IT’S A DEPRESSION, STUPID!!! LIQUIDITY IS NOT THE SOLUTION!!

Why are all the “leaders” insisting the solution begins with MORE credit? Businesses do rely on availability of credit in order to operate. When this is not a viable option, the business strategy must be altered to the current situation. Increasing debt is the reason citizens are feeling strangled now. Therefore, having access to more is only going to exacerbate the problem in the long term. I own a business and my day-to-day operation is based on what money I have in the bank. I purchase supplies according to need and cost control. If I put my business in debt by borrowing money, it would leverage my competition in a downturn. Private funding for new businesses thru investors leaves government out of business.
The bank bailout provided funds to prevent a collapse of the financial industry. In fact, the Congress proudly passed the Bill singing their own praise about preventing a Depression. Well, with no stipulations given to the banks, they gladly spent the money on frivolous shenanigans and umbrellas while simultaneously hording the monies to solidify their positions. The government is failing to pursuit the bailout money because no legislation has been passed to add stipulations now. Improper conduct is rewarded by the banks with taxpayer money? It’s never too late when taxpayer money is involved. The Democrats have been involved in the deceit which strikes me as perplexing given the election results.
The Bush administration has done nothing to address the issues responsible. He could have brought investigations into the fiasco which would have squarely placed the cause on high ranking Democrats. Instead, he remained silent which now puts his inaction as a supplement to the problem.
One solution the Congress should implement is every bank which received taxpayer funds must immediately provide every person with a mortgage an interest rate half of what the current rate is or that is in contract currently. This would allow everyone to free up sums of money to use on necessities they currently have. Also, this would allow people to pay down their mortgage faster if they choose.
I would like readers to make suggestions in order to write their Congressman here on this page. Any feedback would be appreciated, good or bad.

Grappledoctor

Welcome To United States of Venezula

The United States government was outraged about Hugo Chavez declaring state takeover of the country’s oil infrastructure. My question to Bush is,” why did our government commit the same act Hugo Chavez did?” Bush and Congress have taken over the banking industry. And we have done this before. During the Savings and Loan debacle. When frivalous earmarks pork up emergent bills and show borderline criminal activity of lobbyist interest in stealing tax payer monies, our credibility and prestigous leadership position becomes irrevocably damaged, leaving a picture of shame and corruption the odious tyrants and dictators can use for propaganda purposes.

Now we stand at the juncture of implementing the proposed policies of Obama provided he wins in 2 weeks. He is admittedly pro-big government and for redistributing of capital or “share the wealth.” When you go to the polls to vote, ask yourself if hard work and getting ahead should be rewarded or punished? Ask yourself if this policy encourages hard work and reward or does it stop the motivation and innovation. Has it already done so?

Hugo Chavez Takes Over American Oil Companies
Chavez to Take Over Venezuela’s 3rd Largest Bank

Hugo Chavez takes over major telecom and power companies in Venezuela — the consequences of an ignorant population

Hugo Chavez Takes Over American Oil Companies

Boumedine v. Bush: Paying for Terrorists’ Legal Rights

On June 12, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered its opinion on whether enemy combatants imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to petition for writ of habeas corpus. Habeas corpus is a Latin phrase which literally means, “We command you to bring the body.” In legal terms, it has been the historical constitutional right afforded to Americans accused of committing a crime to have his day in court. Indeed, a fundamental right critical in a democratic society.

So what did the U.S. Supreme Court say? In a 5 to 4 decision, the majority ruled that enemy combatants do have the right to a habeas corpus petition. In other words, enemy combatants now receive taxpayer funded federal public defenders and access to our civilian courts. Since the ruling, many legal scholars have opined on this highly political decision. Most have been very esoteric, difficult for the laymen to understand.

But here is an article by John Yoo published today in the Wall Street Journal. Yoo is a law professor at UC Berkeley Law School, co-authored the USA PATRIOT Act, authored the famous, or infamous, White House memo on torture, an emphatic defender of a strong executive branch during wartime, a brilliant legal mind, and, a proud Korean-American.

Yoo gives us a little historical context.

[“In World War II, no civilian court reviewed the thousands of German prisoners housed in the U.S. Federal judges never heard cases from the Confederate prisoners of war held during the Civil War. In a trilogy of cases decided at the end of World War II, the Supreme Court agreed that the writ did not benefit enemy aliens held outside the U.S. In the months after the 9/11 attacks, we in the Justice Department relied on the Supreme Court’s word when we evaluated Guantanamo Bay as a place to hold al Qaeda terrorists.”]

I would distinguish further that the German prisoners captured on the battlefield in WWII were uniformed military soldiers of a sovereign nation, motivated by their loyalty to country. (Yes, it’s certainly arguable whether the officers were loyal to a country or to an evil ideology, but, the point is, WWII involved conventional warfare with conventional armies.) Yet, as Yoo points out, they still were not given access to our courts. Moreover, most of these German prisoners were decent people (again, arguable) who shared many similarities with Americans. But still, no civilian court. Why? Because they were prisoners of war, enemy combatants.

Today’s war on terror does not involve two sovereign nations going at it. No. Rather, it involves a tolerant freedom loving nation against thugs who in the name of a god strap bombs to themselves and obliterate and maim civilian men, women, and children. And here are 5 Supreme Court justices deciding to give these Islamo-Fascists access to taxpayer funded civilian courts and a public defender. I know, it’s hard to believe.

This is obviously a dangerous slippery slope. Once we take a piece of our Constitution and give it to the terrorists, what will stop the Court from extending the entire document? Mark my word, soldiers will soon be required to read enemy combatants their Miranda rights, in Arabic! It won’t stop there. The 4th amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure. The 5th amendment right to not incriminate yourself. And the 14th amendment right to due process. You can be sure the terrorists will demand these rights. It’s only a matter of time these rights too are extended to the captured terrorists.

Scalia put it best, “The Nation will live to regret what the Court has done today. I dissent.”

The Politics of Oil

The politics of oil is simple: We want oil. We need oil. And lots of it. But not everyone realizes this. Especially those rich elitist Hollywood liberals who fly around in their private jets decrying global warming and telling middle and lower class folks to stop consuming. Arrogant bastards are so out of touch with reality. And you have liberal demagogues, mostly the democratic politicians, who take advantage of people who don’t know Economics 101 and lie about how Bush and his oil connections are to blame.

The liberals called for ethanol pretending it would get us off dependence on oil and that it would become a viable source of alternative fuel. Foolish delusion. Now we have a global food shortage crisis because everyone’s growing corn and only corn! It’s like the war on drugs: as long as you have cartels controlling the supply coupled with an continually growing demand, prices will rise. Plain and simple. The only way to alleviate the price spikes is to manipulate the supply. And that means drilling. Lots of it. We have plenty of oil on our soil.

Now what about the apparent bubble in the oil markets? There is indeed a bubble. Speculation is caused by commodity traders who “predict” what the price of oil will be tomorrow. The markets react and is why we see daily volatility in the price of oil. This is not rocket science.

But everyone is rationally ignorant to some degree and on some issues. I have very little interest in what goes on in Hollywood and the latest greatest popular culture. Therefore I rationally decide to be ignorant about it. No big deal. It’s a natural way for people to be efficient and allocate their intellectual resources to topics and issues they truly care about, enough so they are willing to invest the time and energy to bone up on it. The politics of oil is a prime example. This creates a ripe opportunity for demagoguery. Listen to a democratic politician talk about oil and you’ll see a perfect example.