Beck Spreads Myths About Food Safety Bill

Beck Spreads Myths About Food Safety Bill

Glenn Beck distorted a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate to claim that food-safety legislation would mean "higher taxes for you," baselessly claimed the bill would drive up food costs, and underplayed concerns about food safety. Beck demonized the legislation as a George Soros-backed effort to "control you."
Beck distorts CBO report to claim legislation means "higher taxes for you"

Beck: Food Safety Modernization Act "will mean higher taxes for you." During the November 29 edition of his Fox News show, Glenn Beck claimed that the Food Safety Modernization Act is "going to mean higher taxes for you as well. Congressional Budget Office estimates between $1.4 billion and up, between 2011 and 2015." Beck said the bill represented a George Soros-backed effort to "control your food" and "control you." [Glenn Beck, 11/29/10]

FACT: CBO said the bill would "increase spending subject to appropriation" -- not taxes. In its cost estimate of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the CBO wrote, "CBO estimates that implementing the bill with the manager's amendment would increase spending subject to appropriation, on net, by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2015 period, assuming annual appropriation action consistent with the bill." [Congressional Budget Office, 8/12/10]

FACT: CBO said the bill would authorize collection of fees from food manufacturers -- not "higher taxes for you." In its cost estimate, CBO reported:

S. 510 would amend and modify the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to authorize the FDA to collect fees to help defray some of the FDA's costs of performing food safety activities. The bill would create new fee programs including: a facility reinspection and recall fee program for mandatory recalls, an importer fee program for voluntary qualified entities, and a fee program to support accreditation of third-party auditors.

The legislation also would authorize the FDA to collect fees for food (including animal feed) export certificates under the current export certification program. Fees are currently collected for drugs and devices that are issued export certifications.

Fees authorized by the bill would be collected and made available for obligation only to the extent and in the amounts provided in advance in appropriation acts. As a result, those collections would be credited as an offset to discretionary spending.[Congressional Budget Office, 8/12/10]

Beck baselessly claims bill will result in higher grocery prices

Beck: The cost to "you at the grocery story" is "expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars every year." From the November 29 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

BECK: Cost to the private sector -- you know, you at the grocery store? Now, they haven't calculated that yet, but it is expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

FACT: Michigan State University professor says bill "isn't likely to make a huge dent" in food prices. As Media Matters documented, Craig Harris of the Food Safety Policy Center at Michigan State University reportedly said that the bill is unlikely to raise consumers' food costs..

Beck is a fine example of the totalitarian propagandist thinking that dominates conservatism. They can't win an argument without lying, so lying it is. The food safety bill passed and we're all better off for it.

Obama is The Worse Socialist Ever

Most conservatives in between cashing their subsidy checks and collecting government health care benefits like to blab endlessly about how Democrats are turning the country into a socialist utopia. Socialism has been defined as "Socialism is an economic and political theory advocating public or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources." According to recent economic reports Obama and Democrats are thus either the worse socialists ever or Republicans are the same old lying scumbags they have always been - Corporations Post Record Profits As Republicans Call For Eliminating The ‘Insidious’ Corporate Income Tax

Conservatives’ attempts to portray corporations as victims in this economy is dubious for two reasons. First, despite right-wing misinformation, American corporations actually already pay far less in taxes than those in other industrialized nations:


In fact, because of tax havens and other loopholes, many mega-corporations actually pay little to no taxes. The most recent high-profile example is Google, which has used income shifting and other tactics to reduce its effective tax rate to 2.4 percent. General Electric went a step even further. The company not only avoided all corporate income taxes last year, but actually recorded a tax benefit of $1.1 billion.

Secondly, despite the myths that corporate taxes are “strangling” business, and that President Obama is “anti-business,” a report released today from the Commerce Department shows that American companies actually brought in record profits during the last quarter. With an annual profit rate of $1.66 trillion, the third quarter of this year produced “the highest figure recorded since the government began keeping track over 60 years ago.”

Still record profits are likely not enough to convince conservatives that corporations have it just fine in the U.S.. Even apologizing to mega-corporations that just dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico isn’t enough. Right-wingers like Gohmert and Ryan will not be satisfied until we give tax-free status to all corporations.

Republicans are lying about the healthy profits of corporate America and Obama because they lack integrity - that is a given - but also because since they have no ideas and proved they cannot govern ( remember the anemic job growth of 2000 to 2008) they must rule by fear. Even more pathetic is they have to manufacture the lies to create the fear. What America should fear is the truth about the contempt with which Republican hold Democracy and a modern regulated capitalism that works instead of crashes.

The Best Conservative Hack Pundits

The Best Conservative Hack Pundits

George Will is a sanctimonious moralist, a pretentious hypocrite, a congenital liar and a boring pundit, to boot. In these days of red-faced screaming weirdos like Glenn Beck and obvious dolts like Sean Hannity, Will can seem like a harmless throwback to a calmer era in political discourse, but don't let his demeanor fool you: The guy's as utterly amoral as the loudest talk radio shouter, and he's a living example of the truth that there's never any punishment for bad behavior in punditland.

Ever since he stole Jimmy Carter's briefing book, used it to coach Ronald Reagan before a debate, and then appeared on ABC to pronounce Reagan the winner of the debate, Will's been a consummate hack.

He expressed his revulsion at those hick Clintons: "Having vulgarians like the Clintons conspicuous in government must further coarsen American life." Meanwhile he stepped out on his wife back in the '80s, and she responded by throwing all his stuff on the lawn with a note reading, "Take it somewhere else, buster."

He gets away with a lot because he's smart enough to know that occasionally going off the reservation and criticizing the party only makes your position stronger (as long as you're in no danger of being thrown out of the movement entirely, as someone without Will's rich history of service might be). So he criticizes Bush on Iraq and trashes Palin. He also lies about climate change, just because lying about it is what Republicans are supposed to do, and instead of removing Will from their stable of columnists -- or even correcting his columns -- the Washington Post just publishes other columns pointing out that Will lied, thus presenting the reader with "both sides" of the issue.

And his baseball writing is so bad as to defy parody.

Repeat offenses: Dishonesty, feints toward "reasonableness" while remaining doctrinaire Republican, repetition, hypocrisy.

John Fund

That generally sober and good newspaper has had a decidedly silly opinion page for so long that no one really bothers to question it anymore. Perhaps the corporate titans who rely on the Journal's in-depth reportage really need the soothing balm of comfortable lies after pages of hard truths about their soulless work. But regardless of why, the Wall Street Journal editorial page is designed to present a fantasyland in which the rich are always right, and always beset on all sides by the greedy masses and confiscatory Uncle Sam. John Fund, ghostwriter of Rush Limbaugh's "The Way Things Ought to Be," was an editor at that opinion page for years, and has been a columnist there ever since.

His modus operandi is wholly unremarkable. Fund just picks the latest stupid Republican outrage (voter fraud! Black Panthers! ACORN!) and dutifully lies about it, using predictable talking points and the requisite Monday Meeting spin.

Repeat offenses: Constant shameless lying.

There are more at the head link. Amazing these pathetic serial liars, hypocrites and professional propagandists shape not just public opinion, but the general drift of what people talk about. Facts and morals are generally strangled all for the sake of the conservative movement.

Glenn Beck Promotes Socialism to West Point Cadets

Glenn Beck Promotes Socialism to West Point Cadets

On his show last Friday, Glenn Beck did something quite unusual for a guy who makes his living scaring people into thinking that America is on the road to communism -- he promoted an idea straight out of the Paris Commune of 1871, an idea considered by the Commune to be a necessary stepping stone in the transition from capitalism to socialism to communism. And, to make it even more special, Beck did this before a studio audience of West Point cadets and faculty members.

Now, the fact that West Point allowed a group of uniformed academy cadets and faculty to be used as props by Beck is a serious matter in itself, and I'll get to that in a minute, but Beck, in his zeal to slam Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, unknowingly promoting a core step towards socialism is just way too ironic to pass up. And what is this step towards socialism that Beck, in all his ignorance, was so enthusiastically promoting? That government employees and officials should never be paid more than what the average citizen earns.



In a 1911 speech about the Paris Commune -- a movement lauded by Marx as "heroic," and said by Lenin to have been "a practical step that was more important than hundreds of programmes and arguments" --Lenin pointed out the Commune's (and apparently now Glenn Beck's) position on government salaries: "And, as if to emphasize its character as a truly democratic, proletarian government, the Commune decreed that the salaries of all administrative and government officials, irrespective of rank, should not exceed the normal wages of a worker ..." I think maybe that crack research team (or research team on crack) that Beck is always boasting about should have done a bit more research for this show.

Now, back to the other issue with this episode of Beck -- the utter impropriety of West Point allowing Beck to use West Point cadets and faculty members for his studio audience.

According to CPT Olivia Nunn of West Point's Public Affairs office, the cadets and faculty members, all from the academy's Systems Engineering Department, were visiting the studios of FOX News as an academic exercise "to watch how news productions are done from beginning to end." The cadets appeared on several other FOX News shows on Thursday, answering questions about why they decided to join the military and their experience at West Point, and the faculty members answered questions about teaching there. All of this was perfectly appropriate. But then, on Friday, they appeared on Beck, which was completely inappropriate. Military personnel in uniform cannot engage in any activity that gives the appearance of supporting any political, religious, or ideological movement.

There is no question that, more than anything else, what Glenn Beck's show consistently promotes would be classified as an "ideological movement," fitting the dictionary definition of "ideology" to a tee: "a system of ideas and ideals, esp. one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy." Whatever the specific topic of any given Beck episode -- whether it's history, religion, politics, or just picking someone to bash for weeks on end -- all are clearly tied into the promotion of this ideology in one way or another. How can a studio audience full of uniformed West Point cadets and military officer faculty members clapping for Beck's overtly partisan rant against Congress not be seen as engaging in an activity that gives the appearance of military support for Beck's "ideological movement?"

As I wrote in a previous post about the problem of Glenn Beck's show being aired on the American Forces Network, and the complaints received by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) about televisions in PXs, gyms, and other facilities on military installations being regularly tuned in to Beck, Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) -- "Contempt toward officials" -- states: "Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."

But on Beck's show last Friday, during which Beck spewed his typical contempt towards members of Congress, we had eighteen future Army officers, under the guidance of five faculty members -- four majors and a lieutenant colonel -- clapping on national television for statements that they, as military officers, could be court-martialed for uttering themselves.

As seen in the video above, in addition to being contemptuous towards Congress as a whole, Beck, of course, singled out Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid in his rant about members of Congress whose wealth has increased during the time they've been in Congress, even though, according to Roll Call's 50 Richest Members of Congress list, Pelosi is only at number 13. But the wealthiest member of the House of Representatives is a republican -- Darrell Issa of California, whose minimum net worth for 2009, according to Roll Call, was more than seven times the net worth of Pelosi. And Harry Reid? Well, he didn't even make the top 50. But these pesky facts didn't stop Beck from insinuating that there's something suspicious about Pelosi and Reid having money. Exactly what Beck is implying isn't clear, but his intent certainly is -- plant the notion in his audience's heads that Pelosi and Reid have somehow gotten rich as a result of serving in Congress.

Beck and his philosophy are straight out of Marx and Stalin in many ways. Instead of a government collective, beck would have everyone work as obedient and grateful pawns for the corporate collective. The corporations write legislation, tell the lowly peon workers what to do and how to live their lives, have the wage earners right to sue for damages taken away. Marx would be proud that a guy who claims to be against collectivism is doing such a good job of selling it. beck is not only selling collectivism is good at convincing people that corporate collectivism and a powerless nation of workers is patriotic.

David Dreier (R-CA) Flip Flops on Repealing Health Care Reform

Ignoring Petition He Signed, Rep. Dreier Claims GOPers Have ‘Said All Along’ They’ll Keep Parts Of Health Care

Thanks to a coordinated propaganda campaign to smear President Obama’s health care law with misinformation, Republicans have found support on the right for their effort to repeal the law. But while Americans are divided on the law as a whole, “most parts of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, are actually quite popular and any attempt to repeal them could very well turn public sentiment against the repeal advocates.” These include items like tax credits for small business to offer health care coverage (supported by 78 percent of Americans) and a provision stopping insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions (supported by 71 percent).

Asked about these popular provisions yesterday on NPR, Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) — who will play a key role in the new GOP-controlled Congress next year as the likely chairman of the Rules Committee — said that the Republicans have “said all along” that they want to keep those parts:

INSKEEP: So given that the law is there, I mean, what do you do with it? What do you do with portions of the law that may seem beneficial to people that are probably Republicans.

DREIER: We have said all along that we want to make sure that provisions there that are in fact beneficial in ensuring that people have access, without a huge expansion of government, we don’t want to repeal. We want to make sure that we have these very very market driven provisions that I just went through and have those put in place.



This is, of course, flat out untrue. In fact, Republicans have been saying “all along” that they want to repeal the entirety of the law. This was one of the key drivers behind the tea party movement and the Republican campaigns they supported this fall. Congressional Republican leaders like future House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have vowed to “repeal and replace” the law with more right-wing reforms. Meanwhile, more extreme lawmakers led by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) have called for repealing the law “lock, stock, and barrel,” irrespective of replacement.

Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) has Obamacare of sorts himself. He is enrolled in a government subsidized health insurance program. Last year it was found that 55 Republicans in Congress were enrolled ina government health insurance program known as Medicare.

Family group demands Florida’s governor-elect stop selling porn

Family group demands Floridas governor elect stop selling porn

A conservative Christian group wants Florida's Republican governor-elect to stop selling "pornography" to Latinos.

The Christian Family Coalition (CFC) is calling for Rick Scott to divest in the website QuePasa which has a partnership with Playboy Mexico. Scott reportedly owns shares of QuePasa worth about $6-8 million -- nearly 15 percent of the company

Odd this "family" group did not object to the fact that Conservative Republican Rick Scott is a criminal who ripped off tax payers for tens of millions when he was running for office.

Republicans Love Subsidized Health Care for Themselves

Rep. Crowley Says GOPers Who Want To Repeal Health Care Law Should Forgo Taxpayer-Funded Health Care

Earlier this week, Rep.-elect Andy Harris (R-MD), who ran on a platform of repealing the recently-passed health care law, ironically demanded access to his taxpayer-subsidized congressional health care plan upon arriving in Washington. Yesterday, Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) began circulating a letter among his Democratic colleagues calling on Harris and other members of Congress who want to repeal the new health care law to forego their own government health care plans. In a letter to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Crowley writes, “If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk“:

“If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk,” Crowley writes in a letter to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don’t happen to be Members of Congress. We also want to note that in 2011, the Federal government will pay $10,503.48 of the premiums for each member of Congress with a family policy under the commonly selected Blue Cross standard plan.”

Conservative members of Congress receiving taxpayer-subsidized health care benefits while opposing the same benefits for the general public is nothing new. During the height of the health care debate, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) identified 55 Republicans who were enrolled in Medicare, the country’s single-payer universal health care system for the elderly. Not one of those Republicans supported offering such a plan to everyday Americans.

Yet at least one Republican has taken up Crowley’s challenge. Rep.-elect Bobby Shilling (R-IL) told ABC’s Top Line today that he will not be taking part in the congressional health care plan, nor will he take part in many other benefits members of Congress receive, like the congressional pension plan. “Congress shouldn’t have anything better than the American people,” he said.

It is part and parcel of the Conservative personality to thank they are entitled to everything, but goodness forbid someone else should get a penny Republicans in their self-righteous wisdom, feel they don't deserve.

What liberal media? Fox's Obama "socialism" smear comes straight from the top. By no known definition is President Obama a socialist. Which says a great deal about the fairness and intelligence of Fox "News?"

Jonah Goldberg Says Liberals Are Fascists, But Fascists Always Flock To The Repulican Party

Neo-Nazis rally in Phoenix to support Arizona’s immigration law

Neo Nazis rally in Phoenix to support Arizonas immigration lawMembers of the National Socialist Movement clashed with counter-protesters Saturday afternoon during their march in support of Arizona's controversial immigration law.

About two dozen neo-Nazis were confronted by more than a hundred people who opposed the group as they approached the Sandra Day O'Connor Federal Court Building in Phoenix, Arizona.

The neo-Nazis were marching to protest US District Judge Susan Bolton's ruling that blocked key provisions of the anti-illegal immigration bill SB 1070.

Bolton's ruling blocked sections of the bill that allowed police to arrest and detain suspected illegal immigrants without a warrant and required non-citizens to carry federal immigration documents.

During the march, police in riot gear intervened with tear gas and pepper spray when angry counter-protesters surrounded the neo-Nazi group and attempted to block their march to the federal courthouse.

"Their job is to keep the peace and allow that demonstration group to exercise their constitutional right," former Phoenix police officer Andy Hill told FOX10. "If one side or another wants to cause a problem, wants to be violent, there's not much you can do until they do something."

Two people were arrested for throwing rocks at police officers and protesters. Some minor injuries were reported.

"You don't have to like us but you can't throw things," said march organizer JT Ready.

That neo-Nazis support the immigration bill should not be surprising, according to the liberal blog Think Progress.

In 2006, the author of the anti-illegal immigration law, state Senator Russell Pearce, forwarded an article by a neo-Nazi group to his friends and associates. Pearce apologized for the email, saying it was a mistake and that he did not read it.

In addition, Pearce(R) endorsed Ready(R), the organizer of the neo-Nazi march, when he ran for City Council in the spring of 2006. In June of 2007, the two worked alongside one another at an anti-immigration rally at the state Capitol.

"The lawyers who are credited with authoring it are employed by an organization that has reportedly accepted $1.2 million in donations from the Pioneer Fund, 'a foundation established to promote the genes of white colonials,'" Andrea Nill of Think Progress notes

Right-wing hack Jonah Goldberg, who wouldn't know an historical fact if it bite on the ass, claimed that liberalism is a product of fascism ( even though liberalism was founded by people like Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine). In modern movement conservatism the extreme Right always takes up residence with conservatism.