In January, when George W. unveiled his scheme to send out Economic Stimulus checks to 116 million American families, I have to admit I was pretty excited. $600 for nothing? Sexy. Of course, I wanted a piece of that! I started putting together grand schemes in my head about throwing a “George W. is Awesome” party or spending a weekend in a fancy hotel. More »

Americans have been astonished to see food prices soaring over the past few months, rising 3.9% in May 2008 alone. Everything from eggs to hamburgers is jumping as gas breaks $4.00 a gallon, making the expense of shipping food from farm to store much higher. During this phenomenon, the interesting note is Americans are changing their summer transportation habits to save money on gas, which makes up about 4% of their average budget. And while food makes up about 15% of our spending, few are considering changing diets to save money. More »

The American dream is nothing more than a Hollywood production. Our picket fence fantasies now come with eviction notices and foreclosure letters. What we call the American Dream is actually junk mail, sent to us with low introductory rates, frequent flyer miles and cash-back incentives. While we’ve been driving around in borrowed cars and decorating our borrowed homes, we’ve forgotten the American reality. Our brand is losing its value. Read these articles and chime in.
• Calling Us Out • Road to Ruin
• Downplaying Our Trouble • No Love

With everyone buying and losing houses, the fed distributing more and more “funny money” and the government giving lenders get-out-of-jail-free cards, Monopoly™ is more relevant then its ever been.

While analysts estimate that one Monopoly Dollar is worth about US$ 0.000231176, its educational value is worth many times that. More than a board game, playing Monopoly was probably my first experience managing money. It introduced me to banking and also put me on to what my friends call “the white man’s dope game”— real estate. More »

Throughout history women have been used as ponds to guarantee financial security as well as a higher status for themselves, their families, and in some cases, their countries. Taught to secure the highest bidder, women were called foolish when they considered love, sentiment or attraction in their marriage proposals. There were few options either swallow their emotions and enter a meaningless marriage or become outcasts and whores in society’s eyes… More »

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for applying to the MBA program at our elite university.

The quality of the applicant pool this year was exceptional. Unfortunately, your slot was filled by a wealthy foreign student who could bribe our admissions dean.

We wish you every success in your future endeavors. Thank you for your interest in our program.

Sincerely,

I.B. Crooked More »

What President Bush calls a “major step” is nothing more than a tiptoe toward American energy independence. Let Bush tell it and the energy bill he signed today, which raises fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and calls for an increase in ethanol production to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, will make us “stronger, cleaner and more secure.” More »

When “get rich or die trying” is the slogan of your favorite rapper and reverend, words like “in god we trust” takes on a new meaning. Davey D offers an interesting analysis on hip-hop, Christianity and capital. Check the video he posted of a rap group Creflo Dollar is promoting. I can’t be the only one who thinks these pulpit pimps are distorting the relationship between money and faith. Check it out and let me know.

Cocaine is celebrating one of its most lucrative years. We hear about cocaine cowboys but the question is who’s really profiting.

What Jay say: “Blame Reagan for making me into a monster; Blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra; I ran contraband that they sponsored.”

Recently, I listened to an interview of one my favorite hip-hop artist, Ghostface , a.k.a. Tony Starks, a.k.a. Iron Man, a.k.a. Pretty Tony and the list goes on…For those who aren’t familiar, Ghost is a member of the rap superteam the Wu-Tang Clan. More »