Well, well, well

Obama Says Administration Will Try to Block AIG Bonuses
President Obama says AIG's plan to pay out $165 million in bonuses is "hard to understand."

What the hell took so long??

AIG is FINALLY going to be facing a criminal investigation. Still not by the Attorney General of the United States, but by NY AG Andrew Cuomo. Hey, at least there will FINALLY be a criminal investigation...

All I can say is.. IT'S ABOUT TIME!! I have been calling for this for quite a while. Maybe if they opened an investigation sooner they could have save the TAXPAYERS some bucks.

I just hope it does not stop with AIG! There are too many big businesses handing out huge bonuses for executives running failing businesses.

Here is what Liddy (AIG CEO) had to say in defense of this BS. "I do not like these arrangements and find it distasteful and difficult to recommend to you that we must proceed with them...Honouring contractual commitments is at the heart of what we do in the insurance business. "

Hmmm. Not really impressed since we the taxpayers are paying for this crap when I am working through Spring Break and can't take my family on a vacation.

Are you guys watching this???

AIG is asking for more money again!!!

THIRTY BILLION MORE TAX PAYER DOLLARS
ARE GOING TO FUND SPA DAYS AND GOLF TRIPS!!!

Has anybody else noticed that every time another BAILOUT is announced the market drops to new and exciting lows? The DOW has dropped to below 7000 after the AIG announcement this AM. Every attempt of Big Brother to fix things, they get worse.

It is mind boggling to me that Washington seems oblivious to the pattern of:
give AIG money, the market tanks, give them some more money, the market drops some more, give them MORE money, the market just keeps on dropping, so ... let's give them SOME MORE MONEY.




I have said this before, but this saying applies to so many things: you can't keep pulling peanut butter and jelly out of the cabinet and expect a ham sandwich to pop out of the mix. IF WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING - DO SOMETHING ELSE!!

It reminds me of those women that wonder why they never have a relationship with a man that works, but they keep going out with the same kind of guy. You know, married, met him in a bar, whatever...

It has gotten so ridiculous that I am not even going to bash on AIG. Hey, why walk away from a good thing? Every time AIG CEO Liddy holds out his little hand, the Feds fill it with more cash. Why would AIG stop doing what they are doing??? Everyday is Christmas at AIG!!

I thought Obama was going to save us from the Bush administration. So far his administration is such a colossal disaster that I cannot see him lasting for a second term. The probelm is that he can do a hell of a lot of damage before he goes.


This is precisely why I am opposed to government run health care. If they take over, half the country will probably die within 24 months. So unless we can arrange for that half to include the least reasonable and least responsible people of society...

I am too young for high blood pressure, but...

Holy Cow!!
OBAMA is
(a) insane
(b) ignorant
(c) a psychopath
(d) the devil

I don't know which. I don't really think he is Satan, but I am convinced that he is either very ignorant or completely delusional.

Did you see his speech to Congress?? He actually said that he is "proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks". WHAT??? WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS KIDDING?? The "recovery" (BAILOUT) plan has an earmark for $200K for - get this - TATTOO REMOVAL! Just whose tattoos are we removing and why are the taxpayers paying for it?? Was somebody tattooed against his or her will??? I always thought that tattoos are expensive and that people got them because they wanted them.

More distubing than the tattooo removal, is that OBAMA said his incredible spending bill was free of these earmarks that actually make up about 2/3 of the bill. If he actually believes this then he is dumber than Democrats ever thought Bush was ... or he is a PATHOLOGICAL LIAR.

To stand in front of Congress and blatantly say something so fundamentaly untrue is beyond me. It reminds me of Clinton denying he "had sex with that woman" and asked for a "definition" of the work sex. The fact that he asked for the definition should have been response enough for anybody to see that he had, in my opinion.

I must say that Obama is not as good at it as others I have seen. Good liars make it sound enough like truth to avoid any question - Obama's claim is so incredible that it defies all logic that ANYBODY would believe there are no earmarks in that ENORMOUS SPENDING BAILOUT. He doesn't even bother to make it sound true. His MO is to make it sound so good people WANT it to be true.

College for everybody!! Cure for Cancer!! Free health care for everybody!! Fix Social Security!! WEEEE... It all sounds great on the surface, but is absurd and unrealistic.

It is so ridiculous that even as angry as I am, I laughed when I heard him say it and (Thank God for DVD) had to replay it. Will anybody notice?? When will the disciples realize that he is selling snake oil?

The only other alternative is that he does not know how to define "earmark". Perhaps someone should tell him...

Don't even know where to start...

Wow! This week has been full of mind-blowing, blood pressure raising headlines.

"Stimulus Heads to President"
"Peanut processor files for bankruptcy"
"Burris Says Blago Asked for Cash"
"Octuplet Mom Nadya Suleman On Food Stamps, Three Kids Receive Disability"
"Octuplet Mom Nadya Suleman Launches Website For Donations"
"Dad at 13, Boy Alfie Patten, 13, becomes father of baby girl"
"PELOSI: LET'S VOTE, I AM OFF TO ROME!"
"SURPRISE! Dems Break Promise: Stimulus Bill to Floor Friday"

The only story above that is not in America is the 13 year old father... It appears that this child and the child mother, both have supportive families and that while incredibly tragic that these two children have forsaken their own childhood, they are trying to not compound one mistake with more.

The woman that deliberately has conceived 14 children that she in incapable of supporting and taking care of is clearly unstable and mentally OFF. The doctor that helped to do this should be held financially liable for the care of these children. He and this crazy woman have taken IRRESPONSIBILITY to a whole new level. They may not have broken any laws, but this is easily the most thoughtless and selfish thing I have ever heard. Why should the taxpayers be on the hook for this? My biggest question is how did she PAY for the implantation of these embryos. I have had friends that sought fertility treatment and it is not cheap and it is a voluntary medical procedure - not usually covered by medicaid or whatever California welfare medical plan is available.

How about Nancy Pelosi and the Dems promise to allow 48 hours for Congress to review the bill, then breaking the promise because Pelosi was leaving for ROME?? No one, not even the DEMS had a chance to read the 1,071 pages on the largest spending bill in American history. The package includes $308.3 billion in new spending, $267 billion for social services, and $212 billion for tax breaks. Most pundits are in agreement that when they force something through this fast - there is something in it they don't want us to know about before it is signed. My position is that in this case, we already know the worst, but they know that the longer it is scrutinized, the more opposition surfaces - even within their own ranks. Dems were beginning to change their votes and public opinion was rapidly shifting to the conservative.

Senator Burris, IL - has now confirmed that Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked Burris through a third party, Blago's brother, for $10,000. This would have been important to know BEFORE Burris was confirmed. Seems a bit disingenuous of Burris to bring it out NOW.

NO MORE PEANUT BUTTER! Man, it is a sad, sad day in America when a PBJ can be a deadly weapon!! The people that caused all this sickness and death by allowing salmonella tainted peanuts and peanut products to be shipped and used in food have filed for bankruptcy protection from lawsuits and creditors. Too bad for them, they cannot get the same protection from the criminal charges most certainly coming down the pipe. I hope they are charged with murder in the death cases. There are different options, but a 1ST degree murder charge is appropriate. HOW GREEDY DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO ALLOW POISONOUS FOOD TO BE SERVED TO CHILDREN?? Face it, who is the largest consumer of peanut butter?? KIDS! The person or people responsible deserve to spend the rest of their lives in prison or if eligible, the death penalty. Can they be tried in TEXAS?

I have noticed a pattern in most of these BAD BEHAVIOR headlines. Most of this BAD BEHAVIOR is rooted in selfishness. Congress is not thinking about what is best for this country - if they were they would not be spending us into the Twilight Zone and trying to convince us that it is going to stimulate the economy. Every time they inched closer to this atrocity, the DOW plummeted. Every time Obama speaks publicly about this BAILOUT, public opinion sinks lower and lower.

The crazy Octuplet Mom wanted these children since she was a child herself, so she had them. She shows no concern about how she is going to care for and pay for raising these babies. She was already receiving welfare benefits. She did not care about paying for them because she figured that the taxpayers would pick up the bill. Even with welfare benefits, these babies are all going to be in high school at the same time, going to prom, graduating, preparing for college at the same time. What is she going to tell her FOURTEEN kids at Christmas?? She does not mind being a burden to her parents or the taxpayers, she wanted fourteen children - so she had fourteen children! No worries - logistics be damned!!

I am getting sicker by the day about the state of this country. No one is responsible, half the country wants the government to swoop in and save the day and appears completely blind to the fact that abdicating our responsibility is also abdicating our freedom and independence. Look around people!! When you become dependant - you are no longer INDEPENDENT!!

Hooray, some sanity emerging!!! And some NOT!

I saw a report today that the FBI is investigating multiple businesses that have been recipiants of the BAILOUT money!! It seems that they have been investigating for a while, but it escaped my attention - probably because I have been too lightheaded over the astronomical amounts of OUR money that Congress is giving away!! I cannot wait for the arrests to begin!!!

Now for the insanity: Earlier this week, Senator Chuck Schumer had this to say, "For the first time, New Yorkers can feel proud and walk tall, because the federal government is coming to our aid." Yeah, New York, you blew it and so we the taxpayers are BAILING YOU OUT - feel proud!! Since when is a BAILOUT something ANYBODY should feel proud of needing??

He also had this to say in the interim when the BAILOUT was being debated, "...and let me say this, to all the chattering class - so much focuses on those little, tiny - yes, porky amendments - the American people really don't care..."

Notice those words - little and tiny - he is referring to the $886,000 for the Frisbee Golf Park in Austin, the $500,000 for a dog park in California, the $50 MILLION for a Mob Museum in Las Vegas - you know these tiny items.

It also includes these items on the wish list published by the Wall Street Journal:
A wish list that is 11,391 projects strong! What vital infrastructure projects would cash-strapped taxpayers get for their $73 billion? Here's a sampling:

- Hercules, Calif., wants $2.5 million in hard-earned taxpayer money for a "Waterfront Duck Pond Park," and another $200,000 for a dog park.

- Euless, Texas, wants $15 million for the Midway Park Family Life Center, which, you'll be glad to note, includes both a senior center and aquatic facility. (Hey, at least it is for PEOPLE, not ducks and dogs!)

- Natchez, Miss., "needs" a new $9.5 million sports complex "which would allow our city to host major regional and national sports tournaments."

- Henderson, Nev., is asking for $20 million to help "develop a 60 acre multi-use sports field complex."

- Brigham City, Utah, wants $15 million for a sports park.

- Arlington, Texas, needs $4 million to expand its tennis center. (Arlington should just get Jerry Jones to pay for this, since it is no big deal...)

- Miami, Fla., needs $15 million for a "Moore Park Community Center, Tennis Center and Day Care" facility. The city is also desperate for $3.6 million to build a covered basketball court and a new tennis court at Robert King High Park. Then there's the $94 million Orange Bowl parking garage you are being asked to pay for.

- La Porte, Texas, wants $7.6 million for a "Life Style Center." (What the Hell is a Life Style Center??

- Oakland, Calif., needs $1 million for Fruitvale Latino Cultural and Performing Arts Center.

I am not sure what angers me the most... Chuck Schumer referring to these millions of taxpayer dollars as "little" and "tiny" or the bureaucrats coming out of the woodwork with their grubby little hands out begging for US to pay for their pet projects.

Schumer's comments are sooo indicative of the attitude in DC about money. To them, a few million here and a few million there is completely insignificant.

To US - the people paying the bill, it is a very big deal.
And Chuck, I DO CARE and I am watching you!

AIG LAWSUIT!!

This will make your head explode if you haven't already heard about it. A lawsuit has been filed by the Thomas More Law Center on behalf of Kevin J. Murray, a former Marine infantryman claims that AIG promotes terrorism. According to a statement released by the Thomas More Law Center, The basis of the lawsuit is that AIG intentionally promotes Shariah-compliant businesses and insurance products, which by necessity must comply with the 1200 year old body of Islamic canon law based on the Quran, which demands the conversion, subjugation, or destruction of the infidel West, including the United States. To help achieve these objectives and with the aid of federal tax dollars, AIG employs a three-person Shariah Advisory Board, with members from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Pakistan. According to AIG, the role of its Shariah authority “is to review operations, supervise its development of Islamic products, and determine Shariah compliance of these products and investments.”

The purpose of the lawsuit is to stop any more taxpayer money from going to terrorist organizations. It is believed by some that these Shariah banks send money to Hamas, Al-Qaeda and to spread anti-American sentiment.

I do not know how much truth there is to these allegations, but if it is true - this is incredibly frightening; I DO KNOW, that I do not want anymore taxpayer money going to AIG!!

New note to AIG Executives: GIVE BACK the TAXPAYER MONEY AND WE WILL ALL GO AWAY. Well, I will, but if you are really funding terrorists... DOJ probably won't!

HOORAY!! Finally some IQ points make an appearance!!

The Senate announced this morning that the Auto Industry Bailout failed last night. The UAW refused to accept pay cuts that would put them in the same pay scale comparable to other auto workers in non-union plants. The pay cuts would be necessary for the Big Three to remain competitive; however, the UAW disagreed. UAW President Ron UAW President Ron Gettelfinger seems to be in denial of the situation and actually stated that bankruptcy for the Big Three "is not an option".

The fact of the matter is that not only is it an option - it is the only one left absent an agreement from the UAW to accept a pay cut. Apparently Gettelfinger does not understand that the Big Three are not ABLE to pay those exaggerated wages. THERE IS NO MONEY LEFT IN THE TILL.

I think the Big Three should each file bankruptcy and relocate to the Southern States where you can hire as many people as you need to work for one-third the salary. Areas north of Dallas have had other industries close and the area has plenty of people willing to work. I am sure that the other Southern States have similar issues - I am from Texas and simply know about the situation there first hand. Do a little research and find a handful of areas not run by the out-of-control unions and put plants there. Get a fresh start and out from under the grandiose union contracts.

I believe this can actually be a good thing for the Big Three - perhaps they can attain the level of superior workmanship and reputaion they once held. I am not sure they can do it with the current leadership; so far, I do not hear of any expected changes. If they get someone in there that knows how to run a profitable business - they will rise again.

OPEN ADDRESS TO AIG EXECUTIVES

Since AIG is the company I have been ranting about the most regarding the BAILOUTS (I still refuse to refer to this as a rescue.), I thought we should post the names and office of the AIG executives. Until today, they have been nameless, faceless entities; however, I believe the individuals responsible for AIG should be noticed publicly and I am writing an open letter to them as an unwilling stockholder.

To all the Top Executives at American International Group, Incorporated

Win J. Neuger Executive VP/Other Executive Officer
Edmund S. W. Tse Director/Other Corporate Officer
Andrew J. Kaslow Other Executive Officer/Senior VP
Frank G. Wisner Divisional Vice Chairman
Robert E. Lewis Chief Risk Officer/Senior VP
Jacob A. Frenkel Divisional Vice Chairman
Edward M. Liddy CEO/Chairman of the Board/Director
Anastasia D. Kelly Executive VP/General Counsel/Other Corporate Officer
David L. Herzog CFO/Executive VP
James F. Orr Director

Dear AIG Executives,

I am a government employee that earns less than $50K a year. You came to ME - the taxpayer - to BAIL OUT your company in this troubled economy. Against my wishes (and the wishes of most of the country), Congress decided to give you $700 BILLION DOLLARS.

Since that time, we the taxpayers have heard about your extravagant trips to the spa, golfing trips, trips to exclusive resorts and now you want your annual bonuses in excess of $250K for yourselves.

I do not know any of you personally, but how greedy can you possibly be??? I make less than $50,000 a year and you still ask for a bonus - for what? Ruining the company you are responsible to manage? I do not receive a bonus and do not think anybody failing in their job deserves any type of bonus. A BONUS is supposed to be a reward above the earned pay for a job well done.

Frankly, I can not believe you people had the audacity to ask for or expect anything besides a swift kick in the pants out the door. If I fail at my job, I get FIRED - not a bonus for being a dumbass! What you call a "bonus" and the "cost of doing business", I call it Criminal Misappropriation of Funds. You came to the taxpayers pleading poverty and then go out and wine and dine yourselves and pat each other on the backs, spending money like drunken sailors. YOU MAKE ME SICK.

You need to learn how to work within a budget, like the rest of us that are paying our bills and our taxes. YOU CAN NOT AFFORD TO BE GOING TO THE SPA!! YOU CAN NOT AFFORD SIX AND SEVEN FIGURE BONUSES. If you can afford to spend money the way you have been, RETURN the $700 BILLION to the TAXPAYERS. Otherwise, I hope to see your sorry mugs on FOX NEWS when the Attorney General indicts all of you for fraud.
Sincerely,
The TenaciousTexan, aka: ANGRY TAXPAYER

To all of my fellow ANGRY TAXPAYERS, If you have photos or know where we can locate photos of these CRIMINALS, please send them to me. I would love to post them on my page.

$700 BILLION - Isn't it funny...

Am I the only one thinking how strange it is that the BAILOUT (I refuse to call it anything else!) has disappeared from the headlines so incredibly fast?? The home pages of Fox and CNN are devoid of any mention of the BAILOUT in the headlines. However, CNN had a link to an "ireport" page that I found interesting. It discusses the enormity of 700 BILLION DOLLARS. Ya'll already know what I think about that and the greed and stupidity that got us where we are today.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-104501

Now the only thing they want to talk about are the campaign ads. So, let's talk about them... Is anyone surprised about the gloves coming off in October?? I am not. What surprises me is that the media and some of the politicians seem to be...

Why is Obama so shocked and upset about the ads regarding his highly questionable associates?? WELCOME TO NATIONAL POLITICS - you are not in Illinois anymore, Senator. Guess what - your middle name will be used too - just like everybody else. It is not McCain's fault or the fault of the media that your Momma named you Hussein. Not to mention that you are the one that chose use your given name instead of the name you used in school, Barry.

Same to the overreaching feminists that are angry about the hounds running around Alaska looking for dirt on Sarah Palin... Hey, I am on record as a Palin supporter, but I live in the real world too-- THIS IS POLITICS. If anybody really expected something else to happen, they were dreaming.

I will go out on a limb and make a prediction - this is October... There will be what has been known as the "October Surprise". I do not know what they will be, but it will surprise me if there is not one or two. This is what happens every election cycle. The opposing parties hang on to some juicy titbit about the other side and will wait until the last week of October to release the info to the media in hopes of a last dig to effect the vote November 4. It has been an effective tactic and a regular part of American Politics - so be ready.

A TURD IS STILL A TURD, WHATEVER YOU CALL IT

If you are unhappy with how your Representative or Senators voted - VOTE THEM OUT! If you live in a community where you are offered no choice - the incumbant runs unopposed until he/she dies or retires - go file the paperwork to RUN AGAINST THEM!!


THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! The politicians clearly went against what their constituents wanted. Very few Americans wanted this bailout and very few politicians actually wanted to vote for it. They were pressured into passing a bill that almost NO ONE wanted. Bloggers are commenting on how members our legislature were "given permission to vote against the bill". Permission from who??!! These jackasses are supposed to be representing his or her district -NOT VOTING HOW THEY ARE TOLD BY SOME PARTY LEADER!


Fox News reported, "I think most Americans understand that we're facing a serious economic crisis" House Minority Leader John Boehner (R) said. "And I think over the past few days, it's been clear the House Republicans have stood on principle. We made this bill better. It's not perfect but it's clearly better than it was a week ago." THIS GUY NEEDS TO BE GONE! How is adding an extra $100 BILLION DOLLARS making this outrageous theft of taxpayer dollars making it better???!!!


These jerks think that by calling it a RESCUE and not calling it a bailout anymore, will make it more palatable to the American People. I, however, think that any educated person who has been paying attention to this fiasco will see right through the BS.


A BAILOUT IS STILL A BAILOUT - WHATEVER YOU CALL IT. They think if they dip this turd in chocolate that will will foolishly eat it up. Well, I AM NOT BUYING THIS CRAP!!












DEMS




THIS IS A NONPARTISAN PROBLEM - REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE SCREWED THIS COUNTRY TODAY.
















REPUBLICANS

I wish that some third party would rise up and gain some strength. Instead we have so many Independants and "Third Parties" that they share a pretty good percentage. For example take Texas; Rick Perry is a sorry excuse for a Govorner, if he had not had three viable challengers the last election, he would not be in Austin now. He had only 30 something percent of the vote. If that could be narrowed down to one solid candidate, I would advocate voting for the the person NOT HELD HOSTAGE BY ONE OF THE CORRUPT ALL-POWERFUL TWO PARTIES CURRENTLY RUNNING THE SHOW.

Unfortunately, we are forced to vote for one of the two parties or have our vote fall on deaf ears. If McCain had chosen a different running mate - he would not have my vote. I think this is the very kind of thing Palin will go after and I will be voting for McCain mainly because of her.



I've said it before and I'll say it again -- handing over $700 BILLION dollars will not fix this problem unless they go in there and BREAK UP ALL THESE OVERSIZED COMPANIES, BANKS AND MORTAGE AND LOAN OPERATIONS.



IF A COMAPANY IS SO BIG THAT THE ECONOMY OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON ITS SUCCESS, IT IS TOO BIG!!! We are being held hostage by a big business that got too big for its own britches and got too greedy!!

TOO BIG

You know... the more I think about this banking crisis, the angrier I get. When WAMU went under last week, JP Morgan was the benefactor that came in, bought them out and saved the day - at least that is how it appeared on the surface. The government did not have to come in and pay through the nose to keep all those people employed and prevent the taxpayers from footing the bill; however, JP Morgan is another one of those tremendously large companies. So what happens if JP Morgan goes under in six months??? Unless someone else dumb enough to spend billions buying a failing business purchases them, then what?? Will JP Morgan continue the same practices that got us here in the first place?

Not everybody is going to pay you back.

Not everybody is going to maintain a job.

Not everybody cares about their credit rating.

This is why we have credit ratings and credit checks. USE THEM, PEOPLE!!

You do not need an MBA to know...

No credit - loan in small amounts... see how they do with it.

Bad credit - THINK TWICE, THINK SMALL.

Capitolism is a great system. It encourages people to strive to do better, but it needs limits. Companies like Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, JP Morgan, Exxon, Chase Manhattan, etc... the list goes on and on. They are so huge that if anyone of those failed and went under today, the fallout would be disasterous. Just think for a minute about the number of people that depend on these companies for work, the effect on the stock market and the domino effect that could follow- other businesses depend on these big ones for their business. At least if these businesses were forced to franchise, instead of going public with stock, each location (ie. Wal-Mart) would operate, sink or swim, independent of the others. If one failed, the others and the overall economy would be uneffected. The failing store and its owner/operator would be out on his or her rear end and there would be no "golden parachutes".



If one failing bank is so big that it effects the entire country's financial stability, then something is seriously wrong. If the leadership in this country continues to do the "same old - same old" - it is exactly like pulling the peanut butter and jelly out of the cupboard daily and expecting a ham sandwich to eventually pop out of your ingredients. Companies need to be downsized small enough that they do not have the potential to set off a fiscal panic through the entire U.S. It seems that these businesses have evolved into monopolies and have entirely too much influence over the economy and the legislature.



"In 1912, the United States Steel Corporation, which controlled more than half of all the steel production in the United States, was accused of being a monopoly. Legal action against the corporation dragged on until 1920 when, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Steel was not a monopoly because it did not engage in "unreasonable" restraint of trade. The court drew a careful distinction between bigness and monopoly, and suggested that corporate bigness is not necessarily bad."



This decision in 1920 could not have anticipated the explosion of big business that was years down the road. Quite frankly, the 1920 Supreme Court was wrong. It is that very "bigness" in business that has us where we are today. The taxpayers are becoming active particpants in what should be private enterprise. Instead of being the referees, they are the players. This is not the role of government. They need to figure out how to fix the problem instead of perpetuating it by enabling the wrongdoers to escape the inevitable failure of loaning money to EVERYBODY. The "unreasonable" restraint of trade referred to by the Supreme Court is something Wal-Mart has been accused of several times and by numerous entities, but still nothing has been done.



I used Wal-Mart as an example, but they are by no means the only offender. There are many of these huge conglomerates, some of which you have probably never heard of unless you are an investor, but they are out there and our economy could be jeopardized by any one of them.



Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice. shame on ME!

BANKING CRISIS

This morning, for those who have not heard, Washington Mutual (aka WAMU) went under and was bought out by JP Morgan after the government began seizing assets. Something I had not heard before was that John McCain predicted this banking crisis three years ago and attempted to address it at that time. McCain was quoted on Fox this AM as saying in 2006 something to the effect of ... the sheer size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the impact of these companies could have on our ecomomy and having so little oversight is frightening.

He predicted and wanted to do something to prevent what is happening this very day in 2006. Hmmmm... Isn't the economy the one area that the Obama camp happily claims is McCain's Achilles Heel - the area that McCain is the least knowlegable?? I wonder where we would be if the rest of Congress had listened to John McCain back then; I hope they are asking themselves the same question.

I am glad he focused in on a key element in the banking problem - the SIZE of these companies. When the fall of a single company can have a devastating effect on the economy, it is too big and should be broken up. Look at ENRON. My sister-in-law lost a small fortune when ENRON collapsed and it had a huge impact on the economy, not to mention the thousands of people that lost all their retirement - hundreds of thousands of dollars that belonged to hard working average Americans who counted on the money set aside for his/her "golden years" -gone in an instant.

It is funny; I was not very thrilled with John McCain as the Republican nominee. I have a real issue with his posistion on illegal immigration and am always very skeptical of anybody that appears too close to Ted Kennedy, but I am one of the many that is being drawn in and more satisfied with his name on the ticket. His choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate and his dead-on analysis of the economy prior to this election cylcle is making me much more at ease.