Month: March 2011

God Forbid; Take a Lesson from a Review of the AIG of Yesterday and Today?

God Forbid; the Lesson from a Review of the AIG of Yesterday and Today?

Prefacing Comment to the Letter Below:

Taking a look back, two years ago …I sent out a short letter which commented on compensation in the wake of an AIG compensation party held at a resort hotel. This party went down shortly after TARP was passed by Congress …and all hell broke out in the wake of such an untimely opportunity to celabrate AIG recipients for their successes.

On March 18th, 2009, in response to this by measure of no lack of egregous, media-driven, political grandstanding, I sent out an e-mail which is a form of the letter that I have pasted herein below.

Two years later, I think these subjects are worth revisiting to remember the topics which surrounded every media story at the time.

And for one reason or another these issues preoccupied and permiated the American mindset …if, but for only a matter of weeks or so.

So, now …with th passage of two years’ time; I have to wonder how much honest esteem for such calls’ greater discretion remains?

And so, now again; I have to wonder what of any significance …has changed in the last two short years which have passed to cover over this subject’s matters and concerns?

Are the seeds of such concerns still growing? Have such produced any fruit multiplied 30, 60 or a hundred fold? Or is this a mute case of an old story gone passe in the wake of the Gulf …and now Japan? (They shoot horses; don’t they? How about Boy Scouts?)

Or did the seeds of blame and shame fall upon more than fertile ground …upon more futile stages or self-serving interests …merely failing to produce the needed wisdom in any significant abundance which would …could …and shouold serve the greater interests of all?

What work is to gain profit so few by taking a lazy and mindless course? Wouldn’t it follow that these more imediate pursuits will easily and soon forgotten?

Then, why not remember these shortcommings and …compare their woes’ measures’ lessons taken from a measure of a greater appreciation for a work whose wisdom and ethics’ mindful pursuits produce meaningful fruit?

So, then …in that which is intentioned to grow from long-lasting, applicable understandings within efforts …less lazy; why not embrace a look back in a meaningful comparison …if not merely to remember what preocupied our minds …if but for such a short time?

Therefore, in such a comparitively relative short period of time, I have to ask what has Congress to show for the passage of its time …in service to raise due diligence to a level …which is worthy of serving to provide greater oversight and higher …more nobler …more honorable levels of responsibility …and adherance to corporate governance in performance systems which demonstrates consideration for the priority of far more nobler assurances …those which strive to achieve to promote quality leadership by reason of adherance to high standards, transparency and the clarity of honest, open-door accountability?

In other words, other than our collective votes; what other enhanced ways and means of oversight has America acrued that serves to speak of improved achievable measures of oversight, safeguards …in openly improved levels of transparency?

G-7 Mutual Interests Confirmed Behind Closed Doors Trumps Fears of Quantitative Easing’s Demise …Paving Path to Temporarily Stabilize Treasury Yields in Continued Monetization Plan Led Down a Long Bond Road Called A Willingness to Preserve Capital

G-7 Mutual Interests Confirmed Behind Closed Doors Trumps Fears of Quantitative Easing’s Demise …Paving Path to Temporarily Stabilize Treasury Yields in Continued Monetization Plan Led Down a Long Bond Road Called A Willingness to Preserve Capital

On Three Day Garage Sales

Hello again!

I need to ask you for a little more patience and understanding.

I realize that I have all but, just about stretched your willingness to extend me any more accommodating forbearance beyond the reasonable limits of good prudence and logic.

Therein, please do not despair; yet I would like you to accept my indulgences in making one more urgent request regarding a most unexpected matter.

You see, while I’m continuing to have problems in that I am still struggling to handle and cope with my day to day and month to month financial obligations …some sequence of unforeseen and rather dire misfortunes have rocked my world recently.

You see; there just couldn’t be any worse timing for … true to my nature, I have some how (…once again) managed to spend way too much money this last month.

So, again …I guess that I am just going to have to hold another (treasury auction) garage sale …one more in a long string of on-going, huge, three-day garage sales.

However, this particular (treasury auction) garage sale is going to have to be different due to a variety of matters (quantitative easing not withstanding) whose issues have culminated to conspire against my lack of (Boy Scout/Girl Scout) preparedness …and has taken me totally off guard.

To Teachers Tenured-Non-Performing; “You’re Fired!”

This is shorter than it is sweet, yet it should be just as easy to serve to connect the dots …as it is easy to see how higher priced commodities (…namely escalating oil and gasoline prices) represent a significant quasi tax-like burden. So, in the same light, what I am about to discuss should be equally easy to see how such (like rising oil and gas prices) also poses a significant threat to drag down a healthy economic recovery …all the more …along with the detrimental affects which are associated with a rise in commodity prices.

So, in like fashion, what I am discussing today, will only serve to highlight the exasperating affects of the above commodity-driven affects’ drag on the economy and …moreover …do so in an additive fashion …rather much like explaining and warning of a more real, clear and present danger’s approach.

Taken together these two real threats pose a significant real punitive tax which is now …as it has been …currently working to threaten recovery …pretty much undetected and unchecked …right under our very noses.

And whether or not these threats are taken separately or aggregately …both, when taken together …will combine to form and work together …as a single matter’s impact …forming a double taxation whose hikes, which …when combined will essentially threaten to erode and reduce expendable discretionary personal income …hampering a badly needed healthy economic recovery.

I do not mean to be pessimistic, but the cards have already been stacked against those who have pretty much have chosen to ignore the facts at the …city, county and state-wide levels of government …that is of course …until recently …as can be evidenced by the forces aligning themselves for the real clash in 2012.

Yet, in spite of what appears to be two eight hundred pound gorillas in the room, Americans have been unwilling to take up the conversation at, in and upon the stages of more locally oriented state-wide levels …and; as such, sadly …a less prudent reason has more than all but avoided a more sobering conversation whose time is long over due.

The Demise of QE-2

The Demise of QE-2

Oh, Really?

Speculation and QE-2 Go together like a horse and buggy.

Or was that …like a 1.64 Trillion Dollar deficit and a rather conflicted Federal Reserve?

Or was that like a 3.7 Trillion Dollar Budget and a rather conflicted Congress?

In view of the administration’s disdain for the express will of the people such as became manifest and more than abundantly clear last November…the question remains as to whether or not QE-2 is to go …or stay and become supplanted by what may become QE-3 is anybody’s question …or is it?

Unlike what would otherwise be like a deep black secret …the demise of QE-2 is anything but …beyond top-secret.

Instead, whether QE-2 is to stay or go …is something which Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is not surprisingly …now, more than less …obligated to disclose openly to the likes of Congress …namely, to satisfy the likes of a more than entitled curiosity …the itchy ears …of the likes of those of Senator Ron Pall not withstanding.

Ben Bernanke; “…unsustainable debt …”

The following are two crisis words.

And …if there ever were two words today which have crisis written all over them …they are those uttered in Congress today!

The following two words which were those spoken loud, strong and clear.

The words were part of an address which characterized U.S. Public Debt as “…unsustainable debt …”

These two words came from The chairman of The Federal Reserve …Ben Bernanke today as the chairman spoke before members of The Senate Banking Committee.

Curiously, what I personally find as being less than sad is Congress’ lack of regard and esteem for tens of millions of voters who …last November, went to the pools to voice their collective, unified singleness of purpose.

By this Ben Bernanke was merely reaffirming the validity of the American voters who sent this massage earlier this last November.

Why should either the President and or Congress need one more man’s word to make the spirit of America’s will any more exact and any more unmistakably clearer?

As such, these two word’s stark reason and reality stand as a slap in my face …all in light of the light-weight approach to this administration’s budget proposal and the Republican-sponsored meager spending cut’s initial proposals.

Such as November’s voice was, such a will can not be allowed to be summarily swept under the rug …dismissed and otherwise marginalizing the will of the American people.