Wellpoint

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/22593710/detail.html

2.7 BILLLION in profits for the 4th quarter of 2009.

The CEO makes 10 MILLION a year.

They are raising rates 39% in California.

And people wonder why I say we need regulations........

The Disconnect

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/business/24fdic.html

Little banks are still failing right and left.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8531036.stm

Wall Street doesn't care. They are still profiting from the carnage. They profit when things are good and they profit when things are bad. Must be nice.......

Walmart getting what they deserve

http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/18/wal-mart-retail-markets-equities-earnings-sams.html?boxes=financechannelforbes

"Wal-Mart's third-consecutive quarterly decline, as consumers continue to rein in discretionary spending amid a tough economy and stubbornly high unemployment."

Unemployment that Wal-Mart helps to create. It is fine that they drive off all the local businesses and force all of their inventory to be made in China. But they shouldn't be surprised when the sales begin to dry up.

Finally getting serious

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/afghanistan/article7032343.ece

It is good to see Pakistan is FINALLY starting to get serious. Obama deserves credit for getting this turned around.

Things seem to be happening on a daily basis. http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2010/02/us_airstrikes_target.php

It only took 8 years but we are now being proactive instead of reactive. Better late then never.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/bal-te.afghannext18feb18,0,6498769.story

NBA Pleads Poverty

The NBA is pleading poverty. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4912384
Supposedly the NBA is losing 400 million dollars a year. If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you.

Supposedly the league has been losing money for years too even though this was never mentioned until yesterday.

In fact less then 4 months ago the same David Stern said there would be a “MINOR drop” in league revenue.
http://www.washingtonwizardsbasketball.com/article/Stern%20expects%20minor%20drop%20in%20league%20revenue/?k=j83s12y12h94s27k02

How can they be losing all this money if NBA attendance is strong. http://www.hoopsnotes.com/2010/01/nba-attendance-is-better-than-projected/

TV ratings are up.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/nba-television-ratings-up-highlights-haveshave-nots.php

How can they be losing all this money if they have TV contracts locked up till 2016 and the extension (signed in 2007) was more then 20% higher then the previous contract. The NBA receives $930 million per year. I don’t remember the players getting 20% increase in 2007.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2007-06-27-3096131424_x.htm

Another wards the NBA owners (like the NFL owners) are full of sh*t. The result will be no football or basketball in 2011.

Greed wins every time.

playing with numbers

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021101311.html?hpid=topnews

"Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped by 43,000 to a seasonally adjusted 440,000."

"the White House said it expects the economy to create an average of 95,000 jobs a month this year."

So lets do the math.......

440,000 jobs lost last month
- 95,000 expected to be created.
345,000 Net loss of jobs per month.

Sounds great! Things are really starting to look up.

Obama The Spineless wonder......

Jan 22 - Obama talks tough to the banks......"If these folks want a fight, it's a fight I'm ready to have," he vowed defiantly.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/obama-moves-to-rein-in-banks-in-wall-street-assault-20100122-moke.html

Feb 7 - Wall Street stops giving money to the Democrats and gives lots of money to the Republicans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08lobby.html?hp

Feb 11 - Obama back pedals like the spineless wonder we all knew he really was.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/10/obama-wall-street-bonuses

Toyota debacle

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/09/autos/corolla_investigation/index.htm?postversion=2010020914
Even more Toyota problems. This time with the steering.

So the accelerators have problems. The brakes have problems. Now the steering has problems. That is just about everything.
What has happened to Toyota.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/08/AR2010020803830.html?sid=ST2010020900685

The accelerator issues were exposed in 2007 and everyone did nothing.

Fighting Obesity

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/09/obama.child.obesity/?hpt=T1

Obama is creating another task force. That is what Obama does best. Summits and task forces.

Fixing childhood obesity is easy. There is no need for a task force. Everyone know what the issue is. Unfortunately the powerful corn lobby is fighting it so Obama must waste time with phony task forces. The solution is to ban all High Fructose Corn Syrup. Period! Force all food producers to go back to real sugar.

Problem solved. What's next?

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/34669.php

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002658491_healthsyrup04.html

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/how_high_fructose_corn_syrup_causes_obesity/

Sun Microsystems - From riches to rags in 11 years

In 1999 Sun Microsystems was growing by leaps and bounds. A global titan in the new internet economy.
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/22/business/sun-microsystems-earnings-grow-22.html

Today Suns says goodbye. Swallowed up by Oracle as another example of the colossal failures of corporate America.
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1230818&srvc=business&position=recent

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson does not want to talk about the past. 2006 was "4 years ago dude" Move on.....

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/414976_tvgif3.html

Unless you want to talk about Braveheart from 15 years ago. Or Mad Max from 31 years ago then Mel will be happy to talk to you.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/01/mel-gibson-looks-at-some-old-pictures-braveheart-lethal-weapon-and-more.html

Redistribution of wealth

Bill O Reilly says of Obama "He does believe in redistribution of income, and that is a socialist tenet,"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-100203-jon-stewart-bill-oreilly-interview,0,4886818.story

That is funny because under George Bush there was a huge redistribution of wealth too (all going to the rich) and I don't remember Bill O Reilly ever mentioning that as socialism.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101310.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/10/ING0UC4LLO1.DTL

Still unexpectedly....

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-04/initial-jobless-claims-in-u-s-unexpectedly-climbed-last-week.html

Another unexpected month for the "experts". You would think eventually they would figure it out. Especially since there is nothing unexpected about it. Last month it was expected. This month it is expected. Next month it will be expected again. The only thing that is not expected if for things to get better. That would be some breaking new. It really bugs me that everyone keeps acting surprised. "Oh my I went outside and the sky was unexpectedly blue". It is so stupid.

Friction with China

Friction with China over Google hacking.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gGycPfF9WPzjXYA5N9NT6TpAAMIA

Friction with China over arms sales to Tawain.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/0202/US-arms-sales-to-Taiwan-stifle-US-China-military-engagement

Friction with China over Iranian Sanctions.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-clinton-iran-china30-2010jan30,0,5801660.story

Friction with China over the Dalai Lama
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/china-threatens-barack-obama-over-dalai-lama-meeting/story-e6frg6so-1225826075687

Friction with China over Trade
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6103FK20100201?type=politicsNews

China steals our Panda Bear.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1530816.php/Panda-cub-s-return-to-China-strikes-heartfelt-chord-in-Washington


Is everyone sure they are not our enemy because I don't think we have all these issues with Britain.

"Clean Coal"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020300609.html

Yesterday it was Nuclear and today it is "clean coal". If you squint you can almost see George W Bush. What happened to our "green" economy. What happened to T Boon Pickens and wind farms as far as the eye can see. Solar panels on everyone's house. How did we end up back at coal. Oh right the powerful coal lobby. Let me tell you a little secret....Coal is dirty. Not only is it dirty but it is a huge producer of CO2 gas which is the leading greenhouse gas causing global warming (If you believe in that sort of thing). Coal fire power plants are enemy #1 of global warming. The idea that if we spend enough money to develop "clean technologies" maybe it won't be so bad is pie in the sky. Maybe if we spend enough money pigs will one day fly too. The reality is pigs don't fly and coal is dirty. If we wanted Republican ideas we would have voted for a Republican president. People voted for change but Obama is giving us more of the same.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/01/60minutes/main5356202.shtml

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090123-coal-ash.html

Nuclear Power

Obama supports more Nuclear power plants. That pisses off the democrats. Supporting Nuclear power is a Republican idea. Obama is suppose to be different but here he is acting the same as George W. Bush again. He is working for the exact same special interests.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/01/obamas-call-for-new-nuclear-power-plants-triggers-outrage/1


The problem with Nuclear power is what to do with the nuclear waste. For the last 20 years the plan was to send it all to Yucca Mountain (in Nevada) But Obama’s just killed that idea.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/07/AR2009030701666.html

Why would he support more Nuclear power and then kill Yucca Mountain. Because Nevada is the home state of Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Harry Reid is in a tough battle for reelection.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/24/harry-reid-could-lose-2010-reelection-poll-shows/

So before the Republican sweep back into power this is Reids last chance to win favor with all his angry constituents.
It is business as usual in Washington…….

Obama kills the moon mission

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/feb/01/obama-nasa-moon-mission-deficit

So if we aren't going to the moon and the shuttles are being retired then what is left? Is NASA going to be boarded up.

What a joke.

Our countries greatness is evaporating right before our eyes. We will be able to tell our grandchildren we witnessned the great decline of our country.

JFK would hate Obama.
"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. "
President John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962, at Rice University, Houston, Texas