Living on Euler's Line

Politics in America

So if you have not heard, election day is only eight days away.  Thank goodness!  My friends... I have had enough of Joe the Plumber and Obama running against W. 

I did find a cool site that showed election results by state since the beginning of time.  It is interesting to see the swing of support.  Be sure to vote - let your voice be heard. 

Online tools to check those viral emails - Did I really win that much money?

Do you seem to get an endless supply of forwarded emails claiming everything from miracle cures for toe fungus to giving up your account information so some dude in Nigeria can send you a share of the $7,000,000 he "found" in an account?  Usually they are from your Aunt in Sheboygan Wisconsin who has a lot of time on her hands but does not take the time to see if any of the facts are even remotely true.  It seems like these emails pick up around election time - this year they seem to be at a fever pitch.

Two great sites to get the facts - Snopes and Fact Check.  Snopes is great for the majority of subjects and Fact Check focuses on election half truths. 

If we could get our Aunt in Sheboygan to just change her habbits (yeah - right).  If she could turn her attention on getting even with the scammers, we might see a decrease in the activity.  There is a great site on how to get even with those guys. 

Wall Street's role in Housing, Mortgage and Credit Crises

In the previous post Politicians Pointing the Finger, you can see the Pyramid of Greed shares some blame on our current crises with Wall Street and Investors.  60 minutes did a piece trying to break down their role and I think they did a good job describing the mess (based on comments, the derivatives guys are a little upset someone is pointing at them).  Sounds like the next in line to share the blame - Mathematician's and Physicists (2:45 into story).  12 minutes long but well worth it if you want to have a better understanding of the big boys involvement in this complex situation. 

Watch CBS Videos Online

Hat tip to Outer Banks Blogger Bill Holt, author of OBX Neighborhood for the link. 

Politicians pointing the finger for the Mortgage Meltdown

I along with millions of others watched the VP debate last week to see which foot Governor Palin would put in her mouth or if Senator Joe Biden would hit on her.  Palin did better than expected by many - especially after the Katie Couric interviews and Biden kept his hands to himself.  Normally I quietly sit on the sidelines and let Monty and Bob duke it out over the political scene, but this time the fire was a little too close to home to ignore.

The question - who is at fault for the subprime mortgage meltdown?  According to Palin - it was the greedy lenders. 

Greedy Mortgage Lenders caused this???  I can't believe the Republican Party is taking this stance.  Politicians at this level are supposed to have advisers that understand the complex issues and help the candidates put them into words the public can understand.  But instead of spreading the blame to the parties responsible - they decide to take the low road and blame the dirty mortgage lenders.

Who do I think is to blame?  All of us.  We all share some of the blame.  I saw a great post on Blown Mortgage titled Pyramid of Greed. 

This is the most accurate description I have seen to date of who really is to blame for this mess.  Great job Morgan. 

I wish there was a candidate that would tell it like it is and not what some focus group thinks the public wants to hear.  I wish the candidates would just answer the questions and not divert attention to something they want to discuss.  We are now only four weeks away from the election and I have yet to see that candidate.