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Well, looks like Bush has the Ol' Grandad kept in the lectern now, or perhaps just pumped in intravenously from where he used to keep his audio-receiver. Nice picture, dumbass.
Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I'm being disrespectful toward Dear Leader. What could possibly be the cause?
``Recent economic indicators have become increasingly mixed,'' Bush said today after lunch with Mayor Richard Daley and city business leaders at the Union League Club of Chicago.
I believe the mix is, "Well, it sucks for most of you. But I'm still employed, have fabulous free-health care, free-housing, free airplane, and make serious money, so it's good for me."
Meanwhile, in reality, I still cannot get over this news blurb from yesterday:
The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest...
"The UK has been catching up steadily with living standards in the US since 2001, so it is a well-established trend rather than simply the result of currency fluctuations."
Good thing we elected had selected for us a Dickensian Uriah Heep without the cunning.
(Photo Tim Boyle/Bloomberg News)
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man, “mixed” is how this war is going, it sux to be you, it’s great for us fascists, we’re putting more money in our bank accounts then most countries
hey perris, you backed into the zed and didn’t even know it, shame on you
Good morning pups!
even cooler, to have a zed and not claim it.
That’s the look when GWB attempts a withering put down @ a presser. Comes across instead as petulant 10 yr. old w/not enough verbal skills to deliver an adequate zinger.
Hey Ho, NH primary day. Wish I could play hooky, but it’s off to the mines soon…
Yeah. maybe so. But at least we don’t have all that money taken from us for socialized medicine. so there, limeys.
claim what?
turned on the news today, even air america and could not get any information what so ever on edwards results or polls
it’s bizzare, bury the head in the mud strategy from the wing nuts
“zed” is soooo over.
As soon as he rapes Iran and Pakistan then the American might wake up. Waiting…
God I hope this clown doesn’t really represent the majority of Americans but it’s possible. I M P E A C H And as our employee who claims to be alcohol free we have a right to demand a spot drug and alcohol test as many Americans are now subjected to at their work place. Waiting…….l
If anything we should proclaim how many more days of W — 378 today.
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Well, no, we have twice as much money taken from us. And we still leave 47 million out of the system. Which is just 3 million short of the the total population of England.
Good Morning Attaturk!
do you get to sit back and relax now that Iowa is soo over?
Sorry, no impeachment. Nancy and Harry are too busy not ending the Iraq war.
Do you suppose it is time to throw the baby water out with the bath?
Good morning all.
Not a great time to invest in that retirement account I’m thinkin…
The Brits had better be watching their borders for illegals from NYC.
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I was listening to one of the NPR talk shows yeaterday and nearly jumped out of my seat when I heard a show host say words to the effect that ‘you should only put money into investments that you are prepared to lose’.
I immediately turned on CNBC so I could get back to mindless cheerleading.
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That’s the least of their worries. Remember all those desperately poor colonies Britain acquired over the centuries? Well those chickens are all trying to come home to roost. I’ve read about the immigrant camps adjacent to the Chunnel. For a time it was nearly every day that some deseperate brown-skinned person fell off the undercarriage of the trains. Grizzly business.
Well, does anyone have any suggestions for those of us who are sort of staring retirement in the face? Should I start burying cash in the back yard?? Or am I just screwed? I hear there’s a nice refrigerator carton under the bridge that might do….
Hope, it’s the trendy cure all.
Emily Dickenson tells me it’s got feathers — is it big enough to eat?
Make me smart, please (and good luck to you on that one). When/how can Dems rid ourselves of the “leadership” of Pelosi and Reed. Can’t remember how that works. And will the august bodies have sense enough to do that? Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks be!
What a dumb tradition.
As I was putting out the meagre bowl of cereal for the kids, Muesli ain’t cheap ya know, my daughter had a question,
‘Daddy, can we Impeach that fool Mr. Bush and go back to bacon and eggs once in a while.’
I told here I’d have to check with ‘Aunt’ Nancy and get back to her.
She was not pleased.
Buy Euros
“The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest…”
Just more evidence faith trumps facts in the US of A. A couple years back, my econ. prof dogmatically claimed US capitalism produced the best standard of living, hands down, I replied with the Human Development Index (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index), and he responded about like Bush - he got pissed.
IMO, there’s no difference between a free market evangelist and a snake handling one: impervious to reality and unable to differentiate between faith and facts.
In all of this there is some good news, if you take care of yourself, 14 years are added to life expectancy. Does that include following politics in Amerika?
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The criminals who run America are willfully debasing the currency. That means that the inflation we’ve seen in the past year, 57% for petroleum for example, is only going to get worse. So burying currency would be really dumb. OTOH, if you buried gold or silver bars you might be making a wise choice. Unearthing an oil well in your back yard might be your best bet.
As far as who is screwed, please do not feel that you are alone. There’s bound to be millions of us who are going to get caught short before the baby boom generation is past tense.
So would it be totally unpatriotic to buy investment Euros?
If anyone here needs a smile or chuckle this am, check out what Chris Rock had to say
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/72233/
An example:
“He just doesn’t give a fuck about you. In the history of not giving a fuck no one has ever given less of a fuck.”
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At the start of the 111th Congress in January, 2009 there will be a vote on Pelosi, should she prevail against Cindy Sheehan in EssEff’s election. At that time I would fully expect the #2 & #3 Dems in the Congress to make a run at Nancy’s Speaker’s Chair. Neither you nor I will be happy about this. Neither Steny Hoyer nor Rahm Emanuel will be acceptable replacements for Nancy. No matter how lame she is, they are far, far worse.
In the Senate, Reid is probably not going to face much of a challenge, but should he be pushed aside the #2 in the Senate is Illinois’ Dick Durbin, who I would love to see get the leadership role. Durbin actually occasionally shows signs of being a decent human being, unlike almost all the rest of those stuffed shirts in that august hall.
and further add to the depreciating dollar?
Aha, now we find out why Imus considers Hillary Satan…she was part of the mandating of injections for kids…the thimerasol issue.
Now, why does Tweety obsess about her?
The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest…
Their comedies are funnier, too.
2009? Urgh! Okay, you made me smart, and thanks for that. However, now I’m more verklempt than ever. Screwed now or screwed later. Some choices, eh?
thanks for the chuckles demi; it’s a small pleasure, but a true one, when I get to laugh at Bush
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Barack Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004. He took the seat of investment banker Peter Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was one of the Senators who got great face time on C-SPAN and occasionally on MSM TV showing tremendous outrage at the outrageous schemes of Enron and the vast fraud that was perpetrated on Enron employees and investors. While Fitzgerald was saying all the right things about hard working Americans losing their life savings due to American fraud he was quietly moving all of his considerable liquid net worth, about $30 Million into the Loonie, the Euro and the Pound Sterling. During a two year period Fitzgerald enjoyed over a 50% gain, tax free.
So you tell me if it patriotic to vote against a worthless piece of paper issued in bad faith by a bunch of criminal bankers in New York and foisted on the public as our only choice.
Quick drive by; when I was back in the old country in spring 2006 we were visiting relatives in the suburb of London where I grew up. It struck me then that looking at the cars parked in the driveways, and the general appearance of the neighbourhood, that there was no difference in standard of living between there and where I live now, in Denver.
Now I have to work. Have a nice day.
Speaking of Fitzgerald (RayDuray @ 37), what are the odds of Patrick Fitz becoming AG if (big if) there’s a Dem administration? That’s my current AG fantasy. Talk about payback!!
That’s a great line.
‘morning, all - coffee is ready.
The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest…
So there’s an *eventual* upside to the decline of an empire. Good to remember.
THANK YOU! spew, coughing and all (wipes tears from eyes)
I think about this all the time. Land or houses have always been what I have done. but now even that seems scary. Gold is confusing and the sellers seem shady.
I have no idea how to buy Euros.
But, but, george the younger “has great love for the human…believes in human dignity..hurts when he sees poverty & hopelessness”. He must be thinking of some other planet than the one earthlings live on.
Why in the hell does he always look like he’s bellying up to the bar while standing behind the lectern?
Yes, it’s his most characteristic expression. He’s probably trying to explaint Chicken Little to a reporter who asked him something about the String Theory. Tommy Smothers used to do threatened cretin pretty well.
Go to a currency exchange location (bank, etc) and exchange dollars for euros.
Major banks. Regional branches tend to have short supplies.
I think that while I have been debating the patriotism of it all, Euro’s have gone up like 20%.
My wife just started a new job, and she mentioned retirement. Frankly, it scares the crap out of me to invest that money in the market via her retirement plan.
Might it not be smarter to use that cash to keep warm over the winter?
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I sincerely hope not. Patrick Fitzgerald’s record is extremely partisan. He’s carried a lot of water for the GOP. He got an inconclusive result in the infamous Plame affair, one in which a real prosecutor would have brought an Administration to its knees. And in Chicago he has a reputation for unwise and vindictive attacks on Democratic Party members in a highly disproportionate ratio.
In this, he is following a pattern of abuse in the Department of Justice that is bordering on what might be described as a Stalinist criminal overzealousness. Here’s a recent example from Michigan.
When we were in Ireland in May, rate was roughly 1.4 to 1. Haven’t looked for a while. Now?
democracy is the best revenge
I think today we should take a little advice from Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WO.....to.london/
That’s it!!! Tommy Smothers.
A charmless, malevolent Tommy Smothers impression. Yep, that about nails it.
just be prepared for either a discount on the daily rate or a service charge or both
and to have the same conditions should you change back for any reason. The euro is not usable there as money.
it is $1.471 to €1.00
Well, another “hero” bites the dust. Matters like these remind me yet again of how dangerous is a little superficial knowledge (mine). And I’m supposed to be a relatively informed activist. Ergo, how in the name of all that’s unholy do we expect disinterested Americans to make good choices politically? That’s rhetorical, I guess. But it’s scary as hell.
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It would behoove us all to understand that the currency which is really moving is the dollar. Look at the value of commodities in terms of the Euro, Pound, Loonie, Yen or Renminbi, and the commodities are not moving all that much. But when you look at commodities vis a vis the dollar, then you see that it is the dollar being debased by the criminals who control its circulation who are the major destabilizing force in the currency world today.
During Viet Nam we had a lot of discussions about “guns + butter”. It was a great worry of fiscal conservatives that Lyndon Johnson would ruin the currency with his profligacy. In the end, he looked sober compared with the Federal Reserve Board, Arthur Burns, who was a crony of Richard Nixon, and who decided to do Nixon a favor by printing up tons of dollar bills in anticipation of the 1972 election, hoping to stimulate the economy. Well, Burns did that, and Nixon won. But what Burns also inadvertently did was to create the inflation that raged throughout the 1970s and indeed up until Paul Volcker put a stop to inflation with his draconian 22% interest rates which killed off many aspects of the economy, as well as Jimmy Carter’s re-election chances. Did I mention that these FBR presidents always work for the Republican candidate for U.S. President?
***
To summarize:
The Euro is stable.
The dollar is falling off the table.
Crikey! Thanks. I think.
Permanent Vice President Cheny has invested most of his money overseas. Rejoice! Lord Cheney is well positioned for the rise in the euro.
Er huh. . .
Disturbing as hell . . .
He termed it “surprising” that the Bush family is trying to settle a few short miles from the US Mariscal Estigarribia Military Base
From last thread. Anyone want to venture a reason as to why Chimpy buys a ranch in Paraguay? I once read that Venezuala used to be the asylum for white collar US criminals. But I guess that’s out. Does Paraguay have any extradition agreement going on?
You have got that hymn spot on, first time I’ve seen that in print, this is basic economic history 101.
I’ll pray to the vessel of mercy to spare that poor kid.
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When the Republicans lost the 1964 elections they began an assault on the U.S. educational system. It turns out that uneducated and religiously indoctrinated crackers, red necks and red staters are much easier to manipulate than bi-coastal intelligentsia.
The sad fact is that thinking is the last thing in the world that America’s elites want the people to engage in. So we have witness the dimming down of our educational system and the tuning up of the Mighty Wurlitzer of elite-friendly propaganda from the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity, O’Reilly, etc. ever since the 1960s. Of course the real heyday of yahoo democracy was the coup that Ronald Reagan perpetrated by pretending to be a folksy grandfatherly figure who could hit all the right chords for the angry white working class, as well as the religious vote and the traditional Republican base. It was the blue collar Democrats who loved Reagan who were digging their own graves without realizing it. Pity that. They still don’t understand what the hell hit ‘em.
I’m living in Europe on social security, a subject of some concern, needless to mention.
That 100,000 acres Jenna bought in Paraguay is probably going to come in handy as well. Great thing she forgot to help the people of Paraguay with UNICEF and instread bought this land since a President could not do that.
Fitz did a good job as SC and does a good job as USANDIll.
From Think Fast @ TP:
“[I]n a marked shift from his usual upbeat economic assessments,” President Bush “conceded…that the nation faces ‘economic challenges’ due to rising oil prices, the home mortgage crisis and a weakening job market.” Though Bush insisted he “recognize[d] the reality of the situation,” the White House has refused to say that the economy might be heading towards a recession.”
In other breaking news, GWB also conceded that up may be up, down may be down, & white may possibly not be black…
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There are two reasons.
1) Favorable extradition laws. That is, favorable for criminals attempting to get beyond the reach of the U.S. Department of Justice.
2) The Bush Ranch sits on top of the largest freshwater aquifer in the Western Hemisphere. Water. It’s the new oil.
Hmmm. On a nature reserve? What a girl scout.
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I’m afraid you are going to have to do more than cheerlead in order to convince me of this.
Good news: Weakening dollar makes U.S. goods more attractive to foreign markets.
Bad news: There are no U.S. goods.
Pay off any debts you can that are higher than what you think the market can return. Have a bit of gold… Um, no there is really nothing we can do. Thats why Fair Markets would be cool, Free Markets hell, and our markets rigged.
Here’s hoping that all that classic commie bugaboo “Domino theory” gets one day realized in South America.
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For the longer version, take a peek at William Greider’s “Secrets of the Temple”. It’s dated now, but it is the best layman’s history of the Federal Reserve Bank I am aware of. It was published in 1986, as I recall, so the follies of Greenspan hadn’t quite hatched yet.
It certainly sounds like an admission of guilt when someone buys land with favorable extradition laws (to the criminal that is.)
Because of the countries it boarders and since he could not oust the dictators/prez from the countries he wanted to go to amoung other reasons.
Keep in mind that the Dem primary also has 40% super delegates picked by party bosses - only 60% of the primary is based on the votes.
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As usual, he’s a lying bastard. What is really going on is that Bush’s cronies are ruining the dollar.
Didn’t some republikans throw that argument at us? And then someone asked why Russian cars aren’t “big” if that’s the case. Probably that was an FDL/post/thread.
And in bad news we became the first country in the history of the planet to have life expenctancy lowered—-due to to MUCH food!
I’m equally afraid I can never convince anyone who suggests Pat Fitzgerald is less than a “real prosecutor.” An expression of my opinion is ok with me.
Ah,preaching the Friedman/neocon gospel to the people of Paraguay. I haven’t finished the Naomi Klein book, so I never got her take on how the Friedman/post Pinochet worked out.
That is why I have held from the day I heard of Reagan’s passing that he should:
1. Be buried face down so that he could face where he was going.
2. A wooden stake placed through the heart so he didn’t repeat like a bad B-movie,(oh my bad)
these things are unutterable in the land of free speech.
I’m equally afraid I can never convince anyone who suggests Pat Fitzgerald is less than a “real prosecutor.” An expression of my opinion is ok with me.
(I responded to myself at 83. Nuthin’ wrong with talkin’ to yerself.)
And the economic news just gets better by the day. Citi Bank to write down another 16 billion on top of the already 11 billion taken in write offs in 2007. Buffett still pays less in taxes on his billions than his secretary does on her salary and the middle class continues its disappearing act while inflation and the further production of monopoly money by the Federal Reserve makes it all but impossible to make ends meet. Gold today up $16 dollars and the dollar continues to fall while KB homes announced today that many builders may go bankrupt before to year is out. Life is beautiful.
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I’ve been delighted by the recent shift in Latin American politics. On the hard left we have Cuba and Venezuela. One step behind are Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile and the two largest economies, Brazil and Argentina are both run by sensible center-left technocrats. What’s not to like? Uribe in Columbia strikes me as being a relic of a bygone era when oligarchs called on their CIA henchmen to set up death squads and control the brown people. And Cardenas in Mexico is an electoral fraud. Obrador won that election, and there’s no two ways about it. One of these days Mexico is going to finally chase out the aristocracy and have a real people’s government. I hope it is soon.
And the very best thing I see happening in Latin America is the ever shrinking influence of the fascists from Washington.
Which countries. Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia?
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That’s not quite right. The Superdelegates will vote about 20% of the delegagte vote total in Denver. Here’s the scoop.
What’s not to like?
Yep, and chimp may well rue the day he decided to escape prosecution there, ’cause nobody else is gonna take him….
Also heard a devestating report on NPR this morning that paying off the Sunni’s to be a militia and arming both sides is at best (baring a miricle) just freezing the conflict.
This means Bush is trying to hold off and dump the econ and Iraq war (and others) on the Dems. Known this for a while but now it is all brought home. This report on the surge and associated strategies at the same time was suberb.
I don’t think it works for cars and stuff. I think you have to produce really nice baskets cheaply.
Time to start the countdown clock to the worst administration in US history. Only 378 days left for this crap to end. Hopefully we’ll be able to hang on. Get the clock going!
An’ I still say that talk of Hillary’s demise is premature ’cause in addition to the super-delegates, there are a ton of delegates up for grabs on Super-Tuesday in CA, NY & NJ. She’ll do very well in NY, had been polling well in NJ and is sure to pick up some in CA.
See here.
I read that it’s about the money and if Hillary loses today the money will start to leave.
Thanks for that. I am of a vintage that recalls when American History was actually taught in HS. There was a section devoted to Andrew Jackson and his conflict with the national bank, the details escape me now but it sounds like what you have referenced. I will make a point to look up your reference. Between yourself and Ian Welsh, you may be able to illuminate some badly needed hidden history for most people here. If there is going to be a rational scheme to wright the damages to the political system, those facts are of absolute importance.
I agree with this attack on EDU. Liberal ivory tower, etc.
It is going on as they do things in parallel, but I think that (by being like 15% inflation to medical 20% inflation) was the next major push for the Rs - the current one being Legal (after having completed media).
This means Bush is trying to hold off and dump the econ and Iraq war (and others) on the Dems.
So long and thanks for all the fish, Gen. Betrayus!
FOUL!
This part of the quotation above not only doesn’t appear in the piece, but is not honestly implied by anything in it:
“The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century, figures suggest…”
The piece asserts that statistics show that Gross Domestic Product per person is higher in the UK than the US. That statitic says nothing about income of people much less the average person, therefore, it provides no support for the statement that “The average UK person will this year have a greater income than their US counterpart for the first time since the 19th Century.”
Is this a mistake or a sloppy attempt at propaganda? It frustrates me when our side disregards truth/facts and manufactures falsehoods in support of our agenda because it proves that some of us are no better than them. This seems to be especially true for some of us with the largest megaphones.
Here’s an interesting article: Is Paraguay Set to be the Next Latin American Country to Lean to the Left?
Chimpy doesn’t like criticism. If he’s sick of Cindy Sheehan, well . . .
I’m assuming she has enough $ to make it through super Tuesday. My possible (not necessarily preferred) scenario would have Hillary coming back on that day. If that happened, money would probably come back, too. Just throwin’ that out there. I dunno.
“statitic” that would be statistic :-)
Bf & I gave a BushCo countdown clock to his 96 yr. old uncle Al a wk ago for Al’s birthday.
Al, a former union organizer who was labeled a Red during the McCarthy era, laughed out loud, cracked a huge smile, & gave me a big smack on the cheek. Great guy, still sharper than a very sharp tack.
Going in to work now. Read you all later.
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I agree. The MSM is playing this “demise of the Empress” story as a soap opera, a melodrama as it were. For the cynical punditry, this is just another outstanding opportunity to keep the public from ever discussing issues. All we get to talk about is the horse race.
At last report, Hillary Clinton still had $50 Million Cash On Hand. She’s not going to leave the race anytime soon.
Anyone got a take on this? see bold face. From Sirota ‘06.
Hamilton Project. What the?
Most of them (esp. Brazil), and Venezuala (not bordering in that case, and maybe a bit to hot - he could not be a papi bush to his grand kids if the compound were underwater due to global warming). Also many of these countries are very well developed for the rich and have huge ago-biz growing soy for china, cane for energy, and as noted water.
Gosh. I’m not good at that. Maybe some of us could knit something? Would that help?
That would be su-weet!
Thank you for the info. Also enough to take any candidate over the top if need be.