The depth of the injury that Wall Street Greed has done to the US Economy is stunning. But now it is being made worse by the major financial institutions working for their own ends primarily at the risk of the whole economy. Yet the cost to taxpayers through their Moral Hazard Insurance Agents(think US Treasury […]
As proof that the notions that Private Equity, Hedge Funds and the Investment Banks are out of fiduciary trust limits and without control I will offer various articles by respected journals. Here are some sources: Business Week – huge debt levels smack against the Wall of Debt calls Barrons – December 24, 2007 Cover Story
Greedy Guts US: Readings Read More »
“baseball” is doing a major cover-up on its doping problems. On Friday, baseball and its players union came to an “agreement” to whitewash all its doping problems – and the major trade press that covers the sport seemed to agree. Lets do nothing , sweep it under the rug, and gosh golly isn’t Bud Selig,
Major League Cover-up Read More »
I recently had an experience with Fedex Ground service that emphasizes the still large opportunities available in the Business of Delivery. I had been waiting for a package for four months along with my ever patient editor. It finally shipped – and the notice of its attempted delivery was delivered to my offices (I could
Delivery of Opportunity Read More »
Windows Vista is on life support. It is dying and will be replaced as soon as possible . Our blog at theOpenSourcery.com will follow the demise of Vista on Vista Watch. We do so to highlight a)how fast the change over will be made; b)how well Microsoft treats its existing Windows XP customers. For example,
On the March 30th ABC Sunday news program This Week with George Stephanopoulos I saw a coming together of political minds that was quite unexpected, almost stupify. Here were Newsweek’s George Will, NTime’s Paul Krugman and economic author Robert Reich all agreeing on George Will’s Law. A little background. The show was doings it usual,
The Democratic party over the weekend discovered that the Clinton’s a) have no chance to win the delegate count; b)will continue to wage an increasingly destructive and internecine campaign that will inflict increasingly serious damage on the part; and c)Bill Clinton is willing to trade being Presidential to being a Peerles Campaigner” any time, day
John Edwards Endorsement Read More »
All through the debacle on Wall Street, the issue of Moral Hazard has been lingering. Moral Hazard says that people with insurance may take greater risks than those without such insurance. In the current stock market, hedge fund and other investment bankers have been dealing with very high risk transactions and extremely high leverage –
Greedy Guts Us : Moral Hazard Read More »
Now that New York has replaced one wife cheating governor with another, the prosecution of the johns in the Emperor’s Club case takes on new dimensions. How can the attorneys who have taken the liberty to reveal Spitzer as a John then leave at least 50 other johns unrevealed and unprosecuted ? Well one answer
Eliot Spitzer: The Case of the Johns Read More »
Our continuing series on the credit crunch gripping US financial markets in which key Financial Players in the mortgage and security creation and evaluation businesses (think Moody’s and Standard and Poors in the latter case) did an Eliot Spitzer – failed to deliver on the fiduciary trust and monetary integrity for which they are paid
The NYTimes which broke the Eliot Spitzer story is doing wrap up coverage here. What is notable about what the NYTimes deems “fit to print” are the following: 1) The prosecution of the Prostitution Ring and four of its owners is going forward; 2)The other “Johns” appear to have dodged the indictment bullet so far;
Eliot Spitzer Six : Sex in the City Read More »
From the Eliot Spitzer case there are five other major ramifications: 1)The NYTimes certainly cannot be accused of treating Democrats with kid gloves. 2)The vice-presidential choices of the two presidential contenders will be watched with much greater interest. 3)The US is certainly not European in its sexual morality. 4)The news media are certainly moving along
Eliot Spitzer V: Five Ramifications Read More »
Last night on David Letterman Tonight Show David crossed the line. Apparently if you intimate going out with hookers or hint of whoring around then it may be okay to do it. But certainly such “nudge, nudge, wink, winking” appears to allow you to be judge, jury and executioner on others who may do it.
Eliot Spitzer IV : David Letterman on Whoring Read More »
Andy Rooney has just done a tongue and cheek 60 Minutes piece on why anyone would want to be President. Given Eliot Spitzers demise, one could easily extend that to a much wider range of political offices. There is a paucity of legal pay for dancing on the head of an increasingly fragile legal and
Eliot Spitzer III : The Andy Rooney Effect Read More »
Vendetta: 1. A feud between two families or clans that arises out of a slaying and is perpetuated by retaliatory acts of revenge; a blood feud. 2. A bitter, destructive feud. Ex-governor Eliot Spitzer has been an unbelievable sucker to become the victim of a vendetta. He should have known that he had acquired highly
Eliot Spitzer II : Vendetta Read More »
There was extensive coverage of the Eliot Spitzer case on CBC Newsworld today. Nancy Wilson asked an online expert how the government could be so sure of the case against Spitzer. Three things were cited – first, the banks have to report any transaction over $10,000 to the Federal government. Second, large cash transactions in
Eliot Spitzer I : Privacy Canary Read More »
The most popular story on the NYTimes email list this weekend is about the topic that has been one of the most controversial on business and IT websites – the exact extent of the disaster that is Windows Vista and what it is doing to the Windows Brand. What makes the NYTimes story more relevant
Windows Brand Under Siege Read More »
William F Buckley Jr. died this past month at the age of 82. Buckley was the aristocratic, cultured spokesman for Conservatism in the US for the past half century. His National Review championed almost obsessively Conservative causes. Here is what Time Magazine had to say in its Appreciation: “He could get things completely wrong –
William F Buckley Jr. Read More »
It is remarkable that in the Western Developed countries that are looking for innovation to bring economic advantage and prosperity, there is such a recoiling against Science. The US has an evangelical wing attacking many aspects of Science including creationism over Evolution plus stem cell research stymied by draconian restrictions. And George Bush has gutted
Science in Retreat Read More »
I have been very careful not to commit to a Democrat Presidential candidate – I liked John Edward’s “its the Middle Class being gutted alive, stupid” message but not his almost courtroom legal stridency. I liked Joe Biden for his John McCain straight talking but rued his chances for a breakthrough. I liked Barack Obama
Why Barack Obama Will Earn His Win Read More »
Here is a searing example of how divisive religion has become in the politics of the day, especially in North America. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced this week that he was considering alternating other major faith’s prayers with the Lord’s Prayer that opens each session of parliament. The Premier argued that because Ontario and Canada
Doing the Right Thing in Ontario Read More »
In an article about how important the Bubble Economy has become for US Industry, Eric Janszen argues that the Media has become at best bystanders and more often cheerleaders for “the next big thing”. He notes that Media had failed to signal the problems with the last two economic bubbles – the Internet Boom ending
Media as Attention Directors Read More »
Republicans are beginning to reap what they have sewn – some of the most divisive politics of the past 10 years at a time when the Internet and instant information make being a fraud or two-tongued very dangerous business – just ask Roger Clemens. Also read what columnist Gail Collins has to say about Mitt
Republicans Badly Divided Read More »
Greedy Guts Itself has had widespread consequences – collateral damage that was either not anticipated or, more likely, simply ignored by the round-up of Usual Suspects like an Anthony Mozilo, the Quants and every Big US Bank and its CEO that has foreign Sovereign Funds as new large shareholders. This section will track the spread
Greedy Guts Itself: The Fallout Update Read More »
It is stark and unrelenting. Call it collateral damage. Greek tragedy. Yet like Confessions of an Economic Hitman, it is vulgar. I speak of the humbling of Colin Powell whose reputation has been wholly tarnished by himself and by the “Commander” he served. Read not so much the article but the following commentary on this story of who
Hero Used, Humbled Read More »
Everytime I hear George W. Bush say the words “bringing Democracy to the world” I am awestruck that he and his cohorts don’t just out and out puke. Unfortunately with the State of the Union and other policy speeches of late, the retching opportunties have been too replete. Perhaps George is bypassing opportunities at humor
Bringing Democracy to …. Read More »
The Financial Investment community should be reasonably careful about its image of late – after all these gals and primarily guys have been responsible for triggering a recession (and maybe a particularly nasty one) plus incurring large losses in their various investment offerings. So you would think caution no celebration would be the operative style.
I have been looking for some good Presidential Primary Election dashboards. At first I gave the NYTimes the nod especially for its subsidiary Financing and Where the Cadidates have been graphis. But now my allegiance may have changed to Yahoo because it gives more details, including the crucial voter turnout numbers. Not as easy to
Dualing Election Dashboards Read More »
In our piece in this blog on Billary or Obama , I advance the notion which may very well be treated as a scientific hypotheses: The winner of the Democratic nomination will be the winner of the Presidential election. Here is my empirical proof: Primary Election Turnout in 2008 StatePrimary Democrats Republicans Alabama – D=48.9%
Presidential Election Hypotheses Read More »
PBS is featuring on Masterpiece Theater every Sunday a series of Jane Austen productions. If you have any love of true romance these are stories not to be missed. No, they are not flawless – Persuasion on January 13th and Mansfield park at 1 1/2 hours were just too short for the underlying stories. Much
Jane Austen on PBS Read More »
The Democrats have a tough choice coming up beyond Super Tuesday. Will it be Billary or Obama? Now I have deliberately taken this inflammatory designation of Hillary’s campaign for reasons discussed immediately below. But first some full disclosure. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are huge steps ahead of whatever comes out of the Republican Primary
In my Greedy Guts Itself series of articles here I have been arguing that today’s quant driven derivative instruments (poorly understood and very hard to measure) plus the automatic computer-driven trading systems are one of the major factors (but not the only ones) driving the current sub-prime fiasco and the general malaise in the financial
Derivative Caution: Greedy Guts Not Alone Read More »
