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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 10:28:59 AM
From: locogringo	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224744

New-home sales in 2010 fall to lowest in 47 years

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 10:35:48 AM
From: tonto	Respond to of 224744

That is a positive move. Glad to see that...

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 11:22:09 AM
From: locogringo	2 Recommendations Respond to of 224744

The DOW is back under 12000. How come you don't want to post that? BTW, the housing starts did NOT climb. Yep........we're so much better off..........................

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 11:42:44 AM
From: lorne	7 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224744

ken..."Dow passes 12,000 for the first time since mid 2008"... As you have said a number of times...elections have consequences...Republicans have some power now and putting a stop to some of hussein obama's socialist agenda just may be helping the markets.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 8:51:49 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 224744

Kucinich Sues Over Olive, Report Says By Ted Achladis FOX8.com Reporter January 26, 2011 fox8.com A bizarre report on Gawker.com says that U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich has sued a congressional cafeteria after cracking a tooth on an olive that was not pitted. The report suggests that Kucinich recently filed the complaint, nearly three years after the incident involving a "sandwich wrap" purchased from the Longworth House Office Building cafeteria. The "dangerous" sandwich allegedly contained the olive in question. The congressman, in his complaint, claims that he "sustained serious and permanent dental and oral injuries requiring multiple surgical and dental procedures ... (as well as) significant pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment." Kucinich, claiming negligence and breach of implied warranty, is suing four companies that run and supply the cafeteria for $150,000. Kucinich's attorney Andrew Young tolds Fox 8 News on Wednesday afternoon that the lawsuit was a private legal matter and he would not be providing comment.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/26/2011 10:30:03 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 224744

dealbook.nytimes.com The billionaire investor George Soros tells CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo that the deficits facing municipalities in the United States will be the “drama of the next year.” He also discusses Europe’s debt crisis, the rally in domestic equities and the Federal Reserve.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/27/2011 8:31:16 AM
From: TideGlider	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224744

DJ DATA SNAP: US Jobless Claims +51K To 454K In Jan 22 WeekLast update: 1/27/2011 8:30:00 AM By Jamila Trindle and Luca Di Leo Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly surged last week, but the data was probably distorted by bad weather. Initial jobless claims rose 51,000 to 454,000 in the week ended Jan. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday in its weekly report. That was the highest level since October 2010. The previous week's figures were revised to 403,000 from 404,000. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected claims would rise by just 1,000 to 405,000. A Labor Department analyst said seasonal factors, particularly bad weather, likely distorted the latest numbers. Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina all reported a higher than expected increase in claims because of snow, he said. "I'm fairly certain the data was distorted," the analyst said. Snow can lead to higher jobless claims because schools are closed, delivery trucks can't run and construction stalls. Despite recent swings up and down, claims have been on a slow downward trend since around the middle of 2010. The four-week average of new claims, considered a more reliable indicator because it smoothes out volatile data, rose 15,750 in the week ending Jan. 22 to 428,750. The U.S. labor market is gradually improving as the 18-month-old recovery gains momentum, but it will take a long time to make up for all the jobs lost during the severe 2007-2009 recession. Federal Reserve officials decided Wednesday to continue buying government bonds to boost the recovery because even though the economy is improving, it's still not strong enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate, which stood at 9.4% in December. At the same time, the central bank isn't worried by inflation despite the recent surge in international commodity prices. The Labor Department said in Thursday's report that the number of continuing claims -- those drawn by workers for more than a week -- rose to 3,991,000 in the week ended Jan. 15. That was an increase of 94,000 over the previous week. Continuing claims are reported with a one-week lag. The unemployment rate for workers with unemployment insurance was 3.2% in the week ending Jan. 15, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week. The state-by-state breakdown of new claims, which is also reported with a one-week lag, showed that Florida had the largest increase in claims, 6,646, due to layoffs in construction, trade and the service industry. The largest drop in claims the week ending Jan. 15 was in New York, falling 28,714, due to fewer layoffs in construction, service and transportation. The Labor Department report on jobless claims can be accessed at: dol.gov -By Luca Di Leo, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6682; luca.dileo@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones NewswiresJanuary 27, 2011 08:30 ET (13:30 GMT)

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/27/2011 8:33:28 AM
From: lorne	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224744

Bodysnatchers abduct Obama, give socialist sixth-grade brain Obama and the Bodysnatchers By Ben Stein on 1.26.11 spectator.org My pal, a frequent Spectator contributor and a super smart guy, Aram Bakshian, summed it up perfectly after Barack Obama's State of the Union address. "Obama does not seem like a leader anymore," he said. It is sadly true. This was painfully apparent in tonight's speech. It was as if the Bodysnatchers had gotten hold of Mr. Obama and put a sixth grader's brain in him. There were only a few glimpses of Obama the "intellectual" socialist on display tonight. Mostly, his speech sounded as if it could have been given by any 1958 Republican elementary school student. The problem is that this is not 1958 America. This is a much changed America, and one that has put itself into a terribly confining box. When Mr. Obama talks about reducing the deficit, it's almost comical. The changes he proposes are so minuscule in terms of their effect on the budget that it's as if he is saying he can throw a rock to the moon. This country's deficit is spectacularly beyond his control. Only really painful surgery -- drastic, draconian cuts in Social Security and in Medicare, and wildly higher taxes on upper income people -- will come even close to fixing the problem. The GOP has succeeded in making the tax part of these off limits, which makes certain the problem will get even worse. Mr. Obama did not come within a mile of telling the truth about it. He has been completely boxed in by the GOP, to an extent he would find deeply upsetting if he ever admitted it to himself. When Mr. Obama says he's going to reform American education by setting higher standards, he is just baying at the moon. Most of the nation's public school pupils are not achieving at even close to the rates of the students in other advanced nations. The problem is intensely concentrated among the nonwhite students of this nation. If we cannot find a way to get these kids working, and working hard, to reach basic educational standards, we will face educational and job force catastrophe. For their sake and for the nation's sake, they have to be helped to help themselves. Unless they can be brought up to standards of other industrial nations, we will become a third world country. This remediation can be done and must be done. There was not one word about this in Mr. Obama's speech. He kept talking about the Sputnik moment in 1957 when the USA made a major effort to improve its science education. I can remember those days very well. The crisis is that we do not have even remotely the same kind of student population we did in 1957. Not a word about that, either. The crisis in non-white America will kill us if we don't get it fixed, and slogans and test score measures will not do it. Truth to tell, I don't know what will fix the problem, but I know it can be done and we had better do it. His bragging about Afghanistan rang a bit hollow, too. If progress is indeed being made in that sad country, the soldiers I talk to do not see it. Time for them to leave. There is just no reason for us to be there any longer. His ridiculous words about the sanctions on Iran stopping them or slowing them down were almost sad. Israeli spycraft with software is doing something, but Iran is still a super catastrophe in the making. There were two glimpses of the old Obama -- when he slammed "subsidies" for oil companies, which of course do not get any subsidies, but have business deductions the way every other business does, he sounded every bit like the envious skinny Harvard man he once was. When he railed against tax breaks that he considered identical to government spending, that was outright socialism. That concept implies that all the income in the nation belongs to the state, and that if we let working people keep any of it, that is the same as a government expenditure. The opposite is true. The income belongs to the people, and they allow government to have some of it. But, of course, the servant has become the master now. One final note: in its lack of eloquence, its complete absence of high points, its elementary school pedagogy, its complete absence of any interesting or memorable phrases, it was possibly the lamest SOTU speech I have ever heard. Once again, Aram Bakshian, a far smarter man than I am, said it well. Mr. Obama just does not seem like a leader anymore, and, I will add, certainly not like an orator. This was a disappointing evening.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/28/2011 3:29:15 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 224744

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 149.14 points, or 1.24 percent, at 11,840.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 19.74 points, or 1.52 percent, at 1,279.80. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 63.67 points, or 2.31 percent, at 2,691.61.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (98888)	1/29/2011 11:25:43 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 224744

Bears Rule Regular Session as Consumer Sentiment, Earnings Weigh 01/28 12:48 PM 12:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, 01/28/2011 (MidnightTrader) -- Bears are out in force at mid-day as losses at the major US indexes deepened following disappointing earnings results from Ford (F), Microsoft (MSFT:$27.751,0$-1.119,0-3.88%) and Amazon.com (AMZN:$171.14,00$-13.31,00-7.22%) . A drop in consumer sentiment also weighed on the markets, as well as unrest in Egypt. In the latest economic data, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to 74.2 from 74.5 in December. Also, real gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the U.S economy, rose at a 3.2% annualized rate in the fourth quarter, up from a 2.6% rate in the third quarter. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected Q4 GDP to rise of 3.5%. On the upside, consumer spending rose at a 4.4% annual rate in the final three months of the year, the fastest pace since the first quarter of 2006. Inventories were a big drag on growth in the fourth quarter but this was largely offset by a positive contribution from net exports. For the year, GDP advanced 2.9%, compared with a 2.6% drop in 2009. This is the strongest growth rate in five years. In company news: ADRs of Sanofi-Aventis (SNY:$33.3500,$-1.9000,-5.39%) are down after the drug maker saw disappointing results from an experiment breast cancer drug it was developing. Sanofi's BSI-201 did not slow a certain type of aggressive breast tumor, Sanofi said in a statement. The news comes as a setback for Sanofi, which has been trying to acquire Genzyme (GENZ:$71.10,00$-0.18,00-0.25%) . Borders (BGP:$0.8489,$0.0429,5.32%) is up sharply after it said late Thursday it has received a commitment from GE Capital, Restructuring Finance to provide a $550 million senior secured credit facility. Upon completion, it will include $125 million of additional junior debt financing via the conversion of vendor payables and/or external sources kennycanary mute deaf ??????????