Posts Made By: david elosser

GM's ads featured Whitacre touting that fact that GM "repaid our government loan in full, with interest, five years ahead of the original schedule."

I was wondering when this proverbial stuff would hit the fan. I've seen the TV commercials, heard the ones on the radio. They immediately struck me as false and misleading. GM was given a total of $61 billion from the US and Canada, not $6.7 billion. Nowhere close has GM paid off their total debt. If Toyota had run an ad like this, making claims like this, you can bet your last month's unemployment checks the Obama administration would be all over them with lawsuits.

http://detnews.com/article/20100429/AUTO01/4290473/1148/rss25

"The American people, as the majority shareholders of GM, have a right to know the truth behind the cost of the GM bailout and GM's genuine financial condition," [California Representative] Issa wrote. "GM's false advertisements are counterproductive and shameful."

David E

Did you know that the Department Of Energy (DOE) is also a bank? I didn't know either. Let me explain. It has already been established that GM is not really paying the government back nearly all of its debt obligations as claimed by GM's CEO Ed Whitacre and the Obama administration. But there's more to the story. Now GM did pay back 6.7 Billion out of an escrow account that actually consisted of government bailout money to start with. But GM is far from making a profit, let alone being able to pay back billions of public debt with its own money. Remember that GM announced that it is restarting and retooling two of its plants for auto production? Now you are probably asking, where does GM get the money to do all that? Well, turns out GM has applied for a $10 billion loan from the DOE! Okay, let's get this straight: you take a total of $61 billion in public loans from US and Canada, pay back $6.7 billion using that same money, and then ask for another $10 billion loan from our DOE, and claim you paid us all back in full? Hmmmm, I suppose I could go to my bank, pay four grand on my $50 thousand dollar mortgage, and declare it paid, get the deed to my house, and buy a car with cash, all in one day! 8O
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/23/general-motors-economy-bailout-opinions-columnists-shikha-dalmia.html

David E

Three people were attacked... The people assaulted were part of the Minutemen demonstration, a group in favor of Arizona's new immigration law.
They said a large group of immigrants' rights supporters followed them to the BART station on Market Street and started punching and kicking them, and calling them names.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=7417829

I predict no.
David E

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you:
A federal judge in Detroit today ordered the release of nine members of a Lenawee County Christian militia group freed on bond over the objections of federal prosecutors... the Defendants are also correct: their right to engage in hate-filled, venomous speech, is a right that deserves First Amendment protection...A federal indictment says the defendants, led by the elder David Stone, belonged to the Hutaree, a Christian militia that planned to attack local, state and federal law enforcement officers, among other officials.
http://freep.com/article/20100503/NEWS06/100503031/1319/Judge-orders-release-of-9-Hutaree-militia-members

David E

"Let's be honest, fellow progressives, we'd be all over Bush if he made the same 'predator drone' joke Obama told last night," Philadelphia Daily News' Will Bunch tweeted...Drone attacks in Pakistan have killed hundreds of suspected insurgents since early 2009 -- but they have also killed civilians and stirred up animosity towards the U.S. in Pakistan.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/05/obama-drone-joke-was-it-offens.html?hpid=artslot

David E

at least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction, according to party officials.

This is interesting. Even more interesting are the two reasons:
...Black Republicans are running with a confidence they have never had before. They credit the marriage of two factors: dissatisfaction with the Obama administration, and the proof, as provided by Mr. Obama, that blacks can get elected.

Good luck to every Black Republican candidate! To my knowledge, there is no Black Republican running for Congress in my State of NC.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/us/politics/05blacks.html?hp

David E

One of the most powerfull members of Congress, a Democrat, the chairman of the House Appropirations Committee, is calling it quits.
http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/house-appropriations-committee-chairman-david-obey-is-retiring-92876349.html
This is a very powerfull position in congress, people normally don't give up such power willingly. David Obey (how apropopo a name is that???) is the one that banged the final gavel when the health care cram down passed late one night, in a dark alley, during a full moon.

David E

One down, two to go!
Obama was able to cap one of the three Gulf of Mexico oil leaks on the Deepwater Horizon overnight, the White House confirmed to New Orleans' Fox 8 on Wednesday, but the administration will still move ahead with a specially built giant concrete-and-steel box designed to siphon the oil away.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/05/british-petroleum-reportedly-caps-gulf-oil-leaks/

David E

Troubled US government-backed mortgage firm Freddie Mac on Wednesday asked for an additional 10.6 billion dollars from the Treasury Department [i.e. us taxpayers] to cover losses...The Washington-area company has already received more than 50 billion dollars in taxpayers cash to cover losses from [their vanity and stupidity]. A total of over $100 billion has gone to Fanny and Freddy to pay for their incompetence.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100505/tts-us-economy-property-finance-972e412.html

David E

"...the government's broader measure of unemployment ticked up for the third month in a row, rising 0.2 percentage point to 17.1%. The comprehensive gauge of labor underutilization, known as the "U-6" for its data classification by the Labor Department, accounts for people who have stopped looking for work or who can't find full-time jobs. Though the rate is still 0.3 percentage point below its high of 17.4% in October, its continuing divergence from the official number (the "U-3" unemployment measure) indicates the job market has a long way to go before growth in the economy translates into relief for workers."

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/05/07/broader-u-6-unemployment-rate-increases-to-171-in-april/

David E