John Adams

On some (health care, tax issues) they are almost identical. The Dems want more health care is the only difference. Both concede that it's the government's job to provide it. The difference is a matter of degree. On taxes, I am not sure there's a difference except in rhetoric. Republicans mostly want a little less tax but to spend more. Dems want to tax more and spend more. Abortion is a "who cares" issue. It affects few and most legislators won't touch it. Ditto guns. Stem cell research, again, is not that different except for some loons on the right, not to mention technology will probably wipe that debate off the map. Schools, welfare, drug war, and many other issues...the parties only differ on points just to be different. On questions like: government size reduction, fiscal responsibility, limiting powers, following the Constitution, etc., they are in lockstep.

You need to take a long hard look at the Democrats and Republicans and revisit this polarization bull sh--. The two parties hav way more similarities than differences. They may refuse to work together on some issues but they agree on 90% of things. I don't think of the WSJ as "Republican" conservative. It's the best paper I read, and has some Conservative (read: Capitalist) bias. I read the NY Times too and the WSJ is nowhere near as conservative as the NY Times is liberal. CNN, to me, is the most objective of the major news networks. FOX is totally absurd and is the Colbert Report without the joke. MSNBC is similar.

Yep. I sympathize. Not sure I sympathize enough to vote Obama but I sure am afraid of VP Palin.

So if you bumble pulling out a piece of paper and get a word in edgewise, you pwnd Hannity? Do you think, that just maybe, you're being kinda partisan?

Obama is a dull professor. McCain is an old man recently released from an asylum. McCain is going to lose for reasons other than this but don't underestimate how badly he comes across on TV. He looks like he's ready to lose control at any second.

Lurker: what you said of McCain really true to me. I'd pile on by adding that his choice of Palin is almost akin to treason. I don't think he finds her to be a good running mate for one second but instead chose her to pander to the super-Jesus demo. That he'd be willing to sell out to such a low, low level to do that is abhorrent. If he wanted to sell out, there were better choices. Not sure I can vote for Obama but he's brighter.

Color me filled in. So is there a number that estimates the ratio of deposits to outstanding loans? And what of the Economist's analysis? Is it wrong? (I am a GD patent attorney who finds himself roughly believing the "facts" in the WSJ, Economist, and Forbes.)

If you tell me StupidNation is Holcomb's Arm, it will make my day. Really.

That I got the ratio backwards from memory even makes the point more--still, it's close to 1-to-1. US banks are in a lot better shape than their EU counterparts. Ae you sticking with your rough assertion that banks have loaned up to as much as 10X as much as they have deposited? Really? Or is just more fun to attack The Economist? I read plenty more things than the Economist; it was just there that I saw the statistic. The WSJ backs the EU ratio of 1 to 1.4. I didn't find the US ratio easily.

I don't know about Hispanics but I wouldn't question blacks' genitalia.

That's actually funny. It never occurred to me but first the black family moved in, clearly white-flighting my cunty widow neighbor. She sold out to a gay couple--and they are interracial! So that's a housing jackpot? Sweet. Take that housing downturn.

If by hijacked you mean that Hannity talked for all but 10 seconds of the 6 minute piece, I guess you have a point.

A black family moved in 2 doors from me and my scared old woman neighbor fled from her house and sold it to a gay couple. What does that do to my real estate value? Do blacks and gays they offset each other?

No. I just didn't see at any point where the Microsoft guy got the better of Hannity. And before you mistake me for a Hannity fan, I hate his guts.

Oh sh--. When Obama wins, it's like the black family moving into the neighborhood? That's why housing prices are falling? Time to move to Canada. Lots of safe white people there.

Correlation? Or Causation? Or neither? You're a retard.* *Not meant to be read by any actual retarded people who might not like being called retarded. If you are actually retarded, but not so retarded that you can't read, do not read this.** **That means you Wacka.*** ***Wacka: I'm calling you retarded.

I've read most of them. The emoticon is his best work.

According to FOX, the Civil War could have been avoided if certain people weren't so uppity.

Where's the part where Gibbs beat up Hannity? I would have liked to have seen someone take it to Hannity. Sure wasn't that Microsoft actor guy.

The Sal interview concludes with a McCain supporter sounding just as dumb as the Obama people. The link in my sig has the entire bit--with a frightening McCain hick on the page somewhere too.

Nothing like scaring up the electorate. At least it's a better issue than the threat of gay marriage to our moral fabric. Wait. Maybe gay marriage is the reason we're in this mess.

My latest theory comes from FOXnews (wish I caught the guy's name who said it): The most recent weeks' drop is because Obama is about to become president.

The only problem with my citation is that "outside Wall Street," the actual ratio is .96 to 1. (I left out the "outside Wall Street" from my memory....when I revisited this week's Economist, I saw that caveat.) I did some quick Googling and can't find the overall US bank ratio.

Sounds good to me. And while we're at it, maybe professional leagues could set a higher standard for off-field conduct. The standard could be pretty low too but beating your wife, killing someone, killing dogs would surely get you kicked out.

Obviously it's bad. Every downturn and economic crisis feels new and awful and like the end of the world when it's happening. Only history tells us that it wasn't truly the end of the world. Right now a lot of capital is stuffed in safe places with low rates of return. It won't likely stay there forever. If it does, your silver isn't going to worth much unless you're smelting it into bullets.