I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

molly52

I think the Wall Street boys ruined the economy and that there is very little any president can do to make it better.  What surprises me most, if there has been minimal backlash against these guys.

ananda8

molly52,

You are absolutely correct.  They started in 1990 with the creation of something called derivatives and sold smoke and mirrors for almost 20 years.  Everyone with any kind of intellect knew it was smoke and mirrors, but no one cared Wall Street was too busy making money.  The repeal of Glass-Steagall Act allowing Wall Street to take over banks was just the nail in the coffin of the economy.

BarbaraA

Blue, those were the days back in the 60-70's when we all were searching for the meaning of life. I'm still looking.

bluedahlia

Barb, let me know when you figure it out.

208sandy

Certainly not just Wall Street but the Banks and the Mortgage companies - why isn't anyone in jail?????

Sandy

kadeeb

Donald Trump, will have to get a better hair do before I can take him seriously. He's made a lot of money and lost just about as much. He's up right now, I wouldn't want him to be president the next time he bombs out. and regardless of his economic state he has had that same lame comb over. Give me a break, someone in this world could have come up with a better look for him and some probably have but he won't change it. A real lack of judgement with that hair.

AnneW

Well, there's WAY more to being the president than dealing with China. Seriously, Trump?? (Yes, he has really bad hair. No woman would be able to get away with that!!)

But do you want him in the White House for all the crises, the wars, the emergencies? I don't trust him not to pick up the red phone out of a knee-jerk reaction!

And I do agree, the Wall Street gangs got away with murder.

AnneW

Whew, the smell of smoke is strong at my house today. A fire in the canyon below us is still burning, but in the forest. It was really hard being at work yesterday (6 days post-op!) and check my facebook to see my neighbor posing pictures, and the City Of Boulder saying our roads were closed...We had to evacuate for 5 days in the fall while hundreds lost there homes around us. This was a touch of post-traumatic stress!

Thank goodness no neighbor had to come to put fat Murphy in his cat carrier!! Talk about a tasmanian devil!

But, by the time I was able to get home, we and my friends closer to the fire were safe. Brussel sprouts and grilled salmon for dinner, a little Jack Daniels, and a Duke win all made for a decent evening!

1Athena1

The Glass Steagall Act repeal is just one way in which I always saw Clinton as Reagan lite. These and other things helped the Reagan Revolution in all of its anti-regulatory fury to continue, and has made it extra hard for a sensible climate of sensible regulations to set in. The corporate welfare state has been coddled since the 80s and that particular nanny stage will not go away without a mega fight.  We must also get Goldman Sachs out of our government.

kadeeb

Sandy, there's a few in jail but not near enough. They probably bought off those in controll with the money they stole and by pointing fingers at someone lower on the totum pole that didn't have enough money to defend themselves.

I've got to address that redneck talk earlier. I am a "redneck" and proud of it. I live in a state full of them. Jeff Foxworthy defines a redneck as "a glorious lack of sophistocation".  I really think it's a lot like other labels.  Originally "redneck" was used to describe farm workers especially in the South who's neck was blistered from the sun and weather elements because they worked so long and hard in the fields. Only later did it take on the meaning of uneducated, beer drinking, loudmouthed louts.

Athena, you have at least one "redneck" in DC. I exported one son up that way and he works for the US patient office. We're taking over. Look out! 

AnneW

I love Gail Collins' perspective on things. Here's her take on Newt:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/opinion/12collins.html?src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

IHOP

I have to say that since moving to Florida last year, I have found the local people unbelievably open and friendly even if their lifestyle is different than what I've ever been exposed to.  I like it.  I don't find them to be the stereotype I've always heard about. 

1Athena1

Kadeeb, it would be refreshing to have "rednecks" - ie, people whose descriptor does not suggest violence or malice. Right now, our fair city is populated with "back-stabbers" "sharks,"  "lobbyists" and "politicians."

Just joking - there are plenty of us innocents who merely watch and learn.   

DC has other factoids. Whether urban myth or not, here is what is often said: The city has the highest per capita rate of people who hold graduate degrees in the country, the highest per capital consumption of whisky and one in every five workers is a lawyer. This says that we are all neurotics, which is the kind of atmosphere I can relax in.

There are lots of interesting people here, but credentials are accorded way too much importance. Some have a million degrees, and of those, some are very stupid human beings, while others are intelligent. Education has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence, and it really shows here. However, intelligence, embellished by education (and a mere college degree will do) can show itself well.

I just wish the city itself were bigger and that the suburbs had less power. (Ducking for cover!)

kadeeb

IHOP,

The sterotype is just that. As you know, we in the south have running water, tv, electricity and a multitude of things that make us almost human( just kidding there) There is a lot of ignorance about many things but so many people are poor and food on the table was more important than an education but we're catching up. Friendly and open are some of our best traits (not that we don't also have some real bad ones.) For the most part, a man's word is still his bond, and a good deed deserves one in return. If you ever need your neighbors, they'll pick you up and it won't cost you a thing except a "thank you". God! I'm getting sappy.  There are good folks all over this nation and I wouldn't live anywhere else except maybe Canada (they have mounties). 

Bren-2007

Anne ... loved the article .. got a kick out of the following sentence! 

God forgives you at any age, but voters should only reward reformations that occur before the miscreant receives his first copy of the AARP bulletin.

In other words, no wonder Newt has changed his ways .. he's 67 now!

Bren

BarbaraA

Athena, get Goldman Sachs out of government? As if that will happen during Obama's first term or even a second.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-ostertag/goldman-sachs-obama-money_b_177611.html

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/goldman-obama039s-enron-no-it039s-worse-updated

http://my.firedoglake.com/fflambeau/2010/05/08/an-updated-list-of-goldman-sachs-ties-to-the-obama-admin-including-elena-kagan/

kadeeb

Athena,

You've got your finger on the pulse of the city I think. Actually I've sent you 3, son DIL and beautiful 1 year old grandaughter (the DIL is the lawyer). You can't tell me anything about degrees and intelligence(I agree completely). I work at a major educational institution and I have found that the higher and more numerous the degrees, the less common sense can be detected. You know what PHD stands for, piled high and deep. 

Medigal

Ladies:  You are going to be prejudiced against Trump for his hairstyle??  So he has bad taste in hairdos or don'ts but I don't judge a man by his "hair".  When I say I would vote for Trump, it is in context to comparing him to Obama's actions and whoever may run against him (if he runs).  I just don't like the choices the Dems or Repugs give us. I also said I would hold up my choice until I see how he does in any debates on issues with others.  But bad hair???  You gals must have eaten too much spinach cookies last night!

Bren-2007

I don't know Medigal .. I don't think I could bare to look at that bad hair for four years!

Bren

BarbaraA

He has the worst hair I have ever seen (and that includes my Dad's 1970's major comb-over).

Medigal

Ladies:  He's rich and he is vain.  With his money he could buy that stuff that makes hair grow back but he preferes the "comb over" crap.  What is it with men that they think being "bald" is not sexy.  Some of the greatest men I have seen were bald!  What about Telly Sevalas the actor?  Who could not swoon for him?  It's not the "hair" that makes them handsome, it's how they handle themselves and what they say and do.  If The Donald doesn't know this then maybe he shouldn't throw his cap in the ring.  But really ladies, with the shape our country is in, do we really care what our future President has or doesn't have for "hair"? 

Beesie

I'm fascinated by the negative comments being made about those who are undecided.  If I voted in the U.S., I would have had a big problem choosing in the last election. I tend to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative - and that doesn't describe the platforms of either the Republicans or the Democrats. So this means that it's unlikely that either of the big party candidates will be consistent with my positions on all the issues that are important to me; as a result, I will always have to vote for someone who has some policies that I disagree with.

Generally I've leaned more Democratic because as a rule, each of the parties is more entrenched on the social issues, with more flexibility on the fiscal issues.  Additionally, I believe that how the fiscal issues are handled tends in part to be determined by the times in which a President governs.  If the times demand a conservative fiscal policy, a Democratic President will be forced to be more conservative than he might otherwise be. Similarly, if the times demand a liberal fiscal policy, a Republican President will be forced to be more liberal than he might otherwise be. Given that, it makes it easier to choose based on the social issues.  

But given that generally I don't line up 100% (or even 75%) with the candidate from either party, when other factors such as experience and personality are added into the mix, the picture gets even muddier.  With George W., for me it was an easy choice.  This was a man who had said that his dream job was to be baseball commissioner, and I always felt that his run for the presidency was his way of proving his worth to his father (and usurping his younger brother, who likely would have been a better candidate and president). I was living in the U.S. at the time, in a not very liberal area, and yet I was astonished at his election (didn't see that coming!) and even more astonished at his re-election (although I saw that coming). Obama, now that was more complicated for me.  I admired his intelligence but I worried a lot about his lack of experience. The experience that he did have was concerning too. He'd never held a job for an extended period of time (meaning that he'd never had to live with the repercussions of his decisions), he'd never managed anything really large in his life (a government or a business), and his Senate experience (both state and national) was full of indecision and missed votes (a lack of willingness to take a stand or an inability to decide on something quickly?). If Hillary had been the candidate, the last election would have been easy decision for me. If Obama had 5 years more Senate experience, it probably would have been an easy decision for me. But with inexperienced Obama as the candidate, I was torn. Certainly McCain was not somebody that I was jumping up and down with excitement over but at least he was more moderate than most of the other Republican candidates, and for me that was a plus. But then he brought in Palin... and the rest is history.

I'm Canadian and I know that my opinions about American politics don't count for much.  I went through all that just to make the point that while I agree that some people are undecided because they don't care and/or they don't understand the issues & positions, I think that there are also many who are undecided precisely because they do care and they do understand the issues & positions.  These are people who have "any IQ" (Athena, to your earlier post) and they realize that the world is not nearly as black and white as the candidates and the parties try to present. Governing is all about dealing with the grays, reaching compromise, thinking about the present and the future, making the best decision even if it's not consistent with your position on the issue. With all the rhetoric, it's not always easy to know which candidate will be better at governing and ultimately that's what you are electing the President to do.  

kadeeb

Medigal,

If he were bald, I wouldn't say a word. I have a 30 year old son that hasn't had hair for 8 years. My question is about his attitude and judgement on the issue. It's just plain stupid looking. It's hard to hear what he's saying when I can see his head. 

kadeeb

Alabama had a governor a few years back it think it was Fob James(no comment about the name) who had a comb over from hell. He was being interviewed for some reason by Connie Chung and as luck would have it, the wind was from the wrong direction. That crap was standing up on his head like a rooster's comb. It was 8or 10 inches high, sprayed stiff and I kept hoping he wouldn't say which state he was from. I hoped he say Georgia or Mississippi but no, he had to say something about Alabama. I don't even know what was said, I just wish he had put on a ball cap or something to hold it down. A bag would have been better.

bluedahlia

LOL! Kadeeb.

pip57

Beesie, I think you brought out a major difference between Canadian and American politics.

 In my experience, Canadians, as a rule, are not as black and white as Americans in our political leanings.  We tend to accept that our preferred candidates will have some opinions and policies that we will not agree with.  We make a choice based more on their views concerning the couple of issues that are most important to us. We don't have referendum votes on individual issues like our American friends do.

 We also seem to change parties more often.  We don't have to 'register' with any party so we don't necessarily feel that same long term allegiance to a particular party.

As a Canadian, I have voted for three different parties.  I usually vote with a completely different mind set in provincial vs national elections.  I would probably lean toward the democratic side in the US but agree with some of the republicans' views too. 

If Donald were president he would have to ignore the urge to fire people on a weekly basis. 

Bren-2007

Kadeeb .. that story is hilarious!  I can just picture the combover standing straight up!  I would think Connie Chung would have been laughing out loud.

Bren

Anonymous

Athena, Kadeeb,

You've made me chuckle, remembering some of my DC days.  Once I went to a Halloween party "dressed" as one of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems:  first line, "I'm nobody, who are you?  Are you nobody too..."   Took all those plastic ID hanging tags, put them on one silver "pop it" hanger, and covered my name/ids - with bright construction paper, each with the words: "I'm nobody."

No one thought it was the least bit funny.  I thought it was hysterical.  So nice to be out in the real world - tho there are still those who don't consider MA the "real" world ;-)

If I could find the picture published in one of the New York City "rags" (newspapers) a few days ago of The Donald caught by a gust of wind, I'l try to post it ( tho still don't know how to get a hyperlink in BC.org thread) - btw, a friend calls bald  "folically challenged" and adores her shiny headed DH  

ADK

I live in Massachusetts and I swear our governor, Deval Patrick, and Barack Obama are twins separated at birth.  Their campaigns were identical in execution and even mottos.  In MA, Deval used "Together we can."  Barack used "Yes, we can."  Deval even admitted that his campaign was based upon Barack's campaign for state senate in Illinois.  The way they present themselves is very similar even though I think Barack is about a foot taller than Deval (I met Deval and looked him directly in the eyes - he's not much taller than me and I am about 5'2"). 

When Deval was first elected in 2006, he had a few missteps and showed his lack of experience.  Many of us were wondering why did we vote for him?  We said to ourselves, nice guy, but not governor material.  Then, things began to happen quietly - our state has ridden out this fiscal crisis better than most (even though I was laid off in December, but that's a different story),  Deval was reelected because he began to show his leadership abilities.  This time, he is more of a tiger.  He has also stated that he will not run again, this is it for him.  My point is, even though there wasn't much experience at first, Deval has fit nicely into the job.  If my observation is correct, the last two years of Barack's administration will be much better than the first two and he may get reelected because of that.  Then, without the worry of running again, he may turn into the tiger, show real leadership and be one of our better presidents.    

nanadee

Hello from a fellow redneck, kadeeb.  DC is lucky to have your son, DIL and little granddaughter. The common sense factor, alone, should make them the toast of the town.   Well...l'm off to the outhouse and then will go brush my tooth...er...teeth......

Dee