DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

so, the pension mess is unraveling in Europe.  the attached link describes how the European union employees are beginning to revolt over the necessary pension changes.  All being done way too late, by the way.  No way out of this mess. http://news.yahoo.com/mass-strike-promises-travel-chaos-063900078.html Now, contrast that with the non-action being taken in Illinois: http://news.yahoo.com/mass-strike-promises-travel-chaos-063900078.html no action.  the ticks on the ghost moose continue to gorge...I find the line about the pension being protected because it was legally awarded particularly infuriating.  if nothing else, this mess shows the unions are in charge, and no actions will be taken to do anything against the unions that supported the politicians. You can count on Gov. Fudd Quinn taking no actions on pensions during this term, and leaving the problem, and the supposed expiration of the income tax increase to the next criminal that will govern the...

so windy today.  must be winter blowing in. I guess summer is almost over. here are two gems about our favorite shithole, Illinois. http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/illinois/business-tax-breaks-illinois-sears-cme-cost-taxpayers-20111117 Gov. Fudd  Quinn is giving tax breaks to companies that will cost $848 million, as well as tax breaks to low income families.  and where do you think this give away will be funded?  Gee - when that temporary tax increase expires, we will be in a real jam, huh?  of course, the temporary increase is only temporary until it is replaced by a temporary higher increase in the personal income tax.  http://247wallst.com/2011/11/28/best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-an-analysis-of-all-50/8/ the link above is to a story that has Illinois ranked 49th out of 50 for the most poorly run state in the country, ahead of only California.  Can you imagine what a complete disaster California must be to be ranked lower than ...

I continue to marvel at the arrogance and ignorance that came together to form the perfect storm that was the financial system meltdown.  Two separate stories here.  the first is a better assessment of exactly how much of our tax money was given to the financial institutions to keep them afloat.  We were never truly told how tenuous this financial system was.   And how much it cost us taxpayers to make sure the bankers continued to award themselves huge salaries and bonuses.  And the whole story will probably never be told. But this is a good read: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-28/secret-fed-loans-undisclosed-to-congress-gave-banks-13-billion-in-income.html the second story here is about how the state of Illinois is being held hostage by companies such as Sears (and motorola, CME, etc).  http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/story/2011-11-25/sears-holdings-headquarters/51423932/1 In the same manner that the federal governme...

Since I first posted earlier, the paper came, and there was a follow up in the Trib about the pension hog that qualifed for a 6 figure pension by fradulently being classified as a substitute teacher: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-preckwinkle-scholarships-20111127,0,6549186.story well, it also turns out he had 2 kids and a nephew get full rides to college.  when is enough enough?  and yet this is not investigated by any government office - it lies hidden until the Trib shines light on it.  Just like the courageous Trib did with Jim Ryan's divorce records which indirectly led us to having our current collossal failure as president. Great Job, Trib.

the news is still full of stories about the mayhem with the crush of shoppers on Black Friday...mobs of people with nothing better to do, stampeding to get a $2 waffle maker, or a cheap flat screen tv.  spending hours of their free time standing in a line...like sheep.  The Norman Rockwell Christmas is no more...somewhere along the line the holiday went from a time of family and God, to a time of gorging on cheaply made Chinese goods. Proves my theory - the govt is only too happy to keep the masses supplied with food and alcohol in mass quantities...and cheap consumer goods.  If the masses are kept fat, drunk and laden with brightly colored stuff, they will be distracted from fully understanding that the state is broke, the country is broke, and one by one, European countries are folding.  my advice - learn how to speak Mandarin.  Merry Christmas.

Up too early.  I had forgotten what crap there is on tv at 4 am.  The extended commercials for seat covers and Chris Angel magic kits....do people actually buy this stuff?  I suppose if saps will leave home to line up at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night to buy a tv, they will buy anything.  I was watching Jay Leno (what a no talent hack) who had on some woman I had no clue, and she mentioned the unfair treatment that Michelle Bachmann was getting from the media...and of course Leno disputed that, mentioning the lampooning he had done of John Kerry, and the current repulican male candidates...but no mention of making fun of our current colossal failure, Obama.  no - making fun of Obama would be an admission that we have all been had...which we all have been.  how in the world would anyone want 4 more years of this failure?  time to unseal someone elses divorce records, or the make fun of Donald Trump, or dredge up dirt on Herman Cain...but, perish the thou...

Day after Thanksgiving.  almost all companies are closed...almost all.  Last week, Michelle Bachman made an appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show.  the band played some song called "Lying Ass Bitch" when she came out for her appearance.  http://www.nj.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.ssf/2011/11/michele_bachmann_gets_apology.html how is that in any way appropriate?  and why was this not covered more by the liberal press?  now, contrast that with the uproar last week when Michelle Obama was booed at a NASCAR race.  we immediately hear how all nascar fans are redneck bigots, and it was inappropriate, blah blah blah... at lease she wasn't greeted with a song "Lyin Ass Bitch".  that truly would have been horribly disrespectful.