I need to take care of a little business first before we go onward & upward. This week's diary schedule will be abbreviated because I am the head dharma teacher at a retreat this upcoming weekend at the Indianapolis Zen Center. I'll be there bright & early Friday morning, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning; I'm talking getting up earlier for the retreat than what I have to do for work! So, there will be diaries tonight, tomorrow night, and Wednesday night only. Both diaries will make their triumphant return to the Daily Kos ether nets on Monday, Sept. 26.
Let's go onto "this day in history." On Sept. 19, 1911, Sir William Golding, author of the novel Lord of the Flies, was born. Let's maroon some chicken $hit chicken hawks on a desert island & see how many of them end up like Piggy. On this date in 2008, AMC's Mad Men became the first basic-cable show to win a top series Emmy award. AND, they won again last night! :D Jeremy Irons is 63 today! I don't care if he's old enough to be my father; I'd hit that! ;D
Let's Countdown!
And, David Shuster is pinch - hitting again - thank you fellow "Hoosier!"
#5 "Simple Math" AKA "Read My Lips" AKA "Do the Math" - President Obama's deficit reduction plan calls for tax increases for the super rich or the Buffet Rule - not Jimmy...Warren. ;D Uh, is this the same President Obama that caved on the GWB tax cuts? He also vowed to veto any plan that made life more difficult for the non - super rich "we, the people" without revenue increases on the other side. The GOBP, of course, is playing the class warfare crying game, but I doubt many of them have had to make the choice between rent & medicine or the electric bill or groceries. So, those criers can just shut the spark up! President Obama actually sort of laid the blame of the current deficit at the foot of the aforementioned GOBP! YIKES! Who's this guy, and what's this guy done with President Obama?! Here are some of the nuts & bolts of President Obama's plan. Allowing the GWB tax cuts to expire (believe that when I see it) will bring in $866 billion of revenue. Limiting deductions for those earning more than $250K/year will bring in $410 billion. Closing loopholes in tax law and special interest tax breaks (again believe that when I see it) will bring in $300 billion. $250 billion will be brought in by tinkering with subsidies, pensions, and benefit cuts (makes me nervous). $1.1 trillion will be saved by drawdowns in Iraq & Afghanistan (yet again believe it when I see it). Reducing Medicare overpayments will bring in $248 billion. I thought HCR was supposed to take care of that. "Other" health & Medicare savings will bring in $72 billion. Interest savings will bring in another $430 billion. Speaker Sobber & Rep. Cantor are still trying the trickle down argument that we're just getting rained on instead of pi$$ed on. President Clinton saw the GOBP whining before they even began. ;D Rep. Dennis Kucinich is here to talk the deficit plan. Wow, he actually sort of liked what President Obama had to say? Rep. Kucinich's on my $hit list for voting down the way less oogie HCR & voting yes on the way worse one. He's got misgivings about the Iraq/Afghanistan savings by drawing down. Yea, I'm not sure that drawdown will come as quickly as people want. Rep. Kucinich wants a major jobs program announcement soonest. He also wants cuts to Medicare & Medicaid to be made very carefully. Jeff Madrick's in studio to talk the economics of President Obama's plan. He thinks President Obama's numbers add up but is concerned about all this budget balancing talk. He also LOVES that fact that the whole raising the Medicare eligibility age talk went buh - bye.
#4 "Class Act" AKA "Keepin' It Class - Y" - "This is not class warfare; it's math." OK, that line was pretty stinkin' good - even though I think math's Satan's spawn myself. I guess the GOBP agrees with me! ;D Karl Frisch gets class warfare duty, and he looks like he's ready for it. :D And, he NAILED it; it's only class warfare because the non - super rich are fighting back! Boss Limbaugh & his ilk don't want their taxes to go up to get this nation out of the economic $hitter. AND, I'm dyin' to know where all the jobs are that were created with GWB's tax cuts! Dems & "progressives" are pretty excited after today.
"Time Marches On!" - The guy who normally hosts Countdown was with Bill Maher Friday night. What's his name again? ;D Whats - His - Name's with Craig Ferguson tonight.
#3 "Hacks" AKA "Settling the Scandal?" - Pirate Rupert & his minions are trying to pay off people who've been wronged in the phone hacking, and they sure as $hit didn't want Alec Baldwin mentioning it on the Emmys last night! Ari Rabin - Havt wrote a story revealing that the WSJ & other "media" outlets owned by the aforementioned pirate have responded to the scandal by attacking critics. Huh, THAT sounds familiar! Nearly $5 million has been offered to the family of the young girl in Britain that was murdered.
#2 "School's Out" AKA "School Ain't Cool" - Oh David, dear. Being smart as POTUS being a good thing went out with GWB. Everyone wanted to have a beer with him, remember? Governor Secession joked about being a moran the other day. AND, I'm still waiting for the chance to see $aint $arah from Wasilla's transcripts - all 6 of them! I wonder if a FIA request would cover that? I wouldn't mind seeing Bat$hit Bachmann's transcripts, either; at least she doesn't have 6 of them. ;D O...M...G...listening to "that woman" kills brain cells. Can I charge her for that crime?!
#1 "Here's Michele!" AKA "Len - Owned" - So, we had Bat$hit Bachmann VS. Jay Leno - wow, 2 people I'm not crazy about. Well, at least Jay ain't bat$hit; he also ain't funny. OK, I can't listen to her. Andy Borowitz gets Bat$hit duty. Did Bat$hit accuse Jay of being blind - sided or ambushed or something - by JAY LENO?! No one has found the woman who supposedly made the mental retardation claim to Bat$hit down in FL.