This year the Super Bowl is playing played in New Jersey, and there is another big game being played in that state as well: The battle between the Governor and his former head of the Port Authority.
"The former New Jersey official at the center of a political scandal dogging Governor Chris Christie said on Friday the prominent Republican knew about a traffic jam orchestrated by his top aides during the blockage, the New York Times reported.
Christie, seen as a 2016 White House hopeful, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of a plan to snarl traffic at the busy George Washington Bridge as political retribution and severed ties with several top aides over their role in the incident.
David Wildstein, who resigned his post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey late last year, said he had evidence that proves Christie had knowledge of the jams "during the period when the lanes were closed," according to a letter sent to the authority's lawyer and released to the newspaper.
The letter does not indicate that Christie orchestrated the closures in any way, does not specify exactly when he became aware of the jams, and offers no evidence to back up the claim.
The closures last September caused four days of severe traffic jams for commuters and residents of Fort Lee, New Jersey, whose mayor declined to endorse Christie's re-election campaign, and prompted official investigations into the role of the governor's office.
The governor has seen his national support ratings fall as a result of the so-called "Bridgegate" scandal.
"It's the first time a high-level official has contradicted the governor," said Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University history professor who specializes in presidential politics.
The key question, he said, is whether Wildstein can produce "smoking gun" evidence proving Christie's knowledge of the events. State Democrats probing the scandal are likely to jump on that vulnerability, Zelizer added.
Wildstein and Christie attended Livingston High School at the same time, but Christie, a former federal prosecutor, has denied knowing Wildstein well." [Source]
If this battle was being played out on the football field, my money would be on the guy built for football. But, sadly for the big guy, it is not.
This Wildstein fellow wants immunity, and he wants the Port Authority to pay his legal fees. He doesn't strike me as a guy who is going to take a knee and let the clock run out. To stay with my football analogy, I think he is going to go into a two minute drill right about now.
It should be interesting to see what the U.S. Attorney does, the governor can deny all he wants to the press and the American people, but let's see what he says if he is under oath.
Finally, I live in a city with some strange people. It's never a dull moment here in Philly. At any given moment anything can happen. Even seemingly normal folks can do some messed up things.
You all have heard about the "Swiss cheese flasher"; dude is one truly sick individual, but fortunately we took him off the streets.
Now, unfortunately, it looks like he has spawned a copy-cat.
"This might be one of the stranger stories you’ll hear this week
(not to mention seriously NSFW). A New Jersey man crashed his car into a Crown Fried Chicken in Philadelphia this week. That sounds relatively normal, except for the fact that after the car crash, he got out of his car, took his clothes off, and proceeded to pleasure himself. So.
Vincent Wade was charged with DUI, and is expected to also be charged with open lewdness and indecent exposure for revealing himself in public. It should be noted that all this happened just 400 feet from an elementary school.
Wade has, in fact, been arrested for DUI before, so this week’s was his fourth. The police report does not mention the masturbation, but someone who caught video of the scene told Philly Mag, “Oh, he was most definitely making himself feel happy.” [Source]
Needless to say I will not post the picture that goes along with that article.
Some people are just sick.
62 comments:
He can deny it till he's blue in the face,but Christie is now toast. Yesterdays toast!
What the heck you got in the water supply in Philly? First cheese and now chicken...ugh..Spoiled my appetite! :)
Field, are videos admissible in court? Isn't there a privacy law against that?
Field, I am getting sick and tired of this Christie set up. This is a ploy by the Left to knock the Gov out of the race so Hillary can win in 2016. I don't want Hillary to win. She sucked as Head of State and will suck as President of these United States.
We need someone like Christie who will do something for Blacks. Hillary, like Obama, won't do a damn thing for us. I like Christie because he knows how to get things done...unlike Obama.
Christie knows how to play hardball with some of the folks in the GOP. If you cross Christie, that could be your ass. I like that in a President. Lyndon Johnson was like that. If you crossed Johnson he would make you wish you had never been born.
"David Wildstein, who resigned his post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey late last year"
He was forced to resign due to the criminal charges, and he is trying to lessen his sentence by implicating Christie. But I'm sure he would never lie.
Now that all the 'facts' have been uncovered regarding a lane closure on a bridge in New Jersey, perhaps the media can get around to uncovering some of the facts about the President's own abuses of power, such as in the IRS scandal. Or they might be able to spend some time on ferreting out what happened at Benghazi, you think?
anon8:18pm I believe taking videos without approval is inadmissible in court. Also, I believe the person can be sued.
However, Field or Whitey can better explain this.
Now that all the 'facts' have been uncovered regarding a lane closure on a bridge in New Jersey, perhaps the media can get around to uncovering some of the facts about the President's own abuses of power, such as in the IRS scandal. Or they might be able to spend some time on ferreting out what happened at Benghazi, you think?
8:39 PM
--------------------
No. Benghazi is over and so is the IRS scandal. There is no use in beating a dead horse and wasting tax payer's money on innocent people.
lilacpr2000 said...
He can deny it till he's blue in the face,but Christie is now toast. Yesterdays toast!
-----
Christie's underlings were found to have closed a lane on a bridge to cause problems for the Mayor of Fort Lee. His career is now "toast".
Obama's IRS systematically harassed, audited, and fined hundreds of his political opponents during an election to suppress the opposition vote and punish citizens for opposing him, and he gets to not be toast.
Hillary ignores pleas for increased security at a Libyan consulate, sends an ambassador there to monitor God knows what (likely gun running to Syria), ignores requests for help while the consulate is under siege so as not to draw undue attention to her mistakes, watches as four staff members are killed, tells the relatives of the dead that is was all because of some You Tube video, then sacrifices Susan Rice's career by making her do the rounds on the Sunday morning shows repeating this lie, avoids testifying for several months, then shows up and blusters congress saying "What difference does it make?", but apparently her career is not "toast".
Tell me Desert, do you ever feel like you might be being manipulated by the media regarding how you feel about toast?
Field said, "Some people are just sick."
Don't you think we are ALL sick? Hasn't that been the plight of the history of the human race that NONE of us know the difference between right and wrong? We only know what we want and our motivations to feed that want.
That's why we need GOD to guide our prideful, angry, greedy, lustful, gluttonous, jealous and lazy tendencies to do the right thing.
We see these deadly sins played out in politics and in all our own affairs daily if we are watching closely and not in denial. And guess what? As humans we have only ONE defense against these harmful deadly sins: GOD.
However, even GOD can't save some of us who have sold their souls to the devil. You see, the devil doesn't give up shit. There's a spiritual war that's mounting right here on earth. Many are going to fall by the wayside. Don't get caught and left behind....
'this world is a gilded sepulcher, which fills its tombs with all who follow the scattered paths of wantoness of Satan...'
In other words, following the devil isn't worth very much...wake up brothers and sisters...the hour is late.
Desert, don't let Cream of Nothing change your mind. You just can't afford to because you don't know if that is Philadelphia Cream or something else. If it's from Philly, be careful. People masturbate in the strangest places in Philly.
You know, when I was living in Philly, I don't remember seeing one church there.
Christie is pretty screwed. If the folks he's fired are unwilling to fall on their swords and take the blame, then he's going to end up having to share part of that blame.
Maybe he'll avoid legal culpability and impeachment, but I think his presidential hopes are now up in smoke.
"but I think his presidential hopes are now up in smoke."
Good, he is a fucking RINO.
Instead, the Republicans will now nominate a conservative who will roll to victory over that criminal she-hag the Democrats are going to nominate.
Pure Evil you sound like pure evil.
I wonder if democrats will accept a "What difference at this point does it make" answer from chris christie.
Of course democrats wouldn't accept christie saying that like they did with hillary.
And that is a double standard.
Cream of Nothing said...
Christie's underlings were found to have closed a lane on a bridge to cause problems for the Mayor of Fort Lee. His career is now "toast".
Obama's IRS systematically harassed, audited, and fined hundreds of his political opponents
Hillary ignores pleas for increased security at a Libyan consulate,
Tell me Desert, do you ever feel like you might be being manipulated by the media regarding how you feel about toast?
9:01 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I don't feel that way.
The bridge was here at home. The bridge incommoded and put in peril sick people. Made our very own struggle unnecessarily with two days huge delays after a tired days work! and he didn't even NOTICE (if that's his excuse :)that anything was wrong? Well,then it's very safe to assume that he's just not the brightest card in the deck then huh?
Benghazi is far away, and you wanna know something,in a war people get killed and that was and still is a war. The Tea Partiers nobody liked anyway (if what you say is true,which I don't know)So yes, Christies vengeful, spiteful booboo is scary. Nobody wants to be in his hands OR his assistants, cohorts, whatever!
That's why! Suck on that orange while I peel you the next one! ;*D Nah, jes kiddin'!
How would you have liked to be stuck in that pileup all those days??? Huh??? or your mom or family member. Sheeeeet!:)
Cream of Nothing said...
Christie's underlings were found to have closed a lane on a bridge to cause problems for the Mayor of Fort Lee. His career is now "toast".
Obama's IRS systematically harassed, audited, and fined hundreds of his political opponents
Hillary ignores pleas for increased security at a Libyan consulate,
Tell me Desert, do you ever feel like you might be being manipulated by the media regarding how you feel about toast?
9:01 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I don't feel that way.
The bridge was here at home. The bridge incommoded and put in peril sick people. Made our very own struggle unnecessarily with two days huge delays after a tired days work! and he didn't even NOTICE (if that's his excuse :)that anything was wrong? Well,then it's very safe to assume that he's just not the brightest card in the deck then huh?
Benghazi is far away, and you wanna know something,in a war people get killed and that was and still is a war. The Tea Partiers nobody liked anyway (if what you say is true,which I don't know)So yes, Christies vengeful, spiteful booboo is scary. Nobody wants to be in his hands OR his assistants, cohorts, whatever!
That's why! Suck on that orange while I peel you the next one! ;*D Nah, jes kiddin'!
How would you have liked to be stuck in that pileup all those days??? Huh??? or your mom or family member. Sheeeeet!:)
Cream of Nothing said...
Christie's underlings were found to have closed a lane on a bridge to cause problems for the Mayor of Fort Lee. His career is now "toast".
Obama's IRS systematically harassed, audited, and fined hundreds of his political opponents
Hillary ignores pleas for increased security at a Libyan consulate,
Tell me Desert, do you ever feel like you might be being manipulated by the media regarding how you feel about toast?
9:01 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No I don't feel that way.
The bridge was here at home. The bridge incommoded and put in peril sick people. Made our very own struggle unnecessarily with two days huge delays after a tired days work! and he didn't even NOTICE (if that's his excuse :)that anything was wrong? Well,then it's very safe to assume that he's just not the brightest card in the deck then huh?
Benghazi is far away, and you wanna know something,in a war people get killed and that was and still is a war. The Tea Partiers nobody liked anyway (if what you say is true,which I don't know)So yes, Christies vengeful, spiteful booboo is scary. Nobody wants to be in his hands OR his assistants, cohorts, whatever!
That's why! Suck on that orange while I peel you the next one! ;*D Nah, jes kiddin'!
How would you have liked to be stuck in that pileup all those days??? Huh??? or your mom or family member. Sheeeeet!:)
Field,sorry, my computer went berserk,you can delete the two dupicate comments if you like, I can't seem to do it from here. Thanks!
"How would you have liked to be stuck in that pileup all those days???"
---
You are right Desert, being stuck in traffic for 20 minutes a day for three straight days is worse than being beaten to death and having your body dragged through the streets of Benghazi.
I don't know what I was thinking.
You FN Negroes, esp Field and the rest of you FOX haters will be displeased to know that the MAJORITY of Americans trust FOX more than any other News program. In addition, the President granted an interview on Superbowl Sunday with O'Reilly because Obama knows most people will be watching FOX.
You can bet O'Reilly will be asking some questions that will make the President stammer.
For that, I feel sorry for folks like Granny, PilotX, Field, Desert and other Obamaholics. I know you will cringe.
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/index.html
Dear Desert and FN fans, here is an easy way to make $3000 in no time at all:
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/index.html#/v/3133812644001
I should get a shout out and some praise for this information. Somebody tell Field to give me a shout out.
Dead Ambassador said...
You are right Desert, being stuck in traffic for 20 minutes a day for three straight days is worse than being beaten to death and having your body dragged through the streets of Benghazi.
I don't know what I was thinking.
12:25 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well I know what you are thinking:) and,I'll tell you this. War is hell. Anybody that goes to a foreign,hostile country,either as a soldier to fight and conquer,or as an ambassador,knows they are risking their lives. Every single day you are in a foreign,hostile, country,you are under peril of death or at least injury. It's a risk that they take. Sometimes you win,and sometimes you lose. Of course they die heroes.
That has nothing to do with abusing your fellow citizens across the bridge to get even with some guy that didn't support you. If he did it,which only he knows. But if he didn't, and he's sayig he "knew not about the matter" Hellooo! I mean really :) are you that clueless??? :*D it just doesn't wash! Sorry:)
Desert, the reason you won't give Christie the benefit of a doubt is because he is a Republican.
I predict Christie will be our next President. The American people are a very forgiving people. They just can't forget Benghazi, and rightly so!
Let us compare the career of journalist and writer Yulia Latynina, with the career of Dinesh D’Souza.
Yulia Latynina is a Russian megaphone for the Harvard microphone. Supposedly Bush was a moron, Putin is a tyrant, Putin is a homophobe, Putin murders his political opponents, or jails them on vague laws, selectively enforced. Putin is a sexist, Putin is a criminal, and friend of criminals, and so on and so forth.
Yet she has not been murdered, nor, unlike Dinesh D’Souza, charged under vague and selectively enforced laws. Has not even had to face a SLAPP suite, unlike Mark Steyn.
Seems to me that Russia could do with a whole lot more repression. The reason that Yulia Latynina needs a bullet in the head, while Dinesh D’Souza should not have been charged is that Putin’s repression is arguably protecting Russia, or at least is not obviously stupid, whereas Obama’s repression is destroying America
Today, Disney makes a television episode whose primary theme is support for gay marriage. The good progressive naturally supports Gay marriage, and confidently believes that gay marriage not only is right, but was always and eternally obviously right, and he always supported Gay Marriage. And yet, a few years ago, our progressive did not support Gay Mariage. Perhaps he always supported Gay Marriage, but society was not yet ready for Gay Marriage. What then will society be ready for in ten years? Our progressive does not know.
The problem is that US repression is against the internal enemies of a line that undergoes rapid and never ending change, to ensure neverendingly more extreme conformity to an ever more extreme line. Putin represses his enemies, though he should do a lot more to suppress the agents of Islam and the agents of the Cathedral. The USG represses sanity.
American Puritanism SUCKS!!
Re anonymous @12:49A: Exactly which "majority of Americans" are you croaking about? You dishonor "news" when you bray about "FOX" and "News" in the same sentence. Most of us (in the majority, btw) realize that Rupert Murdoch and his tabloid empire, including FOX(read FAKE)are banal spoofs.
American Puritanism SUCKS raw eggs!
Smoke more weed!
"American Puritanism SUCKS raw eggs!"
Progressivism is the modern expression of American Puritanism:
http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/2008/05/ol4-dr-johnsons-hypothesis.html
"BENGHAZI!" *drink,drink, gulp*
You know, I think this 'Man From Nantucket' Dude, might just be the stupidest wingnut we've ever experienced here on FN.
Part One"
Quote Man From Nantucket:
"I thought slaves created wealth. Was the whole purpose of slavery to own slaves?"
I am going to attempt to explain my answers in even simpler terms, as having overestimated your intelligence up till now, I have obviously pitched my arguments at too high a level.
1. The average cost of a slave in 1850 was $400, which was about the same cost as a decent-sized family home. A strong, young black man would sell for $2000, which, Nantucket boy, was the cost of five family homes. So slaves were indeed a financial asset in their own right, owning even one slave was considered a feather in your cap and a major uplift in your social standing. However, at no point did I say anything that a reasonable intelligent human being could construe as meaning 'owning slaves was the only point of having them'.
2. Now if you realise there were 4 million slaves in America at that time, it is easy to see (if you understand basic arithmetic) that the value of slaves and the work they did amounted to 50% of America's GDP.
3. (You don't have to read this next bit if you don't want to Nantucket-boi, it's a bit complicated - might hurt your brain).
If you multiply out the value of America's 1860 slaves to 2011 prices they would be worth a figure roughly equal to 70% of America's 2011 GDP.
Part Two
"The truth was, slavery was not very profitable,"
Ohhhh Kaaaaayyyyyy, let's stop and think about this alleged 'truth' of yours.
White folks had 4 million slaves working for them for free, without any benefits or major costs to the owners, producing crops like tobacco, cotton and sugar THAT THE ENTIRE WORLD CRAVED, and they couldn't turn a profit??
Really? That is your contention?
Secondly why would people pay $2000 for man they couldn't make any money off? What exactly would be the point of that?
Just how stoooooopid WAS your great grand daddy?
**
"The moment that slavery was banned, the income ands financial advantage of slavery did not stop overnight.
How did that work? Who picked the cotton?"
For more than half a century it was the slaves, the slave trade ended but slavery did not. Even after that almost 60 year period many former slaves were kept on on near-starvation wages or as share-croppers.
**
The industrial revolution did not use slaves, it used wage labourers."
You’re a genius Nantucket-Boy.
The industrial revolution began in the UK. At that time 45% of Britain’s wealth came from the North Atlantic slave trade. American cotton fuelled Britain’s textile industry, American tobacco it’s tobacco industry, and sugar, fruits and spices its food industry. It was all this cash sloshing around with the need to mechanise these industries that led to the industrial revolution. In other words slavery provided both the need for an industrial revolution and the seed capital to drive it.
Similarly in Banking, the Barclays Brothers and Sir Francis Baring began banks you may have heard of with money they had made from slaving. (As indeed did the Lehmann Brothers, the Wachovia Corp. and J. Morgan Chase in the USA).
**
“Slaves were used almost exclusively in agricultural work.”
Nonsense, the majority of slaves worked in agriculture, but slaves were used in a huge variety of trades, slaves built the White House, they were also coopers, carpenters, mechanics, builders, masons – the list is almost endless
So modern agriculture, the industrial revolution, banking. Fact is, if you are a white man who is a fan of capitalism, you owe a debt of gratitude to the black man.
@Purple Cow
I'm not usually a fan of PC but he just laid it all out.^^^^ Thumbs up, PC.
"Fact is, if you are a white man [or white woman] who is a fan of capitalism, you owe a debt of gratitude to the black man [and black woman]."
There, I fixed it for you.
And lets not forget the other ungrateful non-black "minorities" who are now sapping up the civil benefits, due to the struggles of black-Americans/Afro-Caribs who paved the roads in America, literally and figuratively.
FN said...
he governor can deny all he wants to the press and the American people, but let's see what he says if he is under oath.
Probably the same as the irs agent that targeted right-wingers.
Refuse to testify.
Except when christe refuses to testify, unlike lois lerner, christie's refusal will be considered by left-wingers as an admission of guilt.
And that is a double standard.
Burke, a former Trek Bicycle Corp. executive and member of the Madison school board, is running her first statewide campaign in an attempt to dim Walker's rising political stardom.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/scott-walker-raises-million-in-months-almost-triple-mary-burke/article_c2775dda-8ad2-11e3-9b61-001a4bcf887a.html
Interesting reason to run for political office...
To dim your opponents rising political stardom.
When you have nothing else to offer, attack your opponent.
Stay classy democrats.
I admit I am frustrated that our city seems so enamored with its historic and national reputation as a liberal bastion that we either ignore our current social challenges, along with racial and economic disparities, or we blame our issues on individuals and families moving to Madison without fully accepting rightful culpability for certain homegrown problems.
I am not upset because Madison has issues; I am upset at how Madison skates on many of these issues.
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/justified-anger-rev-alex-gee-says-madison-is-failing-its/article_14f6126c-fc1c-55aa-a6a3-6c3d00a4424c.html
I'm sure these white democrats that "skate on the issue" would never let a republican skate on racial issues.
This black pastor calls it "skates on many of these issues," I call it a double standard.
The obama administration raids Gibson guitars because of "illegal wood."
Gibson pays a fine and then it's okay to use illegal wood.
Huh?
Great Gibson electric guitars have long been a means of fighting the establishment, so when the powers that be confiscated stocks of tonewoods from the Gibson factory in Nashville—only to return them once there was a resolution and the investigation ended—it was an event worth celebrating.
...
Each Government Series II Les Paul also includes a genuine piece of Gibson USA history in its solid rosewood fingerboard, which is made from wood returned to Gibson by the US government after the resolution.
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-USA/Government-Series-II-Les-Paul.aspx
A funny coincidence...
It’s worth pointing out that Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson’s Chief Executive Officer, is a donor to a couple of Republican politicians. According to the Open Secrets database, Juszkiewicz donated $2000 to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN07) last year, as well as $1500 to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). Juszkiewicz also has donated $10,000 to the Consumer Electronics Association, a PAC that contributed $92.5k to Republican candidates last year, as opposed to $72k to Democrats.
...
One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars.
What difference does keeping your doctor make at this point?
"The obama administration raids Gibson guitars because of "illegal wood."
They did? The Obama administration, did?
Wow!
You'd think Obama would have more important things on his mind than flying down to Nashville and raiding a guitar factory!
Presumably the Transport Secretary was driving the bus?
The Purple Cow said...
"The obama administration raids Gibson guitars because of "illegal wood."
They did? The Obama administration, did?
Yup. The raid happened in 2011, Obama took office in 2009, google it if you doubt the dates. I know you want to blame the bush administration but the facts say Obama was president. Sorry PurpleCow, facts are once again screwing your agenda over.
Andrea Johnson, director of forest programs for the Environmental Investigation Agency, wrote to NPR to express concern over two points in this story. First, the word "verify" more accurately reflects the requirements placed on end users of endangered wood. The Lacey Act, Johnson wrote, "does not require any 'certification' at all per se. In the forestry world, 'certify' implies independent third-party certification, or government stamps, neither of which the US government recognizes as 'proof' of legality."
Johnson also says she mis-spoke when she said that Gibson "was on the ground in Madagascar getting a tour to understand whether they could possibly source illegally from that country."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/08/31/140090116/why-gibson-guitar-was-raided-by-the-justice-department
Funny how all the "mis-spokes" coming out of the Obama administration are always directed at right-wingers.
You'd think Obama would have more important things on his mind than flying down to Nashville and raiding a guitar factory!
Even the left-wing posters on NPR were questioning the same thing.
Not too many folks want to see this little rolly-polly dude in the so-called "Whites" House.
"White folks had 4 million slaves working for them for free, without any benefits or major costs to the owners,"
Do have any idea how much it costs to keep a negro?
And when you talk of "white folks", you are referring to the 6% of families that owned slaves, not the 94% who did not. Since a large percentage of whites trace their ancestry to immigrants who came here after the Civil War, the percentage of whites descended from slaveholders is actually now around 2%. Meaning 98% of whites have no slave holding ancestors.
The idea that half of America GNP came from one cash crop - cotton is absurd. The economic disadvantages of the slave system were becoming apparent long before the Civil War.
John Elliott Cairnes, an economist, reckoned that slavery stifled economic growth in the South. Cairnes argued that reluctant workers depleted soils more quickly. In addition, scientific agriculture was impossible. Reluctant slaves, with little interest in learning, had no interest in using new farming techniques. And this meant that Southern farms lost competitiveness to their Northern counterparts.
This meant that the South was less competitive than the North, where free slaves were being paid to learn and maintain farms to a better standard, thus growing more and better crops.
Eugene Genovese, writing in 1961, reckoned that the antebellum South was not profit-seeking. In fact, slavery was not even meant to be profitable. Slaveowners were keener on flaunting their vast plantations and huge reserves of slaves than they were about profits and investment. Rational economic decisions were sacrificed for pomp and circumstance.
There is also a school of thought, written about by Ralph Anderson and Robert Gallman in the Journal of Ameican History in 1977, that suggests the South found it difficult to establish trading networks because the skill base of its slaves dictated what crops they were able to grow effectively. And in the case of bumper crops or weak demand, planters would suffer big losses.
The free states in the North not only were able to recruit the relevant employees for the correct season, they could also train the workers to adapt. Slaves in the Southern states were long-term investments and in that respect, did not have the flexibility that the open employment market of the North did.
While the UK certainly made money on the slave trade, it was by no means the determining capital source for funding the industrial revolution.
The modern thinking that slavery was not profitable appears to make more sense, and this contributed to its demise.
Slavery had been a part of human history forever. My ancestors were enslaved by the Moslems for centuries. It was the Europeans who decided that slavery was immoral, and that is what led to its banning across the world. If not for the West, slavery would still be practiced openly in Africa and Asia.
In any event, someone such as myself, whose ancestors never even lived in a state where slavery was legal and who fought on the side that freed the slaves, bear no debt to people living today whose ancestors were enslaved for the profit of someone else to whom I have no relation whatsoever. Any ancillary economic benefits that may have accrued to my progenitors has been paid back in wealth transfer payments to actual living people over the last half century.
We are even. It's time for everyone to pick their own damn cotton.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2013/09/economic-history-2
field negro said...
"BENGHAZI!" *drink,drink, gulp*
----
Exactly Mr. Negro!
What difference does it make?
You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet, and America needs me to be President.
Let's Move On!
Lean Forward!
Yes I Can!
Anonymous Dr. Johnson said...
"American Puritanism SUCKS raw eggs!"
Progressivism is the modern expression of American Puritanism:
http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/2008/05/ol4-dr-johnsons-hypothesis.html
wow - mind blowing. thanks dr. j.
The Purple Cow said...
"If you multiply out the value of America's 1860 slaves to 2011 prices they would be worth a figure roughly equal to 70% of America's 2011 GDP."
Hmmm...I just figured out a way to balance the budget!
Christie's reputation is definitely going to take a hit on this one. Either he knew about the bridge closure which is bad or he has no control over his staff which is bad. I think he can survive this mess but he won't be more than NJ govenor which isn't the worst job in the world. Besides, we are too vain to ever elect a fat, bald or short president.
Nantucket is right, the majority of whites didn't benefit from slavery but they did benefit from the racist james crow laws and defacto discrimination that existed 100 + years after slavery ended.
Christie's reputation is definitely going to take a hit on this one. Either he knew about the bridge closure which is bad or he has no control over his staff which is bad.
That's a fair statement. Let's make two substitutions:
Obama's reputation is definitely going to take a hit on this one. Either he knew about the IRS scandal which is bad or he has no control over his staff which is bad.
Does that still ring true?
Besides, we are too vain to ever elect a fat, bald or short president.
But not too racist to elect a black President. Twice. So there's that.
Anonymous said...
Desert, the reason you won't give Christie the benefit of a doubt is because he is a Republican.
1:20 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No, really you're wrong on that:) I do not affiliate with one party anymore. Why? Because it's just not the wise thing to do. Not that I'm wise, Lord knows I'm not. But,I have figured out,or rather deducted/come to the conclusion, that it's best to study the candidates and their platforms and vote according to candidate, not party. Mixed vote. According to your region and your needs and who will fill them best. So I scrutinize and vote by candidature.
Their are great Republican politicians that have,actually do have the best interests of the people at heart! Just as their are great Democrat politicians who do likewise! ;*D
Speaking of slaves, Wall Street is putting on the big push for getting 50 million more of them.
Unemployment is unacceptably low! We need more people competing for jobs!
Wages are just too high for working Americans!
How is Mark Zuckerberg going to keep his profits up if we don't keep wages down? The income inequality gap could narrow, and this could endanger the stock market! Wealth disparity is good for business! What's best for a 29 year old billionaire is obviously what's best for the whole country!
It's all settled anyway, we worked it out with Boehner and Obama. So we hope you are all in full agreement with giving us what we want. You'd better be.
Anyone who gets in the way of increased profits is racist!
Quote Bill-oh
"Yup. The raid happened in 2011, Obama took office in 2009, google it if you doubt the dates. I know you want to blame the bush administration but the facts say Obama was president. Sorry PurpleCow, facts are once again screwing your agenda over."
Bill,Bill, I've got the Field-Negro 'Missed-Irony Detection Squad' calling for you on line 3.
Should I ask them to hold?
"And when you talk of "white folks", you are referring to the 6% of families that owned slaves, not the 94% who did not. Since a large percentage of whites trace their ancestry to immigrants who came here after the Civil War, the percentage of whites descended from slaveholders is actually now around 2%. Meaning 98% of whites have no slave holding ancestors."
That's not the point dimwit. Did they not benefit from Capitalism? Did they not benefit from the modern banking system? Did they not benefit from modern industrial society? If so, they owe the black man (and woman)
**
"The idea that half of America GNP came from one cash crop - cotton is absurd."
I absolutely agree.
And of course I said absolutely no such thing.
**
"The economic disadvantages of the slave system were becoming apparent long before the Civil War."
..and of course you have evidence for that, right?
I'll wait...
You also need to explain why America maintained the slave trade for 150 years if it didn't work? Why did people pay $2000 for black men if they weren't going to make money from them.? How come everyone else got rich from slavery and America didn't?
**
"While the UK certainly made money on the slave trade, it was by no means the determining capital source for funding the industrial revolution."
Evidence please...?
**
"The modern thinking that slavery was not profitable appears to make more sense, and this contributed to its demise."
Oh so this "modern thinking" you are talking about (i.e. lying) show us your academic evidence that such thinking exists. So far you have shown us two blokes from nearly 40 years ago without references.
"Obama's reputation is definitely going to take a hit on this one. Either he knew about the IRS scandal which is bad or he has no control over his staff which is bad."
There is no IRS scandal, it's as bogus as the Benghazi bullshit. It exists nowhere outside the fertile imaginations of far-right mouth-breathers such as yourself.
The Purple Cow said...
There is no IRS scandal, it's as bogus as the Benghazi bullshit.
---
Then why did Lois Lerner resign and why am I dead?
The Purple Cow said...
That's not the point dimwit. Did they not benefit from Capitalism? Did they not benefit from the modern banking system? Did they not benefit from modern industrial society? If so, they owe the black man (and woman)?
-----
Everyone benefits from capitalism, including the black descendants of slaves.
If whites owe the blacks, then the blacks owe the whites too for turning them on to the system.
You can go ahead and thank me now, cow.
Isn't capitalism great?
The Purple Cow said...
You also need to explain why America maintained the slave trade for 150 years if it didn't work? Why did people pay $2000 for black men if they weren't going to make money from them.? How come everyone else got rich from slavery and America didn't?
------
Obviously it worked for some people for some time, but had run its course by the middle of the 1800's.
And America did not maintain the slave trade for 150 years. The country was established with ratification of the Constitution in 1790, and slavery was outlawed 75 years later. As a matter of fact, slaves were no longer permitted to be imported after 1807, seventeen years after the country was founded.
And if you think slavery is the source of all wealth, why aren't places like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Haiti wealthy countries? Brazil imported 10 times as many slaves as America, yet their GDP per capita is one tenth of ours.
Think cow, think.
You can try to rationalize it, and you can falsify statistify it, and you can explain it awaaaayy, and you can dream about it, and you can find and quote all sorts of "historical facts" to qualify it, and you can go check out what fulano and prensejo wrote about that slavery didn't pay, yeeaah riiight!'
The fact remains,visibly clear to anyone with two fingers of forehead, that when you have any kind of company,sugar plantation,coffee, cotton,whatever, and you have FREE LABOR you WILL get rich! You will! :D Or no?
The Purple Cow said...
There is no IRS scandal, it's as bogus as the Benghazi bullshit. It exists nowhere outside the fertile imaginations of far-right mouth-breathers such as yourself.
Which explains why the lady refused to testify and quit her job.
Only to you is refusing to testifying and quitting proof there is no scandal.
Benghazi! *gulp, gulp*
field negro said...
Benghazi! *gulp, gulp*
----
Actually, it was more of a *gurgle, gasp* as they choked the life out of me.
But thanks for the sympathy.
@ Anon 9:14 PM-
represent for the Set Apart Mighty Ones.
i see you!
get down with your bad self.
La, sis i Love you. pray you are well;) holding it down over here in the fields.
Blessings to all other souls as well.
Dead Ambassador, since u are in hell, can u tell me how Ronald Reagan is doing?
No, but do you want me to relay anything to Tookie?
"Only to you is refusing to testifying and quitting proof there is no scandal."
Uh no, the lack of evidence of a scandal is usually proof of no scandal. Using wingnut logic bigfoot exists until there is evidence to prove it doesn't.
Post a Comment