Steve Peters's Blog

This Site Is Infected...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:18:32 EDT

Separating Good Banks From Bad Banks, Good GM From Bad GM ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:40:34 EDT

....How about separating good government from bad government?

We can start by shutting down the House of Representatives!

Did Someone Say GM Doesn't Have A Culture Problem?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:28:39 EDT

(Sharon on left, Merkin on right)

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York's attorney general filed civil fraud charges Monday against a hedge fund manager who funneled $2.4 billion to Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff without telling clients where their money was going.

The complaint accuses J. Ezra Merkin, the former chairman of GMAC Financial Services, of concealing his links to Madoff and lying to investors about what he was doing with their money, telling most he was personally investing their cash in things like distressed debt.

Over the years, Merkin collected $470 million in fees and performance bonuses from his clients, the suit said. It said many of those customers, which included several large charities and colleges, had no idea where their money really was until December, when Madoff was arrested.

"Merkin duped individual investors, non-profits, and charities into believing he was responsibly managing their investments, when in actuality he was dumping them into history's largest Ponzi scheme," Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

The complaint also accused Merkin of mingling his personal funds with the accounts of his management company, Gabriel Capital Group, and using some of the company's funds for personal purchases, including $91 million worth of artwork for his apartment.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fund-manager-hit-with-civil-apf-14860314.html

"It is not easy to stay on the sidelines while others are busy getting rich. Wall Street, moreover, is constitutionally predisposed to overdo things. The stereotype imagines a Wall Street populated by bulls and bears. In reality, the Street itself is neither bull nor bear but shark, constantly shifting direction in an eternal search for food. This feeding process involves massive shifts of capital, which inevitably, is sometimes misallocated." - J. Ezra Merkin, writing in an introduction to a chapter in the 75th anniversary version of Graham and Dodd's Security Analysis.

Perp walks, orange jumpsuits, chain gangs, pitch forks and torches?

Jobs, Baby, Jobs!!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:04:31 EDT

WASHINGTON – The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 8.5 percent in March, the highest since late 1983, as a wide swath of employers eliminated 663,000 jobs. It's fresh evidence of the toll the recession has inflicted on America's workers, and economists say there's no relief in sight.

If part-time and discouraged workers are factored in, the unemployment rate would have been 15.6 percent in March, the highest on records dating to 1994, according to Labor Department data released Friday.

The average work week in March dropped to 33.2 hours, a new record low. Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has lost a net total of 5.1 million jobs, with almost two-thirds of the losses occurring in the last five months.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/economy

"Well, what've you got?"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:30:28 EDT

Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings wearing horned helmets. Whenever the word "spam" is repeated, they begin singing and/or chanting. A man and his wife enter.

Man: You sit here, dear.

Wife: All right.

Man: Morning!

Waitress: Morning!

Man: Well, what've you got?

Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;

Vikings: Spam spam spam spam...

Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam...

Vikings: Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!

Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.

Wife: Have you got anything without spam?

Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.

Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage?

Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!

Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it?

Vikings: Spam spam spam spam... (Crescendo through next few lines...)

Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?

Waitress: Urgghh!

Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!

Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up!

Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam.

Wife: I don't like spam!

Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam!

Vikings: Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!

Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.

Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?

Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words)

Vikings: (Singing enthusiasticaly) Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam!

It's Outta Control In Here .... Again....

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:02:13 EDT

Bank Of America Raises Fees, Earnings After Slashing Dividends And Taking Tax $$'s

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:20:45 EDT

OK. I'm a Bank of America retail customer. They called me last night to thank me for being a good customer, but really to sell me insurance. It took the guy a few minutes to ascertain who was underwriting it and he didn't know how that firm was rated. They called me a couple of weeks ago and asked me to buy some disability policy underwritten by AIG -- yeah right. It's nice being a "valued customer".

There's a fair amount of BAC stock in my IRAs - it used to offer a high dividend yield. Now BAC has SLASHED the dividend and the stock lost +/-80% value based on my average purchases. Guess I'll have to work a couple more years before retirement.

We taxpayers give/lend BAC $$$billions and ask Ken Lewis to takeover Merrill Lynch. Otherwise-defunct Merrill Lynch pays out $$$millions to its employees.\

The Fed lowers interest rates at the window -- again, with all of us backstopping it through risk of currency devaluation, etc.

Interest rates are at record lows, almost zero, right?

I go home for lunch and what is in my mail box? A notice that they are raising the interest rate on a credit card. Never been over limit, always paid on time, no other changes in my FICO profile. I called to ask "why"?

The customer service response: 'We are raising rates on all cards. Everybody knows rates are going up.'

HUH???

I asked Ms Cust Service to make sure I get taken off their list for future solicitations. It used to feel good to be recognized a valued customer somewhere. At least they'd give you a toaster, $25 or something.

We've Come A Long Way Since Bush#43's "Coalition of the Willing"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:31:47 EDT

**Only the UK, Australia, Poland and Denmark provided troops at the invasion stage. The Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau and Solomon Islands don't even have standing armies.**

Per the Bush#43 White House: President Bush is assembling a Coalition that has already begun military operations to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, and enforce 17 UNSC resolutions.

The Coalition will also liberate the Iraqi people from one of the worst tyrants and most brutal regimes on earth.

Contributions from Coalition member nations range from: direct military participation, logistical and intelligence support, specialized chemical/biological response teams, over-flight rights, humanitarian and reconstruction aid, to political support.

Forty-nine countries are publicly committed to the Coalition, including:

Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Georgia
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Mongolia
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Palau
Panama
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Rwanda
Singapore
Slovakia
Solomon Islands
South Korea
Spain
Tonga
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Uzbekistan

NOTE: Costa Rica "anulled" participation kind of like an unconsumated marriage, I guess. Turkey also dropped out retroactively.

Re-post: Call the DNC at 202.863.8000 and tell them you want this site cleaned up and monitored for SPAM!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:23:06 EDT

"We are experiencing some technical difficulties- thanks for your patience!"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:29:22 EDT

"MyBO is currently experiencing some technical difficulties. We are aware of the problem and are working on fixing it as quickly as possible. We apologize for any difficulties this may have caused and thank you for your patience as we get this fixed."

For updates, contact the DNC @ 202.863.8000 ...

"Eat The Bankers"?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:45:05 EDT

LONDON – G-20 protesters clashed with riot police in downtown London on Wednesday, breaking into the heavily guarded Royal Bank of Scotland and smashing its windows. Earlier, they tried to storm the Bank of England and pelted police with eggs and fruit.

At least 4,000 anarchists, anti-capitalists, environmentalists and others jammed into London's financial district for what they called "Financial Fool's Day." The protests were called ahead of Thursday's summit of world leaders, who hope to take concrete steps to resolve the global financial crisis that has lashed nations and workers worldwide.

Some protesters spray-painted the side of the RBS building with the phrases "class war" and "thieves." Others pushed against columns of riot police who swatted them away with batons.

Royal Bank of Scotland is at the center of protesters' anger because it had to be bailed out by the British government after a series of disastrous deals brought it to the brink of bankruptcy. The bank is now majority-owned by the British taxpayer.

Despite that, its former chief executive Fred Goodwin — aged just 50 — managed to walk off with a tidy $1 million annual pension for life, while unemployment in Britain now tops 2 million and is heading towards 3 million by the end of this year. Goodwin has been vilified by the British press.

RBS posted a British record loss of 24.1 billion pounds for 2008. The British government has invested 20 billion pounds in propping up the bank.

"Every job I apply for there's already 150 people who have also applied," said protester Nathan Dean, 35, who lost his information technology job three weeks ago. "I have had to sign on to the dole (welfare) for the first time in my life. You end up having to pay your mortgage on your credit card and you fall into debt twice over."

Demonstrators hoisted effigies of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse," representing war, climate chaos, financial crimes and homelessness.

Especially in Britain, bankers have been lambasted as being greedy and blamed for the recession that is making jobless ranks soar.

"It seems like everything is in a mess," said protester Steve Johnson, 49, an unemployed construction worker. "You get bankers getting massive bonuses, and the MPs (British lawmakers) are lining their own pockets."

Protesters waved banners reading "Banks are evil," "Eat the bankers," and "0% interest in others."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_re_eu/g20_protests

Gotta Watch Your Step In Here Today -- Do NOT Click On The Blue-Text Spam!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:19:11 EDT

Call the DNC at 202.863.8000 and tell them you want this site cleaned up and monitored for SPAM!

OK, Who Took This Down Yesterday?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:31:03 EDT

Call the DNC at 202.863.8000 and tell them you want this site cleaned up and monitored for SPAM!

Malware Or Not, Will Someone Give 'Spammy' The 'Boot'?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:34:33 EDT

This is "udderly" (sic) ridiculous!

Khmer Rouge torturer accepts blame

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:02:56 EDT

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – The chief Khmer Rouge torturer formally apologized Tuesday for the deaths of more than 14,000 people at S-21 prison, the first Pol Pot cadre to accept blame for crimes committed by the regime 30 years ago.

"I am responsible for the crimes committed at S-21, especially the torture and execution of the people there," Duch told a U.N.-Cambodian court where he is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes.

But the 66-year-old former math teacher said he was only following orders issued by the top Khmer Rouge leadership, and had feared for the lives of his family if he had disobeyed.

Duch is expected to be a key witness in the future trials of those also deemed "most responsible" by the tribunal for one of the darkest chapters in the 20th century.

The other four -- "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, the regime's ex-president, Khieu Samphan, and Ieng Sary, its foreign minister, and his wife -- have denied knowledge of any atrocities.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090331/wl_nm/us_cambodia_rouge_apology

Who's next on the global "Top 20"?

There's Hours-Old Blue-Text Spam In Here -- Hard To Go Back To Discussion Threads..

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:11:49 EDT

Please get out a mop and bucket.

Thanks!

GM's 2009 Fleet Car Of Year Vs. Nissan's 1998 Maxima

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:47:55 EDT

MSRP: $21,605 - $26,880

NOTE: The Maxima already has 200,000 miles on it.

"Uh, Rick.... It's Really Not Funny"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:28:53 EDT

'Bill from Charlotte NC' Has Joined The Unknown Loser To Party In Here ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:15:19 EDT

Any adult supervision available?

Looks Like The Blue Worm/s Paid This Site A Visit Last Night...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:16:45 EDT

Anybody else getting tired of reporting this garbage? Why can't the Site Admin/Moderator pick this up on its own?

No 'Freedom' At World Trade Center Re-build?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:55:18 EDT

Another Sign Of Folks Getting Desperate ... Gotta Get Some JOBS!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:46:04 EDT

Police detective Mark Menzie drove 55 miles into the desert Sunday to inspect the charred remains of a formerly silver Ford Expedition.

Later, he sat in a kitchen on the city's south side where a 19-year-old man confessed to torching his girlfriend's Chrysler PT Cruiser.

Years of no-money-down car loans followed by sinking home values and rising unemployment has made many people desperate over car payments they can no longer afford. For some, the answer is to ditch the car, report it stolen and collect the insurance money to pay it off without hurting their credit.

Authorities report a growing number of cars dumped in the Great Lakes, burned along remote New Jersey roadsides and driven into canals in California. The phenomenon is acute in Las Vegas, where sharp declines in tourism and construction have left thousands of workers unemployed and broke.

Tow yards in Las Vegas are filled with the blackened hulls of Mercedes sedans and Cadillac Escalades. The wrecks were pulled from desert hills and city streets by the department's eight-member auto-theft unit, which responds to calls around the clock. Over one weekend this month, Mr. Menzie investigated eight car fires in 36 hours.

The trend began to surface in 2007 when gas prices spiked and the number of auto arson claims jumped. In 2008 claims climbed nationally by 6%, said Dick Luedke, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance. In hotspots like Indiana, Michigan and New York the numbers rose 13% to 18%.

The night before, Mr. Menzie had caught up with the teenager who had burned his girlfriend's PT Cruiser -- at her request, he told police. The boy was suffering from second-degree burns on his face and hands.

http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/106813/Signs-of-Stress-Fraud-on-Roadside

Breaking News: International Spam Museum Has Relocated To This Blog

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:31:12 EDT

Now we even have spammers attaching comments to blue text spam/troll posts. Take a look at 'Hirka from Louisiana's' comments on the Unknown Loser's post...

'sduncan' Makes A Good Point -- We're Taking A Bath In Here!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:54:01 EDT

A Little Blue Sunrise To Drown Out The Blue Text Spam Until Site Admin Wakes Up..

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:47:18 EDT

Still Getting Used To This Iowa Thing ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:26:22 EDT

Sen Tom Harkin (D- recently reelected) defends his earmark for studying pig odor:

"It is critical to our state’s economy but as the demand has grown for pork and as we produce more pork, you can understand that the management problems of what to do with the waste has become very serious, not only for the odor problems but the waste itself,” Senator Harkin said, adding that the research would examine the food swine eat and the management of what is done with the waste. “This is not wasteful or unnecessary or frivolous,” he added.

While Senator Chuck Grassley (R- up for reelection in 2010) chastises AIG $$multi-million bonus recipients:

"From my standpoint, it's irresponsible for corporations to give bonuses at this time when they're so - sucking the teat of the taxpayer," he said.

I suppose I have to get used to living in a state with 3 million people and 20 million swine?

News Flash Re: Need For Retention Bonuses

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:54:52 EDT

The number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February 2009, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent. Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by about 5.0 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 3.3 percentage points.

Fannie Mae CEO defends retention bonus plan for executives amid public outcry

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mortgage giant Fannie Mae's chief executive warned Friday that canceling bonuses for workers at institutions receiving federal bailout money could undermine efforts to stabilize the U.S. housing market.

Herbert Allison, who was installed by government regulators as CEO of the Washington-based company last fall, sent a companywide e-mail Friday defending Fannie Mae's bonus program.

"I am deeply concerned that eliminating our retention plan would jeopardize our ability to fulfill the mission the government has given us to address the housing crisis," he wrote, citing President Barack Obama's plan to prevent up to 9 million foreclosures.

The award programs at Fannie and sibling company Freddie Mac, enacted shortly after their September federal takeover, initially ruffled few feathers. But now the generous paychecks are proving politically touchy as lawmakers and the public seethe over roughly $165 million in bonuses paid out last weekend by bailed-out insurance giant American International Group.

Allison, who is not receiving a salary as CEO, wrote that the bonuses -- including more than $1 million each to four top executives -- were needed to "ensure we maintain the skills and experience we need to help keep the mortgage market operating."

Employees, he wrote "deserve tremendous credit for staying here and demonstrating unswerving dedication to the public interest despite" uncertainty about the company's long-term future and the stock awards that have become worthless.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090320/mortgage_giants_bonuses.html?sec=topStories&pos=1&asset=TBD&ccode=TBD

Uhhh, Herb... It's not rocket science. I am sure that there would be thousands of applicants for any of these roles. Additionally, an unemployed person who has recently, or is about to, become homeless would likely make a highly successful negotiator in these situations....

Besides, where are these FNMA employees going to find a job?

AIG Bonuses: Is Congress Failing Us Again?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:17:57 EDT

7-figure (and high 6-figure) bonuses are on their face OBSCENE for employees of a failed company. Using the tax code as punishment and making provisions retroactive, though there is precedent, are both wrong (some say unconstitutional).

But, is our aggregate anger misplaced? If so, why doesn't someone get to the bottom of the story with FACTS? Who are the people in AIG-FP who received bonuses?

WILTON, Conn., March 18 -- A solitary flat-screen television hangs on the back wall of the trading floor inside the headquarters of AIG Financial Products here.

They watched quietly as members of Congress referred to them as greedy and incompetent. They heard more than one demand that their names be released to the seething American public.

The evening before, the firm's chief operating officer, Gerry Pasciucco -- whom Liddy recruited in November from Morgan Stanley to shut down Financial Products before it could do more harm to the economy -- had gathered them together in the same spot.

Pasciucco urged them to keep their heads down, to act professionally and to continue working to extricate Financial Products from its more than $1.6 trillion in outstanding derivative contracts. He acknowledged that the past few days have been like being "inside the piñata."

The handful of souls who championed the firm's now-infamous credit-default swaps are, by nearly every account, long since departed. Those left behind to clean up the mess, the majority of whom never lost a dime for AIG, now feel they have been sold out by their Congress and their president.

"They've chosen to throw us under the bus," said a Financial Products executive, one of several who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. "They have vilified us."

They say what is missing from this week's hysteria is perspective. The very handsome retention payments they received over the past week were set in motion early last year when the firm's former president, Joe Cassano, was on his way out the door. Financial Products was already running into trouble on its risky credit bets, and the year ahead looked grim. People were weighing offers from other firms, and AIG executives feared that too many departures could lead to disaster.

So AIG stepped in with an offer to employees of Financial Products. Work through all of 2008, and you'd get a lump payment in March 2009. Stick around through 2009, and you'll get paid through 2010. Almost all other forms of compensation -- bonuses, deferred payments and the like -- have vanished.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031804104.html

I think their names AND stories should be released so that we can formulate a rational approach. I also want the perpetrators of these schemes and senior management (including outside Directors with oversight) caught, prosecuted and punished severely! FRAUD is a good place to start ...

Oh, somebody needs to defeat Sen Dodd in 2010.

All's Good, You Blue Spammers....

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:56:25 EDT

Time To Pick Up The Trash In Here ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:09:39 EDT

Slumdog Millionaire? Another 8-Figure Office Remodel When His Firm Loses $$Billions?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:58:40 EDT

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc. plans to spend about $10 million on new offices for Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit and his lieutenants, after the U.S. government injected $45 billion of cash into the bank.

Affidavits filed with New York's Department of Buildings show Citigroup expects to pay at least $3.2 million for basic construction such as wall removal, plumbing and fire safety. By the time architect's fees and expenses such as furniture are added, the tally for the offices at the bank's Park Avenue headquarters will be at least three times as high, according to a person familiar with the project who declined to be identified because he's not authorized to comment. Citigroup said the project will help it save money over time.

All they need is a desk, a chair, a computer and a phone. Maybe a couple of pens, some pads of paper. Let them share a network printer.

Pandit, criticized by lawmakers over Citigroup’s use of U.S. bailout capital, canceled an order for a company jet in January and told Congress on Feb. 11 that, “I get the new reality and I’ll make sure Citi gets it as well.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=adLGVE_YzvUU

'Andre from Scottown OH' Is Told That He Is Being Let Go

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:04:46 EDT

Good Idea: Bill unveiled to pay cash for trading in old guzzlers

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:19:55 EDT

WASHINGTON -- A "cash for clunkers" bill in Congress that would pay vehicle owners to trade in old models for new, fuel-efficient ones won support Tuesday from Detroit automakers and the UAW, but drew immediate rebuke from foreign automakers for excluding models not built in North America.

The hurdles to passing any such program through Congress remain formidable, with automakers, environmental groups and dealers all holding different views on how such a plan should work. Yet most of the industry's troubles can be traced to slumping auto sales of about 10 million vehicles a year, which aren't expect to rebound until next year at the earliest.

General Motors Corp. Chairman Rick Wagoner said Tuesday that such plans could have a huge impact, citing ones in Germany and Brazil that boosted sales last month while the rest of the world's auto industry struggled.

The bill unveiled by Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio, would offer $3,000 to $7,500 to owners of vehicles at least 8 years old to buy more fuel-efficient models. Purchasers of vehicles with the best miles-per-gallon ratings would get the best deals.

The program would apply only to new vehicles built in North America, with cars having to hit at least 27 miles per gallon on the highway if built in the United States and 30 m.p.g. if built in Canada or Mexico. Truck models would have to make 24 m.p.g. on the highway.

The old vehicles traded in under the program would have to be crushed or recycled. And in a nod to plug-in hybrids such as the Chevrolet Volt, the bill would offer a $7,500 voucher toward any U.S.-made vehicle that garners 100 m.p.g.

All the new vehicles would have to carry sticker prices less than $35,000.

GM spokesman Kerry Christopher said the Sutton bill was a good starting point for a scrappage plan. Ford Motor Co. said in a statement that the bill was "a win-win-win for consumers, the environment and energy independence," while Chrysler LLC said it was generally in favor of the idea.

UAW Legislative Director Alan Reuther said the plan "would help to stimulate auto sales, and thus would help support jobs for American workers in the auto industry."

But Toyota Motor Co. spokeswoman Martha Voss said the plan would not cover the most fuel-efficient model on the market -- the Toyota Prius hybrid, which is built in Japan.

The plan "also runs counter to Toyota's long-standing support of free trade," she said.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090318/BUSINESS01/903180345/1014/Bill+unveiled+to+pay+cash+for+trading+in+old+clunkers

Last Night Someone Told Me That Nigerian Spammers Are Being Paid $.25/Blue Text Post In Here...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:43:58 EDT

Is it true?

Are We Gagging On A Gnat While Swallowing A Camel?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:54:21 EDT

Last year when it was decided to "bailout" AIG, we knew that there would be many other counterparties (AIG clients) - foreign and domestic - who would benefit. In fact, it was the long arm reach of AIG globally that made it a more critical player than Lehman Bros which was allowed to fail absent any buyers.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate worked with Bush#43 and then-Secretary Treasury Paulson to pass the T.A.R.P. - which up til now has been more opaque than transparent. AIG now has $170BILLION of our money and we are yacking about $170 million that is going to current and former employees.

Where did Neil Kashkari let AIG stash the rest of the cash?

The fundamental concern is that favored firms may have been overpaid for assets using a large chunk of AIG's $170 billion bailout package. Though it is now known who the counterparties are, AIG refused to itemize what exactly it is each of them brought to the table. As a result, it's impossible to know if some firms got better deals than others, or if taxpayers got a raw deal all together.

During the fourth quarter, AIG spent $27.1 billion of its bailout money trying to entice counterparties to exit their positions. European banks lead the list with Societe Generale receiving $6.9 billion; Deutsche Bank, $2.8 billion; and UBS, $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, stateside, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch received $5.6 billion and $3.1 billion, respectively.

Per existing swap agreements, AIG had to post $22.4 billion in collateral where the underlying investments were downgraded. Societe General received $4.1 billion; Deutsche Bank, $2.6 billion; Goldman, $2.5 billion; and Merrill, $1.8 billion.

AIG also had to post $43.7 billion during the quarter to unwind its securities lending business and $12.1 billion to different municipalities that had guaranteed investment policies. California and Virginia received $1 billion each.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/16/aig-counterparties-bailout-markets-equity-cds.html

T.A.R.P. Covenants - Is Majority Leader Reid A Dope Or A Dupe?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:18:24 EDT

Didn't Congress let former Treasury Secy Paulson put covenants into the $$$$BILLIONS of TARP disbursements that PROTECTED bailout recipients from forfeiting bonuses 'earned' prior to February 2009?

Now Sen Reid is calling for a special tax on these bonuses since he did a shoddy job upfront?

Why Would We Burn Down The 'Castles' We, As Taxpayers, Own?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:35:32 EDT

We should be doing everything we can to make them successful (including cleaning out the bad actors) so that we can get our money back -- maybe with a profit.

Normally, I Don't Think Too Much Of Jack Welch's Commentary

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:25:51 EDT

However, he is making some good points about how Congress and the Administration are dealing with firms like AIG. Screwed up as they are, we have INVESTED tax dollars in these institutions. Right or wrong, OUR money is in Citi and not Lehman, BAC/Merrill and not Bear Stearns and $160BILLION in AIG. As INVESTORS, we should be doing everything possible to ensure we get our money back preferrably with a decent return.

If we want to get out of the hole, continuing to dig makes little sense.

Who Was Chair Of The Senate Finance Committee During T.A.R.P. Passage?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:07:44 EDT

"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they'd (AIG) follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things -- resign, or go commit suicide,'' Sen Grassley (R-Iowa) said on an Iowa radio station, WMT.

Hari kari, also known as sepuku, is an ancient form of ritual suicide that defeated samurai, or those whose shame was 'too unbearable' would use to restore their honor in death. In sepuku, one would take a wakizashi (short sword) and dissembowel oneself. The less noise you made while doing this, the braver you were and therefore the more honorable, however this did not last long as not long after you had begun, a close friend, comrade, or enemy would put you out of your misery by cleaving your head from your shoulders in one swift blow of the katana (another japanese sword).

Where were the conditions? Where was the oversight BEFORE the checks were written?

Time to retire, Chuck. Will the Dems put up a credible candidate here in 2010? Will The Repubs find a decent primary challenger?

AIG Bonuses - My 2 Cents' Worth

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:53:00 EDT

Anybody involved in that backroom hedge fund stuff should be fired and sent to jail - or hard labor on a chain gang. This goes for the "doers" as well as any management who allowed this stuff to go on. I would include outside Directors who were asleep at the switch for the last 10 years as well.

Bonus and employment contracts most likely have some kind of 'moral turpitude' clause that can be used.

I heard the most ridiculous discussion (well one of the most) at lunch today. The blonde chick on CNBC's "Power Lunch" show seemed to think that we the people needed some of these AIG folk who created these risky debt obligations/swaps to unwind them in an orderly fashion. In order to keep them, AIG should be able to pay them and pay them well even if taxpayer $$dollars. I would bet that any unemployed autoworker, steelworker, shopkeeper or bank teller could unwind them.

AIG is a big, complex organization. It may be that employees in other divisions did exceed their goals and should be entitled to a bonus -- but not all of them!

Is That 'Macro' Walking Down From Pompey's Pillar Monument?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:07:20 EDT

I doubt he/she/it has ever been to Montana!

Which Directors Will Represent The Taxpayers? We Have A 40% Interest In "C"...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:42:37 EDT

Citigroup's board nominates four new directors

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc's board said it had nominated four new directors, including Anthony Santomero, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

The bank, once the largest in the world, is struggling to fix itself after posting $37.5 billion of net losses in the last five quarters.

Richard Parsons, who became Citigroup chairman on February 23, is reconstituting the board after a series of directors decided to retire. Among the new nominees are former U.S. Bancorp CEO Jerry Grundhofer, former Bank of America Corp Chief Financial Officer Michael O'Neill, and former PIMCO Chief Executive William Thompson.

After the retirements and the new directors, Citigroup will have 14 directors, compared with its prior 15.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/090316/business_us_citigroup_board.html?.v=2

'Ted from Charlotte NC' Is The Little Guy On The Left

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:52:58 EDT

Demand For Pork On The Increase

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:27:27 EDT

Some might think it would be hard to defend spending $1.8 million on researching how to deal with the odor from pig manure, but Senator Tom Harkin found it pretty easy to do.

Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, succeeded in getting the funds included in the $410 billion omnibus spending bill that is pending in the Senate, drawing protests from some like Senator John McCain that it is wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars.

“I’m sure that David Letterman will probably be talking about it and Jay Leno will be talking about it, we’ve got $1.8 million to study why pigs smell,” Harkin said on the Senate floor after an amendment was introduced aimed at killing the funding.

“People constantly complain, with good reason, about big farms, factory farms and their environmental impacts so it makes good sense to fund research that addresses how people can live in our small towns and communities and livestock producers can do the same and co-exist,” he said.

He noted that some 20 million hogs live in his state, one-fourth of the U.S. total, and while farmers have been encouraged to use the manure as fertilizer, that can present problems such as fouling streams and waterways and sending odors far afield.

“It is critical to our state’s economy but as the demand has grown for pork and as we produce more pork, you can understand that the management problems of what to do with the waste has become very serious, not only for the odor problems but the waste itself,” he said, adding that the research would examine the food swine eat and the management of what is done with the waste.

“This is not wasteful or unnecessary or frivolous,” Harkin said.

http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/03/04/senator-harkin-defends-earmark-to-research-pig-odor/

Bad Pennies Keep Turning Up

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:16:25 EDT

The $410 billion bill has been lambasted by Republicans and a few Democrats for being loaded with nearly 9,000 earmarks covering $7.7 billion in projects. Senator John McCain has blasted Obama for supporting the earmark-laden legislation. ("So much for the promise of change," an angry McCain howled from the Senate floor.)

But earmarks in the bill are quite generous to Sarah Palin's state. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based watchdog group, Alaska will receive more money, per capita, from the bill's earmarks than any other state. (Alaska will pocket $209.71 for each state resident. One hundred earmarks in the bill, worth a total of $143.9 million, are tagged for Palin's state.

Meanwhile, up in Minnesota US Rep Michelle Bachmann has requested 7 earmarks in Fiscal Year 2008 costing tax payers a total of $3,767,600. Some examples:

- $94,000 for Sheriffs Youth Program of MN
- $335,000 for Equipment Acquisition for Northland Medical Center
- $803,000 for Replacement Small Buses, St. Cloud Metro Bus

BACHMANN: I think it is possible. I took a pledge in my own district. I have not taken earmarks in the last three years that I have been in Congress because the system is so corrupt. It’s possible to make that pledge.

Further To Jack's Query: 'Does Congress Deserve A Raise?'

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:41:34 EDT

In addition to providing them staffs, offices, liberal travel, the current salary (2009) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

Senate Leadership
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400

House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400

According to the Congressional Research Service, 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006. Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972. A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.

Compare/Contrast these numbers with the median household income of $45,000. Consider that many of these public employees have spouses who are government employees/appointees, lobbyists, etc. adding to their household cash flow. Consider how they can use their political 'war chests' balances at retirement.

How many of us can expect an annual pension between $36K and upwards of $61K following a career where our pay was 3x the average pay in the country?

'When Does Life Begin?' Is Above My Pay Grade Too

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:01:54 EDT

What's natural, moral, ethical? Rape? Incest? IVF?

Q2: When Does Life End? Who is permitted to impose an end to life? Is this legal, ethical, moral?

For extra credit re: Sanctity of Life ....

Hunt Down Madoff's Co-Conspirators - Prosecute And Jail Them All!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:43:28 EDT

Robert Jaffe, seen here with his wife. Many victims in Palm Beach blame Jaffe for introducing them to Madoff, and now authorities tell ABC News that he is emerging as a significant figure in the investigation.

We need to start restoring investor confidence. Oh, don't forget to seize ALL of their assets..

How Do These Old Guys Keep Secrets For Years? Sure There Aren't Other Accomplices?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:22:29 EDT

March 12 (Bloomberg) -- Bernard Madoff told a judge he pleads guilty to directing the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding thousands of clients out of billions of dollars and becoming a symbol of investor distrust in the global recession.

Madoff, 70, is in a hearing before U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan. After Chin decides whether to accept the plea, he will hear arguments on whether Madoff, who has been free on $10 million bond, should be immediately jailed while he awaits sentencing. He faces as much as 150 years in prison.

“I operated a Ponzi scheme,” Madoff, wearing a grey business suit, told Chin. He said he was “deeply sorry” and knew what he did was criminal.

Madoff is pleading guilty to 11 counts including securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Madoff doesn’t have a plea deal with prosecutors because he refused to admit to a conspiracy charge that would have required he implicate others, people familiar with the case said. As a result he must plead guilty to all charges.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.10r18mYAgM&refer=home

A 73-year-old Austrian man confessed Monday to imprisoning his daughter in a windowless cell in his basement for 24 years and fathering seven children with her, police said.

"He admitted that he locked his daughter, who was 18, in the cellar, repeatedly had sex with her and that he is the father of her seven children," said Franz Polzer, head of the criminal investigations unit in the province of Lower Austria.

Polzer said the man, Josef Fritzl, who was earlier identified only as Josef F., also confessed to tossing the body of a newborn baby boy into an incinerator when the infant died shortly after birth.

"We are being confronted with an unfathomable crime," said Austrian Interior Minister Guentter Platter.

Hans-Heinz Lenze, a local official in the town of Amstetten, said the man's wife "apparently had no idea" of what was going on. She and the suspect had seven children of their own.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/04/28/austriaslave.html

Maybe The Russian Mob Will Take Of This Guy And Save The Taxpayers The Expense?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:48:41 EDT

CBS Announces Contestants For 'Survivor 86: GOP Island'

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:22:30 EDT

The Madoffs Need To Spend A Few Months In The Streets, Years In Prison!!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:43:31 EDT

They may never get their money back, but dozens of Bernie Madoff's victims want to get their two cents in when the accused Ponzi swindler appears in court Thursday for what's expected to be a guilty plea.

Manhattan federal prosecutors Monday told Judge Denny Chin they've received 78 e-mails since they invited victims to speak at a Madoff plea hearing scheduled for Thursday morning.

Chin will decide whether any of the 25 who requested a chance to speak will get the floor.

Madoff, 70, has waived his right to a grand jury indictment and will plead to criminal information tailored specifically to the fraud-related crimes he's accused of violating while running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

Madoff is due in Chin's courtroom today to resolve a conflict-of-interest issue involving his attorney, Ira Sorkin. Chin will ask Madoff whether he wants Sorkin to represent him despite reports indicating that Sorkin's late father once invested with Madoff.

Meanwhile, court-appointed trustee Irving Picard has mailed a dozen $500,000 checks to Madoff victims. The $6 million payout comes out of a federally insured fund for cheated investors.

Broken victims of her husband's suspected Ponzi scheme are fighting for pennies on the dollar, but Ruth Madoff says $62 million she squirreled away is none of their business.

But the lawyers refused to let go of Ruth Madoff's interest in the E. 64th St. apartment, valued at $7 million, as well as $45 million in municipal bonds controlled by Cohmad Securities and $17 million in a Wachovia account.

On Feb. 11, a Massachusetts state regulator revealed that Ruth Madoff withdrew some $15 million from a Cohmad Securities account in the weeks and days before her husband's Dec. 11 arrest.

In addition to the Manhattan apartment, Ruth Madoff owns a home in Palm Beach, Fla., and the Madoffs share ownership of another home in Montauk, L.I., according to Manhattan federal prosecutors.

Those properties are secured as part of the $10 million bond package approved by a judge in January.

Jobless rate jumps to 8.1 percent in Feb., highest since late 1983; employers cut 651,000 jobs

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:26:25 EST

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's unemployment rate bolted to 8.1 percent in February, the highest since late 1983, as cost-cutting employers slashed 651,000 jobs amid a deepening recession.

With employers showing no appetite to hire, the unemployment jumped to 8.1 percent from 7.6 percent in January. That was the highest since December 1983, when the jobless rate was 8.3 percent.

All told, the number of unemployed people climbed to 12.5 million. In addition, the number of people forced to work part time for "economic reasons" rose by a sharp 787,000 to 8.6 million. That's people who would like to work full time but whose hours were cut back or were unable to find full-time work.

Meanwhile, the average work week in February stayed at 33.3 hours, matching the record low set in December.

Job losses were widespread in February.

Construction companies eliminated 104,000 jobs. Factories axed 168,000. Retailers cut nearly 40,000. Professional and business services got rid of 180,000, with 78,000 jobs lost at temporary-help agencies. Financial companies reduced payrolls by 44,000. Leisure and hospitality firms chopped 33,000 positions.

The few areas spared: education and health services, as well as government, which boosted employment last month.

Disappearing jobs and evaporating wealth from tanking home values, 401(k)s and other investments have forced consumers to retrench, driving companies to lay off workers. It's a vicious cycle in which all the economy's negative problems feed on each other, worsening the downward spiral.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Jobless-rate-bolts-to-81-apf-14564130.html

Losing 650,000+ jobs is like losing the entire population of Alaska in one month!

I Wish Folk Would Stop Criticizing Our Earmark For Studying Pig Swill!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:21:07 EST

I'm confident that Iowa researchers will be glad to share results outside our state boundaries.

Steele And Limbaugh To Star In Upcoming TV Series

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:04:52 EST

Obama's plan to hike taxes meets fierce opposition

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:42:12 EST

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's call to raise taxes on high earners and greenhouse gas polluters met fierce opposition Tuesday from congressional Republicans and also a few Democrats. "I would never want to adversely affect anything that is charitable or good," Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said of Obama's call to limit high-income taxpayers' itemized deductions for charitable donations and mortgage interest.

Who? Me?

Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, has owned the beachfront house at the Punta Cana resort and club since 1988, but never declared the $75,000 in rental income he has earned either on his tax returns or on his Congressional financial disclosure form.

That Ziegler Guy Really Had To Do A Whole Documentary On How Obama Won?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:51:56 EST

"Let's Have A Witch Hunt ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:22:23 EST

.....Followed by a burning at the stake thing.

Or maybe a good ol' GOP mud wrestling contest?

Not AGAIN!!!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:06:46 EST

WASHINGTON – Ron Kirk, nominated as U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama administration, owes an estimated $10,000 in back taxes from earlier in the decade and has agreed to make his payments, the Senate Finance Committee said Monday.

The committee said the taxes arise from Kirk's handling of speaking fees that he donated to his alma mater, and for his deduction of the full cost of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.

The disclosure made the former Dallas mayor the latest in a string of top-level Obama administration appointees found to have underpaid their taxes, following Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle, who withdrew as candidate for Health and Human Services secretary. Nancy Killefer, Obama's pick for chief performance officer, also bowed out amid tax problems.

My Kind Of 'Blue'!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:47:56 EST

Try A Job Aid?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:20:34 EST

Obviously the characters who like to spew their trash in here have some sort of schedule, reminder to mess this place up.....

"What's All That Blue Text Doing In There?"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:33:02 EST

Make Some Noise! Wake Up The Site Admin/Moderator!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:55:51 EST

Time For Site Admin To Wake Up!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:52:27 EST

He Really Thinks He Looks Like Bobby Of "Brady Bunch" Fame?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:58:47 EST

'Thanks For Electing Dean Grose'

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:03:03 EST

We can simply refer to him as "The Watermelon Man".

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/dwightburdette/gGxhxL

Thanks Mr/Ms Site Admin For The Much Improved Clean Up!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:08:40 EST

This Place Has Become A Wasteland

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:36:27 EST

The 'Unknown Loser' Is Back!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:17:22 EST

Are They Serious? Nationalize The Banks?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:03:50 EST

Hopefully Site Admin Will Clean This Place Up Soon

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:03:43 EST

Balsam Lake WI Curling Team

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:29:30 EST

(Not pictured: Jenna)

Miss Balsam Lake WI Pageant Winners

(Not pictured: Jenna)

Will The Dems Put Up Credible Candidates In Key Legislative Districts??

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:05:52 EST

U.S. Rep. Latham: Statement opposing trillion-dollar "stimulus" bill

WASHINGTON, DC -- The following are the remarks of Congressman Tom Latham during debate of the Economic Stimulus Measure considered by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday.

“I want folks to step back from this debate for just a second here. You know, at the end of last year we spent over $700 Billion on the Wall Street Bailout. Who knows if that has had any positive effect? No one knows for sure. Just this past Tuesday, the Secretary of the Treasury said we will need to spend another $2 Trillion for the next financial industry bailout. Today, we are going to spend $790 billion. This means with interest today’s bill will spend over $1 Trillion. In another couple of weeks we will be looking at spending $400 billion on an omnibus spending bill. And soon after that there will be another war supplemental. Let’s add that up. We are talking about spending $4 trillion by Congress in less than three months time.

This is the most selfish bill I have ever seen generationally. Today we are saying to our children and grandchildren: “We don’t care about you or your future because we just want self-gratification now. We want to feel better today. We can’t take any pain ourselves or truly work together to find a better way to address this crisis.”

Our kids and grandchildren are going to be the ones who end up paying for this and it will no doubt limit their opportunities. For their sakes, I ask that you vote no on this bill today. Let’s work together for better and quicker solutions that help everyone without hurting future generations.”

Dear Site Admin:

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:43:51 EST

Michigan Delegation And The Auto Industry Back In Limelight

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:05:08 EST

"Your Cheatin' Heart"

by Hank Williams Jr

(Your cheatin' heart will tell on you)
Your cheatin' heart will make you weep
You'll cry and cry and try to sleep
But sleep won't come the whole night through
Your cheatin' heart will tell on you
When tears come down like falling rain
You'll toss around and call my name
You'll walk the floor the way
I do your cheatin' heart will tell on you
When tears come down...
Your cheatin' heart will tell on you

"My Client Demands An Apology"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:32:51 EST

Mutual Backscratching, 'Clarifying' Testimony ....

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:10:11 EST

"I must have just been confused...."

Pentangeli: Look, the FBI guys, they promised me a deal. So, so I made up a lot of stuff about Michael Corleone 'cause that's what they wanted. But it was all lies. Uh, everything. And I kept saying Michael Corleone did this and Michael Corleone did that. So, I said yeah sure -- why not?

"After The Feds Visited My Attorneys, I Was Reminded What I Had For Breakfast"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:27:40 EST

Do YOU remember what you had for breakfast? I didn't know that Rob Blagojevich was Rod Blagojevich's brother; it's a very common surname where I come from....

Get With The Program!

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:17:44 EST

Speaker Pelosi Conjures Up Her Next Legislative Disaster

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:25:42 EST

"Nancy, Don't You Ever Send A Bill With Silly Programs Out Of The House Again"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:01:17 EST

"He's Back In The Saddle Again"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:06:05 EST

Back in the saddle again

by Gene Autry

I'm back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again

Ridin' the range once more
Totin' my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin' to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again

I'm back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the longhorn cattle feed
On the lowly gypsum weed
Back in the saddle again

Ridin' the range once more
Totin' my old .44
Where you sleep out every night
And the only law is right
Back in the saddle again

Whoopi-ty-aye-oh
Rockin' to and fro
Back in the saddle again
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way

Change Of Heart?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:58:04 EST

Healthcare Reform Must Include Mental Health Counseling

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:29:52 EST

LOS ANGELES – The mother of the woman who used a fertility doctor to give birth to octuplets, despite already having six young children, called her daughter's actions "unconscionable" in an interview posted online.

Angela Suleman is caring for the six older children while her daughter is hospitalized after giving birth Jan. 26 to the octuplets.

"She already has six beautiful children, why would she do this?"

Taxpayers will end up footing the bill for this confused brood mare!

"Eat This Or Donate Your Left Nut, Mr. PCA"

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:30:07 EST

When is Atty General Holder going to get to work on this?

Agreement Announced on Emergency Economic Stimulus

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:17:11 EST

3:00 pm : Senator Reid stated in a formal announcement that the Senate and House have reached an agreement on the creation of a $789.5 billion economic stimulus bill. According to CNBC, the House is expected to vote on the bill as early as tomorrow, while the Senate could vote Friday. The aim remains to have the stimulus bill ready for President Obama to sign by this coming weekend.

Leahy 'Truth Commission' Is Lame Idea

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:06:17 EST

Unlike undeveloped countries, we have established laws and a system that can deal with criminal behavior. We are signatories to international treaties - heck, we authored many of them.

The Attorney General needs to do the people's work: investigate and prosecute crimes of the last administration. We need to re-gain our standing in the world. (We also need to have our Constitutional rights re-established.)

The notion that some Congressional Commission will study and resolve these matters is ridiculous. All it will do is cost the taxpayers money -- money that is not stimulatory!

But what can we expect from an old man who is legally blind in one eye?

'Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.'

Fielder's Choice - Grow A Pair or Pick Any 2 From The Box

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:57:51 EST

As the newly confirmed Attorney General, Eric Holder needs to get to work. 1) Investigate and prosecute crimes of Bush#43 administration, 2) Prosecute Wall Street thieves and crooks, 3) Initiate some consumer protection initiatives, 4) Rewrite FISA - get our Constitutional Rights re-established. The list goes on.

Prove to the critics that you weren't just a tool of Janet Reno and the likes of Marc Rich.

At First, I Felt Sorry For Ruth (Mrs. Bernard) Madoff ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:40:45 EST

Now it just looks like she's been spending a lot of other people's money on her own plastic surgery. Is she really only 67 (she looks like she's in her late 70s)?

BOSTON (Reuters) – The wife of accused Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff pulled $15 million out of a brokerage account only days before her husband was arrested, Massachusetts' top securities regulator said on Wednesday.

Secretary of State William Galvin said Ruth Madoff withdrew $5.5 million on November 25 and $10 million on December 10 according to reports produced by Cohmad Securities, a firm co-owned by her husband.

These people need to be fitted for orange jumpsuits and start doing hard time on a chain gang!

Where's The Beef?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:00:58 EST

At Monday night's Presidential news conference, President Obama said he didn't want to steal Secy Geithner's thunder anticipated yesterday. Seems like we got more drizzle than thunder from Geithner.

Let's hope this scoff-law, tax-cheat can get more specific and deliver the goods in the next couple of weeks.

Helen Thomas To Write Tell-All Book Featuring Stories About Traveling With ex-Presidents Slick Willy and Dick Nixon

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:57:56 EST

"He just tickles me so."

"Dick knew how and when to cut things off."

It's Time To Layoff US House of Representatives

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:37:39 EST

Think of the money we taxpayers would save. Why do we need a bi-cameral legislature? These guys and gals vote themselves pay raises while citizens pay more and more taxes and problems don't get solved. Eliminate their jobs, staffs and overhead. They do not add value.

The Speaker has ZERO leadership capability. She defines herself by how much she alienates the other party.

This guy (my former US Rep) 'distinguishes' himself this week as the longest consecutively serving member of the House of Representatives. Talk about legacy. He took over his father's seat back in the middle ages. He prides himself with introducing his dead father's bill to reform healthcare each and every session since! It has NEVER passed. He's at the beck and call of Detroit's Big 3. He's a FAILURE.

Tom Daschle Makes Career Change

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:17:04 EST

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Gingrich for Secy HHS? Card as New Car Czar?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:43:25 EST

(Above - Former Speaker Newt Gingrich demonstrates the proper way to perform a colorectal screen for the annual meeting of the Society of Proctologists.)

(Above- Photo illustrates that even dopes get degrees and wear robes.)

From 1993 to 1998, Andrew Card was President and CEO of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA), the trade association whose members were Chrysler, Ford and GM. The AAMA dissolved in December 1998. From 1999 until his selection as President Bush's Chief of Staff, Card was General Motors' Vice President of Government Relations. Card directed the company's international, national, state and local government affairs activities and represented GM on matters of public policy before Congress and the Administration.

Andrew Card Applies For Job As White House Fashion Czar

Hussein The Hope Monger — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:23:21 EST

"Mr. (ex) President, sir, your shoes don't match your belt today."

Where Is Neel 'Cash&Carry' Kashkari Now?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:16:21 EST

You know, ex-Secy Paulson's Goldman Sachs-trained Asst Secy who was writing the checks to his buds on Wall Street last year...

WASHINGTON – The federal government overpaid for stocks and other assets in attempting to help financial institutions last year, a government watchdog said Thursday, taking further issue with the beleaguered $700 billion rescue program.

Elizabeth Warren, chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the bailout funds, told the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday that Treasury in 2008 paid $254 billion and received assets worth about $176 billion.

The figures were reached by extrapolating the results of a study of 10 government transactions, comparing the price paid by Treasury and the value of the asset at the time of purchase. Warren did not present details of the transactions the panel analyzed. A full report will be released Friday.

But we taxpayers will be getting a dividend on this 'investment', right?

In a bright spot for the rescue program, however, banks that received capital infusions from Treasury have already paid $271 million in dividends to the federal government. A Treasury official said Thursday that banks are expected to pay more than $1.5 billion in dividends by the end of this month. Among them is Wells Fargo, which received a $25 billion infusion. The bank announced this week it would pay Treasury $371 million in dividends.

I feel better now. We overpaid $78 BILLION, but are getting $1.5 Billion in quarterly dividends. We should have made up the loss in just over 52 quarters, which is about 13 years. Cool. I'm cool with that deal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bailout_oversight

Stimulus MUST Be Timely, Targeted and Transparent

Hussein The Hope Monger — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:18:42 EST

What Speaker Peolosi and Chair Frank sent (HR 1) to the Senate was shameful. They didn't make any of the hard decisions, prioritize. They took a wish list from their Democrat members - things that would have been attached to bills as earmarks in the current term. Then they added them up to a VERY BIG number, told the people that any time the government spends money it creates jobs and called it 'stimulus'.

Many of these items should be debated and refined as public policy. They have little or no stimulus effect - other than to appease key constituents. I have every expectation that Sens Reid, Dodd and others will follow the same path - in 3 days they already moved the House's $819 BILLION to over $890 BILLION!!

There is $54 Billion of spending on energy, $16 Billion on Science and Technology, $90 Billion for roads and waterways, $142 Billion for education, $25 Billion for healthcare, $102 Billion for unemployed workers, $91 Billion for state government plus $$$Billions in tax cuts. Some of these will translate into jobs, most will not.

Noticeably absent is anything directed at HOUSING (other than funds to rehab/modernize pathetic public housing -- a program which needs a MAJOR policy overhaul itself). Why? Because next week, we are going to be asked to foot the bill for $1 - 3 TRILLION in a new T.A.R.P. to be administered by Secy Treasury Tim Geithner (you know, the guy who didn't pay all of his taxes a few years ago).

Let's get this thing focused, passed and implemented!!

Won't Be As Rewarding As Caucusing Last Year ...

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:35:45 EST

Rock fans head to Iowa to recall day music died

01/28/2009 6:00 AM, AP

It's been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock 'n' roll.

The passing decades haven't diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes.

Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock 'n' roll pilgrimage — especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination.

All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way.

Holly's career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly's band, The Crickets. Holly's hit songs include "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue" and "Maybe Baby."

Richardson, "The Big Bopper," is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of "Chantilly Lace" in 1958, decades before MTV.

And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock 'n' roll. He recorded his huge hit "La Bamba" only months before the accident.

The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as "the day the music died" in McLean's 1971 song, "American Pie."

The "Stimulus" Package

Hussein The Hope Monger — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:58:09 EST

Each dollar of the $825Billion should be used to 1) create jobs and/or 2) stabilize the housing market upon which Wall Street has leveraged and gambled investors' savings. Some of us want to retire some day.

If spending $825,000,000,000 results in 3 Million jobs, each job will cost $275,000. And every American household will be on the hook for $2,700 in additional debt. (Will the IRS allow us the same lattitude permitted Secy Treasury Geithner?)

Aggregating all these local "pet programs", purportedly "shovel ready" that are already awaiting funding simply to garner Congressional votes is an ignorant approach to simply spend money. Many are not tied to national security, energy or environmental initiatives and do not CREATE JOBS.

RETREAD, RECAP, REMOULD, REMANUFACTURED: What's The Difference?

Hussein The Hope Monger — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:26:24 EST

Over the years the retread tire industry has had its product called a recap, a retread, a remould, or even a remanufactured tire. All these terms are essentially variations on a name.

Is there a difference? Yes and no.

In fact, all the above are different names for a tire that had the old tread removed and new tread applied, or retreaded, the name which is most commonly used and accepted by all segments of the tire industry.

However, when a retreaded tire also has new rubber veneer applied to the sidewall (sometimes called bead-to-bead retreading) it is often called a remoulded or remanufactured tire. The sidewall rubber does add a cosmetic enhancement to the retreaded tire.

Recap is an old fashioned name for a retreaded tire and is seldom used anymore.

The only important thing for the tire buyer to insist on is that the tire has been processed by a reputable retreader and carries a warranty at least as good as a comparable new tire. If this precaution is taken, it doesn't matter what the tire is called: recap, retread, remould, or remanufactured. It will offer a better value than a comparable new tire, without any sacrifice to safety or handling.

COURTESY: Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau (TRIB)