Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459209)

That's why I posted what I posted (which is from the WaPo). It says:

Originally Posted by sgtclub (Post 459221)

There was a longer investigative article from Wapo this morning.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459237)

That would be the one referenced in what I posted, yes.

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459242)

Editing what you quote so that you are posting manageable volumes of other people's writing would help our being able to comprehend the points you are trying to make. Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459243)

I wasn't trying to make a point. Just to share something about Solyndra that I thought would be of interest to anyone who cared about the subject enough to read the linked article given how I linked to it.

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459246)

chump don't want the help chump don't get the help

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459264)

original at Time has lots of links

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459266)

for something that is a "non-event" you and your bloggers sure write a lot about it.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459268)

Henry Luce is rolling in his grave.

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459269)

plus how is "our graft is business as usual" consistent with the more transparent administration we were promised? I'm starting to feel I was lied to.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459271)

not clear why you're complaining about transparency, since you seem to know plenty about it

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459273)

if that's the standard why were you complaining so much about w all those years?

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459274)

I don't recall that my main beef during the W years was with transparency. In any event, not clear to me what else you think should be transparent here. Your main beef seems to be with the way business as usual happens. And there I agree with you!

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459277)

what is the over/under on post count for your beefs about W to become a "main beef?" 100?

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459278)

Tensions between northern and southern Europe get a little worse.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459290)

Can't believe this didn't get a reaction from anyone.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459290)

Can't believe this didn't get a reaction from anyone.

“The overflow crowd packed into the Senate’s largest hearing room – not the usual home of the Financial Services Committee – fell into a hush as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board made his entrance and took the centre seat at the witness table, accompanied by all six of his fellow Board Members. The crowd had a sullen look. The Senators seated around the dais’s three tiers appeared angry. The US economy had been spiralling downward for ten months in the wake of the mortgage market collapse and the steep decline in home prices. Two sizeable commercial banks and seven investment banks had failed, and many of the rest had had to raise capital on highly unfavourable terms. Investors in many uninsured financial instruments still could not get their money back. Not just home mortgage defaults and foreclosures but corporate bankruptcies too were running at record rates since the 1930s. Industrial production had declined 23% from the previous peak. With 26 million Americans now out of work, unemployment had reached 17% of the labour force. The committee’s chairman called the hearing to order, welcomed the witnesses, and sombrely invited the Federal Reserve chairman to present his opening remarks. ‘Thank you, Mr. Chairman,’ he began. ‘I am pleased to report that during the past year US monetary policy has been outstandingly successful. Overall inflation has again been exactly 1.5%. Prices other than for food and energy have risen by just 1.3%. My colleagues and I are here to accept this committee’s congratulations and those of the American people’.”

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459328)

Turns out Sebby and Krugman have been saying the same thing.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459334)

It does not take much autobahn driving to be reminded of the woeful state of our interstate highway system, or the cost in terms of efficiency that having crappy highways imposes.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 459336)

Get a jeep and speed up for the bumps. Don't stick Sebby and I with a big bill because you want to drive those pussy European cars.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459343)

Call me crazy, but I'd say cruising along at 100 mph+, even if it's in a "sportwagon" as often seemed to be the case, is less "pussy" than bumping along at 55 mph in a ridiculously over-sized behemoth.

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy (Post 459345)

Then move to Germany, wittle putty tat.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459346)

Clearly that would be better for america than fixing our highways.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459334)

It does not take much autobahn driving to be reminded of the woeful state of our interstate highway system, or the cost in terms of efficiency that having crappy highways imposes.

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski (Post 459350)

what other of Hitler's achievements make you hard?

Originally Posted by sgtclub (Post 459353)

It just. Got. Interesting . . .

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459352)

Hitler is responsible for the current maintenance of the autobahn? Huh.



There is the usual road maintenance, but to my sense not more than usual. Last summer I saw a lot of rest stops getting overhauled with ARRA money though.

One of the things that's impressive about the autobahn is its consistency. Unlike here, there don't seem to be stretches that are past due for resurfacing, much less decades past like much of our interstate system.

On a related note, I don't know whether it has anything to do with government stimulus spending, but it was amazing how much of Munich was under construction, in particular the overhaul of public buildings and public spaces. I saw plenty of that in Berlin too, but not to the same degree as Munich.

Originally Posted by sgtclub (Post 459353)

It just. Got. Interesting . . .

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459356)

Why is this interesting? A few on the liberal fringes are looking for more than one candidate, to highlight more than one issue, and thus have some discussion on the left. That doesn't sound like the roots of a serious primary challenge.

Or maybe you foresee Nader running as a Green again and again playing spoiler? I don't really see that happening.

Originally Posted by sgtclub (Post 459359)

It is rare for a sitting president to have to deal with a primary challenge and usually does not bode well for the incumbent in the general.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459360)

Right. But where is the primary challenge? What you have so far is people on the fringe saying they want a number of other people in the race so that there is actually a race and a discussion. That is significantly different than even those same fringe people saying they want someone else to run to actually challenge the president for the nomination, and way different than someone who is actually threatening (say, Hillary) mounting a primary challenge run.

This is Nader saying, "somebody should remind the president that the left exists." I'm not sure I see how that's interesting.

Originally Posted by Adder (Post 459356)

Why is this interesting? A few on the liberal fringes are looking for more than one candidate, to highlight more than one issue, and thus have some discussion on the left. That doesn't sound like the roots of a serious primary challenge.

Or maybe you foresee Nader running as a Green again and again playing spoiler? I don't really see that happening.

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop (Post 459362)

Ralph Nader and Cornell West would be a serious threat to take the vote of narcissists, except that narcissists aren't really paying attention to anyone else.