I've been around. Just have not had much to add. I check out all the threads I'm interested in and read quite a few, but often times simply have nothing to add.

A few years back, I was aggressively trying to learn about the financial mess which involved banking and a lot of things I did not have a good handle on. So I spent a lot of time reading, learning and discussing the subject. Although I am far from being an expert on any of it, at least now my feeling is that I have a better handle on how things work and how it might affect me. So I feel less of a need of discussing or bouncing ideas off others to gain better perspective. Thus less posting of material.

I'm still around (and still read lots although not as much as I used to) and have no problem posting my ideas if anyone is interested. The thing is, I don't want to beat a dead horse any more than we already have. People either get it or they don't. I think I "get it" but could be wrong and have been wrong often throughout my life. So who am I to try and convince someone else to think like I do? I'm willing to discuss it with those who are interested in the subject but I don't feel the need or urgency to learn more about it like I once did.

For me now it is more a matter of "keeping an ear to the ground" to see what the ultimate resolution of the unfolding financial crisis will be and which way I might need to move to keep from being crushed by it. And waiting. Because like we have already seen since 2008, these things can take a long time to play out. Maybe even longer than my lifetime, but I kind of doubt it. Unless my time is shorter than I think. LOL (Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wanna go now! LOL)

For my wife and I it is about enjoying the fruits of our 40+ years of labor. Already been coast to coast on the motorcycle this last summer (visited friends in Cape Cod and Seattle) and have well over 100 dives scuba diving this year and getting ready to head to warmer climate for more. Should hit 150 dives before year end. I'm not worried about this stuff. At least not for myself. Merely concerned enough to try and protect myself from potential bad outcomes. People are people and this kind of crap has been going on since the beginning of recorded history.  Just newfangled twists on the same old greed, fraud and scams.  I do admit to worry about what potential hardships my grand kids might have to endure because of current policies. Other than that, life is good.

John