Cartoon Saturday

Congress has passed and the President has signed the $700 billion economic bailout plan, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping, Fannie Mae is forgiving the mortgage of a 90 year-old woman who shot herself when sheriff's deputies tried to evict her from her foreclosed home, and Hollywood legend Paul Newman has passed away.

You really need Cartoon Saturday.

Yes, the economic bailout package is now the law of the land. You can see a few examples of the more egregious pork items included in it to sweeten the deal for reluctant lawmakers here (my favorite is the tax exemption for a specific kind of arrow used by child archers, estimated to cost $2 million over 10 years, and worth $200,000 to an archery company in Oregon). I got my quarterly IRA statement yesterday, so this cartoon speaks to me...

Perhaps the worst thing about the current economic mess is that no one quite agrees on how to fix it, beyond shooting every third investment banker and mortgage broker and burning most of the rest at the stake. That got me thinking about directions, which led me to these three guidance-related cartoons...


And if you're one of those unfortunate people trying to unload an overpriced house in the current economic climate, your realtor's advice may be getting increasingly specific...


I hope you have a good weekend, in spite of the best efforts of Wall Street to screw it up for you. It still doesn't cost anything to take a long walk with someone you love, look at a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or watch a child at play.

Yes, some of the best things in life are still free. Enjoy them now, before they're taxed to pay for the next round of the bailout.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo