Grumpasaurus.com

Many have been speaking about the death of the middle class for years, but hell, even the Financial Times is on the beat now.

Once upon a time this was called the American Dream. Nowadays it might be called America’s Fitful Reverie. Indeed, Mark spends large monthly sums renting a machine to treat his sleep apnea, which gives him insomnia. “If we lost our jobs, we would have about three weeks of savings to draw on before we hit the bone,” says Mark, who is sitting on his patio keeping an eye on the street and swigging from a bottle of Miller Lite. “We work day and night and try to save for our retirement. But we are never more than a pay check or two from the streets.”
…
The slow economic strangulation of the Freemans and millions of other middle-class Americans started long before the Great Recession, which merely exacerbated the “personal recession” that ordinary Americans had been suffering for years. Dubbed “median wage stagnation” by economists, the annual incomes of the bottom 90 per cent of US families have been essentially flat since 1973 – having risen by only 10 per cent in real terms over the past 37 years. That means most Americans have been treading water for more than a generation. Over the same period the incomes of the top 1 per cent have tripled. In 1973, chief executives were on average paid 26 times the median income. Now the ­multiple is above 300.
…
Alexis de Tocqueville, the great French chronicler of early America, was once misquoted as having said: “America is the best country in the world to be poor.” That is no longer the case. Nowadays in America, you have a smaller chance of swapping your lower income bracket for a higher one than in almost any other developed economy – even Britain on some measures. To invert the classic Horatio Alger stories, in today’s America if you are born in rags, you are likelier to stay in rags than in almost any corner of old Europe.

emphasis added

I strongly believe that the death of unions due to the incessant war waged against them by the Haves after their hard-won victories (much like our country’s abortion and privacy rights, there was never a single victory by the business/right, but a series of tiny steps that decreased the power and scope of their target bit by bit until the target was eventually unrecognizable. See also, boiling frogs).

Setting aside the gross unfairness of massive income inequality, a huge problem with this setup is that it will invariably lead to social unrest (as you’re seeing bubble up somewhat with the idiotic Tea Party), which will lead, eventually, to blood (whether on domestic shores or foreign, I don’t know).

My generation is the first generation that will not have a higher standard of living than our parents. My generation has known this for a long time (I remember discussing this in undergrad). I think that sociologists and other commentators forget this factor when trying to question why Gen X and Y are such sarcastic, cynical bastards. The reason is – we know we’re on a hamster wheel going nowhere. What is there to look forward to?

America, Corrupt, Embarrassing, Labor

First the immigration bill, now this …

That is not, repeat not, a joke.

Bonus points for the kewpie doll/Victoria Jackson voice.

America, Crazy, Embarrassing, Idiots, Politics

I’m outta here.

The Texas GOP has voted on a platform that would ban oral and anal sex. It also would give jail sentences to anyone who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple (even though such licenses are already invalid in the state).

America, Bad Ideas, Embarrassing, Idiots

Kudos to Obama for sacking McChrystal. It seriously made my morning. Obama didn’t cave and that kind of rank insubordination must not stand.

In terms of cojones-to-political-climate-pressure ratio, this ranks slightly behind Truman-MacArthur and way way behind Lincoln-McClellan, but awesome nonetheless. The latter two actually involved dangers to the republic as opposed to an HR incident, but we have to understand that today’s paradigms have also changed.

Wait, why am I rambling on about this? WTG, Obama! Kick some whiny ass republican ass and watch the rightostan blogosphere implode as they try to reconcile praising Rolling Stone and an insubordinate general in a time of war at the same time.

America, Awesome, News

Nancy Pelosi is a remarkable politician and one of the top Speakers this country has ever had. Her determination, singular focus, and management skills are remarkable. Without her, we would not have health care reform (of any kind).

Now, I wouldn’t want to have a beer with her because the skills that make her a great Speaker make her a pretty miserable social “normal” human (see also: Madonna and M.D.s) but I wanted to note for the record how much I appreciate her and admire the job she has done.

Note: this is in response to James Brooks’ saying on PBS “She is not a great speaker — I mean a spokesperson, a communicator. I personally don’t think she’s great on policy. But she has the skills to know how to control this body, which is a fractious body, even when you have a majority. And, so, those skills are maybe in her blood from her father and her brother, but also skills that she really possesses. And there’s no denying she is a very effective legislator.”

What an asshole. Brooks, that is.

America, Politics

… because they’re first on my Death Panel list.

This video is a great example of how the TeaBaggers are the expression of the American nativist/right id. They’re incoherent, ignorant jackasses who know nothing, but are very angry about it, whatever “it” is. In this case I really think “it” stems from having a black president[1, 2] and, probably, a poorly expressed inner rage at increasing feelings of powerlessness and meaninglessness in a corporatized, multicultural 21st century. It doesn’t excuse their stupidity or expression of the lizard brain, but it is … understandable.

See also, this video where HCR opponents scream at a Parkinson’s sufferer. I don’t think I’ve seen a video more fuel my misanthropy in quite some time.

Things were much easier for the TeaBaggers when we could lash out at those furrin brown people with the funny ibn- and al- and mohammedan-esque names.

[1] Teabaggers chant “nigger” at Rep. Lewis
[2] Man carries assault rifle to Obama town hall meeting

America, Idiots

… and 8 years of Bush == an end to what little democracy we have left. The essence of the case is an emasculation of representative democracy, an increase in corruption, the overturning of long-standing precedent, and an opening of the floodgates to direct, corporate participation in campaign spending. From the NYT:

A bitterly divided Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the government may not ban political spending by corporations, labor unions or other organizations in elections. The court’s majority in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission swept aside a century-old doctrine in election law, ruling that the campaign finance restriction violated the First Amendment’s free speech principles. The dissenters said opening the floodgates to corporate money will corrupt democracy.

Well, I guess at least the corporate influence will be unmistakably obvious now. So we’ve got that. We’ve also got a near 0 probability of any reform candidate ever winning, and a near 1.0 probability of incumbent protection … leading to further ossification of our government and the strengthening of the oligarchy. On the other other hand, maybe this is outrageous enough to re-spur the reform movement … in another 100 years.

While I should add that I believe the definition of an “activist” judges is one who issues a decisions with which you disagree, this is an activist decision. There is nothing more “activist” than overturning a 100-year old precedent, which the Scalitothomasroberts group did. Thus, the Bush “minimalists” and “strict constructionists” and “originalists” are … activists.

Also, fuck you, Kennedy.

America, Bad Ideas, Corrupt, Law

The fourth largest city in America – Houston, TX – now has an openly gay (lesbian) mayor.

Texas. Tex. Fucking. As.

Progress!

America, Awesome

1) Started at the Alamo? The tea baggers are protesting independence from Santa Anna’s Mexico? The Rio Grande flows into Boston Harbor where the tea floats and … WOLVERIIIIINES!!!!!

I can get behind the idea that they are doomed idiots who choose to hole themselves up in an indefensible location despite orders directly to the contrary. I mean, that much is just obvious.

2) Glenn Beck is one whiny little bitch. And his music sucks.

3) I believe “listening to the people” is exactly what doing what you were elected to do entails.

4) Shorter: I’M DUMB AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

5) Mixed metaphor warning: Dont tread on one if by land two if by me the Alamo sea.

And, finally, I’m starting a 9/13 movement.

In my pants.

America, Eye Rollers, Idiots

A Decade With No Income Gains

The typical American household made less money last year than the typical household made a full decade ago.

To me, that’s the big news from the Census Bureau’s annual report on income, poverty and health insurance, which was released this morning. Median household fell to $50,303 last year, from $52,163 in 2007. In 1998, median income was $51,295. All these numbers are adjusted for inflation.

Progress!

America, Crap, Economy, Embarrassing, Money

Barney makes my real world job more difficult, but I can’t help but love the guy. Finally, a dem stands up to the astroturfed ragemonkeys. Reminds me of the Army-McCarthy hearings…

America, Awesome, Idiots, Politics

Wealthy conservative corporate interests, of course.

We all knew that, but here’s an actual outline on the teevee.

If it wasn’t for Maddow and the Daily Show, though, all you’d have are endless parades of batshit angry/insane people yelling at Democratic congresscritters in the town halls.

My optimism that we’ll actually get what the vast majority of actual people want – health care for all – is exceedingly slim. Our idiot media and the querulous Dems are too easily rolled by the astroturfing. Oh, and the strongest voting block in the country – seniors – already has government health care that they love. They have no incentive to give what they have to the younger folk and if they’re not on board, it’s a tough road to hoe. I can’t wait until the most narcissistic generation in our nation’s history reaches retirement age.

America, Media

Every day these fuckers aren’t in front of a jury is a black mark on our nation’s reputation. No surprise, it was Cheney pushing for this.

Some of the advisers to President George W. Bush, including Vice President Dick Cheney, argued that a president had the power to use the military on domestic soil to sweep up the terrorism suspects, who came to be known as the Lackawanna Six, and declare them enemy combatants.
…
A decision to dispatch troops into the streets to make arrests has few precedents in American history, as both the Constitution and subsequent laws restrict the military from being used to conduct domestic raids and seize property.

The Fourth Amendment bans “unreasonable” searches and seizures without probable cause. And the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 generally prohibits the military from acting in a law enforcement capacity.

In the discussions, Mr. Cheney and others cited an Oct. 23, 2001, memorandum from the Justice Department that, using a broad interpretation of presidential authority, argued that the domestic use of the military against Al Qaeda would be legal because it served a national security, rather than a law enforcement, purpose.

“The president has ample constitutional and statutory authority to deploy the military against international or foreign terrorists operating within the United States,” the memorandum said.

The memorandum — written by the lawyers John C. Yoo and Robert J. Delahunty — was directed to Alberto R. Gonzales, then the White House counsel, who had asked the department about a president’s authority to use the military to combat terrorist activities in the United States.

For those that don’t know, the use of the military on American soil against American citizens is unconstitutional and illegal six ways from Sunday. It has not been done since the Civil War. And yet, Cheney is a free man and Yoo still a tenured professor at UC Berkeley (though he has to teach elsewhere now).

One guy can get impeached for a blowjob.

Fifty can’t even get a dirty look for shredding the constitution and considering turning our country into a literal police state.

Yeah, that makes sense.

America, Evil, Freedom, HFS

The Gates kerfluffle is silly, but this is the takeaway: in today’s America, you can be arrested for sassing police officers. Correction: arrested and/or tasered.

The historical sweep of the last 20 years, with the Bush era as a particular catalyst, combined with the advent of technological marvels that can subdue people without leaving marks has us hurtling toward an authoritarian state faster than I thought it possible.

Shorter version: small men in power + culture of fear + tasers == police state.

America, Cops, Embarrassing, Freedom

The first minute is an all-time classic. Loooove it.

The joke is: if you’re going to be tea bagging the country, you’re going to need a Dick Armey

America, Awesome, Hypocrisy, Idiots, Politics