Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Stuff, Is Really Just Perspective

We have enjoyed great weather here in the Chicago area this summer. Right now the temperature has been fairly mild during the day and gently cool in the evening. I thought about how lucky we have been as I saw reports that TS Gustav could be headed toward New Orleans by the end of the week. I have talked recently with someone that does work down there for a major developer. He had said that all anyone could hope for is a pass this year from any major hurricanes so they might be able to get the levees at least to where they were before Katrina. Lets hope New Orleans does not take a direct hit this time. They have already started to work out evacuation plans, and it looks like people will obey them this time around. I saw pictures of (what few) residents that are still there, starting to load up their cars with belongings. What made me think about the perspective difference was pictures of people in Haiti that had just endured the impact of TS Gustav. They had their belongings in cardboard boxes, on their heads, as they waded through the flood waters. I guess it just depends on where you are standing when you have to decide what it is that you really need. Pack up the car with as much stuff as possible...or grab a cardboard box. I know, for myself, if I had to evacuate my home I would probably need a semi (lol) but the picture does make you wonder. What did he have in that box, and what did he have to leave behind. Or maybe, that was it, ALL his possessions fit in a cardboard box.
Be safe Gulf Coast areas. Evacuate if you need to. Protect your life and those of your family. The rest is just stuff and maybe if we really looked around the important stuff could fit in a cardboard box.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Its The Infrastructure Stupid

This is part of an AP story from August 25, 2008.
...It's the dark side of the booming global demand for U.S. corn, wheat and soybeans. The surge in exports is revealing inefficiencies in the country's railways, highways and rivers that carry the grain that helps feed the world. And those bottlenecks are costing farmers, shippers and ultimately consumers millions of dollars a year...
A surprisingly large harvest this fall is expected to test the system even further. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts farmers will produce the second largest corn crop and fourth largest soybean crop in history. Some agribusiness groups worry the bottlenecks could hurt the United States' standing as a global food provider as other nations, such as Brazil and Argentina, compete for a lucrative share of the market. "We're way, way behind in our infrastructure investment, both in the private sector and publicly," said Peter Friedmann, executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, a trade group representing grain exporters. "And we need to move a lot on that or we will see other countries supplant us as they get greater investment in their infrastructure."
Congress authorized the Army Corps last year to update locks and dams along the Mississippi. But Congress must approve funding for the project, which is estimated to cost $2.21 billion over more than 20 years.

Ok, so Congress is having a tough time authorizing $2.21 billion over 20 years to fix how we can move everything in the US. Let's just say, because of the upcoming election, that nothing is really going to get done in the Government until 2009. It seems that we have agreed to start pulling troops out of Iraq by 2011 that is only 2 years away, and those Men and Women are going to be looking for jobs in an economy that will be still fighting its way out of a recession. We have already spent $500 Billion on the Iraq war, I'm thinking $2.21 to fix our rail, road and water transportation system is an Obvious drop in the bucket.
Let's hope none of the Politicians have to cross any of the bridges in St. Paul, MN...

Lock Stock and Barrel

So while we all sit back and worry over some Mexicans trying to sneak into America to do work that you no longer can get a teenager to do (Canadian's sneak in too but go back when you ask them, politely). And everyone wants to start drilling for oil because "that is how we can solve the energy crisis". Even though it is mathematically impossible for US oil to have any impact on global prices, and unless the offshore drilling bill has SPECIFIC language that says the oil MUST be only used in the US, it won't do anything for us.
BUT we still all worried about these things and lo-and-behold...America has been purchased lock-stock-and barrel! Here are the latest figures from Fortune magazine, and somehow butt heads (let me rephrase that) TRAITORS on Wall Street think it is a good thing.

"Of particular note is whether the KDB (Korean Development Bank owned by the Korea Government) would buy Lehman outright or simply take a big stake. The past year has been busy for sovereign wealth funds and financial companies hit hard by the collapse of the credit bubble. Singapore's Temasek has made two multibillion-dollar investments in Merrill Lynch (MER, Fortune 500), the state-run China Investment Corp. has put $5 billion into Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500) and Abu Dhabi has forked over $7.5 billion for a big hunk of Citi (C, Fortune 500)." Fortune Magazine 8-22-08

How did this happen? Easy. The Traitors on Wall Street only care about quarterly numbers, what will make THEM the most money right now, with no regard for the future of the Country. Why are they Traitors? The most money to be made BY THEM right now is in "short selling". Betting that companies will LOOSE money (and the traitors make money). How F'ing UN-AMERICAN is that!!? They say "I bet that Mr and Mrs Retired are going to loose their life savings", so I can make money. That is what has happened to our Country. And then they complain when the SEC says no more naked short selling. I actually saw quotes from Wall Street Traitors saying it was UnAmerican to regulate them. They need to be strung up, shot, drawn and quartered. These are the Traitors that have said "there is not enough margin to manufacture in the US. We are a nation of consumers." That is an actual quote from one of those supposed finacial wonders. How did America loose its place in the economy of the World? The Traitors on Wall Street decided it didn't give them enough of a return. Now they all seem to be worried that if Obama wins they will have new regulations placed on them. We tried it "de-regulating" them, (and I was for it.) but the fact of the matter is; unchecked they become crooks. Maybe it is time to reign it all back in again.

We have to take a very hard look at this election cycle. The current politicians have messed this country up to the point that Russia whom, (last time I checked we "defeated" in the Cold War) told us to mind our own business when they invaded Georgia (the Country) and then bent to the pressure of FRANCE.
The time has come to make changes. And now... McCain can't remember how many houses he owns...what BS arrogance is that? Right now, I think Obama might be the choice. He has the least amount of baggage and lobbyist influence. I just KNOW that McCain is to old; never finish his term, to tied to Washington, to tech unsavy; My God do we want a President in this age that has NO idea how to use a computer, if the phone rings at 3am I want a President that will know how to answer it. Not wonder what all the buttons are for. And don't think this has anything to do with "parties". I think they are both wrong on all accounts and should be banned! I am not alone in this George Washington in his Farewell Address, warned us that political parties will hurt our Country.

"...Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.
It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.
... But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. " (George Washington;1796)

The system is now officially broken. It's time to make this Country work again or we soon will be asking someone like Bulgaria for economic aid (and probably asking in Chinese).