Ronald Reagan was not a moderate — but he was a deal-maker (see “The Gipper almost single-handedly ruined America’s leadership in clean energy — but helped save the ozone layer“).

As a sign of how extremist the party has become, the man who came in second in the GOP presidential primaries last time explains the party today would be all but certain to reject Reagan.  Think Progress has the story (and video):

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Michael Conathan, Kiley Kroh, and Junayd Mahmood peel back the breading on your fast food fish sandwich.

The world of fast food fish is often murky. Exactly which species lurks beneath the breading and between those sesame-seeded buns? How was it caught? Where did it come from?

These questions don’t typically arise when it comes to conversations about other fast food products. Beef is pretty much just beef. Chicken is just chicken. We don’t ask if our hens are bantams, leghorns, or Rhode Island Reds. Or whether the cow was raised in Oklahoma or Brazil. (Perhaps we should, but that’s an issue for another day and another columnist to investigate.) And while we might look for “free range” or “organic” labels at the grocery store, if we’re eating under the Golden Arches, we’ve pretty much decided to skip that particular green step.

In this week’s column we look into the fishy offerings from the top fast food chains””four breaded and fried, one popped out of a can and mixed with mayo””to find out what’s in your sandwich. We present them below with just a soup§on of sustainability criteria so that even when you’re making the decision to fund fast food nation you can at least be fully informed about how to minimize your environmental impact.

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In response to the worst state budget crisis since World War II, the Texas House has proposed slashing $27 billion from the budget, including huge cuts to education, nursing homes, and health care for the poor. Yet last Friday, the Texas House Ways and Means Committee approved a tax break for those who want to buy yachts costing $250,000 or more.

A Think Progress has the story of Texas subsidizing the biggest gas guzzlers owned by the richest people at a time of high oil prices and record income inequality.

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Big oil companies use Q1 profits to drive up their share prices

Daniel J. Weiss and Valeri Vasquez in a CAP repost.

Americans spent 28 percent more for gasoline during the first three months of 2011 than the same period in 2010. Meanwhile, the big five oil companies””BP, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell””made 38 percent more profit. The companies then used a major portion of these additional profits to enrich their board of directors, senior managers, and shareholders by purchasing shares of their stock.

A Citizens for Tax Justice report explains that this action:

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By Junayd Mahmood

Green jobs are real, and if the news out of Michigan is any indicator, they’re capable of reviving entire economies. Smart policies and investments on both the state and federal level are paying huge returns in Michigan by putting thousands back to work.

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