Progress October 18, 2010March 19, 2017 Movies! The Facebook movie (“The Social Network”) sure is fun. “Wall Street Money Never Sleeps,” too. “WAITING FOR SUPERMAN” This documentary examines the current public school system. It builds slowly, but will have you totally absorbed by the end, more alarmed than ever about – and more determined than ever to see improvements in – our K-12 educational system. In that improvement, or lack of same, lies our future. “INSIDE JOB” And this one is about Wall Street and the terrible decisions and lack of regulation that led us to the mess we’re in now. It is devastating, important, completely absorbing – and in places probably too harsh. (For example, it dismisses the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill as largely worthless, which I think is far from the truth.) It skewers all the people you would expect, and even some you might not, like some of the nation’s leading business schools. PROGRESS This site, plugged Friday, is so good, I wanted to be plug it again. It shows what we’ve been doing to get the economy moving forward.* *This, despite relentless Republican attempts to kill the stimulus bill . . . to kill small business assistance . . . to kill tax cuts for 98% of us unless we borrow a further $700 billion over the next ten years to retain them, as well, for the top 2%. (And by the way? Even the top 2% – even billionaires – would still get to keep the ill-advised Bush tax cuts on the first $250,000 of their income. Desperate times call for desperate measures – like asking the best off to allow some of their Bush tax cuts to expire.) Brad: “So I clicked on that ‘Progress’ link. It told me that: ‘225,000 – Number of jobs created or saved through June in Texas because of the Recovery Act.’ Great. So why can’t I get one of those jobs? I had a similar reaction to your post about Georgia Works – you sort of gave the impression that most of the work was done by the job seekers, in creating the positions they wanted. Not to take anything away from them, but if the state of Georgia hadn’t been willing to fund them, all their wishing would’ve been for naught. (And most states are having budget problems right now, as I’m sure you know.) This is depressing. I need to cheer up with a good graphic novel: unemployedman.com.” ☞ I thank my lucky stars I’m not in Brad’s predicament, as so many are. It’s a nightmare out there. But we need people to see that CUTTING the stimulus money and CUTTING spending to cut taxes for the rich – the Republican plan – will make it worse, not better. BULLIES Joel Grow: “Hey! Our straight bullies are just as mean as your closeted gay bullies any day of the week!” ☞ LOL. My point Friday was: they may not be as straight as you think. George Mokray: “Watched the Joel Burns speech to the Fort Worth City Council. Strong and important stuff. I’m not gay but I’ve been bullied. This campaign (thank you Dan Savage) could do more for the concept of civility in our culture than anything else I’ve ever seen.” Marge Wright: “Of all the ‘It Gets Better’ videos Dan Savage inspired, this is my favorite: the soaring positive energy and strength bring me to tears every time.”