Well, It's Been A Month...

Well, it's been a month since my last post; I was gently reminded of this by my cyberbud Rodak who was kind enough to send me an email simply titled, "Quitting Already?"

Nope. Not quitting. As I responded to Rodak, I've simply been distracted by - and frankly posting like mad at - NewMajority.com.

What can I say... I'm a social animal! I like a crowd and David Frum's "New Majority" attracts a crowd.

OK. That said... Rodak is right. I started my own blog, I should keep in current. Whether I get much traffic is in a sense beside the point.

Anyway... here are a few "must reads" out of today's news headlines:

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.

Why...???

The USPS lost $2.4 billion in the quarter ended in June and projects a net loss of $7 billion in fiscal 2009, outstanding debt of more than $10 billion and a cash shortfall of $1 billion. It was moved to intensive care - the Government Accountability Office’s list of “high risk” cases - last month and told to shape up.

No. The United States Postal Service's well known financial problems aren't going to bankrupt the United State; the point of the the analysis, if you take a moment to read it (which I strongly suggest you do) is that the Post Office example provides a vision of where President Obama's and the Democratic Party's health insurance/health care visions may take this nation.

Read the op-ed. It's well worth your time and attention.

Next...

Buffet Says Federal Debt Poses Risks To Economy

The U.S. budget deficit is forecast to reach a record $1.841 trillion in the year that ends Sept. 30. ... The “greenback emissions” will swell the deficit to 13 percent of gross domestic product this fiscal year, while net debt will increase to 56 percent of GDP... The U.S. budget deficit reached a record for the first 10 months of the fiscal year and broke a monthly high for July. The excess of expenditure over revenue for July climbed to $180.7 billion compared with a $102.8 billion gap in July 2008 as the government spent more than in any month in U.S. history, the Treasury said Aug. 12. ... Pacific Investment Management Co., which runs the world’s biggest bond fund, said in an Emerging Markets Watch report that the dollar will weaken as the swelling U.S. deficit erodes its status as a reserve currency. The Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of currencies, has fallen 12 percent from this year’s high in March. “Unchecked greenback emissions will certainly cause the purchasing power of currency to melt," Buffett said. "The dollar’s destiny lies with Congress."

Great! The dollar's destiny lies with Congress. Wonderful!

As I've been saying all along, folks, prepare yourself for the opening bugle sounds of the coming stagflation. Buffet sounds as if he believes we can avoid stagflation till perhaps 2011-2012; I think we'll see it beginning in mid-2010.

Next...

Curfew, anyone...???

Hey... folks... ya can't make this stuff up! I wouldn't even try!

Hmm... let's see... what else...

Oh, yeah! Meanwhile... Social Security continues to go broke:

Social Security could face a deficit within two years, according to U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus who met with The Tuscaloosa News editorial board Tuesday. “The situation is much worse than people realize, especially because of the problems brought on by the recession, near depression,” said Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, in an interview with the Tuscaloosa News editorial board. Bachus, the ranking member of the House Committee on Financial Services, said most people seem unaware of the impending crisis. He initially said Social Security could face "default" within two years, but his staff responded later saying the Congresssman intended to say "deficit."

Fasten your seat belts, people... it's going to be a long few years!

Hmm... and speaking of seat belts...

It seems about half of New York's auto dealerships have pulled out of the Cash For Clunkers Program, citing delays in getting reimbursed by the government.

Oh, yeah... when I think of government I think of efficiency - don't you?!

(*SNORT*)

And these people want MORE control over one-seventh of our economy as represented by health insurance/health care. God help us. God help us all.

Well, folks, that's it for now. I'll try to do better in terms of more frequent posts!