Archive for April, 2010

The Dow Is The Canary (April 26, 2010)

Posted in Bailout/Bribe, Banks and Banking System, Boycott Series, Economics, Uncategorized with tags on April 26, 2010 by e-commentary.org

. . .

“You don’t buy it.”

“I concede the Beige Book presents a rosy picture of the economy.  Consumer spending is up.  But the rising Dow is not a sign of economic recovery.  The rising stock prices are not a function of sound economic fundamentals, they are a result of far too much free money in the hands of a small circle chasing comparatively few stocks backed by an implicit government guarantee in an economic universe without other viable investment options.  The stock market is the leading economic indicator of the coming inflation.”

“They call it productivity.  Companies/employers are reporting greater earnings resulting from firing more employees.  However, the current price/earnings ratios are somewhat more in line with historic averages.  Although there may be no one left to buy the products or use the services.”

“Inflated stock prices today, bread at a $100 a loaf in the next few years.”

“However, if there are fewer consumers with less disposable income, the economy should enter a deflationary period.”

“That seems plausible.  Consumers always consume even if they don’t have money.  The dislocations in the economy may not produce enough goods to meet growing demand from individuals, albeit individuals without the wherewithal in their pockets to fund their demands.”

“So there may be deflationary prices then inflationary prices?”

“Citizens will discover that the market will decline precipitously in due course leading to more now inevitable bribes/bailouts from the government for those at the top.  Some say that the American people simply will not tolerate another engineered decline.  What will they do if they don’t want to tolerate a decline?”

“Vote out the incumbents?”

“Or self-medicate?  The economic performance this summer will significantly impact the outcome of the elections this fall.  If the Wile E. Coyote Economy does not drop for the next six months and those who gave up searching for work also give up voting and drop out of the debate, the Democrats may not drop in the polls.  However, there may be a bad turn particularly if the financial virus made in the USA that spread to Europe infects Europe or if the Black Plague in the Gulf of Mexico engulfs the East Coast.  This could be a hot summer.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

Trust me.  I’m a banker.

Trust me.  I’m an investment banker.

Trust me.  I’m an investment adviser.

Drill, baby, drill.

Boycott Arizona

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April 19 (April 19, 2010)

Posted in Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Guns, Oath Keepers, Race on April 19, 2010 by e-commentary.org

. . .

C          “April 19 is joining July 4, September 11 and December 7 among the freighted dates in our national experience.  The first shots of the Revolutionary War fired at Lexington and Concord in 1775 echo today and have taken on almost religious significance.”

D          “You have got to love it.  Rallying in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in the Federal City on the fifteenth anniversary of McVeigh’s bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building and the seventeenth anniversary of the end of the FBI/ATF siege at Waco could not be more felicitous.  And telling.”

C          “The Oath Keepers also celebrated their first year on the national scene.  Reaffirming one’s oath to protect and defend the Constitution seems harmless.  When a person takes the oath, however, there is no term limit.  There is no swear to protect and defend ‘till death do us part’ limitation.”

D          “They almost seem like they might have an idea with a hint of merit if the message did not get hijacked and distorted so easily by the nut cases.”

C          “What is unsettling is that the message is laced with both racism and hints of violence, at least among some of the members.”

D          “Their sense of timing is not impeccable.  Our civil rights and civil liberties were threatened far more in the first eight years of this century than they are today.”

C          “The founder of Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, is an engaging advocate.  He wrote a few pieces in opposition to some of the Cheney/Bush transgressions years ago; these things called blogs leave a readily accessible record.  He also observed that a guy who is part Hispanic and Native American is not a poster child for white supremacy.  And he worked for two years as a public defender which is a career move that too few members of the Supreme Court pursued, to our detriment.  But listen to the discussions of others when the cameras and microphones are off.”

D          “It is there in black and white.  Nothing in the Constitution states or suggests that the legal pronouncements of an African-American President are unconstitutional because he is part Black.  For too many, that is the animating fear.”

C          “That is the heart of my misgiving.  It was a balmy almost warm DC day, yet there are clouds on the horizon.”

. . .

C          “And the Park Police, paid with tax dollars, kept everyone cool.”

. . .

Bumper stickers of the week:

Hate – The Only Growth Industry In America

O’Bama – Giving Back America To Americans

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Celebrate Virginia’s “Celebrate Slavery Month” (April 12, 2010)

Posted in Boycott Series, Civil Rights/Civil Liberties, Less Government Regulation Series, Race on April 12, 2010 by e-commentary.org

. . .

“Virginia declared April to be ‘Celebrate Slavery Month.’  What a concept.  Thirty days dedicated to the celebration of the degradation and subjugation of one’s fellow human beings.  They plan to burn crosses, made in China, in all major cities.  They are sneaky because they manage to celebrate it without mentioning it.”

“Leave it to Virginia.  Aren’t they the ones with the official state motto:  ‘Virginia Is For Haters.’”

“Leave Virginia.  Boycott the place.  Boycott everything tied to Virginia in April.  Conventions should cancel any events currently scheduled in Virginia during April and not book any events in April in the future.”

“Why does the government get involved in this foolishness?  Tax money funded this folly.”

“Individual action in response to inane government action is the way to go.  That is the virtue of a boycott.  And yet, three years ago, they looked like they were on track with the dignified apology.”

“There is not much common sense in the Commonwealth.”

“Leaves you wondering whether it is in the water, in the air or in their genes?”

“Hey, . . . wait . . . did they announce it on April 1?”

. . .

[See the “e-ssay” dated Feb. 26, 2007 titled “Looking Back.  With Regret.  With Respect,” the “e-ssay” dated Nov. 12, 2007 titled “Vet’s Day; Slavery And Due Process” and the “e-ssay” dated Mar. 14, 2005 titled “’Strict Construction’ Strictly Construed.”]

Bumper stickers of the week:

Virginia:  Celebrate Slavery Month

Virginia Is For Haters

Take A Slave To Work Day in Virginia

Boycott Virginia In April

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On Passive Aggression; The Virtue of (April 5, 2010)

Posted in On [Traits/Characteristics], Society on April 5, 2010 by e-commentary.org

“I never even thought about it not working out.  I wasn’t even thinking.  Everyone is smiling and happy in the pictures.  Now our life is a stand off, a percolating feud.  I can’t fight and I can’t flee.  I go to my 10 by 10 foot cubicle every morning and yet feel lucky that I have a cubicle to go to every morning.  Then I go back to my other prison cell at night.  It’s like a work release program and, don’t get me wrong about the work, if I get released from work I’m a goner.  A friend let things get out of hand and found his hands tied.  By the police.  Power move.  He couldn’t get released over the weekend.  So now he sports the dv charge and vd.  I’d like to get in the car and drive until I run out of gas, money or road.  But I can’t.  So we fight passively.  She takes a shot and then I take a shot and then we flee to our corners and call a short truce.  The kids perceive everything.  Staying together may be better than separating.  When you think about it every day, it’s passive but it’s aggressive and it’s the only workable response.  I hope this isn’t too heavy.  You don’t need this.  If I didn’t get out here now and then, I’d explode.”

Bumper stickers of the week:

Marriage is grand; divorce is one hundred grand.

The Family – The Backbone Of A Community

A secret to a good marriage is to have a quick mind and a slow mouth . . .  Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring and integrity, they think of you.

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