The Mayberry Machiavellis Do It Again

Kissinger named to head the 9/11 probe? Isn't that guy a poven liar and wanted in many places as a war criminal? What about those "secret bombings?" What is it with the Bush Administration and their habit of handing out jobs people who have made careers out of trampling the Constitution?

Fluffernutter avec Pan

Haven't had a $5 Peanut Butter sandwich in a while? Then good god, man, head to New York!

This morning, Tom Waits said:

All your cryin don't do no good
Come on up to the house
Come down off the cross
We can use the wood
Come on up to the house

A Subtle Plan

CNN "invited the world" to propose designs for a rebuilt World Trade Center. They go a lot of strange results, including this, my favoite

What does Bush do with the windfall from cutting federal programs for kids & seniors?

The administration continues its dismantling of the civil service, clear air regulations (hey, we’re at the end of the tail pipe here in New England!), while spending more & more at a deficit as social programs get the axe. Meanwhile, even though there is no money floating around for said social programs, Bush (As get Donkey says, the party of “spend & cripple” or “spend & destroy”) has reinstated the policy of handing out political appointees in the federal government cash rewards of up to $15,000. How does one get one of these bonuses? Ask Andrew Card or the justice Dept.:

An Oct. 8 Justice Department memorandum explaining how the bonuses will be distributed within the department says that awards for political appointees "will be limited to truly outstanding performance that contributes directly to achieving the president's and the attorney general's national goals and objectives."

Wow...better toe the line if you want George to pony up the cash. The plan was reinstated earlier this year but Andrew Card kept it a secret until yesterday because ...well, there must be some reason, right? Could it be that it’s not such a good idea to mention that your administration is stepping up the sale of the US Government to the highest bidder before a midterm election? Now that that’s over, it’s dollar days down at the White House -yeehaw! How How How will cronyism and corruption make the Dept. of Homeland Security or even the whole of the US Government more efficient?!!! Do you feel safer now? Does this administration have any code? Sheesh!

Cliff Notes Save The Day

Like Finnegan's Wake, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone can sometimes make for pretty convoluted reading. Luckily, there are now notes available.

* * * * * * *


Homeland Security For Corporations

Two interesting provisions were tacked on to the recent Homeland Security bill that flew through Congress. These days, everybody’s talking about the logistics and problems associated with the largest government reorganization since the Truman Administration while these small gifts to Bush contributors are remaining steadfastly under the radar. Let’s shine a little light on them:

Corporations have been reincorporating in Bermuda to avoid paying US taxes. Now, they aren’t moving there, they’re just setting up a shell office as a mail drop and boom! - it saves them millions of dollars a year. Let’s put aside the offense to the concept of patriotism that a corporation such as Ingersoll-Rand (that split for Bermuda 3 months after 9/11) commits by running off to the nearest tax dodge during a time of war (or prewar or whatever) and get down to the problems with this bill. The Wellstone amendment to this bill was meant to close the loophole that allowed these ethically-challenged companies to still get highly lucrative US government contracts despite the fact that they were no longer US companies on paper. At the same time that various lawmakers were praising the late senator for his values immediately following his death, they were removing his amendment and replacing it with a completely toothless one which benefits theses tax evaders (oops, sorry. The new names for corporate tax cheats is “corporate expatriates” and the relocation is called a “corporate Inversion.” Doesn't that sound less treasonous?). So, As Molly Ivans puts is:

Here's Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts on how it works: "Let's take Tyco, formerly of New Hampshire, now of Bermuda, for example. Tyco avoids paying $400 million a year in U.S. taxes by setting up a shell headquarters offshore, but it was awarded $182 million in lucrative defense and homeland security-related contracts in 2001 alone. If Tyco had just paid its tax bill, Congress could easily have paid for 400 explosive detection systems (EDS), which are badly needed to protect U.S. travelers at airports around the nation. "Or let's examine corporate expatriate Ingersoll-Rand, formerly of New Jersey, and now also in Bermuda. Ingersoll-Rand earned as much last year in U.S. defense and homeland security federal contracts as it avoids in U.S. taxes annually merely by renting a mailbox in Bermuda and calling it 'home.' If Ingersoll Rand paid its U.S. tax bill, Congress could easily afford to fund the Cyberspace Warning Intelligence Network, estimated to cost $30 million, or it could also buy 400,000 gas masks for American citizens. More here.

Any guesses on which of these companies was a major contributor to the Bush campaign? Speaking of major contributors, another company, Eli Lily, also got a lot for their dollar in this new bill. The legislation contains a provision that protects the company from the lawsuits that are gathering strength over the use of a mercury based preservative called thimerosal that is used in some of their vaccines. Mercury, as you may know, is not so hot for your noggin and small doses of it can cause severe brain damage. Although the company maintains that this preservative is safe (and is backed up by many studies,) ,there are many others that see a link between thimerosal and autism (with studies that support this, as well). While the jury is still out on this, the dispute is heating up. So, Eli Lily basically paid to have itself granted immunity just in case their vaccines are linked to autism. Not a lot of faith in their own product, huh? Isn’t this like tacking a provision protecting the German company that marketed Thalidomide on to the civli rights legislation of the 60s? How about tacking on to the A.D.A a provision which protects Philip Morris from its practice of secretly manipulating the nicotine levels in their products? I mean, come on? Can this administration get any more brazen in it’s attempts to protect corporations from the repercussions of their own ethical violations, crime, and wrongdoing? Of course, most businesses in this country are run ethically and respectably but the actions of some high profile corporations as of late are not a great argument for totally free market capitalism. Does anyone in this government give a rats ass about the general public that suffers when one of these wayward corporations trashes the stock holdings of its employees and share holders, cheats the people out of taxes, or beta tests the safety of its products on an unsuspecting public?


CCF
Formerly of Boston
Now reachable in Bermuda for tax purposes

Cleaning Up The Mess?

Here’s a picture from Mitt Romney’s successful gubernatorial campaign in Massachusetts last month:



He promised to “clean up the mess on Beacon Hill,” even placing the image of a broom on his campaign posters. Now, one month later those same posters are still all over the place, littering the roadside on my way to work and blowing across my snow-strewn street like tumbleweeds. How bloody likely is it that Mitt will hop into that truck and come pick up those damn signs around town now that the election is over? Not very...

Two Unrelated Thoughts This Morning:

There has been a lot of coverage about the huge oil spill off the coasts of Portugal & Spain and it looks like it’s right up there in size and damage as the infamous Exxon Valdez. What doesn’t seem to be getting any press are the questions “to which company does this oil belong?” and “why is it ok to allow companies to contract out the transportation of hazardous materials to the lowest bidder?” The Prestige (the now-sunken tanker) seems to have missed a few safety inspections over the last few years. What company, currently keeping its head down in the media took such a lax stand on safety? Does this make you more or less confidant about the whole Yucca Mountain plan?

* * * * *

One is constantly barraged with presidential approval ratings, especially since 9/11. As an informal poll, have you or anybody you know ever been called for one of these things? Who are they calling and what are they asking?

If I’m going to sit up here and sound reasonably intelligent (a stretch for me as those who know me will tell you), I’d better learn to tell my ass from my elbow.....