Look at the economic goings-on that take place on this, the third rock from the Sun…The Dow is up again - could this be the beginning of a major rally?…pinning hopes on a stimulus package…much talk of cutting taxes, but not of cutting spending…Find a premise that is wrong, and bet against it…for gold bugs, it’s now or never…and more!

Captain’s Log: Year of our Lord 2009, 6th day…

We have landed on a strange and wonderful watery planet - the third planet in orbit around the sun, a minor star in the Milky Way galaxy. Well, they say it is watery planet. Where we are, it is icy. But the locals say it warms up and the ice melts. We’re suspicious; maybe it’s just hype to attract tourists.

But what is strange about this planet is that its inhabitants all seem to play a game of make-believe, in which they all agree

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Day after day we get continued evidence of a major policy mistake that is costly for the average investor with a retirement account. The Bush Administration, led by Hank Paulson, stepped in when faced with a crisis.  It was courageous and correct, even if the plan was a bit sketchy. When they finally got Congressional approval it included both additional powers and additional oversight.  Paulson used the additional powers to make direct investments in financial firms, something that many top economists and fund managers thought was a good idea.  This move took the "bulls eye" off of some of the top firms.  It was a good step for an immediate crisis. The Mistake It was at this point that Paulson's effort went off the rails.  We have listened and read everything on this topic.  From our perspective, as experienced observers of government, we think that Paulson ...