Henri's blog

Or Why Participatory Democracy Matters More Than Capitalism

Our government is not based on Capitalism! We did not pick Capitalism when we bought into Democracy and a Republic. That choice is a not necessarily a natural outgrowth of the meaning we derive from our faith in this system of government. It is sometimes useful economically but not nearly as important as the Democratic Republic itself.

Or How the Right Have Finally Found Their Principles

Peel back the layers of the onion and when you get to the heart of Republican Principles, a word and phrase we have heard ad nauseum, they are soft and squishy. While peeling an onion that had sat in the drawer too long that analogy attacked me and held me down until I agreed to put it on paper. Now that poor pathetic rotten onion is being blamed in my analogy; blamed for all of the hate and bitterness, calumny and meanness of spirit the voices of the right are heaping on the rest of us.

Or How to Lose Trust While Eating The Taxpayers Lunch

It is always amazing how tone deaf executives can be while they are pursuing their perks. Writing million dollar checks for entertainment seems to have become just like buying lunch at the local watering hole. What part about restraint while people lining up for food stamps and unemployment checks were they not taught in Kindergarten? Didn't they read the memo? One hand in the public till and the other passing out largess to your top producers and clients is over for the nonce.

 Or How the State of the Onion Makes Even the Right Cry a Bit

In the few days since President Obama took office the Republican response took a left turn. Or at least the Governor of Louisiana in his response hit the populist button regularly in his response speech. His most common phrase was, “The American People Can Do Anything!” Well Bobby, “Yes We Can.” We can discern jingoism disguised as patriotism in a New York Second. We can also tell real political acuity from silly partisan rhetoric.

Or How an Unpopular Republican Governator Could Succeed and a Popular President Fail -- Part 2

The Governator is the other half of this story. Arnold is a great big doofussy guy with huge pecs and a wife tougher than any of the characters he has played in movies. Civilizing Arnold was obviously impossible, possibly he played too many pagan warrior types in the movies. He started out as a popular politician because he sold himself as the answer to governing the ungovernable. The man he replaced had none of his glamor, he never wore armor or charged into battle. Of course we in California picked Arnold over the Gray man in the flannel suit.

Or How an Unpopular Republican Governator Could Succeed and a Popular President Fail -- Part 1

Proposing a test for officeholders that holds them to their obligation to the people has become uncommonly ignored by the public. No one can argue that we are running a government dictated by the whims of the proletariat in this nation. After years of a Presidency run by men who massacred the meaning and purpose of our constitution in spite of oaths to the contrary we are used to politicians running amok.

Or How Did We Tinker our Way into Ever Taking This Huge a Chance

These are the saddest of possible words:

"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,

Tinker and Evers and Chance.

Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,

Making a Giant hit into a double --

Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:

"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

Or if You Imagine it is Easy to Say the Right Thing Inside the Fish Bowl Try it Sometime

Rick Santelli is one of the more soundly grounded guys on the babble box these days. His views are generally measured and defined by his genuine insights into the markets and the economy behind them. He is also a bit more passionate than the run of the mill financial analyst on CNBC. So it was no real surprise when he expostulated dramatically about President Obama’s attempt to fix the home foreclosure problem. Some people then seized on his comments and critiqued them a bit harshly.

Or how the Numbers Cannot do Justice to the Tide that Will Not Rise

I have heard a lot of the better analysts on Wall Street miss the mark lately. As usual I have formed an opinion as to why that is such a frequent event these days. My opinions are formed within my own perceptions. So this may not be any more accurate than the experts fishing to find the depths of a DOW in free fall. But I live by my opinions, as do most of us organic matrices of cells.

Or Does What Goes Down Always Go Up Again?

It is not only likely that when we make predictions we are wrong more often than we are right, it is probable. I like probability. Probability equations are fun. They tell you nothing much except what the laws of physics appear to be before you understand quantum theory. Quantum physics tells us that we make our own future. That’s right, you heard it here, we make our own future.