BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

The day has had little outstanding headlines for the most part.  It can be summed up simply by saying the Dow is up, gas prices are up even if barrels are down, Bush has reached a new high in low ratings, Paltry is down and the candidates are gaining and losing Super Delegates.

Well, the Dow closed at over 13,000, the first time since January 3, 2008.  I guess we should all be excited, but it means little to me.  Perhaps, the $10 Billion + in profits that Exxon reported for the first quarter of the year stimulated some.  It nauseated me. 

But, we can see what a stimulus package can do for Wall Street.  Apparently, the “save the Bear” campaign and the quarter point interest rate cut by the Fed yesterday has left those who wheel and deal on Wall Street feeling a bit of enthusiasm for making more money.  Of course it was widely reported yesterday that a few years ago, it was common for a CEO of a corporation to make 4 times the average salary of the worker bees.  Today that CEO can expect to make 433 times the average salary of the same worker bees.  We have learned that those at the top who screw up get more to quit the job in a month that most of us who do the work make in a year…. the ex-CEO of Sprint now receives $84,000 a month (for life) in addition to the bundled severance package, good references from his friends and previous employer, and a job as a college president.  Not bad for a major screw up?

Yesterday, it was reported that a barrel of oil had dropped by a couple of dollars.  Today I paid $ .13 more per gallon at the pump than I did last week.

According to the latest polls, President Bush has reached an all time low in approval polls.  Much like the 2% interest rate the Fed is holding, Bush just can’t get much lower.  No wonder it has been reported across the media that Bush would hurt McCain’s campaign if he hit the trail with him.  And, it is no wonder that John McCain is trying to distance himself from the present resident of the White House.

Obama seems to be losing some traction in the Indiana polls, but he gained a Super Delegate endorsement from one of Hillary’s former pledged Supers.  Guess everyone is fickle in this race.  Of course, Clinton received the endorsement of the Governor of North Carolina.  Mike Easley is no Gov. Rendell and he admitted it.  The Democratic governor of North Carolina was elected in a bright red state, so we have to know that if he isn’t sitting on the fence, he’s pretty damned close to the fence post.  Right now, Obama leads in pledged delegates… 1490 to Clinton’s 1334.

And, late this afternoon it appears that the D.C. Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfry, took her own life.  She was a few months away from a sentencing hearing to determine her jail time from her recent federal conviction that covered a span of indictments.  Of course, Senator David Vitter is still serving in Congress.  I won’t even mention the diaper joke that has been trailing him for months.  But, Ms. Palfry apparently couldn’t face the next phase of her life and decided to put an end to it this afternoon in Florida.

By the way, FEMA has told the last fifty or so families still living in those toxic trailers to move out.  It is reported that they are helping some of the families.  I wouldn’t hold my breath.

That’s today… so far.