I would agree that how it was done isn't consistent with how democracy works but I'd also say that's the case with a great deal of what the government does and yet people don't get involved with those causes b/c they're too dumb or too lazy to know the issue well enough.

Of all the undemocratic things people get worked up about they choose the one that stands to benefit them the most. And all because they're too stupid to understand how it works.

I'd be almost willing to be partially supportive of the Olympics if anti-HSTers would shut their mouths and get on with their lives.

I would agree that how it was done isn't consistent with how democracy works but I'd also say that's the case with a great deal of what the government does and yet people don't get involved with those causes b/c they're too dumb or too lazy to know the issue well enough.

Of all the undemocratic things people get worked up about they choose the one that stands to benefit them the most. And all because they're too stupid to understand how it works.

I'd be almost willing to be partially supportive of the Olympics if anti-HSTers would shut their mouths and get on with their lives.

I forgot to say, but the title of this post is a reference to a post by the same name over on Angry Asian Man .

I would agree that how it was done isn't consistent with how democracy works but I'd also say that's the case with a great deal of what the government does and yet people don't get involved with those causes b/c they're too dumb or too lazy to know the issue well enough.

Of all the undemocratic things people get worked up about they choose the one that stands to benefit them the most. And all because they're too stupid to understand how it works.

I'd be almost willing to be partially supportive of the Olympics if anti-HSTers would shut their mouths and get on with their lives.

I forgot to say, but the title of this post is a reference to a post by the same name over on Angry Asian Man .

What you said about de facto bankruptcy matters. I'm not much for nationalization, but if you're going to pour so much money into the company that you might as well own them, well, you might as well own them!

I'm still unsure as to why this bailout wasn't structured as a form of bankruptcy restructuring, with equity washed away, bonds transformed to equity, and all contracts potentially subject to annulment (ie typical Chapter 11 stuff).

I blame Congress.

What you said about de facto bankruptcy matters. I'm not much for nationalization, but if you're going to pour so much money into the company that you might as well own them, well, you might as well own them!

I'm still unsure as to why this bailout wasn't structured as a form of bankruptcy restructuring, with equity washed away, bonds transformed to equity, and all contracts potentially subject to annulment (ie typical Chapter 11 stuff).

I blame Congress.

Congress is probably more willing to nationalize than the money men (Paulson, Bernanke, Geithner, Summers) of the Bush and Obama administrations...

I would agree that how it was done isn't consistent with how democracy works but I'd also say that's the case with a great deal of what the government does and yet people don't get involved with those causes b/c they're too dumb or too lazy to know the issue well enough.

Of all the undemocratic things people get worked up about they choose the one that stands to benefit them the most. And all because they're too stupid to understand how it works.

I'd be almost willing to be partially supportive of the Olympics if anti-HSTers would shut their mouths and get on with their lives.

I forgot to say, but the title of this post is a reference to a post by the same name over on Angry Asian Man .

What you said about de facto bankruptcy matters. I'm not much for nationalization, but if you're going to pour so much money into the company that you might as well own them, well, you might as well own them!

I'm still unsure as to why this bailout wasn't structured as a form of bankruptcy restructuring, with equity washed away, bonds transformed to equity, and all contracts potentially subject to annulment (ie typical Chapter 11 stuff).

I blame Congress.

What you said about de facto bankruptcy matters. I'm not much for nationalization, but if you're going to pour so much money into the company that you might as well own them, well, you might as well own them!

I'm still unsure as to why this bailout wasn't structured as a form of bankruptcy restructuring, with equity washed away, bonds transformed to equity, and all contracts potentially subject to annulment (ie typical Chapter 11 stuff).

I blame Congress.

Congress is probably more willing to nationalize than the money men (Paulson, Bernanke, Geithner, Summers) of the Bush and Obama administrations...

[meta-note: this is the last comment I leave here; the discourse is great, but the insane captchas make this feel like Microsoft Visual Commenting 2.1 for Windows Me. Life's too short.]

[meta-meta note: $#@%! This is my third try at posting due to failed Captchas!]

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0544803420081205

Dec. 5th-released polls are uniformly putting Conservative support at the mid-forties level.

http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=4201

Ipsos Reid found 56% support for a new election in preference to letting the coalition form government!

Gratifyingly, they have the exact wording of each question and such in the links off of their press release, it's fascinating reading. It's your blog so I'll let you interpret this finding: in question 3, Harper/Conservatives are blamed for the current situation 49-45 over the Opposition Parties, but 68% support prorogation of Parliament until January (29% for "Accept defeat...and turn power over to the Coalition"), and then a bunch of other results that all amounted to about 60-40 support for the Conservatives over the alternatives on a series of more-or-less leading questions (question 6 includes the word "separatists" twice).

However, leading questions or no, there's precious little solace for the Coalition.

"but 68% support prorogation of Parliament until January"

I supported prorogation until January, except I thought like a decent man Harper would have only asked for one more week of December to stall, thus returning in early January, rather than THE WHOLE FRIGGIN' MONTH OF JANUARY as well as most of December.