Rational Review News Digest
http://groups.google.com/group/rrnd?hl=en
Would Republicans accuse Joe the Plumber of voter fraud?
Mother Jones
by James Ridgeway
“Under the GOP’s current vote suppression strategy in Ohio, McCain’s
now famous icon might have had a hard time casting a ballot. In a case
that has now gone to the Supreme Court for review, Republicans in the
state are challenging the registrations of all new voters whose names
and other information do not exactly match those in government
databases. It turns out that one of the present Ohio voters who could
have fallen into this category is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — or is
it Worzelbacher? — otherwise known as Joe the Plumber. The man John
McCain lionized in Wednesday night’s debate has since had every aspect
of his life scrutinized by the media. They’ve uncovered some
contradictory facts, to say the least: He’s not really a plumber, he
probably wouldn’t pay more taxes under Obama if he bought his
business, and he hasn’t actually paid some of the taxes he already
owes. He’s also registered to vote under a different name.” (10/16/08)
UK: Borrowing hits a 60-year high
BBC News [UK]
“The UK government borrowed a record amount last month, Office for
National Statistics (ONS) data shows.Public sector net borrowing hit
£8.092bn in September, up from £4.775bn in the same period a year
earlier, marking a record for the month. The amount borrowed so far
this financial year stands at £37.6bn — the highest since records
began in 1946. The government has said it will keep investing money
into public works to prevent a recession.” [editor's note: And of
COURSE, massive government borrowing in the US, UK, etc. couldn't
possibly have anything to do with the alleged "credit crunch," right?
- TLK] (10/20/08)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7679951.stm
Bare it all for the fine folks at the TSA
Disloyal Opposition
by JD Tuccille
“I’ve written before about the whole-body imaging scanners finding
their way into the nation’s airports. A relatively new innovation,
they’re theoretically being implemented in a way that give airline
passengers a choice between … well … Honestly, a choice between
offering TSA agents a peep show or a grope session at airport security
checkpoints. Hey, everybody wins — as long as you’re in uniform. But
even that unpleasant dilemma may be overstating the options available
to travelers.” (10/20/08)
Why the Republicans must be defeated this year
Fox News
by Radley Balko
“I grew up in a particularly conservative part of the already
conservative state of Indiana. I voted for Bob Dole in 1996 and George
Bush in 2000, generally because — though I’m not a conservative (I’m
a libertarian) — I’d always thought the GOP was the party of limited
government. By 2002, I was less sure of that. … Since then, ‘fed up’
has soured to ‘given up.’ … This isn’t to say that Barack Obama
would be any better. Government would undoubtedly grow under his
watch. And from my libertarian perspective, he has been increasingly
disappointing even on the issues where he’s supposed to be good. …
While I’m not thrilled at the prospect of an Obama administration
(especially with a friendly Congress), the Republicans still need to
get their clocks cleaned in two weeks, for a couple of
reasons.” (10/20/08)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,441025,00.html
Fourteen reasons Main Street loses while Wall Street sinks
democracy
Market Watch
by Paul B. Farrell
“Yes, we’re dummies. You. Me. All 300 million of us. Clueless. We
should be ashamed. We’re obsessed about the slogans and rituals of
‘democracy,’ distracted by the campaign, polls, debates, rhetoric,
half-truths and outright lies. McCain? Obama? Sorry to pop your bubble
folks, but it no longer matters who’s president.” (10/20/08)
