DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

Not much left in 2011...and each day we are a bit closer to spring... The toilet that is Illinois will be enacting over 200 new laws at the start of 2012. http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/new-year-comes-with-more-than-200-new-illinois-laws-2012-20111228 In these laws, I cannot find: - a law limiting pension abuse, and illegal enrichment - a law limiting the public's exposure to pension debt - a law prohibiting insider deals from  politicians - a law prohibiting municipalities from selling assets that have been paid for by citizens - a law prohibiting illigal aliens from parasitically consuming resources paid for by legal residents the list could go on forever.  these 200 new laws are largely to keep the middle class in line so the rich can continue to be richer. and if you throw out your compter, prepare to be fined. Illinois - what a shithole.

Back to work today... Three years ago I wrote of garbage day after Christmas, and lamented that I had no more bags than usual.  we didn't have enough presents to generate more garbage than usual, which was depressing....but today, I had 2 bags of balled up wrapping paper.  No one in the family gets those big, oversize presents anymore, so the 2 bags of paper was a good indicator that we did have enough presents....materialistic people that we are.... here's a link to a story that is shocking..utterly shocking....(irony intended) http://www.suntimes.com/9667257-417/sears-holdings-corp-to-close-100-to-120-kmart-sears-stores.html just weeks after holding the state hostage and threatening to leave if they weren't given tax breaks, Sears announced plans to close over 100 stores.  was this presented to Gov. Fudd before the tax breaks were given?  after all, this is about jobs...now the employees of 100 to 120 stores will be filing for unemployment....and the line of compa

Well, Christmas sure came and went quickly.  Sitting at the window where I always sit and work on the computer...pitch dark at 4:45.  Now that we have passed the winter solstice, we should add a few seconds of daylight per day...but the worst of winter awaits... Here's a link to a story so indicative of our situation as a city, state and country... http://www.suntimes.com/9621537-417/for-sale-zions-christmas-tradition.html the city of Zion, IL is having to put up for sale all of its Christmas decorations...the very things that made them proud of their city.  a highlight of the year for those involved in the whole Christmas thing...and now having to put all the decorations up for sale.  Kind of like the city of Chicago....selling off the skyway, then the parking meters (which are going up in price again) Midway, before the sale fell through.  America is for sale.  We need the money to continue to make the politicians and pensioneers rich.  so, dig a bit deeper for money to pay

Two good articles showing the idiocy of what we put up with - TSA...(Thousands Standing Around).  read the first one about the waste of money this whole anti-terrorist movement has cost us both in dollars and in the loss of our human rights...where is the ACLU on all this???  a trillion dollar suck hole created to give jobs to mopes, imbeciles and molesters...with absolutely no benefit to those paying for this garbage. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/tsa-insanity-201112 the link below is to an article below illustrating just how little those tsa turds do. http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_8545/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=hIFMYkMW and we pay for these pantloads to molest us and eat our cake... my country..I have never been less proud of America...(even less than the last time I wrote that)  You know...I feel very bad writing that knowing that brave young men and woman are fighting on our behalf in God foresaken areas of the globe...real shitholes where sub-humans

Three years...in the scheme of things, not a really long time, but it is 3 years... I looked back to the beginning of this blog, and I started writing Dec 17, 2008.  Three years ago.  Many words, many foul moods ago...I had been unemployed for over 3 months, and would have 3 more months before getting a job.  What has changed in that time?  the economy sucks worse now that it did then.  Neighbors that had jobs when I did not are now unemployed.  Housing values are down.  my 401k is 30% less than it was then.  the national debt is up.  the Illinois pension problem is spiraling out of control with no sign of getting fixed.  the state income tax is 66% more than it was then.  the cost of tolls on the Illinois tollway is soon to go up by 90%.  one crooked Illinois governor is in jail, and another is in office.  we watched one failure of a president leave office, and a colossal failure of epic proportions take office and ruin the country. in other words, we are swirling lower in the toi

no time to post yesterday...I am too slow...or too lazy to keep up this very slow pace. ok...here is one about Gov. Fudd Quinn making noise about continuing to do nothing about the pension problem.  when  we change the Illinois constituion to not allow us taxpayers to be ass raped by pension hogs, we should also change the constitution to not allow an effin retard to be governor.   this whole mess is a laugh, and so indicative of how poorly run this crappy state is. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-quinn-pensions-group-20111220,0,6458288.story Here's a story about former Bear, Willie Gault being charged with defrauding investors in a company he was part of: http://dailyherald.com/article/20111220/news/712209690/ sure - the head of MF Global can claim no idea where $1.2 billion was lost....Goldmnan Sachs can sell assets it knows are worthless and profit when their bet on them to crash pans out, and ass rape us for billions.  but let's focus on the small g

back to work.  the survivor finale sucked - that concept is old and uninteresting.  but I keep watching it like a fool. as mentioned yesterday, here is a great editorial from the Trib about pension abuse in Illinois.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-pension-20111219,0,4801518.story such blatant misuse of pension funds made legal by Illinois' 1000 page pension guidelines.  clearly, the guidelines were established to allow this type of misappropriation of tax dollars.  then they stand behind the fact that the Illinois constitution does not allow for chaning of the pension payout - once they have rigged the rules in favor of awarding themselves unearned, excessive pensions that the taxpayers have to support.  I would imagine the tuition funding issue will be found for what that is too - a scheme to create a pool of money that can be pillaged by those in charge of the funds. when is enough enough? Illinois - what a shithole.

so this is how it ends... I used to pride myself on being a decent basketball player.  up until a few years ago, I still could run the court somewhat well - I knew my limitations and played within them.  but the last few years showed me that I had best give up playing for my own good...of course, I was still better than my son, and would be for a long time, right?? so, I went to the health club yesterday with my son, who plays on the sophmore bball team.  He said he was going to shoot a bit and lift weights..so I thought I would show him a few things...maybe bully him a bit, show him who was boss, trash talk him, then go sit in the whirlpool.  so, we shot a bit.  and then the inevitable - we started covering one another.  I figured I was in for an easy time of it...but he waved an elbow under my nose like a tough player would do, and fired a jumper in the hoop.  Ok - that was a fluke.  I hit one over him.  he took it back at me.  an effortless double pump, and the ball swished.  at

A week before Christmas - time is flying.  2011 is flying by.  Yet another example of the genius of our federal government is the link below. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/16/joe-arpaio-justice-department_n_1153209.html our inept fed govt refuses to protect our border, and the person in Arizona responsible for keeping order is being taken to task for his handling of illegals.  geniusness.  if his handling of illegals is deemed a violation of civil rights, is it not a violation of American's civil rights to let a mob of illegals in the country to rob, rape and consume resources that the legal taxpayers are footing the bill for?  our idiot attorney general runs a project to give thousands of weapons to mexican drug lords, which are then used to kill American agents....and he is not brought up on charges.  clearly, if you are a legal American, you are already violating the civil rights of illegals, so just stop it. oh, and Michelle Obama leaves for Hawaii...and we

I saw the link below too late to post yesterday: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-prepaid-college-tuition-1214-20111214,0,1794529.story the prepaid college tuition program is showing a huge underfunding balance (sound familiar?).  What is it about Illinois that has every fund targeted as an opportunity to pillage by those able to get their hands on the money.  Of course, the article mentions poor performance by the investments, but can there be any doubt that multiple hogs have fed at this trough, as they have with every other fund in this state?  When does the audit of this program begin?  When do the trials start?  when do crooks go to jail - after all, Blago is going to jail....now what about the other 500 crooked politicians in this state?  to send one guy to jail when hundreds are equally as guilty is an insult to us all. Note to Illinois decision makers....they have these people called auditors and actuaries..you use them to help avoid problems like

more very useful legislation is being proposed that will no doubt improve all of our lives... http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/ntsb-seeks-nationwide-ban-on-driver-use-of-personal-electronic-devices/2011/12/13/gIQAekvBsO_blog.html a nationwide ban on using cell phones while driving...no doubt that will take care of most of the nation's woes....and next, perhaps: - a ban on insider trading by congress - a ban on illegal immigration - a ban on pension abuse the list of more bans could stretch on for pages...but you get my point.  but banning those things might upset the annointed, and we can't do that, can we?

Twelve Twelve...next Dec. 12 will be the last of the cool numerical dates for awhile. Bears game was beyond bad yesterday.  oh well...back to work today.  Hard to believe that Christmas is almost upon us...doesn't feel like Christmas, but then again, what should Christmas feel like?  Illinois...some noise is made about pension reform, legislation is proposed, then the Dems seek to change that legislation...cannot run afoul of the Illinois constitution, can we? http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-illinois-pension-1212-20111212,0,5444002.story isn't it time the constitution was amended?  clearly we can't continue on the path we are on.  but it would be too bad if those ripping us all off were prevented from ripping us all off.

File this one under "tell me something I didn't know".  the average family lost $21k in the last 6 months in the form of housing value, 401k, etc.  Looking at my own situation, I only wish I had lost only $21k...let's look back a few years....I lost over 30% of my 401k in the meltdown - in a one month period, and continue to hemmorage money each time I get a statement.  I earn significantly less than I did 10 years ago.  my house has not appreciated.  by no means am I alone, however, while the middle class is losing everything, and being taxed to death, the politicians who are allowed to trade on insider infomation that we cannot seem to be doing quite well.  the pensioneers that are pulling in outrageous payments, and getting a 3% increase each year....they didn't lose $21k...It's nice that the middle class can be a buffer so the rich don't have to suffer. http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/money/average-us-family-lost-21k-in-6-months-due-to-property-values-stoc

Finally Friday.  What a long, grinding week.  And, I didn't work out once.  Must be stuck in an early winter rut.  This is appropos of absolutely nothing, but I meant to mention it earlier this week....Madonna performing at halftime of the super bowl???  is she still relavant?  I know of no one that watches football that would waste one second watching that washed up old hag.   Time that should be spent drinking...... yesterday's trib had an article about the finally some minute action taken on pensions... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-union-pension-subpoena-20111208,0,7092967.story of course, this is only an investigation into the criminal activity of a few....there are still tens of billions of payouts we cannot afford to make.  and no discussion of getting that under control. happy Friday.

It just never ends...the head of MF Global lost over a billion dollars, but he doesn't know where the money went.  sure.  how does someone in charge of that much money lose that much money? http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/jon-corzine-to-tell-house-panel-he-doesnt-know-where-customers-money-went/2011/12/07/gIQAwLUleO_story.html?hpid=z1 If you owned a car dealership, and had a billion dollars worth of cars on the lot, and they all disappeared, would you not be accountable for those cars?  But we will be told how complex this business is, and there are things about the market we don't understand.  Sure - but there are a billion dollars of other people's money in the hands of crooks...but the head guy does not know where. Blago is going to jail, rightfully so....but when does the parade of wall street criminals to jail start?

Pearl Harbor day.  9/11 before it was 9/11.  I guess our president should issue an aploogy to Japan today.  that would fit his pattern. so, Blago is being sentenced today.  Impassioned pleas from him and his family.  plenty of public opinion.  but honestly - one person in the shithole known as Illinois going to jail????  when are the other thousand or so criminal politicians going on trial?  Sending one crooked Illinois pol to jail is like giving one speeding ticket to a driver at the Indy 500 (to borrow a line from Apocolypse Now).  What are the feds doing while our state goes broke and companies are leaving in droves?  where are the auditors, and when will they begin looking at the pension issue?  What other state can brag of the scum that has been elected governor...again and again.  Dan Walker, George Ryan, Blago - 3 governors who ended up in jail.  and yet nothing changes...except our income and property tax rates.  such a sad state of affairs for what was once a nice state...

The sentencing for Gov. Blago is starting today.  Speculation has him getting 10 to 20 years in prison.  That is fine - if he broke the law, he should pay.  But given the cesspool that is Illinois politics, are we to surmise that Blago is the only one going to jail that should be going to jail?  With all the corruption at every level of Illinois government, this is the one and only guy getting jail time?  What a complete joke.  With the announcement that Obama is going to Hawaii on 12/17 for a 17 day vacation, you now see the supporters commenting that Bush and Reagan took more time off, etc.  But, are times not different?  this guy has called us lazy, has gone around the globe apologizing for what we Americans have done to the rest of the world.  He has told us to eat our peas.  He has told us it makes no sense to take a vacation if we have bills to pay.  then he schedules yet another vacation which will cost us taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.  what a hypocrite. The emperor

The USPS has announced severe service cuts and location closures are necessary to combat the rivers of red ink they are generating.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/facing-bankruptcy-us-postal-service-plans-unprecedented-cuts-to-first-class-mail-next-spring/2011/12/05/gIQACMHEVO_story.html?tid=pm_business_pop At one time not so long ago, the USPS was able to expand its services and reach.  and airlines were able to charge you one fare and not have dozens of schemes to separate you from your money by offering things for a fee that used to be provided for the cost of the ticked.  and banks were able to handle your transactions without charging you extra for everything that used to be included when you had an account at the bank. What happened?  We have been conditioned to accept less and pay more.  It is supposed to work exactly opposite of that. What happened?

I hate this weather - cold, wet.  You can't do anything outside.  So - it looks like the media has ground down Herman Cain, who is expected to withdraw from the race today.  He was a threat, and had to be dealt with.  So, the old tactic of alleging sexual misconduct was used.  I have posted this link before, but it bears another read: http://frontpagemag.com/2011/11/11/david-axelrods-pattern-of-sexual-misbehavior/ disgusting.  soooo....why does this story linked below not get more media attention.  One would think it should be investigated more..... http://the-classic-liberal.com/obama-sex-scandal/ is there any doubt the media acts as a shield for Obama? you have to check out this link - the pictures are priceless: http://feedyouradhd.blogspot.com/2010/05/narcissist-in-chief-joins-cheater-in.html have we learned nothing???  if you run for president, have your records sealed. 

Did you see the news story about the confusion the buying public has regarding the holiday Coke cans?  Seems that people are confused and think that the white can is Diet Coke, which is in a gray can.  Hey you effin geniuses - the Diet Coke says "Diet" on the can, and the one that is not Diet, does not have Diet written on the can.  Another indicator of how stupid Americans have become.   Now we just need the inevitable lawsuit to complete this issue. Here is a story that we should all appreciate - a woman who has 15 illegitimate kids saying the system has failed her. http://nation.foxnews.com/homelessness/2011/12/01/homeless-lady-15-kids-somebody-needs-pay-all-my-children The only failure here was her failure to keep her legs not spread for any dude that came a calling.  Watch the ACLU get involved.  How much will this brood cost us to maintain until they reach breeding age? And, though the city of Chicago is broke, it still has enough money to finance a restaurant for

November sure went by quickly.  I hope we can say the same at the end of January.  I was at Wal Mart this morning - kind of sad how Christmas is reduced to aisles full of plastic toys.  Gotta be more to the holiday than that.  or maybe not - so many things that were significant when I was a kid are now considered passe, and should not be customs any more.  Those douchebags that resent the rest of us saying Merry Christmas are so indicative that the country took a wrong turn at some point.  The market seemed to like whatever progress was made on the European debt yesterday.  What progress was made, I cannot say.  In Roeper's column today, he asks if running for president is worth it - given the scrutiny and headaches that come along with it. http://www.suntimes.com/news/roeper/9163776-452/running-for-prez-is-it-worth-it.html Of course it is worth it.  Every acquaintance and hanger on of an elected president has an opportunity to become fantastically rich by their association w