Photobucket upload by lllisalllindsay

It has often been said that there are two factors that influence investment of capital: fear and greed.  I believe there is a third door available to those who don’t like to identify with either.   Significantly less emotional than the first two is wise stewardship.  Yes, we all want a safe place to shelter our resources and earnings.  But if it is too safe it risks becoming moldy, like a bumper crop of grain stored in a damp basement.  When earnings are parked in such spots they are removed from circulation, and idled, are rendered almost useless.  O, that there were parking fees routinely charged for such fearful handling of value, as an incentive to keep the energy flowing!  

Today’s interest rates on savings are certainly in the basement!  But between Friday June 30 and Monday July 6 we will have good opportunity to apply resources to a series of alarming situations.  The first moment arrives tomorrow, as a replay of Y2K:  markets need to add one second to the trading day.  The next will arrive by referendum.  The Greeks have a choice to become a perpetual underclass, or to go bankrupt.  This choice has roiled markets.  The scenario has come about due to investment bankers who, back in 2010, massaged the Greek application for EU membership, at considerable profit to themselves.  Stepping up to buy securities is a way of refuting this fear.  We can suppose that the present fear suggests the possibility of bank failures around the global.  But know this:  commerce will continue.  

A Nobel economist who has been largely correct about minimal likelihood of inflation (while the fearful foolishly bought gold as a hedge against inflation that never came) and the folly of austerity since 2007, is urging Greeks to vote NO on further austerity.  I do think he is right on this also, and hope they heed his call.  The opportunity really is for the Greeks to call the bankers’ bluff.  Bankruptcy is better than knuckling under to raw power.  Perhaps the Germans and financiers might remember a bailout known as the Marshall Plan which mercifully rescued them from economic disaster after WW2?  And maybe we each should unpark some funds to buy up a flood of fear.

Gathering clouds of economic turmoil?

Too big to fail?  Nah!  But when filthy rich bullies foreclose on working folks, and then rent repo’d housing back to newly minted peons who now have greatly reduced wages, facing a future of wage slavery, it’s time to re-think.  

We need to re-invent capitalism.  I love it when new ideas pop to the surface on a sea of injustice.  An article and a book might be lifesavers for the peril ahead.  All of us should grab onto these ideas, before the generations (and nature) sink!  A quote from this well-argued article:

A “sky trust” could be created to hold America’s atmospheric pollution rights in trust for future generations and living pollutees equally. Using peer-reviewed science, the trust would decrease its sales of pollution rights over time until a safe level for nature was reached. Meanwhile, revenue from the sales would be distributed equally to every legal US resident with a Social Security number, offsetting—and in many cases, more than offsetting—the impact of higher fuel prices.

The sky trust model was based on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which since 1982 has been sharing oil-based income with every Alaskan equally. In 2009, the sky trust became known as “cap and dividend” and was considered, though not passed, by Congress. It’s still the best climate change solution out there—and one that Congress is starting to re-visit.

We can’t avoid repeating mistakes of the past unless we recognize them.  In this book, INJUSTICES,  a former clerk for a federal judge recounts the long and outrageous afflictions perpetrated by the Supreme Court on the larger population. (We don’t hear stories of such moral idiocy in high school.)  What is impressive is that there has been any justice delivered by the court, at all.  But that window was brief.  And the wealthy owners of influence are ascendant, unless We the people discover our past failures at self-governance, and demand change.

First Lady. A portrait from a slideshow, linked below

One of my former customers has made it big, and has a retrospective going on at a major gallery in Buffalo NY . He was a starving artist back in the 90’s when we copied his portraits onto 4×5 Ektachrome — but now gets as much as $90,000 for a canvas.  Here’s a slideshow of the work, which has some favorites. (Andy Warhol sat for him, live, for four hours; but most were painted from a collection of reference photos.) I only wish the slideshow linked the names of his subjects, but most will be recognized. (NB: these are copyrighted works which are shared with you under Fair Use doctrine – see my About section.) Please do not distribute the images with any commercial linkage whatsoever!

Snail Mail arrives, eventually, maybe. (photo by macrophile, flickr, via wikimedia)

Learning to adapt is an important part of entering a new culture.  The pace is different. (Not better; not worse.)  This will require some adjustment. Your mileage may vary. Our absentee ballots were mailed October 3rd from Buffalo. As we had been instructed to contact the Board of Elections if they didn’t arrived by mid October, we did so. They sent another pair. One of the four eventually arrived before Christmas – the other three are still missing in action.  Next time we may choose to vote electronically, which means we won’t get to vote in local elections up north, but at least our ballots for federal elections will be timely.  

Today, February 11, two Christmas cards dropped thru the slot — a few days ahead of Valentines Day, but late for Groundhog Day. Carnival starts tomorrow, with the children’s parade, a favorite event. We’ve been invited to a reserved table at an excellent location for taking pictures. Stay tuned.

There’s much to be grateful for in email, including online billing and speed of communication. 

Mail may diminish in importance for you here.