Well, I watched Wall Street Journal Reports, which up to now I haven't been mentioning although I watch it most weeks, not because I like "Maria" but because I don't, and it's good to keep up with your "enemies." To me "Maria" represents greed, corruption, ignorance of reality, and a false feeling of entitlement. Her and her ilk are totally out of touch with reality for most people. And they aren't that smart. Yet, for some weird reason, they think they deserve to both run the country (into the ground) and have a lot more than most people. Why? They don't impress me as being very smart. Actually, look at the results. They are pretty stupid!OK, enough ranting, I've plenty of that to come. I also watched most of ABC Sunday Morning, and some of "Meet the Press." I am adding "I'm Outraged" to the title this week, because I am. "Emperor" (as labeled by George Will on ABC Sunday Morning) Paulson dominated the airwaves, and he has a plan, which he wants shoved through in a couple of days totally unaltered, which would forgive the fat cats for their bad investments in mortgage, derivative and speculative based "bundled" mortgage securities, which were backed by bogusly appraised real estate, while allowing the mortgage holders to go unaided.

Give me a break. It's all I can do to avoid using expletives about Paulson, Bush, Congress and the whole lot. They all deserve to be jail. They are nothing more than common thieves, who steal themselves into power, pass laws protecting their lawslessness, and leaving us all liable for the ruins of what is left after they plunder us.

Even Obama met with some so-called "economic experts" and then issued a statement saying that the Treasure Secretary and a couple other insiders should be given "broad authority." SAY WHAT? SAY WHAT? Isn't this the same administration that folks like Sen. Clinton said mislead them about their use of broad authority? And now you are going to put a trillion or more dollars of ours at risk by giving him more "broad authority?" Are you crazy? Especially at the end of the most failed, illegitimate administration in our country's history?

Then you have to listen to what Paulson said. He wants a "clean" bill that bails out his buddies, but holds none of them accountable, and shifts no money to the middle class. Are you suprised? He's BUSH's Sec. of Treasury. He's THE problem! Not the answer.

Even Barney Frank was buying into this " things are so bad that if we don't do what Paulson wants, life as we know it will no longer exist." Well, Mr. Frank, what are you talking about? Interestingly, both Stephanopolous and Schieffer, who I give credit to, questioned their guests about what this so called untold calamity would be if this plan didn't go through. And, fact is, Stephanopolous questioned the hardest. He even got Sen. Dodd, one of the banking dudes in the Senate, to give a little bit of a hint about what would happen if the U.S. government doesn't step in now and prop up these large financial institutions.

Schieffer also asked Barney Frank the same kind of questions. He gave up sooner. Neither Dodd nor Frank gave a good answer, although it was repeated more than once throughout the morning that when Paulson brief "congressional leaders" about the consequences of doing nothing, that there were silence for at least 15 seconds. Oh, what a spiritual moment!

But let me tell you what I think I heard from Dodd and Franks. And by the way, they both sort of let it slip that they were being vague cause they didn't want to cause a "panic." (which I would interpret as taking all of your money out of the bank.) But here is what the bottom lines are on what would happen that is so "bad" that the Dems have to give into Bush and let him do what he wants to avoid these results. And...the results are....that people who are carrying large credit card balances that they don't have the liquid assets to cover could get a "margin" call that they can't meet which could force them into either immediate liquidation of assets that can't be immediately liquidated with any kind of profit, or file for bankruptcy. And, probably even worse, they wouldn't be able to purchase anything else on their credit cards. Ouch.

The other thing "mainstreet" that was mentioned was that us "little" people wouldn't be able to get car loans. Oh my! And here I thought that maybe an asteroid was going to hit the earth and destroy it completely next week.

No doubt that if something like that would happen, that it would mean a lot of changes for most people. And a reduction of "standard of living" in terms of material comforts and expectations. And, that could lead to political upheaval, but hey, maybe that's what we need. Isn't that "free market politics?" And I'm not even saying I'm for completely "free" markets. But for some of these folks to be advocating that on one hand while facilitating one of the biggest giveaways of taxpayers money to a bunch of crooks on the other is outrageous. These folks, for the most part, have been the so-called "free marketers." That means as long as their friends get the goverment bailout it's a "free market."

But Paulson wants a "clean" bill, which means no aide to the middle class. If the Dems give that to him without flexing some of their legislative power as being in the majority, then pox on their house. And if the Dems vote to give Bush "broad authority" to rip us off, then I think there should be a revolution by voting for the Green party or even some other third party.

The other part of the shows that was repeated was the importance of the first debate this week. The consensus is that it is Obama's to lose. I'm not sure I understand the rationale on that, but that's what they said.

Oh yeah, "socialism" was mentioned on about every show. George Will actually read an historic definition of socialism which proved that what was going on now was socialism. The real story here is that so many of the ultra right wing "free marketers" like Sen. Shelby from Alabama, on Face the Nation, are suddenly for more regulation. Give me a break. What a lack of accountability and honor. These people are guilty as sin and yet stand there and deny it. Judas, that's what they are!

Matthews meter gave Obama the week 11 - 1. Obama did win the week, obviously. I give the best show of the weekend award to Matthews, and a close second to Face the Nation. None of them set the world on fire. They are so milktoast and seemingly impotent to ask these crooks the really hard questions that they should be ashamed to call themselves journalists.