Once the Republicans 'got the swing' of sapping the USA Treasury for their failed policies, they simply didn't stop.

Paulson ends Treasury Secretary career in failure.

When Paul O'Neill resigned as US Treasury Secretary and followed that decision up with his book, "The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill" written by Ron Suskind which basically stated Bush's economic policies were irresponsible; no one paid attention. As a side note, Paul O'Neill met his wife and graduated from a high school in Alaska.

He was replaced by John Snow, who left under speculation of ethical impropriety regarding his brokers purchased $10 million of debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Then comes along Paulson and somehow he was supposed to be "God's Gift to the USA" in that the CEO of Goldman-Sachs would be atuned to issues of fiscal responsibility and make all legislative changes since the demise of Glass-Steagall work for America. In the course of his Cabinet presence he managed to manipulate the status of Goldman-Sachs, placing it as the world's advisor to attained wealth. He stated that the bailing out of AIG was due to the fact so many Americans would be disaffected by its failure. Oh.

Goldman Sachs had up to $20 bln AIG risk-NY Times (Paulson protected GS with $85 B taxpayer bailout)
Source: Reuters
NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) had as much as $20 billion at risk had the insurer American International Group Inc (AIG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) collapsed, the New York Times said on Sunday.
Goldman was AIG's largest trading partner, the newspaper said, citing six people close to the insurer. A collapse of AIG threatened to leave a hole of as much as $20 billion in Goldman, the newspaper said, citing several of the people.
The Wall Street bank told the newspaper that it was never imperiled by AIG's troubles. Spokesman Lucas van Praag also disputed the $20 billion figure, saying it did not account for collateral and hedges that Goldman employed to reduce risk.
The AIG bailout came after the New York-based insurer saw losses spiral on credit default swaps, which are insurance contracts whose value is tied to underlying securities such as mortgages and corporate debt.

I could go on and on about how Paulson abused his power to benefit Goldman-Sachs, but, that is a given.


What is more incredible is that Bush vetoed The 2008 Farm Bill which, of course, was overridden by the House and Senate.


Within the Farm Bill was a provision introduced by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that was originally introduced as Senate Bill S.2058 by later attached to the Farm Bill of 2008. That provision was specifically designed to 'close the loophole' that allowed the exploitation by Enron. THAT exploitation was engineered by lobbiests working with McCain's current economic advisor Phil Gramm. The Democrats have been trying to 'head this mess' off for some time now, but, was continually obstructed from doing so by the Republican ideologists through the powers of the Executive Branch.


The point is that within 'the troubled waters' that now beset the USA is a core group of incompetents. Leading the list is Phil Gramm, the ideologist from Texas, that opposed the long lived Glass-Steagall Act replacing it with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 2000; a Republican dreamscape of deregulation that allowed the markets to "work as they should." The Glass-Steagall Act was a well established 'wall' that was passed during The Great Depression to separate investment risk from average Bank depositors.


While Wall Street types will debate that the demise of Glass-Steagall was not the reason for the fiscal collapse of the USA Economy, the fact that Gramm is at the center of all these measures and they all play an intricate part in the current economic departure from insuring National Security of the USA; is more than noteworthy.


John McCain stated, the director of the SEC should be fired, when the truth actually was that Phil Gramm should be exposed for his incompetency and willingness to 'play ball' with lobbiests interested in exploitation of this country while furthering 'a Republican ideology' that Bush characterized 'in its failure' as 'a Wall Street drunk.'


To risk more Republican influence within the fiscal well being of the USA, is to risk the security of the nation.


Cost of Iraq War and Nation Building (click here)


The Day when changing a consonant from 'm' to 'b' insued the defeat of National Security of the USA.


...Bush's request for $87 billion to underwrite the costs of his war on terror formally arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday (click here), but it has been a source of pain and embarrassment for the administration for nearly two weeks. Perhaps that's why officials at the White House and the Pentagon spent 12 months stonewalling and sidestepping questions about how much the war in Iraq will cost.
Ever since former White House budget chief Lawrence Lindsey slipped up a year ago and admitted that an invasion and occupation of Iraq could cost between $100 billion and $200 billion, the administration has been playing hide-and-seek with the numbers. Budget figures have trickled out from various administration offices, but most have been heavily qualified, broad, or contradictory. And, until this month, they never came from the president himself....

Top Republican on 'Paulson plan'

California Budget Must Prioritize Fire Safety - July 12, 2008

Signing the budget ended bitter partisan deadlock on how to close the $15.2 billion deficit (click here)
By Justin Ewers
Posted September 24, 2008
...Neither Democrats nor Republicans seemed pleased with the final product, especially after Schwarzenegger's last-minute, line-item veto of $510 million in funds for HIV/AIDS education and a tax rebate program for low-income elderly renters, among other programs. "I would like to say it's finally over with, but really the state is no better off than it was before," said Senate Majority Leader Don Perata. "We have simply rolled the problem into next year... There isn't much to be proud of."...




...For the new budget year, in addition to increasing the firefighting budget, legislative Democrats have proposed doubling the amount of money available from the new property insurance fee the governor is promoting as he travels the state....



Posted by: thepinetree on 09/26/2008 05:12 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 09/26/2008 06:43 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
Fire Danger Remains High Despite Cooler Weather....Residents urged not to become complacent (click here)
San Andreas, CA....As fall begins and students have returned to school, many people believe that fire season also ends at the same time. CAL FIRE is reminding all Californians that fire danger remains high across the state and even though the threat has decreased in some areas, the chance of large and damaging fires still exists.....

Give the money to the States !! Let them administer their own fiscal recovery.

Another tropical disturbance off the Yucatan Peninsula. There is flooding in the Midwest along with tornadoes.

The USA will never recuperate the $700 billion. Some of these homes are not salvagable and were not insured for the damages they sustained after tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. This 'bail-out' is simply a matter of 'dumping' a negligence of a Climate Policy on the people of this country.

The recuperation the USA will ever see out of this bailout is an increase in the labor market when it comes to operating bulldozers.

Let it go !!!



Flood aftermath driving U City family from long-time home (click here)
By Margaret Gillerman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/28/2008
University City — Leniel Fields sleeps in what's left of his blue-and-white 1994 Thunderbird — with a pillow, a Red Cross blanket and a Bible.
Fields, 41, a forklift operator, was chased from his home two weeks ago by River Des Peres floodwater, which ruined his car and ravaged the modest brick bungalow his mother owns and that he has called home on and off for 33 years.
After the Sept. 14 flood, University City condemned the house and told Fields, his mother and younger brother it was not safe to sleep there.
Electrical repairs alone would cost $4,050, according to one estimate. The family needs a furnace, water heater, washer, dryer and at least one car — plus replacements for Fields' younger brother's furniture, computer, clothing and most of his school books....


There is flooding and damage to people's homes and lives, but, nothing is more important to the media of the USA than the credit crunch of the Republican Infrastructure. Amazing. What good does it do to salvage a mortgage on homes that aren't habitable?


September 27, 2008
1143 AM EST

Station ID: 07194500
Name: Arkansas River near Muskogee, OK
Flow Rate: 57600.00 cfs
Percentile: 92%
Temperature: 86.90 F
Stage: 21.86 ft
Flood Stage: 28 ft


Tornado Storm Report:
2008-09-26 10:53:00 EDT
Lat/Lon: 36.23,-77.11
Location: Bertie
Tornado reported by multiple sources near Aulander and moving north. (Akq)

Tornado Storm Report:
2008-09-13 21:18:00 EDT
Lat/Lon: 42.38,-83.45
Location: Wayne
Law enforcement and media reported a tornado touchdown near Wilcox Rd and Schoolcraft Rd. A roof was reportedly ripped off an apartment building. (Dtx)

Give $700 billion to the States based on need. Extend credit through the States. Extend Unemployment. Facilitate Infrastructure Rebuilding.

Like I said, McCain's visit to DC was simply Grandstanding. It achieved nothing, but, insisted on promoting his crony agenda while it gave him an excuse for a poor performance in the debate, "After all, as his campaign cited, he suspended his campaign." That was his choice and it he choses liability over resolution, what does that tell anyone about what a McCain White House would be like? Chronic infighting and never getting anything done. JUST LIKE BUSH !

I have not been to Baghdad. I have not been to Afghanistan. I have not been Waziristan. I have not been to Russia.

“That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land — boundary that we have with — Canada.”

Tell me Alaskans aren't this paranoid.

They don't believe in the work the USA State Department does?

If not, then it tells plenty about the need for a change in administration in DC !

"I visited Afghanistan and I traveled to Waziristan and I traveled to these places and I know what our security requirements are." McCain stated.

And he still makes bad decisions.

...At a news conference shortly after their outing, Mr. McCain, an Arizona Republican, and his three Congressional colleagues described Shorja as a safe, bustling place full of hopeful and warmly welcoming Iraqis — “like a normal outdoor market in Indiana in the summertime,” offered Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican who was a member of the delegation....

...“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!”
The delegation arrived at the market, which is called Shorja, on Sunday with more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead, a senior American military official in Baghdad said. The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit.
“They paralyzed the market when they came,” Mr. Faiyad said during an interview in his shop on Monday. “This was only for the media.”...

Storm expected to downgrade to post-tropical before making landfall on Sunday

UNISYS Water Vapor North and West Hemisphere Satellite (click here for 12 hour loop)

The Maritimes are being warned to brace for a wet and windy weekend as tropical storm Kyle gains strength and slowly moves north.
Environment Canada issued special weather warnings on Friday for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island as the storm tracked northward at about 19 kilometres an hour.
Kyle's maximum sustained winds increased to about 95 km/h by early Friday in the Atlantic Ocean. It's about 715 kilometres southwest of Bermuda, where a tropical storm watch has been issued. The British territory is expected to receive about 75 millimetres of rain by the end of Saturday....

They are doing just fine !

The DOW Today at 2:20 PM or 1420 military time (click here) show strength in the Telecommunication Sector.


Market Summary
At 2:18 PM ET: Although the broad indexes are mixed, most stocks are lower in trading today on the NYSE as declining issues outpace advancing issues by 3.2 to 1. The S.&P. 500 is down 0.47%. Among individual stocks, the top percentage losers in the S.&P. 500 are Washington Mutual Inc. and Wachovia Corporation



...J.P. Morgan said it is acquiring "Washington Mutual's banks (click here), not the holding company." Being left on behind are the assets and liabilities of Washington Mutual Inc., the holding company which includes unsecured senior debt, subordinated debt and preferred of Washington Mutual's banks. The unsecured debt amounts to roughly $20 billion....

How many people today are proud they stood against change in SSI after the elections of 2004 ?

This is the end of the Republican domination of the USA. They need to be 'bailed out' because their programs DON'T work. Cutting taxes while pandering to and indulging Corporate Ideations DOES NOT WORK ! Its painful to watch them go through it, isn't it?

Yep. The Republicans can't even agree on an approach to the dilemma Paulson presented. They think he's a genius because they get a chance to write legislation that will further destroy the tax infrastructure to the USA while they continue to propagate their "W"rong headed ideation.

Let it go. We need to start over and it probably had to come to this. The strong will survive.

...The Bush Administration has been making alarming claims that the current Social Security program is "in crisis" and is unsustainable. These exaggerations simply are not true. Estimates by the Social Security trustees (using rather pessimistic assumptions) and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicate that the trust fund is solvent for another 38 to 48 years if we do nothing. In other words, Social Security is not going broke anytime soon. Despite the fact that the Social Security trust fund is as robust today as it has been in recent years, the administration proposes to radically change the Social Security program by cutting benefits while at the same time allowing workers to create individual private accounts. While the exact provisions are not clear, any privatization proposal will not, in and of itself, do anything to ameliorate the shortfall projected in 2042 or 2052....

When the next President of the USA finishes spending $700 billion we will have a new infrastructure, a far better domestic product and will be able to bolster SSI as well as increase benefits that were lost during this crisis.

Spending $700 billion on a financial sector bailout won't lower the price of gas or the price of food. Charting a path into the future is easy, it is letting go of the past that is difficult.

No More Illegal Wars.

Stand your ground, when its established on a moral and truthful basis, it doesn't give way !

One of the lousiest things I heard on a 'talking head show' when a Senior Citizen asked '? an expert ?' about how people on fixed incomes get by with increasing prices of gas and food; he stated; "We live in the greatest country on Earth. You can still get a job at any age and I encourage all those that need so, to do so." They are lousy bastards and we don't need them at the top of any government, yet along the USA !

I

DON'T

THINK

SO !!!!!!!!!!!

We need to get to the other side of these elections !

We need to be Democrat from bottom to top !

We need it now !

Wall Street made a fatal mistake.

They followed the corrupt into hell !

Let me see if I get this right. The USA is supposed to sponsor a debt of $700 billion US. When are the Democrats simply going to walk away ?

There is no way this country should be a sponsor to fiscal irresponsiblity. No way. This is pure unadulterated greed. Nothing short of it.
As soon as Wall Streets smells money they are off to the races. Why does anyone believe things are going to be different?
This is fraud and everyone knows it.
The USA needs to take the $700 billion and rebuild its infrastructure. It needs not be thrown into an international glut of money for the sake of bouyancy to a failed Treasury Department.

There is no job market. There is no growth in the USA. And the only 'bounce' the credit markets are getting is the recuperated debt that the Treasury Secretary is anxious about because Goldman-Sachs is going to be next. There is conflict of interest everywhere in this mess and there is no way there should be a bailout for anyone. The ONLY way those monies should be spent is to put Americans back to work and rebuild our infrastructure. This spending will only lead to more and more of the same and the USA Dollar will be worthless. This is a fraudulent economy and we shouldn't be participating in it.

It is just too bad. I don't believe how completely stupid this is. Bush is pushing for this now because he'll be out of office and when he's gone this type of cronyism will be a thing of the past. From Tom DeLay to Bush, the 'ride to Easy Street' is over. This will only cause more problems with a new administration and we'll be bogged down in Bush Fiscal Irresponsiblity for at least four years.

They need to suffer the consequences.

...The plan currently being debated by (click here) Congress would help put a floor under distressed asset prices, improve transparency of asset valuations and restore liquidity to markets, said S&P.
"If the plan can restore confidence in the accuracy of bank balance sheets, we believe it would allow fixed-income investors to focus again on fundamentals when analyzing these firms (These businesses are crooks. The average investor doesn't know how to make head or tails of the practices of these firms since Paulson and Bush took over. This so called bailout is to attempt to bring about a balance sheet everyone can have confidence in. This is not the way to do things. Bailing out crooks only leads to more of the same. The world is doing fine without them. This isn't the way to improve market performance. It is done through tangible investments that have a future of success. This isn't the way its supposed to be done.) and making investment decisions, not on the very real potential for insolvency precipitated by the current marketplace volatility," analyst Tanya Azarchs said in a statement.
However, the bailout, while providing short-term relief, is not a complete solution to the problems in the financial sector, she said. There is a risk that a rescue of this magnitude may discourage banks from changing their behavior....

The ONLY reason to throw money at the markets is if there was a subtantial failure in the infrastruture. There isn't. Paulson is the biggest song and dance man ever to exist. There is nothing that drastic about saving these firms. They need to do it on their own or get out of the way. This is just completely wrong. They want loans, then maybe, but only maybe. This is Paulson reaching for his precious 14,000. That is all this is and he's been manipulating this mess for two years now.

This is a storm no one bothered to name with 45 mph.

September 25, 2008
1915Z

McCain is running away because of this? The DOW is stabilizing. There is no evidence of a sincere crisis. The market has been artifically inflated.

The DOW is adjusting. Something "W"rong with that? Well, maybe for Paulson.



The DOW sustained a loss today of 29 points. A whopping loss of .27 precent. And McCann is worried about what is transpiring in DC? For once, DC is actually making the prudent decision and demanding proof and reassurances.

Across the board; the Americas, Commodities, Asia, Europe and Bonds are all stabilizing. There are minor ups and downs around the entire globe. What in the heck does Paulson think he is trying to pull?

McCain acts like nobody else gives a hoot. Does he actually know what is going on?

NZ Super fund not critically exposed, says Orr (click here)
1:15PM Wednesday Sep 24, 2008
...Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation chief executive Adrian Orr told the annual Institute of Finance Professionals, or INFINZ, conference in Auckland today, that direct exposure to financial sector shares, hit by the collapse of Wall Street institutions, had been less than 10 per cent of the fund.
The specific companies that had attracted much of the media attention, such as Lehman Bros, made up less than 1 per cent of the fund....

The markets don't have money? They have money. Someone found $70 million somewhere !

UPDATE 1-Ligand to buy Pharmacopeia in $70 mln stock deal (click here)
Wed Sep 24, 2008 6:05pm EDT
Sept 24 (Reuters) - Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc (LGND.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) agreed to acquire Pharmacopeia Inc (PCOP.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in a stock deal valued up to $70 million, gaining access to Pharmacopeia's royalty partnerships, the companies said.
Pharmacopeia stockholders will also be entitled to a Contingent Value Right (CVR) under certain circumstances to a cash payment of an total of $15 million for all Pharmacopeia stockholders.
Under the deal, Ligand will issue 0.58 share for each outstanding Pharmacopeia share and Ligand stockholders will own about 84 percent of the combined company, with remaining owned by Pharmacopeia stockholders.
This exchange ratio is based on closing prices of Ligand shares between $3.00 and $3.75 for a period prior to the closing date....

And look. Bechtel is doing even better than everyone else.

Bechtel nabs $6B nuclear deal (click here)
Frederick subsidiary will assume management of federal labs
by Rebecca McClay Staff Writer

Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp. has snared a $6 billion contract from the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program to operate Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory near Pittsburgh and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in New York.
The company is a subsidiary of Bechtel National Inc. of Frederick. Bechtel spokesman Mike Kidder called the contracts, particularly the Knolls deal, "a big step forward" for the company and "a win for Frederick management."
Bechtel Bettis Inc., another subsidiary of Bechtel, previously managed Bettis labs in Pittsburgh, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Charleston, S.C. Bechtel Marine Propulsion will take over the Bettis labs, plus Knolls, a joint program of the Department of Energy and the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, from Lockheed Martin's KAPL Inc. after a four-month transition period, on Feb. 1.
"We are very pleased to be able to continue our service for [the Energy Department] and the U.S. Navy in support of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program," Bechtel National Chairman Scott Ogilvie said in a statement. "We are committed to a smooth and efficient transition of Bettis and Knolls into [Bechtel Marine Propulsion], and look forward to continuing the accomplishments of the men and women at Bettis and Knolls in support of our national defense."...

And the gang is all here, just like old home week.

KBR JV's FEED contract for Gorgon Project extended (click here)

KBR Inc, the engineering and construction company, announced that Kellogg Joint Venture Group (KJVG) has been awarded a Work Authorization by Chevron Australia Pty Ltd for approximately AUD$300 million to finalise front end engineering and design (FEED) for the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project....

DOJ: Ex-KBR chief pleads guilty to bribery charges (click here)
By MARCY GORDON – Sep 4, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former chief executive of construction firm KBR Inc. has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges in connection with the company's natural gas operations in Nigeria from 1995 to 2004.
The Justice Department said Albert "Jack" Stanley entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court in Houston to conspiring in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials in return for engineering and construction contracts.
As CEO of Houston-based KBR, Stanley headed a subsidiary within Halliburton Co., the oilfield services conglomerate whose chief executive from 1995 to 2000 was Vice President Dick Cheney....

KBR gets $232 mln deal for Louisiana carbon plant (click here)

Wed Sep 10, 2008 4:58pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Engineering and construction company KBR Inc said on Wednesday one of its units had been awarded a $232 million contract by ADA-ES Inc for construction of a new activated carbon plant.
ADA-ES, which develops technology such as activated carbon to reduce mercury exhaust from burning coal, has chosen BE&K to provide full engineering, procurement and construction services for the plant in Red River Parish, Louisiana, KBR said in a statement.

(Reporting by Braden Reddall; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Investigation widens in electrocutions at military sites (click here)

By Brian Bowling

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

A Department of Defense investigation into the electrocution of a Shaler soldier serving in Iraq will review eight similar deaths on military facilities, and investigators have subpoenaed more information from the contractor maintaining those facilities.
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Scranton announced the expanded investigation Monday after a briefing by the Defense Department's Inspector General's Office. Investigators said they've discovered at least 18 soldiers and civilian workers have been electrocuted in Iraq, two more than previously reported.
Cheryl Harris of Cranberry said she believes the Pentagon finally is taking her son's death seriously....

I haven't even gotten to Halliburton yet. I guess I haven't done a Cheney Observer in awhile.

Plea in KBR bribe case may signal more on the way (click here)

Tue Sep 9, 2008 11:29am EDT

By Anna Driver - Analysis
HOUSTON (Reuters) - The guilty plea in a years-long bribery probe by the U.S. government of Halliburton Co and its former KBR Inc unit means more legal woes may be on the way for the global energy companies.
Albert "Jack" Stanley, a former KBR chief executive officer, pleaded guilty last week to charges involving a scheme to pay $180 million in bribes to Nigerian government officials to win work on the $6 billion Bonny Island liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant....

Now, this does not look like a company ready to go down the drain. Granted $30,000 ain't $700 billion, but,...$30,000? All Halliburton is donating is $30,000. Man, oh, man talk about PR on the cheap.

Halliburton gives to S.D. college (click here)

A Houston-based petroleum company has donated $30,000 to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's geology department for scholarships and faculty support.

Halliburton wants to work with the School of Mines not only to become better known by students and faculty, but also to develop new technologies, said Ibrahim Palaz, director of strategic educational and research and development partnerships.

Palaz, a 1989 graduate of the School of Mines, said the company's growth is focused on the Rocky Mountain area, and it recruits School of Mines engineers and scientists.

As of September 12, 2008, Halliburton had an A rating.

Halliburton has sustained a price in the range of $34.00 for the last THREE years, with advancing stock prices since Cheney pushed the USA into Iraq. (click here)

Fitch Rates Halliburton's Sr. Notes 'A-'; Outlook Stable (click here)
Last update: 4:56 p.m. EDT Sept. 12, 2008
CHICAGO, Sep 12, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fitch assigns an 'A-' rating to Halliburton's (HAL:
Halliburton Company
Last: 34.97-0.23-0.65%4:01pm 09/24/2008Delayed quote data
Sponsored by:
HAL 34.97, -0.23, -0.6%) $400 million of 5.9% Senior Notes due 2018 and $800 million of 6.7% Senior Notes due 2038 issued today. Fitch also affirms HAL's ratings as follows:...

E N O U G H !

Biden: McCain Is "Dangerously Wrong" - THE DEBATE will go on without McCann

Obama says debate should go ahead (click here)
1 hour ago
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama says that amid the current financial crisis, it's more important than ever for he and John McCain to sit down and hold a presidential debate.
Republican McCain proposed earlier Wednesday that Friday's debate be postponed while the two candidates work to deal with the nation's financial troubles. Obama said he and McCain are working on a joint statement setting out their ideas on how to solve the financial crisis. But Obama also said he believes it's important to go ahead and have the debate.
Obama said, "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess."...

From CBS News'

September 24, 2008, 4:36 PM

Ryan Corsaro:

(CINCINNATI) - Joe Biden tackled the broad spectrum of national security today, saying the Democratic ticket would offer more “hard-headed” diplomacy with allies in dealing with countries like Iran and calling John McCain “dangerously wrong” in his views on terrorism, the war in Iraq, and foreign relations.

Appearing in the cavernous dome of Union Station, Biden attempted to drive the Obama campaign’s message that a McCain presidency would carry on the same type of foreign policy under the Bush Administration.

“After 9/11, the President of the United States of America had an incredible opportunity. He had an opportunity to join America and the rest of the world in common cause,” said Biden, speaking in the same spot where Bush made a televised case against Saddam Hussein in 2002.

“But instead, instead by starting a war of choice in Iraq before winning the war of necessity in Afghanistan, the President of the United States by imposing torture, detention, eavesdropping that defy our values and endanger our national security.”

“By showing disdain to our allies and empty bluster to our enemies, President Bush divided America, divided the world instead of, instead of uniting us.”

Biden accused McCain of the same blustering and fixation on Iraq, and insisted the central war on terrorism was not in Iraq, but rather in the mountains between Pakistan and Afghanistan....

Grandstanding in DC is better for McCain than to debate an illegal war he voted for, while Palin does a crash course with Kissinger.

No matter what verbage used, the only reason "Mr. McCain Goes to Washington," is for the basis of political gains. He portrays himself as a sacrificial candidate to the issue of Fiscal Responsiblity.

The question is WHOM'S fiscal responsibility, certainly NOT that of the USA Treasury.

If he actually had the ability to instill priorities to the importance of including the American homeowner and job market which included full disclosure by Paulson that brought such high-handed demands, he might be even start to get the attention of the American people. But having a person pursue a concern of the nation when he isn't qualified to do it, is only adding fuel to the fire.



John McCain's decision to suspend his campaign comes as two new polls show him slipping in the head to head matchup against Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The businesses at the receiving end of Paulson's Trillion $US Giveaway are all the Republican cronies. McCann is too loyal to his Big Dollar Brothers to stay away now. The idea that he even backs Paulson when there is no evidence to the demands for a Free Giveaway to the financial sector is more and more evidence that McCann is NOT the man the USA needs at the top of the Executive Branch.

I wouldn't put it past the Republicans to 'stage' a 'meeting of the minds' to come up with a 'better plan than Paulson's.' They are losing the House and the Senate and they are desperate for political clout.

By returning to DC to Grand Stand the financial expoitation by Paulson and his failing Goldman-Sachs he is admitting he will micromanage every aspect of his presidency. That isn't a leader that inspires and it isn't a leader that anyone trusts. He is another Bush that exerts overbearing interference with the Legislature in order to achieve his political agenda.

Barak should continue to speak to the people on the campaign trail and complain about McCann 'skipping out' on the first debate of this election season on Friday night.

Palin isn't suspending anything. She is being coached by Henry Kissinger regarding foreign affairs. The question that comes to mind, "Is Kissinger doing this in fear of Palin actually having to take the Presidency?" I would believe McCain was actually suspending his campaign if Palin were on her way back to Alaska without coaches in tow.

McCann's definition of 'suspending' doesn't mean staying in DC until ALL the facts are known and ALL the evidence is compiled; it is to give a 'flash in the pan' presence to an already failing campaign. If John McCain feels his role as Senator is more important than that of Republican nominee, he can concede to Barak right now with only the formality of voting in November left to be registered.

McCain is desperate, his campaign exudes same all along the way. John McCain = Poor choices.

What's "W"rong Hank? Your Bailout didn't come in time for today's margin call? Hank can really 'work-it,' can't he?

18 months ago: WASHINGTON - MARCH 13: (L-r) Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson; Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.; and Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO, General Electric Company; participate in a panel discussion, "Framing the Issues: Markets Perspectives," at Georgetown University March 13, 2007 in Washington, DC. Secretary Paulson hosted the "Treasury Conference on U.S. Capital Markets Competativeness," a day-long program to focus on capital market issues like regulation, competition and other related topics. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

It seems a bit UN-AMERICAN to me to risk the USA solvency on all the 'gambles' in the world. I don't apprecaite the focus by Paulson that the USA Treasury is his oyster. I believe there are many in the USA that simply don't see why he has to lie either. I mean we all know how the markets have been hideously roller-coastering. Where does he think this is all headed? I vote NO on any bailout. I believe Buffet and people like him should be sought in difficult times. This is hideous. Come January Paulson won't even be in his office and why should the USA hand the new Secretary of the Treasury 'HIS MESS' to clean up?

Paulson offers no solid solutions to any bailout of the financial markets. He offers speculative guesswork and not much more. Where are the balance sheets Hank? Simply because your friends need an endless supply of liquidity doesn't mean Americans answer the call. Wars for oil and now this. Amazing.

...Although the U.S. government is now proposing a bailout of the bad debt that is rattling investor confidence and seizing up credit markets, financial stocks were nonetheless trading 2.0% lower across Europe Tuesday morning. There is clearly some skepticism that even a $700 billion debt-purchasing facility will not be enough to purge the financial sector of losses....

When a USA Secretary of the Treasury gives the Congress 'the bumbs rush' to judgement, one has to know there is 'something afoot.' Where are the balance sheets, Hank? There are none, are there? Paulson needs a dozen Super-computers to figure this one out. That's the problem Hank, when you should have been using your slide rule, you simply figured on you office computer providing all the answers! The Financial Sector has developed a very bad habit, they keep coming back for more liquidity everytime the markets find more and more of the slippery slope that Paulson never talks about? If Buffet hadn't been coming forward to invest, he'd be collecting our tax dollars, or better said our "Middle America Debt."

Vote NO on the Paulson Bailout ! The American Middle Class can rebuild their own country, we are already well on our way. Get these Carpetbaggers out of the White House ! They haven't got a 'clue' as to where this is all going or what they are doing. Paulson is grasping at straws. There is plenty of liquidity in the market, ask Donald Trump. Oh, wait, I am sure he is far to busy building another floating gambling casino or some darn thing. Here is a sure bet, Trump won't be building his next casino in Darfur !

Hm. Ahnold doesn't seem to have fiscal issues. Odd. No collapsing of the world's Sixth Largest Economy?

After months of disputes and $510 million worth of vetoes, the governor signs the measure that includes a $1.7-billion reserve fund.


By Jordan Rau, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer September 24, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- After vetoing $510 million in spending passed by the Legislature, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the state's tardiest budget this morning, allowing more than 80,000 state vendors with outstanding bills to be paid.The governor's cuts include the elimination of $191 million in tax credits for elderly renters and property owners, and the postponement of one of the signature achievements of his first term: a program to help reduce prescription drug prices for low-income Californians....

Bernanke and Paulson have cooked the books. They are not trustworthy.

Simple math here. When the unemployment rate in the USA rises above 5% what occurs is a recession. The country is headed in the direction of higher un- and under-employment. However, the underemployment has been chronic for much longer than anyone wants to admit. When the Republicans held the majority in the House and Senate every bill they passed was a spending bill. THERE IS NO REAL ECONOMY IN THE USA.

The problem with this administration is that they talk out of both sides of their mouths and we know they do. The reality is that as of August, the USA economy stopped producing jobs. The reason is because the USA economy was an artifical economy based in 'the mess' we are now beginning to recover from. I know it doesn't seem like a recovery, but, it is to the point where DC and the States are unable to simply allow this to continue, SO, therefore this is 'the end' of this mess. To continue to believe Bernanke and Paulson while leaving Bush and Cheney in the Executive Branch is simply placing trust where it does not belong.

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Regional and state unemployment rates were mostly higher in August (click here). Overall, 44 states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 5 states registered decreases, and1 state had no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.Department of Labor reported today. Over the year, jobless rates wereup in 47 states and the District of Columbia and down in 3 states. The national unemployment rate rose to 6.1 percent in August, 1.4 percent-age points higher than a year earlier.


The USA Legislature has to proceed without 'feeding the beast' that Paulson advocates. A bailout is clearly the "W"rong direction. The people of this country do not want anymore mistakes with their country. The Democrat Legislature is NOT in this alone with an incompetent Executive Branch, however, they have to listen. People will recover their own economy, but, the Legislature has to listen.


This country has been through a lot since the Bush Bunch came into power. One of the 'survival' strategies everyone has been pursuing is to localize economies and encourage States to take control of the well being of their people. Every Democratic State in the USA has followed this strategy while preserving any and all economic growth they could find.


The way out of this mess is for the Federal Legislature to talk to their Governors. To talk to the Mayors of their major cities and learn where 'at street level' this is disaffecting the people of the USA. The Federal Legislature has to be 'reactive' to the needs of the States and their insight.

The fiscal infrastructure that needs to be upheld is at the State and Local levels. It is here that all the focus has gone as Bush has deeply cut supports to the States and Municipalities. The 'trust' extended by the Federal Legislature needs to take place where the 'impact of the negligence of this administration' found its home and that is THE STATES and MAJOR CITIES.

Do not shoot from the hip about this. Paulson and Bernanke are the worst source of expertise to return fiscal strength to the USA. They want to 'globalize' the entire mess and that won't help the people of this country.

For years since Bush took office the people of the USA have been taking back their country. The State governments and Municipalities have addressed this change in 'fiscal authority.' Let's face it, the United Nations has built relationships to stem Global Warming with every major city on the planet. The paradigm has changed, but, the Bush Bunch never bothered to recognize 'the will' of those that saw their country differently.

Half the population of the USA took their country in their own hands and quietly built a stronger America in the only way they could, by fostering local enterprises and strengthening their jobs infrastructure everywhere they found an opportunity. The States can provide guidance to the level of Federal supports they need. The States and Cities have relationships with all these financial institutions. There is plenty of expertise to go around, but, it ain't in DC, its in every Senator's and every House Representative's backyard. The methodology of the intervention by the Federal Government has to uphold the integrity of the State's fiscal infrastructure, otherwise, there will be more failure and more of the same even AFTER any bailout.

Find out what the States and Cities need and how they need to obtain it. It will provide stability and insight that no one in this mess even ventures to recruit. Don't destroy the infrastruture that has been growing parallel to this failure, it will cause a backlash that no one is even speaking to at this point.

Its the vortices that are expanding the ozone hole. Upper tropospheric air movment is increased and with it pollution.

...The hole, created by air pollution, has reached an extent already this year that exceeds the extent recorded in 2007, according to the World Meteorological Organization, a United Nations agency....


June 26, 2008
DESTRUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GASES OVER TROPICAL ATLANTIC (click here)
Large amounts of ozone – around 50 percent more than predicted by the world's state-of-the-art climate models – are being destroyed in the lower atmosphere over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Published today (26th June '08) in the scientific journal, Nature, this startling discovery was made by a team of scientists from the UK's National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Universities of York and Leeds. It has particular significance because ozone in the lower atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas and its destruction also leads to the removal of the third most abundant greenhouse gas; methane.
The findings come after analyzing the first year of measurements from the new Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory, recently set up by British, German and Cape Verdean scientists on the island of São Vicente in the tropical Atlantic. Alerted by these Observatory data, the scientists flew a research aircraft up into the atmosphere to make ozone measurements at different heights and more widely across the tropical Atlantic. The results mirrored those made at the Observatory, indicating major ozone loss in this remote area....