The Treasury's Dilemma

The constitution vests in Congress power

To tax and spend as well as issue debt.
Strong limits on the Treasury are set
Which now are binding. Rapidly the hour
Approaches when all three constraints will leave
No easy way for Geithner to comply.
Will Congress let the debt ceiling defy
Its spending orders, or grant a reprieve?
If Congress does not act, will Treasury
Allow the country's bills to go unpaid?
Will fire sales raise the funds Congress enjoins
The Treasury to spend, or will we see
Appropriated monies be delayed?
Will Geithner mint some trillion dollar coins?????

Santa Barbara!

On California's coast, a paradise

Unfolds before you in this calendar.

Dave Sommers brings the highest caliber 

Of photographic art before your eyes.

This Santa Barbara native chose to seek
Unusual perspectives. In his quest
For these amazing shots, his very best
Make these familiar scenes appear unique.
This calendar would make the perfect gift,
But you might want your own. So if you need
To purchase one or many, order here.
And if your heart could use a constant lift
Then view Dave's pictures on his Facebook feed,
Where regularly his great shots appear.

The Maker/Taker Narrative

The Republican Position

The Maker/Taker narrative combines
Two ways to classify Americans,
Which form the basis for republicans
To understand the democrats' designs.
The Makers all work hard responsibly
To keep their families sheltered clothed and fed,
While Takers ask the government instead
To make the Makers give them charity. 
Thus Takers vote for those who will allot
More resources to those who don't produce.
The democrat/republican divide
Is mirrored in the Maker/Taker plot.
Republicans are Makers and refuse
These bribes, in which the democrats confide.

For a friend going on a cruise.

 Each day you tell providers where to go,

And when their shifts are scheduled to begin

And end. Although your patience is worn thin,

No patients in the ERs ever know

How hard it is to make sure shifts are filled.

They only know they get the proper care,

Because you make each nurse practitioner

And doctor follow calendars you build.

Since you worked hard, it's time for your reward!

A tropical vacation is your due

And I am wishing you an awesome cruise!

From when the captain calls out, "All aboard,"

Until your voyage finishes, may you

Enjoy extravagance and scenic views!

Intro to From Now Until Muhammad Mahdi's War

Within a village on Iraqi soil
United States Marines attempt to foil
Insurgencies intent on their demise.
Set in 2006 amidst the rise
Of violence and insecurity,
It might appear as if this poetry
Is all about the escalating war.
Another theme reviewers might explore,
Is the perspective seen from Musa's view.
Like all the villagers, he wishes to
Protect his family from the violence.
As he pursues this goal, he will commence
Hostilities against these foreigners.
To justify attacks, his villagers
Fall back upon the faith that gives their lives
Such meaning. Though correct, each view deprives
The reader of the purpose of these lines.
The war is just the setting, which combines
Armed men from lands where different etiquette
Clashes, and the battle lines are set.

Darth Dexter

(How we see him)
Darth Dexter is a sith lord

Who frightens all he sees.

No trick-or-treaters can afford

To be his enemies.

The force is not his ally.

It is his slave instead.

No Yoda puppy can defy

Him and not end up dead.

The lightning from his outstretched paw

Illuminates the dark!

In terror, all  his foes withdraw

From his resounding bark!

(How he sees himself)
Please get this costume off of me.
I only want to play
With all the kids who eagerly
Approach, then go away.

I can't see out the visor holes,
And the sleeves are so tight
That when I run, the costume pulls
My legs from left to right.

I wish that on this Halloween
The costume catalogue
Did not persuade you to demean
Your faithful Dexter dog!

Goldman Sachs Prepares!

As Sandy bears down on the eastern coast

Manhattan's finance sector fortifies

Against the storm surge. Goldman Sachs relies

On stronger dikes than other banks can boast.

Its wall of sandbags has been engineered

To stop more water than could possibly

Approach the building. Thus the risk will be

Contained and limited - not just insured.

For just as tranches rated triple-A

Were chosen to prevent catastrophe

In credit markets, these financial gods

Have calculated all the risk away!

The chances are remote, but if the sea

Roars in could the sand fail?    what are the odds?