So High Above

The Governors throughout the Country are now realizing that this "recession" is a bit deeper than they had anticipated and now realize that their State Budgets are in total disarray. They are now appealing to the Obama Administration for a Trillion Dollars more in State Aid stimulus money. Obviously, the States needed this money a year ago but the Bush Administration was in denial that the Economy had a problem. The Governors of course are looking out for their own re-election and will try to foster a plan that the Obama Administration finds palpable, but again this does not get to the foundation of the problem. The foundation of the collapsing economy is that the assets of the American Family have been decimated by the financial games that the Republican Philosophy of deregulation allowed the bankers hedge funds and insurance companies to play. Now that their schemes have gone awry and they have been given their money back by the Bush Administration and the FED, it still le

The latest surge in violence in the Middle East should remind every American that it is in the best interest of our Nation to cure ourselves of the addition to Middle East oil and for that matter all fossil fuels. If the Middle East is ever a stable region it will probably not be during the lifetime of anyone alive today. Every time of instability in this region whether it be between Israel and the Palestinians or between Arab Nations affects the stability of the United States as long as we continue to have an addition to fossil fuels. The sooner we can withdraw from Fossil Fuels the more stable our economic future will become, and the sooner we can stop worrying about the instability in the Middle East the better footing we will have in International diplomacy. As long as oil is always our concern in Middle East decisions the less likely the United States is to propose a viable humanitarian peace solution for this region. Of course, the last 40 years have shown us that the prejudice

Hopefully, the new year and the new administration will bring a new sensibility to Washington. The devastation left by the outgoing Republican George W. Bush Administration will be more than hard to correct, but a new vision and a realization of the purpose of Government might just be enough to begin the long journey to righting the ship of state. Before Mr. Obama even takes office the challenges are growing daily. The Bush Administration is hell-bent on doling out the remainder of the TARP money without any oversight. They are declaring Corporations to be bank holding companies so that they can receive a chunk of the money before the Republicans flee Washington and join the Corporations that received the government largess. The Obama Administration must not shy away from investigating all of these handouts to these Corporations in the last few months. They must not only investigate why this money was given out but also what was done with it and why it has failed to free up the credit

2008 is a year we will remember for decades to come. 2008 was the year that all the flawed policies of the Republican Philosophy of Governance showed its face and destroyed the progress that America has achieved over the last 60 years. The Failed policies of the Republican Bush Administration grabbed the headlines from the collapse of major Insurance Companies to the banking system to the retail sector to the automotive industry. The foolishness of tax cuts for the wealthy while occupying two Sovereign Countries after illegally invading them came home to roost. The shining moment in 2008 was the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of The United States which holds a slim promise for the future after the Bush Administration destroyed all the good things in America. 2008 also saw the Republicans highlight their absurd vision of America with the nomination of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential Candidate. After 8 years of a C student President, the Republicans seriously nominated a

After watching the Caroline Kennedy interviews it is abundantly clear that Ms. Kennedy is not ready for the spotlight of New York Senator. I come to this conclusion reluctantly because as anyone in Caroline's age group, she has been a part of our history. What person her age was not bonded to John Jr., and Caroline when they were the first children. It would be a reinvention of the magical time that was the Kennedy Administration if she displayed any of her Father's political acumen or any of her Mother's poise and sophistication, regretfully she displays neither. Ms. Kennedy's interviews show a child of privilege who fails to speak a complete sentence without interjecting "you know". To have Ms. Kennedy fill the prestigious Senate Seat once held by her Uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, would have been almost like a Political Poem of continuance, but sadly, Ms. Kennedy has not displayed any of the Kennedy charisma of her late father and uncle and appears ill-prepared

The Republican Bush Administration sent out Laura Bush to try to convince the American People that this wasn't the worst Presidential Administration in the History of America. Not missing any talking points Ms. Bush re-iterated a favorite of the Bush Administration that he will be remembered as a liberator because he illegally invaded and occupied two countries, this hardly qualifies as a liberator yet the Republicans are trying to cling to anything lift the perception of the Bush Presidency out of the cellar of darkness. Even Secretary Rice was on the talk circuit yesterday claiming that future generations will thank President Bush for his leadership. In the midst of one of the worst incursions by the Israelis into Palestine, Ms. Rice cited the foundation that the Republican Bush Administration has laid in creating a Palestine State. It seems like an odd time to claim progress when the Israelis have killed more Palestinians than ever before, but that has been the MO of this Republ

The Bear Market Trap rally continues on Wall Street despite ever-increasing bad data on all fronts. It leaves one to wonder why would stocks rally when we have, the lowest aggregate commodity prices since the Great Depression, the highest real unemployment claim filings ever every week, the lowest retail sales since records were kept, the lowest retail profit margins since records were kept and the lowest Treasury Interest Rate in history. It is a classic bear trap rally to sucker the average investor back into the market while the hedge fund managers play with spreads clipping small percentages on each trade to try to boost the value of their funds before the year ends. The next set of numbers will come out right after the new year turns and the market will turn with the year. Expect a steady erosion of the market indices throughout January right into the inauguration. If the Obama Administration can really hit the ground running with an immediate realistic stimulus package as they