All this mentions of mothers and grandmothers and yet no father. Spurious correlation I'm sure.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
I'm So There
Galt's Gluch has become Galt Island.
And finally all those stupid evil rich people will leave this country and leave you all alone forever.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Privatizing Governments
If I remember my corporate history correctly, I believe it was the Walton brothers who approached Ben Franklin (the dime store chain, not the man) about their idea for what would soon become Wal-Mart. They were shot down and if I still remember correctly, they approached other stores and chains, only to be shot down again. Ultimately they had to head out on their own, and now I don't think I've seen a Ben Franklin store in over 20 years.
Dr. Seuss was rejected reportedly 27 times.
And the creators of Trivial Pursuit had to go to a different country to find backers for their game.
Of course we all come up with good ideas (or at least we'd like to think so), but it is an issue of finding somebody to financially back it into reality. And ironically, it's the most revolutionary ideas that are least likely to get backing simply because it disturbs the blissful ignorance of the status quo and forces people to think outside their comfy little box.
Enter the Captain's crazy idea.
It not only disturbs the status quo, it just blows it right up.
I came up with this idea about 6 years ago and have alluded to it in the past. I never came outright and said what it was because;
1. I didn't want the idea getting out
2. I was debating whether to actually pursue it.
I tinkered with it, toyed with it, and soon it just wouldn't go the frick away. I knew I would have to at least give it a shot otherwise it would just gnaw at me for the rest of my life. And so over the summer when I had some time, I pulled a ton of data, ran some charts, made some financial projections and put together a 20 page business plan.
The idea?
How to fully privatize governments.
It's actually quite a simple concept, but a revolutionary one because I believe I have found the optimal form of government, or at least the "next stage" of governmental evolution. An improvement upon democracy, or perhaps a better way of putting it, democracy on steroids.
Under this new concept, government would be inoculated against corruption, greed, theft, graft and all other ailments that have ailed democracies since they were created. Politicians would not be able to wield the power over the people like they do. Rich or influential people could not override the desires of the people (or perhaps shall I say, brainwash them with propaganda and mass media into voting against their own long term interests). And economic growth, to paraphrase Brad Pitt from Inglorious Basterds, "would be a-BOOMIN'!"
It also is about the only silver bullet that could genuinely save the US (and all of Europe for that matter) from the financial problems we face today and keep them going as a viable economic entites.
Oh, and it also wouldn't hurt that it would easily make me and any major investors the world's first trillionaires.
But you all of course know where this story is going.
As expected, after spending the better part of a week on research and drafting a proposal and after spending cumulatively another week trying to get investment banks or VC firms to take a look at the proposal, all I managed to do was waste two weeks of my summer at an opportunity cost of enjoying the decline. What was particularly irksome was not the fact investment banks, financiers of different sorts and VC's shot it down, it's that they just plain wouldn't return the damn phone call. That you could easily spend 20 minutes on the internet and one the phone trying to locate the right person to call and when you leave them a voice mail, they never call you back. And in the rare instance you actually got to talk to a real live investment banker they would dismiss it on frivolous grounds having nothing to do with the idea.
It's too much money to be raised.
It's too little money to be raised.
We're not in that industry.
We were in that industry, but not this time of year.
We might have interest, but now right now with this market.
We only do private placements.
We only do public placements.
It's Tuesday.
It's not Tuesday.
You're wearing blue socks and we have a policy against investing with blue sock wearing people.
I literally told only 2 people about the actual idea. One was an investment banker who was at least sporting enough to entertain the thought. And the other was Peter Theil's "Founders Fund" who actually requested an abbreviated 12 page Power Point presentation I put together. The rest of the time my idea was dismissed without them even hearing about the idea, and not ONE business proposal was sent out.
Naturally the curious person by now would want to know, "Well, what precisely was this great idea? How do you fully privatize a government and make trillions of dollars from doing so? Let alone, how do you make government "corruption-proof?"
And seeing how it is more or less impossible this idea will ever get financing, the next best thing would be to go public with it. Ergo, I am happy to announce the business plan's publication now available on Kindle.
Yes, I am charging for it, because I spent a lot of time on it and some of you will notice how the posts this summer have been more linkage than Cappy Originals (in part because of developing this business plan and also in part due to moving).
Regardless you can find it here for $5.64 (the reason for the odd price is I tried to price it at $3.99, but Kindle likes to add odd fees - will be tweaking the price in the meantime). Sorry, only available on Kindle, but for the price of a glass of beer you will be rewarded with infinitely more than $3.99/$5.64 worth of intellectual stimulation. And yes, no doubt there are going to be some of those endearing grammatical errors or typos that my English-nazi readers love pointing out.
In the meantime, enjoy the decline (which will probably be the title of the next book).
POST POST-Some of you have expressed interest of just mailing me $4 and me e-mailing you the MS Word Document, which is kosher too.
E-mail me at CAPTcapitalism (at) yahoo (dot) com, click on the Rumpleminze and make a donation to my paypal account. Or I can send you a safehouse address to mail $4 bucks to.
Dr. Seuss was rejected reportedly 27 times.
And the creators of Trivial Pursuit had to go to a different country to find backers for their game.
Of course we all come up with good ideas (or at least we'd like to think so), but it is an issue of finding somebody to financially back it into reality. And ironically, it's the most revolutionary ideas that are least likely to get backing simply because it disturbs the blissful ignorance of the status quo and forces people to think outside their comfy little box.
Enter the Captain's crazy idea.
It not only disturbs the status quo, it just blows it right up.
I came up with this idea about 6 years ago and have alluded to it in the past. I never came outright and said what it was because;
1. I didn't want the idea getting out
2. I was debating whether to actually pursue it.
I tinkered with it, toyed with it, and soon it just wouldn't go the frick away. I knew I would have to at least give it a shot otherwise it would just gnaw at me for the rest of my life. And so over the summer when I had some time, I pulled a ton of data, ran some charts, made some financial projections and put together a 20 page business plan.
The idea?
How to fully privatize governments.
It's actually quite a simple concept, but a revolutionary one because I believe I have found the optimal form of government, or at least the "next stage" of governmental evolution. An improvement upon democracy, or perhaps a better way of putting it, democracy on steroids.
Under this new concept, government would be inoculated against corruption, greed, theft, graft and all other ailments that have ailed democracies since they were created. Politicians would not be able to wield the power over the people like they do. Rich or influential people could not override the desires of the people (or perhaps shall I say, brainwash them with propaganda and mass media into voting against their own long term interests). And economic growth, to paraphrase Brad Pitt from Inglorious Basterds, "would be a-BOOMIN'!"
It also is about the only silver bullet that could genuinely save the US (and all of Europe for that matter) from the financial problems we face today and keep them going as a viable economic entites.
Oh, and it also wouldn't hurt that it would easily make me and any major investors the world's first trillionaires.
But you all of course know where this story is going.
As expected, after spending the better part of a week on research and drafting a proposal and after spending cumulatively another week trying to get investment banks or VC firms to take a look at the proposal, all I managed to do was waste two weeks of my summer at an opportunity cost of enjoying the decline. What was particularly irksome was not the fact investment banks, financiers of different sorts and VC's shot it down, it's that they just plain wouldn't return the damn phone call. That you could easily spend 20 minutes on the internet and one the phone trying to locate the right person to call and when you leave them a voice mail, they never call you back. And in the rare instance you actually got to talk to a real live investment banker they would dismiss it on frivolous grounds having nothing to do with the idea.
It's too much money to be raised.
It's too little money to be raised.
We're not in that industry.
We were in that industry, but not this time of year.
We might have interest, but now right now with this market.
We only do private placements.
We only do public placements.
It's Tuesday.
It's not Tuesday.
You're wearing blue socks and we have a policy against investing with blue sock wearing people.
I literally told only 2 people about the actual idea. One was an investment banker who was at least sporting enough to entertain the thought. And the other was Peter Theil's "Founders Fund" who actually requested an abbreviated 12 page Power Point presentation I put together. The rest of the time my idea was dismissed without them even hearing about the idea, and not ONE business proposal was sent out.
Naturally the curious person by now would want to know, "Well, what precisely was this great idea? How do you fully privatize a government and make trillions of dollars from doing so? Let alone, how do you make government "corruption-proof?"
And seeing how it is more or less impossible this idea will ever get financing, the next best thing would be to go public with it. Ergo, I am happy to announce the business plan's publication now available on Kindle.
Yes, I am charging for it, because I spent a lot of time on it and some of you will notice how the posts this summer have been more linkage than Cappy Originals (in part because of developing this business plan and also in part due to moving).
Regardless you can find it here for $5.64 (the reason for the odd price is I tried to price it at $3.99, but Kindle likes to add odd fees - will be tweaking the price in the meantime). Sorry, only available on Kindle, but for the price of a glass of beer you will be rewarded with infinitely more than $3.99/$5.64 worth of intellectual stimulation. And yes, no doubt there are going to be some of those endearing grammatical errors or typos that my English-nazi readers love pointing out.
In the meantime, enjoy the decline (which will probably be the title of the next book).
POST POST-Some of you have expressed interest of just mailing me $4 and me e-mailing you the MS Word Document, which is kosher too.
E-mail me at CAPTcapitalism (at) yahoo (dot) com, click on the Rumpleminze and make a donation to my paypal account. Or I can send you a safehouse address to mail $4 bucks to.
Property Taxes By County
I am kind of doubting the chart a little bit given Minneapolis and St. Paul fleecing their citizens, but here is the link.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Cutting Off the Flow
For all the monetarists out there who know prices of all items are simply a function of supply and demand, and who also know velocity is transitory, I found this chart interesting. For the first time since the series has been tracked, real estate loans have dropped. And not only have they dropped, they have dropped significantly.
Now I know there is a plethora of reasons why banks are reluctant to lend money. The economy, the housing bubble, new regulations effectively turning off the spigot, etc., but until that valve is turned on again, your housing prices won't recover.
Now I know there is a plethora of reasons why banks are reluctant to lend money. The economy, the housing bubble, new regulations effectively turning off the spigot, etc., but until that valve is turned on again, your housing prices won't recover.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Property Values Down, Property Taxes Up
A neato little chart that actually surprised me which shows property tax revenue for the state overtime. You would think with the collapse in property values, property taxes, which are BASED on property values would go down. Hoo ho ho! You foolish boy;
I knew Minneapolis would keep jacking up their property taxes, but I didn't know the state as a whole would too.
And people wonder why property values keep dropping.
I knew Minneapolis would keep jacking up their property taxes, but I didn't know the state as a whole would too.
And people wonder why property values keep dropping.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
No Capital Gains Without Profits
and no profits without economic growth.
I will say it again for the cheap seats. The Dow should be trading at around 8,000.
I will say it again for the cheap seats. The Dow should be trading at around 8,000.
Vintage of Divorce
Much like some charts showing the "vintages" of the various "tranches" of MBS or CDO's and their varying rates of default, Dalrock has once again done his digging and come up with a similar chart, but for that of divorce. In other words depending on what rough era you were married, how quickly did it take to get divorced?
To this day I am amazed at how the 70's just continues to be the worst decade on so many different socio and economic fronts.
A lengthier and longer analysis by Dalrock located here.
Link to Dalrock repaired.
To this day I am amazed at how the 70's just continues to be the worst decade on so many different socio and economic fronts.
A lengthier and longer analysis by Dalrock located here.
Link to Dalrock repaired.
Socialists Wasting Their Summer
Silly democrats. You wasted your summer. You should have learned to enjoy the decline.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
We'll There's Your Problem Right There
It often requires you to step back, pour yourself a double, go ride a motorcycle around, kiss a couple girls and watch some old school westerns and then revisit the problem in order for you to solve it or understand it. And one of the observations I've had as I've been out on long rides in the South Dakota Badlands is that our financial problems are caused by something that has been staring at us right in the face. Skim this little article here and see if you can see what I see.
What you SHOULD see (if you took Dr. Cappy's advice above and drove around after pouring yourself a double and kissing some girls and achieved a South Dakota epiphany) is governmental officials completely unaware they are stepping outside of their bounds. That they are putting themselves where they don't belong. And I'm not talking about forcing us to buy incandescent light bulbs, I'm talking they actually think it is government intervention that can affect stock prices when in reality the only thing that DOES affect stock prices is profits.
What kind of intrigues me is a guy like Bernanke should know this. Any economist, whether they are on the left or the right should at minimum have the intellectual honesty to know that tinkering with monetary policy is not going to have any kind of long term effect on stock prices. If anything it will hurt stock prices. Ergo what the heck is he thinking the central bank needs to take some kind of action? Since when is the fed chartered with the mandate to "increase stock prices?"
Stock prices will be, what they will be. They will be determined by profits of the underlying firms. Not whether the firm "goes green." Not whether they "celebrate diversity." And not whether the government does QE 46 and 1/2.
Regardless, the point is not necessarily this one particular instance of stupidity on the part of the federal reserve chairman. If you look at the entire effort politicians (primarily on the left) have resorted to, to get this economy going again, they are operating from the erroneous premise that somehow government can do something to help get the economy going again. Which is like saying a lamprey can do something to get a fish healthy again. Of course it will fail because the only thing the government can "do" is get out of the way and let the private sector grow again. However, what I'm seeing more and more is an ingrained psychology of government wonks and politicians that is something akin to women in my dance classes when they first start out. They think they can "do" something. Initiate some kind of action. "Help." When in reality "helping" or "doing something" is antithetical to the role women need to play in dancing which is the follower. Once the woman "does something to help" she unknowingly destroys the dance. But when the women realize how they have to follow (and men finally get the gall to lead which is nearly an impossible task sometimes), the dance works beautifully.
However, I highly doubt Obama and his ilk are going to realize they follow the people and not order them around.
On a side note, I think this old post of mine will come in handy given the general collapsing of or stock market and economy today.
In the meantime, you all know what to do today!
What you SHOULD see (if you took Dr. Cappy's advice above and drove around after pouring yourself a double and kissing some girls and achieved a South Dakota epiphany) is governmental officials completely unaware they are stepping outside of their bounds. That they are putting themselves where they don't belong. And I'm not talking about forcing us to buy incandescent light bulbs, I'm talking they actually think it is government intervention that can affect stock prices when in reality the only thing that DOES affect stock prices is profits.
What kind of intrigues me is a guy like Bernanke should know this. Any economist, whether they are on the left or the right should at minimum have the intellectual honesty to know that tinkering with monetary policy is not going to have any kind of long term effect on stock prices. If anything it will hurt stock prices. Ergo what the heck is he thinking the central bank needs to take some kind of action? Since when is the fed chartered with the mandate to "increase stock prices?"
Stock prices will be, what they will be. They will be determined by profits of the underlying firms. Not whether the firm "goes green." Not whether they "celebrate diversity." And not whether the government does QE 46 and 1/2.
Regardless, the point is not necessarily this one particular instance of stupidity on the part of the federal reserve chairman. If you look at the entire effort politicians (primarily on the left) have resorted to, to get this economy going again, they are operating from the erroneous premise that somehow government can do something to help get the economy going again. Which is like saying a lamprey can do something to get a fish healthy again. Of course it will fail because the only thing the government can "do" is get out of the way and let the private sector grow again. However, what I'm seeing more and more is an ingrained psychology of government wonks and politicians that is something akin to women in my dance classes when they first start out. They think they can "do" something. Initiate some kind of action. "Help." When in reality "helping" or "doing something" is antithetical to the role women need to play in dancing which is the follower. Once the woman "does something to help" she unknowingly destroys the dance. But when the women realize how they have to follow (and men finally get the gall to lead which is nearly an impossible task sometimes), the dance works beautifully.
However, I highly doubt Obama and his ilk are going to realize they follow the people and not order them around.
On a side note, I think this old post of mine will come in handy given the general collapsing of or stock market and economy today.
In the meantime, you all know what to do today!
Monday, August 08, 2011
Is There Anything More Beautiful Than Reality?
To quote Joe Hollenbeck from "The Last Boy Scout,"
"The truth is a beautiful thing...two." (I'll be surprised if anybody can place that in the context of the movie).
Regardless, I do thoroughly enjoy watching reality start to pierce through the rose-colored glasses of everybody who is of the mentality, "oh, the market will come back."
Post - post - it just keeps getting better.
POST POST POST - Who grew a pair over at S&P???
"The truth is a beautiful thing...two." (I'll be surprised if anybody can place that in the context of the movie).
Regardless, I do thoroughly enjoy watching reality start to pierce through the rose-colored glasses of everybody who is of the mentality, "oh, the market will come back."
Post - post - it just keeps getting better.
POST POST POST - Who grew a pair over at S&P???
Sunday, August 07, 2011
Unemployment Rate for Those with College Degrees
Anybody else just savor the irony of the college youth who came out in droves for Obama?
Thursday, August 04, 2011
The Captain is Moving
Your beloved Captain got a job in a no-income-tax state. More on that later.
But the funny thing about moving is all the old stuff you rediscovered when deciding what to take with you and what to through away. Namely, you unpack the boxes you boxed up the past 3, 4, 7 times you've moved and never unpacked them to see what you have.
I have old notebooks from college, old tax returns, but one precious item I found (and summarily thought I had lost) was a signed copy of the book "St. Mudd."
The book wasn't signed by Steve Thayer, the author, but rather "Jackie Rocket" the premiere dominatrix in the Twin Cities at the time. She got it as a gift for me over a decade ago.
"Captain, you are a different type of gangster and saint." it read.
Of course at the time I was dating her I literally didn't know she was the premiere dominatrix in the Twin Cities at the time, but that is a different story as well.
Regardless I strongly recommend the book St. Mudd. It is one of the few books I've read and it is even one of the fewer books I liked.
Besides, what else are you going to do but enjoy the decline?
But the funny thing about moving is all the old stuff you rediscovered when deciding what to take with you and what to through away. Namely, you unpack the boxes you boxed up the past 3, 4, 7 times you've moved and never unpacked them to see what you have.
I have old notebooks from college, old tax returns, but one precious item I found (and summarily thought I had lost) was a signed copy of the book "St. Mudd."
The book wasn't signed by Steve Thayer, the author, but rather "Jackie Rocket" the premiere dominatrix in the Twin Cities at the time. She got it as a gift for me over a decade ago.
"Captain, you are a different type of gangster and saint." it read.
Of course at the time I was dating her I literally didn't know she was the premiere dominatrix in the Twin Cities at the time, but that is a different story as well.
Regardless I strongly recommend the book St. Mudd. It is one of the few books I've read and it is even one of the fewer books I liked.
Besides, what else are you going to do but enjoy the decline?
"Efficient" My Ass
I don't believe most people know about the concept of markets being "efficient." Usually you run into this concept when you are a studious junior in college and maybe one of your academian professors decides to actually impart some genuine wisdom instead of just teaching from the book to explain the concept to you.
Regardless, the idea of "efficiency" in markets is that when information is released into the public do markets (such as the NYSE, NASDAQ, AME etc) incorporate that information and translate it into either increase or decreasing prices.
For the past 10 years, I've been amazed how the "brilliant Ivy League geniuses" over at "Goldman Sachs" and "Morgan Stanley" and "Lehman Brothers" have been unable or perhaps reluctant to take BLATANTLY OBVIOUS DATA AND INFORMATION THAT THE US IS SCREWED and still make "strong buy" or "buy" recommendations."
No, never mind the 800 pound gorilla in the room known as medicare and social security. Never mind most American children want to major in sociology or women's studies or art history and will never produce an ounce of genuine economic production. Oh, no. Let's just keep on believing in the empirically-disproved "American dream" and invest billions in "hope and change."
Of course, reality inevitably hits the market and FORCES it to be efficient. But I ask a simple question.
Do you idiots over on the east coast just drink the purple kool-aid and swallow schtick whole?
I mean how did the market NOT tank until this day?
What was special about today?
I mean, you all were truly ignorant about the severe economic and debt crises the US faced? I'm amazed the DJIA even made it past 10,000, let alone 12,000 in the past 5 years. Did you Ivy League losers NOT pay attention to the plethora of economic data that is available on the internet for free? or have you so become corrupted by nepotism, cronyism, your parents money and rent seeking you actually thought a society and economic entity based on "self esteem" and "grrrrrl power" and "diversity" and "going green" could produce genuine economic production and profits that you could make such a foolish recommendation?
Well, reality is hitting you Harvard graduate morons upside the head now. And there's nothing you can do about it.
But, of course, there is always hope and change.
I mean, your president is a Harvard graduate, right?
So at least we have the smartest and bestest leading this country, right?
Because we all know Harvard produces the "best."
Right?
I mean Bush and Obama.
What a great track record.
Regardless, the idea of "efficiency" in markets is that when information is released into the public do markets (such as the NYSE, NASDAQ, AME etc) incorporate that information and translate it into either increase or decreasing prices.
For the past 10 years, I've been amazed how the "brilliant Ivy League geniuses" over at "Goldman Sachs" and "Morgan Stanley" and "Lehman Brothers" have been unable or perhaps reluctant to take BLATANTLY OBVIOUS DATA AND INFORMATION THAT THE US IS SCREWED and still make "strong buy" or "buy" recommendations."
No, never mind the 800 pound gorilla in the room known as medicare and social security. Never mind most American children want to major in sociology or women's studies or art history and will never produce an ounce of genuine economic production. Oh, no. Let's just keep on believing in the empirically-disproved "American dream" and invest billions in "hope and change."
Of course, reality inevitably hits the market and FORCES it to be efficient. But I ask a simple question.
Do you idiots over on the east coast just drink the purple kool-aid and swallow schtick whole?
I mean how did the market NOT tank until this day?
What was special about today?
I mean, you all were truly ignorant about the severe economic and debt crises the US faced? I'm amazed the DJIA even made it past 10,000, let alone 12,000 in the past 5 years. Did you Ivy League losers NOT pay attention to the plethora of economic data that is available on the internet for free? or have you so become corrupted by nepotism, cronyism, your parents money and rent seeking you actually thought a society and economic entity based on "self esteem" and "grrrrrl power" and "diversity" and "going green" could produce genuine economic production and profits that you could make such a foolish recommendation?
Well, reality is hitting you Harvard graduate morons upside the head now. And there's nothing you can do about it.
But, of course, there is always hope and change.
I mean, your president is a Harvard graduate, right?
So at least we have the smartest and bestest leading this country, right?
Because we all know Harvard produces the "best."
Right?
I mean Bush and Obama.
What a great track record.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
What He Said
I think this is the first person (aside from myself) to point out it's what you MAJOR IN, not whether you have a degree.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
A Day in the Life of a San Franciscan
Light up a cigar and be thankful you don't;
1. live in San Francisco.
2. live in California
3. live in a major metro area
Poor Colonel
1. live in San Francisco.
2. live in California
3. live in a major metro area
Poor Colonel
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