Looking For Handouts, While Throwing Punches

First Wall Street told us the sky would fall if they failed. Financial CEO’s with they big dollar salaries and perks galore told the federal government if they didn’t give them money, the entire economy would collapse. Going against public opinion, the government decided to hand out billions of dollars of taxpayer money to prop up Wall Street. We now find ourselves on the other side of the bailout, and not much has changed. Expect for companies like AIG who could afford their all expense paid business trips, Wall Street continues to grind along.

Not only did the sky not fall, but Black Friday sales were up this year!

Now it’s the automakers turn to strong arm the nation. Their first trip to Washington did not go well. They were sent packing as nothing more than greedy CEO’s looking for a handout. As one leader said, “They arrived on Capital Hill in their private jets with a tin cup in their hand.” Not only did Capital Hill not buy it, but the nation has not bought the song and dance either. A recent CNN poll reveals that once again the majority of the people in the nation are against any kind of bailout. Of course the automakers are quick to say it’s not a bailout. They say they’re looking for a loan. But, if one were to check their credit report, I would say it doesn’t look good and therefore their credit rating number is rather low.

Of course we know what that means, if you have a low score, you don’t get a loan.

Read on …

You’ve Got Mail!

Day Two In A President-Elect Obama World

Yesterday my prescription for the nation was Everyone Take A Deep Breathe. As part of the prescription, I encouraged people to breath in and breath out deeply. Nice cleansing type breathes which would help not only to clear the air, but also clear your head. As we find ourselves in day two of a President-Elect Obama world, the sun once again set last night, and rose again this morning. All remains well in the universe. Well, at least it remains well in our universe. If you’re President-Elect Obama you woke up this morning to the news that Japan is mad at you. That’s right folks, in day two of his now forming administration, it’s being reported that Japan is upset with the new President-Elect already.

News reports out today say the Japanese Olympic Committee is worried Tokyo may lose its bid for the 2016 Olympic Games to Chicago.

I received a number of emails on yesterdays post asking “What’s next?” Probably one of the best comments came from Ken Davis who wrote;

Now that I have taken a breath, I will speak. Before last night I was armed with a vote with which I could fight for what I felt was right. I wasn’t swallowing the conspiracy stuff. But I was seriously concerned about Obama’s stand on many of the issues. I used up my ammo last night. Today, what do I use to fight for what I believe to be right ? I feel a little flat footed and vulnerable. My gun is empty!

Opps, I need more oxygen!!!!

Do I just sit back and pray? Do I retreat from the political fray to live out my faith in a smaller more personal world? Or do I search for five small stones in a creek bed and continue to do battle?

Not bitter, not defeated, just a little out of breath and confused as to where to go from here.

Ken Davis @ LightenUp
(On November 5th, 2008 at 8:56 pm)

Well Ken, I’m glad you asked that question, and thanks for commenting on the post! In response to you, and others who asked similar questions, I hope this Open Letter To The Conservative Movement will help.

Read on …

As the financial crisis continues in the United States, the latest headline which should catch every taxpayers attention goes like this…

Federal Government Gives AIG More Money!

When will this madness stop? The very government that’s supposed to bring a sense of order to the nation, is doing nothing more than cause panic at every corner. Government leaders have mismanaged our money for years, and now not only are they mismanaging our money, but they’re also empowering the sickness of the rich CEO’s on Wall Street. For whatever reason the federal government has decided the best way to deal with every situation is to throw more money at the problem. But, in this case, they’re throwing money at money institutions that have not handled money well in the first place.

Could it be the politicians are simply buying votes in this election season?

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An old parable tells us that the wise man who builds his house on a rock foundation, will hold fast and hold tight when the storms of life come. However, the foolish man who builds on sand will see the house swept away when the storms come. Why? Because the foundation of sand is easily washed away and crumbles when stormy weather hits.

Could it be Wall Street’s foundation of sand is crumbling?

For some reason the government thinks the answer to the financial woes of the nation is simply to fire up the money-making-printing-machine. But, have they not figured out that every time they do that, the value of the dollar falls and the whole money market becomes less stable? It’s a slippery slope and maybe all of this is showing the true, and weak foundation, that Wall Street was built on.

Now we find ourselves on a very slippery slope as panic and fear continues to run rampant in the area of finances.

Now I must admit I am not an economist. Nor do I have any kind of degree in economy. However, maybe it’s time to use simple common sense here and stop listening to all the so-called expert economists who are giving advice to government leadership. It’s become more and more obvious that the economists are more concerned about protecting their big fat pocket books, instead of helping those who are living paycheck to paycheck.

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It’s another new day and of course many are wondering what the markets will do at the sound of the bell today.

The fear-mongering in the financial markets continue, along with politicians working the fear angle as well. If we believe what we’re being told, life as we know it will soon collapse. All will be lost unless we bail out the rich on Wall Street. By the way, the same rich on Wall Street are the ones who line the pockets of many of our politicians. As a matter of fact, and really there’s no surprise on this one, the votes for and against the first round of voting are very interesting.

Those who voted against the bailout have not received money from the rich Wall Street executives during campaign time. However, those who voted for the bailout, all received substantial dollars from the Wall Street execs.

This proves once again that many in Washington do not care about the people they represent. Instead, they’re worried about their bank accounts come election time. As I wrote yesterday in a post entitled Holy Market Meltdown Batman, it’s time for the nation to receive an enema on many levels.

So, what will happen on Wall Street today? We’ll have to wait and see. But, maybe an even better question is…

What will happen when politicians vote on the bail out again later this week?

Read on …

It’s time for the Raging Right and the Looney Left To Take A Chill Pill

We find ourselves in the midst of, as Robin might say, a market meltdown. Can the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder save us?

Is anyone else getting tired of all the fear-mongering going on these days? Every time we turn around we’re hearing bad news about the financial situation of not only the United States, but even the world money market. Personally, when I hear a headline declaring — We lost One Trillion Dollars In One Day — I have to laugh. We did not lose one trillion dollars. It’s all a paper shuffle. Reality is, that money doesn’t exist. The rich on Wall Street say it exists, but it’s really nothing more than a paper shuffle.

It’s time to stop the fear-mongering and take a deep breath. Then, as we all step back from the white-noise on the airwaves about what’s going on, maybe we’ll realize it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’m not saying we need to live in some kind of a fantasy world ignoring the fact that financial times are tight. But, I am saying we need to refocus on what’s really going on here and realize the government’s idea of simply printing more money, will not fix the problem.

In the words of Jack Nicholson’s Joker from the 1989 Batman movie…

joker-this-town-needs-an-enema

(It’s a sound file…make sure you click on it!)

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Only in America!

Once again the government has stepped in to bail out the rich. Last week they bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after investors refused to step up to the plate and help the companies. I addressed that in a post entitled The Government Owns Your House. Now, in the latest financial news, the government has stepped in to bail out an insurance company. That’s right folks! Once again the government is spending your money to bail out the rich simply because the rich refuse to lose any of their ill-gotten gain dollars. So, not only does the government own your house, but now the government also owns 80 percent of the company that insures that house! Of course as a spin out of the insurance company, the government also has a stake in your car, your motor home, and whatever else you might have insured through AIG.

When will this madness stop?

Read on …

Frank Burns in the long running TV series M*A*S*H was always on the lookout for the threat of the communist red menace. Of course Frank saw red under every tent flap. He was always on the lookout, defending the United States of American against the red menace in Korea. I remember one show where a very tired Hawkeye asked Frank what the Communists wanted. Frank’s response went something like this. “They want everything we have. They even want our toilets.” Hawkeye then takes it upon himself to send them the Officers bathroom.

While we all laugh at the wonderful antics of the M*A*S*H cast in endless reruns, I do have a question - Why are we all sleeping while socialism, which is the basis of communism, quietly creeps into the fabric of the United States?

No, I’m not a conspiracy theorists finding threats under every tent flap. However, when you look at what some political leaders want to do with their control in our lives, it’s nothing more than communism. Let me point out I’m not talking about listening for terrorist phone calls. No, I’m talking about things like socializing health care and having the government pay for our everyday needs.

And now, as announced over the weekend, the government now owns your house. How in the world did this one slip under the radar? How in the world can we believe the pundits telling us this is for our own good? Hello…is there anyone listening to what’s really going on here?

If you flew by the above sentence, let me state it again — If you are a homeowner, the government may very well own your house today!

Read on …

The Democrats want us to think they’re looking out for us when it comes to gas prices, but their actions certainly tell a different story. It’s been said that actions always speak louder than words. In this case, their actions are speaking loud and clear. The Democrats, whether it’s at the State level or the Federal level, really don’t care that we’re being gouged at the gas pumps.

In New York State, the state with the highest gas taxes of any state, the Democrats consistently vote down any kind of tax break on gas. Time and time again whenever it comes to either the Senate floor or the Assembly floor, New Yorkers can thank the Democrats for the high gas taxes because they vote down any measure to lessen the tax choke hold.

On the Federal level, once again we can thank the Democrats for consistently voting down a decrease in gas taxes. They also vote down any kind of expansion when it comes to drilling in the United States. Once again, we discover the Democrats really don’t care about the high gas prices. Now, in an even more interesting turn of events, we can thank the Democrats for telling Iraq to slow down on western oil contracts. That’s right folks, the very party that likes to scream the War on Terror is really a War About Oil has told the Iraqi government they need to slow down on oil production. The screaming left, that love to say President Bush lied and people died for oil instead of terror, are throwing up roadblocks which would increase oil production in Iraq. Of course an increase of oil production, would bring gas prices down simply because there would be more oil on the market. But no, the very politicians who love to scream that it’s all about oil, are telling Iraq not to supply oil.

Iraq wants to award no-bid deals to Western oil companies to help improve and increase oil production. But, the Democrats want nothing to do with that. At a recent news conference, Democratic Senators Charles Schumer, John Kerry and Clair McCaskill are all telling Iraq to slow down. Don’t do it! A few weeks ago it was announced that U.S. workers were planning to go into Iraq and help Iraq revamp the old oil production facilities, which would of course increase the oil supply. Updated facilities means more oil production. It’s simple economics folks, as supply goes up, price goes down. But no, thanks to the above mentioned Democratic Senators, that may not happen. These Democrats who say they’re looking out for us at the gas pumps even went as far as to call on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to intervene in Iraqi oil. However, once again we discover some Democrats have no clue when it comes to the constitution as a State Department spokesman said the U.S. is not at liberty to interfere in matters of the Iraqis arranging contracts with outside sources.

So, the next time you hear that the price for a barrel of oil has hit yet another record high, you can thank the likes of Schumer, Kerry and McCaskill. The next time you hear that gas prices have hit yet another record high, you can say thanks to those Democratic leaders. The next time you have to decide whether you’ll buy a gallon of gas, or a gallon of milk, you can send a great big thank you note to Schumer, Kerry and McCaskill. While you’re at it, maybe you can ask them for a few extra bucks so you can buy both a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk.

Hey even better, the next time you head to the voting booth to pull that lever electing a Senator to office, maybe you should think twice and ask how much that vote will cost you in your gas tank.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus

So, just who’s in bed with whom here? Big Oil, that would be the “BO,” are probably sending a lot of thank you notes to the GOP today. Or maybe they’re just writing great big campaign donation checks to Capital Hill Republicans. Why you ask? Thanks to the GOP, the BO will continue their price gouging ways, sticking it to the consumer at the gas pumps.

The Senate voted 51-43 to impose a windfall profit tax on the nation’s five leading oil companies in order to ease some of the pain consumers are feeling at the pump. The outcome of the energy bill was far less than the 60 votes necessary to overcome a promised GOP filibuster. As a result, the legislation is effectively dead. If the measure had passed, it would have taxed the “unreasonable profits” big oil companies are now raking in on the backs of the consumer at the pump. It would have also allowed the federal government to clamp down on oil market speculation, which is one reason for the soaring prices of crude oil. In other words, it would have started to clamp down on the obvious price gouging at the pumps now going on by big oil.

But alas, nothing will change. The big oil companies continue to laugh all the way to the bank in the midst of their monopoly. They will continue receiving billions of dollars in tax breaks from the government, and they will continue to pad their bank accounts. The government had an opportunity to start addressing the big oil monopoly, but instead, they did nothing.

I guess in the end we need to thank the “Good old Boys” in the “Grand Old Party” for once again forgetting about the little guy. Instead, they’re sticking up for the big guy who in turn give millions of dollars to their fund raising campaigns on a yearly basis.

Just my two cents,
Dr. Rus