Big Brother is Watching You

UPDATE III: As I've said for years, big brother is watching you. Read MSNBC, German officials admit using spyware on citizens, as Big Brother scandal grows.


UPDATE II: The government doesn't even need location data from cellphone towers if it uses 'a little known cellphone-tracking device.' Read the Wall Street Journal, 'Stingray' Phone Tracker Fuels Constitutional Clash.


UPDATE: "In a series of rulings on the use of satellites and cellphones to track criminal suspects, judges around the country have been citing George Orwell’s '1984' to sound an alarm. They say the Fourth Amendment’s promise of protection from government invasion of privacy is in danger of being replaced by the futuristic surveillance state Orwell described. . .

Last month, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn turned down a government request for 113 days of location data from cellphone towers, citing 'Orwellian intrusion' and saying the courts must 'begin to address whether revolutionary changes in technology require changes to existing Fourth Amendment doctrine.'

The Supreme Court is about to do just that. In November, it will hear arguments in United States v. Jones, No. 10-1259, the most important Fourth Amendment case in a decade. The justices will address a question that has divided the lower courts: Do the police need a warrant to attach a GPS device to a suspect's car and track its movements for weeks at a time?"

Read The New York Times, Court Case Asks if 'Big Brother' Is Spelled GPS.

Should a warrant be required before the government can monitor your movement? Read DailyTech.com, Obama Administration Fights to Allow Warrantless GPS Tracking.

Which Candidate Fits Your Views Best

Take the 2012 Presidential VoteMatch quiz and find out.

Humor For English Majors

Once again, the Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.

Some winners:

1. Coffee (n), the person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted (adj), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

3. Abdicate (v), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade (v), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly (adj), impotent.

6. Negligent (adj), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

7. Lymph (v), to walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle (n), olive-flavored mouthwash.

9. Flatulence (n) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash (n), a rapidly receding hairline.

11. Testicle (n), a humorous question on an exam.

12. Rectitude (n), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

13. Pokemon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

14. Oyster (n), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

15. Frisbeetarianism (n), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

16. Circumvent (n), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are some winners:

1. Bozone (n): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

3. Cashtration (n): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.

8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

9. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

10. Decafalon (n): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

13. Arachnoleptic fit (n): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

14. Beelzebug (n): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

15. Caterpallor (n): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

16. Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

ShakesPalin Hired By Hedgehod News 'Cause She Was Hot and Got Ratings'

Does anyone know how many Nobel Prize winners work for Hedgehog News (which falsely uses the name FOXNews)? Read the Washington Post, Fox News's Roger Ailes: 'I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot'.

Punnies

From an email:

If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?

A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.

A pessimist's blood type is always B-negative.

My wife really likes to make pottery, but to me it's just kiln time.

Dijon vu --the same mustard as before.

Practice safe eating--always use condiments.

I fired my masseuse today. She just rubbed me the wrong way.

Shotgun wedding--a case of wife or death.

I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.

I used to be a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.

Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.

A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

Corduroy pillows are making headlines.

Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?

Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.

Banning the bra was a big flop.

Sea captains don't like crew cuts.

A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.

Without geometry, life is pointless.

When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.

Reading whilst sunbathing makes you well-red.

My wife has manopause--she keeps stopping me from starting.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Thursdays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today. I'll be back in two weeks to deprogram you.

Only Eleven

"America needs to rally.

Jobs are pitifully scarce. Incomes are falling. The U.S. government, like many American families, has taken on too much debt. The hangover from a brutal recession now looks like it could last for years, with the once-dominant U.S. economy sliding into a chronic state of disrepair.

During pivotal moments in the past, Congress has helped steer the nation back toward prosperity with bipartisan action like the tax reforms of 1986 and the welfare reform that passed a decade later. In 2008, Congress passed emergency bank-bailout legislation that turned out to be unpopular, but probably saved the nation from a financial meltdown and the first depression since the 1930s.

These days, however, Congress has lost its mojo."

Read U.S. News, 11 Things Wrong With Congress.

Is the 'Great Recession' God's Punishment for American Greed?

Some ministers are taking on the big economic issues of the day, "inspired by the example of Jesus, who angered the powerful by condemning the economic exploitation of the poor, religious scholars say. His teachings are seen throughout the New Testament in parables such as 'The Rich Man and Lazarus.'" Read, CNN, Preachers confront 'last taboo': Condemning greed amid Great Recession. Wikipedia link added.]

The 'Small Businesses Are Gonna Save Us' Myth

UPDATE: In response, Mom and Pop Tammy notes:

"Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in America have never been to high school, don't use electricity, and would sooner love their competitors than sue them.

For generations, the Amish have tended farms tucked away in rural communities like Lancaster, Pa., motivated by a faith that urged them to be in the world, but not of it. But as housing subdivisions and strip malls suck up farmland, many Amish have traded their plows for profits--with remarkable success.

Read The Huffington Post, Amish Offer Business Tips For CEOs."

Regarding small businesses:

"The one thing every American politician can agree on is that small businesses are a crucial driver of the U.S. economy. So it’s somewhat surprising to discover that, as John Schmitt of the Center on Economic and Policy Research points out, the United States actually has the smallest small-business sector among wealthy countries." From the Washington Post, Chart of the day: America’s surprisingly tiny small-business sector, and

"Just about the only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on nowadays is that small businesses are the key to economic growth and hauling the economy out of recession. Trouble is, as Charles Kenny argues in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence to prop up this view." From the Washington Post, The case against small-business fetishism, which references:

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Rethinking the Boosterism About Small Business, which argues that "the notion that small business is the force behind prosperity is not true. The longer the U.S. and other countries cling to this myth, the harder it will be to carry out the kinds of economic policies that might actually stimulate job growth."

For statistics regarding the number of people employed by companies of various sizes, see U.S. Census Bureau, Table 2b. Employment Size of Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 2007.

And the Republi-CON Race Continues

UPDATE VII: "A first-term governor whose paucity of government experience may be just what the doctor ordered, Mr. Christie is a jumble of political contradictions. He’s a conservative with some liberal views, a bullying New Jersey politician who frequently talks about compromise, and an obviously reluctant candidate who clearly hears the siren song of the national stage. " Read The New York Times, Christie, Unscripted, Unpredictable G.O.P. Hope.


UPDATE VI: "A new FOX News poll has Mitt Romney back on top, but with just 23% (essentially unchanged from August). Perry is second with 19% (a 10-point drop from the last poll), followed by a rising Herman Cain 17% (up 11 points) and Newt Gingrich 11% (up 8 points). Michele Bachmann has dropped all the way down to just 3% (down 5 points from August and 12 points from July). President Obama beats Romney (45%-42%) and Perry (47%-39%)." Read MSNBC, Perry’s loss isn’t necessarily Romney’s gain.


UPDATE VI: "Herman Cain stunned the Republican political establishment Saturday, easily winning Florida's Presidency 5 straw poll by trumpeting a platform of tax reforms he calls the '9-9-9 Plan.'" Read the St. Petersburg Times, The facts on Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax reform plan.


UPDATE V: And meet the Not-Mitt, But Not Running non-candidate de jour. Read the Washington Post, Why Chris Christie should — and shouldn’t — run for president.

"That insiders are looking for Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to enter the race reveals G.O.P. dissatisfaction." Read The New York Times, Is Christie the Anti-Perry or the Anti-Romney, which includes this 2009 Christie campaign which he'll have to explain to the teabaggers. "It featured extended and positively framed clips of Mr. Obama . . . and interspersed images of supporters of Mr. Christie and Mr. Obama, implying that Mr. Christie would be in the legacy of Mr. Obama’s mandate for 'change'.":



You might remember I suggest Christie for President more than a year ago.


UPDATE IV: Meet the newest Not-Mitt. Read The New York Times, Herman Cain Wins Florida Straw Poll.


UPDATE III: With the Presidency Five straw poll in Florida on Saturday, here are "six takeaways from Thursday’s slugfest in Orlando:

Rick Perry is not ready . . .

Mitt Romney found an answer to the flip-flopper questions . . .

Rick Santorum has eclipsed Michele Bachmann . . .

Jon Huntsman’s lost opportunity . . .

Everyone loves a good joke . . .

Ron Paul is trying to be more serious . . ."

Read Politico, The GOP debate: 6 takeaways.


UPDATE II: "One crude way to forecast the results you might expect to see out of a House race is through its Partisan Voting Index, or P.V.I., a measure of how the district voted relative to others in the past two presidential elections."

By that measure, it ain't lookin good for Obama in 2012.

Read The New York Times, For Democrats, It’s 2010 All Over Again.


UPDATE: In the meantime, there will be a special election today in New York, where a Republican victory "would be seen as proof that Obama’s agenda has been rejected and his re-election chances are weaker than ever.

What to watch for as the results come in:

How much will Obama drag down the Democrat? . . .

Can the Democratic machine be enough? . . .

How die-hard are the Democratic die-hards? . . .

How much will Israel matter? . . .

How strong a victory will Republicans be able to claim? . . .

Read the analysis at Politico, 5 things to watch for in NY-9.

“Here are seven takeaways from Monday’s debate.

Mitt Romney came prepared . . .

Rick Perry did not come prepared . . .

Michele Bachmann’s still got game . . .

Rick Santorum is stepping it up . . .

Ron Paul 2.0 isn’t all that different than the original version . . .

Jon Huntsman can’t quite read a room . . .

Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain are non-factors . . ."

Read the analysis at Politico, The GOP debate: 7 takeaways.

Of course the debate "was feisty and provocative, with many of the candidates relying once again on bogus 'facts' that [had been] previously identified as faulty or misleading." Read the Washington Post, Fact checking the CNN and Tea Party Express debate in Tampa.

Better, Not Just Less, Government

UPDATE V: "Want to learn about the plight of unemployed workers during the Great Depression? Head to Amazon.com and order John Steinbeck’s Depression-era epic, “The Grapes of Wrath.” Want to learn about the plight of workers during our own Lesser Depression? Head over to Amazon’s warehouse in Lehigh, Pa., and watch them prepare your book for shipping." Read the Washington Post, Amazon.com and the Grapes of Wrath.


UPDATE IV: The future of labor without OSHA -- "working in a convection oven while blow-drying your hair." Read The New York Times, Inside Amazon’s Very Hot Warehouse.


UPDATE III: Still pining for laissez-faire land, move to China, where, "[o]ver the past two and a half years, thousands of workers, villagers and children have been found to be suffering from toxic levels of lead exposure". Read The New York Times, Lead Poisoning in China: The Hidden Scourge.


UPDATE II: Still seeking "a country with low taxes, little regulation and traditional family values, I have the perfect place for them. Body armor suggested." Read The New York Times, Our Fantasy Nation?


UPDATE: For those who doubt the benefit of good government regulation, compare the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan and the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean (2004) and Japan, "Perhaps no country in the world [was] better prepared to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis than Japan." Read The New York Times, Japan’s Strict Building Codes Saved Lives.

Now that the Republi-con ideology has proven false, what next? How about better government? Read The New York Times, Better, Not Just More, Regulation, which argues that the country needs a new regulatory structure that will make the markets function better, not worse.

The Republi-CON '230,000 New Employees' Myth

"The fact that EPA does not plan to hire 230,000 employees at a cost of $21 billion per year should be obvious considering that the entire agency employs around 17,000 people and its fiscal year 2011 budget is only $8.7 billion." Read Media Matters, No, EPA Is Not Hiring 230,000 Workers To Implement Climate Rules.

So many lies, so little time to refudiate.

Class Today at NoBullU on WEBY

UPDATE: Regarding small businesses, read:

The Washington Post, Chart of the day: America’s surprisingly tiny small-business sector and The case against small-business fetishism, which references:

Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Rethinking the Boosterism About Small Business.

Listen to the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- No political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- Just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

NoBullU will broadcast today from 4:05 to 6:00 p.m. at 1330 AM WEBY and on line.

Topics:

Local Business/Event Shout-Out: 3rd Annual Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival, Featuring 80+ Songwriters, 18 Stages, 200+ Performances!, September 28 through October 3, 2011, also on Facebook.


Follow-up: TBD;


Fact-free fantasies of the shrieking hatemongers of right-wing rhetoric and partisan hackery: don't be duped by the Birthers, including our very own Pastor Dred Scott (you may remember the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857, which asserted that African Americans were "beings of an inferior order" who "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." That ruling declared that African Americans could never be U.S. citizens and therefore could never be President),

See The Fogbow, "your best resource for debunking the lies of the 'birther' movement and discussing the birther antics" and WhatsYourEvidence.com, there is even a Birther Case Scorecard, 0-80 for the birthers;


Local and regional: The Lord or Lockup, Your Choice;


National and international: I'm waiting, where's the balanced budget, don't hold you breath because the Republi-CONs Con the Tea Party, there'll be no $100 billion budget cut, and let's admit the obvious, the Republi-CONs are not serious about deficits, and who's responsible for the debt

To balance the budget, do nothing

Republi-CON Congressional spending bills hypocrisy, not to be confused with Republi-CON constitutional authority hypocrisy, or Republi-CON laissez-faire hypocrisy

Facts v. Republi-CON tax myths

Where are those 'invisible [Republi-CON] bond vigilantes'

Our politically induced economic stagnation, part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class

About the Republi-CON war on the middle class

Hello globalization, goodbye jobs

It's China, stupid

The Republi-CON stimulus myth

The myth of expansionary austerity

Let's play the Republi-CON game of 'spot the contradiction', can you explain the Republi-CON contradiction as regards the economy, the debt ceiling, or deficits, or national security, or health care costs, or or even jobs

More on the Republi-CON war on the middle class

Better, not just less, government

Beware federal pensioners, your day of reckoning is coming

The Great Stagnation' and our broken political system


Great quote on so-called government wisdom


And the Republi-CON Race is cont., to find America’s Not-Mitt

Still searching for the ideal Republican candidate: conservative, interested, electable

Can Republicans 'campaign to govern, not just win'?

Republi-CONs might start with those Solyndra half truths

Did the tea so-called party debate pass the test of 'limited government, free markets, and fiscal responsibility'

Rick Perry, R-Murderer and Believer of Junk Science

The Republi-CON 'Texas miracle' myth

The Republi-CON 'social security is a ponzi scheme' myth and The Republi-CON I'd be a millionaire if it wasn't for social security myth

Does Palin have a point about the corrupt crony capitalism

Moral confusion and public health illiteracy


2 to 1 in the COA, health care lawsuit update

Why the individual mandate, because Ron Paul is a hypocrite


and

Am I a felon?

Big brother is watching you,


Fun stuff: Funny signs, riddle of the day, recession humor, Twelve things that a motorcycle can teach, and cute little cats in 'It Could Be Worse';

and

Donate to a good cause: read "the story of a 9-year-old girl who teaches us adults about maturity truly renews our faith in humanity" at The New York Times, Rachel’s Last Fund-Raiser.

I'll discuss anything, but expect a no mercy take down if you are a shrieking hatemonger of right-wing rhetoric and partisan hackery, pandering to fear, anger and hatred, because the truth sure makes it hard out there for the party pimps.

So tune-in, call-in, but only if you can handle the truth and some ass kickin' discussion of politics and current events.

The Price of Civilized Society

"The Wall Street Journal editorial page routinely refers to those who pay no taxes as “lucky duckies,” as if zero taxation is the ideal state of nature.

Oddly, one never hears Republicans praise those countries where people are lucky duckies — those where taxation is a small fraction of what it is here."

Like Equatorial Guinea, Myanmar, Libya, Chad, and Republic of Congo

Read The New York Times, I’d Rather Be an Unlucky Ducky.

The goal should be better, not just less, government.

The Republi-CON 'Texas Miracle' Myth

"Turns out Rick Perry’s 'Texas Miracle' owes much of its success to... Ben Bernanke. A new research paper from the Dallas Fed finds that Texas has rebounded from recession faster than the rest of the country thanks, in no small part, to actions by the U.S. Federal Reserve. (Yep, the same central bank that Perry occasionally deems 'almost treasonous.') . . .

[W]hy should that be? One theory is that Texas’ banking system was in better shape because of regulations put in place after the savings and loan crisis in the 1980s. Regulations on mortgage finance and lack of zoning restrictions also meant Texas didn’t really suffer through a housing bubble." Read the Washington Post, Rick Perry should send Ben Bernanke a thank-you note.

In addition, one study "concludes that 81 percent of the jobs created in Texas since 2007 have gone to newly arrived immigrant workers—93 percent of whom aren’t US citizens and half of whom are illegal immigrants" Read the Washington Post, Did immigrants take most of the new jobs in Texas?

The Lord or Lockup, Your Choice

UPDATE: "A Bay Minette, Ala., alternative to incarceration program that asks first-time, nonviolent offenders to choose between church or jail, was slated to start today but is being delayed for legal review by city officials, said Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tillery." Read ABC News, Church or Jail? An Alabama Alternative to Incarceration Program on Hold.

"Non-violent offenders in Bay Minette now have a choice some would call simple: do time behind bars or work off the sentence in church." Read or watch WKRG, Serve Time In Jail...Or In Church?

But not everyone likes the idea. Read or watch WKRG, ACLU: Bay Minette Cannot Impose Church Sentences.

About the Republi-CON War on the Middle Class

UPDATE: It's still Wall Street predatory business practices v. Main Street:

"A LOAF of whole wheat. A gallon of gasoline. A pair of Levi’s. Americans are paying more for many basic items this year, making tough economic times even tougher.

But these hardships for consumers provide another reason to check in on Dodd-Frank, that package of financial reforms that Congress passed in 2010. Here’s why:

Congress told federal regulators to write rules that would ensure that Dodd-Frank does what it’s supposed to do, which includes protecting consumers. But the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed rules that critics say might actually encourage speculation in the commodities markets, rather than reduce it.

Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, says that as things stand, the C.F.T.C.’s plan could cost ordinary Americans."

Read The New York Times, Speculators Get a Break in New Rule.

Meanwhile, the Republi-CONs, doing the bidding of their corporate overlords, continue to try to undermine the Dodd-Frank Act.

"Between 1979 and 2007, the income gap between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the poorest 40 percent more than tripled. Today, the richest 10 percent of Americans control two-thirds of the nation’s wealth, while, according to recently released census data, average Americans saw their real incomes decline by 2.3 percent in 2010. Though our economy grew in 2009 and 2010, 88 percent of the increase in real national income went to corporate profits, one study found. Only 1 percent went to wages and salaries for working people.

Last year, American companies posted their biggest profits ever, and bonuses for bank and hedge fund executives not only reached record highs, but grew faster than corporate revenue. Meanwhile, almost one in 10 Americans is unemployed, and 15 percent live at or below the poverty level."

Read the Washington Post, President Obama shouldn’t be afraid of a little class warfare.

Facts v. Republi-CON Tax Myths

Did you know that "[c]ompared to the size of the economy, federal tax revenues are very low. " For other tax facts, read The New York Times, Four Tax Facts for Congress Deficit Super Panel.

Sub Today at NoBullU on WEBY

Usually on Thursdays you can listen to me, the voice of wisdom and reason in a wilderness of partisan rhetoric -- no political insanity, no conservative hypocrisy, no liberal foolishness -- just straight talk, straight at you, and that’s no bull!!

But I can't make it today. I'll be back next week to deprogram you.

Our Politically Induced Economic Stagnation, Part of the Republi-CON War on the Middle Class

UPDATE III: The Fed responds to the Repubi-cons:

"We are particularly amused by your reference to Fed actions that 'have likely led to more fluctuations and uncertainty in our already weak economy.' We here at the Fed watched in awe this past summer as you and your congressional allies demonstrated your vast power to create 'fluctuations and uncertainty,' by threatening to default on trillions of dollars' worth of U.S. debt. That triggered the first-ever downgrade of the nation's credit rating. The stock markets tanked. Consumer and business confidence plunged. You guys rock! Fluctuations and uncertainty indeed! So we humbly express our thanks for your insights on how to wreck the economy."

Read U.S. News, What Bernanke Might Say to His GOP Critics.


UPDATE II: "Congressmen have the right to speak out on monetary policy. As long as their advice is not politically motivated. Ask yourself the following question: Would these men be pressuring the Fed to adopt a tighter monetary policy if:

1. Unemployment were over 9%.

2. Inflation had averaged 1% over the past three years.

3. George Bush were president.

Were these men criticizing monetary policy under Bush, when inflation was higher than today? I don’t recall that happening."

Read TheMoneyIllusion, The definition of treason.


UPDATE: Yesterday, a letter was sent to Bernanke, signed by Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. John Boehner, Sen. Jon Kyl, and Rep. Eric Cantor, "making clear that the Republican leadership in Congress is strongly opposed to any further attempts to help the economy." Read the Washington Post, Nice central bank you got here. Shame if something should happen to it.

As I said before, Republi-cons want Obama to fail, the American economy is just acceptable collateral damage to achieve that goal.

Why isn't Ben Bernanke 2011 taking the advice of Ben Bernanke 2000?

"Back then, Mr. Bernanke suggested that the Bank of Japan could get Japan’s economy moving with a variety of unconventional policies. These could include: purchases of long-term government debt (to push interest rates, and hence private borrowing costs, down); an announcement that short-term interest rates would stay near zero for an extended period, to further reduce long-term rates; an announcement that the bank was seeking moderate inflation, 'setting a target in the 3-4% range for inflation, to be maintained for a number of years,' which would encourage borrowing and discourage people from hoarding cash; and 'an attempt to achieve substantial depreciation of the yen,' that is, to reduce the yen’s value in terms of other currencies. "

As I said before, Republi-cons want Obama to fail, the American economy is just acceptable collateral damage to achieve that goal.

All part of the Republi-CON war on the middle class!