Is High-Frequency Trading Pillaging Your Portfolio?

There's an underground investment world lurking in the bowels of Wall Street's biggest firms. It's a world that the vast majority of investors have never heard of ― and its participants could be pillaging your investment profits on a daily basis. 

That said, there's a way out for smart investors… I'll tell you what it is in a minute.

High-Frequency Trading (HFT) is a not-so-new trend that's been causing a frenzy among the minority of investors who have heard about it. With HFT, firms use sophisticated computer systems to analyze markets and execute trades at ultra-high speeds ― sometimes in a matter of nanoseconds.

These systems make money for their firms by making a very small profit on a very high volume of stocks. That adds up to a lot of money…some estimate that firms like Goldman Sachs, one of the leading firms in HFT, make up to a quarter of their profits from high-frequency trading.

And all of that activity has a big effect on individual investors.

It's estimated that in 2009 HFT accounts for approximately 50% of transactions on exchanges like the NYSE and NASDAQ. All of that volume has monumentally increased the volatility of stocks according to a recent whitepaper on toxic equity order flow by Themis Trading. "Volatility has skyrocketed. The markets' average daily price swing year to date is about 4% versus 1% last year. Recent spreads on S&P 500 stocks have doubled compared to earlier in the year," the paper explains.

That's a frightening statistic when you consider the fact that much of the downside in that 4% price swing is being absorbed by investors who aren't sophisticated enough to counter the big firms. But that's not the whole story…

While most investors are familiar with major stock markets like the NYSE or NASDAQ, did you know that there are a number of other exchanges out there, like the Boston Stock Exchange, the International Securities Exchange, or the BATS Exchange? That's not to mention the Electronic Communications Networks (ECNs) and dark pools that act like under-the-radar clearinghouses for big firms who want to keep their trades hidden.

There's nothing nefarious about these alternative exchanges or firms' desire to keep their trades away from predatory traders ― but when you consider the fact that these off-exchange trading options account for nearly 75% of the volume of NYSE stocks, it's disconcerting to think about just how much impact these underground trading options have on the prices of the stocks that the vast majority of regular people invest in.

The Unfair Advantages of HFT

Access to underground exchanges isn't the only unfair advantage that high-frequency traders have. They also have faster execution speeds thanks to a growing trend known as co-location.

With co-location, firms get to rent server space right next to the servers that process trades for the exchanges themselves. And it's becoming big business for the exchanges, which are hungry for more revenues in this era of increased competition. The New York Stock Exchange is currently in the process of building two cutting-edge trading hubs ― one in suburban New Jersey and another just outside of London � at a price tag of $500 million.

That closeness to the exchange's servers only gives HFTs an edge of a couple nanoseconds ― but for firms who measure their trades in microseconds or less, that's a hugely valuable advantage. Up to now, the SEC hasn't stepped in to regulate the practice of co-location.

Another unfair advantage of high-frequency traders is the way they make profits. While there are a number of different kinds of HFTs (including liquidity rebate traders, automated market makers, program traders, and predatory algorithm traders), each with their own profit strategy, the method of choice often either involves making marginally unprofitable trades in order to collect a larger "rebate" from the exchange or legally tricking other large players into buying recently-bought shares at a higher-price.

While many proponents of HFT argue that firms who trade at these volumes add a lot of liquidity to the markets, the fact remains that the liquidity they add isn't healthy ― it's often mispriced because of market information asymmetries that big firms (and smaller, more aggressive firms) can take advantage of.

The Secret to Avoiding HFTs Pitfalls

If you're nervous about the impact high-frequency trading will have on your portfolio, don't be. There are a couple of things you can do to avoid getting bitten by the big program traders.

First, do your homework. Using solid fundamental analysis gives you the advantage of qualitative, not just quantitative, research. And know that on an individual level, the effects of HFTs on your trades are incredibly small. As long as your share price is justified by a strong investment case, you have nothing to worry about.

Another way to avoid HFT manipulation is to take a look at small-caps. High-frequency traders rely on heavily traded blue chips to make their marginal gains. When you invest in smaller stocks that stay under the radar of program traders, you can discount any effects they have on your investments.

While high-frequency trading continues to get the financial media's attention, it's likely we'll see some more much-needed regulation in the field. Until then, following these tips will keep you one step ahead of the fastest traders on "The Street."

 

source from: http://www.gokandy.com/

Access to this Secret Meeting Will Land You a Fortune

It all goes down on December 7...

... In what could be the most high-powered, most secretive meeting of the century.

They'll assemble behind closed doors in a secured Copenhagen location... members of the Saudi Royal Family, high-ranking Israeli officials with ties to the Mossad... even former members of the KGB's inner circle.

The purpose of this unprecedented summit? You might suspect it's over arms, oil reserves or even precious metals...

But it's nothing like that at all. In fact, this meeting will determine how we go about our daily lives:

• Which cars we'll be able to drive...
• How many hours we can run hot water in our homes...
• How much we pay in electricity bills each month... and to whom we'll end up writing out the checks.

Now, to those vaguely familiar, this meeting carries the very non-threatening moniker, Conference of Parties.

But to insiders -- and those who know what's really going on behind those closed doors -- it's known as COP-15.

And while it may sound cryptic so far, this truly is an event of epic proportions. One that will most certainly alter the way we live... and if played right, one that could earn you a piece of a global market worth a staggering $45 trillion.

In fact, in the next few minutes, I'm going to show you exactly what's going to go down in these meetings... and -- more importantly -- the first of many COP-15 plays that could deliver...

Gains of nothing less than
112% in the next 6 months

And these gains are practically etched in stone, too.

How can I make such a claim?

Because it's already happened before...

You see, these very same men got together before -- in a similarly secured setting -- to do the exact same thing they're planning to do this  December: to draft rules and regulations governing the products you use, the energy you buy, and the companies that supply it all.

But here's the rub...

Investors who got in on the inside the first time around -- and positioned themselves before the meetings actually began -- walked away with fortunes.

These are the folks who loaded loaded up, at just the right time, on stocks like:

• Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer, which grew from $160/share in 2005 (the year this program went into effect) to $700 just two years later. That's a gain of 438%.

• Sunways, a leading photovoltaic cell producer, which went from $1.50 per share in 2003 to over $26 for the same shares in 2006: a remarkable 1,700% gain.

• Climate Exchange PLC, one of the world's leading environmental exchanges, which soared from $200/share in 2005 to over $2500 by mid-2007. That's a 1,250% profit.

But as impressive as those gains were, they're nothing compared to what's coming down the pike this time around...

Because when COP-15 assembles in Denmark this December, their plan will be ten times as ambitious as their previous effort.

And that could mean ten times the potential earnings.

Here's what I mean...

World's Economic Powerhouses Getting Set to Cash In

Back in 2008, Morgan Stanley, Citi and JP Morgan were given the insider scoop on COP-15's agenda.

We don't know what management's personal reaction was to the information they received...

But we do know that what they learned was so lucrative, and so urgent, that the three financial giants quickly mapped out their entire lending strategy through the year 2050 -- just to be in synch with the $45 Trillion global trend that COP-15 is singlehandedly responsible for.

And what is this trend?

Well, it's actually based on a well-orchestrated global movement designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But that's not the important part.

The important part is that in order for this movement to gain any kind of traction, one particular industry will have to go from specialty niche to the biggest force behind 21st century economics... in less than a decade.

That industry is Cleantech...

And today, cleantech investors are about to make more money in a matter of months than most people will in their entire lives -- thanks almost entirely to COP-15!

So let's get to it, because...

The World's Savviest, Wealthiest Deal-Makers
Are Already Scrambling for Position

In fact, just 9 days after Citi, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley reworked their lending strategies and instituted a set of carbon principles that would make it nearly impossible for carbon-intensive power projects to get financing (in accordance with COP-15's initiatives)...

More than 450 institutional investors and CEOs rushed to the United Nations' Headquarters in New York to evaluate their standing under these new Carbon Principles.

Of course, by that time COP-15's early plans were already underway, and Cleantech momentum had already begun.  The fact is...

• Venture Capital investment in Cleantech has increased by a factor of 16 since 2001 -- nearly doubling between 2006 and 2008 -- the year the credit crisis struck.

• Former White House Chief of Staff and leader of Obama's transition team has advised the new administration to invest an additional $100 billion in this emerging industry.

• In his February address to the Joint Session of Congress, the President himself stated that the nation, which leads in this field, "will lead the 21st century," and pledged $15 billion of annual federal stimulus to just two of the many branches of this movement.

Now let me be absolutely clear about this...

The big players are gearing up. The rush of capital is already well underway. And the opportunity for investors like you to capitalize big time is closing fast.

So let's cut to the chase. Here's...

The Single Investment Designed to Maximize COP-15's Extraordinary Investment Potential

Look, it won't take long for the institutions I mentioned above to take their billions in investment capital -- and trillions in profits -- and move on without you.

So here's what we've uncovered...

It's the one investment that will give you front row seats to the biggest COP-15 gains, even before the first heavy hitters walk through those doors in Copenhagen on December 7.

Essentially, this is the first major trade coming out of COP-15, and it's currently trading around $20 a share.

What makes this trade so attractive is that it allows you to tap into every single Cleantech sector in every corner of the world.  Plus, this one play actually gives you direct access to nearly every publicly-traded company that's aligned with the COP-15 agenda. 

Of course, this trade won't hang at its heavily discounted share price for long.

Because once all those U.S.-based fund managers, brokerage houses, and day traders get up to speed, demand could triple this thing in a matter of days.

And this explosion could literally come at any time, as...

The Industry That'll Rule the 21st Century...
Spreads Its Influence Across the Globe

Make no mistake about the tremendous bite behind COP-15's bark.

I mentioned above that COP-15 will drive a market 10 times as big as the one that lead to already impressive gains in recent years.

You see, now that an emissions reduction target of 50% has been approved by the global community, COP-15 will now have 10 times the effect of all previous attempts at regulating the global carbon footprint.

In fact, the effect of the Kyoto Protocol, whose policies spurred the gains I showed you earlier, are actually insignificant by comparison to what COP-15 has in store.

How is that possible?

It's very simply, actually.

After 100 years of dependence on fossil fuels, there's one emerging crisis that COP-15's policies must now address: the crisis of dwindling crude reserves, and the imminent end to cheap oil.

Everything is being reconsidered:

• The way we create electricity
• The way we power our vehicles
• The way we store and buy our energy
• The way we synthesize plastics
• The way in which we build the buildings where we work and live

And our unique investment has set the stage to capitalize on all of this.

It cuts right to the heart of all these changes by investing in the most mobile, most profitable, most essential of the industries addressing these issues.

Get your share today, and you'll instantly be able to...

Gain a Profitable Foothold in a Market that Knows NO Borders

Here's the deal...

COP-15 is a pre-planned arrangement that spans the world.  

From the Balkans to Australia, from Argentina to Korea -- 192 countries will be represented in Copenhagen this coming December.

And because of the very serious economic implications of this meeting - its global effects will actually have the same hold that nations' laws have on their citizens.

The result?

Any company ill-suited for the post-COP-15 environment will be starved of necessary government support and private investment...

And will ultimately wither and die.

However, the companies aligned with COP-15's policies beforehand will be the frontrunners as this new market emerges.

For you, that means the opportunity to get in early -- and milk every penny that's going to come out of this new economic era.

It's just a matter of...

Knowing Exactly What the Insiders are Doing

And that's why I want to give you a free copy of my latest report: The $45 Trillion Trade: COP-15's First Winner.

In this report, you'll see exactly how to leverage COP-15 to your advantage.

In fact, I'll even show you specifically which COP-15-supported Cleantech sectors will make you the most money, both before the meeting goes down in December -- and after.

We're talking about...

• High-output alternative energy production: Technologies which, in the decades to come, are destined to replace all conventional, fossil-fuel-based power generation.
• Semiconductors: Essential to more efficient delivery and usage of energy in everything from toasters and water heaters to the power plants themselves.
• Water treatment: As the collective thirst of the world's people and industry continues to spike, as supply continues to dwindle, the market for fresh water has been predicted by many to eclipse oil within three decades.

And to avoid the pitfalls of market instability, this report (as well as our entire investment strategy) actually focuses strictly on the most powerful, cutting edge firms advancing to new and emerging international markets...

Markets that, unlike our own economy, are predicted to grow for decades to come... no matter how hard the recession or future economic downturns hit U.S. shores.

Bottom line: This report details a full investment package that takes advantage of aggressive technological expansion instigated by COP-15... while protecting your wealth from current and future domestic instability.

It's actually a strategy that we've been using with great success for nearly a decade now.

Here our some of our most recent payoffs...

Not too shabby.

Although I must admit, this year has been exceptionally profitable.

In fact, those who have been utilizing our strategy are enjoying...

55% Average Gains Since November 2008

But I have to tell you... the potential for even bigger gains is much greater than anything we've seen before.

In fact, in recent months, we've closed five consecutive double-baggers. 

We're even sitting on top of a 300% winner right now... and continuing to watch it climb higher. Of course, the investment advice you receive about this high-level meeting could net you several winners that big!

And with COP-15 right around the corner -- the real money is only now starting to roll in. You see, the changes we've been anticipating as a result of the Copenhagen meeting are coming fast, and our COP-15 plays are starting to making some serious waves.

But the best part is -- both the domestic and international stocks we've been playing are just as easy to buy as Google or GE -- on U.S. exchanges, in dollars -- but with far more profit potential than even the biggest domestic stocks can claim.

You see, when we pinpoint these best-in-class Cleantech companies, we not only profit from America's best companies -- but the top publicly-traded Cleantech firms across the globe.  

Of course, we also spend an extraordinary amount of time traveling the globe... getting to know all markets -- both foreign and domestic -- intimately. 

So while most analysts these days never even leave the comfort of their cushy leather chairs in climate-controlled office suites, we're circling the globe...

• Talking to street merchants in far-flung places like Estonia, Colombia and Jordan to see what light bulbs they're using, what kind of cars they're buying, and what kind of fuel their cars run on...
• Having beers with Chinese wind farm developers, and visiting wind turbine manufacturing facilities in Denmark.
• Translating biofuel deals between Mexican farmers and Israeli traders at South American energy conferences.

Our team is even fluent in 8 foreign languages, allowing us to get to places where English-only researchers can't find the nearest bathroom, let alone a little-known stock opportunity.

And now, as COP-15 approaches -- we truly are at the forefront of a "game changing" opportunity. And one in which we can help you...

Build Your Own Personal Fortune...
off the CleanTech Industrial Revolution

My name is Jeff Siegel, co-founder and publisher of Green Chip International -- the world's first and only independent international Cleantech research service.

Along with my colleagues -- renewable energy expert Nick Hodge and international Cleantech guru Sam Hopkins -- we've built up quite a track record scoring major gains in the global Cleantech market. And the report we want to give you today: The $45 Trillion Trade: COP-15's First Winner -- will enable you take full advantage of this history-making opportunity.

All you have to do to get this report -- at absolutely no charge -- is accept this invitation to test out Green Chip International. 

As soon as you do, you'll instantly receive access to this exclusive COP-15 report, as well as a username and password for the Green Chip International website, where you can view past research reports and keep track of every COP-15 stock in the Green Chip International portfolio.

In addition, every week you'll receive detailed updates on the COP-15 companies in the Green Chip International portfolio. You'll learn how they're doing, the latest in their research, and any breakthroughs or developments that come in the sector.

Plus, the second we decide to add or sell a company, we'll contact you -- instantly.

You'll know at what price to get in, how much you should expect to make, and most importantly, when to sell.

Even if that means shooting out an e-mail from an internet café in Estonia while most are just getting out of bed...

Or calling our team back in Baltimore from a payphone in South Korea at 2:00 in the morning...

Our number one concern is getting your e-mail alerts into your mailbox in time for you to maximize your gains. Because that, my friend, is what separates the men from the boys in this game. 

You're simply not going to find an investment service with that kind of commitment anywhere else.

Still, I'll give it to you straight. The urgency of this information and the level of service by which we keep you informed is not cheap.

After all, considering we spend more time travelling across the globe than we do in our home office in Baltimore, these travel expenses add up pretty quickly.

Truth is, this kind of global investment research is expensive and time-consuming. We go to great lengths to pass on our very best research and recommendations. And our members pay just a fraction of what it costs us to deliver this level of globe-trotting research.

But since you're already an Angel Publishing subscriber, I want to extend you a heavily discounted rate of $249.

That's a full 50% off the regular subscription rate of $499.

And if that price is too much to pay upfront, you can always use our economical quarterly billing option. Pay just $79 per quarter for as long as you remain a member. 

Plus, if you order now, we'll send you a copy of my new book, Investing in Renewable Energy (Wiley Publishing), absolutely FREE.

I co-authored this book with Nick Hodge and energy expert Chris Nelder (co-author of the best-selling book, Profit From the Peak).  It's been acclaimed as a "renewable energy lifestyle and investment roadmap for the next century." Greenskeptic.com describes it as full of "worthy information... worth having on your shelf."

But most importantly, we want to make sure you cash in on the international Cleantech boom today.

That's why we're guaranteeing...

6 Double-digit Gains During Your First Year of Membership

I signed on to your service only 2 months ago and have already got a gain that pays your fee for years. -- Verner

We're so confident that our niche investment research will bring you phenomenal returns, we're guaranteeing at least six double baggers within your first 12 months as a Green Chip International member... or we'll completely waive your entire second year's subscription fee.

If after one year of reading Green Chip International, you haven't averaged at least one double-digit gain every two months, just give us a call... we'll give you a second year at no cost.

Why would we do this?

Two reasons:

First, we have absolutely no doubt that we can deliver six double-digit gains within a year of your membership. In fact, the total return of our current portfolio is in double-digits for this year -- one of the worst in the Dow's history. Most of our recommendations have returned between 30% and 50% in 2009, and triple digits aren't uncommon.

But now, with the scope of COP-15's influence on the markets,  you're very likely to exceed that number.

And second, we're more concerned about you making money than anything else. Because let's face it: if you're making money from Green Chip International's COP-15 plays, you'll stay with us for a long time to come.

It's really quite simple... we continue to make money when you continue to make money.

Complete 100% Satisfaction... or Your Money Back

So here's what we're willing to offer you as a new Green Chip International Member:

•  The full Green Chip International portfolio
•  Our latest report: The $45 Trillion Trade: Cop-15's First Winner
•  Weekly updates and recommendations
•  Immediate access to 3 additional bonus reports: The Global Green Energy Gold Rush, Red Hot Profits from Green China, and Going Green: A Global Perspective
•  A FREE copy of my new book, Investing in Renewable Energy
•  Real-time video updates from Sam Hopkins as he travels the globe in full pursuit of the best ways to make money in the fast-paced international renewable energy markets

If, for any reason, you're not satisfied with our service, we'll refund 100% of your money within the first 30 days -- no questions asked.

And, because you're already part of our family of e-letters, you can even hang on to your free copy of Investing in Renewable Energy if you cancel our service. It's yours to keep.

And remember... if you follow the investment research published every week in Green Chip International for a full year, and you don't score at least six double-digit gains, we'll give you your second year's service, absolutely free.

So if you're ready to join this elite group of international Cleantech investors, let's get to work.

Hunky Dory

Whenever the herd mentality lines up along a compass point leading to "permanent prosperity," or a yellow brick road lined with green shoots, or something like that, I tend to see the edge of a cliff up ahead. We are now completely in the grips of the deadly diminishing returns of information technology.  The more information comes to us about How Things Are, especially from TV, the more confused or wrong the conventional view gets it.

A broad consensus has formed in the news media and among government mouthpieces and even some "bearish" investors on the street that "the worst is behind us" in this tortured economy.  This view is completely crazy.  It will only lead to massive disappointment a few weeks or months from now, and that disappointment might easily transmute to political trouble.  One even might call the situation tragic, except a closer look at the sordid spectacle of what American culture has become ― a non-stop circus of the seven deadly sins ― suggests that we deserve to be punished by history.

The reason behind this mass delusion is not hard to find: it's based on wishing, especially the wish to retain all the comforts, conveniences, luxuries, and leisure that had become normal in American life.  These are now ebbing away in big gobs for most of the population ― while a tiny fraction of the well-connected pile on ever larger heaps of swag, enjoying ever more privilege. Those in the broad bottom 95 percent were content as long as there was a chance that they, too, could become members of the top five percent ― by dint of car-dealing, or house-building, or mortgage-selling, or some other venture enabled by easy credit and a smile.  Those days and those ways are now gone.  The bottom 95 percent are now left with de-laminating houses they can't make payments on, no prospects for gainful work, re-po men hiding in the bushes to snatch the PT Cruiser, cut-off cable service, Kraft mac-and-cheese (if they're lucky), and Larry Summers telling them their troubles are over. (If I were Larry, I'd start thinking about a move to some place like the Canary Islands.)

Too many disastrous things are lined up in the months ahead to insure that we're entering a new phase of history: The Long Emergency.

• Government at every level is worse than broke.
  

• Our currency, the US dollar, is hemorrhaging legitimacy.
  

• Inability to service old debt at all levels or incur new debt.
  

• Bad (toxic) debt lurking off balance sheets everywhere.
  

• The housing bubble fiasco is far from over.
  

• Unemployment rising implacably.
  

• So-called "consumers" unable to consume consumables.
  

• Crucial energy import supply lines fragile.
  

• Food supply subject to energy problems and climate abnormalities.
  

• A world full of other societies who would enjoy watching us fail and suffer.

When The Long Emergency was published in 2005, I said then that the greatest danger this society faced would be its inclination to gear up a campaign to sustain the unsustainable at all costs ― rather than face the need to make new arrangements for daily life.  That appears to be exactly what has happened, and it didn't happen under the rule of some backward-facing, right-wing, Jesus-haunted crypto-fascist, but rather a "progressive" party led by a dynamically affable young man unburdened by deep cultural allegiance to Wall Street.

The broader question of where we go as a nation pulses with tragedy. History is clearly presenting us with a new set of mandates: get local, get finer, downscale, and get going on it right away. Prepare for it now or nature will whack you upside the head with it not too long from now.  Attempting to maintain anything on the gigantic scale will turn out to be a losing proposition, whether it is military control of people in Central Asia, or colossal bureaucracies run in the USA, or huge factory farms, or national chain store retail, or hypertrophied state universities, or global energy supply networks.

These imperatives are so outside-the-box of ordinary experience right now, that to drag them into the arena of politics can only evoke blank stares or nervous giggling. But whether we like it or not, these are the things that will really matter in the years ahead ― not whether General Motors can ever make a profit again, or what Target Store's sales figures are next quarter, or whether the latest high-rise condo-and-gambling complex in Las Vegas will be successfully marketed.

Here, in the dog days of summer, it seems to me that the situation in the USA is so fundamentally bad, so unpromising, so booby-trapped for failure, that I wonder if there has ever been a society so badly deluded as ours.  We're prisoners of our wishes, living in a strange dream-time, oblivious to the forces gathering at the margins of our vision, lost in a wilderness of our own making.

Anything can happen now.  I certainly wouldn't rule out international mischief as we arc around into fall.  The air is so full of black swans that the white swan now seems like the exceptional thing. Whatever else happens, it sure will be interesting to see the public's reaction to Wall Street's announcement of Christmas bonuses.  The folks at Rockefeller Center better be thinking about getting a fireproof tree

 

This is gonna be good!

I don't think you are going to get those indignant responses -- those folks have probably already hit the unsubscribe button.  On the other hand, I appreciate the continuing information and opinion -- this newsletter confirms that there is still SOME intelligent and intellectually honest life in the country. 
 
Hard facts and clear explanations that I come across in W&G often go into my conversations on various topics with my acquaintances, friends and family who lean towards government intervention in all things.  It is amazing how many otherwise intelligent people just assume that it is everyone's "right" to be taken care of by the government if they cannot (or will not) take care of themselves.  When I can explain (patiently, and usually using small words) the true costs, both monetarily and in personal freedom, we pay for the government to be mommy and daddy to us all, I occasionally see a glimmer of understanding begin to spread across their faces -- and sometimes even a little outrage.  Keep it up!  There is still hope.

Heh. Thanks. And of course I agree with you, but don't be so sure about those indignant responses, Shooter. Meet your neighbor in the Whiskey inbox…

I just drank the last of my whiskey so thought I'd send a comment your way before I go take a nap.

Some of the stuff you write is pretty good, like your views on legalizing drugs, but some of it stinks.

As for your views on a government health care program, that you don't want the government telling you what care you can get, what doctors you can see, etc, well, that's how it is right now. My insurance co. tells me what services they will cover, what doctors I can see, etc, so what's the difference?

Also, the folks in the military have pretty darn good insurance, and guess what, its a government-run plan.

Admittedly there is not a perfect solution, but is watching a loved one suffer or die because you cant afford the cost of treatment or the premiums for the insurance really the best we can do in this country? Two years ago I spent 24 hours, just one day, in a hospital to get my heart tested from a chest pain. The bill was $13000.

Have you lost all compassion for your fellow man? Just what is your solution for health care?

Anyway, you seem to have a lot to complain about, it must be tough being you. It could be worse ya know.

You're for legalizing drugs, but want everyone to have health insurance? I smell a neo-liberal! I will keep that in mind as I answer.

I mostly worry that for the rest of my life people will insist that it's right that I pay for their relatives' life-saving operations. They will have the government take my money either by outright taxation or the stealth tax of inflation.

When I can then no longer afford to pay for my own healthcare, they will say "See! You need our system!"

Break my leg, offer me a crutch, then congratulate themselves on their compassion…

And you're also okay with an insurance company telling you what you need and what sort of care you have access to? Wouldn't you rather the market allow you to make informed choices and for competition to bring down the cost of care and improve the quality?

But don't just listen to me rant. Rather do yourself a great favor and check out what Charles Hugh Smith has to say on the subject.

Seriously.

I implore you to go to his website and read his article before you send me any more rationalizations for health insurance and the government meddling in medicine.

In fact, I'm going to provide the link to this article as a ward against people who defend this current monstrous commingling of the insurance scam and government intervention.

I beg. Please don't bother responding to this one unless you've done the homework. Read Mr. Smith's article.

(And thanks to friend James Howard Kunstler for bringing this article to my attention by linking to it on his site.)

And complaining? Moi?  I'd call it justifiable anger and pithy ― even charmingly humorous ― ranting.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a woman who agrees with me on anything? All my potential baby-mammas are Obama-worshippers.

Something about nanny politics really appeals to this addled generation, the women in particular. (And sadly far too many young men have had their estrogen levels boosted by tofu-filled vegetarian diets…so biochemically they're essentially young women and prone to the same folly.) 

I refuse to lie about my hatred of government or my rabid capitalist ideation, so I've had to take drastic measures, Shooters…but more on that later.