Tell It To Al

It was a pleasure meeting John Snow  last week at an event put on by the Aurora, Colo., Economic Development Council.

He struck me as an affable economics professor. But as Treasury Secretary under President Bush he bears some responsibility for the mess we are in now.

And then, of course, after he left Washington,  this “conservative Republican economist” became chairman of Cerberus, a private equity firm that acquired Chrysler. And then he went begging for a government bailout.

Snow now warns that the U.S. economy faces a double-dip recession and may still need government support.

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How does anything get done in this country?

A recent survey by consulting firm  George S. May International Co. concluded that 41% of small business owners pay employees to “just show up.”

“Too many small businesses still reward employees for just showing up, for being a warm body every day,” said Paul Rauseo, managing director of George S. May International.

The firm also reports that 45% of small business owners say that are not profitable, too. Go figure.

Civility is something that all but disappeared in Washington D.C.  decades ago.  But Republican Sen. John McCain and Democrat Sen. Mark Udall maintain a calm discourse and even a life-long freindship against the tide of talk radio and blogger blabber. Click here to read column.

History may show that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is taking a bow just a little bit too early for saving the world from the next Great Depression.

Standing in a very slow-moving line at a McDonald’s at Denver International Airport, I observed and photographed this sign.

Then I suddenly lost my appetite.

After reading the sign, I couldn’t tell if the problem at this store lies with its management or its employees.

Either way, I don’t want to eat from a kitchen where people can be fired at the drop of a hat.

Fan can from Louisiana. Grant Gutierrez

I can’t see what all the fuss is about regarding the new Bud Light fan cans.

Anheuser-Busch is painting college team colors on it’s cans.  Click here to read the details in The Wall Street Journal.

Some schools are upset, fearing the fan cans will encourage binging and underage drinking.  But I say it’s important to get college kids drinking light beer before they all get hooked on booze.

Cash for clunkers grinds to a halt, and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke takes a bow for averting the next Great Depression. I talked about it on Denver’s 9News with anchor Shawn Patrick on Sunday morning. Here’s a replay:

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We gave banks tax dollars to save them from imminent doom.

Banks then slashed our credit limits and raised our rates.

Sure, they’ve got to get rid of some bad credit risks, but wasn’t all that bailout money supposed to keep credit flowing and keep our economy alive?

Here’s a guy who is taking a stand. Click here to read my column on Michael Hickman, a Chicago commodities trader suing Wells Fargo Bank, for cutting his home equity line of credit.

Watch out. Pineapples are prickly.

Dole Foods Co., now privately held, wants to sell stock to the public, but warns that it might not always have enough cash flow to pay its debts.

The food giant has $2 billion in debt and appears to be asking shareholders to step in where a lender or bond issuer may not.

Click here to read my column on Dole.

(PHOTO: Dole Foods.)

What grade would you give the economy?

On a “Money for Breakfast” panel this morning on Fox Business News (embedded below in two parts), I gave it a D-. Tom Petrie, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Vice Chairman, and Tom Kunz, Century 21 Real Estate President and CEO, gave it a B+.

PART II