It's Only Money

For a long time now I've suffered from what I had been calling "anxiety attacks." I'd get them for no real reason. It's not as if I had a particular reason to have anxiety. Sure, at a job interview or the like, I'd get them, and sometimes badly. But often I'd get them for no reason at all.... A couple of doctors tried to diagnose me. Futilely.... I was thrilled to know that this was, apparently, not some rare and exotic syndrome, but that it had a name, it was diagnosable, and, best of all, it was treatable.... panic disorder....

The stock market is highly perceptive, and what it's perceiving now is that (1) the mediocre recovery of the last two years is stalling out and (2) our leaders in Washington haven't the vaguest idea of what to do about it. A big part of this pathetic recovery has to be laid at government's doorstep. Our top elected and appointed officials try to blame it on everyone else, but it's their incompetence that has brought us low.

Some women avoid wearing skirts for fear of attracting unwanted attention. Others trade whispered tips about overly forward bosses. A 2008 internal review found few restraints on the conduct of senior managers, concluding that "the absence of public ethics scandals seems to be more a consequence of luck than good planning and action." This is life at the International Monetary Fund

"I am not going to sit and debate the ethics of this," Wilson said. "But from his standpoint, he did what he was supposed to do -- he informed the state, and the state said he could keep using the card. The problem is with the state."

A return to the gold standard by the United States within the next five years now seems likely, because that move would help the nation solve a variety of economic, fiscal, and monetary ills, Steve Forbes predicted during an exclusive interview this week with HUMAN EVENTS. "What seems astonishing today could become conventional wisdom in a short period of time..."

While Mike went to his office today, his seven lucky colleagues were celebrating their new mega wealth -- $19,129,571 each after taxes -- and Mike was delighted for them. "These seven were the hardest working state employess I've ever come across, go getters," he said. "I'll be sad to see them leave. They were such great people." Mike said none of the five who opted out of the Mega Millions pool are "bitter or angry." "I don't think they'll cut me in. I don't think they should. I don't deserve it," he said before heading back to work. While Mike returned to taking care of his agency's computers, Mike Barth, 63, was regaling the world with the close call he had while buying the winning ticket. "I was at the counter and it was my turn to buy a ticket when I reached down to grab a Snickers bar from the candy display," Barth said. "I like Snickers Dark and I said I just got to have one. And someone reached over me, actually cut in front of me to buy a ticket. I thought about saying something, but let it slide. I bought the next ticket -- the winning ticket. "

The dollar dropped after China's central bank reiterated a call for a worldwide currency. [THE COLD WAR CONTINUES.... WILL FREEDOM SURVIVE ON THIS PLANET??]

Two Japanese men are detained in Italy after allegedly attempting to take $134 billion worth of U.S. bonds over the border into Switzerland. Details are maddeningly sketchy, so naturally the global rumor mill is kicking into high gear.... The implications of the securities being legitimate would be bigger than investors may realize. At a minimum, it would suggest that the U.S. risks losing control over its monetary supply on a massive scale.... Think about it: These two guys were carrying the gross domestic product of New Zealand or enough for three Beijing Olympics. If economies were for sale, the men could buy Slovakia and Croatia and have plenty left over for Mongolia or Cambodia....

"I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this great fortune. I will not squander it," he said.

You have lost half your wealth. The media hate you. The President, whom you supported, now calls you names and wants to raise your taxes. You can't even carry an Hermes bag in public anymore. It is a tough time to be rich. But don't fear. The good people at Forbes have come up with a "Survivor's Guide for the Affluent...."

A small but growing number of cash-strapped communities are printing their own money. Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses. The systems generally work like this: Businesses and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a discount — say, 95 cents for $1 value — and spend the full value at stores that accept the currency.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has introduced legislation that would "bar the dollar from being replace by any foreign currency." ... On Monday, Geithner and Bernanke both rejected the idea of a global currency in Congressional testimony. But in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Geithner indicated he was open to the idea.