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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>Why in the hell does ANYBODY believe voting for ANY Democrat is going to
change a goddamned thing in this country? Look at who is donating to their
campaigns!! There will be NO SAVIOR from the Democrat Party, people! I am sick
and tired of reading about and hearing about Barack Obama and hope and change.
Barack Obama is not going to do a damned thing to change anything in this
country. He’s part of the problem. He’s merely a slick politician
with a flare for oratory. Do you guys know that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> troops have admitted to “mistakenly”
killing nine Iraqi civilians and wounding three others on Saturday while they
were trying to get the big bad bogeymen in Al Qaeda? Al Qaeda is a goddamned
CIA construct, people!! They don’t exist. Innocent people are being
killed daily all over the fucking world, and people are crowing about Barack
Obama as if he’s some kind of goddamned Jesus Christ clone! All this
makes me sick. I’m fed up with this shit. Frankly, I hope John “Hurrah
for Endless Wars” McCain wins the presidency and maybe then the American
people will get fed up with all the lying, killing, cheating, stealing,
wiretapping and basically getting screwed daily by the thugs who are running
this country and actually get off their complacent, consuming asses and do
something. Merely going to the polls in March and November and voting for a
lying sack of shit Democrat or Republican is not going to change anything! <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>The people in this country need a major slap upside the head to wake them
up. Perhaps when we’re all drowning in debt, starving to death and dying
because we can’t afford to go to the doctor we’ll all wake up and realize
our so called representatives in Austin and Washington, D.C. have their boots
on our necks and their hands in our pockets.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>The Democrat Party cannot be reformed from the inside out. It’s not
going to happen. This country needs a viable third (actually second) party that
represents the people. The Global Corporate duopoly doesn’t represent the
people and never has. It’s all a ruse. A vote for any of the Democrat or
Republican candidates gets us more of the same shit we’ve been getting
for decades. A vote for any of the Democrat or Republican candidates gets more
dead Iraqis and Afghans and probably a whole lotta dead Iranians before it’s
all said and done. Let’s not forget the genocide going on in the <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Republic</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Congo</st1:PlaceName>
and <st1:place w:st="on">Darfur</st1:place> and all over the fucking world. Do
you honestly think any of the front running candidates give a flying fuck about
a bunch of tortured, maimed and dead black and brown people?! They don’t
give a shit. Let ‘em all die so long as wealthy Americans get all the
worthless crap they want. Consume, consume, consume!!! It’s the American
way! Pay your fucking taxes. Keep the war machine going! It’s the
American way! Take what you want when you want! Kill anybody that gets in the
way! It’s the American way!<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>If you don’t like that mantra then don’t keep voting for more
of the same because that’s what you’re going to get. Stop falling
for the bullshit.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'>Kris<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=black face="Comic Sans MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Comic Sans MS";color:black;font-weight:
bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>Corporate Presidential Campaign Giving Surges</span></b><br>
By Kevin Drawbaugh<br>
Reuters</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Monday
04 February 2008</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <st1:State
w:st="on">Washington</st1:State> - Corporate <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>
is pouring money into the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>
presidential campaign at an unprecedented rate, with a torrent of donations
coming from the businesses behind the subprime mortgage crisis.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Facing
a government crackdown over predatory lending and a troubled housing finance
system, Wall Street and the real estate industry were among the top political
givers in 2007, a campaign finance watchdog group said on Sunday.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Leading
all corporate donors in campaign donations as of the end of last year was
investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, based on an analysis of Federal Election
Commission records, the Center for Responsive Politics said.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> The
next four largest corporate donors were Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Lehman
Brothers and Merrill Lynch, according to the center's fourth-quarter
preliminary analysis, which is subject to revision.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Investment
banks, commercial banks and real estate companies altogether have pumped almost
$34 million into the presidential race, with Democratic leaders Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama getting the most money, the center said.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Overall,
the 2008 presidential contest is shaping up, as expected, to be by far the
costliest in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
history.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> "From
the beginning we've known this will be the most expensive race ever ... Already
the whole field has raised $582.5 million," said Massie Ritsch, spokesman
for the nonprofit, nonpartisan center.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Senators
Clinton and Obama have each taken in more than $5 million from securities and
investment firms; Republican Mitt Romney, over $4 million, and rival John
McCain, $2 million.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Real
estate has not been far behind, donating $4.8 million to <st1:State w:st="on">New
York</st1:State>'s <st1:City w:st="on">Clinton</st1:City> and $3.7 million to
Romney, the former governor of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Illinois</st1:place></st1:State>' Obama has
raked in $2.7 million, and Arizona Sen. McCain $1.9 million from real estate
interests including mortgage brokers, homebuilders and property developers.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>Real Estate Market Woes</span></b></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> With
home prices plummeting and foreclosures on the rise, especially among subprime
mortgage borrowers with poor credit, lawmakers and regulators are looking hard
at home lenders and the debt markets into which they sell loans.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Fears
of recession have pushed the economy onto center stage of the election
campaign, stealing attention from the wars in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
health care, immigration and such social issues as abortion rights.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> One
sector with an interest in almost every debate remains the richest source of
campaign funds - lawyers and law firms, which have donated $26.6 million to
date in the 2008 cycle.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place></st1:City>, including
television, film and music, has given $6 million - $5 million of it to Clinton
and Obama.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> In
contrast, oil and gas's favorite candidate still standing is Romney, who has
taken in $375,000 of the sector's $1.1 million. Those firms donated more than
$620,000 to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who left the race.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Hedge
funds and private equity, a new, independent-minded source of funds, has sunk
$3.6 million into campaigns: $1.3 million to <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Clinton</st1:place></st1:City>; $1 million to Obama; $837,000 to
Romney, and $395,000 to McCain. But the private equity and hedge fund kingpins
also bet big on drop-out Giuliani, donating more than $1.2 million to him.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Major
hedge fund donors contributing to presidential and congressional campaigns have
included Elliott Management, SAC Capital Advisors, Citadel Investment Group,
Fortress Investment Group and Renaissance Technologies, the center said.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Giving
by all of them has skewed heavily toward Democrats, except for Elliott, which
gave 99 percent to Republicans.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Private
equity firms with generous purses have included Blackstone Group, Apollo
Advisors and Carlyle Group.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> Housing
finance groups Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have given nearly $1 million to
2008-cycle presidential and congressional campaigns; mortgage broker
Countrywide Financial has given $156,900, the center said.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> The
center's analysis of campaign giving by business sector includes donations by
political action committees and donations from individuals giving more than
$200 based on employment.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> --------</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh, editing by Patricia
Zengerle.</span></i></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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