Chris Chandler's MUSE AND WHIRLED RETORT October 2008
The Muse and Whirled Retort October 2008M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.
By Chris Chandler
www.chrischandler.org
Vol X issue i
October 1, 2008
Washington, DC
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Hey everybody.
Its that time of the month again.
First: This is the 10 year Anniversary of The Muse and Whirled Retort! I sent my first one from New Orleans in October 1998.
Second: 2008 is my 20th Anniversary of being on the road and to celebrate that:
The 20th Anniversary Box set is in my hot little hands! It is a four CD/ 1 DVD featuring highlights from each of the 13 CDs I have released over the last 20 years Also a few selections from some of the Cassette tapes (remember cassettes) That I released in the days before CDs existed. "50 from 20"
50 songs from 20 years on the road. It is very exciting.
Click here to order your copy now! http://cdbaby.com/all/chrischandler
The Muse and Whirled Retort October 2008
M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.
By Chris Chandler
www.chrischandler.org
Vol X issue i
October 1, 2008
Washington, DC
All week I have been hearing the ghost of Ronald Reagan shouting, "Tear down that Wall (Street,) Mr. Bernanke."
Are we really trying to socialize Wall Street? It makes sense. I mean who are we going to borrow this 700 Billion from? China -- The Communists?
It make sense Communist China has been selling us toxic milk, dog food and led paint I guess we should sell them some Toxic Debt. Maybe this is our way of bringing the successful new capitalists Communist China -- down by becoming unsuccessful Communists ourselves. Turns out Karl Marx was wrong when he said, "The last Capitalist we hang will be the one who sold us the rope." No, we'll buy the rope from you and hang ourselves, thank you. Capitalism grows to be Communism yet twenty years after the Berlin Wall fell we wind up getting only the lousy parts.
Where is our college education?
Ummm Our space program (congratulations, China BTW)
Where is our health care?
Hell, we just bought the world's largest insurance company, American Ignorance and Greed, you'd think we could get health care.
Does it help for our President to be running around yelling, "The sky is falling." Our Treasurer was literally on his hands and knees begging us to agree to another loan from foreign investors as he raised our credit limit to 11 trillion. Raising the credit limit of people who can't afford it is what got us into this mess in the first place.
On a personal note. I see Wachovia is going under. I wound up with a Wachovia account because I had the same bank account since I was a teenager. At the time it was called Central Dekalb Savings and Loan. Well, they got bought by one bank and then another until it was Wachovia. The point is I had this account for 30 years it just changed names every couple of years.
After it became Wachovia, I had an incident - granted my fault to a point -- where I thought a check had been deposited. I continued to use my ATM card for a few days before I realized it and got hit with $800 in bounced check fees at $45 a pop. $800 for one mistake. How can these guys be broke?
Also, I had been given a thousand dollar line of credit which I was late on a payment and the next thing I know its up to 40% interest. Late fees, over the limit fees, bounced check charges. They found all kinds of ways to charge me hidden fees. I have paid that thousand dollars a dozen times over, I had to go to a loan shark to pay the bank off because his terms were more reasonable. How could these guys be broke?
Late fees, over the limit fees, bounced check charges
Hey, I got an idea this guy doesnt have any money lets charge him for being broke. We'll get rich rich rich.
That is when I ended my 30 year relationship with that bank. Now that what little bit of money I have has been pulled from their vaults with this bail out they are STILL finding ways to take my money.
HOW COULD THESE GUYS BE BROKE?!
It's like my friend Roger Manning used to say, "People work hard their whole lives wind up with nothing. Me, I ain't got nothing but at least I didnt work hard for it."
But what happens when the banks go broke. Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac. Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers. AIG.
Their CEOS are making a kings ransom while with their golden parachutes. I only wish it was a real parachute made of gold Like King Midas jumping out of a 727 splat!
But, No it ain't like that them banks are a bunch of deregulatory robber barons when they are making money.
But, robber baron ain't good enough for them At least the robber barons of the Gilded Age: Mellon, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie they left us with concert halls, public libraries and museums all over the country some of the finest buildings ever made. What do today's Robber Barron's leave us with?
The Sam Walton Junior High Sports Complex in Texarkana, Arkansas?
Put it next to Carnegie Hall Hell, you can hardly tell the difference.
But as soon as today's robber barons start loosing money. They change their tune They put their hand out - they become a bunch of socialist pinko bastards giving a hand job to the corpse of Kruscheve.
Since it's you and me loaning them the money, I think we should be able to do to them what they have been doing to for years charge THEM late fees, over the limit fees, bounced check charges and 40% interest.
We'll be rich rich rich!
I say today's World Bank is the biggest merchant of death since the Spanish landed at Hispaniola. They are a lot like Pizzaro with the Incans pointing a gun and sayin, "Give us your gold. "
Only like you and me -- the Incans didn't HAVE any gold. But that didn't matter then and it don't matter today they will hunt you down till you get down on your knees and give what little you got to the great God Citi Bank.
We wind up paying for last months groceries a year later. Forced to pay for the sins of survival, for you are forever haunted by the Ghost of Purchases Past.
I can hear Lionel Berrymore in A Christmas Carol stepping up to the microphone -- the chains of 40% interest around his neck trying to wake Discover-Visa Scrooge saying, "What's in your Wallet?"
How could these guys be broke?
Here is why: The banks got so fat from eating each other that they can't see the ground you and I stand on.
OK Sure - look at my bank account it is clear I am no financial genius.
But it does seem to me that the problem is that these banks have gotten so large that they have NO personal relationship with their customers.
In turn their customers have no personal relationship with them. They dont care about us and we dont care about them. They sold my loan to someone else. Default on my commitment after watching an episode of Flip This House? "Who cares?
With smaller well regulated banks that can't afford lobbyists but can afford to ride down the street and look at the building they are investing in and can develop a personal relationship with their clients we would not be in this mess.
Where is Jimmy Stewart in Its a Wonderful Life when ya need him?
Sure we are going to have to prop these companies up if only to keep them from falling on us. So, while we have them propped up let's break these behemoths up. If an institution gets so big that it threatens to take down the country when it falls I consider it a threat to national security.
It turns out that what I have always suspected is true
The real terrorists are the bankers.
If two airplanes hadnt taken down the World Trade Center. The world traders would have done it to them selves.
******************
A.N.N.O.U.N.C.M.E.N.T.S.
The 20th Anniversary Box set is in my hot little hands! It is a four CD/ 1 DVD featuring highlights from each of the 13 CDs I have released over the last 20 years Also a few selections from some of the Cassette tapes (remember cassettes) That I released in the days before CDs existed. "50 from 20"
50 songs from 20 years on the road. It is very exciting.
Click here to order your copy now! http://cdbaby.com/all/chrischandler
*********************
Since this is the tenth Anniversary of the Muse and Whirled Retort I am going to be releasing a printed bound version of the "Best" of this news letter sometime this summer. If you have any suggestions I am all for it, and would love love love to hear from you.
************************
Paul Benoit and I will be doing a tour from Pensacola to Austin to Memphis.
If you are in this area, and would like to present us at anything from a house concert to a club show or Union hall please oh please drop me a line.
Looking for shows in eastern and central Texas, Austin, San Marcos, San Antonio, as well as New Orleans, Baton Rouge you name it.
Memphis.
*********************
T.H.A.N.K. .Y..O.U.
Shirley Myers, Danny Dollinger, Christine, Dan and Monique, Scott Moore, The Takoma Park Folk Festival, Nick Annis, Anne Feeney, Denise Heston, Joe and Jay, Louis Ledford, Jessica Radcliff, Claire, Kevin and Frank Chandler, Karen and Alan Murray, Paul Benoit, Brian QTN, Michelle Sellers.
D.A. .D.A.T..E.S.:
Friday, October 10th, 2008, 8 PM
Washington, DC
CWA Head Quarters
503 3rd ST NW
202 434 1100
http://www.shop.georgeand julius.com
Thursday, November 20th, 2008, 8 pm
Atlanta, GA
Eye Drum
290 mlk jr. dr.
Friday, November 21st, 2008
Columbus, GA
Ft Benning GA
http://www.soaw.org/new/
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008
Columbus, GA
Ft Benning GA
http://www.soaw.org/new/
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008, 8 pm
Atlanta, GA
Eye Drum
290 mlk jr. dr.
Thursday, February 5th, 2009, 6:00PM
Pensacola, FL
The Commerce Museum
Zaragosa and Tarragona Streets
Looking for dates in LA, TX, MS and TN