I'm Still Here

I realized that I haven't blogged in awhile, as tends to happen sometimes. But I think this is my longest period of inaction yet, 10 days since my last post. My apologies, I've just been very busy with the program that I'm in. I had two exams last week, and a very difficult assignment to hand in. But thankfully that's past, and the semester is almost over. So hopefully I'll have some more time to devote to blogging, which I have missed terribly.

So as a result, I haven't been able to keep up with happenings here and around the globe. Gas prices continue to climb, and it downright scares me what it's doing to food supply. There are already shortages due to the climbing prices. There have been riots in other countries, and here, I believe that places like Sam's Club are rationing items like rice. There's a certain limit you can buy.

Another thing is that the "scandal" surrounding Obama's minister, Wright, has resurfaced. The more I see these kinds of news items, the more I feel that the media is going to do to Obama what they did to Gore in 2000. Back then, they skewered Gore over all these supposedly outrageous things that he said. Like he helped to "invent" the Internet, that he was the inspiration for Love Story, etc. Of course, it turned out later that he was either misquoted, or that in fact, he wasn't that far off. I believe that the writer of "Love Story" had stated that Gore did inspire "Love Story." But I don't know, it was a long time ago. I just remembered the media just did not like Gore and pulverized him every chance they got. But they loved Dubya though.

So I feel they're doing the same thing to Obama, with Reverend Wright and the "bitter" comment replacing Gore's so-called claims. To this point, it's barely made a dent in his popularity. No one outside of Beltway media was offended by the whole "bitter" thing, in fact, many agreed with it. And why shouldn't they? If working-class voters are not bitter over their living standards declining and their opportunties limiting over the years, there's something wrong with them. And now Hillary's saying that Obama is "out of touch" with working-class voters. That might well be the case, but what makes her in touch? One went to Harvard, the other to Yale. They're pretty much the same person, if you ask me.

And what did Reverend Wright say that outraged everyone so, and which prompted Obama to distance himself from Wright, after initially defending him last month? He again said that the U.S. government is responsible for HIV. I'm not an expert, I really don't know how HIV and AIDS came about, but he also said that we were behind Tuskagee (I spelled that wrong, I'm pretty sure). And he's right, if our government was behind that, how can we dismiss his belief on how HIV was devised, on its face?

And what drew the most fire, was when he talked about terrorism, and how when we've committed so much of it, it's only a matter of time before it comes to our doorstep (i.e., 9/11). And the media's up in arms about his statement that we've committed acts of terrorism. Which, of course, is a ridculous statement by Wright. Just look at our foreign policy record after World War II, and all the interventions that we took part in. All the influencing and downright overthrows of governments the world over who didn't see things in the same light as our government.

I'm sure most people would find Wright's comment offensive, because no one is more ignorant about U.S. foreign policy than the average American. It may be considered a stretch to refer to our foreign policy as "terrorist", but his overall premise was right, IMO. Why do you feel radical Islamists don't come after, say, Switzerland? The fact that they don't have military bases in their homeland might have something to do with it.

The Pentagon's Hidden Hand

I always like reading lengthy pieces of first-rate journalism, and this article from Fridays' Times is exactly that. It's about the military "analysts" that you see on TV. They're paid by the networks to give their "opinion" on the war. But these same analysts often have business interests that stand to profit from wars like the one in Iraq. Also, they're coached by the Pentagon on how to respond to questions about the war.

This is nothing new. I read this excellent book a few years ago, it was published a year or so after the beginning of the war. I'm at a loss as to what it was called, I thought it was called "Weapons of Mass Distraction", but couldn't find it on Amazon. But anyway, alternative media has reported on this. As much as the Times has published this great piece, they've been as guilty as any other mainstream media outlet for marching in line and parroting Bush's talking points.

But anyway, read this article if you have the time.

Dear Mr. Bernanke

I usually don't post an entry from someone else's blog in its entirety, but this is simply too good, I have to make an exception. Contemplation of Preponderance is one of my favorite blogs to read, you really should check it out. This is a letter to Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Fed, on the recent bailout of Bear Stearns. And yes, it is a "bailout", I don't care what Bernanke says.


Dear Mr. Bernanke,
I've written several politicians and a few unelected officials, and now it's your turn. Please forgive me for not writing sooner. I think, perhaps, I could have helped. You have defended your decision regarding Bear Stearns and stated the action of the Feds was not a "bail out," but rather an action that had to occur to prevent the collapse of this huge financial presence. Your statement, as I read it in the news, indicates the entire economy would have been shaken if Bear Stearns had declared the bankruptcy that was imminent by the middle of March of this year. I realize I am not a math major, nor do I have a doctorate in economics, but . . . if Bear Stearns was at the point of bankruptcy and the stock value had plummeted from $60.00 a share to $2.00 a share, the fact of the matter regarding Bear Stearns is Bear Stearns became insolvent and unstable. Your response was a simple matter of printing more money to "strengthen" the weakened, nearly dead financial institution. The problem is, printing money and giving it to another financial entity to bail out the bankrupt bank, doesn't change the fact that the investment bank was bankrupt. And while we are discussing investments and rescue, please let me introduce you to the man on the street, not Wall Street, but simply the man that is trying to keep his investment called his home, and his stability called his job, and his security called a stable economy. Why does Bear Stearns merit so much more assistance to the tune of $250 billion? How many home mortgages would that amount of money helped save? Why do the tax payers have to keep working without hope of light at the end of the tunnel to fund the stability of Wall Street? Why, as an economist, can you not see that Wall Street has become a place of investing in money rather than investing in products or a stable economy? Wall Street is not funded to simply keep the economy in perpetual motion and you know, dropping the interest rates, and funding the big banks is nothing more than bringing the game of MONOPOLY to economic reality. The only difference Mr. Bernanke, between printing money for JP Chase & Morgan Co. to purchase Bear Stearns and counterfeiting, is the fact that you have been appointed to say it's legal to print money. The interest rates have plummeted, the value of the average American's investments have dropped dramatically, and you are not choosing to use the term "recession," while the rest of us are living the reality. The fact that you are not using the term "recession" makes me wonder one of two things. Are we already passed the point of recession and living the beginning of the "D" word, Depression . . . or are you simply out of touch with the common concerns and problems of the average American? Are you aware of the financial impact of filling a gas tank? Do you have any idea of the sticker shock, that continues weekly at the grocery store? Since you have spared Bear Stearns, to spare the rest of us, just when will that gracious decision to indirectly rescue the rest of us, by financing the purchase of Bear Stearns affect the average American in a positive economical way?
Thank you for your time and attention in this matter.
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. a Proverb of Holy Scripture

We have the worst income inequality in the nation

A new study from the Economic Policy Institute has a state-by-state analysis of income trends. According to them, New York has the worst income inequality of all 50 states. The top 5% of income-generating families make 15.4 times the income of the bottom 20 percent of families. I'm sure that we're probably in good company, as in many states aren't that far off from us, but still, not a distinction to be proud of. Here is the link:

Main page, with links to all 50 states and their measure of inequality among the richest and poorest families: http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/studies_pulling_apart_2008

Vote Ian for the North Babylon Library Board

Ian Wilder, a friend of the blog, is running for a position on the North Babylon Library's board. So, if anyone who visits here happens to live in the Babylon area, please consider voting for him at the library on April 15th. His letter is below.


Dear Friend,

As you may know, I am running for North Babylon Library Board. If you could take just a minute to forward this email to someone you know who lives there, it would help me immensely. In a library board election, the number of people who vote is small enough that just a few additional votes can make all the difference. I would ask that you send this email to a friend, so that they can come out to vote for me on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 between 1pm - 9pm at the North Babylon Library, 815 Deer Park Avenue, North Babylon, NY.

In addition to my community activism work, I have done other non-profit work. I am in my second term as the Treasurer for my co-op, Fairfield Commons. Being on the co-op board has made me want to be connected to the larger North Babylon community by joining the library board. The work I have done for the co-op is similar to the functions of a library board member: making the library budget, making library hiring decisions; overseeing library expenditures; and setting library policy.

I have also served on a number of other nonprofit boards: Amityville Chamber of Commerce; The Other Economic Summit/USA; and Homecoming, Coming Home to Long Island. As an attorney, I have been called upon to occasionally advise other nonprofits.

Again, the election is on April 15, 2008 from 1-9pm at the North Babylon Library. I would really appreciate if you could get your friends here to come down to pull the lever for me. I can always be contacted at this email (ian.wilder@yahoo.com) or 631-422-4702.

Thank you
Ian Wilder

Consumer Confidence Crashes

Consumer confidence has dropped to a new low of 29.5, the lowest since the index began six years ago. This is a good article that shows the areas that are hitting consumers hard and keeping them from spending. Key are the continued slashing of jobs and the rising prices of gas. News 12 was on when I was eating breakfast this morning, and the business reporter was talking about how Linens and Things is filing for Chapter 11, some airline's going bankrupt, Bed Bath and Beyond got their credit rating downgraded, and he said that the one "bright light" is that credit card companies like Mastercard are reporting higher-than-expected earnings. One of the reporters then asked him, "how can that be considered a bright light, if that means that more people are using their credit cards to pay for a pack of gum?"

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Every now and again, I make a great find. I was in Target earlier, just picking up the necessaries (and a few luxeries, although I had to put some back due to my money crunch and the economy). On my way out, I looked in the DVD section for the hell of it. I'm a big-time DVD hound, but I haven't bought many of them lately. I go to the library a lot and take out DVD's from there, so I don't spend a lot of time with my own. Anyway, I see the usual suspects, they always tend to have the same selection. I was kind of looking for a movie I saw recently, I Heart Huckabee's, which I really liked. I didn't see it, but my mind guided me there for a reason. In the comedy section, there was one copy (yes, just one) of one of my favorite comedies: a gem called "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" (1989) with Gene Wilder and the late Richard Pryor. They made 3 movies together (4 if you count "Another You", which I heard was terribly awful, and Pryor was already stricken with the effects of MS at that time if I recall correctly), and everyone talks about "Stir Crazy" and "Silver Streak" as their pinnacle. "SNEHNE" is kind of like the black sheep, and that's a shame, as I think it's hillarious.

So many great laughs in this one. Pryor and Wilder work very well off each other. As a terrific bonus, you'll see Kevin Spacey in one of his first roles, and he has a horrible European accent. It was just released on DVD last year, and regrettably, it's bare-bones. No special features or deleted scenes. But it's still well worth the money, I got it for 8 dollars, you probably won't see it for more than ten. If you do, get it, you won't regret it.