Archive for November, 2004
Congress Is Busted
"Hastert Launches a Partisan Policy" -- Charles Babington in The Washington Post, 11/27/04:
In scuttling major intelligence legislation that he, the president and most lawmakers supported, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert last week enunciated a policy in which Congress will pass bills only if most House Republicans back them, regardless of how many Democrats favor them.
Hastert's [...]
World War One Autochromes
No Intelligence Reform Bill
"Intelligence Overhaul Bill Blocked" -- Charles Babington and Walter Pincus in The Washington Post, 11/21/04:
Long-debated legislation to dramatically reshape the nation's intelligence community collapsed in the House yesterday, as conservative Republicans refused to embrace a compromise because they said it could reduce military control over battlefield intelligence and failed to crack down on illegal [...]
The Republican Spending Bill
"$388 Billion Bill Is Show of GOP Power" -- Alan Fram in The Chicago Sun-Times, 11/21/04:
WASHINGTON -- Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill through Congress on Saturday, a mammoth measure that underscores the dominance of deficit politics by curbing dollars for everything from education to environmental cleanups.
The House approved the measure 344-51 margin, while [...]
Congress Is Broken
"Republicans Red-Faced over Measure Allowing Tax Returns to Be Disclosed without Penalty" -- Matt Yancey (AP) in The Boston Globe, 11/20/04:
Congress passed legislation Saturday giving two committee chairman and their assistants access to income tax returns without regard to privacy protections, but not before red-faced Republicans said it was all a mistake and would be [...]
A Conservation Consensus
"It's Easy Being Green" -- Will Rogers in The New York Times, 11/20/04:
Though nobody seemed to notice, Republican and Democratic voters seemed to be of similar minds on one issue this election: the environment. Across the country, in red states and blue states, Americans voted decisively to spend more money for natural areas, neighborhood parks [...]
Ohio Recount Goes Forward
"Lawyers Say They'll Challenge Election Results" -- Andrew Welsh-Huggins (AP) in the Canton Repository, 11/20/04:
COLUMBUS -- Lawyers who have been documenting voting day problems in Ohio say they’ll challenge the results of the presidential election as soon as the vote is official.
The lawyers say documented cases of long lines, a shortage of machines and a [...]
Charming Superstition
"X = Not a Whole Lot" -- John Allen Paulos in The Guardian, 11/18/04:
Excuse my mathematician's obsession with coin flips, but consider this. There is a large bloc of people who will vote for the Republican candidate no matter what, and a similarly reliable Democratic bloc of roughly the same size. There is also a [...]
Bush Second-Term Tax Agenda
"Bush Plans Tax Code Overhaul" -- Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum in The Washington Post, 11/18/04:
The Bush administration is eyeing an overhaul of the tax code that would drastically cut, if not eliminate, taxes on savings and investment, but it is unlikely to try to replace the existing tax code with a single flat [...]
Florida Election Fraud Investigations
"Watchdog Group Seeks Volusia Vote Tallies" -- Christine Girardin in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, 11/18/04:
DELAND -- An activist group investigating possible irregularities in the Nov. 2 election requested copies of all Volusia County voter tallies Wednesday.
It took county elections employees most of the day to complete the [...]
Camo Day
"Texas Schools Scrap 'Cross-Dressing' Day" - -- Bobby Ross, Jr. (AP) in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11/16/04:
A homecoming tradition in which boys dress like girls and vice versa in a tiny Texas school district won't be held Wednesday after a parent complained about what she regarded as the event's homosexual overtones.
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