ThinkFast: July 18, 2006
ThinkFast: July 18, 2006
“President Bush is apparently ready to end his boycott of the NAACP, the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, with a possible speech Thursday before the group’s national convention.”
Despite soaring gas prices, automakers “have made no progress in improving vehicle fuel economy over the past year” — stuck at 21 mpg for 2006-model vehicles — “continuing a nearly 25-year trend of industry stagnation on gasoline mileage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.”
In an analysis of 13 American cities, the Brookings Institution found “the nation’s working poor households pay much more than moderate- and high-income households for life’s essentials.â€
U.S.-led troops are facing “intense resistance” in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban have recently captured two towns and are now believed to “operate freely.” The violence “forced police and government officials to flee.”
“Rising seas caused by climate change could destroy half the mangroves on some Pacific islands,” reports one new study, while massive droughts in Brazil are threatening the Amazon basin, “drying up tributaries more than a mile wide.”
House conservatives have “organized a communications ‘war room’” to push their hard-line, enforcement-first strategy on immigration reform “during the remaining months of the 109th Congress.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), “who comes from a long line of family military service,” has proposed a bill that would deduct $1,000 from Donald Rumsfeld’s salary for every day after Jan. 1, 2007 that a military sexual-assault tracking system is not active. The Pentagon “has had 18 years to implement” the system.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker “is worried that the Army cannot repair vital equipment fast enough because supplemental budget requests have been too little, too late.” Congress has started to push back on the White House, trying to force the appropriations into the Pentagon’s regular budget.
And finally: Bush rubbed the German Chancellor Angela Merkel the wrong way at the G8 summit. The Los Angeles Times reports, “Bush headed directly behind the chancellor, reached out and, placing both hands on the collar of her gold jacket, gave her a short massage just below the neck. She smiled.†Yet, according to the video evidence, it’s pretty clear the chancellor wanted nothing to do with the massage. Watch the video here.
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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Doesn’t George Bush know not to touch people uninvited? This is something to do with close friends not strangers. Has anyone checked George Bush for brain damage recently?
July 18th, 2006 at 9:31 amAh that good ole American ingenuity can’t make a gas engine more efficient after 25 years. Let’s see we have the space shuttle, vastly improved computers, crazy TVs that hang like pictures, mapped the human genome, radar imvisible planes, peanut butter and jelly in the same jar and yet we can’t make an engine go better. So is the problem education, laziness or intentional corporate stalling and greed.
July 18th, 2006 at 9:31 amBush headed directly behind the chancellor, reached out and, placing both hands on the collar of her gold jacket, gave her a short massage just below the neck
I personally know people that lost their jobs because of sexual-harassment suits resulting from this sort of touchy-feely behavior.
Thanks for once again lowering the bar, Dubya.
July 18th, 2006 at 9:34 ammaybe he wanted her to quit using the ‘Sie’ form and ‘du’ him instead.
July 18th, 2006 at 9:36 amDespite soaring gas prices, automakers “have made no progress in improving vehicle fuel economy over the past year†— stuck at 21 mpg for 2006-model vehicles — “continuing a nearly 25-year trend of industry stagnation on gasoline mileage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.â€
Hey! Wasn’t free market to address this? /Sarcasm off
In an analysis of 13 American cities, the Brookings Institution found “the nation’s working poor households pay much more than moderate- and high-income households for life’s essentials.â€
Not a surprise. Specially for insurances, I bet. Poors are more vulnerable and likely to need a refund.
U.S.-led troops are facing “intense resistance†in southern Afghanistan, where the Taliban have recently captured two towns and are now believed to “operate freely.†The violence “forced police and government officials to flee.â€
Not a surprise. The infalibility of the USA military and planning has been ever a myth, except for some hardcore neocons.
“Rising seas caused by climate change could destroy half the mangroves on some Pacific islands,†reports one new study, while massive droughts in Brazil are threatening the Amazon basin, “drying up tributaries more than a mile wide.â€
And with the Amazon forests, the larger source of vegetation, Oxygen producing and CO2 eating of the world.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), “who comes from a long line of family military service,†has proposed a bill that would deduct $1,000 from Donald Rumsfeld’s salary for every day after Jan. 1, 2007 that a military sexual-assault tracking system is not active. The Pentagon “has had 18 years to implement†the system.
Just wait, and you’ll see the chickenhawks of the right without any military background smear her for being so unpatriotic.
Yesterday, the House approved by voice vote a “U.S.-Russia treaty to help protect polar bears from overhunting and other threats to their survival.â€
Oh, no! “No Bear Left Behind”! Bye, bye, bears.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker “is worried that the Army cannot repair vital equipment fast enough because supplemental budget requests have been too little, too late.†Congress has started to push back on the White House, trying to force the appropriations into the Pentagon’s regular budget.
In short, another bucket of dollars to the neverending neocon wars.
And finally: Bush rubbed the German Chancellor Angela Merkel the wrong way at the G8 summit. The Los Angeles Times reports today that “Bush headed directly behind the chancellor, reached out and, placing both hands on the collar of her gold jacket, gave her a short massage just below the neck. She smiled.†Yet, according to the video evidence, it’s pretty clear the chancellor wanted nothing to do with the massage. Watch the video here.
Diplomacy Yeltsin style. If in some jobs this is considered harassing and sexual assault, what is considered when is done to a German Chancellor? And I’m no kidding here. This idiot wants to be treated like a God, and then acts like a complete redneck at the Court of King Arthur. Good for Disney’s movies, but for international meetings…
The only trait that I’ve not seen (yet) from him in international diplomatic blunders is hitting the desk with a shoe…. just wait…
July 18th, 2006 at 9:41 amhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/thenewswire/#a025264
Bolten says Lebanese civilian casualties not ‘morally the same’ as terror victims. That’s our UN Ambassador in action.
July 18th, 2006 at 9:48 amRe the automakers:
DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Less than three weeks after abandoning its promise to build 250,000 hybrid vehicles for the North American market by 2010, Ford Motor Co. said Monday it will invest more than $1.8 billion to develop hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles in Britain.
Meanwhile, closer to home, the automaker said it has begun producing engines in Dearborn Heights to power a new line of hydrogen-fueled shuttle buses.
Ford’s investment in Britain, which represents a doubling of the company’s engineering spending on environmental programs in the United Kingdom, will fund unprecedented collaboration among Ford of Europe, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo — a collaboration that is expected to yield more than 100 models and derivatives, Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group Chairman and CEO Lewis Booth said at a press conference in London.
Ford will use an array of technologies, from lightweight materials to bio-fuel engines. The automaker is also developing cleaner, more efficient gasoline and diesel engines, as well as diesel-electric hybrids to meet the needs of European drivers.
http://www.detnews.com/ apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/ 20060718/ AUTO01/ 607180312/ 1148
Again, why is everyone so quick to pounce on the auto industry, and especially without all the facts? These things are in the works for quite some time before the company finally makes its big public announcement. A simple phone call to the public relations dept. asking for a comment on the subject before such things are published would give the automakers(at least Ford) a chance to comment before the criticism starts.
July 18th, 2006 at 9:51 am#6 So, again, what was the difference of being killed while buying groceries at the market by a islamic suicide bomber or a israeli tank’s shelling? You’re right, Bolton can be many things, but a “diplomat”? And appointed to the UN?
July 18th, 2006 at 9:51 amHas Merkel had anything to say about the Bush encounter?
July 18th, 2006 at 9:54 am#9 Yikes!
July 18th, 2006 at 9:54 amFord will use an array of technologies, from lightweight materials to bio-fuel engines. The automaker is also developing cleaner, more efficient gasoline and diesel engines, as well as diesel-electric hybrids to meet the needs of European drivers.
http://www.detnews.com/ apps/ pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/ 20060718/ AUTO01/ 607180312/ 1148
Again, why is everyone so quick to pounce on the auto industry, and especially without all the facts? These things are in the works for quite some time before the company finally makes its big public announcement. A simple phone call to the public relations dept. asking for a comment on the subject before such things are published would give the automakers(at least Ford) a chance to comment before the criticism starts.
Comment by Desi — July 18, 2006 @ 9:51 am
So, Ford is producing more fuel efficient vehicles in the European market because the USA market is no such a big market? It’s this caused because European rulings about fuel efficiency are far more stricter than the ones of the USA? Then, if it’s possible to produce far more fuel efficient cars, why are they not selling them in the USA? Maybe because is far more productive for them to keep selling old technology? Why are the american consummers so gullyble?
July 18th, 2006 at 10:01 amGood morning everyone!
Apparently GWB has a potty mouth (not surprised), and likes to feel up the German Chancellor (again, not surprised). Frat boy is, as frat boy does…
I’ve been away — anything else going on?
July 18th, 2006 at 10:02 amThis is easily explained. The cost of doing business in the inner-city is greater than the cost of doing business in the suburbs.
In inner-cities, plauged with crime, business owners (such as grocery stores) have higher costs of doing business because they have to pay more for security and they must offset losses due to theft and robbery.
These costs are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on the shelf.
The costs are not some systematic effort to gouge the poor, or to “get” minorities. Once again, there is an economic explanation that escapes so many.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:04 amHi Zooey,
Nothing much else, oh, except that we’re in WWIII.
…did you hear that one, already? ;)
July 18th, 2006 at 10:06 amIt could happen if we try real hard!
http://www.worldjumpday.org
July 18th, 2006 at 10:06 am#11 - Actually, they are doing the research in England for 2 main reasons:
1. They already have high-tech facilities there ready for this kind of research. They can begin sooner.
2. The labor costs will be lower.
If you think the any technology they develop in England won’t make it across the pond, where people are more and more clammoring for fuel efficent cars, it is you who is gullible.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:06 amI saw the set of pics of Bush giving a massage to Merkel and he looks like he is on some kind of drug > the US cannot survive with a certified nut as president!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:07 amChase have you ever lived in a poverty stricken area? People who live there are gouged because they have no alternatives. Most do not have transportation to purchase the goods and services they need elsewhere. Also, many need to use layaway’s and such for their purchases. They do not have bank accounts so they need to go to check cashing places where they are charged large fees.
Yes, they are being gouged.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:12 amIT IS FORBIDDEN TO CLICK ON MY NAME!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:13 am…did you hear that one, already? ;)
Comment by trueblue
Dammit, I did hear that. I was hoping it was a horrible nightmare…
Did you see those pictures of GWB & Merkel. Like Jay says in #17, he looks like he’s drunk or stoned, and she looks grossed out and pissed off. I didn’t see him going after Blair or Putin like that. Idiot boy…
July 18th, 2006 at 10:14 amI feel for the poor, but is there a reason for why they can’t get bank accounts instead of going to check cashing stores? You only can’t get a checking account if you’re on CheckSystems because you’ve bounced checks. So isn’t it a matter of personal responsibility?
July 18th, 2006 at 10:17 amAside from that, I agree entirely with everyone.
#16 If you think the any technology they develop in England won’t make it across the pond, where people are more and more clammoring for fuel efficent cars, it is you who is gullible.
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 10:06 am
Less efficient cars are far more easy to produce, so they give a greater benefit to the automaker. The development phase has been payed a long time ago, and it means that it gives far more benefits selling an old desing. You can make them in old factories. More benefits.
So, your “full capitalist” ideas makes it far more profitable selling you old crap, as soon it has a nice envelope. See the Hummers. Of course there are also “efficient” models, but moving a house around isn’t cheap anyways.
A last thought: the high efficiency desing center choosen placement is in Europe. Why? Because in the USA you don’t have the sinergy of technology and rulings to advance it. Plain and simple.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:18 am#18 - If I’m correct, you’re a lawyer right?
Why not take some of these businesses to court for price gouging. You would be a hero to the poor!
In case I’m wrong and you’re not a lawyer, why not go to the ghetto and find some people who are being gouged and connect them with a progressive lawyer and get this lawsuit going!
Or why not open a competing grocery store in the inner-city and charge “a fair price”. Becuase a fair prices is lower, you’ll surely take business away from the gougers and make a great profit. You can reinvest the profit into the community!
The reason you won’t is because you can’t! Inner-city businesses are gouging customers. Their prices are higher because their costs are higher. It’s that simple. However, your worldview won’t allow you to see that.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:21 amUS IS Dying Under Bush Regime
by Jay Randal
Democracy is a fragile system of governance, which requires constant public vigilance to survive, so if an authoritarian type regime gains power it can be lost!
Election fraud eats away the foundation of democratic institutions, and like a cancer invades all the organs of government, until the coruption kills freedom/liberty!
The United States, under the Bush Regime, is quickly dying from the magnitude of corruption infecting the nation’s capital like a uncontrolled pestilence/plague!
The GOP controlled Congress {House and Senate} is completely under the sway of Pres. George W. Bush, and maniacal VP Dick Cheney, so the nation suffers!
The opposition Democrat Party has been infiltrated, by Trojan-Horse GOP agents like Joe Lieberman who masquerade as Dems, and undermine its membership!
Our glorious nation that came into existence to uphold the virtues of Athenian democracy is withering fast on the vine being cut from nutriments to sustain its life!
( Jay Randal, political activist and writer in Stone Mountain, Georgia.)
July 18th, 2006 at 10:22 amIf ford really wanted to make more fuel efficient cars they would have already. They WON’T until they are forced to either by stricter government standards or by public demand (neither of which has shown up here in the states so far).
Look at Honda, they’ve had much more fuel efficient cars for over a decade. If that’s the best Ford can do I’m not impressed. What makes you such an auto industry apologist anyway? They don’t need anyone sticking up for them.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:23 am“President Bush is apparently ready to end his boycott of the NAACP, the oldest civil rights organization in the United States, with a possible speech Thursday before the group’s national convention.â€
Please…please…please speak in front of the NAACP. More exposure of this moron in uncomfortable situations the better.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:25 amHowever, your worldview won’t allow you to see that.
Comment by Chase
Psychological projection:
“Projection is the opposite defence mechanism to identification. We project our own unpleasant feelings onto someone else and blame them for having thoughts that we really have.”
July 18th, 2006 at 10:30 amPost 26 > I do not want to see Bush giving back/neck rubs to Jesse Jackson > lol. I had hoped the pics I saw of Bush grabbing Merkel were fake, but they are very real and should be shown on every TV station in the US > Bush seems to be in a meltdown > drinking booze or on cocaine or some other drug > very sad and pathetic to see him act like a dope at G8 meeting!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:31 amTheir prices are higher because their costs are higher. It’s that simple. However, your worldview won’t allow you to see that.
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 10:21 am
Once again I ask you, have you ever lived in a poverty stricken area? I have. We were extremely poor. The reason poorer individuals do not have checking accounts is because they need all of their money to live. They cannot afford to keep a minimum balance or pay for checks. Many cannot afford to pay for photo id’s…another requirement of a checking account.
Chase…price gouging, while reprehensible, is not illegal unless it is made so by the state. In addition, price gouging, like fraud, is very difficult to prove. People like you who have never been in a situation such as this sit on a jury and say “well it is just the market forces” Bullshit…these people are being taken advantage of.
In addition, one of the reasons there is generally greater crime in areas such as these as the police do not patrol there as often as they do in the richer neighborhoods. I could probably count on one hand the number of times in a month I saw a police car in my neighborhood.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:31 amHowever, your worldview won’t allow you to see that.
Comment by Chase
Psychological projection:
“Projection is the opposite defence mechanism to identification. We project our own unpleasant feelings onto someone else and blame them for having thoughts that we really have.â€
Comment by Zooey
****snap!****
July 18th, 2006 at 10:36 amJules, it just doesn’t make sense to me. If it’s too expensive to hold a checking account, then how isn’t it too expensive to pay the charges to a check cashing store? There are banks that don’t require a minimum balance, too. And on top of that, you have added expenses if paying with a money order. It’s always much more expensive to not have a checking account than to have one.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:37 amComment by Zooey
****snap!****
Comment by trueblue — July 18, 2006 @ 10:36 am
Make that a double!!!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:37 amClick [a href=”http://jabbs.blogspot.com/2006/07/morality-flip-flop-in-may-mccain.html”]here[/a] to read about how McCain just did a morality flip-flop, big-time. This may have screwed up his chance at the 2008 GOP nomination (no pun intended.)
July 18th, 2006 at 10:41 amWilco,
July 18th, 2006 at 10:42 amMany people pay in cash.
Poorer people, myself included, sometimes pay the “Peter/Paul” game with their checks.
You write a check and hope it’s close enough to a deposit that it will clear. I’ve done it to buy groceries, pay the electric bill, and the like.
And, as happens when you play that game, a couple times you lose and the check bounces.
Good Morning Zooey and Trueblue, another day under the rule of mr. insane. He is still showing what a slow leaker he is, so far help to evacuate innocent and american citizens in Lebanon is way behind the French and Italians. Beginning to look like another Katrina disaster and this time since he is backing Israel he is also the inabeler to killing more innocent men, women and children……No suprise there…..This old woman is weary, ashamed of my country and close to rioting in the streets right here in bull shit bush country……….Blessings, Peace, demand it.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:43 am#32 - Thanks, Jules & Trueblue. Have a great day, I’m off to continue training my replacement. Great posts, Jules…
July 18th, 2006 at 10:44 amHey, believe me, I understand bouncing checks! But that just supports my contention that it’s really an issue of personal responsibility. It’s not responsible to bounce a check. And the consequences can be serious. So to say they’re getting unfairly gouged isn’t fair toward those being accused.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:45 amPeople aren’t forced to bounce checks.
Good morning to you, too, Sharon. Great wisdom, as always…
July 18th, 2006 at 10:45 am#29 - “Bullshit…these people are being taken advantage of.”
Why are the prices higher at an inner-city grocery store than they are at a suburban grocery store? Please just answer that question. If more than one reason contributes, please explain that.
“In addition, one of the reasons there is generally greater crime in areas such as these as the police do not patrol there as often as they do in the richer neighborhoods.”
Are you excusing criminal behavior? Where do you think the criminals come from? Do they drive in from the suburbs to rob the grocery store, to sell crack? No! Its residents of the inner-city destorying and victimizing their own neighborhoods.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:48 amWico,
But they are put into a situation where they have to fiddle with their finances. As I said, you don’t do this ‘just because’, you do it to keep the electricity on, or get your children food.
That’s one example.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:50 amAnother is from the story linked. Poorer people sometimes have to resort to those rent-to-own furniture stores. There are dozens of examples, but please don’t blame the poor person. These are the choices forced on them.
Wilco, sorry!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:51 amHi, Sharon,
July 18th, 2006 at 10:52 amMay we all know peace, soon.
I just don’t completely buy it. I can’t buy that people are forced to bounce checks. That’s a selfish decision, tantamount to theft. It’s why bouncing checks is a crime. I understand things can be rough, but you only have yourself to blame for negative effects from bouncing the checks. In most circumstances, anyway. I don’t think being poor is an excuse for cheating others.
July 18th, 2006 at 10:56 amDarn you, trublue!
July 18th, 2006 at 10:58 amWilco,
July 18th, 2006 at 11:00 amWe’ll have to agree to disagree with that.
I don’t think people mean to cheat anyone, just hope their paycheck will get to the bank before the check to the gas co. or whatever.
Again, there are other examples. Maybe I chose the wrong one to write to you!
Wilco - have you ever had to live knowing that when your paycheck comes in every dime of it will be spent to pay bills, buy groceries and hope to God that your kids shoes will last another month?
Did you know that banks run credit checks?
First, if you have no money, you typically do not have a credit history.
Second, many poorer individuals have had posessions reposessed so they may have bad credit scores. Did you ever hear about the lawsuit against these rent ot own stores? One of the reasons for the suit was they were charging phenomenal prices for their products. These excessive prices were treated as interest and the rates were considered usury. The charges were so high people could not afford to continue to pay them and the rent to own places repossesed them. This then went against their credit history.
You do not require a photo id to cash a check at a check cashing store or to purchase money orders. Do you know how much it costs to get a photo ID? Why don’t states make these available for free? When my daughter was getting her license I had to send for her birth certificate. She was born in NY. It was $65 for the birth certificate and shipping. Thar was in addition to the other costs required
This are just some reasons. I am sure there are others.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:03 am“Bush rubbed the German Chancellor Angela Merkel the wrong way at the G8 summit..” - - Now I understand Bush’s recent affinity for pigs, he’s looking for family.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:08 am$65, Jules?!!?
July 18th, 2006 at 11:09 amYikes! My daughter is 16.
I’ve got to find that birth certificate… it’s gotta be around here somewhere!
OMG!
Bush rubbed the German Chancellor Angela Merkel the wrong way at the G8 summit - - If he pawed Merkel, who he barely knows, imagine the going over he gives Condi.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:10 amTrueblue - I have had the same problem. Thing is, I have direct deposit on Fridays at midnight. I have had checks I have written get to the bank on Friday, and the bank KNOWING there is a deposit going in, will still overdraw my account first, then deposit my paycheck. They pay the checks, but charge the overdraft fee for each one. I will be changing my account from my current bank to Washington Mutual. They understand and will bypass TWO overdrafts a year, will NOT charge for using outside ATM’s, and offers free checks.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:12 amJules, I agree with you mostly. Believe it or not. I understand things happen! They happened to me! I still live mostly check to check. I know people sometimes mistakenly bounce checks, but my experience is that many people do it out of financial irresponsibility. That’s what I’m saying. They bet and lose. The result is their responsibility. It’s of their own making, mistake or not.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:13 amBut yes, things are tough for the poor. The minimum wage is ridiculous. This government’s treatment of the working poor is borderline criminal and ethically void.
At the G-8 summit, President Bush grabs German Chancellor Angela Merkel from behind and gives her a quick massage before rushing off. Chancellor Merkel is not amused. (Photos!!!)
July 18th, 2006 at 11:16 amI hear ‘ya, madashell!
I have a credit union acct. now, but it is aggravating!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:17 amHeading out to take mini-blue to the orthodontist.
Nice talking to everyone!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:18 amTrueblue, clearly chase and Wilco have not been in the position of extreme poverty as many of us have….They need to get a better perspective of what starvation, no shelter and being abused to the point one does not trust anyone before they can make speaking points with validity.
First off the bank thing…Add to your judgment lot’s of the elderly do not trust the bank’s, they have lived through the failings and still bury their money under the bed or in the freezer….Next if you make a mistake in your banking there are huge fees….Many people still hold to the (I want to see how much I have) in their hand and not in a bank…Years ago I bounced a check, not on purpose but bounced just the same. The cost was 25 bucks for the bank…At the time a weeks worth of food…..Then there is the large amount of people who are uneducated about banking……I have a free account because I am a senior. I am one of 3 out of 12 in my little area who does any banking, the rest pay in cash or by money order.
It was for a long time a 3 day to clear thing. When I worked as a checker many people would run out of food and float aloan as it were by buying groceries for their kids 2 day’s before their checks were going to get deposeted in the bank…With the speed up of banking I saw many get hit hard when their checks bounced….Was it criminal>? Well I supose to some, but how criminal is it to let your children starve or freeze from lack of heat in their house…Please folks stop thinking of the poor in terms of criminals versus you the affluant being law abiding…….We live in dreadful times and have for many years and think how you would manage if your babies are hungry, cold ,unclothed. What would you do….No excuses, just plane survival……Being judgmental against some because of their walk in life is a very narrow view…Walk in their shoes and then spout your theory….
Very good posts as usual, Jay and Jules,…………..I think I will turn off the computer and the world today and run the puppy and hug lot’s of trees……There comes a time when we must turn and walk away from the dieing and sadness……Oh if only,,,all the soldiers of the world would put down their arms and do the same what a great world it would be……Blessings All,,,,,we need them more than any other time….
July 18th, 2006 at 11:22 amEven if American companies began to make and market efficient cars, who would buy them? American cars are garbage and they’ve earned that reputation fair and square.
Why would you buy a fuel efficient car from a company that just got into the market in the last year compared to Honda or Toyota which have been making the cars now for the last 6+ years.
American auto makers need to go bankrupt, no Gov. bailouts. They should have seen the possibility for high gas prices for at least the last 10 years. Let em go under, survival of the fittest and all that stuff. They’ve brought on their own demise by resisting change and innovation. Boo Hoo GM can’t make Yankee Tanks anymore, ford can’t make soccer mom school buses.
Shouldn’t the Muliti-million dollar earning CEO’s of American auto companies LOSE THEIR JOB for steering the companies off of a cliff? Ah, hell…let’s just give em a $300mil severence package instead says the board of directors at GM!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:25 amtrueblue - NY is an expensive place to be born!!!
Texas will not allow a teenager to receive a license prior to the age of 18 unless they have drivers training. That costs about $400. Then you need to pay for the permit and take them out driving. Then there is the insurance…….
But hey, raising kids is a breeze!!!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:25 amBush really had a good time at G8. Lets see, remarking how eating bbq pig is better than worrying about the worlds problems, getting bitch slapped over democracy from the Russian President, flapping his gums with a mouthful of food and swearing when he was being recorded, and for a finale, he gropes the German Chancellor. He has to be the laughing stock of the G8 leaders. What a freakin’ bumpkin.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:27 amThe poor often pay higher prices for commodities; they may be unable to travel to the local urban sprawl WalMart to take advantage of lower prices on food and other merchandise. They don’t have the advantage of ‘deal shopping’ when buying from their local vendors; they’re a captive ‘audience’.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:27 amAnn Coulter admits to sending white powder to the NYTs.
how the hell can she get away with this???
July 18th, 2006 at 11:28 am“In Bush’s America, the real opportunity for young people doesn’t wear a cap and gown, it wears helmet and boots.”
AND, in Bush’s world, bad behavior and downright immorality are rewarded.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:31 amjules - I suppose this got lost in the shuffle above.
I posted at 29, for you:
#29 - “Bullshit…these people are being taken advantage of.â€
Why are the prices higher at an inner-city grocery store than they are at a suburban grocery store? Please just answer that question. If more than one reason contributes, please explain that.
“In addition, one of the reasons there is generally greater crime in areas such as these as the police do not patrol there as often as they do in the richer neighborhoods.â€
Are you excusing criminal behavior? Where do you think the criminals come from? Do they drive in from the suburbs to rob the grocery store, to sell crack? No! Its residents of the inner-city destorying and victimizing their own neighborhoods.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:32 amLook, again, I understand things happen. Checks will bounce. But how is it responsible to do so? It’s not. If it is completely excusable to bounce a check then it is ok for the poor to steal, an attitude I come across too often in my line of work. If one has a checking account then one is responsible for it and should be treated as such. Why should I coddle someone who bounced a check to me? If I sell you goods and you write me a check that bounces, I should be understanding, not debt-forgiving! Things happen, yes. But it’s still inherently irresponsible to bounce checks. I just don’t understand arguing it is actually often the responsible thing to do.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:32 amI can understand arguing it’s necessary sometimes, but not that it’s ever responsible. When you bounce a check you are hurting everyone involved. You are taking money from the person you bounced your check with, you’re taking money from yourself if you pay back that person, and if you did it for the kids, maybe you’re teaching them poor financial skills that will echo through generations. (I work in medical collections and it’s not too rare to find an entire family of people who never pay their bills.) Necessary? Ok. Responsible? Never.
madashell - how the hell can she get away with this???
She can get away with it because she didn’t do it.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:33 amChase - you are really too much…I mean where the hell do you come from? The land of lies?
So Memo Pad went and asked her, sending an e-mail to her AOL account. And guess what? She not only responded, but claimed to be the sender of the mysterious powder.
“So glad to hear that The New York Times got my letter and that your friend at the Times thinks I’m funny,” she wrote back. “Good luck in journalism and please send me your home address so we can stay in touch, too.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:35 am“P.S. If we get hit again, don’t forget to ask the NYT if they consider themselves responsible since they have repeatedly exposed classified government programs designed to prevent another terrorist attack.”
I get Chase’s trickery. When he first came to blog here he seemed open minded enough where we would engage him in discussion. It has become quite obvious that was nothing but a ploy. He does nothing but repeat his party’s line of deception. He is nothing but a bush worshipper, and I just don’t go there anymore. It’s icky!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:39 amI don’t know if admitting it is just a joke or not (I suspect it is), but she possibly did incite someone to do this, and someday someone might send a deadly variety of white powder because of her. Sadly it’s not criminal behavior to wish people dead. Although it should be a crime to be that sexy.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:44 am#66 - Wait. You really believe Ann Coultier sent cornstarch to the the NYT?
You really think that?
That’s so rich of you!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:44 amWhen you don’t make much money, a $4 gallon of milk is a lot of money. In inner-cities, rent is expensive for business owners, even in lousy areas of town. Chain stores with lower prices don’t typically choose to offer their retail services in rougher neighborhoods. Bodega’s are expensive, like doing your grocery shopping at a 7-11. Grocery stores don’t typically operate in inner-cities because they are huge and require a lot of cheap retail property that is not available close to downtown. If they do operate, they are high-end grocery stores rather than discount grocers.
Somebody made a comment about check-bouncing fees. These fees are now over $30 depending on who you bank with. There used to be a time when you could float a check, now doing so is a gamble you are likely to lose. On top of what your bank charges you, the retailer also charges a fee of $25 or more. If you have less then a $100 in your account you can easily over-draw your account 2,3, or 4 times and get hit with a couple hundred in fees on the day before your paycheck direct deposits.
Being poor and living paycheck to paycheck freaking sucks. I know, I’ve been there. I just lost a roommate, so chances are I may be there again in a few months.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:45 amAnn Coulter admits to sending white powder to the NYTs. how the hell can she get away with this??? - - Oh please, that story has all the tensile strength of a cobweb.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:45 amComment by madashell — July 18, 2006 @ 11:39 am
I agree. I thought for a while he had a sense of decency and compassionate. As usual I misjudged his character.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:46 amAlthough it should be a crime to be that sexy.
That is so gross. Ann C. is about as sexy as a woman on steroids.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:49 amThat is so gross. Ann C. is about as sexy as a woman on steroids.
Comment by kelso rich — July 18, 2006 @ 11:49 am
I so agree! She looks like she just sucked a lemon. When you tell that many lies it begins to show on your face. Republicans wrinkle early in life!!!
July 18th, 2006 at 11:53 amThe 32% - compassionate conservativism at its best
July 18th, 2006 at 11:53 amWhat’s not sexy about a woman on steroids?
July 18th, 2006 at 11:53 amThe NAACP should tell DUHbya to go pound sand.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:56 amThe 32% - Part 2
July 18th, 2006 at 11:57 amThis is easily explained. The cost of doing business in the inner-city is greater than the cost of doing business in the suburbs.
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 10:04 am
Links, sources, evidence? Or are we supposed to take your word for it?
The reason you won’t is because you can’t! Inner-city businesses are gouging customers. Their prices are higher because their costs are higher. It’s that simple. However, your worldview won’t allow you to see that.
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 10:21 am
I think you meant “aren’t”.
You obviously didn’t read the article or you would find out how short term loan providers, and paycheck cashing services in innner-cities charge up to 500% in annual interests. That’s price-gouging, usury, and illegal.
Unless you are ready to contend that the cost of doing business in a poor neighborhood is 500% higher than in the suburbs.
July 18th, 2006 at 12:00 pmThis is a MUST SEE (please!?) For Their Sake
July 18th, 2006 at 12:04 pmGregor - thanks - I have lost all patience with him. It never fails to surprise me when an individual who has never been in a certain situation believes they know everything about it.
Being poor sucks!!!
July 18th, 2006 at 12:18 pm#78 - Links, sources, evidence? Or are we supposed to take your word for it?
Any economist who discusses the inner-city retail economy vis-a-vis higher costs due to security concerns. I was first introduced to the concept in Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics. I don’t have access to the book here. I would recommend reading the entire book. Very eye-opening and accessible.
And yes, I meant aren’t. Whoops.
You pay a higher interest rate when you present a higher credit risk. The bank (or cash checker, or short term loan business) is taking a risk on you so you have to pay to compensate for the risk.
I love the line “expensive and negative experiences with mainstream banks” from the article. Do they mean people tried to spend money they didn’t have and were penalized? Who’d a thunk it?
July 18th, 2006 at 12:18 pmOkay THAT’S IT! HILLARY CAN GO TO HELL!
Senator Clinton Speaks Up for Israel at U.N. Rally
July 18th, 2006 at 12:24 pmF*CKING TURNCOAT! Hil, Rupert Sly as Fox at Fund-Raiser by Helen Kennedy
Two of the most public people in the world had a chummy breakfast yesterday, but media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) tried to keep their political get-together as secret as possible.
July 18th, 2006 at 12:26 pmMadashell, they will not see because of their expensive sun glasses, they will not hear because of their expensive ear plugs and loud music, they will not speak because their mouths are full of expensive food…They will only post here because their enabeler, decider in charge, bush, god of greed tell’s them what to say and how to believe…..It’s all pretend and believing in a distorted view from a drunk druggie..
Making these people understand is like me saying ” it’s hotter in the summer than in the city”…Yep! I wrote it properly……Blessings all, peace is the answer.
July 18th, 2006 at 12:27 pmMadashell, Hillery has been on my list with Leberman and Cantwell for awhile now…..No suprise there. Me thinks she and others are going backwards in their thinking. They have lost touch with we the people and are going where they think they can win instead of where they should be….There are a few others inching along the same path. It appears we will need some new blood and or a new party like the old dem’s use to be. Still very little coming out from the left, as usual the silence is defening….As all can see I haven’t left yet…Working on it……Blessings, Time for sage and sweet grass smudging.
July 18th, 2006 at 12:37 pmI was first introduced to the concept in Thomas Sowell’s Basic Economics.
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 12:18 pm
Thanks for pointing me to a book on basic economics. Is this book the source of all your deep knowledge on the subject?
You pay a higher interest rate when you present a higher credit risk.
Is this also explained on your book on basic economics? wow! That’s all the stuff I need to know to live!
/sarcasm off
No matter how you spin it, Chase, 500% is usury and hence illegal.
Plus, you missed one of the points of the article and the study: a window into the lack of financial services for the poor.
The goal is to have all that data in order to recommend policies that would help them get out of poverty. After all, the study in title “Putting the market to work for lowwe-income families”. And I thought you would find the idea of “putting the market to work” enticing.
What is it about helping the poor that you find so repugnant?
July 18th, 2006 at 12:37 pmSharon - with respect to Cantwell, the candidate I was hoping to support, Mark Wilson, a true progressive, somehow quit the race and joined Cantwell’s campaign. I do get WHY they did it, but it still stinks. Mike McGavick is a force to be fought, and fought hard, so I see where this is coming from. All I want to know is WHEN WILL THAT CHANGE? When will be given the opportunity to vote for more than just the lesser of two evils? WHEN??????
July 18th, 2006 at 12:59 pm#86 - Imagine you are in the business of cashing payday checks. How often do you think people don’t repay the loan? What can you do, as a small-business owner to reduce and compenstate for that loss?
In any event, I would advise against using payday loan services. Then again, I would also recommend against buying lottery tickets. Or playing craps. But advice is the only thing that’s free and no one wants it.
The reality is the poor DO have access to financial services, they just choose to not take advantage. Because of “negative” experiences? I’m going to guess those experiences were their fault! Why blame the ‘mainstream bank’ for that?
Open a bank account. I can think of three of the top of my head that have neither a minimum balance or a monthly fee.
The biggest problem is financial irreponsibility - spending money you don’t have. Live within your means!
July 18th, 2006 at 1:16 pmMadashell, in answer to your question. When? Untill we make Cantwell and all Rep. Lites know we will not accept their past bad voting choices they will not change….We must continue to write and opose their decisions to go along with the mad dog republicans. If they do not do what the voting public want we must vote in some one else. I’m going to look into voting for any one but Cantwell or the rep….Even to loose at this dreadful time we must put the back bone back into the progressives…..We put them into office and now they are siding with the waramongers and greedy. Appeasing us with a few little good deeds and joining up with the bad guys on the big issues doesn’t get it for me any more. Just like Hillery, sorry, past record aside. If your with the bull shit bush bunch you don’t get my respect or vote…..Heard there was someone else running for the Dem’s in Wash. If that is true I will support them, if not maybe a green….Have you noticed how many adds Cantwell has been running…….Her republican counter part hasen’t eve started yet….I think there will be a big back lash by Dem’s. The rep’s. may win this one in this state because of it……And the flip will be because our representatives have not been representing us but their own self intrests………..Sad huh, but I will no longer do the lesser of two evil’s thing….Get some good one’s to run or get the hell out of the way. These people are suposto work for us. This little part of We the people has had enough……..Blessings, courage is staying on a good path and demanding no one else must do the same.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:26 pmImagine you are in the business of cashing payday checks. How often do you think people don’t repay the loan?
Comment by Chase — July 18, 2006 @ 1:16 pm
Let’s try this one more time: 500% interest rates are usury. Usury is illegal.
What can you do, as a small-business owner to reduce and compenstate for that loss?
Ditto.
The reality is the poor DO have access to financial services, they just choose to not take advantage. Because of “negative†experiences? I’m going to guess those experiences were their fault! Why blame the ‘mainstream bank’ for that?
You still haven’t bothered to even read the article, or you would know your personal opinion openly contradicts the study:
“Poorer people use high-cost financial services because banks are less accessible to them, they have had negative and expensive experiences with mainstream banks, and they get immediate access to their cash and don’t need to wait out the holding periods banks often impose.”
Negative experience is only one of the reasons.
Are you tring to make me believe you have also surveyed several cities and came to a different conclusion?
If not, your personal opinion can be safely discarded.
Open a bank account. I can think of three of the top of my head that have neither a minimum balance or a monthly fee.
Most bank have a holding period for check deposits. Payday lenders do not.
The problem is a different one altogether. Read the article.
The biggest problem is financial irreponsibility - spending money you don’t have. Live within your means!
Do you know what a payday lender is? Why people use it? Have you ever lived paycheck to paycheck? Have you ever had a medical emergency -like a sudden illness? Ever had to pay your child’s doctor and no money in your bank account?
Yeah, those financially irresponsible poor -why spend the money they don’t have to put food on the table and pay medical bills for themselves and their loved ones? So irresponsible indeed.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:30 pmWell, Chase, I don’t know if you’re from the christian right, but leasing money with an interest rate is against the teachings of Jesus.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:34 pmThere was a man interviewed on NPR the other day from CA where the fires are raging. He lost his home and his job he said….
“I never thought I would be homeless and jobless.”
No one ever really does, but obviously it happens.
July 18th, 2006 at 1:38 pmChase,
July 18th, 2006 at 1:40 pmIf an individual has a pay check cashed, their employer will cover the check.
In addition, a “bank of top of” your head would not seem a good place to keep one’s money.
Still on the bank thing.? O.K…15 years ago I moved from one state to another…Changed from one branch of the same bank into another in a diffrent state…..Had lived in the new state and banked for over a year when a piece of property of mine sold in my old state..A large certified check was issued from said bank to me and I went to the bank to deposit it. Same bank, diffrent state. Guess what, the banks are at fault a lot as well as their customers…..The bank made me wait 10 working day’s before I could use any of the money….Go figure…..They were in effect using my money for 10 days and paid me no intrest for their use…..Yes I do use a bank, safe to say not the one mentioned above. The minute the hijackers were done with my 10 day wait I went to another bank and closed that account……….”There is no justice, only points of law” spoken by Gary Woodberry Attorney at law, Nevada (1982) The first good attorney I ever met………Blessings All
July 18th, 2006 at 3:05 pmAre you kidding me? We are in a volatile world where muslim extremist want to kill us and the price of oil will probably break most of us and you are concerned with the Presidents cussing and friendly touching of the shoulders “oh my”. Good lord we had a former President having sex in the oval office and lying to a grand jury, if you can find nothing worse about this President then spend your time writing about the things that are truly wrong with this world. Sexual harrassment give me a break. Sometimes I wonder are people even paying attention to world they live in this middle school bullcrap is not helping in the least. Stop the BDS and offer something constructive or say nothing at all, you make yourself look ignorant.
July 18th, 2006 at 7:55 pmW is as crude as the oil that he could not find in Texas.
July 18th, 2006 at 8:52 pm#88- A business owner who gets a ‘bad check’ or has some sort of business related loss, will do what they all do, write it off on their taxes, it’s called ‘bad debt’.
July 19th, 2006 at 10:25 amWhy have these ‘posts’ descended into a farcical discussion about gas prices and ‘Paychecks’ when it originally started off as a ‘discussion’ about the idiot President of the ’so-called ‘Free World’ ?? Doh !!
July 20th, 2006 at 6:12 amI mean, anyone who has done any kind of research should realise that hydrogen-powered, magnetic and other alternative energies have ben out there for nearly 200 years.. and supressed … so, check out http://www.magneticenergy.org.uk and see for yourselves..
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