On Maddow show, Oberstar DeFazio fingers Larry Summers as destroyer of transit spending 15

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1. 

   JMG Posted 4:32 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   Hello, that was DeFazio not OberstarThat was the always excellent Peter DeFazio of Oregon's 4th Congressional District, a longtime D who serves (and gets reelected in runaways) in an R District and also one of the most intelligent and progressive members of the House.  Thought to be considering a run for Gov. in 2010.
   Peter is another great example that you don't have to trim your progressive sails to run and win in a "conservative" district --- if you're always fighting for the little guy.
   
   The 5% Project
   
   
   
   Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

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2. 

   amazingdrx Posted 4:42 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   The bestShe's the best.  I bet Olberman would be the first to admit that, of course he can take credit for getting her on the big news venue.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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3. 

   David Roberts Posted 4:53 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   d'ohThanks JMG. Brain fart.
   
   grist.org

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4. 

   amazingdrx Posted 5:29 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   Summers?Creepy.  It's not like everyone who would listen wasn't warned about this "free" marketeerian enabler of this current credit crunch related recession.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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5. 

   JMG Posted 6:14 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   More on the the unstimulating amount of transitin the "stimulus" package
   http://is.gd/h8P4
   
   The 5% Project
   
   
   
   Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

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6. 

   randino Posted 10:36 pm
   24 Jan 2009

   A case in point on why we must be vigilant in countering our foes, but must be twice as vigilant in monitoring our friends.
   A lot of people are still enthralled with the inaugauration, and Obama's commendable flury of executive orders that - on the surface at least - move us back into the ranks of civilized countries.
   But now it is time to get serious, and realize that we must make Obama & Co live up to our hopes for real change, not just the illusion of change.
   Guesse what folks. That means you and me getting off our butts, and applying some of the shoe leather we expended on the election to Obama's backside - all with love in our hearts at the same time, ie tough love.
   Randy Cunningham
   
   Cleveland, OH
   
   Randy Cunningham

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7. 

   Pompey Road Posted 12:24 am
   25 Jan 2009

   McSame:
   Randy, I agree!
   We did not canvas, contribute to the campaign, work the phones and work for two years to go back to the trickle down, tax breaks for the corporate and privileged, deregulating let em eat cake mentality that destroyed this economy . He will be as Clinton if he continues down this road, he will see a backlash when the mid term elections roll around and if he likes working with republicans he will have a lot more to work with.
   Obama can get passed an Economic Recovery Bill that not only is heavy with infrastructure repair but just as important if not more so, new mass transit. The Democrats can carry this bill if they have to and he can go to the people right now to force change.
   I don't want everybody jumping on the environmental aspects of all the Roosevelt infrastructure projects or Ike's interstate highway program because we were left with real, tangible projects that served the people of the day and are still in use today. Millions were employed on these projects when no other work was available.
   The country's infrastructure is falling apart, bridges are falling into rivers and water mains are bursting all over the country.  When  gas goes back over $4.00 a gallon again and it will, we will be clamoring for the mass transit and alternative fuel.
   If he turns out to be just another politician who will promise his base anything just to get them to support him he will see how fast this grassroots organization will disappear. Many as I come out for him that have never been involved in politics before. I have been jaded and jilted since the 60's and if all I get again is another lying politician or one who compromises half of the platform we put him in office to implement support will leave the party in droves.
   We voted for change, if we had wanted McSame we would have voted that way.  
   
   
   
   The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

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8. 

   wesrolley Posted 2:02 am
   25 Jan 2009

   There is an alternativeNot all Democrats are like DeFazio.  Unfortunately, most Republicans are like John Boehner, or even (gasp) James Inhofe. This is what brought me to the personal conclusion that the alternative to type of disconnect that is evidenced here lies outside of both parties and into the Green Party.
   I received the following in my email this AM. I am not sure of the original source.  It tells you exactly what to expect from tax cuts.
       "Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
   
       "A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.
       "Q. Where will the government get this money?
   
       "A. From taxpayers.
       "Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
   
       "A. No, they are borrowing it from China. Your children are expected to repay the Chinese.
       "Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
   
       "A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.
       "Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
   
       "A.  Shut up."
   
   Wes Rolley
   
   
   
   CoChair - EcoAction Committee
   
   Green Party US

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9. 

   Pompey Road Posted 2:25 am
   25 Jan 2009

   MSN Article on Clean Coal: 
   
   Off topeic but today there is an MSN Home Page article on Clean Coal.
   With comment section.
   Jan. 25th.
   
   The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.

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10. 

    Steven T Posted 2:52 am
    25 Jan 2009

    Are the Greens becoming relevant?wesrolley, I'm with you from an ideological standpoint that the Greens are the place to be.  Indeed, I was involved with them way back in the 1980s, when it wasn't nearly as hip to do so.
    What I have found over the years is that the Green culture has been more focused on intellectual discourse and small-group socializing than developing an effective political movement that wins elections and passes laws.
    A big part of the problem seems to be that all too many Greens are more interested in wearing the Green Party label than in infusing their city council, county commission, state legislature or federal congress with a green agenda.  
    There's a big difference between the two.  The former focuses entirely too much on party building at the expense of movement building.  The former inevitably becomes an insular exercise in futility.  The latter holds out the chance of developing coalitions that can actually implement substantive change.
    Perhaps part of the Greens' problem is that their theory of social change is too heavily rooted in the past.  In general, traditional political parties are increasingly irrelevant.  In addition, third parties have virtually no hope of succeeding in the US.  I'm not happy about that, but at some point don't we need to be reality based if our goal is to actually accomplish change?
    Yes, we've all been through these arguments before, and they tend to leave everyone frustrated.  But if you are going to pitch the Greens I'm going to tell you, "Been there, done that, didn't work" - at least using the party-focused model.

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11. 

    Jon Rynn Posted 6:16 am
    25 Jan 2009

    "Larry doesn't like infrastructure"defazio talking about larry summers, who, for those of you who don't know, was part of the troika that "saved the world" in the 1990s, the other two being robert rubin and alan greenspan.  Now he is the leading economic advisor, as opposed to secretary of treasury, which he was after rubin.
    I can understand, from an ideological purity point of view, why most economists (or maybe some economists, who knows) don't like infrastructure -- because they really don't like anything if the government does it, because their models tell them so.  Infrastructure is direct governmental intervention, therefore it is almost by definition bad, even though the entire history of civilization shows that infrastructure investment is important, including the history of the US (erie canal, anyone?)
    Now some of the smarter ones, like Krugman, can put enough ideological purity aside.  But apparently summers can not.  The big question: who is obama going to listen to?

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12. 

    wesrolley Posted 7:28 am
    25 Jan 2009

    RelevancyThose times have past.  This is a new time. The Committee that I CoChair is making that change... on Water use / right, on Energy and on the economy.
    We are, as Ghandi would appriciate, being the change we want to see, on the committee, in the party, in this country.
    Come on over and help.
    
    Wes Rolley
    
    
    
    CoChair - EcoAction Committee
    
    Green Party US

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13. 

    Erik Hoffner Posted 10:25 am
    25 Jan 2009

    did you run, Steve?Folks in my region who are greens are running for office and often losing if not by much, but have won some and come close to some important offices a couple times recently.
    Maybe in your neck of the woods the greens aren't doing much, that is, unless you decide to do something about it...
    Erik
    
    The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more
    
    

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14. 

    Kelpie Posted 4:40 am
    27 Jan 2009

    Buy Me a Bus, BarackI tried to send this letter to the President, but the comments at Whitehouse.gov are limited to 500 characters!!! At change.gov you could actually communicate with the team. Now they are in the White House, they don't want to hear from us anymore? Anyway, here it is:
    Republicans love to say that they oppose tax increases because the people should be in charge of spending their own money, not the government. But realistically, what were our spending options for that $300 tax rebate we got last summer? It did very little to "stimulate" the economy, probably because most of us used it either to pay bills or to buy some cheap imported consumer item. I don't want another silly toy, I want a bus.
    By cutting taxes, government does not increase our options, it reduces them. I can't afford to buy a better transit system by myself, and that's what I most want right now. I wish I could get on a bus in my small rural town and travel quickly and safely to Portland or Seattle or beyond, but that is not an option at the moment because mass transit in general in this country is lousy. I want an infrastructure!
    Unfortunately, one third of the nearly trillion dollar stimulus package now working its way through Congress consists of tax cuts. Rachel Maddow reports that this is apparently the work of your economic advisor Larry Summers. According to my congressman, Peter Defazio, Summers hates infrastructure. He is after stimulating a consumer driven economy, not a public investment driven economy.
    Obviously Summers needs to do the math. DeFazio says that last year's stimulus bill gave less than a one percent boost to the economy, so why are we repeating the tax rebate/cut mistake? Ironically, Larry Summers is the guy who had to leave his post as president of Harvard University for outraging female faculty members with his assertion that lack of innate math ability is a major reason women are underrepresented in Harvard's math and science departments.
    Please Mr. President, take back those tax cuts and spend it on mass transit. DeFazio says that Chicago alone has a 6 billion dollar backlog of transit improvements that are "shovel ready," but the stimulus package would provide only 2.5 billion. Hasn't Larry Summers ever heard of the multiplier effect? Not only would fully funding Chicago's transit needs provide jobs in that city, but it would immediately create 3000 new jobs in Minnesota building the buses.
    Please Barack, buy me a bus, and while you're at it, please feel free to - metaphorically speaking - throw Larry Summers under the bus.
    
    
    
    Check out my blog at http://www.greenyourhead.com

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15. 

    amazingdrx Posted 5:26 am
    27 Jan 2009

    Kelpie!Good to see you, great blog!
    Yep I agree, throw Larry under and stomp on the gas Barack.  A good example to any other traitors in your midst.
    
    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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