Pied Type
Economy
Hey, GM, no bonuses until the bailout is repaid
General Motors is reporting record profits for 2011 and has announced it will reward employees with $7,000 bonuses. ‘Scuse me? Bad enough the execs got huge bonuses for doing nothing more than accept a massive taxpayer-funded bailout. Now they’re giving bonuses to all the employees? Hey, pay back the damn taxpayers first! The employees should … Continue reading
Are you listening, Washington?
I rarely listen to music. Too many memories and associations. Too much of it makes me cry. I listen to country music even less. It just isn’t “my genre.” Or at least that’s what I’ve always said. And yet there are country artists (eg, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers) I’ve been very fond of, … Continue reading
My advice to Americans regarding Congress
To make sure Congress hears you, write them (Congress.org). And remember your outrage when you go to the polls next November. These irresponsible elected “representatives” have put party before country and before you. They have refused to do the job they were elected to do. Fire them.
Super committee, super failure
The Joint Select Committee on Debt Reduction, aka the super committee, apparently has failed to reach an agreement on how to reduce the nation’s debt. No surprise, really. Did anyone seriously think a mini-Congress would do any better than the entire Congress? I’m bouncing-off-the-walls furious. I’m disgusted and fed up. I’d vote them all out … Continue reading
OWS: Focus or fail
Yesterday was declared “Bank Transfer Day” by the Occupy Wall Street folks. Everyone was supposed to move their money from the giant, greedy national banks to small, local banks and credit unions. Great idea, but not particularly original. Arianna Huffington, back in 2009, helped launch the Move Your Money campaign, and I wrote about it … Continue reading
Surprise! 9-9-9 not so simple after all
GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan has been taking a lot of heat lately. Justifiably so. Obviously a flat 9% tax across the board means higher taxes for those currently paying less than 9%, and less tax for those currently paying more. And according to the Washington Post, 4 of 5 Americans would … Continue reading
You can petition against that BofA debit card fee
Interested in telling Bank of America what they can do with their $5 debit card charge? One woman, 22-year-old Molly Katchpole, has started a petition that you can sign here. She has gathered more than 220,000 signatures and a phone call from Andrew Plepler, Bank of America’s social responsibility and consumer policy executive (don’t you … Continue reading
The enigma of Occupy Wall Street
The Occupiers are those people clustered in the streets of New York and elsewhere claiming to represent the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. And although they’ve been there for a number of weeks, I’m still not sure what they want or how they expect to get it. When I said as much over on the Huffington … Continue reading
Friedman spreads gloom
Today on CNN, Thomas Friedman said of the economy: “We’re either going to have a hard decade or a bad century.” Do I have to choose?
Corporations aren’t ‘obligated’ to build in US
My background noise this morning was Candy Crowley’s State of the Union. Her guest was James P. Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union. I wasn’t paying much attention until I heard Hoffa say: “Look at Honda. They’re building a new plant in Mexico. Don’t they have an obligation to build here?… “… Apple. Don’t they … Continue reading
Gold: Not as common as you might have thought
About now I’m wishing I used a theme that supported Asides, because I just heard a fascinating bit of trivia for the first time. As far as I can recall, anyway. I’m using that qualifier more and more as I realize that at my age, there’s a good chance I have heard such-and-such before — … Continue reading
Ouch!
I should turn off the TV, which I usually have on all day as background noise. Bad habit. I just looked up and saw the DOW hit -600 on the day. Eek! And now, not ten minutes later, it’s -463. ‘Scuse me while I go find the Dramamine …
About that S&P downgrade
Standard & Poor’s did it Friday. The U.S.-based financial services agency downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+. For the first time in history. And surprise, surprise — the Democrats are blaming the Republicans for causing it and the Republicans are blaming the Democrats. In the headlines. In the news. In the interviews. … Continue reading
I’ve never been good with economics
I’ve never particularly cared for numbers and economics, certainly not when they rise to national or international levels. It’s enough for me to know that “things” in general look good, bad, awful, etc. If I can pay my bills and have a general idea of where my checks are coming from, that’s enough for me. … Continue reading
Zakaria is right about the debt ceiling
This morning on his “Global Public Square” program, Fareed Zakaria zeroed in on the debt ceiling debate. And he nailed it. If only Washington would listen to him! You can read his entire commentary, “The damage is already done,” or watch the full video, or both, on the CNN website. The following is just a … Continue reading
Grow up, Washington
President Obama addressed the nation this evening. I didn’t watch. Speaker John Boehner addressed the nation with a response to the president. I didn’t watch. Instead of watching the umpteenth rendition of “I’m Okay; You’re Ridiculous,” I went to Congress.org and fired off yet another letter to the president, my senators, and my congressman. (That’s … Continue reading
A simplistic take on the nation’s budget crisis
Washington is really trying my patience, playing political chicken with our budget and debt ceiling. It’s obvious to me that when you find yourself in financial trouble you cut spending (the GOP approach) and look for ways to increase income/revenue (the Dems’ approach). It’s not an either/or situation. Anyone who’s ever managed a household budget … Continue reading
Budget bill includes delisting of gray wolves
(This is a revision/update of yesterday’s post.) While Congress fought itself to a draw on the budget this week, with both sides claiming victory, few noticed the action of a certain federal judge in Missoula, Mont. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy rejected a plan negotiated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 10 of … Continue reading
US debt clock tells all
Just so you know what all the fuss in Washington is about, check out the US National Debt Clock. This is a screen shot from about 20 minutes ago, so you won’t go cross-eyed from all the spinning numbers. The live clock is much more “fun.” Notice in the upper left corner you can also … Continue reading
Is this any way to run a country?
We’re being told now that it is unlikely Congress will reach agreement on a budget and we’re facing a government shutdown on Friday. Seriously? We elected these people to conduct the country’s business and instead of doing it, they sit there arguing like children playing “gotcha last,” trying to shoot down each other’s favorite programs, … Continue reading
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