In the continuing search for Superhero PSAs, here is the first part of a series featuring some television PSAs staring the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, among other heroes and role models.
A examination of politics with the help of superheroes, as well as other cool things
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Superheroes' Finanaces and Fresh Political Videoes
A few things to mention today.
First up are two things I found in the course of writting yesterday's article.At left is part of an infographic by H&R Block detailing Batman and Spider-Man's finances. You can see the whole thing here.
And here are two panels from Superman Vol 1 #148 where Superman learns he owes $1 Billion in taxes. It's a really silly story, and Superman eventually gets out of it thanks to a loophole, hence yesterday's comments from Superman.
And below we have some videos. The first is Nick Fury himself, Samuel L Jackson's endorsement video for Barack Obama. It's an interesting video, and you can learn more about it in this article by The Examiner. The next video is cold opening for The Simpson's season premier on Sept 30, where Homer goes to vote. And the last video is an Auto-Tune Remix of Obama and Romney's convention speeches. Enjoy!
~James
Friday, September 28, 2012
Superheroes and Taxes
And now, the superheroes shall comment on the candidates' equal rights and women's health platforms, and give a point for Obama, Romney or Undecided. Once again, some of these statements are direct or expanded quotes. Try to figure out which ones in the comments!
"I pay $17 million in taxes but I make over $100 million a year. Paying more to improve America's infrastructure and reduce crime is a good thing in my books."
Point for: Obama
"America wasn't built on nothing. It was built with the money people paid in taxes, and used to make this land great. Romeny's plan to cut taxes and slash funding isn't what America needs in this tough time. What we need is a government that's there for all of its people, not just the people that voted for it."
Point for: Obama
"Romney's clear preference for the upper-class over everybody else is losing him a lot of votes, including mine."
Point for: Obama
"Obama isn't increasing the tax burden on the average America, he's increasing the tax burden on rich Americans like you Mister Romney"
Point for: Obama
"You can't be afraid to spend money on things that'll help make the world a better place. Obama thinks that means people, while Romney thinks it means rich people. I think Obama has the right idea."
Point for: Obama
"Romney keeps talking about maintain fairness, but his idea of fairness seems to favor the rich that have been giving him donations."
Point for: Obama
"Can't we just put everything on plastic?"
Point for: Undecided
"As someone with a fixed income, I can't support Mitt Romney's plans to favor the rich over everyone else."
Point for: Obama
"People may not like them, but taxes are necessary to pay for things like defense and education. If your owning people, cutting taxes whiles saying you'll pay everyone back just ain't going to work Mr. Romney."
Point for: Obama
"Of course Obamacare is being disruptive, because your making it disruptive by trying to deny and malign its integration into America's future!"
Point for: Obama
"Given the LDS Church's practice of diving excess money between savings and investments in the community, I can't imagine where Romney got his fiscal ideas from."
Point for: Obama
"The only reason Obama hasn't been able to make any new tax regulations permanent is because the Republicans keep acting like children and blocking anything they don't like from happening."
Point for: Obama
"Sometimes you have to be the one to support others if you want thinks to get better. Obama's efforts to support every American equally are the right action."
Point for: Obama
Point for: Obama
"These days a few thousand dollars can make or break a family, and the families that break often resort to less desirable sources to make ends meet. Obama's been saving these people money, but Romney wants to cost them even more."
Point for: Obama
"I think when Obama says 'balanced approach', he means balance the budget, which would require cutting costs but raising taxes, and since he wants to raise it primarily on the rich, I'm just fine with that."
Point for: Obama
"You can't spend millions of dollars if you don't have something of substance to back it up, otherwise you're just going to bomb. Romney's continued lack of details on his plan to reduce the deficit show he hasn't though this through."
Point for: Obama
"I'm not voting for someone who thinks the poor are just looking for hand outs and not a leg up."
Point for: Obama
"As someone who's used loopholes to evade taxes, I'm not comfortable with the practices continuing like Romney wants."
Point for: Obama
Conclusion
| Issue | Obama/Biden | Undecided | Romney/Ryan |
|---|---|---|---|
Given superheroes' preference for protecting the average American, it's not much of a surprise that so many sided with Obama on this one. Do any of you agree with the superheroes' comments? If you think any of the heroes have been misrepresented, let me know in the comments!
~James
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Batman and Wolverine run for office in Brazil
Brazil is seeing a rising trend of political candidates legally changing their names to include nicknames that are intended to make the candidates stand out. Superhero names are among the most popular, with several Batmans showing up among municipal elections, and other superheroes like Robin and Wolverine appearing as well. You can read the full article, which includes other interesting names that are showing up on ballots, at FoxNews.com.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Presidents, Taxes and Budgets
For this week's issue, we'll look at candidates' platforms on Taxes and the Budget. Once again, all information and videos are taken directly from the candidates' websites, either in part or in whole, unless otherwise noted, with minimal alteration to clarify and streamline information.
Barack Obama
Summarized from Obama's Website
- President Obama has cut taxes for every working American, saving the typical middle-class family $3,600 in taxes over his first term.
- President Obama believes no household making more than $1 million each year should pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than a middle-class family pays.
- President Obama knows we can’t simply cut our way to prosperity. His budget includes investments in education, manufacturing, and infrastructure, while brining discretionary spending to its lowest level as a share of the economy in more than 50 years .
- President Obama has put forward a specific, balanced plan of spending cuts and revenue increases that reduce the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade, including $1 trillion in spending cuts he signed into law last summer as part of a deal with congressional Republicans.
Romney's Rebuttal
Summarized from Romney's Website
- President Obama has repeatedly called for a “balanced approach,” by which we believe he means cutting spending but also raising taxes, which may sound appealing, but before President Obama exploded the size of the federal government, our existing tax rates were more or less adequate to pay for the government we needed under President Bush.
- President Obama claims he is offering a compromise by permanently increasing the size of the government, increasing the things government does, and increasing the tax burden on the American people.
- President Obama’s proclivity for fostering uncertainty about the long-term shape of the tax code is particularly troublesome. He has embraced one temporary solution after the next while rejecting permanent adjustments that would bring some predictability and stability to investment decision-making. The result is a business climate marked by hesitation.
- No discussion of President Obama’s tax policies would be complete without a reference to Obamacare and its $500 billion in tax increases. Whenever President Obama discusses the need for more tax revenues, Americans should remember that he already got them and spent them on a health care scheme that is itself proving to be hugely disruptive to the economy.
Mitt Romney
Summarized from Romney's Website
- Reducing and stabilizing federal spending is essential, but breathing life into the present anemic recovery will also require fixing the nation’s tax code to focus on jobs and growth. To repair the nation’s tax code, marginal rates must be brought down to stimulate entrepreneurship, job creation, and investment, while still raising the revenue needed to fund a smaller, smarter, simpler government. The principle of fairness must be preserved in federal tax and spending policy.
- America’s individual tax code applies relatively high marginal tax rates on a narrow tax base. Those high rates discourage work and entrepreneurship, as well as savings and investment. With 54 percent of private sector workers employed outside of corporations, individual rates also define the incentives for job-creating businesses. Lower marginal tax rates secure for all Americans the economic gains from tax reform.
- Make permanent, across-the-board 20 percent cut in marginal rates
- Maintain current tax rates on interest, dividends, and capital gains
- Eliminate taxes for taxpayers with AGI below $200,000 on interest, dividends, and capital gains
- Eliminate the Death Tax
- Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
- The U.S. economy’s 35 percent corporate tax rate is among the highest in the industrial world, reducing the ability of our nation’s businesses to compete in the global economy and to invest and create jobs at home. By limiting investment and growth, the high rate of corporate tax also hurts U.S. wages.
- Cut the corporate rate to 25 percent
- Strengthen and make permanent the R&D tax credit
- Switch to a territorial tax system
- Repeal the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
(Summarized from Obama's Website)
- Mitt Romney would have to raise taxes on middle-class families in order to pay for tax cuts for millionaires, costing the typical American family with kids $2,000 more each year.
- Mitt Romney wants to preserve loopholes that allow millionaires like himself to pay a lower tax rate than working families.
- Mitt Romney would slash investments in the middle class while providing one of the largest tax cuts in history to the wealthy.
- Mitt Romney has refused to detail any plan for how he would reduce the deficit. Instead, he has called for $5 trillion in new tax cuts weighted towards the wealthy and a massive defense build-up with no strategic rationale, along with deep cuts to investments in the middle class.
Conclusion
So in summary, Obama is cutting taxes on the poor and middle-class, increase taxes on the upper class and invest in more of America, while Romney wants to reduce government spending and reduce taxes for businesses and upper-class.
Turn in Friday for the Superhero opinions.
~James
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Romney/Obama Biography Graphic Novel
Bluewater Productions has released a new 40-page graphic novel in their Political Power series, entitled "Political Power: Romney Obama 2012". The graphic novel is written by Marc Shapiro and Chris Ward with art by Jed Mickle, Azim and
Nathan Girten, and will offer an extensive look at Obama's and Romney's lives leading up to the 2012 Presidential Election. “Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been taking jabs at each other for the better part of the year, so far. The intensity will only increase the closer we get to Election Day, as the stakes have never been higher,” said Bluewater President Darren G. Davis. “We wanted to have some fun with the figurative boxing match that has been going on between the two candidates and, at the same time, educate readers on the two men fighting for the presidency”. The graphic novel is currently available in print and for Nook, Kindle and iPad.
Bluewater Productions burst onto the political scene four years ago with the introduction of their highly acclaimed biography series “Political Power”. Hailed by CNN, Time, The Huffington Post, and others, as delivering intelligent, unbiased looks into the lives of some of today’s most important societal figures, Bluewater Productions is the number one bio-comic producer on the market. Past releases include “Political Power: Hillary Clinton”, “Political Power: Ron Paul”, “Political Power: George Bush”, “Political Power: Joe Biden”, “First Family: The Obamas”, and “Political Pets”, an educational book about all the pets that have inhabited the White House.
For more information, visit www.bluewaterprod.com
Monday, September 24, 2012
What Ideologies Are Superheroes? - Utilitarianism
Most superheroes go around risking life and limb to save people they don't know from immense dangers. But does that singular defining trait among all superheroes make them all fall into one singular ideology? You've no doubt heard political pundits say things like "Obama's a socialist" or "He's really more of a Libertarian", but do you know what those ideologies mean? Do they apply to superheroes? Are all Superheroes Socialists? Or Maybe Liberals? Or maybe there's no single answer. After all, there are heroes who have significant nationalist ideologies as part of their beliefs. So in this series of articles I'm going to look into an ideology, summarizing it, and commenting on whether or not it applies to the idea of superheroes and maybe some specific superheroes, if I find any that apply. The ideologies I'll be looking at over the next few weeks are: Socialism, Liberalism, Conservatism, Libertarianism, Utilitarianism, and Authoritarianism.
In this article, are Superheroes Utilitarian?
What is Utilitarianism?
(Summarized from Wikipedia)
Utilitarianism is an ethics theory that holds that the proper actions are ones that maximize overall happiness. Utilitarianism is considered a form of consequentialism, where the consequences from one's actions are the ultimate basis for judgement about the rightness of those actions. In utilitarianism, the moral worth of an action is determined only by the resulting outcome, and there is internal debate over how much consideration should be given to actual consequences, foreseen consequences and intended consequences. A fundamental axiom of utilitarianism is 'it is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong', written by Jeremy Bentham in A Fragment on Government, an influential contributor, who would describe Utilitarianism as 'the greatest happiness principle'. Utilitarianism is usually characterized as a quantitative and reductionist approach to ethics, and a type of naturalism.
Are Superheroes Utilitarian?
Some superheroes are, yes. Given Utilitarianism's "As much happiness for as many people" principle and superheroes' "for the greater good" mentality, the whole saving people on a daily basis from everything from supervillians to traffic accidents certainly applies. And Utilitarianism's most common criticism of ignoring the rules in favor of the outcome, or "the ends justify the means" attitude, certainly applies to some of the more recent superheroes after the rise of anti-heroes, along with the moral debates it raises, although these debates within comics tend to treat the criminal in the equation as a non-human entity, unlike some of the ideology's more serious debates.
The most famous Utilitarian superhero is likely Ozymandias from Watchmem, who motives through out the series are often described by the character as for the greatest benefit to humanity, which is also given as the reason why the character left superheroing and went into business, since it's were he perceived he could do the greatest good. So most superheroes do have some degree of utilitarianism, but for most it's not a major focus.
Another interesting article, and we're down to one major ideology, Authoritarianism, which we'll look at next week, and join us Wednesday when we look at the presidential candidates' plans on taxes.
~James
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Do the Most Successful Presidents Exhibit Psychopathic Traits?
A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicates that some of the most successful US presidents exhibited some psychopath-like traits. You can read the full study here, or a summary at io9.com.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
President Captain America
In Marvel's The Ultimates #15, which hit stand this week, Captain America is elected the President of America through a land-slide write-in vote.
In an interview with The Washington Post series writer Sam Humphries says "We wanted to dramatize an extreme version of what we see in America today, in the face of all [this] divisiveness, what do we have in common? What does it mean to be an American? What can we agree on? And what makes America the place that it is?"
“This is a United States that’s being torn asunder by special interest groups — by opportunists looking to divide and conquer,” Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso says “This is a metaphor for what goes on in real life, but on steroids.”
You can read the full Washington Post article here, read an extended interview with Axel Alonso and Sam Humphries here, and see a preview of the comic here.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Superheros, Equal Rights and Women's Health
And now, the superheroes shall comment on the candidates' equal rights and women's health platforms, and give a point for Obama, Romney or Undecided. Once again, some of these statements are direct or expanded quotes. Try to figure out which ones in the comments!
"Women have been very valuable to all of America, through their pluck and their heroism. Giving them and everyone else equal rights is something that should have been accomplished years ago."
Point for: Obama
"Women are being hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We must help them however we can, and voting for Obama will go a long way in helping."
Point for: Obama
"Wow. Romney is being really discriminator towards women and homosexuals. Is that even legal?"
Point for: Obama
"Having been involved with so many fights for people's rights, and I can tell you Romney that people like you who would deny some people their rights are always on the losing side, especially if I have a say in the matter."
Point for: Obama
"If you have two people with the same skills fighting the same monster, you should be giving them the same pay. Obama sees fit to do that."
Point for: Obama
"Romney's attempt to distance himself from the issue shows that he knows his opinion isn't popular with the public, and for good reason."
Point for: Obama
"Nobody should suffer because we failed to help when we should have. Obama is seeking to help as many as he can."
"A great man once said "Men are from Earth, Women are from Earth, Deal with It". I don't think Romney's dealing with it."
Point for: Obama
"President Obama is helping so many people. I want to help him help others."
Point for: Obama
"I've learned the hard way you can't go giving some people special treatment. You have to treat everyone equally, or things will go badly for everyone."
Point for: Obama
"You can't go around denying people rights. Those people will be taken advantage of by others looking to exploit them. I'm glad Obama is fixing this."
Point for: Obama
"We need to be making the effort to reach out to the gay community with understanding and respect after many years of strife and heartbreak. Romney clearly doesn't want to do this."
Point for: Obama
"Obama's legal efforts to end inequality should be celebrated, not repealed."
Point for: Obama
"Discrimination in any form is wrong. People need to look past what's on the outside and see people for who they really are. Romney has basically said he doesn't want to do that."
Point for: Obama
Point for: Obama
"Abolishing hate crime task forces and cutting funding to hate crime prevention is a sure way to increase crime. If Romney did that to the whole country, there would be trouble, and I'd bring it right to him."
Point for: Obama
"I don't think Romney knows about all of the services Planned Parenthood provides, and how crucial it is for some people. His ignorance is really starting to show."
Point for: Obama
"Romney's actions are straight up discrimination. One bad lab accident and he could be a supervillian!"
Point for: Obama.
"Would we be having this discussion if we replaced 'women' or 'gay people' with 'blacks'? So then why does Romney want to keep denying people the same rights?"
Point for: Obama
"Helping people shouldn't be about where they were born, who they are or what they wear. It's about what you do, It's about the actions you take. And I think Romney's taking the wrong actions."
Point for: Obama
Conclusion
| Issue | Obama/Biden | Undecided | Romney/Ryan |
|---|---|---|---|
I don't think anyone is surprised with this one. Romney's refusal to talk about the subject really hurts him. Do any of you agree with the superheroes' comments? If you think any of the heroes have been misrepresented, let me know in the comments!
Tomorrow I'll have an article on Captain America's new position, Sunday with some insight into presidential minds, and then on Monday I'll have a piece on Utilitarianism. If you have any suggests, feel free to post them in the comments.
~James
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The Obamas as The Incredibles
Following up from Tuesday's post, we have a piece from Nikkolas and Nicole Smith which depicts the Obamas like The Incredibles.You can see a large version of the image, along with other work by the couple, on their DeviantArt Page.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Equal Rights and Women's Health Platforms
For this week's issue, we'll look at candidates' platforms on Equal Rights and Women's Health. Once again, all information and videos are taken directly from the candidates' websites, either in part or in whole, unless otherwise noted, with minimal alteration to clarify and streamline information.
Barack Obama
Summarized from Obama's Website
- President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women fight back against pay discrimination. He understands that when women are paid less than men for the same work, it hurts the entire family.
- President Obama was the first sitting president to publicly announce his support for marriage for same-sex couples, and has always believed LGBT Americans should be treated fairly and equally
- President Obama repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” so that gay and lesbian service members no longer have to lie about who they are to serve the country they love.
- President Obama endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act, signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and extended hospital visitation and medical decision-making rights to LGBT couples.
- President Obama has enacted policies that promote the hiring of people with disabilities, increased funding for students with disabilities, provide Americans with access to affordable health care, and improve accessibility standards.
- President Obama is putting an end to the health insurance company practice of charging women more than men for the same coverage.
- Thanks to Obamacare, many insurance plans are beginning to fully cover birth control without co-pays or deductibles as part of women's preventive care—potentially saving women hundreds of dollars every year.
- President Obama believes a woman’s health care choices are personal decisions, best made with her doctor—without interference from politicians.
- President Obama fought back against Republican attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, one of the largest providers of women’s health services, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, and birth control. Under Obamacare, health insurance companies now cover recommended preventive care like mammograms and cancer screenings, and are beginning to cover birth control without co-pays or deductibles.
Romney's Rebuttal
Romney offers no rebuttal to Obama's Equal Rights or Women's Health platforms on his website, so here an small interview by Romney from May, 2012 for as close a rebuttal by Romney on Obama's Equal Rights Platform I could find. I couldn't not find anything from Romney specifically addressing Obama's Women's Health platform, so if anyone knows of anything let me know and I'll update this article.
Mitt Romney
Romney offers no opinion about Equal Rights or Women's Health on his website, so here are some videos of Mitt Romney on the subjects. Apologies for the lack of straight up Romney-only debates
speech, his lack of any official releases makes that difficult to do, but his position should still be made clear.
Obama's Rebuttal (Summarized from Obama's Website)
- Mitt Romney refused to say whether or not he would have signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law.
-
Mitt Romney would enshrine discrimination into the Constitution with an amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples.
- Mitt Romney refused to support the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and would have left the policy in place.
- As governor, Mitt Romney cut funding for hate crimes prevention and abolished a hate crimes task force.
- Mitt Romney would repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid, which many Americans with disabilities rely on.
- Mitt Romney would let employers, insurance companies, and politicians limit women’s health choices.
- Mitt Romney would repeal Obamacare, and give employers the authority to limit women’s access to common forms of birth control.
- Mitt Romney believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned,
and backed an extreme proposal to outlaw abortions even in the case of
incest and rape.
- Mitt Romney would eliminate all federal funding for Planned Parenthood, and roll back all the benefits of health reform.
Conclusion
So in summary, Obama has been giving women more rights, in both the work place and with their medical needs and equal rights for LGTB people, while Romney literally supports making discrimination against women and LGTB people legal. That kinda sickens me...
Turn in Friday for the Superhero opinions. I don't think there will be any question which way the heroes side on this one though...
~James
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