Telling left from right

I think I finally figured it out. I think I finally know why most Republicans are so virulently against taxation. I used to feel it was just a matter of Randian, "I got mine, screw you" selfishness ... but I believe it's more than that.

Whenever the subject of taxation for social services comes up, you hear Republicans bitch and moan about people "taking advantage of the system," you know, the proverbial "welfare queens" and layabouts and laggards who -- they say -- would rather sit on their ass and collect meager governmental assistance than work. And thus the difference between left and right, at least in an economic sense, boils down to this:

Conservatives gladly would deprive thousands of needy people of governmental (taxpayer) assistance, if it meant that they could prevent even one undeserving person from defrauding the system. On the other hand, liberals are willing to risk a comparatively minor amount of fraud in the system in order to ensure that all people who need help -- with health care, housing, job placement, child care, etc. -- can get that help they need.

Yeah, it's still selfishness, of a sort. But it's a particularly insidious selfishness, because it masquerades as enforcement of laws (against fraudulent activity). This in turn makes it especially ironic, too, given how frequently the Right is found to have engaged in fraud.

But, you know, It's OK If You're A Republican ...

I'll have what Cheney's smoking

Yes, it's predictable, but it's still fit for laughing-and-pointing at the silliness.

Dick "Dick" Cheney says don't blame the Bush crime syndicate* for the country's economic mess:

President Barack Obama constantly talks about the enormous economic troubles that he inherited when he took office in January. Cheney agrees that Obama did indeed come into power amid very difficult economic circumstances.

But Cheney says he doesn’t think the Bush administration can be blamed for creating the economic woes. Cheney says it’s a global financial problem. He says the idea that fault can be assigned to the previous administration is “interesting rhetoric” but he doesn’t think people care about that.

No, "Dick," no one cares why we're in the shitter financially. Of course not. They certainly didn't seem to care on November 4, 2008, did they? They obviously didn't care that Cheney's Gang was handing billions of dollars to the corporate CEOs who supported them through thick and thin (mostly thin). Nope, you've got us there, "Dick," old chum.

Why is Cheney even relevant anymore? Can't he just wheel off into oblivion where he belongs?

By the way, I had to laugh at the juxtaposition of the ads on the article (highlighted below). They seem so ... fitting.

Click image for full-size version

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* No, he didn't say "crime syndicate;" those are my words. But he should have, to be factually precise.

Then again, when has "Dick" ever been factually precise?

Today's sign of the apocalypse

With apologies to Sports Illustrated, the originator of the weekly "Sign of the Apocalypse," I really can't think of a more apt title for this post ... but have you ever heard of Affluence.org? Basically, it's Facebook for the obscenely wealthy -- and they don't try to hide their mission at all, as their entry page attests:

Pretty blatant, eh? If you make less than $300K or you're worth less than $3 mil, don't even bother to apply ... well, unless you can bring us five of those people! But you can apply for free -- proving that irony not only is not dead, it's jumping and skipping with glee.

Anyway, if you aren't convinced yet, just look at all you can do with your membership!

Yeah, I know these folks have every right to network online, but in light of the current dire economic straits that we face in America today, this seems to be a particularly inappropriate time to have something like this going on ... it's almost as though they're celebrating their largesse and throwing it in the faces of the rest of us.

Still, that's pretty much characteristic of Drunky McStagger's base, as he so gleefully reminded us by his notorious "haves and have-mores" remark. Really, the site ought to be called Effluent.org* ...

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* effluent (ěf'loo-ənt)

Adjective

Flowing out or forth.

Noun

1. A stream flowing out of a body of water.
2. An outflow or discharge of liquid waste, as from a sewage system, factory, or nuclear plant.

The new New Deal

President-elect Obama has put job creation and restoration of America's crumbling technological infrastructure at the center of his economic recovery plan, and it couldn't come at a better time.

Mr. Obama’s remarks showcased his ambition to expand the definition of traditional work programs for the middle class, like infrastructure projects to repair roads and bridges, to include new-era jobs in technology and so-called green jobs that reduce energy use and global warming emissions. “We need action — and action now,” Mr. Obama said in an address broadcast Saturday morning on radio and YouTube.

Mr. Obama’s plan, if enacted, would be in part a government-directed industrial policy, with lawmakers and administration officials picking winners and losers among private projects and raining large amounts of taxpayer money on them.

It would cover a range of programs to expand broadband Internet access, to make government buildings more energy efficient, to improve information technology at hospitals and doctors’ offices, and to upgrade computers in schools.

“It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption,” Mr. Obama said. “Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online.”

President Bush and many conservative economists have opposed such large-scale government intervention in the economy because it supports enterprises that might not survive in a free market. That is the crux of the argument against a government bailout of the auto industry.

Yeah, but we've been watching the invisible hand of the free market rearrange the game pieces on us jerk itself off for the last few years, culminating in the current recession, so I'll just go out on a limb here and suggest that maybe, just maybe, it's time for a new approach.

Franklin D. Roosevelt put the country on the path out of the Great Depression by creating agencies like the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, and while the country ultimately needed a world war to emerge completely from economic ruin, it's important to recognize that we're not as bad off as we were in the 1930s (yet). Naturally, Republicans are quick to criticize that demonstrably successful approach (never mind that the president who oversaw the last major public works program of this magnitude, creation and construction of the interstate highway system, was -- gasp! -- a Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower), but their arguments are almost painfully ignorant and ironic (as usual):

Mr. Bush and other Republicans have resisted such an approach in part out of concern for the already soaring federal budget deficit, which could easily hit $1 trillion this year. Borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars today to try to fix the economy, they argue, will leave a huge bill for the next generation.

Pardon me? This somehow is worse than borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars today to fight an unnecessary war? Or to pay off corporate bigwigs? Honestly, the hubris of these people knows no bounds. It's mighty nice of Drunky McStagger and the rest of the Bush crime syndicate to be worried about the deficit now ... after all, they created it! The bill's already in the mail, folks ...

No, it's clear that we need bold, decisive action now, just as we did in the '30s, to restore our economic health. And given the success of FDR's New Deal and Eisenhower's highways, the Obama plan is likely to reap similar dividends for the American people.

It's your recession, Republicans: own it!

Despite the best efforts of right-wing blowhards like Palm Beach County's own Rush Limbaugh, who has taken to referring to the current economic woes as the "Obama Recession," the fact is that it's Drunky McStagger's baby all the way. Indeed, I would encourage Republicans everywhere to embrace the recession, since you're not only responsible for it, you've let it go on for a full year now:

The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy .

The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures.

The NBER said that the deterioration in the labor market throughout 2008 was one key reason why it decided to state that the recession began last year.

But wait, Republicans -- there's more! You really should take pride in your recession because it's one of the longest in decades!

The current recession is one of the longest downturns since the Great Depression of the 1930's.

The last two recessions (1990-1991 and 2001) lasted eight months each, and only two of the 10 previous post-Depression downturns lasted as long as a full year, according to the NBER.

Yep, all this good news -- including the Dow Jones dropping by almost 680 points, or 7.7%, today -- is thanks to you, Republicans, for putting the utterly incompetent and quite likely destructive Bush crime syndicate in charge of things for the last eight years! (Yes, I'm being sarcastic here ...) Oh, by the way, who was in charge during the last two recessions (1990-91 and 2001)? The Republicans, you say? Shocking ...

But, you know, keep up that oh-so-successful supply-side and trickle-down economics and tax breaks for the wealthy, GOP. Meanwhile, it'll be nice to have the grown-ups in charge beginning in January.

Grossology

Today, I'm taking my kids to the South Florida Science Museum to see their exhibit dedicated to human bodily functions, called "Grossology." It features things like a human skin wall (complete with warts, pimples, and scabs) and a Vomit Center. I think the kids will really enjoy it -- me, not so much, but you know, the things we do for our kids ...

Anyway, I got to thinking: what might a political version of "Grossology" include?

You'd see things like:

• Huggy Bear's Naval Academy grades and his flying record
• Sarah Palin's integrity -- or what's left of it
• Drunky McStagger's medicine cabinet
• Sean Hannity -- not anything of his, just Sean himself
• Ping-pong balls once owned by Michelle Malkin
• Ann Coulter's next manuscript
• A sign from Tim Henderson's parking lot
• An interactive display: Watch Your 401k Drop!
• Dick Cheney's black, shriveled heart
• ... and so much more!

Something tells me the body odor identification display in the real Grossology would be less offensive than all that stuff ...

Random thought

Why does the federal government have to bail anyone out at all? Shouldn't the Invisible Hand of the free market economy be left to its own devices?

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: Welcome Sarah Palin to America's Glans™!

Yes, it's true: Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska governor, and all-around sweet gal Sarah Plain and Tall Palin is in Florida today and tomorrow ... and tonight she'll be right here in south Florida, raising an estimated $1 million for the GOP cause in Boca Raton at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. (I'm still debating about whether or not I'll be there myself, greeting her with my moose gear on, but stay tuned for that ...)

Sarah's gracing us with her presence for one reason only: money. The public rallies are being held elsewhere in the state, in such GOP-friendly locales as Clearwater, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and Pensacola. But just because her visit to our area is craven opportunism and greed at its best doesn't mean we can't welcome her with open antlers ... I mean, arms ... tonight -- and we can kick it off with Blast Off! Radio this afternoon!

Other topics of note will include a last-ditch reminder to get you registered to vote, a look at Democratic gains in voter registration in Florida, and a further examination of the $700 billion buyout that, I guess, makes the nation safe for oil barons and bank executives once again.

As usual, though, the show works best when you participate. And here's how that works:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

Call in number: (646) 716-7543

E-mail: blastoffradio-at-gmail-dot-com

Let's be hospitable, and let's give "Sarah America" the welcome to south Florida that she deserves! [wink, wink, nudge, nudge ...] Catch you at 4pm this afternoon.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Sign the petition against corporate socialism

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a petition he'd like you to sign. It castigates Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson -- who surely deserves to be castigated -- for his proposal to give him a blank check up to $700 billion -- that's SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS -- to bail out his CEO cronies on Wall Street.

Here's an excerpt:

Dear Secretary Paulson:

As a representative of the Bush Administration, you have proposed a financial bailout program of $700 billion – over $2,000 for every man, woman, and child in the country. We are appalled that your proposal puts the cost of this bailout on average Americans; that it contains no provisions reversing failed deregulatory policies; that it allows executives at these failed institutions to continue to make exorbitant salaries and bonuses, and that your proposal contains no help for average Americans who themselves are facing severe economic hardships.

While the Administration has quickly rallied to help Wall Street, it has ignored the needs of the declining middle class. Since President Bush has been in office the wealthiest people in this country have made out like bandits and have not had it so good since the 1920s. The top one-tenth of one percent now earn more income than the bottom 50 percent of Americans and the top one percent own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent. Incredibly, the richest 400 people in our country saw their wealth increase by $670 billion during the Bush presidency.

Having mismanaged the economy for 8 years while continually insisting that, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong,” the Bush Administration, six weeks before an election, wants the middle class of this country to bail out Wall Street to the tune of one trillion dollars. Meanwhile the wealthiest people, those who have benefited most from Bush’s policies and are in the best position to pay, are being asked for no sacrifice at all. This is absurd.

The petition goes on to recommend a sensible response that protects the middle class and appropriately penalizes the white-collar criminal millionaires responsible for this mess.

So, what are you waiting for? Go sign the thing!

McCain wants to do to health care what the GOP did to banking

Courtesy of the Democratic National Committee in a press release today:

Washington, DC - In his own words, John McCain writes that his approach to health care would mirror what has happened in the banking industry over the last decade:

"Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."

--- John McCain in the current issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Yeah, um, I can't think of any worse idea than deregulation. I know Republicans are all about deregulation and states' rights and smaller federal government (except, you know, that the federal budget has grown exponentially during the reign of the Bush crime syndicate), but that's the problem -- if you leave decisions to the market without any regulation, you get corruption and graft and disaster.

Hey, conservatives, here's a news flash: the "free market" isn't really all that free. There always has been regulation -- there has to be regulation -- because when you fuckers get your grubby mitts on money, you Can't Stop the Greed. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: conservatism and Republicanism (which probably mean different things these days) are fundamentally selfish ideologies. And when you have the power, you squander it, you misuse it, and you end up in a massive depression recession. Heckuva job, Republicans.

No, Huggy Bear, you dumb shit, deregulation is not the answer to everything. Thank Jeebus you will never be president and have an opportunity to institute your ridiculous schemes ...

Be very afraid: Cheney, not Bush, coming to south Florida

Originally, I was afraid because Drunky McStagger was going to be in America's Glans™ today, campaigning for GOP congressional candidate Tom Rooney.

Now, I'm even more afraid because he canceled the trip ... to work on the economy.

President Bush canceled his visit to Palm Beach County today so he can work on fixing the nation's economic woes, according to a White House press release.

The president had planned to fly into Palm Beach International Airport this morning to attend a fund-raiser for Republican congressional candidate Tom Rooney in Jupiter.

Bush canceled those plans late Wednesday, citing a need to "remain in Washington to continue to work with his economic advisers on the serious challenges confronting our financial markets," according to a White House press release.

Nice of Drunky to think about trying to clean up the mess he and his cronies have caused, but given the way he's dealt with the economy to this point, does it really make a lot of sense for him to keep working on it? Better he should have come to Florida on a campaign trip than make things worse.

UPDATE (10:16 am 9/18/08): I just learned there's even more reason to be afraid. Instead of Drunky McStagger, we're going to be graced with the presence of Dick "Dick" Cheney in our area for the Rooney event. And remember, this is the event for which the site had to be changed after it was revealed that the original host was being investigated by the IRS. Heckuva job, Rooney.

Anyway, if you're up around Jupiter or thereabouts today, just take care you don't get shot in the face. Trust me on this one.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Thanks, Republicans!

This can only be good news for Rudy Giuliani. Or whatever the Florida equivalent of that classic snarky saying would be ...

Florida's jobless rate spiked to a 13-year high in July, and unemployment in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties rose sharply.

Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.1 percent last month, the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation said today. The rate is the highest since January 1995, when unemployment stood at 6.5 percent.

Palm Beach County's jobless rate rose to 6.9 percent in July from 6 percent in June. Martin County unemployment rose to 7.1 percent from 6.3 percent the previous month, and St. Lucie County's jobless rate was 9.5 percent, up from 8.1 percent in June.

The county figures are not seasonally adjusted.

Construction employment fell 13.4 percent over the past year, state officials said, as the housing market continued to slow the Florida economy.

Remind me why we keep electing these GOP dumbshits? So they can keep giving back meaningless pittances of our tax dollars instead of investing it, say, in workforce development?

Maybe we can just agree that the whole Conservative Movement is a massive failure, and start cleaning up their mess now. If it's not already too late, that is ...

What hath tax cuts wrought?

Open up the paper today and you'll see more good times resulting from the odious Crist-Rubio tax cuts. And by "good times," I mean lost jobs, decreased public services, and personal hardships aplenty.

From today's Palm Beach Post:

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2 courts purge total of 27 jobs

Statewide budget cuts hit home Monday as circuit court officials announced how they trimmed more than $766,000 in salary costs: Eliminate 16 positions.

Among them are law clerks, case managers and administrative staff for magistrates - behind-the-scenes people who help judges and magistrates streamline the crush of cases.

It was not the dramatic furlough of many more employees, including judges' assistants, once considered. Nevertheless, Chief Judge Kathleen Kroll said it will have an impact residents will observe in delays and hindered public access to the court.

The staff cut comes as caseload continues to increase, Kroll said. Legislators created 38 additional crimes in the last session and as the economy falters, court business like foreclosures and domestic violence cases increases.

Chief Deputy Court Administrator Krista Garber said 10 court employees were notified Monday that they have their jobs until July 1. Other eliminated positions were vacant.

Some of the long-term state employees were stunned at the news, Garber said. But most agreed to stay until month's end to help in the transition to fewer staff.

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Attorneys for Dade's poor vow to spurn most felony cases
Underfunded and overwhelmed with cases, the Miami-Dade Public Defender's office plans to refuse certain cases.

[article appeared in the Post but link is to the original source, the Miami Herald]

The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office plans to begin turning away thousands of cases in the coming weeks, arguing it is so short-staffed and underfunded that attorneys can't effectively cover their assigned cases.

"We're dancing as fast as we can. We can't keep this up. We don't have any alternative," Public Defender Bennett Brummer said Monday, noting that his attorneys are required by the Constitution to provide adequate representation for indigent defendants.

Brummer's plan: Refuse most felony cases. The office will continue to take cases in juvenile and misdemeanor court and the most serious felony cases -- first-degree murders and capital sexual batteries.

Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein is considering a similar measure.

"No public defenders office can provide effective assistance because we are overwhelmed with cases and have inexperienced lawyers and have high turnover," Finkelstein said. "There is a line as public defenders we cannot walk across. The judicial system is crumbling."

Brummer blames state legislators for creating the problem.

"These people have a choice as to how much conduct to criminalize," he said. "They should be living within their means, too. They can posture and be tough on crime without regard for their ability to support the courts that are necessary to process their cases."

But state Sen. Victor Crist [no relation to Gov. Crist, except that they're both Republicans], chair of the Justice Appropriations Committee, said Brummer is grandstanding "because the cuts weren't that severe and they can find better ways to deal with them."

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Way to go, Charlie! How nice that a former state attorney general can manage, as governor, to "crumble" the judicial system. Thirty-eight new crimes and millions of dollars less to prosecute them ... which is okay, because the defendants won't have their constitutional access to representation anyway.

And don't you love Sen. Crist's response? It's another version of "I've got mine, so screw you" -- the standard bleat of the overfed, selfish, rich-and-ignorant Republican.

Of course, the damage isn't limited to Florida, as the Bush Boom(!) has brought us this sampling of headlines and subheaders in today's Business section:

Construction bust takes toll across economy

Big losses force out CEO at Wachovia: Bank's shares plunged 58% in year

WaMu does corporate reshuffling

Economic lags, bank shake-ups blamed for Wall Street retreats

Boca-based tech firm reports loss

Airline losses forecast

U.S. Marriotts weak

Honestly, I can't understand how anyone in command of their senses can vote Republican this year ... well, any year, really, but especially this year. The economy in Florida and nationally is in the shitter, and it's Republican policies that have led to this near disaster.

At least in Palm Beach County, they're doing something about it, by considering an 8.3% increase in county property taxes to try to staunch the bleeding caused by the statewide GOP tax cuts. But the damage is done already, and if Sen. Victor Crist's callous disregard for the citizenry is any indication, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Another casualty of the Bush economy: charitable giving

As a professional fundraiser, I'm often asked whether the economic woes caused by the Bush crime syndicate have an adverse effect on donations. My general answer is that people tend to give out of a sense of commitment to a particular program or charity, regardless of the economic situation; for the same reason, tax incentives ultimately have little bearing on one's decision to make a charitable gift. Indeed, the biggest gifts -- those of $100,000 or more, for example, which is my responsibility in my position -- continue to come in at more or less the same pace, in my experience.

However, this time, unlike the last downturn in 2000-2001, I think we are seeing a real negative impact on charitable giving at lower levels. There appears to be a much more direct effect on people this time around, as more jobs are being lost, everyday expenses like gas and groceries are placing a greater strain on household budgets, and people therefore are less likely to write the $50 and $100 checks that are the lifeblood of smaller, local charities and religious institutions.

At the Miami Archdiocese, collection-plate revenues are steady, but assessments that individual parishes pay are slow in coming or are down, and needs are up sharply, resulting in the layoff of 49 of the 182 staffers at its Pastoral Center on Biscayne Boulevard, says spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.

In a letter to parishioners, Archbishop John C. Favalora says: "Each year a greater number of parishes and programs are seeking our financial help, and, therefore, we must prioritize. We can only work with what we have."

South Florida's Jewish, Methodist, Episcopal and other faithful face similar problems.

At the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, pledges for 2008 are running close to the $24 million raised in 2007, but actual cash receipts are about 10 percent behind, says executive vice president Jacob Solomon.

"It relates to stock market fluctuations," he said. "People hope to recoup their market losses before they redeem their pledges. At the same time, demands for our programs have gone up sharply."

So the $20 bills evidently still are going into collection plates, but it's very difficult to find the disposable income that allows giving at an intermediate level.

You safely can assume that the Republican response to this kind of problem will be the standard "we've got ours, so screw you." Needless to say, Huggy Bear isn't exactly running on a platform of helping the less fortunate among us ... and once again we are reminded that a vote for Huggy is a vote for a third term of miserable failure, Drunky McStagger style.

Another way to deal with budget cuts: let prisoners out early

I wasn't aware of this phenomenon before, but commenter tomdurk called Blast Off! Radio today and told me about states being forced to release prison inmates early -- sometimes with as little as 25% of their sentences completed -- because of the drastic budget cuts being forced on them by their state legislatures. According to tomdurk, Florida was one of the pioneers in this process, recognizing as early as twenty years ago that certain inmates would respond better to early release and continuing treatment as opposed to being locked up in prison ... which costs the state far more than letting them go.

"It's the fiscal stuff that's driving it," said Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group that advocates for more lenient sentencing. "Do you want to build prisons or do you want to build colleges? If you're a governor, it's kind of come to that choice right now."

Mauer and other observers point to a number of recent actions, some from states facing huge budget shortfalls, some not, but still worried about exploding costs.

· To ease the overcrowding and save California about $1.1 billion over two years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has proposed freeing about 22,000 prisoners convicted of nonviolent, nonsexual offenses 20 months earlier than their scheduled release dates. He also wants to place them on unsupervised parole, saving the state the cost of having all parolees assigned to an agent.

· Lawmakers in Providence, R.I., approved an expansion last week of the state's "good time" early-release rules to cover more inmates serving shorter sentences. The new rules, which will put more inmates under post-prison supervision, are expected to save Rhode Island an estimated $8 billion over five years.

· In Kentucky, where 22,000 state inmates are housed in county prisons and private facilities, lawmakers agreed to allow certain nonviolent, nonsexual offenders to serve up to 180 days of their sentences at home, and to make it easier for prisoners to earn credit for good behavior. The move could save the state, which is facing a $900 million deficit over the next two years, as much as $30 million.

· In Mississippi, where the prison population has doubled during the past dozen years to 22,600, Gov. Haley Barbour (R) has signed into law two measures that will reduce it: One to let certain nonviolent offenders go free after serving 25 percent of their sentences, and the other to release some terminally ill inmates.

· South Carolina, meanwhile, is looking to abolish parole, in part to slow the growth of its prison population since there would be fewer people returned to prison for parole violations.

Predictably, opponents charge that convicted criminals should not be released early under any circumstances, but the longterm effects of years of mandatory sentencing laws have included bloated prison populations and skyrocketing costs for the states.

This is not an area about which I know very much, I admit, but the relevance of the article cannot be underemphasized in a state like Florida, where the fiscal woes show no signs of abating. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the Republican leaders in America's Wang™ would rather spend money on prisons than schools. We can only hope that our next election can bring us legislators whose heads are not lodged irretrievably up their asses.

Someone give Gov. Crist a fiddle ...

... because he might as well fiddle while Florida -- at least its economy -- burns down around him.

Just take a look at section B of the Palm Beach Post today. The front page of the section alone has three articles about the drastic measures Palm Beach County and its municipalities are having to take in order to contend with the cuts in revenue caused by the heinous Crist/Rubio tax cuts.

At the top:

Cuts prompt exodus at state attorney's office
-- Longtime homicide prosecutor is latest to resign

With the office's budget cut 6 percent this year and projected to be slashed another 10 percent for the year beginning July 1, career prosecutors are jumping ship, too. The latest: Homicide prosecutor Patrick McKamey. His last day on the job is Friday. McKamey is joining the criminal defense law firm of Perlet & Shiner, where he will make more than the $80,000 he's paid as a prosecutor.

Husband and wife Heidi Perlet and Marc Shiner also are former Palm Beach County prosecutors, as is another attorney in their firm, Darren Shull.

McKamey, 40, has been a prosecutor for nearly 12 years. With no pay raises or cost-of-living increases for two years, McKamey said he has taken a pay cut when inflation is factored in.

"When you get to that crossroads financially, you start losing ground," McKamey said. "I made the financial sacrifice as long as I could to do something I love. It was a hard decision. I struggled with it for months."

McKamey is married with a 2-year-old son, and he said that was a factor. "If I were still single, I could have weathered the storm."

Earlier this month, Michelle Marken quit the office after about seven years. She too blamed the lack of pay or cost-of-living raises now and in the foreseeable future. Marken was making $67,729 and prosecuted difficult crimes against children cases, in addition to arson cases. She has gone to work as a prosecutor in Virginia.

"This is the second year we're going to be stagnant," said Al Johnson, a 15-year veteran of the office. "Basically, there is no future in the state of Florida in the state attorney's office - that's what the legislature is saying."

[...]

"You cannot put a three-year prosecutor in crimes against children," Johnson said. "Patrick's caseload doubled in the last three weeks."

It could get worse before it gets better. In order to make payroll if next year's budget is trimmed 10 percent, [State Attorney Barry] Krischer says he will have to lay off some attorneys. This on top of other experienced prosecutors he lost in recent months. Among them: Stacey Ibarra, who went to the statewide prosecutor's office, and Jennifer Millien, who joined the U.S. Attorney's Office.

[...]

[T]here were 5,131 active felony cases as of April 14, including 2,141 that were 6 months old or older, Johnson said. "The less time you can devote to each individual case, you're going to see more cases fall through the cracks. We cannot concentrate on every case.

"The public is suffering now. They just don't know it yet."

These are real consequences, folks: the real effect of the few hundred dollars that Crist and House Speaker Marco Rubio have put back in a few Floridians' pockets (mostly wealthy homeowners who don't really need the extra cash).

Want more evidence?

$36 million in school cuts seen; officials say it could be worse

Palm Beach County schools will need to cut $36 million from its budget next year after legislators approved the 2008-09 education spending plan they plan to finalize on Friday.

The cuts amount to a 2.7 percent budget reduction, slightly better than the state average.

Florida would spend about $130 less on each of its 2.6 million public school students next year [according to] the state budget. In Palm Beach County, the per-pupil cut would be $117.

[...]

District officials point to school districts such as in Broward and Miami-Dade counties that drew up multiyear contracts promising rising salaries to teachers.

Now those districts may have to go back on their promise or lay off teachers to make ends meet. Miami-Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew already recommended the school board suspend raises negotiated two years ago.

It's the same thing that happened in the early 1990s, when Palm Beach County schools had to renegotiate its contract with teachers after it couldn't afford promised raises.

Okay, so let's see what the damage is so far: we're sloughing off law enforcement personnel left and right, our public schools are suffering cuts they can't afford, and attorneys and teachers alike are losing or are at risk of losing their jobs. Nice work, Charlie!

But wait -- there's more!

Delray residents pitch in on budget

Facing a difficult budget process in the coming months, the city should consider freezing employee salaries, combining the police and fire departments and dissolving the community redevelopment agency.

The recommendations were among the dozens of cost-cutting ideas residents offered at a small forum Tuesday night at the Delray Beach Golf Club.

[...]

Delray Beach, like most Florida cities, is bracing for a bloody budget process this fall because of a decrease in tax revenue from the voter-approved property tax amendment combined with a failing economy and stagnant housing market.

The city must approve a budget by the start of the new fiscal year, Oct. 1.

Kucera urged commissioners to spend wisely and find small ways to increase revenue, such as increasing parking fees. Other residents proposed increasing the fines for driving and code violations, charging user fees for parks and using the tennis complex for more events.

We shouldn't have to do this, Charlie, not in an already sluggish economy. And we likely wouldn't -- at least not to such a great extent -- but for the hard-on you and Marco have for burnishing your Good Republican Credentials (an oxymoron if there ever was one) by pushing through tax cuts the state neither needs nor can afford.

Let me put it more simply, Charlie: you are slowly strangling Florida. Is that what you want your legacy to be? You can be the governor who forced Florida into bankruptcy! Congratulations, Gov. Crist!

I can see it now: Tallahassee, 2011. "Sorry we don't have a gold watch to present to you as you head off into the sunset, Charlie, but here's a hearty pat on the back for burying the state in mountains of debt. You did more to destroy the state in four years than Jeb! could do in eight. Way to go!"

The picture's not much better in the rest of the country, thanks once again to Republican asshats making the decisions in Washington. Why, just look at the Post's Business section, starting on pages 10B and 11B of today's paper. The headlines alone are sick-inducing:

Flouring Dilemma: Global demand finally affects U.S.

Consumers continue to see grim prospects
(featuring a graphic headed "Confidence free-fall")

State incentive fund to lure big biotech dries up

Nursing home costs up, especially in Florida

Sounds just peachy, doesn't it? I know, I know ... no one could have predicted that we'd be paying nearly $4 a gallon for gas and having stores ration flour and rice and ... well, that's a bunch of bullshit, and Charlie, you know that as well as anyone. What the fuck were you thinking, pushing tax cuts in the midst of a recession that threatens to become a full-fledged depression?

We're going to remember this, Charlie. And I for one won't let you forget.

(cross-posted at Florida Progressive Coalition Blog)

Building a perfect excuse

"No one could have predicted that the so-called 'economic stimulus package' championed by Drunky McStagger would have been a flop."

Well, that seems to be what the Bush crime syndicate anticipates, given the statement Drunky made yesterday about how he purportedly expects people to use their measly token "rebates."

"The money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump, the grocery store, and also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown," Bush said.

Bush's emphasis on fuel and food prices differed from other comments he's made since signing the economic stimulus legislation, intended to aid the economy by boosting overall consumer spending — which accounts for roughly two-thirds of the nation's economic activity.

Bush has suggested the rebates could trigger a spending spree. "When the money reaches the American people, we expect they will use it to boost consumer spending," he said last month.

By saying expressly that people could use these one-time checks to pay for such necessities as food and gas, Bush underscored the deepening challenges facing the economy.

Democrats were quick to pick up on the change of focus.

"It's galling to think that taxpayers' stimulus checks will be lining the pockets of OPEC. The sad truth is that the average American family will spend almost their entire stimulus check on higher gas prices this year," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

So we're going to use the money to enrich the oil barons? Great. I should have known.

But what's worse is that Drunky is going to have a ready-made excuse for why the "stimulus" won't work -- and I will bet you, oh, about $300 that the economy will still be in the toilet three months from now. The excuse? People will be using the money to pay bills or for savings rather than consumer spending.

If the 130 million Americans who receive the checks use them for spending sprees, the stimulus plan would give at least a temporary boost to the economy. But after two years of soaring gas prices, falling home values and rising jobless rates, many consumers in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast say they're not in the mood to shop.

"I'm just going to put it in the bank," said Kist, a public health nurse at the Palm Beach County Health Department.

She doubts the checks will do much to stimulate the economy.

"It's not that large an amount of money," she said.

Lunching at the fountain outside the West Palm Beach Public Library, Valerie Rhaburn, 39, said Friday she will put her payment in the bank, though she'll also spend some of it as Bush hopes - to pay for a baby shower she's giving.

John Batista, 71, who bags groceries at a Publix in Stuart, said he will use his check to pay off credit cards.

The theory behind the economic stimulus is simple: Millions of Americans will get their checks, then go on a mass shopping spree. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the country's economic growth.

"What they'd ideally like everybody to do is to go out to Wal-Mart or Home Depot or Macy's and buy something," said Chris McCarty, director of the University of Florida's consumer confidence survey. "The problem is many people are likely to spend it on servicing existing debt, and that's money that's already been spent."

Bingo. See, Americans already have spent the money. The debt is one reason, if not the biggest reason, we're in the mess we are. The rebate is, quite simply, another Republican attempt to pander to the voters in an election year, so they can say, "See how great Republicans are? We gave you $600. Now vote for us."

The economy is too far gone for the pandering to work. It's certainly too far gone for $600 per person to help a hell of a lot ... especially when the bulk of that is going to credit card companies and oil companies. And the Bush crime syndicate knows it won't work -- I'm sure of that. But just watch for the excuses in a few months' time ... you know they'll be coming.

The last word on the tax rebate

Once again proving that I am a complete fucking moron for even trying to write about economic matters, I must update my post from this morning about the economic stimulus package. Turns out that you don't have to pay it back next year.

Do I have to pay the rebate back?

No. And here's why.

Your rebate is a one-time tax cut - an advance on a credit you'll receive on your 2008 return.

It's based on your 2007 income initially. If it turns out that your 2008 income and number of children would have qualified you for a larger rebate than the one you received, you'll be sent the difference. If it turns out your 2008 income was lower than in 2007 and you should have gotten a lower rebate, you get to keep the difference.

"If you were supposed to receive a larger payment than you did, you will get the extra money," said Treasury spokesman Andrew DeSouza. "If you received more than what you should have gotten, you will not be penalized."

Of course, I also learned from the article that I won't be getting a rebate at all. [Insert frowny face.] At least not till I file my 2008 taxes next year. Thanks to a certain game show, my 2007 income was artificially high, beyond the limit for a single filer ... so no soup for me, until I show the IRS how much little I really make this year. Add to this the fact that I actually owe California more money -- despite having it withheld originally -- and I'm beginning to question the whole exercise ...

Anyway, it's patently clear that I need to leave the economic stuff to sweaty lunks who, you know, actually understand that shit. If I ever try to get into economics again, please, for the love of all that is holy and decent, hit me in the nose with a rolled-up newspaper or something. Thanks in advance.

Feel the Bush Boom!

For all the criminal behavior by the Bush crime syndicate, for all the death and destruction caused by the illegal war in Iraq, for all the great things about America that Drunky McStagger has ruined over the last seven years, perhaps the most enduring impact on the nation generally will be the utter devastation of the U.S. economy.

It's truly astonishing when you think back to 2000 and recall that the Clinton administration had led this country to unprecedented economic strength. Unemployment was down, the dollar was strong, and we had a budget surplus for the first time in decades.

Today, after years of Republican rule, we have record gas prices, oil is hovering around $100 a barrel, the dollar is tanking, we're in debt as a nation up to our eyeballs, and, today, we learned that unemployment is at its highest point since 2005.

Hiring practically stalled in December, driving the nation's unemployment rate up to a two-year high of 5 percent and fanning fears of a recession.

Employers last month added the fewest new jobs to their payrolls in more than four years, according to the employment report released Friday by the Labor Department. The report showed that employment conditions are deteriorating, strained by a housing slump and credit crunch that are sapping economic strength.

[...]

With the odds of a recession increasing, President Bush is exploring a package to stimulate the economy. The president, who has been coping with low marks for his handling of the economy, isn't expected to make any decisions until later this month. He delivers his State of the Union address to the country on Jan. 28.

The White House stressed Friday that it is on top of the situation. "You have to be persistent in looking at what the threats are to economic growth and stay after them," said deputy press secretary Tony Fratto.

Well, see, that's exactly what worries me. The White House has been "on top of the situation" for seven years now, and we're seeing the results -- and they aren't good. And even though Bush apologists will point to the Dow Jones Industrial Average flirting with the 13,000 mark, that's really a lousy indicator of overall economic health; all it tells you is that certain large corporations are doing well (naturally, with a government that gladly sacrifices the middle class for the benefit of the wealthy).

Yes, as the article goes on to explain, Florida's unemployment numbers are not as bad as the national average, and "South Florida did even better than the rest of the state." However, the gains came in tourism and health care, both of which are likely to slump if the whole economy falters in a recession. Besides, with the other economic crises inherited from Drunky's brother, Florida's not exactly in tip-top shape.

It's difficult for me to understand exactly how the Bush crime syndicate plans to spin the increasingly bad economic news. My guess is that they're just trying to run out the clock now, so that they (and their enablers, the mainstream corporate media) can pawn the problems off on the incoming Democratic administration next year.

Bush Boom, bay-bee!

It's a wonderful state

Mimicking the run on the banks in the iconic holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life, the run on Florida's investment fund seems to have slowed down considerably:

Local governments withdrew about $560 million of their money from Florida's state-run investment pool Friday, but the beleaguered fund's managers were pleased that figure was about half the amount from a day before.

BlackRock Inc. officials said some calm appeared to be returning a day after the fund reopened from a freeze. BlackRock was hired to restore order to the biggest fund of this kind in the country.

Well, compared with yesterday's $1.2 billion in withdrawals, I certainly can see cause for optimism. [/snark]

Apparently, so can the BlackRock folks, who have a rather inflated opinion of themselves:

Simon Mendelson, the chief of the BlackRock team, pointed out that withdrawals Friday were well within the firm's expectations.

"Our expectation is those outflows will gradually decline over time and stabilize," Mendelson said. "Our sense is we've done a nice job of restoring calm; we have not yet restored full confidence. That is our job."

That confidence is going to be hard to come by, if Leon County (where Tallahassee is located, for the non-Wang™-centric readers) is any indication:

After Florida's state-run investment pool was frozen last week, Leon County Schools came perilously close to not being able to pay many of its 4,000-plus employees.

Superintendent Jackie Pons found out about 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29 — the day the pool was frozen — that he wouldn't be able to access nearly $46 million in the pool. The district also couldn't get its hands on more than $30 million in a Tampa investment account without 24 hours notice.

And he had to make payroll the next day.

The district was able to pay its people only after securing an after-hours loan for $10 million from Capital City Bank, Pons said in an interview Thursday.

[...]

Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink released a statement saying they're pleased that new deposits were made.

"We hope to see continued deposits from fund investors and remind local governments that all new subscriptions are fully available for withdrawal under the new plan," the statement read.

Pons, however, said he has lost confidence in the pool.

It's yet another indicator that Florida's economic health is poor, and getting worse. And yet "leaders" like Speaker of the House Marco Rubio (R-Miami Lakes) want to continue to cut taxes, in the style of Their Hero Jeb! Bush.

Thanks for running Florida into the ground, Republicans. The fault lies squarely on your shoulders. Come next Election Day, I hope the blame does, too.

Hee haw, indeed.