Sunday Morning Smoke

Almost 11:30, almost 80 degrees, not a cloud in sight.

A PSD4 and stroll uptown shall break in the afternoon.

Well Vince, 32 pounds of water, plus another pound or so for the four containers, yeah, that's a bit of weight if you're old and not feeling well. You're neither old or not feeling well, but if you look at the configuration of a plastic gallon container of water, two in each hand are uncomfortable, not to mention the 32+ pounds, ha, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

And as for the ladies in our lives, just give 'em what they want. They're either going to leave or stay no matter what, and none of them stay any more, so count yourself fortunate, Vince.

I think.

And it looks like The Colonel has a perfect day down there. Looks like it's a perfect day down there just about all the time!!! Let's hear it for Tombstone!!!

And Happy Birthday, his REAL birthday, to the Father of Our Country, George Washington.

Wow, I can’t believe this thread is still going! I used to read this post religiously every Sunday, but haven’t been here for almost 2 years now. I went through a horrible divorce since then and things have been a little hectic for me! I am glad to see that you are doing well Vince and will be joining you and the guys again here every Sunday. Didn’t have a smoke today, been sick with the flu on and off for almost 2 weeks now and they just don’t taste the same when you are sick! However, did manage to have a pot of great breakfast blend this morning though! Anyway, glad everyone is still here! See you guys next Sunday!

Wow!!! Good to see a returnee!!! Terribly sorry about the divorce, and that'll change your life big time, definitely keep you off the 'net for a while. I've had a couple of those myself. Good to see you back.

Yeah Vince, we've done this before. The U.S. sure made a big mistake going off the gold standard. When you have no standards, that means people can go wild. We found that out culturally, and we've been getting beaten to death with it financially for the past 30 years.

I had a good position at the Bowery Savings Bank, where I worked from 11/18/74-8/31/82. I worked my way up to what could loosely be described as a "middle management" position today. I planned to stay with the bank until my retirement age, which is around 66 years and a few months. I started there at age 18, and worked there until two months prior to my 26th birthday. In the late 70's, with savings banks and the thrift industry in general, which included Mid-Western savings and loans, lobbying for much more liberal banking policies, officers above me, and friends of mine in General Accounting, began to whisper about the bank running out of money.

Now, how could that happen? Well, about the same time, yes folks, three decades ago, with Jimmy Carter in the White House, I was, at the behest of the bank, furthering my education by attending classes at the American Institute of Banking. I've probably told this story before. It's either buried in this thread, or somewhere else on the site, but worth repeating. We took college level classes at AIB, aimed at specializing in banking industry practices, and received college credits which could be applied toward an actual degree at a business school accepting of those credits. Our professors were in some cases actual college professors, and in other cases, senior bank officers from various savings banks, qualified to teach the classes.

One of our teachers, an officer at Dry Dock Savings Bank, if memory serves me correctly, addressed in class the burgeoning greed of the savings banks to become more like commercials banks, in an effort to raise and control vastly more capital than tight thrift industry regulations would currently permit. He addressed the folly of all the competition that was going on, with savings banks paying out double digit interest rates on CD accounts, when their money making departments, mostly the mortgage sections, were taking in at best, 7% average return. He went on to talk about the desire of the banks to also handle credit cards, and jump wholesale in to the credit and collection practices of commercial banks.

The professor told us that there was no way these things were NOT going to happen, that there was too much momentum behind this movement, and that we would all be looking for jobs in a few years, because there would be no way for the cash reserves to stand up to the interest payouts and risky practices that the savings banks were about to jump in to. The following year, in 1980, officers above me began to let certain supervisory personnel know, very quietly, that the bank was running on Federal money, and if something wasn't done, we were going to be done in a couple years at best.

We were. I was among the first round of layoffs of the once mighty Bowery Savings Bank, when they disbanded their mortgage department on August 31, 1982. A family was broken up, an industry was going belly up, and the financial difficulties caused have continued for me personally, until this day. That's not about placing blame, as there are things I could have done to have provided myself with a fine living, making much more of a compromise with the suit and tie wearing, 9 to 5 corporate world. I could well be a full-time legal secretary today, with close to a six figure income counting overtime and bonuses, but I chose to be more of "my own man," and have wound up little more than a deadbeat. It's okay, because as a friend of 38 years noted last week, he has an admiration for the fact that I am "comfortable in my own skin." I owe that friend some money that I would like to pay him back before I die, and I owe my father vast sums. All other personal debts have been paid off. My father is financially comfortable, and how do you pay your dad back anyway, even if you give him twice what he gave you?

But the damage done to a nation which decided to have no cultural standards in the 60's, and no financial standards by the 70's is undeniable. If you give people a chance to run wild, they will, no matter who they are, Americans, Brits, Filipinos, Italians, New Zealanders, Canadians, etc. I'm not for over regulation of free markets, but you have to have some standards in this world. Going off the gold standard was one of the biggest mistakes this country ever made, because when you have no financial standards, then EVERYTHING BECOMES A PONZI SCHEME!!!

And that's why we have a Carnival Culture here in America today. We're nothing but a vast carnival on the world stage, full of corruption, from street sweepers to CEO's, athletes and politicians, give most of us a chance to steal something, and we will.

Elsewhere in the nooz, Vince claims the snow is melting out there, and we're supposed to get at least a foot here. Shows you what 400+ miles will do, ha, haaaaaaa!!!

Vince, I can smell it from here, and I'm sure it's going to be wonderful. Too bad I'm going to miss dinner. I guess I'll have to make my own.

God Bless America, God Bless Vince, and God Bless the hierarchy, membership, and loved ones of all those at EOTAC. Happy March 1st, everyone!!!

"Good morning , it is Sunday 6 March , 2009"

Vince, that whole clock thing is odd. It's the 8th here. We don't change clocks here in AZ. Now I see why.

Looks to be busy in town, I can hear the gunfire from the re-enactors near the OK Corral. May take a stroll later, see what's going on in town.

It's 70+ degrees here, a couple scattered clouds, but overall, a nice day.

I'm headed out on the veranda, and bringing along a Torano Virtuoso Crescendo.

Probably more later.

Yeahhhhhhh, c'mon Vince, you're an old fart like me, only older and fartier. How could you forget the 38th anniversary of Ali-Frazier I? The Colonel was just a little shaver, but you and I, . . .

welllllll, okay, I was 14 1/2, . . .

almost.

BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'll never forget March 8, 1971. Glad to see y'all are alive and somewhat healthy.

You ARE old. I was only 10.

I know. I'm keeping track. You're still under the border of joining The Living Dead, haaaaaaaaaa!!! Young whippersnapper, hee, heee!!!