Random Thoughts On A Fall Day

FRAUD ALERT: You know about the Nigerian e-mail scams promising you a legacy of a few million euros if you forward your bank account number. Well,now they're doing it by telephone. The same scam. But there is a new scam besides the tried and true money abroad, it's you've won a sweepstakes or a lottery. I have won over $51 million in three lotteries and sweepstakes over the last few days. A cashier check will be hand-delivered to your address. You need a valid photo ID and a bank account. When will you be there? A representative is in your state right now and wants to drive to you with the cashier check. Fine, just come. Well, there is the matter of the slight insurance payment to protect your check. I'll give them a check when you deliver the cashier check. No, our representative is not authorized to accept payment. So you are supposed to go to Western Union and send a money order or in one of the scams where I won $880,000, I was to go to WalMart and buy a green money pak and call a number and read the number on the back. The target for these scams are the retired and the elderly because I was asked on all three occasions when did I retire. The bottom line is that this is a symptom of our desparate economy and our delusionary thinking that a lottery will solve our problems. Tonight is Moneyball, I can't wait.

Talking about scams, Willard Romney has launched a full-scale assault on Rick Perry, accusing the governor of being weak on immigration and too liberal. Wow. Willard keeps calling President Obama "clueless" on the economy. Now,let's walk that statement back. Here is a man, who was a founder of a hedge fund, a member of the very class who brought America to its knees and he says Obama is clueless. The biggest fraud being perpetrated right now aren't my Nigerians, it's the Republicans who claim that Wall Street, the banks and the large corporations, the people who singlehandedly crashed the global economy, got bailed out and keep getting rich, are the very people who we should hand over control of the economy back to? That is real hubris. It's just mind-boogling. But if you keep repeating it enough,people will believe it.

One little trivia item about Willard. He is related to the founder of the Mormon cult, Joseph Smith, who also declared he was running for President but was gunned down. Mormons like to talk about their history of being discriminated against. But Smith seemed to have other problems--he was hunted down for bank and financial fraud throughout the Midwest. Maybe it runs in Willard's genes.

But ,alas, a CNN poll still has the American people by 55% blaming Bush for our current economic woes, and now about 32% Obama and the Democrats.

www.Realclearpolitics.com has a compendium of recent polls showing President Obama beats all declared GOP candidates except Generic Republican. Maybe that's why the GOP is panicking about its roster and trying to recruit Chris Christie. But over 30% of the GOP don't want Christie to run. Aside from acting as a bully, the new teabagger style, Christie is actually unacceptable to the base because he favored gun control, appointed a Muslim to the Jersey courts, doesn't think illegal immigration is a big problem and believes any deficit reduction has to be accompanied by revenues. He's out of there, my friends.

Oh, by the way, Ricky Cantor is wrong--Warren Buffett did not come out and oppose the Buffett Rule proposed by President Obama. The rightwing blogosphere has been reporting this with the usual spin all day long. But does it matter? Rick Perry told CNBC that Warren Buffett doesn't know anything about the economy or job creation.

Today is the Red Banner day for Sister Sarah. Red State reports that she will announce today whether she will run for President.

Michelle Bachmann may not make it to Iowa as her campaign is holding its breath that she is out of funds and even the vendors are knocking at her door for payments.

The great Rudy Guiliani has sent emissaries to New Hampshire to scout out possibilities for a run. He'll run into Jon Huntsman there because the other Mormon has moved his headquarters to the Granite state.

Why do these people waste their breath? The Newt and his lovely bride Callista released the first part of his new Contract on America. The Newt says he is waging a "cultural campaign."

Rachel Maddow got it right the other night when she said that this time President Obama is running the values campaign, contrasting his vision of America with the mean and small vision of the Republicans. There is alot of truth there. The New York Times printed a lengthy editorial about this icy vision today.

Which brings me to the cosmically important issue--Why do House Republicans really want to kill Elmo? The House GOP is gearing up for their insane budget, which is Paul Ryan's bill on steroids. Yes, they want to eliminate NPR and Public Telvision and Juan Williams already has a new job and a new book out, so they really are just fixated on Elmo. Then the teabaggers hate Barry Goldwater because they want to eliminate one of his favorite organizations--Planned Parenthood. So dimbulb wants to hold hearing on Planned Parenthood to determine whether they misused federal funds for abortions. Planned Parenthood has filed tax returns from their founding and are subject to government audits for any funds received from the federal government. As everyone knows federal funds, whether it's Planned Parenthood or Obamacare, can't be used for abortions and only 3% of Planned Parenthood's funding goes to this procedure, which when I last looked was legal.

These are all job creating measures as the House GOP can tell you. But more importantly, Alaskan congressman Don Young wants to rescind all federal regulations of business created since 1991--why? I have no idea. Maybe the Koch Brothers have a fiendish scheme about a regulation created in 1992. But not all businesses are thrilled by total de-regulation. The natural gas industry actually wants new safety regulations on gas pipelines because they are exploding all around the country, blowing up houses and killing people. They are actually lobbying for these regulations but Senator Rand Paul is putting a hold on them for ideological reasons.

"Ideology before Country" is the motto of the New GOP. I keep reading all these hairbrain schemes and I am not convinced the intended beneficiary of these efforts really want them either. I know K Street Lobbyists spend billions upon billions on crafting bills to their liking. But does anyone want to ask,"Whether they even know what they are doing?" If the captains of industry and banking did not know anything about what they were doing in 2008, why do you believe their minions, who have no experience either, know what they are doing? We don't call this stoogeland for nothing.

I would feel more comfortable if what the lobbyists tell people about these new laws were actually true. Then the tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation and all the rest would create a huge boost for the economy. But we already did that stuff and the whole world collapsed.

Meanwhile, liberals are throwing hissyfits over this or that betrayal by President Obama. President Obama is going to address the Human Rights Caucus, the gay, lesbian and transgender group, about what steps he has taken on behalf of the gay community. So this morning I read a nasty condemnation of the Obama Administration's policies toward gays and the affront this person feels about him speaking there. Now, let's see: Repeal of DADT, a policy created by Bill Clinton, the Hate Crimes Bill, the domestic partners benefit ruling,the allowing military chaplains to marry gays, the refusal to defend DOMA. The appointment of the first transgender person to the Administration. What does this person want: Obama to marry Rahm Emmnauel? It's crazy.

Meanwhile David Axelrod is suggesting there are multiple ways President Obama will get to 270 electoral votes. Last time I really liked the campaign's gaming how many ways you can win. Oh and yes, Obama's small donor effort only has 250,000 new donors even though it hasn't reached the 2008 peak yet.

If you haven't donated to your favorite politicians, today is the last day of the quarter. Give early and often.