Voodoo Economics

2000-2004 Economic Statistics

Financial Markets

S&P 500 -15%
NASDAQ -36%
Dow Jones -5.3%

Consumer income and expenses and Standard of Living

Price of a Gallon of Gas +46%
Real Value of the Minimum Wage -7%
Median Household Income -4%
Average cost of 4-year public college +24%
Poverty Rate +11%
Americans filing for Bankruptcy +33%
Annual Increase in Prescription Drug Prices (from 4.1% t0 6.8%) +68%
Number of Americans without Health insurance +18%

Federal Finances

Federal Debt +39%
Monthly Trade Deficit +75%
Annual Trade Deficit +53%

The Dollar

Dollar versus Euro -30%
Dollar versus Yen -11%

Consumer Debt

Home Mortgage Borrowing +100%
Total Outstanding Consumer Debt +28%
Household Debt as a Percentage of Assets: 20%
Household Debt as a Percentage of GDP +21%

I hope this takes care of the fallacy that Republicans are conservative stewards of the economy. It's a lie.

Harry Reid: Liebuster

Many people have said this, and I'll repeat it: I was worried when Harry Reid took over as Minority Leader for us in the Senate, but he has been skillful, smart, and is a fighter. He's a far cry from Tom Daschle.

Reid to the Salt Lake City Tribune, Orrin Hatch's state paper: "I can't imagine how Orrin Hatch can keep a straight face. I don't know how, within the framework of intellectual honesty, he can say the things he does."

Give 'em hell, Harry.

No News Here

The British Memo: SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL - UK EYES ONLY

DAVID MANNING
From: Matthew Rycroft
Date: 23 July 2002
S 195 /02

cc: Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Attorney-General, Sir Richard Wilson, John Scarlett, Francis Richards, CDS, C, Jonathan Powell, Sally Morgan, Alastair Campbell

IRAQ: PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, 23 JULY

Copy addressees and you met the Prime Minister on 23 July to discuss Iraq.

This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents.

John Scarlett summarised the intelligence and latest JIC assessment. Saddam's regime was tough and based on extreme fear. The only way to overthrow it was likely to be by massive military action. Saddam was worried and expected an attack, probably by air and land, but he was not convinced that it would be immediate or overwhelming. His regime expected their neighbours to line up with the US. Saddam knew that regular army morale was poor. Real support for Saddam among the public was probably narrowly based.

C (Sir Richard Dearlove) reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

[etc................] - my emphasis - Z.

Incompetence and illegality in action - described by a first hand observer. The problem is: can the public, the press, or any entity do anything about the blatant lies, the continuing misappropriation of funds, the coverups, or the malfeasance of the government officials in perpetrating this travesty on Iraq, America, and the world?

Unfortunately, no.

Filibuster Smackdown

John Dean, of Watergate fame, has always been a problem for Republicans - he has too much conscience. So they don't usually take his advice or subscribe to his views. He bares all on the filibuster today, and lays out the lies of the Republican Senators, especially Hatch, and the number of rules and precedents they plan to break by eliminating the filibuster for judicial nominees.

Oh, how they will complain when they are in the minority again, and the Democrats squash their amendments with the very same rules the Republicans are set to destroy in the next few weeks. Will we have the guts to tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine?

They Said Irony Was Dead

The layers of irony in this are too many to count - "President Bush had to approve the Pentagon's action against Karpinski."

Needless to say, I don't believe for one second that Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Janice Karpinski is the real cause of our military's failures at Abu Ghraib. What do you think, Alberto?