Think Progress

RADICAL RIGHT -- LOUISIANA LAWMAKER FAULTS MEDIA FOR FOCUSING ATTENTION ON HIS EUGENICS PROPOSAL: Louisiana State Rep. John LaBruzzo (R) recently stirred controversy by advocating a form of eugenics to decrease the number of poor. "I realized that all these people were in Louisiana's care and what a massive financial responsibility that is to the state," he said. "I said, 'I wonder if it might be a good idea to pay some of these people to get sterilized.'" His plan would also give tax incentives to the rich to encourage procreation. Appearing on CNN today, LaBruzzo defended his proposal by arguing that "the taxpayers of America are kind of getting fed up" with supporting welfare programs. When CNN's Kyra Phillips asked why he couldn't invest in education and poverty-reduction programs, LaBruzzo faulted the media for focusing too much attention on his eugenics program. "Obviously the media thought this was the one they could get some ratings out of," he said. He also blamed the "tremendous influx of illegal aliens" for "bringing down the economy even more." But LaBruzzo has explicitly ruled out more common sense solutions and appears to be dead serious about implementing the plan. He is "gathering statistics" now and planning to introduce legislation "if he finds that the number of people on welfare has increased" over the past decades.

ECONOMY -- SANDERS SCHOOLS KUDLOW: 'YOU'VE BECOME A SOCIALIST -- YOUR VERSION OF SOCIALISM IS TO BAIL OUT THE RICH': Appearing on CNBC's Kudlow and Company on Tuesday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) dismantled host Larry Kudlow's proclaimed support for unfettered free market enterprise. Sanders told Kudlow that after all the "ranting and raving" he had done "against government intervention and [extolling] the virtues of the free market," he must surely be against the bailout. "No, I'm in favor of the bailout," Kudlow said. "You've become a socialist overight!" Sanders responded, telling Kudlow, "Your version of socialism is to bail out the rich." Kudlow said that he's in favor of government intervention "every 20 or 30 or 50 years." "Larry, if I ask you that the government should intervene like every other industrialized country does and provide health care for all people, you'd say 'oh no,'' responded Sanders. Kudlow ended the segment by conceding Sanders' point. Sanders told the Progress Report earlier this week that the "fiscally responsible way" to pay for the bailout is "through a progressive tax." Sanders is proposing a "five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers," which he says he would "yield more than $300 billion in revenue."

ECONOMY -- JOBLESS CLAIMS AT SEVEN-YEAR HIGH, ECONOMIC GROWTH LESS THAN EXPECTED: According to data released yesterday by the Department of Labor, "initial filings for state jobless benefits increased by a seasonally adjusted 32,000 to 493,000 in the third week of September." This is highest level of initial claims in seven years. According to the Labor Department "about 50,000 of the new claims were due to the effects of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike." In all, "employers have cut more than 600,000 jobs since the beginning of the year." Also, the Commerce Department announced today that the U.S. economy grew at a rate of 2.8 percent in the second quarter, a lower rate than the original second quarter estimate of 3.3 percent. "Personal consumption, trade and business investment contributed less to gross domestic product than the prior estimate," the Commerce Department said. According to the Boston Globe, "the US economy is almost certainly in recession and facing a long period of weakness that could push unemployment to its highest level since the early 1990s."

Pakistan warned U.S. troops not to intrude on its territory, "after the two anti-terror allies traded fire along the volatile border with Afghanistan." The clash was "the first serious exchange with Pakistani forces acknowledged by the U.S." Pakistan's president said that only "flares" were fired at the U.S. troops.

"If money isn't loosened up, this sucker could go down," said President Bush at a White House meeting yesterday "as he watched the $700 billion bailout package fall apart before his eyes." In a statement outside the White House this morning, Bush attempted to project confidence in an eventual deal, saying, "There is no disagreement that something substantial must be done."

Yesterday, the federal government seized troubled lender Washington Mutual and then "brokered an emergency sale" of the bank to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion. Washington Mutual's collapse represented the "largest bank failure in American history," and "JPMorgan Chase will absorb at least $31 billion in losses that would normally have fallen to the F.D.I.C."

Federal prosecutors attempted to paint Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) "as a savvy career politician who surreptitiously accepted valuable gifts." Stevens's attorney, "characterized the government's accusations as inaccurate" and argued that Stevens was innocently subjected to the "whims of a friend, who at times delivered unwanted gifts and even failed to bill Stevens for the renovation project."

Newsweek's Eleanor Clift writes in response to former Rep. Newt Gingrich's rejection of Henry Paulson's Wall Street bailout proposal: "Newt is back doing what he loves to do; challenging a sitting president of his own party, inciting insurrection among conservatives, and in his own words, 'having a ball.'"

"Israel gave serious thought this spring to launching a military strike on Iran's nuclear sites but was told by President George W. Bush that he would not support it and did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency, senior European diplomatic sources have told the Guardian." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert floated the idea to Bush during his May visit to Israel.

Scientific figures released today shows the 'rise in global carbon dioxide emissions last year outpaced international researchers' most dire projections," with a 2.9 percent increase in carbon emissions in 2007. The rise "could translate into a global temperature rise of more than 11 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to the panel's estimates."

And finally: Ohio farmer Duke Wheeler “would like to invite you to get lost inside the head" of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK). Wheeler has turned his 16-acre cornfield into a maze in Palin's likeness. He said it took "an artist from Idaho at least eight hours to mow down stalks for the maze." View a picture of the creation here.