Monday, August 31, 2009

money in the bank?

I have often wondered if it was in the best interest of America for our President or any President to bite off or do more than they can chew. I say this not to point fingers but rather because I feel as if we have not really addressed the seriousness of our current economic conundrum. Last year I made a prediction that about 100 more banks would fail this year, so fare more than 80 have and there are four more months left until 2010. This past Friday, two banks and one thrift failed. These included Bradford Bank of Baltimore, Main Street Bank of Forest Lake, Minn. and Affinity Bank of Ventura, Calif. Just the week before four banks failed including ebank of Atlanta, First Coweta Bank of Newnan, Ga., CapitalSouth Bank of Birmingham, Ala. Guaranty Bank of Austin, Texas (which the FDIC sold all of the bank's retail deposits to the main U.S. subsidiary of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria).

This is somewhat unsettling, especially given all this spending of a so-called stimulus that only seems to get allocated in New York on Wall Street as well as the suggestion that over the next 2 years maybe an additional 1000 banking institutions are anticipated to fail. The issue for me is that it appears that none of the Bear Stearns folk like Sumner, or the current Fed Chairman are interested in Main Street as much as they say. It is obvious giving loot to New York Banks ain’t helping anyone since most failed banks tend to be smaller and private, which makes things even worse for small business owners such as me.

It makes me think that the current administration, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC are all in this together to stump out small business and engender the death of we the people for big corporations and the K street lobby. The Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation recently just implemented new restrictions on private equity firms that are trying to purchase failed institutions. It may be a little to late since they no longer have the funds available in insure all of the account holders in America and because they have allowed the over zealous and aggressive practices to occur unmitigated with respect to buying failed institutions.

What I can see is that even with all this, things will only get worse and that the FDIC and Federal Reserve are still not ready, prepared or able to deal with the impending wave of bank failures to come. Not to mention that they still aint figured out what to do with the billions of dollars of troubled assets it has stuck some where on its books. Plus the fact that its pockets have been depleted with reports of the $52.8 billion it had on hand last year has been reduced to about $13 billion.

The future of our economic system is only getting bleaker unlike what is reported in our media. The market is artificially inflated with the help of crooks the likes of Lawrence Summers, Robert Rubin and Ben Shalom Bernanke will be the death of America and main street and Obama cant even see it coming, but I know they do for the got money in the bank and will be sitting pretty living high off the hog as the rest of us suffer. Maybe this is why they are pushing for control of the internet, so folk like me cant spread the word they way things did in Iran during their recent election - just a guess.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

azz backwards foreign policy

Over the past few weeks I have been searching between a rock and a hard place in an attempt to find out any fresh information about the fighting going on in Yemen. Specifically fighting in the mountains of northwestern Yemen between Shiite Muslim al Houthi rebels, and the Sunni Muslim-dominated government. Although this is basically something that has been going on for the past a five-years.

However, it is difficult since I am located in a country where folks don’t seek out information and merely report and re-report what others state without thorough evaluation. I feel it is my duty to breakdown what has happened to us as a nation that once prided itself on intellectual enhancement and education. You see, there used to be a time in this country in whi9ch being well informed was the desire for most folks. From the earlier times of the settlers to the period of segregation and Jim Crow. Meaning that not just whites, but African Americans as well as all Americans knew that the way to success was information and education.

Problem is that today, if it comes from television, chances are folks are just repeating what they get from others and even use pictures or video footage from others op0wn the ground. You see, Yemen is a strategic country on the Gulf of Aden and the fighting is near the border with Saudi Arabia. I do not know if it has been proven yet, but reports have been coming out over the [past few2 years asserting that Al Qaeda fighters using the nation as a base to launch attacks all across the Middle East. What do know is that this may be bigger than our political and media class suspect. I mean it may just be a proxy war, fought in a poor nation by two wealth nations -Iran's Shiite-led government and its Saudi Arabia Sunni government.

Yemen has retorted that that Iran is funneling weapons and money to the rebels. At the same time, Iran's news media have alleged that Saudi military forces have joined Yemeni troops in fighting the rebels. And like most places in the region, it is asserted that the Shiites (42% of Yemen's 23 million people), who want a return to the clerical rule abolished in the national revolution of 1962, and also claim to be a persecuted minority. The rebels have taken control of more of Sa’ada province from government forces which trouble the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I think Obama needs to get involved in this as quick as possible before what is being reported, such as the Saudi air force being involved in bombing the al Houthis rebels becomes fact.

The Yemeni armed forces are fighting their sixth campaign since 2004 against the rebels in the northern Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia. What I can tell is that if history is correct, this will only get bigger and the tendency for the US is to ignore such until it is too late. Just following the weapons seems to indicate that this is part of a bigger regional power struggle between the Saudis and Iranians. But I guess since it ain’t on the news, it is not important, I am just afraid when it actual start, that tens of thousands will be dead, that more extremist will be trained, and Obama will be looking George W, Bush azz backwards.

Monday, August 24, 2009

talking out the side of they neck

Ok just wanted to vent a little bit. I know, I know, I do such quite frequently. But I just had to drop my purview on a trend I have noticed since the democratic nomination of Barack Obama. Seems that over this period, there has been an increased usage over a word that likely hasn’t been mentioned as frequently since the times of Roosevelt and Senator McCarthy – Socialism and its derivative socialist.

No I don’t think America has gained any insight or increased intellectual acumen over the past 30 years, in fact I would argue that we have become dumber and less informed. Yet still folk throw around the terms socialist and socialism as if the actually knows what they mean. I did not learn of socialism via the traditional mode as most, via the writings of folk like Karl Marx, but from an epistemological perspective. The majority of these folks likely repeat these words because they hear them from opponents of the current Presidential administration and singularly focus on it as being a centrally planned economy in which the government controls everything – especially with respect to the economic bail out and the heated health reform debate.

The truth is that Marx wrote only a few pages about socialism, and that these same folk likely never read the philosophical tractates on who I first learned of the concept from, John Stuart Mills (in picture). True, there may be some support that Lenin focused a substantial amount of attention on devising an economic system devoid of the incentives of profit. But from the extent to which the world economies, especially America’s are linked, it is impossible for Obama to turn America into a socialist state and only an idiot would make such an assertion, especially if we take the history of our arch historical cold war enemy, Russia.

From the years after the 1917 revolution, to the fail of the iron curtain, it is more than obvious that the tenants of socialism are counter supportive of a functional and/or planned economy. So if Obama is a socialist, so is George W. Bush, the House and the Senate for all are instituting what Lange described as “a bureaucratization of economic life.” Now what do I mean you may query? Well in this country, it is virtually impossible to implement any form of socialism because it has no means of establishing a rational pricing system and as long as greed or avarice cannot be obviated from the American psyche – we won’t have it. Moreover, for those who say that folks are using socialists’ as a new code word for nigger, you are mistaken. If anything, it is a code word for ignorance for these people have no percipience of what the word means and are merely speaking out the side of their necks.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

post racial, maybe

Ok, twenty second time out. I was prepared to talk about some more stuff, albeit I was trying to stay away from the economy, the health care debate and idiot savants screaming socialism whom don’t know what socialism is. But I digress.

I really do not care about Mike Vick, him fighting dogs, or getting herpes from a stripper from magic city. But I would like to say something about the holier than though folk who just spur venom and vitriol at the man. My problem is that these folk talk about dogs as if they are equal to humans and as if the are voting tax payers. Folk I might add who are more likely to pick a dog up in the street than a fellow human being who may be homeless – especially if the are descendents of Africa.

Not to mention these the same mutha fucas who be saying they Christians and calling on Gods name except when it comes to an African American man, former pro football player who happened to fight dogs. Seems they loose their religification then. Moreover, move to the argument that he is a criminal and even if he paid his debt to society via prison, they still don’t accept the rules they made. They say that it was two years ago and that it is difficult to believe him. Yet the same standards stand for racist – that they were raised to be such but yet they don’t see the similarity nor speak out against it.

I don’t know what it is about some people, who benefited off of slavery, laws in which I or my ancestors had no part in creating; selectively establishing the benefits of liberty as ordained from the constitution. I was told that this was a post racial America since Obama was elected – maybe it is but post racism – not.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tell that to the Indians

It has been a good week so far, especially since my mom was in town, doing momma things and in essence always reminding me that in her eyes, I am still her little boy. I have also been reminded of how much she loves spending loot on her grand kids and not me and drinking her vino in bed looking at TV. And while she was here, I watched TV with her.

I found myself LMBAO at what I was seeing in between her shows, which included mostly news channels on cable television. Especially the theatrical circus that has a many pundits hyper ventilating over the proposed health care conundrum. Strange first because there is nothing in writing to discuss which for me makes the discussion more akin to arguments over whether or not there is a Santa.

Then there are the other others inside the belt way folk, who are the equally subordinates to republicans and democrats which we refer to as the media. Namely news commentators. Looking at the tube with my mom, there seemed to be a common theme of expression, from Lou Dobbs, to Rush Limbaugh to Sean Hannity, that “this is not the America I know and/or grew up in. I even heard one woman on one of the news clips of a selected town hall meeting saying that she wanted her America back and even cried.

Now all of this is entertaing as well as said. For the flames being fanned are not productive and don’t lead to a civil disuccion, even if it was about whether or not there is a Santa. Glen Beck took this even further, asserting that the reason for Obama’s economic and health reform can be reduced to the single issue of reperations. Now do not get me wrong, I think legitimate issues on health care and the econmy exist and merit serious discussion, but only with respect to implementation ans how it will be funded, but that is all. It is not like 50 or 60 million uninsured folks can just up and kill 50 or 60 million insured folks.

The strange thing is that these pundits and news commentators are the main ones who tout that now we live in a post racial America humbug. Just look at recent events at some of the twon hall meets, albeit isolated where folks bring pistols, and with one man, Richard Terry Young, 62, being arrested in Portsmouth, NH for carrying an unregistered weapon to as forum where the President was scheduled to speak. I even heard Lou Dobbs defend this mans right to carry a weapon. I agree but unregistered and around the President of the United States of America, lets me know how much of a nut case Lou Dobbs is. I mean the white folk I know don’t behave like this, just the ones I have see paraded at these town hall meetings. I mean, I want my America back; I say tell that to the Indians.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

America's taliban

I have been reading of the increased number of attacks across Afghanistan and Pakistan by suicide bombers. It seems as if the problem has only gotten worse and that the Taliban is making good use of an untapped resource, adolescent Muslim males from both countries. It appears that the young males have become the target of increased recruiting efforts because of their age and due to the fact they are very easy to influence mentally. And although the Taliban are not trained psychologist, they have managed to brain wash these young men beyond the [point of no return in most cases. Meaning they are will to die, kill and maim without fear or remorse for who they may harm.

I think in America, we have just a lethal concern with respect to brain washing of young men, in particular African American males. Unfortunately this influence comes from a large corpus of rappers. See to me, having a kids mind to the point of carrying chrome, and popping trunks, and pulling out choppers is just as nefarious as the Taliban influencing young Muslim kids to wear bombs and blow folk up. Such a belief is often recanted so much on television in the form of videos and on radio, that young males in this country take the belief that fighting and shooting another person is accepted behavior and remember lyrics loyally like young Muslims chant the Koran.

I am blessed to have raised what I perceive to be a fine young man, going into the 12th grade with a 3.1 GPA, 28 ACT (top 92 percent in nation), and a star baseball player. But I still worry about his future, I know he has made it to the 12th grade, something that less than 20% of African American males achieve, but I do want him to finish, graduate and attend college. Which bothers me because there are the other 80 percent American Taliban trained fools who, don’t read, and accept with out question, because they would rather attend to things they like, such as following athletes and rappers, than what may assist them in becoming worldly. For the truth be told, only an empty mind is acceptable to believing such tom foolery. So for me we have a big problem, and down here in Atlanta, it has only gotten worse. So let us see what we can do, and I’m not talking military intervention, but more so to provide alternatives to conflict resolution via words as opposed to guns – think we can get some stimulus loot for that?

Monday, August 03, 2009

Americas REAL 2 party system

I have come to the conclusion that there are just two parties in America – Wall Street and Washington government. And as such, they are vying like two wrestlers for the world championship belt of complete economic control and domination. I mean unlike us, they are elitist that really want to run the world, I saw this with the bailout. But it has been made clearer with the proposed Health care debate.

It is apparent that Obama nor the members of the House have no clue of what they are talking about with respect to health care reform or even to what is in the bill that has been proposed on behalf of the current administration - even the President himself. From what I have read and heard, none of the talking heads on the media or the political class have no inkling of understanding regarding the nature and extent of the problem.

There is no real focus on the evaluation of how insurance companies make their money. This essential if they attempt to solve the most basic health care concerns of average Americans. Truth be told, we really don’t need any government healthcare. Instead, we need more regulation, both with respect to how insurance bodies operate, redacting the negative impact of capitated health care. And the FDA and drug pricing and development issues. Medicaid, Medicare and social security is broke and it is hard for me to believe that the government or Wall Street have the metal let alone intellectual prowess to run 1/7th of our economy.

See, the way insurance companies work, is by spreading risk. On one end, they have the capacity to add new individuals to purchase new policies and on the other, they can just refuse to insure, or drop people because they feel they are two expensive (usually the elderly, the poor, minorities or folks with Diabetes, Cancer of AIDS). If this as well as the fact that MBAs instead of Physicians and scientist run health care is not discussed, it is no way to get any change instituted. Thus I can see why may expect that the government, if they ran health care, would be no Different than Wall street; they too would ration health care, as they do now, when folks are elderly and most likely in the last years of their life as is the practice now.

Congressmen, who took millions from these Wall Street banks, are the same ones who are asked to solve, develop and vote on issues of health care reform. Real reform would be to regulate what is already out there and institute practical changes that actually focus on the individual instead of the bottom line and profit margin. Neither politicians nor Wall Street will ever look at this from a profit versus non-profit perspective because doing such would be pragmatic. The reality is that insurance companies are run by Wall Street via hedge funds and the government by tax payers who are hedged upon. When long ago, health care operated very cost effectively when run at the state level by not for profit health care vehicles controlled by physicians.

I’m certain we all have heard directly from our physicians words that make no sense. I mean doctors will tell you if you ask, that what “treatment that you may get, will be based on what the insurance company will say.” This is the American way. I feel the debate should be reframed. First for folks to talk about health care reform or even universal health care and they are insured is disingenuous and merely show and tell time. Especially politicians who will have their health care paid by folk like me for the rest of their life. Health care way better than what I or any one who reads this would get.

So don’t get excited if we don’t change again. For the real American two party system involve Wall Street and Washington Government. And we can’t regulate either.