"You can't use taxpayer money to pay out $18-billion in bonuses... What planet are these people on?"

Thank you Senator McCaskill. Hey, I'm in sales. I like to make a good living and I like to get incentive compensation based on my results. I'm sure a lot of folks in finance and banking do too.

Let's just say that if those bonuses were earned, they were obviously based on the wrong metrics. I heard that last year had the 6th highest payouts in history. Can't convince me it was the 6th highest profitable year for that industry, so something is fucked up for sure. Perhaps the sales types did what they were told and produced. They should get paid. But the executives who set up those programs should be out on their asses rather than getting overrides and bonuses themselves as their firms drown because of their bad judgment.

These are public companies. Who are the directors? Who are the compensation committees? How do people make such bad judgments and then get millions. I just don't get it.

I love McCaskill's bill to cap executive salaries at taxpayer assisted firms at $400k, same as the President earns. These Wall Street types say they need to big payouts to attract the best talent. And that may have been true when profits were high and there were more jobs than people.

I'd like to see Wall Street and baseball, to name a couple, cap earnings at $400k. Prove to me you won't have talented players still wanting to work.

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George Mitchell's Listening Tour

Senator Mitchell just needs to ask three questions of the Middle East leaders he is visiting:

1. What do you want to happen?

2. What are you doing about it?

3. How's that working for ya?

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Operation: Idiocy

Yes, it was hard to believe that Justice Roberts screwed up the oath of office, but let someone INTELLIGENT read the Constitution and argue that it matters. Yes, it directs the President to take this oath before he does anything.

Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

It does not say that he isn't President until he does or even imply that an errant word delegitimizes his standing. There is no hint of what would happen should he not say those words, given that the 20th Amendment states "The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January."

What if the prior President's term ends and no-one has taken an oath? Do we not have a president? Jesus H, can't we all grow up?

"Well, again, we're wondering here whether or not Barack Obama in fact is the president of the United States," Chris Wallace told Fox News viewers, well over an hour after Obama had taken the oath of office today.

"It's just conceivable that this will end up going to the courts," Wallace speculated.

What a tool. Is he really Mike Wallace's kid?

And now there is a flap because Obama didn't employ a Bible when taking the oath again. Refer to the earlier quote from the Constitution. Does it say there needs to be a Bible? It actually doesn't even say who needs to administer the oath or that the oath needs to be administered. The new President could -- and in this case would have been better off if he had -- just recite it without help from the Chief Justice, his Dad (Calvin Coolidge) or anyone else. Don't need no Bible, don't need to raise your right hand, just need to say it. The rest is ceremony.

Well it all makes sense now because as we know OBAMA IS A SECRET MUSLIM WHO IS NOT A LEGITIMATE U.S. CITIZEN HAVING BEEN BORN IN INDONESIA.

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What A Difference A Day Makes!

whitehouse.gov 10:45am EST January 20, 2009

whitehouse.gov 4:45pm EST January 20, 2009

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I Miss You Mom

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What I've been listening to this afternoon

Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto:


Linda Ronstadt:


Frankie:


Julie London:


The Angels:

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Ukelele Madness!

Shaft:


The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:


You Don't Bring Me Flowers:


Smells Like Teen Spirit:



While My Guitar Gently Weeps:

George Harrison was a great fan of the Ukelele.

Hey Ya:


Ukelele Lady:

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