REWIND - A week of Quotes & Cartoons

SUNDAY Posted on MONDAY  

Quote of the Day
June 19, 2011

'Well, several congressmen have filed a lawsuit against
President Obama for getting us involved in Libya. They
claim Obama got the U.S. in a Middle East war without
authorization from Congress. To which Dick Cheney and
Bush said, "You can get sued for that?" '

Late Night Talk Show Host
Jay Leno
June 18, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3rwy7qu

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/4ewzufr
Denial
David Horsey - Seattle PI

MONDAY


Quote of the Day
June 20, 2011

'Inequality, economists have noted, is an essential
part of capitalism. At least in theory, "the invisible
hand," or market system, sets compensation levels to
lead workers into pursuits that are the most productive
to society. This produces inequality but leads to a
more efficient economy.

'As a result, economists have noted, there is an
inherent tension in market-oriented democracies because
while society aims to endow each person with equal
political rights, it allows very unequal economic
outcomes.

'American society proclaims the worth of every human
being," economist Arthur M. Okun, former chairman of
the Council of Economic Advisers, wrote in his 1975
book on the subject, "Equality and Efficiency.'' But
the economy awards "prizes that allow the big winners
to feed their pets better than the losers can feed
their children".'

'With Executive Pay, Rich
Pull Away From Rest of America'
Washington Post
June 18, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/66sjvfl

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/3or3t44
Austerity Draft
Khalil Bendib

TUESDAY

Quote of the Day
June 21, 2011

'As Mayors, we represent -- and reside in --
communities that are far removed from the partisan
paralysis of Washington, DC. We know how hard it is for
families struggling while living paycheck to paycheck.
We've seen cities swamped by the mortgage crisis and
entire neighborhoods left to rot. We've dealt first-
hand with the aftermath of a huge employer leaving town
for $2-a-day labor abroad, or the devastation of a
tornado sweeping through town.

'Legislators are hired to talk, but mayors are hired to
act. And the American people desperately need us to
act.

'Throughout this conference, we've discussed how mayors
across the country can come together in support of what
America needs most. We've talked about bold plans to
help create jobs, jump-start our struggling local
economies, and build out a 21st century transportation
network. We've discussed doing away with the absurd and
archaic policies that have strangled our public schools
with red tape, stifling learning and creativity. And
we've asked Congress to responsibly bring our troops
home and dedicate the billions currently being spent in
Iraq and Afghanistan to creating jobs, developing
sustainable energy, and repairing our crumbling
infrastructure.'

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
upon becoming president of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors
June 20, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/44nh4qg

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/3ovr543
I'm Ahead
Dan Wasserman - Boston Globe

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day
June 22, 2011

'The total cost of the war, the longest in American
history and one that was paid for by borrowing rather
than by increased taxation, should not be measured
solely by the costs of financing the troops and the
extensive aid programs administered by the State
Department. It should also include long-term costs
of the war, primarily veterans' benefits for the returning
soldiers, who will require medical and mental health
services for many years to come. Long after the last
troops depart from the country, that hidden part of the
bill will come due.'

William R. Keylor, an international
relations professor at Boston
University, on Afghanistan
New York Times
June 22, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5wv4gqf

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/4ydmger
Suits
Signe Wilkinson

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day
June 23, 2011

'The United States has to cut back spending on the
Commerce Department or it will bankrupt the country.
Okay, I have no evidence for this and it really doesn't
make any sense. The Commerce Department's budget is
about $10 billion a year, less than 0.3 percent of
total spending, but this note is written in the spirit
of Thomas Friedman.

'Just as Thomas Friedman* can tell readers that Social
Security and Medicare are bankrupting the country with
no evidence, in my blognote I get to blame the Commerce
Department. The reality of course is that Social
Security is fully funded by its own dedicated tax
revenue through the year 2036, meaning the program on
net imposes no burden on the government.

'Under the law, if nothing is done to increase revenues
SS will only pay about 80 percent of scheduled benefits
in years after 2036. It is prohibited from spending any
money beyond what it collects in taxes. The projected
shortfall over the program's 75-year planning period is
equal to 0.6 percent of GDP, about one-third of the
increase in annual defense spending between 2000 and
2011. It is difficult to see how a program that can
only spend what it takes in from taxes could bankrupt
the country, but this is Thomas Friedmanland.

'There is more of an issue with run-away Medicare
costs, but everyone outside of Thomas Friedmanland
knows that this is an issue of run-away health care
costs. If the United States paid the same amount per
person for our health care as people in Canada,
Germany, or any other wealthy country we would be
looking at huge budget surpluses, not deficit.

'This means that if we fix the U.S. health care system,
then there will be no Medicare or budget problem. On
the other hand, if we fail to fix the system, health
care costs will bankrupt the U.S. economy even if we
eliminate Medicare and other public health care
programs altogether. People know this outside of Thomas
Friedmanland, but in Thomas Friedmanland, you get to
just make things up.'

Economist Dean Baker
Campaign for America's Future
June 22, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/69wlm52

*New York Times columnist

Toon of the day
http://tinyurl.com/5w5t48e
Afghanistan
Mike Luckovich

FRIDAY

Quote of the Day
June 24, 2011

'Perhaps the most disheartening thing about Obama's
speech was the absence of fresh thinking, or even clear
thinking. It was hard to tell whether he was sticking
with his counterinsurgency strategy or switching to a
counterterrorism approach - or, perhaps, doing a little
of both. There was no evidence he had considered the
possibility that the war is being perpetuated not by
rational pursuit of our national interests but by its
own inertia.

'Nor was there any indication that he had thought
through the mellifluous passages designed to put the
war into a broader foreign policy context. We cannot
"retreat from our responsibility" but also cannot be
"overextended," and therefore we must "chart a more
centered course." We must be "as pragmatic as we are
passionate, as strategic as we are resolute." If you
have any idea what this means, please let me know.'

Columnist Eugene Robinson
Washington Post

June 24, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/6haw86z

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/6fjkzg3
Out of Quagmire
Rob Rogers

SATURDAY

Quote of the Day
June 25, 2011

'On Thursday, the Pew Research Center released a poll
that showed how disillusioned low-income people have
become. Those making less than $30,000 were the most
likely to expect to be laid off or be asked to take a
pay cut. Furthermore, they were the most likely to say
that they had trouble getting or paying for medical
care and paying the rent or mortgage.

'But at least those numbers include people with
incomes. A vast subset is chronically unemployed and
desperately searching for work. According to the
Consumer Reports Employment Index, "In 23 of the past
24 months, lower-income Americans have lost more jobs
than they have gained." It continues, "Meanwhile, more
affluent Americans seem to be gaining more jobs than
they are losing."

'And the current election-cycle obsession to balance
the books with a pound of flesh, which is being pushed
by pitiless Republicans and accommodated by pitiful
Democrats, will only multiply the pain.'

Columnist Charles M. Blow
New York Times
June 25, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/3ps8ydj

Toon of the Day
http://tinyurl.com/44c4d5n

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