by Jane Smiley
Is Bush in a bubble? Is Bush a dry drunk? Is Bush a drunk drunk? Is Bush a narcissist? Is Bush an idiot? Is Bush a madman? Does Bush have an “Authority Problem”? Theories abound about why Bush does the things he does, but most of them assume that he is making mistakes that he could or would correct if he understood how misguided he was.
On Monday, there was an editorial in the New York Times lamenting the apparent indifference of the Bush administration to the rebuilding (...)
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A Ten-Step Program
22 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
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The Decline of the American Empire
22 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
1 commentDefeated in Iraq, Bankrupt at Home, Despised Around the Globe (And That’s Just the Good News)
By GABRIEL KOLKO
The dilemma the US has had for a half-century is that the priorities it must impose on its budget and its imperial plans have never guided its actual behavior and action. It has always believed, as well it should, that Europe and its control would determine the future of world power. But it has fought in Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq—the so-called "Third World" in general—where (...) -
A Religious Protest Largely From the Left
21 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
Conservative Christians Say Fighting Cuts in Poverty Programs Is Not a Priority
By Jonathan Weisman and Alan Cooperman
When hundreds of religious activists try to get arrested today to protest cutting programs for the poor, prominent conservatives such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell will not be among them.
That is a great relief to Republican leaders, who have dismissed the burgeoning protests as the work of liberals. But it raises the question: Why in recent years (...) -
$8 Billion in Bonuses awarded to Defense Contractors, "regardless of performance"
20 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
1 commentThe Defense Department paid contractors $8 billion over five years in bonuses on weapons programs that were often dogged by severe cost overruns, performance problems and delays, the Government Accountability Office said.
The agency, an independent auditor for Congress, reviewed 93 of 597 military contracts in force between 1999 and 2004 that included the possibility of a bonus. Contractors on average were awarded about 90 percent of the bonus money available, the agency said in the (...) -
Annals of Outrage III
10 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
by Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Last May, I wrote an Annals of Outrage II chronicling the waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government in the first half of 2004. Plenty of time has passed since my last piece and much has happened. Here, then, is my latest attempt to guide you through the Bush Administration’s most egregious corruption scandals. The information comes to us courtesy of the federal government’s internal investigations into administration fraud, waste and abuse. The cronyism (...) -
IRAQ: Strategic City Stabilization Initiative (Worth $1,020,000,000.00)
4 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
1 commentJust found this application on HuffPo. Thought it was interesting. Anyone out there looking for work? I did notice the last sentence under the "Description" regarding "no funds available yet".
_ FGO for Applicants
AID logo IRAQ: Strategic City Stabilization Initiative (SCSI)
General Information Document Type: Grants Notice Funding Opportunity Number: RFA 267-06-001 Posted Date: Nov 30, 2005 Original Due Date for Applications: Jan 31, 2006 The Request for (...) -
UK concessions on farm reform fail to win over EU
3 December 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
1 commentBy Andrew Grice and Stephen Castle in Brussels and Philip Thornton
Tony Blair’s proposals to end the deadlock over the EU budget provoked strong opposition from eastern European nations even though he offered to cut Britain’s rebate by about a fifth.
Under fire at home for his pledge to offer concessions over the rebate without concrete reforms on farm spending, Mr Blair faced direct criticism from leaders in central and eastern Europe at talks with them in Budapest yesterday. However, (...) -
As rural economies collapse, communities across America are being deserted
21 November 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
2 commentsPopulation 1: the town that’s been reclaimed by the prairie
As rural economies collapse, communities across America are being deserted, as Paul Harris discovers in Monowi, Nebraska
Sunday November 20, 2005 The Observer
The entire population of Monowi, Nebraska, is sitting in a bar. Her name is Elsie Eiler, 72.
Monowi, founded by Czech immigrants seeking a slice of the American dream, is on its last legs. Only Eiler is left, surrounded by the ruins of homes that once boasted (...) -
House Budget Measure Is Pulled. Moderates Buck GOP Leadership In Both Chambers
13 November 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
1 commentBy Jonathan Weisman and Shailagh Murray
House Republican leaders were forced to abruptly pull their $54 billion budget-cutting bill off the House floor yesterday, amid growing dissension in Republican ranks over spending priorities, taxes, oil exploration and the reach of government.
A battle between House Republican conservatives and moderates over energy policy and federal anti-poverty and education programs left GOP leaders without enough votes to pass a budget measure they had (...) -
Calif. Voters Defeat Abortion Notification
10 November 2005 par (Open-Publishing)
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a stinging rebuke from voters who elected him two years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s efforts to reshape state government were rejected during a special election that darkened his prospects for a second term. Voters also strongly rejected an initiative that would have required parents to be notified when minors seek abortions
All four of the Republic governor’s signature ballot proposals were rejected in Tuesday’s election, which pitted him (...)