tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35975292011-08-16T22:07:01.062-05:00culture, politics, commentary, criticismskimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comBlogger21561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-73885940943063974262009-10-27T09:03:00.004-05:002009-10-27T09:18:00.518-05:00

Throwing a drowning man a yacht. Why do we even bother prosecuting things like cannabis possession when criminal behavior like this is rewarded at the most lavish levels of luxury and unaccountability?Habayeb, 37, was chief financial officer for the AIG division that oversaw AIG Financial Products, the unit that had sold the swaps to the banks. One of his goals was to persuade the banks to accept

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-70887867229963677172009-06-11T15:31:00.013-05:002009-06-11T16:14:07.957-05:00

The anonymous blogger responds to Leo Wells. Thousands of people have arrived at this site through Google to find impartial information about Wells Real Estate Funds, Wells REITs, and so on. Apparently Leo Wells & Co. are somewhat threatened by my observations because they have posted a special dedicated page, the Leo Wells Pathetic Defense Page, to respond to what appeared on this blog.Their

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-10567189272785938322009-05-05T14:43:00.005-05:002009-05-05T15:35:12.147-05:00

How stupid is your financial advisor? Putting aside for the moment the difficulty of spotting the deliberate criminal activities of a Bernie Madoff, how can you know if the guy at the bank or the brokerage or the insurance company taking your IRA money has a brain in his head? How can you know if the financial advisor for your 401(k) plan, lecturing you from a script on the wisdom of asset

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-2635965710640368592009-03-30T15:32:00.002-05:002009-03-30T15:39:06.996-05:00

It's ten years later.November 5, 1999: ''The world changes, and we have to change with it,'' said Senator Phil Gramm of Texas, who wrote the law that will bear his name along with the two other main Republican sponsors, Representative Jim Leach of Iowa and Representative Thomas J. Bliley Jr. of Virginia. ''We have a new century coming, and we have an opportunity to dominate that century the same

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-61316941001432648362009-03-19T16:40:00.003-05:002009-03-19T16:50:50.427-05:00

Just askin'. "Who were these people who wrecked AIG and other companies? How did it come about? And was the nature of their actions such that they should be permanently barred from the securities and banking industries?"And while we're clawing back AIG bonuses, why not a counterparty clawback for all the bailout banks? Why should Goldman Sachs bear none of the burden?

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-74631400048751755742009-03-17T09:22:00.003-05:002009-03-17T09:33:50.274-05:00

Pulitzer for Gretchen too. While we're giving out nominations for Pulitzer Prizes, let's give one to Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times for her revelation of the identity of the puppetmaster Goldman Sachs behind the bailout puppets:Decisions made during the final months of the Bush administration created an environment in which the most politically connected investment banks, Goldman Sachs

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-18747591043441498082009-03-13T09:01:00.003-05:002009-03-13T09:03:07.226-05:00

"It's not a fucking game." Skimble hereby nominates Jon Stewart for a Pulitzer Prize:.cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-36567840684311946482009-03-11T16:45:00.004-05:002009-03-11T16:54:20.956-05:00

The future of human beings. These observations about the global economy and how to make it work were written not years or decades ago, but yesterday...We have grown and enjoyed economic stability. Our growth has been accompanied by the inclusion of tens of millions of people in the consumer market. We have distributed wealth to more than 40m who lived below the poverty line. We have ensured that

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-33661857643308163812009-03-06T16:04:00.007-06:002009-03-06T18:04:05.466-06:00

The complete and utter failure of financial journalism. Jon Stewart's takedown of CNBC was so much more than a takedown of Rick Santelli's highly suspicious tantrum. It was a general criticism of the complete and utter failure of financial journalism in the US — the groupthink of "reporters" embedded in the machinery and chicanery they are supposed to be investigating.CNBC and the Wall Street

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-82317238963697578942009-03-04T16:08:00.003-06:002009-03-04T16:31:17.586-06:00

Buying the bailout. While Obama is being blamed by mindless commenters and cable talking heads for the recent market turmoil and the halving of everyone's 401(k) accounts, it might be useful to take a look a bit further back to see where the blame really lies (InvestmentNews):The financial services industry spent more than $5 billion on political contributions and lobbying from 1998 through 2008,

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-47761153926382957842009-02-10T14:33:00.003-06:002009-02-10T14:42:24.204-06:00

Decapitating executive pay. The more we learn about how the global banking industry has been managed in the last decade, the more we realize that simply limiting executive compensation will not be enough to match the profundity of the crimes committed against working people and taxpayers.We citizens should respond in more visceral terms, resulting in something like this for the CEOs and the risk

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-82444336369541857902009-01-30T15:29:00.003-06:002009-01-30T15:35:58.526-06:00

Tax cuts make a lot of sense. The GOP's highly principled, widely celebrated and fetishistic tax cuts will stimulate the economy for four hundred people. Today's WSJ: "The nation's top 400 taxpayers made more than $263 million on average in 2006, as the stock market was rallying, but paid income taxes at the lowest rate in the 15 years that the Internal Revenue Service has tracked such data,

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-28274597713309403432009-01-19T11:31:00.014-06:002009-01-19T12:15:23.739-06:00

Keeping score. This is one of the few chances we get to judge a pair of opposing-party, two-term presidents back to back. We limit our judgment to objective, quantitative, market-driven data.If the sum total of Americans assets is a portfolio, the president is like a portfolio manager — so let's look at how well they performed, using the Dow Jones Industrial Average as a yardstick.PRESIDENT  

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-65113309254865750852009-01-14T10:10:00.003-06:002009-01-14T10:17:02.626-06:00

Fire sale on the USA. The net result of his administration makes the point quite clearly: whenever Bush talked about the "ownership society," he was ultimately referring to wealthy foreigners buying up the United States (InvestmentNews):January 12, 2009Foreign investors plan to spend significantly more money on U.S. real estate in 2009 than they did last year.A study released today by the

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-80250635083194074102008-12-13T10:25:00.004-06:002008-12-13T10:38:00.198-06:00

Killing the watchdog. I have yet to see this reported anywhere, but an anonymous commenter named trademonster on an investment forum said this (notice the dates): 01-09-06 06:49 AMI've heard that SEC is going to shut down Madoff financial and all of their hedge funds for SEC violations. Can anyone confirm this?And this:01-14-06 02:52 PMI actually got some update and found out that it's Spitzer's

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-32743660818907336992008-11-26T09:19:00.006-06:002008-11-26T09:39:41.024-06:00

Prostitution is at least an honest profession. I'll show you my balance sheet if you show me yours. No? Well, let's insure our multibillion crap-loan transaction just in case. Hundreds of times over.Everyone agrees that the current financial crisis is a self-engineered affair, an circle jerk orgy of fantasy profits emanating from eight years of Wall Street masturbatory excess — unfettered and

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-19039541780255597942008-11-12T14:14:00.003-06:002008-11-12T14:19:16.312-06:00

Fixing the unfixable. All the hot air about who Obama should or shouldn't appoint to his cabinet won't do a damn thing about bringing to justice the people responsible for this.Click on each photographer's name if you want to be sick.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-51705382091893224562008-10-09T16:22:00.004-05:002008-10-09T16:39:18.066-05:00

Party like it's 1997. I'm in the mood for a quick review of the Clinton years. Let's look at a few milestones in the S&P 500, with closings on the dates shown:S&P Closing     Milestone date500.97         March 24, 1995600.07         November 17, 1995700.66         October 11, 1996802.77         February 12, 1997904.03         July 2, 19971,001.27       February 2, 19981,105.65       March 24,

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-79930179243546780552008-10-08T10:09:00.002-05:002008-10-08T10:12:44.425-05:00

More like this, please. Some guy spots former Lehman CEO Richard Fuld on a gym treadmill, walks right up to him, and knocks him out cold.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-84782468966598568032008-10-03T16:28:00.002-05:002008-10-03T16:33:25.549-05:00

Plutocrats win! From the shit-eating, high-five grins on these two men's faces, it seems clear that today's $700 billion bailout may end up being even a bigger legislative and strategic mistake for the taxpayers of this country than the Iraq war itself.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-79746678564051715562008-07-31T12:34:00.004-05:002008-07-31T12:57:29.696-05:00

Outrage fatigue. I have ceased to care about McStupid's Britney video and Obama's acting presidency. Or the New Yorker cover. Or Cindy McCain's 20 painkillers a day. Or the endless hand-wringing about the fucking narrative.The 24/7 minutiae of yet another artificial campaign horserace cannot captivate me. The big story is this: The Democrats have failed to hold the existing administration

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-67233381610586951752008-07-17T09:27:00.004-05:002008-07-17T09:34:56.515-05:00

Once again, the punchline is Texas. WSJ:Texas had some of the cheapest power rates in the country when it zapped most of the state's electric regulations six years ago, convinced that rollicking competition would drive prices even lower.This summer, electricity there is some of the nation's priciest.Power costs are rising in the rest of the U.S., but everything is bigger in Texas: On a hot day in

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-5498115634965014652008-07-09T14:33:00.003-05:002008-07-09T14:53:21.251-05:00

Emergency retirement plan: elder suicide. "Emergency retirement plan: revolver with 3 bullets... in case the first 2 don't work. Coming soon to an America near you." A prophetic comment by Mike Hunt on an otherwise sober post called "Inflation and Its Impact on Retirement" by Rod Ferguson.With just 20 percent of today's working Americans expected to be financially secure in retirement, we will

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-35225090880478888602008-06-29T21:59:00.001-05:002008-06-29T21:59:48.559-05:00

The pause that refreshes. I'm halfway through my monthlong break. How about you?

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-322481270141127652008-06-11T17:26:00.003-05:002008-06-11T17:34:49.917-05:00

Healthcare Republican style. Here's a reason to vote for McCain: health insurance that doubles in cost while 15 million people lose coverage (InvestmentNews):Some 25 million U.S. adults with health insurance in 2007 faced financial stress due to insufficient coverage, according to a study from The Commonwealth Fund.The ranks of the underinsured have increased by 60% between 2003 — when the New

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-8542040123109847212008-06-06T12:02:00.003-05:002008-06-06T12:08:38.339-05:00

One out of 3 Marines is broke. Enlisted Marines are suffering financial problems that are serious enough to affect national security, not to mention their own financial security. From a letter by two directors of the Foundation for Financial Planning to Investment Advisor Magazine:...nearly 30% of all enlisted Marines, rank E-1 to E-4, have financial problems serious enough to affect security

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-29082414542787790882008-06-05T10:38:00.003-05:002008-06-05T10:51:06.493-05:00

Like taking candy from a Christian. If Republicans have proven anything in the last several years it's this: When you want to steal on an epic scale, pretend you're religious. Here's another example (Investment News):A rep affiliated with LPL Financial allegedly stole $5 million from about two dozen people he knew from church and Little League.The adviser, James J. Buchanan, has been charged with

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-15197892088647578702008-05-30T13:53:00.004-05:002008-05-30T14:14:35.632-05:00

I wish I had a dollar for every GOP crime because then I would be even richer than Igor Olenicoff:Criminal court filings in California and Florida highlight the ways in which UBS -- and other banks -- worked with California real-estate developer Igor Olenicoff to establish shell companies used to avoid paying taxes.For more than a decade, between 1992 and 2007, Mr. Olenicoff moved nearly $500

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-82559782329322641102008-05-28T16:15:00.003-05:002008-12-09T09:08:54.724-06:00

Scott and Jeff sitting in a tree. Who did conscience-stricken Scott McClellan always turn to when he needed a softball? The GOP shill and loyal escort, Jeff Gannon (2/10/05).Q Jeff Gannon. How did he get a White House pass, or what kind of credentials did he have?MR. McCLELLAN: Just like anyone else who comes to the White House.Q Hard pass?MR. McCLELLAN: No, he had never applied for a hard pass.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-27802969425192208992008-05-28T09:25:00.002-05:002008-05-28T09:35:56.017-05:00

Energy conservation, Texas-style. Everywhere else in the USA, people are driving less, taking public transit more, screwing in those CFLs, and generally keeping a tighter lid on their energy usage. Not in Houston:How air-conditioned is Houston? Consider this: While highs are in the 90s outdoors, chilled workers smuggle space heaters into their offices."They're everywhere," says Heat Throat, my

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-29966841755052331522008-05-21T10:03:00.003-05:002008-05-21T10:09:48.350-05:00

An inspired idea. Supreme Court Justice Hillary Clinton:It's likely that the next president will face at least one Supreme Court vacancy. Obama should promise Hillary Clinton, now, that if he wins in November, the vacancy will be hers, making her first on a list of one.Obama and Clinton have wound up agreeing on nearly every major issue during the campaign; at the end of the day, they share many

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-67035291895176256452008-05-16T12:00:00.002-05:002008-05-16T12:17:00.347-05:00

Finishing what she started. I am a Hillary supporter who will fully support Obama if (i.e., when) he wins the nomination, but that doesn't diminish my agreement with Avedon:Last night at the pub someone asked me what I thought Hillary was doing. Oddly enough, I've never actually seriously considered the question - mostly just thought that the theories I keep hearing (like that she wants to be

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-40635969614575596542008-05-15T16:32:00.004-05:002008-05-15T16:47:03.357-05:00

Maybe she can explain Sunni vs. Shi'a to John McCain. Remember Vicki Iseman, the lobbyist who allegedly had an affair with McCain while he was married to Cindy "Sugar Mom" McCain? What a sexist and inflammatory insinuation! It turns out that her rapid rise within the ranks of lobbyists is entirely justified by the richness of her background and experience. After all, wouldn't the senior partner

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-1213662401686111892008-05-09T09:15:00.003-05:002008-12-09T09:08:55.087-06:00

They're young, fit, GOP, and not in Iraq. Jenna Bush and Henry Hager tie the knot this weekend. She will be wearing Oscar de la Renta instead of camouflage. He's a former White House staffer and the son of the Virginia Republican Party chairman. "Jenna and Henry will be married at twilight in front of a limestone altar and cross near a man-made lake on the property." Neither has volunteered for

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-10768700308903018412008-05-08T10:45:00.003-05:002008-05-08T10:57:02.485-05:00

Why I will never contribute to a presidential campaign. Now that there is discussion of Obama retiring Hillary's campaign debt, I am reminded of why I would never contribute to presidential campaigns: because they reward exactly those people who pollute the system.I'm speaking specifically of ABC, NBC, and Fox News and all the other television outlets who magically use our broadcast air (which we

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-36289803436037244222008-04-29T09:19:00.004-05:002008-04-29T09:32:02.434-05:00

Why not a windfall profits tax? Instead of decreasing tax revenues with a "gas tax holiday" as McCain has suggested, why not impose a windfall profits tax on the excess net revenues the oil companies are receiving?Today's WSJ shows quarterly net income (i.e., profit) for Shell of $9.08 billion. For BP it's $7.62 billion. Those profits are billions, not millions, for three months of income. That's

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-74677188031050054412008-04-28T18:50:00.002-05:002008-04-28T18:55:00.576-05:00

Cheney was its CEO until 2000. What a sweet subsidiary of Halliburton is KBR, Inc. (formerly Kellogg Brown & Root):WASHINGTON — KBR employees working in Iraq stole weapons, artwork and even gold to make spurs for cowboy boots, former company workers told Senate Democrats today.Appearing before a Democrats-only panel looking into allegations of contracting abuses in Iraq, the one-time employees

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-52508261208026029192008-04-24T15:21:00.008-05:002008-12-09T09:08:56.088-06:00

Republican Kama Sutra. On May 10, two short weeks from now, MBA daughter Jenna Bush and MBA student Henry Hager will get married at her family's “ranch” near Crawford. What could be more exciting than a GOP wedding? A Republican honeymoon!To mark the occasion (and to help them overcome the abstinence education prescribed by their elders), we present some of the most important Republican sexual

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-5273869325744005322008-04-22T09:40:00.002-05:002008-04-22T09:43:53.367-05:00

The great truth of 21st century America. Thomas Frank, writing in yesterday's WSJ: "The landmark political fact of our time is the replacement of our middle-class republic by a plutocracy."

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-84479884622052158952008-04-18T09:18:00.003-05:002008-04-18T09:27:56.166-05:00

The scorched economy policy. Now in its last throes, the Republican administration is determined to take the country and its economy down with it as it collapses into the ashcan of history. Wall Street Journal:Natural-gas prices in the U.S. have risen 93% since August as power-hungry nations compete in a global market that scarcely existed five years ago. The trend has profound implications for

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-72751173960492187702008-04-15T16:33:00.003-05:002008-04-15T16:44:10.694-05:00

Jenna Bush's Bridesmaids to be Texas Belles! That's the latest news from Women's Wear Daily.That's so weird, because I thought for sure her wedding party would have an Iraqi civilian deaths (PDF) theme, a Yoo torture memo (PDF) theme, or even a Blackwater mercenary apparel theme.Choosing just the right look for the wedding party can be such a risky business! I guess the young white Texas

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-86824711501049679872008-04-15T09:37:00.003-05:002008-04-15T09:40:17.588-05:00

Now that's what I call integrity! "Pope Benedict XVI said on Tuesday that following the Roman Catholic Church’s child sexual abuse scandals in the United States, the church is reviewing candidates for the priesthood with the objective of excluding those with a tendency to molest children."Would it be asking too much to review candidates for the presidency with the objective of excluding those

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-29828911199776403592008-04-14T13:08:00.002-05:002008-04-14T13:12:15.677-05:00

We have met the enemy and he is the Bush White House. "If you consider what the government did to be torture, which is a crime according to U.S. and international law, Bush's statement shifts his role from being an accessory after the fact to being part of a conspiracy to commit." — Dan Froomkin

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-65676874055485688512008-04-10T10:49:00.005-05:002008-12-09T09:08:56.256-06:00

Hard vs. soft economics. Optimism is shriveling in America (WSJ Real Time Economics blog):The irony is that the absolute peak of American optimism occurred during the years Republicans were actively impeaching President Clinton over a blowjob.Therefore, fellatio shows positive correlation as an economic stimulus package. With fellatio in the White House, American optimism is firm and

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-50351427284116986872008-04-09T10:57:00.005-05:002008-04-09T12:09:06.945-05:00

The parallel economy. Recession, job contraction, dollar falling, subprime credit crisis — the whole economy's in the dump, right? Not if you are in the business of creating flying palaces (WSJ):For super-rich fliers in search of the ultimate status symbol, the big problem isn't plunking down $50 million to $250 million for a new, full-size jetliner from Boeing or Airbus. It's finding someone to

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-75599369147285681412008-04-08T12:21:00.003-05:002008-04-08T12:24:07.470-05:00

Out of the car, into the Google. This is brilliant. Now you can use Google Maps to plan (and time) your public transit trips in Chicago. Via Chicagoist.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-60549950319558280792008-04-01T10:08:00.002-05:002008-04-01T10:12:58.845-05:00

Children spoiled rotten. Steve Coll's new book "The Bin Ladens" takes a gander at some of the paper-thin adolescent psychology that rules our world (NYT):Just as recent books like Jacob Weisberg’s “Bush Tragedy” have underscored the role Oedipal rivalries may have played in George W. Bush’s presidency and his decision to go to war against Iraq, so this volume underscores the role that Freudian

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-12448052057788132262008-03-26T10:59:00.003-05:002008-03-26T11:15:13.998-05:00

The lost decade. As the baby boomers prepare to retire, their savings have been severely diminished by those who would have happily privatized social security right out of existence (WSJ):Over the past 200 years, the stock market's steady upward march occasionally has been disrupted for long stretches, most recently during the Great Depression and the inflation-plagued 1970s. The current market

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-6956698628452322102008-03-24T13:50:00.004-05:002008-12-09T09:08:56.421-06:00

Welcome to the Richard B. Cheney Autopsy Room for Service Members.Five years ago the White House was evidently expecting company in the thousands, when they built twenty-three state of the art autopsy stations: "WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2003 – Military officials this week opened a new $30 million mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del." "The mission of a mortuary is to prepare remains with dignity,

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-40778149773474713832008-03-20T09:15:00.003-05:002008-03-20T09:21:08.616-05:00

The Bush Legacy: overworked soup kitchens. You know the situation is bad when even the normally oblivious Wall Street Journal takes notice on page one:Add another institution to those getting squeezed by America's economic crunch: soup kitchens.Across the country, groups that provide food to people in need are scrambling to make up for a loss of government-provided surplus items as commodity

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-48723493258240252592008-03-19T09:41:00.000-05:002008-03-19T10:04:38.428-05:00

Economic problem prevention, by Eliot Spitzer. The Dem watchdog resigns while the GOP foxes eat all the hens on Wall Street and in the US Treasury (Chuck Jaffe, MarketWatch):The truth, however, is that Spitzer's biggest, most lasting impact came in the [mutual] fund industry, and in a lot of ways that ordinary investors don't think about and fail to appreciate. Moreover, by uncovering the fund

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-1690450770978435372008-03-17T10:15:00.003-05:002008-03-17T10:34:35.257-05:00

Who could've predicted Bear Stearns? You, if you'd been reading here:CEO smokes pot and plays bridge while Bear Stearns implodes, November 2007.CEO asks his execs to raise money for Bush-Cheney 2004, October 2003.Atrios today.All of these Wall Street CEOs — Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Goldman Sachs — were staunch and generous Bush-Cheney supporters. So who do you think will pay for their

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-49416053490990089212008-03-16T13:40:00.002-05:002008-03-16T13:43:06.532-05:00

Thanks, Richard Russo. The novelist hits exactly the point about Spitzer I've been making all week: "This is America, pal, where you can lead the nation into war on false pretenses and be rewarded with a second term in office, but where illicit sex is and has always been an impeachable offense."

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-61062854150727048882008-03-14T12:17:00.002-05:002008-03-14T12:23:24.560-05:00

How will we explain it to the children? All headlines from today's Wall Street Journal:Bear Stearns in Free FallMarkets Shake as Credit Fears GrowRecession Gloom GathersNervous Banks Drain Carlyle FundS&P's Grim Subprime ReportAnd yet no one will call for the immediate resignation of any of the people responsible for these catastrophes. Because in the juvenile USA, sex is the only crime worth

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-5093816458643060252008-03-13T16:28:00.005-05:002008-03-13T16:36:50.633-05:00

'Splain it to the children. Yahoo headline: Explaining Spitzer scandal to children proving tricky for parents.That's exactly how I felt about Enron, FISA, Iraq, subprime credit, Katrina, the national deficit, Halliburton, stop-loss, Diebold, the firing of US attorneys, Valerie Plame, social security privatization, the crashing dollar, the tripling of gas prices, and Rumsfeld's handshake with

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-82468650068221035032008-03-13T12:35:00.003-05:002008-03-13T12:42:52.230-05:00

How long does it take...?...for American intelligence agencies to find Osama bin Laden?Seven years and counting....for American intelligence agencies to find a Democratic governor with a hooker?Three weeks.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-15306448979998255632008-03-12T12:49:00.003-05:002008-03-12T13:05:19.853-05:00

Who's dancing on Spitzer's grave? This may give us a clue as to how the wiretaps managed to find Spitzer instead of Al Qaeda (Investment News):Kenneth Langone, the target of former New York State Attorney General Eliot G. Spitzer's lawsuit regarding the hefty compensation package for former NYSE chairman Dick Grasso, felt little remorse for the Empire State's embattled governor, who is charged

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-39313692823167905892008-03-11T10:54:00.006-05:002008-03-11T11:13:09.090-05:00

A truly unique experience. It is quite true that Spitzer got his money's worth if a unique experience is what he was seeking (Robert Frank's Wealth Report, WSJ):According to a survey by Russ Alan Prince, president of Connecticut-based wealth-research firm Prince & Associates, in his book “The Sky’s The Limit,” a sizable percentage of the super wealthy use escorts. He surveyed 661 people who owned

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-64219942917644947532008-03-11T09:34:00.003-05:002008-03-11T09:37:27.490-05:00

Spitztacular! "I hope he announces today, 'I am a gay American.' That would totally make my day." From Capitolist, the graffiti wall of anonymous congressional staffers.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-71460456624706353332008-03-10T14:49:00.002-05:002008-03-10T14:51:26.550-05:00

At least he wasn't in a men's room. Spitzer should make a solemn promise to resign exactly 30 days after Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) resigns and after we find out who Jeff Gannon's White House clients were.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-69043109972863898472008-03-10T09:20:00.003-05:002008-03-10T09:41:37.487-05:00

Who's yacht and who's not? The extreme ultra-rich, whom Bush showered with tax breaks and whom he describes as his "base," are defying every form of economic gravity that affects the rest of us (Barron's):Thanks to a global explosion of wealth over the past 10 years or so, the number of U.S. households with $1 million to $25 million in net worth has more than doubled. Households with $500 million

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-73183628002469061912008-03-08T08:53:00.002-06:002008-03-07T14:10:04.591-06:00

Five years ago. There once was a “rancher” from TexasWhose military fetish perplexes.He started a war,Shook his sabre for more,While the rest of us search LexisNexis. (link)Saturday, 8 March, 2003 - The White House asked if President Bush could address the European Parliament, Baroness Williams revealed on BBC One's This Week show on Thursday. But, she said, Euro-MPs were told there was a

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-13760749710581808012008-03-07T08:53:00.004-06:002008-03-07T09:01:26.665-06:00

In the GOP, losers always win. Think about the size of your own pay increase, and what you had to do to earn it, as you read this (WSJ):General Motors Corp. gave Chairman and Chief Executive [George] Rick Wagoner a 33% raise for 2008 and equity compensation of at least $1.68 million for his performance in 2007, a year for which the auto maker reported a loss of $38.7 billion.Once again, needless

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-30222252297523281322008-03-05T11:24:00.003-06:002008-03-06T08:08:18.114-06:00

Ultra-rich people, hurry up and die. Because your fat asses deserve to be taxed right out of existence (WSJ):The nation's top 400 taxpayers reported a total of $85.6 billion of income on their federal income-tax returns for 2005 -- an average of $213.9 million apiece, according to Internal Revenue Service data obtained by The Wall Street Journal.Just to make the cutoff to join this exclusive club

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-65278176678324843792008-03-05T11:13:00.005-06:002008-12-09T09:08:56.757-06:00

Love Republican Style.For a couple of pro-lifers, they sure cause an awful lot of death.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-79045497538719299802008-03-04T09:43:00.004-06:002008-12-09T09:08:57.177-06:00

Who put the "lie" in library? From the Chronicle of Higher Education's back of the envelope design contest for the George W Bush Library at Southern Methodist University, this design is called "Fun Ranch":It's funny tragic because it's true.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-81582883720285732272008-02-29T10:36:00.004-06:002008-12-09T09:08:57.457-06:00

The Bush Legacy: America is 30 percent poorer. The dollar's purchasing power against 26 other currencies has plunged by more than 30 percent (WSJ):On Thursday, the dollar sank to a new record low against the euro, deepening a six-year slide in which it has fallen more than 40% versus the European currency and more than 20% against a broader basket of currencies. In late trading in New York, one

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-35514049179699202612008-02-27T09:50:00.006-06:002008-12-09T09:08:58.396-06:00

Someone please cut Tim Russert's mike. He is turning our presidential debates and national discourse into a right-wing cartoon.Create your own presidential candidates at South Park Studios.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-22856519447062685272008-02-26T16:48:00.003-06:002008-02-26T16:58:19.511-06:00

A behind-the-scenes look at how our government functions. A new "position" is being called to your attention by the closet homosexual enablers at National Review Online:WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senator Larry Craig is currently seeking intern applications for the summer term, which runs from May to August. The application deadline is March 15, however if more time is needed for the application

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-92197290677407183852008-02-26T13:10:00.003-06:002008-02-26T13:30:14.683-06:00

Texas Retardlicans. A Texas Republican email, spotted on Charles Kuffner's Chronicle blog:On March 4th, Texas Republicans and Independents will have an opportunity to end Hillary Clinton's (and Bill's) presidential ambitions once and for all!Since Texas has on open primary, Republicans and Independents should sign in at their polling place and request a Democratic ballot. They should then vote

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-64233894426872960702008-02-26T09:46:00.007-06:002008-02-26T10:02:25.993-06:00

Tax the billionaires. Say what you want about Hillary, she is unafraid to speak politically dangerous truths to the powers that support her (Investment News):Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, took swipes at hedge fund managers at campaign stops in Ohio on Feb. 19 and Wisconsin on Feb. 18 arguing that the top executives should not be immune from paying certain taxes.Hillary Clinton has been the

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-32123458075292671932008-02-22T09:31:00.004-06:002008-12-09T09:08:58.948-06:00

Dancing in a bubble. Q: What happens when an enormously unpopular president needs to get away from his country and the war he started? A: He goes to Africa to dance (link goes to Guardian video of Bush gyrating in Liberia).

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-15895182165415647742008-02-20T09:35:00.003-06:002008-02-20T09:52:18.626-06:00

The box is better than the toy. Financial prosperity is nice but it isn't everything. Perhaps America's empty-headed worship of markets, and the hard times that will result*, will give us fresh opportunities to have simple thoughts like these (Michel Gondry in The Onion):I truly believe that kids enjoy the box better than the car or the toy that's inside. So many times during Christmas, watching

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-64287667201207008202008-02-15T09:46:00.004-06:002008-02-15T09:57:23.756-06:00

Oops, there goes another rubber toy plant. Yesterday while I was rudely mocking Houston for its Valentine's weekend gun show, right up here in northern Illinois a graduate student was planning his own pathetic gun show.So: sincere apologies to Houston. My implication of its backwardness was way out of line. Especially as they chose the day before Valentine's Day as the day to overturn their legal

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-64859238549125827212008-02-14T09:59:00.005-06:002008-12-09T09:08:59.243-06:00

Valentine's weekend in Houston. For northerners Valentine's Day may be high risk because it's high calorie, but down in Houston the risks are somewhat higher. Valentine's weekend is high caliber:Virginia may be for lovers, but Texas is for shooters and stabbers.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-87200577538064270132008-02-13T12:29:00.001-06:002008-02-13T12:31:08.300-06:00

Latest music discovery. We're Late For Class.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-50486527460629611822008-02-12T16:59:00.000-06:002008-02-12T17:09:25.117-06:00

Soon only bankers will be able to change their sex. The rest of the USA can barely get medical insurance for routine problems, but bankers are rolling in coverage (NYT Dealbook):Goldman Sachs bankers and traders enjoy famously big bonuses and, this year, a little extra job security thanks to their firm’s ability to steer clear of the worst effects of the subprime mortgage debacle.Now, they can

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-76914292927615388192008-02-12T11:44:00.000-06:002008-02-12T11:57:32.523-06:00

Guilty displeasures. I admit it: one of my baddest habits is watching the Grammys. Like smokers outside an office building who won't make eye contact with you, Grammy watchers know they're only hurting themselves. Pop music celebrity is the dirty nicotine of entertainment, even without Britney. And this year was dirtier and stinkier than usual (I'm talking to you, Kanye), resulting in even

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-51650337932740359252008-02-10T18:33:00.000-06:002008-02-10T18:44:50.790-06:00

I hate Katie Couric. I'm watching her interview Hillary Clinton on 60 Minutes, and it is clear from the line of questioning that Katie Couric is not fit to be a stringer for a women's magazine at the grocery checkout, let alone the face of CBS News. She is a marshmallow-headed featherweight who does not even deserve to get Hillary's autograph, much less an interview. The Obama interview that

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-46207082162048496782008-02-09T12:08:00.000-06:002008-02-09T12:37:24.078-06:00

Because I care. The thousands of you Googlers who arrive here searching for "blow job classes illinois" are no doubt disappointed by my post referring to Martha Stewart's blow job — that is, the case made against Martha Stewart's stock trade being very reminiscent of the case made against another famous Democrat way back in 1998.So let's get right to the good stuff. What you came here for is blow

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-80481448881641166802008-02-06T16:03:00.000-06:002008-12-09T09:08:59.464-06:00

Go All-American! The US primary system is such antiquated, patchwork bullshit. And even 2/3 of the Wall Street Journal's readers agree:In addition to neutralizing the toxic effect of Iowa and New Hampshire, we should also go to a direct proportional vote in all 50 states.Someday ordinary American voters ought to celebrate the joy of democracy with a meaningful process, instead of just creating a

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-35509318489569289902008-02-01T15:51:00.000-06:002008-02-01T15:54:49.077-06:00

State of the Union in 18 seconds. More from Joe Seigenthaler. Explanation.

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-68964659912720242862008-01-31T09:04:00.000-06:002008-01-31T09:11:49.530-06:00

The bridge to common sense just fell down. Because American bankers are greedy twits who engineered the the subprime mortgage crisis (reminiscent of the bogus S&L crisis under daddy Bush), the US wants to borrow money from China to give me my tax "rebate." Meanwhile at least 17,000 bridges in the U.S. went more than two years between safety inspections, according to federal records analyzed by

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-2567443812757946862008-01-24T12:26:00.000-06:002008-12-09T09:08:59.786-06:00

Houston GOP raises $500,000 for pooping difficulties. As American troops remain trapped in an Iraqi quagmire of exclusively Republican design, the GOP glitterati of Houston amuse themselves by raising vast sums of money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, i.e., the foundation for people with pooping difficulties.Giuliani and RNC supporter Astrid and Gene Van Dyke, left,with Vanessa

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-13350908851194855612008-01-23T12:47:00.000-06:002008-01-23T12:55:40.367-06:00

Genius party at Davos. Here's what the world's economic Einsteins are saying to us mere mortals:"What we have now are the foreseeable consequences of bad economic management.''- Joseph Stiglitz, the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize winner for economics"In this case the U.S. is going to have a protracted case of pneumonia.''- Nouriel Roubini, chairman of New York-based Roubini Global Economics, citing

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-84499922508632415962008-01-22T15:11:00.001-06:002008-01-23T12:57:46.952-06:00

$5.16 trillion lost since New Year's Day. $1.27 trillion was lost only in the USA. That doesn't include the other $3.88 trillion lost by the other major exchanges &mdash for a total of $5.16 trillion lost in the last three weeks (WSJ Marketbeat blog).Market Cap Wipe-outSource: Birinyi AssociatesIndexCountryMarket Cap Lost (bil)% ChangeS&P 500USA$1,279.7-9.7%FTSE-100U.K.$484.5-15.6%CSI 300China

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-3612358923832609622008-01-21T12:16:00.000-06:002008-01-21T12:25:19.744-06:00

Burning down the house. If you're a Republican, and you can't make something work the way you want it to, just burn the fucking thing down:Embattled Texas Supreme Court Justice David Medina could still avoid prosecution despite being indicted with his wife yesterday on arson-related charges.Medina was indicted yesterday by a Harris County grand jury on charges of evidence tampering in a probe of

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-49164851212487875252008-01-21T10:20:00.000-06:002008-01-21T10:23:20.132-06:00

Bonuses for the people who brought you the subprime credit crisis. I wish I could get almost a quarter million dollars for failing this spectacularly: "According to an estimate from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, the average Wall Street bonus was $180,420 in 2007." (InvestmentNews)And: "Mr. DiNapoli’s office estimates that the bonus pool paid by the securities industry to its

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-38924275140758565282008-01-17T09:15:00.000-06:002008-01-18T12:56:38.567-06:00

The beancounter bubble. The ascendancy of the accounting and finance professions is at the root of American problems (WSJ):Comparing graduates with similar SAT scores, grade-point averages, gender, age, occupation and everything else they can measure, [Harvard economist Lawrence] Katz and [Claudia] Goldin find Harvard grads who work in finance earn 195% more than similar graduates in other

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-86044186859492092862008-01-10T17:29:00.000-06:002008-12-09T09:08:59.986-06:00

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-80246156939082539662008-01-09T14:12:00.000-06:002008-01-09T14:16:19.874-06:00

God is such a liar. Look how wrong God was in what he told a former Republican presidential candidate:Pat Robertson acknowledged Wednesday that his prophecy of a nuclear terror attack in 2007 failed to unfold.He also cited information from God when he predicted on a year go that major U.S. cities would be hit by "very serious terrorist attacks" causing "possibly millions" of deaths.No such

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-36025883955267715772008-01-09T08:58:00.000-06:002008-01-09T09:06:40.974-06:00

Fire the media. Think about how the media have covered two campaigns: Dennis Kucinich's versus Fred Thompson's. The disproportionate initial respect or at least eventual attention that was focused on Thompson, delivered in large daily amounts, resulted in these New Hampshire results:Fred Thompson: 2,849Dennis Kucinich: 3,866The universally reviled and mocked Dennis Kucinich received 35 percent

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-68299048737126291572007-12-19T15:14:00.000-06:002007-12-19T16:22:59.890-06:00

The Fourth Annual White House Christmas Special! 'Tis the season for treason, so let's get it started...Please feel free to sing along.Picture a beautiful winter landscape imaginatively recreated in a television studio — sparkling snowdrifts amid bare birch trees, tall silhouettes of distant firs and pines, a twilight blue sky, stars twinkling like diamonds...Monica Lewinsky, dressed in a nun's

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-27251522824964953742007-12-18T09:37:00.000-06:002007-12-18T09:52:21.891-06:00

CSI: Washington. Attention, forensic experts: The seemingly unstoppable bleeding is coming from the US Treasury (WSJ):WASHINGTON -- A panel of outside experts has told the Interior Department that the government may not be getting full value for the mineral rights it sells private industry, and that the federal royalty system needs to be revamped.In a 166-page report, scheduled to be released

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-55714427475887632562007-12-17T11:35:00.001-06:002008-12-09T09:09:00.174-06:00

Ignorant fat fucking pig. The next GOP First Son — David Huckabee?

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-55786279761571065822007-12-07T11:35:00.000-06:002007-12-07T11:52:37.413-06:00

Hillarycare is over a billion times better than this. The standard trope against Democratic healthcare policy proposals is "socialized medicine," which has nothing to do with the reality of socialism, and would be superior to a system that allows abusive bullshit like this (WSJ):William McGuire, the UnitedHealth CEO ousted last year in an options-backdating scandal, has cut a deal to settle civil

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-5479525869338473322007-12-06T14:33:00.000-06:002007-12-06T14:40:21.951-06:00

Freedom requires religion like a fish requires an angelic visitation.(Apologies to Gloria Steinem.)

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-6684131770918529102007-12-05T12:32:00.000-06:002007-12-05T12:45:28.741-06:00

Beauty is in the eye of the holder. Lauren A.E. Schuker reports for the Wall Street Journal from Art Basel, probably the world's greatest nexus of contemporary art dealers eager to meet hedge fund managers who are spending the fortunes they made off shorting subprime mortgage investments. But they're not alone — there are overpaid dermatologists too!At the Josée Bienvenu Gallery, a $20,000 Yuken

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-78093101622170256372007-12-04T10:26:00.000-06:002008-12-09T09:09:00.398-06:00

A purity ring for Larry Craig. Christians of the Republican orientation have been know to foist purity rings on their adolescent children as "gifts."Given that now at least eight men claim to have had sex with Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), perhaps it's fitting for him to try on his own purity ring to be used in airport men's rooms and during other occasions of sinful temptation.Four-pointed

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3597529.post-26291850979940742007-12-03T09:53:00.001-06:002007-12-03T10:02:46.613-06:00

Four major financial crises created by NBC correspondent Andrea Miller's husband. Not everyone loves Alan Greenspan:Alan Greenspan, who led the U.S. Federal Reserve for 18 years and was revered in the financial markets, was a "very bad'' Fed chairman.That's the blunt verdict of Patrick Artus, chief economist of Natixis SA and one of France's most listened-to pundits: He is an economic adviser to

skimblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06744379010277000363noreply@blogger.com