Random thoughts about my interests which include (in no particular order) poker, finance & investing, politics, football and whatever else I happen to see that piques my interest

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Where Have You Gone Joe Dimaggio?

After realizing last night that movies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" are almost unknown by a large segment of the population, especially that segment that drives much of the advertising and spending dollars in this country, it is a good bet a much larger part does not recognize the origin of this post title. Then again I doubt anyone will be reading this and it amuses me so that's what counts. I just wanted to say, I have been gone for quite a while but now I am back.

I have been gone from blogging for quite awhile now, I know when I started to blog a bit I didn't realize how much work it really was to create and post a new blog on a regular fashion. After reading so much more blogs I think I am a little better prepared to write more now. I hope. A lot has happened since my last blog. The economy, led by the reckless policies of the Fed, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and some major Wall St players (AIG, Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, The entity formerly known as Lehman Bros, Citigroup, et al) has completely tanked and is now just a shadow of what it was. And that wasn't so great either because as Financial Genius Bill Fleckenstein kept saying, the economy was built for the last 8 years on the housing ATM and sooner or later that was gonna run out of cash. But the players I listed certainly didn't help matters with their foolish and utterly dangerous policies. Also the "Great" Alan I can't see any bubble Greenspan let this happen and in fact aided and abetted it. Just like his follower Ben Bernanke did as well.

What else has happened? For starters, a black man was elected President. Hope and Change y'all. After a year in office, many of the people who voted for him are still hoping for some change. The only change I see is the record deficits of the previous temp employee in that office are but a pale imitation of the ones now upon us. That and the fact he keeps trying to foist off a completely insane health care "reform" bill on the populace. Anything being opposed this loudly by this many people cannot be good. Also all of the back room deals being cut to get dissenting Dems on board cannot mean this bill is what they claim it is. Lets not even go to the supposed savings this bill will (not) produce. And the fact that it only covers HALF of the people not currently insured makes it a complete boondoggle that will cause much more grief than it cures. Of course they don't tell you anything about that.

A Republican was elected senator from Massachusetts. I thought I had seen the last of those in my lifetime when Edward Brooke (the first elected black senator btw) was defeated in 1978. Goes to show you how much of a backlash there seems to be going on against Washington. That will probably change between now and election day 2010 not to mention 2012 but it is refreshing to see none the less. Though I am a card carrying member of the Republican Party, I am coming to see more and more that the elected nimrods of both parties are much to blame for the mess our economy is currently in. I am favoring voting against every incumbent in the next election, throw them all out, and let a new set of thieves take their place. The current ones are so entrenched that all of the lobbyists have their private numbers. I am tired of seeing quasi governmental agencies like Fanny and Freddie putting money in their pockets and then watching the Congresspeople we elect to protect our interests rolling over to help Fannie and Freddie steal. Not to mention the big investment banks. Much of the blame for the current credit and housing fiasco should be laid right at the feet of Congress. Both Pres Clinton and Bush tried to rein in mortgage financing but the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee both ignored them. Why? See how much Barney Frank et al got from the people they are supposed to be overseeing. Wanna see a hoot? Watch the YouTube video from 2003 of the Federal Regulators testifying in front of the House Financial Services Committee. The head regulator (Schultz maybe? I can't remember) is castigated and basically called a liar when he told the Committee of the shenanigans going on at Fannie and Freddie. Of course the Repubs are almost as much to blame. After all they were in charge of Congress back when these hearings took place. As much as the Dems went after the regulators, the Repubs did nothing to stop them nor to overhaul the bad lending going on as they should have. So throw them all out. I want fiscal conservatives in charge who don't want to spend more money, not people who want to create more programs and entitlements for their constituents.

Enough ranting for now. I didn't want this first post back to become a long discourse on what I want or don't want to happen, just a reintroduction of ME. I just want to say it's good to be back and I hope to become a much more diligent blogger like my heroes across the bloggerverse. I'll be back soon, thats a promise.

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