Thoughtful, intelligent, entertaining, progressive discussion about politics, sports and whatever...

Wade 4, Heat 0, Mavs 2

Posted on: June 20th, 2006 by ecthompsonmd

 

Simpy didn't play Mavericks basketball.  They didn't force it to the hole.  They allowed the Heat to out muscle them.  It was a very ugly game.  Wade got to the line on the slightest contact.  All of the heart and strength that the Mavericks showed in beating San Antonio was lost about 4 minutes to go in game 3.  This was ugly.  Very ugly.  I'm glad that I didn't spend the $4000 it would have taken to fly to Dallas and buy a ticket.  Very glad.

Where's Emmitt Smith when you need him?

When is it time to increase the minimum wage?

Posted on: June 20th, 2006 by ecthompsonmd

 

I've been an advocate for increasing the minimum wage since the year 2000.  In my opinion, you can write your congressman until you get writers cramp, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during this Republican Administration.  Let me repeat, there will be no increase in the minimum wage during a Bush Administration.

This is another reason why we need a Democratic Administration with a Democratic Congress in order to help lower and middle income earners.  The Bush Administration has shown no compassion for the middle-class.  They have shown even less compassion for the poor. The recently passed bankruptcy laws are an excellent illustration of Republicans' love for the middle-class. On The Nation's web site, Katrina Vanden Heuvel has written an excellent article entitled How Congress is Shafting the Middle Class.  The list of insults to low and middle income earners is nearly endless.  Let's just name a few -- tax cuts for the rich, an attempt to repeal the Paris Hilton tax, attempts to cut funding for the Lower Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, the change in the bankruptcy laws in the face of higher debt for both lower and middle income earners, No Child Left Behind -- an attempt to dumb down the population with no real gains, a cut in student loan programs, lowering EPA standards, the complete lack of response to Hurricane Katrina and there's plenty more.  This is all that I can think of off the top of my head.

The minimum wage does need to be increased.  The sooner that it is increased in the tax cuts over the last six years have been repealed the better off the lower and middle income earners in this country will be.

(also posted on the DailyKos)

Soldiers Found–Dead, Tortured

Posted on: June 20th, 2006 by ecthompsonmd

 

All major news outlets reported this morning that bodies had been found but the Pentagon would not confirm or deny that the bodies belong to our captured soldiers-- Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker of Oregon and Pfc. Kristian Menchaca of Houston, Texas.  It is now clear and it has been reported by most of the major news outlets that the bodies have been identified and they are the missing soldiers.

According to the head of operations at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Muhammed-Jassim, the soldiers had been "barbarically" murdered.  My heart goes out to the families of these brave men.

Many questions remain.  How did these men get separated from the unit?  Why couldn't we find them while they were alive?  Does this suggest that there is a relatively large contingent of the Iraqi people who support this type of behavior?