Bush To Nations Poor Children - Screw You

Why is it that there is never a question about the Iraq War being too expensive?

President Bush again called Democrats "irresponsible" on Saturday for pushing an expansion he opposes to a children's health insurance program.

"Democrats in Congress have decided to pass a bill they know will be vetoed," Bush said of the measure that draws significant bipartisan support, repeating in his weekly radio address an accusation he made earlier in the week. "Members of Congress are risking health coverage for poor children purely to make a political point."

In the Democrat's response, also broadcast Saturday, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell turned the tables on the president, saying that if Bush doesn't sign the bill, 15 states will have no funding left for the program by the end of the month.

At issue is the Children's Health Insurance Program, a state-federal program that subsidizes health coverage for low-income people, mostly children, in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private coverage. It expires Sept. 30.

This President is an immoral fool. Health care for poor and lower income children is bad but no bid contracts for Halliburton and Blackwater are neccessary. Where is his outrage when it is proven that Halliburton has overcharged the American taxpayer? Where is his outrage that $9 billion dollars is missing in Iraq? Where is his outrage that after billions have been spent on reconstruction that cholera is now in Baghdad as a result of unclean water? Where is his outrage that after billions of dollars in contracts, they still have nearly no electricity in most parts of Iraq? Where is his outrage after his close friend Ray L. Hunt sealed a deal for Iraqi Oil.

President Bush is the WORST damn President in our history. His corruption knows no bounds. I dare him to veto this bill and tell the nations poor children that they mean nothing to him. He is no better than the corrupt despots he rails against and in some ways he is worse. January 2009 can not come soon enough for the American people and for the rest of the world who see this fool for what he is - an incompetent corrupt sociopath.

How Bush Became The New Saddam

Read this article from Canada's Maclean Magazine.

Cholera Hits Baghdad

The benefits of the U.S. occupation keep growing for the Iraqi people.

More than 1,500 people have cholera in Iraq and the outbreak has spread from the north to Baghdad, where conditions are ripe for the disease to thrive, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

Some 29,000 cases of acute watery diarrhoea have been reported by Iraqi authorities since mid-August, including 1,500 confirmed as cholera, the United Nations health agency said. At least 10 people have died, all in the north.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said a 25-year-old woman in Baghdad has contracted cholera, the first confirmed case in the Iraqi capital.

"For the time being, we have only one case (in Baghdad). It's likely that others will be identified," Chaib told a news briefing. She said the woman was in a Baghdad hospital and two other people with suspected symptoms were under investigation.

Claire-Lise Chaignat, the WHO's global cholera coordinator, said poor sanitary conditions could cause the disease to spread in Baghdad, home to some 7 million people.

"It's already an epidemic in the north. It is very worrying because parts of Baghdad have fragile water and sanitation systems due to the conflict. Pockets of the population are at high risk," the Swiss expert told Reuters.

These people have no clean water, not enough electricity and then we wonder why they hate us. They were better under Saddam Hussein. Having to say that and knowing it is true makes me sick. We destroyed a country and its people by choice.

Giuliani - Balance a Tax Cut With More Tax Cuts

This is Republican economics, tax cuts to offset the tax cuts.

Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Friday that the alternative minimum tax — which is expected to generate as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years — could be eliminated by balancing it out with even more tax cuts.

Giuliani's remarks prompted a bewildered response from his audience of technology executives. Both Republicans and Democrats said they assumed that the candidate must have misspoke as he responded to a question about the tax and its affect the middle class.
Giuliani left the speech without taking questions from reporters. His campaign did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The alternative minimum tax, or AMT, was enacted in 1969 to ensure that a handful of wealthy taxpayers could not exploit a series of loopholes to avoid paying any income taxes.

This man is not ready to be the President of anything. He is a worthless tool who either is too stupid to understand economics or more likely is just pandering to the right wing base which assumes that God will provide for everything so why have taxes.

The Dollar Keeps Tumbling

That loud sound you hear is the thud of the declining dollar.

For the first time since Gerald Ford was president, the loonie can buy as much as the greenback. The U.S. dollar's recent decline against the Canadian dollar, the euro, and even the Indian rupee, means Americans will pay more for imports and trips to Paris, Rome, Bangalore and Toronto. It also may drive overseas demand for U.S. goods and help raise profits at U.S. multinational corporations.

The U.S. dollar reached 1-to-1 parity against the Canadian dollar Thursday for the first time since November 1976. That means one Canadian dollar now buys one U.S. dollar, so a bottle of maple syrup could cost an American as much in Toronto as it does in New York.

Do you think that this does not matter, then think again. A weak dollar means eventually interest rates will need to be raised to offset the lower value of the dollar. Without that it will be hard to sell U.S. bonds and finance our debt. This is the result of economic policies rooted in politics instead of public policy. When the economy falls flat --- and it will --- this will be one of the major reasons. The Federal Reserve rate cut this week is beginning to look more like a desperate measure to head off a deeper recession than we are being led to believe. That is just my opinion but I have been right about most of my predictions so far.

This Is How The Republicans Support The Troops

Senate Republicans Block Bill on Iraq Combat Tours Doesn't that title just warm your heart? The Republicans could care less about the troops. What further proof do you need?

Democrats' efforts to challenge President Bush's Iraq policies were dealt a demoralizing blow Wednesday in the Senate after they failed to scrape together enough support to guarantee troops more time at home.

The 56-44 vote _ four short of reaching the 60 needed to advance _ all but assured that Democrats would be unable to muster the support needed to pass tough anti-war legislation by year's end. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., was seen as the Democrats' best shot because of its pro-military premise.

"The idea of winning the war in Iraq is beginning to get a second look," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who led opposition to the bill alongside Sen. John McCain.

Webb's legislation would have required that troops spend as much time at home training with their units as they spend deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Members of the National Guard or Reserve would be guaranteed three years at home before being sent back.

They require 60 votes to stop a filibuster and the Democrats fell four short. One of those siding with the Republicans was Joe Lieberman. The people of Connecticut should be ashamed of themselves that they sent this worthless piece of garbage back to the Senate. Our troops and their families are being destroyed by ever longer tours of duty. This amendment would have allowed them equal time at home. If the Republicans are the party of family values how could they block this legislation?

I have heard the Randi Rhodes of Air America state "If they show you who they are believe them." This is who they are!! Actions speak louder than words. Remember that when you go to vote.

August Foreclosure Filings Highest Since Jan 05

Foreclosure filings rose 36 percent in August from July and 115 percent from a year ago, hit by declines in once-hot housing markets such as California, Nevada and Florida, according to a report released on Tuesday.

RealtyTrac's U.S. Foreclosure Market Report found the number of foreclosure filings in August -- default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- was 243,947, the highest since it began its monthly report in January 2005, just months before the housing boom peaked.

That translates into one foreclosure filing in August for every 510 households, also a high for the RealtyTrac report.

"The jump in foreclosure filings this month might be the beginning of the next wave of increased foreclosure activity, as a large number of subprime adjustable rate loans are beginning to reset now," James Saccacio, RealtyTrac's chief executive, said in statement.

Will the Federal Reserve rate cut help homeowners who are close to foreclosure? The answer is probably no since many banks have raised their underwriting standards and whatever equity these homeowners had has evaporated with the housing price decline. This will make many of them unable to qualify for any loan.

Federal Reserve Cuts Fed Funds Rate

The Federal Reserve lowered a key interest rate by a more than expected 50 basis points. That move sent the Dow Jones and all other indices soaring.

Stocks rallied Tuesday after the Federal Reserve cut a key short-term interest rate by a half-percentage point, reassuring investors that it was taking aggressive action amid the credit and mortgage market meltdown.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 335 points, or around 2.5 percent, according to early tallies. The broader S&P 500 index gained around 2.9 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 2.7 percent. The Russell 2000 small-cap index gained almost 4 percent.

Was this sort of exuberance warranted? I woulod think a bold move like this would indicate that the Federal Reserve realizes that the credit problems and the subprime mortgage mess may be worse than previously thought.

Just a few months back the Federal Reserve felt that inflationary pressures were the greatest risk to the economy. A move like this shows they are willing to deal with inflationary issues if it keeps the economy from tipping into recession. Will this move be enough to calm the jittery markets?

This could be helpful for many families facing foreclosure who may now be able to afford the new payments on their loans once they are adjusted. Will enough families be helped to stop the slide in the real estate market? My guess is no. Only time will tell but tomorrow may show that traders realized after the closing bell that the steep cut wasn't reason to rejoice but reason to worry.

Blackwater Asked To Leave Iraq

Blackwater, the private military company was asked to leave Iraq after a shoot out in Mansour that left civilians dead.

The Iraqi government has ordered employees of the North Carolina-based security firm Blackwater USA to leave the country and is opening a criminal investigation following Sunday’s deadly shootout in Mansour, during which a group of Blackwater contractors escorting a convoy of U.S. officials opened fire on nearby civilians.

Just who is Blackwater and how did they get such lucrative U.S. contracts? Watch this short film and learn how your tax dollars are being used to develop a private army whose goal is profit and where deaths of soldiers and civilians is just a business expense.

Is Israel Helping the U.S. Create A Case For War With Iran?

Israelis ‘blew apart Syrian nuclear cache’

IT was just after midnight when the 69th Squadron of Israeli F15Is crossed the Syrian coast-line. On the ground, Syria’s formidable air defences went dead. An audacious raid on a Syrian target 50 miles from the Iraqi border was under way.

At a rendezvous point on the ground, a Shaldag air force commando team was waiting to direct their laser beams at the target for the approaching jets. The team had arrived a day earlier, taking up position near a large underground depot. Soon the bunkers were in flames.

Ten days after the jets reached home, their mission was the focus of intense speculation this weekend amid claims that Israel believed it had destroyed a cache of nuclear materials from North Korea.

The Israeli government was not saying. “The security sources and IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] soldiers are demonstrating unusual courage,” said Ehud Olmert, the prime minister. “We naturally cannot always show the public our cards.”

Why was nuclear materials headed for Syria? Were these really nuclear materials or is this part of a propaganda campaign to get the American people ready for a third war with a Muslim country.

But why would nuclear material be in Syria? Known to have chemical weapons, was it seeking to bolster its arsenal with something even more deadly?

Alternatively, could it be hiding equipment for North Korea, enabling Kim Jong-il to pretend to be giving up his nuclear programme in exchange for economic aid? Or was the material bound for Iran, as some authorities in America suggest?

Can you see the subtle way Iran is being implicated in this supposed shipment? Can we believe our own government? Just having to ask that question shows how distrust for our current government runs deep. I know I am not the only one with questions. Isn't it just a bit too coincidental that just days after this supposed raid, the President in a prime time address ratcheted up the militaristic talk about Iran?

The American people need to be aware that they are being played to support a war that could make Iraq look like a trip to Disney World.

The End Of Oil

A small - but growing - group of experts think world oil production will peak in the next few years, to devastating effect.

At some point in the near future, worldwide oil production will peak, then decline rapidly, causing depression-like conditions or even the starvation of billions across the globe.

That's the worst-case scenario for subscribers to the "peak oil" theory, who generally believe oil production has either topped out or will do so in the next couple of years.

With growing world demand in places such as India and China and a decrease in supply, at the very least we are looking at economic upheaval not seen on such a large scale in world history.

Richard Heinberg, a research fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and author of three books on peak oil says world production of regular crude oil actually peaked in May 2005. He also says production in 33 of the 48 largest oil producing countries is in decline, and that global oil discoveries peaked in 1964.

Most importantly, he says reserves in the Middle East, where EIA predicts the bulk of new supply will come from, have been "systematically overstated."

"Everyone just takes their figures at face value," Heinberg said. "But they are national oil companies, they can't be audited."

Instead of production ramping up to 118 million barrels per day, Heinberg sees a plateau over the next few years, then gradual declines beginning in 2010.

By 2015, he says the rate of decline will accelerate as field after field runs dry and few new supplies are found. By 2030, the world could be looking at powering its economy on 30 million barrels a day.

"It's going to be an enormous shock to the global system," said Heinberg. "We're talking something on the order of the Great Depression, perhaps much worse."

The Bush administration has done nothing to move us to alternate sources of energy in fact they have started a war to steal the resources of another nation. Alan Greenspan, the former head of the Federal Reserve has said that the prime motive for the war in Iraq was oil. Where is the leadership on this issue? As long as Big Oil has friends in high places, people will keep dying over oil and the world will move ever closer to economic devastation.

We ignore "Peak Oil" and the discovery of new energy sources at our own peril.