The Master Blaster

-) The worst seated congress in American history is gone now forever....with a funny (lucky) 13% approval rating..it should be no surprise the stock market is up 23 of the last 24 days in a row in anticipation of some adults returning to running this country
-) Google bought more companies owned by venture capital firms in 2010 than any other company....buying ten...IBM was second buying four....Google is gaining momentum now.
-) The top ten percent income earners paid a record 71.2% of all federal income taxes receipts..from the latest data.
-) China will resume building it's SPR...it should be no surprise oil is headed higher.
-) The USA spends more on our military than all other countries combined on the planet.....we spend more than six times our closest competitor..China.
-) More people now have "top secret clearance" than all the people who live in WDC....it should be no surprise there are "leaks".
-) We will spend more (inflation adjusted) on the "war" in Afghanistan this year than the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War and the Spanish-American War combined! Can anybody tell us why...or even ask the question?
-) JPM says the 20 year annualized return for the S&P500, 1990-2009 is 8.2% and that the average investor over that same time period earned 2.3%....not beating inflation which was 2.8%...remember the past ten years has been negative. This is the primary reason the public is now stuck, caught and trapped in bonds and cash....just as real inflation is about to eat every portfolio alive.
-) In all the Formula 1 races all last season...they only had only four passes for the lead! (It pays to stay and be up front)
-) Shale Gas now contributes 17% of America needs up from just 2% a few years ago...recent estimated total reserves for this cheap new gas was just doubled to a 73 year supply....a home run for America! And the best kept secret...we wonder why? Would the press ever tell a positive story?

The new speaker of the house (the master blaster) has a full plate......we will see if he can serve up in short order a receipt to deal with the avalanche of debt coming due this year.....it will be close.....we will soon find out who is the brain and who is the master.

Just as last year began, we knew what we did not want to own or invest in.

Danny Boy seen here in the record December snow fall.