Leslie's Omnibus: Drive-Bys

I had an IM chat with this lovely lady today, and, by golly, we're going to be roomies at BlogHer.

I imagine it'll be like a blogmeet on anabolic steroids -- bigger, more muscly and a lot more intense. Can't wait!
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I love Ed Koch:

It was shocking to learn, “Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. had to gather the chief executives of the nine biggest American banks and cajole them into accepting about $25 billion each in new capital. But having pleaded with the banks to take the money, and putting no government officials on bank boards, the government had little power to tell them how to spend it. Treasury officials also refused to tell banks to reduce their dividends or to increase their lending by any specific amounts.”

I find it incredible that this is happening and no one is calling foul.

Where are all the hotshots who supported Paulson in his psyching us all out by conveying that if we did not follow his plan, we would find ourselves in another Great Depression?

Why aren’t they at the very least denouncing what is now happening? We are keeping alive, in addition to banks, other institutions that have done a terrible job and were greedy.

And...

Everyone is lining up to get their federal handout.

AIG has come back for more and is to receive a total of $150 billion. The three American car companies, General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, have received $25 billion and want another $25 billion of taxpayers’ money.

Why not let them be bought by others in bankruptcy? There are those who say we are bailing out companies in order to prevent massive layoffs. In my view, those layoffs will come sooner or later anyhow because those companies are run by incompetents and no longer able to compete, while foreign companies like Toyota, manufacturing their cars in the U.S., are selling them and not seeking to be bailed out.

They make cars Americans want to buy.

Too right.
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So part of the Palin smear was a hoax? That still doesn't wipe out this damning with faint praise. McCain owes Palin a big apology. As does the MSM.

Don't worry. I'm not holding my breath. And, like Baldilocks, I'm truly disgusted with McCain.
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Quote of the Day:

"Considering how taxpayers' money around Washington isn't respected, a day shouldn't go by without having an inspector general checking on it," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member on the Finance Committee.

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Giggle of the Day: