A fair chunk of this guy’s Spring Break was spent working on a massive paper due later this month. It has to do with the theoretical knowledge economy that has been developing for decades, roughly since the mid 1950s.

What can be said in short about the knowledge economy is this: unless humanity gets their act together and starts to seriously finds work to pay people for doing, work that should be getting done, any efforts to just stimulate the economy right now might/will be practically futile. Read the rest of this entry »

“What is troubling is that this decision opened the floodgates for corporations and special interests to pour money into elections – drowning out the voices of average Americans. The president has long been committed to reducing the undue influence of special interests and their lobbyists over government.”
-White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

Secretary Gibbs quickly defended President Obama’s calling out of the Supreme Court during the State of the Union Adress after Chief Justice John Roberts said that, “The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court – according the requirements of protocol – has to sit there expressionless” was “troubling.” (As opposed to the Bush era State of the Unions when the Republican legislators sat and applauded the President with respectful golf claps.)

If anyone is looking for a sign that the economy is on its way to recovery, they need only look to the recent drop in Michigan’s unemployment rate – that’s right, a DROP. In January, the unemployment rate in Michigan went from 14.5% to 14.3%. A drop of .2% is incontrovertibly small, but when you consider that the nation, and especially the State of Michigan, has been so hard set for positive economic news, .2% is nothing to scoff at. According to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG), 11,000 jobs were added in January, with unemployment declining by 4,000 jobs. The Michigan DLEG said that the drop in the unemployment rate was likely due to the stabilization of the manufacturing industry.

This latest figure brings Michigan into line with other positive data from around the country that conclusively points to economic rebound. We are not quite there yet, but with patience will come recovery.

Barack and Michelle get down during the Governor’s Ball on February 21, 2010. If I may say, this is some of Michelle’s best hair to date. Don’t believe me? Check the Look Book. Also, some of the best dancing I’ve seen since this (4:11).

Check out UMCD’s entry to the University of Michigan’s census video contest:

Dear Sarah Palin,

Lately you have been in the news a lot lately, almost more now than when people thought you were going to be the vice president. I have been noticing that almost all of the press you have been receiving has been bad press, for small things that you have done. Below i have made a small list of things that you could maybe improve for the near future so that the press will maybe start to see you in a better light.

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On MetaFilter, under a thread regarding the rising numbers of right wing extremist groups, a couple comments went down like this:

blue_beetle: “The greatest thing we learned from the recent election was that a black president can be just as mediocre as a white president.”

kirkaracha: in response – “By this point in his presidency George Bush was already well on the way to the all-time record for presidential vacation time; had allowed the most deadly terrorist attacks in American history plus the anthrax attacks; had called Iran, Iraq, and North Korea the axis of evil; and had already dropped the ball in pursuing Osama bin Laden and was laying the ground for invading Iraq on false pretenses. Obama is significantly less mediocre.”

It honestly does not get as clear as this, something to remember in the fog of health care and budget meddling. Cheers!

Currently, there is proposed legislation in Kentucky that would encourage teachers to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of scientific theories,” including “evolution, the origins of life, global warming, and human cloning.” Now, it’s not surprising that this legislation is being proposed in Kentucky where creationists have long fought to have their “viewpoints” taught in schools alongside evolution. For me, pairing the idea that people miraculously appeared on earth 5000 years ago and that God put all the animals on the plant with doubt about climate change only makes me more certain that climate change is, in fact, real. However, not everyone will feels that way. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, the Washington Post reported that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) has issued sent a legal opinion to the commonwealth’s public colleges and universities notifying them that they do not have the power to protect students and employees from the discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in their anti-discrimination policies.  It is too bad that the days of opposing anti-discriminaiton policies are not behind us.  Best of luck to students and university administrators in resisting this hateful and misguided legal opinion.

Today is a great day to be a Washingtonian.  After decades of fighting for equality, gay and lesbian couples can now wed in our nation’s capital.  This morning, same-sex couples can begin applying for marriage licenses.  The first weddings will take place on Monday, because the city mandates a waiting period of three business days before couples can exchange vows.  It will be a joyous time in the District of Columbia!

As a District resident, I am proud not only of my city’s accomplishment , but also of its strong democratic institutions that made this day possible.  Unlike most states, we reject the notion that a majority can vote to alienate the rights of a minority. Under District law, referenda that take rights from protected classes (as defined by the city’s Human Rights Act) are prohibited. As such, the DC Board of Elections and Ethics rejected opponents’ efforts to put the question of same-sex marriage on the ballot.  The courts have also refused to block the change from taking effect; Chief Justice John Roberts rejected the opposition’s last-ditch appeal yesterday. The importance of these institutions cannot be understated.  Without their protection, District residents could well have suffered tyranny of the majority.

Unfortunately, however, this achievement may only be a temporary victory for the District.  Congress, a body in which District residents have no representation, could intervene at any time and take away the progress that we made today.

But for now, the District’s motto – justicia omnibus (justice for all) – rings true.

In light of recent articles in the Washington Post and the New Yorker on the expanded use of unmanned arial vehicles (UAVs), it seems worthwhile to discuss our nation’s increased reliance on them in the War on Terrorism.

Probably the most controversial UAV is the Predator drone (MQ-1 variant pictured above), which has been used frequently to carry out strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Predator carries a camera that provides a live video feed to operators on the ground and is often armed with two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Predators are usually flown by pilots stationed in the U.S., thousands of miles away from the theater of operations.

While the Predator is indisputably a valuable tool for gathering intelligence, its use in strikes against alleged terrorists remains controversial for several reasons. First, Predator attacks have had high civilian casualties, though the U.S. has made an effort to reduce these deaths in recent months. Second, some Predator strikes have been carried out within Pakistan – a sovereign nation with which we are not at war. Finally, the strikes are extrajudicial executions, without the safeguards of due process. Despite these shortcomings, however, Predator strikes have had some notable successes. They have eliminated many key al-Qaeda leaders and have forced surviving terrorists to live in constant fear of becoming the next target of a U.S. Hellfire missile.

There are clearly advantages to having Predator drones in our arsenal in the War on Terrorism. At the same time, missile strikes launched from such UAVs raise serious ethical questions. As U.S. combat combat operations become increasingly reliant on UAVs and other robots, citizens must consider whether the benefits of these weapons systems outweigh their moral costs. Just some Sunday afternoon food for thought.

So yesterday, the Dems had a health care panel for their Kick Ass Thursday (main meeting of the week), brought in by Organizing for America. Heard some new ideas, some old ones, it was a good mix.

Later in the meeting they mention the catchy phrases that the Republicans manage to conjure up, particularly “Death Panels,” even though there is tremendous irony given the reality right now. Thus I had to ask about tone: not how (that’s easy), but why have the Democrats, with the exception of Alan Grayson (D – FL), not stepped up to the plate with low syllable catch phrases that can counter-clean the Republican clock? This is given that the Republicans have definitely taken us to the cleaners: we still have not signed HCR into law.

The answer is one I should have expected.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein reflect only the views of the
author and do not represent the opinions of the College Democrats at the
University of Michigan (UMCD), the Michigan Federation of College Democrats
(MFCD), the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP), or the Democratic National
Committee (DNC).

It may still be February, but with only 250 days until Election Day, the time to begin working to elect Democrats in November is right now. We have no time to waste. Please see the announcements below for ways in which you can help us “do it again” in 2010.

Democratically Yours,

Brendan

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This is not the dog featured on the front page.

Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed herein reflect only the views of the author and do not represent the opinions of the College Democrats at the University of Michigan (UMCD), the Michigan Federation of College Democrats (MFCD), the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP), or the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

+ Puppy on the cover! I demand more canine unit stories.

+ The ongoing drug war and $2,000 price tag force students to find “meaningful” alternatives to spring break in Mexico. Many find purchasing a $30 Megabus ticket to Chicago a deeply spiritual experience.

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