Category: Uncategorized

"To reduce food stamp participation, Gingrich recommends that the federal government fix the amount of money for the program and then send the money to the states as a block grant, which would put a cap on SNAP spending regardless of need, and place the burden of cutting the program on the states. An analysisby the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that a plan like this, which was part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget plan, would either cut the benefit level so low that it wouldn't even meet USDA's definition of a bare-bones diet or would kick more than 8 million vulnerable citizens off of food assistance, resulting in a spike in hunger, particularly among children, the elderly, and disabled Americans."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-boteach/gingrich-is-wrong-ab

The quote above is from Melissa Boteach's fine article at the Huffington Post, written just moments after the final GOP debate in South Carolina. (When you click on her name, the link here takes you to a good video clip about contemporary poverty in America.)

There is a falsehood abroad in the land that Newt Gingrich is a friend of people with disabilities, though the evidence for this is slimmer than a 60's retro necktie. Gingrich has famously said that the ADA is "a dumb use of resources" but of course what he means by "resources" is rather interesting for in Gingrichland, the "R word" is perjorative–people who need resources are little better than miscreants–witness his views on mental illness. In his book on renewing America, he lumped the mentally ill in with dangerous criminals.

While it remains true that in general, neither liberal or conservative politicians are well versed in disability, it's clear that Gingrich has kicked the weak throughout his public life, and weeping for his mother is hardly the anodyne necessary for conversion. 

 A superb analysis by Ari Ne'eman of disability and contemporary American politics can be found here. 

 Hegel wrote: “Education is the art of making man ethical.” Then what are we to make of Professor Gingrich who said: “Give the park police more ammo.” when asked what to do about the homeless a few days after the police shot a homeless man in front of the White House. 

When asked about why he divorced his first wife Gingrich said: “She isn’t young enough or pretty enough to be the President’s wife.”

Gingrich, who fancies himself to be a historian and in particular a scholar of Lincoln obviously missed old Abe’s observation:

“All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.”

Or maybe Newt did read Lincoln and thought: “I’ll pluck a thistle and plant a stink weed– that ought to be good enough for the damned people!”

 Poor Newt. Last night while making his victory speech following his win in the South Carolina primary he had a flashback–admittedly a problem for conservatives– and he actually thought the year was 1980. His remarks became saturnine and bat shit loopy. He stumbled like a drunk with a bucket on his foot. He imagined that President Barack Obama is weak and ineffectual in the manner of Jimmy Carter–a comparison that works if you are living in 1980 and imagining that the US has failed to liberate hostages held in Tehran, but not when considering this president’s confident handling of the armed forces and his elimination of Osama bin Laden. Of course I’m opposed to all this militarization of foreign policy, but that aside, one senses that Gingrich is literally trapped in an old campaign, one waged so long ago it has no bearing on our time. The man needs Thorazine and at least one newspaper.  

What better outcome for Obama than this? His most formidable challenger emerges embarrassed and diminished, largely by his own doing, while the one contender the party establishment knows will assure Obama’s reelection is energized.

 Le Howl 

 “What is his real agenda here? Is it to educate the public about the dangers of money and politics, and what’s going on? Or is it simply to marginalize the Republican Party? I think if I were a Republican candidate I would be concerned about that.”

Poor Chuck. He appears to have forgotten, trapped as he is in the lobster tank of the DC bubble, that the GOP has done an exemplary job of marginalizing itself for quite some time. By alienating Latina/Latino voters, African-American voters, GLBT voters, union members, teachers, police and fire fighters, young people, the military, people with disabilities, the elderly, the GOP now appeals only to Christian conservatives and the one per cent. You can look it up. By running so far to the right the GOP candidates have already sowed their fields with salt. Colbert ain’t got nothin’ on that, baby!

 I have had three guide dogs from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, dogs that have saved my life, and yes, they’ve made every minute joyful.

I used to go to work without songs. I’m sure you know the feeling. As you open the door to your office you’re thinking of Microsoft Outlook and it’s relentless calendar. But with my guide dog by my side the drear world is altered. There’s joy inside every animal–even the tarantula loves secret corners of the night–but guide dogs love all the minutes, morning and evening, and my dogs also adore silly songs. Honest to God, we go to work like the 7 Dwarves, dog and man, giddy for whole moments. There’s a bone on the floor, just where we left it. We have a little aria, us two. We will turn on Outlook, but not until we’ve honored the bone.

My current guide, “Nira” is companionable– she loves her people. All day she exults in the presence of the staff in my office, and lucky for her, we work with college students, so her pack is wide. Her joy is reflected in the faces of students and faculty all day long. 

We stick to the rules: when she’s wearing her harness she’s working and not to be petted. But then we have silly dog time and you better believe that Nira’s people are ready. And what this reminds us is that good work requires unambiguous play, both for dogs and the two leggeds. 

The photo above shows Nira and I looking mutually pleased in my office at Syracuse University. We get plenty of work done. But not without the songs.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

 

"Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr spent more than $6 million on the
Monica Lewinsky scandal and the overall investigation of President
Clinton is becoming the most expensive in history, congressional
auditors reported yesterday... Starr's expenditures totaled $6.2
million in the six months through last Sept. 30, up nearly 60 percent
from the $3.9 million in the previous six months, said the GAO
[General Accounting Office]. "