Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sarah Palin…Great pick or Great Disaster?

So, John McCain shocked the world on Friday. The faces of everyone who thought that she should pick Romney, Ridge, or Paulenty the Arizona senator picked a little known governor from Alaska. She is pretty, feisty, smart, moralistic, and well…a woman. The GOP is loving this because they hope to gain Hilary supporters without losing their base. Brillant!

Not so fast. I liken this to a one night stand. At the time is feels great and you are loving life. When you wake up the next morning you realize just what you are stuck with (those 34 Nattie Lights went down so smooth, though.) I will admit that McCain swung for the fences with this one. Lets just see if it goes foul or stays fair (enough metaphors). I feel that Palin will create a lot of buzz and excitement through the GOP convention (if Gustov allows it to happen), yet as we become closer to election day, we are going to realize that Gov. Palin just does not have the experience to be president. Lets face it, McCain is 72 years old and has been battling various illnesses over the past few years. There is a strong chance he may die in office. So, we must ask ourselves if we can see Mrs. Palin sitting down with Putin, Ahmadi-Nejad, Jintao, or Chavez. I cannot. Is she prepared to understand the economic complexities that runs our nation (pending a fair tax implementation? Can she balance traveling the world and running the country and still have time for your downs-syndrome baby (Alaska allows for family time). I feel that as we get to know her more, we will like her spirit and motivation, but we will not be able to get past the fact that we cannot see her being the leader for our country.

More to come…

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

DNC Convention Day 3

Politics…Politics…Politics

I hope you can get used to it, because from here on out it will dominate the US until November 4th. Luckily, I love politics and this is where the fun starts.

Day 3 of the Democrat Convention has just ended and, while entertaining, nothing new was brought to light. It does not take much to figure out that I have Libertarian leaning philosophies. (Mark my words, I will always vote for the best available candidate no matter which party they come from. I have voted for democrats, republicans, and libertarians in the last 12 months.) So, I hope that I can listen to this rhetoric without too much bias. Except for the fact that, if Obama is elected, I hope you like socialism. The entire content of each speech is what government can give you. When will people realize that the government is THE MOST inefficient organization still in existence in the US. Why would anyone want this group of special interest patsies deciding what medical attention you need, how you should invest your money, how much money you make, etc…? I know that you are smarter than that! Take control of your own life and kick the government out of your life.

Still, there were some obvious problems with the various speeches tonight.

Bill Clinton – I will admit it, he was quite entertaining (even though Mic helle Obama would not agree). He said what he needed to say and it proved why he is one of the best public speakers in history. I may not agree with his politics, but if I have something to say, I want Bill to say it. Yet, this was just a rah, rah speech with very little substance to hang you hat on.

Various military personnel – This was obviously the night that the DNC wanted to show the country that there are actually some people in the military that are democrats. Too bad that they could not have coached them better on their speech content. Where they get the impression that Barack Obama is the best choice for Commander-in-Chief is lost to me. Just because Barack want to Walter Reed to visit our troops does not make him an expert on military strategy. It is not like he is the first politician to visit, so get off it. Also, they kept saying he went with no intent for political gain. BULL!!!!! Everyone with half a brain knows that the media watches his every move. So, he does not need to send out a press release for the entire nation to know where he is going. This was a calculated move that Obama is trying to exploit. Shameless.

Joe Biden – I like the man and I can understand why he would be a good guy to hang out with. But, can you get any more liberal? Oh yes, his name is Barak Obama. He made some very aggressive accusations. He stated that it was George Bush that ruined the economy. Really? Last time I checked the economy is not ruined, we are just have a correction to greedy financial companies who left conservative lending practices for quick profits. Sorry, no GWB here. He also said that THREE years ago, John McCain said that a time table is not the answer, but ONE year ago, Obama said that we need one. The current administration is now in conversations with Iraqi government on a time table, so Barak is right? I don’t think so. McCain made that comment THREE years ago!!!! The entire climate of the war was different than it was a year ago. This is a horrible comparison of apples and oranges.

These democrats are already trying to grab at anything that they can and seeing if it will stick. This does not bode well for them.

Don’t worry, I will have plenty to say about the Republicans next week.

God Bless

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to the Missouri Banker’s Blog! My goal is to provide an entertaining destination to discussion current financial and political events and ideas. I will probably through in my thoughts about my personal life and sports addictions along the way (especially my Missouri Tigers…MIZZOU RAH!).

Before I begin, you probably want to know a little bit about me and why I want to take some of my free time to tell you my thoughts.

My name is Sam Giroux and I am Loan Officer for Boone County National Bank (BCNB) in central Missouri. While the headquarters for BCNB is located in the town of Columbia, my branch is located in Hallsville, MO—about 10 minutes north of Columbia. BCNB is the regional bank leader for Boone County and parts of Cooper County to the west with over $1 Billion in average assets. We hold a market share of about 35% which is quite impressive given the large about of financial institutions in the market. Our philosophy is to provide every customer with Legendary Customer Service which is based on a 14 item list of Legendary Service Standards. I have been with BCNB for over 8 years and I am very proud to be part of this exceptional team.

On a personal level, I have been married to the love of my life for 5 years (we have been together for almost 10). We have 2 beautiful daughters, Elly (almost 3) and Beth (6 months). They keep us on our toes with their high level of activity and make sure we sleep well at night. I will admit that they have me wrapped around their fingers with their lovely smiles and convenient moments of affection. I am completely out numbered!

I am 28 years old and enjoy following politics and financial news. I am proud to announce that I am a former Republican yes man that has seen the light of the Libertarian Party. Don’t get me wrong, I vote for the person, not the party. Yet, Libertarian ideals encourage this behavior. I am a strong supporter of Bob Barr and think that the American public has been fooled by the false promises of both the Republican and Democratic Parties. They stump on the aspect of change when in fact that is the last thing on their mind. Keep reading while I go into more detail on many of my thoughts regarding this topic! I am an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal and watcher of CNBC. Our entire lives are either directly or indirectly affected by economics, that we must continue to watch the markets and understand how they work.

Still, there is a large place in my life for faith. I am a member of the Columbia United Church of Christ. Yes, the denomination of Obama. Don’t believe rev. Wright, the United Church of Christ is a church of acceptance of all of God’s creatures. We are all God’s creatures and who are we to judge each other. If God does not approve of your behavior, trust me that he will let you know in the end. As long as you are not infringing on others’ rights, I have no place telling you have to live your life. I will love you as I love God.

I will this post now and I hope you continue to visit as I touch on politics and financial issues in the coming days and weeks.

God bless.