The Seattle chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight (and every Tuesday), 8PM at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Stop on by for some hoppy beer and hopped up conversation.
I won’t be there tonight, but Open Left’s Matt Stoller apparently will, so there will be more than enough blogger mojo to make up for my absence.
Not in Seattle? Liberals will also be drinking tonight in the Tri-Cities. A full listing of Washington’s thirteen Drinking Liberally chapters is available here.
Looks like Barack Obama is going to win in Wisconsin. Exit polls have Obama leading among women (57% of electorate) by 51% to 49%, and among men (43% of electorate) by a whopping 61% to 35%. It should be about 11 point victory for Obama.
http://election.cbsnews.com/ca.....38;party=D
That exit poll appears to have been an inadvertent release.
I think they just took it down.
On the other hand, the exit poll results could have been fiction. It said 9% of Democratic primary voters were Black and 7% of Republican primary voters are Black. That could mean that 30% to 40% of Black voters chose the Republican primary — a statistic that is highly unlikely.
Roger Rabbit will not attend tonight because he is recovering from a respiratory infection.
My read is that the E.P. is authentic, but Obama’s lead will be narrower than implied. Maybe 5-7%.
“Only 32 percent of workers ages 36 to 43 have any coverage by a pension plan.” — Newsweek
http://tinyurl.com/39eksh
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Labor’s share of GDP has fallen from 60% to less than 50%. CEO pay has exploded while worker income is stagnant. The average American worker today earns slightly less than he did in 1970, adjusted for inflation. In other words ALL of the economy’s gains over the last 38 years have gone to the Owners of Capital and executives. They haven’t earned it.
Why are we rewarding employers for:
Replacing high-paying factory jobs with low-paying service jobs
Sending American jobs overseas
Eliminating lifetime employment
Drastically reducing job security
Making workers pay for their own training
Shifting health and pension costs from companies to workers
Using bankruptcy laws to welsh on union contracts and pension promises
In short, employers haven’t done a damn thing to deserve their larger slice of the economic pie. They should be getting less, not more.
Meanwhile banks — in the finest robber baron tradition — are shifting credit losses to their customers by arbitrarily dropping credit card limits and jacking up rates. Banks are suddenly charging customers who have never missed a payment 28%. Why? Because they can. Instead of reducing executive bonuses and stock options, they’re slashing shareholder dividends and gouging loyal customers. Fuck ’em. The only way to do business with these pirates is to not do business. I don’t owe a penny to credit card companies. That’s the ONLY way to live. If you have to borrow to buy something, you can’t afford it.
Some people spend 35% of their income on loan interest. If they pay off that debt, they can get a 35% raise, tax free, that their boss has no control over. Think about it. Get out of debt, then stay out of debt, for the rest of your life. It worked for me, and it’ll work for you, too.
There’s an old saying that “people work at jobs they hate to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.” You don’t have to live like that. I don’t.
America needs more and stronger unions, a Shareholders Rights law, and the death penalty for corporate crooks.*
* Just kidding! Ann Coulter humor.
Stronger unions aren’t the answer, nimrod: what’s needed is for each individual to develop some common sense and take responsbility for his or her life.
Pensions are disappearing? No shit, Sherlock! As long as people kept smoking and drinking like fiends, pensions weren’t any big deal: nobody lived long enough to collect much. Then we all wised-up and stopped the crazy destructive behavior. Guess what? The money wasn’t there to support longer lives because no company out there can cope with the longevity. So, that’s all the more reason to participate in your company’s 401K or a 403b, or a SIMPLE at work. No guarantees of what you’ll have at retirement, but it beats the hell out of a failed defined benefit plan. The one that is totally responsible for your retirement is you!
Instead of buying that damn 63″ plasma TV, make a contribution to an IRA. Read a book on personal finance and investing. There must be a zillion out there. Pay off those damn credit cards! Stop buying crap to keep up with your neighbors. Drive each car you own for at least 10 years, and you’ll retire 5 years ahead of your contemporaries.
Government and unions aren’t the answer: you’re the answer!!
Maybe Roger Rabbit will die from his respiraroty infection!*
* Just kidding – Roger Rabbit humor!! (Nice thought, though!)
Oh yeah, don’t drink & drive tonight, lads & lassies.
#9 Now I agree with Roger. How about death penalty for
all crooks.
@4:
At least be honest Rodent. Your med. coupons don’t cover taxi-fare bunny-boy.
A drunk without Ann-Coulter impersonator Slacker Rabbit is a day without sunshine.