• If American newspapers are too cowardly to actually cover the news, maybe we should start reading Canada's papers?

The Toronto Star calls George Bush and Colin Powell on their blatant hypocrisy, when most American media shy away from any criticism of the Republicans.

Bush, probably the most hawkish president ever, was AWOL from the cushy National Guard gig. Unlike Guardsmen who were not well connected, Bush was not transferred into the Army and shipped to Vietnam when he failed to show up for duty for a whole year. To be the son of powerful and wealthy men!

Okay, I know that this is old, but mostly under-reported, news. It gets better though. How about a quote from Colin Powell's autobiography?

I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed ... managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units ... Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal ...

Linda McQuaig of The Toronto Star ends it well.

You've got to marvel at Powell's anger management skills.

Thanks to Buzzfash for the link.

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• Middle class rage mounts.

Guess what the U.S. Senate just did?

In a rare outbreak of bipartisanship, lame duck senators rushed back to Washington to raise their pay.

Yes they did. But that is not the main point of Cynthia Tucker's editorial. What she is most concerned with is the widening gap between the rich and poor, and America's misconceptions. Did you know that 19% of the American people think that they are in the top 1% of wage earners? Well I guess 50% of working for a living is 90% mental!

How about this:

Despite the charges of "class warfare" that always follow criticism of the tax cut, the numbers have not changed: More than half of the Bush tax cut will end up in the hands of the top 1 percent of families; that is a heftier share than they pay in taxes.

Bush must be thinking that 50% of the people are poor, and 50% of the people are rich, so there are 50% in the middle, therefore there is no real gap!

Tucker also points out how this poor economy builds irrational blame, like that held by the angry white male (AWM).

When ordinary Americans do look around and assess their declining fortunes, they often find scapegoats. One of the demographic groups clobbered by wage stagnation over the last three decades is white men without college degrees -- men such as Timothy McVeigh. He and his friends blamed immigration and affirmative action for their dim economic prospects.

An increase in ethnic and racial tensions -- a rise in extremist groups of all kinds -- is just one of the dangers facing a nation that does nothing to shore up its foundering middle class and refuses to spread prosperity around.

Tucker just nails the AWMs. These guys need to realize that voting Republican is not going to help them. Republicans shot down a bill to extend unemployment. Republicans will shoot down any bills for work training and education that may be able to lift them out of their economic hole. Affordable insurance, daycare programs, and economic help will not come from the Republicans. The social programs the AWMs so strongly criticize are the very programs that can help them.

In 2001 the programs that provide education and training, social services, housing assistance, and nutrition assistance are only 4.5% of the federal budget. Bush will cut that, while the military budget that was at 17% in 2001 will skyrocket, as will corporate welfare and agriculture subsidies. The rich will pay fewer taxes and get more favorable government. Corporations, who in 2001 paid only $157 billion in taxes while working people paid $994 billion, will get more tax cuts as well as legislation that protects their government business as they move their companies offshore to avoid taxes. There is even talk on completely eliminating corporate taxes.

The middle class rage is rising, but it is misdirected. Immigration and affirmative action are not harming the middle class. The Republicans, that have one hand in taxpayer's wallets, while the other holds them bent over the kitchen table positioned for the shaft, are.

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