OT - Beer

Tom Sherman

Andrew Muzi wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>> It almost make one wish for a Republican president, so they can deal
>> with the mess they created. Of course, we may well have two
>> Republicans running for office this year.
>
> Besides the 3 lefties of the 2 major parties, who did you have in mind?
>
All three contending major party candidates have positions to the
political right of the right-wing European parties. Crony capitalism is
alive and well.

The only real conservative among all the candidates this year is Ron
Paul. All the rest of the Republicans (including $Hillary) are regressives.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

A Muzi

Tom Sherman wrote:
> All three contending major party candidates have positions to the
> political right of the right-wing European parties. Crony capitalism is
> alive and well.
> The only real conservative among all the candidates this year is Ron
> Paul. All the rest of the Republicans (including $Hillary) are regressives.

I've actually voted for him in a previous election.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Tom Sherman

Andrew Muzi wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>> All three contending major party candidates have positions to the
>> political right of the right-wing European parties. Crony capitalism
>> is alive and well.
>> The only real conservative among all the candidates this year is Ron
>> Paul. All the rest of the Republicans (including $Hillary) are
>> regressives.
>
> I've actually voted for him in a previous election.

While I disagree with many of Ron Paul's policies, I can at least
respect him for being a true conservative, and not one of the tax cut
AND spend crony capitalist regressive radicals that have taken over the
Republican party and turned it into something that Barry Goldwater would
not recognize.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Zoot Katz

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:08:00 -0600, A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org>
wrote:

>Tom Sherman wrote:
>> All three contending major party candidates have positions to the
>> political right of the right-wing European parties. Crony capitalism is
>> alive and well.
>> The only real conservative among all the candidates this year is Ron
>> Paul. All the rest of the Republicans (including $Hillary) are regressives.
>
>I've actually voted for him in a previous election.

He's the first human being to run for the office since Jimmy Carter.
--
zk

still just me

On Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:22:58 -0600, Tom Sherman
<sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:

>>> The only real conservative among all the candidates this year is Ron
>>> Paul. All the rest of the Republicans (including $Hillary) are
>>> regressives.
>>
>> I've actually voted for him in a previous election.
>
>While I disagree with many of Ron Paul's policies, I can at least
>respect him for being a true conservative, and not one of the tax cut
>AND spend crony capitalist regressive radicals that have taken over the
>Republican party and turned it into something that Barry Goldwater would
>not recognize.

Gotta agree boys... the current neo-con crowd is there only to fill
it's own pockets. They have no conservative credentials whatsoever
with the exception of some pandering and grandstanding they do to
bring in votes.

Jym Dyer

=x= Could somebody please ensure the prompt resumption of
psychopharmaceutical prescription medication to the Order
of Perpetual Dipshittery in Minnesota?
<_Jym_>

Peter Cole

A Muzi wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>> It almost make one wish for a Republican president, so they can deal
>> with the mess they created. Of course, we may well have two
>> Republicans running for office this year.
>
> Besides the 3 lefties of the 2 major parties, who did you have in mind?

Congratulations, I think you've just right flanked Strom Thurmond.

A Muzi

still just me wrote:
> William Proxmire, famous for saying "a billion here, a billion there,
> first you know you're talking real money" - although he wasn't
> actually the guy who said it!

Everett Dirksen

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi

still just me wrote:
> William Proxmire, famous for saying "a billion here, a billion there,
> first you know you're talking real money" - although he wasn't
> actually the guy who said it!

Everett Dirksen

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Peter Cole

Tom Sherman wrote:

> The Federal Reserve and other similar banks were created to take control
> of the economy from the elected representatives of the people (or other
> political leadership) and put in the hands of a few hundred
> fantastically wealthy people.

Actually, The Federal Reserve* was created to solve the problem of bank
runs ("panics"). Hence, Friedman's expressed bewilderment over why they
didn't act to do so in the Great Depression.


*"Progressive Democrats instead favored a reserve system owned and
operated by the government and out of control of the "money trust",
ending Wall Street's control of American currency supply. Conservative
Democrats fought for a privately owned, yet decentralized, reserve
system, which would still be free of Wall Street's control. The Federal
Reserve Act passed Congress in late 1913 on a mostly partisan basis,
with most Democrats in support and most Republicans against it."

http://www.cooperativeindividualism...spiracy_04.html

maguahiker@gmail.com

>
> Since Iraq needs a government, and it's too much trouble to impeach
> Bush & Cheney, I suggest that we "donate" them to Iraq. No deposit, no
> return.
>

....when he got voted in...I sat back and couldn't believe the
democracy of the world, US...actually let someone in office who had
the least votes. It was unbelievable in my eyes and a sad day for our
history as the last 8 years have verified. I thought back to all the
votes in 3rd world countries where we clambered about stuffing the
ballot boxes and all the scandals and just shook my head.
as the saying goes.
Save a tree...get rid of a bush.

V-for-Vendicar

<maguahiker@gmail.com> wrote
> Save a tree...get rid of a bush.

The only good Bush is a shaved Bush.

Peter Cole

Tom Sherman wrote:

> The system does not exist to serve the little guy - Alan Greenspan even
> admitted as much.

> It almost make one wish for a Republican president, so they can deal
> with the mess they created. Of course, we may well have two Republicans
> running for office this year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/b...ml?ref=business

Seeing an End to the Good Times (Such as They Were)

"Recent recessions have inevitably brought inflation-adjusted income
declines for most families, which would be particularly painful given
what has happened over the last decade. For a variety of reasons that
economists only partly understand — including technological change and
global trade — many workers have received only modest raises in recent
years, despite healthy economic growth.

The median household earned $48,201 in 2006, down from $49,244 in 1999,
according to the Census Bureau. It now looks as if a full decade may
pass before most Americans receive a raise."

"Healthy economic growth"! Despite rise in GDP and productivity, the
MEDIAN income is down over an 8 year period -- all this before the
recession takes hold.

This is the conservative legacy: getting us into a stupid war, losing
the stupid war, sending government and trade deficits into all-time
highs, making the average family poorer, and now, a full-fledged
recession. The only thing they haven't done is to bring back the cold
war -- not for lack of trying. Our suffering is not over, nor our
children's.

Peter Cole

Tom Sherman wrote:

> The system does not exist to serve the little guy - Alan Greenspan even
> admitted as much.

"WASHINGTON — In pointed exchanges with Congressional lawmakers Friday,
three prominent financial executives defended the multimillion-dollar
pay packages they received even as their companies were brought to their
knees by the spreading credit crisis."

"The questioning mainly fell along party lines, with Republicans
****apologizing for bringing distinguished corporate officials****
before the panel, and Democrats questioning everything from the income
gap in America to the particular bonuses, stock sales and compensation
the executives were awarded."

"Mr. Mozilo’s (Countrywide, the nation’s largest mortgage lender
)* pay drew the most scrutiny from the House committee. He has taken
home more than $410 million since becoming chief executive in 1999"

"Mr. O’Neal retained more than $161 million after he was ousted in
October on top of the $70 million he took home during his four-year
tenure. Merrill Lynch, meanwhile, has announced write-offs totaling more
than $10.3 billion, and its stock price has fallen sharply."

"Mr. Prince collected $110 million while presiding over the evaporation
of roughly $64 billion in market value. He left Citigroup in November
with an exit package worth $68 million"


From August 1997:
"*Last year, Countrywide had revenue of $11.4 billion and pretax income
of $4.3 billion. Mortgage banking contributed mightily in 2006,
generating $2.06 billion before taxes. In the last 12 months,
Countrywide financed almost $500 billion in loans, or around $41 billion
a month. It financed 177,000 to 240,000 loans a month during the last 12
months."

"As of June 30, almost one in four subprime loans that Countrywide
services was delinquent, up from 15 percent in the same period last
year, according to company filings. Almost 10 percent were delinquent by
90 days or more,"

"When borrowers tried to reduce their mortgage debt, Countrywide cashed
in: prepayment penalties generated significant revenue for the company —
$268 million last year, up from $212 million in 2005. When borrowers had
difficulty making payments, Countrywide cashed in again: late charges
produced even more in 2006 — some $285 million."

This is laissez-faire, deregulated capitalism at work. Banking is just
one sector where the crooks are pilfering the country, energy markets
are even worse (Exxon made $40B profit, still won't cough it up for the
Valdez). When are people going to wake up and throw these bums
(conservatives) out for good?