Finally!

Auditing the Fed. It's finally picking up speed, and it's been a long time coming. HR1207. A few weeks ago, Bernanke and Timmy Geithner were pressed about this issue, and they were noticeably irritated and said things like "we don't want to go down that road", and a "line that we don't want to cross".

Wow. Every business in America goes through this process, but the Fed's too good for that? What are you boys hiding from the people you're paid to serve? Something's fishy, for sure, and I really hope Ron Paul's bill makes it..It's looking good so far because this is one of the first main-stream media stories I've seen about it.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fed-audit26-2009sep26,0,3764253.story

I hope the people of this great country of ours wake up and see the reality of what's going on in our government. Our money is disappearing in front of our eyes, and we're not doing much about it..until now...

Think Tank

Another good read:

http://mises.org/story/3701

Jason's quick response to my post yesterday got me thinking, and I love to think. There is way too much bad information out there, and I don't think the people of the United States in general really take the time to think about what they're reading. They quickly form opinions on subjects of great importance without thinking them through or researching sources as to vlidity or viability. Our 24 hour news channels bombard us with this type of junk information, and America has gotten used to it. In the case of many people in America, that's what they know about everything. Reading, researching, or educating themselves to the facts is a lost art. Just get on CNN and listen to what the pretty girl has to say..Blech..

This article really points this fact out. If you believe everything you read or hear on TV to be the absolute truth, it could really get you in serious trouble, especially when it comes from a "reputable source", like in this case; The New York Times. One of my favorite quotes of all-time is one I saw on a T-shirt of all places:

"Thinking-It's Hard"

It cracks me up every time I think about it, but it also makes me think about how very true it is. I think about how many people in our country these days have an entitlement-based mindset, and how many people think they "deserve" government money just because they are citizens. In reality, outside of veterans who serve our country, there are few people that I think "deserve" money just because they're living in the USA. It's unfortunate, really, and something I think has contributed to an overall decline in a solid workforce. Too many people think that a job is somewhere you go to "collect a paycheck", and it has been my experience that a diminishing number of workers take pride in what they do and go to work in order to actually earn a living.

Those same people also don't work to get good information or contribute to society. It's a nasty cycle.

I know, the composition on this post sucks, but I just needed to rant for a moment. Sometimes I like to write, but it often comes out a little disorganized. Live with it.

CZ

Life..Liberty..

Get used to our government getting bigger, boys and girls. Our fearless leader once again used his impeccable speaking skills to lull the sheeple into making them believe in change last night. Sure, we would all love to have health insurance that is cheap, readily available, and the best in the world. Why can’t we have that? Well, um, the same reason everyone can’t have five thousand square-foot homes with four bathrooms and five cars in the driveway that sits on ten acres. Money, boys and girls. It amazes me to no end how the blind people that have somehow been elected to office can’t see that. Maybe it's those very houses and six-figure-plus incomes that help cloud their vision.

Unfortunately, the government of the United States of America is completely oblivious to the fact that you just can’t keep printing money and expect everything to be alright forever. Somewhere, somehow, somebody comes to collect the money you borrow. In the government’s case, it’s going to be foreign bond and t-bill holders. Eventually, if we don't do something to turn it around, this will lead to a massive default on the credit of the US of A.

I like President Obama’s spunk. He has drive. I don’t dislike him either, I just think he’s a little naïve, and I actually feel bad for him. The fact that Rep. Joe Wilson was yelling “you lie” at him last night was actually funny. Sure, it was a momentary lapse in better judgment on his part, and there’s probably a better forum for his disagreement, but he could actually be speaking the truth. Guffaw!! What? President Obama a liar? No!. Well, probably not a liar, and maybe he just changed his mind without mentioning it, but he sure has been telling different stories since he’s been elected. Here’s just one about the health care bill he and his buddies are proposing:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/lack_health_coverage_you_may_pay_PDrR6Mc07h5mYCXNznl0TO

Um, just a thought here, but you can’t really tell people that they won’t be getting financially punished for not having insurance on a new government-run health care plan, then a few months later tell them it’s all part of a bill you’re backing…Hmmm..Really? Punished for not playing along? Does nobody else see something very wrong with the government taking over so many aspects of how we live our lives? What’s the deal? Liberty is dying a slow death, and it depresses me.

There is no possible way that president Obama, or anyone else before him, could expect to be educated enough, in such a short period of time, about what needs to be done to turn our economic ship around. Unfortunately, he has people like Timmy G and Bernanke to listen to. They have already shown us that when it comes to basic economic theory, they are both clueless and willing to do anything to save their own hides. Naturally, Obama will get bad information as a result.

Here’s a good blog discussing what the biggest banks have been doing with our TARP money.

http://theautomaticearth.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-10-2009-sooner-or-later-it.html

Buying government-backed securities..With OUR tax dollars..Unreal.. Of course, Timmy G can’t (or won’t) tell Congress or anyone how any of this trillion dollars was spent. Then, when he was finally pressured by several different reporters about auditing the Fed, he avoids the issue, and says it would be a “bad idea” to “go down that path”..Wow..It amazes me how many people in government offices, elected officials, have forgotten that they WORK FOR THE PEOPLE!!! If people want to know where their money is going, SHOW THEM! Argh..I could go on for days…No person of sound mind and body would invest their hard-earned money in anything without knowing where their money is and what it is doing for them at any moment, yet, that’s what our government is asking of us.. Give us a third of your income and we will do what’s best. Trust us..Big Brother Government knows best… I just wish more people in high places, Democrats, Republicans, and any elected official, could see what’s wrong with this picture.

Wow. Two Months...

Tumbleweeds. That’s a word that isn’t particularly funny when used in a normal sense. A good friend used it to describe my blog recently, and it cracked me up. I think about my poor little sad blog once in a while, but I haven’t really had the desire to sit down and post actual content. You know, do the work it requires to post something interesting and might be worth reading. Maybe that’s my problem. I aspire to be great, when I really shouldn’t have such high expectations for this measly blog. I mean, really, who reads this stuff? Good friends, some family, and a few others. That’s about it. I’m not getting picked up or “followed” by a legion of fans. That’s alright. No need.

I’ve been pretty busy over the last couple of months, which is usually the case in the summer. I love summer. Warm weather has always been my favorite. I’ve never been a fan of brutally cold winters. Most of my immediate family moved down here from Pittsburgh right before I was born, and they’ve never looked back. Pittsburgh is one of my favorite cities in all seasons other than winter. It can be pretty harsh up there when it’s cold, rainy, and when you might be digging your car out from under the snow for six weeks straight.

Karen and I went up there again this summer and had a fantastic time. We stayed with her sister and went to a game between the Pirates and Cubs. Even though the Pirates lost, it was perfect weather and the new PNC Park is a fantastic experience. Five stars all around. We did some other things, too, like eat plenty of good food and drink plenty of Yuengling. We also drove three hours across the state to visit the part of my family that never moved from the keystone state. My aunt, uncle, and grandmother live in what could be called small town PA and it’s a perfect little Victorian town like many of you have seen on television, complete with Amish horse-drawn carriages moving regularly through town and giant 200 year-old houses. My Aunt, Uncle, and cousins live on a farm in a house that was built in 1796. Too cool. Good times were had, for sure, and it was a nearly perfect vacation.

This summer, that of 2009, will also be the summer that I was finally able to get my old Jeep back on the road. It’s one of the few ’82 CJ7s that don’t have any holes from rust and look like Fred Flintstone's cars that you could motivate with foot power. I bought it several years ago, drove it around a while with the tired transmission and an engine that could have completely fragged itself at any moment. I pulled the transmission and transfer case out three springs ago in hopes of rebuilding the transfer case and putting in a new V8. Well, life got in the way, as it usually does, and it left me dragging, well trailering, that poor little CJ to a couple new places of residence before finally settling in the garage of my current house that I bought with my lovely wife.

I did a little work here and there when I could, yanking the engine and getting rid of it in one evening, and welding in new engine mounts for the new LS-based engine one afternoon with the help of a couple of good friends. I completely rebuilt the transfer case, too, with all new bearings and a twin stick shifter. It’s been a long road, but she’s finally breathing a perfectly stoichiometric blend of air and fuel, and making the glorious noise that nothing but a V8 can exhale through the tailpipes. To say I’ve been anything less that absolutely thrilled and filled with pride would be a bit of an understatement, for sure. Completely rebuilding the transfer case, installing a new computer, complete wiring harness, fuse panel, fuel tank, fuel pump and filter, fuel lines, brake lines, well, I’m getting a little away from myself. Needless to say, it was a near complete ground-up rebuild and I love it. It’s a Jeep, so I will always have something to do, and that’s part of the appeal. I’m painting her right now and that’s the reason for no pictures just yet. Once she’s painted I’ll be sure to post something for my four fans. HAH! In the meantime, I’ll stay busy and try to play along as a good blogger.

CZ

Summer Days..

I always seem to struggle to find the words when I actually have time to sit down and write. Here I am again, a couple of weeks between posts. I have again been busy, as is usually the case in the warmer months because I’m almost always outside doing something either for fun or maintenance. My grandmother’s pool has taken up quite a bit of my spare time in the past two weeks. I’ve been the caretaker of the pool for the last several years because she is getting too old and frail to do what is necessary at least every other day. Skimmers have to be kept clear of fallen leaves, bugs, and anything else that finds its way into the pool.

I was over there doing the regular maintenance on Monday and needed to get in up to my waist in order to aggressively brush the walls clean. That’s always where the algae starts to form and it’s been particularly difficult to keep at bay this year. We took the winter cover off of the pool only two weeks ago and it was pretty clean. Some years, when the cover is removed after eight months of hibernation, it looks like a stock pond with green growth no matter how many bags of shock chlorine treatment are put in before closing. We were lucky this year, but we’ve been inundated with rain this spring and that wreaks havoc with my attempts to keep the chemical composition regulated and keeping the pool crystal clear. A green pool is not a fun pool, my friends. The rest of the week appears to be forecast as rain-free, so that should help me keep it nice.

I know some of you make think it’s nice to have a pool to take care of, but I don’t think you grasp the work involved in keeping a pool. Don’t get me wrong, having this pool to swim in has been nice, but working on keeping that way usually isn’t fun. I’ll probably get back into my groove of going over there on Monday afternoons for a little lounging in the sun and enjoying the weather while a brush or vacuum. The mid nineties we’ve seen on the thermometer lately will do nicely to speed that process up a bit. I need to get into decent shape anyway since I’ve let myself go a little over the winter months. I haven’t even been doing any upper body strength training like I usually do. Of course, the first time I picked up the fifteen foot pole and brush this year, I noticed the extreme soreness in my arm and back muscles the next day. Nothing a summer full of swimming can’t cure, though.

My Jeep is finally running under its own power after a couple years of inactivity. I am now in the process of ironing out the few small problems that always pop up after an undertaking that complex. For those that don’t know, I’ve transplanted a newer, fuel injected V8 from a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado into my old ’82 CJ7. The old and tired six cylinder that was originally in the Jeep is gone forever, as is the manual transmission, and I say good riddance.

Stick shifts are nice in a sports car or classic muscle car, but I’m not a fan of them in off-road applications. There is usually too much going on to also be concerned about the critical balance of gas and clutch. I’d rather let the transmission do this if possible, and in the case of project CJ-LM7, it is going to be nice. Chevrolet’s engine code designation for the 5.3 Liter Vortec V8 is LM7, hence the project name for my Jeep with 300 horses ready to be unleashed. Yes, I’m a geek. It won’t matter when I’m finally enjoying my new toy on the trails and roads. The small problems are absolutely expected since I had to marry a new chassis wiring harness for the Jeep to the computer and engine management harness for the engine. It was quite the endeavor, but there will always be a great sense of accomplishment every time I drive it.

For now, I just have to re-wire the reverse light to take the power signal from my digital transmission indicator panel. Those are the white lights that are in the back of all cars when you put it in reverse. They help you make sure you’re not running over anything in the dark. That should take all of ten minutes from start to finish, but there is one other thing that I’ve been beating myself up over. I neglected to replace my inner brake lines (hard steel tubing) on the Jeep because I was going to replace the outer rubber lines with braided stainless steel anyway. Well, when I got down to trying to complete this minor job on Monday, it turned into a major job when I discovered the 27 year old fittings on the original inner brake lines wouldn’t come apart easily. No amount of lube and verbal coaxing on my part got me anywhere except for being left with a fitting that is now roughly rounded-off.

Unfortunately, I will likely have to destroy the lines to facilitate removal, so I decided to do it right and replace the entire brake line system with new, stainless tubing. It’s better to do it right the first time and never worry about it again. Unfortunately, it will have to wait since they have to be manufactured. It will likely be two weeks before I can get started on replacement, but I’ll be leaving for vacation at that point anyway, so it’s no big deal. I’m just ready to drive my beast and I can’t do that until I get brakes!

Speaking of vacation, K and I will be leaving for Pennsylvania at the end of the month. We’ll be in Pittsburgh for a few days, make our way across the state to visit her Alma Mater, some friends, and the rest of my family. It will be a great time and I’m really looking forward to several days off. I’ll try to come up with something more exciting for blog material when we’re having fun in the homeland.

Richter Scale

It’s absolutely beautiful outside. I’m driving to work about an hour early because of a monthly management meeting with the owner. I am looking forward to a nice day of weather and heavy customer traffic. We specialize in selling toys, and this weather is made for it. I hear my phone signal that I’ve received a text message. Usually, this is one of my guys telling me he’ll be a little late or something. No big deal.

 At a stop light, I open my phone to discover that it’s from Jen. Hmmm. Interesting, indeed, to be getting a text so early from her. It briefly flashes in my brain that something may be amiss, but I am calmed when I realize she’s just telling me about an interesting article in the Washington Post this morning. It warms my heart to see my ramblings making an impression.  

Earlier this week I sent an email to Jen and Scott about the volcanic rumblings in the Treasury markets and how it’s affecting national mortgage rates. They jumped over a point in one day this week, and I was just mentioning it to them because we (and everyone else in Sebastian county, according to the woman at the abstract company) have recently re-financed at a savings of thousands. 

The Fed’s recent machinations in the Treasury auctions, nicely renamed “Quantitative Easing”, has caused some small problems, and this is just one of them visible to joe public if he cares to pay attention. The story in the Washington Post is one of the first I’ve seen from a mainstream media source that is openly discussing the rumblings going on with our right-minded individuals voted into office by the people.  These officials have recently been enlightened about how inherently wrong it is for one of our country’s institutions (one that does not have to answer to anyone) to be playing with taxpayers’ money. I left out “openly” playing because that’s the huge black eye of a problem. Bernanke and his boys are not publicly disclosing any of their machinations because they aren’t required to by law. This allows them to spend billions, any time they please, to artificially change Wall Street and the markets, trying to steer it in the direction they want so that public perception and consumer confidence (which is regularly measured and reported on Wall Street) doesn't go in the toilet.

   The Treasury auctions held last week ($100 Billion worth of T-Bills) is a perfect example. There was a huge rise in long Treasury yields, 10 and 20 year, that would indicate a shortage of buyers because they are skeptical of the viability of the United States’ long-term ability to pay back debt. Bernanke and the Obama administration is printing money by the truckload, and this will naturally lead to inflation. The math doesn’t lie. 

The US did sell these bonds, and the yields went a little lower on Thursday and Friday, but because of Quantitative Easing, there is a distinct, and very likely, possibility that the Fed is buying the bulk of these Treasuries. Unfortunately, there is no way for traders, or anyone at all outside of Bernanke and the Fed, to know whether these auctions are being supported artificially with our tax dollars. If joe public were to know that all of the T-Bills being purchased in these auctions were not bought by China, Brazil, and Russia, as hoped, it would be a giant red flag for a serious lack of confidence on the part of foreign countries in counting on the United States as the rock solid center of the economic world. 

This would be serious trouble for the dollar (which has also received a significant beat-down this week) and serious inflation for everyone trying to put fuel in their cars and dinner on their tables. Big Trouble on the home front, my friends. I really hope some measures get passed in Congress that make The Fed accountable for what they are doing. Otherwise, we’re going to see the volcanic rumblings like this week turn into Mount St. Helens.

 Here’s the story: Washington Post

The Game of Life

In good times and bad, we generally make it through. How we rise from the bad is what defines us. The past month of my life has been pretty crazy, with a great many good times, and only a few bad. Most of the good times have been over trivial things, simple pleasures. Most of the time, the simple pleasures are what contribute to general happiness and overall well-being, I think. It’s easy to sometimes get caught up in the things in life that can easily depress one’s mood. It’s been three weeks since my last post, and it took a little prodding from the family to get me in the mood to write a little something.

  The economy, for example, is one thing that can easily get me down if I don’t watch how much time I spend reading and studying the why and how. The current state of the economy of the United States, if you’ve been living in a basement playing Warcraft for the last couple of years or only worrying about which Iphone apps you don’t have,  is in a shambles. It is an absolute mess. I absolutely loath that, as a taxpayer, I am forced to take ownership in several, once publicly traded companies-General Motors being the most recently news-worthy example. Even though their bankruptcy isn't official yet, the government will soon own 70% of the once large and proud company. Unfortunately, I have no choice in this investment. I can’t trade the stock, I can’t buy or sell options, I’m just a pawn. All taxpayers are cogs in the big government machine.

The Obama administration has already manhandled the bankruptcy procedure for one of the other big three carmakers- Chrysler Corp.,  even openly and publicly chastising bond-holders in the process, denouncing them as “bullies” for not cooperating with the government’s plan to force them to take pennies on the dollar in exchange for what they legally purchased and owned with money they earned. It’s a shame, really, and there are thousands of people in this great country that have invested in our wonderful free market system that woke up one morning to discover the shameful fascist maneuvers by our own government. A government that is supposed to work for the people. What’s even more shameful is the fact that a very small percentage of people in this country even have a clue as to the extent of the machinations of our government. They’re too busy worrying about who is winning American Idol to be bothered with things that could affect the rest of their lives. Thinking is hard...

 I've talked about this guy in several past posts, and recommend him highly, because he is one of a small handful of people that sees through our current administration's shenanigans. I read it daily, and suggest that everyone educate themselves on what is going on behind the curtain that is CNBC and the mass media broadway show. This is another article from another web source that is shedding light on the huge problem with the government's "cooking the books" method of printing money they call Quantitative Easing:  Treasuries in Trouble.  The government is trying to take out loans (by buying it's own treasuries) on guarantee of future production. If the government can't afford the interest payment on these loans, who pays? Who collects on a foreclosure? We all lose, every single one of us, as citizens of this great country, if we don't wake up and say something about our out-of-control socialist government. I just hope the big picture at the end isn't as ugly as it currently appears. 

Now that I got the bad stuff out of my system, I think the people that bother to read my candid chronicles deserve some levity. 

I’m getting soft, and I don’t like it. My shins hurt because of playing a little basketball at a friend’s Memorial Day party. I haven’t done much in the line of physical activity lately, and I admonish myself for it. Even the Wii Fit over at Jason and Angie’s this weekend wasn’t kind to me. Apparently, I’m overweight and my Wii age is 43. Whatever. Since when is 6’1” and 190 pounds overweight? How does a little box on the floor determine my BMI?

The weather has been great, even though we’ve seen several monsoon-like days of rain this month. The temperature is perfect for outdoor activities, and I love to ride my mountain bike. The problem is, I actually have to get on it and pedal. The other problem is that I’ve been working feverishly the last two months to finish my Jeep project that’s encompassed the last couple of years. For both of these equally enjoyable endeavors, there is a small requirement, of which I find myself painfully short: Time.

You see, I like my Me Time. This is time I take for myself to enjoy my hobbies and such. Man Time is also a popular moniker, usually when referring to activities in the garage or shop. I also need to finish walling the interior of my shop and start framing a wall and door to enclose the sink and toilet. I don’t want to be wrenching on a vehicle or working on the bench, only to be forced to stop so that someone can relieve themselves. It is a toilet after all, a place for all things private. Having one in the shop is convenient, so I should pay proper respect.

Sorry for the derailment of my time explanation train, but as you can see, there are several things I both need and want to do over the years to come, and what I’ve talked about isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. There are always things one doesn’t include in the original equation, like helping the wife assemble a newly purchased chandelier, trimming trees, yard work, the list is seemingly endless. All of you reading this know the drill. 

I did manage to squeeze in a full Sunday of going ridiculously fast on two wheels (safely). A friend that I work with here at the shop is a motorcycle riding instructor at a local motorcycle race track. They teach you how to be a better motorcyclist while going progressively faster on the track. It was a really good time and I really didn’t need the fuel on the fire that is my never-dead passion for two wheeled vehicles. I’m currently without a road going machine right now, and only have my ’66 Norton that is in several pieces strewn about in various parts of the garage. I’ll get her going someday, but right now she’ll have to wait a bit longer.

I also managed to squeeze in a Sunday for more USPSA competition. I’ve written about it in the past, and my goal was to improve every month. I’ve achieved that goal so far, and the match two weeks ago was no exception. I felt really good throughout the match, only having one or two bobbles, and managed to make it through the entire match without a problem related to my ammunition. Reloading for plinking and reloading for competition are two totally different ballgames. You really have to pay attention to details on every round to guarantee a problem-free match. In the end, out of nine competitors in my division, I placed third again. This time, though, the top two finishers were veterans of the game. Fifty plus years between the two of them in combined competition shooting experience makes me feel pretty good about my finish. I’ve only shot competition in three matches now, but I admittedly have years of fun with guns under my belt. Maybe I can get to the point where I beat them once in a while. I’ll keep you posted.

 As for life in general, I just keep trucking on, accompanied by the most beautiful and understanding woman I know. I’m looking forward to many married years ahead, and I think I’ll do just fine in my attempt to stay away from getting soft.