Patriot Acts | Catherine Crier

Archive for Patriot Acts

Polling Suggest 66% of Americans Want Increased Spending on Public Transportation

September 16, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Major investment in our national infrastructure is essential for economic growth at home and abroad. Polling conducted by the NRDC suggests that 66% of Americans want increased government spending on transportation and are willing to pay for it by way of increased sales tax or tolls.

Despite incontrovertible evidence that trickle-down economics is a sham, Republican legislators insist on tax cut extensions (or even more cuts) for the wealthiest Americans but refuse to invest in 21st-century transportation/infrastructure. Why is this? Your thoughts!

From The Hill

Category: congress, economics, national budget, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics / Tags: americans, economics, highway tolls, infrastructure, national budget, nrdc, public transportation, republican, sales tax, trickle-down

Vast Discrepancies Between Defense and State Department Funding

September 15, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Diplomacy is a critical arm of our national security, yet there are more people in our military marching bands than in the State Department’s Foreign Service. In light of Tuesday’s tragic events in Benghazi, isn’t it about time we address the vast discrepancies between the annual budgets for the Defense Department ($614B) and the State Department ($51.6B)?

Our national security policies affect every aspect of our society—culturally, politically, and economically. Americans will always rally to defend this great nation, but a true patriot never fears a serious debate about the methods we use to accomplish this vital mission.

Dilan Samo holds a picture of slain U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens during a candlelight vigil outside the Libyan Embassy in New York City. Stevens was killed Sept. 11 during an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, by a mob angered about a film that mocked the prophet Mohammed.Photo By John Minchillo, AP

From Salon.com

Category: journalism, Military, national budget, Patriot Acts, religion, war / Tags: Africa, benghazi, christopher stevens, embassy, libya, Protests, state department, us consulate, violence

Corporate Lobbying Firm ALEC Now Sponsoring Overtly Political Events with the RSC

September 13, 2012 / Catherine Crier / One comment

The revolving door between Capital Hill, the lobbying sector, and corporate jobs is out of control. Unaccountable corporate lobbyists write laws, draft budgets, and create policies that protect personal and business interests.

As Bill Clinton might say, ‘It takes brass ones’. While claiming tax-exemption as a 501(c)3 charity, the corporate lobbying group ALEC is sponsoring overtly political events with the Republican Study Committee. Where’s the outrage? Where’s the IRS?

From Salon

Category: campaign finance reform, capitalism, catherine crier, congress, cronyism, hypocrisy, journalism, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics / Tags: 501(3)c, alec, american legislative exchange council, capital hill, congress, corporate lobbying, corporations, gop, Lobbying, nonprofit, republican party, republican study committee, RSC, tax exemption

Institute of Medicine Report Highlights $750B in Unnecessary Healthcare Spending

September 12, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

After years of corporate abuse, there can be no alternative to a government payer health care system without private sector reforms. According to an Institute of Medicine report, wasteful spending and inefficient uses of technology accounted for $750 billion in unnecessary health expenditures last year.

This system is bankrupting our nation morally, financially, and physically. As discussed in Patriot Acts, until we address core issues—why our costs are so high, why our outcomes are so poor, and why, as a nation, we’re in such bad shape—there can be no meaningful reform.

From The Washington Post

Category: capitalism, catherine crier, economics, health care, journalism, national budget, Patriot Acts, politics / Tags: affordable care act, care, government payer, health, health care, healthcare, institute of medicine, obamacare, patriot acts, single payer

Anti-Government Domestic Terrorists Are A Real Threat to Our Republic

August 30, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

As inflammatory rhetoric and ideological warfare threaten the very pillars of democracy, true patriots must join the battle armed with facts, not deadly weapons and destructive plots. Anti-government “Patriot” groups that engage in domestic terrorism are a real threat to our Republic.

Read this story from Huffington Post Crime about an anarchist militia group under indictment in Georgia, then take a look at the DHS report on Muslim extremism and home grown terrorists discussed in the Economist. Notice any similarities?

From The Huffington Post

Category: congress, education, hypocrisy, Military, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics, religion, war / Tags: Armed Forces, Crime News, Militia, Right-Wing Extremists, Soliders Plot Overthrow Federal Government, Soliders Terror Plot, terrorism, u.s. military, Video

3D printing could offer criminals easy access to homemade guns.

August 20, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Think gun shows are bad? How about a future in which guns can be manufactured from the comfort of one’s home for about $30 dollars in ABS plastic filament? Recently, an American gun forum user may have become the first person in the world to construct and shoot over 200 rounds of a semi-automatic rifle that was partially built using 3D printed plastic.

It’s only a matter of time before this technology will grant nearly anyone with a 3D printer unfettered access to weapons of mass killing. Only by having a serious discussion about the uses of guns in America can we come to a reasonable conclusion about what we can do to significantly reduce gun violence throughout the nation.

From Wired’s Danger Room

Category: catherine crier, journalism, Patriot Acts, war / Tags: 3d printer, 3d printing, abs plastic, gun control, gun violence, guns, homemade guns, semi-automatic

Two “Dark Money” Groups Outspending All Super PACs Combined

August 18, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

A recent ProPublica analysis of political spending shows the two largest non-profit super PACs, Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS and the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, have outspent all other super PACs combined. Our political process has been so corrupted by anonymous corporate money that public campaign funding must be implemented to save American democracy.

Our elected officials and judges know how corrosive big money is, yet they refuse to reform campaign finance laws for fear of losing political advantage. What are your thoughts on how super PAC money will affect the billion dollar 2012 presidential election?

From Kim Barker, Propublica

Category: campaign finance reform, capitalism, catherine crier, congress, cronyism, economics, hypocrisy, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics / Tags: afp, americans for prosperity, Citizens United, crossroads, dark money, election 2012, karl rove, koch, koch brothers, presidential election 2012, super pac, super pacs

Conservative scholars disown attempts to rewrite our nation’s religious history.

August 16, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Our founders knew religion provided invaluable moral and ethical instruction, but they established a secular, not religious, government. Their writings or public remarks that allegedly “prove” America was founded as a Christian nation are, instead, comments on the valuable role religion plays in a civilized society.

David Barton and WallBusters have been promoting anti-secular pseudo-scholarship for over two decades in an attempt to rewrite our nation’s religious history. Now, even conservative Christian scholars have had enough. The following article details the fallout over Barton’s most recent book, The Jefferson Lies. What are your thoughts on American historical revisionism taking place today?

From The Daily Beast

Category: catherine crier, education, hypocrisy, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics, religion / Tags: anti-secularism, conservatism, david barton, evangelical, founders, framers, jefferson lies, republican, secularism, separation of church and state, the jefferson lies

ICYMI: The Ed Show

August 15, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

In the last 48 hours, the Romney campaign has several times refused to give GOP voters a direct response on a coordinated Romney/Ryan tax policy. This, along with Ryan’s Medicare plan, are just two of the many issues shaping the GOP ticket that will cause a divide among Republican constituents.

On Tuesday, August 14, I joined Ed Schultz, Joy Reid, and Susan Del Percio on MSNBC’s Ed Show to weigh in on the Paul Ryan VP pick. Watch the clip below and share your thoughts on my Facebook page.

Republicans in Washington are comparing the Paul Ryan VP pick to "the day the music died." Is the Romney-Ryan ticket a real loser? The Big Panel (Joy Reid of the thegrio.com, Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, and attorney and author Catherine Crier) weighs in that.

From The Ed Show

Category: catherine crier, Mitt Romney, msnbc, Patriot Acts, politics / Tags: ed schultz, ed show, joy reid, medicare, Mitt Romney, msnbc, paul ryan, romney, romney 2012, ryan, susan del percio

ICYMI: PoliticsNation on MSNBC

August 14, 2012 / Catherine Crier / One comment

Paul Ryan may prove to be a hazardous running mate as the Romney campaign pushes forward on the campaign trail. Working class Republicans – when they really pay attention to the Ryan budget plan – are going to be extremely nervous about the economic possibilities that come with a Romney/Ryan ticket. Conversely, many economic conservatives will find themselves very uncomfortable with some of Ryan’s relatively radical social positions.

On Monday, August 13, I joined Reverend Al Sharpton and Margie Omero on PoliticsNation to discuss the latest feedback on Romney’s choice of running mate. Watch the clip below for a more in-depth analysis of what it is going to take for the Romney campaign to consolidate its base without ostracizing conservatives on the fence.

From PoliticsNation

Category: catherine crier, congress, economics, Mitt Romney, msnbc, national budget, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics / Tags: al sharpton, catherine crier, election 2012, Mitt Romney, msnbc, paul ryan, politicsnation, representative paul ryan, ryan, ryan pick, veep, vice-president, vp pick

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