Wednesday, February 29, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/29/2012

I didn't find much of interest in the news today, but when perusing Drudge I found a reprinted article from The Hollywood Reporter titled What Ever Happened to Ted Turner? by Stephen Galloway.

I read it because it brought back a memory regarding a transaction I handled while in the equipment financing business, and the tale of that sales presentation is something I'll never, ever forget.

At that time, I think it was somewhere around 1980 or so, Turner owned the TV broadcast station TBS, and also the Atlanta Braves baseball team. The company I was with at the time arranged financing for businesses wishing to lease or finance equipment they were acquiring, so we primarily worked in conjunction with equipment suppliers who brought us in as needed by their clients.  

Shortly after a broadcasting equipment trade show in Las Vegas where one of the most prominent suppliers of mobile TV studio equipment displayed its wares, I got a call from them saying that TBS was interested in acquiring a full-sized tractor-trailer equipped with the finest state-of-the art technology available at the time. This production studio on wheels was not only capable of shooting, transmitting and taping any kind of remote event, it could also produce a finished reproducible recording. 

The TBS plan, as I recall, was to produce and air Atlanta Braves away games around the nation and also to broadcast, record, and preserve all kinds of other events in outdoor venues such as big-name performers concerts in stadiums and arenas.

Now, naturally, the equipment involved was very, very costly and thus I was invited to make a presentation of my financial offerings by visiting Turner's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

The morning I flew in from New York, I hopped in a cab outside Atlanta's airport and gave the cabbie the street address of my destination. Upon hearing the building number, the cabbie said something like, "Gonna see Ted, huh?" And then I quickly learned from him that almost all Atlantan's at the time tried to stay abreast of everything Ted did, whereas to them he was a hero far bigger than life. A few minutes later the cabbie said, if you get a chance, "You ought to ask them why they fired the Brave's manager, Joe Torre, this morning."

On my arrival in my prospective customer's headquarters, I was ushered into one of the largest offices I'd ever seen. The room was not only immense, but perfectly appointed and although not austere, considering whose business I was visiting, it was extremely intimidating. As was it's occupant, the CFO, a financial wizard and exactly the type you'd expect to be acceptable to one of the world's foremost business geniuses and successful entrepreneurs. This man had a financial calculator in his head.

Now, despite my own experience and considerable accomplishments to date, my host and his surroundings threw me off my pace to the extent that no dazzling opening statement came to mind. Consequently, being unable to display genius, I simply stuttered all I could remember at the moment, "H,h,h,how come the Braves let Joe Torre go this morning?"

Upon hearing that, my potential client whirled his chair around to face the largest custom phone console I'd ever seen. There must have been more than a hundred buttons on it.  And he started pushing them, one after another, speaking quickly and curtly to whoever answered each of them.

Then after what seemed an eternity, but was likely only five or ten minutes or so, he turned back around to me. He then said he'd called everyone he could think of in the baseball organization, from the GM, to the manager, to the coaches and even the bat boy and none of them was aware of the managerial firing. So, what he asked me to tell him was exactly where I'd gotten my information, because part of his responsibility was over-seeing employees contracts so he had to get started on handling this one immediately because he hated being the last one to find things like this out.

It was then that I fully understood the meaning of that old comparative, being between a rock and a hard place because I didn't have the nerve to tell him that a cabbie had mislead me just a short while ago. After a further little hemming and hawing, I finally told him I'd seen a news headline in the NY airport which obviously had been wrong. Within  a short time later, calm returning to the room, we finally got down to the purpose of my visit and discussed what alternatives I had to offer.

My own professional standards prevent me from telling you whether I finally made that sale or not. But, in retrospect, simply getting out of the hole I'd dug for myself and staying in contention long enough to present my suggestions to a consummate professional such as the one I faced taught me two things I've never forgotten. Don't ever give up no matter the situation -and always stay out of cabs.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/28/2012

Haven't seen Warren Buffett around for a while, but yesterday some comments from his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. annual letter were posted on Drudge via Bloomberg, such as: “Large numbers of people who have ‘lost’ their house through foreclosure have actually realized a profit because they carried out refinancings earlier that gave them cash in excess of their cost. In these cases, the evicted homeowner was the winner, and the victim was the lender.”  

I thought his present position was interesting because he now controls the biggest shareholding of the largest U.S. mortgage lender, Wells Fargo & Co. which is owned by Bank of America Corp. in which he invested $5 billion last year. In 2010, which was before his BOA investment, he also publicly defended Goldman Sachs against accusations it mislead clients.

So I guess his belief is that if someone like him buys into a floundering bank, taking advantage of their weaknesses, that's perfectly alright because he's a good guy. But if borrowers profit from a market opportunity, they're not. And that seems odd to me because Buffet seems to me like a guy who'd kill anyone for a quarter and not even think about it.

I also can't help but remember that he apparently got a sweetheart deal on the B of A via an inside track provided by the White House, and then went out and said that the wealthy should willingly pay higher taxes because they can afford it.  

And what's more interesting than that is the fact that the mortgage industry's facing criticism from Democrats, including the president who said in his State of the Union address that bets by lenders prompted the 2008 credit freeze and “left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag.”

However, as I've mentioned many times in the past, it was the president himself and Project Acorn, along with guys like Dodd and Frank, who forced bankers to lend to credit-less wannabees and deadbeats in order to level the home ownership playing field. And after causing that debacle which he's completely walked away from, he now blames the very same banks he put into financial turmoil himself.

So, I guess when it comes to politics and money, it's always the same old, same old. It doesn't really matter to certain types of folks how they amass as much as they can for themselves, but nonetheless they really don't want that known by anybody else.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Monday, February 27, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/27/2012

According to Chris Stirewalt of Fox News, in a speech yesterday in Florida, the president said that "while he favored increased domestic production of some fossil fuels, he believed that higher taxes on producers were imperative in order to finance federal subsidies for green energy initiatives."

I mention it because politics aside, maybe it's just me but I simply don't understand what he means. Because the last time I looked, this country ran on a free enterprise system where open competition reigned. And what that means is, people and providers vie for business and it's customers who decide where and what to buy without outside interference, so long as providers remain within the law.


But apparently, this president believes that successful operators have an obligation to fund their own future competition which to me is so far past ridiculous, it's almost beyond comprehension. Especially when the new ideas have yet to be proven and are odds-on unlikely to ever work. What's more, I truly believe that if today's energy providers thought any of these hare-brained future schemes had a chance of success, they'd fund the projects themselves.

Along the same lines, Tim Geithner remarked that successful people should gladly pay higher taxes because of the opportunities provided them in our nation, which I think also misses the mark by miles. Because its those successes that already fund the government at present, while those in the administration find ways to waste, mis-use and steal what they already take while doing nothing to help earn it. 

Therefore, as for me, I think both of these guys are so far out in left field (pun intended) they either keep pushing the same buttons to appeal to their biased base or are truly demented. But whatever the case, it seems neither of them understand nor care about the fundamental freedoms that made this nation great, but are only interested in how much they can rip off and don't even have a clue as to how to spend it.

 That's it for today folks.

Adios

Sunday, February 26, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/26/2012

I saw a headline on Drudge that sent me to a short article I had to read a few times, to be certain I understood it. According to the author,  Alexander Burns of Politico, the United Auto Workers union is going to fly a banner at today's Daytona 500 auto race which says, "Mitt Romney: Let Detroit Go Bankrupt"

The purpose is to highlight Romney's belief that U.S. automakers shouldn't have been bailed out by taxpayers, but instead simply have filed for bankruptcy and reorganized on their own.

Now naturally, the unions despise Romney for his audacity in believing that businesses should succeed or fail on their own, which from a union's perspective is blasphemous. Because if you remove a parasites source of nourishment it's likely to soon expire. And that's what caught my eye about this article in the first place.

Because here we have a group (the union) which does nothing productive at all. However, by banding workers together, they mass enough influence and strength to hold labor for ransom, enabling them to continually increase demands. So much so, that in the particular case of manufacturing vehicles they almost single-handedly closed the whole U.S. industry down.

And what's most incredible to me about today's plan for the banner display is the level of audacity reached by a band of leeches who bled almost a whole industry dry and now turns around to point fingers at someone who had the gall to mention that fact. To me this is like a large gang of bank robbers carrying signs protesting the hiring of guards.

On the other hand, the good news for Romney is that it's likely that very few NASCAR fans know how to read.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Saturday, February 25, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/25/2012

Sometimes I have to wonder exactly who it is a guy like Mitt Romney listens to for advice. Because, at the moment, he's the only candidate who has the capabilities to repair the nation's major ills, and yet he reduces himself to argue about social issues that really have no place in the campaign in the first place.

For example, at the moment he's working hard to establish himself as a true Conservative because he apparently feels quite threatened by Rick Santorum. However, Conservatism isn't the issue that's on the minds of most of the voting public. What's of most concern to them is the slow employment rate, an educational system that's in reverse, rapidly declining health care, and the rising cost of fuel.

What's more, for every vote that's gained by appealing to strict Conservatives, two or three others are likely lost from moderates and independents without whom an election can't be won.

So, the best thing Romney can presently do for himself is to start looking presidential on the major issues, which he happens to be very good at, and let everyone he's running against keep scaring the majority of voters off by themselves.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Friday, February 24, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/24/2012

The older I get and the more I see, hear and read, the less impressed I become with myself. And that's because for practically all my business life, and in many personal cases too, I was generally more successful than most others I encountered.

But, now I realize that whatever it was that I thought I'd accomplished handily due to my capability, actually had nothing at all to do with my prowess. It stemmed from the fact that most others are either intellectual vacant lots or card-carrying morons.

Proof of that comes every day as I look at the news and see that a huge section of the voting public are willing to watch their hard earned dollars go to foreign sultans and princes because a puppet in the White House continually sells them out without a hint of guilt or caring. And simultaneously he allows the medical profession to deteriorate because doctors can no longer afford to remain in business under his socialistic guidelines.

Couple that with unions killing our educational system and many manufacturing operations and you have economic disaster which really isn't news. 

So, in light of the fact that in spite of an uptick in employment the economic growth outlook still remains bleak, what do Republican and independent voters do? They worry about social issues that aren't really even a president's bailiwick. And consequently, by pushing a social agenda that really should be hammered out locally or perhaps even by individual states, they're killing themselves election-wise and taking everyone else with them. 

But as I said at the outset, I'm finding out that I'm really not very bright because I always the American dream included economic success and independence. But obviously that's not really the case. Because now I see that the goal really is to become the most socially conservative person in the poor house. 

That's it for today folks

Adios

Thursday, February 23, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/23/2012

I've never bothered to rank the various stages of stupidity when commenting on someone's behavior, because I generally just use the first word I think of when I make a comment about it. For instance, I might say something like, "Boy that guy is dumb." Or perhaps, "That guy's not bright enough to tie his own shoes" However, whatever the ratings are for gross moronics, there's a bozo judge in Delaware who's off the charts.

 According to the Associated Press, "A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved close to $370,000 in bonuses for certain employees of Solyndra LLC, a solar panel manufacturer that received a half-billion dollar loan from the federal government before declaring bankruptcy." And let's all remember, this is taxpayer's dollars he's authorizing paying out.

Apparently, he approved the request after a hearing Wednesday because the company has failed to find a buyer to operate the company as a going concern and says it needs to retain key employees with the expertise needed for an orderly liquidation of its remaining assets.

Now, I don't think you need an MBA from Wharton School to realize that no one wants to buy the business because it's worthless and there's nobody imbecilic enough to purchase this dead horse. However, this isn't an uncommon occurrence and happens to many failed, hare-brained entrepreneurial schemes. But in most cases, when these situations occur there are all kinds of experts who expressly specialize in maximizing the values of whatever assets are left in closed concerns.

 Naturally, in this case I don't know precisely what kind of machinery, tools, equipment, furniture, fixtures and rolling stock and other such things this company has left. But I do know that quite often, existing employees are still there because they can't find other employment. And that means it might be tempting for them to work out asset sales having some kind of value to themselves. Consequently, even though there might be no reason at all of suspicion, the wisest and most prudent step is to take them out of the selling phase completely by bringing in outside liquidation experts.

And in this particular case there are already indications of management feathering it's own nest at the public's expense, so that in itself should be some kind of warning of a fox in the henhouse. Which brings me back to my original observation that I can't even think of a word that describes the level of idiocy this bankruptcy judge has reached, unless perhaps, he's in on the deal himself.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/22/2012

As I've stated in several prior entry's,  I don't know very much about presidential candidate Santorum. But here are some quotes I found on the Drudge Report, excerpted from comments he recently made to students at Ave Maria University in Florida.

"Satan has his sights on the United States of America!" and "Satan is attacking the great institutions of America, using those great vices of pride, vanity, and sensuality as the root to attack all of the strong plants that has so deeply rooted in the American tradition."

He supposedly also said, "This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country - the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?"

Now if this stuff is true, this guy is probably a certifiable case. However, in his defense, quite a few years ago when the great Flip Wilson played as "Geraldine Jones," Geraldine would state when caught doing wrong that "The devil made me do it." And although I think Santorum's a totally vacant lot, I still have a high regard for Flip. And so perhaps, we all ought to go out and stock up on garlic before it's too late.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/21/2012

I saw an item on Fox News website this morning that indicates to me the presidential incumbent's re-election campaign Policy Director, James Kvall, is making a huge mistake.

According to Fox, the director sent out a memo on the "deficit-exploding budget and tax plans" by Romney and Santorum. In it, he says that while both candidates "champion spending cuts deep enough to cut taxes and balance the budget," they have, in fact, "proposed irresponsible and reckless tax plans that would drive up the deficit by trillions of dollars."

Now, I have no clue as to whether this guy's correct or not in his comments. But, I don't think he's very wise to mention Rick Santorum at all, for any reason on earth. Because Santorum’s exactly the guy the incumbent needs in the race, since he not only hasn't a prayer in the world of winning a presidential election he likely couldn't beat an egg.

On the other hand, Romney would probably win hands down, due to his appeal to independents that are critically needed by both parties.

So, at this point I think the best move the incumbent's team could make would actually be to support Santorum’s nomination clandestinely, doing everything they can to help him succeed. Because far and away, he's their best hope for keeping the White House and practically guarantees them a win next November.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Monday, February 20, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/20/2012

Since there's not very much new going on today, I just thought I'd mention that according to CNBC, gasoline prices have never been higher at this time of the year. At $3.53, they say it's already up 25 cents a gallon since January, while experts say it could reach a record $4.25 by late April.

As a reminder, the president recently stopped progress on the proposed new pipeline from Canada, saying his people needed more time to analyze the environmental situation although they've had the information for more than three years. Similarly, there've been no real steps taken to re-opening drilling in the Gulf.

So, I just have to wonder once more, because I've written things like this up often before...just how long are people going to sit still and let this administration literally take money from their pockets due to political pandering? Because from my perspective, there's not much difference between permitting price gouging like this by foreign providers and outright theft.

And that means perhaps the times come for not only for electing someone else, perhaps charges should be considered for aiding and abetting stealing.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Sunday, February 19, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/19/2012

Watching the recent blurbs go by on my TV screen, I've more or less resigned myself to the fact that there's little doubt the incumbent president will be reelected. Because the only hope the Republicans have is Mitt Romney and so-called Conservatives are making every effort to sink his campaign and gaining ground every day.

And I'm pretty sure of the outcome in the presidential race, because I know how I feel myself. And although I'm quite conservative in economic matters, I not only couldn't care less about all the social stuff, I feel very strongly that my personal beliefs are none of the governments damn business.

Consequently, I think if someone like Santorum runs who has no business capabilities whatsoever, I'll simply sit the presidential race out and cast my vote only for Congress. What's more, since I believe the Republicans will likely take both houses, the incumbents policies and plans are basically cooked anyway.

In the meantime, since despite the fact that the majority of the nation's woes are economic and that the current administration's trying to socialize the population, I got to wondering exactly how many voters on the other side think it's worth watching themselves and their country go broke by making their religious beliefs the only things that matter.

Here are the statistics I found: A website called beliefnet.com estimates that 12.6% of voters are in the group referred to as the Religious Right. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center recent study indicates that an estimated 34% of all voters say they are Democrats,  28 percent claim to be Republicans and the biggest group contains 37 percent of all American voters who  now call themselves independents or unaffiliated voters.

Consequently, you don't have to do much arithmetic to realize that what most political pundits are saying is absolutely true. Presidential elections now heavily depend on independents because neither party, Democrat or Republican, has enough voters to carry an election. 

And since logic says its the independent swing vote that will determine the next president, I think its reasonable to assume that rigid believers such as the Religious Right will scare off most of them, which pretty much gives the incumbent a win.  But what's most remarkable to me is, that a mere 12.6 percent of those who vote can sink a country as powerful and successful as the United States used to be.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Saturday, February 18, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/18/2012

I saw a blurb crawl by on my TV screen this morning indicating that Rick Santorum believes government should not be involved in redistribution of wealth, but instead people should be urged to make the best of themselves economically and improve themselves on their own.

In that regard, I agree with Santorum completely and think government should absolutely stay out of people's way altogether, and the proof of that belief is what folks have done primarily on their own to build the greatest economy the world's ever seen. While on the other hand, it couldn't be clearer that the more government gets involved, the worse things become for the nation as a whole.

But what I also find interesting about Santorum's position is that his attitude about meddling seems to only apply to economics, because in every other aspect of people's lives, especially regarding social issues, it appears he believes government should not only have significant power...but legislators should tell folks how to live.
 
And here we have in a nutshell what's wrong with what politics and government have become. Because I couldn't care less about what a politico like Santorum's social beliefs are, he can go out and swing on trees if he thinks it's the right thing to do for him. But as for me, I've been deciding what my own beliefs are for my entire life and it not only doesn't matter to me what any electee thinks, since I have no intention of listening to them -now or ever- Santorum can go take a hike.

That's it for today folks.

 Adios

Friday, February 17, 2012

BloggeRhytms 2/17/2012

Quietly watching the crawlers go by on several news stations this morning, a thought popped into my mind about pipelines.

On one hand, the jobless rate is slowly creeping down, the stock markets are rising again, and so are the costs for food, gas, and clothing. And as far as the commodities go, the higher prices are likely due to more expensive fuel and transportation.

So, my vision consisted of more and more Americans working, others perhaps even getting minimal raises, and then all of them turning around and paying outrageous prices to drive their cars and despite the mild winter, to heat their homes.

And here's where the pipeline part comes in. Because indeed their is one and it's huge, and it isn't full of oil...it's carrying cash. The pipeline starts right here in our nation, from shore to shore, and then goes in two directions. One tube to the Middle-East, and the other to South American neighbors. Because as every indicator clicks up to the good side, the increase gets siphoned off by foreigners literally picking our pockets...and we in the middle are actually working for them because they're happily ripping off the profits from all our labor.

And what's most incredible about it is that most folks feel the effect of this travesty every single day while trying to pay their bills and keep their heads above water financially. Yet, the politicians responsible for this obviously have no problem accepting the situation, and keep voting for legislation that lets this happen over and over again.

So, I have to ask one more time again: Just how broke to folks have to get before they absolutely refuse to pay for the ridiculous beliefs of the far left? And when will they start demanding that we receive the benefits of our own resources instead of continually making other nations rich benefactors of our labors?

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Thursday, February 16, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/16/2012

Browsing around sites this morning, I came across a blurb on National Review Online about Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Two things in the short write-up caught my eye.

The first item said that if the Dem's win back the House, she'll be chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee. And to me, that's like making Bugs Bunny president of MIT. Then she goes on to call Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor “demons” who “would rather do whatever they can to destroy this president, rather than for the good of this country.”

And although I really don't know all that much about her, I've seen her enough to realize that she's one of those old-time political hacks that lives in a world that no longer exists. Furthermore, she's got the picture upside down. Because, I think if you want to see what demons are really all about you might want to consider people who've been selling their nation out for the past five years by passing ridiculous legislation that might have sunk it altogether if not for a couple of tough guys, Boehner and Cantor, who did their best to try and save it.

Out of pure curiosity I just looked her up on Wikipedia, which I grant you isn't the most reliable source, but they do gather a lot of details, and here's what I found out: She worked in a garment factory and as a telephone operator before being hired as an assistant teacher with the Head Start program at Watts in 1966. She later enrolled at Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles,) graduating with a sociology degree in 1970.

In 1973, she went to work as chief deputy to City Councilman, David S. Cunningham, Jr, entering the California State assembly in 1976. While in the assembly she worked for divestment of state pension funds from any businesses active in South Africa, a country then operating under the policy of apartheid and helped pass legislation within the guidelines of the divestment campaign's Sullivan Principles. She ascended to the position of Democratic Caucus Chair for the Assembly.

Upon the retirement of Augustus P. Hawkins in 1990, Waters was elected to the House for California's 29th Congressional District getting over 79% of the popular vote. She's been re-elected consistently, with at least 70% of the popular vote, in the California's 35th Congressional District after significant parts of the pre-1990 29th California Congressional District were folded into the newly defined 35th California Congressional District when California gained seven additional seats in the House following the 1990 United States Census.

And now, having read the preceding, I fully understand why she does little more than call names and make ridiculous comments about those who she dislikes. Because just like a kid in a schoolyard who's clueless about how anything really works, much less the financial affairs of the most prosperous nation on earth, she has nothing in her knowledge base to draw on so she simply taunts and verbally assaults those who oppose her.

I also think I typed too soon before, when comparing her acumen to Bugs Bunny. Because now that I know how little she actually knows about finance, I think I insulted Bugs whereas it now seems to me that he likely grasps a lot more about it than she does.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/15/2012

While unemployment still remains at about 8.5% and the nation's economy is barely limping along, the president's making a speech in Milwaukee, then moving on to attend eight fundraisers for his re-election campaign in the Los Angeles area, San Francisco and Seattle.

According to Fox News, two events will take place in L.A., the first one an outdoor reception at the home of soap opera producer Bradley Bell and his wife, Colleen, featuring a performance by the rock band the Foo Fighters. 1,000 supporters are expected to attend, with tickets starting at $250 apiece.

Next comes a dinner at the same place, co-hosted by actor Will Ferrell and his wife, Viveca Paulin for about eighty people with tickets costing $35,800 each. The fundraising will benefit the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

In contrast to these extravagant affairs, raising millions of dollars for the gain of one individual, the incumbent, CNS News.com reported about a speech he made today in Milwaukee. In his remarks he listed rising gas prices as among the many reasons to extend the payroll tax. He said individuals face losing $40 per paycheck for the average American worker if the tax cut is not extended at the end of this month.

So, if my math is correct, while only two of the events he'll attend in the next few days will raise three million one hundred fourteen thousand dollars for him,  individual taxpayers face losing two thousand eighty bucks per year apiece. Somehow, I just think there's something inconsistent in that.

What also struck me was his reference to the rising price of fuel, because as the Associated Press reiterated yesterday, last month the incumbent's administration denied a permit for the TransCanada oil pipeline. He did this to appease environmentalist factions in his party while having just about everyone  else watch a huge portion of their incomes and savings go to people who hate us in South America and the Middle-East.  And I don't about you, but I think there's also something hugely wrong about that as well.  

In the meantime though, the clock keeps ticking and as I keep mentioning, I think folks are really pretty fed up with this administration and are about to try to fix it.  Then again, perhaps it's worth paying a fortune for fuel if the alternative is having Big Brother tell me that I have to live my life by their social rules, which I'm absolutely certain is none of their GD business and I absolutely won't comply no matter.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/14/2012

I read an article by the editors of, National Review Online, which I really don't agree with. Their contention is that, Newt Gingrich, should bow out of the presidential primary race mainly because he isn't doing too well and Rick Santorum's picking up steam.

However, as I've written here often before, I truly believe that the longer that Republicans contend with each other they're still making their individual points to the public, but they're also leaving the present incumbent pretty much alone. And the way things are going for him lately, he's not only proving to be a totally incompetent "leader," his mistakes are alienating voters in droves. Consequently, without any help from his rivals he's very likely to simply self-destruct.

What was also interesting to me in the article was a paragraph containing the things they believe Mitt Romney stands for. And, here's what they wrote: "Romney is a transactional politician rather than a charismatic one. Maybe he should make the most of it: Tell conservatives what they will get out of a Romney presidency. Entitlements brought under budgetary control. A more market-oriented health-care system. Judges who know their place in the constitutional architecture. Fannie and Freddie extinguished. The defense budget protected. Tax reform, and tax relief for families."

Now, as far as I'm concerned that sounds like a pretty sound agenda, and I agree that it should make most conservatives happy, and I'd also add another couple if items. Because I myself am aware that Romney wants to push for using our own energy resources, such as oil, and stopping the erosion of our military strength.

And the funny thing about it all is that it's likely his agenda isn't all just political smoke and hype but will actually get accomplished. And if that really happens, we'll all get our nation back.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Monday, February 13, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/13/2012

Mitt Romney got good news and bad news yesterday from Sarah Palin. On the plus side, she said she wasn't sure he's "conservative" enough to merit the Republican presidential nomination, and I think that's the good part. Because, to me, she's the empty skirt that cost John McCain the election last time around and she's also ninety-nine percent noise and one percent proven performer herself. Therefore, not having her in your corner's a plus.

On the negative side, despite my poor opinion of her and the fact that she has no real accomplishments or credentials, there are plenty of folks who really like her, which means she'll have significant influence over those sheep. And that, of course, weakens Romney who's the only one with any kind of chance of beating the incumbent next November.

So, once again, in Palin we have someone who'd rather pick  up a cleaver and slice her own nose off to spite her face by questioning whether someone meets her standards, than to simply take the best shot at winning a general election.

And the worst part of her self-serving, ridiculous statements is that conservatives will surely vote for Romney, regardless, should he win the nomination.  However, if he were more rigid, independents wouldn't, and they're the ones who are needed most. Consequently, as I've said many times before, positions like her's are likely going to cost Republicans the next presidential election which to me seems light years beyond merely stupid.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Sunday, February 12, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/12/2012

I've mentioned many times recently, my belief that the most critical need for the nation right now is repairing a totally mismanaged economy. Because that paves the way for all else. And I've also stated that in my opinion, the best candidate for accomplishing that, in either political party, is Mitt Romney. However, this morning in an article on Fox News website Romney presented himself far better and more succinctly than I've been able so far.

Here's what he said, "I am the only candidate in the race who has never served a day in our broken federal government. The voters of Maine have sent a clear message that it is past time to send an outsider to the White House, a conservative with a lifetime of experience in the private sector, who can uproot Washington's culture of taxing and spending and borrowing and endless bureaucracy."

Along with Romney's win in Maine, he was also declared winner of the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference, 38 percent to Rick Santorum’s 31.

To me this was a considerable victory for Romney, because many in his party don't consider him conservative enough for them. But, if he can capture a win in the most important conservative gathering there is, I think that goes a long way to debunking that theory.

And since I'm practically certain that the only one running who has a chance of defeating the incumbent next November is Romney, I hope the voters in the remaining primary's realize that also and give him their support.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Saturday, February 11, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/11/2012

As the Republican presidential candidates keep blabbering at the CPAC convention, I think they're making some huge mistakes. Because while trying to outdo each other in proving how conservative they are, they're likely alienating more and more of those who aren't.

In my own particular case, I have no use for any politician, regardless of their affiliation, because I truly believe they're all self-serving, egotistical, frauds. I also think they're in it for the power while serving, and then the paybacks after leaving office. Nonetheless, I do cast a vote and because I have interests in business, Republicans appeal to me most often. But, all of that notwithstanding, as far as all their other moral and life-style pontificating goes, I couldn't care less. In fact, my personal beliefs or proclivities are none of their GD business and I resent any intrusion by anyone.  

And that's why I think that as far as their party goes, they're very wrong in loudly touting how "conservative" they are. Because they're already going to get each and every conservative vote, no matter which of the Republican candidates gets the nomination. But although that's a given it simply isn't enough to win an election which should be a slam dunk. Because in order to succeed, they need to win over the majority of independents.

Consequently, by trying to prove how "conservative" they are, I think they're scaring off more folks in the middle than they're winning. And that's really a shame because what the country really does need right now is a reversal of fiscal policy, a beefing up of military strength and a repeal of health care legislation.  But, if in order to get those things, folks are going to have to swallow the rest of what conservatives want to do to their personal choices, I think most independents will likely vote for the present incumbent.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Friday, February 10, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/10/2012

The big news for Republicans at present is the CPAC conference in Washington, DC where the presidential candidates, and many others, are making speeches. This meeting is rated as the most important event for Conservatives. However, perhaps it's just me, but I still don't get it.

To me, I think it's more than obvious that what the nation needs more than anything else at present, is a leader that knows what he's doing regarding governance, the economy and recapturing the faith of all those who are either workers or, especially so, those who own or operate a business. Because, as I've stated many times in the past, it's the private sector economy that provides the wherewithal for every other endeavor there is.

And if the economy is truly issue number one, and significantly more important than any other, all the speeches in the world aren't going to fix our problems if those who make them have no real clue as to what they're talking about. That fact gets proven every single day by the present presidential incumbent who talks a mile a minute, yet not only hasn't a whit of capability to fix the economic morass but is primarily responsible for its creation.

Consequently, I have less than zero interest in what any politician ever tells me, I only care about the results of what they've already done. And that information doesn't come out of their mouths, it comes out of their dossiers.

That's why, as far as the present presidential contenders are concerned, in all political party's, there's only one guy who has any successful governing experience or business acumen at all, and that's Mitt Romney. All the rest of these guys are motor-mouth politicos who are all talk with no substance, except for Ron Paul who practiced medicine until 1976. But even that was quite a long time ago, and doctors aren't usually very good businessmen at all. 

Now, as far as my previous thoughts are concerned, I'm not sitting here typing all this because I'm completely sold on Mitt, because to me he's also just another politician. Nonetheless, the nation's in a very deep fiscal hole that has to be fixed as quickly as possible or there will truly be nothing left. And since he's the only one in the bunch with any chance of getting that done, I simply don't understand why anyone with a brain would care about anything coming out of anyone else's mouth in speeches.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Thursday, February 9, 2012

BloggeRhytms 2/9/2012

In keeping with the president's program of ignoring Congress, and just about everyone else in pursuing his own agenda, this morning, Fox News, reported that he's set "to give 10 states a pass regarding an approaching deadline under the No Child Left Behind law, after the states struggled to meet the proficiency standards for reading and math."

Originally passed under the George W. Bush administration, the law requires all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Today's action strips away the fundamental requirement for the 10 states, who've sought flexibility in the law, provided they offer another viable plan instead.

The first 10 states to receive the waivers are Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Another, New Mexico, applied for the flexibility but didn't get it, however it's said to be working with the administration to get approval.

Beyond that, another 28 other states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, "have indicated their intent to seek flexibility," an official said.

So, here we have continuing proof that the educational system across the U.S. is in dire straits and without going into all the detail I've harped on in many prior entries, I believe the reason for this travesty primarily rests with teachers unions that harbor practically illiterates, and continues to force letting them teach. That factor in turn leads to reducing curricula to nearly zero value, because anything more complex or difficult is simply beyond the capabilities and comprehension of the "teachers" themselves.

However, on the other hand, this very morning I received a newsletter email from my own alma mater, a public school in Manhattan, Stuyvesant High. One of the items listed follows:

Two Intel Science Talent Search Finalists of the forty that have been invited to Washington, DC to compete for scholarships and other awards in March are:

Angela Fan '12 (Root Nutrient Foraging: A Morphometric Approach to Quantifying the Developmental Plasticity Space of Arabidopsis Ecotypes in Laboratory and Natural Environments)

Mimi Yen '12 (Characterizing the Behavior and Genetics of Headplugging in C. elegans)

I mention this because here are two high school students attending a public school and, obviously, receiving an excellent education. And although they're perhaps above average intellectually, their accomplishments still illustrate what can result from public schooling. What's more, their achievements point out that there's a huge gap between the extremes of these two individuals and teachers across the nation who can hardly spell their own names.

So, maybe it's really time to stop all the political posturing and tons of BS from the administration and actually start addressing the real problems. And step one would be the biggest leap toward educational improvement...eliminating the teachers unions completely and beginning the real process of education again.

That's it for today folks.

Adios


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/8/2012

As each day goes by, I realize more and more that despite almost anything else, the American people are individually responsible for just about every one of their problems. And it really doesn't matter which political party they support. The proof of my conclusion rests in the results of yesterday's primary contests in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. 

We live in a nation which has become the best on earth, primarily because it's economy affords it's population the freedom to pursue practically any goal they desire. All that's generally required for success is some personal capability and a willingness to work toward attainment.

And, as we can clearly have seen over the past five years, when government hampers and hamstrings economic freedom and oversteps it's bounds through interference, misguided policies, overbearing legislation and absence of business knowledge...economic reversal results. 

Consequently, it should be obvious to all that what's needed now, above all else, is a return to economic and business levels that provide the freedoms that have been lost to governmental controls and overbearance. And there's only one individual with the experience and proven capabilities to do that in either party -Mitt Romney.

And regardless that the forgoing is true, and that most Republicans certainly know that, yesterday in three states they voted for someone who not only has zero business acumen, he was formerly a lawyer, meaning he not only has no real economic experience, he was a parasite to boot.

As for me, I don't think it takes too much foresight to  realize that the coming presidential election's going to be a close one. And the Achilles Heel of the incumbent is that every single one of the nation's fiscal woes result from huge errors and horrendous legislation enacted by himself and his cronies and cohorts. Therefore, battle lines have to be drawn, economic issues have to be on the forefront and that should go a long way toward helping a Republican win.

So, in spite of all that's obvious, what do these so-called social conservatives do? They vote for an inexperienced lawyer who hasn't a prayer of out-debating the incumbent, because Santorum knows nothing about curing our economic ills at all, while leaving the nation's best chance for recovery out of the race altogether.

And that brings me right back to my original point. Because, once again the voting public's not only moving toward shooting themselves in the foot, this time around they're likely going to blow it off altogether.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/7/2012

During the last few days, I've mentioned how it seemed to me that the president's changed his strategy as he scrambles for votes in the coming election. He now seems to be open to accepting ideas and positions that he'd vowed to never support, if he thinks it will help him keep him in office.

But what I sense is a huge problem for him is that the game of politics has changed quite a bit. Primarily because it's not like the old days where what one said was soon forgotten, or buried in some archive that only political junkies would bother to look up again.

Today, thanks to technology, continuous media coverage and especially the Internet, almost anything said by politico's is virtually kept forever and accessible instantaneously. Which is why I'm able to remind myself and readers about the horrendous mistake that was made when the president and his side-kick, Nancy Pelosi, loudly touted their new health care bill.

In that regard, practically the whole Catholic population was aghast a few days ago when Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, stated that the administration was overreaching by knocking down the wall between church and state via employees who can receive insurance covering contraception.

Furthering that furor today, according to Terence P. Jeffrey of cnsnews.com, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, "wrote a letter to be read at all Sunday Masses for U.S. military personnel around the world that said that a regulation issued by the Obama Administration under the new federal health care law was 'a blow' to a freedom that U.S. troops have not only fought to defend but for which some have recently died in battle."

So, what all this adds up to me is that the president's painted himself into another corner as far as his health care law's concerned, and Nancy Pelosi's right alongside him holding the bucket of paint. Because, as mentioned earlier, with today's technology's to help with recollection, I don't think folks are going to forget it was Ms Pelosi who told us we'd all love the new health care law -even though she hadn't read it before passage. And from all the backlash the legislation's created, I think the president's likely sorry he either didn't read it or understand it himself.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Monday, February 6, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/6/2012

The president must have read the first paragraph of my entry for yesterday, because he now says that the U.S. will stand together with Israel to confront the nuclear buildup in Iran. And, since that's another change in his political posture, it got me to see something I should have noticed before. Because I now realize he's taking what I'd call a, Henny Youngman, approach to speechmaking.

The late great Henny Youngman was one of my all-time favorite comedians. His forte was one-liners, as they were called, and he'd stand behind a microphone with a never played violin in his hand and toss out joke after joke. It was said that some of the clubs he played were so small that he'd answer the reservation line himself. And when a caller asked what time his act went on he'd ask: "When can you get here?"

Typical gags included one's like the auto mechanic seeing a psychiatrist for the first time. The psychiatrist said, "Okay, get under the couch." Another was the guy who came home and found his wife's car in kitchen. When he asked how it got there, she said, "I drove through the back of the garage and made a left in the living room." Then there was the man stopped in the street by a guy who asked "Have you seen a cop around here?" When the man assured him he hadn't the guy said 'Okay then, stick em' up!"

Henny had hundreds of gags like those and just kept throwing them out, one after another. Then, over the years he kept the audience favorites in his routine while adding new ones all the time. Some of his staples included the guy who said, "Got a mink coat for my wife. Not a bad trade."

And it was Henny's routine that popped into my mind when thinking about the president's recent few months. Because although he's always yammered, 24/7/365, to any audience he can find, lately the incumbents been throwing out ideas and comments regardless of long-held, so-called rigid beliefs. And all that seems to matter to him now is re-election, whether his base agrees with him or not. So, he'll promise anything to anyone if he thinks it'll get him a vote.

However, there's one major difference between Henny and the incumbent. Henny made people laugh for a living as a stand-up comedian and folks loved him for it. The incumbent on the other hand has turned the most serious, responsible position on the planet into a very bad joke.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Sunday, February 5, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/5/2012

Not very much in the news this morning. Although the clock seems to be ticking louder in the Middle East, which leads me to think that it's likely that Israel will soon blow up Iran's nuclear bomb facilities, either by infiltration or outright attack.

As far as the Republican presidential nomination race is concerned, Romney won big in the Nevada caucus yesterday, getting about half of the total vote. Gingrich finished a distant second. But, what I thought most interesting was how Gingrich looked.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought Gingrich looked quite disheveled after the Nevada vote results. Sort of like an absent minded professor or rumpled philosopher wandering through the woods. And from I've read so far today in the news, he sounded that way to reporters too. It seems many think he's put himself in a quandary regarding how to continue his campaign. Because on one hand he says he wants to stay above the infighting, and focus on the issues, while on the other he keeps slinging all the mud he can scoop up with both hands.

So, what that all leads me to conclude is that with each primary success, Romney appears to be more presidential in demeanor and style, adding to his appeal, while Gingrich lately seems to be disoriented and possibly unravelling under pressure. And, as for me, I know I'd rather have someone in the oval office who truly looked qualified to be there,  than one who seemed like he was lost and had just entered the wrong room by mistake.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Saturday, February 4, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/4/2012

Indiana just passed a so-called right-to-work bill, which has the unions there steaming, especially AFL-CIO President, Nancy Guyott . And although they've cancelled plans to disrupt the Super Bowl tomorrow, Greg Lambert, of Occupy Indiana, said in a statement, they'll rally at the Statehouse on Sunday to call attention to "a war against working people" being waged by "the corporations and banks who buy and sell America's politicians."

Ms Guyott went on to say that union labor built Lucas Oil Stadium and Hoosier union members have made the Super Bowl possible by staffing the restaurants, cleaning the hotel rooms, building the stages, keeping the electricity on and protecting the hundreds of thousands of football fans attending Super Bowl events.  "Unlike Gov. Daniels and the Republican leadership in the General Assembly, we aren't interested in doing anything to impede those workers' ability to put food on their family's table."

And it was those statements that got to me because they imply that without unions the work wouldn't have been done and the project never completed, which is totally ridiculous and patently untrue. In fact, I believe that not only would have the work been finished, it likely would have cost far less and been completed sooner, because the only things unions do is add expense and block completion due to crippling work constraints placed on builders. 

But, it really doesn't matter what I believe, because I don't live in Indiana. But the folks who do reside there apparently agree. And as far as Ms Guyott and her unions go, she can moan and grouse about elections all she wants, however the citizenry of the state's got her number now and chances are -her unions are never going to recover because their total worthelessness' been found out.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Friday, February 3, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/3/2012

Busy day today, so I didn't get a lot of time to scour the news. But I did find an article about Florida Senator, Marco Rubio, in the Fiscal Times on-line by David Adams of Reuters. 

I really don't know very much about Rubio, but do understand that he's held in high regard by the Republican party, especially Romney and Gingrich, even having his name mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential candidate next November.

The gist of the article focused on what might be construed to be the senator's personal financial problems because "Despite his reputation as a watchdog over federal spending, Rubio, 40, has had significant financial problems that could keep him from passing any vetting process as a potential vice presidential choice, Republican and Democratic strategists say."

And, without going into great detail, I read that he's battling with an underwater mortgage, among other things like college loans, that have forced him into significant additional debt and even suspected overuse of  his party credit card for personal use, which he later reimbursed the card company for about $16,000.

Since Rubio campaigned on reining in government spending, Brannon Jordan, of the Florida Democratic Party said, "His own personal spending is out control. He says one thing but is doing another."

Now, from my point of view I don't think Rubio's financial woes are a political problem at all. In fact, I think they're an asset. Because here we have a guy in the middle of government himself who's getting killed financially like 40% of his state's population because Democrats like Chris Dodd and the president himself worked together and started the real estate lending debacle. So, with horrendous lending mistakes like Project Acorn, these two guys and others like them helped spark a fiscal crisis that's still hamstringing nations across the globe.

So, if I was Marco Rubio, I think I'd welcome the chance to go head to head with this Democrat mudslinger and all those others who are concerned about his debt. Because that would be the perfect platform to highlight how and why it exists, and that he surely now knows better than most precisely how financially misguided the whole Democrat party is. And it's due to them, and like thinkers, that most of the world's now broke, including members of Congress.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Thursday, February 2, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/2/2012

The Romney campaign may be about to receive some very bad news today. Because according to, Maggie Haberman, of  Politico, Donald Trump is supposed to announce his endorsement of Mitt this afternoon. And, if you measure knowledge and capability by past performance, to my recollection except for appearing on TV as a show business caricature of a businessman,  Trump's been wrong in every endeavor he's ever attempted. In fact, after all his bankruptcies and failed investments, I sometimes wonder if he's still got any of his dad's money left. So, having him say he admires must be like getting the kiss of death.

However, there might still be some hope for Romney because some sources still think Trump will back Gingrich. And if that happens it should make for an interesting combination. Because it might very well create a logistics problem in the future. And that's because I can't think of many places on the planet that are big enough for those two egos in the same room. Yet they do have a lot in common since when it comes to BS, blaming others for their failures and influence peddling, neither has an equal.

But maybe the Romney administration might have a use for Trump after all, by using him as an ambassador.  And that way, by sending him to China to advise folks there about business, he'd likely tank their economy completely in no time at all. And then we'd be rid of a potential enemy altogether and they'd have solid gold faucets in every rest room in their nation. 

That's it for today folks.

Adios

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

BloggeRhythms 2/1/2012

There was good news in the Republican party yesterday, because although Gingrich lost severely in the Florida primary to Romney, he vowed to stay in the race. And what that means is, the Republican candidates will keep on hammering each other and leave the president alone which is perfect for their party.

And that's because, little by little and step by step, the incumbents upsetting voters wherever he goes thanks to his steadfast adherence to legislation and policies that haven't worked yet, and likely never will. So, by letting him rant and rave by himself, his opponents just have to be patient. Because the odds are that by next November, except for a handful of hard-core steadfasts and hippie protesters, there'll be nobody left he hasn't alienated completely.

As far as today's executive gaffe goes, now it seems he's ticked off a whole religion via his health care law. Because, according to Fox News, Catholics are fired up over rules in the new law forcing Catholic universities, hospitals, and charities to provide insurance for their employees covering contraception -even though that violates church teachings. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League said,"When you push people of faith and you tell them the government is going to knock down the wall of separation of church and state and overreach like the Obama administration, you've got a war on your hands."

So, here we have a guy in office who's hamstrung the economy, let high unemployment continue unbridled, left the citizens to pay prices they can't afford for foreign oil, ruined the finest health care system in the world, removed a U.S. military stronghold in the Middle-East, and recently forced the Canadians to sell their petroleum products to China, just to name a few of the most ridiculous decisions since Ford decided to build Edsels. 

Therefore, as far as the Republicans are concerned, the best thing they can do for themselves right now is stay out of the way and let the loose cannon in office keep going just as he is. Because if he keeps shooting himself in the foot as regularly as he is at present, he hasn't an iota of hope for re-election no matter who runs against him next time.

That's it for today folks.

Adios