The Smoke Break

You want some brie with that whine?

Fly Boys

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I suppose if anyone would know the cost of replacing military aircraft, it would be Senator John McCain.  Having ended up with 5 of them damaged during his military service, it somehow – ironically – hysterically, even – makes sense that he would be the one to question the administration’s inclusion of an overrunning $11.2 billion to buy 28 Marine One helicopters in the military procurement budget.

All kidding aside, it’s a valid question.  Of course, there may be a reason for having 28 helicopters to cart around 1 president, but the military, like God, apparently works in mysterious ways.

And when you’re more popular than God, I suppose it’s only natural that it all becomes even more mysterious.

The Empire Strikes Back

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The world must truly be reaching those infamous “end times” when  Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s speech at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland is what we would have normally expected to come from the President of the United States (emphases, mine):

“Esteemed colleagues, one is sorely tempted to make simple and popular decisions in times of crisis. However, we could face far greater complications if we merely treat the symptoms of the disease.

Naturally, all national governments and business leaders must take resolute actions. Nevertheless, it is important to avoid making decisions, even in such force majeure circumstances, that we will regret in the future.

This is why I would first like to mention specific measures which should be avoided and which will not be implemented by Russia.

We must not revert to isolationism and unrestrained economic egotism. The leaders of the world’s largest economies agreed during the November 2008 G20 summit not to create barriers hindering global trade and capital flows. Russia shares these principles.

Although additional protectionism will prove inevitable during the crisis, all of us must display a sense of proportion.

Excessive intervention in economic activity and blind faith in the state’s omnipotence is another possible mistake.

True, the state’s increased role in times of crisis is a natural reaction to market setbacks.  Instead of streamlining market mechanisms, some are tempted to expand state economic intervention to the greatest possible extent.

The concentration of surplus assets in the hands of the state is a negative aspect of anti-crisis measures in virtually every nation.

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union made the state’s role absolute.  In the long run, this made the Soviet economy totally uncompetitive.  This lesson cost us dearly.  I am sure nobody wants to see it repeated.

Nor should we turn a blind eye to the fact that the spirit of free enterprise, including the principle of personal responsibility of businesspeople, investors and shareholders for their decisions, is being eroded in the last few months.  There is no reason to believe that we can achieve better results by shifting responsibility onto the state.

And one more point:  anti-crisis measures should not escalate into financial populism and a refusal to implement responsible macroeconomic policies.  The unjustified swelling of the budgetary deficit and the accumulation of public debts are just as destructive as adventurous stock-jobbing.”

Of course, buried elsewhere in the rest of this address are veiled threats to our juvenile “hope & change” administration.  Putin is no fool and knows full-well that Russia stands poised to take over global leadership should the little hothouse flower in the Orchid Office wilt even the slightest bit.  He also waltzed rather prettily through the fact that the U.N. is at best ineffective and at worst an instigator of global military and political instability – truths that the current administration would do well to heed.

I am a little suprised that this did not get more press coverage.  But coming only days after the inauguration, apparently too many people were still nursing their hangovers.

Sleeping With The Enemy

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In the real world, the sins of omission are equal to, if not greater, than the sins of commission.  Now we are watching the unfolding of a truly dangerous example:  the United States pretending to sleep through preparations for U.N.’s Durban II “anti-racism” conference in late April.  Please note for the record that since Durban I (2000), the United States (both Democrat and Republican administrations) has flat-out refused to participate  in this, rightly citing its openly anti-Israel agenda.

One of the best analyses of U.S. participation in the process was posted yesterday by Anne Bayefsky in Forbes.  In it, she details the administration’s deafening silence in the process of drafting critical declarations for Durban II.  That Obama even sent our administration to the table is an affront to human rights.  That our representatives sat there in utter silence and allowed Palestine to include previously-dismissed wording directed at Israel, as well as remain silent when Iran objected to wording that would condemn those who would deny the Holocaust ever happened is unconscionable.  Even when prompted for a response to Iran’s objections by the chair, not one of them uttered a single word. 

Mark these words:  Obama and his new administration of “change” intends to allow the United Nations to throw Israel under the proverbial bus.  With Iran preparing to finally produce  nuclear weapons, and without the support of their ally, the United States, Israel will not hesitate to launch a strike, perhaps even pre-emptive.

Thereby doing Obama’s dirty work for him.

Those of you who voted for this administration and “change” didn’t expect that change to come in the form of WWIII, now, did you?

MSM Blasphemy

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This past Friday (2/20/09), ABC’s Terry Moran went on the record about White House reporting with mediabistro.com during their Morning Media Menu podcast.  In an affront to every drop of blood ever shed in the creation and in the defense of this fair Republic, he actually had the cajones (or the lack of simple intelligence) to make the following statement:

“In some ways Barack Obama is the first president since George Washington to be taking a step down into the oval office.  From visionary leader of a giant movement, now he’s got an executive position that he has to perform in, in a way, and I think the coverage reflects that,” he said.

Old George may not have been perfect; indeed, none of the Founding Fathers of this country would dare lay such claim, but they were far more visionary than Barack Hussein Obama could ever possibly dream of being.  And I’m quite sure they kissed the mirror a whole lot less.  The President’s not-so-secret wish to turn the Republic of the United States of America into a socialist state, or worse, a fascist regime, likely finds those wise old souls spinning in their graves at 50,000 rpms.  Their intention was never that one man – one man who has never held a real job in his entire life – would presume to tell the people of this country how they should live.

Yet such is the mantra of Barack Hussein Obama.  You became wealthy by working hard and fairly to deliver a quality product or service?  No, no; bad business owner!  You must share the gains of your sweat with those who don’t have enough sense to come in out of the rain.  To those senseless and therefore rather damp types, he’s taking on the role of the father they never had; promising them a bright future as long as they heed his always-knows-better Ivy League advice.

In a word, it’s bullshit.  Certainly Terry Moran is entitled to his opinion, however, those in the public eye and therefore in a position of influence really ought to be very, very careful just how they wield it.  Barack Hussein Obama is no Abraham Lincoln, and he’s no George Washington, either.  Having no real and tangible achievements on his resume, he then only aspires to greatness and, if we must be so bold as to write it out loud, is less honestly qualified to be president than it is that he merely put himself in the right place at the right time.  When he won the presidential election, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but his lack of qualifications are evidenced by the unending revolving door of lying, cheating cabinet candidates, by the fact that he did not read the $787 billion stimulus bill, by the fact that there was no promised transparency with that bill, either; and that after a mere 3 weeks in office – despite his gloom and doom admonitions about the grave situation with the American economy and the urgency of the “fix” of that stimulus bill – instead of focusing on critical matters, like, say, actually reading the bill, he simply had to jet away from the overheated Orchid office on the American taxpayers’ dime to wine and dine his wife back home in Chicago in order to gird his loins for the oh-so-stress-filled, Herculean task of signing that pork-laden monstrosity into law.

Call me a conservative.  Call me tough.  Call me anything but late for that Wagu-beef dinner, but by no stretch of the imagination is that the definition of a leader, let alone a GREAT leader.  It’s the definition of a sub-par employee who needs to be put on a performance improvement plan and someone else put in charge of the Kool-Aid.

A Nut By Any Other Name

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Remember that video about the woman Acorn helped break (back) into her house?  Did you watch it, all the while thinking, “Poor baby?”

Time for a re-think.

Here is an excerpt of the story from the good Acorn folks:

“Donna used bolt cutters to break the lock to the door and re-enter the home. Unfortunately, in the six short months since the home was seized, it has been extensively damaged, essentially partially gutted. The toilets are missing, and the upstairs ceiling is badly damaged. The greatest tragedy here is that Donna worked for months with ACORN sister organization ACORN Housing Corporation to try to get the bank to modify the loan so it could be affordable, but they refused, taking the home and now allowing it to be a haven for squatters and a target of looters.

“In Houston, where one in three homes sold in January was a foreclosure and foreclosure sales accounted for 34 percent of all homes sold – a 9-percent jump from the same time last year, Sara Chavez announced her refusal to leave here home. “My mother and I don’t leave,” she said. A mother of three who cares for her sick mother, she has owned her house since 2004, but has seen her mortgage payment double from $1,000 to $2,000. She joined with ACORN Home Defenders to declare her neighborhoods a “Foreclosure Free Zone”. And the Home Defenders backed her up.  ACORN member Pennie Saldivar said, “We want to fix this problem.  We are willing to go to any means necessary”.

What isn’t mentioned is that Donna Hanks is leader in Baltimore ACORN.  Are you starting to smell anything yet?

No?

Well, here is a comment about this story.  As Paul Harvey likes to say, it is “the rest of the story”.  Read it and weep.

“Thought you might be interested in some REAL information related to this foreclosure; Donna Hanks initially purchased her home (315 South Ellwood, Baltimore, MD 21224) on 7/06/2001 for $87,000.  At some date between 2001 and 2006 she re-financed the original mortgage for the amount of $270,000 with a mortgage payment of $1,662.00.  The FIRST foreclosure on this home was filed 5/31/2006.  Donna Hanks filed for bankruptcy 6/16/06 during which a payment plan was approved for the $10,500 she was behind in her payments.  This action stopped the original foreclosure.  When she did not meet the terms of the bankruptcy re-payment, a second foreclosure action was started in January 2008.  At the time she had not made her mortgage payments since September 2007.  It should be noted that her salary per the bankruptcy paperwork was $1625 per month and she was working a 2nd and 3rd job (supposedly giving her an additional $1,275 in monthly income – the employers were not listed).  Over extended?

“Also, during 2007 she was renting our her basement illegally (she was taken to court) and receiving rent while she was not making her mortgage payments.  The mortgage company “raised” her payment $300 a month – right?  Well, not exactly; it was $340.  The amount that she had agreed to pay back in arrears.  Not exactly truthful, but what I would expect from a person with her criminal record (theft and assault 2nd degree and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure).  Oh and there is the small matter of breaking and entering.  The house at 315 South Ellwood had already been sold at auction on 6/26/08 for $192,000.  It just took them until September 2008 to get her out . Nothing like public information – it seems Acorn could have found this same information before they helped this “poor” victimized woman.”

When questioned about the source of this information, the poster of the comment admitted to simply purusing public records* and included another comment:

” Hanks, who works in hotel catering, refinanced the house several times since buying it to pay for renovations. She also had to pay medical bills, because she is uninsured. The last time around, in 2005, she responded to a flyer in the mail, and got a loan of nearly 250-thousand dollars. Wells Fargo, she says, subsequently bought the loan.  (story quote)

“This woman just can’t keep her stories straight. In another interview she said she was a union worker, you ever hear of a union worker without health insurance?  She did have medical bills to pay – however she didn’t pay them according to public records.  Also, the loan was for $270,000 which closed in 2005 (if we can believe that part of her story) and by May 2006 she was already $10,500 behind in her payments.  She must have went on one heck of spending spree to blow through the almost $200,000 she netted from the re-fi.”

If ACORN intends to defend this kind of stupidity, this country needs to be defended from ACORN because it’s quite clear, at least to me, why they are named after a tree nut.

UPDATE 2/23/09:  If you are too lazy to go research the documents referenced here, blogger Michelle Malkin has posted them.

 

 

* -Property records can be found here:  http://sdatcert3.resiusa.org/rp_rewrite/ (search by address)
Maryland court records can be found here:  http://casesearch.courts.state.md.us/inquiry/inquiry-index.jsp
Maryland bankruptcy records are available on Pacer:  https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl (requires registration and they charge about $0.08 per page)

Saturday’s BBQ

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Attorney General Eric Holder called Americans “cowards” this week when it comes to race, pointing out that while workplaces and even cities are integrated, most Americans spend their free time segregated inside what he called “race-protected cocoons.”   He thinks that not talking about race means there’s a problem.

I have a little newsflash for him.

Frankly, I’ve always been color-blind (as have been most of my generation) and in my time have happily cavorted with anyone of any ethnicity within my sphere of dealings (and they are admittedly often quite broad) whose personal values match or complement my own.  Unfortunately, remarks like these tell me there are still some black Americans who are still trying too hard to “integrate”, who continue to see a country made up of blacks and whites instead of a collective of fellow Americans; who are more content to waste their time – and my time – drawing lines rather than simply being their best selves and pursuing our Constitutionally-protected right to chase after their own happiness.  For heaven’s sake, the law is on the side of equality for all so why continue to make an issue of it?  They sound like spoiled brats and reinforce the stereotype of the “entitlement mentality”.

Did it ever occur to anyone that constantly being reminded of something that doesn’t exist is the surest way to make it real?  You know, like those politicians…errr, those people who actually believe the lies they tell others.  I don’t need someone telling me to be nice to anyone, regardless their race or gender or any other thing that makes them appear on the surface to be different than me.   But, as an example, I have nothing in common with what I’ll call the hip-hop mentality, so no, I am not going to invite someone who lives that lifestyle over for dinner just because they happen to have black skin and it’s someone else’s idea of the “right thing to do”.  Yet if I’m in a situation where I have to deal with a hip-hopper on a regular basis, and in getting to know one another we find other things in common, then maybe I would invite them over for that Saturday afternoon barbeque.  And I’d expect a similar invitation from them.  (Maybe, because who can afford to put anything on the grill these days if that grill isn’t on the White House lawn?)

The bottom line is that opening my home to others is my choice, based on an individual-by-individual assessment.  And that does not make me a coward, Mr. Thinks-We-Must-Still-Be-Beholden.  That makes me a normal human being living in a culturally-diverse society.  That makes me a normal American who gives everyone a chance and doesn’t want to spend my own, personal time with someone whose values are in conflict with my own.

I’ll tell you something, though.  You, and those who continue to create a problem where none exists, are most definitely NOT on my Saturday afternoon barbeque invitation list.

Exactly Where Was That Manger?

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An interesting little story hit the Chicago Tribune as the hands of the clock crossed the threshold marking today.  A legal case started in New Jersey is now headed for consideration by the Supreme Court.  The matter in question?  President Obama’s citizenship.

Whether or not President Obama is legally entitled to hold office has been hotly contested by various observers from the start of the 2008 election campaigns and I can’t help but wonder why in the world something so simple hasn’t yet been put to bed.  All it takes is a request accompanied by a few dollars and you can get a brand-spankin’ new certified copy of your birth certificate from any hospital or local governmental organization charged with keeping it.

That such a simple piece of evidence has not been forthcoming is certainly interesting.  Oh, sure, the Obama campaign provided an image of what they claim is a birth certificate, however, the debate rages on about validity; some claiming outright it’s a fake.  Even I have to ask:  why scan a legal document when you know full well an embossed seal won’t show up?  Why would you not photograph it instead? 

Is it possible that Barack Hussein Obama is not qualified to be President of the United States?  Right now I say “sure”.  Not only due to the “mysteries” surrounding his birth certificate, but also in part due to the reluctance to settle the matter once and for all.  Combined with his 2 autobiographies and continuing penchant for campaigning instead of leading, it could be construed that the man does, in fact, have something to hide after all.  He keeps himself in your face, relentlessly talking but…no action.  A technique that smacks of the smoke and mirrors used by liars in order to further their secret agendas.

Of course, for someone egotistical enough to write 2 autobiographies by the age of 46, it could be as simple an answer as that of any attention, even negative attention, is better than no attention at all.  Not to mention the fact that it diverts the attention of the more simple-minded away from other, important things like Congressional pork fests.

Either way, I find it a stupid and dangerous game.

Monkey-See, Monkey Doo-Doo

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Let’s see now.  A captive chimpanzee goes on a rage and critically injures someone.  It is fatally wounded by police.

Someone with both a sense of humor and a sense of outrage over the wreaking stench of pork emanating from our nation’s capital decides to draw a cartoon that uses dark humor to make their point:

Sean Delonas/New York Post

Sean Delonas/New York Post

Do I have to spell it out for you?  The point here is that what comes out of Congress is no better than what would come out of a monkey assigned the same task.  And because that one monkey is now dead, we have to find another one to take its place.

Like most average Americans, it never occurred to me to see it as a slam against either blacks or against our half-black President.  As for it being seen as a call to assassinate our half-black President, well, frankly, a nutcase who wants to take him out will do so whether or not someone draws a political cartoon.  (Note this was said by someone who is named “Jealous”.  No joke.)

I find it very telling that those who most wish the world to be so similarly color-blind as me (and probably you, too) are now jumping up and down and screaming in outrage as they grab their crayons and connect the previously invisible dots so that the rest of us are forced to consider whether chimpanzees somehow equate to black people.  Those who most wish there were no lines between races are using a political cartoon to draw a big, fat one right down the middle of our lives.

The NAACP is now calling for a boycott of the NY Post and the firing of its editor and the cartoonist.

How do you spell “stupid”?  If you’re going to force me to consider the intelligence level of a chimpanzee versus a black person using this situation of creating divisiveness as the measure, well, I’m afraid the chimpanzee is going to come out on top.  Because there is no expectation that a chimpanzee has the cognitive skills to understand more than what it sees on the surface of something.

Like mama used to say, when you point your finger, there are three other fingers pointing right back at you.

Oh, God

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It must be another slow news day.  Foxnews.com is reporting on the shocking upset in which a January 2009 Harris poll found President Obama topping a list of people that Americans admire enough to call a hero, thereby knocking the previous winner, another smooth-talking political agitator, Jesus, into second place.

Of course, Harris asked only 2,634 people.  Online.  People who who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys.  Using the Magic 8 ball sleight-of-hand called statistics to accommodate various situations, their responses are then extrapolated to purportedly reflect the views of the general population.

The multiple-choice reasons from which the 2,634 people selected to justify their choices for their hero included:

  • “Doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences” (89%)
  • “Not giving up until the goal is accomplished” (83%)
  • “Doing more than what other people expect of them” (82 percent)

Also reportedly popular were such reasons as “Overcoming adversity” and “Staying level-headed in a crisis.”

I find it interesting that God, not included at all in the top 1% mentioned in the 2000 survey, came in #11.  You could see this as a sign that the country is losing its faith, but I think the current state of the country is a reflection of its decided lack of faith in something greater, and merely evidenced when someone like the perennial campaigner, President Obama, is more admired than the likes of God or Jesus.  On the flip-side, though, it could be said that God getting into the top 1% mentioned this time is a sign that some people are starting to look a little farther than their television screens or computer monitors for some modicum of an example of morals and ethics. 

Surely that’s more hopeful for the future of this country than calling someone a hero when he’s never held a real job in his life yet has written 2 autobiographies by the age of 46.  At least Jesus left the biographies up to his followers.  And after his work was finished.

About That Big Bad Wolf

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Before we go into anything in depth, I want you to take a look at your own paycheck.  For illustration, I’ll do one:

Gross (what you earn):               $1,000.00
Net (what’s left after taxes):      $    650.00

Still looks pretty good; especially if you add a bunch of zeros on the end.

But wait, you aren’t done yet.  You have to pay for utilities, a baby sitter, couple of loans, cars, etc.

So, when all is said and done, let’s say you have $100.00 left. With that you need to fix the roof, buy food, buy gas for your car, and maybe put some in the bank for a rainy day. That $100.00 is known as your profit margin, and in our little example here, that is 10% of your gross pay.

Now let’s take a look at the Big & Evil that we, the little people, always have to have, according to the government.  These are those Someones keeping us down; you can pick your favorite whipping-boy here.

Big Bad Insurance Companies – car, home and health. Am I giving these guys a pass? Not at all; but what you don’t know is when various politicians  throw out those huge numbers, 99.9% of the time those huge numbers are the GROSS.  That said, most of the time insurance companies have some pretty dandy net profits, too; at least until something bad happens. For example, a hurricane hits Florida; the coast is usually the hardest hit, it usually has the most expensive homes, cars, etc. and Big Buck$ go rolling out so those folks can rebuild their houses.  In the exact same spot.  And YOUR insurance rates go up.  But just let an insurance company try to place some restrictions on what they will and won’t insure.  The law suits fire up and the politicians start yelling to the roof tops about how “big insurance is screwing the little guy”.

Big Bad Oil – especially Exxon!  Heck, Exxon rules the world, doesn’t it? It sets those hideously high oil prices to rape the “little people” because  Exxon rules! Well, except when it doesn’t. Exxon is number 16 on the list for size and oil reserves; BP and Chevron are lower than that. Oil prices are set on the world market by investors and it is “usually” based on supply and demand. Except for that last big run that no one has quite been able to explain yet; however, Exxon is not allowed to play the market and, believe me, if it ever did THAT would be major news.  In contrast, there are no such rules for OPEC or other “state run” oil companies who are all much larger than Exxon and whose  countries are absolutely dependent on oil for revenue. 

Oh, here’s a little tidbit.  Exxon’s PROFIT MARGIN is 8-10%; please see paycheck above.  To put this in perspective for you, electronics, clothing retailers and others operate at a 15-25% profit margin.

Tidbit #2:  when they talk about the USA consuming 24% of the world’s energy, what they don’t tell you is  that “per capa” use means individual energy consumption compared to other industrialized countries with about the same wealth, but smaller populations. Guess what?  Our “per capa” usage is just about the same.

Let’s look at Big Bad Pharma, too (pharmaceutical companies).  It costs millions of dollars, sometimes billions, to bring just one new drug to market.  First is the Research and Development phase, then come the safety trials, then all the jumping through hoops with the FDA, and last, but not least, of course and inevitably, the law suits.  I am actually amazed that any new drugs are even developed in this day and age.  I can just about bet that if all this regulatory, law suit crap was going on way back when that penicillin would have never made it out of the gate.  Ever think about that?

Bottom line here:  are all the above companies perfect?  Heck, no; they are run by humans and, this may be another real shocker to you, they are run for PROFIT. Yep, a profit! And better yet, the more profit they make the more folks they hire; you know, those “‘little people”.  And some of those companies actually have profit sharing plans.

Wow!

Yet in this day and age it seems that many folks think businesses are here to provide jobs.  Wrong.  People start business in order to make money. They take the risk, put their own money at risk, and if they are very,very lucky it works.  Most don’t, but jobs for the “little people” is just a nice benefit if it does work. They do not owe you a job, and to be perfectly honest they don’t owe you any of their profits, either.  Hint:  the day companies are ordered to share the majority of their profits with their workers they will leave and there isn’t a law that can be made that can stop them. Call them greedy if you will, but how greedy are you?

One other thing about the big, bad and uglies noted above is that they employ loads of folks that buy stuff; “little people” that buy cars, houses etc.  All those things that help this economy churn along. Big corporations, big business, or Evil Greedy Folks when they make money, they spend money and put money into the economic engine.  Call it trickle down if you want but has money ever trickled up?  It is much much harder to start a successful business now, thanks to government regulations, but hey, if you want business profits then go get yourself some stones, hock or mortgage everything you own, and give it a go; that’s how those big, bad, ugly guys got started so have at it.

Evil investors and evil stock market players?  Well, hello…if you have a IRA, 401k, or just about any type of retirement or employer stock option plan YOU ARE AN INVESTOR and whoever handles your IRA, 401k, etc. is an EVIL stock market person.  And  you know what is going on right now?  Me, you, and other small investors are bailing out; WE are actually driving the stock market.  Hey, I’m right there with you…trust me.  The problem is that stocks are vital to companies both large and small because it is part of their operating capital.  They use that money to expand and (drumroll, please) they use it to BUY STUFF.  When they make a profit it means they pay out more in capital gains and dividends.  Are you still with me here?  If they raise the tax on capital gains and the dividends tax then YOU and ME will pay more.  I know the politicians like to frame it as only the rich will take the hits, but that just isn’t true.  It’s US.  And if you take the time to look deep into your mutual funds you will probably find utilities, insurance companies, and pharmaceuticals whose capital gains and dividends fatten your retirement.  Even you state, local, and federal employees will find that much of your retirement is invested in corporate bonds.

Now, back to where I was.  WE – the small investors – are  leaving equities in droves because we’re spooked; we have very right to be but at the same time we are hurting ourselves.  No, I’m not jumping back in yet, but I must be honest with myself, too. And in that being honest I also have to admit that Main Street won’t get fixed ’til Wall Street is fixed but right now no one is doing anything to calm our jitters.  All we are hearing is about the greed on Wall Street, evil CEOs; yes, some CEOs are absolute pukes, but for every bad CEO there are hundreds of good guys, hundreds of  good mutual fund managers, bankers, and real estate speculators (anyone in your family ever buy a rental property?)  There are loads of very good, honest folks that are getting painted with the same brush. You hear volumes about Maddof but did you know that not one dime of the money he swiped ever hit the stock market? Did you know that even if it had, and combine that with the outfit that just got popped this week, that all that money would not amount to .001 (1 decimal point of 1 decimal point) of the money that has left that market?

In this day and age it seems we need a Big Evil “Something” to blame everything on and, frankly, it’s working.  Buying into the political blame game spin is just a way to keep us from looking harder at the people who are now running the show in Washington.  Tell me – exactly how does someone who gets elected to Congress on a salary of $169K a year end up as a millionaire, anyway?  Many do but most folks don’t seem to notice.

So what is the point of this rant? I hope that anyone that reads this thinks about it for a while.  We’re being told that we, the “little people” are getting screwed or lead down the thorny primrose path and it is Evil Corporations or Evil CEOs that are doing it. But the reality is that it is the folks in D.C. that way too often, on our dime, become millionaires and, I don’t know about you, but I’m not seeing one penny of profit sharing.

Oh yeah, that $13.00 a week.  I forgot.  And you single folks get $7.95.  Don’t spend it all in one place.