Recent comments

  • that every time I see an article critical of the Democratic Party that uses the word "elitist" I am suspicious and skeptical. The reason is because "elitist" is a code word that the Republican Party likes to use.
    You don't ask partisan Republicans what is wrong with the Democratic party if you want a truthful answer, just like you don't ask partisan Democrats what is wrong with the Republican party.

    Now that's not to say that the Democrats haven't screwed up by abandoning their labor union roots. People seem to forget that the 1994 election wipe-out that swept the Dems from power came right after the 1993 NAFTA sell-out. The Republicans didn't get any more than their normal amount of votes in 1994. The difference was that the labor votes for Democrats didn't turn out.
    Another problem is that Democrats have almost completely abandoned their socialist ideas. Leftists have no representation in Washington today, unlike right-wing kooks who have plenty of representation.

    Either way, when someone uses the term "elitist" I immediately disregard it as Republican talking points.

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • You saw the Hedge funds dumping commodities right and left (Instapopulist) so what effect and do we really know that speculation is having on commodities dropping like a stone?

    Then, the dollar has been a reserve currency during this history, although this "global action" is probably helping keep that intact but there are a lot of international economists saying the US will no longer be a world economic power from all of this....so what happens then.

    Reply to: The Deflationary Recession of 2009?   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • They "renegotiated" so starting workers get something like $13/hr no real benefits to start.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 10.20.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • hold off on any major purchases. The company pays workers half the prevailing wage in the auto industry.

    On the upside, this makes them prime targets for unionization.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 10.20.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
  • I notice they have been investing generally in the U.S....certainly more than American companies. Isn't that kind of absurd but at the same time, assuredly makes me want to buy their products.

    Reply to: Manufacturing Monday: Week of 10.20.08   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I am the owner, administrator as well as one of the main bloggers who write on the site.

    There are many here who are making the site high quality and creating a community blog, but we're all pretty clear and one can tell by our writings that we are only focused on all things $$ related.

    My comment is perfectly clear and the rules are stated in the FAQ.

    You're welcome to comment but we're asking you to respond to the issues at hand, that's all. the site is non-partisan but the minutemen is one of those controversial issues and we don't want to go there, especially because it's not what this site is about.

    Reply to: The Deal - Latest Detailed Text of Bail Out - Updated. Legislation Draft - Actual Bill   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • mickwd1
    minuteman justice
    Mr. Oak,
    Just read your reply to a previous post of mine - been away.
    I apologize if I missed your point, and/or if I am incorrect in surmising that your comment makes absolutely no sense to me.
    I am courious when you became a moderator of content, and when or why it was you who decided what will work or what is or is not within the scope of this site?
    I am not able to comment on your thought, because your comment was not exactly coherent.
    But, since you point out that this site is an economic site, let me point out that the bill I was referring to was, excuse me, an economic bill, was it not?
    And I must say, in retort, if all you are concerned about is the executive pay poriton of the bill, maybe I should suggest you re-read the bill and make an attempt to grasp the real concern with it.
    Thank you.
    Respectfully, sir.

    Reply to: The Deal - Latest Detailed Text of Bail Out - Updated. Legislation Draft - Actual Bill   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • He's just pointing out whether it's a crime or not, but middle has been highly critical of the Obamanot machine steam rolling over people and probably has the same opinion of all of this as you.

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • to start with, the fighting words reference was to the legality of saying what was said.

    The fighting words doctrine, in United States constitutional law, is a limitation to freedom of speech as granted in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. In its 9-0 decision, Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942), the U.S. Supreme Court established the doctrine and held that "insulting or 'fighting words,' those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" are among the "well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech [which] the prevention and punishment of...have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem."

    What I was trying to say is that that while there's nothing explicit in employing these ephithets that crosses the line into threatening violence, it may well be the case that in the context described they are almost certainly going to start a fight. And as such, they aren't covered by the first amendment.

    As for the Obama nation.

    Really, you're preaching to the choir. Honestly the only other people that I've seen exhibit the same sort of extremism were members of Basque nationalist parties linked to terrorist groups. And I'm speaking from personal experience with the little shits now.

    As for Sirota, I'm disappointed with what he did in the primaries, but I'll take him over Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann any day. These are limousine liberals, and frankly they are part of the problem. Sirota is guilty of being a political hack, but when he writes on policy it's normally very good. He says things that others refuse to. The column I've linked to above being a case in point.

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
  • Call one of 'em a 'Cunt' and see what happens.

    You attitude, that these are merely 'fighting words, is typical of those who don't understand what game is being played here. The stripping of all humanity from groups which the ReichWing wants to destroy or keep enslaved.

    And brother there are many in Obambi's camp who are 'wingers' under the skin. ID politics was invented and perfected by Hitler and Rove. The fact that Axelrod, Donna and Howie and Kos and Bowers think that they can 'use' it to make a progressive society just shows how pig-ignorant they are. You cannot use a divisive, regressive tool to build a progressive structure. Just don't work as witness Obambi's struggle to 'win' what should be a walkover. If only all those 'cunts' would do as they are being told...

    As for Sirota I've shit him. My personal interactions with him show him to be an arrogant clueless 'writer'. Yep, he writes about things. Doesn't mean he believes in anything particularly progressive, he does not, just that there is a niche for the 'progressive' writer and he fills it.

    Mind you just the one is all there is room for...

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • as symbolic violence aren't generally going to cross that threshold into illegality. That isn't to sat that they aren't reprehensible, just not illegal. I suppose that there's a "fighting words" argument, but I don't know enough to say anything more.

    The broader point though, stands. Why is it that one is taken so deadly seriously, while the other is not?

    Neither has a place in political discussion, but I'd suggest that the best way to handle this is to just say, "no" like you do when I kid does something wrong.

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
  • Something about Bro's before Ho's but I would say this "C" word one is implying violence against women, it's a verbal violence, the same level as the "N" word ...so I'm sure someone came in with a N word t-shirt or banner would be arrested or at least kicked out...
    yet these are getting no action it seems.

    I'm fairly certain something with the "N" word would constituent a hate crime or some sort of at least misdemeanor event....so this should as well for they are equally odious.

    Seriously if someone walked in with a big letter, "glow" so it can be read from a distance T-shirt that said "Obama is a N#####" and try to position themselves so they get on camera... wouldn't for sure those people would be arrested or at least kicked out and probably charged with something?

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I don't think that you can arrest someone for lacking common sense and going and saying that.

    I think that the difference if someone took a noose to an Obama rally is that there would be an implicit threat of violence.

    Do note however that while the fucking retards who took monkey stuff to Obama rallies got a lot of coverage that this thing with Palin has been overlooked.

    I wonder if this is what they were talking about when they said that the crowd at a rally in Hamilton county, Indiana got raucous?

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
  • but....Anybody here not believe Obama campaign owns the media? Good God, the entire news splatters positive Obama endorsements, news, whatever on every headline and I personally recognize this level of media manipulation by corporate lobbyists whenever they want their agenda...
    I mean McCain is literally getting squeezed out completely in the headlines. Colin Powell endorses Obama, well, gee wiz, so what, Colin Powell also brazenly lied or was set up to lie to the U.N.

    But I saw something else that is buried and that is the misogyny is alive and kicking over in team Obama land with t-shirts saying Palin is a cunt showing up at rallies.

    Now of course most newspapers will not print the C-word and of course that also means such t-shirts with huge lettering saying this....will not be shown on T.V. hence the entire segment is blocked out...

    but why the hell are these people not arrested? It's even a media black out.

    All we heard about was some psycho who supposedly shouted out, but actually didn't shout out, something about violence towards Obama, yet these t-shirts at Palin rallies are not getting any press!

    I mean Good God, I don't care what someone thinks about right-wing Populist Palin but sending out supporters in those kind of t-shirts gets no press?

    If someone had a noose at an Obama rally that would be front page news and felony charges yet this gets nothing? No consequence?

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I saw this, very accurate and the reality is both parties completely ignore the realities of the working poor or how the United States became a world power due to manufacturing and creation of good wages jobs, stability.

    Over and over and over again Democrats abandon the working poor, in economic reality, go off on some divisive identity politics game, often to win power. They do not get in the populist right, that taxes are a huge deal...and the reason is when the US does take their money...what do they do with it? They give it to no-bid defense contractors, corporate CEOs, useless programs and probably the ultimate betrayal, they pass things like NAFTA and the China PNTR trade agreements. It is no wonder the working poor are now torn on both sides since neither addresses them and more importantly addresses effectively the issues.

    The problem I have with Sirota is what he did in the primary, which was write distortion and even flat out untruths about Obama and NAFTA versus Hillary. It was incredible and Hillary was issuing more and more truly Progressive positions. Yet while she was turning into a fire breathing Populist, the supposed Progressives completely ignored her and embraced the real Bill Clinton version 2.0 DLC clone, Obama.

    We see right now, both McCain and Obama are taking pieces of her policies to use as cannon folder to win the election. Obama called for a foreclosure freeze and McCain presented a HOLC, both directly from Hillary.

    I wish he would stay true to the facts more, it would help in credibility. Bending facts is a sure fire way to hurt the Progressive cause in my view.

    On Professional workers, they are not only being heavily exposed to labor arbitrage through offshore outsourcing but also displacement through insourcing. That is using guest worker Visas to displace US citizens and manipulation of the US immigration policy.

    That's a real problem with the left...now they can rail against offshore outsourcing, all the way enabling insourcing, claiming it's immigration and of course no one wants to be racist so it sells.

    What is the difference if a worker is sitting in China with an American job or that worker was imported from India and also has that American job?

    The effect is the same, the US citizen is out of a job, corporations just massively increased the labor supply, wage arbitraged and displaced yet another American worker.

    The left needs to get over itself in the realities of global labor economics and what the real agenda is here in this regard. The statistics do not lie and there is a world of difference between enabling some genius to immigrate and become a US citizen versus what the real global migration corporate agenda is....it ain't no humanitarian effort!

    Reply to: How the GOP Won the Working Class   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • ... the recession in Q2 was the export sector, and with financial contagion, there is no sign from Q3 of an export-led recovery. So rather than a shallow recession, we are going to get a shallow preliminary slide followed by a steep dive.

    Reply to: Why the recession *should be* ending   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • ....the question?

    This is about Boosh's 'have-mores'....

    Having more.

    Lot's more.

    A friend of mine pointed out if you took the 'BailOut' money and divided it by the population every man, woman, child and baby would get approx. 2k....

    If they all spend even half of that what sort of stimulus to the economy would that be?

    Eh?

    They could put the unspent part in their bank....

    Reply to: Supporting the Aristocracy: Wall Street Pays Out $70 Billion + in Bonuses   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • folks reading this or the comments, we're all learning here so if you don't understand something, ask a question because we also do.

    Reply to: Credit Default Swaps (CDS) Explained   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • The banks have already admitted that the bailouts won't work.

    So, other than making the super-wealthy even wealthier (at taxpayer expense), what exactly is this bailout doing?

    Reply to: Supporting the Aristocracy: Wall Street Pays Out $70 Billion + in Bonuses   16 years 2 weeks ago
    EPer:
  • I liked this question:

    And why not? After all, the write-offs of sour investments have more than wiped out all the "profits" these banks reported over the last three years -- during those boom years they reported $305 billion in profits and have recently taken $323 billion in write-offs. And with more losses looming, the top nine banks need to raise $275 billion more.

    How much of these reported bank profits were faked to boost banker's bonuses? Why are the bankers who booked these lousy deals keeping the multimillion bonuses they got during those years? And why did Paulson decide to inject taxpayer money into these banks if they're not going to use it to boost the economy?

    We already know that there is a criminal investigation underway at Lehman, and does any one really think that this was limited?

    I think that the time has come for Congress to authorize a amnesty on financial crimes in which bankers would be allowed to avoid prison if the provide financial restitution to the victims of their crimes.

    How many billions of dollars have been siphoned off through banks bonuses that reflect the books being cooked?

    Let's make a deal with the bastards.

    You get a get out of jail card, but you have to cought up the cash you received as product of your criminal actions, and are forbidden from holding a job in the financial sector. Early retirement in Puerto Vallarta or prison bitch, the decision is yours boys.

    Reply to: Supporting the Aristocracy: Wall Street Pays Out $70 Billion + in Bonuses   16 years 2 weeks ago

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