Thanks a Billion

First, to my loyal readers (ahem), if I have any besides the couple that post, just click below and let me know you have been here. I promise to start writing more! Also, you can send the blog to anyone you think would appreciate a more red to purple column.

Which brings me to the idea that labels stink. What does a Republican mean? Well, if you look at George Bush we have a Republican who believes in BIG government, BIG debt and BIG health care reform (see the Medicare/Medicaid Act) and BIG nationalization of banks. I just don't know that party distinctions currently make much sense. Bush is looking very Blue to me these days.

When reruns of West Wing are so close to the last election that you could have predicted who would win--I really started thinking about this. In the last season there is a character, Arnie Vinick who is running as a fiscally conservative Republican against a minority candidate, Santos. Santos is Hispanic. The Republican Committee is trying to force Vinick to play to the "base" (i.e. the "religious right") by talking more about "values" and gay marriage etc. So what happens? He loses. Why? Because the moderates are not necessarily conservative on the "values" issues. They want to know that they will have money in the bank, they will be protected from tyrants and terrorists and they believe in democracy--which to them means freedom. This includes the freedom to make many choices in their lives.

So---by choosing Palin (and trust me I don't have anything against her) McCain played to the "base". They may have come out in stronger force to vote BUT he lost the moderates. Palin may not even have been so terrible for the moderates. She didn't push her religious views on her state and in interviews with the LA Times before her run, she said she believed in sex ed in schools etc. Seems more reasonable than portrayed, but I digress. What Republicans should stand for is freedom. Relatively free markets, freedom from tyranny and terrorism. Freedom of religion for all. (Happy Chrismahanawanza!)

So I did ask one of my commuter buddies if his brother, Aaron Sorkin, actually wrote Obama's acceptance speech. It just seemed so "West Wing" to me. The answer was no ....but he did help with parts of the speech to the Democratic Convention. I KNEW IT. How is it that those West Wing guys were predicting the future?

Last thought for the day before Thanksgiving, how do we give thanks? Well, as I was attempting to extract some cash from a machine at Citibank the screen actually said "Have a nice day and thanks a million!" Maybe that should have read "a billion" ....or maybe 25 billion.....or maybe 45 billion....or maybe....

Are we listening now?

Peter Schiff and Laffer discuss our economy a long time ago.

WATCH THIS!!!

Feels like Ground Hog Day

It feels a little like ground hog day doesn't it?
What happened to a vote for Obama is "new" change in Washington? Hate to say I told you so, but.....

Eric Holder, who likely will be the next Attorney General. Who is he? Why he is the same person who urged President Bill Clinton to pardon Mark Rich. This was one of the worst decisions of Clinton's career. He was the Deputy AG under Janet Reno and assisted with lots of great decisions by her. He was most recently the author of the Amicus brief for continuation of the hand gun ban in DC which the US Supreme Court luckily did not agree with. He has famously pronounced that the Second Amendment does allow individuals to have the right to have guns for their personal use. (To my friends who do not understand why this upsets me, maybe you will understand that someone who can invent something so ridiculous because it is patently untrue and completely historically inaccurate will also apply those kinds of theories to other parts of the Constitution.)
Oh, and he was also opposed to the US Patriot Act. Another brilliant move considering that we are very likely to be sitting ducks in the near future.

And Tom Daschle, famous in history for losing an election for his Senate seat even though he was the Senate minority leader....yes he was that bad. I am not sure what his credentials are for Health and Human Services Czar other than the fact that he has been a lobbyist for various drug companies and health care companies recently.

And Ram Emanuel. Well maybe his elbows will be sharp enough to manage to keep Pelosi and Reid from running everything, but I doubt it.

I just wonder, how it is that appointing all of Clinton's men is "change". He may even appoint a Clinton herself!!

Old Product, New Time

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a large community of people who made a technological gadget that persuaded forward motion so that a type of "engine" gave a certain amount of horse power and vehicles could move forward at a good pace. This community of workers included design elements, production, manufacturing and advertising as well as dealers who sold the goods. They were ahead of their time and they had a great product. There were people who made fortunes at the top of their field. Every household needed at least one and it seemed very recession proof.

There was an entire city of people devoted to this effort and other businesses grew up around it to support the workers and salesmen and manufacturing plants. After a while, new technology was developed and the community elected to continue making the products they always had, rather than turning everything upside down and embarking on newer methods that would only dilute their efforts.

As newer technology developed more and more workers were put out of business. The paternalistic community had always cared for its' workers. In fact, even when workers were not required, they were paid some money so that they would be available if ever needed again.

So what happened? Well, they made the wrong bet. There was an entire industry of people who made these products and the new technology overshadowed and overtook their business. Would you have invested in it to keep it alive? Should our government have given them money to keep their workers employed? Even though no one wanted their products?

Who were these people and what happened? Well there is a very small market for buggy whip manufacturers today. I am sure they never really believed that cars would completely replace horses and oxen. This had been the main source of transportation and power for agriculture for centuries. Is GM and its' business model really that different? What will ultimately happen if we sink 50 Billion into a dying business model? A Job Bank model where most of those paid are not working? Wouldn't some of them have left to find their fortune elsewhere?

The End of a Platinum Era

I definitely believe that we are at the end of a golden age, make that the Platinum Age. One where platinum began to replace gold and brown and robin's egg blue became the fashion instead of the preppy green and pink. There are a certain type of "elites" on Wall Street who believed the party would never end. And yet they voted for the end, by electing officials who will radically change our way of capitalist society. By electing the folks who did not utilize the regulations that were already in place. By the unsettling Paulson who swings the world this way and that, with only a "TARP" to try and cover things up. How about accountability? How about taking your lumps for a bad bet?
Anyhow, I really enjoyed the article I read by Michael Lewis and recommend it to you all. Here it is. He describes what happened, in layman's terms, in the securitization markets. He neglects to include the "bad actors" in our government. The thing that everyone must understand is the huge conflict of interest for the rating agencies. They had to rate the products of the banks who paid them. The same banks paying them to make sure insurance companies and pension funds could by them. I think that the statues Congress crafted insisted there would only be rated by Moody's, S & P and Fitch. A monopoly of sorts. Adding fuel to the fire were the Barney Frank's of the world who insisted mortgages be given to folks who couldn't pay them back--for political gain.

Anyway, enough ranting. And read. I will give you all my sources for my rant later. No time now. Still trying to figure out how on earth to make a living AND pay the 69% tax rate I will have as a small NYC business owner under Obama. Let's pray for him. He is all we have. And I personally hope he is the Messiah after all.

I can see

Why is it I feel like I am the only one with my glasses on right now? Why is it that it all seems so in focus to me and I just don't get why the rest of our country doesn't get it.

It is like very few people at the parade are willing to acknowledge that the emperor has no clothes.

A New Day in America

I got on the train today and my demo friends all were trying to be respectful. Their attempts not to "gloat" were funny really. This election was such an upset that it is an absolute clear mandate of what Americans want.

So, how can those of us in the minority face a new day in America? We can pray that Obama is wise and is safe. We can pray he will do what Bush did, and work to achieve the opposite of most of what he ran on. We can hope that the US can now get back to the business of doing business.

What can we do as individuals? That I haven't figured out yet. Try and make money and save as much as possible. Buy less because our taxes are most assuredly rising. Fight for capitalism. Avoid relying on a Republican Party that is so out of touch and so incapable of framing any debate that it takes Joe the Plumber to show them the way.