The Housing Bubble

In the past 24 hours, I have lost power twice, and brownouts are very common where I live. I keep my CPU and monitor and small radio and cell phone recharger hooked up to an uninterruptible power supply - uses two motorcycle-sized batteries. My understanding is that any businesses that operate in China without a UPS are crazy. (Lots of brownouts over there.)

TCM_guy,

Right, I was watching a NatGeo special and they showed a VERY affluent area of N. IL ( Deerfield ISTR ) where… the only real ‘guarantee’ you had ( was that you’d be resetting the timer on your VCR when you got home from work!

About 2,000 outtages over a two yr. period. And THIS in an “affluent” area. Sorry to hear you’re having to go to those lengths but we’re already seeing cut-off’s/quotas etc. in our Salem, OR area water dept.

I don’t see it getting any better?

That affluent area on the North Shore is also an “established” neighborhood. I think it was built maybe in the 30s? That part of the grid is antique. About 20 miles west of there, my McMansion was built in 2004. All our power is underground, which sure looks nicer. And it’s incredibly reliable. We get a blackout maybe once a year, at most.

Chris M,

Right, you’re out in the Aurora/Elburn area? To be ‘fair’ the special mentioned that the older trees in the area encroached on the power lines w/ regularity and that was a big part of the problem.

Other than a strategic Air Strike, there really isn’t a way to keep them trimmed back? Aging infrastructure is also a major issue there. Even the poles themselves are ancient and beyond what anyone ever thought they should have lasted!

I’m way north of Aurora. Cary to be exact. Yeah, I think the above ground power lines are the problem. They are common in “established” neighborhoods, and so are the large trees that people love. It’s funny how ComEd sometimes trims the old trees to clear the power lines. Some of them end up sort of “Y” shaped. I see a lot of this driving through Mount Prospect. But I just wanted to make a point that not everything new is necessarily bad.

I don’t doubt it. It needs to be fixed, and sooner is better than later. Roads are fairly standardized. We should be able to transport power from place to place just as we can transport fuel that creates power from place to place.

Oh, and it should be continent wide. We only have 3 countries in North America. That is an advantage we have over Europe and we should use it. Also a heck of way to induce Mexico to clean up its end of the drug problems if they want in on the project, selling sunshine into the grid when we are dealing with winter weather.

I have a friend whose father designs very large scale power distribution systems. He told her about a vulnerability in the North American system so scarey that I will not mention it here because it could be a terrorist target. We need this. It would be a long term infrastructure investment. And it is important.

polly,

Pretty interesting concept! And a little leverage over our “neighbors to the south” couldn’t hurt either?

People don’t realize just how easy it would be for us to descend into chaos when our cream pies melt and beer gets room temp. ( Not to mention uh… traffic lights and medical fac? )

Also a heck of way to induce Mexico to clean up its end of the drug problems if they want in on the project, selling sunshine into the grid when we are dealing with winter weather.

Not to mention that this project would employ a lot of the Mexican labor that came into this country to find work. Porque en Mexico, no hay bastante trabajo.

Arizona Slim,

From your mouth to God’s ears! A good many of those ppl would perfectly happy to find honest, decent, steady employment -right- at home if it was offered to them and it’s as good a place to start as any?

Yeah, Slim, that is another of the advantages. Everybody would get a lot of jobs “in place.”

Oh, and if you wanted to make sure that we do convert to cleaner energies over time, you could create a carbon tax, starting very low and gradually increasing that would start maybe 5 to 10 years after the grid was 80% finished. That would create an incentive to get away from burning stuff that pollutes the air, gives kids asthma and gives the middle east way too much control over our energy needs, but it would do it nice and slowly.

I am sure there are some technologies that will still do better on liquid fuel. But lets reduce our need for liquid fule to just those techs that really need it. That way we can supply ourselves for the next 1000 years or more with no particular reason to invade countries with a lot more of the liquid than we have ourselves. Other than preventing nuclear war, I would like the luxury of caring a heck of a lot less about what happens in the middle east, thanks very much.

gives the middle east way too much control over our energy needs

I don’t think much of our electrical generation comes from imported fuel. We have tons of coal and natural gas, which are the big ones. But yeah, I’d still much prefer nuke and renewable power. And for the imported oil, crank up that federal gas tax!

Once someone figures out the range problem (40 miles without a recharge is not OK in a lot of the US) we would be able to make a lot of cars electric. But I don’t want to burn coal for most of that. Nasty stuff. Digging it out of the ground isn’t the easiest thing either.

Furthermore, think of all of those people who would have been unemployed. Talk about a recipe for massive social unrest. Of the sort that this country hasn’t seen since the 1960s. Or the Great Depression.

Let’s say that GM and Chrysler had been allowed to fail. All however millions of workers tied to them were instantly laid-off.

Yes, but that would make room for a better, more efficient company to come in and take up market share. And employ more people.

You’re thinking way too short term, and that’s what’s killing this country. It’s not possible to eliminate pain and people losing their jobs. You have to look at the big picture.

Same is true with banks. Yeah, things might have gotten messy should some big banks have failed. But the smaller, more responsibly run ones would have thrived, grown, and picked up the slack eventually.

Now, what we’ve done, is select the irresponsible and un-stable behemoths to remain in place, while selecting against those that were responsible (think - the TBTF banks got below-market rate loans. Did the smaller banks get them? No…so they are at a competitive disadvantage).

You could make that argument on one degree to another about “any” business failure…Doesn’t hunt IMO…

My response was to Jetson…

But part of the bailout package to these auto companies was that they HAD to downscale their operations, which they did with the termination of several brands and the shuttering of numerous plants. So the effects of this has in fact resulted in more efficient, streamlined companies. Perhaps more so than Toyota at this point.

My response was to Jetson…

Thanks..I was trying to figure that out

The Fiesta is apparently a really good car. Its been sold in Europe for decades and was almost entirely designed and engineered there. Its the best selling car in Europe as we speak. What’s cool about it is that in Europe, many countries place a huge tax on cars. Thus its typical for people to buy smaller economy cars. But in order to compensate the interiors and fit and finish are generally pretty high. Thus with the Fiesta you get a small car with a great interior.

I know this is the first time that Ford is bringing a car into this market from Europe without making any changes. That is pretty interesting.

The other crazy thing about the Fiesta is that Ford seems to really be connecting with younger buyers. They launched a couple of social networking sites for the car and also brought over a few for younger people in various cities to drive and write about. They sold several thousand of them before the car even made it here. If I’m not mistaken the Fiesta will be made in Mexico and Ohio.

If I’m not mistaken the Fiesta will be made in Mexico and Ohio.

Made in Ohio. I like the sound of that.

Reason: A family member co-founded a manufacturing company in Ohio, and this company’s quality control is to die for. Their customers love them for that.

And they proudly display both the U.S. and Ohio flags in the plant. (Yes, they’re on a mission.)

Ford makes lots of economical cars in Europe. I know this because one of my uncles drives a Ford station wagon, 4 cylinder diesel, which i tooled around in a couple of years ago.
I could not understand why similar fuel-efficient (40mpg, because fuel is costly there) was not made available here.
I am assuming it is EPA standards and all the crap the government requires, like airbags that make the transition impossible or not worth doing.
Government standards (most ridiculous by method of measurements) have kept many fuel-efficient cars out of the US.
Incidentally, I drive a Mustang 6 cyl, 5 speed. Avg. economy 23 mpg. I wanted a 4 cyl to replace my worn-out 1987 mustang convertible. Ford no longer offers a 4 cyl. What happened?
NO demand? That’s what they say.
US manufacturers tend to larger, less efficient cars because they say that’s what we want……….and they should know.

Ford’s new Mustang has a V-6 rated at 305 horsepower AND 31 MPG. If that is not an efficency increase over the 4 cyl old days, you need to do more research.

The Mustang is a sports car. There should never be a 4 banger muscle car, at least not for another 10 or more years of future engineering. Ford makes plenty of other 4s, buy one of those instead.

And the ’80s Mustangs and lack of understanding about branding and marketing nearly destroyed the brand. If it hadn’t been for the Explorer and SUVs carrying Ford through the ’90s into ‘2000, Ford would have been history.

I’m sure it is. would a 4 cyl. be more efficient, i don’t know.
maybe not. But, the problem is I can’t AFFORD a new 2010 car.
Also, i think this rating is a lie, unless they are just the newest ones. i have a friend who bought a 2008 or 09 model and she complains that she gets less than 20 with the 6 cyl and automatic trans. I can get 27 hwy in mine, with stick shift.
Old car got 25 with auto.
31 mpg, with stick shift, downhill, with a tailwind. maybe.

I am also interested in the Fiesta. I’ve said it many times here, but my time in Europe really changed my view on transportation ownership. And the Fiesta seems prime to capture people like me. Small car that doesn’t exist solely to be the cheap offering in the overall lineup. I’ll probably wait to see what the new Focus looks like for next year as I think the body style is a little nicer. Saw both at the car show and think Ford has two winners on its hands.

Ford’s new Mustang has a V-6 rated at 305 horsepower AND 31 MPG.

For better accuracy with the smaller platforms, multiply the EPA mileage estimates by 0.9. For larger platforms (trucks) multiply by 0.8.

“new antiques”

When I was a kid, our family had a 1972 Chevy Wagon. One of my chores was to clean it out every weekend. Every weekend when I vacuumed the carpet under dash I would find a screw. That car was a true POS.

My folks owned a ‘71 Chevy Councours station wagon. I was only a kid, but these are some of the things I remember going wrong with it:

— Power window in the back failed after ~6 mos. Multiple fixes were attempted, none of which could get it to work right for more than a couple of months.

— Full electrical system failure resulting in acrid burning rubber smell when the engine wire coatings burnt off

— engine continued dieseling for minutes after ignition was turned off

I’m sure that there were several other defects that I can’t remember because mercifully I wasn’t paying to repair them.

Another fun fact: GM keys often fit into other cars. My mom found a green wagon in a parking lot that was the same model and color as ours, and which she thought was ours so she put the key in the lock and got right in. The only thing that made her realize that she was in the wrong car was the radio which had FM (ours was AM only).

“Many of these corporations used to operate on a 5-6% margin during a recession and produced an acceptable product and were happy about it”

That is true. I knew David Roserick, Chairman of US Steel in the 80’s when US Steel was the 6th largest corporation in the US. After a meeting he had to talk to me about something. I then asked about the production output of this divisions, the others and US Steels outlook with 80’s recession and possible economic slowdow looming.

He said my division was good with a fairly steady 5.7–6% profit. A couple of others were making a profit and some were hurting. He also said that we weren’t going to get out of steel but we were going to diversify.

Diversify Hell.

He and US Steel/USX went though sales, closures, layoff’s, heavy duty buy-out threats, management change

cont:

Today, you wouldn’t recognized the old US Steel operations and it’s a shell of itself but still there and working. By the time Rodrick left, they cut a lot of dead wood and it was brutal on the rank and file workers.

My old division went from 5,000 men to a complete shut down. It then reopened under new management with 800 wokers then up to 1,200.

It has still has to be churning out at least a 5-6% profit against foreign steel or it wouldn’t be there.

A year later I was a Adminstrative Manager at another division that was a profitable but real management nightmare when he asked me were I could see myself 5 years from now.

I guess that I shocked the hell out of him and everybody else in the meeting when I answered…

“In a small bar in Wisconsin” said Goodbye, got up and walked out and never l.

“More than a few of us have noticed the same thing happening in medicine and dentistry. And didn’t someone just post a WSJ story which said that Americans have cut back on doctor visits?”

Yes, it does appears Americans are really trying to live longer.

Actually, the different thing is the old thing. My dad was out of work for a while when I was little kid. Looking for work was harder back then as the internet didn’t exist and phone calls cost money and all that. But, he also had to go to the unemployment office to get his check. And he didn’t get it unless he sat down with a person who looked over the list of activities he had done over the week (research, calls, resumes typed up, interviews, etc.). He had to prove that what he had done would have taken a pretty efficient person 40 hours or more to accomplish.

However, this requires governement employees be hired who are sufficiently skilled and honest to be allowed to decide whether or not to give a person a check at the end of a half hour long appointment. Oops. Never happen.

Check out the campus of Macalaster College in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is one of the most liberal colleges you can imagine. It was amazing how ugly the females were on that campus. Good night!

Bad boy palmy. Ann Coulter will spank you for that.

Big Bad Mother Bush is about as far right as they go and that mean old GOP Battle Axe as a kisser that will stop clocks and crack mirrors.

Yikes, here comes Dubya the Decider with another invasion force for insulting his drop-dead Ugly Mamma.

August 11 1984:

“During a check prior to a radio broadcast, Reagan jokes into mike that he’s ordered U.S.S.R. bombed. “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

Mike @Petco )Park-
We’re looking for a one-story 1960’s rancher to add a picket fence and a brick walkway to, here in So Ca. We’ve lived in that 2-story over-sized McMansion jungle, HOA cr@p. Both the people and homes stink.

Stop!…Stop the Game.

Okay….Out of the lineup Bubba…you DROPPED your Medicare Card….I SAW you !

I’ve never been to Berkeley, but I have been to Ann Arbor.

Had more than a few economics profs who ping-ponged back and forth between academia and government. Very few of them had any real-world work experience.

OTOH, I can remember my intro course prof introducing himself on the first day of class, and he didn’t get very far before noting that he’d worked as an engineer before getting his econ Ph.D. Since the state of Michigan was (and still is) a place where engineering is highly respected, we students found that to be quite impressive.

But he was the exception.

Do they offer Sarcasm 101 at Berkeley?

Berkeley makes Ann Arbor look like Salt Lake City.

The irony is that UCB pretty much ran the Manhattan Project.

The only thing that will save them is to get a grip on unions and public employee payrolls.

Not defending the publics unions, but I recall reading somewhere that even if California fired every single state employee that it wouldn’t be enough to close the deficit.

California’s problems go beyond their public unions. Someone told me that Orange County stopped accepting applications for section 8 housing as the waiting list is years long.

Too many poor people consuming services and not enough middle class people paying taxes. This of course is a glimpse of the future that awaits the other 49 states.

I will be interesting when the money finally runs out, unless they keep the printing presses running year after year bailing all the states out.

Not defending the publics unions, but I recall reading somewhere that even if California fired every single state employee that it wouldn’t be enough to close the deficit.

That’s because the pensions and benefits of retirees would not be impacted under that scenario. Bring that into the mix and I bet you have a whole different look to the situation.

California’s GDP was about $1.85 TRILLION in 2008 (13% of the US GDP). I wish the US government only had a deficit to deal with of $150 Billion (same proportion of GDP).

Serious problems here. Mainly with pensions and ever expanding government programs. Prop 13 in its current form ain’t helping either.

However, I just spoke with a friend yesterday, and we were talking about leaving CA. We were trying to figure out where else to go. He joked about how the names of places that popped into his head were all still in CA. The climate (weather) is very tough to beat. Conclusion–he isn’t going anywhere, despite having the financial means to do so.

The generally progressive nature of the state drives the smart folks who may be more discriminated elsewhere to CA and other coastal states. Smart, young, hungry people will move to CA to give it a shot. There are reasons why people move and live here. Sacramento is doing all they can to keep businesses out, and to tax the productive away, but ultimately, it’s hard to take away all that is attractive about the state through poor leadership.

NYCityBoy,

Right, when painted into a corner over the excess they’ve already secured for themselves.., the only “concessions” we get are for -future- public employees that haven’t even been BORN yet!

Yeah, like that’s gonna’ help.

Remember that Stanford report that put CA liabilities at 500 Billion or half a Trillion !

The generally progressive nature of the state drives the smart folks who may be more discriminated elsewhere to CA and other coastal states. Smart, young, hungry people will move to CA to give it a shot.

I thought about moving to CA, but the budget problems and political climate actually chased me away. Ended up in Washington state instead - which yes, is a baby California in many ways, but currently no state income tax, and relatively low prop taxes (compared to where I came from - Texas)

I’ve been contacted by many recruiters in CA, and actually interviewed for what I’d consider my “Dream Job” there (well, two - working for DigiDesign on the UI of their software, and the iTunes team @ apple), but came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be willing to move there for either.

I’ve been contacted by many recruiters in CA, and actually interviewed for what I’d consider my “Dream Job” there (well, two - working for DigiDesign on the UI of their software, and the iTunes team @ apple), but came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be willing to move there for either.

A very good friend has started two software companies in Michigan. Yes, Michigan. The home of the carheads.

My friend has made many a trip to Silicon Valley, and he’ll you have you in stitches over the antics of the locals. Especially the SV self importance. He has a field day with that.

What keeps this serial entrepreneur in the Wolverine State isn’t just that it has his beloved city of Ann Arbor. (He’s from Livonia, went to the University of Michigan, and has lived and/or done business in Ann Arbor ever since.) It’s the state’s courteous, unpretentious people. (Self importance doesn’t go over well in Michigan.) And their work ethic.

Was Jeff Daniels one of her investors?

Romer had no credibility,she was not very bright.Back to a meanial job in a cubicle somewhere.

She has an endowed chair in the economics department of U Cal, Berkeley, for Pete’s sake. Not a cubicle position.

It better be a large chair because she’s been endowed with a lot.

LOL…Almost fell off my chair…

I would argue that many of the elites have little concern with what is “good for the masses,” merely what is in their own, personal interest. When we structure the game so that everybody is looking out solely for thier own interests, those with better starting positions tend to have much better outcomes.

Well here’s topic for discussion.

The wealthy elitest Bushes thought that free-market supply-side was good for the masses.

The wealthy elitest Roosevelts (FDR and some of TR) thought that government was good for the masses.

Both were successful in selling their ideas to the masses.
Both had about 20 years to put their ideas into practice.
So which philosophy won out? That’s a tough question because there were so many outside factors…

Common criminals at least have the decency not to burden their victims with ideology.

Both were successful in selling their ideas to the masses.
Both had about 20 years to put their ideas into practice.
So which philosophy won out

What do you mean by won out?

If the answer is which improved the lives of the middle class more I think that’s a fairly easy answer.

Pat Caddell seems to be on the same “detached” talking point. Must be the R version of Journolist going around.

But Oxide, the wealthy elitest JFK though that free-market supply-side was good for the masses too.

JFK, much like Clinton could afford free market. The economy was swinging high from Eisenhower’s high tax rates on the wealthy, the work ethic of the Greatest Generation, and the total destruction of Europe. But if there’s a recession, that’s when you have to make real decisions.

So you are saying that any policy of the current
administration is “off limits” for discussion if it was started under the Bush administration? That something that was insane under Bush is ok under Obama? That if both Bush AND Obama agree on something we’re stuck with it? Can you tell us when it will be OK to question Obama’s policies on their own? Two years? Three?

It is your *assertion* that Obama is maintaining previous policies.

WTF Exeter? We know you’re a Dem zealot but that is way over the top. Acting like a 4 year old with the, “hey, look at Bush and what he did” nonsense is getting old. Bush was a corrupt ignoramus. That does nothing to excuse Obama whose treachery was to put the U.S. economy into the hands of Geithner, Summers and Bernanke directly and Rubin, Dimon and Blankfein indirectly.

Your thoughts on real estate are great. Your political thoughts are akin to something that has to be wiped off your shoe after a day at the dog park. Quit acting like either of these parties has any integrity or merit.

You can take a pill too. Go back and READ what Sarah wrote.

Acting like a 4 year old with the, “hey, look at Bush and what he did” nonsense is getting old.

+1

I think that has been the Dem MO from the day one. Bush ****ed it up for 8 years, now it’s our turn to…….

I recall an editorial cartoon from after the election, where Obama wakes up and Michelle tells him that he really did win. His reaction was basically “Oh cr@p!”

It takes longer to clean up a mess than to cause it. Ask any parent. The Dems are still trying to clean up and the little 4-year-olds are still screaming to hurry up and clean it because they want to mess it up again.

What color is the sky in your world?

I recall an editorial cartoon from after the election, where Obama wakes up and Michelle tells him that he really did win. His reaction was basically “Oh cr@p!”

Here in Tucson, musician Al Perry wrote a song (and dang if I can’t remember the name) with the refrain, “Congratulations, you may already be a loser.”

Al’s rendition is pretty good, but The Determined Luddites have Al beat by a mile. I’ve heard this song just about every week at the Meet Me at Maynards walk around Downtown, and I can’t help singing along.

Sarah’s post was pretty poorly written. That is certain. The fact it is one long sentence makes it pretty awful to read. I just hate when people use bad posts like that to play the, “two wrongs make a right” game.

EXETER - please try to read and understand what is posted before you begin responding. I was responding to someone that said they had no problems with Obama, not defending any questionable behavior that others may have taken. The only thing that was clear from you post is that you cannot examine the issues raised rationally. Obama has to be judged on his actions alone, and such actions evidence a complete lack of character. I’m sick of the people that challenge him being called racist or saying at least he is not as bad as X. He is a disgusting SOB standing and judged alone, plain and simple.

YOU try to grasp the simple concept that the Jerry Fallwell/SarahPalin/Richard Nixon style pandering, whining and distorting doesn’t work here.Of course the tripe you accuse the president isn’t factual.

Now lets here you $hit all over yourself some more in a lame attempt to run from your words.

More non-rational prejudiced blah blah blah blah. If you dislike Obama you must be a KKK member who supports Palin and Fallwell. . . . If that is how your mind works, there is no reasoning with you. Of course you haven’t identified anything I said that was not true. As for promoting bad loans - he worked for ACORN. As for sending jobs overseas - that is what tax increases and charges do - did you not know he is taxing and charging the hell out of US businesses? As for health care reform reducing costs - who told you that, all evidence is that it increases costs, our company may have to lay off a few employees as a result and all the doctors I know told me that it is their view it hurts rather than helps most patients. He did not push for it to limit costs, but to try to cover illegals, etc. As for GB’s faults - who said I think he sets the bar for anything? I think understanding the issues should a prerequisite for comment. And no I don’t think watching the Daily Show or MTV news is sufficient education, although I find the Daily Show amusing for its comedic comment.

You said:

“creates an economic environment that encourages high paying jobs to go over seas”

But you don’t provide any evidence of “jobs going over seas”…. other than the 11 million manufacturing jobs lost 2000-2008. Another stellar performance by the GOP corporatists.

“wants to dramatically increase healthcare costs”

Ok Drama Queen…. You mean the banking and insurance cartel? Who else wants this? You mean to tell me the 200% increase handed to the insurance cartel by their GOP friends isn’t enough?

“demands that banks make high risk loans to those with poor credit”

You’re really not paying attention today Sister Sarah but I’ll repeat it for the vision impaired.

George Bush enacted the Low Down Payment Act, GOP congress passed without objection

George Bush enacted the Zero Down Payment Act, GOP congress passed without objection

“doesn’t focus on substance”

Too funny. We can only presume you mean Mr. Obama doesn’t focus on *public policy*…. tee hee…. funny girl you are.

“encourages people to steal as much as they can from “The Man,””

REally? how does he “encourage” this?

“denies his own true religous and political beliefs on TV?”

Ooooh…. a conspiracy!!! He’s a Muslim! Or did you really mean the sanctimonious phoney Christiandom of the conservative republicans. Yeah becuse Jesus really said, “executed them! All of them!” as he and his disciples laughed and threw rocks at the leper lying in the street. Honestly!!! lmao.

You’ve got some answering to do for your lies Sister Sarah. Now wave that stupid flag!

“creates an economic environment that encourages high paying jobs to go over seas”

Many financial firms including MS are increasing their overseas offices and considering shrinking US offices as a result of the financial reform legislation. Also he wants to increase taxes and fees for corporations. Increasing the costs of business in the US makes other areas more attractive and requires termination of employees to keep keep current salaries levels, why do you think this needs to be proven when it is common sense?

“wants to dramatically increase healthcare costs”

The healthcare reform bill does not really address premium caps, premiums are going up not down except for the free riders.

“demands that banks make high risk loans to those with poor credit”

I told you before, he dedicated several years of his life to ACORN, a group everyone on here should hate for the horrible and misdirected work they have done to get people into homes they cannot afford. We are not talking about GWB. He is irrelavant, although I dislike him as well.

“doesn’t focus on substance”

Can you point out to me where he intelligently talked about the housing bubble and excessive debt leverage before taking office? Isn’t it telling that we are smarter than he is, or at least more honest. When an issue comes up he says he is pissed or is going to kick some ass, like a 12 yr old child, but never can talk intelligently unless reading from a script.

“encourages people to steal as much as they can from “The Man,””

He signs legislation giving aid to people that deserve to be foreclosed on and go into bankruptcy on a regular basis. Who do you think foots the bill? I do.

“denies his own true religous and political beliefs on TV?”

He has denied believing what was preached at the churches and political functions he voluntarily attended prior to office. Would you listen to a preacher or go to organizational meetings if you didn’t believe what they had to say.

You still have not pointed out one fact that supports your position. You just spout unwarranted prejudiced and uninformed gibberish.

Google ACORN. The first thing that comes up should be the Wikipedia description that details some of the unethical and illegal actions the group has been associated with, not to mention condoning civil disobediance in the face of foreclosure. As I stated before, Obama is trash.

“Many financial firms including MS are increasing their overseas offices and considering shrinking US offices as a result of the financial reform legislation. Also he wants to increase taxes and fees for corporations. Increasing the costs of business in the US makes other areas more attractive and requires termination of employees to keep keep current salaries levels, why do you think this needs to be proven when it is common sense?”

Oh the poor banks and “financial firms”. So these are the “high paying jobs” you speak of, not good middle class jobs. The average wager earner, which is the majority of the country say “good riddance”. Strike 1.

“The healthcare reform bill does not really address premium caps, premiums are going up not down except for the free riders.”

You’re backpedaling again. Answer for this jibberish->“wants to dramatically increase healthcare costs”<- Strike 2

“I told you before, he dedicated several years of his life to ACORN, a group everyone on here should hate for the horrible and misdirected work they have done to get people into homes they cannot afford. We are not talking about GWB. He is irrelavant, although I dislike him as well.”

ACORN doesn’t make policy and law, did not run Fannie and Freddie, did not pass the Low Down Payment Act and the Zero Downpayment Act. The GOP and Bush did. Strike 3

“Can you point out to me where he intelligently talked about the housing bubble and excessive debt leverage before taking office?”

He campaigned on it Sister Sarah. You were too busy having a melt-down during the election to pay attention. I told you then you’re in for a surprise. And guess what……shhhh…. You’re in for an even bigger surprise coming very soon.

“He signs legislation giving aid to people that deserve to be foreclosed on and go into bankruptcy on a regular basis. Who do you think foots the bill? I do.

And you rather the wealthy elite keep their budget busting tax cuts that are set to go away.
“But the deficit!” bemoans the GOP. Such a conundrum you’ve got yourself into again.

“He has denied believing what was preached at the churches and political functions he voluntarily attended prior to office. Would you listen to a preacher or go to organizational meetings if you didn’t believe what they had to say.”

What are you babbling about? Now the president is a pastor? You’re deluded.

You still have not provided a single shred of evidence to support your rhetoric. You just spout unwarranted prejudiced and uninformed gibberish.

You two need to get a room.

“Sarah”

Did Eddie perchance get a gender change operation?

Just in case, I added that name to my JoshuaTree ‘ignore’ list.

Oh for Pete’s sake, Ex and Prof. Sarah’s positions are nothing that have not been stated previously. Why get so emotional? The fact is, the man has seeded the Executive branch with policy makers who have been bought and paid for. We are obliged to live with their policies, many of which are - to put it kindly - misguided.

Or do you both LIKE the fact that our country has been hijacked in service to the Washington - Wall Street revolving door on the one hand, and to the millions of freeloaders - err, illegal aliens - on the other? These policies, which are the O platforms, have economic consequences for us. The REST of us. And for our children and grandchildren.

Please consider the possibility that this corruption has been going on for thirty years at least, regardless of party. We spend our energies foolishly when we lash out at one another in defense of the money machine shills - of which O is a bought and paid for member. Slavishly praising the Democrats in the hope that the public titty will continue to spurt in the direction of massive subsidies to public universities or public works projects is, IMHO, magical thinking.

I’m reading Joe Bageant, and he is eloquent about the systematic dumbing down of public education. The result is a herd - that would be us - that is incapable of critical thinking, thus defenseless against raw emotional manipulation. Reducing your thinking to false dichotomies - duh, Dems good Repubs bad - is, IMHO, a demonstration of how well this has worked.

They are all corrupt, and their objectives are to sell us down the river lest they get thrown out of office without a revolving door to something even more lucrative than campaign contribution coffers, aka “The Other Congressional Pension Plan”.

I like Obama but not for his economic policies of course. And not for his foreign policies, which is GWB part 2.

Then what is there to like? His smile?

Bill, clear out your cookies. They have definitely screwed up the sarcasm filter on your computer.

Yeah, except for his economic and foreign policies, and who cares about that? There are more important responsbilites of a president, such as, well, umm, let me think, ok I got nothing. Maybe to be a good golfer? That dog is cute, isn’t it? And his wife has a garden!

Ok sorry. I guess I like him for not pushing social conservatism on us. Yeah, it’s a negative. Here’s a positive: Obama is more honest than GWB. Obama said before he was elected he will spread the wealth around and he did. GWB spoke the free market rhetoric and gave us socialism (prescription medicine ‘benefit”). In fact, Obama is about as honest as Ronald Reagan. Obama and Reagan were more honest than both Bushes and Clowntoon.

I’m against socialism but I like politicians to be honest even if they enact policies I dislike and think are destructive to the U.S.

And I wrote in Ron Paul for POTUS and would never ever vote for a Democrat for any office.

I pondered for few moments if I like Obama. I can’t think any thing I like about his administration. I honestly don’t care about his personal life. Does it make me racist? I am not even white. LOL.

I voted for Barr and thought that Obama would be slightly better in regards to wars and civil liberties. Utter disappoint.

So all we ask from the President of the United States is that he lie a little less than the last guy? That’s it? I have a goldfish that is going to the best president ever.

Sad to say, but “lie a little less” is all we can get these days.

I voted for Barr and thought that Obama would be slightly better in regards to wars and civil liberties. Utter disappoint.

You Lie!

“…The president gave assurances that U.S. forces in Iraq will drop to 50,000 by the end of the month (August 2010) – a reduction of 94,000 troops since he took office 18 months ago. The remaining troops will form a transitional force until a final U.S. withdrawal from the country at the end of 2011, he said.”

By Kathleen Hennessey and Liz Sly, Tribune Washington Bureau/Los Angeles Times

I can haz dramaticly reduced expectations?

What’s Obama’s qualification? As bad as they are Larry and David are somewhat “accomplished” in their respective fields.

“What’s Obama’s qualification?”

As long as AWOL, Dry Drunk, GOP, Psychopatic Sociolpath, Warmonger and Texas Govenor AREN’T ON his qualifications, Obama works for me.

And let us not forget that many of our middle class brethren were laughing at us, calling us names and acting like complete jerks when we chose not to down the Sharkleberry Blue Kool-Aid with them. Their attitudes were arrogant and haughty. They made it very difficult for anybody that was not buying into the stupidity to even contemplate doing the right thing.

Fast forward to today and they are all a bunch of victims that want nothing more than the government to make their house “worth” more. There has been little penance for their sins.

Never before has a group that knew so little thought so much of themselves. It is time for many that faced ruin to look directly in the mirror and ask, “who really caused this?” Few will like the answer. But instead of facing reality they once again are trying to take us down with them.

“Never before has a group that knew so little thought so much of themselves”

So true my friend. And yes, they -are- pulling us down w/ them! It’s not just the house either, make my busted pension “worth” more, make my job “worth” more!

But we won’t lift a finger to help ourselves.

listen to Rush?

lol

I’ve never listened to Rush. I used to regularly listen to Alex on the car radio. I timed any driving errands for his time slot (11-2), which happily was at the less-heavy traffic time of day.

But after I got an i-pod, my listening habits changed. I haven’t heard Alex lately.

Is “nice weather in Oregon” an oxymoron?

They may get more than they expected. A friend of mine has just become blind after a stroke of the optic nerve - he had had the same 10 years ago in the other eye.

During the course of the last few weeks, he has been examined by a number of specialists. When they find out his condition, they always ask “Do you take ED meds?”

He didn’t take ED meds. But he considered participating in a study Cialis is doing of his condition (chose not to).

whoh, so there’s actually something to the old threat?

BTW, my friend is just finishing up his first week at a VA blindness adaptation training center in Waco; there are ten centers in the country.

It sounds like a very good program. They did plumbing and lawnmower repairs blindfolded (to rely entirely on touch rather than remaining low vision). Yesterday they went bowling. They’ll be cooking, barbecuing, learning to walk with the cane, etc.

the old threat

It took me a while to get that one!

whoh, so there’s actually something to the old threat?

hahahah… “you’ll go blind!”

(not laughing at your friend’s condition, hip. Just the joke.)

hip in zilker,

Sorry to hear about your friend. Can I suggest.., guitar? Even though I have decent sight, I haven’t had to ‘look’ where my hands/fingers/frets are for years.

In fact a lot of the better guitar players ‘are’ sight impaired. That aside, it really gives you a sense of empowerment. When I worked downtown, on Fridays I would blast for an hour or two before everyone else got home and felt much better.

IMHO

Sorry to hear about your friend. Can I suggest.., guitar? Even though I have decent sight, I haven’t had to ‘look’ where my hands/fingers/frets are for years.

What about keyboard? Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder being notable examples.

Or vocals? The Blind Boys of Alabama and Diane Schuur come to mind.

DinOR and AZ,

Thanks for the ideas. While my friend hasn’t played an instrument in the 20+ years I’ve known him, he is a rock fan and might have played when he was younger.

In his situation, it surely would be nice to enjoy letting one’s ‘muscle memory’ take over for a while. It occurs to me that the choice of bowling for a day 3 activity might have something to do with that. I’m trying to think of other muscle-memory things - having 7 sisters, did he perhaps knit or crochet in his youth?

If this gap between the ego-self and the inner-self is not filled - meaning if there is no way for the questions of “Who am I?” and “What do I want?” to be answered in the psyche - then answers to these questions will be supplied (at least temporairly) by the multitudes of marketers that make a good living selling expensive junk to those searching for these answers.

Once a person finds a way to connect the two parts of his psyche - his conscious ego mind and his subconscious inner-self mind - then he can supply his own answers to these questions. This makes him immune to the psychological tricks of marketers since he doesn’t need to depend on them to tell him who he is and what he wants.

And, possibly for the first time in his life, he will become truly free.

FWIW.

To clarify, the reason I hated my boss was because at the time I thought he was being negatively critical. I now realize that he saw a lot of himself (his younger self) in me because he had me pegged. He was right about most of it.

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. Don’t know if I’m “truly” free, but definitely on the path.