Morning Must Reads: Crunching the Numbers

A Summer of Recovery?

Jump to 5 month high in initial jobless claims to 484,000 with those receiving unemployment increasing by 1,340,0000. Previous initial claims was revised upward to 482,000. The four week moving average up over 14,000 to 473,500.

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Maybe it’s time Obama stopped practicing jump shots taking vacations, and paying off political allies and start figuring out how to get out of the way of the private sector so they can create jobs.

“There’s only one way the tragic airplane crash in Alaska that ended the life of former-U.S. Senator Ted Stevens could have been better, according to New Hampshire Democratic activist and State Rep. candidate Keith Halloran: If Sarah Palin had been on it.”

“Natch Greyes, a staffer for Democratic Rep. and Senate hopeful Paul Hodes tweeted the following on July 21st: “I have to wonder if & or when @sarahpalinusa will learn the meaning of our state motto: “live free or die.””

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But its the Tea Party people that are crazy

http://www.nowhampshire.com/2010/08/11/local-democrats-wish-death-upon-sarah-palin/

How ’bout more stimulus $ to fix our bridges, plumbing and other crumbling infrastructure? Interest rates are low low low.

Would you not want such a man as your President, Mr. Sorensen?

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/little-big-man/

So you want us to condemn guys who make crackpot comments?
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If what they said is accurate, they are wrong.
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OK, done.

Not content with drown the federal government in debt, the Obama Admin and Democrats want to drag the states down as well. But it’s for the children!

“Specifically, the bill stipulates that federal funds must supplement, not replace, state spending on education. Also, in each state, next year’s spending on elementary and secondary education as a percentage of total state revenues must be equal to or greater than the previous year’s level.”

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/08/forcing_states_into_debt.html

I see the looney left like foghorn are still testing positive for stupid. You have no credibility left (if you had any at all) to judge anyone on anything

Ok Done!

That was the gag line of the first stimulus that failed to do everything it was supposed to do.

Liberals still lying to everyone but especially themselves.

And your recommended solution would be?

I did what you asked and you still have to say something crude. What in God’s name motivates you in the mornings – sludge???

Have the federal government stop with spending mandates at the state level!

It is everything the GOP hoped and fought so hard for.

Hey foggy, if you need to be reminded who freepy and his ilk really are, just take a gander at their treatment of Ted Kennedy on his passing.
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http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/08/27/kennedy-in-repose/.
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The right-wingers are eternally victims, never at fault, and utterly infallible. Just ask them.

So spend the fed money with no obligation from the states?

It’s pretty typical momento.
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They all keep pretending they are such saints, but a few searches will reveal just who these guys really are…

Thx for the reminder. And he feigns outrage when someone points out that Ted Stevens wasn’t pure as the driven snow….

More on the Imam behind the Burlington Coat Factory mosque / cultural center

The intrepid right-wing “investigations” that went to extraordinary lengths to tie Rauf to terrorism somehow never uncovered his extensive ties to … the Bush administration.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/adam_serwer_archive?month=08&year=2010&base_name=faisal_raufs_radical_associati

What did I miss?

I’ve seen the future, I can’t afford it | Tell me the truth sir, someone just bought it

“Referring to the GOP policy, Michael Tomasky concluded, ‘This is their agenda. If it’s for millionaires, it’s good. Period. It’s never been quite this naked, but there it is. How the idiot Democrats are going to manage to lose to a bunch of people whose only real domestic agenda is to hand out $100,000 bills to millionaires, busting the budget while doing it, makes me sick to my stomach.’”

*and that most likely be it from me for the next few days, as circumstances are dragging me out of the Swamp for a while…

That thread, and frankly most of the comments from a few here, always reminds me of this.
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http://www.theonion.com/articles/marilyn-manson-now-going-doortodoor-trying-to-shoc,459/

Corporate Blackmail.
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BP Links Compensation With Continued Oil Production In The Gulf
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/11/bp-links-compensation-wit_n_679171.html

Or Richard Milhouse….

When the I-85 bridge in Minnesota fell into the Mississippi for nothing other than neglect, that should’ve sent shock waves through the whole country that roads and bridges need major repairs done. Not to mention that water pipes from the 19th century are still carrying water and sewage until they fail. So because not enough is being done to fix all this, you consider it lying???
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You’re a toy short of a happy meal.

Who are the beneficiaries of the stimulus money?
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With the recent cuts to food stamps and medicaid in order to fund Teachers and Police which we all know is a Democrat kick-back for the Unions.
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Who will protect the little children?
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Definately not the Nazi / Socialists who demand workers rights and Unions be saved from themselves with bailouts.
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Bon Voyage for whatever, grape. We will miss your value added posts.

RE the pic:
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Rahm – “The Fifties.”
Axel – “The Fifties.”
Rahm (after opening envelope and blowing it) – “Where the number of tea parties are and our poll numbers aren’t.”

How do the demswits and their lapdog media types like TIME.com keep on spinning the half-truths and lies.
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>The employment picture is looking bleaker as applications for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in almost six months.

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/New-claims-for-unemployment-apf-3180551258.html?x=0&.v=1
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Versus from TIME.com’s Adam Sorenson, the newbie shill for the liberal loons.
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Adam says….
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”
–GM posts its best quarterly profit since 2004 as the automaker prepares to take its stock public. The federal government — and by extension you, dear taxpayer — hold a 61% share.”

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Do you really think most Americans right now give a big fat rat’s A$$ what is going on with GM? How we have sunk BILLIONS of dollars into one of the worst investments in modern history?
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Demwits have not only spent our future, but the futures of our children, their children and their children’s children. PERIOD.

Yesterday you were a Black activist Rusty.
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Today you’re a social liberal, someone who actually cares about someone?
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Which poisonality will we be seeing tomorrow…

So Republicans are against Teachers and Police just because they’re unionized? Lovely. I look forward to full-throated conservative support of anarchy in the near future. Are you against the Fire Department, too, Rusty?
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We already knew from the SCHIP debate that they don’t really care about children unless they can be used as a prop.
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So who does the modern neo-conservative stand up for? No one, but themselves.

Rusty, you’re dumber than two warm rocks on a windowsill:
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“Do you really think most Americans right now give a big fat rat’s A$$ what is going on with GM?”
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Anyone who actually works would! I’m sure that any good news right now is welcome.
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“How we have sunk BILLIONS of dollars into one of the worst investments in modern history?”
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Rusty, they are paying it back. Besides, let me use your featured comment to make my point about self-contradiction:
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“GM posts its best quarterly profit since 2004 as the automaker prepares to take its stock public. The federal government — and by extension you, dear taxpayer — hold a 61% share.”

“Do you really think most Americans right now give a big fat rat’s A$$ what is going on with GM? How we have sunk BILLIONS of dollars into one of the worst investments in modern history?”
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I’ve said this before, Rusty. You need to Google before you post.
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General Motors Paid Back Bailout Loans in Full
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http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/general-motors-paid-back-bailout-loans-in-full/
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You’re an embarrassment to more thoughtful conservatives.

Hopefully, it’s temporary grape. We’ll miss you…

“Not to mention that water pipes from the 19th century are still carrying water and sewage until they fail.”

So why wasn’t this fixed with the WPA. Didn’t the Progressives care about safe water then or was it just more spending.

We have been collecting gasoline taxes in a “trust” fund for decades including over 40 years when the Demos controlled the House. Why didn’t they fix these over those years. It was actually a failure on their part that the infrastructure has failed.

Giving Americans yet another to reason to dump pompous arrogant fools like you and the rest of the left regime.

MoronMom and IQ3

No it is just showing once again how hypocritical the left is. There is a decided difference in questioning lap dances given to Ted Kennedy after his death (for someone who was a reprobate and murderer) than in wishing someone to die.

But keep rationalizing the stupidity of the left.

certifiably:

Yes if you are “saving jobs” to help the states who are struggling with a current defict why would you force them to spend more of what they already don’t have.

That is a stupid comment even for a liberal

Where do you get the money for the unemployed homeowners?? I have been doing without to pay my mortgage what a fool I have..

Oh, I get it.
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Just like terrorism, in which the GOP crackpots are tied with radical Islamists for numbers of Americans killed on American soil:
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“As long as they are Republicans, it’s OK” – freeinpa

Not a staffer.

And, your interpretation of what I said is a gross mischaracterization. If you want to know why please visit my blog: http://natchgreyes.com/blog/2010/08/mark-whittington-is-an-idiot/

MoronMom

The tired liberal meme of being against teachers and cops is crap. The “its for the children” means hold on to your watch and wallet. Using these positions is a scare tactics and is an attempt to draw attention away from the hard choices state and local governments need (and haven’t) made.

And I thought conservatives didn’t want to play the system.
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I guess I was wrong…

Even given (gratuitously) your assumptions are true, Repubs had those same opportunities and chose not to do anything. So stop dreaming that they would do the right thing NOW.
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And if we used stimulus $ to do it (at 0% interest, mind you) that’ll keep the government busy – and by extension PRIVATE CONTRACTORS AND SUB-CONTRACTORS – for years to come, generating jobs and stability.
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Is war the only thing you guys don’t want financial accountability on?

Like momento pointed out above in 11.2, Google before you post:
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It’s for unemployed homeowners who qualify by means testing:
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/11/BUFR1ESJAS.DTL
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Apparently, you want to cheat…

Likewise.

“General Motors Paid Back Bailout Loans in Full”

That is without question a BOLD FACED LIE!

Only $13 billion of the $85 billion in rescues funds have been repaid. Of that, a $6.7 billion loan to GM was repaid with government funds (taxpayer paying themselves back)

pg 31 August9-15, 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek mag

More liberal facts. It is becoming apparent between you and IQ3 you couldn’t break double digits for IQ

“Apparently, you want to cheat…”

It works for liberals!

well, natch:
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The only thing I can say is you got caught in the gears of the machinery you helped to set up:
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The controversy-fed 24/7 news cycle.
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This is why I keep reminding people who get radical that they should be very careful what they wish for…

1.4: “Not to mention that water pipes from the 19th century are still carrying water and sewage until they fail.”
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“So why wasn’t this fixed with the WPA. Didn’t the Progressives care about safe water then or was it just more spending.”
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Just a guess…maybe the pipes were actually WORKING in the 1930s and 40s!

He has linkey, and you don’t freeinpa.
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If you have a location, provide the link.
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You looze…

loop
…Goto 12.2
…Read document
…if understood
…..break
…else
Goto 12.4
…end if
end loop
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tty “I learned something new!”

“…As in recent polls, Americans are split on President Barack Obama’s job performance, with 47% approving and 48% disapproving.
But a majority disapproves of his performance on the economy. And six in 10, including 83% of independents and a quarter of Democrats, say they are only somewhat or not at all confident that Mr. Obama has the right policies to improve it.” [WSJ]
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Now of course, Freep, you’d be singing “ding dong the witch is dead!” if BO’s numbers were in the low 40s or below…and I posted a significant chunk just to show that I’m not trying to Breitbart anybody.
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I hear crickets.

Somehow, I doubt I helped create the 24/7 news cycle and I’d like to know how I became a “radical”

A link would be helpful, Freepy.
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The only articles on Bloomeberg Business week today about GM are:
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GM posts $1.33 billion profit, a sign of strength
and
GM Said to Aim for Up to $16 Billion in Stock Sale
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Which doesn’t exactly bolster your argument that the GM bailout was a waste of tax-payer money.
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Or is this REALLY about the pathological hatred of all unions that the right-wing has bought into over the last few years? It doesn’t seem to matter if its teachers, police, janitors or auto-line workers. If its unionized, the right is against it. Is there even one union that you’re ok with?

Here is your linkey linkey
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/22/grassley-slams-gm-administration-loans-repaid-bailout-money/
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Sucks to be you, huh IQ53?

And on a side-note, Freepy.
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“It is becoming apparent between you and IQ3 you couldn’t break double digits for IQ”
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Do you want to debate politics or sling insults? I grew up in South Philly – I’m OK, either way.

He has a pathological hatred of just about everything momento.
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ACORN was really never much more than a loosely organized coalition of people whose aims were to help the poor, which is why he hates them.
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Nevermind that they no longer exist. Freeinpa’s hate is everlasting…

The REAL Obama Job Approval, and these are just averages.
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RCP Average 7/21 – 8/11 — 44.7 49.3 -4.6
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Poor foggy. Disaprove 49.3 Approve 44.7
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Where sHE drops, nobody knows!!
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http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html
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I’m actually taking bets as to when Obambi hits 35% DISSAPROVAL
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Will it be before or after Christmas?

Rusty:
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That is a link to an opinion, and is NOT fact!
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Since when are opinions more valid than facts?
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Here, stupid, stick!
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Fetch the stick, stupd!
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No wonder you’re extinct…

RCP, huh?
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Okaaaay…

Thanks for the link, Grape. The Washington Monthly article (link), and particularly the graphic from the Washington Post, (link) is brilliant.
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I also liked this comment to the Washington Monthly article (from commenter Davis X. Machina):

This is a country where there are always enough people to swing an election who would volunteer their own family to live in a cardboard box under a bridge, and cook sparrows on an old curtain rod over an open fire, provided you guarantee them that the people in the next box over — black, gay, foreign, liberal, different — don’t even get the sparrow.

freeinpa:
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You mention that Obama (and presumably the Congressional Democratic majority) should
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start figuring out how to get out of the way of the private sector so they can create jobs
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What do you mean by this?
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What are Democrats doing that is somehow “getting in the way” of businesses –large and small– hiring more people?
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What is preventing the private sector from hiring, as CEO’s would apparently like nothing better than to do right away?

It is mind-boggling the degree to which freeper and most of the GOP have become divorced from economic reality.

It is completely beyond me how anyone can argue with a straight face that the U.S. would be better off if GM, Chrysler, and Ford had all gone bankrupt and closed up shop (although Ford did not need to be bailed out, their executives admitted that they could not have survived if the other two corporations had gone bankrupt and dragged the industry into collapse).

What is even more amazing is that the GOP would consign the U.S. auto industry to the dustheap of history when the failure really would not have been their fault.

Although U.S. cars have lagged in quality and design for years, anyone remotely familiar with the industry knows that the gap had been closing leading up to 2008 and that the problems that drove the automakers to near-extinction in 2008 mostly were a byproduct of the collapse of the credit markets.

There are two big ironies about all this. First, if the U.S. automakers had disappeared, Americans would have been forced to buy — and build in any remaining U.S. factories — cars made by Asian and European companies that had received financial assistance from their respective governments. Republicans don’t complain about socialism unless Americans benefit, apparently.

Second, Republicans were largely happy to bailout their millionaire banker buddies at Goldman, Citi, and BofA, etc., who created the financial crisis but reluctant to help average Americans who suffered the collateral damage from the economic explosion.

Here, stupid, stick!
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Fetch the stick, stup[i]d!
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Why don’t we use the name of Steve Martin’s dog in “The Jerk” to describe him??

It is a general blame, natch, not just you. I’m frustrated that journalism has dived to this new “normal”.
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But you did get caught in the gears of the 24/7 controversy fed news cycle, which you and everyone else participates in.
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I’ll walk back the radical part, because it really doesn’t apply to you. I apologize to you for that.
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But it wasn’t a “mischaracterization”, it is a natural consequence of what happens what happens when people read the “he said that she said that they said && outrage” stuff.
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“Is war the only thing you guys don’t want financial accountability on?”

As opposed to the financial accountability the left has had with the “war on poverty” or “war on illiteracy” or drugs. Where is the time certain surrender and withdrawal and hard results. None. The only wars the left fights are against non-existent enemies. In fact they support the real enemies we do have.

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“So stop dreaming that they would do the right thing NOW.”

And as we have seen the Demos have never done the right thing either!
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“And if we used stimulus $ to do it (at 0% interest, mind you) that’ll keep the government busy – and by extension PRIVATE CONTRACTORS AND SUB-CONTRACTORS – for years to come, generating jobs and stability.”

Yes we all have seen the “shovel ready jobs” promised with the porkulus. The only shoveling was the crap the left foisted on the public. Private contractors and Sub-contractors? Sure and the unions will sit idly by. Any projects funded should waive the Davis-Bacon Act so costs for each project is lower and more work and more people helped. But hey you can’t expect the left to do the right thing at the expense of a special interest group.

OOOO, I’m scared.
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As AS has stated, this is likely as low as he’s gettin’ bro. B[l]ush territory is not likely. Especially when EVEN USING RCP’s COMPILATION OF NUMBERS BO’s numbers are higher than those of Ray-gun and Clinton during the same period of their presidencies.

That’s all French for I was taken out of context, right?

Because that was from Jurassic Park when the fat guy who was on the take (ring any bells?!?!), encountered that dilophosaurus.
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But you have a point…

freeinpa:
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Might I recommend Glenn Beck’s book, “Arguing with Idiots”??
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That is the only thing which may help you in your your comments back to the village loons here in the swamp.

Hey Freep, since you’re so happy about November looks like your chances of a Repub governor in FL are almost Sunk:

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/403455/abel-harding/2010-08-12/mason-dixon-mccollum-seizes-lead-scott-sink-ahead

“It is completely beyond me how anyone can argue with a straight face that the U.S. would be better off if GM, Chrysler, and Ford had all gone bankrupt…”
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It is completely beyond me how anyone can argue with these semi-literate, right-wing lunatics. It elevates their irrational idiocy and degrades anyone else who participates, rational thought in general and the entire discourse on this blog. They are: 1) not here to learn anything and 2) not incapable of understanding, even if they wanted to. Poke and ridicule them if you like but lease stop treating their arguments as serious and worthy of debate.

Thanks so much for your contributions, grape_crush, I have found that they increase the value of this blog immensely.
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Here’s looking forward to your return…

He has linkey, and you don’t freeinpa.
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If you have a location, provide the link.
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You looze…
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IQ3 once again declaring his own facts and doing a victory lap.

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GM posts $1.33 billion profit, a sign of strength
and
GM Said to Aim for Up to $16 Billion in Stock Sale
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Which doesn’t exactly bolster your argument that the GM bailout was a waste of tax-payer money

I have the hard copy in front of me. It has the greatest President of all-time on the cover GWB.

$16 billion would mean they only owe taxpayers $69 billion which at current run rate of profit (IF it continues) means the taxpayers would be made whole in about 13 years.

I will find the income statement but I wonder how much was actual profit and how much was from tax-loss carryforwards?

And I am sure they will try to shove an IPO out before the UAW contract comes up next year which will scare away any sensible investor

Did it ever occur to you that when the Bush Administration had any discussions with the Imam that they did not know about his terrorist ties to Hamas?
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Perhaps he was one amoung hundreds who the Bush Administration reached out to, who were playing the part of the more “moderate” muslims, but only acting like they were moderate?
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I guess not. Just like Media Matters we get only half the story from your source. Just like all liberal slime jobs, part of the truth is told, and the rest is just taken out of context.

Good riddance!!

“It is completely beyond me how anyone can argue with a straight face that the U.S. would be better off if GM, Chrysler, and Ford had all gone bankrupt and closed up shop”

Speaking of being unhinged by economic reality! GM & Chrysler would have gone through the normal bankruptcy proceedings and come out slimmed down. The government only preserved the bloated union contracts. Bankruptcy would have canceled them.

Ford got ZERO government help and are now the healthiest of all three.

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“cars made by Asian and European companies that had received financial assistance from their respective governments. Republicans don’t complain about socialism unless Americans benefit, apparently”

And that is a decision of those governments and their people not ours. That’s another economic reality

Biggest selling cars remain SUVs not Green toaster cars. That’s an economic reality.

Deal with those!

“Here is your linkey linkey”
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A chuck Grassley interview from April? Really? That’s all you got?
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The Tresury response to Mr Grassley’s comments:
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“GM’s decision to pay off the loan signaled the automaker did not face “extraordinary expenses,” and that Treasury approved the loan payoff.

“The fact that GM made the determination and repaid the remaining $4.7 billion to the U.S. government now is good news for the company, our investment and the American people,” said Herbert Allison, assistant Treasury secretary for financial stability.”

“It is completely beyond me how anyone can argue with these semi-literate, right-wing lunatics. It elevates their irrational idiocy and degrades anyone else who participates, rational thought in general and the entire discourse on this blog. They are: 1) not here to learn anything and 2) not incapable of understanding, even if they wanted to. Poke and ridicule them if you like but lease stop treating their arguments as serious and worthy of debate.”
>
The best post I have seen an many days now.

Rusty, you forgot a poll.
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According to a new Wall Street Journal poll, “Just 24% express positive feelings about the Republican Party.” That number is the lowest on record in the 21-year history of the survey.

grape_crush: Come back soon.

53_3: Remember JD Hayworth had an informational that explained how to get money from the feds.

And more for IQ53: Stupid is as stupid says
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Now who is stupid as a box of rocks?
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“In short, GM is using government money to pay back government money to get more government money. And at a 2% lower interest rate at that. This is a nifty scheme to refinance GM’s government debt–not pay it back!
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GM boasts that, because it is doing so well, it is paying the $6.7 billion five years ahead of schedule since it was not due until 2015. So will there be an accelerated payback of the rest of the $49.6 billion investment? No. That goal has been pushed back, as it turns out.
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In order to recover that investment, the government has to sell its equity. It plans to do that only when GM becomes a publicly traded company once again. GM was hoping to turn a profit by the end of 2010 and float an initial public offering this winter. However, GM Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell, when queried about that timeline a few days ago, demurred. The offering will be made, he said, “when the markets and the company are ready.”

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http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/23/general-motors-economy-bailout-opinions-columnists-shikha-dalmia_2.html
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Now be a good little white boy and go sit in the corner, when you get spanked like this you shouldn’t show your face for a month or more. Maybe your buddy grapey will take you along as a cabin boy or something.
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I know when things are written like a rhyme, GM is using government money to pay back government money to get more government money”. Some folks are not able to mentally comprehend this kind of information.
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Enjoy!!

If that tiny thread gives you reason to live—Go for it!

LOL@freeinpa!!! Love it!!

Let’s see who Dodd works for after retirement. Might give us a clue on why he is so opposed to Warren.

I used to really enjoy visiting this site on Thursdays, because the conversation was frequently more focused on the subject of the post and less bogged down with feeding the trolls. That way there was more food for thought and fewer empty calories.

The counter-factual assumed is that the GOP would not have bailed out the car companies, apparently.
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I think that’s an absurd notion.
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The GOP would probably have bailed out the car companies, but Shelby at the helm may have forced the unions to dissolve themselves.
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As such, we got the Third Way: GMAC finance got bailed out, but wages –of course, the bane of neo-liberals– took the haircut,

In order to improve profits, the Detroit automakers made agreements with unions to reduce wages while making pension and health care commitments. GM, for instance, at one time picked up the entire cost of funding health insurance premiums of its employees, their survivors and GM retirees, as the US did not have a universal health care system.[82] With most of these plans chronically underfunded in the late 1990s, the companies have tried to provide retirement packages to older workers, and made agreements with the UAW to transfer pension obligations to an independent trust.[83] Nonetheless, non-unionized Japanese automakers, with their younger American workforces (and far fewer American retirees) will continue to enjoy a cost advantage.[84][85][86]

That was the loan paid with taxpayer money and not the entire amount of GM bailout dollars from the taxpayers.
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GM is the last of the Detroit automakers to report second-quarter results. Ford Motor Co. made $2.6 billion, its fifth straight quarterly profit. Chrysler Group LLC, which got $15.5 billion in federal aid, narrowed its second-quarter loss to $172 million.
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Just a coincidence that the one company without government help has been profitable longer and higher than the bailout twins!

Sorry SZ, the wage haircuts were illusory. These workers were treated better than employees at companies without bailouts

The argument that the GOP would not have put the autos through a real bankruptcy proceeding is pure speculation. What is not speculation is that the one auto company without government help has grown stronger, faster than the other two who did.

“UAW leaders agreed to the revised contract last week that freezes wages, ends bonuses, eliminates noncompetitive work rules and requires binding arbitration for the next contract if a deal can’t be reached. Gettelfinger said there are some conditions under which the union could still strike. The UAW said the cuts would save GM $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion a year.”

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-05-29-gm-uaw_N.htm

Most sane Republicans and Conservatives called for no bailouts of the auto companys and allow the free market to correct itself as it needed. Maybe, just maybe GM and Chrysler would have failed, yes, some Union jobs would have been lost, but who is to say that Ford might have become even more stronger, bigger and could have put even more pressure on the foreign auto manufacturers. Especially when months later Toyota almost went under from all of it’s recalls.
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You see stuart, when you mess around with the free market principles and allow government regulations to be used to stop natural forces from occurring, you then run the risk of what we have now, the total collapse of everything instead of just some of the things.
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You simply cannot have socialist markets inter-mixed with capitalism. It does not nor will it ever work.

“…Shelby at the helm may have forced the unions to dissolve themselves.”
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Perhaps. But the description of the “Third-Way” “neo-liberal” policy that was adopted sounds almost exactly how I would envision a “conservative” Republican policy approach prior to the bailout (seeing that it’s been their historical approach). Leaving aside the political atmospherics, do you really see that much of a difference between how “conservative” Republicans and “Third-Way” Democrats do policy?

The honorable homecomings all of our service people deserve.

/
NSFW if you can’t contain your tears.
/
How can anyone send them back to war zones?

“but wages –of course, the bane of neo-liberals– took the haircut”

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Want to provide some links with your statement? Show where wages were cut in order to keep the 2 bailout autos from collasping? Where Unions actually made any concessions at all?

See 11.9, again.
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That is editorial opinion. Damn.
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foghorn was right.
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Here sh!thead! Stick!
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Fetch the stick sh!thead…

I forgot it was Thursday.
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Sorry kbanger…

“So what we’re left with is a largely uncontested notion that any observant Muslim is a potential national-security threat, a view that was once confined to the conspiratorial right-wing fringe but is now, thanks to Republican demagoguery, Democratic cowardice, and mainstream media know-nothingism, an entirely respectable, mainstream view. This isn’t just a setback for religious tolerance and individual freedom; it’s a setback for the fight against terrorism, which demands that the United States marginalize violent extremists, not embrace their narrative and worldview.”
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From the “deliberate” link in Ivy’s article.
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There are also attempts to debunk the allegations of radical ties in the “lied” links in that second article. A good read, I’m interested if anyone cares to challenge Serwer directly.

Aren’t these guys your heroes who can do no wrong? Now that their certification as LOSERS is almost complete you try to blow it off. How consistent.

Sometimes a little break can do a person a world of good. I hope whatever it is that is taking you away gets resolved satisfactorily.

*sigh*
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That’s OK….

Newfree, why waste your time with teachers and police salaries? -they probably deserve a raise, you’re not going to convince many otherwise, and it’s relatively small numbers.
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Go for the big fish- the most prominent and wasteful type of discretionary government spending, by far: Defense. You ought to be using your blog-space to decry the outlandish budget– over one trillion dollar$ annually!! (link) Especially considering that, according to wiki: US Defense Spending, there are 23 current weapons programs that have a price tag of over $1 billion each.
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You can save the poor children, give raises to deserving workers, and have plenty left over to lower the deficit and/or stimulate the economy.

Great video, april and a wonderful tribute to our brave soldiers. They serve in those war zones willingly, protecting freedom’s cause and do so with few complaints. They serve with honor, great bravery and complete dedication to freeing the oppressed and defending liberty for us all. Afghanistan may be a long way off, but the conflict there is most definitely about combating evil and tyranny. A premature withdrawal on our part, would subject the innocent to a brutality you can not even imagine. I have seen it up close, april and just a description of it could give you nightmares for months. Support our troops, as I know you do, what they are doing over there makes life possible for millions of Afghani’s and contrary to what many think, they are extremely grateful for the effort we are making on their behalf.

The Wall Street Journal says Chris Dodd is “waging a one-man campaign” against nominating Elizabeth Warren to head the newly created Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.

Any bets on which Bank is gonna be Chris Dodd’s future employer?
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My bets are on Goldman Sachs.

The Left shows their true stripes on this one.
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Not one person on the Left at swampland has said anything to condemn this hateful person for wishing that a prominent person of the other political party had been killed.
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If a Conservative or a member of the Tea Party had made such a comment about a Democratic Leader, the left would be demanding that all conservatives condemn this person and claim many other conservatives probably shared this same evil view.
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I have a real problem with this Hypocrisy of the Left. That they can think that their actions are OK in these situations makes one wonder how they can sleep at night.
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How can you guys and gals justify this totally irrational hateful behavior? You continue to claim that Conservatives are the evil ones and your actions prove that you have found the enemy and it is you.

“Not one person on the Left at [S]wampland has said anything to condemn this hateful person for wishing that a prominent person of the other political party had been killed.”
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Tell you what,
go up about 15 posts,
*read what I wrote* @ 2.1,
then post an apology
’cause you’re oblivious to both pain and reading comprehension.

nflfog,
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“So you want us to condemn guys who make crackpot comments?
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If what they said is accurate, they are wrong.
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OK, done.”
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Such a wonderful sincere comdemnation. It brings teas to my eyes.
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This radical liberal also said he was happy that Ted Stevens was killed in the crash.
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Do you have another compassionate comdemnation for this horrible statement?
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nfl your apology came across as a flip comment to change the subject rather then an actual condemnation of this hideous comment expressing happiness with Ted Stevens’s death and his wish for the death of Sarah Palin.
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You’re a better person then that.