LOL: A Laugh For a Downgrade

The debtocalyptic downgrade and the entire maddening political and economic milieu surrounding it has caused no end of headaches in the last few days, so here's something for a laugh -- even if it's of a wry, bitter variety.  Some wag has combined Obama's downgrade speech with Swedish pop singer Caroline af Ugglas' 1997 song "Nothing Left to Say."  (source)  The song starts about a minute into the (disastrous) speech:

LOL: the Debt Ceiling Rap

Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack, Song 24: Kathleen Stewart

OK, OK, I'm a day late and a dollar short -- but I only found it right now, OK?

This Tax Day song's just too good to ignore, though. Enjoy Kathleen Stewart's jazzy potshot at Tax Day with "The 1040 Blues." (song available free for listening online at the link)

Lyrics include: "The IRS has made a servant out of me . . . The more I make, the more the bureaucrats take . . . I got the 1040 blues."

Sing it, woman!

Oh, and she has more. Check out her song to the government: "It Ain't Your Money to Spend!"

The EU President and AC/DC

Oh, this is just too AWESOME!

Link dedicated to fellow AC/DC fan La Parisienne, currently in convalescence. Laughter is the best medicine, my dear!

Add "Highway to Hell" to the Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack!

Housing Mess: Mortgages, Homeowners, and Renters -- Plus a Rant and Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack!

There's a great little bit in the hilarious 2005 movie "Thank You For Smoking" where the Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes characters talk about how people do all kinds of stupid, possibly evil things "for the mortgage" -- as in, to pay it. A third character then jokes that the world might be a better place if more people rented. It's a fun bit from a fun movie, but these days the whole idea cuts a whole lot more deeply. I'm a renter, see!

We've all been talking a lot about the mortgage mess. Plenty of people are unhappy about it. Responsible homeowners -- who comprise the vast majority of mortgage holders -- are perfectly justifiable in being angry at the entire government plan to help out the delinquent ones. The Santelli rant and its sequel did touch a raw nerve. Moral hazard is everywhere. A few nights ago, comedian Jay Leno had a great bit in his monologue in which he talked about a friend of his who lived within his means and bought a house he could afford . . . "What an IDIOT!" Leno said, to great applause and laughter. Oh, it was funny, but it was the kind of funny that covers up the wince of truth.

Here's a bit more acerbic humor, courtesy of the Tennessee GOP, which has just made this bumper sticker:

Maybe they should also print a version that says "Honk if I'm paying your mortgage." (Great use of the Obama "O" too.) Anyway, the basic sentiment is the same: some people are ending up paying other people's mortgages.

OK, so responsible homeowners are irate, as they should be. 92% of homeowners are paying mortgages on time, versus 8% that are the rotten apple in the barrel. But hey! Not everybody in this country has a mortgage. LOTS of people -- myself included, with most of my friends -- are renters. What about these people? As taxpaying renters, we're going to be paying for delinquent homeowners' mortgages too. HONESTLY, THAT JUST TICKS ME OFF.

There's all this pious-sounding drivel coming from the government about "keeping people in their homes." Oh, yeah, you mean the homes they shouldn't have gotten in the first place? The homes they couldn't afford or the homes they foolishly bought on a financial gamble? (Is it time to flip off all the house-flippers?) Now some people can't pay their obligations, but we've all got to do something to keep them in those now-toxic houses? You can call me cold and cruel and heartless and mean and everything else, but I'm ranting. And I don't think this is a partisan political rant, either.

Here's a slice of reality from my universe. I rent an apartment. If I fall behind in my payments, guess what? I GET EVICTED FROM MY APARTMENT. Pure and simple, short and sweet, no whining, no arguing, no crying to the government, no sob stories about whatever -- I GET KICKED OUT OF MY PLACE IF I DON'T PAY THE RENT. End of story. Dude, who's going to help me pay my rent if I'm supposed to help people pay their stinky mortgages? (And don't tell me that the coming $13-a-week "tax cut" is going to do diddly squat for renting on the East Coast. It's a drop in the bucket.) So for all the wailing from those who have been reckless and now want rescue: CRY ME A RIVER. And cry another for all the other renters who are losing jobs, having their hours cut at work, seeing the price of everything (including rents) skyrocket, and fighting the good fight on their own.

And do you think there's no pain for people renting? no pain for people paying their mortgages on time? We're ALL economically pressed. Everybody I know is feeling the pinch. Nobody's helping us -- I pay my rent on my miserable nerd-income, and I do it all by myself every month with no assistance from anybody (the American Dream! and I actually wasn't being sarcastic). All my buddies and I are counting pennies and severely cutting back on expenses. But we're making our payments on time (and also paying our bills and maybe even managing to stash away a penny here and there). I feel as though all this doesn't even MATTER. It's that moral hazard again. Besides, now things are so bad everywhere that I might never have the chance to buy a house even if I wanted one later on (which I kind of don't) because houses will be artificially overpriced. Hello?

Don't even get me started on the loopy idea that everybody should own a house. This is a patently ludicrous idea, and for a really long time it was bolstered by the equally ludicrous idea that house values would always increase because they'd been increasing for a long time. NO, not everybody should own a house, and that's that.

Anyway, check out Megan McArdle's recent piece on the homeowner/renter divide.

Also, there's a new website called AngryRenter.Com -- no bonus points for guessing its nature and purpose. Here's their video:




End of rant. If you're in a peppery mood, you can check out Atlanta Tax Protest's own rant: "I got your mortgage support right here!"

I'm going to go listen to Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head" now as the new and 22nd track to the ongoing Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack. Better than actually banging my head against the wall! "I'm not a loser and I ain't no weeper"! Just an angry, self-reliant taxpaying renter.

Mad Minerva's Monday Monetary Madness Musical!

Like that alliteration, DID YOU?  Yes, I'd been waiting all weekend long so I could say that.  Now, without any further ado, I give you a vidiotic montage of songs for our daily dose of GLOBALFINANCIALAPOCALYPSEWE'REALLGOINGTODIEOMG.

First of all, an oldie but goodie and more appropriate than ever, "Gimme Some Money" by Spinal Tap:

Next, here is a fine contribution by a gentle reader, who wrote and sang this with some friends of his:

Follow that with a rollicking bit of folksy fun known as "I'm Changing My Name to Fannie Mae":

Finally, here is an amusing hip-hoppy, faux rap tune entitled "I Want My Bailout Money." It's a catchy tune:

Want more?  Go get some TARP! 

Got something to contribute?  Let me known in Comments below!

Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack, Song 21: Triumph

The latest track is inspired by Rick Santelli, increasing taxpayer unhappiness, and the various grass-roots taxpayer protests against the government's utterly monstrous orgy of spending otherwise known as bailouts and stimulus bills.  Plus "savior-based economics," pffffft!

The loyal opposition is finding its voice, as well it should.

I give you . . . "Fight the Good Fight" by Triumph. 

Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack, Song 20: the Friendly Indians

Don't bother sending me nasty emails about the political correctness (or not) of the band's name. They picked it, not me.

Anyway, in the wake of the unbelievable Congressional hullabaloo over the enormity that is the stimulus bill, I give you a new track for the apocalypse mix. Here is "I Know You Know" by the Friendly Indians. It's a little ditty, really, used as the theme song for the delightful TV show "Psych." Here are some of the lyrics:

In between the lines there's a lot of obscurity.
I'm not inclined to resign to maturity.
If it's all right, then you're all wrong.

. . . I know you know that I'm not telling the truth.

Oh, too true. Plus it's such a cheerfully bouncy tune!

Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack, Song 19: Chic

I'm relaunching the soundtrack!

Today's pick? The old 1970s song by Chic, "Le Freak." Why? Because the chorus is too perfect for these emotionally pressurized times: "AHHHHHHH . . . FREAK OUT!"

Hey, nowadays, it really is chic to panic.

As ever, feel free to make suggestions in Comments.

The 2008 choices are these, in order:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
• "Push" (Matchbox Twenty)
• "Kyrie Eleison" (the liturgy or Mr. Mister)
• "Hell's Bells" (AC/DC)
• "Little Drop of Poison" (Tom Waits)
• "Supermassive Black Hole" (Muse)
  

Friday Fun Video + Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack, Song 18: "I Want Some TARP!"

Via the TaxProf Blog comes this amusing musical comment on the $700 billion Hank Paulson boondoggle now known as TARP. After listening to this, I think I might have to restart my Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack (now with its own blog category tag for your convenience!). This will be Song 18 on it.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 17: Muse

It's been a long time since he last addition to the Apocalypse Mix. I haven't had much inspiration, and I've been lacking a sense of humor about the ongoing money mess. Frankly, it's been easier to get angry or depressed than snarky and feisty.

BUT! You can't keep a good woman down, and I'm back with the latest sarcastic musical response to Paulson's Follies and the general GLOBALFINANCIALDOOMOMGWE'REALLGOINGTODIE.

I give you the oh-so-aptly named "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse. Yes, that just about describes the financial situation (as previously noted by the indispensable Onion too).

Also, given Paulson's bait-and-switch about the $700 billion bailout, check out the lyrics: "You caught me under false pretenses." Heck, yeah.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
• "Push" (Matchbox Twenty)
• "Kyrie Eleison" (the liturgy or Mr. Mister)
• "Hell's Bells" (AC/DC)
• "Little Drop of Poison" (Tom Waits)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 16: Tom Waits

It's time for another tune on the Soundtrack of Doom, especially since all this recent political yapping about "redistribution of wealth" has infuriated me. That's a rant for another post, really, but for now I will say this: if you want wealth, get out there and make your own. Get your grasping little socialist paws off mine (what little there is of it, admittedly!).

Today's musical selection: "Little Drop of Poison" by Tom Waits. Lyrics include the glorious lines "Here you lose a little every day . . . They all have ways to make you pay!" Well, isn't THAT the truth?

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
• "Push" (Matchbox Twenty)
• "Kyrie Eleison" (the liturgy or Mr. Mister)
• "Hell's Bells" (AC/DC)

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 15: AC/DC

Last night on the phone, the lovely La Parisienne wanted to know why AC/DC hadn't yet appeared on the apocalypse music list, so I promised her that it would today.

I give you her suggestion: "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
• "Push" (Matchbox Twenty)
• "Kyrie Eleison" (the liturgy or Mr. Mister)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 14: "Kyrie Eleison"

Today's selection is indeed "Kyrie Eleison."

Now you might be asking yourself: "Does MM mean the liturgy or the Mr. Mister song?" The answer is YES. Choose whichever one you please. Both are equally applicable!

Personally, I'm floundering (now is a very, very bad time of the school term, in addition to everything else that's going on), and I could really use some divine assistance . . . !

Everything seems to be going wrong everywhere. OK, maybe I exaggerate. But lots of things do seem to be going haywire, and I feel besieged.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
• "Push" (Matchbox Twenty)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 13: Matchbox Twenty

This is an old song, but I still love it. You know, I remember when it was brand-new. I'm a fossil.

Part of the lyrics evoke (for me, anyway) the feelings of the unhappy modern American taxpayer ("I've been cheated . . . I've been wronged"). Another part of the lyrics seems to resonate with the whole idea of nonsensical, money-grubbing, power-grabbing policymakers and their attitude toward that unhappy American taxpayer ("I want to push you around . . . I want to push you down . . . I want to take you for granted . . . I will, I will!")

I give you . . . "Push" by Matchbox Twenty.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
• "Dr. Feelgood" (Motley Crue)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 12: Motley Crue

It's time for another song! How about a little ditty sarcastically dedicated to Henry Paulson?

I give you . . . "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 11: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Today's tune for our fiddling while financial Rome burns? (By the way, here's the latest news that might make your skin crawl: the government is set to take an ownership stake in banks. Nationalizing banks?)

This morning's selection for the "Financial Apocalypse Soundtrack" is in honor of the Kamikaze Editor, who suggested this via text message recently. She gets the shout-out today since tonight she and I (along with La Parisienne) will be having our now-usual Thursday night text conversation across America while we're all three watching -- I don't need to tell you, do I? -- that guilty pleasure, "Supernatural."

Fire up your iPods and take a listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic song, "Bad Moon Rising."

If I'm going to die in the GLOBALMONETARYDOOMSDAY!!!!, I might as well do so with some sassy style and humor. Like Petronius. (Unlike the delightfully irrepressible Petronius, I have a much better musical collection to amuse me.)

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• "Save Me" (Remy Zero)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 10: Remy Zero

I think the title of today's selection is applicable to so many people in SO MANY WAYS -- economic, academic, social, you name it!

I give you . . . "Save Me" by Remy Zero. (Somebody bail me out. I'm too nerdy to fail!)

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
• "Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 9: Tom Petty

The Dow plummeted 800 points today before clawing its way back up to end the day by "only" being down nearly 400 points. Meanwhile, markets around the world are dropping like stones.

I can't help myself. Here's a new track for the soundtrack: "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (what an appropriate name for the band too).

Oh, by the way, a message for all the people who seem surprised that the $700 billion bailout wasn't a panacea, a silver bullet, or an instant fix. WELL, DUH!

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
• "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.

Nerdworld Soundtrack, Bailout/Financial Apocalypse Edition, Part 8: Ted Nugent

Yes, the Nuge himself makes an appearance on the list since the title of this one particular song seems all too fitting. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little obnoxious old-school rock-and-roll on a Monday morning when I'm in a nasty temper (and when pretty little songs by Jewel, Sara Evans, Andrea Bocelli, or Sting just won't do).

I give you plenty of attitude and grinding guitars with . . . "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent.

Previous tracks in my list of Music for Money Madness were:

• "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult)
• "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" (R.E.M.)
• "Crazy" (Alanis or Seal)
• "Burning Down the House" (Talking Heads)
• "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" (Kylie Minogue)
• "Götterdämmerung" (Richard Wagner)
• "I Wanna Be Sedated" (the Ramones)
  

As always, feel free to suggest even more songs in Comments.