Monday, Monday ver. 774.01

Well an interesting day all around.

Ruby's butt is going to cost $250 to fix tomorrow (since I can't drive her in this condition, I have little choice.) I have a bunch of tax returns to do up tomorrow. That's a good thing, because I can get paid for them. I need to cook up some more cabbage this week, as the pool is going to cost $360 to clean up and then there are the REST of the obligations due .. yowie. And the fact that the yard is a disaster.

I have three loans going on suddenly. That's good; they'll all close as the next thirty days go by. Tomorrow was supposed to be the meeting with the Dutch investors who need book keeping. I wonder what happened to them. No word from my friend who was making the introduction.

Been talking today to a very nice guy - he lives just up the street. He just got laid off today. Divorced, my age, red hair, very handsome. He hosted singles cruises. Can you spell "FABULAIR?"

Where and when is there enough time in the day to get everything done? I spent some time today moving books upstairs into book cases. I have all the 110 year old books from my grandfather's house that are going to Half Price books in the morning.

Then, there is the big load of metaphysical books that are in a suitcase in the closet, but they have no home for the moment.

Running into resistance with the new car financing. Blarg. I don't know yet what the magic formula is going to be.

Anyway. More to be done. Until later!

Sunday evening commentary

Okay, so I've decided to do some more nesting. I'm going to set up the home theater equipment, probably tomorrow. I'm going to hang up the pictures in my bedroom, and I'm going to put up shelves in the built ins in the "great" room to put up the books.

Ruby busted yet another rear shock today. I think this time, I'm going to NOT get replacement shocks from Auto Zone and I'm going to take her to a different mechanic to have them replaced. Well, at least take it to a different mechanic. If they tell me that the problem isn't the shocks, then I'll see about saving the $150 for the replacement shocks.

Lots of catch up for tomorrow, including tax work. Blarg. LOTS. People with a ton of questions, all of which need to be answered.

All answers will be dispensed.

Started thinking about how to organize the web presentation/magazine articles/DVD on the Seven Deadly Sins and the Science of Mind. It's going to take a ton of work, but I think it will be valuable for both me and for NV.

Watching this DVD that I've been putting off a while. I'll be mailing back three or four tomorrow morning. Along with a few envelopes addressed to the IRS.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. I think that we'll have some good progress.

Werkin, werkin, werkin

I've been working like crazy today; I've saved about $11,000 in people's liability by knowing that they were overlooking something. I've printed through a few reams of paper today, shredded about a ream, and mailed out a mailbox full. Yurg.

I'm catching up. I mean it. I'm really catching up here.

I've decided today that I'm done playing small. I have decided that it's time to start making some real money, and not indulging any stories about what limits me.

Talked to Susan; she was telling me that this is NOT the house to buy - under any circumstances. She was talking about the market response to the marketing effort here, but she was also talking about the house being too big for one person.

Um .. oh, really?

Actually, what would REALLY work for me would be to find another house of just this floorplan, and make it mine. If it were priced right ..

The fortunate thing is that I have a few realtor friends who can help me find just that.

Okay, that decision having been made, it's time to move along.

Tomorrow - the final deadly sin of Sloth. Very fun stuff.

Money-saving tips for last-minute U.S. tax filers:

Let's take a look at the standard Form 1040 and see where you should focus your tax-cutting efforts:

Taxpayer name: Here's a tax-saving opportunity few taxpayers take advantage of: Instead of simply writing your name, write your name plus the word "DECEASED." This can save you big money down the road.

Presidential Election Campaign Fund checkoff box: If you check this box, $3 of your taxes will be earmarked for a special fund to pay for presidential campaigns. Notice that the government does not permit you to earmark the money for poor people, or sick people, or national defense. No, the government permits you to earmark money only for the purpose of enabling politicians to produce TV commercials designed to appeal to voters who have the IQ of a Vienna sausage.

Exemptions: In calculating your dependants, you should bear two things in mind: 1. The more dependants you have, the less tax you owe. 2. Nowhere in the U.S. tax code does it explicitly state, in so many words, that these dependants cannot be imaginary, if you are catching my drift.

Of course, there's always the chance that, even if you cheat in a responsible manner, you'll be called in for a tax audit. This is not the "end of the world." Remember that, as a taxpayer, you have certain rights. For example, the auditor cannot use a cattle-prod setting greater than 5,000 volts.

If you're called in for an audit, the important thing is: Don't panic. Gather up all your financial records, consult with your lawyer and your accountant and then, on the appointed day, flee to Uzbekistan.

---From Dave Barry's Money Secrets (2006, Crown)

For everyone who thinks that Republicans are fiscal conservatives

(copied message)

These guys are good. Good at squandering, anyway. Government spending in March hit an all-time one-month high for the month of March.

In its monthly accounting of the government's books, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday that federal spending totaled $250 billion last month, up 13.7 percent from March 2005.
Government receipts also were up, rising 10.6 percent from a year ago, to $164.6 billion. That left a deficit for the month of $85.5 billion, a record imbalance for March.

Here's a fun factoid. March broke the previous single-month outlay which was set in . . . February. Let's go for broke and see how much we can spend in April! Records are made to be broken, after all.

There is a tiny bit of good news here.


Even though the deficit was a record for March, it was below the all-time monthly high of $119.2 billion, which was set in February.
That's what an incompetent administration and the Rubber-Stamp Republican Congress will get you.

(back to being me)

So, who are we choosing next time to keep these people at the helm? After all the new bankruptcy laws that keep consumers from having relief from indebtedness doesn't affect the Feds.

Oh, wait - we're blowing money faster than a Baptist in a titty bar because we had to invade Iraq. After all, they had those mobile bio-weapons trailers. We FOUND those, right?

Nope. We knew that they weren't weapons BEFORE we attacked. WAY before. So, if they lied about the weapons of mass destruction, and they knowingly lied about it before we attacked, and Saddam invited the inspectors into EVERY site they asked to see before we attacked, and Saddam destroyed and dismantled everything that the international inspectors asked them to - and Geo. W. has publicly, repeatedly admitted that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 - no connection at all...

WHY ARE WE THERE? Can one of you who pulled the lever for Geo. W explain this to me in a way that doesn't involve rhetoric or Fox news bullet points? Just the facts, ma'am. I'm willing to listen, but you ain't talking. You're just slogging away, telling me that the Liberals are dangerous and bad for the economy.

When has it ever been this bad before? In the economy, in the national debt, in public confidence, in international reputation ..

next article

(April 13, 2006 -- 12:09 AM EDT // link)
Here's another question on those bio-weapons mobile trailers that never were.

When did the administration let Congress in on the fact that those mobile weapons labs weren't bio-weapons labs at all and that we'd just been conned by some emigres on the make?

We're focusing now on the president's flogging of this bogus story shortly after the Defense Intelligence Agency gave a definitive verdict on the falsity of the claim. But when did they tell Congress? And how late did other administration heavies continue to make this claim?

My recollection is that with most of these stories like the trailers and the tubes and the nuclear this and that, most of this stuff wasn't definitively knocked down for many, many months after the war. Like old soldiers these fables didn't die so much as they faded away. The certainty diminished. More doubts were raised. But for what always struck me as deeply cynical reasons, the White House never publicly pulled the plug on any of these tales because as long as they kept some level of uncertainty hanging in the air they didn't have to address the fact that the central argument for the war had turned out to be false.

Hell, you've still got Hitchens publicly holding out for the Niger canard. And that's just an example of the fact that you can always find folks deep enough in the tank to churn out tall tales for the true believers to eat up.

Anyway, when did the White House tell Congress that the mobile weapons story was bunk?

A reader pointed me toward this portion of the congressional record from July 17th, 2003 in which Senators Durbin and McConnell discuss then heated WMD debate. They both discuss the mobile bio-weapons trailers with the assumption that that was what they were. And this was the day after then CIA Director George Tenet gave five hours of closed door Senate testimony on the WMD debacle. That certainly suggests that Tenet didn't knock down the mobile lab fable in that lengthy session dedicated to the topic of pre-war WMD intelligence.

What does Durbin say?

And how late were administration figures pushing the mobile bio-labs story?

Here's what Vice President Cheney said to Juan Williams on January 24th 2004 ...

In terms of the question what is there now, we know for example that prior to our going in that he had spent time and effort acquiring mobile biological weapons labs, and we're quite confident he did, in fact, have such a program. We've found a couple of semi trailers at this point which we believe were, in fact, part of that program. Now it's not clear at this stage whether or not he used any of that to produce or whether he was simply getting ready for the next war. That, in my mind, is a serious danger in the hands of a man like Saddam Hussein, and I would deem that conclusive evidence, if you will, that he did, in fact, have programs for weapons of mass destruction.
Cheney's persistence in lying to the public about al Qaida and WMD claims is almost the stuff of legend. So even though the baldness of this lie still sort of grabs me, I can't say it's exactly shocking.

But again, Congress. For how many months did the White House continue to tell the Congress that the mobile bio-weapons story was true even while they knew it was false? For months? Or was it more like a year?

Humpy humpy

What a day, what a day. Another day, another ream or two of paper. Only a few more days of this. Babs is priceless running around and picking up documents, checks and delivering product. I'm hoping that next week she can apply equal effort to the Fabulair calendar next week after we've knocked out all these corporate returns that are due .. oh, Friday.

I'm loving this BBC series "Hustle," that Guy has introduced me to. It's fabulous. The movies that I've been getting from Netflix lately have sucked major butt.

The pool is green again. It looks sort of like something from a horror movie now. Should I spend several hundred dollars having the pool cleaned up, or should I just try to find another place to have the pool party on Memorial Day?

Driving home from dinner tonight, XM83 was playing lots of FABULOUS old (dinosaur) disco music. YAY. It was making me very happy. Chuck has been making fun of me about my taste in music - boom chuckawuckawucka boom chuckawuckawucka boom chuckawuckawucka boom!

I think there are still .. twelve corporate returns to finish? Only a few personal returns yet.

It's just a damned shame about this house - I'm liking it SO much, the layout, the room and everything - it's just terrific. Of course, it needs a bunch of work - Kurtis today was telling me that it needs about $20,000 to totally queen it out. Today, I found this article on MSN that described "green" remodelling materials and techniques. I'd totally pimp this place out and see about getting it as far off the grid as possible. With a new roof, a ton of insulation (both made out of 100% recycled consumer product) double glazed windows (especially upstairs) and a new tankless water heater, I could get its energy consumption down by about half. Then, by installing a wind turbine, I could get its energy consumption down to near zero. Rainwater harvesting would bring the environmental footprint down to near zero.

All this room and luxury and nearly free to operate.

However, the two late night crackhead visits and the crackhead girlfriend letting herself in here have left me twitchy - anytime the house creaks or pops or a car is outside, I jump.

I half expect to see someone peering in the windows whenever I look out.

Not the best feeling. Strangely, though, I'm not nervous, worried or anxious about it.

Interesting also that my long held crap about money is rattling around like mad, but it's not really affecting my faith or anxiety level. It's like I'm observing these issues, not living in them. Weird. Never had this experience before.

Hopefully, that's a good thing.

Okay, time for sleep. Maybe I'm going to turn the alarm off for tomorrow morning and sleep in.

Michael the married guy was by two days ago. Can't shake him out of my head. I like him a lot.

Tuesday that follows Monday

A week left before tax returns have to be mailed off. I'm only about six feet underground with everything, but not so badly that I can't power out of it in the morning.

The pool is green again. I think I've found a cook top that would be very cheap, but .. I'm also not thinking that spending a dime here is the best plan.

Guy was coming over tonight, so I was finally motivated to move the wireless router to a place that would give a stronger signal. Or something. If I were going to stay here, I'd figure some better solution -

So, today I received the SECOND missive from someone who hates immigrants, people of color and anyone who isn't white and middle class, asserting that Teddy Roosevelt had been ugly about the concept of immigrants who don't attempt to integrate themselves into our society.

Right at that VERY moment, someone posted a passage from Leviticus on dailykos.com - it was beautiful. I just cut and pasted the passage into a reply email - let's look at the whole thing here...

Feds to Deny Health Care to Undocumented Workers
by SusanG
Tue Apr 11, 2006 at 03:01:59 PM PDT
Terrific:


Born out of ongoing efforts in Washington to clamp down on illegal immigration, the new federal requirement compels anyone seeking Medicaid coverage to provide a birth certificate, a passport, or another form of identification in order to sign up for benefits or renew them.
...
The requirement was tucked into the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed into law earlier this year.
...
The intent is to prevent undocumented immigrants from posing as citizens and taking advantage of taxpayer-funded healthcare benefits that are afforded only to legal residents.

Three points:

1. From a purely selfish public health point of view, is it really a good idea to deny diagnosis and treatment to 12 million people ... ever? But particularly when there are concerns about a pandemic? This should make going to the supermarket a total crap shoot for the rest of us, yes?

2. Attention! All you Christianists who want to embed the Bible in the Constitution! Embed Leviticus 19:33-34 in there while you're at it:


" 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

3. Hey! GOP! Quit sneaking (or "tucking") appalling shit into legislation under the dead of night. It's a tip-off that you're ashamed of the crap you're trying to pull and that a majority of Americans - who at heart a generous people - would not approve. If you think you have terrific ideas that will lead to the public strewing flowers and candy in your path, come out in the open and say so. If you think we need convincing, make your case and convince us. But you're looking like midnight cowards with these actions, and rightly so.

I'm wondering how many of these Bush-crazed zealots think it's going to be a good idea when we drop nukes on Iran in a few weeks. They're going to probably tell me how evil the Iranians are, and how it is only the most appropriate disposition of force, considering how we're buried up to our ears in Iraq.

I wonder what they're going to say when the Iranian Navy sinks a few of our big assed ships. With those sneaky, Russian built missles that the Russians developed because they couldn't keep up with the American weaponry, especially the Navy. So, they created an anti-ship missile that's faster than anything we have to shoot it down, flies lower than we can detect, and has a warhead strong enough to break the back of a Nimitz aircraft carrier.

I've been saying we had too many of those damned things, anyway. I wonder if the Iranians need a scrapped aircraft carrier as an artificial reef? Perhaps we'll offer up one of the older carriers, so that we get the best ROI. Send the least capable and oldest ships into harm's way in this one.

After all, we're sinking the Oriskany off the coast of Pensacola. It's a proven technique to enhance undersea life.

I'm getting more and more excited about the Lucerne. I need to go to the credit union next week.

Tomorrow, at least, I have a nearly unrestricted day for work. Today, I had a doctor's appointment at 9, breakfast with Mary at 10, and the Chiropractor at noon. I got home at 2:30. Yurg. I did get a lot done this afternoon, but having had a full day to work would have been better.

Favorable reviews of the Lucerne -

I'm feeling validated .. here are two short articles about the car, first from CNN/Money magazine. The second is from just a few weeks ago in the Austin American Statesman.

This well-thought-out machine offers a bit of hope for troubled automaker General Motors' future.

FORTUNE Small Business Magazine
By Alex Taylor III, FSB contributor
April 7, 2006: 4:14 PM EDT

NEW YORK (FORTUNE Small Business Magazine) - It takes me only a few minutes to figure out whether I'm comfortable in a new car. Sure, familiarity helps, but so do good ergonomics, intuitive controls, fine materials, and accommodating seats.

The 2006 Buick Lucerne felt as comfortable as an old sweater from the moment I climbed into it, and my appreciation only grew after logging close to 300 miles on the odometer over the span of 36 hours. This is one well-thought-out machine.
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A GM winner: The Buick Lucerne
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BUICK LUCERNE '06

* CSX V-8: 275 horsepower

* 0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds

* Base sticker price: $35,256

Does liking a Buick make me an old fogey? I hope not -- both for my sake and for General Motors'. Buick has been taking a beating lately because of fears that it is dying along with its customers.

There's some truth to that. Buick buyers are among the grayest for any brand, with a median age of 65, and as they move to that great parking lot in the sky, their children and grandchildren are moving on to other nameplates. Short of cash, GM has accelerated Buick's decline by diverting scarce resources elsewhere, leaving the division with a hodgepodge of vehicles that are long in the tooth, badly cribbed from other models, or both.

With the 2005 LaCrosse, its first shot at reviving Buick, GM failed to add enough spice, but it has cooked up a winner with the Lucerne. The recipe is the same: Take an existing platform (in this case the Cadillac DTS) and give it a new look. The difference is the attitude.

The Lucerne has a rakish stance -- new for Buick -- and seems to be leaning slightly forward on its tires. Its metal skin is wrapped tightly around the frame, especially in the rear fenders, and it's devoid of ornamentation. The front end is forgettable -- the gaping Buick grille evokes no emotion of any kind, and the headlamps are nondescript -- but the rest of the car looks stylish and contemporary. Fake portholes, an amusing retro touch, identify it at once as a Buick.

Sliding behind the wheel, I immediately noticed that Buick has channeled Toyota's knack for making intuitive switches and controls. A special award goes to the audio system, which allows you to toggle effortlessly between AM, FM, and XM Satellite. It became quickly indispensible during my drive in a part of upstate New York that is starved of radio signals. One complaint: The headlamp/wiper stalk, which seemingly populates everything in the GM lineup, is a bit too familiar.

The Lucerne comes with a V-6 standard, but the V-8, Buick's first in a decade, is the way to go here. It's GM's proven Northstar engine, and it puts out 275 horsepower, enough to push the Lucerne to 60 miles an hour in 7.6 seconds. For a front-wheel-drive car, the Lucerne tracks through corners with a minimum of fuss and never feels unstable. This is a big sedan, yet it's responsive enough to be fun to drive. The base sticker price for the V-8 version: $35,256. The CXS test model I drove, with iridescent sharkskin paint, temperature-controlled seats, and other goodies, came to $38,480.

In its struggles for survival, GM has introduced several new models that were supposed to save the company but failed to live up to their billing. Almost no hype surrounded the industry launch of the Lucerne at the end of 2005 -- the car appears in dealerships this month -- but it delivers a near-perfect blend of brand, concept, and execution and offers a bit of hope for GM's future.

COMMENTARY: PETE SZILAGYI
Buick's best ever?
Probably. Updated Lucerne comfortable, roomy, classy – a premium car without premium price tag.

By Pete Szilagyi
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Saturday, March 25, 2006

ith General Motors' problems gone public, everybody's an expert on the company's miscues.

Here's my take: GM should have moved more creative capital to Buick in the 1990s and regularly updated its core lineup of sedans instead of trying to become an SUV company.

GENERAL MOTORS
(enlarge photo)

The Buick Lucerne is front-wheel drive, a benefit when driving in wet weather.

GENERAL MOTORS
(enlarge photo)

The Lucerne's roomy cabin is modestly but smartly furnished with unobtrusive dials, two 12-volt plugs and an MP3 player plug-in.

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When the Buick Lucerne was launched late in 2005, my cynical side thought it might be a warmed-over, "oops, they did it again," ditto of a 1980s design. Then I looked more carefully and drove one for a week.

The Lucerne seems to be a fine car, following Buick's traditional values of plush comfort, roominess and a dose of filigree. It's technologically up-to-date, and an engineering and stylistic success. Probably Buick's best ever.

Like the Chrysler 300 and Mercury Montego, the Lucerne is a modern version of the full-size American road car. As befits the class, Lucerne's cabin is like a living room, but one with smart, modern and efficient furnishings. Even large drivers should be comfortable in the wide seats, though lumbar support might be insufficient. The trunk is roomy enough to hold golf bags and ice chests.

The Lucerne is cousin to the Cadillac DTS, which basically gives Buick buyers premium DNA at more affordable prices, in this case $26,000 to $35,000. That makes the Lucerne lineup $8,000 to $10,000 less than DTS models, which are dressier but not necessarily better equipped than the Buicks.

The Lucerne has three trim levels — CX, CXL, CXS — starting with a 197-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6. But the 275-horsepower V-8 is better matched to the Lucerne's weight. Gas mileage is just a couple of gallons fewer than the V-6's, though premium gas is recommended for the V-8 and not for the V-6.

My test model, a CXL with V-8 (total sticker price, $34,595) seemed to be a good balance of price vs. performance.

The Buick is front-wheel drive, an important plus for wet-weather traction but a negative for aggressive driving. It suits the Buick's personality well, with the torque V-8 pulling this sizable car along smartly for urban errands and highway cruising. One more gear in the automatic transmission would be helpful.

Although the CXL's electro-magnetic steering felt overly light, the body structure was stiffer and driving dynamics sharper than in previous Buicks. Insulation from road and wind noise was impressive.

Wisely, stylists weren't influenced by what's cool in Japan and Europe. They created what is clearly a Buick, right down to the faux portholes on the front fender. Moreover, they knew when to stop.

Inside, simplicity seemed to be the goal as well. Dials and buttons are unobtrusive. Two 12-volt plugs and an MP3 player plug-in are provided front and center. Yes!

The dashboard, console and door panels are relatively plain, with pleasingly tactile surfaces. It is the "less is more" school of design. It's hard to believe I almost wrote off this car.

In his 24 years of writing a column for the Austin American-Statesman, Pete Szilagyi has driven more than 1,200 new cars and trucks. You may reach him at petesz@macconnect.com.

According to Pete . . .

Target audience: Buick aims Lucerne at middle-agers falling out of love with their SUVs and ready for the traditional Detroit luxury car.

Highs: Styling, ergonomics, engine, roominess.

Lows: Needs a 5-speed automatic, better lumbar support.

Bottom line: The 21st century Buick.

So, this isn’t so much fun anymore

Mitch (the owner of this house) has now broken up with his girlfriend, and has brought his druggy ways back here. He has come here twice in the last four days, waking me up in the middle of the night and wanting to yammer at me about bullshit that he’s been talking about for years. Then, he has to do drugs and stay up until all hours of the morning. Last night, he managed to close ALL of the blinds in the house, lock himself into the upstairs bedrooms (both of them,) and let Barney out of the back yard. I just came home from a few hours away running errands and shopping with Chuck, and his truck is in the garage. The house smells of chemicals, and he’s no where to be found (although I must admit that I didn’t go into the last bedroom to see if he’s passed out there.)

I have to speak to him tomorrow or tonight and tell him that a.) I’m not interested in buying the house at anywhere near to what he’s asking, b.) I’m not willing to live here if he’s living here (I didn’t sign on for a room mate,) and c.) no more late night visits or drug use here, please.

Seems that Cassandra the Psychic was right on in telling me that it’s not the place for me to live. Yurg.

She said a lot of things yesterday. I’m digesting them, and I’ve shared most of them with Chuck – but no one else.

My wireless network isn’t working worth a shit down here in the living room. Blarg.

So, I’ve been out shopping for cars for months now. Ruby’s nearing 90,000 miles, and she’s had a few expensive repairs. She’s still not quite right, and .. well .. it’s been five years now. I’ve looked at the Phaeton (and shied away given that it’s probably the most expensive car to own in the US right now,) the Acura RL (which is about the same size inside as my friend’s Honda Civic four door,) the Infiniti M35/45 (which uses cheap looking elements inside, and doesn’t work with my Bluetooth at all,) and .. I didn’t like any of them enough to do something.

I’ve been looking at the Buick Lucerne online for a while. I saw one in Florida while helping my Dad shop for a car, and I saw one at the car show. They were both CX models – the base model that replaced the base LeSabre. Not impressive at all.

Of course, the one that I like the best is the CXS, which is basically a Cadillac DeVille DTS as a Buick. All the equipment that one can get on a DTS. Same engine, driveline, suspension, so on. I had looked at it, and it was interesting – nearly the exact size as the Acura RL, Infiniti M and Lexus GS. Much less money.

I took Chuck over there today to look at one that I had seen on David Taylor’s inventory. We didn’t see the one that we went to look at, but saw one that was black with the Tuxedo Blue and shale interior. It had everything on it but the navigation. They were willing to discount that one. I want one with navigation. Same colors, but with navigation. I asked them to order me one. They were all nervous about it. Apparently, the one I drove has been sitting there for some time unsold. They REALLY wanted to sell me that one.

I’m loving many things about this house – the room, the storage space, having the space between all the stuff. The backyard for the dogs. The garage. The wide driveway. But, you know – the house on Arncliffe that I used to live in would have these features; it would need updating, but it would have everything that is here – just not quite SO much room. But enough.

I do like this house, and this much room though. Cassandra said that this particular house was NOT good. And that Mitch was not someone to engage in at all.

Barney came back around noon, by the way. He’s had his little adventure. Ugh.

Another very full day tomorrow. I need to be rested; hopefully tonight won’t be full of drama.

Tuesday with DeLay

Interesting. I read last night in a breaking news piece that DeLay was going to resign his seat in the House and not seek re-election. Immediately, I thought "that means they're fixing to nail his butt."

How many others are going to get caught up in this? Will we see this go straight up to the top?

If they were stealing your wallet, would you look the other way?

Every year, the board of trustees of the Social Security Trust fund is required to produce and release, by April 1, a report about the Social Security Trust fund, including:

the balance in the fund
the financial performance of the investments
disbursements
a five year forecast

This is so that the public can see what is happening to the balance in the fund, and what trends there are.

The social security trust fund is overfunded, and the bush administration has been talking about eliminating it, or changing it.

With the administration clearly intent on doing what they choose to do, regardless of the laws that are on the books, the Treasury Department's statement today that not only was the social security report NOT released, but that they have no plans TO release it is very disturbing (to me.) It should be disturbing to everyone.

This shows a fundamental indifference to the letter of the law and their disclosure of what they're doing with public trust funds.

This is probably the most serious thing I've written to you
about.

It's time to get on the phone and call your United States senator. I
called Kay Bailey Hutichison's office, and just asked "why is this not being
released? I think this is important to know what is happening here."
They're "looking into it through the DC office and calling me back."

The rest is what I copied and pasted from two web sources. After you
read this, call one or both of your US Senator's offices and ask "where is
the Social Security Annual Actuarial Report, and why are they not going to
release it as required by Statute?" Be nice about it, but ask why
until you get to a staffer who will help.

I looked into the statutory obligations of the Social Security Trustees
as set out in the Social Security Act and this is what I found:


The Board of Trustees shall meet not less frequently than once each
calendar year. It shall be the duty of the Board of Trustees to-

(1) Hold the Trust Funds;
(2)[11] Report to the Congress not later than the first day of April of
each year on the operation and status of the Trust Funds during the
preceding fiscal year and on their expected operation and status during the next
ensuing five fiscal years;
(3) Report immediately to the Congress whenever the Board of Trustees
is of the opinion that the amount of either of the Trust Funds is unduly
small;
(4) Recommend improvements in administrative procedures and policies
designed to effectuate the proper coordination of the old-age and
survivors insurance and Federal-State unemployment compensation program; and
(5) Review the general policies followed in managing the Trust Funds,
and recommend changes in such policies, including necessary changes in the
provisions of the law which govern the way in which the Trust Funds are
to be managed.

The report provided for in paragraph (2) above shall include a
statement of the assets of, and the disbursements made from, the Trust Funds during
the preceding fiscal year, an estimate of the expected future income to,
and disbursements to be made from, the Trust Funds during each of the next
ensuing five fiscal years, and a statement of the actuarial status of
the Trust Funds. Such statement shall include a finding by the Board of
Trustees as to whether the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund
and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, individually and collectively,
are in close actuarial balance (as defined by the Board of Trustees). Such
report shall include an actuarial opinion by the Chief Actuary of the
Social Security Administration certifying that the techniques and
methodologies used are generally accepted within the actuarial profession and that
the assumptions and cost estimates used are reasonable. Such report shall
also include an actuarial analysis of the benefit disbursements made from
the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund with respect to
disabled beneficiaries. Such report shall be printed as a House document of the
session of the Congress to which the report is made. A person serving
on the Board of Trustees shall not be considered to be a fiduciary and shall
not be personally liable for actions taken in such capacity with respect to
the Trust Funds.

Source article

The Missing Report
By Matthew Yglesias | bio
I spoke to Sean Kevelighan at from the Treasury Department's public
affairs office about the case of the missing Trustees' Report. He said "there
isn't a timetable" for the release of this year's report, but that there
would be a 2006 report, he just couldn't tell me when. I brought up the
Trustees' apparent statutory mandate to produce a report by April 1 and he said
he didn't know anything about that, but conceded that there is a statutory
requirement to do a report each year. "I wish I could tell you more,"
he said.

I don't know exactly where this fits on the fishiness scale, but it's
pretty fishy.

Monday, Monday ver. 754.01

Okay, I need to run downstairs and grab another cup of coffee before working on this.

The house is amazing, how quickly everything's coming together. Chuck came by last night and said "P&J were shopping for a freezer, and didn't find one, but they DID find a cooktop at the scratch & dent." So, I'm waiting to hear from him today as to WHERE this cooktop is, so I can go nab it.

Everything is looking so awesome. I need some book cases, I need a queen bed frame/mattress/foundation, a dining table and chairs, some drapes, more cleaning (say, a week's worth,) a pool man and three Centro Americaners with weed whackers.

Today, I have to organize the office and prepare a stack of tax returns. I was expecting Babs today, but she's MIA at this time.

I'm on dial up until Wednesday. At least they CAN get the DSL out here. Thank goodness; RoadRunner is so damned expensive. The ceiling fans in here are awesome. Last night, I think Chuck got frostbite, and the thermostat was only set to 74. I think I can go up another degree or better on the settings and see how that is.

If Barbara comes over, I'm setting her on the guest room. Daniel is coming over later, and he's going to be scrubbing the kitchen floor, the back door (outside, it's disgusting,) the upstairs bathroom and .. something. Oh, the windows on the front door. Scraping and cleaning.

Sleeping in this house has been interesting; for one, it's so big, that it requires an expanded sense of self, second, it's so QUIET. No drunk screaming people in the parking garage at 2:30, no cars bustling in and out, no roaring air conditioner, no rock quarrying upstairs.

I'm really loving being here. I'm already so much more comfortable here it's amazing.

Dial up is a hoot - it's so 1997. Still, it's better than working on my CELL phone. Urg. I need to finish up these non-work tasks, get downstairs and clean up, and then start putting this place together. Back later.

Friday - the last day at the Casita

I think I only have about another ten minutes of internet connectivity before they shut it off to transfer to the new place. I won't know until later this morning whether they will even be able to turn ON the DSL at the new place; otherwise, I'll have to go back to Road Runner.

Not a peep out of Mitchell on whether he's gotten the electric meter fixed, so as to know whether I'll have power this weekend, nor about the keys, the cooktop, and his vague statement about coming "this weekend" to take his bed and dresser out is rather .. well, unbelieveable.

I had forgotten to watch what was being packed, and all my Pyrex measuring cups are gone - so, I was boiling water for coffee in a cereal bowl this morning. Just like camping, isn't it?

I have so MUCH stuff yet to hand carry to the car, drive out west and unload before the movers arrive after noon ...

Toosday. Tuesday. Twosday.

Greetings from the largest totally invisible city in the Generica.

Again with the rumors about Houston being nuked by the Bush neocons to create an event that will allow them to further control the process and suspend the constitution. WHo knows? It could all be just so much "black helicopters and UN storm trooper" nonsense, but it's the THIRD TIME IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION. What's up with THAT?

I'm going to have to break down and take an antihistimine. Urg. All this dirt that's being raised is just too much to handle.

I couldn't get myself out of my chair to take another load over to the new house today. I have some kind of sinus infection, I think. I've been running a low fever, and I can tell those "cedar pollen" signs in my stomach and head.

FINALLY, tax return business coming out of the woodwork. I also must get on the stick with some mortgage books. That before I move, I guess.

Mitch is already waffling on longer term at the new place. Well, I can deal with that, I'm sure. He wants to sell it, for sure.

Had good news at the doctor today - blood sugar was normal, cholesterol was normal, blood pressure was so close to normal that we called it that, triglycerides were slightly high, as were liver enzymes. I'd lost three pounds in two weeks.

I wonder what time Guns will show himself tomorrow. He made mention of having some time conflict in the morning. I'm hoping to feel so much better in the morning that I can bound out of bed, throw the hanging clothing, the closet stuff and .. well, isn't that enough .. into Ruby and make a run out west.

Barney is starting to display some real signs of winding down. He sleeps so soundly now that clapping my hands loudly doesn't bring him around. I have to go nudge him to get him to come outside. He has been limping this week, and is having trouble balancing when he's standing. Plus, Lisa and Rick kept commenting yesterday and today that he's drooling a lot.

Yurg.

New place - dogs kept only on slate tile floor. No carpeting movement at all.

Had lunch with Chuck today at Denis' Seafood Restaurant near Memorial City. It was lovely. Chuck was wearing a dark blue/gray suit, with leather braces, a white shirt and beautiful tie. He looked like a million dollars. He had atchafalya catfish which was so tasty it could have altered the flow of space and time. Wow. I had fried catfish, which was outstanding - this from someone who doesn't LIKE catfish!

I just love Chuck. I adore him. I'd have a very hard time being without him. You could just eat him with a spoon.

Time for snoozing.

Moving energy, moving mountains

Well, I've decided to move. I'm moving into a house on the west side of Houston - something large enough for all my stuff. I have made a spectacular deal to live there, and I'm looking forward to leaving where I am. I've started packing things and moving them here and whoo boy, do I have a bunch of crap! How did this happen? It's everywhere - boxes and boxes of stuff I don't use. Stuff I didn't remember I had. Supplies of stuff that hasn't been touched in eight years.

However, when my dad comes to help me work through all this unpacking and cleaning in the new place, I'm sure a lot of it will be used.

Tuesday, it's the clothing, the rest of the books, the boxed stuff in the closets, the rest of the glassware, the cleaning supplies, the stuff from the walls, and the rest of the tschotkes. Wednesday, it's the pots & pans, the stuff in the pantry, and packing up the office.

Part of this process is that New Vision is having their garage sale in a month; I'm going to seriously undertake to unload a bunch of this stuff.

Thursday ..

But what to say about this Thursday? I've cleared through a bunch of paperwork, done about six tax returns, talked on the phone, gottena commitment for new book keeping work for tomorrow, freaked out twice, stressed all day long, and .. what has been accomplished?

Chuck is headed out of town in the morning, and I'm watching his dog. Interesting. His house is SO cute. He has all this furniture and stuff - who would have guessed?

Class tonight was outstanding - we talked about death and dying. It was terrific.

Will the clients come through tomorrow, or is big time change in the works?

Shame (and we ain't talking Evelyn Champagne King here)

Source article from Georgia10

by georgia10
Tue Mar 21, 2006 at 03:51:32 PM PDT
I am ashamed. I am ashamed of this President. Aren't you? After watching his press conference today, a sense of shame overtook me. I'm ashamed that he took to the podium today as if he emptied out a container of laughing gas. I'm ashamed of a President who has the temerity to laugh when asked a question about war. I'm ashamed of the whores of the fourth estate who care more about having the honor of being the butt of one of the President's jokes than about exposing the truth to the American people. I'm ashamed that millions of my fellow Americans are so scared and so desperate for leadership that they believe the President's bullshit.

I am ashamed. I'm ashamed of this President, this megalomaniac hellbent on leaving his assprint on the map of the Middle East, no matter how much destruction is wrought and no matter how much blood flows in the streets of lands that never threatened us. I'm ashamed that when I see the American flag waiving, images of flag-draped coffins flash in my mind. I'm ashamed of Freedom's MarchTM. Ashamed when I see villages reduced to rubble. Ashamed when I see the tiny little corpses. God, they're so painfully tiny--lined up in a row, little angels wrapped in colorful blankets that starkly contrast against their gray-tinged faces. Ashamed when I see wailing Iraqis slam their hands against plain, unvarnished coffins, over and over, asking "Why? Is this democracy? Why?" When I see those image of funerals, of broken families, I want to crawl into my TV, I want to go to them and grab their slumped shoulders and scream "I'm sorry, good god, I'm so sorry. I want to leave, I want us to leave, believe me. But they won't listen...No one listens anymore."

I'm ashamed that the word "massacre" is even uttered in connection with our actions in Iraq. I'm ashamed it's not just one massacre that is alleged, but two. I'm ashamed it's gotten to the point that I can't even tell this little voice inside of me to shut up, that little voice that says maybe, just maybe it could be true. That the impossible may be plausible. Before this war, I would have rejected such claims outright. But that voice of plausibility is the consequence of those black hoods. It's the consequence of those leashes, those snarling dogs. It's the consequence of those detainees chained to bedframes. Of naked pyramids. Of forced sex acts. Of beatings and blood-streaked floors.

I am ashamed. Ashamed that Justice is no longer blindfolded, but gagged. Ashamed that in America, in AMERICA, I can only protest in "free speech zones" the size of postage stamps. Ashamed that by the time I'll take my oath as an officer of the court to support the Constitution, I'll be swearing to uphold a tattered document that has managed to survive over 200 years only to be shredded by this President in less than eight.

I am ashamed. Ashamed that in America, I see bearded men panhandling in the street, holding cardboard signs that read "U.S. Vet, can't work, need food. God bless." Ashamed that somewhere, in our America, a grandmother is sitting alone at her kitchen table, crumpled bills clutched in her thin hands, agonizing over the choice before her: medicine for her pain, or food to keep on living. Ashamed that there is a child who will go to sleep tonight on a cot in an orphanage, with no one to read him a story, no one to stroke his hair and kiss him goodnight, because the American Taliban thinks gay Americans can't love, can't parent, can't provide.

I am ashamed of my fellow Americans. Ashamed that they haven't flooded the streets. Ashamed they care more about Brangelina than the Bill of Rights. Ashamed that they're seemingly ok with the subtle but steady transformation from democracy to dictatorship. Ashamed that they are so gullible.

I am ashamed of myself. For not having the courage or the strength to do anything else but sit here and blog. I write. I protest. I vote. And yet, I'm impotent. Stuck in a unrelenting cycle of hope and despair and hope and despair. What a curse it is to be 23 and want to change the world. What a curse to be so disillusioned so early in life. What a curse to want to change a world that will not change...that cannot change? That cannot change as long as we sit and wait for others to change it. That cannot change as long as our elected Democrats refuse to take a principled stand. That cannot change until they--until we--appreciate the gravity of the situation before us: we are losing America.

This is not America. I refuse to accept it. America doesn't torture. America doesn't jail people incommunicado for years. America doesn't sit idly by as an entire people are exterminated in Darfur. America doesn't stifle science. America doesn't conduct massive, secret spying on innocent citizens. America doesn't believe the individual is an annoyance, an impediment to supreme government power. This isn't the greatest democracy on earth. This isn't the nation that pioneered human rights. This isn't the America that leads the world, that leads humanity towards a greater good. No, I refuse to accept this America of shame. This is not my America. It is an America perverted by Republican stewardship. A nation that under GOP rule has abandoned its founding ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all. True Americans--coast to coast, young and old--now bow their heads silently in collective shame for a nation that has lost its way.

Monday, Monday ver. 739.01

What a weird day. Guns showed up 40 minutes late, as per the norm, with another dramatic story of domestic silliness in the heterosexual community. We worked out for a bit more than an hour, with today's unusual physical activity involving squat jumps - crouching as low without resting on one's heels, then jumping (thrusting) upward and forward as high and far as one can off of the heels.

Three sets of 15 forward; three sets of 12 backward. Oof. And, I'm not wiped out like I was last week when we did lunges. I also failed to almost pass out, and I didn't have to lie on the floor for 15 minutes.

Guns was most impressed.

Then, I came back here, had a phone call or two, an IM or twenty, did my reading, did my banking, started getting cleaned up for a lunch meeting and had the most COOL and amazing idea about redeveloping existing subdivisions. I had to call Donna about it, and she got all excited too.

Lunch with John, Tom the Army Boy was our waiter, and oh my - he's a good one. Came back, more phone calls. All of a sudden, I remembered that I needed to put Ruby in for balancing/rotation and alignment. So, off to NTB (in the neighborhood) to drop her off. They wanted $8.99 PER WHEEL for balancing. I was like "you have GOT to be kidding me, right?"

I mentioned that I had purchased the tires from Sam's Club and had free balancing there, but didn't feel like driving outside the loop to accomplish this - I almost walked off, but then I thought - I have WORK to do today; I can't afford to drive a half hour to a Sam's, wait for two hours, then drive a half hour back. So, I turned back to the counter and said "just do it, please. I need it back by 5." They did it FOR FREE. Thank you VERY much.

Walked home by way of Randall's, the mailbox and the Warner Cable store. Then, what did I have to work on? Something. Then, it was nearly time to pick up the car. The mechanic at NTB told me that he's tweaked something in the suspension, and that it should both ride and handle much better. Then, off to have her cleaned up.

I'm driving to Port Arthur in the morning, and then back here to work for a while, then down to class in Clear Lake. Ruby was a little bouncy in the front between 60 and 70 mph.

So, that's done. I've gotten (through paid help) more Fabulair events researched up. Seventy one of them, actually. So, that makes - 20 + 47 + 71 + 50 = 188 events for the calendar. Only 2,312 to go.

I have signed up as the class reunion contact for our 30th anniversary of high school graduation (no one else was doing it,) but I'm NOT going to be the one who plans the whole thing. Fabulair will.

Hump day - jump day

The second day of working out with "guns." He had me working on legs. Now, I understand why Guy speaks about legs with some trepidation. I did "lunges," for the first time, and after two sets (12 lunges each side) I was ready to pass out.

I had to lie on the floor for about 15 minutes. Yet, I feel so much better physically. Wow.

What I find also interesting about working out with "guns," is that I find him completely uninteresting sexually. It seems like a good idea (now that I've been thinking about it) to delay any potential sexual contact until AFTER several days or weeks, and after the initial rush of attraction has passed.

It's nearly time for sleep. I'm reading an article about just how bad the debt and deficit has gotten. It's pretty shocking. Like, really shocking. As in .. holy shit, are they KIDDING?

When Clinton left office, less than 2% of the government's cash flow was from borrowing. Now, it's over 20%. Doesn't everyone know that the Federal debt is financed on an ARM? As in, the rates adjust? As we issue new debt, it's at newer or higher rates. Can't anyone see that the rise of interest rates is going to turn this whole tax cut/rampant spending increase plan of the last six years into a train wreck?

I think it's best to stay a renter. Holy shit.

Canada is looking better and better.

Here's the article ..



Economic Suicide

By: James Turk, The Freemarket Gold & Money Report





Copyright © 2006 by The Freemarket Gold & Money Report. All rights reserved.





Anybody who has been lending money to the US federal government by buying T-Bills and its other debt instruments received a brutal one-two punch last week. It was hopefully a sobering experience, causing them to question why they would want to hold any US government paper.



The Washington Post landed the first punch with the following report on March 6th. “WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary John Snow notified Congress on Monday that the administration has now taken “all prudent and legal actions,” including tapping certain government retirement funds, to keep from hitting the $8.2 trillion national debt limit…Treasury officials, briefing congressional aides last week, said that the government will run out of maneuvering room to keep from exceeding the current limit sometime during the week of March 20.”



The second punch was delivered a couple of days later by this Dow Jones Newswires dispatch: “WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- The U.S. government ran a monthly budget deficit of $119.20 billion in February, an all-time monthly record that was still slightly less than forecast, according to a Treasury report Friday. The February federal government deficit was 5% greater than a year earlier, according to the Treasury Department's monthly budget statement.”



These two reports make clear the dire financial straits the federal government is facing, but its financial position is even worse than it appears. The $8.2 trillion debt limit -- that has proven inadequate to meet the federal government’s borrowing needs -- covers only its direct liabilities. In other words, this $8.2 trillion is the total amount of dollars owed to all the holders of US government debt instruments. Excluded from this total debt are all of the federal government’s other liabilities, which total another $38 trillion. In “The 2005 Financial Report of the United States Government”, US Comptroller General David Walker reported that “the federal government’s fiscal exposures now total more than $46 trillion, up from $20 trillion in 2000.”



Yes, it’s insane. But it’s even more insane that people buy the US government’s T-Bonds and T-Bills thinking that they are a safe, low-risk investment. Maybe they used to be that, but things change. US government debt instruments are no longer a safe place to park your dollars. To substantiate this assertion, here are some shocking facts to mull over.



1) REVENUE -- Federal revenue peaked at $2.03 trillion in 2000, and then declined for three years, bottoming in 2003 at $1.78 trillion. That’s never happened before. Revenue typically declines during a recession, but the most it has ever declined before was two years in a row, during the severe recession of 1958 and 1959. Revenue has rebounded the last two years and reached $2.15 trillion in 2005, but in constant 2000-dollars (i.e., adjusted for inflation), revenue remains 6.3% below that received in 2000.



2) EXPENDITURES -- While the federal government’s revenue has been constrained, not so with expenditures, which have continued to soar. They were $2.47 trillion in 2005, an alarming 38.2% above the federal government’s expenditures in 2000. Expenditures soared even in constant 2000-dollars, scoring a shocking 21.8% increase over the five years from 2000 to 2005.



3) RELIANCE UPON DEBT -- As a consequence of constrained revenue and uncontrolled spending, the federal government has come to increasingly rely upon debt in order to obtain the dollars it spends with gay abandon. In 2000, 1.1% of the federal government’s cash flow (revenue plus the annual increase in debt) came from new debt. This reliance on debt grew to 20.4% in 2005. In other words, for every $100 spent by the federal government in 2005, $20.40 came from borrowed money, compared to only $1.10 in 2000.



4) INTEREST RATES -- Of all the major expenditure categories of the federal government, only one declined from 2000 to 2005 -- interest expense. It paid $361.9 billion in interest in 2000, and its interest expense burden fell to $352.3 billion in 2005. During this period, the federal debt climbed 40.5% from $5.63 trillion to $7.91 trillion. So given this increase in debt, it is obvious that the federal government’s interest expense burden declined for only one reason -- interest rates fell. In fact, the average interest rate paid by the federal government on its debt in 2000 was 6.4%; it was only 4.6% in both 2004 and 2005.



5) INTEREST EXPENSE BURDEN -- During the 1990’s, 24.0% of the federal government’s revenue on average was used to pay interest on its debt. During the Bush administration that burden has declined to only 17.5% on average. The reason is that the 5.2% average interest rate paid by the federal government during the Bush administration so far is significantly less than the 7.2% rate it paid on average in the 1990’s. It is clear that the lower interest rates engineered by the Federal Reserve after the 2000 stock market peak have favorably impacted the federal government’s budget. Lower interest rates reduced its interest expense burden, thereby making the deficits incurred so far during the Bush administration much smaller than they would have been if higher interest rates prevailed.



The above facts are indeed shocking as they clearly highlight that both the runaway growth in federal spending during the Bush administration and the resulting deterioration in the financial position of the federal government have been cloaked and little noticed because interest rates have been falling in recent years. So the above facts therefore make the immediate future frightening because as we all know, the Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates.



What will happen to the federal government’s financial condition now that the Federal Reserve is raising rates in order to try suppressing the growing inflationary pressures in the economy? The federal government faces a potentially toxic mix of constrained revenue, soaring expenditures, ballooning debt and rising interest rates.



The federal government desperately needs strong economic activity in order to generate the highest possible tax revenue to decrease its reliance on debt. But rising interest rates work against this objective. Rising interest rates dampen economic activity. We have already seen what has happened to the housing market since the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates.



In addition to adversely impacting revenue, rising interest rates also have an unfavorable impact on expenditures. This impact is purely mathematical. A 6% average interest rate on $8.2 trillion of debt results in a higher interest expense burden than a 4.6% rate.



Thus, higher interest rates restrain tax revenue while increasing the level of expenditures. Together these factors worsen the budget deficit, which then causes the federal government to borrow even more money. The resulting higher level of debt leads to a greater interest expense burden, further worsening the deficit. Consequently, the federal government is rapidly moving to the point where its borrowing becomes an increasingly important source of the dollars that it needs to meet its interest expense obligations.



It is clear that these circumstances create a vicious circle where the federal government borrows money to obtain the dollars needed to meet its debt obligations. This condition is not sustainable, and it will end in one of two alternatives -- either the dollar is saved or it isn’t. If the vicious circle is not addressed and corrected, it will turn into a death spiral in which the dollar is destroyed.



To explain this point, the federal government will never default on its debt. With the ever-helping hand of the Federal Reserve and the banking system, the federal government will always come up with the dollars it needs to meet its interest expense and other debt obligations. But if the vicious circle described above is not addressed, the federal government will repay its debt obligations with dollars that are worth less and less until they become worthless when the death spiral occurs.



The vicious circle does two things. First, it increases the supply of dollars by creating ‘out of thin air’ the dollars needed by the federal government to meet its debt obligations. The second point is less obvious but just as pernicious. The vicious circle lessens the demand for the dollar as people over time come to understand the ruinous, underlying dynamics of what’s happening to the currency. Higher supply and lower demand mean only one thing -- the purchasing power of the dollar is being inflated away.



These circumstances are not new. They are experienced by every fiat currency sooner or later when the discipline of the gold standard is removed. The discipline of the gold standard is needed to constrain government spending. In the absence of that discipline, a fiat currency inevitably reaches the vicious circle. In fact, it’s even happened before with the dollar.



The dollar was in a vicious circle during the waning years of the Carter administration. Paul Volcker was appointed Federal Reserve chairman to break the vicious circle, and he did it by raising interest rates. He kept raising interest rates until real rates (nominal interest rates less the inflation rate) soared to greater than 6%, historically a phenomenally high rate. It was not surprising therefore that the demand for the dollar started rising, thereby breaking the vicious circle and saving the dollar from a death spiral. But Mr. Volcker had an advantage not available today to Mr. Bernanke.



Back then the federal debt was not the burden it is today. Recall that the US was the largest creditor nation in the world back then. The total level of dollar debt was not only much less, but manageable in the environment of rapidly rising interest rates and the high real interest rates ushered in by Mr. Volcker.



Today the US is the world’s largest debtor. The US savings rate is negative. American home owners have consumed most of the equity in their houses. In short, the federal government and many consumers are borrowing just to try keeping their head above water. What’s worse, there is all the uncertainty arising from trillions of dollars of outstanding financial derivatives, essentially none of which existed during Mr. Volcker’s era.



In short, Mr. Bernanke cannot raise interest rates the way Volcker did, which I believe is well understood by both Mr. Bernanke and Mr. Greenspan. After all, look at what happened during the last year of so of Mr. Greenspan’s tenure at the Fed. He raised interest rates, but throughout this period, real interest rates remained close to zero and at times were negative, which is a condition that creates a highly inflationary framework for the dollar. In other words, there was a lot of jawboning from Mr. Greenspan to save the dollar from inflation by raising interest rates, but he did not even come close to following in the footsteps of Mr. Volcker. Mr. Bernanke won’t either.



Today’s monetary system is not only broken, it’s completely crazy. For this reason I found the following quote in the current issue of Barron’s to be of interest. It’s by Richard Daughty, from the March 8th issue of his newsletter, The Mogambo Guru (9241 54th St. N., Pinellas Park, Fla. 33782):



“What a scam! The week [before last], the Fed snaps its fingers and creates $2.2 billion, and then uses it to buy $2.2 billion in government debt! What in the hell can you do but laugh at the sheer audacity! Somehow, a government creating more and more money and spending it is not, for the first time in history, going to turn out to be a bad thing? And especially one where the money is just paper and computer blips that they can create on a whim? Of course, I sigh wearily as I note that the banks themselves are in on the scam, and they bought up another $13 billion in government debt [the week before last]. Foreign central banks continue to soak up government debt, and they swallowed another $7.6 billion [that] week, too. The government sells debt to get money to spend on its deficits, and the bank creates the money to buy the debt. Debt and money supply both expand, and it expands to create a bigger and more expensive government! And higher prices. This is economic suicide!”



Indeed, it truly is “economic suicide”, but it’s even worse than that. It’s also monetary homicide. The dollar as we know it is being killed, poisoned by debt from the hand of the federal government with its accomplices in the Federal Reserve and the banking system. So far it’s been a slow death, with few people watching, but that’s about to change. With the horrific new amounts of debt being injected into the dollar’s weary remains, its death is not far off.



link to article

Monday, Monday ver. 734.01

Interesting day - I spent nearly three hours on the phone today with a client about a job that they want done; it's something I've been expecting to be assigned since early December. I need to write up a proposal and scope of work then send it off. Tonight just won't happen, though - I'm just wiped out.

Went today (for lunch) and drove a VW Jetta TDI. It was a great little car. It seemed to be more than adequate; the one I drove had some cool features. It was getting 33.6 mpg according to the trip computer.

However, I think I'd just soldier on with Ruby rather than spend $26000 on a car. Ruby needs a little more attention, unfortunately, some of that would best be done by T, who is about as unreliable as anyone else.

Tonight, my head is just splitting. Don't know why. I'm going to take these dogs out in a few minutes here and then hit the sack early. I have a big day tomorrow, and lord, I'm falling behind faster and faster. As Robyn said, I seem to be overcommitted.

Hoo, I have two term papers to write this week, a visit to a hospice to make, four "client" treatment plans to write, tomorrow night's class to prepare for, tax returns to crank out.

I am very excited about our New Vision garage sale at the end of April. I have a TON of stuff that I'm going to clear out and sell. I am just sure that the group can raise all of the money necessary to move into this new space through this garage sale. I can feel it in my heart.

Today, I got the Fabulair trademark certificate from the US Government in the mail. Pretty cool stuff. I worked on the Cafe Press site tonight, and then begged for help from the more technically proficient on my "team."

Tom is going to work on some of the back office and techincal functions of the Fabulair website, which is just SO wonderful. I should email him and ask him if he can do some of the adobe work that I need done about a month ago.

Since I can't get anyone else to do it.

Okay, so I'm going to walk the mutts, and crawl into bed early. I think that this headache is sinus related, since it's abated after pumping a bunch of Tylenol and decongestant into it, but I'm still feeling yucky.