background preloader

Politics!

Facebook Twitter

5 Ways to Spot a B.S. Political Story in Under 10 Seconds. An election year is a shit blizzard.

5 Ways to Spot a B.S. Political Story in Under 10 Seconds

Every place you go for news online -- whether it's portal sites like Reddit, or aggregators like Google News or Yahoo! Kustom_Kitten: @iamrashidajones Akin's knowledge... Rebecca Juro: Reality Check: Why Marriage Needs to Take a Backseat to Workplace Rights. It never ceases to amaze me how the wealthier portions of the LGBT community and their political allies continue to try to promote the fallacy, indeed the out-and-out lie, that same-sex marriage has become a mainstream value in America, one we as community should be focusing the bulk of our energies on.

Rebecca Juro: Reality Check: Why Marriage Needs to Take a Backseat to Workplace Rights

Anyone who looks at the numbers and the history with a truly unbiased eye knows that this is patently untrue, that in reality nationwide same-sex marriage is still nothing more than a fantasy in modern America and likely will continue to be so for a long time to come. In order to really make progress on the marriage-rights front, the first thing that needs to be accomplished is leveling the economic playing field. The reasons should be obvious to anyone who's been paying attention. It Makes Economic Sense Right now, the primary concern for most lower- and middle-class Americans, regardless of sexuality or gender identity, is jobs. It Makes Political Sense It's Just Plain Common Sense. Pot Legalization Goes Federal. Feb 8, 2013 4:31pm Image credit: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images A new effort is under way in Congress to legalize marijuana.

Pot Legalization Goes Federal

After Colorado and Washington became the first two states to approve the sale and use of pot, marijuana advocates are turning their eye toward the federal government – something they don’t often do. Members of Congress will introduce between eight and 10 bills to roll back federal marijuana restrictions and levy new taxes. The first two were introduced this week by two liberal members of Congress. Polis’s bill, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, would remove marijuana from the list of banned substances under the Controlled Substances Act and regulate pot under a renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. Did gun control work in Australia? By Dylan Matthews August 2, 2012 John Howard, who served as prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, is no one's idea of a lefty.

Did gun control work in Australia?

He was one of George W. Bush's closest allies, enthusiastically backing the Iraq intervention, and took a hard line domestically against increased immigration and union organizing (pdf). On Wednesday, Howard took to the Melbourne daily the Age to call on the United States, in light of the Aurora, Colo., massacre, to follow in Australia's footsteps. "There are many American traits which we Australians could well emulate to our great benefit," he concluded. So what have the Australian laws actually done for homicide and suicide rates?

The paper also estimated that buying back 3,500 guns per 100,000 people results in a 35 to 50 percent decline in the homicide rate, but because of the low number of homicides in Australia normally, this finding isn't statistically significant. States’ Leaders Proposing Steps to Control Guns. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times Gun opponents held a vigil in front of the White House.

States’ Leaders Proposing Steps to Control Guns

At the Capitol, some Republicans expressed support for new policies. The reactions were considerably more broad-based than what had followed previous mass shootings, coming from Republicans as well as Democrats, from gun control advocates and those who have favored gun rights in the past, and even from the corporate and retail worlds. Proponents of stricter controls on firearms said they were cautiously optimistic that, perhaps this time, something concrete and lasting would be enacted. In California, Democratic leaders introduced legislation that would mandate background checks and one-year permits for anyone who wanted to buy ammunition there.

“The N.R.A. is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to make sure this never happens again,” the statement said. More Young Americans Are Homeless. Now, with what he calls “lowered standards” and a tenuous new position at a Jack in the Box restaurant, Mr. Taylor, 24, does not make enough to rent an apartment or share one. He sleeps on a mat in a homeless shelter, except when his sister lets him crash on her couch. “At any time I could lose my job, my security,” said Mr. Taylor, explaining how he was always the last hired and the first fired. “I’d like to be able to support myself. Across the country, tens of thousands of underemployed and jobless young people, many with college credits or work histories, are struggling to house themselves in the wake of the recession, which has left workers between the ages of 18 and 24 with the highest unemployment rate of all adults. Those who can move back home with their parents — the so-called boomerang set — are the lucky ones.

These young adults are the new face of a national homeless population, one that poverty experts and case workers say is growing. Mr. Two months ago, Mr. Mr. 90 DAYS, 90 REASONS.