Don't get me started on Global Warming!!

I'll talk about this BS later......

Well, I've finally decided to say a few words about this subject.....

Go to junkscience.com

    There is a lot of good information to be found there, though I am sure that there are plenty of other sites as well.

    People Listen, the fanaticism surrounding this whole thing ought to make you stop and think for yourselves for TWO seconds before jumping on a band wagon that is overloaded with a lot of BULL.

    WAIT NOW; I'm not saying that there is not any merit to some of their arguments, but when you see this type of hype over Anything you've got to be careful how much of it you believe. 

    Let's face it; these people think that humans are the Entire, or majority, cause of what they term "Global Warming" (It's actually been diverged into "Climate Change" now), but the point being this: They honestly believe that a bunch of politically appointed Scientists can be objective in their research opinions, let alone predict future weather events?? When these same Scientists can't even predict our Daily Weather with 100% accuracy??? Paahhlleeesse! Sure they have a lot of really cool graphs, charts and figures from past weather records but that tells us what has already happened, though not the why. Not definitively. They THINK they know, but they are really just guessing, so why don't they say as much?.......One word "FUNDING"!

    Besides, anyone who thinks that these Scientists can PREDICT THE FUTURE should have their heads examined! That is what they are saying, you know! But don't take my work for it, do your own homework, be an individual, have a brain and think for yourself instead of just following all the hype like some Lemming!

    Seriously though, this is really about who can make the most money from all of this hype. Do you really believe that any of this will benefit the common man or woman anywhere in the world?? If Al Gore and his high profile followers are so certain that major changes in lifestyle are necessary for us all, why aren't they living off the land now in some mud hut with a windmill powering it??

Think about it!!

P.S. Did I mention this has been an unusually Cold and Snowy Winter in the Northern Hemisphere considering "Global Warming" is taking place?......Paahhlleeesse!

Oil prices and the Mortgage meltdown.

    Some of you may recall what you had been paying for gasoline in the months before oil prices began to rise; sometime around 12-18 months ago it was $1.50-$1.75 per gallon and oil was trading for $45-$55 per barrel. So what happened, and how does this correlate with the Mortgage meltdown which, was at the forefront of our current credit crisis?

    First, let me say that these two things are undeniably related no matter what you have heard or may think and it doesn't take a "rocket scientist or economist" to figure this out!

    The "Housing Bubble", as they like to call it, had been growing for quite some time and was nearing its peak when "Speculators" began to realize that returns on these investments were flattening out. Let's also take it a step further and say that they began to (finally) realize that there was indeed a "Bubble" being created in mortgages, and the securities that back them, so they needed a "safer" place to begin putting their (and their clients) money.... I.E. energy and commodity stocks and futures. That's right, commodities like grains, pork bellies, yada yada yada, also began to rise to astronomical levels right along with oil!

    So let's back up for second here and ask ourselves where all of the mortgages and securities went and why they became so volatile. In a nut shell, they had been sold and resold numerous times; by the time a bank or investment group finally sat on them for a long term investment the actual risk of the mortgages that backed the notes was ambiguous to the point of opacity. This meaning they looked a lot safer than they actually were.......kinda like putting a fresh paint job on a junkyard car and selling it as "pre-owned" with a warranty!......now picture a whole dealership full of these!!! That's what the banks who ended up with these mortgage notes and securities had......junk! WHY??? Because of Crooked, Greedy, Salespeople (mortgage brokers)  who originally granted the mortgages, then the Banks that funded the loans...OH and lets not forget the Appraisers who "verified & valuated" the properties backing these garbage loans and the Traders who bought and sold these notes & securities on the markets. 

    So that's how the Mortgage debacle started to unravel......investors began to realize that they had "junk" and began looking for options. Enter the "Speculators"....AGAIN.....

    Seeing that the Housing market was about to unravel, these same "Geniuses" (Speculators) began "Predicting" Oil and Commodities would be the next great thing. NATURALLY, because they had already driven the Real Estate Bubble to the point of bursting, they needed something else to promote to save face with the investor community. WHY??? Probably because they were the driving force behind the bloated housing market and the businesses that look to them for strategic investing information were breathing down their necks. These same "Ninnies" who over-promoted what a great investment the Real Estate Market was, peered into their "crystal ball" and figured that a safer bet would be in Oil/Energy and Commodities. (Real Estate used to be pretty safe too!) They needed to appease many an unhappy investor, who began to realize what they had gotten themselves talked into by these "Slick Willy Speculators"!

    So, they began offing their Mortgage backed Securities to anyone who would take them, and began buying into Oil and Commodity Futures for a safer "position". Meanwhile, the "PR Machines" are blaming the sky-rocketing prices of Oil, Grains, Etc on "Supply & Demand" in a Global Marketplace.......BLAH, WHATEVER DUDES!!! The historical data  doesn't support that argument, so find another schlep to snow! However, most people are lemmings and believe everything they are told, instead of using their brains for 2 seconds to reason out the fact from the fiction being spouted on TV and the newspapers. The FACT is: If Oil prices had been rising from supply and demand, there would have been a HUGE decrease in Supply, or a HUGE increase in Demand.......neither of these happened (contrary to what they said)!! Had demand been increasing during the last several years?......Yes, but not dramatically enough to send the prices to those ridiculous amounts. And what about the other Commodity prices? Was there numerous major catastrophes all at the same time that forced those prices to sky-rocket at the same time as oil?.......I didn't think so.

    So there you have it; I hope it wasn't too complicated.

P.S. Imagine for a moment that Oil prices hadn't risen at all during the last 12-18 months.....what would they be now that this Financial Crisis is affecting the Whole World?? I'm thinking we'd be getting gas for 35-50 CENTS!! (Given the percentage it has fallen.) Think about it....... Oil was almost $150 a barrel, which made Gas $4 or more per gallon (in the US). If it HADN'T gone up, and the price only FELL (from, say $55 per barrel), that would have made oil about $18 per barrel and gas would be...... CHEAP99!!!!!

Someone has hit the reset button!

In the most suitable words of my Brother..."someone has hit the reset button on the economy!"
What does this mean for most of us?........For many it may mean being downsized, layed off, relocated (if you're lucky), or taking a cut in pay in order to continue working so you can support yourself and family. For others, it may have more far reaching consequences; such as, a total loss of your job, elimination of a pension or benefits, or a total collapse of personal finances. Any way that you look at it, this next year or so will be a roller coaster for nearly everyone around the world!
So what caused all of this? That may depend on who you ask, but since this is my blog, I will give you my perspective on things.

First off, it was most definitely caused by greed.....from the rich to the middle class.....everyone wanted more of everything and had a "Devil may care" attitude about how they got what they wanted. The Banks (meaning all lending institutions, including their investors) saturated the media with advertisements for borrowing to pay for EVERYTHING from cars to houses to non-essential "things" that people want, but can't always afford. By media I mean papers, magazines, television ads, internet ads, etc....
Remember "Life takes Visa"!, Tell me that doesn't scream CREDIT, CHARGE, C'mon you know you want it! You know all the ads I'm talking about......No Money Down!, Sign & Drive!, Buy a $300K home for $762 per Month!! and on and on and on........
And you know what made this mentality so bad? The companies themselves bought into their own philosophy, which was unltimately what put us in this current economic situation. They leveraged themselves to point of no return, and now that the bubble (that they created) burst, they have the gall to act surprised?? Pahleese! These are supposed the smartest and brightest people people from all over the world; they knew what they were doing couldn't last, but they couldn't stop themselves from doing what people do best......be greedy and selfish. They were making lots of money and they wanted to make even more; and when they more money, they wanted even more.........."BOOM!!!!" It all blew up their faces; and ours. Thanks alot.

So now, once again, the working man will suffer because of the Rich Man's greed and selfishness, we will once again be called upon to make even more concessions to "Help" get the economy back on track. Let me clue all you Bankers, Lawyers, Business owners, Silver-spoon using Schleps....... Guess who chooses to buy your products, or use your services? THE WORKING MIDDLE CLASS THAT YOU'RE SCREWING!!!!! If you want to continue having your cushy lifestyle I suggest you remember who you need for that to happen...The Middle Class is "the consumer" that drives this economy, if you screw us, you screw yourselves.....that's just how it works. If no one is buying anything, you can't make any money; if we can't make any money, we aren't buying anything! Seems kinda "Oxymoronic" doesn't it? Sorda like paying yourself, only with a better return! Think about it and start believing it; it's friggin economics 101.
So here's the other part of economics 101; If you keep importing your goods and outsourcing your services, you're gonna be out of a job too.....try to follow the logic here: If no one has a decent enough job to buy your products or use your services, where are your consumers going to be? (Let me clue you in...) YOU WON'T HAVE ANY!!!
SHEESH, whatabunchofidiots!

The Economy has been reset people.......buckle up, it's gonna get bumpy!

My Thoughts....are varied.

I didn't start this blog to be corrected or bashed, so don't bother! These are my thoughts about whatever I choose to write and you may agree.....or not...I won't lose any sleep either way.
I decided to do this for venting purposes; there will most likely be a wide range of subjects that I vent/have thoughts/opinions on, so beware! There is no rhyme or reason to this blog...it's merely a spot to dump my opinions and frustrations on any given day, so relax and take it for what it's worth.....which may be nothing.