SOTU Comments

Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, and everybody in between, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it -- (applause.) I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal. (Laughter.)



How did Obama hate the bank bailout? He now has a whipping boy that he can bea any time he wants?



In reality I think we were lied to about the bailout.





But when I ran for President, I promised I wouldn't just do what was popular -– I would do what was necessary. And if we had allowed the meltdown of the financial system, unemployment might be double what it is today. More businesses would certainly have closed. More homes would have surely been lost.



Well let’s see, unemployment is higher then you said it would be! It was not to go over 8% and now it is over 10% and the U6 number around 18%.



So I supported the last administration's efforts to create the financial rescue program. And when we took that program over, we made it more transparent and more accountable. And as a result, the markets are now stabilized, and we've recovered most of the money we spent on the banks. (Applause.) Most but not all.



It is Bush’s fault (as always). The problem is that the markets were correcting. I am sure he knows nothing about this. This is good that the banks returned the money with intrest. Can we get the car companies and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to do the same.







To recover the rest, I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. (Applause.) Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need. (Applause.)



So now that they returned the money . . . you want to tax them. Why? The people who should be taxed are car companies and Freddie and Fannie. Stop on your class hate. Please accept a Branson vacation packages and go have a nice time and leave us alone.

State of Union: The Parsing, Pt 3

Part One of the State of the Union Text is here

This recession has also compounded the burdens that America's families have been dealing with for decades –- the burden of working harder and longer for less; of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.



One of the reasons that we cannot save is because of the taxes that are imposed. There is no such thing as taxes being paid for by a company.



Only people pay taxes. All taxes are passed along to end users.





So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They're not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for President. These struggles are what I've witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Indiana; Galesburg, Illinois. I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children -– asking why they have to move from their home, asking when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work.



Back to letters from kids. He must read thousands of these things . . . or at least ha what we are led to believe. I could just see Obama up there reading letters from the local waifs.



For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street isn't; or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems. They're tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can't afford it. Not now.



Now this is a funny one. We do not need the change. In historical terms every recession has ended by now. The recession should have ended in July. Yet it is only growing deeper.



Actually only good behavior is rewarded on Wall Street.

In the real workd foods that burn fat are rewaded and poor ones like on WS are fired and not used.
In Congress, bad behavior is rewarded. Just ask Barney Frank; have rules that require banks have to loan o people who cannot pay it back.



This is where it is bad.

PhD loses

Well at least the natural weight loss supplement has not gone to my brain like that PhD student in History who was on Jepordy the other day.

He did not get a question he should have gotton. If I was his prof I (or worse yet his student) I would ride him hard. The great migration, what an idiot.

Well I guess any moron can get a PhD these days.

Have a most happy day.

While sutdents are worrying about acne solutions that actually work, I am concerned about things in the white house.

Did you know that since Mimi Eisenhower was the first, first lady who had an aide which was paid out of the salary of the president.

Till Hilary Clinton each first lady had one.

Mamie Eisenhower: One
Jackie Kennedy: One
Roseline Carter: One
Barbara Bush: One
Hilary Clinton: Three
Laura Bush: One
Michele Obama: Twenty-two

What is the problem with this list. The current first lady has 22. Why is this and why does she need 22?

this would be a good thing for congress to look at.

Inventions

I am sometimes asked by students what is the greatest invention ever made.

I come up with answers that surprise the kids. They often think TV, cars, the light bulbs, and often the phonograph.

I think the best thing item ever invented was anesthetics. Pain medication like the hemorrhoids pain relief that are needed. After all who wants to feel pain.


Have a great day

US in Haii

Here is a new idea on an old theme. France is accusing Obama of occupying Haiti. The funny thing is this is what I sort of thought of when I saw the articles.

Of course if Obama was serious of helping Haiti . . . he would have done so already. While supplies trickle in and exscusing like the best slimming pill are stacking up . . . Obama could have done more.

1. Day One: Drop in the 82nd Airborne (or 101st) with food and supplies. Did this happen? No.

2. Day Two: Airlift and parachute in more suppliesof medicne, food and water. I mean after all we did the Berlin Airlift.

3. Day Three: Obama could have sent in the Navy Seebees to build a new harbor and dock. Not like they have experiance in that.

Just some ideas.

MLK Day 2010

This is the first time the US is having an MLK birthday with a black president. I have been watching a tape of an interview with MLK. Of course I have students in the classroom and tthey do not really lilke this video and would rather be in a Cozumel Hotels then having to make an extra snow day.

This interviewer is actually pretty darn good.

Well i hope that you have a great day.

Kirk

I know that William Shatner aka Capt. Kirk, uses some discount rugs up on top. So I wonder why does Shatner use a rug rather then just age gracefully.

I was watching him on his Raw Nerve show and I have to say it looks pretty darn good. Now that the orginal Star Trek cast is dying off I hope that Capt. Kirk can keep on going for many years to come.

Have a great day.

Copyright and the Democrats.

While the costs of NC short term health insurance have been going down, the cost of intellectual property goes up.

One of the problems is the number of books and other items that should have been up for public domain have narrowed to none.

The democrats in 1978 made sure they protected the corporate overlords so nothing would ever come out of copyright. It was often called the Disney Copyright protection.

Well I hope that you have a most happy day.