Rassmussen-NC: Obama Up

Ken AshfordBloggingLeave a Comment

For the first time, Rassmussen polls Obama ahead of McCain in North Carolina. North Carolina Trends: McCain vs. Obama Date McCain Obama 9/23/2008 47% 49% 9/18/2008 50% 47% 8/13/2008 46% 42% 7/15/2008 45% 42% 6/10/2008 45% 43% 5/08/2008 48% 45% 4/10/2008 47% 47% 3/20/2008 51% 42%

The Mortgage Crisis Explained

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Best explanation ever from a blog Good Math, Bad Path. I’m reprinting it in its entirety.  The title of the post is Economic Disasters and Stupid Evil People: With the insanity that’s been going on in the financial world lately, a bunch of people have asked me to post a followup to my earlier posts on the whole mortgage disaster, … Read More

Watch Lettermen Tonight

Ken AshfordElection 2008Leave a Comment

For those following the news today, you know that McCain announced he was suspending his campaign to deal with the economic crisis.  And — oh, yeah — he wants to postpone Friday’s debate with Obama. The polls today show Obama "breaking the tie" and pulling ahead nationally by 4 points.  He’s also doing well in important swing states. McCain now … Read More

Bailout History

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

A chart (adjusted for inflation) The details. While I’m at it, I think Markos is right.  These are the things we should be looking at: What we need to determine the extent of this "crisis": Transparency. Release the presentation Paulson gave to congressional leaders that supposedly has them all spooked. Give us the data and information, and let outside economists … Read More

Gas Shortages In NC?

Ken AshfordEnergy and ConservationLeave a Comment

Last week, I went to fill up my gas tank.  The station I pulled into had plastic bags over the "regular" pumps and over the "mid-quality" pumps.  I was stuck buying the "premium" gas.  It was $3.99 per gallon, which was what regular was at in July and August, so I wasn’t that upset. But around the office, I have … Read More

Excerpts From Hamlet’s Facebook News Feed

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

Horatio thinks he saw a ghost. Hamlet thinks it’s annoying when your uncle marries your mother right after your dad dies. The king thinks Hamlet’s annoying. Laertes thinks Ophelia can do better. Hamlet’s father is now a zombie. – – – – The king poked the queen. The queen poked the king back. Hamlet and the queen are no longer … Read More

They Knew This Was Coming?

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit1 Comment

Buried in a Roll Call article today: [White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony] Fratto insisted that the [$700 billion mortgage bailout] plan was not slapped together and had been drawn up as a contingency over previous months and weeks by administration officials. He acknowledged lawmakers were getting only days to peruse it, but he said this should be enough. This … Read More

The Worst Is Yet To Come

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Scary thoughts from Billmon: So think of it this way: What happened last week was a giant run on the bank, with people lining up to get their money back — like that scene in It’s a Wonderful Life, except in cyberspace, not Bedford Falls, and with Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson, not Jimmy Stewart, standing in the electronic doorway … Read More

Time To Cash In

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & DeficitLeave a Comment

Seeing as how the U.S. government is going to spend $700 billion (the cost of the Iraq War) in a bailout "rescue plan", buying up distressed toxic worthless assets from poorly mismanaged investment banks, many individuals are wanting to cash in. So welcome to www.buymyshitpile.com, and maybe you too can get on the gravy train.  Newsday says the site "captur[es] … Read More

As Roger Ebert Gone Off The Deep End?

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

People are wondering what the hell yesterday’s Roger Ebert column was all about.  Entitled "Creationism: Your questions answered", it began this way… Questions and answers on Creationism, which should be discussed in schools as an alternative to the theory of evolution: Q. When was the earth created? A. Archbishop James Usher, working out a chronology from the Bible, calculated in … Read More