More indication that the 2009 stimulus legislation is in trouble...
Washington Post Op-ed: The Action Americans Need By Barack Obama Thursday, February 5, 2009; A17
By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.
What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.
Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.
Read the rest here: The Action Americans Need By Barack Obama
20090205 The Action Americans Need By Barack Obama
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020403174.html
Dionne: Obama Plays Hardball
Editorial: Confused Objectives
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Bus Econ 2008 Subprime Crisis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bus Econ 2008 Subprime Crisis. Show all posts
Friday, February 06, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
This week in The Tentacle
This week in The Tentacle
Thursday, February 5, 2009
An Overdue Alternative
Tony Soltero
With our economy in dire straits, President Barack Obama has asked Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill to stave off a massive depression. There are many items in this bill to like – and some not to like, but there is one item that should be taking precedence over all others, and it's nowhere near being adequately addressed in this proposal, whatever shape it eventually takes.
From Grease to Life’s Challenges
Patricia A. Kelly
Tuesday night at the Hippodrome, I became 12 again, ever so briefly, doing the Twist in my seat and singing along with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Why is it that silly song lyrics you learned at that age stay in your head forever, but you can’t remember why you just walked into the laundry room?
WTE Derangement
Norman M. Covert
Here’s a shout-out to Commissioner Kai J. Hagen, who needs a kind word from someone, anyone. His “noogies” have been few since objecting to the $323 million Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant proposed for Frederick County. Mr. Hagen should declare victory and admit he was “for it” before he was against it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
When Stimulus Ain’t
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed its $819 billion version of the economic stimulus package by a vote of 244 to 188. Not a single Republican voted for the measure – for good reason.
Up The River…Part 1
Tom McLaughlin
Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia – Christine and I left Kuching via the Sarawak River in the continuing monsoon for our trip up the Rajang River. Rains have poured from the clouds since early December and would follow us into the interior.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Let us sit upon the ground – "
Roy Meachum
As readers know when faced with startling turns in life, I turn to Shakespeare. The column's title is taken from "Richard II" and is part of a speech in the third act:
Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part III
Nick Diaz
Across the country, the way mathematics is taught in the classroom and in textbooks has been changing notably in the past 20 years. Classrooms are often organized in small groups where students ask each other questions and the teacher is discouraged from providing information. Students may even take tests in groups, if they have tests at all.
Monday, February 2, 2009
When the “Have Nots” Rule
Steven R. Berryman
With 40 percent of America having now achieved entitlement-class status, it stands to reason that the burden of supporting our welfare country is born by the remaining 60 percent of the citizens.
Disastrous Global Warming Bill
Farrell Keough
We have a black cat which is a walking bad hair day. I have determined her given name, Elvis, (yes, the animal is female) does not fit her, hence I have renamed her Spawn of Satan.
Friday, January 30, 2009
People Conforming
Roy Meachum
As some readers recall, for the past several years I have worked on a book, a collection of memories from my colorful past. Recently I have written on the Eisenhower era. After two hitches in the Army, I started my civilian career on the general's first inauguration day. I was already married with child; future attorney Thomas Moore Meachum born in 1951.
Super Sunday
Joe Charlebois
This Sunday, our nation and hundreds of millions of people worldwide will sit down and watch what is arguably the biggest single sporting event in the world. This Sunday the 43rd edition of the National Football League's Super Bowl will be held in Tampa, Florida.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Living Like The Rest of Us
Joan McIntyre
I caught the Board of County Commissioners meeting that was held on Tuesday. Ron Hart, the county manager, was singing the commissioners’ praises for saving the county $12,000 to $15,000 by not filling their receptionist position.
Rebuilding A Party
Chris Cavey
If the Republican Party was a person and not an entity, it would be in the hospital – condition listed as serious, awaiting a transplant and full recovery would be expected only after long periods of physical therapy.
Reconstruction and the Old Plantation
Norman M. Covert
What a week we experienced (drool, tingle, shudder). On reflection I realize that after 128 years, the Second Period of Reconstruction is upon us. A sea of organizers, charlatans, tax cheats, and political insiders from Chicago, New York, and Arkansas, have taken charge of the nation’s government.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Sun Also Sets – Part 2
John W. Ashbury
[The Baltimore Sun’s decision to cease home delivery – and even newsstand sales west of the metropolitan area, brought back countless memories of my days as a reporter and editor there in an age that has passed this gray lady by. We continue…] (See yesterday’s Part 1)
The 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As you read this column Congress is attempting to put the finishing touches on an $825 billion economic stimulus package – otherwise known as the 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act.
Indonesia and the Inauguration
Tom McLaughlin
Bali, Indonesia – Four factors influenced my desire to forego watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama with fellow Americans here in Kuta Beach. I did not seek out places that Americans congregate, nor the American Consulate.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Setting Baltimore Sun
Roy Meachum
You've heard and read about the calamitous state of America's newspaper industry; it has been firmly fixed on the availability of numerous competitive news sources on the cable channels. Nobody dares to broach the possibility the venerable medium may have done itself in.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 1
John W. Ashbury
After starting a career in journalism with The Frederick News-Post, way back in 1959, it wasn’t hard to jump 50 miles to the east and settle in as a police reporter at the venerable Sun in Baltimore. It was an introduction to a newsroom once populated by such as H. L. Mencken and still the bastion of men long respected as reporters, editors and columnists.
Raise Your Voices…
Farrell Keough
A new president and a new session for the Maryland Legislature – what more could a columnist ask for? Uh… substance?
20090205 SDOSM This week in The Tentacle
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 5, 2009
An Overdue Alternative
Tony Soltero
With our economy in dire straits, President Barack Obama has asked Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill to stave off a massive depression. There are many items in this bill to like – and some not to like, but there is one item that should be taking precedence over all others, and it's nowhere near being adequately addressed in this proposal, whatever shape it eventually takes.
From Grease to Life’s Challenges
Patricia A. Kelly
Tuesday night at the Hippodrome, I became 12 again, ever so briefly, doing the Twist in my seat and singing along with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Why is it that silly song lyrics you learned at that age stay in your head forever, but you can’t remember why you just walked into the laundry room?
WTE Derangement
Norman M. Covert
Here’s a shout-out to Commissioner Kai J. Hagen, who needs a kind word from someone, anyone. His “noogies” have been few since objecting to the $323 million Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant proposed for Frederick County. Mr. Hagen should declare victory and admit he was “for it” before he was against it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
When Stimulus Ain’t
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed its $819 billion version of the economic stimulus package by a vote of 244 to 188. Not a single Republican voted for the measure – for good reason.
Up The River…Part 1
Tom McLaughlin
Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia – Christine and I left Kuching via the Sarawak River in the continuing monsoon for our trip up the Rajang River. Rains have poured from the clouds since early December and would follow us into the interior.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Let us sit upon the ground – "
Roy Meachum
As readers know when faced with startling turns in life, I turn to Shakespeare. The column's title is taken from "Richard II" and is part of a speech in the third act:
Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part III
Nick Diaz
Across the country, the way mathematics is taught in the classroom and in textbooks has been changing notably in the past 20 years. Classrooms are often organized in small groups where students ask each other questions and the teacher is discouraged from providing information. Students may even take tests in groups, if they have tests at all.
Monday, February 2, 2009
When the “Have Nots” Rule
Steven R. Berryman
With 40 percent of America having now achieved entitlement-class status, it stands to reason that the burden of supporting our welfare country is born by the remaining 60 percent of the citizens.
Disastrous Global Warming Bill
Farrell Keough
We have a black cat which is a walking bad hair day. I have determined her given name, Elvis, (yes, the animal is female) does not fit her, hence I have renamed her Spawn of Satan.
Friday, January 30, 2009
People Conforming
Roy Meachum
As some readers recall, for the past several years I have worked on a book, a collection of memories from my colorful past. Recently I have written on the Eisenhower era. After two hitches in the Army, I started my civilian career on the general's first inauguration day. I was already married with child; future attorney Thomas Moore Meachum born in 1951.
Super Sunday
Joe Charlebois
This Sunday, our nation and hundreds of millions of people worldwide will sit down and watch what is arguably the biggest single sporting event in the world. This Sunday the 43rd edition of the National Football League's Super Bowl will be held in Tampa, Florida.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Living Like The Rest of Us
Joan McIntyre
I caught the Board of County Commissioners meeting that was held on Tuesday. Ron Hart, the county manager, was singing the commissioners’ praises for saving the county $12,000 to $15,000 by not filling their receptionist position.
Rebuilding A Party
Chris Cavey
If the Republican Party was a person and not an entity, it would be in the hospital – condition listed as serious, awaiting a transplant and full recovery would be expected only after long periods of physical therapy.
Reconstruction and the Old Plantation
Norman M. Covert
What a week we experienced (drool, tingle, shudder). On reflection I realize that after 128 years, the Second Period of Reconstruction is upon us. A sea of organizers, charlatans, tax cheats, and political insiders from Chicago, New York, and Arkansas, have taken charge of the nation’s government.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Sun Also Sets – Part 2
John W. Ashbury
[The Baltimore Sun’s decision to cease home delivery – and even newsstand sales west of the metropolitan area, brought back countless memories of my days as a reporter and editor there in an age that has passed this gray lady by. We continue…] (See yesterday’s Part 1)
The 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As you read this column Congress is attempting to put the finishing touches on an $825 billion economic stimulus package – otherwise known as the 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act.
Indonesia and the Inauguration
Tom McLaughlin
Bali, Indonesia – Four factors influenced my desire to forego watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama with fellow Americans here in Kuta Beach. I did not seek out places that Americans congregate, nor the American Consulate.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Setting Baltimore Sun
Roy Meachum
You've heard and read about the calamitous state of America's newspaper industry; it has been firmly fixed on the availability of numerous competitive news sources on the cable channels. Nobody dares to broach the possibility the venerable medium may have done itself in.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 1
John W. Ashbury
After starting a career in journalism with The Frederick News-Post, way back in 1959, it wasn’t hard to jump 50 miles to the east and settle in as a police reporter at the venerable Sun in Baltimore. It was an introduction to a newsroom once populated by such as H. L. Mencken and still the bastion of men long respected as reporters, editors and columnists.
Raise Your Voices…
Farrell Keough
A new president and a new session for the Maryland Legislature – what more could a columnist ask for? Uh… substance?
20090205 SDOSM This week in The Tentacle
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Gallup: Stimulus bill losing support
Gallup: Stimulus bill losing support
posted on HotAir at 9:18 am on February 3, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid counted on a significant honeymoon period after the inauguration to ensure passage of their bloated Generational Theft Act, or as they call it, the “stimulus” package. After forcing the bill through the House without allowing any Republican input on its makeup, the bill has landed in a more hostile Senate, where even Democrats wonder aloud how many votes it will get in its present form. They seem to have their fingers on the pulse of America, because according to the latest Gallup poll, the honeymoon has already ended:
Read the entire post here: Gallup Stimulus bill losing support
20090203 Gallup Stimulus bill losing support
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/03/gallup-stimulus-bill-losing-support/
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
posted on HotAir at 9:18 am on February 3, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid counted on a significant honeymoon period after the inauguration to ensure passage of their bloated Generational Theft Act, or as they call it, the “stimulus” package. After forcing the bill through the House without allowing any Republican input on its makeup, the bill has landed in a more hostile Senate, where even Democrats wonder aloud how many votes it will get in its present form. They seem to have their fingers on the pulse of America, because according to the latest Gallup poll, the honeymoon has already ended:
Read the entire post here: Gallup Stimulus bill losing support
20090203 Gallup Stimulus bill losing support
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/02/03/gallup-stimulus-bill-losing-support/
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Tell the Senate: Stop the Stimulus
Tell the Senate: Stop the Stimulus
February 3, 2009
20090203 SDOSM Tell the Senate Stop the Stimulus
February 3, 2009
20090203 SDOSM Tell the Senate Stop the Stimulus
American Recovery Reinvestment Act
Bus Econ 2009 Econ Stimulus
Bus Econ 2009 Econ Stimulus
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
This week in The Tentacle Wednesday, January 28, 2009
20090128 This week in The Tentacle
This week in The Tentacle Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As you read this column Congress is attempting to put the finishing touches on an $825 billion economic stimulus package – otherwise known as the 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 2
John W. Ashbury
[The Baltimore Sun’s decision to cease home delivery – and even newsstand sales west of the metropolitan area, brought back countless memories of my days as a reporter and editor there in an age that has passed this gray lady by. We continue…] (See yesterday’s Part 1)
Indonesia and the Inauguration
Tom McLaughlin
Bali, Indonesia – Four factors influenced my desire to forego watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama with fellow Americans here in Kuta Beach. I did not seek out places that Americans congregate, nor the American Consulate.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Setting Baltimore Sun
Roy Meachum
You've heard and read about the calamitous state of America's newspaper industry; it has been firmly fixed on the availability of numerous competitive news sources on the cable channels. Nobody dares to broach the possibility the venerable medium may have done itself in.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 1
John W. Ashbury
After starting a career in journalism with The Frederick News-Post, way back in 1959, it wasn’t hard to jump 50 miles to the east and settle in as a police reporter at the venerable Sun in Baltimore. It was an introduction to a newsroom once populated by such as H. L. Mencken and still the bastion of men long respected as reporters, editors and columnists.
Raise Your Voices…
Farrell Keough
A new president and a new session for the Maryland Legislature – what more could a columnist ask for? Uh… substance?
Monday, January 26, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 4
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
You can tell the 426th Maryland General Assembly is underway. Pick up any newspaper (assuming they still make home delivery in Frederick County), or turn on your evening news, and you’ll be assaulted with unmistakable evidence in the form of a failure of logic and reason.
Theater of the Absurd
Steven R. Berryman
For those feeling unsteady and questioning their own sanity of late, fear not, as you are truly living through an experience akin to watching Doug Adam’s movie, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while listening to a Pink Floyd album.
Who is President Bush, the Man?
Bill Brosius
Who Is this George W, Bush, 43rd President of the United States? On the left hand he is characterized as being stupid, dumb, arrogant, lying, stubborn, a Texas cowboy who swaggered around the White House spouting religious nonsense.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Politics By Discrimination
Roy Meachum
Evidence suggests the national Republican Party is on the ropes. Again. George W. Bush's departure from office marks a nadir for the GOP comparable to Herbert Hoover's. In both instances money takes the major blame. Bush's White House avoided, like the plague, the word "depression." But it's here.
The Continuing Intrusions
Joe Charlebois
Where has the belief in the American people gone? President Ronald Reagan knew the solution to solving America's crisis wasn't seated in further governmental intrusion. He knew it was the unleashing of the American spirit that for over 200 years spurred the meteoric growth and prosperity of the United States. He saw that America was the shining "City on a Hill."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Sea Change
Tony Soltero
At noon on Tuesday, Barack Obama culminated his historic and unlikely rise to the presidency by taking the oath of office on the U. S. Capitol steps. It was a journey undertaken on a message that hearkens back to the words of the greatest American leader of the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt – the rejection of fear in favor of hope.
It’s a New Day
Patricia A. Kelly
Well, it‘s done. Barack Obama is president. His inauguration was a historic event. The emotion and the tears are appropriate when you consider our history as a nation, and what this election declares to the world about us.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A Tale of Two Inaugurations
Kevin E. Dayhoff
By the time you read this column our nation will have witnessed the inauguration of our nation's 44th president. Today is the first day for President Barack Obama and it marks the merciful end of the 78-day transition period.
Casting Off the New Year
Norman M. Covert
Age and infirmity played a minor role in my kicking off the can’t-miss, spectacular “Age of Obama,” by going to sleep a few seconds before the Waterford® Crystal Sphere dropped at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The arms of Orpheus obscured the weariness of 2008 with its cast of buffoons in government, entertainment, sports and New-Look Journalism.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
"Eyeless in Gaza"
Roy Meachum
God willing, the so-called cease fire held through last night. And Israel and Hamas limited themselves to the minor infractions that have consistently occurred since they stopped shooting. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared victory and began to pull his armed forces out. Hamas claims it won by surviving. They both are right. And wrong.
Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part II
Nick Diaz
In my last article for http://www.thetentacle.com/, I described the goals and strategies used by so-called “reform” educators in their pursuit of mediocrity in American mathematical education.
Monday, January 19, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 3
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
The 426th Session of the Maryland General Assembly opened at noon last Wednesday. The normal pomp and ceremony seemed somehow muted, likely due to the budget storm clouds on the Annapolis horizon.
So Far No Change
Steven R. Berryman
The observable operating philosophy of President-elect Barack Obama thus far comes to us in the form of a television situation comedy, as in an “Obama Knows Best.” It comes off as the blind requirement of our total trust.
The Tentacle:
http://www.thetentacle.com/
Kevin Dayhoff:
http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
This week in The Tentacle Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As you read this column Congress is attempting to put the finishing touches on an $825 billion economic stimulus package – otherwise known as the 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 2
John W. Ashbury
[The Baltimore Sun’s decision to cease home delivery – and even newsstand sales west of the metropolitan area, brought back countless memories of my days as a reporter and editor there in an age that has passed this gray lady by. We continue…] (See yesterday’s Part 1)
Indonesia and the Inauguration
Tom McLaughlin
Bali, Indonesia – Four factors influenced my desire to forego watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama with fellow Americans here in Kuta Beach. I did not seek out places that Americans congregate, nor the American Consulate.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Setting Baltimore Sun
Roy Meachum
You've heard and read about the calamitous state of America's newspaper industry; it has been firmly fixed on the availability of numerous competitive news sources on the cable channels. Nobody dares to broach the possibility the venerable medium may have done itself in.
The Sun Also Sets – Part 1
John W. Ashbury
After starting a career in journalism with The Frederick News-Post, way back in 1959, it wasn’t hard to jump 50 miles to the east and settle in as a police reporter at the venerable Sun in Baltimore. It was an introduction to a newsroom once populated by such as H. L. Mencken and still the bastion of men long respected as reporters, editors and columnists.
Raise Your Voices…
Farrell Keough
A new president and a new session for the Maryland Legislature – what more could a columnist ask for? Uh… substance?
Monday, January 26, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 4
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
You can tell the 426th Maryland General Assembly is underway. Pick up any newspaper (assuming they still make home delivery in Frederick County), or turn on your evening news, and you’ll be assaulted with unmistakable evidence in the form of a failure of logic and reason.
Theater of the Absurd
Steven R. Berryman
For those feeling unsteady and questioning their own sanity of late, fear not, as you are truly living through an experience akin to watching Doug Adam’s movie, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” while listening to a Pink Floyd album.
Who is President Bush, the Man?
Bill Brosius
Who Is this George W, Bush, 43rd President of the United States? On the left hand he is characterized as being stupid, dumb, arrogant, lying, stubborn, a Texas cowboy who swaggered around the White House spouting religious nonsense.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Politics By Discrimination
Roy Meachum
Evidence suggests the national Republican Party is on the ropes. Again. George W. Bush's departure from office marks a nadir for the GOP comparable to Herbert Hoover's. In both instances money takes the major blame. Bush's White House avoided, like the plague, the word "depression." But it's here.
The Continuing Intrusions
Joe Charlebois
Where has the belief in the American people gone? President Ronald Reagan knew the solution to solving America's crisis wasn't seated in further governmental intrusion. He knew it was the unleashing of the American spirit that for over 200 years spurred the meteoric growth and prosperity of the United States. He saw that America was the shining "City on a Hill."
Thursday, January 22, 2009
A Sea Change
Tony Soltero
At noon on Tuesday, Barack Obama culminated his historic and unlikely rise to the presidency by taking the oath of office on the U. S. Capitol steps. It was a journey undertaken on a message that hearkens back to the words of the greatest American leader of the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt – the rejection of fear in favor of hope.
It’s a New Day
Patricia A. Kelly
Well, it‘s done. Barack Obama is president. His inauguration was a historic event. The emotion and the tears are appropriate when you consider our history as a nation, and what this election declares to the world about us.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A Tale of Two Inaugurations
Kevin E. Dayhoff
By the time you read this column our nation will have witnessed the inauguration of our nation's 44th president. Today is the first day for President Barack Obama and it marks the merciful end of the 78-day transition period.
Casting Off the New Year
Norman M. Covert
Age and infirmity played a minor role in my kicking off the can’t-miss, spectacular “Age of Obama,” by going to sleep a few seconds before the Waterford® Crystal Sphere dropped at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The arms of Orpheus obscured the weariness of 2008 with its cast of buffoons in government, entertainment, sports and New-Look Journalism.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
"Eyeless in Gaza"
Roy Meachum
God willing, the so-called cease fire held through last night. And Israel and Hamas limited themselves to the minor infractions that have consistently occurred since they stopped shooting. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared victory and began to pull his armed forces out. Hamas claims it won by surviving. They both are right. And wrong.
Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part II
Nick Diaz
In my last article for http://www.thetentacle.com/, I described the goals and strategies used by so-called “reform” educators in their pursuit of mediocrity in American mathematical education.
Monday, January 19, 2009
General Assembly Journal 2009 – Volume 3
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
The 426th Session of the Maryland General Assembly opened at noon last Wednesday. The normal pomp and ceremony seemed somehow muted, likely due to the budget storm clouds on the Annapolis horizon.
So Far No Change
Steven R. Berryman
The observable operating philosophy of President-elect Barack Obama thus far comes to us in the form of a television situation comedy, as in an “Obama Knows Best.” It comes off as the blind requirement of our total trust.
The Tentacle:
http://www.thetentacle.com/
Kevin Dayhoff:
http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Saturday, January 24, 2009
My recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy by Kevin Dayhoff
My recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy by Kevin Dayhoff
January 24, 2009
I have had a number of folks recently ask where they may find my recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy:
October 3, 2008
Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 3
Kevin E. Dayhoff
On May 13, 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama compared the current housing crisis in the U.S. to the Great Depression in a campaign stop in Missouri.
October 2, 2008
Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 2
Kevin E. Dayhoff
For several weeks the nation and the world have been watching the financial news emanating from Washington and Wall Street with that “deer in headlights” look as everyone holds their breath in disbelief and worries another shoe will drop.
October 1, 2008
Congress and the Rattlesnake – Part 1
Kevin E. Dayhoff
In response to the increasing wrath of the American voter, the U.S. House of Representatives came to its senses on Monday and voted 288 to 205 to kill the rash and ill-conceived proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.
November 5, 2008
It’s the Congress, Stupid!
Kevin E. Dayhoff
When historians look back on the 670-day, $2.5 billion 2008 presidential campaign, the observations, analysis, second-guessing, and finger pointing will fill volumes. In the end, it was once again, “the economy, stupid” that ruled the day.
November 19, 2008
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Instead of tooling down the highway in the fast lane, two months after General Motors celebrated its 100th Birthday on September 16, it found itself huddled over at an intersection with fate, harassing passers-by with a tin pan in hand.
November 26, 2008
“The Eight Years War”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
At high noon on Monday, amid cries of alarm that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President-elect Barack Obama rolled out his all-star economic team and a call for an economic stimulus package that could cost as much as $1 trillion.
20090124 my recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy
Kevin Dayhoff
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org
His columns appear in The Tentacle, http://www.thetentacle.com/;
The Westminster Eagle /Eldersburg Eagle The Sunday Carroll Eagle - Opinion: http://explorecarroll.com/opinion-talk/
http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/
http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/
http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/kevindayhoff
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1040426835
http://picasaweb.google.com/kevindayhoff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff
January 24, 2009
I have had a number of folks recently ask where they may find my recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy:
October 3, 2008
Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 3
Kevin E. Dayhoff
On May 13, 2008, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama compared the current housing crisis in the U.S. to the Great Depression in a campaign stop in Missouri.
October 2, 2008
Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 2
Kevin E. Dayhoff
For several weeks the nation and the world have been watching the financial news emanating from Washington and Wall Street with that “deer in headlights” look as everyone holds their breath in disbelief and worries another shoe will drop.
October 1, 2008
Congress and the Rattlesnake – Part 1
Kevin E. Dayhoff
In response to the increasing wrath of the American voter, the U.S. House of Representatives came to its senses on Monday and voted 288 to 205 to kill the rash and ill-conceived proposed $700 billion bailout of Wall Street.
November 5, 2008
It’s the Congress, Stupid!
Kevin E. Dayhoff
When historians look back on the 670-day, $2.5 billion 2008 presidential campaign, the observations, analysis, second-guessing, and finger pointing will fill volumes. In the end, it was once again, “the economy, stupid” that ruled the day.
November 19, 2008
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Instead of tooling down the highway in the fast lane, two months after General Motors celebrated its 100th Birthday on September 16, it found itself huddled over at an intersection with fate, harassing passers-by with a tin pan in hand.
November 26, 2008
“The Eight Years War”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
At high noon on Monday, amid cries of alarm that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President-elect Barack Obama rolled out his all-star economic team and a call for an economic stimulus package that could cost as much as $1 trillion.
20090124 my recent columns in The Tentacle on the economy
Kevin Dayhoff
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org
His columns appear in The Tentacle, http://www.thetentacle.com/;
The Westminster Eagle /Eldersburg Eagle The Sunday Carroll Eagle - Opinion: http://explorecarroll.com/opinion-talk/
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs
Public officials accepted a pay raise in this economic climate is beyond bizarre…
December 10, 2008
Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs
December 10, 2008
Dixon and City Democrats Get Raises While Contemplating Layoffs
ANNAPOLIS—On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Comptroller Joan Pratt and the 13 other City Council members had pay raises approved by the Baltimore City Board of Estimates, which all three of them sit on. The move was done without identifying the titles or names of those receiving a raise. This comes at a time when Mayor Dixon has not ruled out layoffs for city workers and revoked cost of living raises for middle managers.
“Once again, this is an example of Maryland Democrat leaders operating under a different set of rules than the rest of us,” said MDGOP Chairman Jim Pelura. “These raises amount to $26,250 which is a substantial amount of money to anyone who is not a big-government politician. Mayor Dixon is talking about laying off lower level city workers. I certainly think that $26,250 might save at least one job. Do as I say, not as I do is becoming a common stance in Baltimore City and the state of Maryland.”
“We need new leadership for Maryland that puts taxpayers, small businesses, and working families first. There are several leaders who have volunteered to take part in the furloughs for state employees. Mayor Dixon, Council President Rawlings-Blake, and Comptroller Pratt should follow suit and reject these pay raises,” concluded Pelura.
###
To members of Maryland Republican Party FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Justin Ready 410-263-2125
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
This week in The Tentacle for November 26, 2008
This week in The Tentacle for November 26, 2008
Click here for more columns in The Tentacle by Kevin Dayhoff
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
“The Eight Years War”
Kevin E. Dayhoff
At high noon on Monday, amid cries of alarm that this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President-elect Barack Obama rolled out his all-star economic team and a call for an economic stimulus package that could cost as much as $1 trillion.
What to get the elderly for Christmas
Tom McLaughlin
Black Friday arrives the day after tomorrow and throngs of shoppers will line up for those “deals’ in a panic frenzy. Credit, debit and anything else that still has value will be maxed out during this holiday season because of the economy. Often left in the riot are your parents.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
County Democratic Party's Castration – Part 1
Roy Meachum
This year marked a quarter century that I resided in Frederick. Someone who arrived later cannot possibly imagine the changes made. Most from the visionary and long-time city Mayor Ron Young. He created Carroll Creek development and modernized downtown streets from the horse and buggy days.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Lobb(y)ing Grenades
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
At a recent Board of County Commissioners hearing, Commissioner, and self-described "country lawyer, John L. "Lennie” Thompson, Jr., gave Annapolis lobbyists a piece of his mind. Lennie needs a new enemy; his style of bare-knuckled populist politics works best when he has a boogeyman to attack.
A Saturday with the Sheriff
Steven R. Berryman
On Saturday I found myself waiting outside the Church of the Brethren for Chuck Jenkins, sheriff of Frederick County. He was late, but I don’t blame the man, as he is in highest demand during these troubled and newly formative days.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Katrina's Official Murderers
Roy Meachum
A good friend from New Orleans called the other day; he works for Holy Cross where I started as a boarding student when I was nine years old. The dormitories were ripped up more than 20 years ago by Hurricane Betsy; nobody lives there these days.
Secularism’s Effects on A Society
Joe Charlebois
Secular socialism has made steady inroads into our society since the early 1960s when prayer was being removed from the schools. What has this led too?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Radical Makeover
Chris Cavey
Since the November 4th election, there has been much ballyhoo about the redefinition and much needed re-packaging of the Republican Party, especially as to whom should be the authors and leaders of this remake and even how to get started.
The Good, The Bad and The Hopeful
Joan McIntyre
Ever have one of those times where you just can't shake that feeling of dread? I normally have an uncanny ability to find good in just about every situation. It's not happening this time.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Instead of tooling down the highway in the fast lane, two months after General Motors celebrated its 100th Birthday on September 16, it found itself huddled over at an intersection with fate, harassing passers-by with a tin pan in hand.
Fulfilling A Dream
Tom McLaughlin
“What has possessed you, Tom,” many have asked. “Leaving the country for Borneo Island for a year,” they wonder. “And what about your health?”
Baltimore Hippodrome's "Grinch"
Roy Meachum
What a delightful idea! Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre decided to bring in for the holidays "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Terms and Limits in Iraq
Roy Meachum
While George W. Bush's order to invade Iraq made headline news, the several papers I read cast the real outcome somewhere in the back pages.
A Once-A-Year Happening
Farrell Keough
“[A]m I my brother’s keeper?” This was the statement Cain gave to God when questioned about the location of Abel, whom Cain murdered. It has become part of our cultural colloquialisms – generally applied when asking about our responsibility to help others.
Walkersville’s Welcome Wagon
Joe Charlebois
Well, the ugly head of unforeseen consequences has reared its ugly head. The Town of Walkersville, in its determination to keep the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from building their worship and conference facilities, has ultimately broken the back – if not the pocketbook – of the Banner School family.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Avoiding The Temptation
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
I supported John McCain throughout the recent presidential election. Having written an entire column about why, there's no reason to re-plow that field.
Befuddled in Frederick
Steven R. Berryman
What strange days we are living in. My sympathy goes out to those whose intellectual process it is to attempt to make sense of the world around them.
Landfill & Waste-to-Energy Q & A
Joan McIntyre
My last column (from November 6) generated many questions. Trash in Frederick County certainly seems to be the hot topic. Trash is a given and we need to get out of our holding pattern. So, here I've done my best to address many of your questions.
20081126 This week in The Tentacle
Welcome to the Coffee Shop Bank and Trust Company by Kevin Dayhoff
Welcome to the Coffee Shop Bank and Trust Company by Kevin Dayhoff
Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 11/19/08
Click here for more columns by Kevin Dayhoff on http://www.explorecarroll.com/
Welcome to the Coffee Shop Bank and Trust Company by Kevin Dayhoff
I was sad to see last week that the Pour House Café on East Main Street in Westminster was closing.
The unreal irony of the untimely demise of a popular local gathering place came with another piece of news from last week: According to ABC News: "Even as the company was pleading the federal government for another $40 billion dollars in loans, AIG sent top executives to a secret gathering at a luxury resort in Phoenix last week."
"Reporters caught the AIG executives on hidden cameras poolside and leaving the spa." I'm not making this up.
It was reported that AIG spent an estimated $343,000 on the junket.
I'll venture a guess that just the interest on that $343,000 alone could have kept the local Main Street shop in business.
No word as to whether owners of the Pour House considered lobbying the U.S. Treasury Department for a piece of the $700 billion bailout plan passed by Congress in the waning weeks of the 2008 presidential campaign.
But hey, why not? Everyone else is. According to an article in the International Herald Tribune, the "Treasury Department is under siege by an army of hired guns for banks, savings and loan associations and insurers -- as well as for improbable candidates like a Hispanic business group representing plumbing and home-heating specialists."
We all heard the rhetoric during the election campaign about how everyone is so concerned about "Main Street."
I kinda expected Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Senate Banking Committee chairman Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), to show up on Main Street in Westminster, order a vente double-shot mocha latte with lowfat soy and hand the Pour House a check.
Nah. That could never happen. These folks don't really know where "Main Street" is.
The other avenue of approach for the coffee house would have been to convert itself into a bank. I read the same day that the credit card company, American Express, was converted into a bank like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs -- so that it was eligible for a handout from the government.
As soon as the "Coffee Shop Bank and Trust" opens, it could take $343,000 junkets and be eligible for great seven-figure bonuses.
Hey, bean counting is bean counting.
Right after the news was revealed about the $343,000 AIG junket, the Federal Reserve System announced it was going to increase the company's bailout by $27 billion to a total of $150 billion.
Those folks who run AIG are no fools. That's a great return on misappropriating $343,000 of taxpayer dollars.
Along the same lines, I felt really bad to read a Reuters article that reported that "Wall Street bonuses could tumble 41.3 percent." Tumble?
Well, I tumbled out of my chair to read that economists "say each securities industry job on average paid $379,000 last year."
Now, according to Reuters, "Wall Street' high flyers are likely to see their bonuses take a brutal hit this year -- bonuses could be cut in half to $16 billion." Now that's brutal.
All this for an industry which Jay Leno described best: "The United States," he said, "has developed a new weapon that destroys people but it leaves buildings standing.
"It's called the stock market."
Is this a great country or what?
####
http://explorecarroll.com/opinion/1621/welcome-coffee-shop-bank-trust-company/
20081119 WE Welcome to the Coffee Shop Bank and Trust Co weked
Click here for more columns by Kevin Dayhoff on http://www.explorecarroll.com/
Turkey, stuffing, illegal radios and rowdy college kids
Published November 23, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we at The Eagle hope you have a great turkey-day with lots of food, friends and family. Perhaps because of our...
Welcome to the Coffee Shop Bank and Trust Company
Published November 19, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
I was sad to see last week that the Pour House Café on East Main Street in Westminster was closing. The unreal irony of the...
At Westminster polls in 1920, the 'Women Disappointed Them'
Published November 16, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
EAGLE ARCHIVE The fact that women gained the right to vote was a milestone that got mixed reviews in Carroll County after the 19th Amendment...
Life work of Sargent Shriver began in Westminster
Published November 12, 2008 by Westminster Eagle
Twenty years ago this week the community was abuzz in anticipation of one of Carroll County's most celebrated native sons, Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. returning...
Patriotic, misty-eyed and corny about our Election Day
Published November 9, 2008 by Sunday Carroll Eagle
EAGLE ARCHIVE Last Tuesday, after two years, 45 debates and $2.4 billion spent, American voters finally had their day. Is it just me, or does...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Do We Need the Big Three? by George Will Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Do We Need the Big Three? by George Will Tuesday, November 18, 2008
WASHINGTON -- "Nothing," said a General Motors spokesman last week, "has changed relative to the GM board's support for the GM management team during this historically difficult economic period for the U.S. auto industry." Nothing? Not even the evaporation of almost all shareholder value?
GM's statement comes as the mendicant company is threatening to collapse and make a mess unless Washington, which has already voted $25 billion for GM, Ford and Chrysler, provides up to $50 billion more -- the last subsidy until the next one.
[…]
The answer? Do nothing that will delay bankrupt companies from filing for bankruptcy protection, so that improvident labor contracts can be unraveled, allowing the companies to try to devise plausible business models. Instead, advocates of a "rescue" propose extending to Detroit the government's business model for the nation -- redistributing wealth from the successful to the failed, an implausible formula for prosperity.
[…]
Those Democrats, their rhetoric notwithstanding, really care most about the union. "Saving the planet" comes second and last comes the health of the auto companies.
{…}
Read the entire column here: Do We Need the Big Three? by George Will
20081118 Do We Need the Big Three by Will Nov18 2008
Running on empty – What a difference an election makes
November 23, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff
By the end of last week the prospect of an auto bailout was running on four flat tires.
However, with the backdrop of the economy continuing to remain at the forefront of the media spotlight, the “Detroit Three,” General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, continue their tours de force beg-a-thon performance in the media with a great deal of support coming from the Democrat Party.
What a difference an election makes. If you will remember, during the election campaign, the Democrats railed about the increase in the national debt, increased spending, and failed economic policies.
And of course, earlier in the 2008 presidential campaign, when the price of oil and gasoline spiked, it was President George W. Bush’s fault. After the price of gas fell precipitously, the Democrats and their media sycophants fell strangely silent.
Moreover, on Election Day, when the Wall Street rallied, the media credited the prospects of the election of presidential candidate Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with the reasons for the uptick in the stock market.
The day after the election the stock market had the largest percentage drop in history on the day after an election. The media was silent – as in crickets chirping…
Many credited the election victory of Senator Obama on the chaos in the economy. Of course, the great paradox is that the very same foxes, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., House Financial Services Committee chair Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Senate Banking Committee chair Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who caused the chaos in the financial henhouse have now been rewarded and are now in charge of protecting and fixing it. (See It’s the Congress, Stupid!, Congress and the Rattlesnake – Part 1, Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 2, Congress and The Rattlesnake – Part 3.)
Now these very same folks want to work their magic on the automobile industry in the United States – with taxpayer money, of course. They want to further raise the national debt by bailing out the Detroit Three – which is the focus of my “The Tentacle” column this week: Rewarding Bad Behavior
As an aside, speaking of changing his tune, you will notice that President-elect Obama has been eerily silent about Iraq, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, and other aspects of his war on the Bush Administration’s national security polices now that he has been given a number of national security briefings.
Nevertheless, there remains a nagging concern that international terrorists are still plotting to kill Americans and we are still fighting two interminable ground wars overseas. The Iranians and North Koreans are still playing with their nuclear erector sets. Somali pirates are seizing ships in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes outside of the Gulf of Aden.
And in spite of the predicted outbreak of the Age of Aquarius as a result of the recent election, we find ourselves in economic chaos which continues to escape appropriate hyperbole and reactionary rhetoric.
Congress and our critical financial conglomerates have behaved so badly that their behavior raised the specter that the United States and the world would revisit the joys and riches of the Medieval Ages if something was not done.
Yet last week, the financial bailout had the look and feel of a circular firing squad as Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson stood before the nation, and said something to the affect: “You know, about that initial bailout strategy… Well nevermind, the facts have changed and we now have a new and improved pyramid scheme to sell you.”
His performance had all the reassuring aspects of a snake oil salesman from the 1890s as he sketched-out a new approach to encourage consumer confidence, borrowing, and get American families back in the mood for opening their pocketbooks.
No word as to how many Google searches occurred for “economic feudalism” last week as Americans started to feel like feudal serfs being sacrificed as a result of the lack of leadership of the overlords.
If this were not enough of a witches brew, many Americans – and the stock market – continue to feel morning sickness in a pregnant pause of anxiety over president-elect Obama’s election rhetoric to revisit free trade agreements, raise taxes, and unleash a new social-welfare system upon the nation that would make President Franklin D. Roosevelt green with envy.
Intellectual, morally and economically, a glance at Washington these days indicates that it not only the Detroit Three that is in trouble these days, the American taxpayer is more at risk than ever as a result of Congress running on empty.
####
20081119 Running on empty (752 words)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Today in the DC Examiner: An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires
Today in the DC Examiner: An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires
November 19, 2008
Will Obama back missile defense or back missile defense into history?
Examiner Editorial: Liberals have been saying for decades that missile defense can't work, even as the U.S. Army and Navy are repeatedly and successfully testing land and sea-based systems that destroy incoming missiles. Will Barack Obama listen to the liberals or the military?
S.J. Masty's Time Machine: Maybe Charlie Chan can solve the mystery of who shot the GOP.
Jay Ambrose: Our Denver-based Herald of the Rockies is having second thoughts about Obama's first promises.
Tapscott's Copy Desk: Harry Reid and Robert Byrd falsified government data on job creation. Will the Mainstream Media call them on it?
And don't miss a former GM manager's explanation for why she opposes a federal bailout for Detroit's Big Three: You will find Lori Roman's Op-Ed here: “An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires”
20081119 Today in the DC Examiner: An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires
November 19, 2008
Will Obama back missile defense or back missile defense into history?
Examiner Editorial: Liberals have been saying for decades that missile defense can't work, even as the U.S. Army and Navy are repeatedly and successfully testing land and sea-based systems that destroy incoming missiles. Will Barack Obama listen to the liberals or the military?
S.J. Masty's Time Machine: Maybe Charlie Chan can solve the mystery of who shot the GOP.
Jay Ambrose: Our Denver-based Herald of the Rockies is having second thoughts about Obama's first promises.
Tapscott's Copy Desk: Harry Reid and Robert Byrd falsified government data on job creation. Will the Mainstream Media call them on it?
And don't miss a former GM manager's explanation for why she opposes a federal bailout for Detroit's Big Three: You will find Lori Roman's Op-Ed here: “An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires”
20081119 Today in the DC Examiner: An Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires
This week in The Tentacle
This week in The Tentacle
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Instead of tooling down the highway in the fast lane, two months after General Motors celebrated its 100th Birthday on September 16, it found itself huddled over at an intersection with fate, harassing passers-by with a tin pan in hand.
William C. Durant formed General Motors (GM) as a holding company in 1908 for Buick. He subsequently took on overwhelming debt by purchasing the manufacturers of Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Elmore and Oakland. After a dramatic drop in automobile sales, Mr. Durant lost control of the company two years later to one of the many powerful bankers’ trusts of the time.
A hundred years later, the “Detroit Three,” – Ford, GM and Chrysler – have lost control of their companies to the United Auto Workers (UAW.)
After decades of being blackmailed with the threat of crippling union strikes, the Detroit Three finds themselves with uncompetitive work rules. It manufactures products which continue to languish with the perception that they lack the quality of their competitors. They offer numerous models, in which the American consumer has little or no interest. They make these automobiles with enormously uncompetitive salaries and benefits; and now the American taxpayers are being asked to bail them out.
Read the entire column here: Rewarding Bad Behavior
Fulfilling A Dream
Tom McLaughlin
“What has possessed you, Tom,” many have asked. “Leaving the country for Borneo Island for a year,” they wonder. “And what about your health?”
Baltimore Hippodrome's "Grinch"
Roy Meachum
What a delightful idea! Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre decided to bring in for the holidays "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Terms and Limits in Iraq
Roy Meachum
While George W. Bush's order to invade Iraq made headline news, the several papers I read cast the real outcome somewhere in the back pages.
A Once-A-Year Happening
Farrell Keough
“[A]m I my brother’s keeper?” This was the statement Cain gave to God when questioned about the location of Abel, whom Cain murdered. It has become part of our cultural colloquialisms – generally applied when asking about our responsibility to help others.
Walkersville’s Welcome Wagon
Joe Charlebois
Well, the ugly head of unforeseen consequences has reared its ugly head. The Town of Walkersville, in its determination to keep the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from building their worship and conference facilities, has ultimately broken the back – if not the pocketbook – of the Banner School family.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Avoiding The Temptation
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
I supported John McCain throughout the recent presidential election. Having written an entire column about why, there's no reason to re-plow that field.
Befuddled in Frederick
Steven R. Berryman
What strange days we are living in. My sympathy goes out to those whose intellectual process it is to attempt to make sense of the world around them.
Landfill & Waste-to-Energy Q & A
Joan McIntyre
My last column (from November 6) generated many questions. Trash in Frederick County certainly seems to be the hot topic. Trash is a given and we need to get out of our holding pattern. So, here I've done my best to address many of your questions.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Newly "Dis-Organized" Party
Roy Meachum
Three months after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the first Democratic president since Woodrow Wilson, Oklahoma-born comedian Will Rogers said on his weekly radio show: "You've got to be optimist to be a Democrat and you've got to be a humorist to stay one." Mr. Rogers was also quoted: "I belong to no organized political party – I’m a Democrat."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Onward and Upward, Not Backwards
Tony Soltero
Now that the election is behind us, there's no shortage of analyses being offered by pundits left, right, and center about “What It All Means.” So here are a few bullet points of my own as a contribution to the discussion.
My President
Patricia A. Kelly
I’ve lived a pretty long time. I was alive and conscious during the civil rights movement. In fact, during that time, my mom drove my brother and me through the South every summer to visit my grandparents.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Incredibly Shrinking Republican Party
Kevin E. Dayhoff
The ink is hardly dry on the “historic” election of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and already those with 20/20 hindsight are dissecting and revising the two-year ordeal, known as the 2008 presidential election, with the conviction of someone who has just seen a flying saucer land in the backyard.
Just Bustin’ Out All Over
Tom McLaughlin
It was as if a massive salt water wave swept over the country and washed away all of the hate and intolerance. I felt cleansed, jubilant and am still high from the November 4 election results. No more African-Americans, or Chinese-Americans, or Native Americans. We are all Americans.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Please, Jennifer, Not Again
Roy Meachum
Jennifer Dougherty's loss record for elections stands four-to-one after Tuesday's drubbing by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. The only time she won, incumbent Mayor Jim Grimes shot himself in the foot. Repeatedly. When she tried for a second term, her own party dumped her; the first mayor in modern times to be defeated in a primary.
“It’s Good To Be A Teacher…”
Nick Diaz
Work-to-rule, teachers’ contract, planning time, Board of Education, FCTA, negotiated agreement – these topics, and more, have surfaced recently in Frederick concerning local education issues.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Election Post Mortem
Steven R. Berryman
Election 2008 is over. America now has a new president-elect, and an opportunity to evaluate just what Barack Obama’s victory means. Here are some lessons learned along with some 20/20 hindsight.
20081119 This week in The Tentacle
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Rewarding Bad Behavior
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Instead of tooling down the highway in the fast lane, two months after General Motors celebrated its 100th Birthday on September 16, it found itself huddled over at an intersection with fate, harassing passers-by with a tin pan in hand.
William C. Durant formed General Motors (GM) as a holding company in 1908 for Buick. He subsequently took on overwhelming debt by purchasing the manufacturers of Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Elmore and Oakland. After a dramatic drop in automobile sales, Mr. Durant lost control of the company two years later to one of the many powerful bankers’ trusts of the time.
A hundred years later, the “Detroit Three,” – Ford, GM and Chrysler – have lost control of their companies to the United Auto Workers (UAW.)
After decades of being blackmailed with the threat of crippling union strikes, the Detroit Three finds themselves with uncompetitive work rules. It manufactures products which continue to languish with the perception that they lack the quality of their competitors. They offer numerous models, in which the American consumer has little or no interest. They make these automobiles with enormously uncompetitive salaries and benefits; and now the American taxpayers are being asked to bail them out.
Read the entire column here: Rewarding Bad Behavior
Fulfilling A Dream
Tom McLaughlin
“What has possessed you, Tom,” many have asked. “Leaving the country for Borneo Island for a year,” they wonder. “And what about your health?”
Baltimore Hippodrome's "Grinch"
Roy Meachum
What a delightful idea! Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre decided to bring in for the holidays "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Terms and Limits in Iraq
Roy Meachum
While George W. Bush's order to invade Iraq made headline news, the several papers I read cast the real outcome somewhere in the back pages.
A Once-A-Year Happening
Farrell Keough
“[A]m I my brother’s keeper?” This was the statement Cain gave to God when questioned about the location of Abel, whom Cain murdered. It has become part of our cultural colloquialisms – generally applied when asking about our responsibility to help others.
Walkersville’s Welcome Wagon
Joe Charlebois
Well, the ugly head of unforeseen consequences has reared its ugly head. The Town of Walkersville, in its determination to keep the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from building their worship and conference facilities, has ultimately broken the back – if not the pocketbook – of the Banner School family.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Avoiding The Temptation
Richard B. Weldon Jr.
I supported John McCain throughout the recent presidential election. Having written an entire column about why, there's no reason to re-plow that field.
Befuddled in Frederick
Steven R. Berryman
What strange days we are living in. My sympathy goes out to those whose intellectual process it is to attempt to make sense of the world around them.
Landfill & Waste-to-Energy Q & A
Joan McIntyre
My last column (from November 6) generated many questions. Trash in Frederick County certainly seems to be the hot topic. Trash is a given and we need to get out of our holding pattern. So, here I've done my best to address many of your questions.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Newly "Dis-Organized" Party
Roy Meachum
Three months after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the first Democratic president since Woodrow Wilson, Oklahoma-born comedian Will Rogers said on his weekly radio show: "You've got to be optimist to be a Democrat and you've got to be a humorist to stay one." Mr. Rogers was also quoted: "I belong to no organized political party – I’m a Democrat."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Onward and Upward, Not Backwards
Tony Soltero
Now that the election is behind us, there's no shortage of analyses being offered by pundits left, right, and center about “What It All Means.” So here are a few bullet points of my own as a contribution to the discussion.
My President
Patricia A. Kelly
I’ve lived a pretty long time. I was alive and conscious during the civil rights movement. In fact, during that time, my mom drove my brother and me through the South every summer to visit my grandparents.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Incredibly Shrinking Republican Party
Kevin E. Dayhoff
The ink is hardly dry on the “historic” election of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and already those with 20/20 hindsight are dissecting and revising the two-year ordeal, known as the 2008 presidential election, with the conviction of someone who has just seen a flying saucer land in the backyard.
Just Bustin’ Out All Over
Tom McLaughlin
It was as if a massive salt water wave swept over the country and washed away all of the hate and intolerance. I felt cleansed, jubilant and am still high from the November 4 election results. No more African-Americans, or Chinese-Americans, or Native Americans. We are all Americans.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Please, Jennifer, Not Again
Roy Meachum
Jennifer Dougherty's loss record for elections stands four-to-one after Tuesday's drubbing by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. The only time she won, incumbent Mayor Jim Grimes shot himself in the foot. Repeatedly. When she tried for a second term, her own party dumped her; the first mayor in modern times to be defeated in a primary.
“It’s Good To Be A Teacher…”
Nick Diaz
Work-to-rule, teachers’ contract, planning time, Board of Education, FCTA, negotiated agreement – these topics, and more, have surfaced recently in Frederick concerning local education issues.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Election Post Mortem
Steven R. Berryman
Election 2008 is over. America now has a new president-elect, and an opportunity to evaluate just what Barack Obama’s victory means. Here are some lessons learned along with some 20/20 hindsight.
20081119 This week in The Tentacle
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Today in the DC Examiner: Are we bailing out dead donkeys?
Today in the DC Examiner: Are we bailing out dead donkeys?
November 18, 2008
Examiner Editorial: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is handing out billions of tax dollars to selected Wall Street firms, but refuses to disclose any details of who, how much or with what in return. This is a major scandal-in-the-making.
Quin Hillyer: The Supreme Court agrees to hear another case that could put McCain-Feingold regulation of political speech in the legal garbage can where it belongs.
Examiner OpEd: John Hawkins pens an open letter to GOP members of the U.S. Senate, challenging them to try something new.
20081118 Today in the DC Examiner Are we bailing out dead donkeys?
November 18, 2008
Examiner Editorial: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is handing out billions of tax dollars to selected Wall Street firms, but refuses to disclose any details of who, how much or with what in return. This is a major scandal-in-the-making.
Quin Hillyer: The Supreme Court agrees to hear another case that could put McCain-Feingold regulation of political speech in the legal garbage can where it belongs.
Examiner OpEd: John Hawkins pens an open letter to GOP members of the U.S. Senate, challenging them to try something new.
20081118 Today in the DC Examiner Are we bailing out dead donkeys?
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Presidents Radio Address for November 14 2008
Presidents Radio Address for November 14 2008
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 14, 2008
President's Radio Address
President's Radio Address Audio En Español
In Focus: Economy
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend I am hosting a summit on the global financial crisis with leaders of developed and developing nations. By working together, I'm confident that with time we can overcome this crisis and return our economies to the path of growth and vitality.
I know many of you listening are worried about the challenges facing our economy. Stock market declines have eroded the value of retirement accounts and pension funds. The tightening of credit has made it harder for families to borrow money for cars, homes, and education. Businesses have found it harder to get loans to expand their operations and create jobs. Many nations have suffered job losses and have serious concerns about the worsening economy.
Nations around the world have responded to this situation with bold measures, and our actions are having an impact. Credit markets are beginning to thaw and businesses are gaining access to essential short-term financing. It will require more time for these improvements to fully take hold and there will be more difficult days ahead, but the United States and our partners are taking the right steps to get through the crisis.
As we address the current crisis, we also need to make broader reforms to adapt our financial systems to the 21st century. So during this summit, I will work with other leaders to establish principles for reform, such as making markets more transparent and ensuring that markets, firms, and financial products are properly regulated.
All these steps will require decisive actions from governments around the world. At the same time, we must recognize that government intervention is not a cure-all. While reforms in the financial sector are essential, the long-term solution to today's problems is sustained economic growth. And the surest path to that growth is free markets and free people.
This is a decisive moment for the global economy. In the wake of the financial crisis voices from the left and right are equating the free enterprise system with greed, exploitation, and failure. It is true that this crisis included failures by lenders and borrowers, by financial firms, by governments and independent regulators. But the crisis was not a failure of the free market system. And the answer is not to try to reinvent that system. It is to fix the problems we face, make the reforms we need, and move forward with the free market principles that have delivered prosperity and hope to people around the world.
The benefits of free market capitalism have been proven across time, geography, and culture. Around the world free market capitalism has allowed once impoverished nations to develop large and prosperous economies. And here at home, free market capitalism is what transformed America from a rugged frontier to the greatest economic power in history.
Just as important as maintaining free markets within countries is maintaining the free movement of goods and services between countries. There are many ways for nations to demonstrate their commitment to open markets. The United States Congress can take the lead by approving free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea before adjourning for the year.
In the long run, Americans can be confident in the future of our economy. We will work with our partners around the world to address the problems in the global financial system. We will strengthen our economy. And we will continue to lead the world toward prosperity and peace.
Thank you for listening.
# # #
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2008114 Presidents Radio Address for November 14 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bailout man by Eva Moon
Bailout man by Eva MoonNovember 14, 2008 - Thank goodness it's Friday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZUXXSxZPhw
Can anything make the Wall Street bailout even slightly more palatable? Probably not. But Eva Moon mixes it up with a little funk and sex? Music and lyrics by Eva Moon. Ferko Saxmanov on sax, Tym Parsons bass and guitar. http://evamoon.net Category: Comedy
Photo from: “Bailout Man” by Eva Moon http://evamoon.net/ Oct. 6, 2008
20081114 Bailout man by Eva Moon
The Onion - In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
The Onion - In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole? (1:56)
Thank goodness it's Friday
In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
20081113 The Onion In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
20081113 The Onion In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Irate Congressman Demands Resignation of AIG CEO
Irate Congressman Demands Resignation of AIG CEO
Rep. Elijah Cummings: Latest "Junket" Violates AIG Pledge
By JOSEPH RHEE November 11, 2008—
A leading critic of AIG today demanded the company's CEO resign in the wake of the disclosure of yet another "junket" at a resort spa. In a letter to AIG's CEO Edward Liddy, Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said the decision to hold an event for independent financial advisors last week at a luxury Phoenix resort was "outrageous" given an earlier pledge by Liddy to curtail such events.
Cummings wrote that AIG can begin to restore its trust with Congress "by accepting your resignation from the positions of chairman and chief executive officer."
Reporters for abc15.com (KNXV) caught top AIG executives on hidden camera at a secretive gathering last week at the luxurious Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix. AIG instructed the hotel to make sure no company logos and signs were seen on the property, according to a company spokesman.
Click here to see the full KNXV report.
In his letter, Cummings questioned how the Phoenix event could have taken place given Liddy's earlier assurances that "not one cent of taxpayer dollars" would by used to pay for such events. The decision to hold the event while AIG was asking for billions of dollars more in federal loans was "even more shocking", wrote Cummings.
[…]
Click here to read letter.
[…]
Click here to read AIG's full response.
Cummings asked Liddy to provide him with details on who the sponsors were and how much money they were providing, as well as an itemized list of expenses incurred by AIG. Cummings also requested a list of each of the 160 planned events that AIG said it had cancelled on or after October 30.
[…]
Read the entire article here: Irate Congressman Demands Resignation of AIG CEO
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/WallStreet/story?id=6230818&page=1
20081111 Irate Congressman Demands Resignation of AIG CEO
Sunday, November 09, 2008
A Look at Maryland Economic Issues by Barbara Paulsen
Webmaster’s note: Maryland continues to lose jobs in the private sector because of the state’s well-deserved reputation for being anti-business and tax-hell. Moreover, folks are leaving the state in a tax-flight that shows no abatement in the foreseeable future.
However the article skirts this economic dynamic ever so euphemistically.
It says: “The manufacturing sector, however, continues to disappoint and accounts for increasingly fewer jobs as it continues to shrink. While the loss of these jobs has slowed in the past three years, it remains the biggest economic drag on the state's economy. Maryland is trying to shift from labor-based manufacturing jobs to more science and knowledge-based jobs. But attempts to lure large international corporations have been hurt by the high cost of doing business in the state.
“… For several consecutive years more people have moved out of Maryland than moved in, largely because of people searching for cheaper housing.”
Kevin Dayhoff
A Look at the Old Line State's Economic Issues by BARBARA PAULSEN
The Backyard Economy: Maryland
Nov. 3, 2008
Related: 20081103 Recession Nation: 49 States at Risk By Scott Mayerowitz
Unlike many states, Maryland has historically had a relatively robust and diversified economy that allows it to maintain healthy growth. But the future of Maryland's economy, like that of the nation, is uncertain.
Underpinning its economic diversity is a highly educated workforce — one of the nation's highest ratios of Ph.D. holders — and virtually full employment. There are a large number of well-paying jobs in government, health care and education. The unemployment rate was just 3.6 percent last year, among the nation's lowest. And Maryland ranks fifth in personal income in the nation.
The federal government acts as a stabilizing force in Maryland's economy. "Maryland is blessed by its geography," said Daraius Irani, director of the Regional Economic Studies Institute at Towson University outside Baltimore.
[…]
The manufacturing sector, however, continues to disappoint and accounts for increasingly fewer jobs as it continues to shrink. While the loss of these jobs has slowed in the past three years, it remains the biggest economic drag on the state's economy. Maryland is trying to shift from labor-based manufacturing jobs to more science and knowledge-based jobs. But attempts to lure large international corporations have been hurt by the high cost of doing business in the state.
Housing prices in Maryland are expected to drop more than 10 percent in the next year, slightly less that the national average. For several consecutive years more people have moved out of Maryland than moved in, largely because of people searching for cheaper housing.
Read the entire article here: A Look at Maryland Economic Issues by Barbara Paulsen
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=4804449
20081103 A Look at Maryland Economic Issues by Barbara Paulsen
Recession Nation: 49 States at Risk By Scott Mayerowitz
Hat Tip: B5 who lives in Alaska. He suggested that I “Check out this article and then tell me why you aren't considering moving to this great (Republican) State.”
In March, Five States Were in Recession; Now There Are 30, With 19 More at Risk
No state is immune from falling into a recession, except for one: oil-rich Alaska.
What started out as a housing problem in a few states has now exploded into a full-fledged recession, with a majority of states now in or dangerously close to recession.
At the end of September, 30 states were in recession, according to Moody's Economy.com. Back in March, only five states were in recession: Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada.
[…]
The just leaves one part of the country -- Alaska -- with a still-expanding economy. (The District of Columbia, with its government and government-related jobs, also still has an expanding economy.)
"There's no way around the map. It says the nation is in recession. The recession is coast to coast," Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Moody's Economy.com told ABC News recently. "One of the unique features of this downturn is how broad-based it is, regionally."
What happened between March and today?
"The job market has eroded measurably and industrial production has weakened sharply in the last couple of months. Those are the two key things. The other thing is that retail sales have also sharply weakened," Zandi said.
The one bright side is part of the middle of the country. Agriculture and energy are still strong and providing jobs.
[…]
"The exception is the part of the country between the Mississippi River and the Rockies, which is still doing pretty well," he said. "High farm prices are good if you are in Iowa. High oil prices are good if you are in Houston."
Peter Morici, an economics professor at the University of Maryland, said a decline in manufacturing is really hurting the Rust Belt. That said, the economy still is very regional and industry-specific.
[…]
"The state governments are an exercise in irresponsibility. Through the property boom, they enjoyed the increase in people's assessments," Morici said. "They are just not structured to handle the cynical movements in their revenue the way they should be.
"Just like companies, municipalities can behave irresponsibly in good times, not shore up any money for bad times and then go crying to the federal government when they need cash," he added.
Read the entire article here: Recession Nation: 49 States at Risk
ABC News Internet Ventures
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6158877&page=1
20081103 Recession Nation: 49 States at Risk By Scott Mayerowitz
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