Veterans For Peace National Convention

In Portland, Oregon for the VFP national convention--my first ever. Like most affairs of this sort, it's a whirlwind of panels, people and learning an entirely new venue. Today's events included a session on organizing and one on Peace Trees Vietnam. Tomorrow I am leading a panel on veterans advocacy.

Since all this is fairly esoteric and heavy, here's a photo from my recent trip to Mount Rainier. And, yes, all that snow was still on the ground at the end of July.

Leave It to the Pros

Whenever I write about progressive taxation and social justice, I always feel totally tongue-tied. That's why I very much appreciate O'Halloran's post at Bad Attitudes for reminding me of a far more articulate advocate of economic opportunity and equality: Thomas Jefferson.

From a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison in 1785:

...The earth is given as a common stock for man to labour and live on. If, for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be furnished to those excluded from the appropriation....

And They Call it Job-Killing

Health-care law could give rise to entrepreneurs.

The Ripple Effect

Much of the discussion about the looming federal default focuses on the national government but the repercussions hit everywhere.

Moody’s Investors Service, a major credit rating agency, has said it would review 177 municipal governments for possible downgrades if the federal government loses its pristine credit rating. That could make it more expensive for local governments...to borrow money to build roads, schools hospitals and other important infrastructure projects, if they don’t delay or cancel them altogether.

It all makes sense if your aim is to destroy government.