*The Obama Administration is doing away with "smoke and ladders" techniques that are used to make the budget deficit appear smaller than it really is. That is good news, of course, because we should all know the damage being done to our bank account from all of our overcommitting. There is an upside, of course, for them. If things turn out well, a bigger deficit now will make it easier for them to say, "Look, we lowered the deficit!" A trade for taking all the heat they will now.
*Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois's ranking senator, is heavily hinting that The Magic Man needs to resign. In the last two days, both the Magic Man's press secretary and chief of staff abruptly resigned. Not good signs for the short-term senator.
*Apparently there are not-so-secret meeting going on on Capitol Hill concerning health care reform. More as that develops, but it sounds like a the groundwork is being built. Good.
Showing posts with label The Magic Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Magic Man. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Non-Paper Daily, 2.18.09
Yeeks! Per a comment on the last post asking, er demanding, the return of the Non-Paper Daily, it is back.
*The stimulus package is official. At just under $800 billion it's big, but in the view of many economists, not big enough for the desired effect. We should start seeing the money flow relatively soon, in fact, the school where I teach was thinking of closing early due to budget restraints, but they may keep the doors open for the entirety of the year due to the influx of these funds.
Interestingly, I'm still very much up in the air about the stimulus package. On the one hand, without it there may be total economic meltdown. On the other, however, is the view that our current economic model of ever-increasing consumption simply cannot go no forever. Eventually it must change and perhaps this was the time for that change. As the saying goes, "Pain Causes Change." A new way of doing things is not going to just happen, it will be a result of dire economic times. We may very well be missing our opportunity for real, substantive, change
*Roland Burris, er "The Magic Man," is back in the news. During testimony before being appointed to Obama's old senate seat he said he had had no contact with Blagojevich or his associates. Apparently that wasn't entirely accurate, which is also known as a lie. Except, in his case, it was under oath, so it is known as a perjury. Ooops. Perjures, like drug traffickers, often go to jail. So the saga continues...
*The American car manufacturers are asking for more money. Looks like this time it will be for another $5-10 billion. I know if they fail it will cause extreme pain around the nation, but how long can we keep propping up failed businesses? If a mom and pop place downtown fails, they won't be receiving any stimulus funds. Since when did capitalistic theory state that once you get big you can no longer be allowed to fail?
*The stimulus package is official. At just under $800 billion it's big, but in the view of many economists, not big enough for the desired effect. We should start seeing the money flow relatively soon, in fact, the school where I teach was thinking of closing early due to budget restraints, but they may keep the doors open for the entirety of the year due to the influx of these funds.
Interestingly, I'm still very much up in the air about the stimulus package. On the one hand, without it there may be total economic meltdown. On the other, however, is the view that our current economic model of ever-increasing consumption simply cannot go no forever. Eventually it must change and perhaps this was the time for that change. As the saying goes, "Pain Causes Change." A new way of doing things is not going to just happen, it will be a result of dire economic times. We may very well be missing our opportunity for real, substantive, change
*Roland Burris, er "The Magic Man," is back in the news. During testimony before being appointed to Obama's old senate seat he said he had had no contact with Blagojevich or his associates. Apparently that wasn't entirely accurate, which is also known as a lie. Except, in his case, it was under oath, so it is known as a perjury. Ooops. Perjures, like drug traffickers, often go to jail. So the saga continues...
*The American car manufacturers are asking for more money. Looks like this time it will be for another $5-10 billion. I know if they fail it will cause extreme pain around the nation, but how long can we keep propping up failed businesses? If a mom and pop place downtown fails, they won't be receiving any stimulus funds. Since when did capitalistic theory state that once you get big you can no longer be allowed to fail?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Non-Paper Daily, 1.15.2009
*After hitting a flock of birds shortly after takeoff today, a plane crashed in the Hudson River. All passengers and crew made it off safely, in a true testament to training, preparation... and the value of those plastic instructions in the seatback pocket.
*Roland Burris, err The Magic Man, was officially sworn in today as the junior senator from Illinois.
*Hearings on Capitol Hill in regard to Obama's cabinet confirmations continued today. Of the big appointments--Clinton as Secretary of State, Holder as Attorney General, and Geither at Treasury--all are going well, even with the hiccup Geither is experiencing in regard to a former housekeeper he employed who turned out to have exceeded her immigration term. She went on to get a green card and, seemingly, all is well.
*9:00PM eastern time on Friday: That is the hour that Bush's team no longer inhabits the West Wing. Hooray! With the exception of a few key positions, the staffers will turn in their keys and leave for the final time.
*Roland Burris, err The Magic Man, was officially sworn in today as the junior senator from Illinois.
*Hearings on Capitol Hill in regard to Obama's cabinet confirmations continued today. Of the big appointments--Clinton as Secretary of State, Holder as Attorney General, and Geither at Treasury--all are going well, even with the hiccup Geither is experiencing in regard to a former housekeeper he employed who turned out to have exceeded her immigration term. She went on to get a green card and, seemingly, all is well.
*9:00PM eastern time on Friday: That is the hour that Bush's team no longer inhabits the West Wing. Hooray! With the exception of a few key positions, the staffers will turn in their keys and leave for the final time.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Non-Paper Daily, 1.12.2009
*After all the tug-of-warring, it looks like Roland Burris will indeed fill Obama's vacated senate seat. Other than him appearing to be a bit of a quack, I think, legally, this is the right move. However, let it be known that, if I ever blog about him again, he will henceforth be referred to as "The Magic Man."
*Obama asked Bush, and Bush complied, to release the second half of the initial $700 billion economic stimulus. I have lots of thoughts ranging around my head about this, more than shall be put in this post, but mainly it's this: Throwing money at the situation won't solve anything unless and until Americans stop consuming more than they produce. The root of this problem goes far deeper than a bunch of consumer and government spending can cure.
*This is fantastic news. Obama's transition team reasserted their word to fulfill a campaign promise to close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For six years there have been hundreds of prisoners detained there without due process, a fundamental right in the United States. Thanks to years of mismanagement and illegal maneuvering by the Bush Administration, figuring out what to do with those prisoners will be hard, but this is a positive step.
*And so is this. The Obama team has unequivically said they will get rid of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule for military service. Currently, you cannot serve in the military if you are openly gay. This ridiculous Clinton-era policy needs to be headed for the nearest trash dump. Since when does who you like to make out with have anything to do with your ability to serve?
*Obama asked Bush, and Bush complied, to release the second half of the initial $700 billion economic stimulus. I have lots of thoughts ranging around my head about this, more than shall be put in this post, but mainly it's this: Throwing money at the situation won't solve anything unless and until Americans stop consuming more than they produce. The root of this problem goes far deeper than a bunch of consumer and government spending can cure.
*This is fantastic news. Obama's transition team reasserted their word to fulfill a campaign promise to close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. For six years there have been hundreds of prisoners detained there without due process, a fundamental right in the United States. Thanks to years of mismanagement and illegal maneuvering by the Bush Administration, figuring out what to do with those prisoners will be hard, but this is a positive step.
*And so is this. The Obama team has unequivically said they will get rid of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule for military service. Currently, you cannot serve in the military if you are openly gay. This ridiculous Clinton-era policy needs to be headed for the nearest trash dump. Since when does who you like to make out with have anything to do with your ability to serve?
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