Monday, March 1, 2004

Greenspan, Bush and Social Security: Robin Hoods in reverse Alan Greenspan made everyone sit up and take notice yesterday by declaring that, since he thinks raising taxes is a bad idea, the only way to deal with the ballooning deficits the nation faces as the baby boomers retire is to cut Social Security benefits. First we lowered taxes with a plan ridiculously weighted towards rewarding the extreme high end of wealthy citizens, while tossing a handful of crumbs to the middle class; now we're told that we have to make up the difference by cutting retirement benefits for the mass of Americans 9:38:32 PM

Clear Channel pulls plug on Howard Stern for Criticizing Bush People are wondering if Clear Channel getting religion about Howard has anything to do with Stern's recent political change-of-heart. It was just recently that Stern started trashing President Bush, who he has strongly supported in the past. On the blog Music Angle Michael Fremer says: "On Tuesday, Stern took a strong stance against Bush, the Republican party and the strong stench of fascism and intolerance in the air when it comes to free speech and gay rights, among other things. John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel is a strong Bush supporter. When the war in Iraq began, Clear Channel organized rallys supporting the action and actually banned John Lennon's 'Imagine' and anything by The B-52s. Hard to believe, but true. Stern has great sway over millions of listeners. His political stand is what got him thrown off Clear Channel's network of stations, not his supposed 'indecent' remarks towards women and blacks. This is a sickening development." 9:37:02 PM

Microsoft Lawyer to Run Antitrust Panel for ABA It sounds like an April Fool's joke. But it isn't. From the AP, via Dave Farber's IP List: "Microsoft associate general counsel Richard J. Wallis takes over as chairman this summer of the American Bar Association's antitrust section, an unusual role for a corporate lawyer. Even before Wallis' arrival, the panel is already organizing opposition to a congressional plan requiring more aggressive oversight by the courts of such antitrust settlements."... [Tim O'Reilly Weblog] 9:14:13 PM

Another Bush Lie? Looks Like It Rocky Mountain News: Bush pledged to back ban in Nov., Musgrave aide says. President Bush pledged to Rep. Marilyn Musgrave that he would support her proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage three months before he made Tuesday's public pronouncement, according to Musgrave's top aide. The White House has said Bush made the decision only after officials in San Francisco and New Mexico presided over same-sex marriages. [Dan Gillmor's eJournal] 9:13:18 PM

Pop Quiz Who said this? I particularly condemn the way our political leaders supplied the manpower for [the Vietnam War]. The policies -- determining who would be drafted and who would be deferred, who would serve and who would escape, who would die and who would live -- were an antidemocratic disgrace. I can never forgive a leadership that said, in effect: These young men -- poorer, less educated, less privileged -- are expendable (someone described them as "economic cannon fodder"), but the rest are too good to risk. I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well placed... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units. Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to their country. Look [at pseudorandom] tomorrow for the answer. [pseudorandom] 9:12:22 PM

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