Open Thread- The Year in Review

By request, I have posted an open thread. I hope none of you have been buried under the snows this holiday season.  Here's a look back at the year in 60 seconds:

Well, on the bright side, that was a mercifully short look back. 

 So, what are your predictions for the coming year?

Short Announcement

To all my loyal readers and friends,

As you might have noticed, I have been taking a break from writing blog posts lately. The whole Google thing discouraged me a little. (For the full story, go to: 

http://progressedge.blogspot.com/2012/11/google-and-post-that-disappeared.html)

I still haven't found a way to resolve that problem without deleting every supporting quote. And Google has no right to insist that bloggers who are not simply stealing content do something like that.  If that is allowed, the copyright laws will be used to censor information by anybody who doesn't like what they read. Anyway..

As you might know, before the election, I was writing on average three times a week and that's a hard schedule to maintain.  I think I deserve some time off for good behavior. :)

Besides that, the time seemed right to take a break until the first of the year. The holidays will be occupying minds more than politics, hopefully.

So, with your permission, I will be re-charging my batteries over the holiday season. But I plan to drop non-research-type posts in every now and then. 

Thanks to you all for your support. It means a lot to me. 

To the Fiscal Brink: Will the GOP and the 1% now destroy the US economy?

by Nomad

B

rinkmanship is defined by Wikipedia as ”the practice of pushing dangerous events to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most advantageous outcome.” 

When it comes to the US economy- which has been hobbling along like a forsaken three-legged dog- both parties have been testing the wills of their opposition and how it will end is, at the moment, anybody’s guess. What started out as intransigence on the part of the Republicans soon became open obstruction not only to the president’s proposals but to any good-faith negotiation at all. But sometime last year, things took a strange turn. 
To understand how this escalation happened, we need to return to Wikipedia:

In order for brinkmanship to be effective, the threats used are continuously escalated. However, a threat is not worth anything unless it is credible; at some point, the aggressive party may have to back up its claim to prove its commitment to action.

For the last year- but mostly all through Obama’s first term- the Republican refused to budge when it came to the budget. Austerity ( at least, selectively defined), they claimed, was the only way out of this national debt problem. With the impending automatic and across the board budget cuts called sequestration, that threat is very creditable indeed. 

How the nation could have found itself in such a mess is perhaps an example of the breakdown in the political system. With the defeat of their candidate in the election, the Republicans now find themselves in a bind, an inexcusable situation, largely of their own making. 

Election Night, Cargo Bar- 2008

by Nomad

It was exactly four years ago. Another election night with all of the apprehension and lip-biting that goes with the political event. Having watched the election for those several months that I was back in the US, I kept asking myself whether it was actually possible that Old man McCain and his cartoon sidekick, Sarah Palin might actually win. No, definitely not. Well, maybe. What if..

I had been living in Staten Island- the least appreciated borough of New York City- for a few months as I sorted out some family business. Although Staten Island seemed the complete antithesis of New York City in so many ways, the shimmering lights of the towers of Manhattan were in clear view across the harbor. On that night I chose to be a recluse and keep my distance. 

I had my reasons, though, looking back, they do seem pretty silly. 

As the election results filtered in from various states, I sat at home, in front of my laptop checking all the usual sites for information and then confirmation. I had, I admit, hesitated a little about going out. The neighborhood was primarily minority and poor. In the rush of an unexpected Obama loss, I thought that I might be conceivably be mistaken for a symbol of white elitism. It seems silly now but at that time, I thought: why take any chances? It probably had a lot to do with my Midwest upbringing than any real threat.

Musical Sanity Break - Crazy Baldheads

Perhaps reggae music is becoming a little passe nowadays- a little too much "No Woman, No Cry" in waiting rooms?)  but this has always been one of my favorite Marley songs. I thought you might like this music to go voting by.

By the way, don't let the opening rooster scare you. He's harmless. 

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