News

Money Matters Always Matter-Welcome Jim Carlton

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Albert Einstein once said “the only source of knowledge is experience.”  At BBR we think that learning through reading and succeeding at higher levels of education help too.  The opportunity, when you combine education and experience in a chosen field, is great.  And ultimately success then can be measured in how effectively you help others.

BBR feels quite confident that we have found someone in the world of personal finance that can do just that.  His macro view of the marketplace is derived from 34 years of dedication to his craft.  He takes the complex and makes it simple.  Great money management removes the emotion from the moment and grounds it in time-tested logic. He does that as well.

So, it’s with pleasure that we announce to you that Jim Carlton, Managing Director of Carlton, Hofferkamp, and Jenks, has agreed to share his market commentary with us.

With over 34 years investment experience, Jim began his career as a Financial Consultant with Merrill Lynch and Stifel Nicolaus in St. Louis. Later he became Chief Investment Officer for Clayton Asset Management and Clayton Equity Partners hedge fund. He joined Sterling Bank in 2001 and became a Senior Vice President and Manager of Sterling Bank’s Private Client Services. Today, of course, he serves as Managing Director and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Carlton, Hofferkamp and Jenks Wealth Management.

Jim has been nationally recognized for outstanding customer service and productivity and has been named a Five Star Wealth Manager ranking him in the top 2% of investment advisors in overall client satisfaction.

Benjamin Graham said  “Investing isn’t about beating others at their game. It’s about controlling yourself at your own game.”  Jim feels that this quote sums up his own philosophy quite nicely.  

When we post his after market recap of the day it will be on this site by 4pm CST that same day at the latest.  So if you want to be in the know now in the world of money, go directly to the site in the late afternoon.

Subscribers will continue to only receive one email notification daily of all posts at 9am.  Therefore, you won’t get a given day’s market commentary link until that next morning.  Twitter and Facebook followers get notified at the actual time of any posts.  If we have managed to confuse you, please comment below and we can clarify it further for you.

We know that this new, regular boomboomsroom.com feature will further your understanding of the investment world.  Look for this feature to begin late this week.

Welcome aboard Jim.

 

DISCLAIMER- Jim Carlton’s commentary is his view only.    It is not necessarily the view of any BBR staff member or its ownership.  Markets can change rapidly.   Any personal finance decisions you make are your own.  Also, his posts are not a solicitation for business.

Teófilo-There Was Only One.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Cuba.  What do we know about it?  Well, for one, great “stuff” comes from there.  Cuban sandwiches and awesome cigars are but two examples.  Famous people have too.  The high profile list is too long to list actually.  There are many musicians (Pitbull, Gloria Esteban, Xavier Cugat), loads of actors(Andy Garcia, Desi Arnaz, Jr.), and countless baseball players (Aroldis Chapman, Reynaldo Ordóñez, Yasiel Puig, Jose Canseco) who have left the island to achieve fame and fortune.

But one who chose to stay(or was told to stay) may have become the most famous of all.  Does the name Teófilo Stevenson ring a bell?  Rest assured that when the bell rung Stevenson rung a few bells himself.

Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence was born in 1952 and passed away in 2012 at the age of 60.   He was a Cuban amateur boxer and engineer.  Stevenson is one of only three boxers to win three Olympic gold medals.  Impressive.

The British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC) once called Stevenson “Cuba’s greatest boxer, and its most famous figure after Fidel Castro.”

It began when his father boxed a bit and Stevenson followed in his footsteps sparring more accomplished fighters when he was but nine. Cuba was all but controlled then by the Soviet Union.  In the state controlled boxing system he quickly rose through the junior and then senior ranks.  In 1970 he turned 18 and was considered Cuba’s best heavyweight.  He weighed in at 225 lbs and stood 6 feet and 5 inches (or 196 centimeters if you prefer).

Stevenson was little known outside of a few on the Moscow controlled island.  That all changed in a flurry and a hurry in 1972 at the Munich Olympics.  Duane Bobick, the USA heavyweight, was fully expected to take home the gold medal continuing the US dominance of that division.  Smokin’ Joe Frazier won gold in 1964, and George Foreman grilled all competitors to do the same in 1968.

Bobick did not get out of the quarterfinals.  Stevenson knocked him down three times in the third and final round. His ferocious display made the boxing world pause and take notice.  In the finals German Peter Hussing, the Munich crowd’s favorite child, got knocked out by the Cuban machine in the second round.  Gold was his and one of several that the Cubans brought back to their island that Olympics.

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal was Stevenson’s second gold medal and made him a national hero in Cuba.  At this point the natural next step was to accept $5 million from promoters to debut as a pro vs. one Muhammad Ali.  This dream fight had the promoters salivating.  Communist Cuba vs. Free America.  Challenger v. Champ.  The Bay of Pigs was still quite fresh in minds of many millions.

Stevenson, shockingly, passed.  Or, did Fidel Castro help him to make up his mind to pass?  Professional boxing was banned in Cuba in 1962.  Fidel Castro wanted, according to the socialist phraseology, to fight against the exploitation of man by man. “What is five million compared to the love of eight million Cubans,” Stevenson famously wondered.

The 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow was his third consecutive gold medal coronation ball.  That feat is unprecedented to this day in the heavyweight class.  America boycotted Moscow.

In 1984 the Soviet Union counterpunched, boycotting the Summer Games in Los Angeles.  Cuba followed the Soviet lead and stayed home also.  Stevenson was ready for a fourth gold, but a Cold War got in the way of the war he would wage between the ropes.  He retired from boxing after the 1988 Olympics, which Cuba boycotted yet again.

Below are the final Olympic results of Cuban heavyweight boxer Teofilo Stevenson:

Munich 1972

Montreal 1976

  • Round of 32: bye
  • Round of 16: Defeated Mamadou Drame (Senegal) KO 2
  • Quarterfinal: Defeated Pekka Ruokola (Finland) KO 1
  • Semifinal: Defeated John Tate (United States) KO 1
  • Final: Defeated Mircea Şimon (Romania) TKO 3 (won gold medal)

Moscow 1980

His body of work (the link is worth your time) shows that he won 12 and lost zero Olympic matches.  Eight of the 12 ended in knockouts.  He won three Olympic golds, three World Championships, three World Amateur Championships, and two Pan American Games.   Complete and accurate records beyond that are difficult to discern for obvious reasons.  It is believed that this human machine fought 302 times all as an amateur.

Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence’s story is about what could have been.  But, it’s also a story about what it was.  And, it was very impressive.

 

 

I Have Yet Another Story and a Moral Thereof

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

On November 8th, 1970 the New Orleans Saints were hosting the Detroit Lions in old Tulane Stadium.  The Superdome was little more than a hope and a dream at that point.  The Saints won/loss record was a disappointing 1-5-1 on the season.  Prior to this dismal 1970 start the franchise had set a record in its 1967 expansion season with the most first season wins ever with three against 11 losses (they only played 14 games back then) .  In 1968 they improved to 4-10.  And, in 1969 they improved yet again to 5-9.

The 1970 season was so disappointing that the owner, John Mecom Jr., fired the first and only head coach, Tom Fears, that they had after the weeks’ prior loss.  In walked J.D. Roberts to confidently take his place.  The only problem was that Roberts resume’ stalled out at the NFL linebackers coach level, and that was two years prior.  After that he was running the Saints farm team (they had such a thing at that time) for two years.  Think of it as a JV coach in high school perhaps?

If you need more evidence as to how shaky this hire was jump forward for a minute to 1971 when Archie Manning became a Saint via the second overall pick in the draft.   That fall, in Roberts first full season, he, Manning, and the Saints traveled for preseason game number one.   Manning recalled this first game ever, which brought the Saints to Buffalo to play the Bills and their celebrity running back, O.J. Simpson.  After Simpson ripped off a 30-yard gain, “J.D. turns to me and says, ‘I don’t know who that No. 32 is, but he’s a damn good-looking running back,'” Manning said. “I couldn’t tell if J.D. was serious or not. That’s the way J.D. was.  But I thought to myself, ‘Here I am in the NFL and our head coach doesn’t even know who O.J. Simpson is.'”

So back to Roberts fifth full day on the job, he jogged out with the Saints to take on the soon to be playoff bound Lions.  Boom Boom and I had tickets courtesy of one of the suppliers that sold to him, Mr. Harold Kataya.  We joined his group of many in their row 2 upper deck 40 yard line seats.  The game ebbed and flowed and with under 30 seconds left Detroit kicked a chip shot field goal to climb ahead 17-16.

The cocktails were flowing all game long in row 2 as well.  Getting booze into the stadium wasn’t a tough task back then.  Watching a team about to fall to 1-6-1 was a tough task and likely much more fun if your vision was a bit blurred.  Detroit was much better than the woeful Saints.  However, they too may have had a few on Bourbon St. the night prior for the game to be this close this late.

A decent kickoff return and one pass play later the Saints were down to the final two seconds and the ball was resting on their own 44.  Time out.   Out trotted the field goal special teams unit.  In 1970 the goal posts were still on the goal line (the safety of the players wasn’t quite what it is today).  This field goal, given the seven yard snap back to the holder, would be attempted from 63 long yards.

The Mighty “Half Boot” of Tom Dempsey

Boom Boom turned to me and said convincingly and quickly “Son, there is no way he can make this.  You realize that right?”  “I think he can Dad.”  “He” was Tom Dempsey the N.O. field goal kicker.  Tom Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right arm.  He kicked with his right foot.  That’s right.  His specially made kicking shoe was squared and flat on the end.  Like almost all others then he kicked straight on, not soccer style like every kicker does today.

Alex Karras starred in Webster

The longest field goal ever made to that point was 56 yards.  It was made 17 long years prior in 1953.  One Lion, Alex Karras, then a pro bowler and later in life a TV game analyst/announcer and  sitcom actor, was said to have laughed out loud on the field that the Saints were even attempting such an absurdity.

The snap was fine and the hold was perfect.  As Dempsey put his half-foot into the ball the Lions made only a cursory attempt to block the kick.  The kick traveled from our left to our right.  Time stood still.  Eighty three thousand fans were silent as one.  The football flew.  And flew.  And flew.  And when it crossed over the bar with a good two feet to spare the referees came from beneath the goal post, arms risen in unison, signalling that the kick was good.  Good.  GOOD!

I looked wide-eyed at Boom Boom.  He jovially looked at me. “You were right, son!”  I jumped for joy.  He caught me, hoisted me higher, and we jumped even higher as one.  There was but one problem.  Boom Boom lost his balance.  At that split second my back was to the field.   We fell into row 1.  Half of my body was above the railing separating us from 40 feet of free fall into the lower section.  Thankfully all of his body was below the railing and he never lost his hold of me.  The hug was too tight and the joy was so right.

The Saints lost every other game that year to finish 2-11-1.  It mattered not to this then ten-year old.

It was the mighty boot of Dempsey that made the football fly! Two seconds left, it was do or die!  Those are the first two lines of the ballad later sung, recorded, and sold on a 45 rpm to commemorate the moment.  I got the 45 as a birthday gift and played the grooves off of it.

The moral of the story you ask?  Actually there are a few.  Enjoy every second.  Dream big.  Cherish great memories.  Oh, and don’t sit too close to the upper deck railing.

 

 

 

 

 

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #9

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Did you participate in the mad dash for your cash called Black Friday?  In today’s world you can “save” money without out even getting in the car.   Retailers provide brick and mortar locations and virtual locations to entice you.

For your sanity we hope that if you did it did not involve any time on Thanksgiving Day itself, or waiting in line for a store to open, or a swift elbow to the ribs around a “sale” table, or a parking lot demolition derby.  If you did venture out, did you get what you needed?  Or, did you get what you wanted?

Apparently “The Dixie” only wanted, but did not need, a paint job.

Boom Boom directed the Purchasing Dept. for much of his 32 year career at Dixie Machine Welding and Metal Works.  He called it “The Dixie.”  If The Dixie was buying something, anything, his name was on the purchase order eventually.  He asked all who worked for him, “do we need this, or do we want it?”

Naturally this mantra permeated our family life.  If you asked for something, he asked “is this a need, or a want?”  If you didn’t answer correctly you had no shot of getting what you needed or wanted.  If you did answer correctly “wants” often went wanting.  In the mid seventies I wanted a pair of Adidas basketball shoes.  They sure looked like they could make me run faster and jump higher.  “Your Converse basketball shoes are fine.  You don’t need new shoes.  What are you going to do with two pairs of shoes that serve the same purpose?”

I suppose his upbringing through the Great Depression might have driven this careful thinking like other words of wisdom that he lived by and shared often.  Perhaps more people should live by them as well.  A recent survey details the utter failure of a prosperous generation of baby boomers to save enough money to afford retirement, much less enjoy it.  The survey details that an astonishing 80% of Americans aged 55 to 71 have not saved enough to retire.

In short, they “want” to retire, but they “need” to work.  The sooner one learns the want v. need lesson the better.

 

 

 

Lefty and Shorty Discuss Lefty and Tiger.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If Lefty and Shorty were still with us on Thanksgiving evening the night might have unfolded like this.

Lefty and Shorty sat quietly in the cool fall air.  It was nearly midnight and cars were nowhere to be found.  Lefty- Why do we stay open till midnight on Thanksgiving?  Shorty- So that we can discuss how Lefty is going to do Friday.  It’s a tall order.

Lefty sat to the left of Shorty.  Imagine that.  Shorty sat on the shorter of the two “halves” of the 55 gallon drum. Imagine that.  Each were cut down to size and retrofitted with a soft cushion top.  Lefty looked confused.

Lefty- How am I going to do Friday? And, what do you know about tall, Shorty?  Shorty- No.  Not you Lefty, the other Lefty.  Phil Mickelson.

Lefty- Phil Mickelson?  What’s he doing Friday?  Shorty- Haven’t you heard?  He is playing Tiger Woods in a winner take all 18 hole match.

Lefty- I haven’t heard anything about it.   Shorty- Worse yet, it’s on pay per view.

Lefty- How much?   Shorty- It’s $19.95 per household for you, and it’s nine million bucks for one of them.  Lefty- Somebody must be paying to watch.  Shorty-  Tiger has been paying since Thanksgiving 2005 when his ex-wife swung that nine iron through his back window and he crashed into the tree.

Lefty-  When is the last time Phil won any money?  Shorty-  In Vegas? Every now and then.  In a card game?  Twice a week.  In the Ryder Cup?  Maybe 1999.

Lefty- I won’t tune in Friday.  Shorty-  I might tune up my 57 Chevy.

Lefty- What happens if they play and no one pays to watch?  Shorty-  They’re about to find out.  It works for the LPGA.

 

Chad, Ima, and the Florida Swamp.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Do you remember Chad?  They say that everyone is famous for 15 minutes.  Chad was that and then some.  Hanging around for days, Chad was no dummy either.  He chose warm south Florida in mid November just eleven months after we celebrated the year 2000 and the 21st century replacing 1999 and the 20th century.  So just who was he?  Or better yet, what was he?

A “chad” is the fragment or fragments of paper left over when you punch a hole in a card.

In the 2000 United States presidential election, many Florida voters used Votomatic-style punched card ballots where incompletely punched holes resulted in partially punched chads: either a “hanging chad”, where one or more corners were still attached, or a “fat chad” or “pregnant chad”, where all corners were still attached, but an indentation appears to have been made. These votes were not counted by the tabulating machines. The aftermath of the controversy caused the rapid discontinuance of punch card ballots in the United States.

And what an aftermath it was.

On election night, no clear winner emerged. Print and broadcast media cited often contradictory exit-polling numbers, and the races in Oregon and New Mexico would remain too close to call for several days. Ultimately, the contest focused on the great state of Florida. Networks initially projected Gore the winner in Florida, but later they declared in favor of Bush. Gore called Bush to concede the election, but in the early hours of the following morning it became apparent that the Florida race was much closer than Gore’s staff thought.  Fewer than 600 votes separated the candidates, and that margin appeared to be narrowing.  About 3:00 AM Gore called a stunned Bush to retract his concession.

The aforementioned Bush would be one George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, and son of former President George Herbert Walker Bush.  Papa Bush was prez no. 41. The aforementioned Gore would be one Al Gore, then VP to impeached, but not removed, two term President William Jefferson Clinton. Clinton was prez no. 42. The winner of this undecided race would be prez no. 43.

That Gore won the popular vote wasn’t contested.  The final electoral college vote count, however, was left hanging by hanging chads.  The race in Florida was so tight that a miniscule difference of 537 votes sent the nation into a tizzy.  And, it sent Florida into a mandatory recount per state voting law.  As it stood prior to any recount, the red Republican Bush states amassed 271 electoral college votes to 266 for the blue Democrat Gore states.

Democrats embraced the recount.  But the Florida Secretary of State declared Bush the winner in mid recount.  Lawsuits, rulings, appeals, and reversals kept the finality of the outcome at bay for five weeks.  A few counties that still voted by using punch cards began their recount at the outset of the legal back and forth.  Was it a vote or was it the dreaded pregnant chad?

In the end the process(mess) reached the US Supreme Court.  By a five to four margin the highest court of all ruled that no timely resolution could be reached other than the original one.  This effectively made George Bush no. 43.  Chad’s fifteen minutes were up.

Indeed Chad’s fifteen minutes were up.  But meet Chad’s cousin, Ima Contest.  She surfaced last week for her fifteen minutes of fame.  She showed up in, of all places, warm south Florida in mid November.  Give that family three things-they know just where, when, and how to make an entrance onto the political main stage.

Incumbent Democrat Senator Bill Nelson and former Governor Republican Rick Scott engaged in an expensive and hotly contested mid-term race to represent Florida in the Senate.  The results are inside of 0.50% points difference.  It’s deja vu mandatory recount time.

Oh, and meanwhile in the governor’s race, unofficial results show Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis leading Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points.  Gillum, identically to Gore(the inventor of the internet) called DeSantis and conceded.  But as Lee Corso (Floridian himself)has said a few times, “not so fast my friend.”  Then Gillum, identically to Gore (the world’s most respected authority on climate change) retracted his concession.  He wants to monitor the mandatory recount too.

Ima contests the two elections because, of all things, not all of the votes supposedly have been counted when they were supposed to be by law.  These include 266 absentee ballots that arrived Sunday at the Miami-Dade election office.  Sunday was a full five days after the law mandates all votes be counted by 7 pm on the night of the election.  But, laws be damned apparently as the incumbent Senator Nelson contends that not counting these votes will disenfranchise(remember when you had thankfully never heard of that word before?)  voters and has filed a suit accordingly.

Some recently displaced hurricane evacuees voted by email.  The county commish in that area admits that this isn’t within approved voter guidelines. Will those votes be allowed?  Palm Beach and Miami have now failed to get the recount done in a timely manner as well.  Lawsuits, allegations, claims of voter fraud, and more lawsuits from both sides have further muddied the murky waters.

How about a request for removal from office?  Even former Governor Jeb Bush had a few words for that swamp near The Everglades.  “There is no question that Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining Floridians’ confidence in our electoral process,” former Governor Jeb Bush said. “Supervisor Snipes should be removed from her office following the recounts.”

Of the 4,687 US statewide general elections held between 2000 to 2015, 27 were followed by a recount, and only three resulted in a change of outcome from the original count.  So, the odds are slim to none that anything becomes of any of this other than lawyers making bank.

Yet, recount deadlines have been missed and missed again.   Apparently the educational system in a few counties in the great state of Florida isn’t too good.  Some folks can’t count, while others can’t tell time.

Eighteen years ago, after five weeks of back and forth, it all wound up in the US Supreme Court.  This time we stand at a week plus and counting.  This mess of a messed up process might end up in the highest court as well.  If it comes to that, shouldn’t newly appointed Judge Kavanaugh cast the deciding vote?   That would read like a movie script, and Oscars for all.

Chad and Ima and Florida are unfortunately forever linked and riding on this Groundhog Day, post-election merry-go-round.  And around it goes.

 

Why Did We Stop Now?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
  • And, for some reason, all is now quiet on the “must take down offensive monuments front.”  So, now that many “offensive” Civil War memorials have been taken down in several of our “united” states ,we ponder, ‘is society any better because of it?’  Did the ones we took down make our country a better place?  Do all of the ones that remain up make our country a worse place?  Why did we put them up in the first place?  Why did we take some of them down?  Where is the outcry to take the rest down?

How many remain?  Ah, take a look.  The research done for that recent AL.com article shows 30 of the 50 United States still have one or more tributes, monuments, or statues depicting a Confederate memorial of some sort.  The list is led by Virginia where 242 still stand upright.  242!  In all there are approximately 1728 spread across the aforementioned 30 states.  1728!

The vast majority stand south of the famous Mason-Dixon line.  But not all of them do.  One or more adorn public land in Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and shocker of shockers, Washington D.C.   But, but, how can that be?  Seems like we agree to disagree?

Apparently, we couldn’t even agree in the mid 1700’s where Pennsylvania and Maryland began and ended.  It’s how we first came to know Mr. Mason and Mr. Dixon.  A World Atlas excerpt follows.

The Mason-Dixon Line became widely known as the symbolic divider between the Northern and Southern states during America’s Civil War; in short, it divided slave states from non-slave states.

However, the original Mason–Dixon Line was actually a demarcation (or border) line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, in an effort to settle an 80-year land dispute between the two colonies. It also included the western border of present-day Delaware, as it was then a part of the Pennsylvania colony.

The ongoing dispute between the Penn family of Pennsylvania, and the Calvert family of Maryland over the border between the two colonies finally erupted into war in 1730, one known as Cresap’s War. After years of conflict, England’s King George II negotiated a cease-fire in 1738.

Shortly thereafter, the Penns and Calverts commissioned two Englishman, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to mark the official border, and solve their property dispute.

Mason (an astronomer) and Dixon (a surveyor) used celestial measurements to form an accurate 233-mile-long line (or boundary) between Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the 83 mile-long between Maryland and Delaware.  The project took nearly 5 years.

After we solved where Maryland ended and Pennsylvania began, the Mason-Dixon line was extended, as mentioned above, to mark the south (slave states) from the north(non slave states).  So, after the war and over time, well over 2000 memorials were erected to honor the bravery, leadership, or passion of those who fought (and/or died) for the Confederacy. Even more were erected nationwide to honor the Union side of the very deadly combat.  The Confederate ones were placed in at least 30 states. There were only 36 states ratified into our United States by the end of the war in 1865.

Can’t you imagine the dedication ceremonies back then?  They likely looked and sounded just like the ones we have now.  The Star Spangled Banner was played by the local high school band.  Politicians stood up and thanked all for coming.  They droned on about how important this moment was to memorialize those who came and died before us.  A prayer was said for those who perished for what they thought was a good cause.  People dutifully bowed their heads.  The statue was unveiled.  People clapped.  Then, everyone ate a ham sandwich and drank a cup of punch.  Work beckoned.

One hundred and fifty years later we decided that these monuments were actually a terrible reflection on our society even though 30 of 36 states erected them and celebrated them for what they were-symbols of what tore us apart and eventually made us stronger, one union, one United States of America.

And, what about those Union memorials.   There are many thousands and they adorn every corner of this country.  Should they be taken down?  They honor Americans who displayed the same passion, leadership and bravery.  They stood for what they believed to be the right thing.   They fought and killed many thousands of US citizens who opposed the abolition of slavery.  Slavery, mind you, was but one of a few other disagreements that never are mentioned nor discussed.  The Union memorials were erected and celebrated for what they are-symbols of what tore us apart and eventually made us stronger, one union, one United States of America.  Sound familiar?

U.S. women were granted the right to vote in 1919.  The right was ratified as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.  Just four years prior, in 1915, the US House of Representatives voted against the right to vote.  Should any memorial for any US citizen or US government leader who opposed this cause be torn down?  Or, maybe this discrimination doesn’t rise to the tear down level?  There were even women back then who opposed having the right to vote!

In recent years incivility and unrest over jury verdicts or police actions has led to serious street violence and crime.  A few have reached a level of violence where citizens have thrown rocks, or worse shot at and killed law officers they feel break the law, not uphold it.  Should we have statues erected for the citizens cause?  Should we have statues erected for the police cause?  Both?  Probably neither.   But if we did, my guess is that in 150 years or less one side of the cause will have had their statues removed.  Times change.  Opinions change.

Heck, Mason and Dixon probably disagreed with one another.  Can’t we all just get along?  Obviously not.  Or, better yet, can’t we all realize that what tears us apart can make us stronger if we are willing to recognize it, debate it, and learn from it?

History cannot be changed.  History cannot be erased.  History can teach.  It’s time to learn.

 

 

 

 

Lefty and Shorty Take Dead Aim at the Gun Debate

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Way way back in 1964, or 5, or 6 I frequently made a Sunday PM trip to the Gulf Gas Station a couple of miles from our house.  I did not know it then, but it was on that road and back that my father (Boom Boom) began teaching his lessons of life to me.

Lefty and Shorty were the amiable service station attendants.  Well, that’s what they were called back then as every pump was full serve. Sunday’s were slow.  We had their full attention.   Dad interacted with them as they checked the oil, washed the windshield, pumped the gas, and took the money.  He tipped them as well.  They were the main characters in the first lesson I learned.  They were funny. They always had a back and forth to their banter.  And, they always had a kind word or three for me.

I’m gallantly attempting to write my first book.  Lefty and Shorty “star” in the first chapter.  What was the first lesson?  Sorry, you ‘ll have to wait for the book (my publicist, if I had one, would be SO proud).

If Lefty and Shorty were alive today their exchange based on recent events and subsequent headlines might go something like the below.

Lefty -All of these mass shootings need to stop.  The Pittsburgh synagogue is just the latest.  Shorty -How are you going to do that?  Lefty -Eliminate automatic weapons, like AK 47’s.  Shorty -AK 47’s aren’t automatic, they are semiautomatic.  And how would you eliminate them?  Lefty – Stop selling them. Shorty – The sale of them in the US has been illegal since 1986 legislation which attempted to put more teeth into the 1968 Gun Control Act.  Lefty -Then stop selling all assault type rifles.  Shorty -If you stopped selling ALL guns legally today there would be about 330 million in the US alone, or about one for every living American. Lefty -Then we should require background checks to be for an extended period of time before anyone can buy a gun.  Shorty – So if I buy a gun today I wait seven or more days, not four, to be cleared?  Lefty – Exactly.  Shorty – So if I buy it three days earlier than previously planned I can get it cleared the same time as I do today.  Lefty – Well then, since you know it all, what is the answer?  Shorty – Isn’t the problem that people just kill other people far too easily regardless of the weapon?  People kill with their hands, knives, blunt instruments, handguns, rifles, and semiautomatics.  Lefty -Go on.  Shorty -It’s like the war on drugs Lefty.  People only stop doing drugs when they want to stop.  Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  Lefty – And?  Shorty -There are hundreds of millions of people who own guns, safely store guns, hunt, shoot at targets, and have them at the ready for safety reasons.  Lefty – Here goes the 2nd Amendment hide behind speech.  Shorty – It’s not a hide behind.  It’s an original amendment in the Bill of Rights.  Lefty – That was 250 years ago and was designed originally to provide protection from an overbearing or oppressive government.  Shorty -So because of the expressed original intent you don’t think the need is there anymore?  Lefty – No.  Shorty– Don’t you and your left leaning friends worry about President Trump and his “instability” as the head of the most powerful nation in the world?  Lefty – Yes.  Shorty – Then you should go buy a gun even if it takes seven days to clear, cannot be automatic, and does not have a buttstock. It’s your right you know.  Lefty-I’m going to fix a flat tire.

Do Money Matters Make You Squeamish?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
squeam·ish
/ˈskwēmiSH/
adjective(of a person) easily made to feel sick, faint, or disgusted, especially by unpleasant images.
We understand.  Money, Budgeting, Finances, Stocks, Bonds, IRA’s, 401k’s, College Saving, Retirement Planning, and Estate Planning, etc. isn’t everyone’s longest suit.  But, it is very important to everyone and their loved ones.  The boomboomsroom.com staff shares your uneasiness.
If you had a bad toothache what would you do?  You would, of course, go to the dentist.  He or she is a professional.  Well, wouldn’t your cure for the money aches be the same?
ad·vis·er
/ədˈvīzər/
noun
noun: advisor
a person who gives advice, typically someone who is expert in a particular field.

A professional financial advisor can provide a smooth path towards your realistic goals.  Their broader view than our tunnel vision can be the calm in the storm of the many ups and downs of the financial journey.

We are pleased to tease today that starting roughly November 1 we will have a seasoned professional delivering  market commentary and a long-term view of what it all means three days each week, or as often as the market directs us.
We can tell you that it will be a quick and easily understandable read.
We hope that you will enjoy and benefit from this new feature.

Will Calling Them “Campers” Really Help Anything?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

editor’s note: The post that follows is not meant to demean the downtrodden.  It only expresses our view that while many are well intended to help those in need, perhaps the problem and the solution needs examination.  Further we know many of our readers do great work in this area to make the best of this problem.  We would appreciate your candid feedback on this if you wish.

From 1951-1971 a very popular TV show had a 20 year run with an unbelievable 672 episodes in “the can” as the Hollywood crowd used to call it.  Impressive.  It was called The Red Skelton Show.   It starred none other than a quite famous actor/comic named, you guessed it, Red Skelton.  Red did standup, had a couple of guests, an occasional musician, and did several skits with characters that he developed quite well.  It was truly a variety show.

One of the characters that Red developed quite well was Freddie the Freeloader.   As you can see from the linked clip the jokes were about a down on his luck homeless man.   Let’s repeat that, “the jokes were about a down on his luck homeless man.” In today’s world even the thought of that would not be whispered in creative circles.  It isn’t what we do today.  Today we help people.  We make all feel good, feel equal.  Or, at least we think we do.

This writer actually met Red Skelton at a poorly attended book signing of his many years ago.  It was so poorly attended we had the opportunity to get better acquainted.  My impression in a short 15 minutes was that what Red actually attempted to do in all of his works was show a world as it was and do so in a kind and funny way.

Today his message would not even be heard because his premise would be looked on as outrageous by those who choose what actually goes “in the can.”  It would also be panned by those who wish to shape the narrative for political gain by telling those that are willing to listen that others are insensitive.

You see Freddie the Freeloader, by his own admission was a “hobo.”  If you can believe Wikipedia,  a hobo is a migrant worker or homeless vagrant, especially one who is impoverished. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States around 1890.[1] Unlike a “tramp“, who works only when forced to, and a “bum“, who does not work at all, a “hobo” is a traveling worker.

So, a hobo was a homeless worker as opposed to a tramp, vagrant, or a bum.  That’s a small consolation prize perhaps. Eventually, the words tramp and bum fell strongly out of favor for “the homeless.”  Homeless, soon enough, sounded too demeaning and was replaced by “the underserved.”  Recent trips to Portland and other cities that embrace/accept high populations of whatever you choose to call “them” now refer to “them” as “campers.”  Yes, if you haven’t been to sunny Portland you haven’t seen the many campers.  If you haven’t been to downtown LA you haven’t seen the square city miles of sidewalks of tents pitched.

So, we must wonder aloud, does what you call a person who unfortunately has a problem or problems that lead to this life make that person’s life any better?  Does it make you or them feel any better about their plight? More importantly, what are we doing as a society to reduce the number of campers by solving the root cause or causes of their descent?

We ask because we don’t know.  Recent surveys by multiple services and government agencies show that in spite of everyone’s best efforts the homeless population stands at a guesstimated 550,000 people.  It’s down from a 2008 Great Recession peak by about 70,000.  If you look at a glass as half full I suppose that is progress.  But, if you look at a glass as half empty, isn’t having over one half of a million people sleep on the streets of the most developed country in the world sad?  It is.

Some folks are in the camp (no pun intended) of “you are what you make of yourself.”  Others want to give everyone everything to either make themselves feel better about themselves or truly think they are making a bad situation better.  We wonder if there is a middle ground that should be vigorously explored.

Goodness knows a warm bed for a night or a sandwich during the day is a nice and needed humane gesture.  We just wonder if the root cause is being addressed aggressively enough.  In other words what got someone to this spot?  Are we treating the symptom or the illness?  The symptom is homelessness.  The illness is?  Addiction?   Mental illness?  Physical disability?  Job loss?  Indifference?  Laziness?  Several of those can be helped.  At least one or two don’t deserve it.

We are very familiar with a worthy mission in Houston, TX.  It is The Star of Hope.  It has multiple programs for men, women, and children.  Taken from their mission statement is “Positive life changes are encouraged through structured programs which focus on spiritual growth, education, employment, life management and recovery from substance abuse.”

The program within the program that we are most familiar with helps mothers who have been domestically abused and have or would be living in the streets with their children were it not for this program.  Picture an old school motel layout.   Hotel rooms are more like small efficiency apartments.  There is a cafeteria, a meeting room or two, and a few offices.  The one and only goal is to get them back into society in a productive manner ASAP.  The requirement to live there is that either you have a job, are actively looking for one, or are headed back to a school to get to a trade or job.  All children must be enrolled in a school.  The help given is only for those looking for a hand up, not a hand out.  But the help given demands that you understand the difference between the two.  And, that, we believe is a real key to success.

We don’t know, but are fairly certain, that there are many fine outreach programs across the US.  We wonder aloud though, “isn’t there a better way, a quicker solution, a more concerted effort available to us if we put our collective heads together?” No, we aren’t talking about another bloated government tax dollar throw away.  We are talking about civil people doing civil things.

Or, is this the far end of the tough side of the bell curve and we should just do what we can(whatever that means)? We’ve been to black tie fundraisers and ate steak and drank champagne and donated money for a couple other homeless causes.  It felt good I guess, but it didn’t do anything.   In 1986 we connected our hands together for “Hands Across America.”  It felt good I guess, but it didn’t do anything.

We suppose the answer lies in who you think “campers” are.  We suppose the answer lies in what you think “campers” can become.   We don’t think it’s what you call them.