The truth is that GS now has the largest position in oil of anyone in the world in the commodities markets. You will all sit back and watch this happen and say you are powerless. That is not true!

I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.

Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin (1802)
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.  Thomas Jefferson

Everything predicted by the enemies of banks, in the beginning, is now coming to pass. We are to be ruined now by the deluge of bank paper, as we were formerly by the old Continental paper. It is cruel that such revolutions in private fortunes should be at the mercy of avaricious adventurers, who, instead of employing their capital, if any they have, in manufactures, commerce, and other useful pursuits, make it an instrument to burthen all the interchanges of property with their swindling profits, profits which are the price of no useful industry of theirs. Prudent men must be on their guard in this game of Robin's alive, and take care that the spark does not extinguish in their hands. I am an enemy to all banks discounting bills or notes for anything but coin. But our whole country is so fascinated by this Jack-lantern wealth, that they will not stop short of its total and fatal explosion.  ^{Thomas Jefferson}                     

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -Thomas Jefferson

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. Thomas Jefferson

Hey if we are in that much trouble, let just print more money! Print enough to cover the national debt, stick it in Fort Knox, or some other equally secure place and start over from zero. Sorry corporations...you are on your own.

It always amazes me just how forward thinking our early presidents were. The depths o which they considered things is mind boggling. Of course what could we come up with if there was no radio or television or Internet that we now spend all our time with now? (Sorry Big Dog)

My point here is that along with modernization comes the addiction to only thinking in the now. This is part of the reason people are not saving any money. The other part is that many of them just don't have it to save anyway or think they don't. The simple things we do everyday over and over is what does us in and always has. How many motivational speakers, life coaches, personal trainers, philosphers and people throughout history do we have to hear say that by doing a little bit every day you will succeed in reaching your goal, whatever it is? So why don't we listen and why do we look at the rich and think, "I could never be there".

Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming the public in general for this mess, as there is far too much manipulation going on for that to be 100% true. We are responsible though for our own survival as dolcevita states. So let me suggest we all take a look at our lives and find a way to cut just $20 a month, $5 a week, $1 a day, out of our daily spending. I'm not talking about simply throwing a lump of money nto the bank or a jar or under your bed either. I'm saying pick something you buy every day or every week and tell yourself NO right at the time you decide you want it and put that money aside AND DO NOT TOUCH IT!

Teach yourself and your kids to say NO even just a little bit of the time and learned delayed gratification and the next phase of this great country will be moving in the right direction. I'm starting this today and taking charge of my own survival.

Well if my mistakes, and I got plenty of 'em, motivate people I guess it's true that anyone can be a success in America, in spite of themselves...lol

It amazes me that we think we are doing something different or times are changing when in reality it has all been done before and nothing is really new. We are not different, or unique and when I look back all this great wisdom as to how we could be taken down by the "banks and the corporations that grow up around them" . And  myself playing options, " But our whole country is fascinated by this Jack-lantern wealth". Will I ever learn? One thing I understand is things are messed up, but they could always be worse and they could always be better. It really comes down to appreciating what we have.

I pulled those quotes of of several web-sites. The first one is my favorite, because if the bond market crashes the banks will own us all. Some even think they are conspiring to make that happen. "prudent men must be on their guard" that was the type of speech back then, respectful speech. Today's translation don't be an Idiot. Seems like that is one thing that has changed we have become less respectful of our selves and our country!

Perhaps the whole "Trust but Verify" mentality applies here? Meaning trust that things will work out and verify that they do by doing your homework. Of course, Snowman may have said it best in his translation of, "Don't be an Idiot".

Somewhere there is a motivational or financial "expert" book waiting to be written with the word IDIOT as an anagram for the title.

So Snowman and Corbinb2..............do you invest in this Country and the businesses because of your great love of the ideals and ideas of this Nation, or do you see yourselves players in the greatest crap shoot ever? Prudent men (and allow me to extend that to include women) are those who are on guard against the enemies that/who would destruct the principles so sacred to the founding members. It is sometimes very difficult to find that quality today in our world of "gimme now," "gotta have," "me first" attitudes. Thomas Jefferson and his colleagues knew both the danger and the good that comes with the formation of a "free" society. (As a historical side note; Jefferson and others were, after all, Gentlemen Freemasons.)

The fact is that freedom is not free, and I don't mean that as a support statement for the current war, although there are RARE times when war is necessary. Rules are in plaace and need to be adjusted, created, abolished, etc. to maintain the freedoms we have. The utlimate freedom we have is to say yes or no to our elected officials. This in turn gives our the right to b#$ch about it too.

Having said that, the rules are there and we have the freedom to find a way to survive within them and move to change the ones we think are wrong at the same time. Does this make us hypocritical? Pehaps, but it is only a crapshoot if you blindly and obliviously walking through life with no regard but your own. This is why we have charitable organizations and grassroots movements and the like. So that we can make a stand and balance our priorities between 'good and evil'.

Perhaps all investors are in some fashion hypocritical, because they are using a knowingly corrupt system for profit, but if within that environment you still work to invoke change through action, then perhaps not? The "me first" mentality is okay and a natural part of surivival and human nature, as long as it is followed by "you too".  This is the quality that is rare in the world today. Didn't mean to get all philosophical on you, but hey you asked...:0)

I must confess I was seeing myself in the greatest crap shoot ever. But I needed to pulled the plug and bow out. I was not following through on what I intended and did not want to end up with a loss. Would have more than tripled my money.

 I never really had that much respect for Jefferson because of some of his other attitudes and do not need to character assassinate the man and tell you why. He was brilliant and ahead of his time. Maybe you are right dolcevita73 only I see much more useful pursuits with my money than the stock market. I guess there is a balance somewhere since most of my money is not in the market. Only I keep seeming to lose sight of that balance or the reasons I am here, namely to protect my pension money which I have no control over. It is not always easy to stick to principles, yet in the long run it is always easier to stick to principles. Getting rich or something for nothing is always tempting.

Thanks for asking the question dolcevita73 I really need to take a look at that "how I see this". It will never be about the money, I know that, yet people respond when there is a lot of money to be made.