What The Hell Are You Doing?

Obtaining absorption of the weekly news cycle is nothing short of head scratching these days, with all the absolute non sense taking place across the fruited plain. However, it is particularly distressing when it includes folks have been thought to be operating from a common sense perspective. This week, we had three big eye brow raisers, and in response, we quote America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani; What The Hell Are You Doing?










Hey Newt Gingrich, what the hell are you doing?

Mitt Romney seems to be increasing his foothold on securing the GOP nomination after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, so in seeming desperate acts, Newt Gingrich unleashed a barrage of attacks on Romney and the action of the firm he helped found, Bain & Company, a venture capitalist firm. While there are several legitimate avenues of attack on Mitt, Gingrich choose to hit Bain and the business practices of venture capitalist firms as evil, job killers and something Americans despise.

Rudy Giuliani, joining Steve Doocy, Alisyn Camerota and Eric Boling on Fox & Friends, is far from amused. Take a listen:



As sad as that is, particularly from "the smartest guy in the room", Texas Governor Rick Perry felt compelled to join in, calling Bain a "vulture" capitalist firm. Come again?

Hey Rick Perry, what the hell are you doing?

Venture capitalist firms like Bain are integral to our capitalist system and free market enterprise. For mid sized firms that are losing their way, venture capitalist firms, typically invited in by shareholders, provide guidance, operational expertise, asset management and capital, generally for a piece of the company in an effort to help the company survive and thrive.

It is a risky venture, with marginal success rates. However, when successful, payoffs can be huge. Not just for the venture capital firm, but for the company, the employees, shareholders and in most cases, the communities which house the business operations. For Bain, companies like Staples, Clear Channel and The Sports Authority are three Bain Capital success stories.

Within 20 miles of my office, these three companies alone employ an estimated 500 people, who need places to live, work and play, which is most beneficial to the economy here in Orlando.

Bain Capital and similar firms should be appreciated for playing a vital role in helping assist in the expansion of commerce, which is vital for a capitalist system to bear fruit. Gingrich and Perry should be well aware of this, and should be called out for taking the approach of the socialist Democrats in railing against capitalism and free markets. I just did.

Hey Mitt Romney, what the hell are you doing?

In the aftermath a big victory in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney gave an outstanding victory speech, hitting all the chords conservatives are longing to hear. If we could trust this is what we would get with a Romney presidency, I think everyone would be on board. We cannot, as the very next day, Romney offered the following:

In the general election I’ll be pointing out that the president took the reins at General Motors and Chrysler – closed factories, closed dealerships laid off thousands and thousands of workers – he did it to try to save the business.

Obama violated countless free market principles in "saving" General Motors and Chrysler, most notably in the shafting the bondholders and closing down of dealerships with ties to the Republican party. The interference in the marketplace by Obama, exhibiting crony capitalism by picking winners and using tax payer funds to benefit friends and campaign supporters, are actions to be strongly condemned, not celebrated. Rush Limbaugh appropriately hammered Romney on his remarks.

Hey Haley Barbour, what the hell are you doing?

I do not know where the "tradition" of pardoning folks after a term in office came from, but I do not find a compelling reason to continue it. Certainly, there would be cases where such an action is warranted, and that is fine. One of the most celebrated cases came with Bill Clinton pardoning Marc Rich, which I find an error.

Unfortunately, this practice is not confined to Democrats. Enter Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Barbour has done a very good job as Governor of Mississippi, and was considered a potential GOP presidential candidate. As he concluded his term, he pardons several individuals that need to remain behind bars.

Media outlets have outlined the cases of a handful of these folks, and a Judge has blocked the release of those still incarcerated.



Although Barbour is "very comfortable" in his decision, I am very comfortable in finding him in gross error and condemning his action. Based upon actions such as this, the practice of knee jerk pardoning bus loads of criminals should cease. If these folks cannot do the time, they should not have committed the crime.

Perhaps common sense will re-assert itself this week, but I doubt it.

2012 Final Top 25

College Football

Top 25

1. Alabama, 12-1, 3
2. Louisiana State, 13-1, 1
3. Oklahoma State, 12-1, 2
4. Arkansas, 11-2, 4
5. Stanford, 11-2, 5
6. Southern Cal, 10-2, 7
7. Oregon, 11-2, 9
8. South Carolina, 11-2, 10
9. Wisconsin, 11-3, 6
10. Michigan State, 11-3, 11
11. Boise State, 12-1, 12
12. Kansas State, 10-3, 8
13. Michigan, 11-2, 13
14. Texas Christian, 11-2, 15
15. Baylor, 10-3, 16
16. Oklahoma, 10-3, 17
17. Houston, 13-1, 24
18. West Virginia, 10-3, NR
19. Georgia, 10-4, 20
20. Virginia Tech, 11-3, 19
21. Florida State, 9-4, 23
22. Nebraska, 9-4, 18
23. Southern Miss, 12-2, 22
24. Clemson, 10-4, 14
25. Notre Dame, 8-5, 21

OUT: Penn State (25)

VOTES: Missouri, Auburn, Virginia, Cincinnati, Texas, Texas A&M, Rutgers, Penn State, Washington, Mississippi State, Florida and BYU.

Mark Barron and the Crimson Tide defense suffocated Jordan Jefferson and the Tiger offense all night en route to a 21-0 National Title victory at the Lousiana Mercedes Benz Superdome.
PHOTO:Dave Martin/AP

I have always been a fan of Les Miles, but outcoached would be putting it nicely for the performance put in by LSU last night in getting dominated by Alabama. The Bengal Tiger defense was stout almost all night, but LSU had no answer for the swarming Tide defensive unit. Jordan Jefferson was horrendous, very primative in running the option as ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit accurately pointed out. He could not hit open receivers, had no command of the pocket and semmingly yelled at teammates after making mistakes. Jarrett Lee anyone? Miles should have played Lee in the first half no matter what, then without question should have given him the ball in the third. Contraty to many, I love these defensive struggles, but it became clear fairly early LSU was dead in the water on offense. In the end, another title for Sweet Home Alabama. RTR!

With all the talent on hand and with Larry Fedora taking over as head coach (a good hire by the way), you would think the players at UNC would show up for the bowl game to show off their talents to the new coach. You would be wrong....As if the annual embarrassment for the ACC is not enough, Clemson went out and gave up 70 to West Virginia, as the Mountaineers broke a slew of records, including Tavon Austin tying JR Superstar's (Johnny Rodgers) record for total individual touchdowns. Clemson DC Kevin Steele is a good man and a good coach, so who knows what happened here, but you simply have no business giving up, did I mention 70, in the Orange Bowl....Several great bowl games, including Baylor beating Washington 67-56 as Heisman winner RGIII showcased, Michigan dumping VT in overtime and Okie State beating Stanford in OT....The Gators found ways to score, and dumped Ohio State in the Urban Decay versus Urban Renewal bowl...Arizona State hired Todd Graham from Pitt, which does not look like a good move. Graham has Mayflower Van Lines on speed dial,but then again, who would not want to run from Steve Pederson, the debacle of an AD who ruined Nebraska and is now trashing Pitt. Pittsburgh area sports writers are not amused, and SMU spanked them......Auburn destroyed Virginia, and although the Tigers lost both coordinators, they may be back on the rise quick. DC Ted Roof went to UCF(?) while Gus Malzahn, who turned down 3 million at Vanderbilt a year ago, is at Arkansas State for $850,000 a year. I am scratching my head, how about you? Could the ramblings of Malzans wife have played a role. Not sure, but she should not speaking publicly......Georgia squandered a 16-0 lead and fell to Michigan State as their kicking game failed them... Oregon and Wisconsin played a great Rose Bowl with the Quack Attack winning.....Penn State hired a no name Coach from outside program, torquing many Lion faithful. They needed to go outside the program I think, but I doubt this guy is the answer as this is no quick fix. Meanwhile, Houston pummeled the Lions puching a ticket in the Ticket City Bowl....Arkansas flexed some muscle, controlling a good K-State team. If only they did not face LSU and Alabama.

Banking Shore Leave

For those out working every day to stay afloat, a review of the daily news put forth by the drive by media reveals an economy slowly emerging from stability, albeit with anemic growth. The worst is over. Everything is fine, nothing to see here.

But if you look closely at what is really happening, there is major economic trouble lurking about all over the place. Much of the focus has been on Europe, as they struggle to escape a collapse. A European collapse would certainly be a major problem for US financial markets, which are in real trouble.

In particular trouble are the banks. As has been noted repeatedly, banks are borrowing at next to free from The FED and can lend to customers at approximately 5%, which would command high profit levels. But little lending is taking place, as lending for the housing market is extremely difficult to command, credit lines are evaporating and small business loans are rare. In fact, now loans to small business are being called.

The Los Angeles Times details a story of a small business owner having his loan called by Bank of America. He has the option of paying it off or restructuring at a new increased rate. Fox Business Network's Gerri Willis discusses this situation.


What motivation would the banks have to alienate customers in this fashion? Well, there are much bigger issues the banks are facing, and Economist David McAlvany outlines the problems to FOX Business's David Asman. Take a listen:



Under extreme duress, at what level will the banks stop in attempting to call loans and restructure loans not called at substantially higher interest rates? Most people are barely surviving now, so restructuring of this kind will bankrupt many with the banks seizing whatever assets they can. Seems far fetched I know, but did it just happen in the MF Global saga?

Ann Barnhardt thinks so. Barnhardt joins Warren Pollock to discuss this situation and what may be coming.


While portions of the forecasting going on may be worst case scenarios, it is clear that the economic standing of Uncle Sam is not on sound footing. Contract law is being broken, as evidenced by the auto bondholders, and the transformation of wealth (theft) is taking place. Banks are attacking customers, and the raising of credit card interest rates is a small example.

It is going to be an interesting time as we move through the 2012 election, and you should take steps now to secure your financial footing if possible. Should Obama, who has demonstrated his disdain for the rules set forth by our Constitution by his eagerness to bypass Congress to implement his ideas, be re-elected, a top down governmental dictatorship may be our future.

It will be the end of America as you once knew it; no longer a nation of laws, but a nation of men.

Boo Pelini

The Nebraska Cornhuskers made their first trip to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl since losing to national champion Georgia Tech 45-21 in 1990. Steve Spurrier and South Carolina from the SEC was the opponent.

Nebraska Dave and I were knee deep in pregame fanfare.









Nebraska began the game strong, scoring on the opening possession and held a 13-9 lead in the fist quarter. Although South Carolina was tough, particularly on the defensive front, the game was there for the taking.

Then came the all too familiar implosion. After fumbling at the Gamecock five heading in for a touchdown, South Carolina uncorked a bomb which resulted in a score. Then prior to the half, a Hail Mary catch made by All America receiver Alshon Jeffrey resulted in a touchdown and BOOM, the 'Huskers were down 16-13.

Nebraska moved the ball deep into Gamecock territory on each of their first four second half possessions but came away with 0 points. If you want to learn how to lose a football game, pull out this game film. Penalties, miscues, missed field goals and turnovers.

Meanwhile, with Pelini wearing out yet another poor officiating crew, South Carolina was executing their game plan. Appropriately, the Nebraska papers had some extensive commentary on this subject. So did Nebraska Dave; Boo Pelini.

The Big Red gave South Carolina every opportunity to seize control of the game, and the Gamecocks were all too happy to oblige. While the Internet was quick to throw Taylor Martinez under the bus for this loss, this is not his fault. Nebraska more than matched South Carolina in speed and there were a handful of painful drops of well placed passes, but the Cornhusker offensive line faltered down the stretch against a very strong SC defensive front which limited the offensive options. This has been an area of concern for a few years now.

The 'Huskers did not appear to be well coached for this game on either side of the ball. With the O-line getting whipped, rolling out Martinez would have been nice, as would a screen pass or three. The Blackshirts rarely applied significant pressure on an average signal caller, allowing him to hit his fleet footed receivers.

Word on the street was that Pelini was less than corrigible at the team hotel to some of those who made the trip in this horrendous economy. Combine that with performances like we saw in the Capital One Bowl, he may not be long for Lincoln.

The offense should be good in 2012, but the defense, not a bright spot in 2011, suffers heavy losses including Lavonte David, who will be impossible to replace. It is hard to imagine the 2012 Conrhuskers in the Rose Bowl, much less the national title picture.

Maybe the staff should focus on the little things, like solving on the field discipline issues, including mental collapses and penalties.

What's left in our wallet? Nothing.

Irish Tomahawked

It was a sold out Champs Bowl as the Florida State Seminoles took on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on a beautiful evening in downtown Orlando.

For three quarters, the Seminoles played downright offensive offensive football, picking up right where they left off against Florida. Fumbling immediately out of the gate for a Notre Dame touchdown, the Seminoles had to come from behind.

But the Seminoles hung in defensively, and as the fourth quarter began started generating some offense and won the game 18-14. A few passes to Rahsad Greene led the way.


Florida State needed this game, and this win over a quality opponent in Notre Dame gives the team confidence for the 2012 season. The Seminoles will have a veteran team, and if issues on the offensive line can be corrected, anything short of a top ten finish would be a major disappointment.

Go Big Red

Live and compete by the code.



There Is No Place Like Nebraska, in Florida.

GO BIG RED!!

Capital One Bowl Cornhusker Fanfare

Herbie Husker and The Marching Red perform "There Is No Place Like Nebraska" on the streets of lovely downtown Orlando in the Captial One Bowl Citrus Parade.



Go Big Red!

Seminole Uprising

It has been a rough year for Florida State football, knocked out of national and ACC title consideration right out of the gate this fall. FSU did respond by winning the State championship for a second straight year, beating both in state rivals Miami and Florida.

As the bowl matchups were announced, Florida State got selected to play in the Champs Bowl, here in Orlando, against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Instant sellout. If you are not in the BCS, it does not get much better than this.

In preparation for the matchup, here is some fanfare from last seasons Chick-fil-a Bowl by the world renowned Florida State University Marching Chiefs. Go 'Noles!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Enjoy Santa's ride into Manhattan to Radio City Music Hall for the performance for the world famous Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Crony Corruption Could Collapse America

Several months ago, astonishingly, former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine was thought to be the leading candidate to replace Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were very fond of Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs CEO, and his economic knowledge and leadership.

That was before MF Global, the commodities boutique Corzine was CEO of went bankrupt and is missing 1.2 billion of customer funds.




Oh, the company that you keep.

Corzine failed miserably as Governor of New Jersey, blowing a hole the size of the Meadowlands in the Garden State checkbook. Residents there, who gathered their senses and elected Chris Christie to clean things up, are witnessing a telling turn around.

But it is Corzine's latest failure that will ultimately have a ripple effect that will engage each of our tax paying citizens. Ann Barnhardt, CEO of Barnhardt Capital Management, Inc., a small independent introducing brokerage, has been some kind of spot in analysis of this case, and recently shut down her operations due to a lack of trust in the commodities futures market. MF Global has exposed what many had feared; that the rule of law in our capital markets can be absent at any given time, and a lawless entanglement with uncertainty is toxic for any investor.

Few think Corzine is an idiot, so the concept that, as he testified in front of Congress, he has no idea how the money went missing is beyond laughable. This money is not mistakenly misplaced; it was stolen. As as George Bailey astutely pointed out, there should be a bank examiner, if not the FBI, with a warrant for the arrest of the firms officers. But surprisingly, perhaps due to the close relationship Corzine has with Obama, there is not. The thought that this event was orchestrated has crossed many a mind, and swamped with supporters of Cloward and Piven in Washington, it gains validity.

As Ms. Barnhardt points out, customer money is gone and the MF Global "trustee" has begun seizing customer assets who traded in precious metals and housed the investment collateral through contracts brokered by MF Gobal.

A form of retracing through the chain of investors, bankrupt or not, to recover losses can be referred to as part of hypothecation. Zero Hedge has been covering the recent emergence of this action like Deion Sanders covering a hobbled tight end. The term was originally making the rounds with respect to a potential collapse of the Euro, but it plays with any loss of collateral where re-pledging has occurred. Sadly, it creates the opportunity for investors on the outside to suffer huge losses, with little legal recourse.

David Buckner got with Glenn Beck to attempt to provided an example of how this could impact the economic system, and it could make your ears bleed. Take a listen:



Fast and Furious, Solyndra and the Chevy Volt are many of the scandals of the Obama administration, but the The MF Global collapse is a canary in the coal mine, and the scandal is much deeper than you know. The MF Global players are part of the crony capitalism set up by the Obama administration. While JP Morgan Chase and George Soros are snapping up the fallout at handsome profits, it seems more likely every day investors will not get their money back.

It has been stolen, by a cast of crony capitalist thieves, with full backing of the corrupt leaders in Washington. More is sure to follow in this case, and the lack of trust in the capital markets Ms. Barnhardt spoke of is growing. Technocrats, in many cases, are in control, operating against the will of the people and the rule of law.

Should a catastrophic economic collapse hit our shores, will your assets be protected from hypothecation from government owned banks? I have often been cited as a master of stating the obvious, but the time to keep your investments on a short lease is staring you in the face.

The Howling Winds

There are GOP front runners, and then there is Mitt Romney. GOP challengers to Romney have risen and fallen, but Romney, who looks the presidential part, has remained steady as she goes hanging around 25%.

At the end of the day, it appears none of the GOP challengers can overtake Romney. Mitt has a long list of endorsers, including Bob Dole, Dan Quayle, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and most notably, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Newt Gingrich has a few endorsements of his own, including former OU quarterback and Oklahoma Congressman J. C. Watts and Thomas Sowell, of the Hoover Institution, who I admire greatly.

While all these endorsements are wonderful, Romney does not represent the Conservative most Republicans are clamoring for. Romneycare is an albatross, and his belief of man to be participatory in the greatest hoax of all time known as global warming signals big government inclinations all over the place.

Kathleen Parker, a fellow graduate of Florida State University who I rarely agree with, wrote recently in her Washington Post Column that if the GOP does not support Mitt Romney, it is a death wish.

There is a lot to like about Romney, and he likely is the best chance among those currently running to defeat Obama, or so the pundits say. But looking the best among this group is not a life changing experience, and many in the GOP have doubts and are looking over their backs, which is why the winds are howling.

On the heels of a wonderful column by Jeb Bush in the Wall Street Journal today, our friend and WSJ Editorial Board member Steve Moore is out championing a potential entrance of Jeb into the race. While I do not view Jeb as a conservative, he was a very good Governor for eight years here in Florida, and as my friend Van Bo points out, the I-4 corridor will once again be pivotal in deciding Florida, and thus, the nation. With musings about Condi Rice as a VP candidate, a Bush-Rice ticket could do quite well.

Sarah Palin said last night it is not too late to jump in, leaving many to question whether she is reconsidering her status. I am all for it, but not sure she can get enough in the middle to defeat Obama due to the merciless beating she has taken from the biased media. Then again, few thought Reagan could defeat Carter in 1979 at this point in the process.

Is there another candidate rethinking the issue? Paul Ryan? Donald Trump? Mike Huckabee? Who knows.

Should upstart Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who is quite sound on economic issues but as naive as they come on foreign policy, win Iowa, those winds could turn into a hurricane.

There is a long way to go, and not one vote has been cast. Untold events could be on the horizon.

Not withstanding today's strong rally on Wall Street, the Euro crisis is not fixed and could negatively pressure the markets in a lengthy ten minutes. In fact, with the S&P 500 recently breaking its 50 day moving average to the downside, some technical analysts fear the trend is negative. Bank of America's Mary Ann Bartels sees a potential level as low as 935 on the S&P, some 30% below current levels. Throw in a Euro collapse, and free fall comes to mind.

Turmoil in the middle east is another major issue, as is the uncertainty surround the North Korea government in the aftermath of Kim Jug Ill's death.

Certainly, the situation is fluid, and regardless of what the pundits say, Iowa is still wide open. One can only hope a Conservative with firm footing in the first principles finishes strong. If not, those winds will really start howling.

Sunday Night Song

Roger Hodgson, formerly of Supertramp, is certainly among the gifted composers of the rock genre of the last half century. Breakfast in America, Supertramp's Grammy Award winning blockbuster 1979 album, I regard as among the best of all time.

Hodgson last played with Supertramp in 1983. While Supertramp continues to exist without him, Hodgson is on the road solo, performing all the old tunes.

Tonight, for Sunday Night Song, Hodgson performs his favorite Supertramp song, and one I hold in most high regard as well, the ballad "Lord, Is It Mine." Enjoy!

Information Misrepresentation: Obama

Information presented to the Public by various outlets is being crafted to misrepresent reality in an effort to skew political thinking, gain economic advantage and nudge social justice further down the American psyche. This is the second in a series of blog posts detailing instances in this regard, as it is imperative the Public recognize the significant level of misrepresentation and how vast the manipulation is.

President Obama, who one would suspect is extremely busy in efforts to solve the myriad of significant issues our country is presented with, most notably the highest sustained level of unemployment since the Great Depression, continues to find time to display mind boggling levels of arrogance on a variety of media outlets. Last week, in an interview with 60 Minutes, Obama not only mangled the truth in description of the performance of his administration, but stretched his high altitude narcissism to incredulous levels. See the piece below:



In response to 60 Minutes Correspondent Steve Kroft asking about Obama's accomplishments, the President offered the following:

Well, we're not done yet. I've got five more years of stuff to do. But not only saving this country from a great depression. Not only saving the auto industry. But putting in place a system in which we're gonna start lowering health care costs and you're never gonna go bankrupt because you get sick or somebody in your family gets sick. Making sure that we have reformed the financial system, so we never again have taxpayer-funded bailouts, and the system is more stable and secure. Making sure that we've got millions of kids out here who are able to go to college because we've expanded student loans and made college more affordable. Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Decimating al Qaeda, including Bin Laden being taken off the field. Restoring America's respect around the world.

This paragraph presents by itself contains a gold mine of delusional comments. If he has all these things to do, which he apparently was unable to accomplish with both house of Congress in Democratic control, one has to wonder with the country in economic peril why he is not working with a sense of urgency.

Obama did not save the country from a Great Depression. Obama has operated from the playbook of FDR, who sought massive government stimulus and implemented the forceful expansion of federal regulations and confiscatory taxation, his intimidation of "the rich," encouragement of labor strikes, and half-baked policy experiments discouraged employers from hiring workers and provided strong disincentives to new business investment, as Amity Shlaes outlined in her book "The Forgotten Man".

The auto industry is not saved. For Uncle Sam to made whole, GM needs about another $20 per share in stock price, and with the debacle otherwise know as the Chevy Volt, the loss of the iconic and sporty Pontiac brand and lagging new auto sales due to economic fear, prospects for a robust, profitable GM look bleak.

Health Care costs are not declining, and endless other slow creep taxation nuggets found within the Health Care bill increase taxes on the consumer, thus handicapping economic growth. With much of the behemoth legislation to come in 2013, fear of increased costs and taxation are significantly hindering business development and expansion, and of course, we could certainly use those jobs.

The massive financial regulations put forth under Obama, most notably the Dodd-Frank Bill, has been a job killer, and is also a continued failure as evidenced by the goings on of Democrat Jon Corzine, the former Governor and Senator from New Jersey, who as director of now bankrupt MF Global is under federal investigation due to 1.2 million dollars of customer accounts that are missing, or stolen, whichever your prefer.

Higher education is not a right, but a privilege, for those who choose to take that path. It is not for everybody, and is affordable if you find the investment to be a worthy endeavor.

While the Obama administration deserves recognition for continuing the assault on al Qaeda and for killing Osama Bin Laden, our foreign policy is abysmal. To the contrary from Obama's opinion, we are less respected around the world. Pretty please asking Iran for our lost drone back tells the tale, but beyond that we have radical Muslim influence expanding, have alienated our great friend in Israel and have left Iraq open for the Iranians for political expediency.

Obama really enjoys lying by omission to the citizens, and the following comment is a great example:

"And we ended up asking the wealthiest Americans to do a little bit more in terms of taxes. Going back to rates that would still be lower than they were under Ronald Reagan, our deficit problems would be solved. And I could not get Republicans to go ahead and say, "You're right. We're gonna put country ahead of party."

The legislative branch could possibly be welcome to consider tax rates back to where they were under Ronald Reagan if our country were not 15 trillion deeper in debt (5 trillion and counting under Obama's watch) and bordering a depression with our economic engine stagflating at best. In oppostion to Obama's America, Uncle Sam after three years of Reagan was beaming with optimism as we embarked on a 25 year bull market which Reagan let fire on.

Obama is masterful at making straw man arguments, the following is another great example:

"A balanced approach means exactly what it says. It means it's balanced." I would love to see tax reform. And if we can get a commitment from the Republicans that they want to work on a serious tax reform package that makes sure that the wealthiest Americans are paying their fair share, that is simplifying the tax code, that is lowering rates, but by broadening the base, that's something I'm all for. It's part of my plan. But what we haven't seen is any serious movement on the other side."

Not only did the Simpson-Bowles Commission, a bipartisan committed formed by Obama to offer productive recommendations, have their findings ignored by Obama, several Republican offerings, most notably the plan put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan, R:WI, have been put forth for consideration. Obama does not find them "serious", which means he does not favor them, and therefore he acts as if nothing has been offered. Translation: Liar.

"I mean, the interesting thing is the majority of Republicans actually think we should have a balanced approach to deficit reduction, including tax increases for the wealthy."

am sure that may sound good to much of the 60 Minutes viewership, but if is false. Outside of a handful of RHINO's in the Senate, Republicans are strongly against a balanced approach (raising of taxes) to deficit reduction.

Although I could write 10,000 words tearing this interview apart, in closing comes a staggering comment of arrogance and elitism.

"I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president -- with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln -- just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history."

Passing health care legislation was monumental, however on the destructive side in my view rather the constructive side as Obama sees it. Given the accomplishment, Obama sat the legislation out, turning over the construction of the framework to Nancy Pelosi and the Tides Foundation. Backhanded deal making and payoffs helped push it over the edge late, even though polls, now up to almost 65%, oppose it.

George W. Bush, when asked, said he would let history 30 years down the road grade his contribution as President. Obama, presiding over unquestionable decline, finds himself perhaps equal FDR, whose New Deal along with LBJ's Great Society are bankrupting the country, is arrogant to be sure, but he may have a point. We may not recover from Obama's destructive socialistic policies.

But for Obama to think he resides in the same thought as Abraham Lincoln, there is no doubt we have a delusional, narcissistic individual who feels welcome to state incorrect opinion as fact leading our country into deep and lasting decline.

Pony Up

ESPN College Football Analyst Craig James has taken a leave of absence from the network as he ponders a run for US Senate in his home state of Texas. James, who starred at SMU and The New England Patriots, is a real estate developer and has been covering college football for some 20 seasons.

In preparation for a potential run, James has founded Texas for a Better America, which focuses on the ideals of free markets, entrepreneurial spirit, protecting the Constitution and American Exceptionalism. James seems like a great guy, and with a platform like that he could be the type of representative we are searching for.

James would be joining an already crowded field. One of his potential GOP opponents, Ted Cruz, who I am unfamiliar with but who has the endorsements of David Barton, Jim DeMint and Rand Paul, each of whom I respect and support, has a great video hammering Obama. Check out The ghost of Obama's Future:

Guard Against Gingrich As Gatekeeper

It is a big night on the Iowa-Nebraska border in Sioux City tonight, where the final GOP debate before the Iowa caucus will be held. The lovely Megyn Kelly is warming up.

The fallout from what seems like 40 previous debates has only eliminated two candidates, Herman Cain and Tim Pawlenty. Beginning with Michele Bachmann and most recently with Newt Gingrich, each candidate has enjoyed time at the top of the polls at some point, except of course for Jon Hunstman, who may not be aware of the fact he is a Scoop Jackson Democrat.

Gingrich is an interesting fellow, who generally speaking, I appreciate. Gingrich gets it on many issues Obama has no clue on, including free trade, Occupy Wall Street, the hatred facing Israel and the threat of Islamic terrorists. Descriptions of Newt as an idea factory are seemingly reasonable, and he is top of the class from a historical perspective, with the latter being where he and I will part company.

However, if someone who to ask me who I considered the greatest President of the 20th century, without spending a nano-second of thought, I would proudly announce Ronald Reagan as my easy choice. This is somewhat surprisingly not the case for Newt. Take a listen:



Oh my. But, it gets worse. Gingrich is also a big fan of Woodrow Wilson:



Forget that Gingrich, a self described Teddy Roosevelt disciple, was at odds with the Tea Party in supporting a big government candidate recently in NY23, jumped in opposition against Rep; Paul Ryan and his Roadmap for America, and is on the wrong side of global warming, his admiration of these Progressive Presidents is a real deal breaker.

In fact, global warming is the vehicle for the largest big government expansion in history through regulatory control on pollution, energy usage and development, food consumption and human behavior. It does not get any more big government than that.

Certainly, one would have thought we learned what not to do through economic governance in he aftermath of the Great Depression as appropriately highlighted this week in Investors Business Daily. Refraining from expansive government intervention, taxation and regulation would be central to the lessons learned, so electing a big government "Teddy Roosevelt" Republican Progressive in the form of Newt Gingrich, who speaks in admiration of Woodrow Wilson and FDR, following the abysmal Obama administration, is not a direction I favor to say the very least.

On the other hand, if it comes down to Obama versus Newt, mark me down for Gingrich.

Information Misrepresentation: Appraisals

Information presented to the Public by various outlets is being crafted to misrepresent reality in an effort to skew political thinking, gain economic advantage and nudge social justice further down the American psyche. This is the first in a series of blog posts detailing instances in this regard, as it is imperative the Public recognize the significant level of misrepresentation and how vast the manipulation is.

Information Misrepresentation: Appraisals

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported this week one out of every three of its builder members has lost a sale during the last six months because of home values reported by appraisers.

NAHB Chairman Bob Nielson said, "The inappropriate use of distressed and foreclosed sales as comparables in determining new home values is needlessly driving down home prices, killing home sales, causing more workers to lose their jobs and delaying a housing and economic recovery."

The NAHB did not stop there, further hammering appraisers with the following:

* According the Association, appraisers are using "faulty" practices by utilizing distressed homes as potential comparable sales against new homes. Mr Nielson said in a statement that "This is not only unfair and unreasonable, but it perpetuates the cycle of declining home values, drives more home owners underwater, harms local economic activity and acts as an obstacle to the recovery of the housing market."

* Mr Nielson notes that in many cases, new home appraisals are coming in below the cost of construction, because of flawed appraisals for utilizing existing and potentially distressed homes.

* Per the NAHB, These appraisal practices are a major contributing factor to the current acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) lending crisis that has choked off credit for home builders and threatens to prolong the current housing downturn. Falling appraised values for land and subdivisions under development have led some financial institutions to stop lending to developers and builders, to demand additional equity and even to call performing loans.

* The NAHB has been having summits, with leaders throughout the housing industry in an effort to find solutions that will allow appraisers to develop realistic valuations based on sales that are truly comparable.

Mr Nielson and the NAHB concludes that, you guessed it, “Major reforms in appraisal practices and oversight are needed to ensure that appraisals accurately reflect true market values and don’t contribute to price volatility or harm aspiring home owners and move-up buyers.”

One thing I know from the real estate world: It is always the appraisers fault. NOT! What we do have from the NAHB is information misrepresentation.

This must have been some series of summits. A bunch of bureaucrats gathered together to central plan the housing recovery, culminating in the one thing we need less, not more, of; additional regulations.

If additional regulations were the answer, the sweeping regulatory action spearheaded by former HUD Secretary and Architect of Ruin Andrew Cuomo, The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), would have done the trick. Instead, it has wrecked the appraisal industry, leaving unregulated Appraisal Management Companies to coordinate, and in many cases dictate, appraisal performance.

Since distressed properties make up approximately 65% of the market here in Florida, it would be highly inappropriate to fail to consider these as potential comparable sales, provided the gross living area, age, amenities, and, of course, condition, were reasonably similar.

By applying political pressure to "develop realistic valuations," made as instructed will become a reality and as a result, valuations will be lacking in adequate support and accurate value.

Appraisal practices, as governed by the Uniform Standards of Appraisal Practice (USPAP), provide a framework for appraisers nationwide to adhere to in an effort to provide consistent and accurate valuation through the three approaches to value. These voluminous guidelines are a contributing factor to providing the industry with appraisal reports arriving at well supported value indications , not further deteriorating the housing crisis as the NAHB says.

Conspicuously absent from the many factors cited by the NAHB for the continued downward pressure on the housing market are the actions of the Obama administration. It is well documented that the origins of the collapse centered around the governments efforts to provide housing to buyers the marketplace weeded out. These potential buyers were not weeded out due to race, as ACORN would have you believe, but due to the higher risk associated with their ability to repay the loan. Before political correctness ran amok, his used to be referred to as sound business practice.

Among those applying pressure to the banks in the form of threatening race related boycotts was a young attorney for ACORN, Barack Obama.

While George Bush made failed attempts at forcing Congress to rein in the Government Sponsored Entities known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, under House Finance Chairman Barney Frank, the Congress looked the other way.

Meanwhile, instead of letting the market cleanse itself, the administration has invented program after program to reward bad behavior and prop up the values of housing, which has only prolonged the pain and the problem. Government, who cannot be trusted, should leave the housing marketplace and let the free market establish a base for prices. In fact, we now learn the housing numbers have astonishingly been inflated.

Housing is not the only place numbers are inflated. Government spending, regulation and taxation is what is crushing the job market, with unemployment actually around 12% rather than the reported 8.6%, and for buyers to feel comfortable making large purchases in the form of housing, the job market needs to be at worst steady. Under this administration, there is no job creation, debt is expanding exponentially and Americans are in fear for the future.

Until jobs can be created in large numbers and the government diminishes involvement in what should be private sector activity, continued negative pressure on the housing market and America will remain.

As Ronald Reagan accurately said, "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem."

2011 All America Team

2011 All America Team

OFFENSE

WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
6'1, 220 JR, Ardmore, OK (Plainview)

WR Robert Woods, Southern California
6'1", 180, SO, Carson, CA (Serra)

WR Kendall Wright, Baylor

5'10", 190, SR, Pittsburg, TX (Pittsburg)

TE Dewayne Allen, Clemson
6'4", 255 JR, Fayetteville, NC (Terry Sanford)

OL Barrett Jones, Alabama
6'5, 311 JR, Germantown, TN (Evangelical Christian)

OL David DeCastro, Stanford
6'5", 310, JR, Bellevue, WA (Bellevue)

OL David Molk, Michigan

6'2", 285, SR Lemont, IL (Lemont Township)

OL Levy Adcock, Oklahoma State
6'6", 322, SR, Claremore, OK (Sequoyah)

OL Matt Kalil, Southern California
6'7", 295 JR, Corona, CA (Servite)

QB Robert Griffith III, Baylor
6'2, 220 JR, Copperas Grove, TX (Copperas Grove)

RB Trent Richardson, Alabama
5'11, 204 SR, Pensacola, FL (Escambia)

RB LaMichael James, Oregon
5'9, 195 JR, Texarkana, TX (Liberty-Eylau)

RB Montee Ball, Wisconsin
5'11, 210 JR, Wentzville, MO (Timberland)

DEFENSE

DE Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
6'2", 265, SR, Eufaula, AL (Eufaula)

DT Devon Still, Penn State
6'5, 310, SR, Wilmington, DE (Howard)

DT Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
6'4", 265, JR, Akron, OH (Garfield)

DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State
6'3", 310, JR, Huber Heights, OH (Wayne)

DE Andre Branch, Clemson
6'5", 260, SR, Richmond, VA (Varina)

OLB Jarvis Jones, Georgia
6'3", 241, SO, Columbus, GA (Carver)

ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
6'3, 237 JR, Cincinnati, OH (Xavier)

ILB Lavonte David, Nebraska
6'1, 225 SR, Miami, FL (Northwestern)

ILB Dont'a Hightower, Alabama
6'4", 260, JR, Lewisburg, TN (Marshall County)

OLB Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
6'2", 276 SR, Hamlet, NC (Richmond County)

DB Tyrann Mathieu, Louisiana State
5'9" 175, SO, New Orleans, LA (St. Augustine)

DB David Amerson, North Carolina State
6'3", 194, SO, Greenboro, NC (Dudley)

DB Markelle Martin, Oklahoma State
6'1", 198, SR, Wichita Falls, TX (Rider)

DB Mark Barron, Alabama
6'2" 218, SR, Mobile, AL (St. Pauls)

DB Morris Claiborne, Louisiana State
6'0" 185, JR, Shreveport, LA (Fair Park)

SPECIAL TEAMS

KR Tyrann Mathieu, Louisiana State,

5'9" 175, SO, New Orleans, LA (St. Augustine)

P Shawn Powell, Florida State
6'4, 235 SR, Rome, GA (Darlington Prep)

PK Brett Maher, Nebraska
6'0" 185 JR, Kearney, NE (Kearney)

NC Sammy Watkins, Clemson
6'1", 200, FR, Fort Meyers, FL (North Fort Meyers)