This Just in:

BBC news reports:

Australian scientists found the suicide rate in the country increased significantly when a Conservative government was in power.
And an analysis of figures in the UK seems to suggest a similar trend.
The Australian team analysed suicide statistics for New South Wales between 1901, when the federal government was established, and 1998.

They then looked at the political regimes dominating both state and federal governments in New South Wales, which have consistently been under either Labour or Conservative control.
The researchers took into account periods of drought and World War II, because of their economic and psychological impact.

Suicide rates were higher during periods of drought and lower during WWII.
But after adjusting for these factors, the figures clearly showed the highest rates of suicide occurred when both Conservative state and federal governments were in power.

Conversely, the lowest rates occurred when state and federal governments were both Labour.
Middle aged and older people were most at risk.
When the Conservatives ruled both state and federal governments, men were 17% more likely to commit suicide than when Labour was in power. Women were 40% more likely to kill themselves.

Overall, they say, the figures suggest that 35,000 people would not have died had the Conservatives not been in power, equivalent to one suicide for every day of the 20th century or two for every day that the Conservatives ruled. (Since overpopulation contributes to the rapid depletion of natural resources . . . I may have to start voting Republican. )

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This just in: During the Senate confirmation hearing of Obamas choice for Attorney General:

Eric Holder was asked by Patrick Lahey if water boarding was "torture". Mr. Holder, mentioned that water boarding was defined as torture by the Geneva convention. It was torture when it was used in the Inquisitions, when it was used by the Camir Rouge, and it was considered torture when American soldiers were accused of doing it in Vietnam. So, yes our Attorney General to be says that water boarding is torture. And when he was asked if a president can issue pardons in order to avoid prosecution, Mr Holder said that no one is above the law. I can't confirm this but it has been reported that Rumsfeld, Cheney, Bush and several representatives who were briefed about the water boarding of prisoners, collectively shit their pants.

As of late Bush and Cheney have admitted in television interviews to having had knowledge of, giving the go ahead to, and yes even ordering the water boarding of Guantanamo detainees as well as those held in Abu Ghraib. While they both take exception to the term "torture" and only refer to it as , "enhanced interrogation techniques", a rose by any other name . . .

A problem with the confirmation of Holder is that several of the Representatives who will have a vote in his confirmation may very well be under investigation by the justice department Holder will be running. Several of the Senators had knowledge of the torture making them complicit in the crime. Oh what a tangled web we weave . . .

I'd like to challenge these despots to endure one week (not years as they've subjected people to)of their enhanced interrogation techniques. Stress positions that must be held for hours, sleep deprivation brought about by bright lights and high decibel music blasting into your cell, having to endure extreme temperature changes, electric shock and don't forget water boarding. ( After WWII a few Japanese soldiers were convicted of water boarding American PoWs and were subsequently put to death.)

It sickens me that the very country that fought for and helped author the articles in the Geneva convention was taken over by self proclaimed "pro life" politicians who sanctioned torture and through their actions, slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians. (Including women and children) Thrusting our country into an illegal war and subsequent occupation because of their greed, sociopathic arrogance, and lies.

General George Washington demanded that every captured British soldier be treated well, even the colonists who were loyal to King George and not the Revolution. The reasoning is two fold: It helps ensure decent treatment of American POWs and taking the moral high ground helps to win hearts and minds.

It isn't revenge I'm looking for rather it's justice. How can we as a country ever be taken seriously by the World's nations if we just look the other way? I know president elect Obama wants to look forward and not dwell on the past but, sweeping the past 7 years under the rug is simply not an option. At the very least a very public record must be made of the accusations of the crimes. Ford was wrong to pardon Nixon. Clinton was wrong to not have pursued Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal. Ignoring these abuses of power only hurts this country and all but encourages future abuses. I doubt seriously that anyone high up will serve a day in a prison, (On the contrary we just prosecuted and imprisoned low ranking service men and women who were following orders and if not for their need to photograph their exploits would have probably been given medals of freedom. Instead their Polaroids turned them into scape goats for Rumsfeld and Cheney.) and it seems very likely that "W" will be granting blanket pardons before he leaves office. The guilty will skate but not without first having to accept a presidential pardon in order to avoid legal action. That in itself is an admission of guilt. So, the international court of law and opinion will have that on the record. It will be fun to see how the Right wing pundits spin those pardons.

DaG Out

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Cutting Taxes Hurts Our Economy.

Here's a lie. Well, more accurately a misleading statement. "When ever an administration cuts taxes the tax revenue goes up." Right wing pundits tell us that as well as staunch conservatives. What is conveniently left out of the statement is the fact that tax revenues have gone up every single year since they were instituted. The reason? As the population continues to grow so does the tax revenue. If you cut taxes, revenue goes up. If you increase taxes revenue goes up. If you leave them alone, revenue goes up. Get it? It's not that the conservative right is lying necessarily, it's just that they aren't giving you all the facts.

So you say, " If you raise taxes on the big corporations' profits, they'll just raise the prices of their goods in order to pay them." Yup, they will a little but, go back and check out the history of annual inflation. Companies raise prices whether or not they are being taxed at a higher rate. Notice that from FDR up until Reagan took office taxes on the rich were very high. When corporations and the wealthy's profits were highly taxed, it caused them to re-invest their profits into their companies. This in turn expanded their businesses, created more jobs, and helped keep our economy healthy. After Reagan's tax cuts Corporations and the very wealthy took their untaxed profits out of their companies, put them into Market speculation and Swiss bank accounts. They did not create jobs or expand their businesses, (at least not in the U.S.) rather they significantly downsized their domestic workforce and exported jobs overseas, ultimately contributing to the decline in our economy. In addition, when corporations and for that matter the middle class get huge tax cuts, we see a decline in workers salaries. Let me explain: If you work for $10 an hour and after taxes you only get $8 an hour. Your employer understands that you will work for $8 an hour if you weren't taxed. So if there is a 20% reduction in taxes your employer would not be a very good business person if he kept you at 10 when he can get people to work that same job for $8. Wages either slowly decrease over a period of time as we've seen in the automobile manufacturing industry, or rapidly decrease by firing and re-hiring workers who will work for less. The middle class takes it in the rear. Welcome to the Milton Friedman's deranged wacky wet dream called Free Market capitalism. That by the by has failed miserably wherever it was put in place. (See Chile during the Pinochet regime)

Now don't misunderstand me, along with taxes comes the responsibility of those with the purse strings to invest in our country. Before everything had to be deregulated and privatized, our government used to invest in our infrastructure. We built sewage systems, schools, Dams, highways, and college education was affordable. We invested in research and development especially in the field of science. Over the past thirty years, the wealthy have reaped the benefits of deregulation and tax cuts while the middle class has been systematically robbed of their wealth by deregulation and tax cuts. By wealth I mean, equity in their home, company sponsored health care, and their pension plans. All of which have all but disappeared and now we find ourselves facing the worst economic times since the last Republican Great Depression.
It was the conservative Republican Herbert Hoover and his robber baron buddies who lowered taxes and deregulated anything and everything allowing mergers and monopolies that threw us into the first depression. It took FDR and his new deal to pull us out of it. He raised taxes and invested in infrastructure that put people back to work. Within a year of instituting some of his programs the unemployment rate went down 9%. That is an astounding figure when you consider that in 1935 unemployment was a staggering 25% in 1933.

Now are Tax and Spend a liberal policies a panacea? No, it isn't perfection. There are still those corrupted politicians who will attach ear marks and practice wasteful spending but IMHO it's a damn sight better than the corporate welfare we're on the hook for now. The amount of tax payer money spent on "Liberal social programs" you know the rant: Welfare mothers, funding for the Arts, etc. etc. All of those combined pale in comparison to the $750 billion + the tax payers are on the hook for so that Billionaires won't loose any of their investments. (FDIC only insures $250,000 of your bank savings. Billionaires have a shit load more than that in their bank.)

JFK pushed through that tax increase to take us back toward FDR/Truman/Eisenhower revenue levels, and we continued to build infrastructure in the US, and even put men on the moon. Health care and college were cheap and widely available. Working people could raise a family and have security in their old age. Every billion dollars (a half-week in Iraq) invested in infrastructure in America created 47,000 good-paying jobs as Americans built America.

Can you imagine how much better off our country would be if over the past 30 years we would have invested in ourselves? Schools, Roads, Power grids, renewable sources of energy,and health care for all citizens, (I can afford my tax obligation if I don't have to spend over $4,000 a year in medical insurance premiums. Duh!)

DaG out

Christmas Blues (language warning)

The outlook for the economy is so bad that saying we're going to be in a severe recession may be the optimistic point of view. Some feel we're more likely hading into a full fledged depression with no good solutions. This of course doesn't help the "purple funk" I'm already in because of the holidays. Now this crap has to hang over my head like some kind of Bizzaro world mistle toe. You know, instead of getting to kiss whoever wanders is under it, only you are under it and you get fu#%ked in the ass by everybody. Here's my dilemma, while I feel the need to prepare for this impending economic collapse, how far should I go? I mean is this going to be much adieu about nothing or should I seriously start hording can goods? Do I cancel my land line phone service, cable TV, and start buying generic beer? (Oh, no way I'm going through this without beer) Should I stop paying my health insurance ($343 per month) about $4,000 a year with a $500 deductible that I never reached last year so in fact I paid $4,000 plus every Fu#%ing doctor's bill.

To add to this aggravation is the fact that with each passing day, it becomes more and more apparent that our government representatives are is so very corrupt and in the pockets of those who only value profits. When America's middle class is gone and there are millions out of work, only then will these greedy SoBs be happy. Why? Skilled labor will be much cheaper when there are no good paying jobs left. The unemployed will be lining up thousands deep for a pay check, even if it is only a fraction of what they used to make. This is the end result of unregulated capitalism. This is what 28 years of Reagonomics has brought us to. His advisers realized that in the late sixties and early seventies that a healthy middle class adversly affects businesses' profit margins. The larger the prfit margin in a fiscal year the better the return on investment. Right Hank Panky Paulson, you SoB! When labor has the means a decent life (the American Dream) then have time to scrutinize the hierarchy. This is bad for unfettered profits. Those who have a lot or are planning to get a lot do not want the average Joe to be aware of just exactly what they're doing. They don't want a reasonable and sustainable profit margin that affords them a better than average life, they want to win the lottery! The fast and quick fortune now. "What do I care what happens to the economy, job market, people, etc. etc. I got mine. With billions I'll be fine, my kids and thier kids will be fine. F%#@ everybody else. " People with this mentality are stripping away what little wealth there is left in the middle class and when it gets to the point that blue collar workers no longer have discretionary income . . . it's over Charlie. Duh!

My stomach turns as I watch mother fuxing Paulson and his buddies extort billions of blue collar workers' tax dollars for their own financial gain, while the big three auto-manufactures lay off workers so their executives can glom bonuses from the table scraps of the Paulson's treasonous Treasury. It is obvious to me that anything short of a complete over haul of our congress and senate (it's operations and personnel) won't fix a God Damn thing. Nobody is acting on behalf of the people! Nobody! Even my Independent voice of the progressive movement, Bernie Sanders, only points out the problems but, won't do a thing to stop it. For example: I keep being told that unless the Dems win 60 seats in the house they're not going to be able to get things done because the Repubs can filibuster. Well, Hello! Why can't Bernie or Lahey use the filibuster to stop some of this obvious pillaging?!!! I'll send them a can of Sucrets when their throats get sore.

This ain't funny anymore! Yes, Obama is appointing some really nice cabinet members. . . educated people who believe in evolution and know that the earth is hell of a lot older than 6 thousand years. Science will actually get to play a part in the upcoming administration instead of loyalty and religion. However, in the financial and economic sections of the administration will be a lot of Clinton re-treads. Several of whom, helped get us into our current economic straights.

Okay, I'm done for thanks for letting me vent.

Merry Christmas
DaG out

What's the deal, Barack?

He hasn't even been sworn in yet and already he's given me cause for concern. Rick Warren, are you kidding me? Barack has chosen the anti gay marriage /anti choice /anti stem cell research pastor of Saddleback church to give the invocation at his inauguration.

I've never understood why Bible thumpers feel the need to have everybody else play by their rules or why they cherry pick verses from the Bible and ignore others. The pooftas aren't out in force making sure that no one gets divorced even though they have scripture on their side. Ricky and his followers pick and choose translated version of the scriptures as if they were written by God himself. (Masculine God because we're dealing with bible thumpers) It is well known by educated folks that while Lev 20:13 says man shall not lie with man, it says nothing about women. Party on Ladies! Just remember that in Deuteronomy it says you can't wear dude's clothes. Oh yeah, don't forget that you're not supposed to prepare food for the men when you're menstruating.

This so called man of God has stated that if same sex marriages are legal then the next "logical" step will be pedophiles marrying children, incestuous marriages, inter species marriages, and of course polygamy. Polygamy was common place in biblical times. I some religious leaders just like to gloss over that part. Several arranged marriages took place where an adult male was wed to a pre-teen. Not that I'm in favor of that it's just that it didn't used to be taboo. You know a lot things written in the Bible teach great lessons in morality, especially the parts like "do not judge lest ye be judged, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and mind your own God Damn business! Oh, I'm sorry that wasn't in the Bible. At least not the King James version. It may have been in some of the chapters that wasn't canonized.

Mr. Prez elect please tell me that you're working an angle here. Tell me that you've got some master plan and this controversial decision is a part of it. The right is royally pissed that Warren is going to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration. They can't believe that their modern day Billy Graham is going to give his blessing to that liberal Chicago politician that pals around with terrorists and supports a woman's right to choose. Then on the other side of the equation: the left (especially the gay left) is up in arms about this choice because so many busted their asses (no pun intended) to help get pro gay rights/pro choice Obama elected. Only to have that man choose one of the most vocal proponents of Prop 8. After that crushing defeat Obama has just opened the spout on a Mortons iodized and poured it directly into their wound.

So, what's the deal? Is this a sign that the "change" candidate is a phony? He seems to be of two minds on the whole same sex marriage question. While on one hand he supports gay rights but on the other he says that marriage is defined by the union of a man and a woman. True, but (I'll use the Reverends logic here) that broad description opens the door to Brothers and Sisters marrying as well as Fathers and Daughters.

Is this decision a tempest in a tea pot, or a revealing look at how Obama will govern? I certainly hope that Mr. Obama isn't the typical politicians who campaigns for one thing only to deliver another after being elected. (See-"W") Is he smarter than all of us and wants to show the intolerant that their way is very un-Christian like, in which case he probably should have stated something to that effect. I hope that this is a calculated move designed to bring us together as a nation, and not his first mis-step as president. Maybe he's thinking that if he can't make everybody happy so he'll just piss everybody off and by doing that the offended will commiserate and find common ground.

DaG out

Please Mr. Bush don't hold it against them.

This weekend while on a surprise "farewell" tour of Iraq and Afghanistan, "W" had 2 shoes thrown at him during a scheduled press conference.
The president's message on progress in the region was having trouble competing with the videotaped image of the angry Iraqi who hurled his shoes at Bush in a near-miss, shouting in Arabic, "This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" The reporter was later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.
In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. Marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion.
"I'm not insulted. I don't hold it against the government," Bush said later in an interview with ABC News. "The guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is, but whatever it is, I'm sure someone will hear it." Bahgdad newspaper.

Mr. President, you don't know what his beef is? I realize you don't like to read the newspaper but, maybe someone on your staff does. You might want to ask them for some specifics about conditions in Iraq. Nearly 8 years after declaring "Mission Accomplished" much of Iraq is still without a clean water supply, two thirds of the population only receives electricity a few hours a day, (According to the Special Inspector General for Iraq reconstruction and the U.S. State department: less power is available today than a year ago due to a lack of experienced engineers and technicians, persistent sabotage by insurgents, poor planning, and the on going feud between the Oil and the Electricity Ministries in Iraq. ) Betcha won't hear that reported on Fox news.

Back to more reasons why that guy threw his shoes: hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed by either our military, hired thugs, or by insurgents, (that came a running into the country once we invaded), U.S. bombs blowing up innocent civilians by the executive order of King George. After the invasion thousands of Iraqi's best educated professionals (engineers . . . hello!) career people (those who had the money to leave) have fled the country(those without the money became refugees crossing on foot into surrounding countries. Last year's exodus was absorbed mostly by Syria, which took in some 500,000 Iraqis during the year -- or nearly half of the more than a million people who sought refuge by crossing an international border during 2007. Tens of thousands more Iraqis also found their way to Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, and even Sweden and Germany, which took in, respectively, 10,000 and 6,700 Iraqis during the year. The "World Refugee Survey 2008", said more than two million Iraqis are currently living outside their homeland, the vast majority in Syria and Jordan.

So you see that the mass exodus has left Iraq with the largely poor and uneducated . . . a perfect breeding ground for religious zealots and terrorists organizations.

"W" quipped with journalist after the incident and even tried to make light of it. I certainly hope that he's not just putting on a happy face and secretly seething inside. While I understand the reporter's anger I don't know how wise it is to insult "W" on the world stage. Remember this guy goes off half cocked at the drop of a hat. He's a born again Christian who looks forward to the 2nd coming of Christ. This guy wants it to happen in his lifetime which of course requires this little happening I like to call . . .Armageddon. 30 days is a long time, and judging by past performance I wouldn't put it past "W".

So, this is my plea to you Mr. President: Turn the other cheek. Ignore the fact that he called you a murderous dog, and thrust upon you his culture's greatest insult. Be Christ like George, forgive him as I hope you will be forgiven. Then lace up that guy's shoes and walk a mile them .

DaG out

UPDATE: it is being reported that the correspondent is currently being held by Iraqi authorities and is being tortured. Tortured by Iraqi authorities? I thought that Sadam was dead and American democracy fixed all that.

Rebel Yell!

Senator Richard Shelby, much like an earlier Shelby (General in the Confederate state of Missouri) is spear heading the opposition against Yankee auto makers. However, this current incarnation is not rallying the troops for his beloved Dixie. He and his fellow Southern states Republican Senators are defending their beloved special interests: Non union Japanese and German car manufacturers along with their union busting conservative lobbyists who would like nothing more than to bring Detroit and the UAW to their knees.

Just in case you forgot:
*In 1993 officials in Alabama lured a Mercedes-Benz facility, the first foreign auto plant in the state, with a package worth $258 million. *In 1999 Alabama put together a $158 million subsidy deal to land a $400 million, 1.7 million-square-foot Honda plant. In 2002 state and local officials provided an additional package worth $90 million, including $33 million in tax breaks over 20 years, when Honda decided to expand the facility. *When South Korean carmaker Hyundai staged a competition for a $1 billion plant, various states put together bids, but it was Alabama that won the contest in 2002 with a package worth $252 million
That is a total of $758 million for three foreign manufacturers. I couldn’t find the numbers for Toyota, but assuming it is similar to the packages given to Mercedes, Honda, and Hyundai, that would bring the total to around $1 billion. All this while Alabama's schools and infra structure crumbled. Shelby also purchased several hundred Mercedes cars for his official state fleet of cars. I bet he got a sweet deal too.

So a billion dollars from the taxpayers of Alabama to subsidize foreign automakers is OK, but $14 billion to keep the domestic auto industry from collapsing, and 2.5 to 3 million jobs along with it, is not a wise use of our money?
No, this is not about fiscal responsibility for Shelby and the others who oppose the bailout of the Big Three. I didn’t see them threatening a filibuster when $700 billion was going out the door to rescue the fatcats on Wall Street.
This is about busting up the UAW, plain and simple. If the automakers go through bankruptcy their union contracts are gone, not to mention the pensions and health care benefits for over 400,000 retirees.
But that doesn’t matter to Shelby and his cronies, they’re just lowly blue-collar people, let them eat cake.

This trend seen through out the southern states appears to be pay back for the Civil War. With Japan and Germany's help the South may well rise again! Not the middle class mind you but the power brokers of the South. This Union busting scheme will in essence reduce our working class (middle class) into slave labor or at the very least indentured servants.

If the big three go under so will those poor southern dummies who think that Shelby and his Klan are looking out for their best interest. If we enter a depression or even a continuing recession, those who used to buy Mercedes and Hondas won't be able to afford new ones. Bubba will get pink slipped as well.

It seems to me that the haves are hell bent on crushing the have nots. I see and hear congress men, Senators, talk show hosts, Corporate CEOs, right wing pundits, ( all of which don't like to talk about how much $ they make an hour nor do they like to talk about the incredible Health care benefits they receive.) blaming the UAW and it's over paid labor force for the failure of the auto industry. Blue collar workers who make $28 an hr actual and $75 an hr if you use Fox's figures (they add in the benefits of health care) are being asked to take a reduction in wages, to pay for their own Health Care and all this while our country in going through the worst recession in 30 years. Warren Buffet once said, "Yes there is class warfare in this country and my class is winning."
CEO's of the big three make nearly 300 times that of the average worker, and yet it's the factory rat who is over paid? Are you kidding me? The UAW has already made several concessions including wage reduction as well as agreeing to take over the Health Care costs while the companies administrative positions have given up zilch. I know it's mind boggling. We must be brain washed by all the Fox propaganda or we have fallen victim to the Stockholm syndrome.

DaG out

Scatter Shooting or Fluff and Stuff

3 months is too long for the presidential transition. The new administration was already facing multiple problematic obstacles like an ill advised occupation, A world view of the US as "shoot first, ask questions later" imperialist, an increasingly deadly situation for our troops in Afghanistan, trillions of $ stolen by a corrupt congress, treasury, and federal reserve, the outsourcing of jobs, skyrocketing health costs, etc. etc. Now, in his last weeks as commander in thief, "W" is signing into law as many corporatist beneficial/ environmental detrimental pieces of legislation he can. Here's a few:

1. Uranium Mining Permits Near Grand Canyon Could Increase
2. EPA Won’t Regulate a Contaminant in Drinking Water
3. Federally Funded Institutions Could Turn Down Abortion Requests for Moral or Religious Reasons
4. Public Lands May Be Leased for the Development of Oil Shale
5. EPA Lets Factory Farms Decide If They Need A Permit to Discharge Animal Waste into Waterways
6. Rules on Dumping of Mine Debris Eased

Not all of his midnight signings will contribute to the destruction of our eco system but, this being the DaG report, we need to focus on those that will.

Can I ask a question? What exactly are we doing in Afghanistan? I thought the only reason we went in there in the first place was to get Osama. At the time I thought it a good idea. I mean we were attacked, about 3 thousand people were killed, and the mastermind and leader of the organization that committed the offense was in Afghanistan. Then logic entered into my thinking. It wasn't because Bin Laden was hiding there, it was because the highly profitable gas pipeline was endanger of being compromised. The Taliban even offered to turn Bin Laden over to international authorities but, "W" stubbornly said "No way Jose . . .er, I mean Mohamed."
Then he ordered our nation's military to invade a sovereign country supposedly to capture or kill one man. (Something he repeated not a few months later) Never mind the fact, that not one of the 9/11 attackers were from Afghanistan. Jump ahead 7 years. After removing the Taliban and then moving on to Iraq, they have reorganized and retaken most of what the had lost. They are now stronger and better equipped than before, secretly supplied by the same country they were at war with in the 80s (Russia). Remember Rambo III? Same country Afghanistan only Russia and the US have switched roles.

So, back to my original question. What the hell are we doing there? Osama isn't even there anymore, he's in Pakistan! When the world sees our military trampling through 2 middle Eastern countries (plus Pakistan and Iran), is it any wonder that they hold us in low esteem?
What are the chances that we can just back out with our heads bowed and say "Sorry. Sorry.
My bad. Sorry. . ." and get out of there. Will Barack see the waste of time and human life that it is and put a stop to it? Probably not. We'll just stay there killing and getting killed for reasons far less that noble.

We've just been informed that we've been in a recession for a year now. If you don't think that out news media is severely censored, this should prove you wrong.
In economics, the term recession generally describes the reduction of a country's gross domestic product (GDP) for at least 2 quarters. The usual dictionary definition is "a period of reduced economic activity", a business cycle contraction.
The U.S.-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines economic recession as: "a significant decline in [the] economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP growth, real personal income, employment (non-farm payrolls), industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales." Dec. 1, 2008 The nation's economy peaked, and the recession began, in December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced today. Prior to this release, not a single media outlet used the term recession even though we've been in one since April of 2008.

The unemployment stats are skewed as well. When you hear or read a government report stating unemployment claims or percentages understand that these stats do not figure in those jobless Americans whose unemployment benefits have expired, nor do they include those who were self employed and had no unemployment insurance. The current unemployment figures show that 10.3 million Americans are currently filing for unemployment. Roughly 6.7 % of our labor force. The actual percentage or number of jobless is considerably higher.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich Arrested: Trying to sell Obama's senate seat to the highest bidder among other things. This guy's a piece of work. Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel blew the whistle on him after Blogo placed a call to him. So far every single right wing pundit has bent over backward trying to connect Blogo to Obama. Conveniently ignoring the fact that Obama's people turned the greedy SOB over to U.S. attorney Fitzgerald. (you might remember him from the Scooter Libby trial and conviction) Fitzgerald, specifically says that there is no connection between Obama and Blogo but, predictably the Right wingnuts just keep repeating the guilt by association propaganda in order to muddy the waters of the uninformed electorate.
Obama hasn't even taken the oath of office yet and he's already responsible for the Great Depression of 2009, the escalation of violence in Afghanistan, and the corrupt politics of Chicago, Illinois.

Now I don't want to leave you feeling down and sullen. It is the Christmas season and we should all try to find our inner Buddha. (?) Anway, the good news? Fox's O'reily and Hannity ratings are falling.

DaG Out