Everyone Spins

Spinmeisters are everywhere.

Consider this story about an effigy of Barack Obama found hanging from a tree at George Fox University, with writing referring to minority scholarship students at the university:

Late Tuesday night, a university spokesman confirmed to Newschannel 8 that someone discovered the life-sized effigy of Barack Obama around 7 a.m. Tuesday.

It was hanging from the neck with fishing line at the campus communications building, a campus spokesman confirmed.

I noticed in the radio interviews as well as the print stories that the college's spokesmen are very careful and consistent to refer to it as a "cutout attached to a tree," rather than using the words "effigy," "hanging," or "from the neck."

Rob Felton, a spokesperson for the university, described the item as a “cardboard cut out” of Obama which had the words "act six reject" written on it.

School officials immediately took it down.

Using weasel words to stay relentlessly "on message" has become SOP.

Question du jour

"If you were President right now, what policy would you propose for dealing with the impending insolvency of the investment banks of this country?"

It seems kind of like asking, "What's the best way to saw off your own arm, to save your life?"

The Bush Strategy

Privatize the profits.

Socialize the losses.

Careful Preparation For Fannie/Freddie Takeover

Why was the government so well prepared to bail out Fannie & Freddie, having sought the legislative authority to do so months in advance while proclaiming they had no plans to use those powers?

The Chinese, that’s why. With our trade deficit for so many years, the Chinese own a massive amount of U.S. Government debt instruments. The bonds for Fannie and Freddie were backed by the faith and credit of the U.S. Government. If the U.S. Government lets the values of those bonds go to zero, the Chinese call the rest of their debts and it is game over. The Fannie/Freddie takeover lets the value of Fannie/Freddie stock go to zero
if it wants to, but keeps the value of the bonds under the protection of the U.S. Government.

When Bill Clinton and his team entered the White House, they were shocked to find out how much their priorities and options were limited by the needs of the financial markets. James Carville was heard to say that when he died, he wanted to be reincarnated as the bond market, because he had learned that it was the most powerful force on Earth.

Could George Bush's Presidency Be Any Worse For The Country?

We're about to find out.

George Bush was warned about bin Laden wanting to fly airliners into buildings in August, 2001. He was on vacation at the time, and there is no evidence that he took any action whatsoever. The World Trade Center towers came down in September, 2001.

He launched a war and occupation of Iraq, taking resources away from the hunt for and fight against bin Laden in Afghanistan.

He took a government surplus and turned it into the biggest deficit in history.

He stayed on vacation while a major American city drowned in Hurricane Katrina.

He has placed American troops in perpetual jeopardy by making it clear to the world that we do not honor the Geneva Conventions.

One of the most damaging things he has done to this country was to make Karl Rove's brand of politics successful, tempting Bush's would be successors with the notions that lying, polarization, and abuse of government power to solidify political gains can succeed.

But all this may soon pale next to the impending financial meltdown that seems about to follow the laissez-faire approach of not restricting or regulating the financial industry, an industry that seems to have turned the banks in this country into internet casinos.

Had enough?

Palin Loves Spending Taxpayer $$$

Let's look at her record.

As mayor of Wasilla:

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

As governor of Alaska:

She pursued and got more federal taxpayer earmark money per person for Alaska than was received by any other state. Remember the oft-repeated line that "I told Congress thanks, but no thanks, for the bridge to nowhere." The facts are that Congress told her that she could not build a bridge with that money, but that Alaska could have the money anyway. She took the money. So much for "no thanks." So much for saving money through resolute action. She took no action to prevent that money from coming to her state, despite the growing numbers of times she asserts that she did.

Alaska pays state workers traveling on state business a per day allowance for expenses. Since Gov. Palin took office in 2006, she has billed the state about $17,000 for over 300 days of travel per diem while staying at her home, rather than at the state capital in Juneau.

She pursued and got earmarked federal funds to study crab and seal genetics, although she and John McCain now ridicule genetic studies of bears in Montana as a ridiculous example of federal waste.

Her record is pretty short, but it is clear.

Sarah Palin - Heaven Help You If You Cross Her

One of the things that catches my attention about Sarah Palin's record in government is the pattern of trying to take away the job of anyone who crosses her.

As mayor of Wasilla, Palin wanted to ban certain books from the public library. When the librarian opposed this, Palin tried to fire the librarian. Anne Kilkenny wrote:

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

She fired Wasilla's police chief, saying that he "intimidated" her.

She wanted Alaska's top cop to fire her sister's ex, a State Trooper. When Walt Monegan, Commissioner of Public Safety wouldn't do so, she fired Monegan instead.

Soaring ambition and ruthlessness combined are a dangerous package.