SAR #11127

It wasn't much of a recovery anyway.

Survey: Do you think the Republicans are refusing to approve anyone (whose initials are Elizabeth Warren) to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: A) because they are afraid the CFPB will not go far enough in protecting the average consumer, or B) Other.

WWJD? What was the “collateral damage” count in bin Laden's murder?

The Emperor's Handmaiden: How GS Treasury Secretary Geithner prevented the IMF from forcing huge haircuts on Irish bondholders and instead forcing the Irish peasantry into years of penury – so the banks (read Goldman Sachs) wouldn't lose a penny. Clarifies the nature of the empire.  Interesting in light of the un-official non-meeting on Greek debt this weekend.

Mood Swings: Employment rose by 244,000 in April, while unemployment increased 0.2% to 9.0%. The total number of persons not in the labor force hit a new all time record of 86.248 million. Economists and politicians (but I repeat myself) chose which numbers to emphasize.

More/Same: Again this week the data out of Ireland and the UK confirm that austerity is not working as advertised, except for the part where the IMF/EU step in and loot the place in the name of the bankers and bondholders – who had no way of knowing they were making bad investments...

Good Read: On the joint delusion called 'money'.

Without Comment: California regulators have approved a plan allowing Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to charge its customers more for electricity to make up for profits lost when energy efficient light bulbs SmartMeters were installed.

Message In A Barrel: Despite high prices, crude oil production has stayed basically flat for roughly five years. Either there's a basic flaw in capitalism's profit motive thingy, or something else is going on.

Aorist/Present: Re-write the following to reflect the actual nature of the relationship: “Will high oil prices bring a new recession?”

Winning Streak: JP Morgan and Bank of America both recorded a perfect trading period in the first quarter – not a single day of trading left them with a loss. Gee, Wally, how'd they do that?

Mercy Killing: Ethanol has turned out to be less than a stellar success in the marketplace, so the tax credit incentives will be terminated – over a five year period. It's the end of life that drives up the costs.

Double Entry Book-keeping: In March, customers increased their credit card debt by nearly 3%, their incomes by not so much.

Interpretation: “Torture advocate Yoo upset bin Laden not captured.” Oh the possibilities.

Trying for Two: The corporations, having bought gained control of the Supreme Court, now want their hired politicians in the Republican Party to defund the national Labor Relations Board, thus putting a stop to the NRLB's occasional defense of the working man.

Phantoms: The thing our politicians hear going bump in the night is not a debt crisis monster or an inflation troll – that sound is employment falling through the floor. Again.

Value: Take a guess at how many slaves a barrel of oil equals. The Industrial Revolution, slavery, the Civil War, Exxon and our future energy supply all in one parable.

Poetry Day Entrant: Your flag decal won't get you/ Into Heaven any more./ We're already overcrowded/ From your dirty little war.

Fun With Numbers: China has 21% of the world's population but only 1.8% of the world's oil reserves. The US uses about 22% of the world's oil, has but 4% of the world's population and only 2.4% of the worlds reserves. On average….

Piss on 'em Bottled Up: From now on when Applicants for welfare in Florida will have to fill out the paperwork and fill up a cup. And come up with the money to pay for the test, too. The testing centers will be run by donors to the....

Porn O'Graph: Are we there yet?