Two Kitties and a Bear

How low will it go?

According to a recent Gallup poll, Bush’s approval rating is at 28% for April 2008, marking the lowest approval rating of his presidential career. This is in stark contrast to the 90% approval rating he enjoyed in September 2001, though perhaps there was an event that sparked national fervor of dogmatic patriotism. 

Bush’s approval had dipped to 29% in January 2007, but has rebounded a few points, until declining again between March and April 2008.

Despite not beating Truman’s record-low 22% approval rating, President Bush received the highest disapproval rating: 69%, two full points above Truman’s 67% in 1952. Incidentally this means that of all Gallup polls, Bush maintains the first, third and fifth spots of the highest five disapproval ratings.

According to the polling organization, the respondents had a markedly low “No Opinion” response of 3.5% (rounded up to 4%). Previously, this number had hovered around 10-14% for past presidents.

Slavery in America

Slavery in America. Hasn’t happened since 1865, right? Wrong, so explains John Bowe in his book, “Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy”. Slavery exists in America today, right at this moment. From undocumented migrants to skilled workers, slavery is surprisingly rampant. The stories in the book are at once fascinating, exposing a rarely-seen side to human behavior.

Take for example the plight of a group of Indian workers whom sacrificed much for an opportunity to work in the United States. Having been promised fair wages and decent lodging, they received wages below the federal minimum (around $2 per hour at best). Near the end of the saga they were forced to stay inside their makeshift barracks, an bunk-bed-filled room hastily built inside the same factory in which they worked. These men were forced to work and live in horrible conditions and were consistently threatened with deportation, even for simply wishing to attend a nearby church service.

Bowe’s book cites a number of such cases, each story perhaps more intriguing than previous. What’s more is how eloquently he explains the depth of each situation and how something so fundamentally black-and-white can reach a depth of murkiness it’s hard to know who’s the bad guy.

Read the book, and follow the continuing story of Slavery in America at Bowe’s blog.

Lift the gas tax, save nothing

John McCain’s proposal to suspend the gas tax for between Memorial Day and Labor Day is stupid. The gas tax is currently 18 cents per gallon. Let’s say a family goes on vacation and travels 3000 miles (say from Seattle to San Diego and back). And say that family drives a mid-nineties minivan that averages 15 miles a gallon on their trip.

3000 miles divided by 15 equals 200 gallons. 200 gallons times 18 cents equals a savings of $36 if the gas tax is lifted.

So for a vacation, this family saved $36. Then say they still work the rest of the time. The period of time the tax is lifted is about 3 months, and a family will usually go through 10-15 gallons of gas which adds another 200 gallons, give or take. Add another $36 to your savings and you have $72.

Alternatively, the family could forgo the trip, choosing instead to save the hundreds of dollars spent on gas, food, and lodging by having a local vacation. A significant, if incidental, benefit is reduced emissions.

Calling it a housing slowdown is like saying the Titanic was a “boating setback”. We’re at the beginning of the swell, the beginnings of a wave that’ll knock the entire world on its ass financially.

Cheap shots are not wins—in fact, they’re quite the opposite: they increase the noise, reducing the clarity of the signal.

Dear Ariana,

Your Huffington Post is a great resource for progressives to read about and discuss events political, but the ever-worsening sensationalist headlines are damaging the site’s credibility.

Love and Kisses,

Jared

P.S. It’s a shame you didn’t become our Governor. I always liked you best. 

18.5% PTSD Rate

According to the LA Times, 18.5% of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans have depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. With the support of the war in Iraq at an all-time low, and the lack of coverage of the conflict in Afghanistan, it’s common for soldiers coming home to wonder if they were justified.