Daley's plan to charge for dumpsters dumped on :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics: "Business groups, condominium associations and aldermen on Friday dumped all over Mayor Daley's plan to charge an annual fee as high as $300 for every one of their garbage dumpsters.
Daley wants to raise up to $9 million during part of 2009 — and at least $25 million in subsequent years — by requiring businesses and condo associations to buy annual permits for their over-sized garbage containers."
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Another distinction for Chicago, to go with the highest sales tax in the nation. And the highest murder rate. And the harshest gun ban. And the crookedest city and county and state governments. Not that any of these are related. Just saying.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
toledoblade.com -- Media in the tank for Obama
toledoblade.com -- Media in the tank for Obama: "'After all this time with him, I still can't say with certainty who he is,' wrote Peter Nicholas of the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday about Mr. Obama, with whom he's spent roughly 18 hours a day for most of this campaign."
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Jack Kelly's headline, not mine. What astounds me is that some intelligent Obambites try to feebly argue that the media is not in the tank for The One. But as Madison said in Federalist No. 10, our reason is always in the service of our self interest, and that's just human nature.
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Jack Kelly's headline, not mine. What astounds me is that some intelligent Obambites try to feebly argue that the media is not in the tank for The One. But as Madison said in Federalist No. 10, our reason is always in the service of our self interest, and that's just human nature.
McCain, the battle-scarred warrior, fights on
McCain, the battle-scarred warrior, fights on: "Hopelessness, McCain says on the campaign trail, is 'an enemy who defeats your will.' 'I felt those things once before,' he says of his years in Vietnam. 'I will never let them in again.'"
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He may not have made all the decisions right in this campaign, but nobody can ever question his heart. This is a man who practically defines the word "indomitable."
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He may not have made all the decisions right in this campaign, but nobody can ever question his heart. This is a man who practically defines the word "indomitable."
6 states=60% of those who are upside down: "Here's a shocker: almost half of Nevada homeowners with a mortgage owe more to the bank than their homes are worth. Here's another: If you add in the homeowners like them in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Michigan, together they account for nearly 60 percent of all homeowners who are ``underwater'' on their mortgages. Nationwide, almost one out of every five homeowners with a mortgage owes more to their lender than their properties are worth. According to a report released Friday by First American CoreLogic, if you subtract those states, the rate drops to about one in 10."
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And what percentage of those who are underwater are swimming in common interest housing's pool? The article goes on to quote Dr. Doom, Nourel Roubini, as saying that by the time the housing market bottoms out (you mean it hasn't, yet?), 40% of all owners will be upside down.
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And what percentage of those who are underwater are swimming in common interest housing's pool? The article goes on to quote Dr. Doom, Nourel Roubini, as saying that by the time the housing market bottoms out (you mean it hasn't, yet?), 40% of all owners will be upside down.
FIRE - FIRE Launches New Journal, ‘The Lantern,’ on Anniversary of University of Delaware Thought Reform Case
FIRE - FIRE Launches New Journal, ‘The Lantern,’ on Anniversary of University of Delaware Thought Reform Case: "FIRE is proud to announce the forthcoming debut of The Lantern: The Journal of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, FIRE's newest publication. The first issue of The Lantern will feature a comprehensive article on the indoctrination program implemented in 2007 by the University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life, which used mandatory activities to coerce students to change their thoughts, values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits to conform to a highly specified social, environmental, and political agenda. The article explains the program's invasive thought-reform activities, the horrified reactions of students and the press, and FIRE's response one year ago this week."
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The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has taken on numerous universities and colleges where freedom of expression and belief were under attack. If the public really understood what goes on in academia they would be outraged, but most of what happens in academia stays in academia.
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The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education has taken on numerous universities and colleges where freedom of expression and belief were under attack. If the public really understood what goes on in academia they would be outraged, but most of what happens in academia stays in academia.
Upsurge of West Nile virus linked to foreclosures, study finds - Los Angeles Times
Upsurge of West Nile virus linked to foreclosures, study finds - Los Angeles Times: "One of the nation's worst-hit cities for foreclosures in 2007 -- Bakersfield -- became an epicenter of West Nile virus that year largely because of mosquitoes breeding in abandoned swimming pools, UC Davis and Kern County scientists reported Thursday.
The Central Valley city had 140 diagnosed cases, up from 51 in 2006, or a 275% increase. Over the same period, mortgage delinquency notices went up by 300%.
Since the mortgage crisis began, public health officials throughout the state, particularly in Southern California, have complained that neglected pools are contributing to West Nile infections."
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Associations are imploding, and so far that issue has not had much coverage from the press. Maybe spreading West Nile will get people's attention. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
The Central Valley city had 140 diagnosed cases, up from 51 in 2006, or a 275% increase. Over the same period, mortgage delinquency notices went up by 300%.
Since the mortgage crisis began, public health officials throughout the state, particularly in Southern California, have complained that neglected pools are contributing to West Nile infections."
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Associations are imploding, and so far that issue has not had much coverage from the press. Maybe spreading West Nile will get people's attention. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Daily Business Review: News Item
Daily Business Review: News Item: "A surge in municipal bond defaults has combined with problems among bond insurers and the bankruptcy of investment banking giant Lehman Brothers to make public sector finance more cumbersome.
Municipal bond defaults across the nation jumped from January through September to $2.44 billion from $324 million for all of last year, said Richard Lehmann, president of Miami Lakes-based Income Securities Advisor.
Lehmann said the widespread credit crunch could expose weaknesses on municipal balance sheets including “horrendous unfunded pension liabilities that states and municipalities have incurred over that last 10, 20 years that they don’t have the means to pay.”"
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This site requires registration.
Municipal bond defaults across the nation jumped from January through September to $2.44 billion from $324 million for all of last year, said Richard Lehmann, president of Miami Lakes-based Income Securities Advisor.
Lehmann said the widespread credit crunch could expose weaknesses on municipal balance sheets including “horrendous unfunded pension liabilities that states and municipalities have incurred over that last 10, 20 years that they don’t have the means to pay.”"
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This site requires registration.
Struggling IndyMac borrowers may be in the dark about offer to lower their mortgage payments - Los Angeles Times
Struggling IndyMac borrowers may be in the dark about offer to lower their mortgage payments - Los Angeles Times: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s program to lower loan payments for struggling borrowers with mortgages from IndyMac Bank has been lauded by consumer advocates and government leaders as a model of foreclosure prevention.
But when the FDIC, which is running IndyMac, mailed out 35,000 letters offering homeowners a chance to rework the terms of their mortgages, more than half the borrowers were apparently so discouraged, scared or stressed out that they didn't bother to respond."
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You have to love the media. Look at the helpful excuses they offer as the only possible explanations: they were "discouraged, scared, or stressed out."
I could add one or two to that list, but they would have a bit of a critical edge. Things like intelligence, a sense of personal responsibility, opening your mail...old fashioned notions like that.
But when the FDIC, which is running IndyMac, mailed out 35,000 letters offering homeowners a chance to rework the terms of their mortgages, more than half the borrowers were apparently so discouraged, scared or stressed out that they didn't bother to respond."
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You have to love the media. Look at the helpful excuses they offer as the only possible explanations: they were "discouraged, scared, or stressed out."
I could add one or two to that list, but they would have a bit of a critical edge. Things like intelligence, a sense of personal responsibility, opening your mail...old fashioned notions like that.
Jonathan Martin's Blog: Conservatives plan secret post-election strategy session - Politico.com
Jonathan Martin's Blog: Conservatives plan secret post-election strategy session - Politico.com: "Two days after next week's election, top conservatives will gather at the Virginia weekend home of one of the movement's most prominent members to begin a conversation about their role in the GOP and how best to revive a party that may be out of power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue next year."
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I have some suggestions for that meeting:
1. Resolve that nobody with the name "Bush" will ever be nominated by the party to serve in any executive, legislative, or judicial capacity.
2. Develop foreign policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1980.
3. Develop economic policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1880.
4. Develop social policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1780.
That should get them off to a good start.
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I have some suggestions for that meeting:
1. Resolve that nobody with the name "Bush" will ever be nominated by the party to serve in any executive, legislative, or judicial capacity.
2. Develop foreign policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1980.
3. Develop economic policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1880.
4. Develop social policies that are not based on the world as it was in 1780.
That should get them off to a good start.
Pajamas Media » Ask Dr. Helen: Is It Time to ‘Go John Galt’?
Pajamas Media » Ask Dr. Helen: Is It Time to ‘Go John Galt’?"Do you ever wonder after dealing with all that is going on with the economy and the upcoming election if it’s getting to be time to “go John Galt”? For those of you who have never read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, the basic theme is that John Galt and his allies take actions that include withdrawing their talents, “stopping the motor of the world,” and leading the “strikers” (those who refuse to be exploited) against the “looters” (the exploiters, backed by the government)."
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That dynamic is already at work. The stock market reflects a fear that Obama will be elected. One thing is certain. Obama/Pelosi/Reid will not succeed in taxing the living daylights out of the upper 5% of the income distribution and giving everybody else a tax break, while expanding federal spending on health care, education, food stamps, etc., etc. That just won't happen. The rich won't sit around letting their money be taken. They will put it where the Democrats can't get it. The middle class, however, lacks those options and will get soaked for the cost of trying to turn the US into Sweden, if that's what comes own the pike. Maybe the Democrats will rethink their policies once they control everything.
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That dynamic is already at work. The stock market reflects a fear that Obama will be elected. One thing is certain. Obama/Pelosi/Reid will not succeed in taxing the living daylights out of the upper 5% of the income distribution and giving everybody else a tax break, while expanding federal spending on health care, education, food stamps, etc., etc. That just won't happen. The rich won't sit around letting their money be taken. They will put it where the Democrats can't get it. The middle class, however, lacks those options and will get soaked for the cost of trying to turn the US into Sweden, if that's what comes own the pike. Maybe the Democrats will rethink their policies once they control everything.
Almost 10 million homeowners are 'underwater' or just above - Oct. 31, 2008: "NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- At least 7.5 million Americans owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, according to a real estate research firm's report released Friday. In other words: If they sold their homes today, they'd have to bring a check to the closing. Ouch. Another 2.1 million people stand right on the brink, according to the report by First American CoreLogic. Their homes are worth less than 5% more than the mortgages they're paying on them."
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Nevada: 48%. Michigan: 39%. And the list goes on.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
TG Daily - MIT scientists baffled by global warming theory, contradicts scientific data
TG Daily - MIT scientists baffled by global warming theory, contradicts scientific data: "Boston (MA) - Scientists at MIT have recorded a nearly simultaneous world-wide increase in methane levels. This is the first increase in ten years, and what baffles science is that this data contradicts theories stating man is the primary source of increase for this greenhouse gas. It takes about one full year for gases generated in the highly industrial northern hemisphere to cycle through and reach the southern hemisphere. However, since all worldwide levels rose simultaneously throughout the same year, it is now believed this may be part of a natural cycle in mother nature - and not the direct result of man's contributions."
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Perhaps Al Gore is the source of all this natural methane. Just a thought.
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Perhaps Al Gore is the source of all this natural methane. Just a thought.
The Lawyers Who May Run America | ABA Journal - Law News Now
The Lawyers Who May Run America | ABA Journal - Law News Now
List of attorneys who Obama would likely appoint to run many federal agencies and the USSC. Interesting reading. Scroll to the bottom for a link to the ones McCain would appoint if he were to pull off the biggest upset in the history of presidential elections.
List of attorneys who Obama would likely appoint to run many federal agencies and the USSC. Interesting reading. Scroll to the bottom for a link to the ones McCain would appoint if he were to pull off the biggest upset in the history of presidential elections.
Found in a rundown Boston estate: Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango - Times Online: "Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father, lives in a disabled-access flat on a rundown public housing estate in South Boston. A second relative believed to be the long-lost “Uncle Omar” described in the book was beaten by armed robbers with a “sawed-off rifle” while working in a corner shop in the Dorchester area of the city. He was later evicted from his one-bedroom flat for failing to pay $2,324.20 (£1,488) arrears, according to the Boston Housing Court."
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I guess he's too busy taking care of those people in his infomercial last night. I tried to order a George Foreman grill but the lines were busy.
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I guess he's too busy taking care of those people in his infomercial last night. I tried to order a George Foreman grill but the lines were busy.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Snow blankets London for Global Warming debate • The Register
Snow blankets London for Global Warming debate • The Register: "Snow fell as the House of Commons debated Global Warming yesterday - the first October fall in the metropolis since 1922. The Mother of Parliaments was discussing the Mother of All Bills for the last time, in a marathon six hour session.
In order to combat a projected two degree centigrade rise in global temperature, the Climate Change Bill pledges the UK to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050."
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You can't make this up.
In order to combat a projected two degree centigrade rise in global temperature, the Climate Change Bill pledges the UK to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050."
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You can't make this up.
The 10 worst presidents to have held office - The Times US presidential rankings - Times Online
The 10 worst presidents to have held office - The Times US presidential rankings - Times Online
They have W at #37 out of 42, behind Warren Harding and Herbert Hoover. Ow.
They have W at #37 out of 42, behind Warren Harding and Herbert Hoover. Ow.
Conservatives say Bush and McCain destroyed Republican Party | Countdown to Crawford | Los Angeles Times
Conservatives say Bush and McCain destroyed Republican Party | Countdown to Crawford | Los Angeles Times
The recriminations are well under way. This can be made complicated or simple. The simple version is that the Republicans were once regarded as solid on the economy and on foreign policy and now all that is gone. After 12 years of Republicans controlling Congress, they were out. After 8 years of Bush, they are probably about to be out. They are now regarded as profligate spenders who wrecked the world's strongest economy, they have the corruption label on their foreheads (add Ted Stevens now), and they are now seen as failures in foreign policy.
It isn't Bush or McCain alone, but this entire party is in serious trouble from top to bottom and coast to coast, and the word "destroyed" may not be much of an exaggeration. Bush has, in truth, taken his party down hard, but he had a lot of help from the Republican Congress.
In their most optimistic moments they seem to be hoping the Democrats turn out to be even worse when they are in total control of the national government. I think getting your own act together may be a better plan.
The recriminations are well under way. This can be made complicated or simple. The simple version is that the Republicans were once regarded as solid on the economy and on foreign policy and now all that is gone. After 12 years of Republicans controlling Congress, they were out. After 8 years of Bush, they are probably about to be out. They are now regarded as profligate spenders who wrecked the world's strongest economy, they have the corruption label on their foreheads (add Ted Stevens now), and they are now seen as failures in foreign policy.
It isn't Bush or McCain alone, but this entire party is in serious trouble from top to bottom and coast to coast, and the word "destroyed" may not be much of an exaggeration. Bush has, in truth, taken his party down hard, but he had a lot of help from the Republican Congress.
In their most optimistic moments they seem to be hoping the Democrats turn out to be even worse when they are in total control of the national government. I think getting your own act together may be a better plan.
Woman in Chains Fights Eviction | NBC San Diego: "June Reyno, her husband and their five dogs have lived in their Mira Mesa home for nearly 20 years. Now, they are being evicted, but June Reyno is not having it.
She's defying the eviction by chaining herself to her home.
The San Diego Sheriff's Department is expected to come out to the Reyno's home sometime Monday or Tuesday. Reyno said she will remain chained to her home until 'the California State Legislature elected officials respond to these massive evictions and foreclosures that are going on in our county.'"
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These folks have an ARM and the payments are now...drum roll...$5800 per month. Two points. First, how can you live in a house for 20 years and be paying $5800 per month? How could you not be in a nice 5% 30 year loan by now instead of a nasty ARM? Second, to afford payments like that you would need an income of at least $300,000 per year. Something here doesn't make sense.
She's defying the eviction by chaining herself to her home.
The San Diego Sheriff's Department is expected to come out to the Reyno's home sometime Monday or Tuesday. Reyno said she will remain chained to her home until 'the California State Legislature elected officials respond to these massive evictions and foreclosures that are going on in our county.'"
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These folks have an ARM and the payments are now...drum roll...$5800 per month. Two points. First, how can you live in a house for 20 years and be paying $5800 per month? How could you not be in a nice 5% 30 year loan by now instead of a nasty ARM? Second, to afford payments like that you would need an income of at least $300,000 per year. Something here doesn't make sense.
Local News | Developer suggests sex emporium for Olympia | Seattle Times Newspaper
Local News | Developer suggests sex emporium for Olympia | Seattle Times Newspaper: "OLYMPIA — A developer says if he can't build a new grocery store in Olympia he'll build a sex emporium on the site."
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Hey, maybe this will turn out to be a more popular development idea than the grocery store.
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Hey, maybe this will turn out to be a more popular development idea than the grocery store.
Obama's 'Redistribution' Constitution - WSJ.com
Obama's 'Redistribution' Constitution - WSJ.com: "On the Supreme Court, six of the current nine justices will be 70 years old or older on January 20, 2009. There is a widespread expectation that the next president could make four appointments in just his first term, with maybe two more in a second term. Here too we are poised for heavy change.
These numbers ought to raise serious concern because of Mr. Obama's extreme left-wing views about the role of judges. He believes -- and he is quite open about this -- that judges ought to decide cases in light of the empathy they ought to feel for the little guy in any lawsuit."
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I guess this must be what the nation wants, because if you are paying any attention at all you know this.
These numbers ought to raise serious concern because of Mr. Obama's extreme left-wing views about the role of judges. He believes -- and he is quite open about this -- that judges ought to decide cases in light of the empathy they ought to feel for the little guy in any lawsuit."
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I guess this must be what the nation wants, because if you are paying any attention at all you know this.
Obama Accepting Untraceable Donations
The way things look at this point, the political weather forecast is a 95% chance of an Obama victory, followed by a major depression accompanied by accusations of campaign finance violations and voter fraud. Hard to see past that, due to heavy cloud cover over Obama's intentions, but the winds blowing from Congress are coming from the extreme left.
For what it's worth, here is my take on the election. The Republican Party as a whole has lost this election on the economy. It isn't Bush, McCain, or the voters alone--it is all of them. The party in the electorate (the voters), the party in government (the Bush administration), and the party's nominee and his campaign are collectively the reason they are losing the election for lack of apparent concern about the economy.
The voters nominated somebody who confesses he knows nothing about economics and thinks that is funny rather than shocking, and he has proved it. McCain ran mainly on foreign policy, and he won the nomination because the conservative base split between the religious conservatives who wanted Huckabee and the economic conservatives who wanted Romney. So the result was a choice who didn't inspire either group, and who had to gin up his disappointed base. McCain tried to shore up the religious right by taking Palin over Romney, who he dislikes and who would have alienated religious bigots. So that was two chances the party had to show some concern for the economy by putting Romney on the ticket. But both the top and bottom of the ticket went elsewhere: to all these voters who think morality and religion issues are paramount (Palin), and to those who are big on McCain's hawkish foreign policy. So, the voters said, the economy be damned.
Bush failed to anticipate the economic meltdown or prepare the nation for it. Maybe he thought it would happen after the election. Instead of handling this problem responsibly and with an eye to the future, he went on TV and freaked out a month before the election. He scared the living crap out of the country so he could get his $700 billion bailout passed on an emergency basis, without careful examination of the consequences. Sound familiar? That seems to be the only way he can do anything.
The election was probably lost for the Republicans on that day. But the final straw was when McCain first said the fundamentals of the economy were sound, and then almost immediately switched to saying the world is ending. He then proceeded with the debacle of suspending his campaign, canceling the debate, letting the Democrats make a fool of him in Washington, going to the debate, and then rebranding his candidacy as the Anti-Obama Campaign. How can anybody feel confident in McCain as the president to get us through this economic crisis after that performance?
At this point the electorate is focused on the economy like a laser beam and they are not happy. They are scared and angry. They want to vote for a better economy, and that means doing something different. Their choices are:
1. Obama, who has been hammering the economy as a main campaign theme for a year and a half, versus
2. McCain, who brings a hard-line foreign policy, a VP who is dearly loved by the religious right, and a campaign that is heavily focused on his opponent's past associations with leftists. His campaign lacks any consistent, high-profile, positive, economic policy theme--at least, one that distinguishes him from "the failed policies of the Bush Administration."
Add to that the fact that the major media folks are working overtime to protect Obama from McCain's criticisms and you have the makings of a Republican debacle on Tuesday.
But make no mistake: the Republicans should not blame the media or fraud for what looks like an impending electoral catastrophe. The Republican party, in all its aspects, has only itself to blame.
The way things look at this point, the political weather forecast is a 95% chance of an Obama victory, followed by a major depression accompanied by accusations of campaign finance violations and voter fraud. Hard to see past that, due to heavy cloud cover over Obama's intentions, but the winds blowing from Congress are coming from the extreme left.
For what it's worth, here is my take on the election. The Republican Party as a whole has lost this election on the economy. It isn't Bush, McCain, or the voters alone--it is all of them. The party in the electorate (the voters), the party in government (the Bush administration), and the party's nominee and his campaign are collectively the reason they are losing the election for lack of apparent concern about the economy.
The voters nominated somebody who confesses he knows nothing about economics and thinks that is funny rather than shocking, and he has proved it. McCain ran mainly on foreign policy, and he won the nomination because the conservative base split between the religious conservatives who wanted Huckabee and the economic conservatives who wanted Romney. So the result was a choice who didn't inspire either group, and who had to gin up his disappointed base. McCain tried to shore up the religious right by taking Palin over Romney, who he dislikes and who would have alienated religious bigots. So that was two chances the party had to show some concern for the economy by putting Romney on the ticket. But both the top and bottom of the ticket went elsewhere: to all these voters who think morality and religion issues are paramount (Palin), and to those who are big on McCain's hawkish foreign policy. So, the voters said, the economy be damned.
Bush failed to anticipate the economic meltdown or prepare the nation for it. Maybe he thought it would happen after the election. Instead of handling this problem responsibly and with an eye to the future, he went on TV and freaked out a month before the election. He scared the living crap out of the country so he could get his $700 billion bailout passed on an emergency basis, without careful examination of the consequences. Sound familiar? That seems to be the only way he can do anything.
The election was probably lost for the Republicans on that day. But the final straw was when McCain first said the fundamentals of the economy were sound, and then almost immediately switched to saying the world is ending. He then proceeded with the debacle of suspending his campaign, canceling the debate, letting the Democrats make a fool of him in Washington, going to the debate, and then rebranding his candidacy as the Anti-Obama Campaign. How can anybody feel confident in McCain as the president to get us through this economic crisis after that performance?
At this point the electorate is focused on the economy like a laser beam and they are not happy. They are scared and angry. They want to vote for a better economy, and that means doing something different. Their choices are:
1. Obama, who has been hammering the economy as a main campaign theme for a year and a half, versus
2. McCain, who brings a hard-line foreign policy, a VP who is dearly loved by the religious right, and a campaign that is heavily focused on his opponent's past associations with leftists. His campaign lacks any consistent, high-profile, positive, economic policy theme--at least, one that distinguishes him from "the failed policies of the Bush Administration."
Add to that the fact that the major media folks are working overtime to protect Obama from McCain's criticisms and you have the makings of a Republican debacle on Tuesday.
But make no mistake: the Republicans should not blame the media or fraud for what looks like an impending electoral catastrophe. The Republican party, in all its aspects, has only itself to blame.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Riley: Feds should back JeffCo on efforts to avoid bankruptcy - Business News from The Birmingham News - al.com: "Gov. Bob Riley told Birmingham business leaders today that Uncle Sam should provide a financial backstop for Jefferson County's efforts to restructure or refinance its sewer debt, preventing the nation's largest ever municipal bankruptcy filing."
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Moving forward in the bailout conga line?
Home Value Highwire
Home Value Highwire: "GAITHERSBURG, Md. - A Maryland woman is among the thousands of people losing their homes to foreclosure. But she's actually using the situation to her advantage. While she foreclosed a couple of years ago, she's still living in the home - and paying nothing"
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She's been living in this $400,000 home for 42 months and hasn't paid a dime on the mortgage. She expects to drag it out another month or so before Wells Fargo gets her butt out. It was a no-document loan. She was making less than $32,000 per year.
She says, "It just means that I'm smart."
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She's been living in this $400,000 home for 42 months and hasn't paid a dime on the mortgage. She expects to drag it out another month or so before Wells Fargo gets her butt out. It was a no-document loan. She was making less than $32,000 per year.
She says, "It just means that I'm smart."
Some first-time home buyers say market is just right | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
Some first-time home buyers say market is just right | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com: "Despite the housing downturn and recent turmoil in the financial and credit markets, some first-time home buyers have forged ahead, hoping to take advantage of a combination of favorable factors: plenty of available homes, relatively low interest rates and falling prices that are making homes more affordable."
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Wait, what?
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Wait, what?
'Good Samaritan' saves crying woman's foreclosed home - CNN.com
'Good Samaritan' saves crying woman's foreclosed home - CNN.com
Don't miss this one. Marilyn Mock, first rate human being.
Don't miss this one. Marilyn Mock, first rate human being.
Goodbye gov? :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Michael Sneed
Goodbye gov? :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Michael Sneed: "Sneed hears a plan is afoot to impeach Gov. Blagojevich following the presidential election next month. Word is the votes are there. Stay tuned."
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His job approval rating was 13% last week. I can't imagine that 13 out of every 100 Illinois residents are that stupid, but there you go. It would be fun to have a post-election impeachment just to get us over campaign withdrawal syndrome. And Blagojevich has more than earned an impeachment trial. He is the worst governor I have ever seen. The state is in a complete shambles.
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His job approval rating was 13% last week. I can't imagine that 13 out of every 100 Illinois residents are that stupid, but there you go. It would be fun to have a post-election impeachment just to get us over campaign withdrawal syndrome. And Blagojevich has more than earned an impeachment trial. He is the worst governor I have ever seen. The state is in a complete shambles.
The Columbus Dispatch : Judge rules Ohio homeless voters may list park benches as addresses
The Columbus Dispatch : Judge rules Ohio homeless voters may list park benches as addresses: "COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A federal judge in Ohio has ruled that counties must allow homeless voters to list park benches and other locations that aren't buildings as their addresses. U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus also ruled that provisional ballots can't be invalidated because of poll worker errors."
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But there is no way to validate an "address" like that. Utility bill, state ID, all that antiquated kind of stuff. That's because here on Earth, people are supposed to actually reside in a precinct in order to vote there. But in La La Land, where this judge lives, people just say they live wherever they choose and presto-they vote there. And why stop there? Go ahead and let them register in 25 different precincts with 25 different park bench addresses. ID? Who needs that? Some people don't have that, either.
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But there is no way to validate an "address" like that. Utility bill, state ID, all that antiquated kind of stuff. That's because here on Earth, people are supposed to actually reside in a precinct in order to vote there. But in La La Land, where this judge lives, people just say they live wherever they choose and presto-they vote there. And why stop there? Go ahead and let them register in 25 different precincts with 25 different park bench addresses. ID? Who needs that? Some people don't have that, either.
Homeowner's Obama sign stirs controversy in Pflugerville | News for Austin, Texas | KVUE.com | Local News
Homeowner's Obama sign stirs controversy in Pflugerville | News for Austin, Texas | KVUE.com | Local News: "Homeowner Melanie Fish has political signs in her yard, but those aren't the ones in question. It's the one on her fence that the homeowners association is telling her to take down."
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The sign is 8 x 4 ft. Maybe a little large?
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The sign is 8 x 4 ft. Maybe a little large?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Cost of crash: $2,800,000,000,000 | Business | The Guardian: "Autumn's market mayhem has left the world's financial institutions nursing losses of $2.8tn, the Bank of England said today, as it called for fundamental reform of the global banking system to prevent a repeat of turmoil 'arguably' unprecedented since the outbreak of the first world war."
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$2.8 trillion here, and another few trillion there, and pretty soon it starts to add up to some serious money.
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$2.8 trillion here, and another few trillion there, and pretty soon it starts to add up to some serious money.
Companies start competing for bailout money - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON – The bailout is now the hottest lobbying game in town. Insurers, automakers and American subsidiaries of foreign banks all want the Treasury Department to cut them a piece of the largest government rescue in U.S. history."
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The hogs are at the trough. It will be interesting to see whether the banks who get money use it to address their losses or instead use it to buy other banks. Thanks to Fred Pilot for the link.
Report: Iranian president has fallen ill
Report: Iranian president has fallen ill: "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fallen ill due to exhaustion brought on by his heavy workload, a close associate has told the Iranian state news agency."
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I prefer the alternative theory that his health is directly correlated with the price of crude oil.
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I prefer the alternative theory that his health is directly correlated with the price of crude oil.
Signs of trouble? Neighborhood divided over political displays
Signs of trouble? Neighborhood divided over political displays: "The signs are looking a bit troubling in the Grand View Homeowners Association. Residents in this 198-home subdivision northeast of Patterson and 28 roads are banned from placing political campaign signs in their yards. The president of the HOA, Tom Lowrey, is so adamant about enforcing the association’s rule that he has taken it upon himself to walk the neighborhood and uproot all campaign signs."
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Thanks to Chris Casey for the link to yet another example of why HOAs have gotten a bad name.
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Thanks to Chris Casey for the link to yet another example of why HOAs have gotten a bad name.
In Law School, Obama Found Political Voice - New York Times
In Law School, Obama Found Political Voice - New York Times: "In interviews, Mr. Obama was modest and careful. (In a rare slip, he told The Associated Press: “I’m not interested in the suburbs. The suburbs bore me.”)"
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I think in this context "suburbs" is a code word for "middle class people who have jobs, pay their bills, and take care of their families."
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I think in this context "suburbs" is a code word for "middle class people who have jobs, pay their bills, and take care of their families."
Sunday, October 26, 2008
OBATMA AND BAT BOY TOUR U.S. | Weekly World News
OBATMA AND BAT BOY TOUR U.S. | Weekly World News
Many people have been saying all along that Obama had an unfair advantage. At last a newspaper with the guts to get the story.
Many people have been saying all along that Obama had an unfair advantage. At last a newspaper with the guts to get the story.
Ravens to stave off credit curse | The Sun |News
Ravens to stave off credit curse | The Sun |News: "FOUR extra ravens are being drafted into the Tower of London because of the financial crisis — to prevent a 350-year-old curse coming true. King Charles II decreed there must be at least six ravens otherwise a disaster would strike the nation and the Royal Family. And up to now, bosses have kept just one spare bird in residence to act as a “super sub”. But with the UK facing credit crunch meltdown, they ruled an extra four must now be acquired."
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Now we can all relax. It is about time somebody did something to solve this problem.
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Now we can all relax. It is about time somebody did something to solve this problem.
Nouriel Roubini: I fear the worst is yet to come - Times Online: "For years Dr Doom toiled in relative obscurity as a New York University economics professor under his alias, Nouriel Roubini. But after making a series of uncannily accurate predictions about the global meltdown, Roubini has become the prophet of his age, jetting around the world dispensing his advice and latest prognostications to politicians and businessmen desperate to know what happens next – and for any answer to the crisis...What does Roubini think is going to happen next? Rather worryingly, in London last Thursday he predicted that hundreds of hedge funds will go bust and stock markets may soon have to shut – perhaps for as long as a week – in order to stem the panic selling now sweeping the world. What happened? The next day trading was briefly stopped in New York and Moscow."
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I must say that in most of his photos he projects a certain sense of foreboding. It would be nice to dismiss him as too dismal even for the dismal science. But then he turns out to be right about everything that has happened. The main quibbles are that the collapse happened later than he predicted, and he doesn't have hard core numbers to back up his predictions because he uses unorthodox methods. So what? He was right.
And now he says the worst is yet to come because the measures taken by governments so far have not worked, and the markets have lost faith in the ability of governments to fix things. Scary stuff. Sure hope he's wrong this time.
Iceland 'Will Need Billions More' - Yahoo! News UK: "Iceland will probably need 'several billion' dollars more in financial assistance even after a proposed $2bn loan from the IMF, its prime minister has admitted."
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My apologies for leaving nations off the bailout list. I think it now goes something like this:
1. Nations (Iceland)
2. Investment banks and major insurance companies (AIG, etc.)
3. Major corporations (auto makers, etc.)
4. Regional banks
5. States (California, Illinois?)
6. Counties (watch Jefferson County, AL)
7. Municipalities
8. Hedge funds
9. Shopping malls
10. Condominium and homeowner associations (FL, per Julio Robaina?)
I don't know where to put the 30% of tax filers who don't pay any federal tax but are getting a so-called "tax credit," meaning free money, according to The One. Is that a bailout or a social welfare check? I'm still collating, as Ash the android said in the movie Alien.
Please offer any amendments to this list that you deem appropriate.
Hedge fund stars in crisis as performance plummets - Telegraph
Hedge fund stars in crisis as performance plummets - Telegraph: "Experts are warning that the next few months as many as one in four hedge funds will fail."
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So where do they stand in the bailout line? I'm guessing ahead of the HOAs but behind the municipalities. But I could be wrong.
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So where do they stand in the bailout line? I'm guessing ahead of the HOAs but behind the municipalities. But I could be wrong.
Orlando Sentinel - Obama campaign cuts off WFTV after interview with Joe Biden by Hal Boedeker
Orlando Sentinel - Obama campaign cuts off WFTV after interview with Joe Biden by Hal Boedeker: "Biden so disliked West's line of questioning that the Obama campaign canceled a WFTV interview with Jill Biden, the candidate's wife.
'This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election,' wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.
McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was 'a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West.'
Here's a link to the interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/17790025/index.html."
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Poor Joe. He got hardball instead of softball and had a hissy fit.
'This cancellation is non-negotiable, and further opportunities for your station to interview with this campaign are unlikely, at best for the duration of the remaining days until the election,' wrote Laura K. McGinnis, Central Florida communications director for the Obama campaign.
McGinnis said the Biden cancellation was 'a result of her husband's experience yesterday during the satellite interview with Barbara West.'
Here's a link to the interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/17790025/index.html."
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Poor Joe. He got hardball instead of softball and had a hissy fit.
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