The DC Folly Trolley – 06/17/12

A man sworn to destroy the other’s presidency.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell whined the other day about efforts by a number of Democrats to force PAC donors to reveal their identity. As always, he had the president’s remarks in his sights.

McConnell has done more to harm the middle class than anyone since Newt Gingrich. And, like all conservatives, he’s proud of it.

Payola got him where he is and it will keep him there and his message to the American people is they have no right to know where the cash is coming from.

Sadly for Obama and the Democrats, in a time of crisis, raising payola is their greatest challenge.

***

Well, guess what? Some Republicans are starting to brag about the unemployment rate during the Bush regime’s tenure.

That rate, it is true, hovered between five and six per cent and Republicans are beginning to puff out their chests and bluster.   

The figure issued by the BLS, however, has been a rigged number for years, mostly because it doesn’t count everyone whose unemployed. Go figure.

And, as we should all know by now, the Bush years get an “F” in job creation for the dubious distinction of creating the least number of jobs since the Great Depression. And of those created, many were of the minimum wage variety.

The only saving grace for Bush was that employment remained high in the construction and real estate industries – propped up mainly by the housing bubble which burst with horrible consequences during his second term.

Republicans have nothing to cheer about as far as employment is concerned during the Bush years. Except for the bubble, it remained stagnant throughout.

***

Jeb’s got himself in a pickle.  He made a heretical statement about taxes and compromise and he could be banished from the party.  

Not to worry though.  He was never on the short list for the VP nod because he might overshadow Romney and the Republican nominee would never allow that to happen.

The Bush family, hoping 2016 is Jeb’s year.

My guess is that the Bushes are hoping for a Romney defeat. A loss for Mitt would open the door to a Jeb nomination and run in 2016.

The younger Bush is already pushing a more moderate GOP agenda, what you might call “compassionate conservatism”. Woe betide the country, for sure.

***

We have to add Bill Clinton – a president I voted for twice – to the long list of culprits who played a large role in the economic demise of so many Americans. His signature on deregulation legislation led directly to the current depression.

***

The chart below compares overhead costs for the largest health insurers.

Health Insurance Company Overhead Costs

Aetna	22.1%
Humana	18.3%
Wellpoint	17.9%
United Healthcare	18.6%
Cigna	22.7%
Medicare	1.3%

Physicians for a National Health Program www.pnhp.org

Looks like a no-brainer to me. The best company for your investment dollars is Wellpoint.

Medicare of course is a non-profit, government managed program that’s been screwing up the marketplace with unparalleled efficiency for over forty years now. How did we ever allow that to happen. Guess we’ll never learn.

The faster we get that program converted to a profit voucher system the sooner we end all the fuss about affordable healthcare. And it will be converted – to the benefit of Wall Street of course – regardless of who the next president is.

***

Bev Perdue, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, has battled a Republican legislature for her entire term in office. The GOP has overridden several of her vetoes. Of course, the Republicans needed the help of five backstabbing Democrats to do so.

Bev Perdue, a much maligned lady in a state turning sharply to the right.

Perdue’s record would have been commendable had she had the support of a Democratic legislature.

The blame for any mismanagement of affairs rests with this assemblage of right wing politicians. It is this body that rules NC.

***

The vagina challenged, Republican controlled Virginia legislature showing “concern” for women’s safety reaches a level of hypocrisy not realized by the GOP since, well, since last week when Mitt Romney tiptoed around an element of the immigration controversy by saying the “status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter” and we need to figure out a way to help these kids.

Actually, the Vagina legislature’s attempt to force abortion clinics to place drinking fountains in waiting rooms isn’t such a bad idea. I’ve been in waiting rooms where you could die of thirst waiting.

There, ya see ladies, the GOP is looking out for your safety after all.

***

Mitt Romney, the expositor of the “self-deport” proposal, needs to figure out a way to keep his foot out of his mouth and figure out a position on immigration.

Well, go figure, Mitt. You’re running for president fer chrissakes.

On the other hand, maybe he should keep putting his foot in his mouth. It’s becoming his modus operandi, that is, making contravening statements simultaneously. People come to expect it. Soon nobody cares anymore.

Mighty Mitt strikes again.  Where will the next blow fall?  Not even the Mittster knows the answer to that question.

His methods may well become the new way to win elective office in America. Say something, flip flop with impunity and you’re on the record as supporting both sides of the same issue.

Mighty Mitt, of course, is reluctant to discuss the immigration issue. If he supports a lenient policy, he loses a lot of white votes. If he favors deportation the Latino vote becomes hopelessly lost.

***

A former Obama law school professor declared that he no longer supports the president and the chief executive must be defeated in November.

The professor has a point when he expresses dismay at Obama’s record in office and makes a cogent argument for the president’s defeat. One in particular stands out: Obama’s empty appeal to tax justice. I would add empty headed appeal since fewer and fewer of his supporters believe or trust the words the president mouths. His rhetoric is as empty as his appeals and his so-called attempt to triangulate yet another issue has fooled no one.

So if Obama goes down in November, so be it. Despite a long record of small accomplishments, the president has not earned a second term.

Sure, Romney will be worse. But can anyone say with certainty that another four years for Obama will be better than the failure of the first four. Can the country afford a second meek performance? Would reelection simply reinforce the president’s determination to continue on his ill-fated course?

A liberal and loyal Democrat (those who still revere FDR’s New Deal) cannot in good conscience vote for the likes of Romney. The man is as unscrupulous and unprincipled a politician to receive a party’s nomination since, well, since George W. Bush. But a similar case can be made against Obama. (See The Mendacity of Hope by Roger D. Hodge for a brutally honest evaluation of the policies of the Obama administration).

The real question is how did a great nation come to such a disastrous fork in the road? The words quandary and dilemma come to mind. Is a puzzlement.

Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence in a photo from the Broadway play The King and I. In the play and later the movie, the king expressed his dismay and confusion about the politics of the time in the solo Is A Puzzlement.

***

No doubt the Republicans have done everything in their power to sabotage Obama’s presidency, including prolonging the suffering of those Americans most impacted by the Great Recession.

My complaint about Obama is that he did not go to bat for the people who gave him their wholehearted support. He abandoned millions when they needed him most and left them to their own devices.

If he had put up a fight and lost, I could give him credit for willingness to do battle with an intransigent GOP and lend him my support him. But his effort has been lukewarm at best and now so is my support his reelection.

For the first time in my voting life, I’m seriously considering leaving the presidential field on the ballot blank.

Recall Rahm Emanuel’s snide remark about liberals, to wit “where else can they go”. The answer of course is “nowhere at all”. If you cannot agree with the policies of a candidate and are repelled by some of his views, it makes no sense to vote for him.

Now when I’m stabbed in the back, it will be through no fault of my own. “Fool me once….”

***

It looks like Obama is hanging on to Simpson/Bowles for dear life. I guess the campaign cash flows through that nefarious plan.

In a nutshell, Simpson/Bowles advocates sharp cuts in social safety net programs and tax reform which reads increases for the middle class and cuts for the wealthy. The increases remain unspecified but the mortgage interest deduction appears to be on the chopping block.

Wall Street Patsy (also Secretary of the Treasury) Tim Geithner stated that the president is still considering an austerity plan along the lines of Simpson/Bowles.

***

It appears as though the White House strong armed Nancy Pelosi into supporting Simpson/Bowles by threatening to have the former Speaker removed from her leadership position. That would leave Obama water boy and right wing Democrat Steny Hoyer in line for the Speakership should the Dems win the House in November.

Related articles

• Jeb Bush: Willingness to compromise in DC is gone (miamiherald.com)
• GOP stars air sharp critiques (politico.com)
• Why Seniors Should NOT Vote Republican (liberaladvocate.typepad.com)

The DC Folly Trolley – 06-10-12

President Obama once again failed to show up in Wisconsin to support the recall of Gov. Scott Walker.

He was a no-show last year as well during the protests in Madison.

So, again, the hollow echos of the promise the prez made during the 2008 campaign reverberate, to wit: “If American workers are being denied their right to organize when I’m in the White House, I will put on a comfortable pair of shoes and I will walk on that picket line with you as President of the United States.”

There. Now you just read it again.

But what we all forget about the president is that he suffers from an excruciating medical condition referred to as BTBS. This malady – known to physicians as Big Toe Blister Syndrome – recurs whenever union members form a picket line or a protest rally and it is really this condition that prevents the president from fulfilling his promise to walk the line.

Nice feet. Healthy too. You can’t walk on sand when suffering from BTBS, the painful condition that afflicts the president whenever a union picket line forms.  (Photo courtesy of Misternicktheprick).  

Fortunately for the president, when the protests subside, the condition, mysteriously, goes into remission and the chief executive is able to walk without pain and resume the duties of office.

***

The old horse cantered out of the stable this week. That’s what happens when you leave the barn door open.

Bill Clinton traveled to Wisconsin to support the labor union recall effort and the Democratic candidate whats his name. Oh, you know that Milwaukee mayor guy whose now two for two going up against Walker. In the loss column, that is.

A photo depicting one of the more worthwhile efforts of an otherwise failed presidency.

Good job, Willy. As we all know Walker is now two for two running against that Milwaukee mayor guy. In the win column, that is. The winner and still governor won by what is know in politics as a “blowout” with a 53-46 majority. Well, OK. So maybe it was only a landslide.

But wait. That’s not all Willy accomplished the past few days. He called Mitt Romney’s performance at Bain Capital “sterling”.

But wait. That’s not all Willy did this week. He actually called for an extension of all the Bush tax cuts in direct contravention to President Obama’s irreversible stand (oxymoron alert!) that the cuts for the wealthy need to be ended and only the cuts for the middle class retained.

Quick. Somebody get Willy a copy of the New York Times. The “newspaper of record” has declared time and again that Mitt Romney has won the Republican nomination for president and will be running in the November election against Barack Obama.

So the “Democrat of record” says on TV – not at a glitzy cocktail party fer crissakes but right there on freakin’ TV – that Mitt’s performance at Bain is “sterling”. That statement puts one of the Dems sterling campaign issues to bed. As a once famous sportscaster used to say “Holy Cow!!!”

With friends like Willy, Obama could wrap up his reelection campaign tomorrow and save himself a lot of trouble. And money. A lot of money.

If you want to know how companies such as Bain operate you can google Stella D’oro Biscuit Company or the private equity firm Brynwood Partners. You’ll discover a sad chronicle of for-profit only tactics. And there are many more stories that follow the same pattern – too numerous to mention.

Those methods range from sleazy to perhaps sterling. However, I would think the scale leans heavily toward the former.

Let’s sum up the former prez’s week long bag of fails. Wisconsin blows him off (figuratively speaking); he calls the opposition candidate “sterling”; and then stridently contravenes the president of the United States on extending the Bush tax cuts.

Oh, he said he was sorry. About the tax cut statement. That makes all the difference.

Nevertheless, it was a blunder so monumental that Republicans are calling him “buddy.” He might even appear in GOP propaganda ads criticizing Obama’s performance. You gotta hand it to Wild Willy though. There are actually days when he can trump Trump.

In any case, he’s still the darling of Democrats who call themselves loyal with something like a 66% favorable rating. Go figure.

Willy’s real problem, however, is that the number of truly loyal Democrats is diminishing.

The devoted Democrat – and if you are one you will agree – is one who still revers FDR and his New Deal. The current party establishment has dumped those loyalists over the side. And Bill Clinton is the worst offender.

The Dem establishment, however, still doesn’t want to stuff the ever pompous Clinton into the stable and lock the barn door. Too many like this apostate. But at the rate Willy’s going…. Well, as a famous sportscaster once said: Going, going, gone.

Mel Allen, one time “Voice of the Yankees”.

***

Did I mention Bill Clinton?

Anyways, as a famous TV detective once said: “Just one more thing.”

Peter Falk as Columbo, part of Our American Heritage.

There are at least two other people on this rapidly overheating planet who have grown to dislike the policies of the former prez.

One is the eminent economist Dean Baker who realized long ago that “the seeds of the current disaster were put in place by the policies of the Clinton administration.” Deregulation, one of Clinton’s signature policies sent an economic snowball down a decades long hill where it is still rolling.

Baker also accuses the former president of doing nothing to contain the tech stock bubble that occurred and then burst during Clinton’s tenure in the Oval Office.

It was that bubble that brought about the budget surpluses and not tax increases and budget cuts.

The Clintonistas must also bear some responsibility for the “huge trade deficits the economy now faces with its engineering of the bailout of the East Asian financial crisis.” The terms were so sever that the bailed out countries were forced to accumulate enormous dollar reserves, an action that artificially placed a high value on the U S currency and made American exports prohibitively expensive.

Read the article at Beat the Press, Baker’s blog.

If Clinton’s Economic Record Is Viewed Positively, Then It Speaks to the Horrible State of Economic Reporting | Beat the Press

The second person who is forthright about Clinton’s (and Obama’s) dismal performance in office is Professor David Michael Green.

Green entertains with brutally honest critiques of the Clinton, Bush and Obama regimes. Here is a quote from his latest post.

And, despite the fact Bill Clinton deserves to rot in hell for the damage he did in exchange for his personal joyride in the White House, we were nevertheless forced to watch in horror the relentless and destructive lunacy of the president’s impeachment for the high crime of lying about a blow-job.

You can read Green’s assessments at his blog The RegressiveAntidote http://www.regressiveantidote.net/

His posts should be required reading for all Democrats, especially those who handed out a 66% favorable rating to the phoney Democrat.

Broken Shards Of The Heart | The Smirking Chimp

***

As a teenager and once practicing Catholic, I would often step into a dimly lit booth and on bended knee before a dark screen and small door wait anxiously for the door to slide open while a priest listened to another Catholic in a similar booth rattle off his sins.

When my turn came and in order to make a “good confession”, I would have to tell the priest whenever I got laid because getting laid was a mortal sin, even though I really liked it.

I had bragged to any number of other human beings about my activities, but didn’t want to admit them to a priest. I was forced to, however, because if I didn’t I would make what was called a “bad confession” and none of my other sins – like when I cursed – would be forgiven. The downside was that I would receive a heavier penance – something like saying fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys instead of the usual five.

Sometimes that could be a problem – since I usually went to confession early Saturday evening and was in a hurry because I was hoping to get laid later that night which – praise the Lord – occasionally happened.

Now I was never what used to be called a “hair man” (not sure of the etymology there) so I didn’t get laid often and this predicament didn’t occur frequently. But when confessing, you had to vow never to commit the sin again. Otherwise the confession didn’t count.

Today I wonder how many bad confessions I made since, while doing penance, I was hoping to get laid in just a few hours.

Now that brings us to one Mr. Dolan, Cardinal Timothy, a man who holds the second highest rank in the hierarchy of the Catholic church. The guy is accused of giving payola, as much as $20,000, to pedophile priests to facilitate whatcha call your “return to the laity” for “unassignable priests”.

That raises the question of what did the former archbishop of Milwaukee know and when did he know it? Also does the cardinal consider payola a sin? If so did he confess it? Did he receive as penance at least fifteen Our Fathers and fifteen Hail Marys? Or did he make numerous bad confessions and hence have none of his sins forgiven?

Another cardinal noted for his intrigues, this one infamous Cardinal Richelieu.

My guess is that Dolan gets to decide what’s a sin and what isn’t and payola isn’t.

Hey, he is, like, a cardinal, ya know.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan Allegedly Paid Suspected Pedophile Priests To Leave Ministry While Head Of Archdiocese Of Milwaukee

 

Related articles

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• Obama’s attacks on Romney’s Bain Capital past may be paying off, new poll suggests – New York Daily News (nydailynews.com)
• Obama: I Won’t Extend Bush Tax Cuts for Rich. Period. (newser.com)
• Under Romney, Bain Took Loads of Government Aid (newser.com)
• Best Frenemies? Bill Clinton Speaks Out Against President Obama…Again (newstalkcleveland.com)

The DC Folly Trolley

Bill Clinton says companies such as Bain Capital do good work. Yeah, right. They also contribute boatloads of payola to political campaigns.

I suspect it’s not the so-called “good work” the right wing Dems are so thrilled about.  Rather it’s all that payola both in office and when they leave that’s got them so excited.  And let’s not forget companies like Bain are a good way to make a fast buck.

Mr. Fat Cat himself.

Romney made a fortune. Of course, he was born sitting on top of his father’s pile of cash.

But not the little boy from Arkansas.  He started from scratch and look at him now.  Talk about scratch, I’ve read estimates of his wealth that range from $38 to $80 million. Even if the estimates are exaggerated, the guy did right well for himself. All he had to do was sell out the New Deal and he was blessed by those who do the blessing in the world of Follyland DC.

And if Obama loses? He has to be drooling at the prospects of his post-presidency years. He’s gonna get rich beyond his wildest dreams.

So if you aren’t already super rich, the presidency is little more than a stepping stone to untold wealth.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

***

John Edwards is nothing more than a corrupt politician.

You gotta problem with corrupt politicians?

No one in government does.

Says he wants to do public service. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

***

Jay Townsend, a GOP reactionary, advocated throwing acid into the eyes of Democratic female senators. Stupid remark? Of course, he’s a Republican. What would you expect?

Proves beyond doubt that many Republicans are only recently emerged from the Neander Valley in Germany, the site where the remains of a tribe of Neanderthals, once thought to be extinct, were discovered.

Neandertal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jay Townsend before shaving in the morning.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

***

Dear Mitt, some are feeling concerned

When you stand with D. Trump and get burned

The Donald’s a huge gambler

Who knows squat of the Nash Rambler

Yet so rich he cannot be spurned

The car that made the Romneys famous, produced while George Romney was CEO.  1959 Rambler American 2-door compact sedan by American Motors Corporation (AMC) — the first generation design. Painted in optional factory two-tone blue. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

***

Sign seen in front of the office of the American Psychiatric Association:

New Patients Accepted

We have a diagnosis just for you.

See your local psychiatrist and get yours today.

Psychiatrists have teamed up with Big Pharma in an all out effort to convince the American people that they really are crazy. According to an article in Dissident Voice the psychiatric group has “reaffirmed its resolve to pathologize healthy people.”

Nice too see this group so willing to help the sanity challenged.

Of course, when you can define sanity challenged, the profession becomes just another way to make a fast buck.

***

It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they’ve been fooled. Mark Twain.

***

Scott Walker may be a douche bag, but according to polls, it’s a douche a majority of Wisconsin’s voters can’t wait to get – for a second time around.

***

Sounds like the Bush family is still hoping for a Jeb pick.

Smilin’ Al. Is he still carrying water for the Bushes?

Alberto Gonzalez, Bush’s Attorney General, told CNN’s John King that Marco Rubio (R-FL) is not qualified to be vice president. Sounds like the Bush family is still hoping for a Jeb pick despite the fact that the former Florida governor keeps insisting he doesn’t want the job. In politics, however, no, no, no, too often means please, please, please!!!

If the Bushes want Jeb, and Romney knows what’s good for him, it’ll be Jeb for VP all the way.

The only reason Romney might not want Jeb is that he could be too powerful an influence over White House affairs and might overshadow Mitt’s presidency.

Related articles

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The DC Folly Trolley

Heard the latest rumors about Olympia Snowe. She’s leaving the Senate and she never had an affair. Not homosexual, not bisexual, not even straight. How the hell did someone like that ever get elected to the Senate in the first place?

Snowe calls it quits. Just can't take the GOP insanity anymore. Image via Wikipedia

She’s a sly one though. This lady of Maine’s great coup occurred during the stimulus give and take in the Finance Committee. She managed to wittle down the package to one that Republicans could claim was a failure.

She repeatedly outwitted the Ivy League city slickers on the Obama economic team by presenting them with a bill that was sure to fail.

Even though the stimulus created and saved millions of jobs, it was much to small to achieve the objective of revitalizing the economy.

***

There’s an old Mafia saying: you gotta have the geetus. That goes double in politics. Not enough cabbage and you get to take the first plane out of Follyland.

The Dems didn’t push their agenda when they had a Democratic Congress because they were scared shitless that it might pass. And if it ever did the big money boys would stop greasing their palms.

That’s why the Dems love the filibuster. They can advocate for a fake populist agenda and then blame the Republicans for blocking it.

And, God forbid, if a portion of the agenda comes too close to passing, they can always depend on Joe Lieberman or Ben Nelson to shoot it down.

***

In view of the Church of Latter Day Saints’ custom of baptizing dead Jews, the bookstore at the Sardo Institute of Lame Humor is offering Mormons an opportunity to participate in a time honored Jewish tradition. 

The bookstore at the Institute announced today that it will begin selling a Mormon version of yarmulkes with the name of Brigham Young embroidered in 14 carat gold lettering emblazoned across the front of the cap. Yarmulkes for the ladies come with a pink tassel. And when you press the button on top of the cap, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will burst into a chorus of Tzena, Tzena, Tzena sung in medieval Yiddish.

The yarmulke comes with a certificate that entitles the bearer to a Bar Mitzvah and contains a discount coupon for a rabbinical circumcision – even if you’ve already had one – rabbinical or otherwise. And be sure to ask about our postmortem Bar Mitzvah. Bat Mitzvahs are also available.

Mormons are encouraged to be the first in their temples to proudly display a Brigham Young yarmulke.

Send your order to The Sardo Institute Bookstore, Box 555 55 55, Pasta Fagioli, Italy. Yarmulkes are only $19.95 each plus $5.95 for shipping and handling. But if you act right now we’ll include a second yarmulke absolutely free. Just pay shipping and handling. Cash only please.

Better hurry! Offer available while supplies last.

 

A real yarmulke and a menorah from the Harry S. Truman collection.  

***

It’ll be Romney as the Republican nominee or, if the Mayan calendar is right about a calamity in 2012, Jeb Bush by default in a deadlocked GOP convention.

2016 is probably Jeb’s year. I suspect the Bush family is secretly hoping for an Obama victory.

The Bushes - hoping for an Obama victory in 2012? Image via Wikipedia

A spokesman for Jeb Bush announced today that if the former governor does not earn the Republican nomination for president in 2012 he will vote for Barack Obama. The spokesman said that if Obama wins reelection, Jeb feels certain he will be the GOP nominee in 2016 and should win the presidential election with ease

***

Referring to the Israel-Iran squabble, the president told a fund raising audience that he does not bluff. Well, he may not bluff, but that’s only because he folds with a winning hand.

***

Nice gesture by the president to a cruelly insulted young woman. He thanked Sandra Fluke for speaking out on the important issue of insurance payment for birth control. The Georgetown law student was then defamed by the defamer in chief, none other than Rush Limbaugh himself.

***

Rush Limbaugh makes his living by being a snot-nosed entertainer.

Phil Donahue with Rush Limbaugh’s best feature in the background.  (Photo courtesy of Eddie S. Photostream).

Unfortunately for the nation, the millions who hang on his every word believe he is a journalist and that everything he says is sacred truth.

You have to understand Rush Limbaugh though. The man makes a living acting like an asshole. And he depends on other assholes for his bread and butter. It’s not his fault that the nation is filled with ignorant people. Moreover, it’s that crowd that makes him a multimillionaire – a true one percenter. And so he continually pounds right wing propaganda into the tiny brains of his listeners – many of whom reside firmly in the lower economic layers of the US and who may be rightly described as belonging to a class called the Ignorantsia. And after he finishes exploiting these dummies, he collects his cash.

So it’s not only Limbaugh who is an insult to civility and his country. His idolaters are as well.

Unfortunately for the nation, too many people consider this obnoxious entertainer a journalist.

***

353,000 MINUS 351,000 that’s a difference of, let’s see. I better get out my slide rule so I’m sure not to make a mathematical error here.

What did I do with that damn thing anyway! Oh, well, I guess you’ll just have to suffer through that mathematical problem all by yourselves. And I promise, I’ll try to come up with the right answer before the next leap year.

Anyway, the Labor Department ballyhooed that figure as a sign that the economy is on the mend. Yes, that’s right. Fewer people filed for unemployment benefits last week than the week before. Have you figured out how many fewer yet? NO! Well, take your time. There’s no hurry. And don’t feel bad ’cause the Labor Department doesn’t know shit from shoe polish anyway. (I would have used the defunct brand name Shinola but I didn’t want to associate a once fine shoe polish with Labor Department bullshit).

According to the LD, the unemployment rate was steady at 8.3 %. That figure however doesn’t include everyone whose unemployed. Go figure that figure.

You see, the Einstein’s at the LD stop counting unemployed people when they decide that these jobless souls are no longer looking for jobs. How do they figure that? Go figure. If they figured the actual number of unemployed along with those working part-time still looking for full time work, I figure the figure would be much higher than the LD’s figure. Probably somewhere in the low 20s. A 20% unemployment rate figure, however, just doesn’t figure well into Obama’s reelection message. At least that’s how I figure it.  

Related articles

• Rush Limbaugh Loses Sponsors Then Decides to Apologize to Sandra Fluke (releasedorothy.wordpress.com)
• Barack Obama calls Sandra Fluke to offer support after Rush Limbaugh called student a ‘slut’ (mgmppaikablamongan.wordpress.com)

The DC Folly Trolley

Is there anything more beautiful on God’s green Earth? The photo is by Carin Araujo, http://www.prtc.net/~carin who permits its use to the public, Mama and Papa have every right to be very proud. (2006).

When I was in high school, several young women got pregnant without benefit of marriage. Thankfully, all of the babies were healthy, happy, bouncing boys and girls.

From those happy events I concluded that the best place to conceive was in the back seat of a car.  Of course, I was much younger then.

Today, most people I know, even those who are married, conceive in more traditional locations.

Back in the day, however, we kids didn’t have access to methods of birth control. So the choices were abstention or risk it.

I recall a conversation with a young girl who was friends with one who risked it and came up short. The friendship of course was terminated. But she did say that her former friend prayed and prayed that she would not conceive.

I believe we all know by now that abstention really does work but only if you abstain. And as for prayer, well I’m sorry to disappoint any Christians who may believe otherwise, but Jesus doesn’t prevent pregnancy.  Just not in his job description.

Anyway, regardless of the circumstances, the outcome is beauty beyond compare.

***

Warning! The following paragraph contains adult material and a really nasty joke. So you won’t want to pass it up.

First marine: I gotta take a piss.

Second marine: Let’s go kill someone.

Oh my god! That really is nasty. My soul is destined for eternal damnation, I just know it.

So what the hell.

***

We hear constantly that the US owes trillions of dollars in debt to foreign nations. Did you know that the US owns debt from foreign nations equal to 89% of the debt it owes?

Now let’s go right wing stupid for just a moment, use a comparison provided by right wing propaganda the intent of which is to frighten the wits out of Americans and compare the US government’s situation with household debt.

If your neighbor owned 100% of your house but you owned 89% of his, how bad off would you be? Let’s face it, that position is a standoff.

And so it is with US foreign debt and ownership. If the US debt is called in and the US retaliates by calling the foreign debt it owns, the economy of the entire planet goes kerwoosh. The only way that will ever happen is if Wall Street can profit from it. Trouble is the fat cats are no doubt trying to figure out a way to make it happen right now.

***

Did you know that the comparison right wing economists make between the US debt and household debt would be accurate with just one stipulation.

Let’s say your wife went shopping and just bought a million dollars worth of jewelry you couldn’t pay for. However, in your study you have a printing machine that could print perfectly legal tender. In addition, you could write letters to 2000 of your neighbors and inform them that they will now have to contribute $1000.00 more to your tax fund every year. Voila’ You now have a surplus and your wife can go shopping again.

The United States Mint Police

If you had one of these parked your garage, your wife could shop 24/7. Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

So this whole debt issue is bogus, a sham, perpetrated on an ill informed public the purpose of which is to bilk the many greenhorns among us who believe all the bullshit.

Yes the genetically defective Wall Street fat cats have engineered an all out attack on the people’s Social Security savings and are fighting a desperate battle to privatize Medicare and turn it into a profit making venture for rich investors.

Vouchers??? Oh yeah, vouchers. More Wall Street bullshit. Let’s say a voucher is worth $300.00 a month and a profit health insurance policy costs $1000.00. Guess who pays the difference? And if you can’t afford it, well, like the old Chinese laundry adage goes: “No tickey, no shirty.”

Oh, surely, you say those Wall Street mutations who resemble human beings wouldn’t let you die for lack of health insurance.

Surely it’s a different matter than letting coal miners die a mile below the surface of the earth by shortchanging safety regulations; or killing workers on oil rigs by taking the same shortcuts; or boosting nicotine levels in deadly cigarettes to ensure addiction; or polluting drinking water through the practice known as fracking.

Surely the fat cats will see to it that you get medical treatment even if you can’t afford expensive profit insurance.

OK.

***

Mitt Romney stated that if he is elected president he will stop the Chinese from stealing American intellectual property, patents and know-how. Apparently, he would prefer to have, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Thailand, etc, etc, etc., steal it.

***

According to the website Gizmodo, there are 5,000 janitors with Ph,Ds in the US. That statistic is truly surprising. I always found janitors to be a lot smarter than that.

The article continues and reveals that numerous holders of advanced degrees have been forced to work at menial jobs.

Perhaps the country should finally admit that its economic decline has been so precipitous and so profound that it no longer needs so many highly educated people and its now time to begin shuttering some colleges and universities. I’m certain right wing extremists would relish the closings. Think of all the professors we could fire and the tax cuts the rich would rake in. The very thought must be sending chills up and down their spines every moment of every day.

Read the entire article below:

http://gizmodo.com/5671062/there-are-5000-janitors-in-the-us-with-phds

See U.S. Department of Treasury report on U.S. holding of foreign debt.

http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/pages/tg1285.ASPX

The DC Folly Trolley

The White House announced today that it will be charging a $2.00 convenience fee to supporters who ask questions of the president at campaign rallies.

Republicans immediately countered with a $5.00 fee; $6.00 dollars if the question wasn’t approved in advance.

***

Richard Cordray, President Obama's recess appointment to head the consumer protection agency. The Image via Wikipedia

As you all know by now, President Obama has picked a fight with Republicans over the appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The president challenged the GOP to a winner take all pinky wrestling contest. The match has been scheduled for January 9 and will be covered by all three major news networks as well as cable news outlets.

Senior Reporter Marcy Popindick of UPW News has obtained an exclusive story on the issue. According to a White House source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the president suffered a sprained pinky finger in sparring matches with Press Secretary Jay Carney. The unnamed source reported that the president is currently undergoing treatment for the sprained little finger.

First responders rushed the chief executive to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where the emergency vehicle driver discovered the facility had been closed for several months.

According to Ms. Popindick, the vehicle transporting the president was last seen parked at a convenience store where it is believed the driver stopped to get directions to Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

Meanwhile, the president, who complained of persistent pain in his pinky, rested comfortably after the attendants administered a sedative.

Ms. Popindick reported that the president was scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

In the interim, the president appointed his 10 year old daughter, Sasha, as the presidential replacement in the match should the chief executive not make a full recovery before the challenge event takes place.

Jay Carney expresses concern after injuring the president's little finger in a pinky wrestling contest. Image via Wikipedia

Unfortunately, a conflict of scheduling forced Sasha to decline her father’s appointment.

Under the circumstances, the president had no choice but to make a recess appointment during the Senate’s holiday hiatus thereby pissing off Republicans to no end.

***

Ms. Popindick also reported today that unnamed Democrats are delighted with the filibuster arrangement as it exists in the Senate. It allows Republicans to overrule any legislation that benefits the 99% – thereby doing the dirty work for the Dems. So Democrats cash in on the big time corporate money through their complicity with the filibuster while pretending to their base that the meanies in the GOP keep obstructing their policies.

Hey, what’s the use of being a Democrat if you can’t stab your supporters in the back every once in a while.

***

Environmentalists have been protesting the use of Styrofoam for years. They’ve been doing so for the simple reason that it takes 1,000,000 years for the plastic to degrade.- yes, that’s right one million years. Personally, I’m not worried about it. From what I can ascertain from environmental policy in Follyland not too many politicians are concerned about it either.

I’ve been told that Styrofoam can be put to good use aerating soil. So fuggedabout all that mulch you been waiting to rot. Start throwing Styrofoam cups in your garden and mix them with the dirt. The nice thing about it is you’ll only have to do it once every million years or so.

***

The president announced two appointments to the Federal Reserve – one a Democrat, the other a Republican. GOP senators vowed to approve the nomination of the Republican but to reject the Democrat.

“Oh, poopy,” the president is reported to have said.

The DC Folly Trolley

Soft Terrorism

The army describes protest movements, that is people exercising their Constitutional right of free speech, as soft terrorism.

Protestors: Soft terrorists??? (Photo by Midnightblueowl).

So if Obama, or any other president, decrees protestors are terrorists he can send them to Gitmo without trial or benefit of legal representation; he can order drone attacks against them on American soil; or he can send in the tanks to gun them down.

***

Chris Matthews made a comparison of Newt Gingrich to a car bomber. I’m not sure how Matthews came up with the “car bomber” metaphor, but I’m not seeing that. Fat, egotistical, adulterer, yes, sounds a lot better to me. “Car bomber”, a bit extreme, even for Gingrich.

Reportedly, Obama has been referred to as much worse in private conversation.

***

Free Market Mythology

Petroleum sold in a “free” market??? I here that nonsense all the time. If you’ve been beguiled by free market ideologues, you may want to read up on OPEC and monopolies – the very essence of a rigged marketplace.

Adding to monopolistic distortions of the market, the oil industry rigidly controls supply by controlling refinery capacity. The last refinery built in the US was in 1976. Since then the oil industry has closed, rather than upgrade, several older refineries. The reason given is that to maximize profit at a refinery, it has to operate at or near 100% capacity. So to prevent under-use and oversupply, older plants were abandoned and dismantled. Thus the industry can carefully manage supply and as we all know when supply is controlled against continuously rising demand prices will rise.

A third control device is the commodity market. You may recall that gasoline is sold at auction, in much the same manner as wheat and corn, where bidders buy against future supply. When supply is carefully managed the price is bid up.

So if you feel bad because you believed petroleum products are sold in the mythical “free market”, don’t.. I’ve heard economists with masters degrees refer to the “free” market in petroleum. Obviously they have been thoroughly brainwashed beginning with Economics 101.

Your senator or congressman has no doubt uttered the same “free market” manure that oil industry execs and economists spread about the planet. And whether they believe it or not, the politicians are paid well by industry lobbyists to shovel that shit. And they do a remarkable job as propagandists for the oil industry. They earn their payoff money.

So tawdry is the money exchange between industry and dirty politicians that we can compare the activity that occurs in Follyland, DC to the crimes committed by 20^th century mobsters who demanded money from businesses to “protect” them from calamity.

Today’s lobbyist eagerly pays protection money to the “mobsters” in Congress and the White House and these scoundrels provide protection through legislation that industry demands. And, if you didn’t already know, many of these laws are written by lawyers who work directly for the industry.

***

Lots of people might be able to swing a vote for Newton Leroy, He is what we used to call in college “a real hair man.” That’s something a lot of men always wanted to be but we could never quite manage it.

I’m not sure of the etymology of the phrase. But I do know a definition was never necessary – provided you were aware of the reputation of the guy being referred to as a real hair man. Context was all that was ever needed. And if you know anything about Newt’s past, well, the phrase applies and no explanation is necessary. And, who knows, his rep could certainly swing some votes his way.

***

The Keystone Pipeline

Oil companies have stubbornly avoided constructi­ng new refining capacity in order to maintain rigid control of supply and therefore price. I suspect control of supply is one reason for the Keystone pipeline in the first place. To put another refinery on line, for example, would increase the supply of gasoline – a no-no when your goal is price control through supply management.

The project does hold the promise of jobs, however, although most will be temporary and the number has been vastly overestimated, at least according to impartial studies. The figure coming from TransCanada, the Canadian company that proposed the pipeline, is 20,000 jobs; other studies estimate 10,000 jobs; the State Department figure is 7,000.

The Alaska Pipeline, an eyesore at the very least. No telling what the Keystone Pipeline will look like. (Photo by Ryan McFarland from Petersburg, AK).

Other issues prevail as well. The pipeline is slated to cross an aquifer of inestimable value. Can we trust that the pipeline will afford fool proof protection for this water supply? Can we trust that the line will be built to even minimum standards? Or will contractors take short cuts to swell profits? Will regulators and inspectors-now regulated by those they are supposed to regulate-be trusted to perform their sworn duty to ensure the safety of the project, particularly after they have been lavished with wine, women and whatever else is in the corporate bag of bribery tricks.

Will PIGS (pipeline inspection gauges) be properly utilized? Will the information the devices transmit be acted upon?

If an honest inspector reports a defect will it be corrected or will the whistleblower be fired after a backchannel phone call to a senator or representative – a practice that defuses honest inspection.

Whadda you think?

And if all of the standards are rigidly adhered to, do we really want what could easily turn into an eyesore running down the width of this magnificently beautiful landscape? Especially during the construction phase. And afterward when numerous pumping stations mar the scenery.

The better way would be to construct a new refinery.

To put a refinery on line however could increase the supply of gasoline. And you know what happens to price when supply increases. I suspect the reason for the pipeline in the first place is to avoid at all cost bringing a refinery on line so the oil industry can continue its rigid control of supply.

***

I predict the South will rise in unison and sing in praise of Newt. I can hear repressed preachers below the Mason-Dixon line pulpitting in full throated glory: “Any man who treats women the way Gingrich does gets my vote. He’ll end abortion, he’ll save marriage and he’ll end all this equality claptrap. He’ll end sex education; he’ll fire teachers who hand out rubbers in the cafeteria; he’ll stop pre-marital sex by putting kids to work in schools. Got to keep the youngins moral, ya know. Especially after they start lookin’ real good. Uh. Praise the lord.”

***

Refinery at Anacortes, WA. (Photo by Walter Siegmund (talk). 

Two New Refineries Proposed. Now In The Delay Stage. Blame It On the EPA.

Two new refineries are currently on the drawing board. They promise to deliver cleaner fuel from state of the art plants with greatly reduced air and water pollution.

Arizona Clean Fuels Yuma is seeking to build a plant in Arizona and Hyperion Energy is in the permit phase of construction of a refinery in South Dakota. And, as expected, there are delays.

Too often the Environmental Protection Agency is blamed for postponing start up . Signed into law by the socialist president – at least by today’s standards – Richard M. Nixon, agency regulations are faulted for delays and provide a convenient scape goat for the oil industry’s stubborn refusal build needed refineries and bring more production capacity on line .

While strict regulations are in place making delays in the construction of a new plant inevitable, the EPA is only partly responsible. State permits are also required and are often more exacting than the Federal variety.

In addition to air quality standards, provisions for storm water drainage, water discharge and water quality are essential and local regulations are often stringent. Local zoning laws may also need to be revised to permit industrial construction and these revisions take time.

Moreover, issues that have nothing to due with environmental policy impact greatly on new construction. Company lawyers and executives bargain ruthlessly and endlessly with state officials over the incentive packages a state government is willing-or more often forced-to provide, mostly give backs in taxes .

Currently, the biggest factor in delays is the matter of financing. A new refinery costs billions to construct. And in today’s sluggish economic environment, banks are reluctant to lend.

So, while extremists on the right continue to blame the EPA and environmental organizations for the lack of new refinery construction, the agency and green advocates are used as convenient whipping posts for executives who want to control supply, lawyers who insist on ever more state give backs and bankers who are wary about lending.

Eventually the refineries will be completed but be forewarned, if past practice holds, older refineries will come off line and be dismantled. Again, supply will be strictly controlled to support price levels in a rigged market with rising demand.

***

With the rise in popularity of Ron Paul in the polls, you might want to familiarize yourself with his ideology. If you haven’t done so already, you can read up on the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the Austrian School of Economics and refer from time to time to Lew Rockwell’s libertarian blog. These sites bring insight and perspective to the economic nonsense regurgitated by Ron Paul and his ilk.

***

I cannot vote for Mitt Romney because he has robbed numerous banks across the country.

Actually, the foregoing is not intended to be a factual statement. But then most of what Romney says about Obama isn’t either.

On the other hand, a slight revision of the statement bears much truth. Romney was a banker who robbed people and, like so many Wall Streeters, is the modern version of a bank robber. His hedge fund bought up businesses, fired loyal workers whose seniority earned them good wages and benefits, hired cheap labor and then sold off the business for a profit. Highway robbery! That’s how Romney got rich.

***

Religion is like a penis. It’s fine to have one. And it’s OK to be proud of it. But please don’t take it out in public and whip it around. And please don’t try to shove it down everyone’s throats.

Sorry, but I don’t have the name of the author of that statement.

Talk about whipping it out in public. And it ain’t “that ole tyme religion.”  The work is entitled “Well Endowed Mercury”, created between 89 BCE and 79 CE, artist unknown.

***

Now that it’s over perhaps we can discuss Christmas in an unemotional light.

Christmas is and should be a secular holiday for those who wish to observe in that way. I would venture to say that for a very large number of Christians, the holiday is far, far from a religious celebration.

Due to some fiction called the “war on Christmas”, however,many Christians seem to take offense at not being wished “Merry Christmas” in public. This war fiction of course is a blatant attempt to inject the Christian religion into the holiday season and shove it down everyone’s throats. Sadly, such childish insistence may be one reason many non-Christians refuse to join the celebrating.

I myself prefer to say “enjoy the holidays”, unless in church – where I have noticed for many years now that no one – no one – ever wishes “Merry Christmas” except in response to my own greeting.

***

Want to observe the real “war on Christmas” close and upfront? Venture out into what I call the “Christmas asteroid belt.” If you’ve ever gone shopping on a weekend during the holidays, you get my drift. If there’s anything to be grateful for during this season, it’s returning home safely after a foray into the mall. Every year, it seems, a few never return.

***

I’m particularly fond of holiday invitations – gathering together with friends and relatives. Occasionally these visits will produce a “religious experience.” Not to worry though. I am always the designated passenger.

Enjoy the holidays – everyone. There’s lots more to come.

The Tower of Babel

We’ve all heard of the Tower of Babel.  But did you know it was located in Washington, DC?  The truth of the matter is there are more than one such towers in the nation’s capital.  Here are the locations of just three edifices of consummate blather.  One is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Another can be found on E. Capital Street and the third at One First Street NE.

These addresses are of course the sites where you will find the White House, the Congress and the Supreme Court.

The painting is by Abel Grimmer (1570-1619). 

.

Full moon over the Capitol. Yes, it’s definitely something coming from the moon.

                                                                                (Arun.blue at en.wikipedia)

Shhhh. Listen carefully and you can hear the howling.

The DC Folly Trolley

Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for an amendment to save democracy in America. It’s a sad circumstance that such an amendment is necessary.

The people who decide who rules the country – besides themselves that is.

The intent however should be to restore democracy.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United affirmed the right of the 1% to rule the country without any uppity interference from the 99%. And the word of the five right wing wackos on the Court is final.

Anyway, go Bernie. You are one hell of a fighter.

***

Newt Gingrich insisted today that he is not a lobbyist and has never received a license from any lobbyist group.

An officer for the Certified Lobbyists Association of the Potomac confirmed the former speaker’s statement. The group issues a license known as the Certified Lobbyist Association Plaque and according to the spokesman, Gingrich has never gotten the CLAP.

Actually, Gingrich needn’t bother his egotistically bloated head about a license. There are already numerous lobbyists in Follyland who proudly proclaim they have the CLAP.

***

Here is a bulletin from the UPW newsroom as reported by Senior Analyst Marcy Popindick. Iowa Jesus announced today that he has forgiven Newt Gingrich for all ethics violations he committed while a member of the House of Representatives.

The self-proclaimed prelate also said he has granted full forgiveness to presidential candidates who are guilty of committing the sin of adultery provided they are Republicans.

In his encyclical, Iowa Jesus also included forgiveness for GOP candidates who have no more than two divorces.

A spokesman for Iowa Jesus warned however that if candidates, including Newt Gingrich, committed any more indiscretions they’d have to come across with some fast cash if they wanted to be forgiven.

Ms. Popindick recalled that during his short-lived 2008 presidential campaign, Gingrich received forgiveness for his transgressions from Minnesota Jesus on the preacher’s radio program “Hour of Glory.”. Although rumors were rampant about improprieties, Popindick stated there was never any evidence of cash changing hands between the former Speaker and Minnesota Jesus.

***

President Barack Obama’s speech in Potawatomie, KS this week mirrored the words and ideas of former Republican president Theodore Roosevelt. As crowds gathered, the president was said to be elated at the enthusiasm of the people of Punsxutawney 

Meanwhile, liberal pundits marveled at the president’s rhetorical acrobatics. Not in recent memory has a presidential speech contained as many verbal somersaults as Obama’s did in Osawatunxamie.

While the president called attention to the inequality that exists in America, some reporters claimed that the speech was nothing more than Wall Street approved campaign rhetoric.

A man of the people. Where are such men now when their country needs them so desperately? Image via Wikipedia

After all the president’s gotta throw some kind of bone to the people if he hopes to win reelection – even if it’s a dry bone. And if he wins he can always take the bone back.

***

From the award winning UPW local newsroom:

A traffic accident has occurred at the intersection of Booth Street and State Highway 11. Follyland police report a car stalled on entering the highway and was hit in the rear by another vehicle traveling south on the state road. There were no injuries and only minor damage occurred to each vehicle. No summons were issued at the scene. Police said they will investigate further.

Police reported an accident on Dover Road near Lucifer Memorial Hospital. The fender bender occurred around 5:45 this evening slowing traffic during the rush hour. Again there were no injuries.

An incident on Highway 55 backed up traffic on the state road for a short time during rush hour while a wrecker extricated a vehicle stuck on a soft shoulder. The driver of the vehicle stated that he pulled to the side of the road while another vehicle attempted to pass and he was unable to avoid the shoulder The police report noted the incident occurred in a no passing zone.

We’ll continue with the daily traffic accident summary; and in other news city council to vote on Christmas party venue; teen wins skeet shooting contest and more from the award winning UPW newsroom after these messages.

***

The Environment Protection Agency reported the presence of toxic chemicals in the aquifer located near Pavillion WY’. The contamination occurred in an area in west central Wyoming near the cities of Riverton and Lander both just west of Casper. Also included in the unsafe water zone are several national parks the best known of which is Yellowstone.  Though the EPA confirmed the contamination, it remains to be seen how aggressively the agency will pursue its findings.

Toxic chemicals used in the hydro-fracturing process are the suspected source of the contamination. Fracturing, or fracking as it is commonly known, is a natural gas extraction process that injects huge quantities of water, sand and chemicals into underground shale layers using high pressure to crack or fracture the shale and release the gas.

Industry officials claim that fracking is a safe process that does not contaminate drinking water with the chemicals used to extract the gas.

However, many residents in areas where fracking is a common practice claim that the water smells of chemicals and is not safe to drink. Most have been employing filtering systems for years since unfiltered water that enters the home is not considered safe to consume.

Hundreds upon hundreds of wells exist in many areas and industry officials say all such drillings meet safety standards.

Residents refer to rules that dominate the industry. Rule 1: All wells meet safety standards. Rule 2: If a well does not meet safety standards, refer to rule one. In other words, wells are rarely shut down for any reason.

In some cases, the water is so contaminated with chemicals that it can be ignited as it runs from the faucets.

An industry executive, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, said that burning water can be a benefit as it provides additional heating in winter and helps lower utility bills.

Areas of deep well drilling or potential drilling.

The DC Folly Trolley

War industry lobbyists would have us believe if we reduce the war budget by even a small amount we could be killed in a terrorist attack. Not a pleasant thought of course and a good reason to keep spending at a level soon to reach a trillion dollars a year. Gots ta have all that war stuff to protect us.

So what does a trillion dollars a year spent here protect you from?

Let us ask this question however: Would you rather be killed in a terrorist attack or an automobile accident?

If those were the only two choices it would be preferable to be killed in a terrorist attack because it is far more likely that you can be killed in an auto accident.

So maybe we should be spending trillions improving safety on the highways.

Nah. No way. The war industry lavishes enormous amounts of protection money on countless government officials. And not one dime ever comes from the highways.

So if you have the choice on how you want to be killed, pick the terrorist attack.  Your’re chances of being killed in one are about the same as being hit by a meteor. So you’ll be a lot safer.

***

Corporations are persons. But unlike the living, they shit everywhere on the planet and never cleanup after themselves – unless of course they are forced by government regulation to do so. And then they bitch like a bunch of spoiled brats.

***

Here’s a bulletin from Fox News: Pepper spray is a condiment.

http://knowyourmeme.com/

All the world used to be a stage. Now it’s a video on Youtube. Someone should inform the police. Such knowledge might cause them to use good judgment and common sense for a change. On the other hand, why waste everybody’s time.

***

If marijuana was legalized who would the police arrest?

Do you think they might investigate real crime and pursue real criminals? I’m not so sure. After all that could be dangerous. I suspect the number of speeding tickets they write would rise exponentially though.

Hmmm. Maybe keeping MJ illegal isn’t such a bad idea. It does tend to keep the police out of everybody’s hair.

***

Hey, cut me some slack. I'm just trying to make a fast buck like everyone else in Follyland. Image via Wikipedia

Activists marched in front of the Bozeman office of Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). They were protesting the Senator’s role in defeating the public option and supporting the mangled Obamacare instead. A spokesman for the senator said he’s just a simple, modest man whose trying to make a few million bucks from his position just like everyone else in DC.

***

Firms contracted by the government to provide torture services were charging $500 to attach nipple clamps to victims.

When the subjects began having orgasms, the government demanded refunds.

While orgasms may be fun, $500 a pop is a bit much.

Ouch!!!

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nipple_Clamps_in_Use.png

originally posted to Flickr as Strawberry Love by Tracie.

The DC Folly Trolley – 10/18/11

Third Way is a right wing Clintonista organization pretending to be “centrist.” Its greatest claim to fame is that it helped move the Democratic party in the direction of the big time money. If the Dems take the advice of Third Way and other right wing Dem organizations they’ll get clobbered.

Like the Republicans, the Dems have placed their faith in the cash and abandoned the voters. After all, according to the Rahm Doctrine, where else can they go. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

***

Ever notice that whenever the millionaires who anchor MSM news shows they always refer to right wing Democrats as “centrists” or even worse “moderates.” I wonder if they get treated to dinner and a fine wine at an elegant DC restaurant for being so kind to these right wingers. Probably so. After all it’s on the taxpayer’s tab.

***

The Korean Trade Agreement will dramatically increase the export of U.S. orange juice to that Asian manufacturing powerhouse. In exchange for lowering tariffs for OJ, Korea can import thousands upon thousands more autos into this country.

Sounds great, right? That means lower car prices for consumers. Uh, not exactly. Actually lower tariffs will more likely increase profits for investors.

So let me get this straight. In exchange for increasing OJ exports to Korea, US consumers get to pay as much as the market will bear for new autos from Asia and investors get to pocket the difference.

Sound like a good deal to you? Uh, not exactly. Especially if you’re an auto worker who loses a job because of increased Kia and Hyundai imports.

OK, so let’s stop being naysayers about rigged trade agreements. All is not gloom and doom. Let’s look on the bright side.

The agreement will create at least a dozen or so excellent job opportunities for unemployed Korean speaking orange juice salesman.

The pact also represents a job opportunity for skilled orange squeezers who reside in Michigan and who have lost work due to competition from the Brazilian OJ industry. Pickers in Michigan orange groves will also experience an uptick in job openings.

Experience is required.

New avenues of investment are also opening up for venture capitalists.  Bio-tech companies in depression strapped Flint and Detroit are developing genetically modified oranges that grow in frigid weather. Skips a whole step in the production process.  OJ is usually served cold.

Image via Wikipedia

Why should Brazil get all the orange juice business in Korea? This pact proves once again that your government is at work for you.

Sooooo. Rush right down to your local community college and be the first in your neighborhood to enroll in a Korean language course.

***

Queen: Milord, the people in the streets are not happy.

King: Fret not, Marie. It will all end soon.

Image via Wikipedia

***

Iowa has just announced a sex caucus date of Jan. 3, 2012. It will coincide with the political caucuses set for the same day.

Actually, that’s not true so don’t go rushing off to Iowa on Jan. 3 in your skivvies. You got that, Anthony Weiner.

One thing’s for certain though. A sex caucus is bound to arouse more interest in Iowa than a political caucus. Maybe they should give it some thought.

***

Well, that all from Follyland, DC for today. Now back to sports.

The DC Folly Trolley – 10/16/11

White House Issues Medical Bulletin.

President Barack Obama has suffered a recurrence of BTBS or Big Toe Blister Syndrome. The president was stricken with the condition early this morning. The flare ups on the president’s big toe have recurred on a regular basis in recent months and usually coincide with protest marches. The condition prevents Obama from fulfilling his campaign promise to march on the lines with the protesters.

The National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland where all presidents will be treated for medical conditions.

***

Obama’s advisers are looking for ways to exploit and manipulate OWS for their own political purposes. Polls are showing massive discontent with Wall Street and the banks. And the anger crosses party lines.

Soooooo. The president – now get this for it’s a sure sign that an election year is approaching – directly criticized a bank, a bank for God’s sake, for threatening to charge its customers with a $5 debit card fee. Obama said that’s the sort of stuff that makes people mad.  Good populist move.  Golly, gee Obamaman, the Big Goombah in the White House is really getting testy.

Advisers are expected to gather up all of the OWS frustration into one giant terd ball and throw it at Mitt Romney and hope some of it sticks.

I mean, like, Romney is the quintessential Wall Street rich guy and to the president’s credit he did sign some law stuff they called financial reform.  Can’t get enough populism in an election year.

Problem for the pres. though is that the Einsteins in the White House usually throw stuff into the wind.

Recall that Obama once referred to Wall Street fat cats as Wall Street fat cats and received so much criticism from Wall Street fat cats that he had to hire a Wall Street fat cat to offset all the criticism.

Ahhh, politics in Follyland, DC.

***

Regardless of party affiliation there’s a 99% chance you are part of the 99%.  The throng in the photo, estimated at 20.000, gathered in Times Square as a show of support for Occupy Wall Street.

Many Republicans, finally, are coming to the realization that they are among the 99%. After all, those outrageous bank fees rip them off as well as Democrats and Independents.

About Occupy Wall Street

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

***

Joe Biden has served his usefulness as Vice President. He was brought on because of his foreign policy experience, an area in which Obama was sorely lacking.  Not any more though.  Got a problem with a foreign country?  Launch a few drones.  That’ll teach ’em.  Can’t say Obama isn’t a fast learner.  Helps if the countries have oil and gas reserves though like Libya.  I mean why waste a good drone if they don’t.  Those things cost money.

Oh yeah, speaking of Biden, Obama now has four years of dealing with foreign affairs so for this alone Biden is baggage. The Veep is also from a small state that can’t help much in the electoral college.  And if the polar cap keeps melting there might not even be a Delaware in 2012.

I’m not sure how much a Clintonista brings to the ticket. Hillary would help to solidify the women’s vote – one that leaned heavily toward Obama in 2008 but may now be showing signs of weakness.  Now matter how much they love you, sooner or later you gotta deliver the goods.

Moreover, Hillary is from a large traditionally blue state and could help the ticket in this instance, particularly since Obama is showing weakness across the board and can’t take anything for granted.

In 2016, the next year a presidential slot opens for a Democrat, Hillary would be 68, still not too old to run.

The VP would be 73 in 2016 and borderline in the age category. Age aside, even a gaffe-less Biden would face an uphill battle.

Since there is no hope of a liberal being appointed VP, Hillary remains the better choice.

Will it come to pass? Probably not. Biden is a DC politico. Lusting for the presidency is ingrained in the DNA of Follyland critters. No way will Biden take a hit for the team. He’ll have to be forced out and Obama simply doesn’t have the balls to do it.

Nevertheless, the VP needs to be dumped off on Foggy Bottom.

***

Have you heard? It’s almost semi-official. The US will be withdrawing all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Now we can start a war somewhere else. Lotsa places to choose from. Let’s see. How about Uganda? Not sure where in the world that is? Ask Sarah Palin. She’s a wiz at geography.  Once called Africa a country.  But she does know where it’s located.  Hey, somewhere on the planet is close enough for Sarah. Give the kid a break.

Oh by the way. Here’s another have you heard item? All troops leaving Iraq will report directly to Uganda.  We’re starting another war. This one’s in that African country rumored by the CIA to have several billion barrels of oil in the ground. And not a minute too soon since we’re pulling out of Iraq by the end of the year.

Hope the new war is on TV.  Wars make really good reality shows.  They’re so real.  Great for ratings too.

I can’t wait to watch another war on TV.

And a side benefit: Wars always garner support for incumbent presidents. Something Obama sorely needs.

And since we give our wars some real cool names how about this: The empire strikes again to make the world safe for freedom and democracy.

***

You’ve probably heard by now that some twenty thousand people assembled in Times Square as a show of support for the Occupy Wall Street Movement. And hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, have assembled in cities across the globe for the same reason.

But did you know that even the Mainstream Media has heard about it. Yep, that’s right. The millionaires on TV news and talk entertainment shows can’t pretend any longer that the movement doesn’t exist. Try as they might the MSM just hasn’t been able to avoid covering the movement. Maybe they’ll try a little harder in the next few days.

Protection Money Pays Off

Protection money traveling through the pipeline from Wall Street to Follyland DC keeps execs from jailbird rank.

So you still think you’re not being jerked around by the banks and their government in Follyland, DC. If so, here’s something to chew on.

The Federales, i.e. the United States Government, gifted Wall Street jailbirds with $14.7 trillion in welfare payments. As the Reuters chart shows that charity to the big shots on the Street nearly equals the entire Federal debt and the entire output for the economy in 2010. Check out the comparison of money spent on the general welfare to the trillions in welfare frittered away on the banks.

The protection money the Street gives to its compares in Congress and the White House pays dividends in trillions:  They not only get to stay out of jail; they write their own laws!!!.  And these sums of payoff money that pay off Congress critters pale next to the pittance the mob gave to bad cops and dirty judges.

http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-johnston/2011/10/07/occupy-wall-street/.

The DC Folly Trolley-09/20/11

It’s All Your Fault!!!

Well, guess who’s responsible for the Great Recession. You are. Who did you think was responsible? Wall Street??? Gimme a break.

The New York Stock Exchange – the heart of Wall Street even in 1882.

The Wall Street goons who issued subprime mortgages and then bundled them into tranches and sold them as AAA CDOs and MBSs???  You think they’re the ones who are responsible??? Where did you come up with an idea like that? It’s not them. It’s you, you lout. You’re at fault.

You think it’s maybe the rating agencies like Standard $ Poor whose executives pocketed all kinds of scratch to rate the CDOs AAA. Let’s get real here. It’s not them. It’s you. You’re responsible.

Are insurance companies to blame like AIG who issued CDSs to insure all those CDOs and MBSs without adequate reserves to back them up? What are you smoking? It’s not them. It’s you.

How about American corporations who outsourced millions of jobs and then got tax breaks up the ying yang from Congress for outsourcing all those jobs? Is it their fault? There you go again. Always blaming somebody else. Never you.

Or how about all those corporations sitting on trillions of dollars of cold cash and refusing to invest it to create jobs? Nope. Wrong again. You just can’t face up to the truth of the matter.

 

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

The New York Stock Exchange the day after the crash in 1929. There were no government bailouts in those days. Investors took the hit for their wild and crazy speculation.

Listen to your president. You know, that guy. Barack Obama. He believes if all of the unemployed and underemployed and underpaid pessimists in the land would just – now pay attention because here comes the quote – “Shake off all the naysaying and the anxiety and the hand-wringing” why things would be honky dory again in jig time. So stop being such tight fisted tight wads and shake loose some of that spare cash you’ve been collecting and take a trip to the mall.

And you thought I was being facetious, didn’t you. Well, I wasn’t. So there. The Great Recession really is your fault after all.

***

Obama made another nice speech the other day. Maybe you heard about it. It was on TV and he’s really getting good at it.

Obama says he wants a tax increase on rich people as part of the deficit reduction proposal the Senate’s Super Cat Food Committee is working on. And the pres says if he doesn’t get increased taxes on the wealthy he will veto any proposal the SCFC submits to the White House.

Wow. That must have scared everybody in Follyland.

***

Michelle Bachmann – you remember her, she’s still one of the Repub candidates for the nomination – well she said that the financial legislation passed last year is killing the banking industry.

That’s interesting. Wall Street banks posted record profits; CEOs and executives received billions and billions of dollars in salaries and bonuses; and the banks and corporations are sitting on trillions of dollars of cold cash.

If that’s killing Wall Street, what a way to go!

Bachmann however can be excused for making such a statement. She was never very good at complex mathematics like addition and subtraction. She can never remember to carry the one.

***

Somebody in Follyland noticed the other day that gas prices are high and blamed Obama for not taking the oil companies to task and forcing them to lower prices.

Then somebody else in Follyland replied that government has no business interfering in the free market.

As we all know crude oil sells in the free market except for the monopoly organization known as OPEC which dominates the free market and rigidly controls supply and price.

Moreover, we all know that refined products sell in the free market except for the oligarchical control exerted by a handful of oil company behemoths who rigidly control supply and price.

Further, we all know gasoline sells on the free market with the exception of Wall Street manipulated commodity exchanges.

All hail the free market.

Yeah, right. Like there’s really a free market anywhere in the galaxy let alone the planet. Still don’t think you’re being jerked around? Think again.