Does Anyone Know What's Going On?

[Algorem]

When It Comes To Voting, There Is No Such Thing As a Straight Answer

http://www.freetimes.com/story/4372

Published November 15th, 2006

By James Renner

http://www.freetimes.com.nyud.net:8090/images/issues/1430/NewsBOE2.jpg
DeFranco and Eisner face off Stand-off at the Board of Elections.

Most would have you believe now is a time for celebration. Democrats have taken back Ohio and the U.S. Congress. According to mainstream media reports, those electronic voting machines in use around Northeast Ohio performed wonderfully November 7; not since that girl from Small Wonder have robots been so loved. Lines were shorter. Absentee ballots were counted on time. It was, indeed, a Midterm Midtacular. Oh, and did you hear? Michael Vu, director for Cuyahoga County's Board of Election, is about to become a father! Mazel Tov! Yay, us!

Ahem.

Not so fast. Set that bottle of Great Lakes Christmas Ale down before you toast to our success. (Slowly. That stuff's potent.)

Everything isn't fine. It's a far, far way from fine. If we're Earth, then fine is like beyond Pluto or something. We're that far from fine...




WILL CHANGED FACES RESULT

IN CHANGED POLICIES?

http://www.freetimes.com/story/4394

Election day is finally over. Many faces have changed at the federal and state levels. In the U.S. House, Democrats will replace Republicans as the majority party. Can we expect these changed faces in Washington to result in fundamentally changed policies? It depends.

By fundamentally changed policies, I mean basic laws and rules that provide We the People the ability to govern ourselves. Here are six suggestions for fundamental change:

1. Eliminate corporations from elections. Business corporations are creations of our government. Government has the power to determine what corporations can and cannot do. If We the People believe corporations are polluting politics (which they are), then getting rid of corporate political "contributions" (some call them "investments") is an excellent clean-up strategy.

2. Abolish all so-called "trade agreements" and start over. These agreements have never really been about "trade" but about who has the power to decide. That is, should the public have an authentic voice in deciding when, how, where and under what terms corporations can move from a community to some other nation or should corporations have the authority to make such decisions? ...

Greg Coleridge

Director, Economic Justice & Empowerment Program,

Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee



DEMS FIGHTIN' WORDS

http://www.freetimes.com/story/4391

In a recent diatribe on how What Readers Want is more conservatism in their daily rag, Plain Dealer columnist Regina Brett lamented how she could pay for lunch but not dinner if she had a buck for every conservative in the newsroom. Seems like she might collect at least a few of those dollars from the paper's late-shift copy desk. Those rascally wordsmiths, them.

Perhaps the most fun these word doctors get to have is when called upon to write The Big Headline, summing up something monumental in the fell swoop of a single thought or idea. One notable San Francisco Examiner headline that went out immediately post-9/11: "Bastards!" And that's what we thought after giving the PD's post-election day headline of "Dems day" more than a quick glance.

Dems day? Sounds a little like "Doomsday."

Bastards!...





RUST BELT REPORT

Democrats take control of Ohio.

Republicans still own everything.

[Erika]

1. Yep. The GOP/corporatists are falling apart

They've built an empire and they don't want it to end.

[angry_chuck]

2. plus they've stolen so much money

they can finance their crooked empire for how long?