Most people find it hard to solve a problem when they don’t quite know what the problem is.  Likewise, this makes it hard to find a solution to said problem.  Seems like a good lesson to apply to the bailout debate.  “$700 billion” has been thrown around the press so much that it now tops “weapons of mass destruction” on the buzz meter.   Legislators and pundits are throwing out quick-fix solutions and urge NOW NOW NOW!!!! to get the bill passed, but the very centerpiece of the whole plan is fuzzier than a lint trap.  The sad truth is that NO ONE KNOWS WHY THE FEDS WANT $700 BILLION.

While I hate the principle of publicizing so many private screw-ups I begrudgingly accept some level of federal assistance.  I do ask, though, that the feds stop trying to shotgun & duct-tape a solution together.  More often than not, the quick-fix method of problem solving doesn’t work.  Let some folks sit down, do legitimate hardcore analysis, seriously crunch some numbers, and use due dilligence to put together a solid plan.  Then, take the time to sell it properly and refrain from belittling those who dare to question it.  But for goodness sakes, the centerpiece of the bailout is the amount of cash needed to do it.  Come to your number, develop an understandable yet truthful method to show the final results, and be honest.  It’s hard for us to buy the “Trust us!” line when the folks we’re supposed to trust haven’t stopped to figure things out.

While sitting here waiting for a test environment to load so I can approve a problem ticket, I de-muted the TV to listen to the economic puree going down today.  Frankly, these people are getting smug, snotty, and elitist.  They think that regular folks want to “stick it to those Wall Street bastards” and “don’t care that their way of life will end before they know it.”  Hardly.  The People weren’t against this bailout because they want to see rich people suffer or that they’re closing their eyes to future problems on Main Street.  They opposed the buyout because (a) the government should never have this much influence over the market and (b) they realized that this is the result of idiot bankers, idiot brokers, (some) idiot consumers, sleazy marketing, and non-existent oversight.  Therefore, most people not involved in the meltdown do not care in the least to assist people who made this mess on their own.

We recognize that something needs to happen to fix this mess, and it’s gonna wind up including various levels of public assistance.  We don’t have to like it, but we accept it.  What we won’t stand for is a batch of holier-than-thou assholes who think that they’re better than everyone else and not accountable for any of their actions.  These pundits need a severe ass-kicking, and today they’re getting one.

/rant

It disgusts me every time I click on a website and read the latest happenings regarding the economic meltdown currently aflame.  Our country, the greatest economic power in the history of the world, the shining beacon of free-market capitalism, is about to experience one of the largest private-to-public transfers of economy ever.  Up to $700 BILLION in worthless mortgages and securities are about to become publicly owned by each and every one of us.  Unthinkable.  Despicable.

All this could have been easily avoided several years ago.  Mortgage brokers were feeding the housing boom by foisting loans left and right to people who obviously weren’t right for them.  Subprime loans were handed out like restaurant mints to people with terrible credit, and people more focused with folloing the Joneses scooped up exotic mortgages to buy bigger and bigger McMansions.  50 year ARMs.  Interest only payments.  All too good to be true.  And the alarms have been sounding for some time.  Those low interest only payments had an expiration date, wherein the payments would balloon.  And one helluva pop! it was.

Now financial institutions of all reaches are left holding bucketfuls of securitized loans than aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, and a massive downsizing is going on.  Commercial banks are reserving billions in loss holdings, and investment banks are selling out to keep in business.  Millions of people, from customers to brokers to executives, shirked any sense of responsibility in order to live in the present, the here and now.  The future?  Hell, that’s years away and we’ll have flipped that house or sold off that mortgage long before.  What, we worry?

Now the bastards have left the economy in tatters, and the idiot executives go running to their surrogate mamas – Washington – with their hands out like a college freshman who spent their refund check on a fridge full of beer and chips.  It would have been completly awesome for the Beltway to say “Go to hell.”  But that would never happen with legislators.

Besides, the unfortunate reality is that the repercussions of the Feds becoming the leading loan-loss provider likely pales in comparison to the utter economic devastation that a crashing & burning Wall Street would dish out.  With the way our economy relies on instant credit & repayment at all hours of the day, any further contraction of the money markets would ruin us.  The Great Depression would look like a four day weekend.

It’s a sad day indeed for America when government takeover of an industry (hell, the economy) is better than the alternative.  As a fiscal conservative, I weep for the future.

I had thoughts of posting a tipsy tirade last night (ok, early this morning) after watching the debacle against Colorado, but decided better of it and figured I should sleep on it.  Well, a short night of sleep has completed and my core thoughts haven’t changed a bit.

I was hesitant on January 3rd watching the hiring conference, but decided to set my reservations aside and back him up since everyone deserves a chance to be successful.  I felt better when he put together his staff and held the current recruiting class together in a recognizable form.   I felt even better with the high profile committments we got from Virginia.  I was at ease when thy stressed over and over that they would keep the offense as is and only add tweaks.

Fast forward to today and one quarter of the schedule is done.  The defense started out in total disarray and only began looking like a team last night, when they held Colorado scoreless for three and a half quarters after falling into a 14-0 hole.  The offense, however, has been exposed as a paper tiger.  Chucking the ball freely against Nova masked the fact that the running game simply isn’t there.  The last two undressings put the spotlight directly on terrible line play.  Eight quarters of ball against ECU and the Buffs are littered with shots of linemen being dominated, blown up, and any other adjective desired.  It’s a miracle White and Devine found 130 yards apiece last night.  Looking back I still don’t know where it came from, especially considering that on real short yardage plays (less than a yard to the first down stripe) we STILL couldn’t get a push to allow Pat to fall down and get the first down.

Now for the real ire of my feelings last night – the staff.  Embarrasing.  Two straight games of being outcoached.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again without increased results….kind of like repeatedly running Devine over the left side of the line when that side was being dominated by the Buffs.  Or it’s like trying to repeatedly run the ball on third and short when we know there’s no semblance of a power run game or a Schmitt replacement. Now to the real irritant – clock management.  Closing out both halves was a nightmare.  Hawkins outsmarted us when we tried to get a punt return setup if we didn’t get a block.  Staff let the clock run for far too long before calling timeouts, and when fourth and forever was up tap there were three seconds left.  Rather than punting, they ran off tackle knowing that they could drain the clock.  Then there’s th debacle of the potential game winning drive.  We moved the ball fairly effectively until the midfield stripe was reached with a hair under a minute left….WITH TWO TIMEOUTS.  Rather than play for the win, we got a series of runs between the hash marks and a drained clock.  Only one timeout was used, although the other was to set up a desparation hail mary after we started being coached not to win.  Before I forget, the stubborn power running game that we are missing got unveiled one last time when the line couldn’t get one yard and Jock was stymied.  Then McAfee proceeds to thump the upright on the FG attempt.

I could go on about blown calls, but I don’t have enough server space (like how lost the sideline was trying to get playcalls in on that last drive).  The season isn’t lost yet – there’s still a BCS bid available to winning the conference – but the seat in Stewart’s chair has to be on fire right now.  Transition is fine and expected.  Kids forgetting the fundamental skill of blocking game after game is not expected. An undefeated season and national title maynot have been realistic expectations in year 1, but 1-2 isn’t acceptable either.  I give him the rest of this year to right the ship, but there needs to be an immediate & discernable improvement in the offensive line and offensive playcalling.  And we damn well better not lose to Marshall.

As much as I hate to say it, we may have indeed gotten the painter.

Redemption in the Rockies?  WVU returns to action tonight to take on the University of Colorado in a Thursday night ESPN. We’ll all be watching closely to see if (a) the defense learned how to tackle, (b) the secondary learned how to cover, (c) if the offensive line learned how to block, and (d) if the staff learned not to overly mess with what was working.  This is understandably a nervous night for Mountaineer Nation.  On the one hand, this is still an explosive team that can score from anywhere at anytime, and non conference opponents tend to struggle when facing us for the first time.  On the other hand, there’s plenty of concern that the personnel losses from last year combined with new schemes have left the team in a bigger transition than expected.  Besides, plenty of good teams have gone to Boulder and gotten busted.  Being the eternal optimist that I am, I do expect us to struggle some in a tough environment but to slowly put some separation on the Buffaloes.  I’ll say 34-24 WVU.

“Waiting….is the hardest part”  Finally got the UPS tracking number for my new toy.  I’m not often an early adopter of next gen tech, but a unique crossroads of many events left me at a point to stick my toes in the water.  Ironically, it left Colorado in the wee hours this morning on it’s way to Morgantown.

“Now, hold on, Mr. Potter.”  Quite the beating Wall St. and the financial markets are taking these.  Brokerage houses are frolicking in line trying to be the first one jumping off George Bailey’s bridge, a Great Northwest S&L has it’s value drop below the roll of toilet paper in my bathroom, and shotgun weddings are all the norm.  Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch already gave it up to suitors with bad accents, and Morgan Stanley looks to be the next.  Reading the financial press this week is like a haunted house – who knows what is going to be around the next corner?

“This is not a damn democracy!”  There are situations in life where collaboration and togetherness works wonders, and situations when it leads to shit hitting the fan.  There are certain occasions where an iron fist, or at least a firm one, should rule the day.  I wish more people would learn the distinction.