Month: November 2009

Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

That is the question that is being batted around Washington these days…the “HE”  is Geithner the Obama Secretary of the Treasury….in recent hearings on Capital Hill…..the following is being reported in The Hill:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is coming under new pressure from conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats to resign.

Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas) this week joined a small group of lawmakers publicly calling for Geithner to step down. Former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons, who is challenging Sen. Chris Dodd (D) for Senate in Connecticut, has made Geithner’s resignation a campaign issue.

This week’s criticism was sparked by a report from Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general over the $700 billion bailout program. Barofsky concluded that officials at the Federal Reserve, including Geithner, who was head of the New York Fed, made a series of missteps in the bailout of American International Group (AIG).

Barofsky faulted Fed officials, including Geithner, for a negotiating strategy regarding the firm’s complex derivatives that “offered little opportunity for success.” The report said that the Fed paid full value to settle the derivatives contracts, which meant tens of billions of dollars went to the big American and foreign banks that were AIG’s counterparties in the deals.

Maybe these little jerks should read my blog, among others, we brought up all this concern back in March…..we said then that he, Geithner,  should not have been confirmed let alone ever had been nominated…..after he was confirmed we pointed out that he would not be the “savior” he has been portrayed as……we bloggers were truly the visionaries, at least when it comes to Geithner and the economy….but we do not get any of the credit….nope….it will be the “politicians” that saw this coming and that will be a lie…..not misinformation….an out right LIE!

Repubs did not like him….only because he was nominated by Obama…if it had been the nomination by a Repub prez then he would have been eagerly accepted…..bloggers were about the only ones that wrote against his nomination and later confirmation of little Timmy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury……

Since few recognize the contribution and the foresight of bloggers…I feel it necessary to give them an “atta boy”……..it would be nice if people, especially politicians, would read and appreciate the insight us bloggers have at times…..are we always correct….hell no!….but we do have our moments…..and the Geithner situation is one of our finest….

How To Make A War Personal

For years now I have said that the wars we are now fighting are NOT personal…..only a handful of people are truly effected by these actions……I have also said that if the American people had more skin in these things then the war would have ended awhile back……but now following along those lines someone was come up with an idea……

Influential US lawmakers on Thursday called for levying a new income tax to pay for the war in Afghanistan, warning its costs pose a mortal threat to efforts like a sweeping health care overhaul.

The group included House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey; Representative John Murtha, who chair that panel’s defense subcommittee; and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank.

The proposal, a heavily symbolic measure seen as having next to no chance of becoming law, would impose a war surtax on income beginning in 2011 — though it would allow the president to delay implementation by one year upon deciding the US economy is too weak to sustain such a tax shift.

It would also exempt members of the US military who have served in combat since the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes, their families, and families of soldiers who died as a result of combat.

The measure would create a three-tiered change in income tax with the goal of paying for all of the war’s costs.

Couples earning up to 150,000 dollars per year would see a one-percent increase in their regular tax level, from 15 percent currently to 15.15 percent.

For those making between 150,000-250,000 dollars per year or 250,000 dollars or above, the president would have to set the rate increase high enough to pay for the remaining war costs, and in such a way that the middle-tier earners pay half what the top earners do.

Currently, the war costs roughly 68 billion dollars per year, which would mean that the middle tier would see its rate rise from 28 percent to 29.5 percent, while the top would climb from 33 percent to 36.6 percent, according to a person familiar with the plan.

As said in the article it has little to no chance of being passed…..but it is a thought……I also think that it would help make these wars more personal than they are now and in doing so would fuel a new anti-war movement…….which in turn could help end the killings on both sides…..

I need to pat myself on the back a bit (why not….it is my right) back on 27 February 2007 I called for a “Patriot Tax”….but my idea was to fund all the assistance that vets needed and were not getting at the time……this latest thing from Obey is along those same lines….

A Jobs Summit?

Oh Please!

Jobs…..Jobs….Jobs!

Are you kidding me?  After a year of losing jobs and economic clout, the White House wants a jobs summit?  Let me see….for a year now it has been important to make sure that the banks get their backing for the gambling …..than to make sure that John Q. Public fed his family…and NOW it is important……excuse me if I feel that this is a bit late in coming….or is it just a response to the political attacks from the Right?

As written by Jerry White wrote for wsws.org:

Indeed, the administration has provided unlimited resources to stabilize “the financial system,” i.e., the bankers who are responsible for the financial collapse. But this has had nothing to do with a revival of lending, let alone slowing the wave of foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. On the contrary, the big banks have used the public funds to extend their grip over the financial system, hand out billions in bonuses and resume the same type of reckless speculation that produced the economic catastrophe.

Obama then declared that the Recovery Act had “created and saved more than a million jobs”—a claim that has been exposed as a wild exaggeration. And even if it were the case, the number pales in comparison with the more than 3.5 million jobs that have been lost since the stimulus package was approved last February.

In reality, the administration is pursuing a deliberate policy of high unemployment and reducing workers to a state of perpetual insecurity. The constant threat of job losses is being used to force workers to accept a drastic and permanent reduction in their living standards and a sharp increase in exploitation. US corporations have already seen a nearly 10 percent increase in productivity this year, as they force fewer and fewer workers to produce more and more.

In other words, American workers must accept a harsh reduction in consumption as credit is reduced, homes are lost, social programs slashed and they are forced to live on much less. At the same time, the labor cost gap with Third World countries must be closed so the US can be transformed into a cheap labor platform to send US exports around the world.

If you believe that the admin is concerned about Main Street then I suggest to take another hit of the bong….you are delusional.  This should have been issue ONE from the very beginning…not some lame promises of a jobs creation that has not materialized….But a jobs summit?  A bunch of gamblers from Wall Street will get together and decide which direction the government will…all the while children go to bed hungry….what a country!

If Americans are not working, then Americans are not spending and it Americans are not spending then consumption sucks…..If we want a good consumer price index and want Americans spending, then JOBS should have been the answer 12 months ago…..not a second thought after throwing billions maybe trillions at Wall Street so that they could continue their evil ways……

It boils down to the truth…….banks had a feeding frenzy at the banquet provided by the taxpayer…..and in return they, the taxpayer, gets the scraps that was left by the banks..is that about it?  What a great thing for the country to do for its revenue base…..

Goldman-Sachs Spits On The Taxpayer!

We all have an opinion on whether the bank bailout was a good thing…the problem for Wall Street is that more Americans feel betrayed by their government for handing over massive amounts of cash to these thieves while they have to struggle just to keep food and clothing and shelter….and yet there is still NO demand from the people for the heads of these gtamblers that have pissed away America’s economic future…….

The WSJ is reporting that the CEO of Goldman is talking and apologizing:

Blankfein made a startling confession Tuesday. He apologized for Goldman’s role in the financial crisis, saying that the bank “participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret.”

This is the same egotistical bastard that last month said:

he made an embarrassing comment in an interview with the Financial Times, saying that he was just “doing God’s work.”

YOU should be mad as hell at the audacity of this a/hole….why?

He got paid $400+ million last year…the year that he was a driving force in the demise of an American economy……he is the a/hole that is setting aside billions to give bonuses to the employees……this is the a/hole that got a massive transfusion of taxpayer money and in return he is spitting in the face of every taxpayer in America.

But Professor he apologized…..did he?……what did he apologize for?  Did he apologize for wrecking the economy?  Is he apologizing for stealing from the taxpayer to pay himself?  Just what is he apologizing for?

If this is a PR ploy then it is piss poor….Americans need to stand up and DEMAND that these thieves be held accountable for the destruction of the American economy….We do NOT need to accept their apologies….why?…..these bastards are insincere…if they were truly remorseful then they would be handling all this situation differently….the people need to send the message…….a FAKE apology is NOT accepted!

Let’s Get Those Damn Terrorists!

While surfing the other day I came across the recent Quinnipiac national poll….there was much in there about Obama’s popularity, personal and policy, but the part that fascinated me was the question and answers on Afghanistan.

When asked if they, the people who answered, do you approve or disapprove of the Obama handling of Afghanistan…..38% approve, 49% disapprove…..then they were asked: do you think the US is doing the right thing in Afghanistan?…..45% is yes, 41% say no…..when asked if a democratic government in Afghanistan a worthwhile goal……34% yes, 56% no…..

But now the telling question that was asked:  do you think that the elimination of terrorists in operating in Afghanistan a worthwhile cause?……65% said yes and 29% said No…….

I will bet you are asking why is that a telling question, right?

To me it shows that the normal American is not paying attention to the situation in Afghanistan….why would I say that?

I believe that Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization that we originally went into Afghanistan, to get is now operating from the mountains of Pakistan…..the Taleban did not have anything to do with 9/11 other than letting AQ use some training facilities within their borders….the Taleban maybe a terrorist group, but it is against its own people and not an international one….

The original plan was to get terrorists but since the invasion of the country, we have been playing defense more than offense….why?…..the Taleban is fighting to rid their country of what they see as occupiers that threw them out of their position of power….they only want to return to the “ivory tower”….nothing else…..

Americans, with their answers show they do NOT have a grasp of the situation….only what they hear on FOX or MSNBC or CNN…..in other words, I return to one of my favorite things…..rational ignorance effect……(look it up…my page will help)

Federalism–The Series–Part 3—The Why?

Inkwell Institute

Professor’s Classroom

Subject:  Political Theory/Government/American History

Now the question must be asked…..Why Federalism?

The Framers of the Constitution created a federal system with a national government strong enough to unify the states in their pursuit of common goals without completely robbing the states of their independence. If they had not done so, it is unlikely that the ratifying conventions in the several states would have approved the Constitution. Indeed, the inclusion of the federal principle in the Constitution was a critical factor in its ratification. The benefits of federalism, however, have reached far beyond the ratification debates.

Federalism contributes significantly to the protection of individual rights and liberties in this nation. While many of the opponents of the Constitution were fearful the national government would not respect the rights of the people, there have been several instances in which the national government has stepped in to stop the abuse of individual rights at the state level.

A noble sentiment, but unfortunately it has not done a very good job at protecting the people from abuses……..but that would depend on what we define as an abuse….it will be different in its meaning depending on what side of the political spectrum you stand….

But from the beginning it was more about property rights than the rights of the individual…..if it were all about protecting the people then the property would not have been slaves that they were concerned with…..that was a major problem because most of the people that favored federalism were slave owners and wanted the institution to continue.

Perhaps the most important contribution of federalism to this nation has been the experimentation and “policy borrowing” it has fostered. Because states are free to develop, among other things, their own educational, law enforcement and economic development policies, at any given time there are several different approaches being utilized in different states to address the same set of public policy problems. As the programs and policies implemented by states succeed or fail, other states can learn from them and adopt, or choose not to adopt, similar policies.

Given the ability of states to experiment with different approaches to the problems they face, former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called the states “laboratories of democracy.” In each of fifty “laboratories,” state policy makers can adopt “riskier” policies than a national policy maker would because when a program is implemented in only one state it can fail only in one state.

If only this was true….policy today is NOT made to help the people they are made to assure the continuance of the governing elite….

Another significant benefit of federalism is that it keeps many political leaders, the decisions they make and the implementation of public policy close to the people.  Federalism, with its multiple levels of government, keeps government much closer to the people than would otherwise be possible.

It is a real shame that above statement, while sounding like a good thing has been anything but good for the people of the different states.  What it has done is put the people second behind business interests and once that is done the premise of federalism being a concept that keeps the people close to government is nullified.

Do YOU Need Sex?

From time to time I try to lighten up the stuff to keep from going completely batshit….and in doing so I usually post of sex thingy…..oh well…today is NO different….

Do YOU need sex?

The short answer is you bet your ass you do…..but with that said….how can we tell if we are approaching critical mass?

First of all,  Times of India is reporting:

Practically, a non-existing sexual life causes a lot of reactions, more or less explicable, and in some extreme cases it can lead to severe physical and philological reactions: skin itches, irritations, anger etc. You could end up hurting the ones beside you, emotionally or even physically, because you did not “read” one of your body’s cries for help.

Once you fully and completely understand your body’s message: “I need sex!” it will be a lot easier for you to identify the time periods these unpleasant symptoms occur. If you manage to do this, you will also be able to prevent them. Of course, these intervals vary from person to person, and they are dependent to certain factors, such as age, sex, lifestyle, physical condition, pregnancy, menopause etc.

All in all, make sure you take some time and really analyze yourself and your body, your needs and your desires, and that way you will manage to understand the course of action you have to take so that everything returns on its’ right normal “path” again.

Oh crap!  But how can I know if there is a need?
Must-have-sex signals
– Excessive nervousness
– Long states of unjustified anxiety, migraines
– Permanent stress
– Lack of food appetite
– Lack of the need to sleep
– Contradictory feelings regarding certain persons
– Frequent sexual fantasies, especially during nighttime.

Check the list…check it twice……

Dammit!  I need to get laid!

Is It A Conspiracy?

There are some that see a conspiracy at every turn….fortunately I am not one of those pea brains….but there are some situations that beg to be defined as a conspiracy…….and this time it appears, at least to me, that there maybe a conspiracy developing…..The Tour du Palin…..The book tour…..the “Going Rogue” Express…..the continuing saga of one Sarah Palin…..

Then what would the conspiracy be?  The Mainstream Media has its reporters on the book signing route for “Going Rogue”……My question is……why are the networks devoting so much time and resource in covering a book signing?  It cannot be that it is subjective policy book…in fact there is little to no policy in the book, just opposition to everything Obama…..then why is it so damn important?

NBC has a well respected journalist, Andrea Mitchell, covering the first stop of the signing express……this is reporter that can get an interview from just about anyone in politics and yet she is covering some mindless book tour….and reporting that the Palin crowds are some sort of a phenom……crap they have gotten some local color to do that sort of thing…..but what do I know?

Okay Professor what is up?  Appears, at least to me, that the MSM is trying to install Palin as the face of the GOP….they are assisting Palin in keeping her face in the news…..she, Palin, has NO substance and has NO policy sense whatever….no where does she deserve the coverage she is getting……and she does not deserve the free PR for her book…….that is unless the MSM is attempting to make her the “voice” of the GOP and in doing so helping liberals in their campaigns in the future……

I told you that I see a conspiracy…….I maybe WRO……Wr……..W….. (heavy sigh)…….MISTAKEN……this maybe just that the media has nothing better to report but the person that gets her facts from a placement at IHOP……

Palin/Beck For 2012

I tried….I swear I try to avoid posting on the Palin Saga….since she has NO experience past sign checks in Wasilla….she should NOT have the air time or camera time that she is receiving……but every time I try to move on past the manure pile….something always drags me back into the toilet…..

OMG!  The circus that was the last presidential election was not enough…..now we have Ms. Palin is on her whirlwind book tour….and then there is this:

Sarah Palin has suggested Fox News firebrand Glenn Beck could be someone she’d consider as a running mate if she makes a bid for the White House in two years.

“I can envision a couple of different combinations, if ever I were to be in a position to really even seriously consider running for anything in the future, and I’m not there yet,” Palin told the conservative news agency Newsmax.

This is just too rich to ignore…..do you recall the Rev. Wright circus?  If so, can you imagine the field day people will have with the crap that Beck spreads?  If you think that Palin has NO experience at being an effective politician, then Beck should scare the crap out of you.

She carves the spotlight and will do what she can to remain in the glow of media scrutiny…..media bites on whatever she says and reports and such and then she gets even more air time…..but is there a solution to the Palin saga?  You betcha! (he said with a wink)……IGNORE HER!……she will go away…when you give her the air of respectability you keep the teabaggers (HA…cannot say that without the sexual snicker) in the forefront of the political battle…they are a fringe……and the media does everything they can to marginalize any fringe movement….that is except the Palin Theater…..

For the sake of America’s political future……IGNORE HER!

2009 Anal-Ocity

I decided that I had enough anal statements to have a good feild for the nominees and for my readers to pick the winner……but I was mistaken…..I have been given an early Christmas gift that I could not pass over for the anal statements….I just could not…as a matter of fact this one is semi-orgasmic……..

In any recent interview Bill was talking with Judge Andrew Napolitano about the decision to try the 9/11 dudes in New York City:

NAPOLITANO: ‘There was no declaration of war.’ O’REILLY: ‘All right, so, because there is no declaration of war, you say that any terror – and it fits the bill, right? Surely 9/11 fits the bill of a terrorist act…’ NAPOLITANO: ‘But it i not I who is saying it. It is the Constitution that is saying it.’ O’REILLY: ‘I don’t care about the Constitution.’ NAPOLITANO: ‘I do.’ O’REILLY: ‘The Constitution isn’t here. You’re here. Don’t be a pinhead.’

I find it amusing that O’Reilly actually called someone a “pinhead”…..that in itself would be a good anal-ocity nominee…..but that is NOT my Christmas gift!

After a year of calling everything that Obama and the admin is trying to do as unconstitutional….and after years of standing on the Constitution in opposition to anything Democratic…..he said…..wait for it!…….”I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION”!

God, I love this stuff!

Thank you Bill O’Reilly!  You have made my holiday season…..the BEST gift ever!