Last week, a friend of mine received an unsolicited call from a lawyer whose advice was simple and to the point: “Stop paying your mortgage, wait until your bank calls you and let me take the call for you”. He then explained that he would renegotiate my friend’s mortgage at a much lower rate by plunging his hands, as deeply as he could, into the famed $700B bailout, on my friend’s behalf… Continue reading

Tags: bailout

Please indulge me in a quick review of the prepared remarks, noticeably uttered with a straight face, earlier this week, by the CEO of Chrysler LLC, Robert Nardelli, before a congressional panel, as he begged for an additional $25B to save his company and his job:

“The crippling of the industry would have severe and debilitating ramifications for the industrial base of the United States, would undermine our nation’s ability to… Continue reading

Tags: Automakers, Big Three

Joe Lieberman, Junior Senator from Connecticut, officially listed as Independent Democrat in the 110th US Senate, was only given a tiny slap on the wrist for having backed the Republican Presidential ticket in the 2008 Presidential Elections.

In the decision appropriately announced, earlier today, with a perfect Senate majority leader Harry Reid poker face, Al Gore’s former running mate will remain in the Democratic caucus and keep his chairmanship… Continue reading

Tags: Senate

This morning’s Citigroup announcement of a new 53,000 employee lay off - totalling 75,000 job eliminations for the year - is scary news, considering the banking sector was first in line to receive tax payer support from the bailout, weeks ago. This week, the looming big three automotive giants’ additional bailout – whether granted as a loan (pun intended) from the energy department or portioned out from the $700 B cake (too thick to… Continue reading

Tags: bailout

Stephen Vance was assassinated in Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday, where he was working to improve the life of local villagers, as a director of job creation and workforce development projects for CHF International. His driver was also killed during the attack. Steve is survived by his wife and 5 children.

I met Steve in… Continue reading

I have avoided writing about Governor Palin because I mistakenly expected her to go back to Alaska and quietly acquiesce her fifteen minutes were over… yes was I wrong… hence this reluctant note about the Palin phenomenon, a few hours after her first press conference, which, as could have been expected, did not deliver any information worth that word.

Sarah Palin, unknowingly confirmed a certain truth about a large… Continue reading

Tags: campaign 2008

Today, our Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, announced that he is shifting the focus of the $700B bailout by moving away from the original plan of purchasing so-called toxic securities or troubled assets, with the stated purpose of taking the items off the thankful banks’ red columns, sit on them for a long while and pay “the tax payers back” when the markets recover, the assets shed their troubles and values climb… Continue reading

Tags: bailout

So… We, the People have bailed out AIG (twice), a few banking and mortgage companies and, it appears that grand old GM is next on the receiving end of our collective generosity.

So, here come the questions – since I have no answers: which company, from which industry, is next? Can my small two-employee-company be the lucky recipient, or must the company name be recognizable nationwide to qualify for… Continue reading

Tags: bail out

Tags: campaign 2008, Prop 8

The longest presidential campaign is over… let the analysis begin! Let’s start with the Republican counter message about the Democratic ticket, which moved from “lack of experience” to “increased taxes” – the former message lost its punch after Sarah Palin’s TV interviews.

The Republican messaging moved to taxes and spending a few hours after McCain announced… Continue reading

Tags: wreckless spending

A few days ago, our country made a historic decision with unprecedented national and world wide repercussions, copiously documented by US and world news outlets. The government of Kenya has even declared Thursday November 6, 2008, a National Holiday, all over their land, on the other side of our planet. Somehow, however, the significance of this day in America, and indeed, World History, was ignored by my children’s schools. I… Continue reading

Tags: Presidential Elections