Snowy Hell

Hey Barry:

With the New Year coming up quickly, there will be some major issues on your plate. I know this is not news to you, but I want to remind you of the major problem underlying most other issues. Hopefully, you'll keep it in mind as you work.

That problem is the control that RICH people have over our nation's resources. It isn't just that they make a lot of money with that control; that is bad enough. No, it is that they actively deny life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to the rest of us.

Just in case you think I am over stating, please read this column by David Sirota: 'A snowy glimpse of America's future' at this link: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/12/a_snowy_glimpse_of_americas_fu.html

Looks like that's where we are headed Barry.

I'd like it to be different and I know you would too.

So, Barry, please tell us what can WE do to get a different future.

Happy New Year.

Your pal,

Reflections

Hey Barry:

This time of year is a reflection time for me with lots of family and friends gathering. I hope it is the same for you.

So, this is a reflective note about the background for my comments in this space.

I have read about economic theory and current events since 1960 with a focus on the interaction of national government policies and economic growth. In the early 1990's I created a set of 34 national economic policies which affect growth in just about any political structure. Beginning in 1995 I have published student analyses of how well various national government policies promote economic growth. Each study is written under my direction by a native student of the country about which she or he writes.

Clicking on the link above takes you to MIEPA's home page which contains links to each of about 40 country analyses as well as some other studies published there.

LIST OF 34 ECONOMIC POLICIES

The link titled 'INTRODUCTION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS' [http://www.mkeever.com/intro.html] presents a description of all the policies and some background on the site.

INDIVIDUAL COUNTRY STUDIES

Each economic analysis of a country is linked to the country name. For example the study of the USA written in May of 2010 is titled UNITED STATES OF AMERICA [http://www.mkeever.com/usa.html]

Some of the studies were written a few years ago; they remain on the site until another student writes an update. Some students fear for their lives and families and so choose to remain anonymous.

MANUAL ON WRITING COUNTRY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Some folks may be interested in exactly how the policy studies are written. This link gives a complete methodology: 'POLICY ANALYST APPLICATION - JOBS GROWTH THEORY' [http://www.mkeever.com/apply.html]

ECONOMIC SYSTEM ALTERNATIVES

I sponsored an essay contest in 2000 for expositions of alternative economic systems. The market based, capitalistic system which is widely used is not the only effective method of organizing economic behavior.

Several very interesting ideas and case studies were submitted and the winning essays are published under the link titled: 'THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES (T.A.A.) PROJECT' [http://www.mkeever.com/taa.html].

BALANCED TRADE

I wrote an essay on an alternative international trade theory titled: 'BALANCED TRADE: TOWARD THE FUTURE OF ECONOMICS' which is published at this link: [http://www.mkeever.com/essay.html]

It is worth considering for the United States. Since publishing that essay, I have provided some limited assistance to Ian Fletcher in his efforts to suggest alternative trade theories as published in 'FREE TRADE DOESN'T WORK: WHAT SHOULD REPLACE IT AND WHY' [www.freetradedoesntwork.com]

MORAL ECONOMICS

Sadly, economic theory does not address the social implications of market actions. Under economic theory, you as a consumer do not know or care who produced the products you use. They may have been produced by unionized workers with health insurance and a pension or they may have been produced by tubercular children working 10 hours per day for starvation wages.

The essay titled 'MORAL ECONOMICS' is an attempt to reconcile economic theory with morality: [http://www.mkeever.com/moral.html]

BANK REGULATIONS

Here's my take on the subject: 'BANK REGULATION IN THE UNITED STATES' February 2009 [www.mkeever.com/bank_regulation_usa.doc]

PREDICTING DISASTERS

Lastly, I am concerned that there appears to be no systematic attempt to predict future economic booms and busts. I made a video about a method to create such a mechanism and the scripts and links are in the site: 'ECONOMICS 2.0, DODGING DISASTERS, PART 1 AND PART 2' [http://www.mkeever.com/dodgingdisasters.html]

Thank you for your attention.

Happy New Year!

Your pal,

Super Shopper Obama

Hey Barry:

Sometime ago I asked that you shop for us very carefully with the RICH tax cuts you had to fund.

Is jes a cryin shame that we have to use cash to buy something good for the country from the BILLIONAIRES. Not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Not by a long shot.

But Barry, you a Super Shopper. Holy cow. You bought a whole lot of very good things for the country. Y'all made the Reps squirm and cut a very good deal for us. Thank you.

There are so many things y'all did that nobody has published a list that I can find. Seriously, the main stream media is just overwhelmed.

Even the kid sponsored web site list [ http://whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com/?q=29] can't keep up.

Anyways, we all thank you for the good things.

Keep up the good work in January.

Your pal,

Putin Sings Fats

Hey Barry:

Y'all gotta see this - Vladimir Putin singing Blueberry Hill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IjHz2yIo

The Russians are definitely winnning the courage race.

Merry Christmas.

Your pal,

New Science: Teleportation May Be Real

Hey Barry:

Seems that Physicists Andrew Cleland and John Martinis from the University of California at Santa Barbara created a gadget that may make 'Beam me up Scotty' a reality someday.

Along with some other exciting new science, you can read it here: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/17/beam-teleportation-years-biggest-breakthrough/

Maybe our grandkids can live in the Star Trek world.

Merry Christmas,

You pal,

PS: The comment below is so interesting, in a tongue-in-cheek way, that I am appending it to the original post:

Cisco2035 has left a new comment on your post "New Science: Teleportation May Be Real":

Possibly some of us may be able to use it by the 2030s.

http://cisco2035.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/facts-about-teleportation/

Bad Man McConnell

Hey Barry:

Let's be clear about this: McConnell is just plain bad for the country.

Cynthia Tucker nails it here: http://blogs.ajc.com/cynthia-tucker/2010/12/20/republicans-unpatriotic-resistance-to-new-start/?cxntfid=blogs_cynthia_tucker

Nothing more to say.

Your pal,

Rough Ridin Estate Tax

Hey Barry:

Sometime the REPS forget where they came from.

Here's what Theodore Roosevelt had to say about big fortunes and the need for an estate tax, as quoted by Tim Rutten in the LA Times: 'Like many thoughtful Americans of his era, he believed the disproportionate accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few would make a mockery of our meritocracy and, ultimately, of our democracy. In 1910, he summed up those feelings.

"We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used," Roosevelt said. "It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community.... The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and … a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion, and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate." '

Your pal,

Get It While The Gettin's Good

Hey Barry:

Y'all on a roll. That's good.

Get everything you can while you can.

Come January, even blowing your nose will be a battle royal. I'd love to think the Reps will actually put the good of the country ahead of the RICH - but, I'm a pessimist.

Merry Christmas.

Your pal,

Carried Interest

Hey Barry:

There is a thing in the tax revisions that did not get changed. It is a killer.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/15/BUSR1GQ3CI.DTL

I'm not talking about the estate tax, which is bad enough.

It is the carried interest provision which lets the super rich treat income as capital gains.

According to columnist Andrew Ross, here's what folks say about it: '"hyperconcentration of rewards at the top" (the top 1 percent and up), and a corresponding "hyperinequality" with the rest of the nation.'

We really need to do something about this one, Barry. We need more income equality and less capital formation - capital fomation is another word for the RICH getting richer. Too much capital fomation and too little wages is a problem for us right now.

Your pal

Let rich pay to fix deficit, say Americans

Hey Barry:

A new Bloomberg poll has reported that most Americans want the rich to pay more taxes to help with deficit reduction.

Read it here: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/insight/stories/2010/12/12/let-rich-pay-to-fix-deficit-say-americans.html?sid=101

I don't think there are many mysteries in DC - no secrets about economics. We all get it.

Your pal,

Richard Holbrooke: R I P

Hey Barry:

Sadly, Richard Holbrooke passed yesterday.

May he rest in peace secure in the knowledge of his contribution to peace and saving lives.

He will be very hard to replace.

Your pal,

The WashBeltBox

Hey Barry:

We love you and we need you. You're the only one we have and we are not going to let you go.

Yes I know we can be a pain sometimes, but you have heard the saying: "You only hurt the ones you love." Well, that's us.

So, here's the thing. You are locked in some struggle with the BILLIONAIRE's lap dog known as the Reps.

But Barry, that struggle is taking place inside a paper box - I'll call it the WashBeltBox - that is sinking into a very deep tidal pool.

What we want Barry, is for you to break out of that box and kill the SOB who is holding the box under water. Here's an idea about how to do it: raise the income tax to a 90% marginal rate on taxable incomes over $1 million and the estate tax to 100% on any estate over $100 million.

We know it's a job for Superman and that you ain't Superman, but like I said, you are all we got.

We are hurting and we are afraid that we will drown inside the WashBeltBox unless you break out and save us.

It is not about what you can pry from the Reps, it's about saving our country from drowning.

Your pal,

BILLIONAIRES: Open Letter

Hey Barry:

Here's an open letter to our BILLIONAIRES; please read ahead.

DEAR BILLIONAIRE:

I am writing you because you are very RICH.

To see whether you are RICH, click on this link.http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html

If your name shows up anywhere on the Forbes web site or your net worth exceeds One Billion Dollars, you are RICH. You are not RICH if you are worth less than One Billion Dollars.

Your money gives a special place in the world, a place that is different from just about everyone else. You probably don't even notice how different you are because you don't have much contact with people who work for a living. Most of the people you see are either just like you or people who make a living by telling you how wonderful you are. It is no surprise that you have a different world view than most people.

There are some issues that arise from your wealth. These issues are not about your intelligence, looks or personality; they are about your impact on us. They exist for every RICH person regardless of personal circumstances.

As a background to my comments, my family history includes several Presidents and goes back to the early 1600's in this country. Of course, it also includes some undesirable folks as well, just like any family. If you'd like some details, I will put you in touch with my cousin Bev who keeps track of all that.

So, I will put on my Uncle Sam Yankee Doodle Dandy Top Hat and I will try to speak to you as the voice of the soul of America.

Our country was founded in a Revolution against tyranny and aristocracy. It was an attempt to allow average people a good life, including material comforts as well as freedom from control by powerful people.

Now, I am pretty sure you think that you embody the best characteristics of that revolution. After all, you gained your wealth by following the rules. And, you achieved the American dream of doing well in a free country.

But, you are dead wrong if you think that. Here's why you are wrong:

Your extreme wealth gives you the ability to change the rules to your benefit. You do not play fair by the nature of your ability to change the rules. And, it seems that most of the rules changes you support serve to make you even richer. You have the means to hire very good people to help you gain influence. Perhaps you even make political contributions and have the ear of Senators and Representatives. That alone makes you special.

Surely you can see where this is going, but just in case you do not, here it is: As a RICH person, you are PERSONALLY AND DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ILLS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Most of the ills anyway, not all of them, but most.

You have the means and influence to change our country for the better or the worse. And you have used those means to make our situation worse while making your fortune bigger.

Over the past 50 years or so, you have systematically dismantled most of the rules and regulations that protect average working Americans from economic misfortune.

You have taken our livelihood and self respect. Now you are trying to take away the dreams of our grandchildren by borrowing to give you a tax reduction.

The United States of America is like a big, welcoming and forgiving family. We extend forgiveness as much as we can. But, that forgiveness has limits.

When we are pushed too far, we react by withdrawing our support. Eventually, we create rules to prevent bad behavior. When someone breaks the rules, we punish them.

Now it comes that you as the RICH among us have gone too far. You have broken the rules and we will punish you.

As the people who make the things we need to live life, you poison us with your products, you foul the air we breathe and the water we drink. You steal from us. You take away our financial security. You borrow from our grandchildren to pay for your sailboats and villas. Your employees work diligently to corrupt our political system so we cannot get a fair shake. You act like a bad wife and treat us like a wallet. You take our money and scold us when we do not give you more. You show no respect for our country while our sons and daughters, sisters and brothers die to protect our country.

We are tired of you and we are ashamed of you.

You are the bad relatives we shun.

We will be happier if you leave our country, you are not welcome here.

Here's how Andrew Carnegie puts it: 'The man who dies rich dies disgraced.'

You are disgraced.

Wonderful: Warren Workin Wonders

Hey Barry:

I am really happy that Elizabeth Warren is on the job. Your appointment of her is one of your best moves so far, ranking up there with health insurance and financial reform.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/03/MNPF1GL4FR.DTL&type=politics

One of her first moves is to coordinate the States' Attorneys General actions in enforcing consumer protections regulation in financial matters.

The next step will be giving her some real authority, but huzzahs for the first step.

Your pal,

Big Chill in China

Hey Barry:

Some folks are sayin that China's economy is heading for the tank and that we will follow.

Read it here: http://www.zerohedge.com/article/why-chinas-leading-indicators-are-big-flashing-warning-light-albert-edwards-tripple-dip-head?

There are even graphs - they look kinda like a roller-coaster.

What a time to be the President - the Reps is throwin a tantrum style hissy fit and the world's economy is looking for the toilet.

Stay steady Barry, don't panic on us. Y'all doing the right things.

Your pal,

Schakowsky's Budget Plan

Hey Barry:

Rep Jan Schakowsky D-IL wrote a budget plan that saves Social Security and stabilizes the middle class.

Y'all can read it here: http://schakowsky.house.gov/images/stories/1202_Schakowsky_Deficit_Reduction_Plan.pdf

Here's what it proves Barry: fixing the budget problem is not accounting or rocket science, it is politics.

Specifically, it is the politics of RICH taking too much and giving back nothing.

We need you here Barry, don't let the Reps sell out the country for a ribbon from the BILLIONAIRES.

Positively depressing.

Your pal,

Warming For Real - Arctic Methane

Hey Barry:

Hoping y'all get serious on global warming in the Cancun meet.

Seems that the warming happening already is about to release lots of methane into the air. Ice and permafrost have kept the gas trapped in ice for thousands of years, but it's about to be released.

When the gas is released, we'll warm up faster.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/28/MNAN1GCV8F.DTL

Your pal,

Trash Talkin the Reps

Hey Barry:

Been thinking about what exactly the Reps want. Not an easy question, but I have an idea.

Here it is: The Reps is playing a game. They want to score points with voters and win elections. If they win, then the team owners - da BILLIONAIRES - will give them a ribbon.

They score points by sayin stuff that voters seem to like. Of course they don't believe a word of what they say - they are just actors for hire playing a part.

The BILLIONAIRE owners have a clear vision of the end game: each one gets a government guaranteed monopoly on some critical product or service and the employees work for less than minimum wage. The Rep employees will create laws and policies that will give the BILLIONAIRES those things when they win power.

The Reps practice their chops all the time, after all they need lots of work to be able to say their lines convincingly.

So, Barry, you a player. Do what do you do in a game: y'all trash talks the opposition to take away their concentration. Take away their focus and you win. The team wins which has the most focus.

Should be real easy to mess up the Reps focus because all of what they say makes zero sense in the real world. Jes call them on it, point by point.

Here are some areas to trash talk the Reps:

JOBS - Reps dont know jack about jobs. All they know is that the owner BILLIONAIRES tell them to say that cutting taxes creates jobs. It does not - it just makes the owners richer.

NATIONAL SECURITY - Reps think that means to give BILLIONAIRES more favors. Any time you do something to help real people in the country, the Reps is gonna holler about 'National Security'.

FREEDOM - When they talk about Freedom, Reps mean that there should be no government interference in the markets. Let the owners do whatever they want, then the owners will be FREE. Free to pay less than minimum wage is about as far as that argument goes.

FREE MARKETS - See Freedom above. The classical economic theory of 'laissez faire, laissez passer' was thoroughly deconstructed by Keynes. But, it still hangs around because the owners like the idea.

I am sure you have the idea here. Remember that as soon as you call the Reps on any one of their talking points they will just make up another one, so y'all need to be nimble. Call em on each and every one of their lines. Make em explain each idea.

Underlying point here is this: there will be zero bipartisanship on areas of national interest as long as the Rep owners think the Reps can score points with voters by saying their lines.


Your pal,

For the Immigrants

Hey Barry:

This is not for you, but read ahead.

Sometimes I hear about something that I cannot forget and am compelled to write about. In this case I cannot repeat the exact information, but can only expand on the general theme.

These thoughts are directed toward the men in the many communities that immigrate to the US of A.

I think it is important to try to communicate some ideas about our country on some sensitive questions. I do not intend to castigate all immigrants since the vast majority are decent law abiding citizens. And, there are many Native born Americans who fall into these errors; it is worse for the Americans because they know better.

We welcome you here and we are glad that you have chosen to honor us by coming here with your families. We have some knowledge of the hardships that you have endured to make the journey. We are a nation of immigrants, after all.

In America, all religious faiths are free to worship in their own way. There is no government or state religion and we make it a matter of law that no religion is favored over any other religion. Even those with no faith are free to follow their conscience without censure or restriction.

Having said that, we do not tolerate any violence from members of one religious faith toward members of any other faith. We consider that a hate crime and the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

These practices apply equally to people of different races and national origins.

Regardless of your faith or custom, women are considered absolutely equal with men in every aspect of life. If she chooses, your wife is free to leave you at any moment. You are not allowed to make any effort of force or violence to make her stay with you if she wishes to leave. If you do so, you will be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts. This is so regardless of your immigration status.

If your wife is afraid that you may beat her and your children, a private, non-governmental organization composed entirely of women may help your family leave you; the organization also will prevent you from finding out where is your family.

If you persist in tracking them down you will be prosecuted as a criminal.

The age of consent for sexual relations is 18 years of age. If you engage in sexual relations with any child under that age, you will be considered a criminal and also a person unworthy of civilized society. When you go to prison, the other prisoners will probably kill you.

This is especially true if the child is a member of your family.

There are many other areas of life in which the government has the right to interfere in your family life if the government has evidence that children are not being treated properly.

Although our ideas are still evolving on the subject of homosexuality, the majority of Americans share the belief that homosexuality is not a choice or a lifestyle but a biological imperative as strong as a heterosexual's desire to have children.

We do not tolerate violence directed toward homosexuals or people who 'appear' to be so.

Your pal,

78 Supremes Kill Usury Laws

Hey Barry:

Seems the Supremes have been seizing our money for a long time.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2010/11/12/supreme-court-ruling-killed-usury-laws-credit-card-rates/?cmpid=prn_baynote-js_How_a_Supreme_Court_Ruling_Killed_Off_Usury_Laws_for_Credit_Card_Rates

OK, OK, it aint all the Supreme's fault - they are just following the Constitution about keeping national business out of the State's hands.

But in this case the effects of that practice have hurt us all.

Of course, the Consitutional remedy is for the Congress to pass a national usury law.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.........

I needed a good laugh Barry.

Your pal,

Aint No Free Lunch

Hey Barry:

Looks like the BILLIONAIRE water boy REPS are demanding a tax cut.

Well, allrighty then.

Surely the BILLIONAIRES know one thing: there aint no free lunch.

If you spend some $40 Billion per year of our money for the BILLIONAIRES, we want something for it.

In fact, we want at least four things for it.

Here's my particular wish list, Barry; but, you probably have your own.

Use my list or use yours, but y'all gotta tell us exactly how you made them sweat after the deal is made.

1. New law letting unions organize and strike.

2. Controls on money leaving the country administered by the FED.

3. Easing of mortgage loan requirements

4. Prohibition preventing commercial banks from buying equity in companies

All of us out here know xactly whas goin on with the REPS. Is NOT a secret. And, we are totally on your side, Barry.

If they want something from us, they gotta pay for it, Barry.

Its your job to make them pay and then tell us about it, so we can laugh a little. We need a laugh, Barry.

Your pal,

Stuck in Misery

Hey Barry:

In the world's economy today, we are all one. What happens in Japan happens in Germany and the USA too.

If the experience of Japan is relevant to the US, then it is likley that property values will continue to fall for several years.

Here is how the Global Property Guide puts it in 2009 [http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia/Japan/Price-History]:

"In Japan, land prices serve as a proxy for home prices..... Land prices are used as a measure of residential property values partly because Japan is earthquake-prone, making the value of land more significant than the houses built on them.

On a national level the price of land has been falling since H2 1991. Since the second half of 2007, land price decreases in Japan have accelerated. Land prices slid 3.4% (4.9% in real terms) in H1 2009 from the previous year."

See also: http://www.imes.boj.or.jp/english/publication/edps/2003/03-E-15.pdf, a Bank of Japan study of Japan's asset values by Shigenori Shiratsuka* in 2003, especially graph of falling land values on page 20.

If the whole economy is based on property values, then we in the USA face a long term decline. I think that the economy is based on property values.

Our reaction to the housing crisis has been to make it more difficult to borrow on houses. While this reaction has been well intentioned in order to overcome past exuberant and fraudulent practices, we face a continuing property value decline until lending practices are made easier.

Think about it, Barry, the only thing that will turn around the housing price decline is to make borrowing easier.

Y'all know I am NOT saying we go back to 2003, but we stuck in misery until borrowing gets easier.

And, Barry, ya just gotta make them banks focus on lending and get out of the stock market. Holy cow, this is not rocket science here.

Your pal,

W T F, Barry

Hey Barry:

Some kids have put up a web site that lists some of the things you have done so far.

It's kinda cool, but a little obscene, so use the link above and be warned.

Your pal,

REPS are LYING

Hey Barry:

Let's be clear about something.

Tax cuts do NOT create jobs.

When the REPS say that tax cuts create jobs, they are LYING.

It is really hard to get some truth into the fog machine the REPS keep running.

Here's the truth: businesses create jobs when businesses have a lot of sales.

Tax cuts when there is no increase in demand just save the owners money, and then they buy a yacht - see Larry Ellison - they do NOT hire people because they pay less taxes.

The REPS keep repeating the phrase that tax cuts create jobs. It is a LIE.

It was Lenin who said that a lie repeated often enough becomes accepted as truth.

So, the REPS are repeating Communist propaganda because they are following Lenin.

Do not be fooled by the rhetoric, Barry.

Your pal,

Winter is icumen in

Hey Barry:

Supposin we actually have a deflation.

It will feel like a big freeze - you won't be able to move. You will be stuck where you are. You will have only what you have and no more.

If you can survive on what you have you'll be in good shape, but some of us will freeze to death - in reality and metaphor.

Here's how Ezra Pound puts it:


Winter is icumen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,

Freezeth river, turneth liver,
An ague hath my ham.
Damm you; Sing: Goddamm.
Goddamm, Goddamm, 'tis why I am, Goddamm,
So 'gainst the winter's balm.
Sing goddamm, damm, sing goddamm,
Sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM.

Your pal,

Buckle Up, Folks

Hey Barry:

Watched your newscast after the mid-term elections yesterday. Understand that you're down a little. But, don't be. Your are fighting the good fight and results will come - just not as fast as right now.

Besides, the DEMS drop off is not that different from earlier elections and completely expected.

There are one or two things I think you should take care of soon, before the new Congress is sworn. And there is another huge problem looming on the horizon.

Extending unemployment insurance and ending the Bush tax cuts are two things you should accomplish soon.

But, the big problem is a deflation that may be coming. Benny and the FED are shoveling money out the door as fast as they can. They are concerned about a Japanese style deflation and also concerned that the new Reps will hamstring any effective action by the Federal Government to restore aggregate demand.

The current recovery is fragile. It still needs some help. The help can come from additional consumer demand, business investment and/or federal stimulus.

CONSUMER DEMAND

Increasing consumer demand requires more jobs and more income for consumers. I know you are totally all over that. You have consistently called for keeping the middle class tax cuts - which will support demand.

BUSINESS INVESTMENT

You probably remember that Keynes called the spirit which moves businesses to invest 'animal spirits'. By that he meant that businesses move in a herd - like sheep. It just takes one firm to make a move, then the rest will follow. Maybe you can jawbone some CEO into making a big investment - can't hurt.

STIMULUS

If Bernanke is right that Congress will not approve any more federal stimulus spending, we may be looking at a deflation and continued high unemployment.

RADICAL SOLUTION

In my radical moments, I think the solution is to empower unions to strike for higher wages, prohibit commercial banks from investing in businesses, break up all the monopolies and oligopolies, enact a 90% income and 'death' tax on the RICH, restrict the free movement of capital out of the country and create a tariff wall so that businesses cannot move all our jobs to China and Malaysia.

And then I wake up.

So Barry, where does that leave you and me?

I think we keep on fighting the good fight and recognize that some events are too big to change; we take our small victories where we can.

It's gonna be a hell of a ride, Barry, buckle up them seat belts.

Your pal,

California is NOT For Sale

Hey Barry:

I'm proud to be in a state where we don't sell out.

Meg tried to the tune of $160 million - no sale.

Go home and roll around in your money, Meg.

Leave us be.

Your pal,

USA: Top Heavy and Fallin

Hey Barry:

So, exactly where are we as a country today? It's a big question. And, the answer is not good Barry.

Basically we are a two class society, Barry.

The top 20% of RICH folks own 93% of the USA's financial wealth - total wealth less value of the house.

Read it here: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

Let me repeat that: the RICHEST 20% own 93% of total wealth.

Barry, most of the time 93% means ALL OF IT.

You an me - we aint got squat.

Let's look ahead and see what is likely to happen.

This condition cannot continue as it is.

Something's gotta give. We gonna tip over.

Where will we be after we fall, Barry? That's the question.

As an indication, I'm going to quote Kevin Phillips from his book WEALTH AND DEMOCRACY, 2002. Let's see if you can guess what country and time he is describing. Oh, I will change a few words here and there:

The country had "...come to be an extreme contrast of rich and poor...Our condition is one in which we have rich who loll at ease, or poor who beg, and we a lack middle class whom neither wealth nor poverty prevents their pursuing the rightful kind of business...."

This could describe San Francisco yesterday. Or England in the 1900's.

But it actually describes Spain in 1600 [Martin Gonzalez de Cellorigio]. Shortly after that was written Spain ceased to be an international power and was relegated to second class status as a country.

That's our future Barry.

The only way out is to change the income and wealth distribution so that we have a middle class.

Your pal,

Supremes Keep Disclosure

Hey Barry:

While they did not exactly acknowledge a mistake or make amends, the supremes just upheld disclosure rules for political actors.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/01/national/w070520D46.DTL

Now you can have Attorney General Holder enforce the rules aggressively.

It's something we need Barry.

Your pal,

Marketing the Presidency: Obama - Stewart

Hey Barry:

Caught your talk on the Daily Show.

Here's a link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/10/about-late-last-night-jon-stewart-presses-president-obama-on-the-daily-show-1.html

Overall great job on the show. And, overall great job on the Presidency - I agree with your assessment on the actions you have taken so far.

But, the discussion last night brings up a question: Why is the public perception of the accomplishments behind the reality?

The answer last night seemes to be that folks have expectations that the actions will happen in 18 months. That is why there is a drop in your popularity and approval.

That's OK Barry, as far as it goes, but I just don't think that's good enough.

I think part of your job is to manage expectations. And it seems that you have done a mediocre to poor job at that.

A related example can be found in marketing cars. In the 1980's people had low expectations of a car, so the poor 'quality' cars produced then matched the expectations and sold reasonably well.

Today, car buyers have much higher expectations when they buy a car. If a car does not have all the features buyers expect today, they judge it as a poor 'quality' car, although it may be ten times better than a car from 30 years ago.

The market's expectations of car 'quality' have moved a lot.

It is similar to people's expectations of a 'quality' Presidency. Those expectations have moved a lot since 2008. And that is due in large part to you, Barry Obama: you have raised people's expectations of what it means to be a 'quality' President.

The reason that I place quotation marks around the word 'quality' is that I believe that 'quality' is an elusive concept. The best way to measure 'quality' IMHO is to measure what are the expectations about the subject and to compare how the product - or the Presidency - compares to the expectations.

If I am correct in my belief that your raising expectations of your Presidency has contributed to the current lower approval ratings, then there are at least two possible approaches you might take.

One approach would be to lower expectations. This is what Bush was so good at. He created the expectation that he was a complete klutz; nobody noticed what he was doing because they were all marveling at the idea that he actually was able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

I think this would be a mistake.

Another approach would be to sell the positives more aggressively while noting the difficulties you had to overcome to achieve each positive.

For example, you might say this: 'My administration has successfully overcome fierce Republican resistance to increased government regulation and has created and passed financial reform that is really helping people. As only one example, today we are looking carefully at each bank's home mortgage foreclosure process to ensure that each bank follows the new regulations. This will have the effect of preventing many unfair and/or illegal foreclosures. It will also help prevent a second, more severe recession - the Double Dip that many of you are concerned about. And make no mistake, if we did not have the new legislation, we would have a double dip recession.'

If this approach makes sense, then it seems likely that your administration will need some more aggressive Public Relations people who specialize in marketing your Presidency.

One of the reasons that the financial regulation legislation passed is that you and your staff made it a priority, as compared to some other legislation which you did not make a priority and which did not do as well as a result.

Bottom line is this Barry - you gotta sell yourself harder. And, it won't hurt to get some professionsl PR folks on the team - market your Presidency the same way General Motors sells Cadillacs or Chevys.

We need you to do that, Barry.

Your pal,

The Rent Is Too Damn High

Hey Barry:

Jimmy McMillan wants to be Governor of New York.

He calls his party: The Rent Is Too Damn High Party

Website: http://www.rentistoodamnhigh.org/

Why, because The Rent Is Too Damn High.

If I lived in New York, he'd have my vote.

Here's his message: Too many homeless vets and families - somthing is wrong in our country.

He is fighting the good fight.

Your pal,

Plutocrats March On

Hey Barry:

In case you don't know, the secret billionaires who are helping Rove are having an impact in the California Senate race.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/26/MNLI1G1P3G.DTL&type=politics


Sitting Senator Barbara Boxer is being hurt by negative ads funded by secret, outside groups. If she loses, the Senate will gain another RICH ex-CEO - Carly Fiorina.

The plutocrats march on.

Your pal,

No Insurance - Too Bad Sucka

Hey Barry:

Now I don't know if your health plan will fix things like this or not. I surely hope so.

Friend of ours owns a small store selling imported specialty items after a career in retail in her home country. She has no health insurance.

Last week she felt very ill and went to the nearest hospital. Turns out she had acute appendicitus and nearly died.

A surgeon performed the operation.

The hospital discharged her after two hours in the operating room and no recovery time and is now suing her for $60,000.

Makes ya wanna puke.

Your pal,

Beaner and the Reps: Not Pretty

Hey Barry:

I have been thinking about Beaner and the Reps.

[First off, I don't mean to insult any folks of Hispanic heritage - the word is just too good a play on 'Boehner' to pass.]

My thinking is not pretty, Barry.

I don't know if you'll like it - after all you are a bi-partisan soul if ever there was one.

But Barry, the Reps is simply bad for the country. And, you are the President of all the United States and your job is to watch out for all of us.

I have been trying real hard to understand where they are coming from. And you know that is NOT an easy job Barry. That is something you know real well.

So anyway, here's what I come up with: the Reps want to kiss up to the billionaires.

God knows why, Barry, kissin up won't do them no good. No good at all. Never does.

If you kiss up to a billionaire, you won't get anything except a dirty mouth.

You will NOT get RICH.

First rule of being a billionaire - nobody gets RICH except a billionaire.

OK Barry, if you're squeamish, better pass up the rest of this right now. Y'all warned......



Let's say you are tongue rimming a billionaire because you think you will get RICH.

Think on it cousin: the best you will get is that the SOB does not let a big fart.

That's the best you can do.

So, I gotta ask Beaner: what y'all doin anyway? Yo is sellin out our country for a chance to kiss some billionaire's ass.

It just does not make any sense Barry.

No sense at all.

Let's move along to the elections.

And, let's suppose there is a whole bunch of folks who think that kissin up to the billionaires is a good thing for some ridiculus reason.

That will mean that you, Barry Obama, will have a Rep majority in one house or the other.

So Barry - what y'all gotta do is to stop them Reps from destroying the progress you have made. You have done some good things and now you will need to protect them.

It's not sexy Barry, it's politics down and dirty. But that's the hand you got Barry.

Please play it well.

Your pal,

Let's Help RICH Create Jobs!

Hey Barry:

The RICH keep on sayin they'll create some jobs real soon now and that's why they should stay RICH.

You and I know thas jes a crock.

But, maybe we can help them out a little.

After all, they will feel so much better when they have really created some jobs instead of just talking about it.

Here's some history on how we can do that: when we look back at the 1950's we see that there were a lot of infrastructure jobs around - we were building roads and schools and bridges and airports like there was no tomorrow.

OK, that was a long time ago, but how did we get the money back then?

Simple answer - we put a 90% tax on high incomes and a 70% tax on estates. With that money we created the infrastructure that we still use today - except it's a little worn round the edges and needs some patching.

That's how the RICH can help create jobs and make our country better - we will tax them to get the money to pay for what we need.

And, we can help the Federal deficit as well - which is running about a trillion a year: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/10/24/national/w051643D79.DTL

After all, it only takes a taxing a few of the RICH to help balance the budget.

And, Barry, if the RICH don't like it, they can take their money and move to someplace where they will be welcome like Mexico or Somalia. [I don't mean any disrepect to those countries, but I'm guessing that RICH folks' money and sense of entitlement might actually help out there.]

We surely will NOT miss them here. Please encourage them to leave Barry. It's like Dear Abby says: 'It's time for a divorce when you'll be better off without them than you are with them.'

Your pal,

Failing Banks: Who's Next?

Hey Barry:

As a rule, I don't publish links to commercial sites, but this site really caught my eye: http://web.investinganswers.com/land/is-your-bank-in-danger.asp?TP=665&ref=GAW&gclid=CP2E-uD24aQCFRxqgwodJSg7KQ

I don't know how good the information is, but the topic is very timely. If your deposits exceed the FDIC guarantees, then you will really want to read this report to see whether your bank may fail.

Your pal,

Hittin the Fan

Hey Barry:

Looks like the fan is becoming unsightly.

Read it here: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-20/fed-s-weight-joins-mortgage-investor-bid-for-relief.html

Mortgage investors - who actually bought the paper behind the loans - want some action from banks. It could cost those banks which did not proceed carefully up to $180 billion.

Watch HUD Secretary Donovan address the issue on 10/20/10 here: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/63870482/

If itsa choice between the banks and the economy - bye bye banks.

Hang in there Barry, we need you.

Your pal,

Gettin Round the Supremes

Hey Barry:

Maybe there's a way around the Supremes decision that allows corps and unions to spend money in elections without disclosure.

Here's a method to require better disclosure of who actually pays for ads by enacting a state rule. Read it here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/19/EDQ01FUCH4.DTL

My memory is that the Reps voted down the law requiring disclosure, but maybe the states can do it on their own.

Your pal,

Don't Sell Us Out

Hey Barry:

Part of your job is to keep track of things that can change our future. And, here's one right now: seems some big Chinese companies want to get into the middle of our telecommunications business.

And, Barry, mebbe its jes me, but there aint no such thing as a Chinese company that does things internationally without the direction of the government - they jes do NOT let any company mess around in foreign policy or military strategy. We could learn a lesson there, ya think?

It has the potential to be a bad idea and ya gotta watch it real careful. There are some things that are just bigger than economics.

Read it here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704300604575555121880239064.html

Your pal,

Big Oil Goes To College

Hey Barry:

Seems a lot of big universities are just a little too cozy with big oil.

Read it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/15/BAHR1FSR2B.DTL&type=newsbayarea

Exactly what we dont need - big corporations dictating research topics at our famous schools: Stanford, UC Berkeley, etc.

Y'all probably caint do nuthin, but itsa fact worth rememberin.

Your pal,

Bankers Have No Shame

Hey Barry:

Turns out them bankers are takin food from the mouths of babies on welfare.

Hard to believe - read it here:


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/15/MN5S1FRNI4.DTL&type=newsbayarea


Your pal,

Tax the RICH

Hey Barry:

The RICH is our problem. Now Robert Reich [http://robertreich.org/] has been saying the exact same thing, except he says he is a class 'worrier' and not a class 'warrior'.

He sayin that because he thinks that somehow the good ol U S of A will spontaneously rise up and restore a better balance between the RICH and the rest of us. After all, we have done it before.

What he means is that we have RAISED TAXES on RICH folks before. By RAISING TAXES on the RICH, we have leveled the playing field and made a better country in the past.

So, les look at some facts to see if he is right.

OK, so far as the marginal federal income tax rate on the highest earners goes, score one for RR.

That rate was 91% from 1955 to 1963, then it dropped to under 40% from 1987 to 2003, where it stood at 35%. Read it here: http://www.truthandpolitics.org/top-rates.php

Incidentally, 1955 to 1963 were some pretty good years for growth and jobs in the U S of A.

So lets look at inheritance taxes in the USA. What do we see there: we see that the top inheritance tax rate was between 70% and 90% from 1936 to 1996.

Read it here: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2004/01/estate-taxes-an-historical-perspective

Now that rate is zero.

Score two for RR.

OK, then, what's it all mean.

It means that Congress and the voters were less corrupt/blinded/bamboozled than they are now.

It means that in our recent history we have taxed RICH people a lot and that the economy was better at the time we were taxing the RICH.

But, when we talk bout that today, we get a s...storm of bombast, bribes and lies that take our eye off the ball.

So, Ima guessin that make me a class 'warrior' in RR's definition. I don feel like one, I jes feels like Ima tellin the truth. Well, if tellin the truth make me a 'warrior', so be it.

Here one of da biggest lies we gonna hear: If we put the inheritance tax back on, there will be a lotta poor farmers who will lose the family farm they tryin to pass on to their families.

Thas jes a crock. First off, when we talk about RICH, we are talkin about billionaires, not some family farmers. Im all for making the inheritance tax apply only to RICH - estates more than a billion. That way saves the family farm. Let folks have couple hundred million - no problem. Its the big guys I worry about.

Here another big lie we gonna hear: If we tax RICH folks they won't create jobs and the economy will suffer.

Thats another crock. RICH folks dont create jobs - they buy T bills and such. Jobs are created by small businesses started by middle class folks. Takin away the big fortunes will make more jobs because middle class folks will have more income and will start more businesses.

OK Barry, you got a lot on your plate.

Don let this one slip on by.

We needs ya here.

Your pal,

Killin the Goose

Hey Barry:

Y'all mebbe wonderin what is the big deal about this foreclosure mess anyway.

Some folks sayin that we jes gotta let the market take its lumps and move on.

But Barry, it aint that simple or easy. It aint about some poor shlub like yours truly who been sucker punched.

Nope, its about some big things.

An Barry, this here's a surprise - Im gonna agree with the billionaires on this. Normally they is jes wrong and bad for the country - this here's the exception.

When ya think about where does the money come from - all the money in the whole country - ya could do worse than readin THE MYSTERY OF CAPITAL, by Hernando De Soto.

His point is that Western countries like the good ol US of A create a lot of wealth - money - because they have created a system that lets a banker in New York be certain that Sammy Smith really does own the house in Kansas City that he wants a loan on. And with that system the banker can make Sammy a loan and sleep at night.

And because the banker can sleep, then he is willing to value Sammys house at the price that Sammy can afford to pay the loan on, lets say mebbe $200,000.

That mean that Sammy can borrow against his house and buy some stuff or buy another house.

That's the way it used to be, say five years ago. Different today. And Barry, the difference is your problem to solve.

Here's the difference:

But, jes suppose that the NY banker can NOT be sure Sammy owns his house. Then what will he lend Sammy. Answer = zip, nada, zero.

Then what is Sammy's house worth. The same - zip, nada, zero. Mebbe he can find sum fool that'll pay him $5,000 and gamble that he really owns the house. But, and this is the big point Barry, aint no banker gonna lend nuthin on Sammy's house without his being sure who owns it.

OK, then, so what is this wonnerful system that creates all this money. Its the title insurance system. This is the companies that track all the history of Sammy's house to be sure that Sammy really owns it. Then that company writes an insurance policy that says: Yes, Sammy really owns the house.

And thats what the banker needs to make a loan.

Thats all good, but here's what is happening now: The crooked bankers have made such a mess that some title insurance companies are refusin to write insurance on Sammys house. And that gonna mean that no banker will lend on Sammys house. And that gonna mean that Sammys house is worth exactly zero.

See, the bankers job is to provide clear documents to the title company so they can be sure of ownership.

Here's where the crooked bankers come in - today's banks have been so cheap/crooked/lazy [y'all can choose your own word here] that they have failed to provide title companies with clear documents.

That gonna mean that the entire wealth of the country is headin down the drain in a big hurry.

Talk bout killin the golden goose - these criminal banks have jes bout done it for all of us.

OK so whatta we gonna do.

Heres what ya gotta do Barry:

First: Ya gotta create an interim guarantee for the title companies so's they can keep insurin Sammy's house.

Most Important, second: Ya gotta force - I mean FORCE - them crooked mother banks to provide clear and legal docs on all the houses they think they own.

Its the only way out of this particular mess Barry.

Ya gotta be real hard and some of them boys gotta do time.

We with ya Barry.

Your pal,

Adult Bankers!

Hey Barry:

Some bankers - amazingly - act like grown ups.

Will wonders never cease.

But watch out for da catch - them bankers don do nuthin for free. Meantime, be happy for the bone they throwin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/09/business/09mortgage.html?src=me

Your pal,

Secret Billionaires Buy Rove

Hey Barry:

Good ol boy Rove sells hisself to some billionaires.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2010/1005/Karl-Rove-group-spends-big-in-Election-2010-but-is-it-legal

Now y'all gotta fight mega bucks as well as the standard Rep mouthwash.

Keep up the good fight Barry, jes forgit the bi-partisan stuff.

Y'all can go back there when the Supremes see the light and change they law bout lettin corps buy elections.

Your pal,

AmChams Sell You Out

Hey Barry:

Turns out the Supremes open a nasty box when they let corps buy elections. Now the American Chamber of Commerce is actively seeking money from foreign corps to help it buy elections and create a corporate state. Ifn they win, then we'd have something like national socialism - jes hush yo mouth now, never you mind that it dont work.

Read it here: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/report_chamber_raises_hundreds_of_thousands_from_f.php

It's against the law, but that don matter.

Itsa nightmare Barry, we is hopin y'all on it.

Your pal,

Jes Caint Stop Stealin

Hey Barry:

Them Wall Streeters at Chase bank is so greedy they have mebbe shut down the entire USA housing market for good.

Read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/business/economy/03foreclose.html?src=busln

Here's an update showin how them bankers jes cannot be trusted: http://www.truth-out.org/shock-therapy-wall-street-jpmorgan-suspends-56000-foreclosures-gmac-and-boa-many-more63803

This can really kill the whole economy, Barry, y'all gotta work on a fix quick like.

Regulation too good to these boys, they gotta go to jail.

Holy cow, it jes dont stop.

Your pal,

OOOOOoops, Sorry for the 4 Billion!

Hey Barry:

Some traders in Kansas tried to sell 4 BILLION of some thing - who knows what.

What happened, you ask: here's what - the market crashed.

How did some rubes in Kansas get 4 billion of anything anyway.

Holy cow Barry, ya gotta fix this.

Your pal,

Runnin Wall Street

Hey Barry:

As an American I'd truly like to be bi-partisan and see the good in the Reps. But, y'all knows I aint Mary Poppins and the Reps is full of it. All they mouthin is bad for the country - is only good for the RICH.

Now thats what we know, Barry - we know that.

So ya gotta run against that.

And, it really works, Barry. Runnin against Wall Street gets votes. Sumbuddy was runnin gainst a Tea Bagger and havin a hard time. Then she started runnin against Wall Street and tyin her opponent to the bankers. The campaign turned around.

Well I forgot the xact race, mebbe it was in Oregon - don remember.

Point is, its what wins the elections.

Your pal,

RICH = Monopoly

Hey Barry:

You're probably like me, jes as soon not make them billionaires any richer.

But, y'all doin it every day, jes like the rest of us.

See, ting is this - billionaires don get they bucks unless they get a monopoly on sumthin. A monopoly is when ya gotta go to one person to get what you want.

An, here's what bad bout monopoly. It aint jes that they can charge you more for what you want - cuz you got nowhere else to go - they HAVE to charge you more.

Hold on pardner, y'all might be sayin, whattya mean they HAS to charge more.

Now, I can splain all the reasons they HAS to charge higher prices, but it gonna take ten or twelve hours and you don got that time - I don't either. So, Ima gonna give few examples and a link to sumbuddy who has that explanation on the web:

http://tutor2u.net/economics/content/topics/monopoly/monopoly_profits.htm

Here sum examples - rite now I'm typing in microsoft text editor. Which means I hadda pay Bill Gates. [Except actually I don't cuz my copy is from a friend - score one for our side]. Last time I looked Bill Gates is bout the biggest billionare on the planet. An he greedy and he a monopoly. The EU sued him cuz he's a monopoly.

Here how he work: I loved Windows 98 - worked fine, did every thing I wanted and didn't crash every ten minutes. But now you caint use that no more cuz MS Corp does not 'support' it. Which means that none of the current programs gonna work on good ol 98, which means ya gotta buy a new program - from hisself, Bill Gates.

Gotta another personal thing bout Billy - years ago I wrote a book, lotta work an lotta fun. Nobuddy wanted to publish it cuz it wasn't very good. It was a labor of love. Point is this: I wrote it in some program - wordperfect or sum such, an when I turned around, Uncle Billy had bought the program and didn't 'support' it no more. Now I cain't even read my book cuz its in that dead program.

Les move on to the the oil companies. You drive round - you support big oil. An itsa oligopoly - which is a monopoly with friends. Once in while ya might see some gas station open up and charge real low prices cuz they wanna make friends or use the gas price as a loss leader.

They gonna last a week wid dat idea. Here's what gonna happen. Big oil marketing rep gonna come round an say - 'ya know you cain't buy no more gas unless you raise the price. Itsa free country an you can do what you want, but you will charge the price we decide or you won't get gas.'

Nother thing bout big oil - they say the prices are set by the 'market'. Thas a crock. Nex time prices getta little low cuz they too much gas around, they gonna be a refinery shut down because of 'maintnance'. And, surprise, surprise, the price gonna go back up cuz they a 'shortage of gas'.

OK, you can find your own examples. You can make it a game for the kids.

Point about it is this: we all paying so much to support the billionaires that we caint buy any stuff. An if we caint buy any stuff, the economy gonna stay bad.

Thas where we is right now.

An thas another ting thats' bad about the RICH - they stealin so much from us that we is too broke to support the economy.

Ya gotta fix the system Barry, so the monopolists go away.

Your pal,

Who The RICH?

Hey Barry:

Chops to Forbes, they name the names and show the dollars.

Find the list here: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_The-Worlds-Billionaires_Rank.html

It's from March, but a good list - pretty sure none of em are on welfare yet.

Mebbe I get some time, I'll copy the names. Meantime, enjoy,

Your pal,

Why RICH Bad - Everywhere

Hey Barry:

Jes another reason RICH are da problem: Big ol UN conference on helpin the poor - BUT, they aint no poor there. Jes mo RICH.

Read the article here: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2010/0923/At-UN-elites-mull-Millennium-Development-Goals.-Did-the-poor-weigh-in

Speechless, Barry, jes caint say a word.

Your pal,

Fraidy RICH

Hey Barry:

Seems that even Krugman is noticin that the real RICH are a little fraid.

Itsa sign that y'all doin good.

Keep the pressure on - jes mebbe they gettin the message.

Itsa simple message - the RICH is the problem and they gotta go.

Don matter where they go, jes get outta the way and let us live in peace.

Don need they money, don need they cruelty.

Aint nobody gonna weep when they go.

Your pal,

Tellin the Truth - Scary

Hey Barry:

Good on y'all for puttin Elizabeth Warren where she can so some real good.

Nuthin scarier than a 60ish blond woman with a big smile who speaks the truth.

Trick or treat, bankers.

Your pal,

Snowe, Collins and Brown

Hey Barry:

In his column of Sep 13, 2010, E. J. Dionne, Jr. [
http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/dionne/] nails it.

The Supremes messed up big time by lettin corps buy lections an laws.

The Senate can fix it, but three senators are standin in the way.

Time to call em out an fix this, Barry.

Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine and Scott Brown of Mass are lettin the right wing crazies tell em what to do.

Its bad for the country, Barry, jes bad.

Your pal,

Lead Dog

Hey Barry:

Itsa good speech on the conomy. Them bank weasels may be talking bout you like you a dog, but you da lead dog and they is seeing the same thing every day.

But, Barry, they is one thing y'all left out of the speech.

It bout them RICH. See, ifn y'all builds all the solar and creates new jobs an all, well our system gonna collect all the money in a few hands and make the RICH even richer.

History shows that every great government movement in the USA creates new RICH. You could look it up. So that's gonna be the challenge Barry. Ya gotta build the new jobs AND ya gotta take down the RICH.

See, the RICH is standin in the way of the money gettin to the middle. And, ifn you dont take them down, the middle wont get wot y'all tryin to give em.

Thas what you left out Barry. Takin down the RICH. Spreading the money around so jes a few don get it all.

Take em down Barry, take em down. We needs it.

Your pal,

On Workin

Hey Barry:

Y'all on the job machine. Lotsa good ideas for creatin jobs. Keep on it.

This is a big one - try to get it thru Congress - thas the hard part.

Here's a link:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/09/05/national/w070330D61.DTL

Your pal,

Dirty Little Secret

Hey Barry:

Jeez, what a thing. Here we are tryin to save Afghanistan from the Tali and then dere's this.

Itsa a thing that turns your hair grey Barry, y'all sure ya want this job?

Seems lotta Afghan men keep little boys as sex playthings in their house.

An some of them men is in the government and the police.

Anyway, aint no secret no more - all our troops seein it.

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/29/INF21F2Q9H.DTL

Barry, y'all gotta be sure we need a Tali free Afghanistan. If yo sure then keep at it. But, if yo not sure, then mebbe its time to think hard on this.

Here the question: why we sendin our kids to die protectin the rights of people we'd jes as soon watch die if they at home?

Don make no sense on the face.

Ima hopin there's some back story sumwhere I don know.

We with ya Barry.

Your pal,

Workin Down, Down, Down

Hey Barry:

All the things on your brain, I know its real busy up there.

But les think for a minute bout what its like to get a job today.

Itsa big job, Barry, aint easy atall.

Jes for the sake of it, les imagine that y'all lose the lection. I don want that to happen cuz we needs you there, but them Reps is real sneaky and they might git lucky. Who knows, is politics, after all.

Dere you are lookin for work. But, aint nobody gonna hire you. Think about it. Yo is used to big bucks, lotsa attention, and, face it Barry, y'all aint xactly mainstream. In this competitive conomy, the employers goes with cheap, mainstream and eager, not expensive an picky.

Gonna mean Michelle be poundin the pavement.

Here wot she'll see.

Lets say she tries for a sales job in a downtown Chi town retail store sellin clothes - she'll be real good at it, has a natural gift for fashion and talkin an all. Should be a breeze, right.

Not so fast.

Here an ad she mebbe likes:

"Can you name 3 of today's hottest designers? How about the current must-have
jeans? Have you ever done a celebratory dance when your Lucky magazine
arrived? (Don't worry, we won't tell anyone.) If so, we want you!

We are a fashion-obsessed, fun-loving retailer of high
quality new and recycled clothing. Currently, we're looking for energetic,
friendly and responsible people for positions at our store.

Sales Associates: PART TIME position. MUST BE ABLE TO WORK FRI, SAT, SUN.
Some retail clothing experience required. You will be selling to the public,
which involves keeping up-to-date on current fashion trends, fashionable labels, pricing,
and what our competitors are selling.

- Competitive pay [BTW: dis means $1.00 per hour above min wage]
- Reliable review schedule
- Significant discount on all merchandise
- A professionally oriented retail development program "

Sound good?

OK then, she needs to go the store's website and get her brain round some corp-speak and then take a test online. Here is some corp-speak right off a website with the name an details changed so's I don get sued:

"Passionate and motivated about working for a global brand and in the retail/fashion industry

Global, innovative thinker and learning agile with an open and inquisitive mind and an understanding of customers and brands

Demonstrated leadership qualities such as a strong point of view, willingness to take calculated risks and interpersonal savvy

An entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic with a desire to work in a fast paced environment

Strong analytical and critical thinking capabilities as well as financial acumen

Persuasive presentation, communication and negotiation skills

Effective collaboration with peers and teams

Organization of multiple projects with effective prioritization and flexibility and an ability to execute with a sense of urgency and attention to detail

Minimum Qualifications

A 4-year degree or equivalent work experience is required.

For students, all majors are welcome to apply. A GPA of 3.0 or above is required. [BTW: dis means she gonna go gainst 20 somethings.]

For full-time internal applicants, a manager reference form is required to be uploaded with the application. Part-time and seasonal employees do not need a Manager Reference Form.

Additionally all full-time employees must have been in their positions for one year."

Still sound good. OK then.

Next she gonna take an online quiz of 150 questions. Questions gonna be things like dese taken from remembered tests and interviews:

'What would you do if your friend tells you that your supervisor is stealing merchandise?

What are your shortcomings?

What is a mistake you made in the last year? And, what happened because of that mistake?

What would you do if one supervisor tells you to do something that conflicts with what another supervisor tells you?"

The list goes on and on and it'll take her bout hour and half to finish it. Good advice on them quizzes - don think, jes answer the questions.

Oh, by the way - a computer gonna score your quiz. Thas cause they gonna get 200 quizzes to read. An aint nobody got time to read all that.

So, les say that the computer really likes Michelle. Thas good, but the computer gonna really like mebbe 5 or 10 other people too. Then a real person gonna look at the candidates and suggest interviewin two or three to the boss - who jes fired the person which created the opening in the first place cuz aint no bidness growin and hirin new folks. Wont even go inta why the person got fired inna first place.

So Michelle gonna be asked in for interview. There'll be a group of five folks doin the questionin. Probably from a script and they gonna rotate askin each question. The questions gonna be about how she works. Y'all gotta think like itsa audition, jes like you tryin for a movie role.

Now, if the job has any technical skill requirements you expect a written exam that's minimum of one hour long bout everything under the sun bout the job.

OK, les say Michelle passes the interview and aces the test.

She is qualified, that's all good; but, is she the right person? An that is different for every job. An there is no way to know.

In fact, there is a good chance that the company will just not hire anyone because nobody fits all their desires exactly. Or, there's also a good chance that the boss already knows who he's gonna hire - he just making himself look good by doing the process.

Or may be Michelle is lucky and knows someone and actually gets an offer: Congratulations!

That gonna mean she can now work for minimum wage plus dollar per hour selling jeans on the weekends.

OK Barry, thas the world we live in. Work hard on that lection and stay in DC - it's easier.


Your pal,

National Security - Trading It Away

Hey Barry:

Bout dis trade thing. We gotta watch it close. Course, wot that really means is YOU gotta watch it, cuz ifn you dont, we gonna slide down that hill even faster.

Here's Jeffrey Carr at Forbes bout givin away our jewels for some peas, jes like Jack in the Beanstalk.

http://blogs.forbes.com/firewall/2010/08/20/intels-mcafee-deal-a-national-security-nightmare/?boxes=Homepagechannels

Holy cow, Barry, don nobudy even THINK bout was good for us - foolish question, I know. Is all bout pilin up da cash.

You da cop Barry - only one we got.

Your pal,

National Security - 350 Years - Why RICH Bad, Part 11

Hey Barry:

This one's gotta couple parts. First - bout me. Second, more bout RICH.

First part: Sum y'all wonderin, - mebbe, mebbe not - who da hell dis guy anyways. Was he want?

Gonna tell ya.

Seems I got lotta family all over; most of 'em I don know an they don know me. Prolly better that way,

Anyways, when I's in school my old aunt tells me I's related pretty much directly to good ol John Adams through the Philadelphia Brooks - yeah, that John Adams.

First reaction - so what. That an two dollor gonna buy me a beer.

Then, few year later I get to wonnerin bout wot we doin to this country. Short answer: we screwin up.

Anyways, I watches an I learns bout tings and the more I watch the worse it gets.

Then another cousin does sum diggin an turns out we related to lotta Presidents: We had relatives on the Mayflower and they arived about 1621. Names Hicks, Edw. , Winslow, Sarah Odding and John Doane come up. Roger Sherman was a signer of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The presidents that come off of Sir Henry "Knight" Sherman were Taft, Hoover, George H Bush and George Walker Bush. That makes 6 presidents now!

There was a Hanson who was actually the first President of the Continental Congress, which makes him President before George Washington.

Well, thassa enuf of that - gets boring after while. Besides, family don make you rich, unless yo too RICH.

Point of it is this: I aint fraid of talking clear to anybuddy. I can talk on an even like level, an you might even listen.

Second part - we gotta be clear Barry. Why you think Ima goin on bout the RICH, anyways.

Here da answer to dat - here xactly why RICH is bad.

If'n folks gets too rich, then they can compete with the government. When that happens, we is cooked. There go 350 years of xperimentin wid helpin common folks do well rite down the drain.

Cryin shame is wot it is.

An, Barry, thas happenin right now. The RICH is buyin laws and buyin lections. An when they do, the lections an laws gonna make them RICHER and gonna make the rest of us poorer.

Barry, I know y'all all knows that. An I knows y'all tryin like hell to turn dat ship round in better direction.

But Barry - this is the test. It aint bout Reps vs Dems - it bout the RICH and the rest of us.

Keep on it, but mebbe move a lil faster, if'n yo can.

Your pal,

[Not an ex-President].

National Security - Why Rich Banks Bad - Part 10

Hey Barry:

Jes in case y'all wonderin xactly how them banks make they profits, read it here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/12/MN181ESKIO.DTL&tsp=1

Itsa hard to hol on to yo wallet when dealin wid a bank.

Enuf ta make a man cynical.

Your pal,

Good Ol Larry Feelin It

Hey Barry:

In his own words [makes ya wanna cry, don't it?]:

"To whom it may concern,

Many years ago, I put virtually all of my assets into a trust with the intent of giving away at least 95% of my wealth to charitable causes. I have already given hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research and education, and I will give billions more over time. Until now, I have done this giving quietly – because I have long believed that charitable giving is a personal and private matter. So why am I going public now? Warren Buffett personally asked me to write this letter because he said I would be “setting an example” and “influencing others” to give. I hope he’s right.

Larry Ellison"

From The Giving Pledge website: http://givingpledge.org/#larry_ellison

Your pal,

National Security - Why Rich People Bad - Part 9: Larry Ellison

Hey Barry:

Good ol Larry really rich. So dat makes him a genius, rite?

Mebbe not so much. See, all's he gotta do is fire bunch people - then corp earnings go up and his shares are worth more.

Simple math - screw a family, grow your balance sheet.

Heres sum history on good ol Larry from the press:

'Oracle chops Sun HPC jobs'

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/05/sun_hpc_cuts_systems/

'Oracle's Larry Ellison Is Highest-Paid CEO of Decade'

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/highest-paid-ceos/19569734/

'Global CIO: Oracle Layoffs Threaten Larry Ellison's Credibility - Ellison fires between 3000 and 9000 people'

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225600372&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev=

Sad part is dis: he not by hisself here.

How we get here anyways? Good way to get rich is ta fire people. Wot the hell.

Before we get all teary eyed bout them wonnerful billionaires giving sum to charity, les look real hard on how many jobs they killed to git the cash.

Luv to see a track on the BIG rich - how many grew jobs an how many killed jobs.

Mebbe we should go all Euro on them - put a big tax on firin folks so dat BIG rich makes money by letting people keep jobs.

Wotta revolutionary idea Barry - literally revolutionary. Was part of the revolution in Spain in the 1930's.

Sounds like we need it here.

Watta ya say Barry?

Make sense to you?

Your pal,

Workin on the Home Front

Hey Barry:

Glad to read y'all still after the BIG money Barry - its how y'all gonna save the country.

The BIG cash guys makin a big stank that they all gonna sign a letter ta give away half or so of what they got, thas accordin to Buffet and Gates.

Read it here: http://givingpledge.org/

Aint' gonna make no difference ifn they do. I'd hate to be cynical, but it could jes be that they want some good press as y'all go about rewriting the tax codes.

In order ta make a difference they gotta give it all up to Uncle Sam - let em keep the chump change, like mebbe ten million or so.

That'll keep em off the streets, but wont let em buy no laws.

Turn dat ship round Barry - headin for the calm ports an outta the storms.

We with ya Barry.

Your pal,

US Military Needs Work

Hey Barry:

BIG money aint the only problem. The army and all need some work too. Stephen J. Hadley and William J. Perry worked it out here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/29/AR2010072905006.html

Here's their bottom line: 'We identified the five gravest potential threats to those interests likely to arise over the next generation: radical Islamist extremism and the threat of terrorism; competition from rising global powers in Asia; the continued struggle for power in the Persian Gulf and the Greater Middle East; an accelerating global competition for resources; and persistent problems from failed and failing states. '

And, Barry, fixin all that gonna mean puttin screws to the BIG money - thas the only place we gonna get the cash.

Get the money from the BIG money and fix the banks and the army. Ifn y'all dont do all that, we gonna sink slowly in the sunset, Barry.

Itsa big job Barry. We with ya. Keep at it.

Your pal,

BIG Money Bad - Part 8

Hey Barry -

The BIG money is all over it. They thinkin they bought us. They buyin lections an laws. Was next?

Make me wanna puke an move to Canada.

See two links:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/corp-ethics/message/5375

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/28/EDTO1EKH6D.DTL

Itsa BIG fight Barry.

We with y'all.

Your pal

Bank Regs Only A Start

Hey Barry

Thye's some big holes in the bank reg act. Its start, but y'all gotta lotta work to do.

Robert Reich nails it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/25/INPM1EI4LO.DTL

Devil's inna details Barry.

We need ya on this.

Your pal,

National Security - Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 7

Hey Barry:

First off - big congrats on the bank reg bill. You and all your team stepped up big time when the chips were on the line. I see your pride when y'all make the announcement. Pride is well deserved Barry - enjoy it.

Wot y'all did was to put some controls on money. An thas goin a long way to keepin the good ol U S of A in one piece. Les be clear here - big money gonna be the doom of us all unless y'all controls it. They is jes as bad as bin Laden far as killin our country goes. Sure dey aint gonna plant bombs or nuthin, but they is jes as big a danger to us all as Al Queda with guns. Sumtimes I think bin Laden was runnin them banks.

Now as far as the other half of the puzzle goes, Barry, Ima gonna give y'all an idea. But I gotta warn y'all Barry, this here idea is kinda like a new strain of virus: gonna start out small an then is gonna grow and take over. When it takes over, is gonna be good for the country, but it may be bad for you, Barry Obama. Caint predict that. So read ahead Barry, but watch yo back.

The good ol U S of A is right now like sum folks drivin on a curvy mountain road at two in the AM and bein more than jes a little stoned - an then sum fool puts a blindfold on the driver. Yo know y'all gonna die, jes don know when.

Here wot Im talkin: we is at the end of a cycle where we rich an powerful. We can go one of two ways - we can change an stay rich an powerful or we can be rigid an die.

An you, thas you Barry Obama, is gonna make that choice for us. Please choose wisely, Barry.

Here sum background - there have been sum other countries in the same place we is now before in history: namely, Spain, Holland and Britain. Jes before they declined to second rate status, dey was jes like we are now: lots of rich folks, big time financial goins on and lotta po folks. See wot make a country secure an safe is when all the folks are doin well. If only a few doin good, den the few don give a rats behind bout da rest and the country go to hell. Jes like Yogi Berra says : "You could look it up."

Les go back to 1970 Barry, thas 40 years ago. We was OK then. But since then what has happened? Well, the average American has seen his living standard decline steadily for them 40 years. At the same time, the rich folks has multiplied like rabbits an they have jes gotten richer an richer. Bill Gates hisself is worth bout 100 billion. Wot the hell Barry, that aint American. It aint even comprehensible - caint git my brain round 100 billion of anything.

Das where all them bankers gittin they fun money - the rich jes rollin in cash like Uncle Scrooge McDuck.

Rest of us is goin downhill steady like.

Here we are wid a few folks settin up a nobility, plutocracy, aristocracy, thas gonna last forever unless y'all changes it. An that will screw our national security and put us in second rate status real soon.

So here wot y'all gotta do, Barry: ya gotta cut them fortunes down to a manageable size. Dat gonna mean ya gotta put a big inheritance tax on and a big income tax on.

When yo do that, then the big fortunes gonna go the US Treasury, we gonna have da cash to fix stuff an the average person gonna be able to have a decent living. Thas when we gonna be secure as a country, Barry. Thas what we need.

Ifn y'all caint git that done, them rich is gonna keep gamin the system an doom us all to second rate, Barry.

Thas the stakes. Plain as the nose on my face.

This tape will now self destruct.

Your pal,

Winston Churchill - Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 6

Hey Barry:

Here's What Winston Churchill had to say in 1908 about England:

"The seed of ...national decay - the unnatural gap between the rich and poor...the exploitation of boy labor, the physical degeneration which seems to follow so swiftly on civilized poverty..the swift increase of vulgar, jobless luxury - are the enemies of Britain."

Sounds kinda familiar, dontcha think Barry.

Your pal,

Corporations - Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 5

Hey Barry:

Les take corporations as examples of rich folks. They aint families, but the rules now is such that the CEO's are definitely RICH.

Corporations have consistently behaved badly over our history as a country - there is no reason to expect corporate behavior will change in the forseeable future. Not all corporations all the time behave badly, but a big enough majority do so consistently. For example, the Sarbanes Oxley Law was pased in response to the Enron debacle a few years ago.

Their bad behavior is consistently designed to enrich their shareholders and executives by manipulating markets, courts and laws to obtain the greatsest possible profit while simultaneously transferring risk and costs to the public - thas us, you and me. Its called privatizing the gain and socializing the loss. An, Barry, its downright Un American.

Since 1998 I have moderated an internet discussion list which attempts to document corporate behavior - both good and bad - from relevant press articles.

The archives are available publicly here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/corp-ethics/messages

The archives are searchable - it is a valuable resource.

Your pal,

Wealth, Poverty and Monopoly

Hey Barry:

Here's James Baird Weaver, Greenback Presidential candidate in 1880 writing as a Populist in 1892:

"If the master builders of our civilization one hundred years ago had been told that at the end of a single century American society would present such meloncholy contrasts of wealth and poverty, of individual happiness and widespread infelicity as are today to be found throughout the republic, the person making the unwelcome prediction would have been looked upon as a misanthrope and his loyalty to democratic institutions would have been seriously called into question. Our federal machine, with its delicate interlace work of national, state and municipal supervision, each intended to secure perfect individual equality, was expected to captivate the world by its operation and insure domestic contentment and personal security to a degree never before realized by mankind.

But there is a vast difference between the generation which made the heroic struggle for self-government in colonial days and the third generation which is now engaged in a mad rush for wealth. The first took its stand upon the inalienable rights of man and made a fight which shook the world. But the leading spirits of the latter are entrenched behind class laws and revel in special provileges. It will require another revolution to overthrow them. That revolution is upon us now."

Your pal,

Platform: American Economic Association 1885

'1. We regard the state as an educational and ethical agency whose positive aid is an indespensible condition of human progress. While we recognize the necessity of individual initiative in industrial life, we hold that the doctrine of laissez faire is unsafe in politics and unsound in morals; and that is why it suggests an inadequate explanation of the relationship between the state and the citizens.'

AEA, Saratoga, New York, September 1885

Homeless Children

Hey Barry:

This is from the US Conference of Mayors in 1986:

'My name is David Bright. I am ten years old. I am homeless. I am often hungry. Right now I live in the Martinique Hotel [a 'welfare hotel' in New York]. The Martinique is a mad house. The hallways are dangerous. Many things could happen to you while you're in the hallways. Like you could be shot or raped. The roaches and rats are a big problem too. But being raped is worse. There are people who rape little boys in the hallways.

I am often hungry because I don't get enough to eat. Homeless kids are taken to schools far away. When the bus comes late I can't even get breakfast at school. When I arrive the bell rings, then breakfast just stops. I just can't think in school when I'm hungry. My mind just stops thinking and this can't go on forever. That's because I want to learn. I want to get a good education. Learning is fun for me.

There are too many little kids in the hotel who never go to school. There just is not enough room in the school for them. Just like there's not enough homes for poor chuildren and not enough food.

When I grow up I will be President of the United States. When I am the President every American will have a home. Every American will have something to eat every day. Everyone in America will have a little money in his pocket. When I am President no ten year old boy like me will have to put his head down on the desk at school because it hurts to be hungry.'

Your pal,

John Winthrop - 1630

Hey Barry:

Here's where we from:

"Now the only way to...provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah: 'to do Justly, to walk humbly with our God.'

For this end, we must be knit together in this work as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge our selves of our superfluities, for the supply of others' necessities."

John Winthrop, A MODEL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITY, 1630

Your pal,

'The man who dies rich dies disgraced.' Andrew Carnegie

Hey Barry;

The good ol U S of A has a history of levellin the playin field by taxin rich folks so's they don become heriditary plutocracy.

Cep now we dont.

What happened anyways?

Here Rutherford Hayes on how much is enough from January 22, 1886:

"...We ought not to allow a permanent aristocracy of inherited wealth to grow up in our country. How would it answer to limit the amount that could be left to any one person by will or otherwise? What should be the limit? Let no one receive from another more than the law gives to the chief justice, to the general of the Army, or to the president of the Senate. Let the income of the property transmitted equal this, say $10,000 to $20,000. If after distributing on this principal there remains undistributed part of the estate, let it go to the public. The object is to secure a distribution of great estates to prevent accumulation.'

Not sure how much income that $10,000 is today, but it sure aint no millions or billions. If memory serves, the President - thas you - makes bout $500,000 per year.

Your pal,

Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 4

Hey Barry:

Who are the American rich anyways?

Y'all can buy a mailing list of them for less than 10c per name, but Ima too broke to do that.

Here's the link: http://www.allied-media.com/MAILING%20LISTS/Mailing/Millionaires.htm

Instead I'll go with a list of the top 100 names in 2004 from Forbes an y'all kin get all 400 here: http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/22/rl04land.html

Now the thang is: they all got a lot richer since 2004. Rest of us was gettin poorer, but dese guys got a lot richer.

Here's the question: How rich is enough in the USA?

One billion? Ten Billion? One hundred Billion?

Ima thinkin that the answer is this: Y'all too rich if you can buy a law from the US congress.

I don know the price since I never bought a law, so Ima gonna guess that anything above one billion is rich enuf to buy a law. That's jes too rich for the U S of A.

At some place, yo cross from being a person inta being a country.

Anyways, here's the list from Forbes in 2004:


Rank Name Net Worth ($mil)

1 Gates, William Henry 48,000
2 Buffett, Warren Edward 41,000
3 Allen, Paul Gardner 20,000
4 Walton, Alice L 18,000
4 Walton, Helen R 18,000
4 Walton, Jim C 18,000
4 Walton, John T 18,000
4 Walton, S Robson 18,000
9 Dell, Michael 14,200
10 Ellison, Lawrence Josep 13,700
11 Ballmer, Steven Anthony 12,600
12 Johnson, Abigail 12,000
13 Anthony, Barbara Cox 11,300
13 Chambers, Anne Cox 11,300
15 Kluge, John Werner 11,000
16 Omidyar, Pierre M 10,400
17 Mars, Forrest Edward Jr 10,000
17 Mars, Jacqueline 10,000
17 Mars, John Franklyn 10,000
20 Redstone, Sumner M 8,100
21 Icahn, Carl 7,600
22 Knight, Philip H 7,400
23 Ergen, Charles 7,300
24 Soros, George 7,200
25 Newhouse, Donald Edward 7,000
25 Newhouse, Samuel Irving 7,000
27 Murdoch, Keith Rupert 6,900
28 Broad, Eli 6,000
28 Johnson, Edward Crosby 6,000
30 Davis, Marvin H 5,800
30 Kerkorian, Kirk 5,800
32 Arison, Micky 5,300
33 Anschutz, Philip F 5,200
34 Bloomberg, Michael Rube 5,000
34 Warner, H Ty 5,000
36 Abele, John E 4,500
37 Geffen, David 4,400
38 Bezos, Jeffrey P 4,300
38 Bren, Donald L 4,300
40 Duncan, Dan L 4,200
40 Perelman, Ronald Owen 4,200
40 Perot, Henry Ross & fami4,200
43 Brin, Sergey 4,000
43 Kaiser, George B 4,000
43 Koch, Charles De Ganahl 4,000
43 Koch, David Hamilton 4,000
43 Page, Larry E 4,000
43 Wrigley, William Jr 4,000
49 Moore, Gordon Earle 3,800
49 Nicholas, Peter M 3,800
51 Menard, John R Jr 3,700
51 Sorenson, James L 3,700
53 Crown, Lester & family 3,600
54 Rowling, Robert 3,500
55 Cook, William Alfred 3,200
55 Goodnight, James 3,200
55 Lauder, Leonard Alan 3,200
55 Taylor, Jack Crawford 3,200
59 Greenberg, Maurice Raymo3,100
60 Adelson, Sheldon 3,000
60 DeVos, Richard M 3,000
60 Kroenke, Ann Walton 3,000
60 Lucas, George 3,000
60 Tisch, Preston Robert 3,000
65 Bass, Robert Muse 2,900
65 Van Andel, Jay 2,900
65 Wexner, Leslie Herbert 2,900
68 Davidson, William Morse 2,800
68 Hillman, Henry Lea 2,800
68 Laurie, Nancy Walton 2,800
68 Schwab, Charles R 2,800
72 Lauren, Ralph 2,700
72 Perenchio, A Jerrold 2,700
74 Filo, David 2,600
74 Jobs, Steven Paul 2,600
74 Johnson, Barbara Piaseck2,600
74 Spielberg, Steven Allen 2,600
74 Trump, Donald John 2,600
79 Bronfman, Edgar M Sr 2,500
79 Hughes, Bradley Wayne 2,500
79 Ingram, Martha R & famil2,500
79 Johnson, Charles Bartlet2,500
79 Rockefeller, David Sr 2,500
79 Schulze, Richard M 2,500
79 Simons, James H 2,500
79 Stern, Leonard Norman 2,500
87 Bechtel, Riley P 2,400
87 Bechtel, Stephen Davison2,400
87 Blavatnik, Leonard 2,400
87 Udvar-Hazy, Steven 2,400
87 Zell, Samuel 2,400
92 Burkle, Ronald 2,300
92 Hunt, Ray Lee 2,300
92 Huntsman, Jon Meade 2,300
92 Pohlad, Carl 2,300
92 Simplot, John Richard & 2,300
97 Butt, Charles C 2,200
97 Helmsley, Leona Mindyl 2,200
97 Saban, Haim 2,200
97 Spangler, Clemmie Dixon 2,200

Your pal,

Video: Free Trade Doesn't Work

Hey Barry:

We gotta give this some serious time; here's Ian Fletcher:

"This is me on TV this morning (video dead until about minute 8 for some reason):

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/294588-4

Ian"

Your pal,

Bank Regs Passed - Huzzah!

Hey Barry:

Y'all got the bank bill passed. Its a good thing.

Congrats to you and Dodd an all you folks there.

Lotta work to do, but the ship is turning.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/07/15/national/w122700D77.DTL

Your pal,

Meg Whitman - Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 3

Hi Meg:

This is for you. Seems I gotta write to y'all since y'all won talk ta any real folks. I be happy ta talk with y'all anytime and anyplace in public an on the record. Y'all is tryin to buy my state and I aint happy bout it.

Ima fourth generation Californian an y'all be very bad for our state. Please give up now an save yo money. Go run for President of Haiti where dey needs yo money for da campaign jobs. Save us here da grief.

Read my Billionaires Givin Back down below here - y'all git the idea.

Ima happy for y'all dat ya gotta lot of cash. But dat don mean that ya knows any ting worth knowin.

Here's my tax plan fo y'all: put an estate tax on ya now, leave y'all wid a lot of money, say ten mill or so. Tax da rest and put it inta the California budget.

Das the best y'all kin do for us.

We need lotta jobs an your job creation plan is standard Rep BS; it aint gonna work, an here's why:

From your web: "Meg will create 2 million new private-sector jobs by 2015...offer job-creating tax cuts to put Californians back to work"

Yo is jes flat wrong. Ifn y'all cuts taxes on bidness the owners gonna buy a yacht or buy a Swiss villa wid the extra cash - they aint gonna hire sumbuddy jest cause they gots mo money. Bidness hires people when the bidness is sellin lotta stuff and the people thay have caint handle the bidness.

Yo plan will KILL jobs in California.

Here how to git jobs in California: tax 90% of all incomes over one mill per year, tax all estates over ten mill an put the cash inta the budget for schools and poor folks.

Then let unions organize for higher wages, put a tariff on imports and get da bidness community to xpand now.

Dey will xpand when dey knows the folks like me is gonna have mo money ta spend and when they knows that Chinese crap will cost the same as our crap.

Dat da way to get jobs here.

Itsa bad thang when y'all got so much money that yo descendents to lebenty seven generation will never have to work. Thas a Royalty and that aint Amercian.

Be an American Meg - do da right thang.

Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 2

Hey Barry:

I understand if'n y'all sayin that rich folks caint be all that. After all, our rich folks is Americans aint they?

Well Ima gonna show y'all a video bout wot can happen ifn rich folks kin do wot they wants.

Yo gotta be warned Barry, do NOT watch this video if'n yo sensitive or under 16 years old - do NOT show this to your kids.

Here da link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RussianUntouchables#p/a/u/1/4ZB3YoAvEro

Basic point is this: If Ima rich and steals sumthin an ifn y'all calls me out, yo gonna die nine months slow and painful and knee deep in raw sewage. Go head an scream - aint nobody gonna pay yo no mind.

Keep it in mind, Barry.

Your pal,

Why Rich Folks Bad - Part 1

Hey Barry:

So, Ima sayin that rich folks is a problem for the good ol U S of A.

Don mean that I wanna off 'em - I aint no Mao Tse Tung.

But, when sumbuddy gets too much money, they hire all these folks ta keep them rich. Its wot I'd do ifn I get rich. An, cuz they rich, they get real good people to help them stay rich.

An part of what those people do is to work on laws to help the rich families stay rich. An, since aint nobody payin folks to keep them from stealin from me, they gonna steal from me.

Here's xample from the water wars in California:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/12/BAB21EAV9U.DTL&type=newsbayarea

Jes nuther case of rich stealin from poor folks.

So Barry, y'all gonna ask why the govment caint take care da problem.

Well Barry, the govment aint gonna take care the problem cuz the rich folks gonna buy the govment. Duh.

Seems that big fortunes jes keep gettin bigger - even after the riginal founder is long dead. Them people he hired are real good an they keep the fortune growin even tho the founder in da ground.

An that's an effin royalty, Barry. It aint the American way. If I gotta live in a kingdom, think I'll move to Europe where at least they got some castles to look at.

So Barry - where are y'all on this anyways?

Your pal,