Gov. Sarah Palin just told reporters that she's accepting only 55 percent of the federal economic stimulus money being offered to Alaska. The governor said that she will accept only about $514 million of the $930 million headed to the state.The biggest single chunk of stimulus money that Palin is turning down is $160 million for education.
Of course, the good governor says she will work with the legislature if they say they want the whole amount. Wink, wink, YOU BETCHA!
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After passing the conservative-dubbed spendulus/porkulus/Generational Theft Act of 2009, Congress is…the most popular it's been in more than 4 years:
Americans' job approval rating of Congress is up an additional 8 points this month, after a 12-point increase last month, and now stands at 39% — the most positive assessment of Congress since February 2005.
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And the Bonuses Continue
Fannie Mae, the federally run mortgage finance giant, plans to pay four top executives $1 million or more in retention bonuses.
The bonus plan prompted the company's federal regulator to defend compensation decisions the government made when it took over Fannie Mae in September. It comes as AIG faces public outrage over $165 million in bonuses it awarded last week.
Fannie Mae, which suffered $59 billion in losses last year, has requested $15 billion in taxpayer assistance and has said it expects to need plenty more.
"When I learned that the amendment I added to the ###
Great news! Ruling clears way for EnergySolutions to store depleted uranium in Utah!http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11945578
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What's going on here? Is this as frightening as it seems?
The FED met today to discuss their actions here forward. Below is the meaty grab from their Statement, which I am linking to via The Big Picture, where you can find the whole thing.
In these circumstances, the Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote economic recovery and to preserve price stability. The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and anticipates that economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period. To provide greater support to mortgage lending and housing markets, the Committee decided today to increase the size of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet further by purchasing up to an additional $750 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities, bringing its total purchases of these securities to up to $1.25 trillion this year, and to increase its purchases of agency debt this year by up to $100 billion to a total of up to $200 billion. Moreover, to help improve conditions in private credit markets, the Committee decided to purchase up to $300 billion of longer-term Treasury securities over the next six months. The Federal Reserve has launched the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to facilitate the extension of credit to households and small businesses and anticipates that the range of eligible collateral for this facility is likely to be expanded to include other financial assets. The Committee will continue to carefully monitor the size and composition of the Federal Reserve's balance sheet in light of evolving financial and economic developments.
One Trillion, One-Hundred Fifty Billion Dollars of new money. Out of absolutely nothing, except words, a printing press, and the Big Shitpile as COLLATERAL.
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The Passing of an Illusion
There is something bracing about the stark revelations regarding the character of America's criminal corporate class over the last several months. Yes, we are outraged, yes, we are shaken by the damage that they have done, and many will suffer much on account of their sins. Nonetheless, there is an upside to the pain that they have caused -- the scales have fallen from our collective eyes and our country's business overclass appear before the public as they are and long have been -- arrogant, entitled, greedy beyond measure, incompetent, short-sighted, solipsistic, and astonishingly overrated.
For years we have been fed the bullshit notion that our economic system provided "pay for performance." rewarding greatly those who most deserved it. When one was so gauche as to engage in "class warfare" and criticize the compensation of CEOs and Wall Street titans, and the growing gap between them and the average worker, we were lectured to by the Randroids and libertarians, the business press, and most of all, by Republicans, that this was simply the invisible hand briskly stroking the deserving organ of commerce.
http://www.cogitamusblog.com/2009/03/the-passing-of-an-illusion.html
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Rep. Randy Forbes
US House of Representatives
Dear Rep. Forbes,
It's comforting to know that in these times of economic bleakness, there are Congressmen like you working on what's really important: passing a resolution declaring the Bible to be the word of God. It's about time we finally did this. We could have avoided a lot of problems (i.e. the War of Northern Aggression, integration, water fluoridation, the pill, etc) had we done so sooner.
I'm particularly glad you're doing it as part of the resolution to put a Bible on display in the Congressional Visitors Center. It provides us with a fixed place to sort real Americans from technically legal Americans. No Hindu, Buddhist, Jew or atheist could view such a display without wondering if they were indeed a part of our society.
But is such "wondering" enough? Shouldn't we make them feel their outsider status more concretely? I think so, and I have an idea on how to accomplish it. Why not add a human-looking robot to the display and program it to detect possible non-Christians and kick them hard in the balls. I'm thinking an animatronic Chuck Norris would be perfect. After all, he's considering a campaign to be president of Texas--what's more American than that?
Think about it. What stronger message could we send that someone is an outsider than to kick him or her in the balls.
Heterosexually yours,
Gen. JC Christian, patriot
p.s. Yes, I said "her." I know it's popular in the secular world to say women don't have testicles, but that's just another example of liberal sexism. I mean, I've never seen anyone provide evidence that women are balless (how the heck do you spell that, anyway, ball-less? See, there's not even a decent way to spell such a concept). No one I know has even really looked down there to see. And as the Bible says, God made us in his image...period.
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Vatican defends Pope's attack on the use of condoms as increasing the danger of AIDS. Go here.
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There is an undersea volcano erupting right now — and a fantastic photo set is showing the event.
Citigroup Inc. plans to spend about $10 million on new offices for CEO vikram pandit and his lieutenants, after the U.S. government injected $45 billion of cash into the bank. - bloomberg
A fancy Tory named Professor John Beddington is worried about that the "growing world population will cause a 'perfect storm' of food, energy and water shortages by 2030." He's the "chief government scientist" of England, too, so he is basically Al Gore in knickers. Anyway, this will starve out mostly the poor countries, so we're… oh shit that's us now! Anyone who expects things to be halfway decent in 2030, anywhere, is kind of dumb. Just remember not to breed, unless you're *comfortable* with having to sell your child to the Huns in a few years. [BBC]
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In a gathering of Republicons on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Senator Jon Kyl the Arizona Republican said that rather than appear on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the president would better serve the country by staying in Washington to deal with more pertinent economic issues.
"My suggestion is that he come back - since he's taken the full responsibility - to get his people together and say 'I want to know exactly what happened, who did what when and how are we going to prevent this from ever happening in the future, and how can we manage these taxpayer assets in a way to solve the banking and financial institution crisis."
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"What kind of revolution appeals most to you?" read the now-deleted poll question on Sean Hannity's message board: "Military Coup, Armed Rebellion, or War for Secession?" The next four to eight years are gonna be some fun! Barely two months into the Obama administration, wing-nuts across the land are frothing at the mouth, talking feverishly of secession, violent revolution, tax revolt, "going Galt," and national divorce. It would be hilarious if it weren't so creepy...Are we fated to fracture into Jesus Land and the People's Republic of Massafornia? Probably not. But maybe! Until and unless that day arrives, however, ours remains a riven nation. But if Malkin and their ilk want to "drop out" in the meantime, more power to 'em. It'll be nice, frankly, not to have to hear them talk for a while.
Amen to that. The whole thing is here.
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