Miscellaneous
Steve Eugster
2418 West Pacific Ave.
Spokane, Washington 99201-6422
(509) 624-5566 / Cell (509) 990-9115
Facsimile (866) 565-2341
Email eugster@eugsterlaw.com
The Recession of 2008
(Tuesday, October 8, 2008)
The American markets are down again today. A speech by the Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson, did not create any confidence. In fact, if one listened with a "third ear" one got the sense that things were bad and were going to get worse, much worse.
I hear today the assets of retired persons this year have decreased by $2 trillion ($2,000,000,000,000) ("trillion" means "a thousand billions")
Best Generation to the Indulgent Generation -- The Baby Boomers and Their Off-Spring
(Friday, October 3, 2008)
Today, with the Lender Bailout passage, the care of the culture of America has finally changed hands from the Best Generation to the Indulgent Generation, the Baby Boomers and Their Off-Spring. From today, the main purpose of the government of the United States of America will be to ensure that her citizens should be able to borrow money from the money lenders. The grand old concept of the Declaration of Independence -- "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" has taken on a decidedly new meaning: The naively hoped for borrowing of money from some in the private sector (if some in private sector wish to lend it (gosh we sure hope they do)). In this way the Baby Boomers and Their Off-Spring will be able to continue to pursue their main purpose in life -- profligacy and waste.
America is coming to her end. It is most obvious.
Bailout? It will not work.
(Thursday, October 2, 2008)
The Casino Lenders Bailout of 2008 will not work. It cannot work. It is based upon a false premise. The premise is that bad debt is a governmental asset. Is this in any way reasonable?
It will also fail because the bad debt the government is about to buy is just the tip of the iceberg. Just look at the millions of new cars and trucks on the streets -- I would venture to say 90% are financed. Such debt must at least be a trillion. Most of the people are probably having a hard time paying the debts.
Now add all the consumer debt. A trillion here, a trillion there, and you have a real problem.
America has spent its future. It would be far better to let the market work its way out of this. Our economy has been one of reckless profligacy. Of necessity, it will come to an end. The bailout is dead in the details. There is no essential truth in the legislation.
Bailout? Still at No!
(Friday, September 26, 2008)
Still think the government should walk away from a bailout. Whatever government does, those who have power over the government will take advantage of any intervention the government engages in. They will do so for their own selfish purposes. Government should let the market correct itself. The market is healthy, it can adjust. We are not a nation of sheep.
Bailout? No!
(Wednesday, September 24, 2008)
There should be no bailout. Government has no place in trying to stem the tide of the development of the economy. Intervention will be worse that letting the economy make its own adjustments.
Financial Woes
(Saturday, September 20, 2008)
The United States is about to fall apart. Why? What is the basic reason for this? The immediate reason is that "assets" used and leveraged many times over to provide for (a) a consumer economy and (b) a financial economy based on usury (interest payments for the use of money to fund consumption), have lost worth. The main basis for the economy is failing. Everything will seemingly come to an end. We will have a "credit crunch."
We have had government intent on satisfying the pleasures sought by consumers and financiers. Everyone has gone on a binge. The binge was justified by confusing the principle of liberty with "desire for consumption based on borrowed funds." Now we are about to pay the price.
The advocates of limited or no government are coming forward with plans for lots of government. In the next few weeks the United States government will commence transfer payments from current taxpayers and future generations of taxpayers. The money will be used to bail out one side of the economic equation of consumers and financiers -- the financiers. The taxpayers will pay and since most are consumers the consumer tax payers will continue to pay on the debt they have taken on. We, the lumpen taxpayers have little understanding of the raids which are about to take place.
Our leaders have defaulted on the taxpayers. They have proven themselves to be without honor, courage, and consistancy. We have been sold a bill of goods, and now we reap a bill of wrongs.
At folo one commenter has posited that the new slogan for the American version of socialism could be:
From each who has the most need.
To each who had the most greed.
Financial Woes - "Adjustments"
(Monday, September 15, 2008)
Osama bin Laden sought to do damage to the United States of America by the physical destruction of the World Trade Center. A day or so later, President Bush fashioned his first response to the assault. He told us to "go shopping." And shop we did.
We have been shopping in spades. The security for the shopping loans is failing, banks are in trouble, people who financed banks are in trouble, the world of finance capitalism is coming to an end. America is at grave risk. Our casino, plunder and pillage, waste economy is falling apart, as inevitably it had to.
Seems bin Laden is still winning.
The disasters about to befall us would be turned back were we to change our ways and limit ourselves. In the process we might also learn to live with greater compassion. Compassion, not war, hold the whole thing together. One would find living in compassion to be more interesting and liberating than living in a state of perpetual war, perpetual aggression one against the other.
River Park Square -- Death of Jo Ellen (Patterson) Savage at RPS Garage in 2006
(Wednesday, September 10, 2008)
The Spokesman Review reported last week that the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was referring the criminal aspects of the death of Jo Ellen (Patterson) Savage at the River Park Square Parking Garage on April 8, 2006 to Steve Tucker, the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney. See the Spokesman Review website. As a result, I revisited my request for a grand jury to Mr. Tucker and the Spokane County Superior Court judges during May and June of 2006. Here is my recent letter to Prosecuting Attorney Tucker. A copy was also delivered to the judges.
Haiti and the Hurricanes -- America
(Sunday, September 7, 2008)
We are a generous nation. But sometimes I wonder about our generosity bona fides. Over the last few days we have had hurricanes in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and US Atlantic seaboard. We worry for the trouble and danger these cause. Our news sources focus on the trouble and potential trouble minute by minute. Our interest is driven by our compassion. Or is it really driven by our narcissism? I ask --
Why haven't we shown interest in the trouble and devastation and loss of life these storms have created in places of less interest to us and our credit cards? What about Haiti for example?
I think we may have a long way to go.
Hurricane Gustav
(August 31, 2008)
Hurricane Gustav moves closer to the Louisiana Coast. The winds are a steady 73 mph. The rain will be heavy. The devastation considerable. Two million people have left their homes and have moved inland. Meanwhile life goes on elsewhere and most pay no attention. What can they do? Only pray, I guess.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn is dead. Rest in Peace good man.
I have read and re-read much of A. Solzhenitsyn has written. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich expressed truths one could not deny. I even sent him a thank you letter a year or so after he found himself in Cavendish, Vermont. No reply. I did not expect or seek a reply. I simply expressed my gratitude for his works and the hope he expressed in the stories and the various characters he wrote about. I particularly enjoyed a short novella called Matryona's House. Matryona was that one righteous person without whom no community could stand. One can imagine if there is a supreme being who loves each of us such love would surely be expressed toward a Matryona. Matryona's House at Amazon.
The Oakley, Minnesota and Stewart Buildings
West 400 Block of 1st Avenue
Spokane, Washington
Apart from the law, the renovations of these three turn-of-the-century "after the fire" Spokane buildings have been part of my greatest pleasures. Each building has been completely renovated. Now I have progressed to renovations of renovations. This time conversion of office condominium units to residential units.
Lincoln County, Washington August 2008
South of Reardan, Lincoln County, WA
August 2008
Minnesota Bldg, Spokane July 2008
Swanson Lakes School, Swanson Lakes, Washington June 2008
Horse Trail back from the Rimrock