To Nationalize or Not to Nationalize

In essense, we already have nationalized some of the world's largest banks. But I'm glad to see Congress finally stepping up to do something about the ongoing mismanagement of our financial credit system. When you bail out a company with funds, without which it would go bankrupt, there's a word for that. You just BOUGHT it.

The country owns these financial institutions and it should run it like it does.

I for one, think that the Bush Bailout Bill (BBB) was his last big F-U to the American public on his way out the door. His administration made SURE that executive bonuses would be paid at least one last time. On the other hand, I blame Obama for not canceling those bonus contracts the minute those funds hit the bank.

The way I look at it, I paid more than $30K in taxes this year in the form of lost retirement funds, and I'll be damned if that money should go to pay a $5000 bonus to a freakin' receptionist who had the dumb luck to get a job at a criminal enterprise. I don't care how big the crocodile tears are that she sheds.

Give me a freakin' break already.

On the promising news front, the Pope has stopped dispensing medical advice.

What's Up with the Republican Party?

Are they just having a group meltdown or something? After failing to get behind Sunday's bailout plan, some members of the House leadership blamed the failure of the bill on a harsh, but hardly over-the-top speechlet by Nancy Pelosi on the House floor. After the failure, the coward Republicans jumped on her like white on rice and said that her speech caused otherwise supportive representatives to vote against the bill--the same bill that everyone seems to agree is necessary to keep America from plunging into a deep and lasting economic recession.

This is an obvious and blatant lie. Congresspersons don't have feelings. Well, at least not in the performance of their jobs. If they did, they would never have been able to say the things, point the fingers and compromise in the way that politics demands. And as Barney Frank aptly put:

Frank: “We don’t believe they had the votes and I think they are covering up the embarrassment of not having the votes. But think about this: somebody hurt my feelings so I will punish the country. I mean that’s hardly plausible. And there were twelve Republicans who were ready to stand up for the economic interest of America but not if anybody insulted them. I’ll make an offer: Give me those twelve people’s names and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them and tell them what wonderful people they are, and maybe they’ll now think about the country.”

My question is: what the heck is going on with the Republicans? After ruling Congress for 20 years with an unstoppable coalition, they have fallen apart and it's every man for himself. Is it GWB's low approval? Is it that their positions aren't resonating with the majority of Americans anymore? Is it that they are showing themselves to be the self-serving slime that most politicians are? Even then, party leadership can usually hold things together over the short-term to act in everyone's best interest....or at least the best interest of the party.

I can't imagine that if the economy tanks the Dems are going to be the one's left holding the bag. Can these guys not see beyond next week, or is November the only thing that matters to them? Sadly, I suspect the latter.