Frosty Wooldridge, writing at NewsWithViews.com, has the same kind of attitude I do, and has titled a recent essay, in all-capital letters, “BAILOUTS: A COMPLETE FRAUD AGAINST THE AMERICAN WORKER” which is certainly attention-getting…

As I ponder the twin taxpayer shakedowns of the “stimulus” bill and “Son of TARP,” a couple of impertinent questions cross my mind.

I’m keeping an eye out for financial Black Swans this month — more than usual.

A wave of government bailouts around the world and a sharp deterioration in existing infrastructure could lead to as much as $35 trillion in public works spending over the next 20 years, according to a new study by CIBC World Markets.

The winds of feigned outrage promise to blow hard from Washington, D.C. today.  The new president will announce limits on executive pay for companies slopping at the TARP trough.  And at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Congresscritters will hold hearings on Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

A boom is coming, says Ted Peroulakis. Unfortunately, it’s a boom in inflation. It looks increasingly like the Fed will have to print its way out of this economic crisis. And the huge national debt burden will need to be inflated away. Ted says investors can protect themselves against this trend by holding the ultimate currency: gold.

Now, I’m no banking analyst, but that gap on my resumé is starting to look like a very good thing indeed. For who’d want to be stuck with the title “Banking Stock Analyst” now the banks are all broke…? Unless you already wanted to work for government anyway.

The world economy is experiencing the severe consequences of decades of monetary abuse, says Russel McDougal. And government stimulus plans, combined with the Fed’s unlimited ability to print fiat money, will just lead us towards an “epic disaster”. 

Obama’s stimulus plan will only end up making a sick patient even sicker, says Jon Herring. But that won’t stop it happening. Jon says infrastructure firms stand to benefit in the short run. But the real long-term winners will be companies that benefit from rising inflation.

Americans are becoming used to seeing our money get sucked into a government-created whirlpool of debt and frivolous spending. A trillion dollars used to be a lot of money, but after the last few months, it is nothing. Get out your checkbook, Uncle Sam.