November 2009 – House of Winkel

Beck Is In Over His Head

November 25, 2009/0 Comments/in Economics/by Jerry Winkel

Today on my way home from work I was listening to Glenn Beck. Beck has been correctly pointing out for a year that our government’s massive deficit spending will result in inflation. However, Beck’s draconian views on the subject puthim in a difficult position. He is neither an economist nor a financial advisor. Today I heard him fielding a call from an astute woman. She basically said, “If we are going to have rampant inflation, shouldn’t I increase my debt?” Of course her line of reasoning is that if we have inflation, income will increase. Debt accumulated now, at today’s low interest rates, would become cheap in the future.

For example:
Let’s say you currently make $100,000 a year. You take on $10,000 in debt at 5%. In five years, assume we have double digit inflation. In order to keep you, your company increases your pay at a double digit rate, which simply maintains your standard of living. All of sudden the 5% is much easier to handle.

If you take a more drastic view, let’s say 100% inflation, the debt virtually vanishes.

I’m not suggesting we will have 100% inflation but we should be realistic. Hyperinflation has occurred in dozens of countries. We shouldn’t consider ourselves immune.

The following 33 countries have experienced hyperinflation in the last century:

You may have noticed that the United States is not on the list. Well, we make the list if you go back a little further to 1865.

So back to Beck…in fielding this woman’s question Beck was like a deer in the headlights. He gave her a pitiful answer that she needed to be strong and that not going into debt would make her a leader in her community. Please…that’s a pretty juvenile response. Beck was so lost he didn’t know what to say.

I enjoy listening to Glenn Beck. But I can’t take too much of him; mostly because I consider him somewhat of an intellectual lightweight. He has a pretty good grasp on the issues but he doesn’t have unique thoughts. He’s just an avid reader and who draws extreme conclusions. He’s basically a regurgitator.

A better answer would have been, “inflation can also be coupled with unemployment.” “Regardless of your perceived job security, you shouldn’t assume that you will have a job if the economy goes into an inflationary period.” He could have fallen back to his sponsors and said, “It would be safer to invest in gold than to invest in personal consumption of goods.

Beck is working people up into a froth and may not be able to properly manage the movement he is creating.

Note: The most severe month of hyperinflation occurred in Hungary in July 1946 when prices increased by 4.19 quintillion per cent (4,190,000,000,000,000,000%)

Sarah Palin

November 18, 2009/0 Comments/in Politics/by Jerry Winkel

You know I’m not a fan of Sarah Palin. We may share common values. We may share common principals. But I want people in government who can manage. She hasn’t shown me any evidence that she can manage. I want to see a steady evidence of repeatable success. Can she manage time? Conduct a meeting? Build consensus? Mediate disagreements? Hire good people? Make tough decisions? Make the right decision with incomplete data? Avoid waste? Detect fraud? Detect bias? All of these traits and much more make up management. MANAGEMENT!!! It’s important—dang it.

So as you can see, I’m a long way from leading a parade for Sarah Palin.

But here’s the issue I want to bring up…why does the Associated Press devote 11 reporters to fact check her book? They went out of their way to NOT fact check Obama, Clinton, Biden or Ted Kenney’s books. How about fact checking Al Gore’s global warming or the jobs created by Obama’s stimulus bill?

I agree with Sarah’s comment, “11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book, instead of using the time and resources to ‘fact check’ what’s going on with Sheik Mohammed’s trial, Pelosi’s health care takeover costs, Hasan’s associations, etc. Amazing.”

I have been observing the media’s liberal bias for twenty years. For almost a decade I received daily emails from media watchdog group MRC. What we have seen in the last twelve months is extraordinary. I hope American’s can see what is going on and will run everything they read, see and hear through a liberal filter.

PS. Reading my comments on the importance of management experience may lead someone to think I’m priming or stumping for Mitt Romney. Let me just say that though Mitt’s management experience is extraordinary, I am completely unimpressed by his history of shifting positions. Deep down I don’t believe he is a Conservative.

Lack of Decency

November 14, 2009/0 Comments/in Politics/by Jerry Winkel

I’m so confused by some of Obama’s recent actions that I decided to read the Daily Kos to get the liberal perspective. Well, after spending about thirty minutes reading articles by what should be professional journalists, I decided enough was enough. The use of filthy language and sexual references was constant. When I say filthy, I mean filthy.

I don’t know why they would think that is acceptable. I realize that church goers and seasoned citizens are not exactly their constituency but you would think that when publishing for the masses they would want to portray some level of decency.

It makes me wonder how liberals talk when sitting down for Christmas dinner with grandma.

I’ve changed….No wait I’m back

November 12, 2009/0 Comments/in Fun/by Jerry Winkel

My whole life I’ve been the kind of person who would throw away bread that had the slightest bit of mold on it. Sorting through for a good piece was just too depression era for me.

Today I was making a sandwich to take to work. I noticed a tiny spot of mold on the last piece of bread. I thought to myself, “I can just rip that mold off.”

Well after eating three quarters of that sandwich for lunch; I’ve decided that I’m not old enough for that kind of behavior.

Harry Reid Gets Full Credit

November 5, 2009/0 Comments/in Outrage/by Jerry Winkel

The people of Nevada make me sick. Every Nevadan is benefiting from the low life industries their state promotes. These include: drinking, smoking, gambling, and trades of the flesh. They gleefully collect tax dollars from these industries. These trades have no redeeming qualities. Using them to generate tax revenues is wrong.

Despite the damage these industries inflict on our country, Nevadans are too selfish to allow a remote portion of their state to be used as a nuclear waste repository. Utah’s would have nuclear waste passing through various portions of our state if Yucca were approved. Utah already shouldered the burden of storing and incinerating the countries chemical weapons.

So now after spending over $10,000,000,000 proving that Yucca Mountain is safe, the final decision is to keep all the nuclear waste spread around the country in over 100 locations.

There are lots of people to blame for this horrendous decision but in my book Harry Reid gets full credit. When we have a nuclear accident or a security breach at any of these sites, we should name the incident after Harry Reid. Don’t name a building, bridge or road after Harry. Name a nuclear spill after him.

The Way It Should Be

November 4, 2009/0 Comments/in Politics/by Jerry Winkel

Yesterday I had an awesome experience. It was Election Day so I stopped at the City Hall to vote. I walked in and was greeted by various volunteers. I went to the W section and was met by Sis. Wilson, who is a member of my congregation. She said, “Hello Brother Winkel. I need to see your ID.” You know, I’ve known Sister Wilson for a decade. I was surprised she asked for my ID….pleasantly surprised. That’s the way it should be: formal, consistent and mechanical.

Next they had me sign my name on the roster and handed me a ballot. I walked over to the booth, cast my vote, folded my ballot and handed it to another volunteer. She ripped a tab off and handed it back to me to place in the ballot box. That’s the way it should be: formal, consistent and mechanical.

Jimmy Carter goes all around the world monitoring elections. I’ve heard him say that in the countries he monitors that they elections have less fraud than in the United States.

Well Jimmy, I don’t have much use for you but if you can get the other 49 states working like we do in the State of Utah I would sure appreciate it.