July 4th, 2008
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Robert Mugabe ‘won’ the recent presidential election in Zimbabwe through intimidation tactic. This election marks Mugabe’s third decade of ruling Zimbabwe — democratically, if you ask him.
Mongolia’s election this week was marked by the deaths of five people who protested fraud during the election process. They were caught in a riot. Democratically-ruled Mongolia is currently in a state of emergency.
Today is the 4th of July. That may not mean much in most countries, but it marks the independence of the U.S. We didn’t dream up democracy, as much as we might think so. The U.S. broke off from a country ruled by an elected Parliament, with a few aristocrats thrown in. I could talk for hours about the problems in our representative democracy, even if I just limit myself to the mechanics. Hanging chads, electronic voting machines, third parties’ difficulties in getting on the ballot. Problems are legion with our system.
But…
Our system is pretty good. People don’t die during American elections. Elected officials don’t commit rampant fraud just to stay in power. American democracy, with all its little problems, still works.
There’s a quote from Robert Heinlein that often comes to mind when I read the day’s political news:
The only good thing about democracy is that it’s about a hundred times better than anything else we’ve come up with.
Some days, the U.S.’s brand of democracy seems the same way — it isn’t perfect, but it’s better than all the alternatives.
So, get out there. Light some fireworks. Have a hot dog. And, come November, vote. Because democracy isn’t democracy if you don’t participate.
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July 3rd, 2008
As part of a flurry of activity at the close of the Court’s calendar, the Supreme Court, in a 5-3 decision, ruled last week to reduce the damages payable by Exxon Mobile in connection with the 1989 oil spill in Alaska. The judgement was reduced from $2.5 billion to $500 million, effectively eliminating the punitive damages awarded by the lower court(s).
This particular case involved the damages associated with maritime liability - and Justice Souter, in his opinion for the majority, stated that a 1:1 ratio (awarding damages only for actual damages) was an appropriate limit so to eliminate “unpredictable” liabilities and, it would seem, to deter plaintiffs from seeking unnecessary damages.
The Exxon Valdez tanker crashed into a reef on the Prince William Sound, causing some 11 million gallons of oil to spill into the water.
Lawyers for Exxon Mobile argued that as their company had spent some $3.4 billion to clean up the spill, that they had already done enough.
Alaskan politicians and lawyers for the plaintiffs are clearly disappointed by the decision.
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By maddy -- 0 comments
July 2nd, 2008
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While it’s hard to compare to completely forgetting to pay your taxes, the mortgage that Barack Obama and his wife took out to purchase their $1.65 million home has raised a few questions. The two were able to take out a loan with a locked in interest rate of 5.625 percent on a 30-year mortgage. At the time, 6 percent was closer to average.
I don’t think there was any hanky panky in the mortgage process — though I do think that the fact that Obama could put down ‘Senator’ as his job title probably helped just a little bit. But the real facts of the matter draw a much clearer contrast between Obama and John McCain. On Monday, I wrote about the McCains’ credit card debt — over $100,000 despite Cindy McCain’s many millions. Obama and his wife carry no credit card. None. Nil. Nada. Honestly, that’s an accomplishment in this day and age. Even more impressive is the clear priority they’ve put on savings: the Obamas have college savings accounts for both of their daughters, worth between $100,000 and $250,000 each.
Leaving policy aside, I’m much more impressed with Obama’s ability to handle money. I think he might do a better job with the national budget than McCain can, if only because he’ll keep an eye on the details. Of course, where Obama will spend the money is a different matter entirely.
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July 1st, 2008
In June, we saw the shift from the primary races to the race for the general election. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a wide variety of opinions and I hope you’ll check them out. Please remember to submit your July posts on the intersection of politics and money to our 8th edition, through Blog Carnival.
John Phillips presents Florida, Michigan and Rules posted at The Word On Employment Law.
Collin Williams presents Vote for sale | RejectSociety.com posted at RejectSociety.com.
Collin Williams presents Stimulus spending fun | RejectSociety.com posted at RejectSociety.com.
The Whited Sepulchre presents Let’s Starve Some More Children posted at The Whited Sepulchre.
Mark Riffey presents Fuel Surcharges: Another reason to buy local posted at Business is Personal.
Michael J. Cohen presents Michael J. Cohen posted at MichaelJCohen.com.
John Phillips presents Immigration Meltdown posted at The Word On Employment Law.
Jack H. Swift presents Greenology is a Bankrupt Philosophy posted at Government is not your Daddy.
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July 1st, 2008
One vote does matter, especially if that vote means that you might lose your job; your job as a delegate, that is.
Wisconsin Democratic delegate, and staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, Debra Bartoshevich, has caused quite a ruckus within her state delegation. In June Bartoshevich told reporters that she will vote for Senator John McCain in November if Hillary Clinton is not the Democratic Nominee.
Certainly there are quite a few Clinton supporters who have said this, even publicly, but not actual delegates.
As a result, a formal credentials challenge has been filed by the state party. The challenge contends that by making such statements, Bartoshevich violated party rules and the “pledge of intent” which states that all delegates intend to vote for their party’s nominee.
In addition to making the public statements, Bartoshevich has also showed her dissatisfaction by joining a group called “Citizens for McCain”.
Tags: Barach Obama, Debra Bartoshevich, democrats, hillary clinton, john mccain, WisconsinShare This
By maddy -- 1 comment
June 30th, 2008
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This week’s issue of Newsweek has a heck of a story: The McCains forgot to pay their taxes for the past four years on one of their seven homes.
For the past four years, San Diego County officials have been mailing regular notices that the La Jolla condo was in default. After Newsweek asked the McCain campaign some probing questions, the matter apparently was dealt with, but if they had waited until next year to handle it, San Diego County could have seized the property. The condo is beach-front property — I doubt the county would have minded too much.
I mind, though, that such a detail slipped through the McCains’ fingers. I’m not worried so much about John McCain’s ability to handle politics these days as his ability to handle money. Sure, he managed to snag a beer heiress worth an estimated $100 million, but is McCain really qualified to help a country with a credit crisis? Considering that the man has over $100,000 in credit card debt himself, along with his wife, tells me ‘no!’
Is it unreasonable to expect that Presidential candidates can handle their own money? Are their personal finances an indicator of their abilities to handle a national budget?
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June 28th, 2008
Barack and Michelle Obama (as well as other top aides of the Obama Campaign) have made maximum individual contributions to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
The amount on the check(s)? $2,300 - which is the maximum allowable contribution.
Obviously this doesn’t seem like much considering Clinton’s $22 million debt - but, symbolically it could be a boost - as contributors see the Obama camp reaching out to Clinton, they might as well. And it serves as another effort to bring about party unity as the Democrats prepare for their Convention in August.
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By maddy -- 0 comments
June 27th, 2008
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The Supreme Court has been busy this week. One of the decisions they released was an overturn of the ‘Millionaires’ Amendment’ — a piece of campaign legislation law stating that the opponents of candidates self-financing their runs can accept more donations.
Jack Davis, a 2006 congressional candidate in New York, brought the suit to the Supreme Court, after he lost the race. Davis had spent over $2 million of his own funds to finance his run, but the Millionaires’ Amendment kicked in and his opponent was able to out-fundraise him. The amendment was originally written in order to help less wealthy candidates get fair footing — the idea was to prevent millionaires from outspending other candidates and essentially buying a race.
The Supreme Court overturned the amendment on First Amendment grounds: Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote a majority opinion stating, “The argument that a candidate’s speech may be restricted in order to ‘level electoral opportunities’ has ominous implications because it would permit Congress to arrogate the voters’ authority to evaluate the strengths of candidates competing for office.”
Don’t think that too many candidates are going to be able to pull out their checkbooks and win, though. We saw a pretty good example of how well that doesn’t work in the Republican primary with Mitt Romney spending tens of millions of dollars of his own money.
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June 26th, 2008
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In a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled today to negate the long standing gun ban in Washington, DC. The Justices split down the Conservative / Liberal line.
This is the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that it has affirmed an individual’s right to bear arms, as secured by the 2nd Amendment.
The contested law, that has been in use for 32 years, restricts the possession of handguns and enforces strict rules regarding the storage and us of rifles and shotguns.
Justice Antonin Scalia, writing the opinion for the majority, in their interpretation of the the Second Amendment (which reads: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”) stated that the US Constitution protects the right to own firearms, individually, and not just in connection to the maintenance and service in a state militia. He went on to say that this ruling is not a carte blanche for gun ownership, and that the government (and states) could impose restrictions against convicted criminals and the mentally ill.
Senator John McCain took the opportunity to commend the Court’s decision and to slam Barack Obama for statements Obama made, while campaigning in Pennsylvania this spring, about working class Americans and guns:
“Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.”
Tags: john mccain, supreme-court, Washington DC gun lawsShare This
By maddy -- 1 comment
June 26th, 2008
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Continuing his focus on the nation’s economy, Barack Obama, on Wednesday, met with executives from some of the countries largest companies. The closed meeting, held in Chicago, was attended by representatives from firms such as J.P. Morgan, Ford, and Boeing.
There was no official agenda released by Obama’s campaign, but attendee, Alan Mulally , from Ford, reported that they discussed domestic manufacturing and the government’s role.
Today (Thursday), at Carnegie Mellon University (in Pittsburgh), Obama has scheduled a “summit” to discuss the American economy and US competitiveness in the global market.
Tags: 2008 Presidential Election, barack obama, economyShare This
By maddy -- 0 comments
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