Coming Around

A month, almost to the day. A mere 24 hours short. That's how long it's been since my last post. Sure, a lot has happened, but I haven't really had anything to say, to put out there on the world wide internets. I haven't figured out whether I'm just not into it anymore or if it's a passing phase.

We (the wife and I) were at Angie and Jason's this weekend, having a blast, when something came up that prompted Angie to fetch the laptop. Oh yeah, we were watching, and freely commenting on, a show about the forty greatest metal songs of all time when Marilyn Manson came up. Of course, no discussion (with liberal assistance of adult beverages) of the guy is complete without mention of his hot wives (by Jason and I mostly), and Dita Von Teese prompted Angie to Google it all. Anyway, before finishing with said laptop and continuing our conversation about hot, famous chicks, Angie proceeded to travel to my blog and mention that there was not a recent post. Hmm. Yes, I know. At that point, with little prodding from Sailor Jerry, I said, "I'm done with the blog".

Well, I'm obviously not, as I sit here and write this, but it did get me thinking. Why blog? Why put it out there when it will just have to swim against the current that is the ocean of blogs already out there? I don't have an answer for that one. I think maybe it was a way to keep in touch with friends at first. I don't have many readers, though, so it's morphed into something more for myself. Something that lets me put my thoughts down on paper, if you will. While not really anything highly entertaining, and nothing really informative, it is something that allows me to vent. A release.

Over the past several months, and several blogs, I've chosen to stay away from talking about the economy. The reason for that is because of the fact that it is all completely petrifying. I am absolutely awestruck at how many so-called analysts and experts there are in this great country of ours that are absolutely clueless when it comes to basic economics. It is completely beyond me why these 'experts' seem to think that printing more fiat currency (i.e. government paper) will supposedly stimulate the economy. This country is already in an unprecedented amount of debt, and The Fed chairman and the appointed board think that they can always just sell more T-Bills and Bonds to subsidize this crazy "Federal Bailout". Basic economics, a class available to most in Junior High or High School, tells you that it is ludicrous to pay off one debt with more debt. Why does the federal government of the United States of America think it's possible for them? Because ever since the Bretton Woods agreement, our ego as the "world leader" has grown more and more every year, to a point where it is now getting us all (as citizens and taxpayers) in trouble. The complete detachment from a gold standard in 1971 started what will ultimately be, in my view, the destruction of the U.S. Dollar as the currency the world aspires to own, and maybe the destruction of the dollar as we now know it. If foreign countries continue with a plan to slowly remove themselves as buyers of U.S. T-Bills, T-Bonds, and U.S. investments in general, we will be in big trouble. This, to anyone that has even a modicum of economic knowledge, will lead to unprecedented inflation. Inflation of the likes we've never seen, and a U.S. economy in shambles. Goodbye government entitlement plans (ie Welfare, Medicare, etc). Goodbye government as we know it to be a controlling national entity. State governments would be your rulers in this world, many of which would likely secede from the union if that were to happen.

I know, I know, that's crazy talk. It really is, and I'm not sure I still have a complete grasp of what's happening. I hope it gets turned around, I really do. Unfortunately, buying a turnaround, labeled as "TARP", "Stimulus Package", or whatever, for something that amounts to several trillion dollars, is not the yellow brick road to an answer we all seek.