Davos. How was it?

Sorry. I missed the economic summit in Davos this year. I just couldn't spring for the $250,000 or so in costs to go b.s. with my friends.

How was it for those of you who went? Lots of snowmobiling and keggers?

I was excited to see that Huffy-Puffy was there. Arianna Huffington is one of my favorite hypocritical, hot-air, empty dress, success stories in all of journalism-gone-nuts.

Her being there meant that I made the right decision to buy a green, environmentally friendly, espresso machine, instead of going to Dodos.

Whoof

Thanks Uncle

Well, thank goodness that our collective uncle is supporting the sky. The stock market really thinks that it is falling.

With OUR Uncle propping up those leaning sheds of financial instability, I figure our collective burden for those bad assests will reach the moon, (give or take a couple of yards).

I am NOT waiting to pay for the bad assets with my taxes. I am creating them. Best to be ahead of the curve, I say!

Skippy

NBA Team Anyone?

Wow, what an opportunity to get an NBA Team. I guess the recession has taken a bite out of those egomaniac team owners and they are liquidating some assets.

Does anyone want to put together a Ponzi deal to finance the Knicks or Celtics?

I think Madoff is available for a minimal consulting fee.

Skippy

Would you pay a bonus to keep a Waller?

So, would you, like some of the financially insolvent institutions, pay bonuses to keep these jokes? I mean, folks that are known as brokers.

Do I want these overpriced brokers somewhere else other than my firm?
Yes. Most of them lost money.

They can't fix my car. They can't write a computer program. They can't make dinner. And they certainly can't do orthopedic surgery.

They PUSH paper! You, I, just about anyone with an IQ can push Wall Street paper, for goodness sake.

That is my reality check. And I have made a lot of money doing very phony jobs.
I still have a phony job. I just don't make any money at it.

da' Skip'

California Furlough Funnies

True California Furlough Stories. With unemployment at over 9%.

To cut expenses, the Governator is closing things like the DMV for two days a month and furloughing the workers.

The employees at the UNEMPLOYMENT office are threatening a strike.

An UNemployed person at one UNemployment office said, "It's really unfair them closing on Fridays. I've got a schedule."

Ya' gotta luv it.
Can you say, 'California Riviera', in a French accent, please?

Skippy - whoof.

Oh, the hypocrisy

I listened to our President berate Wall Street Bonuses. Which is fine. However, he keeps talking about self-restraint after pushing for a $800 billion bill, filled with "earmarks", that does NOT do what he promised to the United States citizens.

Another PHONEY hypocrite, Mr. President? I am sick of it from EVERYONE: Wall Street, Congress, the Presidents, etc. I was NOT raised to be like what Americans have become.

Grrr.

What are we trading?

Okay, now, I will admit that I am a bit lost and way too optimistic.  However, the way the equities markets have been going, lately, I am not sure that anything but complete relentless shorting makes money.  

I truly believe we are destroying the stock markets that have been relative successful for so many years.

(NO tongue in cheek).

Skippy

Are you this insane?

From AP news:

France-
A savage assault this week on a bus passenger highlighted the dangers.

Attackers doused the woman, in her 50s and on crutches, with an inflammable liquid and set her afire as she tried to get off a bus in the suburb of Sevran, judicial officials said. The bus had been forced to stop because of burning objects in its path. She was rescued by the driver and hospitalized with severe burns.

-30-

I'm sure when the "potesters" in Argentina learn about this, they'll be looking for crippled old ladies to torch.

Disgusting.

whoof.

Big Oil and other Rip-offs

Public citizen, Congress, and other concerned persons.

Please be alerted to these other corporate malfeasance:

Copper, Steel, Cement Prices

Please, let's tax all the commodity companies in these groups. They, like the oil companies are making HUGE profits because demand and supply don't match.

They are gouging us. Just like oil, NO ONE else but Americans use these things. They are sticking it to us.

And my coffee is WAY too expensive. Sue Starbucks, please.


Thank you,

Skippy - whoof.

President's tax Council

Tax Reform? - Can you say bankrupt?

We couldn't afford to live in our house without the mortgage and state tax deductions.

If mortgage deductions and state tax deductions are eliminated, we will loose 3/4 of our net worth.

No one will buy our house, even at the price we paid 12 years ago.

This tax plan is insane. You can't make such dramatic changes when a whole economy is based around current rules.

How about taxing capital gains on stock trades as ordinary income? Which it is. (And I trade every day.)

Nervous,

Skippy the dog

Doghouse - Skippy's little space.

Here is Skippy's home away from the house, yard and big world beyond.

It is a place to feel relatively safe and reflect on the exciting, confusing and contradictory world that seems to ever shift away from what a normal, Skippy-like, dog would expect.

Here he finds the view a bit more focused.

With less peripheral distractions, those little annoyances of the day seem so much less important than their creators believe.

The shouting and stomping of illogical rhetoric seems a bit humorous once you get inside the dog house.

So welcome!
Chew sticks and milk bones are always appreciated.
No biting in the dog house, please. Take it outside.
Barking is just fine. But, remember that it echos in here.

Skippy the dog - whoof.