Happy Fools With Money

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.

There it was --- all the signs that the stock market crash was going to come. Somehow the U.S. Treasury is feeling pretty bold, lucky...but not healthy. Just because the stock market crash has not happened just yet does NOT mean there will not be a "healthy adjustment" downward for many companies. And we begin this lesson this way: find five or six corporation you KNOW have done one particular thing to pad or improve their bottom line --- send jobs out of the USA. For sake of keeping things "fair", these countries can be any on earth, and it can be major manufacturers or minor ones, so long as they are "corporations" traded on one of the major stock exchanges in the United States. Those companies are going to find themselves in a world where the stockholders are suddenly forced --- RIGHTFULLY SO --- to look in the mirror. What the stockholders see when they finally look in that mirror may lead quite a few company leaders to be ousted out the door. See, the stockholders know that the CEO, CFO, COO and others who control the direction of these corporate operations can't make any more drastic labor cuts once they've sent the employment out of the U.S. And this will eventually lead to the end of shareholder profits going up...because these "leaders" all but demand the ability to continue making their goods "cheaper and cheaper" every year. And although they have accomplished this at the expense of Americans who used to have jobs, they're not going to be able to SELL those goods to AMERICANS!!!

What is that going to mean in the long run? An adjustment in the stock prices.

One question is --- who will be the happy fools with money?
Answer: those who sell off just in the nick of time before the stock they hold crashes and burns.

What must be answered --- but it's too early to tell yet --- is which companies will be so devastated by the stock losses that they're suddenly worth less on the market that they will be forced to CLOSE everything?

Some of these people have a long way to fall --- stockholders and upper corporate managers. And they will fall. Perhaps we'll be laughing at them, perhaps we will show a bit of compassion. It is too earty to tell how we will react to their "devastating plight" when they become homeless, yes, but it is certain that they didn't show compassion to the millions of employees they hurt, and the others impacted by their selfish decisions to allow the U.S. to become "a third world economy" over the past six or seven years.

I, for one, will be right there watching when the happy fools with money lose it all.

I Am Looking Foolish Now...But...

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.

So three weeks ago I made a bold prediction of sorts. Not based on anything scientific or Biblical or historical, just on hunches, I made a statements saying I believe that the stock markets will take a tumble --- a dramatic tumble.

Really, I was torn as to whether or not to make such a statement. But I did, and even though the markets have not done a huge tumble to this point, I don't seem to feel that I need to back down from that statement based upon what the markets have been doing as well as the unemployment and job information that has been released by the Federal and State and Local governments since the end of July.

It appears that no one at the national level or on Wall Street seems to be willing to say there's a serious economic crisis ongoing, as obvious as it is --- yet it also seems nobody wants to place confidence on the future of the American outlook based upon any "indicators" which have been placed out for public consumption and diagnosis. Frankly that says to me enough that I am unwilling to back off at this point. I still think we're about to see one of the roughest periods of American economic decline at the TOP LEVEL --- Wall Street, AMEX, NYSE, and all of the foreign markets are about to find themselves unable to control the long-term free fall of the "stock market" and the inevitible failure of the largest of the large conglomerate banks.

What can they do to stop this? Nothing. It is not something they can "fix" with another bailout. This is not something that anyone in the 21st Century can prop up with words or money that is not there. This takes a systemic failure of what the market system --- and especially those who worked in the U.S. Government who must have felt they knew what they were doing in enacting "controls" over the market systems --- which will continue over a period of weeks. Sure those controls will stop an instantaneous failure. But they won't halt the overall fall from grace that has been coming for years.

I hope you figured out that money in the mattress is a greater idea than the bankers (are you listening you poor people with money in CitiBank and the other gigantic bailed out corporations?) would have you believe. When it comes down to it, a mattress filled with hundreds or thousands of dollars will look good to some who have so much unable to be cared-for "stocks" in the market today. I hope you have a diversified portfolio --- something other than straight stocks and promises from the banks.

Keep in mind that if what I am saying does come to pass, the banks underwriters - FDIC - probably won't have enough money for the banks to stay afloat this time.

Ugly? You betcha.

How foolish we will all feel if this happens. I'd be happier to see it pass without the dramatic drop, but I keep looking at the parking lots on a Monday morning and seeing no customers parking their vehicles and then going in for a buying spree. Today, those who are in one of the "best" parts of St. Louis were not on the parking lot just before 9 am. That showed to me that I haven't lost my touch at figuring out where everyone is at any one point in time. Today they were either home saving their money, out looking for work, or if they were fortunate enough they were actually at a job making money while they can.

I Wish This Did Not Have To Be

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.


Over the past few weeks the economy has gone up and down, up and down, up and down. This isn't the usually excited rollercoaster ride on Wall Street and the other stock exchanges. This has been rather tempered, which has given the Jim Crackpotters of the world reasons to believe (in their twisted minds) that the economy will come out of recession once the November elections turn things around politically in the United States.

Great thought. A bit too late.

Between now and the November election, the following is likely:

1) The BIG stock market drop that I've been expecting for three years will begin.

It's going to be so much more than anyone expects --- I am being told today that I'm a doom-and-gloom person. That is to say that I have expected this to happen and nobody wants to see it other than me and maybe a few others who thought - as I did - that the big crash would come much sooner. Don't be alarmed if you sold off all your stock --- it's not the only thing that everyone will lose, however it will be the most dramatic. STOCKS will tumble. Sell now. Repeating...sell now. Don't wait 8 weeks. By then, the crash of the world economy will have been in full-swing.

2) The wealthiest men and women in the world will not only find their fortunes are worth MUCH less --- but many of them will have all their worldly possessions sold off to pay for those who surround them and did the majority of the work for them.

Socialist agendas are going to rule...the U.S. Government and the Federal Reserve always make equal claims that it's not going to happen or cannot happen. This time, those shouting "we're not socialists" are going to have control and socialize or overcontrol to an extreme. The extreme? Legislation will be railroaded through congress that will cause even the richest/wealthiest IN CONGRESS (Democrats and Republicans alike) to suffer terrible losses. This is before the socialists and elitests are overtaken in the November elections, just so you are clear. Can you stop this agenda any more than I can? I think not.

3) So many people will say "how did that happen?" We'll all be shaking our heads, and hundreds of millions of people will be doing THAT simultaneously...yet...some will be using the bootstraps to pull everyone out of the doldrums.

There will be some good that comes out of this GREATEST depression. Yes, this is finally the great block of global depression that everyone fears. It waited because of "controls" on markets.

THIS TIME THE CONTROLS ON THE MARKETS WILL MEAN NOTHING --- it will be nothing to see six to ten weeks of daily falls, or daily FAILURES for the "system" to stop the crash. It would not surprise me to see the 10000 mark on the Dow Industrials be more like under 600 in a matter of weeks. It'll be similar on the other stock exchanges --- nobody will be immune if you own and/or trade shares of stock. This computer keyboard will be worth more now than some of those pieces of paper will be in a few weeks. Sadly, few will heed the warning.

++++++++

Now part of the good news (if you find it to be good) is that everyone will be more on similar footing --- the failures of big banks and gigantic corporations will cause a "socialist even-out kind of situation" of sorts. It will be much more truthful to say that "we all have to get along for the sake of our fellow man" - which sounds so very progressive and socialist. But there is a good element to those who do not sympathize with a socialist agenda: Americans will be forced to be less about "me, me, me" and more about "we need to help others survive".

Sure, there are those who give to charity, who perform public service for the sheer sake of helping others, and who put their lives wholeheartedly into helping others through social service agencies. But this time it will be much more a global calling to perform these efforts. Man helping man WILL BE helping one's self, too. It will put us all in a much more spiritual mode, giving us all cause for reflection and prayer.

There's nothing stopping this fall. The elite millionaires and billionaires will not be able to buy the pieces of paper quick enough or make profits off this sell-off. And NO amount of stock market controls can stop it because the way the governments will react is to try and stop it --- with socialist legislation to be introduced --- which will simply exacerbate the whole mess.

Frankly, I'm glad to say that they'll do this, because it will prove that both conservatives don't believe it and liberals don't believe it --- but only those who can see the overall failure can see why it will be. Socialists in the government who don't see themselves as socialists will realize the devastation of the legislation too late. It will be enacted, and the crash will continue all the way to a point after the November elections, when some of the speculators will see there is no blank check big enough, no givebacks swift enough, no payouts and payoffs which can right things fast enough to make the economy turn on a dime.

By the way --- if y'all think I wanna be right, you're mistaken. I'd rather have seen the economy turn around by now without the overall pain we're about to absorb.

But it's coming.

I wish this did not have to be. But it does, and we'll see a slow turnaround after a dramatic crash. This crash will mean the wealthy folks and the poor will walk in the same lanes.

Can't Wait To See This

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.

As I start this column, I realize it has been a full six months since I wrote to this blog. In that time, the stock market/Wall Street saw prices rise back over the coveted 10-thousand mark, a day in which prices fell dramatically one afternoon without any warnings or real reasons (they're still looking into it as of this morning), and things continued on a slow up-swing there. At this point, some may be looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Average to rise above 11-thousand. The Standard and Poors 500 is up more than 32 percent in the past 52 weeks. NASDAQ composite figures went up 45% over 52 weeks. These are all nice to see IF you're a stock market player and had your money placed in the right stocks.

However...

...jobless rates continued to hover around 10.0% nationally in the United States.

As I await the latest figures on new jobless claims, along with the rest of the nation and world, the pundits are telling us that the markets are flat. That's their way of saying one of two things: things aren't expected to be so rosy that the markets rise big, or, if the jobless rate doesn't rise much above 10-percent --- if it only goes up one-tenth of a percent, for example --- they don't expect a huge drop in prices today and tomorrow.

What are they awaiting? If the numbers don't drop dramatically in the short-term, they're going to be seeing 11-percent unemployment in the future --- and suddenly the stock markets will be on the decline. And it won't be good for the stockholders of American companies if the unemployment rate is at 11 vs 10-percent. But, the problems which exist and were largely created by the existence of big banks decrying that they are having to deal with unprecidented numbers of foreclosures. So, the government bails them out. And in the meantime, they continue to use their money to buy up the smaller banks which were --- UNFAIRLY --- not given any bailout money in order to keep up. Completely unfair, it is, that smaller regional banks were allowed to expire because the big boys were the only ones given a break.

I have said it before and I'll say it again: if you're going to give a bailout to the big banks, then you have to give the same kind of offer to the smaller lending institutions as well.

But, back to the unemployment part of the equation. Unemployment has already dragged down much in this econimic depression, but the markets have all but ignored that up to this point. Unfortunately, the Wall Street people patting themselves on the back because they've been able to "recover" a great deal of their losses of 100 weeks ago. This doesn't show up at street level.

Street level --- this is where the average American lives. I know it's hard to realize where street level is when you're on Wall Street, buying and selling and making commissions. And I honestly don't mean to make it sound like the floor traders can't see the street --- THEY do. But it is the CEO and CFO types who can't see from their upper-level skyscraper offices down to the place where the average person has been seeing friends not only unemployed, but struggling to survive due to their inability to pay their mortgage or put food on the table because they've gone without for such an extended period of time.

Wall Street --- keep smiling at your "success" now. You're going to drop again, and not like how it happens. This is because it will mostly likely go down slow and steady as the unemployment rate lacks improvement --- OR it will drop huge for several weeks in a row.

It's unemployment that is pulling the economy down. And the companies who were taking gains because they laid-off so many people will be taking new hits/drops because of the same thing. It's just that they are believing they are untouchables. What they fail to see is there is NO company which is going to be unscathed by the next big drop.

As it's an hour before the jobless claims rate comes out --- I'll stop and see. But I think I'll post this now before it comes out. I don't see it being a very good week. That makes me nervous. I hope the Wall Street gurus are nervous, too. They should be.

When a Year Like This Exists

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.


If I hadn't predicted it, I'm not sure I would believe it. Have you seen the latest job figures? Have you been effected by the round after round of job losses in 2009?

The answer, even if you still have your job, is yes --- you have been effected by the huge tide of lost wages, lost hours, lost productivity, lost jobs, and lost businesses which either could not or would not survive THE GREATEST DEPRESSION.

Okay --- right there. I didn't expect this, and I admit it. This isn't the GLOBAL greatest depression. No, this is the worst depression in the 233-year history of the United States of America. That's because outside of the U.S. borders, it shows signs of being only a recession in countries like India, China, and in the U.K.

Back in the U.S. of A., things are not so rosy. Even I thought we'd start to bottom out by the end of the summer or early fall. Not so fast, I say. No --- this is going to last almost one more year as a major economic downtick. Yeah --- 2010 isn't looking very promising yet. There are some signs that it could be returning strength in the summer of 2010, but even saying that things will be getting better is not exactly what I'm seeing and thinking at this point. But why???


Banking and insurance are about to take a greater hit than even what the Federal Reserve can do to protect some of the largest players in history. Citigroup --- whoa, you don't think this big thing's gonna fail NOW, do ya? Well --- no, I can't say that it's going to fail. That's up to the big-whigs who want to keep it from failure. But even those guys cannot keep solvent a company or companies who are defaulting on their own terms. It appears that the Federal Reserve --- stands to lose for once.

How does this occur? I am not sure anyone will know that answer for another decade or twenty years. It will be another case of hindsight being better than current focus.

But --- back to the realities of 2010. Banks and insurance companies have been failing for the past two years. Quietly, insurance companies raise rates, re-invest in nothing --- just cut jobs, and hope that they can continue to be covered (um, these are insurance companies hoping that banks cover their assets/asses) by the same banks and Wall Street numbers that they have historically been able to count upon for security. However, security of banks is waning. And insurance companies are counted on by Wall Street investors to cover some of the assets on the books of the banks which are failing. The bigger banks are buying up the assets of the failing banks. The insurance companies, faced with competition of other companies willing to give coverage to the big banks, keep lowering their rates but not their expectations that the banks will be able to continue profits. But that's not the way it's working out sometimes. Yes, we're saying that --- oops --- banks are unable to cover what they are saying they'll cover. That leads to --- insurance claims. Which leads to losses on the bottom line of the insurance companies. Which leads to banks putting more debts on the books. Mathematical calculations need not be large. Simple math is closer to the reality.

Explaining this is okay to anyone who has been to 9th grade math classes over the past 30 years. Insurance companies are taking in less money in order to keep the banks as clients *** income drops...that's an overall minus sign - ***, while banks are taking on more debt from consumers and from investments into other banks (because they're all buying pieces of the bad assets from the failed banks) and not getting enough on their returns to justify the investments *** income drops...that's another overall minus sign - ***, while Wall Street investors see declines in revenue on their invested dollars (both insurance companies and bank stocks). I probably should stop here before I have negatives. I'd like to show you the end of the equation, but that hasn't happened yet. If I continued this math in just a moment you would probably see many more negatives than positives. But for now, a look at Wall Street and their place in the middle of this scenario.

The average on Wall Street has actually gone up overall because of overly optimistic expectations that the economy is coming out of the slump and because other stocks are doing well. And it is true that stocks outside of the United States are doing well, too. Many of the Wall Street investors are doing speculative buying of longer term and lesser leveraged companies' stocks and seeing a gradual increase in prices, although profits are widely varied. But the thing about Wall Street in all of this is that the market was up almost 30% from the lows of last year and early this year. All kinds of false positives were reported --- the recession will end soon (I'm even guilty of that one - at least I have been honest and called it a depression), reports of the demise of banks is too soon (well, actually...banks are worse off than a year ago --- you'll see next year), jobless rates will get better (um...were those guys drinking entire warehouses of liquor when they made those statements in early 2009, or what?), the bailouts will help the banks and credit card companies as well as major automakers become robust and thriving in mere months (you heard them say it...don't tell me you don't recall), and one that I loved hearing the most out of the mouths of two different parties' administrations mouths that I laugh about frequently --- the economic picture is righting itself already. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have had officials make this statement. To put it bluntly, the administrations should have kept their mouths shut until actual figures were reported each quarter. They've never been close to right yet...nope...they're months behind on reporting actual job loss figures, and don't bother to count those of us who have stopped reporting or never reported because of part-time income or lack of caring to report to the government. It must be heavenly for economics professors to write about this stuff!

So...Wall Street keeps investing in things which are less-likely to fail, right? Um, sure...they have a lot of stocks here on banks which will NEVER fail...which will NEVER see profit margins shrink...which will NEVER see losses because they're protected by wise money managers....which will NEVER be closed by the Federal Reserve or the U.S. Treasury because they cannot make their payments.

Where is this leading?

Greedy insurance companies are finally going to fail, too. They've been "protecting" banks with insurance for decades. Then Wall Street came along, buoyed by the fact that the investor can make stock prices rise (subtle bribery, perhaps) and asked the insurance industry for "protection" from losses, too. And what did the insurance companies provide Wall Street investors? Insurance from failures. Which makes about as much sense as investing all your money into one stock and/or company. Insurance companies did this out of greed. Insurance companies --- they look for a kill all the time. If they can raise rates to make fortunes bigger, they'll do it anywhere they can. American healthcare system anyone? Knocking regulators on their butts isn't enough for insurance companies in the 21st Century --- they want to knock out regulations which kept them safe from their own bad investments. Wall Street speculators simply wanted to be given some safety due to the volatile marketplace.

HOLD IT...STOP IT...WTF?????

Speculators wanted insurance. Huh???

Um...does this sound like the beggars who have been given silver coins by the bagful...does it sound like those beggars saying "well, you didn't give us real gold bars, and we're afraid if we cash in our coins, you'll give us gold-colored candles"?????? It doesn't make sense to give insurance to people who are gambling their money. But the insurance companies took the risk, too, by forcing regulators to allow this kind of behavior.

But Doc, can't I just use the lambskin condom a few dozen times with all my girlfriends? I promise I'll use it wisely...not just when I'm with my steady, but with all the dirty whores I can find, too!

That's the insurance companies' cries. That's the Wall Street investors' cries. That's the cry of the banks.

Greed and stupidity.


Which leads us to 2009 and 2010 --- when the banks start failing on an even grander scale than the U.S. government and the Federal Reserve have imagined. And the insurance companies fail to cover the losses by those banks. And then Wall Street begs the insurance companies for their due payments to cover their losses. And then the insurance companies, forced by the government because of regulations which are still somewhat comprehensive and legal, attempt to cover things, but eventually are forced to file for bankruptcy themselves because they cannot cover all the losses by the banks and the Wall Street speculators. Then, the Federal Reserve will take notice because they're coffers will be shrunken.

The question remains most likely WHEN will this happen, and not "if". Because it's only a matter of time that the failures add up to the point that the government and The Fed will no longer bail out the gigantic companies.


As things go --- this time, I cannot give a time. I thought about this six weeks ago and made a prediction of somewhere between March and September 2010. I have revised my thinking on this because it could be sooner, and it could be later than that time frame. It seems possible that this won't occur until next October or November --- eleven to twelve months away. I may write another column nine months from now and say "well, I guess it was gonna be sooner rather than later" --- or it may say "it's still coming...but we don't know when".

I'm just not sure I'll still be around six to nine to 12 months from now to be able to write this column.

Because, apparently like all the millions of others who are underemployed during a recession/depression --- I am irrelevant. And I am good at speaking out, so perhaps my irrelevance is only growing.

Maybe I should take my own advice and shut up until this is all over. That way I can say things like "I told you so" "off the record" instead of on the record where it gets me nothing. It only gives evidence to those out to get me. I can see the future, but cannot predict the future.

Hey, insurance companies. How about giving me this deal: you give my heirs and assignees money when I get killed by your hitman...I pay nothing up front.

Yeah. That's what I thought. Unless I have the money to buy their stocks at inflated prices, I will get to lie here under a grave marker which was paid for by someone who raised enough money to bury me.

Ahhh...the economic condition of 2009. It truly exists. And it sucks the life out of ya!


But remember...it's okay. The U.S. Government says there is no depression here.

If Anyone Hadn't Noticed

The DEPRESSION is in full swing. The election didn't matter, and it would not have mattered which candidate won. The DEPRESSION was already going on by the time we got to the end of Summer 2008. You can't stop things once they have gone to this point.

Now, the new waiting game continues with a new administration, new congressional faces, and a new year.

I've said it before: it'll be a long enough road before we're out of the depression, but of course that is if those who work in the government agencies which are SUPPOSED to help move things toward recovery do the right things soon enough.

This waiting game will furrow more brows than the Bush family and the Kennedy family has between them. But --- at least those two families have enough money to weather a depression. How about you and your family? Are you making ends meet?

There are stories of fortune and folly galore. Before you know it, I'll be writing some of those stories and EXPOSING some of the BAD PEOPLE.

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.

GREATEST DEPRESSION and THE GREAT RECOVERY

Smart or smart-alec? You decide.

Here's the latest from the "doom and gloom" leader of the United States of America, the prime minister of packing-it-in, the master of financial disaster --- that's right, Johnny Rabbitt Junior speaks out again.

Alright. So...when did the government FINALLY start to realize what I was saying a year ago --- that the country is in a recession...??? Hmmmn. Waiting until the Christmas buying season and after the election cycle --- well, it didn't matter to those who were looking for a new governmental direction, because of the outcome of the presidential and most congressional elections swaying toward the Dems this round --- the announcements finally came in the OFFICIAL way. They're saying 533-thousand jobs were cut in November --- and they're just announcing the recession that is the worst since 1981-1982. Is that their attempt at a "nice save"???

Truly, the current George W. Bush administration has nothing to lose by telling the truth --- so, why do they only announce a recession and not THE GREATEST DEPRESSION???
Face it --- if they announce the DEPRESSION WE HAVE SEEN FOR MANY MONTHS (by my count, we were depression-bound at the outset of spring 2008), it will end sooner rather than later, and MAYBE the Bush administration could get a PIECE of the recovery effort instead of being hailed for the next 40 years as the administration which ushered in the worst economic meltdown in modern history (let's face it, the modern era cannot be compared apples-to-apples to the 20th century Great Depression). I've heard Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family clamour that the last big recession should be shouldered by President Jimmy Carter, so why not have him admit that the Bush administration has faltered and lied to the American public about the economic condition of 2008 being MUCH WORSE than that of the start of the 1980s? It is the truth, people. Don't deceive yourselves another minute --- we're in the GREATEST DEPRESSION.

But --- I am here to do what I have not done in all of these months: BRING GOOD NEWS about the recovery efforts.


HUH??? (you say exclaiming surprise that I'd have some GOOD news about the economy and not just about Christ Jesus the Savior of the world)

Here's the headline that I probably should have written 11 months ago: 2009 will be painful. What is going to be obvious throughout the first 6 months is that the pain is going to be spread to millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, around the globe. But that will lead to something dramatic --- a turnaround, being led by some hundreds or thousands of people who will start up new businesses and...slowly...the recovery will begin.
As of yet we haven't yet identified those who will lead this world of small business. In fact, many of them have not yet identified THEMSELVES as the future leaders of small business. They won't make that decision until down the road when the figure out where their money source/capital will originate. But, once they do, believe me, the turnaround will begin in earnest.

Mark this column. The turnaround in 2010 will be the MOST DRAMATIC EVER!!!

By 2011, there will be fewer of us bemoaning the country's economic status. The why is not difficult to see...it IS however difficult to see who will lead. Count me in the corner of the naysayers now about --- well, frankly --- now. But count me among the optimistic who believe that in 2012 there will be millions who have been bettered. To get to the pleasures of life, we have to endure a bit of pain.

For those who are suffering the pains in this economy, I offer this free advice: PRAY to the Lord for divine intervention in your life. I've needed it --- and you'll find it, too.

In case I get too busy during the next month, I bid all of you a Happy Holiday season. So, Merry and Happy and Blessed CHRISTmas to one and all. Happy Chanukah/Hannukah and Happy New Year.

What's New with the Economy?

Smart blog readers will look at the latest from STL Citizen. Sometimes you have to enjoy being quoted!

http://stlcitizen.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Rah-Rah Sis-Boom BAH HUMBUG!!!

Are you like me and you've found yourself watching a LOT more financial television shows?

It's strange. I would watch CNBC only occasionally a few years ago when I was working in a wire service newsroom. Perhaps it was teaching me to read conditions better than Mad Money Man Jim Cramer, although I suppose I can give him a "props" moment for telling everyone that the gains on the stock market on Monday "could not be trusted". Now I will criticize Jim Cramer, because I've seen no sign that Cramer has given over to the dark side that is the BEAR...or maybe it should be the BARE market. He's still one of the cheerleaders who claims the downturn in the market: 1) was not going to happen; 2) is all but over. And what we observed - by not being Mr. Cramer - was as the market fell dramatically, Cramer had his head in his hands several times. He didn't understand why his predictions that the market would "adjust" and "not fall dramatically" were misleading.

Now, many of the talking heads on CNBC and other cable shows are arguing that the bailouts of companies and banks will right the financial crisis NOW.

Guess again.

Hasn't anyone at the financial news networks witnessed the real problems yet? Unemployment may be less than 6 and a half percent on paper, but that's not the REAL numbers of unemployment. Those real numbers would also take into account those people who have run out of unemployment benefits because they have been without a job in their field for much longer than the government entities would think/believe. Or would be allowed by law to report --- get that? They are NOT ALLOWED to report the ACTUAL FIGURES because lawmakers have figured out how to force the government agencies into flat out lying about things because at a given point they can no longer count certain individuals as unemployed. This does NOT take into account the even LARGER segment of the population --- the severely UNDEREMPLOYED.

You see, the Jim Cramer's of the world won't see the real numbers of unemployment and they still want to believe that there's not a recession, let alone that a DEPRESSION is tearing --- ripping --- through the United States in 2008 and will continue into 2009. Why would I pick on the financial gurus if I didn't see it first hand? I have said time and again that I could possibly be wrong, and that I have absolutely NO PROPER TRAINING IN FINANCIALS. But, thus far, my predictions based upon observations have been closer to 90 percent. Today, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average opened big following a more than 900 point upswing on Monday, the drop to 8000 has yet to occur. It will. So...why are these people trying to convince me that I'm wrong? Well, the answer is because they still have a lot of money to lose. And why am I not pulling punches? It is because I have no money to lose.

Until we're all on the same shaky ground, things won't be fairly equitable in the U. S. of A.

Here's the interesting thing: the beginning of the bailout is slow. The observations of those on the financial news shows have all said so.

But the financial heads, talking heads, and news anchors-reporters (loosely named) keep trying to do the cheerleading thing.

Rah-rah sis-boom BAH-HUMBUG!!!!!!!!

That's what it comes down to.

Mr. and Mz. Talking Head ---- here is the key to note: The depression is NOT "off the table" just because of a day of showing a positive on the Dow Industrials and the beginnings of a second "up" day. In fact, the longer I typed this, the lower the Dow Industrial Average --- it's well before the end of trading...I do not know today's outcome --- up or down at the end of today, there is much more bad news ahead.

And the president's plan to reward banks who buy out other banks is ludicrous. But it is his plan. And it feels like something "W" would come up with as a bridge to the market recovery that he wants to pipe-dream into reality. It's just the pipe-dream, not the reality for which he is hoping. We'll all see the analysts discuss this plan over the next few days --- and then the examination will lead to ---> the next downward trend.

Note to Jim Cramer and the talking money heads: 8000 hasn't yet been reached. The downward trend has been only temporarily on hold. 8000 is coming. Employment figures will be out later this week which will push things toward 8000.

That's my Rah-Rah Sis-Boom BAH HUMBUG to you cheerleaders.

Who DARED Tell The TRUTH About The Market???

So...did you all think I just up and quit thinking about this blog?

Naaahhh...I just had to wait to see my predictions start coming true. A full year ago I was telling people with whom I worked that we were in a recession and there was a full depression coming. Not one of them bit. NOT ONE OF THEM WOULD BELIEVE ME.

Now, I'm not a prophet. I'm not claiming to be some see-it-all. I just used what little knowledge I have about the markets and conditions in the business world to see the path that was laid out in front of all of us. The STOCK MARKET...the HOUSING MARKET...the LABOR MARKET: all were going to be hit HARD by the rapid decline in one or more of these areas of the economy. Let me share with you how many economics classes I took in college: ZERO. ZILCH. NADA.

No, it doesn't take a degree in economics to see where things can go. It takes some common sense and reporter's skills. And if you thought I was a raving lunatic in April or May when I was clearly outlining what was going to happen --- now you wonder "did I sell soon enough?"

Let me go back to my predictions -- and here's the thing, I'm not going to be able to give you exactly how I worded it in a conversation that I was having in March of 2008, but suffice it to say that --- when I was on the air at KZQZ in June this year (2008) and made the on-air announcement that we are in the GREAT DEPRESSION of 2008 --- I was NOT KIDDING that the depression in the economy was coming. And for those of you who thought I was, I am sorry to inform you that it is here, it will be here for the next several weeks, and the stock markets reflect that it is here.

As I type this, the Asian markets were in a free-fall. Quoting an AP story that was online via Yahoo! news a few minutes ago: "There's no bottom to the stock markets now," said Francis Lun, general manager at Fulbright Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong. "There's no clue when it will stop."

Do you see what I mean?

Okay --- bottom line. My predictions off-air were that we'd see things on the DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVG in the 8000 range by the end of 2008...likely BEFORE Christmas. And if things continue in the way they have this week, that could be sooner rather than when I initially made my goofball prediction. At this point, I will finally give you the GOOD NEWS of what will be. At the conclusion of the holiday season, a few retailers who have been predicting less-than-wonderful sales will be pleasantly surprised to find that they met their expectations --- and in some cases surpassed the sales figures they were thinking were going to occur. Yeah, that's right. I'm predicting that at least one retailer will say they had better-than-expected results. And that's because whomever was still left in charge at the company will have had an idea what was to come and they predicted a large decline in spending due to the economic DEPRESSION. And, shortly after that ONE PIECE OF GOOD NEWS, things will start to improve SLOWLY.

Here's what I cannot see at this point in time: WHEN the economy will be on a definitive upswing. I don't have a prediction on that. And I TRULY wish I did, because I'd be finding money and borrowing money and investing it. But...I do not have a clue. Just knowledge that what we are experiencing is a sucky period called a DEPRESSION.

Good luck in figuring out how to weather this storm.

Westwood One Cuts Metro Networks Jobs, Begins Companywide Failure

Last week a number of people at Metro Networks, a company acquired by Westwood One several years ago when Metro was a gigantic money-maker with a good reputation within the broadcast industry, became unemployed people. In St. Louis, several of these people have been friends or co-workers. It is the FAULT of WESTWOOD ONE managers and corporate vice-presidents who know only GREED...not how to handle personnel. In fact, from personal experience, the Viacom/Westwood One corporate attorney remains one of the most-hated people within the entire broadcasting community. I hope he put ALL of his investment money into Westwood One stock...and he doesn't sell off before the BIG CRASH...I want him to suffer the way he's made hundreds of former employees suffer --- without a job and/or money.

WESTWOOD ONE STOCK --- watch it and its mama stock Viacom fall feverishly soon. Within 6 weeks, the managers will be making another announcement in an attempt to keep itself solvent. Mark my words --- it will be an attempt in the barest and most banal sense. Soon you'll see WESTWOOD ONE will be up to the first bidder --- not just the highest bidder. I wonder if someone like Bank of America will want to find a buyer for WW1 and help market them, too?

(Pull your money from BAC - Bank of America now before they ask the Fed for relief! Their stock price fell more than $7 today to close @ $26.55 --- and they had been trading above $52 within the past year, before they "absorbed" Countrywide in that fiasco.)

VIACOM remains desperate, but it is like the basement that leaks on a day when 5 inches of rain falls, 4 inches of that rain within two hours --- it's going to be a very wet and smelly situation. You see, Viacom filed suit against YOUTUBE for $1Billion in March 2007...obviously in an attempt to keep themselves solvent. Their stock price dropped that day to $39.50. See below.

Westwood One closed Monday at $0.67 --- it's highest point in the past 52 weeks was $3.30. Does that tell you how great it is to be managed by these great "budget cutters" who apparently know SOOOO much about the business of business?

Mama company Viacom lost only 1.99% today, closing down $0.54 at $26.62 --- hmmn. Do you see the trend?

++++++++++++++++++++
To my friends from Metro Networks St. Louis who are now without a job:

Mark, Tom, Vicki, Jen, Susan...even Chris, whom I don't know: You're all in my prayers! Of course my friends still employed there are in my prayers, too, since you'll have to carry on without these great people.

Here Comes the CRASH of 2008

You didn't see it coming? In fact, I haven't been very convinced that it was going to happen. What? The great market crash of 2008 has been slow in coming, due in part to the way Americans simply joined the rest of the world in paying more for fuel and didn't throw up much of a fuss. Well, something wicked this way comes.

Now, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch in one day. What more proof does the stock market need to spur the greatest sell-off and stock market fall EVER recorded??? Okay --- sure, I could again be wrong that it's about to happen. If I were to have made a prediction in May, I would have said the crash wouldn't happen until October. And, should I be on the limb making direly necessary predictions (are there NECESSARY predictions?), October 2008 still seems a likely place to start with the undoing of all the gains that the wealthiest people on earth (*generalizing that the wealthiest are Americans, even thought we know that not ALL of the wealthiest are from the USA) have enjoyed over the past 30 years, during the tremendous stock market gains which added and padded their bank accounts and pockets.
However, I'm going to waffle here. It could be this week or next week.
Hey...it could be next February just after the 2008 holiday sales numbers have been double-crunched to find, yes, there really is such inflation, unemployment and an actual undiagnosed-by-the-government depression ongoing, that the market goes down like a four-square ball punctured by a nail.

This is simple:
The economy has already gone down --- but the markets have not properly reacted. Yet.

I hope you all realize that the banks/lending institutions you've been opening are so close to dying that you're ready to merge (again??) with one of those banks which weathered the stormy times 79 years ago and still exists. This is my over-the-side firing shot. RAID YOUR BANKS SOON, or you'll be looking like a scene out of "It's a Wonderful Life" when the townsfolk went to all their lending institutions to withdraw all of their hard-earned monies. They want their moneysworth.

Hard-pressed to come up with a great closing line, he simply says: "Send cash."

Regarding GOLD

I'm listening to GOLD again tonight. I've done so off and on for the past more than a month. It's fun to hear what the "presenters" in the UK get to do. My best friend is happy as "Paperback Writer" just started blaring from the speakers. We're here singing along with The Beatles and enjoying our evening. Straight into Bryan Adams "Cuts Like A Knife"...as a person in his 40s, I am really having fun listening to this station --- oldies from 5 decades...and an occasional "new" release by the artists who already belong to the "gold" library. FUN! Now, if they'd only hire me to be their overnight "presenter"!!! THAT would be a blast!

I hope y'all are doing well,

God Bless you!

JRJ

What I've Recently Found

ON the WorldWideWeb, there are so many things to see that it simply boggles the mind. That includes music sites, information galore, and literally thousands of places where you'll read comments from bloggers and/or letter-writers & commentators. I'll tell you about my "site of the week" for the past several days.

I was reading the Brian Wilson "blue board" message board and someone posted that this digital online UK radio station has a host/DJ who has been playing a track from Brian Wilson's upcoming "That Lucky Old Sun" CD/DVD/Vinyl (yes, limited record supply, too!) set to hit stores on 2 September 2008. So, naturally I wanted to hear this DJ and radio station. I searched David "Kid" Jansen's name and found this link. When I put it on the computer, I was instantly loving the music mix. I stayed up pretty much all-night the other night...well...that should say SOMETHING right there --- I go to bed usually before midnight (and miss Craig Ferguson regularly because of it!) and rise usually between 4 and 6 o'clock most mornings. That particular night was an exception --- because the music mix is exceptional to a person of my age. Generally it's music from the 60s, 70s, 80s --- pop music with that UK flair and flavour (have to spell it the UK way, ya know) --- from Elvis to Erasure, the Beatles and Beach Boys, and the occasional newer song from well-established artists. Hence, it seems, the reason that David Jansen plays the Brian Wilson track. Well, I didn't hear that particular song, but Jansen did promise he would play a new Van Morrison tune (I actually left the room and missed it, so I cannot tell you anything about it) that morning (he's on from 10am to Noon in London...that, my friends, is between 4am and 6am in St. Louis).
Anyway...I wanted to share --- especially for you who enjoy a mix of music like this: Crispian St. Peters "Pied Piper", Elvis "Stuck Like Glue", whoa..."Boogie Oogie Oogie"..."Words" by BeeGees, "Say A Little Prayer" by Aretha..."Cry" by Godley and Creme..."Hello I Love You" by The Doors...this station is so different..."Let Your Yes Be Yes and Your NO be No" by The Pioneers..."Sometimes" by Erasure..."Mind Games" by John Lennon..."Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel...I can't tell you how this UK version of "Classic Hits" means "real hits" - the UK version includes songs only charting in the UK, so you can be assured you won't know all the songs - instead of the stuff you get on American FM radio which claims the "classic hits" moniker, yet only plays rock songs and all but ignores pop music. This Gold Music channel is the FOR REAL station for music fans who want variety and at least a large chunk of music from that era. They do occasionally throw in a 50s tune or a 90s tune, and as I stated a new track from an artist when they have one that hits their fancy...but the majority of their music is 1962-1989.
Go ahead and go there, and open up the media player --- make sure you crank up your speakers loud when you're moving around the house doing housework or just sit online reading your emails and favourite blogs.

http://www.mygoldmusic.co.uk/Article.asp?id=484860&spid=18956

They have UK news and sports, commercials (not many, but it is interesting to hear a furniture company commercial for a British store), and the personalities are well tuned-in to the local scenes (okay, the entire regional scene, I'd say because they're a region-wide station). I'd love to have this station ON THE AIR in the US!

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

JRJ

Wishing KZQZ a good change; Economy Rollercoasters

Hi, Johnny Rabbitt Junior fans. It's Friday night, and I finally have access to the computer to tell you what I can.

+++++++++++++++++++



I was informed that KZQZ is going "in a different direction", and that I am "no longer needed" as an employee of KZQZ.



I don't truly know what direction the station will be heading. If there is something going on with the station manager, Bob Romanik, I don't know what that would be at this point...he has not talked with me since a brief conversation on Tuesday afternoon. That conversation was marked with some references to changes, but no exact reason for those changes.



If you have questions, please ask Bob Romanik those questions --- I really don't have any answers for them.



Meanwhile:



I would like to thank those advertisers who had planned to start on the air this week and next week on KZQZ and on the RABBITT REUNION show...I am, unfortunately, unable to play your commercials, read them to the listeners, and therefore unable to fulfill the obligation that I had hoped to have completed for you. Yes, I know that you'd love to be on the air on KZQZ...you may always contact the station at its permanent office in Belleville, Illinois - the phone number is 618-394-9965. They may have hired a sales manager...not having been part of the station since the other day, I am not on the inside to tell you for certain that there has been any sales staff hired, although it appeared that the station was about to hire one or two people.



I hope that TJ the DJ, Jim "Super" Shannon, The Foxman, Tina Sanders, Jackie McCoy and Mad Maynard, Steve Davis, and Bob Romanik are able to weather the changes. I know that Clark "Dr. Boogie" Davis will be just fine...but that's great insider information anyway!



From the conversation I did have with Bob Romanik on Monday, and again on Tuesday afternoon, Bob apparently thought I was heading for another radio station...he thought I had been offered a job elsewhere. As of Tuesday at 4:30pm [when I walked out the door of KZQZ supposing that I may possibly still be back on THURSDAY (Bob had asked me to take Wednesday off and call on Thursday morning)], I had not called any other stations for possible employment --- and none had offered me any positions. Since that time, I have made contacts in hopes of securing another job. That having been said, if Bob wanted me back --- and would be willing to pay me for my services --- I would consider that strongly. I believe in oldies as a format, and great personality rockin' jocks as being one of the reasons that people like to listen to the radio, and in AM radio as a great permanent place for oldies in a radio market like St. Louis.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



HERE COMES THE OPINION PART:



The barrel of oil dropped rather significantly over the period of last week Friday through Thursday this week. The stock market dropped significantly last week, then had a slight rebound on the oil price fall this week.



It's still the beginning of a depression.



The housing market continues to lose steam. The mortgage situation remains dire. Escrow accounts are now the targets of the lenders --- they're REQUIRING additional money to many of those who have bought houses inside the past four years. The increases may acrue money for the lenders faster, but maybe they should consider the economic factors which could also cause the mortgage fiasco to become even MORE of a catastrophy. If they ask for additional money from those to whom they've now lent money at the beginning of the mortgage cycle, they are asking people who have only a "little" wiggle room to come up with additional funds. Sure, in many cases they are prepared to pay up to twice what they had been paying each month. But, not all people figured into their budget a cost of TWO TIMES what their monthly payment would be --- and you should already know that will cause ADDITIONAL foreclosures.

That would also mean --- get this, people --- the mortgage companies asking for more money to cover escrow payments would also be CAUSING MORE PROBLEMS FOR THEMSELVES because they'd never be able to recover the money that they had suddenly caused to become additional outstanding debt due to the additional foreclosures. The actual debts could become significantly higher to the lender. Then, the lender begs for the Federal Government to help them recover.



Um...IndyMac...that's one word I guess I could bring up to the light now.



I hope you all have a good weekend!

=========================



NOTE:

Clark "Dr. Boogie" Davis...keep on RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOCCKKKKKIINNNN'!!!

A Day With the Baby Bunny

Johnny's taking a break from blogging today and asked me to fill in for him. I'm not nearly as good as he is at this, but I'll take a stab at it. First, let me introduce myself. I'm Capt. KT, a good friend of JRJ's.

Junior spent some time with his daughter today. For a lot of reasons, he hasn't had as much time with her as he would like lately, so days like today are precious to him. Baby Bunny is one of the sweetest little girls in the world. You can't help but smile when you're around her! She's funny, smart, and kind. If you're sad or upset, this darling girl will do all in her power to cheer you up. She's just that kind of person. I've often heard JRJ declare that he is, "The luckiest daddy in the whole world."

So, JRJ and his Baby Bunny had a fun daddy-daughter day. They went to one of her favorite restaurants for breakfast and then did a little shopping. I got to share part of the day with them even though we were in separate cities. How? We were talking on the phone and realized that they were in the same store that I was in at the time. The three of us discussed DVDs over the phone as if we were all in the same place and not separated by some 2000 miles. It was a lot of fun! All in all, they had a great time and got to spend some much needed time together.

That's about it for now. Johnny will be back to blogging soon. He really enjoys hearing from everyone, so please send him a note sometime. Thanks for listening to Johnny!

Moving On: My Move Ends; Does the Banking Industry or A-B Go Away NEXT?

It is the weekend. For the past 3 days I have been moving...and moving...and moving...and moving...and moving...and you get the picture. I hurt in places I'd forgotten about being body parts in the first place!!!

I'd like to apologize to all, and thank a lot of people. If I had saved up enough money to make the move go quickly or hire some people to help, I'd have had it all done 3 weeks ago. But, as it turned out, I was off on Wednesday (scheduled) as well as Thursday and Friday (unscheduled on Thursday - but the boss told me to take off Friday to rest...he was WISE in doing so) --- and the RABBITT REUNION show didn't air as a regularly scheduled broadcast since Tuesday. So, I apologize - I meant to bring you LIVE shows...but, unable to do differently, I'll return on Monday and get back into the full swing of things.

ALSO, I'd like to thank Bob "The Grim Reaper of Radio" Romanik, The Foxman, Jim "Super" Shannon, Tina Sanders - Queen of the Golden Oldies, Clark "Dr. Boogie" Davis, Al Gross, Mad Maynard and Jackie McCoy, Steve Davis, and T. J. the DJ for the moral support. Having a great team surrounding you at work (KZQZ) makes a difference - especially when you are going through a rough period. Make no mistake, it's been a rough adjustment to move almost all of your personal belongings.

BIG Thanks: I'd like to thank Captain KT, my parents, Diane (the Elvis fan/KZQZ fan), my ex (yes, I'm thanking my ex - she really helped me load up some of the heavier pieces on Wednesday when there were no other ablebodied persons who could help with the over-100 pound or bulky pieces of furniture) and my daughter. Each made a contribution to the move and I am truly grateful .

Also, thanks to the new advertisers coming on. Hearing the words that you want to advertise on the RABBITT REUNION makes me greatly hopeful. We're in to something good, as Herman's Hermits told us.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"BANK DEPOSITORS WITHDRAW MONEY IN A PANIC"
It sounds like an early 20th Century headline.
But today it is a 21st Century headline...about IndyMac Bancorp Inc.

Why?

According to a variety of online articles I have combed through, the regulators of the U.S. banking industry seized mortgage lender IndyMac on Friday because of a large amount of withdrawals by "panicked depositors". Yes, the Federal regulators' takeover of IndyMac means a shift in the California-based company. Because of FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp) supervision, the lending institution will become IndyMac Federal Bank when it reopens on Monday.

Here's (at least part of) the backstory which led to the seizure. IndyMac was founded by the same founders of Countrywide --- which was taken over last week by Bank of America. Countrywide remains the poster-child of lenders who aren't diverse enough. Anyway, IndyMac customers began to earnestly withdraw their money from IndyMac over the past few weeks. The company made a statement early in the week that it was going to cut its workforce by approximately 60 percent. Truly important to note: the company tried - it apparently asked for help. It HAD to ask for the regulators to help: depositors pulled out approximately $1.3 billion from their accounts between June 27th and July 10th. According to company business statements, IndyMac had lost $799 Million --- that was the deficit --- over the past half-year. Shares of the company's stock were trading at around $50.00 each just two years ago. It was trading at around $6.00 in December. It fell to 28-cents the other day.

In the timult this week, the regulators closed the headquarters branch in Los Angeles on Friday, searched through the paperwork, then began the process of taking over the lender --- and to look for a buyer of IndyMac. Some experts who were sought for comment estimate that almost 100 percent of the money in the company had been invested in mortgage assets. THAT is some estimate. And it's not easy to work in management when you're looking at gigantic debts from the foreclosures. If all your money is tied up in something that's LOSING money...you're not doing so well. That's similar to putting all your money on a poker player who is entered into a tournament against players who are on equal-footing. As I see it, you can never watch one of those TV tournaments and figure out who will win. SAME thing here. You cannot tell who will come out ahead. And when the economic picture is bleak on the home mortgage and home prices AND sales are dropping, the lenders end up losing...and the customers of IndyMac obviously picked up on that (a smart lot those with enough foresight to pull out their money from IndyMac BEFORE Friday). When an institution faces all of this, it is not in the position to save itself very easily. This was simple. The Federal regulators move will mean someone else (another more diverse lender, perhaps) takes control. Quoting a Reuters article, printed in the New York Times, "At the time of closing, IndyMac had about $1 billion of potentially uninsured deposits held by about 10,000 depositors. The FDIC said it would pay those depositors an advance dividend equal to 50 percent of the uninsured amount." For NOW, they'll insure only HALF of the outstanding debt. Let's read this one of two ways, depending upon whichever side one is reading it: I received a loan Thursday for $200000, which is perhaps now worth $100000 (I admit I know this won't happen, but it is an illustration). Or - more likely - perhaps I deposited $100000 on July 2nd - which is now worth $50001. Am I happy about this?

Oh...and the FDIC is estimating CURRENTLY that 90 banks/lending institutions are in trouble. Four have now failed in 2008...that's one more than all of 2007.

Does this sound a bit like we are heading toward OTHER bank raids and takeovers?

Are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac going to hear something good soon, or will these --- allegedly --- nearly untouchable institutions be belly-up within the next 24 months? Freddie Mac may cut shareholders dividends. Soon.

Does FEAR BEGET FEAR? According to a notation online, there is a Citigroup report going around by that title calling the sell-off "overdone". But, I ask you: Is it just an overdoing of the economic woes?

My opinion is: there is no way to make the economy right itself in the short-term. We are in a depression...or bound for it very shortly. The banks will see raids. The Wall Street wizards will not be able to stop the stock sell-off that has begun. And the small guy will eventually win as much as the "wealthy" guy. First, we'll all have to lose --- some will lose it all, just like the 20th Century Depression. This is the beginning of the 21st Century Depression. We're still awaiting the full-blown failure. But, with every failure, lessons are learned and new fortunes will be made. Here's to prayer --- say some for yourself, family, friends, other loved-ones. We're facing a crunch that is about to assert pressure upon our lives: rich, wealthy, middle-class, poor.
If you're a betting kind, you're beginning to wonder "who is rich and who is poor anymore?"?!?!?!?!? And by 2010, we may be mostly poor and learning to survive all over again.

------------------------

A-B and InBev are in "friendly negotiations". That's a simpler way of saying that August A. Busch IV may have finally heard (maybe the information didn't get filtered from his inner-circle this time) what his uncle, Adophus Busch the whatever, is saying along with the other money-grubbing shareholders, and he decided to hear out what Carlos Brito and InBev could do for those who want the money, want the money, want the money. Basically, they're saying "okay...the offer is up to $70 a share...we're going to sell. Jump on the bandwagon, little boy Busch, and we'll hold it up there for until the buyout happens."
The rest of those who stand to lose --- the distributors and those involved in the entire "network" of Anheuser-Busch companies --- won't get the value from the sale of the St. Louis-based (for now) beer giant. That will add to the woes of the economy in St. Louis and across the United States.

This "deal" is another nail in the coffin of the legacy of Vice-President Dick Chaney's and President George W. Bush's great economy. It may not seem like it yet, but you'll see it will be a big one.

I have heard this said in St. Louis for years: The way beer sales go...so goes the economy.

Beer sales has been so-so, at best, for the big American-based companies in the past 20 months.

So we ask: What happens next? Another BANK RAID DAY (or week) in which ten to twenty lending institutions fold and become FDIC banks? Or, InBev is in the corporate seat of America's beer giant, laying off the people who have made the economy work for more than 100 years?

Another Moving Day; Luke Weaver Benefit Concert on Saturday

So...it's Wednesday...and another MOVING day for the Junior Rabb. Yeah..as mentioned the other day, I have to move out - and by this Thursday.
So, the truck is rented...and my body will just have to keep up with the furniture, boxes, totes, bags, stuff...that will be moving from my long-time residence near Carondelet Park. Some will be into storage, a few items will go with me to my new living space, and some will be trash, I'm sure.

Either way, this blog notation is for the listener to the RABBITT REUNION show, weekday afternoons on the All-New KZQZ, HOT TALK/COOL OLDIES 1430AM. I'll be out of the studio on Wednesday, and if all goes well (I hope so...I'm practically broke) I'll be back on Thursday afternoon with tales of a successful move. If not, you'll hear my groans (pain, woe, etc.?) on Thursday as I continue to move things. Hopefully I'll have enough hands and backs which work to get things completed on Wednesday.

I hope all is well with you.

+++++++++++++++++

Note that the MEMORIES OF ELVIS show (Steve Davis & the TCB Band, Thomas Hickey as Buddy Holly, etc.) is going to be playing on Saturday night at the Mascoutah Sportsman's Hall at 8pm. It's a benefit concert for 18-year-old Luke Weaver. Luke has had fights with TWO forms of cancer. His family is obviously financially stressed and probably physically stressed...and he's undergoing treatment in the hopes of being well for the fall when he is to become a university student and study medicine!

Let's do two or three things: 1) Buy a ticket to the show ($20 in advance...$25 at the door) in support of Luke and those involved; 2) if you cannot attend, make a donation on behalf of Luke...you can call one of the following numbers --- 618-960-3340, or 618-939-4371, or to find out more call Darryl Weaver at (work) 618-256-9286 or (cell) 618-696-9768; 3) keep praying for Luke's healing, health in general, and well-being.

Sometimes we have to win the battle against cancer one person at a time.

Help Luke win.

The ADVERTISING Age

I mentioned something on the air the other day. I meant to put it to words on here, but somehow between having moving on my mind and trying to get my schedule for a busy holiday weekend finalized, I managed to postpone the "commercial" part of my blog.
So, here goes.

If you have a friend - or perhaps it's you - who would like to advertise on The All-New KZQZ - HOT TALK, COOL OLDIES 1430AM, consider this: IT'S JULY BUY TIME on the Johnny Rabbitt Junior Show - the Rabbitt Reunion!

If you act now, you can grab an audience who has been listening to the world's greatest oldies for weeks without great amounts of commercial interruption. And we are now taking commercials for those who feel our presentation is the right fit for their business. It is about using the demographics we have at KZQZ and ensuring the use of The Rabbitt Reunion as a partner in the advertising of a business has the positive effect needed. I can be contacted via email or telephone. The phone numbers to KZQZ are 1-888-394-1430 and East Side (618) 394-1430. To call the business line, call 618-394-9965. If a business owner believes (the way we do) that KZQZ can deliver an audience which is within the demographics sought --- now would be the best time to talk about buying advertising with me.

Please consider radio has historically been the most frequent daily companion of those who are over the age of 40. And that's not bull...more than 72% of all Americans listen to the radio on any given day. Keep in mind that those figures would include workdays and weekends - some people listen more during the week and some listen more during weekends. Actual listenership varies as much as your taste for food.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

Here's the radio guide pdf file from the RADIO ADVERSTISING BUREAU:

Check out the facts...you'll see things that will stick out. AFTERNOON DRIVE TIME Monday through Friday, when the Rabbitt Reunion airs...Men ages 25-54 - 84.6% listen to that period. Also, Women ages 25-54 - 85.8% listen during that period. Men 35-64 - 84.3% listen. Women ages 35 - 64 - 84.2% listen to that period. That's overall listening to radio in general, not to KZQZ. Our station is only a portion of that, to be certain. But it means that during the period of 3pm to 7pm, more than 84% of men and women between 25 and 64 are tuning into their radios and listening to SOMETHING.

It's a good bet that those who are over the age of 40 have grown up on OLDIES. I play oldies on 1430AM...and oldies listeners are loyal and listen for long periods of time. And they're in the "preferred buying demographics" of most businesses --- people over 45 have the most disposable income. Put on the thinking cap and contact me if you like what you think.

THANK YOU for your consideration!

Johnny Rabbitt Junior

Landlord/Moving Update - Something Good (I'm A Hopeful Sort)

AFTER I posted yesterday's blog, I talked with my longtime landlord Duane Sanderson and was able to postpone his going to the courthouse to have me evicted. He simply wanted me to pay him a couple hundred dollars so I could keep my belongings in the duplex in which I have lived for more than ten years until such a date that I can get those things moved...mostly to a storage facility, as the place I now reside is small and already has furniture and belongings. Last night Duane was cordial and jubilant --- even told me that I was paying him too much money (that's a first...I was pretty sure I owed him for June even though I haven't lived there). But, all seems to have settled quite a bit since yesterday morning.

Moving: Well...when I wrote the 3 July blog, I was assuming (stupid thing to do, I know) that the rental truck I was planning to have this weekend would still be available. HOWEVER, I also didn't get online to reserve the vehicle until after I finished the blog and had a shower and got dressed. By the time I went to the internet website where I was renting...I had to wait until after the weekend to rent a truck. My Saturday moving plans are now going to be scaled back quite a bit --- my new MOVE day is Wednesday, 10 July 2008. That having been said, I rented the truck for Thursday, too, just in case I can't get all moved by Wednesday night. This will cost me more than I can really afford...blechchchchchchhhh. But, oh, well. I'll get through - I always do, as one of my long time friends has pointed out.

Meanwhile, thank you all for the emails and the phone calls and the personal face-to-face time.

This week has been very busy --- and thanks to BOB ROMANIK and HERB SIMMONS and STEVE DAVIS and MAD MAYNARD and JACKIE McCOY and TJ the DJ as well as literally dozeons of others who I could mention --- I have been given a tredmendous amount of support for which I will always show my gratitude. Moving is never easy, especially in a busy time. So, thank you for your kind words and support --- it means more than you know.