My equally stunning wife and I also have 3 little munchkins, 16, 13 and 10. Those of us with “large families” have a special bond, I think. We have hopes for their economic future and are trying to protect them from the climate of despair here in Michigan. They know “something is up”, though, because both my wife and I have fairly secure positions at a large research university, the misery hasn’t affected us as much as, say, many of the families at our church.

Six months ago, one of the upper level executives at GM, who is an elder at our church, while we chatted after the service, told me about GM running through cash at a staggering rate. Early anecdotal information. But I digress.

Do you ever think back to when your parents were thinking about your future when you were your children’s age? Hmm. Let me put it this way: I started kindergarten in the last year of the Eisenhower administration and I remember Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society speech in Detroit. (My grandfather actually made a home movie of it). A year later, Detroit was in flames. Some Great Society, eh?

The take-away was that the self-esteem of the black community of Detroit was so low that they hurt themselves even more. If Obama can help raise their self-esteem in the coming years, then all for the better. But the way he got into office, with $800 million, something on the order of 8-1 compared to McCain, much of it untraceable, is very, very suspicious.

I hope you can use your position as an authority in money matters to answer the question: “How much of the Obama money was obtained illegally?” It is important because I do not want my children growing up in a nation that tolerates the purchasing of the highest political office in the land. While there will always be a “free speech” component to political contributions which ought to be respected, we also set ourselves up to be “bought” as a nation;possibly by our enemies.

It is my children growing up in a world of cynicism that worries me most. While we are all so happy to see a black man become president, was it worth violating one of the Ten Commandments? (”Thou Shalt Not Steal”) If this question gets swept under the rug now, I fear my children will have to answer it in the future, with America up in flames like Detroit was in 1965.

You may also be the best person to get an answer to the question: “To what degree should an American multi-national conglomerate like General Electric–owner of MSNBC, Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman, and Rachel Maddow — be allowed to use its media distribution network to promote the agenda of either political party?” Because the diversity of GE assets are so broad, it has the practical effect of being like a market index fund with a lot of government pension money invested in it. While MSNBC and CNBC are relatively small parts of it, the nightly bludgeoning of the Bush Administration and exaltation of The One, might be compared with how taxpayers fund the Democratic ownership of public broadcasting.

This is all subtle stuff and I guess I’ve drifted around here this morning so I’ll just close this post. Thanks for all you do, Alexis.

I have listened to the hyperbole about stock market returns under various administrations and I find it astonishing that people give credit to the President in charge for policies that were established years before they took office. The real measurment of success comes from the Monday morning quarterbacking after these policies have taken hold in the economy. Not everything creates immediate “early-adopter” reaction.

Whatever Mr. Obama does in his first six months will have some immediate effect, but we will have to wait and see the ultimate evaluation. I would suggest that you and your team at Fox Business News develop a score card for immediate and long-term analysis of the policies that Mr. Obama first proposes and then gets through Congress.

I am highly disappointed that the housing industry issues are attributed today to President Bush when clearly, the policies/proposals of Jimmy Carter and then exacerbated Bill Clinton were very beneficial in the short term, but then lead to severe weakness in the broader markeplace. President Bush does not deserve this as his legacy…others do.

Network as documentry.
Broadcast news,news magazines as documentries. Documentries not in the sense of real time but in sense of history looking back. Is real journalism dead? That is the question. Some say yes. Some say no.
No,jourmlaism is transforming. It’s transforming in ways in which the CEOS of the media outlets which owns them can’t grasp and comprehend. Power is shifting from the anchor desk to the news prosumer. The news prosumer which is the blogger which uncovers the erronous mistakes they make don’t dare correct.Like those in CBS who tried to fool the public with during the ‘04 election.Didn’t work.For the mistake had been costly. Prosumers with thier dv cameras suppling the transformed cable/satnets with real time video of news from thier beats may it be a Hurricane Ike to the Weather Channel,Fox News,CNN the role of the prosumer has now transformed the world of the anchor and the news director. Those that adapt to the new technologies and constant change survive. The old dinomas media like the New York Times,NBC news division destoryed by political idealogoues which have destoryed thier corporate culture;thier affeliates lose thier audneces. The big 4 no longer have influence as they once thought–for that power has shifted dramatically and radically. Thus making them networks as documentries,one would see on CurrentTV,Youtube and Hulu.com.
Journalism is transforming and those who don’t change with it are likely left at the news desk in vacated office. For when thier shares drop layoffs happen.
Network and Newspaper as documentry.
The net since its creation has change the way the prosumer has gather news content and news content now on broadcast now can be challenged. And on th web it’s being challenged. US,Rolling Stone mags have lost readers and subscribers due to thier biases but like they’re counterparts US News&World Report are going webbase to accoumdate the change of prosumer. Change is a constant and in broadcast and print journalism it’s this change that some will adapt and some will die. The prosumer will not notice at all.
Network as documentry.
Yes,broadcast networks will be a documentry one will see as web base content as a door to the past. A past that would be commented on in a history blog by prosumers. Imagine seeing Walter Chronkite in a televison display in a museum in midtown Manhattan.
Broadcast journalism is transformed and is still transforming. For the net and anchor are brought closer together; soon the prosumer could appear at an anchor’s desk to provide thier opinion. Think about the future. Possibilites.
Soon the first tv networks,print newspaper,magazines will be documentries. For news is transforming.
Network as documentry a comming attraction on your nearest Youtube.
chuck h.
In memorian of Micheal Crichton 1942-2008

I enjoy FBN because they generally don’t let their personal feelings get involved like calling President Bush a monkey as was done by one of the CNBC anchors. Hopefully FBN is not now going down this path. Please look at the people you have on the air and make sure they are credible before putting their views out to others.

I want to thank you for your morning program. My husband and I watch each morning. He can’t wait to see what the market is doing and to hear your comments. You always provide useful information through your guests. Your gracious attitude with your guests also impresses me. You never talk over them and seem to truly value what each one has to say even if you don’t agree. You have helped me through your program understand better the “2008 meltdown”. As a person who just retired and had invested my pension just two short weeks before the meltdown, the information gleaned from your show has helped me not freak out and understand that we must be patient.

There have also been times on your show when you have reminded us that we in the United States are fortunate to be able to express our viewpoints and that we are a blessed nation with all our freedoms.

Again, thank you for hosting a show that is both informative and enjoyable to watch.

I will certainly support whomever our next president is, I just wish we had
someone to get excited about.

As far as the economy is concerned….it’s a global problem that needs to be
addressed. Seems that the various policy agencies around the globe are trying
to work in concert to improve liquidity, which will create jobs, which will improve
consumer spending, which should improve stock valuations.

As far as the short term investment horizon….I think we need to see what the tax
policy modifications are going to be. Hopefully they will be favorable to the public
and to business. I think this will be key in getting people to spend again.

I’m sick of it.

Note these facts and have the intellectual integrity and honesty to report them.

Economic growth. U.S. output has expanded faster than in most advanced economies since 2000. The IMF reports that real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average annual rate of 2.2% over the period 2001-2008 (including its forecast for the current year). President Bush will leave to his successor an economy 19% larger than the one he inherited from President Clinton. This U.S. expansion compares with 14% by France, 13% by Japan and just 8% by Italy and Germany over the same period. The latest ICP findings, published by the World Bank in its World Development Indicators 2008, also show that GDP per capita in the U.S. reached $41,813 (in purchasing power parity dollars) in 2005. This was a third higher than the United Kingdom’s, 37% above Germany’s and 38% more than Japan’s.

The housing crisis can be blamed for spreading (risky loans) to Wall Street. The impetus for these loans was that everyone deserves to have the American dream (a house)- nonsense. Robert Rubin and President Clinton saw housing for the lower economic class as a way to create and keep a growing pool of Democrats happy and loyal.

I worry that an Obama administration would classify it as a “HATE CRIME” and anyone who speaks about B.O. like they did GWB will go to prison.

This election troubles me deeply and unlike you youngsters I remember many of them back to FDR. We’ve never had a presidental candidate with so little experience and so many scary people in his background. Are we buying a “pig in a poke”? I suspect so. If you youngsters don’t understand the expression check with your grandparents.