Barack Obama Elected President!

[Roman]

I also can't help but think that if many of these companies hadn't had been deregulated, maybe this wouldn't be happening.

[Wales2004]

Just to be clear, this is what I said about teachers:

Maybe in your schools it wasn't the teachers and I think it is unfair to put it all on the teachers.

I don't think students should dictate which teachers are bad. I think there should be across the board minimum qualifications for teachers at each level (pre-school,elementary, middle, high school. and college) which should apply to both publc and private schools. If a teacher doesn't use correct grammar then that person shouldn't be teaching period....especially at the lower levels where children learn by mimicking.

I am not blaming teachers for the conditions in which students live either nor am I blaming them for the parents who aren't interested in seeing their children get a solid education.

Maybe the main difference in our positions is that I think that one child is worth the effort whereas you may not think so.

The problems are very complex and not limited to any one thing but to me children are very inquisitive and curious at the beginning stages of their lives and for them to get to a point where they don't want to learn means, more often than not, that someone or something took that zest for life away from them. Sometimes the right teacher, counselor, or someone else may come along and rejuvenate that child. There are going to be those who don't want to do or anything better in life but I can't advocate letting any child suffer because the other children surrounding her gave into hopelessness.

[Wales2004]

What's most likely to happen is that Obama and some of the other Democrats will point to this as a result of "Bush's failed policies" and make the connection that McCain's policies will lead to more of the same or worse. We know that the causes of it run a lot deeper than that but this is what will be more politically expeditious and since it's so complex, the average person isn't going to trying to figure that out. It should be an easy point for the Democrats to score on since that's how politics is really played.

What I am more accustomed to in the deceptiveness of politiicans is when they blame each other for the failure of every policy and law under the sun....whether or not the other was even a part of the decision making. That way I can call it all a bunch of silly lies without flinching. The sleazey campaigning is not what I'm used to and it's a huge turn off.

[Roman]

Santita Jackson has just said on her radio show that those who had savings accounts at Lehman Bros. over $500,000 may have lost all that money........and the half million dollars is also not guranteed.

[Wales2004]

Even in banks that are FDIC the limit per individual is usually $100,000. When IndyMac was taken over last month or so, the FDIC did indicate that people with deposits over that amount might still be able to claim a percentage of it depending on the account vesting.

Securities and those types of investments are generally never covered and the whole risk factor is what makes the dividends higher than traditional savings/checking accounts.

[Roman]

But this morning was when I also heard even individual accounts that are topped at $100,000 are not safe.

I don't that much at all about the financial institutions, but I hate to hear that savings that people have might have been wiped out because of mis-management.

From Daily Kos:

Senator Whitehouse Asks a Zinger. No Reply

by Meteor Blades

Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 08:00:08 AM PDT

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources organized a Bipartisan Energy Summit Friday morning. Numerous Senators and experts showed up, as did a standing-room-only crowd of hundreds.

During the hearing, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island asked a question:

WHITEHOUSE: Gentlemen, we’re in the middle of a near total mortgage system meltdown in this country. We have a health care system that burns 16 percent of our GDP, in which the Medicare liability alone has been estimated at $34 trillion. We’re burning $10 billion a month in Iraq.

This administration has run up $7.7 trillion in national debt, by our calculation. And there is worsening evidence every day of global warming, with worsening environmental and national security ramifications. In light of those conditions, do any of you seriously contend that drilling for more oil is the number one issue facing the American people today?

(Long silent pause during which nobody answers.)

WHITEHOUSE: No, it doesn’t seem so.

[Roman]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/1.../377/659/599365

Wall Street Journal revisits Palin's earmarks record

[Wales2004]

I'm not familiar with them as a commercial banking institution since I've only heard of the investments end of things. The article I read that said they were filing for bankruptcy said they were planning to sell some divisions but it's not really specific. If people have accounts that are FDIC insured and they aren't going to be protected then that will raise mass concerns about the point of FDIC and I can't imagine that there won't be papers filed in court pertaining to that.

Bank of America or Barclays would have made a deal if the government had opted to back Lehman up and I am only in favor of supporting what is FDIC insured since the rest is risk. Under Ch. 11 they will have to sell off assets to do a reorganization and pay their creditors a percentage they owe them and it depends on who has priority in terms of customers, investors and employees. This is going to be a massive case for one judge to undertake.

[Roman]

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/200809...ing-george-will

The Aristocrats II: Starring George Will Attacking Firefighters on 9/11

Did he really say any of this?

[Southofnowhere]

Obama should do an ad where they list McCain's lies and have his nose grow after every lie!

[Roman]

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/200...15/1398511.aspx

McCain's new TV ad on the economy

[Greg's GL]

Mr. Whitehouse asked a very good question. The fact of the matter is that the Oil Companies already have vast areas already leased to them that they aren't using. Until those areas are used, or Big Oil forms some sort of exploratory mission to determine what resources are there, there's no use allowing them complete autonomy in drilling for oil elsewhere. None.

I stand 100% behind Obama on this issue. Drilling for more oil is not the solution. Finding new technologies and investing in them is the way to go. This "problem" has been with us for over 30 years now since the oil crisis of the 70s. As a little kid, I remember signs at gas tanks touting "ETHANOL IS HERE!" but it seems no progress has been made on this matter. I'm not blaming one political party or the other for the current situation, as it's clear that our current crisis was created by both Repub and Dem administrations and Congresses.

We don't need to keep raping the Earth of it's natural resources when an alterative can be found if the effort is put behind it.

[George008]

I like McCain's "all of the above" solution. What's wrong with drilling and research of new technologies?

From what I have heard the oil companies did not find oil on the land that has been leased.

[Greg's GL]

Incredible. I would like a McCain supporter to enlighten me on how his proposing to make Bush's tax cuts permanent is "reform". It sounds like the same to me, unless "reform" is continuing on with what the previous administration did.

Source please? I have never heard anything to that effect. I'd like to see it.

[Roman]

Well, Obama did say that he would also consider off-shore drilling, but I see your point. I remember the 70s when you couldn't find gas and the energy crisis. Both parties are to blame for this mess, but I have felt that rewarding news leases to Big Oil when they have not drilled with the leases they have........no. Drill there first, run through those and then come back so we can sit down and talk.