Odds and ends-TGIF!

Today was an interesting day. Not interesting in a good way, interesting in a reaffirmation of bad choices, kind of way. And, as an extra added bonus, I get to spend the rest of the month wondering who my employer will be come July.  Or if I will even be employed at all.  Just tons of fun.

But that’s why alcohol was invented-and I’m a “cup is half full” kind of guy.

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I finally had a chance to watch “To Big to Fail” on HBO. I think its a great movie-and in the middle of the movie, provides the clearest explanation of the 2008 financial crisis I have heard in months.  William Hurt provides an interesting portrayal of Hank Paulson-and in particular they do a great job of showing the popular lie that way too many Americans have been dulled through their own ignorance to believe: that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are solely to blame for the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Money quote near the end of the movie comes from Paul Giamatti: ” I only hope they will use the money [that we just gave the banks who almost destroyed the economy] the way we want them to. They will lend it it out, won’t they?” William Hurt(as Paulson) replies, ” Of course they will.”

We now know they didn’t. The greedy f*cks, after paying huge bonuses to themselves, held onto it for reasons that are yet to be clearly explained-save for what money they expended to elect their friends in 2010, and defeat financial reform, thanks to Citizens United. Hell of a job guys-thanks.

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I’ve also finished over the last few weeks a couple of books:

Written by the late Joe Bageant, its a great book that explains how the GOP base,’ i.e. America’s white working class,  has been ravaged by the very party that purports to take their side. And the conduct that was despised in “Too Big to Fail” is repeated in smaller scale, by the small business who are supposedly hurt by repealing the Bush tax cuts. Its a great book-and Bageant writes with an anger and a incredulousness that is missing from too many writers in America these days.

Truth in advertising, Bageant makes no pretense of trying to be even handed. He refuses to concede any points to the other side-and you have to know that going in to reading the book.  However, once you recognize that, the book resonates-mainly because you recognizes vinettes from our own experience in the Whining States of America.  That alone makes it worth the read.

The other book I read was Matt Taibbi’s “Griftopia”

Again you have to recognize the viewpoint that he starts approaching the problem from-but so far, no one-and I do mean NO ONE-has been able disprove any of his fact in the book. Wall Street and conservative America hate him, especially his savaging of Alan Greenspan. However he does a pretty good job of proving that Greenspan got it wrong as much as he got it right. Taibbi skewers everyone from the tea party to Ayn Rand. Again he points out that the mortages of “moochers” played a part in the financial meltdown, but only a part. Taibbi correctly points out, you can find maybe 1.4 trillion in subprime, but another 13 trillion is still missing. Taibbi HATES Goldman Sachs-and based on his documented evidence, it would appear there is good reason to.  I can’t say it’s undeserved.  The systematic way in which Goldman and others have funneled wealth to themselves at the expense of taxpayers, their competitors, and sometimes even their own employees is staggering.

It is worth the read-provided you understand the biases of the author first.

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I listened to NPR today talking about the resolutions on Libya, regarding failure to comply with the War Powers act. And suprisingly, I found my self in agreement with Dennis Kucinich-namely, if Congress is so upset about the President’s actions in Libya or the rampant waste of American tax dollars-so much so that it is willing to hold the entire economy hostage just to make a childish point-then they would act in a way that was really effective, like cutting off funds for the war, or impeaching the President for violating the War Powers Act. Funny, John Boehner does not seem the least bit concerned about the “what” of the issue-just with making it an opportunity to sound pompous. Being involved in Libya is a mistake, and Congress should exercise its oversight role.

But of course they won’t. They are too busy arguing about stupid spending cuts-while letting the wars waste billions.

And they act suprised, that lots of people like me are angry.

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I am deliberately not talking about Weinergate. 1) Because if Andrew Breitbart is involved-it does not matter what Weiner did or did not do with his boxer shorts. Brietbart will lie about it. Its in his nature.

Just once I’d like to see one of these guys go offensive into the merge:

“Yea, I follow hot chicks on Twitter. Get over it. I like hot chicks, OK?  Maybe if Mrs Weiner would take the “closed for the season sign” down from her box and start f*cking some more-I would not be reduced to following hot chicks and watching porn while drinking beer. Yes I said it-I like porn and beer too. You got a problem with that? Well I don’t. Rubbing one out only takes five minutes and the rest of the time, I am there studying on the issues of the day. So bite me, Breitbart”.

That’s what I’d like to hear.

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Speaking of following hot chicks, I’ve started following Mei Ling Lam on my FB page. She is a hot asian model who recently posed in Playboy. She was Miss Teen Maine in 2001.  Fortunately for me-I don’t know how to “tweet” pictures so I will just have to lust after her from my I-Pad and home computer:

Yes, I long for her -vote for me!