Corporate Welfare-The Race Below the Bottom

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Monday April 30, 2007 · 6:17 PM PDT

2007/04/30 · 18:17

You are probably familiar with the concept of "Race to the Bottom", the idea that competition between governments for job creating investment capital leads them to a cycle where they lower regulatory, labor, environmental and other standards in an effort to appear more attractive to potential suitors. While the bulk of what I have read about the process deals with issues of globalization and the offshoring of jobs, a similar dynamic can come into play domestically when states and municipalities compete for investment capital. Thanks to the work of a couple of upstate New York papers, we now know that this state has definitely reached the bottom and in some cases is pretty much giving away tax incentives to corporations for little if any job creation.

BenM

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Sunday December 03, 2006 · 8:45 PM PST

2006/12/03 · 20:45

In addition to other cases where the Bush adminstration has put profits over the safety of people, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has just printed an article that investigates how the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is using an historically strict interpretation of the rules in order to "lower" the number of fatalities related to mining. Individuals whose deaths in prior administrations would have been attributed to mining activites are increasingly being listed as having died from natural causes or are not being counted because the indvidual is not a mine employee. In the last four years the MSHA has determined that 72 people who died on or near mine properties were non-mining related fatalities, but as the article notes, there are serious questions about the veracity of the number.

BenM

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Monday June 05, 2006 · 7:17 PM PDT

2006/06/05 · 19:17

I have been a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates all of my life. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are going to their games in the old Three Rivers Stadium. However recent ownership has shown a consistent inability to do anything right. They have had 13 straight losing seasons, and will surely add another this season.

But they have done one thing right, this season. They have shown that they value their gay and lesbian fans. Read More

Is the story only about violating FISA?

BenM

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Monday December 19, 2005 · 1:48 PM PST

2005/12/19 · 13:48

Last week Noah Shachtman from Defense Tech speculated that the whole domestic spying case may involve new technologies used to spy on people. As he states, it is all highly speculative, but after today's press conference, I think he may be on to something. Read More

A local Democratic election victory! (Binghamton, New York).

BenM

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Wednesday November 09, 2005 · 6:44 AM PST

2005/11/09 · 06:44

Matt Ryan, the Democratic candidate, was elected mayor of Binghamton, New York yesterday. Binghamton is typical of the many cities in the Northeast that struggle along in post-industrial America. It has a population of 40,000 and would never be accused of being a vital electoral battleground.

What makes his victory really intersting was the fact that Ryan won despite (and I believe perhaps because of)his being the subject of an extensive dirty tricks campaign by the local Republican party and its candidate. Read More

KBR Steals $200 Million!

BenM

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Friday November 04, 2005 · 8:27 PM PST

2005/11/04 · 20:27

Maybe steal is two strong of a word, but according to this NY Times article, Big Dick's old friends have been pretty busy overcharging the Iraqi government for work apprently not completed. The UN is trying to get the money back.

An auditing board sponsored by the United Nations recommended Friday that the United States repay as much as $208 million to the Iraqi government for contracting work in 2003 and 2004 assigned to Kellogg, Brown & Root, the Halliburton subsidiary.

BenM

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Thursday October 20, 2005 · 6:51 PM PDT

2005/10/20 · 18:51

After following link from another diary (my apologies, but I don't remember whose)I came across this
transcript of an interview Maureen Dowd had on Booknotes, CSPAN's show where authors pimp their books.

Most of it consists of Dowd dropping names, and at one point she says this about Scooter Libby

I have run into him at White House correspondents dinners, and he has a very sort of James Bond air about him. He can do 10 tequila shooters (ph) and show no effect of the alcohol.

BenM

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Tuesday August 16, 2005 · 5:57 AM PDT

2005/08/16 · 05:57

Today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette examines the Pittsburgh Steelers decision to frisk search all of the fans attending their games this year.

The saddest part of the article is the sense of resignation expressed by the fans. One fan says "It's just a way of life now," It doesn't have to be, and in this case, it shouldn't be.

Although they will cite "homeland security" until they are blue in the face, my guess is that the policy is more about capitalism than security. Read More

Lost in the News II? The Abu Ghraib photos.

BenM

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Wednesday July 13, 2005 · 10:11 AM PDT

2005/07/13 · 10:11

After reading rangershade's, recommended diary, I was reminded of another story that I have not heard about recently in the media, the order from Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein to the DOD to redact and release more video and photos of abuse that occured at Abu Ghraib. Read More

One.org and Pat Roberston?

BenM

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Friday July 08, 2005 · 9:14 AM PDT

2005/07/08 · 09:14

As a budding academic,( Phd. candidate in Poli Sci), I have spent an inordinate amount of time working on the issues of economic development.

Having worked on these issues, I was pleased to get my hip one.org bracelet expressing my committment to progress. However, the enthusiasm was tempered when I saw that Pat Roberston was a celebrity sponsor. Read More

I am happy with my representives in Congress, are you?

BenM

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Thursday June 30, 2005 · 9:10 AM PDT

2005/06/30 · 09:10

I write this because I just got done watching my House representative Maurice Hinchey (D,NY) on the floor attacking the credit card companies, further justifiying my decision to vote for him.

This reminded me that I am one of the fortunate few Dems who is, in general, satisfied with the major political postitions of all of the indidviduals who represent me in Congress (Hinchey, and Schumer and Clinton in the Senate).

I was wondering, how satisfied are individual kossaks whith their representatives. Even those who are represented by Dems, do they represent your opinions by and large, or do you feel some disconnect. A poll follows.

Opportunity Costs and the Iraq War

BenM

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Sunday August 08, 2004 · 3:17 PM PDT

2004/08/08 · 15:17

Today, one of the Fox pundits was claiming that recent events had shown that we could persue the war on terror and fight in Iraq.

His timing was unfortunate, because the The New York Times has a revealing chart on what could have been achieved had we not gone to war. Basically, the US could have funded all of the programs neccesary to fight weapons proliferation, border security and public diplomacy as well as add two divisions to the military.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/08/07/opinion/20040808_opart.html

RSS

Corporate Welfare-The Race Below the Bottom

72 Miners "found" dead?

Lets Go Bucs!

Is the story only about violating FISA?

A local Democratic election victory! (Binghamton, New York).

KBR Steals $200 Million!

What's Scooter Drinking These Days? (With Poll!)

The Newest Front in the GWOT/GSAVE? Football!

Lost in the News II? The Abu Ghraib photos.

One.org and Pat Roberston?

I am happy with my representives in Congress, are you?

Opportunity Costs and the Iraq War