The Drug of Money

For about the last 20 years or so many leaders in our financial industry thought it was a good idea to leverage their companies at a ratio of about 30 to 1 or higher. They were flying high making incredible amounts of money and ignoring the basic tenants of risk. Kind of like the drug addict who keeps on using and thinks they can stop anytime they want. We all know how well that turns out. Well intentioned friends and family enable the addict and they don't get any better.

Well what has the government been doing? Our financial industry has the drug of money clouding their judgement. Our past government enabled this behavior by giving them more of the drug with no strings, thus enabling them. Taxpayer dollars provided more of the same drug that got the money addicts in trouble in the first place.

Here is hoping President Obama sees the folly in this type of government action and truly changes the course. If you are going to use my tax dollars either the addict needs to reform or we need to replace them with a non addict. Giving money, drugs or anything else to someone who has a history of abuse usually turns out badly unless the money/drug is removed or the person is truly rehabilitated.

Gitmo To Go

President Obama has indicated he plans to close the detention facility at Guantanamo. I say it is about time to not only close the detention facility but to close Guantanamo Bay and give it back to Cuba. This is really part of the silliness of politics anyway. We need to start normalizing relations with people who don't always think exactly like us. Cuba would be a good start and would send a good message that the old ways of doing things are gone. A new America is on the horizon, one that leads by example.

We should also look at our presence throughout the world and start cutting back. We can't afford to be all things to all people. Bases in Korea, Germany, etc should be closed or at the very least scaled back. As far as the Middle East is concerned that area has had Christians, Jews and Muslims killing each other for centuries. All in the name of God, Allah, Christ whatever. Perhaps it is time to leave the area to its own devices and just, well, leave. We keep sending in the latest Secretary of State over and nothing really comes of it. Until the people of the Middle East region come to the same conclusion that the Northern Ireland people did (the killing must stop) the rest is just politics. The people of the region must want the killing to stop or it won't.