Here is one that sticks out:   A GUY WHO DRIVES           A CAR WIDE OPEN        IS NOT THINKIN’        HE’S JUST HOPIN’

When I had digested President Obama’s strident, partisan and angry oratory in Ohio two days ago, I had the impression he and his speech writers had not been and were not — THINKIN.’   Just hoping that the message would work since nothing else seems to be (working that is).

That messsage?  One the dems have been using a lot lately and one the President believes mitigates all of his disastrous spending policies:  The devil Republicans made me do it.  Especially President Bush.  Not the dems fault.  Blame anybody else but not them.

The crowd that was there loved it.  The ‘anti-Beck’ has spoken and the faithful cheered.

I didn’t buy it and I don’t think the the voters in Ohio will either.

Come on, who is the President kidding?

His Ohio visit and message wasn’t about the economy at all.  It didn’t address the problems nor offer any viable solutions.  There was no meat in it.

Nope.  It was nothing more than a campaign speech with all of the requisite negativity thrown at the ‘not-so-loyal’ opposition.

There is no place in today’s economic and political atmosphere for our President to be so decisive.  I can understand why Beck, O’Reilly, Olberman and the like do it (money, money, money — thank you ABBA).  But the President?  No way, Jose (not Canseco)!

The President’s primary job is to solve American problems, close behind is to be a cheerleader for our weary nation.

Come on Obama?  What have you and your fellow socialists Democrats done in the past two years?  Doubled and tripled the deficit, created unheard of debt and done absolutely nothing to fix unemployment.

The blame game only works so long and the dems deadline to drop out of the game was last spring.  Oh, yeah, Obama, what ever happened to that change in politics you promised us?  Same old same old.

I don’t like either party right now.  I hope you are with me on this.

Bush was an awful President.  The Republicans in Congress just made his terms worse.  But Obama is opening himself up to being right there at the top with Bush and the dems in Congress are not helping the President.

We need solutions from our leaders.  Not stonewalling and criticism.  But President Obama has really opened the door and the Republican leadership is going to go storming through.  I hope they do.

We need new and better leadership.  In Washington D.C. and in our own backyards (cities, counties and states–hope you heard about the city leaders in a small California town that were bleeding the working citizens to death with near $million compensation packages).

To mention just one important thing, we need to start over with a completely new tax code . . . and that will only happen if we get completely new leaders in Washington.  To change the anger and hatred in politics we have got to change the politicians.  In fact we need to rid our nation of the word “politicians.”   No career elected leaders, ever, just genuine citizens elected for a term or two.

I (we?) can only hope that the two parties tear at each other so much that we, the people, see them for what they are and start voting out every single multi-term elected official there is.

By the way, a VAT (value added tax) like most other developed nations have would be an excellent replacement for our income-tax system.  And the best way to stimulate the economy is to create jobs, give incentives to businesses, and then get government the heck out of the way.

Believe me, while I have rested my keyboard-weary fingers for a few months, my mind has been going full-speed-ahead.  I have watched my stock portfolio take a hit that is reminiscent of 2008 (I cringed when I got my statement today), Congress has proven yet again their unworthiness to govern and President Obama  has demonstrated to all sensible  Americans that he is  as American born and Christian as the next   (only attends church on Easter and for funerals).  The economy is souring with unemployment still (20 months into this recession) the #1 problem.

But wait, there is more.  Iraq is no longer a combat zone for Americans (pity the poor Iraqii’s though), Afghanistan is ballooning into a Vietnam and a Korea all balled up into one awful nightmare, and the Mid-East situation is no better at all (despite the opening of Obama’s direct talks with Palestinians and Israelis) as the threat of Iranian nukes hovers ominously.

Hold on!  If you keep on reading you will get even more from CapitalistMarks in the coming days.  Health care reform is proving to be the opposite of the wonderful promises made  (Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Utah has cancelled my policy and forced me to take another with significantly less coverage/benefits coupled with added costs that could easily be in the tens of thousands of $$ each year).  I am told there are a bunch more like me out there that won’t be helped at all until at least 2014 when the new Obamacare/Democratcare plan kicks in.  Health care costs will continue soaring, and health insurance companies profits will bollow in lockstep.  But will I (others) live until 2014 with reduced coverage and costs that exceed average American family incomes?

Bailout spending?  Sure a few big banks have survived and some large Corporations  too . . . but only to the benefit of the CEOs and a few of their croonies . . . surely not you and I . . . the employees,  ‘head-shaking’ shareholders or the stunned taxpayers.

Stimulus?  Cost billions more than we were told originally and now Obama and his minions are talking about adding a few dozen more billions.  And, the Federal Reserve is out of arrows with interest rates at zero (of course they have quantitative easing left . . . but the Fed buying up government notes will add to the already enormous deficit).

Fiscal Policy?  Don’t look for any help in an election year.  Everyone in the country knows that the tax system needs to be reinvented.  But, don’t expect any politicians to offer  any credible solutions that would cost any votes.

Remember the old sage who said (roughly) ‘when 51% of the poor decide they want to live off the honest earnings of the other 49% then democracy will fail.’   Well, Obama’s democratic solutions of socialism at it’s worst are beginning to make that a possibility.  Wouldn’t it be something if he really is a Muslim or Communist ’sleeper’ who ends America’s greatness by destroying our economic/political system with old fashioned Marxist policies?  NOTE:  I do not believe this . . . but I can see why some bloggers are going conspiracy theory on us.

China?  Passed Germany as the #2 economy in the world and is only 30 or so more years of double digit GDP growth from passing the U.S.  Oh, yeah, don’t forget their military is growing faster and more aggressively than any other in the world, nor their efforts to grab natural resources from the rest of the world for their own good (sounds pretty capitalist to me).  Note that the ‘rare earth’ minerals used in so many high-tech products are produced primarily in China’s two mining/mineral centers, and that the costs of these crucial minerals have gone up over 1000% (yep, one thousand) in the last 10 years or so.

Iran?  I can’t even bear to talk about it.  Ahmadinejad is nuts!

Venezuela?  Run by a lunatic dictator who makes Castro (in his old days) seem like a kindergarten recess monitor.

Housing?  Millions of homes in foreclosure and the banks still won’t bend over to help anyone despite federal laws requiring them to do so  (wait until those very real writeoffs hit the books!).

Unemployment?  Some estimates put actual #’s as high as 20+% when underemployed and work-force abandoners are included but regardless there are at least 25 million Americans who want good full-time jobs and don’t have them.

Global warming?  Only the HOTTEST summer in history for our northern hemisphere.

I could go on but my moist, fearfuk and warm tears are clouding my eyes too much.

All I can say is it behooves you to stay tuned to this channel.

I will tell it like it is–give my answers to tough questions–offer solutions where needed.  I will be right-on most of the time and never wavering in pursuit of truth and justice.

But,remember this always:  the single biggest problem America has today is professional politicians.  They call D.C. home and they love living there and partaking of their un-American perks and benefits.  The new byword is ‘if you don’t like their perks, get rid of the jerks.’

Do NOT vote for incumbents . . . we need citizen leaders who leave their real lives to serve for 4-8 years and then go back to those same lives.  Guys like you and I who can listen to both sides consider the alternatives and decide what is really best for our country.   Our founding fathers intended it.  We really have to now.  Oh, and eliminate the guaranteed jobs, golden retirements and benefits for congress and government employees.  Make them live like the rest of us . . . they won’t want to stick around more than they are welcome if we can push that through.

I hope you will join me at the polls in November to oust the greedy, self-serving ‘pros’ and vote in our neighbors and friends who will do an honest job (particularly those who promise to go home after one or two terms).

I will post when impressed to do so and not just in order to get another word in.  You can count on that.  Also, due to some continuing health issues, I may not post as regularly as I would like.  I promise though, every post will be important, current, relevant and helpful.

Good thing too.

But, what is the deal here, is Obama chanelling the Gipper?  Has he been studying Reaqan’s successes in his spare time?  Wouldn’t that be cool?

On Tuesday, when the President began to lay out his new employment strategy I thought I was listening to the President Ronald Reagan.

You probably did too (if you are old enough to remember or have read about his economic policies).

Consider that Obama and his team are contemplating reducing employment taxes, providing direct incentives for new hiring, eliminating capital gains tax (one year only — but hey that is a supply side beginning) on new small business spending, federal guarantees of small business loans and ressurrecting the Gipper himself to coordinate the program.  Okay, that last was just for fun because everyone knows that Obama can’t to that . . . he is not a God as some (the Nobel Committee among them) think!

This is all good classical supply side stuff . . . not enough to satisfy Reagan’s good buddy Arthur Laffer(who posited that lower tax rates could increases tax revenues) . . . but a start.

I wish there was some direct government hiring instead of extending unemployment benefits (which adds to costs with nothing in return).  Heck if we are going to pay the unemployed for a year or more to not work then lets get them doing something productive  (see earlier post).

This is pretty cool stuff coming from a new President who has proved to be much further left than many voters thought he would be. And I am further encouraged he will seek real change in D.C.

Along with this he proposes increased federal spending for highways, bridges and stuff.  A further improvement in my opinion (again see earlier).

Now the bad part . . . the Obama team are talking even more about spending our way out of this  crisis.  Watch out deficits the dems are at it again!

But let’s focus on the good stuff . . . helping small business is a great start (and maybe enough to jump-start employment).  Small business are the real engine of growth in America–where the real ingenious stuff happens, where innovation hits the tar of the growth road.  Two thirds or workers in America are putting forth the good effort with small businesses . . . hence the best place to expand.

My bottom line:  I like this.  If implemented quickly this can be a great impetus to the economy.  Further such a quick implementation would likely raise confidence and increase consumer spending.  All good things.

I am hopeful just as long as the Republicans are supportive of the good stuff and don’t fight all change just for partisan political reasons.

Now, I would like you to remember this important point:

The best, quickest and most permanent way to improve governance in the United States of America is with strict term limits.  If our legislatures won’t implement this then we, the people, can.  Just don’t vote for anyone who is in office.  Any change is better than the status quo in Washington D.C.!!

thanks to flickr’s will hybrid for the photo of Hoover Dam

Seems the banks and other lenders who seemed to need this huge bailout or relief don’t really need as much as anticipated and provided for.  But, makes you wonder . . . when over the weekend we learned that a few more banks have failed and now the count is up to 130 (and will continue through the end of the year).  Remember that this is more than FIVE times the number of banks that failed last year.

What is going on here.

The truth is that the few big financial institutions that are left are eating a LOT bigger piece of the money-profit pie.  Instead of needing more money they are paying the TARP funds that they got from the government back (with a profit no less).  To the tune of tens of billions of $$.  Means that the total TARP funds available should be even higher than announced right?

Good for them (the big banks)  I guess and too bad the regional and smaller banks are taking it on the chin.

Bottom line here:  Obama and the democrats smell something pretty good for them.  They think they have just found at least $200 billion that is already in the budget (yeah, that $1.5 trillion or so  deficit we are faced with) and is NOT going to be used for its intended purpose.

What does any government (city, state, county or federal) do with money they have left over each year?  Oh, come one . . . have you ever heard of them returning it?  Gotta find a way to spend it . . . and fast!  That’s the attitude in Washington.

Of course Obama just had the big confab last week on unempl0yment and tomorrow he is going to talk about how he wants to deal with this horrendous continuing problem (Tuesdays seem big to him lately — Afghanistan and now unemployment).

But the $200 billion?

Republicans want to use the funds to pay down debt.  Makes sense.

Democrats want to use the funds to increase employment.  Makes even better sense right now.  We are, after all, not of out the recession woods yet and unemployment is still 10%.

Spend the $$ on improving employment.

We need it.

But do it right.

No more of these projected ’saving or creating jobs’ deals that take months and years.

Get some (or most of the $$) into the hands of the needy masses right away.  Do it like they did during the depression.  Hire the infrastructure workers directly by the government and bypass the private sector (could save many months and still let the big contractors bid the jobs to save $$).

If this works we get the infrastructure improvements we need (some of them anyway –fix roads with pot holes, bridges, dams, levies etc.) much faster and the government puts people to work NOW.  Then later (I know that is a scary thought)  government employees can be transitioned to the private sector as the economy picks up.

$200 billion?  That is a lot of jobs Mr. President.

Hope you are reading this Obama, Pelosi and Reid.

Stay the course, spend the $$ and put people to work before Christmas.  What a great present that would be to this great United States of America!

thanks to flickr’s ciaran mcGuiggan for the photo

Holy Moses this story was real.

The London Times called the award ‘absurd’ and I have to agree.

First a caveat, I did not vote for Obama, however I have had high hopes for the changes he promised on the campaign trail and personally (though we haven’t and will never meet) I like the guy.  I’d love to sit down and have a Rootbeer and talk basketball and golf . . . and especially politics and economics.

Second — the reality.

Obama has not accomplished anything yet.

Apparently that does not bother the Nobel Committee.  They awarded it for his ‘promise and potential.’ I don’t know if he will ever be entitled to the award but in any event this award is at least 5 or 6 years to early.  Ya gotta do something real to get an award don’t ya?

Maybe not.  But…

Why didn’t Pons and Flieschman get the Physics award a decade or so ago when he promised to have found the potential of Cold Fusion?  Why didn’t I get it whey my high school English teacher told me I had great promise and potential?  If we get awards for promise and potential then all of us should be collecting big checks from the Nobel people . . . tank you bery much.

According to reports Obama was nominated only days after his inauguration.  That is unbelievable.  The voting was based on his stumping speeches and promises on the campaign trail.  Whooeeee!

On the face of it, this award is ridiculous.  All I can think is that the Europeans and Scandinavians who voted for this have bought into the ‘celebrity’ status of our new President.’  Too bad.  This will surely put more pressure on  him to perform.  Not like he needs any more.  But the sad thing it will also give him and his majority party new ‘political’ capital.

In his comments about it, this morning, Obama said that the award is historically made to give momentum to worthy causes.  Okay.  To be fair he is not the first sitting president to receive the award.  Roosevelt and Wilson also had the honor.  Of course they weren’t only in office for nine months at the time, but whom am I to wonder?  Continuing, President Obama was sufficiently humble and mentioned that the award should be shared with all people who strive for progress, independent of faith, race or religion.   He further recognized that it was probably for his ‘engagement’ with other nations and desire to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.  Okay.

All good stuff.  But, nothing accomplished yet.  Just words. . . a mighty wind, so to speak.

The republicans immediately embarrassed themselves with critical comments about our Commander in Chief.  Of course they should have been critical of the knuckleheads in the Nobel Committee but then who is counting?  Then the democrats came back with a volley of their own and characterized the republicans in the same breath as the Taliban and Al Queda.  What idiots!  Again, I remind you of the power we (the people) would have with term limits!

Of course I am proud that our President will receive the award.  I am also hopeful that someday he will actually deserve it.  But not so much now.

Where does Obama go from here?  He was placed on a pedestal by the right wing in America.  Now that pedestal has been gold-guilded by the left oriented Nobel Committee.  It is going to be an all uphill journey for Obama from here on,  that is for sure.

All because a bunch of people back in the ‘old’ world . . . think he is cool and want to show how liberal and accepting they are.  Dangit.

Expectations?  Hope?  Change?  Now it will become a democratic stronger mandate that will ruin any hope of bipartisan cooperation on the many important issues facing all of us.  I guess that celebrity trumps ‘blue collar’ accomplishment every day in the rarified atmosphere of the rich and famous.  Sad.

Nine months.  Nothing.  Nada.  What will the next year bring?  I am afraid to contemplate the unrestricted power of a democratic majority backing our newest ’super-hero.’  Can hardly wait for the movie.

I can only hope for reasonableness.  We can only hope that the dems don’t get too carried away with this newest and ultimate ‘approval’ of their socialist and anti-business leanings.

Congratulations President Obama.

And good luck, our man!

thanks to rubberpaw for the photo from flickr

Well, I tried to find the word in dictionaries used in that way.  Can’t be done — at least not by me.  The closest is an obscure usage regarding a fee on the London Stock Exchange.

Still, I like the word and whether they are using it correctly or not, I want to adopt it in a political and economic way.  Heck, I think it fits.

Here is how.

The party in power right now, the democrats, seem to be going in the opposite direction from the wonderful source of their name, democracy.

In other word, there is a contango in the relationship between the democrats and democracy.  And that is wierd.

Shouldn’t the democrats be supporting and framing our famous democratic ways?

Heck yes.

But that ain’t happenin’ folks.

Sure, they were elected in a democratic election (sort of if we forget the implications of a flawed electoral college).  But they don’t want that same democracy to work in either the Senate or the House of Representatives . . . and it really doesn’t seem that the democratic Executive branch wants it either.  Is our current government really democratic . . . if it is then I am a cockatoo!

These democrats want to use their strong advantage in congress to ’slam dunk’ their agenda on the American people.  I don’t oppose the agenda, I just oppose they way they are going to force it without any ‘other’ opinions being considered.  Demit, the democrats don’t have a monopoly on intelligence or anything else for that matter.  Political decisions are ALWAYS ecnomic ones.  Usually they favor the party in control (or even the individuals in control), but almost NEVER the people.

What is wrong with listening to us?  Why don’t they want to take the time to do things right and let the right (republicans) have their say on amendments to health care, environmental, tax, educations, stimulus spending (or not) and other issues?  Why not take the time to make all legislation right from the start?

I don’t care what happened in the past.  This President (and his cohorts elected recently) promised change.  To heck with the ideological mistakes of the republican past.  Yes, they pulled the same stuff whenever the could.  And yes, they aren’t trying too hard to contribute this time . . . most of them just do nothing and complain (same old, some old political garbage).

Well, get of fyour lazy butts you misguided republicans and start at trying to help.

Well, (part II) sit down from you pompous platforms of leftist and socialistic ideals you misguided democrats and start listening to the PEOPLE as well as you partners on the right who should try harder to be the LOYAL opposition.

Let the decisions be made.

But make dem sure that everyone’s voice is considered and that the majority doesn’t force feed trash to the minority.

Be more democratic you democrats.

Demit!

Be more responsible and intelligent you republicans.

Demit, again.

Give us all something we want and not something you THINK we want.  Listen to the people on the streets, listen to everyone.  Make sense of the mess you have created and do it now.

Demit, again.

I hope we, the people, get together next year and two years after that and two years after that and VOTE ALL ENCUMBENTS OUT OF OFFICE.  If we had only one or two term politicians then most of this ‘political’ crap we have to live through would be done with.

We, the people have a responsibility in all of this too!  Vote responsibly and make sure your voice is heard!

Demit, finally.

Thanks for the photo to flickr’s glasswindow