Hi everyone,

Georgians, like most in the nation, have focused most of our attention on the presidential race but another very important race closer to home is taking place.   Several Democratic candidates are running to challenge Saxby Chambliss for the Georgia U.S. Senate seat.

NPR is broadcasting a 2 hour Democratic debate this afternoon from 2pm-4pm EST.  The stream is available on NPR's site

Candidates participating today include:

Clinton, Gravel, Biden, Dodd, Obama, Edwards, and Kucinich.

Quick and simple - does anyone know if Keith Olbermann streams his show live on the net (either video or audio)?  

Globalization is a beast fed by consumer-driven culture.  It is neither globally beneficial or environmentally sustainable.

Most of the wealth in America is concentrated in the hands of the very people benefiting the most from globalization.  Those who benefit the greatest from globalization sacrifice the least in helping other countries develop economically.  Globalists profit from shifting wealth from country to country in a neverending quest for cheap labor and resources.  Globalization is the new Southern plantation.  Instead of forcing people to the fields from the other side of the world, we move the entire fucking plantation.  

Cheap labor and maximized shareholder value is the endgame, not an altruistic need to give money to the poor.

Fuck you Nancy Pelosi.

Fuck you Barnie Frank.

Fuck you hypocrit bastards at the HRC.

Fuck all who claim "transgendered people haven't done the work".

My friend called a second ago to tell me what just happened with her father, a long time employee of Wal*Mart.

Don't do it.

No matter how tempting the urge, DON'T.

In a surprising turn of events, the State of Montana is now suspending Driver's Licenses for anyone defaulting on a student loan.  

Yesterday, Marney White wrote an unflattering op-ed on the student loan industry.  He believes predatory credit card and student loan lending is THE 2008 sleeper issue.  

Wait, wait.. Didn't congress just pass a bill helping student borrowers?

Yes and no.  S. 1762 passed on July 20, 2007 and offers minimum benefits for future borrowers of public loans.  Absolutely nothing in S. 1762 provides assistance for borrowers of private loans, and offers no help for current and former borrowers still paying on existing loans.  The big thing to note is that S. 1762 does not help borrowers of private loans, and that accounts for the majority of student loans dispersed today.

But this diary is not about Marney White's article, or S. 1762.  This diary has to do with my own student loan experiences; it is a story about being human, making honest mistakes and being preyed upon by the powerful and wealthy.

Please join me over the fold.

Like many of you I have a company provided 401k plan.  It's a lot like my previous companies retirement program, and the one before.   I assume most people have them now as opposed to cash pensions.  

Every day hundreds of DKos diaries are written to spread the latest news about their favorite (or not so favorite!) candidate.  In many of these, public opinion poll data is used to demonstrate how strong (or weak) a candidate is.

On my way home from a business conference in New Orleans last weekend I drove through the 9th Ward to see what it looks like, almost 2 years after the fact.

Won't you join me over the fold?

Senators passed S. 1762 (the Student Loan bill) 78-18 moments ago.  The bill survived a proposed amendment from Nelson(D) and Burr(R) which would have severely reduced the amount of subsidy cuts originally proposed.

This bill accomplishes several good, needed things (which I'll get to below) and is clearly a step in the right direction.  But let us be clear, S. 1762 provides absolutely no relief to former and current student loan borrowers laden with double-digit interest and doubled and tripled principle.  

Won't you join me over the fold?

Just wanted to write a quick and dirty diary outlining the difference between H.R. 333 and House Res 333.  It is important that we address the correct bill when referring to Kucinich's impeachment push.

The State of Georgia recently approved a permit for the nations first cellulosic ethanol production facility to be built by Colorado based Range Fuels.  The project will be funded in part by a 76 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.  

This is very exciting and promising news for friends of the environment and working class Americans.

More on the other side...

This is yet another reason why I find myself questioning the fairness of illegal immigration.   I've read how involved our immigration process is, how long it takes and sometimes how difficult it can be to get a foot through the door.  I sympathize with Yves.  But I'm glad he believes in America enough to continue working hard for the American Dream.

This movie will change America.

Michael Moore will be accused of being a liberal extremist well versed in propaganda, but nobody in their right frame of mind will be able to dismiss what is shown in this movie.

We are being raked over the coals.

Briggs & Stratton, manufacturer of small engines and Simplicity brand lawn tractors, is strongly considering moving all production from it's Port Washington, WI plant to China.  This would result in the loss of over 500 good paying factory jobs, and would add to the further erosion of America's middle class.

More beneath the fold...