I heard a funny joke today...

A friend sent me this email today...

Hey guys.

Just read some of the headlines and took note that we're in the early stages of a dollar collapse. Central Bank's share of dollar reserve purchases was 37 percent this year, and yen and euro are preferred reserve currencies as of this date. If you have the resources, I'd switch a portion of your assets to commodities.

Probably the best outlook we have for the next few years is stagflation, assuming there's an effort to save the currency. As a practical matter, my humble opinion is reason will prevail and the health care bill is going to die due to this consideration. Could be wrong, but I think conservatives and centrist democrats will agree it's not do-able at this time. It's going to be the 1970's all over again. Upside is our exports will get very competitive, and we're probably going to usher in lots of fiscal conservatives in November 2010.

Here are the first few thoughts that came into my mind:

Assets? I've been unemployed for almost a year. My 401k lost money when I was forced to cash out, both in terms of tax penalties and poor market. Everything else has been slowly trickling away paying for living month-to-month. As if being a single parent wasn't hard enough when I was working, I am now seriously looking into food stamps to help get through the next several months. My assets consist of my health and my daughter. I had a plan to get her through college. Had.

So forgive me if I can't help but laugh at others worries regarding their money being in trouble. My focus regarding the fundamentals of what is really important has been severely narrowed. I have been forced to look at the next few weeks, I don't even think of the next few years as quite literally, I can't afford to. As if my natural Generation-X tendency to distrust any establishment and authority figures wasn't bad before. Now I will most likely never believe any establishment again. Myself and my daughter are now my only investments. With talent, luck and maybe some divine intervention we will be in the class of entrepreneurs of the future. Because right now, most of it, most of them are rubbish. Laughable, ludicrous rubbish.

So please, look me in the eye and tell me that the current and recent past American way of doing business works. Please, I could use a good laugh. I see and talk to so many people and hear of their woes regarding the economy and how they have to make adjustments because the company/organization they still work for is cutting back and their work load is greater and/or the economy sucks and they have to be more careful about what and how they spend because the cost of everything has risen or they can't afford to save as much as they used to. Or whatever other sob story their disillusionment comes up with while still remaining employed.

I don't get mad at particular people, its not worth it and honestly, it is just human nature to look to themselves first. But I won't say I don't find it frustrating and sad. Also funny. Why funny you ask? I'll tell you. Even with my own woes, I live in a house and I can still afford the occasional small luxury. Many people (whether through their own fault or not) don't even have that. So fuck you and your 'dollar collapse'.