Monday, October 18, 2010

SAR #10291

Two dozen wrongs don't make a right, either.

Then Came the Lawyers:  BP promised to “do what it takes” to make the Gulf “whole again”.   BP's lawyers now say that what it takes is the $75 million liability cap set by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.  The $2 billion dollar figure was just a talking point.

Night/Day:  As the rich got richer they were able to take over more and more of the political realm, until they essentially controlled government for their benefit.  Now with corporations freed to unleash their money directly into political activism we can confidentially predict that the government's redistributive powers will be exercised to benefit corporations.

Fighting Dirty:  Things are really getting ugly now as countries spurn military confrontation in favor of financial warfare using debt-created money to buy up foreign resources, real estate and infrastructure.  The real tragedy is the legion of turncoat US dollars that have enlisted to support China's juggernaut.

Not Necessarily the News:  Republican climate gangsters are funded by Koch Industries (coal) and Murray Energy (oil).  In America, you get what you pay for.  Or at least they do.

Impartiality:  CFTC Administrative Law Judge George Painter claims that fellow CFTC judge Bruce Levine promised then CFTC chair Wendy Gramm “that he would never rule in a complainants favor”.  And he never has.  Imagine, Wendy Gramm condoning ideological bias in legal decisions.

The Old One – Two:  While Goldman sees “substantially higher prices” for oil in late 2011 into 2012 as global petroleum surpluses are drawn down, OPEC Members are disinclined to wait, seeking $100 a barrel oil soon to compensate for the 13% decline in the dollar.

Feast, then Famine:  In Cancun, as at the failed Copenhagen gathering, world leaders will make stirring speeches about the necessity of other countries doing something to cut back on global warming, while carving out exceptions to permit continuing their own climate-killing growth in hopes of more jobs, more profits.  Better they should stay home and not embarrass themselves.

Believe It Or Don't:  “Democrats actually shrank spending, deficit in last fiscal year.”

Quarantine:  Surrounding states are erecting barriers to prevent whatever massive illness has struck Connecticut from spreading, because they don't want their health insurance rates to jump 47% in a year.  Blue Cross of CT claims the federal health reform requires them to raise their rates now, before a cap on fees is imposed.   If they don't screw their customers now, they might not be able to later.

Wrong Again: The headline read 'Food Inflation Coming to a Grocery Store Near You.'   What the article said was that an increase in demand and a serious decrease in supply were driving up the prices of food.  It said nothing at all about a surplus of money (inflation).  Higher prices are much tougher on the poor than inflation.

Quoted:  “Without taxes there is no wealth, without taxes there is no civilization, without taxes criminals take life and property with no redress.” Well, two out of three...

Leadership:  Two thirds of The Business Council, CEOs of the largest US companies, think their own industry will prosper over the next six months. This is the same cohort of insiders that is selling dumping their stock.

Porn O'Graph: Peak everything.

1 comment:

OSR said...

"Now with corporations freed to unleash their money directly into political activism we can confidentially predict that the government's redistributive powers will be exercised to benefit corporations.

That article is about 15 years too late, I'm afraid. On the upside, greed makes it relatively easy to figure out what they will do.