Outrageous - cont...

Today's quote:

"So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private citizens will occasionally kill theirs." ~ Elbert Hubbard

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I had this to say in my December 16, 2010 post, "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to..."

In the nothing to do with Energy department...

Some times I despair for my fellow man (woman). The one wild card in all of our lives that we can do so little about are the crazies running amongst us, waiting to go off like a time bomb.

We have nuts going into school board meetings and firing 9mm handguns at their innocent and unarmed fellow man... and we have well known WABC Weather Girl Heidi Jones fabricating an attempted rape... Our government has raided religious groups and their supporters blew up a federal building killing innocent children... a man flies his plane into an I.R.S. building... Going "Postal" is now broadly understood in the lexicon.... Good grief. What's next?

We lack civility in our political discourse, we glorify violence in the media we allow our children to consume, we reject the sanctity of Life from abortion, to street violence, to war, to capital punishment... everybody is a victim and everyone seems to belong to a group that hates somebody with a passion.... and we wonder that people are going off half-cocked because somebody did them wrong?

Rational, and other wise law abiding citizens barrel down my street here in South Florida (20 mph zone) at 60 mph and are furious when I don't get out of their way... seemingly oblivious to the consequences should they hit one of my kids...

Sometimes I think I'm the only normal person left... is it just me, or have we gotten meaner?  Well, mean people suck.

Maybe.... just maybe... the answer is not more government control, regulation, and tax extraction to fix all of these things.... maybe, just maybe, people would not be would so tightly wound that they are ready to shoot me over a parking space if they weren't so frantic in their lives... maybe we need to stop growing GDP and start growing GNH - Gross National Happiness.  It seems for every attempted government solution we wind up with 2 new problems to solve - and 4 new taxes to pay for the solutions.

Forget "Power Down"... how about "Frantic Down"?

"Good Grief.  What's next", indeed... What was next was another attack on our government's institutions, and the murder of innocents.  I am already seeing on my Facebook page people on the Left attempting to make political hay out of this... the problem is "Guns" or "Sarah Palin" or some other such simple explanation and if we will only do "X", this problem, and the "wing nuts", will be removed and we can all get together and sing "Kum By Ya".

Why does it not dawn on the big government, interference, and regulator crowd that maybe, just maybe, there might be something else going on here?  After all, we have people shooting our public officials and flying planes into IRS buildings... is it a "Plane" problem, too, in addition to guns?

Gerald Celente has this great quote - "When people lose everything, they lose it". Maybe.  Or maybe we have created an expectation of "having it all" or "everything" and when it does not come true people lose it.  Maybe our policies have created millions of government dependents and debtors full of anger and fury.  How many times can "Its not Fair! We're mad as hell and we are not going to take it anymore from fill-in-the-blank" be broadcast to millions and millions of people before it finds its way to a lunatic willing to kill to vent his spleen?

Let me ask you something... when was the last time you heard of an Amish drive by shooting? Or even a swindle? These people have little in the way of financial wealth, and few modern conveniences... and have exactly zero murders, political assassinations, or shoplifting for that matter... clearly, they are on to something.

I am not talking about just our social policies and programs... I am talking about the Big Box Takeover of the hinterlands, and the Big Bank Takeover of the financial system... the Corporate cronyism and lobby/statute power that has corrupted our system and destroyed small towns, small business, AND the family unit across the U.S. I know the Left loves when people like me talk like that, they hate the corporations (for all the wrong reasons)... they should continue to listen... maybe even hear me... these corporate policies are what they are because they enable the vast tax collections of the Federal Government to a far greater degree than was possible from a bizzilion small businesses and merchants, the very people that ran the local institutions, owned properties, and coached Little League... before the Big Boxes put them out of business and laid waste to their small towns... these tax collections were absolutely necessary in order to fund all of the social programs that are at this moment bankrupting the nation and addicting a substantial portion of the population to programs that absolutely, positively won't be there... They enabled the far reaching decisions of the Activist Jurists of the past century that have transformed our presidents from "Commander in Chief" into "Regulator in Chief", and then they funded the bureaucracy that continues its heavy handed extortions from and harassments of Americans who have lost most of their Constitutional Rights as a result of the takeover of the judiciary by the Progressives... you know, the folks that came up with our 12,000 page income tax code.

I am a HUGE John Lennon/Beatles fan... but it seems the very people that chant "All you need is Love" and "Give peace a Chance" are unable to see the outcomes of the combinational game theory actions that they are participating in.

Listen to the words of Judge John Roll, the Federal jurist who was murdered in the Arizona shooting:

The addition of what sometimes seems to be an inexhaustible number of law enforcement agents and federal prosecutors in Tucson division has now produced a tsunami of federal felony cases far beyond the management capacity of the four active district judges in Tucson division.

Was the Judge asking for more judges? Or was he questioning the propriety of an ever expanding police state?

The Federal Government's reach, budget, and desire to control every aspect of our lives must be stopped before we have nothing of what was America remaining... and they must be stopped by us, the reasonable people that reject violence and deeply respect the value and sanctity of human life.

Simply Outrageous and DIsgusting

"Give Peace a Chance" - John Lennon

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U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was wounded today in an assassination attempt that killed at least 5 others, including a 9 year old girl and a Federal Judge.  The Judge, John Roll, was a Republican appointed to the bench by President George H. W. Bush.  Congresswoman Gifford is a Democrat.

I think Arizona's Senior Senator said it best:

Whoever did this, whatever their reason, they are a disgrace to Arizona, this country and the human race, and they deserve and will receive the contempt of all decent people and the strongest punishment of the law.

Yes, Senator...  they are a disgrace and they have my complete contempt. I have never heard of Rep. Giffords until today. I am saddened and outraged by this senseless tragedy.  I believe the Right to Life extends to Democratic Members of Congress, the unborn, Bedouin Tribesmen in Iraq, drug users (who all to often wind up dead in "police encounters"), Mark Madoff... and you and I.

This politically motivated mass murder is yet another unintended consequence of the lies and distortions of the propaganda machine that the American Body Politic, Left and RINO, has become.

And now what? What if another incident like this were to occur?  Then what? Will our democracy be forced behind bullet proof glass? Or will we have to have a Secret Service detail for each Member of Congress? Will it be the local police next? The Rule of Law is under attack like no other time in its short history... and it is under that attack as a result of the unintended consequences of the actions taken by those that purport to support it... though they will be unable to see it that way, opting instead for another run at our Second Amendment Rights.

This is a sad day for all Americans, indeed.

Unacceptable

The Republicans first day in office over at the House is a screaming disappointment.

THIS would be the moment to let your Congressman know that you are watching.  Call, write, email, smoke signal.... whatever.  Just let them know The People are watching.  If they fail here, its all over but the gunshot.

Disappointing as it may be, the Left is absolutely correct in their assessment of this first day.

I sincerely hope that this is not just more of the same... but I am bitterly disappointed at the moment.  The time for half-truths and half-measures has passed.

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Please read this very intelligent piece on Chapter 9 Municipal Bankruptcy.  I find it amusing that some think that these issues will be settled by a Judge in a Court of Law.  No such luck for you Activist Jurist enthusiasts.  In the end, what will happen is what happens to many debts in the private sector - they simply won't be paid; there will be a great hew and cry, some gnashing of teeth, and a couple of circle jerks... and then they still won't be paid.

"You can't get blood from a stone."

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Oil is NOT an easy trade here.  But on any pull back I want to be long Dec 12 Futures, and let's hope the curve comes in with the front month... Oil is at risk to the equity market, just like every other commodity.

Look at the chart of the Baltic Dry Goods Index and the Railfax report.  Goods have to be transported.  The volume of goods shipped and the price commanded by the shippers reflect what is going on in the real economy.

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The incomprenhensiable position of the "Progressives" regarding the U.S. Constitution should be glaring to the American people on this day.

All of America's elected representatives and appointees draw their authority FROM THE CONSTITUTION IN ITS ENTIRETY.  You don't get to edit or omit portions that might be offensive to the descendants of slaves or of women who did not have the vote until 1920.  That's what we have the amendment process for.

Ladies and Gentlemen of both houses.  This is our history and the basis for all of our law.  You, and we, are going to have to live with ALL of the document... warts, hair and all.  How dare you exercise authority granted you by an instrument you then reject?

Yes, Senator Schumer, the SCOTUS does have the FINAL say on what is Constitutional, and Congress should have THE FIRST SAY AND NOT PASS LAWS THAT ARE IN OBVIOUS CONTRADICTION OF THE INTENT OF THE FOUNDERS.  Further my dear Senator, your group's brilliantly executed strategy of flooding the Law Schools and the Courts with activist Jurists has run its course, Thank G-D.

FDR should rot for his contributions in the matter.  Members of the Lucky-Sperm-Club such as FDR and JFK are very, very dangerous in high office... as FDR famously quiped they seem to possess "first-rate temperaments and second-rate intellects"... and are burdened with the guilt that comes from privileged circumstances at birth.

Thank goodness we were spared Teddy Kennedy.

‎"When you have "The Truth", then anybody who opposes you is either ignorant or evil. You rule over the ignorant and you kill or lock up the evil. Then you can make the world run according to your perfect "Truth".... On the Left and the Right. Same thing" - Orson Scott Card

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Mutually exclusive events:

"Service Industries Expand by most since 2006"

"Investors Should Fear "Mindless" U.S. Spending, Gross Says"

If it wasn't for the "Mindless" U.S. spending, there would be no expansion of service industries, or any other industry.  The American economy (not the "corporate economy"... over half of the U.S. S&P 500's business is off shore... not so for Main Street) is extremely dependent upon U.S. deficit spending, which in turn is extremely dependent on the International Bond Market, which is the MIRROR IMAGE of the U.S. trade deficit, which is, what? 70% to 80% tied to Oil imports?

This is a very complex set of permutations, the margin of error in the interaction between each of these being quite large... making the future predicting business very challenging.

Still, I think that one of the ultimate outcomes of "Mindless" spending is much higher Oil prices, which in turn will "Truth Out" the amount of excess production OPEC has - or has not.

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This is one of the more important articles you will read this year.

The Constitutionalists have the momentum at the moment.  Can they keep it? Will they be faithful to it? Let us hope, let us pray, and let us do everything we can to support their efforts.

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This morning's front-page-news-"plant" on over treating in healthcare...

What is somewhat more disconcerting than the obvious... is the attempt to manipulate the population prior to a massive policy response.  Not that each and every one of these studies are not accurate; I suspect they are. However, one can see the slippery slope of manipulation being used to move some very disturbing policies forward.

If you are in healthcare, or know somebody who is, forward them these posts and my links... and take it from somebody who spent over 20 years in the financial services industry with no litigation or regulatory derogatories despite those years being an era of never ending witch hunts: It pays to stay WAY out of the grey area.

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RINO's and Keynesians

I received this from my good friend and attorney, "Rabbi" Stan Gewanter (he's not a real Rabbi... that was just his inter-office nickname at my brokerage business), perhaps in response to my post and link regarding the "old, old" on January 1.

ON NEARING SEVENTY-FIVE

Winter is again upon me, but why can I not
shake off, as my dog water, this slowly creeping fog
clouding consciousness, knowledge, reasoning, anticipation,
dreams, the sweetness of life?

I am again afflicted with a malaise the Bard called:
“That time of year...When yellow leaves, or none, or few,
do hang upon those boughs which shake against the cold.
Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang....”

Inshallah, may Spring come to once again infuse
my trunk with sap, bring movement to root,
renewed vigor, warmth and suppleness to branch
and twig, and un-dam my love of life!

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I know I spend a great deal of time lambasting the economic and cultural policies of the Left... I don't give enough time to the RINO's asinine policies, mostly because their cluster f*&#!s are just so glaring they don't need my attention.


Here is an excellent article, which I give a B- to in accuracy (my highest ranking... there are no A+ ratings for accuracy anywhere in the media), enumerating many of the dumbest economic policies of the RINO's over the past 40 years.  If you are a Republican... you are either a Libertarian, or you are a RINO... you can't get a little bit pregnant.  The Left tends to mush Republicans all together (and the Repubs do the same in return), but Republicans are hardly united in their vision and I think the last election brought that out into the light.


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Jeffers Media Theory says these articles mean somebody is in big trouble.  These stories are planted every day. It should be interesting to see what the policy enforcement of this looks like.  Just pay attention on any of the major news sites - a new story of this theme appears every day.  That ain't no coincidence.


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No obvious culprits in the sell off in Precious Metals?  What, you guys never heard of tax-loss-selling, and its uglier step-sister, "Print Day Buying"? ("Print day" is an original of yours truly... but tell me, after the last 2 days action that you aren't a believer...)


"Print Day", 12/31 is past, and the specialty hedge funds that drove certain commodities to the brink for the big pay day are no longer interested in sopping up sellers... in fact, some of these trades are dangerously overcrowded.  DANGEROUSLY.


Forewarned is forearmed.


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"Arnold exits, Legacy Vague"???


They should have asked me... I would have cleared the matter up before the commercial break.


The MTVization of politics is only the latest manifestation of how dysfunctional our society is.  Arnold and BHO were hero's of the camera, not hero's of political accomplishment prior to assuming executive office... and frankly, it showed - in both cases.  I am a big Arnold fan.  I am absolutely sure that I would enjoy a pick up game of hoops with BHO.  What, exactly, enabled (and I mean that in the 12 step sense) these men to seize the executive reins for the Cal and the U.S.?  Our media culture.


But never mind that...


The fact is that California is going to do have to do something DRASTIC before the end of Q2... I just don't see a federal bailout in their future, given the new makeup in Congress.


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In today's Financial Times:

High oil prices threaten to derail the fragile economic recovery among developed nations this year, the leading energy watchdog has warned, putting pressure on the Opec oil cartel to increase production. 

Over the past year the oil import costs for the 34 mostly rich countries that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have soared by $200bn to $790bn at the end of 2010, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency. 

The increase, due to high crude prices, is equal to a loss of income of about 0.5 per cent of OECD gross domestic product, according to the IEA. 

“Oil prices are entering a dangerous zone for the global economy,” said Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist. “The oil import bills are becoming a threat to the economic recovery. This is a wake-up call to the oil consuming countries and to the oil producers.”

No, this is not a "wake up call". This is a challenge: Either OPEC has the excess capacity they claim or they do not.  The price over the next 12 to 24 months will tell all. ALL.

You are being Prepped for much higher Oil Prices

Look at the number of articles on the front page of the big web aggregators regarding $100 Oil in 2011.

You are being prepped for much higher prices.  TPTB don't want this coming as a surprise... and they want to convince folks that this is OK, the new normal, whatever.... and its the right thing to do (Otherwise you might have crazy people blowing up gas stations to express their anger)... and they are getting it done

There is always one idiot that blames it all on speculators...

The IEA suddenly comes out of nowhere and declares the era of cheap oil is over? And then Iran cut their subsidy for gasoline and diesel? Something brews...

So... How high?  $110 to $200, with $200 being highly unlikely, and $110 being highly likely. It all depends what price is necessary to cause people to alter their driving, flying, and consuming habits.... since it seems that they have become accustomed to $3+ retail gasoline, it would seem that prices could go significantly higher before bringing about those changes in behavior.

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Here's a poignant article written ostensibly about old, old age by someone just entering the senior years.

Read it and THEN consider the perspective of the author - a highly educated in the humanities, liberal, feminist, aging CHILDLESS person.... You know, the folks with all of the answers... except the answer as to who is going to give even the slightest sh#! about her in her old age.

I feel for her... self-inflicited, pompous, and condescending as her life's positions were...

I was reading one of John Michael Greer's pieces recently, where he pointed out to the "raw food"crowd that in every culture on earth people warm their food... there must be a good reason for doing so... I would like to point out to those that think "family" can have many forms... maybe... but it has had only ONE form in almost every culture that ever existed in the history of humanity... certain factions have attacked that form vehemently over the past couple of decades... those people are now coming face to face with their own mortality... I wonder how sure they will be of themselves in their old, old age.

I know this commentary will be met with tooth and fang from certain quarters... I call it as I see it... I am not looking for your vote.

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The Left's other ugly step child, the public employee unions and their outrageous healthcare and retirement benefits have completely worn out their welcome.

When and how this explodes in the face of the True Blue/dumb-as-a-bag-of-hammers when it comes to math, statistics, and economics Left (not questioning their Latin skills) is of little importance... the fact is it is coming, and soon... and it is gonna be BIG.

These Stories are coming hard and Fast

We are being bombarded with Healthcare finance propaganda and news stories.

If you are an investor, you really need to pay as much attention to this as the price of Oil.  Somebody BIG (as in Big Brother) is making sure these articles stay on the front pages of the major news aggregators... and that is NOT happening by accident.

OK, here's why its important:

When you hear that the U.S. economy is 70% consumer driven that number INCLUDES healthcare.  It then follows that with healthcare at 18% or 19% of GDP that consumer is accurately only 51% or so of total GDP... now, my contention is that one way or another healthcare will be reduced to 10% to 13% of GDP, and that would represent a significant drag on economic expansion... coupled with $100 Oil and deflation in housing prices, a contraction in credit, and rising Treasury yields (we seem to have a bunch of 800 pound gorillas in the room with us)... Old Uncle Ben (Bernake) better have QE 3,4,5, and 6 up his sleeve.

This does not mean that asset prices cannot go even higher... Russian Roulette can be won beyond six rolls of the cylinder... 

Healthcare is going to come under attack from the Government - its going to be a massive attack.  Given the lobbying money from that industry this is going to be interesting... but given the hints in the media my bet is this industry is already under attack and they don't even know it yet.  Count on indictments of over-diagnosising physicians, among other things.  The government overuses its criminal prosecution powers, and those folks are looking for a way to justify their existence... so saving money for society on the healthcare side has a sexy story to be told.

Send your kid to Dental School.  Those guys are fairly safe as it is a "self-pay" market place.  In the end, 20, 30 , 40 years from now, everything will be "self-pay". "Health Insurance" was ALWAYS a dumb idea.

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Oil and Nat Gas were in rally mode on 12/31... can't tell if that was sympathy buying for "print day" or something more... but the trend is your friend... I added to positions in anticipation that the rally in Oil & Gas holds, but I am what they refer to in the trade as a "weak hand"... any selling and I will be, too.