Not Michael Jackson

I demand that you shoot me now

Even talking about a "trigger" is wrong. If the public option is not present from go then we will be right back to square one in a few years after having wasted more time, more money, and more lives in the process. If the White House wants to cave to pressure from lobbyists, fine. But don't do it, say you didn't, and call anything that passes reform. We are not that dumb.

Not too big to plan for failure

As Hilzoy says, this is good news:

Under the administration's proposal, companies such as Citi, Goldman Sachs and others in a broad top tier engaged in complex transactions would face stricter scrutiny and have to hold more assets and more cash as cushions against a downturn.

They also would have to anticipate their own demise, drafting detailed descriptions of how they could be dismantled quickly without causing damaging repercussions. Think of it as planning their own funerals -- and burials. [...]

Under the administration's plan, the Treasury could decide to take a company swiftly through a bankruptcy-like process, appointing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as a conservator or receiver. The FDIC currently now only has the authority to take over troubled banks."

While I still think these too-big-to-fail banks should be dismantled now and the idea that these banks would "anticipate their own demise" leaves way too much wiggle room for those great at wiggling, this is a step in the right direction and should be encouraged.

Truth in Comics

If it's Sunday, it's Truth in Comics.

Palin to resign

Strange. Yes, she's all 2012, but to make a run for president one usually keeps their day job. No? This should prove interesting.

Friday Cat(s)

The new CBO score

With the news of the new and much improved CBO score of the complete healthcare package (public option and mandates included), I'm left wondering why the Dems chose to submit the incomplete plan first? If they had any strategery in them, I'd think getting these good numbers after getting the bad was all part of a devious plan to make the GOP crow about cost and then slam them once the real numbers were had. It's either that or they were fools for allowing the CBO to score an incomplete plan. I'd prefer the former, but I'd bet on the latter.

Dog bites man

And John Bolton uses the Iranian uprising as an excuse to start bombing.

What took him so long?

According to Bolton, the presidential election fraud and the subsequent uprising have made the case for bombing crystal clear: since the Iranian people hate their leaders as much as we do, they won't mind so much being bombed by Israel with American made weapons. It's all so simple, really. Now bring on the flowers and candy.

467,000

That's the number of jobs lost in June. It's a bunch worse than last month and it brings the unemployment rate to a 26-year-high of 9.5%. Thankfully, though, I worship CNBC and according to them the recession is over. So screw the jobless recovery. Screw the unemployed. Wall Street's doing better and my investment banker just got a raise. If they're willing to brush the struggling riffraff under the rug then who am I to judge?

Up or down

Sen. Bernie Sanders is right. With the Dems now at 60, cloture should be supported unanimously with respect to healthcare reform (and, for me, with most legislation across the board). The American people have spoken, elections have consequences, and the Republican abuse of the filibuster must end.