Should Chicago Boycott Fox News?

Posted by admin on October 4, 2009 under Politics, Presidency, Sports, news | Read the First Comment

Chicago just recently lost it’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic games. There were no shortage of supporters for their cause, ranging from celebrities like Oprah, to politicians like President Obama, to local city merchants and plain old sports fans. And as you can see from this NY Times photo, the disappointment when the announcement was made was palpable.

Sadly there were also no shortage of detractors, ranging from Glenn Beck & Fox News, to Rush Limbaugh and the Drudge Report. These people felt it was more important to damage the reputation of one of America’s great cities, so that it might in some insignificant way tarnish the reputation of our President. Wow. How patriotic can you not be, while simultaneously wrapping yourself in the flag?

These are the same people who wouldn’t brook any slight to President Bush during wartime, calling the Dixie Chicks traitors for example. Yet now some like Sarah Palin are doing the exact same thing the Chicks did, insulting the President on foreign soil during wartime. Where is the outrage from the right wing pundits now? I’ll tell you where, nowhere. It’s non-existant.

Sadly this double standard from the far right is just too common to be newsworthy.

This gang of ideologues has damaged the reputation of America, and all patriotic Americans should be offended by their behavior.

High Speed Rail in US?

Posted by admin on February 17, 2009 under Congress, Economy, Presidency, Science, news | 3 Comments to Read

Buried in the $800 Billion stimulus package is $8 Billion for high speed rail in the United States. It’s the most serious investment in commuter rail service in the nations history.

Additionally President Obama intends to ask for a further $1 Billion a year for high speed rail in his budget request to congress, starting with the 2010 budget.

High speed rail was one of Obama’s campaign pledges, speaking in Indiana during the campaign he said:

“The time is right now for us to start thinking about high-speed rail as an alternative to air transportation connecting all these cities. And think about what a great project that would be in terms of rebuilding America.”(Source)

Despite this campaign pledge apparently Congressional Republicans apparently overlooked the importance of High Speed Rail to the president as they tried to stymie all the major projects that the President was looking for such as building new schools, or modernizing the energy grid.

Senators Snowe and Collins of Maine and Specter of Pennsylvania, Republican moderates who had criticized Obama’s school construction program were more accepting of the rail funds, since the Northeast corridor is a major beneficiary of rail improvements.

Rahm Emanuel said of the rail provision, “the president wanted to have a signature issue in the bill, his commitment for the future.” (Source)