Wow, $15 billion for “jobs” when the output gap is $2 trillion and unemployment’s 9.7%!
Guess there are more than a few Know Nothings unemployed, so their Senators decided to cuddle ‘em on the cheap…
Gorilla says: “I don’t care if they ever come back!”
The Bank of America/SEC settlement is in, and the government will be collecting $150 million.
On the other hand, the management of BofA perpetrated a fraud on its shareholders that cost them something on the order of $20 billion.
BofA remains a zombie ward of the US government.
The judge who made the ruling called it “half-baked justice”, since no one in management was punished and there is no evidence that BofA practices will change as a result of this decision.
So, it’s another example of the US government condoning fraud, just as it’s also condoned torture, so as to serve the political interests of Movingforwardville by avoiding any accountability in Goingbackwardville.
And it demonstrates, once again, that being a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street means never having to admit you’re a failure.
Gorilla paraphrases: “When you owe trillions, it’s always the government’s problem!”
A disgruntled idiot in Texas (a state full of disgruntled idiots) engaged in an act of domestic terrorism last week, flying a plane into a building in Austin.
And this terrorist’s daughter says he’s a hero, not for having murdered an innocent person, which apparently was inappropriate and wrong, even according to her psychosis, but for having fought “injustice” committed by the government.
Irony of ironies, the terrorist’s daughter now lives in Norway, because she lost her job and health care there is better!
Let’s be clear: had he survived the attack and been anything other than a white Christian, our political leaders would want him tortured (see: the Christmas underwear bomber).
Gorilla says: “Unless we condemn all acts of terrorism, regardless of race, color, or creed, and all acts of torture, whether committed by our own or other governments, we are no better than and just as deranged as the nut jobs who attack us”.
Next proposal: a federal regulator for insurance premiums!
And so it’s on to this week’s pointless health care summit, where we will again see:
Republicans will not propose anything of substance.
In today’s New York Times, 5 “conservative proposals” were:
1) pay providers based on “value”, whatever that means, rather than “fee for service”, which is what actually happens;
2) pay more money to those who provide better value, whatever that means and whoever they are;
3) cure more diseases and provide more health care so we don’t spend money on things we no longer need to, although we’ll be spending ever more money on doing these things until the cures arrive;
4) introduce more “regional” competition, although in most states the vast majority of insurance coverage comes from 2 or fewer providers, thus insurers will just have a greater incentive to cherry pick across state lines; and
5) limit malpractice awards, although the cost of malpractice in total amounts to a little more than 1% of total health care spending.
Republicans will not vote for any bill endorsed by the President or the Democratic majority in the Congress.
Neither party will consider a single payer system, bringing everyone into Medicare, or eliminating the link between health care and employment, or eliminating the anti-trust exemption for insurance companies, or eliminating the tax deductibility of employer-provided health care, all of which would drastically reduce health care spending and improve health care outcomes.
Americans will continue to pay 50% more annually for health care than any other nation on earth so as to achieve a life expectancy that’s less than that of Portugal (which spends less than a third as much as we do!).
Gorilla thinks: “The rhetoric is willing, but the leaders are weak!”
In Afghanistan, the mess keeps on keepin’ on…
Another 33 civilians killed by an airstrike.
The Dutch government falling, with the result that Dutch troops will be out by August.
The Australians saying it’s not up to them to take the place of the Dutch.
The Europeans still haven’t come up with the 10,000 troops promised for the “surge”.
Former Iraqi surger General Petraeus says the latest offensive will take 12-18 months.
Summary: intelligence on the ground is lousy (dead civilians), no domestic political support for allies (NATO), and not enough troops either to defeat the Taliban or to keep control of areas where the Taliban has been defeated (US, Afghan, or anybody else).
Gorilla says: “It’s long past time to go, we seem to be the last to know!”
