September 30, 2008
What an answer!?!?
COURIC: Why isn't it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?
PALIN: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the—it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.
This is nonsense—a vapid emptying out of every catchphrase about economics that came into her head.
PALIN: That's why I say I, like every American I'm speaking with, were ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health-care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the—it's got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health-care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we've got to see trade as opportunity, not as a competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we've got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. This bailout is a part of that.
This is nonsense—a vapid emptying out of every catchphrase about economics that came into her head.
September 29, 2008
September 27, 2008
September 26, 2008
California Home Prices Drop Record 41% Amid Defaults
California home prices tumbled a record 41 percent in August from a year earlier as foreclosure sales pushed down values.
The median price of an existing, single-family detached home fell to $350,140, the lowest since March 2003, and will likely fall further.
More than 101,000 California households received a default notice, were warned of a pending auction or foreclosed on last month. That was a third of the nation's total and represented one in 130 homes in the state. Prices fell in all 20 of the state's regions.
Eight of the 10 metropolitan areas with the highest foreclosure rates are in California, led by Stockton in first place. Merced, Modesto, Vallejo-Fairfield and Riverside-San Bernardino ranked second through fifth. Bakersfield, Salinas-Monterey and Sacramento ranked eighth through tenth.
California prices have declined for 11 straight months beginning in October 2007. The median house price peaked at $595,000 in May 2007.
The median price of an existing, single-family detached home fell to $350,140, the lowest since March 2003, and will likely fall further.
More than 101,000 California households received a default notice, were warned of a pending auction or foreclosed on last month. That was a third of the nation's total and represented one in 130 homes in the state. Prices fell in all 20 of the state's regions.
Eight of the 10 metropolitan areas with the highest foreclosure rates are in California, led by Stockton in first place. Merced, Modesto, Vallejo-Fairfield and Riverside-San Bernardino ranked second through fifth. Bakersfield, Salinas-Monterey and Sacramento ranked eighth through tenth.
California prices have declined for 11 straight months beginning in October 2007. The median house price peaked at $595,000 in May 2007.
September 25, 2008
September 22, 2008
September 21, 2008
The committee of three
"The response to the gravest financial crisis in generations has been engineered to a remarkable degree by a committee of three [Bernanke, Paulson and Geithner]." --Washington Post
Lawmakers shut out of the decision-making process express concerns about the unaccountable power of 'the $800 billion man [Bernanke].
“He can make any loan he wants under any terms to any entity or individual in America that he thinks is economically justified,” said Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
“I asked the chairman if he had $85 billion to bestow in this way. He said ‘I have $800 billion.’ ”
“No one in a democracy unelected should have $800 billion to dispense as he sees fit,” Mr. Frank said.
September 18, 2008
Thomas Jefferson said...
"I sincerely believe ... that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale." -- Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1816.
September 15, 2008
September 13, 2008
Sarah Palin ABC Interview With Charlie Gibson
This is the part of the interview they did not show you on 20/20 last night. Wonder why.
September 12, 2008
At the park
I put Ledge in the swing at the park and Violet was playing the sand about 15 feet away. A little boy came over to Violet and began playing with her sand toys right next to her. This happens a lot and Violet always shares her toys. 
I was talking to Ledge as he was swinging (he loved it) and I turned around to look at Violet just in time to see sand flying. The kid had thrown a shovelful of sand right at Violet. I ran over there and shouted at him, "Did you do that on purpose?" I knew he had done it on purpose when he starting scooping up more to throw. She had sand in hair, her face was dusty, sand on her shoulders, sand on her skirt. I told him he was not a nice boy and grabbed Violet's shovel and sand pail from him and told him he could not play with Violet and he could not play with Violet's toys. Then, I checked his face to see if I had hurt his feelings, but that was negative. Just then, his mom appears from somewhere and asks what happened. I think she already knew because I was trying to get the sand out of Violet's hair and clothes. I told her that he had just thrown a shovelful of sand at Violet. She told him to say he was sorry. He did. Then she apologized, too, and took him away while talking to him in a sweet voice saying, "We don't behave like that." Violet's feelings were hurt. She just sat there stunned, not saying a word. I went to work making her feel better. Hugging her, explaining about some children, and then trying to be funny about it. She laughed at my jokes (she always does, even if it's just to make me feel good sometimes).
Shortly after that incident, a little girl and her brothers came over to play with Violet's sand toys. The girl asked if she could play with Violet's shovel. I told her to ask Violet. Violet didn't answer. I'm not sure if she was feeling shy or really didn't want to share at that moment. But, the little girl (about 5 or 6) said to me in a haughty tone, "What? Do I have to beg her?" I'm thinking What A Brat! I answered her by saying, "Maybe!" Then the little girl asked again and got the same response from Violet, then told on Violet by telling me, "She's not sharing." I said, "Well, they are Violet's toys and she doesn't have to share if she doesn't want to." I certainly wasn't going to make her share when the sharing experience had just gone wrong a few minutes before.
Soon Ledge fell asleep in the stroller and Violet and I played and played and played. Everything was back to normal.
I was talking to Ledge as he was swinging (he loved it) and I turned around to look at Violet just in time to see sand flying. The kid had thrown a shovelful of sand right at Violet. I ran over there and shouted at him, "Did you do that on purpose?" I knew he had done it on purpose when he starting scooping up more to throw. She had sand in hair, her face was dusty, sand on her shoulders, sand on her skirt. I told him he was not a nice boy and grabbed Violet's shovel and sand pail from him and told him he could not play with Violet and he could not play with Violet's toys. Then, I checked his face to see if I had hurt his feelings, but that was negative. Just then, his mom appears from somewhere and asks what happened. I think she already knew because I was trying to get the sand out of Violet's hair and clothes. I told her that he had just thrown a shovelful of sand at Violet. She told him to say he was sorry. He did. Then she apologized, too, and took him away while talking to him in a sweet voice saying, "We don't behave like that." Violet's feelings were hurt. She just sat there stunned, not saying a word. I went to work making her feel better. Hugging her, explaining about some children, and then trying to be funny about it. She laughed at my jokes (she always does, even if it's just to make me feel good sometimes). Shortly after that incident, a little girl and her brothers came over to play with Violet's sand toys. The girl asked if she could play with Violet's shovel. I told her to ask Violet. Violet didn't answer. I'm not sure if she was feeling shy or really didn't want to share at that moment. But, the little girl (about 5 or 6) said to me in a haughty tone, "What? Do I have to beg her?" I'm thinking What A Brat! I answered her by saying, "Maybe!" Then the little girl asked again and got the same response from Violet, then told on Violet by telling me, "She's not sharing." I said, "Well, they are Violet's toys and she doesn't have to share if she doesn't want to." I certainly wasn't going to make her share when the sharing experience had just gone wrong a few minutes before.
Soon Ledge fell asleep in the stroller and Violet and I played and played and played. Everything was back to normal.
September 9, 2008
Palin: My Constituents Better 'Be Right With God'
This is scary. She says she can do her job in Alaska by getting the schools funded, developing natural resources, making sure cops get their guns and uniforms, BUT...that won't do any good UNLESS the people's hearts are right with God.
I ask: Why won't it do any good unless the people's hearts are right with God? If there are atheists in Alaska, then none of what she is trying to do will work? Do you realize how crazy this kind of talk is? It is like when Bush said that God told him to go into Iraq.
September 8, 2008
Please let me know what you think of my new site
Instead of having a blog with just Violet-and-Ledge pictures, I decided to create another site just for my anti-war comments and move them all over there. It is up and running now. Let me know what you think of it: http://www.antiwar.com/
September 5, 2008
Sarah Palin
Some people I've talked to, liked Sarah Palin's speech. When I said that I didn't, they asked me what it was I didn't like about it. What I heard was an agenda. One that is right in line with John McCain's aggressive, imperialistic, pro-war stance.
Examples:
"...dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart...." [And, SHOULD they have America's interests at heart? Do we have THEIR interests at heart?]
"With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies...."
"To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies ... or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia ... or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries ...."
[Obama would] reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit. [McCain said we could stay in Iraq for 100 years.]
Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.
"Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... [Obama's] worried that someone won't read them their rights?" [So, lock them up forever in Guantanamo Bay? If they don't have due process, how can it ever be proved that they were really 'terrorists'? Many of the prisoners at Gitmo have been released. So, apparently they weren't terrorists after all. No wonder they hate us.]
"Our nominee [McCain] doesn't run with the Washington herd." [Since when?]
"...listening to [Obama] speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform...." [He has authored not a single law? Don't we have enough already?] And, then she says, "He will make Government bigger."
She also said in the past regarding the Iraq war: "Our national leaders are sending [our troops] out on a task that is from God."
So, that's why I said that I didn't like some of the things she said in her speech.
But, if you think Bush and Cheney have done a good job, then you will like McCain and Palin.
Examples:
"...dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart...." [And, SHOULD they have America's interests at heart? Do we have THEIR interests at heart?]
"With Russia wanting to control a vital pipeline in the Caucasus, and to divide and intimidate our European allies...."
"To confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy supplies ... or that terrorists might strike again at the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia ... or that Venezuela might shut off its oil deliveries ...."
[Obama would] reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit. [McCain said we could stay in Iraq for 100 years.]
Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.
"Al-Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... [Obama's] worried that someone won't read them their rights?" [So, lock them up forever in Guantanamo Bay? If they don't have due process, how can it ever be proved that they were really 'terrorists'? Many of the prisoners at Gitmo have been released. So, apparently they weren't terrorists after all. No wonder they hate us.]
"Our nominee [McCain] doesn't run with the Washington herd." [Since when?]
"...listening to [Obama] speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform...." [He has authored not a single law? Don't we have enough already?] And, then she says, "He will make Government bigger."
She also said in the past regarding the Iraq war: "Our national leaders are sending [our troops] out on a task that is from God."
So, that's why I said that I didn't like some of the things she said in her speech.
But, if you think Bush and Cheney have done a good job, then you will like McCain and Palin.
