Holy Buck, Fatman!

*Any similarities to persons living or dead are PURELY coincidental.

Candidate: I’m a former Constitutional Law professor. This particular bill all but disintegrates the rights of the ordinary citizen from unwarranted search and seizure.

Candidate’s closest advisor: Yes, we know. But, listen…taking the compromise path will win over the moderates and help you win the presidency. They’re attacking you and your family and their meme’s will sink you. Take my advice, you need to be careful right now. The fear factor is getting to the southern moderates.

Candidate: I just…don’t think this is a good idea. what about my most srdent supporters? they could turn….

Candidate’s closest advisor: No, they won’t. They’ll be mad, but this is the best way to beat the other guy who will attack you for being “too liberal”. This is a way, excuse me, to pander to the moderate right. We can make sweeping changes when you win the office of the president. Trust me…The smartest of your supporters will understand. What wee need to do is take away the spotlight on this and change the conversation. Perhaps stalling the vote. Lets see if we can get support for at least that.

Candidate: I suppose you’re right. The only way we can restore the constitution is if I win. I have to win. This country needs someone who will have the balls to do this.

Candidates closest advisor: yeah. Now we’re talking. Let’s move on to the party at hand.

Candidate: We need to mend this division.

I’ve never written about this here. Perhaps I didn’t want to jinx anything. Maybe I thought it wasn’t my story to tell, I realized something, though. There is a part of this story that is mine to tell.

When I’m trying to ignore just about everything that I have to do at work, (well, not really–I’m just really bored) I am usually found lurking at this corner of the ‘net. A few months previous, I read a story written by a guest contributor detailing her fight with PTSD after returning from Iraq. While fighting debilitating panic attacks, insomnia and other ailments she also had to fight another fight against the Veteran’s Administration. As I read her story, I sat there, thinking, “Why should this happen? I thought that the VA was established to help Vets who were in need!” It’s true, the VA was established for that very reason. It’s just that they had been failing so many soldiers returning from Iraq. It wasn’t fair.

I few months previous, she wrote another update and by that time, I had gotten to know a Marine vet from Vietnam who held a position at the VA that could help her out. He cared passionately for all who served and would do anything to help the troops who needed it. After reading her update regarding yet another defeat from the VA, I decided that some thing had to give. Someone else needed to look at her Case. Someone who knew. Someone who actually gave a shit. So I did what I thought was right. I put her in contact with my friend from the VA.

I heard that evening that they had spoken and he had put her in contact with several people. Over time, I would receive updates from both ends. She said it was more hope then she had in a year. My VA friend said that he was doing all he could to help. Soon, someone from her congressional district was in touch. and Finally–yesterday, there was this.

The weekend before I had a conversation with another vet to whom I relayed the story to. What he told me after I told him what I had done was simply astonishing. He said, “Anyone can slap a magnetic ribbon on their car and say they support the troops. What you did is a true act of patriotism because you helped someone who needed it. Chances are she knows other troops and will tell them and the word will spread. Suddenly, before you know it, things will start to change because others will start to help.”

I replied, “I just put someone in touch with someone else.” Still kind of stunned by his statement.

“It’s a start. It’s more than most.”

It is a start. A small one, but a start nonetheless. Through the internet, I connected one person with someone who could help her out. The tubes, once again, a catalyst.

A little note: My Friend at the VA just recently launched a call center to help with the volume of calls that the VA has been dealing with. While this is also another small start, he believes that it will help those who feel like they aren’t getting enough help. Another friend is assisting on the launch of a program designed to help returning troops transition from their combat tours to life back with their families and jobs. They are extremely optimistic about these programs and I hear about them every day. I know they’re working hard to make sure that all our Vets get the treatment they need.

Have a great Memorial day weekend, folks.

Is right here. You WILL NOT be disappointed!

The detachment of the uber rich in this country is astounding. The way they see it, this whole economic crisis is nothing more then a media fear mongering issue. The people who live in their neighborhoods, play golf at their country clubs and attend meetings at their children’s schools all seem to be doing just fine. What is all the fuss about? The people who take care of their children, manicure their lawns and clean their homes all see to be doing just fine as well. Besides, they believe that all that chatter about foreclosures is nothing more then a few people making some bad financial decisions. “It’s all their own fault, they should have read the terms of their loans!” is the common phrase repeated.

These unabashed worshipers of complete deregulation really want the person without the personal responsibility to simply read their mortgage terms and stop messing with the investment bankers who are gambling that they will be able to afford to pay back their mortgages.

I remember the days when I was house hunting. when discussing loans, creative loans were described to me as a vehicle to buy an extremely overpriced crappy ass McMansion in Suburban Utopia if you expected your income to increase significantly within a five year period. So, I understood it this way: you want to buy a 500K house? Well, hope your a first year attorney expected to pull in a partner’s salary within the next few years!  I poopooed the idea of Interest Only loans because I didn’t see a SIGNIFICANT increase in my future. Well, folks, I was right. and you know what? No one else has seen significant increases in their salaries, either. the promises of jobs galore have pretty much bitten the dust. The risk that the idiot investment bankers have taken on didn’t quite pan out. So, Overblown prices in housing and stagnant wages have given way to what? Foreclosures!!!!! Instead of people making more cash by their reset l;ike they had expected to, people found themselves either at the same place they were some years ago or worse: out of jobs completely. What’s even worse is the Rich idiots who bought million dollar homes as “an investment” expecting the equity to increase forever only to be told by their banks: “Sorry, we are yanking your HELOC because you have no equity anymore. Sorry, no vacations for you!” Astoundingly enough, some of these homeowners have decided to “walk away” from their investment and simply take the foreclosure. Personal Responsibilty? nahhhh…fuck that. this wasnt what they expected….it was supposed to be a retirement fund.

This is what pisses me off to no end: It’s okay to let the “Market work” when talking about the regular middle class folk who are constantly getting ass raped in the name of Market forces. It’s okay to rail against those same people when they get into trouble and need help because “Market forces” didn’t seem to work when it came to wages. (you know, real wages actually decreased, people)

It’s perfectly OK to use taxpayer money to bail out a HUGE bank who was deemed “too big to fail”. They made some shitty investment decisions and well, it wasn’t really their fault–it was you, stupid homeowner. YOU did this.  We can’t let the rich people drown in their own bathtub of crappy securities…..Market Forces be damned. We have to save OUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!!!!

and that is the real story so far,,,

Cheers to the Mom who isn’t afraid of her own shadow. It’s about time a mom says, “Hey learn some responsibilty, I trust you–you can do it. I taught you what to do if there is danger—take it from here”

Jeers to the fucktards who seal their kids in bubbles only to have them grow up dysfunctional and unable to take care of themselves. All 51% of you assholes.

sheesh.

Because Privacy is sooooo Passe

Secondly, I know that the tools that I’ve just described are necessary to protect us. Why? Because we need to know what people are saying, what they’re planning and what they’re thinking. And the tool that I have just described has been very effective.

From Today’s press conference about the debate in the House ver the FISA bill. Because, you know—This Doesn’t seem to count anymore!

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

I’ll NEVER forget that time I worked at a HUGE telecom company and was tasked with a case where a man sued the company in a court of law claiming they were intercepting his private conversations via phones and the internet. I dismissed the case, laughed about it with friends.  It was a helluva eye opener to realize some four years later that the guy wasn’t a mere tin foil hat wearing crazy dude—but he was right.

So LONG ASSHOLE! Thanks for all the LIES!

From the WSJ (subscription needed)

Governments should set policies and disburse funds to create financial incentives for businesses to improve the lives of the poor, he plans to say today.

I can’t believe it. The poster boy for Capitalism is now realizing that there is a major gap between the haves and the have nots. Red Rover Red Rover Send Billy Right over! *hands Bill Socialist Kool Aid* DRINK UP, BABY!

While it is wayyy awesome that he delivered a speech littered with shades of Socialism to a bunch of capitalist Blowhards in Switzerland yesterday, his focus is largely on developing countries. Some might call this “emerging markets”. If he wants to do it, I believe he will. Hopefully, he stays true to trying a “kinder form of capitalism”

By the way, Bill, that’s called socialism. It does work. Just go to several countries in South America.

I’m not an economist by any means; I just play one on the internet with my simplified understanding of how things should work. I have read a ton of books, had some interesting discussions and studied the historical implications of other policies that were executed in the past. I often yield to more experienced blogs when it comes to more complicated opinions. My opinions come from the experiences of the common lay person. I suppose that makes me what they call an “armchair Economist” In light of what has recently been happening, here is my take.
The stupidest possible thing the government can do is put together a stimulus package. This has been hammered home in tons of economic blogs, but no one is really listening. Take for instance this quote from the Daily Reckoning: ( a Baltimore Based News letter about global economics. These guys are NOT your typical talking heads you see on 24 hr Business news channels. These guys called the Big Shit pile some years ago and they were spot on.

“I just don’t get it! What would make these people think that? We’ve never been in a debt situation, government or public, like we are today, so I’m wondering how they think a stimulus package that puts money into people’s hands that go out and spend it and it’s gone, whoosh, vanished into thin air, is going to be the magic elixir for the economy”

Lets hear it for B-more. We’re a little unconventional in thought on many issues, but damn—someone needs to listen.

The village idiot we have in the white house has sent out three tax rebates in the past. The first rebate I remember I did not get a check. The second rebate I received a $400 check. This time, I think the government needs the fucking money more then I do. Wtf am I expected to do with this money? Oh yeah—That’s right—I am expected to go out and put a down payment on a flat screen television. Or a Blueray DVD player or buy me some new clothes. Fuck THAT!

One of my guilty pleasures on Teeveee is “Clean House” on the Style network. There are other shows similar to it, but I like Nicey, so…Clean house it is. Mister Fatman groans every single time I put it on, but I’m just fascinated by it. There are major reasons I watch the show. First, It is terribly apparent that shopping/consuming and hording things are the quick fixes for every problem from depression to issues people refuse to face. Stuff is the comfort that makes someone feel good about themselves. It makes them feel wealthy. It brings satisfaction that they got it on “sale”. Stuff defines them as a person and sometimes consumption can get out of control. The other reason I watch the show is—well….YOu should see my effin office. It’s a shithole of stuff that I need to get rid of!!!! After watching several episodes of the show I have come to realize I realllllly don’t need that much shit and my money is better saved then spent. When it’s time for a purchase, it better be functional. It’s taken me a long time to realize that the shit I have, I’m not using. I need to get rid of it or put it to use. I can’t wait to organize my own purge. Lastly–I saw the end results of a friends recent purge and Damn…I’m jealous. Downsizing is good.

WE’ve been told from the very beginning of the bush administration that we need to spend spend spend. From the moment those first tax rebate checks came in to today. Shopping is what holds us afloat. what if everyone decided to take their rebate checks and save it? what if we all decided to open an add on CD at our local bank or Credit union and started to add on to the damn thing? It would benefit the banks and would start a trend of saving like our Asian friends across the pacific pond.
Hell no. No saving in “murka. I just heard on the news today that China is a bit worried about the ‘murkin consumer’s inability to shop. They’re worried about their jobs.

Guess what, china? So are we.

Since I profiled the economic proposals of the top three Dems, It’s only fair that I do the same for the red side of the carpet.

Boy is it dismal. Words simply cannot explain the crap that is coming from these fartknockers.

First and foremost, when you click on the “issues” link on each one of their websites, the issue of the Economy is WAY BELOW “Keeping America Safe” rhetoric. What does this tell me? They all believe the biggest issue confronting them is the evil boogie man: terrorism. The Economy has just RECENTLY gained importance and only because a record number of Americans are facing foreclosure which is ultimately destroying their portfolios. That can’t happen, dammit.

It’s virtually impossible for me to highlight anything good about the Republican plans for the US Economy. It’s all the same shit the Bush Administration gave us, just wrapped up in a neato new package!  Free market this, Tax cuts that, ownership society, social security needs to be priviatized—BLAH BLAH BLAH.

What I WILL do is highlight the absurdity of the importance of the issues. believe me, this is fucking hilarious.    It will also demonstrate how detached they really are from the everyday economic issues of the common middle class family.  In order of…well…I don’t like any of them so I’ll order it on who currently has the most delegates. Afterwards, I’ll tell you the order of  issues on the website of the Contending em front runner.  After I reach an economic issue, I will stop listing them.  Recent additions regarding the “Stimulus Plan” are NOT included.

Mittens:

His issues page mentions Jihad, Nuclear and Tyrants right at the top, suggesting that the greatest threats aren’t the fact that most Americans haven’t seen a friken raise in a long time, but some perceived dictators overseas.

In layout order:

Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad

Confronting Radical Jihad

Combating Nuclear Terrorism

Strengthening Latin American Allies and Confronting Tyrants

Winning the Global Economic Competition

Clinton places Strengthening the Middle Class as her number one issue.

McCain:

Okay–Disclaimer here: McCain DOES address the Economy as the first issue in the form of a “Tax Cut Plan” Typical. Tax cuts DO NOT WORK! McCain, by far, may appeal to the moderate dem who is disheartened by the current front runner.

Obama’s list of issues:  Civil Rights, Disabilities, Economy.

HuckleFucklebee:

This is, by far, the most disturbing. Luckily, the Evangelicals who believe he will bring on the second coming are showing that their group doesn’t encompass most of the GOP base. Knock on wood.

The Secure America Plan

Immigration

Faith and Politics

Sanctity of Life

Veterans’ Bill Of Rights

Education And The Arts

Health Care

Taxes/Economy

To be fair, he does address health care and keeps “marriage” after addressing the economy. Still…can he get anymore wacky????

John Edwards:

John Edwards lists the economy first under

Standing Up For Regular Families

So now that I have painstakingly shown you the utter disconnect of the Republican front runners, tell me your thoughts on these fuck knuckles.