Good Wednesday morning to you all.  Frosty this morning.  But it looks like we will have sun which always improves my mood.  We didn't actually get anything done in the sewing room.  We had to check out some of the light bulbs that have burned out.  We need to go out to get the new bulbs and a couple of other stops we didn't get done yesterday.  I think we needed a break anyway.

I have to transfer a couple of individual songs that I don't have the CD for but otherwise the loss of the files won't be any loss at all, Nicola.  I have a large collection of CD (and vinyl and cassette) albums.  If I really want to I to put them on my lap top I can do that at any time.  I also need to scrub the hard disc.  I don't keep much personal info on my computer anyway; but, better safe than sorry.

Welcome, Annie's Granny.  Since I've retired my gardening and needlework have expanded to fill my time.  There are plenty of worse ways to spend one's time.  I am also an almost omnivorous reader, fiercely independent politically, and thoroughly skeptical about much that goes on in our financial/political system.  Come on back any time and I will visit often.

Thomas Day at the Washington Post posted this opinion piece today that I think puts things in a nutshell.  Unfortunately, I don't see the current situation changing any time soon.  The Repthuglicans have, and have had for the last three years, only one goal and it isn't doing what is in the interests of the nation.  It is, simply, to get Barak Obama out of the White House.  Though racial and religious prejudice plays a large part, most of those idiots are simply pandering to the extremes hoping someone they approve of will ride the wave into the Presidency.  In other words, they are cynical, hypocritical a$$holes.  I suspect that underneath it all is simply a lust for power and they will do anything, say anything to get it.  Sadly, those who want power so badly can rarely be trusted with it.  I don't think any of those I have seen so far will be the exception to that observation.

Susie Madrak posted this at Crooks & Liars which I think is a good rebuttal to that quote President Obama used from Abe Lincoln.  I asked last night how much most of us can really do for ourselves in the modern economy where a large number of working people are turning to food pantries and food stamps because the earn so little they can't keep food on the table.  Medicare would be wonderful but the co-pay could bankrupt most recipients.  Think about it: if you are hospitalized and the bill is $10k you have to come up with $2K.  If the bill is $100k--you owe $20k.  Tell me, how many do you think can come up with either without seriously discombobulating your budget.  As I said:  how much of what is necessary to modern life can ordinary people afford?

I cheered, at least for a minute, when Obama announced (as part of his SOTU speech) last night that he was going to instruct the Attorney General to form a fraud task force to look into mortgage initiation fraud.  However, as quickly as I cheered, I had some second thoughts.  The current efforts of the Administration has appeared to run to finding some way to erase the fraud the big banks (and the ones they absorbed) and leave them with the right to foreclose on properties involved in those fraudulent operations.  Yves Smith appears to think that is a real possibility.  One of the main reasons why the foreclosure wave has slowed down is that more and more courts and AGs are holding the banks to the law.  And they don't much like it.