Reading Room

Hillary is looking more and more like the Secretary of State. They don’t seem to want to say anything until after thanksgiving though. I guess they don’t want us thinking anything about turkeys except as tasty sandwiches. Meanwhile it appears Sarah Palin wanted you to think about turkeys. This shot was set so perfectly it couldn’t have been a mistake. The guy working kept looking around like, “Would you guys hurry up, I have work to do!“ It did it’s job of keeping her in the news anyway. On a mildly similar note, semantics apparently went right over his head. This guy took gettin' it on with a hot chick to the extreme.

More death in front of cameras. This guy killed himself on a webcam at a body building web site. Not the best way to build muscle if you ask me.

Jim Jones for national security chief ? Just keep him away from my kool aid.

Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary? Why? Look Richardson is highly qualified for a lot of posts but this doesn't seem logical to me. Looks like he will get something though. Warming up in the bullpen, Gov. Denish!

The new setting a date for withdrawal in Iraq agreement says some of the piggish contractors got thrown under the bus. They might be prosecuted under Iraqi law. Sad that other countries need to provide accountability for our countries actions. What happened to that vaulted personal responsibility? Just a talking point for the right. In the meantime Iraqis are burning Bush in effigy on the same pedestal that use to hold the Saddam statue.

Obama is asking vetees about their gun habits with this question: Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.” This has the gun buddies confirming their fears. It's good they didn't ask Dick Cheney.

Speaking of guns, radical islamists say they will fight the Somali pirates. Guess they may be good for something afterall.

We want our money back!
The United States has asked four oil-rich Gulf states for close to 300 billion dollars to help it curb the global financial meltdown, Kuwait's daily Al-Seyassah reported Thursday.
Quoting "highly informed" sources, the daily said Washington has asked Saudi Arabia for 120 billion dollars, the United Arab Emirates for 70 billion dollars, Qatar for 60 billion dollars and was seeking 40 billion dollars from Kuwait.

Looks like another "too big to fail" Citibank will get some government money. The biggest investors in the company is our oil money. Wouldn't want the mid east oil titans to lose their money now would we?

They've served their purpose and now you should forget about the whole Osama Bin Laden scam. Al queda in decline.

Here's another great wingnut idea. Put your social security into the stock market! Hell, lets just privatize everything. We could be the new Somalia! No government, you're on your own!

Support small business but remember that "smokin' ain't allowed in school".


Sillyebrety News

Fred Thompson seems to get the clue...wingnuttia is on the wane. Going back to acting.

Ashely Simpson and that Fall Out Boy guy have their baby, name him Bronx Mowgli Wentz. Good luck BM.

Madonna gets a quickie....divorce. He doesn't want her money and she probably can't make a pie so what good is she.

Jodie Sweetin of Full House is spliting from her 2nd husband. Line forms here for #3.

Paris Hilton still loves the homely Good Charlotte guy even though they broke up. She has denied there is anything going on with Prince William or her ex, Stavros Niarchos.

Speaking of Prince William. Who woulda guessed it, his wanger is in the news. Man can't a guy relieve himself without it 'leaking' out anymore.

The King of pop, Michael Jackson, has converted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel. Apparently he just loooooves the womens veils.

Get a free Dr. Pepper with your Guns N Roses.

As we round the curb and pull up to exit the cab, I look up, and there is your name. And I said, oh, my, Ted’s got an airport. That’s neat.” – The toe-tapping Sen. Larry Craig, missing the joke.

Car Bailout and Gay Marriage

It seems the two big issues right now are the auto bail out and gay marriage per Californias prop 8. First the auto industry because there is the most to say about that.

Here is an argument for and against on the issue to get you started.

Now a few of my thoughts. First it never fails to irk me when 'certain people' rush to blame the least among us, the poor or the working citizen, for nearly everything that goes wrong in this country. Meanwhile they defend or quickly mention the people that have the most to do with it and then move back to we the people as the reason. The unions are responsible for the fall of the auto companies. Not likely. They are the people who actually BUILT the cars and made it possible for wealthy at the top to take home their millions. They are the people who don't have the tax breaks or advantages, they are the backbone of this country.
Ford was making a 40% profit on the Taurus, built in Atlanta. Parts, labor, health, R & D, transportation and dealer costs them around $9,500 per vehicle. Their sales cost? Almost $17,000. Same holds true for the SUVS and trucks. Unfortunately, the guys making the big money were not looking ahead. The Accord and Camry killed them. If it all goes down millions of working people lose their jobs and the people making the big money and big mistakes are set for life.
Under a new, two-tier UAW contract signed in 2007, the average base wage rate for existing workers at each of the Detroit Three is about $28 per hour, and new workers will be hired at base wage rates of $14 to $16.23 per hour. So the guys that aren't making millions, the worker, makes 53 thousand a year. Apparently an outrageous salary to some. Believe me, I would love to make that. I'm much closer to that 14 dollars. I have never come anywhere near that 53 thou universe but it's not like it is an outrageous amount of money. 3 to 10 million a year plus a multitude of perks is outrageous. Especially if your decisions are costing the company money. Henry Fords success came at the beginning because he understood that he needed to pay his workers enough to buy his cars.
If you think 53 thousand is too much to pay them put on a hard hat and step into an automotive, steel, or textile mill where one mistake can cost you an arm, leg or life, then come on back and preach about turning your back on unionized industries and companies, but be sure to work in both types of plants, union and non-union to see the difference in them. John Stuart Mill said "There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home."
One thing these corporate bigwigs could have done is join others in pushing for universal health care instead of moving to countries like Canada and Mexico that already have it. It would save them billions a year. The responsibility for pensions should be transferred to the unions. Not only would it help the companies but it would prevent them from raiding it. Yes, unions have overreached at times. For example to say X is the only job you should do and you need to call in X to do something else is silly and stupid. Unions aren't pure good but with no leverage for the worker the country and the mass of population is in danger of being devalued to the point of disgusting.

On the other side. I have many reasons to find these multinational corporations as disgusting and harmful to our economy overall. The defenders of disgusting wealth will claim that better fuel efficiency and green cars are years off. How about this. And it's not just diesel cars. Here's the European websites for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Lines of small fuel efficient cars. Even a Sebring that gets over 50 MPG! They can do it but for some reason they have chosen not to sell them in the US. Why is that? And how about a new car that is being readied for right here in the US by a new maker. No gas at all! A sharp lookin baby too! The technology is here today. We are being handed a bill of goods. I think the big, and I mean really big, money people at the top are trying to turn this country into a banana republic where we again are surfs to the moneyed aristocrats. All this bailout crap is a part of the plan they have been working on for years. It all got done while most people were not paying attention and poo pooing politics and political action. Again, it is exactly what they wanted us to do. Every time a company is bought up by another one what happens first? You got it, they fire people and eliminate jobs. Somehow the big companies of all kinds have to be eventually destroyed or broken up and competition has too return with more and smaller companies. You know, like the kind that aren't too big to fail. We also need to rethink this free trade crap. Go back to tariffs which will bring money back to the treasury making it possible to lower taxes and will encourage manufacturing in our country again.

On the gay marriage front. I don't know why people want to push their lifestyle or religion on others. A truly free country wouldn't do that. While I believe a child needs a mom and a dad in the home, if we make it a law then we have problems cuz the world doesn't work that way. If you want to preserve the sanctity of marriage then why not work on eliminating divorces? That is far more a problem in the area of the sanctity of marriage than gay marriage is. No church should be forced to perform gay marriages. If your problem is calling it marriage then offer all the same rights and responsibilities and call it civil unions. Gays should be amenable to that. I have not much more to say than that. I'm not gay and it doesn't effect my life much. I am a US citizen though and I think the equality of all should be respected.