Mike's Blog Roundup
By Mike Finnigan Sunday Dec 14, 2008 8:00amBob Cesca: A name for our pain and the quote of the day
Cutting Through The Crap: A surgeon takes a look a Obama's health care team and some facts we have to face...and Pete Stark takes on Medicare part D(eath)
Capital Gains and Games: The Ideal Stimulous Package. And here's the first report on the Treasury Department’s use of authority under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that the Congressional Oversight Panel is required to release.
d r i f t g l a s s: Corrupt Governor Update, Vll
BAGnewsNotes: A timely metaphor
The Opinion Mill's Weekend Bookchat: How a Depression era federal program to rescue writers and artists enraged the Republicans! And how the Bush recession has helped protect the outgoing prezniyt's family from an embarassing tell-all book.
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He attacked my native country!@!
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/330471/7e3dcc...
What the fuck is he talking about! Now I know firsthand what you yanks are coping with. This asshole never did any serious research and this is what you get. America can learn a lot of the Dutch. At least our economy is not yet in turmoil, though no doubt we'll get the blow sometime in the future.
The clampdown on coffeeshops, where strangely enough coffee is not the main product sold, is due to their proximity to schools. Sure, the canabis is a mainstay in tourism to the Netherlands. In any case Cocaine and Heroin are illegal under all circumstances. Canabis is strictly spoken also illegal but is is condoned if you carry less than 5 grams! Above that you're also toast over here.
And the decline in the prostitution is mainly an economical problem. Less demand you know....
I'm from Texas
So I'm less a Yank
Than a Wanker.
Well we yanks know that Billo is an asshole. There are even assholes in TXass like Bush.
...Station is a beautiful building. Looks to me like it might be worth saving and could be come a part of the new Obama-style WPA. And, maybe we could resurrect the train system while we're at it.
It would take money, and a Congress willing to put aside torpedoing programs for purely political gain.
Like I said: Yes We Could (Si, podriamos)...
If Obama were committed to ending the military adventurism in the Central Asia-- not to merely 'rebranding' it. That would take care of the money problem.
As to the Congress thing? Well, probably not so much. Every state, every congressional district, has a stake in maintaining the military budget as it now stands. Ergo, no Congresscritter has any other than 'altruistic' motives for opposing war,
Altruism? Jobs?
We know which way that's gonna break, innit...
As I read through the "cutting through the crap" I couldn't help to think that the author was excepting at least two givens. That he hospital would have to get theirs (about 15% over acual cost to show a profit) and the providers would have to get theirs (about 30% over accual cost to show their profit). These to givens are not nessesary at all. For years all hospitals had to be non profit by law and they worked very well that way and profit making insurance providers need not be the middle man between the patiant and the doctor. Also drug companies do not need unspeakable profits to finance resurch. Health care in the United States in no way needs to be a huge money making industry.
Nor should prisons be in private hands.
Insurance companies are parasites, plain and simple.
They subtract resources (overhead, profit) without adding ANYTHING.
Eliminate insurance companies entirely from health care.
Drug research can be conducted in Govt labs or in universities.
There is no more legitimate expense for any government than assuring the health of its citizens...
"The Justice Department has evaded a request from President-elect Barack Obama's transition team for documents about the secret programs of U.S. intelligence agencies.
The team asked to "review classified legal opinions related to secret CIA and National Security Agency programs," but the inquiry has been denied."
Elizabeth Warren of the Congressional Oversight Panel is a breath of fresh air.
Their work is cut out for them.
Sadly their authority is a sham part of the phony cosmetics applied by our corrupt Congress to Paulson's original request.
But well beyond that, Paulson's Plunder as originally envisioned has been taken up in full by the Federal Reserve. Only times ten.
Paulson and Bernanke would have done it that way if they had thought of it, but they didn't, the entire scheme has been improvised.
The Fed is taking Mortgage Backed Securities, the market for which has collapsed, hence the euphemistic title TOXIC ASSETS, they are taking theses MBS as collateral for massive loans. Over TWO TRILLION so far.
Bloomberg tried with a FOIA to find out where the money went, but failed.
One BLACK HOLE after another.
The American Empire is based on PHONY ACCOUNTING. They have it down to a science.
The credit markets are still frozen because the Bankers KNOW what is ACTUALLY on their balance sheets. It is crap.
There are twelve million mortgages under water. The last prediction I saw was that THREE MILLION of those will go down. As the economy declines it could be more.
Those are in the MBS pipeline.
New mortgages, where they even exist, are only given to the most credit worthy with substantial down payments and additional assets, for properties at depressed valuation. This because the securitization of mortgages is dead. At least for the time being.
Joseph Stiglitz' description is most apropos:
He is not even talking about the Fed. With all that transfusion money being printed and pumped into this poor patient, we are going to see a very bloated cadaver before long. If I can mix my metaphors.
Zimbabwe.
Update - Bill Moyers with Emma Coleman Jordan of Georgetown University.
Anyone have any idea, why Rep. Jeb Hensarling1 (R-TX) has a bias and or contrasting view with the COP report? -- 1 Rep. Hensarling did not approve this report. See Press Release, Hensarling Statement on First Congressional Oversight Panel Report, Office of Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Dec. 9, 2008.--------------------------------------------------------------
addendum:
Found it, Snip > The report being issued today included many good points and questions that I agree need to be asked of Treasury. I was, however, particularly concerned about language that could be interpreted as a panel expectation that Treasury should make credit more expensive and less available for Americans and could delay the recovery of our housing market at exactly the wrong time in our nation’s economic history.
But my prime objections to signing the report, Mr. Chairman, remain concerns I expressed earlier. Until I conclude that these important issues are addressed, that all taxpayers can be sure that their voices are represented, and that the panel represents a serious attempt at bipartisan oversight, I cannot and will not in good conscience approve any reports.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/tx05_hensarli...
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Panel Members
Elizabeth Warren, Chair - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren
Rep. Jeb Hensarling - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeb_Hensarling
Richard H. Neiman - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_H._Neiman
Damon Silvers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Silvers
They need one more tool :-)
Iraqi's didn't get the memo. They're supposed to be throwing candy and flowers at Bush, not shoes!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/14/bush...
Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush. Yet the Bush legacy road show endless continues, slouching toward Bethlehem while Bwana insists he never felt threatened by the attempted attack.
I think I thunka perfect Christmas story:
After years of nipping at peoples nose, Jack Frost decides he LIKES the taste of human flesh.
If the treaty signing
"In the news conference with al-Maliki, the U.S. president applauded security gains in Iraq and said that just two years ago "such an agreement seemed impossible."
was thought of to be impossible just 2 years ago, why in hell did we go there?
write satire as well as Driftglass I would say that I'd accomplished something. Does anybody know if he has any published works out there and what they might be? I mean, of course, besides his online stuff.
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