Thursday, January 10, 2008

Fool Me Twice...

Remember when George W. Bush was elected? We were so proud, not since Pres. Reagan did we have a hard-core conservative that supported social as well fiscal conservative values, a right-wing candidate that united the left and right. There was only one problem, Bush while religious turned out to be a fiscal liberal believing that the American taxpayer could solve the social ills of the nation and possibly the world.

Some are trying to make the same mistake, Mike Huckabee a religious conservative, is not a conservative Republican. His record in
Arkansas bears that out in the form of higher taxes and larger government. We need to stop confusing one's personal religious views with conservative ideals. My minister, a Presbyterian, is a nice guy who believes in the sanctity of life and that government is encroaching on religious freedoms (both hallmarks of the right) yet he is as liberal as the day is long. His "compassion" for the downtrodden goes to the point of believing that it is okay for government to take my money and spend it on the "less fortunate".

If Huckabee were to win we will see a continuation growth of the Federal Government and a greater tax burden. There will be the same pandering to the left by trying to buy their love through money for programs and pork conservatives care little about or are even against (remember the impending death of the Dept. of Education?).
 
Also let’s be real here Huckabee is not palatable to the general electorate. Maybe if Hillary is the Democrat nominee he could possibly pull off a win but probably not. Romney, Thompson, and even Giuliani (who even as liberal as he is will probably rule more conservatively than the Huckster) can easily beat Hillary and actually have a chance to beat someone as personable as Obama. Yes we like to put money on our favorite horses but is it really smart to go to the track and bet on the losers?

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Hey Mr. President Get Your Head Out of Your......

I am really getting tired of big business running my financial life. I get it, really, I believe in capitalism and all that but gee whiz the "mortgage crisis" does not rule my day. The only reason there is a mortgage crisis is because lenders lent money to deadbeats or those that bought more house than they could afford and were to ignorant to understand the implications of an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM). The government doesn't want banks to fail nor do they want the market to fall as investors lose their shirts on this one so a "crisis" is declared requiring congressional action. I wish congress would declare a "crisis" over mutual fund so I know I would be guaranteed a profit for my investments.

This meddling in the market by the President and Congress affects us in two ways, firstly it protects those who should not have boughts homes in the first place and it unfairly protects those who invested in risky stocks, secondly by creating amortgage crisis the President gets to ignore the real problem of the working American, fuel prices. Mr. President you need to pull your out on this one, like or not working Americans have to drive to work and $3.50 gasoline is affecting them more than ARM's are. The great majority off Americans do not have access to reliable mass transit and are therefore chained to their vehicles and have no choice but to pay whatever is required at the pump.

I bring up the "mortgage crisis" because it is an example of how the government should not be meddling in markets. By ignoring fuel prices the Government is again protecting those that should have should have been more careful where they invested their cash. The dirtly little secret about the cost of oil only a few brave souls dare talk about and only rarely outside of financial circles, every know and then if you pay attention on Cavuto or Kramer you here the truth behind the current price of gas. Protecting investors. I understand how the cost of  fuel began to rise, China and India become more affluent and with growing economies along with problems with Iran and Venezuela the market for available oil was being squeezed, I get it. But the problem is there are those who have invested, like the uninitiated that have tried to corner gold over the centuries, in the belief the cost of oil would always rise that are now running the market.