Editorial: Equal pay for women remains a myth in 97 percent of America : Stltoday

Editorial: Equal pay for women remains a myth in 97 percent of America : Stltoday

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snip


"Decades of research shows a gender gap in pay even after factors like the kind of work performed and qualifications (education and experience) are taken into account," Pamela Coukos, a senior program adviser in the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, writes in a study called "Myth Busting the Pay Gap."

"These studies consistently conclude that discrimination is the best explanation of the remaining difference in pay," she noted. "No matter how you slice the data, pay discrimination is a real and persistent problem that continues to shortchange American women and their families."

That Mr. Akin's district has a larger gender pay gap than the other eight districts in Missouri has nothing to with Mr. Akin and everything to do with the women who live in that district and the failure of Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. The same for women in Mr. Costello's district.

Ms. Coukos' report says that the gap for women with advanced degrees, corporate positions and high-paying, high-skill jobs is as significant as the gap for women with lesser qualifications. She said a study of newly trained doctors showed a gender-based disparity of nearly $17,000 in 2008.
Statewide in Missouri, the annual median pay for women who work full time is $33,865 compared to $43,146 for men. In Illinois, those figures are $39,150 for women and $50,746 for men.

Todd Akin has a theory about bestiality

Akin Opposes Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Now We Know Our ABCs. And Charter Schools Get an F. | Common Dreams

Now We Know Our ABCs. And Charter Schools Get an F. | Common Dreams

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snip

 It's nearly impossible to judge the long-term effectiveness of any one teacher, given the incalculable variables of student demographics and school funding. And independent-thinking Americans are reluctant to look beyond their own country's borders for solutions.

But perhaps we should try. Finland's schools were considered mediocre 30 years ago, but they've achieved a remarkable turnaround by essentially challenging their teachers before they're entrusted with the welfare of the children. Teachers undergo rigorous masters-level training to ensure proficiency in the teaching profession, which is held in the same high esteem as law and medicine. In keeping with this respect for learning, government funding is applied equally to all schools, classes in the arts are available to all students, and tuition is free.

The results? Finnish students, who are not subjected to the travesty of standardized testing, finish at or near the top of international comparisons for reading, math, and science.

It's not just Finland with such impressive results. Research at the National Center on Education and the Economy has confirmed that educational systems in Japan, Shanghai, and Ontario, Canada have prospered with an emphasis on the preparation of teachers for the essential task of instructing their young people.

Privatizers might argue that unions will eventually corrupt the highly qualified teachers. But they would be wrong. Almost all Finnish teachers are unionized. In the highly unionized U.S. public education system, according to a recent OECD report, teachers put in more hours and receive less pay than in almost all other developed countries.

The problem in the U.S., then, is not the teachers, but a lack of respect for our children's futures. The child poverty rate in Finland is about 5 percent. In the U.S. it's an astounding 23 percent. It's hard to concentrate on school when you're hungry.

This Presidential Race Should Never Have Been This Close | Common Dreams

This Presidential Race Should Never Have Been This Close | Common Dreams

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snip


All of these points of view have merit, I guess, but to me they're mostly irrelevant. The mere fact that Mitt Romney is even within striking distance of winning this election is an incredible testament to two things: a) the rank incompetence of the Democratic Party, which would have this and every other election for the next half century sewn up if they were a little less money-hungry and tried just a little harder to represent their ostensible constituents, and b) the power of our propaganda machine, which has conditioned all of us to accept the idea that the American population, ideologically speaking, is naturally split down the middle, whereas the real fault lines are a lot closer to the 99-1 ratio the Occupy movement has been talking about since last year.

Think about it. Four years ago, we had an economic crash that wiped out somewhere between a quarter to 40% of the world's wealth, depending on whom you believe. The crash was caused by an utterly disgusting and irresponsible class of Wall Street paper-pushers who loaded the world up with deadly leverage in pursuit of their own bonuses, then ran screaming to the government for a handout (and got it) the instant it all went south.

These people represent everything that ordinarily repels the American voter. They mostly come from privileged backgrounds. Few of them have ever worked with their hands, or done anything like hard work. They not only don't oppose the offshoring of American manufacturing jobs, they enthusiastically support it, financing the construction of new factories in places like China and India.

They've relentlessly lobbied the government to give themselves tax holidays and shelters, and have succeeded at turning the graduated income tax idea on its head by getting the IRS to accept a sprawling buffet of absurd semantic precepts, like the notions that "capital gains" and "carried interest" are somehow not the same as "income."

Extra: Bill says 'it's hard to see how President Obama can lose'

LIBOR rate riggers should 'face prosecution'

$6,400

quite a few of the congressfolks in missouri voted same way. Akin among them and long list

Todd Akin: Wrong for Missouri

Priorities USA Action: "Doors"

Russia Bans Use and Import of Monsanto’s GMO Corn Following Study | NationofChange

Russia Bans Use and Import of Monsanto’s GMO Corn Following Study | NationofChange:

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The move may soon be echoed by other nations, who may soon be urged by France to ban Monsanto’s GMOs due to serious health concerns. France, who also recently upheld a key ban on growing GMOs, has been instrumental in alerting the world to the dangers of GMOs and Monsanto’s overall corruption. In the nation’s latest announcement, it was revealed that France’s Agriculture Minister was launching an investigation into the GMO study, ultimately calling for European authorities to ban Monsanto’s GMOs in order to protect citizens in the event that the study was found to be sound.

It seems that France has become somewhat of a consumer health watchdog in more than just one area, simultaneously tackling the issue of pesticide contamination as well. It was even announced that the French government was seeking to ban crop dusters in all areas possible, aiming to reduce the amount of obesity-linked pesticides within the food supply.

Monsanto Still Clinging to Old GMO Mantra

We Are Hungry parody

'We Are Hungry' Parody Video On Michelle Obama School Lunches

Tommy Thompson: 'Who Better Than Me... To Do Away With Medicaid and Medi...

sounds like akin

The Last Word - McCaskill: Todd Akin operates 'on the fringe'

Global Bacon Shortage In 2013

Best of Akin

Calendar - Next

Researcher to discuss military testing in St. Louis in the 1950s : Stltoday

Researcher to discuss military testing in St. Louis in the 1950s : Stltoday

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snip


In an interview, Martino-Taylor acknowledged that she had uncovered no proof that St. Louisans were subject to radiological testing. But, she noted, "There's an awful lot of evidence that there were radiological components to the study."

Martino-Taylor approaches the testing from a sociological standpoint, noting that national and international codes of conduct prohibited testing on humans without their consent.
"There has to be a sense of betrayal here, of people being deceived and targeted by their own government," she said.

"Even if there are laws in place which appear to protect people, without transparency, governments may be able to violate rights without their victims even knowing it. This case is an example of that."

---

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES COLLOQUIUM
What • Lisa Martino-Taylor speaks on "Behind the Fog of the Cold War — Military tests on vulnerable populations without consent in St. Louis."
When • 3:30 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 25.
Where • St. Louis Community College at Meramec
Cost • Free

60 Minutes Video - Campaign 2012 - CBS.com

60 Minutes Video - Campaign 2012 - CBS.com:

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I-Team: The Army's secret Cold War experiments on St. Louisans | ksdk.com

I-Team: The Army's secret Cold War experiments on St. Louisans | ksdk.com:

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snip

St. Louis (KSDK) - Lisa Martino-Taylor is a sociologist whose life's work has been to uncover details of the Army's ultra-secret military experiments carried out in St. Louis and other cities during the 1950s and 60s. 

She will make her research public Tuesday, but she spoke first to the I-Team's Leisa Zigman. 

The I-Team independently verified that the spraying of zinc cadmium sulfide did take place in St. Louis on thousands of unsuspecting citizens. What is unclear is whether the Army added a radioactive material to the compound as Martino-Taylor's research implies. 

"The study was secretive for reason. They didn't have volunteers stepping up and saying yeah, I'll breathe zinc cadmium sulfide with radioactive particles," said Martino-Taylor. 

Army archive pictures show how the tests were done in Corpus Christi, Texas in the 1960s. In Texas, planes were used to drop the chemical. But in St. Louis, the Army placed chemical sprayers on buildings and station wagons. 

Documents confirmed that city officials were kept in the dark about the tests. The Cold War cover story was that the Army was testing smoke screens to protect cities from a Russian attack. The truth, according to Martino-Taylor was much more sinister. 

Todd Akin's Comments About Democrats And "Lynchings" - 2009-06-08 Countd...

SOLD: Todd Akin's Position on Earmarks

Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama 08

THE SIMPSONS - Homer Votes 2012

'Born on Third Base': How the Wealthy Inherit the Earth | Common Dreams

'Born on Third Base': How the Wealthy Inherit the Earth | Common Dreams

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snip

 Gushing over the wild financial wealth of individuals, The Forbes 400: The Richest People In America In 2012 — released today online and heading to newstands nationwide—pays homage to the clichéd platitude that America is the land of opportunity for hard-working, gutsy entrepreneurs and great wealth is merely evidence of great accomplishment.

Unfortunately, according to a new report by Massachusetts-based United for a Fair Economy, the Forbes 400 does not tell the whole story of wealth in America. In fact, the authors of the report argue, the list of the country's richest people tells the story of a nation where being born into wealth or inheriting great sums from a departed spouse are by far the most common paths to financial fortune.
Taking a close look at last year's list of wealthiest people, the UFE discovered that roughly 40% of the individuals who appeared on the 2011 Forbes list received a "significant economic advantage in their lives by inheriting a sizeable asset from a spouse or family member." Strikingly, more than 20% received sufficient wealth to make the list from this inheritance alone.

Timed to coincide with this year's list from Forbes, the UFE report, Born on Third Base: What the Forbes 400 Really Says About Economic Equality and Opportunity in America (pdf), seeks to show that the highly-touted list actually misleads about the sources of wealth and opportunity for many of those who appear on it.

"Each story calculatedly glamorizes the myth of the 'self-made man' while minimizing the many other factors that enable wealth, such as tax policies, other government policies that favor the wealthy, and the importance of being born to the right family, gender and race."

Romney’s tax return comedy

Romney’s tax return comedy

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Romney is even on record declaring that the act of paying more than he owed would mean he shouldn’t be eligible for the presidency!

From time to time I’ve been audited, as happens, I think ,to other citizens as well, and the accounting firm which prepares my taxes has done a very thorough and complete job pay taxes as legally due. I don’t pay more than are legally due and frankly if I had paid more than are legally due I don’t think I’d be qualified to become president. I’d think people would want me to follow the law and pay only what the tax code requires.

So! A change in tune. A flip-flop, even.

But the true puzzler is why Romney would imagine that artificially boosting his tax rate to 14.1 percent would help him with any voter who isn’t already outraged at how low Romney’s tax burden is. As has been pointed out numerous times this week, the average worker’s payroll tax rate equals 15.3 percent of their income. So even with the jiggering, Romney paid a smaller percentage of his income as taxes than many members of the 47 percent he trashed in his Boca Raton, Fla., speech to fundraisers.

Spadecaller - Election 2012

Ann Romney is sick of you people not understanding how hard it is to be Ann Romney

Ann Romney is sick of you people not understanding how hard it is to be Ann Romney

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snip

 Ann has told "you people" time and time again to leave Mitt alone, stop asking questions, and just be grateful that he's willing to run for president. Shut up and show a little appreciation for the Romneys and their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice—passing up constant $30 million-a-year job offers, even though "poor guy, he took no pay when he did the Olympics for three years and no pay when he was governor for four years."
She's tried to make women get it:

"Women, you need to wake up," she urged them. "Women have to ask themselves who's going to have and be there for you. I can promise you, I know, that Mitt will be there for you. He will stand up for you, he will hear your voices."

She's tried to make Latinos get it:

You’d better really look at your future and figure out who’s going to be the guy that’s going to make it better for you and your children, and there is only one answer. [...] It really is a message that would resonate well if they could just get past some of their biases that have been there from the Democratic machines that have made us look like we don’t care about this community.

But no. You people just won't let up, with the mockery of the Romneys' car elevator; with the questions about all those millions stashed away in secret bank accounts; with the outright disgust at Ann's tales of woe about struggling to survive on Mitt's inherited stock portfolio.

Rachel Maddow - Republicans kill veterans' jobs bill

mr Blunt, great Missouri leader in senate, voted against this bill. what a moron

Governor/Senator candidates' debate missouri

first couple minutes have no sound and then fun begins

The 47 Percent: Seniors

Veterans' bill voted down by GOP as Senate Democrats proclaim 'new low' | World news | guardian.co.uk

Veterans' bill voted down by GOP as Senate Democrats proclaim 'new low' | World news | guardian.co.uk:

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note;  senator blunt voted against vets.

Bailout

I am not a Victim Computer

ROMNEYSTEIN - Stop this Nightmare on November 6th

Conviction

We are not a nation of panhandlers': Eliot Spitzer reacts to Mitt Romney's 47% comment

Pay The Bills - Obama for America TV Ad

Republican Women’s Club of St. Louis Presents: 2012 Republican Candidate Forum

You Are invited! Invite your friends, neighbors, and family! GOP_75 Republican Women’s Club of St. Louis Presents: 2012 Republican Candidate Forum An opportunity to hear and question our Missouri statewide candidates To have all the statewide candidates together is a rare opportunity! Featuring: Cong. Todd Akin for US Senate Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder for re-election MO Rep. Shane Schoeller for Secretary of State MO Rep. Cole McNary for Treasurer Dave Spence for Governor Ed Martin for Attorney General Moderator: Sharon Barnes, President Monday, September 24, 2012 St. Louis County Library Headquarters 1640 S. Lindbergh Frontenac, MO ALL ARE WELCOME Business Meeting 10am – 10:15am Candidate Forum – 10:15am – 12:00pm Questions? Contact Sharon Barnes, 314/645-1841 or shronbarnes@yahoo.com

Akin, Alone - NationalJournal.com

Akin, Alone - NationalJournal.com

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snip

Republicans in Missouri—lawmakers, political operatives, and others—seem to uniformly share Akin’s assessment that the furor over his remark left him poorly understood. And they agree that Akin, even after a dozen years each in the Missouri state House and the U.S. House, has never “been a party person, particularly,” as he put it.

“He has never really understood the political process and never really reached out to others,” said one Republican in the state. The operative described Akin’s unfamiliarity with major Missouri donors with whom other state Republicans keep close contact.

“He is unique,” said former Republican Sen. John Danforth, who argued that Akin’s highlighting of divisive social issues undermines Republicans’ focus on the economy and debt. “He is unique, because unlike everybody else I have ever seen in politics, he has taken the banner and marched into the woods.”
Akin highlights Republican leaders’ difficulty in managing their compact with tea partiers and social conservatives. The GOP seeks their votes but real, conscience-driven candidates pose problems. Those who are willing to lose on principle often do.

Hannity : Occupy UnMasked more right wing slime

Occupy Unmasked Official Movie Trailer

slime from right wing

Infiltrating Occupy: Austin Activists Face Charges for Equipment Given b...

"Legitimate Rape" Pharmaceutical Ad (TW) anti akin ad

Man Charged 23 Quadrillion dollars

hell of a bank statement.

Horrigan: One party's gone crazy; the other's gone wimpy. : Stltoday

Horrigan: One party's gone crazy; the other's gone wimpy. : Stltoday

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snip


On Monday, The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed article by Charles G. Koch that condemned "rampant cronyism" between business and government. It was as if Michael Phelps had written an article condemning swimming.

Mr. Koch (rhymes with "joke") is chairman and CEO of Koch Industries of Wichita, Kan., the second-largest private company in America. It has interests in petroleum, chemicals, lumber and paper, fertilizer, ranching, commodities and pipelines. It owns a big piece of the Republican Party.

Mr. Koch and his brother, David H. Koch, each own 42 percent of the company. Forbes magazine estimates their combined net worth at $50 billion.

In his article, Charles Koch acknowledged that his company benefits from certain government policies. You think?

The article
 does not mention the Koch brothers' multimillion-dollar contributions to conservative politicians and causes, their support for conservative think tanks, their funding of anti-labor organization and anti-global warming initiatives and their funding of Americans for Prosperity, which has secretly funded the Tea Party movement and funneled tens of millions in secret donations to political campaigns.

If there are bigger crony capitalists working in America today, their names do not leap immediately to mind. The cynicism is breathtaking.

Sheldon Adelson's Tax Cut If Romney Is Elected Is...

Editorial: Follow the money through Missouri's revolving door : Stltoday

Editorial: Follow the money through Missouri's revolving door : Stltoday

click link

snip


He's also going to lobby for corporate clients, following the ethically questionable path established by Republican strategist David Barklage. See, if you can control some access to corporate dollars, help set public policy by writing and lobbying for bills, and direct a cadre of elected representatives by being their chief political adviser, well, let's just say there's money to be made.

To give Mr. Tilley some credit for transparency, he's not hiding anything.

For instance, in the closing days of the 2012 legislative session, Mr. Tilley appointed his longtime friend, former Speaker of the House Rod Jetton, to co-chair a "blue ribbon" transportation committee. That committee's purpose was to hold public hearings around the state this summer to determine what the state's highway needs are.

No doubt, some of the recommendations will involve a proposed toll road on Interstate 70, or other options that will put money in the pockets of some of the state's largest construction companies, particularly the concrete firms, and engineering firms, such as the one for which Mr. Jetton now works.
Fact is, the state's roads and highways need work. No dispute there.
But as that debate unfolds, Mr. Tilley's role will be worth watching.

Why?

The Cheaters - Obama for America TV Ad

Akin reacts to diplomat deaths in Libya

Online gamblers bet on Claire McCaskill to win : Stltoday

Online gamblers bet on Claire McCaskill to win : Stltoday

click link

snip

If you're uncomfortable with back-and-forth partisan pollsters, perhaps there's a better place for you to gauge Missouri's U.S. Senate race: the gamblers at Intrade.

Intrade is an online trading website where you can bet on the outcome of future events.  And in Missouri's volatile U.S. Senate race, the money is on Claire McCaskill to return to Washington.

As of this writing, the website says McCaskill has a 63.8 percent shot of getting re-elected in November.  (Right now she's selling at $6.38 a share.) That's a huge jump since the start of August, when her chances were a dismal 15 percent.  McCaskill's chances jumped overnight when the Todd Akin "legitimate rape" comment stoked the nation's ire.  So far, she has maintained her market lead.

But for those of you who think Todd Akin may drop out before the Sept. 25 deadline to get off the ballot, the bettors don't share your view.  They say such a thing has a 7.6 percent chance of happening.  (That appears to be easy money. Akin has already said he isn't going anywhere. But I'm sure we'll still see plenty of news reports about the deadline in the coming weeks.)

Various telephone polls have shown a much closer race.

Missouri Lawmakers Override Governor’s Veto Of Bill Allowing Employers To Deny Access To Birth Control

Missouri Lawmakers Override Governor’s Veto Of Bill Allowing Employers To Deny Access To Birth Control: pThe Missouri legislature has overridden Gov. Jan Nixon’s (D) veto of a bill that would allow employers or health insurance providers to stop offering coverage for contraception, abortion, or sterilization if doing so violated their religious or moral convictions. Nixon had vetoed the legislation in July after it passed in May. The Missouri House voted [...]/p

Catastrophic fire in the garment factory in Pakistan death toll rose to 330

Stand Up for Birth Control: Sustain the SB749 Veto

Affordable Care Act: Hope Delivered for USW Families

Claire McCaskill at UCM Warrensburg MO Video By Jerry Schmidt

Rapid Response

Rising corn costs are a high price to pay

Romney’s latest flip-flop-flip

Romney’s latest flip-flop-flip

click link

snip


Never mind. Mitt Romney’s support for a ban on insurers excluding folks with pre-existing medical conditions lasted about as long as a late-summer thunderstorm, and less than a Kardashian marriage.
Hours after saying on “Meet the Press” that he “liked” parts of Obamacare, including its ban on insurers’ excluding folks with pre-existing medical conditions and letting young adults stay on their parents’ insurance plans, Romney’s campaign issued a statement to the conservative National Review Online “clarifying” his remarks:

In reference to how Romney would deal with those with preexisting conditions and young adults who want to remain on their parents’ plans, a Romney aide responded that there had been no change in Romney’s position and that “in a competitive environment, the marketplace will make available plans that include coverage for what there is demand for. He was not proposing a federal mandate to require insurance plans to offer those particular features.”

Of course, “the marketplace” did not offer such features; that’s why Obamacare required them.

Introducing the Robin Hood Tax

Fifty

Are Republicans redefining women's rights? - Inside Story: US 2012 - Al Jazeera English

Are Republicans redefining women's rights? - Inside Story: US 2012 - Al Jazeera English

click link

 

Newt Stands With Todd Akin. Will You?

Todd Akin on Fox News with Neil Cavuto

Occupy DNC

DNC 2012 - Catholic Nun Blasts Romney's Budget Plan at DNC

An Economy Built to Last: Auto Industry - 2012 Democratic National Conve...

USW Sudbury (Proud Past, Powerful Future) Commercial

The Love Mitt Doll

U.S. Steel contract touted as fair deal | granite city contract

U.S. Steel contract touted as fair deal | TribLIVE:

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snip

Safeguarding affordable health care for U.S. Steel retirees was a central sticking point in negotiations between the company and the United Steelworkers, according to union representatives.

The sides resolved that issue in a tentative three-year contract announced on Sunday, though details will be withheld until about 16,000 rank-and-file workers can review and vote on the agreement, USW International Vice President Fred Redmond said Monday.

“Health care is a key factor in all negotiations,” Redmond said. He said the workers, many in the Pittsburgh area, will receive specifics of the proposal over the next two weeks.

Read more: http://triblive.com/home/2532490-74/steel-agreement-workers-company-usw-contract-negotiations-union-care-guman#ixzz25h8YC4Hh 
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Democrats Need To Get A Backbone - Gov. Deval Patrick

Michelle Obama Speech Analysis

Progress for the People: Health Care and the Lihn Family - 2012 Democrat...

Stepping on the Middle Class

Labor Day Parade 2012 St. Louis Missouri

Todd Akin: Let's Get Out of the United Nations

US Steel, union agree on pact for 16,000 workers : Stltoday

US Steel, union agree on pact for 16,000 workers : Stltoday

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PITTSBURGH • U.S. Steel and the United Steelworkers announced a tentative agreement Sunday on a three-year contract covering more than 16,000 workers at domestic facilities, including workers at local steel mill Granite City Works.

Details of the contract were not announced. The union said members will vote after reviewing details over the next few weeks. The two sides had been negotiating since June on a contract to replace the existing pact, which expired Saturday.

US Steel said the talks covered employees at domestic flat-rolled and iron ore mining facilities as well as tubular operations in Lorain, Ohio and Fairfield, Ala.

"We believe that this agreement is in the best interests of our company, our employees and all of our stakeholders," John Surma, U.S. Steel chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The company separately announced a tentative agreement with the union covering about 1,000 workers at a welded tubular products facility in Lone Star, Texas.

The union said health care for retirees and how best to deal with the rising cost of that coverage was one of the most significant issues in this year's talks.

Hartzler reiterates position on abortion | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri

Hartzler reiterates position on abortion | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri:

click link

snip

Vicky Hartzler

Speaking at the opening of her Columbia campaign headquarters, the Harrisonville Republican said she expects voters to make decisions this year based on the economy. But in her first interview on abortion since U.S. Rep. Todd Akin made it a major part of the debate, Hartzler stood by her previous positions on the issue.

Hartzler, along with Akin, is co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment that would extend civil rights protections to the unborn from the point of fertilization. She was also a co-sponsor, along with Akin, of the bill that began as a ban on taxpayer-supported abortions with an exception only if a woman was "forcibly raped."

"I believe that all life is precious and deserves to live, no matter how it was conceived," Hartzler said in the Tribune interview.

Hartzler is seeking her second term. She is being challenged by Cass County Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Hensley, who received support this week from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee through a phone campaign aimed at 20 Republican lawmakers. The calls tell voters that Hartzler and many Republicans, "share some of these radical, right-wing beliefs — that the government should take away a woman's access to making informed decisions about her own pregnancy."

Ryan’s VP Spin

Ryan’s VP Spin

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A Campaign Full of Mediscare

A Campaign Full of Mediscare

click link for comparision

snip

These boasts about saving Medicare are simply opinion. Each side says it has the right plan, while the other side is going about it all wrong — though voters would be hard-pressed to figure out what exactly those plans are from campaign ads and stump speeches.

The Obama approach is to stay with government-provided traditional Medicare while putting pressure on health care providers to deliver care more efficiently, and instituting new payment models and coordination of care to cut costs. The Romney-Ryan plan turns to competition among insurance companies to lower costs and premium-support payments to induce seniors to pick their health plans based on price.

The commonality for the campaigns is: “We promised too much in Medicare; we need to reduce costs,” says Walker. “What’s the best way to do that?”

“It really is, which way do you think you have a better shot,” Wilenksy says. And, she says, it’s a good debate to have.

So far, though, we’re not having that debate on the campaign trail. “It’s very interesting trying to get any credible information with all the smoke being blown,” Wilensky says, “which is too bad because these are very serious issues.”

Dutch politician says rape “seldom leads to pregnancy” | Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Dutch politician says rape “seldom leads to pregnancy” | Radio Netherlands Worldwide:

click link

akin has international supporters it appears

Ann Romney: Latino Voters Need To Get Past 'Their Biases'