Monday - Black Monday

I must have the worst timing for venture launching. Well, maybe this won't affect the venture markets as much as the banking markets. As a start-up I don't expect to get any bank help anyway.

But the Americans have sure screwed things up. I've been trying to think of the best analogy for what they're doing. Their house has currently rejected the bailout package as they are afraid of the optics for their constituents.

But it makes no sense, because by not putting this support in place, their constituents will have get severely hammered as a result. Are people really that incapable of seeing the big picture? There were stupid deregulation moves made, which made the finance industry crash, and as it threatens to take down the rest of the economy, the people refuse to shore up the remains.

Analogy one. Lawmakers remove speed-limits on all highways. A bus immediately crashes, all the people are pinned under flaming wreckage, and the townsfolk refuse them ambulance aid because the speed limit removal was a stupid idea.

Not bad, but missing the grander repercussions.

Analogy two: A city's building codes are eliminated. Some idiot builds a 30 storey sky scraper in a residential neighbourhood. As the building starts to crumble, the neighbours stop the city's rescue trucks and work crews from stabilizing the situation because it was stupid to remove the building code. "Why should we use city taxes to fix that crappy building" they exclaim. Instead the building falls over and wipes out most of the neighbouring houses sets the rest aflame.

That's pretty good. It has both the stupid initial situation and the damage to both the bad guys and the innocents who are too stupid to allow the remedial action.

Anyway, I guess we need a good, nasty correction to the economic world every decade or so to scare another round of people.

I wonder how many politicians sold short before going in to vote, and are now covering their positions and picking up long positions before going back in for another round of voting and approving it. They'll make money on the way down and back up as the rich get richer and the poor get further hosed.

Meanwhile, lil ol' me is working away in my tiny office, minding my own business. Had a tasty goat roti for lunch, and got some decent exercise in as well. That should make up for some of this incessant desktime my project inflicts upon me.

Researchinator watches the world burn.