A Cat's Eye View: Baxter's Back

Baxter here. Hoo boy, it's been a long month since my Human last posted here. A lot of Water has gone under the Bridge, as the saying goes. Or maybe I should say, a lot of OIL has gone under the Bridge.

I Apologize for My long Absence here. My Female Human has been Too Preoccupied with her Mother to pay much attention to Me or her Blog. Funny, though, she always has time for that Facebook thing. I myself have a Catbook page but I really never got into it Much.

To be Honest, the main Reason I have time to be on the Computer is because my Human has a Day to Herself and can help Me. It's not for a Good Reason, but it is still a Day to Herself. Her Mother had to go to the Emergency Room of the local Hospital yesterday due to Dehydration. She has been admitted to the Hospital and is doing Well. However, my Human is not sure what to do when her Mother gets Out, as it seems as if, more and more, she really may belong in a Nursing Home due to her Frail Condition. Plus her 89-year-old Aunt has been helping with her Mother's care at home, and my Human is afraid it is starting to Stress Her Out too.

As a Cat, I can't really Comment, but I did spend some Time in the Cat equivalent of a Nursing Home, I suppose you could say. I was at a cat rescue called HAAL (short for Humane Animal Adoption League) before my Humans brought me home. The HAAL Humans were very nice to Us and let us out of our Cages to Play and took Very Good Care of Us. While of course I Prefer being in a whole House, it was Pleasant there. (If You are feeling Generous, please do click on the Link and learn more, and if you can Donate to them, I'm sure they would Appreciate it Deeply.)

My Human also wants me to tell You how much she Appreciates everyone's comments and Good Wishes for her and her Mother. She feels Very Blessed to have so many Friends here in the Interwebs.

As for Me, I have a lot of Catching Up to do on Current Events. As mentioned above, the Biggest Story to me in the past Month is the Horrendous Oil Explosion in the Gulf that is Still Going On.

How those Idiots at BP let this Happen I don't know. But as a Cat, I feel Fellowship with all of the Life in the Gulf that is being Devastated by this continuing Debacle, and it makes me Very Sad. If an Oil Company doesn't know what they would do if their Stupid Oil Well blew up and caused all the Oil to spout out into the Ocean, then they Darn Well shouldn't be Drilling down there in the First Place. Period. And the Government shouldn't be letting Them!

I won't get into all the Stupid things I've heard about - batteries missing and Whatnot, How to Stop It, and Who is to blame. But I'll let Jon Stewart explain it All for you:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
There Will Be Blame
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

In Other News, there was That Day when the Dow Jones Average tanked almost a Thousand Points and still No One really Knows Why. That was Scary. Luckily for my Humans' 401ks, it did Rebound Somewhat by the end of the Day. My Female Human happened to be watching CNN at the time it happened, and she saw her Retirement pass before her Eyes for a few minutes there.

Also during this past Month, President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, receiving both Pats on the Head and whacks with the Rolled-Up Newspaper from Both Sides. Liberals are Worried she isn't Liberal Enough, and of Course, the Right would never think ANYONE the President nominated would be Conservative enough. We Cats tend to be Very Liberal, so in My View she probably isn't Liberal Enough. It seems as if the Republicans never have any Compunction about nominating people that are to the Right of Genghis Kahn, while Democrats are afraid to go anywhere but Slightly Left of Center at the Most when they nominate a Justice, resulting in a Court that shifts increasingly Rightward.

However, Elena Kagan hasn't really left enough of a Paper Trail to keep her from being Nominated or even give the Liberals any real reason to Worry. I say, give her the Benefit of the Doubt and hope she is more Liberal than she lets on. That happens sometimes even when a Justice is appointed by the Republicans. Let's hope it works for the Dems too.

I shall End with one of my Cheery and Uplifting stories so as to leave You on a Positive Note. My Human told me about this so I thought I'd pass it on to You. She was walking That Dog the other Morning, and as they started to pass a Garbage Can on the Street, she noticed that the white plastic garbage bag in the can was Wiggling, as if Something was Stuck Inside and trying to get Out! Holes at the bottom of the bag showed where the Creature had gotten in, but it wasn't smart enough to go Back the Way it Came.

A Man walking his dog approached, and my Human called his Attention to the bag. "I think there's a squirrel or something stuck inside that bag!" she said.

He looked while That Dog and his dog started sniffing hello. My Human said she was worried because the Garbage Truck would be along shortly. The Man looked around and got a long Stick and came back and started Poking the bag with it. He said, "I think it's a bird!" Suddenly the bag tore, and flying out of it came a large, disgruntled Starling! He took off indignantly, as if it were Their fault that he was stuck inside.

"We did our good deed for the day!" said the Man, and continued on with his dog, as did my Female Human. One less thing to Worry About.

Personally, I think they should have brought the Bag Home to Me so I could deal with that Starling!

In the Meantime, I'm going to add Beer to the Catnip I regularly Consume just to get through the latest News Events. Sometimes you need more Sedation than Others. Hang in there, and maybe Things will Improve.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. It's about Time someone took a New Picture of Me. How do you like it? I think my Eyes look Very Piercing since they are reflecting the Glow of the Flash.

So, here we are, another Week gone. My Female Human has been wasting all her Free Time lately on that stupid Facebook thing. It's One Thing to be reading Blogs, which Stimulate the Mind; it's Quite Another Thing to be taking Stupid Quizzes and posting that you're eating Cereal for Lunch. The only Good Thing she does on that Facebook place is play Scrabble. That is an Intellectual Pursuit.

Be that as it may, at Least on the Weekends she is catching up, because it seems as if on Weekends when people aren't at Work they don't do much on Facebook! What does this say about the Nation's Work Force?

I wanted to tell you about a Nifty Site I discovered while Surfing the Net last night. It's on CNN.com and it is a Complete Summary of the Progress to Date by President Obama. Check it out right here. You can see how much of the Recovery Act went to things like Education or new Energy initiatives, which Bush Policies he reversed, and so on. It's worth a Look!

One of the Things my Female Human is particularly happy about is the digitizing of Medical Records:

"Another component of Obama's plan calls for all health records to be standard and electronic within five years. 'It just won't save billions of dollars and thousands of jobs -- it will save lives by reducing the deadly but preventable medical errors that pervade our health care system,' Obama said during a January 2009 speech."

The Doctor my Female Human goes to for her Checkups is Big on electronic Records. She inputs all her Information into a Laptop, she prints out her Prescriptions so the Pharmacist can actually read Them, and she Communicates via e-mail in a System called RelayHealth. My Female Human loves this. Her Doctor can be reached easily and she can even e-mail Prescriptions to Pharmacies in other States if my Humans are on Vacation and need some Pills they Forgot to bring. (Personally, as a Cat, I don't know why they would WANT Pills, but that's their Problem).

But her Other Doctors do not use this System and it is Very Frustrating for her. It's hard to get ahold of them, it's hard to get an Appointment, and so on. My Female Human's Mother's doctor wrote her out a Prescription that was so Hard to Read that the Pharmacist had no idea what it Was.

Moving on. This was an Interesting Week in terms of Stupid Things Done by Authorities. Cases in Point:

A school in Vienna, Virginia has imposed a "No Touch" rule for students. Apparently there had been some Altercations at School - and now Kids aren't allowed to even Hug, High Five or have any other Physical Contact. Doesn't this seem a Bit Much? As a Cat, I have a Large Personal Space and certainly Resent it if someone touches me without my Permission. But if I want to Rub around someone's Ankles, I think that should be MY decision. Same thing with Kids. Positive Touching should be allowed.

Some 13-year-old girls who were Goofing Around taking Pictures in their Underwear are being threatened with Child Pornography charges because the Pictures ended up on Some other Kids' cellphones. Child Pornography? This is Very Silly. After all, their Bras probably cover more than their Bikinis do on the Beach. And they were 13! Apparently they are Supposed to take some Classes teaching them about Sexual Harrassment and some of the Girls and their Parents are Refusing, and have called in the ACLU to defend Them. Good on them, I say! This is all getting Out of Control. Glad we Cats have Fur and don't have to worry about this Sort of Thing.

In other stories, a controversial Announcement was made this week that the building replacing the Destroyed World Trade Center Towers, which was to be called the Freedom Tower, is instead to be named "1 World Trade Center." Personally, I am in Favor of this. "Freedom Tower" was just a bit too George W. Bush-ish for My Taste. Reminded me of "Freedom Fries." False Patriotism. Plus of course it would have been a real Thumbing of the Nose to those who would like to Do Harm, and would probably have made it more Dangerous.

Earlier this Week, it was announced that the Swedish Government has refused to help save Saab, prompting demonstrations in Trollhattan. Guess those Swedes aren't as "Socialist" as everyone thinks! The headline should have read, "Sweden to Saab: Drop Dead!" However, Saab may still survive if Someone buys them. Time will tell. In the Meantime, the 4000 people who work at the factory in Trollhattan are Plenty Worried. Part of the Reason Sweden is so Stubborn about this may be that the Swedish government is just plain Mad at General Motors for Running the Famed Saab Car Company into the Ground with their Lousy Management.

In Better News, the Stock Market is nearing the End of March up over 8%, nearly 600 points. This is a Vast Improvement, although it is Too Soon to tell if it will Continue. The announcement of the President's Plan to Rescue the Banks from their "Toxic Assets" went over well with Wall Street, if not with Everyone Else.

So that's about It for Now. I will continue to scour the Internet for Further News to report to you. In the Meantime, have some Catnip and try not to think about your 401k. Remember, if you were a Cat, you wouldn't have one to begin with and your Life might be a lot Simpler.

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Shhh! Don't say anything, it might jinx it! But we seem to be on an upward trend in the stock market!

Let's hope that's the case, because even though President Obama did not start this recession, the right will use every opportunity to pin it on him if it doesn't end soon. Plus it would be so satisfying if the new administration's efforts start really paying off, to the chagrin of Rush Limbaugh and all the others.

Of course, we can't get overconfident. We're not out of the woods by any means - here is the longer-term picture. And keep in mind that this entire trend is at a new low level only half of what the Dow Jones Index was a year ago.



And now, here are some haiku!

AIG bigwigs
Get millions in bonuses
Everyone is mad.

Senator Grassley
Suggests hari-kiri
Might be a good thing.

Congress is fuming
The President is outraged
Why are they surprised?

Money's coming back
But probably not enough;
They'll tax them instead.

Madoff is in jail
Then they got his auditor;
Now he's out on bail.

The global meltdown
Unmasked a lot of anger
At the very rich.

It may hurt to say,
But we kind of needed this
To come down to earth.

Got rid of some crooks,
And cut back on McMansions,
Made us save some gas.

It will be short-lived
And it won't last forever
But it makes us think.

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. I have to apologize for my Female Human's absence this Week. Not only has she been busy at Work but in her Few Free Moments she has developed a new Addiction: the game of Scramble on Facebook. It seems to have a strangely Hypnotic Effect on her and she is not able to stop.

Another Activity that has been taking up her Time is keeping track of Points on Weight Watchers. She joined the Online version of Weight Watchers after deciding Something just had to be Done. She is now Obsessed with keeping track of every Morsel of Food she ingests and carefully inputting it on the Computer.

As a Cat, I don't have that kind of Control over what I eat, since I don't go Outside. I am not very Fussy; my Female Human feeds my a certain type of Dry Food that I find Acceptable and I eat when I'm hungry and that's it. Of course, I have heard my Humans occasionally remark that I am rather Chubby and should lose some weight, but hey, it's not My Problem. It's not as if I nag for Food or anything. Sometimes my dish is empty for a whole Day before I complain! I think I just have a Slow Metabolism!

So, here I am again, trying to help my Human out by Reporting on the Week's News.

This week saw the Culmination of the highly publicized "Feud" between Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Jim Cramer, who has his own Show about the Stock Market on CNBC. My Humans watched Jon Stewart interview the Cramer Human on his show the other night. It started out relatively Friendly and the Cramer Human was being somewhat Contrite in his comments. But Jon Stewart didn't let him get away! He showed plenty of Clips that showed Mr. Cramer knew the Investors were Up to No Good and put the Cramer Human on the defensive the whole Time. As a Cat, I am not that Up on These Things, but it seemed to Me that the Stewart Human could have been quite an Investigative Reporter had he decided to go that Route instead of Comedy.

In the "Cutting off your Nose to spite your Face" Department, a number of Republican Governors are rejecting money from President Obama's Stimulus Program, in order to show their Staunch Opposition to such "pork barrel" spending. Of course, the funding these Governors are rejecting includes the Funding that would actually help the Unemployed People in their States: money to expand Unemployment Insurance eligibility. I guess they don't think Unemployed People vote. We'll see if it helps them or hurts them in the Next Election.

Let's see, what else is News? Oh yes, I remember Now. Swindler Bernie Madoff pleaded Guilty of running a Ponzi Scheme and was sent Directly to Jail. He did not Pass Go, nor did he Collect $200, as my Female Human likes to say.

By Confessing and Pleading Guilty, my Humans surmise he is trying to Take the Fall for the rest of his Family. It is hard to Believe they didn't know about this Scheme as he contends.

Yesterday my Female Human heard on the Radio about this Day Care in Arkansas that accidentally served Windshield Wiper Fluid to the kids instead of Kool-Aid. I did some Investigation and found this Article about it. Apparently someone put the Container in the Refrigerator thinking it was Kool-Aid and then someone served it to the Kids. Don't Humans know how to read Labels? I thought that was one Skill Humans had that Cats don't. Luckily the Kids are OK, although some were Hospitalized. The Day Care Owner gave up her License.














There is some Good News in Finance this week. The stock market actually went UP this week! It ended up gaining almost 10% for the Week. While it may just be a Blip, it is Encouraging. And we certainly want President Obama to show all those Republicans that his Plans are going to help the Economy so this is a Good Sign that there is a Stirring of Hope.

In Other News, in China, a man jumped into the enclosure where a rare Siberian Tiger was being kept in a Chinese wildlife park and immediately got killed by the resident Tiger. When will People realize that we Cats are Predators and if you Mess with Us, you are taking a Big Risk? I can only hope that the Tiger was not Killed, as that Tiger in San Francisco was.

Here's a happy ending Story for you. A Female Human found a Cat hiding in a Sofa she had bought at a Secondhand Store. After she brought the couch home, she kept hearing a "mewing" sound. Finally she and her Boyfriend discovered a Calico Cat hiding in the Underside of the Couch. The Original Owner of the Couch finally got his Cat, Callie, back, after a Friend heard about it on TV.

On that Note, I will Bid you Adieu (yes, of course, as an Educated Cat, I do know French). Time for La Catnip and a good long Nap. Until next time, I am signing off as Your Friend,
Baxter.

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. The Humans and That Dog are all Excited that the Weather has improved. It's apparently Warm Out and they are Ecstatic. That Dog barked until my Female Human went out and sat on the Deck with her. Apparently she did not want the Female Human to miss the Good Weather. I, of course, do not go Out so I can only appreciate it through an Open Window. But I get by.

It has been a Heck of a Week around here. My Female Human was inundated at Work and did not have Time to Blog or even Read Blogs, and that makes her Very Cranky. Now it is finally the Weekend and she is Catching Up.

Of course, much of this Week's news was generated by that Idiot, Rush Limbaugh. Christopher inquired whether I was going to cover this Subject. A lot of other Good Bloggers have already talked about this Idiotic Blowhard. I find Margaret and Helen already covered him rather Thoroughly so I don't Need to Reinvent the Wheel here. I will quote a couple of Gems from their Blog Post:

"Margaret, do me a favor and ask that Republican husband of yours a quick question: During this very difficult time for the country, who does he want in charge? A Harvard law graduate and former constitutional law professor, or a disc jockey with a drug addiction who flunked out of college, divorced three wives and publicly made fun of a disabled person? Because that is the choice we have between Barack Obama as leader of the free world and Rush Limbaugh as leader of the Republican party."

Truly the Republican Party is in a Terrible State. As a Liberal Cat, this makes me Smile and my Whiskers Bristle with Pleasure. As Margaret and Helen point out, the GOP does not have Much to Work With:

"Truly it must be embarrassing to admit to being a Republican these days. Just look at your current list of alternative leaders to Limbaugh:

The Governor of Louisiana could barely form a complete sentence much less a meaningful metaphor. The Governor of Alaska couldn’t handle an interview with Katie “What magazines do you read?” Couric. Ann Coulter opens her mouth and instantly inserts a size 17 foot. Karl Rove’s nickname in the Oval Office was Turd Blossom. And finally, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner are so corrupt that their votes can be purchased for less money than a whore with lockjaw."

Please go read the Rest of the Post as it is all Wonderfully Written and so true.

In Other News, of course, is the Stock Market. I found an Article on CNN.com that talks about how "Animal Spirits" move the stock market. Basically it says that people hear things from one another, or the Media, and this can cause Booms and Busts. All very well, I suppose, but don't blame "Animal Spirits" for it. We Animals are a lot Smarter than that. We don't put any of our Investments in these things you call Markets. That Dog keeps all her Jolly Balls where she can see them at all times, on her Bed. And of course My Toys are all in My Room where they belong except for the Few that I carry around the House to play with. After all, we do need to have some Liquidity.

It certainly has been a Rough Week on Wall Street, though, for those poor Humans who still have any Money left in Stocks. Although the Market was Up on Friday it was not anything to Write Home about since it ended at just over 6600, which is a pretty Paltry Amount. Apparently it could go Even Lower - there are still many Humans Selling Short as they call it.

In a more Cheerful Bit of News, Oprah has a New Puppy named Sadie, which she showed off on her TV show. I was glad to hear that the Puppy came from a Shelter. Although I am not a Fan of That Dog that Lives with Me, this one looks kind of Cute. Maybe if That Dog had been a Puppy when it Came I might have been able to Bend her to my Will before she got So Big. Oh well, no use Meowing over Spilt Cream. Here's a Picture of Oprah with her Puppy:
Now let's take a Look at what President Obama has been up to recently. I think it's All Good, personally. This site has a pretty good list of what he has done so far, including signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, the expansion of Children's Healthcare, the decision to work to Reverse the Bush Conscience Law (which would have enabled Workers to refuse to provide any Service they didn't believe in), and he's Cracking Down on costly Defense Contracts, and will end no-bid contracts with these folks.

This doesn't even include the improvements in Environmental Policies. With Obama's Backing, there is actual hope for global action on Climate Change. And the Stimulus Bill includes a lot of good Stuff about Alternative Energy incentives.

Another accomplishment was as soon after taking Office as February 4th, the Administration cancelled a bunch of leases that would have allowed Oil Drillers to drill near Arches National Park.

And, Good News - Science is back. President Obama is going to change the Rules for Stem Cell Research and no longer limit Federal Funding for this Important Research. It is to be announced on Monday.

I could Go On, but you get the Picture. This is what Change Looks Like. Anyone who says it didn't matter whether Barack Obama or John McCain got elected is Sadly Deluded!

Well, that's my News for the Week. I'm going to go Snort some Catnip and take a Nap. So until Next Time, play it Safe and Hold On to your Jolly Balls.

Eek! This is Not Looking Good for my Retirement!

According to the NY Times, as of now the Dow Jones has fallen well below 7,000 and isn't showing any signs of coming back up, although the day is not over. It didn't look any better overnight from Europe and Asia, either.

On the bright side, the March snowstorm that hit our area didn't dump quite as much snow on us as forecast. We got about 6 inches maximum. And the beautiful thing is, the forecast was so dire that our company's president called a snow day for today before a single flake had fallen. So we are all working at home and looking at the snow outside our windows.

Hope everyone is enjoying the snow, where it has fallen, and having a good day elsewhere.

State of Confusion

State of Confusion

Woke up in a panic,
Like somebody fired a gun
I wish I could be dreaming,
But the nightmare's just begun.

There's flooding in the basement,
There's water all around.
There's woodworm in the attic
And the ceiling just fell down.

I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
I'm in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

All the dirty dishes
Are still in the kitchen sink.
The tumble dryer's broken,
Now the telly's on the blink.

My girlfriend's packed her bags
And moved out to another town.
She couldn't stand the boredom
When the video broke down.

Don't know why I feel so bad.
Is it the weather, or am I going mad?
Don't know why I feel this way.
I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going,
Can't cover up 'cause it's obviously showing.

It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).
We're in a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

I don't know whether I'm coming or I'm going.
Should feel happy, should feel glad.
I'm alive and it can't be bad,
But back on planet Earth they shatter the illusion,
The world's going 'round in a state of confusion.

Standing on an island
In the middle of the road.
Traffic either side of me,
Which way will I go?

I should've stayed at home,
I should have never come outside.
Now I wish I never tried
To cross the other side.

I'm in a state (state)
State of confusion (whooooh).
It's a state (state)
Of confusion (whooooh).

Lyin' awake in a cold, cold sweat,
Am I overdrawn, am I going in debt?
It gets worse, the older that you get.
No escape from the state of confusion I'm in.
State of confusion I'm in.

Ever have a day like this? I had one today. As anyone who knows me understands, I like to have a slow start to my morning; I kind of ease into my day. That means that DH gets up before I do, showers, and goes downstairs first, while I sit on the computer and check a few e-mails and blogs before meandering downstairs. (Meandering isn't in this blog title for nothing).

But this morning I was rudely jarred from my routine because DH realized that he hadn't put out the recyclable cardboard and newspapers last night, and the truck was already out there trolling around in the neighborhood. He called upstairs to get me to come down and help.

So while he was putting out the cardboard, I fed the dog, and then he returned to the kitchen to start getting breakfast ready. Already our routine has been disrupted and once that happens, confusion reigns. We bump into each other in the kitchen, get in each other's way and generally become cranky.

All of a sudden we heard a funny noise, and looked over at the coffee machine, which was finishing up its brewing process. The only problem was, the brewing took place without a carafe underneath collecting the coffee.

Not only had the coffee spilled all over the counter, but because it had overflowed its little cone-shaped filter, the coffee grounds were overflowing along with it. Apparently DH had gotten distracted by the cardboard emergency and forgotten to put the coffee pot back after he had prepared the coffee to brew.

After a few choice words, as everyone can imagine, so we won't repeat them here, the coffee machine was turned off and I sent DH out with the dog to walk her while I tried to repair the devastation. I was just finishing mopping up coffee from under the microwave when he and Diva returned. Breakfast still had to be made and time continued to slip by so that we both were quite late getting to work today.

The day progressed somewhat better from that point on but I did not feel quite right all day!

In fact, between this and the general disarray of the economy, I am just out of sorts. Yesterday when I heard the stock market had plunged 250 points, it was quite depressing; and today's rally is not encouraging me much.

The other day DH did an interesting exercise using Yahoo Finance's ability to graph the stock market index over a very long period. He printed out a chart showing the Dow Jones Industrial average index from 1929 to the present, and then made a straight line along the trend from that time forward, to see where we should be right now if that earlier trend had continued. The result falls around 2,000, about 5,000 points lower than where we are now. He did another version where he took the trend from the early 1980s on, and that projects out to somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000.

You see, the problem is, the stock market went along very nicely at a certain general level for years and years, back in the days when a stock was valued somewhat more for its long-term yield in dividends and general value, as opposed to using it as a gambling chip. But all of a sudden, around 1985, the curve drastically changes. The index starts skyrocketing. And the descent that is happening now seems hell-bent on getting back down to the original trend line. If it does, we're going to be in a bad place economically for a lot longer. I couldn't copy the chart that he used but here is a similar one that doesn't go back quite as far but whose creator took the same approach - and this was BEFORE the most recent meltdown.

The interesting - or perhaps scary - thing is, when you look at it from the extreme long-term perspective, the Crash of 1929 looks like the tiniest little blip. What's happening now looks more like a roller-coaster ride.

So, not only am I in a state of confusion, so is our country. Let's hope tonight's speech by President Obama may calm people's nerves.

And in the meantime, here are the Kinks again - singing "Low Budget." The song was from back in the '70s but is so pertinent again now.



Low Budget

Cheap is small and not too steep
But best of all cheap is cheap
Circumstance has forced my hand
To be a cut price person in a low budget land
Times are hard but we'll all survive
I just got to learn to economize

I'm on a low budget
I'm on a low budget
I'm not cheap, you understand
I'm just a cut price person in a low budget land

Excuse my shoes they don't quite fit
They're a special offer and they hurt me a bit
Even my trousers are giving me pain
They were reduced in a sale so I shouldn't complain
They squeeze me so tight so I can't take no more
They're size 28 but I take 34

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that

I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land

I'm shopping at Woolworth and low discount stores
I'm dropping my standards so that I can buy more

Quality costs, but quality wastes,
So I'm giving up all of my expensive tastes.
Caviar and champagne are definite no's,
I'm acquiring a taste for brown ale and cod roes

Low budget sure keeps me on my toes
I count every penny and I watch where it goes
We're all on our uppers we're all going skint
I used to smoke cigars but now I suck polo mints

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
Yea I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that
I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land
I'm on a low budget
Low budget
Low budget

Art takes time, time is money
Money's scarce and that ain't funny
Millionaires are things of the past
We're in a low budget film where nothing can last
Money's rare there's none to be found
So don't think I'm tight if I don't buy a round

I'm on a low budget
What did you say
Yes I'm on a low budget
I thought you said that
I'm on a low budget
I'm a cut price person in a low budget land
I'm on a low budget
Say it again
Low budget
One more time
Low budget

I look like a tramp, but don't write me off,
I'll have you all know, I was once a tough
At least my hair is all mine, my teeth are my own,
But everything else is on permanent loan.
Once all my clothes were made by hand,
Now I'm a cut price person in a low budget land.

I'm on a low budget
I'll have you all know
We're on a low budget
I'm on a low budget....

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. My Humans finally got Home after being gone for Too Long, in My Opinion. At least I was here by myself without That Dog, since they take It with them. My Humans' friend came and Served Me in their Absence.

Well, this has been an eventful couple of Weeks, hasn't it? I have to tell you, I am so glad I am only a Cat and don't have to worry about Money. My Humans have given up on the idea of ever looking at their 401ks again, as that Stock Market thing just keeps sliding downward. Today at first it looked as if it was going to be Better, and then in the last 10 minutes it tumbled over 200 points! Those People who invest in it keep looking for it to be the Bottom but it never is.

In other News, it was just announced that Senator Ted Stevens was convicted of corruption. While I don't like to wish Evil on anyone, it is Good to see him get his come-uppance. However, he still intends to continue his campaign for re-election to the Senate. I find this Bizarre:

"Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel him on a two-thirds vote."

From what I understand, regular Humans who are convicted of a Felony lose their right to vote - but apparently Senators don't lose their right to be a Senator? This just makes no sense to Me...but of course we Cats probably just don't understand the intricacies of Government.

Meanwhile, the Obama Human continues to lead in the Polls, which is good news. Despite my Female Human's fear of a Stolen Election, I think he's going to actually win. Interestingly, about 40 telemarketers in Indiana walked off the job rather than read a Script attacking Obama. I wonder if THAT had ever happened before?

In the meantime, there is some Scary Stuff going on Out There. There are breaking reports of a white supremacist plot to assassinate Barack Obama having been, thankfully, broken up by the Feds. But how many more are Out There? This Country is a Very Scary Place. I am glad that, being a Cat, I can just hang out at Home and not put Myself at Risk. The Obama Human deserves a Lot of Respect for putting himself Out There and taking these Risks.

Apparently the United States has launched yet another Attack on some other Country out of the Blue - killing a bunch of people in Syria, including some Children. According to the Report,

"Syrian officials lashed out at Washington on Monday for a 'sheer violation of international law,' saying the U.S. attack killed eight people and wounded one."

Seems to Me that a Country can't get away with calling other Countries "Terrorists" if that Country is going to act the Same Way they do. I mean, what is Up with THAT?

Well, telling you all this News has now made Me depressed. I was trying to find some Lighthearted Stories to share with You but couldn't find Any. That is Scary in itself, isn't it?

My Female Human is thinking of taking off on Election Day to make calls to Get Out the Vote. Even though she lives in a Blue State, there should be no taking anything for Granted this year, no matter where You live.

So with that I leave you with this LOLCat from YesWeCanHas.com:

-508 Points...Need I say more?

What a mess. Even states, such as California, are looking for bailouts. And it's not just over here. Whole countries are going bankrupt.

I really am wondering where it will end. If McCain comes out tonight and tries to talk about Obama's ties to Bill Ayers when the world is crumbling around him, I think it will backfire and the people at that town hall will not let him get away with it.

Turning the page? I don't think so...

This week McCain's adviser, Greg Strimple, publicly announced that the McCain campaign would try to distract the voters from the financial crisis by attacking Obama. In his own words:

"'We are very well-funded, and we are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days,'' said senior adviser Greg Strimple. 'We're looking to turning the page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's liberal, aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for the Americans.'"

Sticking to this script, Sarah Palin has been trying to tie Obama to Bill Ayers, a former member of the radical Weather Underground group, which carried out a series of bombings during the early 1970s. From the same article linked above Palin has been saying:

"Obama 'is someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country,' Palin, 44, the Republican vice presidential nominee, told donors at a fundraiser last night in Costa Mesa, California. 'This, ladies and gentleman, is not the kind of change that I think we should be believing in.'"

Palin and her backers are ignoring the fact that the man in question is now a respected professor, the bombings took place 40 years ago when Obama was only 8 years old, and Palin herself was hardly out of diapers at the time.

In the meantime, Obama has finally come out with ads pointing out that McCain was one of the "Keating Five" from the 1980s, a much more recent and pertinent connection to the current crisis facing our nation. Although McCain was ultimately cleared of illegal actions in the scandal, he was reprimanded for "poor judgment."

If McCain wants to try to "turn the page" away from our economic crisis and attack Obama to keep the American public's mind off the mess he helped get us in, it isn't a wise strategy. How many other skeletons does a 72-year-old man have in his closet compared to a 47-year-old man? I'd wager a lot more. Two can play this game.

In the meantime, Wall Street is continuing to tank, with stocks down nearly 500 points to below 10,000this morning after the markets in Europe went into free-fall overnight. This isn't the kind of financial problem you can just wave $700 billion at and it will make it go away. This is a serious, long-term financial debacle and it will take more than Congress passing a bailout package to fix it.

McCain will try to turn the page, but I think the American public won't let him do it, as long as their 401ks are going down the tubes and their mortgage payments are in arrears and there is so little confidence in the entire banking system. They'll just keep going back to the first chapter and seeing that the hero of this story is not going to be John "Keating Five" McCain. There is a reason Obama's poll numbers keep going up no matter how many attacks McCain and his henchwoman make on Obama.

As President Dubya famously said, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me...you can't get fooled again."

Black Monday - Deja Vu All Over Again

So, it seems that the bailout that had supposedly been agreed upon, has failed to pass in the House of Representatives. According to the New York Times,

"The vote against the measure was 228 to 205, with 133 Republicans turning against President Bush to join 95 Democrats in opposition. The bill was backed by 140 Democrats and 65 Republicans."

Apparently, Nancy Pelosi made a cranky speech before the vote, saying it was all the Republicans' fault that we were in this mess, and it didn't go over well with some of the Republicans.

"Immediately after the vote, many House members appeared stunned. Some Republicans blamed Ms. Pelosi for a speech before the vote that disdained President Bush’s economic policies, and did so, in the opinion of the speaker’s critics, in too partisan a way.

'Clearly, there was something lacking in the leadership here,' said Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia.

Democrats, meanwhile, blamed the Republicans for not coming up with enough support for the measure on their side of the aisle."

I don't know whether the bailout is right or wrong. I do wonder whether, if Ms. Pelosi wanted the bill to pass, why she would have said something partisan right before the vote which she knew would anger Republicans. Or, maybe she didn't want it to pass, and can blame the Republicans now for not voting for it.

All I know is, the stock market fell 778 points today, the biggest single loss since Black Monday in 1987.

In the meantime, Wachovia, the country's 4th largest bank, is being gobbled up by Citigroup. There are so many buyouts and mergers going on this month that it's like watching a game of PacMan.


The Times had an interesting chart in their Sunday Business section showing how the various investment firms had gradually been swallowed up over the years. It really started back in the 1980s.

Remember E.F. Hutton, founded in 1904 ("When E.F. Hutton speaks...")? Became part of Shearson-Lehman-American Express in the 1980s. Then Lehman Brothers was spun off later on, and we know what happened to them.

Remember Salomon Brothers (founded 1910)? Now part of Citicorp.

Smith Barney? Yep, Citicorp again.

What about Dean Witter? Remember that name? They were around since 1924. They're part of Morgan-Stanley, which is turning into a bank holding company and will be subject to greater regulation.

Then there's Paine-Webber (remember "Thank you Paine Webber")? Now part of UBS Securities.

The chart is an interactive chart that is part of an article called Wall Street, R.I.P., and it really brought home how consolidated all of these firms have become, and how the basic way Wall Street functions will be changed in the future, no matter what happens with the bailout.

"The huge bailout package being debated in Congress may succeed in stabilizing the financial markets. But it is too late to help firms like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, which have already disappeared. Merrill Lynch, whose trademark bull symbolized Wall Street to many Americans, is being folded into Bank of America, located hundreds of miles from New York, in Charlotte, N.C.

For most of the financiers who remain, with the exception of a few superstars, the days of easy money and supersized bonuses are behind them. The credit boom that drove Wall Street’s explosive growth has dried up. Regulators who sat on the sidelines for too long are now eager to rein in Wall Street’s bad boys and the practices that proliferated in recent years."

Personally I think that's a good thing.

But what isn't a good thing, in my opinion, is consolidating even more money and power into the hands of even fewer financial institutions. If those regulators don't keep an eye on them in the future, we may be facing an even bigger mess next time around.

Haiku Thursday

I have some serious blogging I need to do - Spartacus has tagged me for the political meme - which I'm really looking forward to having the time and energy to do - and Christopher very kindly honored me with an award a few days ago, which I want to pass on to worthy bloggers.

But I've had a hectic week; lots going on at work, and for the first three nights of the week I've been out every night at meetings (non-work). So the energy level just isn't there tonight, especially after watching three straight hours of political commentary (Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert).

So, like John McCain, I'm going to wimp out. I'm going to write a few haiku and go to bed! Tomorrow, as Scarlet O'Hara liked to say, is another day.

McCain's on the run
And suspending his campaign
Flying to D.C.

Skipping the debate
Is the prudent thing to do
He knows he can't win.

On the other hand
Obama is looking good
He can do it all.

Fly down to D.C.
And negotiate a deal
Fly back and debate

He's the younger one
He knows how to multi-task
McCain's just too old.

And in the meantime
Negotiations drag on
No deal has been reached.

The stock market tanks
The Feds take over WaMu
The dominoes fall.

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. I have to tell you, I have had a Very Bad Week. On Wednesday evening I used my Box a lot but didn't Do Much, if you know what I mean, and my Female Human dragged me off to the Emergency Clinic at 9 o'clock at Night.

Usually it is That Dog that gets dragged to the Emergency Clinic because of fear of something called Bloat (which always turns out to be Simple Indigestion and is curable with a dose of Pepcid, after my Humans spend hundreds of Dollars). But this time, it was My Turn. About Time they spent some Real Money on Me. After all, I'm Worth It.

I was Taken into the Back and poked and prodded and returned to my Human with a bottle of Disgusting Medicine. The Vet claimed it is Chicken Flavored. Bah! My Humans forced open my Mouth the next Morning and squirted it in and it was the Most Foul Tasting Stuff I've ever had the Misfortune to Taste. Ugh. It made me Foam at the Mouth.

Then yesterday my Male Human dragged me off to the Regular Vet to have what he called an "Ulstrasound." I have No Idea what happened because I fell Asleep very Suddenly after they took me into the Room to do it. When I woke up my Stomach was Naked. Yes, Someone shaved my Stomach while I was Asleep! The Nerve! It is really Embarrassing to have a Naked Stomach when you're a Fine Figure of a Cat.

Apparently Nothing Bad showed up in the Ultrasound and they are just continuing to give me the Disgusting Medicine. In fact, my Female Human is walking around the House calling to me with that Squirt-Thing in her Hand, trying to give Me another Dose of it. Little does she know I have now Sneaked Upstairs and am Blogging. If I hear her coming I may have to stop and run under the Bed for awhile, but I'll be Back.

So, I'm finally getting back to Normal and am ready to talk about this past Week.

In fact, it was a Very Bad Week for Everyone, wasn't it? The Stock Market was like a Roller-Coaster! First it tumbled something like 900 points, then it was up again by the end of the week because the Feds bailed out everybody! So in the End, it didn't really Change. However, the Author of the article Linked Above says:

"Nobody understands who owes what to whom — or whether they have the ability to pay. Counterparties have become afraid to trade with each other. Sovereign wealth funds are no longer willing to supply badly needed capital because they no longer know what they are investing in. The crisis continues because nobody knows what anything is worth. You simply cannot have a functioning market under such circumstances."

Then there's this whole thing about Short Selling. Everybody is Upset about it and suddenly it is being Controlled - which is probably like the old Saying, "Closing the Barn Door after the Horse is Gone."

In fact, the New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, is launching an Investigation to see if anybody was Manipulating the Markets to fall just to make Short Selling more profitable. But no one would really do That, would They? Hmmmmm....

As near as I can tell, one of the more Egregious Practices on Wall Street is something called Naked Short Selling. Sounds kind of Racy, but it really means selling something at a Lower Price that you don't even Own; in fact, you haven't even borrowed it. According to the Financial Times,

"Short sellers aim to profit from share declines, usually by borrowing a stock, selling it and buying it back after its price has decreased. In abusive 'naked' short selling, the seller does not borrow the stock and fails to deliver it to the buyer."

So for instance, our Neighbor, Ethel, has a lot of Cats. She has a lot of Cat Food out on her Porch for her Cats. It's as if I, Baxter, said to you, "Tell you what. I'll sell you Ethel's Cats' Food for this price." But I don't even have that Food. It's on Ethel's porch.

That's about as far as I can understand this Complex type of Transaction. It sounds kind of Fishy to Me. I know I'm just a Cat, and not a Financial Wizard. But it seems to me that this kind of Wizardry may have gotten us into this Predicament. I hope my Humans will still be able to buy my Cat Food. That is all I care about. So Far so Good in that Department.

However, I don't think this Mess is Over Yet. The underlying Problems are Still There.

"'What we can say is that volatility is extremely high by historical standards,' said Ken Tower, senior vice president at Quantitative Analysis Services.

'What we need to see is volatility to come down, as it reflects market uncertainty,' he said. 'Let's see more about the government's plan and what the market makes of it on Monday.'

'We've now weathered this recent storm,' Tower said. "If somebody wants to talk to me about a two or three months rally, then OK. But it's not the end of this overall downturn, with the economy still going down the drain.'"

On the Bright Side, the Economy's problems seem to be a Big Help to the Obama Human in his Fight against the McCain Human. The latest CBS Poll taken in mid-week shows he has regained the Lead from the McCain Human, 48% to 43%. And also, fascination with the Palin Human may be Waning, which can only be a Plus.

And in Other Good News, the Hillary Clinton Human is really Stepping up to the Plate, showing that those who doubted her Commitment to the Democrats were probably Wrong. She has begun an effort named "Hillary Sent Me" and is urging her Supporters to go to Other States and campaign for Obama, and donate to the Cause.

So that about Sums up This Week. Let's hope the Obama Human can keep this Lead and that the Economy continues to be the Leading Issue, as it seems to help! (But not such an Issue that my Humans' 401ks tank Completely. Or they can never Retire. )

In the meantime, I will leave you with This, from YesWeCanHas.com:

Fiddling While Rome Burns

While McCain whines that Obama was referring to Palin when he used the phrase "lipstick on a pig," and the federal government refuses to step in, Lehman Brothers is going down the tubes, possibly pulling AIG with it, while Merrill Lynch will apparently be acquired by Bank of America.

According to Bloomberg.com,

"Reports this month point to a heightened risk of a recession. Unemployment rose to a five-year high of 6.1 percent last month, and retail sales fell 0.7 percent, excluding autos, the biggest decline this year....

'Financial conditions are extremely fragile,' said former Fed governor Lyle Gramley, now a senior economic adviser for the Stanford Group Company in Washington. 'With the Lehman situation deteriorating, this tends to have knock-on effects.'

In a sign that creditors don't expect Paulson to blink, the cost to protect against defaults by AIG, Merrill, WaMu and Wachovia Corp. reached records. Credit-default swaps on Seattle- based WaMu are trading at levels that imply a 75 percent chance the company will default in the next five years, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. valuation model shows."

This may only be the beginning. According to the New York Times, there is concern that the wave of failures will inspire certain fund managers to look for other weakened financial institutions and try to make a fortune by selling them short.

So where do we go from here? Is this the start of a new Depression, or will the wizards of Wall Street manage to stop the dominoes from falling? Only time will tell. But I do know it is a sign that something is very seriously wrong with our economy, and despite all of these important issues, the only thing the media can talk about is the "lipstick on a pig" controversy.

I am starting to lose hope for this country. The latest polls show that McCain continues to gain on Obama and now the electoral vote is no longer in Obama's favor.

If the American public doesn't wake up and start realizing that the McCain campaign is playing them for fools - just as George W. Bush has done for 8 years - we may get McCain and Palin in the White House. And here we thought maybe, this time, they wouldn't be so stupid.

But as H.L. Mencken said, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

He also said:

"The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth."

Unfortunately, Mencken was apparently a very wise man.

What This Country Needs is a Good Depression!

"What This Country Needs is a Good Depression!"

This is a blasphemous thought that goes through my head every time I drive by a nest of new McMansions that have seemingly sprung up overnight...

...or see them sprouting like some kind of poisonous mushrooms on the outskirts of quaint towns like Newton, New Jersey.

I’ve also thought it when I see teardown after teardown of perfectly good, smaller houses, which are being replaced by huge monstrosities that don’t fit with the neighborhood.
(Picture source: The National Trust. )

It occurs to me when I see the endless stream of malls and shopping centers, all full of places to buy, buy, buy – as they march up and down the highways, encroaching on the farmland and open spaces like some kind of aggressive cancer.

It is a thought that occurs to me as I am almost run down by a Hummer in a parking lot.

The idea has come to me when I read in the New York Times about people who MUST get their preschooler into the “right” preschool or else the child will never make it into the “right” college. And that every kid who is going to apply to college has to have expensive tutoring lessons to ace the SAT exams.

And it has certainly occurred to me when I see the Dow Jones at 14,000 – or even 11,000 – are these companies really worth so much more than the Dow Jones was worth 20 years ago, when it was at 2,000? (See chart below – isn’t there something wrong with this picture?) (source: Generational Dynamics)

Do we really need all this conspicuous consumption? Is it really good for our country? I don’t think it is.

We have become a society that doesn’t value anything old – if it’s old, throw it out and get a new one; if it’s old, tear it down and build a new one; if a person is old, they’re no longer a valuable resource or a potential marketing target, so they become invisible.

We have become a society that doesn’t value saving, but instead values instant gratification.

We have become a society that considers “buying” to be a patriotic duty.

So I often think to myself, “What this country needs is a good Depression.”

But I hadn’t really had the nerve to say it out loud, because it is conventional wisdom that a growing economy is generally a positive thing.

So imagine my delight when I looked at Nick’s blog and found he has the same idea. Finally I can say it out loud!
What this country needs is a good Depression!!!!

Nick’s point is that continued, capitalistic growth is using up resources at a huge rate and this growth is not sustainable.

Quoting from Earth Meanders, his post says:

“Economic growth is a deadly disease upon the Earth, with capitalism as its most virulent strain. Throw-away consumption and explosive population growth are made possible by using up fossil fuels and destroying ecosystems. Holiday shopping numbers are covered by media in the same breath as Arctic ice melt, ignoring their deep connection. Exponential economic growth destroys ecosystems and pushes the biosphere closer to failure.”

Nick’s hope is that this disaster can be prevented by an economic downturn:

“Economic collapse destroyed the Roman Empire, and the Nazis’ dream of global domination. I'm hopeful economic collapse will shrink the USA's addictions to consumerism, material wealth, and global destruction of nature's resources.”

Another aspect of the constant drive for more capitalist growth is the continued need for more and more resources, which results in poor political policies. These policies have led us to war in various locations and have resulted in our reputation suffering throughout the world, to say nothing of the millions of deaths that have occurred.

I urge you to go read the rest of his excellent post. I know no Presidential candidate could possibly win if they started speaking against Capitalism. But even if he or she is able to rein in the excesses we’ve seen in the past 8 years, it would be a start.