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I’m writing this as the presidential debate is about to begin. That’s assuming John McCain deigns to turn up, of course.

No, I won’t be watching.

What’s the point? Obama will be measured, polite, and respectful to McCain, who in turn will pull the ‘experience’ card and the, ‘I’m older and therefore must know better’, argument, when its perfectly obvious to a mentally-retarded, blind moose about to be slaughtered by Sarah Palin’s AK47, that this is one time that ‘older’ definitely doesn’t mean ‘wiser’.

What was he thinking? All this “I’m suspending my campaign to march on Washington and fix the economy” business? Could it fool anyone? No. Not even a mentally-retarded, blind moose about to be slaughtered by Sarah Palin’s AK47.

Can there truly be anyone left in this country who sees anything viable in the McCain/Palin ticket?

Let’s be honest, Obama’s not going to effect change. At least, not so’s you’d notice, even if you weren’t a mentally-retarded, blind moose about to be slaughtered by Sarah Palin’s AK47. This country isn’t run by presidents, or even politicians. It’s controlled by the humongous corporations. The politicians just do their bidding.

McCain’s only claim to fame is that he was tortured by the Viet-Cong. It may be cause for sympathy and a Purple Heart, but rewarding him with the presidency, fifty years after the event, is surely going a bit far.

If there is any one good reason for not voting McCain into office, it’s Sarah Palin. The US president is supposed to make decisions that turn out right for the country. Was his choice of vice president the right decision? Not even a mentally-retarded, blind moose, about to be slaughtered by Sarah Palin’s AK47, would agree that it was.

Here’s one good reason why John McCain should never be president of the United States: he’s cheapened the office. It may be hard to believe that the office of US president could be cheapened more than has been achieved by George W Bush, yet even before McCain sets foot in the Oval Office he’s managed to sink one stage lower than the present incumbent.

He did it by stooping to select a Republican vice presidential candidate who for entirely political motives might gain him the presidency, by virtue not of political experience and integrity, but solely because of her sex.

Hillary Clinton failed. John McCain tried to use that failure to his advantage, by picking Palin solely because she was female.

Let’s be honest, it is the only qualification she has.

Even if you were a mentally-retarded, blind moose about to be slaughtered by Sarah Palin’s AK47, you must surely understand that.

Filed under: No moose loose about this hoose

Am I the only one to feel the hands of the powerful at work, deliberately manipulating this latest financial ‘crisis’ to their benefit – and the detriment of everyone else? Since 9/11, the Bush administration has created one crisis after another and they’ve all paid huge dividends to the wealthy few, while impoverishing the rest of us.

If this present catastrophe in the banking industry is simply the result of poor management, then throwing another $700 billion at those responsible, is merely to mimic their crass irresponsibility.

Today, in what is being called the biggest banking failure in American history, Washington Mutual was seized by the Fed and tossed to J.P. Morgan Chase, as casually as a beef bone thrown to a pet Rottweiler.^[1] It was only six months ago the US administration did exactly the same thing with Bear Stearns. JPM, it seems, is acquiring financial companies willy-nilly, with the help of the American government.

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg today, JPM has a $23 billion secured claim against Lehman Bros, who filed for bankruptcy last week with a total estimated debt of $630 billion.^[2] With such huge losses from just one bank, the $700 billion being asked of taxpayers is beginning to look like a small drop in a very vast ocean.

The question still not being asked is who exactly is running Henry Paulson and Ben Benanke? When the Secretary to the Treasury arrives at the most important Congressional Hearing of his life with only a three page document and no idea what he’s to do with $700 billion, it strongly suggests that someone else sent him in to get it. Couple that to the ‘convenience’ of a Congress about to adjourn for political campaigning, and the idea of a ‘set-up’ no longer appears such an unlikely scenario.

It’s possible that Paulson and Benanke are no more than utterly incompetent. Let’s be frank, they wouldn’t be the only members of George W Bush’s administration to demonstrate that failing. It provokes the thought that maybe the powers-that-be are deliberately choosing incompetents as front men because they make better stooges and are less likely to argue; a fact easily ratified by studying the record of the incumbent US president.

Of course, from the viewpoint of the wealthy bankers, getting their hands on $700 billion of government money is only reclaiming a part of what they’ve already loaned out to reneging tax payers, through unpaid sub-prime mortgages and credit card debt.

To their twisted logic, the suffering and strife caused by myriad broken marriages, foreclosed homes, and consequent suicides, is hardly a relevant factor.

^{[1] “Government Seizes WaMu and Sells Some Assets” New York Times, September 25th 2008}

^{[2] “JPMorgan Has $23 Billion Secured Claim in Lehman Case” Bloomberg, September 26th 2008}

Filed under: Financial shenanigans

Or why, despite the best efforts of UK politicians, Britain will never become the 51st state of the Union:

^{My thanks to Gia’s Blog and WaterKula for the image.}

Filed under: Currency converter