This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

As a 2008 financial refugee and survivor, I get nervous when Wall Street goes one direction while the economy goes the other. Every extra dollar pumped into the tank is a dollar removed from the consumer economy. X is a finite number. They won’t be printing any extras for the occasion.  Main Street is struggling while Wall Street is doing quite well.

I’ll show you! Rising fuel prices, falling anticipated economic activity. Slowing employment without any consumer sectors doing well. A fast food inflation inspired Armageddon. Wendy’s anticipates 400 store closings, Burger King 400, and on and on. And yet, Wall Street is doing well! The United States is at war with Iran and there’s no quick end in sight. Wall Street is up! Donald Trump is the Commander-in-Chief of our wartime forces, and yet, Wall Street is still up!

Friends, that’s an optimism unknown to me. You have all the ingredients of a disaster in the making and a bozo stirring the pot. And Wall Street is up! They’re confident! Everything’s going to be fine! Where, oh, where are those Republican budget hawks? Where did those guys go? Mr. Trump asks for $100 billion like he’s asking for a dime. What about the deficient? “Shut up! Enjoy the ride! Buy some stock, it’s only going up, up, up!” Yes, but why is it going up, up, up? When times are this hard.  Ask no questions, just look surprised when the bottom falls out.

Have you ever noticed Wall Street only crashes after going up, up, up? It’s like musical chairs; you don’t want to get caught out when the music stops. A market built almost entirely on the full faith and credit of Donald Trump is as certain to fail as jalapeno hemorrhoid cream. Donald Trump has his finger in every pie, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I sank my whole fortune ($8.00)buying one million Barron Trump magic bean cyber coins and got $2.00 back in change! If they’re ever worth even a penny, I’ll clean up! That’s some kind of optimism! I am in awe.

Mr. Trump’s budget director predicted 4% growth in the second quarter and received 1 1/2% Then smiles and predicts 4% growth in the third quarter, maybe even 6%! The average annual US growth rate is less than 3% over the last three years. There is absolutely no reason on earth to predict 6% growth in the American economy. There’s nothing in the pipeline, no oil strikes or new gold fields or groundbreaking discoveries. Just smile and lie! “It’s gonna be great! Just you wait!”

Mr. Trump just imposed 50% tariffs on our largest trading partner. It’s gonna be great! 4% maybe 6% growth! Every dollar spent on a tariff is a dollar removed from the consumer economy. (See above). A war, a tepid economy, declining economic activity, rising fuel prices, a soaring budget deficit and Donald Trump in charge of it all! And still time left over to fix Dulles Airport. Move over, Charles Atlas.

Mr. Trump is going to fix the White House and the Kennedy Center. Mr. Trump plans an Albert Spear style look alike victory monument without ever achieving the victory. Mr. Trump has all the time in the world to do this? Sleep during cabinet meetings, tweet all night about nonsense. And Wall Street remains confident! Unfazed and unafraid. All of those years in college studying finance. Business school. What do they know? It’s gonna be fine! The President dozes during office hours but he has his finger on the pulse! It’s going to be great!

Have you ever stopped to consider how corrupt you’d have to be to be Donald Trump’s acting attorney general and unable to pass muster in a Republican-controlled congressional committee? “Look, we’re crooked, but we have to draw the line somewhere.” A federal judge recommended Todd for disciplinary action for committing a fraud on the court. That’s a first! But it does nothing to dim Wall Street’s optimism and enthusiasm. The Attorney General is a crook and a mafioso. It’s going to be so great! Remember, nothing ever happens in August.

It would be almost magical if this wasn’t the most scandal-plagued administration in American history. Even without Jeffrey Epstein hanging over it all like the sword of Damocles over the administration’s head. We’re one survivor statement away from a full house. If the scandal breaks, what of Wall Street’s optimism then? If the thirteen year old Trump was accused of sex crimes and violence against. What then?

I guess I just don’t understand how things can be hanging by a thread and Wall Street is happy as a pig in fresh mud about it. “We’re in a war! The economy is going to hell! Buy! Buy! Buy!”

I guess that’s what they mean by a bull market. It’s mostly bull.

Chasing the illusive goldmine of data centers without considering how much digging there is left to do. The Black Hole of Wall Street. Chasing the next big thing before it’s the next big thing. I’ll be damned, if I’ll get stuck with another Betamax. They cost twice as much as expected and need to be replaced twice as often as predicted. Are you sure we’re going to get rich off this? Rich beyond the greed of a Republican! Put your money in this slot and standby for the future!

It’s not so much that data centers are the new disco balls of this century. It’s that there is nothing else. No other pot-o-gold get rich quick schemes in the pipeline. No more Floriduh land deals or Amway’s or uranium mines to invest in. We’re going to get rich because data centers are the next big thing! What if data centers aren’t the next big thing?

“The minute you read something that you can’t understand, you can almost be sure that it was drawn up by a lawyer. ” ― Will Rogers