A series of stories broke today that just make your jaw drop. The top OMGs are outlined below:

This is What Privatization Looks Like

A local fire department stood by and watched a house burn down. Why? Because the homeowners hadn't paid their yearly fee. Their pets died in the fire.

Foreigners are Buying our Elections Through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

By Think Progress, Foreign countries and foreign business are running attack ads, buying our elections.

With each of these foreign board members to the USBBC contributing at least $10,000 annually, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce raises well over $100,000 a year in money from foreign businesses through its operation in Bahrain. Notably, the membership form provided by the USBBC directs applicants to send or wire their money directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The membership form also explicitly states that the foreign-owned firms are welcomed.

– Like the Chamber’s involvement in Bahrain, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce operates in India through a group called “U.S.-India Business Council” (USIBC), which has offices around the world but is headquartered in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dozens of Indian businesses, including some of India’s largest corporations like the State Bank of India (state-run) and ICICI Bank, are members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the USIBC. Annual membership dues range from $7,500 to $15,000 or more, and the money is given directly into the Chamber’s 501(c)(6) bank account. Like the USBBC, the USIBC generates well over $200,000 a year in dues for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from foreign businesses.

American Crunch

Can you believe people forced Sun Chips to abandon it's biodegradable bag because they're too loud? Come on America! A loud chip bag is more offensive than whales dying from plastic bags?

QE2

The Fed's quantitative easing is all but assured:

Chicago Fed President Charles Evans called for "much more" easing in an interview published by The Wall Street Journal. "In the last several months I've stared at our unemployment forecast and come to the conclusion that it's just not coming down nearly as quickly as it should,"

Gold

Gold is surging and becoming the new currency.

Japan

The Bank of Japan announced, you guessed it, quantitative easing.

More Lawsuits

This time class action billion dollar lawsuits against lender processing services.