Portside

REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

SUNDAY

Quote of the Day
February 2, 2014

'The important thing is to make it clear to every
member of the Senate that this stalemate on jobless
benefits cannot go on one more week. There are big-
picture consequences: a report this week from the
Democratic Policy and Communications Center says
state economies have lost $1.8 billion and counting
as a result of the lost benefits. But consider the
individuals who are losing their homes because they
cannot pay their mortgage or rent, the mothers who
are lining up at food pantries to feed their children
and themselves, the people whose job search has
been made even harder because they don't have
money coming in to pay for transportation to a job
interview.

'Make a call to one of your senators. Tell them to
end this travesty; restore long-term jobless benefits
now, then do the serious work that must be done to
bring the nation to full employment.'

Isaiah J. Poole
Campaign for America's Future
February 2, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

New Jersey Superbowl
Jeff Darcy
Cleveland Plain Dealer
 

MONDAY

Quote of the Day

'Florida’s West Palm Beach now has more than
sunshine to attract the hedge fund kingpins of
Connecticut and New York. The city has just
established a “Flagler Financial District” to help
nudge the nation’s high-finance elite out of their
cold-weather haunts. Why a new financial district
now? New federal regs require hedge fund managers
to bring back home the fee income they parked in
offshore tax havens before 2009. The West Palm
Beach selling point to these hedgies: In Florida, you
won't face any income tax on this repatriated
income. Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino
wants West Palm to greet incoming billionaires with
its own Statue of Liberty. He even has
some lines for the statue plaque: “Give us your
tiara-ed, your posh, your wretched refuse of the
Hamptons shore".'

Too Much
February 3, 2014

Toon of the Day

Oversight
M. Wuerker
 

TUESDAY

Quote of the Day

'The more people learn about the Keystone XL tar
sands pipeline, the less they like it. Despite what we
might be hearing in industry spin, the
environmental report released by the State
Department Friday confirms that tar sands crude
means a dirtier, more dangerous future for our
children all so that the oil industry can reach the
higher prices of overseas markets. That's right,
overseas markets, which is where the majority of
this processed oil will end up. This dirty energy
project is all risk and no reward for the American
people.'

Actor/Activist Robert Redford
Reader Supported News
February 4, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

No Free Lunch
Pat Bagley
 

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day

'Obama was correct in December when he called
widening inequality "the defining challenge of our
time." He mustn't back down now even if
Democratic pollsters tell him to. If we're ever to
reverse this noxious trend, Americans have to hear
the truth.'

Economist Robert Reich
blog
February 5, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Droning
Tom Tomorrow
 

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day

'In Putin's increasingly totalitarian Russia, the
repression is even greater, as is the plunder of the
public coffers. The low estimates put the cost of the
Sochi Games at $51 billion, more than four times
the estimated cost and, remarkably, more than the
cost of all previous Winter Olympics combined, as
reported by Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.
Political sportswriter Dave Zirin told me: "One road
from the Olympic Village to the top of the ski
mountain is going to cost $8.7 billion. Not only is
that more than the entire price tag for the
Vancouver Games, but they could have paved the
entire road in Beluga caviar, and it would have cost
less." Zirin reported that at least 25 workers were
killed during the frantic race to finish the
construction in Sochi. While workers suffer, Zirin
says the beneficiaries of the largess are "a
combination of the Russian state and the Russian
plutocracy".'

Amy Goodman
Nation of Change
February 6, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

The Sower
Signe Wilkinson
 

FRIDAY

Quote of the Day

'AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong blamed the
babies of two employees for increasing the
company's benefit costs on Thursday, explaining
in a conference call that AOL had to pay millions out in
medical bills and alter its entire benefits package.
The remarks came just hours after the company
announced changes to its 401(k) plans and
complained that Obamacare has increased costs by
$7.1 million.'

Igor Volsky
Think Progress / News Investigation
February 7, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Endangered
Ben Sargent
 

SATURDAY

Quote of the Day

'Everywhere I tried to go, they just closed the door.'

Erin White, 34, of Lebanon, Tenn.,
a jobseeker who was laid off as a
high school  business teacher last
May

Los Angeles Times
February 8, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Nuts
Mark Streeter