Human Rights for US Disabled? – Americas – Al Jazeera English.

According to Greek mythology, the original sea-questers were Jason and his band of Argonauts who sought the Golden Fleece on the southern shore of the Black Sea. It is thought that the Golden Fleece was an ordinary fleece that was used to separate gold from the surrounding ore much like modern gold miners use a pan while panning for gold.

In Washington, DC, on the banks of the Potomac, Grover Norquist and his band of Republican‘ts seek to mine taxpayer gold from the US Treasury for the 1%. Rather than panning for gold or seeking a modern-day Golden Fleece, they use lobbyists and campaign cash and back-room deals to mine for gold, hidden from public scrutiny by 501(c)(4) charitable? organizations.

They’re baaack! Just about two years ago, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, the co-chairmen of the late unlamented debt commission, warned us to expect a terrible fiscal crisis within, um, two years unless we adopted their plan. The crisis hasn’t materialized, but they’re nonetheless back with a new version. And, in case you’re interested, after last year’s election — in which American voters made it clear that they want to preserve the social safety net while raising taxes on the rich — the famous fomenters of fiscal fear have moved to the right, calling for even less revenue and even more spending cuts.

But you aren’t interested, are you? Almost nobody is. Messrs. Bowles and Simpson had their moment — the annus horribilis of 2011, when Washington was in thrall to deficit scolds insisting that, in the face of record-high long-term unemployment and record-low borrowing costs, we forget about jobs…

The Senate Finance Committee has approved the nomination of former White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew to be treasury secretary.

The nomination of Lew (pictured) now goes to the full Senate for approval.