The Second Ass Clown of the Month Award for November, 2014

Ah, how quickly two weeks go by ... it's time once again to announce our biweekly Ass Clown of the Month* Award

There's never a shortage of worthy individual recipients, but this time I have chosen to present the award to

The Government of India

India is, as you probably know, a huge nation with a vast population and many problems. You may recall that public defecation in India is such an issue that they have instituted a "Poo2Loo" program to urge people to actually poop in toilets, and I noted last month in this space that the country had spent about $74 million to send a spacecraft to Mars** despite its other pressing problems. Brutal gang rapes of women in India are, sadly, a fairly common occurrence. But now - on top of all these things that make India such a paradise - comes word that 11 Indian women have died and more than 60 were hospitalized after participating in a government-run sterilization program intended to help curb the growth of the population***.

For its investment choices in the face of massive problems, the Government of India is awarded our Ass Clown of the Month for the two-week period that ends today. Too bad there's not a cash bonus that goes with the award ... they could spend it on something else useful, like another space probe.

Have a good day. Think about the investments we make here at home. India's are bad enough.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* I know it's not really "Ass Clown of the Month" if the award is given biweekly, but "Ass Clown of the Every Other Week" is just too cumbersome.

** I've often complained about the decisions we make on how money is spent in this country, but at least we poop in toilets. Well, most of us. Most of the time.

*** Surprisingly enough, this is not yet one of the things for which the GOP has denounced Obamacare, but I'm sure they'll get around to it.