Zane Safrit

Story of the Week: House Votes to Approve Stimulus Plan

Our House of Representatives last week voted to approve the Stimulus Bill that President Obama had presented. The vote was on nearly strict party lines. No Republican House members voted for the bill. So, much for bi-partisan cooperation. Ideology and party power trumps all concerns, even a willingness to possibly compromise. It's their way or the highway.

The Republicans did offer their own solutions which consisted exclusively of...tax breaks. I guess somehow, somewhere, there exists data that tax cuts have done so well for either our economy (Maybe they didn't get the memo that we're in a recession at the end of 7 years of Bush's tax cuts...) or balancing our own federal budget (Maybe they didnt get the memo that the $500 billion surplus in our federal budget in 2000 had turned into a deficit of $500 billion by 2004. All the time the Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and The White House and nary a spending bill was vetoed.)

But I digress.

One reason offered publicly by some Republicans for not voting for the stimulus bill was Rush Limbaugh told them not to saying he hoped Obama would fail  was the investment in education funds for state and local governments. They described some of the proposals as wasteful spending and an ill-considered expansion of the federal government’s role, traditionally centered on aid to needy students, into new realms like local school construction. - NY Times, Stimulus Plan Would Provide Flood of Money to Schools

Let me see if I can understand the distinction then with the No Child Left Behind Program that issued federal mandates for scores on standardized testing and penalties (withdrawal of federal funding and federal control of their schools) if the school and the system failed to meet these guidelines.

So, with NCLB, you have a paucity of meaningful support (funds) and a surplus of onerous controls and threats of penalties. And that's good in the sense that the federal role in state and local education systems and their management is....what, overbearing, paternal, condescending, and the program's intent was purely window-dressing for political purposes and the results were neutral to negative. And that's a good program as noted by the Republican support for this program of the previous White House.

But, now with a surplus of meaning support (funds) and a paucity of federal intrusion and micro-managing, nor threats of penalties with federal control of school systems or withdrawal of federal funds...that's a bad program because it increases federal role in school systems.

You have to wonder how do people say negative incentives is a positive program. And changing the incentives, offering meaningful support to the efforts of those whose goal is to educate our children is...bad.

Ideology trumps all...at least for House Republicans.

Their colleagues in other offices thought our country trumped ideology and party power. The Other Republican Officials...appreciate and need the federal dollars and recongize these days that the needs of their citizens and neighbors, their country, trump ideology and party power.

The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, planned to meet in Washington this weekend with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other senators to press for her state's share of the package.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked the phones last week with members of his state's congressional delegation, including House Republicans. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, the Republican vice chairman of the National Governors Association, planned to be in Washington on Monday to urge the Senate to approve the plan.

"As the executive of a state experiencing budget challenges, Gov. Douglas has a different perspective on the situation than congressional Republicans," said Douglas' deputy chief of staff, Dennise Casey.

Connecticut's Republican Governor was pushing their state's Senators to vote for the proposal. Link.

Now, what's interesting about this bill...Well, there are many things. But the bill included tax breaks for businesses that the Republicans wanted. But....the desire to see this plan be defeated or hope it meets with defeat in the Senate or hope that it doesn't work is so important...that these House members will risk doing nothing to help us and our economy if it means they won't be seen as....cooperating in a bi-partisan manner. 

Ideology and party power trumps concern for our nation.

Let's be clear. There are provisions in there I don't like. There are provisions in there sponsors of the bill don't like. There are provisions that won't work, that will fail. But doing nothing, or offering only tactics that have shown a total failure in the past (tax cuts only) will only add to the suffering of those outside the offices of the RNC and its House members. 

Now's the time House GOP members to choose between your party and your country as that's what your leadership defines as your choices.

Story of the Day: Women are smarter than us and getting smarter.

Sorry, bros.

If my wife doesn't understand it, I drop it. It's not that she's stupid, far from it. And it's not that I'm reluctant to rumble with the Missus. Far from it. But...if she doesn't understand my brilliance, then it's likely my brilliance is incomprehensible to everyone. She's just kind in sharing that reality.

But she shares this ability in common with her gender. It arises from their lack of the Y chromosome, the...killer DNA as Guy Kawasaki describes it on Page 15 in Art of the Start.

Based on that lack of the Y-chromosome, the Killer...chromosome, Guy's advice for entrepreneur's, startups, innovators, business leaders of all stripes and persuasions, biases and experiences is this:

My final tip is that you ask women - and only women. My theory is that deep in the DNA of men is a "killer" gene.  This gene expresses itself by making men want to kill people, animals and plants.

Women, by contrast, don't have this killer gener. ...Don't agree with me? The book Darwin Awards provides irrefutable proof of women's greater common sense.

BAM. I was gonna argue for us guys. But then he offered that irrefutable evidence. He's right. The annual Darwin Awards have been dominated by entries from my gender. Oh, prison populations are also predominately male (though that's changing, ladies.)

Still...they're way ahead.

And now...sigh...they're getting smarter. The gender gap in math is history. That's right, fellows. According to Economic Snapshots:

According to conventional wisdom, girls fear mathematics and shy away from it. However, a recent study from the U.S. Department of Education shows that girls in high school have bridged the gender gap that once existed, and in some respects are more advanced than boys in math.

Fellows. We had it all. And we killed it.

Just as well it happens now, the changeover. We've made a mess and now a new perspective is needed.

Honey, do I get to use the remote tonight?

Note: I'd originally titled this "Women are smart, getting smarter". But after seeing it in on the screen, I thought it didn't read well. So I changed it.

Story of the Day: Inflation AND Declining Incomes

Lost in the news this week about rising inflation is...declining real income for those of who make the economy go: workers. We work, we consume. Therefore,  we are.

While news of rising inflation was, is, front page news...news of declining incomes for workers is...lost in the noise.

Inflation over the past 12 months ending July was 5.6% .

Worker incomes for the same period declined by 3.1%.

Together that means that our buying power has declined by 8.9% over the past year. (Odd, how inflation rises while incomes decline. At some point, the two start cutting past fat, marrow and into our bones...)

Oh, but wait, it's worse than that. Both inflation and workers' income changed by .8% during the month of July. That means if you were to extend that rate on an annual basis, .8% increase in inflation x 12 months we'd have 9.6% inflation. And if you were to do the same with the .8% decline in workers' income...you'd have an annual decline in our income of...9.6%.

Put 'em together. 9.6% projected increase in prices + 9.6% decrease in workers' income and you have a 19.2% decrease in purchasing power by us, those that drive this economy.

So, tell me again,

1) who's driving this economy?

2) why have no economist or financial news outlet chosen to discuss this?

3) why is the decline in workers' income rarely mentioned in MSM?

Links:

LA Times.

Washington Monthly.

WSJ

Washington Post

NY Times

Story of the Day: Income Distribution

...the share of the nation’s income flowing to the top 1 percent has increased sharply, rising from 15.8 percent in 2002 to 20.0 percent in 2006.  Not since 1928, just before the Great Depression, has the top 1 percent held such a large share of the nation’s income.... In 2000, at the peak of the 1990s boom, the top 1 percent received 19.3 percent of total income in the nation. - Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

We're partying now like it's...1928. 

So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999 1928.

I was dreamin' when I wrote this
So sue me if I go 2 fast

But life is just a party
And parties weren't meant 2 last - 1999, Prince

Today's Story: Russia and Georgia

For the past 5-6-7 days Russia and Georgia have been at war. Oh, what a tangled web we've woven here...with:

Kosovo's independence from Serbia,

oil pipelines through Turkey or Russia,

cyber warfare, Interesting update, Aug. 13, Before the Gunfire Cyberattacks.

Researchers at Shadowserver, a volunteer group that tracks malicious network activity, reported that the Web site of the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had been rendered inoperable for 24 hours by multiple D.D.O.S. attacks. They said the command and control server that directed the attack was based in the United States and had come online several weeks before it began the assault.

superpower contradictions,

NATO expansion, Update, August 20, Rice Signs Missile Deal with Poland

The deal to install a silo of 10 interceptor missiles on Poland's Baltic coast has infuriated Moscow, which has already threatened to respond, potentially with nuclear weapons.

This leads to...

a renewed cold-war with Russia.

presidential campaign politics. (Couldn't miss that one)

Links:

McCain's Statement: includes:

Georgia is an ancient country at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and one of the world’s first nations to adopt Christianity as an official religion.

All that was missing from that comment were 2 things: 1) the word crusades; 2) The full disclosure that one of McCain's foreign policy advisors has been a  paid lobbyist for...the country of Georgia. - Yahoo News and Washington Post

And yes, it's always a good idea to introduce religion into global power politics, especially if you can add in...

Oil

Here's Obama's statement.

It's pretty...cryptic, safe. Honestly, I say more about my frontlawn than he does about this war.

Additional links:

NY Times

KCRW's To-The-Point

Washington Note, many links. (Hat tip to Gooznews)

Washington Post editorial.

USAToday: French and Russian Leaders Endorse Plan

IsraelNationNews: Israel has $1 Billion Invested in Georgia

Tactical Nukes/launchers moved into Georgia

August 18, NATO Won't Let Russia Succeed, Condi Rice

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that Russia is playing a "very dangerous game" with the U.S. and its allies and warned that NATO would not allow Moscow to win in Georgia...

August 21, 2008 - USA Today: Russia Blocks Georgia's Main Port.

POTI, Georgia (AP) — Russian forces blocked the only land entrance to Georgia's main oil port city on Thursday, a day before Russia promised to complete a troop pullout from its ex-Soviet neighbor.

Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised that his forces would pull back by Friday, Russian troops appear to be digging in, raising concern about whether Moscow is aiming for a lengthy occupation of its small, pro-Western neighbor.

Russian tanks, trucks and troops, meanwhile, continued to hold positions around the strategically key city of Gori and in Igoeti, about 30 miles west of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The President of Georgia said Russia was making fun of the world. I don't know about that. But they definitely seem to be making fun of Condi Rice. But then....who doesn't?

Story of the Day: Our Nation's Infrastructure

Some people are talking about it. More and more, in fact.

They're concerned about our nation's infrastructure and our lack of investment in maintaining it.

Flipping through the channels Monday night, I saw Pennsylvania's Governor Ed Rendell on CNBC talk about their 6000 bridges, 25% of the total, with negative ratings, how he's systematically expanded the budget for improving those bridges to where it's now triple the amount when he came to office, how $1 billion is needed to fix the 400 most dangerous bridges in the state. Do the math. If $1 billion is needed to fix 400 of the worst and most dangerous bridges, and there are 24,000 bridges in this one state that need regular maintenance how much money will be needed in the coming years to just maintain them for safe use by the public?

Then on C-Span, I saw the Mayor's conference talk about the need for huge investment in the infrastructure needed to insure a safe, adequate supply of water for their citizens. The mayor Fayetteville, AR, chaired the panel. And one official from DC spoke of their project to create a holding tunnel for runoff from flooding. This is the runoff from storm drains and home gutters  captured by the city sewers. Without this holding tank, the sewer's overflow the treatment system and that results in untreated waste being dumped into...the drinking water supply of somebody. The cost for this one project...$1 billion.

Our little town faces the same challenge DC faces with runoff overwhelming the water treatment system. We're investing a $4-500,000 to  fix that.

What's this got to do with business?

Here's the story from BoomTown USA of two companies: One Lives On, the Other Slowly Dies.

One dinosaur plant is up and functioning with people employed…another slowly dies. Both delayed their maintenance and repairs. One was rescued in time. The other one not.

Your business is only as good as your corporate infrastructure allows it. Regardless if your people are the best-of-the-best, your marketing collateral is dazzling, your niche is exclusive, your cash-flow margins are fat and sassy...all of that comes to halt with a weak infrastructure that inhibits your ability to open your doors much less deliver on a brand promise.

And ongoing maintenance and upgrades are relatively inexpensive and easy-to-budget for when done regularly. Though measuring the ROI is similar to proving a negative. How do you measure the costs from down-time and errors that never happened? ( And if you work for a company that can't recgnize this...I'd advise you to keep very good records of your correspondence on the topic of the need to invest in maintaining or upgrading your infrastructure. The first response with any infrastructure failure is usually a finger, pointing at someone. )

It's hard to fathom how a country who prides itself on the embodiment of capitalism and efficient business practices has chosen to ignore such a fundamental rule. With our budget deficits it'll be hard to remember it.

The follow-on post from BoomTown USA reminds us of the obvious: Pay Me Now, or Pay Me Later.

The USA is only spending 2.4% of our GDP on infrastructure compared to 5% in Europe and 12% in China.

On the other hand, the last time our country made a commitment to building our infrastructure we were in the depths of the Great Depression. And that investment created jobs, and the infrastructure that served as the foundation for our growth over the past 60 years. Ok, so maybe you're bound ideologically to such an extent that you can't embrace the overwhelming numbers that measure the success of that program from the 1930's. Ok. What about Kennedy's commitment to send a man to the Moon? That created the foundation for our success in the sciences and engineering and math, that drove our country for the past 40 years. A lot of jobs and wealth were created from that vision.

Maybe now's the time to show the world we still know how to efficiently run businesses in a free-market arena, do what all good businesses do and reinvest in our nation's infrastructure?

What do you think?

The Governors and Mayors of all political parties think it's a good idea. Governors, Mayor Form Coalition to Rebuild Ailing US Infrastructure.

Shouts to Becky McCray from SmallBiz Survival for sharing those posts from BoomTown USA.

Story of the Day: Who's left to drive our economy?

Access to consumer credit, including home equity lines of credit and credit cards, and access to good  jobs drives our consumer economy.

New home sales, on an annualized basis, dropped from 793,000 in June 2007 to 530,000 June 2008. That's a 30+% drop.

Home foreclosures rose 121% from June of 2007 to June of 2008.

USA Today

The trend lines for jobs looks like the ones for home equity.

...the Labor Department reported yesterday that the number of people filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits bolted past 400,000 last week as companies trimmed workforces to cope with a slowing economy. The unemployment rate, now at 5.5 percent, is expected to climb to 6 percent or higher by early next year.

Newsday

That combines to create an equally distracting level of household debt.

Consumers are behind schedule in payments or have walked away from nearly $800 billion in household debt of all kinds — mortgages, credit cards, car loans, says Mark Zandi, chief economist for economy.com. "Household credit quality has arguably never been worse," he says.

USA Today.

And this combines to change our consuming behavior, that behavior that drives our consumer economy.

Many Americans are already finding it is not that painful to reduce their spending to a considerable degree, and while that is hurting the overall economy, including the ability of the Chinese to export consumer goods to the U.S., it barely begins to address the problems associated with the accumulated personal debt that is currently hanging over so many.

Falls Church - New Press

Ok. As more consumers reduce their spending to a considerable degree, who's left to drive our economy?

Story of the Day: Water - The Next Oil?

It will be. And it makes sense a former oil baron is way out in front with plans to control deliver it.

Popular Mechanics: Beyond Wind Plans, Pickens Eyes Pipelines in Drought-Ridden U.S.

I knew there was more to his $4.9 billion wind-generating plans. I didn't know it was this.

It makes sense, really. To move the power from the plains to where it's needed requires right-of-way access across huge swaths of the Plains. That'll require emminent domain in some cases. Ok, now that you have emminent domain or permission to cross the property...why not use it to bring another valuable resource to the market where it's needed.

And with water, it's a pipeline used to deliver it. Oilman, energy; oilman, pipelines.

I get it. Hats off to him for his vision.

My only concern is...so much control of two vital resources for the public good, energy and water, is put in the hands of one company, one man.

Generally...that business model is good for execution. Think Rockefeller and Standard Oil at the turn of the previous century. But it's not so good for the economy as a whole to put that much control of one needed resource, production and delivery and marketing and retail and wholesale, in the hands of one man/one company. Think Rockefeller and Standard Oil again.

Now with water and energy...the model's the same. And will the impact from one company/man controlling with a stranglehold on two vital resources,  be double that of Standard Oil/Rockefeller ?

"Sudden Shift" is Ford's Problem

Yes, like its best selling huge F-series truck lurching down the road as its underage driver tries to see over the hood and manage the clutch AND the column-mounted gear shift, Ford today announced today that:

External conditions in North America have changed dramatically in a very short period of time...

And those conditions drove it to lose $8.7 billion in the quarter, its worst ever....Ford announced plans to focus on...small cars. Yes. Small cars.

I'm just curious though. Which external conditions changed so dramatically that it went from a profit of $100 million in Q1 to a loss of $8.7 billion in Q2. That's the next quarter. That's a change in fortunes of...(drumroll, please) 87-fold, in 90 days.

Gas prices have been rising for over a year. Sales of hybrids have continued to rise without the huge tax breaks for large SUVs and trucks, without any tax breaks, in fact after 3rd quarter 2007.  The economy's been in decline since August of last year. Home sales have been plummeting, food prices have been rising, incomes have been flattening...Congress even raised the CAFE standards...talk about a sign. And throughout it all were the ads everywhere for F-150 trucks...Ford Explorers...

Other companies, Honda and Toyota and Nissan, saw these same indicators. But they don't seem surprised.

Links:

LA Times

NY Times

Story of the Day: Housing Rescue Bill

The House on Wednesday afternoon approved the most far-reaching government assistance for the nation’s housing market since the New Deal.

The measure, which passed by a vote of 272-152, includes broad authority for the Treasury Department to protect the nation’s two largest mortgage finance companies and an aggressive plan to help hundreds of thousands of troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure by refinancing their mortgages.

The White House, citing an urgent need to restore market confidence in the two mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, said Wednesday morning that President Bush would sign the measure despite his opposition to $3.9 billion in grants included in the bill for local governments to buy and refurbish foreclosed properties. - House Passes Housing Bill When Bush Says He'll Pass It.

There's a host of good news in here. And a there's a host of interesting quirks. After all, it is Washington and it is a campaign summer, too.

( The oddest thing is that McCain hasn't blamed Obama for the housing crisis, yet. McCain did blame Obama for high oil prices just this week.... And wait a week, and he'll have his spokesman say that's not what he said. )

The oddest thing is that what was good for the goose wasn't good for the gander. A lending hand is A-OK for the lending giants of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, from the perspective of the White House. But, a lending hand is not acceptable for individual homeowners or the communities and states most directly effected by the foreclosures and dropping property values.

No. See the individual home owners are subject to personal responsibility criteria much more stringent than the tenets of professional responsibility expected of these corporate lending giants. The individual home owner should have know better...while the lending giants were....what...oh yes,  suffering from systemic inadequacies.

So....yes, to offering a handout to those who should know better (freddie mac, fannie mae) and no to offering help to those who trusted them to offer expert, unbiased advice.

Regardless, the bill's passed. Let's hope the provision to offer assistance for these two lending giants isn't required. Some estimates for the eventual cost are well north of $25 billion, well north of $100 billion...well north. But then the true costs for the Iraq War were well north of $100 - $200 billion. And this is some of the same crew now giving us estimates for this Housing Rescue Bill  that gave us estimates for the Iraq War. ( Hey, I'm just saying.) 

Story of the Day: $4.9 Billion Wind-Power Project

Texas Approves $4.93 Billion Wind-Power Project.

Texas regulators have approved a $4.93 billion wind-power transmission project, providing a major lift to the development of wind energy in the state.

The planned web of transmission lines will carry electricity from remote western parts of the state to major population centers like Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. The lines can handle 18,500 megawatts of power, enough for 3.7 million homes on a hot day when air-conditioners are running.

This project alone will more than triple the power generated by wind-power in Texas. Currently, Texas is the number one state for overall MW's of wind-power generation with 5300 MW's. At the end of this project alone, that total zooms to 23-24 MWs of wind-generated power. Link with map at AWEA.

On a per capita basis, Iowa remains number one for wind-generation. ( A little local pride.) And I regularly see huge blades for wind-generators rolling through town being taken to their new location.

That gives me hope.

And all this is before T. Boone Pickens, a former oilman, begins to implement his plan to transform the corridor of Texas to North Dakota into a major source of wind-energy. His site has a minimum of hype and a premium of content worth considering:

A 2005 Stanford University study found that there is enough wind power worldwide to satisfy global demand 7 times over — even if only 20% of wind power could be captured.

( And that's not considering it's a presidential campaign season...)

But seriously, folks.

These are great signs of hope and optimism, coming from the area of our country most associated with our addiction to oil and from one of the current leaders that created this situation.  It's always good to see people predisposed their whole life for alternative energy solutions. But when you see solutions like this being embraced in oil country and lead by a former oilman...then it gives me great optimism.

What do you think?

Story of the Day: Progress and Talks with Iraq and Iran

They go together like ebony and ivory, cold milk and oreos, chickens and eggs, shia and sunni. Iraq and Iran.

And that's why it's so interesting to see such news today; we have progress being made in both countries.

In fact, I'm sure progress in one only leads to progress in the other. The trick, the book to wait for,  is which country took the first step towards offering a solution to our shared conundrum. [ See chicken and egg conundrum.]

Let's start with Iran. Iran and the US are...talking. Well, of course, nations talk. Even enemies talk. All during the cold-war both the Soviet Union and the US spoke together. Both had expressed the desire to destroy the other with their very real nukes. But our leaders met regularly...[gasp] ...in person and sought areas where they could find agreement...and look what happened.

But for the past 7 years and up until May 14-15th, here's the thoughts on talking with  Iran:

Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along.

We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history - NY Times

Some questioned the motives for suggesting such talk was...for purely political reasons...

I would think that all of you who cover these issues and have for a long time have known that there are many who have suggested these types of negotiations with people that President Bush thinks we should not talk to. I understand when you’re running for office you sometimes think the world revolves around you — that is not always true and it is not true in this case. - Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary. - NY Times

And as of June 30th, it was reported we were preparing for war with Iran.

Now, officially, we're talking with Iran ...on the governmental level... and doing it in public.

NY Times. Iran Open to U.S. Diplomatic Talks.

On Saturday, William J. Burns, the State Department’s third-ranking official, was due to arrive in Geneva to participate, along with European Union nations, in talks with Iran...

[Iran's Foreign Minister]  said there had been increased demand from ordinary Iranians and Americans for better bilateral social and business relations [ Huh. No one from our WH said anything about the American public wanting talks with Iran...]

And there are talks now to open a diplomatic interests section in...Tehran! And maybe direct flights between Iran and the US. [Gasp, again.]

This story first was reported not here in the US but...overseas. The UK's Guardian paper first reported  July 17.

Still, it's not news for many that we've been talking with Iran.

Trade with Iran Increased 17-Fold. In 2001, we exported $8.1 million in goods to Iran. By 2007, that amount had grown to over $140 million per years. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution. So much for trading with the enemy...or a member of the axis of evil. It looks like being the bad guy in this global dialogue has been very good for Iran.

Stabilizing Oil prices, Creating a Victory in Iraq.

1. The American side was willing to refrain from military action against Iran before the end of the Bush presidency in January 2009...Tehran ordered Iranian intelligence officers working undercover in Iraq to halt attacks on US troops...Iranian officers are also sharing useful intelligence on conditions in the field with American commanders.

2. Iran undertook to open the way for the US military to continue to go from strength to strength in fighting al Qaeda and the Sunni guerrilla insurgents in Iraq, to allow President Bush to claim his Iraq campaign had ended successfully before leaving the White House.

3. In the background of the secret dialogue is the Bush administration’s ambition to help fellow-Republican Senator John McCain...

It's ...interesting to see, yet again, that talks with Iran heat up to play a role in Presidential elections. To paraphrase Yogi Berra, It's like [Iran-contra] all over again.

Still...whatever the tactics and promises, it worked.

US and Iraq Agree to Goals for Troop Cuts

The United States and Iraq have agreed to set a “general time horizon” for the “further reduction of U.S. combat forces in Iraq” following the improvement in security conditions in the country, the White House said Friday.

The breakthrough, which was reached between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in discussions via video link on Thursday, could lead to the successful completion of a long-term security agreement covering American operations in Iraq — from combat missions to detaining Iraqis — by the end of this month.

I'm not going to bore you with the same contradictory dialogue from the same people here about troop withdrawals and timelines now  that we found regarding talking to Iran. Let's just say...they were identical. Still, it's nice to see that more people in these conversations realize:

...you sometimes think the world revolves around you — that is not always true and it is not true in this case.

And that may be why we have progress now.

Update, July 19.  Like all relationships, the first steps are..delicate. Iran's reported to be stonewalling...and the US and 6 European countries have given it two weeks to tear down that wall...so to speak. USA Today.

Story of the Day: MLB All-Star Game Tonight

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game is tonight. I'm not a fan of baseball. I'll watch the playoffs, maybe. But tonight's game has some great stories for baseball.

* The last Hurrah for Yankee Stadium. USAToday

Given the New York Yankees' season-long struggles, it's conceivable the All-Star Game could be the stadium's last great hurrah before the team ends its tenure there Sept. 21.

It seems fitting the All-Star game should be held here. The Stadium of Champions. Yankee Stadium where so many great have played, where so many played there as their home field. It's the stadium that Ruth built, Babe Ruth. And so many other greats.

* Papelbon Defers to Mariano Rivera, ESPN

"I'm making a statement right now, saying I don't want it, I want [Rivera] to have it. I said all that earlier, but that's the way I feel about it," Papelbon said.

That's wise of this pitcher from the Red Sox, the hated Red Sox in Yankee Stadium. Mariano Rivera is still amazing...and he's 38 years old now. It's only fitting, fair, deserved...that be brought in to close out the win in the 9th inning. This could also be his final year, too.

* Hamilton Shines...USAToday.

The Texas Rangers' outfielder hit a record 28 homers in the first round, sending balls through the night air that crashed into the upper deck and bleacher seats in right field. At one point, Hamilton connected on 13 consecutive cuts. He hit home runs more than 500 feet, including his longest, 518 feet.

I happened to catch this last night on ESPN.  It was amazing. Every shot was possibly hit out the park. The crowd and the players were going wild. It seemed he was going to go all...the...way...and never be out. But all things come to an end.

Josh Hamilton's just returned after missing 2-3(?) years of play battling drug and alcohol addiction. That makes it even more amazing.

* Milwaukee Pitcher to Start.

Ben Sheets of the Milwaukee Brewers will start tonight. It's the first time a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers has ever started an All-Star Game. At least I heard that on ESPN Radio this afternoon.

ESPN has some great video and extra stories on tonight's game at Yankee Stadium. Take me out to the ballgame...Well, this one anyway.

Story of the Day: Oil

2 years ago, in his State of the Union speech, President Bush announced America is addicted to oil. Today, he announced plans to make even cheaper to satisfy that addiction: He lifted a Presidential moratorium on drilling for oil on the Outer Continental Shelf in the hopes that the new supplies of oil found there would help lower oil prices and satisfy our addiction to oil...cheaper.

But when you're addicted...to something...it's strangling your life. And our addiction to oil is strangling our economy.

Normally, when treating addiction the one thing you don't do is to make the source of the addiction...cheaper. Do you think cheaper sources would break the addiction, change the behavior patterns and the reward cycle, that would foster a healthier lifestyle?

Imagine had he said America is addicted to heroin. And we're going to fight that addiction by finding cheaper sources for America's heroin needs.

Exactly.

Update: McClatchy newspapers, June 18. Bush Call for Offshore Drilling Likely to Go Nowhere.

At that time, he said he wouldn't take this step. He wanted Congress to take it for him. (Smart guy. He realizes it's an unpopular step...Make your opponent be the bad guy.) But then the last paragraph explained his renewed urgency on this issue:

"The president has chosen to speak softly when American consumers need him to wield a big stick," said Thomas J. Pyle, the president of the Institute for Energy Research, a nonprofit, pro-market research center. "He has the authority to tear up the executive moratorium immediately ... this was a missed opportunity."

Mr. Pyle seems to have some urgency on this issue as well. According to SourceWatch, he's a former energy policy aide for former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay. Tom's district was in...Texas. He's also Director, now or at some point, for federal affairs with Koch Industries.

Who's that? Well they seem to be the 2nd largest privately-held company in the US. What do they do? Well...looks like Daddy Koch started the company in 1927 in the ...(wait for it)  oil delivery business. That means pipelines. They've certainly diversified. But their primary driver for revenues remains...oil delivery. That means pipelines. Who better to profit from renewed drilling, especially deep-sea drilling, than a company in the oil delivery business?

And who's the Institute for Energy Research? Again, according to SourceWatch, it's a 501C organization whose President was once head of PR for ...Enron. And he wrote speeches for their Chairman, the deceased Ken Lay.  Yes!

So, what to do. Well, take the step. And then blame your opponent for not caring about the country enough to do something (and hope the public doesn't pay attention to the details.)

Story of the Day: Postville, IA

This story began in May. It's ongoing now. It will be ongoing for a long time. It's a story we'll read about in the coming days, weeks, and months.

What happened in Postville, IA was a test run. The plan was simple:  Try out a new immigration enforcement program...in a remote rural area, conveniently under the news radar with the MSM's attention focused on the floods in Iowa, make the mistakes here and then refine it for a broader audience as the year progresses.

What happened in Postville, IA was a raid on the illegal workers at the local meat-processing (love that term...processing). Postville's population is under 3,000. Up to 390 illegal workers were arrested on one day working in Postville.

Here's the story from 3 sources.

* Des Moines Register

* NY Times, July 11 ( with a video interview with one of the certified federal interpreters who assisted in the legal proceedings.)

* NY  Times, July 13 Editorial: The Shame of Postville, IA

* Sanctuaryblox. This post contains the text of the 14-page description of the proceedings from the view of the above certified federal interpreter.

* La Vida

The irony is that nearly all of us have illegal immigrants in our family tree. Our nation was created from illegal immigrants. Our ancestors were the unwanted, unkempt, religious and political heretics first from Western Europe and then, as we once were a beacon of hope, the rest of the world. That drive to be free, to have the opportunity to create a life for their families as served as the biggest driver of our economy.

An immigrant willing to walk from Guatemala to find a job here in the US shows signs of being a  motivated, engaged, passionate employee, not a criminal. ( I've worked with people who complained about a 15-minute commute to the office when offices were moved to a larger building.)

Lots of questions are raised as you read these descriptions of the events. My only question is: So, this is who we are now as a nation?

If it is, then we should take the Statue of Liberty down for clearly it's false advertising with its beacon of hope and her words of:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Those arrested in Postville clearly met the terms for huddled masses yearning to be free, if not for their living conditions prior to walking from Guatemala to the US, then certainly for their conditions while held on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress upon their arrest.

Given that most could neither read nor write, any language, and there were no jobs for them and no means to support their families in their home country, and having to walk in some cases to our borders, they fit the definition of the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, at least from their own country's perspective (clearly the company in Postville where they worked to drive corporate profits higher, felt different, as did their families for whom they were their sole means of income) ...they're homeless, no doubt tempest-tossed...but if Postville is the treatment they can expect when they reach our country, it's clear Lady Liberty's lamp was extinguished some time ago.

July 26, Update: After Iowa Raid, Immigrants Fuel Labor Inquiries.

When federal immigration agents raided the kosher meatpacking plant here in May and rounded up 389 illegal immigrants, they found more than 20 under-age workers, some as young as 13.

Sonia Parras Konrad, an immigration lawyer in private practice in Cedar Rapids, is representing many of the young workers. She said she had so far identified 27 workers under 18 who were employed in the packing areas of the plant, most of them illegal immigrants from Guatemala, including some who were not arrested in the raid.

“Some of these boys don’t even shave,” Ms. Parras Konrad said. “They’re goofy. They’re teenagers.”

More from the Des Moines Register:

Throng Packs Postville to Pray...

A minister quoted from the Bible: "You shall treat the stranger who resides with you no differently than the natives among you," he read. "Have the same love for him as for yourself, for you too were once strangers in the land of Egypt."

Labor Department Says It Wasn't Told...

A letter from the U.S. Department of Labor to Rep. Bruce Braley says the agency was not notified in advance about a raid on an Iowa meatpacking plant - in direct contradiction to a separate letter to Braley from immigration authorities stating that they "fully coordinated" with labor officials investigating the plant.

This makes it much more difficult for the Labor Department to investigate claims of underage workers, unpaid overtime, abusive management and unsafe working conditions.

Postville Plant Supervisors Held Without Bail.

Ironically, both came to the US illegally from Mexico. Both speak Spanish fluently.

Waste Charges Could Send Two Rubashkins to Prison

The son and grandson of the founder of Agriprocessors are facing potential prison terms on federal charges related to hazardous waste.

Moshe Rubashkin of New York City pleaded guilty in February to a charge of illegal storage of hazardous waste without a permit. His son, Sholom Rubashkin, pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement to federal officials. Each of the men faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

The convictions stem from the Rubashkins’ ownership of Montex Textiles of Pennsylvania.

In 2005, the textile mill was scheduled to be sold at a sheriff’s auction because of unpaid taxes. Shortly before the planned sale, a fire broke out at the plant. Over the next few months, there were three more fires — one of which was attributed to arson.

Moshe Rubashkin, in 2002,  was fined $233,000 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison for bank fraud.

Postville Plant Paid to Settle Fraud Case...

Iowa's Agriprocessors meatpacking plant agreed to pay $1.4 million last year to settle allegations that it participated in a fraudulent scheme to hide another company's assets.

July 28, NY Times.

Story of the Day: Congress is Sleepwalking

Congress Mostly Going Through The Motions For Now, USA Today

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some fights of the 110th Congress have lost their oomph in the waning months before the November elections, with both parties content to run out the clock on messy matters like the war in Iraq, spending bills and various disputes with the White House.

With lower approval ratings than the White House does anyone notice? Does anyone care?

Honestly, that may be the best way they represent us, White House and Congress. Just...don't...do...anything more. Thanks. We'll check back November '08 for some new blood and a pulse.

Story of the Day: It's STILL the economy...

Or is it Iran. Or the price of oil?

Yow-suh.  It's all rolled into one, I think.

The two largest mortgage finance companies, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, faced 2 ugly choices: foreclosure or government buy out. (What's the difference, really? Either way, their bank is taking over...very likely. And what's that say about our economic advisor industry that the 2 largest mortgage finance companies are in essence in foreclosure themselves...?)

NY Times: Woes at Loan Agencies and Oil Price Spike Roil Markets.

And then one bank's assets were seized be the feds.

USAToday: Regulators Seize IndyMac Bank:

LOS ANGELES — The Office of Thrift Supervision says it has closed mortgage lender IndyMac Bank.

The banking regulator said Friday it has transferred IndyMac's operations to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after determining the thrift is unlikely to meet its depositors demands.

And then, just a few days after our national stockpiles of oil were reportedly rising and the price of oil was dropping...whooops, now the stockpiles are falling and now the price of oil rising.

Those few missiles launched by Iran this week had a very positive ROI as prices for oil spike on their news. Iran's the 4th largest exporter of oil. And any uncertainty, fear, threats real or imagined, only serve to drive the price of oil up. And helping in this conversation is our threats of retaliation and then their threats....It's great for business.

Maybe Iran and the US (Debka.com) are...talking about oil prices. Oh, how cynical? I'm just saying.

We're certainly trading with each other. Trade with Iran has risen from around $8 million a year in 2001 to $146 million per year in 2007. CNN

Frankly, I've always wondered if the two leaders, ours and theirs, Bush and Ahmadinejad don't need each other and each other's bluster. Both economies are in shambles. Both are politically dependent on oil companies and religious...fundamentalists. Both need a foreign enemy to distract their citizens. And both serve their benefactors when the price of oil rises. Hey, I'm just saying.

And in lighter, but still odder, news....China Orders Dog Meat Off The Menu

The Chinese government has ordered 112 official Olympic restaurants in Beijing to remove "fragrant meat" -- aka dog -- from their menus during the Summer Games.

Um....Have a good weekend.

Monday, July 11:

* NY Times, More Banks Will Fail.

As home prices continue to decline and loan defaults mount, federal regulators are bracing for dozens of American banks to fail over the next year.

... as many as 150 out of the 7,500 banks nationwide could fail over the next 12 to 18 months, analysts say.

Story of the Day: The 4th Amendment is so-o yesterday

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. - 4th Amendment, US Constitution.

So quaint, really, when you read it.

And, so-o-o yesterday thanks to today's vote by 68 of our 100 esteemed representatives in the US Senate whose vote in effect says ..You know...it's really ok whatever the telecoms did to spy on US citizens without court approval issued in the form of aforementioned warrants. These are the warrants outlined in the 4th Amendment of the Constitution that  we, as elected Senators, swore to you, the voters and citizens of the US, to uphold in our oath of office.

We don't know exactly what these telecoms did at the behest of the White House, don't want to know now, don't want to know in the future. Honestly, with their campaign donations we'd like to just wrap this up right now.

White House-backed legislation offers protections for phone companies that took part in warrantless wiretap program that began after 9/11 attacks. - Washington Post

Translation vis a vis the 4th Amendment? Warrantless searches are A-OK now, yesterday and tomorrow. (Writing this reminds me of Gov. George Wallace's 1963 inaugural speech where  he affirmed his commitment to segregation: Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever! 68 Senators brought the intelligence of that sentiment current with their yea vote today, saying: Warrantless searches yesterday, warrantless searches today, warrantless searches...forever. )

The obviousness of the egregious behavior by the Senators and the White House on our behalf, their failure to honor their oaths of office in voting to allow the elimination of one of the fundamental rights our country was built on, their claim of 'compromises' that insults the intelligence of us all, is clear to everyone but themselves. Outside their cloistered hallways, they stand naked in the eyes of the citizens who elected them. But they regale themselves with words of awe for the awesome splendor of their cloaks. Their cloaks being the carefully chosen words behind which they hide their decision to toss aside their honor, their commitment to our rights and our form of government.

Tip of the hats to you. A fine job indeed.

And now assess yourself the public's low opinion of you and your roles. Why it's lower than that of the White House and that's the lowest it's ever been. Another mighty achievement you've crowned your uncovered heads with and in such a short time, too.

Pay no mind to the voters, nor their rights, lest you miss your turn at the trough of power you so ardently have awaited.

Enjoy.

Fiddles or violins for all of you. I do smell the blazes wafting over the Potomac with but a wee scent of pork on the grill.

A few additional articles on this story:

NY Times: Senate Backs Wiretap Bill to Protect Phone Companies

An amendment sponsored by Mr. Dodd to strip the immunity provision from the bill was defeated, 66 to 32.

Two other amendments were also rejected. One, offered by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, would have required that a district court judge assess the legality of warrantless wiretapping before granting immunity. It lost by 61 to 37. The other, which would have postponed immunity for a year pending a federal investigation, was offered by Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico. It was defeated by 56 to 42.

Do you see the irony of the underlined passages? A special amendment is offered to require a judge to determine the legality of an already illegal and unconstitutional activity...

The other would postpone immunity while they investigated...the acts that needed the immunity the telecoms claim isn't needed.

Spinmeisters...you have reached a zenith! Eric Arthur Blair would be so proud.

SF Chronicle: Stand Up, Senators

Warrantless wiretapping of Americans should outrage Congress...[One would think, anyway...]

Salon. And finally, here's the story of one team of litigants with the temerity to challenge the execution of the warrantless search program or...the idea that laws and 4th Amendments are so-o-o yesterday for our nation today.

Hillary voted against it. Here's her statement. Obama voted for it, even after pledging to filibuster against it. McCain was a no-show. ( So much for straight-talk.)

Here's how the members of the Senate voted.

Sleep well, all 68 Senators who voted for this bill. You've violated your oaths of office and our Constitution in one swell vote.

Give a call to the Senators who voted against it. They're the ones who honored our Constitution and their oaths of office.

Story of the Day: Iraq Withdrawal Timetable

In a general sense, this should be the Story of the Day every day. Regardless of your political stripe, the impact on our country from our war in Iraq is huge, crosses all communities, income levels, political parties, genders, businesses, everyone, today, the future. It's interesting that there's so little discussion of its impact.

The reason I chose this topic as the story of the day is the Iraqi government's decision to insist that any security agreement with the US, us, must include specific dates for withdrawal of all foreign forces.  The point isn't the date or the setting of it. The point is that the Iraqi government is beginning to act as a sovereign government defending its sovereignty. That was the whole point of our incursion there, right? Bring a democratically-elected government to represent the sovereign demands of the Iraqi people. And now they're doing just that.

There is progress.

NY Times: Iraq Insists on US Withdrawal Timetable.

USA Today: Iraq Insists on Withdrawal Dates

Update: July 10, A More Confident Iraq Becomes a Tougher Negotiating Partner...Sometimes that happens between peer sovereign states.

Today's Story: Cuts in Medicare Payments

Today is the first day where the 10.6% cut in Medicare payments to doctors are applied.

It's an important story for a number of reasons. With health care costs expected to double in the next 6-7 years, it's interesting to see Congress address this issue with a cut in payments to that community, senior citizens, most in need of affordable health care. Most in terms of financial need as the majority of their incomes are fixed so rising health care costs have a greater impact over time; Most in terms of health care remains a greater issue for our senior citizens, aka, our parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts...

And it's important in that this is a trial balloon, in essence, for cuts in 1 of two sacred government sponsored social programs. The other is social security.

A good leader leads by example. Congress should lead by example. And they should pay 10.6% of their health care costs as members of Congress. The majority of their members might have a different vote if their health care costs were dependent on Medicare coverage as private citizens and not as members of Congress in the nation's best health care plan.

Doctors Press Senate to Undo Medicare Coverage.