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.

Recession, a still messed up financial sector, overbearing majorities in the House and Senate, two wars, unprecedented unemployment, ongoing political bickering, nutty ideologues on TV & radio, a celebrity President, fearful climate change (?), porous borders, huge deficits, ballooning national debt, rapidly increasing cable rates, Big Macs, french fries and the disappearance, and fall,  of  Tiger.

And thus, speaking of Tigers, on to China . . . a problem that is a growing economic and political threat and one that we are not doing enough about.

China continues to own nearly $1 trillion of American debt (including  $800 billion of Treasury notes), has increasing influence around the Globe, possesses $2.5 trillion of walking around money and is using it to ‘buy’ into future resources that we both need, with a military that is rapidly narrowing the tech gap with the U.S., has a very Communist political system that prohibits real freedom (say goodbye to Google, Shanghai),  can exercise nearly instant and complete control of their seemingly ‘free market’ economic system, and finally, relishes political and economic power that grants them greater clout in the UN and around the world.

On top of that it is the Chinese year of the Tiger.

Seems like everything is going their way.

Should we be worried?

You bet’cha (as Sarah Palin would say from her modest home in Wasilla).

The signs are all over.

Recently, the President confirmed sales of modern Aircraft, weapons and defensive hardware to Taiwan.

China didn’t like that and announced a halt to military exchanges with the U.S. — exchanges that would help lessen the tension and open a mutually beneficial dialogue.

They didn’t care about the benefits — something more was at stake.

Chinese leaders are acting like petulant children who won’t share their candy.  They have always taken such an approach.

This time it is different though . . . they don’t seem to care what ‘our’ leaders think about them and they don’t really expect change.  Its all about politics and public relations and the rest of the world is their audience (excluding America).

In their own minds they deserve better–or they just don’t care what we think.  In their opinion the American markets for Chinese goods is shrinking . . . so the leaders in China find us less appealing . . . and other global markets are being targeted.

Heck, the President put off a meeting with the Dali Lama just to please them and they were still somewhat less than civil.

What more do they want?

Chinese leadership is increasingly independent of the U.S., and, at the same time,  best buddies with Venezuela, Russia and even Iraq.

How does that old saying go?  The enemy of your enemy is my friend.

Our leadership needs to beware.

At stake is the once inevitable globalization of our Democratic system — our economic model as well.  China’s recent success has third world and developing nations thinking that the option of democracy and American free-market economics isn’t as attractive as once believed.  China’s model is the new answer.

How would the world look with only two systems?  Ours and theirs.  And, since the majority of nations and populations are in the third world or developing category that are now inclining toward them — we could end up as the minority.  Odd man out.

Not good.

We have to counter with wise policies to end recession and reignite our economy.  We also have to come up with quick ideas to rebuild our demonstrably better political system.

Not going to be easy.

Obama has to lead — not ’shine.’

Congress has to act — not react.

The FED, the Treasury, Congress, and the President have to monitor the recession and start raising interest rates and taxes as soon as a recovery is evident.  Political change is as important as economic change.  And both need to bring a clearly ‘better’ result.  Soon.

Democrats and republicans alike should have enough confidence in themselves and their parties to push for a constitutional amendment that would create term limits on all elected offices.

Further the government, from Washington D.C. to Wasilla, Alaska, should follow-suit .

If we follow this plan we can be back in the global ‘driver’s seat’ in about four years.

American should, and can, return to greatness.

Level-headed economic policy (including debt reduction) and term limits are two good places to start.

2010-2014 can by our years of the tiger-beater (and maybe Tiger Woods will back us up too!).

thanks for the photo to flickr’s law_kevin

He announced today a number of initiatives to limit the ‘free-market’ activities of big banks. The implications to future profitability for those institutions (think here of JP Morgan, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and such) is going to be significant.

Apparently investors think things are going to get a bit darker for the ‘biggies’ as a result.  Stocks of most of them took a big hit today.

thanks to adobemac for the flickr foto

Summarizing Obama’s speech is easy.  He doesn’t want the big banks to be able to take risky bets on other people’s money.  Heck, what precipitated the recent recession if not the big banks (financial institutions) and their Las Vegas style of money management?  The President gets it.

At first I was a bit disappointed.  You know, here goes the democrats putting new regulations and restrictions on free enterprise.  But on further reflection I am inclined to take a Keynesian mock-liberal view.  Do what is best for the country.

In fact I believe the President’s action will go a long way toward limiting  future financial crises.

You see, what happened in the past few years is that financial institutions had every incentive to take the ‘big’ bets.  Low interest rates made money readily available.  The banks ability to leverage ‘our’ money made it even easier and potentially more profitability.  There seemed little or no risk to taking big bets.

Lack of regulations in that  wild-west landscape?

Even Greenspan admitted that financial executives were legally (morally?) able to operate for their best good at the expense of ‘us.’

Bottom line:  I approve of the President’s anger and response.

Financial institutions should be free to do whatever they want with their own equity (money they have put up).  But, as regards to all of ‘our’ depository money (which gave them huge additional leverage)?

Whoa cowboy, keep that money safe and even off the freaking radar of the overpaid money managers who just loved to bet ‘our’ money so they could get any spoils but not risk any of their own $$.  $20 million bonuses?  Easy money folks.  But not so much now.

Good work, Mr. President!  Keep thinking outside of the box . . . you may even be able to persuade a republican or two to consider legitimate health care reform.

It could be that the above God, Ganesh (the Elephant God), who is the Hindu patron of arts and sciences is having an influence on the populace.  Then again it might be another of the Hindu Gods or any number of them for that matter (there are over 300 million Gods recognized by Hindus).  But I think the primary influence is on the sciences (broadly speaking) because the people are going to school, getting good educations and then going to work.

Known for its huge outsourcing capabilities (as the recipient), it is not just call centers that are helping with economic growth.  Entrepreneurs seem to flourish in the laissez faire environment the government encourages.  In fact it seems they are pampered by the government.  But success is not an unusual story.

Not just little guys either.

Tata Motors, for example,  is well known globally and is most famous for the Nano –  a car that will sell for $2000 and get 62 mpg!  Think of what that will do for India productivity!  Hey, how soon can we import those little suckers??

The technology segment in India is big with a number of significant players and is growing daily thanks to the millions of programmers, web designers and other ‘technophiles’ being cranked by the excellent colleges and universities.  And then there are the outstanding hospitals and health care professionals that make India a prime destination for medical tourists seeking everything from transplants to knee and hip replacements.  At a fraction of the cost of the same care in developed countries.

India seems to have missed much of the trauma of the world-wide recession.  The Bombay Sensex market has doubled since the lows in March.  Unlike China and Russia the increase seems justified.  Indians, at least those that can afford to, are spending and don’t seem worried about the future.  Those that can’t join the consumer crowd are seeing the opportunities and working to get their children educated so that future generations will move up the economic ladder.

The opportunities in India are immense.  Infrastructure is not good and the government can spend decades and Billions of $$ bringing them into the 21st century.  That will create millions of jobs, require boatloads of engineers, architects and other professionals. The net result: a more efficient, educated and capable population.

This potential is not being lost on the government.  The Prime Minister, Dr. Manhoman Singh, the first Sikh in the office, seems to be a genuine leader who has the vast population in mind.  And it is no wonder given his history.  He was born into a village with no electricity and had to study by candlelight.  Yet, he went on to graduate from college.  He then went to England where he graduated from both Oxford and Cambridge.  As an economist with a Ph.D. he seems the perfect person to help India move forward.  Not too liberal and not too conservative.  He is putting the government’s resources to work.

The efforts are working.

The GDP of India is about that of Russia but there is a big difference besides the fact that it is still growing — India has no significant oil reserves and must rely and true manufactured exports and the skills of their work force.  But there are advantages in those differences . . . those 1.1 billion people provide an unlimited workforce and the life expectancy is ten years more for men than in Russia.  That means an added ten years of wisdom and experience–not a small thing for a nation growing as fast as India.

Then there is the fact that India is a true (and incredibly complex but workable) democracy.  The same 1.1 billion people make elections a challenge and then there are the hundreds of political parties.  Indians have been forced to learn how to compromise and resolve differences.  It is the only way to get things done there!  Americans could learn from them, believe me.  Their elections take about a month as polls are moved about the country . . . and they don’t have two years of preliminary electioneering either (another lesson for us).

I think India is for real.  It belongs in the BRIC but maybe only for another ten or so years.  I just don’t think that their progressive government will allow a damaging slow-down.  In the not too distant future India will be numbered among the ‘developed nations.’   Hopefully that progress will include losing the harmful vestiges of the cold war and a much improved Indian-American partnership will be the result.

I think it is cool!

Thanks to flickr’s exfordy for the pic

THe BHO team has been woefully deficient in their efforts to stimulate the economy.? A survey of 80 influential economists (Jeez, do we have 80 economists out there, let alone 80 influential ones?? Could be part of the problem) shows that the VAST majority of them give BHO and his econ team a failing grade.

And so, BHO and his muppets must have taken note.? They are starting to talk a bit more positively instead of scaring us all on this 2nd Friday the 13th of the year.? Thank Heavens for that!

The market has been up 3 days in a row, and remember that the market is a leading economic indicator (it kinda tells us what things will be like 6-9 months down the road).

So, positive vibes (learned that from my favorite war movie — Kelly’s Hero’s) are starting to take affect.

The economic forecast is NOT as bare as the far side of the Moon anymore . . . there is something green out there and it just might start growing big.? All they gotta do is keep their eye on the ball (unemployment) and leave the rest to the good, hardworking folk of America.

Talk it up Obama, and keep howlin’ at the moon!

Next week my Freddie Mac stock might be up 50% (yes fifty freaking percent) all the way to 60 cents a share (and I’ll be able to sell it all and buy a Big Mac (not the value meal, just the Mac).

?

thanks for this pic to flickr’s timwilson

Today, for the first time, this administration has gotten something right.? And in a pretty big way too.?

How could this have happened so fast,?I have talked to niether Obama nor Giethner . . . ever, and that is one of their problems (at least in the vast wilderness of my own mind).

I?wrote about this jan 26, 2009 (see the good, the bad and the sad ).??I said then that the mortgage problem can be solved in a pretty straight forward way.? Lower interest rates and terms of existing loans.??I thought then that?40 year terms and interest rates at 4% or even lower would do the job.? A real good start on that problem anyway.

Today, Obama ’s team is making progress (not on the key unemployment problem but on the mortgage crisis that is almost as bad).? The thing they announced today may be a?bit complicated (hey, its the government doing this not Disney) but it is going to make a BIG difference in the mortgage mess.

Here is part of how it will work.? Say?a homeowner is underwater on their mortgage so they go to their?lender to redo the terms to make them manageable?(only occupiers … not investors).? Pretty good terms too.? They?can go as low as 2%? interest rate (yes, TWO PERCENT), and the term can be extended to 40 years.? I’d like to think that Giethner or Obama read my earlier blogs, but?I doubt it . . . they have been too busy lately bad-mouthing the economy and the lack of intelligence of the american consume.? That has helped with?further eroding confidence?( how Machiavellian of me to think they would do otherwise).? Maye that was okay to them since ‘they’ didn’t cause this mess –wait, wasn’t Obama a Senator for the last couple of years, wasn’t Giethner the President of the New York Federal Reserve Bank?

Depsite allthat rhetoric,?this is a huge step forward for them and it shows they are starting to think about the actual problems and not the ones they dreamt about years ago.??I think if we get just a couple more of these kind of intelligent and worthy deals thrown out there (I won’t get into the fact that this mortgage thing is going to cost upwards of $75 billion) then the gloom may start to diminish.? Maybe they will now move on to unemployment since they have ‘treated’ the smaller symtom first.

I?am still not ready to say that this is a beautiful sunrise of a new era of prosperity and fairness in the American economic-politicoal landscape (wasn’t that the main promise of Obama in his campaign?) but this makes me think that the sunset is not as definitive and certain as?I?believed just?yesterday.

A?good step one, Mr. President . . . stop traveling the circuit and come up with about three more just as effective?along with detailed plans of implementation.

Sure, in this new mortgage deal some big lenders?including freddie (I’m own a chunk of that?stock at about 10X the current price) and fannie (haven’t touched this one) are going to write down some big $$$ but the government is going to share the writedown (hence the cost).? The?40 years?? Yeah, that is going to hurt some balance sheets too, but remember that when times are good Americans don’t tend to stay in their homes for the long term.? This goes particularly for the younger, upwardly mobile (dare?I say ego driven) buyers that are always wanting something bigger and better — let me interject here that?I am in the same home?I bought when?I was 29 years old (my first) and have never seriously considered ‘moving on up’ like the Jefferson’s.

The short term impact of this new ‘plan’ is going to be very positive for the mortgage crisis, help a whole bunch of people stay in their homes, and help the economy as well.?

Long term?? Well, 40 years is a really long time . . .?I won’t be around then and most of you won’t be playing full-court then either.? As an aside,?I suggest you start now while you are young enough.?Basketball keeps?one thin and trim?and isn’t as expensive as golf or tennis or tanning.??Just a new pair of tenny-runners every two-three years.? Confesssion, though,?I gained 30 pounds when?I had to quit BBALL becaue of a bad back.??I still think?I could take?Obama in a game of horse and maybe one-on-one …? you reading this Mr. President?).?

This mortgage plan helps,BHO? thanks.

Another few moves like this and?I will be ready to declare a new sunrise! (plus, I’ll?spot you three letters in a game of H-O-R-S-E?or six points in the one-on-one, first to 12!)

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thanks for the flick photo goes to clairity

Know something?? A clown isn’t funny when it does something stupid unintentionally and the flop ends up hurting others.

I?readily admit that there are?some times when certain clowns are never funny i.e. the anti-scoial and unsportsmanlike antics of Bobby Knight the “clown’ king of college basketball, or?Madoff the ‘clown’ king of immoral investment managemen? (he wants to protect $62+ million for his wife)– or any of the CEO’s of about any of the major financial and banking corporation (perhaps the?biggest clowns yet!).

The issue at hand.?? The economy.

Our Secretary of the Treasury is a sad, sad, clown though he tries not to be.? Every word he utters makes things worse. This can’t be intentional, can it?

Giethner spoke today before a Congressional committee — jeez louise,?I thought the guy was dead,?I mean where has he been since his worthless ‘high-profile’ speech a couple of weeks ago?? You know, the one that sent the markets into a tailspin.

My of my, what, an unfunny guy.? To think that I thought Bush’s appointees were clowns.? Obama’s set a new standard that indicate he recruits solely from the Barnum & Bailey school of economic napping.

Ya just gotta do something right Tim.? Don’t just stand there and watch the decline.? You are the freakin’ Secretary of the Treasury and most of us pay taxes to support you (you sadly do not pay all the taxes you should — at least until hauled in front of Congress).?? You’ve blown it, Obama guy.

Here is the situation.??We are in a fifteen month long recession (so far) and it is getting uglier by the day.??I have written about this before but in a hopeful way.? Now I find little to hope for and a lot to fear, because the new President and his team are NOT offering any encouragement or positive stimulus to the economy.? Quite the contrary.

Geithner and Obama and Reid and Pelosi are?not even trying to be bi-partisan.? They are just good old fashioned spend and govern democrats who?have now managed to push our country (not to mention the rest of the world) into the front end of a big?depression.? Soon that will be true by?almost any definition.

My new outlook (barring any real action by Obama and his crew of motley democratic fools):

Unemployment will reach 10% by mid-summer, GDP?will decline by 10% over the next year,?the recession will go on for at least 24 months (becomind a depression), and people in the USA will suffer, as will people in the U.S.?of?E (European community) and the dis-U.S.?of Soveitsky and all the other U’s and dis-U’s that are out there.? It feels real bad, this puppu could get?real ugly real soon.

Dang it Obama, I had hope for you and yours.? But you chose a tax cheat to be Secretary of the Treasury?? That should have been a glaring warning signal to you and everyone else.?Wasn’t caught by the guys in the easy chairs up on the hill.? This Giethner?guy acts like he has only that Barnum?& Bailey degree?? Come on.? How is he smarter than me?? Or anybody else for that matter?

?I had expectations of new intellectual highs in this administration.? Turns out that the smartest guy from the top down now is Joe, freakin’ Biden??? Aw, heck — how can? this be?? Biden is?only half as smart as Bush (ouch!) and he’s the smartest in this group?? Doesn’t bode well for us.? Maybe its only ‘cuz he speaks?on?TV?less often . . . but then again when he does speak — whoo momma, you wish you could just push the mute button.??Frankly I?find it hard to believe he?attended elementary school let alone graduated.?? And he was a senior senator?? How can?anyone take the guy seriously?? To be sure he reminds me of?Reese in ‘Malcom in the Middle’.

Giethner and the rest of his crew (what crew — he can’t get anyone to join the treasury let alone make it to the mandated Congressional interogation) aren’t doing the job at all??

Obama himself?? Turns out he is a great speaker . . . not such a great decider.? Not yet anyway and the clock is ticking.

Get going, Obama, my man, my fellow lover of basketball (the only truly?manly, non-neanderthal?sport in the world — except at the college and pro level where it is nothing but a showcase of bad ‘tats and worse attitudes — not the skill oriented, non-contact sport?I grew up with).

Whoops, there?I go again,?keep getting side tracked — but realize here that Biden, Pelosi, Reid and Geithner make me seem like a genius!!? Does that frighten you?? It should.?

Obama, my fellow lover of the leather-orb . . . get a clue, take some hints for the guys who manipulate the market for a living . . . they don’t like your ‘plans’ or lack of them at all.? That’s why the stock market has plummeted since your inauguration.

Nobody seems to like of believe?what you are doing (not even your fat-walleted, permanent politician, ne’er-do-wells in the democratic majority congress).? The dow down over 2,000 points since you got elected.? Banks dropping like flies in a sauna since your oath of office.? AIG, that great elusive pyramid scheme, eatin’ up our tax dollars like a happy California cow in good Utah pasture.?

The real bad news?? The whole shebang is gettin’ worse?since your great rose-colored speech a week or so ago.?? Sure you can lay out all the entitlements and social programs you and Pelosi have ever dreamed of,?just tell me how the heck are we gonna pay for them in anybody’s lifetime??

It just ain’t workin’ bud.? Take a deep breath and think it through again.? Then step up to the line a hit nothing but net by deciding and chosing some beauracats (sic) that can at least analyze the alternatives.

By the way, you can’t legislate morality, even though you seem to believe you should?legislate debt and the consequent immorality of it all.?? You wouldn’t be the first one to try and fail.?

You don’t have to make it that way.? Go after the root problem.? UNEMPLOYMENT.? If?a dude has?got a job then he?can pay his?mortgage . . . even if?his house is worth less today than a year ago.? Let the?homeowners stay in their houses for a while–until the value goes up again.? Just keep people EMPLOYED and create jobs for those that are NOT employed.

everything else is smoke and mirrors and nobody that can read at the 8th grade level is buying it.

When is a clown not funny?

Pretty much always, when the clown is a myopic democrat that believes the nincompoops in government know a lot more than the people out there that WORK FOR A LIVING and actually paying taxes.

the arrival of the depression will be too late for you to act responsibly and you have only days or maybe weeks to act — certainly not months.?

Do something smart, intelligent and right.? NOW!!? Even something funny if you must . . . just now something sad and disastrous.

IT AIN”T FUNNY NOW MAN!

Crap, I just remembered, I?hate clowns!!

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and thanks to mel b. at flick for the photo

The truth is this is also the responsibility of the?CEO of our country.

And this past week both Obama and his designee in the Treasury (who used to be the head of the NY Fed) have done anything but.?

This country needs confidence – in the economy – in our leaders – in our politicians and particularly in our President and Secretary of Treasury.? They failed in the last few days.? All we heard from them was doom and gloom.? Forecasts of darker days ahead.? No promises of recovery.? No hope.? No reason to give any of us (except the wealthy) desire to spend — let alone hope.

Yechh . . . it was awful . . . like when my mother made me take one big (think shovel here) spoon of cod-liver oil every morning while growing up (in the cold Norwegian winter.??I hated it.? But you know what?? I grew to be 6′5″ and healthy.?? I have to think?that stinking oil (from the liver??) helped.

Hmmmmm.

We took our medicine this week.? And it wasn’t good.? The news was all bad.? 7.6% unemployment, consumer confidence very low (56.4 which was lower than in january for crying out loud), more bank failures, bickering in congress, the Presidents presumed cabinet falling apart with another Sec of Commerce dropping out etc.? our President really needs to be the ‘Cheerleader in Chief’ but he was much more of a ‘naysayer’ this week and that never helps.

Well it got what he wanted . . . a $800 bill stimulus package that won’t start having an impact for many months.? Was it worth it??

Time will tell.? Understand this though.? The lower the markets and the economy go the harder it will be to climb out.

But . . . and here comes my bold prediction . . . it won’t matter anyway at this time.? Times are changing.? There has been enough damage.? Confidence can’t really get much lower (remember there are still 90+ % of our workforce gainfully employed). The dark days have hurt? enough already.? Tomorrow the sun is going to shine.

Things (a lot of them) are going to get better?despite the?stimulus our leaders have given us.? It will all prove to be a big waste and add to what will be a $13 TRILLION deficit by 2010 (at least).

Prediction:??beginning next week the stock market will start upward and in a big way over the next weeks and months.? Pent up demand and optimism about the future will dominate.? It’s time to buy if you have any spare change (and some high flying stocks are trading at prices change will buy).? The dow at 10,000 by April.? 12,000 by late summer.? Even higher by the end of the year.? The NASDAQ at 2500 by year end (now that is bold).? Oil up to, in a big way — a double by late summer — say $65 to $70.? From there higher, unless we really do start a Manhattan project for oil independence (which was promised by Obama but i’m still waiting to hear a single world about it).

Prediction: by spring, say May or June, the economy will start to follow the up trending market.??New unemployment numbers will begin a steady decline (say under 400,000/moonth ?in June and under 300,000/month in September).? By fall confidence will be back and the world economy will follow.? GDP?will fall the first and second quarter (I say by a total of 4.5%) and turn positive after that.

None of this is the result of the stimulus (any impact it may . . . notice the may . . . have is at least 9 months away).? Some of the improvement?may be a result of Fed and Treasury action (we still don’t know what they will do but if they do it right they good times will get even better and faster).? Banks lending, auto companies?surviving, etc.? but it will happen.??I am counting on it.? I am confident.?

take hold . . . be bold . . . the time is right.??Our country has too many hardworking, honest and good people to let the few idiots and crooks have control our destiny.

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by the way, thanks to flickr’s epicharmus for the photo

But, ‘wait-if you believe right now you get this one time only, act in the next twenty minutes bonus’:? I’ve seen pictures of this President donating time to help the poor, shopping for?groceries, playing basketball (THE manly sport), walking on the?beach, and smiling –?wow what a smile!? Send in you?order now.??A double order, biggie sized, of HOPE!

I expect significant changes in the Whitehouse, and the?Executive branch of our goverrnment in general.??I know he wants to affect real worthwhile change in Washington and?I hope he can (like finding a way to limit ALL other elected officials to?a few terms . . . a common theme you will hear from me).?

Sadly the prior administration?has left the President with problems and realities that will make? his job?very difficult.? Theformer guys?managed to trash any HOPE.??? The realities of our?economy will limit his capacity to provide government assistance to?the needy (financially, economically, healthally, educationally, combatally, politically?. . . .).

Oh boy, does he have a challenge ahead.? But, there is HOPE.

Hey, people in Kenya celebrated, Arabs and Muslims?are excited that he?likely understands their?beliefs and?HOPE ?more than any previous President.??Europeans danced in the street, and generally everyone?I know or have seen on?TV has HOPE as a result of his election.? They want and expect a different and better America than they have seen for 8 seemingly long, dark years.

Sure, the market?(stock not vegetables) crashed today.? However, CNBC informed us, thank heavens, that the market?declines 72% of the time on?inaguration days.? Truthfully the market probably won’t get the Obama?bounce that so many expected.? Nothing happens?( predictably) when our?incredibly unpopular Congress gets involved.? That means that the President’s plan for economic stimulus and change in government will not be approved soon.?

Think about it.? The market (here?I speak of the millions who buy and sell securities and bonds) can’t react positively until there is good news and an improvement in the two things that the government HAS to focus on (I started?pleading for this in?August to the students in?a college macro economics class?I taught . . . so?I am not coming to this party late, and I am?certain others have recognized this too), and that is lowering unemployment, and improving?consumer (say citizen here) confidence.? Just those two things.? Nothing else extraneous, just those two things.? Focus on them, Mr.??President, honored (boy that is hard to write) Congress — and then you will give the rest of us real HOPE.

While many are expectant, and even more are HOPEful we have to be realistic.? It will take many weeks, perhaps months,?for the President to get his advisors and administrators approved by Congres and put to work.? The sooner the better, but don’t expect Congress?to be intelligent?about it (they are too dang politicized and concerned about their high-paying,?live and retire on easy-street jobs to?do that).?

So, reality is that change (if it comes) will take time?(and sadly lots of it).?

That leaves us with only one thing:? HOPE!? hope doesn’t float . . . it has to be paddles to stay afloat.? Give us a paddle Congress.

Don’t let go of it.? The more of us that share HOPE, the more our leaders will start to realize their?jobs might just?be dependent upon?reviving our?HOPE.? Holy mackeral, that would be something., wouldn’t it??

So HOPE.

And pass along HOPE.

And don’t give up your HOPE.

Spread the word.

HOPE!?

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thanks to jurvetson for the picture from flikr