Category Archives: Politics

The Wealthy Get No Love From Hillary. At Any Cost.

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Mark

The AP are reporting today that Facebook Mark Zuckerburg gave nearly $1 billion in stock to a California charity last year. Of course he is no stranger to philanthropy, having given, for example, $100 million to Newark public schools in … Continue reading →

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What Happened In Cincinnati

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Mark

I read a piece by Bob Frum in the Daily Beast this morning in which he stated boldly – In the end, events and the evidence will lead to the overwhelming conclusion that IRS conduct in the Cincinnati field office … Continue reading →

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Kristof Admires the Military as a Model for Providing Social Services

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Mark

Nicholas Kristof in the NY Times this morning writes approvingly of the US military as a model for the way society should take care of people. A few key extracts… The United States armed forces knit together whites, blacks, Asians … Continue reading →

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Are We Really Just Animals?

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Mark

The NZ ACT Party’s Hillary Calvert generated some controversy last week during a discussion about battery hen cages. From TVNZ – We care about people ahead of silly little chickens,” Calvert said. Save Animals from Exploitation (SAFE) says the comments … Continue reading →

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Where You May And May Not Take Your Vacation

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Mark

The Australian Tourism Minister, Martin Ferguson, is quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying that Australians saving vacation time for overseas trips is a “disgrace” and that “We’ve got to change our own mindset [and get people to realise … Continue reading →

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NZ Greens Scapegoat Australian Banks

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Mark

The NZ Herald reports that the Green Party is criticizing Prime Minister John Key for lacking “the courage to tackle the big Australian banks which have saddled New Zealanders with billions of dollars of debt in pursuit of profits.” They … Continue reading →

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Making Up The News

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Mark

Few things annoy me as much as when the news media engage in speculation about the motives behind things people do and say with minimal substantive basis on which to do so. Two examples have emerged in the last few … Continue reading →

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We Don’t Decide How the Laws Operate. Except When We Do.

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Mark

I couldn’t help noticing the following quote from President Obama in politico.com this morning – We’re a nation of laws. We don’t individually make our own decisions about how the laws operate. The context is an article about the case … Continue reading →

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Give with the Left, Take with the Right

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Mark

I haven’t lived in Australia for a few years, but I like to keep an eye on what is going on there. The NSW State Elections are coming up next weekend, with the Liberal-National Coalition challenging the incumbent Labor administration. … Continue reading →

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The Damage Who Inflicted?

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Mark

I was struck by this quote from President Obama reported in an MSNBC article today on the President’s budget proposal: “We have more work to do to live up to our promise by repairing the damage this brutal recession has … Continue reading →

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