I will definitely not vote for the problem which is the current republicans and democrats.... they are essentially all Republicrats selling out the future of America.
It is so easy to see. The congress and white house are the worse in history. They should all be hung for treason.
Voting for a party that will not possibly win does not make any sense. Make a difference. Don’t waste your vote. A vote for the party that was not the party that caused the problems does make sense. The entire world, not just your zip code, need to see that the US is ready to change the hard greedy stances, corporation friendly policies, national divisive strategies and Bush policies and doctrine that got us into this morass. Vote. Vote Obama.
Why is it that Republicans so fervently believe that their party is the only party that could possibly fix all the horrible problems that have been caused by their party?
Growing Government Programs that give out tax dollars and employing bigger government employees unions just adds spending government money and does nothing to improve productive jobs that add to the value of our country and the economy. Geeze- there are so many Americans that have no clue about free enterprise and budgets.
The democratic platform of big government is flawed to its core.
New parties need to come into existence and the big government spending concept does not work.....
Our country is heading in the complete wrong direction and fast
If you truly are going to vote for a Republican or Democrat, than you are not only wasting your vote; your mentality is a big part of the reason why the USA is heading down hill.
Allowing Congress to borrow against our own Children and Grandchildren's future is pathetic.
Credit and debt got us into this mess, more of the same will not get us out.
I can't believe either the selfishness or the stupidity of the American public.
If you care about the children and future generations of America, do not be a part of the problem and vote for a Democrat or Republican. Become a part of the solution, vote for change- a 3rd party
If you truly are going to vote for a Republican or Democrat, than you are not only wasting your vote; your mentality is a big part of the reason why the USA is heading down hill.
Allowing Congress to borrow against our own Children and Grandchildren's future is pathetic.
Credit and debt got us into this mess, more of the same will not get us out.
I can't believe either the selfishness or the stupidity of the American public.
If you care about the children and future generations of America, do not be a part of the problem and vote for a Democrat or Republican. Become a part of the solution, vote for change- a 3rd party
Let me cut to the chase. The biggest robbery in the history of this country is taking place as you read this. Though no guns are being used, 300 million hostages are being taken. Make no mistake about it: After stealing a half trillion dollars to line the pockets of their war-profiteering backers for the past five years, after lining the pockets of their fellow oilmen to the tune of over a hundred billion dollars in just the last two years, Bush and his cronies -- who must soon vacate the White House -- are looting the U.S. Treasury of every dollar they can grab. They are swiping as much of the silverware as they can on their way out the door.
No matter what they say, no matter how many scare words they use, they are up to their old tricks of creating fear and confusion in order to make and keep themselves and the upper one percent filthy rich. Just read the first four paragraphs of the lead story in last Monday's New York Times and you can see what the real deal is:
"Even as policy makers worked on details of a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it.
"Financial firms were lobbying to have all manner of troubled investments covered, not just those related to mortgages.
"At the same time, investment firms were jockeying to oversee all the assets that Treasury plans to take off the books of financial institutions, a role that could earn them hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees.
"Nobody wants to be left out of Treasury's proposal to buy up bad assets of financial institutions."
Unbelievable. Wall Street and its backers created this mess and now they are going to clean up like bandits. Even Rudy Giuliani is lobbying for his firm to be hired (and paid) to "consult" in the bailout.
The problem is, nobody truly knows what this "collapse" is all about. Even Treasury Secretary Paulson admitted he doesn't know the exact amount that is needed (he just picked the $700 billion number out of his head!). The head of the congressional budget office said he can't figure it out nor can he explain it to anyone.
And yet, they are screeching about how the end is near! Panic! Recession! The Great Depression! Y2K! Bird flu! Killer bees! We must pass the bailout bill today!! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Falling for whom? NOTHING in this "bailout" package will lower the price of the gas you have to put in your car to get to work. NOTHING in this bill will protect you from losing your home. NOTHING in this bill will give you health insurance.
Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?
It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.
This bailout's mission is to protect the obscene amount of wealth that has been accumulated in the last eight years. It's to protect the top shareholders who own and control corporate America. It's to make sure their yachts and mansions and "way of life" go uninterrupted while the rest of America suffers and struggles to pay the bills. Let the rich suffer for once. Let them pay for the bailout. We are spending 400 million dollars a day on the war in Iraq. Let them end the war immediately and save us all another half-trillion dollars!
I have to stop writing this and you have to stop reading it. They are staging a financial coup this morning in our country. They are hoping Congress will act fast before they stop to think, before we have a chance to stop them ourselves. So stop reading this and do something -- NOW! Here's what you can do immediately:
1. Call or e-mail Senator Obama. Tell him he does not need to be sitting there trying to help prop up Bush and Cheney and the mess they've made. Tell him we know he has the smarts to slow this thing down and figure out what's the best route to take. Tell him the rich have to pay for whatever help is offered. Use the leverage we have now to insist on a moratorium on home foreclosures, to insist on a move to universal health coverage, and tell him that we the people need to be in charge of the economic decisions that affect our lives, not the barons of Wall Street.
2. Take to the streets. Participate in one of the hundreds of quickly-called demonstrations that are taking place all over the country (especially those near Wall Street and DC).
3. Call your Representative in Congress and your Senators. (click here to find their phone numbers). Tell them what you told Senator Obama.
When you screw up in life, there is hell to pay. Each and every one of you reading this knows that basic lesson and has paid the consequences of your actions at some point. In this great democracy, we cannot let there be one set of rules for the vast majority of hard-working citizens, and another set of rules for the elite, who, when they screw up, are handed one more gift on a silver platter. No more! Not again!
Yours, Michael Moore MMFlint@aol.com MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Having read further the details of this bailout bill, you need to know you are being lied to. They talk about how they will prevent golden parachutes. It says NOTHING about what these executives and fat cats will make in SALARY. According to Rep. Brad Sherman of California, these top managers will continue to receive million-dollar-a-month paychecks under this new bill. There is no direct ownership given to the American people for the money being handed over. Foreign banks and investors will be allowed to receive billion-dollar handouts. A large chunk of this $700 billion is going to be given directly to Chinese and Middle Eastern banks. There is NO guarantee of ever seeing that money again.
P.P.S. From talking to people I know in DC, they say the reason so many Dems are behind this is because Wall Street this weekend put a gun to their heads and said either turn over the $700 billion or the first thing we'll start blowing up are the pension funds and 401(k)s of your middle class constituents. The Dems are scared they may make good on their threat. But this is not the time to back down or act like the typical Democrat we have witnessed for the last eight years. The Dems handed a stolen election over to Bush. The Dems gave Bush the votes he needed to invade a sovereign country. Once they took over Congress in 2007, they refused to pull the plug on the war. And now they have been cowered into being accomplices in the crime of the century. You have to call them now and say "NO!" If we let them do this, just imagine how hard it will be to get anything good done when President Obama is in the White House. THESE DEMOCRATS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE BACKBONE WE GIVE THEM. CALL CONGRESS NOW.
Did you read the Reader article about the San Dieguito Water District investing $5 mil in Lehman Bros? What the hell is government doing investing in the stock market! That is not a conservative investment, and when the stock started to turn south, they decided to wait and see if it would improve -- gambling with public money -- who is on the Board of Directors, they should all have STUPID tattoed on their foreheads.
voting for a third party won't solve anything at this point, there is no viable third party and all your vote will do is be a cast-off. Change means Obama, like it or not. McCain doesn't have the intellect nor humility to lead our country. I am surprise, perhaps naive, that an administration could take down everything good in our country in 8 short years. Bush had undermined the judicial branch, the executive branch and the legislative branch. The way he did this is by pandering to FEAR and LOATHING (completely missing the point of Hunter S. Thompson) hopefully -- Bush is BUSHED. Thank god he doesn't have any sons, as this country will not buy into nepotism if your offspring is a female. So much for democratic nepotism.
Bonddi- As we all know, you are part of the problem.
A vote for a Democrat is part of the problem.
Your right, you are not throwing away your vote, You are voting for continuing to create the huge problem we are in.
Government cannot employ, pay for everybody to be on workfare, and provide free healthcare and education for the world. It simply won’t work from an economic standpoint. We will quickly become communistic with a big brother type of government and blogs like this will be monitored and Bonddi you will lose your liberty.
Don't throw away Country, make your vote count and vote 3rd party. I always vote on who I feel is the best candidate, not who I think will win.
To do otherwise is asinine.
If a few of you would not have voted in favor of the problem in 1992, We may not be in this mess. We would have had a great President with Ross Perot instead of pathetic Billy, sell out your country and chase shirk, Clinton.
“……At one point in June, Perot led the polls with 39% (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Just prior to the debates, Perot received 7-9% support in nationwide polls. [12] It is likely that the debates played a significant role in his ultimate receipt of 19% of the popular vote. Although his answers during the debates were often general, many Democrats and Republicans conceded that Perot won at least the first debate. In debate he is noted to have said: "Keep in mind our Constitution predates the Industrial Revolution. Our founders did not know about electricity, the train, telephones, radio, television, automobiles, airplanes, rockets, nuclear weapons, satellites, or space exploration. There's a lot they didn't know about. It would be interesting to see what kind of document they'd draft today. Just keeping it frozen in time won't hack it."[citation needed] Perot denounced Congress for its inaction. Washington, Perot said, … has become a town filled with sound bites, shell games, handlers, media stuntmen who posture, create images, talk, shoot off Roman candles, but don't ever accomplish anything. We need deeds, not words, in this city.[citation needed] In the 1992 election, he received 18.9% of the popular vote - approximately 19,741,065 votes (but no electoral college votes), making him the most successful third-party presidential candidate in terms of the popular vote since Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. Perot managed to finish second in two states: In Maine, Perot received 30.44% of the vote to Bush's 30.39% (Clinton won Maine with 38.77%); In Utah, Perot received 27.34% of the vote to Clinton's 24.65% (Bush won Utah with 43.36%). A detailed analysis of the voting demographics revealed that Perot's support drew heavily from across the political spectrum, with 20% of his votes coming from self-described liberals, 27% from self-described conservatives, and 53% coming from self-described moderates. Economically, however, the majority of Perot voters (57%) were middle class, earning between $15,000 and $49,000 annually, with the bulk of the remainder drawing from the upper middle class (29% earning over $50,000 annually).[13] Exit polls also showed that Ross Perot drew 38% of his vote from Bush, and 38% of his vote from Clinton, while the rest of his voters would have stayed home in his absence on the ballot[14]. Based on his performance in the popular vote in 1992, Perot was entitled to receive federal election funding for 1996. Perot remained in the public eye after the election and championed opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), urging voters to listen for the "giant sucking sound" of American jobs heading south to Mexico should NAFTA be ratified. The extent of the impact of Perot dropping out of the race will never be fully known. Some argue that he may have ended up winning the race.[15] “
Never vote against your country again, vote 3rd party.
CARLSBAD ---- One City Council candidate told Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary club members Monday that the city employee pension system could eventually bankrupt Carlsbad, while another declared that this was simply political propaganda.
Two other candidates said the city should explore a two-tiered system, which would give future employees a less-costly pension system.
A fifth candidate declared that city government in general should be reduced, and the sixth one said she would look into the issue and post a response on her Web site.
Right from the start, the candidates forum had startled some Rotary club members because of its informal nature.
Candidates' responses in some cases were limited to 30 seconds or less, and jokes regularly flew about everything from the moderator's chattiness to the candidates' ages.
Several club members could be heard muttering afterward that it wasn't the way they would have conducted the event.
At one point, moderator Don Kenney joked that the one incumbent in the race ---- Ann Kulchin, 76 ---- should answer a question about the city's pension system because she was about 110 years old.
During another moment, he directed a question about how the city could improve teen activities to the youngest candidate in the race ---- 19-year-old Evan Delaney Rodgers, saying, "You're the only one close to that age group."
There are two seats up for election in November ---- the one held for nearly three decades by Kulchin and one currently held by Julie Nygaard, who is not running.
Kulchin told the crowd of some 100 people at Monday's event that Carlsbad has fully funded its employee pension system each year, unlike the financially troubled city of San Diego.
However, she added, Carlsbad's mayor is looking into transitioning from the current pension system to a less-costly, two-tiered system. Such a system would leave current employees' benefits untouched, but reduce pension benefits for new employees.
Most Carlsbad city employees now are eligible for a 3-percent-at-age-60 plan. Under that program, employees who retire at age 60 can collect a pension of 3 percent of their highest salary multiplied by the number of years they've worked for the city.
For an employee who has worked 30 years, the pension benefit would be 90 percent of his or her top pay. Public safety employees get their benefits earlier ---- they're on a 3-percent-at-50 plan.
Such city plans becoming increasingly common across the region and critics have called them overly generous.
Council candidate Farrah Douglas, a print shop co-owner who serves on the city's Planning Commission, said Monday that city employees pay very little into the pension system on an annual basis prior to retirement ---- 1 percent of the required annual contribution.
The rest of the tab is picked up by the city, she said, adding that a two-tiered system merits investigation.
Candidate Glenn Bernard, a former Marine who has worked in real estate, said many expenses at City Hall could be reduced and that Marines at Camp Pendleton would be happy to get the salaries the city pays out.
Meanwhile, candidate Keith Blackburn, a Carlsbad police sergeant, said he believes that the 30-second time limit prevented him from giving a full rebuttal of Arnold's comments about public safety employee pensions bankrupting the city.
"I feel that 30 seconds is not enough time to share factual information rather than political propaganda," he said.
Don't be like Jerome Stocks and get paid off (political contributions) by the public employees unions to ignore the problem and support greater and greater benefits which cost our City mutli-millions each year.
The City Pensions are the biggest cost issue facing our City and need to be a major issue of the campaign.
Don't be like our Democratic and republican congress that ignore the spending and debt problem of their government for decades and then scream emergency and expect the citizens to pay for their inability to create and manage a balanced budget.
Its not our money to spend in the first place. Its criminal to live on the future earnings of our children and grandchildren.. The deficit spending of our children and grandchildren’s future has to stop.
Please make this a major issue in the campaign. So far, only Joe has even mentioned the topic. I would like to hear this discussed at the next two candidate forums.
So, how did that work out with you voting for Perot? Are we better off because of it? This time it is different. Eight years of Rep. lesdership has gotten into this horrible position we are in. No vote for a third pary will help to begin to repair our situation in our country and the world.
I think that I read about the San Dieguito Water District's issue in the Coast News, not the Reader, however I am not sure. Or even the NCTimes. Will get back to you all on this. But it is true from what I read.
This was in the Reader; Stories Encinitas | Neighborhood News
Financial Waterboarding By Dorian Hargrove | Published Monday, Sept. 29, 2008 Text size: A | A | A Send to a Friend | E-mail the Editor Printer Friendly
James Bond, councilmember for the City of Encinitas, serves as chairman of the budget-and-finance committee for the Metropolitan Water District — the multi-member agency responsible for supplying water to nearly 16 million residents throughout Southern California.
San Diego County is one of the six Southern California counties that pays the Metropolitan Water District for its domestic and municipal water.
According to their website, “Metropolitan will carefully manage the rate-setting process to maximize cost certainty and minimize cost increases for our member agencies. Equally important to our financial stability is the prudent and efficient management of Metropolitan resources. With inflationary pressures increasing, creative efforts at cost containment and budget control will become even more important.”
At the September 24th meeting of the regional San Dieguito Water District, one of the agencies that comprise the Metropolitan Water District, Bond updated his fellow members on the Metropolitan Water District’s board meeting that had taken place the day before.
Apparently, some of the “creative efforts” mentioned on Metropolitan’s website to ensure financial stability included playing the stock market: $5 million worth of capital was invested in the Lehman Brothers global investment firm.
Bond explained in a somber tone, “On Friday it was an A-rated investment, and on Monday they were bankrupt. The value of that money, at the current market rate, is 30 percent of the value.”
Bond continued by saying the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District decided to ignore the policy of promptly selling off bad stocks in hopes things might turn around.
“The plunge was so quick and so great that the value could at least go up to 50 cents on the dollar before we sold it. It would be prudent to see what happens; we aren’t going to lose much more than we already have lost.”
The councilman went on to say that a while back the water district also opted for some $550 million worth of bonds. “Anybody going into the bond market now would need a saliva test because it’s not where you want to be.”
Bond said the water district has got money in the reserves and will subsist on those funds until the market stabilizes.
For a full financial report on the Metropolitan Water District and their financial savvy, go to mwdh2o.com.
It's the Democrats (Obama) and ACORN forcing banks to give sub prime loans to those who don't qualify for them and couldn't pay them back that got us here.
Socialism does not work. Never has, never will.
Don't try and use this as an excuse to vote for Obama.
ha, last anon you were just listening to Glen Beck on the way home too. Comon', do you really believe that affirmative action loans to minorities caused 700 billion dollars in damage and took down the entire US banking system? Don't buy into that racist propaganda.
It makes me very sad to think that so many people believe anything Glen Beck says. He is an example of the kind of thinking that produces, "I think she would be a great vice president, cause she is just like me." Not well informed and a very small world view and revile in mediocrity.
To.............."I am glad I voted for Perot and Paul. I did not vote for the problems. How did voting for Clinton and Bush work out?....."Next time choose your candidate more closely.... like one that will reduce spending and the debt."
Bush hasn't worked out too well, I agree. But Clinton was the one that reduced spending and the debt, if that what you were asking. And I think our presidents should get blow jobs whenever they want. It is a very stressful job.
I vote for planning for the streetscape and build it as we get the money, and until then putting all way stops at Grandview and other key intersections to address the problems today.
We should not have to wait 20 years for the safety issues to be addressed.
This is ridiculous. Don’t we learn anything from the death of racing cars along this stretch of road?
typical steroetyping -- no I am not a state employee -- I am self-employed running a small business -- I don't have PERS and believe I will never retire given the way this country is going.
Boy us the baby boomers sure jacked up this Country for future generation.
ReplyDeleteWe will go down as the selfish hippy generation that ended up selling out the country, kids and grandkids future.
3rd World here we come.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe no one has blamed all of this on Jerome yet.
ReplyDeleteNo, Jerome didn't do this. A bunch of REPUBLICANS and DEMOCRATS who have been bought off and were total idiots.
ReplyDeleteHey, just like Jerome!
This is California where Obama is going to win by well over 10%. Vote for either Nader or Barr:
http://www.lp.org/
http://www.votenader.org/
I will definitely not vote for the problem which is the current republicans and democrats.... they are essentially all Republicrats selling out the future of America.
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to see. The congress and white house are the worse in history. They should all be hung for treason.
I will be voting for 3rd party and no incumbents.
Voting for a party that will not possibly win does not make any sense. Make a difference.
ReplyDeleteDon’t waste your vote.
A vote for the party that was not the party that caused the problems does make sense.
The entire world, not just your zip code, need to see that the US is ready to change the hard greedy stances, corporation friendly policies, national divisive strategies and Bush policies and doctrine that got us into this morass.
Vote.
Vote Obama.
Why is it that Republicans so fervently believe that their party is the only party
ReplyDeletethat could possibly fix all the horrible problems that have been caused by their party?
Growing Government Programs that give out tax dollars and employing bigger government employees unions just adds spending government money and does nothing to improve productive jobs that add to the value of our country and the economy. Geeze- there are so many Americans that have no clue about free enterprise and budgets.
ReplyDeleteThe democratic platform of big government is flawed to its core.
New parties need to come into existence and the big government spending concept does not work.....
Our country is heading in the complete wrong direction and fast
If you truly are going to vote for a Republican or Democrat, than you are not only wasting your vote; your mentality is a big part of the reason why the USA is heading down hill.
ReplyDeleteAllowing Congress to borrow against our own Children and Grandchildren's future is pathetic.
Credit and debt got us into this mess, more of the same will not get us out.
I can't believe either the selfishness or the stupidity of the American public.
If you care about the children and future generations of America, do not be a part of the problem and vote for a Democrat or Republican. Become a part of the solution, vote for change- a 3rd party
If you truly are going to vote for a Republican or Democrat, than you are not only wasting your vote; your mentality is a big part of the reason why the USA is heading down hill.
ReplyDeleteAllowing Congress to borrow against our own Children and Grandchildren's future is pathetic.
Credit and debt got us into this mess, more of the same will not get us out.
I can't believe either the selfishness or the stupidity of the American public.
If you care about the children and future generations of America, do not be a part of the problem and vote for a Democrat or Republican. Become a part of the solution, vote for change- a 3rd party
Friends,
ReplyDeleteLet me cut to the chase. The biggest robbery in the history of this country is taking place as you read this. Though no guns are being used, 300 million hostages are being taken. Make no mistake about it: After stealing a half trillion dollars to line the pockets of their war-profiteering backers for the past five years, after lining the pockets of their fellow oilmen to the tune of over a hundred billion dollars in just the last two years, Bush and his cronies -- who must soon vacate the White House -- are looting the U.S. Treasury of every dollar they can grab. They are swiping as much of the silverware as they can on their way out the door.
No matter what they say, no matter how many scare words they use, they are up to their old tricks of creating fear and confusion in order to make and keep themselves and the upper one percent filthy rich. Just read the first four paragraphs of the lead story in last Monday's New York Times and you can see what the real deal is:
"Even as policy makers worked on details of a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it.
"Financial firms were lobbying to have all manner of troubled investments covered, not just those related to mortgages.
"At the same time, investment firms were jockeying to oversee all the assets that Treasury plans to take off the books of financial institutions, a role that could earn them hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees.
"Nobody wants to be left out of Treasury's proposal to buy up bad assets of financial institutions."
Unbelievable. Wall Street and its backers created this mess and now they are going to clean up like bandits. Even Rudy Giuliani is lobbying for his firm to be hired (and paid) to "consult" in the bailout.
The problem is, nobody truly knows what this "collapse" is all about. Even Treasury Secretary Paulson admitted he doesn't know the exact amount that is needed (he just picked the $700 billion number out of his head!). The head of the congressional budget office said he can't figure it out nor can he explain it to anyone.
And yet, they are screeching about how the end is near! Panic! Recession! The Great Depression! Y2K! Bird flu! Killer bees! We must pass the bailout bill today!! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Falling for whom? NOTHING in this "bailout" package will lower the price of the gas you have to put in your car to get to work. NOTHING in this bill will protect you from losing your home. NOTHING in this bill will give you health insurance.
Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?
It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.
This bailout's mission is to protect the obscene amount of wealth that has been accumulated in the last eight years. It's to protect the top shareholders who own and control corporate America. It's to make sure their yachts and mansions and "way of life" go uninterrupted while the rest of America suffers and struggles to pay the bills. Let the rich suffer for once. Let them pay for the bailout. We are spending 400 million dollars a day on the war in Iraq. Let them end the war immediately and save us all another half-trillion dollars!
I have to stop writing this and you have to stop reading it. They are staging a financial coup this morning in our country. They are hoping Congress will act fast before they stop to think, before we have a chance to stop them ourselves. So stop reading this and do something -- NOW! Here's what you can do immediately:
1. Call or e-mail Senator Obama. Tell him he does not need to be sitting there trying to help prop up Bush and Cheney and the mess they've made. Tell him we know he has the smarts to slow this thing down and figure out what's the best route to take. Tell him the rich have to pay for whatever help is offered. Use the leverage we have now to insist on a moratorium on home foreclosures, to insist on a move to universal health coverage, and tell him that we the people need to be in charge of the economic decisions that affect our lives, not the barons of Wall Street.
2. Take to the streets. Participate in one of the hundreds of quickly-called demonstrations that are taking place all over the country (especially those near Wall Street and DC).
3. Call your Representative in Congress and your Senators. (click here to find their phone numbers). Tell them what you told Senator Obama.
When you screw up in life, there is hell to pay. Each and every one of you reading this knows that basic lesson and has paid the consequences of your actions at some point. In this great democracy, we cannot let there be one set of rules for the vast majority of hard-working citizens, and another set of rules for the elite, who, when they screw up, are handed one more gift on a silver platter. No more! Not again!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Having read further the details of this bailout bill, you need to know you are being lied to. They talk about how they will prevent golden parachutes. It says NOTHING about what these executives and fat cats will make in SALARY. According to Rep. Brad Sherman of California, these top managers will continue to receive million-dollar-a-month paychecks under this new bill. There is no direct ownership given to the American people for the money being handed over. Foreign banks and investors will be allowed to receive billion-dollar handouts. A large chunk of this $700 billion is going to be given directly to Chinese and Middle Eastern banks. There is NO guarantee of ever seeing that money again.
P.P.S. From talking to people I know in DC, they say the reason so many Dems are behind this is because Wall Street this weekend put a gun to their heads and said either turn over the $700 billion or the first thing we'll start blowing up are the pension funds and 401(k)s of your middle class constituents. The Dems are scared they may make good on their threat. But this is not the time to back down or act like the typical Democrat we have witnessed for the last eight years. The Dems handed a stolen election over to Bush. The Dems gave Bush the votes he needed to invade a sovereign country. Once they took over Congress in 2007, they refused to pull the plug on the war. And now they have been cowered into being accomplices in the crime of the century. You have to call them now and say "NO!" If we let them do this, just imagine how hard it will be to get anything good done when President Obama is in the White House. THESE DEMOCRATS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE BACKBONE WE GIVE THEM. CALL CONGRESS NOW.
It failed in Congress as of an hour ago. However, they are re-grouping to see if they can get it passed.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/29/miron.bailout/index.html
ReplyDeletewhere is my golden parachute?
ReplyDeleteall i am getting is golden showers.
Don't throw away your vote and vote for those that caused this problem.
ReplyDeleteDon't vote Democrat or Republicans. Show the world that the American babyboomers have 1/2 a brain and can see they were screwed the the two parties.
Vote 3rd party and lets get the needed change underway.
Did you read the Reader article about the San Dieguito Water District investing $5 mil in Lehman Bros? What the hell is government doing investing in the stock market! That is not a conservative investment, and when the stock started to turn south, they decided to wait and see if it would improve -- gambling with public money -- who is on the Board of Directors, they should all have STUPID tattoed on their foreheads.
ReplyDeleteTattoo them first and then
ReplyDeleteFire those in charge of the gambling with public funds.
voting for a third party won't solve anything at this point, there is no viable third party and all your vote will do is be a cast-off. Change means Obama, like it or not. McCain doesn't have the intellect nor humility to lead our country. I am surprise, perhaps naive, that an administration could take down everything good in our country in 8 short years. Bush had undermined the judicial branch, the executive branch and the legislative branch. The way he did this is by pandering to FEAR and LOATHING (completely missing the point of Hunter S. Thompson) hopefully -- Bush is BUSHED. Thank god he doesn't have any sons, as this country will not buy into nepotism if your offspring is a female. So much for democratic nepotism.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics JP. Dr. Evil has never looked more sinister.
ReplyDeleteBonddi- As we all know, you are part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteA vote for a Democrat is part of the problem.
Your right, you are not throwing away your vote, You are voting for continuing to create the huge problem we are in.
Government cannot employ, pay for everybody to be on workfare, and provide free healthcare and education for the world. It simply won’t work from an economic standpoint. We will quickly become communistic with a big brother type of government and blogs like this will be monitored and Bonddi you will lose your liberty.
Don't throw away Country, make your vote count and vote 3rd party.
I always vote on who I feel is the best candidate, not who I think will win.
To do otherwise is asinine.
If a few of you would not have voted in favor of the problem in 1992, We may not be in this mess. We would have had a great President with Ross Perot instead of pathetic Billy, sell out your country and chase shirk, Clinton.
“……At one point in June, Perot led the polls with 39% (versus 31% for Bush and 25% for Clinton). Just prior to the debates, Perot received 7-9% support in nationwide polls. [12] It is likely that the debates played a significant role in his ultimate receipt of 19% of the popular vote. Although his answers during the debates were often general, many Democrats and Republicans conceded that Perot won at least the first debate. In debate he is noted to have said: "Keep in mind our Constitution predates the Industrial Revolution. Our founders did not know about electricity, the train, telephones, radio, television, automobiles, airplanes, rockets, nuclear weapons, satellites, or space exploration. There's a lot they didn't know about. It would be interesting to see what kind of document they'd draft today. Just keeping it frozen in time won't hack it."[citation needed]
Perot denounced Congress for its inaction. Washington, Perot said,
… has become a town filled with sound bites, shell games, handlers, media stuntmen who posture, create images, talk, shoot off Roman candles, but don't ever accomplish anything. We need deeds, not words, in this city.[citation needed]
In the 1992 election, he received 18.9% of the popular vote - approximately 19,741,065 votes (but no electoral college votes), making him the most successful third-party presidential candidate in terms of the popular vote since Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. Perot managed to finish second in two states: In Maine, Perot received 30.44% of the vote to Bush's 30.39% (Clinton won Maine with 38.77%); In Utah, Perot received 27.34% of the vote to Clinton's 24.65% (Bush won Utah with 43.36%).
A detailed analysis of the voting demographics revealed that Perot's support drew heavily from across the political spectrum, with 20% of his votes coming from self-described liberals, 27% from self-described conservatives, and 53% coming from self-described moderates. Economically, however, the majority of Perot voters (57%) were middle class, earning between $15,000 and $49,000 annually, with the bulk of the remainder drawing from the upper middle class (29% earning over $50,000 annually).[13] Exit polls also showed that Ross Perot drew 38% of his vote from Bush, and 38% of his vote from Clinton, while the rest of his voters would have stayed home in his absence on the ballot[14].
Based on his performance in the popular vote in 1992, Perot was entitled to receive federal election funding for 1996. Perot remained in the public eye after the election and championed opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), urging voters to listen for the "giant sucking sound" of American jobs heading south to Mexico should NAFTA be ratified.
The extent of the impact of Perot dropping out of the race will never be fully known. Some argue that he may have ended up winning the race.[15] “
Never vote against your country again, vote 3rd party.
CARLSBAD ---- One City Council candidate told Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary club members Monday that the city employee pension system could eventually bankrupt Carlsbad, while another declared that this was simply political propaganda.
ReplyDeleteTwo other candidates said the city should explore a two-tiered system, which would give future employees a less-costly pension system.
A fifth candidate declared that city government in general should be reduced, and the sixth one said she would look into the issue and post a response on her Web site.
Right from the start, the candidates forum had startled some Rotary club members because of its informal nature.
Candidates' responses in some cases were limited to 30 seconds or less, and jokes regularly flew about everything from the moderator's chattiness to the candidates' ages.
Several club members could be heard muttering afterward that it wasn't the way they would have conducted the event.
At one point, moderator Don Kenney joked that the one incumbent in the race ---- Ann Kulchin, 76 ---- should answer a question about the city's pension system because she was about 110 years old.
During another moment, he directed a question about how the city could improve teen activities to the youngest candidate in the race ---- 19-year-old Evan Delaney Rodgers, saying, "You're the only one close to that age group."
There are two seats up for election in November ---- the one held for nearly three decades by Kulchin and one currently held by Julie Nygaard, who is not running.
Kulchin told the crowd of some 100 people at Monday's event that Carlsbad has fully funded its employee pension system each year, unlike the financially troubled city of San Diego.
However, she added, Carlsbad's mayor is looking into transitioning from the current pension system to a less-costly, two-tiered system. Such a system would leave current employees' benefits untouched, but reduce pension benefits for new employees.
Most Carlsbad city employees now are eligible for a 3-percent-at-age-60 plan. Under that program, employees who retire at age 60 can collect a pension of 3 percent of their highest salary multiplied by the number of years they've worked for the city.
For an employee who has worked 30 years, the pension benefit would be 90 percent of his or her top pay. Public safety employees get their benefits earlier ---- they're on a 3-percent-at-50 plan.
Such city plans becoming increasingly common across the region and critics have called them overly generous.
Council candidate Farrah Douglas, a print shop co-owner who serves on the city's Planning Commission, said Monday that city employees pay very little into the pension system on an annual basis prior to retirement ---- 1 percent of the required annual contribution.
The rest of the tab is picked up by the city, she said, adding that a two-tiered system merits investigation.
Candidate Glenn Bernard, a former Marine who has worked in real estate, said many expenses at City Hall could be reduced and that Marines at Camp Pendleton would be happy to get the salaries the city pays out.
Meanwhile, candidate Keith Blackburn, a Carlsbad police sergeant, said he believes that the 30-second time limit prevented him from giving a full rebuttal of Arnold's comments about public safety employee pensions bankrupting the city.
"I feel that 30 seconds is not enough time to share factual information rather than political propaganda," he said.
Dear Council Candidates-
ReplyDeleteDon't be like Jerome Stocks and get paid off (political contributions) by the public employees unions to ignore the problem and support greater and greater benefits which cost our City mutli-millions each year.
The City Pensions are the biggest cost issue facing our City and need to be a major issue of the campaign.
Don't be like our Democratic and republican congress that ignore the spending and debt problem of their government for decades and then scream emergency and expect the citizens to pay for their inability to create and manage a balanced budget.
Its not our money to spend in the first place. Its criminal to live on the future earnings of our children and grandchildren.. The deficit spending of our children and grandchildren’s future has to stop.
Please make this a major issue in the campaign. So far, only Joe has even mentioned the topic. I would like to hear this discussed at the next two candidate forums.
So, how did that work out with you voting for Perot?
ReplyDeleteAre we better off because of it?
This time it is different.
Eight years of Rep. lesdership has gotten into this horrible position we are in. No vote for a third pary will help to begin to repair our situation in our country and the world.
Bonddi...more information please. Can't find an article on the Reader's website about San Dieguito Water District.
ReplyDeleteJim Bond did say at the last city council meeting that San Diego County Water Authority had $5mil with Lehman Brothers.
I am glad I voted for Perot and Paul. I did not vote for the problems.
ReplyDeleteHow did voting for Clinton and Bush work out?.....
Oh yeah..... we are in a world of shit because the government ran up the debt and we are about to turn fucking communist.
Thanks for putting Clinton and Bush in office.
Next time choose your candidate more closely.... like one that will reduce spending and the debt.
I think that I read about the San Dieguito Water District's issue in the Coast News, not the Reader, however I am not sure. Or even the NCTimes. Will get back to you all on this. But it is true from what I read.
ReplyDeleteThis was in the Reader;
ReplyDeleteStories Encinitas | Neighborhood News
Financial Waterboarding
By Dorian Hargrove | Published Monday, Sept. 29, 2008
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James Bond, councilmember for the City of Encinitas, serves as chairman of the budget-and-finance committee for the Metropolitan Water District — the multi-member agency responsible for supplying water to nearly 16 million residents throughout Southern California.
San Diego County is one of the six Southern California counties that pays the Metropolitan Water District for its domestic and municipal water.
According to their website, “Metropolitan will carefully manage the rate-setting process to maximize cost certainty and minimize cost increases for our member agencies. Equally important to our financial stability is the prudent and efficient management of Metropolitan resources. With inflationary pressures increasing, creative efforts at cost containment and budget control will become even more important.”
At the September 24th meeting of the regional San Dieguito Water District, one of the agencies that comprise the Metropolitan Water District, Bond updated his fellow members on the Metropolitan Water District’s board meeting that had taken place the day before.
Apparently, some of the “creative efforts” mentioned on Metropolitan’s website to ensure financial stability included playing the stock market: $5 million worth of capital was invested in the Lehman Brothers global investment firm.
Bond explained in a somber tone, “On Friday it was an A-rated investment, and on Monday they were bankrupt. The value of that money, at the current market rate, is 30 percent of the value.”
Bond continued by saying the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District decided to ignore the policy of promptly selling off bad stocks in hopes things might turn around.
“The plunge was so quick and so great that the value could at least go up to 50 cents on the dollar before we sold it. It would be prudent to see what happens; we aren’t going to lose much more than we already have lost.”
The councilman went on to say that a while back the water district also opted for some $550 million worth of bonds. “Anybody going into the bond market now would need a saliva test because it’s not where you want to be.”
Bond said the water district has got money in the reserves and will subsist on those funds until the market stabilizes.
For a full financial report on the Metropolitan Water District and their financial savvy, go to mwdh2o.com.
It's the Democrats (Obama) and ACORN forcing banks to give sub prime loans to those who don't qualify for them and couldn't pay them back that got us here.
ReplyDeleteSocialism does not work. Never has, never will.
Don't try and use this as an excuse to vote for Obama.
ha, last anon you were just listening to Glen Beck on the way home too. Comon', do you really believe that affirmative action loans to minorities caused 700 billion dollars in damage and took down the entire US banking system? Don't buy into that racist propaganda.
ReplyDeleteThanks JP. That was great.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me very sad to think that so many people believe anything Glen Beck says.
He is an example of the kind of thinking that produces, "I think she would be a great vice president, cause she is just like me." Not well informed and a very small world view and revile in mediocrity.
To.............."I am glad I voted for Perot and Paul. I did not vote for the problems. How did voting for Clinton and Bush work out?....."Next time choose your candidate more closely.... like one that will reduce spending and the debt."
ReplyDeleteBush hasn't worked out too well, I agree. But Clinton was the one that reduced spending and the debt, if that what you were asking.
And I think our presidents should get blow jobs whenever they want. It is a very stressful job.
the Clintons like Obama support big government, big govenment give outs, big govenment health care, big government workfare.......
ReplyDeletethe democratic platform is all about the big government will take care of you. With Huge costs.
Flawed from the start.
vote 3rd party and get plenty of blowjobs.
bonddi - how is your PERS state pension doing? Still collecting the checks?
ReplyDeleteI vote for planning for the streetscape and build it as we get the money, and until then putting all way stops at Grandview and other key intersections to address the problems today.
ReplyDeleteWe should not have to wait 20 years for the safety issues to be addressed.
This is ridiculous. Don’t we learn anything from the death of racing cars along this stretch of road?
City Council- Do you care?
typical steroetyping -- no I am not a state employee -- I am self-employed running a small business -- I don't have PERS and believe I will never retire given the way this country is going.
ReplyDeletebonddi - do you not have a retirement pension from the state school system or are you just lying about your resume?
ReplyDelete