Strollerderby : bailout

Morning News: McCain Takes Aim at Obama's Fancy 'Copter

Madeline Holler — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:00:00 GMT

At yesterday's Fiscal Responsibility Summit -- attended by the President and high-ranking Congress members, not free-spending teens and their pursed-lipped mothers as the name might suggest -- John McCain scolded Obama for an expensive fleet of helicopters that could soon be at the president's disposal. "Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One," the Arizona Senator said to his former rival, who basically said, "yeah, I don't think I need them either." NB: the helicopters were ordered during the Bush administration.

Obama's response should only endear him further to a large number of Americans. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll, he's get high marks for his first month in office and for the almost $790 billion stimulus package and the $75 billion mortgage bailout program. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents say the President has exceeded their expectations. Love fest? Not from everyone. Republicans aren't as happy as they were back during the trasition. And few of any party seem to like the idea of bailing out the auto industry. Michigan? Ouch?

Still, more, more, give them more!

All the hundreds of billions in bailouts and the projected $1.5 trillion deficit by year's end makes this record-breaking Yves St. Laurent art auction look just kind of profitable. $261 million? It was lying around in the couch cushions.

A San Francisco lawmaker has got a great money-making scheme. Taxing pot! It's his state's largest cash crop (huh. We thought it was almonds.) and he thinks Californian's deserve a cut of the package.

Make $300 just by cutting up your American Express credit card. Really. They'll pay you.

Now, now, don't get mad if you got rid of that account years ago. It's a fact: anger can kill you. Settle down!

Will Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel be the next to resign over tax dodging? Apparently, there are questions about whether he should have listed the Washington, D.C., basement room where he has lived for five years -- for free! -- on his taxes. Could he have written off the the air mattress and naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling?

Random: A Miami University student discovered an authentic fingerprint of Abraham Lincoln. That's cool! And odd.

Great, great news for Bedouin girls in Israel's Negev: genital mutilation is no more. It's gone. Over. Does not happen. What changed? The laws, for one. But also education, showing you can't just threaten to put people in jail.

Welcome to the world, Scarlet Starr (Hollywood name ...). She's the new baby girl and first child of Sporty Spice, Mel C.

The Real Story Behind Palin's Nomination

Economy Kills Kids' Fun As We Know It

Photo: HuffPo

Morning News: What's Wrong with These Headlines?

Shannon LC Cate — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:00:00 GMT

The New York Times juxtaposes these gems:

Banks are in Need of Even More Bailout Money

and

Bank Lends Little of Its Bailout Funds

Is there anyone at the wheel here? I want my $700 billion back. With interest.

Last night at George Will's house, President-Elect Obama dined with the crowned heads of conservatism. The guest list, according to The Daily Beast, included William Kristol (Weekly Standard), David Brooks (New York Times), Paul Gigot (Wall Street Journal), Larry Kudlow (CNBC's Kudlow and Company), Rich Lowry (National Review), Michael Barone (FOX and US News & World Report) and Charles Krauthammer of The Washington Post.

It's beginning to look like Obama isn't just a "liberal snob" (Michael Barone) and a "platitude salesman" (Charles Krauthammer) afterall, but rather, a man who genuinely wants to solve the deep divisions and problems in his country by embracing his enemies.

Weird, huh?

In shallower news, you can now get longer, thicker eyelashes for a mere $4 a day and a willingness to suffer various side-effects from a drug originally developed to treat glaucoma. But don't worry your pretty little head about that. Everyone knows that for women, looks matter more than health. And what could be more important than eyelashes? Well, as one Latisse marketer put it:

“I am sure that within a week of Latisse becoming available, someone will call to say ‘I am Dr. Jones in wherever, and I would like to conduct a study on eyebrows.' For a lot of women, the eyebrow is every bit as important as the eyelash.”

Four dollars a day is a bit rich for my blood. Instead of Latisse, I plan to look to Michelle Obama for my fashion cues. She has, apparently, just chosen interior designer, Michael Smith, for the White House. Smith plans to put the Obamas' penchant for "utilizing affordable brands and products" into his plans for their new home.

Why spend any money at all redecorating the First Home? It seemed a bit wasteful to me too, until I considered the problem of third-hand cooties. If I was Michelle, I'd wanna paint over every surface likely to have been touched by Dubya, too.

image: sciam.com

A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 2: The Pros)

Cole Gamble — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Alright, time to get to the good parts about becoming a stay-at-home mommy or daddy:

Childcare is Monstrously Expensive

Our childcare cost over $1,800 a month. For some folks, going to work and paying for child care is nearly a break even proposition. Essentially you work for the privilege to send your kids to childcare so you can work. When you do the numbers you need to consider whether the salary you draw makes it financially worthwhile. And I don't mean if your job pays $5 more a month than child care costs you should go to work. You shouldn't put kids in childcare unless the money you're going to make if significantly greater. Otherwise, why bother?

You are A Consistent Care Provider

At daycares and preschools, staff will come and go. Your child can get easily attached to a teacher and then-poof!-they're gone. You, on the other hand, will always be around (unless there is something you're not telling me). Having that safe sense of consistency helps create a nurturing environment for your kid.

You Won't Miss a "First"

One of the more depressing things about putting kids in childcare is you'll likely miss out on your kids' firsts. The first time your baby laughs. The first steps she takes a step. The first time she tells an off-color joke. There's a pretty decent chance you won't be around when these adorable moments happen.

You Find Work Stressful

There are parents who use staying at home as a good excuse to drop out of the rat race. If your job is making you miserable and you don't see any other opportunities that look better, staying at home can give you the sanity you desperately need.

Raising Your Child is More Fulfilling than Office Work

Once again, this is preferential. As I outlined in the cons section, some adults may feel a loss of satisfaction when they drop out of work. On the other hand, some adults find raising their kid far more gratifying than pushing paper.

And if you can afford it, you may find that staying home reduces your stress level. Many parents decide to stay home after trying unsatisfactorily to balance work and family. The long hours and the feeling of cutting too many corners results in feeling burned out. Staying home will give you more time to spend with your children, maintain your home, and help keep your family life running smoothly.

Epilogue: Nicole's Story

So how did my wife's stay-at-home mommying adventure go? In the end, Nicole discovered the stay-at-home mom thing wasn't for her. She grew too frustrated trying to work on the house or her resume with the kids bouncing off the walls. The kids' attitudes got out of whack as they were not getting the level of socialization, activity and learning they were accustomed to at school. So the kids went back to school and so did Nicole, she's now working on her Master's degree. Since leaving the stay-at-home life behind, Nicole found she actually gets more quality time with the kids because she's no longer as frustrated when she gets to devote a portion of her day to being an adult.

Choosing whether or not to stay at home with the kids is not a matter of how much you love your kids. It's a matter of what works best for your family. Every mother or father must make this choice at some point, and whatever choice you make will undoubtedly be made with what's best for the family in mind.

Go Back to Part 1: the Cons of Staying Home

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A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 1: The Cons)

Cole Gamble — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Recently my wife went back to school and finished up a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was thrilled. I was thrilled. Even the damn pets were thrilled. The party, however, ended abruptly when Nicole realized she was, with her still hot from the oven degree in hand, entering the most hostile job market in generations. That’s when she introduced an intriguing proposition. “Hey, how about I keep the kids at home for awhile? If I can’t get a job now, I might as well take them out of child care and be a stay-at-home mom.” This was coming from a woman who started her college career on an education degree track, but then realized she didn’t like kids. This was different though. These were our kids, and your own kids are always infinitely lovelier than other peoples’ kids.

Throughout Nicole’s stay-at-home adventure, we’ve learned a lot about her personality, our kids’ personalities and the realities of staying at home with kids. Here are some of the lessons we learned, starting with the cons. In part two we’ll cover the pros and at the end I’ll let you in on what eventually happened to Nicole and how staying at home (I've heard SAH parent is the term for those in the know) has worked out for her.

The Cons:

Loneliness

Workplaces feed you daily social interaction with adults that we probably all take for granted. Once their daily routine revolves around the kid(s), many stay-at-home parents find themselves isolated. Some turn their child into their best friend, which at times puts the child in a peculiar situation as mommy or daddy gradually engages Jr. in too grown-up talk.

Loss of Identity via Loss of Career

I personally try not to define myself by my work (there are just too many more important aspects of personality), but I cannot deny all of us in the workplace to some degree merge our work into our self-esteem and identity. When you break that source of identity off, you can definitely feel that loss. People also crave the positive feedback one gets from the workplace and approbation is not something you usually get out of a screaming toddler or diaper full of crap.

Hard to Get Back to Work

Many parents find it’s tough to rejoin the job market after a sustained sabbatical.

You Can’t Provide the Activity and Socializing a Good Day Care/Preschool Can:

Hey, you’re a super stay-at-home parent. You go above and beyond the call of duty; you’re a total parenting rock star. Nonetheless, you still can’t compete with a child care program when it comes to activities and socializing. Good programs jam pack your child’s day with fun and educational projects. Also, you can’t underestimate the value of exposing your child to their peers on a daily basis. Interacting with other kids is essential for a child’s emotional and intellectual development. Yes, you can get them out of the house and around kids at the park, but you probably can’t offer them a whole class of kids working, playing and learning together every day.

Loss of Income

Yep, you do save money on child care when you keep the kids at home, but more likely than not that saved money isn’t as much as the income you lose by extracting yourself from work.

How About Losing 1 Million Dollars?

That's the amount economists say the stay-at-home parent who relinquishes a career may lose about $1 million over the years., when you factor in benefits and pensions. Yee-ouch!

Housework and Child Care Can Be Boring and Frustrating

Okay, hold your tomatoes, don’t throw them just yet. I’m not saying parenthood is boring, I’m just saying the diaper changing and tackling endless loads of laundry can be tedious and wearisome. A lot of this is about personality. I know women (and guys) who gain a great deal of satisfaction from mopping the floor and wiping noses. But just because other parents enjoy it doesn’t mean you must as well. You have to be honest with yourself.

Okay, enough doom and gloom. Let’s move on to the positives of staying home.

Click here for PART 2: The Pros.

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Gangsta’ Muppets: 12 of the Best Kids Show/Rap Mash-Ups

The Worst Baby Products Ever (Part I)

Desert Island Disks – Kid Music Edition

10 Things You May Not Know About Pregnancy (and might shock you)

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Not Such a Great Time to be a Mortgage Banker

Shannon LC Cate — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:30:00 GMT

The Mortgage Bankers' Association booked this year's San Francisco conference in 1995. Little did they know that when it finally rolled around, they'd be trapped in their hotel rooms for fear of being booed down by an angry mob. Thousands of protesters have poured into the streets around the meeting to voice their anger at the industry arguably responsible for the current economic crisis.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

"They're the ones who started this crisis. They're the ones who are responsible for it," Nancy Mitchell, a member of the ANSWER Coalition - for Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, the organizer of the protest - said into her bullhorn as convention delegates filed into the hall. "They should not be bailed out. We need that money for workers, people who are losing their homes, their jobs, their health care."

Conferees, predictably, disagreed that they deserved to be the focus of the protest, insisting that the crisis was no better for them than for anyone else. Cheryl Crispin, senior vice president of communications and marketing insisted:

"Nobody benefits from a foreclosure. The borrower, the homeowner, does not benefit. The lender who provided the loan and has been in the game does not benefit. So we, as an industry, are doing everything we possibly can to help those homeowners who are able to stay in their home stay in their homes."

She also pointed out that in California, 25% of foreclosures involved investment speculation in vacant property. If that means the remaining 75% are families losing their homes, I'm not sure she should have brought up statistics.

For footage of the protests, see below:

image: cnn.com

Scrooge McDuck explains inflation

Brett Singer — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:00:00 GMT

This video, with completely inflammatory commentary, takes an episode of the Disney show "Ducktales" and uses it to explain what the author calls, "the inflationary policy of the Federal Reserve."

Here's my favorite quote from the Mouse House's resident miserly fowl:

"Boys, I've told you before. If I raise your allowance, you'll grow up to have no respect for money, learn to live a wasteful life, and end up on the street, begging for a few measly coins…you boys have to learn that you can never get something for nothing."

So, in other words, if you spend what you have, you can't have any more. Interesting notion. Not the way we do things in this country, but hey, whatcha gonna do.

When Gizmo Duck invents a duplicating ray, and everyone starts doubling their money, Scrooge offers these pearls of wisdom:

"I dinna trust any dollar I haven't earned."

"If it keeps duplicating it could ruin the economy…If everyone has it, it loses value. Prices will go up. Then everyone will have to have more and more money. It'll be chaos!"

Aside #1: I love that Scrooge McDuck is Scottish. I keep expecting him to tell the boys that they need more dilithium crystals, if something is not Scottish, it's crap, or just cry out, "You used me Skinner!". Disney should get away from the "High School Musical" / Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus Lipschitz stuff and get back to their classic characters, which were much more fun and less sanitized.

Aside #2: Before anyone says, "Hey! Scrooge McSchmuck! What do you know about economics?" let me say, as I've said before, that I know very little about economics. I've actually advocated a return to the barter system. (No one listens to me when I say things like that.) I just thought the video was interesting.

Aside #3: No more asides! I need to go to Trader Joe's and prop up the economy. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

Source: YouTube

Palin on Katie Couric: She Totally Annoyed Me

British TV journo turns down big bucks for baby pics

Morning News: Debate Prep Works! For Everyone!

Bailout bill defeated because it sucks

They say: keep your money under your mattress

Kid Rock says kids should steal everything

Ailing Companies as Bad Children

Dora the Conservative

Morning News: Debate Prep Works! For Everyone!

Madeline Holler — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Well, well, well. Only once or twice did Sarah Palin spiral into a dark and twisting tunnel of English words strung together with a kind of free-form syntax. Mostly, she stuck to the script, winked at the audience, did that clenched teeth thing (with the head tilt and pointed finger) and sounded like the spunky mom-gal we met but five weeks ago.

Joe Biden, too, benefitted from hours of debate practice against lady politicians and scored big points after he choked back tears remembering his big life tragedy. What a girl!

In summary: everybody won because nobody lost (but Biden won just a little bit more, what with the actual information and all).

Now, not everything that was said was factual. Go here for a rundown. We feel sad this is the only debate the two will have. But Palin performed well, which should put at ease those calling for her to step down from the ticket.(Question: is she really into gay civil unions as she seemed to indicate?)

So sure her debate was relatively gaffe-free. But if you've been getting your daily workout through the isometric muscle exercises brought on by involuntary and rigorous cringing, then you felt fat and disappointed after the 90 minutes of questions. Not to worry! Grab your pilates mat. We've got one last round of Katie Couric interviews.

Daily Palin (and final installment of Daily Couric): Sarah can't really name a past vice president that she admires. Sure, she says George Bush Sr., but look at her. She doesn't mean it. On the worst thing Dick Cheney has done as vice president, she names the duck hunting accident. Curious coming from an "energy expert" who's into transparency and busting up the old boys network. We figured she would at least say something about Cheney's meetings with the movers and shakers in the energy industry ... which were secret ... and a big group hug to an old boys network. Just sayin'.

A surprise cringe sneaks up on us when Katie asks the to VP candidates their favorite movies. Oh, come on, Katie, this isn't for the Today Show!

A Daily Palin Bonus: Pregnant teen Bristol Palin and her fiance Levi Johnston appear to be planning a summer wedding. She's due with their baby in December. In terms of marrying for the sake of the child, what's the lag time called?

Oh, enough of vice presidents, here's the other big campaign news: McCain is pulling out of Michigan, which is swinging plenty in favor of Obama.

Also, the House will try again today to pass a bailout bill. The lobbyists have had time to "educate" the lawmakers, so confidence is high that Bush will have something to sign, pronto.

In health news, we have a study that says exposure to phthalates in-utero may affect the development of baby boys' genitals.

Also, high-conflict parents teach their kids how to have crappy, fight-prone relationships.

The FDA says it's not going to immediately ban over-the-counter cold medicines for kids. Even though they don't really work. And may not be safe.

Sarah Palin Has a Gay (and Probably Pissed) BFF

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Sarah Palin pro choice -- for gays

Palin Wins the Wink War

Biden Chokes Up

Photo: USAToday.com

Morning News: Touching All Your Emotions in Under 5 Minutes

Madeline Holler — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Today's Morning News we exercise our emotions. We cringe! We weep! We look on in horror (fingertips covering mouth). We curse the fates and then snooze through yet another day of bailout talk, which bores even you now. We talk about frozen children and bats in the coffee, which if we've done our job, will make woozy for the next hour. This morning, we hold you close and don't let you go.

Let's start with our very cringtastic Daily Palin:

You're thinking, "no! She's at debate camp! Prepping for Thursday night against Joe. Nothing more to say!" Oh, sure, there's that. But with his hair in rollers and bunny slippers on his feet, protective parent figure John McCain marched Sarah Palin right down the hall into Katie Couric's office yesterday and demanded she be given a second chance on the interview test! Seated side-by-side, they talk over each other in a effort to explain how Palin could have gotten it all so wrong. Just watch -- twice! (Once for the interview and again to focus on McCain. He flinches. More than once. While Palin's talking.)

If you're feeling freaked out over certain ceremonies performed in Palin's church, please remain calm. Experts say the Kenyan bishop's blessing against witchcraft is quite normal.

Is that the warm, sweet embrace of nostalgia? Sarah feels it too !(When she thinks about Joe Biden). She apparently thought a lot about him and his speeches in second grade. Which is weird because she was in Alaska, he was in D.C. and there was no CSPAN. But whatevs!

Starting to feel sorry for Palin? Rebecca Traister over at Salon says "cut it out!"

Naptime! To get you in the mood, let's talk bailout zzzzzzzzzz ... Guess which presidential candidate was right about the proposed plan? Politico says it was Bob Barr! (Man, that must burn Ralph Nader's ass!)

Here's what the cost of NO bailout plan will be (taxpayers still foot the bill).

Here's what happened in Asian markets after the bailout plan was rejected (hint: not good).

Quit fretting -- you can still get a loan. Here's how.

Wake up, we're talking about Grandma! And she makes your kids smart.

Janet Jackson was hospitalized last night. Pardon us for not being able to decode what really happened. Exhaustion? "Exhaustion?" She's being monitored (or is it "monitored"?).

Police found frozen children in a Maryland woman's freezer.

Finally, a Des Moines, Iowa, woman has been treated for rabies after a bat corpse was found ... in her coffee filter. Like a typically efficient Midwesterner, she set up her coffee the night before. And really, who doesn't like a hot fresh cup first thing while reading Morning News? When she went to dump the grinds, she discovered the dead animal. Unfortunately, it's brain had been so damaged by the brewing process they couldn't test it for rabies. Think she'll switch to tea? Will you?

Morning News: The 'Everything's Falling Apart' Edition

Photo: lolabrigida.wordpress.com

Bailout bill defeated because it sucks

Brett Singer — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:25:00 GMT

That's what the Rep. Paul Ryan, the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee said about the bailout bill, according to ABC News. "It sucks."

Yes, it's government by 10 year olds.

They went on to report that Ryan thinks the bill "has to pass to preserve the free market system and stave off a financial collapse." Even though, you know, it sucks.

I guess we should get ready for the collapse, because the bill didn't pass. Interestingly, the bill failed largely because of Republican opposition, not Democratic, despite what right-wing rags like the New York Post have been trying to tell people. (I don't have a link but they had a political cartoon, and editorials, that tried to paint Dems as the party that blocked the bill.) I'm curious how Fox News, et al, are going to spin this one.

On another note, doesn't this mean everything is going to fall apart now? (Money under the mattress time!) Or not? I admit to feeling very dumb when it comes to matters of economics, especially this one.

Source: ABC News

Image: Wikipedia (interestingly, Ryan's official house.gov web site is not responding.)

Breaking News -- House Rejects Bailout; Stocks Plunge!

Morning News: Beginning of a New Economy? End of McCain's Hopes? Palin Comes in 2nd?

Ailing Companies as Bad Children

Dora the Conservative

Breaking News -- House Rejects Bailout; Stocks Plunge!

Madeline Holler — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:49:00 GMT

Oh boy. The House of Representatives rejected the $700 billion bailout plan hammered out over the weekend by the Bush administration and House leaders. On news of the narrow defeat, Dow went into a nose dive.

From the NY Times:

The vote against the measure was 228 to 205. Supporters vowed to try to bring the rescue package up for consideration again as soon as possible.

Stock markets plunged sharply at midday as it appeared that the measure would go down to defeat.

House leaders pushing for the package kept the voting period open for some 40 minutes past the allotted time, trying to convert “no” votes to “yes” votes by pointing to damage being done to the markets, but to no avail.

Well, that saves the presidential candidates from having to weigh in with a vote from the Senate. What do you think? Good riddance bad bailout bill? Or WTF is going on here?

Then again, there's a silver lining for anybody still complaining about gas prices.

Morning News: Beginning of a New Economy? End of McCain's Hopes? Palin Comes in 2nd?

Image: NY Times

Morning News: The 'Everything's Falling Apart' Edition

Madeline Holler — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

In this issue of Morning News, we ask: is anything ever easy? Yesterday, the Bush administration and lawmakers appeared to be making progress -- real progress! -- toward a economic bailout plan. John McCain's call to suspend his campaign appeared political, sure, but one could have still argued "courageous." We could chalk Palin's cringe-y interview with Katie Couric the night before to nerves.

Then evening came around. And everything just totally fell apart.

Today, a summary of those things. We'll start with Sarah falling apart in our Daily Palin:

If you had to rock yourself to endure the discomfort of watching Sarah Palin's Wednesday night interview with Katie Couric, you'll need to shower in cold water before watching Part II from last night (video above). This woman, who you have to admit -- if you can set politics aside -- is actually fun to watch deliver a well-written speech, can't possibly have a shred of credibility remaining. Did she prep for the interview with that infamously random word-pusher, the South Carolina beauty pageant contestant? She's reminding us of our first college job as a telemarketer, memorizing flip cards and filling the silence with insta-responses ... "I can appreciate your hesitation, ma'am," ... and we were totally better at it than her! (On a bright note -- this interview may turn Katie Couric's career around!)

Also falling apart? Negotiations over the terms of the $700 billion bailout. Republicans revolted in the 11th hour (actually around 10 p.m.), saying they didn't like federal intrusion in private business. They wanted, instead, to cobble together a free market plan. Democrats called them big babies (a paraphrase).

The nation's largest S&L, Washington Mutual, just fell apart. The feds seized it and sold off its assets to JP Morgan Chase. And with that, it would appear that the friends-with-benefits style free market has officially fallen apart.

Finally, let's look at how John McCain's noble move to suspend his campaign during a crisis is totally falling apart: it's disingenuous, it's transparent and it's only helping Obama. Oh, and it's pissing off everybody else.

McCain doesn't have a monopoly on desperate and dangerous election publicity stunts. A guy running for governorship of Bangkok, Thailand, drowned during a photo op. He walked into a river to demonstrate how the filthy water caused rashes. He started waving and yelling for help, but his staff thought it was part of the stunt.

Is this photo not evidence enough that everything has fallen apart for Ed McMahon?

What's falling apart for you?

Morning News: Financial Crisis, Campaigns Would Be Hilarious If They Weren't So Sad

Morning News: Nope, No Improvements. Nation Still Falling Apart.

Video: CBSNews.com