In case you were unaware of the earth stopping news that an attention starved pseudo-celebrity with no discernable skills or societal worth named Kim Kardashian was getting a divorce 72 days after she married to more fanfare than the Royal Wedding, well than, now you know. Since this topic is trending planet-wide on Twitter… Name things that are longer than a Kim Kardashian marriage.
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Halloween Open Thread [10.31.11]
Happy Halloween!
What would Halloween be without a tribute to COD, inspired by the Wizard of Oz:
And David Axelrod goes there: GOP may be trying to destroy economy on purpose:
They don’t want to cooperate. They don’t want to help. Even on measures to help the economy that they traditionally have supported before, like a payroll tax cut, like infrastructure, rebuilding our roads and bridges and surface transport. These — so you have to ask a question, are they willing to tear down the economy in order to tear down the president or are they going to cooperate?
More like this please! Because not only is it true, but lots of voters think so too.
Why Beau Biden Had to File Suit Against MERS and the Crooks Behind MERS…
…Because the Feds and state attorneys-general drafting this deal have come up with terms so pitifully weak that these negotiators make Nevil Chamberlain look like Scott Boras by comparison. That’s why.
Kafka couldn’t have concocted the scenario that led to this. Millions upon millions of families foreclosed upon, and not even knowing who ‘owned’ their homes. No deed records to provide even the slightest bit of information to go on. The single biggest financial scandal in our nation’s history with an incalculable human toll. Deliberately engineered by the most gluttonous financial institutions imaginable.
Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times spills the beans on the paltry proposed sanctions(you may need a subscription to read this):
Cutting to the chase: if you thought this was the deal that would hold banks accountable for filing phony documents in courts, foreclosing without showing they had the legal right to do so and generally running roughshod over anyone who opposed them, you are likely to be disappointed.
Which is why Beau Biden, along with attorneys-general from New York, Massachusetts, and Nevada, abandoned the proposed settlement to seek justice in their own jurisdictions. They were concerned about the settlement:
It looks as if they were right to worry. As things stand, the settlement, said to total about $25 billion, would cost banks very little in actual cash — $3.5 billion to $5 billion. A dozen or so financial companies would contribute that money…
The banks contend that they have seen no evidence that they evicted homeowners who were paying their mortgages. Then again, state and federal officials conducted few, if any, in-depth investigations before sitting down to cut a deal.
Of course the banks don’t have any evidence because MERS was concocted by the banks to try to make sure that there was no evidence. Yet here we have the Wall Streeters who comprise Obama’s economic team and a bunch of co-opted and/or over-their heads AG’s rushing to settle this without any of the real facts.
How stupid is it to cut a deal before you even know the extent of the fraud? Don’t bother to answer, it’s a rhetorical question. Oh, and just look at the generous relief being offered to the victims:
One of the oddest terms is that the banks would give $1,500 to any borrower who lost his or her home to foreclosure since September 2008. For people whose foreclosures were done properly, this would be a windfall. For those wrongfully evicted, it would be pathetic. Roughly $1.5 billion in cash is expected to go into this pot.
Got that? If you were truly delinquent, you get $1500 you don’t deserve. If you were a victim, you get $1500 which won’t do you any good in getting your home back. And that’s assuming that the banks or whomever have a really good program for tracking down people living out of their cars somewhere. That’s because nobody has any clue as to who was foreclosed upon either fairly or unfairly. The United States of America in the 21st Century, ladies and gentlemen.
I could quote this entire article as the rest of it is all every bit as outrageous. Suffice it to say that this article (read it, subscriptions are free for up to 20 articles a month) demonstrates why OWS Wall Street is essential. If you are immune to the cynical putting-lipstick-on-a-voracious-pig, then luxuriate in your Greenville Chateau, shovel down some foie gras, wash it down with some Sauternes, and retire to your vomitorium.
If you’re as outraged as I think you should be, let your elected officials know that they can’t countenance this behavior with impunity (I’m talking about you, Jack Markell, Tom Carper, John Carney, Chris Coons…). And thank Beau Biden for having the sheer human decency to do what’s right. Which, come to think of it, shouldn’t be too much to ask of a public official. He’s doing his job. In so doing, he demonstrates why officials like Biden are essential to the success of the OWS movement. Both need and deserve our support. And neither can succeed without the other. Or without us, for that matter.
Over At Kilroy’s: What About The (Charter) Children?
I’ve been having a back and forth with Kilroy over at his blog. It all started with this thought in his post entitled: Pennsylvania moves towards school voucher.
I feel the Delaware legislators should consider legislation the provides school vouchers for students of failed charter schools if the Delaware Department of Education doesn’t secure seats in another charter school or traditional school with a rating of Superior or Commendable with direct transportation provided to students.
I shot off this comment in response to another commenter:
Arthur, I agree that children of a failed charter shouldn’t be given vouchers – sorry if I wasn’t clear. They should be returned to their feeder school. If the parent doesn’t want them to attend their feeder school, then the parent can either find another charter or pay tuition for a private school.
Which sparked this post about my comment. Kilroy holds his ground.
The comments suggest that if a student leaves a failing traditional public school for a charter school and if that charter school fails and is closed by the state, the student should just go back to their feeder school or find another charter. But I support a child in this case receives a school voucher equaling the per student cost of the charter school ordered closed. Call it victim compensation.
Here’s my problem with Kilroy’s “victim compensation” voucher idea: He limits the victims. He is saying that the family whose child is attending a charter that closes has demonstrated the desire to leave/escape a public school, therefore that child deserves a voucher.
I wondered about the children who applied to the charter but didn’t get in? Didn’t they demonstrate the same desire? Should we give them vouchers, as well? If not, why not?
And what about the child with no advocate willing, or able, to complete a charter application? Would they not be considered victims? Shouldn’t any child in a failing school be considered a victim? And if we do consider them victims, then wouldn’t they be eligible for vouchers and direct transportation?
Go back to his first post where he calls for legislation. He is saying that it is the DOE’s responsibility to secure seats for the children of a failed Charter at “another charter school or traditional school with a rating of superior or commendable…”
Seriously? I’m sure I’m not the only one who would have a problem with these families being moved to the front of the Choice line. How is it fair that people who have opted out of the public school system be given preferential treatment over those who have stayed in the system? I might start attending school board meetings to witness the fireworks. And the public school parents who end up being bumped down the list would have a strong grievance.
Another commenter already figured out a way to game Kilroy’s idea:
So if this comes to pass, let’s start “PlanToFail Academy.” It won’t cost much since we can rent by the month, and it’s not like we need books or anything. We can have all our kids into top schools by this time next year!
Funny, but true.
And another commenter, Observer, clears up the issue by placing the responsibility where is belongs.
I have an idea… Let’s make a law/rule that says existing charter schools & any new charter school must develop a plan for what happens to their students if they fail academically and/or financially. This should be a requirement. They want to exist, so they need to come up with the fallback plan. This puts the responsibility for charter school success & failure where it belongs – on the people that started them. The state shouldn’t need to come up with or pay for what happens to the children of the failed charter schools. Charter schools took them out of the traditional system, they should document a plan of how to reintegrate them if something goes wrong. If they refuse to come up with the plan, then they should be closed.
Observer for the win.
In a lot of ways Charters remind me of Too Big To Fail. Everyone is all about the free market until there’s trouble. And I’m beginning to wonder if the public (especially the Charter parent) understands how Charters are supposed to work. Perhaps every parent enrolling their child in a Charter school needs to sign a form stating they understand that they are leaving the public school system for an experimental system and if the school closes they are on their own.
Many parents have experienced this exact scenario in cases of the closing of Catholic schools. In fact, according to Kilroy’s logic perhaps these Catholic school children should have received vouchers since the DOE didn’t secure seats in another charter school or traditional school with a rating of Superior or Commendable with direct transportation provided to students.
Sorry to pick on you, Kilroy, but you’re way off base on this one. I still adore you, tho!
Delaware-centric beer?
Dogfish Head is releasing a new beer with “deep Delaware roots.” This is so important that Governor Markell will be on hand at the announcement. So our dear readers, what will a Delaware centric beer taste like?
Because I thought we already had a Delaware beer… the IPAs Dogfish already makes. You also have the beers that Twin Lakes brews upstate. But what do I know…
Mitt Romney is one lucky bastard
So this weekend, Rick Perry gave a weird speech to a New Hampshire crowd. Some have compared it to his Dean Scream moment, which I guess. Watch it below:
And then there is Herman Cain. He has a Clarence Thomas problem.
“During Herman Cain’s tenure as the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s, at least two female employees complained to colleagues and senior association officials about inappropriate behavior by Cain, ultimately leaving their jobs at the trade group. [..]
The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. The agreements also included language that bars the women from talking about their departures.”
Mitt Romney is the luckiest son of a bleep since I can remember. He has no credible oppoenents in the GOP primary. And the incredible ones are destroying themselves so that he wins by default.
But then again maybe not. Cain has begun a push back by of course attacking the messenger and attacking the mainstream media, which means that the story is 100% accurate and probably worse than we know. Cain will be in front of the cameras today in D.C. He will be talking to the American Enterprise Institute at 9 AM and the National Press Club at 1 PM. Both events are on C-SPAN, and the press event will include questions. I predict fireworks.
What the Hell? Vance Phillips in plane crash, breaks back.
Talk about a no-good very bad horrible past few days for Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips. According to WGMD, Phillips was flying his motorized ultralight airplane when it crashed yesterday. He is at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville this morning being treated for a broken back. Politics aside, we hope his injuries are not too serious and that he recovers fully.
Monday Daily Delawhere [10.31.11]
Sunday Open Thread [10.30.11]
NCCo Executive Paul Clark recused himself from signing Stoltz rezoning ordinance into law, and thus the Barley Mill plan will become law without his signature. Smart, as I wonder if that conflict of interest was going to be a legal basis to challenge the plan.
I remember during late 2007 how excited Obama supporters were when the Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll showing Obama taking the lead for the first time, and the reason why they were excited is because some polls are better than others, especially when performed by local respected institutions. So now the Register has Cain leading Romney by 1 point, 23% to 22%. So I guess I have to take Cain seriously.
The question now is, should Romney concede Iowa to the Tea Party candidate, whether it is Cain or whomever. Because if he looks at this poll and is encouraged and decides to commit resources, I think he is making a fatal mistake. Romney’s ceiling seems to be in the low to mid 20’s. Those who are supporting Bachmann or Santorum or Gingrich are not going to move to Romney in the caucus. They will move to Cain. In the end, Romney could lose big in Iowa.
The News Journal Notices The Shallow Bench
Today’s News Journal features a long article on the mess that is the Delaware GOP. Basically, the downstate Repuboicans still hate the Greenville Republicans and they are not holding hands and singing Kumbayah yet. The GOP is terrified that Christine O’Donnell will run again and terrified to anger her supporters. They can’t even get it together enough to get a candidate for a winnable race like Insurance Commissioner. Here’s a preview:
“I believe Greenville sooner or later has to wake up to the fact that what they want always loses,” said Rich Collins, a conservative Republican from Millsboro. “Until they do that, they will always lose.”
Recruiting candidates for statewide offices for 2012 has proved to be a tough sell because of the fear of another divisive primary.
“I think what people are worried about is, will we have the disaster at the top of the ticket as we had last time?” said House Minority Leader Greg Lavelle, the state party vice chairman. “Otherwise, you could be talking to Speaker Lavelle.”
As if! Regular readers of Delaware Liberal find this as no surprise. Unsurprisingly, the new GOP officials like John Sigler play down the rift:
“The rift isn’t quite as deep as people think it is and perhaps how deep some would like it to be,” Sigler said. “What I’m finding is there is unity in the Republican Party, that it’s time to end one-party rule.”
Definitely worth a read. Read it and come back and tell us what you think.
Sunday Daily Delawhere [10.30.11]
Saturday Open Thread [10.29.11]
The appalling lack of empathy from a NY-based foreclosure mill led to a Halloween Party last year where the employees dressed up to mock people who were losing their homes or who were homeless. Joe Nocera at the NYT has the details and some of the pictures. You really need to go look.
Let me describe a few of the photos. In one, two Baum employees are dressed like homeless people. One is holding a bottle of liquor. The other has a sign around her neck that reads: “3rd party squatter. I lost my home and I was never served.” My source said that “I was never served” is meant to mock “the typical excuse” of the homeowner trying to evade a foreclosure proceeding.
A second picture shows a coffin with a picture of a woman whose eyes have been cut out. A sign on the coffin reads: “Rest in Peace. Crazy Susie.” The reference is to Susan Chana Lask, a lawyer who had filed a class-action suit against Steven J. Baum — and had posted a YouTube video denouncing the firm’s foreclosure practices. “She was a thorn in their side,” said my source.
What’s on your mind this snowy Saturday?
Saturday Daily Delawhere [10.29.11]
