Macy's, GM, etc.

Name brand retailers, manufacturers, insurers, banks and other financial institutions are shrinking, and many will disappear.

http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/885035.html

In their place, there will be new retailers, manufacturers, insurers, banks and financial institutions. Hopefully, they will learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.

We're a capitalist society. Capitalism involves survival of the fittest, with the options of success or failure. Why is everyone in Washington and NYC shocked to find that out? None of those now complaining had any problem with capitalism when they were getting big bonuses.

Putnam out

Adam Putnam, telegenic, photogenic and glib rising star in the House Republican caucus, is leaving Congress to run for Florida commissioner of agriculture.

"U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, who quickly rose to power in Congress after being elected as a 26-year-old, said Sunday he would give up his seat and run for Florida agriculture commissioner.Putnam will file paperwork to officially enter the race on Monday, he told The Associated Press. "Agriculture is in my DNA," Putnam said. "It's my professional background, it's my academic background, it's what my family is involved in to this day." Putnam is from Bartow, where his family grows citrus and raises cattle. He represented the 12th Congressional District, which included most of Polk County and parts of Hillsborough County. Five generations of his family have farmed in Florida. Putnam, 34, was the third-most-powerful Republican in the House until he decided in November not to seek another term as chair of the House Republican Conference. Before Republicans lost control of the House in 2006, Putnam was the fifth-most-powerful Republican member while serving as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee."

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Rep-Adam-Putnam-to-give-up-Congressional-seat/Znh7jtTO6kSEKMmCSbKBDA.cspx

That says more about Republican chances to take back the House in the next 4 to 6 years than any number of polls and predictions.

Health care groups paid Daschle $220K

"Tom Daschle, tapped to be President Obama's health czar, was paid more than $200,000 by the health-care industry in the past two years . . . The former Senate majority leader, who gave speeches to firms and groups with a vested-interest in the administration's upcoming health reform, collected the checks as part of a $5 million windfall after he lost reelection to his South Dakota seat. . . . Daschle made nearly $5.3 million in the last two years, records released Friday show, including $220,000 he received for giving speeches, many of them to outfits that stand to gain or lose millions of dollars from the work he would do once confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services. . . . This week, the group began openly lobbying him, sending him a letter urging him to rescind a rule requiring competitive bidding of Medicare contracts."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18237.html

Everyone knew Daschle was one of the five or so key backers of Obama's candidacy.

If you were giving money to Daschle in 2008, you were attempting to buy influence with a potential high level Obama administration domestic policy appointee.

If the Daschle nomination is not withdrawn, all the talk of ethics and lobbying reform (to which several exceptions and waivers have already been given) will sound like just a bunch of bunk.

"Moderate cleric is Somalia's new president"

The headline says it all . . . "Moderate cleric is Somalia's new president".

We're supposed to applaud because "A moderate Islamist cleric was sworn in Saturday as Somalia's new president, a widely popular choice that could mark a turning point for the troubled nation."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/story/882399.html

Instead, shouldn't we have learned from our experiences in Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc., and realize that we always get burned by so called "moderate" clerics?

Geithner, Daschle and other amazing tax coincidences . . .

They never make a mistake that results in their over payment of taxes.

They never realize their mistakes until they're up for federal office.

And, it's always the guys who voted to raise YOUR taxes when they were legislators.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100108391

By the way - - Tom Daschle's "tax issues" involve "underpaying" "more than $128,000 in back taxes . . . for 2005 to 2007" which "covers income from consulting work, use of a car service and lower deductions for charitable contributions". In other words, he failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and non cash income, and then lied about how much money he gave to charity. Think of how much income you need to "under report" (i.e., lie about) in order to owe $128,000 in taxes - - $250,000? $300,000? $400,000?

Is this only wrong when your political opponents do it?

As of last week, she's up for appointment to the energy or commerce departments

http://www.miamiherald.com/467/story/882390.html

Obama's brother on drugs charge

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/01/obama-brother-marijuana

Of course, this story is being largely ignored by the American media (as they ignored Obama's polygamist father's 7 or so other children by his 3 or 4 other polygamist wives during the presidential campaign). According to the American press and Obama's press agents, Obama only has one sibling, his telegenic, well spoken, highly educated, American-accented half Indonesian half sister living in Hawaii.

Obviously, Presidential siblings in trouble are only news in America if their names are Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Clinton or Bush.