The Power of the Criminal

Interesting little conspiracy theory floating around the net about why Elliot Spitzer was brought down..... I'm inclined to believe this. What wouldn't the Bush administration do at this point?

The conspiracy theory video.

Text of Spitzer's article from the Washington Post:

Predatory Lenders' Partner in CrimeHow the Bush Administration Stopped the States From Stepping In to Help Consumers

By Eliot SpitzerThursday, February 14, 2008; A25

Several years ago, state attorneys general and others involved in consumer protection began to notice a marked increase in a range of predatory lending practices by mortgage lenders. Some were misrepresenting the terms of loans, making loans without regard to consumers' ability to repay, making loans with deceptive "teaser" rates that later ballooned astronomically, packing loans with undisclosed charges and fees, or even paying illegal kickbacks. These and other practices, we noticed, were having a devastating effect on home buyers. In addition, the widespread nature of these practices, if left unchecked, threatened our financial markets.

Even though predatory lending was becoming a national problem, the Bush administration looked the other way and did nothing to protect American homeowners. In fact, the government chose instead to align itself with the banks that were victimizing consumers.
Predatory lending was widely understood to present a looming national crisis. This threat was so clear that as New York attorney general, I joined with colleagues in the other 49 states in attempting to fill the void left by the federal government. Individually, and together, state attorneys general of both parties brought litigation or entered into settlements with many subprime lenders that were engaged in predatory lending practices. Several state legislatures, including New York's, enacted laws aimed at curbing such practices.

What did the Bush administration do in response? Did it reverse course and decide to take action to halt this burgeoning scourge? As Americans are now painfully aware, with hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure and our markets reeling, the answer is a resounding no.

Not only did the Bush administration do nothing to protect consumers, it embarked on an aggressive and unprecedented campaign to prevent states from protecting their residents from the very problems to which the federal government was turning a blind eye.
Let me explain: The administration accomplished this feat through an obscure federal agency called the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC has been in existence since the Civil War. Its mission is to ensure the fiscal soundness of national banks. For 140 years, the OCC examined the books of national banks to make sure they were balanced, an important but uncontroversial function. But a few years ago, for the first time in its history, the OCC was used as a tool against consumers.

In 2003, during the height of the predatory lending crisis, the OCC invoked a clause from the 1863 National Bank Act to issue formal opinions preempting all state predatory lending laws, thereby rendering them inoperative. The OCC also promulgated new rules that prevented states from enforcing any of their own consumer protection laws against national banks. The federal government's actions were so egregious and so unprecedented that all 50 state attorneys general, and all 50 state banking superintendents, actively fought the new rules.
But the unanimous opposition of the 50 states did not deter, or even slow, the Bush administration in its goal of protecting the banks. In fact, when my office opened an investigation of possible discrimination in mortgage lending by a number of banks, the OCC filed a federal lawsuit to stop the investigation.

Throughout our battles with the OCC and the banks, the mantra of the banks and their defenders was that efforts to curb predatory lending would deny access to credit to the very consumers the states were trying to protect. But the curbs we sought on predatory and unfair lending would have in no way jeopardized access to the legitimate credit market for appropriately priced loans. Instead, they would have stopped the scourge of predatory lending practices that have resulted in countless thousands of consumers losing their homes and put our economy in a precarious position.

When history tells the story of the subprime lending crisis and recounts its devastating effects on the lives of so many innocent homeowners, the Bush administration will not be judged favorably. The tale is still unfolding, but when the dust settles, it will be judged as a willing accomplice to the lenders who went to any lengths in their quest for profits. So willing, in fact, that it used the power of the federal government in an unprecedented assault on state legislatures, as well as on state attorneys general and anyone else on the side of consumers.

No More

Coming in Spring 2008, a documentary by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro: Body of War

Watch the video for "No More" written and sung by Eddie Vedder:

Ken Leeeeeee

Just in case you missed it on the radio and spoof tv news shows this week... Enjoy!

Popsicle Jokes!

Tuesday was 4 weeks since I went under the knife....and 4 weeks ago today was the last day of my painkiller-filled first week home. I hadn't had one popsicle by this time....but those things became my best friend shortly thereafter.

As I sat in my bed slowly dissolving the ice in my mouth, I tried to guess the punchline of all the jokes printed on the sticks. I wasn't so good at that.... I saved all the sticks though because the whole recovery has been such hell that I want to look back on as many of the positive highlights as I can....namely the 25 pounds I lost, and the fact that I no longer like salt, pop or chocolate....which are all the things that probably helped me keep those 25 pounds on so easily.

Here are all the cheesy jokes that kept me company and gave me ten seconds of distraction while I was in recovery hell. And yes, I know they are dumb, but imagine how desperate I was for distraction that I actually laughed at these....yeah, it was that bad.

What kind of horse likes to be ridden at night?
A nightmare.

Who granted the monster's wish?
His scary godmother.

What animal should you never play cards with?
A cheetah.

What do you call a trunk full of bison?
A buffa-load.

What did the digital clock say to his mother?
Look ma, no hands!

Why did the computer go to the doctor?
It had a virus.

What kind of ring did the rabbit buy his girlfriend?
14-carrot gold.

What did the dentist give the marching band?
A tuba toothpaste.

What goes 99 clunk, 99 clunk, 99 clunk?
A centipede with a wooden leg.

What time is it when seven hungry lions are chasing you?
Seven after one.

How do you avoid ticks on your pets?
Don't let them wear a watch.

How can you spot a dogwood tree?
By its bark.

Five Years Later...

It's been five years today since America invaded Iraq. I am angry and sad about so many things about this war, I don't know where to start. Angry at President Bush, sad about the loss of lives, sad at the way the media hasn't held anyone accountable, angry that the majority of the American public is so numb to it....the list goes on. I don't have a close friend or family member in Iraq, but I do have a friend whose husband was in Afghanistan....where we should focus our efforts. Lives have been lost on both fronts, and that hurts. It hurts me to know that some dad or brother or aunt or wife is missing a piece of their heart and soul. There have been 487 lives lost in Afghanistan and 3,992 in Iraq....over 4,000 total.

WAR IS WRONG!

Let me say thanks, however, to every soldier here and gone and also the families who have to stay behind and wait by the phone or for an email...or sadly, that knock on the door. I hate this stupid war and I hope every citizen in this country pulls the lever to ending it by voting for the Democratic candidate in November. If you think the economy is the #1 issue, you are uninformed. Our economy will continue to fall the longer we stay in Iraq....the long-term financial impacts are currently estimated at $3 TRILLION. Don't let our grandchildren pay for Bush's ignorance.... And next time you see a soldier, be sure to say THANKS.

Video courtesy of rosie.com.

Song is "Hallelujah." Sung here by KD Lang, original lyrics by Jeff Buckley.

On the Mend

After three weeks of pure hell, I'm finally on the mend! I had my tonsils out on Tuesday, February 19th. After a bitter twenty-year battle with sore throats, strep and tonsillitis, I finally found a doctor to remove them. His take on why I had such a hard time was interesting. He went on to explain that eighty years ago, tonsils were removed as a matter of course, but in the last thirty to fifty years, medicinal advances with antibiotics conditioned physicians to treat the symptoms rather than fixing the cause. However, now everything in medicine is "evidence based." And based on the evidence, he said, "antiobiotics are poison in your body" so more and more doctors are doing the right thing by removing tonsils and adenoids.

So my first week was a painkiller induced breeze. However, they destroyed my stomach. On Sunday the 24th, I had some jello about mid-day. A few hours later I barfed that up along with some stomach acid.....yep, stomach acid. I did it again on Monday right before I went to see my primary doctor. Little did I know what that was about to do to my body... I went to see my primary because I wanted something other than liquid Lortab....I wanted something in pill form. They didn't quite grasp the depth of my problem, and neither did I, so I left with no pills, but my surgeon had sent me a script for some. Thank goodness.... By Wednesday I had developed the most painful canker sores I'd ever experienced in my life. That prevented me from eating or drinking much, and I nearly became dehydrated. Despite me crying on the phone to my surgeon's office during my explanation of what was going on, they did nothing. (More on that later!)

So I went back to my primary doctor on Friday who prescribed me liquid lidocaine to mix with Benedryl and Maalox. Since canker sores are a virus, there's not much you can do.....but what I'm calling the "magic mouth syrup" is working. I ate real food for the first time last Saturday...banana flavored oatmeal. Since then, I've graduated to chicken soup and pudding. My problem with the sores is that salt is murder on them....so I had to find some soft, sweet options. I dilute the chicken soup which helps.

During the course of my stay, I've emailed friends and family to keep them updated. Some even sent along flowers and cards...and the pics are below! After two days of somewhat normalcy and not nearly as much pain, I'll be able to go back to work on Monday. It'll be a welcome routine again!

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive while I recovered....mostly Chris, Pooka, my Dad, Aunt Syl, Doni and the rest of my family and friends. Recovery is a really lonely place, and without them, I wouldn't have made it.

From my co-workers at the bank:

From my co-worker Bernie in Queens:

From my business partners in California:

It's Over!

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Adelphia Communications founder John Rigas and his son, Timothy, of their fraud convictions. The justices' decision, announced without comment, brings to an end the Rigas' legal efforts to overturn convictions for their role in the collapse of Adelphia, once the fifth-largest cable television company. The elder Rigas, 83, is serving a 15-year prison term, while his son, the former chief financial officer, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Take that you freakin' crooks! Whoooo hoooooooo! They're both going to rot in jail now, which is just what they deserve!

A shout out to any former Adelphia employee who got fucked over by these assholes, and a special shout out to Coudersport and the surrounding areas whose already declining local economy was severely impacted by this mess.

What goes around definitely comes around!

Peace out.

Live from New York....

How can you not love her? She's smart, poised, informed, and she's WAY funnier (and better!) than anything the Republicans have to offer. SNL has really stepped it up lately with their political commentary, and this is just one of the examples of their creativity over the past two weeks. They clearly hit the nail on the head when Tina Fey did her "Bitch is the New Black" news editorial, not to mention the spot on mockery of the CNN and MSNBC debates.

Like it or not, Hillary is the better Democratic candidate. I believe that Barack Obama is a good man, but I don't think he's better than Hillary. I think he stands a better chance of beating John McCain, too, but I still want Hillary as my president.

Let's keep our fingers crossed for Tuesday's primaries.