Here’s To The US Banking System

 

We might as well socialize the gains. Maybe state banks are the way to go. At least then we wouldn’t have to rely on falsely depicted markets…

I want to start saying that it’s become increasingly clear that having a voice is not worth a damn. By judicial fiat the Supreme Court transformed America’s constitutionally protected free speech into that wondrous “market place of ideas”. So those with brilliant ideas that would right the ship could continue to say what they please here in The United States and the cream would rise to the top, but alas only those ideas backed by money seem to ever have a chance of achieving a voice in the political “market place of ideas”.  We have good ideas and we have good intentions, so why are we letting dimwit special interest groups screw our economy? Why? Well because like good old President Andrew Jackson said, if the people understood banking there would be a revolution tomorrow morning.

So we go about our lives being completely Zen with institutions and instruments being able to employ higher market, credit and liquidity risks, while not having anywhere near the capital requirements to commensurate with those risks. What’s the big deal anyway? It’s not like that has caused anything bad to happen before. And so down the road we go letting so many members of the financial sector elude regulatory oversight while they are creating all those kinds of credit that we crave.

“By one measure, the nation’s five largest investment banks had only $1 in capital to cover losses for about every $40 in assets, meaning that a 3 percent drop in asset values could wipe out the firm. The banks hid their excessive leverage using derivatives, off-balance-sheet entities and other devices, the report found. The speculative binge was abetted by a giant “shadow banking system” in which the banks relied heavily on short-term debt.” *

I submit to you that for all we know our current banking system is nothing more than a form of government backed counterfeiting. So all these people talking about how accounting changes will fix the problem? What do we need? Basel VII? The system is fundamentally corrupt. Instead of revolution way back when- we got one hundred eighty years of rent extraction covered up by Ponzi finance. The financial sector spent $2.7 billion on lobbying from 1999 to 2008 Now we have allowed every bank to become insolvent and all the regulatory schemes look more like fig leaves. The only question is who gets all the money the Fed is regurgitating and exactly how long it will be worth anything at all. The worst part comes when you realize that the entrenched powers that be will continue to keep up appearances for as long as possible by grinding on all those at who are at the bottom.

In short, we have learned nothing.

 

Mediated Identities

I am beginning to believe the nation really has nothing else to keep our attention. We are bored with our own lives. We watch sensationalized news, consume shows that are more dynamic than a Shakespearean play, and read trash that has no literary merit whatsoever. Why? Are we really this freaking jaded? Are these extremes what go for entertainment now?

Look at what our next generation is being nurtured by:

1) Romantic irrationalism in Twilight. Isolation. Infatuation. And idolatry perversion of reality. This is what goes for love in the eyes of these unsuspecting minds.

2) Jersey Shore, The Hills, Greys Anatomy and Real Housewives of wherever-the-hell. Most individuals who consume these shows that I have met consider themselves logical, rational, and objective. They actually believe that watching this dribble has no affect on their behaviors. Tell that to Miller, Dollard, and their Social Cognitive Theory.

Call me indignant. Tell me I have hardened romantic sensibilities. Tell me it’s just all in good fun and is just entertainment. I don’t care.

It’s socio-emotional porn.

Old Blog: Reruns. With Scissors This Time

This one is about FairTax. You could say I am for it because of my political views, party affiliation, or some other derivative bull shit. Truth be told, the thing just makes more sense.

http://motussin.blogspot.com/2010/02/fair-tax.html

Read the book if you so choose. Then argue to your hearts content. Like many good things on the hill, it’s probably going nowhere. Reform only happens in this country when people want to get rich or when the machine making them rich breaks.

What? It was clever.

The New Face of Healthcare and The Real Face of A Government

Reconciliation is a legislative process in the United States Senate intended to allow consideration of a contentious budget bill without the threat of filibuster. Introduced in 1974, reconciliation limits debate and amendment, and therefore favors the majority party.

Congress used reconciliation to enact President Bill Clinton’s 1993 (fiscal year 1994) budget. (See Pub.L. 103-66, 107 Stat. 312.) Clinton wanted to use reconciliation to pass his 1993 health care plan, but Senator Robert Byrd insisted that the health care plan was out of bounds for a process that is theoretically about budgets.

Why is this important? Well, guess what they are trying to do with the healthcare bill?! You guessed it: Reconciliation. But wait. The White House said Monday the leading tactic to win passage of the health-care bill was nothing extraordinary, rehearsing a key argument in the final public-relations battle over the bill. Ah yes. Downplay it. Downplay the fact the bill is getting rammed through legislation using a parliamentary trick which was not designed for anything this large.

“When it comes to enacting laws and then later amending those laws, it doesn’t matter in what order Congress passes bills. All that matters is the order in which the president signs those bills into law. As long as the president signs the health care bill 30 seconds before he signs the reconciliation bill, the latter can amend or repeal any provisions in the former. So the House and Senate could, in theory, vote on a conference report amending the Senate health care bill before the House actually has to take the tougher vote to accept the Senate bill. No matter whether the House votes on reconciliation or the Senate bill first, the Speaker can ensure that the health care bill is signed into law before reconciliation.”

Is it not ironic that the opponents of the Democratic initiative have begun referring to the use of reconciliation as the “nuclear option”? This is a term that was used to describe the majoritarian procedures that effect formal change in Senate rules.

“Using reconciliation would be an acknowledgment that there is bipartisan opposition to their bill, another in a series of backroom deals, and the clearest signal yet that they’ve decided to completely ignore the American people.” It’s not that I’m against the bill. I just think it’s odd when politics rears its head in clear view.

Who the hell called me?!

If for any reason you find yourself without a name to go with a phone number fear not. You no longer have to call back and as “To whom am I speaking with?” and then play the “but you called me” game. Now you can perform what is called a reverse phone lookup. This can even take the place of the shortcomings of the cell phone directory. Readers, do not be aghast at that statement.

There is no such thing as a cell phone number directory.

Your cell number is safe. I apologize for the digression, but I felt it was a prudent one. Now as far as finding a name from a number, you can find a number of sites out there which will be happy to perform this service for you. They will of course spam the hell out of you and make you sign up for free trials with your credit card in hopes you will forget to cancel the service. Finding a more quality approach is exactly why you were reading this. You just didn’t know it when you started.

So out of anywhere on the web where oh where should your search begin. Chances are it begins at google with some Russian roulette of a search. Maybe you’ll click around the top ten search results for about 30 minutes or so. Eventually you’ll give in or spend another 30-45 minutes searching the deep web like linked in profiles and facebook pages. Have fun with that.

Look into the use of a comparison people searching site to save yourself all that work. Besides, user reviews are more trustworthy than  the “Greatest Service in the World Award”.

Learn Anything About Anyone.

For a dollar I found out my friend is a huge liar. He makes 15k less than he say he does, is upside down on his condo and was once arrested for indecent exposure. Best dollar I ever spent.

Searching the deep web for information about someone can be a daunting task. If you wanted to find an individual on the net you probably already went to Google and some kind of phonebook site. Congratulations, you are now like the other millions of people who try to find things on the net. You can find what you need this way. But there is a better way. And you don’t have to waste an afternoon.

There are better ways of finding what you want, if you need to delved deep and really find out about someone especially. Google will only tell you so much. A phone book site will only give you their number and address. These sites often bring back outdated information as well. Many people have moved around and been changing phone service providers due to the dramatic changes in the economy.

Then there is a matter of getting a cell phone number. In order to find cell phone numbers you will be required to do a vast amount of digging in most cases. You may have to search social networking sites for possible profiles that may or may not contain a mobile number. The thing to remember here is that there is no universal cell phone number directory. Sites that offer a cell phone number lookup need to cover costs for the hosting of these search directories. Hence, a small fee usually applies.

If you want to know everything about someone like:

Name

Telephone Carrier

Cellular Numbers

Unlisted Numbers

Non-Published Numbers

Internet & VOIP

Historical Info

Current Info

Avg. Income

Avg. Home Value

relatives & associates

Marriage status

property ownership

lawsuits

criminal background

You could save yourself an afternoon of headache and frustration for less than a dollar. I spend that on crappy vending machine coffee every day. If you are looking for the most intricately compiled data for the most reasonable price, visit Phonebooks.com and plug in what info you have. From there you will be prompted to a vast amount of in depth information or your target person.

Once Upon a time, an iPhone and a Children’s Book Mated…

I don’t really know how to feel about this one. Lemme know what your take is on it.