Who is Elizabeth Warren?

Here's a collage of what she is all about:

Elizabeth Warren's Greatest Hits from Daniel Mintz on Vimeo.

Common Sense ca. 2010

While I am not quite happy with the petty nomination that the Obama administration extended to Elizabeth Warren (for the sole reason that it is not enough), I do think that any bit of her input or influence in the yet-to-come Consumer Protection Agency is undoubtedly welcomed and more than necessary. She is the foremost defender of the U.S. consumer and deserves tangible power in the creation and management of the CPA.

While her voice will be heard, I did also want to hear the arguments coming from any member of Congress against her nomination for the leading position in the Agency. Her advocacy of the middle class is unparalleled and I would welcome any congressman or congresswoman to rise up and state his or her opposition to her nomination. Obama and the Democrats would have benefited from an open debate of this sort. The fact that Obama would face openly and head-on a challenge for a true cause of the left would reassure his base of the support with which he ought to reward them for their votes. Unfortunately, though, he has yet again done something only half-way....

Without any more ranting, here is the common-sense interview Elizabeth Warren gave on The Rachel Maddow Show:

Reality Check

The picture tells it all: Look at who gets the biggest slice of the pie:

Let's all thank Reagan and successors, everybody! Image source and more info here.

Makes you think of that Leonard Cohen song, doesn't it?

Everybody knows the fight was fixed

The poor stay poor and the rich get rich

That's how it goes...

And everybody knows....

(Found via)

Who's to Blame

I'm not Obama's biggest fan right now and, honestly, never was. But I do think the guy has faced blame that was unjustly thrust upon him. It appears that even blaming him for the high unemployment in this country is also not just at all, because it is not his fault. In great part, he is responsible only for the unemployment that occurred during the time when his policies combatting it were put into effect. (Any logical person would not claim that he is responsible for all job losses post-20 January 2009.) Taking that into consideration, the result is astounding, as this blogger finds.

If you're more inclined to like pictures, behold this:

In other words, it is the Bush policies that are responsible for the loss of 7,796,000 jobs, and the Obama policies that are responsible for the loss of 41,000 jobs. That's Bush for 99.48% and Obama for 0.52% of unemployment.

This picture also illustrates it well. Or maybe it's just a cool picture that I want on my blog.

(Graph Source & via)

(Image Source)

Greece

The Economist has a good and well-researched profile on Greece, its mistakes, its current state, and its prospects for the future. Worth a read, if you have the time.

That's How It Goes...

... and everybody knows: In the words of Leonard Cohen, 'the poor get poor and the rich get rich.'

I forgot where I found this, but a series of fifteen charts highlights the growing gap between the rich and the poor in this country. It shows, among other things, that we are no better today than we were in 1972, and that our peers such as France are closing the gap as we are widening it.

And since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a sample:

Shqipëria falimenton

Ministri i Financave, Ridvan Bode, i ka kërkuar Fondit Monetar Ndërkombëtar kredi për të larë borxhin që ka arritur tashmë në 59,5% të PBB-së.

Një editorial tek gazeta Shekulli vë në dukje jo vetëm mangësitë që tregoi Ridvan Bode si Ministër i Financave duke e lënë ekonominë të përfundonte këtu ku ndodhet pa vepruar më parë, por edhe dështimin e qeverisë që e ka atë si anëtar.

Me mbarë Shqipërinë të përmbytur, me prodhimin vendas gjithnjë e në ulje, me kokëfortësinë dhe papërthyeshmërinë që ka treguar qeveria Berisha politikisht, si dhe me gjendjen e mjeruar në të cilën ndodhet pjesa dërrmuese e popullit Shqiptar, më vjen keq të them se i druhem një grusht-shteti alla-1997.

S'mbahet shtëpia me miell hua

Sipas gazetës Shekulli, çmimet ushqimore kanë pësuar rritje të ndjeshme kohët e fundit në Shqipëri. Rritja më e shpejtë ka qenë gjatë gjashtë muajve të fundit të vitit 2009, por ajo ka vazhduar edhe në fillimin e vitit ku ndodhemi.

Shkak për këtë është inflacioni prej 4,4%, por edhe importimi në masë i fruta-perimeve dhe mallrave të tjera nga jashtë.

Shqipëria po vidhet; kaq di të them. Më falni, se gënjeva. Mund të shtoj edhe kaq: se vjedhja ngjan me atë të viteve para '97-s, gjë që i duhet kujtuar Salës sa më shpejt, se s'mban më pilafi ujë deri në zgjedhjet e ardhshme.

A Picture is Worth A 'Lost Decade'

Thank you, George W. Bush and coterie, for this wonderful mess you created for us.

And in your face supporters of the latter's economic policies.

(Found via Think Progress)

On Cap-and-Trade

Though a bit late, I have to share an op-ed by Paul Krugman from the 24 September edition of The New York Times. According to him, the next fight after healthcare will be climate change and the government's (that is, our collective) efforts to curb and possibly reverse it.

He warns that there will be those who will argue outright that global warming is a myth, but the most poignant of his points is that, despite what we will be told and led to believe, the cost of the cap-and-trade bill will be minimal.

Soulless Basterds (sic)

There's always a fresh supply of them on Wall Street.

Because the shuffling of mortgages worked so well for our economy and in particular for their pockets, investors and bankers on Wall Street have now turned to shuffling, packaging, and repackaging life insurance policies that the elderly are selling for less than they are worth.

The elderly, of course, do nothing about this. Instead, they refuse to change their channel from Fox News and keep telling representatives all over the country to keep the government out of Medicare.

Leku i varfër

Leku zhvlerësohet dukshëm në tregun e këmbimit, çka tregon zhvlerësimin e tij të përgjithshëm në këtë krizë ekonomike botërore. Pritet rritje e çmimeve në treg.

Ndërkohë, mësohet se Banka e Shqipërisë pat dhënë urdhër që në muajin mars që fitimet e përftuara nga bankat e Shqipërisë, si dhe ato të degëve të bankave të huaja me veprim në Shqipëri, të ruhen dhe të mos shpërndahen midis aksionerëve të tyre, për të mundësuar tek ato një sasi rezervash në masë sigurie kundër një gjendjeje ekonomike më të vështirë, apo kundër tërheqjes së parave në masë nga llogarimbajtësit.

Gjendja e ekonomisë

Leku shqiptar ka pësuar rënie gjatë stinës së verës në krahasim me një vit më parë. Ekspertët ia vënë fajin një turizmi më të ulët në krahasim me 2008-n.

Një tjetër burim bën të ditur se ky zhvlerësim i lekut do të çojë në rritje të çmimeve të mallrave në Shqipëri (padyshim pa rritje të rrogave) në muajt në vazhdim. Kjo gjendje pritet të çojë në një thellim të mëtejshëm e më të shpejtë të varfërisë.

The Unequal States of America

Do not take this to mean that I am for redistribution of wealth, but news of the inequalities made possible by the Bush years in terms of wealth and income in the United States are a sobering reminder of the kind of taxation and regulation under Republicans that led to a deeper and darker chasm between economic classes in the U.S., and also to the recession we are still fighting.

The New York Times reports that the rich are finally beginning to feel the consequences of a recession. Not surprisingly, the lower-income brackets are usually the first to suffer, for lack of a cushioning mattress of money, if you will.

The Nation analyzes the numbers a little and informs us that during the expansion of the Bush years was only an expansion for the very, very wealthy, whereas the rest of us not only lingered, but lagged behind and actually lost money.

California in the News

A couple of developments from California:

First, the governator [sic, though I am henceforth abandoning the 'sic'] called the state legislature in a special session to vote for the removal of what he termed a 'firewall,' which prevents the state from applying for a $4.35 billion for an education stimulus fund. I assume it is to rectify the grievous ill that public education suffered in the state after the cuts to balance the budget.

Second, as part of efforts to curb increases in the deficit, some prisoners may be released earlier, or some other individuals facing charges might not even serve any time. The senate approved the decision with a 21-19 vote, with Republicans opposing it and law enforcement advocating against it.

Personally, I think the prison system in the United States is shameful. It does a good job of keeping people locked up, but the conditions it allows within prisons are downright 'cruel and unusual,' and they provide more hardening than reformatory conditions for criminals.

The State of the Economy

The Fed told us in the past week that the worst is over, that the economy is 'leveling out,' and that the recession is nearing its end. It credited, in part, its actions and those of the current administration with helping the economy. It also outlined its plans for the future, namely that interest rates will remain flat and that they will halt the buying of Treasury bonds.

Those Commie Europeans

Call them what you will, but France and Germany both experienced an increase in their GDP for the second quarter, signaling what many believe to be an easing recession or even an exit from the recession for both those countries as well as an ease on the European economy at large. Experts are crediting government support of the automotive industries for this progress.

The State of the Economy

A comprehensive look:

Obama says, we're headed 'in the right direction' and would therefore like to continue on the same trail. He reiterated the message and the efficacy of his stimulus plan in Indiana last week, where he reminded the nation of the short- and long-term effects of the stimulus.

Unemployment still on the rise, but gives signs of slowing down for the first time in months.

The record-high number of people on food stamps (34 million) highlights the importance of government assistance. Yes, it's necessary; and no, it does not breed laziness!

Similarly, suicide calls to suicide prevention centers are also on the rise. Data show that about a quarter of them are apparently related to economic troubles.

Rising sperm donations don't really say much, except that guys are eager to sell their stuff for some extra income. (Note to self: Look into this.)

Brother, can you spare a dime?

Listening to the song below and looking at the slide show pictures from the Depression era that accompany it, I cannot help but be reminded of the bread/food/milk lines in 'communist' Eastern Europe. The only difference is that in those countries everybody was in line and when we got to the end of it, we had the money to pay for the scarce food. Shortage for you meant shortage for me and there was some comfort in the egalitarian nature of that misery. In the aftermath of capitalist greed, however, there is a part of the population—the guilty part, might I add—that never has the need to get near those lines, whereas the majority of the people are forced by their conditions to wait for hours for a pitiful pittance of food for mere sustenance.