Greenback Limbo

How low can it go?

The rocket-propelled Canadian dollar flew past $1.07 (U.S.) yesterday, fuelled by strong economic data that have many forecasters wondering whether the economy is decoupling from its troubled southern neighbour.

Canada churned out five times more jobs than expected last month, a stellar showing that sparked a number of forecasts that the loonie is on its way to $1.10, as the greenback continues to dive.

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"We had thought that if the U.S. economy slowed down, the global economy would probably slow down, and that doesn't seem to be panning out as much as people thought," said David Watt, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets.

"If the currency is, to an extent, decoupling from the U.S., then it makes sense to come out with a Canadian dollar forecast which pays less relevance to the U.S. economy."

HOLY BEAVER SHIT! We aren't even relevant to Canadians anymore? Those seem like some pretty harsh words from what little I know about this stuff.

I am no economist, but when Canada - a country with lots of oil that is now talking like the ineluctably superior trading partner of ours in the world, not to mention the fact that they are our largest trading partner in the world - deems us irrelevant economically, we really must be screwed.

The Canadian economy is doing well, but it isn't really that their dollar went up against ours because they are doing so fantasticly compared to everyone else as it is because the American dollar is dropping like a rock everywhere else:

Dollar at fresh low against euro

The euro's value settled at $1.4525, while the dollar also plunged to a new record low against the UK pound, settling at $2.0890.

If you are feeling pretty darn poor right about now, get used to the feeling as long as we continue on this stupid republican path to economic disaster.

Now... I want you to think about this:

Oil is nearly at $100 per barrel, but judging from the tanking dollar some of the price rise must be due to our dollars present lowliness. How long before the world decides that we shouldn't be relevant to the price of Oil anymore because they don't want to price it based on the extremely unstable US dollar?

Like I said: I am no economist... But de-linking oil from our dollar would have to pretty much spell doom for our economy. No?

As a side note... We can't even get our drugs cheaper in Canada anymore because of the roughly 30% increase in costs for American buyers:

Drug-busting loonie?

The loonie's muscle just may have done what U.S. government and law enforcement officials could not.

The strong dollar has "virtually stopped all exports to the United States of cannabis," said Marc Emery, the leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party of Canada.

Five years ago, one pound of Canadian marijuana would cost $1,600 (U.S.). Now it's $2,550 (U.S.) a pound when sold in the United States, he said.

They stemmed the flow of illegal drugs into the country! But they had to bankrupt the nation to do it. I am pretty certain that the price increases will affect all of those people that were crossing the border to buy their cheaper prescription medicines in Canada as well.

We are so fucked...

'Cause it sure as hell ain't for freedom:

Basra, Iraq – On Monday, hundreds of Iraqis, led by the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU), took to the streets of Basra to demand that the Iraqi Parliament reject the proposed Oil Law. [1]

Simultaneous demonstrations took place in Amara and Nassiryya. Local governate officials made statements in support of the demonstration and, along with the governor of Basra, have committed to sending letters to the Minister of Oil supporting the Union’s demands.

Hassan Juma’a Awad al Assadi, President of the IFOU, charges that the proposed Oil Law surrenders Iraq’s economic sovereignty to multinational oil companies: “‘We will lose control over Iraqi oil. Therefore, the social progress in Iraq will be curtailed substantially, because the oil companies want huge profits; they are not concerned about the environment, wages, or living conditions…” The IFOU calls for immediate and complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Iraq. The union represents 26,000 members in 10 state oil and gas companies across four governorates in the south of Iraq.

The Union was moved to public protest after initiating a strike on June 4, 2007 over a range of workplace issues and in opposition to the proposed Oil Law. IFOU leaders have said their members are prepared to strike again in defense of their nationalized oil industry. Iraq’s oil has been in the public sector since the 1970s.

Oh yeah... It is those "Iraq Constitution changes" they keep talking about that have everything to do with stealing their oil, and nothing to do with spreading freedom or Democracy.

Well, unless you are talking about spreading bushies FREEDUMB...

If the Democratic party were serious about ending the occupation of Iraq they could do it. All it would take is 40 Dems to shut down Congress in an ongoing filibuster:

Almost exactly two months ago, I wrote that Democrats need a Mr. Smith - someone, anyone in the Senate to shut the institution down in order to force Congress to respect the will of the American people and start ending the war in Iraq. Now, Democrats don't even need Mr. Smith-style bravery - they need only to force the Republicans to filibuster the effort to end the war.

Yes, that's right - Democrats have the power to make the Republican Party stand up on the floor of the Senate, and shut the government down in order to continue the Iraq War, if that's what the GOP wants to do. Miles Mogulescu at the Huffington Post explains:

In recent decades, there has been a "gentleman's agreement" that old-fashioned filibusters are no longer required: If 41 Senators block a vote, the Majority Leader just moves on to other business. Where once the filibuster was reserved for matters of national importance where a minority stood on principle, now the ease of filibustering has made it routine...Majority Leader Reid has the power, however, to ignore the "gentleman's" agreement and force an old-fashioned filibuster. Republican Minority Leader Bill Frist did this in 2003, forcing the Democrats to stage a real filibuster against the nomination of right-wing judge Miguel Estrada.

So, folks, here we are again, asking whether Democrats are going to use the power the public gave them in the 2006 election specifically to fulfill their election promises to end the war. The country is tired of Democrats' Innocent Bystander Fable (see the video above for what I mean). Nobody outside of Washington, D.C. believes - nor should they believe - that Democrats don't have the power to end the war, or must have 60 votes in order to end the war. Nobody believes those excuses because they are as dishonest and destructive as President Bush telling us Iraq had WMD.

But Iraq is about the oil, and the democratic party is using the occupation as much as bush is. Bush and the GOP uses it to spread fear and divide the nation, BUT the Dems are using it as a means to get control of the White House. And they both use it all as a means to get to the oil.

I stayed up until until about 3 o'clock listening to the debate on the floor.

I just wish the Dems would filibuster EVERYTHING to stop Congress all together until they get the Republicans to stop filibustering votes on pulling out. They may as well. What they are doing hasn't done anything to change things. All it takes is 40 Dems to stop Congress in its tracks and end the war.

If they really wanted to end it, they could.

Bush, Treason, And Commuting Libby's Sentence

bush pardons a traitor that is trying to cover up a conspiracy to commit treason, and you still don't think these actions are necessary?

Get this Action Banner for your own web page

You are lying to yourselves if you think that anything less will stop these traitorous criminals in the White House.

NSA Employee Caught in the Act

$770,000.00 worth of conflict of interest.

NSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest:
"Wayne J. Schepens, 37, of Severna Park, Md., pleaded guilty today to engaging in a conflict of interest by using his official position as a National Security Agency (NSA) employee to cause government contracts to be awarded to companies owned and operated by Schepens or his spouse, announced Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher for the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein for the District of Maryland.

'While he was working for NSA, Wayne Schepens arranged to award government contracts worth over $770,000 to companies in which he and his wife had a financial interest,' said U.S. Attorney Rosenstein. 'It is a crime for government employees to participate in awarding contracts that bring them personal financial benefits.'"

What I find galling is that instead of getting ALL OF THE MONEY back the government only fines these con-artists a fraction of the amount. Maximum of $250,000.00 fine in this case.

And to make matters worse, this guy was stealing from a program that is supposed to train soldiers. And in the meantime soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and even here in the USA don't have all of the equipment they need to do their jobs safely.

The crook has yet to be sentenced and I hope he gets made an example of. Give Halliburton-Cheney something to think about.

George Lakoff on the "100 Hour Agenda" and more

A conversation with George Lakoff, senior fellow of the Rockridge Institute, introducing Rockridge Nation, Nancy Pelosi's 100 hour agenda, and the concept of framing of progressive values.

The Rockridge Institute introduces the first episode of their new Rockridge Nation Video Series. In this episode, George Lakoff talks with Rockridge Institute Executive Director Bruce Budner on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's 100 hour agenda, MoveOn.org's agenda, and a broader, long-term progressive agenda.

Nothing like Lakoff in a format that even a bushidiot can understand. Just click'n'learn! lol