Treasury Department Redacts Bailout Contracts

Meaning, there are huge chunks of these Bailout deals that are being blacked out before they are released to the public--as though they were CIA documents, or something.

Unredacted, these documents would allow the people to know just how their taxpayer money is being doled-out and spent. In our system of supposedly transparent government, this sort of secrecy is unacceptable, and outrageous even to the been-there-seen-that experts and commentators.

Currently at issue: Various law firms, accounting companies and stock management houses are going to receive money from the Bailout fund that we taxpayers provided. But much of that information has been redacted, so that the public can't know the details.

Here's a sample culled from these redacted documents:




The law firm whose rates have been redacted above once offered me a job as an Associate--Simpson, Thacher, Bartlett blah blah... Why their rates are suddenly such sensitive information, I have no clue. Because it doesn't jibe with what I remember.

And redacted documents are hardly new to me. But even I am rather shocked by this shroud of secrecy increasingly surrounding the way the Treasury Department is spending our desperately-needed taxpayer dollars.

You can watch CNBC's coverage of this story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYLf6lU55A

The "Solid as Barack" Variety (Half) Hour

As I'm sure you've heard, Barack will be taking to the airwaves for a half-hour tonight. The contents of that production have been a well-guarded secret. SNL recently did their brilliant take, though, on just what that half-hour might include... Did SNL get it right?

Here's a link to the video clip, for all those who missed it. Watch it, then compare it with the reality...
http://politicalhumor.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.nbc.com/Saturday%5FNight%5FLive/video/clips/obama%2Daddress/787181/

Lipstick On A Pig: A 2008 Campaign Quiz

Here's a fun little quiz from The New Yorker that you can take to see how just much you've "learned" in Election 2008. I've culled a choice few for you here:

4. How many times was McCain caught on camera during the first debate appearing to mutter "Horseshit" under his breath?
(a) Forty-seven.
(b) Ten.
(c) Six.
(d) Fifty-seven.
(e) Two.
(f) At least eleven.

9. Complete John McCain's boast about Sarah Palin: "She knows more about ________ than probably anyone else in the United States of America."
(a) Russia
(b) energy
(c) the Bush doctrine
(d) aerial hunting
(e) hiding a pregnancy
(f) lipstick

17. True or false: During a post-debate appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Senator Lindsey Graham (R.-S.C.) interrupted his pro-McCain spin and said, "It's Sunday, I'm tired. Senator Obama did well. Senator Obama helped himself."
(a) True.
(b) False

21. Who wrote a book relating an incident in which "Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there,' and McCain shot back, 'At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you c*nt'"?
(a) Levi Johnston.
(b) Chris Rock.
(c) Ed Koch.
(d) Cliff Schecter.
(e) Sarah Palin.

27. Who said about the original bailout legislation, "If I were a dictator, which I always aspire to be, I would write it a little bit differently"?
(a) John McCain.
(b) Representative Paul Broun (R.-Ga.).
(c) House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio).

Take the quiz here: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/polls/slansky2008campaignquiz/01013sh_shouts_slansky

I only got 9 of the 29 correct. See if you can outdo your humble blogger.

The Bush Administration Wants To Go Out With a Bang... Literally

"With the clock winding down on the [Bush] administration, it has a greater appetite for racking up victories against al Qaeda—and less worries about any residual political consequences from striking."

That's from a new article in The New Republic entitled Twilight Struggle: In its closing days, the Bush administration escalates the war on terror. The article goes on to say:

"We have entered a new phase in the war on terror. In July, according to three administration sources, the Bush administration formally gave the military new power to strike terrorist safe havens outside of Iraq and Afghanistan."

So. Now the military no longer needs approval from President Bush (or presumably even the next President--yikes) to launch a military strike in a country like Pakistan or Syria (where last Sunday, U.S. military helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction in a village near the Iraq border, killing eight):

"Now, those kinds of strikes in the region can occur at the discretion of the incoming commander of Central Command, General David Petraeus."

And in this "new order", countries like Kenya, Mali, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen may all be fair game, because they are "all places where the American intelligence believe al Qaeda has a significant presence, but can no longer count on the indigenous security services to act. In the parlance of the Cold War, Petraeus will now have the authority to fight a regional "dirty war."

(shudder). So there's yet another facet of the Bush Legacy for you.

Here's another: The Syrian government ordered an American School and a U.S. Cultural Center in Damascus closed Tuesday in response to the deadly attack. So. Another important opportunity for good Public Relations lost, thanks to Sunday's attack. And reports say that Syrian villagers held banners declaring "Down with American enemy" as they carried the coffins of relatives who died in the strike.

See what happens when we all take our eyes off the Bush? (sigh) If America really wanted to win the War on Terror, maybe it would stop helping al Qaeda with it's recruitment drive.

If you're thinking to yourself, Well if they're not with us then they're against us and so they are "Terrorists", please see my earlier post, Is Bjork a Terrorist?

I'm going to go watch Dr. Strangelove now... and hopefully I'll be able to see the comic side to all this... again.

And let me know if you are stumped for things to say to Bush if/when you email or call him (see my post below). Because it's high time for the American people to "engage", to use military-speak--and no, yelling at your TV screen does not count.

Here's the link to the article: http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=9c613d05-0441-4a14-bf40-ef3ac16a42b5

Bush Jr. is So Bored... Maybe You Should Give Him a Call!

Seriously. The info below is legit. And you really can email/call him (or whoever is playing him that day, anyway). Who knows, you may find it, er... cathartic. And personally, I think every concerned and responsible citizen should have their President's number on speed-dial. Think of it as your civic duty, in fact. The Founding Fathers would expect no less of you...

And if you do, and share it with me, I'll submit your "entry" in with all the others. The winner will get a personally and custom designed T-shirt handmade by Arts & Craftsy me. For real! The deadline for submissions is November 4, 11:59PM PST. All submissions should be made by posting a comment here. But if you want your submission to stay anonymous, just say so in your comment, and I won't post it.

Enjoy...

President George W. Bush
Email: comments@whitehouse.gov
Phone: 202-456-1111

You Can Peek Into My Voting Booth, California

This only applies to California residents voting on Propositions 1A through 12. Here's how I'm voting, along with a short tag-line explaining why.

1A: No--Not now...
2: Yes--You are what you eat
3: Yes--Do it for the kids
4: No--Laws can't make dysfunctional families communicate
5: Yes--"Just Say Yes" because we have enough "Wars" as it is
6: No--A 14-year-old is not an adult (no matter what they think)
7: No--Good Cause, Bad Law
8: No--Love is good. Period.
9: No--Too much grandstanding, too little change
10: No--Why don't you go home and ask Texas to foot your bill, Pork-y (aka T. Boone Pickens)
11: Yes--"We the People" say "Power to the People" (because clearly, y'all can't be trusted)
12: Yes--Supports our troops, costs us nothing

The one I feel most adamant about is actually Proposition 10. If I have any cred with you, please please please do not vote "Yes" on Prop 10. I want Clean and Sustainable Energy as much as anyone. But this is not the way--please trust me on this one. A man who believes people should pay for water (water!), and has bought up subsurface water rights in Texas for that very purpose, is not the one to help save our Planet.

Bailout for U.S. Auto Makers?

Um... no. Not unless they can demonstrate that they actually deserve it. And won't fritter our money away. Again.

Because they want a bailout, and are lobbying Congress to give it to them. And but fast. Last month, Congress granted them $25 billion in guaranteed loans. U.S. automakers are now clamoring for $25 billion more. Already!

To follow is my case for why they maybe don't deserve it. Here's a blurb from an earlier posting of mine entitled Going Green To Make Some Green:

"Innovation is Capitalism's best friend. Which is why it boggles my mind that America, which invented the automobile, is now getting its ass kicked by Japan and South Korea in the production of those fuel-efficient cars every fashionable hipster (and responsible consumer) seems to want. What's up with that, Detroit?"

Well, here's what's up. Detroit has successfully lobbied Washington to keep their fuel economy standards ridiculously low. The standards in Europe and Japan are roughly 35 miles per gallon. Only in late 2007 did Congress finally move the U.S. fuel economy standard (currently 27.5) up to match that--but by 2020, twelve years from now. Even China (China!) has higher standards currently. Well. Why "innovate" when you can "lobby"... Right? It's certainly easier on the mind. (Although it explains why the world doesn't buy our cars--why would you buy a car you can't drive in your country?)

You know what else Detroit has done? They successfully lobbied Washington to label SUVs as "light trucks" so they'd only have to meet the standard of 20.7 m/p/g, rather than the 27.5 m/p/g required for cars. (Maybe we should stop calling them "Soccer Moms" and start calling them "Trucker Moms.") And their excuse for why they don't make more fuel-efficient cars? Here's General Motors' response: "We build what the market wants. If people want SUVs and Hummers, you have to give them what they want."

Really? Cuz that's not what I want! Personally, I like to walk... and have been very frustrated since moving out to L.A. County from NYC, where walking and an easily-accessible public transportation system are the norm. I'd really appreciate good public transpo out here in L.A., especially when I've been out-and-about, drinking and carousing, and I'm worried about the specter of drunk-driving. But in L.A., having a car is pretty much a necessity.

But it hasn't always been that way in L.A.--did you know that? Los Angeles once had a glorious cable-car system. But it was ripped out, thanks to those who favored (and I'm sure lobbied heavily for) cars-for-everyone and urban sprawl--you wouldn't believe the sprawl in L.A. And I've never seen so many strip malls in my life. I fled the suburbs of Chicago in large part to get away from the strip-malls. Oh the irony...

And see, our Addiction to Oil is very much related to our current woes--economic, military, environmental, political, and moral. (See my earlier posts if you need convincing). And the taxpayers hardly have $25 billion to waste on an industry that has very much contributed to our woes and seemingly refuses to innovate. Which is what Capitalism should be all about.

Here's the article that "fueled" this post: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autos28-2008oct28,0,1118586.story?page=2

And if it makes you as pissy/snippy as I'm currently feeling, start contacting your elected officials. Please.

VIDEO: The Vet Who Did Not Vet--A Cautionary Tale

It's a retelling of the McCain/Palin saga, told Dr. Seuss style. And as a child who once loved her Schoolhouse Rock, I'd recommend it highly. I've watched it 3x already... that's how much it made me laugh out loud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw

If you love it as much as I did, cast your vote on The Atlantic magazine's site, which is taking a poll on the top campaign videos: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/taking-back-t-8.html

Support the Arts. And the indie talent out there. Because believe me, it's out there...