Portside

REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

SUNDAY

Quote of the Day
December 8,  2013

'In the past two days we've seen a federal judge rule
that Detroit can go bankrupt, putting its workers'
pensions in jeopardy, and we have seen Illinois'
legislature vote for substantial cuts in its retirees'
pensions. Undoubtedly these two actions are just
the tip of the iceberg. We have opened up a new
sport for America's elite: pension theft.'

Economist Dean Baker
Huffington Post
December 5, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

The Strip - Brian McFadden
New York Times
 

MONDAY

Quote of the Day

' The good news, such as it is, is that the White
House and Senate Democrats are trying to make an
issue of expiring unemployment benefits. The bad
news is that they don't sound willing to make
extending benefits a precondition for a budget deal,
which means that they aren't really willing to make
a stand.

'So the odds, I'm sorry to say, are that the long-term
unemployed will be cut off, thanks to a perfect
marriage of callousness - a complete lack of
empathy for the unfortunate - with bad economics.
But then, hasn't that been the story of just about
everything lately? '

Economist Paul Krugman
New York Times
December 9, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Visitors
Jeff Stahler
 

TUESDAY

Quote of the Day

'Economically they're already obsolete. The
Clinton/Third Way/Democratic Leadership Council
ideology - which typically markets itself as
"centrism," even though its economic policies are far
to the right of public opinion - was thoroughly
discredited by the financial crisis of 2008. That
crisis was caused in large part by Wall Street
deregulation which they pushed, and it exacerbated
the growing wage inequality and loss of social
mobility which has devastated middle class and
lower-income Americans.

'And yet, their brand of Wall Street-friendly
"centrism" made a remarkable comeback after 2008,
thanks in large part to the Obama White House's
influence on the Democratic Party - and to corporate
money's influence on the political process. Five
years after the crisis, the entire nation is still seeing
the disastrous effects of their economic policies on
our nation's most intractable issues:
unemployment, wage stagnation and the lack of
opportunity for most Americans.'

Richard Eskow
Campaign for America's Future
December 8, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Mandela
Tony Auth
 

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day

'We’re tired of losing jobs. We’re tired of trade
agreements that end up with net job loss. Our
members our fed up with this. The public is fed up
with this.”

'The politicians keep telling us the same song and
dance that turns out not to be the truth. We’ve lost
five million manufacturing jobs. The public gets it,
and the politicians don’t.'

Leo W. Gerard, president of the United Steelworkers
union (USWA), on the failure of the 12 governments
working on the Trans-Pacific Partnership to come
up with a pact.

New York Times
December 11, 2013

Toon of the Day

Big Deal
Stuart Carlson
 

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day

'But the budget deal negotiated by Murray and Ryan
will do nothing to expand demand in the economy.
They could have devoted funds to rebuilding the
infrastructure, retrofitting homes and businesses to
make them more energy efficient, and improving
health care and education. Instead we see further
cuts that will both lead to deteriorating service and
fewer jobs.

'This means that millions of people will continue to
unemployed or underemployed for the foreseeable
future and workers will lack the bargaining power to
secure their share of economic growth. But at least
the lives of members of Congress will be easier.

'Happy holidays!'

Economist Dean Baker
CNN Opinion
December 12, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

One Step
Tom Toles - Washington Post
 

FRIDAY

Quote of the Day

'During the election campaign we promised to
improve the situation of many young people. Now
nothing is going to happen under a grand coalition
government.'

'We wanted more from the top 5 percent to
encourage young people and to close the gap
between rich and poor.'

Johanna Ueckermann, 26-year-old
leader of the youth wing of the
German Social Democratic Party,
rejecting  the coalition agreement
between the SPD and the conservative
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

Deutsche Welle
December 13, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Old Story
David Horsey
Los Angeles Times
 

SATURDAY

Quote of the Day

'Obama's Got Home Training.

'For those unfamiliar with the term, it's a descriptor
for child rearing that teaches the individual being
brought up to comport herself with a measure of
civility and cultivation. It's a term usually used to
connote someone's tackiness, as in, "This guy
clearly has no home training," and it's a bad look for
how your mama raised you if you have none. As
Twitter user @Karnythia points out:

'If you think POTUS should have snubbed a leader
of a sovereign nation at a funeral then you have no
home training and no common sense.'

David Swerdlick
The Root
December 10, 2013
 

Toon of the Day

Handshake
David Horsey
Los Angeles Times