Less is More

From today's Meet the Press:

Kramer: The CEOs I talk to - they're hiring ... in Russia, they're hiring in Brazil, China ... its rather quizzical that we know what the Communists will give us, but we don't know what the capitalists will give us.

Greenspan: Investment occurs when you have a stable economy and when you can foresee what's going on in the future ... it's very critical that we get the uncertainties out of the system.

It's simple math, included in pretty much every good risk model - volatility is a multiplier on risk. Higher risk leads to lower willingness to invest at a given return. (Smart) investment is a multiplier on growth. Growth is a multiplier on income. Sustained income (without excessive debt) creates wealth.

Washington ... don'tcha want wealth? Think of all the new taxes you could levy.

Tawdry Tiger

Everybody loves a hero. I get that. Heroes do the impossible when we need it most. Heroes reaffirm our belief in humanity. Heroes set the example. Heroes motivate. Heroes save the asses of the meek.

Apparently, the only thing we love more than a hero is a fallen one. They reaffirm our fallibility. They set a nice low bar for everyone to stoop to. They make the meek feel not-so-bad. They're a backhanded self-esteem boost ... I assume. I don't get it.

To me, raking the country through Tiger's muck is disgustingly counter-productive. If someone craves tawdry drama, they should pick up a Jane Austen novel.

Strike that - they should feel dirty and trashy and embarrassed. C'mon people - we have better things to spend our brainwaves on than TM-goddamn-Z.