Genuine Shorters, Mostly

a cloud is covering the sun for a moment, let's catch up a little.

Do the banks matter?:

I still don't take criticism well.

Ryan ends the post with a slam at me, claiming I only care about the stupid banking system because I'm just looking for a reason to dislike Obama. I could turn that around just as easily and claim that he's only defending the complete lack of action by Treasury because he wants to prop up Obama's presidency by any means necessary. But that's not very useful. Perhaps we could stick to arguing the facts and theory instead of the relative unsavoryness of our putative motives.

Banking, again:

Seriously, how the fuck dare this little peon disagree with me?
Also, Megan is back to blaming Obama for the inside politics efforts by congressional Repubs to block every lower level economic post there is. Megan could do actual reporting and call Austan Goolsbee and ask him about what's going on and his own experience of having his appointment held up for no real reason, but... ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

AIG clawbacks: barely legal:

All of the plans I'm currently aware of involve substantial voluntary participation from sound financial institutions. I don't think you'll get much voluntary cooperation from banks if you declare that any acceptance of government funds will involve substantial risk that they will appropriate your paycheck.

She actually doesn't see the problem here, Megan thinks it's fine and dandy that the execs of struggling financial institutions would place their bonuses above the continued existence of the companies they work for.
The reason for pushback against taking those bonuses away is, I suspect, because it sets a precedent for taking away ill gotten gains. There's a whole lot of really shitty human beings out there who got very rich, or very much richer, from all sorts of unregulated financial misdeeds over the last decade or so, at least, and they should be feeling nervous. Rush and Megan are just the early vanguard of their defenders.

Money matters:

Wait... only Rush agreed? Maybe Megan better act indignant about those bonuses after all, in a waddayagunnado? kind of way.

SEC files fraud charges against Madoff's auditor :

Ah, phew, there's minor news in the Madoff debacle for Megan to act self-righteous about. She's not just a blind enabler of the rich, see?

Flotsam and Jetsam:

To review, when a performer Megan knows and likes dies or falls gravely ill, it's a tragedy. If she doesn't know them or enjoy their work, it's a hoot.

Ok, the sun is back. Bubye.