An Economic Disconnect

The stock market is up three days in a row! This despite the fact that inflation is rearing its ugly head. The dollar is on life support. Each new quarter brings more huge write-offs in the financial sector. House prices are swooning and the U.S. auto industry is on the ropes, etc. etc. So why is the market going up? Could it be that inflation might be good for us (for a change)? The U.S. consumer has been on a spending binge and our savings rate is microscopic. Inflation would devalue the dollar and push up interest rates (eventually). This would make paying back debts (both national and personal) easier and encourage savings growth. And a cheaper dollar boosts exports and constrains imports. So perhaps the medicine (for now) is more inflation?

Obamarama

At the risk of being called a racist neocon (again) and based upon the fact that Barak almost certainly will be the Democrat candidate for President of the United States, I offer two internet links to info on the Obamas. The first is a video of him when he was President of his freshman class at Occidental College (THIS, IT TURNS OUT, IS A SPOOF AND I AM CERTAINLY CHAGRINED AT HAVING INCLUDED IT HERE ... BUT ALSO QUITE PUZZLED AS TO THE MOTIVATION OF ITS CREATOR. I LEAVE IT IN HERE SO THAT YOU MAY SEE IT AND NOT BE FOOLED BY IT IN THE FUTURE):
Barak in College

The second is a link (in four parts) to Michelle Obama’s senior thesis at Princeton. This is unique in that Princeton has now shut down access to this document:
Michelle in College

No smoking gun here, but this will give you a better idea of who might well be our first family.

Google Giggle

“MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: More than three decades after the last Apollo astronauts roamed the lunar surface, disparate universities, open-source engineers and quixotic aerospace start-ups are planning to start their own robotic missions to the Earth's barren cousin.
The return to the moon is part of the Google Lunar X Prize, a competition sponsored by Google with $30 million in prizes for the first two teams to land a robotic rover on the moon and send images and other data back home.”

SELL!!!

A Healthy Debate

I have a question that I would like asked of both Hillary and Barak in their next (and final) debate:

When you both say you want to have government-paid-for health insurance for all Americans (as good as that for those in Congress), does this include all 12 million illegal immigrants, all 6.6 million Americans living abroad, all 3.2 millionaires, all 2.3 million prisoners, all 40,000 multi-millionaires, and Bill Gates?

McCain Mutiny

The NY Times championed John McCain's quest for the Republican nomination until such time as it looks like he has it sewn up. Then they do a U-turn and do a front-page hit piece on him implying that he was schtooffing a pretty blond lobbyist in exchange for legislative favors. I have no idea whether these charges are true or not … but I do know that these implications sound a lot like that old Italian phrase for pederasty -- innuendo

TWIN PEAKS

A tip of the hat to the Politico blog in its making this apt comparison between Deval Patrick’s rhetoric and Barak Obama’s (the NY Times also references it this AM) … as follows:

“Here's Patrick at a rally for his gubernatorial campaign on Oct. 15, 2006, during the final stretch of his successful campaign against then-Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey (R): “But her dismissive point, and I hear it a lot from her staff, is that all I have to offer is words — just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, [applause and cheers] that all men are created equal.’ [Sustained applause and cheers.] Just words – just words! ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words! ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ Just words! ‘I have a dream.’ Just words!”

Here’s Obama on Saturday night at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s Founders Day Gala in Milwaukee: “Don’t tell me words don’t matter! ‘I have a dream.’ Just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ Just words! [Applause.] ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words — just speeches!”An Obama official said: “They're friends who share similar views and talk and trade good lines all the time.””

(Remember that both Patrick and Obama have the same campaign strategist – David Axelrod.) Maybe this obvious similarity is why Hillary won both the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Democrat primaries. We here have had first-hand experiences on how hard it is to translate rhetoric into action. I expect that the rest of the country may still have to learn this lesson.

GORED

“Gore Warns Business Leaders To Dump 'Subprime Carbon Assets' Feb 14, 2008 17:56:47 (ET)

UNITED NATIONS (AP)--Nobel laureate Al Gore advised Wall Street leaders and institutional investors Thursday to ditch their "subprime carbon assets" - businesses too reliant on carbon-intensive energy - or prepare for huge losses down the road.
"You need to really scrub your investment portfolios, because I guarantee you - as my longtime good redneck friends in Tennessee say, I guarandamntee you - that if you really take a fine-tooth comb and go through your portfolios, many of you are going to find them chock-full of subprime carbon assets," said the former U.S. vice president who won a Nobel Prize for his environmental work.
Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the leading greenhouse gas, trapping the sun's heat in the atmosphere.
Gore's remarks before a high-profile business crowd that collectively controls some $20 trillion in capital were intended to unleash a financial ripple effect that would force the entire world to start putting a price on carbon emissions and treating them as a scarce commodity.”

I frequently have thought that Al Gore is nuts. First, when he put this country through weeks of political and financial turmoil in 2000 over the vote recount in Florida. Then, when he propagandized global warming in his movie full of half truths. And now, with the above incendiary speech. In fact, now I am sure he is cocoa-pie. It is the height of irresponsibility to utter such inflammatory (and unproven) words to an audience of businessmen who, if panicked, could bring down financial markets around the world. This truly is like yelling “FIRE” in a crowded theater. Al baby, it’s time for the rubber room.

Lester Lanin vs. Ice T

FROM THE POLITICO BLOG:
"Grammy-winning Senator Obama is scheduled to meet in Chapel Hill tonight chez potential endorser Senator EDWARDS, the papers report. Wonder if they'll use the mansion's basketball court or squash court?"

Referring to Edwards' greenhouse gas producing mansion outside Chapel Hill, NC.
To me this is stereotyping ... perhaps they could listen to Lester Lanin on the music center ... or would it be Ice T?

Racial Politics

If you think that this is not a racist country then please explain why one never sees a picture of Barak Obama’s mother anywhere … or his father. The image of a white mother of a black child can do nothing but raise the specter of miscegenation and all the superficially suppressed bigotry that that engenders. Barak’s handlers must know this and have thus far tiptoed past this graveyard. Perhaps, if things get to0 dicey, Hillary’s opposition research team will come up with an old photo?

Blue on Blue

Last night some talking head made the astute observation that Juan McCain was gaining a lot of delegates in the Blue States ... whereas Mitt was strong in the Red States. If (when) Juan gets the Republican nomination, this doesn't bode well for his chances in November.

Cough Sufferer

From the DRUDGE REPORT (check out the video):
"Just as Mrs. Clinton touted the importance of good health and universal healthcare for America, a scary coughing fit forced the end of a live TV interview on Super Tuesday."

So, now Hillary is a cough sufferer ... I thought that it was Monica who was the Presidential cough sufferer.

If tears stop working ... try coughing (particulary if asked a question you don't want to answer).