End * on * End

1. The NSA’s Lucky Break (yeah right) [Boing Boing]
Basically, a LOT of international phone calls (even ones not to/from the US) are routed through the USA – which means that the NSA can spy on tons of calls. Maybe even yours (with the optional court order, of course)! Thanks Congress!
2. Paul Krugman on the Republican’s trashing of 12-year old Graeme Frost [NY Times] How easy is it to get damaging and outright false information about a kid and his family when you’re a Republican? Too bad those assumptions and assertations were based on old and incomplete information. That’s not even getting into Bush’s compassionate veto of the SCHIP bill. (I heart Paul Krugman, btw – please check his Op-Eds and his new blog at the NYT)
3. Income-Inequality Gap Widens [WSJ]

Nothing new here, I guess, especially if you’re poor or middle class. Basically 1% of the country makes 21%+ of the income. The bottom 50% earns 12.8% of the income.

Skills gap, my ass, Mr. Bush! Skills gap may explain the difference between making $20k and $60k, which would be a nice gain for those folks, but it does not explain the growing distance between rich and poor. And no, contrary to many rich politicians beliefs (who I am convinced have no F’in clue what it’s like to be middle class or poor), making $50k a year with a family of four does not mean your well off and can afford things like healthcare, saving enough for retirement, etc. etc (See the Frost story above.) That’s not even bringing up stagnant wages for most Americans, which has been happening for most of the last 30 years) and the ever increasing cost to live (energy, healthcare, food, etc. etc.)

I don’t know about you, but I make decent middle class salary and I am having an increasingly harder time making ends meet. But stocks are up! And productivity is up! And we work more hours than ever! And more people are millionaires! And CEOs are making record salaries! And were wasting billions in Iraq! Times are good. Unless you are left behind, which most of us are.