I'm not playing.

What a fun week I've had. I've met more cool people this last week than I care to count, but I will if you call up an ask me. The beauty of all these connections is that in every case these folks are entrepreneurial, young, smart, and tough. The media would like me to think that there is a tough economy out there, but let me tell you it's no tougher than in 1978, 1988, 1997, 2001. Watching these kids and the lines forming at the Costco checkout, makes me wonder what they are up to with this "bad economy" claptrap. If there is a recession, I'm not playing. Looks to me like the ones who are broke are the ones who took the bad loans, the lenders of the bad loans and the federal government, who happen to be the lenders who started this whole mess, by making loans for so called "affordable housing". Some of the private lenders gave out money to compete with Freddie and Fannie. Not very affordable now is it? The faster the Fed goes broke the better, but they won't. They'll just print more money or take it from those who produce something. Either way, its opposite of the role the government should be playing, because it rewards not producing. "Oh you made a pile of money on your new and fantastic invention that saved people time and money? Yeah, we'll just be taking a third of that, and for your trouble we'll give it to people who aren't as smart as you, because that's more fair. Oh and by the way, you greedy bastard, it's your duty anyway."

Here's something else that doesn't make any sense. If everyone is having to tighten their belts, why is the Federal Government not tightening it's belt? "Go further in to debt, and it will stimulate the economy!" Haven't we already tried this? Hasn't worked yet, what makes you think it's going to work this time? Keep asking those foreign investors to buy t-bills, "Tomorrow's slums at today's prices". You want to stimulate the economy? Here's how.

1. Cut the capital gains tax to 0%- you'll see money come flowing in to the U.S. like crazy.
   
2. Eliminate inheritance tax - more money for your kids to invest when you kick the bucket.
3. Pay off the national debt. This government is so over leveraged it's sick. If I were the UAE or China, I'd be dumping my Dollars and cutting my losses.
4. Switch to a Flat or Consumption tax. Everybody pays, not just the wealthy. If you are wealthy or want to be, how long would you put up with having your money stolen before you decided to close shop and move to Costa Rica or New Zealand?

The only thing the Government can produce is a safe environment in which to conduct business. Looks to me that environment is going to get a whole lot more dangerous. As my economics professor says, "Everything is economics". We've been paying people not to produce for far to long. It obviously doesn't work.

You know that guy Robin Hood? Well, he didn't steal from the rich, he stole from the government what the government had stolen from the producers. If he had stolen from the rich he would have just screwed over the people he was trying to help because the rich would have to hire armed guards making their goods more expensive. Either that or the rich would have to take the long way around Sherwood Forest making their goods more expensive. Either that or the rich would just stop selling their things in that market. Anyway you slice it, the poor get screwed when you steal from the rich.

Ever wonder why some countries are poor and others have lots of money? It's because individuals with money weigh risk. A country without property rights and a high chance of having your property taken with no recourse is a bad investment. Where would you put your money?

Want to know more? Read a book called Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.