Michael Jackson and the Federal Government... Coming to a Town Near You...

Michael Jackson and the Federal Government
O.K., I'll admit it. I grew up in the 80's and listened to some of Michael Jackson's music... How couldn't you? Michael Jackson in the 80's was like Elvis in the 50s, The Beatles in the 60s, and The Rolling Stone in the 70s. But enough of the stardom talk. After all singers come and singers go... and while each have entertained us in a unique and revolutionary way, there is always another star waiting to take the spotlight.

We can make several observations about Michael Jackson:

1. MJ had a name the preceded him; and a brand name has a value unto itself.
2. MJ owned a considerable amount of property rights from artistic property (see Jackson Five, Beatles, and Michael Jackson)... and a ton of other collectibles.
3. MJ was on the verge of bankruptcy because his liabilities far exceeded his assets... Most reasonable assets list his debt at $500,000,000.

To be sure, there is a long list of creditors that will be left holding the bag once Michael Jackson's estate is settled. Undoubtedly, someone will own the Neverland Ranch, someone else will own the property rights to Billy Jean, and who knows what will happen to the Beatles music. But that is part of the problem when you are in debt... your creditors are not necessarily your friends... and in the end, their need to collect on a debt will supersede any final wishes Jackson had for his estate. One of his creditors went as far as to book a 50 date tour for Jackson that was to start in the near future... Only having insurance on 10 of the 50 dates as no shows, these speculators will be at the bottom of a very long list.

The Office of Accounting released a statistic today that the United States will exceed 100% of GDP by 2023. That means that our country will be officially broke by that date. Some of the more hawkish figures have the date moved up approximately three years to 2020. During WWII, we sold War Bonds to help raise money to pay for the war. This time around, we are in way over our heads, as governments like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia are holding our debt. And just like Michael Jackson found out, your creditors are not always your friends... and in the end, they own you!!!

I do however, believe that there are workable solutions to our problems... tough decisions, no doubt. Hard decisions, absolutely. Painful choices, for sure. And to be quite frank, I am not so certain that Congress nor the American people will have the stomach to make the necessary changes until a crisis actually hits... By then, a lot of the difficult decisions will be made out of pure necessity. Hopefully, we can all learn a lesson from Michael Jackson.

Coming to a Town Near You...
According to the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, the United States is experiencing its third great gambling wave. The first wave took place during the 1840s to 60 with the opening of the Wild West, and riverboat runs up and down the Mississippi. The second great wave took place from 1910 to approximately 1929 where mafia families pushed numbers rackets in factories, and gambling halls in speak easies. Now the 1990's to 2010s marks the third great gambling wave in the United States.

I write this from the view point of an Ohioan who has voted against legalized gambling on three separate ballot issues. It is not that I do not like gambling, it is more that I do not like gambling in my back yard. Look at the states that have legalized casino gambling, and at the root of every casino you will find rich and opportunistic millionaires trying to become billionaires on someone else's dime.

In Ohio, Governor Stickland who was once a minister, social worker, Congressman, and now governor is trying to pass legislation that will have the state legislature create a slots in race track bill and simply sing it into law. This is the equivalent of political suicide. The governor recognizes that casinos are not good for the state, but he is desperate to find money... any money to keep Ohio away from the time of fiscal meltdown that is taking place in California.

Fellow blogger Ax (www.bigbigbet.blogspot.com) observed the impact a casino in Philadelphia will have on Atlantic City. The impact will be devastating. Yet, I will also remind readers that any government that is reliant on seeing its citizens lose money in casinos, is a government that is doomed to fail. Call me a conservative... call me a do-gooder... and yes, call me a guy who does not mind a game of chance... But a casino on every street corner is not the American Dream.

WYNN and MCRI still very much remain on my short list. MCRI in particular lost approximately 9% of its value today. EFU, SRS, and TM still remain on the short list.

SLV and D are long. Possibly FAZ when it breeches 4.5.