This'n'That; November 26th [Thoughts;Economy]

I Had A Harrowing Thought... The times we're living in.... right now...... this moment..... are someone else's "good ol' days." I've been a life-long smoker, for the past five years or so, a pipe smoker. I don't smoke indoors, even if the commie-libs would allow it. This past afternoon around 2:30 or 3, I stepped out on the front porch to "do a bowl," nope...... it was right-handed tobacco!!! An RPD cop came down the nearest cross street, turned onto our street and parked in front of my neighbor's house, kinda between two driveways serving the houses across the street. I could see up most of the length of both driveways. There was a silver-gray sedan parked in the right hand driveway [I'm sure the car didn't "live" there]. The side door of the house opened, the trunk lid popped up, a guy put a large box in the trunk, backed out of the driveway and drove off at a normal rate of speed [the opposite way the cop-car was facing]. Just after the car got out of sight, the cop did a double-quick K turn and sped after the gray car. Apparently, the police department had received a silent alarm and responded to it. Hopefully, the police apprehended the culprit. I want MY "good ol' days" back...... the time when my parents didn't even know where the key to the front door was, let alone locked the door; the time when a car could be left idling in the driveway to warm it up; the time when your neighbor borrowed tools when you weren't home-AND RETURNED them, usually cleaned up, full of gas, etc; the time when the lady next door needed acuppa sugar to finish a recipe, she came in and got it, told you what she did when she saw you and returned it the day she did her shopping; the time when kids could leave their bikes in the front yard any time, day or night, and not worry about it-if it was gone, they knew it'd be back soon, somebody just borrowed it to run uptown for their mother. Will "October Surprise" Be PEBO's Undoing? Most pundits consider the recent economic downturn to be PEBO's "October Surprise." He's gotta deal with MASSIVE outlays in the form of bailouts as well as all those "pie-in-the-sky" promises he made during the campaign. Lemme askya.... how does an administration cut federal spending and still bail out "everybody-and-his-brother?" That's the latest in the PEBO promises. Let's take a close look at what's gone on sofar: The federal government has pledged to lend $7.4Trillion to bail out financial institutions, more than the U.S. spent on the whole of WWII [adj for inflation]. That sum equates to $24,000 for EVERY man, woman and child in America today!! So far, the feds have spent $4.3Trillion in bailouts: $900Billion for the Term Auction Facility; $112Billion for AIG; $540Billion for Money Market funds; $700Billion for the Treasury Asset Relief Program [TARP], and there's EVEN MORE!! Given the selection of Tim Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury, most think the BO-"Clinton Lite" cabinet is just going to be "more-of-the-same" as far as administrations go. Now I direct you to someone far more elequent than I-Chris Whalen, a risk management and loan workout services provider. Mr Whalen writes a blog at http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/11/what-obama-geithner-aig-fiasco/ He's far-and-away, the most indepth, knowledgeable blogger on the topics of the economy, finance, Wall Street, etc. Til Nex'time....................