Inflation 101: Why Avatar Isn't the Biggest Movie of All Time (And What Movie Is)

This past week, the technologically ground-breaking 3-D movie Avatar was hailed across the globe as the new king of the box office world, “topping” Titanic’s box office take by grossing over $1.859 billion worldwide.

According to the media, this week Avatar will also surpass the $600 million mark in the United States and overtake Titanic as the domestic box office record holder as well.

I understand why, when reporting box office totals, the press loves to cite gross dollars.  The problem with that, of course, is that those gross figures ignore the corrosive effects of inflation on the value of money.

After all, nobody would care if they printed the real story that said, in terms of the domestic box office, Avatar is only the 21st biggest movie of all time – which it was as of the end of January.

When Gone with the Wind came out in 1939 a dollar had the

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When Pigs Fly: How I Fought My Parking Ticket and Beat City Hall

Some time ago, upon walking through the door after a hard day at the office, the Honeybee greeted me with a big kiss.  She was also putting the final touches on a chicken dinner that smelled absolutely delicious.

Now, normally, the only warm-blooded creature in the house that ever bothers to get up and acknowledge me when I come through the front door is my dog, Major.

Couple that with the fact that I’m the family cook – usually, the only time the Honeybee whips up dinner is when I’m on a business trip – and I immediately knew something was wrong.

“Okay.  What happened, Honeybee?” I asked as soon as our lip lock was completed.

“I got a parking ticket,” was her matter of fact reply.  After almost 14 years of marriage, we both know the futility in extending charades after they’ve been called out.

“How much?”

“Thirty-five bucks.  But I’m innocent.”

“Of course you are

Continue reading When Pigs Fly: How I Fought My Parking Ticket and Beat City Hall

Drive-By Movie Review: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

This is a review of the 2009 movie The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta

Plot Summary: Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day’s work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.

Me: This movie was a remake of the 1974 classic of the same name starring Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw and Jerry Stiller.

The Honeybee: Not the same Jerry Stiller from Seinfeld and The King of Queens?

Me: The very same one, Honeybee.

The Honeybee: I never pegged him to be a serious actor, but I guess if guys like Adam Sandler and Bill Murray can take on a serious role or two, so can Stiller.

Me: I have to confess I never saw the original version, but if it is as good as the remake then

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My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment #2

Are name-brand groceries really worth the extra cost when alternative cheaper store-brand groceries are available?  More specifically, when it comes to edible products, does the quality and taste of name-brand products always justify the price premium which can often be as high as 50 percent or more?

Last October I tried to answer that question, one of the great never-ending debates in the world of personal finance, by conducting a scientific blind taste test using some of my very-opinionated family members.

Unfortunately, the results from that initial experiment were frustratingly inconclusive.  My panel sampled the national- and store-brands of six common grocery items including cookies, tortilla chips, kielbasa sausage and other items.  The results: the national and store brands each won two of the challenges, while the remaining two challenges were just too close to call.

And so, as a scientist and intrepid personal finance blogger, I figured it was my duty to

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The Best of Black Coffee: 43 of the Worst Personal Finance Articles of 2009

It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe…

Welcome to a very special New Year’s edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.

I recently saw that Ray from Financial Highway was justly honored when his excellent article entitled 11 Dumb Ways to Get Into Debt was voted the Best Personal Finance Post of 2009!  It was an awesome post and a very big congratulations is in order for Ray, who should be very proud of that remarkable accomplishment!  (No, I’m NOT saying it’s remarkable because Ray wrote the article, it’s remarkable because… Oh, never mind.)

Seriously, congratulations, Ray! 

Unfortunately, the fact that Ray has bragging rights to the best personal finance article of 2009 means every other personal finance article written that year was, by default, among the worst personal finance articles posted on Web.

If

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9 Great Gift Ideas for People Who Have Everything

At my house we draw names each year for the annual Christmas gift exchange.

The drawing is usually done each Christmas, long after all the presents from the current holiday have been opened and everybody has stuffed themselves on the traditional “chickadel” dinner – actually a homemade doughy Italian pasta, better known as cavatelli.

Everybody’s names are put into a Santa hat and then we all take turns to see who we’re going to buy presents for on the following Christmas.

This Christmas I drew Uncle Paul’s name – which really put me in a bit of a spot.

I get intimidated when I draw somebody’s name like Uncle Paul out of the hat.

What do you get an octogenarian who has all the money he’ll ever need, and already has everything he’d ever want?  Let’s face it, when the guy wants something he’s going to buy it.

I asked for help from his wife, but

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Dear Diary: How I Fixed My Water Heater Without a Plumber and Saved $400

Recently the Honeybee alerted me to the fact that our hot water heater was making popping and cracking sounds that she had never heard before.

This got me a bit worried because the heater was 12-years-old and I knew it was on its last legs.  When a water heater dies it’s not a pretty sight.

Trust me when I say it is always better to put an old heater out to pasture before it kicks the bucket – not after.

Two of my neighbors waited until it was too late and were duly rewarded with floods of biblical proportion – 50 gallons of water which was dutifully soaked up by area rugs, the walls, cheap wood storage cabinets and/or boxes containing irreplaceable photos, Christmas decorations, and important family documents.

I was determined that wasn’t going to happen to me.

So I quickly got a few estimates for replacing the water heater.  They all hovered in

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No, I'm Not Cutting Up My Credit Cards! (Maybe You Shouldn't Either.)

There has been a lot negative publicity about credit card usage in the personal finance blogosphere recently.  Baker over at Man vs Debt basically told the credit card companies what they could do with their cards.

That’s cool.

My friend and proprietor of Debt Free Adventure, Matt Jabs, is also not a fan of plastic and he is currently waging his own war against credit cards and the companies that distribute them.

That’s cool too.

A couple of weeks ago Matt specifically asked those of us who take advantage of credit card rewards programs to rethink our returns and join him in cutting up our plastic in a post he entitled Credit Card Rewards – Rethink Your Returns.

In case you missed that well-researched and very thoughtful article, Matt noted that the credit card debate is essentially between two very entrenched camps, which he called “Camp Rewards” and “Camp Avoid.”

As Matt said so well, and

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Drive-By Movie Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This is a review of the 2008 movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz

Plot Summary: Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.

Me: Well, Honeybee, we’ve been off for two weeks from the business of reviewing movies.  Did you enjoy your vacation?

The Honeybee: The “business of reviewing movies?”   I think you need to get a grip – I didn’t realize we were getting paid for this.

Me: Oh brother, here we go again…

The Honeybee: But since you asked, I will say I did miss watching you pretending to be an A-list movie reviewer over the past two weeks.

Me: Thank you.  I think.

The Honeybee: What about you, did you enjoy your time off, Roger Ebert?

Me: Well, I am definitely refreshed and ready to roll

Continue reading Drive-By Movie Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment

One of the great never-ending debates in the world of personal finance is whether or not name-brand groceries are really worth the extra cost when alternative cheaper store-brand groceries are available.  Furthermore, when it comes to edible products, does the quality and taste of name-brand products always justify the price premium, which can often times be as much as 50%?

Because inquiring minds like mine want to know, I decided to find out for myself by conducting a blind taste test using my very-opinionated family members to settle the question once and for all.

So last week, I headed out to our local Albertsons grocery store with my son, Matthew, and we picked out half a dozen everyday grocery products for the experiment.   To ensure a one-to-one comparison, we only chose name-brand items that had identical store-brand counterparts; package size and item type had to be identical, or virtually identical.

The next step

Continue reading My Store-Brand vs. Name-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment

Yes, Al Gore, There Is Such A Thing as Global Warming

Readers:  This week’s Drive-By Movie Review has been preempted because I wanted to participate in the 2009 Blog Action Day.  Blog Action Day, which is officially today, is a day where thousands of bloggers are asked to write on a common topic.  This year’s theme is “climate change”, which just happens to be the new moniker for global warming – changed by the global warming movement after numerous studies conclusively showed that the Earth has been cooling since 1998.   Obviously, the organizers of Blog Action Day have bought into the hysteria.  I decided to stir the pot just a bit and provide a dissenting opinion.  I hope you enjoy it, regardless of what side of the fence you sit on.  Best, Len.

DEAR EDITOR:
I am 61 years old.
Many people continue to say there is no such thing as global warming.
My wife Tipper says, ‘If you see it in Len Penzo dot

Continue reading Yes, Al Gore, There Is Such A Thing as Global Warming

Scary Stories: Fellow Bloggers Share Their Tales of Buyer’s Remorse

According to Wikipedia, buyer’s remorse is “an emotional condition whereby a person feels remorse or regret after a purchase.”   It often refers to higher-priced items that are difficult or impossible to return, thereby making the buyer feel like, well,  a complete idiot.

If you’ve ever felt a twinge of regret or self-doubt and caught yourself saying “I should have known better,” then you’ve definitely experienced the heartache of buyer’s remorse.

Buyer’s remorse most often occurs after you discover you…

1) were sweet-talked by a smooth-talking salesman into buying something you didn’t really need, or

2) were goaded into buying something you didn’t really want because of a high-pressure sales pitch, or

3) were caught in a moment of weakness and made an impulse buy, or

4) failed to do the proper research and/or verify your ability to really afford it.

I saw a commercial that said four out of five dentists surveyed have experienced a

Continue reading Scary Stories: Fellow Bloggers Share Their Tales of Buyer’s Remorse

The 7 Deadly Sins of Personal Finance

Back when I was a kid, I remember going to Catechism and learning about the seven deadly sins.

Maybe that’s why this national sin survey, conducted by a Kansas State University team of geographers, caught my attention last week.  The provocative survey, actually an academic study, measured and created a “sin index” for 3000 US counties with respect to pride, envy, lust, gluttony, wrath, greed, and sloth.

Fascinating stuff.

Did you know your personal finances are subject to the very same seven deadly sins that many believe afflict the human soul?   It’s true.

That’s why today, my fellow finance sinners, Reverend Len from the First United Church of Our Lady of Blessed Household Finances is holding confession for our small – but mighty and quickly growing – congregation. 

Now let me hear a Hallelujah, brothers and sisters!

It’s time to step into the confession booth and reflect upon whether you have committed any

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Why Rechargeable Batteries Are Rarely Cost Effective

I was standing in line at a local electronics store the other day when I struck up a conversation with the guy ahead of me who had a basket full of battery chargers and AA rechargeable batteries.  It turns out he had decided to replace all of the batteries in his house with the rechargeable kind.  Between the batteries and the chargers this guy plunked down over a hundred bucks!

He was so proud, telling me about all the money he was going to save.

I didn’t have the heart to ask him if he had the same typical electronic devices found in most homes, because if he did then he probably ended up spending a lot more money than he should have.

Rechargeable Batteries Aren’t Always Cost Effective!

I realize many people want to convert to rechargeable batteries for environmental reasons, which is fair enough.  But the truth of the matter is this:

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The 10 Most Overpaid Jobs

Oh, am I going to make some enemies today. 

Last week I did a very well-received article on the 10 most underpaid jobs.  Today I tackle the other, more controversial, side of the coin – the 10 most overpaid jobs.

First I want to apologize in advance.  I am quite certain this list will offend more than a few of you.  I’m sure many of you believe this list is nothing more than a bunch of sour grapes (or worse).  Call it what you will. Just remember, in the end, it’s just one man’s opinion.

So, after reading this list, if you think I’ve overlooked a particular job (like mine or your neighbor’s) or if I have managed to list your job, feel free to leave a comment and let me have it with both barrels.

Just keep the profanity and ad hominems to a minimum.

10. Television Weatherman

Oh Yeah? Give Me One Good

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The 10 Most Underpaid Jobs

Most everybody thinks they’re underpaid for what they do.  But in reality, there are a handful of select jobs where this claim is especially true.  Here’s my take on the 10 most underpaid jobs.  Unless otherwise noted, annual income figures are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

After reading this list, if you think I’ve overlooked a particular job (like yours), please leave a comment and let me have it with both barrels.  Just keep the profanity and ad hominems to a minimum.

10. Janitor

Average Annual Income: $23,500
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $45,000
Appreciation Meter: Office outcasts rarely invited to workplace birthday celebrations and promotion parties.
Why They’re Underpaid: In office buildings and schools all over the world, janitors quietly go about their job of picking up everybody’s mess.  Their work is usually done behind the scenes, so it’s easy to overlook the fact that they often

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Brown-Baggin' It? Here's A Price Comparison of 10 Sandwiches.

I don’t know how many people pack their lunch every day for school or work, but I think it is safe to say that the number can be measured in millions.   What I do know, though, is that packing your lunch is more economical and almost always healthier than eating out at a burger joint or some other greasy spoon.

Of course, I think we can all agree that there are certainly different degrees of “economical.” 

And so it was, with school right around the corner and the Honeybee gearing up again for another season of making sandwiches for the kids’ brown bag lunches, I was curious to know which sandwiches were the most economical and which ones, if we weren’t careful, could end up putting the squeeze on our grocery budget.

To answer that question I first had to determine what sandwiches to include in my survey.  The goal was

Continue reading Brown-Baggin’ It? Here’s A Price Comparison of 10 Sandwiches.

Personal Finance Decisions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Regular readers know that I absolutely love Clint Eastwood movies.  The other day I was watching for the umpteenth time one of my all-time favorites: the classic Sergio Leone spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.   While I was watching the movie it came to me that there are also good, bad and ugly personal finance decisions made by people like you and me every single day.

So I decided to take a little time today to highlight a few. 

By the way, while you’re reading these, you’ll have to supply your own whistle from the famous Ennio Morricone theme song. If you don’t know what I am talking about, you can listen to it here.

I now present to you Personal Finance Decisions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…

(cue the music!)

Scenario 1. Your new employer offers a 401(k) program where they will match the first 3%

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Parents: Before You Name Your Baby, Learn How to Spell.

Igor: Dr. Frankenstein…
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: It’s “Fronkensteen.”
Igor: You’re putting me on.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No, it’s pronounced “Fronkensteen.”
Igor: Do you also say “Froaderick”?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No… ”Frederick.”
Igor: Well, why isn’t it “Froaderick Fronkensteen”?
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: It isn’t; it’s “Frederick Fronkensteen.”
Igor: I see.
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: You must be Igor.
Igor: No, it’s pronounced “eye-gor.”
Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: But they told me it was “ee-gor.”
Igor: Well, they were wrong then, weren’t they?
- From the movie Young Frankenstein

Today, I hope you’ll indulge me while I use this forum to address one of my biggest pet peeves.

I am often accused of being a name snob and, in the court of public opinion, I plead guilty as charged. So much so, in fact, that I feel compelled to take a brief detour today from my primary role as a personal finance blogger to make a final stand on this topic.

You see, sometimes I feel like I’m the

Continue reading Parents: Before You Name Your Baby, Learn How to Spell.

The 4 Biggest Ways to Stretch Your Income

The other day I was talking to somebody who shall remain nameless that was lamenting the fact that life “was just too darn expensive!”

I found that fascinating considering Eddie (oops!) drives a brand new BMW and lives with his family of four in one of the tawnier parts of Southern California, yet he apparently doesn’t have enough discretionary spending available to save for an annual family vacation.

The truth is life is only as expensive as we make it.   In fact, good financial choices are often nothing more than an exercise in practicality.

Eddie is a classic example of what I like to call a financial jellyfish.  He’s not alone either; more than 70 percent of American workers still live paycheck to paycheck according to a recent American Payroll Association poll.

Many people like Eddie might be surprised to find out that they could probably uncover some significant savings that would really stretch

Continue reading The 4 Biggest Ways to Stretch Your Income

9 Personal Finance Lessons I Learned from Watching

Twenty years ago the series premier of arguably the greatest cartoon ever, The Simpsons, debuted in the United States. Over that time I have watched countless episodes chronicling the lives of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa Simpson and all of their friends and acquaintances. This is probably no surprise to my four regular readers who have to endure my occasional haphazard references to the show on this blog such as this one from a couple months ago.

Coincidentally, an episode of The Simpsons debuted ten years ago last week, “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo”, that focused heavily on the world of personal finance. In it, the Simpson family attended the Chuck Garabidian Mega-Savings Seminar, where Chuck taught them how frugal people can still buy the finer things in life on a limited budget. For instance, Chuck explained how he cleverly bought his yacht at a steep discount because

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18 Scary Things You Didn't Know About Inflation and Hyperinflation

It’s Inflation Week at Len Penzo dot Com. Follow me over the next several days as I explore the multiple facets and facts about this insidious scourge, the probability of its resurgence, its potential impacts on us, and strategies for protecting yourself and your personal finances. Hey, it’s not as fun as Shark Week at the Discovery Channel, but it’s almost as scary!

In my previous post, I discussed why there is little doubt that high inflation will eventually strike the United States. The real questions facing us now are 1) when will it strike; and, 2) will it be severe inflation like that experienced in the mid 1970s, or will it be a more sinister bout of hyperinflation?

What can we expect if the world loses faith in the US dollar and hyperinflation were to take hold? To help you make sense of it all, here is a primer:

1. Inflation

Continue reading 18 Scary Things You Didn’t Know About Inflation and Hyperinflation

A Few Minutes With Personal Finance Genius Rich Livingston

Occasionally, I enjoy reading enlightening conversations with respected personal finance experts. But after making numerous interview requests over the past couple of months, it was obvious to me that most of those respected experts still didn’t want to waste their time talking to a two-bit blogger like myself.

Don’t cry for me though. I handle rejection well. I’ve had lots of practice over the years.

Recently, my fortunes finally turned and I was able to snag an exclusive interview with self-proclaimed “personal finance genius”, Rich Livingston.

I caught up with Rich late one afternoon at the downtown Los Angeles headquarters of his employer, one of the largest banks in North America. I expected Rich to look like the traditional banking executive, dressed to the nines in a sharp business suit. But when I met him he was dressed casually, in an all-white ensemble of trousers

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How Mexico Can Save Its Oil Industry: Sell Baja California to the US

Another economic disaster looms for both the US and Mexico and something needs to be done in the near future to stop it.

Mexico is currently the fifth largest oil producer in the world and the third biggest supplier of crude oil to the United States, but production has been declining at its mammoth Cantarell oil field so drastically that the country is now expected to become a net importer of crude oil within the next four years.

Should that prediction come to fruition, gasoline prices in the United States will skyrocket and the Mexican economy would most certainly collapse.

That’s why when the Mexican government announced in 2006 that a new oil field was discovered off the coast of Mexico’s Veracruz state with potential additional reserves of up to 10 billion barrels of crude, it was viewed as welcome news by many people on both sides of the US-Mexican border.

However that

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Personal Finance For Dummies: It’s as Easy as A-B-C

Most procrastinating high school and college literature students know that when they’ve put off their reading assignments to the point where they no longer have the time to actually read the book, they can always rely on Cliffs Notes. Some kids are hooked on Cliffs Notes like a bad drug while others use them in a purely “recreational” fashion.

I’ll bet well over half of you reading this have used them at some time or another. Don’t deny it. You know you did! As for me, I’m going to paraphrase Bill Clinton: I experimented with Cliffs Notes a time or two in high school, and I didn’t like it. But I never actually, um, ‘inhaled’.

I know. I don’t buy that one either.

Anyway, for those of you who want a quick and easy read on the basics of good personal finance, I’ve

Continue reading Personal Finance For Dummies: It’s as Easy as A-B-C

Is It Finally Time to Get Rid of the Penny?

A while back I moved into a new office at work. When I looked in the desk, I found 162 pennies in one of the drawers. I can only assume that the previous owner used the desk as his chosen repository for all the pennies he received in change whenever he went out for lunch.

I can’t really blame the guy who did that. In fact, I think pennies are an anachronism and need to be removed from circulation. Here are several reasons, some admittedly better than others, why:

1. Inflation has made the penny irrelevant. In 1857, the United States Congress stopped production of the half-cent piece. In 1857, one-half cent had the purchasing power of 11 cents in 2007 dollars. In essence, when the half-cent was finally discontinued the penny had over 20 times the purchasing power it does today.

Continue reading Is It Finally Time to Get Rid of the Penny?

My Ten Commandments of Personal Finance

Maybe you heard about that infamous Kelton study done a couple years ago that found that Americans could identify more ingredients in a Big Mac than the individual Ten Commandments. To wit: eighty percent of Americans knew there were two all-beef patties in a Big Mac, but only 6 in 10 could identify “Thou shalt not kill” as one of the Ten Commandments.

My anecdotal research verifies the Kelton study.

I know a Big Mac has two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions — all on a sesame seed bun, no less. But I can only name eight of the Ten Commandments. (Don’t tell my third grade catechism teacher, Sister Nora.)

I wonder if Sister Nora would feel better if I told her I can name all ten of my Personal Finance Ten Commandments? I faithfully try to follow these little nuggets of wisdom every

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Ten (Extremely) Out-of-the-Box Ideas for Saving Money

For many people, sticking to a tight budget often requires moving out of their traditional comfort zone. Studies have shown that thinking “outside the box” can provide many creative ideas for keeping a household budget on track — usually in ways that you might not otherwise consider.

Let me share with you ten out-of-the-box ideas that I am currently implementing and/or pondering in order to keep my household finances on track:

1. Take advantage of restaurant condiments. I mean really, folks. Why buy condiments when all of the fast food restaurants down the street give away ketchup, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper and three kinds of salsa for free? Savvy savers can realize savings of over $100 per year. Frugal Bonus Tip: While you’re at the condiment table, try taking a few extra handfuls of napkins for even greater savings.

2. Make your own toothpaste. From time to

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Stop the Bailouts and Let the Bankruptcy Process Do Its Job

The Obama administration’s decision to force out the head of General Motors should send chills throughout the private sector for years to come. President Obama continues to use the current financial crisis to undermine the free market and stretch his authority vis-a-vis the private sector in ways previous presidents never dared.

Although it is a bit late I am certain that the ex-chairman of GM, Rick Wagoner, finally realizes that he ended up striking a Faustian bargain when he and his fellow chairmen from Ford and Chrysler marched into Washington with hat in hand, asking for federal bailout money.

At the time, it was assumed that no president would ever cross the Rubicon and insert himself into the boardroom of a public corporation to mandate the overthrow of the company leadership, no matter how questionable that leadership may have been. But then again, nobody could have predicted the impudent

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Be Fiscally Irresponsible…Get $5000!

I love stupid-humor movies; I blame that on my folks.  When I was just a kid they always let me stay up past my bedtime so I could watch Jerry Lewis movies that were on the television.

I watched a lot of Jerry Lewis movies when I was a kid.

Maybe that’s why today, after reading the details of the Obama administration’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, I was reminded of a scene from one of my favorite stupid-humor movies from last year, Tropic Thunder.

Tropic Thunder is an over-the-top send-up about a small band of self-absorbed thespians filming a Vietnam war movie in the heart of southeast Asia.  In the middle of filming, real life imitates art when these actors unintentionally end up stumbling upon, and getting captured by, members of a Laotian heroin ring.

Near the end of the flick, there is a classic scene where Tugg Speedman, played by Ben Stiller,

Continue reading Be Fiscally Irresponsible…Get $5000!

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