Obama laughs too much: quick get Rahm to pass that pissy look down.

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I watched President Obama on 60 Minutes last night and thought it went okay.
He seems to understand the issues and is willing to talk to the press and public about what’s going on.
This is something we haven’t seen in a president in a very long time.
And after eight years of a president that couldn’t seem to answer a question without confusing whatever it was he was trying to say (and sometimes we never quite knew what he was going for) it’s nice to have a president that can complete a thought without a teleprompter.

However when I got up all I heard about was how Obama laughed too much, it’s inappropriate, he’s not serious enough, and spending too much time talking to the public.
It seems absolutely impossible to please anyone these days.

There are so many things going on in the world and all that you could find were various clips of Obama laughing that were showing up everywhere all day and into the night. Discouraging.
I guess he needs to practice looking serious and pissy in the mirror more. Surely Rahm could help with that.




Far more interesting is the underwater volcano near Tonga in the Pacific. Amazing photos.



Also now Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, erupted.
I bet Bobby Jindal wishes he hadn’t criticized money going towards volcano monitoring in his republican rebuttal speech now.

Some of AIG’s folk gave their bonus money back, but not all of them.

Bernie Madoff’s accountant David Friehling was charged with securities fraud… now how about that bookkeeping wife of his?

My thought of the day: Perhaps Dick Cheney would shut up and stop fear-mongering to deliberately undermine the President of the USA if he was being prosecuted on the criminal charges warranted for torture as he should be under our laws. Why after the Clinton debacle do we turn our eyes from true crimes?

On the lighter side: two marriages:
Bruce Willis (54) married a thirty-two year old model what a surprise… Hmm.
The interesting one is David Letterman. He finally married his long term mate Regina Lasko. They began dating in 1986 and have a five year old son.
Congrats and good luck!
And speaking of marriage: Politico reported that Senator Chuck Schumer of NY has changed his mind on same sex marriage. This might mark a broader change in thought towards equality and human rights. We shall see.

G’night,

Laura

The 90% Tax on AIG bonuses… Tragicomedy.

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Today the House passed a 90% tax on bonuses that would apply to those that take federal bailout money like AIG (and others) which apparently would also be retroactive. Passed House by 328 to 93 (two-thirds) vote.

Well of course this makes people feel better and maybe that’s what they were going for. Makes the reps in Washington look like they’re doing something effective. If you think about this a bit however I seriously doubt it can actually be done. Symbolically I suppose it’s a great public pleaser (addresses the outrage) but as a “law, bill or even a rule” it won’t work in this form.

Even though it's approved by the House, it likely won’t be approved by the senate, and even if it was approved by the senate it’s likely unconstitutional and won’t ever be put into effect.


It targets one group’s (even though they took money from the government) taxes to 90% (rather unprecedented) which though perhaps desirable or fair in this case, I don’t see how it could be enacted. If the government decided that in order to raise funds for the government they were going to create new 90% taxes or raise existing taxes like alcohol/tobacco 90% many people would be up in arms. Or how about if the government decided to repeal the tax exempt status of churches to raise money and be fair to all taxpayers… well, I expect all hell would break loose (pardon the expression) wouldn’t it? Whether it’s a good idea or not doesn’t matter because it wouldn’t happen. As far as I can see this 90% tax won’t hold up even if it gets through the Senate.


The Keystone Kops in charge of a national disaster. It doesn’t seem like anyone knows what they’re doing. Timmy G wanna weigh in on this?

The big question is whether Geitner should resign, or Obama should fire him, or maybe he should come up with some comprehensive plans that can be explained thoroughly to the public. The latter being the best idea.

Tragicomic.
Funny in a decidedly unfunny rather tragic way.

Off to watch Obama on Leno which I have mixed feelings about. I’ll decide after I see how it goes and what is said.

Later,

Laura
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Senator Chuck Grassley on AIG bonus checks.

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The great sound bites from our representatives just keep on coming. Look at the bright side if there wasn't an economic crisis we'd never really know half of the things most of them ever said. Though sometimes I think I felt better without all the noise from all sides.
So Senator Chuck Grassley republican from Iowa states:
"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they'd follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things--resign, or go commit suicide."

He did later back down from saying he really didn't want them to kill themselves... likely after someone said, "Uh Chuck Ole Boy, you can't recommend suicide as policy and you might just be offending some Americans out there. Please put out one of those disclaimers stating that what you said isn't exactly what you meant."

Awful lot of those disclaimers going around out there on all sides.
Not helping.
Not helping at all.

Then we move on and get this beauty of a Grassley clip about AIG-



Thanks Chuck for putting that image in the minds of everyone that heard it.
Eeewww, I feel like I need a shower.

Intriguingly Rush Limbaugh doesn't seem to be bothered by this extreme capitalism and the bonus checks. He turns the whole crisis into an attack on capitalism and the basic tenets of our country.


I'm beginning to think no one really knows what to do, the rules just keep changing and people like Barney Frank and John Boehner keep talking ad nauseam.
Makes my head hurt.
Martha Stewart goes to jail, Madoff finally goes to jail, and AIG folk get bonuses for f**king everything up. Awesome.
Wow, I bet lots of small businesses would have loved to get bailed out when they were failing.
I still would have rather they bailed out the taxpayers rather than the banks and wall street.
Sigh.

G'night,

Laura
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Thirty-seven days to goodbye Bush or... Treinta y siete días hasta adiós a George Bush.

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Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away!
Take me away from it all!

(Um, That IS the way it goes isn't it???)

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How about this:



There's a law suit going on over the design.
Again just strikes me as funny, and not that much does this last week or so. Just sharing.
And just in case you feel like checking out the whole story that goes along with the photo:
Hey who is that guy?


On a lighter note President Bush ran off to Iraq/Afganistan all hush hush and while talking at a "press conference" with Al-Maliki something ah, unexpected happened.
Bush joked that the shoe was a size 10:


It just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

I have a lot to say about the auto bridge loan story but I'll keep it trimmed to a million words I promise.
I'm waiting to see what the administration has to say about the whole thing. So far not going well.
And I'm going to assume that Bush will do something more in the next few days.
This whole thing has me so upset...

AIG was given around 123 billion dollars without strings attached.
Goldman Sachs got billions, along with others... with no strings attached and no paper trail...
BUT the southern senators want to blame the UAW for the automakers NOT getting the bridge LOAN with strings attached???

This is bullshit folks. Where are the non union plants? Where are the foreign plants? Yes. In the south.
Lets just bury Michigan. Lets just decimate American Manufacturing of Cars. Just bullshit.
The bleeding of jobs hasn't even begun yet. What the f#$k is really going on?
Non-partisanship my ass. Is anything really going to change? I wonder.
Does hope involve crossing your fingers and not stepping on the sidewalk cracks? Praying really, really hard?

Paul Krugman stated that "...the opposition to the bailout was led by Senator Corker 'the Senator from Nissan' which has two plants in its national headquarters in Tennessee." Hmm.
Clip of Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan on the auto industry bridge loans. Makes good and bad points. Premature on Bush support though it seems now. We'll find out this week I expect. Oh, and I'm not buying any stocks Jennifer not in anything.


Going to watch a movie, one of my favorites (but don't go by me I'm strange it seems) called "Mirrormask"
and make a cup of hot tea and try to relax. Try very, very hard.
From a personal perspective this weekend was a psychological black hole.

G'night

Laura

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Seventy-one days left of GW Bush.

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I was in NYC last night to see Neil Gaiman in conversation with Chip Kidd for the Sandman 20th Anniversary Celebration.
I lugged my Absolute Sandman Vols I, II & III in to get them signed. Vol IV comes out on Nov 11 I think.
I got a line on how I can get that one signed too after I get my copy.
Yes, that's me in the shot taken with my cell, absolutely in awe of this ability to tell a wicked tale.
A true first class storyteller! He's very multi-talented. My favorite author, creative person.
I'm definitely trying to absorb some of his talent by osmosis there. lol
He's so incredibly funny, smart, friendly and very nice to his readers.
Poor Neil was exhausted by the time he finished signing, he actually had circles under his eyes.
Since we had 2nd row seats you felt you were sitting in the living room with him which was great... but because we were in front, I was towards the end of the line to get my books signed. (Took around an hour)
Thank you Karen for going with me, enjoyed dinner and sing your praises for waiting for me so long to give me a lift back to Penn station!!! Thoroughly enjoyed the night.




*****

I'm so tired of Palin. Stop criticizing her, stop defending her, stop following her around, just stop. Please.
It's not about Palin anymore, or McCain, or Hannity, or Joe the "plumber." Enough, enough, enough.
She's going to be on Good Morning America tomorrow. Ugh. Let it go, let her go. She'll be back don't worry.

AIG is supposed to get more money. I still hate this whole bailout thing.
If any one gets money there has to be very powerful strings attached to it. This is what you can do with it, this is what you can't. Now get to work, get out and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way. 150 billion dollars, makes me ill.

Auto industry will get money. Don't know where all this "magic money" is coming from because it seems like the govt is broke. Linens and Things and Circuit city is going bankrupt why don't we bail all them out too...
And maybe you could pay my student loans, the mortgage and buy me a modest car as a incentive "perk" as mine will shortly stop running. I hate this whole hypocritical thing. Reward the people that created the mess. Pay those on the top and cut lose the workers that made them the profits. Want to puke.

Everybody's bitching about socialism... what's so great about the unbridled greed of unrestrained capitalism???

Gotta go I'm participating in the National Novel Writing Month, trying to get to the coveted 50,000 words by the end of the month marathon. NaNoWriMo
Not doing badly either. We shall see. Spending huge amounts of time typing. Going to do a few overnighters to make up for some of the days I won't be able to do much writing (like Thanksgiving when Coll is out for a few days). I have my fingers crossed.

See you tomorrow. Kinda off kilter and tired today, didn't sleep very well last night at all.

G'night,

Laura

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The last debate: Twenty days to E-Day...

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Well the last debate is over!
If only we didn't have to wait 20 more days to vote.
Both seemed to do better than in the previous debates but again no game changer.
God, I hope that helps those undecideds for whatever reason they're still undecided.

McCain said that Palin's a role model to women and other -- and reformers all over America.
A role model for women? Not for all women surely. Certainly not for me.
I wish people would stop speaking for me.
John also added that "her husband's a pretty tough guy, by the way, too."
So there you have it the role model for men... Sarah's husband should be your role model guys.
Maybe while we're at it we should all make their whole family our family role models eh?

So, you go ahead, I for one like my family just the way it is thank you.

The debate was at least more interesting and I still think Obama seems more level headed and presidential.
Schieffer at least was a feistier moderator than the other ones, and asked some tougher questions.

You know before we decide on "Joe the Plumber's" tax issues we would have to know a few very important facts:
Does he make 200,000 dollars adjusted personal/individual income?
There's no way to know with deductions and other factors (employees, health ins, deductions) whether he would indeed have any increase at all in taxes under Obama's plan at all. But we don't know the facts. No one pointed that out, probably neither candidate knows those things.
Maybe someone could ask Joe the Plumber because otherwise we'll have to listen to that over and over again... without knowing if it's true or not.
Wait, isn't that the way this whole campaign has been going?

Will the attack ads go away? I doubt it. McCain likes his nasty ads.
Yes, Obama has done negative ads, but McCain's have been more repugnant.
Somehow we'll get through these few weeks and finally get to vote.
Let's hope we can then try to recapture a modicum of cooperation and good will between all people. I suspect we'll need every bit of compassion, understanding and help from our friends, family and even neighbors next year.

Because I think that this economic crisis will get far worse before it gets better.
There will be more job lay offs... it's fairly unrealistic to believe there won't be.
I fear for those people that lose their jobs and their health Ins.
What a serious mess.
Loans will be hard to get, people won't (or shouldn't) want to charge more stuff so large ticket items won't be the choice for Christmas.
(Except for the rich I suppose... maybe AIG could throw a party for all of us.)

Why do they (meaning pundits and government officials) keep asking "Is a recession inevitable?"
If my memory of the past is remotely correct we're in one now... we haven't seen yet how big it will become or how long it'll last but surely it's a recession.

Hold onto your wallets folks. It might get pricey-dicey after the end of this year.
Maybe I'm wrong but I'm going to err on the side of saving as much money as I can around here.
And go fishing every day till the blues and stripers head back out to deeper waters.
I like free food and we all like fish. Which is what we ate for dinner tonight.
The fish Charl caught I cleaned and filleted for us, and gave two extra fillets to grandma too.
Ahh, life is still good for now anyway.

So now I'm off to listen to the pundits thoughts on the debate but pretty sure, Obama won by a little bit.
I don't find McCain reassuring in any significant way and I doubt this debate helped him by any real amount.

I'm unusually happy that at least the debates are over.
I'll be back tomorrow,


Sleep peacefully
Sleep well
Have good dreams
G'night

Laura

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Show Me the Money... or Twenty-seven days to E-Day

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There's a part of me that wishes that we could just get this vote over tomorrow.
It seems like this election has been going on forever.
And if the fundamentals of the economy are strong I'd hate to see it when it was only mediocre...
Even if you take the "fundamentals" to mean the workers, they're getting beaten up by job losses and pension/health care/mortgage crisis, etc.
I wonder if they'll start building affordable housing units for the middle class soon...
More likely we'd get Hurricane Katrina trailers.

Ya betcha I'm cynical...

Still hoping that the campaigns on both sides stop with the really nasty personal attacks. (especially McCain)
But I imagine with less than a month left it won't let up all that much.

What really irks me the most is President Bush.
He's like a rat that comes out of his hole in the wall of the oval office to say a few words like "Pass this bill, right away" and then scampers as fast as his little feet will carry him back into it because the flashes from the press folks cameras and the noise of questions called out scares him to death now or something. Seriously.

Would it be a huge problem with three months left as president if he actually showed some backbone and leadership by talking to the American People and trying to rally us into unity (remember the I'm a uniter not a divider) by acknowledging the economic crisis and how it's hurting the people out there that voted perhaps for him in the past?
Could he show some passion and caring for everyone's situation and recognize the scary place a lot of people are in right now.
Nope. Nothing. Nada. Nothing anyone could hang on to, that would make them feel better or show that he really cares.
I suppose he doesn't want to undermine McCain or cause the Republican Party any problems with some random thing he might mess up saying. And where the hell is Cheney anyway?

I really hate the economic bailout/buyout/rescue plan.
Not because I fear it's socialism or communism or whatever some people are labeling it.
But because of the way it was jammed through as if it was the only possible way this could have been handled.
Bullshit. Complete Bullshit.
Doesn't it bother anyone that the Secretary of the Treasury is Hank Paulson? The former CEO of Goldman Sachs who when he moved over to the government had to sell off his Goldman Sachs stock for somewhere around a half billion dollars. Wonder what his severance package looked like? I guess he parachuted right over to the government. So basically he's in charge of bailing out the same bastards that he was one of a short time ago and we're supposed to trust this? Seriously?

And they wonder why American's no longer trust their government or big business.

How about the party AIG didn't cancel after they were bailed out? I keep reading that it cost around $443,344 to throw it.
What utter gall and complete disrespect for the people working their asses off just to keep their family afloat. Unbelievable.
How many lower level workers do you think were welcome at that party? (Assuming they weren't laid off all ready)
How do these people sleep at night?

I would certainly be thrown in jail if I bamboozled anyone with complete disregard like they have.
But not them, nope. We bail them out and allow them to keep their jobs, throw parties, keep their homes and retirement.
How many small business owners have been bailed out... yeah right.
If they don't recoup their money and still tank even after the bail out what will they leave with the next time.
The only reason these big corporations care about the workers is because they're the reason they can keep their party at the top going. Drones. Worker bees. They don't care if we're all that happy, or if our standard of living is good or not they just care that everyone shows up to work so they can make profits.

No all businesses aren't like that they actually care about the people that work for them and try to pay them reasonably and give them benefits because they realize they wouldn't be a business without the good people that work for them.
But the bottom line is always profits, it has to be, so even if it hurts like hell to cut back; people have to go.

What's going on with that $25 billion automotive bailout loans they'll be getting... and how much more will they ask for in the future? And haven't we bailed Chrysler out of bankruptcy once before sometime around 1979? Let's see, airlines, cars, banks, what else is next?
I desperately need a new car, have two kids looking at college and one has no health insurance. Who's sending me mad money? Who even has mad money anymore? It's all on credit cards now anyway isn't it?

I wonder what the Christmas shopping will be like this year. Not all that far away.
Do people spend money on large ticket items they don't really need in uncertain times without the cold hard cash to pay for it?
Maybe ole Bush will come out and tell us to all go buy stuff to keep the economy strong... again. Sure.

Well, g'night for now
Making Chicken Parmesan tomorrow night I think.

Laura


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Forty-two days till E-day

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So the opinions on the economic bailout are all over the place...
Obama and McCain are both flexing and jockeying for power...
Bitching each other out.

Congress is flittering all about.
Stock market is bumpy to say the least.

Should we bail them out, shouldn't we bail them out?
And what of the AIG bailout? Done the deed, so now what's up?

Palin visits the United Nations, does photo op for a few seconds.
Tries to ban anything but camera without sound or producer, then changes her pretty mind under mild threat from press.
Is it Palin that's handing out the kid gloves or the press coming in wearing them?
And we get to see glossies of the pitbull wearing lipstick (her words not mine) sitting across from a foreign leader like
it means something in the real world. (Is the whole world snickering at us yet?)

Palin meets a few foreign leaders she never thought about before and gains foreign policy and diplomacy experience.
If only I knew that this concept of "absorbing" knowledge through osmosis had legitimacy...
I could have saved myself so much time, effort and borrowed money spent on actually working hard on my Master's Degree.

I would have simply "met" a few professors at NYU and hung out with some MSW's at lunch time, thus allowing me to claim I had experience because "met people" and I could see the social work building at NYU from Washington Square.
I could call myself a social worker apparently and... Poof! I'm now an expert ready for anything... any problem at all.
Forget that naggy old specialty training.

Oh yea, I'm also a published writer since I have a blog...

Have to go tonight,
Very tired, busy tomorrow and I do have a family that occasionally actually needs me.
Imagine that.

G'night,

Laura

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