could it be any worse

The massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is finally reaching the shores of the Gulf Coast, in what many have called the worst environmental disaster since the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Not only does it have the potential to threaten hundreds of species of fish, birds and other wildlife in the area, but more importantly the livelihood of many who make a living fishing in the nation's richest seafood region.

More than 200,000 gallons of oil a day have been spewing into the ocean since British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast last week. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that BP, is "the responsible party" according to U.S. law and is "required to fund the cost of cleanup operations." In fact, in a letter sent last year to the Department of the Interior, the oil giant objected to what it described as "extensive, prescriptive regulations" proposed for more rigorous safety standards stating. "We believe [the] industry's current safety and environmental statistics demonstrate that the voluntary programs … continue to be very successful."

Last year, BP made more than 40 billion in profits yet paid no taxes in the United States.

This oil spil could not have come at a more significant time given that just a few weeks ago President Obama asked Congress to lift a drilling ban in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, 125 miles from Florida beaches and called for new offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean from Delaware to central Florida.

President Barack Obama has pledged "every single available resource" to deal with the situation and called the leak a "spill of national significance,"


The real threat is to thousands of independent African American and small businesses in the region that make a living via fishing and tourism. If there is a significant reduction in the oyster, shrimp and fish populations, which has been in decline anyway over the past decade, it may signal an end to the livlihoods of many.

In Louisiana for example, 12 percent of all businesses are owned by African Americans with coastal cities like Baton Rouge having 17 percent black-owned business, most in the fishing and tourism industries. The same can be said of Mobile, Ala., where 14.8 percent of business are black-owned compared to 9 percent for the state of Alabama. If this problem is not under control soon, many family owned and small African American businesses in the Gulf region may not survive.

Fk the VP, who gone be your Treasury Secretary

Ok back on the grind but first two things I have noticed: 1] I have noticed how Obama is saying all that I wrote in my post called slacking on your macking now. 2] My Titans 3 – 0; 3] Aint no gas in GA – there is a shortage in most places except where I live. LMBAO.

Back to the task at hand. I was trying to stay away from the economy. Seems that folks don’t have worries no more. Well I don’t wanna scare anyone, but I do desire for folks to have a semi objective and non biased opinion of things the way this single distorted, sordid and diabolic mind perceives such. I mean Wall Street over the past three Sundays, that’s right Sundays has gone over a dramatic facial. Now Goldman Sachs (as I said) and Morgan Stanley (as I said) are no longer investment houses but rather regular old banks now thanks to you guessed it, basically unilateral decisions of the Feds. Yep regular banks – which have stiffer regulations when compared to investment houses.

I don’t know about you, but I would hope that I am not the only one kind of leery of having basically one man in control of making financial decisions with my tax loot. Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson. And add to that Ben Bernanke, it makes me a bit more concerned. If it was like it was back in the day I wouldn’t be so worried. The old fed maintained T-Bills as most of its asset base. The typically matured in increments of 90, 180 or 360 days and sold at a minimum value of 10 stacks.

I know Paulson think he is doing the right thing and maybe he is, but to compare the value of a MBS to a T-Bill from the historical vantage point I maintain is feculent. Add to that, doing all of this decision making in essence to hand over a black check to these folk with out consulting congress before hand borders on treason to me. Shit, today the Dow dropped almost 400 points and Oil prices posted a record one-day gain today, going over $25 per barrel. I aint buy no oil futures, but Gold, just as the aforementioned is a commodity also [note to self last week u could get 68.78 oz of gold for 50K, today 50K gets you 58.8 oz] . Add to that the knowledge that P. Morgan Chase and American Express fell 13 and 8 percent alone today respectively.

I just say, I feel that we are bailing out folks for stupidity or even worse for making poorly thought out investment decisions. And the plan as I have just finished reviewing, I mean the planned bailout, still leaves it wide open for these institutions to load even hedge funds to dump these distressed assets on the tax payer, I mean the government.

I think we need to dig in for the last 7 weeks before the election and ask these folks some serious questions. Dang man, we know who the VP is, but on the really real, fk the VP, I wanna know who they gone pick as the next secretary of the Treasury. We got it all wrong up in this camp.

crook by another name is John McCain

Jones mane, folk here by all accounts is African – if a cat has kittens in an oven, don’t make them biscuits. But my heart is here, America, American me folk. So I talk and criticized for the common good, and in good faith, something that ALL politicians don’t know how to do, least since the FDR days, since now they tend to respond or react as opposed to think. So as a result, I have been very critical of these folk who are running to be this nations commander in chief.

Now don’t expect nothing sensational, nope jones, I just wanna be really real with thought. I mean I am Meek, just that and recant that Jesus was meek, but he would place the plague on yo azz with the quickness.

See for me, I have held Obama to a certain level, objective without age, race or him wearing his faith on his sleeve as being a factor. Such has been waited out; maybe that’s why some folks think I’m hard on Jones. I have done the same with McCain, with all of the prior, in addition to him not wearing his faith on his sleeve as canceling out.

Sometimes I think Obama just don’t know what he be saying or is just unaware of what his staff write policy wise for him. But McCain, I think folk think I’m stupid. Now I wont start with his recent debacle, when Tallahassee Democrat senior writer Stephen Price on Friday was thrown out of his rally. I mean so he was the only Black reporter, and so what none of the other local press was removed, I wont touch that. And nope, I wont touch what he said when he addressed the National Urban League, when he mentioned that he would employ military’s tactics in Iraq as the model for crime-fighting in American urban areas (code word for where black folk live).

No but on disposition and policy I will. Even when it comes to economics, education and yes, even the energy policy, he maintains a banal and sublime approach to problem solving that on the one hand condemns his opponents for beliefs his fellow GOP comrades have and maintain. Like Obama on pressure in tires to save gas, when the current governor of California have; but also with respect to nuclear power; when The two Bushes and Regan held a similar stance to the democratic front runner. I mean, he tends to come across as if he can only proffer that a military solution is an answer to all things. He suggest we expand our current off shore drilling when it would be more economically feasible to be looking at the Black Sea, especially if folks like Exxon Mobil, who suspect that there may be 10 billion barrels of oil reserves in the Black Sea.

It would not even surprise me if he sided with Attorney General Michael Mukasey’s call for Congress to authorize the indefinite subverting of the right of habeas corpus for any one, even US citizens to be detained if suspected as being a terrorist, over the side of liberty. This is problematic for me since he says that he agrees and continue handling the current war as GWB does. What “Mukasey is asking is for Congress to extend the war on terror forever and that folk the president say is a terrorist can be held indefinitely without a trial.

He already wants to stay in Iraq for ever, and his position on the Gaza Strip, makes me think that he may actually be one of the terrorist he himself describes. He supports Israel doing what it must to defend and protect itself, even if that includes the Israel's secret police withholding medical treatment to Palestinians in Gaza. Shin Bet Started interrogating Palestinian patients who needed to go to Israel for medical service after they set up the blockaded (which McCain supports). One would think a former POW would not support the practice of taking the sick underground to windowless rooms and using the threat of not getting medical help as a way to get them to tell on others.

And I aint picking on McCain, for just as Obama, they don’t really have an inkling of anticipation of what they are in for, but hat worries me is not just his stance on the war but as I mentioned briefly, his disposition toward problem solving. From his inability to stay on point with a decision (as he did on taxes saying he is down with a higher payroll tax for Social Security, when he pledged not to raise taxes of any kind ) to his open hypocrisy via using loop holes in his own campaign finance reform law (McCain-Feingold). He does this by using folks like the Republican Governors Association (RGA), a 527 with no donation limits.

Even on topical issues regarding ethics, he has failed my test, but so has Obama. But such is the mark of desperation for his attack machine aint even started yet. And best belive the GOP hoodrats will be in rare form. So another election year, and another ballot in which I will write my name in instead of either of the aforementioned.

Body Blow, Body Blow, Body Blow

Yo, I must admit, in grad school I played video games, Madden and this boxing shit. What I remember about the boxing game was that when u would hit folk, it would say stuff like “body blow, body blow, head shot, body blow.” I like-ed that shit.

I am reminded of this because I feel that it is the perfect introduction to our economic concerns as we are all citizens of the united states of America, now true, I was gonna post on something I wrote this morning called “WORK HARD AND DONT COMPLAIN.” But after reading the comments to the previous post by the scholarly Jay MidNite, Kelso (and he has interest) and No slappz, I digress. Again, blame my pons, and throw in the sulcus of my medulla oblongata and my subsequent Glossopharyngeal nerve anatomy (in picture) while u at it.

Mane, Jones here love him some loot. And as a person that has adapted capitalism for his own well being, I take pride in using brain cells to do such, just as much as I do showing love to others. But it seems as if my economy don’t got no love for folk no more. I have personally documented several contusions to my efforts to accrue capital albeit I will not be denied.

First, the housing market is basically a bust, and it aint been this bad in 70 years. As of date houses prices have dropped maybe 15 to 20 percent in real terms and its only just beginning. Before it is all over, if you pate 100 stacks for a crib, it may end up being worth 70 stacks. Add to that the credit crunch which I figure is the worse since the post war period thanks to Sir Alan green hornet, I mean Span – which I wrote about a few weeks ago. I mean when folk loose a trillion dollar globally, it makes me think that one is in serious trouble; and don’t trust what am mother fucking bankers say. Then there are oil prices coupled with equity dropping like its jumping out an airplane. Just tell me that we got to work a lot longer to buy gas, let alone a barrel of oil. So as jay said, it dont matter, Europe at 10$ a gallon and we gon finally reach the rest of the developing world -yawl aint ready though.

The strange thing to me is that households are paying interest rates no different than in the past. Sure we just got some stimulus checks, but they will only last and benefit one quarter – the second. Yep, it is good; I mean a 100 billion for one quarter but when it is gone what happens next?

All I am saying, and Jones here aint no economist, but rather a single man that like saving and counting money, for money is to make money and not to spend. We don’t even contribute to global GDP growth, but rest assure, the rest of the world does when we cant and will move alone.

The US has weakened for past to years when the rest of the world has shown increased growth and in most cases accelerated economic growth. Europe, Japan, China, and don’t add Arab countries. Not to scare yawl living like life is all that, my query is if the rest of the world can find economic growth, why cant we folk? Cause all I’m seeing and feeling is body blow, body blow, head shot and body blow.

the great unifier

I have been told that ignorance is bliss. I frankly disagree with this, but I have finally come across a case in which such may be factual and the case. We have suffered a rather harsh and disturbing 8 years under the current commander in chief. We have seen high fuel prices, a dwindling economy, namely proffered by a reduced manufacturing base, lowering wages, and decline in the housing market and reduced purchasing power of the dollar. There are more I could add, including a costly war that was implemented for over zealous personal gain and/or fame and lowering academic performance across the board from primary school to college.

Yes, GWB has put his foot in it, basically unknowingly and via the suggestions of advisors that seem to have never had the best interest of folk like us in their hearts. I really feel sorry for the next president. I know it will be better in some form or fashion, but the road traversed will be arduous and difficult. Bumpy even with a many of moguls to avoid.

Yep, GWB, his legacy will be an assorted one. But for me, I will always recognize for his inept outcome regarding the current state of political affairs. For me even with the war and stagflation, I will always remember him as the great unifier. Yep, for this one man in his eight years has managed to do what others, even Martin King Jr. could not do. He has managed to bring together, whites and blacks, men and women, gay and heterosexuals, natural born citizens and immigrants, republicans and democrats. For we all know he must go. He has done all of this believe it or not unwittingly. So George W. Bush, I toast to you, leaving office and unifying America, for with you, your folk and your policies, we would not have been on the verge of this new possibility, of a man of African descent, taking residency in the white House.

Caanan. Good look folk, welcome to the roll scholar.

200$ in two

First, I wanted to say Jones here been having PC problems, not to mention I had 6oo pounds of dog food delivered to day for my store. I was trying to post this yesterday - Jesus wept. So Marcus ( i still aint on yo blog roll folk), yep I read post and left a comment, or so I though. Second. I have added a new button to the top left hand side bar that read SBM MUZK. Yep, your folk her make music, proficient in lead vocals, bass, guitar and percussion and some keys. We call it Funktry Muzk (funky country music). All live and impromptu with folk playing what ever instrument is available. One date it and move on to the next song. Been making music like this since 1984 and my goal is to put up all 7000 or so songs amassed or as many as this site allows.

Any who, since a black man broke, I have been ruminating on the state of gasoline. The strange thing is about 10 years ago we did a song called GAS HIGHA DAN A MUTHA FUKA.

But I really believe that in the next two years the price of Crude Oil will be hovering around $200 a barrel. Why do I suspect such? Well several reasons. The first is the weak and inflated and the non-recession proof dollar. The second is based on folks who hate us with a passion like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Jones be talking like a real trooper, but I can’t blame him, I mean if I hated a country with a passion that basically treated my people like step children, I would use oil as an instrument of war also (African Nation take a hint).

Now I’m certain that we may be able to buffer such a price if we sought other fuel sources or did not attempt to invade another arab countries (IRAQ). Although I think invading Is an impossibility under new leadership with the Exception of John McCain, GWB, may decide to do such if he aint got no blow to toot.

Yep, and the concern is that it may be an option if the current president of these United States of America desires to flex his geopolitical muscle. We have insisted on such by having policies (NAFTA, repealing Glass-Stegall) that have aided in the fall of the dollar - declined by about 15 percent in 12 months. And OPEC nations know this. Why, cause they losing loot. If OPEC takes this approach, then I figure the only thing next is the fall of the US economy. I mean let us be for real, oil was about$40 a barrel in May 2005.

This means no more me and you if you asked me, which you didn’t, the end of the middle class for real. But then again, I’m just a mutha fucaka who thinks, who reads and is cursed with an IQ of 185 as if it means I cant count to 186 - but ton’t worry, I made 690 on my SAT. But it is hard not feeling like Magnentius, who in 365 (or was it 350 , I forget) ACE who was proclaimed of the ruler of the Roman Empire after the assignation of Constans, when he felt like he was the shit. I hope I am not the shit and what I postulate remains mere rumination.