Atrios is becoming increasingly strident

which, overall, i find to be a very good thing... he's been very measured in his blogging but i think he's now seeing some realities that others of us have seen for quite some time... honestly, they're almost impossible to avoid at this stage of the game...

the following squibs are just from yesterday...

item...

The amazing thing about the banksters is that despite all we've done for them, and continue to do, many of them are still probably basically insolvent.

item...

I wouldn't be repeating myself so much on what the administration has done wrong if they'd signal some way forward. They haven't.

item...

Treasury has done nothing, the OCC has done nothing. There is no accountability for the rich and powerful whatsoever.

item...

All the banksters are utterly corrupt, including the ones we partially own, the regulators don't know anything and don't care, and this is the system Treasury has put its faith in.

i consider it somewhat of a victory for a moderate, widely-read blogger like atrios to become increasingly strident and shrill... our country is being utterly ravaged by our super-rich elites and we desperately need more folks to speak up...

Submit To Propeller
Tweet

[Permalink] 2 comments

Buh-bye

a recipient of "too-big-to-fail" taxpayer largesse takes a tumble...

Less than a year ago, Bank of America’s chief executive, Kenneth D. Lewis, celebrated his daring takeover of Merrill Lynch as the crowning triumph of a long career. On Wednesday, that conquest proved to be his downfall, as he announced his resignation after months of legal and political scrutiny over the star-crossed merger.

would that the rest of these thieving bastards, including their enablers at the fed and treasury would see fit to skedaddle...

Submit To Propeller
Tweet

[Permalink] 0 comments

Expanding TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program

good god almighty...

mish's view...

In late breaking news, Treasury Secretary Paulson has announced a new plan to expand TARP coverage.

Congress was behind the push as Pelosi, Reid Press for TARP Aid for Auto Industry.

and be sure to check this little amazing revelation...

Competition to get under TARP coverage is so high that Auto Makers Would Accept Strings on Aid.

oh, N-O-O-O-O-OOOOOO...!! they'd accept STRINGS...!! what is the world coming to...?

mish, no stranger to snark, offers this in conclusion...

Details of the exact nature of the new treasury plan were kept under wraps, but photographer Keith Taylor managed to sneak into the "Situation Room" and capture this stunning image of exactly who would be covered under the new TARP initiative.

News is sometimes so bizarre now that it is hard to tell fact from fiction.

Submit To Propeller
Tweet

[Permalink] 0 comments

Press Or Say.............

Fair use be damned........this is too good not too share in it's entirety.

From today's WaPo.

For a Bailout, Press 'One' . . .

By Alan Neff
Thursday, September 18, 2008; Page A21

"Hello! You've reached the United States Treasury's automated bailout hotline. Please listen carefully, because our options have recently changed. If you're too big to fail, press or say 'one.' If not, hang up and dial 1-800-FOR-FEMA.' "

"One."

"Great! You've selected Option One. If you're a bank, press or say 'one.' If you're a brokerage firm, press or say 'two.' If you're an insurance company, press or say 'three.' "

"Three."

"You've selected Option Three, which means you're an insurance firm. Did I get that right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let's drill down a little further. If you're calling because you're besieged by class-action lawsuits brought by take-no-prisoners plaintiffs' attorneys because your large corporate policyholders committed innumerable mass toxic torts, press or say 'one.' If you're calling because you insured billions of dollars' worth of undocumented, nonperforming mortgages, press or say 'two.' "

"Two. No, wait, one. I mean, uh, both."

"I'm sorry. I didn't understand. Let's try something else. If you're the CEO of an insurance company with a servile compensation committee that gave you an irrevocable golden parachute, press or say 'one.' If you've served on corporate boards with Henry Paulson, press or say 'two.' If you believe in strict market Darwinism for every company but yours, press or say 'three.' "

"Three."

"If you want your check automatically deposited into your company's bank account, press or say 'one.' If you want cash in small, unmarked, used, nonsequential bills delivered to a branch office in Zurich or the Cayman Islands, press or say 'two.' "

[Silence. Thinking. Surge of fiduciary energy.]

"One."

"Okay. Please enter the amount you want using the number keys. Use the star sign for a decimal point and press pound when you've finished."

[Lengthy series of numbers entered, followed by the pound sign.]

"Wow! You are in trouble! Your funds should clear in three business days. When you have another claim, call back. Thank you for calling, and have a great day!"

Alan Neff is a lawyer and novelist. He lives in Chicago.

The convergence of fact and fiction.

Submit To Propeller
Tweet

[Permalink] 0 comments