heh .. love the plan .. and i love the cat n the hat pic ..

For dogs too!
http://ihasahotdog.files.wordp…..his-on.jpg

I’m beginning to think our Barack loves head games and is damn good at them.

Krikey, that’s my cat! I’m sure of it! Healing thoughts to whomever placed the tin foil hat on his head…

Citizen Attaturk and the Late Nite Firepup Freedom Fighters:

Awe ain’t it a kick??!!…All we hafta do is sit back and watch every brain cell in their little heads explode while they eat each others’ children and pull each others’ hair out!

Say it after me: Barak Hussein Obama!! Ain’t it grand??!!!

OT,
The curtain has come off and we can see OZ naked as far the economy is concerned. The fact is CREDIT is what makes the US and world economy go. It’s what capitalism has morphed into – using credit to drive a consumer economy. Everything works on credit, lines of credit, credit ratings, interest spreads, dividends and so forth. Our system simply falls apart if credit is taken out of the economy.

If you look at Detroit’s problem you can see that without credit people can’t buy even the greenest cars and so paying line workers nothing will not move cars off the lot.

The $700BB bailout was an attempt to recucitate the world credit market from the top down, but it failed. Why? Because none of the banks are worthy of credit – they are all bust, over extended and leverage to the sky. It’s like giving someone $1,000 to help them out (spend) when they have $30,000 in debt to pay NOW.

The banks are still playing “hide the debt” and asking their uncle same to take the bad loans off the their hands. Nice of Uncle Sam, but he doesn’t have enough to do it even if he wants to.

We got into this mess because the debt game was a huge Ponzi scheme where the stakes go pushed higher and higher and the need for more to feed off of at the bottom met the fact that the bottom was completely tapped out and could not be bled any more. Then as one or two of the “too big to fail” guys went under, they are taking the whole thing down and proping up “too big to fail” institutions “selectively” (CitiGroup) is not going to stave off the unraveling.

All wealth that is in “investments” will evaporate, stock values will hit bottom. The big 3’s stock is now only $15-20BB combined and the “bailout” is they are asking for is $35BB. That sounds like a bad deal don’t it?

We have witnessed the ultimate trickle down fork. All the cash was sucked up to the top, use for luxury BS and the only way the “real economy” works is with “company store” credit which creditors are not extending because “workers / slaves” can’t pay the interest – no credit rating. Even the “credit rating” system was a tool of the banks to make everyone believe they had to have a good “credit rating” to exist in the society. So they handed these things out and people when out and borrowed believing the nonsense. Fork credit ratings.

Obi has come onto the scene when the people wanted this all to change, but to do so would be a radical take down of the capitalist economic system – getting rid of the notion of credit, interest and debt (indentured economic slavery). The big guys ain’t having it – they don’t work – they are the plantation owners, coupon clippers, money lenders. They don’t want to have to work for a living. You are seeing the death throes of capitalism. And these jerks are just leading us off the cliff that capital created piled so high in debt that there is no gentle way down.

You ain’t seen nothing yet. All the big crooks will be heading out of Dodge because the pitchforks are a comin’ after the lights come one when the party’s over.

Good morning, pups. Paul Krugman is off doing grownup things, so Bobo gets to pee in the pool all alone today. He’s whizzed out “Who Will He Choose?” It’s some classic concern trolling, and he dithers that one of the biggest choices of Barack Obama’s presidency is picking a reformist secretary of education. This will be a tough call, because it will mean offending people. I wonder why I think that the “people” he’s worried about is named Brooks…

If you want to see what “wisdom” he has to share, here he is.

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got waffles with Vermont maple syrup. Oh, frabjous day — we don’t have to scrape frost off the car this morning. This means a great deal to folks down here — we’re not used to that much cold, and don’t much approve of it! Have a great day.

Who does Bobo want, Bill Bennett for Sec. of Ed.!!!?

By the way Attaturk my two orange owners disapprove of hats for cats.

Marion, Thanks for the cookie recipe. I plan on making another batch because my son stopped by and managed to eat quite a few.

I think Paul is off to Sweden to collect his prize. Hope he got a new tux and some shiny black shoes to go with.

Nomolos, lol Bill Bennett would make watching Poker on TV mandatory in math class.

Oh my! Lots more Palin spending on stylist and make-up.

Think of it this way either the GOP helps us pass a bailout bill or Obama comes in and just buys the companies. You are right bailouts are designed to keep the Ponzai schemes running but if nothing is done now then Obama can Nationalize the car and financial industry.
After all the Fed has given the banks T bills inexchange for home loan debt. What do you wan to bet that debt when it was given was not worth face value?
In fact home prices have dropped so much it would be well with in our rights to demand more collateral from the banks…like say a controlling interest.
This is not some Lefty dream the banks are not done asking us for money they need to offer us something. Not because we have political power in Washington.
But because if the Fed keeps giving away T-Bills and getting nothing in return well the Dollar will keep dropping.
Its now over $7 to get a paper back SciFi novel its not that consumers are afraid to spend its that they can’t spend!

If you want a couple of others e-mail me at mgpaquin AT aol DOT com and I’ll send along recipes for spice cookies, fruit and nut cookies, and oatmeal lace cookies. I’m glad you enjoyed the chocolate ones!

Ah… TRULY grownup stuff!

The downward spiral is now past the point of no return.

With everything leveraged to the value of some “asset’ and most of those assets have lost a great portion of their value, everything is “upside down” – ie more is owed than the asset is worth. And this has a self fulfilling prophesy effect – feed forward – further depressing asset value, bringing on more defaults and then another round down the sinking spiral.

Of course this is blamed on real estate, and the players in that ponzi scheme were only doing what the financial model demanded – sell sell sell, give credit and drive up demand and asset value by DEMAND pressure. No one figured out how to deal with no demand, lessening demand and dropping or stable values. Capitalism ONLY WORKS on the UPSWING.

So the deal is to figure out how to make an economy work without credit and growth (appreciation of asset) – no inflation or deflation. Stability – How boring. Why would anyone get out of bed in the morning? the whine goes.

On the one hand, there are the reformers like Joel Klein and Michelle Rhee, who support merit pay for good teachers, charter schools and tough accountability standards. On the other hand, there are the teachers’ unions and the members of the Ed School establishment, who emphasize greater funding, smaller class sizes and superficial reforms.

http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/

Bobo Bush went to the best private schools and has a fancy Ivy league MBA from Harvard I doubt though that he could pass the rigorous standards of a public school community college!
Or to be honest Bobo I have doubts you could either.
Merit pay is good. Charter schools isn’r Jeb Bush in trouble because he used the Florida teachers pension fund to buy stock in a private for pay school charter company and he lost all that cash?
Tough accountability standards like no child left behind yeah that has worked so well Bobo.
Have you read nothing about No Child Left behind in the Times since that law was enacted?
Here is the facts bobo Garbage men make more than teachers and personally I think kids are more important than trash.
Smaller class size is bad? Sorry do you have kids? Do you raise your kids or have a nanny, daycare and private school? Kids need attention they learn better when they get attention.

Oslo?

Sorry my 17 is in reply to Marion

We are going to have to offer a credit card amnesty at some point that and the Derivatives market well the entire world should just agree to forget those trades World GDP is smaller than that market we can’t pay.
The world can’t pay.
Time to stop paying the Ponzai schemers to play Russian roulette.

Smaller class size is bad? Sorry do you have kids? Do you raise your kids or have a nanny, daycare and private school? Kids need attention they learn better when they get attention.

I went to school in Europe and I never was in a class size larger than 12. When I came here I went to BU with class sizes of dog knows how many and found that I did a lot better not attending classes, reading avidly and finding a willing girl friend to take notes from the class. I have no idea how kids learn a damn thing over here with the system of “education”.

good morning

7:30am – Ray Young, General Motors, Chief Financial Officer
8:00am – Amity Shlaes, Author, “The Forgotten Man”
8:35am – Katrina Vanden Heuvel, The Nation, Editor & Publisher

Bobo is a moron, and a sniveling tool. It’s going to be interesting watching him for a while — he’s a natural born suck-up, but now “those people” are in charge.

Off to the salt mines, thank heaven it’s Friday.

If not amnesty certainly the rates should be lowered on the present debt owed so that the debt can be paid off. expecting people to pay off credit cards with 30% interest when their “real wages” have gone down is bloody stupid.

Agreed the Times needs better writers if they want to stay in business. I can’t think of a single person I know who quotes bobo except to make fun of him.
Bobo is proof the GOP is out of ideas.

Yeah we need some posts on this the Fed and the treasury debt own how much of the banks?
If the banks won’t loan then say we just give every taxpayer $1,000 $10,000 worth of debt forgiveness (I’m guessing at the numbers here).
That we could do right away the debt the Fed holds Obama could free that up without congress at all I think.
The Fed is not under the direct control of the government for some reason?
Anyway debt forgiveness is faster than stimulus checks!

Amen.

Any international studies about learning and class size in the developed world?
This seems interesting sure America leads the world in tech but we draw the best immigrants from all over the world to work at our tech companies.
How many Engineering, Science students are we producing?

Well, from what I’m understanding from the right wingers and have so over the years is that we Americans must ban behind our president right or wrong, because otherwise, we will be deemed unpatriotic and an America hater. See? So neocons, in unison please:

“WE SUPPORT PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA FROM NOW UNTIL ETERNITY AND WEAR OUR US FLAG PIN PROUDLY!”

Good job.

When will there be an “expose” about the credit card debt… not the principal ie the amount borrowed, but the interest charged? I would like to see those numbers.

CCard credit/debt was offered like sub prime mortgages – it was given away and then people were hooked in interest resets. This seems to be pretty broad as most people do not have cash to buy anything exept a cup of coffee, a hot dog and soda or a candy bar… and use their CCard for virtually everything include a sandwich at lunch! CCards rule! and it is THAT debt which is getting americans who are drowning in their ARMs.

Debt forgiveness or if you don’t owe then you get cash! Plus I want interest from the banks for the money we loaned them…at the same rate they charge us for credit cards!
Bahahaha!
Giving us Controlling Interest is the only way they can pay.

I don’t know what they don’t just set fixed rates for CCards and fixed penalities for late payments. your credit card limit is keyed to your tax return reported income!

Heh… I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen!

Now I’d better start on the “fun job” the boss left me a voice mail about some time yesterday evening. God love him — I guess he didn’t want to see my face if he dropped it in my lap in person!

Wasn’t Glen Beck talking about seceding from the Union:)

This is what I love most about the guy. ;-)

Bankers are used to enormous profits and will not be happy with the ROIs that are “reasonable”. They need to become workers not wankers.

We’re gonna make the neocons hold their breath until they say it! Hey, it’s only fair and they said it’s the way to be an American too. Bah hahahahahaha!

Well then they couldn’t make us wage slaves then could they? Your idea makes sense. It would help the economy. Their idea is about keeping us all in debt and under control.

Yes, I think he was. He also spouted off one day about the Fairness Doctrine was a good reason to start forming armed militias in our nation, because really, armed militias against the president is much nicer and more pleasant than that…..*pointing*…Bill Ayers guy who is so super scary to the right wingers!

Yep I would love to see all the Former and future GOP Presidential Candidates make that pledge publicly.
Or we can pass a law that makes them campaign in places like the South side of Chicago.
After all Obama went to Southern and Western states the least the GOP can do is campaign in front of dark people.
Or are they afraid?

Everyone who over did it with spending should have to be responsible for what they did. I don’t care if you are the head of a hedgefund, an investment bank, a holding company bank, a mortgage bank, an auto manufacturer, a real estate “flipper”, a credit card debtor, or a homeowner who used their home as a piggy bank to buy frivolous “stuff”. Personal responsiblity needs to be spread judiciously and fairly. It is one thing if you did what you had to do as an individual to survive, it is another thing when you used the system to make a profit or milk a living you hadn’t earned. There is a difference. It can be discerned. We need to do the work to figure out the difference. People who work hard to earn the dollars they take home should not be punished, but those who “game” the system should pay. Another way to look at this is the idiot “managers” of the U.S. Automakers should be fired, but the workers who busted their butts to carry out “their” vision should not be penalized. We need to save the workers and penalize the managers. Let us not throw away the U.S. Auto Industry because of the stupidity and ineptitude of a few.

When are we going to push for the fairness doctrine? Or should we just enforce the one media company in any market rule?
Fox has Network, cable, newspapers and radio in the same market.
Any forced sale to comply with that rule in this market…might very well bankrupt Rupert his stock price is not doing so well.
I say enforce the one media company in a market rule. Then when the industry has lost more money and its hold on the media then we push the fairness doctrine.
After all their ability to push back will be weaker then.

I agree with you, it is better to reinstate ownership rules.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is the law that changed ownership rules that concentrated media power in less hands. Guess who’s Presidency this was accomplished under?

Hmm we could let the big three go bankrupt then the government could buy the assets cheap fire management and the reinstate the pensions,pay and benefits.
Of course that only happens if Obama is President and the big three don’t get a bailout from Bush.
Hmm we can tell the GOP do what we want now tie our hands or when Obama comes you will wish that you took the deals we are offering now!

Clinton another devils bargain with Newt

Just a guess no sure knowledge

Bill I’m sure regrets helping to create Fox News

The Commodities Modernization Act of 2000 was passed by the same President who passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Commodities Modernization Act of 2000 is mostly responsible for the trouble we find ourselves in now. Let’s face reality the Clinton’s are not progressives, they are Republican Lite, and I use that phrase kindly.

I don’t believe that bankruptcy is the best answer here. Normally, I would, however, it would hurt the workers, not the management who is really the problem.

The people responsible for some enormous risks and who now own enormous debt simply cannot pay – there is no way to hold them accountable for the “damage” they have done.

If we are to unwind this mess, the forgiveness has to be proportional, reasonable, and equitable. But it won’t. Look at what the creeps who ran Enron and WorldCom did and how they paid for the mess they caused millions of people. How many lives did they ruin? How can they repay them? They can’t and to they walk.

It’s always easier to pick the pockets a nickle at a time from the poor. Banks and CCard and even mortgage lenders figured that one out.

Wouldn’t it be beautiful if Barack Obama said on his first day that the Fairness Doctrine would be imposed, right wing radio hosts would be out of a job, and then yell, “I’m regulating everything!!!!!”, just so the right wing of the nation would recoil, faint, and possibly contemplate suicide?

I live for this day. ;-)

Repiblicans and democrats are both Capitalist kool aid drinkers – ALL of them. Capitalism is the disease and both parties are infected.

Rethugs are looking to kill collective bargaining and workers rights here. I know that folks are sick of helping out Corporate America, but the auto industry is more the people than the Corporatocracy. When we quit supporting workers, we quit supporting ourselves…..

Same here:)

Well then why not just buy the companies no bankruptcy? Going upstairs

Oh, me too. *wringing hands* ;-)

Early Morning Swim is up! Get your suits on!

The money didn’t just “evaporate” into thin air, it went somewhere, it can be tracked. I say we go after it and get it back. Legally it can be done. The SEC can do it, this I know for a fact.

swim’s up

I think that is what I was saying…?

We could buy the Companies, but is that what we really want to do? The so-called “bailout” is the auto manufacturers asking for a LOAN. They plan to pay it back. It is not a handout.

but they can’t payy it back, because to do that they would have to make lots of profit and the crap they sell is not gonna do it.

Lots of money disappeared just the way it was created… out of thin air.

The problem is the wealthy spend the make believe money they make/create and rip off and the rest of us get to pay interest.

The banks are still playing “hide the debt”

i agree. and so far it looks like congress and even krugman are playing a game called “maybe if we don’t look it will all go away”

did i see something about a chocolate cookie recipe? if you posted one somewhere in the comments, would you point me in correct direction? thanks!