FALL AND THE ECONOMY

It's been a pretty gray day here in the valley. Some rain moved in on us and if it hasn't been raining it has been cloudy. But that kind of light is easy on the eyes and you can see very well. It is obvious in looking around that Fall is upon us. The Walnut trees are getting pretty sparse in the foliage department. The big Hickory beside the lake is easy to see through. On the ridge across from us the Maples are turning their day-glo colors. I love the Maples in the Fall. I know cold weather is coming on and it is not so hard to take if the trees are pretty. It's really quite a show.

I am aware that most of you know the DJIA dropped 500 points today. Too bad. But I have no money in that game and thus I have none to lose. The big noise was up on Drudge and it said that pension funds had lost 2 trillion dollars in the last 15 months. Now that little item is a sign of pain to our older folks here in this country. One more Social Security check should just about do me. I hope I get it. But surely, after all these years, the fedgov would think a lot of me as opposed to these young banking studs. Doncha think?

I got to hear George Ure and Cliff High on the internet radio. Interesting fellas. They don't sound like the tin hat brigade at all. They sound like reasonable fellas who are playing around with a new idea and having some success with it. If it really works the Pentagon will buy the system and use it for war. Seems like Cliff and George want it to be used for the good of all people but you know how that goes.

Governments in Europe are coming to the rescue of their faltering banks. Russia is bailing out Iceland. Pretty good of Russia to do that. The silence from the Mid-East is deafening. Those Arab oil guys are not predisposed to come rescue an infidel's banking system I reckon. They are building towering skyscrapers out in the vast expanse of the desert. They must think there isn't enough room to expand over there so they are building taller. Good move, guys. And thank you for the offer of friendship and help. We'll remember that.

I am having trouble getting those pension funds off my mind. Those people are going to take an unbelievable hit to their financial security. If it goes much further they will not HAVE any financial security. And then we will have more foreclosures and more tent cities and more angry people in the streets. Seems like a perfect recipe for trouble and trauma. Those people will be in shock when they find out it is all gone down the drain. But it won't matter to the ex-CEO of Lehman's Bank. He has his hundreds of millions and his properties and his estates and very little care about you and I. Works for him! But it doesn't do much for the old folks getting ready to retire.

The Hermit and I were talking today, as we seem to do a lot. He was talking about a set of books he bought many years ago. It was the 11 volume set of Will Durant's History of Civilization. I have it upstairs. But he said as he was reading he had a "light bulb" experience and he realized that what happened to governments and people, all through the ages, was still going on. It is going on today as a matter of fact. The government and the rich beat the poor until the poor can no longer stand it and then the poor rise up, kill all the rich and the rulership, and start the whole thing over again. Makes you think that the room temperature I.Q. has been around for a long time. We humans are a slow witted lot. But that will be changed. And no matter who is ruling over whom, do your best to stay alive.

Michael

mboone@rtccom.net