The Lid Lives

Winning over the Middle

2011-12-15T03:43:00.000-08:00

Every election the Republicans are told over and over again by the Media they must have a candidate that appeals to the Middle if they are to win. Then the Media goes about systematically attacking each Republican front runner by portraying them in a way they think will destroy their appeal to the Middle. The Democrat candidate ,in this case Obama did not get this treatment in 2008 and will not get it in 2012,so it is up to the Republicans, and also the candidate, to make Obama unattractive to the Middle.

To most of us in 2008 Obama’s rhetoric, lack of experience, and roots in that filthy sewer of US politics, Chicago, was a dead give away the man would be a disaster as President. This did not sway the Middle. His claim that proper tire inflation could replace oil supply lost through lack of offshore drilling was a tell to most thinking people the man was either a complete idiot or a pathological liar. This did not sway the Middle. His association with known anti-American radicals such as his preacher did not sway the Middle.

The Middle are in general a group who do not wish to make waves or hear loud voices of those who have convictions. They want America to solve its financial problems but are not willing to make the hard choices needed for that to become reality . They are the Middle. Their strongest convictions are those positions they last heard explained to them by the Media. These convictions could change by bedtime depending on what late night TV show they watch. The country’s problem is not so much Obama as it is the people who voted for him.

The solution for the Republicans is simple and probably why they fail to see it. You make Obama completely unappealing to the Middle by portraying him as the hapless dork that he is. You run video of him looking like Forrest Gump riding his bike at Martha’s Vineyard, you run the video of him throwing the first pitch and bowling. You do this 24/7. No American Idol watching member of the Middle is going to vote for a man who throws a ball or rides a bike in this manner. If bowling was a more popular game there is no way Obama could have been elected. This incompetent boob has had more verbal gaffs than any public figure in my memory. YouTube is littered with them. You run these 24/7. The Middle will not be won over by reason or common sense solutions to our economic woes. Of course any honest discussion of Obama, his beliefs, his incompetence, or his record will be termed negative and dirty politics by the Media, The gutless Republicans can not let this deter them. If we don’t get down in the gutter and fight Obama and the Media that supports him, we lose and it’s game over for the good ole USA.
To win the Republicans must portray Obama as uncool, and the incompetent boob that he is. This is what stirs the Middle. It will be their call to arms.

My Ten Favorite Politicians

2011-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

1. Al Gore - there are so many instances of corruption and outrageous mendacity in this guys career I don't know where to start. So let's go to his most recent. The man made global warming scam that he helped create and now has made hundreds of millions of dollars from is probably the largest fraud in the history of mankind. Twenty years from now Warmers will be mocked for their complete idiocy. Taxpayer and US citizens are in danger every day this schmuck is not in prison.

2. Fast Franklin Raines- not only did this guy cook the US books under Waskally Willie but also managed to loot Fannie of billions thru book cooking and incompetence. He was at the center of the greatest scandal in US politics,the systematic looting of the taxpayer of billions via Frankie and and his Democrat buds.

3. Barney Frank - Its easy to say this guy is just an incompetent boob,I mean how don't you know your boyfriend is running a whorehouse out of your home? This guy with the help of the insane Maxine Waters helped save Fannie Mae from the regulations that would have stopped the Democrat looting of said corporation which was the catalyst for the financial meltdown of 2008. No one person is more responsible for the financial meltdown,so what did we do ,we let him and fellow grifter Chris Dodd write the new financial regulations. Only in Washington DC.

4. The Clintons- Do we really need to go there?

5.Chucky Shumer - This guy just reeks of corruption and sleaze. All you have to do is look at this guy and know something isn't right.

6.Anthony Wiener- Pervert and lunatic socialist.

7.Rahm Emanuel - Weasel. After a short stint on BOD of Freddie Mac,he was offered a multi million dollar a year job on Wall Street. Corrupt to the core.

8.Daley- Even though this guy was genetically predisposed to a life of corruption,he was on the BOD of Fannie Mae. He was there when Dems were stealing everything that wasn't tied down.

9.Eric Holder- As with so many Democrats,you don't if he a complete idiot,lunatic socialist,or just a liar. This guy is probably all three. He approved the pardon of criminal Marc Rich.

10. Ed Randal- Just look and listen. Ok,this is easy,what politician from Pa. isn't a crook but this guy like Shumer just reeks of it. Its that Jim Wright thing,you just know they are lying through their teeth every time they speak.

PS. Under no circumstances bend over in the presence of any of these guys

The Problem with Housing

2011-11-01T06:06:00.001-07:00

US housing has in great part been built and supported by government subsidies. The first great subsidy was the mortgage deduction. The next was the low interest rate and easy money policy of Greenspan. Tack on to that the Clinton first time tax break on a home sale where the first $500K is tax free and you have some pretty good reasons to put money in real estate rather than stocks or anywhere else for that matter. . Add to that the federal governments pressure on banks that started under Clinton to write mortgages to people who could never ever pay them back and you have the makings of serious bubble. As with any industry or business supported by government subsidies the only way it can continue to grow is with more subsidies. Its a fact.

The only way to cure the excesses in housing and begin a real recovery is through a cathartic process. Instead our government is attempting to further encourage people to stay in mortgages they cant afford even at lower interest rates. The same government whose affordable housing policy pushed people into these mortgage now wishes to imprison them in a life of debt and misery. I guess this is compassionate liberalism. These same policies keep new buyers out of market. Decades of government subsidies have come home to roost.

Now with with many local and state governments in jams because of fiscal irresponsibility, taxes on real estate are increasing and that will not stop. Utility costs of home ownership increase each year. So instead of new subsidies to further support home prices,home owners are faced with increased overhead.

The government has also tried to inflate our way out of the housing mess. To date this has failed but has succeeded in destroying many in the middle class who are savers or live on fixed income. Those who have lived responsibly and made good decisions are being punished by the very government that created the problem.

There is also no way of telling how much capital has been miss allocated because of the favorable tax treatment of mortgages and the Clinton tax break. The market will find a way to reallocate this misplaced capital,the end result can only mean lower home prices.

Things Liberals believe, a work in progess

2011-08-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

1.Spending money, that your crazy Uncle Benny is printing in the basement is creating wealth.
2.Republicans want to starve children,old people,and poor people
3.Republicans want to poison our water and air
4.Those who pay taxes are not paying enough.
5.Belief that man can change the weather and climate by using certain types of light bulbs. To date there absolutely no scientific proof of man made global warming.
6.FDR pulled us out of the great depression with massive government spending.
7.George Bush created Hurricane Katrina
8.Republicans are racists.
9.Republicans want to end SS
10.Bush and Cheney started Iraq war to benefit Haliburton.
11.Cheney is a Nazi
12.All wars initiated by Democrats have been smart wars(obamanism). WW One,WW Two,Korea,Viet Nam,Afghanistan Two,and Libya.
13.Bush and Cheney were somehow involved in 911.
14.Capitalism is evil the and foundation of all our problems
15.Obama is intelligent
16.Would buy something from Harry Reid or Jim Wright
17.There is absolutely nothing improper about the President abusing a young intern in the White House. After all she was wearing a thong and should have known better.
18.There is a great Right Wing Plot.
19.Republicans want old people,children,minorities,and gays to die
20.George Bush was somehow involved with four other white cracker racists in the dragging death of William Byrd in Jasper Tx.
21.Teddy Kennedy wrongly persecuted because of a drunken slut who was seducing him did not know how to swim.
22.Republicans masterminded a plot to extend the Iranian Hostage Crisis to insure Jimbo Carters defeat. This included a midnight flight in a supersonic spy plane to Europe by soon to be VP George Bush to convince Iranian terrorists not to release hostages until Reagan won.
23.Barney Frank is an honest and competent human being
24.Turbo Tax is difficult to understand
25. New Technology creating much of present economic problems
26.Christians are nuts
27.Timothy McVeigh was a Republican
28. Cuba health care system is superior to US.
29.Proper tire inflation can solve the worlds energy crisis
30.George Bush was a conservative
31.James Carville and Paul Begala are honest,civil and intelligent.
32.Terrorists from other countries and illegal immigrants have same rights in US as US citizens. They should not pay taxes.
33.Bill Clinton balanced the budget and reformed welfare
34.Voters should not have to prove they are US citizens
35. Illegal immigrants should be able to vote and get free college education
36.Building schools for murdering barbarians in Afghanistan will make Afghans like us.
37.Government spending creates self sustaining jobs and wealth
38.There is no problem when a company like Countrywide gives special mortgages to Democrat Senators.
39. Algore invented the internet
40. The Middle East has contributed much to today’s civilization.
41. John Kerry is breathing.
42. It was ok for Robert Byrd to have been a leading member in the KKK because he was able to loot enough money from taxpayers to keep West Virginy solvent and his family very wealthy. But Republicans are the racists.
43.Oil companies collude with one another to fix prices and destroy the environment.
44.Most Oil company employees are aliens who can live in our polluted environment.
45. Henry Waxman looks a like a normal human being
46. Dennis Kucinich is a reasonable person
47. Donny Deutsch is not creepy
48.Believe John Stewart is a real news anchor

Few Suggestion on how Federal Government could save money

2011-07-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

1. Legalize all drugs. The cost savings would be huge. We could end the War on Drugs, if you haven’t noticed we have been getting our asses kicked for 40 years in this War. We could empty prisons of Americans there on drug charges,cutting billions from prison costs. The gang wars on Mexican border would stop overnight. More Mexicans would choose to live in Mexico. The government could find some large political contributor, like GE,and let them manufacture and sell drugs within our borders and of course share in the profits. Guess we forgot that prohibition thing did not work to well in the 20s. Best of all a person like myself who is unable to drink alcohol could fire up the bong tonight as I get ready to watch Breaking Bad or Wilfred. Think of the millions of new jobs in our new drug industry as well as rehab industry. Its a gold mine. What are we waiting for?
2.What the fuck are we doing in Afghanistan? Why are we building schools for cavemen who hate us when there are Americans who can not read and teachers who if they can find work cant make a living wage? Have we not read world history? Afghanistan intervention led to the demise of both British and Russian empires,so we figure WTF,lets give it a ago? Its not like we haven’t fucked up everything we have touched in south east asia or the mid east. Making the same mistakes over and over with the same horrid results is either the sign of insanity or an American politician.
3. Make Unions illegal for government employees. This needs no explanation
4.Shut down Fannie and Freddie. Get the government out of the home business and while we are at it end the mortgage deduction for homes.
5. Sell the Post Office to private enterprise.Yeah,this would hurt the important junk mail industry but so be it.
6. Shut down Dept of Education and Commerce
7. Start profiling at Airports and start curtailing TSA.
8.Sell Amtrak to private enterprise
9.Make it illegal to collect pensions from more than one government agency.
10. Stop all foreign travel for Congress.

Amazon

2011-07-29T04:29:00.000-07:00

A friend who lives on the other side of Houston wanted me to read a book he had just finished.Two days later I received the book from Amazon. It was used and cost $2,shipping was free because my friend is an Amazon Prime member,as am I. It would have cost each of us $5 in gas and several hours out of our day to meet to exchange the book. It was cheaper to buy it from Amazon and have it delivered. This event keeps intruding into whats left of my alcohol ravaged brain reminding me of the genius that is Bezos and the fact that I sold AMZN at $80 for a $5 profit. Strong stocks get stronger you moron.

Democrat Game Plan

2011-07-27T19:13:00.000-07:00

1.Blame Bush
2.Blame Tea Party
3.Blame Billionaires
4.Blame Private Jet Owners
5.Blame Bush
6.Blame Supply and Demand
7.Blame the Unfairness of it all
8.Hatred for anyone who has more than you or is more successful than you
9.True Economic prosperity can only be created by Government Investment(freebasing your tax dollars). Say this one over and over 10 times a day,then send it to 35 people you know and it will come true.
10.Only white cracker racists would oppose the incineration of more of their money by the Central Planners
11. There is no Inflation
12. But if there is Inflation it is good.
13. More inflation is better. Inflation is a hidden tax on those who save and used to pay for government schemes, like the con we are pulling on China. Communists are born suckers. In the end our government transfers the wealth of the middle class and the Commies to those in US who have been held back or trampled by Capitalists.
14. Blame Bush
15.Cant we all just get along
16. Republicans want to starve old people,children, and your pets.
as possible.
17. Racist Republicans do not properly inflate their tires
18.Everyone should be able to buy a home,even if they cant fog a mirror.
19.Turbo Tax is hard to use
20. Save us Hillary,but lose the pantsuits.

Please Stop the Noise

2011-07-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here we go again. Just as with Tarp,the GM bailout,Stimulus 1,2,and 3,as well as QE 1,2,and maybe 3 Obama,Democrats and their lapdog media have to whip us into a panic to sell the notion that to avoid the end of the world we must raise the debt ceiling. They say we must do this to avoid a downgrade but the agencies that would do the downgrading say they want 4 trillion in spending cuts. So why is it we need to raise the Debt ceiling which allows the government to spend more money they don’t have? You see the insanity of the Left’s and Media’s argument. They are saying we must spend more to avoid downgrades which their spending will trigger or are they saying the only way they will accept cuts far out in the future is if we allow them to spend more now?Like petulant children they will scream and yell till they get what they want. They want more spending,less cuts and most important they want credit for any deal done. So how do we stop the 24/7 panic machine of the Left?
It should be obvious with the medias non coverage of Obama’s wars compared to the 24/7mad dog attacks on Bush for his war,that the Media will only accept spending cuts if they come from a Democrat. We all know,no Democrat worth his offshore bank account is gonna cut spending,which in effect lessens the power of a Congressman and his ability to raise personal "funds". Their power is derived from their ability to spend taxpayer money or Bernanke play money and the US tax code. Its why they will never stop spending or reform the tax code. Our only hope is a Manchurian Candidate. A sane fiscally responsible man or woman would have to masquerade as a Democrat ,infiltrate the party,and win the nomination.
Unfortunately by the time our Manchurian Candidate is old enough to run the good ole USA will be Greece. So I suggest Rep.Boehner go to Obama with a deal and agree to call it Obama’s Deal but dont worry the media will call it that anyways,just like they did when Republicans dragged Waskally Willy kicking and screaming to a balanced budget and welfare reform. This is where it gets good,you offer Obama a life time membership to Augusta if he accepts spending cuts. No way he turns that down. Once that is done,start working on the Cypress Point membership that you will need in 6 months when this whole God forsaken mess comes up again.

The Middle

2011-05-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of hearing the talking heads preaching how the Republicans need someone who can appeal to the middle. Like Dole,McCain,and Bush? That’s how we got into this mess.
They pretend to pity the Republicans because “those tea party people” are putting pressure on them to be fiscally responsible. In truth any Republican who appeals to the middle will probably continue to drive the US down the “Road to Serfdom”. The middle is the problem,they are mindless lemmings heading for the cliff. They don’t want confrontation or tough choices. The middle favors the status quo. If the Republicans give us another one of these candidates,it will surely be the end of the Republican party and probably the country. We need someone not of the Republican-Democrat spending machine. We need BAchman.

The Wedding Toast

2011-05-23T04:01:00.000-07:00

This was the plan,almost got it right but did leave some out as the my memory is not too good in front of 200 people and the tux choking my fat neck.
i would like to thank everyone who has traveled to Dallas for this wonderful occasion and beautiful wedding. Even though Dallas lacks the charm and sophistication of Houston,it is still part of Texas does have the Mavericks, and I hope you all are enjoying it here. This will probably be the most I have talked in the presence of Patty and Martha the past 6 months so excuse me if I am a little nervous.,I found out quick any time I spoke even it if it wasnt with a wedding suggestions, I got icy glares , or just told to go away. As my brother in law Doug MacLeod counselled me the best way to get through this stressful pre marriage period is to shut up,show up,shell out.

I would like to recognize two couples tonight, my parents Bob and Shirley Preston and Jims grandparents Jim and Chris Georgeadis both celebrating their 60 anniversary this year. Jim and Patty this is what its supposed to look like. Both couples are excellent representatives of the greatest generation, Bob and Jim served in the Pacific theater of WW2 and were entrepeneurs who were very successful in the retail and wholesale Oil business. As a side note Jim did not have the advantage of the large child slave labor force my dad had.

Patty and Jim met while in studying abroad in Italy. I can’t think of a more romantic place to meet. I know that included a couple trips to the beatiful Cinque Terra,much wonderful food and wine.
I have no idea what they were studying over there or were you studying.?
Tonight also represents a union of my two favorite states.My home state of Pennsylvania,known for its beautiful countryside, rugged and hardworking residents,the Steelers,wonderful Italian food, horrible winters,crooked politicians mixed with Texas. known for its endless horizons,friendly residents,larger than life characters, frontier spirit,far ants,great Tex Mex and of course crooked polticians.

The moment we met Jim we felt as if he was part of the family. We knew he was the guy for Patty when while hiking in Sedona he saved our family from a horde of wild javelinas by screaming a popular 4 letter profanity while running very fast in the opposite direction.

Jim has also become sorta of legend in the Dallas investment community by not only becoming one of youngest VPs in his firm but also one of the shortest in duration.

When Patty was in college she would call us before and after every test freaking out. I am going to fail or I did fail. The result was 4 years of straight As. Jim, these grades do not come from my side of the family. Unfortunately this has carried over into her job,and now we get the same calls a couple times a week about how she is failing at her job, she is gonna be fired
Jim it is now your duty to bring Patty down from the ledge each week . she is all yours now Jim. These calls now go to you,we wont be taking them anymore.
Jim as you and your family discovered very early Patty is unable to drink and wear high heels shoes. She becomes very wobbly and ultimately falls down. This does come from my side of the familly. Because of this I instituted the rule,after two drinks Patty must either be barefoot or stop drinking. I suggest you enforce this rule.

Through this marriage you are also related to the worst backseat drive in the world, Pattys twin sister Sara. Have fun with that one.

Jim, a good friend gave me some sound advice in the early troubled days of my marriage.He told me all I had to do to have a happy marriage was remember 4 things. Come home bearing gifts on Valentines Day,Birthday, Mothers day,and today your anniversary. So far,it has worked. And I would like to add do not gamble against your wife on the golf course and never let your wife watch you gamble in Las Vegas. Neither ends well. But no matter how much you have to give in on things,never let the TV remote out of your control, thats the last shred of dignity we have left.

Patty and Jim,the best advice I can give is always talk with each other, always eat dinner together,dont keep score ,dont be afraid to tell your partner what you think,dont be afraid to get mad at each other,dont be afraid to give in and whatever you do,dont drink black russians..

Lastly Patty and Jim, when in doubt take deep breaths and repeat the mantra of the great Frank Kastanza. serenity now

Deja Vu all over again?

2011-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

Checked into the Stoneliegh Hotel in Dallas for my daughter Patty’s wedding. We are here for a week. Internet access still sucks. Last time I spent a week in this hotel was after Hurricane Ike hit Houston. We stayed here till our power came back. That was also the week the market got murdered. I remember following Joe Donohue,Upsidetrader,tweets. He was short the world and as the market collapsed he pressed his bets. It was indeed impressive. I would try to make the occasional dip buy and then lose my internet connection,only to find out by watching the TV or calling my broker I had had my head crushed in. Then when my internet would come back I would see Joe had shorted where I had bought. It was a painful day in learning you don’t fight the flow,you make the market your friend. If the wind is in your face all you have to do is turn around and its at your back. I love shorting but am long various stocks long term so I am hoping this isn’t a repeat of that black week a few years ago. Whatever happens I am going to follow what Joe does this time.
On another note it really sucks NFLX chooses to implode the day I am out of the office. I knew at some time my cancellation of NFLX subscription would be too much for the stock to handle.

There will be no inflation

2011-04-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

It is obvious after today to even the most economically illiterate, the government is in the process of monetizing it’s debt. Simply put,the US government is gonna screw anyone who is a saver,lives on fixed income, or any country that has bought US debt.
In a perverse way it is also a massive redistribution of wealth. It is destroying the value of dollar to pay back debts built up financing social and entitlement programs. This inflation will also help pay for the millions of government employees and their sweet health and retirement programs.
How can any person think they are capable of managing something as massive as the US economy and its money supply is beyond me,but both Bin Greenspan and Uncle Benny believe they are up to the job. They are central planners,like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain,with the same amount of effectiveness.
It’s really no surprise,governments have been robbing citizens since the beginning of time through various methods of inflation. Before the advent of paper money and the magic printing press,rulers had to physically change the size of coins. Coins got smaller and smaller till there was nothing left.
It is surprising the central planners are sticking to this there is no inflation story. I guess they figure,if we were stupid enough to vote them in we are also stupid enough to believe there is no inflation.
You see wages are not going up,homes are not going up in price,and technology devices are falling in price. But oil,food,commodities,stocks are going through the roof. Never forget these are same scoundrels who caused the financial crisis by forcing banks to loan money to people who could not fog a mirror.
In truth there is no way out. We either stop spending and live within our means,which will cause a slowdown and a painful recession,but with tax reform and smaller government the US economy will rebound from it stronger than ever or we keep printing money, destroy our currency, and let society fall into chaos. Doesn’t seem like that difficult a choice,unless you are a US politician.
In the meantime I will spend more time in meditation.Inhale,there is no inflation,exhale. Repeat.

Some swing thoughts I worked on tonight

2011-04-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

1.
1.Take it back slow
2.Keep left foot on ground
3.Keep right foot on ground
4. Drop it in the slot
5.Fire the hips
6.Bump the hips
7.Release through the ball
8.Keep head still
9.Let head move
10.Visualize
11.Wait on it. This used to make a lot of sense when I drank.
12.Keep a light grip
13.Keep your mind clear of clutter
14. Bend knees more
15. Stand more upright
16. Change equipment
17.Short NFLX
18.Keep body behind ball
19.Arnies Grip
20.Keep head behind ball
21.WTF every happened to Jimmy Balard
22.Swing around the body
23.Fire through the ball
24.How many strokes will Boehner give Obama
25.Really, a movie rental company is the market lead. Really?

e it back slow
2.Keep left foot on ground
3.Keep right foot on ground
4. Drop it in the slot
5.Fire the hips
6.Bump the hips
7.Release through the ball
8.Keep head still
9.Let head move
10.Visualize
11.Wait on it. This used to make a lot of sense when I drank.
12.Keep a light grip
13.Keep your mind clear of clutter
14. Bend knees more
15. Stand more upright
16. Change equipment
17.Short NFLX
18.Keep body behind ball
19.Arnies Grip
20.Keep head behind ball
21.WTF every happened to Jimmy Ballard
22.Swing around the body
23.Fire through the ball
24.How many strokes will Boehner give Obama
25.Really, a movie rental company is the market leader. Really?
26.Never think or say the word "shank".

Ten Worst Shots in Golf

2011-01-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

1. Baker Finch hits building on 18 from #1 tee on Old Course.
2.Norman almost hits auto on display in middle of lake on 18th at Doral,with a 7 iron!
3.Norman power shanks 4 iron 2nd shot on 18th in 1986 Masters deep into gallery to lose Masters.
3. Seve hits a drop kick duck hook 4 iron on 15 in 1986 Masters,to lose same Masters
4.Davis Love 3 whacks 20ft putt to lose US Open. Left 2 putts short.
5.Norman hits driver putting fairway trap into play in sudden death at Troon. Norman loses again.
6. Phils power shank drive on #18 2006 Open at Winged Foot..
7.Anytime Weiskopf played #12 at Augusta.
8. Me,Texas State Am. Stonebridge Dye,1990. Tried to hit a 3 iron 3 times on #12,a 220 par 3 over water with a 30 mph sideways wind. One putted for 13 and then parred out for 92. Never hit a 3 iron over 200yds in my life,so I have no idea what I was trying to do.
9.Numerous Norman shots the day he laid down and let Faldo run him over.
10. Me again, Back to School Tourney,1969. Someone told me on 18th tee, a 185yd uphill 3 that I had a 2 shot lead. With a gallery behind green,car lot to the right,shaking like a dog,I opted for a hard duck hook into the junk yard that bordered the left side. Punch out, 3 putt to miss playoff by 1 shot. Cried on way home,then got drunk.

The Absolute Worst Ten Things in Texas

2011-01-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

1. Shiela Jackson Lee
2. August
3.September
4.Joel Osteen
5.Dallas
6.Houston Texans
7.Dallas Cowboys
8.Galveston
9.The people who elected Shiela Jackson Lee
10. Fort Stockton

What a Way to Start the New Year

2011-01-06T17:05:00.001-08:00

We all hope to make a bingo in every scrabble game,nothing is better than the expression on your opponents face,especially if said opponent is your wife,when you lay all 7 down. When I saw my first set of tiles,I knew immediately I had at least one word. I played STIFFED. Boom! In the next set of tiles I decided to keep the letters N G,in hopes of playing off the I in STIFFED or maybe picking up another I. Then on my third turn I play PREENING. Boom another Bingo. My total of 367 was low for having 2 bingos but what can you do. First play in a long time. Too long. One other nice play was V-ANS,that picked AXE and JOBS.

My 15 predictions for 2011

2010-12-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

1.Liberals and other lunatics will blame the severe winter on global warming

2.Obama will learn to speak in public without using a teleprompter(maybe)

3.Tiger will win one Major.

4.Republicans will rightly finger Obama and Bennies easy money policy for $150 oil. Obama will blame greedy oil companies.

5.No Republicans will be caught soliciting sex from men or women in any public restrooms

6.Republicans and Democratic staffers will again make a fortune trading stocks

7. Doug Kass will announce he is net short the market

8. MSBC will hire the creepy Donny Deutsch to replace the dolt Kieth Olberman

9. The Street Dot Com will cease to exist

10. Miami Heat will shoot more free throws than any team in history.

11.Alan Greenspan will warn us of Inflation

12.Barney Frank will blame Republicans for Democrats looting of Fannie and Freddie.

13.Doug Kass will announce he is all in short the market

14. Hillary Clinton will divorce Waskally Willy.

15. Jim Cramer will give the all clear to buy stocks

My Ten Favorite Places to Drink

2009-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

In commemoration of my 13th year of sobriety I have compiled my 10 favorite places to get drunk.

Pinecrest inn http://www.pinecrestinnpinehurst.com/

Laquinta Inn(outside bar)

Dunvegan Hotel http://www.dunvegan-hotel.com/

The Lift Bar and Grill http://www.liftbarandgrill.com/

Bridges http://www.bridgesrestaurant.com/

Inn at Spanish Bay Bar (bar overlooking #1)

Old Marine Hotel, North Berwick http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/marine/

Bellagio (lobby bar)

Jigger Inn http://www.oldcoursehotel.kohler.com/restaurants/jiggers_inn_index.html

Pinehurst Hotel (front porch) http://www.pinehurst.com/

Enchantment (outside bar) http://www.enchantmentresort.com/

This is Change?

2009-09-02T03:03:00.000-07:00

How could this marvelous man fall into the same Health care trap door the Clintons did? Why did this smartest of all presidents use the same heavy handed and secretive tactics that doomed the Clinton plan and caused the Dems to lose control of Congress. Are their memories that short or is this only way these effete tyrants know how to govern. We were told Obama would end the politics of old,yet it appears he is a practitioner of the oldest kind of politics,Chicago thuggery.

The real question is how does a guy who actually believes proper tire inflation is a suitable alternative to offshore drilling even become a presidential candidate or graduate from college? The same dude wants to tell us how to live yet smokes like a chimney? OK,you are never gonna pick Obama for you baseball team or bowling league,but can you imagine if a Republican had thrown that pitch or gutter ball? Or why when giving a speech on a health care bill,he hasn't read and appears to know nothing about,would this man who is told us he would take us beyond race try and start a race war? To throw us off course? To hide the fact he has no idea what he is talking about? No,race is all they know. Its their "go to" move. They used it to stop Republicans from regulating Fannie,which may have allowed us to escape the financial disaster, they scream race at every turn on every issue. Yet Obamas own VP called him a "clean one". Complete insanity. And the ever vigilant mainstream media reports it only if its a Republican. Who can forget the uproar over Delay taking a few golf trips paid for by lobbyists? Yet there is not even a peep out of mainstream media over the Dems who looted Fannie and Freddie for personal and political riches or the Countrywide 6.

The Dems playbook is so thin,their only defense on a horrible health bill is racism. The same white people who put Obama in office now want to see him fail because he is black. The Republicans,the party who put Clarence Thomas on Supreme Court against fierce Democrat opposition,had a black Sec of Defense and Sec of State,are against Obamas health bill because they are racists. The mainstream media which appears now more than ever to be an arm of the Democrat party,reports every Democrat racism charge as if its fact. The same mainstream media failed to challenge Obama during the campaign and failed to alert the public about his beliefs. They failed to demand his college records. Can you imagine if any Republican had spent 20 years with Rev Wright,or called the anti American hate mongering racist a great influence?

As each day goes by we are discovering that Obama was listening to all the those Rev Wright sermons,when will the media report it?

More Barney

2009-08-08T02:46:00.000-07:00

Last week Barney Frank claimed he was one of the people responsible for new regulations on Fannie. this is akin to Ken Lay saying he was responsible for the downsizing of Enron. When our media and opposition party let politicians like Mr. Frank weave these tales of fiction they cheat the country and people. These lies become the truth. How can the person most responsible for the collapse of Fannie because of his opposition to new regulations proposed by the evil and racist Republicans now claim he is the person who helped regulate them? In a perverse way I guess you could make the case had Mr.Frank not stonewalled regulators as Democrats were looting Fannie for both political and personal riches Fannie would never have imploded and we never would have gotten the new regulations we have now,even though I am not really sure what these new regulations are. Every Republican and the media should be shouting this socialist lunatic down,instead there is complete silence.

Somethings never change

2009-08-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Even though severely limited by three days of Nyquil binging and a lingering cold I was able to beat Martha 336 to 311. A brilliant 52 point play of MIX secured the victory over my much more gifted and intelligent opponent(in case you didnt know she is a UVA grad).

Life Is Good!

2009-05-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

I began my fourth round of golf this year with three bogeys and following bird lip outs on 11 and 12, a double on 13 , I played the final five four under for a 76 . At this stage of the game I have to be happy any time I break 80. The best part is I won $90 from a group who is always offering to send a car to pick me up.

I followed this up with a complete trouncing of Martha at the Scrabble table, 392-320. This included a brilliant bingo with the word "reaired" making use of three connectors.

Unfortunately my weekend ended on a sour note as the Rockets were destroyed by the hated Lakers and Punk of the Decade, Kobe. Rockets were an easy team to root for, without Tracey,Yao,and Mutumbo and playing with 6'6" center, Chucky Hayes who was tough against the 7 foot homeless guy playing center for the gangsta Lakers . It is still a mystery to me how Ron Artest was ever considered a good defensive player or why he never ever goes to the hoop.

Trade Yao now while he can still walk, do not resign Crazy Ron, and keep Tracy if there are no takers. Despite all the detractors, I am still willing to give Tracy more time. When healthy there are few players with his talents, basketball IQ, passing skills, and his ability to take over a game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceLlz7dOOvY

25 people you dont want to share a life raft with

2009-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

but if you do, dont fall alseep. In no particular order. If its impossible to stay awake make sure you have your lifevest on securely. If its Barney,Clinton,The Juice,Larry Craig,Boy George or Manson you must stay awake or just throw yourself overboard.
Jeffey Immelt
Sheila Jackson Lee
Thomas Freidman
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
Paul Krugman
Anthony Weiner
Michael Wilbon
Chris Berman
Maxine Waters
Janeane Garofalo
Hugo Chavez
Tyra Banks
Rod Blagojevich
chuck shumer
Kobe Bryant
Bill Clinton
David Carusso
barney frank
chris dodd
john madden
lorena bobbit

John Edwards
al sharpton
Harry Reid
jesse jackson
paul begalla
lanny davis
Donald Trump
elliot spitzer
Trent Lott
franklin raines
Keith Olberman
osama bin laden
bill maher
charly sheen
algore
john kerry
joe biden
dr.phil
paula abdul (ok to pretend you are asleep)
james carville
larry craig
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Kim Jong-il
dan rather
Howard Dean
jim wright
Angie"the tan Man" Mozzila
Tim Geitner
jesse jackson jr
dennis rodman
rahm emanuel
denis Kucinich
Jim Cramer
Ted Kennedy
Robert KKK Byrd
Charles Manson
Tom Daschle
Peter Kostis
Boy George
Sergio Garcia
Barry Bonds
OJ Simpson
Chris Mathews
Henry Waxman
Osama Bin Laden
Eric Holder
Nancy Pelosi

The Slippery Slope

2009-04-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

We are way past the Slippery Slope. As we go racing towards more socialism it should be obvious it's impossible to reverse course on the Slippery Slope until we hit ground,and hit hard.

This should be really interesting watching the UAW and Federal Government designing and manufacturing cars,and making a profit. What would you pay to sit in on wage negotiations between the UAW and the UAW? How about Barney,Dodd,Robert KKK Byrd arguing over auto ergonomics? How about a Henry Waxman hood ornament? What about teleprompters as a new option, I often forget what I am talking about when driving wildly about town.
If only Bush had the guts to send GM into bankruptcy when he had the chance,but he was a compassionate conservative and chose to burden our children with the cost of this long dead industry by kicking the can down the road. there was a never a chance Obama would let GM declare bankruptcy and reorganize as many US industries have successfully done over the years because the UAW is one of the groups that own the Dem party,so now every US citizen that is a taxpayer,and there are fewer and fewer of those every day,will be forced to finance this debacle. The UAW has become a government agency. Management will be chosen by politicians and union thugs. Obviously the AIG disaster which was caused by executives chosen by Elliot Spitzer,after he ran off the CEO who founded the company was not reviewed before Obama and his gang of socialist grifters put this deal together. There is not one single member of this central planning outfit who has ever had a real job out side of government. Real jobs do not include community organizing, whatever Rahm Emanuel did to make 16 million in one year,or government employment.

Obama and his central planners appear ignorant of US and World History because this has been tried before and it has never worked anywhere. The argument of the planners is always the same,we are different or smarter than those who tried this in the past and just as Hayek writes in "road to serfdom" the central planners always make their power grabs under guise of some crisis or emergency,and that is exactly what has happened in the past 100 days.

It could be argued it would be difficult for the government and UAW to make a more undesirable product than GM management has given the consumer over the past 40 years but never underestimate the ability of government to fuck something up beyond anyone's wildest nightmares. Its what they do. See Fannie and Freddie,Amtrak,and of course the US Post Office.

How will the new GM,our completely corrupt federal government in partnership with corrupt UAW goons, entice consumers to buy their product rather than Japanese,German or Ford autos? First we have to wonder if they will really even care if they make a profit. Either way we pay because if they operate as the incompetents they are the taxpayers pay the losses,bonuses,and retirement plans of employees and union execs and if they try to make a profit they have to use some type of coercion to force us to buy their product.

As we know there has never been a government program cancelled and very few have ever cut expenses,so this industry is our next entitlement nightmare. Free markets have a process of clearing the deadwood from the system,its called bankruptcy,and it was GM's only hope. We have lost more freedoms in the past 100 days then in the past 100 years,because our strongest attribute was our free market capitalist system. Obama is doing his best to destroy it.

The Tell was always "proper tire inflation"

2009-03-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

It is humorous to see even the liberal media questioning the intellect and competence of their candidate. It has been obvious to me since Obama's claim that "proper tire inflation" could replace offshore drilling, he is an imbecile. He had a chance to say he was exaggerating or had made a mistake but for the next ten days he continued to stump for "proper tire inflation" as part of some grand energy policy. Its even funnier to see liberal masters of the universe like Buffett and Grove grumbling about how this isn't the Obama they voted for. If you listened to the media this isn't the Obama you voted for but if you did just a little investigating you find this is exactly the guy you voted for. He cant operate without a someone telling him what to say or reading from a teleprompter. He has little or no knowledge of US history,World history,or economics. His only job prior to being a Senator was as a community organizer, a person who spends most of his time facilitating payments from those who produce to those who don't and handing out beer and smokes to anyone who will vote Democrat.
What did the Republican candidate do when Obama offered up this boneheaded tire inflation plan? McCain ever the moron,agreed with him! Any candidate with a ounce of common sense could have destroyed Obama with the tire inflation gaffe,but McCain as usual put his finger to the wind and jumped on the Titanic.
So when you wonder why any President in his right mind would give the PM of England a Blockbuster set of DVDs,that don't even work on Great Britain TVs, or why he cant seem to talk without a teleprompter,or why he would make fun of the handicapped,or compare US corps to terrorists, or laugh at the huge losses people have taken in the market,never forget Proper Tire Inflation as an Energy Policy,and the media lapped it all up and defended the idiocy.

WSJ continues to connect the Fannie dots

2009-03-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Even though Saturdays WSJ article was about Maxine directing tarp funds to a bank she and her husband have a financial interest in, the real story is now we know why Maxine was so virulent and hostile in her defense of Fannie when Republicans tried to regulate the Democrat party run pubic company early in the decade. She called the investigators,regulators,and Republicans racists for wanting to reign in Fannie's corruption, derivative book,and money losing business practices. Instead of concentrating on how Maxine directed Tarp funds to a company she owns stock in we should looking at her fight to keep Fannie a corrupt and money losing company early in the decade.
Without Fannie there was no reason for any financial institution to make sub prime loans. Why would anyone originate a mortgage to customers who had no ability to pay them pack? Only because Fannie was there to buy them and create a market for them. Everyone in the game knew that you could always off these things on Fannie and if you donated money to Democrats or the party you could make a killing. Why else put a book cooker like Raines in as CEO? Why else put a grifter like Emanuel on the BOD of Freddie? You do it so business can be directed to the proper companies who have either paid you off,donated to the party or entertained you.
We know Dodd and the Countrywide 6 were given sweetheart mortgages for looking the other way as The Tan Man dumped all his sub prime garbage and fraudulent mortgages on the taxpayer backed Fannie. These scoundrels helped destroy US financial system and trillions in personal wealth in return for a few thousand dollars a year in mortgage payments. Now these same crooks are in charge of fixing the system.
This is also why you see Dems attacking Execs and Wall Street,they are hoping to distract the public from who the real thieves are. Today Obama and Congress are attacking AIG for bonuses when in fact Congress gave this money to AIG with no restrictions. Just another example of why Congress can not be trusted with our money. If they aren't stealing it,giving it to supporters,they are losing it through incompetence. How can let these scoundrels have control over any part of our economy given this record of corruption and incompetence?
The Democrat looting of Fannie and Freddie for personal and political wealth is the greatest scandal and most under reported scandal in US History. Why? I have no idea if the media just doesnt understand it or if they know and are covering it up because they support the Dems. Maybe the Republican need to grow a pair and get more vocal on this. The Dems lead the media around by the nose often because they create the most noise. Can you imagine if Republicans were behind a scheme that destroyed trillions in wealth?

The Elegant Appeaser in Chief

2009-03-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Why would Obama return the bust of Winston Churchill,which was a gift to the American people after 9/11,instead of giving it to the Smithsonian or quietly stashing it in storage? Why insult the entire country and the memory of one of the greatest leaders and protectors of freedom in history? Is it because of Great Britain's imperialist history and how they treated people of color over a 100 years ago or was it Great Britain's role in the foundation of Israel,or actions they took in Kenya decades ago? The president seems unable to move beyond race and get on with his new job,which is leading the country forward,not looking back at some injustice from over a 100 year ago. Seems like something Rev Wright might have done. Sure seems as if Obama was paying a lot more attention to the 20 years of Rev Wright sermons he sat through than he claims.

Then to add injury to insult he gave our best and only reliable ally a 25 DVD movie set from Blockbuster. Does he not realize that these movies are also shown in Great Britain? Surely no one experienced in White House protocol selected this shabby gift ? Didn't Sean Penn call Obama an elegant man at this year's Academy Awards Ceremony,maybe he was referring to the manner in which Obama reads from his ever present teleprompter? Giving the PM of our oldest and most trusted ally a Blockbuster Movie Set is as far from elegant as one can get. Either Obama hates the British or he is clueless on protocol relating to visiting heads of state. Does Obama not realize that Brown has seen all these movies as have most people in the world? Does Obama know that Brown is going blind? Maybe it was a practical joke? Can anyone imagine if Bush or any Republican has insulted not only Britain but the US is such a manner? The mainstream media would be having a field day and the comedians would be lampooning them. But the US media barely mentions these disgraceful acts.

This embarrassing episode follows Obama's first attempt at international intrigue in which he offered to throw the Czechs and Pols underneath the bus if Russia would handle the free worlds Iran problem. Huh? Has this guy been reading history or know anything of current events? Russia loves Iran and the misery it causes the US. Why does Obama think they they are aiding Iran? Seems Obama put his offer in writing rather than the time tested method of sending a secret emissary to test the waters before committing to dumping on the Czechs and Pols. Now the Pols and Czechs know we are not to be trusted and our enemies Russia and Iran have been given evidence that supports what they already knew, Obama is a weak and naive leader who will choose appeasement on issues of national security or when confronted.

As each day goes by it becomes more apparent Obama and his team are not ready for prime time or day time. We still wait for details on the banking plan that Tiny Tim Geitner and Obama have promised on numerous occasions and this we week learned Obama thinks the stock market is a tracking poll. He is right on one thing,our educational system is to blame for many of the present problems. How did this guy graduate or even get into Harvard and who would vote for a guy who has never had a real job in his life,never managed,never led,never crafted legislation,and rarely showed up for work as State senator or US senator,which for the record are not real jobs.

President in Training

2009-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

The bailouts are actually prolonging and making the recession worse.The market began to tank before the bailouts.
The real cracks in the Dow started to show when the Dem congress announced they would not renew the Bush tax cuts. Check the charts.We really don't know yet if Obama is an imbecile or a socialist tyrant bent on destroying capitalism. He really has no experience or exposure to capitalism,he has never held a real job,his background is in facilitating handouts to people who will vote for his party and trading smokes for votes, so maybe he just doesn't know any better. On the other hand he did spend over 20 years at the knee of Rev Wright and in his first book called him a great influence on his life. To me his policies seem more borne of Rev Wright than ignorance and I don't know which is scarier. Was his idiotic comment on Las Vegas intentional or the gaffe of a lifetime. Someone tell this rockhead Las Vegas employs more people than the auto industry in Detroit that still manufactures junk. Someone tell him Las Vegas is the most economical place for companies to have meetings. Do we have any numbers yet on how many people lost their jobs in Vegas because of his comments? I am sure the mainstream media will have them any day now.He has packed his cabinet with people who have no experience in private business but tons of expertise in gaming our political system,avoiding taxes,lobbying,and enriching themselves at mysterious jobs(emanuel). Their only experience is in government, a government that is broken and the cause of most of our economic problems.Where is the opposition party? The ever gutless Republicans are again doing their best to go along to get along,so they wont be called racists or lampooned by national media.Its time the republican party purge their ranks of moderates like Snow,Collins,McCain,and Spector. We need people of principle not those looking for TV face time or pork. One of the reasons the Democrat party is so far to the left today is W and Republicans pushed them there by taking up many of the old Dem party themes. The only way to bring the country and Dem party back from the edge of tyranny is for the Republican Party to become fiscally responsible again.

Republicans have only one chance

2009-03-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

After hearing that Obama paid off the guy who instigated the phony troopergate investigation of Palin during the campaign with a job in a federal agency yesterday, I am convinced the Republicans only hope of becoming a relevant opposition again is to take a little advice from Sean Connery's character Malone in the Untouchables.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g0RLyxP13o

Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do? Ness: Anything within the law. Malone: And *then* what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way. Because they're not gonna give up the fight, until one of you is dead. Ness: I want to get Capone! I don't know how to do it. Malone: You wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way! And that's how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I'm offering you a deal. Do you want this deal? Ness: I have sworn to capture this man with all legal powers at my disposal and I will do so. Malone: Well, the Lord hates a coward.

387- 240

2009-03-02T14:57:00.001-08:00

Another absolute slaughter by Martha. I can't take many more of these merciless beatings, I have to find a way to at least be competitive. Most of the mindless three letter words on the board are mine.

Winter Golf at WaterWood

2009-02-24T18:18:00.000-08:00

Martha sticks an 8 iron to 5 feet but three putts on #8. Fairways and Tees dormant but greens were a good overseed and not bad. This is a great Pete Dye layout from mid 70s. Unfortunately the economy is not helping the course conditioning. There is a ditch in front the green and a pond to the left you can not see as well as numerous pot bunkers. Originally is was a dramatically back to front sloped green that was a real challenge,but Dye redid it with all kind of funky humps and bumps and it is goony golf now. Reminds me of the greens on the River course in Kohler. 15o from whites and 196 from tips.

Total and Complete Annihilation

2009-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

Martha trounces thelid 397 to 240. Martha started off with a bogus bingo, acolade,which of course I believed cause Martha is always right. In my defense she didn't realize it was spelled with two c's. At some during the game it appears the L and A were switched. Very suspicious since this enabled Martha to play the work Nettle. She claims innocence. I believe her because she would have called me for adding S to the end of acoalde or the bogus accolade

Then when I had closed the gap to 40 points with a masterful display of two and three letter words,Martha throws another bingo at me,abeit a blank bingo, unmanned, and it was all over.

Victory is Sweet

2009-02-24T17:59:00.000-08:00

Managed to pull out a 297 to 271 win over Martha.

Its Better Than Doing Nothing

2009-02-20T07:07:00.001-08:00

It is better than doing nothing

Remember a time when our hearts and minds were stirred by JFKs "ask not what your country can do for you",MLKs "I have a dream", or Reagans "shining city on a hill"? Well our new leader is trying to temper the expectations and dreams those leades nurtured in us with his inspirational slogan "its better than doing nothing". The greatest country in the history of the world now drags it feet to the call of 'its better than doing nothing" and everyone is asking what can my country do for me.

Whats wrong with the Stimulus bill? Where do I begin? The Stimulus bill is what our government likes to do and does best. It wastes money. The strongest reason for supporting the bill is "it is better than doing nothing". How could so many incompetent and corrupt people be collected in one city,in one institution? Next time you make a personal financial decision , just tell anyone who asks you to justify your action, "its better than doing nothing". This is the new mantra of the Democrat Party and Media. The only government action I can think of where this might have been justified was the Iraq War, it was better than doing nothing. Can you imagine the uproar from Democrats and their useful idiots in the media had Bush used "it is better than doing nothing" as the main reason for the Iraq Invasion? And just like the Iraq War, this Stimulus bill will not be a one or two year event,the very nature of it means it has to continue. How do the jobs and businesses supported by the stimulus survive without more government spending? They don't.

We have a President who is a product of Harvard,we have many members of both houses of Congress educated at similiar institutions,dozens of advisors and consultants products of the best colleges in the country and their best reason for passing the stimulus bill is "it is better than doing nothing". This could be most the morally and fiscally irresponsible thing I have heard since the Proper tire Inflation debacle. I guess that was better than doing nothing.
When Congress or your friends ask you why you took out a sub prime mortgage to buy a house you could never afford,just tell them "it was better than doing nothing".
This is so sad its not even funny. Why do we go to work in the morning? Its better than doing nothing. The sense of a destiny mired in failure that "its better than doing nothing". When you go out buy an expensive watch or car and your wife asks you why you did it and how you can afford it, just say "its better than doing nothing". This reminds me so much of an oil trader I used to do business with. We were in the doldrums of the summer market and he was trying to short a dead market that just didnt seem to want to go either way. I asked him why he was trying to put this trade on ,and he said 'i'd rather have a bad position than no position". That seems to be how our government is operating. Oh,that trader declared bankruptcy several months after getting short. We would rather have a bad stimulus bill than no stimulus bill. Sound reasoning. Our President when questioned about the stimulative value of his spending plan,said all spending is stimulative. Hmmm. Yeah,and it is certainly is better than doing nothing.

We are headed in a direction where there can only be one of two results. We will either throw up arms and ask Obama or whoever is in control to take total command of the economy and our lives,because it is better than doing nothing,or we will hopefully find a leader who wishes to inspire us to greatness and will enter an era of discarding government regs on the economy,lower taxes,and drastic cuts in government spending and power. A leader who will tell us to pick ourselves up rather than telling us government is our only hope. The more the government does the more difficult it is for the private sector to perfom. These are truly dark days. But it is better than doing nothing.

Why not try instituting a 3-5 year hiatus on Mark to Market for the toxic assets? Thats easy,it might work but it would mean the government would not get to spend trillions. Why not form another Resolution Trust as we did in the 80s and dispose of the homes? Because it worked and means the government does not get to spend trillions.

How can the government put a floor under home prices? It cant. I mean it can try but it will fail and make the problems worse. Look at all government subsidy programs,they all result in massive market distortions,misallocation of capital, and of course failure. In fact our present mess is a product of federal subsidies. The insidious home mortgage deduction, Clintons 500k housing tax break, and using Fannie to backstop the subprime garbage are subsidies plain and simple.

We must take our pain now and get this over with. Our goverment has instead chose to bankrupt our grandkids because its better than doing nothing. Why does the government want my children to pay more for a home? Letting the foreclosures begin and housing prices fall would spark a tremendous rebirth in the economy with a plethera of new home buyers. Why is housing so expensive? Federal subsidies. Why is housing collapsing? Federal subsidies. But it is better than doing nothing.

The best and most intelligent thing our leaders could do in most instances is nothing. I voted in the last election for McCain because it was better than doing nothing. Please Republicans,no more compassionate conservatives or moderates,we need real fiscal conservatives who can sell and inspire.

Barney Frank

2009-01-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

The guy who stopped the gutless Republicans and W,when they controlled both houses of Congress, from regulating the way Fannie did business,you know,doing deals with Democrat donors,buying crummy loans sold to deadbeats by the Tan Man at Countrywide,hiding bad deals in desks,cooking the books to get Dems millions in bonuses, is up to his old tricks. Seems he managed to get TARP funds for a bank in his district. A bank that gave porshes out as company cars and had a condo on California beach. How did they go out of business? A bank that was not supposed to get funds because they were corrupt. Nice. Why do they people of Mass. keep voting for these socialist grifters? Is there a way Mass can be tossed out of the union?

Lid goes to Vegas

2008-04-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Vegas The Lid discovered a wonderful way to save money. We rented a Cabana at the Bellagio for a day at $350. At first glance, your typical tight wad penny pincher is gonna say no way, but The Lid quickly put a pencil to it.
I calculate my average losses for a day in the Casino to be around $450, $250 for my wife and probably around $100 each for my two daughters.
The Cabana has a fridge full of soft drinks and snacks, a large LCD, card table ,couch, 4 lounge chairs outside, and a great view of the pool. What am I missing here? You rent the Cabana all day long,every day. Hell, you even have room to spend a couple hundred on booze.
The same reasoning applies to paying the exorbitant green fees to play very ordinary golf courses while in Vegas. You simply compare Casino costs to Green Fees. This makes even the most expensive course, Shadow Creek, at $500 a sweet deal, considering they include a limo and range balls.

Who is the Lid?

2008-04-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well, that would be me. The Lid is an undeniable force of nature, a gift I was born with. I have the ability to discourage people from spending money on unneeded luxuries, and also enable people to satisfy or suspend their spending urge through counseling and coaching. We all get a euphoric high from spending money and making the big purchase, the trick is to spend less, but still get the high and feel good about yourself. The Lid Lives! Our entire culture today is based on convincing us to spend more than we make, to even go deeply in debt so we can be as happy and as cool as the characters we see on TV or in the media. The Lid Lives to help all people,especially my wife and children, spend less money than they make and be happy, a truly unique concept.