Wow, the price of gas is still going down, though I notice of recently it has slowed a little. It is not conceivable that it will go to a dollar a gallon. I would guess that by $1.40 we will see the end of the ‘good times’. But don’t put your money on that… these are crazy times. But a dollar, no… not that crazy.

The fall in gas prices should end the myth that price depends on demand. World demand, even US demand hasn’t slowed that much to so dramatically alter gas prices. Tell me, how many people you know who have slowed their fuel usage? There is a link to the stock market and market speculation.

Investors just aren’t investing in anything right now. Many who have, have lost their shirts. And those who used to drive up gas prices through speculation are holding their money tight, or finding better places with higher returns… not that there are many outside of metals.

There is a conspiracy theory that what the gas companies are doing is giving us low prices just the same way drug dealers give cheapies. At $4.00, the nation might have started into a mindset of reducing fuel usage and hunting for more fuel efficient or alternative-powered cars. At $1.69, not so much.

The good thing is that the failing economy is keeping many people on the QT, and the liberals are finally putting a concerted effort into fuel efficiency.
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Last week I went down to Miami for Art Basel. Yes, I’m an artist and that’s where one meets a lot of contacts, fellow artists and get frustrated at what now passes for art. Ok. The latter is just me.

But all I left with is the frustration that this nation is hard-wired for thievery. A few years ago when the economy was ‘good’, entry was $12.00, this year it was $35.00. I seriously wonder how many were kept away from what I consider to be a mediocre show, by the price alone. Miami Herald reported that both sales and visitors were very ‘thin’. I wonder why. “Its the economy stupid!”.

Then being Miami, parking prices were jacked. Even the city got into the act. At one of their lots, parking was a dollar per hour… pretty reasonable until you realize that it was a minimum of 8 hours.

We saw the show by waiting until there was reduced prices, and as for food and drink… smuggle-eeennnn.
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As I predicted, the auto companies will get their bailout. But I’m concerned that with all the true confessions of betrayal of the public etc etc, the government is taking their words as gospel, as to the $$$s needed. I’m sorry, but my banker would be looking so hard at my books, they would catch afire.

This is exactly what was done for the Wall Street bailout. Giving them money based on trust alone. These guys are pirates, thieves, unscrupulous, untrustworthy, brigands. There is nothing honest about them.

And appointing a czar is not enough unless its Ralph Nader. Government needs to put auditors, quality controllers, eyes and ears inside the companies themselves, making weekly reports. These companies need to be monitored like jailed prisoners.

During the hearings, I heard them questioned about how they travelled to Washington, what with the first barefaced debacle when they all flew in on separate corporate leased jets. Yeah, yeah, they drove in cars their companies built. But nobody asked them the prices of their rooms while they were in Washington. I bet it ain’t Motel 6.

I don’t like bailing out these big-shot failures but there are times when reality is reality. These guys, with so many employees involved, have the government by the balls. Its easy to say ‘Let them fail”, who bares the weight of the social fallout? Its still gonna be you and me. Better they be working and keeping the tax base up, rather than unemployed and being a burden on the society.
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Talking about unemployed, George Bush is so useless right now, people are asking for the inauguration to be brought forward, like immediately. But don’t be fooled. That lame duck beneath that turkey appearance is still capable of doing a lot of damage, and most likely is doing it. As for Cheney, he is probably quite busy shredding documents.
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Many commentators are hailing Obama’s victory as a sign that America is maturing on racial issues. But it isn’t difficult to find refutation. Just mention Michael Vick and OJ Simpson. When you read various online fora, you find such racially derogatory statements it almost seems that no white is as guilty of any heinous crimes as they are (though Simpson’s real crime is gross stupidity. Actually, that goes for both).

Mark my words, it is more than entirely possible that the Obama election can move this country a step backwards racially by creating an even greater divide.
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So, the Sun-Sentinel’s parent company Tribune is filing for bankruptcy protection, because they are in arrears to the tune of over $13,000,00,00… that’s probably higher than Jamaica’s GDP. Isn’t there a time when someone looed at the books and say “Uhho, let’s stop right here and now”?

What is worse, is that Miami Herald is up for sale. So in the very near future, South Florida might be without a major newspaper.

The claim is that tv and the internet have severely eroded newspaper income… and to some extent, that is true. But I think a part of that is because people are becoming more illiterate…. Not unable to read, just unable to appreciate reading, and taking their news sources from the worse possible places. That’s why the American public is so ignorant and gullible. They want to be spoon-fed, and spoon-fed people get fat and lazy.

The thing is that the workers had little to do with the companies failure, but it will be them out on the streets. Top managers and owners will be very much insulated… much the same as anywhere including Detroit. This kind of crap has to end somewhere.
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