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George McGovern, An Improbable Icon Of Anti-War Movement
If George McGovern often seemed miscast as a presidential candidate, he was at least as improbable as an icon of the anti-war movement.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/10/22/163355049/george-mcgovern-an-improbable-icon-of-anti-war-movement The Problem of Plutocrats: What a 19th-Century Economist Can Teach Us About Today's Capitalism
Today, 'the wealth-producing power' of those inventions is indisputable. Even at a time of weak economic growth, and after decades of stagnant wages, middle class Americans enjoy a standard of living beyond the reach of the robber barons of George's day -- electricity, plumbing, hot running water, cars, jet travel and longer lives. But in March, 1879, whenProgress and Poverty was published, the 'Long Depression,' a 65-month long period of economic contraction which afflicted both the U.S. and Europe, was just whimpering to an end. From that perspective, the perplexing reality was that the industrial revolution wasn't delivering: "We are coming into collision with facts which there can be no mistaking. From all parts of the civilized world come complaints of industrial depression; of labor condemned to involuntary idleness; of capital massed and wasting; of pecuniary distress among businessmen; of want and suffering and anxiety among the working classes."
The big lie about tax cuts and jobs
Tax cuts for business have been a complete failure at creating jobs, but they serve another purpose for political leaders: creating a fiscal train wreck to justify austerity.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_reckoning/2012/10/22/is_anything_more_foreign_to_americans_than_foreign_policy.html
Nonprofit that sued to extend Citizens United ruling to states may have misled IRS
A western nonprofit that played a key role in freeing corporate spending on elections nationwide appears to have misled the IRS when it applied for the tax-exempt status that shields its donors from being publicly disclosed. Documents obtained by ProPublica and Frontline show that Western Tradition Partnership, now known as American Tradition Partnership, said it would not attempt to sway elections when it asked the IRS to recognize it as a tax-exempt social welfare organization in late 2008.New Atheism scares a Christian because it’s too optimistic
This is the second time I’ve heard this criticism of atheism, the first being the bizarre lucubrations of Francis Spufford, who didn’t like the atheist bus slogan (“There probably is no God. So stop worrying and enjoy your life”) because it was too optimistic. There is more to life, said Spufford, than merely enjoying it. Now, over at PuffHo‘s “Religion” section, Paul Wallace (self-described as “a professor of physics [at Agnes Scott College] and a former working scientist”), Wallace diagnoses this optimism as “The real problem with New Atheism:“
The Danger of Wealth at the Top
For years, Mitt Romney has advocated tax breaks tilted toward the rich in a classic “supply-side” strategy, but is now trying to obscure that position. His shift comes as even conservative economists say the concentration of wealth at the top is hurting economic progress, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar notes.
Crucial Debate May Focus on Libya and Iran
http://forward.com/articles/164682/crucial-debate-may-focus-on-libya-and-iran/?p=all#ixzz2A27eYCQN
IRS Has Suspended Church Audits Until Rule Changes Are Finalized
BNA Daily Report for Executives dated 10/22/2012 (subscription required) reports that the the Internal Revenue Service has temporarily suspended tax audits of churches pending final adoption of IRS rule changes to clarify which high level Treasury official has authority to make a determination under IRC Sec. 7611 that there are reasonable grounds to begin a church tax inquiry. (See prior posting.) At an American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education conference, IRS speaker Russell Renwicks, area group manager from the Mid-Atlantic region of the Tax-Exempt and Government Entities division, said the IRS has been bombarded with complaints about churches becoming involved in the elections, but it has been unable to respond even to potentially egregious cases. The rule changes are necessitated by a 2009 Minnesota federal district court ruling. (See prior posting.)
Government wants to jail whistleblower for revealing CIA's 'Prime Torturer'
The former CIA analyst who went public with the US government’s torturing of suspected terrorists has suffered a major setback this week in his attempt to avoid imprisonment amid a federal witch-hunt targeting whistleblowers.
14 Most Extreme Candidates
Head shots
Not just in Pakistan
Mormon temple Endowment ceremony
