My brother (friggin lib) sent me this...

[Tahoe]

I didn't open it, but he kept telling me to listen to it. I finally did.

I keep tellin Y'all our Gov't sucks.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04032009/watch.html

[Tahoe]

BTW..it's friggin long as hell.

[Uncle Mxy]

I watched much of the Bill Moyers-Bill Black interview when it aired. Black's assertion that the federal government is -required- to take over bad banks and doing something illegal by NOT doing so is incorrect. The law simply doesn't say what Black indicated. Even if it did, it'd only apply to part of the really big banks because of how they're structured. That's the stated reason Geithner has been pushing for expanded powers here. For mild amusement, Black says (correctly) that it's against the law to regulate the derivatives business, but Geithner was bad for not regulating <drum roll please> the derivatives biz when he ran the New York branch of the Federal Reserve.

Here's a column from someone much closer to the current situation, with a more cogent (IMO) and concise set of questions that need answers:

http://www.slate.com/id/2213942/

[Zip Goshboots]

I didn't open it, but he kept telling me to listen to it. I finally did.

I keep tellin Y'all our Gov't sucks.

Our gubmint sucks, Tahoe, because we do.

[Glenn]

^ahh, representative government, lol

[BubblesTheLion]

^ahh, representative government, lol

If this government represents us, then a large majority of this country is ignorant, without principles, and can be bought fairly cheap.


Ok, so it represents us...

[Tahoe]

Our gubmint sucks, Tahoe, because we do.

I don't agree. Our Gov't is a huge monster. Presidents and Congresspeeps go up there really thinking they can change the way things work. They get there and they can't.

We need term limits. Chris Dodd is so firmly entrenched up there, it's sickening. He comes to mind cuz of all of his shenaniganz lately, but there are plenty like him.

Get rid of those useless fucks and make them get a real job.

[Uncle Mxy]

We need term limits. Chris Dodd is so firmly entrenched up there, it's sickening. He comes to mind cuz of all of his shenaniganz lately, but there are plenty like him.

Dodd's likely to lose re-election at this point. I doubt he could pull a Lieberman and get the Republicans to vote for him by being a hawk on Fox News. If Dodd loses, isn't that an argument against term limits? Heck, Ted Stevens was more of an institution in Alaska than Dodd ever could have been in Connecticut and HE got voted out.

Why not let the voters decide?

Term limits for unique "one person only" jobs makes sense to me. You never want to get a unique important job function SO entrenched with one person that no one else knows how to do it. Imagine how badly the A-Bomb might have played out if FDR lost in his 4th term (which was his narrowest win) to Dewey, or if someone other than Truman had to learn it after Roosevelt's death? Mandatory retirement ages for CEOs are a good thing, in my mind.

Legislators are not unique "one person only" jobs. In places where we've had legislative term limits like Michigan, the effect has been a loss of institutional intelligence, and the new legislators would rather angle for their next job at a lobbyist somewhere, instead of being tied to their current job.

[Tahoe]

I still haven't replied to your first post. It takes me a while to get some of those posts of yours.

re: Term limits

Letting the voters decide is skewed in my opinion cuz the Dodds of the world are entrenched in the system and can bring a bunch of money to their district making everyone happy...only to have our debt rise and earmarks that aren't needed.

I'm not saying it'd be perfect but that Washinton DC toilet needs a good flushing.

[Uncle Mxy]

I'm not saying it'd be perfect but that Washinton DC toilet needs a good flushing.

Mars Attacks! is a great movie.