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Cheese Sandwich

Cheese Sandwich's Journal
Cheese Sandwich's Journal
November 28, 2015

Hillary Clinton’s Meager Proposal to Help Holders of Student Debt

The biggest portion of debt relief in her plan is described in On Campus, “For those who already struggle with debt, the compact would feature refinancing to lower interest rates. Typical borrowers could save $2,000 over the life of their loans.” (emphasis added)

This part of Clinton’s “bold” solution provides the current typical debtor relief amounting to less than 7% of the current principal owed. With interest payments, the total eventually paid on a loan is far greater than the current average principal of over $30,000.

According to the Washington Post, Hillary Clinton disclosed that she: “…delivered 51 speeches in 2014 and the first three months of 2015, earning more than $11 million.”

That comes to over $215,000 a speech. If an average speech lasts an hour, and she is paid by the second, Clinton’s student debt plan offers the current average debtor relief of less money than she is paid speaking for 34 seconds.

Is Clinton’s student debt plan an example of her “bold solutions to help American workers and their families” who she supposedly champions?

Given what Clinton is offering to those who already struggle with debt, would one be wise to have concerns about her plans to provide meaningful solutions to any of our problems?
more: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/26/hillary-clintons-meager-proposal-to-help-holders-of-student-debt/
November 26, 2015

President Obama signs bill recognizing asteroid resource property rights into law

Planetary Resources, the asteroid mining company, applauds President Obama who signed the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (H.R. 2262) into law. This law recognizes the right of U.S. citizens to own asteroid resources they obtain and encourages the commercial exploration and utilization of resources from asteroids.

"This is the single greatest recognition of property rights in history," said Eric Anderson, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc. "This legislation establishes the same supportive framework that created the great economies of history, and will encourage the sustained development of space."

Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, Planetary Resources, Inc., said, "A hundred years from now, humanity will look at this period in time as the point in which we were able to establish a permanent foothold in space. In history, there has never been a more rapid rate progress than right now."

Peter Marquez, Vice President of Global Engagement, Planetary Resources, Inc., said, "Our nation's continued leadership and prosperity in space is enabled by this new law. Planetary Resources is grateful for the leadership shown by Congress in crafting this legislation and for President Obama signing H.R. 2262 into law. We applaud the members of Congress who have led this effort. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lamar Smith (R-TX), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Bill Posey (R-FL) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA) have been unwavering in their support and leadership for the growth of the U.S. economy into the Solar System."

Senator Rubio (R-FL) said, "Throughout our entire economy, we need to eliminate unnecessary regulations that cost too much and make it harder for American innovators to create jobs. The reforms included here make it easier for our innovators to return Americans to suborbital space and will help the American space industry continue pushing further into space than ever before. I'm proud the final bill includes proposals I had previously introduced in the Senate, including one related to commercial recovery of space resources. This bill is an important win for Florida's space coast and the entire space exploration community."
...
more: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/President_Obama_signs_bill_recognizing_asteroid_resource_property_rights_into_law_999.html

November 25, 2015

Even Democrats in Martin O'Malley's home state don't want him.

He was governor and mayor of the largest city. When the voters who know you best won't vote for you, that's a horrible recommendation. And there are reasons why. His record of using terroristic, abusive police tactics as mayor of Baltimore is part of the story.

* Only 7 percent of Maryland Democrats support Martin O'Malley for president, poll shows.

* 4 percent support of Democrats in Baltimore.

* Just 2 percent support in Baltimore County.




Marylanders continue to have a low level of support for former Gov. Martin O'Malley's presidential ambitions, a new poll for The Baltimore Sun and the University of Baltimore shows.

Only 7 percent of Maryland Democrats say they would vote for O'Malley for president, compared with 56 percent for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 23 percent for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

O'Malley has failed to break out of single digits anywhere in the country, including his home state. Opponents cite O'Malley's lackluster polling in the state he led for eight years to question his viability on the national stage.

O'Malley is supported by only 4 percent of Democrats in Baltimore, the city he once led as mayor for two terms, and just 2 percent of primary voters in nearby Baltimore County, the poll found.
...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-only-7-percent-of-maryland-democrats-support-martin-omalley-for-president-poll-shows--20151124-story.html
November 24, 2015

Hillary supporters are calling single payer health insurance a "pie in the sky" fantasy

Maybe they are just doing that to score political points against Sanders.

But it is a serious problem because by doing that they are actually convincing people that it is a pie in the sky fantasy. Except it's not a fantasy at all because Cananda has it and it works a lot better than what we've got.

Don't believe the hype. A national health insurance program is something worth fighting for. How hard would it be to pass? It will be a lot harder with Democrats fighting against it. With a President Hillary Clinton it would be impossible because she will actively work to crush the dream just like her supporters are doing right now.

November 24, 2015

Rojava's Democratic, Feminist Revolution a Source of Hope among Horror

Syria can seem an endless black hole of misery, but in the northern, largely Kurdish region of Rojava, it is also the scene of a profoundly democratic and humanist revolution, which places the rights of ethnic minorities and women’s liberation at its centre.

Ironically, given the horror that surrounds it, Rojava is the site of the most profound experiments on grassroots, participatory democracy outside of the revolutionary projects in Latin America. Like in Venezuela, the ideal of “the commune” is at the heart of Rojava’s burgeoning democracy.

The Rojavan revolution came to the world’s attention largely through the heroic resistance by the fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in defeating an Islamic State group siege on the Rojavan town of Kobane in January. But many have noted the profoundly revolutionary ideology that drives Rojavan freedom fighters - which they are seeking to put into practice amid great odds.

Rojava is a “liberated zone” in northern Syria that forms part of the traditional homeland of Kurdistan. The major political party is the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is ideologically aligned with the left-wing Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), based in Turkey.
...
more: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Rojavas-Democratic-Revolution-a-Source-of-Hope-among-Horror-20151119-0040.html
November 24, 2015

Nestle admits using slaves to catch seafood

Nestlé​ admits slavery and coercion used in catching its seafood
Global audit by the food giant finds abuse of workers who catch seafood from Thailand



Impoverished migrant workers in Thailand are sold or lured by false promises and forced to catch and process fish that ends up in global food giant Nestlé SA's supply chains.

The unusual disclosure comes from Geneva-based Nestlé​ SA itself, which in an act of self-policing planned to announce the conclusions of its yearlong internal investigation on Monday. The study found virtually all U.S. and European companies buying seafood from Thailand are exposed to the same risks of abuse in their supply chains.

Nestlé​ SA, among the biggest food companies in the world, launched the investigation in December 2014, after reports from news outlets and nongovernmental organizations tied brutal and largely unregulated working conditions to their shrimp, prawns and Purina brand pet foods. Its findings echo those of The Associated Press in reports this year on slavery in the seafood industry that have resulted in the rescue of more than 2,000 fishermen.

Labourers from poor countries

The labourers come from Thailand's much poorer neighbours Myanmar and Cambodia. Brokers illegally charge them fees to get jobs, trapping them into working on fishing vessels and at ports, mills and seafood farms in Thailand to pay back more money than they can ever earn.

"Sometimes, the net is too heavy and workers get pulled into the water and just disappear. When someone dies, he gets thrown into the water," one Burmese worker told the non-profit organization Verité commissioned by Nestle.
...
more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/nestle-seafood-thailand-1.3331127
November 24, 2015

Killer Mike Delivers Powerful Speech At Bernie Sanders Rally In Atlanta




"I have no time... to relive the Reagan years.

I have no desire to see us elect our own Margaret Thatcher.

I am here as a propenent for a political revolution that says health care is a right of every citizen.

I am here because working class and poor people deserve a chance at economic freedom."







Edit:spelling
November 23, 2015

Rapper Killer Mike Has A Political History Way Beyond Endorsing Bernie Sanders For President



Before he takes the stage for his rally in Atlanta on Monday, Bernie Sanders will be introduced by rapper Killer Mike. It may seem like a random pairing, but the local musician has firmly backed Sanders for months, and this isn't just another celebrity endorsement — that wouldn't be Sanders' style. Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Render, is not only known for his music. Render has long been been involved in politics, having appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher, Fox, and CNN. And looking at his strong views on racial discrimination and criminal justice reform, it makes complete sense why he'd be introducing Sanders in his hometown of Atlanta.

Concluding a two-day trip through Georgia, Sanders will take the stage at Atlanta's Fox Theater on Monday evening for a campaign rally open to the public. The previous day, Sanders visited Savannah, where he received an introduction from Mayor Edna Jackson, who praised his longtime dedication to ending discrimination. On Monday night, Render will likely give Sanders a similar introduction, given the musician's own involvement with race issues. Over the last year, as the Black Lives Matter movement emerged and took shape after Ferguson, Render has become a prominent pundit in discussions on racial injustice, police reform, and gun violence. And he even attempted to get off the sidelines by foraying into politics with a state legislature run.

Here's a full look at Killer Mike's political history and how it aligns with Sanders' own mission to end racial injustice...

more: http://www.bustle.com/articles/125728-rapper-killer-mike-has-a-political-history-way-beyond-endorsing-bernie-sanders-for-president

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