TheNextReport

If there was any doubt about the cynicism and arrogance of the leadership of the Republican party, it was in plain sight last week in the congressional battle over the student loan interest rate. That rate, now 3.4 percent, is scheduled to increase to 6.8 percent at the beginning of July. Both Democrats and Republicans promised to intervene with legislation aimed at preventing the increase, but they soon began arguing about how it will be paid for. In a classic example of the moral bankruptcy of their politics, the GOP, led by Speaker of the House John Boehner, proposed that funds be taken from the Prevention and Public Health Fund -- the part of President Obama’s healthcare law that would support preventative medicine, such as mammogram screening and other procedures. Never mind that Republican leaders have called for the repeal of the entire healthcare law and have a motion to that effect before the Supreme Court. The leaders of the GOP, stung by previous charges that they had been...

Goodnight Brother Helm, Wherever You Are It's a season of politics in America, a time when carnival barkers and blow-dried charlatans stroll The Great White Way; I desperately look for something real and all I can think about is The Band and the passing of Levon Helm. There are not many artists who can sum up what it really means to be an American. I knew that The Band's music was special the first time that I heard them. This was no ordinary rock n roll; no ordinary country music; this was no run-of-the-mill R&B; not your average cake-walkin dixieland, or ordinary Cajun fiddle tunes -- it was all of them, a unique expression of our American identity. And there in the middle of it all was Levon, the driv'n wheel, the beating heart, the dirt farmer at the plough, telling tales of minstrels and medicine men, of ordinary folks, speaking the truth. It is not surprising that what drew many to the sound of The Band was its spirituality,its gris-gris, born of days with D...

Hoyt and the Goose The adjustments an American living in France must make to maintain a state of basic contentment can at first seem considerable. For example, getting used to the fact that stores, pharmacies, gas stations, post offices, banks, supermarkets, doctors offices and just about everything else are closed during lunch can seem impossible. Once it is understood, however, that lunch in France is not a meal but a form of universal worship, that the French table is in fact an altar, resigning oneself to the inaccessibility of certain necessities becomes possible. Sports is another matter. As with most American males, I am at times possessed by uncontrollable thoughts of baseball, football and basketball. Having grown up in New York in the 60s, various sports legends – from the Babe to the Mick, from Y.A. to Earl the Pearl, from A-Rod to Eli — composed a portable pantheon, a subconscious hall of fame transported from childhood to adulthood. The pre-occupation was in the genes....

The war in Iraq came to an official close yesterday... just in time for Christmas. An odd coincidence, isn't it? In the wake of this needless production of cannon fodder for an entirely unnecessary war, America smugly finds a way to reaffirm its faith in its religious beliefs, support its calcified politics and cheer on the people who lead us oblivious to their human responsibilities. As the soldiers come home on crutches, splints and in caskets, august members of the House of Representatives demonstrated their concern for their fellow citizens last week by proposing a cutback in unemployment benefits and the institution of drug testing of the unemployed as part of a deal to preserve the payroll tax cut. You have to hand it to the GOP mandarins -- when it comes to disdain for the "common man" they are in a league of their own. Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions has been pushing a new amendment that would make it more difficult for people to receive food stamps...

If there was ever any doubt about the mental instability of the Republican party, consider the story that has emerged about a coalition of evangelical environmentalists and their support of new regulations proposed by the EPA that would impose stricter limits on emissions of mercury from power plants. That's right. Believe it or not, there is a group of environmentally conscious right-wing Christians who have been making their voices heard and have clashed with pro-business Republicans who want to weaken the regulations. Evangelical Christians make up 26% of the country. While official campaign rhetoric from the GOP calls for eliminating the EPA, it seems that some evangelicals, usually known for their nearly monolithic support of Republican positions and priorities, have begun to make the important connection between strong environmental regulations and concern for the unborn. Medical experts have long warned that high mercury levels in fish like tuna and swordfish can cause pre...

There is only one way in which we can worthily give proof of our appreciation of the significance of Armistice Day; that is by resolving as a nation to work toward preventing another war; to put self-interest away and once again act on the highest ideals of international cooperation... Woodrow Wilson

Anybody out there getting a bit weary of the Republican primary debates? Get prepared for more of the same. Checking the schedule, as of this writing the GOP will be getting ready for its 12th debate, most of them televised by major networks. For those of you who can't get enough of this coterie of crass conservatives, fear not. We will all be treated to 14 more chances to turn off Jersey Shore and sit back and watch as right wing politics is sold to the electorate. And where are the Democrats while the Republican position goes unchallenged, while President Obama is blamed for the economy, for unemployment, and for having the temerity to offer the country medical care? They are nowhere to be found. Hours upon hours of free airtime is being devoted to one party's vision for the country and the Democratic leadership is just sitting on its hands. Where are the town halls, the community meetings, the discussions, the Democratic followup responses that would allow presentation ...