Top’o’the mornin’ news to ya!

Imagine my surprise at seeing a graphic of the NZ flag at the top of the KTVU early morning news bulletin today. The news was that a 7.8 earthquake had occurred offshore of NZ’s “southern islands” and that it had triggered a tsunami warning “as far away as Hawaii.”

A quick check of the NZ Herald online showed no major damage had occurred, but I was a little alarmed at the paper’s statement that NZ experiences between 10,000 and 15,000 earthquakes a year. No wonder the country’s known as the Shaky Isles!

Speaking of shaky, worse news was to come in the form of a television commercial featuring the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s part of his “Stand for California” campaign and can be seen at the campaign’s website here: http://www.standforca.com/

The first thought that entered my head was that standing is a prerequisite for being brought to your knees. Don’t do it, CA! Not unless you’re planning on taking a wide defensive stance.

It’s not that I’m partisan or anything, but I couldn’t help reflecting on the role that the late-2007 Republican Administration and the current Republican Governor of California played in bringing this image to my attention:

Click to enlarge

It’s the screen that came up on an ATM I was using last week. I’ve never opened a bank account with Chase—it was opened for me when last year’s financial meltdown resulted in my bank being taken over by Chase. As for the California registered warrants, AKA IOUs, they were sent out by the State Controller instead of checks or regular warrants because the Governor consistently threatens to veto any budget that comes out of the CA legislature. So we don’t have a budget and have run out of money to pay the bills.

The cash value of registered warrants can’t be collected until October, when they will also pay interest. They were issued to private businesses, local governments, taxpayers receiving income tax refunds and owners of unclaimed property. “Assuming there is sufficient cash in the State Treasury,” the State Controller’s website says, scarily, “registered warrants may be redeemed on October 2, 2009, the maturity date printed on the warrant.”

Presumably, the warrants will one day end up for sale on scripophily.com, where you can read all about the September 2008 takeover of my bank by the Bush Administration and its sale to Chase. The 10-day run on the bank described on the website was caused in large part by some of the worst television news reporting I’ve ever seen. But hey, even you might profit from it by buying and selling this!

I still can’t shake the feeling that in lieu of trashing the White House when he left office, Bush decided to trash the country instead, and that Schwarzenegger is emulating him here in California.

rosalea.barker@gmail.com

--PEACE--

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