Rick Jacobs has an outstanding article about Jim Webb on the HuffingtonPost:
Eight or so months ago, Jim Webb, like nearly seventy other war veterans, could no longer watch as the Georges Bush and Allen buried their heads in twisted ideology as our nation wades in bloody quicksand in a place in which we are not welcome.
Jim's not yet "famous," in the way that some candidates this season have become and he won't really care if he's ever a celebrity. He's interested in winning in a state where the sitting Senators are not simply conservative, but are apologists for a war run amok and for an administration run off the rails. He stands for a strong, smart U.S. defense and he believes in a fair and just America, not a place where the few have it all and the many have to watch. This is the year for heroes. Jim already is an American hero, a Democrat by choice who might just knock off one of the most regressive men in the Senate today, and with it take down a leading contender for president. Red states only exist because there are too few like Jim. He can win. He just needs the money.Watch Jim Webb. He'll make us all proud.
I strongly recommend it.
Senate should eliminate outsourcing tax creditAmerica is in the midst of one of the most serious economic transitions since the industrial age. The dual forces of technology and globalization are shrinking the globe and taking their toll on middle- and working-class Americans.
America is increasingly divided into three parts, those at the top have never had it better, while the middle class is squeezed by the rising cost of health care, energy and college tuition. Those at the bottom risk becoming part of a permanent underclass, stuck forever in the cycle of poverty.
Even though many of the economic forces responsible for this transition are irreversible, the damaging policies maintained by our government, which accelerate these forces and hurt American workers, are not. Since 2000, more than 450,000 jobs have been sent overseas. Because of a perverse part of our tax code, moving manufacturing plants overseas is actually a profitable exercise for companies that wish to avoid paying corporate taxes.
This is not an abstract phenomenon; we are feeling the effects right here in Virginia. Earlier this year, Ford announced its intention to close its plant in Norfolk, a move that will mean 2,200 Virginians will lose their jobs. This decision by Ford was made in the context of a larger reorganization effort in which Ford has increased its purchases of parts for automobiles from auto parts suppliers operating overseas.
This process is being repeated in countless other industries. A recent study estimates that three million jobs will be lost to outsourcing by 2015. These lost jobs mean a loss of $176 billion in wages for American workers. And while workers suffer, corporations celebrate.
As a percentage of gross domestic product, corporate profits are at a record high and growing, while wages are at a record low and falling. These trends are no coincidence. Our economic system, which privileges stock value over all else, rewards CEOs with huge bonuses as they squeeze worker salaries to expand profits.
Many senators are doing their part to reverse these trends. The Senate has twice voted on measures that would eliminate provisions in the corporate tax code that encourage companies to keep profits overseas by exempting such profits from taxation. Two times Sen. George Allen voted against the elimination of these tax breaks for outsourcing.
Outsourcing is one of the most significant forces threatening jobs in America today. The first step in fighting this battle must be the elimination of measures in place today that encourage businesses to engage in outsourcing.
Nick