Huckleberries Online

St. Patrick’s Day Wild Card — 3/17/09

Posted by DFO

March 17, 2009 5:38 p.m. • 57 comments

In the news this evening: The national debt hits a record $11 trillion here. Pope Benedict says that condoms worsen AIDS epidemic here. Actress Natasha Richardson is near death after skiing accident here. Oxford experts: Obesity danger ‘rivals smoking’ here. Study: Pious ‘fight death the hardest’ here. And the Wild Card remains in play …

57 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Arch_Druid on March 17 at 10:09 a.m.
Stimulus package—voters opposed to waste, fraud, abuse and AIG getting more bailouts. CNN
Lynne on March 17 at 11:03 a.m.
I was lamenting the loss of the “tight knit community” feel of downtown CDA in recent years on my message board. One of the replies:

I remember CDA ‘before’ it was Couer d’Alene. It was fun to drive up on the Fourth of July to see the fireworks on the lake or during the summer to watch the hydroplanes..in those days, those were the biggest crowds the town ever saw. Then I moved away and the next time back, CDA was a resort area. I think the city has lost some of its charm…but then that happens to every piece of paradise when people discover it exists.
We all lament the loss of innocence. My sisters (still in Idaho) laugh that now IDAHO stands for I’ll Do Anything Hagadone Orders.

Sorry, but that made me LMAO!
Kage_Mann on March 17 at 11:13 a.m.
Lynne, On the surface that acronym ‘Idaho’might seem funny now, but it’s not when you consider what Hagadone has done to this town,especially promoting CDA for his own ambitious goals.Even though if you read the history books, CDA was always considered a resort town all the way back to the 1880’s during the steamboat era.
Cabbage Boy on March 17 at 11:29 a.m.
Dave,
You should run the Cal Thomas editorial for your noon question. Very provocative piece. Well done.
KevinTaylor on March 17 at 11:38 a.m.
The Mariners approach the 2009 season with optimism … AND one less newspaper to kick them around.
Kage_Mann on March 17 at 11:43 a.m.
The Mariners just acquired Ken Griffey Jr. again.They’ll prolly
be in the hunt this year.
Cindy_H on March 17 at 2:45 p.m.
It is pouring rain in North Spokane. I’m listening to the raindrops ping against the chimney of my blazing gas fireplace. I’ve been able to work from home all day in my sweats and fluffy, pink slippers. The only downside? Carpool duty is fast approaching.
Sigh.
toadman on March 17 at 4:48 p.m.
Nite all! May your corned beef be beefy and brothy, and may your wives be Erin Go Bragh-less before 10pm!
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 5:07 p.m.
Sure is an uproar about these darn AIG bonuses. Guess who was behind that. Geithner. (the Sec of Treas who didn’t pay his taxes and messed up his first task)

AP NewsAlert

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House chief of staff says Geithner’s job not in danger
over AIG bonuses.
danofthecommunity on March 17 at 5:22 p.m.
I’m down in Boise to testify in the morning for HB201 the election consolidation bill. It will be in Senate State Affairs and from talking to some of the committee members it will likely be a very close vote.

I’m also now about two weeks into my new Kindle2 experience…I may post about that some time…bottom line is I’m really liking it except I realized today that I had to turn my book off several minutes before we get on the ground vs. pretty much keep reading until you feel the jar of the wheels on the tarmac…
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 5:25 p.m.
One other thing crosses my mind this afternoon. ACORN has been contracted to conduct the 2010 National census. The census determines districts, representatives etc. It is the playing field. And now this, as if the election wasn’t bad enough. Besides this deal, they already got $8 B dollars with the stimulus (not) bill.

http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/03/holy-cow-acorn-hired-to-work-on-2010.html
cantyoureadthesigns on March 17 at 6:13 p.m.
HMO, please cite a reputable source for your claim that ACORN received $8B from the stimulus bill.

I believe you have your urban legend numbers wrong.
cantyoureadthesigns on March 17 at 6:24 p.m.
The other myth, HMO, that apparently crosses your mind, is that the Obama administration approved of the AIG bonuses. No, they got stuck with that BS from the Bush administration.

In fact, the bonuses were set a year ago by AIG, and were approved by Bush’s Treasury Secretary Paulson and the Fed’s Ben Bernanke when the Feds basically took control (79%) of AIG back in September.
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 6:55 p.m.
cantyouread. Not to worry, these events that I mentioned will be very prominent in the news in the next couple of days. The facts will become clear to everyone, even you.
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 6:58 p.m.
Geithner was the architect of the AIG bailouts and bonuses and, being the author, he knew the real deal. He later denied it when Patty Murray asked him about bonuses last week in the senate. He WILL lose his job over this. Shouldn’t have got it in the first place.
hhuseland on March 17 at 7:00 p.m.
I come from a long line of Vikings. My ancestors planted their fields then pillaged England and Ireland during the summer, when they didn’t have anything better to do. AIG leaves me with awe, since none of my ancestors ever did so well.
Bent on March 17 at 7:07 p.m.
Hmoff, even if ACORN did the contract for the Census (which I have not researched, but I intend to), the bigger issue is that the whitehouse is attempting to strip the Census oversight from the Department of Commerce, which is one of the main reasons why Obama’s commerce secretary quit.

If you were to focus your argument on that fact, it is a legitimate issue and an issue where you could point out how the administration is essentially trying to steal control of the congressional redistricting process.

When you “jump the shark” to stretch this into Obama giving $8 billion to ACORN, you lose before you even get started.
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 7:13 p.m.
Just to set the record straight, I am in no way defending the AIG bonuses and think it is wrong. I’ve often said I thought exec salaries where way out of line. Like football coaches and school presidents. Athlete pay is the most obscene, imo.
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 7:21 p.m.
Bent >> “the bigger issue is that the whitehouse is attempting to strip the Census oversight from the Department of Commerce, which is one of the main reasons why Obama’s commerce secretary quit”

Very good. This whole administration is like Chicago politics . Gee, Rahm and Barack. Chicago style. This makes me wonder where it will all end. Shameful.
Stickman on March 17 at 7:32 p.m.
Lynne: Such good thoughts, mine exactly.
cantyoureadthesigns on March 17 at 8:02 p.m.
HMO, having done further research, I concur with you about Geithner having a significant impact and authorship on the original AIG deal, though it is still unclear, at the time of those negotiations, the extent to which Geithner tried to get AIG to reduce/eliminate those bonuses, and whether AIG positioned itself as being contractually obligated and that forcing them to reduce/eliminate the bonuses would be a deal killer, and for the record, I opposed this AIG deal from the get-go, and have not been in favor of any of these Wall Street firm bailouts.

I also believe the entire system is leveraged beyond all reason, and may very well come crashing down hard, and we’re simply delaying the inevitable, still clinging to the “too big to fail” concept, when, in fact, these entities have already failed, but no honest financial “doctor” is willing to sign the death certificate.
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 8:09 p.m.
cantread. We both agree on one thing. The whole situation is a mess and it should never have gotten to this point.
Bent on March 17 at 8:22 p.m.
Hmoff, here is a link to a good balanced news site that I suggest you bookmark if you want to track Congress a little closer without the spun articles from . It usually doesn’t link to World Net Daily, or Fox, or MSNBC, etc… most of the information is pretty fresh and reliable stuff. It’s a good resource:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/
hmoffsuite on March 17 at 8:36 p.m.
Thanks, Bent. That is a good source. I have been to that site before, but always as links before. I’ll keep the address.
Don_Sausser on March 17 at 8:57 p.m.
For all of you NIC Cardinal fans the Lady Basketballers are in Salina, KS in the NJCAA sweet 16 vying for all of the marble.

They just beat Trinity Valley CC of Athens, TX, 63 – 53 to advance to the next round on Thursday at 6:00pm PST. For interested fans these games box scores are maintained on the net at: http://www.cybersportsusa.com/tourney.asp?sport_id=1&lev_id=2&assoc_id=70&tc_id=2174.
Arch_Druid on March 18 at 7:42 a.m.
The pope declares that condom use only make the AIDS epidemic worse. How would HE know, he practices abstinence, right?
nic on March 18 at 8:02 a.m.
“ACORN has been contracted to conduct the 2010 National census.”

HMO, I hate to spoil your fun, but the census is being ran by the same group of people who did it ten years ago. Volunteer employment - must pass a test and fill out an employment appication just like any other job. (pays better than most entry level jobs but it’s only temporary) Most positions only last 3 months. However, the census counting is not contracted out to individual groups like a retail store hiring RGIS to count their inventory. They hire individuals who turn in an application. It’s not any different than normal employers.

Now, is it possible that members of ACORN got hired? Sure - if they turned in an application and pass the test. But then they’re hired as private individuals. No scandal. No conspiracy. Unless you contend that members of ACORN should not be allowed to hold employment of any kind.
Cabbage Boy on March 18 at 8:13 a.m.
Arch,
Does one have to partake to have an opinion? Or can one study facts to understand a situation? By your logic, no one that hasn’t smoked weed should be able to outlaw its use.

The focus on the A and B of the ABC method has turned the AIDs epidemic around in some African countries. The focus on condoms have not done the same in other countries.
hmoffsuite on March 18 at 9:21 a.m.
Arch. There is a little more to this than just the hiring of some workers who might be affiliated with ACORN.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/acorn_census_partner/2009/03/18/193218.html?s=al&promo_code=7C64-1

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.