Many of you probably don't remember me, even though I was one of the first members of SpokeUp. 

We are constantly searching for reminders of our self-worth, and many of us peg that to monetary goals as opposed to honor.  This will be our downfall if we let it.  The pits we have in issues of the day allow THEM to divide and conquer over and over again.  The lifestyles of the rich and famous be damned to hell and the realization of LIFE be the truth that we all come to understand.  

You must stop pegging yourself to a party or views or even pegging the shitheads in our government to a party or views prior to listening to whether they are being honest.  Honesty is the root of our survival.  True transparency, not the veiled and upon their order transparency that has been allowed thus far, is the friend, while hidden agendas are the enemy.  The hidden agenda has taken center stage and we are the audience - we still have the right to boo the play (at least for now).  

Stand up and vote against these stupid parties and their packaged ideals, which in the end all support the richest and hurt the rest.  Unless of course you are a Goldman employee, in which case, my God rest your soul.

I like playing with numbers, feel free to correct my math.  In the last four months, approximately 1.4% of non-farm jobs have been obliterated.  Overall, in 2008, approximately 1.9% of non-farm jobs were obliterated.  That means that approximately 75% of the job loss came in the last four months of the year. 

I am no economist, but I have heard that employment is a lagging indicator, meaning that it will not hit bottom until the economy as a whole starts recovering.  Most economists and financial analysts that I have heard/read do not think that the economy will begin recovering until at least this Summer.  If job obliteration continues at the current rate through August of this year, we will be in double digit unemployment (10% or higher) by that time.

I posted this blog on another site a couple of days after TARP was passed, but I bleeped out the obsenities here. 

GIVE ME FREE MARKETS OR GIVE ME DEATH!

 WTF, people.

We have now entered the twilight zone . . . now let's only hope that we can make it through to the dawn's early light . . . and let's hope it won't be the 18th Century British flag that's waving in the smoke. Because, I must admit, I am starting to understand how the colonials felt about the tax on tea:

"The Townshend Act - British Parliament – 1767

 
WHEREAS it is expedient that a revenue should be raised in your Majesty's dominions in America, for making a more certain and adequate provision for defraying the charge of the administration of justice, and the support of civil government, in such provinces where it shall be found necessary; and towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing, the said dominions; we, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the commons of Great Britain, in parliament assembled, have therefore resolved to give and grant unto your Majesty the several rates and duties herein after mentioned . . . That from and after the twentieth day of November, one thousand seven hundred and sixty seven, there shall be raised, levied, collected, and paid, unto his Majesty, his heirs, and successors, for and upon the respective goods herein after mentioned, which shall be imported from Great Britain into any colony or plantation in America which now is, or hereafter may be, under the dominion of his Majesty, his heirs, or successors, the several rates and duties following; that is to say . . .

For every pound weight avoirdupois of tea, three pence."

What followed was the Boston Tea Party and shortly thereafter, a declaration of independence.

I want my independence BACK.  I don't want to buy a bunch of [bleep]y mortgages or [bleep]y-mortgage backed obligations or [bleep]y derivatives of [bleep]y mortgages or [bleep]y-mortgage backed obligations.  And I don't want to be taxed for the purchase of the aforegoing said [bleep], the issuance of which allowed either (1) people to live beyond their means or (2) a few people to get very wealthy very quickly. 

I do not want a reverse socialist society.  You know what - let's say we are on the Titanic - there are the rich people, the average people and the stow aways.  As I see it, [bleep] the rich people and the stow aways - they can drown.  Let the average people take the life boats since they do all the REAL work and create all the real VALUE anyway. 

Basically what our STUPID lawmakers have done, due to their outstanding weakness and lack of balls, is say "[bleep] all of the productive, working, valuable people - and [bleep] their little kids too" - let's SAVE the greediest of the greedy on both ends of the spectrum.  At the end of the day, the people at the bottom will starve anyway and the people at the top have more money than God and can laugh while We, The People scrub their floors.

 
Capitalism is king?  Nah.  Paulson is King . . . really.  He used to be a capitalist (after he got done working for one of the Watergate [bleep]heads that went to prison) . . . in fact, he pushed for de-regulation of the stupid [bleep]holes that got us here while he was still at the top of Goldman Sachs.  Oops, leveraging all this crap wasn't such a great idea, so let's put him in charge of the U.S. Treasury (it's only government work, after all).  He knows what's on the balance sheets of all those banks - so he [bleep]ed our legislators into this.  It's manically beautiful, actually.  Potentially, he has single-handedly let his buddies (oh, except Lehman - let them go down, we wouldn't want to have too much competition for Goldie Sacks) clean up at our expense, meanwhile his successor at Goldie Sacks has been selling off shares on the rallies.

 
Pitiful.

The only way to stop history from repeating itself is to stop trying.  Every effort we make to stop the cycle causes the cycle.  The nuances of each era make us think that we can prevent recurrence . . . but the nuances are precisely why we can't.  Suck it the [bleep] up.  Campbell's - it's what's for dinner.  Real values - maybe next generation?!?

Let the brush burn, or else the forest fire will be uncontrollable.  What do you really NEED?  Brand value = sand value.

 
And I will leave you with a funny quote from Bernanke prior to being Chairman of the Federal Reserve:

(November 8, 2002)

“Let me end my talk by abusing slightly my status as an official representative of the Federal Reserve. I would like to say to Milton [Friedman] and Anna: Regarding the Great Depression. You're right, we did it. We're very sorry. But thanks to you, we won't do it again.”

   
Let's hope he doesn't lie.

After the original posting of this blog, I was told that I am hyped up and consumed by this.   Left in solitude, all I could ask myself was behind everyone who feels strongly about their country, are there people who ask whether they are hyped up and consumed? 

I will acknowledge my insanity . . . but only if you believe that the desire for integrity, ingenuity, and inspiration is insanity.   What is wrong with expecting people to be honest?   What is wrong with expecting people to work to the best of their ability?  What is wrong with being able to accept that you are not the best?  What is wrong with making proclamations against injustice at the highest degree?   What is wrong with asking that someone value the life they bring into the world more than THINGS? 

You know what?  I give up.  Clearly, Americans have decided  . . . and fake profit, fake value and fake generally is better than the real thing.  No one is willing to pay the piper for false profit or prophet, so I will . . . and you will.  I will succumb to whip and indenture, as my choice evaporates in the heat of fear. 

And as I burn, I will scream not freedom but "CHOICE!"   For the moment, we still have the freedom to choose our values.  The electricity does not run through Hank Paulson, it runs through Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton; it does not run through Malcom X, it runs through Martin Luther King, Jr.; it does not run through greed, it runs through 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

 
I was brought up to believe in America the beautiful, not America the . . . bankrupt.  Working for a living . . . old news, I suppose.  Why court when you can rape? 

 
Hyperbole.  hyperbole.  What is your value?  At the end of the day, without integrity . . . nothing.

I wonder whether anyone has pondered the US Gov't issuing Treasuries to purchase municipal bonds on the secondary, or even the primary, market.  This is a unique time when USTreasury yields are significantly below municipal bond yields (even natural AAA-rated municipals - and these are real triple-A's not the CDO type).  The US could actually kill multiple birds with one stone by purchasing municipals.  First, since the Treasury yields are favorable they could arbitrage the heck out of the investment.  Second, if the munis were held by the US, then the subsidy normally provided to taxpayers through tax-exempt interest would disappear (thus increasing Federal revenues or at least not allow a decrease due to this particular tax break).  Third, municipal bonds are largely used to finance infrastructure and basic capital needs of State and local governments and non-profits institutions such as hospitals, so ultimately the proceeds of sale would go to what the US seems to be contemplating already (except without the benefit of the arbitrage and the extra tax revenue). 

Currently, municipalities and States are having difficulties issuing bonds for NECESSARY projects (i.e., police and fire facilities, roads, schools, hospitals).  If the US bought the bonds directly on the secondary market, the supply would be reduced, thus lowering the yield of new issues.  If the US purchased at original issuance, they could be the market maker. 

Just a thought.