As things have tightened up I'm encouraging enjoyment of the simpler things in life-- those that don't cost money. One of those has been playing chess with my 12 year old son. We've been playing for at least three years now and he's getting pretty good. He knows all my tricks and I really have to concentrate these days. He's beaten me twice this month- straight up. I think he's getting smart where he will put on a DVD with me facing the TV so I get distracted while the game goes on, or he'll wait until late in the evening when I'm a little tired. The time we spend playing chess is indeed quality time and we both look forward to it-- and we're always 'up for a game'. I look forward to sharing this with him for the rest of our lives- and maybe with his kids some day.
My12 year old son is also playing guitar, and this is another recession past time that doesn't cost a nickel. He actually has a fair appreciation for my music and we've been playing everything from old Credence Tunes and Rolling Stones to Classic Beatles. We spent about two hours yesterday learning 'She's Not There' by the Zombies. He's a little shy about singing yet- but I hear him in his room and in the shower-- I know this will come in time as well.
These are moments of pride and joy for any parent and perhaps if there's a positive side to this depression, it's going to be the reconnection with family in the home and the simple pleasures of life-- spent with one another.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
He Aims, He Shoots He Scores!!!!
The Obamanator proposes a REAL PROGRAM to help REAL PEOPLE! Good Job Mr. Prez! Now let's roll this thing out well and take some pressure off a very stressed out America.
It should be noted that nothing was stopping George Bush from proposing something like this mortgage rescue program over the last year...
It should be noted that nothing was stopping George Bush from proposing something like this mortgage rescue program over the last year...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
HAPPY STIMULUS DAY! How 'bout Another Seven Hundred Billion?
JEEEEEEZUS.. I wish we could really fix this economy. The General Motors/Chrysler news just keeps getting worse. California in a nosedive. The DOW is about to drop below 7000. Robert Allen Stanford- 9 billion in fraud? A gold plated Helicopter...?
I'm getting my Mexico house ready....
I know what you are all thinking. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! When will the man on the street get some actual relief? It's our money after all---isn't it? Obama needs to drink some stronger coffee. Looks like the stimulus bucks will take months to get us going and most of us will not see much of anything. PresO: "I don't want to pretend that this is the end of our economic problems.." (NO KIDDING SHERLOCK).
Let's count the jobs from this stimulus thing.... one, two, threee...OH Wait there goes another twenty thousand layoffs.....four, five, six...OOOPS there goes another thirty five thousand layoffs...seven, eight....
HEY OBAMA--- What about some small business loans to put some cash on the street!!! What about an actual law to prevent foreclosures while we sort this out....? What about subsidizing milk, bread, eggs, cheese and beef with a few billion so people can eat while we try to cross this swamp.
IT AIN'T WORKING FAST ENOUGH!! There is going to be blood in the street if more is not done soon.
There better not be any members of congress taking extra vacation days this year...
I'm getting my Mexico house ready....
I know what you are all thinking. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! When will the man on the street get some actual relief? It's our money after all---isn't it? Obama needs to drink some stronger coffee. Looks like the stimulus bucks will take months to get us going and most of us will not see much of anything. PresO: "I don't want to pretend that this is the end of our economic problems.." (NO KIDDING SHERLOCK).
Let's count the jobs from this stimulus thing.... one, two, threee...OH Wait there goes another twenty thousand layoffs.....four, five, six...OOOPS there goes another thirty five thousand layoffs...seven, eight....
HEY OBAMA--- What about some small business loans to put some cash on the street!!! What about an actual law to prevent foreclosures while we sort this out....? What about subsidizing milk, bread, eggs, cheese and beef with a few billion so people can eat while we try to cross this swamp.
IT AIN'T WORKING FAST ENOUGH!! There is going to be blood in the street if more is not done soon.
There better not be any members of congress taking extra vacation days this year...
Recession Efficiency Idea # 1467 Flogging of Spyware Perpetrators On Pay Per View
Talk about a killer to your productivity-- Spyware and Malware programs slow down and stop your computer, costing you hours upon hours of frustration, expensive computer consulting and Spyware killing software you never wanted to buy. Collectively this has got to be costing us billions. Whether its a slightly discern able slowdown in your computer speed (yes all that waiting for your computer to do something adds up) or the complete takeover of your CPU by Trojans and other malicious programs- the downtime is costing us dearly--just when we need all cylinders firing.
We need the new Obama administration to go after the guys responsible for this type of activity-with a vengeance. How about ten years in jail for starters? We need the penalties to be so stiff that these folks will back off.
Who are these malicious, pernicious deviants? I don't care, the penalty should be the same-
Organized international crime groups-- stomp them all and lock them up.
Local pay per click traffic hijackers--stomp them all and lock them up.
Nerdy hackers wherever you are--stomp them all and lock them up.
International Enemies who like to make our lives miserable--OK use of heavy weapons.
If we can facilitate nationwide ease-dropping by NSA and others with the Patriot Act, surely we've got the technology to catch a few of these bastards and make an example out of them.
How about public flogging of Internet pirates on pay-per-view with funds going to small business technology assistance?
We need the new Obama administration to go after the guys responsible for this type of activity-with a vengeance. How about ten years in jail for starters? We need the penalties to be so stiff that these folks will back off.
Who are these malicious, pernicious deviants? I don't care, the penalty should be the same-
Organized international crime groups-- stomp them all and lock them up.
Local pay per click traffic hijackers--stomp them all and lock them up.
Nerdy hackers wherever you are--stomp them all and lock them up.
International Enemies who like to make our lives miserable--OK use of heavy weapons.
If we can facilitate nationwide ease-dropping by NSA and others with the Patriot Act, surely we've got the technology to catch a few of these bastards and make an example out of them.
How about public flogging of Internet pirates on pay-per-view with funds going to small business technology assistance?
Monday, February 16, 2009
My Palm Tree Nursery and Economic Stimulus
As I BLOG along about the Recession, I'm looking out at my California backyard with a giant greenhouse and hundreds of Palm Trees. I can't help but draw some parallels between my Palm Nursery and the economy.
I raise my palms from seeds. I generally sew them about 1000 at a time. Big box of good soil, water and sunshine- in about three months they start popping up. When they've got a few leaves on them I transplant them to pots and the small new plants become medium sized plants. When young they're susceptible to pests, too much heat or cold and I have to shelter them somewhat as a group and do some minor weeding-other than that, they pretty much grow on their own. I fertilize them when they get older.
Usually about a third will die no matter what I do, for a variety of reasons, every so often there will be some kind of blight or disease and I'll lose more than half. The survivors are transplanted into a larger pot where they will grow into strong, disease-resistant, healthy mature seed bearing trees.
When compared with my Palm Nursery, our current economic moves don't seem to make much sense. It looks like we aren't planting any new seeds, we've just had a major blight on all of our medium sized plants, and the big ones that haven't been sold are diseased or contracted to sell their seeds for the next 20 years. In the mean time we're spending alot of money on new pots, gardening tools and plastic for the greenhouse, instead of putting every seed into the ground we can.
Hope for the future rests in making sure the small and medium sized plants (businesses) we have left are protected in perfect conditions and given a shot of fertilizer so they have the best chance at becoming big trees. If some of the big trees (big businesses) are sick, the standard practice in the nursery is to quarantine them so they can't affect others, and not waste resources on them that can be better utilized by planting new trees. And we need to plant a few thousand new seeds right now. Over time we'll have a full, healthy nursery (economy) again.
I raise my palms from seeds. I generally sew them about 1000 at a time. Big box of good soil, water and sunshine- in about three months they start popping up. When they've got a few leaves on them I transplant them to pots and the small new plants become medium sized plants. When young they're susceptible to pests, too much heat or cold and I have to shelter them somewhat as a group and do some minor weeding-other than that, they pretty much grow on their own. I fertilize them when they get older.
Usually about a third will die no matter what I do, for a variety of reasons, every so often there will be some kind of blight or disease and I'll lose more than half. The survivors are transplanted into a larger pot where they will grow into strong, disease-resistant, healthy mature seed bearing trees.
When compared with my Palm Nursery, our current economic moves don't seem to make much sense. It looks like we aren't planting any new seeds, we've just had a major blight on all of our medium sized plants, and the big ones that haven't been sold are diseased or contracted to sell their seeds for the next 20 years. In the mean time we're spending alot of money on new pots, gardening tools and plastic for the greenhouse, instead of putting every seed into the ground we can.
Hope for the future rests in making sure the small and medium sized plants (businesses) we have left are protected in perfect conditions and given a shot of fertilizer so they have the best chance at becoming big trees. If some of the big trees (big businesses) are sick, the standard practice in the nursery is to quarantine them so they can't affect others, and not waste resources on them that can be better utilized by planting new trees. And we need to plant a few thousand new seeds right now. Over time we'll have a full, healthy nursery (economy) again.
What About The Street?
Take $100 Billion. (That' eleven zeroes)
Divide it by $50,000. small business loans for every business that hires one new person.
= 2 million jobs.
Sure they're not going to be the best jobs, but some of those small businesses will actually thrive and prosper--with a little help and some new labor- and grow into medium businesses. Some will waste the money, some will run off to Cuba or whatever. But we're talking about REAL STIMULUS TO THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY-- Small business. Where will they spend their money? On The Street.
You can't worry about people's credit for approval of these stimulus loans, or other hoops of fire most of us won't be able to jump through. How about a 4.5% interest rate and a twenty year pay back? That's better than what we are going to get from the banking industry. -- remember Citigroup got 129 billion in one shot? Aren't America's small businesses a better investment than that?
Divide it by $50,000. small business loans for every business that hires one new person.
= 2 million jobs.
Sure they're not going to be the best jobs, but some of those small businesses will actually thrive and prosper--with a little help and some new labor- and grow into medium businesses. Some will waste the money, some will run off to Cuba or whatever. But we're talking about REAL STIMULUS TO THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY-- Small business. Where will they spend their money? On The Street.
You can't worry about people's credit for approval of these stimulus loans, or other hoops of fire most of us won't be able to jump through. How about a 4.5% interest rate and a twenty year pay back? That's better than what we are going to get from the banking industry. -- remember Citigroup got 129 billion in one shot? Aren't America's small businesses a better investment than that?
The Holes In The Bucket and the Core Mission
As we do the collective 'tighten up' (remember that old song) - We're not moving fast enough on plugging some of the big holes in the bucket..
1) The WAR(s). Is this just the big elephant in the room or what? OK so we've got to shoot Taliban for awhile yet- let me at that military budget with my eraser though and I'll find the American people another 100 billion or so.. let's buy a fleet of predators and bring most of our boys home. Who really cares how Pakistan whines, as long as we keep giving them aid.
Obama is going to make a big deal about mortgage mitigation with 50 billion or so-- finally some relief (we hope). This should probably be allot more like 200 billion bub-- but no, we've got to keep propping up the Iraqis etc.. who are all going to shoot one another and blow one another up as soon as we leave.. Can we get free oil from them or something?
2) Chinese Trade. Did you see that beautiful Chinese Olympic Stadium. We paid for it. What isn't made in China these days? I say yes to protectionism-- for our 'most favored trading partner', or just a few tariffs until our trade accounts balance- surely they want 'fair trade' right? Whose economy has grown by 8-10% over the past 15 years, while ours did what?
This is not watching the basket at a criminal level. Can Obama find a Chinese American to be our head trade negotiator please? This could be good for at least thirty or forty billion.
3) Remittances from Illegal Aliens. Just so you don't brand me as a prejudiced bastard, I have a Mexican Fiancee and a house in Mexico and I do a lot of work there and have a second office there-- all that being said, here's what I really think- It would be one thing if people who made money under the table, spent it here in the USA. When it gets sent home to Mexico,Guatemala, Honduras etc. it's gone --and we can't tax it. If we want to get some revenue from the 12 million or so illegals who send allot of money home- why not ask the ones that can't produce a legal visa to pay say, a 30% tax on however much they are sending out of the country? If frosts me that my own bank may hold an out of state deposit from me for a week, and report all my big deposits to the IRS while an illegal without documentation can walk into the same bank, cash a check (for a $5. fee) and then send money home tax free. Our Federal Post Offices have Western Union money transfers for God's sake-! We are facilitating this money leaving our economy without taxing it! This might be the fair way to let these folks- who are already here anyway- pay their fair share. Maybe it's only ten billion or so..
4) How about a year or two of cutting foreign aid by 75%? Let's let these countries stand on their own two feet for a little while. What are they going to say? Oh, we hate you now, regardless of all that help you gave us in the past. If the US economy crashes harder, they're going to get cut off anyway. Is there no one else in the world that reach in their pockets and give something too? This should be good for twenty billion or so.
5) Too bad about Obama's Government Efficiency Expert not making it to the party. He'd better get another one (or ten). If the average American can cut their expensive cable TV channels and food budget there have got to be all kinds of government departments and programs we can just flat out get rid of. "Mr. President- I'll volunteer my eraser.. " I had the idea of each government department and program going through a citizen review (12 citizens chosen at random) who review the core mission of the department and how well they are fulfilling it. Funding needs to start with the assumptions that the department has fulfilled their core mission 99% before they are allowed to add additional programs or funding.
(I know I'm dreaming but we've got to get back to some kind of reality here).
Send me your ideas... and keep them coming.
1) The WAR(s). Is this just the big elephant in the room or what? OK so we've got to shoot Taliban for awhile yet- let me at that military budget with my eraser though and I'll find the American people another 100 billion or so.. let's buy a fleet of predators and bring most of our boys home. Who really cares how Pakistan whines, as long as we keep giving them aid.
Obama is going to make a big deal about mortgage mitigation with 50 billion or so-- finally some relief (we hope). This should probably be allot more like 200 billion bub-- but no, we've got to keep propping up the Iraqis etc.. who are all going to shoot one another and blow one another up as soon as we leave.. Can we get free oil from them or something?
2) Chinese Trade. Did you see that beautiful Chinese Olympic Stadium. We paid for it. What isn't made in China these days? I say yes to protectionism-- for our 'most favored trading partner', or just a few tariffs until our trade accounts balance- surely they want 'fair trade' right? Whose economy has grown by 8-10% over the past 15 years, while ours did what?
This is not watching the basket at a criminal level. Can Obama find a Chinese American to be our head trade negotiator please? This could be good for at least thirty or forty billion.
3) Remittances from Illegal Aliens. Just so you don't brand me as a prejudiced bastard, I have a Mexican Fiancee and a house in Mexico and I do a lot of work there and have a second office there-- all that being said, here's what I really think- It would be one thing if people who made money under the table, spent it here in the USA. When it gets sent home to Mexico,Guatemala, Honduras etc. it's gone --and we can't tax it. If we want to get some revenue from the 12 million or so illegals who send allot of money home- why not ask the ones that can't produce a legal visa to pay say, a 30% tax on however much they are sending out of the country? If frosts me that my own bank may hold an out of state deposit from me for a week, and report all my big deposits to the IRS while an illegal without documentation can walk into the same bank, cash a check (for a $5. fee) and then send money home tax free. Our Federal Post Offices have Western Union money transfers for God's sake-! We are facilitating this money leaving our economy without taxing it! This might be the fair way to let these folks- who are already here anyway- pay their fair share. Maybe it's only ten billion or so..
4) How about a year or two of cutting foreign aid by 75%? Let's let these countries stand on their own two feet for a little while. What are they going to say? Oh, we hate you now, regardless of all that help you gave us in the past. If the US economy crashes harder, they're going to get cut off anyway. Is there no one else in the world that reach in their pockets and give something too? This should be good for twenty billion or so.
5) Too bad about Obama's Government Efficiency Expert not making it to the party. He'd better get another one (or ten). If the average American can cut their expensive cable TV channels and food budget there have got to be all kinds of government departments and programs we can just flat out get rid of. "Mr. President- I'll volunteer my eraser.. " I had the idea of each government department and program going through a citizen review (12 citizens chosen at random) who review the core mission of the department and how well they are fulfilling it. Funding needs to start with the assumptions that the department has fulfilled their core mission 99% before they are allowed to add additional programs or funding.
(I know I'm dreaming but we've got to get back to some kind of reality here).
Send me your ideas... and keep them coming.
THE NEW DEPRESSION
I've been calling it that for months. Here's why:
Take all of the dramatic financial crisis headlines you've seen since last September- especially the ones that start with words like: most ever..lowest in 60 years...biggest losses etc..
Put them all on one page and look at them all together and ask yourself--
"How the Hell Will We Ever Get Out Of This?!" A recession is determined by an extended economic dip that we eventually pull out of. A Depression looks like a much more foundational problem with no solutions in site. We lost something like 650,000 jobs in January alone. It usually takes the US economy several years to generate that many new jobs..
It would be one thing if we had a whole bunch of industries where we lead the world, or new technologies that are coming out of the pipe that are online to produce a whole bunch of new economic activity. I don't see it, do you?
So how do we actually deal with this ridiculously staggering financial crisis? The options don't look good- **(I'm not trying to be Mr. Negative here, but seeing things realistically is the first step towards realistic solutions).
1) We all hunker down and tighten up for the next...ten years?...twenty years? Better re-adjust your dreams now.
2) Society turns into a small priveledged class and the rest of us- poor with few opportunities- history and other countries have very clear examples of this type of thing.
3) Wheels come off the wagon- government loses all touch with real people's needs and becomes it's own insulated industry with an advesarial relationship with it's own people- (look at Mexico for example). We all fend for ourselves- most stop paying taxes if they can get away with it.
4) Real breakdown- Dollar devaluates, millions of out of work start regular riots-(with looting),
we morph into something ugly and American life as we know it dissapears.
5) We stick our heads in the sand and trust that our government has got a good handle on things.
We all hope this doesn't happen but the signs are already there if you look around. The time for more dramatic and creative ideas is now-- before it's too late. In the mean time- let's all remember to help one another as best we can.
Take all of the dramatic financial crisis headlines you've seen since last September- especially the ones that start with words like: most ever..lowest in 60 years...biggest losses etc..
Put them all on one page and look at them all together and ask yourself--
"How the Hell Will We Ever Get Out Of This?!" A recession is determined by an extended economic dip that we eventually pull out of. A Depression looks like a much more foundational problem with no solutions in site. We lost something like 650,000 jobs in January alone. It usually takes the US economy several years to generate that many new jobs..
The new stimulus spending bill is committing hundreds of billions in new debt, on top of ten or eleven trillion we have already have now. "Who is going to pay for this?"
It would be one thing if we had a whole bunch of industries where we lead the world, or new technologies that are coming out of the pipe that are online to produce a whole bunch of new economic activity. I don't see it, do you?
So how do we actually deal with this ridiculously staggering financial crisis? The options don't look good- **(I'm not trying to be Mr. Negative here, but seeing things realistically is the first step towards realistic solutions).
1) We all hunker down and tighten up for the next...ten years?...twenty years? Better re-adjust your dreams now.
2) Society turns into a small priveledged class and the rest of us- poor with few opportunities- history and other countries have very clear examples of this type of thing.
3) Wheels come off the wagon- government loses all touch with real people's needs and becomes it's own insulated industry with an advesarial relationship with it's own people- (look at Mexico for example). We all fend for ourselves- most stop paying taxes if they can get away with it.
4) Real breakdown- Dollar devaluates, millions of out of work start regular riots-(with looting),
we morph into something ugly and American life as we know it dissapears.
5) We stick our heads in the sand and trust that our government has got a good handle on things.
We all hope this doesn't happen but the signs are already there if you look around. The time for more dramatic and creative ideas is now-- before it's too late. In the mean time- let's all remember to help one another as best we can.
Introducing RECESSION HELP
WELCOME to Recession Help.
Hey, everybody needs it right?
This BLOG is a cousin to the National Recession Survival Resources Web Portal: http://www.heretohelp.us/ which I founded in January--
That portal has become a monster with over 85 categories and pushing twelve thousand different resources for help, aid, and assistance for all of us who need it.
(Go there and add your own resources if you know of things that really help people- or email me here and I'll make sure it gets posted appropriately) recessionhelp@heretohelp.us
I felt the need to pontificate on more issues, politics, spending etc. related to the New Depression as I term it-- so this will hopefully be catharctic for me, and entertaining and involving for you.
I also strive to let you know about some of the best resources to help you as we find them at HereToHelp.Us
Hey, everybody needs it right?
This BLOG is a cousin to the National Recession Survival Resources Web Portal: http://www.heretohelp.us/ which I founded in January--
That portal has become a monster with over 85 categories and pushing twelve thousand different resources for help, aid, and assistance for all of us who need it.
(Go there and add your own resources if you know of things that really help people- or email me here and I'll make sure it gets posted appropriately) recessionhelp@heretohelp.us
I felt the need to pontificate on more issues, politics, spending etc. related to the New Depression as I term it-- so this will hopefully be catharctic for me, and entertaining and involving for you.
I also strive to let you know about some of the best resources to help you as we find them at HereToHelp.Us
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