I know that Teh Market hates government intervention and Librul Socialism and that the Hidden Hand always strokes genius 'n' ever-thang, but am I the only one who sees the irony in the market rebounding AFTER the government announces it will intervene? Sorta kinda messes up that whole talking point, don't it?

We are all witness to the birthing of a new federal agency.

Wall street created this new darling.

For folks who detest socialism, what the heck do you call this new beast?

Wealthcare.

The trillion or so dollars required of taxpayer's monies will destroy any new initiatives for the next president.

Forget universal health care. Now we have wealthcare.

God bush america!

* The last 10 days have been less than kind to Palin's favorability ratings. -- Benen

But still over 40%. That's not enough; Palin is like
Carthage -- has to be destroyed. She's much more dangerous than the dodderer.

McCain companionship would seriously suck. McCain is like a senile and gassy old uncle who interrupts everyone else's conversation to go off on a tangent about how tough things were in the old days and lies about everything.

The true test of a president is to find the guy you'd rather have standing at the urinal next to you. Call me crazy, but I think Obama would win that one too.

Of course the fReichtards are mad at Cox. Once he started doing more than smiling and nodding the love affair was bound to end.

Speaking of fading love affairs it looks like familiarity is breeding contempt for the Sarah the Im-Palin.

The completion of ethnic cleansing, rather than the surge, is responsible for the decline in violence in Baghdad since the surge began:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080919/sc_nm/iraq_lights_dc

"temporary asset relief program"

or TARP.

Is that to cover up? Or catch all that sh*t that wall street has bestowed upon us all?

Wealthcare=TARP=socialism=covering their ass....ets.

One trillion dollars and counting.

UFB

Oh, via BizJournals, let’s not forget that Obama GOP backer Jim Leach was one of the sponsors of suddenly-radioactive 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. It will be hard for Obama to push too hard on this as a political issue.

I had heard of the right getting in a frenzy over Obama supposedly meddling in the Iraq situation. It seemed a bit hard to believe, but it's nice to have proof that it was a non-issue. However, check out this thread:

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/19/abc-bush-officials-support-obamas-account-that-he-didnt-try-to-undermine-negotiations-with-iraq/

In the comments section, there are gems like:

"Why does everything this idiot does, seem to go *poof* off into the night? He is never held accountable for anything."

(err, maybe because he didnt actually do anything wrong?)

"Way to go, Dubya. We can always depend on George to shoot himself in the foot. Again."

(So telling the truth is "shooting yourself in the foot" if it doesnt aid your party)

Anyway, enough nutpicking. Just thought it was funny.

The Iraq War.

Wealthcare.

Together, 2 trillion dollars and counting.

Millions of home in foreclosure.

Millions of uninsured folks (healthcare).

Sky-rocketing energy prices.

Tightening credit markets.

All this and more, compliments of the bush years.

Don't forget hurricane recovery efforts that fell short.

Yes, we are at a critical juncture with regards to our economic viability as a free country.

What we need now is veracity and not mendacity.

One candidate is for the former, you can guess which one embraces the latter.

Either, way, neither will be able to fulfill much of their campaign promises because the coffers are rapidly being depleted.

Was that the plan all along? Endless war....and now wealthcare.

If the US suspends all defense care spending for two or three years, we may be able to pay for the lifestyles of Wall Street bankers and keep our median class lifestyles intact. If not, only the bankers will be living weill.

Rather watch football with Obama!!! I'm now fully convinced Obama will win, seriously.

I can't believe Palin seductively used the term "Second Holocaust" -- she hasn't a clue what the word means.

For anyone looking for more about the economic crisis as it relates to the election, Mark Fiore's latest cartoon is *really* hard-hitting. Check it out:

http://www.markfiore.com/fundamentals_0

Oh, via BizJournals, let’s not forget that Obama GOP backer Jim Leach was one of the sponsors of suddenly-radioactive 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. It will be hard for Obama to push too hard on this as a political issue.

Oh, via reality, the author of that act, Phil Gramm, is still one of McCain's economic advisers. As is Carly Fiorina, who took Hewlett Packard from sixty bucks a share to twenty bucks a share. So, no, it won't be hard for Obama to push on this issue.

Going to the McCain "economic team" for advice on dealing with this mess is like going to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for advice on rebuilding the Trade Towers.

Several other threads here —

On "other issues":

Will we finally see Shrub and Uncle Fester in court?

We got Ike but no ice down here in Texas. Thanks, FEMA!

Bush wants to shove NATO aside in Afghanistan.

On the bailout:

The Euro-leftweighs in on the future of capitalism:

Obama will be walking a fine line if he tries to politicize the bailout too much.

One would think the neocons had been in charge of finance as well as domestic policy.

And, I’ll have a post up on my blog later tonight arguing that, contrary to Paulson, the speculators won — barring some unexpected and unlikely Congressional spine in the next week or two.

They'll have us collecting scrap metal before long.

How long before the focus on wealthcare leads to fiery rhetoric about "The War on Greed" or "Strengthen the Wall [Street]"?

I think this is what they want, to destroy the middle class by steadily chipping away at its foundation.

To think people actually believe their lies.

Several other threads here —

On "other issues":

Will we finally see Shrub and Uncle Fester in court?

We got Ike but no ice down here in Texas. Thanks, FEMA!

Bush wants to shove NATO aside in Afghanistan.

On the bailout:

The Euro-leftweighs in on the future of capitalism:

Obama will be walking a fine line if he tries to politicize the bailout too much.

One would think the neocons had been in charge of finance as well as domestic policy.

And, I’ll have a post up on my blog later tonight arguing that, contrary to Paulson, the speculators won — barring some unexpected and unlikely Congressional spine in the next week or two.

Thought that this was worth passing along as well. A group of volunteers just launched a site that puts volunteers who want to travel to swing states in touch with financial sponsors and swing state host families, and allows the sponsor to track the progress and on-the-ground numbers of the volunteer they've sponsored.

It’s sort of a political hybrid of Craig's List and Team-in-Training and a pretty cool concept - check it out here: http://ObamaTravel.org/

Over on the BBC I found a little item that is not getting much press on the American media:

At the same time, to stem growing panic among individual investors, the Treasury also plans to offer gurantees for the $3.2 trillion in money market mutual funds, which many people had treated as cash

We're creating an FDIC for the mutual funds w/o any of the fees charged to banks for the FDIC's emergency funds and NONE of the capitalization requirements and other protections.

Oh yeah, this is REALLY smart. This won't in anyway lead mutual fund managers to take ever greater risks with consumers money. I can't see any problem with this bit of stupidity.

Several other threads here —

Will we finally see Shrub and Uncle Fester in court?

We got Ike but no ice down here in Texas. Thanks, FEMA!

Bush wants to shove NATO aside in Afghanistan.

McCain has showed himself for who he truly is today: Petty and Vindictive beyond belief as he persisted even today in laying blame on the current horrific crisis on Obama and others.

What kind of President do we want on January 20?

Do they think we have lettuce for brains?

On the most dire day in 80 years of US financial history, McCain was caught running amok by one of the sharpest political ads of our time:

the fundamentals of our econ… of our economy… are strong.

Was that the dumbest utterance in the history of presidential elections? Probably.
I suspect the utterance, and the attendant ad, will be shared with our children and our grandchildren. It will be in history books. What we have witnessed this week is the very creation of historic lore. How does it feel to be a part of history?

But wait it gets even better...

Shortly thereafter, in an interview with Fox News, serial liar Palin tried to cover McCain's tracks:

"It was an unfair attack on the verbiage that Sen. McCain chose to use because the fundamentals, as he was having to explain afterwards, he means our work force, he means the ingenuity of the American people. And of course, that is strong and that is the foundation of our economy."

One has to wonder: Does our work force include any Americans that might be willing to pick lettuce in Yuma for $50 dollars an hour for a whole summer? Because McCain said very clearly to an audience of Americans: "You can’t do it my friend"

WTF!
I absolutely hate being told what I can and can't do.
Want to know what anti-Americanism is?

One-- Putting limits on the talents of individuals and the ability of our population to work hard: "You can't do it my friend."
Two-- Turning around in a crisis and using the same work force as an alibi for a senile slip of the tongue!

That is exactly the nature of the unforgivable sin that McCain-Palin has committed this week.
A One-Two punch to the face and gut of American workers and voters.

I don't think they McCain-Palin can survive such self-induced toxicity. Their vileness and mendacity here is simply beyond the pale.
In other words: Book em Dano.
In other other words: Game. Set. Barack.

Well of course investors are delighted. As I more or less said elsewhere, "world markets soar" precisely because the US establishment has decided that "the government" - that is, taxpayers - will bail out and support the financial establishment. Why? Because "we just can't let it fail" etc. Well. Isn't that an interesting irony about "free market capitalism" as I noted in a previous thread and elsewhere. Remember, “Freedom means freedom to fail, not just to succeed� etc? (I say this with all due respect for genuine conservatives, like I suppose Ron Paul, the crowd at American Conservative magazine, Reason, etc, who would and presumably will oppose such privatized-gains/socialized-losses pandering.)

After all the whining from conservatives about net "welfare" for the lowly (which was phony anyway considering the child tax subsidies for families up to around 100k, etc.) now we find that it's OK to make just about everyone people pay to pick up after other people who make more money (even if the market would fail) than 99.9% of the rest of us.

A commenter at a thread below, Tom Nicholson, called it “wealthcare� – Bush’s biggest and final legacy - hah! (It could have been called wealthfare, but not wealth-fair!) The least the public (on whose shoulders this approx. $1T bailout rests like the World on Atlas’ shoulders – what if *we* shrugged, not the hokey Randian “real producers� at the top) can do is, to demand the following as quid pro quo:

1. Take away the special tax breaks for the upper classes such as lower capital gains rates, which they never deserved in the first place (after the fact trading accomplishes nothing, why not reward initial investment and nothing else?) Make them actually pay in the mid thirties for every kind of income, but I'm OK with a break on estate taxes (since paying out cash for receiving illiquid value can be a PITA.)

2. Administer "social welfare" like universal health care with no apologies, it's the least we can get back in return. (McCain health adviser John Goodman's arguments that everyone really has UHC/health insurance just because they can go to an emergency room are rancid plutocratic snot. Just read his quote from e.g. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/28/mccain-adviser-everyone-in-us-has-some-health-coverage/ and you think, either deliberate snarky satire or the man is literally a monster - so what does that say about who he advises/ed?)

3. Hard-ball oversight of the whole financial system, massive required transparency, firmly enforced, harsh and timely rules and punishments, in effect let MoveOn or Ralph Nader loose to decide how to regulate the finance industry and corporations. Well, rationally in the true public interest, but no quarter to the playahs for their own sake.

Posted on: "Second Holocaust" is neocon code-speak for what Iran will do to Israel. Very popular in the NY Sun, elsewhere. She's talking to Dah Base there.

Let's see now, Bush doesn't have that much time before he's handing over the keys. What else can he reduce to rubble before he's done?
Is there anything left for him to destroy?

Anyone who voted for this man once should be ashamed. If you voted for him twice, you should join a community service organization and make amends for at least eight years.
If you're even considering voting for him a third time, by casting a vote for McSame, then there's no hope left for you - you have truly become a traitor to all that is decent in human beings.

At the same time, to stem growing panic among individual investors, the Treasury also plans to offer grantees for the $3.2 trillion in money market mutual funds, which many people had treated as cash

If I understand correctly what I heard on NBC news tonight, that is exactly what they ended up doing. Isn't that a nice trick, to pick up not only the high-rollers but the 100-200k/y upper-middle class golf republicans who might otherwise panic or consider rocking the boat big-time. And everyone is floating this, even the schmucks earning $10/hour at crappy customer service jobs etc.

So what happens a few months from now when the ephemeral "assets" that were the basis for this house of cards are still worth exactly the paper they're printed on? Since this started the administration has assumed over $5 trillion in liabilities with Fannie and Freddie, undertaken to back up the money market funds to the tune of $3.2 trillion, and is in the process of creating a trillion-dollar (And you know that if they're telling us it's a trillion then it will be more like three trillion). In other words, they've nearly doubled the National Debt in less than a month. Nice work, fiscal conservatives!

Socialize Wealth and Privatize Debt

This week Obama has been charged with airing misleading ads against McCain's record or his plans.

My take is that there are two benefits Obama will get out of this horrible behavior.

One: McCain must clarify his past record and future plans...in other words he has to talk about the issues.

Two: The past record and future plans are WORSE than the distortions in the ads.

One example: Obama keeps claiming that McCain wants to give $4Bln in new tax breaks to oil companies. In truth, McCain wants to give $200Bln to profitable companies. In explaining McCain's actual plan he has to admit that he will be cutting corporate taxes. Corporations only pay taxes on profits, and they have lots of ways of minimizing profits if they need to. So the corporate tax rate (within limits) has no effect on business operations.

Anyway, it isn't up to the opponent to fully describe the other person's record. Sometimes a little distortion prods the other side to clear up the record.

Neil B @ 7:25 PM: Isn't that a nice trick, to pick up not only the high-rollers but the 100-200k/y upper-middle class golf republicans who might otherwise panic or consider rocking the boat big-time.

You're firing indescrimately here. My wife and I, middle class liberals mind you, put our 401-K savings into money market mutual funds awhile back. We saw the shit storm looming and picked the safest option available in our respective plans. Lots of folks on the verge of retirement or already retired move their savings into these types of funds. That's just a long way of saying that you don't have to be a country club member to have skin in the game.

OK, but what do conservatives say now when we ask, how can we justify socializing MMFs but not the poor bastards out working in the stores and Donnie Mac, the homeless wretches that still don't get crap etc? Actually, what does anyone say? At some point, we just can't have the public cover for it - it certainly makes more sense to pick up for the truly desperate than people just wanting to be comfortable. In any case, the upper class is going to have to be pinched more since they have always been the main beneficiaries.

A trillion here, a trillion there...pretty soon it adds up to real money.

Meanwhile the Arctic sea ice is at its second lowest extent in recorded history, the lowest recorded extent having been this time last year.

Mainstream scientific estimates are that the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free in summer -- which has never occurred for longer than human beings have existed on this planet -- within five years.

When the Arctic Ocean is ice-free in summer, the dark open water will absorb much more of the sun's heat than did the reflective ice, which will accelerate the warming of the arctic -- which is already warming faster than any other part of the planet. The accelerated warming of the arctic will in turn release gigatons of frozen carbon and methane from thawing permafrost and undersea deposits, adding to the anthropogenic excess of these gases, which will further accelerate the warming.

Moreover, the arctic plays an important role in the entire global climate system, so the rapidly warming arctic will cause world-wide changes in weather pattterns, ocean currents, and more.

My Big Question of this campaign is ... what the heck is going on with Iowa?

Seriously, it was so close in 2000 and 2004 that it took days to figure out who won it. But this year Obama has had a stable 10-point lead in most of the polls. Not that I'm complaining about that, but does anyone know why? The state's demographics are pretty stable. Did Obama just win everyone over during the caucus campaign?

*

Well, if I can answer the perceptive and understandably cynical comments of Doctor Biobrain, Tom Nicholson, Dennis, Neil B, koreyel, and others - I apologize for not naming them, there's no implication by omission that they are any lesser - one can only understand this in the context of Doctor Biobrain's apt comment at 5:51 p.m. -

If we lowly ordinary taxpayers do not bail out the wealthy, then how can supply side economics survive? It's when they piss on our shoes while standing next to us at the urinals that we understand our role in society and what that trickle down stuff is all about.

Rachel Maddow's piece on Obama spontaneously and light-heartedly swatting at the fly (aka McCain/Palin) while apologizing to the journalist needs to be held up as the best journalistic segment on lending levity this week.

Thanks so much, Rachel--I really needed that! :-)

And way to keep it stupid, Orwell.

You tell 'em, joanne. The Gramm-Leech-Bliley Act had nothing to do with it.

Bushco has made certain that there's no money for bread and circuses.

We are all witness to the birthing of a new federal agency.

Wall street created this new darling.

For folks who detest socialism, what the heck do you call this new beast?

Wealthcare.

The trillion or so dollars required of taxpayer's monies will destroy any new initiatives for the next president.

Forget universal health care. Now we have wealthcare.

God bush america!

Posted by: Tom Nicholson

I believe that when you take over this core of power it is not socialism but rather fascism. I never thought things could get scarier than they already are. And the pendulum swings again, but this time how far to the "left"?

And joanne honey, take your sorry, stupid and pathetic ass over to the pAlien 3 site for another box of whoppers!

It's a of zeroes (really) but I worked it out: Bush & Co plus the stealth degregulation legislation slipped into a bill package by Phil Gramm right before the vote in 2000 has cost us, if the bailout is $1 trillion, roughly $3000 per man woman and child, or $12,000 for a family of four.

Good work, Bushies! (And political children of Reagan)

Unlike many others, Washington Monthly doesn't seem to have embarrassed themselves by promoting a highly misleading BHO ad that was so toxic that even JakeTapper, the NYT, and JoeKlein were able to screw up enough courage to call him on it.

Given BHO's demonstrated dishonesty, I highly recommend checking the fine print on the contract to make sure you're getting a pony like you were promised.

24headDotCom,

Cry me a river. To hell with Rush Limbaugh! He got a taste of his own medicine.

Besides, he's a big boy and doesn't need us lowly commoners (who he pretends to identify with and fools like you believe it) to stand up for him.

Make sure you've got a tabacco-filled phallus in your mouth and a few bottles of Viagra and hillbilly heroin in the manpurse, for that next trip to Costa Rica for "vacation."

I certainly believe something should be done about the financial crisis. However, I can't help but feel sardonic over this $1 trillion redistribution of wealth. It perfectly okay via tax dollars to redistribute the wealth of working Americans into the hands of these once-rich banking firms. But try to tax the most wealthy 1% of Americans and the wolves can't kill you fast enough with their cries of 'redistribution of wealth.' Seems it's a one way standard.

And this just in:

Sarah Pay-lin LIES again...but this time gets caught by ABC news.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5844710&page=1

Exclusive: New Doubts Over Palin's Troopergate Claims
Internal Government Document Contradicts Sarah Palin, Campaign

I know, I know, you are as incredulous as I am that she's a liar. Just goes to show. Even lipstick painted pitbulls can't keep feeding you dogshit and telling you it's ice cream.

You totally missed out on one of the funnier tidbits of the week. My coworkers and I were sniggling all Thursday about the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. You put in your real name, and out pops a Palinesque name . . . Something real American like Scat Moose Palin or Chopper McCain Palin. http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html.

You totally missed out on one of the funnier tidbits of the week. My coworkers and I were sniggling all Thursday about the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. You put in your real name, and out pops a Palinesque name . . . Something real American like Scat Moose Palin or Chopper McCain Palin. http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html.

You totally missed out on one of the funnier tidbits of the week. My coworkers and I were sniggling all Thursday about the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. You put in your real name, and out pops a Palinesque name . . . Something real American like Scat Moose Palin or Chopper McCain Palin. http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html.

24AheadDotCom

Go fuck yourself.

After this week's financial meltdown, is there any doubt at all that George W. Bush (the American Nero) is the worst fucking president in American history?

It's pretty much time to close the deal. Pointing out a lot of lies and misrepresentations, showing the danger of Ms. Running Mate and finally asking for votes might do it.

Don't forget to ask for votes. A LOT of people need that small prod.

This bailout is truly insane. This isn't anywhere near solving the problem, and Paulson and Bernanke would be the first to admit it -- They have no idea, nor does ANYONE, how much debt is out there.

Of course the market took off today -- It's a "Get out of jail free" card. I'd go on a shopping spree, too, if all my debt was wiped out and I was given a brand new credit card to begin anew.

Everybody with a mind knew this was coming. How is it anyone is accepting Congress's shock and surprise by what Paulson told them? This is more of the same Bush theft, sucking the last coins from the Treasury, on his way out of town and sticking us with the bill, for forever!

This is the end of America as we've known it. The wealthy are being bailed out, and everyone else, is stuck paying their bills.

It is really time to see clearly what has been done the last 8 years.
The planning started over 30 years ago.
All the looting has been planned.
This has been constant lie cheat and steal = bushcon the whole period.
All this does not happen at one time by chance.
Do you see any of the big players worried? Of course not.
The tax payer must pay the bill for the last 8 years.
Every single thing buschcon has done has been to drain and re-direct the loot.
They have not missed a thing.
Notice how their media presents this like no one could have known, just an unfortunate situation, accident, etc. Not.
Well planned and executed stealing.
Bushcon has been doing this for years.
Banks and savings and loans, etc do not fail by accident. This is called stealing.
Look at the crowd involved in the banking system and the bushcon gang in general. They all have always been involved in failed banks and stealing.
And the citizens always end up with the bill.
But these last 8 years they have really done a complete job. Hey they almost got social security thrown in there too.
What happened when reagan came in and deregulated the s'n'l's? Same thing. Only that was a trial run.
All the made up news has been a distraction.
All frauds.
Pretty sick bunch.
Now they got a guy with very few connected brain cells and a wind up doll ready to continue on their behalf to insure they stay out of jail.
4 more years = death.

McCain:

Looks like I picked the wrong week to say the fundamentals of our economy are strong.

Here's a baseless rumor: Sullivan is gone from the Atlantic. Well, his site is down..and his blog is the only Atlantic blog down for some reason.

The Bush administration has told one lie after another for eight years; is ANYONE questioning this latest threat? I can't believe this bailout will halp anyone but "Bushies." It feels the same as Bush's opening up ocean drilling.... his last gasp. His last gifts to those so like him.
Is there ANY site that doubts Paulsen's ideas?

The Euro-leftweighs in on the future of capitalism.

Did the speculators win? Despite Henry Paulson’s “no more bailouts� tough talk, I argue the answer is yes.

So now that the US sees that bankruptcies happen and even supposedly noble people can find themselves in situations that spiraled wildly out of control and that it's in the best interests of the nation to not see entities in a world of hurt fail, can we now rescind the evil bankruptcy laws passed during the Bush Administration on individuals? Or maybe we should apply the same rules as punitively on the corporations that sought to pass these evil laws as they do to you and me.

Bush learned well from his brother Neil about the Silverado Savings and loan: if you screw up, screw up huge -- and it will be profitable.

Whoever said earlier that Sully is offline, well, his blog is up right now.

That said, I don't get the infatuation many professed libs have with him. So he changed his mind on the Iraq War. If the GOP had nominated the "right" candidate, Sully would be in his corner. I know that's the case if Ron Paul had in, some alt-universe, gotten the GOP nod.

In general, I really don't buy into the "an enemy of my enemy is my friend" idea. Rather, an enemy of my enemy is a temporary ally of convenience.

Ignoring Pat Buchanan's conspiracy thoughts, and Churchill's occasional gushing, that is, in general, the diff between Winston and FDR on approaching Stalin.

24AheadDotCom @ 10:53,

You know son, if anyone wants to smear Rush Limbaugh, I'd be glad to hand them a speeding vehicle and hold down the road. Every time that sweathing gasbag opens his insidious pie hole, we learn something new about invective, and sixteen years of study at the feet of the master has been quite enough, thank you. Words mean things and as far as I'm concerned the First Blimp of Talk Radio can choke on his. Personal responsibility is for everybody, including pompous old prostitutes of the airwaves like Rush Limbaugh.

I could go on, but I'm saving the rest for the man's funeral. Along with a good bladderful of urine.

But I respect your opinion.

koreyel @ 7:12,

This is Palin's inimitable speaking style at work. She keeps scanning and rescanning a subject without punctuation, trying to massage the words to mean something that works to her advantage. Nothing has a stable meaning in her speech.

Not to be alarmist or anything, but the only other context in which I have encountered this sub-hysterical verbal pattern is among people brought up in totalitarian environments -- specifically Romania under Ceaucescu, and Uzbekistan under Karimov. Maybe the god that she asks for guidance is like one of those guys.

Paul Krugman's column today should be snatched up by Obama's team:

"John McCain’s article, Better Health Care at Lower Cost for Every American, in the Sept./Oct. issue of Contingencies, the magazine of the American Academy of Actuaries. You might want to be seated before reading this.

Here’s what McCain has to say about the wonders of market-based health reform:

Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation.

So McCain, who now poses as the scourge of Wall Street, was praising financial deregulation like 10 seconds ago — and promising that if we marketize health care, it will perform as well as the financial industry!"

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Uh, oh. ABC News is reporting that Governor Palin's staff actually approved Walt Monegan's trip to Washington DC -- the trip she says she didn't authorize and was the basis of his firing.

Is anything Governor Palin says true???

*

The solution to Sarah Palin---once she's soundly thrashed in the November elections---lies here:

AS 15.45.470-720

Under Alaska state law, she can be recalled. This is going to be a necessary step for Alaskans, because her defeat in November is going to send her completely over the edge, and she will go absolutely "berserker-moose" on everyone in Alaska who didn't show enough loyalty to her.

That's just the kind of person she is.

From what I'm understanding, the Palin/McCain campaign has effectively moved into the Alaska governor's mansion, and has assumed control of the daily duties of the Governorship.

I seem to remember something in the Constitution about that---the 10th Amendment, I think---which should give everyone "a moment's pause" to reflect upon the singular Path that will become mandatory, should Palin/McCain ascend to the highest office in the land.

This election is no longer about McCain. It has---as it must, for the very survival of the Republic itself---become a referendum upon the pending coronation of America's first Tyrannis Caesara---the Tyrant Empress.

And---that "Path" will demonstrate the true meaning of "Country First," determining either if those two words actually mean what they say---or if they are merely code for deferring everything that this nation is supposed to stand for to the spiteful whims and vengeful tantrums of "Ms. Lipstick-on-a-Quayle."

I will "stand" for the former of the two. The question now is---what will YOU do?

Neil B: OK, but what do conservatives say now when we ask, how can we justify socializing MMFs but not the poor bastards out working in the stores and Donnie Mac, the homeless wretches that still don't get crap etc? Actually, what does anyone say? At some point, we just can't have the public cover for it - it certainly makes more sense to pick up for the truly desperate than people just wanting to be comfortable. In any case, the upper class is going to have to be pinched more since they have always been the main beneficiaries.

We're all going to pay for this for a very long time. Hell, my three year old daughter may be paying for this. But, we don't have much choice as I see it. According to Sen. Dodd, "we’re literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system, with all the implications here at home and globally.� My parents were raised during the Great Depression and I heard the stories. That's nothing we ever want to go through again.

That said, you'll get no argument from me against doing more for folks that are already in tough times. I've always believed we can do more for people that are doing their best, but falling behind. That's one reason that I'm a Democrat.