Back to the future - courtesy of corporate greed and political manipulation?

With the global financial markets appearing like houses of cards erected on shifting sands - it is comforting to realise that according to a US Treasury official the the humongous amount of the mooted financial bailout is "not based on any particular data point. We just wanted to choose a really large number" and that US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may have deliberately engineered an exacerbation of the US liquidity crisis in order to force Congress' hand on this rescue bid.

Let us hope as a nation we Aussies keep the same sense of humour which saw us through the last 'great unwinding'.

Cartoon displayed at The La Trobe Journal

What is Barack doing with all those campaign dollars?

The Obama election campaign raised around $66 million in donations in August this year, 51% of which was apparently made up of donations of $200 or less.

Both he and McCain also receive hefty amounts from industry and lobby groups.

According to Open Secrets Obama has declared:

Cash on Hand: $77,404,118

Debts: $469,025

Date of last report: Aug 31 2008 12:00AM

Totals may include compliance fund receipts

With the source of all his election campaign funding breaking down in this manner:

Individual contributions $426,902,991 [94%]
PAC contributions $450 [0%]
Candidate self-financing $0 [0%]
Federal Funds $0 [0%]
Other $27,152,882 [6%]

Hardly a week goes by without some Obama for America appeal for a donation landing in my inbox, complete with 'offers' like this:

Yesterday I had to laugh as the email began; I've never asked you to make a donation before.

Good heavens - they never stop asking!

Obama seems to have collected enough to run a small island state and appears to have spent over $368 million so far.

Every single cent, other peoples money. What on earth is he doing with it all?

And is anyone out there receiving a relentless flow of begging letters from the McCain camp?

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Clarence Valley: perfect one day, terrifying the next

News.com.au on Tuesday:
"AUSTRALIA'S terrorism alert system will be changed to allow a threat level to be altered for a specific location or industry."

Local wags are saying that the Clarence Valley will be named as a high threat level location, due to the fact that Clarence Valley Council has just elected Richie Williamson as mayor and the Lower Clarence mob are bound to feel terrorized by this Grafton-based, Radio 2GF (albeit likeable) airhead heading local government.

Especially as he was mentored and endorsed by the North Coast Nats who are thought to have brought nothing but grief to the valley for years.