Giving Thanks

No ranting today....will be using my tryptophan overdose to mellow out and enjoy what I have.

Hello? McFlyyyyy?

Does this surprise anyone? Economy's rebound not as strong as first thought.

In the mean time the little emperors in Washington fiddle while the country burns. Job killing health care plans, job killing tax increases, job killing cap and spend proposals. Any rebound in the economy will be despite what they do in Washington, not because of it.

My own take is that we will have little to no growth for the next several years while more strangleholds are put on businesses, discouraging employment. If the health care plan passes I expect small businesses - the engine of employment growth - to basically go into cardiac arrest, pushing out any real growth out for years.

In the mean time government spending at all levels will continue unabated. To fill the shortfalls the federal government will borrow more and local governments will tax more, putting even more downward pressure on the economy at all levels.

We have basically entered a death spiral which the democrats can't get out of. The solution - sharp cuts in spending and taxes - is not something they can bring themselves to do. They rather destroy the economy in the name of their convictions than admit they're wrong.

Why Many Businesses Will Contribute Little to GDP Growth Nov 23 - Jan 4

"Okay, let's meet next week and close up this contract after Thanksgiving."

"No that doesn't work, I am on a ski trip. How about the week after that?"

"No I have to attend my daughter's Christmas play and can't travel that week. How about the following week."

"No, Fran's parents are coming in early for the holidays and I am grounded."

"Well, we both know we can't do it Christmas to New Years. So how about we chat in January?"

"Great, but not until the first full week since the kid's aren't back in school yet."

"Perfect, we'll have this all wrapped up in seven weeks!"

Pour Me Another Drink, Maybe The Numbers Will Then Make Sense

Fed Balance Sheet Hits Record $2.2 Trillion In Assets

We are soooo screwed.

Job Interviewing Mistakes - Think of it as a First Date

The WSJ today has an article about interviewing mistakes. Of course they are talking about a job interview, but I felt a lot of their advice could apply to the dating world:

The Basics - show up on time, don't trash-mouth your previous employer, dress properly. Basic dating advice also recommends not trash-talking an Ex. Doing so is at best a sign of immaturity, at worse a sign of vindictiveness.


Don't Leap Immediately to Salary and Benefits - Or, in other words, worrying what the other person can do for you instead of what you can do for them. Needy people are not attractive.


Avoid Cliches - Boooooring. Who wants to be around someone boring?


Follow-up - An email is okay these days. But don't wait three days to make them wonder if you're really interested.

Face It, the Guy's a Joke

Ya think? Concerns Rise Around Obama Trip

Half way through his Asian tour, Mr. Obama is confronting the limits of engagement and personal charm.

Let me tell you something from someone who is in sales and who is "engaging" - you have to deliver the goods at the end. And there is no there there with this guy.

The Lesser Person Bows Deeper

I have been doing business in Japan for over ten years. I do not claim to be an expert on etiquette there, but I do know after a decade that if you are equal you bow the same amount. If you are unequal, the person who is lower in stature bows more - the bigger the difference the lower the bow.

So when I meet an Executive Vice President or CEO, I bow pretty deeply. For vice presidents and Senior managers I bow a little lower than them, but not much. Engineering managers and everyone else, I bow equal amounts.

What Obama is doing here is subjugating himself. It is, at best, pathetic, at worse shows his ignorance.


That sort of bow is what I do to a CEO to humble myself before him.

Update: Here is an excellent comparison of other world leaders in the same situation.

"Education" Doesn't Magically Give You a Job

Via Housing Bubble Blog, typical fluffy talk from an economist:

A massive expansion of education and training would address the current unemployment crisis in three ways: by shrinking the numbers of young people searching for work, by building job skills for the future, and by increasing total spending in the economy through education outlays.

Building job skills? How many "college degrees" out there today are in worthless disciplines like women's studies, art history or cultural studies? These "college graduates" then complain they can't get jobs. And it's always someone else's fault that they can't get hired with a worthless degree.

I Feel Safer Already

Senate plan calls for new agency to prevent economic crash

Yeah, right. These are the guys who set up everything that caused the crash.