Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama and 43 of his fellow Senators are leading the charge to strip the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) of any meaningful authority. My prediction: The big banks will completely defang or defund the CFPB.
According to this report by Jena McGregor of the Washington Post,
lack of sleep led not just to poor performance on tasks that require “innovative thinking, risk analysis, and strategic planning”—though studies have shown all those to be true—but also to increased deviant and unethical behavior in both groups. Examples included rudeness, inappropriate responses and attempts to take more money than they’d earned.
Cenk Ugyur reports on the new proposal for unfettered circumvention of current law. "In 2010 alone, GOP congress members received more than $58,797,874 in contribution from the financial industry. They are not your representatives. They are the representatives of the multinational corporations who buy them." At 2:30 of the video, Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the relatively few members of Congress with any scruples, discusses the need to "take apart" Citizens United, including the need to pass a constitutional amendment pointing out that a corporation is not a person. At 4:00, see the arrogant quote by Republican James Bopp, who believes that money runs everything and that there is no way for the people to fight back. We need to "educate and organize." Sanders argues that there is to fight this corruption using a grass roots movement. How genuine are the philosophical arguments of the politicians who are seeking the free flow of money from big corporations to politicians? See Sanders' discussion at 7:00. Ugyur aims his arrows at Republicans but Sanders, the only Independent representative sitting in the Senate, points out the problem extends to Democrats too.
There are many reasons why I wouldn't recommend proposing to someone at center court during halftime at a basketball game. Here's one of those reasons:
Valentines Day Proposal Goes Wrong - Watch more Funny Videos
What a line: "The young man will probably get over it in ten or twelve years or so."
And here's another reminder that marriages are no laughing matter.
According to TPM, Russ Feingold has accused both Democrats and Republicans of backing "corporate interests in Congress by opposing an executive order under discussion in the White House that would require government contractors to reveal their political donations."
This culture of corporate influence and corruption is precisely what we as Progressives United want to change," he wrote. "So we've decided to take on those legislators who are unwilling to stand up to corporate power, and we're naming names." The names included House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO). In addition, the email targeted Sens. Mitch McConnell, (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Rep. Darrell Issa, (R-CA).We need far more of this plain talk that transcends party politics. Who is letting Wall Street commit its crimes? Who is allowing telecom megamergers that threaten consumers? Who is allowing an unaccountably enormous military budget to drain the treasury instead of investing in the people of America? It's members of both parties, it's shameful and it's got to stop. I applaud Russ Feingold's courage in speaking out.