Last Call

So how's that recovery working out for you, America?

The final figures show that the median pay for top executives at 200 big companies last year was $10.8 million. That works out to a 23 percent gain from 2009. The earlier study had put the median pay at a none-too-shabby $9.6 million, up 12 percent.

Total C.E.O. pay hasn’t quite returned to its heady, prerecession levels — but it certainly seems headed there. Despite the soft economy, weak home prices and persistently high unemployment, some top executives are already making more than they were before the economy soured.

Pay skyrocketed last year because many companies brought back cash bonuses, says Aaron Boyd, head of research at Equilar. Cash bonuses, as opposed to those awarded in stock options, jumped by an astounding 38 percent, the final numbers show.

Granted, many American corporations did well last year. Profits were up substantially. As a result, many companies are sharing the wealth, at least with their executives. “We’re seeing a lot of that reflected in the pay,” Mr. Boyd says.

And at a time of so much tumult in the media business, it might be surprising that some executives in media and communications were among the most richly rewarded last year. 

No foolin'?   Turns out executive pay in 2009 was up 23%, not 12%.  And wages for the rest of us went down due to cut hours, layoffs, and loss of overtime pay.  But look at all the jobs they creat...oh wait.

Still think America's rich can't afford to lose those Bush tax breaks, America?  They're too busy counting their massive income increases and laughing at how stupid and easily manipulated America is to care, and the Village media was at the top of the list for getting big bucks.  Surprise!

Greek Fire, Part 37

Having sold out to the EU and taken the bailout money over the wishes of the rather pissed off Greek citizenry, the Greek government now must actually sell Greece out to the EU, or at least big chunks of it.

Greece faces severe restrictions on its sovereignty and must privatize state assets on a scale similar to the sell off of East German firms in the 1990s after communism fell, Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said.

In an interview published after euro zone finance ministers in the Eurogroup approved a further 12 billion euro ($17.43 billion) installment of Greece's bailout, Juncker said he was optimistic that measures agreed with Athens would help to resolve the country's problems.

"The sovereignty of Greece will be massively limited," he told Germany's Focus magazine in the interview released on Sunday, adding that teams of experts from around the euro zone would heading to Greece.

"For the forthcoming wave of privatizations they will need, for example, a solution based on a model of Germany's 'Treuhand agency'," Juncker added, referring to the privatization agency that sold off 14,000 East German firms between 1990 and 1994.

EU types heading to Greece to figure out what's still worth anything and take control of it, that is. It's the world's largest yard sale.  When this was tried by East Germany after the wall fell, the massive hlding company formed not only lost a crapload of money, but lost a crapload of jobs as well.  Then again given Greek inflation, that's probably what the EU wants to happen.

But I don't think the Greeks are going to just roll over and eat this giant crapburger.

The Most Dangerous Man In American Politics

Massachusetts Democrat Gov. Deval Patrick describes his one-time college acquaintance, Grover Norquist.

At our 25th college reunion in 2003, Grover Norquist — the brain and able spokesman for the radical right — and I, along with other classmates who had been in public or political life, participated in a lively panel discussion about politics. During his presentation, Norquist explained why he believed that there would be a permanent Republican majority in America.

One person interrupted, as I recall, and said, “C’mon, Grover, surely one day a Democrat will win the White House.”

Norquist immediately replied: “We will make it so that a Democrat cannot govern as a Democrat.”

Mission accomplished.  But if Obama were only "more progressive" I'm sure the GOP (relentlessly dragging the country further to the right on a daily basis and blocking everything else that they don't approve of) would just give up, so it's really Obama's fault, right?

The GOP has a simple plan.  Block everything, refuse to let Obama govern, let the country burn, blame Obama.  And there's plenty of meatballs on the left who are more than happy to do Norquist's shiv work for him.

It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin

A well-meaning but ridiculous law has made it illegal for counselors to assist young campers with applying sunscreen... in case the touching is inappropriate.  And to take the stupid up a notch, the assistant health director for environmental health and food protection admits he is not aware of a case that prompted this.  Not only is the staff forbidden from helping campers, but the campers cannot help their peers in apply lotion.


So, it's better to put kids at risk for cancer and burns rather than allow counselors to apply sunblock.  What is so wrong about two counselors having to be present?  That is how we handled those cases when I took care of mentally handicapped children.  Those kids couldn't even speak up for themselves, so we had a witness and a supervisor present anytime a delicate area had to be treated.  A little common sense goes a long way, and leaving a small child to fend for himself is not the answer.

Before the revision started Friday night, many parents, physicians and dermatologists had expressed worry that Maryland’s approach could result in a surge of sunburn cases. “Restricting counselors’ ability to apply sunscreen or assist with sunscreen reapplication could make it more likely that children will not be protected from the damaging rays of the sun,” said Ronald Moy, president of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The rules are “absurd,” said Maral Skelsey, a dermatologist in Chevy Chase. “This is the biggest known carcinogen that children are exposed to. We should be asking camp counselors to take an active role in promoting skin protection.”

There are options that make sense, but this isn't one of them.   

A Surprise Happy Ending

Just one second is all it takes.  One glance away, one moment where you take a sip of your soda, or checking your phone to see who is calling.  Just a single second can make the difference.  Just ask this man:

A Chicago man will be in bond court today after being charged with trying to kidnap a 2-year-old toddler on North Avenue beach, police announced in a media release.

The incident happened shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of North Lake Shore Drive at North Avenue Beach, said Police News Affairs Officer Darryl Baety.

Tyrone Hill, 37, of the 6400 block of South Maplewood Avenue, was charged with attempted aggravated kidnapping of a child under 13 years old and unlawful restraint.

During a press conference at the beach Saturday night, Commander Leo Schmitz of the gang enforcement unit said the man had grabbed the young boy.

"(The father) had to fight to get the child out of his hands," said Schmitz, "I think the father, like most fathers, had as much strength as he needed at the time."

This is a rare happy ending for this scenario.  Not only is the boy safe, but police response allowed them to catch the man so future kids will be saved as well.  If any one thing had happened differently, this story would have had a terrible ending, if not for this boy then for a future target.

Setting Up A Pick And Rolled Move

I'm with Steve M. on this notion:  the Wingers are pissed because of the notion that Obama would replace Justice Ginsberg before 2012 and are howling that Obama is playing political games, yet it's the height of both mendacity and hypocrisy as any Obama Supreme Court pick to replace Ginsberg would have to be blocked by the Tea Party goons that now control the GOP.

Steve's way out is clever:

If President Obama gets another Court pick and (as I strongly suspect) his pick is blocked, and (as I also strongly suspect) the thugs in the GOP make clear that literally no liberal or moderate justice will be able to avoid a filibuster (just as no tax increase is acceptable now), then maybe at some point Obama should just try reappointing O'Connor. Would the Republicans filibuster her? I don't think they could. And sh might be the best we could do. I can't imagine that anyone I'd really want to see on the court wouldn't be filibustered.

Not sure if it would be the best way or even possible, but could the GOP really filibuster Reagan's "proof" that the GOP "cares about women"?   It would put them in a huge bind, short-run.  Long run...not sure if it's a good idea, but then it may be more of an only choice.

On the other hand, considering the Tea Party at this point is willing to destroy the country's economy just to spite Obama, blocking any Supreme Court pick seems like something they'd enjoy doing.

Koch'ed Red-Handed

America's favorite tea party gazillionaires the Koch Brothers are at it again.

A Luxembourg-based subsidiary of Koch Industries has admitted to making illegal campaign contributions to political candidates and committees.

INVISTA is a limited liability company involved in the textile manufacturing business that is organized in Luxembourg but headquartered in Kansas. They admitted in a filing with the Federal Election Commission that was disclosed this week that they made 12 contributions totally $26,800 to various political committees between Nov. 2005 and Oct. 2009.

INVESTA voluntarily disclosed the violations to the FEC in Aug. 2010 after an investigation by Koch Companies Public Sector (KCPA), which represents Koch Industries and their affiliates, and outside counsel. Their investigation revealed that the employees involved with making the donation decisions did not know INVESTA was a foreign entity and did not know that foreign corporations could not contribute to state elections like corporations could.

To recap, the Koch Industries investigation of Koch Industries found that Koch Industries didn't violate the campaign donation laws on purpose, so they've decided to voluntarily throw money at the FEC to make up for it because that that's what Koch Industries does.  The $4,700 that the company is paying in "voluntary fines" represents roughly the amount of money these assclowns make when they sneeze, and of course they expect the FEC will take their word for it.

Which of course they will.

The Kroog Versus Hoover

Paul Krugman has lost hope in the President.

From today’s radio address:

Government has to start living within its means, just like families do. We have to cut the spending we can’t afford so we can put the economy on sounder footing, and give our businesses the confidence they need to grow and create jobs.

Yep, the false government-family equivalence, the myth of expansionary austerity, and the confidence fairy, all in just two sentences.

And if he had stopped there, he'd have a valid argument.  But then like most of the Manic Progressives, he personalizes and internalizes "Obama's betrayal" and makes it all about himself.

Read this and this to see why he’s wrong. This is truly a tragedy: the great progressive hope (well, I did warn people) is falling all over himself to endorse right-wing economic fallacies.

And thus as the Kroog sees Obama's betrayal in two sentences, he himself becomes the Hamsher...in just one sentence.


Et tu, Kroog?

Race To The Bottom In Michigan

A federal court has finally struck down Michigan's 2006 ban on affirmative action.

In a 2-1 decision, the Appellate panel ruled that Prop 2 violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. "The majority may not manipulate the channels of change in a manner that places unique burdens on issues of importance to racial minorities," Judges R. Guy Cole and Martha Craig Daughtrey wrote in the majority opinion.

Prop 2 was passed in November 2006 by a vote of 58%-42%, and the Detroit Free Press reports that in the breakdown, it was "overwhelmingly approved by white voters and overwhelmingly rejected by blacks." 

The Supreme Court threw out Prop 2's total ban on affirmative action in Michigan, but a separate case left the ban on using it for college admissions.  Now that ban is gone as well.  Naturally it's "judicial activism" and "state-sanctioned racism" because whites have been victimized for 236 years now in America by our long line of black Presidents.  After all if the law says racism is illegal, then nobody will ever break that law, so that means discrimination doesn't exist and there's no need for affirmative action.

In other words, white conservatives say Barack Obama as President proves racism is dead in America so there's no need for affirmative action (while complaining about his "arrogant gangster thug" administration and comparing his wife to a lower primate) and black conservatives say as long as affirmative action exists, blacks will continue to be discriminated against, because discrimination doesn't exist because it's illegal, only discriminatory affirmative action does.

Awesome.  Can't wait for another week or two of this.

CSI, DUI, What's The Difference?

Gary Dourdan SMASHED his SUV into a parked 1969 Ford truck on the night he was arrested for drug possession in L.A. ... and now the owner of the truck says Gary refuses to pay for the damage.

The owner of the truck says her car was towed away from the scene ... but it remains in an impound lot because she can't afford to pay the bill ... and claims Gary is ducking her insurance company.

This is not the first time this has happened.  Dourdan (he played Warrick for those who may have forgotten) has been in trouble for drugs and rumors insinuated it had something to do with the reason his character was killed off on CSI.  Around the time he left the show there were also rumors saying he couldn't get along with some members of the cast.  Dodging a woman who can't afford to get her truck out?  That's a new low.  She was parked, there is little question it's his fault.  An act of kindness could go a long way towards redeeming a damaged reputation.

Chip Off The Old Block

Larry Flynt's daughter Theresa is being sued for sexual harassment. 

Theresa Flynt is being sued by Steven Prescott, Hustler's West Coast District Manager, who claims in the lawsuit ... over a period of 2 years Theresa repeatedly harassed him through sexual text messages, unwanted touching, grinding, hugging, caressing and leering.

According to the suit, Theresa even acknowledged the alleged harassment with this comment: "OMG ... I"m totally sexually harassing you right now."

There is no comment from the other side of the fence, which makes me wonder if there isn't something going on.  Frankly, my first thought was someone was going for a payout based on the family name.

Ironic License, Please

One of the Ohio Republicans who pushed a state law to toughen voter ID restrictions to "prevent fraud" because there's no reason why "citizens wouldn't have a driver's license" would himself lose the right to vote under the law because his license may be revoked for an Indiana DUI.

On April 23, an Indiana state trooper pulled Rep. Robert Mecklenborg over for a burned out headlight on a 2004 Lexus he was driving. After failing three separate field sobriety tests, Mecklenborg allegedly refused to take a breath test and was placed under arrest. A blood test later revealed that he had recently taken a Viagra.

"Given that he likely is not in possession of his own drivers license (it should have been confiscated and suspended in accordance with Indiana DUI law and procedure), perhaps he will opt to arrest his drive to repress voting rights," the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's Carolyn Fiddler wrote in a blog post.

Mecklenborg's arrest was first reported by local news station WLWT. His arrest report has been posted online. It shows that Mecklenborg was accompanied by a 26-year-old woman, who a local blogger claims has "personal connections" with Concepts Show Girls strip club, which is right near where Mecklenborg was arrested.

Republican stupidity really cannot be demonstrated in the real world any better than this.  In their zeal to make voting as hard as possible for students, the elderly, minorities, and the poor, this asshole caught drunk and on Viagra with a 26-year old girl near a strip club would in fact revoke his own right to vote, on top of being a criminal douchebag while proclaiming to the world that only bad, evil people would be against a voter ID law.  They can't even take over the country when the means to take over the country are literally handed to them, because they're too busy thinking with the wrong head and getting arrested for breaking laws they are supposed to be writing in the first place.  Joss Whedon could not pen better material for any medium.

The irony, it forms myriad threads that interweave on so many different levels, it creates a 17-dimensional sweater.  I understand that yes, Republicans are still dangerously crooked bastards who will destroy the country given the first opportunity to enrich themselves (and proceed to do so on a daily basis) but the Darwinian elimination of the ones who are just too stupid to get that simple process down?  Why, that's the only moment of levity we have on this ginormous wallowing dirigible bound for the lower planes.

And yes, there are strip clubs in Indiana.

The Fourteenth Option

Since it became clear that the GOP will even throw away their own position from March and is now willing to let the country default on its debt and collapse the economy, a number of people in the last week have brought up Plan B: the fourteenth amendment's provision on federal debt.  Brian Beutler:

On a conference call with reporters Friday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) acknowledged that President Obama may not need Congressional authorization to avoid a default on the national debt. But he noted, too, that the Constitutional debate on this question isn't ripe enough yet for Obama to take an end run around Congress, even if Republicans refuse to increase the national borrowing limit.

I asked Schumer, a lawyer, whether, in his view, the administration had the power to continue issuing new debt even if Congress fails to raise the debt limit. He acknowledged that the question's been discussed, but said the White House probably shouldn't go there just yet.

"It's certainly worth exploring," Schumer said. "I think it needs a little more exploration and study. It's probably not right to pursue at this point and you wouldn't want to go ahead and issue the debt and then have the courts reverse it."

What's Schumer talking about?  This:

For weeks, liberal legal academics have been arguing that the fourth section of the 14th Amendment forbids Congress from defaulting. "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law...shall not be questioned," it reads. More recently, Democratic members of Congress have been eyeing this interpretation as a sort of escape hatch: Why should we be debating raising the debt limit on the GOP's draconian terms if the Constitution says Congress can't force a default. 

 The 14th Amendment reads, in part:

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Some scholars believe that clause means that Congress cannot arbitrarily limit public debt.   But there's never really been a major Supreme Court ruling or even federal precedent on this, so it's a hell of a gamble, legally.

Then again, so is defaulting and putting us into a recession/depression.  I hope this card never has to be played, but then again, the Republicans aren't exactly leaving President Obama with many choices right now.

StupidiNews, Weekend Edition!

• Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi is threatening to take war to Europe unless NATO attacks on Libya cease.
• A federal judge has blocked new GOP regulations in Kansas designed to shut down two of the state's three remaining abortion clinics.
• As gas prices remain high, more Americans are turning to bicycles as as greener, cheaper alternative.
• Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released on his own recognizance with his bail returned as new allegations of the victim's lying to a grand jury surface.
• Farmville and Mafia Wars created Zynga plans a stock IPO of $1 billion, but admits 99% of its income is dependent on Facebook.

Last Call

This Politico.com article presented without comment.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would like to leave the Obama administration this fall if economic conditions are stronger and the debt ceiling debate is resolved in a timely manner, according to a person familiar with his thinking.

Possible replacements to be President Barack Obama’s top economic adviser, according to a senior administration official, include Erskine Bowles, White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton, and Roger Altman, a prominent investment banker and former deputy Treasury secretary.

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, is considered a strong dark-horse candidate.  Dimon has said he is not interested in public office but many on Wall Street believe he would accept the job if asked by Obama. But the White House will have to decide whether Dimon, who leads the most successful bank in the U.S., is too closely aligned with Wall Street.

OK, I lied.  Some commentary:  if Jaime Dimon, CEO of the richest investment bank on Wall Street, is not "too closely aligned with Wall Street" then there isn't anyone who possibly could be so.