eric.openflows

There is no crisis, there's a lack of courage.

We need to do two things, first start taxing the rich again. If we simply go back to the tax rates that were in effect when the middle class was strong and growing; when this country actually built infrastructure and pushed the envelope on scientific discovery, we could do all those things again.

Combine that with shifting spending towards things that benefit society and not the military and amazing things could happen. However, our representatives are all looking out for their own class interests and have no courage to do the right thing.

Some facts worth note:

http://www.sipri.org/media/pressreleases/milex
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, The USA has increased its military spending by 81 per cent since 2001, and now accounts for 43 per cent of the global total, six times its nearest rival China.

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Off-the-charts income gains for super-rich
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110408/ts_yblog_thelookout/of...
the 30 years following the Second World War were a time of broadly shared prosperity: Income for the bottom 90 percent of American households roughly kept pace with economic growth.

But over the last 35 years, there's been an abrupt shift: Total growth has slowed marginally, but the real change has been in how the results of that growth are distributed. Now, the bottom 90 percent have seen their income rise only by a tiny fraction of total growth, while income for the richest 1 percent has exploded by upwards of 275 percent.

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It's amazing, but it seems that Paul Ryan's "fuck the poor, feed the rich" budget has caused the Democrats in Congress to find their backbones, and made the President remember how to speak up.

Obama "did not realize the mike was on" and finally spoke clearly and as if he's engaged in a political battle, not a consensus based meeting.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/15/967264/-In-open-mic-moment,-Oba...

The Democrats ALL voted NO on the budget
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll277.xml

Harry Reid is talking tough
http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=332524

Even Democratic Party officials are speaking out
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/dccc-chair-steve-isra...
Good Job Paul! The nation thanks you.

It just keeps getting more insane. Now the GOP wants to "keep the government from over regulating the internet." Seriously, they want to hand control over the once level playing field of the internet over to the giant media corporations that have everything to gain by destroying that fairness.

I usually would not promote a web based petition, but this one is important. Call your Senators, demand that the FCC be given the "right" to preserve the level playing field on the internet; demand that government act to prevent the destruction of Network Neutrality. If we don't, the big corporations will be able to easily prevent any competition; the innovative culture of the internet will grind to a halt.

http://act2.freepress.net/sign/resolution_of_disapproval/?source=fb
Defend Free Speech on the Internet

The House recently passed a “Resolution of Disapproval” that would strip the FCC of its authority to protect our right to free speech online. The resolution would not just bar the FCC from enforcing its already weak Net Neutrality rule, but also from acting in any way to protect Internet users against corporate abuses.

We can kill the resolution in the Senate by getting 51 members to stand up for online freedom. Sign this letter to demand that your senators protect our right to an open Internet, and we will deliver it to their offices in Washington.
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Ikea is the target of racial discrimination complaints, a heated union-organizing battle and turnover from disgruntled employees.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ikea-union-20110410,0,5341610.story

Bernie Sanders' Guide to Corporate Freeloaders
http://lastwordblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/bernie-sanders-guide-to-corpora...

Bolivia Set to Pass 'Law of Mother Earth'
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/bolivia_set_to_pass_the_law_...
Bolivia is set to pass the world’s first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans. The Law of Mother Earth, now agreed by politicians and grassroots social groups, redefines the country’s rich mineral deposits as “blessings” and is expected to lead to radical new conservation and social measures to reduce pollution and control industry.

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Number 9, yes, folks... the 9th NYC DrupalCamp is happening at the end of the month. Once again, we're using the unconference format. Everyone that shows up will have a voice in how the day is organized. While there are folks that don't get it, using the term "camp" in most free software communities is synonymous with unconference -- that's what is so special about these events.

The unconference format reflects the ideals and community-centric nature of the software being discussed.

Registration will open on thursday, keep your eyes on http://groups.drupal.org/node/141719 the nyc drupal group for more details (and for what might turn into an interesting debate about the gentrification of the drupal community and those that feel the right to appropriate terms and change their meaning to make themselves feel better).

I'll expand on this theme soon, but for now I'm just too tired.