Deficit Ceiling

Debt ceiling soundbites:

"I think it's absolutely right that it's not going to happen without some spending cuts,"-President Barack Obama

"He realizes now that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that, even when you are protesting an administration's policies, you can play around with."-Presidential Spokesman Jay Carney

"It's true allowing America to default would be irresponsible-But it would be more irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without simultaneously taking dramatic steps to reduce spending and reform the budget process."- House Speaker John Boehner

"...no lines in the sand"- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

"It's time to reject the debt ceiling scare tactics and address the truly frightening reality that our debt is at $14 trillion and growing," -Republican Representative Michele Bachmann

"To tie [deficit reduction] to the debt limit in my view is quite insane,"- Austan Goolsbee, chairman of U.S. President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers

Flooding in Canada and U.S.

The Mississippi River in the U.S. and the Assiniboine River in Canada continue to rise flooding homes and making others still dry very nervous. Hopefully the river levels have peaked and will start to soon recede.

However the prognosis is not good as it's predicted the effects will last for weeks.

This is today's Illustration on the subject.

Dysfunctional Relations

This from a 2010 opinion poll conducted by Angus Reid/VisionCritical.

If a referendum on staying in the continental group were held today, 42% would vote to get out; 35% would vote to stay.

If given the chance, many people in Britain would distance their country from the European Union (EU), a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,984 British adults, 51 per cent of respondents say EU membership has been moderately negative (26%) or very negative (25%) for the United Kingdom.

Conversely, seven per cent of Britons say the EU has been very positive for the UK, and 31 per cent regard it as moderately positive.

If a referendum on the UK’s permanence in the EU were called, two fifths of Britons (42%) would vote in favour of pulling out, while 35 per cent would vote to stay.

If a plebiscite on the UK adopting the euro were called, a large majority of Britons (79%) would vote against abandoning the pound as the national currency. Only nine per cent of respondents would welcome the euro.

Overall, party allegiances make some difference in how people in Britain feel about the EU. Conservative voters are largely inclined to say EU membership has been detrimental for the UK (66%), but so are many Labour (41%) and Liberal Democrat (41%) voters.

Almost half of Labour (48%) and Liberal Democrat (46%) followers would vote in favour of remaining in the EU in an eventual referendum, while a majority of Tories (57%) would vote to pull out.

Adopting the euro is out of the question for most Britons of all political stripes. At least seven-in-ten Liberal Democrats, Labour and Tory supporters would vote against embracing the EU currency.

Hard Questions For Pakistan: Part 2

A visual guide to those wondering exactly where Bin Laden's compound was located.

Hard Questions For Pakistan

With the hunt for Bin Laden finally over the U.S. will now turn it's steely gaze toward the government of Pakistan.

Some hard questions need to asked as it's pretty hard to believe that the Pakistan government had no idea that Bin Laden was hold up in a large custom built compound a stones throw from a Pakistani military instillation.

This is today's Illustration showing Pakistan holding out it's hand in assistance and friendship with a little secret hidden in it's sleeve. This is not to say that this is what Pakistan has done but rather what it sure as hell looks like it's done.

The Eagle Descends

After 10 years the hunt for Bin Laden is finally over.

Information is starting to trickle out ever so slowly about the daring raid by U.S. special forces on the compound that was sheltering al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

It'll be interesting to see how the world reacts to this momentous news story. Will Pakistan implode? Will the Muslim world react with rage or relief? Will Obama's political foes look to discredit his leadership in the planning and execution of this historic military maneuver. Will the conspiracy theorist have a new target to focus their suspicious minds on?

Here's a link to a story about a man who Twittered (if that's a word) the raid unwittingly.

Economy Recovery?