Wall Street: We Are All Fucked

Yesterday Obama gave a speech urging Wall Street to behave better. Right. Good luck getting people to make less money, have a harder time making the same amount of money, or any other such strategy. This is not a time for kumbaya, it's time to make some tough laws and Wall Street can deal with it.

Of course, since finance pretty much runs the show in capitalist America, it's pretty unlikely that anything significant will happen, or at least with significant support. Take New York, for instance. Every reader of this blog knows where our dear mayor gets his billions, and it ain't taxpayer money. There is zero incentive for local or even state support for finance regulation. Word is that Senator Schumer is being pretty cool about it, but definitely not Paterson.

Obama: this isn't health care where it makes sense to try to get everyone to agree. Lay it down and make the banks get it together. (For now, until they figure out the next way to defraud us.)

Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

My first reaction when reading the scrolling news ticker tape outside the Fox News building on 6th Ave yesterday was: "Way to man up, Paterson! You (finally) appointed a lieutenant governor! Way to lead!"

Of course, the Republican senators are all up in arms and will challenge it in court, etc. Readers: if you didn't work for a month, like the New York state senate, would you have a job right now? I worked my ass off the month of June and I no longer have a job. Maybe I can switch places with my state senator.

I digress.

Well now I see that freshly appointed lieut-gov is Richard Ravitch, 76 (!), a former MTA Chairman. UGH. Way to bring a new wave of corruption and inability to get things done progressively to Albany. If there's any worse-run agency than the MTA, someone please direct me to it now.

Today in New York State Ridiculousness

Here's a good one: no one knows who's second in command to Governor Paterson. If he were somehow unable to serve right now, there would be no governor. Why? There's no lieutenant governor because he used to be it and there's no provision for who appoints the next one, and the state senate speaker is next in command after that but since the senate's in stalemate, that position is effectively vacant too. Read the full explanation here.

And apparently my favorite politician* Mike Bloomberg is withholding funds from the FDNY and NYPD to motivate the senate? What?? Isn't that like taking innocent hostages? Bill Thompson, save us.

*Note voice dripping with sarcasm.