Si Minor Plus Est Ergo Nihil Sunt Omnia

"If less is more then nothing is everything"

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I have always liked the picture above...because it reminds me of the simple things of life...like just sitting down somewhere (alone is actually OK)...or with a friend...nothing much going on....not much of a "going concern" so to speak...but just being together...a nice thought for this Sunday morning...and of course the Latin thoroughly impresses the casual reader...

...so Thanksgiving has passed and the turkeys that survived have a few weeks to go before Christimas arrives...but ham is more of the desired carne of the holiday...and it was a nice break with a couple of the kibbies...and off to work tomorrow for the final push before the semester ends...

...so looking ahead I notice GM and the other "big three" automakers return to Congress this week...and make their case for getting on the dole...as if that would help their prospects...with a bad business model and impossible economic burdens of retirees...so let's see what prevails with a Democratic Congress and new Prez coming our way...but it could be an interesting stock market play...ahead of the hearings...hmmmmm....darn....should have bought some Citibank a week ago!...

...but with the loonies attacking in Mumbai this past week, watching that tragedy unfold just reinforces to me how wacked out people can be...what is the point of blowing up totally innocent people?...how does one make a point other than you have no legitimate cause or political position worth considering?...I just don't get it...even in desperation...very frustrating...and sad....

....but it certainly does point to the danger in the world today...which has probably always been there but just not beamed 24/7 on 500 channels...

...and I was reminded of something I hear from many passionate Dems that America is not respected in the world and that is why we needed to vote for Barak...but I have to tell you that if anyone cares to study history there has rarely been a time (a few but not the norm)...when America has been regarded in such a way by a majority of people in the world...and I experienced this first hand thirty years ago in my travels with the US Navy...protests...etc...so it just is not as simple as hanging it all on George Bush...people will still hate us, protest us, kill our citizens and friends...regardless of who is in the office at the time....

...But to each of you I hope you had a great holiday and send my holiday cheer!

An Unexpected Surprise!

So, we are getting ready to go to the old multi-plex, get a senior discount, and check out the current version of Bond--James Bond--but the little lady says something about a movie set in India...and slums...and orphans...who end up on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire!"...and so I think I would rather have a root canal...or an enema...or both...and what happens? An Unexpected Surprise!

Slumdog Millionaire is not your typical movie...well, really it is completely out of the ordinary...and while I will still lay down a few buckaronies to check out Mr. Bond...I would urge you to visit a Landmark Theatre...or other independent venue...and enjoy this special little treasure...and after I vented a few months ago I am glad to report there remains hope for the big screen...

...So what is Prezelect Barack up to?...change?...sure looks like Clinton III with the appointments made...and one of them big dawgs he lined up on the stage caught my eye...good ole Robert Rubin...so everyone says...who cares? Meesterprezelect is the man! RubinSchmubin! Who cares? Well I do!...

...Well, Mr. Rubin has pocketed some chump change over the past 10 years or so as a major player in Goldman Sachs and most recently as Chairman of Citigroup...yes, Citigroup...who just pocketed another 20 billion or so to add to its previous 25 billion from each of our pockets...so that he can help stabilize Citibank...right before he joins Obama's administration, with Larry Summers and some other Ivy League big dogs...the same group of guys from our finest Universities who got us into a bunch of htis mess in the first place...so much for change...

...but I guess it could be worse...Mister Prezelect could be appointing socialists...and actually he is being beat up in some left circles for not being radical enough...ouch!

...Why not some common folks? You know, non-Ivy League, non-Investment Banking, non-$50,000+ plus per speech kind of people? I guess they aren't capable of dealing with the formidable problems that face our country...but wait, isn't it the same previously mentioned "whiz kids" who got us into this mess in this first place? With deriviatives, credit-swaps, leveraging and ultra-sophisticated financing schemes?

I think Mister Prezelect should create an alternative advising group composed of 20 or so people from across all walks of life--women and men of all political and economic stripes who could look across the table at Mr. Rubin et al and simply say "that dog don't hunt back in Boise" (or Fresno, Provo, Butte, Des Moines...well, you get my point!)

But hey, it could be worse! The stock market could be tanking prior to Mister Prezelect killing me with his tax proposals...well, err....wait a minute! The stock market is tanking! Well, the Chargers are winning!...um, no they aren't...um...hey...oh...well, when all else fails just show a stupid picture of someone! And they don't get much stupider (or uglier) than this one! Happy Thanksgiving! Toodle-doo!

Have we lost our minds?

OK, I may have a better idea than a wholesale move to socialism...why would we possibly want to provide federal funding to the "Big Three" when they are poorly run companies? You want to beat AIG knuckleheads up for $400,000 parties after they get billions in federal funds? Why don't you take a look at the US automobile industries financials? SHEESH! ARRGHH! Maybe I am the only one who is distressed about us bankrupting our children and grandchildren, becauses it certainly doesn't look like the US Congress and incoming Administration gives a &%!@ about them!....

...the reality of the auto industry is that over the past twenty years or so Detroit made contractual concessions to the UAW which slowed hourly wages in return for benefit concessions...well, slowing is relative when we are speaking about hourly wages in the range of $65-$75 per hour for line workers....and guaranteed pension and health benefits for auto workers and retirees...which have fundamentally destroyed the companies...

...and so now we have GM trading below $3...and running out of cash...and holding out their hand to the Feds/each of us....to cover these outrageous management decisions....the reality is that now the US auto industry are health care and retirement companies (seriously here!) that happen to make cars...plain and simple...and if you think that a cash infusion is going to save them we are kidding ourselves...because they will be back for more in 2009...don't believe me?...two words to remember....British Leyland....check out this link http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/business/economy/18car.html from Tuesday's NY Times...for a sobering view of what happens in government bailouts for auto makers who fail to fundamentally address the underlying economic problems....and try to cover over it with dire warnings of a loss of jobs....did I mention this story is from the New York Times?...I found that very interesting....

...So my great idea is if we are going to bail out every industry (with political power, that is)...why don't we simply pay off every mortgage in the US...which will immediately restore the housing market....build wealth...restore confidence....and then we would likely go refinance our homes, take the money, by hot-tubs, jewelry and take a vacation to relieve the stress of the past months and the hit to our 401(k)'s....and begin the cycle again....

....hmmm....maybe my idea won't work in the long run....

Gas Bubbles

"In parallel with this lack of flexibility Venezuela is facing a decline in its international monetary reserves since Chavez keeps raiding them. These monetary reserves only represent some six to seven months of imports at the current level since Venezuela is now importing close to $40 billion per year, mostly in food. Therefore, an interruption of oil income derived from the cut off of oil supplies to the United States would most probably cause the Chavez’s regime to collapse in less than a year as the result of internal protests, no outside intervention required. "

(Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23222 )

So we have greatly lower gas prices! Happy days! Let's load up the Bel-Air wagon with the kids and hit the road! God Bless America!

Well, before you pack the picnic basket and go burn that extra tank of gas for a Sunday drive, maybe we should think just a bit deeper on this issue...

Can we think about using this reprieve in gas prices a bit more strategically? Bottom line is we have a couple of real idiots out there who just love sticking it to us...no, not Obama and McCain silly!...I am talking about Hugo Chavez of Venezula and Iranian President Moomad OhMan...err...umm..Mahmoud Amenpunjab...umm....darn....OK....the nutjob who is the President of Iran who gave "loco Gordo Hugo" the highly acclaimed and widely regarded "Islamic Republic Medal" for Hugo's brave support of Iran in its effort to violate the Interntaional Atomic Energy Agencies and the U.N.'s guidelines on nuclear profileration...(and for my Mennonite and Quaker friends, thanks so much for hosting good old Mahmoud for morning coffee...nice move...and I hope that it doesn't portend President Obama's foreign policy strategy...see http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/36622 for details on the dinner....I wonder if they had scones?)...

Anyway...here is my theory...cutting across all political lines for the common good of the world...

NOW IS THE TIME TO 'DOUBLE DOWN' IN THIS OIL ADDICTION POKER GAME!

I think now is the time for us to think beyond the immediate sense of gratification of having lower prices at the pump...which is nice in and of itself...but we should really get after conserving now through carpooling, solar investment, personal conservation, development of our own energy resources (across the board including nuclear)...and help push these oil despots into the drink...because they are held in power by the ability to subsidize their economies through high oil prices...or better yet, how about if we as a country (read, political will and leadership which is in short supply), simply refuse to import any more Venezulan oil? We just say "gracias Hugo, no mas negro oro"...and put an end to it?

Maybe this is just wishful thinking as I hear all of us celebrate the plunge of about a buck a gallon in the last 5 weeks...oh, and by the way, gas is already below $2 a gallon in quite a few places!...well, in Kansas and Oklahoma, at least...I know, I know....Kansas and Oklahoma, but you see my point, right?....

One last thing before I go....for my brothers and sisters in Mennonite Central Committee, the Quakers and others...whom I do indeed love...towards the point that we need to enter into "constructive dialogues with our enemies" so we can "move towards peace"...it just seems to me that even if I could possibly support this altruistic notion of dialogue regardlesss of its practical effect to create change and the tendency to be manipulated both here and abroad by propagandists....laying all of that aside for the moment...

...During the dialogue with Mahmoud when he answered your question about why he challenged the Holocaust...he gave the answer "more historical research needs to be done"...MCC and the others should have called him on it...because if such groups are willing to be unceasing critics of US policies and practices...many of which need to be questioned...you need to be the same with others especially when it comes to issues such as the Holocaust...we must have no arguments or "constructive dialgoues" because on certain topics we must draw the line...to not do so is to be cast as being duped...and not wise...and it is not enough after the event to meekly say "some of his responses were less than satisfying" (true statement)...that last one actually nasueates me..

For more on this "constructive dialogue" see http://mcc.org/news/news/2006/2006-09-22_sponsorsmeeting.html

(glad I finally got that one of my chest--it had been bugging me for a while!)

BUT NOW, WITH THE ELECTION ALREADY OVER (regardless of us pulling the lever on Tuesday), I WANT ALL OF US TO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!