Resident blogger Ross Levin has penned an article over at Polizeros. His article, which is about the Occupy Wall Street Protests generally, nevertheless manages to touch on a few personalities and parties that are of interest to IPR readers.

Barack Obama’s rhetoric certainly has a populist tone to it these days, but words are cheap.  At the same time that he invoked Teddy Roosevelt, Obama sought to undermine Social Security, one of the fundamental social safety net programs in this country.  Ron Paul and the newly Libertarian Gary Johnson, on the other hand, provide adequate solutions to some of the symptoms of this greater problem.  Both are opposed to the race-driven drug war and the military-industrial complex and the empire which sustains it.  They are even opposed to our modern “crony capitalism,” and in my eyes they are certainly better choices than any of the offerings of the major parties, yet their libertarian ideologies encourage corporate greed and power in some nasty ways.  Actual solutions, or at least the first steps toward actual solutions, to our systematic socioeconomic inequality are present in the campaigns of the Green Party’s Jill Stein and the Justice Party’s Rocky Anderson.  Stein’s campaign is centered on the idea of a “Green New Deal,” providing employment and a fair, democratic redistribution of wealth while jump-starting American environmental efforts.  Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, recently formed the Justice Party and the central theme of his candidacy is, in his words, “to change the system and get the corrupting influence of corporate and other concentrated wealth out of our electoral system and out of our system of governance.”

Teddy Roosevelt, Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and Rocky Anderson either are now, or once were, third party Presidential candidates.

Independent Political Report

The 2011 Texas Legislature slashed the state’s funding of public K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The real motivation for underfunding public education is to replace our low cost public system of education available to every citizen with a high cost private ‘for profit’ education system.

Huffington Post

While for-profit colleges do indeed educate more low-income and minority students than other institutions, this is in large part because support for the traditional alternative, community college, has failed to keep pace with demand.

Though no one maintains a comprehensive list of state funding for community colleges, state and local support for community colleges on a per-student basis declined by 5 percent in 2009 from a decade earlier, according to Department of Education statistics compiled by the Delta Project, a nonprofit research group that studies higher education spending. The total subsidies provided to students by community colleges, including funding from public sources and other outside support, fell by 10 percent over the last decade, on a per-student basis.

The Obama administration has significantly boosted funding for Pell Grants, which are available to low-income students. Over the last three years of the program, the federal government has more than doubled spending on Pell grants, budgeting billion more this year than in the 2007-08 school year. For-profit colleges have captured an outsized share of this pool — roughly 25 percent — despite educating only 12 percent of college students nationwide, according to the most recent federal data.

Had the .5 billion that for-profit institutions received via Pell Grants during the 2009-2010 school year gone instead to fund community college systems nationwide, that money could have created capacity for an additional 629,000 community college students, The Huffington Post calculated, using available estimates for the average expenditure per student. That would represent a 20 percent increase in the number of full-time community college students currently enrolled nationwide.

At California’s community colleges — the nation’s largest system of higher education, serving a quarter of community college students nationwide — an estimated 200,000 students will be turned away from classes next school year, according to the state community college chancellor’s office, following state cutbacks of nearly 20 percent across the entire system. That amounts to more than 7 percent of the entire state’s community college student body, and that does not count those who gave up on plans to enroll due to the difficulties of securing classes.

After accounting for inflation, California is now spending the same amount on community colleges that it did six years ago, despite adding more than 175,000 students in that period, a nearly 20 percent increase. On a per-student basis, the state is spending less this year than it was 15 years ago.

The for-profit college programs that have been absorbing the resulting overflow of students are on average more than five times as expensive as their community college counterparts, according to a Senate report that examined such schools nationally. While only about one in five students at community colleges takes out loans to finance their tuition, four of five students at for-profit two- and four-year schools sign off on loans, according to Department of Education data.

Because of the high costs and high debt loads, students at for-profit colleges are responsible for about 45 percent of all student loan defaults.

In the eyes of public education advocates, for-profit colleges are the inevitable, opportunistic outgrowth of a society that simultaneously rewards those with greater education while it eliminates traditional support for public campuses.

“The economy is essentially telling people that you have to get some kind of post-secondary degree or credential,” said Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. “So the demand is growing very fast, and our ability to fund this function is crashing. It’s not just declining, it’s crashing. The public sector is basically getting out of the business, so the costs are shifting to the individual students.”

Read the full article @ Huffington Post

Democratic Blog News

If you and your children intend to travel to a foreign country soon, you may need an expedited child USA passport if your child does not have travel papers yet. Everyone needs travel documents to be able to enter a foreign country. You can apply for a travel document for your child the normal way if you are not in such a hurry. Expedited methods are faster but cost money.

Travel Documents

This service can also be useful if both parents do not have time to process their children’s travel papers. It you do not have to time follow up on your kids document, make use of the paid expedited service. Of course, this will entail a small fee but is so practical if you need to process the entire family’s passports.

Minors

If you prefer to get passports for your children the conventional way, you will need to apply for the passports. Parents can apply for their child’s travel documents whether they are babies, toddlers or teens under 18 years of age. Teens aged kids between 16 and 17 do not need to have their parents at the facility when applying.

Expedited Application

When you have to leave your home country in less than six months, you should consider going for the expedited application. Conventional applications may take longer and you should not take a risk if you already bought airline tickets for a vacation. Try to find out if your government travel and passport service provides expedited services too.

Fees

It will be more expensive to have your kids travel documents processed faster but the fees may be fair considering the urgency of your need. You can surely get your child’s document before your flight or within a week or two. Conventional applications can take as long as a month or more. If you are applying for a child’s travelling papers now, consider these tips.

Pictures

You will need 2 pictures of your child that look identical. Make sure the photographer is aware that the photos are for a travel document because they should follow a certain standard. You should have your child’s photo taken by a professional that is used to taking pictures for passports. Bring your child to the studio dressed in normal attire with the usual accessories like eyeglasses if he normally uses one.

Form DS-11

You will need an application form, the DS 11, and other documents such as your child’s birth certificate, proof of US citizenship and papers proving the parents identity. If you are a naturalized citizen, you will need to show those documents too. Immigrants may have birth certificates in a foreign language. In this case, you will have to produce a translated copy in English. You will need a different form for a lost U.S. online passport.

Jill Stein’s Green Party campaign for president has been covered by Counterpunch in an article entitled “A Green New Deal?”:
The centerpiece of Stein’s plan is a commitment to end unemployment through direct federal action to create the jobs needed to end the “Bush/Obama recession,” she said in her Oct. 24 announcement release. [...]
Green Party Watch

BLACK REPUBLICAN: National Black Republican Association E-News

Text of former NM Governor Gary Johnson’s announcement that he is switching from the Republican presidential nomination race to the Libertarian one:

December 28, 2011, Santa Fe, NM – At a morning news conference in the Rotunda of the New Mexico State Capitol, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson today announced that he is seeking the Libertarian Party nomination for president.

Governor Johnson’s announcement statement:

“Today I am announcing that I will seek the Libertarian nomination for President of the United States. The Libertarian Party nominee will be on the ballot in all 50 states – as they were in 2008, and will offer a principled alternative to the Republican and the Democrat.

“This was both a difficult decision – and an easy one. It was difficult because I have a lot of Republican history, and a lot of Republican supporters. But in the final analysis, as many, many commentators have said after examining how I governed in New Mexico, I am a Libertarian — that is, someone who is fiscally very conservative but holds freedom-based positions on the issues that govern our personal behavior.

“Frankly, I have been deeply disappointed by the treatment I received in the Republican nomination process. I had hoped to lay out a real libertarian message on all the issues in the Republican contest. The process was not fair and open.

“This election is about issues larger than party or personal ambition.The future of our country is at stake. “

I believe this election needs a true libertarian voice. While Ron Paul is a good man and a libertarian who I proudly endorsed for president in 2008, there is no guarantee that he will be the Republican nominee.

“My Agenda for America, a libertarian agenda, is clear. It is not at an agenda you will hear from any other candidate or party.

- I want to end deficit spending and cut federal spending by 43%. – I want to enact the Fair Tax to stimulate real economic growth and job creation.

– I want to end the manipulation of our money by the Federal Reserve. – I support the Second Amendment and oppose gun control.

- I oppose expensive foreign wars in places like Libya and Afghanistan where our national interest is not clear. -I want to cut the over-regulation of our families, our businesses and our lives.

- I support a woman’s right to choose.

- I support marriage equality for gay Americans, as required by the Constitution.

- I support the legalization of marijuana, which will save us billions and do no harm.

– I demand a government free of special interest influence, crony capitalism and corruption.

- I support returning strict adherence to Constitutional principles to our government.

“I am confident this agenda will resonate with the American people because it actually reflects the true beliefs of a clear majority of Americans.

“Sadly, neither the Republicans nor Democrats will offer this agenda to the American people. The Republicans talk about cutting spending and taxes but insist on government regulating our personal lives. The Democrats support more liberal social policies but they will tax and spend and borrow us into bankruptcy. America needs a third way.

“I know first-hand that my governing philosophy works because of my experience as a successful two-term governor, elected and reelected as a Republican in a Democrat state. I know how to create jobs because I have created jobs. My record on job creation is superior to Barack Obama, Mitt Romney or any other candidate. I successfully governed as a Libertarian in everything but the name, and I am running for president as a Libertarian.

“If I earn the Libertarian Party nomination, I will be on the ballot in all 50 states. I will not be held hostage to a system rigged for the wealthiest and best-known candidates in a handful of states who happen to have early primaries. And most important, we will offer a political “home” for millions of Americans who are not finding one in the current political establishment or its candidates.

“I am excited by this challenge. I am liberated. And I am committed to shaking up the system as it has never been shaken up before. The tired old two-party system has failed America.

“America is ready for a President who will restore common sense to our fiscal and foreign policies and get government out of the boardroom and the bedroom. I believe the American people will see that a credible Libertarian candidate for president is the real path to liberty, economic growth, opportunity, and a government that is put into its proper and limited role.

“In a recent national poll 63% of Americans said they wished there was a third choice for 2012. There is another choice, and I intend to educate the voters about what we offer America. Together I am convinced we can make history and restore America to greatness.”

Press release on the occasion from the national Libertarian Party HQ:

Libertarians Welcome Governor Gary Johnson to Party, Presidential Race

Today at 10:00 am MST, Governor Gary Johnson is expected to announce his candidacy and to join the Libertarian Party with Mark Hinkle, Chair at a press conference at the State Capitol in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The event will be live streamed at the Gary Johnson for President web site.

The Libertarian Party welcomes Governor Gary Johnson to the race for the Libertarian nomination for president. Governor Johnson has an outstanding record for vetoing legislation as former governor of New Mexico. He vetoed more bills than all other governors in the country combined, stopping the expansion of Big Government.

Governor Johnson has also proposed a substantial reduction in federal spending. Libertarians look forward to learning the specifics and the time frame of that reduction. Governor Johnson appeals to fiscal conservatives -rank-and-file Republicans, libertarians, independents and even many Democrats – who see most Republican candidates as agents of Big Government and high taxes.

Governor Johnson also appeals to non-interventionists of all political stripes who are disappointed with President Obama’s surge in Afghanistan and his involvement in Libya.

Free market advocates understand that third parties provide essential competition for the entrenched two parties. Without the Libertarian Party, Republicans typically nominate a Big Government, high tax candidate such as Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich — which results in guaranteed further expansion of Big Government.

The Libertarian Party will be on the ballot in nearly all, if not all, 50 states – including Virginia. At least 99% of the population of voters in the United States will have the opportunity to vote Libertarian.

The party’s nominating convention will be held in Las Vegas May 4th and 5th.

Regarding the charge that the Libertarian Party could “spoil” the election for the Republican nominee, Carla Howell, Executive Director said, “You can make that case only if Ron Paul is the Republican nominee. If any other remaining contender in the GOP primary were to win, then the Republicans will offer a choice for more Big Government and higher taxes. You can’t spoil tainted meat.”

“All of the Republican Party presidential candidates ” except for Ron Paul ” have a track record of voting for higher levels of government spending. Many have raised taxes, supported bailouts, and/or voted to expand Big Government.

Mitt Romney went one better in Massachusetts when he championed ObamaCare Part I,”said Howell.

“Should one of the non-Paul candidates prevail, then the Libertarian Party will be our only means to restore fiscal sanity, to create a friendly business environment and to create desperately-needed new jobs,” said Howell.

Wall Street Journal via LP Executive Director Carla Howell’s blog at LP.org:

More Roads Lead to Possible Third-Party Bid

“The prospects for a significant third-party presidential bid in 2012 are gathering steam, potentially complicating things for the eventual Republican nominee.

“The Libertarian Party could have a candidate with some name recognition, with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson expected to announce Wednesday he will leave the GOP and seek the Libertarian nominatio…

“Both Republican and Democratic pollsters have suggested that an electorate buffeted by the prolonged economic downturn and angry with both parties could be open to the appeal of a third-party candidate, much as Ross Perot caught the imagination of voters in the 1990s…

“Carla Howell, executive director of the Libertarian Party, said Mr. Johnson would compete with about half a dozen other candidates at the nominating convention. While the party issued a statement welcoming Mr. Johnson, Ms. Howell said Mr. Paul is a ‘good friend’ of the party.

“Ms. Howell brushed off the prospect of a Libertarian candidate siphoning votes from the GOP nominee. ‘You can make the case (only if Ron Paul is not the nominee) that there’s no such thing as spoiling tainted meat,’ she said, referring to candidates of both major parties.

Independent Political Report

by Sameh Abdelaziz

After Spring, any thing can happen!

Even optimists are starting to have second thoughts about the Arab Spring, which is quickly turning into blood showers. The numbers of dead and injured are astounding and the prize so far is confined to three bad possibilities. An extension of a dictatorial corrupt regime such as the case in Egypt, the election of an Islamist party that the West don’t understand nor trust, as the case is in Tunisia, or an endless insane killing as the case seem to be in Syria, Libya, and Yemen. This bleak picture is unfortunately true.

Consecutive American administrations based its policy in the Arab World, on the need for stable regimes that can maintain the critical oil supply, while ensuring the safety of Israel. The American partners in this policy have been corrupted and autocratic regimes that control their countries with iron fists.

The premise of stability was shattered on September 11. However, instead of reassessing our policies and trying to understand the cause and effect we started an endless debate about an imaginary clash of civilization. None of our think tanks stopped to argue that in the age of the internet there is only one civilization with different levels of restrictions imposed on its inhabitants.

This year, our politicians were shocked, as usual, to discover that the people of the Arab World, wearing headscarfs or jeans and sometimes both, demanded freedom and were willing to die for democracy. The so-called Arab Spring surprised the world and especially America.

In the case of Egypt, after a few days of confusion, the American government supported at least publicly handing Mubarak’s power to the second in command, a junta of Egyptian generals. In Libya, our government participated in the physical removal of Gaddafi. In Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria Obama’s administration shut in different degrees their eyes on the ongoing brutality.

Ten months after the initial spark, demonstrations are igniting once again in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The Syrian revolution that started peaceful is sliding slowly into an armed conflict, and Yemen is disintegrating. The Arab revolutions are moving to a next phase that is impossible to defined, but will clearly reshape the region and impact American interests for years to come.

The first step to deal with this challenging environment is to understand that stability built on autocracy is over, because the genie is already out of the bottle. The options left for America in the Middle East are either to stand idle, which will definitely elongate people’s struggles, or to support the revolutionary movements to the dismay of some old allies.

In such turning points, history can provide NO guarantees. But, logically an elongated struggle will most likely bring extreme religious factions. These extremists are already presenting themselves as the alternative to the secular institutional corruption supported by America and the West. On the other hand, a shorter struggle can enable the real actors of the revolution, mostly liberals and moderate Islamists, to provide a reliable alternative.

It is in America’s interest to support a peaceful and speedy power transfer.

America has developed the Egyptian military apparatus over the last forty years and even handpicked their leadership. This influence is the result of 1.3 billion dollars in military aid that goes mainly to buy loyalty through fancy long training engagements and huge commissions permissible by Egyptian laws. This is the time to use this capital.

I’m quite confident that the American administration is able, if not so willing, to advise/ pressure the Egyptian generals in private to share power with a civilian leadership representing all the major political factions. Such a move will bring immediate calm to the explosive situation in Egypt and should be a first step towards a complete and real power transfer to elected civilians. The new Egyptian administration might be less loyal to America than Mubarak and his cronies, but the people of Egypt and the rest of the Arab world can and will support America if the American administration is smart enough to support freedom and democracy.

A resolution to the Egyptian crisis will serve as a model to bring back stability to other countries within the region. America should support the Arab revolution because of principles, but it is also good for business.

Sameh Abdelaziz is an Egyptian American born in Alexandria. He immigrated to the US in the late eighties, and works as an IT manager. He blogs on OpEd News.

The Hankster

  This is really funny… well.. if you’re not the guy who was arrested.  Everyone makes mistakes but when you’re a cop the consequences can be a little more serious. While the police officer arrested the wrong person, wouldn’t it be great if we could verify prior to arrest that we were arresting the right [...]
Best News & Politics

It was a good year for animals, as well as for Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling and…

Home – BostonHerald.com

Rocky Anderson is the former mayor of Salt Lake City.  In August, he denounced and left the Democratic Party.  Earlier this month he announced the formation of a new party, the Justice Party, the nomination of which he’ll be running for.  The party is starting its organizing by recruiting interested volunteers online and attempting to register about 103,000 voters in California by the ballot access deadline of January 2.  Below are several television appearances he has made in the past week.  From top to bottom, they are The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur on Current TV, The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT, The Alyona Show on RT, Democracy Now!, a morning show on CNN, and on MSNBC.

And, although it wasn’t on TV, the following is an appeal from Rocky Anderson regarding the Justice Party’s current effort in California to get on the ballot for 2012 by registering about 103,000 “Justice Party” voters:

Independent Political Report