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The Next Financial Crisis is Already Here
We’ve been hearing presidential rhetoric for months now – and it’s all been irrelevant and frankly, embarrassing. It’s frustrating to know there are real problems in the country and the candidates are spending all of their time and financial resources on things like who deserves credit for bringing bin Laden down. There are real problems – and they’re here already. Unfortunately, it’s only been in the past week the American people have even heard anything come out of either Romney’s or Obama’s camps on what might be the biggest threat to the economy.
A few posts back, I asked the question whether or not ivy league college educations were worth it. I stand by my original thought that in this environment, it’s not realistic. Those folks who are coming out of college with impressive degrees from even more impressive colleges aren’t finding jobs any faster than those who are graduating from the rest of the schools. In fact, those with ivy league degrees might be having an even harder time because companies just can’t afford the salaries these graduates are asking for (and deserve, I might add).
Now though, there are three dynamics on a collision course and if you take a step back and brace yourself, you’re about to see a catastrophe that has the potential to wreak as much havoc on the American financial system as the mortgage meltdown of 2008.
Most financial analysts are in agreement: an overwhelming amount in student loans could be the next major problem for Americans. But that’s not all. There are now bankruptcy statistics that are further cementing the concerns of those analysts. Delinquent student loans are climbing really fast as graduating seniors are entering a job market that can’t support them.
Despite the 2009 CARD Act President Obama signed into law that should have put into place guidelines for credit card companies’ efforts of marketing to college students, most are also graduating with an 
average of $3,000 in credit card debt – along with their average $29,000 in student loans each student leaves his dorm room with.
Even though most of these college students who are filing bankruptcy can’t include student loans in their discharges, they’re still feeling as though it’s the only way to get out from under the rest of their debt. In short, we have young adults who are already facing financial disaster due to overwhelming bills and they’ve yet to work a single day in the career they chose.
2010 was the first time in history that the total amount borrowed in student loans surpassed the $100 billion mark. Those numbers are rising every year too. If you can stand it, here’s another tid bit of alarming news: In 2011, the total amount of money outstanding in student loans was more than $1 trillion.
If you’re wondering why the presidential candidates have been relatively quiet on this front, consider President Obama’s speech earlier this week to a group of college students as he explained the legalities of a rising interest rate if Congress fails in its efforts to pass the extension. Instead of telling these kids that a solution is being worked out by their elected leaders, he instead encourages them to “speak out against rising interest rates”. And what is the preferred vehicle for speaking out? Twitter. He even suggested a hashtag: #dontdoublemyrate.
This is the problem with this administration. Instead of doing its job the past 3 1/2 years, it has encouraged the taxpayers to do their job for them. “Call your elected officials” “Tweet your demands” “Do it now”. This is exactly with the president did during the weeks when the government was divided on balancing the federal budget. He told us to call our leaders. That was his solution. Is it not enough taxpayers- who he’s burdening with doing his job- are already financing this ridiculous nonsense? Apparently not. He ended his speech with, “And the time to act is right now, and I’m going to need your help getting that message out.” To hell with the message – how about getting back to Capital Hill and earn your salary?
So will the Direct Subsidized Loan, designed to not begin accrual until six months after a student graduates college, soon become the next Achilles heel? If Congress doesn’t act on this soon, the interest rates will double on July 1. Yeah, that deadline’s quickly approaching. I guess we all need to head over to Twitter with our hashtags.
Southern Politics, Abortion and an Identity Crisis
As Americans begin weighing their options in terms of which presidential candidate is worthy of our votes, there’s been a slow-burning mindset that this presidential election could very well go down in history as one with an incredibly low number in terms of voter turnout. Many Republicans are finding themselves struggling with a bit of an identity crisis.
Those glorious years of the Reagan and Bush presidencies are long gone. Those were the good ol’ days when a proud Republican could be sure of one thing – the core belief system of the collective Republican president. These days, however, many conservatives are taking a step back for a better perspective and what they’re finding is a scenario that’s anything but proud or certain. And if you’re a female Republican? Indeed, your back is definitely against the wall.
By now, everyone’s had the opportunity to mirror the about-face Republican candidate Mitt Romney made in his stance on abortion. He’d gone on record several times in support of pro-choice before changing his view in 2007, when he declared he is now pro-life. He’s also said he would support any efforts that included overturning the historic Roe v. Wade decision and then allowing states to decide whether they would allow abortions to be performed. This is where things become a bit more complicated.
The Mississippi Factor
In late 2011, Mississippi voters were given the opportunity to pass the Personhood Amendment, or Prop 26 as it was sometimes referred to. In essence, this bill would define “life” as beginning at conception.
What made this such a heated controversy was the vague nature of the bill’s wording: “Article III of the state constitution, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”
The threat associated with this bill was the very real possibility that birth control, in-vitro fertilization and the morning after pill would be outlawed. It got worse, though. There were absolutely no provisions made for extraordinary circumstances, including pregnancies as products of rape, incest or pregnancies that jeopardize the mother’s life if carried to term. Many ever-faithful, southern conservatives held their ground by insisting God would have to make that decision if it come down to saving only one life between the mother and the fetus. This would be a highly debated bill and one that very narrowly was voted down.
Abortion Law Quietly Signed in Mississippi
This week, Mississippi’s new governor, Phil Bryant, signed into a law that affects abortion providers. What many aren’t aware of is Mississippi is home to just one abortion clinic, located in the state’s capital. House Bill 1390 quietly made it through the state’s legislative process and onto Governor Bryant’s desk, where he wasted no time in signing it into law.
The new law requires abortion providers to be board-certified OB GYNs and they must also have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The three physicians employed with the Jackson Women’s Health Organization are all board certified gynecologists; however, only one of those doctors has admitting privileges. The clinic’s owner, Diane Derzis, is now preparing for a legal battle. She has vowed to sue the state. Governor Bryant continues to reiterate his goal of eliminating abortion not only in Mississippi, but the entire country.
With Mitt Romney agreeing to participate in any efforts of overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the choice to each state to decide the legality of abortion and these “fanfare-free” bills being quickly signed into law that make it nearly impossible for physicians to perform these procedures, there’s no doubt a movement in some states is taking place.
Not Birth Control
While no one argues that abortion should be an acceptable form of birth control, what many are failing to see is the devastation many young girls and women will face in some circumstances. There are those times when abortion is appropriate. To eliminate this as a possible avenue, especially for rape victims or when other extraordinary dynamics are present, is unnecessarily cruel.
The irony is found in Romney’s own words. In 2010, he is quoted as saying about abortion, “…the fact is that two lives, not one, is involved.” The truth is, there are many more than one or two lives involved. Women contemplating abortions have hundreds of politicians along for the ride, making it anything but “only” one or two lives involved.
We Know the Costs, but are Ivy League Educations Worth it?
For the most part, the past few years have meant contracts with several financial-based clients who require my attention to be focused on Wall Street, Jamie Dimon and the rise and fall of the American credit card. While I’m no financial whiz, nothing gives me greater pleasure than knocking Jamie Dimon down a notch or two when his narcissistic declarations get in the way of the big picture. And his narcissism is what I hope ultimately brings him down – but that’s for another post.
The next week is my “calm before the storm”. April 15 is creeping up on us and there are several big reports everyone’s waiting on from the government. That, along with the upcoming presidential elections and the highly anticipated ruling from the Supreme Court on Obamacare, is sure to make this summer quite interesting. For now, though, or at least, for the next week, it’s all about catching up on Rolling Stone, Cosmo and all those episodes of the Brady Bunch I’ve been careful to not delete from the DVR. And don’t judge me.
I couldn’t wait to read Janet Reitman’s piece in Rolling Stone, “Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy: Inside Dartmouth’s Hazing Abuses“. This, of course, has to do with Andrew Lohse, a former Dartmouth frat boy who was also the editor of the student paper, The Dartmouth. He decided to open the doors to those secretive hazing episodes that has resulted in the deaths of several kids across the country. I’m always amazed that a group of college kids can keep the lid on their secret lives in the fraternity while the U.S. government can’t figure out how to keep Julian Assange quiet. Again, though, that’s for another post.
As Reitman tells the story, images of rather disgusting behaviors begin to surface. The things these kids are willing to do is disturbing and begs the question “Why?” I understand the obligatory answers: to belong, to be part of something greater, to be a “bro” – I get all of that; but seriously? As Lohse describes in his editorial, “I 
was a member of a fraternity that asked pledges, in order to become a brother, to swim in a kiddie pool of vomit, urine, fecal matter, semen and rotten food products; eat omelets made of vomit; chug cups of vinegar, which in one case caused a pledge to vomit blood; drink beer poured down fellow pledges’ ass cracks… among other abuses,” Who in God’s name would want to be a part of that brotherhood when the family you come from has the resources to send you to Dartmouth?
Here’s where I was able to link the incredulous story told by Reitman and Lohse. Earlier this week, the government released its own alarming report. In one of my recent posts for a client, here’s how I broke it down:
Did you know there is more than one trillion dollars owed in student loans? And did you know that figure continues to grow to the tune of almost $60 billion each month? It’s true. It’s also true that the delinquency rate is rapidly approaching the 30% mark. Of course, there are a lot of dynamics at play. The job market continues to struggle and college graduates are coming out of college with their degrees and no jobs to go into.
The icing on the cake is the realization that today’s college graduates are entering a job market where only 46% of the nation’s 18-24 year olds are employed. It hasn’t been this low since 1948, when the government began keeping up with the numbers. An ivy league degree isn’t really giving these young people an advantage. Unless you’re in New York or DC, or are willing to move out of the country, my guess is that noble Harvard or Dartmouth degree, while impressive, won’t amount to much, especially considering employers who see these educations on a resume will immediately dismiss the candidate because he knows his company can’t afford the applicant.
So, basically, we have a lot of frat boys who went to great lengths to “belong” to their brotherhood while gaining their ivy leave educations. Unfortunately, they’re going to struggle once those glory days are behind them and they realize that big bank or law firm that Daddy once ran is now in jeopardy. In hindsight, I wonder if it will occur to them that not only did all those vomit omelets do little more than place them in a so-called family that would allow that to happen, but that they’re also competing with people they never thought they would have to battle for a job. You know – the ones who took a bit more realistic approach to their futures and “settled” for a state university.
Are Castle Laws, Stand Your Ground Laws in Jeopardy?
There has been a tremendous amount of media attention and scrutiny focused on Sanford, FL recently. There’s no denying a tragedy occurred when a young man, 17 year old Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed because of what he was wearing. The police chief and others have recused themselves from this growing controversy by “temporarily” stepping down from their positions. Race has become a sticking point as have gun rights. It’s the comments made by President Obama, however, that have many concerned about the future of gun rights – 
specifically, the Castle Doctrine.
Each state (or at least, those who have them on their books) has its own description of these laws: the “Make My Day” law, “Stand Your Ground” law and here in Mississippi, it’s referred to as the “Castle” law. And believe me, I’m not the only one who’s concerned.
These laws allow justifiable homicide when a person feels his own life or property is in jeopardy. Not every state has these legal sections in their constitutions; however, in Mississippi, these laws have been on the books for as long as I can remember. Make no mistake: I vehemently support these laws and while I pray every night I’m never put in the position to do so, I can assure you I’m not afraid of stopping another from coming into my home. And I’m a pretty good shot.
While it’s not so much about the material things, I would absolutely take another’s life with no apologies if my son’s life or my life was being threatened. The material things, sure, they can be replaced. It’s the life we live that allow for those material things I’m more concerned about. The fact is, though, what little any of us have – TVs, cash, computers, cars, jewelry- we work hard for. I don’t think anyone would question that. The law, at least in my state, allows us to protect our “castles”.
Here’s where things are about to become very divided: President Obama, in his speech today, has identified on a very personal level with the family that’s grieving the death of their son. He said he felt if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. He then used to that to leap off with a request that every American do a bit of “soul searching” over how this could have happened. In other words, do states really need these laws on their books? (The accused shooter is saying his actions were justifiable due to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law).
This isn’t the first time this president has overstepped his bounds. He has crossed the line many times, but maybe it’s because this is the first time he’s asking lawmakers to rethink the laws that allow me to feel safe in my own home that I’m suddenly feeling quite defensive. He’s taking the Constitution, yet again, and dismissing it. A president have a very limited scope in terms of what his role is in that once-respected position. To call on Americans to “soul search” over these very core rights is just wrong. Compromising my sense of safety is not an option of his or anyone else.
Whether or not the man who shot this kid has a viable case is something I don’t know. If he took this boy’s life for any other reason, he deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. One thing about living in a free country is the responsibility that comes with it. If this man’s actions jeopardize the rights of you, me and every other American that supports gun rights, you can be sure there are millions who are going to have a problem with him.
This isn’t the platform the president or any other lawmaker should take in their goals of eradicating these laws. Then again, they’ve never been successful on any other platform, so maybe it’s an opportunity to do so at the expense of a family’s grief.
Like this:
The Problem With Contemporary Women
Today’s modern woman seems to be having a bit of an identity crisis. We want to rule the world, live life on our terms, and for some reason, we are willing to overlook the political detour the presidential candidates have taken on reproductive issues that affect us. While that’s complicated enough, now we seem to be more than a little peeved when we’re referred to as assets or given any other kind of compliment. It’s confusing as all get-out – and I’m a woman….and a Republican. Maybe it’s time for the fairer sex to take a step back, re-evaluate how we define “value” and take a deep breath. Maybe we’re getting too wrapped up in the details that we’re missing the big picture. Then again, that’s sort of what you expect when you combine politics with the human condition.
Many may recall the countless references in 2008 to Sarah Palin’s clothing style. The vice president hopeful was making the rounds, both determined and focused, even as the media went crazy with photos of her choices in shoes and her trim legs. While she voiced a small concern that the issues were getting lost in the focus on her physical appearance, for the most part, she graciously accepted any compliments that came her way and she embraced her femininity (even as she was shooting her guns, keeping up with her husband in fishing and proving she could carry her own in other traditional male roles).
Unfortunately, last week, another very successful and career-driven woman missed the compliment in her efforts to rebuke any reference to her being a “charming asset” to French presidential hopeful Francois Hollande.
Valerie Trierweiler works for Paris Match, a popular French magazine. She’s powerful, educated and worldly. Last week, the magazine’s cover included a lovely photo of her. All hell broke loose on Twitter as Trierweiler and the magazine’s editors slammed each other. She accused her employer of reducing her to a “trophy companion” and said she was angry that the magazine didn’t give her fair warning. The magazine agreed that it gave her no head’s up and said it had no obligation to tell the subjects of their covers they were about to hit newsstands – even if it’s their employees who are about to grace the cover.
The confusion comes in when one explores what Trierweiler values. She is quite successful in her career, has become a formidable partner for her Socialist presidential-hopeful and easily admits she likes doing laundry. Such a well-rounded woman should have a bit more tolerance towards such a glowing piece written and published by her employer. Instead, she takes offense to being called a “charming asset”. For the love of all that’s good and right, what is the problem?!
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., the Republican hopefuls, for some bizarre reason, have chosen to make women’s health part of their campaigns. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for consistent efforts that can improve the lives of many, especially when it comes to their health. The problem is Santorum and Romney are all about ulterior motives. I absolutely agree that the costs of birth control methods should fall on those using them if their health insurance plans don’t cover it. But is this the way these ultra-conservatives want to move forward?
And what about all of those who are Republican and feel as though the current candidates are doing a huge disservice to the party? Why is such a limited topic even an election consideration? We’re not talking about the medical controversies that President Bush faced with stem cell research, nor are dealing with the massive restrictions President Reagan placed on various governmental programs such as AFDC. We’re talking about birth control. The dynamics have clashed in ways never before seen in our country. First, we had the push for Prop 26, or the “Personhood Amendment” that almost resulted in major problems for Mississippi. Then, in a very hokey manner, religion, healthcare and reproductive rights came together to redefine “a perfect storm”. They were targeted and ultimately, our candidates honed in on birth control. But why? It’s not even about preventing pregnancy anymore (if it ever even was), even though trying to discern what it IS about has proven difficult. Let’s face it, they’re falling woefully short in the eyes of many in their party. Do they really want to alienate the female Republicans? Because if they do, they’re well on their way. I’m not the only one who feels these two – Santorum and Romney – are patronizing, entitled and sorely misinformed.
Never before has being a woman been so complicated. What happened to grace, manners and compassion – those qualities that epitomize being a woman? Why is such a strong-willed woman ready to do battle with her employer for putting her in the spotlight and referring to her as a “charming asset” but who proudly says she enjoys doing laundry and other traditional female chores? Sometimes I think women get too wrapped up in the more aggressive role they feel they must adhere to and forget that being assertive works just fine, thank you very much.
Like this:
Underestimating You and Me
Seems we have been a bit confused in recent years when it comes to the roles our politicians are filling. It looks as though we have simply expected entirely too much from these fearless leaders, those who are bringing this country back to its glorious heyday. Maybe we should let up on these political minds, back off and give them room to do their jobs. Or maybe they should just stop underestimating you and me and your older brother in Spokane. Maybe they should just…you know…do their jobs.
We try to follow the latest goings-on in Washington and seek to understand who the Republicans and Democrats are these days. Let’s face it, there is no hero who’s going to come save Capital Hill and the ones who are currently “running” it are doing little more than running the nation into the ground. The more these people bicker and argue, the more convoluted the lines become. There are few, if any, reminders of those past great presidents, such as Reagan or even Kennedy, and the strides they made in their time served. Last week’s brouhaha over contraception only cemented these suspicions.
Many of us found it difficult to follow. Whose privacy were the politicians seeking to protect? Whose religious freedoms? Whose Constitutional rights were at stake? It honestly seems as though even the politicians themselves are struggling with their own political identities. If this upcoming presidential election sought to underestimate us, score one for them – because I’m definitely struggling to keep up.
Today’s announcement by the Obama Administration regarding his $4 trillion deficit reduction plans were immediately dismissed by the Republicans. The report hasn’t even been “officially” released yet. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican currently on the Senate Banking Committee, was slamming it in the 7 a.m. hour on Fox News. I know President Obama’s plans are often….lacking (and that’s as nice as I can be about it), but Sessions or any of the other politicians who have their faces planted all over national news media aren’t making statements like, “This plan won’t work, but if we incorporate this or take this out, we might have a viable plan”.
Why aren’t these folks treating their positions like jobs? I can’t imagine an employer sitting down on a Monday morning and being hit with a plan for the company’s growth, with five minutes to read it, and then hearing “This will never work” from one of his other employees. Even if it’s a huge disaster, shouldn’t there be a bit of a justification as to why? And better still, shouldn’t there be a more open approach to finding what will work? And if you’re wondering if anyone’s busy looking for those solutions, consider this:
I Googled “solutions to American debt crisis” after I read about Obama’s plan this morning. The top two results were media outlets in the UK. Not Fox News, not ABC News and not even Matt Drudge – instead, the two returns were straight from our British neighbors.
So who’s looking for the solution on American soil? You are. I am. Our neighbors are. And the solutions we’re looking for have little to do with our political affiliations. We’re looking for ways to to ensure we can retire. We’re looking for ways to cover the bills each month, keep the cupboards filled with groceries, keep the utilities on – all of these considerations are consistent whether we’re Republican, Democrat or even if we could care less about politics.
You see, we all have the freedom to elect folks into office and in extraordinary cases, we can play a role in removing them – sometimes. We all learned during the embarrassing Bill Clinton impeachment efforts that “impeachment” doesn’t mean “removed from office”. At any rate, we can vote different folks into office. But what we don’t have is the power to scrap the entire current line-up and start over. There are no options on any ballots that allow us to vote to “Fire them all. Now.” Even when we vote five or ten or twenty out during elections, we’re still stuck with another five or ten or twenty of their cronies. It’s a vicious cycle and grows each time it comes back around.
It’s almost like a bad case of lice going through an elementary school – it takes a collective effort and if even one goes untreated, you’ve defeated the purpose and right back to square one.
The only difference with an infestation of head lice and a group of selfish (and dare I say “worthless”) politicians is you can, with a little effort, get rid of the head lice in one fell swoop.
What’s Good for the Goose…Nevermind
Richard O'Dwyer (Photo credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)
While I was looking for breaking legal news in the UK for an upcoming post, I found a story about a 23 year old British man who is fighting the U.S. over efforts to extradite him and force him to face copyright theft charges. At first, I thought, “Wow…another terrorist has been found”. The more I read, though, the more bizarre the story became.
Richard O’Dwyer hosted a website that offered free internet TV. His profits, around $8,000 in USD a month, came from internet ads. And by the way – he wasn’t breaking any laws in the UK. Still, our country is dropping big bucks to force this kid to the U.S. to stand trial for copyright infringement. He’s being charged with two counts and faces five years in prison for each charge. Keep in mind – he broke no laws in his home country.
At first, I thought, “Oh, come on….does our international law enforcement teams have nothing better to do?” Then – when I found my way to Fox News about ten minutes later, here’s the headline I found:
Egypt to prosecute 19 Americans, after raids on rights groups
Turns out, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s son was one of the 19 arrested for “receiving foreign funds illegally” and for “being involved in banned activity” in Egypt. Our Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with the State Department and no telling how many more federal agencies are moving Heaven and earth to prevent these 19 Americans, including LaHood’s son, Sam, from standing trial. They, too, face five years (just like O’Dwyer faces). Clinton is threatening to withhold “billions in aid” to the country if these folks aren’t released.
Ray LaHood is calling the possible prison time “very serious”. He’s worried about his son, who’s in his 40s. I
Ray and Sam LaHood (photo: Fox News)
imagine Richard O’Dwyer’s mom is worried just the same. In fact, I know she is. The Daily Mail is reporting she was sobbing outside the courtroom after hearing the court system won’t be able to keep her son from being extradited, even though he’s done nothing wrong as far as the UK legal system is concerned.
So, this all comes full circle. Not only does the U.S. believe England should have stricter laws, it thinks Egypt’s laws are too strict. And we wonder why the rest of the world thinks this is the land of narcissism.
Here’s the link to the story on O’Dwyer and here’s the link for LaHood.
Life Happens in the Middle of the Night
It seems like so many of the major events in life happen in the middle of the night; or at least, that’s how it’s been for me. And it’s those major “change your life forever” events that hit after midnight. But that’s also when I can best stroll through my past, too. That’s probably because it gets so quiet around here at 2 a.m. and while I love the silence, it’s the sounds outside that drive me crazy and can have me tiptoeing around, looking out windows and waiting to see some dark shadow about to bust through the door – when in reality, it’s only an armadillo rooting through the leaves.
The TV serves its purpose, except for the fact I get too distracted, so I usually put it on one of the music channels so that it’s not completely silent in the house, but it’s music that’s playing (versus Miami CSI or Law & Order to distract me).
So, then, it stands to reason that I’m walking, in my mind, through houses I haven’t been in for years, hearing the waves off the beach and smelling the salt in the air. Before long, I can almost remember my mindset when I was 8 or 10 or 16 – depending on what song’s playing. It’s funny how we have these definitive ideas of how our life will be lived “once we grow up”. It never delivers; but if we’re lucky or blessed, it’s better.
Still, though, you know – even as an adult – that those ideas from all those years ago weren’t really far-fetched. They weren’t unrealistic or built on a weak foundation. It’s just…different. Things that are taken away are replaced with other things. The blind faith a teenager walks with is replaced with a certain reality that the adult gains. The “happily ever after” changes and redefines itself in the process into something you’re not familiar with, at least, until you live it. Still, though, even as you’re fitting yourself with these new realities and looking at life through these new eyes, the old never feels old or dated; it doesn’t lose its familiarity somehow. It’s not
1985, tie-dyed clothes, orange Formica and of course - the phone
really “replaced” at all, it’s just pushed back. Every now and then, you’re able to pull something from the past that fits well into the present. It’s rare that it’s a seamless fit, but it fits nonetheless.
So there you are, this person who would be a total stranger to the teenager version of yourself, listening to some song from the 70s or 80s and walking, in your mind, through the kitchen you grew up in. You know those orange formica countertops and handmade cabinets that your dad made for your mom. You see the cedar chest and the glasstop dining table. All these bittersweet memories come flooding back – and then the song ends and you take a look around at the home you’ve made for yourself and think never in a million years would you have dreamed this would be home. That teenager, who was so hellbent on some silly picket fence, hopefully, would be quite happy with what she ultimately decided as an adult.
