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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pezz who wrote (5379)	11/9/2000 11:45:18 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

I have forgotten more Economics than you will ever know. Well, part of what you have apparently forgotten is the yield curve on 30 year notes has been inverted for some time now, primarily on anticipation of the govt buying back longer term paper. If I'm a big financial bond player out there and I know that every year there will be $200 Billion in money flow from government repurchases of 30 year notes, which almost GUARANTEE that I'll make a profit on holding those notes, why would I want to purchase riskier corporate bonds, even if they pay a higher rate? I'll buy the 30 year notes, wait for the govt to make a big for them, and then use the proceeds to buy even more of them back on any weakness. It is VERY SIMILAR to what many have seen in the index funds as quarterly pension refundings cause those stocks to soar in anticipation of a guaranteed buying that I can distribute into. And if having the govt being such a potential repurchaser of 30 year notes is so good for the economy, then pray tell us why swap spreads on commercial bonds are rivaling the wide spreads of Oct, 1998, the month after the LTCM collapse and the Asian contagion? And if you are worried about a market crash, how come you're not concerned about the incredible deficit spending that will be required to fund Al Gore's entitlement spending, in addition to funding SS for the baby boomers? It may sound nice to have a $200 billion a year surplus, but in fact, it distorts the markets, the dollar, and puts additional pressure on foreign currencies. Is your memory coming back to you now?

To: pezz who wrote (5379)	11/9/2000 11:59:35 PM
From: Slugger	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10042

Forged Ballot Sparks Criminal Investigation in Florida NewsMax.com Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000 The discovery of forged ballots in northern Florida has set off a probe of what may have been widespread fraud in connection with absentee ballots in the state. Moreover, the suggestion has been made that the U.S. Postal Service in Miami may have been involved. According to a blockbuster story in today’s Pensacola News Journal, the Escambia County state attorney’s office is heading an investigation into whether the forgery is part of a larger scheme to redirect mailed ballots to someone other than the person for whom it was intended who then filled out the ballot and forged the real voter’s signature. "I agree there may well be more than just this one,'' Assistant State Attorney Russ Edgar, who is heading the investigation, told the News Journal. "That's what I'm thinking right now.'' The investigation was set off by a complaint from Bush supporter Todd Vinson, a 28-year-old law clerk in Miami who is registered to vote in Pensacola. According to Vinson and others familiar with the case, Vinson requested the Escambia County supervisor of elections to mail an absentee ballot to his Miami apartment Oct. 10. When it failed to arrive, he asked for a second ballot on Oct. 24. That also disappeared. Frustrated, Vinson complained to his father, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, last Thursday. Judge Vinson then called Jones, whose office reviewed all the absentee ballots and discovered a ballot with Todd Vinson's name on it. When he compared the signature on the ballot to the signature on Vinson's voter registration card, the two did not match. He then faxed a copy of the signature to Todd Vinson. "It was clearly forged,'' Vinson told the News Journal. "Somebody definitely got hold of it and sent it back in. "The question is where did they get it, and my speculation was that it happened somewhere in the post office. It made it down here to Miami, but it never made it to me.'' Jones sent a third ballot to Vinson via next-day mail, and it arrived in time for Vinson to cast a ballot for Bush. Jones then notified the State Attorney's Office, U.S. Attorney Mike Patterson and the Florida Division of Elections. According to Edgar, the signed witness required for all absentee ballots listed a fictitious address. On Wednesday, Escambia County elections officials discovered what appears to be a second forged absentee ballot. It too has been handed over to state prosecutors. Because neither of the ballots has been opened, it’s not possible at this time to report for whom they were cast. State Attorney Curtis Golden told the newspaper that if the Postal Service was involved, his office might turn the investigation over to federal law enforcement officials. Patterson refused to say whether his office is participating in the investigation. He did indicate his office was interested in the matter. "In general, that kind of voter fraud or fraudulent activity surrounding a federal election is something we would be interested in,'' he said. newsmax.com