IF IT'S TOO BIG TO FAIL, IT'S TOO BIG!

If AIG is too big to fail and the burden to bail them out falls on the taxpayers, then it is just too big to exist.  Free enterprise should be just that, free from government interference and free from government welfare.

It is, in my humble opinion, time to take over AIG, fire the beasts giving out bonuses. break it up and sell it off.  We already own 80%, why not just take it all?

We need to make sure no corporation affecting our economy ever grows too big to fail.

Bigger is not better, it is just bigger.

Call AIG and let them know how you feel.  1-877-638-4244  or contact them by e-form https://securecontent.aig.com/contact-aig_20_19050.html
I double dog ya!
So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

"turn the raw peanuts on the floor into money."

Stewart Parnell, owner of Peanut Corp. of America ought to be horse whipped for urging his workers to ship bacteria-tainted products.  The outbreak has sickened some 600 people, may be linked to nine deaths, the latest reported in Ohio on Wednesday.

Just my opinion, take it or leave it.



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Obama Speaketh With Forked Tongue

President Obama came out and blasted the big wigs on Wall Street for having the audacity to pay themselves big overdone bonuses.

"The American people understand we've got a big hole that we've got to dig ourselves out of, but they don't like the idea that people are digging a bigger hole even as they're being asked to fill it up," he said.
"There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses. Now is not that time," Obama added.

Then he winked and nodded.  (He smiled, friends, I'm just talking out my ass, business as usual, boys!)

The limits would not apply retroactively to any bank that received money from the first half of the $700 bailout allocated by Congress. For example, the restriction would not apply to such firms as American International Group Inc., Bank of America Corp., and Citigroup Inc., that already have received such help.

If the Wall Street boys don't do as the President sugested, there are no consequences, no penalties, they can come back and get billions more without having to worry.  But what about my neighbor who lost her job?

Move along folks. 
Nothing to see here.
It's another "dog and pony show".
Once again, we are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
DDSOS


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

I AT THE END OF MY GRIEVING

It's been tough, the grieving, but I have come to the end of the process with the conclusion that "it will not happen in my lifetime".

First there was denial, it just is not happening.  I was young, real young.

Next came anger, it's not fair, it is just not fair, stop, stop, stop.

Along came bargaining, I will support your cause, please support mine.

Depression hit in a wave, down, down, down. CRASH! BOTTOM!

And now, acceptance.

When Don Imus was castrated for referring to girls on a college basketball team as "nappy headed hoes", I was encouraged.  People came out and insisted he be fired.  Respect was demanded from him.
Now I realize that they were not upset about the "whores" comment, it was the "nappy headed" comment.

If Alex Castellano, of CNN, had called Barack Obama a nigger, the streets would have filled with protesters and Mr Castellano would have been fired.  When Castellano called Hillary Clinton a "bitch"on cable network, CNN,, he was not fired, he did not have to apologize, he is still on CNN. 

When Cafferty, again of CNN, read the most vile emails regarding Hillary Clinton, he just laughed and Blitzer just laughed.  They would not read ANYTHING BAD about Obama.

If Randy Roads (not correct spelling I know) called Michelle Obama a whore, we all would laugh.  Just don't call her "nappy headed". 

Double standard? You bet your sweet ass there is.



Yes, we have made great strides.

In 1964 my sister separated from her abusive husband.  He was not happy.  He broke into our home when he knew all were gone except my sister.  He held a 22 rifle to their baby's head and raped my sister.  After he left my sister called the police.  He was not arrested, in those days husbands could not be prosecuted for rape, after all, it was a wifely duty.  Today, he would be arrested, so progress? yes.  Enough? Hell fire NO!

But I have come, kicking and screaming, crying and fighting to the conclustion, women will NEVER get the respect they so rightfully deserve in my lifetime.

Women have no one to blame but themselves.  They have not only allowed the abuse to continue, but they have been the abusers as well.  The National Organization of Women is not fighting for the rights of women, they only fight for abortion, not choice.  They have become a wing of the Democratic Party.  Where have all the feminists gone?

Yes, the Lilly Ledbetter bill was passed and signed by President Obama, but did women protest the company that jipped Lilly out of her equal pay?  Did women boycott Firestone to teach them a lesson?  Where was NOW? Where have all the feminists gone?



But will women get respect or equal pay?


Not in my lifetime.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Buy Me a Senate Seat, Uncle Teddy

So Caroline Kennedy wants to be the Senator for New York.  Uncle Teddy will buy it for her I am quite sure and democracy lives on.

Ms Kennedy wants to be appointed to office, she has stated that she would not run for office like ordinary people, let's face it, she is "royalty", right?  She has a birth right to be appointed, right?  We appoint leaders,right?  Does that really sound like a democracy?

If you think selling a senate seat only happens in Chicago, think again.  Call Governor Patterson and ask what he is getting in return for anointing Ms Kennedy to that seat.  Or wait until he runs for office and check out who gives him money for his campaign.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Politics and Religion

Some people who worked to get Barack Obama elected are now upset with him about Rick Warren.  Why?  Apparently Mr. Warren equates gays marrying with pedophilia or animal marriage.

Mr. Obama wants Mr. Warren to give the the opening prayer at his swearing in ceremony.  Mr. Obama's answer to the objections are that we can disagree but not be disagreeable. 

Would Mr. Obama and his ardent supporters still the same if Mr. Warren spoke out against inter-racial marriage?

Would it surprise some of you to know that a short time ago, inter-racial marriage was illegal? Some thought that inter-racial marriage would equate to animal marrying.



I have no objection to inter-racial or gay marriage.


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Open Letter

Open letter to the elite bastards and bitches in  politics and the news media who proselytize the virtues of bailing out Wall Street big money but demonize a living wage earned by the American auto workers.

They, the elite, believe that these hard working Americans make too much money, yet they see nothing wrong the million dollar salaries (per month) Wall Street is raking in.

"They" say, let them file bankruptcy, no one will get hurt.  No one except the workers of course.  Has anyone ever worked for a company that filed bankruptcy?  The workers cannot cash their paychecks, they bounce like a superball.  People at the bottom, those who live one paycheck away from homelessness, will lose, lose big time.  The big guys who have been getting a million a month, one little paycheck won't hurt them, hell, they probably got a couple of million in the bank.
Meanwhile, AIG executives go on million dollar junkets on my tax dollar.

I'm sick of them also yakking about help "Main Street", hell, I don't live on Main and my friends don't either.  How about Oak St, Westmoreland Blvd, Burlington St, Delaney?



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

That's Change For Sure

If you thought there would be "real change" in D.C., boy were you sure fooled.

No lobbyist in the obama administration, yeah, heard that one before.

The change is this:  The Republican lobbyist are out and the Democratic lobbyist on in.  Two sides of the same rotten apple.

If you hand some one a dollar bill and ask for change, you usually will get a dollar but in different shapes.

Take Tom Daschle and wife Linda for instance.  Linda Hall Daschle has been a lobbyist for many years for some of the biggest special interest groups.  Since Tom was defeated in 2004 he has tried his hand at lobbying.

Change in D.C. is musical chairs on the Titanic.

Bring in an outsider to D.C. and what do you get?  DD SOS (different day, same old shit).

Do you think that the Founding Fathers meant big special rich interest groups to lobby the government?  I don't.  They were thinking citizens, common folk.

Has the experiment failed or just taken a wrong turn?  What will it take to change it back?  Involvement of the people?  Yeah, dream on.

Most of the time, I feel that no one cares and no one is paying attention.  Go out and ask the first person you see what they think about the Wall Street bailout and see how they react.  Most will look at you like you are nuts,  some might say "what?".  99.9 per cent have no clue.  Although they can tell you who the Three Stooges are.

Besides me, no one cares.  But when it comes time to raise taxes, they will yell. , bloody fucking murder.

I should just shut up, keep my mouth shut.

But not today.
So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Hillary Won

It has been said that behind every successful man is a woman and obama is not exception.  No not Michelle, Hillary Clinton is the woman behind his success.  Without the lenghty primary race for the Democratic naminee, he would not have been as polished and confident as he is. 

She was not the only person who made this possible, but she is the focus of this post.

In 1965, Rodham enrolled at Wellesley College, where she majored in political science. During her freshman year, she served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans; with this Rockefeller Republican-oriented group, she supported the elections of John Lindsay and Edward Brooke. She later stepped down from this position, as her views changed regarding the American Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. In a letter to her youth minister at this time, she described herself as "a mind conservative and a heart liberal." In contrast to the 1960s current that believed in radical actions against the political system, she sought to work for change within it. In her junior year, Rodham became a supporter of the anti-war presidential nomination campaign of Democrat Eugene McCarthy. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rodham organized a two-day student strike and worked with Wellesley's black students to recruit more black students and faculty. In early 1968, she was elected president of the Wellesley College Government Association and served through early 1969; she was instrumental in keeping Wellesley from being embroiled in the student disruptions common to other colleges.

So she could better understand her changing political views, Professor Alan Schechter assigned Rodham to intern at the House Republican Conference, and she attended the "Wellesley in Washington" summer program. Rodham was invited by moderate New York Republican Representative Charles Goodell to help Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s late-entry campaign for the Republican nomination. Rodham attended the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami. However, she was upset by how Richard Nixon's campaign portrayed Rockefeller and by what she perceived as the convention's "veiled" racist messages, and left the Republican Party for good.

Rodham then entered Yale Law School, where she served on the editorial board of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action.  In the summer of 1971 she interned at the Oakland, California, law firm of Treuhaft, Walker and Burnstein. The firm was well-known for its support of constitutional rights, civil liberties, and radical causes.

Hillary has continued to fight for human rights.


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

In Our Best Interest

Whether you voted for him or not, we have a new President Elect, Barack Obama.

Whether you are a Democrat , Republican or Independent, let us all hope and work for a successful Presidency.  It is in the best interest of all Americans for him to succeed.

Let us all hope that the war on the middle class will soon come to a halt.

Let us all hope that this man, Barack Obama understands, that without a strong middle class, democracy can not stand.

Let us all hope that the old economics, the trickle down theory, disappears from our mist.

True economic growth begins from the bottom up, not the other way around. 

Our Founding Fathers and Mothers were the middle class of their time and they understood the value of hard working individuals. 

The 2008 election is over, but there is much to be done.  We have moved forward in our ability to look past race to elect Barack Obama, but we have not yet accomplished the task of equality for women.

Now is the time for us all to pitch in, work together for the benefit of us all.


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Add Up The Votes Day

Many states had early voting and Florida was no exception. 

I wanted to vote early, but the polling place didn't open until 10 AM, long after I was at work and they closed at 6PM, too early for me to get back to my side of town to cast an early ballot.  Then our good Gov. Crist ordered them to stay open longer and that was good, except, those darn amendments on the ballot.

I don't know about you but I just don't understand "lawyerese", that is the language that all amendments are written in, not plain old English.

I will be casting my vote early this morning.

If you have not voted..do it today.

As a citizen, the most important right to me is my vote.  But it is also an duty to vote.  It is my vote and yours that chooses the President, Senators and Representatives in the Federal government.  But beyond that, local elections are sometimes even more important.  Amendments to our state constitution are important items on the ballot.



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Bonus of $625,000, Not Enough

The average managing director at an investment bank, a title typically earned after eight years on the job, will receive a bonus of $625,000. That's down from nearly $1.1 million last year.

Even a bond trader just out of business school could see his or her bank account enriched by as much as $170,000 this Christmas. "The firms have had an extremely difficult year," says Joan Zimmerman, a Wall Street career coach. "But they can't afford to lose talent either."


Yeah, the 700 billion dollar bailout just wasn't enough, these poor guys and gals will suffer if we don't do something.  Maybe we can skip lunches and send them more.  Come on $625,000 for a bonus, just too painfully low, they may have to give something up like maybe a golden faucet or a European trip.

Let's all get together and try to send them more, we can do without lunches for a while and we can give up on buying a winter coat this year.  We could forgo doing Christmas this year and tell the kiddies that Santa had to make the bonuses bigger for the poor, poor Wall Street people.

Oh, I almost forgot, many of us are already doing that.  Many are "robbing peter to pay Paul".  We are counting pennies not THOUSAND dollar bills.

This is Robin Hood in reverse, rob from the poor and middle class and give to the fat cats.
But you don't care, Right?


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Made in America

When was the time you bought an item that was "made in America"?  Yesterday? Last week?  A month ago? A year?  More?

I remember almost everything I purchased was "made in America", good quality, reasonably priced goods from textiles to tools.  Jeans "made in America" were a prize for the European crowds.

If you want to know why we are in the financial crisis we are in, do not be short sighted and look only into the near past but take it back to when the textile industry moved offshore so you could purchase cheaper shirts, ties, skirts, blouses, dresses, pants,etc.  Levi Jeans were the last to leave the USA as  a manufacturing home.  Then the small appliances were taken out, you know, irons toasters, waffle iron, microwaves, coffee makers and such.  Next the larger appliances, TVs, radios, refrigerators, stoves, etc.  Now the automobiles and trucks. 

Our trade deficit is creeping higher and higher each day, as we have no goods to sell outside our borders and we are importing almost everything we use, including defense. 

"Thousands of U.S. layoffs occur every week. You only have to look at AmericanEconomicAlert.org's news section to see the number of US jobs that are being cut across a wide range of industries. A high percentage of these layoffs are as a direct result of competition from foreign companies. Eventually, as more and more money leaves the U.S., our businesses will be powerless to prevent further such activity."     http://www.americaneconomicalert.org/ticker_home.asp

We, the citizens of the United States cannot continue to maintain a Representative Republic if we no longer have a manufacturing base.  We cannot maintain a Representative Republic without a  middle class.  We are not nor have ever been a democracy.  Republic is what we are and will remain so, I hope. 




So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Dumb Struck

Since the proposal of the "Wall Street Bailout", I have been absolutely dumb struck.  I have been unable to to put a sentence together which did not contain multiple four letter words.

When this "idea" was first proposed I spent my "free time" calling the House and Senate, writing emails, screaming at the TV, shooting rubber bands at the TV and crying myself to sleep.  Just to wake up the next morning to do the same thing.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, once again we, the taxpayers, get the shaft and no f'ing kiss.

The big kahunas from Wall Street get to walk away with billions of dollars in bonuses, while the little guy pays the bill.

I keep hearing that General Motors is having financial problems.  The hard working people in the manufacturing plants are asking too much compensation and health care costs are too high, but the CEO, G R Wagoner's monthly salary was $183,333.32 per month in 2003, according to the  http://www.secinfo.com/dsvR3.v1fh.a.htm website.  The average hourly wage for the guys and gals on the line is $28 per hour (according to Dean Baker is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, DC, multiply that by forty hours, multiply that by 52 weeks in a year, divide by 12 months and you get $4,853.33 per month.  Now I'm not a math whiz, but Wagoner is making 97% more per month than the factory worker.  If he cuts his salary, GM may not have to shut down.

Similar story of United Air Lines, they negotiated with the pilot's union, the baggage handler's union and the attendant's union to cut their wages.  When the unions agreed to a pay cut, the top executives received an increase in their salaries.  Only the people at the bottom have to cut, while those at the top get more.

Money is not the route to all evil, greed is.  When greed takes control, fairness and equality are thrown out the window.


So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

It It's Free, Why Do Taxpayers Have to Foot the Bill?

Free enterprise, free market is defined as : 
Business governed by the laws of supply and demand, not restrained by government interference, regulation or subsidy.
http://www.investorwords.com/2085/free_enterprise.html

Free market economics is closely associated with laissez-faire economic philosophy, which advocates approximating this condition in the real world by mostly confining government intervention in economic matters to regulating against force and fraud among market participants. Hence, with government force limited to a defensive role, government itself does not initiate force in the marketplace beyond levying taxes in order to fund the maintenance of the free marketplace. Some free market advocates oppose taxation as well, claiming that the market is better at providing all valuable services of which defense and law are no exception, and that such services can be provided without direct taxation. Anarcho-capitalists, for example, would substitute arbitration agencies and private defense agencies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_market



NPR had this headline on All Things Considered, March 25, 2008
Does Bear Stearns Bailout Set a Bad Precedent?
by Russell Roberts
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89064840

Then the Federal Reserve bails out Freddie and Fannie.  Now AIG.  What next?

If the definition of the free market includes "without the regulation of government", the why do they need government to bail them out?  Remember, government has no money except what we pay in taxes.

The CEOs and top management have been raking dough into their pockets faster than rabbits reproduce.  They have received millions of dollars in the form of salaries and bonuses for "doing a good job".  And the "golden parachute packages" they have contracts for, some of which are for millions more dollars per year, are totally stupid for us the taxpayers to pay.  If you do such a lousy job, we have to bail you out, then no compensation should be paid and you should be forced to return some of the money back.  If I do a lousy job and really mess things up, I will be fired and no "golden parachute" for me, like most workers. 
The CEOs and top management rake in the dough while you and I pay for it.

We need to change the definition of "free market" to be without government bail out.  If they fail, they fail.  Just like me.



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

Your Politicians Hard at Work

PROGRAM FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK


WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2008









--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Monday - SEPTEMBER 8, 2008



The House meets at 2:00 p.m.




So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

When Does Life Begin?

Should this be a political issue or a personal issue?

John McCain and Barrack Obama were asked this question, and had different answers, or at least John McCain had an answer. From what I know of these two men, neither has a science degree.

No one yet has scientific proof of when life begins, so all is left to theory. The Bible to refers to blood, which is approximately forty days after the sperm has infiltrated the egg. It also refers to breath of life, which would be birth.

If life begins when the sperm infiltrates the egg, is taking hormonal birth control abortion since it prevents implantation of the fertilized egg.

Does life begin when the sperm fertilizes the egg, at implantation of the fertilized egg or birth, when breathing occurs, as we know it?

Seems every one has an opinion but no one has a real answer.



So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

OFF LIMITS: Bristol Palin

Bristol Palin is the daughter of Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Todd. The VP nominee has issued a statement regarding her daughter's pregnancy.

Sarah has stated that this is a private matter.

Please respect her wishes.

The children of candidates should always remain OFF LIMITS.


I am not  "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU" on this issue.  I state it explicitly.

Labor Day

On September 5, 1882, some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City to participate in America's first Labor Day parade. After marching from City Hall to Union Square, the workers and their families gathered in Reservoir Park for a picnic, concert, and speeches. This first Labor Day celebration was initiated by Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and labor union leader who a year earlier cofounded the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, a precursor of the American Federation of Labor.
McGuire had proposed his idea for a holiday honoring American workers at a labor meeting in early 1882. New York's Central Labor Union quickly approved his proposal and began planning events for the second Tuesday in September. McGuire had suggested a September date in order to provide a break during the long stretch between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. While the first Labor Day was held on a Tuesday, the holiday was soon moved to the first Monday in September, the date we continue to honor.

New York's Labor Day celebrations inspired similar events across the country. Oregon became the first state to grant legal status to the holiday in 1887; other states soon followed. In 1894, Congress passed legislation making Labor Day a national holiday.
For many decades, Labor Day was used by workers not only to celebrate their accomplishments, but also to air their grievances and discuss strategies for securing better working conditions and salaries. Nowadays, Labor Day is associated less with union activities and protest marches and more with leisure. For many, the holiday is a time for family picnics, sporting events, and summer's last hurrah.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".

A Woman on the Ticket

It has been 24 years since a woman has been nominated by a major political party for the VP slot. Geraldine Ferraro was taped as Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984.

On the anniversary week of Women's Right to Vote,the Republican candidate for President, John McCain, has taken a bold step to choose Sarah Palin for his Vice Presidential nominee.

So here I am "STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU".