In 2001, it felt like I was just coming into my own. I was just starting to get comfortable in my own skin and was looking forward to the upcoming senior year. Then I got sick and everything just stopped. Now I have started dating again and this time really date. I have already been on a few dates and I must say it has been fun. I have been able to discover new places with attractive, smart, fun women all while being romantic. Because of my current level of energy due to medication, I am for sure not a wild man so to speak. But I am at my own pace going out to dinners and movies and enjoying the company of women.
Political
Obama is making his final push for the thing I hold dearest, health care reform. This could be a big deal in my life because if health care became affordable it would give me more freedom to live a less stressful life. Because unfortunately, stress is the biggest killer for me. It is the main cause for my increases in head pain and seizure activity. Most people can handle a certain level of stress. They go through it everyday but do not notice it because their brains don’t have areas filled with scar tissue disrupting their daily activities. In an ideal world, I would be able to with my partner run 49erfanclub.com, make money through that business, work part time at a company and still have health insurance and be able to cover my drugs. That way I could get the sleep I need and still live a productive life. I feel like we are so close to a major breakthrough that could truly change the direction of this country in a positive way.
Financial
17 million people are still unemployed. There is still very little demand out there so businesses do not feel the need to hire. Some interesting news is that in Colorado many of the utilities have decided to switch from coal to natural gas. So your best stock plays for the future on energy are still CHK, CLNE, and for financials, V. Visa is just a toll collector. In fact if the global economy does start roaring back, Visa could be a 1000 dollar stock, easily.
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with carcinoma in-situ 16 years ago and following my divorce 12 years ago I became self-employed. After my Cobra ran out I was able to find costly, but affordable health insurance. As a responsible individual, I have struggled to maintain my individual coverage and have increased my deductible and out of pocket-limits in an attempt to control my cost and keep my health insurance. Last year (2009) my insurance premium was increased over 25% even though I increased my deductible and out of pocket to the highest limits available.
I paid out over $6075.24 in premiums, $2415.26 for medical care, $225 in co-pays and $1500 for prescriptions. I never reached my deductible of $2500 so the insurance company only paid out a total $935.32 to my providers. I must repeat, in 2009 my insurance company received $6075.24 in premiums and paid out only $935.32! I have just been notified that my premium for next year 2010 has been increased over 40% to $8496.24 ($708.02 per month) !!!! This is the same insurance company I have been with for over 11 cancer free years!!! I need your Health reform bill to help me!!! I simply can no longer afford to pay for my health care costs!!
Thanks to this incredible premium increase demanded by my insurance company, January will be my last month of insurance. I live in the house my mother & father built in 1958 and I am so afraid of the possibility I might loose this heirloom as a result of my being forced to drop my health care insurance. The health insurance industry has not denied me insurance directly, but indirectly they have by increasing my costs. They perceive me as becoming a higher risk factor to them despite being a loyal customer. I will never be able to obtain new health insurance due to the lack of real competition. We are talking about Anthem who apparently has no respect for your attempts to reform the health insurance industry. Please stay focused in your reform attempts as I and many others are in desperate need of your help.
Yes I actually thought that one day I could be rich. I remember in the 10th grade for a creative writing assignment our teacher had us write our own obituary. I thought I would end up on my own vineyard. Growing my own wine and living a quiet, rich, worldly life. Now I can’t even drink! Having been on Highway 128 I know how beautiful and quiet that strip of land is. The prices on these boutique vineyards have severely dropped. This amazing place is selling for only 17.95 million.
If I had the money and the energy I would do it. But one can still dream…
I say waive those thumbs in the air,
And waive ‘em like you just don’t care…
This is it. I have been waiting for this. For the past 9 years of my young adult life I have been forced to live in fear that if I lose my job, my insurance will go through the roof AND that I will go broke having to pay for Medication and doctor visits. If Obama can get this done, really make a dent in the system, then my vote was not for nothing. My vote counted, my vote mattered. I exercised political authority and action was taken. Action for the first time that reflects the majority’s interest and not the “special” interest. If they’re “special”, then I’d rather be average.
“the evil that men do live after them,
the good is oft interred in their bones
So let it be with Caesar”
After 40 years of the “Reagan Revolution”, it is time to right this ship, get back on course.
For Chanukah, my gift to my niece was to take her shopping at the mall and take her out to dinner. On Sunday, I took her shopping and I learned a new term, “jeggings”. Jeggings are the combination of leggings and jeans. Our first stop was Abercrombie where she tried on many pairs of jeans and was not happy with those. However, she tried on a pair of jeggings and they fit well and looked good so that was easy. Next we went to Chameleon where she picked out a top that was very rock n’ roll and went well with her jeggings. Finally, we stopped at Nordstrom’s at this mini store in Nordstrom’s called BP. I thought that stood for British Petroleum but it turns out that it also stands for Brass Plum – go figure. We finished the evening with dinner at “That’s Amore” her favorite restaurant for Chicken Parmigiana and may I say that it was quite good. It was reminiscent of the Bella Napoli Chicken Parm.
I’d have to say overall it was fun shopping with my niece and I was able to catch up on what was happening in school, camp, and her friends. Plus she doesn’t speak at all with “like” or “anyways”. She gets all A’s and is very sharp.
Me. Das Who…as Scarface would say. I was happy to see the President show some balls and try to discuss every GOP objection so that it could be acknowledged and determine if it made sense. He called the 2400 page bill a prop. And it was. Eric Cantor is an asshole. I am so happy that I am paying him 100,000 dollars per year so that I can a watch a grown, college educated man count to 2400. I really feel like my tax dollars are being put to work wisely (sarcastic voice).
I know that they are supposed to be the voice of the people. But lately that has been such a false presumption. Obama tried to make some points about the average income of everyday workers like me, but Lamar Alexander could give a shit. In fact, the news of the day is that Jim Bunning of Kentucky is a total dick. Unemployment benefits will not go out to 1.2 million people because of his objection to where the funds were coming from AND he had the chutzpah to complain about missing a basketball game because of having to take care of Senate business.
Hey Jim, Fuck you! You should be impeached you lousy cock sucker.
This economy is killing me man. The news is always conflicting. Durable goods orders are up 3% but so are jobless claims. Until we get the jobs going again, the market is going to remain volatile and frozen. It is a total trader’s market. In an environment like this volatility is going to make following this daily a long term investor’s nightmare and opportunity because on days where equities dip you can reduce your cost average. Then, if the real economy picks up small caps are usually the first to move in the market. You can make some good bank.
The interesting thing is Project Mayhem happened. Instead of having to blow up the credit card buildings, the credit markets froze on their own thanks to deregulation and bad financial instruments. So we are all starting over. Believe it or not this provides for great investment opportunities (you have to be working of course, not so easy these days). And we need health reform. Obama is having his summit today. I saw Anthony Weiner the Rep from NY show some balls yesterday and call the Repubs subsidiaries of the insurance industry. Well like Tyler says, we are pissed off! Tired of companies getting more preference than us. While business is important in the times that we live in, people are more important. We are out of balance in our priorities. We will probably be struggling for a few more years. But lets overcome this energy challenge. We actually have a real purpose now. I don’t feel the need anymore to punch some dude in the face. I want to punch Oil in the face. Ween off of it, heal our addiction, stop funding those that want to hurt us. Call it Project Independence. The first rule of Project Independence is that you do not talk about Project Independence.
My interests for the long term are energy, technology, and banks. Energy is the biggest challenge my generation has ever faced. Finally! My generation actually has something real to face. Not just some bullshit, whiney lifestyle obsessed cultural crap anymore. In order to keep moving forward my generation will have to face the energy issue. Only with the combination of technology and alternatives will we accomplish this task. I would like to see more of my generation talking about these challenges and how the world, with globalization will conquer that as well. That is why I like Natural Gas and I am thinking about adding to my position in an OTC stock. PTOS.OB. They are a solar company that is trying to work out a deal with India. India has over a billion people and they need cheap energy. This could be a good emerging market play that could yield big results. I will keep you posted.
For my birthday when I was little, my mother took me to see Gypsy with Tyne Daly. That was the year she won the Tony for that performance and I was privy to seeing one of the best stage performances I have ever seen in my life. But one of the great lessons I learned from watching that show was that if you were going to do something in life and separate yourself from others is that “you gotta have a gimmick.” On February 25 Barack Obama is going to have a health care summit with the Neo-Fascist party and the Pussy party. In order to have a successful meeting and maybe pass health care reform I think he should do something more then just come out on a podium. Maybe he should come out while playing a guitar or with Bob Dylan playing a guitar. Maybe he should sing his healthcare proposal? Maybe he should write the proposal in iambic pentameter while a dude in green tights plays a lyre? I am looking for some ideas to pass on to the President. If anybody has any ideas, feel free to comment.
Financial
Home Depot’s quarterly profit beat the street today but their Top line growth did not. This will probably put investors on edge because while profits are good, a reduction in Top Line shows no signs of growth. However, economists are reporting that positive growth has returned. Eventually, jobs should follow as long as we create new industry. Which I am pretty certain we will. Therefore, I still feel US stocks are cheap. The buying opportunities are definitely there. Even though the market is currently selling at about 20 times earnings, there are certain companies that with a stronger recovery should grow a lot faster. Those are the ones to buy, and the ones with some bad debt because they become attractive acquisitions.