Dyre PortentsDyre PortentsThe Political Rantings and Raving of a Radical Moderate. Speaking truthiness to power since February. Articles
Corporate Welfare - Status: Confirmed
2008-08-13 07:18:00 This one caught me off guard. I mean I figured corporations were taking advantage of every tax shelter and loophole they could but not to this degree....From the AP:Most companies in US avoid federal income taxes Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005, according to a new report from Congress. The study by the Government Accountability Office, expected to be released Tuesday, said about 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the U.S. avoided corporate taxes over the same period. Collectively, the companies reported trillions of dollars in sales, according to GAO's estimate....More than 38,000 foreign corporations had no tax liability in 2005 and 1.2 million U.S. companies paid no income tax, the GAO said. Combined, the companies had $2.5 trillion in sales. About 25 percent of the U.S. corporations not paying corporate taxes were considered large corporations, meaning they had at least $250 million in assets or $50 million in rec... More About: Corporate , Status , Welfare
Coming Clean
2008-08-12 07:03:00 In the interest of making my biases known I have to date donated equal amounts to...The Obama primary campaign (Who I voted for in the Texas primaries.)The McCain primary campaignThe Ron Paul primary campaign (although that was actually a reward for engaging inactive voters)Finally the Bob Barr presidential campaign. I donate to the Libertarian presidential candidate every presidential election year. Mainly because they are the most viable third party in existence. For the record I backed McCain and Obama because I belived that they were the most moderate candidates their parties offered. Additionally I thought that should they go head to head that the race would be as smear free as could be. While (mainly on McCain's part) that has proven to be a bit of a bust I take heart in the fact that the race hasn't been anywhere near as ugly as a Romney vs Clinton race would have been. For better or for worse we are seeing the best race the two parties can manage. However at the rate the r... More About: Clean
America's Other Crisis
2008-08-12 04:26:00 The slow death of logic and critical thinking...It looks like the tin foil hat brigade is starting to form a consensus about the war in Georgia...Apparently its all a Republican plot orchestrated so that McCain can win the election.From the Huffington PostWhat a Convenient Little War for The RepublicansIn classic "Wag The Dog" scenario there is a neat little war brewing between American and Russian proxies, and real Russian troops, in the Caucacus Mountains on the Russian border....What is most interesting is that McCain's chief foreign policy aide, Randy Scheunemann,has been advising/ lobbying for pro-western Georgia for the last four years. Can't you just imagine what happened? Randy lets it be known to the Georgian President that this would be a good time for Georgian troops to invade South Ossetia, which had been an autonomous territory for more than a decade. The Georgians didn't take much persuading, as they had been wanting to crack down with their troops for a long tim... More About: Crisis
Obama's Energy Rebate Gets an F
2008-08-08 05:18:00 Over at the WSJ Martin Feldstein takes a look at the effects of Obama's proposed energy rebate. He used the economic effects of the last tax rebates to come up with a likely scenario. The results ? Cost? 65 billion dollars Amount of Increased Spending? 10 billion dollarsWhy? Because people either bank rebates or use them to pay off debt. Finally the effect that I'm most concerned about..His plan, to finance those rebates with an extra tax on oil companies, would reduce investment in refining and exploration, keeping oil prices higher than they would otherwise be.I'd be lying if I said I couldn't use the money. But if the rebate drives up the price of gas in the long term we'll all be paying it back at the pumps. More About: Barack Obama , Energy , Rebate
John McCain's Energy Plan
2008-08-07 02:31:00 In the interest of fairness. Plus I wanted to take Scribd for a test drive. McCain's Energy Plan - Upload a Document to Scribd Read this document on Scribd: McCain's Energy Plan I note a severe lack of tire gauges in his plan. However it is worth noting that he's against continuing to subsidize agribuisness and ethanol production. More About: John
Had Enough of Obamania?
2008-08-06 20:52:00 Looks like you may not be alone. A recent Pew poll shows that forty eight percent of Americans think that Obama is overexposed."As he has since January, this week, Barack Obama enjoyed much more visibility as far as the public was concerned than did John McCain. By a margin of 76% to 11% respondents in Pew's weekly News Interest Index survey named Obama over McCain as the candidate they have heard the most about in recent days. But the same poll also shows that the Democratic candidate's media dominance may not be working in his favor. Close to half (48%) of Pew's interviewees went on to say that they have been hearing too much about Obama lately. And by a slight, but statistically significant margin - 22% to 16% - people say that recently they have a less rather than more favorable view of the putative Democratic nominee."Looks like he's ranking right up there with the GEICO lizard and that "Can you hear me now?" guy. Personally I'm not suffering from Obama fatigue yet. But I ...
Baby Pic
2008-08-06 06:49:00 I don't blog about my daughter because I'd rather spend time with her than write about her. Plus there is that whole privacy thing. But this pic was too cute not to share. This post will self destruct in 24 hours. More About: Baby
Obama's Energy Policy Available Here
2008-08-06 06:29:00 Thanks to Scribd. Scribd does for documents what YouTube does for video. Apparently Obama's campaign has been using it to keep everyone in the know. So here is his complete energy plan. Believe it or not there's more than tire gauges involved.... Barack Obama 's New Energy Plan For America - Upload a Document to Scribd Read this document on Scribd: Barack Obama's New Energy Plan For America More policy and positions available here.H/T to Donklephant More About: Policy
Obama Losing Ground in Polls
2008-08-05 23:20:00 Odds are we'll see a different set of numbers after the conventions once the general public starts paying close attention.From Zogby (via McClatchy) Barack Obama has lost ground among some of his strongest bases of support, including young people, women, Democrats and independents, according to a new ATV/Zogby poll. The Illinois Democrat has also lost some support among African-Americans and Hispanics, where his lead over Republican John McCain has shrunk, and among Catholics, where he's lost his lead.The net result, pollster John Zogby found, is a race that's neck and neck, with McCain supported by 42 percent; Obama by 41 percent; Libertarian Bob Barr by 2 percent; and independent Ralph Nader by 2 percent. Another 13 percent supported other candidates or were undedcided. Zogby called the results a "notable turnaround" from a July survey he did that showed Obama leading by 46-36.Perhaps this drop is caused by the current blurring of the dif... More About: Ground , Polls
Texas GOP Pressing Libertarian Candidates to Bow Out
2008-08-05 21:55:00 Looks like a former GOP State Rep called a few Libertarian candidates running in close races and asked them to drop out.From the Austin American Statesman:A former Republican state representative called three Libertarian Party candidates for the state House on Friday to request that they drop out of their races rather than take votes from their Republican opponents.Suzanna Hupp, who represented District 54 in Central Texas for 10 years, said she made the calls Friday because of concerns that the Libertarian candidates would take Republican votes and ultimately give Democrats control over state and national seats. "The fact is, we've got redistricting coming up in a few years," said Hupp, from Lampasas, who served in the House from 1997 to 2007, "and if the Republicans lose the (Texas) House of Representatives because there are a handful of people mad at them and vote for the Libertarians instead, then we could be in big trouble at the federal level."...Hupp said she called thr... More About: Candidates
Obama's Energy Problem
2008-08-05 15:03:00 His recent move to the center on offshore drilling is going to be painted as a flip flop. Additionally the fact that he continues to push for a windfall profits tax on oil companies is pure populism. As for tapping into the strategic reserve it is a bad idea in my opinion. While I, myself, was against offshore drilling a few years ago I believe at this point that moving closer to energy independence is extremely important. As long as the states can decide where drilling can occur off their shores I'll back that. The windfall profits tax, however, is unfair and not at all business friendly. A more sensible approach would be to cut all subsidies to the oil companies and lease oil and gas rights on public lands (as well as mineral rights) and offshore at fair market value. That at least would be fair. I see no reason to give hand outs to companies that are breaking quarterly profit records repeatedly. As for the strategic reserve rename it the Emergency Military Petroleum Reserve and ... More About: Barack Obama , Energy , Problem
Sitemeter Issues
2008-08-03 14:06:00 Sitemeter.com's traffic counter has been causing blogs not to load for Internet Explorer users. I have removed the counter to fix this issue but you may need to clear your browser's cache to ensure that every blog using sitemeter will be viewable. More About: Issues
Things I Have Learned
2008-08-03 02:39:00 Just because my car has keyless entry doesn't mean my house does. More About: Things , Learned
Upgrading
2008-08-02 07:19:00 I've bought the domain name Dyreportents.com through Google. I did so because Google offers seamless redirection to the new address which means nobody has to change their links or bookmarks. If you're a feed subscriber you probably won't notice that the URL of this blogs feed will change (Yay Feedburner.com!) Hopefully in the long run this will help me pick up more traffic. Additionally I also plan on buying Direportents.com so that you can just say the name and in theory people can find their way here with relative ease.
McCain Going Negative?
2008-08-02 04:53:00 This is either a sign of things to come from the McCain campaign or a major screw up. His campaign released a new ad five days ago that proves to be less than truthful.From Fact Check:A new McCain ad says Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation ? that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time ? is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier ? without cameras or press ? both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine.What really happened? Obama planned to visit wounded troops at a medical center in Germany until the Pentagon said it would not allow him to bring a retired Air Force major general who is one of the campaign's foreign policy advisers. The Democrat may have been poised to blur the line between political events and official troop visits by members of Congress. But... More About: Negative
McCain Going Negative?
2008-08-01 08:07:00 This is either a sign of things to come from the McCain campaign or a major screw up. His campaign released a new ad five days ago that proves to be less than truthful.From Fact Check:A new McCain ad says Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation ? that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time ? is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier ? without cameras or press ? both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine.What really happened? Obama planned to visit wounded troops at a medical center in Germany until the Pentagon said it would not allow him to bring a retired Air Force major general who is one of the campaign's foreign policy advisers. The Democrat may have been poised to blur the line between political events and official troop visits by members of Congress. But... More About: Negative
I'm Impressed
2008-08-01 07:00:00 MIT has made a major breakthrough in Solar technology. More details here.
I'm Impressed
2008-08-01 07:00:00 MIT has made a major breakthrough in Solar technology. More details here.
Clinton to Contest at the Convention?
2008-07-31 07:43:00 Over at The Moderate Voice Tony Campbell thinks its highly likely that the Democratic National Convention could prove to be a Clinton vs Obama showdown. I talked to a Clinton delegate here in Maryland and he told me that they have been instructed to vote for Hillary on the first ballot. To make things more interesting, there is a movement to swing 160 delegates from Obama to Clinton. If that occurs, Clinton could re-establish her campaign and face John McCain in the fall. The group, P.U.M.A (Party Unity My A**) claims that 15 delegates have switched from Obama to Clinton in July. There is still the possibility of a floor convention vote to fully seat the delegates of Michigan and Florida which would benefit Senator Clinton. Finally, the Obama flip-flop on the FISA bill has not been well received by the more liberal segments of the Democratic faithful....Where are the Clintons? They are patiently waiting for Denver. The only question is: will it be an easy nomination for Obama or one... More About: Contest
Clinton to Contest at the Convention?
2008-07-31 07:43:00 Over at The Moderate Voice Tony Campbell thinks its highly likely that the Democratic National Convention could prove to be a Clinton vs Obama showdown. I talked to a Clinton delegate here in Maryland and he told me that they have been instructed to vote for Hillary on the first ballot. To make things more interesting, there is a movement to swing 160 delegates from Obama to Clinton. If that occurs, Clinton could re-establish her campaign and face John McCain in the fall. The group, P.U.M.A (Party Unity My A**) claims that 15 delegates have switched from Obama to Clinton in July. There is still the possibility of a floor convention vote to fully seat the delegates of Michigan and Florida which would benefit Senator Clinton. Finally, the Obama flip-flop on the FISA bill has not been well received by the more liberal segments of the Democratic faithful....Where are the Clintons? They are patiently waiting for Denver. The only question is: will it be an easy nomination for Obama or one... More About: Contest
Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted
2008-07-30 07:59:00 Bad news for him considering the fierce competition for his seat....From McClatchy news:WASHINGTON ? Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens , at 84 the longest-serving Republican in the Senate and one of its most powerful members, was indicted Tuesday on seven felony counts alleging that he lied to conceal his acceptance of $250,000 in gifts and services from a now-defunct Alaska oil services and construction company....The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Washington, charges that Stevens made false statements on his annual Senate financial-disclosure statements for the years 2001 through 2006 to conceal gifts from VECO Corp. and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen. If he's convicted, Stevens could face an unspecified fine and as much as five years in prison.If hope that if he is found guilty that he punished to the fullest extent of the law. Additionally I hope that he is the last of the corrupt Republicans still in office. I have little doubt that had the GOP not been in the m...
Sen. Ted Stevens Indicted
2008-07-30 07:59:00 Bad news for him considering the fierce competition for his seat....From McClatchy news:WASHINGTON ? Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens , at 84 the longest-serving Republican in the Senate and one of its most powerful members, was indicted Tuesday on seven felony counts alleging that he lied to conceal his acceptance of $250,000 in gifts and services from a now-defunct Alaska oil services and construction company....The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Washington, charges that Stevens made false statements on his annual Senate financial-disclosure statements for the years 2001 through 2006 to conceal gifts from VECO Corp. and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen. If he's convicted, Stevens could face an unspecified fine and as much as five years in prison.If hope that if he is found guilty that he punished to the fullest extent of the law. Additionally I hope that he is the last of the corrupt Republicans still in office. I have little doubt that had the GOP not been in the m...
Something is Missing
2008-07-29 07:43:00 I normally don't post about tragedies like the shooting that took place at a Unitarian church today. That's largely because I don't feel that I will anything particularly insightful to add to the dialogue by the time I get around to posting. Additionally something seems wrong about using a tragedy to draw visitors to my site. However today, because I read the story on the BBC rather than the American news wires, I noticed something was missing from blogland's coverage of the story:Police have named one of the two people killed as Greg McKendry, a 60-year-old usher at the church. The other, Linda Kreager, died of her injuries at a nearby hospital a few hours later. Church member Barbara Kemper said that Mr McKendry had "stood in front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us". Simply put when his fellow man needed him most he showed his quality and answered the call with both courage and selflessness. In doing so he not only saved the lives of those around him ... More About: Missing
Something is Missing
2008-07-29 07:43:00 I normally don't post about tragedies like the shooting that took place at a Unitarian church today. That's largely because I don't feel that I will anything particularly insightful to add to the dialogue by the time I get around to posting. Additionally something seems wrong about using a tragedy to draw visitors to my site. However today, because I read the story on the BBC rather than the American news wires, I noticed something was missing from blogland's coverage of the story:Police have named one of the two people killed as Greg McKendry, a 60-year-old usher at the church. The other, Linda Kreager, died of her injuries at a nearby hospital a few hours later. Church member Barbara Kemper said that Mr McKendry had "stood in front of the gunman and took the blast to protect the rest of us". Simply put when his fellow man needed him most he showed his quality and answered the call with both courage and selflessness. In doing so he not only saved the lives of those around him ... More About: Missing
Things I Have Learned
2008-07-27 21:21:00 Liquid baby formula is not a good substitute for milk in your coffee. More About: Things , Learned
Things I Have Learned
2008-07-27 21:21:00 Liquid baby formula is not a good substitute for milk in your coffee. More About: Things , Learned
TGIF
2008-07-26 07:10:00 Changing genres again. Old Crow Medicine Show covering Bob Dylan's Rock Me Mama aka Wagon Wheel
TGIF
More articles from this author:2008-07-26 07:10:00 Changing genres again. Old Crow Medicine Show covering Bob Dylan's Rock Me Mama aka Wagon Wheel 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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