1 In 4 New Yorkers Live In Poverty

After McCain's financial advisor Phil Gramm (who has since been demoted) stood behind his initial remarks that we are a nation of whiners and that the economy is just peachy, we find even more whining in the press, this time originating from the City of New York. NYC is the financial capitol of our country and one of the leading international cities in terms of culture and wealth, yet one in four New Yorkers now live in poverty.

From The Gothamist:

Yesterday, weather apparently prevented Mayor Bloomberg from giving a speech at the NAACP convention in Cleveland yesterday, but, in his place, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs said the city found 23% of NYC residents are living in poverty, above the 19% the U.S. Census Bureau found.

The city's numbers are higher because the Bloomberg administration opted to use a different measure taking into account NYC's high living expenses. For instance, the federal formula doesn't include things like housing, child care, and clothing in its calculations. The federal formula uses $20,444 for a family of four as the cut-off, while the city's formula uses $25,138 for a family of four. The city will use its findings to "recalculate the distribution of certain city benefits"

Bloomberg's prepared text had him remarking, "So in Washington, while there's a never-ending debate about how to confront poverty, there is hardly any clarity on who is actually poor. I spent most of my career in the private sector, and I'm a big believer in the saying, 'If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." The city wants to share its model with other cities in order to spur changes in how poverty is measured.

Of course, as his policies have shown, Bloomberg has never really been a big fan of helping out the poor. Cutting programs for the poor (although not to the degree that his predecessor undertook) has come as a priority in order to spur the gentrification in the city that Bloomberg so desires. To his credit though, at least he is beginning to show that the official poverty line the census bureau uses is bogus. Other than that, this is further proof that many of our leaders have turned a blind eye to the fiscal problems of not only New York, but the nation as a whole....no matter if those that have profited off of our collective misery call it "mental delusion."

$147 For A Barrel Of Oil, Would That Be Imaginary Bad News Mr. Gramm?

John McCain can say that Gramm's callous comments do not reflect his feelings, but we know that isn't true because they both say pretty much the same thing when it comes to our nation's economic crisis. Well today oil prices touched $147 for a barrel and that is much more than just "psychological," its means a harder hit for American consumers and Phil Gramm can go Dick Cheney-himself if he thinks differently.

From Yahoo News:

NEW YORK - Oil prices briefly spiked to a new record above $147 a barrel Friday, as rising hostilities between the West and Iran and unrest in Nigeria sent investors rushing back to energy markets.

A decline in the U.S. dollar and concerns about an oil worker strike in Brazil contributed to the higher price.

The resurgence in crude prices stokes concern that $4-a-gallon gasoline is here to stay for U.S. drivers and means home heating could get much more expensive this winter.

Heating oil futures surged on the New York Mercantile Exchange to a record of more than $4.15 a gallon. Natural gas futures turned lower, but are still about twice as high as a year ago.

"If you think your gasoline bills are expensive now, wait till you get your home heating bill this winter," said Stephen Schork, an analyst and trader in Villanova, Pa.

That may not mean much to wealthy people like McCain and Gramm, but it does matter to millions who make far less than those that have beer baron heiresses to rely on.

Obama Slams McCain For Gramm's Comments, McCain Embraces...Then Distances Himself From Them

When you are filthy rich like John McCain's financial advisor (and former Senator) Phil Gramm things aren't too bad when it comes to having money in the bank. However, that doesn't afford you a good connection to the plight of millions of Americans that are truly suffering from the Republican-induced fiscal crisis that we are going through at the moment. Like any good Republican, Gramm dismisses the facts and uses an ad hominem attack on anyone that "whines" about hurting for money and that the only recession we are in is a mental one.

As news got out about this, Barack Obama promptly smacked McCain and Gramm for the insensitive remarks and the ridiculous ideas that will do next to nothing to solve the economic problems our country faces. Obama also caught Dr. Phil in the crossfire, saying that "We don't need another Dr. Phil! We need solutions!" Well I agree with that one hundred percent, as for McCain...not so much.

The McCain campaign handled the response in spectacularly poor fashion, by embracing him and saying the remarks were taken out of context. Then when the fallout grew, they backed away from Gramm and his comments. McCain said his comments do not represent the campaign, but the outlook for how to deal with the economy is spot on. There is a reason Gramm is the chief economic advisor for the campaign, ya know? The only difference is that Gramm was being honest about how he felt....and McCain continues to try and dupe the public into thinking he cares about people who are truly feeling the full weight of Republican fiscal, foreign and domestic policy.

Is This Why McCain Touts Phil Gramm

Why John McCain likes to talk about Phil Gramm's "expertise" being added to his campaign is a ploy for the right to show he should be embraced by the Republican Party. Yet sometimes stuff like this comes out and well, gosh darn, it doesn't mesh well with that Straight Talk Expressness.