Local Corruption and the Local Press

We now almost have a complete sweep of indicted Mahoning County elected officials. This past year we have seen a respected judge hauled off to jail, and indictments issued against the county auditor and a county commissioner. Yesterday’s resignation of county treasurer Lisa Antonini coinciding with the issuance of the federal prosecutor’s bill of information relating to illegal campaign contributions is just another nail in the county coffin.

Corruption seems endemic to this area. One would think with the massive clean-up of local politicians just 10 to 15 years ago involving our congressman, commissioners, numerous judges, untold other county and city officials, and untold numbers of lawyers who either went to jail, left the area, or committed suicide, we would learn our lesson. Apparently not! And let’s not forget the fiasco surrounding the disgraced former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, who demonstrated to the rest of the state what we have to deal with up here.

Couple this with the "interesting" behavior of the Mahoning County Democratic Party chairman relating to Ohio Senate Bill 5, it’s a wonder that we have anyone left willing to live here let alone move businesses here. He single handedly set out to destroy the local Chamber of Commerce for doing what it is supposed to do, lobby for business. The attack on the Chamber bordered on bizarre, and affects all of us who are working hard to make this a better place to live.

There is plenty of blame to go around. Political corruption in the local Democratic Party is commonplace…so what else is new! But complicit in what is happening in this one party county is the local press, currently dominated by the Brown family who owns the Vindicator, the only local paper of mass distribution, and WFMJ television, the number one news station in the Mahoning Valley.

The Vindicator continues to endorse these people for office, and then complains when things go wrong. It continues to refuse any local Republican candidates for office a fair shake with smarmy dismissiveness. More disturbing is the tie it has developed with Attorney Dave Betras, the local Democratic Party Chairman. The Betras law firm is a heavy advertiser on WFMJ television. In exchange for the advertising dollars, WFMJ gives him feature spots on its local morning and evening news shows…showcasing him as “one of the best political minds” in the Mahoning Valley. As late as last week, Vindicator columnist Bertram de Souza told him to “take a bow” after his destructive efforts directed at the Chamber and the disruptive tactics aimed at Governor Kasich during several recent visits to the area. Attorney Betras is a fine man and good lawyer. He should know better than to play for cheap headlines.

There are those of us who work quietly behind the scenes to make the Mahoning Valley a better place to live. It gets discouraging, but we keep going and doing our best. Just recently Youngstown was named one of the top five places in the country for manufacturing jobs, as well as one of the best places in America to start a business notwithstanding the corruption rooted in the local Democratic Party and its office holders. That gives us some hope.

It’s time for the Vindicator, WFMJ, and their editorial staffs to take a look at those of us who are trying to do the area some good rather than endorsing and showcasing those who all too willingly dance down the path of destruction and corruption.

This is our home.   As the saying goes..."Don't Sh__ where you eat!"

Why Greece Matters!

If you have been watching crude oil prices over the past few weeks, you have seen some wild fluctuations. Over the past ten days, it looked for awhile that there may have been some relief in oil prices, and the fall in oil prices were being touted as a precursor to a fall in gasoline prices over the next few weeks. Wrong, diesel mouth! Stuff doesn’t happen in a vacuum. There is a cause, a reaction, and a re-reaction to everything that happens in the markets. So for this lesson, heat up some spanikopoda and cut yourself a piece of baklava.

Many forces go into the cost of crude these days, and most of them are bad. Instability in the Mideast, particularly Libya, fueled that the last rapid crude pop. Bad energy policy in the United States that is promoting AND PAYING for fuel drilling off the coast of Brazil but not in our own waters is another cause. In 2011, however, the worst of the worst is bad monetary and fiscal policy in the United States and other countries. Currency matters, and right now ours sucks.

Over the past several years, contrary to what the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department have stated, the United States has promoted a weak dollar policy in an effort to boost exports. Unfortunately, and unintentionally, things got out of hand as the American debt skyrocketed and the economic collapse of 2008 fueled uber spending by the government and massive printing of money by the Federal Reserve coupled with artificially low interest rates. The dollar sank against the Euro, and the cost of importing oil went up and up and so did the price of gasoline, acting as a tax on all of us for our misguided ways.

But all is not honey in Euroland. The European Union has its own share of fiscal and monetary problems, albeit approached much more conservatively by the European Central Bank and the Bank of England (the only member of the European Union to maintain its own currency), hence the stronger Euro against the dollar.

In Europe, while members of the Euro Zone share a common currency, each country maintains its own fiscal policy with no accountability other than promises to other Euro Zone member countries that each will maintain certain debt and growth levels. That hasn’t worked out so well. Countries like Germany and France have exercised fiscal restraint promoting pro-growth policies and are doing well. Other countries, like Ireland, Greece and Spain, have gone hog wild on social spending and are now European basket cases economically.

Greece seems to be the worst of the offenders, and went to the EU last year for a bailout to save the country. Germany seems to be the EU member with the bucks, and loaned money to Greece as the German population went nuts. Germany, translate the EU, required the Greeks to impose strict spending limits…and the Greek citizens went nuts with rioting in the streets for weeks.

The Greek government managed to get things under control, but things began to unravel several weeks ago when the Greek government went back to the EU for a redo of the bailout. Germany balked… and last week Greece leaked it would consider leaving the Euro Zone and re-issuing its own currency, which for all intents and purposes would be worthless.

Traders dumped the Euros, and the Dollar experienced the most rapid strengthening in years. Thus, oil prices started to come down as traders and speculators unwound their position calculated in Euros to move into position calculated in Dollars. Hurrah…the problem was over for you and me. Experts were predicting a 50 cent drop in gas prices over the next few weeks.

Over the weekend, the Greeks met in secret with the European Union, which is claiming the Greeks cannot leave the EU much like US Government said to South Carolina just before the Civil War. Holly Drachmas, Batman!!!

Although some rapprochement was made with the EU by Greece, the uncertainty is still there. And here is the kicker, the financial condition of the United States is not all that much better than Greece, and traders are once again looking for a safe haven. Where that safe haven used to be the dollar, now it is commodities and oil shot up $5.50/barrel today! So much for cheap gas!

This is the price we are all paying for our government’s misguided fiscal and monetary policies. And that’s no feta!!!!

Usama Bin Laden - A Victory Too Long

It was stunning feat for the United States. It was a spectacular success for the Navy Seals. It was a pitiful ending for a complete scum bag who thought he could bring down the world, but ended up with a bullet in the head. I am glad President Obama decided not to bomb Bin Laden’s compound. I am glad Bin Laden understood he was a dead man, and that it was an American soldier looking him in the eye as he pulled the trigger to kill him.

The whole thing seemed anticlimactic. It took just forty minutes for our special ops to fly into the compound, kill him, gather intelligence, and fly out. Bin Laden was deprived of his long desired battle glorious as he entered into Islamist martyrdom. And now his body is fish meat at the bottom of the ocean. All in a few hours!

9/11 is the defining event for the 21st Century. Our nation was changed forever. We have relinquished our freedoms to an intrusive government in the name of security. Our economy is in shambles. We fought a war in Iraq. We are fighting a war in Afghanistan. We are fighting a non-war in Libya. People are dying. Our finest are dying.

To a demoralized nation, the death of Usama Bin Laden is a needed lift, however temporary it might be. His killing capped off a weekend of “events.” This weekend we watched a royal wedding. We watched Pope John Paul II beatified. We watched a White House Press Corps roast. And we watched our troops kill Usama Bin Laden. What a world we live in!

But now we must get back to the tasks at hand. The problems we had last Friday are still the problems we have today, most of which can be traced directly back to the 9/11 tragedy. The solutions are not easy. The country is divided politically as never before except for, perhaps, the Civil War. Our currency is in the toilet. Our position of economic supremacy is at risk. We, as Americans, are still trying to find our footing once again.

Add to the mix my doubts about Pakistan as a reliable partner. Do you really think the Pakistani government didn't know that Bin Laden was living in a mansion in a walled compound 100 yards from the Pakistani Military Academy located by one of the largest garrisons in Pakistan in a town that houses primarily retired generals? How stupid do they think we are? How many people died because Pakistan didn't play straight with us?

Tonight I had dinner with friends and toasted President Obama who showed guts I didn't know he had; President Bush who laid the intelligence groundwork to form the foundation of the operation; our troops who risk their lives daily;  the memories of those killed on 9/11; and all who have died in the wars and terrorist attacks before and since. I know we should be celebrating this national triumph…but somehow it seems like a victory too long.  Rather than cheering, it's time for quiet contemplation.  The true battles are yet to come.

God Bless America.

The Cruelest Tax of All

Americans aren’t particularly savvy about all things economic. One thing they do understand is high gas prices. I watch a lot of business news, and sometimes I wonder if the folks doing the commentary live in the same world I do. Last time gas prices got this high, the economy went belly up. Granted it was aggravated by the excessive and reckless debts that accrued to our banking institutions at the instruction of Barney Frank and his Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae cohorts...but it was still the gas prices that lit the fuse.

Couple the high fuel prices with soaring food prices and one has inflation, the cruelest tax of all. The pain is primarily born by the poor and middle class. The uber rich don’t give a rat’s ass about the cost of fuel, they can afford it. It is the rest of us schmucks that are footing the bill.

President Obama said he wasn’t going to raise taxes on the poor and the middle class. Technically, he hasn’t. But his policies have back door’d ya!

You see, there only three ways the government can raise revenue to pay off the debt. The first is to raise taxes. The second is to devalue the currency. Our government has chosen the latter. By printing billions of dollars and putting it into circulation, it makes the money that was already floating around worth less. The government benefits by paying back existing debt with cheaper dollars.  The only problem is they keep borrowing.

Sounds like a good deal? Not really!! You see, while the government is paying back foreign debt in devalued dollars, the stuff we import goes up in price…and guess what import a lot of! Oil!!! So while Uncle Sam is paying back less than it borrowed, you are picking up the slack by paying more for the things you need to live. That's the hidden tax on the poor and middle class. You know… the tax that Obama said he wasn’t going to do.

The pain extends to foodstuffs as well. If our dollar is worth less, then the other currencies that haven’t been devalued are worth more. These folks come into our country and buy up all the wheat and corn at cheap prices for them, forcing us to pay more if we want a bowl of cereal in the morning along with our very expensive toast.

There is no magic wand to get rid of the debt, pull at one end, and it will fly out the other. Sooner or later, somebody has to pay for Obama’s spending sprees.

I did say there were three ways the government could climb out of this mess, but only mentioned two. Number three is to grow the economy. Stand up to China. Stand up to OPEC. Stand up to the EPA. All of these things may be initially painful, but it will fertilize our economy and eventually we will regain our manufacturing prowess. We work harder; we work longer; we work smarter; and we work more productively than any other nation in the world. But unless this spirit is unleashed, we will continue to pay the inflationary piper.  And the cruelest tax of all will continue on those who can least afford it.

BRICS and S&P...Economic Storm Clouds Gathering

The winds of war continue to swirl around our economy and currency. Standard and Poors, while maintaining America’s Triple A credit rating, downgraded the outlook for American debt to negative. That means there is a one in three chance that Standard and Poors will downgrade the credit rating of the United States within the next two years. It will destroy the American economy.

Simultaneously, the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) met in China last week and are currently devising a transition plan to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency with the Chinese yuan or a new currency based on a basket of currencies. If this happens, the cost of gasoline will double overnight, if not by more. The prices of imported goods in Walmart will shoot to the stratosphere.  If you don't think this can happen...just watch!

This is scary stuff, and well within the realm of possibility as Obama and his band of merry academics continue down the path of "print and spend" money. In case you don’t know it, the reason why interest rates are so low is that while the Treasury Department is selling American bonds, the Federal Reserve is printing money to buy them. We are buying our own debt.  When the Fed stops printing money, interest rates are going to go up fast and furious.

What is even more disturbing is that the Obama apologist press is completely ignoring the magnitude of the problem. Turn on CNN and NBC, you will see stories about race, gay rights, and this past week…last year’s horrible oil spill and the effects on the gulf coast and those evil, evil oil companies.

They are not reporting on the United States funding deep water off shore drilling off the Brazilian and Columbian coasts. They are not reporting about the currency issues. They are not reporting on Energy Secretary Steve Chu’s statements in 2008 that the cost of American gasoline needs, and should, double to equal what is paying paid in Europe. That would be $8.00/gallon.

I am absolutely stunned at the number Obama apologists that permeate the media and report on anything and everything other than the policies of the current administration. These are serious issues. The price of gold passed $1500.00/oz. this past week. That is just a small sign of the economic trauma that this nation will face unless it gets some sanity to its monetary and fiscal policies.

At the end of the day, we are faced with an administration that still treats global warming as a religion. They are internationalists that do not believe in doing what is best for this nation. They are acting as fanatics dedicated to environmentalism and their perception of social justice. The economic well being of the country is secondary, and they have a huckster in the White House fooling the public.

Obama has a great smile, a lovely family, and is a wonderful speaker…and thinks that spoon full of his Obama sugar will make his medicine go down easy with the public. Don’t be fooled. You will see economic turmoil like you have never seen your lifetime.  There's a hurricane a-comin'.  Pay attention folks.

Perilous Debt

As the country is about to enter a period of extended debate on the virtue, or lack thereof, of raising the national debt ceiling, people don't really understand how precarious of a position the United State is in financially. Those in my age group are used to  up and down swings in the economy. There is always a recovery. This time it’s different. Unless the country gets its fiscal house in order, we are in deep, deep trouble. Recovery is not possible if we keep going in the same direction. There will be some movement, but to get to where we were before…it ain’t gonna happen!

The amount of debt facing the country is staggering. It is beyond comprehension. I think maybe Barack Obama may be beginning to understand what we are facing as I am hearing at least some change in his rhetoric. Not enough. His policies are still questionable. His Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, said in 2008 that the cost of gas in the United States has to be as high as the cost of gas in Europe. That would put our gas at $8.00/gallon. Can his advisers really be that stupid? Yes, they can. This is the global warming crowd. They could care less about you.

Here’s the deal. Whether we like it or not, inflation is here. It is all around us, and is just getting going. Right now oil trades in dollars. If our debt is not brought under control, there are movements afoot to change the currency in which oil is traded to either a new world currency, or a basket of other currencies. If that happens, folks, the cost of gas will double over night, if not triple. Erosion of the value of our currency is dangerous, and it is real. The world will move to protect the value of its hard assets, and the result will be to bankrupt our nation. This isn’t a phony danger. It is a real danger. I think Obama is getting scared, and quite frankly, so am I.

Gold has reached almost $1500.00/oz. THAT, my friends, is inflation. And it still has a ways to run. Gold and other commodities, including oil, are hedges against inflation. If people think inflation is coming…the price of commodities will continue to skyrocket. In the short run, there will be fluctuations, but the long term trend is up and up. When mainstream investment advisors are advising clients to invest in art, real estate, jewelry, you know we are in trouble. A jeweler friend of mine told me the cost of diamonds is going through the roof. He can sell his current stock with the requisite markup. The problem is he can’t afford to buy stock to replace it at the cost that he is selling his current stock. He has to raise his prices fast and furious.

That is how the government intends to pay the debt…devalue the currency. And imports into this country, like oil, will continue to skyrocket. The debt is then paid by the inflation, which is a tax of staggering proportions on every American. All the while, the Federal Reserve will continue to tell you there is no inflation…and it’s their intent to maintain a strong dollar.

Of course, to do that, they would have to raise interest rates…a lot!! Americans don’t understand how high interest rates may have to go over the next few years to curb the inflation. If you think you can’t get a loan now, just wait.

One way or the other, we as individuals and a nation are going to be facing a lot of pain as we try to clean up the mess our government has given us. There is no free lunch. Everybody will pay through decreased entitlements, increased taxes, and inflated prices. There is no simply taxing the rich. The cost of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas hurts the poor the most. It is the ultimate regressive tax.

The good news is that there is hope. If we do Mark’s three things to recovery….we can survive what is coming with a growing economy that will help pay that nasty debt off.

1) Get tough with China on allowing its currency to float.

2) Drill here. Drill now. And build infrastructure for new energy in a planned manner. Nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, natural gas, clean coal and hydrogen should cut to the head of the line.

3) Get the EPA off of our backs. It has cleaned up the air and our rivers. It’s now devising a way to charge for air!

I keep talking, but nobody is listening. Help me!!!!!!!!

You Paid What for Gas?

How’s that $3.80/gallon working out for you? Over the past several days gas has been going up ten to twenty cents per day right in front of our eyes. The station located at the corner of Tippecanoe Road and Rt. 224 has been going up sometimes twice each day.

The amazing thing is that the news media seems to be ignoring the story. They mention it, but almost in a ho hum sort of way. Remember 2008, during the Bush years? It was the headline night after night after night after night…and all due to Bush’s chummy connection to the oil companies. Of course, President Obama has absolutely nothing to do with the problem now. So why make a major issue out of it and cause him trouble? Never mind that higher energy prices are exactly what he wants to force the evil Americans to conserve energy and stop that horrible global warming.

So where are these high prices coming from? First, you need to know there is no oil shortage in the world today. It is awash in oil…everywhere!!! Prices are being driven by a number of different factors.

1) Trouble in Mideast: Do you think? Trouble in Egypt is one thing. Trouble in Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen is another. Throw Saudi Arabia into the mix, and you got a major problem.

2) A Weak Dollar: A weaker dollar causes commodity prices priced in dollars to go up as other currencies are used to purchase commodities also.

3) Quantitative Easing by the Federal Reserve: Hand in hand with a weak dollar has been the infusion of hundreds of millions of dollars into the economy by the Federal Reserve. All of that money has to land someplace. That someplace is commodities as investors look to purchase hard assets in anticipation of the coming inflation that is already here but that the Fed says doesn’t exist.

4) Speculators: Those rising oil prices reported on television are actually future prices. Speculators actually buy barrels of oil to be delivered to them sometime in the future betting the cost of oil will continue to go up. Sounds easy except unless they sell it prior to the futures date, these folks actually have to take possession of the oil! The problem is many of them don’t have the capacity to accept any oil shipments, and those that do are all filled up. Much of the oil is sitting around in tankers waiting to be delivered somewhere…anywhere.

That, of course, means nothing to us who are paying through the nose. The problem is that the recovery in the economy, such as it is, is fragile. We cannot sustain $4.00/gallon gasoline, and it is most likely headed higher than that. Our economy is fragile at best. It may have been derivative securities that blew up the economy in September of 2008, but it was $4.00 gas that lit the fuse and is ultimately the root of all of the economic problems in the United States today…period…end of discussion. This is the ultimate tax on Americans, and we all pay it regardless of our economic status or income.

Here are the solutions to the high gas prices…and to our economic woes:

1) Quit looking weak and timid in the Mideast. Stand up to these bastards and tell them what for. Quit bowing and apologizing to these thieves and misogynists.

2) Begin to raise interest rates. It may be shocking at first, but ultimately it will strengthen the dollar and lower oil prices.

3) Quit printing money and begin to tighten the money supply. Money will leave the commodity markets and bring oil prices back down to normal prices quicker than you think

4) Regulate speculators. If you buy a barrel of oil, you must have the capacity to accept delivery.

And finally…President Obama….don’t go to Brazil and tell them to drill for oil there. DRILL FOR OIL HERE. DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW…as well as push the development of liquefied natural gas for cars and trucks…clean coal…nuclear….solar….wind. Get the ideology out of our energy policy…such as it.

If we don’t do these things, look for a double dip recession by fall, and it will make the last one look like a walk in the park.