January deficit fell sharply to $27 billion: CBO. [Reuters] – The budget deficit shrank by nearly half in January compared to a year earlier as tax collections from individuals rose and outlays fell, the Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday. The CBO said it expects the Treasury Department to report a $27 billion deficit for January, versus a $50 billion deficit in January 2011. The January budget gap will bring the total deficit for the first four months of fiscal 2012 to $349 billion, a decrease of about $70 billion from the same period of fiscal 2011.
Curated Links
“Secret Money” Funding Political Ads
‘Secret money’ is funding more election ads. [Dan Eggen | The Washington Post] – More than a third of the advertising tied to the presidential race has been funded by nonprofit groups that will never have to reveal their donors, suggesting that a significant portion of the 2012 elections will be wrapped in a vast cloak of secrecy. The bulk of the secret money spent so far has come from conservative groups seeking to propel a Republican into the White House, advertising data shows. Read more.
Virginia Starbucks Fines Employees Thousands for Drinks
The Starbucks in this article is on the Fort Belvoir Army Base and is operated by the Army and Air Force Exchange Services.
Fort Belvoir Starbucks Charges Nine Employees Thousands for Drinks. [Mount Vernon, VA Patch] – Starbucks manager Stacy McDonald worked at the Fort Belvoir location for more than five years. As of Wednesday, she was fired after the company accused her of stealing $3.75 worth of merchandise while on the job. Eight months pregnant, she has lost her health insurance and more than 200 hours of sick time that she was planning to use for maternity leave.
Apparently there are conflicting policies involved.
AAFES’s policy states that while employees are on shift, they are authorized to have unlimited brewed coffee, tea, and fountain soda. However, Starbucks’ policy allows just one free beverage during work hours. The expectation is every barista is to sample coffee, espresso, milk and pastries to ensure quality and knowledge to provide effective information to customers.
One of the employees was being charged more than $600 for adding milk and lemonade to her “unlimited tea.” One employee owed $13,951.
At least these employees have union representation to help them fight these charges. Many baristas do not.
Mass Incarceration in America
Mass Incarceration and Criminal Justice in America. [The New Yorker] – Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today – perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850.
Obama’s Catholic Problem
Obama’s Catholic Friends and Enemies. [RealClearPolitics] – Any time the Obama administration touches issues related to the Roman Catholic Church, it seems to get itself caught in a rhetorical and moral crossfire that leaves all involved wounded and angry. This is what’s happening in the battle over how contraception should be covered under the new health care law.
Monsanto, Dupont & Obama
The Unholy Alliance: Monsanto, Dupont & Obama. [Ronnie Cummins | The Huffington Post] – On the campaign trail, President Obama affirms that agribusiness cannot be trusted with the policy and regulatory powers of government, but in office, he’s let Monsanto, Dupont and the other pesticide and genetic engineering companies know they’ll have plenty of friends and supporters within his administration.
Why Chris Hedges is Suing Barack Obama
Somehow I missed this article last week. God bless Chris, and his efforts.
Chris Hedges: Why I’m Suing Barack Obama. [Truthdig] – I spent many years in countries where the military had the power to arrest and detain citizens without charge. I have been in some of these jails. I have friends and colleagues who have “disappeared” into military gulags. I know the consequences of granting sweeping and unrestricted policing power to the armed forces of any nation. And while my battle may be quixotic, it is one that has to be fought if we are to have any hope of pulling this country back from corporate fascism.
Ron Paul Unmasked
Billy Wharton peels back the layers to reveal the essence of Ron Paul: an ideology that would only make the problem worse.
The Misadventure of Ron Paul. [Socialist WebZine] – Forget the Fed. Leave aside all the slogans about “living within our means” and “punishing generations with debt” for a moment. Ron Paul is the most pro-corporate politician in the Presidential race.
SOTU 2012
Remarks by the President in State of the Union Address. [The White House] – “Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.”
Full text is here.
Death in a Sweatshop
Anniversary of a Death in a New York Sweatshop. [Counterpunch] – A year ago today, Juan Baten, a 22-year-old Guatemalan, was crushed to death while working in a Brooklyn tortilla factory. A year later, justice has still not been done.