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   Dan Savage, the brilliant and foul-mouthed sex columnist, has become one of the most important ethicists in America. Are we screwed?
 The federal government is supposed to issue new rules about debt levels for students in for-profit colleges. In the meantime, the states are working on their own regulations.
 Washingtons budget hawks want to decimate the federal workforce to shrink the deficit. It will have the opposite effect.
 There arent nearly enough counterterrorism experts to instruct all of Americas police. So we got these guys instead.
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November 19, 2009
THE RENEWED FOCUS ON JOB CREATION.... The AP had a disconcerting report yesterday on the Dec. 3 "jobs summit" at the White House. As the AP put it, President Obama "says creating jobs isn't the goal of a coming White House forum on jobs and economic growth." At first blush, that sounds pretty nutty. The White House is holding a forum on jobs and the goal isn't to create jobs? Why bother holding a summit, then? In truth, NBC's Chuck Todd asked the president how a summit "is going to create a job." Obama explained that the economy is starting to grow, and businesses are starting to be profitable again, but job growth is lagging. "And so the goal of the job summit is to figure out, are there ways of us accelerating that hiring?" the president said. "And there are a whole range of ideas out there; we've examined a lot of them. But one of the benefits of convening this group is it gives us a chance to talk directly to small businesses and medium-sized businesses, the main drivers of employment, to find out what exactly is going on." That's a far cry from reporting that the goal of the jobs summit isn't to create jobs. On the Hill, meanwhile, we know the House is moving forward with its plans for a jobs bill. Today, Roll Call reports that two leading Senate Democrats are crafting a plan, too.
Durbin acknowledged that Republicans are likely to complain that the Democratic majority shouldn't put health care above job creation. The Majority Whip said, however, that the caucus is "trying to make it clear that we can walk and chew gum" at the same time. As for concerns that the Senate jobs bill may be at odds with a House version, Durbin added that he's working with Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), who's helping lead the House efforts. As for paying for the initiative, Durbin is eyeing unused TARP money, while the House is also weighing the possibility of a transactions tax on Wall Street. I have to say, it's encouraging to see Dems dig in quickly on this. A meaningful jobs bill is necessary -- the sooner the better -- and the majority seems to be responding well. It's likely that center-right Dems will figure out a way to undermine these efforts, but for now, there's some heartening momentum. —Steve Benen 9:25 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (15)
Comments
upper small changes cost burning suggests Posted by: selbybrand on November 19, 2009 at 9:33 AM | PERMALINKA transaction tax on Wall Street? Oh, be still, my beating heart! Posted by: JP on November 19, 2009 at 9:40 AM | PERMALINKWhy is it that the democrat party keeps insisting on penalizing those in our society who are the true jobs creators? It is quite obvious that we republicans will have to oppose whatever bill that Durbin & Dorgan come up with, just as we must oppose any house bill. Everyone knows that the only problem with our economy is that the wealthy do not have enough money. Everyone knows that it is the wealthy who create jobs in this country. If you want to create jobs, the answer is to cut taxes on the wealthy, who will then create more jobs. As a republican, I will be willing to support a jobs bill that: As we learned many years ago from our greatest ever president, Ronald Reagan, this is the path to jobs and prosperity and balanced budgets. Posted by: RepublicanPointOfView on November 19, 2009 at 9:41 AM | PERMALINKsounds like a great affair, this jobs summit -- what's the "attire" suggestion? formal wear? my congresscritter peter de fazio just said he wants summers and geithner run outta town. i'd a liked that in march, ne own se'f. (maybe peter would have, too, but he waited awhile..) if de fazio sees an obama betrayal of the unemployed, then god damn it, that's my empirical proof...de fazio has a god nose fer stink. Posted by: neill on November 19, 2009 at 9:47 AM | PERMALINKRepublicanPointOfView: I realize you're just trying to be a spoof, but this stuff is simply not spoofable. Republicans have become a living joke who regularly push the boundaries out to the utterly absurd. Not even Colbert can push it far enough to really come across as satirical. Posted by: Shade Tail on November 19, 2009 at 9:54 AM | PERMALINKRepublicanPointOfView, why do Republicans feel that "their" money shouldn't taxed, but our money is fair game? If you take $100 and give it to a plumber to fix a sink he has to pay taxes on his gain. If you give it to a child (assuming it is part of a larger amount) you want it to go taxfree. Who worked harder for the money? And don't give me that "double taxation" crap, the plumber is the one paying the tax, all income is taxed multiple times, and forever. And what about "capital gains", why should that tax level be lowered? Why shouldn't it be at the same rate as all other earnings? Oh, that's right, because the rich have capital gains, the rest of America merely have income. And cut the top income rate? Come on, right now the top income rate is 35%. In 2000, during our best economy ever it was 39.6%. In 1918 it was 77%. And in 1945 it was 94%. Well, we are engaged in two wars today, both of which I assume you support, so why shouldn't the tax rate go back up to wartime levels. Surely you can't against a tripling of the top tax level? You wouldn't that anti-American, would you? Posted by: Joesbrain on November 19, 2009 at 9:58 AM | PERMALINKJoesbrain, is there a parody troll you won't fall for? Posted by: on November 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM | PERMALINKIf RepublicanPointOfView was a spoof, well, sorry. It is so hard to tell the difference between a spoof of Republican philosophy, and the philosophy itself. Posted by: Joesbrain on November 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM | PERMALINKAs we learned many years ago from our greatest ever president, Ronald Reagan, this is the path to jobs and prosperity and balanced budgets. AHAHAHAHAHAHA...Ronnie Raygun? Balanced budgets? Oh, that's good. Keep'em coming. As for Chuck Todd, is there any question that is too insipidly snarky for him to ask? What an assclown. Posted by: dr. bloor on November 19, 2009 at 10:21 AM | PERMALINKRepublicanPointOfView is always a useful poster, as he distills the "RepublicanPointOfView" into a concise, pithy, and understandable sound bite. - he probably has a day job with Jon Stewart. . . Posted by: DAY on November 19, 2009 at 10:57 AM | PERMALINKI agree with dr.bloor .....watching Chuck Todd question the President made want to put my fist thru the t.v. screen ... this piece of corporate pig shit is the very embodiment of the 'media elite' who are nothing more that corporate used cunts who have sold their souls to their corporate masters in order to do their bidding which has then allowed them to be like this arrogant piece of pig shit .. the corporate used cunt called Chuck Todd ...... Posted by: stormskies on November 19, 2009 at 11:15 AM | PERMALINKWhen I post as 'RepublicanPointOfView', it is a semi-spoof. I have a number of friends who are of the high income republican variety. In RPOV, I tend to write a semi-parody of their views and attitudes. Within that framework, I do reflect the attitudes that they have. Among the things that they have in common are: Right On Stormskies. Chuck Repuck makes me puke. The little bit of the Today show I get to watch befor work is ruined when they bring him on. I try to turn to the Weather station at those times or I am left yelling at my TV. It also happened this morning when they had Mr. noun, verb, 9/11 on. Whatever the Dems do they better position themselves well for the GOP to oppose the jobs bill by naming it something brilliant. (Learn something from the whole "stimulus" snafu.) At the very least they should do something good and prepare to use it next year to beat the GOP up with it. Posted by: zoe kentucky on November 20, 2009 at 7:15 AM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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