'Underemployment' tops 20 pct in 3 states

Wow, government reports of the Gross Domestic Product soars 5.7% didn't even excite the Wall Street crew. I'm shocked. I thought that the Dow Jones would rally 300 to 400 points. I guess you can only be delusional for so long until reality bites you in the ass.

Ben Bernanke Returns!

He's IN!

Federal Reserve chairman and world class screw up, Ben Bernanke, has been confirmed to serve a second term by a Senate vote of 70 to 30. Bernanke, who failed to see the current economic downturn coming, will get a chance to continue his dollar wrecking monetary policy at the Federal Reserve for an additional four years. So far, both Bush and Obama have selected this fool.

Bye Bye Dollar!

Oh well, I wonder how the American people will response.

Here's a clue.

43,000 Jobs lost in THREE DAYS

So far this week, U.S. companies announced over 43,000 job cuts.

*Home Depot announced that it would cut over 19,000 jobs.
*Verizon said it is cutting 13,000 Jobs.
*Sam's Club also said that it would layoff 11,000 people.

We're starting to see the big corporations cut jobs at a faster pace, so this maybe the beginning of the next crash. What do you think?


Home Depot Also Cutting 1,000 Jobs
http://business.theatlantic.com/2010/01/home_depot_also_cutting_1000_jobs.php

Wal-Mart's job-cut moves at Sam's Club make Street sense
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wal-mart-up-as-sams-club-to-cut-11000-plus-jobs-2010-01-25?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Verizon Job Cuts Just Keep Coming
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Job-Cuts-Just-Keep-Coming-106620?nocomment=1

POSTAL!

Gerald Celente was right. When people lose everything, they lose it.

This guy loses his job and freaks OUT!

The Federal Reserve is NOT a public Entity!

Fed posts record $52B profit for 2009! YAY! Wait, how can a government agency post profits? They can't unless they're a private entity. Doesn't the U.S. constitution demand that Congress coins the currency. Oh well, who cares what that dead letter says anyway?

But when you go to their website, it clearly states that the fed is NOT private.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/faq/faqfrs.htm

Really, if read the website, it clears states that it is an independent bank that makes decisions that "do not have to be ratified by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branch of government." The fed doesn't accept funding from Congress (with the exception of TARP) like a normal agency or public entity and it does not need Congress' approval for anything.

The website then states that Congress is subjected to oversight. But if the bank doesn't need Congress for funding and can make decision without the government's approval, the so called oversight in non-existent.

The website continues to state that the Federal Reserve is audited on several levels, which is another way of saying that no one gets to look at the books. Ever wonder why Congressman Ron Paul is so eager to audit the fed, the answer is simple: The Federal Reserve is a private bank.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2010-01-12-fed-profits_N.htm

High drama in Spokane!

High drama in Spokane. Meryl Davis and Charlie White beat their role models Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosta to become the two-time U.S. Ice Dance Champions.

Meanwhile, Two time Olympian Sasha Cohen made a dramatic comeback to challenge the young American ladies. I must say that although her mediocre performance during the Free Skate was disappointing, I found myself quietly rooting for her. She's 25 years old (a dinosaur by figure skating standards) and had battled several serious injuries to finish 4th in the U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Nevertheless, it took a lot of guts to come back to figure skating after a 4 year absence and I have nothing be respect for her.



Reigning Ladies Champion Alissa Czisny struggled as well. But I have to say that her raw emotions on the ice is one of the reasons why I still watch figure skating. She really knows how to make you love her. And that's not something that can be taught.



High school senior, Rachael Flatt, re-enforced his title as the princess of consistency by blowing by the entire field in the Free Skate. I know I'm going to catch a lot of flank for saying this, but I wish Ashley Wagner had won. What can I say, she's hot! Granted, she's not as talented or as consistent as Flatt, but she's still a good skater with plenty of heart.



Plus, I don't think the U.S. can win in Vancouver if we don't have a lady skater who can excel artistically.

Now, am I saying that I don't like Flatt? No!
She's a wonderful skater, a good jumper and very reliable.



But I think if you look at the pasT Olympic champions, you'll see that they all had a stronger artistic expression than Flatt. Granted, the scoring system has changed, but I don't see an American lady winning unless she can make us love her.

Maybe by the time Flatt is done, she'll do just that.

Goodbye Air America!

That's it. Air America, the American liberals' response to the right wing loons has finally bite the dust. The troubled network was formed in 2004. Since then, the broadcast has include U.S. Senator Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo. I never listened to Air America, but I always knew that it was going to be a failure. Simply put, radio is old people. And old people tend to be more conservative.

Many of us on the right are celebrating the closure of what some have deem "Airhead America," but given this horrible economy, I don't feel like celebrating anyone losing his or her job.

And either should you.

http://www.truthout.org/air-america-shuts-down56274

Freeze Discretionary Spending?!

Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) is claiming that Obama may call for a freeze on discretionary spending in his upcoming State of the Union speech. But at this point, it doesn't matter what Bayh says. Congressional Democrats are are moving to rise the federal debt limit, which tells me that they have no intention of changing their ways. Even if President Obama did make such a call, it's unlikely that Democrats would ever honor it.

Bayh
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=asXA4awLUEVU&pos=9
Debt Limit
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100122-709119.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

Brown WINS!

Well, I hate to say "I told you so," but... I told you that Brown was going to win. I even predicted the correct results.

Brown 52%
Coakley 47%
Kennedy 1%

Although, I'm happy that I guessed the right percentage, but I hope my other predictions don't come true.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2010/by_county/MA_US_Senate_0119.html?SITE=AP&SECTION=POLITICS

Black People: Wake UP! Obama hasn't Changed anything!

Last night, I had a huge debate with my family over Obama's first year as President. At first, my mother and sister gave me the standard excuse that almost all black people give: Obama is doing his best. But when I challenged that by asking them if they believed that Bush was doing his best, they give me a resounding "no." It was at that point that I had to point out that Obama's foreign policy was almost identical to George W. Bush's policy.

My sister didn't have a good response, all she could do is provide a smirk and an empty assertion that Obama was different. The whole thing started when my mom tried to tell me that she was proud of me by quoting something that Obama said. Id din't even care that she was trying to say something nice. The fact that she still admires this incompetent man after one year of failures hit a nerve and unleashed my frustration. I told them every fact about Obama that I could muster and destroyed every weak argument that was thrown at me.

I told them about the escalation in Afghanistan, continued the war in Iraq, lied about withdrawn from Iraq, continued rendition, continued secret prisons, protected Bush torturers, continued bailing out Wall Street, lied about transparency, lied about the amount of jobs created by the stimulus package, helped create a 1.4 trillion dollar deficit and is currently creating an even better deficit.

And even after I presented the fact, my sister seemed unconvinced, unconcerned and unaware. My mother and sister are good people. We get along fabulously (yes, I used that word), we even watch "24" after the discussion, but I fear that many black people (and white liberals) have an irrational sense of loyalty to a man who has not earned. I'm tried of black people defending this guy. He's black. SO what?!

What has this guy actually done?

He hasn't changed anything that really matters. If I had to listen to black people praise this clown, they're going to have to listen to me point out the fact he hasn't changed a DAMN THING!

I'm not mad at black people and I know that some of us see him for who he is. I just want my people to WAKE THE F&%# UP!

OBAMA
Escalation of Afghan War (Check)
Continuation of Iraq War (Check)
Continuing Rendition (Check)
Secret Prisons (Check)
Protecting Bush Torturers (Check)
Bailouts for Insolvent Companies (Check)
Bailouts for Wall Street (Check)
Triple deficit (Check)
Lies about Transparency (Check)
Lies about Jobs created by the Stimulus Package (Check)

Anyway, watch black celebrities comment on Obama's first year. I can barely watch it.

Zogby Thinks Coakley is Going to Win.

John Zogby Coakley Win
Uploaded by hotairpundit. - News videos from around the world.

Despite a big swing in favor of Scott Brown, Pollster John Zogby is convinced that Coakley is going to win. Wow, he's a brave man. Either he is smarter than most pollsters or he is setting himself up for a big embarrassment. I told you guys that I was suspicious of these no-name polls. What the hell is InsideMedford/MRG? Are they reliable?

And frankly, I stopped taking Public Policy Polling seriously when they predicted a 17 point win for Republican Hoffman in the New York 23 race. These are the polls according to Real Clear Politics.com

Politico/InAdv Brown +9
PJM/CrossTarget (R) Brown +10
PPP (D) Brown +5
ARG Brown +7
Daily Kos/R2000 Tie
InsideMedford/MRG Brown +10
PJM/CrossTarget (R) Brown +15
ARG Brown +3
Blue Mass Group/R2000 Coakley +8
Suffolk/7News Brown +4
Rasmussen Reports Coakley +2

So the question is... are the polls right?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ma/massachusetts_senate_special_election-1144.html

New Poll: Is this race over?

A new Politico/InAdv has Scott Brown up by 9%. Either these polls are very, very wrong or something big is brewing in Massachusetts. Democrat Martha Coakley seems to be doing worse by the day. If she loses this race, Obama's health care bill will be in serious trouble.

The latest polls have Brown up by a sizable margin, but I'm not calling this race until I see a Rasmussen poll. Just saying.

According to the Inside Advantage poll, Republican Scott Brown is garnering over 75% of the Latino vote, 61% of 18-29 years and even getting 26% of black voters. 25% of black voters? Yeah right. Blacks vote for Democrats, no matter what. It's highly unlikely that blacks will change their voting patterns anytime soon. This poll showed that 25% of the blacks claimed to be Republican?

Come on!

Look, maybe I'm wrong, maybe something is changing. After all, I was wrong about the 2008 presidential election.

Is this race over?

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM136_100118_insideradvantage_politico_mass_poll.html

Can Coakley's GOTV win?

A new Daily Kos/R2000 poll has Martha Coakley and Scott Brown at a dead heat. The U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts has been unexpectedly close given the state's liberal electorate. This would be good news for Coakley, but if the poll came from an organization will more credibility. Daliy Kos is known for its far left politics and Research 2000 is not exactly the most reliable poll. So if the best that Coakley can do is tie in this poll, she maybe in big trouble. Especially considering the fact that the same poll had her with a 8 point lead last week.

As of today, the Coakley campaign is boasting that their get-out-to-vote campaign will deliver Martha a narrow victory. Will Coakley proven GOTV operation help her beat an inexperienced Brown campaign.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ma/massachusetts_senate_special_election-1144.html

http://www.dailykos.com/

Can Obama Save Martha Coakley?

Although, I believe that there's really no significant difference between Republicans and Democrats, I still enjoy watching these clowns jockeying for the electoral gold. Hey, some people watch football for entertainment and people like me watch elections. Instead of Sunday Night Football, it'll be Tuesday Night Elections. When do the playoffs start?

Anyway, Scott Brown has surged ahead of the ice queen in several recent polls. Unfortunately, I don't recognize any of these firms, so I consider them to be a bit suspicious to say the least. Public Policy is probably the best known of the three and they have Brown leading Coakley 51 to 46. It's very dire news, considering the fact that Brown has been cracking the 50 percent threshold.

PJM/CrossTarget (R) has Brown leading by a ridiculous 15 points. There's no chance that a Republican can win by 15 in uber-blue Massachusetts. InsideMedford/MRG is also show a double digit lead for Romney Jr....I mean Scott Brown.

See, I think Brown will win for two reasons.

1. Coakley was a bad candidate.
She's unappealing in the way she talks and how she presents herself. She is not only inarticulate, but she seems like she has a cold and wooden personality.

2. Coakley ran a bad campaign.
I guess she assumed that she would win. Never a good idea.

3. Obama's Health care bill is unpopular.
Simply put, this bill is becoming a liability for many blue dog Democrats.

4. Scott Brown is running a good campaign.
He is charming, warm, personable and knows how to deliver a simple, popular economic message. I'm not saying that he's my ideal candidate, but his campaign's themes and message are giving the independents a reason to vote for him.

On Sunday, Obama visited Massachusetts to give Coakley a boast at a rally, but I don't think it'll work. Obama, despite his incompetence, is very likable and charming and I think this will only make Coakley look worse by highlighting her flaws as a candidate.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

Prediction:
Brown 52%
Coakley 47%
Kennedy 1%

What do you think? Can Obama Save Martha Coakley?

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ma/massachusetts_senate_special_election-1144.html

Can Scott Brown do the impossible in Massachusetts?

Can Senatorial candidate Scott Brown do the impossible in Massachusetts? According to the latest poll: Yes. It looks like he is leading 50 to 46 as we enter the last weekend before the special election. Normally, i wouldn't care about a Democrat or Republican winning. But it looks like if Brown can win Ted Kennedy's seat, he will be the 41st vote against Obama's health care bill.

After following this race for a very limited amount of time, two things seem obvious: 1) Martha Coakley (D) is a horrible candidate and 2) Her campaign is surprisingly uninspiring.

This is in no way an endorsement, but Brown seems like the more competent candidate. He's seems more personable, confident and articulate than Coakley. The Democrat reads lines for her ads like she's doing a public service announcement on a public access channel. She has this strange wooden quality that is very unappealing. She may be a decent lady, but it's clear that she's running a bad campaign. And remember, if Mitt Romney can win in Massachusetts, just about anything is possible.

As strange as this may sound, a Republican may win in Massachusetts.

Federal Deficit Nightmare Worsens!

The deficit for this fiscal year is not only compatible to that of last year, but it is substantially worse. In the first three months of this year (October, November and December), the U.S. government's deficits have already surpassed 388 billion dollars. Last year, the government produced a deficit of 332 billion dollars during the same time period. Basically, the out-of-control government spending is getting even crazier. In 2009, the deficit hit an all-time December high of 91.85 billion dollars. The problem is that the government will not be able to produce deficits like these for much longer without risking some dire consequences.

After all, would you invest in the dollar if you knew that government could never pay you back?



http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31479.html

Murders Dropping in LA

Murders in LA are at an astonishing low level. Murders in U.S. cities are at a 50 year low. What is going on? Are the gangsters of the 80s and 90s growing up and realizing that they don't want to see their grandkids dying or am I missing something? Apparently, ex-gang members are working with police to dispel rumors and lower tensions between the gangs.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122498235

Just Say NO to the GOP!

Network computer consultant Donn Janes, who is running for Congress in Tennessee's 8th district has decided to abandon the Republican Party. I guess he decided that the Grand Ole Party wasn;t so grand when the RNC announced its support for social conservative Stephen Fincher.

Janes' opponent is pro-life, anti-gay marriage and pro-gun rights. Janes isn't really much different. I think he's just using the Tea Party label to get by.

What a fake!

Blackwater in Somilia?

Something stinks in Somilia. 18 people have been killed in the southern regions of Somalia. Now Al-Shabab is claiming that Blackwater mercenaries are operating in the country. Al-Shabab;s spokesman is claiming that Blackwater is trying to set them by detonating bomb and blaming it of them. Blackwater. Al-Shabab. Who knows which one is telling the truth?

Reality Check: AT LEAST 85,000 Jobs Lost!

What happened to all of the hype. For weeks, we've been subjected to continuous claims by Wall Street economist that the economy was recovering. We were told that in December, we were actually going to see a gain in employment. The government revised it's November numbers and claimed that we added 4,000 jobs. But then it admitted that the U.S. lost at least 85,000 jobs in the following month.

The Wall Street economist have argued that the decline in the rate of job loss is proof that the economy is getting better. They argue that we were losing 700,000 jobs in the beginning of 2009 and now that amount has declined. He's the problem with that argument. If the trend is going down then why did we see 85,000 more people lose their jobs. And if you examine how the government measure unemployment, you'll learn that hundreds of thousands of people have stopped losing for work. So this allows the government to excluded them from the unemployment counts and that's why the official unemployment number remained at 10%.

Shut Up John!

Presidential failure John McCain is accusing Obama of "leading an extreme left-wing crusade to bankrupt America." This is the type of stupid partisan that has turned the GOP into a brain-dead quasi-right wing party. What Obama is doing is not very different from what the Republican Party did when it was in power in the early 2000s. Obama and GOP are taking money away from the working and middle class taxpayers and giving it to arrogant criminals on Wall Street. Both the Republicans and the Democrats have run up massive deficits at the expense of the people's wealth.

The latest assault by John McCain is just another feeble attempt to galvanize the conservative base in Arizona for the next election.

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2010/01/mccain_vs_obamas_leftwing_crus.html

The Lost Decade

American has produce a net gain of jobs in every decade since the 1940s, but something went horribly wrong in the last decade. In the 1940s, we saw a 38% increase in payroll employment. The fifties produced a 24% increase, the sixties had a 31% gain, the seventies had a 27% rise and even the eighties and the nineties saw a 20% increase. But in the 2000s, America had a ZERO net growth in jobs.

Many people are calling it "The Lost Decade," but I agree with Peter Schiff, the 2000's was "the decade of (economic) sin."

This decade will be the decade of hell."


Aughts were a lost decade for U.S. economy, workers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/01/AR2010010101196.html

TSA Airport Security Ignores Obama

After the would-be terrorist attack of the underwear bomber, Obama stepped up and demanded that airports increase security. Predicatively, many airports have ignored the commander and chief. Simply put, there is no way that TSA can effectively increase security in a less than a week. I've said it once and I'll say it again, the best defense against airline terrorism is to 1) Reduce people's incentives to kill us and 2) Use common sense. A 67 year old white lady from Tennessee is not likely to be an al-Qaeda operative. Instead of relying on scanners and wasting time making people undress, TSA employees should study the behavior and appearance of the passengers. They should examine body language, use more dogs and rely on intelligent police work.

Computers will be save us. Using our heads will.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100105/D9D1FGIO1.html

Jobs in December? Is Bernanke FINALLY right?

Bernanke is insisting that low interest rates did not create the bubble. At this point, I'm curious. Is there anyone out who still takes this guy seriously? This guy has no clue. In early 2008, he said that there would be no recession. The same guy who had no clue that this thing was coming is going to be the same guy who going to tell us what caused it. And he's saying that it's likely over.

JOBS

People have been sending me e-mails on the possibility that there could be job growth in December. First of all, I've always said that in an economy, nothing ever goes straight up or straight down. Bear markets have rallies and sales sometimes increase. What's important is the overall trend. Does tens of thousands of people working $8/hour during the holiday season equate to an economic recovery?


Jobs in December?
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/green-shoots-monthly-jobs-data-might-show-growth-2010-01-03-120140

Low rates didn't cause bubble, Bernanke says
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/low-rates-didnt-cause-bubble-bernanke-says-2010-01-03

Bernanke Sees No Recession, but Big Challenge
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=74992288

Bernanke: Recession 'Likely Over'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125301730771311713.html

Revolution in Iran?

This is unbelievable. Is this a riot or state-implemented terrorism. People in Iran battling their own government head on. In this video, an elderly man dies in the street. Is this the beginning of a revolution?