Obama is anti-business? Give me an effin break!

Obama tells us that the greedy Corporatists at the US Chamber of Commerce are 'possibly' being funded by foreign interests and all the business journals go batshit crazy. Personally, I feel there is more of a chance that the CoC is funding their ads with foreign money than there is me buying a pair of shoes this week or me waking up tomorrow morning with an aching back since I have three blown discs. From Bloomberg's Business Week:

The latest rhetoric may complicate an already tense relationship between the White House and the business community. The Bloomberg Global Poll last month found 77 percent of U.S.-based Bloomberg subscribers say Obama is too anti-business, and his favorability among the 1,408 investors worldwide is down to 49 percent from 73 percent in July 2009.

What a friggin load of horseshit. Obama has kissed the asses of the health insurance industry, auto industry (which I didn't mind btw), banks, hedge funds, Wall Streeters and a whole friggin list of businesses and corporations with various bills he has signed into law and fucking plenty of what his administration has said and done since he took office.

Are those assholes in the 'business community' just as fucking stupid as the teabaggers? Or are they just the usual greedy bastards who put profit over people..and over everything else?

The rich still bitch about their tax rate, except G Gruener.

Venture Vulture, oops, I mean capitalist Garrett Gruener talks about taxing the rich. From Kevin Drum's writeup over at Mojo:

Venture capitalist Garrett Gruener has some advice for his fellow capitalists:

    For nearly the last decade, I've paid income taxes at the lowest rates of my professional career. Before that, I paid at higher rates. And if you want the simple, honest truth, from my perspective as an entrepreneur, the fluctuation didn't affect what I did with my money. None of my investments has ever been motivated by the rate at which I would have to pay personal income tax.

    ....No one particularly enjoys paying taxes, but one lesson we should have learned by now is that for the good of the country, we need to tax people like me more. At a minimum, we need to return to the tax rates of the Clinton era, when the economy performed far better. Simply taxing the wealthiest 2% of Americans at the same rates they were taxed before the Bush tax cuts could reduce the national deficit by $700 billion over the next 10 years. Remember, paying slightly more in personal income taxes won't change my investment choices at all, and I don't think a higher tax rate will change the investment decisions of most other high earners.

    What will change my investment decisions is if I see an economy doing better, one in which there is demand for the goods and services my investments produce. I am far more likely to invest if I see a country laying the foundation for future growth. In order to get there, we first need to let the Bush-era tax cuts for the upper 2% lapse. It is time to tax me more.

I get real tired of saying this, but once again...the rich folks saw their income grow by 17-fucking-percent in 2009. Read that previous sentence again, then tell me why the fuck anyone can argue against lifting the Bush tax cuts for the rich folks at the top of the slag heap we call the economy. As Kevin says in his piece: ...changing the top marginal rate from 35% to 39.6% will have no measurable impact at all on work or investment decisions. From a macroeconomic perspective, it will reduce the future deficit and nothing more. It's a pure win for everyone, even the rich.(emphasis mine)

Amen brotha..a-friggin-men to that.

Matt Taibbi on the price of predatory banking

The price of this bullshit is utimately paid by the citizens of Jefferson county. From Democracy Now, via Crooks and Liars, we get a nightmare situation that should be considered criminal activity..and was on several levels. From Taibbi’s Rolling Stone article:

If you want to know what life in the Third World is like, just ask Lisa Pack, an administrative assistant who works in the roads and transportation department in Jefferson County, Alabama. Pack got rudely introduced to life in post-crisis America last August, when word came down that she and 1,000 of her fellow public employees would have to take a little unpaid vacation for a while. The county, it turned out, was more than $5 billion in debt — meaning that courthouses, jails and sheriff’s precincts had to be closed so that Wall Street banks could be paid.

It’s a horror story of course, complete with carpetbagging Wall Streeter’s and corrupt officials and businessmen. What took down this county? A new sewer system. From the RS article:

And once the giant shit machine was built and the note on all that fancy construction started to come due, Wall Street came back to the local politicians and doubled down on the scam. They showed up in droves to help the poor, broke citizens of Jefferson County cut their toilet finance charges using a blizzard of incomprehensible swaps and refinance schemes — schemes that only served to postpone the repayment date a year or two while sinking the county deeper into debt. In the end, every time Jefferson County so much as breathed near one of the banks, it got charged millions in fees. There was so much money to be made bilking these dizzy Southerners that banks like JP Morgan spent millions paying middlemen who bribed — yes, that’s right, bribed, criminally bribed — the county commissioners and their buddies just to keep their business. Hell, the money was so good, JP Morgan at one point even paid Goldman Sachs $3 million just to back the fuck off, so they could have the rubes of Jefferson County to fleece all for themselves.

*snip*

Once you follow that trail and understand what took place in Jefferson County, there’s really no room left for illusions. We live in a gangster state, and our days of laughing at other countries are over. It’s our turn to get laughed at. In Birmingham, lots of people have gone to jail for the crime: More than 20 local officials and businessmen have been convicted of corruption in federal court. Last October, right around the time that Lisa Pack went back to work at reduced hours, Birmingham’s mayor was convicted of fraud and money-laundering for taking bribes funneled to him by Wall Street bankers — everything from Rolex watches to Ferragamo suits to cash. But those who greenlighted the bribes and profited most from the scam remain largely untouched. “It never gets back to JP Morgan,” says Pack.

Makes you physically ill doesn’t it? Taibbi’s article is a great read…even if it did make me want to throw-up. Below is the Democracy Now interview w/Taibbi.

The smartest guys in the room? I don’t think so…

When Enron fell apart, our nation tried to make sense of it. Congress critters tried to pass laws that guaranteed nothing like that ever happened again. Enron caused, by their actions in CA to manipulate the energy industry, the death of a very good friend of mine. We had rolling blackouts almost daily that summer in San Diego. She was killed when the traffic lights went out and someone t-boned her tiny little car, killing her instantly. But this isn’t really about Enron or my dear sweet friend that died because of their cold, calculating greed.

It’s about the banks and investment houses that shared Enron’s largess..and ultimately their losses as well. Its many of the same banks and investing companies that took TARP funds and/or were responsible for our recession now. Lets call them, the Enron Nine although only eight of them took part in the subprime meltdown. From The Nation link in this paragraph, with additional links added by me to those culpable bastards that still managed to stay afloat after Enron collapsed, only to become a large part of the subprime mortgage meltdown:

The “Enron Nine” (if we may call them that) are J.P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, First Boston, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch (bought by BofA for pennies on the dollar), Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Lehman Brothers (filed largest bankruptcy in history). These financial institutions collaborated with the now-bankrupt energy company in its financial sleight of hand–the deals that enabled Enron to inflate its profits, conceal its burgeoning debts and push its stock price higher and higher. Together and individually, the banks and brokerages raised at least $6 billion for Enron through the debt or stock issues sold to unsuspecting investors from 1996 through 2001, when the Enron illusion finally expired. Another $4 billion or more was channeled into Enron’s “partnerships” like Jedi, Chewco and LJM1 and LJM2, which became the principal mechanism for hoodwinking shareholders. These deals were often hurriedly arranged at year’s end to paper over the company’s true condition and keep the fraud from collapsing.

Why then, would we bail these fuckers out? Why would our government have such a short memory on what many of these banks and investment houses did in the 1990’s? It drives me up a friggin wall to realize that these sumbitches were just as culpable now as they were in the Enron debacle. Lehman Bros, thankfully, was allowed to fail this time around. They surpassed Enron as the largest bankruptcy ever filed in American Courts. Credit Suisse was a major player in the subprime debacle as was Barclays and First Boston. They actually fueled the subprime market as major backers of the subprime lenders.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room was the title of a fantastic book written by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, which was made into a documentary by the same name. I watched the documentary again last night. That is when it hit me, that eight of the ten banks and investment houses that played dirty with Enron also contributed to the subprime mortgage meltdown and three or four took TARP funds to stay afloat this time around.

So, the assholes in the banking and investment houses certainly were not the smartest guys in the room…any room.

They were just greedy..real friggin greedy. Below is the amount of TARP monies and/or Treasury monies the two surviving banks and one investment company, which is now considered a bank, have taken so far:

Citigroup-$50 Billion

Bank Of America-$52.5 Billion

JP Morgan Chase-$25 Billion

That adds up to a helluva lot of tax dollars don’t it? It should make us all madder than a rat in a tin can. Not only did they play fuck-around with Lay, Skillings and Fastow…many of these same bastards let greed rule the day now.

Evidently they didn’t learn from the Enron debacle. Or they just didn’t give a shit…your choice.

But we had no choice in what corporations the Treasury bailed out or who got TARP funds. So the only way I can rationalize the idiocy of giving money to these same crooks is this:

Our government employees, in charge of straightening this subprime shitstorm out, evidently smoke a lot of pot and they have a real bad case of short term memory loss. Or they just don’t give a damn either.

Your choice.

Below is a trailer for Enron: The smartest guys in the room. You will be surprised at how much of the verbiage in the movie fits today's nightmare. Or maybe.. you won’t…

Life..it can be so short and so f'd up.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Nick Adenhart pitched a great game last night. The 22 year old pitched his ass off, recording six scoreless innings. This was going to be his year in the majors, as Nick was a rookie. His dad, a retired secret service agent, had flown out for the game because his son told him "something special is going to happen tonight."

On his way home from the game, some asshole in a minivan blew through a red light and killed Nick and two other men, one of whom was also with the Angels organization in an unknown capacity.

The asshole then took off on foot, but was later captured by police. Police identified him as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, and said he had a suspended license because of a previous drunken driving conviction. His blood alcohol was off the charts. Ironically he is also 22 years of age. Gallo was to be booked on three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol.

I have no words of consolation, just anger. A young life was snuffed out because of what? Some fucktard in a hurry? Some piece of self-absorbed pond scum that now faces felony hit and run charges?

Before I heard about Nick..I was reading today's Daily Feature over at Sirens Chronicles. Its authored by my bud and BFF Betmo. It's a good writeup that made me think so early in the AM. She is spot-friggin-on about us..the universal us of course. It's about greed, and people who don't blink an eye when it comes to committing fraud, or lying, or just being self-absorbed bags of batshit. Morality is in the eye of the beholder and frankly..not enough people are morally obligated to do the 'right thing' any more. They put self ahead of everything else.

Like the fucktard that killed Nick Adenhart and two other human beings. Like the bankers and Wall Streeters that brought the world's economy to it's knees.

I get a CT scan this afternoon. Doc is trying to figure out wtf is going on inside my old, decrepit, pain-wracked body. But that all seems to mean so little right now. At least I can call my son and tell him how much I love and adore him.

Nick and two others can't. Their lives so full of hope, opportunity and promise..cut short by self-centered ignorance.

And the Wall Streeters..those worthless bastards that actually think they are worth the millions they got in bonuses, in spite of the shit storm they created worldwide. Those mutha fuckas are still walking around thinking of how to scam the system, how they can take other people's money and make themselves more money, regardless of the fact that they have to sell their souls to do it.

Jesus-Christ-in-a-speedo..its all so fucked up ain't it?

Sorry to be a 'downer' today..really, I am. But I had to get these thoughts out of my head and onto the computer screen.

Yesterday, I called animal control and turned in my neighbor and his inability to give a damn about his dog. Boozer is a cute but large puppy. He has lots of energy and he is sweet as hell when I go over to the chainlink fence and give him a little love, and sometimes a hotdog or two. Boozer lives outside, without shelter from the rain, the elements and 30 degree nightly temperature dips. He gets in the house once in awhile..but basically he lives outside..in a yard full of dog shit..so full he can't take a step without hitting some.

I heard them bitching about me last night. They were saying it's none of my business how they treat their dog. I almost went outside to confront them..thats how I roll..I don't shy away from giving folks a piece of my mind. But the ball n' chain went nuts and told me not to make it any worse than I have already. WTF? He fears the neighbor will hurt our felines in retaliation.

Bullshit you bastards..we all need to make it our business when we see something wrong. Boozer depends on his worthless owner for everything..for food, love, shelter..the whole nine-fucking yards. Why do they have a dog if they dont' spend any time with him? Why do they make him live in a shit-filled yard, trying desperately to find somewhere to stay out of the rain yesterday and all the other days we have gotten rainstorms and freezing weather.

It's crap like all the above that forces me to prefer animals over people more times than not.

Former NASDAQ boss busted for Ponzi scheme.

Ya know...sometimes I just want to take a baseball bat to these guys. Normally, I am not a violent person....loud and crass yes, but violent...no.

From the FindLaw link above:

A Wall Street powerbroker for nearly 50 years who built an influential firm has confessed to a massive fraud scheme that will cost investors at least $50 billion, federal authorities say.

Bernard L. Madoff, 70, facing a single count of securities fraud, declined to speak with reporters after a federal magistrate judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan ordered him released Thursday night on $10 million bail.

You know what really jerks my chain in the article? That this bastardo had 10 Million for his bail.

Yet, he didn't have enough money to make him happy, so he created his little ponzi scheme. Fuck me running, that is downright pathetic.

Greed does some strange shit to some folks don't it?

NAM gets pissed the courts don't go along like BushCo does..

Those lobbying fools known as NAM are highly peeved about this development. From the writeup:

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is appealing a federal court order to dismiss the group’s lawsuit challenging a new ethics and lobbying law.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia ruled Friday against the trade association’s suit, which took issue with a specific provision of the new law that would require “stealth coalitions” to disclose their member companies if they contributed at least $5,000 per quarter to the coalition or actively participated in a lobbying campaign.

Obviously the manufacturing lobby doesn’t like playing by the ‘new rules’. We can only hope to Buddha that judges uphold this new law..all the way up the chain. But frankly, I don’t feel good about our chances if they take it all the way to the Supreme’s. Those bastids are handpicked for the love of pete.

Crossposted at Bring it On!

There is no greater disaster than greed

There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.

There is no greater guilt than discontentment.

And there is no greater disaster than greed.

Lao-tzu

Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

President Bush signed a bill this past Monday that will allow federal, state and local governments to divest themselves of investments that do business with the smarmy bastards running the country of Sudan. As recently as 2004 Secretary of State Colin Powell signaled Washington's intention to relax sanctions and allow U.S. companies to take advantage of Sudan's oil wealth. Of course the signing of 'the bill' doesn't stop any of these municipalities and government entities from keeping their investments either. Only public pressure and lots of negative publicity will further the cause of shunning corporations that do business with murderers.

The other thing it doesn't do is make any of the Big Oil Companies stop assisting in the pumping of that black gold out of the ground in Sudan. With oil being what it is, does anyone think for a minute that the piece of paper The Shrub signed actually does anything to change the horrific situation in Darfur? Please, these companies will always find a way around laws and rules, take that to the bank my dear reader. How many companies lined Saddam's pockets during the infamous embargo of the last two decades?

And what about our BFF China? They don't give a tinkers damn about human rights abuses, hell those chumps lead the charge. Two of the biggest business partners with the pigs in Sudan are PetroChina and Tafneft (a Russian enterprise). British Petroleum (BP) and Shell are also stock holders in the Chinese enterprise.

Those two countries I just named also hold veto power in the UN. Now, isn't that special?

To continue reading click here.

Corruption and Pollution Du Jour..

"An American power company with close financial links to President George Bush has been named as one of the world's top producers of global warming pollution.

The first-ever worldwide database of such pollution also reveals the rapid growth in global-warming emissions by power plants in China, South Africa and India. Power plants already produce 40 per cent of US greenhouse gas and 25 per cent of the world's."

And so begins the story on CommonDreams.org. This is a disgusting tale of corruption and greed. Its always about those two things isn't it my dear reader? Check this out...

Southern's employees handed George Bush $217,047 to help him get elected, and they and the company have contributed an extraordinary $6.2m to Republican campaigns since 1990.(emphasis mine)

A single Southern Company plant in Juliette, Georgia already emits more carbon dioxide annually that Brazil's entire power sector. The company is in the top two of America's dirtiest utility polluters and sixth worst in the world.

Ain't that some shit my dear reader?

Crossposted at Sirens Chronicles.

Why does Harry Reid heart the Telecoms?

Money of course..lots and lots of it. From Glen Greenwald's column at Salon:

Then again, AT&T is the second largest contributor overall to officials in Congress, having poured into the Beltway a total of $38 million in campaign contributions for the election cycles for which these records are available. Verizon is in 33rd place with over $15 million; BellSouth in 39th place with with over $14 million; Time Warner in 28th place with $17 million; and MCI in 83rd place with $8 million. The Communications Workers of America, which lobbies for all sorts of pro-telecom legislation, is in 13th place with close to $25 million. That's $118 million of telecom money poured into the coffers of members of Congress, and the real total is much higher since this is only from the top 100. And now Congress, on a more or less bipartisan basis, is passing a law declaring that this industry shall be completely immune from any consequences even if they are found to have broken multiple federal laws in allowing illegal spying on all of their customers.

Now, it all makes sense doesn't it? Methinks the majority of elected Dem's are really just Rethugs in sheeple's clothing.

Tags: Telecoms, Harry Reid, lobbying money

I saw Sicko this week. I will never be the same

I haven't written about it, frankly because it hit me like a ton of bricks. Its not about the 45+ million that are uninsured..its about the millions that pay to BE insured and how screwed blue and tattooed they are by the industry and how the government went along for the ride. It is funny and sarcastic as his his style but it also has a poignant theme regarding the 9/11 folks he takes under his wing that brought me to tears at the end of the movie. I hate crying during a movie and for me to get the weepies means it really got to me. As a hardass I hate to admit this about myself but there it is..

I used to deal with the Healthcare Industry on a daily basis as a biller for a company I worked for. I am not naive about the industry..I have always been aware that they are there to make money..lots and lots of it. I dealt with the claims that were denied mostly, which means this movie really had me shaking my head in agreement, remembering the crap I used to be given and how I had to bust my chops to work around their bullshit lies. He tells us about the role of their lobbyists and just how greedy these bastards are..and Congress is much too willing to go along. He slams the shit out of the new "Hillary" btw.

Michael Moore has some new and interesting stuff on his site about the movie..including a secret memo he got his hands on from Blue Cross about his movie. He will be having a live chat today on his site at 9am Pacific time. I will be there to check it out..if your not busy my dear reader, I suggest you do the same.

I have always enjoyed his movies and this time was no exception. I recommend it to everyone in the entire US of A. Whether you have insurance or like me..don't. I realize now that feeling sorry for myself because of my healthcare predicament is wrong since the poor folks that actually PAY to have coverage get the shaft as well, and baby..they paid for the honor!

I pray to God that this movie prompts American's into a discussion that will ultimately make the politicians deal with the problem of healthcare in America this election season. I hope the Healthcare Industry takes a huge load of buckshot in the ass over it and people demand changes. The Insurance industry as a whole are a bunch of carpetbagging sumbitches but we are talking life or death here people..all for the almighty dollar.

Tags: Politics of Greed, Sicko, Michael Moore, Healthcare Industry