Don't Fuck With Robin Hood, Sheriff of Bankerham

Yesterday, a friend in the UK posted a link to her Facebook page for a project she's involved with: The Robin Hood Tax. Go check it out. There's a nice little video featuring Bill Nighy as a douchey banker trying to explain why this tax is a bad idea. (It's not a bad idea, by the way.)

The short of it is that by taxing banks 0.05% on non-consumer speculative trading, billions of dollars could be raised for, well, good things for real people.

So this project launches yesterday and people can vote on whether or not they think it's a good idea. The broad assumption from the people involved is that most regular people will agree with the sentiments. Supporters invite their friends and they outnumber the people who think it's a bad idea.

Well, within hours, people who thought it was a bad idea were voting at the rate of six votes per second. The Robin Hood Tax people thought something was a little strange with this scenario, so they shut down the site for a while to investigate.

This morning, the computer team had traced the IP address for the rapid voter back to... shocker of all shockers... a Goldman Sachs office in London. Goldman Sachs says it's "investigating the matter fully."

My UK friend assures me that the Robin Hood Tax movement will be making its way to the United States before too long. I like simple, good, easy-to-understand ideas. Well done, coalition-of-UK-organizations.

This Is the State of the Union, Bitches

No, I didn't watch the State of the Union address this week. Sure, I would've liked it more than the SOTU addresses of the past decade, but I just couldn't muster up the enthusiasm. Like anyone who follows politics, I've heard a thing or two about the speech - some positive, some negative.

I can tell you this, though... I'm very impressed by this transcript:

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. “Necessitous men are not free men.” People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America’s own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens.

Those pretty words belong to Franklin Delano Roosevelt (he's the president in a wheelchair in the musical Annie), who delivered them as part of his State of the Union address in 1944.

It's generally referred to as the Economic Bill of Rights.

When he was campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama did not seem like just another feckless weenie from the ranks of the Democratic Party. But when he uses his State of the Union address to discuss a spending freeze, well...

BHO is no FDR.

The Hope of a New Season

The thing that's just terrific about baseball is that hope springs eternal. So your team failed (as usual) this year. It doesn't matter. February rolls around, you hear the magical words, "pitchers & catchers," and your team has the potential to be the best in the league, just like every other team.

Oh, unless you're the 2010 New York Metropolitans. Nope. They don't have that potential.

We're still a month from the kickoff of spring training, and the team's superstar centerfielder, Carlos Beltran -- who gets paid a whopping $119 million, who has decided without the team's agreement to have knee surgery, and who (apropos of nothing) has always had some sort of weird growth on the side of his head -- won't even be in the Mets lineup until May.

Yes, indeed. The Mets will once again be terrible. Yay.

Since it was first announced a couple of years ago, I've been rather annoyed by the Mets' partnership with Citigroup, which resulted in the naming rights to the new stadium. Citi Field. Blech. I mean, why would a such a stellar baseball organization want to be associated with an insolvent financial institution that's been so eager to keep sucking at the teat of the federal government?

But now the Mets seem determined to live up to the stunningly high standards of Citigroup itself. I sincerely wish it didn't make so much sense.

Let's go, Mets! Let's go, Mets! Let's go, Mets!

Oy.

Anyway, here's the second of the tasty Egyptian footballers, a fella called Gomaa, also courtesy of blondandeffective, for you non-baseball fans. Enjoy!

That'll Show 'Em

Remember the New York Metropolitans? They're a minor league team that plays in Flushing Meadows, Queens. At least that's how it seemed this past season, as they staggered to a 92-loss season. Well done, Highest Payroll in the National League.

So what's the front office's biggest move during this off-season so far? A new jersey! It's a throwback - cream colored with blue pinstripes - to remind fans of the days of 1962, when the Mets lost 120 games in a season, the still-standing modern-day record.

Oh, and the Mets were also wearing this particular jersey when they won the World Series in 1969, but who can think of such nonsense after so absurd an inaugural season in New Shea Stadium?

The marketing masters in the New York Mets front office launched the new jersey just in time for Black Friday. Which unfortunately for the Mets' holiday income, coincided with Mets fans' still lingering bitter feelings over a job shittily done.

So as of Friday afternoon, the Mets Clubhouse store had sold exactly zero new retro jerseys.

Just wait until next year!

Someone Make the Movie

I'm not going to pretend that I understand what's going on in Dubai in terms of debt and economic collapse, or what its relation is to the world's economy.

What I do know is that I'm picturing this Las Vegas of the Middle East, another strange desert creation out of nothing, as a ghost town. Like Will Smith in an empty New York City before those weird aliens show up or Cillian Murphy in an empty London before those weird zombies show up, I want to see some too-attractive actor (or hell, it's the Middle East, so let's add a gender complication and make it a too-attractive actress) wandering around the former lavishness of a desolate Dubai, wondering where the hell all the rich people (and the underclass that serves them) are at.

And then the desert weasels show up.

Someone get Jerry Bruckheimer on the horn!

An Appropriate 10th Anniversary Celebration?

Well, the Huffington Post reminded me that today is the 10th anniversary of the repeal of Glass-Steagall Act.

You see, during the Great Depression, the government decided it would be a good idea to separate the commercial banks from the riskier investment banks. It protected consumers. Gosh, those New Dealers were so cute in their determination to help people. Silly New Dealers.

But the free marketeers of Reaganomics hated that shit, and the free-marketing Clinton administration repealed it, to much celebration within the Republican Party and, let's face it, the bulk of the Democratic Party, too. Free market good! Regulation baaaaaaad!

So what's the best way to celebrate the government's monstrous sellout of the people ten years ago, the sellout that almost certainly caused the current (monstrous) financial crisis?

Well, I don't know. But it sure as hell makes me want to do what the Swedes do and burn some fucking bunnies for fuel.

(I admit it: I've been looking for an excuse to share that link with you all for weeks.)

It Takes a Village of Bad PR

Perhaps you've heard about this fella Dave Carroll. Dave had a guitar destroyed by United Airlines once, and when they refused to reimburse him (on multiple occasions) for the instrument he relies on for his livelihood, he used his livelihood to fight back. He wrote a little ditty called "United Breaks Guitars" and posted the video on YouTube.

More than four million watched the video in a few days, and United's stock dropped 10%. But even though I wrote those two facts as one sentence, they are probably totally unrelated events. But it's fun to think that Dave had that sort of power.

United has since offered Dave compensation for his guitar.

People have this idea that being on the road in a band is glamorous. And a family member of mine has done some pretty serious touring with some pretty well-known acts. In other words, he's done everything from the drive-yourself-van-touring to the high-end-take-care-of-everything-for-you arena shows. It's not an easy life at all. And even at its best, it just ain't glamorous.

And, in fact, this same family member had a similar issue with Delta airlines a few years ago. I can't remember the exact details of the story, but Delta either lost his guitar amp or killed it. Letters and phone calls had absolutely no effect on Delta's response. They claimed no responsibility.

Unfortunately for Delta, this family member knew a reporter on the music business beat at Nashville's largest paper. As you might expect, the Nashville musician market is pretty important for any airline that flies through Nashville.

Delta's response was swift. He was compensated and received a phone call from the CEO and a letter of apology.

I think I can extrapolate from two examples to see a pattern. Airlines say, "Fuck you" until fucking you costs more than not fucking you. With customer service like that, it's almost hard to believe the airline industry is in such rough shape.

Actually, I wonder if I can extrapolate further to see the pattern in the overall US economy - a whole lotta "Fuck you," followed by, "Now bail us out, please, i.e. fuck you again until we're back on our feet ready to keep fucking you."

Beating a Dead Bank

Last night, the Mets christened the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at their new ballpark. Jackie's widow said a few words, and his daughter threw out the first pitch. The players all wore the number 42 (that's Jackie's league-retired number), and Jose Reyes scored from first base on a wild pitch just to show off his Jackie Robinson wheels. And the Mets won the game. All in all, a fine evening.

Bailout Ballpark, or as the team has insisted on calling it Citi Field, was designed to look like Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, where Jackie Robinson played with the Dodgers. Good call.

But Jackie deserves more than the rotunda. That the whole stadium wasn't named for Jackie Robinson is embarrassing, even more so now that the corporate sponsor is eating bailout funds for breakfast and, whether or not the executives at Shitigroup are willing to admit it, is totally insolvent.

I've complained on numerous occasions about the whole "Citi Field" thing, I know, but when I saw clips this morning, it just got my blood all a'boiling again. Jackie's widow says that Jackie would be humbled to have the glorious rotunda honoring him.

Well, fuck that, Mets. Give Jackie the whole stadium.

I'm just glad that when I finally get to Bailout Ballpark I'll have some Shake Shack around to wash that Shiti taste out of my mouth.

Follow Up From a Busy Week

It was another one of those weeks, B&E readers, when I got a tad busy, and many things went through my notice without comment. In most cases, people with more time (and, let's face it, more talent) have made more insightful comments in better prose stylings than I probably would have even if I'd had the time.

So here's a quick roundup of just a few things...

Cuts to the Military Budget
Early in the week, I got all excited because I heard that Obama was making cuts to the military, a logical place to look for extra money to help pay for spending that actually promotes the common good. Turns out, I was believing headlines.

TPM seemed to be the first place to state outright that in no way does a 4% increase in military spending constitute a cut. The Daily Show mocked this thinking, too. As did Rachel Maddow.

And yet, Obama-is-gutting-the-military remains standard coverage, and it's certainly what the pundits and politicians of the right continue to state/lie.

But it's sort of brilliant. The left is now in a position to explain that it's not a cut. "It's an increase! We're stronger AND smarter about defense!"

Instead, it seems to me that the left should be saying, "Hey, if they're gonna accuse us of gutting the military anyway, maybe we should actually cut defense spending." Where the fuck are those voices?

We pay way more on the military than any other country and way more than we ever need to. We're building out-dated bullshit equipment that'll never see the light of day, and good goddamn if that fucking money shouldn't be helping to build a windmill somewhere.

Lefty watchdog cheerleaders
During the years of the Bush administration, I would often rely on lefty advocacy groups to keep me informed of various nefarious dealings in the White House. Many of these groups were understandably thrilled with the election of Barack Obama. But I'm not a big fan of these groups just becoming cheerleaders for the people in power.

It's perhaps unfair to pick on one of these groups, but I'm going to anyway. TrueMajority is an advocacy group with a fairly broad left-ish agenda. They were founded by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Here's a quote from their website:

The central objective of TrueMajority is to increase America's investment in programs that benefit our children (like schools, health care, HeadStart) by cutting Cold War weapons systems and shifting the savings. That's just 15% of the Pentagon budget but would make $60 billion available every year to meet children's basic needs.

OK, that sounds fine.

But in their latest email blast, they state that, "under President Obama's budget, instead of paying billions in missile defense and useless Cold War weapons, your taxes will buy schools, healthcare and green-collar jobs."

It's just not true. Although there may be a shift away from spending money on useless Cold War weapons, money from those weapons programs are staying in the military. Remember? Obama has proposed a 4% increase in military spending. I guess we're going from useless weapons to useful ones. That doesn't sound so terrific to me. At least the useless ones won't kill anyone.

Look, TrueMajority, it's totally fine if you want to support the Obama budget. He is actually spending a lot more on schools, healthcare, and green-collar jobs. But don't spread misinformation and pretend it's being paid for by a cut military budget. I expect more out of my lefty watchdog groups.

Taxes
Once again, B&E readers, it's tax season! I'm from the left. I don't mind taxes. I don't particularly like owing taxes, but I certainly have no problem with the pay-as-you-go approach to taxes.

Some people hate taxes. And some of those people are complete idiots. You may have heard about "tea party" protests. The Boston Tea Party was about "taxation without representation." So unless every one of these people lives in Washington DC, they're fucking stupid.

Not only that, but they seem to be completely unaware of what, exactly, "teabagging" means. This is not a family blog, so let me explain for readers who may not know. It's very simple. Teabagging is dipping one's balls into someone else's mouth. Get the image?

Now watch this. Rachel Maddow and Ana Marie Cox clearly know the definition of teabagging.

And finally, just to end on a cleaner note... One of my colleagues is a creator of "information visualizations." That's "info-graphics" if you want to insult her intelligence. She will occasionally send around a particularly interesting info-viz, and this week's was tax-related. Fascinating.

Make Sense of the Mess?

Some of you may have heard that there's an economic crisis going on. I'm slowly but surely getting my head around what happened. It's complicated and wonky and full of jargon, phrases, and acronyms I know nothing about.

Well, this little video (also embedded below) has been floating around for about a month and is a pretty nice visualization of the mess we're in. It explains some of the jargon and lays it all in simple-to-understand terms. It's more than eleven minutes long, but it really packs in a lot of information.

And it's sort of like a cartoon!


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Happy Anniversary?

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill off the coast of Alaska. The herring haven't returned, dangerous levels of toxicity remain in the water, and some plaintiffs have almost received enough in damages from Exxon to pay their bankruptcy lawyer's bill.

Originally, the jury awarded the plaintiffs $5 billion, equivalent to one year's income for Exxon in 1989. They decided on the amount because they thought that punishing corporations based on profit was the only way to protect people from the behemoths. The award was cut in half in the appeals process.

Then, last year, the Supreme Court of the United States cut it to $500 million, which might sound like a lot until you realize how the local economy and ecology have been completely decimated by the Exxon Valdez spill.

Those herring fishers who took out massive loans figuring they'd be able to pay them back with, say, their seasonal catch, well, they don't have a catch to catch anymore.

And yes, I get most of my information from Democracy Now! Maybe you should, too.

What's Wrong with Sweden?

My online silence the past few days has been due to having guests in town, some lovely Swedes.

About seven years ago, the couple adopted a child, and in Sweden, the new parent of one's choosing gets thirteen months off at 80% of their salary to care for the child. The thirteen months can be taken in increments of the family's desire, any time during the first eight years of the child's life. The father needs to use up his parental leave soon, so they took a vacation.

Workers in Sweden get five weeks of paid vacation, guaranteed by federal law. Once the worker turns 40, they have to fill out a form to request a guaranteed sixth week of vacation every year. Sick days and sick leave is additional.

Health care in Sweden is, of course, free. The banks there are deeply regulated (not quite fully national). According to the couple, about 30% of their salaries go to pay taxes. Although they've seen the Swedish kroner drop in value just a little bit, they're one of the few countries in the world not in any sort of fiscal crisis. The government has money, and unemployment hasn't risen too much.

This year, the Swedish couple and their son will be traveling to New York, Florida, Scotland, and Greece. They went to Vietnam last year. The father is a school teacher who's planned their curriculum in such a way that the teachers in this tiny school district outside of Stockholm work four days a week. The mother works two days a week. They rent a tiny apartment in Stockholm and own a lovely house on an idyllic piece of property on the Baltic Sea. (They very kindly put us up during our vacation a couple years ago.)

Of course, they also said that because of the long, dark winters, the Swedes desperately need vacations. There are some problems with depression and drinking, but that whole thing about Sweden having the highest suicide rate in the world is a myth. And what, we don't have problems with depression and drinking in this country?

Unless I'm doing the math in my head wrong, I'm paying more than 30% of my salary to federal, state, and city taxes, and I'm not getting any free health care.

What the hell are they doing right in Sweden? And when people speak disdainfully about "Europe!", "socialism!", and "government health care!", I swear to Jesus Christ who died for me on the cross at Golgotha (the place of the skull), I'm just not seeing the problem with the Swedish system.

Humanity, equality, family, and quality of life are all good things. Come on, America! We've already embraced IKEA; let's embrace some Swedish values!

Dickhead of the Week - Uriah Heep

A lot of very smart people are just as angry as I am about this whole AIG bonus debacle, and much of what I think has already been said by others. But it sure seems that Edward Liddy, the CEO of AIG, is a good candidate for Dickhead of the Week here on B&E.

But alas, the (somewhat recent) BBC production of David Copperfield aired on NYC's public television over the past two Sundays, and for my money, no literary character (or TV miniseries character, although in this case I can actually claim to have read the book, not that I remember it) is slimier than Uriah Heep. "Oy'm joost an 'umble servant..." You skeeve me out, Heep, you utter douchebag.

Turns out Edward Liddy is Uriah Heep, turning the smarm up to eleven in his rationale for doling out the bonuses to the very people who chewed-up-crapped-out our economy. Uriah Liddy bows, he kowtows, and then he does exactly as he pleases.

Word of warning, Smarmy Edward of AIG... Uriah Heep got himself sent to prison. And come to think of it, so did another fella with your surname. See "Liddy, G. Gordon"...

Reading Material

I've been admittedly quiet on the bloggy front the past couple of days, so until I find the time to get something down worth perusing (and as most readers know, my standards for "worth perusing" are quite low), let me offer this entertainment instead (from The Nation, of course).

Obama Keeps Tapping

President Obama is doing too much! He's working too hard! He's employing too many people! He's solving unemployment by hiring everyone himself!

Anyway, President Obama has tapped Van Jones. (Heh, heh.) Sorry... President Obama has appointed Van Jones a special adviser for green jobs.

Van Jones has been making some national noise over the past year or so as an activist and environmentalist. He writes from time to time in The Nation magazine and has been a guest multiple times on Democracy Now!. He wrote a book called The Green Collar Economy, and his nonprofit Green For All helps lift people out of poverty through environmental jobs.

I like this fella a lot. I'm a fan of that place where environmentalism intersects with social justice, and Van Jones is pretty much the man taking up the space there.

These quiet appointments can be very powerful in an Obama administration, and assuming that Van gets his voice heard in the White House, this tapping (heh, heh) demonstrates some terrific progressive thinking. Well done, President Obama. Well done, Van Jones.

So Then, What's Citi Field Worth?

Hats off to HuffingtonPost, not that they particularly need a plug from me. They put together a short slide show of things that cost more than a share of Citigroup stock.

I was lulled into complacency by the cup of Starbucks coffee. When I clicked the "next" button, I was grateful that I wasn't drinking something...

Citibank ATM fees cost more than a Citi share.

Johan Santana's elbow is the least of our concerns. Citi Field can't possibly bode well for the Mets.

Xady Watch - Frozen Assets

Once again, B&E reprises the old Xady Watch feature, because Xavier "Who?" Nady is in the news again. Unfortunately for Who, the news isn't baseball-related.

Who and fellow Yankee Johnny Damon had indirect investments with the Stanford Group. Allen Stanford is another billionaire financier accused of fraud (TPMMuckraker has fine coverage if you're interested). Who and Damon currently have their assets frozen.

Damon will pull down $13 million this year, and Who will be making just over half that amount. So it's not like they're going to be destitute or anything, but Who is trying to buy a damned New York City apartment at the moment, and good luck getting through a co-op board when you don't even have use of your credit cards.

Co-op Board Member: So tell the co-op board a little about yourself.
Xady: I'm Xavier Nady, outfielder for the New York Yankees.
Co-op Board Member: I'm sorry, Who?

Good luck with the frozen assets and apartment hunt, Who. We're all pulling for you.

I Feel Terrible For You. Terrible.

The venerable New York Times has a story today that's got my boxer-briefs in a twist. It's about how bonus cuts hurt those beyond Wall Street.

I was naively expecting to read a little something about how, perhaps, nonprofit organizations, particularly in places like New York City, will see their individual giving reduced by enormous amounts this year. People who work in finance will often balance those giant bonuses with the tax breaks that accompany donations to nonprofits. Perhaps in turn, those donations aren't trickling down to the soup kitchens that feed so many homeless people.

Not so much.

Instead, it's about people who make a lot of money in cities other than New York who are used to getting bonuses larger than most salaries. This year, the poor bastards will have to make do with bonuses of $25,000 instead. The horror! THE HORROR!

Bonuses are rewards for a job particularly well done, I thought. If it's expected money at the end of the year, like it's some sort of regular thing, the company should really be paying it out as part of your salary.

Even if his bonus isn't as irresponsible as the millions doled out by insolvent international banking conglomerates, I find it very hard to empathize with some dude because he'll have to buy a cheaper new car this year, especially when he also says that the bonus money goes to "lifestyle maintenance" and not "frivolity."

My friend, your lifestyle maintenance is frivolity. It's very hard to care about your "plight" when so many people have real problems.

Broke States

California is about to layoff 20,000 state employees, facing a $4 billion shortfall. Kansas is delaying mailing tax refund checks and may not be able to make payroll this week. My Kansas friends' Facebook statuses have been almost all something along the lines of "[name] hopes to receive a paycheck on Friday." My mom gets her pension from the state, too, so I hope she's not about to get hosed.

Meanwhile, in New York and countless other states (well, not countless, as there are only 47 others) governors and mayors are planning major cuts in government services because of an utter lack of cash.

I believe in paying taxes. I don't think government is the enemy, at least it's not supposed to be. The government is supposed to provide public services, and I believe that there is a fair way for the public to help pay for these services, which should be provided at no profit to the government. Maybe it's that my dad was a minister, but I very much have a "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" attitude toward taxes. Jesus said that, people. It's literally Gospel.

So this whole government-is-the-enemy-lower-taxes-at-all-costs attitude of the Republican Party (and - let's face it - many in the Democratic Party, too) drives me up a wall.

We're now seeing so-called pragmatic Republican governors such as Florida's Charlie Crist (an h short of Christ) and California's Arnold Schwarzeneggar (no letters short of anything) get behind Obama's stimulus package because they'll get some much-needed money on the local level. Apparently, most Senate and all House Republicans don't give a shit about their localities.

Taxes have been getting lowered, particularly for rich people and corporations, for decades. Um... I know I'm not an economist, but could it possibly be that the United States runs on deficits and cities and states are now totally broke because of this crazy anti-tax ideology that's taken over the policymakers at all levels of government?

Jesus hates you all.

Let 'Em Fail

No, I'm not an economist, so I don't know what would happen if the government didn't bail out the likes of Citigroup or JP Morgan or Bank of America. But when I read a story like this, I very much feel these companies should not only be allowed to fail, but we should actively put them out of business.

I'll just highlight the same part of the conversation that TPMMuckraker highlights in the article above:

Paul Kelleher: Yes, I'm calling to inform you that my mom died on the 24th of January.

Bank of America Estates representative: I'm sorry. Oh, it looks like she never even missed a payment. That's too bad. Well, how are you planning to take care of her balance?

PK: I'm not going to. She has no estate to speak of, but you should feel free to just go through the standard probate procedure. I'm certainly not legally obligated to pay for her.

BOA: You mean you're not going to help her out?

PK: I wouldn't be helping her out -- she's dead. I'd be helping you out.

BOA: Oh, that's really not the way to look at it. I know that if it were my mother, I'd pay it. That's why we're in the banking crisis we're in: banks having to write off defaulted loans.

At what point, do we politely interrupt their business model, and say, "No, no, no. Fuck you"?

Never Underestimate the Democrats' Ability to Blow It

So President Obama comes into office with higher approval ratings than Ronald Reagan and almost the highest ever (just shy of JFK). Our economy is in the crapper, and the masses have given the new president a mandate to do something - and do something big - about it.

As he promised, Barack Obama has "reached across the aisle" for Republican input, and continues to do so. What seems pretty clear to me, though, is that the Pubes have been in power so long with a our-way-or-no-way attitude toward governing that they don't understand what it means to negotiate anymore.

This is to be expected. What in the past eight years has demonstrated that they would behave differently?

But the Pubes are superb at PR. Soundbites. Lowest common denominators. Dumbing shit down. Black and white. Right and wrong. Simplicity is easy to remember and easy to believe.

So Rush and Fox News and right-wing Senators and Congress members are attacking. More tax cuts! Less spending! It's a handout! Pork! Some of the information is wrong, but it doesn't matter. The message is getting out. A poll (yes, I know, polls) out today actually shows that more people oppose than support the stimulus package.

The economy is in free fall, and once again, the Democrats can't get their shit together. Maybe it's Obama's role as party leader, but I tend to think that his job is to keep schmoozing. People really do want to see the President work in partnership.

During the House negotiation, Obama met with Republicans and actually said in a very nice way, "I hear you, but I debated these issues with John McCain throughout the campaign, and I won." That is, the people actually prefer his approach to the economy over the approach that's caused this meltdown in the first place.

Hear that? You fucking won! So where the hell are the attack dogs? Yo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid! Dick Durbin! Other Democratic leaders, particularly in the Senate! Speak up! Tell the Republicans to get the hell out of the way if they just want a Republican-looking bill. The Democratic Party approach is preferred by a majority of voters. Governors are desperate for the money, and even Republican Governors support the stimulus package.

I say call for a vote. If the Republicans threaten to filibuster, make them actually filibuster. Make them read from the fucking phonebook to demonstrate what they're willing to do to keep the economy in the crapper. Make them show the American people how far they'll go to kill more jobs, foreclose on more homes, bankrupt more cities and states.

Grow some balls, you feckless Democrats. The people of this country are on your side, even if they don't know it. Stop dicking around and pass this fucking thing.

You guys are an embarrassment.

Citi Is Shiti

Well, we saw this coming. After so much bad publicity (or in this case, publiCiti), Citigroup is thinking of backing out of its $400 million marketing deal with the New York Mets which, as we all know, includes naming rights to the new stadium, still currently called CitiField.

Imagine that: you're a large part of the reason the economy is in the crapper, you're totally insolvent, you receive billions in bailout funds, and you're surprised that people aren't buying the argument, "But it's not the same money!"

Man, I hate these Citiguys.

It's been a rough financial off-season for the Mets' owners, the Wilpon family. First, they lose a bundle in the Madoff scam. Now, their corporate sponsor might be pulling its millions out.

How in the hell are they expected to sign Manny Ramirez if they keep losing money at this rate? Oh, Wilpons. You poor, rich people.

Braddock

The Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl. For the people of Braddock, Pennsylvania, I don't know if it'll do much besides raise their spirits.

It's not as if the New York Times needs particular plugging, but this story on Braddock (along with the multimedia feature, which I also recommend) is fascinating and outstanding.

Braddock is twenty minutes from Pittsburgh. Depressed by the decline of the steel industry, it's mostly abandoned. But it also has a visionary mayor who's looking to turn it around. The mayor is also 6'8" and over 300 pounds. Visionary and noticeable.

The missus and I have been aware of Braddock for a couple of years. The whole thing is a very slow moving urban renewal project.

A friend of ours does some unofficial consulting for the mayor's office around tree planting, community gardens, and urban farming. He's even thinking of moving there (once his research trips in the rain forest are done) to start an urban organic farm that can serve the community. The mayor's right-hand man once called him with an urgent request: they found the means to get their hands on many, many trees for very, very cheap. And our friend told him what he should buy and where and how to plant them.

I've got absolutely no point to this posting except to say that you should check out the story and the video. It's absolutely fascinating.

And the name of the town rhymes with a delicious North Atlantic fish sometimes served breaded and fried with chips.

This Will Backfire

The Obama Stimulus Package passed in the House yesterday, but not one Republican voted for it, this after all of Obama's outreach and meetings and compromises and happy hours.

I got the news of its passage during an event hosted by The Nation and Air America media about the progressive movement's role in an Obama Administration. Shortly thereafter, an audience member asked Eli Pariser (executive director of MoveOn.org) if he thought that Obama put too much focus on bipartisanship with all of this outreach and meetings and compromises and happy hours.

Eli's answer was essentially this: Obama's bipartisanship was less about wooing Republican members of congress and more about wooing Republican voters in America. If he got their support, great, but he didn't really need it from a getting votes point-of-view.

Already, media pundits on the right are calling it a slap in the face to Obama or a failed attempt at bipartisanship.

But what President Obama did was demonstrate an ability to compromise with the opposition. He gave the Republican Party a chance to participate in (and even take some credit for) a massive stimulus plan. He let them be a part of something huge (and maybe not huge enough), and they chose to rebuff him.

The Republican arguments that I've heard against the stimulus package don't make any sense. (TPM is documenting them well.) It's not just that they're proposing proven-to-fail Hoover policies (don't spend money on anything and lower taxes on rich people); they don't seem to understand how anything works. One fella even said that we shouldn't invest in Amtrak because they don't turn a profit. Well, buster, that's not why you invest in Amtrak. You invest in Amtrak because it will provide jobs and improve infrastructure. Their profit is irrelevant to this economic mess.

Anyway, this will bite the Republican party in the ass. People want change. Hell, even Republican voters want change. Once they wake up to the fact that they're supporting a do-nothing party, well, they'll stop supporting them.

I think Obama should keep reaching out, keep inviting them to be a part of building something, and keep letting them rebuff him if they feel they must. It won't show that President Obama is a failure at bipartisanship. It will demonstrate the Republican Party's total irrelevance.

I Guess If It's the Only Way...

Some of you may have heard that here in the United States of America we just elected our first African-American president. His name is Barack Obama.

So once President Obama's term is up after four or eight years, will we go right back to white men? How about a woman? Maybe an Asian or Latino? How about an openly gay president? We've never had one of those.

(Obviously, we've had closeted gay presidents: James K. Polk was a particular flamer; William Howard Taft was a charter member of the Bear Club; and Andrew Jackson was overcompensating.)

What will it take? Well, if Iceland is any indication, it'll take a massive financial meltdown and full-on governmental collapse before an openly gay person will become the leader of a whole country.

From what I can understand (and let's face it: I don't really), Iceland's problems are like our problems in the United States on a healthy dose of steroids. George Mitchell worked on Major League Baseball's steroid report, and now he's the special envoy to the Middle East. And that has nothing to do with anything!

Maybe They Need Their Balls Back

Some of you may have heard of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC as it's usually referred to in the alphabet soup of governmental organizations.

The SEC has avoided the limelight for a very long time. But then Bernard Madoff with everyone's money! AAAAAH HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Who's to blame for the Madoff nightmare? The SEC, of course. Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike are pretty pissed that the SEC let this Bernard fella pull the wool over everyone's eyes without so much of a "Hey, whatchu doin', buddy?" from the SEC.

I'm not remotely an expert on the economy or regulation, massive fraud or the SEC, but I feel pretty safe jumping to the conclusion that, during our last (nearly) three decades of deregulation and widespread evisceration of governmental oversight bureaucracies, the Securities and Exchange Commission has lost any ability to do its job to the fullest extent of its theoretical power. I'm guessing the SEC is desperately understaffed, and I'd bet too that the people in charge are ideologues who support a complete lack of regulation and oversight. Just the people you want in charge of regulation and oversight.

Don't get me wrong: the SEC really screwed the pooch here. But the economic right-wing tends to use a failure of regulation to demonstrate the need to eliminate regulation altogether. I call horseshit on you, economic right-wing.

Instead, let's give the SEC a reverse Bris. Untie the tubes. De-castrate the poor bastards.

President Obama, please give the SEC its balls back.

That Sounds Like a Fine Idea

Over the past year or so, I've been reading about the Works Progress Administration, you know, the WPA, which was a government-sponsored program during the Great Depression that put millions of people to work. Not knowing too much about it, I began with some general overviews of the entire program and then I began to dive into specific information about the Federal Writers Project which, as you might guess, employed writers (including such greats as Saul Bellow, Zora Neal Hurston, and Richard Wright).

The Federal Writers Project published guides to every state and a guide to New York City (which was so much larger than other cities, it was treated as its own "state" bureaucratically). I came upon the New York City guide quite a few years ago at the Strand. It's fantastic. Not only is it a time capsule of Depression-era New York City, but it's also exceptionally well-written and thorough.

The WPA's Kansas Guidebook is no less impressive. There's topographical information about my home state I never knew (why, for example, corn is grown in the east and wheat is grown in the west), evolutionary information about why it looks so flat but is actually a ramp heading upwards toward the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and more. Like the New York City guide, it too is well-written and thorough.

There was much more to the Federal Writers Project than just the guidebooks (including oral history interviews with former slaves), but even at the time, the Project was full of controversy because so many writers, particularly the poor ones, had left-wing tendencies and frequent membership to the Communist Party.

The Writers Project was part of a quartet of arts-related projects that also included Federal Projects for music, theater, and fine art. You know, screw the dancers (actually, they were folded into the Federal Theater Project).

The Arts Projects employed a lot of artists and got them off public assistance. That seems pretty damned worthy to me.

So during this time of governmental transition, while Please-Be-President-Sooner Barack Obama puts together a stimulus package for green jobs, infrastructure improvements, and more, it's also an opportune time to present the idea of an Arts Stimulus Plan. Out of work, creative, white collar types need some economic stimulus too.

Fortunately, someone's on it. A good friend of mine is very active in that arena where the arts and politics collide, helping to advocate for health care for artists and more, and she's part of the group responsible for the petition for an Arts Stimulus Package.

They've got Michigan Representative John Conyers' ear, and he plans on putting this on President Obama's desk when he takes office. So follow that link above and sign the petition.

Let's get some out-of-work artists (is there any other kind? HAHAHAHA!) employed doing some art.

A Cuff? He's Only Got a Cuff?!

So this whole Bernard Madoff (pronounced "made off" much to the pleasure of the 24-hour news networks, which have taken us through enough "Madoff with billions" jokes to last a lifetime) story is old, and my comments are late. What are you gonna do? I'm busy.

It's a Ponzi Scheme! I had to look up "Ponzi Scheme" on Wikipedia because the elite media I read assumes I already know how it works. In case you, my readers, are as uninformed and ignorant as I am, a Ponzi Scheme has no relation to the Fonzie Scheme, in which Arthur Fonzarelli gets as many girlfriends as he can by banging his fist on the jukebox to get it to play a top hit of the 50s.

In a Ponzi Scheme, high returns are paid to investors with money from new investors coming in. That is, the money isn't actually earning any sort of yield. And like any pyramid scheme, Ponzi Schemes are destined to fail. So that's a very simple explanation and about all my bald head can absorb.

So Bernard Madoff with billions! AAAAH HA HA HAHAHAHAHA!

One of Madoff's (many) exceptionally wealthy investors was the Wilpon family. Fred and Jeff Wilpon are the father and son ownership of the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club.

As of this moment, the Wilpons are insisting that their personal losses won't affect their investment in the team. And indeed, Omar Minaya has already signed Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz (heh... Putz...) in recent weeks. But those signings occurred before Bernard Madoff with their millions! AAAAAAH HA HA HAHAHAHAHA!

I don't see how this won't affect the Mets. Minaya isn't done yet with his off-season moves, and it's the Wilpons who determine what he can spend.

Let's throw the fucking book at this Bernard Madoff. He's Madoff with the hopes of New York Mets fans. See? I'm not laughing. Meanwhile, he's sitting in the comfort of his goddamned penthouse apartment under house arrest with a cuff around his ankle, the Dickheaded Shitbird.

Alright... A modest proposal... The Mets new stadium is Citi Field. Since Citigroup got a massive bailout and much of the stadium has been built from government bonds, as far as I'm concerned, the new Shea is already owned by the people. The Wilpons have taken a bath, and although they say they're not looking to sell the team (which could well be their most solid investment), I think it's time we consider some new owners.

Let's look to the Green Bay Packers, a nonprofit, community-owned professional football team, the only such team in professional sports. The Mets are almost there unofficially anyway. Let's make it official. It's time for our local community to own the New York Mets.

Yeah, like that'll ever happen. Dammit.

Grr... Health Care Industry... Grr...

I'm a fortunate American with health insurance. One of the benefits of my job is that my employer kicks in to the kitty for a health plan for the lot of us. I'm very pleased with my doctor and have no complaints about my care.

It's also expensive. Even with the employer contribution, the missus and I are paying a bunch of money per month for our coverage. We had our annual meeting with the insurance rep, who consistently delivers bad news about costs. This coming year prices are going up more than 11%. So now the missus and I will be paying even more than a bunch of money per month.

The insurance rep told us that this increase is comparable to the 10-12% annual increases in costs for health care.

Imagine that: Health insurance costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation. I wonder if the for-profit model has anything to do with that.

So part of this Obama Mandate for Change includes reforming the health care industry. To continue the fun of his grassroots support system, the Obama campaign/administration is hosting Health Care House Parties! Woo-HOO! Par-TAY! I'm totally fucked up on health care!

Naturally, the health care industry wants in on these House Parties, so they're crashing, sending employees and satisfied customers to get in on the action.

If you love things the way they are and want to continue to pay more and more for less and less coverage so that shareholders get a bigger return on investment, join the health care industry's movement to crash the house parties!

I guess if these jokers want to argue for the status quo at Health Care House Parties, more power to them.

But this system is fucking bullshit. Mixing profit with matters of life and death... uh... not right.

Last year, when the missus and I had to take her father for an overnight visit to the hospital in Scotland, he had to fill out two forms that asked for name and address. That's it. Yes, he shared his room, but the care was outstanding and the facilities terrific. I tell you what: socialized medicine looked pretty goddamn good to me. No one profits off the man's unfortunate health.

Can we finally get a single-payer health care system in this country? Especially now that insurance plays such a large role in the demise of, say, the auto companies?

Now We Just Need Him to Get a New Nickname

Dude! The Mets have an agreement with Francisco Rodriguez! He's like a top-of-the-line closer! We're talking about a real pitcher in the bullpen! As opposed to this past year, when the Mets had nothing in their bullpen at all!

I really hate his nickname. K-Rod. Fucking stupid. K-Rod. Get it?? You see, there's this ballplayer named Alex Rodriguez, who has the nickname A-Rod. But Francisco Rodriguez is a pitcher, and in the score book, a strikeout is recorded as a "K," and since he strikes out a lot of people, he's K-Rod. That's right: his nickname is actually referential to a guy who plays for the team across town. Plus, it's fucking stupid.

But I feel pretty good about getting that arm in a Mets uniform.

Best of all, even after Frankie's salary, there's still $8 million a year left from the Citigroup sponsorship, now being guaranteed by the United States Government!

Between that and all the tax breaks and government bonds and public financing the new stadiums is getting, we've got ourselves a genuine socialist ballclub here in Queens.

Power to the people! Power to the Mets! Power to the people! Power to the Mets!

A Problem, a Solution, and a Problem

The Body Shop, a legendary (thanks to Motley Crue!) strip club in West Hollywood, had a major fire, putting it out of commission.

I have an irrational fear of fire the way that, say, some do of spiders or snakes. So I can only imagine that the strippers are hesitating to go back to work.

Well, thanks to the ever-resourceful British, they may not have to. That's right, B&E readers! Pole-dancing robots!

Of course, in today's economy, we've got something to fear more than fire itself: unemployment. And the last thing we need is for the entire service industry to be replaced by robots.

Strippers are part of the service industry, right?

Mets - An Off-Season Update

With all the Obama excitement, or "Obitement" as the kids like to call it, you three faithful B&E readers may have thought that I'd forgotten about my beloved, hapless New York Metropolitan Baseball Club. Alas, I have not.

The first no-brainer of the off-season was picking up the option on Carlos Delgado's contract for another year. There was nothing non-brainy about it until about halfway through this past season. Delgado was the Mets fan's go-to scapegoat (eat your heart out, Kaz Matsui) for about a year-and-a-half until June, when Delgado went on an offensive tear unparalleled in the league. At 36, he's still got it.

Otherwise, there's much rebuilding to be done, particularly in terms of the disastrous Mets bullpen. Mets GM Omar Minaya is seeking relief among Major League Baseball's corps of relievers.

So who will it be? Well, that Francisco Rodriguez had a hell of a year, although I suspect he's just got another couple of decent seasons in him before he becomes yet another Kaz Matsui. And K-Rod, the dumbest nickname for a pitcher ever, will be commanding a giant contract over many years.

There are a handful of other terrific options out there, too, but my heart is set on one man in particular...

That man is J.J. Putz, recently of the Seattle Mariners. Really, I just want an excuse to scream, "You Putz!" at ballgames all season long.

Yes, there will be excitement at the new Shea Stadium, which I'm not ready to call CitiField, although Bailout Ballfield or U.S. Treasury Stadium might work. And I see no reason why the Mets shouldn't have a pitcher whose name means penis in Yiddish.

It'll be particularly compelling on Jewish Heritage Night during International Week.

Heh. They Said, "Huge Package."

You really gotta love the many rumors flying in anticipation of an Obama Administration. Who's in what cabinet position? Will Hillary play nice?

The big stories and rumors have mostly to do with the economic meltdown, of course. And my favorite rumor to date is that Obama's planning a much larger stimulus package than what was ever mentioned during the campaign. Yes, this is an idea I'm quite keen on.

Democrats made the rounds on the Sunday Shows talking about how we need a huge package.

And let's face it: no one knows the need for a huge package more than the balls-free Democratic Party. So all this talk of cojones is very welcome from a Party that had the tiniest package ever when it came to standing up to the Bush Administration.

I tell you what: if Obama is bold and ballsy, he could end up the Greatest President Ever.

Let's hear it for a huge package!

It's a Good Use for the Money

For a mere $400 million Citigroup bought the naming rights to the Mets' new stadium for the next 20 years.

Well, after being hit by $65 billion in losses, Citigroup appears to be the next in line for a governmental bailout.

But hey, no worries: even with the missing billions, Citigroup is going to hold onto its massive name and sponsorship deal with the Mets. I mean, hell, Citigroup doesn't have $65,000,000,000; so it's not like they're going to have $65,400,000,000.

Citigroup will almost certainly get its bailout. That Robert Rubin placement within the Obama transition team must feel like a pretty good insurance policy.

But let's get to the important stuff. Can the government bail out the disaster that has been the Mets recent late-season meltdowns? Maybe if the US Government owns Citigroup and the naming rights to the stadium, they'll give it the name it should've had all along: Jackie Robinson Field.

Or hell, what about a name referencing another racial barrier that's being broken these days? Barack Obama Field!

Hope, Change, Mets! Hope, Change, Mets! Hope, Change, Mets!

Yeah, We Might, George Stephanopolopoloupolus

This morning on George Stephanoploupoloulopoulus' round table, they were discussing potential Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers. I waited for someone - anyone - to discuss how as Treasury Secretary under Clinton, Summers had a lot to do with deregulation in the late 1990s.

All four members of the round table spoke of Summers as a positive choice. They didn't defend what he said about ladies (cute as they are) not understanding science the way that men do, but they dismissed it as a stupid hangup by critics.

OK, maybe, but what about this whole deregulation thing he oversaw as Treasury Secretary. No one said anything, until George Stephanopolopolouloupoulus, in the process of changing the discussion topic said something offhandedly like, "Some liberal Democrats might ask tough questions about deregulation."

Yeah, we might. And everyone should, no? Other than the right-wing racists who want to blame the housing crisis on ACORN and the poor black people with mortgages, hasn't pretty much every economist worth just about anything cited deregulation as the primary cause of our current economic meltdown? I mean, hell, even Alan Greenspan had a "Well, who knew that greed would keep people from protecting these corporations?" mea culpa.

Lawrence Summers might be the smartest man on earth, and I'm sure he understands many things about economics I never will. But he was also desperately wrong in the late 1990s. If he's renamed Treasury Secretary, it'll be like Bill Kristol, the pundit most wrong about just about everything he's ever said on television, continuing to get punditry and editorial jobs.

Shit. Lawrence Summers is totally gonna be Secretary of the Treasury.

Anyway, George Stephanopoloupolupolupous, I was very disappointed that you didn't have a voice on your round table who was willing to point out that Summers was so catastrophically wrong in the 1990s.

But then there's Robert Reich, who had a fine little ditty on TPM today. In the article he discusses what he sees as the best remedy for getting us out of our economic funk. And he does a nice job of explaining some basic ideas in terms economic dolts like myself can understand.

As Reich says, he's one of those economic advisers working with the Obama transition team, but I sure hope that his need to publish his thoughts doesn't indicate that his point of view is getting overshadowed in the private sessions.