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Who Lost Egypt: Not Obama for Sure - By Aaron David Miller | Foreign Policy "If we're lucky this time around, we'll avoid the who-lost-Egypt debate. Mubarak's decision to step down has pre-empted a catastrophic crisis for Egypt and for American interests. We may not be adept at manipulating Middle Eastern politics; but we're sure experts at beating ourselves up. Commentators and analysts have argued forcefully that Barack Obama's administration failed to anticipate the current crisis, blew an opportunity by failing to push President Hosni Mubarak to make significant reforms during the early days of the upheaval, and risks being on the wrong side of history by not being assertive in trying to force Mubarak's removal. But the administration was smart to keep its distance from this crisis. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

As Long-Term Unemployment Deepens, 99ers Look for Answers | The Washington Independent "For 23 years, 58-year-old Cindy Paoletti of Salina, N.Y., worked in the corporate accounting division of J.P. Morgan Chase, balancing payroll accounts in an upstate office of the Wall Street bank. In December 2007, Paoletti was let go in a wave of layoffs that eventually shuttered the entire Syracuse operations center. “My job went to India,” she sighs. [Economy1] Soon after, she started collecting unemployment benefits and severance while searching for a job in earnest. “I apply for everything out there,” she says, estimating she has applied to hundreds of positions over the past 30 months. “But 95 percent of the time, the company you send your resume to does not even acknowledge that they’ve received it. The majority of the time, if you do get an interview, they tell you that you are overqualified. It seems like as soon as they find out your age, everything goes down after there. The age disc...

Riot Police Guard Against Anti-Billionaire Protesters in Rancho Mirage. John Amato is on the scene | Crooks and Liars : "This is live video sent back from the Quarantine the Kochs rally in Rancho Mirage about an hour and a half ago. John Amato is on the scene and has called me a couple of times with updates. There are about 1500 people or so there, peacefully protesting the convocation of billionaires at the Rancho Las Palmas resort. The purpose of the meeting is to figure out how to impeach Obama and take over our government in order to preserve their wealth, justice, and liberty at the expense of ours. Glenn Beck was the keynote speaker last night, and Eric Cantor was also on the guest list. (Full list here (PDF)) - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ThinkProgress » California Lawmaker Receives Racist Death Threat Warning ‘Rush Limbaugh Will Kick Your Ch-nk Ass’ "Yee’s call for civility did not sit well with one Limbaugh fan, who responded by sending several racist death threats to Yee’s office this week. “Rush Limbaugh will kick your chink ass and expose you for the fool you are,” the faxes read, threatening him with “death” (warning, contains racial expletives): - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Obama, You Had Me At 'Doubling Our Exports by 2014' | The Nation "The biggest problem, at least for liberals and close listeners, was the logical holes in Obama’s tax talk. He mentioned “tax cuts” twice: Once to claim credit for fattening paychecks with the tax compromise, and once to criticize the thought of making that same tax plan permanent. He vowed to eliminate the 'billions' of tax benefits that oil companies currently receive, and then, after bemoaning the deficit, called for cutting 'the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years.' Two of the three biggest corporations in America are oil companies, by the way, so those reforms might cancel each other out a bit. Now guess which one the Republicans will act on first. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

MetroPCS sues to block FCC's net neutrality rules - FierceWireless "MetroPCS (NASDAQ:PCS) followed Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and filed a lawsuit to block the FCC's recently approved net neutrality regulations for wireless and wired networks. The suit comes on the heels of criticism from consumer groups that MetroPCS' LTE data plans violate the rules. The flat-rate carrier filed its suit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which is where Verizon filed its lawsuit. It's also the same court that in April struck down the FCC's authority to sanction Comcast for blocking subscribers from using a file-sharing service. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The U.S. Department of Labor Home Page "Browse By: Topic * Compliance Assistance * Disability Resources * Doing Business with DOL * elaws — Employment Law Advisors * Equal Employment Opportunity * Funding Opportunities * Health Plans & Benefits * Hiring * Job Opportunities at DOL * Labor Relations * Leave Benefits * Retirement Plans, Benefits & Savings * Regulations * Small Business Resources * Spanish Language Resources * Statistics * Termination * Training * Unemployment Insurance * Veterans Employment * Wages * Work Hours * Workers' Compensation * Workplace Safety & Health * Youth & Labor You can browse by Audience or Location - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Media Matters for America : "UPDATED REPORT: Fox News' $55 Million Presidential Donation Beck Palin, Gingrich, Huckabee, Santorum, And Bolton Have All Hinted At 2012 Presidential Runs ... These Fox News Candidates Appeared On The Network For More Than 85 Hours In 2010 ... Potential Candidates' 2010 Appearances Were Worth Approximately $54.7 Million Boehlert: After AZ, Fox And Right-Wing Media Have 'Doubled Down' On Violent Rhetoric Beck Beck's Rhetoric Inspires More Death Threats ... NY Times Reports On Death Threats To Frequent Beck Target Piven ... FLASHBACK: 'You're Going To Have To Shoot Them In The Head' ... Beck Explains His 'You're Going To Have To Shoot Them In Head' Comments Republicans Admit Congress Members Avoid Contradicting Conservative Media Beck GOPers 'Privately Admitted Members Carefully Monitor What's Being Said On Conservative Airwaves To Make Sure They Aren't Contradicting It Or Enraging Talkers' ......

The measure would extend tax cuts for those who make less than $250,000 a year. Republicans, who want the lower rates for all income levels, vote against the measure. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group is working on a compromise. Bush-era tax cuts: House OKs extension of tax cut - latimes.com Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Internet has a lot of information for people wanting to better the quality of their lives. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to believe and what to be wary of. I am trying to look at human issues from the perspective of scientific psychology and its practical applications. Helping you find ways to live life at its most richest is my intention. I want to share with you the exciting developments in psychology that you can use as personal tools for your life journey. Enjoy! The Worry Free Life Blogged with the Flock Browser

The House failed to pass an extension unemployment insurance benefits for another three months Thursday afternoon. The vote was 258 to 154, short of the two-thirds needed for passage. House Republicans Block Unemployment Benefits Extension - NYTimes.com Blogged with the Flock Browser

The tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, known as the Bush tax cuts, are set to expire Dec. 31, and the fight over what to do is increasingly heated. Should the tax cuts expire, as some Democrats have said? Should they be extended, as most Republicans maintain? Or does the answer lie somewhere in between, as the Obama administration, led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, has argued in recent weeks? Five myths about the Bush tax cuts Blogged with the Flock Browser

Cutting defense is controversial, yet necessary. Our military spending is greater than the rest of the world combined. The largest organization of military air power is the U.S. Air Force. The second largest is the U.S. Navy. U.S. no longer needs large defense budget | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register Blogged with the Flock Browser

In an abrupt reversal, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday endorsed a moratorium on earmarks that GOP conservatives are seeking to send a signal that the Republican Party is serious about curbing federal spending. Now that Mitch McConnell is aboard, how much would earmark ban save? - CSMonitor.com Blogged with the Flock Browser

Let me be clear upfront: From a policy standpoint, the case for allowing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to expire is very, very solid. (Heck, the policy case for allowing all of the tax cuts to expire isn't that bad, either, when you consider that the savings could be used to, say, extend unemployment benefits or shore up Medicare -- not that this idea is on the table.) Ending the Bush tax cuts: Riskier than you think - War Room - Salon.com Blogged with the Flock Browser

(CBS) President Barack Obama is in Cleveland Wednesday to launch a program offering tax breaks for business investment and to call for the extension of middle class tax cuts. David Axelrod: End GOP Tax Cuts for Millionaires - The Early Show - CBS News Blogged with the Flock Browser

House liberals are urging Democratic leaders to let the George W. Bush-era tax cuts on the country's highest earners expire.Reps. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.) and Lynn Woolsey (Calif.), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said extending the tax breaks for those earning more than $250,000 a year represents "a giveaway" to wealthy Americans that would saddle the country in unnecessary debt. Liberal Democrats urge Pelosi to stand firm in debate over tax cuts - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room Blogged with the Flock Browser

During the past two years, Congress  passed a total of $509 billion in tax cuts for American families and small businesses. The tax burden on Americans is now at its lowest level in 60 years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities . The most significant single change was a decrease in income taxes by up to $400 a year for individuals and $800 for married couples. Who knew? In a recent New York Times/CBS News Poll, fewer than one in 10 respondents knew that taxes were lowered for most Americans. A third even thought that their taxes had gone up. "We did a magnificent job of selling this tax break," Sanders deadpanned at an event last weekend in Hardwick, Vt., where he mentioned the poll. Taxes at Lowest Level Since 1950 Blogged with the Flock Browser

— which are scheduled to expire at the end of the year — will actually be good for the country’s bottom line, as the economic growth that results will more than offset the trillions of dollars in lost revenue. “ By extending tax cuts you pay down the deficit , you grow the economy by giving people more money,” said Colorado Republican Ken Buck. Today, on Fox News Sunday, Pennsylvania’s Republican Senate nominee Pat Toomey joined this club, telling Fox’s Chris Wallace that “ it’s not clear ” that extending the Bush tax cuts — while also lowering the corporate tax rate — would increase the deficit: Toomey: ‘It’s Not Clear’ That Extending Bush’s Tax Cuts Would Increase The Deficit Blogged with the Flock Browser