Archive for June 2006
AR gov: “Discrimination is fun!”
Yesterday the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that a ban against gay folk serving as foster parents was unconstitutional because the rule was formed from “personal morality and bias”. Today Governor Huckabee (R-bastARd) said via his spokeswoman that, “[he is] very disappointed that the court seems more interested in what’s good for gay couples than what’s good for children needing foster care.”
Funny. I thought that having children in loving families was better than having them in group homes. Guess I was wrong.
[T]he court said testimony in the state’s appeal showed that the state’s ban on gay foster parents was based on bias against homosexuals, not on promoting the health, safety and welfare of foster children.
The Court’s ruling was unanimous.
KATV Channel 7 – Huckabee Says he Hopes Legislature will Reimpose Ban on Gay Foster Parents
Blanche Lincoln (R-AR)
Well, she might as well be. She’s championing the repeal of the Estate Tax and was a big fan of the 2001 tax cuts that benefitted the wealthy and now she wonders how the budget can be in such a mess:
A WEEK AND A half ago, Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas took to the Senate floor to decry the estate tax as unfair. “I, for one, intend to fight for these family businesses, fight for these communities and fight for these jobs in rural America,” she preached. It was all very moving. Especially if you stand to inherit an enormous fortune.
That same day, Lincoln again appeared on the Senate floor, this time to decry the lack of funding for federal anti-hunger programs. This too was unfair. Lincoln was particularly nonplused by the counter-argument that there was insufficient money for such programs.
“I understand our current budget constraints. I know we all do,” she said, “Yet I didn’t create this mess.”
Oh, you didn’t? Let’s look at the main causes of the budget mess. There’s the 2001 tax cuts. Lincoln voted for those. There’s the war in Iraq. Lincoln voted for that too. There’s the Medicare prescription drug benefit, which she likewise supported. Other than that, how did you like the budget, Mrs. Lincoln?
Arkansas Blog: Blanche, the billionaires’ pal
I have to wonder which cause she’s championing harder, that of the few billionaires here in the state who want to send even more millions to their kids tax-free or that of the thousands of poor people in Arkansas who don’t make enough money to feed their families?
Of course, a look at her contributors might answer that question.
Related: 49-48 & Two from Boykin
06/28/2006 Update:
Today she voted with the other Republicans to add an amendment to the Constitution that would restrict civil rights instead of either protecting the existing ones or add to them. Luckily, they failed by one vote.
Related: Constitution survives…for now.
MTV ads: Fight For Your Rights
I guess one of the things that you miss when you stop watching MTV is their pro-marriage FFYR ads. Take a peep.
Constitution survives…for now.
The anti-flag burning amendment failed in the Senate by just one vote.
Opponents said the amendment would violate the First Amendment right to free speech. And some Democrats complained that majority Republicans were exploiting people’s patriotism for political advantage in the midterm elections.
And they’re right. It was just another attempt by the Republican leadership to deflect attention from their massive failures over the past several years.
And besides the blatant manipulation of Americans, they’re again trying to use the Constitution to limit civil rights instead of using it to expand them.
Jobs #5 on "People who matter" list
Business 2.0 Magazine has compiled a list of the top 50 people “who matter now” in business. They placed Steve Jobs of Apple at the number 5 spot on that list. Others who made the cut include Rupert Murdoch, the Google founders, and some “Oil Despots”.
Business 2.0: The 50 Who Matter Now
They’ve also compiled a list of the top ten people who don’t matter: people who’ve lost influence in the business community. Included in that list are Steve Ballmer, Rob Malda of Slashdot, and Linus Torvalds.
Intel Xserve on the way?
Buffet: Philanthropy with a capital P.
Warren Buffet has announced that starting in July, he’ll begin to give away about 85% of his vast fortune. As of now, that’s about $37 Billion.
Buffett has pledged to gradually give 85% of his Berkshire stock to five foundations. A dominant five-sixths of the shares will go to the world’s largest philanthropic organization, the $30 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose principals are close friends of Buffett’s (a connection that began in 1991, when a mutual friend introduced Buffett and Bill Gates).
GOP: Poverty for you, raises for us
The Republican-controlled Senate today killed a proposed increase in the minimum wage.
The last time that it was increased was in 1998, when it was raised to $5.15 per hour.
And in the intervening years, while Congress has been avoiding raising the minimum wage, but they have been raising their own pay, by about $30,000.
GOP-Run Senate Kills Minimum Wage Increase | ABCNews.com
In order to make up for the lack of Congressional action on the issues, the states themselves are taking up the cause. Some state legislatures are either introducing bills voluntarily or at the point of the election-year gun.
Citizens in some states have begun ballot initiatives in order to bypass their legislatures and let the people themselves decide.
States Take Lead on Minimum Wage | CNNMoney.com
And a picture (click for larger):
Related:
Report: Charitable giving at "all time high"
According to a new report, charitable giving in America has hit an all time high, driven mainly by the Asian tsunami, the Pakistani earthquake and the three hurricanes that hit the South this past season. Overall, the amount donated by Americans increased by $15 Billion.
Sadly, no Miss Piggy :(
I have this wonderful Beaker background that parodies the Mac Switch ads (and, which I’ve just noticed, spells his name wrong :-/ ) and I decided to use it. But I couldn’t use the Star Wars icons that I had for my previous desktops so what’s a boy to do but go out in search of some Muppet icons.
The only thing that I can find wrong with these icons is that they don’t include Miss Piggy. She was always my favorite Muppet. I’ll find some way to carry on, though if anyone knows of a Miss Piggy icon, pass the link along. It’ll be appreciated.
JeffSay... 
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