The new housing bill going through congress won't really help anyone but the rich bankers. Based on an article from the guardian, the new bill provides loans to homeowners which refinance their loans at 85% of the existing loan.

The new mortgages would pay off the first mortgages at 85% of the appraised value of the house. While the banks will still lose money under this plan, they will almost certainly end up much better off than if situation was just left to the market. In fact, since the banks decide which loans get into the program, it is virtually guaranteed that they come out ahead.

Sounds great right?????

Update: Sorry! Forgot to provide the link. Rob from the poor

Yesterday, I heard that people had been bussed in from PA to hand out flyers that had Steele and Ehrlich listed as dems. Today I learn from WaPost http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
that it was a group of dems who hired these people.

I hate this shit. Why is it so hard for people to not be stupid? This gives Dems such a huge bad name.

Get ready for the onslaught of stupid pro industry articles telling us how great medical tourism is and how much money we can safe and wonderful our lives will be.

They don't say anything about why people find this necessary other than the obvious, money. It's pathetic. One big commercial for the medical tourism industry.

"It's just one of the many ways in which our world is flattening," said Arnold Milstein, chief physician at New York-based Mercer Health & Benefits, who's researching the feasibility of outsourcing medical care for three Fortune 500 corporations. "Many companies see it as a natural extension of the competition they've faced in other aspects of their business."

Living in northern virginia, I've contributed money to Webbs campaign. I plan, very soon, to put my feet on the ground as well. But one thing that REALLY bothers me is Webb's signs.

I noticed the other day, that Hurst's signs state very clearly that he is a democrat. It doesn't say that on Webbs. Now, I still support him like I said. But why doesn't it say democrat on his signs?

Everyone here seems to think he's a god. He's certainly better than Allen. But I have reservations supporting someone that apparently can't admit they're a democrat. He did win the primary right? He is running as a democrat. What's the problem?

Just got my october issue of discover magazine and it has an interview with Newt Gingrich in it. WTF? I'm going to email them and tell them to cancel my subscription. I already decided that I wasn't going to re-up my sub after that stupid article they did on terrorism.

It's just sad. Really sad that yet another journalistic outlet has been tainted by the koolaid. They're talking about how he wants a new deal for american science. He's a potential candidate for president and he weighs in on stem cells, space colonies, and why no one in washington understands science as he does.

Utter bullshit. When I write them, I'm going to ask if they plan on interviewing every single candidate for president. I just don't get it.

I'm tired of hearing that the left thinkings war is immoral. I was reading Armando's post and read once again that some stupid pundit or talking head thinks all the left beliefs that all war is immoral.

Ya know what? I'm pretty far to the left but I think there's sometimes you just have to pick up a gun and defend what you believe in. Some wars are necessary.

So, what do the rest of us believe? Take the poll!!! Let's find out if the left believes in war.

Fantastic  article by Robert Fisk posted on Seattle paper.

US papers should be renamed "US sources say" because that's all they really do. Repeat government propaganda.

In an article from LA times titled "In a Battle of Wits, Iraq's Insurgency Mastermind Stays a Step Ahead of U.S.", Fisk observes the following sources...

On pages 1 and 10 for the yarn spun by reporters Josh Meyer and Mark Mazzetti: "U.S. officials said," "said one U.S. Justice Department counter-terrorism official," "Officials ... said," "those officials said," "the officials confirmed," "American officials complained," "the U.S. officials stressed," "U.S. authorities believe," "said one senior U.S. intelligence official," "U.S. officials said," "Jordanian officials ... said" -- here, at least is some light relief -- "several U.S. officials said," "the U.S. officials said," "American officials said," "officials say," "say U.S. officials," "U.S. officials said," "one U.S. counter-terrorism official said."

In following Maryscotts excellent diary about Darfur, I came across a petition on TomPaine linked to Human Rights First.

I signed the petition to add my name to the voices asking for peace in Darfur. Please take the time to review her diary on darfur.

We can't stand by and do nothing while this happens. The least any of you can do is sign this petition. They also have a "Take Action" section for sending a message to the UN as well as Bush.

Here's the latest email from target regards target pharmacy not filling prescription:

Target is extremely disappointed that Planned Parenthood is spreading misleading information about an alleged incident at a Target pharmacy in Missouri and our policies on emergency contraception.  The accounts being reported are inaccurate and exaggerated. Our policy is comparable to that of many other national retailers and the recommendations of the American Pharmacists Association.  

Rest on the flip side.

This is for channel 8 news in DC. It's one of the major news sources for the city. They're running a poll on "Are you happy with the current Katrina relief efforts".

Well, right now, it's 48% yes which means the news agencies are NOT getting the info out there about all the crap that's going on what we've been reading about.

I'm sure that site is read by staffers if not congresspeople themselves.

Cheney told power crews to get the power back to substations which supplied power to the colonial pipeline.

This took crews that were working on restoring power to hospitals. Again, this shows the screwed up priorities of this administration. Oil is more important than lives.

I wonder if anyone died. We should find out somehow. Does anyone live in the area serviced by "south mississippi electric power association" or in hattiesburg?

Restoring pipeline came first

I don't usualy reference opinion material but TJ Templeton over at "Project for the OLD american century" has a great write up.

TJ comments:

Let me begin by asking a question: If you were President of the United States on September 11th, would you initiate an investigation to determine what security lapses had occurred to allow such a tragedy to unfold? Of course you would. The only reason you would try to prevent an investigation is if you had something to hide. If your house was broken into and your family murdered, would you ask the police to not investigate and try to block the investigation? NO. Unless you were somehow involved. How could anyone not wish to investigate what had allowed the 9-11 attacks to transpire?

"What more do you need?", he asks. Exactly. I agree with those of us about being careful with tin foil conspiracies. We have to be careful. But as I stated before, if there were nothing to hide, why are they hiding things? Honestly, I think they knew something big was going to happen. I don't they knew what exactly, but they knew. And they allowed it to happen.

Didn't see this diaried yet. Herald Sun is reporting in a rather short article:

NEW ORLEANS -- A spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers says that some of its contractors were killed Sunday by police as they walked across a bridge on their way to repair a canal.

This would explain the reports that people were firing on the ACOE.

I posted an idea yesterday as a comment in a diary relating to how the country and particularly the republicans are hypocrits when it comes to supporting our troops. I think it was the yellow elephant diary.

I want to make a flyer that asks in big bold letters "What have you actually done to support our troops?". Below the title, would be a little blurb on the trouble our troops are having. About how little support they're really getting from the government. At the bottom would be a list of news sources for reference and organizations that people can donate to which actually support our troops.

These flyers would then be placed underneath all those nice "Support our troops" magnets on cars.

From Old American Century site, link to magic city news:

Magic City News

My friend Tom, who also blogs here, sent me an email today. Referencing Kos' diary about real wages declining and another at The Oil Drum entitled "Even OPEC admits there's a problem."

Seems Algeria is saying there's no way OPEC can meet production quotas for 4th quarter since they're already at full production and there's usually a spike in the 4th.

I realize that we've argued time and again on this site whether it was appropriate for the dems to vote for the bankruptcy bill.

Some of us, myself included, have advocated for hate mail to those democrats who are essentially traitors to the party.

It doesn't help when newspaper columnists such as John Buell with the Bangor Daily News out of Maine write articles entitled "Are Democrats a bankrupt political party"

With all of the patriot act BS and the destruction of our civil liberties, it's always refreshing to see yet another democrat fighting with the republicans.

According to a Michel Chossudovsky article posted on global research, Senator Biden is fighting for outright repeal of the Posse Comitatus Act.

This act made it illegal for US troops to police the US. And they want to repeal it. Why? and WTF? is Biden doing helping them??????