That's not steak I smell

   No, "you don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing" {as Dylan would famously say} and yet today I sensed something distinctive in the air.

   It was the unmistakeable scent of hot dogs on the grill wafting through the mid-afternoon breeze [bear with me, I'm in Florida]: not steak, not chicken, not ribs, not even hamburgers. Someone is actually going for the grand gourmet taste of grilled hot dogs.

   Or maybe it's because that's all they can afford.

  Meanwhile in China, the Commies have executed the ex manager of a securities company who had embezzled millions of dollars — the first execution of an executive from that country's financial sector.

   It seems Mr. Yang was convicted of embezzling and misappropriating just under $14 million in a five-year span. He evidently siphoned-off funds for "personal benefits, including starting up a private company, purchasing real estate properties and investing in futures business."

   And Bernie Madoff? What .. $50 billion; $65 billion ... and we continue to pay for his room and board until he dies? Let's hope that commitment will end soon [not that I have that much compassion for his investors].

   I've always admired the Chinese for their deep wisdom {not the Maoist claptrap, mind you} but if you want to curb criminal activity by money-handlers of this sort then you need to send a serious message.

   If Team Obama wants to keep the Idled & the Restless at bay, not only do they need to focus on giving even the College-educated Joe some hope for a job but a continued, visible white-collar crackdown would probably help.

   It doesn't help the average person to see that 'stocks are up again today' when the perception remains that the greedy and the thieving are still running the show.

   The administration seems to be struggling a bit, and by struggling a bit I mean it seems his squad has been out to (some expensive) lunch.

  Last week  BHO held a 'jobs summit' of sorts where he was asking the business community and ordinary types if they had any good ideas about how to create some jobs and just, I don't know but ... Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh! ... I would have expected something like this in the first two months of his administration, I mean, it was a big issue then wasn't it?
   And I don't care what the politics may be, you have to invite the Chamber of Commerce to such an event if you have even the slightest inclination of creating private sector, small business employment.

   Separately, The Big O tells us all on Tuesday that more money is needed for additional stimulus and the government is going to offer credits for weatherizing your home all the while a record-breaking storm marches across the country because, after all, it is December. Why was this offer not made last July (at least) so people could have been prepared for winter and it could have actually done some good?

   I don't understand it. To the average person it seems Rahm, Larry and Timmy, et al, need some lessons in perception.

   After all, they're trying to sell this recovery scheme to freezing, out of work millions.