Another thought perhaps not related to this, but an interesting question: George Soros is widely regarded as a successful billionaire, having bet on curriencies, short and long. I have been amazed how he always appears to be on the right side of the trade. As I heard tonight, “Many people have profited putting their money with George Soros.”

That was on O’Reilly, even from Bill’s lips perhaps.

What ran through my head was: has anyone checked how much cash is in his bank accounts, or ever examined what securities are there? This would be a difficult task, given worldwide bank secrecy laws, and the only ones who could demand such statements would be investors in “him.”

Maybe fifteen years ago I got a call from a hustler selling something: it may have been even shares in a company making batteries for electric cars, and he confidently dropped George Soros’s name, as if I would be impressed, since back then George Soros was in the news not for his political efforts, but for headlines about him being a billionaire. That was when Bill Gates was a 40 billionaire based on his ability to sell his stock at the market. I hung up, and declined to jump for the deal.

This month we went to south Florida for R&R. One cannot pick up a local newspaper without stories about Bernie Madoff, and when I looked at his picture I wondered whether he and George Soros have the same hairdresser. I also cannot figure out how Bernie managed to waste $64 billion. I can understand $50 million for the plane, another $50 million for the real estate, and another $20 million for jet fuel, wine, greens fees and caddies, and canapes. But ExxonMobil has a tough time spending $64 billion, unless you are talking about the taxes they pay.

I wonder whether George Soros is not another Bernie Madoff. I don’t begrudge him for any profits he has made for his own account. I do question how he has been able to make “billions” in his game, who put up the capital, and how someone apparently so ignorant of the way the world works has been too often on the right side of the trade.

Bernie got in trouble when a few of his investors asked for a few billion of their money. If I were an investor in George Soros, even if I were Boris Yeltsin, I’d ask for an income statement and a balance sheet, and I’d call the auditor personally.

Speaking of bullshit, I’m surprised a bit how your lazy students did not raise an eyebrow during your last lecture. Are they aware I would never hire them, or if I did by accident, that I would fire them as soon as I found out they were not thinking? I’ve fired two people, and one was out of necessity, and the only other one was because he could not do the job.

Tell your lazy students that it is only until they look fondly at the big pieces in the garbage pail that I will think of giving them any scraps, and that’s after the cats, who earn it by getting the mice.

Tell ‘em there are a lot of people out there who are the nice guys, like me. We don’t care about your time in Tiny’s Bengal Inn.

Tell ‘em that if they don’t know shit, as Dick Cheney said to Pat Leahy, “Go fuck yoursel[ves].”

I thought to e-mail this comment because of the vulgarity, but I thought it might be accessible to your fucking lazy students, who might google it looking for other fucking lazy students of the opposite, or perhaps the same sex. Bet this generates many hits, Mike. I’m going to throw in perverted, polyamory, and Barney Frank.