What Gives?

I'm thinking this title may need to actually become the title of the entire blog. I was reading that our economy was gaining strength the last quarter of 2009. I have no idea upon what that was based, but I read today that consumer confidence dropped dramatically and unexpectedly . . . by whoever thinks we believe what they tell us.
The following information is not party based at all, but simply truth based. I have no idea which political party ever entertains anything so non partisan as the simply truth.
I've also included the link and would encourage all those that are interested to follow this from time to time. I added it to "my favorites" and check it every few weeks.

http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

According to this (.gov) site, the last quarter of 2009, in which our economy was supposedly stabilizing, 45 banks failed. I compared that to 2008, which I realize was time of "covering it," but including September when the crash supposedly started or was revealed, 15 banks failed in the last 4 months of 2008. If I include September in the 2009 information, that would make 56 banks failing in the same length of time, but we were supposedly moving toward recovery by then. While on the subject of recovery, 20 banks have already failed in 2010. That compares with 14 last year in the same time frame. I also read that the number of troubled banks has hit 700. When I checked this information late last fall, the figure of troubled banks was around 400.
I have no idea how more banks closing indicates the economy is recovering and how an even larger number of potential bank failures could indicate the recession is ending, unless of course, it's ending in a depression!
For the love of money is the root of all evil . . .

Got MILK?

After passing by the dairy case in the grocery store today, I planned to blog about the price of milk and dairy products in general. I like to do a bit of research before I just run my fingers over the keyboard and hit SEND, and I was shocked at what I read.
When dairy prices went up earlier in the decade, farmers purchased more cows to produce more of this wonderful creamy white beverage. Then, something happened. There was too much milk and prices began to fall, then the economy tanked and farmers couldn't feed a herd for what they were paid for the milk, so there is an organization in Arlington, Virginia called, The National Milk Producers Federation that actually pays farmers to slaughter their herd rather than sell them. And with fewer cows, the price of milk goes back up, but then so does the price of cheese and butter and baby formula. I read an economist is really foretelling a pretty bleak cost of grocery increase throughout 2010, as dairy products go. And of course, we also have to consider all the other food items that contain dairy products in the recipe, knowing those prices will increase also.
From the looks of things, it would behove many to consider a small acreage and become self-sustaining. There aren't enough jobs for everyone to attempt a second or third job to be able to afford groceries.
Hast thou not poured me out as milk . . . the book of Job of Holy Scripture

Tiger Speaks

I've had a bit of fun today. I'm not so much interested in Tiger Wood's speech as I am in reading all the commentary on his speech. I'm amazed at the number of people who truly believe his private life is their business. I also found it interesting to see the number of people that don't believe a word of it, verses the die hard believers in their Tiger. I am anxious to see, however; if sexual addiction gains the same status as alcoholism and drug addiction. I mean he's in rehab. So, if adultery will no longer be considered sinful, but rather an illness, that's going to change some guidelines in divorce court. Not that adultery is even considered in many cases, but to relabel a lack of self-control, and present it to be some sort of malady seems just a bit on the irresponsible side. I don't have any idea what Tiger said beyond "I'm sorry," "leave my wife and kids out of this," and there was never any domestic violence. That last one was the one that made me think it's all a nice ruse. Maybe his head bump really was a result of the SUV hitting the fire hydrant, but I'll never believe a golf club through the window was part of a rescue attempt by his wife, after the crash. I'm thinking more along the lines and I believe even blogged about it back when it happened; that the golf club crashing through the back window may have been the startling distraction that caused the collision with the hydrant. Allegedly, of course! At any rate, a golf club through the window certainly sounds like domestic violence to me, unless it doesn't count as "domestic" because it happened outside of the house. Ah semantics. Maybe Bill Clinton will be up to nine holes by the time Tiger gets out of rehab. I would imagine the two of them would have a lot to not talk about.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Torah of Holy Scripture

Partisanship

I have to admit, the first time I heard then Candidate Obama talk about crossing party lines and aiming for bipartisanship, I knew I would never trust him. None of his ideas even sound remotely centrist, except of course where politicians on the left side of the aisle are schmoozed by big business. It seems every week, another democrat announces that they will not be seeking re-election in this midterm election. To be honest, I've made the correlation to rats jumping off the Titanic. There aren't many in America that don't realize, life as we knew it, is over. Oh, I know the stock market will rally to an extent, now that the upper Middle Class got out with the crash and half their money, and 401K's sunk, and well, there will be a surge now that the money is back in the hands of the upper elite, but the political scenery is changing. I don't know if it will be as dramatic as 1994, but health care reform and lack of accountability in the White House I think brought the change to Congress back then, and it's looking likely this time, also. I've really wondered if this extreme partisanship on the part of Clinton and Obama is just to give the republicans, "their turn" to keep the theatre going. Either that, or these two are political "double agents!" I really believe, President Obama's partisanship has done more for the republican party and a potential 3rd party than it's done for the democratic party or "we the people."
In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor. a Proverb of Holy Scripture

The Arguments Are Really Losing Reason

I take about 20-30 minutes a day to read a few posts from a couple of forums. Sort of my break time. Sometimes I comment, but usually I just like to see what the average guy with plenty of free time has to say about things. I'm struggling with the whole facebook thing, as there are so many games, etc. on it, so I post a devotion at Berea Tabernacle and make an occasional comment and that's about the extent of my internet social life. But the political arguments are taking such interesting twists. It's always easy to see the die hards from both parties and they sound virtually the same, as far as open mindedness and respect for others, but I will warn you now, don't say that, because it makes folks on both sides of the aisle angry. And, yet I digress. My real point is the political grandstanding is losing logic and reason. I actually saw a discussion a.k.a. condescending debate, about the car companies. The "conservative" said the cash for clunkers was alternating the statistics and making it look like the recession was lessening through the summer months. Then the die-hard democrat responded with something to the effect that the recession was getting better, because all the rules for the cash for clunkers really didn't allow that many cars to qualify . . . Now my thought as I read this was a bit less political. I saw cash for clunkers as one more way to line some corporate pockets, increase insurance premiums from liability to full coverage, raise personal property taxes, create some more debt for those that didn't have an auto loan, and leave the dealerships holding the bag. Granted the conservative arguer will never see anything helpful if it's done by a democrat administration, but when the democrat had been lauding all the solutions provided by this new administration, then just flat out said, the program was so restrictive, it didn't really offer any change, my final thought was, "then what was the point?" The sock puppet theatre is branching out, to local community forums. It seems what our politicians have truly accomplished was to reduce logic and increase arguments! I don't really know how that helps the economy, but it seems to take everyone's mind off of the real issues.
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. a Proverb of Holy Scripture

Now the Invitation to the GOP

If you can't tell my this blog, I tend to not have republican leanings. Oh, don't get me wrong, I believe in laws and morality, but I think G~D's laws are more fair than man's and I'm really not a capitalist, so that sort of leaves me out of the main definition of republican these days. I can, however; see this upcoming "bipartisan theatre" as a real set up against the GOP and I think that's just a pretty underhanded move. Up until Scott Brown was elected to represent Massachusetts, the President had no problem discounting everything the GOP said and did. The GOP was so outnumbered, he simply didn't need their input. And in his campaign promises, he did tell us the health care debates would be televised for transparency. I don't have a TV, but I do remember reading about people asking where these televised debates were . . . so now that the GOP has been handed a true back handed invitation, he's ready to televise the entire discussion. I refuse to join the mentality of a great deal of the country and simply lean one way, because I am so disgusted by the other, but this one has me thinking that way. I'm not going to register with the GOP, but I'm very unimpressed with this so called bipartisan move. I really have had trouble trusting this new administration, but I thought the President was above tactics like this.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward . . . Proverbs of Holy Scripture

Washington DC

Closed on account of the weather. Somehow there is a symmetry to this that just can't go unnoticed. Here, the republican pundits frequently refer to our president as the messiah, and the democrats haven't had so much power in so long, they seem literally dizzy breathless, and in just a couple of day, the town is closed and lacking electricity. Now, I'm sure there is some politician that is going to figure out a way to gain some mileage and claim some fame in this event, but the simple fact of the matter is, Washington isn't really the final word. And I simply find it fantastic to see it proven right now. Oh, I'm sorry for the folks that are out of power in the area, I know what that's like from our winter storm a few years back. Iced in, in the dark isn't all that great of an experience, but it does bring out the ingenuity and creativity in one, and the challenge doesn't hurt us, once in a while just to stay on our toes. I do find it interesting as I read more and more "survival blogs" the number of people that have to stay with a friend or check into a hotel, rather than simply hone their survival skills, but that's Americana at it's finest! We'll just buy survival gear with our credit card, to put in the basement. No need worrying about that sort of thing now . . .This harsh winter is giving us the opportunity to have insight into at least three things. We can live without all the conveniences, well, some of us can, and we can live without Congress legislating our lives for a day or two. And last but certainly not least, G~D can shut Washington down . . .
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of YHVH thy G~D, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Torah of Holy Scripture

Play Ball!

I am a fan of football. I still remember watching the first Superbowl with Daddy in 1967. It was the KC Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers. We lost . . . I watched my last game in the stands between KC and Denver in 1990. I just had to let football go, as I watched it become a "religion." Now that "beer free tailgate parties" are at the local church on Superbowl Sunday, I expect to hear some dissatisfaction from YHVH.
I'm thinking regardless of who wins, America is in for a rude awakening. It's interesting that American Christians believe the "Sabbath" has been moved to Sunday, yet they will move Sunday services to accommodate Football. And if the Saints win, the celebration will last til Fat Tuesday!
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Torah of Holy Scripture

What Gives?

First I read that there were actually nearly 1 million more jobs lost in this recession than previously counted, and now I read the headline today that unemployment has actually gone down. That's right! In simple English, not political schpeel, here's the scoop. The shell game has moved from war and terror to employment and health care. Still moving the shells all around the table while we guess where the pea or nut is. The unemployment rate has gone down for two reasons. Fewer people are collecting unemployment, thus changing the stats and the second reason is, I think, even sadder. Jobs are being split to change the stats, so more people are hired at fewer hours, not to mention the largest generation in the country is hitting retirement age and social security, so the boomers are leaving the equation, from the employment side. So, for the moderate percentage of people that are actually in the employment figures, many of them are taking hour reduction and pay cuts to remain on the employment roll. You have to be in the government TARP program to get any bonuses! And for the rest of the stats, as I've mentioned before, social security recipients, children, stay at home moms, self-employed, the disabled, and those receiving SSI and welfare, aren't even figured into the unemployment equation. Not to worry. The government is going to "create" jobs, meaning more government payroll from the the ever deficient tax rolls.
Let there more work be laid upon the men . . .

Lookout Toyota Dealerships

I don't mean to sound like some sort of conspiranoid, but . . . It seems we are about to be out of auto options. I drive by the former Chrysler dealership in one town and see several empty GM dealerships in other towns and now Toyota dealerships are due to get how many recalls back on their lots? Or how many dissatisfied customers asking, "Can we drive or can't we?" Again, I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but it does seem that we Americans are losing our options rapidly and it would seem that our government is poised and ready to micro manage every aspect of our life and recall everything. I appreciate safety as much as the next person, but if there is a legitimate problem, let's take care of it without putting the last few guys out of business. Because that's really what it's beginning to look like to me. All the supposed dangerous items we import, doesn't get those businesses shut down. I see a real trend here, and it's a scary one. Maybe I wouldn't be so conspiratorial minded had I not also just read about the new retention bonuses for the AIG guys. Well it just makes sense, if we are going to have mandatory insurance in the health care reform, to keep the insurance guys fat and happy. As for the car industry . . . how will we get to our preventative health care appointments or the polls at election time without cars? How will everyone get to the new jobs our government is creating for us? In all the solutions, it just sounds like we're about to be dependent upon our government for a ride to our government employment.
Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein

I Read the Debt is Increasing

I'm doing my best to follow this budget our government is presenting. It appears to be the most creative bookkeeping I've ever seen and it arrives at what the American budget always arrives at: MORE DEBT! Raising the debt over 3 trillion just next year, while promising to lower the expenses of about 1 trillion over the next 10 is ridiculous, as a vision, much less a promise. I see creative bookkeeping at it's finest. "Cookin' the books" at it's most basic definition. I couldn't help but wonder . . . What if the Washington method of bookkeeping was the standard for our nation? Then again, I remembered it is. Then I wondered . . . What if we the people used this sort of bookkeeping in dealing with the IRS? Then I wondered . . . What if the IRS accepted "cooking the books" or "creative bookkeeping" to level and equal out over 10 years for the taxpayers? That's right, not big corporation or the pharmaceutical lobby, but simply the taxpayers? What if the IRS accepted the same tax perspective from the citizens that the politicians promote? What if a so called G~Dly nation actually attempted to live by G~D's Word?"
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. a Proverb of Holy Scripture