International Herald Tribune / By Garrison Keillor
comments_imageCOMMENTS: 302

They're Stealing from You and Me -- Where's the Outrage?

It wasn't their money Wall Street was playing with. It was ours.
October 6, 2008  |  
 
 
LIKE THIS ARTICLE ?
Join our mailing list:

Sign up to stay up to date on the latest headlines via email.

 
 
Advertisement
 
Where were the cops?

It's just human nature that some calamities register in the brain and others don't. The train engineer texting at the throttle ("HOW R U? C U L8R") and missing the red light and 25 people die in the crash -- oh God, that is way too real -- everyone has had a moment of supreme stupidity that came close to killing somebody. Even atheists say a little prayer now and then: Dear God, I am an idiot, thank you for protecting my children.

On the other hand, the America's federal bailout of the financial market (yawn) is a calamity that people accept as if it were just one more hurricane. An air of crisis, the secretary of the Treasury striding down a hall at the Capitol with minions in his wake, solemn-faced congressmen at the microphones. Something must be done, harrumph harrumph.

The Current Occupant pops out of the cuckoo clock and reads a few lines off a piece of paper, pronouncing all the words correctly. And the newscaster looks into the camera and says, "Etaoin shrdlu qwertyuiop."

Where is the outrage?

Poor Senator Larry Craig got a truckload of moral condemnation for tapping his wingtips in the men's john, but his party proposes to spend 5 percent of the GDP to buy up bad loans made by men who walk away with their fortunes intact while retirees see their 401(k) go pffffffff like a defunct air mattress, and it's business as usual.

John McCain is a lifelong deregulator and believer in letting brokers and bankers do as they please -- remember Lincoln Savings and Loan and his intervention with federal regulators in behalf of his friend Charles Keating, who then went to prison? Remember Neil Bush, the brother of the C.O., who, as a director of Silverado S&L, bestowed enormous loans on his friends without telling fellow directors that the friends were friends and who, when the loans failed, paid a small fine and went skipping off to other things?

McCain now decries greed on Wall Street and suggests a commission be formed to look into the problem. This is like Casanova coming out for chastity.

Confident men took leave of common sense and bet on the idea of perpetual profit in the real estate market and crashed. But it wasn't their money. It was your money they were messing with. And that's why we need government regulators. Gimlet-eyed men with steel-rim glasses and crepe-soled shoes who check the numbers and have the power to say, "This is a scam and a hustle and either you cease and desist or you spend a few years in a minimum-security federal facility playing backgammon."

The Republican Party used to specialize in gimlet-eyed, steel-rim, crepe-soled common sense and then it was taken over by crooked preachers who demand Americans trust them because they're packing a Bible and God sent them on a mission to enact lower taxes, less government. Except when things crash, and then government has to pick up the pieces.

Some say the tab might come to a trillion dollars. Nobody knows. And McCain has not one moment of doubt or regret. He switches from First Deregulation Church to Our Lady of Strict Vigilance like you might go from decaf to latte. Where is the straight talk? Does the man have no conscience?

It wasn't their money they were playing with. It was yours. Where were the cops?

What we are seeing is the stuff of a novel, the public corruption of an American war hero. It is painful.

First, there was McCain's exploitation of a symbolic woman, an eager zealot who is so far out of her depth that it isn't funny anymore. Anyone with a heart has to hurt for how McCain has made a fool of her. Never mind the persistent cheesiness of his attack ads. And now this chasm of debt and loss and the gentleman pretends to be shocked. He was there. He turned out the lights. He sent the regulators home.

McCain seems willing to say anything, do anything, to get to the White House so he can go to war with Iran. If he needs to recline naked in a department store window, he would do that, or eat live chickens, or claim to be a reformer. Obviously you can fool a lot of people for a while and maybe he can stretch it out until mid-November. But the truth is marching on. A few true conservatives led the charge against the bailout. Good for them. But how about admitting that their cowboy economic philosophy was at fault here?

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

AlterNet is making this material available in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107: This article is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
Garrison Keillor is the author of a new Lake Wobegon novel, "Liberty."
Email
Print
Share
Post on reddit
Post on stumbleupon
Post on facebook
Post on digg
Post on twitter
Post on delicious
LIKED THIS ARTICLE? JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST
Stay up to date with the latest AlterNet headlines via email
See more stories tagged with: bailout, billions, theft

comments COMMENTS ( 302 )
READ COMMENTS
LOGIN OR REGISTER TO POST A COMMENT
 

Comments are closed-

I'm outraged (but powerless)
[Report this comment]
Posted by: trained ape on Oct 6, 2008 2:20 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Everybody I know who knows what's going on is outraged! But most people simply do not understand monetary policy.

IT'S THEFT. Bankers literally make money out of thin air on a computer screen and then lend it. When the borrowers cannot repay, the bankers cry to Uncle Sam who steals the money from the taxpayers' children, real money, and gives it to the bankers. It's not that hard to understand, but most people still do not know.

And they didn't fix the core problem. The bubble is still ENOURMOUS and where's the regulation? This would be a good time to nationalize The Fed. Hmmm...

All praise the free market, Amen!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: I'm outraged (but powerless) Posted by: peacefullaim
» RE: I'm outraged (but powerless) Posted by: DEBKAMAINE
Sorry, this comment has been removed from the system.
» That Bailout, Keynsian market socialism at its worst Posted by: Libertarian Paternalist
» MY WIFE Posted by: mindtrvlr

Comments are closed-

Where's the outrage?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Tom Degan on Oct 6, 2008 3:10 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Here's the outrage

And here

And here's some more outrage for you

You want outrage? I got your freakin' outrage!

Tom Degan

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: le501
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: ellie
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: Spot
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: peacefullaim
» Ralph's not "in on the take"... Posted by: bthespoon
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: freshlemon
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: HoboHomo
» In LIMBO-LIMBO LAND between... Posted by: itzamirakul

Comments are closed-

The real core problem.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: jlohman on Oct 6, 2008 3:15 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No, the core problem is our corrupt political system. Politicians take money from bankers and the credit industry to do exactly what they did. Until we get money our of the political system expect more of the same.

Jack Lohman
http://MoneyedPoliticians.net

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

ex rel: George W. Bush
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Direct Democracy on Oct 6, 2008 3:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The blame game is how criminals are caught and punished.

Look back.

Place blame.

FREE AMERICA

REVOLUTIONARY (DIRECT) DEMOCRACY

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: ex rel: George W. Bush Posted by: HoboHomo

Comments are closed-

They aren't listening to the people's outrage
[Report this comment]
Posted by: socialpsych on Oct 6, 2008 3:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This country is run by a Board of Directors made up of the CEOs of the largest corporations: energy, financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, computers, weapons. The CEO (aka, President) does what he/she is told to do by the Board, just like in any corporate organization. The CEO listens to his/her bosses, not to the workers.

So, our outrage has consistently fallen on deaf ears. Remember the global protests BEFORE the invasion of Iraq? They didn't listen. The protests after the invasion? They didn't listen. I stood in front of the White House with thousands of other outraged Americans and voiced my outrage up close. They didn't listen.

I fear Noam Chomsky's prediction will materialize: the Board of Directrors will apoint John McCain as the next CEO, despite the majority's outrage.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» C. Wright Mills Posted by: socialpsych

Comments are closed-

Brother can you spare $700 Billion?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: blogoffanddie on Oct 6, 2008 3:40 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It’s not really a money problem, it’s a problem of ethical and honest brokering.

When rich people profit from the market, they get to keep their profits. When rich people lose their money in the market, their losses belong to the taxpayers. It seems our ‘free market’ bankers and financiers have become stock market socialists – the $700 billion bailout is only the first installment.

http://blogoffanddie.wordpress.com
http://theimpolitecanadian.wordpress.com/

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
Groucho Marx

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Garrison Keiler is correct, to him you should listen! I wish I could say it so well, but I do say: >
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Nightstallion on Oct 6, 2008 3:47 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No amount of evidence that, the WTC bombing was hatched 16 months previously by our own Alphabet Agencies will convince the Zealot. You could drown the blighter with minutia of excruciating detail and accuracy, but the BDI SOB will puff himself up with denial deeper than that River itself.

No amount of supportive testimony, no avalanche of physical phenomena will convince the Bull Headed ball bat of anything other than you are crazy and should be locked up or better killed to shut your mouth! Meanwhile the monsters that have done this thing go blithely about their way chortling to themselves over the confused Sheeple. John Q Public you have a secret enemy and its’ name is Abaddon it will pursue all of mankind to the pit and push us into it if we let it.

One need not be Jewish to know this. One only needs to understand that human habits are next to impossible to break without perseverance. I am not Jewish, but believe when I tell you there are worse things to be, for instance one could be among the self enforced ignorant. For ignorance there is a cure, but for stupid there is only forever! Forget the stupid and the dead, you are living and you must follow the living. The alternative here is too terrible to contemplate, dead humans everywhere!

Protect your own frontier; do not let some shady fly-by-night alphabet agency whack your ass into a war. Once upon a time when this country was REALLY new people had the RIGHT to keep and bear arms, and the added responsibility to explain to the novice what they were for and why they were necessary. Today even thinking like this can get your butt tossed in the clink for encouraging terrorism. Because, self defense to these stupid frightened politicians, is terrorism!

We bought into this dumb feces honestly enough by believing that if you eliminated weapons no one would offer violence, excuse me folks I have to barf a little here. As long as humans cannot love there will be violence. Love cannot be enforced, only nourished. If you don’t get that then you should at least learn to carry arms and be at one with others in the need for self protection and the defense of your neighbor. Humans are still very sick; we have a rampant emotional plague to contend with. First learn what that plague is and you may have a chance to insure its defeat.

Along about the intervention of Mark Twain, James Joyce, and Ambrose Bierce the person writing this pretty much gave up on humans being the mote of stars tuff, the mote part is right, the star stuff is pushing it a little but the rest of it is drowned in the pollution and insensitivity of a self destructive race that must subjugate every living thing on this planet or destroy it out of hand as unworthy of existence; then self-righteously deny that it has done any of the kind; pointing at this or that dung heap of concretized earth or deforested wetland as "Progress" here here for the pruning of other species cheering undauntedly about having eradicated yet another life form that was formerly enjoyed by the once teaming blue marble hanging in the black void in the most uninhabited portion of this spiral arm of one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the firmament, meanwhile so-called science cannot Quantify nor pale zombie religious Qualify the meanness nor insanity of the race calling itself man; if there is a universal scourge apt of the name and rogue in the game this nearly hairless primate is the paragon of all that is perfidious foul in nature and excuse making of the alibi inventors in the animal kingdom: assuring itself and anyone who will listen to the tripe that they are not animals at all but godlike in stature mien and bearing more capable than any other creature on the planet of naming the path of moral inclination to be followed by all having thus delivered you to the treacley cup of Socratic sour grapes I take my leave...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

No heart here
[Report this comment]
Posted by: helenahanbasquet on Oct 6, 2008 4:02 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Stop acting like Sarah Palin had no choice in her decision to accept the position of McCain's running mate. If she was half as smart, and half as patriotic as she pretends to be she would have refused on the grounds that she is unqualified. He's not making her look like a fool. She's making herself and every citizen who votes for their ticket look like fools.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: No heart here Posted by: Drume

Comments are closed-

'Rescue Plan'? No it's extortion!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: paulmagillsmith on Oct 6, 2008 4:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
All you have to remember is this whole anti-populace scam/bailout is a SCAM on US & us. AS did they in the novel “1984” we now have ‘newspeak’ in the term Rescue Plan. More BS, it should be called the losing party’s last chance at a massive…MASSIVE rip-off of the public. They want to grab all they can before their ilk are banned for the next several decades. Doesn’t matter to them, they have done like the Steve Miller lyric says, “Ooh, ooh, take the money & run”, and they have.

“The Treasury Department plans to tap Neel Kashkari, an assistant secretary of international affairs and a former Goldman Sachs banker, to oversee the government's $700 billion financial rescue program,”

What the hell is this? More foxes in the henhouse? We expected Paulson would tap some of his buddies who got us in to this mess in the first place, but we didn’t expect him to throw it blatantly in our faces so aggregiously and without un-patriotic shame.

Don’t we have any power through the legislature or judicial to control this obvious conflict of interests, or abuse of power, by the executive? Have the American people sunk so low as to no longer control their government officials…or care?

Goldman paid Paulson a half to a billion dollars in compensation before he went to Secretary of Treasury about two years ago. Did he really leave their employ? It sure doesn’t look like it. Sachs stands to get billions off this deal.

On the other side of the coin is Bernanke, head of the FED. Quasi governmental in the public consciousness, it’s actually about a dozen-for profit-private banks. Do you believe they’re concerned about the national debt? Of course not, they’ll get their pound of flesh/interest/usury anyway…AND FIRST.

Like I said, foxes in the henhouse. How can we expect honesty from those with so obvious conflicts of interest?

AIG, which got bailed out a few weeks ago has already spent $61 of the $85 billion they were ‘gifted’ with, and will likely be holding their hand out for more. Paulson, overheard in an interview, has agreed the cost could be even $1.3 trillion, so expect to see the hand extended again there, too.

Where does it stop? If we’re fooled by fools we’re double foolish, and in big doo doo unless we get involved & act with our weight of numbers.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

why outrage? Whom do you think you're dealing with?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Philor on Oct 6, 2008 4:22 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Come on!
There's football on TV, the giant plasma screen still works fine, there's no reason to go down the street and demonstrate the way the Germans, The French or even the Chinese could!

Think about the following. The good American people haven't revolved when they were:
1- denied a National Health Care
2-denied a real retirement system other than putting money in the stock market.
3-mandatory paid vacation
4-paid maternity leave.
5-and more!

If you've taken all the above without flinching why would you wake up for any other reasons?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Reread "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and "Common Sense"
[Report this comment]
Posted by: editnetwork on Oct 6, 2008 4:32 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Both books will open eyes and stir up the soul. -- Just seeing the note:

Direct (Revolutionary) Democracy

every time I'm perusing the comments on AlterNet has got me thinking again. "When in the course of human events" it becomes necessary to throw off the yoke and throw the yokels out of office (or off their penthouse office thrones), it is time to hit the streets en masse. Even if the muckymucks don't listen right now, the voice of the "masse" will be heard.

Garrison Keillor is a priceless voice of common sense in our time. His book Homegrown Democrat can sit on a shelf worthily beside Paine. Thank God for the First Amendment, at least one more day. Then we must get out and exercise free speech ourselves and refuse to be silenced.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Wow - Garrison Keillor? Wait, Garrison KEILLOR?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Drume on Oct 6, 2008 4:44 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was reading this, nodding my head in agreement all through, thinking it was surprisingly good, especially the part about Palin (not funny anymore), and then I get to the end and see who wrote it. Whoa.

Good piece, really good.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

We Have been Betrayed
[Report this comment]
Posted by: pappa2002us on Oct 6, 2008 5:00 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
74 members of the senate and 263 members of the house of Representatives made history by turning their backs on the majority of American Citizens.These 337 men and women as well as the President of the U.S. committed treason by betraying their Oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States when they voted yes,passed and signed the unconstitutional Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 commonly known as the "Bailout bill" into law. A bill that is loaded with pork, special interest tax breaks, and violations of the civil rights of the American people. A bill that transfers the citizens wealth to large corporations, investment banks and the corporate elites for generations to come.
President G.W. Bush, Secretary Treasury Paulson,and Fed Chairman Berneke are the originators of this act of treason and should be on the top of the list with the other 337 to have their names and pictures posted and labeled Traitor for the whole world to see. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain also voted yes. Do they really deserve your vote? Do they really represent you, the American public, or do they represent the special interests that have benefited from this act of betrayal? The two major political parties, both Democrat and Republican have shown that their loyalty to their corporate benefactors outweighs their loyalty and obligations to the American people. Every election their candidates make you promises of prosperity,a better life,better health care,better education,etc.,etc.. They take your money and your hard work of support and then do what their corporate masters want after they get elected. Do you think this time it will be any different? Do you believe that either the Republican or Democrat party now deserves your loyalty and support after adding another $17,000+ to what you,your children and future children already owe to the national debt? The Republicans have turned their backs on the traditional conservative values that once made them a great party and are acting more like fascist Russians and the Democrats want nationalize everything and turn our government into a socialist hierarchy. How long will it be before our country resembles the old soviet union? How long will it be before our government clamps down on us? The stage is set! The resemblance of the two parties and the events of the past 8 years shows it.
If you love this country,if you consider yourself a Patriotic American and you have taken the Oath to uphold and protect the Constitution at any time of your life, duty calls. It is time for "We the People" to lawfully and peaceably take our government back by exercising our authority over these corrupt politicians by voting them out of office, using the recall and letters of grievance.Please contact the other true Patriotic members of congress that did their duty and voted "no" and thank them. Also ask them to consider dropping their party affiliation and switch to either the Constitution Party or the Libertarian party so they may not be mistakenly voted out with all the other riffraff.
Being a early supporter of the Ron Paul Revolution and the campaign for liberty I implore you, Dr Paul to take the lead and set the example for the other good members to follow. The Republican Party does not deserve your loyalty and your followers and constituents back home will understand I'm sure,especially after these recent events.
Top 10 Contributors;---Obama: Goldman Sachs $739,521, UBS AG $419,550, Lehman Brothers $391,774, Citigroup Inc $492,548, Morgan Stanley $341,380,Latham & Watkins $328,879, Google Inc $487,355,JPMorgan Chase & Co $475,112, Sidley Austin LLP $370,916
Skadden, Arps $360,409;---McCain: Merrill Lynch $349,170, Citigroup Inc $287,801,Morgan Stanley $249,377, Wachovia Corp $147,456, Goldman Sachs $220,045,Lehman Brothers $115,707, Bear Stearns $108,000,JPMorgan Chase & Co $206,392. Bank of America $133,975,Credit Suisse Group $175,503

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Beck:Her Only Concern Is Abortion Posted by: left_libertarian
» What is the bigger picture? Posted by: rfrancis@godisdead.com
» RE: Constitution Party?!!! Posted by: oregoncharles

Comments are closed-

TV ads
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Last Chance on Oct 6, 2008 5:16 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If Wachovia is bankrupt why are they still spending millions for TV advertising?!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: TV ads Posted by: HoboHomo
» RE: TV ads Wachovia Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

Plenty of Outrage, No Organization
[Report this comment]
Posted by: susan rosenthal1 on Oct 6, 2008 5:17 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No one can deny the outrage out there. But who will organize it into a force for social change?

The Democrats are hand-in-glove with this mega-theft. And the two-party system stomps on efforts to organize outside the electoral process.

It's time we broke out of this political choke-hold and organized ourselves a completely different social system.

America in Crisis

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Vote Nader Posted by: bthespoon
» RE: Vote Nader Posted by: Karina

Comments are closed-

If I had anymore outrage...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: ShrubtheWarcriminal on Oct 6, 2008 5:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...I would explode.

But where do you channel that outrage to get results?

The Democraps and Repukes are opposite ends of the same stick. Voting one out is like voting one in.

Obama talks in platitudes and votes like a Repuke most of the time...especially this time.

McInsane is...well...insane...enough said.

I will be voting third party for the first time in my life. At least I will be able to look myself in the mirror the next day and not feel like I have to take a shower for two more.

Basically the Amerikkkan people have gotten what they voted for and you can pretty much put a fork in Her.

As the author has stated:

"The Republican Party used to specialize in gimlet-eyed, steel-rim, crepe-soled common sense and then it was taken over by crooked preachers who demand Americans trust them because they're packing a Bible and God sent them on a mission to enact lower taxes, less government. Except when things crash, and then government has to pick up the pieces." (He forgot to add that the Democraps are the enablers.)



THAT is the true source of the EVIL in this country, and until religion can be totally exposed for the sham it is, (a philosophy based on fear, mythology and superstition) there will be no more progress in this country.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage isn't enough...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Farasien on Oct 6, 2008 5:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The problem is, you can get mad as hell and declare you aren't going to take it anymore, but unless you DO SOMETHING SUBSTANCIAL, nothing is going to change. The people who made you mad, if they even notice, make note of your outrage, tell their speech writers to alter their speeches a bit, then go back to doing whatever the hell they want to do. Words without real action are meaningless...

...Just ask your wonderful, worshipful emperor bu$h!

...And now back to your regularly-scheduled sitcom...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

No Outrage
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Romantic Violence on Oct 6, 2008 6:04 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is no outrage worth mentioning because, like other animal species, people experience what is called learned hopelessness; in humans it's called depression.

1789

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: No Outrage Posted by: freelyb

Comments are closed-

LOL
[Report this comment]
Posted by: RedFoxOne on Oct 6, 2008 6:05 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What exactly is Main Street America supposed to do? Jump up and down? Roll around on the ground? Pound fists on the table? What good will any of it do? The rich look out for the rich and Main Street America (The Sheeple) get screwed. Thats the way it is under the Bush Regime and until the Sheeple STAND UP and TAKE BACK what was once theres, it will always be the same!

JIff
Privacy Center

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: LOL Posted by: Spot

Comments are closed-

Pathetic article. It is the cooperation of both parties that have enabled Wall $treet to
[Report this comment]
Posted by: maxpayne on Oct 6, 2008 6:10 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
FUCK and RAPE Main Street to the bone ! True, the GOP have long been the party of Wall $treet but for the past 16 years, the Democrats have clearly shown themselves to be no different. Wall $treet is stealing from Main Street because Main Street is misled into believing that they can only choose between Democrats and Republicans, both of whom will once again sell out to Wall $treet with the exception of a few from both parties. And the voting record of both parties prove it straight up.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I'm definitely outraged
[Report this comment]
Posted by: UnderTheSea on Oct 6, 2008 6:10 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
but don't know where/how to channel it...

Can't run away either, I guess. The problems of this country tend to affect the entire world.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

This comment has been removed from the site due to non-compliance with AlterNet's community policies.
» RE: OH SURE! Posted by: GrannyBgood
» RE: OH SURE! Posted by: Spot

Comments are closed-

please help Barack
[Report this comment]
Posted by: crmcvin on Oct 6, 2008 6:34 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If you are reading this Garrison - please call Barack today and ask him to let you help him write his speeches and prepare for debates. Your ongoing way with words and your powerful connection to the real issues of social, environmental and economic justice would be a gift to his campaign and upcoming presidency.
thanks for your penetrating insights and dedication to process.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: please help Barack Posted by: Spot
» RE: please help Barack Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: This is a joke! Posted by: oregoncharles

Comments are closed-

Check out the 60 minutes report on utube
[Report this comment]
Posted by: highfeather on Oct 6, 2008 6:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wFFCtx7UhI&feature=related

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Some People...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Godfather89 on Oct 6, 2008 6:36 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Some peole sit by and believe whatever the TV Tells them. It is really sickening and perverted. People need to wake up if they want to be free again. Outrage only happens when people fully understand what happened, people are to caught up in the "American Idol: Life is Good" mentality to want to bother understanding how the system works.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Do you remember TheOnion from Jan 17, 2001?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: F-Abdolian on Oct 6, 2008 6:51 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."
...
"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."
...
"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What people need to do.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: mike_burns on Oct 6, 2008 6:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We need to be brave. I have come to the conclusion that I have to make an individual stand. Register as a Socialist. The more people that do that, and encourage others to do the same, will supply the needed heat.
The Democrats lose their power by trying to stay center/left. You have to push hard from the left to get to center. This country can't change without that hard push. That is the only way that balance can be achieved.
We have to follow with being vocal. You will be called nuts, at first, but if more people hear it, more people will think about it. Communism has fallen. It is the Capitalist's turn. America will be for new ideas, soon!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Garrison your article hit
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Opinionator on Oct 6, 2008 6:58 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
the nail right on the head. Write more Good Stuff and keep pushing for Obama. My daughter calls me Mama for Obama, for which I am proud.

The need for "change " will not be satisfied by a vote for the demonic duo McShmo/Satanic Sarah.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What do you expect!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: motown on Oct 6, 2008 6:58 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why should the politicians listen to the voters?
You will keep voting for the same ole status quo republican or democrat not a dime difference between them. Until people get their head out of the sand and change direction nothing going to change. There are other political parties, wake up and think for yourselves.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

The Banksters Already Got Rich by Theft, Don't Need Any More.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: salt-of-the-earth on Oct 6, 2008 7:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They leveraged the loans to the tune of 1,000 trillion.

They used the money to buy up all kinds of stuff.

Now they want to kill us, destroy the real economy, and flatten the U.S. to bring on the NWO.

That's the bottom line.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» The bottom line, eh? Posted by: Beck
» You thought right...... Posted by: Prophit

Comments are closed-

X-POLYGAMIST WIFE in ARIZONA
[Report this comment]
Posted by: X-POLYGAMIST WIFE on Oct 6, 2008 7:15 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Polygamists don't educate their children because educated people make their own choices.

IGNORANCE = SLAVERY. Watch the video:

http://www.bankingonheaven.com/

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

wrensis
[Report this comment]
Posted by: wrensis on Oct 6, 2008 7:15 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Since this site seems to have become an extension of the Obama campaign it might serve to get some information. These are the members of the Senate Finance, housing and urban affairs committee. All of them received money from the banking industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Banking_Committee

additionally Obama received the second largest campaign donations from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae,
second only to Chris Dodd. It was a 10 year study and since he has only been in the senate two and a half years you might want to check that out too.
Campaign contributions, 1989-2008

Name Office State Party Grand Total Total from
PACs Total from
Individuals
Dodd, Christopher J S CT D $165,400 $48,500 $116,900
Obama, Barack S IL D $126,349 $6,000 $120,349

You can google the information under
All Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign contributions.

I am not voting for McCain. I will be voting Green Party so this is not a McCain troll.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» alas Posted by: Spot
» RE: alas Posted by: wrensis
» RE: wrensis Posted by: CatDad

Comments are closed-

Where is the outrage????
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Spiritgirl on Oct 6, 2008 7:19 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You want to know where is the outrage, it's here! It's shown when America doesn't vote, because deep down they realize that their vote doesn't vs. the pocketbooks of the lobbiests that really control the Congress and it's agenda! And until we can actually get our elections financed publicly we won't be able to take it back from the sleazy lobbiests!

For the last 20+ years we've heard from politicians that government is bad and just needs to get out of the way! Funny how government was no where to be found as people were losing their homes, and being denigrated in the process as spendthrifts and moochers, yet now "Wall Street" is in financial crisis and suddenly "poof" "we" can't let them go down! And still McShame cries out that we need to let the "free markets" stay deregulated! No, he doesn't deserve the office of the President - because he doesn't have a clue that his support and belief in deregulating the "Free Market" and not allowing the "police" to do their jobs is what helped to get us in this fiasco that we currently find ourselves in!

I'm mad as hell, and I just can't take it anymore! Can you afford 4 more years of Bushco/McShame!?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Too big to fail
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Chloe2005 on Oct 6, 2008 7:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
is the phrase we hear from every politician. How many more trillions will we need to bail out future companies which are too big to fail? Look how large Bank of America has just become! Just another company that will be way too big to fail! I am outraged!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Too big to fail Posted by: MamaPantz
» RE: Too big to fail Posted by: Last Chance

Comments are closed-

The Financial System is Being Deliberately Crashed "To Save The Planet"
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 7:26 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Check out what Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is really about.

He's a global warming fanatic extremist who makes Al Gore look sane.

Whilst there is no scientific basis for the religion of Global Warming (and it's actually been getting colder for the last 10 years), very powerful people actually believe it and are taking drastic action to crash the entire World economy and impoverish the vast majority of the World's population.

Global Warming and Peak Oil are both myths that will soon become obvious which would descredit the enormously powerful Environmental movement.

That cannot be allowed to happen. All these crisies are being artificially created to terrorise ordinary people into the complete submission of a World Government Dictatorship.

There is nothing much standing in the way of complete and utter financial collapse such that banks no longer issue any money.

Employees won't get paid. Will people still go to work to do essential jobs providing essential services? Maybe under the point of a gun as slaves.

Time to join the army or police. At least they are likely to continue to feed you and will actually arm you to the teeth such that you can defend your own home and family from the starving hoardes.

We are seriously fucked. You can blame the casino b/wankers if you like - but they were just given a very powerful toy to play with - like giving a real machine gun to a two year old.

The real evil bastards are much higher up the food chain and its you and me and 6Billion other poor suckers who are on the menu.

I'm sure the Planet Earth will be a much better place when the 95% of us are pushing up daisies.

Its just like the Jews being led to the Concentration Camps for extermination - except they ain't going to bother with the concentration camps this time.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: "Religion of Global Warming"? Posted by: GrannyBgood
» It's Time For Peaceful Action Posted by: Last Chance

Comments are closed-

Sold out and ripped off again!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: GrannyBgood on Oct 6, 2008 7:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The taxpayers could have bought these mortgages and banks for this chunk of cash and done better administering them themselves! Any housewife has a better grip on her finances! What's to keep them from more stupid greedy moves, now that they truly ARE playing with "Other Peoples' Money" -OURS!?
Now it's not just the fox guarding the Henhouse, he's RUNNING it!
(And now we hear that House members were actually threatened with Martial Law if it didn't pass?!
I guess 700Bil. would just about finance the new Dictatorship, eh?)

I guess I'm an Independent now. I liked Bernie Sanders' idea best (His, and Kucinich's):
Make the BILLIONAIRES that the Bush years created through their failed policies and de-regulation pay for it! THEY are the ones who profited so obscenely while hard-working, tax-paying Americans have been impoverished, and told rubbish like, they can't have national Healthcare because it's "Too expensive"!.
A pox on both their houses!

PS: Doesn't look like the World's financial markets were fooled by this bailout, like Congress was!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Take a look around you, with OPEN eyes...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Symp on Oct 6, 2008 7:42 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Take a look at Bush, Paulson and Bernanke at the signing table. Their grins are completely transparent!

Look at your neighbors hunt for a parking spot for 15 minutes at the shopping mall as close as possible, in their delusional SUV pod because they are so fat they can't walk from the available spots just 50 feet further.

Heck, take at look at yourselves... probably! TV dinners, KFC and Bud light are "staples" in your house!

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Think about that! The ascension of the Middle-Class has yielded the deep rooting of a status quo controlled by the few Upper-Class. There's no escape outside of a total collapse.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Take A Step Back, Garrison
[Report this comment]
Posted by: pdxjoe on Oct 6, 2008 7:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A goodly part of this country, some of the more cosmopolitan transplants to Lake Woebegon even, bet on the idea of perpetual profit (what else is profit but perpetual?) in the (stock-)market in general. When it threatened to crash, we averted reality with hypocrisy and bet again on the whole delusion to continue chugging along. For every one or two people I have heard venting their outrage over the bailout, I've heard one or two other people complaining in the other direction---people on this website, in the hipster coffee-shop down the street, in the grocery store and on the bus. This bailout was desired not merely by an "elite" few on Wall Street, or even a narrow class of professional investors, but a lot of relatively everyday Americans who would give anything---including other people's taxes---not to see their petty-bourgeois delusions implode.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: My Halloween Costume Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

We are all outraged - but the press is controlled by those stealing the money.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: grahamhgreen on Oct 6, 2008 7:56 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
n/t

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage fatigue
[Report this comment]
Posted by: loneswaneast on Oct 6, 2008 8:05 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I think we've given up on outrage. We had outrage after the 2000 right wing coup, during the build up to the Iraq war, the continuing lies and corporate malfeasance, bankruptcy bill, patriot act, etc... We are in a state of shock, after too many shocks (yes, I agree with Naomi Klein's assertions in her "The Shock Doctrine"). We have seen nothing done, we have seen every branch of our government lose all checks and balances. Outrage has done nothing. I think weariness and a sense of powerlessness has replaced it. This is simply another taser jolt to our senses.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

wrensis
[Report this comment]
Posted by: wrensis on Oct 6, 2008 8:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just what we need. A 35 year old Goldman Sachs broker to spend our 700 Billion. Check it out on CNN.com

The official said Monday that Neel Kashkari, Treasury's assistant secretary for international affairs, will soon be announced as the interim head of Treasury's new Office of Financial Stability. The official asked not to be identified by name because the selection has not been announced publicly.
The 35-year-old Kashkari is a former Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) banker, the investment giant once headed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The new office was created by the emergency legislation enacted Friday to fund the largest government bailout in history.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Really pissed
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Portlyric on Oct 6, 2008 8:08 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is a difference between lack of outrage and stunned outrage. You don't have to be a financial expert to understand that Washington completely ignored a firestorm of voter opposition to this bill. Normally opposition is more divided which has been fairly effective in perpetuating the myth that our two party government achieves a system of checks and balances. This crisis lifted the veil enough that voters were able to glimpse significant corruption and collusion in both parties. It would be a mistake to believe that just because the media fails to adequately reflect public outrage that it doesn't exist. I think you are going to see a lot of formerly passive individuals getting involved in pushing hard for Campaign Finance Reform.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» The Angry MOB... Posted by: Cathyc
» RE: The Second Wave Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

Self Betrayal
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sirios on Oct 6, 2008 8:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When one chooses to identify with the collection of ideas , objects, and even gods and heroes that comprise our personality, then the outcome is the never ending need to protect this fabricated identity with and endless stream of new rationalizations and purchases. So, blame,blame,blame they,them and you,but eventually one must encounter the real culprit, ME, I and US. Palin is playing the blame card to the hilt. Obama seemed to be initially above such tactics, but has of late , entered the game. Wake up America, WE have allowed through our own greed and perceived need for safety, for this to happen. True there seems to be little outrage,and when it does raise it's head it is generally misdirected.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Your patriotic duty
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sicntired on Oct 6, 2008 8:35 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
That was the spin from a conservative think tank on CNN on Sunday night.They said it was selfish to complain about paying taxes to save the financial system.I think this is going to be the Bushies spin on this outrageous theft from the American taxpayer.I still think that the best bet for all of you that don't agree with this outright theft for the benefit of the very people that were laughing about how bad it was going to be when the bill came due but that they'd be long gone,ha ha.Would be to with hold whatever portion of your tax bill is in support of this theft.If almost half of the taxpayers refuse to pony up,they're screwed.That's why they are already starting to frame this as a patriotic duty.Don't fall for it.This is just the wealthy supporting the wealthy at the expense of joe public,as usual.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

The Bailouts are merely feeding the Black Holes Which are almost Certainly Illegal Constructs
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 8:52 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The solution is to bring the failing financial organisations to a situation of managed bancruptcy such that they still continue to function as banks. The Black Holes should not however be fed - but the creators of them prosecuted for Gross Fraud and the massive profits from those that benefitted from them confiscated in fines to be used as working capital.

Meanwhile all existing house mortgages with outrageous rates of interest should be renegotiated to both a reasonable rate of interest and the outstanding capital on them reduced to reflect the true current market value of the property.

If this isn't done the bust that is coming will leave millions without either a home or a job - and a fierce winter will lead them both to starving and freezing to death.

Check out your local Tent City and reserve your spec. Its good to get to know your new neighbours before things get really desperate.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What she said
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Karina on Oct 6, 2008 8:53 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This editorial, similar to an unpublished letter I sent to the post in Feburary 2007, describes perfectly how our direct actions are ignored -

By Sonia Silbert, co-coordinator of the Washington Peace Center.

"I am so tired of the mainstream media complaining about the lack of a peace and social justice movement in our country ["Where Have All the Protests Gone?" Style, Sept. 24]. There is a movement -- a strong and vibrant one.

And people would know about it if outlets such as The Post covered it. Time and time again, the media have belittled and ignored protests. We had an estimated quarter-million people in the street in Washington in 2007 (just like the '60s!), and the media wondered, "Why not more?" and "Do marches do anything anyway?" We had hundreds risking arrest despite little fanfare in Minneapolis at the Republican National Convention and in Washington on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

One of the major problems of the peace and justice movement is the media's refusal to cover it. Instead, you choose to make a story of how my generation is apathetic and disconnected. Isn't it time you got bored of that story and started covering the amazing work being done? I'd bet that folks would love to hear about it.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: What she said Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» RE: What she said Posted by: Karina

Comments are closed-

Don't worry. Go shopping.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: alturn on Oct 6, 2008 8:55 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just waiting for Bush to go on TV and tell us that all we need to do to avert a deepening crisis is to go shopping. Oops, most shopper's credit cards have been maxed out.

So maybe we will have to put down the remote and beer can, redevelop critical thinking abilities and open our minds to radical stories and far greater possibilites than currently surmised.

Such as this really is the time we must completely shift away from our currently materialistic, individualistic world view.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

So
[Report this comment]
Posted by: willymack on Oct 6, 2008 8:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The same crooks who squandered other people's money and went broke doing it are being rewarded for their illegal behavior with more of other people's money. So, both corporate America and our "leaders" in congress have been screwing us over, big time. What's all this got to do with who's on American Idol tonight, anyway? Gimmie another beer, honey! Now, lesee: who's playing on Monday Night Football? This is the "mind" set of those who voted for bush TWICE, and will surely vote for mcnut/palin this time. This is why it's so important that as many of us who see what's REALLY been happening and is likely to continue under a mcstooge regime get out and vote for Obama in record numbers. If you have a functioning brain, the choice should be an obvious one. Joe Six Pack will thank us later, you betcha.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Many months ago, I wrote in this forum...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: djnoll on Oct 6, 2008 9:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
that this year it does not matter who is elected President. What truly matters is who is elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is these positions that can again act as a check or balance on the Executive Branch, and yet we hear very little about who is running for these seats or their positions. How many people here called the opposition candidate in their district or state and asked how they would have voted if they had been in DC last week? I called and asked the candidate here in Las Vegas running against incumbent John Porter (Republican who voted YES twice), and her campaign stated that she would have voted against it because it contained no real oversight or regulation of the industry, not to mention the price tag! There is no Independent running here, so she will get my vote. My only regret is that Harry Reid and John Ensign are not up for re-election, or I would be working to get them stopped for their cowardice in this bailout bill.

It is imperative that you vote for members of Congress that will actually stop the Executive Branch from continuing to steal our country from us. I personally believe that Obama will be a President who can undo much of the damage of the last 8 years while McCain is not mentally or morally fit to be president. But what is more important is whether those we send to Congress this year will be in sufficient numbers to create a real veto proof congress that will work to help the American people, not corporations or Wall Street.

So, stop feeling frustrated and start working your buns off to get a new Congress elected, made up Independents, Democrats, and moderate Republicans who will actually work for the benefit of the American people, but mostly make sure that the Independents have a large enough majority to swing votes in the Senate and create real collaboration in the House. If you cannot find any such candidates, check out if a write-in candidate is allowed on your state's ballots, and start knocking on doors to get yourself elected, it is 30 days until the election, and if you are from a small district, you might be able to make it! Then maybe we can find out what real democracy is like again!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

We are repeating all the mistakes of the Roman Empire
[Report this comment]
Posted by: dudelette on Oct 6, 2008 9:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We are not a democracy. We are an oligarchy, an oligarchy that works feverishly to continue its control and growth at the expense of everyone else. We have near slave labor in the illegal immigrants and the working poor. We have bread and circuses in welfare that continues for generations and televised sports. We can even watch gladiatorial combat with ultimate fighting.

Continuing to support this system is not just dumb, it's Palin dumb.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Americans are self-interested hyperindividualists
[Report this comment]
Posted by: nfamous on Oct 6, 2008 9:34 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Americans are outraged but since we can't beat the hell out of the elite we just take it out on each other. Americans are completely selfish, shallow and hyperindividualist. We only care about ourselves and occasionally our families. No one else matters to us, not the people in Darfur, not the innocent Iraqis being slaughtered and definitely not our own homeless. Americans want too do whatever they have to do to provide themselves a comfortable lifestyle with no regard for other humans on the planet. Our complicity is our silence and it's just as bad as the global criminals themselves. Human beings are instinctively self-serving creatures. Americans are just the extreme version of it and it is finally coming back to haunt us.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I AM OUTRAGED ALL THE TIME
[Report this comment]
Posted by: cori on Oct 6, 2008 9:38 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I CALL MY SENATORS AND EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NOT MY SENATORS! SHOULD WE MARCH? I'M BUYING LESS, DRIVING LESS. PEOPLE NEED TO TRY AND START UNIONS. I SIGN PETITONS. UNLESS THERE IS ONGOING LARGE PROTESTS, WALKOUTS LIKE IN THE 60'S NOT MUCH WILL HAPPEN. I WAS THERE WHEN THEY ROITED IN COLUMBIA IN NEW YORK. WE HAD TO FIGHT. KIDS DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO VIETNAM. SO I COULD USE SOME SUGGESTIONS. CAUSE OUR SENATORS ARE SITTING UP THERE DOING SQUAT. I THINK WE NEED TO GET THEM ALL OUT AND START OVER WITH NEW ONES WHO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WANT THEN TO WORK FOR US1

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Very Outraged also powerless
[Report this comment]
Posted by: hennaflowerchild on Oct 6, 2008 9:44 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I am super mad. I love how our GREAT GREAT grandchildren will still be paying for this crap. I say FIRE all the MORONS in congress lets elect a new uncorrupted set and limit their term (so we can avoid allowing these extortionists to grow roots in a seat that is very important).
I love how friday it said on Associated Press how Bush QUICKLY signed the bill approving the bailout. I wanted to march down to Crawford Tx ring the door bell and leave a bag with poo on his porch. Now today stock market is lowest in 4 years.

Thanks BUSH! He's trying to leave a lasting impression....thanks but no thanks he should shut it!

What are we supposed to do?? Thats what I want to know?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

It's not their money it's ours...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Pirate1 on Oct 6, 2008 9:47 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If only the population were educated to KNOW this. Instead, most people are encouraged to be lazy and get their cues from TV and talk radio so they haven't a clue. They do what they're told. Nice system for the wealthy.

We had our chance and we blew it. Just who are these so called "representatives of the people" working for? Most of them know that by the time the people figure out how badly they've been screwed, they'll be reelected and by the time the next election comes around, the vast majority of the people will have forgotten all this. Most people in congress are sons and daughters and buggermates of the very elite that is stealing us blind and despoiling the only planet we have. But the masses are kept dumb so they'll respond with comfusion rather than revolt. it's disgusting to live in such times.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Faith in Regulation!?!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Geonomist on Oct 6, 2008 9:55 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Faith in regulation says more about the political brain, people overly fond of power, than it does about methods to keep money safe. Keilor even writes that the money was ours. So, we shove all our money over to people we vilify up one side and down the other, and expect regulation to save us? Politics never did have much room for rationality.

The obvious solution -- don't give them all your money in the first place. To redirect all we spend on land and buildings, we need to shift taxes and subsidies, and thereby redirect all that spending to ourselves. Use taxes or fees to recover the values of land and resources and use a dividend to share the revenue among us, a la Alaska's oil dividend. That'd shrink mortgages down to the size of the value of the building, something local credit unions could comfortably manage, an no longer the low-hanging fruit for the rapacious.

Lose the ambition of trying to lord it over Wall Street. Just don't send them your money.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Hood River
[Report this comment]
Posted by: hoodriver on Oct 6, 2008 10:07 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Outrage? I have been outraged for 8 years! I have joined groups, written letters, signed petitions, made phone calls, given dinners, rung doorbells, registered voters, circulated petitions and talked myself blue in the face. If the American people believe the garbage dished out by the Rove/Schmit/McCain/Palin bunch I just may move to Canada. (Not really-I'll fight to the death) I want to see Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales and the rest of them impeached and in prison. You can add the Wall Street crooks to make sure they can all get up a good game of golf.

How the American people can suffer so much abuse & still vote Republican is a true mystery. The Dems aren't a lot better but they are better. Tell me what more we can do...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Hood River Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: Hood River Posted by: hoodriver

Comments are closed-

This SAYS it all - the TED Spread
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sallyride on Oct 6, 2008 10:10 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Wake Up America~

I have taken the definition from Wilkpedia for all to read if you are not already familiar.

The TED spread is the difference between the interest rates on inter-bank loans and short-term U.S. government debt ("T-bills").

Initially, the TED spread was the difference between the interest rates for three-month U.S. Treasuries contracts and the three month Eurodollars contract as represented by the London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR). However, since the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped T-bill futures, the TED spread is now calculated as the difference between the three-month T-bill interest rate and three-month LIBOR.

The TED spread is an indicator of perceived credit risk in the general economy[1]. This is because T-bills are considered risk-free while LIBOR reflects the credit risk of lending to commercial banks. When the TED spread increases, that is a sign that lenders believe the risk of default on inter-bank loans (also known as counterparty risk) is increasing. Inter-bank lenders therefore demand a higher rate of interest, or accept lower returns on safe investments such as T-bills. When the risk of banks defaults is considered to be decreasing, the TED spread decreases.[2]

TED is an acronym formed from T-Bill and ED, the ticker symbol for the Eurodollar futures contract. The size of the spread is usually denominated in basis points (bps). For example, if the T-Bill rate is 5.10% and ED trades at 5.50%, the TED spread is 40bps. The TED spread fluctuates over time but historically has often remained within the range of 10 and 50 basis points (0.1% and 0.5%), until 2007. A rising TED spread often presages a downturn in the U.S. stock market, as it indicates that liquidity is being withdrawn.

During 2007, the Subprime mortgage crisis ballooned the TED spread to a region of 150-200bps. On September 17, 2008, the record set after the Black Monday crash of 1987 was broken as the TED spread exceeded 300bps.[3] Some higher readings for the spread were due to inability to obtain accurate LIBOR rates in the absence of a liquid unsecured lending market.[4]

On September 29, 2008, after the bailout bill was unexpectedly voted down, the TED spread achieved a new high of just over 350bps. On October 3, the TED spread reached 388bps.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

We, The Public, Are to Blame - Congress: <15% Approval Rate Yet 95% Reelection Rate
[Report this comment]
Posted by: rfrancis@godisdead.com on Oct 6, 2008 10:32 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Stop Voting Democrat and Republican.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Time For Peaceful Action Posted by: Last Chance
» Monopoly Politics Posted by: MartianBachelor
» RE: See my post below Posted by: rfrancis@godisdead.com

Comments are closed-

Mister Bush...Tear Down Your Stonewall!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: tonykuspa on Oct 6, 2008 11:16 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why haven't Democrats and especially brainy ones like Mr. Keillor, though of asking our criminal president for total transparency of the files, reports, e-mails, and especially the recent "bi-partisan negotiations" that resulted in the "bailout package"?
Socialism for the rich and Fascism (Mussolini preferred the more descriptive term "Corporatism") for the poor. The 1% who control more wealth than almost all other Americans, would be happy to hand us the head of Carl Rove, and even Jingo Georgie's head, on a silver platter to enable the robbery of our great-grandchildren's tax contributions to the "expanded economy" that fraudulently enriched themselves, and incidentally most of the folks purport to represent us in Congress as well as their enablers on TV News programs. Can you say "conflict of interest"?
The mother of all flip-flops, from Capitalism to Socialism, was engineered by the Democrats in the best example of a one-party system in our history. We are apparently willing to eat our own progeny to support our falling monetary house of cards. The people who were jumping off their office buildings in 1929 have found us willing to die in their stead, simply in service of the Almighty Buck, the Audacity of Hope is surely the opiate of the common citizen.
The 700 billion will be scarfed up by jittery investors on the first day of their haphazard disbursement by a "bipartisan", read criminally collusive, committee set up by the original beneficiaries of our decades-old Corporate Welfare policies, which gave them a minimum of $100 Billion per dating all the way back to Drew Pearson/Jack Anderson columns on the subject.
Mort Zuckerman on Charlie Rose last week told us that the bailout does not address the cause of the crisis, and will fail. But even he didn't understand that the bailout was being sold fraudulently as a cover for the trillions being lost in the derivatives game, which trades all the money on earth , EVERY SINGLE DAY! And their total market exposure is about One-Thousand-Trillion Dollars! Earth's total wealth is about sixty-trillions, so that obscure "market" has has us risking about seventeen "planetfulls" of wealth of which we can expect to lose half or more in this zero-sum-game. The poor can be zeroed-out but once, and that has already happened with this OPEN-ENDED bailout.
The rich will just have to come up with rest of the planetfulls, which should be easy for them since we allowed the to loan out amounts that are 30 to 40 times their actual "holdings". Then they can roll over these loans at higher interest rates and never have to pay them back! Which how Neil Bush and others made out during the Savings and Loan bailouts, when we taxpayers spent a half-trillion on THAT bailout.
A vision of CAPITALISM as CANIBALISM! They are perfect rhymes for each other, and now are SYNONYMS!
Lastly, any politician who tells us that a situation is "Complex", and doesn't immediately explain that complexity in great detail and clarity, should be jailed immediately pending impeachment. They owe more than obfuscatory flummery to their constituents and at the very least should not be voting on legislation they do not fully and completely understand.
Tony Kuspa, Santa Cruz, CA

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

eaanders
[Report this comment]
Posted by: eaanders on Oct 6, 2008 11:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
" . . the public corruption of an American war hero . ."

Will someone please tell me what makes McCain a hero? He's coasted through the Navy on the coattails of his father and grandfather and crashed three planes, finally ending up in the Hanoi Hotel. Does suffering make someone a hero? I thought you had to save a life or do something exceptionally brave to be a hero. What's he done that any Navy pilot wouldn't do under similar circumstances. Or is anyone that joins the Navy and ends up a prisoner a hero?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage doesn't describe my state of mind
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sjmurphy on Oct 6, 2008 11:47 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My entire adult life, I've marched and voted and spoken out and written letters and signed petitions and informed myself and supported others who are doing the same. I've lived simply, and tried to put my money where my mouth is, making purchases and contributions where I thought it would do most good.

If I thought it would save this nation, I'd go out on Wall Street naked and have screaming hysterics, and if I had to spend the rest of my life in a straitjacket, I'd say it was worth it. Shit, I'd set myself on fire in front of the cameras, the way the Buddhist monks used to do during the criminal war on Viet Nam.

But at this point, I'm stymied. The elections are rigged, and our best hope (Obama) has voted for the bailout. The list of traitors and criminals has reached epic proportions, and they wax ever fatter, feeding on us and the carcass of our Constitution.

Reading the comments here, I see some people insisting that the answer is voting third party. But we've seen what that accomplished, in the past several elections - it just divided the progressive vote, and made it that much easier for the Repugnicans to jack the election.

I'm tempted to say that the American sheeple deserve (P)resident Bush and maybe even (P)resident McPalin, but then I look around at my family, friends and colleagues in the progressive movement, and there's not a finer bunch in the whole (fatally flawed) human race.

I could weep (sometimes do), thinking about what a glorious country this could be. Craig Ferguson, the late-night comic host, said "This is the best idea for a country in the history of the world." I do agree!

So tell me now, Father Keillor, what are we to do?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» "What are we to do?" Posted by: Cathyc

Comments are closed-

Why does he think that?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: fomented on Oct 6, 2008 11:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Because we aren't in the street fighting?

That would only get us tazered & shot without health insurance with more debt.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

People Seem To Have No Idea How Bad Things Can Get If Money Stops Being Issued
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 12:17 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And I have always been an optimist.

But have you got enough food and water and cash to survive the winter?

Cos I haven't.

I have however got a bike and should be able to cycle to fields where food is still growing.

And there are plenty of trees nearby - and we should be able to cut them down to keep warm when the gas, and electricity stop working.

And we do have a water butt - which collects rainwater from the roof

And we do have quite a lot of friends

And we have all been on various forms of survival courses living in pretty rough conditions

How do you know its not going to be considerably worse than the Great Depression

And its all completely unnecessary

But the lunatics are in control

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

It's worse than you think
[Report this comment]
Posted by: ReallyBearish on Oct 6, 2008 12:29 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has been allowing banks (with the help of the Fed) to manipulate markets through the Futures market. They buy the long side of index futures to keep the stock market up, and buy the short side of the precious metals market to force the price of gold and silver down.

As it turns out, this corruption of our markets has been helped along by giving JP Morgan tax payer money to ply their manipulations.

Problem is that manipulations are usually short lived and the pressure for prices to go in the opposite direction. The stock market may well be the first shoe to drop in this corrupt scheme. Precious metals and other commodities will be next.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Lots of angry posters here, but there's a problem ...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: 6399 on Oct 6, 2008 12:32 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Most of you are cowards who will just flop down in your well-used Barcalounger, flip on the TV and let America's Next Top Model wash over you. Everyone knows Americans won't act until they're directly affected in the most severe manner possible.

Time to stop bitching unless you intend on actually doing something. Otherwise, you deserve everything you get. Americans needs to be knocked down a peg or three and an economic collapse is the best way I can think of. NONE OF YOU are willing to risk a thing to make a better world for your children or grandchildren. Shame on all of you!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Someone has to be outraged enough to die for their anger
[Report this comment]
Posted by: itzamirakul on Oct 6, 2008 1:12 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Someone has to be fearless enough to face the police, Blackwater and all the other obstacles set up to prevent our protests from meaning a damned thing. Someone has to be willing to be lied on by the cops, beaten by Blackwater, imprisoned, called a terrorist , tortured and all the other unkind activities that Cheney's folks have set up for those who dare to dissent.

Problem is...no one is that crazy mad yet.

And you don't need to think that a new President will change all of that, much as I support Obama.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage is What We need Now!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: websmith on Oct 6, 2008 1:29 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This will not change until the populations rids its self of its two party mindset.

As this unfolds over the next month, hopefully the outrage will build and we will all realize that anything is better than what we have had since 1860. We have been promised change at every election since and the only change we got was more of the same.

The government needs to be changed by the people.

http://ewebsmith.com/finance/CPResponse.html

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Let's do something about it!!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: hennaflowerchild on Oct 6, 2008 1:59 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
OK! Obviously we all share a common interest. Lets march our "hind-ends" down there and tell them! Blogs and talking to senators apparently doesn't do squat. The only way to make a difference is to throw (basically) the biggest hissy fit ever! I'm down! Give me poster board and paint!! WE WANT THE 700 BILLION DOLLARS BACK!! THROW CORRUPT CONGRESS OUT!! and many many more. :) Bring your tent tho... gas is so expensive... affording a hotel is out of the question!...LOL

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

johndunk
[Report this comment]
Posted by: jacobtoo on Oct 6, 2008 2:02 PM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Aren't we supposed to be liberal? Fannie went down because the government, rightly, forced them to help African Americans out of the hole. Now we have to help them out because that's where we put them. You not only have to stop stealing from people, you have to pay back what you stole. That's why we should pay for the education, through college, of every AA. That's also why we should do everything in our power to restore the strength of the intact family to them. Separating fathers from their families resulted in more pain and destruction than anything else we did during the slavery years.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Don't blame African Americans Posted by: itzamirakul

Comments are closed-

What To Do
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Gravitas on Oct 6, 2008 2:06 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We can certainly vote NO for every incumbent who supported the bill. My congressman Rahm Emaunuel, who took over 30K in cc from Goldman Saks will never get me vote again. We can all use this years Buy Nothing Day to make a statement. Maybe it is not perfect and someone else will come along with something better. But any type of protest is better than nothing at all.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

sept 2004 agreement chantecaille ..OF Ny sets up our world FUTURE steals from every person FUTURE
[Report this comment]
Posted by: futurevisionariescom on Oct 6, 2008 2:15 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
My name is kent G anderson ,
I was set up You were set up sept 2004 . I placed 12 Years of my life ideas To the world word FUTURE so all can share the word unite all people all countries all iv been is ..attacked By.. NY Corp NY Law firms ..no were in the history of country has there been such ..cover ups set ups theft of Global IP Peoples FUTURE see Facts on my web page www.futurevisionaries.com
more about me Im trying to save Global people FUTURE
Thank you
Please Feel free vist with any one , Lot of Info ..
About futurevisionaries.com

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

madregal
[Report this comment]
Posted by: madregal on Oct 6, 2008 2:20 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"Some say the tab might come to a trillion dollars. Nobody knows. And McCain has not one moment of doubt or regret. He switches from First Deregulation Church to Our Lady of Strict Vigilance like you might go from decaf to latte. Where is the straight talk? Does the man have no conscience"?

The good? thing about "chruchainty" in America is that you can make, change, disguise,your your true intentions without having to answer to the "believers". The Church of Gimme Gimme
has just landed a guift of $700,000,000,000 (is that enough zeros?), anyway the believers
(or is that non-thinkers) have dutifully made the sacrafice to the gods of finance. Their
children will have to bear the sins of their fathers for the next generation or so. You can fool some of the people som........Hell, you can fool the sheeple ALL of the time if fear of "depression" is recited. As Pogo The Possum should have said, "We have met the enemy, and he is Wall Street/Washington".

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Who was at fault...?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: aceriter on Oct 6, 2008 2:21 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The conservatives cowboy economic policies were at fault for the current mess...? What planet have you been living on? The fault lies with the insane altruism of the Democratic Party (and Barney Frank)that did everything it could to see that Joe Doe could own his own home even though Joe couldn't afford to own a home. Now we have to pay for Joe's home even though he doesn't live there any more.

What has this got to do with "conservative cowboy economics? And in't this enough to drive most Americans back to the Constitution that seems to imply that government can only do what the Constitution gives it the right to do? You know--bind the politicians down with the chains of the Constitution?

And one last shot. Since when is it the government's business who owns or who does not own a house?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Not just our money, but our world
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Daniel35 on Oct 6, 2008 2:27 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Outrage? I've seen it coming for 40 years, but began to think I wouldn't live to see the climax. It's hard to get outraged over that much time, when the future is vague. Just as some people think that humans are separate from nature, they seem to think that economics is an island by itself, not connected with the rest of life, not needing to follow physical laws.

Dan Robinson, danrob@efn.org

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

it's everywhere
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sophiej on Oct 6, 2008 2:36 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
but no one quite knows what to do. They gave away the horses (or sold them?), and NOW they're trying to figure out if they can close the barn door.
here's a good site for tracking the connections between political contributions, and votes.
http://www.maplight.org

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

here are the democrats who changed their vote
[Report this comment]
Posted by: grkjr on Oct 6, 2008 2:37 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It should be obvious by now that our congress can say one thing and vote another..here are the traitors to your tax dollars and friends of wall street who do not.. DO NOT DESERVE TO RETURN TO CONGRESS.. This is as close to a "cross the line" "go not go" vote getter as one can get.
Barbara Lee
Joe Baca
Adam Schiff
Hilda Solis
Mike Thompson
Daiine Watson
Lynn Woolsey
there is no acceptable rationalization for such a vote given the very clear alternatives that were available. if they only had courage to wait versus act out of FEAR.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Change is coming to America and the world!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: thinkverybig on Oct 6, 2008 3:04 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Go to youtube and do a search for "thinkverybig" and watch all of those videos. The one called "We Must Change" would be fitting to recite at Obama's Inauguration.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM58nqX1ehE

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Action
[Report this comment]
Posted by: paglo on Oct 6, 2008 3:49 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Rebuilding regional economies is an essential part of our rebellion. Otherwise we are merely pissed, sullen or violent. Everything is about to change. Let's take control and make the future fun. Green Jobs Philly and paulglover.org

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

new world order
[Report this comment]
Posted by: annm on Oct 6, 2008 3:50 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
i've been watching the usa people slowly killing themselves through their use of credit since the 1960s.

having got everyone who can afford credit maxed out, the financial whiz kids had to find new suckers. they picked on the poor people and persuaded them to take out housing loans the whiz kids knew wouldn't be repaid-but wait-it would be ok cos the whiz kids would get houses anyway.

they'd reached the max market price for 'normal' stocks and shares so, in the 80s they invented synthetic instruments called derivatives. those bags of puff being successful, they chopped and bundled loans. it doesn't really matter to the whiz kids that these things were worth less that the going price. they only needed stuff to sell to keep up their bonusses.

and the usa has been pushing this system on countries all round the world as being the 'way to go'. no wonder 'terrorists' outside the usa are protesting!!

the world won't be 'right' until it decouples itself from this silly system. my belief is that time is very near.

peace

annm

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Bailout
[Report this comment]
Posted by: timbottoms on Oct 6, 2008 4:00 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The bailout was such an awful idea, I'm shocked it wasn't vetoed the moment it came into being. Now, instead of being 3 trillion dollars in debt, the U.S. is now 4 trillion dollars in debt. It might help if they didn't just pull all that money out of thin air. And, of course, the DOW dropped down something like -500 points today, which didn't surprise me in the least.

I think we won't start seeing any "outrage" until Bush postpones the election to deal with the economic crisis. At which point, Bush and his cronies will be hanged and the U.S. Capitol building will be burned down.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

NOT OUTRAGED, ARE YOU FREAKN KIDDING ME????? WE ARE LIVVVVD!!!!!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Oct 6, 2008 4:03 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The Former CEO of Lehman Sachs left with $20 Million Dollars IN HIS BANK ACCOUNTS TO THE MILLIONS HE ALREADY HAS SACKED AWAY, more than most will ever earn in a lifetime even if they lived to be 350 years old.
This same slime-ball, low-life, ROBBER, is now under federal investigation today in hearings had the nerve to say he has trouble sleeping nights in his New York 27 million dollar apartment home!!! LIVVVVVVDDDD!!! OUTRAGED!!! PISSED!!!! MAD AS HELL!!!!
What can one person do? Tell me that????

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

THEY GOT THEIR MONEY WHILE THE GETTN WAS GOOD, LEAVING THE NATION WITH NOTHING- DOW STOCKS DOWN
[Report this comment]
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Oct 6, 2008 4:12 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Dow Stocks fell GLOBALLY! The $700 BILLION DOLLAR PAY OUT did not help. I didn't think it would. We are in trouble folks. I am wondering what it will take to get folks to WAKE UP!!!! AND NOT JUST WAKE UP BUT TAKE POSITIVE ACTION AGAINST THIS ROBBERY!!! It feels like they got their money while the getting was good, and while they could. Leaving us with nothing. The Global markets, watch them!!!! Every talk show now has stopped talking about shopping sprees, and designer purses, and travel packages. They are now talking about saving money, pulling back on spending, on how to make extra money, moonlighting ideas, all related to money saving and surving this crunch. That alone should tell you something... It is a sure indication that things are bad all over. Everything is all about the Economy anything you pick up to read. Read everything you can, stay prepared, and informed. And pray!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Jim Cramer is saying take money out of stock market now... alarming!!!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: stopthemaddness2 on Oct 6, 2008 4:18 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
First he said that he was all for the $700 Bailout, now this same nut cake is saying take your money out of the stock market right now, all of it. Who pays him and who is he working for???

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

here's one way
[Report this comment]
Posted by: TREEGUY on Oct 6, 2008 4:20 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
everyone get a new credit card.

spend ten thousand

don't pay it back

now we are even.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: here's one way Posted by: stopthemaddness2

Comments are closed-

The New World Post Apocalypse Is About PLUMBING
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 4:45 PM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Fuck You Yanks

Us English Are Building Water and Sewage Systems Across The WORLD

We've already started

Haven't you noticed?

Well Your Infrastructure is Totally Fucked - How is Your Bottle of Water?

So Fuck You

Your American Empire is Dead

And sure we have been sort of associated with you to our mutual embarrassment

So we ain't laying an oil pipeline

We are laying water and sewage pipelines and we are going to bring Clean FRESH Water To The Poorest People In The World

tONY

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

iT aIN'T aBOUT tAKING iTS' aBOUT giving cLEAN wATER AND sEWAGE sYSTEMS tO aLL tHE wORLD
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 5:09 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
yOU yANKS cAN cONTINUE bOMBIMG tHE rEST oF tHE wORLD tO fUCK iF yOU lIKE

But Us English Actually Like All The People and Different Cultures We Meet Through Travelling Around The World

Oh We Travel - Yes it maybe nice to go to 0-60 in the latest Tesla Electric Car in 4 seconds - but it doesn't actually get you a GREAT SHAG

My Suzuki Did 0-60 in 3.5 Seconds - But My Girlfriend was Something Else and She Educated Me - That It Is About Giving Not Taking

Giving is a Really Christian Thing That Works - But It is Not just about Giving its about Empowerment - Saying

"You Can Do That"

And Against All The Odds - With Maybe a Bit Of Help - Seeing THEM Doing that

You see it is all about LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT

If you haven't got any Love in your Soul and Empathy for and with the poorest in the World - then come with me

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Just Bypass Al Gore And All His Plastic Envronmental Areseholes And Go And Lay Some Pipes in AFRICA
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 5:22 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And bring some fresh water to the nicest people in the WORLD

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

From My Perception Of Several Soldiers in The British Army
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 5:41 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They would quite happily guard the Multi-National Plumbing Team Laying Water Pipes

And They Could Fuck Over ANY American Amateurs without even thinking about it

The FUCKING BRITISH ARMY

Is The Best in the World

Cos its composed of Lads who Come From Local Places Like OLDHAM in Lancashire And Can Instantly RECOGNISE a CUNT

And can also recognise just ordinary people in their own country who do not want to be invaded (and realise that we've done that before and have given invasion up cos love is a lot better than war and the food and sex is better)

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

An Introduction To An American Passport - Treasure It You Will Be WELCOMED
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 6:23 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And American Tourists (What Few They Are) Think they have travelled the World cos they have come to Europe and spent maybe two days in London and two days in Mykonos - and got really adventurous and got off their Cruise Ship

And Got on a little boat travelling to the NUDIST Beaches in the Islands and they Could Photograph Us all In Our NAKEDNESS

And then got to the Beach of Paradise

And Found That there were no Nudists There

And So Went On To The Next Beach Super Paradise

And Found That there were no Nudists There

So that is EUROPE

For Americans

Sure they might have a video of my Wife's Bum - and Mine - But Do You Reaally Think We Would Change Position For You?

Take ANY Pictures You Like

We Really Couldn't Give a FUCK

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» hey Tony... Posted by: Moira61

Comments are closed-

So The Latest Shit Is That You Can't Afford The Mortgage On Your House And That WE
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 6:36 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Have Repossessed You

You Are Fucking Ignorant

We Have All Your Money

And You Have NOTHING except OUR House

So FUCK OFF AND DIE

THis Is Our House Not Yours

And So How Do You React

Yes Please Mr Repossesion Person - This is My Eldest Daughter's Bedromm - and This is My Eldest Son's Bedroom - And This is OUR KITCHEn

Or

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

tHE wAY i sEE iT - yOU hAD tHE confidence to take On Your Own Home
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 6:49 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Don't Let The EVIL BANKERS Take it Away From You.

You Entered Your Home in Completely Good Faith

You weren't Trying to make anyone rich

You were just trying to provide a home for your wife and Children

So when the guys in suits try and come and take it away from you

Say - Hey Mate Do You Fancy a Cup of Coffee?

You Guys Are Incredibly WELCOME Round Here

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

The Important Thing Is That Your Children Feel Safe, Secure And Loved By Their Mum and Dad
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 7:03 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Do Everything You Can To Secure THEIR HOME which might be as simple as telling The SUITS

To

FUCK OFF

Look after the People You Love and Protect Them

What Are The SUITS Going To Do?

They Won't Even Have The Balls To Enter Your Neighbourhood

What are they going to do with your home if they get possesion?

Don't Torch It

Don't Leave

Just Say - I have already paid the Mortgage - Your Paperwork is Wrong

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Biden, Durbin, McCain, Obama and my Rep Davis (IL)
[Report this comment]
Posted by: shanaza on Oct 6, 2008 7:11 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
all voted our money away. I know where their hearts and minds are and I will not vote for any of them. Never another Democrat or Republican.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

And So The Boss of Lehmans Says It Is Not True I Took 500BN In My Salary
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 7:15 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It Was a Complete Exageration

It Was Only 250BN

Which he rather nicely admitted in his best teddy bear voice

was rather a lot

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I Know Some Of You Cnuts and Reckon I Can Cut a Fair Deal
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 7:30 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You Guys Pull Off the Storm Troopers Trying To Steal Oil and Trying To Convince The Rest of The World That Your Philosophy is The Best

And I Will Try and Influence The Rest 95% of The Rest Of The World That I Don't Approve of Capital Punishment

That is State Murder

The thing is after all the bollocks has passed and when Saddam Hussien and me will be about 100 years old or maybe 80 - I would have liked to talk to him - but the Americans/British Killed Him

If you kill Tony Blair then I would still be upset - not that I would ever want to do anything to him except say Hello Tony _ I think you are a right CUNT

And should STILL be in Jail

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Someone in London Organised This Thing Where Kids Just Spent a Bit of Time
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 8:24 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Reuilding and Repainting

And Their Reward For All their Work

Was FREE Tickets To The Most Awesome Gig

At

THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Katy was asking me what it was like

And I said it Is Big And Round

And so I sent my Beautiful Daughter a Few Texts in the Depths of The Greek Islands

Asking her if she even turned up and painted and then got to actually see the bands

And then last night we we really worried because he (her brother Peter) handn''t turned up by even 5:00am

Hey Mum and Dad still listen out for you - and She said text him or something I just want to kmow he is O>K?

And then he hust turned up with his Girlfriend abd they bothe told us the story of how it had all gone wrong - and we really did not to want all the datails - we just wanted to know our kids were safe and warm

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Our 17 Year Daughter Is Not Going To Be Rushed Into Her Decision Re Her Future at University
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 8:49 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
She is 17 and as Pure as the Virgin Snow

I Am Just Her Dad and will support her in Every Way I Can - Just so That She Can Enjoy Her Time at UNIVERSITY and have a Good Time

Childhood is To Be Enjoyed

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I Must Admit Prince Charles Has Recently Gone Up MASSIVELY in My Estimation of Him
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 9:07 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
But Can I have at least a sniff of

Prince Harry's Plant that he took back into the Palace to Finish Off

I was always called Charlie at School and Never once fancied Camilla

But Diana Was Something Else

She was an ordinary PRINCESS

And used to live her life meeting Common Prople in the Village of LONDON

We ALL Loved Her So Much

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I Didn't Personally Know Princess Diana - But She Regularly Went To The Gym Opposite Where I Worked
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 9:29 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And Turned Up Like any Regular Mum at The South Bank With Her Kids Just Like We Did

To See The English National Ballet Complete With Flying Pancakes

When She Died

ALL of London was Covered in FLOWERS

And I Just Had To Be There To Experience Real LOVE on An ENORMOUS Scale From Millions Of People From All Over The World

You simply cannot wear your bomb mask and go out with The BRITISH ARMY Disarming Landmines
When The Cunts Want To Put Out 1,000 times as many

And a Journalist Friend of Mine Knows How She Was Taken Out

Tony

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Tony's "c*nts" and Cathyc's timeline
[Report this comment]
Posted by: rigross on Oct 6, 2008 9:29 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The outrage is everywhere, but it isn't focused in any meaningful way because we have not yet recognized the reality of our situation. The astute technical comment about the TED Spread and all the eloquence of smart people commenting on the current mess (including the magnificant Mr. Keilor) are not dealing with Whole Systems. Until we come to terms with the roots of our distress we are just moving deck chairs around on the Titanic.

We didn't listen to Ike when he made his farewell address in 1961 about the danger to democracy of the military industrial complex and now they are in charge. The other great leader we ignored is Dr. King who warned us of the triple evil: racism, poverty and violence.

Two comments skirted the true issue:one in a positive way and one to the negative.

Tony's comments: couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not or if I agreed or not, but his offensive use of the "c" word as a perjorative points to the misogyny that lies at the heart of our collective psychosis.

Cathyc's comments: absolutely correct that the problem did not start 20 years ago, but they didn't start 80 years ago either.

It sounds off the wall, but the real crisis began roughly eight to twelve thousand years ago when waves of war-like tribes swept down out of the Caucasus region to spread the dominator Sky Father culture across the world. In order to consolidate their power, they crushed the original Earth Mother culture, or rather, they attempted to obliterate it. Since it is impossible to kill the Goddess, their efforts had only temporary, limited "success." The rigid hierarchy, centralized authority, and simple-minded linear thinking in service to ego and sensual gratification we have inherited are the true causes of our trouble. The fault lies not in our stars or in ourselves, but in our stories of how the world works. It's not a dog eat dog world. Dogs are social animals, they don't eat each other, they cooperate. This is a clue on how to proceed. Divide and conquer is a time tested technique of tyrants.

Rather than calling name and blaming the lame, it would serve us all better to do whatever seems to be the right thing for us that is within our power to do and cooperate with whoever else we can who shares some progressive values.

Other than that, I'm short on specifics because all the old rules are changing and new rule are not yet established. I guess that's our job now, figure out the new rules. I'm working on a book project that is nearly ready to unleash on an unsuspecting world. It may be worthwhile or it may be worthless, time will tell, but it involves cooperation to try to determine just what the we are doing and what the hell we can do to separate the gunsmoke from the bullshit.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What's Helpful Now?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: bessie on Oct 6, 2008 10:38 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Listening to the CEO of Lehman Brothers today wasn't helpful - he didn't seem to remember anything or to acknowledge any document from his own lawyer. That was puzzling. Didn't this guy make tons of money because he's smarter than the rest of us? Listening to our own President Bush today - oh well - he sure is slurring a lot and talking about how things will get better. Then, there's Sarah Palin ranting about Obama being a different kind of American. Really - I don't know anyone who shoots animals for fun hanging out of an airplane but that's our Sarah. So that's not helpful to me when trying to figure out her appeal and she makes my head pound with her fake shrill voice. But what's really not helpful is listening to all of this dire news about our economy and really it's not all that new, but to hear the talking heads say it's all a new crisis. Oh really? Drive around almost any small town and witness its total destruction. Ask yourself when was the last time you bought anything that said "American Made". Only thing now that's helpful is to connect the dots. The 'bailout' is some indication of the trouble that we are in. And the doubters were helpful - they knew a failed policy borne of dubious intentions. So that's helpful in an awful way . I never voted knowingly for "Goldman Saks" to determine anything. To watch our Congress crumble and ignore the public outcry for information, investigation, accountability only demonstrates their own total ignorance or worse. I guess that's helpful to understand in an awful way. This economic meltdown was totally preventable except for the greed of the few. That's helpful to know. But the idea that Americans will go quietly into the night because a few want to rule and own everything really throws me into a helpless state. Are these idiots just as stupid as that CEO from Lehman Brothers? America is a lot larger than Iraq and most of us are, from our parents and grandparents, ordinary rebels who fought in some way to make our society the very best it could be. Well, that thought is helpful.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Asleep at the Wheel
[Report this comment]
Posted by: IPF on Oct 7, 2008 2:41 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Of course, NOW, when the chickens have come to roost, NOW you are yelling, writing and pointing fingers.

I refer you to an article written back in 1999 by the New York Times -

FANNIE MAE EASES CREDIT TO AID MORTGAGE LENDING
By STEVEN A. HOLMES
Published in the New York Times on September 30, 1999.

"In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans. (article continues)"

But back then this was seen as a bold political move - right? We're helping people. Excuse me, the democratic incumbent(Clinton) is showing political leadership, blah blah blah. Skip forward 10 years and let's blame the GOP for the mess and do it again (snicker, snicker).

Another example why I will not and cannot vote Democrat - totally bankrupt and corrupt party that it is.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

JeffersonLives
[Report this comment]
Posted by: JeffersonLives on Oct 7, 2008 4:59 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

"Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back."

"The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."

"By a continuing process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens."

"Comfort and habits let us be ready to forego, but I am not ready for a creed which does not care how much it destroys the liberty and security of daily life, which uses deliberately the weapons of persecution, destruction and international strife."

"I work for a Government I despise for ends I think criminal."

"When the facts change, I change my mind.
What do you do, sir? "

(Reply to a criticism during the Great Depression of having changed his position on monetary policy)

"There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose."

" I should have drunk more Champagne."

(Last Words)
British Economist John Maynard Keynes


"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. ...Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. ...Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

Frederick Douglass, 1849

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What do you except?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: ethanlbell on Oct 7, 2008 10:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What do you except? I have been a democrat all my life, and considering the fact that I am only fifteen i consider this a pretty big achievement. However, for a democrat, 90 percent of the time i despise them. Look at the records, for all the problems in government where were the democrats? And to say that it was due to not having a majority, that is completely and utterly wrong, becuase even if there were not enough democrats in office at these times, there were certianly enough democrats in office to prevent those bills from being passed. And if you want to stick with that, how about the fact that the biggest tool ever could have been used, the fillibuster, as long as the person doing the fillibuster remains talking and standing the law cannot pass and noone can leave, so for the fasct that all this is a surprise also for democrats is a load of crap. For gods sake we were conidering electing a woman who was a democrat in name only, and the wife to one of the worst democrat presidents! So instead of bitching about the republicans how about bitching at the democrats also? And if you realy want to make a difference get more involved in politics, attemp to get in contact with your local senator or representative through email or someone in their office to get you r ideas and displeasure through. Also, stop bitching about palin! shes stupid, shes a moron, shes a liar, she thinks russia wants to conquer alaska, she thinks gays are evil, she says abstinence is the key but her daughter and 'son' say otherwise. WE GET IT! spend that time either strengthening the obama ticket or proving even more the wrongness and lack of maverick-ness of mckain (biden did the best thing ever when he popped that little blurb during the vice-presidential debate)
STOP BEING SHEEP!
STOP ALLOWING THE DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE AND HOUSE TO CAVE INTO REPUBLICANS AND CORPORATIONS
STOP CARING ABOUT THE IDIOTS WHO WANT TO VOTE FOR PALIN, THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM!
AND STOP ALLOWING DEMOCRATS TO DO NOTHING!!
for gods sake we have the majority we should be out of Iraq and screw the middle east, let the terrosists there grow we have been in enough wars, and use the bloated military budget to prevent things like 9/11, becuase we should not have to worry, we should not have to kill people to be safe, we should spend the money defending our selves in this country, not starting wars in other countries.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Your Help Needed: No Blank Check For Wall Street
[Report this comment]
Posted by: vanessa.scanfeld on Oct 7, 2008 1:34 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No Blank Check for Wall Street has been a grassroots effort aimed at achieving accountability.

Our next step is an open letter to the presidential candidates, asking them to discuss this issue in next week's debate in domestic policy. Both of them supported the bailout; why? And just as importantly, how would they prevent similar situations from occurring in the future?

See more about the effort in this post at FireDogLake.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Alternet Comments:

Comments are closed-

I'm outraged (but powerless)
[Report this comment]
Posted by: trained ape on Oct 6, 2008 2:20 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Everybody I know who knows what's going on is outraged! But most people simply do not understand monetary policy.

IT'S THEFT. Bankers literally make money out of thin air on a computer screen and then lend it. When the borrowers cannot repay, the bankers cry to Uncle Sam who steals the money from the taxpayers' children, real money, and gives it to the bankers. It's not that hard to understand, but most people still do not know.

And they didn't fix the core problem. The bubble is still ENOURMOUS and where's the regulation? This would be a good time to nationalize The Fed. Hmmm...

All praise the free market, Amen!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: I'm outraged (but powerless) Posted by: peacefullaim
» RE: I'm outraged (but powerless) Posted by: DEBKAMAINE
Sorry, this comment has been removed from the system.
» That Bailout, Keynsian market socialism at its worst Posted by: Libertarian Paternalist
» MY WIFE Posted by: mindtrvlr

Comments are closed-

Where's the outrage?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Tom Degan on Oct 6, 2008 3:10 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Here's the outrage

And here

And here's some more outrage for you

You want outrage? I got your freakin' outrage!

Tom Degan

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: le501
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: ellie
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: Spot
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: peacefullaim
» Ralph's not "in on the take"... Posted by: bthespoon
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: freshlemon
» RE: Where's the outrage? Posted by: HoboHomo
» In LIMBO-LIMBO LAND between... Posted by: itzamirakul

Comments are closed-

The real core problem.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: jlohman on Oct 6, 2008 3:15 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No, the core problem is our corrupt political system. Politicians take money from bankers and the credit industry to do exactly what they did. Until we get money our of the political system expect more of the same.

Jack Lohman
http://MoneyedPoliticians.net

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

ex rel: George W. Bush
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Direct Democracy on Oct 6, 2008 3:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The blame game is how criminals are caught and punished.

Look back.

Place blame.

FREE AMERICA

REVOLUTIONARY (DIRECT) DEMOCRACY

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: ex rel: George W. Bush Posted by: HoboHomo

Comments are closed-

They aren't listening to the people's outrage
[Report this comment]
Posted by: socialpsych on Oct 6, 2008 3:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This country is run by a Board of Directors made up of the CEOs of the largest corporations: energy, financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, computers, weapons. The CEO (aka, President) does what he/she is told to do by the Board, just like in any corporate organization. The CEO listens to his/her bosses, not to the workers.

So, our outrage has consistently fallen on deaf ears. Remember the global protests BEFORE the invasion of Iraq? They didn't listen. The protests after the invasion? They didn't listen. I stood in front of the White House with thousands of other outraged Americans and voiced my outrage up close. They didn't listen.

I fear Noam Chomsky's prediction will materialize: the Board of Directrors will apoint John McCain as the next CEO, despite the majority's outrage.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» C. Wright Mills Posted by: socialpsych

Comments are closed-

Brother can you spare $700 Billion?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: blogoffanddie on Oct 6, 2008 3:40 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It’s not really a money problem, it’s a problem of ethical and honest brokering.

When rich people profit from the market, they get to keep their profits. When rich people lose their money in the market, their losses belong to the taxpayers. It seems our ‘free market’ bankers and financiers have become stock market socialists – the $700 billion bailout is only the first installment.

http://blogoffanddie.wordpress.com
http://theimpolitecanadian.wordpress.com/

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
Groucho Marx

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Garrison Keiler is correct, to him you should listen! I wish I could say it so well, but I do say: >
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Nightstallion on Oct 6, 2008 3:47 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No amount of evidence that, the WTC bombing was hatched 16 months previously by our own Alphabet Agencies will convince the Zealot. You could drown the blighter with minutia of excruciating detail and accuracy, but the BDI SOB will puff himself up with denial deeper than that River itself.

No amount of supportive testimony, no avalanche of physical phenomena will convince the Bull Headed ball bat of anything other than you are crazy and should be locked up or better killed to shut your mouth! Meanwhile the monsters that have done this thing go blithely about their way chortling to themselves over the confused Sheeple. John Q Public you have a secret enemy and its’ name is Abaddon it will pursue all of mankind to the pit and push us into it if we let it.

One need not be Jewish to know this. One only needs to understand that human habits are next to impossible to break without perseverance. I am not Jewish, but believe when I tell you there are worse things to be, for instance one could be among the self enforced ignorant. For ignorance there is a cure, but for stupid there is only forever! Forget the stupid and the dead, you are living and you must follow the living. The alternative here is too terrible to contemplate, dead humans everywhere!

Protect your own frontier; do not let some shady fly-by-night alphabet agency whack your ass into a war. Once upon a time when this country was REALLY new people had the RIGHT to keep and bear arms, and the added responsibility to explain to the novice what they were for and why they were necessary. Today even thinking like this can get your butt tossed in the clink for encouraging terrorism. Because, self defense to these stupid frightened politicians, is terrorism!

We bought into this dumb feces honestly enough by believing that if you eliminated weapons no one would offer violence, excuse me folks I have to barf a little here. As long as humans cannot love there will be violence. Love cannot be enforced, only nourished. If you don’t get that then you should at least learn to carry arms and be at one with others in the need for self protection and the defense of your neighbor. Humans are still very sick; we have a rampant emotional plague to contend with. First learn what that plague is and you may have a chance to insure its defeat.

Along about the intervention of Mark Twain, James Joyce, and Ambrose Bierce the person writing this pretty much gave up on humans being the mote of stars tuff, the mote part is right, the star stuff is pushing it a little but the rest of it is drowned in the pollution and insensitivity of a self destructive race that must subjugate every living thing on this planet or destroy it out of hand as unworthy of existence; then self-righteously deny that it has done any of the kind; pointing at this or that dung heap of concretized earth or deforested wetland as "Progress" here here for the pruning of other species cheering undauntedly about having eradicated yet another life form that was formerly enjoyed by the once teaming blue marble hanging in the black void in the most uninhabited portion of this spiral arm of one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the firmament, meanwhile so-called science cannot Quantify nor pale zombie religious Qualify the meanness nor insanity of the race calling itself man; if there is a universal scourge apt of the name and rogue in the game this nearly hairless primate is the paragon of all that is perfidious foul in nature and excuse making of the alibi inventors in the animal kingdom: assuring itself and anyone who will listen to the tripe that they are not animals at all but godlike in stature mien and bearing more capable than any other creature on the planet of naming the path of moral inclination to be followed by all having thus delivered you to the treacley cup of Socratic sour grapes I take my leave...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

No heart here
[Report this comment]
Posted by: helenahanbasquet on Oct 6, 2008 4:02 AM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Stop acting like Sarah Palin had no choice in her decision to accept the position of McCain's running mate. If she was half as smart, and half as patriotic as she pretends to be she would have refused on the grounds that she is unqualified. He's not making her look like a fool. She's making herself and every citizen who votes for their ticket look like fools.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: No heart here Posted by: Drume

Comments are closed-

'Rescue Plan'? No it's extortion!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: paulmagillsmith on Oct 6, 2008 4:18 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
All you have to remember is this whole anti-populace scam/bailout is a SCAM on US & us. AS did they in the novel “1984” we now have ‘newspeak’ in the term Rescue Plan. More BS, it should be called the losing party’s last chance at a massive…MASSIVE rip-off of the public. They want to grab all they can before their ilk are banned for the next several decades. Doesn’t matter to them, they have done like the Steve Miller lyric says, “Ooh, ooh, take the money & run”, and they have.

“The Treasury Department plans to tap Neel Kashkari, an assistant secretary of international affairs and a former Goldman Sachs banker, to oversee the government's $700 billion financial rescue program,”

What the hell is this? More foxes in the henhouse? We expected Paulson would tap some of his buddies who got us in to this mess in the first place, but we didn’t expect him to throw it blatantly in our faces so aggregiously and without un-patriotic shame.

Don’t we have any power through the legislature or judicial to control this obvious conflict of interests, or abuse of power, by the executive? Have the American people sunk so low as to no longer control their government officials…or care?

Goldman paid Paulson a half to a billion dollars in compensation before he went to Secretary of Treasury about two years ago. Did he really leave their employ? It sure doesn’t look like it. Sachs stands to get billions off this deal.

On the other side of the coin is Bernanke, head of the FED. Quasi governmental in the public consciousness, it’s actually about a dozen-for profit-private banks. Do you believe they’re concerned about the national debt? Of course not, they’ll get their pound of flesh/interest/usury anyway…AND FIRST.

Like I said, foxes in the henhouse. How can we expect honesty from those with so obvious conflicts of interest?

AIG, which got bailed out a few weeks ago has already spent $61 of the $85 billion they were ‘gifted’ with, and will likely be holding their hand out for more. Paulson, overheard in an interview, has agreed the cost could be even $1.3 trillion, so expect to see the hand extended again there, too.

Where does it stop? If we’re fooled by fools we’re double foolish, and in big doo doo unless we get involved & act with our weight of numbers.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

why outrage? Whom do you think you're dealing with?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Philor on Oct 6, 2008 4:22 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Come on!
There's football on TV, the giant plasma screen still works fine, there's no reason to go down the street and demonstrate the way the Germans, The French or even the Chinese could!

Think about the following. The good American people haven't revolved when they were:
1- denied a National Health Care
2-denied a real retirement system other than putting money in the stock market.
3-mandatory paid vacation
4-paid maternity leave.
5-and more!

If you've taken all the above without flinching why would you wake up for any other reasons?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Reread "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and "Common Sense"
[Report this comment]
Posted by: editnetwork on Oct 6, 2008 4:32 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Both books will open eyes and stir up the soul. -- Just seeing the note:

Direct (Revolutionary) Democracy

every time I'm perusing the comments on AlterNet has got me thinking again. "When in the course of human events" it becomes necessary to throw off the yoke and throw the yokels out of office (or off their penthouse office thrones), it is time to hit the streets en masse. Even if the muckymucks don't listen right now, the voice of the "masse" will be heard.

Garrison Keillor is a priceless voice of common sense in our time. His book Homegrown Democrat can sit on a shelf worthily beside Paine. Thank God for the First Amendment, at least one more day. Then we must get out and exercise free speech ourselves and refuse to be silenced.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Wow - Garrison Keillor? Wait, Garrison KEILLOR?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Drume on Oct 6, 2008 4:44 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I was reading this, nodding my head in agreement all through, thinking it was surprisingly good, especially the part about Palin (not funny anymore), and then I get to the end and see who wrote it. Whoa.

Good piece, really good.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

We Have been Betrayed
[Report this comment]
Posted by: pappa2002us on Oct 6, 2008 5:00 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
74 members of the senate and 263 members of the house of Representatives made history by turning their backs on the majority of American Citizens.These 337 men and women as well as the President of the U.S. committed treason by betraying their Oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States when they voted yes,passed and signed the unconstitutional Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 commonly known as the "Bailout bill" into law. A bill that is loaded with pork, special interest tax breaks, and violations of the civil rights of the American people. A bill that transfers the citizens wealth to large corporations, investment banks and the corporate elites for generations to come.
President G.W. Bush, Secretary Treasury Paulson,and Fed Chairman Berneke are the originators of this act of treason and should be on the top of the list with the other 337 to have their names and pictures posted and labeled Traitor for the whole world to see. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain also voted yes. Do they really deserve your vote? Do they really represent you, the American public, or do they represent the special interests that have benefited from this act of betrayal? The two major political parties, both Democrat and Republican have shown that their loyalty to their corporate benefactors outweighs their loyalty and obligations to the American people. Every election their candidates make you promises of prosperity,a better life,better health care,better education,etc.,etc.. They take your money and your hard work of support and then do what their corporate masters want after they get elected. Do you think this time it will be any different? Do you believe that either the Republican or Democrat party now deserves your loyalty and support after adding another $17,000+ to what you,your children and future children already owe to the national debt? The Republicans have turned their backs on the traditional conservative values that once made them a great party and are acting more like fascist Russians and the Democrats want nationalize everything and turn our government into a socialist hierarchy. How long will it be before our country resembles the old soviet union? How long will it be before our government clamps down on us? The stage is set! The resemblance of the two parties and the events of the past 8 years shows it.
If you love this country,if you consider yourself a Patriotic American and you have taken the Oath to uphold and protect the Constitution at any time of your life, duty calls. It is time for "We the People" to lawfully and peaceably take our government back by exercising our authority over these corrupt politicians by voting them out of office, using the recall and letters of grievance.Please contact the other true Patriotic members of congress that did their duty and voted "no" and thank them. Also ask them to consider dropping their party affiliation and switch to either the Constitution Party or the Libertarian party so they may not be mistakenly voted out with all the other riffraff.
Being a early supporter of the Ron Paul Revolution and the campaign for liberty I implore you, Dr Paul to take the lead and set the example for the other good members to follow. The Republican Party does not deserve your loyalty and your followers and constituents back home will understand I'm sure,especially after these recent events.
Top 10 Contributors;---Obama: Goldman Sachs $739,521, UBS AG $419,550, Lehman Brothers $391,774, Citigroup Inc $492,548, Morgan Stanley $341,380,Latham & Watkins $328,879, Google Inc $487,355,JPMorgan Chase & Co $475,112, Sidley Austin LLP $370,916
Skadden, Arps $360,409;---McCain: Merrill Lynch $349,170, Citigroup Inc $287,801,Morgan Stanley $249,377, Wachovia Corp $147,456, Goldman Sachs $220,045,Lehman Brothers $115,707, Bear Stearns $108,000,JPMorgan Chase & Co $206,392. Bank of America $133,975,Credit Suisse Group $175,503

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Beck:Her Only Concern Is Abortion Posted by: left_libertarian
» What is the bigger picture? Posted by: rfrancis@godisdead.com
» RE: Constitution Party?!!! Posted by: oregoncharles

Comments are closed-

TV ads
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Last Chance on Oct 6, 2008 5:16 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If Wachovia is bankrupt why are they still spending millions for TV advertising?!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: TV ads Posted by: HoboHomo
» RE: TV ads Wachovia Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

Plenty of Outrage, No Organization
[Report this comment]
Posted by: susan rosenthal1 on Oct 6, 2008 5:17 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
No one can deny the outrage out there. But who will organize it into a force for social change?

The Democrats are hand-in-glove with this mega-theft. And the two-party system stomps on efforts to organize outside the electoral process.

It's time we broke out of this political choke-hold and organized ourselves a completely different social system.

America in Crisis

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Vote Nader Posted by: bthespoon
» RE: Vote Nader Posted by: Karina

Comments are closed-

If I had anymore outrage...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: ShrubtheWarcriminal on Oct 6, 2008 5:28 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
...I would explode.

But where do you channel that outrage to get results?

The Democraps and Repukes are opposite ends of the same stick. Voting one out is like voting one in.

Obama talks in platitudes and votes like a Repuke most of the time...especially this time.

McInsane is...well...insane...enough said.

I will be voting third party for the first time in my life. At least I will be able to look myself in the mirror the next day and not feel like I have to take a shower for two more.

Basically the Amerikkkan people have gotten what they voted for and you can pretty much put a fork in Her.

As the author has stated:

"The Republican Party used to specialize in gimlet-eyed, steel-rim, crepe-soled common sense and then it was taken over by crooked preachers who demand Americans trust them because they're packing a Bible and God sent them on a mission to enact lower taxes, less government. Except when things crash, and then government has to pick up the pieces." (He forgot to add that the Democraps are the enablers.)



THAT is the true source of the EVIL in this country, and until religion can be totally exposed for the sham it is, (a philosophy based on fear, mythology and superstition) there will be no more progress in this country.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage isn't enough...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Farasien on Oct 6, 2008 5:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The problem is, you can get mad as hell and declare you aren't going to take it anymore, but unless you DO SOMETHING SUBSTANCIAL, nothing is going to change. The people who made you mad, if they even notice, make note of your outrage, tell their speech writers to alter their speeches a bit, then go back to doing whatever the hell they want to do. Words without real action are meaningless...

...Just ask your wonderful, worshipful emperor bu$h!

...And now back to your regularly-scheduled sitcom...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

No Outrage
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Romantic Violence on Oct 6, 2008 6:04 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is no outrage worth mentioning because, like other animal species, people experience what is called learned hopelessness; in humans it's called depression.

1789

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: No Outrage Posted by: freelyb

Comments are closed-

LOL
[Report this comment]
Posted by: RedFoxOne on Oct 6, 2008 6:05 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What exactly is Main Street America supposed to do? Jump up and down? Roll around on the ground? Pound fists on the table? What good will any of it do? The rich look out for the rich and Main Street America (The Sheeple) get screwed. Thats the way it is under the Bush Regime and until the Sheeple STAND UP and TAKE BACK what was once theres, it will always be the same!

JIff
Privacy Center

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: LOL Posted by: Spot

Comments are closed-

Pathetic article. It is the cooperation of both parties that have enabled Wall $treet to
[Report this comment]
Posted by: maxpayne on Oct 6, 2008 6:10 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
FUCK and RAPE Main Street to the bone ! True, the GOP have long been the party of Wall $treet but for the past 16 years, the Democrats have clearly shown themselves to be no different. Wall $treet is stealing from Main Street because Main Street is misled into believing that they can only choose between Democrats and Republicans, both of whom will once again sell out to Wall $treet with the exception of a few from both parties. And the voting record of both parties prove it straight up.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I'm definitely outraged
[Report this comment]
Posted by: UnderTheSea on Oct 6, 2008 6:10 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
but don't know where/how to channel it...

Can't run away either, I guess. The problems of this country tend to affect the entire world.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

This comment has been removed from the site due to non-compliance with AlterNet's community policies.
» RE: OH SURE! Posted by: GrannyBgood
» RE: OH SURE! Posted by: Spot

Comments are closed-

please help Barack
[Report this comment]
Posted by: crmcvin on Oct 6, 2008 6:34 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If you are reading this Garrison - please call Barack today and ask him to let you help him write his speeches and prepare for debates. Your ongoing way with words and your powerful connection to the real issues of social, environmental and economic justice would be a gift to his campaign and upcoming presidency.
thanks for your penetrating insights and dedication to process.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: please help Barack Posted by: Spot
» RE: please help Barack Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: This is a joke! Posted by: oregoncharles

Comments are closed-

Check out the 60 minutes report on utube
[Report this comment]
Posted by: highfeather on Oct 6, 2008 6:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wFFCtx7UhI&feature=related

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Some People...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Godfather89 on Oct 6, 2008 6:36 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Some peole sit by and believe whatever the TV Tells them. It is really sickening and perverted. People need to wake up if they want to be free again. Outrage only happens when people fully understand what happened, people are to caught up in the "American Idol: Life is Good" mentality to want to bother understanding how the system works.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Do you remember TheOnion from Jan 17, 2001?
[Report this comment]
Posted by: F-Abdolian on Oct 6, 2008 6:51 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."
...
"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."
...
"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What people need to do.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: mike_burns on Oct 6, 2008 6:51 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We need to be brave. I have come to the conclusion that I have to make an individual stand. Register as a Socialist. The more people that do that, and encourage others to do the same, will supply the needed heat.
The Democrats lose their power by trying to stay center/left. You have to push hard from the left to get to center. This country can't change without that hard push. That is the only way that balance can be achieved.
We have to follow with being vocal. You will be called nuts, at first, but if more people hear it, more people will think about it. Communism has fallen. It is the Capitalist's turn. America will be for new ideas, soon!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Garrison your article hit
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Opinionator on Oct 6, 2008 6:58 AM   
Current rating: 3    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
the nail right on the head. Write more Good Stuff and keep pushing for Obama. My daughter calls me Mama for Obama, for which I am proud.

The need for "change " will not be satisfied by a vote for the demonic duo McShmo/Satanic Sarah.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What do you expect!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: motown on Oct 6, 2008 6:58 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why should the politicians listen to the voters?
You will keep voting for the same ole status quo republican or democrat not a dime difference between them. Until people get their head out of the sand and change direction nothing going to change. There are other political parties, wake up and think for yourselves.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

The Banksters Already Got Rich by Theft, Don't Need Any More.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: salt-of-the-earth on Oct 6, 2008 7:02 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
They leveraged the loans to the tune of 1,000 trillion.

They used the money to buy up all kinds of stuff.

Now they want to kill us, destroy the real economy, and flatten the U.S. to bring on the NWO.

That's the bottom line.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» The bottom line, eh? Posted by: Beck
» You thought right...... Posted by: Prophit

Comments are closed-

X-POLYGAMIST WIFE in ARIZONA
[Report this comment]
Posted by: X-POLYGAMIST WIFE on Oct 6, 2008 7:15 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Polygamists don't educate their children because educated people make their own choices.

IGNORANCE = SLAVERY. Watch the video:

http://www.bankingonheaven.com/

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

wrensis
[Report this comment]
Posted by: wrensis on Oct 6, 2008 7:15 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Since this site seems to have become an extension of the Obama campaign it might serve to get some information. These are the members of the Senate Finance, housing and urban affairs committee. All of them received money from the banking industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_Banking_Committee

additionally Obama received the second largest campaign donations from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae,
second only to Chris Dodd. It was a 10 year study and since he has only been in the senate two and a half years you might want to check that out too.
Campaign contributions, 1989-2008

Name Office State Party Grand Total Total from
PACs Total from
Individuals
Dodd, Christopher J S CT D $165,400 $48,500 $116,900
Obama, Barack S IL D $126,349 $6,000 $120,349

You can google the information under
All Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Campaign contributions.

I am not voting for McCain. I will be voting Green Party so this is not a McCain troll.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» alas Posted by: Spot
» RE: alas Posted by: wrensis
» RE: wrensis Posted by: CatDad

Comments are closed-

Where is the outrage????
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Spiritgirl on Oct 6, 2008 7:19 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You want to know where is the outrage, it's here! It's shown when America doesn't vote, because deep down they realize that their vote doesn't vs. the pocketbooks of the lobbiests that really control the Congress and it's agenda! And until we can actually get our elections financed publicly we won't be able to take it back from the sleazy lobbiests!

For the last 20+ years we've heard from politicians that government is bad and just needs to get out of the way! Funny how government was no where to be found as people were losing their homes, and being denigrated in the process as spendthrifts and moochers, yet now "Wall Street" is in financial crisis and suddenly "poof" "we" can't let them go down! And still McShame cries out that we need to let the "free markets" stay deregulated! No, he doesn't deserve the office of the President - because he doesn't have a clue that his support and belief in deregulating the "Free Market" and not allowing the "police" to do their jobs is what helped to get us in this fiasco that we currently find ourselves in!

I'm mad as hell, and I just can't take it anymore! Can you afford 4 more years of Bushco/McShame!?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Too big to fail
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Chloe2005 on Oct 6, 2008 7:20 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
is the phrase we hear from every politician. How many more trillions will we need to bail out future companies which are too big to fail? Look how large Bank of America has just become! Just another company that will be way too big to fail! I am outraged!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Too big to fail Posted by: MamaPantz
» RE: Too big to fail Posted by: Last Chance

Comments are closed-

The Financial System is Being Deliberately Crashed "To Save The Planet"
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 7:26 AM   
Current rating: 2    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Check out what Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is really about.

He's a global warming fanatic extremist who makes Al Gore look sane.

Whilst there is no scientific basis for the religion of Global Warming (and it's actually been getting colder for the last 10 years), very powerful people actually believe it and are taking drastic action to crash the entire World economy and impoverish the vast majority of the World's population.

Global Warming and Peak Oil are both myths that will soon become obvious which would descredit the enormously powerful Environmental movement.

That cannot be allowed to happen. All these crisies are being artificially created to terrorise ordinary people into the complete submission of a World Government Dictatorship.

There is nothing much standing in the way of complete and utter financial collapse such that banks no longer issue any money.

Employees won't get paid. Will people still go to work to do essential jobs providing essential services? Maybe under the point of a gun as slaves.

Time to join the army or police. At least they are likely to continue to feed you and will actually arm you to the teeth such that you can defend your own home and family from the starving hoardes.

We are seriously fucked. You can blame the casino b/wankers if you like - but they were just given a very powerful toy to play with - like giving a real machine gun to a two year old.

The real evil bastards are much higher up the food chain and its you and me and 6Billion other poor suckers who are on the menu.

I'm sure the Planet Earth will be a much better place when the 95% of us are pushing up daisies.

Its just like the Jews being led to the Concentration Camps for extermination - except they ain't going to bother with the concentration camps this time.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: "Religion of Global Warming"? Posted by: GrannyBgood
» It's Time For Peaceful Action Posted by: Last Chance

Comments are closed-

Sold out and ripped off again!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: GrannyBgood on Oct 6, 2008 7:31 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The taxpayers could have bought these mortgages and banks for this chunk of cash and done better administering them themselves! Any housewife has a better grip on her finances! What's to keep them from more stupid greedy moves, now that they truly ARE playing with "Other Peoples' Money" -OURS!?
Now it's not just the fox guarding the Henhouse, he's RUNNING it!
(And now we hear that House members were actually threatened with Martial Law if it didn't pass?!
I guess 700Bil. would just about finance the new Dictatorship, eh?)

I guess I'm an Independent now. I liked Bernie Sanders' idea best (His, and Kucinich's):
Make the BILLIONAIRES that the Bush years created through their failed policies and de-regulation pay for it! THEY are the ones who profited so obscenely while hard-working, tax-paying Americans have been impoverished, and told rubbish like, they can't have national Healthcare because it's "Too expensive"!.
A pox on both their houses!

PS: Doesn't look like the World's financial markets were fooled by this bailout, like Congress was!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Take a look around you, with OPEN eyes...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Symp on Oct 6, 2008 7:42 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Take a look at Bush, Paulson and Bernanke at the signing table. Their grins are completely transparent!

Look at your neighbors hunt for a parking spot for 15 minutes at the shopping mall as close as possible, in their delusional SUV pod because they are so fat they can't walk from the available spots just 50 feet further.

Heck, take at look at yourselves... probably! TV dinners, KFC and Bud light are "staples" in your house!

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Think about that! The ascension of the Middle-Class has yielded the deep rooting of a status quo controlled by the few Upper-Class. There's no escape outside of a total collapse.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Take A Step Back, Garrison
[Report this comment]
Posted by: pdxjoe on Oct 6, 2008 7:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A goodly part of this country, some of the more cosmopolitan transplants to Lake Woebegon even, bet on the idea of perpetual profit (what else is profit but perpetual?) in the (stock-)market in general. When it threatened to crash, we averted reality with hypocrisy and bet again on the whole delusion to continue chugging along. For every one or two people I have heard venting their outrage over the bailout, I've heard one or two other people complaining in the other direction---people on this website, in the hipster coffee-shop down the street, in the grocery store and on the bus. This bailout was desired not merely by an "elite" few on Wall Street, or even a narrow class of professional investors, but a lot of relatively everyday Americans who would give anything---including other people's taxes---not to see their petty-bourgeois delusions implode.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: My Halloween Costume Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

We are all outraged - but the press is controlled by those stealing the money.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: grahamhgreen on Oct 6, 2008 7:56 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
n/t

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Outrage fatigue
[Report this comment]
Posted by: loneswaneast on Oct 6, 2008 8:05 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I think we've given up on outrage. We had outrage after the 2000 right wing coup, during the build up to the Iraq war, the continuing lies and corporate malfeasance, bankruptcy bill, patriot act, etc... We are in a state of shock, after too many shocks (yes, I agree with Naomi Klein's assertions in her "The Shock Doctrine"). We have seen nothing done, we have seen every branch of our government lose all checks and balances. Outrage has done nothing. I think weariness and a sense of powerlessness has replaced it. This is simply another taser jolt to our senses.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

wrensis
[Report this comment]
Posted by: wrensis on Oct 6, 2008 8:07 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just what we need. A 35 year old Goldman Sachs broker to spend our 700 Billion. Check it out on CNN.com

The official said Monday that Neel Kashkari, Treasury's assistant secretary for international affairs, will soon be announced as the interim head of Treasury's new Office of Financial Stability. The official asked not to be identified by name because the selection has not been announced publicly.
The 35-year-old Kashkari is a former Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) banker, the investment giant once headed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The new office was created by the emergency legislation enacted Friday to fund the largest government bailout in history.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Really pissed
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Portlyric on Oct 6, 2008 8:08 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
There is a difference between lack of outrage and stunned outrage. You don't have to be a financial expert to understand that Washington completely ignored a firestorm of voter opposition to this bill. Normally opposition is more divided which has been fairly effective in perpetuating the myth that our two party government achieves a system of checks and balances. This crisis lifted the veil enough that voters were able to glimpse significant corruption and collusion in both parties. It would be a mistake to believe that just because the media fails to adequately reflect public outrage that it doesn't exist. I think you are going to see a lot of formerly passive individuals getting involved in pushing hard for Campaign Finance Reform.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» The Angry MOB... Posted by: Cathyc
» RE: The Second Wave Posted by: gradioc

Comments are closed-

Self Betrayal
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sirios on Oct 6, 2008 8:11 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When one chooses to identify with the collection of ideas , objects, and even gods and heroes that comprise our personality, then the outcome is the never ending need to protect this fabricated identity with and endless stream of new rationalizations and purchases. So, blame,blame,blame they,them and you,but eventually one must encounter the real culprit, ME, I and US. Palin is playing the blame card to the hilt. Obama seemed to be initially above such tactics, but has of late , entered the game. Wake up America, WE have allowed through our own greed and perceived need for safety, for this to happen. True there seems to be little outrage,and when it does raise it's head it is generally misdirected.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Your patriotic duty
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sicntired on Oct 6, 2008 8:35 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
That was the spin from a conservative think tank on CNN on Sunday night.They said it was selfish to complain about paying taxes to save the financial system.I think this is going to be the Bushies spin on this outrageous theft from the American taxpayer.I still think that the best bet for all of you that don't agree with this outright theft for the benefit of the very people that were laughing about how bad it was going to be when the bill came due but that they'd be long gone,ha ha.Would be to with hold whatever portion of your tax bill is in support of this theft.If almost half of the taxpayers refuse to pony up,they're screwed.That's why they are already starting to frame this as a patriotic duty.Don't fall for it.This is just the wealthy supporting the wealthy at the expense of joe public,as usual.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

The Bailouts are merely feeding the Black Holes Which are almost Certainly Illegal Constructs
[Report this comment]
Posted by: opmoc on Oct 6, 2008 8:52 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The solution is to bring the failing financial organisations to a situation of managed bancruptcy such that they still continue to function as banks. The Black Holes should not however be fed - but the creators of them prosecuted for Gross Fraud and the massive profits from those that benefitted from them confiscated in fines to be used as working capital.

Meanwhile all existing house mortgages with outrageous rates of interest should be renegotiated to both a reasonable rate of interest and the outstanding capital on them reduced to reflect the true current market value of the property.

If this isn't done the bust that is coming will leave millions without either a home or a job - and a fierce winter will lead them both to starving and freezing to death.

Check out your local Tent City and reserve your spec. Its good to get to know your new neighbours before things get really desperate.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

What she said
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Karina on Oct 6, 2008 8:53 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This editorial, similar to an unpublished letter I sent to the post in Feburary 2007, describes perfectly how our direct actions are ignored -

By Sonia Silbert, co-coordinator of the Washington Peace Center.

"I am so tired of the mainstream media complaining about the lack of a peace and social justice movement in our country ["Where Have All the Protests Gone?" Style, Sept. 24]. There is a movement -- a strong and vibrant one.

And people would know about it if outlets such as The Post covered it. Time and time again, the media have belittled and ignored protests. We had an estimated quarter-million people in the street in Washington in 2007 (just like the '60s!), and the media wondered, "Why not more?" and "Do marches do anything anyway?" We had hundreds risking arrest despite little fanfare in Minneapolis at the Republican National Convention and in Washington on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

One of the major problems of the peace and justice movement is the media's refusal to cover it. Instead, you choose to make a story of how my generation is apathetic and disconnected. Isn't it time you got bored of that story and started covering the amazing work being done? I'd bet that folks would love to hear about it.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: What she said Posted by: stopthemaddness2
» RE: What she said Posted by: Karina

Comments are closed-

Don't worry. Go shopping.
[Report this comment]
Posted by: alturn on Oct 6, 2008 8:55 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just waiting for Bush to go on TV and tell us that all we need to do to avert a deepening crisis is to go shopping. Oops, most shopper's credit cards have been maxed out.

So maybe we will have to put down the remote and beer can, redevelop critical thinking abilities and open our minds to radical stories and far greater possibilites than currently surmised.

Such as this really is the time we must completely shift away from our currently materialistic, individualistic world view.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

So
[Report this comment]
Posted by: willymack on Oct 6, 2008 8:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The same crooks who squandered other people's money and went broke doing it are being rewarded for their illegal behavior with more of other people's money. So, both corporate America and our "leaders" in congress have been screwing us over, big time. What's all this got to do with who's on American Idol tonight, anyway? Gimmie another beer, honey! Now, lesee: who's playing on Monday Night Football? This is the "mind" set of those who voted for bush TWICE, and will surely vote for mcnut/palin this time. This is why it's so important that as many of us who see what's REALLY been happening and is likely to continue under a mcstooge regime get out and vote for Obama in record numbers. If you have a functioning brain, the choice should be an obvious one. Joe Six Pack will thank us later, you betcha.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Many months ago, I wrote in this forum...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: djnoll on Oct 6, 2008 9:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
that this year it does not matter who is elected President. What truly matters is who is elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is these positions that can again act as a check or balance on the Executive Branch, and yet we hear very little about who is running for these seats or their positions. How many people here called the opposition candidate in their district or state and asked how they would have voted if they had been in DC last week? I called and asked the candidate here in Las Vegas running against incumbent John Porter (Republican who voted YES twice), and her campaign stated that she would have voted against it because it contained no real oversight or regulation of the industry, not to mention the price tag! There is no Independent running here, so she will get my vote. My only regret is that Harry Reid and John Ensign are not up for re-election, or I would be working to get them stopped for their cowardice in this bailout bill.

It is imperative that you vote for members of Congress that will actually stop the Executive Branch from continuing to steal our country from us. I personally believe that Obama will be a President who can undo much of the damage of the last 8 years while McCain is not mentally or morally fit to be president. But what is more important is whether those we send to Congress this year will be in sufficient numbers to create a real veto proof congress that will work to help the American people, not corporations or Wall Street.

So, stop feeling frustrated and start working your buns off to get a new Congress elected, made up Independents, Democrats, and moderate Republicans who will actually work for the benefit of the American people, but mostly make sure that the Independents have a large enough majority to swing votes in the Senate and create real collaboration in the House. If you cannot find any such candidates, check out if a write-in candidate is allowed on your state's ballots, and start knocking on doors to get yourself elected, it is 30 days until the election, and if you are from a small district, you might be able to make it! Then maybe we can find out what real democracy is like again!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

We are repeating all the mistakes of the Roman Empire
[Report this comment]
Posted by: dudelette on Oct 6, 2008 9:09 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
We are not a democracy. We are an oligarchy, an oligarchy that works feverishly to continue its control and growth at the expense of everyone else. We have near slave labor in the illegal immigrants and the working poor. We have bread and circuses in welfare that continues for generations and televised sports. We can even watch gladiatorial combat with ultimate fighting.

Continuing to support this system is not just dumb, it's Palin dumb.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Americans are self-interested hyperindividualists
[Report this comment]
Posted by: nfamous on Oct 6, 2008 9:34 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Americans are outraged but since we can't beat the hell out of the elite we just take it out on each other. Americans are completely selfish, shallow and hyperindividualist. We only care about ourselves and occasionally our families. No one else matters to us, not the people in Darfur, not the innocent Iraqis being slaughtered and definitely not our own homeless. Americans want too do whatever they have to do to provide themselves a comfortable lifestyle with no regard for other humans on the planet. Our complicity is our silence and it's just as bad as the global criminals themselves. Human beings are instinctively self-serving creatures. Americans are just the extreme version of it and it is finally coming back to haunt us.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

I AM OUTRAGED ALL THE TIME
[Report this comment]
Posted by: cori on Oct 6, 2008 9:38 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I CALL MY SENATORS AND EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NOT MY SENATORS! SHOULD WE MARCH? I'M BUYING LESS, DRIVING LESS. PEOPLE NEED TO TRY AND START UNIONS. I SIGN PETITONS. UNLESS THERE IS ONGOING LARGE PROTESTS, WALKOUTS LIKE IN THE 60'S NOT MUCH WILL HAPPEN. I WAS THERE WHEN THEY ROITED IN COLUMBIA IN NEW YORK. WE HAD TO FIGHT. KIDS DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO VIETNAM. SO I COULD USE SOME SUGGESTIONS. CAUSE OUR SENATORS ARE SITTING UP THERE DOING SQUAT. I THINK WE NEED TO GET THEM ALL OUT AND START OVER WITH NEW ONES WHO UNDERSTAND THAT WE WANT THEN TO WORK FOR US1

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Very Outraged also powerless
[Report this comment]
Posted by: hennaflowerchild on Oct 6, 2008 9:44 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I am super mad. I love how our GREAT GREAT grandchildren will still be paying for this crap. I say FIRE all the MORONS in congress lets elect a new uncorrupted set and limit their term (so we can avoid allowing these extortionists to grow roots in a seat that is very important).
I love how friday it said on Associated Press how Bush QUICKLY signed the bill approving the bailout. I wanted to march down to Crawford Tx ring the door bell and leave a bag with poo on his porch. Now today stock market is lowest in 4 years.

Thanks BUSH! He's trying to leave a lasting impression....thanks but no thanks he should shut it!

What are we supposed to do?? Thats what I want to know?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

It's not their money it's ours...
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Pirate1 on Oct 6, 2008 9:47 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
If only the population were educated to KNOW this. Instead, most people are encouraged to be lazy and get their cues from TV and talk radio so they haven't a clue. They do what they're told. Nice system for the wealthy.

We had our chance and we blew it. Just who are these so called "representatives of the people" working for? Most of them know that by the time the people figure out how badly they've been screwed, they'll be reelected and by the time the next election comes around, the vast majority of the people will have forgotten all this. Most people in congress are sons and daughters and buggermates of the very elite that is stealing us blind and despoiling the only planet we have. But the masses are kept dumb so they'll respond with comfusion rather than revolt. it's disgusting to live in such times.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Faith in Regulation!?!
[Report this comment]
Posted by: Geonomist on Oct 6, 2008 9:55 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Faith in regulation says more about the political brain, people overly fond of power, than it does about methods to keep money safe. Keilor even writes that the money was ours. So, we shove all our money over to people we vilify up one side and down the other, and expect regulation to save us? Politics never did have much room for rationality.

The obvious solution -- don't give them all your money in the first place. To redirect all we spend on land and buildings, we need to shift taxes and subsidies, and thereby redirect all that spending to ourselves. Use taxes or fees to recover the values of land and resources and use a dividend to share the revenue among us, a la Alaska's oil dividend. That'd shrink mortgages down to the size of the value of the building, something local credit unions could comfortably manage, an no longer the low-hanging fruit for the rapacious.

Lose the ambition of trying to lord it over Wall Street. Just don't send them your money.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Comments are closed-

Hood River
[Report this comment]
Posted by: hoodriver on Oct 6, 2008 10:07 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Outrage? I have been outraged for 8 years! I have joined groups, written letters, signed petitions, made phone calls, given dinners, rung doorbells, registered voters, circulated petitions and talked myself blue in the face. If the American people believe the garbage dished out by the Rove/Schmit/McCain/Palin bunch I just may move to Canada. (Not really-I'll fight to the death) I want to see Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales and the rest of them impeached and in prison. You can add the Wall Street crooks to make sure they can all get up a good game of golf.

How the American people can suffer so much abuse & still vote Republican is a true mystery. The Dems aren't a lot better but they are better. Tell me what more we can do...

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Hood River Posted by: oregoncharles
» RE: Hood River Posted by: hoodriver

Comments are closed-

This SAYS it all - the TED Spread
[Report this comment]
Posted by: sallyride on Oct 6, 2008 10:10 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Wake Up America~

I have taken the definition from Wilkpedia for all to read if you are not already familiar.

The TED spread is the difference between the interest rates on inter-bank loans and short-term U.S. government debt ("T-bills").

Initially, the TED spread was the difference between the interest rates for three-month U.S. Treasuries contracts and the three month Eurodollars contract as represented by the London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR). However, since the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped T-bill futures, the TED spread is now calculated as the difference between the three-month T-bill interest rate and three-month LIBOR.

The TED spread is an indicator of perceived credit risk in the general economy[1]. This is because T-bills are considered risk-free while LIBOR reflects the credit risk of lending to commercial banks. When the TED spread increases, that is a sign that lenders believe the risk of default on inter-bank loans (also known as counterparty risk) is increasing. Inter-bank lenders therefore demand a higher rate of interest, or accept lower returns on safe investments such as T-bills. When the risk of banks defaults is considered to be decreasing, the TED spread decreases.[2]

TED is an acronym formed from T-Bill and ED, the ticker symbol for the Eurodollar futures contract. The size of the spread is usually denominated in basis points (bps). For example, if the T-Bill rate is 5.10% and ED trades at 5.50%, the TED spread is 40bps. The TED spread fluctuates over time but historically has often remained within the range of 10 and 50 basis points (0.1% and 0.5%), until 2007. A rising TED spread often presages a downturn in the U.S. stock market, as it indicates that liquidity is being withdrawn.

During 2007, the Subprime mortgage crisis ballooned the TED spread to a region of 150-200bps. On September 17, 2008, the record set after the Black Monday crash of 1987 was broken as the TED spread exceeded 300bps.[3] Some higher readings for the spread were due to inability to obtain accurate LIBOR rates in the abs