Is George Bush the right leader for America?

[Haggis@wk]

Former President Bush: "President Obama Deserves My Silence."

Observing a presidential tradition, Former President Bush has declined to criticize his successor. He continues to show he has more class than the current occupant.

Sadly, Jimmy Carter didn't get the memo.......

[Shapley]

Attorney: Justice Memos Prove US Did Not Torture

[Shapley]

Obama Dances Around Armenian "Genocide" Issues, Refers To It As An "Atrocity", Instead

In a January 2008 statement on his campaign website, Mr Obama wrote: "The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides," the 2008 statement added.

We didn't get one.

[analog]

to stir up hundred year old feuds is real smart, MS PELOSI.
I have friends in the Ozarks still riled up about "The War of Northern Oppression".
Please stay out of Arkansas, we're making progress.

US needs to be a calming influence in that region. It is the west door to those -Istan regions we're hoping will become west friendly. Iran-Afghanistan is the south door.

There's some real anti-western civilization people in congress.

a.

[Serenity]

Obama Dances Around Armenian "Genocide" Issues, Refers To It As An "Atrocity", Instead

In a January 2008 statement on his campaign website, Mr Obama wrote: "The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides," the 2008 statement added.

We didn't get one.

Shap...., why don't you just post your concerns directly to the Whitehouse or Obama's website? You are intelligent, express yourself very well and are deeply concerned about political events. I know you are trying to persuade us to join your point of view but wouldn't it be better to direct your efforts to the White House directly?

[Shapley]

I've said the same thing to the "Bush bashers" on board. I have no idea if they did. What makes you think I don't express my thoughts to my elected officials? I don't believe writing to our elected representatives and posting our concerns online are mutually exclusive.

[Shapley]

A Blow For Income Parity

Why complain about the financial crisis? By liberalism’s standards, it has been a swift sword of economic justice, working to equalize wealth more rapidly than any policy short of summary execution of the rich.

Why settle for raising tax rates on capital gains from 15 percent to 20 percent, when capital gains can be eliminated entirely? Why trifle with the tax treatment of compensation at hedge funds, when funds themselves can disappear into oblivion? Why increase the estate tax, when people’s fortunes can be reduced by half in a matter of months — without the inconvenience of waiting for anyone to die?

America experienced a financial decapitation in 2008. We saw $11 trillion in wealth disappear, an astonishing 18 percent. The destroyed wealth equals the combined annual output of Germany, Japan, and the U.K., according to the Wall Street Journal. And there’s nothing to soak the rich quite like a financial meltdown.

Forbes magazine found only 793 billionaires around the world this year, compared with 1,125 a year ago. The collective net worth of the world’s remaining billionaires is $2.4 trillion, down $2 trillion during the past year. A few more years at that pace and they’d be bust entirely.

According the President Obama and the Democrats in Congress, the economic situation is entirely the fault of President George W. Bush. This should make President Bush the champion of the left, yet they continue to revile him. He has done more to reduce the 'growing chasm between the rich and the poor' than Former President Clinton could ever have dreamed of doing, had he actually dreamed of it.

[BigJon@Work]

11 trillion is a silly number. Much of it never existed, other than through manipulation and chicanery with the books. If it can be blown away by the failure of a few large banks, it wasn’t wealth to begin with.

[Haggis@wk]

11 trillion is a silly number. Much of it never existed, other than through manipulation and chicanery with the books. If it can be blown away by the failure of a few large banks, it wasn’t wealth to begin with.

So, in the last 10 years you donated $50,000 to your 401K and it was valued at $100,000 last July and is now valued at $25,000 you haven't lost any money?

[Shapley]

11 trillion is a silly number. Much of it never existed, other than through manipulation and chicanery with the books. If it can be blown away by the failure of a few large banks, it wasn’t wealth to begin with.

I've made that point before. Nonetheless, many believe that the figure on their 401(k) statement to be a true and accurate representation of the value of the stocks they hold.

Let us say that I hold 10,000 shares in the XYZ Corporation, which has been rising steadily. I tell my broker to sell it if the value reaches $100/share, thus making me a millionaire. The stock reaches $100, and the broker offers my shares for sale.

However, he is only able to unload 1,000 shares at the top price. The sudden availbility of 10,000 shares on the market has shifted the supply/demand balance, and the price began to fall immediately. He is able to sell another 1,000 at $95, and 2,000 at $90, before demand falls. The price drops all the way to $75 dollars, before he finds a buyer for 5,000 shares, and finally unloads the remainder at $70. Thus, my million-dollar stock holdings were only worth $820,000, because that is the actual amount that I was able to unload them for.

Anyone who has ever owned any collectibles knows this. Just because 'the book' says your beer stein is worth $1,000, until someone actually gives you that much for it, it's just a figure on a piece of paper. You should ensure it for that, no doubt, but the selling price is the final value, not 'the book'.

[Shapley]

So, in the last 10 years you donated $50,000 to your 401K and it was valued at $100,000 last July and is now valued at $25,000 you haven't lost any money?

No. You've lost $25,000.

[BigJon@Work]

I'm still net positive on every retirement account I own, thanks to compounding and contributions from my employers. Do I wish I were positive apart from this? Sure, but I’m not in control of that. I'm very cautious with my investments so that I don’t get in a position where I’ll go negative on my own contributions. It’s not hard to do, but it takes some attention to detail. If you hear of anyone having to delay their retirement only due to the recent downturn in their retirement portfolio, then they were not structuring their retirement funds correctly and taking on too much risk.

[Haggis@wk]

An Argentine artist called Caesar Saëz applied to the Canada Arts Council and le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and was given, between the two bodies, a grant of $130,000 to create a 300-metre long flying banana that would float over Texas protesting the policies of George W. Bush.
Why Canadian taxpayers are subsidizing Argentine artists to violate U.S. airspace is a topic best left to the next Summit of the Americas.

The good news is that Señor Saëz cashed the check and skipped the country. So the banana's whereabouts are unknown.

[DavidS]

An Argentine artist called Caesar Saëz applied to the Canada Arts Council and le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and was given, between the two bodies, a grant of $130,000 to create a 300-metre long flying banana that would float over Texas protesting the policies of George W. Bush.
Why Canadian taxpayers are subsidizing Argentine artists to violate U.S. airspace is a topic best left to the next Summit of the Americas.

The good news is that Señor Saëz cashed the check and skipped the country. So the banana's whereabouts are unknown.

Like the con men who "sold" the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, and Brooklyn Bridge to gullible rich tourists...

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

So the banana's whereabouts are unknown.

Le Banana - split.

I'm sorry. The devil made me do it.

[Haggis@wk]

So the banana's whereabouts are unknown.

Le Banana - split.

I'm sorry. The devil made me do it.

Groan, get back to work!!!!

[piqaboo]

So the banana's whereabouts are unknown.

Le Banana - split.

I'm sorry. The devil made me do it.

Rich!