Obama may Ban Spying on Heads of Allied States

That has to be the most ludicrous headline I have ever seen in the New York Times as if any foreign state does not already protect it's communications as capably as a sophisticated terrorist group.  My particular laugh is over the NSA's hue and cry that Snowden let out state secrets on spy-craft that isn't already assumed as in effect by the opposition. Apparently Senator Diane Feinstein is the only person on Earth who did not know or assume it was and is going on.

November 15 comment

Last night we watched the third Bourne movie and my jaw dropped as a reporter from the Guardian in London of all newspapers is tracked down and assassinated by a CIA goon squad.  Snowden's revelations are proving Hollywood worst scenarios to be absolutely correct.  You want the scarier version?  Maybe what Hollywood dreams give the NSA the idea.  Like hey! Why can't we do that?

Citizen Activists

Historian Peter Dreir's interview with Bill Moyers "Saving Democracy is up to Citizen Activists" illustrates how important it is to ignore federalism and act locally.  I think the town of Richmond, California is brilliant in taking a local action by declaring eminent domain on the financially underwater properties in its jurisdiction to then resell back to the previous owner's at a fair current market value. On the other hand a citizen's action against global warming is just a waste of time that can be ignored by the big interests, Richmond's action can't be.  I am rooting for them big time.  

Steve Jobs

Saw the movie and was intrigued enough to pick up Walter Isaacson's biography, which I just finished while reading headlines about the horrible roll out of the Obama-care national health exchange. What I took from Job's is that to build really good product you need a directed mercurial personality that would be difficult to tolerate in government. Statements by President Obama and Secretary of Health Sibelius' staff that “failure is not acceptable” does not make a good piece of software appear out of committee. It's tough for the Commander and Chief who is used to answer a command question with “make it so” to understand that a complicated solution may not be one at all.

The Political Landscape

After the Republican fiasco of the government shutdown and treasury limit to borrow, it is wonderful to see the more strident Tea Party supporters acting even more strident.  The right wing Authoritarians will  concentrate in smaller and smaller areas losing the young, the female and the Latino.  Inexorably the last Republican stronghold will center around a converted missile silo turned into underground bunker somewhere in Kansas.

In the meantime it is a good time to dig in and prepare Libertarian roots right here in New England, where established Democrats should encourage us since all we do is split the vote of independents and marginalized Republicans.  I hope Bill Russell well in his Norwich Connecticut Mayoral race and lets see if we can do more next year and the next so that we blow some embers into a fire that burns Stupid Old Party out of existence.

Bill Russell for Mayor of Norwich CT

I get a direct mail fund raising request from the libertarian candidate for the Mayor of Norwich Connectticut.  I send in a $100 contribution because I support the Libertarian Party taking over the New England states from the irrelevant G.O.P.  You would of thought I was one of the Koch brothers when getting certified mail asking for me to authenticate my contribution had nothing to do with lobbying for town business.  Poor Bill Russell apparently has to deal with a 25% administration fee on every dollar collected for his mayoral race.  As a libertarian for small government and less regulation I have a problem with that.

The Republican party is so toxic in Connecticut that I doubt they can survive. Consider, for example, if  a moderate Connecticut Republican, Andrew Roraback, who I was rooting for in last year's election; had won against his Democrat opponent, Elizabeth Esty.  Imagine his position in this month's histrionics trying to defend the indefensible, the out of control Ted Cruz Tea Party. I have to believe Roraback is greatly relieved for not having been elected. He strikes me as an excellent person, but his party was hijacked by wackos.

Ted, keep up the Good Work.

Ted is hoisting the Tea Party and ergo the S.O.P. by it's own petard. According to Republicans Using Shutdown to Stake Positions for Potential 2016 Bids article in today's New York Times any slightly moderate inclination from Senator Marco Rubio or Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana ( He isn't allowed to call the Republican Party the "Stupid Party." Apparently I am not the originator of this designation ) suffers big push back from conservatives.

Complacency on Wall Street

Jesse Eisinger's ProPublica article in today's New York Times concurs with my observation as I explained today to my mother's stock broker that we would like to increase her cash holdings and thereby decrease her securities portfolio of  stocks and bonds.  The broker's response was that I am  reading too much New York Times and not what I should be reading, The Wall Street Journal.  Is it possible that Wall Street is plugged into the same Murdoch / Fox news closed end loop that so ably served the S.O.P. in the 2012 elections?
Tracing the Calendar Down to the Last Cent is the article in today's New York Times that shows The U. S. Treasury ran out of authority last spring and has been working with smoke and mirrors ever since! I think we have crossed the line where a delay or any other sort of solution is possible. Treasury Secretary Lew makes a good case that the 14th Amendment option, whereby the The President unilaterally raises the limit, will not work. And I don't see how there is enough time for  Obama to capitulate  and have that lengthy discussion that Boehner is asking for when Bonehead doesn't have and end game which he can get his caucus to agree to.

Many in G.O.P. Offer Theory: Default Wouldn’t Be That Bad

The S.O.P. has got it real bad when considering what I read in the front page of today's New York Times.  Don't get me wrong.  I am in favor of less government, balanced budgets and low efficient taxing, but Stephen Colbert's popping the balloon economy with Sarah Palin's pin prick is an apt analogy.  The economy is a house of cards built on credit and trust where reckless behavior can cause us to literally lose our economic house.  Or we can choose to settle down and remodel while we still retain shelter.
 

As an Investor I am voting with my feet

Watching the Sunday talk shows it is apparent that there is a risk of a default.  As an investor I have to take some chips off the table.

October 8 -  Yesterday sold off 1/3rd my position at near year high.  Other investors seem very complacent, as if there is nothing to worry about. Apparently the financial class believes the gibberish that Bonehead Boehner is spouting.

October 10 - My positions that I sold on Monday are all higher today than at what I sold at.  What Complacency on the part of the investor class!

Obamacare

As a Libertarian I should be against Obamacare and I would be if it were not for the Stupid Old Party making it their cause celebre. So in that frame of mind I am supporting it's enactment and hope to shape it's direction in the future.  I recognize that medicine as presently organized is not an economic good that works under Adam Smith's free market construct.  Some things are truly wrong in the system and stupidity is not the answer.  

Chile's President Sebastián Piñera

Just saw him on Charlie Rose last night.  What a magnificent leader of a country! And what a country Chile must be to consistently elect pragmatic intelligent leaders on both sides of the aisle that are above personality and all about intelligent economic growth.  As I have blogged before the Pinochet dictatorship was a horror except for its full embrace of the Chicago boys economic re-modeling.   Now I am envious.

Farm Bill

The farm bill mixes right wing Republican's representing farming constituencies and left wing Democrats with urban food stamp recipients. Now understand I would like the Department of Agriculture plowed under and both farm aid and food stamps eliminated, but I am not stupid nor heartless enough to suggest the that rich farmers keep getting their aid and the poor be cut off their food stamps like many delirious S.O.P wackos are currently suggesting.  The Democrats ought to play hard ball with this and work on seriously defunding the farm states of their Republican bias.  First step is to eliminate the ethanol subsidy.  When was the last time a corn growing  agriculture state voted Democrat?

Charlie Dent Rep PA's 15th District

Just saw him interviewed on PBS Nightly News.  What a nice reasonable Republican. Democrats need to target him and his constituency for 2014 with a Charlie is a good man but how can you vote for his lunatic party? The DNC has an opportunity in the 2014 Congressional elections by methodically targeting decent Republicans who can't vote their conscience.

BBC World News in our dirty Laundry

Tuesday morning with right and left wing pundits debating the government shut down on BBC World News,  the moderator had to ask, "Do you two know what you sound like to the rest of the world?" From my perspective the government shutdown is insignificant, but the looming default is big. The shouting is getting worse and the World is in our dirty laundry smelling the idiocy. The irony is that the party of the financial and managerial class is the one to be hijacked by the crazies wreaking havoc on the dollar and the stock market.

G. O. P. ? No S. O. P. - Stupid Old Party

I am a registered Libertarian.  Pollsters would label me an independent.  According to Tom Friedman's editorial today we are going to hell in a hand basket because the stupid people are in charge.  I agree about the stupid but I am optimistic because no matter how much gerrymandering, advertising to stupid people and fat blubbering punditry goes on the S. O. P. is going to lose independents in droves.  So it's darkest before the dawn and Republicans are going the way of the Whig party.

Democrats ought to target moderate Republicans with the message to their constituency that they can't be trusted because the party has been hijacked by the crazies.  For example Eric Cantor, Republican Majority Leader from Virginia's 7th congressional district bordering the Washington beltway, must have enough independents in that gerrymandered district that are tired enough to take out a bright articulate spokesman speaking with forced stupidity. On the other hand looking at a map of Speaker Boehner's 8th district in Ohio I get the impression that it not a good target of opportunity for independents to kick him out.