AIG and the Miracle of Economic Stimulus
Like everyone else in America, I’ve been watching the AIG saga unfold with eager anticipation. At first, I was in the “too big to fail” camp. The sheer size of AIG, added to the complexity of its product offerings and coupled with the magnitude of...President Doom and Gloom
I caught bits and pieces of the press conference held by President Obama last night and I heard the subsequent reviews. My analysis suggests that our national media threw President Obama a bunch of softballs. President Bush would have held a lot more press conferences if the questions were that easy, I bet. Bill O'Reilly called the President "boring". No kidding! And then some!
Here's what's starting to grate on me. For the last 18 months, all we've heard from President Obama is how terrible things are, and now "this is the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression". Bad news is his mantra. I'm not sure if he can handle good news. It makes me wonder how he responded to the news he was going to be a father. Did he say "Great! Another mouth to feed"?
Americans, for the most part, are an optimistic lot. For us, the glass is always half full. According to President Obama, there is no glass, primarily because the greedy Wall Street types stole it. He can't even discuss the whole Alex Rodriguez steroid thing without calling it "depressing".
Eventually, the American people will tire of President Obama's negativity. That day is getting closer. Three weeks into his administration, it's already clear he's in way over his head. Talk about above his pay grade! And by his own admission.
We're looking at [...]
Hope for a Change
Or is it change for a hope? I admit my confusion on this issue. The American public was told during the 2008 Presidential campaign that things would be different. So far, it's more of the same, only worse. It seems like the entire country has gone stark, raving mad.
To wit, as the Obama Administration's Cabinet nominees wind their way through the approval process, we find that not one, not two, not three, but four have a prior history of not paying their taxes. What is going on here? The best thing to come out of this mess is that the American taxpayer, at last count, is ahead some $176,000. Could this be President Obama's plan to fund this massive "economic stimulus" package that is being ramrodded through Congress? Just collect the back taxes owed by his nominees? I'm not sure that the IRS, Congress or the American public would be as forgiving if I were the one to not have paid my taxes. But then again, I try to live a life of integrity.
I've read a lot about the economic stimulus package making its way through the bowels of Congress and I'm confused about that too. Or maybe I'm not the one who's confused. To me, economic stimuli are those things that stimulate the economy. Immediately. Not three years from now. So, as one of the conditions for accepting TARP money, The Brains in Washington [...]
Stay in Touch
