EU-DIGEST

Governor Crist and entourage traveled in style across Europe as businesses and taxpayers footed $ half million bill -- by Megan O'Matz

This summer, as the state's economy plunged, Gov. Charlie Crist took an entourage to Europe on a 12-day trade mission. The business development trip to London, Paris, St. Petersburg and Madrid was supposed to cost taxpayers $255,000. The actual tab was far higher — in excess of $430,000, the Sun Sentinel found in a detailed review of the July trip's costs.Taxpayers covered the airfare, lodging and meals for the state employees who went on the trip. The other participants paid their own way and a fee of up to $1,500 each for additional costs, including the governor's expenses. In all, about 65 Florida business executives accompanied Crist, including real estate agents, aviation industry representatives, lawyers, lobbyists and two people with ties to the sugar industry. At the time, the state was negotiating a $1.75 billion deal to purchase large tracts of sugar fields for Everglades restoration.

Labels: Republicans, US

The Impending Defeat of John McCain - by George Shadroui

"With one day to go, barring a miracle, the United States is about to elect the most left-wing government since 1964 — perhaps in its history. But even worse, there are signs that Obama's team will combine with his big government tendencies, an authoritarian mindset that in recent days has become disturbing even for those of us who were once willing to concede that the Senator was a talented, decent man. Friends, when we lose this year — if we lose — it will be largely because we failed to articulate in a compelling way the great enterprise for which we labor and struggle. It is not an enterprise on behalf of the mighty, the rich, the famous, or the collective. It is an enterprise on behalf of each individual striving to find dignity, self-respect and self-worth. To paraphrase one writer: striving as thoughtful individuals, we will reach our goals together; forced to strive for it collectively, we will perish alone."

Note EU-Digest: what a bunch of "crock" from US Conservatives, who only have themselves to blame for eight years of mismanagement, deceit and underachievement.

Labels: Republicans, US elections

US elections - The Republican shipwreck

The modern conservative movement is dying in front of our eyes, and its death throes aren't pretty. As John McCain heads for likely defeat, the GOP is eating itself. Right-wing politicians and pundits who never criticized Bush in eight years are suddenly jumping ship like rats, while bitter-end loyalists angrily accuse them of being "pathetically opportunistic." After months of veering from one tactic to the next, McCain has finally settled on one message for his campaign, but it's absurd: claiming that the party whose signature is tax cuts for the rich is really on the side of Joe the Plumber. Meanwhile, 3.1 million real Joe the Plumbers across America are sending Barack Obama hundreds of millions of dollars, a torrent of cash that is helping to flush the GOP down the national toilet. Right-wing hacks like Palin and Minn. Rep. Michele Bachman respond by doing the only thing they know how to do -- attack, demonize and divide.

Labels: John McCain, Republicans, US elections

The Vote Grab: How the Republicans stole the 2004 election - by Peter Tatchell

Will next week's US presidential vote be free and fair? Based on the conduct of the last election, possibly not. The 2004 election was marred by vote-fixing that would disgrace a banana republic. Four years later, few new safeguards have been implemented to prevent a re-run of the voter exclusion and ballot tampering of 2004.This is the conclusion of Robert F Kennedy Jr, civil rights lawyer and nephew of JFK. In one of the most important pieces of investigative journalism in recent years, published in Rolling Stone magazine in 2006, he revealed how voting irregularities in 2004 were enough to steal the presidency for the Republicans.

Labels: Fraud, John McCain, Republicans, US elections

Five Aspects of the Conservative State - by Tom Frank

Everyone's a change-bringer this year. Everyone's a reformer. Even the improbable Sarah Palin tells us she intends to clean up not only Washington but to "stop the greed and corruption on Wall Street" itself. What's more, she wants to do it on behalf of--her own term--the "working class." There are several reasons to cheer for this development. With the Republican standard-bearers now tacitly acknowledging that the Bush administration and the Republican congress were episodes of unexampled misgovernment, much of the right's exculpatory rhetoric can now be dispensed with. The verdict has hereby been reached on Bush, DeLay, Gingrich, and maybe even on Ronald Reagan himself. The case is closed. All that remains is to understand the causes of the catastrophe.

This is an astonishing reversal. It was just ten years ago that CNBC used to run a "CEO wealth-meter" feature so that viewers could track the daily ups and downs of their favorite mogul; today, faced with a $700 billion Wall Street bailout, the public screams for the billionaires' heads. It was just two months ago that, in a review of the book we are preparing to discuss, the New Yorker magazine suggested that to criticize capitalism was the act of a "neo-Marxist"; today, even Republicans are doing it. Things are changing fast.

Labels: Conservatives, Politics, Republicans, The Senate, US Congress

US Senate to vote on bailout bill tonight - calling this bailout a good thing by any other name still means helping the "fat cats"

In a surprise move to resurrect President Bush’s $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan, Senate leaders slated a vote on the measure for Wednesday — but added a tax cut plan already rejected by the House. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky unveiled the plan Tuesday. The Senate plan would also raise federal deposit insurance limits to $250,000 from $100,000, as called for by the two presidential nominees only hours earlier. The move to add a tax legislation — including a set of popular business tax breaks — risked a backlash from House Democrats insisting they be paid for with tax increases elsewhere.

Note EU-Digest

This move by the US Senate is another tactic to force this unpopular "give the government a blank check" bill of 700 billion down the throat of the US population. Democrats and Republicans should scrutinize this vote very closely and note the names who voted against or for it, so come November they can vote accordingly. This move by the Senate is also seen as a tactic to force the Congress to reverse their earlier vote. If Democratic and Republican Senators really listen to their voters this bill in the Senate shall also not pass.

Labels: Bailout, Democrats, Republicans, US Senate

Sacrifice is for Suckers - by Paul Krugman

"You see, the Iraq war, although Mr. Bush insists that it’s part of a Global War on Terror™, a fight to the death between good and evil, isn’t like America’s other great wars — wars in which the wealthy shared the financial burden through higher taxes and many members of the elite fought for their country.

This time around, Mr. Bush celebrated Mission Accomplished by cutting tax rates on dividends and capital gains, while handing out huge no-bid contracts to politically connected corporations. And in the four years since, as the insurgency Mr. Bush initially taunted with the cry of “Bring them on” has claimed the lives of thousands of Americans and left thousands more grievously wounded, the children of the elite — especially the Republican elite — have been conspicuously absent from the battlefield."

Labels: Iraq, Republicans, The elite