U S Credit Rating or Does the U S Rate?

Well, we finally got the news that Moodys has given the US a triple A rating for its debt obligation. This is primarily the Treasury notes and bills.  Certainly since WWII the US has been the premier economy in the world and long considered the safe haven for money and the safest and most profitbable [...]

Old Bad Remedies Are Still Bad Ones

We are faced with difficulty at the moment in our economic and financial affairs.  Many refer to it as a crisis.  I suppose that is in the eyes of the beholder.  But a faltering economy is a fact whatever its degree.   Some are  proposing certain remedies that they vervantly hawk as new and different to fix [...]

Will Bull Market Endure?

It is so unusual to have financial and economic news dominate the headlines the way they have for the last several months.  Under normal conditions there might be a headline or two each month about such matters but usually they would be relegated to the business section of the paper.  Not any more.  There has [...]

The Printing Press and Debt

Of late we hear many politicians of both parties talking about running up debts that will be a insurmountable burden on our children and grandchildren.  This is certainly appropriate given the scope and size of the proposed budget of the new administration.  The numbers are truly staggering and almost incomprehensible due to their size.   That [...]

Debtor’s Prison for a Nation?

The amount of the debt we are accumulating and proposing to accumulate has become more than worrisome.   In the olden days we had debtors’ prisons for those who couldn’t satisfy their debt obligations.  Newgate prison in London was one of the most famous of these.  In the Colonies we had them too until after the [...]

Overstimulating the Bailing

The headlines are filled everyday with another bailout or stimulus discussion or proposal.  It is really beginning to be hard to keep them straight even for someone like me who does try to stay abreast of these matters.   The array of actions taken or projected to be taken by the Fed, the Treasury and Congress [...]

Piper paid for bailouts?

The bailout monies continue to grow and the list of beggars at the Feds’ door also is mushrooming with each passing day.   Even more states and local governments are now saying they deserve some bailout help.  The numbers have become so staggering that I fear to many ordinary folks that they are becoming meaningless and [...]

Echos of the Past

The Good Book teaches there is nothing new under the Sun. Is that true? Some are concerned about our current economic circumstances and act like we have never faced anything like this before. We, referring not just to the United States. The concern is about a recession and the drop [...]