Counting continues in Minnesota

Counting of ballots continues in Minnesota from the senate elections that took place on November 4th, almost two months ago. The senate race is between republican Norm Coleman and democrat Al Franken, both of whom are famous entertainment figures. Coleman won the initial count by 215 votes, but after the Franken campaign found out that some 12,000 absentee ballots were disregarded, they demanded a recount. In the recount Franken is maintaining an approximate 50 vote lead.

Both Coleman's and Franken's campaign are arguing that certain ballots shouldn't be counted for a variety of reasons. No matter who wins, the other side will be forced to take it in stride, but deep down will feel that the win was illegitimate. I thought that we had this voting ballot thing fixed after what went down in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. We sent people into space about 50 years ago, but in 2009 we are still having issues with our voting system. We can do better.

Rod Blagojevich, defiant to say the least

What has Rod Blagojevich been drinking? Everybody from Democrats to Republicans, citizens to Senators, reporters to President-elect Barack Obama has been asking that Blagojevich resign from his position as Illinois Governor in order for there to be a fair and just way to select a Senator to fill Barack Obama's vacant senate seat. Blagojevich, who was arrested less than a month ago for trying to sell this very senate seat, not only disregarded the calls to resign by all 50 democratic Senators and officials throughout Illinois, but even had the nerve to appoint Roland Burris to the senate seat.



I am not doubting that Burris, former Attorney General of Illinois, will not do a fine job as a Governor of Illinois, nor am I doubting that he has absolutely no connection to the Blagojevich scandal. What bothers me however is that Blagojevich has some very serious allegations against him, and it is very unlikely that his choice to appoint Burris to the senate seat will have any bearing when this is all said and done. Blagojevich insisted that "this is about Roland Burris as a U.S. senator, not about the governor who made the appointment". Unfortunately Mr. Blagojevich, it is about you. See, if you are found guilty of the allegations against you, your appointment will have lost all value. The circus that went on in Illinois today went as far as to bring the issue of race to the table when it was said that people "should not hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer".

It is obvious that Blagojevich is in complete denial. Even if he is found innocent when this is all said and done, he will still not have the trust from the people who once elected him fit to be governor of their state. Blagojevich is in his own little world, not even able to take the word from his lawyer who recently said that there would be no point in the governor naming someone to the Senate because leaders there would reject his appointment. My advice to you Mr. Blagojevich, resign so that your name is not tarnished more than it already is, thus allowing for a more just way to select a senator to fill Obama's seat. In the mean time enjoy this video of today's press conference, in which Blagojevich gets some much deserved heat from reporters.

Blagojevich Nominates Roland Burris to Senate Seat

Despite looming threats from Senate Democrats to block Blagojevich's pick, the corrupt Illinois Governor has gone ahead and done so anyway.

"The people of Illinois are entitled to have two U.S. Senators," said Blagojevich, whose arrest on corruption charges earlier this month places Burris' appointment under a cloud. "If I don't make this appointment then the people of Illinois will be deprived."

Man, this guy's got balls. Everyosne knows he's blatantly guilty but he just goes on and puts his man out there anyway. He's the Suge Knight of Politics.
So far, this Burris guy seems to be clean. No prostitutes, mattress money, or evidence of Chicago thuggery yet; impressive for an Illinois politician.

By the way, is it me or is Caroline Kennedy seeming like more of a bitch lately?

Israel-Hamas at war again

It looks like President-elect Barack Obama has another major issue to deal with when he takes office in less than a month. A full out war has once again ensued between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, based in Gaza. There is no way this fighting will come to an end without a powerful nation, such as the United States, stepping in with some kind of diplomatic solutions.

The six month Egyption-brokered cease fire between Hamas and Israel ended when Hamas began to launch missiles into Israel just a few days ago. Since then Israel has fought back very aggressively, killing more than 350 Palestinians. The White House has spoken out against Hamas, saying that "Hamas has once again shown its true colors as a terrorist organization that has refused to recognize Israel's right to exist...in order for the violence to stop, Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel and agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire." This did not stop Hamas from launching another 100-some missiles on Sunday and Monday.

President Bush did not condemn Israel for their attacks against Gaza, he just asked Isreael to avoid civilian casualties. There have been at least 50 civilian deaths in Gaza over the past 3 days, but the vast majority of deaths have been Hamas militants. The problem is that Hamas bases much of their strongholds near populated civilian towns, as well as near universities and mosques. In order to help the civilians that have been killed and wounded, Israel allowed more than 50 trucks carrying relief aid into Gaza on Monday, in addition to 40 on Sunday.

United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-moon condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas, but also spoke out against Israel. He had this to say, "While recognizing Israel's right to defend itself, I have also condemned the excessive use of force by Israel in Gaza. The suffering caused to civilian populations as a result of the large-scale violence and destruction that have taken place over the past few days has saddened me profoundly".


To make things worse, several other anti-Israeli leaders are calling on Arabs across the middle east to "get involved". For example, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's religious leader, condemned the silence of some Arab countries.

In both Syria and Beirut protesters flocked to the streets burning Israeli and American flags while waving Hamas banners and Palestinian flags. Violent protests have also been taking place in Britain, Greece, and Turkey.

In addition, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebonese Shiite militant group "Hezbollah", expressed his support for Hamas and told his followers that he beleives Israel may wage a two-front war against them as well, something that Israel did in 2006. He also spoke out against Egypt for helping Israel by closing its borders to Gaza, telling them that “If you don’t open your borders, you are accomplices in the killing".

Things in the middle east are bound to get worse before they get any better. Obama, as if he didn't have enough on his plate already, will have some major work to do in the middle east when he takes office on January 20th, 2009. A cease fire can only last for so long, some real progress needs to be made in the war torn land. Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton will be key figures in trying to broker a solution to the middle eastern dilemna that has been going on for decades.

Auto Bailout

I hope by now you are all familiar with the problems that have been facing the American auto industry, most notably GM, Ford, and Chrysler. I have spent a great deal of time talking about the American auto issue because this sole industry alone could have drastic effects on our economy, which is already in the ruts. If you are not that familiar with the problem, please read the articles on this blog entitled "To bail or not to bail, that is the question" from November 24th, "Bail the big three?" from December 2nd, and "Bailout right around the corner" from December 8th.

The American auto industry is in very bad shape. If the American auto industry goes, so do at least 3 million American jobs. The CEO's of Ford, GM, and Chrysler have been asking for a 35 billion dollar loan from congress in order to help their companies stay afloat. Recently, congress apporved of a 17.4 billion dollar loan, almost 20 billion smaller than what they were asking for. Unfortunately, this money is slowly dissapearing with absolutely nothing to show for it. The companies have continued to go on with their old ways, and have not figured out a way to become competitive with foreign auto comapanies like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc. Congress handed over this loan with almost zero conditions, just asking that the auto companies get their wage structure in line with foreign carmakers.



I think that congress and the Bush administration did a horrible job with the auto bailout situation. I think that congress should have told GM, Chrysler, and Ford that if we (government) are going to give you (auto industry) this loan, you (auto industry) must completely change your way of doing business, which has obviously not been working. Instead, government asked the auto industry to cut wages, making the middle class poorer, and aside from that the auto industry has been going on with business as usual. Michael Moore wrote a letter to the American public in which he was also very critical of how congress and the Bush Administration handled the auto bailout situation, please take a minute to read it. (Note that Moore was very critical of the republicans in his letter, blaming them for the cut in autoworker wages that congress voted upon. I disagree with Moore in this regard, because the Democrats have the majority in congress, and the bill would not have passed if it were not for a majority vote.)

Friends,

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers start building only cars and mass transit that reduce our dependency on oil.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers build cars that reduce global warming.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers withdraw their many lawsuits against state governments in their attempts to not comply with our environmental laws.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the management team which drove these once-great manufacturers into the ground resign and be replaced with a team who understands the transportation needs of the 21st century.

Yes, they could have given the loan for any of these reasons because, in the end, to lose our manufacturing infrastructure and throw 3 million people out of work would be a catastrophe.

But instead, the Senate said, we'll give you the loan only if the factory workers take a $20 an hour cut in wages, pension and health care. That's right. After giving BILLIONS to Wall Street hucksters and criminal investment bankers -- billions with no strings attached and, as we have since learned, no oversight whatsoever -- the Senate decided it is more important to break a union, more important to throw middle class wage earners into the ranks of the working poor than to prevent the total collapse of industrial America.

We have a little more than a month to go of this madness. As I sit here in Michigan today, tens of thousands of hard working, honest, decent Americans do not believe they can make it to January 20th. The malaise here is astounding. Why must they suffer because of the mistakes of every CEO from Roger Smith to Rick Wagoner? Make management and the boards of directors and the shareholders pay for this.

Of course that is heresy to the 31 Republicans who decided to blame the poor, miserable autoworkers for this mess. And our wonderful media complied with their spin on the morning news shows: "UAW Refuses to Give Concessions Killing Auto Bailout Bill." In fact the UAW has given concession after concession, reduced their benefits, agreed to get rid of the Jobs Bank and agreed to make it harder for their retirees to live from week to week. Yes! That's what we need to do! It's the Jobs Bank and the old people who have led the nation to economic ruin!

But even doing all that wasn't enough to satisfy the bastard Republicans. These Senate vampires wanted blood. Blue collar blood. You see, they weren't opposed to the bailout because they believed in the free market or capitalism. No, they were opposed to the bailout because they're opposed to workers making a decent wage. In their rage, they were driven to destroy the backbone of this country, not because the UAW hadn't given back enough, but because the UAW hadn't given up.

It appears that the sitting President has been looking for a way to end his reign by one magnanimous act, just like a warlord on his feast day. He will put his finger in the dyke, and the fragile mess of an auto industry will eke through the next few months.

That will give the Senate enough time to demand that the bankers and investment sharks who've already swiped nearly half of the $700 billion gift a chance to make the offer of cutting their pay.

Fat chance.

Yours,
Michael Moore

American Economy: Good or Bad?

A recent poll conducted by CNN shows that more than 9 out of every 10 American citizens believe that the economic conditions in this country are very poor. With the economy being the number one issue for Americans today, it was not surprising that 93% of those polled thought that the state of our economy is absolutely horrible. What was surprising was that there were 7% who believe the economy is in good shape. These 7% must also be the same people that made up the 1% who said Dick Cheney was the best vice-president in American history, in another recent CNN poll (see article below). Here are some facts about the economic conditions America is facing today:

1. Energy costs have gone way up. Rising costs of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas are hurting everybody in America.
2. Housing market is horrible. American's are being kicked out of their homes, the property value of their homes have dropped, and people are unable to attain home loans.
3. Incomes have declined dramatically. From 2000 to 2007 the average household income decreased by $2,0000. It has gotten much worse with the recession we have found ourselves in over the past year.
4. Unemployment has gone way up. About 2 million Americans have lost their jobs in 2008 alone. If nothing is done unemployment is expected to jump to a national average of 9% over the next year.
5. There have been record deficits and debt. Our national debt has increased by over $3 trillion under President Bush.
6. College education costs have risen. Over the past 8 years college tuition has gone up by an average of 60%.
7. Healthcare costs have risen. Over the past 8 years healthcare costs have increased by an average of 78%.
8. Hard working people aren't able to retire. Retirement savings accounts have lost $2 trillion.
9. The stock market has gone way down. Markets have fallen 40% in less than a year. About 3 months ago, on September 29th, the Dow Jones Industrial fell 777 points. It was the biggest single day drop in history.

Make your own assumptions about the American economy, do you think it's good or bad?

Dick Cheney reveals the truth in interviews

This past week Dick Cheney was interviewed by Fox News and ABC News. With less than 30 days left in office, Cheney talked about his past eight years working with the Bush administration, in which he said he had no regrets or apologies. Cheney, who Joe Biden called the "most dangerous" vice-president in US history, said several things that troubled me during the interviews.

1. He suggested that the Bush administration would have gone to war with Iraq even without intelligence proving that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction.

2. He said that he approves of coercive interrogation tactics, including waterboarding.

3. He said that in the event of a nuclear attack, the president should not need any permission to launch a nuclear weapon back, and start a nuclear war. He was quoted as saying (on the topic of launching a nuclear weapon) “The president doesn’t have to check with anybody. He doesn’t have to call the Congress. He doesn’t have to check with the courts. He has that authority because of the nature of the world we live in".

4. Although we are still at war in Iraq, and our economy is going down the drain, and we have not caught Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9/11 and whole reason we started the "war on terror", Cheney still said "I'm very comfortable with where we are and what we've achieved".

5. He did not regret or apologize for saying "fuck off" on the senate floor to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.

6. He doesn't believe politicians should follow polls, and shouldn't use them as a measure of how good, or in his case bad, of a job they are doing. He was quoted as saying "Frankly I would not want to be one of those guys who spends all his time reading the polls. I think people like that shouldn’t serve in these jobs".



Is it just me, or is there a serious problem with Dick Cheney? The majority of Americans agree with me that Cheney was a horrible vice president. In a recent poll conducted by CNN, 1 out of every 5 US citizens said that Cheney was the worst VP in American history. In addition, 64% of those polled said that Cheney was either the worst VP or a poor VP. However, there were still 34% that said Cheney was a good VP, and an entire 1% that thought he was the best VP in American history.



After further study, the poll showed that 100% of the 1% who said Cheney was the best VP have a mental illness. And that is some real talk.

What Will Continue?

Condolezza Rice recently commented that she expects Barack Obama to continue to follow on with Bush's foreign policy. While this may not exactly be the "change" we've been waiting for, I am curious to see how, or even if Barack Obama will strip the country of Bush initiatives.

Here are some questions I have about the upcoming Obama administration:

1. Will he repeal No Child Left Behind?
2. Will he allow the releasing of photos of dead soldiers returning in coffins?
3. Will he gut the Patriot Act?
4. Will NSA wiretapping be absolved?
5. Will he actually pull out of Iraq?

The rhetoric was great, but when he's actually in power, will he have the balls to follow through, or will the Bush Doctrine just be modified?

More bail

A little over 2 months ago the United State's government borrowed 350 billion dollars from China to stimulate our failing economy. Unfortunately, it did not do much, and has apparently gone to waste. The stock market is still falling, unemployment is still rising, families continue to be kicked out of their homes, and not much else is looking good. In fact, Obama's economic team predicts that next year as many as 4 million jobs could be lost, raising unemployment to 9%. Although many are saying that we could be headed into another great depression, which is very possible, unemployment during the great depression reached 25% at its worst.

Obama and his economic team are currently working on another bailout package that will make our previous bail out package of 350 billion look like peanuts. The package that Obama and his staff are working on is looking like a minimum of 600 billion, and could easily reach one trillion. Yes, this is a lot of money, but we have a serious problem on our hands and nobody else is offering a better solution. Hopefully this money will not go to waste, and not be squandered by companies like GM and Chrysler. I have faith in Obama, and believe that he will not hand the money over to irresponsible companies like the ones mentioned, and instead give it to companies that are creating jobs here in America, and use it to help families stay in their homes. In addition to another stimulus package, Obama also has plans to create as many as 3 million jobs in efforts to lower our unemployment rate. Will the Obama administration be able to save us, only time will tell.

Dick Cheney: War Criminal

Recently in an interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz, Vice President Cheney said he, as well as other top officials in the Bush Administration personally approved the CIA's use of torture techniques like waterboarding.  For those who don't know what waterboarding is, here's a little description.

Waterboarding: a form of torture in which the prisoner is immobilized on their back with the head inclined downward while having water poured over the face into the breathing passages.  The person being tortured essentially experiences the process of drowning and is made to believe that death is imminent.  

Well Dick, you've out done yourself this time.  Openly admitting to America's use of torture in the War on Terror on national television.  You are essentially challenging the public to bring legal action against you and others in the Bush-Torture Administration.  But Im sure you're not worried.  On January 20th, you won't take responsibility for the atrocious things that went down under your watch.  After all, isn't that what a pardon is for?

 

Obama: Time Magazine's Person Of The Year

Who didn't see this coming? Other contenders were Sarah Palin and the Chinese guy who directed the frightening Olympics opening ceremony. The first ever black president of the greatest nation in the world will do.

For Many Environmentalist's Obama's Choice's for Energy and Environment positions a Breath of Fresh Air

One of the biggest questions surrounding the incoming Obama Administration is how seriously it will approach our energy and environmental issues.  After 8 years of Bush environmental and energy policy, any step in the right direction is more than welcome.  During the long and drawn out campaign season, President-Elect Obama stated several times his commitment to clean-energy solutions to help battle climate change and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil.  With this weeks announcement of the top Energy and Environmental executive positions, it is clear the President-Elect intends to stay true to his word.  

Secretary of Energy- Dr. Steven Chu

Dr. Chu is a Professor of Physics as well as Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.  He is a strongly committed to researching technology that will reduce green-house gases like, Alternative and clean sources of energy.  Physicists and other scientists are praising Mr. Obama's selection Chu, as he represents the first scientist of his kind to head a major U.S. department that spends over 15 Billion a year on physic's research.  

'Energy Czar'- Carol Browner

Served as EPA Administrator during both terms of Clinton's presidency.  She has a lot experience in environmental-policy making.  Her role as Energy Coordinator will serve as an overseer of the various departments throughout the Administration working on energy and climate-change issues.  

Obama and the team he has assembled understand that climate-change and energy are crucial pieces to the larger puzzle of fixing our broken economy and our nations national security.  Environmental groups such as the NRDC and the Environmental Defense Fund have praised the picks of Obama. Read more here

"Sweet Caroline, good times never seemed so good..."

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, is seeking the senate seat of New York. The seat will need to be filled when current New York Senator Hillary Clinton becomes Secretary of State under President-elect Barack Obama. New York's Governor, David Paterson, holds the authority to appoint the next new senator of New York until the seat is up for re-election in 2010. Paterson confirmed that kennedy has been in contact with him in reference to the vacant senate seat. Her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, was a senator of New York from 1965 until his assassination in 1968. Tragic deaths were not uncommon in her family, as you are probably well aware. For example, she had an older sister and younger brother who both died at child birth, her younger brother John Jr. was killed in a plane crash in 1999, and of course there was her father's assasination in 1963. Tragedy almost struck Caroline in 1975 when she was just 18 years old. She was visiting London when a car bomb went off in a car she was about to get into. Luckily for her she was running late, and only an innocent bystander was killed in the blast. The car belonged to Hugh Fraser, a London conservative politician, whom was hosting Caroline during her stay in London.

Other Democrats that have been mentioned for the appointment of New York's senate seat include New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, U.S. House of Representative members Kirstin Gillibrand, Carolyn Maloney, Brian Higgins, and Steve Israel, as well as Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.

Absolutely Priceless!

Yesterday President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq. It will be his last visit to the war torn country before he steps out of office on January 20th, 2009. During a news conference in Baghdad, an Iraqi television reporter took off his shoes and hurled them at the president (watch video below). Hitting someone with a shoe is a traditional insult in the Arab world, signifying that the person being hit with the shoe is as scummy as the dirt on the bottom of it. The Iraqi television reporter also screamed to President Bush "this is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog". A dog is considered to be a very filthy animal in Arab culture. Bush made light of the situation, laughing while security tackled the man to the ground, and joked with reporters, saying that it was a "size 10 shoe". Bush continued with the news conference, saying that this Iraqi reporter does not reflect how the Iraqi people feel as a whole. Surprisingly enough however, thousands of Iraqis soon flooded the streets and marched in the man's defense. As much as President Bush defends his position on the invasion of Iraq, it is clear that the majority of the world does not want us there, including our own citizens here in America. It is about time that we packed up our bags and left. Enjoy the video.

Bush in Iraq

Today President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq. The visit comes 37 days before Bush steps out of office and hands the war over to President-elect Barack Obama. During Bush's two hour meeting with the Iraqi government, he defended his decision to invade the country nearly 6 years ago. "The work hasn't been easy, but it has been necessary for American security, Iraqi hope and world peace," the president said. "I'm just so grateful I had the chance to come back to Iraq before my presidency ends."

Bush's presidential legacy will forever be linked with his unpopular war. A war that has cost the lives of 4,209 U.S. troops, thousands more of Iraqi civilian lives, has injured thousands of troops and civilians, hundreds who will sit in wheelchairs for the remainder of their lives, and has put a burden on U.S. taxpayers of over $575 billion. Perhaps if we didn't get ourselves into this mess we wouldn't be in a recession, and wouldn't have needed to borrow $700 billion from China in order to stimulate our economy. But it is not fair, nor worth while to speculate on what could have been. We must deal with the present situation at hand. The fact is that we got ourselves into a huge, unnecessary mess and we still have close to 150,000 troops in the war torn country today. Bush insists that we are safer today than we were with Saddam Hussein in power, but was it all really worth it?

Recently the Iraqi and US government's have signed an agreement to withdraw all of our troops by 2011. The question is, is it worth staying in Iraq for another 2 years? Will 2 more years do more positive or negative to the 6 year impact we have already had on Iraq? If 2011 rolls around and the situation in Iraq does not improve, do we stay for another 2 years so that our 4,209 U.S. troops did not die in vain? Has the Vietnam War taught us nothing? Obama has vouched throughout his campaign that he will end the war within 16 months of his presidency. Either way, it appears that we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, it just may not be the brightest light. Enjoy the cartoons, and may God bless our troops.

Fill em' up

We all knew that it couldn't last forever. With our economy in the recession that it's in, prices of goods have dropped in nearly every industry, including the gasoline industry. For the past few months, 86 days to be exact, gas prices have been on the decline. Prices went from an all time national average high of $4.114 a gallon to $1.656 as of last friday according to AAA. However, over the past two consecutive days gas prices have been on the rise. Today the national average of a gallon went up to $1.663. Although this change is miniscule, prices may continue to rise until they are back up to where they were this past summer. So fill up those tanks while gas is still relatively low, because before we know it we will once again be paying over 4 bucks a gallon.

Obama's cabinet almost complete

President-elect Barack Obama is very close to filling all of his cabinet positions. On Saturday morning Obama announced Shaun Donovan to be the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Donavan is the housing commissioner of New York City, and has done an astounding job since he took the position in 2004. Prior to that he was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing under the Bill Clinton Administration. Yes, thats right, Obama chose a cabinet member that worked for Bill Clinton. I'm as surprised as you are. You can read more about Obama's latest cabinet appointment here. Below is a list of cabinet positions that have been filled by Obama, important positions that remain to be filled include Secretary of Energy, Education, Transportation, and several others.












Chief of Staff- Rahm Emanuel
Attorney General- Eric Holder Jr.
Secretary of Commerce- Bill Richardson
Press Secretary- Robert Gibbs
Secretary of Homeland Security- Janet Napolitano
US Ambassador to the United States- Susan Rice
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development- Shaun Donovan
National Security Advisor- Jim Jones
Secretary of State- Hillary Clinton
Secretary of Veterans Affairs- Eric Shinseki
Secretary of the Treasury- Timothy Geithner
National Economic Council Director- Lawrence Summers
Director of the Office of Management and Budget-Peter Orszag
Secretary of Defense- Robert Gates

Corruption hits Capital Hill...again

Rob Blagojevich is the Governor of Illinois. As Governor he has the authority to fill the Illinois senate seat which used to belong to President-elect Barack Obama. Blagojevich was arrested yesterday morning for attempting to sell the senate seat to the highest bidder in an attempt to enrich himself, as well as for several other illegal schemes. He is being charged with a count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and a count of solicitation of bribery. The Governor was released after putting up a 4,500 dollar bail and forfeiting his passport.



At least a month ago, the FBI tapped the Governor's phone and bugged his office. In the FBI affidavit, Blagojevich is alleged for saying things like "the senate seat is a valuable thing" and that he "would not give it away for nothing". In addition to attempting to sell the senate seat, Blagojevich is accused of committing several other corrupt acts. Among the sleaziest was withholding funding for a children's hospital until its CEO made donations to his campaign.

Here's the kicker. Blagojevich retains the right to appoint Obama's successor until he is out of office. This wont happen unless he resigns or is impeached, which could take a while. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has said that the Illinois Legislature needs to act quickly and pass a law that will allow for a special election to fill Obama's seat. Otherwise Blagojevich's appointment would be illegitimate, or there would be a vacancy in the Senate until this whole thing is resolved. You can read more about this scandal here.

I'm sick and tired of hearing about all of these corruption scandals on Capital Hill. It needs to stop. I am glad the FBI have been working to stop these politicans from abusing their power. Hopefully people like Ted Stevens and Rob Blagojevich have set an example to people with authority, teaching them that they, like every other American, will be held accountable for their actions.

The Economy Affects That Too?

The only way to tell if something in the news is important is if it affects something you wouldn't expect. In the past few days, we have found, and will continue to find, just how much the current failing economy literally affects everything.

What started out a couple banks coming up short is now spreading even further then we may have imagined.

Who would have thought that during the season of The Office where Pam and Jim finally get engaged would be the season that NBC posts its worst quarters in years? NBC Chief Executive Jeff Zucker has even announced plans to scale back programming and start Leno at 10:00 PM so they don't have to be on as long each day.

Much of this is due to a great decrease in advertising revenue, particularly from the (surprise surprise) auto sector.

Yes the economy is affecting more and more every day, from the New York Times to Czechoslovakian whores. Big Sister, Prague's world famous internet brothel, has experienced a 15% drop in sales from sex tourism as has Artemis, the largest whorehouse in Germany.



"An Austrian farmer from a remote area who is not married will still cross the border to the Czech Republic looking for sex," Halana Malinova, director of a prostitute outreach program, said. "On the other hand, the recession is helping to keep husbands at home who might otherwise be cheating on their wives."

Good god. If Jay Leno and hookers aren't safe, who is?

Bailout right around the corner

Congress and the White House said that they are very close to agreeing on a deal to bail out the auto industry. The bailout is not exactly what the "big 3" have been asking for, but it is a start. Last week the CEO's of Ford, GM, and Chrysler went to Capital Hill asking for 34 billion dollars collectively in order to save their failing companies, some of which could go bankrupt as soon as the end of the month. Congress has agreed on a smaller bailout package of 15 billion dollars in order to give some short-term relief to GM and Chrysler. Ford is not in as bad of shape as GM and Chrysler, and have said that they do not need to take part in this bailout for the time being.

The 15 billion dollar bailout that Congress and the White House are working on would have several guidelines. For example, if GM and Chrysler get the loan, they would be forced to drop the lawsuits they have against states that have passed laws on emissions standards, such as California. Most importantly this bailout would appoint a "car czar" who would be in charge of monitoring the loan. This czar would have until March 31st to decide if GM and Chrysler have made enough progress, and if not, would have the authority to take back the loan. The "car czar" would also be able to meet with several stakeholders in the companies such as the auto unions, creditors, suppliers, dealers, and shareholders. The bill could be passed as early as the end of this week.

Some Congressmen, along with President-elect Barack Obama, have suggested that some of the "big 3" CEOs should step down from their positions, especially GM CEO Richard Wagoner. Obama said that these CEOs have been using a "head in the sand approach" to problems that have been years in the making. Obama has stated his support for giving a short-term bailout to the automakers, and said that Congress is doing a good job of "holding the auto industry's feet to the fire".

I personally do not think that this 15 billion dollar bailout is a good idea. It's like putting a bandaid over a cut that needs stitches. These 3 auto companies have serious problems that $15B won't solve, it will just "kick the can down the road". The "big 3" have been losing billions of dollars over the past few months because they have a failing business strategy, and they won't be successful until they understand the problems within them. On top of not being able to compete with foreign auto companies, the "big 3" are forced to give their unionized workers benefits that they cannot afford. Until these serious problems are solved, a mesely $15B is just a waste of tax payer's money. Perhaps it is time that two, or even all three of America's largest auto companies merge into one that is able to compete with Honda, Toyota, and other successful foreign auto companies.

Obama announces another cabinet member

Today President-elect Barack Obama announced General Eric Shinseki as his choice to be United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel will soon be the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of President Barack Obama on January 20th, 2009 when he becomes the White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has lived a very successful and interesting career as a politician. Here are some of the highlights of his life in an attempt to get to know "Rahm-bo" a little better.








Born November 29th, 1959

Went to a Jewish private school as a younger child. Being raised as a Jew, he feels very strongly about Israel. In hebrew his first name "Rahm" means "high" or "lofty" and his last name "Emanuel" means "God is with us"

Received B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981

Received Masters in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985

Worked on several political campaigns right out of college

Acted as director of the campaign finance committe during Bill Clintons campaign for president in the early 90's

Appointed as Senior Advisor to the Clinton White House from 1993-1998

Became known for his "bitterness" towards those who disagreed with him. For example, he mailed a rotten fish to a former coworker that he had his differences with. He also stood up at a celebratory dinner for President Clinton with a steak knife in hand, shouting off a list of "betrayers", and after each name shouted "dead" and stabbed the knife into the table. Since then his close friends say that he has "mellowed out" and has not since had an outburst of this magnitude.

After leaving the Clinton White House in 1998 he became an investment banker at Wasserstein Perella until 2002, reportedly making over 16 million dollars during his 2 1/2 year career there.

In 2002 he pursued the United Stated House Seat as a representative to Illinois' 5th congressional district and won with ease. He is the 4th ranking democrat in the house.

On November 6th, 2008, just two days after Obama took the presidency, he accepted Obama's offer to become his White House Chief of Staff, and will take office on January 20th, 2009.

Feel it?

Many people have not yet felt the impact of the economic recession we are in. For those of you who don't understand how Wall Street is affecting Main Street, just look at the how unemployment has sky rocketed over the past month. In November of 2008 alone the United States has lost about 533,000 jobs, over half a million. This brings the total job loss of this year to 1.9 million. Unemployment has jumped to about 6.7% on a nation wide average, with some states doing much worse than others. Jobs have been cut in a variety of industries ranging from manufacturing to leisure and hospitality to construction.

This is one reason why President-Elect Barack Obama beleives this country may need another economic stimulous package in addition to the 700 billion dollar package that Congress passed a couple months ago. With Obama's plan he aims to create and save about 2.5 million jobs in America over the next two years, a job well worth doing. Obama is optimistic, yet at the same time realistic, recently being quoted as saying that "there are no quick and easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and is likely to get worse before it gets better".

They're Back

A couple weeks ago the three CEO’s of GM Ford and Chrysler went to Washington D.C. in efforts argue for their share of the 700 billion dollars that Congress has set aside to help our failing financial institutions during this economic recession. Although GM, Ford, and Chrysler are not financial institutions, they are some of America’s largest corporations that will have profound effects on our economy if they fail. Today, the three CEO’s of GM, Ford, and Chrysler (Richard Wagoner, Alan Mullay, and Robert Nardelli respectively) were back on Capital Hill, only this time a few things were different.



1. The way in which they traveled from Detroit to Washington D.C. was different. Two weeks ago Wagoner, Mullay, and Nardelli each flew to Washington three separate company private jets. There is something wrong when you step off of a private jet begging for money. Since then the companies have made efforts to cut their costs by selling these jets, Ford stating that it had sold 5 of their 7. Today the three CEO’s drove from Detroit to Washington in company Hybrid cars. They were finally getting the message that they cannot go on with “business as usual” when their companies are around the corner from bankruptcy. The three companies have made several budget cuts, and all three CEOs have even agreed that, if Congress gives them this bailout money, they will lower their salaries to $1 per year.

2. The amount of money that they were asking for changed. Two weeks ago Wagoner, Mullay, and Nardelli were asking Congress for 25 billion dollars in bailout money. At the time, they had no explanation for why that was the amount of money they needed, it was just a number that was put on the table. When asked how they were planning to split it up between the three of them Wagoner answered, “we are asking for 10 to 12 billion”, Nardelli answered, “about 8 billion”, and Mullay stated, “whatever is left”. Is it just me, or is there something seriously wrong with so loosely asking for billions of dollars from tax-payers. Today the three CEO’s were asking congress for 34 billion dollars, 9 million more than two weeks ago. This time however they knew exactly how they were going to split it up. GM said they will need 18 billion, Ford will need 9 billion, and Chrysler will need 7 billion in order to survive. If the government fails to help them, GM and Chrysler could go bankrupt by the end of the month, while Ford would follow in early to mid 2009.

3. Their way of doing business has changed. Two weeks ago Wagoner, Mullay, and Nardelli came to Washington with absolutely no plan, and absolutely no indication of how they were going to turn their companies around to be competitive with foreign automakers. GM, Ford, and Chrysler were losing billions of dollars every month, yet they believed that if Congress gave them 10 billion dollars they could magically become successful. Today the three CEOs showed up to Capital Hill with business plan in hand. The plans indicated what they were going to do with their bailout money, how they were going become competitive and successful, and how they were going to ensure that the taxpayers get their money back. For example, they will put billions of dollars into building fuel-efficient cars and invest in the technology to build cars of the future. They also said exactly when they would have the taxpayers paid back, GM stating that they will fully repay their loans by 2012.



There is a consensus among Republicans and Democrats that losing these companies will be catastrophic for America and our economy. However, there is a disagreement on how we can help these companies and ensure that they do not fail. Chris Dodd, Senator from Connecticut and chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said that “failure for Congress to act would be playing Russian roulette with the entire economy of the United States”. Others, like Mitt Romney, Governor from Massachusetts, has said that we should let these companies go into bankruptcy and allow investors with a new vision for the company buy them out, and restructure them from the ground up. Many believe that throwing money at the problem will in effect just be “kicking the can down the road”. Some, like economist Mark Zandi, has said that 34 billion dollars is not even close to enough to save these companies, and that if given this bailout they will likely go bankrupt within the next two years. Zandi said that in order to save these companies they would need a much larger bailout around 75 to 125 billion dollars. Other people have also suggested a merger of at least two of the companies so that they can combine their assets, intuition, technology, skill, etc. and able them to not only save their companies, but to grow them, create jobs, and boost our economy. It is only a matter of days before we find out the fate of these companies, in the mean time they lie in the hands of our government.

Bail the "Big 3"?

As many of you already know, last month the CEO's from the largest three automakers in America, Ford, GM, and Chrysler, went to Congress amidst our current financial crisis asking for 25 billion dollars collectively in bailout money (see article "To bail or not to bail, that is the question" from November 24th). The CEO's claimed that each of their respective companies were lying on their death beds, and said if they went down that over 3 million American jobs would go down with them. Congress told the "Big 3" to go back to Detroit, whip up some business plans that indicate how they will use the tax payer money to turn around and save their companies, and to come back to Washington to present their plans on December 4th and 5th.



Losing the auto-industry in America, expecially during the economic recession we are in, would have profound impacts on unemployment and would be absolutely devastating to our economy. Not only would jobs be flushed down the drain, but employers who worked their entire lives for these auto corporations would also see their benefits dissapear. For example, CNN recently wrote an article about the Emery family. The parents of this family worked for GM for over 30 years, the mother as a welder and the father as a company electrician and supervisor. Today this couple is retired because they are too old to work. They live off of GM's retirement package which gives them a monthly income to live on, as well as some benefits such as health insurance for the immediate family. The Emery couple worked over 30 years to earn their benefits, but they could all be stripped away from them if GM goes under.



GM, along with Ford and Chrysler, have already started throwing away many of the companies benefits. For example, all three used to offer dependent scholarship programs under which dependent children of the employees received scholarships to help them pay tuition. These programs are being thrown away in an effor to cut costs for the companies.

Ford has recently sold 5 of their corporate aircrafts in other efforts to cut costs. Last month the "Big 3" CEO's received criticism from Congress for each flying in on their own private jet asking for 25 billion dollars, drawing comparisons to "the guy in high hat and tuxedo that showed up to the soup kitchen". This week the CEO's from Ford and GM drove in company cars from Detroit to Washington in efforts to show Congress, as well as the general public, that they understand the changes that need to be made within their companies. The CEO's of GM and Ford have also said that if Congress gives them a bridge loan that they will each work for $1 for a single year.

The "big 3" have come to realize that, even with budget cuts, they will realistically need much more than 25 billion dollars from Congress. GM alone has raised their $12 billion figure from a month ago to $18 billion, Ford from $8 billion to $13 billion, and Chrysler maintains that they will need about $8 billion to save their respective companies.

The automakers are also making some changes to their business strategies. For example, GM is planning on reducing their dealers from 6,450 to 4,700, and is cutting their workforce by at least 30,000 employees. GM has also stated that 22 of their 24 new vehicle launches that will come out over the next couple years will be fuel-efficient cars. Ford has promised to build a "family" of hybrids, plug-ins, and battery electric vehicles.

These are all some steps in the right direction for the "big 3", but is it enough to save their dying companies? On Thursday and Friday Congress will be faced with making the tough decision of if they should give over 25 billion dollars to the three automakers. Although the consequences of not bailing them out are devestating, Congress must ask themselves if 25 billion dollars is enough money to take these companies off life support and make them competitive with companies like Honda and Toyota, because nobody wants to see more of our tax dollars flushed down the toilet.

All Star Team

Many people have criticized President-Elect Barack Obama for his choice in his cabinet selections. They claim that he is already falling through on his promise to bring change to Washington by appointing several individuals who served under former President Bill Clinton. They question how change is coming to Washington by recycling all of these "old faces" back into the White House. Obama has responded to these allegations, stating that he wants people who "know their way around Washington", and don't need any "on the job training". It is essential, especially during these tough economic times, that Obama and his administration have the ability to "hit the ground running" when they step into office.

Today Obama nominated several more key figures to his cabinet. Most notable is Obama's choice for Secretary of State, former "arch nemesis" Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton has extensive experience with foreign affairs. As former first lady, Clinton had the opportunity to meet with important figures all over the world. She is well respected by many world leaders, is a powerful woman, and certainly has what it takes to fill the position.



Obama has also announced Susan Rice as the US permanent representative to the United Nations, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security, and Eric Holder as Attorney General. All three of these individuals served under the Bill Clinton administration in some capacity.

For those of you who think that Obama is only choosing liberal, former "Clintonites", think again. Obama has asked that Robert Gates, Defense Secretary under the current Bush administration, continue with his position. Gate's has served in many national security roles under several Republican presidents. Gates has the unique opportunity of being one of the only Republicans in Obama's cabinet, a promise of "cabinet diversity" Obama guaranteed during his campaign. Obama has said that while Gate's will provide some "continuity" from the Bush administration to the Obama administration, he will have a new mission of "responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control".

Obama has also nominated General James Jones as National Security Adviser. Jones is another individual Obama wants on his team that served under the Bush administration, having served as a Middle East adviser. Jones is a former top commander of NATO, as well as former commander of US forces in Europe.

Obama has stated that he is a believer in "strong personalities and strong opinions", and that these factors helped influence his cabinet selections. Obama also stated that in Washington it is easy to "get wrapped up in groupthink, everybody agrees with everything, there's no discussion, and there are no dissenting views". This is why Obama has brought some diversity to his cabinet by selecting conservatives and liberals, women and men, black and white, young and old. Hopefully Obama and his cabinet will bring some "fresh thinking" to Washington, and challenge each other to create some real, long-term solutions to the problems we face here in America, and across the globe.