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    The main mark of modern governments is that we do not know who governs, de facto any more than de jure. We see the politician and not his backer; still less the backer of the backer; or, what is most important of all, the banker of the backer.

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    Proof that Accounting is Not an Exact Science and the Fall of Rome

    Krugman has an article today, Alice in financeland, that shows how sometimes following accounting rules leads to apparent absurdities.  Because of market to market accounting rules and credit default swaps he says:

    …Citigroup is profitable because investors think it’s failing, while Morgan Stanley is losing money because investors think it will survive. I am not making this up.

    This is part of the problem of  “too big [...]



    New Nationalism Speech – Teddy Roosevelt History Lesson

    Mt. Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt closeup. Image via Wikipedia

    Since the 1980s (when I worked for Eastern Airlines, which no longer exists due to deregulation fever) we as a people have amnesia when it comes to the lessons that history teaches us.  Regulations did not just magically appear one day.  They were derived from the wisdom that came about from the mistakes of the past.  Reagan [...]



    Chomsky on Geithner (and some Colbert Comedy)

    Noam Chomsky on the economy and democracy Pt2

    Noam Chomsky on the economy and democracy Pt3

    Stephen’s Angry Mob Will Crush AIG (click to show/hide Colbert video)

    The government can’t stop AIG but Stephen’s angry mob will crush these punks. He pulls out his pitchfork and gets the audience on his side. [...]



    We’re Stupid and We’re Fools

    Cenk Uygur over at Huffpo sent me this story link this morning. 

    If you want to understand what is really going on re: the banking/wall street fiasco, read this article.  Here is an excerpt:

    The latest bailout came as AIG admitted to having just posted the largest quarterly loss in American corporate history — some $61.7 billion. In the final three months of last year, the [...]



    Sound Familiar? Hannan Tears Brown a New One

    Sounds like the EU is struggling with very similar problems as we have in this country.  Here is a great speech given yesterday by Daniel Hannan, Conservative MEP for South East England:

    Even if you don’t agree with the content, you have to admire the presentation.  We need more people in our media and more politicians to stand up and really say [...]



    merit pay ain’t the way

    There is no question that Barack Obama will be a better president for the state of education in this country than George “is our children learning” Bush could ever hope to be, and almost anything would be better than Bush’s odious, expensive, top-heavy and radically stupid No Child Left Behind.

    That being said, merit pay is just another Republican red herring and should be round-filed along [...]



    Economy Painfully Funny

    A friend sent me this little goodie today.

    As yet another of my friends’ husbands loses his job, I’m trying to laugh, but it’s sort of feeling like gallows humour. When do we storm the castles of the executive’s mansions, people? Now before you haul me off to jail, I’m not advocating violence against the corporate and investment top dogs who have [...]



    This is Very Good News Indeed

    Wow, what can I say?  My well-deserved cynicism says this will never occur but I will gladly be wrong.

    From here:

    President Barack Obama

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will set a $500,000 annual compensation cap on Wednesday for executives at companies getting taxpayer bailouts as part of a wider process to clamp down on excessive corporate pay.

    An Obama administration official said the new rules would [...]

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