Monday, February 17, 2014    Published Weekday Mornings   To see the full version of today's cartoon, click on the preview graphic of the cartoon (below the Commentary) to be taken to the full version in your favorite web browser. Monstrous Potential   Consumers wary of Comcast, Time Warner Cable merger Survey: Cable-Television Companies Already Provide the Worst Customer Service In America Why cable TV bills in the United States are only going up Daniel Gross: Why Would Comcast Improve When It Could Buy Time Warner Cable Instead? The Borowitz Report: A Letter from Comcast and Time Warner Cable The Motley Fool: Comcast's Big Buy Is Great for TWC Shareholders but Bad for Everybody Else Timothy B. Lee: Here's why blocking the Comcast merger is good for free markets Farhad Manjoo: Comcast vs. the Cord Cutters John Cassidy: We Need Real Competition, Not a Cable-Internet Monopoly John Nichols: Merging Cable Giants Is 'an Affront to the Public Interest' Related: Fast Internet Is Chattanooga's New Locomotive Related: Congress Ready For Net Neutrality Standoff Paul Krugman: Monopoly Power And The Barons of Broadband Dunn with Injustice   'Stand Your Ground' Shooter Dunn Found Not Guilty of First Degree Murder; Faces 60 Years On Other Charges 'Yes, I Am Pissed!' Don Lemon Goes Off on Dunn Trial: We Need A 'Mind Your Business' Law! How To Make Sense Of The Michael Dunn Verdict Florida Self-Defense Law Complicated Jury's Job in Michael Dunn Trial Related: How the NRA and Its Allies Helped Spread a Radical Gun Law Nationwide Related: George Zimmerman, homeless & suffering from PTSD, blames Trayvon Martin for his fate War on Workers UAW Falls 87 Votes Short of Major Victory At VW Plant Labor Regroups in South After Losing VW Union Vote UAW may challenge Volkswagen vote results Pres. Obama weighs in on contentious union vote at Volkswagen plant America's Problem: The 25% Study: 1 in 4 Americans currently unaware that Earth circles Sun Gallup Poll: Just 25% self ID as Republican; independents soar to record 42% Gallup: Record-High 42% of Americans Identify as Independent, Many Former Republicans Related - Gallup: Liberal Self-Identification Edges Up to New High in 2013 CNN Poll: Majority of Americans say GOP out of touch with women WaPo/ABC News Poll: Only 20% of Americans Think Republicans Doing What's Best for Country Energy, Climate & Environment Sec. Kerry calls climate change a weapon of mass destruction, derides skeptics Study confirms: More Wind Power Equals Lower Electricity Prices Mission Impossible: Bill Nye, The Science Guy, Tries To Explain Climate Change to GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn Nations In Turmoil Syrian peace talks end in deadlock Sect. Kerry Blames Syrian Government for Stalled Peace Talks Rebel Free Syrian Army sacks chief, appoints replacement In Egypt, blast rips through tourist bus, killing at least 4 Killing of South Korean tourists signals turn in Egypt's insurgency Suspected Islamists kill 90 in Nigerian village raid Ukrainian Protesters End Occupation of Kiev's City Hall Ugandan President To Sign Law That Jails Gays For Life International News Co-pilot hijacks Ethiopian plane, surrenders to Swiss police Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he is retiring from politics States Of Confusion Kentucky reality show snake-handling preacher dies - of snakebite Multiple earthquakes felt across S.C. and Georgia Midwest Roundup No Neb GOP candidate for U.S. Senate would have voted to pay Congress' bills, by voting for debt ceiling deal Republican Neb. state lawmakers pushing for earlier 2016 primary IRS asks Iowans to check eligibility for Earned Income Tax Credit Monstrous Potential If the news of the potential merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable didn't have you angry last week - regardless of whether you receive any service from either corporation - it should. To say the resulting union would simply be an ugly little monster reaching for your wallet would be like saying King Kong was just a little misunderstood monkey. This disastrous merger would actually be more like the 1976 movie "Network", come to life in a terrifying new way. The cable and telecom oligopoly in the United States is already a perfect example of how modern so-called conservatism is just another smokescreen for the corporatocracy of Wall Street. As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston noted in his 2012 book, "The Fine Print" our cable and telecom companies have carefully worked around the law to make sure they don't truly have to compete with one another. On the rare occasion when someone like the city of Chattanooga decides to buck that trend, and create real competition - as they did in 2006 - the private sector can't keep up - so they try to win in court. Thankfully, for Chattanooga, Comcast failed in their attempts to shut that whole thing down. Sadly, Comcast, Time Warner, and the other telecom companies have broadly succeeded in their goal to prevent real competition across America. As a result, America has some of the slowest internet speeds in the developed world, at some of the highest prices. John Cassidy wrote last week in The New Yorker, "It's the predictable outcome of Congress bowing to the monopolists, or quasi-monopolists, and allowing them to squelch potential competitors." In other words, this monster corporate baby grabbing at our wallets and purses isn't some kind of rare accident... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for February 17, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy  More workers take second jobs to bridge income gap than ever before Worker's Hell: Millennials Feel Trapped in a Cycle of Internships With Little Pay and No Job Offers Wall Street Watch   U.S. stock correction fears fade on Wall Street, despite some valuation angst Foreign banks bracing for tough U.S. Fed capital rules Inequality In America   Former Bush Economic Advisor Greg Mankiw: the Wealthy are 'Deserving' Even When They're Crooks | E.J. Dionne Jr.: Raising the minimum wage is the right idea - even for the right Olympics 2014   Meredith Vieira Becomes The First Woman To Anchor NBC Olympics Primetime Coverage Olympics: Bob Costas To Return To Sochi NBC Coverage On Monday Behind Meryl Davis & Charlie White, U.S. Close to Its First Ice Dance Gold Sochi Weather Postpones Mon.Events as U.S. Women Reach Hockey Final The Spying Game   Three former NSA workers accused of aiding Snowden NSA employee implicated in Snowden probe resigned, memo says Spying by N.S.A. Ally Entangled U.S. Law Firm U.S. intelligence agencies can't justify why they now use so many contractors Equality In America   Same-sex marriage moving swiftly back toward Supreme Court Same-sex marriage is winning the war: A perfect record for equality post-Windsor Intolerance Of Equality   Kansas Senate Leader Says Anti-Gay Bill Will Not Pass Italian gay activist & former member of parliament says she was detained at Olympics Ethics & The Media   NBC Pushes Too Far in Bringing Bode Miller to Tears 'Meet The Press' Shows World Exactly How Not To Cover Climate Change With Ridiculous "Debate" Media Matters   Washington Post journalists win Polk awards for NSA coverage Bill Scher: Why is MSNBC's political scandal coverage more powerful than Fox's? Credibility. Here It Is! Your HuskerNutz Preview for February 17, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update   President Obama Condemns Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill: This Will 'Complicate Our Valued Relationship' Economic Stimulus: 5 Years After Recovery Act, Obama Says It Worked Money in Politics   NYTimes Op-Ed: The Line at the 'Super PAC' Trough Byron Tau: Because of outside money, is it 'last call' for state level political parties? On The Left Robert Reich: There Is No "United": America's "We" Problem John Nichols: Why America Needs a Bank at the Post Office Frmr. Rep. Tom Perriello:New Start To U.S. Policy In Syria Could Save Lives On The Right Romney: Lewinsky scandal not an issue for Hillary Clinton McCain: Cruz had 'no plan' if filibuster on debt ceiling succeeded Juan Williams: Republican leaders must keep Tea Party on the run Other Notable News   Official NFL Inquiry released; Says 3 Dolphins football players harassed Martin, others | Dave Zirin: The Miami Dolphins, Richie Incognito and the Rot in the National Football League We hope you enjoy "The Daily Felltoon" every business day. Thanks for continuing to be a member! Paul Fell Shawn "Smith" Peirce Paul Fell Cartoons, Inc.