What If the Fed Dropped the Fed Funds Rate Below Zero?

The Fed dropped rates again today. The Fed funds rate now stands at 3 percent. Most think there's only so far it can go (like zero, and they won't go that low).

But what if they could and did?

What would it mean? Would the dollar get a new use as kindling? Would people start taking taxis rather than riding the bus (you pay for a bus ride at the beginning of your trip, a taxi at the end)?

Would the US economy implode? Would countries who seemingly peg their currency to the US Dollar, like China, implode, too?

What would banks do if, for every dollar they borrowed from the Fed, they got $1.10? That would "create" a lot of money. Would they even bother to lend it out?

Technorati Tags: Fed, interest rates, Fed funds rate, discount rate, inflation, recession, US Dollar, currency depreciation, Money Hacks, saving money, investing money, earning money

Distribution of Unemployed

With the economy on its way to -- or in the midst of -- a recession, which is classically characterized by rising unemployment, these figures are illustrative of your parents' proclamations to "get an education."

From The Naked Economist comes the following distribution of the unemployed (data originally from the Department of Labor), by educational level:

• 8.2 percent for high school dropouts
• 4.7 percent for high school graduates with no college
• 3.7 percent for workers with an associate's degree or some college
• 2 percent for workers with a bachelor's degree and higher

More from the story:

Other countries around the globe are narrowing the income gap with the United States in large part because they're sending an increasing proportion of their young people to college and we're not.

So it may be too late for you -- and you should have listened to your parents! -- it's not too late for your children.

Bush Gives State of the Union Address: Economy

President Bush gave his final State of the Union speech tonight. Here's what he had to say about the economy.




I think he just said, "You're on your own."

Presidential Experience: Who Needs It?

Every time anybody talks about the presidential race, the subject of experience comes up. I'm not sure what "experience" means in this context, so I'm going to "think out loud" by writing about my thoughts.

One of the discussion points always is: Who has it and who doesn't? Hillary Clinton claims she has it. Lots of people seem to think that John McCain has it. Rudy Giuliani says Rudy Giuliani has it.

Everybody but Barack claims Obama doesn't have it.

So just what is Experience?

Well, first off, nobody in this race has presidential experience. That we can all agree on, I think. Now, if Dick Cheney entered the race, one might be able to say that he has presidential experience. But he'd be the only one.

Is experience time served in public office? I suppose that could be a component of it. Is 10 years twice the experience of 5?

Does the nature of the public time served play a part? Certainly. I'd say that a person who had been mayor of a small town probably has less experience than a former governor of California, for example.

So there's a level of importance and relevancy that should be factored in. A mayor of New York City might possibly have more relevant experience than, say, a city council member of a small unincorporated town.

Does accomplishment have anything to do with it? Certainly, merely getting elected serves as some sort of accomplishment, but there's a difference between campaigning and governing, isn't there? For example, George W. Bush is clearly a very good campaigner. His ability to "stay on point" is a skill that yielded superior returns, in contrast with his last two opponents, Al Gore and John Kerry. Their "nuanced" approaches to tackling the issues of the day, while perhaps more enlightened, certainly diluted their effectiveness in getting their points across with an ever-increasingly skeptical American voting public.

But Bush's success as a campaigner hasn't assisted him in his true mission, that of governing the American federal government. One might say that the very skills and competencies that makes one a good campaigner, almost by definition, makes one a horrible governor.

While on the subject of President Bush, I'd like to interject a thought about his experience prior to winning the presidency. He had a failed run at the US House of Representatives in 1978, prior to winning the race for Governor of Texas in 1994 and then getting elected for a second term. Texas has a "weak governor" in that he or she has no real power. Many of Bush's claimed successes were merely his endorsements of programs that passed through the Texas legislature. In order to get pet projects passed into law, Bush certainly had to persuade the Texas legislature to assist; on this note, he did gain some political experience. Overall, though, I'd say he had comparatively little experience in government prior to winning in 2000.

So the claim that anybody who doesn't have experience only has to look at our current president to conclude that perhaps having experience doesn't matter a whole lot. In fact, it may be a disadvantage.

Let's look at that for a moment by contrasting John McCain with Barack Obama. McCain has been a US senator for over 20 years, and before that, he was a representative in the US House for 4 years. So he a has a combined 25 years serving in a national office.

Barack Obama has been serving in high-level state and national office for over 10 years, serving first as a state senator in Illinois for several terms, then being elected US senator of Illinois in 2004.

Clearly, Obama has served less time than McCain. But does one have more relevant experience than the other? McCain has a pretty decent record as a US senator. He has introduced many bills and has his name attached to perhaps one of the most well-known pieces of legislation of the past 20 years, McCain-Feingold.

In contrast, Obama has introduced one bill that passed into law, Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act (as far as I know).

The $64,000 question is: Is it enough? Are Americans willing to trade experience for ideas? I'm not sure. Time and election results will tell. It looks like Democratic voters might be willing. But the general election is a whole new ballgame.

You can bet that Obama's "lack of experience" will be contrasted with McCain, Giuliani, or Romney's, if Obama wins the nomination of his party. I'd venture to guess that Clinton's experience can be called into question, too, since she's only served one more term than Obama and before that was First Lady (which has no official responsibility to the US government).

I am unaware of any success Hillary Clinton has as First Lady. She didn't sponsor any bills, didn't effect any change, didn't get health care reform passed like the Clintons promised. I'm not sure what she's done as a senator. Clearly, though, New Yorkers liked her enough to reelect her for a second term.

So, in conclusion, does experience matter? I doubt it as far as competency as a leader goes. But it will play a part in the general election, that you can be sure of!

Telecommunications Company Pays Man $500,000 for Not Working

I worked for a telecommunications company, and they pay people all the time for not working!!! But in this case, the guy didn't even show up -- heck, he didn't even accept the job!

Free Money Finance: How to Get Paid Without Working

Rogue trader blamed for 5-billion-euro French bank fraud

Office Space on a HUGE scale...

Smart enough to outwit the bank, the ban'ks controls, and the bank's management, but dumb enough to lose all the money he pilfered in bad speculations.

Okay, bankers are really stupid.

AFP: Rogue trader blamed for 5-billion-euro French bank fraud

Movie Rentals: The 27-Hour Day

The article, The 27-Hour Day - Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog, points to a particular practice that all of the online type movie rental places subscribe to: The 24-hour window.

I've been harping to anyone who will listen about this for years now. Hopefully, with some positive press from the New York Times' David Pogue, this idea will make some headway.

This is the short story: You download a movie (onDemand on Comcast, Apple, Amazon Unbox, etc.) and you get 24 hours to watch it, once you start watching it. So, Thursday night at 8pm, you begin watching Rambo. You fall asleep at 9pm. It's a 2 hour movie (I'm making this all up). Next day, Friday, 8pm, you want to resume your movie. It's gone. 24 hours have passed.

Most people I know have a fairly set schedule. In fact, "Hollywood" has conditioned us to behave this way. NCIS is on at 8pm every single Tuesday. That's when a lot of people begin watching TV for the night. Why the hell would I begin watching at 7 if I don't even get home until 730?

Rather than a 27 hour day, let's make it 48 hours, huh? It'll never fly with the idiots running Hollywood. They're dumber than Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears' love child with K-Fed.

Oil Companies Pulling in Even Bigger Profits

Well, with all of us suffering from high gasoline prices, as well as increased costs to heat our homes, you'd think that the oil companies, who get all of their oil from the Middle East, would be hurting a bit, too. I mean, their costs have risen, and all they really do is pass the oil from Saudi Arabia to us, with a little profit, right?

It seems that little profit really is BIG PROFIT. Not sure how they get away with this, other than the fact that we're hooked on the crude and we cannot stop using it. I'm not one of those folks who would suggest "boycotting" the gas stations or anything like that, but how can we stop these guys from ripping us off?

I don't want Congress to step in. Every time they step in to "fix things," it seems they put the fix on us. After all, in the last 50 years, what has Congress done?

But the profits the oil companies are reaping are grotesque. (Translation: I wish I was an oil company!)

What's a consumer to do? I don't know. It seems we're all beholden to oil and all of its derivatives. Do you have any answers?

Exxon tries for new profit record on back of $100 oil - Jan. 23, 2008

The Whited Sepulchre: Carnival of The Libertarians #2

Rants 'n Reviews was just published in The Whited Sepulchre, which led me to find out just what that term meant...:)

From Answers.com, it means, in a word, hypocrite. Another definition is "An evil person who pretends to be holy or good."

Crap, is this site calling me a hypocrite? :) No, it's not, I think. Really, the site calls out politicians for being hypocrites and liars. My post, Top Ten Mitt Romney Lies, is just one story about a politician who's a little less than perfect. Maybe, I daresay, a liar.

For some more really great blogs about hypocrites, read The Whited Sepulchre: Carnival of The Libertarians #2. And don't forget to post your own Rants at my Carnival.

Fed Monetary Policy: Inaction Is Killing the Credit Market

Here's a great article about Fed expert, Anna Schwartz, and how the Fed screwed the economy in the '30s and seems to be repeating their mistakes again. She says we're not headed for a depression, but she does caution that the Fed got us into this mess (Credit Crunch, Mortgage Meltdown) by keeping the Fed Funds rate at 1% far too long, which encouraged speculation (why not? borrow long term money for short term profit?)...

Great summary on the causes of the Great Depression, too.

Minimum Wage in Real Dollars

My sister blog, Money Hacks, has just posted a piece on the minimum wage and how it hasn't kept up with price inflation and lags far behind wage inflation.

************************

I have mixed philosophical perspectives on the merits of a minimum wage, much less how much it ought to be. But this excerpt from Andrew Tobias gives a glimpse into how low the minimum wage is now relative to its level in years past.

It was $1.60 in 1968, equal to $9.33 in 2006 dollars and nearly $10 today in 2008. Except that it’s not nearly $10 today, it’s $6.50 . . . going to $7.25 September 1.

So by September, when that final hike kicks in, the minimum wage will be about 27.5% lower, in real dollars, than it was in 1968.

Most know that the Republicans kept the minimum wage frozen at $5.15 for ten years and would have kept it there today if they still controlled the Congress. (“Good!” I hear some of you cry.)

Less frequently mentioned is that that comparison – the 27.5% drop in real purchasing power come September – is based on an adjustment for price inflation. Based on wage inflation – the increase not in average prices since 1968 but average wages – the working poor have fallen even further behind. Adjusted for wage inflation, the 1968 minimum wage was about $17 in today’s dollars, more than double what it will be in September.

This is not to say we could raise it anywhere near that high now.

But for those of you who believe, as I know many of you do, that even the hike from $5.15 was bad economics (but that cutting taxes on the rich and eliminating the estate tax on billionheirs is good economics), I thought these comparisons might provide additional perspective.

Puts things in a different perspective, no?

Is Batman a Sociopath?

This question wins today's award for most compelling question. Is Batman a sociopath? Let's see (howstuffworks.com)...

Howstuffworks "Is Batman a sociopath?"

Race tensions mounting between Clinton and Obama

The Democratic race is starting to pivot on, well, RACE. It's sad that we still talk about this crap, but we do. As long as somebody brings it up, it must be addressed I suppose.

Clinton seemed to give a little attribution to LBJ in "ending" the civil rights issues we had (have), somewhat diminishing MLK's contributions to it all.

Obama disagreed.

Now Clinton is backpedaling. I'm glad Obama's taking the high road. Clinton is a ruthless person and this is one reason people hate her so. She needs to talk about herself rather than bashing others. Just look at her version of leadership: Climbing up and over people rather than giving them a hand up.

Obama probably won't win. He's not the Establishment. Hillary is. Or at least that's the perception. Plus, she's got BIG MONEY in her back pocket. She's a Washington DC as they get.

But he's bringing some new eyes and new perspective to this thing we call a presidential race. I hope it's the beginning of something really revolutionary. We need that.

Clinton, Obama clash over race issue - Yahoo! News

How to Read a Book for Free on Amazon

Short post: How to Read a Book for Free on Amazon

Enterprising way to read a book for free. Not sure it's worth the time, but...it's interesting.

Ron Paul is a Bigot, Homophobe, and Generally Horrible Human Being

Thanks to Just a Girl in short shorts for pointing out the sham and scam that is called the Ron Paul for Presidency. From what I've heard Paul say, I liked him, generally speaking. I know his followers tend to be -- ahem -- exuberant, but I was willing to give the guy a chance, though he would not have ever gotten my vote (Obama and/or Edwards is probably where I'm leaning).

Now, however, after reading Angry White Man, I am more skeptical than ever. It seems that Ron Paul published newsletters, to which many horrible articles have been attributed. He covered topics such as homosexuality, AIDS, race, and conspiracy, all with the bigotry and vileness usually left to the Klan.

Of course, the Paul camp is claiming that he didn't write the pieces. Paul claims,

When I was out of Congress and practicing medicine full-time, a newsletter was published under my name that I did not edit. Several writers contributed to the product. For over a decade, I have publicly taken moral responsibility for not paying closer attention to what went out under my name.

So the author, James Kirchick, of the so-called "hit piece" surmises:

In other words, Paul's campaign wants to depict its candidate as a naive, absentee overseer, with minimal knowledge of what his underlings were doing on his behalf.

Which, when you think about it, is exactly what we have right now in the Bush presidency! It's time for a change. Ron Paul isn't it.

"Doctor Phil" is a Goon

So Britney Spears has a mental breakdown and her family "invites" "Doctor Phil" to counsel her. This only solidifies the idea that Spears' family is crazier than she is.

"Doctor Phil" is a goon. He's a hack. He is the psychiatric equivalent of an ambulance chaser. He likes to have downtrodden folks come on his show and beat them down. At least Jerry Springer let his guests do their own beat-downs!

So Phil McGraw visits Spears in the hospital and, notwithstanding good doctor-patient confidentiality principles, goes on to tell the world that she's a mess and wants her on his show! What a freakin' mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, opportunistic goon!

I'd say malpractice and defamation should be pronounced. But he's probably not even a real doctor, just like Oprah's other "made man," James Frey, was not a real author.

But the bigger goons are Spears' own family. I think her mother and "Doctor Phil" ought to write a book on parenting superstars with no scruples, no family support, trailer-trash living, and no morals or ethics. Not to mention any sense whatsoever.

Insomniacs for Obama and McCain

So now we know what insomniacs in New Hampshire do: They vote. Too bad they don't hold to Chicago's voting mantra of "Vote early, vote often." But they do have the "early" down.

And we know for whom they vote: Democrats vote for Barack Obama and Republicans vote for John McCain. This might be a case where "the very young meet the very old." Young folks stay up late. Obama voters hadn't gone home yet. They just left the bars and parties.

McCain voters, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. Or they'd been sleeping since 2pm. No matter.

I say this all in jest. I have no idea what people were thinking nor who voted for whom. But it's clear that the early votes went to Obama and McCain.

If the early results hold, we could have a very interesting presidential race between (I think -- I haven't checked my facts here) the youngest and the oldest nominees, perhaps ever. The hilarious quips will be noteworthy. Get your TiVo ready!

Music Lessons that Apply to (Almost) Everything

Seth Godin is one of my favorite people in the world and I don't even know him. He's got such good ideas and a simple way to say them that he's just somebody to be loved. I read his posts nearly every day. His latest, Music lessons, offers 14 tips to the music industry in particular and business in general.

A few of my favorites:

0. The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now.
2. Copy protection in a digital age is a pipe dream
5. A frightened consumer is not a happy consumer.
9. Read the writing on the wall.
11. Understand the power of digital.
13. Whenever possible, sell subscriptions.

Seth offers a lot of detailed advice to the pinheads who run the music industry, yet none of his ideas, in and of themselves, is original. However, his bringing them all together into one cohesive strategy can benefit those in the music industry infinitely.

The music industry needs to get off its duff and embrace the changes that are occurring to it. Copying has always been in the mix. Two things have changed, however.

1. Then, it was between friends. Now, it's between strangers.
2. Then, it was analog. Now, it's digital.

The digitization of music, the ballyhooed CD, for which the music industry is forever indebted to Sony and Phillips, has changed the music scene on the order of Columbus proving -- finally! -- that the world was round. It's now cheap and easy to make perfect copies. With digital, either in CD or purchased downloads, millions of folks have been able to put their inexpensive, yet powerful, PCs to use, effectively making perfect copies of their music collections available not just to their friends, family, and acquaintances, but to total strangers.

This is what's got the music industry in a nut-bind. They've realized that there is absolutely nothing they can do to stop it. Oh, lawsuits are good scare tactics, and if they have enough money and time to beat 6 billion people into submission, then they can turn the tide. However, this is, as Seth mentions, a pipe dream.

Copy protection does not work, will not work, can never work. Pandora's box has been opened and the really scary shit is out in the open. The keepers of the box, the music industry, cannot put what got out back in.

One other thing: The product is not the CD or the download. It's the information contained therein. Ultimately, it's not the distributor of the media that holds the keys, rather it's the originator of the media. For too long now, it's been the distributors of the content that have received all the spoils. Now, it's high time that the content providers, the authors, the musicians and artists, who shall receive the compensation for their talent and hard work.

How will they do this? They might want to take a read of Seth's blog.

Self Promotion: rssHugger Review

Caution: This is a little bit of self-promotion. I want to reach as many viewers as possible and in order to do so, there are many tools on the web that claim to help in this regard, one of which is rssHugger.

So, I'm giving it a try. In return for a page on rssHugger, all one has to do is write a review of rssHugger. Admittedly, this is a little "putting the cart before the horse." In order to review something, doesn't one have to experience it first?

To a degree, I have experienced rssHugger. Not necessarily any success, but I can say that the concept is good, their web page is clean, beautiful, and simple to navigate.

Additionally, there are bloggers that swear by the concept, so I'm going to place a little faith in them to direct more readers to this blog.

As I said before, my objective is gaining more readers. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry for the intrusion. As they say in showbiz: Back to our regular programming.

rssHugger � Increase RSS Subscribers with rssHugger's Blog Promoting

Two things: Tiger attack and the Writers' Guild strike

I want to dive into both of these topics more in-depth, but I wanted to whet your appetite for two future posts that I plan on making in the near-future.

The first is the recent, Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. Things that come immediately to mind are: What precipitated the attack, how did it happen, who's at fault, and how much money is Mark Geragos going to make off this?

The second is the Writers' Guild strike. Possible points of interest are how long will it take, what are the writers demanding, will the networks and studios cave, what's at stake, how will it influence you. Finally, I'd like to talk some economics; specifically, the substitution effect. What other entertainment choices are out there, will television go by the wayside, if so, who/what will take its place.

One last thing: Compare this strike to the MLB strike a few years ago. Is it similar, different, and how so?

In between now and when I write about these two topics, I'll post some quick news pieces on the typical stuff: Politics, humor, strange, and noteworthy.

Stay tuned.

Money Hacks: 20 Surprises for 2008?

My sister blog, Money Hacks, has a new story on 20 events that could happen in 2008, originally publish on thestreet.com by Doug Kass.

There isn't much good news. There's a lot of emphasis on the two related and current problem areas of the economy, the credit crunch and the mortgage meltdown.

Click the link for some "might happen" events for 2008. Some of them will undoubtedly come true. Some won't. The good news is, there are always investment alternatives that may help you weather the coming storms. Gold and other commodities might be worthwhile places to park your investment dollars and/or cash for a little while.

The Fed, in my opinion, will cut rates quite a bit, until we're around zero or 1 percent. All the while, inflation will run rampant. The yield curve may become as vertical as it will ever get, with short term rates very low (like Japan a few years back) while long term rates will be higher than they are now.

It will be a difficult market. Gold always outperforms in inflationary times. May be a good time to sink money into it. A new gold rush may be in the future.

Money Hacks: 20 Surprises for 2008?

Our Government at Work: Stonewalling the 9/11 Commission

So it seems that the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission have the opinion that justice was obstructed -- by the CIA and the Executive Branch -- in regards to their examination the factors leading up to the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in 2001.

Duh.

The Bush administration is well-regarded as beating Stonewall Jackson at his own game. They're masters of the subject area. So, too, is the CIA. It comes as no surprise to me, or any other Joe Citizen, that our government did whatever necessary to obfuscate the issues. Why are Kean and Hamilton pissing about this? Did they really try to get to the bottom of 9/11 or did they just write a best-selling puff piece about how our government failed us?

C'mon, is anybody surprised that the CIA failed to mention anything about video tapes? Was anybody duped by BushCo? It saddens me that we cannot get to the bottom of the most horrific events of 9/11. It sickens me that anybody is surprised about it.

Stonewalled by the C.I.A. - New York Times

Doh!!!

Rants - January 1, 2008

First off, Happy New Year everybody!!!

This edition of Rants got a lot of submissions, for which I am thankful. Only one submission was totally off-base, so I've chosen to censor it (I wrote the author of the piece and he accepted my rejection quite humbly (it was about how to get a job, absolutely no ranting whatsoever :))

There were 44 submissions in all, including the aforementioned rejection. In that light, to give you a better Rant experience, I am thinking about several different ways to formulate the next edition. I may close the current Rant down after 10 or so Rants; this will give the most topical Rants and keep the post length down to less than biblical proportions.

Thanks to all for your excellent Rants. Everyone is welcome here to post whatever's on his or her mind. I cast no dispersions on anyone, even if you're TOTALLY EFFING WRONG! :)

Seriously, we live in a time where it's relatively easy to make a point and be heard. If only we'd open our minds a little more and hear opposing views, we'd a) become better versed in history, current events, philosophy, and politics, among others, and b) be better able to fend off attacks on our own ideologies and viewpoints with salient, direct, and targeted arguments.

So, without further delay, here are the Rants, in order of their date of submission.

Doug Ragan presents The Two Faces Of Hillary posted at I'm A Pundit Too, saying, "Hillary Clinton has been on every side of every issue since she started her campaign in 2000. She is clearly Pro-abortion, but depending on which crowd she is talking to, she can switch to a candidate that is working towards the day when no abortions are performed."

Wenchypoo presents The Scam That is Global Warming and How it’s Making People Rich (L-O-N-G) posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket.

Tiffany Washko presents Climate Crisis – Truth or Hoax? posted at Natural Family Living Blog.

:: Suzanne :: presents if you watch just one Ron Paul video, let it be this one posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.

Will Conway presents Big Spending and Editorials posted at Regarding Liberty,.

200motels presents Sex Addicts posted at 200motels.net.

kelly presents I am a liberated woman posted at {the ringpop bride}, saying, "An aswer to all those women who think that just because I choose to stay home and care for my kids that I am not "liberated"."

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Vive La (Brain) Différence! posted at Mad Kane's Humor Blog.

Phil B. presents Knighthood Falsehood « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "When someone accepts the title and honor of knighthood, that person is basically recognizing and validating the existence of monarchies."

blue skelton presents I’m in Love with Ann Coulter posted at Blue Skelton Publications, saying, "I am going to surprise the world by saying this but I have a nasty confession to make: I am in love with Ann Coulter. I have been a naughty little liberal and I need a little discipline from a conservative dominatrix like Ann Coulter."

Tony H presents Statistics Don’t Lie: 5 Stats that Prove Humans Have Super Powers posted at The Scholarpreneur, saying, "Never trust statistics! Tony Howell takes a hilarious look at our sensationalist media."

Charles H. Green presents How To Get Your Industry Regulated, in 6 Easy Lessons posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Be out of control and deny it! No one will notice!"

kcawley presents Who Killed the Electric Car? posted at Life, the Universe, and Everything, saying, "The invention, production, then destruction of the cure to America's oil problems"

kcawley presents Follow-Up to My Electric Car Post posted at Life, the Universe, and Everything, saying, "The legislation that created, then destroyed, the electric car and how the Federal Government could redeem themselves for their hand in it all"

Phil B. presents An Analysis of Reasons for Allowing and Denying Gun Ownership « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Is the political and personal security of gun ownership more important than or less important than the public safety of gun control?"

Katie Greer presents An open letter to theater-goers. posted at Novel Experiences, saying, "This isn't political, per se, but it's a rant . . ."

Jason Mueller presents Plausible Denial posted at Over Ten Years Serving the Reading Public.

Ian Welsh presents Edwards Is More Electable. Period. posted at The Agonist, saying, "It's not 2004 any more. CNN's latest poll shows ONLY Edwards crushing ALL of the Republican candidates. Time to look at the numbers and realize Hillary and Obama can't win--and we can't afford a Republican president for 4 more years. Instead, can finally have it all--an electable candidate, with progressive policies, that makes it to the Whitehouse: John Edwards."

Erich Engelbrecht presents Lifelong Working: Surviving (In) The 21st Century posted at Innovation Politics.

gary vasey presents Global Warming - A Conspiracy of Fear and Control | RANT-HERE.COM posted at Rant Here.

Stirling Newberry presents Dancing On a Volcano posted at The Agonist, saying, "The present continued inflation volatility, and increasing general level of prices, is an indicator of the extreme financial mismanagement of the economy by the Republicans, and a sign of how morally bankrupt, and simply economically blind, as well as politically inept, the present Democratic Congress is. The public hates this economy, it would be politically, a great time to simply oppose an out of control executive, and take the path of fiscal rectitude. Instead, the Republicans are starting to reclaim that mantle on the cheap by opposing a few projects here and there, while still dropping the GDP of Iraq into Iraq."

Michael Bass presents Do we have Private Property in the USA? posted at Debt Prison, saying, "What is private property and what rights come with it? I find it interesting that this subject is never discussed by politicians. From Democrats to Republicans, the issue of private property and the rights of ownership are seldom mentioned. However, the interpretation of private property is probably the single most important judgment a society administers in determining its destiny. All Laws revolve around a society’s perception of the rights to private property."

Jon Swift presents When Steroids Are Banned, Only Cheaters Will Have Steroids posted at Jon Swift, saying, "The real heroes in this story are the baseball players who were not afraid to take steroids because of some old-fashioned notion of fair play."

Greg Laden presents The Bible-Thumping Grinch who Pissed on Christmas posted at Greg Laden's Blog.

Shaun Connell presents Stop Legislating Morality posted at Reason and Capitalism.

Phil B. presents Don't Ask, Don't Tell « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is a clear violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America that guarantees Freedom of Speech."

Chris presents US feels the Heat at Bali Climate Conference - horrifying numbers! posted at nomad4ever.

Roger Haeske presents Gifts For Tea Party Contributions To Ron Paul posted at Raw Food Diet, Bodyweight Fitness and Peak Performance Living.

Missy presents Immigration, Language and Culture posted at American Flag Waver, saying, "Does asking immigrants to speak English violate civil liberty?"

200motels presents Beam Me Up, Hillary! posted at 200motels.net, saying, "Hillary Clinton Panders to Anti-Alien Bigots!"

Charles H. Green presents European Fish, the Commons, and Business posted at Trust Matters, saying, "Fish are suffering from the tragedy of the commons, and it's odd, because it's governments, not private interests, who are enabling much of it."

Kilroy_60 presents If There's Any Justice Jerry Falwell Is Burning In Hell posted at Fear And Loathing - The Gonzo Papers.

billspaced presents Top Ten Mitt Romney Lies posted at Rants 'n Reviews: Observations from a real conservative OR Rubbing slightly more salt into the wound.

Stacey presents Insurance Companies – The Mafia Under The Radar posted at Boiled Over.

Phil B. presents Why there is Little Concern for the Environment « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Most people and scientists believe global warming and pollution is harmful, so why is there little concern for the environment?"

Lucynda Riley presents Consumers take a stand when the governemnt doesn’t posted at The Frugal Tree Hugger.

Carole G. McKay presents Bhutto's Voice posted at McKay Today, saying, "An enlightened and inspiring view of the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto."

Carole G. McKay presents Things Worth Dying For posted at McKay Today, saying, "Written on October 19, 2007 this observation about the human spirit and it's quest for democratic ideals sadly turned out to be prescient."

Jason Hughey presents The Assasination of Benazir Bhutto posted at Logical Consistency, saying, "Pakistan is emerging as a crisis. Read how the assassination of Benazir Bhutto serves as a symptom of a much more deadly disease."

Numerian presents What Will Be Bush's Legacy as President? posted at The Agonist.

DWSUWF presents Divided We Stand United We Fall: Republican Like Me posted at Divided We Stand United We Fall, saying, "For a year the idea had haunted me, and Thursday night it returned more insistently than ever. If a Democrat became a Republican in San Francisco, what adjustments would he have to make? What is it like to experience discrimination based on political belief..."

Sholom Anarchy presents Stumping for Ron Paul again posted at Anarcho-Judaism.

Archvillain presents Cheaper to Die by the Vote posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "A less-than-free press?"

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