Hail to the Chief: President Barack Obama

You can catch Obama taking the Oath of Office (and link to his full inaugural address)

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Greed is Good Isn't It?

If there's anything we've learned the past few months, it's that Gordon Gekko (aka Michael Douglas) had it wrong when he said "Greed is Good.". The real point, ladies and gentleman, is that smart regulation, competition, risk based pricing, open markets and access to capital are the basics for businesses to thrive responsibly.

What's been missing is smart regulation and risk based pricing within the credit markets, specifically the mortgage and home equity industry. The intent here is not to assign blame, although anyone who had their had in the cookie jar should be held accountable. After all, if we had risk based pricing, one could argue that the present delinquncy and default rates should have been forecasted appropriately by banking analysts.

So is it any real surprise that if such lax standards are witnessed in a highly regulated industry, like home mortgage, that other credit industries would fare worse? I'm no economist so if there's something I'm missing, do share.

President-Elect: Barack Obama

Victory is sweet...

GO TV!

It's election day in the USA and it couldn't come soon enough. After 21 months and a primary election, it'll be nice to get past partisan bickering and divisive campaign tactics by McShame and just move forward. Of course, it'll be easier to move forward if my candidate, Barack Obama, should win.

As expected, there were long lines this morning and I can only wonder if these will stretch out further for those after work voters. I cast my ballot this morning after waiting just over an hour. It was nice to connect with folks who were eager to place their votes. You could almost sense those who were voting for the first time or the first time in a really long time. And of course, you will see those who choose to walk away because they don't have "time" to wait in line; nevermind the fact we only do this once every four years.

It's going to be impossible concentrating on anything but the election over the next 12 hours. All I can say is get ready to embrace change. Regardless of your views, just Get Out the Vote today peoples!