So today apparently Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett have passed; may they rest in peace. However, am I evil for not really caring?

I mean I feel bad when people pass, don't get me wrong. However, people pass each and every day. It seems silly to me that we do not make a fuss when some innocent family dies in a car crash, but it is headline news when any remotely famous person passes.

Just when you think San Francisco could not get any worse: 

SAN FRANCISCO - Trash collectors in San Francisco will soon be doing more than just gathering garbage: They'll be keeping an eye out for people who toss food scraps out with their rubbish.

San Francisco this week passed a mandatory composting law that is believed to be the strictest such ordinance in the nation. Residents will be required to have three color-coded trash bins, including one for recycling, one for trash and a new one for compost — everything from banana peels to coffee grounds.  

Excuse my language, but are you fucking kidding me?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration says executive compensation must be better managed to prevent the sort of risk-taking that jeopardizes the economy.
Gene Sperling, who advises Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, said Thursday the administration does not want to impose caps on executive pay. But he also laid out for the House Financial Services Committee a list of guidelines calling on publicly-held companies to link compensation to long-term performance, not short-term gains.
Sperling said in prepared testimony that the administration believes compensation practices "must be better aligned with long-term value and prudent risk management at all firms, and not just for the financial services industry. 

Could this administration be anymore blatant with their motives? First we have the bailouts that should have never been -- yes I am aware that started with Bush, that does not make it right. Then the GM/Auto bit. We have a pay czar -- what is next?

I hope I am wrong, trust me I do. However, it looks to me like he is going to do anything he can to hold a tight grip on business. Either by way of taxes, or pay limitations. Yes, I know he said he does not want to put a direct cap but frankly I do not believe him. He said he was going to do a lot on his campaign trail that he is going against. We already have Microsoft, who is one of our largest employers, saying if they raise taxes they will ship jobs overseas. When all of those jobs are lost, you can blame this administration directly. Companies have warned us, they are just ignoring it. I guess we get to call their bluff. 

They claim that we have turned our back on big cars. They claim that we now want more fuel efficient cars to drive. I say let the numbers do the talking:

Sales of the Prius in the US were down from 15,011 in May 2008 to just 10,091 for the same month this year. For the year to date, sales of the Prius in the US stand at 42,753 compared to 79,675 in 2008 – a drop of more than 45 per cent.

If you want my honest opinion, Americans do not want fuel efficient cars, or "cute" sub-compacts. We want our diesel trucks, our flashy sports cars, and our carry 8 kids from soccer, the groceries, and some lumber for a weekend project SUV's. We just do not want to pay the fuel cost for it. For the most part the surge in hybrid cars was due to just that. How else do you explain why when gas was cheap that is what we bought. Then when gas in 2008 rose to high levels, we bought hybrids. Then again once gas prices went down we went back to our ways.

This same logic is going to be the death of GM. The government is going to force them to make cars that we do not want. If you have not noticed yet Obama, we are very stubborn people. Yes, there are a few people that will buy GM just because its GM. However, as a whole if GM makes crap we just will not buy it. I seriously think our current politicians in Washington think we are ignorant.

Once again the Fed want's to overstep their legal limits:

NEW YORK (AP) - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is pressing for a management shake-up at embattled bank Citigroup Inc., putting CEO Vikram Pandit in the hot seat, a report said Friday.

The report from The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter.

"We are confident in our management and confident that we will continue to position Citi for a return to sustained profitability," said Chairman Richard Parsons in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. 

Yes, because replacing the head of a company in trouble is the best solution, especially with no plan to move forward. Just look at what happened to GM once you did that. Now they are in bankruptcy court, the Union has really taken over, and they are going to make cars no one wants. 

That is just with the auto industry though, you do that to the financial industry it can be disastrous. Citigroup is one of the healthiest banks right now. Vikram Pandit has done the best with the tools he was given and given the current situation. I say if you are going to blame anyone blame Charles Prince. Hey guess what, we did, he is no longer the head of Citigroup.