This diary is taking Friday night off this week. I'm sitting a day - long retreat on Saturday at the Zen center where I practice and teach & will have to get up earlier than I'd normally like. So, I'm going to get a wee dram more rest.
Let's look back on previous February 13ths. On February 13, 1935, a jury in Flemington, NJ, found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-death of the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh. That was the first actual honest - to - goodness trial of the century, and, if memory serves, the prosecuting attorney was Stormin' Norman's grandfather.
On this date in 1542, the fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery. Ya' know, after knowing that he lopped the head off of the wife he was willing to create the Church of England for, why the spark would any woman agree to marry him?!
Finally, wish a happy birthday to the bad a$$ who broke the sound barrier! Chuck Yeager is 89 today. :D
On with The Rachel Maddow Show!
Rachel's turned into Ezra Klein! WOW! :D
"Are We Having Fund Yet?" - President Obama released his budget today in northern VA. I wonder why there? He should've gone to MI or NV or another economically - hard - hit state. Ezra's really geeking out. :) 43% of 2011 federal spending went to "entitlement programs," and 25% went to defense spending. Mittens has made budget promises? Ezra, I was under the assumption there would be no math. ;D Federal taxes have been at the lowest point in a long damn time - including under St. Ronnie Reagan! Taxes as a percentage of the GDP under President Obama's budget would be 19.2%; under Mittens, it would be 17%. Under President Obama's plan, those at the bottom of the salary scale would pay 1.8% taxes; under Mittens, it would be 3.4%. And, if you keep looking at the pretty chart, you'll see that Mittens really likes the 1%! Mittens tax cuts on the super rich will balloon the deficit, so he'll have to cut every single domestic program by 36%. WOW! Peter Orszag used to work in the Obama Administration; now, he works for Citigroup. He wants all the GWB tax cuts to expire & not too terribly thrilled with the taxation rates for either President Obama & Mittens. We might hit the debt ceiling before the election?! Oh great! *&^%$#@! Oh Ezra, did you HAVE TO bring up the image of a MENSA candidate winning?!
"Rick Roll" - Please, DO NOT make me imagine Man on Dog as POTUS; my stomach's sort of kind of feeling semi - normal again! Ezra thinks 83 counties in MI is a lot; my fair state has 92 so {insert Bronx raspberry here}! :D Mittens is currently trailing Man on Dog in MI. Only the county where Mittens was raised as a child is where he's ahead. "Santorum has leap frogged Mitt Romney"??!! {insert adolescent juvenile cackle here} Mittens' stock among independents is tanking. The National Review's begging for Newt to drop out & endorse Mr. Frothman. ;D EJ Dionne gets Rick roll duty. Mittens keeps looking awkward, but Man on Dog's a true believer. Whenever Mittens goes "off script," he sticks his foot in his pie hole. Newt will probably give himself 1 more chance in a debate - at least.
"If It Ain't Brokered, Don't Fix It" - $aint $arah from Wasilla wouldn't mind a brokered convention. I'm wondering if she knows what a brokered convention actually means & doesn't think it's some stock market thing. ;D Brokered conventions are a damn damn rare thing. Ugh...more math?! AUGH!
"An Exercise in Fertility" - The GOBP has established itself as anti - birth control; over half of American voters are women. So, the GOBP is still using THE TurdBlossom math. Ezra then reviewed the deal President Obama came up with. The GOBP still wants all companies to be able to use some sort of "conscious clause" thing to deny contraception coverage. And, over half of American voters are women. :) Rep. Jan Schakowsky gets birth control duty again like last week. She's downright gleeful at the MENSA party's latest doubling down! Senators Collins & Snowe have broken GOBP ranks on the birth control issue. The Catholic Hospital Association & Charities don't have a problem with the new contraception guidelines.
"Concession Stand" - GOBP in the House have caved on the payroll tax cut holiday. Another interpretation is that the GOBP can continue to hold unemployment benefits & doctor Medicare issues hostage. Brian Beutler gets to talk "It's a trap!" Senate Dems could reinsert the UI & doc fix back into anything passed in the House & have payroll tax cut fight part deux. This White House still thinks the GOBP will compromise in a "great spirit of 96" thing? {insert annoying buzzer here} WRONG!
Newt's on Facebook now, but I haven't gotten a friend request from him. How odd! ;D I think he left some stuff out of his profile.