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mareada commented on the blog post The People Who Run Our Political Economy: Utterly Incoherent
The to-big-to-fail banks are not really paying back TARP; they are taking no interest loans from the Fed and using that cash to make a show of paying back. The trillions of debts are still out there unpaid. The small-enough-to-fail banks, the ones that make investments in local businesses, have to borrow from the Fed at 3-4%. Any “green shoots” at local levels will be crushed.
*The money that went to the AIG bailout was paid to the big banks like Goldman Sachs that made bets with AIG that the housing bubble would fail. That money was put in separate accounts, counted as profits, and given out as bonuses, not paying back taxpayers.
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mareada commented on the blog post Lesson from Wisconsin: Always Act Quickly and Decisively
Adding I’m glad Obama stayed out of Wisconsin. He would have proposed some pretty sounding solution that would have given away everything Walker wanted except putting all the blame on Democrats and liberals. And the apologists would be lecturing that it was the best deal possible. The outcome in Wisconsin is terrible, but it’s all on Walker and the Republicans. For once the national Democrats stayed out of their own way.
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mareada commented on the blog post Lesson from Wisconsin: Always Act Quickly and Decisively
I’m starting to wonder what the f’ he’s doing all day.* Always too busy to do anything. Then he’s out eating a sandwich and still “Winning The Future!” after “Winning!” has been ruined by a certain actor.
*Probably cold calling for campaign donations.
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mareada commented on the diary post NYT Gives Us David Koch, Public Benefactor by Scarecrow.
The unstated irony is that Koch Industries’ operations cause more cancer than we’ll ever be able to cure. Cleaning up or closing their dirty factories and plants would prevent more cases than billions of research can. Except the people living near or downstream don’t count to the David Koch’s of the world.
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mareada commented on the diary post Kentucky Employers Claim They Can’t Find Workers, Must Hire Illegal Immigrants by Rayne.
It’s not just the low pay for immigrants, but hours, conditions, and safety are always dismal. Also restricting their movements and communications, many probably live in farm “bunkhouses” with limited access to the outside world.
What the owners are saying is that US workers would report the farm for using slavery.
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mareada commented on the blog post A Larger – and Fairer – House of Representatives
The legalized bribery would probably stay the same, but at least all the cultural wedge issues would be pushed out of the way if blue states and urban areas had adequate representation. No more hearings about NEA, ACORN, or DADT. Hyde Amendment and Abstinence Only mandates could never pass. No more anti-evolution and anti-climate change resolutions.
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mareada commented on the blog post Biggest Threat to Health Care Law Comes from States Who Want to Abandon Medicaid Coverage Expansion
Despite all their talk against the mandate, that will be the part Republicans(with Democrats) will eventually preserve. That’s the part insurance companies love!
I don’t expect Medicaid expansion or subsidies for 200% of poverty level to even survive the debt ceiling deal this spring. Sure House Democrats will try to stand up for the poor and (lower) middle class. But Obama and enough Senate Dems will trade those away to get that deal done. Possibly already done.
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mareada commented on the blog post Whither the Food Safety Bill?
Didn’t you read Ross Douchebag in the Times this week? Coburn is the last statesman in the congress!
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mareada commented on the diary post The NYT Doesn’t Know That We Have 15 Million People Unemployed by Dean Baker.
Using the “puzzle” game with the NYT article where you choose how to fix the deficit, only marking “End Bush Tax Cuts” and “Lifting the Payroll Cap” clears almost all the boxes. Besides cuts to defense, all the other choices are too small to make a difference. The only reason to enact any of them [...]
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mareada commented on the diary post Did “Privacy Advocate” Palin Violate McGinniss’s Privacy Rights? by Teddy Partridge.
Or a turkey head chopper?
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mareada commented on the blog post Bush Vs. Rush
Blackwater/Xe and other mercenary firm recruited many graduates of the School of the Americas and other LA special forces(esp from Peru, Chile, Argentina) and sent them to the Middle East. Hopefully democracy in LA will be strong enough to withstand their return. In Guatemala and Mexico, their special forces joined the Zetas.
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mareada commented on the blog post Obama vs. Reality on Jon Stewart
Every time I hear him say “Look” or “Folks” I know he’s about to s**t allover some progressive policy, principle or ideal. He never uses those except to call the people who actually voted for him suckers and losers for believing in anything important than him or the Democratic Party.
