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. 

Turn Your Head

  It appears that in some areas, we are finally seeing bits of the mainstream media questioning the socialist machinations of our government. This is a very informative and very correct view of what is going on with the Chrysler situation.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=azVYi8YEXsAc&refer=home

There is also another blog I follow (that isn't mainstream by any means) that hit the nail on the proverbial head about the big automaker debacle of '09. 

http://market-ticker.org

It will be very interesting to see how these illegal activities and the situation with the New York Attorney General digging into what really happened with the Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch merger. There were some serious laws broken there...by people at the top. 

In other, much lighter news, I have been on a bit of a streak lately. I've been working to try and get more local businesses to cooperate with us and get a sort of grassroots movement going in order to have a more efficient local trade amongst businesses in the area. In this tough economic environment, getting customers any which way you can is important. We've started making flyers and communicating with our local brethren and I think everyone can do their part. 

Having said all of this, I think I'll start by promoting a friend's business because it's been on my "to do" list for some time anyway. I know my blog doesn't have a ridiculous amount of readers, but maybe there are more than I think. 

I can't say enough good things about Angie, so browse around and get something cool. She has mad skills.

http://www.moxiemae.com/