Here We Go Div ...... (over the Falls subsection)

Well, the inmates have finally made their takeover of the asylum that's Congress official.

It isn't enough that they want to repeal a law legally passed, but they want their whole rejected agenda included as the price of not trashing the country's economy and threatening to trash that of the whole free world. What's next guys ?? Firing on Ft Sumpter ???
Come 1 October, looks like you aren't going to be able to sign up for Social Security, Medicare, or VA benefits; but you'll still have to take your shoes off at the airport and maybe get felt up.

Of course, it's all the fault of that socialist, Kenyan, usurper that's illegally occupying "our" White House (did I mention that the guy's a Nig**** ??).

I just gotta wonder why it hasn't occurred to these rubes that they really are insane ??

Go ahead, talk among yourselves ...................

Working for a Livin' Div (learnin' how subsection)

Well, a court has finally ruled that unpaid "internships" are probably illegal. They didn't mention the fact that they're immoral and probably worthless.
This morning's WaPo had the news on the court's ruling (it will probably be appealed so the Supremes will get a shot at it -- we know how that will probably turn out, eh ?)
I did find this snippet interesting:

"Depending on how you look at it, this is either massive exploitation of young people by powerful corporations which worsens inequality, or a valuable opportunity for on-the-job training at lower cost than a degree or certificate at a college or university."

I fall into the "exploitation" camp.
Thing is, we used to have a system that took care of this "training" thingee. It was part of the Labor movement and was called "apprenticeships"  - -  there are still a few around, but not like in the past.
Companies also trained their employees; both initially and on an on-going basis.
Now, in the interest of "shareholder equity," after employees are cut, training is usually the next expense to go. (I guess fewer, less trained employees really increase the prospects of a company, but I'm just an old, retired Bear).

Sequesterization Div ( congressional convenience subsection)

One thing that's seemed to escape notice in the Congresscritters rush to restore funding to the FAA is that they did it just as they started a week long "break."  Obviously, their getting priority treatment through the security lines isn't enough to overcome the possible enroute or tarmac delays.

Maybe there are some other things that will get restored once these primadonnas are personally affected.

Almost Time For It To Start Div (2014 subsection)

Time to start thinking of who to let do the damage again, eh ??

Nuff said .............

Geography Div ( corruption and failure sub-section)

One of my very good service buddies retired to Michigan - -  the real Michigan, west of The Soo on Da Yup !!
He's since had to relocate to Ann Arbor, so gets a more frequent exposure to the doings in nearby Detroit.
And boy oh boy have they been havin' fun !!!
First, there's the former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick being convicted of corruption. My friend had met him a few years back and described him as a "thug."
Now, the city is on the verge of bankruptcy and an emergency manager has been appointed to help with the turn-around. Let's hope he's successful.
Update, 11AM   --  Apparently, the residents of Detroit aren't happy with the appointment. Ah democracy.
Anyway, here's this week's map:

We Don't Want No Government .... div

Uh ???? Now those wonderful, patriotic, regulation hating bankers are asking the evil, muslim, socialist government to protect them from the various bad guys with computers out there. Perhaps we can ask that they pay the taxes they owe and stop screwing the rest of us, eh ???  Do the words "you didn't built that" ring a bell ???
Here's another one....... GD sez it's lost 2 billion bucks because of DOD cut backs. This is just on the IT business  - -  maybe if GD could build a high-speed train our idiot Congress could pony up some bucks to help you out, eh ??? Why should the taxpayers be the ones to fund corporate profit ???

RANDOM HITS Div ......... (current events subsection)

Over the past couple of days, the mini-bears have been bugging me to comment on something
 profound.
Yeah, right ......... Like there's a shortage of possible topics out there. Hmmmmmmm, let's see  - - (links provided, do as you please).

One of the denizens of the country's oldest statehouse has blamed the push for gay marriage for his descent into drunken boating and seriously injuring a 5-year old girl. I've seen these guys at work (both the legislators and the boaters) ..... many aren't any good at either.

The Congressscritters down in the GWTP continue to ignore the problem and hold a gun to the nation's head. Please get it folks, paying the credit card bill is different than taking out a new loan. (I know, hopeless thought).

Folks everywhere are up in arms about the possibility of some rational means to insure that some folks who shouldn't be up in arms aren't. (and we're gonna blame the black guy anyhow).

The bicycle guy who never had sex with that er, never took drugs ...... really did. At this point, can anyone believe anything he says ?? (Wonder if there's a way to saddle Obama or gay marriage with the blame?)

Down in Florida (this could go national, folks) the Tea Party is changing it's name. No real thought is being given to changing the ideas that have lead to their cratering popularity.  Lipstick on a pig may be making a return, eh ?  Like the punch line from an old joke, "It is.....Want a toothbrush?"

Sandy Hook was a hoax. Ok, I give up.

Anyway, these wonderful; events  along with the "nut" e-mails I get are enough to make an old bear wish the winter cave was soundproof ...........

So for a little more stimulation, listen to Billy Joel's take on 40 years worth of history.......................

Jobs ......... div

I normally don't get to watch 60 Minutes since I'm out there risking my life and sanity navigating the pavement in and around the GWTP.
Since my "vacation" has been extended due to a rotten cold, I got the chance this past Sunday.
The segment on jobs  - - and the fact that there are so many of them out there without any "qualified" applicants was pretty amazing. A couple of things really struck me:
1) basic skills  - -  like showing up on time and paying attention  - - was really no shock. These are basic social skills that aren't being taught any longer. Perhaps it's the fact that families no longer sit down and eat dinner anymore or that Mom and Dad are so busy holding down two jobs each that they can't recognize their kids.
2) The business owner saying that he had no need to train his people. What, you expect workers (and at $12 bucks an hour for a machinist) to spring fully formed like Athena from the forehead of Zeus ??
Used to be that unions (before they became management institutions) trained apprentices to fill vacancies.
3) the fact that basic supply and demand  - -  i.e. the marketplace  - -  seems to have failed. If there aren't enough applicants (low supply), and unfilled positions (high demand), shouldn't there be a "bidding war" to get people on board ???  Seems that business owners only tout the "marketplace" when it's to their advantage, eh ??
I remember when I retired from the service   - -  over 600 resumes, 3 interviews and no job (this was during the Bush I recession). I certainly had the basic skills and was willing to start at the bottom (hell, I even sanded drywall to buy groceries) but (and it was never said) being over 45 didn't help.
Later working in the travel industry, my "rigid" background of the military was a basis for not moving up.
With the conflicts in the sandboxes drawing down, why aren't these "job creators" utilizing the people with the very training they say they need. The US military establishment is probably the finest training organization in the world. You learn fast, you learn well and are soon teaching others. As the Marines say, you adapt, improvise and overcome when presented with a challenge. Why is it that only the worker is expected to make the sacrifices ??
Today's WaPo cited the fact that  companies are maintaining profitability by "squeezing" worker pay.
Wanna bet that "Executive Compensation" and "Shareholder Equity" are being squeezed as well ???
I've got a dollar.

Shiny Thing .... div

After a great weekend of kayaking and camping:

                                     (Photo thanks: Manuverer)
                                         
I return to the "real world" and see the news and the newspaper - -  and find that nothing has really changed.

Willard still can't seem to get anything right (except for his audience) and still ain't tellin'  us anything beyond "Trust Me and my lil' Buddy."

Lil' Buddy tells the folks at the valuable voters summit that he can't really say what the plans are, but can pretty well be summed up as, "Your money and my experience will soon become my money and your experience."**

Little Ricky tells the valuable voters that the Grand Ole Party will never win over the "smart" people (as if there was ever any doubt. I'd love tto go on, but Jim Wright at Stonekettle Station already brilliantly covered the subject.

Faux news keeps right on tryin' to convince us that most folks really don't care for that Kenyan, Muslim, Socialist, America hating person in the White House ( why don't they call him Mr. President?). Ah well,  a pretty face can only do so much. Perhaps she should have interviewed Clint's chair, eh ??

It's gonna be a long slog to November .............
I think I was safer on the water.

** stolen from Carsten Stroud's  Niceville

Alice in wonderland** div (Clean Coal subsection)

Seems that Willard's event at the coal face was staged.
And here's the best part:
"Our managers communicated to our workforce that the attendance at the Romney event was mandatory, but no one was forced to attend,"  Rob Moore, CFO Murray Energy Company. If you care to listen to the 20 minute interview, it occurs at 6:05. For a quick synopsis see this.

Now, get your Funk & Wagnalls out and look up some of the words :
(Note -- definitions from my mac)

 mandatory |ˈmandəˌtôrē|
adjectiverequired by law or rules; compulsory:wearing helmets was made mandatory for cyclists.• of or conveying a command: he did not want the guidelines to be mandatory.noun ( pl. mandatories )variant spelling of mandatary.DERIVATIVESmandatorily |-ˌtôrəlē|adverbORIGIN late 15th cent.: from late Latinmandatorius, from Latin mandatum‘something commanded.’mandatary |ˈmandəˌterē|noun ( pl. mandataries ) historicala person or country receiving a mandate.ORIGIN late 15th cent. (denoting a person appointed by a papal mandate): from late Latin mandatarius, from mandatum (seemandate) .*******Anyone not conversant with the term "compulsory" ????This appears to directly conflict with the statement, "...no one was forced to attend."Ya got any problem with the word "force" as used in the statement ???  Here's some help; (hint, scroll down to the verb and look at #2)noun1 strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement: he was thrown backward by the force of the explosion.• Physics an influence tending to change the motion of a body or produce motion or stress in a stationary body. The magnitude of such an influence is often calculated by multiplying the mass of the body by its acceleration.• a person or thing regarded as exerting power or influence: he might still be a force for peace and unity.• [ in combination ] used with a number as a measure of wind strength on the Beaufort scale: a force-nine gale.2 coercion or compulsion, esp. with the use or threat of violence: they ruled by law and not by force .3 mental or moral strength or power: the force of popular opinion.• the state of being in effect or valid: the law came into force in January.• the powerful effect of something: the force of her writing is undiminished.4 an organized body of military personnel or police: a soldier in a UN peacekeeping force.• (forces) troops and weaponry:concealment from enemy forces | figurative: a battle between the forces of good and evil.• a group of people brought together and organized for a particular activity: a sales force.• (the force) informal a police department.5 Baseball a force-out.• a situation in which a force-out is possible.verb [ with obj. ]1 make a way through or into by physical strength; break open by force: they broke into Fred's house and forced every cupboard door with ax or crowbar.• [ with obj. ] drive or push into a specified position or state using physical strength or against resistance: she forced her feet into flat leather sandals | figurative : Fields was forced out as director.• achieve or bring about (something) by coercion or effort: Sabine forced a smile |she forced her way up the ladder.• push or strain (something) to the utmost:she knew if she forced it she would rip it.• artificially hasten the development or maturity of (a plant).2 (often be forced) make (someone) do something against their will: she wasforced into early retirement | [ with obj. ] :the universities were forced to cut staff.• rape (a woman).• Baseball put out (a runner), or cause (a runner) to be put out, at the base to which they are advancing when they are forced to run on a batted ball: I was forced at second base as the first half of a double play.• (in cards) make a play or bid that compels another player to make (a particular response); make a play or bid that compels (another player) to make such a response:East could force declarer to ruff another spade.PHRASESby force of by means of: exercising authority by force of arms.force the bidding (at an auction) make bids to raise the price rapidly.force someone's hand make someone do something: the exchange markets may force the Fed's hand.force the issue compel the making of an immediate decision.force the pace adopt a fast pace in a race in order to tire out one's opponents quickly.in force 1 in great strength or numbers:birdwatchers were out in force. 2 in effect; valid: the US has over $8 trillion worth of life insurance in force.PHRASAL VERBSforce something down 1 manage to swallow food or drink when one does not want to: I forced down a slice of toast. 2 compel an aircraft to land: the plane might have been forced down by fighters.force oneself on/upon rape (a woman).force something on/upon impose or press something on (a person or organization):economic cutbacks were forced on the government.DERIVATIVESforceable adjective,forcer nounORIGIN Middle English: from Old Frenchforce (noun), forcer (verb), based on Latinfortis ‘strong.’force 2 |fɔːs|nounN. Englisha waterfall.ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old Norse fors .******I'm sure this is the kind of world you really want, eh ?? These people are incapable of telling the truth, let alone even knowing what the words they use mean.

** 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.' Lewis Carroll - "Through the Looking Glass

Crooks .... div (Update subsection)

Well, in the course of a week, the initial indignation has managed to morph into '...well, we really didn't do anything wrong, but we accept your generous offer.'

The really telling statement from the offending party that "well over 99.9 percent" of the questioned transactions with Iran complied with all regulations and the few transactions that didn't amounted to $ 14 million.
This brings to mind Schopenhauer's Law of Entropy:
                "If you put a spoonful of wine in a barrel full of sewage, you get sewage.
                If you put a spoonful of sewage in a barrel full of wine, you get sewage."
These guys are criminals. They not only broke the law, they engaged in a criminal conspiracy to circumvent the laws (and actively instructed their employees in the method)  and they're getting off Scot free  ...........  What a system !!

            

Casino .... div

With all the talk about the impending fall over the "fiscal cliff" (brought to you by the Congress and the US Financial Establishment) I've been thinking about how I was brought up .... you know; thrift, saving, careful purchases, etc. I never recalled the use of the term "fiduciary responsibility for shareholder equity." A company made something, they made a modest profit (5-7 % wasn't unheard of and was considered pretty good), reinvested profit in research and development, paid decent wages and just maybe paid a small dividend to stockholders. Hell, for years GM stock was considered safer than a savings account. Think about it, the US Auto industry began its descent when the finance guys took over from the car guys.

One thing I always believed was that "investment" was just that. It wasn't speculation or gambling. Sure I lost money in some companies, and made some in others; but I wasn't the "in 'n out" investor.

Now, our system of investment is nothing more than a bet  .... and the house always wins (even when they lose).

The portion of our economy that is concerned with making "deals" as opposed to making "things" has grown totally out of proportion with the value it adds to the economy, and many of the "instruments" are totally undecipherable to the average investor.

Now even the banks have entered the fray (with your money). I think this would be a pretty easy way to put a stop to it. Another way would be to eliminate the Capital Gains Tax.  NO, NO, not what you think ......... Make it a graduated repeal  -  50% tax on assets held one year or less, and a 10% reduction for each year thereafter. This is probably too simple, but it would certainly cut down on speculation, Another means would be a minute tax (say .001%) on every transaction.

I certainly don't have the answers, but we need to do something before it becomes a question of running out of rope or lampposts.

What's Needed div

More  and  More  and  More  and  More  and  More   and  More we see reports of just how corrupt and/or incompetent the banking system, and those running it, really is.
Why then (like Atrios keeps asking) do we insist on and keep giving them money ????
Are our leaders incompetent, stupid or simply evil ????????
Seems like this morning's "Non Sequiter" states problem quite succinctly :

           
                                                          Obviously, his eyes are closed

Upstairs, Downstairs div

It appears from all the howlings out there on the inter tubes that Mittens had a great weekend in the Hamptons. Sure was nice to get away from those hicks in Cow Hampshire (don't blame me, I lived free there ... and damn near died) and see some "real" folks.

I especially loved this quote:
"A few cars back, Ted Conklin, the owner of the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, long a favorite of the Hamptons' well-off and well-known, could barely contain his displeasure with Mr. Obama. "He is a socialist. His idea is find a problem that doesn't exist and get government to intervene," Mr. Conklin said from inside a gold Mercedes, as his wife, Carol Simmons, nodded in agreement."


Seems like Ted really is familiar with what it takes to be a Socialist, eh ??
How dare "those" people create a non-existent problem   - -  like maybe voter fraud and then pass a bunch of laws to prevent people from voting ??      oops ...... those are republ ......  arrgggghhh, ........ nothing to see here, move along.


Most of this illustrates that the "rich" ain't really like most of us. I'll never be able to spend over a year's pay (before taxes) on a meal. It's nice to see all the "job creators" spending that money. Surely, it will trickle down, eh ?


What I can't figure out is what are they expecting to get. Usually, money is exchanged for something of value. I don't think anyone can tell me, with a straight face anyway, that this ain't out and out influence peddling and bribery 
The only "trickle down" I've experienced since St Ronald announced how it worked is the moisture on my thigh when I don't adequately shake off my di ....... well, you get the picture.


It's amazing that the Republicans can still mouth this twaddle after it's been proven to be unworkable over and over and over ....... and no one calls 'em on it. Seems like they will always be able to play to the audience that thinks they magically move up into the ranks of the 1%. They always seem to be able to point to some bogey-man that's a-gonna steal it from 'em. (Of course, them what points it out are exactly the ones you need to fear, eh ?). 


Maybe it's time that the folks in the Hamptons try to get along without all those pesky "common people" who just don't get it.