Yea that's right ..you work year after year long and what do you get years older and DEEPER in debt. You say No. You have a home maybe more even rental property and a thrilling business. Well maybe you are the exception, but I double it.

You see, worldwide we are exchanging paper for goods and services (your labor) backed by debt or a promise to pay by more paper and ultimately your labor. For example: Derivatives which are in part defined as instruments whose value derives from some underlying asset. Examples include futures contracts, options etc. Also known as synthetics. What The Hell did you say? Synthetics? So you may ask what is the value of these DERIVATIVES/SYNTHETICS ..in the billions maybe a few trillions?

"ISDA reports that data collected from their own survey of derivatives markets shows that the amount of outstanding vanilla swaps grew (is that Synthetic vanilla?) by 25% during the first six months of 2003. The growth rate of all interest rate derivatives, which includes single-currency interest rate swaps, cross-currency interest rate swaps and interest rate options, grew by 24% during the same period. The total outstanding amount of interest rate derivatives now totals $123.9 trillion (HOW MUCH!!!!in 2003 what is it now?) compared to $99.92 trillion at the end of 2002. By comparison, the BIS reported a figure of $106.29 trillion for the end of 2002. The difference might be attributed to how ISDA surveys only its members while BIS seeks to survey all derivatives dealers worldwide."

The Source for this information is found at: "Important New Data on Derivatives" Randall Dodd, Director Financial Policy Forum, September 25, 2003

Click here for the article. "Important New Data on Derivatives"

The last paragraph states...

"The purpose of highlighting this new data is not to alarm but to raise awareness and understanding that these very large markets are growing at a very rapid pace. The data provides further proof that the regulation of financial market regulation by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is not discouraging the use of derivatives to manage risk. The data also serves as a reminder that derivatives markets are, along with banking, securities and insurance, the pillars of the financial system." (Oh that is very reasuring)

For those doubting Toms out there rap your head around a further, wider definition:

"Derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from the value of something else. They generally take the form of contracts under which the parties agree to payments between them based upon the value of an underlying asset or other data at a particular point in time. The main types of derivatives are futures, forwards, options, and swaps.

The main use of derivatives is to reduce risk for one party while offering the potential for a high return (at increased risk) to another. The diverse range of potential underlying assets and payoff alternatives leads to a huge range of derivatives contracts available to be traded in the market. Derivatives can be based on different types of assets such as commodities, equities (stocks), bonds, interest rates, exchange rates, or indexes (such as a stock market index, consumer price index (CPI) — see inflation derivatives — or even an index of weather conditions, or other derivatives). Their performance can determine both the amount and the timing of the payoffs."

The source is... Wikipedia-Derivative" 

Being a great fan of baseball here come stride three ..

Derivatives: Facts and Fallacies by Michael S. Rozeff

To worry or not to worry

Derivatives scare many people. They don’t know what they are, or they may be quite unfamiliar with them. They don’t know how they work, and it’s not easy to learn. The amounts tossed around are fantastically huge. Most are traded behind the scenes. They are purchased in margin accounts, and this worries the untutored. Mysterious bankers, corporations, and dealers handle them mostly. Then there are the unnamed speculators and hedge funds. People worry about the financial system melting down. They worry about chains of bankruptcies. Sometimes there are big failures like Enron or Barings Bank or Orange County. People get scared. Regulation seems lax. Accounting for derivatives is tough and highly technical. Deciphering derivatives in footnotes of annual reports is unpleasant. People worry and worry, and there seem to be many reasons to worry. When they’re not worrying, they’re predicting disaster.

The worry is greatly overdone. Derivatives are worth some thought for investors, but they’re a side show. They’re the tail, not the dog. The tail won’t wag the dog. They’re worth some concern, but not too much. There are more important issues to worry about."

The source is at... Facts and Fallacies

We have gotten to the point where I get on the soapbox and scream, pull what little hair I have left on my heard and tell you these institutions... all of them are the nuts ..evil nuts. The idea or concept of fiduciary responsibility is alien to this landscape of thieves.

The fiduciary duty is a legal relationship between two or more parties (most commonly a "fiduciary" or "trustee" and a "principal" or "beneficiary") that in English common law is arguably the most important concept within the portion of the legal system known as (the study/practice of fairness in economics) equity. In the United Kingdom, the Judicature Acts merged the courts of Equity (historically based in England's Court of Chancery) with the courts of common law, and as a result the concept of fiduciary duty also became usable in common law courts.

A fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care imposed at either equity or law. A fiduciary is expected to be extremely loyal to the person to whom they owe the duty (the "principal"): they must not put their personal interests before the duty, and must not profit from their position as a fiduciary, unless the principal consents. The fiduciary relationship is highlighted by good faith, loyalty and trust, and the word itself originally comes from the Latin fides, meaning faith, and fiducia.

As I write this article I am listening to a talk show. The host and guest are pointing out that owning a gun or guns is our right and as in Switzerland owning a firearm has some beneficial effect at keeping us safe from the many threats in this violent system. Well, as right or wrong as that might be there is a better answer. With the dollar in peril, sub prime loans hurting Americans, Personal Bankruptcy rising and Credit Card Debt in record levels it is time to educate yourself take up your Law. The boys and girls play at Power back in Washington still mouth that "We are a Nation of Laws... well let's use the law and your freedom of speech and assembly. Stop voting for your team, you know the Red Team or Blue team or Elephant and Donkey. Remember the 4th Estate, well it's not there to help you either...it wants you stupid and broke. This election year be listening for answers to issues. How have these candidates voted on GAT and NAFTA. If you don't know it those two Treaties are responsible for the loss of the trillions of dollars which is evident in the number of business now off shore, the unemployed, un insured, homeless and dead. Gat and NAFTA are the reason for the waves of immigrants that came across the borders because of the effect these treaties had in their home lands too! Last word: It is us "We The People" against them! That includes All the people of every Nation regardless of race, gender creed, station or color. You have a problem with that..look above at the scope of Derivatives. $123.9 trillion in 2003! Open your windows and yell... I am sick to death at working for the man and falling deeper and deeper in debt. I'm not going to take it any more! Educate yourself power is knowledge and get out of debt free in 2008.