W warns of long & painful recession.

It's getting so bad, it IS comedy.

"For anybody out there living in cave, let me just say this. Congratulations. You've apparently made the soundest real estate investment possible."
— Jon Stewart

"The point is this is one of the most important irrevocable economic decisions we will ever make. Let's make it in a state of panic."
— Stephen Colbert

Night of the living vote-snatchers

In the 2004 presidential election, over three million votes - 3,006,080 - were cast and not counted. And not just anyone’s ballots. U.S. government experts reported, for example, that a black voter’s ballot is 900% more likely than a white voter’s ballot to get “lost” in the machine. Bush fired the experts. Read Greg Palast's piece.

D & G predictions for the Paulson Plan

The plan will not save the US economy, and it won’t solve the problems that require a salvation plan in the first place today. Instead, it seeks to re-insert virtual fantasy credit into the economy, taken straight out of the public trough, so that same public can continue to buy homes. But is that in the interest of the people? Home prices are far too high, when set against historical levels. The reason why they are so high is because of cheap easy lying virtual fantasy credit. And that needs to be restored, even though it is the very core of the problem. How is it in the interest of the taxpayer to pay far too much for a home?.

What the government is doing now is making sure that the biggest losses will fall on the taxpayer, not on the banks. That is the plan. The misery unleashed on the American people is hard to oversee, but it will be horrendous.

The story here.

Talking Portraits (on P. Hill)

A tale of two leaders.

Where, oh where, is America's Vladimir Putin, who will drive out the oligarchs who have stolen the country's treasure and debased its currency?

- Spengler, Asia Times Online, 9/23/2008. Read the piece.

No more denial, the sky is pretty much falling.

The global credit system almost grinds to a halt as yields on US Treasury bills reach zero for the first time since the Great Depression, 1934.

Reader's Digest version of the article:
* "Hank Paulson seems to be adding to the risk in the system," and
* "We fear that a virtual nationalisation of the financial system will now be necessary," both from Bernard Connolly, global strategist at Banque AIG.
* Also "China finances the US government. So as long as the Chinese are willing to accept an annual loss of 15pc on their holdings of US bonds in real yuan terms, this can go on, but the decision lies in Beijing. What is clear is that it will take the US decades to pay this off." - Charles Dumas from Lombard Street Research.
* And finally, "What we have seen so far is just a dress rehearsal for the deep recession that is coming. America is going to be losing 500,000 jobs a month. That is when we will see interest rates go to zero. The deficit will be covered with printed money as it was in Japan. The endgame will be helicopters full of cash dropped by Ben Bernanke." - Albert Edwards, global strategist at Société Générale.

The Harper economic record

My friends will know I am Green, but Dion is certainly on to something when he sketches Harper's record on managed (or mis-managed) economy.

In the first half of 2008, Canada has had the worst economic performance in the G8, and since 1991.

Since, well... Brian Mulroney!

Will someone in that once (and still) great country say 'no' to further wars?

November 4th would be a good time to do so. Here's the video.

Lehman Brothers --> Chapter 11

And so it begins (unless you count Fannie & Freddie), friends.
Let's hope the focus of both US and Canadian federal/presidential elections shifts to the economy. Even though it is too late.

"Conservative" spending

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today updated its tally of pre-election spending announcements made by the Conservative government to $19.2-billion. The timetable is June 2nd to September 6th, the day before the start of the federal election campaign. This is roughly $198-million a day and more than $8.2-million every hour.

Beating the Hunger Crisis

Hello friends and readers,

I just signed a petition asking G8 leaders and the UN Secretary General to commit to providing the food, seed, and fertilizer necessary to help some of the world's poorest countries beat the ongoing hunger crisis.

I hope that you'll join me in taking action here: (http://www.one.org/international/un2008/?rc=un2008taf)

We've seen aid achieve some amazing things in recent years - like over 29 million more children in school for the first time, and over 2 million more Africans with access to AIDS medications. But we must recognize the ongoing hunger crisis for the obstacle that it is and work to overcome it if we hope to continue our success.

With regards & sincerity,
Sean

Insight into a PM asking to be re-elected.

You’ve got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos and who are not integrated into western Canadian society.

- Stephen Harper, The Report newsmagazine, January 22, 2001

Earth: Carrying Capacity Deficit

Watch a 49 minute interview with Dr. William Catton, Jr. about his book "Overshoot," which describes how human population and activity is beyond what the earth can sustain.

Sept to Nov looks to get ugly down south.

Read about a coordinated smear campaign against B. Obama.
Distinguish lies from fact; web 2.0 is a vast tool for those in the smear & spread game.