Jobless claims top 6M; housing starts plummet

Jobless claims top 6M; housing starts plummet: "WASHINGTON – The number of people receiving jobless benefits exceeded 6 million for the first time, the government reported Thursday, and housing construction unexpectedly plunged to its second-lowest level on record — fresh evidence that the recession is far from over." yet later in the same article... "Still, economists found some silver linings. For the second straight week the number of people filing new benefits claims dropped more than expected, and single-family home construction, while depressed, appears to be leveling off." It's really bad...but it's not really that bad....Up and down, up and down. I really think AP is plagiarizing Obama.

Bringing Smart Energy Home

I have a better idea than smart meters. What if the energy that we used was monitored by those who provide it to us? And then they could provide an incentive for us to reduce the amount we use. They would notify us on a regular schedule what we've used, say monthly, and we can adjust based on that. If we use less, then these "Utility" companies would reward us with something else we also desire. I call it Server-Side Monitoring and Control. Most other people might call it getting billed from the Electric or Gas company. Some may even call it Capitalism. Bringing Smart Energy Home: "The utility-focused tools use smart meter information to provide deeper energy analysis and can even control smart appliances, enabling utilities to implement demand-response events. But the drawback of such tools is that you'll need a lot of patience and a little luck. To get hooked up via one, you'll need to be in the footprint of a utility that's rolling out smart meters. At this point fewer than 6% of the U.S. population has a smart meter."

Retail sales show recession far from bottom

Sales are down. Spending is up. Credit is gone. Production is down. Inventories are up. Obama says the fundamentals are bad and then they are good. He says we're in for a very long and deep recession and then he says it's not as bad as we think, then he says it is. I think the president is regressing to his childhood when his favorite thing to do is go up and down on the seesaw. I think I would very much like that technology used for the snipers that were ordered by the Commander-in-Chief Obama to shoot those black teenagers. You know, the stuff that kept the weapons balanced despite the ups and downs of the sea. If we could only apply that to our stock market here... Retail sales show recession far from bottom: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell 1.1 percent in March after rising for two straight months, government data showed on Tuesday, dimming hopes the 16-month-old recession was close to hitting bottom. A separate report showed prices received by U.S. producers fell a surprising 1.2 percent last month, underscoring the economy's weakness and lack of pricing power. Despite the weak March sales data, economists said consumer spending likely rebounded in the first quarter, which could mean gross domestic product fell less steeply than the 6.3 percent annual rate recorded in the last three months of 2008."

Obama: 'Instant gratification' fueled bust

Read: "You are not being taxed enough" Obama: 'Instant gratification' fueled bust: "President Barack Obama acknowledged in a major economic speech Tuesday that 'times are still tough' and warned that a culture of 'instant gratification' had produced neglect of major national problems that wound up undermining the economy."

BBC NEWS | Business | GM stock hit by bankruptcy report

BBC NEWS | Business | GM stock hit by bankruptcy report: "US carmaker General Motors has seen its shares fall sharply after a report that the US government wants the firm to start bankruptcy proceedings by 1 June."

Obama girls name their new puppy 'Bo'

Obama girls name their new puppy 'Bo': "The dog is a gift from Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who owns several Portuguese water dogs himself." I thought he said they were going to get a rescue dog. I don't have a problem with them getting a bred dog at all, I just get tired of hearing one thing and seeing another thing done. I see this all the time from Liberals. "Save the trees! Save the animals!" while we have a barbecue on a red wood deck.

Federal budget deficit sets March record $192.3B

Money, money, everywhere and not a drop to spend (for regular tax paying citizens). But we'll get to pay for it with the inevitable hyper-inflation coming. I bet the press are getting the Misery Index ready. Federal budget deficit sets March record $192.3B: "WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department said Friday that the budget deficit increased by $192.3 billion in March, and is near $1 trillion just halfway through the budget year, as costs of the financial bailout and recession mount."

Rove: Biden a 'blowhard' and 'liar'

Rove: Biden a 'blowhard' and 'liar'

Biden spokesman Jay Carney told Fox earlier this week, "The vice president stands by his remarks."

BBC NEWS | Americas | Iowa upholds gay marriage rights

BBC NEWS | Americas | Iowa upholds gay marriage rights: "Iowa's Supreme Court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriages in the US state was unconstitutional."

The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S. - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

Great article from Fox News... The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S. - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com: "EXCLUSIVE: You've heard this shocking 'fact' before -- on TV and radio, in newspapers, on the Internet and from the highest politicians in the land: 90 percent of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States. -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said it to reporters on a flight to Mexico City. -- CBS newsman Bob Schieffer referred to it while interviewing President Obama. -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said at a Senate hearing: 'It is unacceptable to have 90 percent of the guns that are picked up in Mexico and used to shoot judges, police officers and mayors ... come from the United States.' -- William Hoover, assistant director for field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, testified in the House of Representatives that 'there is more than enough evidence to indicate that over 90 percent of the firearms that have either been recovered in, or interdicted in transport to Mexico, originated from various sources within the United States.' There's just one problem with the 90 percent 'statistic' and it's a big one: It's just not true." You need to read this rest of this...