Bailout, Sellout, and The American Way...

So... the American Dream -- what the "huddled masses" have strived towards for generations has now come down to this:

1. Create a business that makes no sense
2. Have hundreds of millions of dollars pumped into it from innocent people who are being lied to
3. Run the business into the ground
4. Get the government to bail it out (with more money from the same people who's money was lost)
5. Keep taking home huge salaries and bonuses for PERFORMANCE.

So... how does one go about doing this?

Join the Mafia, take over a small city:
This approach, while very practical and easy to do, has not worked well for maybe 30-50 years or so.

Or.... do it the "AIG WAY" as evidenced in this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100702604.html?sid=ST2008100702063&s_pos=

I personally never supported the bailout of the banks -- I think that money should have been given to the people who's homes were in jeopardy of being foreclosed. That would have actually bolstered our economy -- let people stay in their homes, keep their jobs, eased tensions about their investments (potentially allowing them to keep money in the markets).

But then again, such a move would be less advantageous to the over-privileged, lobbyists, and the crooks ... I mean "execs" that power these big businesses.

I think the American Politician has become a sellout to the interest of whichever person or group can provide them with bribes.. err.. oh right... I mean incentives -- we are Americans, we don't take bribes...

Lost and found...

So... somehow my wife decided to login to my gmail account and tie it to her blog... and given my memory (or lack of it), I couldn't figure out what my blog was... anyway, to make a long story short, I finally "found" my blog again :-)

Yet another day...

Life has a tendency to throw you a curve-ball every once in a while. Sometimes you catch it, and sometimes it catches you. Regardless, it's a tough world out there.

Work -- we work to live, and yet end up living to work. Such is the place we're in today. It is a kind of pathetic existence when we end up at that state. However, if we didn't have the ability to hope for a better tomorrow, what would life be? So, I go on hoping...

So.. I sit here pondering life, friendship and work..

I've heard a quote that says "If you want to lose a friend, go into business with him".

I personally have always taken the stance that it couldn't be right. My version of the quote goes something like "A friendship that can survive business is a friendship indeed."

To many, this may not make any sense at all, however, it is pretty evident (from several years of hard-work) that you throw a mix of money, personalities, greed, pride, and friendship into a bowl, stir up the mixture, and pretty soon you end up with either a bunch of good friends, or a rotten business.

To me, I've realized that most people are like the rustling reeds by a river bank, swaying in the wind. They sound really nice, however, they're always swaying this way or the other -- depends on which way the wind blows.

Speaking of rotten business, how does one judge a business to be rotten? Pretty simple: If every day, you don't wake up feeling excited about the possibilities ahead, well, then it's pretty rotten. It's even worse when you wake up every day dreading it.

I've realized that after many years of sweat, no sleep and no time with my family, the bottom line is that unless it costs a buck, most people don't know how to quantify it. Of course one looks at the world today and wonder what's wrong with it. It's pretty simple; Money...

On that note, a piece of advice for those of you who are young entrepreneurs; Telecommuting doesn't cut the mustard, if you want to be in control of your company. So... beware the dangers of "office politics" or in more PC words "personnel dynamics".

Anyway... enough rambling for now...

Finally -- I started blogging too...

My rather pesky friend Vinit convinced me to start blogging... All I asked him was how to setup a journal to share my thoughts...

This kid is annoying, I tell you... but... his parents are charming folks, so we put up with him.

This is going to be fun, and I can assure you that I will not die alone... all my friends... who shall soon no more be... will be there stabbing or shooting me (or both).

THANK YOU VINIT!