out of the past 28.  That's Reagan and both Bushes.  You could even make a case for 26 of the past 28 if you include the 6 years the GOP controlled both houses of Congress during Clinton's terms of office.

(http://ec.europa.eu/euro/entry.html) every year or so.  Europeans have this nasty habit of reissuing their banknotes every several years, and invalidating the previous issues.  Sooner or later they'll do this with paper Euros as well, I suppose.

Especially China, holding so much US debt.  I can't believe the gall of US policy makers calling for China to revalue so rapidly when it would kill Chinese motivation to buy our debt.  Do they think that the trade balance will tip in such a way to compensate?  I don't understand that calculation at all.

c'est vrai mon ami.

says it all.  I see the preferences for asset value increases and financial shenanigans anecdotally just as much as I read about them in the paper.  In one paragraph, you summarized this country's defining ethos of the past 28 years.

Funny thing is, letting Gore continue Clinton's policies for another 8 years would've worked almost as well in the short term and better in the long term for the favored few.  What's the point of starving the goose for 8 years as you steal its golden eggs if the goose dies in the process?  If these guys haven't killed the goose, they've surely put it on life support.

Short-sightedness, arrogance, opportunism, and greed make for a lethal combination.

mutual funds. After an initial buy-in, small amounts can be invested monthly .

You can buy FDIC-insured CDs in foreign currencies (including Euros) or in a basket of foreign currencies, metals, foreign stocks, etc., all on-line.

are al Qaeda supporters?  That's quite a leap.

Care to back up that little gem of wisdom?

Next thing you knew, the N's had taken over America. LOL! Get real.

more of the same.

trailor houses that FEMA ended up having $200,000 in each of them by the time they paid to have the septic tank cleaned a lot and other miscellaneous things done to them?  

This government doesn't deserve to be in charge of anything to do with money.

The value of our dollar is down 36% since 2002.  They try to say that it doesn't matter because we don't buy overseas, but it does because some of what we buy comes from overseas like oil and some materials so it increases prices here.

I hear there's oil in it. How do those Canucks get it out? Never mind, we'll figure that out later.

Sucks.  This infuriates me.  Here we are, headed toward the banana-est of banana republic-ness, and not a peep from the FMI.

If we were a country of brown people, they'd be screaming and canceling our credit.

the deficit is there, but reflects smart investment,

By every measure, Spain has built more residential houses than it needs, and prices have gone up many times faster than incomes have.
   If you think that Spain doesn't have a housing bubble then you are unaware of the facts of the matter.

 But beyond that, Spain's current account deficit is even larger than America's as a percentage of GDP. It's the current account deficit that is the main reason for the fall in the dollar.

 Spain might bounce back despite the malinvest. But then the dollar might bounce back as well.
 I've haven't seen a good reason for either to happen.

The article singles out Spain, the U.K., Denmark and Sweden as the most vulnerable right now.

Spain and the UK are well known. I've also heard Ireland, Australia, and China.
 Denmark and Sweden are news to me.

...cause you do your homework. Funny, I never thought of the Euro as a stand alone currency -- but always in relation to the USD.

Now that I think of it, I don't really care what happens to the Euro other than its relationship to other currencies.

Since August, I've been buying holding the Euro (and GPY) in a 50:1 Forex account. The chart below (snapped the other day) shows net profits in the $300,000 range. It's the same chart I've Diaried here many times along the way (with lower profits).

I think the Euro bashing Jerome has documented is about pundit panic about the dollar crashing (and probably boils down to oil in the end).

I'm not sure a single currency can replace the Dollar. The Euro works for now -- but I see a synthetic world trading currency forming soon (a basket of several currencies, especially Asian). It's inevitable.

Meanwhile, consider my dilemma -- and the dilemma of banks everywhere.

I can't really sell and take profits because then I'd be holding Dollars. And holding Dollars is a hot potato on its way to worthless. IMHO

If the Feds lower interest rates this month, this account will make another $100,000.

It's the only sure thing I've ever experienced in the markets.

The dollar is based on the taxpayers of all of America. Not just California.
  The Euro is based on the economies of the euro-zone, but which taxpayers? Spainish citizens pay taxes that go to the Spanish treasury. German citizens pay taxes that go to the German treasury. They may share a currency, but their national budgets are very different.