The Stress Tests Have Me Stressed

I couldn't be more irritated by the "stress tests".

I want to make sure I have this right. The federal government (all knowing) is going to assign a group of people to "project possible future economic stress" and determine if our banks are capitalized enough to deal with these imaginary conditions. Oh, and by the way, the government is retroactively going to apply these arbitrary outcomes to imaginary situations to how they will allow banks to repay the loans that the previous administration gave out.

This is the equivalent of getting a loan from a bank and then having the bank decide a year later that they are going to imagine what it would be like if you got fired from your job, then tell you that you need to have more money in your savings account in order to make more than your minimum payment to them.

If something like that were to happen to an individual from a bank it would be wrong and a clear indicator of corporate greed.

Well, while corporate greed is for money, government greed is for power. The stress tests are little more than a power grab by Geithner and Barry. To be fair, the banks were stupid for taking the TARP money in the first place. The money may have been offered by the Bush administration with benevolent intentions, but banks needed to have the foresight to see the socialist sharks circling the water. The gem of the industrial might of America is the auto industry and Barry controls two-thirds of that (thank God for Ford). Barry controls the gem of the insurance industry in AIG. With the stress tests, Barry is looking to take control of the gems of the financial industry, consumer banks. The hooks are fairly well in Citibank. The next big target is Bank of America.

Bank of America is the largest holder of home loans and credit cards. It is also the second largest holder of American deposit dollars and banks two-thirds of American households in some form or fashion. Now, it doesn't take a whiz kid to see how the stress test is a convenient way to take control of a whale like Bank of America. All you have to do is project the economy to worsen to a point that is so bad that the bank with the most exposure in home loans and credit cards would invariable come up short of capital. It does not matter if the bank is currently properly capitalized. You project the economy to get worse to a point that the bank needs to raise so much capital that you will do all but force them to have the government convert their preferred shares into common equity shares. Once you do that, you have control of arguably the most powerful bank in the world, and you definitely have control of the US economy.

If you are at all interested in social engineering (spreading the wealth) all you have to do now is take control of energy, education, and the media....

-The Banker

100 Days of Change

How do you like your change America?

A recent Rasmussen Poll indicates that you are split about that question. According to the poll from Rasmussen, Barrack Obama has an approval rating of 55% and a disapproval of 44%. Which is to say that he has polarized the nation.

President Obama deserves all of the credit in the world to President Obama for sticking to his principles. He has clearly been more concerned with his agenda for what he considers a better nation than he has with building political equity in order to remain in office. I don't think that anyone can credibly doubt the leadership or the conviction of the leader of the free world. Barrack Obama is an excellent leader.

The $64,000 question, or trillion dollar question in this case, that is the point of contention is decisive. Where is President Obama leading us? President Obama has been nothing short of the radical liberal that he was accused of being during the presidential campaign. The amazing thing about his time in office so far has been how liberal he has been on a consistent basis. It is this consistency that has caused his first 100 days to be so polarizing.

Each action he has taken will be viewed by those that share his ideology as an great accomplishment. At the same time, those actions will be viewed as attacks on the fundamental principles of America by those of a different ideology.

His pro-abortion action of reversing the Mexico City act, which allows tax dollars to be used to fund foreign abortions, is a victory for liberals and a abomination to conservatives. The same can be said for his decision to allow federal funding for the creation of new embryotic stem cells.

His Stimulus package is considered to be a wise move by liberals that will save the economy. Conservatives view it as an expansion of government, a waste of tax dollars, and a great burden to the future.

Liberals consider his foreign policy decisions have been right on with the emphasis on improved relations with our enemies. Conservatives are enraged that our president would be glad handing the likes of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jong-il, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

There is his stance on the Missile Shield, Israel-Iran, Gitmo, taxes, universal health care, cap and trade, the federal budget, immigration, auto bailouts, government interference of banks and auto companies, free trade, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and his general outlook of America's impact on the world for the last 50 years.

On the issues above, liberals think he is a genius and conservatives think he is an idiot. It is not about one side or another being stupid, brainwashed by FoxNews, or drinking the Kool-Aid. It is simply that liberals and conservatives disagree on the fundamental values of our nation. When you have a president that is an extreme liberal, liberals are going to think he is the savior, and vice-versa.

At the end of the day we have a very liberal president. Liberals will think that he is great for it. Conservatives will think he is terrible for it. Thus we have a polarizing president and a divided nation.

The two big questions remaining are:

If Obama remains this liberal for the next year and a half, will there be more liberals or conservatives voting in the mid-term elections?

If Obama remains this liberal for the next three years, will there be more liberals or conservatives voting in 2012?

Only time will tell.

-The Banker

Lessons from our Founders

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

There are a couple of big points that need to be remembered by the American people.

First, all men are created equal. We have the right idea about equality when it comes to race, gender, and ethnicity. However when it comes to equality based on socioeconomic status, EPIC FAIL. If the US Government were to pass legislation that determined that women had to pay more in taxes than men or that Hispanics had to pay more in taxes than everyone else, there would rightfully be massive protests and outrage. Yet our government has determined that it is acceptable to enforce discriminatory tax policies against wealthy Americans. The justification is that they only make up 5% of Americans. I just wanted to make sure I understand this logic. It is okay to discriminate as long as you discriminate against the minority, in this case the wealthy. Ask yourself this simple question, does the government have to right to discriminate against the minority for the benefit of the majority? The fact that all men are created equal would answer the question in the negative.

Second, we have the right to pursue happiness, but we do not have the right to happiness. The lesson of this is that we have the right to equality of opportunity and not the equality of outcome. People do not have a right to a job. People do not have a right to a standard of living. People do not have a right to homeownership. People have the right to pursue those things. People have the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to use the combination of those two rights to pursue whatever makes them happy as long as it does not conflict to another person's right to live or be free. No one has the right to be happy only the right to try to be happy. That being said, no one has the right to any certain level of income, they only have the right to use their life, freedom, and opportunities to make as much income as they can within the law. If that means that executives make far more than laborers, then that is fine, there is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is the government robbing the executives from their right to pursue happiness even when the pursuit of that happiness does not interfere with anybody else's rights.

Third, the government derives its power from Americans. Americans do not derive our power from the government. In the political food chain, Americans are at the top of the pecking order. We must not forget that. We do have the ability to stop the government from doing the things that we do not want them to do. We can protest. We can remove them from office by popular vote. In 2010, we are re-electing THE ENTIRE CONGRESS. If the government will not obey the will of the governed, then we replace the government, piece by piece, through peaceful elections. It is the great thing about being an American.

One final point,

...whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.

-The Banker

Tax Day Tea Parties: Raise Your Voices for Liberty.

As the tea parties happen across the US today, I find myself beaming. I am always proud to be an American, and there is certainly a sense of pride today in my country and in my fellow man. With the news media predominately covering the "glory" of the Statist Barry O's campaign over the last few months, and having to listen to so many leftists spew their flawed, empty, rhetoric, it's nice to know that there are some people with some common sense out there. It's refreshing to know that there are people willing to stand up and say "enough is enough."

I encourage everyone to attend a tea party or to do their part today. The Kool Aid drinking leftists out there will do their best to mock you. Let them say what they will, then educate them. Let me explain something to you:

We are at the start of something very great here, my friends. While there may be a bunch of power hungry statists in office, we need to understand that now more than ever the time is crucial for us to rally in support of a common cause. In just a few short months, the leftists in Congress have managed to rack up a bigger debt than this country has ever seen. They will tell you that the free market is to blame, that the government is the only solution, that the government has to spend more and then implement higher taxes on business in order to save you.

Do not be fooled by this rhetoric. It is a way to make you feel inferior, as if you have to rely on the federal government to help you. Look at the mismanagement of funds by this government. Look at the debt they have racked up. Who do you think has a better say on how you should handle your finances - the federal government, or you - the hardworking American.

You work hard for your money. The time is now to stand up against this soft tyranny that is taking place. One must step back and look at our principles - we believe in the United States Constitution and the rights granted to us by it. We believe in fiscal responsibility. We believe in less government control over American citizens. We believe in the right to property, liberty, and personal happiness and freedom.

Let's look at the logic - the leftists want to spend more and more money (which has to come from somewhere...you, your children, and your children's children and beyond will be responsible for paying this gargantuan debt back), and then they want to tax the small businesses and corporations that are responsible for employing Americans in the first place. Tell me, how by spending all of this money (and rewarding bad behavior for failed business models), and then implementing more taxes on the businesses who are the backbones of employment, we are supposed to come out on top?

The leftists and those in the Barry Obama administration will tell you government is the answer. They will propose to "create" more government jobs - thus putting more citizens in debt to the federal government. I want to be clear on something here: the government is not responsible for creating jobs. Barack Obama does not "create" a single job. It is the private sector. It is you, the hardworking citizen who is responsible for job creation and growth. In America, we all have the opportunity to success - it is one of the many things that makes this country so great. We all are awarded freedoms and liberties that are not allowed in other countries. Do not ever let them take this away from you.

Yesterday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said the following: “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state" when backing a resolution that reaffirms state sovereignty, which is granted by the 10th Amendment. This is what pop culture likes to refer to as an "epic win."

My point is this: Do not let the leftist sway you with their empty rhetoric. Goons like Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, and tons of Obama drones alike will tell you that your efforts are silly, that you are protesting for no reason. They will mock the tea parties and call them "teabagging" parties - as seen in my previous post. I want you to understand that this is their desperate attempt to lash out at you. They are scared, because they know that as we grow stronger, there will be less faith in their leftist agenda.

America was created on sound principles. America was not created to let the government gain total control over its citizens and their finances. So again, protest the Statists in office. Do not be fooled by Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, or any of the others. We are America, and we must stand up and let our voices be heard. This wasteful government spending is getting out of control. The federal government is growing at an alarming rate. It is you, the hardworking taxpayer who is responsible for this country - not Barack Obama. Stand up and cheer for America, and do not ever forget these principles on which this country was founded on.

May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

-The Rocker-

Barack Obama gave me pink eye

So I am sitting here at my apartment in a state of quarantine. I went to the optometrist this morning because I have been suffering what I thought to be problems with my allergies since Tuesday. To my surprise I was informed that I in fact have come down with a case of pink eye. I know that pink eye is not a rare abnormality, but it is for me. To make matters worse, I require contacts in order to see clearly any more than six inches from my face, and due to the eye drops I have to take, I am operating for the weekend without the ability to see. The comedy of watching me strain my eyes with my nose brushing the computer monitor as I type these very words is worthy of the finest juvenile entertainers.

Other than my complete boredom and borderline humiliation due to helplessness, there are other problems with my ailment. For starters, I have been of little value at work for the last few days because I have not been able to see clearly or deal with other people since the sight of my irritated eyes is enough to inspire memories of Night of the Living Dead. Due to the quarantine, I have obviously had to miss work entirely today. The last thing the American economy needs right now is for another banker to not be working.

In addition to missing work, I will also be missing my opportunity to receive my concealed handgun license (CHL) tomorrow. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. But the significance of me missing my CHL class is not merely one of my personal disappointment or of the lack of increased security that my fellow Americans would have felt with my enhanced ability to protect myself and others from violent criminals (possible terrorists and a few ninjas). The real significance of my missing the CHL class is that it shines the light upon the cause of my illness.

Newly elected President Barack Obama.

To be quite frank, Barack Obama gave me pink eye. I borrowed the logic of a few liberal acquaintances to deduce this profound conclusion. It was quite simple logic in fact.

I did not have pink eye for the previous eight years, but I was infected with pink eye on the same day that Barack Obama was sworn in as president. That in and of itself clearly proves that he is the cause of the pink eye. He was in office when the pink eye occurred and for that reason the blame falls squarely upon him. It is his responsibility to ensure the health of the American people. When George W. Bush was the president, his eye care policies produced eight years in which I did not suffer from pink eye. However Obama's eye care policies have been a abject failures and I have paid the price. Not only have his policies failed to prevent me from getting pink eye, but I have yet to receive a single shred of federal aid to ensure my own personal well being. I think it is because Barack Obama hates Texans. I can see no other explanation.

His motivation for giving me pink eye is clear. Barack Obama did not want me to get my CHL. He is a proponent of limiting gun rights and so is doing whatever he has the ability to do in order to prevent me from getting my CHL. Which in this case meant I had to get pink eye. Barack Obama purposely introduced pink eye into my community because he hates Texans and does not want us to be able to utilize our rights. Once again, the logic is clear. Barack Obama is the president as this happens so it is clearly his fault and his will.

I know what some of you are thinking, "Banker, it is your personal responsibility to maintain the health of your eye. You have to make sure you clean your hands before touching your eyes, avoid people that may also have pink eye, and stay away from places where you can get pink eye." If you are thinking that you are a heartless idiot and obviously hate Texans too. It is the government's job to remove all pink eye hazards from this nation in order to protect me from them. George W. Bush apparently did this because I never got pink eye when he was the president. Barack Obama has failed to do this since I now have pink eye.

So I have pink eye. Barack Obama gave me pink eye. It is his fault and it is his responsibility to fix it. He should be impeached for letting it happen. At the very least I can not wait until 2012 to get him out of office so we can enjoy the eye health that we enjoyed during the Bush administration.

-the Banker

Barack Obama and the Politics of Fear.

I have noticed that democrats typically like to accuse the Bush administration and others of using the "politics of fear." We've all heard the term used very loosely, from Hillary Clinton, to Nancy Pelosi, to even Barack Obama. While I understand the notion and where they are coming from with the argument, there's something that needs to be noticed: Barack Obama also uses the politics of fear on the American public. He claims not to use it, but mixed in with his messages of "hope" and "change" are harsh images of gloom and doom...in order to scare the American people into thinking that his way is the only right way.

Such is the way of the Marxist. Let me give you a little insight as to what I'm talking about here.

Barack Obama is constantly praised by the media and his cult of followers for having a positive look to politics. He preaches against the politics of fear, says he is here to put a new face on America, and to spread those two buzzwords that have been affectively marketed to the citizens of America - hope and change. To clarify, let me say that there's nothing wrong with hope and change as words or emotions or even acts...however, what we are "hoping" for is never fully defined, and this "change" that keeps getting defined and then redefined seems to be moving the american public closer to a state of bigger government control and power, a shift away from the democracy and freedoms we currently enjoy and a strategic move towards a quasi-socialist state.

So, that being said, you are probably still asking: how does this play into Barack Obama's speeches and rhetoric?

The answer is simple. Obama spends half of his time painting a picture of a tattered, torn, broken America that is in dire need of repair. He sucks the listener in by saying "this is how bad things are and this is how worse they will get over time." When he's made that point, he offers a simple solution...more government. Let's take an excerpt from his inaugural address:

"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time."

To some degree, he is correct. The nation has certainly seen better days. However, instead of focusing on the positives of the nation and what can be done to repair parts that are broken, Obama continually poses bigger government as the solution to the problem.

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."

What you have to do here is break down what the man is saying and look how it applies to his policies. Obama mentions that we should not ask whether or not government is to small or big (which I think we all know the answer to that question...government continues to expand at an alarming rate - a leviathan that must be subdued and contained before it damages the American public beyond that which we can recover from). However, one look at his policies and ideas for America and we can see that it is obvious how he wants government to be at the center of all. In Obama's America, gone are many of the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy today. The free market will be weakened, government will control healthcare, government will work to nationalize the banking industry, and a "tax credit" will be invoked that in all reality is actually a welfare program - taking money from those who earn it and giving a $1000 "stimulus check" to the portion of Americans who are fitting the Obama demographic which works to expand the percent of the population who already pay no income taxes - thus reinforcing a belief that they should be relying on the government to take care of them, that they should not have to work hard for anything, or take any responsibility for their actions. Suddenly there is a majority of americans who are dependent on the government and not for themselves to provide. Quite simply put, this is not good.

What Obama effectively does in doing this is help to create a voting majority in where people are used to relying on the federal government to fix problems. By spending trillions upon trillions of taxpayer money, he will not fix the deficit. He says that it will be a long road, but truth be told it will be a longer road if there is more government intervention in the market and more intervention in our everyday lives.

This does not even begin to tap the surface of how he and a congress full of Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Schumer, (and potentially even Caroline Kennedy and that never once funny comedian Al Franken) will invoke the fairness doctrine (which censors free political speech, and even more so in a way just that speech which speaks out against the liberal policy), raise the population of labor union forces, and of course, this notion that he should expand the government workforce by an additional 30-40%. Suddenly, before the American people know it (at least for those of us who aren't skeptical), the majority of their lives are in total government control. It may only take a good 4 years to set some of these policies up, but it will take a long time to break them down.

Now, just to show you the difference between a politician that sees the market and liberty as a bad thing and a politician who sees the individual as a good thing and too much government intervention as a bad thing, let me leave you with two quotes from a great leader, Ronald Reagan. Even if you have disagreed with some things he has said, read the quotes...there's no denying that he is dead on in this respect:

"And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: "As government expands, liberty contracts."

and...

"Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: "We the People." "We the People" tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. "We the People" are the driver; the government is the car, and we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the People" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the People" are free."

Both quotes were taken, from Ronald Reagan's farewell address in the oval office.

That, my friends is what it's all about. Before I end this blog post, there is something that I feel must be said. The government shouldn't be controlling your life. The market will rise and it will fall...there will be hard times and there will be easy times. There will be times of prosperity and there will be times of economic depression. However, this one fact remains - it is up to the American people to provide for one another and to ensure the nation grows both morally and economically, be it an upswing or if our wonderful country may take a slight dip from an economic standpoint. The truth remains that this is the greatest nation in the world, and that all must be done to preserve the freedoms and liberties that we are able to enjoy day in and day out. This is my America, this is your America, and no one should ever be able to take that away from us. The peaceful transfer of power from one president to another on January 20th with every new incoming administration and the prosperity of this nation and wonderful liberties and freedoms we enjoy are clear cut examples of this. I ask you as Americans to stand up and make sure this government is returned to that for which it stands...a government for the people, and by the people. May God bless you all, and may God bless this great land and the freedoms and liberties we are granted.

-The Rocker

Uniting the States of America

The election is over. Barack Obama is our President-elect. Congratulations to Obama and all of his supports for a fantastic campaign, and for helping to make American history. America having its first African-American president is a source of pride as well as a testament to the progress we have made as a nation. In forty years, we have gone from African-Americans being unable to eat at certain restaurants to having an African-American as the leader of the free world. Not enough can be said about the millions of men and women that have helped pave the way for the progress that has been made and I can not begin to understand the joy being felt by African-Americans.

For the millions of Americans that did not vote for Obama, it is now time to respect the democratic process that we love and cherish as Americans. It is time to support our new president and do everything in our power to help him be the best president that he can be. That does not mean blindly following him, but it does mean giving him the respect owed to the president. No one should oppose Obama because he is a democrat. No one should hope that Obama fails for political or personal reasons. All Americans need to be united around our leader and support him in making our nation a better place.

However, that does not mean that Obama is above criticism. If an American disagrees with the decisions or the policies of Obama, then it is that person's right to voice the opposition. As long as the opposition is done with respect. For example, I am opposed to the idea of another stimulus package, so I will oppose Obama in instituting another stimulus package. I am not opposing Obama, I am opposing his policy and decision.

(On a side note, people need to stop being so disrespectful to President Bush. You can disagree with someone without being disrespectful. History will be the judge of his presidency, there is no need to heap insults on the man that has served our nation for the last eight years. The American people have voted in new leadership. Piling disdain on the Bush administration is in no way constructive for our country and makes those insulting him look like children ganging up to pick on the unpopular kid.)

As far as unity is concerned, our country would be better off if our political parties could work together. Unfortunately, neither party is willing to make the first step with any conviction. Speeches are words, and words can lie. Actions are different. One of the parties needs to act in a bipartisan manner instead of just criticize the other party for not being bipartisan. A huge step in the right direction would be for Americans to stop saying idiotic things like "I hate Nancy Pelosi" or "Sarah Palin is stupid". Until Americans get over making politics about people instead of making politics about ideas, then we aren't going to get any unity.

At this point, it would make the most sense for Republicans to make this gesture. The GOP is out of power and needs to make changes in order to change that. The GOP needs to spend the next two years working with Democrats to solve problems. The GOP needs to spend the next two years making its message about the issues and not the individuals in the Democratic party. The GOP needs to work with Democrats on fixing the economy, reforming the tax code, securing energy independence, and defeating terrorists. Bipartisan solutions that have the public in mind are the solutions that stand the test of time. Partisan solutions that are put in place in spite of the other party die as soon as power changes. We need our representatives to put common support behind the solutions for our nation. Americans are entitled to a government that is solution driven, not power driven.

People can rally around a common cause or a vision, as long as they don't hate each other.

-The Banker-