Just saw this here on CNBC.com. Now to add my scholarly two cents that I did not see mentioned in the article: cut spending and stop finding new things to tax. Period. Bernanke actually mentions in the article that the Fed may need to do things in order to get people to spend money again. Are you out of your mind? With double digit unemployment, new financial regulations, healthcare reform, and a mortgage industry still out of control why would anyone be dumb enough to suggest that businesses and consumers need to have the ability to borrow more money so they can spend more money? Is that not how we ended up here in the first place by spending what we did not have?

I think I make a good bit of sense in the second sentence above, try reading it again if you are sitting there thinking things like “Bernanke has a cool beard, he must know about the free market” or “a shiny dome like his is a sure sign of intelligence”. Yeah I went there and no it does not make my argument any less valid. We must cut spending, encourage thrift, and stop regulating ourselves into obscurity in the marketplace. Get the government out of the way and let the free market figure out a way to produce again. Artificially propping up the market is only going to make the eventual letdown all the more catastrophic when that day inevitably comes.

Now if only I could borrow a few bucks to buy a six pack for my mock BeerGate I will now have to throw for my previous comments about Bernanke’s dome.

So almost a year after the first BeerGate, our President is back to condemning others’ behavior without knowing all the facts. Much like the incident a year ago where the President quipped that Sgt. Crowley acted “stupidly” and then had to backtrack by using our tax dollars to buy the next round, the President once again jumped the gun by calling for Shirley Sherrod’s head after perceived racist remarks. Unfortunately for the President Sherrod is not a racist and when her comments were taken in context they tell a much different story. But you probably know that already because it is a story that has been running all over the news for the last week with the big announcement today that the USDA will off Sherrod her job back (which is the least they can do btw).

First things first, doesn’t Sherrod at least deserve a beer with the President after he added fuel to the fire? Maybe not on second thought because we cannot afford to buy a beer for everyone our President has managed to offend or paint in a negative light. There would be a lot of people out there clinging to their Bibles and guns that would be owed a drink for example. Secondly, why the rush to judgment on Sherrod’s employer’s part? Didn’t she at least deserve a chance to explain her side of the story, which incidentally would have only taken 43 minutes?

What really irks me about this situation is the fact that the White House has issued an apology to Sherrod (link here). Really? Where was the apology a year ago to a white cop the President basically accused of being a racist? Crowley is not a racist nor is Sherrod but only one gets a quick apology from the President while the other has to take part in some sort of strange teaching lesson on the White House lawn? Inexcusable for our Commander-in-Chief to continue to act this way. Neither situation required nor deserved Presidential input especially when that input was completely misguided. Our President should act Presidential and keep his distance from these types of incidents in the future.

Now that I am all out of sorts when do I get my invite for my free beer at BeerGate XV?

Update: So now the President has called Sherrod directly to apologize and I sure hope it was a collect call. Michelle Malkin has more here.