2 MAY 2010, Sunday

• A scathing sarcastic "Thank you" to President Bush, Hank Paulson, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Reid, President Obama and the rest of CON-gress for "looking out for the country" when the voting public was saying "No!" to TARP, Stimulus 2, New Healthcare and whatever is next to be shoved down our throats.
• Instead, you opted to "play the game" with our nation's future.  Sure!  Why not!  You won't be around looking for re-election when it blows up for us and our kids / grandkids.  Kick the can....Whee!!!  Swell!  You guys are the best!  What crap!
• You're delusional self-serving short sightedness has worked us into such a box that we will become a Greece type situation if, as the Bank of International Settlements states, drastic action is not taken to resolve current deficit and debt loads...important read for those happily unaware.
• Drastic action?  HA!  Our leadership is unable to take any action!  It has been demonstrated over the past 100 years, our politicians collectively do NOT have the integrity to do the right thing for the country which may be hard.  One trick ponies...giveaways!  They only know how to tax or borrow (which equals future taxes) so the "Good Dukes and Duchesses" can give us our tax money back in the form of "goodies" we may not need or want in order to pander to the peasants....errr, their constituents.
• Hmmm...if you had listened to the voting public's calls for "No!" perhaps we wouldn't be in such a spot.  Which merely proves that we have no representation since you have shown yourselves to be the "We'll Do What We Want New Oligarchy". 
• Suggestions:
• .....Immediately, eliminate Social Security early retirement at 62, raise SS and Medicare eligibility to age 70 for everyone who is not within 24 months of their eligibility AND then index the eligibility to race based longevity annually.  Enact a "one time" across the board 5% reduction to Social Security, federal/military pensions and welfare benefits.  Everyone must "pay the penance" for our failures as voters who have allowed this to get out of control along the way.  Noone is immune! 
• .....Repeal Obama-care and the Bush Medicare Part D Drug benefits.
• .....Then cut all remaining department's budgets by a straight 5% (including rollback of Obama's early spending spree) AND initiate a true spending freeze on EVERYTHING, nothing immune, for 3 years.
• .....Eliminate Department of Energy...they have failed in their mission to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources.  Doubt it?  Compare gasoline prices then to now.
• .....Eliminate Department of Education...all increased funding has consistently failed to raise the quality / results as indicated by standardized testing (including SAT's).  We should have the smartest students in the world yet businesses complain that they can't find good workers and need more foreigners.  Besides, it is a state issue not federal where they suck taxes from states and then skim for a bureaucracy and return no value to the states.
• .....Eliminate Housing and Urban Development...it's a state issue.
• .....Eliminate the income tax, corporate tax and capital gains tax and shift to a straight Flat Tax.  Will simplify April 15 and it will eliminate politicians ability to "game the tax code" which will go a LOOONG way to eliminating lobbyists.  By eliminating those taxes, you drastically reduce the IRS work force AND...brace yourselves...we become a "capital friendly" country again!  Highly productive people and industries will pour into our country again restoring "the business of America is business" mindset.
• .....Transfer the state's portions of the federal taxes for Education and Housing back to the states to run their own programs where the locals can hold them accountable the old fashioned way.  You know, "Up close and personal!!!"
• .....Restore the Department of Defense to it original mission...defense not offense (we should not attempt to be an empire...it never ends well).  Wind down armed conflicts as soon as reasonable.  But, more importantly withdraw from Europe, North Korea, Japan and all other places we've scattered our uniformed services.  We've provided a defense for the world and they, smartly so took advantage of the free ride, reduced their defense spending and diverted it to social spending programs.  Time for them to pony up and foot their own bills...all of them.
• Get back to strict Constitutionalism and State's Rights.  Let the states handle the stuff not specifically detailed as Federal responsibilities in the Constitution and let the best state draw the best folks and prosper.  If a state, California for example, chooses to fail...let it!  They can figure out their priorities for themselves.  You know...ones they can afford without a bailout from the federal government which merely shifts funds away from fiscally responsible states. 
• Those are for starters...but I think it's a good start.
• Enough!  Time for me to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day.
• Oh yeah...market still up longer term...short term sideways.
• Hopefully, this week will provide some clarity...I'm starting to consider what might interest me for some shorting action...been awhile!
• One day at a time!