A Progressive Blog that Discusses Current Affairs, Politics, Culture, and Global Issues

Our purpose is to carve out a more-factual, less-partisan, niche in the political blogging world. The intention is not to defend a particular political party, ideology, or a particular issue, but to challenge the established narratives that are spread via the corporate media and the interests they represent.

Economic Policy, Policy, taxes

Who Really Pays Taxes?

Posted on by Jake White

“The notion that “half of Americans don’t pay taxes” not only overstates the share of households that do not pay federal income taxes in a typical year. It also ignores the other taxes people pay, including federal payroll taxes and state and local taxes. Policymakers, pundits, and others sometimes overlook this point.”

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Documentaries

Critique of D’Souza’s film “2016: Obama’s America”

Posted on by Jake White

This film is full of misinformation and fear-mongering and includes irrational—even ridiculous—ideas such as the implication that Obama is turning the U.S. in “the United States of Islam.” Virtually every claim in the film can be easily debunked in a five-minute Google search. To me, the real question to ask is, “What specifically has Obama done in the last fours years that would indicate that he has sinister plans for the country based on hi so-called ‘anti-colonial’ beliefs?”

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Economic Policy, Mitt Romney

Paul Ryan: Hero of the One-percent

Posted on by Jake White

The Romney/Ryan ticket represents a return to the disastrous past; not only a return to the failed policies of the Bush years, but also a return to the militarism and inequality that characterize the Reagan years. A Romney/Ryan administration would be far more extreme in its approach to propping up the rich at the expense of the middle-class and low income families.

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Democracy, Economic Policy

Atlas Shrugged: The GOP Blueprint

Posted on by Jake White

Ayn Rand argues for a radical libertarian approach to markets and government. This is a dangerous approach because we have been there before. We have had a world with no labor laws, no food regulations, no labor protection, limited public safety, no social security, etc. This is a horrific world where feudalism rules, and where the common man has no voice or power. This is the land of limited freedom and opportunity. And this is where Ayn Rand and today’s Republicans want to return. I suggest, that instead of going backward, let’s go Forward.

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Healthcare

Romneycare = Obamacare (Both Good)

Posted on by Jake White

Romney passed a successful healthcare program in Massachusetts. He has said that this program was an asset to him in the 2008 presidential race. But now that the Affordable Care Act (AKA, “Obamacare”) has passed, with the Republican Party having successfully demonized this groundbreaking legislation, Romney’s successful healthcare program has become a liability to his campaign. So Romney’s was bragging about his successful healthcare plan during the 2008 race, and even wrote an op-ed in USA Today urging Obama to follow his lead, but now is making “repeal of Obamacare” a major part of his campaign message.

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Economic Policy, taxes

Grover Nordquist: Anti-Tax Crusader

Posted on by Jake White

Few political activists have had a bigger impact on the direction of public opinion than Grover Nordquist. Over the past 30 years, he has successfully shifted public opinion—at least conservative perspectives—on two major topics. First, tax cuts. He has made tax cuts the sole conservative solution to the economy in whatever condition it may be in. If the economy is good, we need tax cuts; if the economy is bad, we need tax cuts. He joins others radical conservatives, such as Arthur Laffer, in promoting the idea that tax cut increase government revenue. Nordquist has famously convinced the majority of congress to sign his tax pledge not to raise taxes, which has made it very difficult to manage the deficit, especially during a tough economy.

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