means any of their pals and revolving door colleagues.

I saw Volcker said the Fed is going to have to become more transparent, less power, along with Barney Frank...

and I saw that Geithner/Fed are arguing over publication of the "stress" tests because they don't want the public to know who really are the Zombie banks...

but it gets better, some are saying they do not want to make the "stress tests" public because the test themselves are really bogus and incomplete, which will even more incense the public on how they are just handing gobs of money over to their golfing buddies.

Yes, it does have some, but it's no where near WA or CA.

We need to push up manufacturing policy, the insanity of bad trade deals etc.

I agree, they are busy feeding their zombie bank pals and they act like manufacturing is a dirty word.

I tried to warn during the primaries and it's almost like discrimination the attitude of team Obama towards manufacturing.

but I think that Oregon basically has a high tech economy in Portland scabbed onto an older, primary goods (timber, minerals, ag products) based economy. And I imagine the the dip in the housing market cut a lot of the demand for building supplies. Also there are a few RV manufacturers in the state.

Want to really be freaked out?

That's industrial capacity utilization. It fell off a cliff. This is where the government needs to be spending money, but instead we're pissing it away on the financial sector to feed the elite.

The auto industry is never going to be the same, but we need a market conforming industrial policy where the government looks at industrial capacity not being used, and finds profitable uses for it. The wind energy sector is an obvious target for former auto plants. Many of the skills and tools are transferable, so there isn't a macroeconomic collapse.

Same thing with housing. Building starts are down, but money spent on increasing residential energy efficiency keeps building trades guys on the job.

And both allow us to limit our energy imports improving our balance of trade with the rest of the world.

China and energy imports are honestly about the same level.

We need people in power with a plan, not Bambi.

always trying to bring sunshine into our "sky is falling parade" :o)

It has always been about class warfare.

Kind of like communism for corporations too. They ain't gonna let a single one of their pals go to the dogs, especially if they have ties to Goldman Sachs.

Why doesn't the gov't want the banks to pay back the TARP funds?

Simple .... because any of the institutions that pay back the funds automatically brings into question the health of those banks that don't payback TARP funds. Therefore ... nobody gets to pay back the funds. Its a gift courtesy of the US taxpayer.

Nice, huh?

It has always been about class warfare.

I knew it was really no choice for President but I don't think McCain could have moved faster than this.

;)

Do you know now Obama is doing illegal immigrant raids and giving them work Visas?

There is never any mention that these illegals have jobs U.S. citizens really need in any of these stories.

There is a headline on CNN and the guy is clearly working in a reasonably paying blue collar job, not a mention that an American could really use that job.

I just posted an Instapopulist. It is only a modest improvement, but it is still the highest since the onset of Black September.

sales taxes!