122. b w: “I remember him saying something to the effect that Americans should NEVER give the government peremptory claim to their money.”

Funny you should bring that up. I see where California has decided to up the withholding by 10% from every Californian’s paycheck. With the “promise” of being paid back in April. And it begins before Christmas so expect a drop in the C part of the GDP. IMHO we are experiencing the dead cat bounce and there will be a slide when consumer spending drops again and investment goes south on the dismal spending numbers. Cash flow is king. But there is no cash for the average Joe. And increasingly no credit for small business which will really drive the car off the cliff. Thanks to our severely myopic administration. I am beginning to ascribe to the criminal motive for all of this.