The Razor Returns, Weakly...

Long suffering Slicers will be delighted to know that I'm back from a short blogging hiatus. A combination of work, play, and a lack of creativity kept me from blogging recently. You might be tempted to say that a lack of creativity has been a hallmark of the Razor. You are encouraged to not say it very loudly, or to me, or to any potential consumers of Razor merchandise (here).

As I predicted two weeks ago, Rachel David won the Dancing with the Wiregrass Stars competition. I'll assume it was the support of the Razor that pushed her over the top. Thankfully, Christenas' Uncle Ray came to town that day and I wasn't forced to attend the event. Uncle Ray is from South Carolina and is an avid reader of the Razor. He told me he enjoys it and isn't the least bit offended. I think it's safe to assume he hasn't read this, this, or this...

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Some interesting news coming out of Libya. Since the NATO bombing campaign began, I have stated many times that I was a supporter and more so, I expected it would work. With the most likely outcome being Qadaffi negotiating to live out the remainder of his days in exile, hosted by a country that was acceptable to all sides. While many of us would prefer to see him dangling from the end of a rope, the efficiency of exile cannot be denied.

Which brings me to the point. Multiple sources are now discussing on record that a deal has nearly been reached. I assume the host country has been chosen and just a few odds and ends need to be tied up before he rides off into the Arabian sunset. Good for the people of Libya. They have adequate energy resources to support their population and without a dictator syphoning off all the wealth, should be capable of doing quite well for themselves. Notice I said "capable". We should not assume that a positive outcome is inevitable. The next question to be answered in Libya? Can the opposition govern?

Above I mentioned briefly that I was (and am) a supporter of the bombing campaign. I feel I should qualify that somewhat. I wish the US had taken a lead role in the action and I wish that we had committed the full might of our military to do so. If for no other reason than to encourage Qadaffi to expedite the negotiations. Some might also argue that Obama should have gotten Congressional approval for our actions, and perhaps he should have. In these instances, I'll give him a pass as it appears that we'll achieve the desired "ends", regardless of the details of the "means".

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I've always been careful to not include content on the Razor that might be misconstrued as investment advice. In fact, anytime I've come within a 1/4 mile of the line, I've offered a disclaimer. Once again I hope you will read the following commentary for what it is: a political observation. I'm not sure how someone could read this and then make an investment decision, but if you're tempted to, DON'T.

Once again, the United States Government has maxed out the credit card and must either cut spending drastically or raise the credit limit. This scenario has played out many times before. I draw your attention to a statement made in 2006 by the then-junior Senator from Illinois:


The fact that we are here today to debate
raising America’s debt limit is a sign of
leadership failure. It is a sign that the US
government cannot pay its own bills. It is a
sign that we now depend on on-going
financial assistance from foreign countries
to finance our Government’s reckless
fiscal policies…. The cost of our debt is
one of the fastest growing expenses in the
Federal Budget. This rising debt is a hidden
domestic enemy, robbing our cities and
States of critical investments in
infrastructure like bridges, ports and levees;
robbing our families and our children of
critical investments in education and health
care reform; robbing our seniors of the
retirement and health security they have
counted upon… Every dollar we pay in
interest is a dollar that is not going to
investment in America’s priorities. Instead,
interest payments are a significant tax on all
Americans—a debt tax that Washington
doesn’t want to talk about. If Washington
were serious about honest tax relief in this
country, we would see an effort to reduce
our national debt by returning to
responsible fiscal policies.
Increasing America’s debt weakens us
domestically and internationally. Leadership
means that “the Buck stops here.” Instead,
Washington is shifting the burden of bad
choices onto the backs of our children and
grandchildren. America has a debt problem
and a failure of leadership. Americans
deserve better.

Well said. Quite well said. Sadly, the speaker seems to have had a change of heart. "Failed leadership" it seems, is easier to spot when you're not the one doing the "leading". It would be funny if it weren't so sad, but it is sad and so, not funny, not funny at all. If only President Obama could look back on his own words and recognize the wisdom of Senator Obama, perhaps America would get what it deserves, "better".
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I realize that today's post was not particularly entertaining. Please accept my apologies in arrears.