Bailout cop: TARP’s not working
In his latest quarterly report to Congress, special inspector general Neil Barofsky said that the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, has failed to boost bank lending as well as halt the spread of foreclosures — two key aims of the sprawling program.
Unforseeable!

posted by SteveF to Economy, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Certainly not Ford. Ford posts first annual profit for four years
The carmaker made $2.7bn (£1.7bn) in 2009, and said it expects to be profitable this year as well.
For the final three months of last year, the company made $868m, a dramatic improvement on the $6bn loss it made a year earlier.
Ford attributed its annual profit […]

posted by genes to General, Finance, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Lynch mobs turn on looters amid Haiti aid crisis - Times Online
“I’m just here to help,” said an officer from the Pentagon’s Southern Command. He did not know how. Nor did any of his subordinates, dozing in the shadow of a hangar where Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, met UN officials and her own […]

posted by Bill Quick to Assholes, Bailouts, SHTF | 4 comments, no incoming links

Yesterday’s GDP news breathed fresh life into the market for about fifteen minutes. Today, however, the methamphetamine rush has dissipated, and the landscape reappears in all its bleakness.
Traders love this kind of volatility. Investors, on the other hand, can only regard it with a kind of dismal foreboding, as it promises little in […]

posted by nemo paradise to Empty, Afghanistan, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Daily Pundit » Circling the Socialist Drain
Daniel comments, re: the socialist takeover of GM, Chrysler, etc.
These same assholes used their connections to take my money, so boo hoo now that they have to live on a mere $200k per year.
Actually, they don’t, Daniel. If they’re any good, they’ll simply leave and make more […]

posted by Bill Quick to Statists, Obama, Socialism, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | 8 comments, 1 incoming link

kennycan:
Daily Pundit » Off Topic and General Interest
This just in from the WSJ:
Fannie and Freddie to Aid Mortgage Banks
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are set to introduce a program aimed at helping independent mortgage banks acquire the short-term credit they need to make home loans.
Between FNMA, FHMC, GNMA and FHA something […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Banks With 20% Unpaid Loans at 18-Year High Amid Recovery Doubt - Bloomberg.com
“There are some zombie banks out there,” said Bert Ely, chief executive officer at Ely & Co., a bank consulting firm in Alexandria, Virginia. “Neither the banking industry nor the economy benefits from keeping weak banks in business.”
“Zombie banks” pretty much sums […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Outside The Beltway | OTB | Online Journal of Politics and Foreign Affairs
Surely, Reich and his follow UCal professors who have suffered salary cuts aren’t going to supplement their income by repairing bridges or cleaning up parks?
James Joyner explicates something I’ve wondered about also as I listened to lefties preach the gospel of FDR and […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Obama, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | 2 comments, no incoming links

GM, Ford, Toyota Are Cars Americans Plan To Buy Next - Rasmussen Reports™
Ask most Americans what car they definitely plan to buy next, and, perhaps surprisingly, General Motors edges Ford and Toyota. But Toyota is the one most folks are willing to at least consider.
A sucker is born every minute.

posted by Bill Quick to Socialism, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Remember, Boomers, how they told you Social Security woudn’t go broke for years and years? Well, good luck with that.
Here’s the truth, though. Social Security isn’t going broke any time soon. Benefits will be trimmed somewhat, and retirement ages will be raised, and eventually the problems will be resolved. What? […]

posted by Bill Quick to Bailouts | 11 comments, 1 incoming link

13 unintended consequences of Cash-For-Clunkers
There’s one law politicians always choose to ignore. Unfortunately, it’s the immutable Law of Unintended Consequences.
It was sitting out there screaming, “Look at me,” when Congress passed the Cash-for-Clunkers program, but no one in Washington, DC paid any attention to its plaintive wails.
So now we all get to live with the […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Dumbasses, Obama, Socialism, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | 3 comments, no incoming links

I just assumed that my 17 year old Toyota Corolla would qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program, but when I went to the cars.gov site and actually ran it through the process, guess what?
It doesn’t.
Its mileage is too good. So I guess my old clunker…isn’t. Officially, at least.

posted by Bill Quick to Bailouts | 4 comments, 1 incoming link

RBS uber-bear issues fresh alert on global stock markets - Telegraph
The elephant in the room is the spiralling public debt as private losses are shifted on to the taxpayer, especially in Britain and America. “Ask yourself this: who bails out Government after they have bailed out everyone?”
Mr Janjuah said governments might put off the day […]

posted by Bill Quick to Obama, Democrats, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | 2 comments, no incoming links

Once you start buying people off the line of those who feel they need to be bought just continues to grow.
Your as yet to be realized tax dollars at work.

posted by drach to Economy, Bailouts | No comments, no incoming links

Barney the Underwriter - WSJ.com
Back when the housing mania was taking off, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank famously said he wanted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to “roll the dice” in the name of affordable housing. That didn’t turn out so well, but Mr. Frank has since only accumulated more power. And now he is returning […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Dumbasses, DemCong, Democrats, Assholes, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

Update on Recovery Act Lobbying Rules: New Limits on Special Interest Influence
First, we will expand the restriction on oral communications to cover all persons, not just federally registered lobbyists. … We concluded this was necessary under the unique circumstances of the stimulus program. … To that end, comments (unless initiated by an agency official) must […]

posted by SteveF to Politics, Government, Statists, Liberty, Constitution, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | No comments, no incoming links

Doomed dealers rap GM, Chrysler quality - Washington Times
It’s no way to run a railroad, area auto dealers say - produce cars that consistently ride in the rear of Consumer Reports’ annual rankings, and then blame the dealers when they don’t sell.
“Some jerk in Detroit who has ruined his company is going to say I’m […]

posted by Bill Quick to Economy, Bailouts | No comments, no incoming links

If the rules do not fit, change the rules.
The Federal Reserve has now waived rules, permitting GMAC’s bank more scope to provide loans.

posted by drach to Economy, Leftists, Finance, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

I am not particularly inclined to being a conspiracy protagonist, still this is rather strange, and would merit more study.
Here are a few examples of the campaign donations made by some of the dealers who will close their doors shortly. I’m not anywhere close to going through the entire list yet. The figures are only […]

posted by drach to Government, Off The Wall, Bailouts | 2 comments, no incoming links

CORRECTED - UPDATE 1-GM bankruptcy plan eyes quick sale to gov’t | Deals | Mergers & Acquisitions | Reuters
Setting up a new company to buy the healthy assets is aimed at reassuring consumers who might not be willing to make a major purchase from a bankrupt company, fearing it would not honor warranties or provide […]

posted by Bill Quick to Obama, Socialism, Bullshit, Bailouts | 2 comments, no incoming links

Relatively free markets appear to work.
Consumers are showing a preference for buying cars from an American company whose solvency is not in doubt and which is not subject to the vagaries of government and union ownership. Ford not only increased its share of the U.S. market in six of the past seven months against GM […]

posted by drach to Economy, Bailouts, Capitalism | 3 comments, no incoming links

REPORT: Obama administration slashes Chrysler ad budget by 50%
What do they need to advertise for? In the future, the Obama administration will be buying a new “green” Chrysler for every American.

posted by Bill Quick to Obama, Liberal Fascism, Socialism, Bailouts, Obama Agenda | 4 comments, no incoming links

Dan needs some roadside assistance
Dan needs some roadside assistance
Family issues forced him south, and now he’s kinda stuck without funds. If anybody can spare some change, please send it his way; any little bit helps: vermontaigne - at - gmail - dot - com is the email address to use through PayPal.
I sent him ten […]

posted by Bill Quick to Bloggery, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links

TheHill.com - President Obama’s auto plan throws lawmakers
“This obviously rang an alarm bell with me,” Corker told reporters on a conference call Monday. He said his understanding, based on a briefing by Steven Rattner, a member of Obama’s auto task force, is that the administration will use the threat of the bankruptcy code to force […]

posted by Bill Quick to Leftists, Obama, Liberal Fascism, Socialism, Bailouts | 1 comment, no incoming links