Cknolls

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 2, 2010 -> 08:05 AM) Not often you hear a Republican explicitly argue "We need fewer policemen and firemen." I'm impressed. Is that what I said? You are better than Gibbs.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 02:29 PM) And I am shocked by the negative campaigns against unions. I don't get it either. Without them, we'd be a third world country. SOLD

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 03:58 PM) Yeah, and police and fire layoffs too. Are these the same firemen and policemen the Clintons hired and then the states and citites had no way of paying? Let's put 200,00 more on the streets but then let the states try to pay for it when the Federal teat runs dry.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 02:16 PM) The Chamber of Commerce spent $144.5 million in political activity in 2009, nearly as much as the DNC and RNC COMBINED. http://politics.theatlantic.com/2010/02/th...the_parties.php I believe unions spent close to if not more than 1 billion dollars on the 2008 elections.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 12:39 PM) ive been shocked by peoples negative attitudes towards unions as a whole over the past 10 years. i dont get it, at all. Go to the county building. I have said this before, I went there to get my marriage license and there was nobody there. There had a serpentine rope line and I walked around it to the window where the woman was working and she told me to get in line. She then proceded to poinrt me to another window where the woman who does marriage licenses(probably a specialty) worked. She had to finish her chicken before she could wait on me. Very Efficient. no waste there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 10:54 AM) I'd happily trade zero contributions from labor unions for zero corporate contributions. For example, you seem to be a lot angrier about the $70 million coming from labor unions last cycle than you are about the $166 million coming from the Health Care industry alone. One single industry in one cycle more than doubles the total contributions of unions, and you wonder why we think corporate influence is a little more pernicious than union influence? But healthcare industry employees probably did not campaign directly during work hours for candidates. What is that worth?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 10:47 AM) Labor unions consist of hard working people. People like my parents. I have a little more sympathy for hard working middle class people over aristocratic bankers. Only union members are hard working. Lol. Nobody who works in an office is hard working?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 10:36 AM) Perhaps he works for one of the many big banks that funded his campaign. Like Obama and Wall Street in 2008?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 10:34 AM) Quite frankly, yeah. The "We're not seating them until they have all of the appropriate signatures" came about because the Senate didn't want to seat Burress, and then it was used to keep the Dems from seating Senator Franken during the legal challenges. When did Buress and Franken run for office in MASS?

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says that Hurricane Katrina was "the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans.” Any wackos on MSDNC want to call him a racist for this comment?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 10:22 AM) Because over a period of 45 years, laws change? Did they change from 2007 to now when Tsongas was seated in 2 days? I know it a representatives race, but the same premise.

So how long before the FDIC taps the $500 billion line of credit from Treasury? They collected $45 billion in fees for 2010-2012 up front. This $45 billion is already down to $23.141 billion. There have already been 15 bank failures in 2009. On a pace for 150-200. ARMs and Negative Amortization Mortgages are starting to reset. But, they are too far underwater to be helped by mortgage modification programs. I like my recessions with a double dip..

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 09:54 AM) but what's the hurry? It's not like its been months. I think we are 10 days post election. I find it fascinating that nobody can give a good answer as to why one person is seated the next day,TEDDY, and another who won with his opponent conceding has not been seated 13 days later. Maybe if the Dems needed his vote for a veto they would seat him? hmmm..... I'm glad only the r's play games.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Jan 31, 2010 -> 09:26 PM) With the Senate Democrats indicating that they will wait for the state of Massachusetts to follow its own procedural guidelines for certifying a winner in the Massachusetts special Senate election, the next question should be asked: What are the state's guidelines and procedures? We asked Michelle Tassinari, the legal counsel for the state Elections Division, and she sent us over a list of the relevant statutes. First of all, no certificate of election can be issued until at least ten days following a special election, and in real terms it would probably be at least 15 days. State law can allow for a certificate seven days after a special election -- but that law is trumped by the federal laws governing overseas and military ballots, which are triggered because this is an election for federal office, and which create a longer window in this election. The delay between election day and certification of the winner is provided for by state law in order for local election officials -- there are 351 local election offices in the state -- to certify their totals, and to count overseas absentee ballots that have not arrived until after election day. The deadline for absentee ballots sent from overseas to reach their local election offices is 5 p.m. on January 29. Tassinari also explained to us that January 29 is not necessarily the endpoint. Ballots must arrive by 5 p.m. on that day, and the local election officials cannot have their meeting to count them until after 5 p.m. that day. The local election officials then have up to five more days to resolve any provisional ballots before they certify their local election results, which must be done by February 3rd. After the results are received from the local election officials, the Secretary of State will present the total results to the governor and the Governor's Council for certification. Only after the results are certified by the governor and the Governor's Council can a certificate of election be issued. (The governor and the council schedule their own meetings, which usually take place on Wednesdays.) So what does this all mean? Looking over these statutes, it seems clear that unless the result is very, very close (think Al Franken and Norm Coleman in Minnesota, or Scott Murphy and Jim Tedisco in NY-20), we should probably know on election night who has been elected when the vast majority of votes are counted. But even then, state law is clear that a certificate of election cannot be issued until at least 15 days later. And if Senate Democrats insist on a completed certificate -- just as the Senate Dems did in their unsuccessful attempts to keep out Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL), and Senate Republicans did in their successful blocking of Al Franken during the Minnesota litigation -- that would keep the winner out for at least 15 days. Except when it is a Kennedy, then NEXT DAY WILL DO FINE THANK YOU! What hypocrisy? When the opponent concedes, I think we can say it is over.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jan 30, 2010 -> 10:02 AM) Because that's how the law to hold the special election was written when it was voted on a few years ago. Oh, ok. I thought politics had something to do with it. Laws are for Repubs only in Mass. Got it!!

Well on our way to 1007-1010. Sell signals galore triggered this week. Classic sell the good news the past two weeks. If no bounce occurs down in the loww 1000's a larger correction could be at hand.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 03:46 PM) I believe the precedent that he is speaking of is unique to Massachussets. Can anyone give a good reason why they cannot certify this election? She conceded, and he won by a larger margin than supposed absentee vote. Besides politics give me a reason. Kennedy sworn in next day. Tsongas sworn in 2 days later. Republican=wait.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 01:32 PM) They better pass that health care! i believe there is precedent that an interim appointed Senator's term expires after a new Senator is elected by the people. Not after he is certified.

Why is Paul Kirk still voting in the Senate when his term expired after the special election a week and a half ago?

Personal consumption was up only 1.44% so the consumer remains a weak spender, not surprising considering the unemployment rate. State and local gov't spending was slightly negative despite the fact that much of the stimulus bill went to them. As the stimulus winds down we will see more pressure on local govt's as tax revenue continues to be a problem. This GDP is very misleading.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 29, 2010 -> 07:57 AM) Advanced Q4 GDP reading announced - 5.7% growth, Q/Q. 4.7% was the concensus expectation. Futures markets indicate a big open in response. And 3.4% was due to inventories. So not as impressive as it seems.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 02:30 PM) How in the world are you coming up with that federal debt number? Are you counting everything the Fed has loaned out but then also giving the assets its taken back a value of zero? The debt ceiling was raised by the Senate to 14.29tr. We will likely pass that by mid 2011.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 02:30 PM) How in the world are you coming up with that federal debt number? Are you counting everything the Fed has loaned out but then also giving the assets its taken back a value of zero? The debt ceiling was raised by the Senate to 14.29tr. We will likely pass that by mid 2011.

3rd qtr annualized GDP is now LESS THAN Federal debt. Congrats Congress. Keep up the good work $14.29 Trillion Debt vs $14.242 Trillion GDP.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 28, 2010 -> 08:38 AM) I didn't realize Jay Leno posted in here. Here all day make sure you tip your wait staff.