Say Anything Blog

Bank nationalisation gains ground with Republicans
By Edward Luce and Krishna Guha

Published: February 17 2009 19:44 | Last updated: February 18 2009 01:07

Long regarded in the US as a folly of Europeans, nationalisation is gaining rapid acceptance among Washington opinion-formers – and not just with Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman. Perhaps stranger still, many of those talking about nationalising banks are Republicans.

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina, says that many of his colleagues, including John McCain, the defeated presidential candidate, agree with his view that nationalisation of some banks should be “on the table”.

EDITOR’S CHOICE
In depth: Obama’s first 100 days - Jan-28Obama acts to cut risk of foreclosures - Feb-17US homebuilder confidence remains near low - Feb-17Californian dream turns into nightmare - Feb-17Mr Graham says that people across the US accept his argument that it is untenable to keep throwing good money after bad into institutions such as Citigroup and Bank of America, which now have a lower net value than the amount of public funds they have received.

“You should not get caught up on a word [nationalisation],” he told the Financial Times in an interview. “I would argue that we cannot be ideologically a little bit pregnant. It doesn’t matter what you call it, but we can’t keep on funding these zombie banks [without gaining public control]. That’s what the Japanese did.”

Read the rest here:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ad3b750-fd27-11dd-a103-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

THE PARTY THAT LOST ITS MIND
Sunday, February 15, 2009 7:13 AM
David Frum

Have you heard about the marsh mouse? The little swamp critter that got $30 million of stimulus bill spending thanks to Nancy Pelosi? Of course you have! The mouse was highlighted on Drudge and chortled over by Glenn Beck. One Republican congressman actually dandled a toy mouse in debate.

The story’s not false exactly. The stimulus money really does contain money for wetlands restoration. One of the wetlands that might benefit really is located on San Francisco Bay. And the marsh mouse really does live there.

So the Republicans who promoted the mouse story came closer to the truth than Nancy Pelosi’s spokesmen did when they blasted the story as a “fabrication.” I’m prepared to bet my share of the Obama tax cuts that the mouse will indeed get its money in the end.

The problem with the story is not that it was false. The problem with the story is that it was stupid.

The US economy has plunged into severe recession (94% of Americans describe economic conditions as “bad,” according to the Feb 2-4 CBS poll, and 51% say conditions are getting even worse).

President Obama and the Democrats have responded by steering the US radically to the left. Since World War II, the federal government has most years spent less than one dollar in five of national income. Once the stimulus gets underway, the federal government will spend more than one dollar in four. The cost of everything the Democrats want to do comes closer to one dollar in three.

We’re facing more regulation of everything from high finance to the ordinary workplace. The Democrats are expanding Medicaid to crowd out private insurance. The federal government wants a huge new role in redirecting private investment in transportation and energy in the name of “green jobs.”

And facing all this – we’re talking about mice?

Read the rest here:
http://www.newmajority.com/ShowScroll.aspx?ID=fff3278f-1d5c-4c86-abc1-a821e742ea06

Carlin on his pets

World economic crisis is top security threat: U.S.
By Randall Mikkelsen(Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The global economic crisis has become the biggest near-term U.S. security concern, sowing instability in a quarter of the world’s countries and threatening destructive trade wars, U.S. intelligence agencies reported on Thursday.

The director of national intelligence’s annual threat assessment also said al Qaeda’s leadership had been weakened over the last year. But security in Afghanistan had deteriorated and Pakistan had to gain control over its border areas before the situation could improve.

“The financial crisis and global recession are likely to produce a wave of economic crises in emerging market nations over the next year,” said the report. A wave of “destructive protectionism” was possible as countries find they cannot export their way out of the slump.

“Time is our greatest threat. The longer it takes for the recovery to begin, the greater the likelihood of serious damage to U.S. strategic interests,” the report said.

The report represents the findings of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and serves as a leading security reference for policymakers and Congress. Besides reviewing adversaries, it also considered this year the security impact of issues including climate change and the economy.
Read the rest here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090212/ts_nm/us_security_usa_economy

Will it be more like:
Minority Report
Blade Runner
Demolition Man
Road Warrior
I have been asking a few friends this question and the popular answer seems to be Minority Report. However a few have made a good case for the other scenarios as well.
I predict Blade Runner, but The Road Warrior is a sentimental favorite.
Talk amongst yourselves…..

Eight arrested in Michael Phelps case

Posted: Feb 9, 2009 01:52 PM MST

Updated: Feb 10, 2009 01:30 PM MST

Eight arrested in Michael Phelps case, Jack Kuenzie reports

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - New details have emerged about a party where Olympic champion Michael Phelps was spotted.

On Feb. 2, a British tabloid published a picture of the 14-time Olympic gold medalist using a water pipe to smoke marijuana. The picture was taken at a party in Columbia back in November when Phelps was here for a visit.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has been taking a lot of heat from people in this country and all over the world.

They want to know why Sheriff Leon Lott is going after Michael Phelps.

Read the rest here: http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9814127

Another stupid waste of resources in the name of prohibition. We continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with the so called “drug war”.

A letter to Rush Limbaugh
By JOHN FEEHERY | 2/9/09 5:10 AM EST  
Dear Rush,

Congratulations! You have been selected by the Obama administration, the mainstream media and 20 million of your most passionate followers to be the new head of the Republican Party.

As such, you are given all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a true political leader.

Your mission is simple: Restore the Republican Party to its former greatness by single-handedly helping Republicans to regain control of Congress and to offer a reasonable and viable alternative to President Barack Obama.

You should be honored that the Obama administration has selected you, El Rushbo, to lead the Republicans in such a quest. Obviously, they find you to be a formidable foe — politically adept and a proven vote-getter.

Since we are a party of metrics and accountability, we would like to see your plans to make Republicans more competitive. While your supporters are passionate and energized, we would like to see how you are going to expand your base of support. While 20 million listeners is an impressive number, Obama had nearly 70 million voters. Fifty million is a pretty big gap to make up, but we are certain that, with your effervescent personality, you will be able to close that in no time.

We would also like to see your plan to help Republicans compete in the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, the West Coast and Florida, in the big cities and in the suburbs. Republicans have been pretty much wiped out in all of those areas in the past two elections.

We would like to see your plan to attract more women’s votes. While we always get creamed by single women in elections, even married women turned against us this time. Not sure if calling female leaders “feminazis” really works in this atmosphere, but we are willing to hear you out on that. We got killed by America’s fastest-growing voting population, Hispanics, in the last election. What is your plan to attract these voters? I know that you despise any kind of nuanced position on immigration reform, but we would love to see any of your ideas for getting some of these voters in the next election.
read the rest here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18564.html
John Feehery worked for the House Republican leadership from 1989 to 2005. He is the founder of The Feehery Group, a strategic advocacy firm. He blogs at http://www.thefeeherytheory.com.

GOP lacks values, direction
By JACK BURKMAN

The GOP is crumbling.

With no leadership and no discernible values, principles or direction, congressional Republicans seem all but certain to be steamrolled by President Barack Obama, whose early approval numbers top 75 percent. Worst of all, filibusters in the Senate may not be possible, because on a number of key issues Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the GOP leader, will have trouble mustering even 40 votes.

Moderate Republican senators such as Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Susan Collins of Maine, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and even John McCain of Arizona may simply not cooperate with the GOP, and the loss of even one of this group will make filibuster all but impossible on most votes.

Some take comfort in the fact that the GOP has staged major comebacks before, such as in 1993-94 and 1965 through 1968. But in those periods, the party had strong leadership and plenty of visionaries, not to mention a firm grasp on exactly where it wanted to go and what its core values were. McConnell has never known passion, and House Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio recently responded to a reporter’s question about the stimulus by mumbling something so inarticulate as to not be worth deciphering.
Read the rest here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18565.html

Since an elderly and nasty SAB troll(not Dino), said this to me today: “I can take you out with one finger”, I thought I would show everyone what it looks like when geritol guzzlers decide they are badasses. Have a great weekend.

McConnell: GOP becoming ‘regional party’
By MANU RAJU | 1/29/09 6:07 PM


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a blunt warning to Republicans Thursday: Their party must regain lost supporters plus blacks, Hispanics and voters on both coasts — or risk becoming a permanent minority party with a limited power base.

“We’re all concerned about the fact that the very wealthy and the very poor, the most and least educated, and a majority of minority voters, seem to have more or less stopped paying attention to us,” McConnell said in a speech at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting. “And we should be concerned that, as a result of all this, the Republican Party seems to be slipping into a position of being more of a regional party than a national one.”

In stark terms, the Kentucky Republican added: “In politics, there’s a name for a regional party: It’s called a minority party. ... As Republicans, we know that common-sense conservative principles aren’t regional. But I think we have to admit that our sales job has been.

“And in my view, that needs to change,” he said
Read the rest here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18191.html

More clear evidence of who is winning the battle for the GOP.

GOP elects first black national party chairman
Jan 30 04:26 PM US/Eastern
By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Michael Steele was elected Republican National Committee chairman on Friday, defeating the incumbent party chief and three other challengers over six rounds of voting to become the first black to lead the GOP.
The former Maryland lieutenant governor takes over a beleaguered GOP as Republicans seek to rebound from back-to-back defeats in national elections that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House.
Read the rest here:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D961N34G1&show_article=1

Very Interesting given the widespread debate around here recently. Looks like we know who is winning the battle for the GOP.

Why attacking the press never works
By ROGER SIMON | 1/29/09 4:36 AM EST    

The Columbia Journalism Review revealed this week that the “high command” of the John McCain campaign hired a blogger “to attack” and engage in “bullying” the press during the last six months of the presidential campaign.
 
The Columbia Journalism Review revealed this week that the “high command” of the John McCain campaign hired a blogger “to attack” and engage in “bullying” the press during the last six months of the presidential campaign.

Gee, how did that work out? Help much?

And why did the campaign need to hire outside help for that? I thought it had been doing a pretty good job of not liking the press on its own.

The blogger, Michael Goldfarb, who was hired by the McCain people from The Weekly Standard, appears to be a pretty reasonable guy in the CJR interview. The McCain campaign, he says, “assured me that they were looking for someone to attack the press. And that struck me as a really bad idea, but when a presidential campaign calls up and offers you a job, you take it.”

One of the things Goldfarb reveals is that the McCain campaign was going to throw The New York Times off the campaign plane (presumably when it was on the ground). Goldfarb wrote a memo that was supposed to explain that decision to the public, but the idea was dropped…..
Read the rest here:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18127.html

Pinal County supervisors Wednesday bid goodbye to photo enforcement.

Their vote to terminate their contract with Redflex, the company that operates the cameras, came at the recommendation of the county’s top law-enforcement official, new Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

“I’m against photo speed enforcement completely,” Babeu said, walking the three-member panel through a detailed PowerPoint presentation. “Here in Pinal, it’s failed miserably.”

Babeu said speed cameras created dangerous road conditions and offered little financial benefit for the county. He plans to boost traffic enforcement through additional manpower.

Although Pinal County’s contract with Redflex wasn’t set to expire until Feb. 20, two mobile speed cameras have not been in operation on Pinal roads since Babeu took office Jan. 1.

The speed vans had been roadside in some of Pinal’s most populous areas, including Apache Junction, Gold Canyon and unincorporated areas near Queen Creek, since mid-2007.

The county’s program is separate from the one operated by the Arizona Department of Public Safety on freeways statewide.

The supervisors two weeks ago had tabled a vote on the Redflex contract because they wanted Babeu to prepare a report on camera enforcement in Pinal, including the financial impact on the county.

He reported Wednesday that the two cameras were activated 11,416 times from September 2007 through last month. Of those activations, 7,290 resulted in citations, but only 3,711 were paid.

Babeu said most of the total $134,199.43 in fines and fees from the paid citations covered administrative and operational costs, leaving the county with a net profit of $12,391.58 that Babeu dismissed as paltry
Read the rest here:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/01/22/20090122pinalradar0122.html

These systems are intrusive and should be banned. Since right and wrong have nothing to do with the decision to deploy these systems, I am glad that at least in some cases they prove to be both expensive and ineffective. This will naturally reduce the number of them nationwide(I hope).

The whole thing here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3800768

DENVER—He was known as a genius, a mastermind and, yes, a Super Bowl champion. Shockingly, though, Mike Shanahan has a new title: unemployed coach.

Shanahan became the latest and most stunning victim of the NFL coaching purge, fired Tuesday by the Denver Broncos after a late-season collapse knocked the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year.

Shanahan became the fourth coach to be fired this week, joining Eric Mangini, Rod Marinelli and Romeo Crennel, after going 24-24 over the past three seasons, including three straight losses in 2008 that turned a three-game division lead to an 8-8 record.

“After giving this careful consideration, I have concluded that a change in our football operations is in the best interests of the Denver Broncos,” owner Pat Bowlen said.

Bowlen had been steadfastly loyal to Shanahan, rewarding the coach who brought the long-awaited Super Bowl title to Denver with what seemed like carte blanche for life.

But Denver remained stuck on only one postseason victory since John Elway retired in 1999 following back-to-back championships. Shanahan finishes at 146-91 over 14 seasons in Denver, including playoffs; his final game was an unseemly 52-21 loss to San Diego with the division title on the line.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3800768

I know sports are not discussed here at SAB much, but Shanahan has been a part of life here in Denver for over a half of my lifetime. For us Broncos fans this is a big deal.

Part of the reason for posting this is that the press conferences of both Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen were case studies in mutual respect and pragmatic understanding of the situation. The press conferences are worth watching even even if you are not a football fan.

These are both fine men.

Pat Bowlen/Mike Shanahan Press Conferences found here.

http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=51163@kcnc.dayport.com&cid=97