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Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Dec. 2

Scott Rutt

12/02/08 - 08:09 PM EST

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"We need to stop the fear-inducing rhetoric," Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Tuesday.

He said that while there are indeed things to fear in the market, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" may ring true again.

Cramer said the possibility of another Great Depression is off the table now that the federal government is actively involved with the markets. But, he said, panic can destroy otherwise healthy businesses, and that's what worries him the most.

According to Cramer, there are still three major worries in the markets: the European banks not cutting rates aggressively enough, the big, bad unemployment number due out later this week, and the possibility of the Chinese economy never recovering.

But he argued comparing today's economy to that of the Great Depresssion in the 1930s just doesn't make sense.

Cramer said even if unemployment skyrockets to 8%, that would still be only a third of what it was in 1933. And while a huge jobless number would certainly spark another round of foreclosures, there are still many positives in the markets.

Cramer again credited the government's "whatever-it-takes" attitude with laying the seeds of stability in the markets. With the bailout of Citigroup (C Quote), the buying of mortgage backed bonds and individual mortgages and offering to back trillions in loan guarantees, the government is doing everything it can to save us, he said.

Cramer said he's not advocating to go out and buy stocks without discretion. He is, however, saying "enough with the hysteria."

Cramer: Obama Knows What He's Doing

Cramer for SEC Chief

Cramer offered himself as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He officially threw his hat into the ring for the position, telling his viewers that he's the right man for the job and one that would provide investors with a level playing field in the market.

Stockpickr

Cramer said it takes a fox to guard the henhouse, and as a Harvard graduate, lawyer, stock trader and hedge fund manager, he has the skills to stop the insanity in the market. He vowed to undo current chairman Chris Cox's legacy of empowering the short sellers at the peril of the average investor if appointed to the position.

Cramer said there are four things he'd do on his first day as chairman. First, he would stop the relentless bear raids on stocks. "It's time to issue subpoenas," he said, citing a recent Wall Street Journal article outlining raids on Morgan Stanley (MS Quote).

Second, Cramer said he'd reinstate the uptick rule, which Cox repealed. The rule was designed to prevent the endless short selling of individual stocks. The absence of the rule, said Cramer, only instills fear and panic in the market.

Third on Cramer's to-do list is to stop the highly-leveraged ETFs that get around traditional margin rules. These funds, he said, act like lighter fluid, setting fire to stocks that are already getting pounded. "The markets are not too big to be manipulated," he said.

Finally, Cramer said there must be oversight at the SEC. He called for "real numbers" for the financial stocks and transparency into what assets they really hold and what obligations they have.

A Safe Haven

Cramer said investors who are in need of a safe place to put their money should still consider pipeline operator Energy Transfer Partners . He called the company and its tremendous 11.8% yield, "magnificent."

BankingMyWay

Energy Transfer Partners, a master limited partnership, is expected to pay out $3.76 a share in dividends next year on an estimated $6.17 a share in revenues. Cramer said while the company is in the oil and gas business, its earnings do not depend on the price of the underlying commodity. That's why he feels the ETP's dividend is safe given its earnings power.

Cramer again touched on the "Rule of 72," noting that even with no price appreciation, their money would double in just 6.1 years if they only reinvested ETP's monster dividend.

Cramer also cited other reasons to consider ETP. He said the company's last quarterly earnings were spectacular, beating estimates handedly. He also noted the company's two new pipeline projects and insider buying as other catalysts.

Cramer blamed hedge funds, who are some of ETPs largest shareholders, for much of the stock's recent declines. While he credited rival Kinder Morgan (KMP Quote) as the better company, with the higher 11.8% yield, Cramer said ETP is the way to play pipelines.

Mad Mail

In this segment, Cramer told a viewer that his recommended portfolio for children would be one share of Disney (DIS Quote) and one share of McDonald's (MCD Quote), two stocks that will teach kids what they own.

Cramer told a second viewer that he's not a fan of Vector Group (VGR Quote) and prefers Altria (MO Quote), a stock which he owns for his charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS.

Lightning Round

Cramer was bullish on DuPont (DD Quote), Google (GOOG Quote), Mechel Steel (MTL Quote) and Verizon (VZ Quote).

Cramer was bearish on Trinity Industries , The9 Limited (NCTY Quote), Eagle Materials (EXP Quote) and Cemex (CX Quote).

Want more Cramer? Check out Jim's rules and commandments for investing by clicking here.

Read more of Cramer's Mad Money Lightning Round insights.

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