1 Boring Old Man

What a year 2009 has been. Like most of us, I’m disappointed that we don’t have the kind of Financial Reform I’d personally like either in place or in the works. I’m disappointed we don’t have a Public Works job core either in place or in the works. On the other hand, I’m pleased Obama got his Stimulus Program through Congress, and I’m impressed that Health Care Reform is still in play. I don’t like Geithner. I do like Holder. I’m loving Hillary as Secretary of State and I am impressed with Biden’s bringing dignity back to his office.

In spite of my disappointments with some of Obama’s timidity, primarily in the economic realm, I love having him in the White House. He’s exactly what I want him to be – an honest, careful, right-thinking person. How he’s managed to even get out of bed in the morning in the face of the onslaught from the Republicans, the Fox Network, hate radio, and even the Progressives in beyond me. He carries himself with respect and maintains a cool head at times when he has every right to lash out. And in spite of the epidemic bad faith politics that is rampant in Washington today, I think he’s beginning to grow on the people who have opposed every breath he’s taken in the past. His policies are too moderate for my tastes, but I said "vote competence, not ideology" and the man is both principled and competent. We can ask for nothing more than that.

But Obama isn’t the big story from 2009. It’s the Sarcasticrats that deserve top billing – O’Reilly, Hannity, Beck, Rove, the Fox News blondes, Limbaugh, and any number of Republican Congressmen. And among that group, the principle player is Dick Cheney – spewing his contemptuous venom at any opportunity. He may well occupy a unique spot in American history – a Former Vice President from the worst Administration that ever was, a man who really deserves jail time [or at least exile], who criticizes everything that his successor does to try to deal with the mess he and President Bush left behind. Even the other Sarcasticrats avoid Dick Cheney, yet he speaks as if he’s a pundit, a hero from a glorious age whose duty is to keep us on the path to nowhere carved during his eight years as King.

Our future is down to just one number now. The Market’s up. Things are settling down somewhat in lots of areas. The politicians are winding up for the mid-terms. But there’s this one nagging number, and the monthly figures came out December 4 at 8:30 AM EST:

Seasonally Adjusted

Unemployment Rate: 10.2% in Oct 2009 Historical Data

Unemployment Rate: 10.0% in Nov 2009 Historical Data

It ain’t great, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the alternative! Even the "jobs lost" data [lower graph] looks good…

^{Tip for 2010: Avoid stock in Dubai…}