Bad Deeds for 2/23/2010

 

Rep. Steve King To Conservatives: ‘Implode’ IRS Offices – Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told a crowd at CPAC on Saturday that he could “empathize” with the suicide bomber who last week attacked an IRS office in Austin by flying an airplane into it, and encouraged his listeners to “implode” other IRS offices, according to a witness.

 

Wall Street Bonuses Up 17%, Profits Could Hit ‘Unprecedented’ Level, Says NY State Comptroller – Wall Street bonuses were up 17 percent to over $20 billion in 2009, the year taxpayers bailed out the financial sector after its meltdown, New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Tuesday.

Total compensation at the largest securities firms grew beyond that figure and profits could surpass what he calls an unprecedented $55 billion last year, DiNapoli said. That’s nearly three times Wall Street’s record increase, a rate of growth that is boosted in part by the record losses in 2008 of nearly $43 billion, the Democrat said.

“Wall Street is vital to New York’s economy, and the dollars generated by the industry help the state’s bottom line,” said DiNapoli. “But for most Americans, these huge bonuses are a bitter pill and hard to comprehend. … Taxpayers bailed them out, and now they’re back making money while many New York families are still struggling to make ends meet.”

 

Banks Apply Pressure to Keep Fees Rolling In – As the government cracks down on the way banks charge fees for overspending on debit cards, the industry is mounting an aggressive campaign aimed at keeping billions of dollars in penalty income flowing into its coffers. Chase and other banks are preparing a full-court marketing blitz, which is likely to include filling mailboxes with various aggressive and persuasive letters, calling account holders directly, and sending a steady stream of e-mail to urge consumers to keep their overdraft service turned on.

In recent weeks, Chase has been fanning special letters out to consumers with an offer that it urges them not to refuse:

“Your debit card may not work the same way anymore, even if you just made a deposit. Unless we hear from you,” the message, emblazoned in large red type, warns. “If you don’t contact us, your everyday debit card transactions that overdraw your account will not be authorized after August 15, 2010 — even in an emergency,” with “even in an emergency” underlined for emphasis.

 

Fox News Misleads About a Possible Reconciliation Vote – Fox News’ Megyn Kelly this morning, on the supposedly “opinion free” and “fair and balanced” “news show” America Live:

Kelly: “Moments ago, at the White House briefing, reporters asked Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about reports the Democrats are ready to use the so-called nuclear option.”

However, reconciliation is not the “nuclear option.” Reconciliation is a normative part of Senate rules. The term “nuclear option” refers to a Republican plan to do away with the filibuster altogether, threatened back when Democrats used filibuster threats to hold up the Bush administration’s extremist slate of judicial appointments.

 

Virginia Now Allows State Employees to be Fired Because They Are Gay – Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has signed an executive order barring discrimination in the state workforce on grounds that include race, sex, religion and age, but not sexual orientation. It follows McDonnell’s long-standing position on the issue of legal protections based on sexual orientation. McDonnell had criticized his two Democratic predecessors for barring discrimination based on sexual orientation in their similar executive orders.

 

More Soft-on-Terror Results – Suspected NYC bomb plotter Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty today to three counts:
A former Denver airport shuttle driver admitted Monday to a plot to bomb the New York City subways, saying he was recruited by al-Qaida in Pakistan for a “martyrdom plan” against the United States. The Afghan native pleaded guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organization. He faces a life prison sentence without parole at a sentencing in June.
So he had lawyers from day 1, waived his Miranda rights, wasn’t tortured, and is now cooperating and pleading guilty. The U.S. gets the benefit of his knowledge. He gets punished and incarcerated.

 

Republican Legislator Says Disabled Kids are God’s Punishment – State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy. He made that statement Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.

 

Republican Party Launches Time Travel Machine to Disagree with Obama in Future 😉 – In a plot twist worthy of the television series Lost, key congressional Republicans launched themselves in a state-of-the-art time machine today to complete an important mission: traveling to the future to disagree with President Barack Obama.

The self-styled “timestronauts,” led by House Minority Leader John Boehner, traveled four days into the future to attend this Thursday’s health care summit.

Returning safely to the present after their brief visit to the future, Rep. Boehner took issue with everything Mr. Obama will say on Thursday.

“My colleagues and I have traveled four days into the future and listened to everything the President will say,” he told reporters at the Capitol. “And it all will suck.”

Rep. Boehner said that the Republican time-travel machine was an unqualified success, and may have even broader applications going forward: “We hope someday to take this entire country back to the nineteenth century.”

Regards,

Jim