I am afraid to tell you there is no money left.

~ John Boehner, House Minority Leader

Um, you were the guys who used up all that money, waged an unpopular war, coddled the corporations and sacrificed the middle class Americans.  I really don’t see how this strategy is going to work.  Your fearmongering days are over people, it’s time to realize it.

The heartland’s favorite gajillionaire, Warren Buffet, this week convinced 40 of the wealthiest Americans to donate half of their money to charity.  This hasn’t happened in a long time.  Well since the good old days when Carnegie bought his way into heaven by creating a University, Getty provided the world with a parting gift of not one, but two beautiful museums, and countless other robber barons left their houses and extensive art collections to posterity.  It warms the cockles of my little heart to hear that Bill & Melinda Gates (Buffet’s partners in the effort), won’t be only the billionaires waiting for me at the Pearly gates.  They’ll be joined by Larry Ellison, Jimmy Buffet and George Lucas.  Sure their kids are probably freaking out, but it’s not like they’re going to have to get jobs or anything.  Half a gajillion dollars is still a lot of money.

Full disclosure:  I’m actually pretty impressed by this.  I don’t know I’d be selfless enough to give up half the lily pad if asked.  You go rich guys!

Saying the birthplace of western civilization still has much to teach us, Sarah Palin today called on America to adopt Greece’s popular tax avoidance system.

“Everyone likes lower taxes, and it doesn’t get much lower than zero,” said the former Alaska governor.

Palin’s remarks came in the wake of a May 1 International Herald Tribune report that as many as 95% of Greeks underreport their income, or evade taxes entirely.

“Ancient Greece invented many things that are American as apple pie today, such as the Olympics, Grecian Formula and sodomy. We can still learn from them too, because the average U.S. taxpayer is lagging way behind in tax avoiding also,” she said.

Palin described how the Greek system can help achieve an important Republican goal: “As well, the Greece system creates a nation-wide tax protest. People not paying their taxes is a threat to big government. Big government has to cut programs, the people are in the streets risin’ up, and I applaud them.”

“Anyone who wants to be inspired by patriotic Americans need look no further than courageous Greece peoples,” she added.

Most of all, Palin stressed that wider tax avoidance would bring much-needed fairness to the U.S. tax system. “Tax avoidance shouldn’t just be for corporations and the richest one percent,” she declared.

Reykjavik (f-A-k-e. P.)

“Call my loans bitches, I’ve got volcanoes you don’t even know about!”

~ Iceland

Europe has spent the week in travel chaos as a giant Icelandic cloud of ash has cast a pall over 22 countries grounding up to 17,000 flights a day.  The Eyjafjallajokull volcano started to erupt just over a week ago.  European media has speculated that the normally dormant volcano was brought to life by smoldering Icelandic outrage over Europe calling it’s loans, leading to the current deep recession.  Icelandic officials were reached for comment, but no one understood a word they said.  It is hoped that sister volcano Katla won’t fall prey to the same anger.  If it does it could start a domino effect of volcanic eruptions eventually burying Europe under the same dark cloud that now hangs over the Icelandic economy.

Dr. Faber (a.k.a. “Dr. Doom”) spoke at a investment conference in Tokyo last week and warned his audience to stock up on farmland and gold in preparation for the next “dirty” war.  In his keynote speech at the Annual Investment Forum he suggested to pension fund managers and investment bankers that their cell phones would cease working, the Internet would shut down and water sources would be poisoned during this upcoming war.  His advice?  Move out to the countryside (apparently cell phones and Internet will work there…), and take gold since you can carry it.  I don’t know about you, but carrying gold sounds like a ridiculous prospect.  The Frog and I discussed it and decided instead we’d stock up on Black Pepper and Brita filters and ride out the upcoming Apocalypse.

As the Frogette and I travel back to the United States, I suppose I should try and find something profound to say about my time here in Ecuador. Interestingly the one thing that I feel most acutely is that Ecuador really seems to be a country full of hope.

Let me start by saying that my impressions of Ecuador are tempered by the fact that it’s difficult not to compare this country to the United States. Moreover, one cannot understand what Ecuador is like now without knowing something about Ecuador’s history. Not to go into too much detail, but like most South American countries, Ecuador has had it’s share of dictatorships, has suffered from a lot of official corruption, and still has its share of soul-crushing poverty.

That said, Ecuador’s current administration seems to have it’s head screwed on straight, where the United States has completely lost it’s way. Almost everywhere you look you see schools and roads being built; You hear about money being spent on infrastructure, and you hear about the government trying wholeheartedly to raise the standard of living for typical Ecuadorans. Though I have no doubt that there are interests that would prefer things they way they were—the way things have become in the United States—the current administration seems dedicated to fighting those interests. By contrast, the United States government hasn’t just surrendered to such interests, they are a fully invested partner in helping corporations financially rape the citizens.

In addition, Ecuadorans live in an incredibly rich and beautiful land. I was always impressed that, even in the poorest neighborhoods of Quito, it was possible to buy a great variety of the freshest fruits and vegetables. Compare this to the US where, in many less fortunate cities and towns, grocery stores don’t carry anything fresh. Fresh vegetables? Forget it. Pre-packaged meat, dairy and produce is all there is.

I know that I’m rambling…but I guess that my lasting impression is that, for Ecuador and Ecuadorans, the best days are ahead. And why? Because the government cares about its people. Whereas back home in the US, our best days are behind us because the government has abandoned the people.

So I got this e-mail today and I had to laugh out loud.  I’ve been offered money from Nigerian Lawyers, marriage proposals from Russian woman, and um, enhancements for my “equipment”, but I’ve never been accused of making more money.  Especially not in the past year.  Dude!  You have no idea how wrong you are!

From:  Tax Commisar

Dear taxpayer,

The Federal income tax is a progressive tax, meaning that the more you earn, the higher your tax rate. Your tax rate depends not just upon your taxable income, but also upon your filing status (single, married filing jointly, etc.).

You’re in a higher tax bracket because:
- your annual income for the last tax year has increased.

Please review your annual tax report immediately at: get report

Just so we remember whose disastrous policies crippled this nation’s economy.

And keep in mind, this graph does not represent the debt that Bu$hCo saddled us with—even though that was enormous. It represents deficit projections for the 10 years after leaving office given that the Obama administration continues to follow Bu$hCo’s policies.

Thanks to VictorM at Argville and Daily Kos for the head’s up.

…because there is a plague headed your way.  And, no I’m not talking of the H1N1 pandemic Kvatch spoke of earlier this week, I mean the “Foreclosure Plague”.  Yes foreclosures aren’t just a financial inconvenience wreaking havoc across the U.S. economy, they are now a plague.  CNNMoney.com this week issued a post with the tagline, “Foreclosure Plague:  Don’t Catch It”.   It is basically a list of “hot spots” in America where foreclosures are still going strong.  The headline, however, made we want to go into decontamination.  Foreclosure is a plague?  And it’s spreading?  Does that mean I could, uh, catch it?  Wait, I don’t own a home, whew, I’m probably immune.  The rest of you, watch out!

My first thought was, “Somebody lost big in the Market”, then I read the article and realized it’s been a hell of a past 9 years.  Here are some of the highlights:

-  Y2K:  We waited, we stockpiled and in the end it all amounted a hill of beans

-  Tech bubble bursts:  Thousands lose their jobs

-  9/11:  The worst day ever.  Period.

-  Afghanistan:  We attack, we declare victory, we are still there.

-  Iraq: See Afghanistan…

-  Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Chinese earthquake: It’s like a 1970’s disaster movie on endless loop

-  George Bush:  He alone could get the decade declared the Decade from Hell

-  Housing bubble bursts:  Foreclosures, market meltdowns, Madoff

The big question here is, “Will the next decade be better?”  In American history if one decade is bad then next is usually good.  Typical cycle of win and lose.  I wonder though if we’ve finally come to the end of the line.  What do you think?