Gee, ya think?

His latest plans calls for cutting capital gains tax on stocks. Great. That really solves most of the middle-classes issues. Now they can sleep soundly knowing that the huge profit they will get from selling their portfolio will be even “huger”. Oh, wait. That’s assuming most middle-class families have a large stock portfolio. Which most don’t. But McCain’s rich constituents do! See? Problem solved.

Not really. Let’s see, cut taxes for the rich and hope they reinvest the money. Trickle down economics 101. Obama really is right. McCain just does NOT GET IT.

Can anyone explain why gas still hovers just below $4/gallon? Oh, wait. Let me guess. Now it’s the refinery costs that make us the big chunk of the price, right? Wasn’t it just a few months ago that we heard the price per barrel of oil was the “big chunk of the price of a gallon of gas”. 

Daily Kos summed it up perfectly: “Well that’s completely understandable. Wall Street CEOs are willing to “tough it out,” watch the market fall to record lows, and put their companies at risk of utter collapse — because accepting the bailout would mean limiting theirpersonal pay.”

Yeah, screw everyone else. I’m not getting this ship turned around until the limits are taken off of my compensation package! That makes no sense whatsoever. 

Look, I’m totally AGAINST this “bailout” package, but rejecting bailout money because your personal salary and/or golden parachute are going to be limited is grounds for firing.

It’s not like the economy is tanking, or that job loss is the worst it’s been in five years. Nah, that stuff isn’t important. What *IS* important is that McCain and his ‘mavericky’ ways. At least that’s what Sarah Palin would have you believe.

Hey McCain, does the phrase “Keating Five” ring a bell? Or Gordon Liddy? The same Liddy who contributed to your campaign?

The McCain camp is truly shameless. Even when they know it’s not true, they will look straight into the camera and repeat the lie. Distort, distort, distort.

Sarah Palin (or as I call her, WILF (winking, lying fool)) has made Karl Rove proud. Today she attacked Obama saying “Our opponent though, is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country.” Even though this “association” has been debunked time and time again.

Great strategy, GOP. At a time when the economy is on the brink of disaster, don’t talk about what your policies, instead scare the people and talk about that “bad ol’ Obama”. I can see the next “Terror Alert” coming in mid-October. Just enough time to scare people about who will “protect Freedom the best”.

It strikes me as odd how WILF picks and chooses bits from the NYTimes article that she “quotes”.  She conveniently leaves out the part that says: “the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called ’somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.’ ”

Then again, the playbook says “incite fear, fear and more fear”.  What’s that saying about living in glass houses and throwing stone? Perhaps Palin should “use the Google” and discover her OWN links to the Alaskan Independence Party. You know, that secessionist group that wants Alaska to secede from the United States, and whose found has a “hatred for America”. That same Alaskan Independence Party that YOUR OWN HUSBAND was a member of?

I prefer not to receive severance payments while shareholders and employees have lost considerable value in their AIG shares

In today’s age, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he decided to be a total douchebag and taken the money. Kudos to him.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

How stupid does the government think we are? Sure, here’s a blank check. You’ve done a bang-up job so far, have some more money. 

Christopher Dodd has proposed a different policy that strips out this “non-oversight” (Section

So much for “fiscal responsibility”. It’s absolutely absurd. There’s not even a word that adequately describes how FUCKING STUPID that whole deal is. Thain was hired to steer the bank out of trouble. Looks like he FAILED and should be fired, not rewarded!!

Oh, and John Thain is also a leading fundraiser for John McCain. Perhaps Thain can be on this “committee” that McCain wants to put together to find out “what went wrong”. What a joke.

More info here.

Harsh words? Not really. Considering McCain’s comments on MSNBC earlier this afternoon AFTER being “briefed” on the Hurricane and disaster efforts. McCain said (and I’m QUOTING his words):

“The hurricane will make landfall tomorrow at noon”. WRONG. Tomorrow near daybreak.
“The storm will reach tropical status at midnight tonight”. It passed being a tropical storm about a week ago!

My point is that McCain obviously wasn’t paying attention to anything anyone said to him regarding the hurricane. He’s just there for the photo-op and to grab some headlines. And to distance himself from what he was doing when Katrina hit (celebrating his birthday with Dubya).

Izvestia is also reporting that an American mercenary has been captured (http://www.izvestia.ru/news/news185341). The translation of the article reads:

In South Ossetia the group of the Georgian demolition men among which there is a citizen of the USA, афроамериканец is captured. On it informs ” Ossetic radio “.

 

The group is detained in area of settlement Zar which is on ” road of a life ” – road Zarskoj.

Supposed, that the citizen of the USA – one of instructors of the OTAN. At present it is forwarded to Vladikavkaz for finding-out of all circumstances of its finding in territory of Republic South Ossetia.

As marks “Росбалт”, earlier южноосетинский plenipotentiary in the Russian Federation Dmitry Medoev already informed, that among corpses in Tskhinvali some bodies of the black people who are at war on the party of Georgia were revealed.

The BBC is also reporting on the role of the US in this escalating conflict. Hmmm…what could our government possibly gain by stirring the pot?  Let’s see, no WMD in Iraq, the ‘War on Terror’ card has already been played, let’s see. What’s left? Another Cold War with Russia. Brilliant!

http://kommersant.com/p-13081/mercenaries_Georgia_U.S._instructor

http://www.ronpaulwarroom.com/?p=12121

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7586605.stm

So someone that makes “only” $3 million is middle class according to McCain. What a joke. How can this guy say “the fundamentals of our economy are strong”? Which fundamentals would that be, John? Inflation? Up. Unempoyment? Up.

What fucking fantasyland is this guy living in?!

How objective is the advice that McCain is getting from Randy Scheunemann (his foreign policy advisor) if Scheunemann is being paid to promote the interests of Georgia? 

Scheunemann’s firm has previously lobbied McCain’s office on four bills and resolutions regarding Georgia, with McCain as a co-sponsor or supporter of all of them.

Full details here

Exxon broke it’s own record for highest-ever profit by a U.S. company. Up 14%!!!!

How can that happen? What happened to all the oil exec’s talk about “we’re victims in this as well?” What? You mean they weren’t simply “passing on their increased costs”? I think there’s a word for that. It’s called gouging. Criminal. Take your pick.

How ironic. The very jackasses that helped create this whole $140/barrel mess actual had the grenade go off in their own hand. Priceless.

Spending on stock buybacks and dividends has increased 25 percent since 2000.  The percentage spent trying to find new deposits of fossil fuels: in the single digits.

How about investing more in alternative fuels?

They ran a headline that says: “Outrage Liberals: Stop picking on Obama’s Baby Mama!”

Is it really necessary to use “baby mama”? Talk about insulting.

Even worse, Bush’s own Department of Energy estimated that drilling in the Arctic refuge would cut oil prices by only about 75 cents a barrel. What’s more, even if the refuge were opened this year, its extracted oil would not reach the market for 10 years. 

People complain that we need to start drilling now “for the future”. Instead of using money to drill for oil, why don’t we invest that same money into alternative fuels and get off our dependency on oil?

Those same whack jobs calling to start drilling now are the same ones that say “benefits of alternative fuels won’t be seen for years”. Sound familar?

Where the fuck are they buying soda? Out of the vending machine by the can?? I can buy a whole six-pack for $2! They’re probably going to Costco and buying a 36-pack ‘cube’ for $9 (which translates to $0.25/can).

$1.75 profit per drink. Plus the $15 for my bag. Jet fuel jumped from $2.72 (end of 2007) to almost $4/gallon. That’s just under a 150% increase.  Yet USAir’s per passenger fuel costs in 2007 were $151, they are paying $299 this year. Hmm…jet fuel goes up 150%, per passenger fuel cost: 200%. Where’s the missing 50% going? Not to mention the extra cash from checked bags and now $2 sodas. Something doesn’t add up.

Bush said he would veto the bill.

John Boehner (Ohio) said “This bill is not the answer”. Ok, genius, then what IS the answer?

Republicans want to pass a version of this plan that would only extend unemployment in states where the unemployment rate was high. So if you happen to get laid off in a state that happened to have lower unemployment, you’re screwed.

The Bush administration and some Republicans argued that extending benefits, which would ultimately be provided to an estimated four million Americans, was premature, because past extensions were instituted in times of higher unemployment. They also said it would provide additional money even in states where unemployment was not a significant problem.

But during these times where past extensions had higher unemployment, gas was over $4 a gallon. So giving people extended benefits IS helpful.

So if you’re unemployed in a state where unemployment “was not a significant problem”, that means you don’t couldn’t use longer unemployment benefits? Give me a break.

Henry Waxman (chair of House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform) said the money that’s been wasted is “egregious”. Where the fuck were you, Henry, went this “no bid” contract went to Haliburton? Oh yeah, with your thumb up your fucking ass.

Haliburton was the ONLY company that got to bid on a seven BILLION dollar contract. Surprisingly, they won the bid! Imagine that. Oh, and who used to run Haliburton. That’s right, our illustrious VP, Dick Cheney.

Here’s a thought: Part of this war profiteering is MY FUCKING MONEY!! Where do they think this money comes from, trees? My taxes helped pay for Haliburton’s outrageous contract and I want my money back!

Really? I wonder what ol’ Ben considers “substantial” or “major”.  Last month, unemployment had it’s biggest jump in 20 years. I suppose Ben would call the increase in gas prices “slight”. No, maybe “slight” is too strong of a word. Perhaps he’d call them “minor”. 

Is he on the same fucking planet as me? Between gas & oil prices, unemployment, the housing and credit disasters, what could he possibly see that would make him say “the risk of a substantial downturn had diminished”??? Is he on crack?

The “series of interest rate reductions combined with tax cuts was helping the US offset its difficulties”. Translation: This is a spin job, and I have no fucking touch with reality.

Let’s see:

• Unemployment: 5.1%
• Budget deficit: $357 BILLION (and climbing)
• Gas: Over $4/gallon nationwide
• Oil: Over $130/barrel
• Foreclosures at unprecedented heights

Yeah, shit’s just peachy. 

Even Bush said the economy is continuing to grow because it is “large and it’s open and flexible”.  Riiiiight. Further proof that our government is woefully out of touch with reality.

And suddenly oil prices drop on this news. CNN has the article describing the investigation. This part was particularly interesting: 

“There is a theory that has gained momentum among economists and market observers that the price of crude oil is being driven up not by supply/demand principles in whole but by speculators who are using what are called dark markets, markets that can’t be watched by the public or regulators, to manipulate the price of crude oil and, therefore, gasoline and heating oil in an upward direction,” he said.

Gee, ya think? Yesterday, prices fell $4.41, the biggest single-day price drop since March 19. The crooks know they’re being watched, so now prices drop. Next week I’m sure we’ll see some sort of inventory “increase”. What convenient timing.

This reeks of Enron all over again.  More info here.

Don’t the right-wing groups have anything BETTER to do? Who cares if two “same-sex” people want to get married? It’s none of the right-wing groups business (Ever heard of keeping your nose on your own face?). Perhaps they should be focused on better things, like stopping lobbyists in DC, help come up with a better solution than Medicare, or pressuring the government to help rebuild Katrina.

Dammit, the economy is in the crapper, our foreign policy sucks and the world hates us, we’re occupying a foreign nation, but you know what? We stopped those “damn gays” from marrying.

First off, I’m no Rachael Ray fan, but the scarf she’s wearing has a black and white pattern. The pattern doesn’t look like the traditional keffiyeh worn by “murderous Jihadists”. In fact, it’s not even a keffiyeh!

Dunkin Donuts said: “In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design.”

Take a look:

Notice that Arafat’s keffiyeh has a “net” type pattern to it? Ray’s scarf has what appears to be a diamond pattern (look at her left shoulder).

Mark Jackson said “Good job DD. Nice to see you still support the US and not the terrorists.” Wow, wearing a scarf that’s black and white supports terrorists! Hey Mark, if you wear pants (like terrorists), you’re SUPPORTING TERRORISM. You better throw out all your pants. And shoes. Terrorists wear shoes too.

I guess John McCain supports terrorism. His daughter, Meghan, also wears a keffiyeh.

Can you see where I’m going with this? It’s utterly ridiculous. But, people complained and Dunkin Donuts caved in. That’s a sad state of affairs. Since when did people get the idea that everything in the world has to be approved by them? “I don’t like that scarf in your ad”. Then don’t go to Dunkin Donuts. Simple.

Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean that Dunkin Donuts has to pull the ad to appease you.

What kills me is the “analysts” that get on TV and say “Well, the price of gas can’t be too painful. People are still buying it”. No shit, sherlock. People still have to drive! What are they going to do? Stop going to work? Stop going grocery shopping? That’s just a stupid statement.

The “energy speculators” and other talking heads are all over the various news outlets. All I hear is how “demand is up, supplies are short, so prices go up”. Really genius? That’s it? So demand has nearly doubled in the last year and a half? Granted demand and prices aren’t nearly 1-to-1, but, still. That’s a load of bullshit. There’s limited supply, eh? So the Exxon tankers are being turned away at the oil spigots?

No, what’s happening is that the oil companies are gouging the public. There was protests in England the other day where semi-trucks blocked roads around London. We’re not stupid. We know that the price is artificially inflated. The problem is that the oil companies know there’s not shit we can do about it.

How else can you explain the record profits in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit? How do you ship less product (disrupted because of the storm), yet make more money in that quarter than you ever have before??

Ever notice how prices shoot up because of “fears of a disruption in <insert favorite war-torn country here>”, yet when that disruption fails to materialize, prices never go back down? Or, better yet, why do prices even go up? Because the oil companies say “If there’s a supply disruption, I’m going to get less oil. I better make up that ‘lost’ money now before the disruption”. Then when no disruption actually occurs, they’ve made whatever their normal sales were for that time period PLUS the price that was inflated because of the “disruption fear”. So if they normally make X amount of dollars in a week, they’ve made X plus the percentage that prices spiked up. Brilliant. I’m in the wrong business.