Jack & Jill Politics

rikyrah: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (C) and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the White House in Washington, March 20, 2009.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) and Chef Sam Kass (R) speak to children after taking part in the groundbreaking of the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House March 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. Mrs. Obama was joined by students from Bancroft Elementary, who will be participating in the project from groundbreaking on Friday, to planting in the coming weeks and harvesting later this year.

ONE MORE:

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) and children take part in the groundbreaking of the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House March 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. Mrs. Obama was joined by students from Bancroft Elementary, who will be participating in the project from groundbreaking on Friday, to planting in the coming weeks and harvesting later this year.

WHAT a GREAT FIRST LADY!! :>) LOVE HER!! :>)

Now The Day Is Over

G'night!! :>) God Bless!! :>)

rikyrah: A - - HA!! :>) MUDFLATS RESPONDS 2 "The Gov's" STUPIDITY!!:

Response to Palin’s Stimulus Rejection & Rally at the Loussac Library Tomorrow!

That’s right, Anchorage area Mudflatters, it’s RALLY TIME! Tomorrow morning, Anchorage Legislators are having a meeting at the Loussac Library. All those who want to encourage the Legislature to accept the federal stimulus money for Alaska, come join other like-minded people at the rally.

Saturday, March 21 outside the Loussac Library 9:30am

Dress Warm! Bring Signs! Tell Your Legislators How You Feel!

Your governor has rejected:

money for weatherization, energy efficiency grants, immunizations, air quality grants, emergency food assistance, homeless grants, senior meals, child care development grants, nutrition programs, homeless grants, arts, unemployment services, air quality, justice assistance grants and other programs that help Alaskans who want to be able to weather these difficult economic times.

Here’s what prominent Alaskans had to say about Palin’s decision to reject these funds:

Rep. Les Gara (D)

“40% of our children aren’t graduating from high school. When the President of the United States offers to help you hire teachers, and to help your kids, you say “thank you”. If it were me, I wouldn’t have looked for a way to poke a stick in his eye.”

Senator Mark Begich (D)

“I trust the legislature will do the right thing and take Alaska’s share of the money for education in the economic recovery package,” the Alaska Democrat said in a written statement. “We owe it to our children to give them the most opportunities possible, and this is money fairly allocated to Alaska in this stimulus package.”

Carol Comeau, Superintendant of Schools

“We’re shocked and very disappointed that the governor said she would reject the education stimulus money for Title I and IDEA programs. We believe that we can make very good use of the funds, not only in job preservation but also in adding new positions to ultimately use these funds to increase student achievement for our neediest children.

“Earlier this week, I met with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to discuss various ways to use the funding to advance education among students, as the secretary and the president intended.

“One of the opportunities the Anchorage School Board, my administration and I have discussed is to add more preschool programs in Title I schools. Many of the children in neighborhoods served by these schools are not prepared to enter kindergarten. Title I schools have a large number of students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch, have high mobility rates, and are English language learners. Additional programs and support at these schools have proven to make a difference for our students in helping them be ready to enter kindergarten. Stimulus funds could also be used to extend learning time for students who need additional academic assistance.

“Additional stimulus funds designated for IDEA and special education give us a rare opportunity to use an increased amount of money for professional development to assist our classroom educators to better work with students with disabilities. It would also allow us to increase opportunities to use best practices within our Special Education department.

“If we were to implement additional programs with the stimulus funds offered by President Obama, and the funds were to diminish a few years from now, we would be prepared to redistribute General Fund money or other federal funds to keep programs that have proven to be effective.

“ASD would absolutely be transparent and accountable for federal school stimulus funds. We intend to actively engage the public to develop a plan to best use those funds.

“We urge the legislature to engage both the district and the community in a dialogue regarding these stimulus funds very quickly, as the decision on whether to accept the funds is two weeks away, April 3. We hope the legislature is willing to recognize the importance of this money and will take swift action.”

Barb Angaiak, President of the National Education Association of Alaska (NEA-Alaska)

Palin’s decision to reject more than $160 million of federal stimulus funds for Alaska education is “logic-defying, dumb-founding, short-sighted – and a slap in the face to parents, children and educators across Alaska.”

“Governor Palin has deliberately chosen to ignore the education needs of tens of thousands of children across Alaska. Her attempt to score short term gains will have long-term, dire consequences for our students and educators,” Angaiak said. ”Her message to our children is callously blunt: ‘In the interests of my political agenda, you’re on your own.’”

The issue became a big tug of war for control of the Gov between folks in state government and Sara PAC. Sara PAC won, literally hours before the announcement was made. Alaska was sacrificed again to the godless pagan illusions of her national ambitions.

She turned down IDEA - - SPECIAL EDUCATION funding!!!

The FIRST-RUNNER-UP PAGEANT PARTICIPANT - - - - LOSES - AGAIN!

***shakin' my head*** :>)

rikyrah: She wants - - "DISCUSSION" - - 'cause SHE 'ON'T KNOW what ta do!!

Palin wants discussion on stimulus funds - (Lt. Gov. Parnell says Palin did not 'reject' money)

Facing increasing criticism for not pursuing $288 million in federal economic stimulus money, Gov. Sarah Palin's administration found itself on the defensive today.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell came to a news conference called by acting Anchorage Mayor Matt Claman and Anchorage School District superintendent Carol Comeau and said the governor did not "reject" the money. Rather, she "did not accept" it because she first wants public discussion on how to best use it, he said. He said she hasn't yet decided yet whether taking the money would be good for Alaska. A statement from the governor's office had the same message: "Governor Sarah Palin today reaffirmed her desire to generate public discussion and to work with legislators on identifying any additional spending from the federal stimulus package."

Parnell said the governor wants to know what the recipients plan on doing with the money.

"She was not requesting the operating-budget type, the growing-government type items," he said. "The reason she kept that out of her request is to have this very discussion."

[NOTE: Isn't this FACT-FINDING suppose to have ALREADY TAKEN PLACE!??]

"We want to have a public discussion on what do we do in two years when all of this money is gone," Parnell said. "I think this is healthy for us."

On Thursday, though, a Palin administration press release had a different tone. It said, "Governor Palin is accepting just 55 percent of the available stimulus funds, all for capital projects."

Further, it quoted Palin: "The law requires me to certify that the requests I forward to legislative approval will meet the requirements of the (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to create jobs and promote economic growth. ... Legitimately, I can only certify capital projects that are job ready."

In today's statement though, Palin is quoted saying: "I have to certify every dollar we apply for will legitimately create new jobs and stimulate the economy. I can't certify that fact until the Legislature is comfortable with what the education's fiscal landscape will look like if we apply for the funds."

Parnell spoke up after Claman and Comeau called a news conference in the morning criticizing Palin's decision. Claman and Comeau want state legislators to override the governor's decision to not accept about 30 percent of the $930 million for which the state is eligible over the next two years.

"We want the Legislature to act quickly," Claman said, "and take the stimulus dollars the governor is rejecting and accept those for Alaska."

About $172 million of the turned-down funds are for education. About $26 million was for Anchorage schools. Half was specifically for special-needs kids, the other half for schools in the poorest neighborhoods.

Claman said he couldn't say how much of the $288 million is specifically slated for Anchorage but estimated about half.

"To keep Alaska moving forward, we need to accept this stimulus money," he said.

Asked if Palin's decision was politically motivated, Parnell said: "I absolutely reject that. I was in hours of discussion with the governor. ... There were no political campaign or candidate type issues that arose. This is pure policy."

POLITICALLY MOTIVATED- - - - THAT'S THE REAL DEAL!!!

WE KNOW!!

rikyrah: O.K. WHAT!???

McCain Defends Geithner: Give Him A Chance To Succeed



An unlikely figure has come to the defense of embattled Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner: Sen. John McCain.

Geithner "should be given a chance to succeed," McCain said on Friday, according to the Financial Times, which notes that the former presidential candidate was one of the few Republican senators to support Geithner's nomination, and likely the first to "speak up in Mr Geithner's defence amid growing calls for his resignation."

"Everyone acknowledges he needs help," said Mr McCain, in reference to the Obama administration's difficulty in recruiting nominees to the Treasury department, where Mr Geithner remains the only official to have been confirmed.

WHO "AXED" HIM???

Annnd, "WHYCOME" his "lips R moving?" ***shrug***

rikyrah: I'm BACK HOME! Been TRAVELLIN' ALLLLLLLL DAY!! :>)

2-MORROW: MARCH 21 - -

YOU R CORDIALLY INVITED 2 CELEBRATE WITH ME!

Here's the easy part: U can just "ROCK IT" in your own homes!! BUT - - - U gotta promise ta SING the BIRTHDAY "ANTHEM" - with all kinds of HARMONY!! :>) :>)

HOPIN' ta C ya!! :>)

Happy birthday GreenLady. I hope you have a wonderful day and a blessed year. Do everything that you can for YOU today because there is no other more important in your life. Coincidentally, today is my brother b-day and I am planning a surprise party; it's been lots of work but enjoyable for all. Again, have a great day.

Myth: THANK YOU!! :>)

My grown daughter - - ya know - -"Michelle"- and I will have Ladies' Day OUT!! :>)

Annnnnd, we will purchase the "Mother-of-the Bride" dress! Woooo! Hoo!! :>)

Happy B-Day to your brother!! God Bless him!! :>)

HaVE FUN!! :>)

Someone please explain why in the hell Larry King wasted an entire hour of his show talking about Obama's Special Olympics "gaffe"?? I can't stand him, he needs to retire and spend time with his children while he can lol. .

mypov123: 1. 'cause he felt the NEED 2 SATISFY the HATAS!!
2. 'cause he NEEDED the RATINGS!
3. 'cause HE's a "HATA!"
4. 'cause the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES is BLACK!!
5. ALL OF THE ABOVE!!

Saaaaaaaaa-LAP!!

I'm just hearing about Bernard Monroe -- Louisiana shooting puzzles witnesses

so sad..

GALLUP: Support for Nuclear Energy Hits New High. “A majority of Americans have been supportive of the use of nuclear energy in the United States in recent years, but this year’s Gallup Environment Poll finds new high levels of support, with 59% favoring its use, including 27% who strongly favor it.” It’s greenhouse-friendly!

http://www.gallup.com/poll/117025/Support-Nucle...

Why is this not part of Obama's efforts to wean us off oil? The demand for electricity will surely grow if Americans seek to buy electric hybrid cars.

lol people are already saying that hes being too ambitious with his plan. adding nuclear power which is HELLLA EXPENSIVE would only have more people saying hes a socialists. so which do you do conserv?

I see. How hard is it to say 'I support the private sector development of nuclear power."

It's not that complicated, but the left is anti-nuclear ever since Jane Fonda starred in the 'China Syndrome" and Cher died of radiation poisoning in "Silkwood." However, we have come a long way in 30 years.

doesnt the support of private sector development of nuclear power mean that conservatives will ask for more tax cuts and breaks for these companies so it will end up being another boom and bust? are you guys gonna whine and say the corporate tax rate is too high? or that its its an "energy tax"?
i dont know what the rest of your post means. jane fonda and cher havent been relevant to me ever.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/business/21ba...


The banking bailout plan.

This plan will not include pay caps for executives who participate.

Why would there be pay caps for those at banks that are buying the toxic assets?

i dont care. honestly

Neither does Conserv.....he doesn't give a flip about that either, but that wouldn't fit his modus operandi...he has to be contrarian just for the sake of being so - its how he's wired.

I actually support the plan, but feel that the public will be reluctant to provide support given the 'outrage' fueled and expressed by the President and Congress.

I hope I am wrong.

Sanford Rejects $700 Million In Stimulus Funds

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/sanfor...

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he won't spend $700 million in federal stimulus cash.

Sanford's announcement Friday came soon after the White House rejected the Republican governor's second bid to use the money to pay down debt.South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he won't spend $700 million in federal stimulus cash.

Sanford's announcement Friday came soon after the White House rejected the Republican governor's second bid to use the money to pay down debt.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Texas Gov. Rick Perry also have turned down stimulus cash.

Sanford said the federal money would create "an unconscionable level of debt." He has said federal bailouts will lead to high national debt.

While Sanford has railed against the stimulus money, the state's mayors have implored him to take it. State lawmakers already have plans to use the cash.

In all, $2.8 billion in federal money is headed to South Carolina, which had the nation's second-highest unemployment rate in January.



Jesus Christ~ This racist pig!

This hypocrite....he should reject it ALL if he's so against the stimulus..don't just turn down some of it...turn down ALL of it.

Wow...I've expressed on here before I think our children today are over-vaccinated and I personally think the enormous increase in vaccines has more to do with fattening pharmaceutical companies pockets by mandating all these vaccines before a child is even two.....

and children are exposed far too much early on in their lives, whether it's antibiotic-pumped livestock, preservatives everywhere...not to mention companies put out far too many drugs that kill or damage scores of people, but yet couldn't catch the adverse effects during trials

Well now this....

Depression pill OK'd for kids but probe goes on
Allegations of kickbacks, worries about efficacy continue to linger

NEW YORK - Just weeks after prosecutors accused Forest Laboratories Inc. of illegally marketing its anti-depressants Celexa and Lexapro to children and paying pediatricians kickbacks, U.S. health regulators have approved Lexapro for depression in kids.

Forest said Lexapro, its biggest product with annual sales of more than $2 billion, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat major depressive disorder in adolescents aged 12 to 17 and as a maintenance therapy, meaning to maintain control of symptoms. It is already approved for adults.

But federal prosecutors have said that Lexapro and Celexa have long been used improperly to treat depression in children.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29797423

This is so damn ridiculous.....pharmaceutical companies are drug dealers in every criminal sense of the word. I've had a couple of friends who were pharmaceutical reps and even THEY compared their jobs to that of the lil duffle bag boys.

I'm with you on the over-vaccination and over-medication of children. In fact I wanted to ask those of you who post here and have children diagnosed as autistic - because I thought it was odd that there seemed to be an unusually high percentage for a small group of regular posters. Children are being sickened from birth by the things you mentioned....steroid-induced animals, artificially made everything....and we wonder why we have the ailments we do.

Miranda, I FIRMLY believe my boys were affected by over-vaccination..whether it be the vaccines themselves, the additives they put in them or the multiple combo vaccines they receive in one day.

There is NO family history of Autism in my husband or my family. And we both come from good-sized families. If you can tell by how long i post here sometimes, I LOVE to talk and I am very social.....yet my son's struggle with social cues and all receive speech services for their functional speech delays.

I notice changes in my son's after their vaccines...but like many parents. in order to register them in school or day-care, they are mandated to have those shots....and I especially saw the more pronouced sysmptons in my youngest, because i held off for a while, since i had become very suspicious about the effects of the vaccines on the other two.

To this day, I still beat my self up over what has happened...I feel like I didn't listen to my "gut". my intuition....I never felt right about all these vaccines and the chatter about them.....and I know because of the money and influence pharmaceutical companies hold, we will NEVER get the truth about the autism epidemic.

Monie,

Didn't the Supreme Court rule recently about vaccines causing autism?

Justice58, There has been so much back and forth.....

Last year, one court conceded that vaccines may have contributed to Autism in a little girl's case who had a "mitochrondrial disorder" but they were very careful with the language they used and I believe she received a settlement

but then, just this year, another judge ruled vaccines were not liable in the case of two parents who, from what I read on the cases, had quite a bit of documentation and evidence.

Even if there is even a sliver of truth to the connections...and they are lots of parents who have documented their children's regression after vaccination.....we will NEVER get the absolute truth...vaccines are a billion dollar industry that lobbies everyone from the Congressman in DC to our state representatives......that is why before a vaccine is even PROVEN to be safe or reliable, it is already mandated by your state that your child needs it to attend school.

Once again....It's all about the d#mn money. It's a shame.

I remember talk about the court ruling and how it was a setback for so many fighting to prove a vaccine/vaccines were the cause of their children's autism. It's heartbreaking!

Monie you can't beat yourself up over the lies that have been accepted as truth hoisted upon us by big pharmacy no more than the people who took Voixx are responsible for their own heart attacks. These lying azz companies make me SICK. Till this day I want to sue the hell outta one of my former gynecologists from 10 years ago that after one visit in which he did not actually exam me, decided to put me on the patch...and his assistant actually said "ya sure?".....based on my family history and the fact that i had fibroids anyway, that was NOT the way to go - but turns out, I heard thru the grapevine that he was getting kickbacks from the sales rep....I began clotting like nobody's business and it got worse and worse. I quit on my own, switched doctors......last year we buried my 44 year old female cousin...blood clot formed after a hysterectomy...after having the fibroid embrolization two years ago - and she also had used the patch in the past....this shit is criminal.

Miranda: SO VERY SORRY!

The Lord's Prayer

Praying 4 U/family.

Miranda I am so sorry to hear about that your cousin's death and your experience, have mercy.

I personally avoid all hormone-laden birth control. I don't trust the long term effects it may have on our bodies. There were MANY publicized cases about that patch...there was even a young 18 year old black woman in NYC who collapsed and died on the subway platform after receiving the patch due to a stroke or anuerysm brought on by the patch...

Half of the drugs marketed and released today DO NOT go through the rigorous testing and trials that they should...if they did, thousands of people would not be dead because of Vioxx or the numerous other recalled drugs that come out

What is so ironic is that before i decided to stay home with my sons and devote my full time to helping them overcome Autism, I actually was thinking about getting a graduate degree in Public Health or work in medical research.....after all this, I am so disillusioned with the pharmaceutical industrial complex and their power and influence

Monie....it makes no sense the number of black women with fibroids...its gotten so outta control that I already have 4 friends that have had the uterine fribroid embrolization procedure....its crazy! Our mothers and grandmothers didn't have these issues.

When I first read the comments from so many on here with children who were diagnosed with autism...I refuse to believe its just a coincidence...something is NOT RIGHT. We are being poisoned and conditioned to REMAIN poisoned by these companies.

Exactly.

That is why I am so interested and mesmerized by the high incidence of Autism in Somali immigrant children out in Minneapolis......one article I read said that a parent of one of the affected children said they cannot ever recall seeing or hearing about Autism in their native Somalia, at such prevalent levels......but yet their offspring, first generation Somali children born and raised in America, who are subjected to American vaccination schedules, are being diagnosed at high rates....it's baffling and heartbreaking.

GUURRLLLLL,

Don't even get me started. Whether it's the environment, the mercury in the silver amalgam fillings we got in our teeth as children, of the bazillion vaccinations kids get in the first year of life, the additiives/steroids in foods --
WHICHEVER WAY YOU SWING IT, it's about the money!

So, here's my two cents. Autism is a form of brain injury. I think that is the only way we can approach it to get the needed services for our kids.

I'm not saying to give up the fight, but to wrestle $$ from these drug companies, vaccine manufacturers, food mfgs, etc who have poisoned our kids is gonna take FOREVER!!!

And my kid will still have autism. So, I have to fight for the services he needs.

Whatever we do in the autism community, we have GOT to stop fighting amongst ourselves.
Otherwise, we really will lose.

So, I have to fight for the services he needs.


You know, this is what makes me so furious about Sarah Palin. First she parades her special needs child around to garner support for her campaign but yet refuse earmarks for special needs children in her state. Oh My God! What about other people's children? She's a selfish witch!

Oh My God!

These mofos could care less for human lives. It's all about the almighty dollar. What kind of sh%t is this? Money over a human life? Mercy!

Pharmaceutical companies are as bad as Wall Street when it comes to "profits before people".

This is really upsetting to me...has President Obama assigned anyone to the FDA yet....this is a despicable decision

Yes, he just picked Dr. Margaret Hamburg last week (her mom was the first black woman to receive a PhD from Yale)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?st...

It seems that Joe The Plumber is Horny. At a speech at last nights Media Research Center's annual "DisHonors Awards" ceremony designed to bash the dreaded liberal elite media, Samuel Wurzelbacher aka Joe this has been the longest 15 minutes in history plumber quipped "God, all this love and everything in the room - I'm horny.”

I can't believe this idiot! Why is he allowed to parade around his ignorance? I mean, who in their right mind think this is acceptable? Ugh!

There is a part of me that thinks let him keep talking. The longer and louder this goes on the worse he and the GOP look. He is their poster boy thanks to McCain and people should see their stupidity for all that it is.

Megan McCain and Bristol Palin are free. Something tells me Mama Sarah would whore Bristol out to a line of willing GOP johns (because Bristol is tainted anyway) to keep herself in in the spotlight.

According to AP, the White House kitchen garden is pretty ambitious, with "spinach, broccoli, various lettuces, kale and collard greens, assorted herbs and blueberries, blackberries and raspberries."

Pics of the First Lady breaking ground on the garden!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/kitche...

That's not ambitious at all.

Where are the sweet potatoes?

Wow - that was EXACTLY my first thought when I saw the list....LOL!!! You GOTS to have sweet potatoes!

TRANSLATION: The black folks' gonna let the garden get overgrown by weeds. There goes the neighborhood.

There goes the property value LOL. Oh wait, the property value went down when the Obamas began living there, right?? *sarcasm*

LOL...yep...they been throwing all those loud parties and put up that dang swingset right outside the Oval Office!!! They've gone and n*ggerized the hallowed grounds of the White House!!

WASHINGTON (AP) There is growing outrage from American citizens over the White House's newly announced energy reduction plan.

Earlier this month, the White House announced they were going to cut energy costs by changing their laundry habits to more environmentally friendly, "greener" habits and that has some organizations alarmed and concerned.

"My concern is that the President and First Lady will not respect the traditions of the White House," says Sally Richards McDougal of the White House Tradition Preservation Society.

"What if Michelle Obama installs a clothesline on the White House lawn or worse, hangs a line between the White House columns?" she asks.

"That type of behavior may occur in other parts of Washington but it will not be tolerated here," she says.

The White House denies any plans to install a clothesline on the lawn or hang wet clothing between the columns but McDougal remains unconvinced.

"The type of background Mrs. Obama is from, that type of urban background leads me to believe otherwise. The clothesline Mrs. Obama is sure to install is not green, is not friendly, is not proper for the White House and will not be tolerated."

McDougal plans legal action if Mrs. Obama installs the clothesline.

"The White House is the people's house," McDougal said. "They need to live and behave just like the rest of us, and if they can't or won't, I have the legal right as an American citizen to force them to comply with the mores of our country."

The First Lady's office had no comment for this story.

Do you have a link for this story. This is just classsist nonsense. Putting clothes on the line to dry is environmentally better and it would set a good example for others. We need to conserve at all levels.

This is one of Town's classic satires...lol

A clothesline?! LOL Hilarious!

Town,

I love your serious side...when you break it down like no other and your comical side. You always have me in stitches!

Love you!

OMG...you are too much...LOL!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Town,

A clothesline? Stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!LOL!

With the big azz wooden pins too!! LMAO!!!!

Just to scare the conservatives (and all the racists), I joked with my brother that P Diddy should have his next "White Party" at the White House instead of in the Hamptons LOL.

Or maybe they should have a family reunion with all of Michelle's relatives at the WH LOL.

On the front lawn with Uncle Leroy frying up fish in the deep fryer and a good Spades tournament going on! Oh.....and yes....everyone must have on the Robinson Family Reunion T-shirt! LOL

LOL! You know, that would be one hell of an April Fool's joke on the entire country LOL.

lol ambitious is the new word for uppity now, or unattainable.

If that's ambitious, I wonder what they'd think about my daddy and uncle's gardens.

Feds shut bank in Georgia; 18 failures this year … Regulators Seize Control of Two Largest Corporate Credit Unions

There will be many more to come before the Gov’t finally goes bankrupt. How long before that happens? Closer than we may think, e.g. U.S. Postal Service to cut 1,400 jobs. The ‘Key’ in that article is – “In addition, administrative staff positions at district level nationwide are being reduced by 15 percent and nearly 150,000 employees nationwide being given opportunity to take an early retirement.”

Thanks Obama!

No thank you, Karmi, for making the most asinine post of the day.

Well since you're playing a blame game, besides the shitpile Obama has to clean up after, please research history and be sure to thank Republican Ronald Reagan for the 747 savings and loans institutions that failed during the 1980s and the estimated $200 billion the taxpayers paid for........de-regulation and republican ideology at work.

I swear, you conservatives are so damn dumb...pick up a book and read on history...you'll be amazed at what you learn

The drones can't read...they're programmed to just spout talking points.

You do know that the USPS is funded solely through stamps and whatever else people buy there, right? And they've been having problems for years? And that more people are paying their bills online and not through the mail, further reducing income for the USPS? Companies are mailing fewer pieces of bulk mail, reducing income even further.

Don't pay this fool any attention....he just runs over here from Stormfront and other KKK-endorsed sites on his assignments...he's not to be taken seriously.

I know, but sometimes...

*Exclusive* Shaun Robinson: “Get the Hell Out of Queen Latifah’s Bedroom!”
http://bossip.com/93607/exclusive-shaun-robinso...

Whoa!!

Tabloid claims Rihanna suspected Chris Brown of having relationship with his 40 year old manager!! OOOOOOOOOOOoooooo!!!

You mean eeewww lol

Do ya'll see what the MSM is doing by repeating that new NPR poll? They're trying their best to turn the Dems against PBO, and dumbasses like Waters are falling for it. They're so scared about losing their jobs in 2010.

What NPR poll?

Gawd these people make me sick. They are straight PUNKS.

Ex-Blackwater Guard Sued By Iraqi Family Over Death

RALEIGH, N.C. — The family of a slain Iraqi security guard says in a federal lawsuit that a former Blackwater contractor fatally shot the man while wandering drunk in Baghdad, and the survivors accuse the company of covering up wrongdoing while reneging on promises of compensation.

Raheem Khalaf Sa'adoon's wife and two children said Blackwater, the North Carolina-based company now known as Xe, destroyed documents to hide evidence of a pattern of recklessness. The lawsuit filed Thursday in the southern district of California also says the company promised to compensate the widow, Wijdan Mohsin Saed, in a series of payments but stopped after an initial payment of $20,000.
"She was expecting a continued stream of compensation," said Susan Burke, a Washington-based attorney for the family, in an interview. "But, obviously, with killing the breadwinner of the family, they had essentially cut off her means of livelihood. She's a stay-at-home mom and doesn't have any other source of income."

The lawsuit names both Xe and the former Blackwater guard, Andrew Moonen. It says Moonen shot Sa'adoon without provocation on Christmas Eve of 2006 after getting drunk at a party and then getting lost. Sa'adoon, 32, was on guard duty for Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi at the time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/20/blackw...

Madoff Employee Breaks Silence

In a Daily Beast exclusive, one of the fraudster’s employees tells Lucinda Franks that the supposedly legitimate brokerage operations were in fact just money-losing fronts for the fraudster's scheme. Plus, what Madoff’s sons told staff the day after Bernie’s arrest, trips to the company’s secretive 17th floor, Bernie’s obsession with the color black and employee neatness, the roles of other family members, and visits to the founder’s Montauk home.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/...

If even a tenth of this is true.....why aren't the sons in jail next to pops? What about his brother who helped run the place for years.....WTH?!?!? Hell...this employee and half the traders who KNEW need to be under hot lights right now!

Looks like Rep. Maxine Waters is scolding the Obama administration over the AIG scandal:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/economy/dem-c...

Isn't she being investigated right now for something??

Ya know....The Obama administration is gonna expose a WHOLE lot of stuff before its all said and done. A lot of skeletons about to come falling out of closets and a lot of curtains about to be lifted. In their zeal to "get Obama", the media is gonna wind up "getting" a lot of other people...collateral damage...and just like a big budget action movie from the 80s with Bruce or Harrison or Ahnold..you already know who will be standing at the end.

Who had the odds on Palin milking the "Special Olympics" comment by the Prez??

Don't read the excerpt if you've just eaten....wait a couple of hours...this will definitely make you sick:

“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” Palin said in a statement. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world."
She added:
“These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/...

my favorite part:

"Obama's office has tried to clarify his remark since the initial blunder and the President apologized to Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver. Meanwhile, Palin has come under fire this week for refusing stimulus money slated to help special needs education programs. Her stance on funding for such programs as governor led to attacks during the campaign as well."

Wait....Isn't this the same heifer that refused earmarks for special needs kids in her state? This b###h better stfu!

Isn't this the same chick who was in labor with her special needs child, yet waited 11 HOURS before she took her ass to the hospital???

Where is my "Bitch Be Gone" spray?

Town's response was more exciting. They don't know how to work it.

I was just coming to see what the scoop was on this. haven't been able to check the news or nuthin' all damned day! This day shift thing is the shits! I feel alienated from THE WORLD!

I have a nephew who has Williams Syndrome, and sometimes shit falls out of my like 'retarded' never directed at him or about him. Most often about ReThugs ya know. Sometimes you just say something that's just downright dumb. It sure as hell doesn't diminish anything and everything you've ever done. That's how I'd call the Special Olympics remark. Yeah - whatever.....okay - say, you're sorry...... move on - the nation is still in a panic over the economy, and the goddmaned wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are still thrashing on.

Palin needs to shut the fuck up and tell the truth about whose baby that Trigg REALLY belongs to 'cuz it ain't her.

Who had the odds on Palin milking the "Special Olympics" comment by the Prez??

I did, I did! LOL

You win the pool!!

Nice! LOL

LOL

BTW, Michelle is gorgeous, elegant, and eloquent as always!

Definitely! Michelle is one beautiful lady!

Her skin is flawless.....its so radiantly healthy.

Who on here was defending Roland Martin a few days ago? Whoever it was, I hope you were watching the Situation Room just a few minutes ago, and I'm interested to know if you still hold the same high opinion of Roland Martin.

The "brotha" couldn't wait to exploit the "Special Olympics" comment. Shockinly, it took Gloria Borger to come to the President's defense, saying that the comment aside, the President did a terrific job of explaining his economic policies directly to the people in a way that the everyday person can understand. Roland was having no part of the rationale; he contends that the President's quip dismissed all that was said before. I guess Roland is counting on the American people to be as short-sighted and petty as he is.

roland is trying to get promoted. he got a taste subbing for campbell and now he wants more. buying into the beltway villager talkingpoint amplifying m.o. is the first step to getting that promotion he's after, he'll hop on whatever the meme of the day is.

Roland better watch it before he gets some of that treatment that Tavis got when he started talking crazy.

Apparently that's not all that Roland is upset with Obama about. He wrote a blog recently slamming Obama and the Dems for not backing school vouchers. He basically called them hypocrites because many of them send their kids to private schools. Whoops...

http://essence.typepad.com/news/2009/03/obama-d...

Obama is not accepting vouchers to send his kids to Sidwell and then denying other people vouchers. THAT would be hypocritical.

Instead of lifting up Jake and Shavonya while dooming Oscar, Reva and ManTan to a crumbling school, why not beef up the school to begin with?

Is it "cold" to not want Jake and Shavonya to get vouchers? Nope, not as long as we turn our backs on Oscar, Reva and ManTan and say "Um, oh well. Better luck next life."

He's saying that parents like the Obamas don't have to worry about using school vouchers to send their kids to good schools, because they can afford to. But for those parents who would like to send their kids to better schools but can't afford it, it's unfair to deny them the option of having a school voucher, instead they have to wait for the schools in their community to improve.

P.S. - ManTan?? LOL

So is it fair for Roland to take school voucher money to send Roland Jr. elsewhere, while ManTan (lol) and Oscar have to rot in the sucky school?

Honestly, no parent has to wait for a school to improve if they are in urban areas with access to public libraries, mentoring programs, and if they demand their child cut off the television set and READ. Then you have rural areas where no voucher is even applicable to the conversation because there is no other school accessible other than the ONE school in the city or county. I just never bought the "voucher" debate at all, I think its a ruse.

True, I was just explaining Roland's part lol.

Well then (playing devil's advocate here lol), one could ask why the Obamas did not send their children to a public school in Chicago.

Just a thought:

If I'm not mistaken, Michelle sent the girls to a lab school that was run by the Univ. of Chicago...of which she worked a high-profile job as a hospital administrator.

All the while, President Obama would be in D.C.as a Senator or in Springfield as a state legislator....maybe having them physically near her was a desire since her husband was gone most of the time, and she could easily check in on the girls.

OK....I'll answer the way my uncle who was a elementary school principal for 40 years would (I've heard this before..lol)...everybody's not gonna get the same shot. Some people will shoot from the free throw line, some will shoot from the other side of the court...some will get to shoot from right up under the goal..some people will get multiple shots, some will get just the one...some will get a nice air-filled ball...some will get a air-LESS ball...but everybody will get a shot, somehow, someway. The point is not to worry about everybody else's shot, just yours. Now the kids at the private school will have the brand new science equipment, new books and opportunities to visit science museums and the aquariums and we in this little raggedy public school will have a 20 year old microscope, books from 1975 and hopefully a film showing whats in the science museum and aquarium...but we cant dwell on what they have at the private school, just got to concentrate on our one shot.

If the Obamas have the means to provide their girls with a better shot, why begrudge them that? They made the income to do it. When you make less, you understand you afford less..everybody doesn't drive a luxury vehicle, some people got a little compact car...everyone can't go to the dermatologist for acne...some people just gotta buy clearasil. You just have to do the best you can with your child getting the best opportunity on their ONE shot.

Well, we could turn around and ask white parents in the suburbs why they aren't sending their kids to public schools in the hood. Why did they move out to that Ryan Homes McMansion community way over there which is 25 minutes from everything instead of buying a house in the inner city which is close to everything?

The fact is money gives you more options and if you can afford to move to a better neighborhood to send your kids to the "better schools" or even private school you're going to do it.

But what about the kids who are left behind? The Republicans like to cry about "No Child Left Behind" but they are very much comfortable elevating some kids and leaving the others behind.

And that's why I can't get down with vouchers because unless you're going to provide the vouchers for EVERYONE then what vouchers do is let Joey and Becky and Roland Jr. escape the shitty school but leave Oscar, ManTan and ShaVell behind.

And the voucher advocates don't give a damn what happens to Oscar or ShaVell because they got their kid a life line. They got theirs and if ShaVell's momma wanted her to go to a better school than ShaVell's momma should work 5 jobs to be able to afford to send her there.

Also what right does Roland have to tell the Obamas how to raise their daughters?

"They got theirs and if ShaVell's momma wanted her to go to a better school than ShaVell's momma should work 5 jobs to be able to afford to send her there."

Tell it.

You've all made good points, but I also can understand Roland's pov as well. I agree if the Obamas have the means to send their children to good schools, then that is their choice (and their business), but that's not really the issue. The debate is about whether or not we should take away the opportunity for families who otherwise would not be able to have it, to send their kid(s) to a better school via school vouchers. I don't know, I'm torn lol.

I hear ya...I really do...here's what it comes down to for me:

"The debate is about whether or not we should take away the opportunity for families who otherwise would not be able to have it"

See....we aren't taking away an opportunity. The opportunity only lies with their ability to send their child to a private school with their personal income - its not a right that a child gets a private education...no more than their child can have Air Jordans or designer clothes or be able to go to the doctor each and everytime they get sick or go to a dentist or eye doctor or be able to go on vacations to Disney, etc....each child is entitled to a good public education. Each taxpayer is responsible for contributing to a good PUBLIC education - period. That includes the people who can in addition to that, pay for a private education for their children. Barack and Michelle still paid property taxes along with everybody else in Illinois that goes towards public schools. Now for those that can't afford to do that, your child goes to public school and you do all that you can to supplement the shortcomings of said education, but nobody is entitled to platinum, when they can only afford silver. At the end of the day...people in poorer areas will still have schools that don't have the same equipment or the same opportunities as schools in wealthier areas...that's life. Hoover High School in Birmingham AL has a PTA of rich parents that can well afford to send their students on international trips and a science dept that rivals the Univ of Alabama...Aliceville High school, you'll be lucky to get a trip to Six Flags and learning to dissect a frog meant catching the thing your damn self. That's life. We are not all gonna have platinum, that doesn't mean you can't be motivated enough to strive for platinum and get it thru determination when that's all you've got.

Vouchers inherently take away the opportunity for better schools for the kids who can't qualify for vouchers. If the county/city only is providing for 2000 vouchers but there are 27,000 kids in the school system, 25K kids will be left behind. Is it fair to those kids?

Voucher proponents want the families of the 25K kids to subsidize the education and better opportunities at the expense of themselves.

If Barack & Michelle Obama go to school, get decent paying jobs and use what they have to make money to be able to send their kids to private school, they aren't asking other people to subsidize their kids' educations and opportunities for better futures.

Sure, you lift up 2000 kids and give them a better opportunity but you leave the 25K behind. The voucher advocates NEVER have a plan for the 25K left behind other than "well if the school gets worse we'll just shut it down or have the state take over."

True, but why should a child who is born into a less affluent family (we have no control over which family we're born into) have to deal with learning in a "bad" school when they could have the chance to attend a "good" school and receive a better education through school vouchers?
If a quality education was considered a right and not a privilege in this country, we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion lol.

Why should a poor kid have to deal with learning in a bad school, either?

That, to me, is the inherent flaw with vouchers...that somehow MY kid is more "deserving" of better opportunities than ManTan or Shezelle.

"why should a child who is born into a less affluent family"...see this is where I stop. Affluent people have better opportunities, period. That's life. This doesn't mean a poor child isn't entitled to a quality education...they absolutely ARE..and I think the President truly believes that and wants that for every child...but my tax dollars should support PUBLIC schools. If I can afford to send my child to private school beyond that, I'll do it, if I can't..I have to deal with what I can afford and do the best I can as a PARENT and in the meantime, work to fix what I see wrong with my child's school.

I guess I don't see this issue as black and white, as an either/or situation. I guess I don't agree with completely doing away with the whole voucher system.

Say it again.

You mean ROLAND MARTIN, wasn't defending Obama's gaffe??

What can we say, that texturizer is getting to him.

Damn. Et tu, Roland?

Smile in ya face.........

I refuse to watch any of those shows tonight...they're in full "oh I'm so outraged!!" mode....its so fake its ridiculous.

The last time I tuned into any show was when Jack was on...

I got straight up MSM-itis...and the remedy is to keep the tv off......only time I hear about the symptomatic shenanigans is by reading here at JJP or other blogs..

folks better stop messing with this pundits...they all need a Surgeon General's warning for real....may be hazardous to your health.

On a positive note, I have been a fan of the First Lady from the beginning but the more I see and hear of Michelle Obama the more impressive she becomes.

I have lost all respect for Krugman and to me he is one of those so-called progressives that Al is talking about. He needs to get over the fact that his candidate did not win and try to help instead of his constant undermining of the President. His attempt to pin the measure passed by the house as somehow Obama's fault is beyond confusing. As a Con Law professor, Obama knows full well that the tax measure will be rendered unconstitutional. But the promulgation of the idea that the bonuses are Obama's fault negates the fact that the bonuses were approved by the prior administration. They simply decided that it would not be feasible or legal to rescind those contracts/bonuses retroactively. Krugman spends a lot of time assessing blame and very little offering concrete solutions and his constant self-aggrandizement is getting old, quickly.

About Krugman, ever since the primaries, I have taken him with a grain of salt, but I still had respect for him. With his recent column, I have lost respect for him. One of the problems he has is he has no concept of politics. for example the stimulus package, he was berating the Obama administration because it was too small. He is probably right that it was too small, Obama probably would like a larger package, but it was political infeasible to for the stimulus package to be any bigger than it ultimately became. I'm a nobody and I know that, I can't believe some who has one a Nobel Prize doesn't realize that.

This is a repost, I originally posted it to today's womens' history thread


I would like to know what everyone thinks of this Krugman column. He is saying many of the same things Republicans are saying about Congress passing a law on the bonuses. Here is a link and except:


http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/aig /


Preliminary thoughts on the tax bill:

"1. It’s not the way you should make policy — it’s clumsy, and it will punish some innocent parties while letting the most guilty off scot-free

2. But — there wasn’t much alternative at this point. And for that I blame the Obama people.

I’ll leave to others the question of who knew or should have known that the bonus firestorm was coming; but it’s part of a pattern. At every stage, Geithner et al have made it clear that they still have faith in the people who created the financial crisis — that they believe that all we have is a liquidity crisis that can be undone with a bit of financial engineering, that “governments do a bad job of running banks” (as opposed, presumably, to the wonderful job the private bankers have done), that financial bailouts and guarantees should come with no strings attached.

This was bad analysis, bad policy, and terrible politics. This administration, elected on the promise of change, has already managed, in an astonishingly short time, to create the impression that it’s owned by the wheeler-dealers. And that leaves it with no ability to counter crude populism.'

Here is the link to the Thread on Democratic Underground

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/du...

My opinion on point 1 is a person who is receiving a bonus from a company that received a government bailout maybe they aren't so innocent. On point 2 if the Obama administration was fo full of Wheelers and Dealers, why did Obama want to stop the bonuses? Also if the wheelers and dealers comment was true, why is wallstreet rail against the Obama Administration so much?

What I find interesting is many of the same people who said Obama supporters thought he was infallible think Krugman is because he has a Noble prize. Just because he has one doesn't me he is always right. Also you know who also won one? Milton Friedman, whose ideas is the reason the were are in this mess.
reply edit reblog flag

Krugman was wrong about Obama during the primaries and general election and he is wrong now.

Krugman does not get Obama. He is also probably quite peeved that he was not selected to be a part of the economic team.

I just want Goolsbee to get his nomination approved and then it is ON! That man will take on all these pundits and wipe the floor up with their asses.

Krugman has been against The President for awhile now. He likes to stand around criticizing.

I been aware of his opinion of Obama since the primaries, this column was just the last straw for me..

He's Lucy ( from Charlie Brown).

Yes, he is! That's perfect! Crotchy and grumpy.....

It would make his day pulling the football, little toad.

LMAO! That's him.... a lil toad!

LOL - repost of my reply: a comment on Klugman's NYT blog

Isn’t it time to get rid of the Wall Street Insiders that Obama has surrounded himself with and replace them with economists who weren’t involved in creating the mess? To do so the Administration will have to admit that the Clinton Administration economic team was part of the problem and can’t in its new incarnation be the key to the solution.

— William Muraskin, Ph.D.

LOL? What is so funny about my post? So my opinion is nothing, but a joke to you?

Actually I think he was just doing the "LOL" because he posted the reply on the Women's thread too...I don't think it was directed at you (or at least I hope it wasn't)

I am sorry that i offended you, I just was tickled to repost my post on your post.

I apologize for my hostile reaction. I'm guess I'm touchy today.