Little Place I Used to Work In
Posted on December 20, 2010 by CHC   ᐃ ᐁ

This was the East Wing of my office.  The West Wing was another foot to the right.

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Tony Soprano, Investment Banker
Posted on December 18, 2010 by CHC   ᐃ ᐁ

This is a short recommendation for the book “All The Devils Are Here” by McLean and Nocera, the story of the players and events leading to our recent financial mess.   I’m 90% of the way through, but I don’t need to read more to conclude that our financial system is a rigged game, run by what I call “fee-mongers.” Fee-mongers move money to make money, that’s their business, that’s all it is about, generating fees and bonuses.  I suspect (no, I am convinced) that those responsible for our crisis are even now concocting new ways to get the money-go-round spinning again, with the cooperation of their friends in the regulatory and ratings agencies.

CDO’s, SIV’s, GSE’s and Triple-A tranches do not make for light reading but the book has been an eye-opener for me.  I’m mulling our response to it, in terms of our family finances.

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(D)azed and Confused
Posted on December 18, 2010 by CHC   ᐃ ᐁ

I see no consistency in the Obama administration.  One day, they give tax breaks to billionaires.  The next day, they finally stop discriminating against homosexuals in the military.   I have no idea where this man draws his lines, other than the ones Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell scribe.  My larger concern is that Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong Il, Netanyahu, Putin, Karzai and Zardari (Pakistan) know this and use it to their advantage.

I find myself wishing that an alternative to Obama, someone who stands for something  (who? for goodness sake), would mount a primary challenge — but this would guarantee a conservative win in 2012.  That may be in the cards anyway, so what’s to lose?

As to the economy, Obama plus Geithner, Summers and Bernanke have been Bush III without the cowboy hat.  A president is defined by the team he or she assembles.  Judge for yourself what they’ve done in his name.

It’s time to admit that Obama is not a great president, and not even a good one.  At best, he’s been a roadblock to an increasingly-outrageous conservative agenda.  But anyone with (D) after their name could have done that.  Is that what it has come to?

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