Friday, March 4, 2011

SAR 11063

You can still disappear into the far reaches of the Patriot Act.

Back to the Drawing Board: The Egyptian military junta is arresting and jailing protesters for the protesting that brought the junta to power. That didn't take long.

Pep Rally! Stocks closed up strong following a reported steep decline in initial unemployment claims, which brought the 4-week moving average for unemployment claims below 400,000 for the first time in nearly 3 years. Gallup still reports unemployment at 10% and underemployment at over 20% (they count everyone, the government doesn't count the dropouts who just give up). Let's remember though that: US housing is dying. Mortgage defaults continue at record levels, ditto house repossessions. New house construction is miniscule. Existing house sales are also in serious decline and house prices are still falling. Party on.

Inoculations: Morgan Stanley maintains that the increased price of oil won't have a big negative effect on the economy this time around. “This time it's different...”

Ins & Outs: Corporations are 'persons' under the constitution, except when they are not. "Personal' in the phrase 'personal privacy' conveys more than just 'of a person,'" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, to clarify things.

Either/Or: Only a recession stands in the way of oil going to $200. Or is it that oil going to $200 is going to transform the recession into a depression?

Piling On: The Army heaped another 22 charges against PFC Manning today, including “aiding the enemy” (based on the assumption that the enemy read the cables on line after they were published openly) and “bringing discredit on the Armed Forces” (as if a PFC could add much to what our generals have already done).

Tit for Tat: Scientists have determined that cats find women easier to train than men. Women report the same about cats.

Trust Us: The FDA is pulling 500 prescription medications from pharmacies because: “We don't know what's in them, whether they work properly or how they are made." And you were worried about the taco meat?

Finale Exam: Who will buy US Treasury Bonds when the Fed – now scooping up 70% of the issuance - stops doing so, presumably on June 30th? ___________ . (Credit given for any plausible answer.)

Words: “Politicians who reject science are not fit to lead.”

The Haves Have It: And they are spending it. Retail sales for February: Saks up 15%, Neiman's up 13%, Limited 12%, Nordstrom 7.3%. And then there was Costco up only 4%, BJ's up 3.9%, Ross 3%, and Target up only 1.8%.

Sergeant Schultz For The Defense: A new report claims that JPMorgan Chase made nearly a billion dollars from Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. They, of course, knew nothing about the fraud. Nothing.

Fact: US household income today is below where it was in 1973. What's in your wallet?

Pass It On: According to the Fed, manufacturers have an increasing ability to pass costs on to the customer, a clear sign that increased petroleum costs will be passed along, setting the stage for broader inflation in the months ahead.

Carefully Worded: The TSA denies it has ever planned to deploy mobile x-ray vans at 'public events' to scan attendees, unaware. They just wanted to know if it was possible.

Porn O'Graph: Horse and Carriage.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

RE: Words: “Politicians who reject science are not fit to lead.”

When did science become a religion?

RBM

Anonymous said...

Ins & Outs: Corporations are 'persons' under the constitution, except when they are not. "Personal' in the phrase 'personal privacy' conveys more than just 'of a person,'" Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, to clarify things.

Carried to its logical conclusion, this would mean that persons then should have the same rights as corporations which in turn would mean that persons would pay little or no income tax like corporations. Deduct all those costs of running yourself and family as a "business": food, housing, education, bad investments, transportation, entertainment (BOX SEATS), vacations, etc. But as you point out, this is a one way ripoff.

Anonymous said...

Trust Us: The FDA is pulling 500 prescription medications from pharmacies because: “We don't know what's in them, whether they work properly or how they are made." And you were worried about the taco meat?

"We don't know what's in them, whether they work properly or how they are made,"

Golly gee, that sounds just like Mortgage Backed Securities and Derivatives! Proving once again that America's Rackets run across the economic board and use similar techniques and Advanced Bafflegab.