Arkady's Thoughts

We live in interesting times, our country's political and financial mood is caught between many different currents and each month the collective wisdom changes and evolves. Admittedly , my disappointment with the outcome of the 2008 elections was overwhelming and my overall faith in the decision making abilities of the American public was shaken to the core. However what is unfolding rapidly in the general sentiment of the public, is a reversal in opinion that makes me inevitably question my previous judgment. Perhaps the very thing that makes this country ever so great, is the uncanny ability to ultimately persevere and overcome great odds. As of this writing, two trends are moving in opposite directions that at the very least has shaken my original analysis. The stock market is continuing to make yearly highs boosted by better than expected earnings from industry giants and improving economic data, but Obama's approval ratings continue to plummet. According to Rasmussen, O...

Really? Truly this must be a mistake! With an economy in crisis and unemployment projected to worsen, does mentioning an incident in Cambridge, MA really solve any problems? Or does it instead escalate a story onto the national stage that should have been buried days ago, adding fuel to the fire of race relations. After doing diligent investigation, Obama recited the story to the American public in the following fashion. "My understanding is that Professor Gates then shows his I.D. to show that this is his house and, at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct, charges which are later dropped,." finally adding "Police Acted 'Stupidly' in Gates Case". How presidential, no? According to the Boston Herald, Sargent Crowley - the officer involved in the arrest filed his official report and clearly stated that Professor Gates did NOT show his identification upon request. Refusal to show the ID immediately escalated the situation as officers suddenly h...

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (AAHC) is the name of the bill that has the potential to radically change the landscape of the American health system. With over 1,000 pages in size, a bill of this magnitude is too difficult for any one person to read through, in fact at this point it is likely than no one individual member of congress has read it. Of course this would not be the first time, considering the stimulus bill was passed and nobody read that either. I will track the bill on the page and you can follow the link to explore more about it. As of now, opencongress .org is showing another overwhelming tilt in public opinion with: 56 Ayes and 422 Nays , although not nearly as bad the Cap and Trade Bill with 174 Ayes and 1497 Nays . I imagine that as people learn more about the potential dangers of "health reform" the division should become more profound. You should begin to wonder at this point, why is Washington so completely out of touch with average Ame...

For those not familiar with peculiarities of French cuisine, frog legs are a popular item and you might be surprised to learn that there is a good chance you too can soon be served on a platter in a snooty Paris restaurant. Truth is, middle class America is slowly being boiled alive and the executive chef is cranking the heat up ever so slowly so as not to raise suspicion. See, if we were thrown into the boiling water right away we might object to the proposition and stage a potentially violent protest. However we were coaxed into swimming in a large lukewarm body of water, thinking how lovely and refreshing life is. Problem is, life is losing it's refreshing appeal as the environment around us rapidly changes. Higher taxes, inflation, affirmative action, government takeovers and neglect are piling up. We better embrace the severity of the situation as quickly as possible, because we are boiling alive. In the last general election, it would appear that the people have spoken and ...

An absolute must watch from minority leader John Boehner as he discusses some of the particularly disturbing details of the latest climate bill. Boehner has been rather spotty in terms of sticking up for the little guy, but when he comes through - he does so with a BANG ! His speech delves into the bill's shocking reach of government control. We are going to be mandated and told where to install electrical outlets, how big they should be and which appliances they should accommodate . We will be forced to prove to a government official every time we make a house upgrade that our upgrades increase energy efficiency! In case that is not bad enough, Fannie and Freddie will be awarded with extra moneys such that they can issue mortgages dependent on energy efficiency. The bill also introduces new federal mandates based on "green" efficiencies and by using Freddie/Fannie will enforce such mandates. Further restrictions are being imposed on building material as those deemed wo...

Henry Waxman of California has pushed this bill through and a vote is expected to take place shortly. According to opencongress .org the bill has massive opposition among the public or the educated voters. With 770 Nays and 103 Ayes putting the bill in the same bucket of dislike as the Stimulus package. The bill sounds good on paper as it strives to move America from the dependency on oil, but in reality this is nothing more than a Global Warming rescue package. A package that is being put forth on the Americans in time of significant strife and threatens to implicitly raise taxes on every single family. According to Heritage.org if the bill passes, the end result will be "... will lower temperatures by only hundredths of a degree in 2050 and no more than two-tenths of a degree at the end of the century.” Obviously the Green Fascists will have you believe otherwise and using the term "crisis" or "emergency" will invariably attempt to push this legislatio...

An entirely unpolitical development has occurred today, but a development of great importance and magnitude. Beyond the endless coverage on every major media outlet the impact of Michael's death due to cardiac arrest will probably penetrate society on every level. Why is his death so important and seemingly overshadows the equally tragic death of Farrah Fawcett . Perhaps it is the very same reason I am writing about the death right now. Although difficult to judge one might be correct in asserting that MJ's name is the most prominent and well known name in the world. In fact the reach and influence of MJ's work exceeds that of any other entertainer in the history of humanity! Worse yet, unlike Farrah's well known battle with cancer MJ's death seems to have hit humanity like a sledge hammer. His death took an estimated one hour to report starting from the headline "Michael rushed to Hospital" and ending "Michael pronounced dead". Humans do not...