Far East Cynic

That we have been in Germany. But it sure seems longer. Not in a bad way-but in a good way, in that it means that we have been quite busy, and the next week holds in store much of the same.

It has also re-affirmed for me that Col Gundel was right-I should have stuck with my German classes. The S.O. has begun her pursuit of finding the cheap places to shop, which truth be told there are places you can find bargains and save money compared to what the prices are on the US bases here. However, in several cases we ran up against a language barrier. The S.O. speaks or reads no German, and seems shocked that not everyone has a dynamic command of the English language. I have a working knowledge of German-but I read it better than I speak it. My six years of high school and college study have  atrophied more than a little. As a result I have started with the Deutsche Welle on line interactive courses working an hour each night to help improve my comprehension. I understand the subject matter being spoken-but the speed of the conversation in the stores and the flea market( the S.O. was ecstatic when we stumbled on one in Sindelfingen) was much too fast for my fading memory. I did my best to translate for the S.O. when the folks were explaining in German where items came from and how much they wanted. So now I have a new mission-to re-master the language I studied so long ago. I remain a firm believer that you should be able to work in the language of the country you are living in. Which by the way means English in the USA.

We have begun the process of finding a second car and looking for a place to live. We were out looking at houses and apartments yesterday-and will look at more next week. I would prefer something closer to Stuttgart and the public transportation. The amount of stuff we have though will probably drive us out to the smaller villages and more affordable housing away from the city. As for the car-well the urge for a new BMW is strong, but I would really like to get a handle on what my new financial situation is before I commit to something that is going to cost me monthly payments. But they sure do look nice.

The one major obstacle will be getting the S.O. to understand that she is going to have to make some compromises. She can’t get a big old house for not so much Euro. And that with the currency fluctuations-we need to be prudent to build in a safety cushion to ensure we stay within the confines of what I am getting paid in a housing allowance.

But I would like to get the housing and car/driver’s license things behind us-so we can settle into a routine and begin to explore the country. There is a tour to Bastogne that I am probably going to sign up for in December. It is a historical tour-walking the sights of the battle that occurred in December 1944. The S.O. thinks I am crazy to get on a bus at 2AM to ride up to the Ardennes then walk 9-12km-and then ride a bus back arriving at midnight. It may be-but I think it might also be really interesting.

Getting settled into my new job has been a time consuming process-made more difficult because they are in the middle of a wholesale conversion to Windows 7 ( which shocked me a little-my previous place of employ had been on Windows 7 for almost a year). I am always amazed that when you go to someplace new, even though electrons move at the speed of light-it takes “24-48 hours before your account will be active”. And of course in today’s world, with out a computer-you are just out of it. There are also a whole string of training courses I have to take-and my bosses are wanting me to get all of that out of the way before they start tasking me. They are also being quite gracious about wanting us to get the “fed and bed” part of lives squared away first. For which I am quite grateful.

The leaves are in full color here now. It is very beautiful as we drive around. Yesterday was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed it as we drove around our new “home town”.  The snows of winter will probably be here soon enough-but for now its great weather wise.

Although busy, in several ways I feel more relaxed than I have been in months. I’m not sure why-because there are a whole host of challenges that are out there to be overcome. Perhaps it comes from not having time to watch the news. ( Blessing of blessings-there is no FOX news in our hotel. Just CNN and BBC. That has a lot to do with more a more rational flow of news to us.) The S.O. is getting a kick out watching the Euro Sport channel and the figure skating championships. At least I am not having to hear the national lunacy on a daily basis. If there is one down side-it is that the S.O.  is useless about learning to drive a stick shift. Our rental care is a stick-the automatic was much too expensive. So once again I am condemned to being the driver ( which means I have really not had a chance to enjoy the German beer out in town-getting fired for getting stopped for anything,  right at the start of a job, is not on my list of things to do.)

More exploring is on our plate for today. Pix will follow I promise.

I am sitting here in the hotel watching Piers Morgan interview Michael Moore. While, contrary to popular belief, I am not really  a Michael Moore fan-I do think he has some good points to make about the United States’ abysmal inability to provide the requisite necessities for its citizens: a level playing field, universal access to health care, and a reasonable baseline lifestyle. Morgan is rightfully quizzing him on his stance as an advocate for the middle class when he himself is quite wealthy as a result of his movies.

There is a studio audience, unusual for Piers Morgan, and one of the things that comes up repeatedly and when you read the 99% stories on the tumblr web site is the massive amounts of student debt that plenty of people have accumulated. It always surprises me, that not one of these pundits asking questions-ever asks the obvious question. ” Coming out of school with a lot of debt and can’t find a job? Why didn’t you try to join the military? Either as a way to pay for your college or to pay off your student loans after graduation”. To me it seems like a no-brainer. Or at least something to consider, although I fully acknowledge that it is a harder decision to make in the world of non stop warfare lasting over years and years and years-with a distinct possibility of getting killed in above said war. However at the same time, entering the military always had that obligation. In my time, I was paying back my college education by getting shot off aircraft carriers with the distinct possibility of freezing to death in the North Atlantic, if something went wrong.  (The only debt I was accumulating was being wracked up by my ex-wife, but that is quite another story).

I stayed in the Navy-mainly because no corporation in America could offer me the excitement of flying and raising hell with the boys in far away lands, a camaraderie that probably does not exist today. But I had no student debt. I became an Ensign with a clean slate. Had I have not gotten married and  instead stayed single-being diligent about saving my money, not only would I have gotten laid a lot more in my 20′s, but I could have left at 4 or 40 years with a nice sum saved.

Now I also recognize that not everyone could go in the military, and if I had my way the military would have a lot more men and a lot less women. However, regardless of that, it seems to me that the question is not being asked and answered: “Why doesn’t the United States have a program of national service, to allow its youth to earn the college education that so many yearn after?” Now the answer comes immediately to mind, ‘Oh no-that’s a draft and we don’t want that!” ( An answer that comes to often from the mouths of currently serving and recently retired naval officers). I take great issue with that sentiment-particularly from those who crow over and over again how much “better leaders” today’s generation is than those of us who served in the “bad old days” and grew up in the wild and wooly 60′s and 70′s.

The simple truth is, I believe, there is a way to have a program of national service-both military and nonmilitary.  ( The time to serve would be in favor of military service however). There are areas that could use young volunteers-who could be trained to serve in many areas. In exchange, a requirement for entry into a university or college would be a “satisfaction of national service” commitment letter. Sure it would mean that the average age for college students would be higher-but that might not be such a bad thing. Military service, conservation corps, public safety -there are a fair amount of ways to tackle this problem. And if nothing else-it would also drive home the issue that currently .05% of all Americans live a life drastically different than 99.5% of their counterparts. That-along with student debt-is a huge problem and allows too many politicians to throw away the lives of the .05% with too much ease. ( Take a bow Mr. Rumsfeld…..). Just my .02.

The S.O. and I made it across the Atlantic ocean in one piece. More importantly the cat made it too-and was waiting for us when we got to the baggage area. (Which was good because we had to wait till near the end of all the bags coming out to see our luggage). A hearty thank you to the folks who met us at the airport-who went way above the call of duty by not only meeting us and getting us to town-but also helped us get settled into our hotel, and get some staples. The S.O. and I are both very, very grateful.

Now its time to tie the tie, grab the jacket, give my shoes a quick wipe with a shammy cloth-and head off to the first day on the new job. In this day when so many don’t have one-I think that’s something to bow my head and be truly thankful for.

Guten Morgen!

The day we get on the plane and I begin the journey to once again take my rightful place among the ranks of American Expats. I think we are ready-although the S.O. is just two steps above basket case level right about now.

The S.O. does not deal with change well. Unlike me-she likes order and routine, and the humdrum existence of house and hearth allows her to her cleaning, her daily laundry and the rest of her routines. The last few days of packers and movers ( who she regards as lazy compared to their Japanese counterparts-they really were not that bad, it could have been much, much worse) have unsettled her  greatly.  The sight of the empty house, coupled with the idea that those filthy Gaijin will be walking across her well kept floors in shoes, just perturbs her to no end. And this is for a house that she says ( repeatedly) she didn’t like that much ( she liked it more than she cares to admit).

We both have been having ongoing discussions about what put us overweight. She blames my books, I blame her dishes-the truth is both are to blame, which is why she will be splitting the expense with me-although she doesn’t know it yet. We are playing the cards we can to get the weight down ex post facto, but eventually we will get bitten in the ass. She realizes deep down she bought too much “stuff” over here and in Japan.

It sort of came to a head last night,when she threw a T-shirt at me. I realized it was not so much at me for the then topic of discussion-but at my inability to settle and stay where she could enjoy her routines. Like many women, she cares only so much for the happiness of her man. That  is quite secondary, even tertiary,  when it comes to interrupting her routine and her source of life support. Its not unique to her-its a finding I have seen across the species.  It doesn’t matter so much if I am happy in the location or professionally-so long as she is taken care of. She will work through it of course-as soon as we settle on a house, and get unpacked and settled, and she can build new routines. Routines that will have her riding the S-bahn and learning German after a fashion. We apologized to each other this morning at breakfast. (She’s right-I should have been more ruthless with respect to my library, she recognized I am right about her plates and hibachi’s).

But for both of us, tomorrow will be the beginning of a new adventure and a voyage to an uncertain shore. We will keep you advised as it unfolds. Gambarimashou!

About the day that has taken almost 9 years to achieve-the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq.

Now, for me, this is a welcome development. I’ve been wishing for this day since March of 2003. If you are a long time reader, you know I am know Johnny come lately to being opposed to our little Mesopotamian excursion. I have been opposed to the idea, since I was briefed on the logistics plans for supporting 5 carriers in the Gulf in 2002. ( I along with a lot of others asked the very pertinent question of :”Why? Why does this require 5 carriers-especially against a nation with no more real air threat”.)  Why not have 2 or 3 carriers and put the other aircraft ashore? And why, in particular, do you make a carrier that will already have been on cruise for seven months-extend for another 4, just to get the Super Hornet into the fray. Transpac them from Australia and  send the already tired carrier home.

But common sense approaches were not applied then-and common sense seems not to be prevailing in the opposition today. The popular meme now is that Obama somehow “bungled” the negotiations. And that it now allows Iran to exert undue influence in Iraq. Both are ludicrous propositions. Invading Iraq gave Iran undue influence in the region-our leaving or staying was never going to change that.

And its not a surprise the Iraqis wanted us out of the place-they have been saying it consistently since 2008. That’s why they held their ground on not allowing judicial immunity for American troops. If anyone bungled-it was those neocon advisers who somehow felt we could change their minds and get them to cave on an issue that is a rallying point for a lot of Iraqis.

I voted for Obama because I was opposed to “war without end amen”. And while it took him way too long to get this accomplished-at least it is being accomplished. Its time for the Iraqis to accept the burden of being screwed up on their own and stop looking to us to shield them from their own stupidity. Besides-there are no numbers of Arabs that are worth the life of a single American. I felt that way in 2003, I still feel that way now.

Of course the job really won’t be done, till we drawdown in Kuwait, and reduce numbers at Ft Apache too. (Bahrain). And regardless of political persuasion-a heck of a lot of Americans have not learned that when it comes to the Middle East, less is more.

So I am looking forward to something to celebrate this December-finally getting US troops out of Iraq.

Now if we could just get them out of that other hell-hole in Central Asia…………..

Today we went to see Keio-san, probably the only Japanese running a Japanese restaurant in Shopping Mall.( All the rest are run by Koreans).  A farewell dinner of sorts-I think after the arduous task of packing and moving, and seeing the net result of all the useless china she has bought over the years come home to roost, in terms of our total weight-and the out of pocket cost it is going to cost her ( Yes-her! I am not going to pay for being overweight by 500 pounds). We spent almost three hours with her-as more and more food came, barely half of which we paid for. It was her gift to us. The conversation was mostly in Japanese-refreshing but trying for me,as three years in Shopping Mall have atrophied my skills a little bit. I was able to keep up-but it was harder than it used to be. Nonetheless, I think it did the S.O good to speak to someone in her own language and whine about how lazy and indolent American movers are. ( They were not that bad-but they did not pack as efficiently as they could have-and they had some lax approaches to security of our stuff. They especially did not like me pointing it out to them, and refusing to sign security seals etc,till I spoke to their manager).  Nonetheless we seem to have gotten about a lot heavier. And that is with me selling off all of my power tools. Which means she probably had acquired 1500+ excess pounds of useless china.

Now its clean up, and finish up, then on the plane. Two more days to the next Quantum Leap and Liberation Day!

Regardless of your political persuasion. The list that is given below is a rogues gallery of misinformation, diatribe, uninformed commentary, factually inaccurate reporting-and general all around mean spiritedness that can be found in the civilized word. When you hear someone saying, ” I was just reading or watching (fill in the blank) and it’s one of the names on this list, consider it a warning sign. Some have been asterisked to denote their special status as deserving of having the living stuffing beaten out of them.

* Biased exclusively towards the GOP

** Totally deranged

*** Deserving of a five iron across the forehead repeatedly.

H/T to Addicting Info!

The program managers have their weekly conference with the Director of the 223rd worst place to work in the Federal government:

To the day of the great escape from Shopping Mall USA. The day I have dreamed about, longed for, thought would never come, schemed and lobbied for, and despaired about-may actually finally be going to happen.

While its not taking me back to Asia-it is taking away from Shopping Mall and out of the USA. That, of course, is assuming all goes well and nothing comes along to dash it at the last second. Things are on track-but I’ve learned from hard experience not to get too excited about something happening until it actually happens. There are still a couple of things that could go wrong-but so far things are tracking very well. But I will be really convinced when I get off the plane.

The S.O. and I have been in the throes of packing up for a move to Germany. There I will take a new job-having been unceremoniously shunted out of my old one by the deranged contract strategy of the worst agency in the Federal Government;  led by the worst excuse for an acquisition professional, or a leader/CEO that can exist in the United States Army today. Yesterday I drove to a port near the eastern seaboard, for the purpose of dropping off my vehicle to begin the long trek to Deutschland-where hopefully it will arrive dry, and with no more scratches or dents than it went in. We previously sent off a small box of things by express to Germany, and have been busy cramming what would normally take a couple of months into about 3.5 weeks. The necessity of my loss of  job situation and the requirements of the job in Germany have made this a short fuzed move to say the least. So we have both been busy getting all the various and sundry details attended to ( made all the more difficult by the S.O. choosing now to have a fender bender with the car). The main packout starts on Monday and by Thursday we will be cleaning up the house and turning over the keys to our real estate agent. ( Hopefully it will rent reasonably quickly-if not, it will have to go on the market).

I should be clear about one point. I have nothing but praise for my company, who in my opinion is one of the last bastions of humanity left in the defense contracting business today. It was not they who created this problem, but the worst agency’s doing. The company did every thing humanly possible to help me, and keep me in their employ. However they were stymied at every turn, by stupid decision making by the people who worshipped gold. They are a great company and have nothing but praise and respect from yours truly-and I would gladly work there again. ( Provided it was overseas).

Why Germany you might ask? Well a bunch of reasons. This summer I was in the running for a position back in my beloved Tokyo. Went through all the hoops, made the short list, and was selected as an “alternate”-meaning I would only get the position if the first guy got run over a bus or something. With the loss of our contract, I was resigned to being in Shopping Mall- figuring that meant I had really only two alternatives. Change companies or move to another task/ location with my current company. While I was in Romania, I was fairly optimistic that I would be able to remain with my current company, keep my seniority, and not have to take a pay cut. The plan seemed to be comprehensive and had some good options if things went totally down hill. Or so we thought. Then over time-with me over in Bucharest- they all dropped off the vine one by one. ( I remain convinced there is skulduggery at work inside the office that oversees these contracts, especially on a couple where we clearly had the best solution).  So that left option two.

Option two was going to be to change companies. Except for one  little problem. The company that won the contract we were working under-unilaterally decided not to fill any Shopping Mall positions. Only they did not bother to inform any of us down here. Which left me and my co-worker waiting for offers that were never going to come. So much  for “first right of refusal”. 

This is where fate , or the Grace of God-however you choose to characterize it- stepped in. (I prefer to think of it as God watching out for fools and drunks, and I qualify on both counts) I was lucky enough to get a call asking me if I was still interested in a position overseas, and that “there could possibly be a position in Germany” that would match my current experience. I said yes. And so after some ups and downs and having to jump through some hoops, we are now getting ready to move to Der Bundes Republik Deutschland. The S.O. is excited although she won’t admit it-but between complaining about how lazy American packers and movers are-she has been sneaking peeks at her German travel books and asking lots of questions of people on that side of the Atlantic.

I’m excited too-but also cautiously wary. I keep wondering if this was the right choice to make. I think so-but of course you never know for sure till much later down the pike.   There are pro’s and cons to this course of action, and financially, what with the Euro being what it is, is probably not the safest option I could have taken. Some belt tightening is going to be on the menu to be sure. At least for awhile. No champagne and caviar-the cheap pilsner will have to do. At least I had a choice,( a lot of folks don’t get that)  and there is another thing I keep reminding myself of.

You see, I had a couple other opportunities over the past three years-that for a variety of reasons were not the right fit, or  the timing/salary/job description/etc etc etc were not right. I turned them down. I don’t really regret those decisions-I think they may have been the correct ones at the time-but then again, they might not have been and I may have really screwed the pooch by not taking the opportunities when they were offered. So this time, with the added incentive of staring at the precipice-I decided that if they wanted me, and the pieces came together-I was going to say yes. Etc, etc, etc’s be damned. The saying that kept going through my mind as this transpired was, ” You regret the things you didn’t do, a heck of a lot more than the things you did.” And I’m not getting any younger. So I decided to take the chance-and hope for the best. Whether its the right path or not……well time will have to tell. And as it turned out, it was a good thing I did, given the way everything else transpired here in Shopping Mall.

And at least its a decision, a path decided on-with now just steps in a row to execute. That’s a relief in and of itself. Now its just getting through the move, getting on the plane, and getting on with it. Compared to the anxiety I have felt over the last several months-that’s something to celebrate in and of itself.

And while it may not be Asia-well, it may yet get me back there. I prefer to think of it as circling the globe,  working my way back to the promised land the long way. And given the current state of politics and everything else here-it may be a good thing for my sanity too.

So the countdown to liberation day continues. I week and counting. Posting may be intermittent as we close down Internet, phones etc, but wish us luck. Ich bin sehr glucklich! (Totemo ureshii desu! in Nihongo).

Courtesy of the Reformed Broker:

“Let me help you out, sir.  Finance is one of the things we do terribly in this country, not well.  Alan Greenspan’s policies simply created the illusion that we “did finance well” when in reality, what we did well instead was wealth transference.  We used inflation as a weapon and permitted the privileged few to gorge on a bloated, overly-financialized economy that was fed with debt growth rather than actual production.”

Then read the book title! This web site outlines the plot in 30 quick seconds by adjusting the book title. For those of you are book fans like me, you should spend some time looking through the archives.

Some examples:

And I am sure Mrs. Bowman would hate me for this one. ( Advanced English Teacher in high school and a great and gifted union teacher). She made us read one book a week with an in class essay due every Monday. Some of the best college preparation on the planet.

I continue to marvel at the pettiness of the critics of Occupy Wall Street and their inability to understand underlying reasons why these demonstrations are happening at all.

Most of the criticism of the Occupy Wall Street crowd stays away from that key point. Instead it fixates on their hygiene ( which I suspect are isolated instances blown out of proportion). If anything, it is completely arrogant of the people who fixate on: sex and drugs (at least somebody is getting laid), the fact that people are sleeping the streets(unlike your average fat teabagger, a lot of these  folks cannot afford an RV) the fact that they don’t respect teabag conservative values, the idea that everyone who supports OWS is not paying taxes and is a freeloader, the idea that they are all dirty hippies-and finally the idea that Wall Street is totally blameless and without their greed,  we would not have nice things. Other than the fact that just about all of those statements are a lie-it ignores some basic fundamental realities of life here in the Whining States of America.

The folks who started Occupy Wall Street started a website called I am the 99 percent. It has taken off and become viral. Professional conservative douchebag activist and general all around twit, Erik Erikson, started an opposition web site called I am the 53%. It gets its name from the self serving lie that tebaggers in particular and the GOP in general seemed obsessed with-that “47% of Americans don’t pay taxes”. This, apparently, annoys them to no end. Even though it was their tax cutting policies that created this situation. The irony, or course, is lost on them. Part of the reason that over 40 percent of Americans don’t pay federal taxes is because of the continual push to lower them — a cause that conservatives have championed. And 86% pay taxes of some sort-a detail I am sure that most of the people making their pompous and arrogant statements on the web site are too lazy to actually do some research.

Its kind of sad really-but altogether too typical of the way our Galtian overlords think these days. The 53% folks  believe that they and they alone are supposed to represent the opinions of the 53 percent of Americans who pay federal income taxes, and its ( very flawed)  assumption that the Wall Street protesters are part of the 46 percent of the country who don’t. Besides the fact that the numbers are incorrect, there are all kinds of problems with the douchebaggers their approach here, including the fact that they seem to want to increase working-class taxes and also seem entirely unaware of the fact that it was Republican tax cuts that pushed so many out of income-tax eligibility in the first place. There’s also the small matter of some of those claiming to be in “the 53 percent” aren’t actually shouldering a federal income tax burden at all, but are apparently unaware of that fact.

But this is Eric Erikson-a man for whom facts are optional, so lets play everybody’s favorite game, “Rip Erik’s Strawmen to bits!”:

 Take a look at Erick Erickson’s argument, presented in a hand-written message posted to the 53% blog: “I work three jobs. I have a house I can’t sell. My family insurance costs are outrageous. But I don’t blame Wall Street. Suck it up you whiners. I am the 53% subsidizing you so you can hang out on Wall Street and complain.”

Just for heck of it, let’s take this one at a time.

The very idea that Erickson works “three jobs” is rather foolish.

Blaming financial industry corruption and mismanagement for Erickson’s troubles selling his house is actually quite reasonable.

If Erickson’s reference to “family insurance costs” is in reference to health care premiums, he’ll be glad to know the Affordable Care Act passed, and includes all kinds of breaks for small businesses like his.

And the notion that victims of a global economic collapse, who are seeking some relief from a system stacked in favor of the wealthy, are “whiners” is so blisteringly stupid, it amazes me someone would present the argument in public.

If there are any actual “whiners” in this scenario, shouldn’t the label go to millionaires who shudder at the idea of paying Clinton-era tax rates?

A good rejoinder if there ever one was one, but I’ll go you one better why you should support the OWS crowd and not the selfish pig crowd over at 53% land. My own recent experience.

For starters, I too am part of the 53%. I pay federal income taxes, I pay state taxes, I pay gas taxes, I pay sales taxes, I pay property taxes, I pay utility taxes. When I travel I pay rental car “concession fees” and vendor taxes. I also pay hotel taxes. If hookers in Wanchai could charge taxes-I’d probably be on the record as paying those too. Do you hear me whining about it? (Just a little) I paid 19% of my income in federal taxes last year-on top of having my “wealth” redistributed in a form of outright theft of my military retirement to the tune of 37.7%- to be given to a fat, non-fucking, worthless whore who does not deserve dime one of it. Yet you don’t see one single solitary teabagger, or Eric Cantor type Congressmen lobbying for repeal of that “unconstitutional law”. ( Which it is-check out McCarty vs McCarty in 1981 if you don’ t believe me).

The reason is simple-paying taxes in those numbers means I brought in some comfortable money-certainly more than I ever saw during any of my time on active duty in the Navy. Rather than complain about it-I rejoice in the fact, that I was granted that opportunity. And that I was able to turn a great percentage of what remained after taxes into equity in a house, savings and retirement investments. Hell, if you think about it-the “safe way” would have been to continue to struggle away as a wage slave making good money and living the suburban Alabama life.

Except of course-it was stifling my soul and driving my spirit into the dirt. Especially in the last year-where you literally have to navigate your way through fat and stupid people every single day. A change was required-and while it was not the “safe” way-it was the necessary way, if I hope to keep my sanity.

Yet, not one bit of that money stopped me from losing my job,  thanks to some incredibly short sighted thinking by the worst agency in the Federal government. Nor it did prevent, me from being forced to re-examine a whole bunch of different options and fall back strategies to avoid falling back into the trap of near bankruptcy. It did not keep me from having to take a decent sized pay cut in order to keep working-all so I can still have 37.7% of that “wealth” redistributed.

Maybe its because I have already stared into the pit of bankruptcy once-that I understand , perhaps better than most, how easy it is to slide right back to that precipice. The ingratitude and sheer shelfishness of retired Air Force weather forcasters ( who have a guaranteed government pension, guaranteed health care, guaranteed educational benefits, and probably a preference in hiring) just appalls me. Especially when you consider that him and many others like him are just one serious illness, just one stupid decision by an arrogant three star that hasn’t been in the line since he was a Cpt, one natural disaster that wrecks his home, or just one downturn in the ( stock market, housing market, or any other source of growing savings income), from going from the 53% over to the 46%. Or to state it more accurately, that 35% of Americans who make 30,000 dollars or less and are just a stone’s throw from the poverty line. As I have pointed out before-the reason these folks are not more grateful and wanting to help others is they earnestly believe it cannot or will not happen to them. Well I’m here to tell the other “52%”-that it can and it will if you are not careful. Even if you are careful-it can still happen to you, you arrogant swine, you.

As E.D. Kain points out, ” More than a few of these people would benefit from the government stepping in against the people who are the cause of their economic distress. ‘Making your own way’ when the deck is stacked against you instead of calling on the government to get rid of the game-rigging seems illogical to me.”

But of course,  they won’t dare think it through. These supposedly hard working people would actually benefit if the bankers were kicked in the teeth. Its they and a lot of others who are being charged to use their own money-so that banks can pay 11 million dollars to employees who fail.

Get back to the facts my tri-corner hat wearing ignorant “ friends”, no matter what your thoughts are on Obama, the facts are still the facts:for the majority of Americans wages and real earning power have declined in the last twelve years. During the same time period the earning power of the top 1% skyrocketed. In the long run that kind of income inequality hurts overall growth and prevents a recovery of any meaningful sort. That is something to be angry about. If your friendly neighborhood teabagger had even a lick of smarts or sense-they would be supporting the crowds in New York, and thankful that the youth are actually informed enough to take the time to get angry. These folks know more about the realities of our current predicament than most of the flag waving fatties knew about health care in 2009. They are being screwed too-they just don’t realize it yet.

I AM PART OF THE 53%!  HOWEVER I SUPPORT THE 99%.  ITS ABOUT TIME SOME FEAR WAS PUT INTO THE 1%.

The more the selfish crowd whines-the longer this is going to go on. Didn’t you guys learn anything from the 60′s?

P.S. Erik Erikson can go fuck himself!

From those dirty hippies in New York:

Address it to Bank of America and Goldman Sachs. Its just a short, pretty cogent explanation as to why a significant number of people in America want you to die:

Eleven million dollars?  What the hell world are you inhabiting?  Eleven million dollars for two departing executives because things didn’t work out?  I’m sorry, but were these two executives of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez-level importance for your organization?  Is that why there are severance deals like this in place?  Or are you just completely psychotic?

It’s not that this isn’t your prerogative as a private company – it is.  But seriously, numbers like these at a time when you’re instituting added fees on customer accounts just sound farcical, almost like you’re making these payments to get a reaction out people.

You look completely ridiculous with news like this at a time when thousands of people are massing in every major city in the country to make the case that you don’t deserve to exist.  At a time when you’re being investigated for employing robo-signers just to maintain a certain level of foreclosures processed per month. At a time when you’re laying off rank-and-file employees not by the hundreds, not by the thousands – but in the tens of thousands.  At a time when retired seniors, desperately seeking income, have been pushed into annuities, life settlements, commodities and junk bonds because of the zero percent interest rate policy that was meant to nurse you and your balance sheet back to health – and this is what you do with the money?  With OUR money?

Are you crazy?

So what color Brooks Brothers suit looks good hanging from a lampost anyway?

Ticking down to liberation day.

A countdown made more difficult, because the S.O picked Friday to get in a minor fender bender ( in the BMW no less!), which yours truly is now having to solve and get fixed. One of these days Alice……. One of these days.