Disconnect

I am sensing a disconnect between myself and the vast array of left leaning political observers.  I am talking about President Obama's announcement re: a two year pay freeze. 

The pay freeze is symbolic, no question about it.  It will have essentially no impact on the federal budget. I agree on this part with all the loud voices on the left.  Although, I suggest the symbolism is important.  I greatly suspect that the vast vast majority of Americans, especially those who do not consider themselves rabid partisans on either side of the spectrum to welcome this symbolism.

Many people have endured the Great Recession having to do with less.  Not just those who are un- and under-employed.  Even the employed have had to pay for higher health care premiums and deductibles, have had to go without raises or bonuses.  There has been sacrifice over the past two years.  The impression, rightly or wrongly, is that public empolyees have been exempted from this latest economic downturn.  Here in Columbia Mo the most recent election for County Commissioner was decided solely on the issue of County Commissioners getting paid too much.  It was a very effective campaign. (In truth the new commissioner has no ability what so ever to affect this, he kind of left this out of his ads).  It resonated very well.

I may be considered an Obama apologist.  Though, I have always considered Obama to be a reach across the aisle, practical liberal.  I believe he has a vision of the way he would like things to be and a vision of what is possible for things to be.  He fights for what he thinks he can achieve instead of spending too much energy on reaching for the stretch goals.   This particular aspect is infuriating to many on the left.  I understand why and I would hope that many of those on the left would attempt to appreciate the reality we are in instead of the ideal we dream of. 

All that being said, I can fully get behind President Obama's move to a temporary pay freeze on the following conditions (not that he cares), that he continue to fight for the expiration of the tax cuts on income over $250,000, as well continuing to fight for unemployment benefits, health care reform etc.  Many on the left see this move as a complete and utter cave to the Republican Party.  I see it as an honest assesment of a way forward in governing in manner that is truly best for America and not what is best for the Liberals of America. 

Liberals tend to be upset with this approach, in light of the way Bush governed for the previous 8 years.  I agree, it was the Bush agenda to ram rod their way through the political process for very partisan, personal and political reasons.  We must remember Obama did not run as the liberal version of Bush he ran on being the opposite of Bush.

"Keep it local Stupid"

Now that we have established everyone is going to spend boat loads of money.  The question is where to spend it.  Take a look at a little chart comparing spending at locally vs. non-locally owned business. Remember tomorrow is Small Business Saturday.

Turn the corner

I am just going to lay out a theory I have. 

Nov 2nd 2010 is when it all changed.

For the past couple of years people have been scared, divided, broke, unemployed, uncertain.  This has manifested itself in tea parties, econcomic contraction, partisan divide and gridlock.  We yelled at each other during the health care debate, yelled at each other during the campaign.  Then we voted.  It was a big cathartic convulsion. 

Compare it to a fever breaking, you build up to heavy sweats and then it's all gone.  Now, I don't suggest it is all gone, but I do believe people are ready to turn the corner. They are tired of being concerned, afraid, paranoid.  America for the most part wants to get on with it's life.  I think youl'll see the extremes settlle down, people will return to the malls, and the conversation return to more mundane items.  Two areas I think we can look at to see if this is correct are shopping figures for this Christmas and Obama's approval ratings.  I have learned you can't look at any one day of shopping to figure out how the season will go, you have to wait for the post mortem.  Regarding Obama's numbers, according to RealClearPolitics.com just before the election he had a 45 - 51 approval rating = -6  as of today he is 46 - 48 = -2 that is ok swing for 3 weeks, again we will have to wait to see how it plays out. 

All in all, I think people are just ready to have Happy Holiday season. 

Warren Buffett's two cents.

Mr. Buffet write's a thank you letter.

One of the things I find confounding about the Tea Party Movement is their hatred for the Bail Out.  I don't know if they were paying attention, if they forgot, or don't care.  The bail out was not a preferred action.  The bail out occurred under Bush.  The Bail out saved our asses.  Now there can be constant debate about the particulars, but Buffet takes us back to the big picture and reminds us of what happened. 

Nor was it just business that was in peril: 300 million Americans were in the domino line as well. Just days before, the jobs, income, 401(k)’s and money-market funds of these citizens had seemed secure. Then, virtually overnight, everything began to turn into pumpkins and mice. There was no hiding place. A destructive economic force unlike any seen for generations had been unleashed.

 Buffett continues

I don’t know precisely how you orchestrated these. But I did have a pretty good seat as events unfolded, and I would like to commend a few of your troops. In the darkest of days, Ben Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner and Sheila Bair grasped the gravity of the situation and acted with courage and dispatch. And though I never voted for George W. Bush, I give him great credit for leading, even as Congress postured and squabbled.

It is good to see there are still grown ups out there.  While I disagreed with the manner in which the Bush administration started the process, I never saw it as anything but necessary and I am happy with the manner in which the Obama administration did a course correction on some of the implementation.  The bail out's very success is what allows for people to criticize it.  The success is what minimized the catastrophic impacts. The lack of those catastrophic impacts is what many haters point to, in order to say the bail out was unnecessary. 

I knew her back when: Samantha Fish

Girls with guitars - "Bitch" from Lighthouse Pictures on Vimeo.