Isn’t it interesting that Republicans who discount reasonable concerns about Sarah Palin’s lack of experience and knowledge argue that CEO must be paid huge salaries to guarantee that the company has the best experience and knowledge that money can buy– Anonymous commenter at Big Media Matt’s blog
We already know that McCain doesn’t know much and “is weak on” the economy, as he has admitted as much and as recently as this morning was crowing about the fundamentals of the current economy. Likewise, he has no record of market reform, having done NOTHING over the three decades he has been in the Senate. Additionally, his only real notable achievement in this area is getting wrapped up in the Keating Five.
So we can’t really count on McCain. How about his advisors? His main advisor, Phil Gramm, is in large part the architect of the rules that helped to lead to this meltdown, and on several occasions has called us a nation of whiners. Another McCain advisor, Donald Luskin, recently wrote in the Washington Post that there really is nothing for us to worry about. This was hours before Lehman went belly-up, AIG started begging for help, and the 500 point drop in the market today.
But have no fear- there is someone on the McCain team who does know how to help. In fact, Luskin pointed to her just a few weeks ago, telling us she could be the savior of the market.
That is right. Sarah Palin is going to put that journalism degree to work (a six year five school odyssey), and she is going to treat this economy like an out of control moose:
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said the nation’s financial system “needs some shakin’ up and some fixin’” at a rally here today. In comments that prefaced her stump speech, Palin offered blame but no specifics on how the campaign would handle the crisis on a morning during which the impending bankruptcy of Lehman Bros. sent markets tumbling.
“The system is outdated and needs a complete overhaul,” the Alaska governor said, echoing presidential nominee John McCain’s statement earlier today. “We’re going to put an end to the mismanagement and abuses on Wall Street,” adding that she and McCain would end “golden parachutes” for the chief executives of financial houses, which have “not run these institutions responsibly.”
When pressed afterwards by the media for specifics, Plain responded that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, and that a penny saved is a penny earned and not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Ok. I made that last part up. The McCain campaign doesn’t trust her to talk to reporters or talk in public when she is not reading from a teleprompter, so the press didn’t ask her any additional questions.
I hope to god you all are teaching yourself how to turn your backyard into a garden and spend some time figuring out how to can. It really is not that hard- just make sure you get a shitload of parrafin wax and boil the mason jars thoroughly. Also, beans are really easy to grow and are a great source of protein. I would also remember to pick up some multi-vitamins that have a shelf life of a few years.
*** Update ***
We will file this under “reformer WITHOUT results”:
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has spoken out about lavish pay packages for corporate chiefs, but his top adviser said on Monday the senator wants to shine a light on the issue and is not offering specific new proposals to rein it in.
I am sure you are all shocked.
chopper
now you’re on the trolley!
Doug H. (Fausto no more)
Between McCain’s eagerness to kickstart a second Cold War and the Greg Stillson vibes I get from Palin, I’m far more interested in tips in hydroponics and bunker building.
LiberalTarian
Hey, more cowbell sounds pretty good on Drive My Car.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
Why doesn’t this draw greater scrutiny? Folks should be howling and pointing at Gramm like the aliens in Body Snatchers (at minute 1:55).
DustPuppyOI
From LOLFED.com:
All aboard the failboat
SpotWeld
Just a quick reality check… the same people who have been effected the least by all this; the same people who would get the biggest tax reduction (by percent of income) under the McCain tax plan… right?
(i.e. The people with the golden parachutes?)
Jake
I’m convinced that the McCain campaign has been designed as one gigantic FUCK YOU to everyone with an IQ above room-temperature.
The Grand Panjandrum
And as I pointed out in a previous thread former POW John McCain was FOR Social Security privatization. (That is until he proclaimed to have NEVER been for it and will ALWAYS be against it!) Just look at the bang up Job Wall Street would have done with YOUR money.
Oh, and this video really does once again prove that former POW John McCain is a lying rat fucker.
SpotWeld
Well, the “poor” smart people anyway.
Brian J
If only Barack Obama agreed to do those town halls with John McCain, then the economy would be in the shape that it’s in.
demkat620
Well, David Gregory just told me that this is good news for John McCain!
He came pretend to be a real reformer now!
Joshau Norton
Wheee Doggies! We can just stuff our money in Jethro and Granny’s mattresses.
And hide the rest in the root cellar.
Do you think someone ought to tell Ms. Earmark Queen that she and her “cut taxes and spend” party are the major cause of the problem that needs shakin’ and fixin’.
Even the rich are taking it in the shorts now.
Cris
Jesus Christ, she really does believe the financial sector is publicly owned and operated. If Hugo Chavez was talking like this, even the BBC would call it “nationalizing” the banking industry.
SteveinSC
Goddamn, the fuckers are complaining of “smearing” little miss nothern lights and the fucking markets are tanking thanks to conservative laissez-faire economics. Up is down, good is bad. Welcome to The Wonderland. Get the government off the backs of private enterprise and let the market forces prevail. Unleash the magic of compound interest! Does this country of fools have any business with newcular weapons?
Whiners.
Brian J
DAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, the errors….
I meant to say, if only Barack Obama agreed to do those town halls with John McCain, then the economy WOULDN’T be in the shape that it’s in.
Napoleon
In the last week with Obama’s poll numbers and the nightmare that is John McCain and Palin I have become scared shitless about our future. I literally could not sleep last night.
Napoleon
In the last week with Obama’s poll numbers and the nightmare that is John McCain and Palin I have become scared shitless about our future. I literally could not sleep last night.
SGEW
Is it unethical for me to cheer on the DJIA drop? I have no immediate personal stake in it (beyond the wider macro-economic ramifications, of course – see, e.g., the Depression, Great), and I realize that there will be a great number of totally blameless people (and their families) who will suffer from a stock market crash . . . but I can’t help but secretly think “Eat it, investor class.”
So, again – Is it wrong of me to root for th’ Dow to drop below four digits, as if it were some kind of sports score?
Brian J
I remember a Republican asking me for examples of people who received massive severance packages after their companies went under, as if the notion was too absurd to describe out loud. Now it looks like Palin is agreeing with a Democratic talking point.
Seitz
Perhaps it needs more Mojo Nixon. If your economy ain’t got Mojo Nixon then your economy could use some fixin’.
dslak
Yes. It would be like cheering the deaths of people in a natural disaster because you didn’t like their political views. You don’t want to be on the same level as a moral dwarf like Bill O’Reilly, do you?
SGEW
I miss Zipperhead.
Jake
Courtesy of Steve Benen:
Once again, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!?!?!
Crop Schooner Palin.
What about Ensure? That’s what I was thinking of stocking up on.
Also, did you know dandelions are highly edible, and were brought to America specifically to be eaten?
4tehlulz
HEY GUYZ I KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS! LETS LET THESE DIPSHITS PUT SOCIAL SECURITY INTO THE STOCK MARKET JUST LIKE MCCAIN WANTS TO FUCK YEAH!
/cruz control
dslak
Punk rock girl
It makes no sense
Punk rock girl
Your
dadmom is vice presidentJake
I’m pretty much right there with you. I think the best attitude is to just say, you know what, the American people get the POTUS they deserve.
And send the Obama campaign another $20 when you can. That’s my plan anyway.
Crop Schooner Palin.
Reuters: McCain wants to shine light on huge CEO pay
“Republican presidential candidate John McCain has spoken out about lavish pay packages for corporate chiefs, but his top adviser said on Monday the senator wants to shine a light on the issue and is not offering specific new proposals to rein it in.”
Wow, a lie from the McCain campaign! I’m so shocked!
mark
Are you sure she wasn’t reading from a rejected SNL script?
SGEW
Yeah, you’re right. I know. Thanks for the slap in the face.
But I can’t help feeling that ol’ class resentment . . . it’s much more an anger against the rich than those who hold different political opinions than me (actually, I believe that there may be more Republicans in my economic strata then there are Democrats, depending on the region). I feel some sort of justifiable satisfaction seeing their house of cards collapse.
But you’re absolutely right. It is unethical to root for it, as I must acknowledge.
(bows)
Notorious P.A.T.
I know what you mean. Part of me says that since the blameless people will be screwed no matter what, it would be funny if the wealthy 1% took some too.
Chris Johnson
Napoleon- sleep. Don’t burn out. You’ll go crazy if you hold yourself responsible for being able to DO SOMETHING at any given moment- there are going to be times when your effectiveness isn’t really there. You’ve got to take care of yourself and rest up for when you’re needed.
dslak
One thing I didn’t notice being discussed as an explanation was an authoritarian mindset.
Liberals in the study tended not to change their minds even when misinformation was corrected – this is compatible with an individualist/democratic picture of knowledge acquisition and dissemination.
Conservatives are more likely to consider knowledge to be acquired through tradition and authority. This would explain why, when they encountered a position contrary to authority – especially coming from intellectual elites, who are rightly perceived as being a threat to these presumed sources of knowledge – they react with entrenchment.
Not My Fault
They should have Carly Fiorina get that message out right away.
Equal Opportunity Cynic
It’s working, apparently. They may well get the chance to fuck us.
Martin
End golden parachutes? How the fuck do they propose doing that? Eliminating non-salary compensation? Yeah, good luck with that, jackasses.
Is it unethical for you to cheer for my kids’ college fund to have dropped 20% in the last 2 months?
No, but it’s a little bit mean. Not that I’m worried, I’m going to be buying like a fucking fool tomorrow on their behalf, and my kids are both smart and cute, so they’ll get there on their own if need be.
Scott H
Not really. Sounds like one of Palin’s speeches to me.
Meanwhile, corporate disgrace Carly Fiorina Criticizes Tina Fey As “Disrespectful…Sexist”
Jeff
As a former employee of Carly, this needs to be emphasized and HP just announced 25k more layoffs.
Brian J
Oh, they have to be taking it on the chin, at least a little.
As for outlandish executive pay, I don’t really have a problem with it. If the people who run Citibank or Google are doing a good job, who cares how much they make? There are so few people who could realistically do those types of jobs. I just don’t understand how it can be justified that someone like Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide can walk away with something around $100 million after his company had to be bought out by Bank of America. I get that he’s in a unique position and that people in those positions get perks like stock options and massive salaries. I also get that he may not be entirely responsible for his company’s downfall, as some might argue. But he was the CEO. Why is it that he’s going away with plenty of cash, but everyone else is getting bent over? I don’t know of what sort of solutions would be wise or possible, but I’m interested in hearing them.
Montysano
Today Lehman crashed with no offer of a bailout. Before that, however, the Fed bailed out Bear Stearns, Fannie and Freddie, and more. We’ll probably bail out AIG. When there’s a bailout, we all get to “eat it”. So…… nothing to cheer about.
But this has become the heart of my Obama pitch. We’re on the brink of some hard times, maybe even another Depression, and the fiscal conservatives at the GOP own this mess. It’s what they always wanted, they got it, they own it. When you fuck up this badly, you go sit on the bench.
Cain
Wow, govt telling private sector what to do? How conservative of them!
cain
Rick James
Yes. The smart (big) money got out of this long ago. The people most likely to get hit are mutual fund investors (pensions are for wusses), small cities, etc.
Now where’s my drink bitch?
Tsulagi
Pure brilliance. More and more it looks like the only difference between Palin and Bush is that maybe sometimes she carries a tampon in her purse. I know he’s Republican, but I’m going out on a limb The Decider doesn’t.
Ah, keeping true to those Bush conservative values of small, non-intrusive limited government in a free market environment. Federal laws and/or regulations on private business compensation. A Bush fart has more substance than that “promise.” They really are making the shit up as they go along.
Then I’m fucked. Plants die in my presence. The wife isn’t much better. If it weren’t for Jesus our yardman, outside the house would look like shit.
Equal Opportunity Cynic
Same old Democrats, always preaching class warfare. At least when they’re not busy sipping lattes, eating arugula, or checking their tire pressure.
Napoleon
Well Nouriel Roubini (who has been right for several years about what is going to happen next) was just on PBS Newshour saying that basically everything is going to come apart.
I wonder if I am too old at 47 to take up meth?
SGEW
Yow. I’m sorry, really, honestly. As I said, above, I know it’s wrong of me, because of the collateral damage (a phrase I ordinarily loathe) done to innocent bystanders (such as your kids), when the people I want to see targeted for leveling (the wealthiest 1%) are only periphelly damaged. No matter how much I want to drag the autocrats down into the teeming middle-class, my hoping for a stock market crash isn’t a fair way to go (not that my hoping does anything, but you know).
It’s my embarrassing teenage “smash the state!” anti-capitalist sentiment, I suppose. I usually keep it well hidden (blushes).
Also:
But then why am I having such a nightmarish time paying for my education? Oh, wait. Smart and cute?
srv
We should be calling this the McCain-Graham Recession.
SGEW
Ahem. Above should read:
. . . are only peripherally damaged . . . .
Well, at least I’m cute.
JL
Napoliean, I turned it on late and missed his statement. I’m going to try to go online later and see if they have his video up.
Brian J
What exactly did he mean by that?
Napoleon
Dave Chappelle, is that you?
Jake
Seems like a safe bet with McInsane and Barracuda gearing up to take the reigns.
How many Wall Street investment bankers have to lose their shirts before the White House is Republican-proof?
Conservatively Liberal
Carly’s message to David Gregory today was that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae need to be made into private entities and get them off the public dole.
Coincidentally, Carly says that John McCain is just the guy to take care of this problem!
In Republican World:
Down is up and up is green. Left is paper and right is banana. Run is wrench and walk is towel. Lying is telling the truth and telling the truth is something a Republican will avoid at all costs.
LiberalTarian
You know what is interesting–earlier this year McCain was telling us American workers if we just got a second job and skipped our vacation everything would be hunky dory. Now he’s saying American workers, that fundamental element of the economy that is so all-fired sound, are just fine.
Dude. When you have 1 in 10 people losing their homes, all is not fundamentally sound. When you have 6.1% unemployment, all is not fundamentally sound. When the elderly are forced to retire because they can’t find a job to replace the one they lost to foreign economies, all is not fundamentally sound.
My cousin’s husband, one of the brightest guys I know, lots of education, lots of work experience, was laid off recently at 50. He can’t buy a job right now.
McCain’s backpedaling to paint his comments as talking about the US worker? Doesn’t he recall that this is a mental recession and we’ve all become a nation of whiners?
Earth to John McCain: the US economy is not fundamentally sound!
Brian J
I understand where you are coming from. You want the people at the top to take it in the ass for once, as opposed to everyone else, which is usually the case. It seems like a fantasy, because I am not sure how one class of people who control so much money can suffer while everyone else is, relatively, okay. I don’t think you meant you wanted others to suffer with them, even if you phrased it like that.
Napoleon
I am using hyperbole. Of the 3 people on the program he was by far the most pessimistic, thought we were in for a deep recession, felt it would go beyond our shores, etc. I didn’t hear him say this, but this morning I read something he said this morning or over the weekend to the effect that he thought that the remaining investment banks would all go under.
JL
Obama campaign has raised a large sum among investors this cycle. Unfortunately there might not be a lot of Wall Street money left to donate.
Tlaloc
Fixed.
chopper
dogs and cats. living together.
Rome Again
The problem isn’t that these financial rewards are golden per se, the problem is they are parachutes, an apparatus designed to give one a soft landing when they’ve exited a plane.
If they got these financial goodies when the plane was in the air and flying well that’s one thing, that they get them after the plane is crashing is another.
w vincentz
Isn’t there a country we can drum up a war with?
Watch out Italy, or maybe Ghana.
Wall St will be back on its feet in no time.
Sign your sons and daughters up. There’s an empire to restore.
SGEW
Wow. Joe Klein has found his new mission: rip McCain a new one.
(emphasis mine)
He also refers to John McCain as “Senator Honorable.” When you fall of the tire swing, you hit the ground hard.
Litlebritdifrnt
I know this sounds doomsdayish but I have been buying up seed packets for every vegetable known to man. I have a little under an acre and already have a place set out for my veggie garden (got about 40lbs of tomatoes this year already turned into pasta sauce). I have apple trees, grape vines, elderberry trees. Provided we still have electricity I have a ton of food in two freezers as well as canned food out the yazoo. (I am like a squirrel, when times are good I buy food, other women buy shoes, clothes and jewellry, I buy food, comes from being without as a child and being the child of a child of the depression and the war). I know alot of people think it is silly but I KNOW that I can live on what I grow for a while anyway. I also have an awful lot of dandilions :) (Also anyone who wants to be on the safe side, go out while times are good and get yourself a book identifying edible plants) Thanks to hurricane preps I have a TON of charcoal and bottled water. I know I sound like an endtimer but trust me, me and DH and the animals will be fine. The only thing we need now is a gun to make sure those who have not don’t try to take from those of us that have. (And yes I AM starting to think that things are going to get that bad.) I am honestly thinking of getting a couple of goats and some chickens and I will be set. If you REALLY think it is going to get bad: (and this is only slightly tongue in cheek cause this is only a revised post very nasty hurricane type list I live in NC this is basic stuff for us, the same rules apply)
Buy a ton of canned food
Buy a manual can opener
Stockpile charcoal
Buy some rainbarrels
Stockpile bottled water
Get a very big advanced supply of whatever prescription medications that you need
Fill up all vehicles and fill lots of gas containers with gas.
Things really go down the shitter list:
Stockpile dried goods, rice, pasta, flour, dried milk, dried beans etc.
Stockpile canned and bottled cooking and pasta sauces.
Stockpile stupid stuff like toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, soap, laundry soap, dish soap.
Lets hope that this is all just “over anxiousness”. :)
Madison
You know, I feel the same way… except I keep reading various comments in blogs (DailyKos, TPM, Huffington to name a few) and people keep saying that all of these polls don’t reflect newly registered voters OR people that only use cell phones. I don’t know if that is true, but I really hope so.
Here is a blog post about the cell phone thing:
Cellphone users missing from election surveys
Does anyone have any information on this? I also read in a comment on Talking Points Memo that someone heard on their radio station from a Gallup poll worker who said they fudge numbers all of the time. The commenter mentioned the radio station and the date she heard it, but I couldn’t find that information anywhere, so take it with a grain of salt.
srv
Rumor is Sarah Palin is going to put Lehman up on e-bay.
Rome Again
Fixed!
Lindsey is a nasty guy, but he’s not nearly as bad as UBS Phil.
Tlaloc
Spoken like someone who’s never met a CEO. Most of them can be replaced by a chimpanzee + Magic 8 ball with no loss of productivity. That’s doubly true of all but a tiny minority of big companies. In small companies the CEO usually has a real job in addition.
SGEW
Win.
AkaDad
To be fair to McCain, the fundamentals of car repossesion is strong.
Napoleon
Check Ezra Klein’s site. He has a screenshot of where someone put Lehman on E-bay today.
Tlaloc
Pollster’s looked at the issue. Here’s one such article.
When you have to pray the data is somehow wrong you aren’t where you want to be.
Jake
If there are issues with poll accuracy, I seriously doubt cel phones are the reason. It seems to me the polls were reasonably accurate during the primaries, no?
The new registrations has more meat on it, possibly. However, I would expect that to influence the random samples that pollsters are taking. If they keep seeing more registered Dems than Republicans, obviously they’d adjust predictions.
chopper
just wait until wamu goes under. if the banks start to take a crap people are going to start pulling money out as soon as they can. thing is, half the things keeping banks afloat is actual liquid assets like deposits. take that away and it all comes crashing down.
as much as i enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction etc i’ve never gone so far as to start hoarding crap and i likely never will. i do haveta say tho, half of that stuff is shit people should have as a general backup anyways. i like to keep a weeks worth of crap around if possible just in case, you never know with the state of our infrastructure what kind of temporary shit you may have to deal with.
Brian J
Oh, I didn’t know if he meant the end of banking as we know it–get in line for some bread and sleep with a knife on the streets–or just something like what we’ve been seeing, but probably worse. I guess it’s the latter.
Here’s one thing I don’t understand: if the remaining two banks, GS and MS, were going to go under, wouldn’t we be hearing more about them? Maybe I am just not reading enough business news, but I figured that we’d be hearing along the lines of “And the other two are next, many fear” from a lot of sources. Or was he talking about a few months down the line?
Dennis - SGMM
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 set the stage for most of this disaster. The “Gramm” in the title of that act is the same Phil Gramm who is one of McCain’s top economic advisers. Going to Gramm for advice on the economy is like going to McCain for advice on piloting.
bago
This financial crisis is turning us gay!
Brian J
I know that. I’m just not sure what the solution is.
Shouting at the Rain
Can, schman. I’m gonna learn to grow kick-ass marijuana. Easy to do, profitable, fun for the whole family.
Smoke and blog all day, every day. It’s the new American Dream.
The Moar You Know
SGEW: It is not unethical to be enraged at a system that has bypassed work as a way to earn money. It is not unethical to be blood vessel-popping mad about a two-tier society – one of workers and the other being the investors, who devalue work by making money from investing excess money, rather than by working more.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it’s unethical not to be angry as hell about that.
I don’t wish misfortune or loss on anyone, but this society needs to take a good hard look at what it rewards monetarily and why.
Juan del Llano
Uh, John… it’s the freaking 15th of September. Around here in northern New Mexico, it freezes in a couple of weeks. Better I should learn to shoot an elk (or a cow).
Brian J
How?
Napoleon
I don’t think I saw a time put on it. My impression was that the concern is that some combination of declining value of assets which are security for loans, a credit freeze which dries up new deals which would supply cash flow going forward and all hell braking loose when they start unwinding the contracts of Merrill and Lehman (I work with swaps and some stuff like that sometimes and have some understanding of them, but it would take way to long to describe them here) may make creditors of Goldman, JP Morgan and others to realize that in fact they are totally naked on certain obligations they have no fucking way to cover.
Personally I have a hard time believing that the other investment banks are just as bad off, with the possible exception of Goldman. My understanding is that someone in a non-mortgage banking arm of Goldman basically woke up to how bad the mortgage products maybe when valuing some companies and basically got Goldman to pull the plug on doing more of that business, something like 6, 9 or 12 months ahead of the market imploding. So the question is did they pull back in time to save their bank.
P
Tlaloc
from the wiki:
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, also known as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act, Pub. L. No. 106-102, 113 Stat. 1338 (November 12, 1999), is an Act of the United States Congress which repealed the Glass-Steagall Act, opening up competition among banks, securities companies and insurance companies. The Glass-Steagall Act prohibited a bank from offering investment, commercial banking, and insurance services.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) allowed commercial and investment banks to consolidate.
…
Economist Robert Kuttner (among others) has criticized the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act as contributing to the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis.[6] Economists Robert Ekelund and Mark Thornton have made similar criticisms, arguing that while “in a world regulated by a gold standard, 100% reserve banking, and no FDIC deposit insurance” the Financial Services Modernization Act would have made “perfect sense” as a legitimate act of deregulation, under the present fiat monetary system it “amounts to corporate welfare for financial institutions and a moral hazard that will make taxpayers pay dearly”. [7]
Presidential candidate Barack Obama has said that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act was the result of $300 million of lobbying by the financial sector and that the Congress didn’t “entirely think it through,” bowing to the desire for increased industry profits but sacrificing consumer protections and market stability. He suggests devising a more-modern counterpart of the Glass-Steagall act that would provide renewed “transparency and accountability” without unduly constraining innovation in the financial services sector.[8]
Presidential candidate John McCain has been criticized for using Phil Gramm as an economic adviser, with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act now seen as a political handicap that may inhibit Gramm’s participation in a potential McCain administration. McCain has distanced himself from Gramm, calling for renewed financial-industry oversight to “assure transparency, prevent abuse and protect the public interest.” [9]
Link
Nothing like putting every egg in one basket, huh?
HyperIon
an interesting WaPo opinion piece by Norm Ornstein. the smartest comment i read was made by a Balloon-Juicer from way back. (at least i think i recall this handle.)
The Moar You Know
A backyard probably isn’t going to cut it – I think I’ve read that the highest food value per square foot item is the lowly potato, and you’re going to need at least an acre per person to make that work.
Stockpile up, though. The isolated reports we’re starting to see from the Texas coast illustrate that Bush really has “mission accomplished” with regards to FEMA, and that if you’re the victim of a disaster, you’re going to be on your own for at least ten days. Having emergency supplies is never a bad idea.
LiberalTarian
Hey, we gotcher climate change (read Huricane Ike and his siblings), we gotcher collapse of the financial system due to unadulterated greed, we gotcher war equipment and soldiers all tied up in a vanity war… all we need is a little pandemic bird flu and the collapse of civilization will be complete.*
*Excuse me, I gotta go learn to say Hail Mary’s and then say a million of them, cuz I don’t like tempting fate. It’s kind of mother nature’s way to kick you when you’re down, and considering how lame we have been as a culture (McCain could actually WIN), you could make the argument that we pretty much have it coming.
Brian J
I actually sent an e-mail to a guy on a major political news site last week. One the questions concerned what you are talking about: “How likely is it for the polls not to reflect the increase in voter registration and possible turnout?” This was the response: (2) Unlikely. Most polls right now are samples of registered voters.
I sent him another e-mail, clarifying some questions and asking others, but I think what he meant to say was that this is unlikely to be responsible for a major shift in the polls. The effect won’t be non-existent, just likely negligible enough not to make a huge difference.
This makes sense to me, at least to a degree. After all, polling firms adjust what samples they use, and they want to get an accurate picture in order to be reputable. So you figure that this isn’t an effect they are going to ignore, even if they don’t get it exactly right.
Of course, nobody knows exactly what sort of composition the electorate will take on election day, and it also makes sense to think that 200,000-400,000 new voters in a party in a state that is within five points or less might have an impact. I just don’t think anybody knows what it is, at least not entirely. After all, both campaigns and every polling firm knows that not every person on that list is going to vote.
I’m going to try to research this a little more tonight, and if I send out any e-mails to people and get a response, I will share it with you. Let’s just say that nobody knows for sure, because the only way to get an accurate idea of where the election stands is to find every single person that will vote on election day and then poll them, an impossible task. Of course, the polls can be pretty darn accurate, but they aren’t perfect.
The Moar You Know
God’s country up there, Juan. It really is. I wouldn’t mind retiring there if I could ever afford to retire. Seems unlikely.
The challenge is not shooting the animal, but dressing (gutting) it afterwards. That is nasty-ass gory, filthy work – but a couple of those can get a family through a winter.
SGEW
I second this. And not in an end-times, post-apocalyptic way, either.
In fact, if any sort of disaster hit me and my area (major metropolitan center on the coast), I’d probably just be utterly screwed anyway . . . but my best chance will be to simply hole up in my apartment and wait for order to be restored. Unfortunately, judging by all recent evidence, that may turn out to be a very long wait.
Of course, I always have looting and cannibalism as an option. You know, if worst comes to worst.
BTW, I hear they’re turning McCarthy’s The Road into a movie. Good timing (even tho’ the film will almost certainly suck).
jrg
Given the public’s response to the Republican National Convention, I’d say a zombie outbreak is more likely.
Rome Again
Check the Writedown Rundown and General Distress list.
Litlebritdifrnt
Moar – ditto, all of the things I said are not “endtimer” stuff but simple stuff that everyone who is ever in the path of a hurricane should do to be honest. During Bertha, Fran (lots of other ones inbetween) and finally Floyd, thanks to my charcoal grill I could boil a kettle on the barbeque (for my hot tea, gawd what is an English woman without her hot tea:)), as well as cook food and boil water for cooking, washing and cleaning. This year when we trashed our old grill we specifically went for a charcoal one, rather than gas, cause ya know there ain’t going to be any gas after a hurricane but if you have charcoal you are set. It is simple really, if you are stocked up and prepared for the worst (say a Cat 5 hurricane) then you can pretty much put up with anything. It is a no brainer.
Litlebritdifrnt
Moar – ditto, all of the things I said are not “endtimer” stuff but simple stuff that everyone who is ever in the path of a hurricane should do to be honest. During Bertha, Fran (lots of other ones inbetween) and finally Floyd, thanks to my charcoal grill I could boil a kettle on the barbeque (for my hot tea, gawd what is an English woman without her hot tea:)), as well as cook food and boil water for cooking, washing and cleaning. This year when we trashed our old grill we specifically went for a charcoal one, rather than gas, cause ya know there ain’t going to be any gas after a hurricane but if you have charcoal you are set. It is simple really, if you are stocked up and prepared for the worst (say a Cat 5 hurricane) then you can pretty much put up with anything. It is a no brainer.
SGEW
I also second this. If I ever had to choose between city livin’ and country livin’ I’d definitely choose northern NM (near Las Vegas, most like – I’ve spent some time around there) as the “country” option.
‘Course, I won’t not be leaving the city anytime soon . . . unless the zombies start to become too inconvenient.
Stupid zombies.
Rome Again
Hail Marys aren’t going to save you. The church of Rome is just another piece of the triumvirate of evil.
chopper
man, kos just pointed out that since bush took office, overall the dow has gone up a grand total of 300 points.
brutal.
under the clinton years it went up like 7300. what’s that, 230 percent?
Stuck in the Fun House
I say we get Righteous Bubba over at Sadly No@ to whip up some recipes for eating republicans which may become necessary though unappetizing.
LiberalTarian
Yeah, don’t forget to get out the windpipe. That’ll ruin the meat faster’n you can shake a stick. Bear is kinda nasty, wild duck is real gamey (but my grandpa swore by sweet basil to kill the taste), mountain sheep is good but not much meat, better kill that moose quick or it’ll kill you, trout is good but small, most of the rivers are so contaminated with PCBs and mercury it’s slow suicide to eat them ….
But, it does beg the question, just how many deer and elk do you think are out there? Elk are big, but deer aren’t. And, should it get to that point, what are you going to drive into the back country in the middle of winter to hunt that deer if civilization takes a powder? I grew up in MT, and with a family of 7 who hunted every year (ok fine, I was the only without tags every year), we still raised pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and rabbits to eat along with 3 acres of garden and two working parents who still bought a butt load of groceries. Of course, if civilization goes, so will limits and licenses, but I wouldn’t bet on hunting to feed your family.
Let’s face it–most people wouldn’t know the first thing about gardening or hunting or gathering. And if you do, that gun is going to be a necessity, because you’ll need to defend it. Did I mention MT is also survivalist country??? Just this year there were articles in the Missoulian about people hoarding food. Amazing that it comes to this, but there is a sobering bit in Steinbeck’s the Grapes of Wrath (Chapter 25):
If we go this route it won’t be because we needed to, but because we didn’t care enough not to.
SGEW
Gah! Brain fail me this bad ungood day!
SGEW + no real excuse
Tlaloc
NM, yeah. I know that in the middle of possible scarcity I always plan to move into a big desert.
Wait, what?
Rome Again
Lots and lots of garlic may just do the trick… failing that, an entire bottle of lemon pepper per 1 quarter pound Republican burger might just work.
t jasper parnell
Sarah Palin not ready? Well watch it and weep. Really, weep Really, really, weep. She’ll be there all through the weeks, try the veal.
Rome Again
I did that, can’t say that it’s working out well so far. The good side, as I have recently figured, is that exposure to the sun will probably kill me faster than starvation.
The Moar You Know
Yeah, don’t forget to get out the windpipe.
Don’t forget the other end, either. At least they make a tool for that.
Like I said, it’s nasty work.
Litlebritdifrnt
Ooops sorry for the double post. However, I think DH and I lived for a week in our home after Floyd with no electricity thanks almost soley to the grill, AND all that time we were ripping out carpets and cleaning the house after having two feet of water in there. It helped that we were both former military so we were familiar with “Navy showers” (ie rinse yourself with cold water, turn off water, soap yourself down all over, turn on water to rinse off) Strangely enough, day after Floyd hit, and our house was under water, we left (okay my husband dragged me screaming from the house after we had put the animals upstairs with food and water) and went to a motel. That night we found a restaurant that was open (Red Lobster), my husband said to the waitress “We lost our house today, bring her a heineken, keep bringing them until she passes out” waitress did such thing, when we got our bill it was for $15.00. DH couldn’t understand it, turns out the waitress was a former client of my bosses law firm and was “really” grateful, she paid for the entire check but the last three beers. It is moments like that that make you thank humanity.
SGEW
Why?! Why did I watch that?!?
Cracks in the Glass ceiling! Roller Hockey Moms! First Dude! Shake things up! Tough fight! P.O.W.! Proud to be an American! Winning the war! Victory in Iraq! Moms! Moms! Hearts are united! Mavericks! Shaking up!
Oh god, it hurts. It hurts me.
Oh, and Chuck Yeager.
(I used to kinda like Chuck Yeager, actually.)
Tlaloc
Holy crap, you have to look at the “click to enlarge” pictures for that tool.
The best
cain
Yeah, the ship runs itself for the most part. Hell I’m sure I can run a company fairly easily. Where you need leadership is in those niche markets where you’re trying to grow a market. That takes some deft experience IMHO. But big markets? I doubt it.
Besides, here in Portland, they are paying school administrators 800K saying that what it takes to attract that kind of talent. WTF.. you pay someone like that more than the goddam president of the united states? I say fucking pick up a competent teacher and pay them less than half and let them run the damn schools.
cain
t jasper parnell
President McCain on some shit or another.
Tlaloc
I can say, without a shred of hyperbole that my company could lose at least three levels of management. And the higher those levels were when cut out the better off the company would be. After a while it becomes obvious that many of these managers exist just to make busy work that sounds good in their “ranking and rating.” So not only do they not contribute but they also decrease the productivity of everyone below them.
But I guess that’s why we pay them the big bucks!
SGEW
Why do you hate America so much?
Tlaloc
It ran over my dog on the way to rape my father.
I loved that dog.
t jasper parnell
On the plus side:
I paid 2.99 and it is perfectly drunkable, er drinkable.
SGEW
2 buck chuck. A blessing, and a curse.
(“Hey, it’s only two dollars! Why not open another one? Hic!” “Um, how many is that now?”)
jcricket
As much as the financial meltdown and possibility of “systemic collapse” freaks me out, I think we’re over-reacting because we’re in the middle of the storm and can’t see historical perspective. I know, this time is different. But that’s literally the same thing that’s been said during the last 12 recessions – “This time is different… It’s no longer a good time to buy… the reckoning is now”. And it’s never turned out to be true. Perma-bears are right now and then, for a short while, and then are trounced by the bulls for the next 10-20 years (each recession).
Sure, it’s possible this time really is different and our economy is now permanently doomed and we’ll all be learning Chinese to work as cheap labor for our new Mao-ist overlords. But I’d bet instead on a deep recession lasting a couple of years and then some creative/unexpected changes to the law that help us climb out of this.
jcricket
I love cheap wine from Trader Joe’s as much as the next arugula-munching, latte-swilling, biracial-raised from poverty by a single-mom elitist, but the $2.99 Chuck stuff gives me a major headache.
Plenty of good wines for under $10, but I can’t drink that stuff anymore. I went on a wine tour recently in eastern Washington and picked up a case of “Clonk de Plonk” from Tagaris Winery for like $8 a bottle and it’s fantastic. In fact, I have some on my desk right now… mmm, drunk commenting.
Rome Again
The last 12 recessions didn’t take out Lehman Brothers or Bear Stearns, or cause the sale of Merrill Lynch to another financial institution. I saw a little while ago on the crawler on CNN that WaMu has now been rated as “junk” status. This IS different. Baby Jesus is coming and boy is he pissed – at the moneychangers!
binzinerator
Just be sure to remove any deeply lodged dildoes before roasting. Although easy to find, if overlooked it’s easy to crack a tooth on one.
Bonus: The rubber wetsuit wrappings keeps ’em nice and moist while they cook.
t jasper parnell
I know that economists have a definition for recession but they also have clear a clear definition for “business cycle” or they did until the facts on the ground changed. In other words, what we are currently experiencing might not be a recession or a depression or a whathaveyou but rather something else that has yet to occur and now that it is occurring boggles the mind and beggars the imagination. I hope that this is not the case. But jesum dang, it don’t look good.
PC
I’ve never field dressed a moose, but I’ve done plenty of deer. Do we qualify VP candidates based on volume of animals killed and dressed? I’m a mutherfuckin’ rockstar.
Brian J
Here’s the thing. Neither you nor I has been in that position, so we don’t know exactly what it is like to be on the board of directors for a financial firm. I doubt it’s as hard as pediatric neurosurgery, but I can’t imagine it’s a cakewalk, either. Maybe it’s even easier than being the head of some other type of corporation, but I doubt it’s easy. That’s why people who have experience and knowledge take years to rise up into those positions, as opposed to an entry level job, like mine, where the skill set is far different. A lot of people can do it, but even more can’t do it. To say that just about anybody can do it is to say that just about anybody can be President of the United States. We all know that isn’t true.
As for the administrative position in Portland, is that position equivalent to the chancellor’s position in New York City? If so, perhaps it’s worth that much.
Anyway, the point is this: if a company is doing well, I don’t see much point in arguing against huge pay for top executives. It’s only when they manage to skate away with tens of millions when everyone else is filing for unemployment. There has to be a way to deal with the problem, but I am not sure what it is. Of course, if I had to guess, I’d say that Obama is a lot more willing to actually look into the problem than McCain.
SGEW
Ditto. Though I must admit that I’m not very fond of lattes – I much prefer a double espresso, Italian (of course!), enjoyed with a hand rolled cigarette, French* (of course!).
My taste in wines is, alas, extraordinarily expensive. So I make do with what I can afford (e.g., cheap whiskey). 2 buck chuck is what we serve when I’m hosting.
I’ve been predicting a stock market/mortgage industry/housing market/financial house crash for so long now I am no longer allowed to predict anything. But when it comes I’ll still say “I told you so” to certain friends of mine.
*But woe! French tobacco is no longer imported, so I had to quit smoking. True story.
Notorious P.A.T.
Remember the “great American disaster” we were talking about here just a month or two ago? Oil prices shoot up, run on gas, food distribution breaks down, stores are empty, etc.
Original Lee
John, just an FYI, but canning does not use paraffin anymore. You don’t even need a double boiler unless you live at a high altitude or are trying to can tomatoes. For many kinds of canning, you just put the hot, cooked stuff in the jar, screw on the lid, and turn the jar over to develop the vacuum seal. (Although I confess I am old school and boil the jars after I put the lid on.)
Notorious P.A.T.
That, alone, should disqualify her.
Notorious P.A.T.
I’d like to have a beer with you! What else is there?
t jasper parnell
Subscription to your newsletter?
Meanwhile Kissinger calls for direct talks with Iran and everybody else calls for Gitmo’s closure.
Via TPM
TenguPhule
I’ve found that a properly prepared Republican tastes like chicken.
jbarntt
JOHN COLE Said:
I hope to god you all are teaching yourself how to turn your backyard into a garden and spend some time figuring out how to can. It really is not that hard- just make sure you get a shitload of parrafin wax and boil the mason jars thoroughly
I don’t garden, but I do can and I would not recommend the parrafin wax sealing method. Better to go with the Ball company sealing method. They have a nice kit for hot water canning, and comes with a good book of recipes and instruction
The wax sealing method is OK for jams and jellies, because of the high temp. these thing reach on boiling, but is best left to experienced canners, and there is no benefit over the hot water bath method anyway.
Hot water bath canning is the way to go. Google the term and you will find a lot of info.
cain
I admit that I have not been in that position and probably am not privy to all the decisions that have to be made. In my own company, I know the people being promoted and how people are being rewarded and compensated and the pattern seems incomprehensible to me. For the money being given, I expect some manner of success.
Now one could claim that it’s sour grapes or whatever on my part, but since there has been no change in the effectiveness and efficiency by the people in charge I’m forced to guess that they aren’t particularly talented in management.
Back in the day though, when the original people in charge instead; you had to be right, failure was to get fired. So you had good confidence in those who rise up the ranks that they were pretty sharp and in that case definitely they deserve good compensation. But I’m not seeing crisp decision for the amount of money people are being paid. This seems to be endemic across corporation across the board. Inflated values for management with deflated values for non-executives (including 1st and 2nd management) These are my observations from looking within my company and reading the news.
cain
jcricket
I’m sorry, you are completely missing my point. I will say again, this is exactly what was said during every economic downturn in the last 75 years, including the Great Depression. There’s always some set of circumstances that makes the situation uniquely worse than could be imagined and impossible to recover from. Some of these circumstances were far more grave (global/regional conflict, complete collapse of other economies, oil shocks, etc.).
And yet we’ve recovered from each of these situations.
It takes time, and doesn’t always appear like it’s possible while the downturn is still ongoing, but I have more faith than you in the resiliency of the US and global economy than to claim that these recent events mean inevitable “end times”.
As much as I’ve turned to financial blogs for information, a lot of people are starting to sound like Jack Van Impe (google him). Frankly, I think a lot of the attitude is simple wish-fulfillment. Perhaps one has been predicting global economic collapse for years and it’s finally “coming true”. Perhaps one has been preaching the gospel of saving while America blithely spends away their money, and now it’s time for everyone to “learn their lesson”. Whatever the reasons, the perma-bears (not accusing you directly) are always right, for a period of time, and then spectacularly wrong – 12 times over 75 years is a really bad record.
Sure, they could be right this time, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
jcricket
It’s pretty simple.
1) Reform unemployment insurance so that it actually pays something resembling a reasonable wage.So if you are unemployed through no fault of your own (or esp. through the fault of said crappy CEOs), you’re not doubly hosed while you try to right your life. We can pay for this with #2.
2) Make the tax code more progressive. No one would complain about CEOs making 100x the average person, if the average person was also making 2x what they made 10-15 years ago. Instead it’s 400x the average person and people make less than they made. You’ll never erase income inequality, but you can prevent the exacerbation of the situation and improve the lives of the 95% of us not lucky enough to be CEO-types.
3) More and better regulation – including better anti-trust laws, more transparency requirements, stiffer punishments for violations. Companies will bitch and moan like little kids feeling “stifled” under the rules of their parents, but who fucking cares. They are kids, and they need rules.
4) Universal Healthcare. If people weren’t regularly facing bankruptcy while also facing major illness, I again don’t think people would be as resentful of the well off.
Again – you cannot erase the income inequality divide in a constructive way. But you can improve the lives of the 95% of the population not lucky enough to win the free-money lottery while only marginally impacting the top 5% (probably not even enough for them to have to lay off a single household staff member).
oh really
The fundamentals are strong
John McCain was a POW.
Quit pickin’ on the Saint, he’s old and stupid and can’t send email cuz he was a POW and you just leave him alone.
Jon
The sad thing is that when shit hits the fan like it did today, the system ends up looking less capitalistic than if there was simply some moderate regulation.
jcricket
In fact, they didn’t even have Internet Access when he was a POW. Well they did, but it was a 1200 baud modem that cut out often. And he only had a text interface, so he had to suffice with text-based pr0n.
liberal
jcricket wrote,
I’m with you on the “will we get out of this mess?” question.
OTOH, in terms of long-lasting reform, I seriously doubt it. Too much money lying around to be stolen by the guys on Wall Street.
liberal
Brian J wrote,
The most important thing in the skill set is whether you’re connected to powerful people.
Conservatively Liberal
You must use a heck of a lot of chicken flavoring!
chopper
if you’re canning high-acid foods a boiling water bath is just fine. anything else and you need to pressure can.
either way you need to heat it. otherwise you’re taking some big chances.
win.
t jasper parnell
RE: Smart versus stupid. I put this link in a different comments thread but really is worth while revisiting. Should the fundamentals of the American economy, which are now defined as worker bees for whom McCain has such contempt, rise up and smite him we now Sarah P is ready on day one with a quip and an inanity.