Old Fogey's Quotes for Wednesday

"[T]he Bush Administration continues to allow the gun lobby to extract its 'price of freedom' for unfettered access to firearms: an endless string of bloody school shootings."
Violence Policy Center
[Can you believe that a panel on school violence would not even mention the word 'gun?' I guess it would kinda be like a global warming conference that did mention carbon emissions]

"White House officials hailed the improving short-term budget picture as a vindication of President Bush's tax-cutting agenda, though the long-term prospects are considerably bleaker, given the escalating costs of health-care and retirement programs and, in the view of many economists, the red ink produced by tax cuts."
Michael Abramowitz and Peter Baker in WaPo article
Painting a Rosy Budget Picture: Bush Touts Declining Deficit, but Long-Term Outlook Is Dimmer
[I have said a number of times before that I believe a major problem in the US economy has been CEOs looking for short-term profits rather than building a viable company for the long-term. Our CEO-in-chief certainly fits that mold. The same thing could be said about our energy policy. If I were a twenty-something, I would be furious with the Bush administration]

"But real estate -- which has acted as a national piggy bank, with homeowners borrowing and spending against rising house prices -- no longer looks so trustworthy. On this, more than on falling oil prices or a record Dow, hangs the economy's immediate fate."
Robert J. Samuelson WaPo column
Home Is Where the Worry Is
[This phenoma is what has kept the economy afloat in the face of depressed wages. What may happen now is indeed scary. Another cost of the over-heated housing market has been the loss of affordable housing. In Raleigh, an apartment complex, one of the last pockets of affordable housing in a desirable neighborhood, has been sold to a developer known for building luxury housing. It deeply saddens me]

"You know, nobody's accused me of having a real sophisticated vocabulary; I understand that."
King George the Incomprehensible
News Conference Text
[I believe he may the first president to tout willful ignorance as a virtue. A good ole boy might make a great friend but is a disaster as leader of the free world]

"We found several instances where Truscott's statements to us about his conduct were contradicted by numerous other witnesses, and in some instances, by documents as well."
Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine in 157-page report on the mishandling of AFT funds by former director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Carl J. Truscott
Ex-ATF Director Made Questionable Expenditures, Report Finds
[Corruption and lying--the hallmarks of this adminstration. Let's hope in November the American people decide a little oversight is needed]