January 26, 2015

Shrunken middle class

The middle class has literally shrunk. NYT: "In the late 1960s, more than half of the households in the United States were squarely in the middle, earning, in today's dollars, $35,000 to $100,000 a year. Few people noticed or cared as the size of that group began to fall, because the shift was primarily caused by more Americans climbing the economic ladder into upper-income brackets. But since 2000, the middle-class share of households has continued to narrow, the main reason being that more people have fallen to the bottom. At the same time, fewer of those in this group fit the traditional image of a married couple with children at home, a gap increasingly filled by the elderly."

http://caf.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MvYxVmwDuXIffnznJqdzXx23ndgk1zqb

January 26, 2015

Bad news f/ Idaho amphibians...& school kids

Yet again, Idaho Repubs use fear of the federal gov't to deny school children's request f/ a state amphibian.

"It is a mistake to ever overestimate the ignorance of the Idaho legislature" - herpetologist Frank Lundberg

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/tough-luck-salamanders-idaho?cid=eml_mra_20150125

@maddow at MSNBC

January 25, 2015

Pro-union band Dropkick Murphy's msg to Gov Walker

Gov Walker, stop using our music. "We literally hate you."

Wonder if they can sue...

January 25, 2015

Physics of "deflategate"

Several articles from a science site:

Mark Lee Rollins for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Even though it seems like it, this isn't the first time football pressure or football contents have been called into question. In 2012, USC was actually fined for intentionally deflating footballs. This year, even, the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings were warned about modifying footballs. Then go back to the 1976 Pro Bowl, there was a theory (since debunked) that the Oakland Raiders put Helium in their footballs for better hang time! Regarding the recent allegations against the New England Patriots, according to ESPN, 11 of the 12 game balls were found to be underinflated by about 2 pounds each. The NFL specifications say a football must be inflated to 12-1/2 to 13-/12 pounds per square inch. However, the NFL does say the "Referee shall be the sole judge as to whether all balls offered for play comply with these specifications. A pump is to be furnished by the home club, and the balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until...

More articles from PhysicsNews:

http://www.physnews.com/materials-news/cluster1123337331/

January 25, 2015

OK. I give up. What's "DU Rec"?

January 25, 2015

GOP shows true colos - eliminates .civil rights'

GOP shows its true colors...

UPDATED: GOP Deletes 'Civil Rights And Human Rights' From Subcommittee's Name

Sen Chuck Grassley, chair of Senate Judiciary, "along with the subcommittee's new Chair, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, have changed the name of the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil and Human Rights to the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution."

Rest of article here:

http://tinyurl.com/l245y5x


#GOPfearsdemocracy

January 24, 2015

SCOTUS, 4th Amendment & traffic stops

SCOTUS is heari.g 2 cases for which they have virtually no connection - on when cops can stop your car.

I ran across 2 articles on the issue.

#SCOTUS Upholds Auto Stop With No Traffic Violation

http://shar.es/1bilZL
__

Sotomayor to Justice Department Lawyer: 'We Can't Keep Bending the Fourth Amendment to the Resources of Law Enforcement' | Reason.com

http://reason.com/blog/2015/01/22/sotomayor-to-justice-department-lawyer-w

The Roberts Court is determined to shred civil rights, probably on a string of 5-4 decisions...

January 23, 2015

Anti-tax, pro-biz hypocracy of Republicans

Repubs campaigned on the economy but their first order of business was to ramp up their war on women with a spate of anti-abortion bills. But the depth of their bait-and-switch is hidden. An obscure provision in their anti-abortion-funding bill would raise taxes on small businesses.

More here:

House Republicans Pass Secret Tax Increase On Small Business In Abortion Funding Ban Bill

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/22/house-republicans-pass-secret-tax-increase-small-business-abortion-funding-ban-bill.html

January 23, 2015

Richest 1% will own more than rest combined by 2016

Title pretty much says all it needs to about inequality..

http://alj.am/1GjOqYh

via @ajam

January 23, 2015

Voter suppression should be unconstitutional

Since the GOP apparently fears democracy, voter suppression has become SOP for them. It seems unthinkable that our founders didn't include a fundamental right to vote in the body of the Constitution. Maybe it was the influence if John Adams and his elitist ilk who thought the general public was incapable of making such decisions.

This country has proven its hypocracy, as in being so adamant that all Iraqis got to vote as Repubs were writing bills to ensure millions here were deprived of that essential-for-democracy act.

It's way past time we corrected that.

"Democrats Propose Constitutional Amendment to Recognize Voting As A Fundamental Right"

http://politicususa.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=522f85d70e88c4caace8df597&id=ed503025e2&e=b3b8b34f96