IBM--A bastion of capitalism.

From CNN.com...

(CNN) -- IBM's reported plans to lay off thousands of U.S. workers and outsource many of those jobs to India, even as the company angles for billions in stimulus money, doesn't sit well with employee rights advocates.

This sits perfectly with shareholders, however.

Take a look at the stock price over the last year...

Compare that to the DJIA...


IBM is a solid company with solid leadership. They are working for their shareholders as any public company should. The industry has changed, IBM has adapted. And doing a very nice job of it. IBM is not running a charity. Long live CAPITALISM!

Discovered lost video surfaces!

Here is a link to some video from the formative years of Barack Obama's bowling career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dykurIVTOZo

Seriously, these Special Olympics people are nothing but class. How gracious that organization was in this article.

The president "expressed his heartfelt and sincere commitment to work with our athletes and make this country a more accepting place for people with special needs," Lum, the organization's president, said.

What Obama said on The Tonight Show adds to the discussion that's needed to raise awareness and has proven "an incredibly important and seriously teachable moment," Lum said.

From playgrounds to the "top rungs of our leadership, including our president," he said Americans have plenty to talk about and learn when it comes to stereotypes and how words can sting.

Any takers that this will be spun by the Administration as an intentional comment to raise awareness of the Special Olympics and their athletes? Really, these people have no souls.

Now I wonder if BOTO can spell potato?

Teleprompter-tales: Bush vs. Obama

I have blogged about this before...the teleprompter. Gaining so much attention these days. It even has its own blog.

We all remember President Bush, with cat-like reflexes, ducking the shoes...


(NOTE: no teleprompter)

Now, suppose BOTO was up there, with his awkwardly shifting eyes, concentrating on his teleprompter text scrolling by...



Would he have been able to duck the shoes?
Naw, don't think so. However, he might be OK if the guy was a bad aim and hit one of the prompter screens. But that might have broken it. Then BOTO would be stuck looking in one direction all the time. Now that would make him look more like a dufus. Watching him is more entertaining than American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.

With something like this...

The guy would be voted off Idol in a minute.

My bad.

OK, so now, everyone wants to take responsibility for the AIG bonuses?

From CNN...

(CNN) -- Senate Banking committee Chairman Christopher Dodd told CNN Wednesday that he was responsible for language added to the federal stimulus bill to make sure that already-existing contracts for bonuses at companies receiving federal bailout money were honored.

An BOTO wants to take responsibility at some town hall meeting (maybe that's what got loaded into the teleprompter).

There must have been a focus group which indicated if someone would take responsibility, they would get sympathy or people in general would not be so P.O.'d with this mess.

Hitchin' a ride

From over at CNN.com

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- A bat that apparently had trouble flying instead tried to hitch a ride on the space shuttle Discovery, NASA officials said.
The rodent was last seen clinging on the foam of the external tank of the space shuttle moments before the Discovery launched, officials said.
...
The crew of the Discovery safely docked at the International Space Station on Tuesday. It was unclear whether its stowaway was still clinging to the shuttle.

Since the bat was 'clinging' to the external fuel tank (which gets dropped), its highly unlikely it is still with the shuttle. Don' cha think?

Fool me once...

This headline caught my attention:
Analysts: Next bailout will be a tougher sell

from the article...

(CNN) -- The American International Group debacle could be setting President Barack Obama up for trouble, should his administration try to move forward with additional bailouts.

Now take a look at this link.

$11 trillion. Eleven trillion dollars. ELEVEN TRILLION DOLLARS! Of Debt!

This is insanity. I overhear a lot of people at work, at the park, at my kids' school talking about the current state of the economy. Support for the BOTO is drying up faster than water spilled from a canteen in the desert.

YOU THINK HE MIGHT HAVE A TOUGHER SELL ON THE NEXT BAILOUT?!?

Are you all related to Mr. Obvious?


Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The Republic Endures. For now.

Incompetent or CYA?

From ABCNEWS.com

Obama Administration: We Didn't Find Out About AIG Bonuses Until This Month

March 17, 2009 7:18 PM

Sources in the Obama administration Tuesday said that despite previous media reports administration officials did not know until a couple weeks ago that the officials of the controversial AIG Financial Product Division were set to receive $165 million in bonuses on March 13.

Are these people really that clueless? Are they playing the CYA card? Is ignorance bliss? Is this guy really our president or is this just a bad dream? Inquiring minds want to know!

Friends close, enemies closer

The president spouted in campaign rhetoric, in his administration, more countries around the world will like us again. Apparently the Russians like us so much now that they even want to keep their strategic bombers close to ours.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia expressed interest in using Cuban airfields during patrol missions of its strategic bombers, Russia's Interfax news agency reported

Earlier this week, there was an incident with the Chinese Navy.

This administration is cutting defense spending and increasing entitlement spending.

Perhaps the plan is to 'keep our friends close, and our enemies closer'? Maybe this explains why Gordon Brown was dissed as well as the amateur antics of having the Brazilian President here.

Starting to look ugly

This is going to get worse before it gets better, folks.
Where is the 'hope and change'?

Look for new unemployment numbers Friday.

You think the DJIA is done sliding? Think again. We will be getting a new round of unemployment numbers for February 2009. It ain't going to be pretty, folks.

For now, The Republic Endures.