Wild Card/Thursday — 3/5/09

55 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Arch_Druid on March 05 at 11:02 a.m.

  There was a guy tweeting that very court case when I was on the twitter board earlier.

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  zelda on March 05 at 3:31 p.m.

  Just read on MSNBC that Dr. Sanjay Gupta has withdrawn his name from consideration for U.S. Surgeon General. According to NBC, he didn’t want to take the cut in pay. Can we presume, also, that CNN has better dental?

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  Cabbage Boy on March 05 at 3:37 p.m.

  “Can we presume, also, that CNN has better dental?”

  Or paying his back taxes would nix any pay increase… :)

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  wheels on March 05 at 3:59 p.m.

  T O was sacked by the Dallas Cowboys.We can only hope he does’nt start running with Dennis Rodman.

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  zelda on March 05 at 4:08 p.m.

  Wasn’t today Pres. Obama’s big health-care summit? Nice timing, Dr. Gupta.

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  hmoffsuite on March 05 at 4:14 p.m.

  Now that Obama has been able to successfully perpetuate our ‘crisis’, and even make it worse, he his trying to cram another major deal down our thoats. Health Care bill being drafted ‘behind closed doors’ (credit Charlie Rich). This will, of course, become ‘URGENT’ just like the rest of his ‘non- partisan’ legislation. The last time I felt such immediate action was required was the ShamWow guy. Reminds me of Obama.

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  keithincda on March 05 at 6:34 p.m.

  Hey Sis,

  Whatup?

  “Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual — not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small”

  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19663.html

  Weren’t scripted speeches/appearances a problem for the anti-Palin folks?

• 

  JohnA on March 05 at 7:16 p.m.

  I have but two words of advice of whoever with the State DOT is in charge of maintaining the Fourth of July Pass. Retire now. Hang up the coffee mug and just go fishing.

  Really, if you’re not going to plow the pass, close the mother.
  And, if you opt to keep it open, at least activate the flashing lights that require semis to chain up.

  In twenty years of daily commuting, I’ve never seen carnage like that I saw just now. I actually slowed down, unlike some other fools I later saw on their sides, to witness the event. One truck after another jack-knifed, cars and RVs stopped, and the usual assortment of SUVs either on their side, or a new one for me, high-centered on the guard rail. I even saw one pour guy fall on his backside trying to figure out why his fifth-wheel trailer had changed places with his four-wheel drive.

  Bottom line, the westbound side of I-90 is closed and likely will be for some time. To those thirty semis and one hundred cars stranded in that seven-mile long parking lot, don’t blame me because I made it through..

  Find out who is in charge and get to work.

• 

  hhuseland on March 05 at 8:20 p.m.

  In regards to the Gupta thing, the one thing that this layperson has learned is that Clinical or speciallist doctors are not expert on new drugs, or for that matter, older ones, except after prescribing many times. Doctors that specialize in research are the only ones that hold the real answers to new drugs, and even then, most are working for pharmaceutical companies.

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  hhuseland on March 05 at 8:31 p.m.

  Oh, and John, just praise the Lord you were eastbound and down. Oh, and congratulations on your victory in the south of our lake.

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  JohnA on March 05 at 9:56 p.m.

  Thanks, Herb. We look forward to seeing you in Harrison this summer. It should be an interesting time.

• 

  Bent on March 05 at 10:45 p.m.

  I say congrats as well JohnA.

  And just, Wow, on the 4th of July pass. I commuted that pass five to six days a week for two and a half years. I saw an awful lot, and even jumped a tree once… but nothing like what you describe above…

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  BlueinIdaho on March 06 at 8:48 a.m.

  From Zero to “it’s all Obama’s fault” in under three months. Amazing. Hmoffsuite, I guess you saved all your indignation and disgust from the last eight years and now feel the need to let it loose. Wish you were standing shoulder to shoulder with me when our last president invaded a country and spent a trillion dollars to do it. Gee, i wonder why there’s no more money? I bet the former Soviet Union could provide a clue.

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 8:54 a.m.

  Blue. This, unfortunately, is not about the last President anymore. It is about the CURRENT President. If you wonder why there is no more money, then explain where the money for all this ridiculous spending is coming from, please. Why can’t the big O just hold back on this spending until we get the economy back on track. Doesn’t want to ‘waste a good crisis’?

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  riggs on March 06 at 9:02 a.m.

  So, maybe the money is coming from the same place that 2 wars and a Medicare drug bill came from: Off budget thin air. Dick Cheney: Deficits don’t matter. Ronald Reagan: Deficits don’t matter. Why don’t you even support your own party’s economic beliefs? Prefer guns over healthcare eh?

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 9:08 a.m.

  riggs. Right now is not the time for massive spending on ANYTHING. Again, guys. This is NOT about Bush, Cheney or anyone other than Obama. He IS our President. The only one we have.

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  Arch_Druid on March 06 at 9:13 a.m.

  Got this question, hmoffsuite, can you trust the road you drive on to not bust a tire or an axle? How about the bridge you drive over? There’d better be a massive spending on something, fellow.

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 9:20 a.m.

  Arch. There already is massive spending. Looked at your gas taxes lately that are targeted to roads maintenance, etc? Spending when the Country is not in a financial crisis would make more sense, imo. And, I would certainly be happier if the earmark money were spent on more appropriate things like roads instead of pet democrat projects and social engineering.

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  Arch_Druid on March 06 at 9:27 a.m.

  Apparently, when Guv Otter wanted to push fees on motorists over and above those gas taxes, those gas taxes weren’t enough to cover general road maintenance. Or shall we say, that how Boise chose to prioritize funds for road maintenance encouraged Otter to push for added fees. You could spare us the continued whining about Obama and look closer to home.

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  riggs on March 06 at 10:37 a.m.

  Nice deflection, but our present president has a financial crisis on his hands, not a fiscal crisis. And who is to say healthcare is less important that roads, unless uninsured/uncovered folks laying hot asphalt is an ideal picture. Health reform may save money overall as a percentage of GDP, so why not go for it.

  And, why didn’t that deficit matter before, but matters now?

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  Sisyphus on March 06 at 10:42 a.m.

  Don’t you love it Riggs. hmoff believes the economy was kicking ash until January 20.

  hmoff, google up the paradox of thrift.

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  riggs on March 06 at 10:51 a.m.

  The paradox of thrift, where individual’s behaviour leads to overall problems in the aggregate. Bush tried that with “lets all go shopping” instead of “lets all go build infrastracture.” The former ends when credit ends, the latter is discretionary within budgets and you actually get something in the end other than a cheap video game.

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 10:53 a.m.

  Sis. I certainly don’t think the economy was robust prior to Jan 20. It was in peril, no doubt about it. But, since Obama was elected, the economy has worsened considerably. Fwiw, the Dow is down 30% since his election. And, riggs, I am not saying healthcare shouldn’t be a priority. But, everything can’t be done at once and attempting to do so is hurting the economy right now. Why can’t it wait until we have our immediate economic problem under control?

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  toadman on March 06 at 10:57 a.m.

  hmo - the DOW is a useless indicator. It’s nothing more than a giant casino for the get rich quick douchebags who helped get us into this mess in the first place by legitimizing the crappy business practices of AIG, et. al. Maybe THAT’s why it’s down. They see their ATM machine drying up and are afraid they may have to get REAL jobs.

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 11:01 a.m.

  toad >>> “hmo - the DOW is a useless indicator”

  Whatever you say. It is, however, one way of keeping score on the economy.

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  riggs on March 06 at 11:05 a.m.

  In more professional terms, many analysts will note that there is no underlying flaw in the strength of business stocks in most cases, banking and finance excluded. PE ratios are returning to normal levels, which makes the crash in PE ratios less alarming.

  And I repeat, health care reform could actually lead to less cost as a percent of GDP with more people covered. That is just good policy.

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  hmoffsuite on March 06 at 11:13 a.m.

  The Wall Street Journal discussed the Obama influence on the martket today. In part ……

  It’s hard not to see the continued sell-off on Wall Street and the growing fear on Main Street as a product, at least in part, of the realization that our new president’s policies are designed to radically re-engineer the market-based U.S. economy, not just mitigate the recession and financial crisis.

  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123629969453946717.html

• 

  riggs on March 06 at 11:52 a.m.

  A member of Bush’s circle is to be taken at heart? They got us here.

  The market is held down now by those who are trying to get out at a loss are waiting for small upturns to sell, and the lack of business to business credit. Traders don’t trade on speeches.

  If a market based solution, such as healthcare, eats up more GDP than a government run plan, how is that better? Medicare eats 3% in admin costs, private insurance companies eat up almost 30%. Medicare Advantage costs the fed double of straight Medicare. No savings there.

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