Stop Pulling the Wagon

I am sometimes asked what my political party affiliation is.  I once considered myself to be a John F. Kennedy kind of Democrat and many years later a Ronald Reagan kind of Republican.  These days neither one of these seems to fit anymore.  I have come to think of myself as a sort of Independent but that sounds too middle of the road and we all know what happens if we stand in the middle of  the road here in Califonia. 

In fact I am thinking of starting a new Political Party which I would simply call the Math Party.  To become a member of the Math Party you would only have to believe in the simple laws of mathematics.  If you wanted to run for elective office representing the Math Party you would have to demonstrate that you can get at least a ‘B’ on a Third Grade Math quiz.   And, if you wanted to run for President under the Math Party Banner you would have to show us your Third Grade Diploma.  The real one.

You see, I have become absolutely convinced that no political party now representing us in Washington D.C. (or for that matter Sacramento, California) can do Third Grade Math.  They sure can’t add or subtract.  In fact, they act more like a teenage boy with the keys to dad and moms new car,  a bottle of Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Brand and a credit card.  When asked to solve a relatively straight forward math problem like, say, doing a budget for the country that does not involve spending money we don’t have, they instead come up with a plan to “reduce the deficit 12 to 16 years “down the road” (when they are no longer in office).

So what do you think?  Would a political party that believes in the simple laws of mathematics have a chance?  Or, have we all become addicted to believing in the Tooth Fairy and just want to hope that Uncle Sugar in Washington has a bottomless checkbook?

I don’t know………….     

Bob Bandy

ALMOST FREE MONEY?

I remember years ago when out daughter was young.  We wanted to go to someplace special but the wallet was empty.  Our daughter said there was no problem, we could just go get some money out of the machine at the store.  We tried to explain to her the concept of first putting money into the bank before the machine would give us money, but, no luck.  She thought the machine was magic.

Well, thanks to modern technology, the folks at BETTER LIVING THROUGH MONEY MAGIC can now offer you the newest and greatest personal ATM ever.   The MONEY MAGIC MACHINE. Their engineers have managed to combine an old fashioned ATM machine with a state of the art printer. 

Introducing the all new and improved Money Magic Machine.  Once you have this handy little gadget installed in your family room you need never be short of cash again.  Want a new car.  No problem!  Big screen T.V..  You got it!  Trip around the world.  Pay cash!   Just put in your “Money Magic” card (sold separately),  enter your secret PIN number and out comes all the money you need.  Its a $500 value but we are offering it today for only $19.95 (plus shipping and handling).

As an added bonus we will include our newest “lap-top” traveling companion version of the Money Magic Machine which can travel with you everywhere!   Its a $399 value but we will include it FREE.   (just pay separate shipping and handling).

Order in the next half hour and we will include two boxes of our Money Magic pre-cut currency paper and a full gallon of our special Money Magic green ink.  (Just pay separate shipping and handling.)  

But wait, there’s still more!  Pay with an I O U  and we’ll double the offer.  Thats two Money Magic Machines plus two lap top versions of the Money Magic Machine plus four boxes of pre-cut  Money Magic currency paper and two full gallons of the Money Magic green ink.  (Just pay separate shipping and handling.)

Thats over $1000 worth of  Money Magic products all for only $19.95 (plus a whole bunch of shipping and handling).

Order yours today and start living the good life with all the money you could ever need or want.  Its Money Magic!

And,  not to worry.  This product has been tested extensively and is still in use by our very own United States Federal Reserve System in co-operation with the United States Treasury Department, where,  it has been, and is still being used to produce hundreds and hundreds of Billions (and now Trillions) of  Money Magic Paper Dollars.  All with no need to put money into the bank first and is being covered with I.O.U.s which will be paid for by your children and grand-children.

LIFE IS  MONEY MAGIC  GOOD!     

Bob Bandy

(Not sold in any store but only through this special offer)

IMAGINE THIS 

You are on a train that is moving down the rails at 80 miles per hour.  You have been notified that  the railway bridge is out ahead.  Suddenly you realize that the trains engineer and conductor are having an argument in the seat just behind you.  One is saying they should reduce the trains speed to 78 miles per hour before they reach the bridges location  and the other is arguing they need to reduce the trains speed to 74 miles per hour.  In this nightmare scenario you are shouting at them that they need to stop the train but they either can’t hear you or won’t listen to you.  

Now visualize this:  Our nation is racing toward a 1.6 Trillion Dollar Budget Deficit for the next fiscal year.  This will be added to the 14+ Trillion Dollar National Debt.  You hear members of Congress arguing over whether we should cut the budget by 6 Billion Dollars or 60 Billion Dollars.  This is “chump change” when compared to the 1 Trillion 600 Billion Dollars they plan to add to our childrens and grandchildrens national debt.  In this nightmare you are shouting at them to “Stop the Train” and balance the budget but they can’t hear you or won’t listen to you.  

Do they understand that history shows us governments have always “solved” fiscal mismanagement “problems” by de-valuing and inflating the money supply?  From Ancient Rome to 1920’s Germany to 20th century Zimbabwe the story has been repeated.  Hyperinflation is not a new model car.  It is fiscal disaster.  Do they care?  Can they spell Zimbabwe?  A country where they finally started printing 100 Trillion Dollar Notes because of fiscal stupidity and even those notes wouldn’t buy a loaf of bread.  It seems we are on the same “tracks” to financial ruin as a nation.

Think about it………….

Bob Bandy

This is not my original piece.  It came to me via email but it fits so well with what I have previously written on this subject that I share it here.  Bob

JUST FOR FUN AND WITH TONGUE IN CHEEK. 

If  I wanted to destroy the United States economy and impoverish its citizens here is what I would do in five steps:

Step 1.  I would seek out and recruit incompetent people to infiltrate and take charge of our government.  Next, I would split them into two groups, which I will call, lets see, how about “Congress” and “Administration”.  The folks chosen  need not be co-conspirators,  just big spenders with big egos and no common sense.  All of these folks would be given unlimited borrowing and spending  power and the bills would be sent to the taxpayers.

Step 2.  I would have laws and regulations passed to make it nearly impossible for any individual or company to drill, mine, extract or in any way acquire any of the natural resources we need as a nation, within the physical boundaries or territorial waters of the United States.  All such needed materials would be required to be imported, preferably from countries not friendly to us.  This would be done in the name of protecting the environment.

Step 3.  I would have the government pass laws and regulations to punish hard work and financial success either by individuals or companies with a combination of regulations, fees and  confiscatory taxes.    For whatever “profits” were left over after the fees and taxes were paid I would unleash packs of morally bankrupt, ravenous Trial Lawyers to file endless lawsuits and litigation.   This would encourage any individual or company to move production (and jobs) out of the U.S. to places with more friendly environments to manufacturing and employers.

Step 4.  I would have “my” government reward laziness, incompetence and failure with government handouts, grants, promotions, do nothing projects and various “freebies”.  These same people could later be hired into government make work  jobs in a variety of government agencies and departments  where nothing useful or productive is accomplished or expected.   That way they could continue to get paid for producing nothing and retire to fat lifetime pensions and benefits .  They would fit right in.

Step 5.  I would make sure the government kept increasing the national debt to the point that even paying the interest on the debt became impossible.  They could then destroy any remaining wealth in the country by hyper-inflating the currency,  just as Germany did following World War I.   In Germany at that time it got to the point that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.  For a more recent example one need only look to Zimbabwe where inflation reached 79600000000% per month in just the last couple of years. 

What’s that you say?   I’m too late?  Somebody stole my idea? 

Like I said.  Just for Fun.  Something to think about.           ……..Bob

“WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US”

POGO

I have always had a special place in my heart for the 1971 Pogo Cartoon strip by Walt Kelly (1913-1973) in which our little hero returns from a kind of scouting mission to announce what he discovered about possible invaders. (I think I have that right –  its been a while).   Although Pogo (and Walt Kelly’s ) web site makes a point of not wanting Pogos famous observation to promote any one group or cause, I am sure he would have no problem with the observation that the enemy we most encounter is, as Pogo so astutely observes, ourselves.  I would very much  put myself at, or near, the top of any list I might compose.

I believe that we, as a nation are at a tipping point, or crossroads if  you prefer.  One of our nations  founders wrote (and I paraphrase)  that our democracy would last until the people discovered that they could vote themselves money from the public treasury.  A sort of  “Day of Reckoning”.

Maybe the question we should be asking ourselves it whether we as individuals, and as a nation, can again return to our nations roots and  practice self discipline, financial discipline and the willingness to postpone gratification of desires until we can pay for them.  Or, do we continue to demand instant everything and let our credit cards  and  Uncle Sugar (the government)  pay for it with borrowed money.

I am old enough that I can remember when Lyndon Johnson was President and promised us that we could afford both “Guns and Butter”.  In other words we could afford to fight and pay for the Vietnam War and at the same time launch a massive “War on Poverty” transferring our nations wealth to those in need.  I was thrilled at the time thinking that poverty would be eradicated,  there would be no more poor people and we would all live in a land of plenty.  President Johnson was wrong and I was wrong.  What we did was to acquire several Trillion (thats Trillion with a T)  Dollars in debt while seriously damaging the family stucture for millions of people. All with the best of intentions.  In the process we also created a whole sub-culture who became entitlement “junkies”.

As a nation we are now 14 Trillion Dollars in debt and that total is growing at the rate of more than a Trillion Dollars a year.  We are rapidly reaching the point where just paying the interest on the debt will consume an ever increasing portion of the nations annual tax revenue.  Do we have the remaining discipline as a people to make the hard choices and practice self denial  to halt and reverse this process?  I am beginning to doubt this.

On its present course this government wagon is one  I do not want to help pull.   I think I will work on a way to not participate!

The Barbarians at the gate are us!

Something to think about………..     

Bob Bandy