highest levels.
More...
The Administration has proposed significant new funding for promoting U.S. goods and services exports to foreign markets, and the President's new Export Promotion Cabinet should help to bring more coherence and a more strategic vision to an export promotion process that is spread across many different agencies. "One-Stop Shops" for U.S. exporters - an idea that Third Way has also proposed for clean energy exporters -- should help the many U.S. firms that would like to expand to foreign markets but who don't know enough about export opportunities and the export process. This is especially important for small and medium businesses. Mobilizing our entire government in support of U.S. exports - from cabinet officers, embassy officials, ambassadors and the President himself - will help our companies and workers compete better against foreign competitors that are very often backed by their governments at the highest levels.
More...
‘The Road From Ruin’: Wake Up: You Can Fix This Financial Mess
President Obama hit the nail on the head when he called the economic crisis "a great opportunity," yet so far it is one that America is wasting. Eighteen months ago, Lehman Brothers went bust and trillions of dollars of taxpayers' money was used to save the banking system. It seemed obvious then that a massive overhaul of the economy and the capitalist system that drove it was needed to get us out of the worst mess since the 1930s. We wrote "The Road From Ruin" because we had long believed that although capitalism was the best tool we had to build a prosperous world, it had serious flaws - and we wanted to be part of the debate about how not just to rebuild the system but to build it back better. Today, we are shocked by how little real debate there has been, and even less real change.
True, the President pledged support for the Volcker Plan to separate everyday banking from risky investment banking - although we doubt that alone would prevent another financial collapse, and anyway it is not likely to be passed by this bipartisan, infighting Congress. Obama called for innovation and that's what it will take to fix this broken system, so where are the big new ideas about building a financial sector that can support real job and wealth creation rather than the phantom growth, inflated stock prices and real estate bubbles of the last decade? Even after a systemic meltdown of the financial system, we still have the Fed, the Treasury, the SEC and the CFTC all supposedly watching over the system, but none of them really seeing the full picture or feeling fully responsible. We need regulation that is both more muscular and smarter than the feeble oversight of the past 25 years. Where is the political courage to take on the vested interests in Congress (i.e., campaign dollars) that preserve this fragmented mess?
More...
True, the President pledged support for the Volcker Plan to separate everyday banking from risky investment banking - although we doubt that alone would prevent another financial collapse, and anyway it is not likely to be passed by this bipartisan, infighting Congress. Obama called for innovation and that's what it will take to fix this broken system, so where are the big new ideas about building a financial sector that can support real job and wealth creation rather than the phantom growth, inflated stock prices and real estate bubbles of the last decade? Even after a systemic meltdown of the financial system, we still have the Fed, the Treasury, the SEC and the CFTC all supposedly watching over the system, but none of them really seeing the full picture or feeling fully responsible. We need regulation that is both more muscular and smarter than the feeble oversight of the past 25 years. Where is the political courage to take on the vested interests in Congress (i.e., campaign dollars) that preserve this fragmented mess?
More...
Banning Earmarks
While all of Washington is in a frenzy over ex-Representative Eric Massa's groping and tickling, some actual news (and actual progress, one would like to hope) is being made on the subject of ethics in Congress. Sure, it's more fun to watch Massa's implosion on nationwide television, or to come up with headlines that just write themselves (how about: "Weapon of Massa Self-Destruction"?), but we shouldn't allow this sideshow to distract us from what could shape up this year as a contest between Democrats and Republicans over who can denounce earmarks the loudest. And not just denounce -- but actually ban the practice.
House Democrats, led by Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Norm Dicks, have just announced that for the upcoming budget, no earmarks will be allowed which are directed to a specific for-profit company. This will ban the practice of steering Pentagon money to singled-out companies in individual districts -- which are essentially no-bid contracts outside the Pentagon's fiscal control.
More...
March 10, 2010
Harry Reid: Filibuster Rules ‘Likely’ To Change
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged on Wednesday to take a serious look at revising the filibuster rules at the beginning of the next Congress, calling the current level of obstruction in the Senate unacceptable.
In a speech before a gathering of progressive media, the Nevada Democrat compared the procedural games played by his Republican counterparts to the use of the spitball in a baseball game and the four-corner offense in basketball -- tactics in each sport that were ultimately outlawed.
More...
In a speech before a gathering of progressive media, the Nevada Democrat compared the procedural games played by his Republican counterparts to the use of the spitball in a baseball game and the four-corner offense in basketball -- tactics in each sport that were ultimately outlawed.
More...
Larry King Asks Eric Massa: ‘Are You Gay?’ (VIDEO)
"Are you gay?"
Larry King went there Tuesday night with Eric Massa, who is resigning from Congress amid allegations that he groped male staffers.
More...
Larry King went there Tuesday night with Eric Massa, who is resigning from Congress amid allegations that he groped male staffers.
More...
AIPAC Goes On Iran War Path Bigtime
AIPAC comes to town next week for its massive pro-Israel rally and it is already letting Congress know what it main demand will be. This is from today's JTA, Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
In a rare move, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has sent a sharply worded letter to every member of Congress calling for an investigation into why three successive administrations have failed under existing law to determine what companies have invested in the Iranian energy sector. The letter demands that the U.S. government "enforce existing sanctions law and impose crippling new sanctions on Iran," including legislation before Congress that "contains provisions barring federal contracts to companies which are investing in Iran's energy sector or providing sensitive technology, and their parents or subsidiaries who are engaged in such activity.
More...
Arianna Huffington: Glenn Beck Gets My Sympathy After Eric Massa Interview (VIDEO)
The trail leading to Eric Massa's resignation from Congress is littered with stories of political infighting and bitter divisions. Along the way, it also brought together a pair of unlikely figures.
"I never thought anything would make me feel sympathetic towards Glenn Beck," Arianna Huffington told Anderson Cooper during an appearance on CNN. "But having to interview Eric Massa for an entire hour made me really feel for him."
More...
"I never thought anything would make me feel sympathetic towards Glenn Beck," Arianna Huffington told Anderson Cooper during an appearance on CNN. "But having to interview Eric Massa for an entire hour made me really feel for him."
More...