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Francis K. DeVuono's picture

Nationalize ANWAR

By Francis K. DeVuono
July 19th, 2008

British P., Dutch Shell, Exxon, the Kuwaitis? Who? What? Why should I (Mr. American Joe Citizen) give anyone of these foreigners the right to take My Oil.

I'm the American here.

Anwar is National Park (that's my land) --not some T. Boone Pickens ranchero in Texas. more »

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Rick Perlstein's picture

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Lessig at Netroots Nation

By Rick Perlstein
July 19th, 2008

In a Netroots Nation keynote speech, Larry Lessig made the point that Al Gore proposed that the 1994 Telecommunications Act contain a title deregulating cable and DSL. Congress, Lessig reports, went berserk: "How can we extort donations from the telecommunications industry," they basically said, "if we don't regulate them?"

The title was struck. more »

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Rick Perlstein's picture

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Low Flow Joe

By Rick Perlstein
July 19th, 2008

There haven't been altogether too many relevant presentations on conservative failure here at Netroots Nation, and I've grown a bit weary of conference-going. So...now for something completely different! more »

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myles spicer's picture

Why American Capitalism is in a funk

By myles spicer
July 18th, 2008

Phil Gramm, not withstanding, it is not only our economy that is in the toilet, American Capitalism is also in a funk. And, I contend it is largely due to a failure of leadership at the corporate level, and the policies of the current administration. more »

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David Sirota's picture

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"Centrists" Running the Asylum

By David Sirota
July 18th, 2008

OUTSIDE OF WACO, TEXAS - I'm filing this weekly column dispatch at a rest stop outside of Waco, Texas on my way to the Netroots Nation conference. On the drive from Dallas, I've been listening to talk radio and obsessing over the concept of "the center." more »

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Timothy Gatto's picture

1984 in 2008

By Timothy Gatto
July 18th, 2008

An editorial in The New York Times, No Friend of the Workers, today http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/opinion/18fri2.html?ref=opinion was a scathing indictment of the Labor Department. Now I don’t want to lecture anyone about what they should be paying attention to, but this one was too hard to ignore. The editorial was spot-on in it’s reporting, and that was gratifying in itself. more »

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Rick Perlstein's picture

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E. coli conservatism in Iraq

By Rick Perlstein
July 18th, 2008

From this morning's New York Times more »

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Natalene Ong's picture

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Bush, McCain, and the Republican Congress slashed student aid programs

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

Bush promoted and McCain supported the largest cut to federal student aid in history. During "the raid on student aid," the last Republican Congress slashed $12.7 billion from student loan programs. Aid was restored and enhanced only after Democrats took over Congress in 2007.

Source
Democratic Caucus. INVESTING IN HIGHER EDUCATION. Democratic Caucus. [Online] [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.dems.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={967D862D-601C-48B7-9893-86F157E261C1}&DE={8E46D3E4-7618-4945-B04C-CFF337027D7E}.
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Natalene Ong's picture

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Under Bush, direct federal aid to college students declined while subsidies for private student loan companies skyrocketed

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

While Republicans controlled both the White House and Congress, federal funding for Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans remained flat, while federal work study funds and Byrd Honors Scholarships declined. Conversely, funding for the Family Education Loan Program, a program which subsidizes private student loan companies, more than doubled from $25 billion in 2001 to $51 billion in 2007.

Source
US Department of Education. Fiscal Year 2001-2009 State Tables for the U.S. Department of Education. US Department of Education. [Online] July 1, 2008. [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.
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At least two-thirds of college students graduate with some debt

Submitted by Natalene Ong
July 17th, 2008

The average debt among college graduates exceeds $19,000. One-fourth of all students borrow $25,000 or more. These statistics were last published by the U.S. Department of Education in 2004, so they understate current student debt.

Source
US Department of Education. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study . US Department of Education. [Online] [Cited: July 17, 2008.] http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/.
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Admire-ees

Sara Robinson's picture

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All Hat and No Cattle

By Sara Robinson
July 9th, 2008

When we're finally clear on what a cowboy is and is not, it'll be all too clear to everyone that George Bush is not. He's just a two-bit drugstore shitkicker in a too-big hat, rough in the saddle and mean as a rattler on a hot day to boot. more »

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Broken Bridge Conservatism, Redux

By Sara Robinson
July 9th, 2008

It's not just Texas.

Rick blogged yesterday on the collapsing roads and bridges of Denton County, Texas. Unsurprisingly, it's happening in other places, too. From today's Arizona Star:

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