April 27, 2008 11:00 AM
Mike's Blog Roundup
Dandelion Salad: Chalmers Johnson on ow the Pentagon strangles our economy: Why the U.S. Has Gone Broke
DownWithTyranny! John McCain and his $40 million fortune say Obama is "insensitive" to the poor. How would he know?
The Big Picture: Three Nobel Prize winners on the economy.
Lawyers, Guns and Money: Treason-in-Defense-of-Slavery Memorial Day
AverageBro: Obama vs Hillary: WWE Smackdown!
OFF THE BEATEN PATH: One Thousand Reasons, Bruce Lays it Out Good B.L.O.G, American Politics Journal, Tailrank
Related to the Pentagon:
A review of US-funded reconstruction projects in Iraq has found that millions of dollars have been wasted because almost 900 separate projects have never been completed.
The reconstruction of Iraq has cost American taxpayers more than $107 billion.
The Big Picture is to me one the best blogs on economic issues out there and a must read.
Almost at the point to where I'll have to swear off surfing the net just to keep my blood pressure down.
chalmers johnson's books are a must-read. 'sorrows of the empire', 'blowback', etc. are crucial books.
if you haven't read 'em, go do it. seriously, I'll wait.
and, sadly, neither mccain, hillary nor obama have a friggin clue--or they are all part of the problem--about the damage our military, proconsul-esque, empire does to our economy, our foreign policy, and our place in the world.
the vast majority of americans have no idea what is being done in our name and the anger that is boiling worldwide: from our support of economic colonialism, through the IMF/WB, to our military empire, and all points in between.
ignorance is no excuse.
That eerie vibe out there that things are seriously out-of-whack.
Is Chalmers Johnson Principal Skinner's boss?
So how many of y'all are going to soon be working for Homeland Security?
McCain wants to extend Bush's voodoo economics tax cuts without having a plan to pay for them. Hmm.
Doesn't McCain know how expensive his plan is to occupy Iraq for another 100 years?
ysbaddaden @ 7:
Probably most everyone born from 1990 on.
They won't have a clue what the United States used to be like anyway.
ysbaddaden @ 6:
skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinner!!!!!!
Rusty Shackleford @ 8:
He doesn't have to care how expensive it is he's one the boyz. The "Club".
L.A. Confidential @ 9:
except it won't be called "homeland security" by then...
the official name will be "TOTALWar (a blackwater and CACI joint) presents: Homeland Security"
I'm always a big fan of Chalmers Johnson's work. He pulls no punches. The Bush Administration's massive military build up over the years has made the Soviet Union's massive military expenditures look like child's play in comparison.
L.A. Confidential @ 11:
It might hit home for him if he had to fire the servants at one of the eight mansions his wife's dad's money bought him.
Samson- @ 12:
Maybe, maybe not. We're going to find out just how much "change" the General Public is willing to tolerate the next 7 months.
Rusty Shackleford @ 14:
Don't hold your breath the Cons now pretty much own and control the entire U.S. Economy.
We're just surplus people now.
Whats up with Obama he sure seems to be fading away this past week.
Oh and Tax Rebates going out today!
Take your rebate check when it arrives and go out and light it up in protest with your bic. Do cell phones have built in lighters on them?
Rather then Burning Draft Cards we can now Burn Rebate Checks in protest.
L.A. Confidential @ 18:
http://tinyurl.com/3tomcm
L.A. Confidential @ 3:
Agreed!
Defense budget $1.1 trillion per year! I like to divide these numbers by 200 million (the population of the US) to see what my share is. That would be $5500 for "defense". For my family of 5, that would be $27500. Funny. That's a lot closer to our income than to the taxes we paid. Hmmmm. Sorry, kids and grandkids!
Reuters - 23 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said on Monday the U.S. economy is in a recession that will be more severe than most people expect.
Come on Warren stop soft peddling and tell people the truth.
High gas prices, food rationing, health-care rationing and unbearable debt.
L.A. Confidential @ 15:
the general public....
yikes....
what it would take is for the leading prez candidates to make an issue of this. yet, instead of this, it seems that there is a dead-sprint to see who can kiss the military establishment's butt the most sincerely.
i would love it if hillary or obama came out challenging our world-wide military base system.
we can't say that we weren't warned. from jefferson to eisenhower, we were warned.
L.A. Confidential @ 18:
you could....
or....
endorse your check to moi and mail them to me, i will provide my address information and pre-paid postage envelopes.
thank you.
"Such expenditures are not only morally obscene, they are fiscally unsustainable. Many neo-conservatives and poorly informed patriotic Americans believe that, even though our defense budget is huge, we can afford it because we are the richest country on Earth."
They also fail to see that those military expenditures are in addition to the many other outlays that the Government pays for. Add them all together and we see that they well exceed the US GDP by wide margins year over year. This simply can not be sustained unless the Federal Reserve monetizes it (I.E. prints more money) at some point. When that occurs prices of all goods rise as the U.S. dollar loses value. If the situation gets severe enough, hyperinflation is the result. Its like a snowball rolling down hill that gets larger and larger as it goes until at some point, it rolls over everyone.
Samson- @ 23:
Your sounding like a Republican.
Joe O. @ 24:
Except the obscenely Rich.
From America Blog:
Don't think the dollar's decline affects you since you don't go to Europe? Think Again. Chris posted earlier today about OPEC and the price of oil, and buried in his post was a fascinating quote from the head of OPEC:
"[E]ach time the dollar falls one percent, the price of the barrel rises by $4, and of course vice versa"
The dollar has fallen 30% versus the Euroe since April 2003. That would mean a $120 rise in the per barrel price of oil. Now, oil is at $120/barrel, and oil was around $30/barrel in 2003, so the formula isn't perfect. But that means the real increase was $90 versus the predicted $120. That's pretty darn close. The overall point is that the head of OPEC just said that George Bush and the Republicans' economic policy vis-a-vis destroying the dollar has led to the majority of the oil price increase. I.e., you're paying more at the pump because of George Bush and the Republicans.
http://www.americablog.com/
L.A. Confidential @ 26:
Kids are going to take the worst hit. I suppose they can wiggle around in the mud at Music Festivals though and not worry about it though.
Anybody else notice anything ...ummm funny about CNN's Headlines:
# Ticker: Obama's support fading, polls say
# Barracks aswim in feces, ickiness Video T-shirt
Let the hoarding begin
http://tinyurl.com/6dfe9n
Samson- @ 23:
If you really want to send a message to the GOP, McCain, Cheney, and Bush just use the tax rebate check to pay off old debt. That way you get yourself a little more out of debt plus not help Bush's economy at all.
L.A. Confidential @ 25:
my what?
Ooooooh, zing!! *towel snap*
L.A. Confidential @ 30:
http://tinyurl.com/6bfpqt
Last week, the Presidents of Mexico and the U.S. met with the Prime Minister of Canada to work on
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP)http://www.spp.gov/news/news_02282008.asp
Congress had no say in the formation of the SPP. Instead, these government bureaucrats are working hand-in-hand with
the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Competitiveness_Council
The SPP isn't government by the people, for the people, but rather government by bureaucrats, for Big Business.
Samson- @ 32:
If I send you that check you have to give me some kind of special bonus offer. Like a free camouflage head scarf. A $29.95 Value!
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
Americans fighting over bags of rice.
The economy is great! Confidence is higher then ever!
L.A. Confidential @ 35:
what size?
Samson- @ 37:
I thought there was only one size anymore. Same thing everyone else wears. Xtra-Large
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
Here is another one to add to the list and this one is from the WSJ itself:
Load Up the Pantry
"I don't want to alarm anybody, but maybe it's time for Americans to start stockpiling food.
No, this is not a drill."
http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/104914/Load-Up-the-Pa...
Get ready for another economic shock of major proportions — a virtual doubling of prices at the gas pump to as much as $10 a gallon.
http://tinyurl.com/5ovj7q
See it. Study it, Absorb it Kids.
http://tinyurl.com/6rsv7d
L.A. Confidential @ 33:
I have to wonder how many of these people went to Costco to buy their "alloted" amount of rice only after hearing the news?
I wonder if they panicked a bit?
L.A. Confidential @ 38:
good observation.
yet, you forget the hunting apparel for newborns and toddlers--they need their cammies too, if they wanna bust a cap in thumper's butt, that is.
L.A. Confidential @ 40:
Has anyone started a pool yet, where Americans finally get pissed off enough to pick up the pitchforks, et al.?
I'll put 20 Euros down on when gas hits $7 a gallon - *that's* when people will finally get pissed off. Any takers?
Bud @ 42:
If there are two things that are the most powerful tools of manipulation it is fear and hunger.
Bud @ 44:
That just may be the magic number. When people decide they've had enough of the "Seven Sisters" destroying their lives and futures.
The Seven Sisters (from a phrase first popularized by Italian oil tycoon Enrico Mattei): Exxon (Esso), Shell, BP, Gulf, Texaco, Mobil, Socal (Chevron) -- plus an eighth, the Compagnie Francaise Des Pétroles (CFP-Total).
IF YOU CLICK ON NOTHING ELSE from today's Blog Roundup, follow the "off the beaten path" link to One Thousand Reasons and read Phil Rockstroh's excellent "Fastened to a Dying Animal."
Man, that is some writing!
Not only is it powerfully written, it says something that needs to be said over and over until somebody gets it.
SadButTrue @ 47:
Frogwash I say!!! The freeways are still full of cars. Nancy Grace comes on TV dependably at 8 p.m. and is there deploring the latest pervert arrest. The baseball season has ramped up and the teams are criss-crossing the nation in their chartered airplanes. The stock market is actually going up -- what's wrong with that?
Thats probably going to be the typical response you'll get.
L.A. Confidential @ 40:
This is one reason I don't fret over whether BO can beat McInsane. Americans would have to be crazy to vote for 4 more years.
On second thought, maybe I should be fretting..
TEN DOLLARS PER GALLON FOR GAS ?!?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!
If we would just listen to McSame's plan to cut the federal taxes on gas (albeit for only 3 months), we only have to pay $9.82 per gallon. It'll be basically FREE at that price ! Sure, we wont have any money to fix our crumbling infrastructure, but what good is infrastructure if we cannot afford to drive on our crumbling roads and bridges ?
earl @ 29:
YEH! I found your post because I Googled those lines -- had a pretty good idea others might have noticed it.
So, subliminal message against him or in his favor?
Or, just a complete fluke?
SadButTrue @ 47:
And I forgot to say THANKS MIKE for this link. One of your best picks EVER.
Chico Hussein @ 50:
Bear in mind, no congressmen, no corporate chief, or for lack of better description – none of the “powers that be” are feeling the slightest inconvenience or stress regarding $4.00 to $10.00 per gallon gasoline. Few of them actually pump gas or drive their own vehicles anyway.
Joe @ 51:
In his favor? Cant see how.
Completley intentional I think.
CNN (which I have to stop hitting)
also had another Item about a "Gator grabbing a golfer going after his balls" ... or some stupid thing ...
Tink I'll send the 'Barrack Feces' item to FAIR, maybe a stern letter to CNN is in order /snark.
Maybe we are all dizzy because things are starting to swirl faster as we get closer to the Big Pipe at the bottom of the bowl.
Israeli forces killed four Palestinian children and their mother in Gaza.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7370502.stm
Jack is that you?
http://rawstory.com/rawreplay/index.php?p=9130
This is interesting. Watch this and tell me what you think.
I just think the guy is a pastor.
Israeli forces killed four Palestinian children and their mother in Gaza.
It's too bad more folks in DC don't heed Chalmers Johnson on just about everything.
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