As far as I know, Bernie Madoff is not in jail. So let me understand this, if he was caught with a couple of ounces of marijuana, his butt would've been tossed in the pokie -- like most who get caught with said amount of weed. But because he defrauded many people out of $50 billion (with a "B"), he gets to avoid such an existence...? And we're to believe our justice system is blind to class or social status?

President-elect Obama recently gave a speech to the public. Isn't this unheard of, for the to-be prez to give such a speech? Some might say unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the current administration many weeks ago just checked out. What we've been treated to instead is both Bush and Cheney taking to the interview circuit, trying desperately to shore up their legacy, concerned more about themselves than our country. If anything, now is a time when both the prez and prez-elect should be working together in hopes of staving off a depression. Instead, we have an empty White House and Obama governing from afar.

Here's a question: what ever happened to all that talk from the right about Obama being a socialist? Call me crazy but I don't think a socialist would have 40% of his stimulus package comprised of tax cuts. Hmm, could this have been just more pre-election red-scare labeling to frighten voters, more empty rhetoric based on zilch? You know, like the empty rhetoric McCain voiced with his bragging he knew how to capture or takeout Osama bin Laden (and apparently such know-how still stays with him). Socialist, my arse.

Surprise! This administration had a direct role in torture. Bush is likely to grant many pardons to protect the guilty, but can Bush pardon himself?

Kevin Drum writes about how Bush's science advisor for eight years was not allowed to insert any science into the president's briefings. (Instead, he was likely forced to bring GW milk and cookies three times a day).

It's a bit disturbing to witness the excessive expectations people have in Obama. Prior to the election, Republicans tried as they might to convince people he was the Messiah. The right-wing knew to “reverse engineer” what they do to benefit their side: play down expectations; with Obama, they played up expectations to the hilt in hopes that he would fail at least in the court of public perception. Unfortunately, he’s being tagged as President Panacea (i.e. cure for all ills), and in large part it's why Obama made the unprecedented move of a prez-elect doing a speech prior to the inauguration, in hopes of making clear the many severe problems we face and play down expectations. However, it appears as if very few heard what he was saying or even more so understood the purpose of giving the speech....

This is disturbing:


It shows on InTrade the odds that the U.S. will enter a depression this year (we're already in a recession; we're talking depression with a "D"). 56% believe it will happen -- scary.