New Rules: September 9

[Maeve_Mari]

An exerpt from Bill Maher's September 9th New Rules:

Now, I kid, but seriously, Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you anymore. There's no more money to spend. You used up all of that. You can't start another war because you also used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people.

Yeah, listen to your mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit card's maxed out, and no one is speaking to you: mission accomplished! Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service. And the oil company. And the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or spaceman?!

Now, I know what you're saying. You're saying that there's so many other things that you, as president, could involve yourself in...Please don't. I know, I know, there's a lot left to do. There's a war with Venezuela, and eliminating the sales tax on yachts. Turning the space program over to the church. And Social Security to Fannie Mae. Giving embryos the vote. But, sir, none of that is going to happen now. Why? Because you govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man.

Herbert Hoover was a ****ty president, but even he never conceded an entire metropolis to rising water and snakes.

On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two Trade Centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans...Maybe you're just not lucky!

I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side. So, yes, God does speak to you, and what he's saying is, "Take a hint."

[Maeve_Mari]

From MSNBC, September 14:

With the twin filings (Delta and Northwest airlines) in Manhattan's federal bankruptcy court, four of the nation's seven largest airlines are now operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

! WOW !
Who needs pensions when personal wealth and retirement income should be a personal responsibility...

Both airlines likely will use bankruptcy to slash labor and pension costs, following in the footsteps of No. 2 carrier United Airlines, which has been operating under bankruptcy protection for nearly three years. Together, Delta and Northwest employ nearly 100,000 people.

The latest bankruptcies, which had been widely anticipated, could put added pressure on other carriers including industry leader AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, by putting them at a competitive disadvantage as their bankrupt rivals shed costs and ditch pensions, analysts said.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Awesome....partisan hackery, thanks for sharing.....

[jeff]

Maher uses sarcasm, and so does Maeve Mari, but the sarcasm underscores valid points. It might be worth thinking about those points rather than dismissing them. Or can anyone claim that things are hunky-dory and Bush has been outstanding in his job performance?

Give Bill Maher credit for inviting conservatives onto his show, letting them speak their piece, and even silencing hecklers in the audience who try to interrupt them. That's much more than the "demagogic hackery" on the Fox Network ("Liberals suck!", "You're right, they do!"), talk radio shows, 700 Club, and for that matter the Wall Street Journal editorial page. The New York Times, for another contrast, just had a mocking anti-liberal rant by David Brooks showing they can present multiple views.

Back to one point MM raises: The Chapter 11 effect on pension funds is also very important when the Administration is pushing towards privatisation of Social Security. Somebody can put money into a defined benefits plan their entire life and have it turn to dust right before retirement. The Enron disasters show what happens with 401K plans that are structured to put retirement funds into employer stock.

Mind you, you don't need employer bankruptcy for a disaster: many companies (airlines vividly among them) have notoriously under-funded their pension funds (often by projecting unrealistic returns on investment that reduce the need to make otherwise-mandated fund contributions). This makes their balance sheets look far better than they should, and leaves the pension funds under water. The government insurance program for bankrupted pension plans is also now under water, and will not be able to meet the deficit from busted pension plans. Think about that next time somebody tries to sell you privatized (or for Gav, "privatised") retirement.

[Maeve_Mari]

Awesome....partisan hackery, thanks for sharing.....

It's not partisan and it's not hackery... it's what's happening in the area of privitized retirement plans.

I'll admit that my selections of posts are biting and sarcastic (some are funny too)... but I find them and I post them because I believe they need to be read. If you don't read the news that's around you - all around you, not just the news your blinders allow you to read - then you miss some really important and significant commentary.

These mega corps are getting the nod to piddle the funds, the earned and contributed funds, of hard working Americans. The Bush administration is pushing us out of a Social Security state into the hands of these CEOs (Public Accounting 101: Increase Value to the Stockholders) and their bottom line.

Sarcasm aside... I enjoy reading opinion and sharing.

[Maeve_Mari]

P.S. I truly admire Jeff's ability to respond to questions and opinion with such a cool head and in a manner that causes both understanding and acceptance from what otherwise would be detractors. He's a smart man with a keen sense of humility and compassion for the opinions and feelings of others.



I'd emulate him more if I wasn't such an impatient hothead with only limited talent for tolerance and articulation.

[jeff]

Thank you ma'am (blush!) There have been a few times - and even in the last week - where I wanted to righteously smite someone, but I'm trying to restrain myself more than I used to. Not only for the "kind word turneth away wrath" aspect, but also because there are fools for whom no amount of rational discussion provides enlightenment. I expect I'll backslide once in a while...

[Maeve_Mari]

Thank you ma'am (blush!) There have been a few times - and even in the last week - where I wanted to righteously smite someone, but I'm trying to restrain myself more than I used to. Not only for the "kind word turneth away wrath" aspect, but also because there are fools for whom no amount of rational discussion provides enlightenment. I expect I'll backslide once in a while...

I don't know about that. I saw you in a protracted "discussion" with the Crumudgeon Inq one time... impressed I was, that you hung in there until the very two of you were laying down in the muddied earth exhausted. Yet, not once did you resort to pointing out his questionable manhood or the insignificance of his ridiculous point of view! hehehehe...

[Inquartata]

Respondeth the deponent:


You know, I like Bill Maher, and I agree with him on a lot of positions, and even when I don't he's usually funny. But at least on his old show his "inviting conservatives on" seemed to consist of inviting ONE of them and three liberals, and then using his comic's skills to deride and sneer the former into submission. Not exactly what I'd call a fair fight. Maybe his cable show is different...

Anyway, it's odd that the discount airlines have in many cases better employee benefits and pay packages than the creaking traditional ones, despite their lower fare structures.

[jeff]

I saw him saying he wanted more conservatives on, and it was hard to get them. Something about Daniel and the lion's den. But, he gives them airtime, doesn't shut them down in O'Reilly style, and even shushes the hecklers. I only see him on the cable version; don't know what the other show was like.

MM: You're trying to incite riot right now, aren't you dearie? Naughty, naughty! Heck, I even tried to give Inq computer advice, itself a noble (if often futile) venture... :-)