More than one way to skin “El Gato”!

It seems like only a few weeks ago, when the price of a barrel of crude oil was broaching nearly $150.  In those days, actually July 11th, 2008, Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez, Gloia Arroyo and others throughout the third world were all quite giddy that they were stealing directly out of US banks “and putting that cash into their pockets”.  Much like in “Glen Garry Glen Ross”….it seemed as if “the leads” were the only true tail of the tape.

While Americans sat on nearly $5 dollar a gallon gasoline….these third world bullies all laughed.  Their coffers were growing exponentially and even people like T. Boone Pickens were tauting wind, solar and natural gas power to quell the cash outflow.  But who were the guys pushing the prices of energy out the window?  Hedge Fund and Derivative Traders,  Sub-Prime Mortgage Bankers like Goldman-Sachs, Morgan Stanley and the like that were quickly liquidating their “Toxic Assets” and stashing them into Crude Oil and Energy Companies, Oil Companies, Auto Companies…..ooops…did we say Auto Companies?

“All in” the “Crude Price” fell like a rock.  As soon as these wonderful world bankers found out that their investments were being tracked by the SEC and other government entities…..”stuff happened”!  They were out of those stocks faster than a speeding bullet and into Gold and Silver and Platinum.  Does anyone really think Gold is worth $1000 dollars an ounce or $2500 dollars a ounce….expecially when they make it all day for $40 bucks an ounce in China?

Remember how Hugo Chavez was pushing his weight around?  Remember how Vladimir Putin said “the old days of the USSR….are baaaccckkkk!”?  Then what happened?  Oh the Chevy Volt (to-be) , the Toyota Prius and other vehicles became all the rage, “anything” that got better than 40 MPG.  How about those big truck gas guzzlers, Hummers and gigantic SUV’s?  The way of Hugo Chavez….the way of the Venezulan economy.  The way of the world economy and the way of the future – for American Auto Makers.

Well, people panicked didn’t they?  People bought oil futures for $113 dollars a barrel.  Many companies are still strapped to those prices, by the way! “People” were truly afraid that oil would go to $250 dollars a barrel.  “People” thought at those prices, no one in the world could afford heating oil for the tough winters ahead.  At those prices by the way, they would be quite correct.  At those prices, a typical gallon of gasoline might cost upwards of $10 dollars a gallon.  At those prices, the average heating bill per month might hit something like $1200 a month.  It would probably be OK for “Rich People”…but for the great “Middle Class” losing their jobs…it could be a “Death Knell”.  How many blankets would granny need to keep warm?

In any event, things have changed.  Hugo Chavez, Vlad Putin and the other “demogogues of new rich oil barons” have been silenced for the time.  At $35 dollars a barrel and a production cost of nearly $40 dollars….right now selling oil is costing those countries $5 bucks a barrel.  If we really wanted to hurt them, we could drop the demand to maybe $28 bucks a barrel which would bury these slime in a couple of years.

The issues are simply this:  “We need to work together!”, “The days of Greed are over!”, “Making the world safe and affordable is our first principle of good citizenship!”  “We need to build things in the United States, so that people will have jobs, so they can buy things!”  “We need an American made Automobile that is the envy of the world, for both power and fuel economy!”

So, old “El Gato” Chavez wants to change the laws so he can be “El Grande Coca Cola” forever.  Who does he think he is: Michael Bloomberg?  Let’s just hope that “everyone” finally will see the light.  Let’s hope that the 10th Stimulus bill will finally be effective and bring a few good jobs back to the United States of America.  Let’s pray, that at last “the electeds” understand that they don’t work for lobbyists or their highest contributors!  Let’s get the guts to throw those out that do not understand that concept.  Right now, Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin are feeling the pressure.  Betting on Black and saying you are “all in” is probably not the best strategy in 2009!