It never ends...more tax trouble for the Chosen One

WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius recently corrected three years of tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes after finding "unintentional errors" — the latest tax troubles for an Obama administration nominee. The Kansas governor explained the changes to senators in a letter dated Tuesday that the administration released. She said they involved charitable contributions, the sale of a home and business expenses.

Sebelius said she filed the amended returns as soon as the errors were discovered by an accountant she hired to scrub her taxes in preparation for her confirmation hearings. She and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate judge in Kansas, paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest to amend returns from 2005-2007.

Several Obama administration nominees have run into tax troubles, notably the president's first nominee for HHS secretary, former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. He withdrew from consideration while apologizing for failing to pay $140,000 in taxes and interest.

Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., quickly issued a statement supporting Sebelius.

"Congress is going to need a strong partner at the Department of Health and Human Services to achieve comprehensive health reform this year, and we have that partner in Gov. Sebelius," Baucus said. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Gov. Sebelius has the political experience, determination, and bipartisan work ethic to get the job done with Congress this year. She's the right person for the job."

There was no comment from the White House.

Summers had it right - "off with their heads"

But like all "executives" he pussies out. Maybe he is in line for a nice payout!

Rescued AIG says it has to pay $165M in bonuses immediately

"The easy thing would be to just say ... off with their heads, violate the contracts. But you have to think about the consequences of breaking contracts for the overall system of law, for the overall financial system."

Yes Larry, that would be the easy thing to do. But you are wrong when you talk about "the consequences of breaking contracts for the overall system of law", because the law has long since ceased to exist. And you fuckers are so incompetent that you cannot even manage to do the "easy work." Maybe we could bring in more illegal workers to do the work that Americans won't do.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of the White House economic team and the Senate's top Republican bellowed about bonuses at a bailed-out insurance giant and pledged to prevent such payments in the future.

From one Sunday talk show to the next, they tore into the contracts that American International Group asserted had to be honored, to the tune of about $165 million and payable to executives by Sunday — part of a larger total payout reportedly valued at $450 million. The company has benefited from more than $170 billion in a federal rescue.

AIG has agreed to Obama administration requests to restrain future payments. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner pressed the president's case with AIG's chairman, Edward Liddy, last week.

"He stepped in and berated them, got them to reduce the bonuses following every legal means he has to do this," said Austan Goolsbee, staff director of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

Woooooo...he berated them. I'll bet they are shaking in their boots.

"I don't know why they would follow a policy that's really not sensible, is obviously going to ignite the ire of millions of people, and we've done exactly what we can do to prevent this kind of thing from happening again," Goolsbee said.
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Added Lawrence Summers, Obama's top economic adviser: "The easy thing would be to just say ... off with their heads, violate the contracts. But you have to think about the consequences of breaking contracts for the overall system of law, for the overall financial system."

Summers said Geithner used all his power, "both legal and moral, to reduce the level of these bonus payments."

I am sure he has. Just like when he failed to pay his taxes.

The Democratic administration's argument about the sanctity of contracts was more than Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky could bear.

"For them to simply sit there and blame it on the previous administration or claim contract — we all know that contracts are valid in this country, but they need to be looked at," McConnell said. "Did they enter into these contracts knowing full well that, as a practical matter, the taxpayers of the United States were going to be reimbursing their employees? Particularly employees who got them into this mess in the first place? I think it's an outrage."

In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke did not address the bonuses but expressed his frustration with the AIG intervention.

"It makes me angry. I slammed the phone more than a few times on discussing AIG," Bernanke said. "It's — it's just absolutely — I understand why the American people are angry. It's absolutely unfair that taxpayer dollars are going to prop up a company that made these terrible bets — that was operating out of the sight of regulators, but which we have no choice but to stabilize, or else risk enormous impact, not just in the financial system, but on the whole U.S. economy."

AIG reported this month that it had lost $61.7 billion for the fourth quarter of last year, the largest corporate loss in history.

In a letter to Geithner dated Saturday, Liddy said outside lawyers had informed the company that AIG had contractual obligations to make the bonus payments and could face lawsuits if it did not do so.

Horseshit. They are bankrupt. We bailed them out. Let the executives get in line with everyone else.

Liddy said in his letter that "quite frankly, AIG's hands are tied," although he said that in light of the company's current situation he found it "distasteful and difficult" to recommend going forward with the payments.

Liddy said the company had entered into the bonus agreements in early 2008 before AIG got into severe financial straits and was forced to obtain a government bailout last fall.

The bulk of the payments at issue cover AIG Financial Products, the unit of the company that sold credit default swaps, the risky contracts that caused massive losses for the insurer.

Goolsbee acknowledged the AIG example could make it harder to sell the administration's financial plan to Congress.

Congress already bought off on all of this hook line and sinker.

"Yes, you worry about that backlash. But you're also angry that this would happen at an institution that has been so troubled and you're trying to save. So I think that's perfectly fair," he said.

Goolsbee appeared on Fox News Sunday, and Summers was on CBS' Face the Nation and ABC's This Week, where McConnell also was interviewed.

Fire up the B-52s. Now.

Government lists - Sudafed

Cry me a river. Meth heads are cooking their brains. Awwww...so now you have to sign onto a government watch list to get Sudafed- the ONLY decongestant that really works.

The fact that meth heads are burning down their trailers, well it doesn't bother me. That is their business, not mine. Couldn't care less. Just don't take away my medication. So I am therefore against all such "lists". Lists always start out innocently, until something happens and they are used for something bad.

"Officer Taggleberry, run these names on the sudafed list and see what hits we can come up with," Chief Friendly orders.

Fast forward to a few hours later, "Chief, got some hits." "Good, let's round them up. We need a few more arrests to justify the tac team."

You have just been identified and targeted. Soon a tragedy will unfold.

A few days later, 9 officers, decked out in full assault gear board three vans. They are dressed in black, body armor, elbow and knee pads, plate carrier, gas masks, and are armed with an MP-5, a 14-inch shotgun for breaching/CQB, and HK 416s (only the best for your tax dollars) They are escorted by two cruisers with ordinary uniformed police (the guys who want to join the SWAT team but who need to "put in their time" doing the grunt work first).

You and your girlfriend are peacefully sleeping. Well, maybe not so peacefully, because you are snoring like a band saw because of your stopped up sinuses and your gf is aggravated so she has gone to sleep on the couch.

As they approach the house at 3:30 am, they don't identify themselves nor do they ask questions as two burly guys just ram your door in. Then, two other members perform a "dynamic entry". The immediately shoot your pooch, who was laying on the floor by the door. Your girlfriend, jumps up screaming. One of the troopers cuts loose with the MP-5 and guns down your gf. The 9mm bullets are not frangible so the penetrate the drywall and kill your infant daughter.

At this point, you, having no clue what is going on, and knowing whatever it is, it ain't good, grab your trusty AK and confront the situation. You don't have time to don your vest because things are happening too fast. You don't even have time to put on a pair of boxers.

Rounding the corner into the living room, you see masked intruders and you start plugging away. Most of your rounds hit the officers chicken plates, but a few get through and injure/kill a couple officers. The return fire from the remaining .223 rounds from the HK 416a riddles you like a sieve.

Two dead officers, three injured ones, your dog shot, your gf riddled with bullets, infant dead and you are bleeding out.

All because you had a stuffy nose and bought medication.

It happens....

(this is not one incident but rather comprise of several events that actually have taken place)

The Reality of Self-Defence

Let's cut the macho bullshit right now.

You are not going to be fighting it out with MZB (Mutant Zombie Bikers) at over 300 yards with your super-duper MBR (Main Battle Rifle) from Fortress One. As the MZB's close in over open ground, you take aim with your Trijicon-scoped M1A and start dropping them as fast as you can recover from the recoil. Hate to disappoint you, but that is just not going to happen. First, raiders never come over open ground. Second, at that distance, you are effectively committing murder.

You are going to find yourself beset by smaller problems at first. A stole lawn mower that is unsecured at your house. Then perhaps a smash and grab to steal your XM radio out of your car while it is parked in your drive way. Then things escalate into home break-ins while you are away at work (if you still have a job). Then maybe a home invasion.

The point of all of this is it is up front and personal. Not from a distance. Not rifle or shotgun range. Rather it will be mano a mano. And being a quick draw isn't going to save you from trouble. You are going to have to use situational awareness and passive defences.

More on this later.