Today’s Links: January 25, 2012

OPINION

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: “Familiar Rhetoric, Failed Record (VIDEO)”

CONOR FRIEDERSDORF: “The State of the Union: What Obama Doesn’t Get About America”
“Unlike some hardcore conservatives and libertarians, I don’t have a principled aversion to a progressive income tax, nor do I mind redistributing wealth if the purpose is a legitimate one, like compelling taxpayers to fund a basic safety net for those unable to acquire food, shelter, or medical care. […] In this speech, however, the president suggested a course for America that is insufficiently solicitous of its diversity; misunderstands its strengths; and presumes that the federal government can be far more nimble, effective, and incorruptible than has ever been demonstrated.”

JEFF MASON: “For Obama 2012, It’s All About the 99%”
“President Barack Obama threw red meat to his political base on Tuesday with a promise to do the nearly impossible: solve the problem of widening U.S. income inequality. Faced with the very real possibility of losing the White House in November, Obama used his State of the Union address to demand a tax increase for millionaires and launch an aggressive campaign arc built upon economic fairness.”

NEWS

PRIVACY – Google Announced Privacy Changes Across Products; Users Can’t Opt Out
“Google will soon know far more about who you are and what you do on the Web. The Web giant announced Tuesday that it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all of its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its leading search engine. Google has already been collecting some of this information. But for the first time, it is combining data across its Web sites to stitch together a fuller portrait of users. Consumers won’t be able to opt out of the changes, which take effect March 1. And experts say the policy shift will invite greater scrutiny from federal regulators of the company’s privacy and competitive practices.”

PENSIONS – Portugal’s President Complains About His Pension Cut
“Protesters gathered outside Portugal’s presidential palace to donate money and food to the head of state after he complained about a drop in his pension due to the government’s austerity measures.”

MOSCOW – Election Webcam Installation Begins
“In this historic city that was once the cradle of Russian democracy, an unprecedented new campaign kicked off over the weekend to install web cameras in every polling station around the country in an effort to prevent voting fraud.”