I agree, I think people, all "parties" are so outraged over TARP, exec. pay, foreclosures, Stimulus with no real direction to jobs, they are doing protest votes.
Good lordy God is with Goldman Sachs, therefore all of this brew ha-ha questioning their flash trading platforms and games with AIG 100% payout and now trying to get Fannie/Freddie's tax credits must be the work of the devil.
Awesome! I guess they don't need any record keeping anymore since Jesus is doing their books!
But still, no way do I buy this stuff, even to claim a 4 yr. old kid can even be diagnosed with "serious mental illness".
Come on, that head tick was caused by those drugs....a 4 yr old kid on that level and kind of major medications?
They don't even know how to read or ride a bike yet.
Look at the parents in that video. If I was a kid, I'd be acting out too with such parents and a bunch of doctors claiming I had a "chemical imbalance" at age 4.
Jesus, at age 4 all kids are insane, they have their imaginary friends, such as an example.
Sorry but I don't buy it. I just do not believe that magically 1 million+ kids as well as adults have "chemical imbalance". I just don't believe God makes that large of an error rate when making human beings. Maybe environmental chemicals or food is causing an increase of problems...but major anti-psychotic drugs which cause permanent disfigurement, such as twitches and ticks (which they do not even understand the cause of such a severe side effect) never mind the side effects of some of those drugs would make one be classified as a loony by themselves.
Magically > 22% the entire planet population now has low serotonin levels when we get a new industry of drugs which....supposedly increase serotonin levels?
I'll stick to pooch therapy myself. One damn dog is worth $50k of little "serotonin level" pills in my book.
Robert, JV, good points. When I saw the Frontline episode on medicating kids, I had a tough time reconciling two valid opposing points. Mental illness itself is tragic, especially in kids. We have medications that are more or less effective, but they have side effects. Yes, the industry does push them, and I have been on review panels for clinical trials of some of these. I do recall one case where I refused to do a review because I thought the condition being treated was not so serious as to warrant the risk -- thus an ethical issue. The clinical trial went ahead, though without my participation. In medicating kids, honest judgments get made that go beyond the scientific evidence -- hence medicine as art rather than science. The doc who spoke of the multiple medication of the kid as "an experiment" was really talking about a single case where the kid's well being was at issue -- not science but art. The case with extrapyramidal symptoms from medication (tics, head rolling, etc.) is alarming, but the trade-off may be worse. You want to say "First do no harm," but childhood mental illness itself is heartbreak and waste.
We can draw economic analogies -- welfare encourages dependence on the state, but we do not want kids to starve or go without medical care. That being said, we may be bothered to see welfare Cadillac behavior, but we sill do not want kid to starve.
Medication? Thank God for prozac and for behavioral therapies. Think of the cost (to the kid who can't learn because of depression, as well as to the society when the kid,untreated, fails at life itself. We have antipsychotic meds because we first had psychotics. How early to treat? That's beyond my knowledge, but the argument is for preventing much worse consequences. I still wonder about long-term effects of drugs (think of amphetamines and their effect on cardiovascular system -- a trade-off to be sure. I'm back where I started, wondering but encouraged.
Now, analogize this: Paul Krugman on stimulus/ kids on medication. Do it and you get possible unwanted effects -- don't do it and you may get failure. Do too much of it and, well, psychiatry and economics are both imperfect. What was it Mike Moscow said so many years ago -- you can have any policy you want if you are prepared to accept the consequences. Same applies in medicine, health care, child welfare, and the prison system. But if the only way you get treated for mental illness is to go to jail, we as a people have really failed.
Frank T.
and take something like "Depression", well, firstly there is grief, a temporary state and you're going to be depressed, naturally.
But the real thing is depression is a symptom of many underlying serious diseases. Even more scary is the ads say "ask your Doctor", well, how many Doctors even have the time to find out someone's history, what's going on...sure seems like a fast way to get someone out of the office...oh, you're just "depressed" and big pharma makes more big bucks...oops and btw that real underlying condition...we're not treating that one.
All of these drugs have major side effects and often the side effects are worse than the original complaint.
But kids cannot communicate well, and here are these parents just believing these Doctors and even worse, schools are forcing parents to medicate their kids.
Horror! If I had kids I would be private or home schooling under those circumstances.
I thought I was watching a "Brave New World" film if I didn't know any better.
I couldn't believe it. Actually, there is an economic question here, I'm willing to bet that if one examined the increased number of new drugs that there may be a correlating increase in new users. That is, if Pharma A came out with Drug X, you will see suddenly a new illness with a pool of users. Or, that despite a good record with Drug W, X (which costs more) is being prescribed more.
I saw this happening during the primaries, because that campaign slogan was rarely defined, people put their own definitions in it.
For example, people want trade reform, many want to pull out of the WTO, NAFTA and start over. Others want modifications.
Well, people believed Obama was going to do something, when in fact, he had less reforms in his white papers and more indications from his voting record he would do little....than believe this or not, Hillary Clinton.
So, that "change we can believe in" now that people see the specifics and realize it's more of the same....
is coming back to bite them. That polls say everybody likes Obama, which I an believe but are really upset over actual policies. Shame those polls are not more specific but I don't think people realized they were voting for TARP, for more corporate back deals, the financial oligarchy and so on. But on the other hand, by the general election, there was no choice, corporate puppet McCain was even worse.
Those from the Great Depression worked hard to put some sane regulations in place, so all of those lessons were thrown into the garbage heap and we need many of them back.
Why isn't Volcker the head economic adviser? He makes way more sense, or replace Geithner?
I see illegals with cash hand outs, nice rentals paid by the state, driving in fairly ok cars with cell phones and birthday parties and direcTV.
It's a running joke in Oregon if you need help to go get a Mexican ID card/stolen SS number and then apply.
But fraud and problems aside, single mothers need support and expecting some guy to do it is ridiculous. They bail, leave the mother and the kid. Happens every day. Two parent households also need help.
This is offtopic for EP, but I watched Frontline last night about medicating kids claiming they have "mental illness" and it's just astounding, I mean horrid. Big pharma has clearly gotten into this "diagnosis" that a 4 yr. old is bipolar and they are sticking kids on meds.
I was horrified! They have no clue on this and here are all of these kids, probably acting out because Mom&Dad are working all of the time, or whatever, getting put on major drugs which they have no idea the long term effects really.
Anyone else sincerely doubt that all of America now magically has a "chemical imbalance"? I think I need to put on all of my id cards some sort of religion or big allergy sheet which lists all of these to be "never given".
Older people too, they are giving them major psychiatric drugs which are a huge no, like chemical straight jackets and there is no one around to sue them for it.
Obama rightfully criticized 'trickle down' economics but what does he do - he practices 'trickle down' economics with protecting the financial oligarchy. My suggestion would have been telling the financial oligarchy and conglomerates - haircuts for everybody - more writedowns and debt forgiveness. And he missed an opportunity by taking the financial conglomerates on directly with financial regulatory reform.
I just really pissed, not about the elections but about sense of direction.
delivering (independents included). They are not seeing it because the lack of bold action and the desire to compromise with corporate interests instead of fighting.
Name the initiative so far it has been compromised and do you think most people are following the fiasco with financial regulatory reform. There isn't a sense, particularly with base support, that things are changing. Why? Because they are not.
While I think TARP and giving big companies the in and so forth hath "done them in",
but that's not what kos is saying, he's claiming, for example, people want "comprehensive" immigration reform. That's not what most polls say and it's failed twice due to public outrage. That whole "open border" thing is a special interest agenda.
So, he's got his own laundry list, regardless of the polling.
But yeah, I think TARP, "Stimulus" that wasn't directed, rammed through Congress, the lack of any real financial reform possibly hath done Dems in.
The health care "debate" is also loaded with special interests and people are scared to death on it as a result. It's hard to figure out what's even going on beyond a $1 trillion dollar price tag.
would be for the Obama Administration to veto this and say NO we are going to do this in a better way - we will use gov't resources to transform our economy not get back to status quo.
Syndication of low income housing tax credits was big business back in the day. It was helpful in building affordable (mostly rental) housing but it had problems - mostly greedy developers (remember Tony Rezko - he was big in LIHTC deals).
It would be good to have Fannie/Freddie sell these tax credits since they have no use for them but definitely not to Goldman Sachs without some sort of auction.
A project would be assigned, typically by a local housing authority, so many LIHTC. A developer with help of syndicator would go out and try and find a limited partners or equity partners to invest in projects. The equity partner would get LIHTC in exchange for their equity investment. LIHTC would be used to offset tax liability and since Fannie/Freddie are owned by gov't they really don't need these tax credits.
Appearances and actions matter, and from the beginning people believe that Washington is only helping financial conglomerates and financial oligarchy not the rest of us and who is in control of Washington - Democrats and corporate benefactors.
and it goes back to values that is values for taking care of each other. Look, there are many who would say "you know what, if she had a man in the house, this wouldn't be a problem!" The thing is, it doesn't matter any longer. Why? Because this "recession" is hitting men even worse than females this time around. And there is no longer any guarantee that just because you're married that BOTH will have decent (note I've ommitted "good") paying jobs to just make rent/mortgage and put food on the table. It comes down to building a good safety net.
But allow me to play the douche bag for a moment. A couple years back I couldn't get health insurance though I was on Medicare. It was a bad time for me, and ended up on food stamps and Medicaid. I had to go, on St. Louis Ave, to the Illinois HHS. When I got there, I noticed a lot of people getting the stamps who also had mobile phones, and i don't mean the free ones (think iPhone). I'll never forget talking to a woman who had two kids, she's collecting the stamps and complaining to me how she can't make her Direct TV bill.
debt forgiveness - reduction of principal would have gone a long way earlier on in this crisis and may help a little know. But it means haircuts for creditors and financial oligarchy. These loan modifications now are just rearranging the size of payments and not addressing the fundamental problem - negative equity.
NC guest post, George Washington blog.
(note they only quote Kos in financial reform).
I agree, I think people, all "parties" are so outraged over TARP, exec. pay, foreclosures, Stimulus with no real direction to jobs, they are doing protest votes.
Good lordy God is with Goldman Sachs, therefore all of this brew ha-ha questioning their flash trading platforms and games with AIG 100% payout and now trying to get Fannie/Freddie's tax credits must be the work of the devil.
Awesome! I guess they don't need any record keeping anymore since Jesus is doing their books!
Wow, what a post.
But still, no way do I buy this stuff, even to claim a 4 yr. old kid can even be diagnosed with "serious mental illness".
Come on, that head tick was caused by those drugs....a 4 yr old kid on that level and kind of major medications?
They don't even know how to read or ride a bike yet.
Look at the parents in that video. If I was a kid, I'd be acting out too with such parents and a bunch of doctors claiming I had a "chemical imbalance" at age 4.
Jesus, at age 4 all kids are insane, they have their imaginary friends, such as an example.
Sorry but I don't buy it. I just do not believe that magically 1 million+ kids as well as adults have "chemical imbalance". I just don't believe God makes that large of an error rate when making human beings. Maybe environmental chemicals or food is causing an increase of problems...but major anti-psychotic drugs which cause permanent disfigurement, such as twitches and ticks (which they do not even understand the cause of such a severe side effect) never mind the side effects of some of those drugs would make one be classified as a loony by themselves.
Magically > 22% the entire planet population now has low serotonin levels when we get a new industry of drugs which....supposedly increase serotonin levels?
I'll stick to pooch therapy myself. One damn dog is worth $50k of little "serotonin level" pills in my book.
Robert, JV, good points. When I saw the Frontline episode on medicating kids, I had a tough time reconciling two valid opposing points. Mental illness itself is tragic, especially in kids. We have medications that are more or less effective, but they have side effects. Yes, the industry does push them, and I have been on review panels for clinical trials of some of these. I do recall one case where I refused to do a review because I thought the condition being treated was not so serious as to warrant the risk -- thus an ethical issue. The clinical trial went ahead, though without my participation. In medicating kids, honest judgments get made that go beyond the scientific evidence -- hence medicine as art rather than science. The doc who spoke of the multiple medication of the kid as "an experiment" was really talking about a single case where the kid's well being was at issue -- not science but art. The case with extrapyramidal symptoms from medication (tics, head rolling, etc.) is alarming, but the trade-off may be worse. You want to say "First do no harm," but childhood mental illness itself is heartbreak and waste.
We can draw economic analogies -- welfare encourages dependence on the state, but we do not want kids to starve or go without medical care. That being said, we may be bothered to see welfare Cadillac behavior, but we sill do not want kid to starve.
Medication? Thank God for prozac and for behavioral therapies. Think of the cost (to the kid who can't learn because of depression, as well as to the society when the kid,untreated, fails at life itself. We have antipsychotic meds because we first had psychotics. How early to treat? That's beyond my knowledge, but the argument is for preventing much worse consequences. I still wonder about long-term effects of drugs (think of amphetamines and their effect on cardiovascular system -- a trade-off to be sure. I'm back where I started, wondering but encouraged.
Now, analogize this: Paul Krugman on stimulus/ kids on medication. Do it and you get possible unwanted effects -- don't do it and you may get failure. Do too much of it and, well, psychiatry and economics are both imperfect. What was it Mike Moscow said so many years ago -- you can have any policy you want if you are prepared to accept the consequences. Same applies in medicine, health care, child welfare, and the prison system. But if the only way you get treated for mental illness is to go to jail, we as a people have really failed.
Frank T.
and take something like "Depression", well, firstly there is grief, a temporary state and you're going to be depressed, naturally.
But the real thing is depression is a symptom of many underlying serious diseases. Even more scary is the ads say "ask your Doctor", well, how many Doctors even have the time to find out someone's history, what's going on...sure seems like a fast way to get someone out of the office...oh, you're just "depressed" and big pharma makes more big bucks...oops and btw that real underlying condition...we're not treating that one.
All of these drugs have major side effects and often the side effects are worse than the original complaint.
But kids cannot communicate well, and here are these parents just believing these Doctors and even worse, schools are forcing parents to medicate their kids.
Horror! If I had kids I would be private or home schooling under those circumstances.
I thought I was watching a "Brave New World" film if I didn't know any better.
I couldn't believe it. Actually, there is an economic question here, I'm willing to bet that if one examined the increased number of new drugs that there may be a correlating increase in new users. That is, if Pharma A came out with Drug X, you will see suddenly a new illness with a pool of users. Or, that despite a good record with Drug W, X (which costs more) is being prescribed more.
I saw this happening during the primaries, because that campaign slogan was rarely defined, people put their own definitions in it.
For example, people want trade reform, many want to pull out of the WTO, NAFTA and start over. Others want modifications.
Well, people believed Obama was going to do something, when in fact, he had less reforms in his white papers and more indications from his voting record he would do little....than believe this or not, Hillary Clinton.
So, that "change we can believe in" now that people see the specifics and realize it's more of the same....
is coming back to bite them. That polls say everybody likes Obama, which I an believe but are really upset over actual policies. Shame those polls are not more specific but I don't think people realized they were voting for TARP, for more corporate back deals, the financial oligarchy and so on. But on the other hand, by the general election, there was no choice, corporate puppet McCain was even worse.
Those from the Great Depression worked hard to put some sane regulations in place, so all of those lessons were thrown into the garbage heap and we need many of them back.
Why isn't Volcker the head economic adviser? He makes way more sense, or replace Geithner?
I see illegals with cash hand outs, nice rentals paid by the state, driving in fairly ok cars with cell phones and birthday parties and direcTV.
It's a running joke in Oregon if you need help to go get a Mexican ID card/stolen SS number and then apply.
But fraud and problems aside, single mothers need support and expecting some guy to do it is ridiculous. They bail, leave the mother and the kid. Happens every day. Two parent households also need help.
This is offtopic for EP, but I watched Frontline last night about medicating kids claiming they have "mental illness" and it's just astounding, I mean horrid. Big pharma has clearly gotten into this "diagnosis" that a 4 yr. old is bipolar and they are sticking kids on meds.
I was horrified! They have no clue on this and here are all of these kids, probably acting out because Mom&Dad are working all of the time, or whatever, getting put on major drugs which they have no idea the long term effects really.
Anyone else sincerely doubt that all of America now magically has a "chemical imbalance"? I think I need to put on all of my id cards some sort of religion or big allergy sheet which lists all of these to be "never given".
Older people too, they are giving them major psychiatric drugs which are a huge no, like chemical straight jackets and there is no one around to sue them for it.
Obama rightfully criticized 'trickle down' economics but what does he do - he practices 'trickle down' economics with protecting the financial oligarchy. My suggestion would have been telling the financial oligarchy and conglomerates - haircuts for everybody - more writedowns and debt forgiveness. And he missed an opportunity by taking the financial conglomerates on directly with financial regulatory reform.
I just really pissed, not about the elections but about sense of direction.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
delivering (independents included). They are not seeing it because the lack of bold action and the desire to compromise with corporate interests instead of fighting.
Name the initiative so far it has been compromised and do you think most people are following the fiasco with financial regulatory reform. There isn't a sense, particularly with base support, that things are changing. Why? Because they are not.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
While I think TARP and giving big companies the in and so forth hath "done them in",
but that's not what kos is saying, he's claiming, for example, people want "comprehensive" immigration reform. That's not what most polls say and it's failed twice due to public outrage. That whole "open border" thing is a special interest agenda.
So, he's got his own laundry list, regardless of the polling.
But yeah, I think TARP, "Stimulus" that wasn't directed, rammed through Congress, the lack of any real financial reform possibly hath done Dems in.
The health care "debate" is also loaded with special interests and people are scared to death on it as a result. It's hard to figure out what's even going on beyond a $1 trillion dollar price tag.
Exactly, my good man, exactly!
would be for the Obama Administration to veto this and say NO we are going to do this in a better way - we will use gov't resources to transform our economy not get back to status quo.
I know I am dreaming.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
Syndication of low income housing tax credits was big business back in the day. It was helpful in building affordable (mostly rental) housing but it had problems - mostly greedy developers (remember Tony Rezko - he was big in LIHTC deals).
It would be good to have Fannie/Freddie sell these tax credits since they have no use for them but definitely not to Goldman Sachs without some sort of auction.
A project would be assigned, typically by a local housing authority, so many LIHTC. A developer with help of syndicator would go out and try and find a limited partners or equity partners to invest in projects. The equity partner would get LIHTC in exchange for their equity investment. LIHTC would be used to offset tax liability and since Fannie/Freddie are owned by gov't they really don't need these tax credits.
Just auction them off.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
and I have to say Kos is right about this: Tonight's Big Lesson.
Appearances and actions matter, and from the beginning people believe that Washington is only helping financial conglomerates and financial oligarchy not the rest of us and who is in control of Washington - Democrats and corporate benefactors.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Hello, is anyone in the White House.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
and it goes back to values that is values for taking care of each other. Look, there are many who would say "you know what, if she had a man in the house, this wouldn't be a problem!" The thing is, it doesn't matter any longer. Why? Because this "recession" is hitting men even worse than females this time around. And there is no longer any guarantee that just because you're married that BOTH will have decent (note I've ommitted "good") paying jobs to just make rent/mortgage and put food on the table. It comes down to building a good safety net.
But allow me to play the douche bag for a moment. A couple years back I couldn't get health insurance though I was on Medicare. It was a bad time for me, and ended up on food stamps and Medicaid. I had to go, on St. Louis Ave, to the Illinois HHS. When I got there, I noticed a lot of people getting the stamps who also had mobile phones, and i don't mean the free ones (think iPhone). I'll never forget talking to a woman who had two kids, she's collecting the stamps and complaining to me how she can't make her Direct TV bill.
we aren't a super power any more. Nor are we the richest when we have THIS many kids on food stamps!
debt forgiveness - reduction of principal would have gone a long way earlier on in this crisis and may help a little know. But it means haircuts for creditors and financial oligarchy. These loan modifications now are just rearranging the size of payments and not addressing the fundamental problem - negative equity.
It's time to look at change our entire home finance system.
RebelCapitalist.com - Financial Information for the Rest of Us.
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