DC touts lowest homicide rate in nearly 50 years - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

DC touts lowest homicide rate in nearly 50 years - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee: "District of Columbia officials say the city is on course to record the lowest homicide rate in nearly half a century.

The decline mirrors a nationwide trend of falling rates in major American cities. But it's startling in a city that was ravaged by the crack epidemic two decades ago and where homicides totaled 479 in 1991. There were 108 homicides as of Thursday. He says the number hasn't been that low since the early 1960s."

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Scott Brown Aligns Himself With President Obama

Scott Brown Aligns Himself With President Obama: "Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) continued his re-election strategy of positioning himself as an independent thinker and voter, going as far as to align himself with President Barack Obama on Wednesday. Speaking on "Fox 25 Morning News," Brown cited pieces of legislation that he and the president both supported."

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RNC Memo: Here's How We're Going To Beat Obama

RNC Memo: Here's How We're Going To Beat Obama: "A few things we can expect:
Obama will employ his trademark empty rhetoric
He will blame his failure on other individuals
He will blame his failure on other factors – Europe, natural disasters, etc.
He will claim “Things were worse than we thought”
He will weakly argue “It could’ve been worse”"

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Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents - The Washington Post

Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents - The Washington Post:

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Memo: Gingrich praised Romney health plan - Houston Chronicle

Memo: Gingrich praised Romney health plan - Houston Chronicle:

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Navy first: Same-sex couple share homecoming first kiss - YouTube

Navy first: Same-sex couple share homecoming first kiss - YouTube: "Navy first: Same-sex couple share homecoming first kiss"

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For GOP, ‘repeal and replace’ has been nothing but a mantra on health-care law - The Washington Post

For GOP, ‘repeal and replace’ has been nothing but a mantra on health-care law - The Washington Post:

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7 found shot dead in Dallas-area apartment - CBS News

7 found shot dead in Dallas-area apartment - CBS News:

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Kwanzaa 2011: A Celebration Of Community For Some, A Conundrum For Others

Kwanzaa 2011: A Celebration Of Community For Some, A Conundrum For Others:

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Merry Christmas! 2012!

Tear the hell up!

Mitt: '41' support proves momentum

Attack of the Blue Blood Republicans.

 

After the support — but not an endorsement — from George H.W. Bush on Thursday, Mitt Romney received a call from the former president while traveling between stops on his New Hampshire bus tour.
Romney said he spoke with the elder Bush for several minutes.
“I am very encouraged of the support of President Bush for my campaign. Obviously, you can tell there is growing momentum for this effort in New Hampshire and across the country,” the former Massachusetts governor told reporters here.

 

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=FFC2CB8B-A517-419B-988A-A997DF2AC5C7

Enough Said

Budget Bill Gives Gift To Big Coal, Endangers Miners

Budget Bill Gives Gift To Big Coal, Endangers Miners: "As House Republicans and Democrats patted one another on the back over their new spending agreement Friday, advocates for coal miners were dismayed to see that the budget bill expected to pass the Senate this weekend will delay new regulations meant to reduce black lung disease"

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Study: 48% of schools left behind - MJ Lee - POLITICO.com

Study: 48% of schools left behind - MJ Lee - POLITICO.com: "Almost half of U.S. public schools failed to meet the No Child Left Behind standards in 2011, according to a national report released Thursday that advocated for changes to the law.

Forty-eight percent of public schools nationwide didn’t make adequate progress under the standards – up from the 39 percent in 2010 and the highest failure rate since No Child Left Behind took effect in 2002, the Center on Education Policy report said."

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Payroll tax bill passes

 

Congress on Friday easily approved a two-month extension of the payroll tax break and renewed several other provisions dealing with unemployment and Medicare, capping a wild week in which lawmakers engaged in one final nasty legislative fight before an annoyed American public.

The end was quick and painless for House Republicans, who capitulated to President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats after taking Capitol Hill to the precipice of a pre-Christmas crisis that threatened to raise taxes on 160 million Americans on Jan. 1.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70810.html#ixzz1hOolaufF

Brent Bozell Likens President Obama To ‘Skinny, Ghetto Crackhead' On Fox News (VIDEO)

 

Army Steel!

Mitt Romney Flip-Flops On Iraq

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mitt Romney, speaking on Wednesday to NBC News' Chuck Todd, seemed to shift positions on the Iraq War.

As highlighted by New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait, Romney explained to Todd, "If we knew at the time of our entry into Iraq that there were no weapons of mass destruction, if somehow we had been given that information, obviously we would not have gone in."

PLUS: Another Mitt Switch -- On Bin Laden

ROBERT REICH: Republicans Should Love The Payroll Tax Cut

ROBERT REICH: Republicans Should Love The Payroll Tax Cut: "Every time I try to make sense of Republican tax doctrine I get lost.
For example, rank-and-file House Republicans are willing to increase taxes on the middle class starting in a few weeks in order to avoid a tax increase the very rich."

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Retirement Deal Keeps Bain Money Flowing to Romney - NYTimes.com

Retirement Deal Keeps Bain Money Flowing to Romney - NYTimes.com: "Eventually, Mr. Romney turned his sights beyond the business world. In February 1999, he left Bain to help turn around the troubled organization of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In 2001, Mr. Romney announced that he had formally transferred his ownership of Bain Capital Inc. to other partners.

But behind the scenes, Mr. Romney had negotiated his retirement agreement. Although he would no longer be a partner, he would continue to be paid a part of the firm’s profits in buyout deals and other businesses, much as active partners were. The agreement would cover any new fund or venture started by his former partners until February 2009, although his stake would decline with each successive fund.

He and his wife also would be permitted to invest their own money in co-investment vehicles typically reserved for Bain executives.

While some former business associates said they considered the deal generous, others said Mr. Romney might have gotten even more from Bain had he not wanted a quick move into public life."

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Finally, A Rich American Destroys The Fiction That Rich People Create The Jobs

Finally, A Rich American Destroys The Fiction That Rich People Create The Jobs: "In the war of rhetoric that has developed in Washington as both sides blame each other for our economic mess, one argument has been repeated so often that many people now regard it as fact:
Rich people create the jobs.
Specifically, entrepreneurs and investors, when incented by low taxes, build companies and create millions of jobs."

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Just How American Is The Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

Just How American Is The Boeing 787 Dreamliner?: "Boeing is one of the great American brands.  But most people don't realize that most of Boeing's airplane parts come from external vendors from all over the world.
Below is a diagram from Goldman Sachs' 100 favorite charts (via Zero Hedge).  It reveals just where all of the parts come from for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Basically, American companies make the front and back of the plane.  The rest come from all over the world."

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THE TRUTH ABOUT TAXES: The Poor Pay The Highest Marginal Rates In The Country

THE TRUTH ABOUT TAXES: The Poor Pay The Highest Marginal Rates In The Country: "A couple of days ago, I referred to the fact that poor people face some of the highest marginal tax rates in America.
I received several emails from economics professors, gently correcting me: they face all the highest marginal tax rates in America."

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Barney Frank Zings George Will, Paul Ryan on Marijuana Legalization

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told columnist George Will and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Sunday that Republican opposition to marijuana legalization was "a great embarrassment to the conservatives."

During a town hall-style debate on ABC, Frank demanded a response from Will about decriminalizing marijuana.

"I mean, personal liberty, if someone wants to smoke marijuana who's an adult, why do you want to make them go to jail?" Frank asked.

"With regard to marijuana, I need to know more about whether it's a gateway drug to other drugs," Will replied. "I need to know how you are going to regulate it, whether you're going to advertise it."

"Welcome Home"

 

Mission Accomplished–9 Years

• 9 years
• 4000 + Service Members
• $800 Billion

Occupy Des Moines Vows To Shut Down Obama Offices

Occupy Des Moines activists on Saturday vowed to shut down President Barack Obama's campaign offices and set up a camp outside they plan to maintain around the clock.

"We have every intention to keep this place closed down until we are satisfied," said Frank Cordaro, an activist and founder of the Catholic Worker group in Des Moines.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/18/occupy-des-moines-vows-obama-office-shutdown_n_1156072.html

Haley catches flak with Mitt support - POLITICO.com Print View

Haley catches flak with Mitt support - POLITICO.com Print View: "Nikki Haley’s attempt to boost Mitt Romney is threatening her own support here at home.

Romney’s campaign is using the South Carolina governor’s endorsement to build his acceptance among the tea party base that’s never been comfortable with his candidacy, especially in a state where Newt Gingrich has been running even stronger than elsewhere.

But the people in that base who propelled Haley to the governor’s mansion last year see the endorsement of the more moderate Romney as abandoning them — and giving them another reason to turn away from a governor whose approval rating has dropped to 34.6 percent.

Immediately after Haley announced her support Friday morning on “Fox and Friends,” her Facebook page lit up with accusations that the first-term governor was selling out her principles. Rush Limbaugh followed with a blistering broadside against her on his radio show Friday, leading a charge of conservatives nationally, in addition to locally, who accused her of selling out.."

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So Cal Edison Shooting: 3 Dead, 2 Wounded, Shooter Confirmed Dead (VIDEO)

 

A utility company office worker shot four colleagues Friday with a semi-automatic handgun, fatally wounding two before killing himself in a business park outside Los Angeles, police said.

West compares Dems to Nazis. Again. - POLITICO.com Print View

West compares Dems to Nazis. Again. - POLITICO.com Print View: "In a handwritten note to a fellow lawmaker, Rep. Allen West reiterated his charge that Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels would “truly be proud” of the “Democrat Party” because of its use of “lies and deceit,” escalating an already tense battle over his use of Nazi comparisons.

On Thursday, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the most senior black lawmaker in Congress, wrote to West, one of two black freshmen on the Republican side, to say that he was disappointed in a remark that West had made to reporters earlier in the day.

“He was a vicious notorious anti-Semite who went down in history as propagandist for Hitler. I beg of you to help raise the level of congressional discourse so that we can engage in vigorous debate without resort[ing] to personal attacks,” Conyers wrote on congressional stationery."

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Real cost of gas at Afghan bases: $400/gal. - World Watch - CBS News

Real cost of gas at Afghan bases: $400/gal. - World Watch - CBS News: "Keeping American vehicles rolling in Afghanistan while avoiding the perils of hauling in fuel via ground transportation is costing the military big time.
Frosty relations between the U.S. and Pakistan - which led to Pakistan closing its border to Afghanistan-bound truck traffic- haven't helped, either."

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As Iraq war ends, Obama welcomes troops home

 

 

 

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — More than three years after he campaigned against the Iraq war near this Army post, President Obama returned Wednesday to hail the hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops who fought to establish the “sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq” that America is leaving behind this month.

With his wife, Michelle, by his side, Obama marked the United States’ imminent departure from Iraq by telling hundreds of service members, many clad in fatigues and maroon berets signifying active airborne status, that the war was a “source of great controversy” at home. As a U.S. senator, Obama opposed the decision to invade Iraq and railed against the conflict in a 2008 campaign speech in nearby Fayetteville.

Census data: Half of U.S. poor or low income

Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.

The latest census data depict a middle class that's shrinking as unemployment stays high and the government's safety net frays. The new numbers follow years of stagnating wages for the middle class that have hurt millions of workers and families.

Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans - nearly 1 in 2 - have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income.

U.S. War in Iraq Declared Officially Over (Cased the Colors)

BAGHDAD — The United States military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday even as violence continues to plague the country and the Muslim world remains distrustful of American power.

In a fortified concrete courtyard at the airport in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked the more than one million American service members who have served in Iraq for “the remarkable progress” made over the past nine years but acknowledged the severe challenges that face the struggling democracy.

“Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead — by terrorism, and by those who would seek to divide, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself,” Mr. Panetta said. “Challenges remain, but the U.S. will be there to stand by the Iraqi people as they navigate those challenges to build a stronger and more prosperous nation.”

The muted ceremony stood in contrast to the start of the war in 2003 when an America both frightened and emboldened by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent columns of tanks north from Kuwait to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

As of last Friday, the war in Iraq had claimed 4,487 American lives, with another 32,226 Americans wounded in action, according to Pentagon statistics.

Jobless Rate Dips to Lowest Level in More Than 2 Years

Somehow the American economy appears to be getting better, even as the rest of the world is looking worse.

In the midst of the European debt crisis, lingering instability in the oil-rich Middle East and concerns about a Chinese economic slowdown, the American unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped last month to 8.6 percent, its lowest level in two and a half years.

CBO figures throw cold water on cuts-only approach - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

CBO figures throw cold water on cuts-only approach - David Rogers - POLITICO.com: "When all the brush is cleared, a new Congressional Budget Office report Tuesday shows that government spending flat-lined in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 — leading to a modest dip in the deficit, thanks to an estimated $141 billion increase in federal receipts."

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Jobs & The Economy:

If Congress doesn't act,
your taxes will go up.
Find out how much
more you'll pay.



jobs/we-cant-wait

Obama Health Care Law: States Suing To Overturn Law Collect Federal Funding

Obama Health Care Law: States Suing To Overturn Law Collect Federal Funding: "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said 13 states will split grants totaling nearly $220 million to help set up health insurance exchanges. Millions of uninsured Americans will be able to buy private coverage through these online supermarkets starting in 2014, with taxpayer-provided assistance to cover the cost of premiums."

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Black Friday Draws Younger Shoppers - Bloomberg

Black Friday Draws Younger Shoppers - Bloomberg: "Retailers may have lured more shoppers on Black Friday as an earlier start to their bargain bonanzas drew younger consumers.
Toys “R” Us Inc. opened at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving, an hour earlier than last year. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) started offering its deals one hour later, followed by midnight openings at Macy’s Inc. (M), Best Buy Co. and Target Corp. (TGT) that drew young consumers to the biggest retail day of the year for the first time."

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Actress Eva Longoria takes on Newt Gingrich over 'poor children' remarks - The Hill's Twitter Room

Actress Eva Longoria takes on Newt Gingrich over 'poor children' remarks - The Hill's Twitter Room: "Longoria took to her twitter account Saturday afternoon to criticize the former speaker, writing: "@newtgingrich you clearly know little about the Latina community, Latina entrepreneurs who start businesses at 6 times the national average."

She was referring to comments Gingrich made in Iowa Thursday, where he said "poor children" have no work habits unless it's "illegal.""

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Cain bows out - POLITICO.com Print View

Cain bows out - POLITICO.com Print View: "Herman Cain bowed out of his presidential campaign Saturday, saying he was doing so because of “the continued distraction, the continued hurt to me and my family” after a series of accusations of sexual impropriety.

“We had to come to this conclusion that it would be best to suspend this campaign. That’s the bad news. The good news is, the pundits would like for me to shut up, drop out and go away,” he said at what was to have been his hometown headquarters opening.

But Cain insisted that’s not going to happen, announcing the launch of a website to show “the people are still in charge of this country,” he said — by promoting his trademark 9-9-9 tax plan and other positions."

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U.S. gives Camp Victory to the Iraqis - POLITICO.com Print View

U.S. gives Camp Victory to the Iraqis - POLITICO.com Print View: "Camp Victory, a huge military base which once served as the headquarters for all U.S. military operations in Iraq, was handed over to Iraqi control on Friday.

“The base is no longer under U.S. control and is under the full authority of the government of Iraq,” said U.S. military spokesman Col. Barry Johnson, according to the AP.

At its height the base was home to as many as 40,000 troops and 30,000 contractors, reports ABC."

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A Quick Reminder Of How Much The Government Workforce Has Now Grown Under Obama

A Quick Reminder Of How Much The Government Workforce Has Now Grown Under Obama:

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Group calls for Bush arrest | POLITICO 44

Group calls for Bush arrest | POLITICO 44: "Amnesty International is calling for the arrest of former President George W. Bush while he is traveling overseas in Africa.

The human rights group issued a statement Thursday calling for the governments of Ethiopia, Tanzania or Zambia to take the former president into custody. According to Amnesty, the 43rd president is complicit in torture conducted by the United States during his administration and should be held pending an international investigation."

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REVEALED: The 30 American Companies That Paid Less Than $0 In Income Tax Over The Last 3 Years

REVEALED: The 30 American Companies That Paid Less Than $0 In Income Tax Over The Last 3 Years: "The corporate tax rate in the U.S. is 35%, but there aren't many companies that end up paying that amount. According to a study by the Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the average tax rate of 280 S&P 500 companies investigated was 18.5% between 2008 and 2010.
Over 70 companies paid no taxes at all."

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