I Agree: “Darn it, Let’s Raise Taxes”
By Ken Morris According to House Speaker John Boehner, “You can’t raise taxes in the middle of a weak economy.” Echoing that talking point, newly elected Tea Party Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Illinois), in an interview with ABC, claimed, “Every time we’ve cut taxes, revenues have gone up, the economy has grown.” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) attacked the president’s April tax speech by suggesting that everyone knows, “Raising taxes … will do little to reduce the deficits and debt that are, at their root, spending problems.” If I and many economists, including Paul Krugman (who wrote, “Darn It, Let’s Raise Taxes”),…
Wisconsin GOP Voter Fraud? You Decide.
By Patrick DePula Madison, WI. During election season in Wisconsin it is common for legislative staffers to take a leave of absence and work on campaigns around the state. For a couple of months they are assigned to a candidate who may not live in their home district, and in many cases, act as campaign managers. In November of 2010 a republican legislative staffer, who in the past has worked for Rep. Mike Huebsch(Now DOA Secretary) and currently works for Rep. Warren Petryk, was assigned to the Dennis Clinard campaign in LaCrosse, WI. This staffer owns a home in Madison…
Open Thread – How Did We Miss This?
Kudos to Shannyn Moore who found this picture of one of the protesters at Sarah Palin’s rally in Madison, Wisconsin last week. As she noted, Brian would approve.
Mayor Dan Sullivan — Playground Bully (by LKB)
Remember THAT kid back in grade school? Remember coming to school and sharing the excitement of how you got the remote control car you wanted for Christmas? THAT kid would talk about his brand new remote control F-15 jet…life-sized. Or, you’d very proudly reveal the balsa wood car you’d carved yourself and painted red to run in the local Pinewood Derby while THAT kid would bring out the super-slick car he claimed he made himself but was secretly made by his daddy’s engineering firm. THAT kid was the one the teachers all thought was a wonderful student when he was…
Open Thread – Spring Flowers
As I sat looking out the window this morning, something began to happen. At first it wasn’t really clear. I could have perhaps explained it away, or thought maybe my eyes were playing tricks. But, within 5 minutes it became clear that this late April morning looked more like a Christmas snow globe. Yes, it was snowing. Fortunately the snow didn’t last long, and it did not stick, but I won’t delude myself into thinking that it couldn’t happen. A couple years ago we had a huge dump of snow on May 1. So, instead of getting angry at the…
Aaaaaaaaaaa!
Zounds! That’s not who you think it is. The movie based on the political best-seller Game Change is coming to HBO, and actress Julianne Moore will have the .. um.. honor of playing our favorite ex-half-governor. Yes, we only have one ex-half-governor which is why she is, by default, our favorite. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Moore has “nailed” the Palin look, complete with glasses, updo, and a patriotic flag pin. But conoisseurs of Palin accessory trivia will note that it is in actuality a blue star pin. Palin wore the pin religiously throughout the campaign, signifying that she had…
Open Thread – Surveying the Kingdom
This time of year when it’s light in the morning, I love to take my first sip of coffee looking out the window at the weather and the view, and just enjoying it for a moment before the business of the day begins. I was doing just that the other morning, and suddenly I noticed… I wasn’t alone. Someone was, literally, ahead of me. Brian the moose after apparently dozing on the lawn near one of the last patches of snow, took a few moments upon waking to enjoy the same view and lazily survey his kingdom in the morning…
Oyster Roundup!
~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! In all honesty, I probably owe you more oyster roundups than I care to count. By way of a little explanation for the scarcity of content from yours truly, Mudflats Central (aka me) has been stricken by a nasty case of pneumonia. So, as a result, I’ve been thinking of all the things I want to post, and then watching days slip past without anything actually going from my brain to my fingertips. Things appear to be on the upswing, which is good. And thanks to all…
Open Thread – The Melt
Ah, breakup. No, it’s not the sad demise of a relationship, unless you consider it the dissolution of snow, dirt, ice, sand, salt and all the other accumulated byproducts of winter. It’s Alaska’s fifth season and usually lasts from some time in March to some time in early May when the temperatures start to crest the freezing mark and all the white stuff begins to melt, revealing the accumulated treasures beneath. A short hike today revealed these found objects by the roadside – a bible and a buck knife. Welcome to Alaska.
It seems that the pen IS mightier than the sword
Last week, an incident that had been dealt with several weeks ago at South High School came to a head. As written in the Anchorage Daily News: Violent lyrics written by a South High School student about attacking other students resulted in a felony charge of making terroristic threats and a 45-day emergency suspension from school, according to police and the Anchorage School District. The sophomore now faces expulsion from the School District, Superintendent Carol Comeau said Wednesday. I learned about this issue through the ADN article and then through an email conversation with a South High parent who gave…