Bush's Economy

Continues its stellar course:

Wall Street suffered its worst single day in nearly two years Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 191 points for its third straight triple-digit loss. Deepening concerns over economic growth and higher prices led to the worst week of trading since August.

An already uneasy market began the biggest one-day selloff since May 19, 2003, after the Federal Reserve reported drops in manufacturing and other industrial production, and a Labor Department report showed higher oil costs driving up import prices.

I'm in Vegas. There are many Bush supporters here spending their tax cuts. They're demanding more so the economy can be driven...

Things have to get worse before they get better.

I'm glad Bush is president.

I'm glad Tom Delay is a House leader.

I'm glad DOCTOR Frist is Senate leader.

It's your baby, ladies.

Have a great weekend.

:-)

Lets just start the war now. I'd fight without a doubt:

April 14 - As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees.

Seriously, is this America? SERIOUSLY!

It's in the NYTIMES, and frankly, I'm too lazy to even link it.

To all the conservative idiots that read this blog, kudos to you for making this a reality, you fucking zeros.

God Keep Our Land...

Glorious and freeeeeeeee, Oh Canada...

Okay, Move On

Listen, you're not going to win the "Marriage" debate since words apparently mean more than actions to homophobes living across this nations.

Take the "Civil Unions" and the same rights, and MOVE ON!

I think you're equal, in fact, I know you are, but a lot of people don't, and that's that. Eventually they will all be dead, so at least get the movement going in the right direction.

Follow Connecticut.

Younger people are more comfortable with gay people, and civil rights movements have to start somewhere. Take baby steps, please, and stop pushing for "marriage." Take what you can get, wherever you can get it...uhhh, I'm speaking figuratively, of course...

What's Up, Edolphus?

Did you know there's no such thing as a "Death Tax?" That's right, Republicans made it up. It's synonymous with the Estate Tax, for them, and since they're the party of "life" I guess the only word they could come up with was "death." Actually, they need to distort everything, so this was just one more distortion, or lie, if you will. Well, once again, they voted to repeal.

What I cannot figure out is why (D) Congressman Edolphus Towns from NY, who represents Brooklyn, voted to repeal the Estate Tax. Who in the world is he representing?

I went back to HR 8 - 2000 when the House needed 2/3 vote to overturn Clinton's veto of the bill, and Edolphus was solidly with the Democrats, voting "No" on HR 8. But now here we are, 2005, things are clearly worse, the Estate Tax is clearly the most progressive tax affecting the fewest people, most of them wealthy, and Edolphus Towns is voting for repeal. Who is this guy?

He's the only Democrat, as far as I can tell, who resides north of Maryland and East of Pennsylvania who voted for repeal.

It's Always Been...

About the judges. Not about terrorists. Not about taxes. Not about Social Security. The judges.

It's so apparent now just listening to Tom Delay. In what could be his final hurrah, he's going out against the judges:

The House majority leader, Tom DeLay, deflected all questions about his ethical conduct and his political future at a news conference today, insisting instead that he would continue his crusade against what he views an activist judiciary by ordering the Judiciary Committee to investigate the decisions of federal judges in the Terri Schiavo case.

At the crowded news conference - his first question-and-answer session with reporters since a fellow Republican, Representative Christopher Shays of Connecticut, called for him to resign his leadership post and another, Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, said Mr. DeLay must provide explanations to the public - the majority leader dismissed questions about ethics and his political future.

"I'm not here to discuss the Democrats' agenda," Mr. DeLay said. Instead, he renewed his complaints about "judicial activism," saying that reining in the courts was well within the purview of Congress.

"Congress has constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities over the judiciary, just like it has over the executive," Mr. DeLay said, "and we would be shirking our constitutional obligation if we did not look at these issues as they come up."

Democrats should really play this up.

Tom Delay believes democrats are out to get him, and playing dirty politics. It's really insulting to everyone in America, not just democrats. Tom Delay believes people are playing dirty against him because he's the kind of the guy that plays dirty politics! In fact, he's the dirtiest politician in the game, bar none.

Why are Republicans in Congress changing the rules for this guy before any case is made against him? Because they know he's dirt! They are aware of all his scandals, and have probably experienced pressure by the one THEY call "The Hammer." There's not an assumption of innocence here, which is the American way. There's the complete opposite because they know more than anybody he's trash.

Tom Delay has labeled everyone who is out to get him as "dishonest." If you're a liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, independent, or one of those rare humans with a brain and pair of eyes, if you're not on his side, you're dishonest. If you've ever switched parties from one side to the other, which probably requires some thought, you can only be honest if you're on his side. So you'd better come on over because the Hammer is out for justice.

The Judges

I just read this piece in the NYTIMES Magazine by Linda Greenhouse, and it's amazing to me the speed at which the judiciary has changed.

Read the piece, and take notice that in the '70s judges were debating major cases involving womens' rights, but the reasoning of both sides of the debate rested on true compassion. You had some justices believing womens' rights should be completely equal (even though we're different), and others who believed certain laws intended to balance the scales even if women, or men, were treated differently. Case in point Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld, the judges were split over the right thing to do, and both sides truly show compassion. Some believed the law, while unequal on some level really was striving to create an equal society, while the other side was more focused on the concept of equality. Reasoning like this hardly exists today, and if it does, usually the conservatives fall to the wrong side for this day and age.

It's impossile to not notice where Rhenquist stood in these cases, and now today he's the Chief Justice. So sad.

Another Sham

Like the Social Security debate is a sham, here comes another. Agent Hynd sent me this little diddy about Justice Kennedy.

Conservatives hate Justice Kennedy, and liberals think they do, but if you're inclined to hate him over abortion politics you're misguided. Kennedy makes the court 6-3, not 5-4 as we've so often heard. Just do a search on Kennedy and his stance, and you'll see just how pro-lifers feel about Kennedy.

The Washington Post has an article about conservative groups hoping for his impeachment. This would be great for them. It would provide them cover.

By forcing Kennedy out conservatives could act like they're removing one of their own, a man appointed by Reagan no less. They'd be policing their own, if you will, and making it seem like partisan politics is not involved. But of course, it is. It's all about the judges, it's all about sewing up a woman's vagina, and it's all about making water balloons with condoms.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Ultimate Fighter

So I've received a lot of emails about the Ultimate Fighter, and have many conversations with people who have seen it.

Check your local listings. The Light-Heavyweight brawl is one for the ages.

Also, if you're so inclined, this weekends UFC 52 live from Las Vegas will be incredible. Probably the best fight card UFC has had to date.

I'm not a proponent of spending big bucks on pay-per-view events, and I do not make a dime if you do, but it'll be well worth the cash, especially considering what Don King charges for those weak boxing events.

Shed a Tear for the Small Farmer

Comments from my smartest friend (and one of my wealthiest):

Must read. Keeping the estate tax at a 45% tax on estates over
3.5MM for singles and 7MM for marrieds (99% of all estates) gets you to half way to "saving" social security. Can you say "what crisis"?

WHERE IS THE PRESS??? WHERE IS THE PRESS IN THIS DEBATE?? SURELY NOT INFORMING THE PUBLIC. THEY TREAT POLITICS LIKE ITS A SPORT (WHO'S WINNING?LOSING) NOT AS IF IT AFFECTS REAL LIVES.

Well, friend, they're off being all liberal and shit.

More good times:

The Paris Hilton Tax Cut

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

The same people who insist that critics of Social Security
privatization should offer reform proposals of their own are working
feverishly to eliminate alternatives that might reduce the need for benefit
cuts or payroll tax increases.

I refer to the fact that House Republican leaders have scheduled a
vote this week to abolish the estate tax permanently. Under a wacky
provision of the 2001 tax cut designed to disguise the law's full
cost, Congress voted to make the estate tax go away in 2010, but come
back in full force in 2011.

With so many other taxes around, it's hard to understand why this
is the one Congress would repeal. It falls, in effect, on the heirs to
the wealthiest Americans. Fewer than 1 percent of the people who died
in 2004 paid an estate tax, and half the revenue from the tax came
from estates valued at $10 million or more.

Yet, because the wealthy have gotten wealthier over the past three
decades or so, the estate tax produces a lot of money. Counting both
revenue losses and added interest costs, complete repeal of the
estate tax would cost the government close to $1 trillion between 2012 and
2021, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

And that is where Social Security comes in. You can reject
outlandish claims that Social Security faces some sort of "crisis" and still
acknowledge that it faces a gap in funding for the long haul. The
estate tax should be part of the solution...

This is an instructive moment. What we are having is not a real debate on the future of Social Security but a sham discussion in which the one issue that matters to the governing majority is how to keep cutting taxes on the wealthiest people in our country.

Those who vote to repeal the estate tax this week will be sending a clear message: They see the "crisis" in Social Security as serious enough to justify benefit cuts and private accounts. But it's not serious enough to warrant a minor inconvenience to those who plan to live on their parents' wealth.

In Case You Haven't Seen It

Not surprisingly, this article is currently the most emailed on the NYTIMES website. I read it this weekend and had a good life.

I for one do do the "man date" thing and have no problem with it. In fact, my one buddy and I often have dinner to discuss life's problems. It's usually better than the time I spend at bars, on the phone, writing, etc.

Coincidentally, while out to dinner the other night in Vegas my friend actually mentioned his fear that people would think we were gay. I thought it was pretty comical.

Hey, if you can't tell I'm not gay and want to do something about it I'm fine with it. Just be prepared for a reaction the severity of which will be based upon the how I'm approached. That's a note to all men and women who assume someone's gay, and treat them in a way that's insulting, or uncomforting.

I've got no problems with anyone (except Southern Baptists), but keep your eyes and hands away from my crack.

Btw, Mark, thanks for dinner. It was lovely...

Blah

Blah blah blah, blah blah blah. Blah, blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah. Blah blah blah fuckers blah blah blah blah blah blah:

Serious cost overruns and "poor performance" have plagued the Halliburton Company's continuing $1.2 billion contract to repair Iraq's vital southern oil fields, a new State Department report says.

The news about Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Texas-based Halliburton, adds an additional layer of troubles to the company's multibillion dollar operations in Iraq.

Among guerrilla attacks, the unexpectedly decrepit state of oil facilities and delays in repairs, Iraq's oil output of 2.1 million barrels a day in February was lower than it was last fall, says the report, a quarterly update on Iraqi reconstruction that was delivered to Congress last week. Disappointing oil exports are worsening the Iraqi transitional government's budget deficit, which the report estimates could reach $5 billion this year. The report does not detail what it called the poor performance and excess spending. But it said that on Jan. 19, the American Embassy took the unusual step of issuing a "Cure Notice," a threat to terminate the contract. Kellogg, Brown & Root replaced some senior managers but the government remains dissatisfied, the report says

You see what I'm saying? If you're a conservative all you hear is the first part.

Moderate Man

The guy sorta has it right:

The Democrats who grilled John R. Bolton on Monday about his qualifications to be ambassador to the United Nations were at times irate, at times acerbic, at times combative. But Mr. Bolton's future may lie in his answers to the gentle questions from a soft-spoken Republican, Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island.

Mr. Chafee is the lone Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to reserve judgment on Mr. Bolton; without his vote the nomination may not make it out of committee.

He has said he is inclined to support Mr. Bolton - a statement he reiterated Monday, adding that Democratic critics had not "made as strong a case as I might have expected." But he also said he was "still listening" and waiting for Tuesday's testimony before making up his mind.

"If there's some overwhelmingly disqualifying evidence, then I'll vote against," Mr. Chafee said. But so far, he said, he has not seen any, adding that his basic philosophy is that "the president won the election and he gets to choose his team."

It seems there is overwhelming evidence to disqualify Bolton, but not enough for Chafee to actually vote against him. That makes zero sense.

This position is the public face of the US to the largest world body, and this man has been called a manipulator and a man who cooks evidence. Hardly the guy you want. He's also been wholly against the UN, which to me should be reason enough to not get the job, but not for these hacks.

However, I don't disagree with the thought that it's Bush's team, and he should send who he wants wherever unless you can prove Bolton, or any other, guilty of a crime (or something similar). Accussing him is one thing, but proving guilt is another.

Besides, I want all the conservative chips on the table because in the long run they're only going to hurt themselves with their little tight-lipped/one-brain attitude.

Crisis?

George Bush claims there's a looming Social Security crisis on the horizon, yet our own US Energy Department claims we're going to hit "peak oil" in 2037.

It seems to me that's the larger crisis, and one he's doing nothing about. Actually, forget him since he doesn't have the brain power to do anything. It's something they're ALL DOING NOTHING ABOUT.

This ChevronTexaco piurchase was viewed as a business story. It's not; it's THE STORY.

Be Like Mike

And let everyone know you are a big Pope supporter. I assume these people are going to Italy on their own dimes, right?

When you're finished there let everyone know you've taken more money from Tom Delay's PAC than anyone in Congress.

See that, Texas influence right here in Central Jersey.

-Thank you TPM.

Texasses

About 10 years ago House Speaker Jim Wright (d) of Texas was forced to step down over ethics violations. Basically, he wrote a book with an aide on "house time" and had supporters buy the book, which resulted in $50,000 for Mr. Wright. Certainly not a good call. Illegal? Not sure. If Republicans did it today I'm sure they'd change a rule making it legal. Ethical? Nope.

This trumpeted in the Newt Gingrich era, a man determined to bring morals and ethics to the forefront of US politics. This, of course, would have to wait until after he divorced his wife as she lay dying of cancer in a hospital bed so he could pursue his latest relationship with an aide 23 years younger than he, and after he tried to cut the life insurance of his childrens mom. Of course he did those things.

This brings us to Tom Delay, a man Republicans changed the "ethics rules" for in order to protect him. Damn close to the height of irony. Years ago publications like the National Review cried for Wright's resignation, and while the snowball is slowly getting bigger against Delay, it's not quite the Clinton/Wright cocaphony, now is it? Where are the ethical conservatives today?

Now we have George W. Bush, a man whose middle name really should be "Lapse." I need not go into his history.

The one thing binding these men together is they're all TEXANS! Sorry, but remind me, what was the biggest financial scandal of recent times, and what state did that take place in? Enron? Texas? Tell me, what the hell is going on down there?

Remember the gerrymandering story from Texas just last year? Of course, Tom Delay is on the ropes for his role in that one, but the entire Texas Legislature was involved as well.

This all happens in the state famous for the independence. A state desiring to be seen as different, and wanting to be left alone. Yet their politicians seem to play an overly powerful role in federal politics. More irony!

I could go on about others like compulsive liar, and former House Majority leader Dick Armey from Texas, who used bogus data to push his flat tax. Texas is not the only states where politicians cheat, lie, steal, etc., but the grandest liars en masse seem to come from there.

What is going on down there, and why is this nation being led by these morons?

God

Let this be real.

What's the Point?

I'm all for the Senate confirming John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations. Let Bush have his guy. Let Mr. Bolton continue his critiques of the UN. Let the wolrd see more and more of the Bush clan.

When the election of 2004 ended a part of me was excited for the chance to see conservatives in action. I want the ball in their court completely. I want Bolton at the UN for 4 years just so we never get someone like him again. Things have to get worse before they get better, and the sooner they get worse the better off we are. I'd rather not see them place a more moderate ambassador who is a quiet administration puppet, but rather a loud mouth putz.

As for the Republicans who are beating him up in the Senate, why do it? You know you're going to vote for him? Is there a point to this hearing? Is there a point to any hearing? I hear Alberto Gonzales had a few democrats willing to put it in his ass by the end of his hearing.

Yep

The Death Squads.

UFC

I'm sure most of you have no idea what the Ultimate Fighting Championship is all about, but I work for them.

This past weekend SpikeTV and UFC broadcast live the final episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" which is a reality show about 20 fighters all vying for a contract with the UFC. Well, it came down to two guys: Forrest Griffin and Stephon Bonner. I'm not going to tell you what happened because you need to see it to believe it.

This was quite possibly the most ridiculous fight in modern history.

It's on again tonight 11 PM ET.