Latest posts

Why we’re doomed.

scaredpoet

This lovely bumper sticker was spotted whilst walking down the street one day:

I'm voting for sarah!

Oh, are ya?

The mere existence of this bumper sticker implies a couple of things to me. First, there’s at least one faction within the GOP that is printing election materials that tacitly admit John McCain will probably kick the bucket during his term in office if elected, leaving this ditz in the Oval Office.

Second, yes, neocon stupidity is still alive and well in the US. And it could still doom us. Sure Palin did okay in the primaries, and people seem to be cheering on the fact that she could barely stalemate with Joe Biden. People love how “likeable” she is.

I’m sorry, she may be likeable. But she’s also quite vapid. And when there’s a financial crisis, or an energy crisis, or a war we’re trying to get out of, having a pretty but braindead airhead in the position to make decisions is not very comforting. And what’s this? Oh, right, all three crisies are happening at the same time, right now.

America, let’s face it. We’ve botched two elections and pissed away eight years. We’re at our lowest point in history and dragging the rest of the world with us. Let’s not botch a third election. Please?

Why I’ve lost all faith in the banking system

scaredpoet

Bail

Today, with the collapse of the nation’s largest Savings & Loan I, like many other people in America, are waking up to an awful truth. Our money doesn’t really exist.

Sure, the government wants people to THINK it’s real, and that it’s also very, very safe. Because allegedly, all of this “real money” is insured up to certain amounts. But The Washington Mutual failure went down the way it did for a good reason: there was no way in hell the FDIC could truly protect everyone who held deposit accounts in there. WaMu is simply too big. So is Chase, so is Bank of America. A big failure with no buyout would crush our nation’s deposit insurance system, and truth be told, it’s really anyone’s guess as to whether people would really get their money back. And we can only hope that these banks stay strong, because if they fail, we’re screwed. Billions of dollars, gone poof, with the FDIC only able to shrug their shoulders if a really rich white knight doesn’t come to the rescue.
Continue reading →

On Gas, Panic Buying and the Mob Mentality

scaredpoet

gas1gas2

This past week, with Hurricane Ike bowling into Texas and allegedly wiping out the US’ ability to refine oil, a lot of people panicked, really really badly. Despite oil prices dropping to nearly $90 a barrel, and wholesale gas prices at almost $2.50 a gallon, gas prices for us consumers actually went up, in some places as high as $5.00 a gallon.

Why? Not because of supply and demand. Not because of any actual effect by the hurricane. It was all because people panicked. And it proves that the price of gas these days has little to do with actual world events, and more on what people merely think the commodity might be worth and how rare it’s becoming.

And now the “experts” – the same ones that said we’d see $200/barrel oil by now – are trying to explain this one with new theories.

Experts say that when a perception exists that gas is limited — warranted or not — consumers flock to the pumps even if officials implore them to stay calm.

It’s a combination of fear, desire, distrust and protectionism, experts say.

“When you have a perceived scarcity of any product, research shows the attractiveness of that product goes up,” said Dr. Rao Unnava, marketing professor at Ohio State University.

Unfortunately, there are so many panicky petes in society driving the stampede that it doesn’t seem like there’s much that rational people can do, except maybe follow the stampede in order to protect themselves. To stay calm and only buy gas when you need it means you get punished with the inflated price, after everyone else has topped off. Or worse, you end up high and dry with no gas at all.

So why are prices high, and why is our economy in a rut? Sadly, the answer is simple: it’s because people are stupid. Case in point:
Dow Jones

Penguins on Wheels

CrazedPenguin

Clever titles aren’t really my forte, but neither is keeping up with this column. This summer, with the aid of some serious taunting in my general direction, I have been persuaded to ride roller coasters. I am, by no means, an expert on the topic, but I figured I could at least do a write up on my thoughts on these coasters. I will rank, based on a number of factors (how much I enjoyed the coaster, the general consensus of the coaster, etc) the coasters I’ve enjoyed this summer in hopes that they may provide some help to fellow amusement park-goers.
Continue reading →