- We must cut federal spending. That will include corporate and agricultural subsidies, the defense budget and salary increases of federal employees. But it does not mean cutting effective programs that empower poor Americans or contribute internationally to economic development or the advancement of health. Neither does it mean neglecting appropriate investments in things like education and infrastructure.
- We must control healthcare expenses. This is a most difficult problem and it cannot be ignored. We must find a way simultaneously to respect individual choice, ensure quality health care for everyone, and stop spending an ever-higher percent of our GDP on medical costs. Everyone must be willing to sacrifice.
- We must make Social Security sustainable. We can slowly increase the retirement age, modestly reduce benefits for more wealthy seniors, and increase the amount of income taxed to pay for Social Security.
- We must reform the tax code. We should remove many special exemptions, end many special subsidies, and keep the tax code progressive.
May 12, 2011
A Christian Proposal for the American Debt Crisis
May 12, 2011
Racial Progress
Adam Serwer shares an interesting study that found (after polling 200+ blacks and 200+ whites) anti-black resentment in the eyes of blacks has gone down since the 1950s and anti-white resentment in the eyes of whites has gone up since the 2000s:
White Americans, in short, thought that anti-white bias was a greater societal problem by the ’00s than anti-black bias.
Another way to look at this is that for all the right wing complaints about a “culture of grievance,” among minorities, black people have a fairly realistic assessment of racial progress in the U.S. while many whites have an unwarranted sense that they’re being persecuted. This goes a long way toward explaining the current state of American identity politics.
Tim Wise wouldn’t be surprised.
May 12, 2011
Taxing the Upper-Middle Class
Considering the taxes levied for this bracket – those making $100k-$250k – may be worth our time.
May 12, 2011
Yoga For Guys
I will be doing it today. Here is a bit from BeachBody on why guys should do it as well.
I have found that I can’t function safely if I miss this workout for a few weeks. My neck tightens up and gets sore really quick.
May 12, 2011
A Multicultural Tea Party?
Yes, I have seen Tea party members who are non-white (Herman Cain is one now in the spotlight) but I have also seen some in photos and videos on the front lines (Tea Party rallies). Regardless of those outlier individuals of non-white heritage, the group is generally above 45 years of age, white, middle class, and bitter.
Andrew Sullivan pushes back against any notion that the TP has anything to offer many other surging (and non-surging) demographic groups:
Does the Tea Party, even in its symbolism, welcome Hispanics? If so, why is the love so unreciprocated? Could it be the virulent cultural xenophobia and nostalgia that pulses through the movement? Does it welcome African-Americans, even as it demonizes and race-baits the first African-American president? Does it embrace women, even as it seeks to abolish all legal abortion under all circumstances? Does it appeal to the young, even as it refuses even to contemplate any civil rights for gay people?
Nice idea. But nowhere to be found.
May 12, 2011
Is Soujourner’s a Progressive Christian Group?
May 12, 2011
A Guide for Newt Voters
For those of you thinking of voting for Newt (I once would have), check out this piece:
1985 Gingrich compares a disputed House election in Indiana to the Holocaust. “We have talked a lot in recent weeks about the Holocaust, about the incredible period in which Nazi Germany killed millions of people and, in particular, came close to wiping out European Jewry. Someone said to me two days ago, talking frankly about the McIntyre affair [in which Democrats refused to seat the winner of a House race until they'd conducted a recount] and the efforts by the Democratic leadership not to allow the people of Indiana to have their representative but, instead, to impose upon them somebody else, something in which he quotes [German poet Martin] Niemoller, and I have never quite until tonight been able to link it together—Niemoller, the great German theologian, said at one point: ‘When the Nazis came for the Jews, I did nothing…and when the Nazis came for me, there was no one left.’”
May 12, 2011
New Name/Slogan, Same Address
I was thinking the other day about changing around some of the logistics here on my blog. I thought one place I could start was with the name. VMG, yes, is my initials, but I wanted the blog to go beyond simply me and my identity (for obvious reasons – I have other people write here who are not me).
What I just came up with is this: The Twenty-Something Experience (TTSE). I originally thought to have experiment instead of experience but I didn’t think that was a fit.
In the end, I see the material shared through here comes through a world view from the twenty-something realm and addresses things in that experiential lens.
And of course, the address stays the same (for now, at least). If it changes, I will let you all know.
May 12, 2011
24 Hours of Neon
May 12, 2011
Spoken Word of the Day
Rapper Common at the White House, regardless of the allegations he was asked not to come:
