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Monday, August 4, 2003 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"This is the worst government the US has ever had in its more than 200 years of history. It has engaged in extraordinarily irresponsible policies not only in foreign and economic but also in social and environmental policy. This is not normal government policy. Now is the time for people to engage in civil disobedience."
- - George A. Akerlof (2001 Nobel Prize Laureate)
KNOW YOUR HISTORY - AUGUST 4th
1944 - Nazi police raided the secret annex of a building in Amsterdam and arrested eight people, including 15-year-old Anne Frank, whose diary became a famous account of the Holocaust. She died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
RHINO HERE:
Today's RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE is an interview published in the German Magazine, Der Spiegel with 2001 Nobel prize laureate George A. Akerlof, who teaches economics at University of California, Berkeley. He pulls no punches speaking about the shrub gang administration. But first:
The Washington Post reports that music legend Willie Nelson is doing radio spots in Iowa for Presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich. In the spots, Nelson says, "I don't usually get too involved in politics, but this is more about getting involved with America. I've looked at the candidates for president, and I think the best person for the job is Congressman Dennis Kucinich." The spots are the 1st in a series that will run in Iowa during August, culminating in a Labor Day benefit concert Nelson will give for Kucinich in Des Moines.
The Post also reports that Senate minority leader Tom. Daschle will begin posting a daily blog with entries describing his days during Congress's annual August recess driving across his home state, meeting voters. Daschle's blog will be called "Travels With Tom." It's posted at:
http://www.senate.gov/~daschle/travels_with_tom.htm
Washington Post "On Politics"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15481-2003Aug2.html
Meanwhile, candidate Howard Dean gave a speech on the environment in San Francisco last Thursday.
The Next Hundred Years:
Forging a Strong Environmental Policy to Take Our Natural Resources Back
A Speech by Governor Howard Dean, Given in San Francisco, July 31, 2003
One hundred years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. And he asked the people of Arizona to make sure that it stayed unspoiled. "Leave it as it is," President Roosevelt said. "Keep it for your children and your children's children and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American should see."
It may seem odd to you that a Democratic presidential candidate would quote so approvingly something said by a Republican president. But there's a reason. When President Roosevelt made that speech, he was exhibiting something that we haven't seen in this country for a long, long time. And that is a Republican president providing leadership on the environment.
Because of President Roosevelt's leadership, when we visit the Grand Canyon, our children can see pretty much the same view he did. But what legacy is the Bush-Cheney-Norton Administration leaving for the next hundred years?...
READ DEAN'S ENVIRONMENTAL SPEECH AT:
The Next Hundred Years
7:14:52 AM 
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US Nobel Laureate Slams Bush Gov't as "Worst" in American History
By Matthias Streitz, Der Spiegel, Tuesday 29 July 2003
BERLIN - American Nobel Prize laureate for Economics George A. Akerlof lashed out at the government of US President George W. Bush, calling it the "worst ever" in American history, the online site of the weekly Der Spiegel magazine reported Tuesday.
"I think this is the worst government the US has ever had in its more than 200 years of history It has engaged in extraordinarily irresponsible policies not only in foreign policy and economics but also in social and environmental policy," said the 2001 Nobel Prize laureate who teaches economics at the University of California in Berkeley.
"This is not normal government policy. Now is the time for (American) people to engage in civil disobedience. I think it's time to protest - as much as possible," the 61-year-old scholar added.
Akerlof has been recognized for his research that borrows from sociology, psychology, anthropology and other fields to determine economic influences and outcomes. His areas of expertise include macro-economics, monetary policy and poverty.
"A FORM OF LOOTING"
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Professor Akerlof, according to recent official projections, the US federal deficit will reach $455 billion this fiscal year. That's the largest ever in dollar terms, but according to the President's budget director, it's still manageable. Do you agree?
AKERLOF: In the long term, a deficit of this magnitude is not manageable. We are moving into the period when, beginning around 2010, baby boomers are going to be retiring. That is going to put a severe strain on services like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This is the time when we should be saving.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: So it would be necessary to run a budget surplus instead?
AKERLOF: That would probably be impossible in the current situation. There's the expenditure for the war in Iraq, which I consider irresponsible. But there's also a recession and a desire to invigorate the economy through fiscal stimulus, which is quite legitimate. That's why we actually do need a deficit in the short term - but certainly not the type of deficit we have now...
READ IT ALL AT:
http://truthout.org/docs_03/080303D.shtml
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6:17:37 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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