Is there an offical pointless election banter thread anywhere?

[Gordo]

yes I agree and thats what worries me.  We are already so far in debt.  Now they trying to pass a bill that took 24 hours to write and some guy pushes a button that transfers a trillion dollars of electronic money backed up by nothing??? it seems like its just going to make the problem worse and send inflation through the roof.  I mean 6 months ago they were handing out free money to everyone with refund checks now they are giving it out to these companies because the entire system is at risk of collapsing??? wtf is going on? seems like shit is really hitting the fan.

If it is really as bad as they say it is NOW and we make the wrong move and the root problem is not solved then we will be totally totally screwed!

Anyone know if there is any kind of real reform in the bill that will actually have long term positive impacts?

I agree that it is confusing and even many of the so called experts don\'t have a full grasp.

The biggest thing to understand is that actual money never really changes hands. Really what they are proposing is BUYING debt from the banks. See Not all the banks are in trouble. The ones that were responsible are just fine, you have seen many traditional banks buy these trouble businesses in the past few weeks. What the BIG issue (and this is where it gets murky) is that because there is sooo much bad debt on the books at these companies the BANKS will not give them credit. The banks do not want to extend anymore credit to these companies because they are afraid the debts will get called in and then they have to pay out.

So the fear is that with continued failures the banks will not lend money to you, me, companies etc. That will have a huge impact on our economy because like many folks in the US most companies do not have the capitol on hand to pay salaries and bills. They get "credit/loans)" from the banks to pay the day to day operational costs and then settle up later kind of a deal. So that means business lay off people because they cannot pay them. They cannot invest in new this or that and it all spirals out from there.

That is my understanding of the issue.

.

I appreciate this breakdown. Seriously. I\'ve been struggling to understand this huge mess and will continue to do so, but this helps. I\'ve been able to grasp the toxic subprime crisis and its grand contribution but the scale of the global economy, all of its branches, our history in creating it, our place in it today..... trying to grasp this issue in its entirety makes me sweat. But I\'m here to learn and like you, Klout, I am nervous. Well at least I\'ve never fucked around with my own credit and am positively low-maintenance in remaining fairly happy. Bartending helps too. If there\'s one thing people will always continue to do with their dwindling stack of greenbacks, it\'s spend it on the \'ol drink.

[Klout]

yea i am getting a better handle on it now too.  The mess of the subprime market has created a blockage that is reducing lending and investor confidence and credit availability and slowing down everything else to the point where its having major repercussions.  

It is definitely  solvable but it shows you just  how fragile the free market system really is and how quickly and badly things can spiral out of control when any one factor slows down or impedes growth.  

Thats what is really scary to me.

If we have a serious energy crisis, which we are headed for right now, the whole system will fuckin crumble faster than you can say bailout.

[SlimPickens]

In 2007, the government collected $2.568 trillion in taxes

source, please.

my imagination, per usual.

[tyzack]

late post about the debate friday:

part 1: the ecomony:

Both candidates in my opinion fucked this one up, neither of them answered the direct question posed, and both stated some non-truths and some non-starters (in terms of goverment spending)

part 2: forgien policy:

This was supposed to be McCains strong point, but I don\'t think he really did very well. His basic point was "I was for the surge, it worked, I\'m great." While that is a valid point, he did not do a very good job showing that he had a record of intelligant foriegn policy decisions. He basically just stated every conflic he was in office for. Good job, I know you have been around for away.

Obama gave alot of very good forward-looking answers, while stressing the real-world blunders by the current administration. I liked how he had a forgien policy other than "I\'m not Bush" - the position that Kerry lost on.

Best quote of the night:

"You don\'t tell a country you are going to bomb them"
-McCain

This is very true, and a point of subtle real-politique that I hope Obama understands when he gets elected.

[Gfunk]

Best quote of the night:

"You don\'t tell a country you are going to bomb them"
-McCain

This is very true, and a point of subtle real-politique that I hope Obama understands when he gets elected.

Wrong Tyzack, the best quote of the night was when Obama responded to that quote and said, "You\'re absolutely right that presidents have to be prudent in what they say. But, you know, coming from you, who, you know, in the past has threatened extinction for North Korea and, you know, sung songs about bombing Iran, I don\'t know, you know, how credible that is."  
you know?
now get back to work!

[jocelyn]

Oh those a-rabs


http://www.break.com/index/redneck-woman-rails-on-obama.html">Redneck Woman Rails on Obama - Watch more http://www.break.com/">free videos

[SlimPickens]

http://vimeo.com/1808434?pg=embed&sec=1808434">The Great Schlep from http://vimeo.com/thegreatschlep?pg=embed&sec=1808434">The Great Schlep on http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&sec=1808434">Vimeo.

wow joc.  that video was amazing.  i\'ve never seen so much stupidity in 3 minutes.

[Mark]

Watch this

> http://www.youtube.com/v/PdJUCU1UH2w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1   

Game over

Oh those a-rabs


http://www.break.com/index/redneck-woman-rails-on-obama.html">Redneck Woman Rails on Obama - Watch more http://www.break.com/">free videos

God I hope they have been spayed and neutered!


Sarah Silverman is absolutely hideous.

[davepeck]

Sarah Silverman is absolutely hideous.

:sadban:

[jocelyn]

That Sarah Silverman video made me want to shove a spoon down my throat.

[Spacey]

Sarah Palin looks nervous and scared. Let\'s see how see does on this national stage.

[jocelyn]

She does. She gives me the willies for some reason. Some Stepford Wife-ish about her.

Here\'s hoping Biden says something ridiculous and puts his foot in his mouth tonight. He\'s such a loose cannon. Guy cracks me up.

[Drew_Kingsley]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/03/biden.palin.analysis/index.html

84% of those surveyed said that Gov. Palin did "better than expected" last night, but only 36% of those same people thought that she did a better job than Sen. Biden. Sounds to me like people were setting the bar pretty low.

[Spacey]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/03/biden.palin.analysis/index.html

84% of those surveyed said that Gov. Palin did "better than expected" last night, but only 36% of those same people thought that she did a better job than Sen. Biden. Sounds to me like people were setting the bar pretty low.

People definitely set the bar low for Palin.

She definitely handled herself well.

The only thing she does for me is tighten up my old crooked shillelagh.

[ChrisPitch]

I tell ya what: nothing turns me on more than a Vice Presidential candidate who uses the phrase "doggone it" like she\'s Frances McDormand in Fargo.

I\'ll forgive Palin though. After all, she and McCain are "mavericks."