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Friday, March 4, 2011

Utah and Several Other States Discovering Gold and Silver is Real Money, Federal Reserve Notes Not So Much

Hey, they are passing out tinfoil hats at Utah's statehouse. More to come. Stock up on gold, silver, and tinfoil. Shortages ahead. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/04/utah-house-passes-recognizing-gold-silver-legal-tender/?test=latestnews

Brian, Ala Six Meat Buffet, Hitting on All Cylinders

Two good pieces here. Now if we could just convince Brian the root evil is the FED- maybe he'd lighten up on the good doctor. http://sixmeatbuffet.com/archives/2011/03/03/this-is-what-happens-when-youre-ruled-by-people-who-dont-pump-their-own-gas/

Forget Those BLS Propaganda Reports, Here Is the Real Unemployment Picture, Thanks to Plan B Economics

The U-3 unemployment rate is the monthly headline number. The U-6 unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) broadest unemployment measure, including short-term discouraged and other marginally-attached workers as well as those forced to work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment.
Shadowstats also calculates its own unemployment rate by counting the long-term class of discouraged workers that were excluded from the ‘system’ when the gov’t revised its methodology in 1994.

Some Cops Have All the Fun

Oh what I wouldn't have given to tackle a lefty law breaker maker. It almost makes me want to suit and show up in Wisconsin- free of charge. Governor Walker, can I tackle the next piece of shit? Love to see the Packers D Line sworn in as troopers. That would be sweet. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110304/ts_yblog_thelookout/cops-tackle-lawmaker-amid-layoff-threats-detention-order-tensions-still-running-high-in-wisconsin

Had to replay the video twice. I need the clothes in my office? WTF?? Did they quit making clothes in Illinois? Pussy.

A Writer, A Welder, and a Catholic Priest

Many years ago, in my hometown of Butte, Mt., I loved to read a syndicated column every morning. The writer was a guy named Mike Royko. I often laughed out loud when Royko cracked wise about crooked politics in some faraway land called "Chicago." Royko was your typical big city lefty, spending his evenings in some joint called Billy Goat Tavern. I loved Royko's smart assed writing. And I suppose in some sense, he is one of my heroes. I think Royko would have loved blogging. No owners, no editors, and the ability to write any fucking thing we want to. In fact I'm sure- he would have loved it. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/730719.html

Royko had a high school education. That was back when a high school education was just a shade better than an online bachelor's degree or roughly equivalent to a four year degree at private college. They even flunked people back then. Shitty students were left behind. Unbelievably, we saw that as a good thing.

Mike Royko was real. He didn't have some piece of paper on the wall, some credential, announcing to the world that he had managed to sit in a classroom for four years successfully. He didn't need credentials. The guy could write. That has always been a problem for people with credentials. All the paper on the wall doesn't mean a damn thing if you don't have passion. If you aren't good at what you do.

I don't oohh and ahhh because some brainiac with a Ph.d is going to use the American economy for a fucking petri dish. I don't care about some superficial President who doesn't show a work history all the way through college. A guy who can kiss ass and pay off cronies. That shit isn't special. I don't care about movie stars and actors, some tart with a boob job and a 100k dress on. Or some greedy developer slicking people out of their money and greasing their own accounts. Bill Gates trying to make sense of his life, people fawning over him because he returns a pittance of what he has taken.

In fact, I don't even think you have to be special or credentialed to understand that.

I like working stiffs, the people who get ignored. They don't get any credit. No acclaim. They know how fucking hard it is to get what little that they have. They work their asses off. They do jobs for free. They are grateful for what little they have. They have passion and you can see it in their work. You can see it in their writing, hear it in their songs, feel it in their heart. They love what they do. I don't ask for credentials when I see those types of people. 

Years ago, I was in a little radiator shop bullshitting with a friend of mine. I watched the shop owner spend three hours fixing a radiator. He explained that people don't fix things anymore. They buy new things. He worked the entire time we talked and he redid the job because he wasn't satisfied with the way it turned out. Toward the end of the day, this little old man came in to pick up the radiator. He charged the guy 25 bucks. He explained that he knew this guy and knew he didn't have much money. Had he charged anything less he said, the old man would not have taken it. Old man Miller, he explained, had been a pretty decent cop when he was a kid. That's how it is on Main St. People do things because they are right- not because they can get away with gouging more.

In New Orleans, I had the good fortune to meet a guy, a Catholic Priest. Tough old bastard. He worked and lived uptown, but he spent all of his time in mid city, helping drug addicts and alcoholics get their lives together. He would drop blankets and tents off to the people living under the bridge at Canal St. Uptown is where the money is. Big houses on St Charles, Tulane University. I asked him once why he spent his time in mid city instead of uptown. He explained that the drug addicts and alcoholics in up town had every advantage. Wealth, families and support, access to rehab programs. In mid city he said, those folks have nothing. That's why I go there- he said. He died in Feb. of 2008. There is no doubt that he was chewing St Peter's ass, telling them how to run heaven when he arrived there. The only time he ever smiled...third on the right. http://sacredheartchurchnorco.org/AboutSHJ/FormerClergy.html

Our society ignores the people under the bridge. They ignore all the working stiffs. The people who perform minor miracles each day. They ignore the struggle perhaps- because they find it too difficult. Like death, they'd rather pretend it doesn't exist. Instead our society focuses on the obscene, the self indulgent, the rich and the narcissistic. Everyone else is just a fringe player, someone to be ignored. That's too bad. It says a lot about what kind of culture we have become. I will leave you with with an interesting slice.

The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.  ~Author Unknown

Thursday, March 3, 2011

1241 Days

How do I write here and there? I don't know. I just accept it. It's the yin and yang that is my life. It keeps me sane.

http://realemotionalfreedom.blogspot.com/2011/03/1241-days.html

Fantastic Silver Read

This is an opinion piece from the New York Times. It pretty much encapsulates what has been happening in the silver market.

The most fascinating part of this is the absolute inability or unwillingness of the CFTC to take any kind of action against big banks and position limits. Read CO-OPTED here. The good guys have the evidence, they have called the CFTC's bluff, and yet not one thing ever happens. Your government masters serve banker interests, not yours. That is clearly evident. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/a-conspiracy-with-a-silver-lining/?hp

Somebody's Got To Be Lying

Over forty four million people on food stamps. Does that sound like a recovery to you?

Who are you gonna believe- us or your lying eyes? http://www.zerohedge.com/article/charles-ponzi-day-we-celebrate-another-all-time-record-food-stamp-usage?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zerohedge%2Ffeed+%28zero+hedge+-+on+a+long+enough+timeline%2C+the+survival+rate+for+everyone+drops+to+zero%29

Who benefits when the Bernank prints? Do you think all that funny money trickles down to the working stiffs? Of course not. Let me simplify this. The banks and the bankers are broke. They are desperately trying to recapitalize their zombie banking system with bullshit and mirrors. It ain't working for anybody but Wall Street. They steal that funny money. The rest of you can eat cake. Here's your food stamp card, courtesy of JP Morgan.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Ron Paul Gets It

One of the big knocks on Ron Paul is his aversion to military spending. People, particularly the right, love to paint Paul as some anti-patriot. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Ron Paul knows that the FED and Central Bankers everywhere love war. They love to finance war. Wars satisfy their greed and fuel the debt driven money supply. Full scale engagements consume gobs of hardware, fuel, and they keep soldiers and suppliers employed. The military complex/budget is a banker buffet. In short, war is the perfect solution for bankers.War has gotten us out of depressions. It worked for Germany twice, it has worked for us.

The problem with war is that real people die. Soldiers are sold this patriotic bullshit about dying for their country. Yet you don't see many sons and daughters of the banking elite, nor the elite in general, sending their kids off to be patriots. In the end, I can't escape the awful truth that a segment of our society- and we all know which segment that is- gets sacrificed at the hands of bankers and our economy.

In this clip, you are going to hear Paul use the term "Military Keynes- ism." What he is saying is that military spending and war for the sake of fueling debt and the money supply is wrong. Killing people to support your economy is wrong. It's the first time I have heard that term. I think it is very appropriate.

For those of you who don't get this, and never will, feel free to go sign up with your nearest recruiter. The bankers and the government are always in search of patriots. It's good for business even if it ain't so good for you.

Community Solutions Czar? Jon Bon Jovi? WTF?

I am feeling sleep deprived. I started googling all of Obama's recess appointments and I found this.

WTF? http://scaredmonkeys.com/2010/12/15/obamas-latest-appointee-czar-jon-bon-jovi-america-really-is-living-on-a-prayer/

If you think that is nuts wait until you see Obama's new Personal Training and Fitness Czar. This guy has first dibs. http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/now_at_nine/white-house-flies-in-personal-trainer

We are fucking doomed. Buy silver.

Fuel Stamps, Don't Laugh!

Crappy and desperate Presidents generally cannot get re-elected after having wasted 4 years passing shitty legislation, ignoring the law, and taking vacations. So don't laugh when I tell you that if gas blasts by the 5 buck a gallon barrier...I would not rule out the possibility of fuel stamps. What better way to buy votes and funnel dough to JP Morgan?  (Yes, they make those food stamp cards but I can't figure out how much they make...)

In this alternate universe, I wouldn't put anything past these clowns. Or Bozo. Even Belfast considered a plan for "fuel poverty." http://minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/%28S%28fonuhh45rjfx3qa5qg1ag355%29%29/mgAi.aspx?ID=8656

Aw Shit, Now I've Got to Buy Some Platinum

It just never ends. Now a shortage in platinum and palladium. Buy now or get priced out. Only 1800 bucks an ounce. Thirty ounces of this gets you a brand new Cadillac. And you thought pot was expensive?

http://www.kitco.com/reports/KitcoNews20110301AS_lonmin.html

What is Wrong with Charlie Sheen?

I usually don't like to comment on TV and movies stars. I usually find them rather superficial. Yet, the other morning I paused and watched Charlie Sheen on a morning TV interview. He was in the middle of some hateful rant and claimed to be a "warlock." He was vowing some sort of waged battle against the people who had dumped him from his TV show- which I have never watched.

Tonight, the cops came to his house and grabbed his kids. More stuff from a former porn star girlfriend.

http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Charlie-Sheen-ex-to-current-girlfriend-goddesses:-Run---See-video/7989066

I feel sorry for Charlie Sheen. He is no monster. What I saw on TV for about a minute or so, I have seen and heard thousands of times. I saw a drug or alcohol addiction or both- with no spiritual solution. Just another bum on the wrong bus.

This level of unconsciousness is hard to fathom from people who have never been there. They simply cannot understand the disease. They cannot understand why a man- who seemingly has every gift that God ever bestowed upon a human being- is acting like this.

"Cut off your head, put it in a box, and send it to your mother?" Charlie- that's some seriously funny shit. Completely insane.

Let me tell you about the dark alley that beckons someone like Sheen. In his current state, Sheen is completely self absorbed and self centered. He will justify everything that he does. He believes that he is a victim and he wallows in self pity. He lashes out at every one as they abandon him. His perceived enemies may number in the hundreds. He is angry. He will justify and rationalize all of his behavior. In his current state, he probably has isolated himself from everyone except for the few intensely loyal friends that remain. He will permanently destroy some relationships and scar other ones. He will deny that he has any problem at all. Many will take Sheen's actions personally because they don't know his disease. Sheen's addictive mind will rationalize any conduct just so long as the drugs don't stop. Sheen is headed for rock bottom. Sheen is about to greet loneliness like no other. If he doesn't kill himself, he has a chance. I note that Sheen is 45.

All of us have those character defects. But for some reason, alcohol and drugs, works on us like Miracle Gro.

Sheen at the moment, is completely unconscious. Some folks call that insanity and I won't split hairs with them. Charlie has a living problem. He has no spiritual solution.

I know where Sheen is going and I note that I was about the same age. Unfortunately for Charlie, he has fame and money which will draw out and prolong his agony. Well until that's all gone, he does something really stupid, lands in jail, or dies. Guys like Sheen have an additional hurdle. They think they somehow they know everything and that somehow they are incredibly unique and different. Being a celebrity with a celebrity sized ego does not help. They can't even fathom a solution or a way out.

So when I heard Charlie's rant on the TV, it was something I have heard many times before and lived once myself. I am not making any assumptions here. I know what I listened to. You might say it struck a little too close to home. I've watched some of us live, some of us live in institutions, and some of us die. I don't know for the life of me how that lottery gets sorted out and how the winners get selected. I am not too concerned with that anymore. I just accept it.

So tonight I am going to say a prayer for Charlie Sheen. A simple prayer. I hope Charlie finds loneliness and desperation like no other. I hope that it does not kill him. I hope that he is not too stupid to seek out a solution that has saved the lives of millions. I hope that someone or something will make him understand- that he's just another bum on the wrong bus.

More Sage Advice From the Great Satan

I just had to clip this piece. Ok, now put your thinking caps on. We're talking about a guy with an M.I.T. degree here and perfect S.A.T. scores. Try to follow along dunderheads. Here goes:

But he acknowledged that if higher prices persist, inflation could become a serious risk. "Sustained rises in the prices of oil or other commodities would represent a threat both to economic growth and to overall price stability," he said.

This is why you should have stayed in school. So you can say intelligent shit like Bernanke does.


http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/01/news/economy/bernanke_senate_testimony/index.htm

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

All Zinc "In Ponz We Trust" Coin, Pure Gold From Banzai

I just had to steal this from WilliamBanzai7. The anti-christ, Hank Paulson. Excellent.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5488536443_6620073450_b.jpg

Get a Load of This, The Gal Who Sang the Cliff Notes Version of the National Anthem

This is the brainiac who sang the Super Bowl National Anthem. Somehow, shit always seems to make sense in the end.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/amplifier/88568/christina-aguilera-out-train-wrecks-britney-spears-by-getting-arrested/

Silver, Just BTFD or Just Buy, Government Completely Owned by Banking Elite

Well for those of you who haven't been watching, silver gained 30% in a month. Gold is hitting all time highs. And as usual, the idiots on CNBC and Chairsatan, just can't understand why. So much bullshit- so little time.

BTFD is a moniker for "buy the fucking dip."

Gold and silver have an inverse relationship to our worthless currency. The more Bernanke is forced to print and devalue the currency- the higher the demand price will go for gold and silver. Here is my big macro view as simply as I can state it.

Bernanke cannot stop printing. Once he does there will be a stock market implosion. Commodity prices will sink. Keep 25% of your powder dry. If QE is halted in June, hang onto your ass. The market will go into absolute free fall. As commodity prices head down, buy that dip. Until then, just average in. For me, I buy 30 ounces a month. I don't care what the price is.

Here then are the other fundamental reasons for buying gold and silver. I am not going to cite my references unless somebody asks and I will provide the links.

China and India are buying precious metals at an alarming rate. There is significant evidence to suggest that India is going to use silver to mint coins. Citizens of both countries use precious metals to hedge inflation losses. In fact, they are far more aware of this than the typical U.S. dolt. And there are 3 billion of them.

Silver has many industrial applications but my favorite is solar panels. If you need silver for it's vastly superior conductivity in solar panels- would you want to pay 35 or 75 for the metal?

Contrary to the thinking at the FOFOA blog, I think countries may use silver in addition to gold to back currencies. There is simply not enough gold to go around. Every once in awhile I see this mentioned somewhere but I really haven't been able to prove that. It makes sense though. It also makes sense that if a country or government were planning to do such a thing- that they would simply STFU and buy it rather than telegraph their intentions and inflate the price via speculators.

There are only three events which I think could cause significant gold and silver losses. I present them in their most likely chronological fashion. And since I've been making "lines" my whole life in sporting events, here then are my lines.

1. Sudden deflation. I give that scenario less than 5% or a one in twenty chance. Since 42% of the CPI are housing costs and housing is dragging the bottom- I see maybe another 20% downdraft at the absolute maximum (based on Case Schiller) in housing costs as more and more repos flood the market. Most of the deflation case has already been baked in.

2. A stock market implosion. I give this scenario a full 20% chance, or one in five chance, of occurring in the next 6 months. It may actually be starting as of last week. With the deranged and unprecedented "zeroes" printing by the FED- this is particularly bothersome. Because a number of other scenarios could take place simultaneously. Complete dollar devaluation, loss of industrial demand, a really gloomy scenario.This is the most likely negative scenario. I would be buying at the bottom.

3. The government declaring gold and silver possession is illegal. Forcing people to turn in their gold and silver in for worthless fiat or exchanging it for some new currency at a fixed price. More than likely, they would simply try to tax sales and make it unprofitable. I give this scenario another one in twenty chance or about 5%. Get your passports while they are only 151.00.

That leaves a 70%, or 7/10 chance of a continued rise in gold and silver prices. That is my FG line. We have entered a brave new world. A world where the President ignores the rule of law, where a desperate government and ruling banking cabal are not above trying any dirty trick to survive. Here are the new rules. If the banker owned government is trying to force some future compliance down your throat, like Obamacare, you must seriously consider doing the exact opposite. I am not saying that in the spirit of anarchy- I am saying that we have lost control and that we have a rogue government capable of anything at this point. The least of their concerns will be your individual wealth preservation needs- in fact there is no such thing as your money- they think it's all theirs. They just leave you with a few crumbs and call you free men.

Exclusive Picture of Ben Bernanke Just Before Giving His Testiphony Today

ChairSatan in the men's room.

Head Up Your Ass

Big Shocker, Ted Kennedy Rented a Whorehouse in Chile

I have always had an "intense dislike" for Kennedy. Anyone else would have went to prison for a 10 year stretch for manslaughter. (Mary Jo Kopechne) In fact, the Kennedys' actually paid off the grieving Kopechne family to the tune of about half a million or so.

Our two tiered criminal justice system surfaced in the '60's. Not surprised by this story at all. Not surprised either- that it was released after his death. RIP you POS.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/KennedyBrothel/2011/02/28/id/387765?s=al&promo_code=BC50-1

The FDA Has Approved Peter Schiff's Old Jockstraps For Use As Car Seat Covers

In the months leading up to the housing collapse, Peter Schiff appeared many times on CNBC. Time and time again he warned viewers of the imminent housing collapse and the banking collapse. For his efforts and his truth telling style, he was ridiculed by virtually everyone who interviewed him. That went on as I recall- for about two years. I viewed most of it. After the implosion, even Ben Stein apologized to Schiff.

Why do people ridicule Schiff? No man is able to see the truth when his entire livelihood depends on him not believing the truth. If you've got 7 minutes to tee up this video- please watch it. And remember Schiff was right last time- this video is eerily reminiscent of what he said in 2006 and 2007. Pay special attention to our female interviewer as she tries to pin Schiff down by asking him the precise time of the dollar collapse. Nobody could possibly know that, but it doesn't stop these harpies from using it to chip away at his credibility. No shortage of cheap shots from this crew. Who are you going to believe? I saddle up with big cojones...just as I did a few years back. Thanks to the Hard Right Edge for posting this.

We Own This Fucking Place

Well after three years of writing, seems some others are starting to catch on. I hope it won't take another three years for people to figure out they work for the FED. They own this fucking place and they own you. I consider President Obama's inaction no less criminal or culpable than that of the criminal banking cabal. Thanks to naked capitalism...

http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/02/guest-post-the-financial-industry-has-become-so-politically-powerful-that-it-is-able-to-inhibit-the-normal-process-of-justice-and-law-enforcement.html

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Entertain Me

I live in a world of entertainment. A world that wants to have a good time, to be entertained. A world where people think nothing of spending 1500 dollars on a college bowl game. Thousands on a super bowl game. Or watch actors get up on a stage and accept little trophies and make grateful speeches. None of them ever mentions the gobs of money they made. They never touch on that. Maybe they are not really so grateful after all.

I live in a world where people don't just need entertaining events and distractions- they rely on them. Television, computers, Ipods, cellphones, video games. A world where people go to the movies, go to concerts, go to the gym. We buy toys, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes to distract ourselves, to try new things we say. We live in a world where we worship entertainers. We worship singers, dancers, actors. We have fantasies with those actors, we make love to them. We covet them. We want to be like them. That is what matters to many of us. It entertains our busy minds.

I had an invitation to go to an Oscar party last night. Watching actors get up on stage and do what they do best- they act. We find that fascinating and entertaining. At the Oscar party, we look at beautiful people, wearing beautiful clothes, saying beautiful (and every once in awhile unbeautiful) things. I wonder how those beautiful people look in the morning. At the Oscar party there were drinks and food and a few people out in the parking lot grabbing a smoke of something. Talking on phones. All of those superficial distractions. Most if not all of them, meaningless. I should have went to mass. And then I thought... 

I wonder when they get up in the morning, naked and standing in front of the mirror, do the actor atheists ask, "Is this the most powerful thing in the universe?" Let's hope on that puny stage, they have the good sense to say "no."

That's how my crazy mind works. Caught up in the national obsession- this culture that never asks why. Why do we find it so necessary to be entertained with superfluous bullshit? It certainly does not vault us onto a new intellectual plane.

Maybe our lives are just boring. Perhaps we see them as meaningless. Maybe we yearn to be distracted, to judge others, to talk about it later. Maybe we are simply not comfortable with ourselves. Perhaps we have low self esteem or self worth. Maybe we just can't get comfortable in our skin. An entire culture based on some national obsession with the things that don't really matter. Like academy awards or football games. Cellphones, Ipods, and treadmills. I'll tell you something really odd. I own all three of those things. I cannot say those distractions have improved my life. In fact if anything, they have not. I have the luxury of being old enough to remember a time when I didn't have to be entertained. When I didn't value my life or self worth based on a few lost pounds. When once I was lost listening to an old German lady as a child, a lady who told me what a great man Adolf Hitler was. It wasn't entertaining, it was intellectually stimulating. I was mesmerized. Lost on how a little German girl could see the world so differently than I did at that moment. How simple my life was then. That sometimes, many times- I could actually remember not having to be entertained. How did I survive?

I couldn't help but think of all of these things tonight. Humble, grateful speeches by Oscar winning actors. Instantly judged by millions. He seems like a nice guy. Really? Was it all just an act? What do you really know about a man after he says a few words? Or does that even really matter? Why do we think we know anything about a person who manages to string a couple of sentences together. We fell for Obama. The truth is we don't and we are insane to think otherwise. But we do. For an instant I felt really stupid. Like some sort of herd animal watching a bunch of fluff. I too, am an idiot. Thinking I know something about some actor who acts for a living. Sitting there with a bunch of morons watching a TV.

I think I am going to pass on the big party next year. March is almost here. Soon they will be passing out those illegal brackets we fill out each year and gamble on. A few weeks of entertainment. I am due to cash in on one of those things. I can hardly wait.

Excellent Work

Publius Huldah is an excellent blog. Jim at Conservatives on Fire gave me the tip. This week's rendition is excellent.

The enumerated powers of Congress were constrained and limited. Congress had no authority to create the vast bureaucracies that they have. Bureaucracies- that are drowning us.

http://publiushuldah.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/why-the-balanced-budget-amendment-is-the-worst-idea-ever/

Let's Bring the Pain!

By this time next week, we will be viewing the watered down version of budget cuts. In a nutshell, much adieu about nothing.

Sorry Tea Party. You can't have a crusade with spineless crusaders. The Democrats amidst their "the economy will come to an end" drivel and bullshit- will ensure once again that Congress has no political might to take the extreme measures that are called for. They simply cannot do it. They are incapable of performing their jobs.

Here's the sad truth. Not only will Congress end up with some superficial rendition of budget cuts, but nobody in America will care. You cannot make people care until they feel some pain. Real pain. Obviously we are no where near that threshold yet.

The government does not shut down if they can't agree on a budget. Oh sure a few parks close but everything else continues and even the Park Rangers will get back pay. I've seen this before.

I am praying for the following things. Five dollar gas, doubling of food prices, a stock market implosion, higher unemployment, and bond yields rising to 6%. I think there is a real possibility of some of these things happening by summer. I pray that it does. There is simply no other way to get people involved in the political process. This country can have no re-birth until it dies. Until that happens, we will all just have to live with this drawn out version of a strangling economic death. We are 4 years into this mess and other than an artificially induced stock market- absolutely nothing has changed. People have to feel real pain and suffering- that is the only path out of here. There is no secondary road. Can we haz depression now?

Here's the latest tough talk. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7448010.html