Mark Knows It All

It’s time for all Americans to take stock of their lives and how they relate to government. Ignorance is the enemy, and unfortunately ignorance is running rampant in the country. What happens in Washington matters to all of us! It is not esoteric. It is not theoretical. It has consequences to our lives, our families, and our pocket books. And it is also difficult to change after some whackadoodle policy becomes law. And there we are left standing…. I have lots of friends who laugh at my blog and web site. To them, I am some sort of a nut who goes off the deep end in caring for what happens to my country. I have always been politically active, but when I started trading securities, I learned quickly that bad government policy has immediate and serious consequences for the country. The stock market it the great  prognosticator. It is saying things aren't so good right now.  Do you really know what is in the health care bill? Do you know that in 20...

I continually pound the table that at the end of the day, the well being of the American economy is directly tied to the cost of energy. The ups and downs in the economy, albeit subject to other forces as well, are directly linked to the cost of energy in a straight forward manner that doesn’t need some academic economic whackadakic scholar to analyze it. When the cost of energy spikes, the economy tanks! It happens every single time. The inevitable recessions are severe. It has been this way since the oil crises in the mid 1970’s. There are those who scream and yell that our government has no energy policy. They are wrong. The United States energy policy is to restrict and prohibit the development of new energy sources within the confines of our borders. Environmental concerns have been raised to a religion. We have put most of the oil reserves off limits to drilling, and have actively discouraged either through deliberate policy, accidental policy, ...

Last weekend, the Seraphim Chorus under the direction of Kris Harper, made a quantum leap from traditional and stodgy choral stuff into the world of pop and performance doing a boffo choral concert showcasing the music of the 1960’s. It had a WOW factor as we tuned up to sing some Mamas and Papas, some Association, some bubble gum fluff, some folk music, some peacenik music, and some inspirational freedom rider music from the civil rights song book. It was a ride down memory…and who knew that we had it in us??? It was supplemented by some talented musicians from Westminster College and the one and only Jim McClelland of The McClelland's fame.  Add into the mix some outstanding commentary by local activist Staughton Lynn (you might not agree with him, but he walked the walk), the concert was a home run. It was also one of our more difficult performances. Pop musicians use rhythms and harmonies unfamiliar to those of us growing up singing standard SATB fare in h...

How’s this recovery working out for you? Good? Glad to hear it. Tell the rest of the country. In all seriousness, the economic indicators reported last week are abysmal. If this isn’t a double dip recession, it sure feels like it. Housing prices still continue to fall. The private sector only produced 53,000 jobs last month. It needs to produce about 200,000/month just to keep the unemployment rate steady (break even). The unemployment rate is up to 9.1%, but in reality is closer to 19% taking into account discouraged workers. Productivity is anemic. The chronically unemployed are at a higher percentage rate than during the Great Depression. Housing prices as a percentage of value have fallen more than in the Great Depression. America’s credit rating has been downgraded to negative. And last, but not least, the stock market is sliding. What’s really scary is the Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, said on CNBC last week that HE is afraid. If this guy is losing sleep ov...