The rewards came even at banks where poor results last year foretold the economic crisis that sent them to Washington for a government rescue. Some trimmed their executive compensation due to lagging bank performance, but still forked over multimillion-dollar executive pay packages.

Benefits included cash bonuses, stock options, personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, home security, country club memberships and professional money management, the AP review of federal securities documents found.

The total amount given to nearly 600 executives would cover bailout costs for many of the 116 banks that have so far accepted tax dollars to boost their bottom lines.

Seriously, is anyone surprised by this information? A few months ago I suggested that the bailout would be doomed. Anyone could have seen this coming. Who in their right mind would trust the government with such a gigantic dollar amount? It’s insane. Did everyone forget that this is the government?!

The better way to have used that bailout money would have been to give each American a stipend a la the Bush stimulus check from last spring. Why would this have been a better use of the money? Because regular citizens know where they need financial assistance and how best to spend their tax dollars. When you leave the doling out of $350 billion (only half of the $700 billion bailout has been deployed) to the government, you’re essentially asking for the whole thing to go to shit.

And it has. Great!

DO tell me why you are different that your opponent. One of Barack Obama’s biggest hurdles that he needs to overcome is the impression that he’ll have no idea what to do if he wins the election. Well…break that idea into little pieces by saying what you’ll do! And don’t give us the Kindergarten variety of “yes we can” and “change” and all of that horse shit. Tell us what your policies will be in clear, concise words. So far, the only thing that I’ve been able to decipher from Barack Obama’s speeches is that he’ll raise taxes for anyone making more than $200,000 per year.

At this point in the campaign, I should know more about your policies. From Barack Obama’s website:

Lower People’s Interest Payments by Creating a New Mortgage Interest Tax Credit: Many middle class Americans do not receive the existing mortgage interest tax deduction because they do not itemize their taxes. Obama will ensure that middle-class Americans get the financial assistance they need to purchase or keep their own home by creating a 10 percent universal mortgage credit that gives tax relief to 10 million Americans who have a home mortgage.

What does that mean? Why doesn’t Obama tell us how he’s going to pay for this plan? Why don’t these “new politicians” come out and say, “Many middle class Americans do not receive the existing mortgage interest tax deduction because they don’t care to learn how they can receive it. So, to make sure that those irresponsible Americans essentially get this free money, we’re going to create another gigantic government bureaucracy that will cost YOU more in taxes. That’s right. You get your mortgage deduction and you follow the rules, but we need you to pay more in taxes to pay for a program to help people who do not follow the rules. Sucks to be you!”

I thought the new politics were supposed to cut through the bullshit? And don’t you all get excited thinking that McCain is in the clear on all of this. Let’s not forget that McCain called Obama Jimmy Carter’s second term. Old politics at their worst on everyone’s account. Shameful.