Job Interview Advice

No, I am not looking for a new job, but I am getting pretty fed up with this campaign process, which seems to me like a pretty wide- and large-scale job interview that presidential candidates have.

I am wondering why, outside of our own job interview, what seems to be the most important job interview we experience (ok...every 4 years) is not about telling you and me why we should hire / elect them, but why we should not hire / elect his competition.

I am going to guess that if you or I were to take this strategy into our previous or next interview, we would probably not be asked for a 2nd interview. However, in the interview that shapes our country, being vague about oneself and poignant about why the other guy sucks is the one of the best tactics.

Is this just me?

I want a candidate who says screw what the other candidate utters...I am going to tell you what I have done, what I am going to do (at least plan to do), and here is why you should hire me. Sure, the other guy just said crappy things about me, but this is not about him...this is about WHY ME, and I am going to tell you why me! Sure the other guy has done some screwy things...but this is what I have done. Vote for me.

Do we have any luck of that ever happening...of actually knowing the real candidate without having to wade through the watery muck? Is this even possible? I would almost think that the other candidate would having nothing more to do than take the same approach, which would mean we would get a clear picture of the what and who and more when we cast our ballot.

This has no intention or leaning to one guy or party or the other...it happens on both sides equally. I just want to know what is up with this and would it ever work in another job interview...say when the president hires someone. Argh...

Get Out And Romp

Down 316 in 28 Minutes

If anyone were to ever make it down GA 316 from Athens to Atlanta in 28 minutes, then you are smokin'! However, falling 316 points in the last 28 minutes of the business day on Wall Street today means that they are taking Snoop Dogg's 2004 #1 hit single too literally! I am feelin' Snoop's dancing though...and just know that I am trying to dance like that right now.

This is getting uglier by the the minute...or 28 minutes on Wall Street.

I am glad that the wife and I get to take in a weekend of good times and great eats, great eats, great eats, great eats, and Little Italy (great eats, but no good links / website) in The Classic City watching The Red and Black welcome Rocky Top to the lovely gridiron Between the Hedges.

Go DAWGS!

Wow...when times get stressful and you cannot head to Athens, we have to take a breather and...

Get Out And Romp

We Saw this Coming...

Almost 9 years ago to the day, Steven A. Holmes of the NY Times wrote an article that predicted the mess in which we find our economy. The article was titled an anything but scary "Fannie Mae Eases Credit to Aid Mortgage Lending," and it most vividly states that,

"In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn [HELLO, were are right here 9.30.99!], prompting a government rescue [beam me up $700b Henry P] similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's."

Maybe the article should have been "Fannie Mae Gives Homes Now, Steals Hearts Later;" "Fannie Whippin' To Be Had: Just You Wait and See;" "When You Touch the Fannie, Payback's Hell!"

While the prediction was dead on, I do not think it could have predicted, due to the disturbing amount of greed that ensued from 1999 until now, the potential Global Recession that is being discussed.

Since the stock market tanked nearly 400 points on Monday (up from -800), went under 10,000 points for the first time since 2004, and dropped another 508 points (-5.11 percent) to land at 9,447 Tuesday, I wonder how many of our Congress peeps are rethinking their Yay vote on that little $700,000,000,000 bill of last week? So much for the idea that Making It Rain will solve the years of Wall Street's and Congress' greed! Imagine how many times Pacman Jones could have made it rain with $700b.

And now that Bernanke hints that interest rates are likely to go down again, I have to wonder how long it will be before those of us who save will be rewarded with higher interest rates. Americans should revolt and SAVE anyway! Stop spending! SAVE your money! Buy things when you can pay cash for them! Do away with credit cards! Stop paying the self imposed Stupid Tax! Start figuring out how to Get Out of Debt and being financially responsible!

Get Out And Romp

Why?

I firmly stand behind 25 Senators and and 171 State Representatives, 3 of which are from Oregon. Thank you doing what was right for our country! Thank you Ron Wyden (Oregon Senator). Thank you for your Nay votes on the $700,000,000,000.00 allocated to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA 08). Thank you for doing what was right.

See how your Representatives voted - Representative Roll Call. Two out of five OR Reps. did the right thing. Thank you Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio!

I struggle to see how this is an "Emergency." When loads of greedy people in our government, on Wall Street, and in our neighborhoods have been over zealous about spending and owning homes for the past couple of years, then we end up in the situation in which we - our gov't, Wall Street, our family and neighbors, and our economy - find ourselves right now.

Rather than trying to wrangle in the vast array of thoughts I have on this topic or trying to turn a buffet joint into a tapas restaurant, which I could attempt to do from now until my next birthday (359 days from now), I just want to pose a few questions, probably questions that my 196 Congressional friends asked along the way...

- Foreclosure
- Does this bill in any way make financially over-extended Americans any less in debt?

- Credit Card Debt - Unabridged vs Abridged
- Will this bill guide people who were paying for their Credit Card Christmas in March and later of this year into fiscally responsible people who will not do the same this year or in the future?

- Unemployment
- How does this bill impact the 157,000 people who lost their job in September?

- Stock Troubles
- The NYSE struggling before the thought of the EESA 08 was discussed, and it is struggling now that Congress has passed it. So what...I have not seen anything that suggests that the Stock Market's - locally and globally - will be righted by this bill.

- Does this Big Mac make me look fat?
- Does this bill bring sense to crazy Americans? If I cannot afford this house with a normal mortgage, then I should be able to afford this house at the same price with a convoluted mortgage, right?

- Personal Savings Rate
- Sure it was ok at one time...say when my great grandparents were kickin...but over the past 3 years, the savings rate is less than 1%. So much for that retirement concept, eh pal! Sounds like we really need this EESA 08 Bad Boy to re-open those lines of credit, right Congress? And if our taxes go up, will we continue to save that 1%?

The questions could go on and on and on...but I will spare you my frustration. I am simply frustrated with the idea that this bill will in any way deal with the actual problem at hand - financial responsibility. How is the EESA 08 going to change this issue? Our spending habits are out of whack - Congress' and Americans'; impoverished, middle-class, and wealthy; minorities and majorities; Southern folk, Atlantic people, New Englanders, Midwesterners, and West Coasters; corporations, individuals, and government. We are all to blame. Yes, credit cards are too easy to get and use. Sure, home mortgages about which we are clueless and unwilling to understand are / were (we will see on that) too easy to get. Right, banks were willing to take the risk on people willing to buy more than they could afford. And Washington, DC was there encouraging this along the way.

But at some point, we as citizens and individuals have to take responsibility for our own actions and lives, which we have failed to do. Now we are in our current situation in which we are left looking like a water-drenched and mud-covered little kid looking for help. Since the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 is not going to get us out of predicament, we need to figure out how to clean ourselves.

Get Out And Romp