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Friday, January 22, 2010

"I Gots the Stock Market Blues"

Wow, the Dow is already starting to crater. A bunch of crappy companies got tossed out, a bunch of crappy companies are still in-like GE, a couple of banks and that type II Diabetes producer, McDonalds. CNBC's Joe Kernan called McDonalds the trade of the decade.

Maybe we should make McDonald's foot the health care bill. Didn't we make tobacco do that?

With unemployment ticking up again, deflation showing up in the CPI number, housing numbers down, and a government that is mired up to their ribs in debt, there seems to be little support or little means to effect another rescue. I still think the worst of it will show up in quarter 2 right about fireworks time. I shoulda known the rats would leave the ship early.

A jobless recovery? A housing less recovery? Even GE is selling CNBC. Why? Ad revenues are down. Who's gonna tune in- in the upcoming years? Warren Buffetts kids?

More fun to come.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Enduring Madness

I've watched two interesting events this week. Massachusetts electing a Republican Senator for the first time in my life was outstanding. Unfortunately, it won't change anything.

The other event was Obama calling for tighter banking regulations. The same type of regulation that the Glass Steagal act accomplished quite well for 70 years.

You see, Glass Steagal would still be around had politicians not removed it in 1999. Oh yea, Sen. McCain has called for a return of Glass Steagal. Interestingly enough, he voted to remove it in 1999. Perhaps he has had second thoughts.

All of this of course makes me very happy. Happy that I didn't vote for either of these two idiots.

Now it makes me warm and fuzzy to see anyone with an (I) by their name get their ass kicked out of office. Every one of them. But Massachusetts didn't have an incumbent. Voters there simply gave a middle finger to the Dems and their worthless programs like the Health Care Bill with the Nebraska option. Geezus. You can't dream this stuff up.

So Obama launches his latest plot. Regulate banks. Everyone hates banks. Maybe that will get me some polling points.

Dude, do you really think anyone gives a shit about banks? We got people dying in the middle east, 45 broke states, a bazillion people out of work, and employers who can't get a loan and are afraid to hire anyone until they see just what the hell you are going to try next?

The bottom line is this. America will get politics as usual as long as it engages in this mind numbing game of hopscotch from R squares to D squares. Those squares represent the same silly game that we have been playing for 50 years. It doesn't work. They are here to steal your work product. One party gives it to the elite. The other party gives it to the poor. But either way, they get it from you.

Politicians passed laws and eliminated others (Glass Steagal) to benefit their banking friends and campaign contributors. Now publicly, politicians vilify banks as though they had nothing to do with the near collapse in 2008 and in my mind, government is far more culpable than banks ever were. The two are uniquely inseparable. Co-conspirators.

In fact nobody is more adept at talking out both sides of his mouth than Barney Frank. That dude makes Benedict Arnold look like a patriot.

I voted for the Libertarian candidate in 2008. He lost. He or she will probably lose again in 2012. But that won't stop me from voting Libertarian. I'm sick of hopscotch.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Miracle Worker

I have a friend who works for Glock. The have a poster on the wall entitled, "Glock Salesman of the Year." It is a picture of our fearful leader staring off into space.

I am a half century old. I have seen a couple things in my time. Things which are accepted fact among idiots like me. We know that cocktail waitresses and strippers get boob jobs in Vegas. A tennis ball behind the gun rack and back window of your truck will keep your gun from rattling around. And Massachusetts never elects a Republican to the Senate or the House, ever.

When our fearless leader talked about hope and change, I'm not sure this is what he had in mind.

I had a feeling it would turn out this way.

It doesn't take moral courage to go to college. It doesn't take moral courage to teach for 12 years. And it doesn't take moral courage to think you have moral courage. They just don't teach guts 101 at any university.

Obama is the kind of guy that thinks being President is all about him. He has no substance.

It would have taken great moral courage to stare the American people in the eye and say that we have to take our lumps. To say that we created the banking fiasco and now we have to put those institutions into receivership. We have to let GM and Chrysler fail. We cannot rescue losers and punish winners. We have to get our debt under control. No cap and trade bills, no health care bills, no more spending until we pay what we owe already.

That takes moral courage. The same kind of moral courage that Lincoln had when he sent half a million US kids to their deaths. When Obama made Lincoln comparisons to himself, I nearly went into convulsions. Sorry Barack, but I don't think they're gonna chisel the outline of your head at Mt. Rushmore anytime soon.

Obama just doesn't have a resume that screams moral courage. He has a resume that screams "slacker." Talkin' game and having game, are still two different things.

I'll tell you this. If Massachusetts starts electing Republicans, brace yourself for more miracles. We may see flat chested girls serving up cocktails and lap dances in Vegas, or cowboys playing tennis and saying things like "fifteen love."

No shit.