Friday, November 21, 2008

Barack Obama - On Jan 21st DO ONE RIGHT THING

Way back in January I posted about what happens if the American consumer stops spending (over his head).

We are self employed. Much of our business depends on our clients being able to lease equipment. Like you, Always On Watch, our largest expenditure is health care. $1458/month for 2. We see no solution to this, and heard no solution from Mr. Obama. We thought that McCain's plan to let people buy insurance across state lines MIGHT help. Of course, now Obama's plan is impossible, but it always seemed to us to be a way to get free medical help which would be out of stock when you need to order it.

The order of the day is prudence and extreme discipline
The Economist agrees in SPADES

Hanukkah is going to be things we make, not buy.

We do not use central heat

We buy only what is compulsory

There is no doubt that everyone in America is going in that direction and that deflation is here and all that goes with it. Spending in the last month dropped by a one month record. I bet that only Xmas might stop that from happening again, but if it happens again, start looking for kids to move back in with parents and parents to move in with kids, and even more housing coming into supply to drive prices down even further, and so on.

Europe and China are screwed. Their previous complacent schadenfreude has been replaced by naked fear as they realize not only are they exposed, but they are worse off.
Oil nations are screwed totally. They have ONE product and no idea when we will spend again, and risk, if they remove more income from America by dropping production, total economic chaos, and a situation in which we and others might do anything. And I mean ANYTHING. We may see, if things go far enough, some nations break OPEC ranks to garner market share.

Whatever economic expansion was being created by manufacturing in other nations products consumed here is OVER for the foreseeable future. And who knows what that future shape of things might be?

The politicians have no clue.
Anywhere.

Today it certainly looks like supporting Lehman Bros would have been a lot less expensive than what has occurred, but maybe something worse would happen in a year. Certainly had we bailed them out, the auto industry would be a lock for the $50B (and they may be in January anyway)

Right now I am rooting for Mr Obama. He has to be ready on day one, and he has to start with the economy by doing ONE RIGHT THING.

Just ONE.

It's all about confidence. If he does ONE RIGHT THING on the economy and confidence rises, we all win.

Nothing else matters.

Do ONE RIGHT THING Obama, and those who spoke against you will sigh in relief.

I don't know what that thing is, yet.

But you should be devoting 75% of each day to figuring that out.
What is it that will BEGIN to bring confidence back to the American consumer?

It's not a check.
It may be a plan.
Get ready and EXECUTE because you got the job you wanted.
And THE WEIGHT is right on you.
Do that one right thing.
And in 1 hour the Stock Market opens again

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