The Rigged Game -- Rising Gas Prices, Speculation, and Big Oil Subsidies

Link:

The Hill: Boehner rejects oil-subsidy vote

Where are the Bush Tax Cuts going?  I am sure you may have noticed the soaring gas prices recently.  Nobody is immune to the harm these prices are causing the economy.  The national average is hovering around $4/gal, and a poll held by the Washington Post shows that 71% of American’s are experiencing financial hardships due to high prices.  All this while oil companies are reaching historic profit levels and are receiving $4B annually in tax payer funded subsidies…subsidies, according to the Wall Street Journal, that 74% of American’s want eliminated.

Recently, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) expressed his concern to ABC News about the rising gas prices by addressing the $4B a year in subsidies that tax payers give big oil.  He stated that it was “…something that we ought to be looking at…they ought to pay their fair share.”  So why is Boehner backpedaling now that democrats want to end the  $4B in tax breaks and put the issue to vote?  And more importantly, why does big oil even need these subsidies?

Former Republican National Committee chairman and Boehner spokesman Michael Steele stated, “The Speaker wants to increase the supply of American energy to lower gas prices and create millions of American jobs.  Raising taxes will not do that."  Of course we all know that this isn’t true.  Subsidizing the rich hasn’t created jobs recently, and over a 25 year period, we see that it actually causes debt.  Moreover, this isn’t an issue of raising taxes but eliminating tax subsidies.

More after the break...

Yahoo! News: White House releases Obama birth certificate

Link:

Yahoo! News: White House releases Obama birth certificate

Can we put this to rest now and concentrate on the real issues?

 

Apparently Trump now wants to see his college transcripts.

Link:

The Talk Radio News Service



Keith Olberamann returns June 20

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Keith Olbermann returns June 20 with his new show on Current: Countdown with Keith Olbermann!

Link::

FOK News:  Special announcement about the new show

TPM and Politico: The "Prince of Pork" -- Rep. Rogers' Neighborhood

Link:

TPM: 'Prince Of Pork' Funneled $236M To His Nonprofit Groups

Are you seriously surprised? 

Check out this illustration by TPM:

(click to enlarge)

More from Politico...

Link:

Politico: Hal Roger's 'empire' of nonprofits under scrutiny

VIDEO: Town Hall -- Keep your hands off my Medicare!



The last couple of weeks, members of the congress across the U.S. returned home to their districts.  Upon arrival, many of the republicans that voted on Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget had to do some explaining.  In town halls across the country, concerned citizens voiced their opinions’ to save Medicare.  Let’s take a look at how Ryan’s constituents responded:

Video:

VIDEO: Socialism and Communism 101 -- Forget what you know

Think that something is wrong with capitalism but aren't sure of the alternatives? Afraid of socialism and communism because you were told to be? Watch. SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM DOES NOT EQUAL FASCISM!

Video:

I'll never understand why some people think that equality for all is a bad thing...

(Big thanks to SPFL for the video)



Michigan Fascism: Snyder's new law claims its first victims

Video:

TRMS: Why a Michigan high school is ground zero for U.S. politics

We have heard it time and time again…conservatives complaining about government being too big.  It seems to me that they only want a small government when it suits their agenda.  It is no secret that conservatives seek an enormous government when it comes to social issues, but a new trend in conservative states seems to be showing a movement towards a more massive, almost tyrannical, government...states like Pennsylvania and Governor Tom Corbett’s newly found Marcellus Shale Committee and states like Governor Rick Snyder’s Michigan.

Recently, Snyder signed a new bill into law which gives federal emergency managers even more power than they previously had.  The law essentially enables Snyder to appoint a federal emergency manager to districts that are in financial distress.  These managers are able to go into a city and completely and unilaterally dissolve any elected official’s power and gives them complete control over a town.  In the original house version of this bill, there were even provisions in the language that enabled corporations to become these managers. 

Could you imagine a company like Pepsi coming in and completely dissolving all the power of the officials your town elected?  Maybe your town would be renamed Pepsiville.  If you wanted a new stop sign put in, you could ask the board of directors.

Thankfully, this version of the bill did not pass, but that does not mean that the law is not highly unconstitutional.  Snyder can appoint anyone he wants as a manager, and his cronies could be coming to a town near you.