Working for modern politicians, Jason wouldn't have had to steal much fleece to renew his fleet. A couple of the ram's nose hairs would probably cover a shiny new trireme.
Courtesy of AFP we learn that Ben and Barry and all their recent predecessors and current pals have pushed gold through $1,400 per ounce.
Making those who worked hard and saved their money look like a bunch of stupes. We're on a path to the day when lighting your smoke with a C-note will not be thought remarkable.
I think I'll keep hieing myself to the WalMart to invest a little more in value-added lead, copper, and zinc. Which are, of course, following gold up at $1.14, $3.96, and $1.13. respectively.
Nov 9, 2010
Nov 7, 2010
No you can't, Mr. President
We're all getting a little sick of your self-portrait as a brilliant policy maker but a poor salesman for your ideas.
Barack Obama as Willy Loman? My butt.
Mr. President, if there's one thing you have it is the huckster talent. You could sell horse apples at a rodeo. That's how you came to be president.
.
Barack Obama as Willy Loman? My butt.
Mr. President, if there's one thing you have it is the huckster talent. You could sell horse apples at a rodeo. That's how you came to be president.
.
Timbeeerrr
Choice: Drop several hundred into the pocket of a tree pro or unleash my inner Paul Bunyan.
The latter, of course. Economics aside, neither the other Paul, my neighbor, nor I concede one damned thing to the woods. If it has leaves we can handle it.
It took an hour to lay her down, also two pickups in 4WD low range, three hundred feet of 5/8 nylon, a 10-inch pulley, plus the usual saws, wedges,and unfortunate language.
The notch and straight cut were in the right places. We had no trouble pulling her on the hinge to get the new center of gravity where we wanted it. Then came the hangups in the high branches of the nearby trees. A few more judicious cuts almost got her falling. This is where the injudicious language came into play, culminated by my stentorian voice at the tree, to Paul in his pickup, "Hit it. Give that *X%$(*&@ all you got."
The 5/8 nylon line instantly became nearer to 3/8. There was a certain amount of noise as Paul revved his half-ton up to 3500 or so and the object tree tore widow makers from its neighbors on its way to the deck.
I'm actually burning some of the small, high branches this morning. I feel quite smug about it all, knowing that success resulted from clever planning, careful selection of equipment, and great finesse of execution. There are those who will sniff about brute force and blind luck. I thumb my nose at them.
Nov 6, 2010
Speaking of Voodoo Money
All the president's flack men were breathless in announcing the $10 billion deal with India. Bomba will buy airplanes and stuff from us to support about 54,000 U.S. jobs.*
Eureka.
Let's play pretend. Pretend the deals actually occur as advertised. Pretend India actually pays the bill.** That's $10 billion injected into the national economy.
---
On Wednesday, when a majority of us were taking the victory lap and most of the rest were crying in their Chablis, the Federal Reserve Board launched "QE2," a barbaric misuse of the English language to denote creating, out of thin air, 600 billion new dollars by buying American government bonds with money that doesn't exist.
If and when the the nation of OOHHMMM reaches into the pocket of its bed sheet and forks over our $10 billion in productively earned money, it will represent 1.6 per cent -- one-decimal-six -- of the the $600 billion imaginary greenbacks. Ben and the rest of the Washington monetarist geese see this as shrewd Yankee trading.
---
Top of my head, I can identify at least eight or ten objections to my analysis, and a good Keynes/Samuelson-trained economist will open the action by hollering "Multiplier effect, you moron. Multiplier effect!"
Absolutely. The airplane makers makers of American will collect the Indian cash via their Boeing and GE bosses. They'll take it to the WalMart and buy crap made in China.
I have no immediate plan to contract something incurable, but if I do I'll be proud to proclaim myself sound as a dollar.
---
* Never mind that (a) the deals had been under discussion for months or years and (b) these aren't necessarily new jobs.
** I have dealt with the Third World, up close and personal. Rule One is that if you don't get your money up front, you stand a very good chance of not getting it at all.
Eureka.
Let's play pretend. Pretend the deals actually occur as advertised. Pretend India actually pays the bill.** That's $10 billion injected into the national economy.
---
On Wednesday, when a majority of us were taking the victory lap and most of the rest were crying in their Chablis, the Federal Reserve Board launched "QE2," a barbaric misuse of the English language to denote creating, out of thin air, 600 billion new dollars by buying American government bonds with money that doesn't exist.
If and when the the nation of OOHHMMM reaches into the pocket of its bed sheet and forks over our $10 billion in productively earned money, it will represent 1.6 per cent -- one-decimal-six -- of the the $600 billion imaginary greenbacks. Ben and the rest of the Washington monetarist geese see this as shrewd Yankee trading.
---
Top of my head, I can identify at least eight or ten objections to my analysis, and a good Keynes/Samuelson-trained economist will open the action by hollering "Multiplier effect, you moron. Multiplier effect!"
Absolutely. The airplane makers makers of American will collect the Indian cash via their Boeing and GE bosses. They'll take it to the WalMart and buy crap made in China.
I have no immediate plan to contract something incurable, but if I do I'll be proud to proclaim myself sound as a dollar.
---
* Never mind that (a) the deals had been under discussion for months or years and (b) these aren't necessarily new jobs.
** I have dealt with the Third World, up close and personal. Rule One is that if you don't get your money up front, you stand a very good chance of not getting it at all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)