The term “Sagebrush Rebellion” is again showing up in newspapers across the American west as states seek more control over federal lands within their own boundaries. As with the original Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s and 1980s, several western states, where the federal government owns well over one-third of land within the states, have begun to look to more local control of lands as an answer to federal indifference, mismanagement, and outright hostility. In at least one case — Utah — the state has initiated a lawsuit in an effort to wrest more control of lands out of federal hands. … Continue reading →

I get a lot of leasing questions on my radio show.  Generally, I like leasing for people who do not drive more than 15,000 miles per year, and for those who like to get a new car every few years.  One of the problems with the car business is that it has its own language, and often people in the car business use their internal terms when talking to consumers.  Most people today know that “upside down” means they owe more on their car than its value, but not too many years ago, it was a bit of a mystery … Continue reading →

Every few years the world experiences an El Niño weather cycle, which ordinarily doesn’t amount to very much. There might be a little more rain in some places, or a little more heat in others, but for the most part it’s usually a non-event. But much to the joy of drought stricken California, this year’s El Niño promises to bring some relief to the water crisis in the Western US. Sorry, did I say joy? I meant to say horror, because this thing is going to be a monster. The strengthening El Niño in the Pacific Ocean has the potential … Continue reading →

America’s First Black President is a traitor to his race and also to justice. Obama has permitted the corrupt US Department of Justice (sic), over which he wields authority, to overturn the ruling of a US Federal Court of Appeals that prisoners sentenced illegally to longer terms than the law permits must be released once the legal portion of their sentence is served. The DOJ, devoid of all integrity, compassion, and sense of justice, said that “finality” of conviction was more important than justice. Indeed, the US Justice (sic) Department’s motto is: “Justice? We don’t need no stinkin’ justice!” Alec … Continue reading →

Most people are blissfully ignorant of the fact that 2007-8 was just a mild rehearsal of what we soon are going to experience. The additional $60 trillion in credit and printed money since then and the lowering of interest rates to zero have given the world the impression that all is now well again. Let me be very clear, nothing is well. As a matter of fact in the 8 years since the start of the Great Financial Crisis the bubble economy has now properly spread to the world’s second largest economy – China.  China has had exponential growth in debt from … Continue reading →

Are you scared that the onset of middle age is about to catch you out? Or maybe you already look in the mirror and see a dadbod staring back at you. Either way, these five simple ways to halt the physical signs that you’re no longer at the peak of your powers might just save you from the expense of a mid-life crisis, costly Porsche Boxster and all… 1) Stop shrinking You probably already know that you’ll get shorter as you get older – but did you know the process starts as early as in your 30s? According to research … Continue reading →

Editor’s Note: Published by the American Automobile Association, Sportsmanlike Drivingwas a popular driver’s education textbook used in high schools across the county during the 1950s. It’s a gem of a book, and what’s so interesting about it, as compared to manuals of today, is the way it frames driving behavior not simply in terms of what is legal and advisable, but in the light of character traits. “The Motor Age Citizen,” the manual argues, “must accept the moral responsibility of properly using the power machines he has devised.” The excerpts below outline the “mental make-up” of various types of poor drivers, who … Continue reading →

Another release of Fed minutes with no answers.  Big surprise.  It’s been six years of waiting for the Fed to tell us that we are no longer living under “exceptional economic and monetary conditions.”  It’s been six years of waiting for a true economic recovery, instead of unsustainable and stupefying housing, bond, and stock market bubbles.  And it’s been almost a year that we have been waiting for the Fed to raise interest rates by just 25 basis points. You would think that at this point the Fed could at least show us the courtesy of telling us what the … Continue reading →

Don’t you love farce? My fault, I fear I thought that you’d want what I want Sorry my dear But where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns Don’t bother they’re here . –        Stephen Sondheim . I haven’t posted anything for several days.  I have remained stuck on a couple of topics, one of which I will attempt to address here.  This will be a somewhat rambling post; I have several seemingly disparate thoughts jumping on top of each other as if they belong together.  Who am I to argue? This post represents my attempt to make some … Continue reading →

They were among the first Stone Age humans to abandon the nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in favour of living in settled villages around 15,000 years ago. Now archaeologists have discovered the Natufian culture that lived in the Levant in modern-day Israel may also have pioneered the concept of church bells to summon the community together. Researchers have discovered strangely shaped boulders they believe were used as ceremonial ‘gongs’ that were pounded during burial ceremonies. The giant stones were thought to have been used as mortars to pound food but scientists have found the action would also have produced a distinctive sound … Continue reading →

The Federal Reserve July monetary policy meeting minutes were scheduled for release at 2 p.m Eastern Time, today. At 1:47 p.m., the Fed put out a statement saying that the embargo on the minutes had been broken. The minutes are extremely sensitive information as traders often react to details of the minutes, and considering that the Fed is close to increasing rates, the minutes are even more significant. But Bloomberg blasted this headline out before the embargo expired: MOST FED OFFICIALS IN JULY SAW CONDITIONS FOR RATE RISE NEARING. It appears that the embargo was broken at aprox. 1:35 p.m. Bloomberg … Continue reading →