Bloomberg: Worst Inauguration Day Stock Decline In History

I guess yesterday truly was historic:

U.S. stocks sank, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its worst Inauguration Day decline, as speculation banks must raise more capital sent financial shares to an almost 14-year low.

State Street Corp., the largest money manager for institutions, tumbled 59 percent after unrealized bond losses almost doubled. Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. slumped more than 23 percent on an analyst’s prediction that they’ll need to take steps to shore up their balance sheets. The Dow’s 4 percent slide was the most on an Inauguration Day in the measure’s 112-year history, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and the Stock Trader’s Almanac.

So let’s tink about this…

Stocks plunged after Obama was elected. Stocks plunged on Obama’s inauguration. It is said that tho stock market is forward looking… Obviously they see bad times ahead under Comrade Obama.

HAT TIP: @jimmiebjr

The Day Belongs to Conservatism

Hard to say that the day after The One was inaugurated? Not at all. We’ve got it all, they’ve got nothing but image.

I did end up having to see a good deal of yesterday’s activities…the management decided to put it up on the office monitors. I plan on filing an OSHA complaint, as I got a sick headache what with all the oozing Obamania. It was a bit surreal to watch – there was Obama; handsome, happy, young and in charge…and all the while it just seemed as if I were watching my dearly beloved mother enter into a slow motion train wreck. Its going to be a long four years, in a lot of ways.

Our liberals will dispute this, but the plain fact of the matter is that Obama’s economic policies are going to increase the debt, increase inflation (though this might be a year or two in the future), increase unemployment, increase interest rates, lower productivity and lower real wages. We don’t guess this will happen. We don’t think this will happen. We know this will happen. How do we know? Because every time the Obama plan has been tried, it has resulted in this…and as Obama appears set to really, really go whole hog into tax and spend liberalism, we can just expect things to be worse than they were in the past. We might all start longing for the relatively prosperous days of Jimmy Carter.

For those of us with faith, this will all be ok – we know that any trials sent our way are blessings from God so that we may better become good and faithful servants. But for those on the other side…well, they’re going to get a rude awakening and they will be both disorientated and angered. So, we’re going to have to carry the ball – helping as best we can to curb the worst excesses of the Obama policies, bucking up the flagging spirits of liberals who will start talking “malaise” and “era of limits”, as they were under Carter, and generally keeping the country up on the rails until we can get Obama and his Democrats booted out of power.

The one thing I do caution us against is Obama Derangement Syndrome (ODS); it is tempting to hammer back exactly as they hammered our guy, but that is ungenerous as well as counter-productive. Remember, for quite a while now Obama will be suffused with an unearthly glow. As his policies cause the country to crater, the MSM and the Obamaniacs will desperately try to spin any good news as the be all and end all of great leadership. When things really fly apart and we’re sitting with a hugely expanded debt, high unemployment and inflation eroding our money day by day, the real fanatics will still insist, in spite of all evidence, that Obama is The One and will pull us out of it. No sense provoking them unnecessarily – a gentle rebuke will do, if anything is needed at all. Our task is to be prepared with alternative policies to map a way out of the liberal morass, ready to go when needed during the 2010 and 2012 campaigns. Hating liberals won’t help us craft these alternate policies, nor help us discover and groom the leaders we’ll need to both win the elections and carry through the policies.

America made a mistake – we elected a well meaning but clueless tax and spend liberal. So be it. The American people made their choice and now we’re all going to have to sit tight and ride it out as best we can. No matter how bad it gets, we’re still Americans and thus capable of enduring anything and emerging triumphant at the end of it. America will correct its mistake, in the by and by – our job is to be prepared for when the American people realize their mistake.

So, have at it with gusto – take no guff from liberals who are going to insist that the debate is over and that no longer is dissent the highest form of patriotism. Don’t worry about the accusations of racism which will be hurled against you – they were going to do that anyway, and you might as well score some points while they’re doing it. Don’t be stampeded by the dark hints of social breakdown if The One were to lose in 2012. And, most of all, don’t take them too seriously – and when they really screw the pooch, don’t laugh at them. Well, ok…go ahead and laugh, but try to hide it when they’re standing right next to you.

Abortion is the Enemy of Hope

This hits hard, but in just the right manner:

Every life has potential is the message of an ad to be aired repeatedly on Black Entertainment Television in Chicago during Tuesday’s coverage of Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration.

The 30-second spot, produced by CatholicVote.org, begins with ultrasound image of an unborn baby.

“This child’s future is a broken home,” the overlying text states, with music playing in the background. “He will be abandoned by his father. His single mother will struggle to raise him.”

“Despite the hardships he will endure,” the text continues, as the music gets louder and is mixed with sounds of a cheering crowd, “this child … will become … the first African American president.”

Then showing a picture of Barack Obama, the text says: “Life: Imagine the potential.”

The ad is the first in a series to be released this year as part of a new educational campaign, titled precisely “Life: Imagine the Potential.”

Brian Burch, executive director of CatholicVote.org, commented on the ad in a press statement: “Our message is simple: Abortion is the enemy of hope. The purpose of our new ad is to spread a message of hope about the potential of every human life, including the life of President-elect Obama.”

“Each human life has dignity and worth,” he added.

“Given the political climate, we acknowledge that the fight to protect human life faces an uphill climb,” continued Burch. “For this reason, we developed an ad that we hope can transcend the political obstacles ahead, and provoke the consciences of our leaders and fellow Americans.”

One does wonder – if abortion had been legal when Obama was in the womb, would he be here today? How many great leaders of various types are among the tens of millions of aborted children? When we come to the judgment seat of God and ask, “why, Lord, did you not send us better men and women to lead us?”, he might well show us the millions he did send, but whom we killed before they had a chance.

We do have a long, hard fight on our hands – but we shall have the victory, in the end, because life is always better than death.

My President Went to DC and Blew $170,000,000.00

And all I got to show for it is this lousy $1,000,000,000,000.00 “stimulus” bill:

The country is in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which isn’t stopping rich donors and the government from spending $170 million, or more, on the inauguration of Barack Obama.

The actual swearing-in ceremony will cost $1.24 million, according to Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

It’s the security, parties and countless Porta-a-Potty rentals that really run up the bill.

The federal government estimates that it will spend roughly $49 million on the inaugural weekend. Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland have requested another $75 million from the federal government to help pay for their share of police, fire and medical services.

And then there is the party bill.

“We have a budget of roughly $45 million, maybe a little bit more,” said Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the inaugural committee.

You liberals did catch that “rich donors” bit, didn’t you? Now, of course you are going to believe that these rich donors are just doing it out of love of country and Mr. Hope-N-Change…but we out here in the real world know they are purchasing access…so all those voices of the little guy Obama promised to bring with him into the Oval Office? Going to be drowned out by the same old, same old mega corporations and monied special interests all Democrats have been beholden to since Bill Clinton sold the party to the highest bidder (with new CoS Emanuel organizing the auction back in 1996).

Meanwhile, all that service Obama yammered on about on Monday…well, perhaps Obama can explain to us who was served yesterday.

Keep Hate Alive, Part 4

Just won’t quit, will they?

Activists who have spent years protesting President Bush admit their chances are slim of seeing Bush or any members of his administration face legal recourse for what they say are “crimes against humanity.”

Several activists hoped to squeeze out a few parting shots against the outgoing president…

…On Monday, a group called AfterDowningStreet.org was scheduled to hurl footwear at the White House, an apparent slap at the president reminiscent of a recent press conference in Iraq. Other anti-war groups were set to gather at the Pentagon on the same day.

On Tuesday, a coalition of activist groups will hold an event called “Yes We Can Arrest Bush,”…

Seriously, guys, get some therapy – you’re beginning to worry us here. Hatred destroys, but stupid hatred is just plain and simple messed up.

Oddsmakers Like Palin, Romney for GOP in 2012

I’ll give more to Jindal than they do, but that’s just me:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the front-runner to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, according to online oddsmakers.

Despite a slew of negative press this fall about Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) running mate, online gaming site Superbook.com puts Palin’s odds at 3.5-1, the best among Republican hopefuls.

Other top GOP contenders include former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose odds are set at 4-1, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, at 5-1.

Former Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.), who is now governor of Louisiana, has a 6-1 shot of claiming the nomination.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) are each listed at 12-1 to win the Republican nomination on Superbook.com.

Gen. David Petraeus and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are 15-1 dark horses while Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and McCain are considered 20-1 long shots.

I’d put Jeb and McCain in the 1,000,000-1 bracket, myself. I like both men, but I think we GOPers are rather done with the Bush family for quite a while, and McCain lost, so he’s permanently damaged political goods.

Governor Palin Unveils Alaska Energy Plan

Amazing what you can accomplish when there isn’t a global warming kook-socialist in charge:

Aiming to tackle Alaska’s energy crisis, the state’s long awaited energy plan was released today with some initiatives to eventually gain energy independence.

Governor Sarah Palin wants half of Alaska’s electricity produced from renewable resources by the year 2025 and she says the plan to achieve energy independence is not going to be easy but it is attainable.

“The message today is that we are willing and able to responsibly build and produce and provide opportunity for our resources to be available for our citizens,” said Palin.

Here in Alaska, we use more energy than any other state in the country as we depend on fuel, electricity, and heat in our daily activities. And it’s the costs of that energy which has literally trapped those that live here.

“The money we spend for energy in Alaska doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when we own the resources,” said Palin.

To change it the state unveiled its plan.

“Our energy plan is going to result in a wide variety of actions,” said Palin.

Actions including creating new power generation sources for the Fairbanks, Mat Su Valley, Anchorage, and Kenai Peninsula areas and utilizing local alternative sources for the rural areas of Alaska.

“This will help communities focus their efforts to make electricity and heat in their homes using local available resources,” said Steve Haagenson, the state’s energy coordinator.

“Geothermal, to hydro, to instate natural gas pipelines, much can be achieved,” said Joe Balash, a special assistant to the governor.

The plan is entailed in a guide named “Alaska Energy” a first step toward energy independence where it prioritizes the projects and identifies potential funding sources.

To help gain that independence, Palin wants Alaskans to be involved. “Alaskan communities are empowered to identify there best most sensible options, and work at a regional level to prioritize projects” says Palin.

“This approach is different, we are trying to learn from our past issues, what succeeded, what didn’t succeed,” said Haagenson.

Notice that – no form of energy is off the table, using local authorities to figure out what is best for local needs, shooting for energy independence so that Alaska never has to pay anyone to power their economy. Pity we opted for a bunch of socialist greenies who will actually work diligently to make energy more expensive and less available (oh, they’ll say they’re doing otherwise, but that is just because socialists and environmentalists haven’t a clue about what they’re doing).

Ah, well, there’s always 2012.

Global Warming Update

Cool…errr, I mean, cold:

Al Gore is now a wintertime fixture in Fairbanks.

Well, make that an ice sculpture of the 2007 Nobel Prize winner and leader in the movement to draw attention to climate change and global warming.

Local businessman Craig Compeau unveiled the frozen likeness on Monday.

The 8 1/2-foot-tall, 5-ton sculpture dominates a downtown street corner from its perch on the back of a flatbed truck.

Compeau says he’s a “moderate” critic of global warming theories. He used Monday’s unveiling of the sculpture to invite Gore to Fairbanks — where it was 22 degrees on Monday — to explain his global warming theories.

He says it will stand through March, unless it melts before then.

Big question: Will anyone be able to tell it from the real Gore?