The Shitlist

Kudos to President Obama on his inauguration. I was fortunate enough to be in DC on that momentus day. Now back to business.

Right now our country is in one of the worst economic downturns since… well, it really depends who you ask. Some say 1981, some say 1973, some say 1948 and some say the Great Depression (although I think that that claim is still a stretch. Maybe in a few more months). Anyway neoliberals have stepped up their assault on our economy and, if they are succesful, will irreparably damage the Republic.

As I said in a previous post I’m buried trying to rebuild my life right now, so full posts are going to be difficult. Instead, I’ve decided to keep a running tally of people and organizations who are pushing a dangerous neoliberal agenda at the risk of destroying our country (and I’m throwing in their contact information to boot). I urge all of you to write the men, women and organizations on this list often. Let them know we won’t tolerate their objectionable actions. Keep up the pressure!

If you think I’ve missed someone or want someone added, leave a comment and be sure to give a good reason. Oh, and be sure to check back often.

1) John McCain – Attempted to kill the Buy American clause in the stimulus bill.
Let him know how you feel about that.

More to come…

Oops.

Okay. The long story short is that I’ve been caught up in a lot of personal stuff the last couple of months; it’s not easy trying to start a new career path on the smoldering ashes of the old one. Things will settle down later this month. In the meantime, I hope to update periodically.

The Big 3 Go Down

Well, not quite, but things are getting pretty bad. With Bush and Paulson dragging their feet, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have been left to fend for themselves. According to NPR, Ford is going to extend its shuttering of plants in order to save money. Likewise, Chrysler is idling its plants for a month starting on Friday. General Motors is considering taking the most drastic action and declaring bankruptcy. While these various strategies will probably help keep those companies viable for a while longer,  they will likely have a ripple effect throughout the economy.

The biggest concern many economists have are about the factories that supply parts to automobile plants. With their largest customers at least partially incapacitated, these factories will begin to slow down and proably lay off workers. And, of course, there is the psychological affect these decisions will have.

At this point, I don’t want to make a guess about what will happen next. I honestly have no idea. All that I’m sure of now is that Bush will be remembered as a horrible president: the president who presided over two crusades for neoliberalism, the president who was in bed with Big Oil, the president who let Wall Street rape the Treasury, and the president who killed the economy.

Bah.

Too depressed about the economy to bother writing something cogent. Just check out this CNN article and you’ll see what’s bugging me.

Quick and Dirty News: Shoe thrower ‘beaten in custody’

The BBC has picked up on this story now:

The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody.

Muntadar al-Zaidi has suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.

Good job, Bush. You replaced one abusive regime with another.

The World is Watching

While this article is still unverified and outside the normal scope of this blog, I thought it would be important to mention.  According to several other blogs, Iraqi TV al-Sharqiya is reporting that the journalist who lobbed his shoes at President Bush is being tortured:

Iraqi TV al-Sharqiya just reported on the news that AL-Zaidi is transferred to Camp Cropper prison [the Airport prison, managed by the American forces].

The TV Channel announced that Al-Zaidi is in a difficult condition, with broken ribs and signs of tortures on his thighs. Also he can not move his right arm.

Initial reports are unconfirmed at this time. We’ll keep an eye on this, although no matter its truth value, this story will undoubtedly further damage Bush’s legacy in the Middle East.

Bomb Goes Off at Oregon Bank – Mainstream Media Silent

WOODBURN – A bomb exploded at a West Coast Bank branch in Woodburn Friday, killing at least one person, and injuring at least two others.

Two people were injurred; one was killed (may God rest his soul).  The bomb went off four hours ago, but the mainstream media has yet to pick up on the story.  I won’t include any more details, because there really aren’t any. Authorities are being very tight-lipped about the matter.

Unfortunately, the lack to details is going to force speculation, including on my part.  Barring some random act of violence, I believe that this bomb is an act of domestic terrorism, possibly committed by someone very angry over the state of the American economy. Why else would a bank get bombed?

Hopefully more information will be released soon and the authorities will capture the perpetrator.

UPDATE: 12:40 AM EST – CNN has a tiny link buried on its main page dedicated to this story. Apparently the possible remains of a cute, white child are more important than a possible case of domestic terrorism..

O, Canada!

Congress has failed us. The greed and corruption of a handful of senators may have damned our nation (and perhaps the world) to a depression. Not a recession, a depression. I can’t aptly express my disgust with those senators except to say, “President Bush wanted the bailout.” You see? Even that neoliberal puppet was smart enough to realize we could be in serious trouble if GM fails. But, no. You had to put your personal interests first and serve foreign carmakers. No doubt those CEOs are giving each other high fives at the prospect of reduced competition and writing fat checks to your reelection campaigns. You are disgusting human beings. If I ever see you, I will spit on you, unless you’re on fire, in which case I will not spit on you.

The situation isn’t hopeless, at least. Bush and Paulson are now thinking of releasing TARP funds (financial bailout monies) to deal with this situation. Whether they do so or not will be another story.

But there’s some even better news: Canada, our frosty, friendly neighbors did the right thing. Ottawa has decided to deliver a $3.5 billion auto aid package to GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Yes, my fellow Americans, the Big Three keeps some plants up there and the Canadian government recognizes how bad it would be if they were to close down. So thank you, Canada, for helping out the automotive industry. I promise not to mock you for still having the Queen in your government until the new year.

As for our country, we can’t afford to let up the pressure. We have to keep making noise to let the government know we’re pissed and we’re not going away. Email or call your senators and representatives, contact the White House, write letters to the editor, or even blog about the issue. The more noise we make, the more the neoliberals and their ilk will realize we will not let them destroy our economy.

Quick and Dirty News: Sen. DeMint Wants to Bust Unions

In an interview with NPR, Senator DeMint (SC-R) admits that his opposition to the Detroit bailout stems from a desire to break up the UAW.

Norris: Now, you know the unions are saying this is also a political ploy on the part of the Republicans to try get rid of unions and use the auto industry troubles to do just that.

DeMint: Well, I’m not trying to get rid of the unions, but I am saying that they appear to be an antiquated concept in today’s economy.

…

DeMint: These car companies are in real trouble. And they should’ve been planning to restructure for a long time. But the political aspect of this is most of this is being done to protect unions, uh, it’s not to protect the workers. And what I want to do is make sure we have jobs for these workers and we have first-class American automobile companies. And we’re not going to do it with the barnacles of unionism wrapped around their necks.

Thanks for coming clean, Senator. I give you credit for doing so. I still think you’re a partisan horse’s ass, but at least you’re somewhat honest about your motives.

Sark: A Parable

In the English channel lies a tiny island called Sark. Sark belongs to the Baliwick of Guernsey, which makes it a territory of Great Britain. What made Sark unique is that until December 10 it was run by a feudal government. But on that fateful day the people of Sark established a democratic government. And as a result, one-sixth of the population lost their jobs.

In Sark there were two rich brothers Fred and Dave Barclay. Fred and Dave were billionaires, but they weren’t exactly like all the other rich people benefiting from a feudal government. They believed in democracy and pushed hard for reform. They were delighted when the general election came. However, by election night they were utterly dismayed.

Not much had changed in Sark. Sure there were elections, but the people who were in charge before were elected back to their jobs. And their grand land-holding reforms hadn’t passed. Fred and Dave were miffed. The people of Sark went against them after all their hard work. What were they to do?

It didn’t take long for them to come up with a plan. They would punish those ingrates the only way they could. They closed down their stores and hotels, taking their jobs and going home. That will teach the people of Sark to vote against the billionaire brothers! The people will turn against the old guard and force them out!

One hundred people lost their jobs, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but when your island’s population is 600, it becomes a huge problem. And whom do those 100 people blame? Not the Barclays but the old guard. If it weren’t for them, Sark wouldn’t be facing an employment crisis. Curse them!

The moral of the story? If you’re rich, and you don’t like how an election has turned out, take your ball and go home.

So what does this have to do with us in America? The wealthy neoliberals are trying to do the same to us. Their faction has been dealth a mighty blow, and now they’re trying to smash and grab whatever they can before January 20. Don’t let the political blather cloud the issue for you: the financial crisis was caused by neoliberals and is being exacerbated by them. We must stand together against them.