Watch Barack Obama's Vs. Herman Cain's Reaction To The Occupy Wall Street Movement

If my recollection is correct, today is the 16th or 17th day of Occupy Wall Street.  I tend to lose track of time.

Today, President Obama held a press conference to discuss the jobs bill that he is trying to get through Congress.  Eric Cantor has recently bragged that the bill will never be introduced on the House floor.  Essentially, today Obama told House Republicans to either come up with something better, or shut the hell up and pass the damn bill.  After making his statement, he took a number of questions from reporters.

A reporter asked the question, "Are you following the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, and how will you respond?".  This was his response:



In essence, he has seen reports of the protests on television, and people have a right to be upset.  People may disagree with me, but that's fair.  He's not exactly advocating for the dismantlement of the Federal Reserve, but he did sign into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, which promises sweeping changes to be implemented in corporate America.  Due to stalling and roadblocks from the Republican side of the aisle, only 38 of the nearly 400 reforms have been implemented since the bill was signed last July.  All current Republican presidential candidates have publicly said that, if elected, they would repeal Dodd-Frank.

Yesterday, Herman Cain was asked by the Wall Street Journal about the movement.  First, he said that he believes that, while he can't prove it at this time, the Occupy Wall Street protests are secretly being orchestrated to divert attention from President Obama's failed economic policies?  He also said, and I'm quoting here:

"Don't blame the big banks.  Don't blame Wall Street.  If you don't have a job, and if you're not rich, blame yourself.  (Snip)  When I was growing up, I was blessed to have parents, that didn't teach me to be jealous of anybody, and didn't teach me to be envious of somebody.  It is not a person's fault if they succeeded.  It is a person's fault if they fail."

He does admit that the banks were responsible for the "economic crisis" that we went into in 2008.  But, according to Cain, "we're not in 2008, we're in 2011".  Obviously, he doesn't have the basic conceptual understanding of economics.  Just take a look at the clip.  The level of ignorance and apathy in the room can be cut with a knife.



So, in Herman Cain's mind, unemployment equates failure.  The millions of people that have been laid off since 2008 were failures in their life.  In September, the Department of Labor determined the unemployment rate at 9.1% nationally, meaning 14 million people in this country were without work.  Those are the people that are receiving unemployment benefits or are reporting to the government that they are still trying to find work.  They have been unemployed for less than 99 weeks.  Analysts believe that the real unemployment rate is along the lines of 18.09% in July of this year.  That's more than 28 million losers, according to Herman Cain.

This is why someone with no political experience has no business being in the White House.  Go back to making pizzas.

Hallmark Introduces Line Of Job Loss Greeting Cards

In the "I couldn't make this up if I tried" story of the day, Hallmark has announced that they're launching a line of cards geared towed the recently unemployed.  With the unemployment rate well above 8 percent for the last two and a half years, many people think that this is a long neglected segment of the population by the greeting card industry.  

According to Hallmark's Creative Director Derek McCracken, the idea is to provide a little comfort and empathy in an otherwise demoralizing and stressful situation.

"People in times of need will always need to connect," McCracken told NPR, "and when the consumers have asked us for a way to connect in those difficult situations, we try to respond in an authentic way and we think that's what the greeting card does."

Take a look at a couple of the cards: (These are the actual cards.  I am not joking.)

On the inside:  "Think of it as a time out between stupid bosses."

On the inside:  "Is there anywhere I can hack up a hairball, like say, on a former employer's head?"

Call me a pessimist, but isn't this simply a way for Hallmark to capitalize on the current economic situation?  After all, their sales have to be down compared to what they were two or three years ago.  Times are tough.  People are out of work.  Customers don't have the money to buy greeting cards as often as they did in 2008 and 2009.  Wouldn't it make sense that Hallmark would try to find a market that they could tap into?  One where their target audience would have the money and resources available to buy their products?  Makes sense to me.

Also, just speaking for myself, but if someone bought me a "sorry you don't have a job anymore" greeting card, I would be insulted beyond belief.  What am I supposed to do with a Hallmark card?  Put it on my refrigerator to remind myself how I don't have a job?  Thanks for your support, but a phone call or email would have sufficed.

Also, if you're going to spend $5.00 on a greeting card to tell me that you're sorry that I don't have a job anymore...please just give me the money instead.  I could put that $5.00 to much better use feeding my daughter.

In the United States, we seem to equate acknowledgement with aid.  A pat on the back with the words "I'm sorry.  That sucks" is the equivalent of a helping hand.  For some, it may be.  To many others, it could possibly be the beginning of a step back.

I'm afraid to see what may be next from the greeting card industry.  "Sorry to hear you can't pay your rent?"  "So, I heard you've been evicted?"  "So, your kids didn't eat dinner last night?"  

Where does it stop?

Quote Of The Day

 "Should any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things...Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower 

Borders Announces Liquidation

At 4:10PM, Borders announced that it plans to liquidate it's remaining 399 stores effective immediately.  Stores will start final liquidation sales as early as this Friday.

The move will put more than 11,000 out of work, 10,700 store employees and approximately 400 at their Ann Arbor, Michigan, headquarters.

The rise in e-reader sales, which Borders was a late adapter, coupled with rising competition from online retailers such as Amazon, are directly responsible for the slide in sales at the retailer.  It's a sad day when the nation's second largest bookstore goes out of business.  A very sad day.