Taxing The Rich

As I type this, the market is up a little over 100 points after a 150 point drop on Friday. So, of course all weekend we had to listen to the analysts wonder if this was the beginning of a major 'crash', a 'readjustment' if you will.

Since there is nothing of the economy taught in our public schools, perhaps these [reporters] should report on what the ups and downs of the market mean. Perhaps they should calmly say, that what goes up, will come down, but over time will (or always has), gone back up again. Perhaps, just perhaps, they could draw a little sine wave and explain to new investors especially how the market has ups and downs. It is a natural sequence of events. Perhaps they should tell us how 150 points of 14,000 is not like 150 points of 5,000. Too much to ask, I know.

The market is up 30% since the first of the year... that means many common Americans, and whomever else is invested in our market has smiles on their faces. If they are even a little bit knowledgeable, they also know that it is approaching time for a correction of some sort. Does that mean taking their money and running? It shouldn't; however, listening to the nightly news, even though the market hit a new high of 14,000, the 150 point drop on Friday has them all wondering... 'again'.

So you say, what does this have to do with taxing the rich? Well, as always, you probably think you are not rich. What you better worry about is who decides who [is] rich. And when they decide it is indeed you, you will finally realize just what a good stock market implies. Class warfare is again running rampant in this country as we approach the elections of 2008. Many who believe they are not rich are going to be in for a major awakening when they are deemed so. It makes me smile. I really don't care anymore. I have finally arrived, knowing there is no escape from death and taxes.

The media plays along with the class warfare issue, 'and' the taxing of the rich. They are idiots. When the market falls, as the media seem to root for, those rich blankity blanks will have less money to tax. And that, I'm afraid, will be YOU. The problem is, you will already have been deemed as rich, and you WILL be paying those taxes.

Here is the bottom line... when the next president arrives, whether it be republican or democrat, the market is due to go down, remember the sine wave. It will be time. And there will be nothing the president can do about the natural tendencies of that wave. And 'you' will still be deemed rich. And for the record? The market could begin that downward trend today. :)

Take My Toy and Go Home

Here is what I fail to understand. No matter what your viewpoint, our leaders, e.g. the elected officials in the Congress voted to support the troop surge. Does not matter what your thoughts on the war, the surge itself or anything related; they voted FOR the surge. They knew going in that mid September was report card day.

To my knowledge, it is mid July and many of our leaders are now calling for a change in strategy. More and more of them it would seem. I don't get it, but it does remind me of little children who do not get their way taking their ball and going home. They were told going in it would be bloody; once again they did not listen.

Global Warming Catch-22

So I'm watching the national news - they have a story on how upscale restaurants are beginning to cease serving bottled water. A global warming issue. Some of the water comes from outta country and has to be transported etc. etc. Guess I eat in the wrong places as I've never known I'd been denied. National news gets over and the local folk come on - top story is about the heat wave, and how how many wonderful people had donated case upon case of bottled water to places like the local missions and churches. I was going to, but the national folk said I'd hurt the environment, so I said nuts to the poor.

Now I dunno bout you, but we are going to find more and more of these catch-22 stories as this global warming stuff heats up, and yes the pun was intended. I may start taking a crap in the back yard; I will save flushing, I will be fertilizing; I may keep wild animals outta there, who knows - we may just being a trend. Course I dunno, I live at the bottom of a hill... if the neighbor begins going in 'his' hard, well you know what rolls downhill. Hmm, may have to rethink this abit.

He Looks Whipped

The President looks like a whipped pup. I realize all presidents age while in office, but Mr. Bush looks like he's absolutely whipped. Saw him the other day without make-up and he looked 75... very sad.

I'd say he is at the end of his road with Iraq. He told us at the very beginning it would be a long long war. Absolutely nobody believed him evidently. He has indeed lost the American people, and may as well bring them home. One things for sure - he does not give a hang about polls, and for that I will always be grateful. We will be governed by polls soon enough <again>.

The President tried to salvage what little support he had in the republican party by commuting Scooter, but in my mind he did nothing but make it worse. He can't go any lower in the polls so he may as well have gone all the way and pardoned him. He has shown he cares not what the polls show, so why not? I have my own thoughts on the Scooter case; they really matter little in the scheme of things. I will say I personally believe in the rule of law; having said that, I also believe in the absolute power of the President to commute / pardon at his / her discretion. Yes, I am mentally preparing for 'Her'. :)

The President lost me when it came to the immigration bill. I read an editorial in our local paper today where they tried to say it was the same way back in the 40's with the Germans in this country. Not speaking the English language etc. The spirit of the editorial was to make we little folk think we'd been through this all before as a country. We should not be up in arms about the Mexican border situation. The one thing the editorial conveniently left out was the fact those German folk, the Polish folk, and all other ethnicities came here LEGALLY. If the President can't understand securing the border as the first step in this process, he has lost me. When he sides with Theodore Kennedy in the immigration bill, you KNOW it is bogus. Like letting Teddy write the education bill early on. I didn't like it then, I don't like it now... he (The President) was trying to make nice. They'd as soon stick a knife in his back. Further, I would bet I can count on one hand the number of times I'd ever agree with Teddy in the forty years plus he's been in the Senate. He was one of the main authors of the previous immigration bill that was to 'fix' the problem.

Through it all, the economy has rebounded from the 9/11 situation. Unemployment has remained at or near what is considered full employment. The papers and other media have continued to tell us the economy is bad. It will miraculously be wonderful once Mr. Bush is out of office. Of course there is one little thing they aren't planning on... the economy goes in cycles much like a sine wave... and guess what... it is time for that wave to turn down just about the time the next president comes into power. Bring'em on!!!

Watering The Lawn

So it's dryer than a popcorn emission outside and I need to water. I need to set my sprinkler so it covers one way and then turns 90 degrees the other way, then back... kachuck kachuck kachuck - you know the sprinkler sound. When the water goes one way, it comes right up parallel to the house, and where the off/on valve is located, so if you want to move the sprinkler without turning things off, you have to time things when the kachucking is 90 degrees away, or at least 'on it's way'.


I'd been for my walk, was worn out from the heat, had removed my shoes and socks, and the water had run for an hour, so it was time to move things. I'm thinking I need to water another area of the yard so I won't shut it off, I will run out there while the water is running away from me, reposition the sprinkler, and all is well with the world. I DID remove my glasses cause I know how I always get them wet when I try this without turning the water off.... ain't gonna git ME!!!


So, I open the door, patiently waiting for the water to begin kachucking away from me, then sprint for the sprinkler. The ground is soggy, in fact I'm splashing as I approach the sprinkler and do a swan dive into the muck. The kachuck kachuck kachuck is getting louder as the dang thing is beginning to make its swing back the other way. I'm checking to see if I broke a leg or arm, feel like I can move, so OK - just as I feel somewhat normal - kachuck kachuck kachuck, and I get it flush in the face, at eye level, on my knees. I'm flailing, trying to crawl out of the way to no avail. Awww nuts, I calmly got up, repositioned the thing and came limping into the house grateful I had taken my glasses off. Today my wrist hurts but I think it is getting better.