I watched Thomas Sowell on the “dreaded” Fox Business channel last night.
He indicated that Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who will stop the Federal
Reserve lunacy and return to the gold standard. Also he agreed with RP
that countries that can provide for their own defense should do so, and not
be welfare recipients of the US.
I am not so much interested in “returning” to the gold standard. It wouldn’t make our system sound as long as reserves are fictional and leverage is boundless.
Exactly, Blue. A “return” to the gold standard is exactly what we don’t want. And I used to be something of a goldbug. But after watching Bill Still’s documentary “The Secrets of Oz”, I’m in agreement that if there is a gold standard, the only people who will have any are the financial elites. Screw the gold standard. Debt free money is the way to go.
And stick a fork in Ron Paul. He’s done. This from a formerly rabid Ron Paul fan. He’s right about a lot of things. Dreadfully wrong on others. Too dreadfully wrong for me.
I assume you are an economics genius. Please explain why the gold standard was bad when we were under it for over 100years and kept our currency strong?
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Comment by ahansen
2011-10-22 00:07:41
Are you really this ignorant of our nation’s history? Seriously, son; please finish high school before you waste any more of Ben’s bandwidth.
Comment by unc
2011-10-22 05:17:02
For your information I have a four business degree, and I do realize this blog is a waste of time for anyone who has a
viewpoint other than the left.
Sounds like a “Fear! Fear! Fear!” edakated mouth-piecer to Hwy, or as Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) says so eloquently: “$hows-me-the-monie$!”
WOW, Check out his collection of articles at this place:
Jewish World Review Thomas Sowell Archives
Jewish World Review August 29, 2002
JWR’s Pundits:
Thomas Sowell
The media and the military:
“When we are talking about weapons of mass destruction, we are talking about the possibility of waking up some morning and finding half of Chicago in ruins or millions of Americans across the country dying in agony from some biological agent. Make no mistake about it, there are dangers in going into Iraq. But there are huge dangers in just waiting and hoping that nothing bad will happen.”
IDK, but here’s “Mr. 100 years!” in Iraq’s pat-on-the-back-in-a-round-bout way to lil’ Opie!
(Do ya think those US troops with Libya sand in their boots are on they’re back home to the US butterball?)
[CNN Update 11:45 a.m. ET] U.S. Sen. John McCain said of reports of Gadhafi’s death: “I think it’s a great day.”
The United States has been part of a NATO military mission enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya since the early days of 2011’s Libyan revolt against Gadhafi. McCain said that when he and other lawmakers visited Tripoli to speak with anti-Gadhafi officials after Gadhafi’s overthrow, those officials said that they would seriously consider reimbursing the United States for its efforts. The amount that the Libyans said they would try to give back to the United States is approximately $1 billion, McCain told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
U.S. Defense Department costs for operations in Libya stand at about $1.1 billion as of September 30, according to Pentagon spokesman George Little. That includes daily military operations, munitions, the drawdown of supplies and humanitarian assistance.
McCain said that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama “deserves credit” for how the crisis in Libya has been handled.
Where’s the Non-Hawaiian’s damn Birth-certificate!!!!!!!
(The less lil Opie does the more he seems to accomplish, maybe he’s really a Kenyan-Indonesian Taoist?)
Nobel monie$
Obamacares
Iraq (-100,000) US troop ordered back home to USA
2011 - $42 Billion Dollar Pentagon war reduction
Bin Laden
Pentagon to dra$tically cut $pending on Afghan force$:
Under pressure from the White House for steep reductions, the Pentagon agrees to a no-frills approach for Afghanistan’s army and police. Expenditures will be cut by more than half by 2014.
NATO
Qaddafi
Next,…:
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Comment by butters
2011-10-21 08:59:07
If you really have to bring McCain to support your claims, you lost the argument already.
Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history? Has there been any war he didn’t like? Has there been any bombing he didn’t like? Are there any prospects of bombing he doesn’t like?
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2011-10-21 09:09:22
Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history?
Eyes always thought kindly of him as a Vietnam war soldier-hero, but if butterballs says, “he’s the most useless idiot in America history, then eyes yield the thread to Sir “Knows-it-all” / Count “Wisdom” aka; sweet butters
Comment by measton
2011-10-21 09:54:31
It doesn’t look like he has to bring McCain to support the claims
Gadhafi is dead, Bin Ladin is dead, troops are heading home,
and we are cutting costs and forcing Europe and Lybians to pay for some of the heavy lifting this time.
I think Obama is under the influence of WS, but he has a lot to run on in terms of foreign policy. Haters can burry their head in the sand if they like.
Comment by SV guy
2011-10-21 10:07:26
“Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history? Has there been any war he didn’t like? Has there been any bombing he didn’t like? Are there any prospects of bombing he doesn’t like?”
Hell, McCain is so gung-ho he tried to take out his own ship!
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2011-10-21 10:10:08
Iraq (-100,000) US troop ordered back home to USA
2011 - $42 Billion Dollar Pentagon war reduction
Libya…Iraq…Afghanistan
This just in:
Obama announces full American withdrawal from Iraq:
By Chris Moody | The Ticket – 11 mins ago
President Obama annunced a nearly complete withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq by the end of the year during a press conference Friday afternoon.
“Today, I can report that as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home from Iraq at the end of this year,” Obama said. “After nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over. Over the next two months our troops in Iraq–tens of thousands of them–will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home.”
The military will keep about 160 servicemen and women in Baghdad to provide security for the embassy there.
The war has claimed the lives of 6,230 American service members since the invasion in 2003.
Comment by butters
2011-10-21 11:17:59
Gadhafi is dead, Bin Ladin is dead, troops are heading home,
and we are cutting costs and forcing Europe and Lybians to pay for some of the heavy lifting this time.
I think Obama is under the influence of WS, but he has a lot to run on in terms of foreign policy. Haters can burry their head in the sand if they like.
Listen to yourself. You are supporting Obama for the same things you would have denounced Bush for.
Gerald Celente is right - “Conservatives believe, but liberals lie, pretend and make excuses.” You guys are further proof of that. There’s no intellectual honesty, just lies and excuses.
BTW, I don’t agree with Conservatives believe part either. It should be Conservatives believe in wrong things…..
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2011-10-21 11:55:43
There’s no intellectual honesty, just lies and excuses.
Here ya go sweet butters, have a slice of Cheney-$hrubs “Yellow-Cake” “Mi$$ion Accomplice!” celebration de$ert, take some home, plenty of left-overs.
Comment by measton
2011-10-21 13:40:34
“”Listen to yourself. You are supporting Obama for the same things you would have denounced Bush for.”"
Wrong - I was all for going into Afghanastan, I would have taken Osama at Tora Bora bombed the hell out of the Taliban strongholds and left with a message that we’d be back. I felt Iraq was a contrived war sold to us with lies and I’m happy to see US troops coming home. I’m also happy that if we are going to go to war that others share some of the cost. I’m glad we aren’t occupying the country. Very big differences.
Now Lybia was not sold to us with lies. The arguement was that if we didn’t help the rebels they would be slaughtered and I’m sure that is true. Although I will admit that money and oil were probably the main motivating force there are plenty of slaughters around the globe that we do nothing about. I don’t agree that we alone should be overthrowing any bad dictator, but Gadhafi did blow up a 747 with close to 300 people on board along with a disco in Germany. WE also did it with a large consensus among countries, that was not forced or purchased or obtained by trickery or with lies about wmd.
I will also note that they did find yellow cake and uranium and I believe mustard gas in Lybia, not so much in Iraq. Not that this was given as a rational for war.
Comment by ahansen
2011-10-22 00:32:54
Honey, you’ve not a shard of credibility until you learn to spell the name of the sovereign nations who’s citizens you espouse bombing into oblivion.
“that countries that can provide for their own defense should do so, and not be welfare recipients of the US.”
Seems kinda vague, let’s see who able to put their mouth where there money is.
[It's required that instead of "blah, blah, blah,..." you just contribute a name attached to your moniker of anonymity]
Let’s start a list, and prioritize by greatest U$ Dollar Military Aid after the list is completed:
Here’s a start [submitted by Hwy]:
Pakistan
Israel
Criticisms:
Critics cite that U.S. aid and training have contributed to human rights violations, supported corrupt and cruel governments,
and protected the economic interests of multinational corporations.
It is often believed that aid is given for political purposes, that it does not benefit the people in the target country, and it may even result in greater oppression and suffering. If military aid were cut off to Israel, the tax money could be spent in the United States to provide 364,000 low-income households with affordable housing vouchers, or to retrain 498,000 workers for green jobs, or to provide access to primary health care services for 24 million uninsured Americans.
Currently,
Congress wants to cut defense spending by lowering the amount of aid given to foreign militaries. Money saved from proposed cutbacks could benefit the U.S. military, which is closing military bases, freezing pay raises for service members, and cutting the defense budget by $78 billion for 2011
Particular targets of criticism include:
Funds appropriated to the State Department and Defense Department represent the vast majority of unclassified military aid and assistance.
The public does not have any way of tracking classified programs administered by the U.S. intelligence community.
The United States gives the same amount of money to its top five aid recipients as they give to the rest of the world.
Corruption is a major problem. Funds often go directly to leaders who may not share the aid with citizens.
Military aid went to Latin American dictatorships in the second half of the 20th century.
The U.S. provides assistance to the Colombian army which has documented ties with paramilitary groups on the U.S. terrorist list.
Foreign aid often aids the giver, not the recipient.
Tunisia has received military aid for several helicopters despite blatant human rights violations, abuse of power and the existence of a police state
Again, if any of these folks are receiving any form of government assistance, then they aren’t living on $10,000 or $11,000 a year.
The Secret to Living Well on $11,000 a Year
USNews
Our last story on frugal living, “The Secret to Living Well on $20,000 a Year,” stirred up some heated comments, many of which argued that $20,000 a year represents a king’s ransom. “Someone should do an article on how to live on less than $10,000 per year. I am a single mother who is doing just that,” wrote Rici of Wyoming.
An anonymous commenter from Texas wrote, “[I'm] not impressed. I live on $8,796 a year.”
“I am retired and living on less than $1,000 a month [from] Social Security,” wrote Liz Ortiz of Colorado.
Glenn Morrissette, 42, wrote in to say that he lives on just $11,000 a year, and he does it by living full-time in an RV. As a result, he pays no rent, needs no car, and can live wherever he wants. Unlike Joseph Fonseca, the writer we profiled in our “Living Well on $20,000 a Year” article, Morrissette has health insurance. A professional musician, he can work by computer from any location. He might not have a family to support, as the teacher living on $40,000 a year does, but we thought Morrissette’s story was interesting enough to share. We spoke with Morrissette, who is currently in New Jersey, about his lifestyle, which he also describes on his blog, To Simplify. Excerpts:
Why did you decide to live in an RV?
I had an apartment in Burbank and was the typical Los Angeles apartment dweller. I started to feel a strong desire to simplify my life. I had a garage full of stuff I never used, my closets were full, and I started to see that it was costing me money to have an apartment big enough to hold all the stuff I never use.
My initial plan was to scale back and move into a smaller apartment. Before long, I realized I didn’t need too much to be happy. I could fit into a small space. That’s when the RV idea occurred to me. I was just sitting in traffic and an RV pulled up. I said, “I could probably fit in that thing.” The more I looked into it, the more I realized how practical it would be. For what I was paying for rent in LA, I could own my “house” free and clear and not pay rent, and own my car as well.
The two key things that make it possible are not having rent or a mortgage payment. I own my RV, so that was an initial expense [of about $14,000], but I have no house or car payment. Gas is controllable; I don’t drive if I don’t want to. Most months, I spend less than $300 on gas. I estimate that I save about $1,000 a month compared to what I was spending in LA.
What do you eat?
I eat pretty well. I don’t skimp on food. I eat a lot of grass-fed meats, fruits, and vegetables … some people call it the caveman diet. I go to farms, farmers markets, and health food stores. I probably spend about $250 a month on food. I could spend a lot less if I didn’t care about eating well.
Do you have health insurance?
Yes. I’m self-employed so I purchase my own plan. I have a high-deductible plan and pay $80 per month. It would be even cheaper if I was 28. I don’t understand young people who say, “I can’t afford health insurance.” Last year, my appendix ruptured, and the insurance was a life-saver. I learned my lesson.
What about clothes?
I’m a pretty basic jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I don’t have to go to the office, so I don’t need a wardrobe. I have nine to 10 shirts and a couple pairs of jeans. I do have a suit so I can get dolled up when I have to, but my normal wardrobe is pretty minimal. I do one load of laundry every week, and I don’t see the point of owning more clothes than I can do in one load of laundry.
Do you spend money on entertainment?
I don’t go out much at all. I prefer the food I make to what I get in restaurants. More often than not, I’m disappointed. I’m pretty health-conscious and I want my food to be real food, so I’m content eating what I make. The idea of spending $30 at a restaurant–that seems like four to five days’ worth of food to me. Years ago, I ate out every single meal. I’m kicking myself now, if only I had invested that money instead.
I’m not a big drinker, although I drink somewhat socially. I’m a pretty simple guy. Music is my life. Even if I’m not working, if I have a free day, I will spend a big chunk doing music. It’s a profession and a hobby.
Do you splurge on anything?
The food I eat. I don’t feel like I’m skimping at all. It’s a form of health insurance to me.
And I just try to put myself in interesting places. I’m surprised how easy it is to do that. A lot of stuff is free out there. There’s a lot of beautiful scenery in this country and it doesn’t cost anything just to park. You can just drive into a national forest and live there for two weeks. I always try to give myself great real estate, whether it’s by an ocean, a lake, or in the center of a cool little town. So I always have a great front yard, real estate that people would pay millions of dollars for, and it doesn’t cost me anything.
Again, if any of these folks are receiving any form of government assistance
“TrueAnger™” + “TrueReduceTheDeficitNow!!!!™” = “Don’t touch MY Social Security!, or MY med-care!, or My Drug Distribution System!
Glenn Morrissette, 42 = Jimmay @ the Buffett: “12 volt man”
Now I now this Joe down in Mexico
He went there to work on his tan
For years he’s been plugged into blenders and songs
They call him the Twelve Volt Man
He don’t need no charge card
Just give him a Die Hard
And he’ll makes sparks fly ’round your head
Oh just ask for some palm trees
Or tales from the South Seas
And I’ll make sparks fly ’round your head
How high a deductible? How much did he pay out of pocket for that appendectomy?
Where did the money to buy the RV come from? What’s he paying for insurance and tags?
RVs aren’t the hot ticket for primary shelter out here in Tornado Alley. There are a lot more storms with 80-90mph winds that never make the news.
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Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 13:12:27
They do OK in earthquakes.
Comment by alpha-sloth
2011-10-21 13:25:04
“How high a deductible? How much did he pay out of pocket for that appendectomy?”
I agree. A 42-year-old guy, and he pays $80 a month health insurance, and he’s not on a group plan? Must have a $50,000 deductible.
I’ve been buying similar insurance, with high deductibles, since my mid-30s, I have no medical problems, and I’ve never seen such a low rate offered by any legit company, no matter how high the deductible.
Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 14:34:11
He probably made that part up. After all it’s only a “news story”.
I love how the MSM is conditioning us to accept our new poverty defined future, telling us we’ll be just fine as Lucky Duckies (who will also pay more taxes) while the rich get richer and pay less taxes.
I think that this propaganda/misinformation is aimed at the cubicle dweller class. Anyone who is already a Lucky Duckie isn’t buying it for a second. I believe the propaganda is an attempt to nip any nascent sympathy for the Luckly Duckies in the bud.
Last spring I was describing what I called my Frugal Life Style to an old friend, who happens to still be a cubie. He laughed at what I called “frugal” as I explained that I was about to move from my RV to my yacht for the season. “Only in America would this be described as frugality.”
As a debt hampster cubie years ago, I dreamed of living in a converted school bus. Now I have a friggin Airstream and it is my land based home. Freedom! You call it poverty. Oh well.
It’s one thing to live frugally by choice, but quite another because you have to.
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Comment by goon squad
2011-10-21 07:11:10
Yes but doing the former helps prepare for involuntarily doing the latter.
Comment by In Colorado
2011-10-21 08:12:50
Even as cubicle dwellers we are being forced into frugality. If you don’t get a raise over the years and the home ATM is shut down you have little choice but to cut back. Cars are kept longer, vacations are cancelled, you eat out less often (if at all), you buy your clothes and shoes at discount stores, etc.
Having a paid for Gulf Stream and Yacht (I presume they’re paid for) is not “poverty”.
Lucky Duckies do not have such possessions. They’re too busy juggling 3 P/T minimum wage jobs, while praying that no one gets sick this winter or that the old car breaks down. And that is what we are being conditioned to accept as “normal” if you don’t live in the cubicle farm (where the ‘No Vacancy’ sign is on 24/7)
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Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 08:37:19
That word “poverty” then implies fragility rather than dollar income level. My lifestyle choice is below the $500/wk level that you equate with desperation.
And Oxy, you’re not a vagrant if you have money in your pocket. House free is a more friendly term.
Comment by In Colorado
2011-10-21 11:49:22
That word “poverty” then implies fragility rather than dollar income level.
If by fragility you mean “no assets” then yes (partially), but cash flow does matter and its hard to save money when you’re living day by day.
By your own admission you’re an ex-cubicle dweller, so you had time to save your stash and acquire some assets. Linda, the $8/hr lunch lady/Walmart cashier/newspaper deliverer never had such a chance along with about half the workforce. For them life is about hoping the car doesn’t break down or someone get sick.
America is looking more and more like Mexico, a society with a large underclass and a small middle class, while those at the top laugh while saying “let them eat cake”. Of course now Mexico has become so dangerous that its elite is fleeing to the saftety of their Texas mansions.
Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 13:10:32
“never had such a chance along with about half the workforce.”
No offense, but at any income level it is possible to spend just a little less than you earn or just a little more. The long term outcome is drastically different.
We’ve covered this ground before, but that half of the workforce you mention, they can afford lots of luxuries and cannot afford to save one red penny. We all know lots of them. Do you know many of them who do not have cable TV and high speed internet? Don’t have a car because they are a money pit? No cell phone? Cut their own hair. That kind of stuff.
Comment by aNYCdj
2011-10-21 13:19:18
Blue your missing the point..you dont have to have it, but then those who control the jobs today wont hire you…
Its like you can’t fall behind ..you HAVE to have a smart phone and a laptop to even get an interns job today….
Thats why my $3000 paydown of credit cards could do a lot to get people back up to speed…If only the big OH would give some tough love like spend it on a laptop not lap dances.
Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 14:04:05
I get it to a degree. My point is that most schlepps couldn’t save a dime if they found one.
Comment by aNYCdj
2011-10-21 15:41:55
true….blue….hey that rhymes…
Comment by In Colorado
2011-10-21 17:23:49
Do you know many of them who do not have cable TV and high speed internet?
I know plenty who have neither. And who don’t have a Smart Phone either. I also know plenty who struggle to pay rents that are over 50% of their take home pay.
The ones with the toys are cheaters who hide their incomes and get public assistance.
Blue are you retired or just making your living on the computer so you can be anywhere?
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Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 09:26:10
dj,
Still working, yes from anywhere. Planning on retiring soon. Just practicing now.
Comment by aNYCdj
2011-10-21 13:03:08
kewl….your stories and adventures brings smiles to a lot of faces.
Not sure if I would want the sleeping and travelling on the boat all summer, (maybe a week or two) but the RV is something we could do..maybe with the expandable side screened in area….now that you can save tons of space and store all your important stuff on a hard drive and the super thin tv’s
+1 When we outsource your job and conservatives tell you that you’re lazy and you should live within your means, here’s how to live like a vagrant in a third world country.
Next up they will show how we can live on 3000 a year with a family of 4.
Cardboard box house with plastic roof - $50 dollars
Alpo and trash can diving - 50 dollars a month
Witchcraft instead of medicine - 50 dollars
Entertainment - can kicking free
Retirement - die before your 50 - free
Education - Street smart education free.
All jobs done on a PC will be outsourced…. eventually.
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Comment by Blue Skye
2011-10-21 13:02:26
Maybe not. It’s my availability to go onsite and make stuff work that is the essence of my job. As for the correspondence, no I do not have to, and I do not always stay in the country. Whtever it is you do, be better than everyone else.
Comment by aNYCdj
2011-10-21 13:11:19
Hmmm blue…
I wonder if there will be a Wedding DJ company in bangalore who will dj your wedding for $199?
All you need is a 100″ projector tv fast 2 way internet and big speakers all permanently mounted in the venue.
WTF is a “Lucky Ducky” in this context? I’m not saying you’re wrong - I just don’t know who the LD is - the cube dwellers that still have “decent” paying jobs, or the guy in the RV?
“Lucky Ducky” is a term coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe the working poor. The are called “Lucky Duckies” because they often pay no Federal Income Tax (because they are poor).
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Comment by SaladSD
2011-10-21 22:08:53
Great, these 1%ers are so retarded they think it’s lucky to make only 25K a year so you don’t have to pay taxes? Really? Being lucky is having the luxury of paying taxes on 5 million/year.
Is he an American citizen? What can America [The Nation] possibly do for this fella? (Eyes reckon the Libertarian thing to do would be to show charity & compassion and donate a skateboard for him?)
[Iffin' he were a citizen/soldier what would the "evil" VA do? What would Rash Limpbaughs think of using citizen/taxpayers monie$, how would he classify it: $pending or $timulus?]
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” 47-year-old Wesley Warren Jr. said in the poorly lit apartment. “It’s freakish.”
What sat in front of where Warren was seated in shorts — what is actually attached to him — was more than 100 pounds of scrotum, the protective sac of skin and muscle that contains his testicles.
“It’s not easy to get around,” he said, standing and groaning as he lifted his scrotum off its makeshift pedestal and carefully let it hang almost to the floor. “It makes me stay in most of the time.”
Las Vegas man with 100-pound scrotum seeks money for surgery:
BY PAUL HARASIM
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Oct. 16, 2011
Kim Voss, an associate administrator at the hospital, said that during an eight-week period a team of doctors, including urologists, surgeons, internists and infectious disease specialists, wrote up 20 different documentations of what they found.
In references to Warren’s condition, medical practitioners interchangeably use scrotal elephantiasis, scrotal lymphedema or scrotal edema, a condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in tissues of the body, to describe his condition. Doctors don’t know if his condition could grow even more pronounced.
Though the infectious disease generally tied to the elephantiasis was not found, Voss said multiple courses of antibiotics and anti-viral medications were given to Warren in hopes that they would take down the massive swelling. When they didn’t, she said doctors told him about a surgery that could be performed through Medicaid.
In hopes of getting the money for a possible corrective procedure that physicians have told him can cost about $1 million, Warren swallowed his pride by outing himself recently on shock jock Howard Stern’s national satellite radio and cable TV freak segment.
At UCLA, where Warren recently paid nearly $600 for an evaluation, he said doctors seemed more confident about saving his penis and testicles. They also told him that it would cost nearly seven figures for the procedure. Even if Nevada’s Medicaid program would allow him to go out-of-state for surgery, Warren said UCLA doctors informed him that they doubted that would work.
“They said Nevada Medicaid doesn’t pay enough so I would be a cash patient,” he said.
Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal com or 702-387-2908.
Definition of a libertarian: a 30 year old IT type who’s contrarian by nature but who hasn’t yet figured out how the world actually works, doesn’t need many governmental services yet, has good health and doesn’t see that he’s carrying water for the rich with his “abolish governmental departments” rants that he’s purloined from Ayn Rand whose arguments he doesn’t yet realize are bankrupt even though her prose is obviously dreadful.
That was me a few years ago. So embarrassing now…
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Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2011-10-21 09:21:48
Bless you Mr. B, for yer honesty & POV.
Kind regards, Hwy50
Comment by alpha-sloth
2011-10-21 13:42:06
Too funny, MrBubble- and dead on!
Comment by sleepless_near_seattle
2011-10-21 13:52:53
Good post, MrB. This is why I don’t get the knock on those self-described as “social libertarians.” You can have both to some degree and I think most Americans do want both, to some degree. People are lying to themselves when they say they don’t want access to “Socialist” programs. They prove over and over that they do.
(Eyes sent an email to Rash Limpbaughs askin’ him to donate x24 lil’ blue pills so that the poor fella at least can aim straight with his squirt gun for a couple of weeks,…no reply yet.) ;-/
What are you planning to do $lipperybanana, since you seem so interested in the actions of others?
2) The number of millionaires increased by about 20 percent.
50% of All Workers Made Less than $26,000 in 2010:
DEREK THOMPSON’S / BY THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY GROUP / Oct 21 2011
Today we get our first look at American wages in 2010 based on payroll taxes reported to the Social Security Administration. David Cay Johnston picks out the most important takeaways, including:
1) Half of all workers made less than $26,364, the median wage in 2010. That means the typical wage is at its lowest level since 1999, after adjusting for inflation.
The industries with wages growing considerably slower than the rest of the country — the ones really pulling down the national average — are construction (huge bubble burst), food service (an unproductive industry that requires little advanced education) and sales and retail (another unproductive industry that requires little advanced education). So one thing that’s keeping wages low is the fact that the most important stimulus of the last decade blew up in our face, and another big thing is that lots of workers without college degrees don’t have the skills to demand higher wages in more productive professions. I’m as astounded as Johnston about these wage numbers, but I’m less optimistic that is the kind of trend we can reverse in an election.
Update: There are some reasonable questions about how many of these workers are part-time. I don’t know the answer to that question. Our official measures of part-time workers are inconsistent, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data on workers by hours-per-week is here. What we know: About 24 million people worked less than 29 hours a week in 2010. About 35 million people worked 34 hours a week or less in 2010
(From the comments section:) Glory be!
Ulysses Not yet home:
“The concept being that the banks and financial industry were in collapse because of the defaulting on the loans that made up so much of their portfolios, so by supporting the individuals who owed the loan balances, the lien holders would be made whole, and stability would in fact “trickle up”. Moreover by the additional dollars, introduced at the “spender” end of the equation (the actual job creators), we also jump start entrepreneurial activity, stabilize real estate valuations, and a host of corollary systemic benefits.
This addresses the true problem of our economy which is that multiple wars, oil price manipulations, and predatory financial activities have combined to divert something on the order of 5 trillion dollars from circulation in the overall economic system. The problem NOW is having been shocked, ALL participants, at ALL levels have withdrawn to hibernation levels of activity, based on the certainty that “this ain’t over…”. Banks realize this and rationally think, “money I loan out now, before the real bottom, I likely to be 2013’s defaulted loan…”. Business at every level makes the same calculation, so they don’t hire employees that they believe they’ll have to shed, for projects they don’t believe the market will make profitable. So the downward cycle continues.
Lynn Wright:
Steve…now how did I guess that you would say ‘by the way, your numbers don’t square with the CBO’…you conservatives must all have the same accountants…the first thing you do is to cherry-pick some numbers from the ten thousand pages of the Tax Code. which is why the upper middle class is paying less and less taxes every year…look at my numbers again….now, which one of the charts do you not believe?…the ‘zero tax’ one or the other half of your ‘conservative talking points’?…the upper class is paying less in federal income tax every year since the days of reagan, ‘I’m not a president but I play one on TV’….between reagan and BOOSH, it is estimated those 2 cost the United States of America something north of EIGHTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS!!!…and they both weren’t educated enough to understand what the Federal Reserve was doing to us…’per capita spending by corporations’…LMFAO!!!…what the hell does that even mean?…more ‘voodoo’ economics?…how does a publicly held corporation spend that money on every person?…or family?…or in taxes paid to the treasury?…where does that money physically go, skippy?…and how does it get there?…my numbers are FROM the CBO…the rich are getting more wealthy from their investments, their CEO bonuses, stock options, insider trading, and outright theft and lies!! (’gramm-leach-bliley’ created the largest system of deceit EVER!!)…and their little frat boy friends in congress are making sure the laws, as expressed in the Tax Code, move the burden of gov’t more and more towards the middle class and away from the wealth…pick all the cherries you want but the fact remains…corporations are hoarding trillions in cash and the wealthy are, also…they’re waiting for the collapse of the middle class….and they can wait forever because they have all the marbles…N.M.Rothschild said ‘give me the power to print a nation’s currency and I care not for it’s laws’…and ‘give me control of a nation’s debt and I will own that nation in a hundred years’…that was 1913.
$26,364? But $500 x 52 = $26,000. HR/Accounting to commence immediate plan to raise worker productivity by $364 per worker bee. Can’t have those Lucky Duckies getting uppity with that extra $364
Hey, you forgot the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
between reagan and BOOSH, it is estimated those 2 cost the United States of America something north of EIGHTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS!!!…
Some of these monies that supposedly belonged to the “United States” stayed in my humble pocket. At the time, I thought the money belonged to me and what the “United States” took from me to enrich others and drop bombs was outright theft.
When I join the 50%ers maybe my tune will change. But I don’t think so.
disillusioned today. Thinking that complying with Fannie upon our post-foreclosure exit would get us cash for keys we were presented with a bit of a shocker. Leave the fridge or no $1800 CFK.
We were working with agents from Fannie Mae; who now own my wife’s property. They were originally willing to rent it out to me for a year because since I stated I was not the owner they assumed I was a tenant. Rental option not good to ex-owner occupants like my wife.
I felt excited about their cash for keys offer to my wife. Now they tell us we need to leave the fridge to get the CFC. We paid $1800 for the refrigerator, and need it in my other house, because my tenant has her own, so we will need it at some point.
How is CFKs gonna help us if we have to leave things like the fridge?? So we shall await the eviction rather than comply with agents for Fannie. I understand leaving the built-ins, the dishwasher, oven, water heater, etc, to qualify for CFK.
But the washer, dryer, and fridge and also the window coverings did not come with the home (for the record they are just asking for the fridge) and we just dont want to part with our fridge that was $1800 new to get $1800 from Fannie. What if we lived out of an ice chest for the last 5 years? Would we have to leave that?
The work around is just too simple. Leave a frige. It doesn’t have to be your trophy frige. Visit the used appliance store and get er done.
I am sure “they” don’t have the make and model on your stuff. Besides, if it failed (which would be as simple as unplugging it) you’d be obliged to replace it with a working frige to get your $$.
You don’t even have to go to the appliance store. You can decent free ones off Craigslist. People who bought new trophy appliances just want someone to come and get their old ones.
Sorry to hear you are neck deep in bureaucracy. In Northern CA, it is customary for the fridge to stay with the rental (I rented for 14 years in various places around here and never needed to get a fridge).
I learned (to my surprise) in Southern CA, the standard is that the tenant brings their own fridge.
Sounds like Fannie is trying to take the most aggressive stance to their benefit, even though the standard in various markets might be that the fridge goes with the tenant.
I also recently learned that if you are a tenant, there is a federal law that requires that the entity trying to get you out of your home needs to give you 90 days notice to evict.
If you are a “renter”, here is a blurb on the new Federal law:
It says that it is unclear as to whether you need to pay rent for those 90 days. If this law applies to you, and you don’t need the cash now, run the math on potentially living rent free for 90 days, then taking everything out of the house that you purchased to the next place.
This chart shows a summary of various state laws on foreclosure, etc.
Looks like for Oregon, any occupant is deemed a tenant post foreclosure…does this mean the 90 day Federal Law applies to you regardless of whether you are an owner or tenant?
I understand that some entities that foreclose hope that their tenants don’t know the Federal Law and try to get them out after 30 days. I would expect that Fannie doesn’t ignore Federal Law, but if they try to evict you with anything less than 90 days, I’d quote the Federal Law and fight them on it…
I’d be the biggest pain in the a** possible to your own benefit. If indeed the 90 days does apply from notice to eviction, and you may not need to pay rent, then I would string them along (negotiate) as long as you can as though you are going to take CFK. You may be able to get 120 days total free rent and keep your appliances. 150 days? 180 days?
Milk it…you know Fannie isn’t your friend…be your own friend in this case.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration and the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are expected to unveil new steps to help distressed homeowners in the next week or two, a senior congressional aide said on Thursday.
The aide commented on the plan after Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said the Federal Reserve planned to send Congress “legislative recommendations” on housing.
The aide said Feinstein “misspoke for a second” and meant the administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
After Senate Democrats met with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Feinstein told reporters the central bank chief had stressed that more needed to be done to help the housing sector.
“They are going to submit a list of recommendations next week,” Feinstein told reporters. She said the pending proposals are “legislative recommendations we can look at.”
I am expecting this to be another one of my New Year predictions that comes true. The CAMP program. (can`t make your payment, don`t worry about it nobody can)
Key word here is “legislative.” If Congress won’t pass it, it won’t happen. Anyone taking bets on this Congress passing anything other than (perhaps) a way to get around the automatic military cuts when the super committee can’t come up with a budget? No? Me neither.
Steve Jobs Slammed Obama, ‘You’re Headed For A One-Term Presidency’ http://www.investorguide.com| October 20 2011
Jobs’ Meeting With Obama
Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama “was really psyched to meet with you,” Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.
“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by union work rules,” noted Isaacson. “Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform.” Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
Kung Fu Fighting Carl Douglas
No Rain Blind Melon
Two Of Hearts Stacey Q
Whoomp! (There It Is) - (2000 remix) Tag Team
I Want Candy Bow Wow Wow
Harper Valley PTA Jeannie C. Riley
What’s Up 4 Non Blondes
Don’t Give Up On Us David Soul
Electric Avenue Eddy Grant
Achy Breaky Heart Billy Ray Cyrus
Barbie Girl Aqua
Don’t Leave Me This Way Thelma Houston
Bust A Move Young M.C.
Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum
I Know What Boys Like The Waitresses
Just A Friend Biz Markie
Cum On Feel The Noize Quiet Riot
Puttin’ On The Ritz Taco
We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off Jermaine Stewart
Convoy C.W. McCall
Maniac Michael Sembello
The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia Vicki Lawrence
Funkytown Lipps Inc.
Mambo #5 Lou Bega
Jump Around House of Pain
Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades The Timbuk 3
Round And Round Ratt
867-5309 (Jenny) Tommy Tutone
Smokin’ In The Boy’s Room Brownsville Station
It’s Raining Men The Weather Girls
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) The Proclaimers
I Touch Myself The Divinyls
Turn The Beat Around Vicki Sue Robinson
Don’t Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin
Rock Me Amadeus Falco
How Do You Talk To An Angel The Heights
Hot Child In The City Nick Gilder
Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood
In A Big Country Big Country
Me And Mrs. Jones Billy Paul
I Melt With You Modern English
Turning Japanese The Vapors
Bitch Meredith Brooks
Afternoon Delight Starland Vocal Band
Got To Be Real Cheryl Lynn
Seasons In The Sun Terry Jacks
Pass The Dutchie Musical Youth
It Takes Two Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Pop Musik M
Stumblin’ In Suzi Quatro
Too Shy Kajagoogoo
Whip It Devo
Play That Funky Music Wild Cherry
We’re Not Gonna Take It Twisted Sister (1984)
Rapper’s Delight Sugarhill Gang (1980)
The Hustle Van McCoy (1975)
You Light Up My Life Debby Boone (1977)
99 Luftballoons Nena (1984)
Rico Suave Gerardo (1991)
Take On Me A-Ha (1985)
Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice (1991)
Who Let The Dogs Out Baha Men (2000)
Mickey Toni Basil (1982)
I’m Too Sexy Right Said Fred (1992)
Come On Eileen Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1983)
“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting
Didi Mr. Jobs bother to check out the GOP competition?
Obama sucks, but the other guys suck even more.
that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
Funny how some schools do just fine without such resorting to convenience store hours. Of course it helps to have students from upper middle class families. Not sure how keeping the Lucky Ducky kids at school until 6 PM will help.
And how are schools supposed to pay for these extended hours of operations with shrinking budgets? I figure he’s expecting teachers (who in our district average a salary in the mid 40’s) to put in unpaid overtime (like he expected from his own employees), but there is still the issue of supplies, and other increased operating costs.
On hand we have a person who founded and ran one of the most successful American companies ever created. A company that creates truly innovative products and provides thousands of American jobs
On the other we have Colorado who uses 4th grade logic like “Obama sucks, but the other guys suck even more” so let’s keep doing what we are doing.
You mean the same guy who stabbed the REAL inventor of the Apple, his former partner, in the back?
You mean thousands of CHINESE jobs?
Yep, tough choice there.
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Comment by polly
2011-10-21 09:37:32
All of those proposals are ways for him to get cheaper work out of his employees. Especially the schools one. Workers who don’t have to provide baby sitting for their kids between school closing and work ending are a lot less distracted (and take fewer emergency afternoons off when the sitter is sick) between 3 and 6.
Comment by SV guy
2011-10-21 10:23:45
For all of the S. Jobs bashers out there who complain about Chinese manufacturing.
Steve was very loyal to the Bay Area. He could have easily pulled a Haliburton and moved the corporation to a tax haven somewhere.
Apple is in the planning/permit process of constructing the finest Corporate HQ anywhere which will employ thousands locally. Many of those jobs which could be outsourced to a lower wage country.
Apple used to have a number of manufacturing plants here. There was a mac plant in Fremont, Ca and a number of smaller plants spread elsewhere in the bay area. I did sub-contracting work at a number of them. I am curious to see if Steve’s bio will reveal any angst over the decision.
I absolutely hate that our jobs have been outsourced to Chindia and elsewhere. My ire is aimed directly at the politicians that enabled it. Don’t worry, I’ve got some bile left for the other guilty parties as well.
Comment by turkey lurkey
2011-10-21 14:44:49
I don’t mean to bash, but the cult of personality is sickening.
Oh… you do know that it was actually Xerox that invented the GUI and the mouse, right?
But honestly, without Apple, we would still be using command line and number prompts. I don’t miss those days at all.
Comment by SV guy
2011-10-21 15:34:05
“Oh… you do know that it was actually Xerox that invented the GUI and the mouse, right?”
Yeah, I find it puzzling that in his life, he gave so much money to liberal causes, but now that he’s dead, people are coming forward to describe him as some sort of deregulating right-wing businessman.
I’m inclined to believe the long paper trail of money he gave liberals as revealing the real Steve Jobs.
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Comment by Bill in Phoenix and Tampa
2011-10-21 16:21:59
The right to profit from your hard work is not right wing or left wing. It is Randian.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by union work rules not allowing kids to download music on ipods at .99 cents per-song during school hours,”
America’s education system is hampered far more by stressed out parents and badly-behaved kids than it ever was by “bad teachers,” unionized or no.
That said, I’m TIRED of hearing how “business unfriendly” the US is. America is one of the most business friendly countries in the world. Why? Because we invent stuff, and more importantly, we BUY the stuff. Why do we buy stuff? Because we have taxpayer-supported safety nets so we don’ have to save every penny for retirement or kid’s college.
Maybe these countries should design, manufacture, and sell all their stuff overseas. See how many customers they get.
When you ask for specifics on how the US is “business unfriendly” you hear……
“Well, we have to pay for pollution control. And we have to pay a minimum wage, and obey labor laws. And our equipment wouldn’t cost as much, if we didn’t have to pay for these OSHA safety requirements. Think of how cheap airline tickets would be if we hired guys from Jiffy Lube to fix them, and 200 hour pilots to fly them. Just have them do their checkrides on “MS Flight Simulator”
We can’t rob people outright, we have to pay lobbyists and Congressman to make it “legal”. And it still costs money for accountants to take advantage of all those tax loopholes we paid for.
And taxes. Those 10% Capital Gains taxes are a killer. And all those state and local taxes to fund roads and education. Why should I have to pay for my employees education?…..”
“Bunch of damn Socialists are ruining this country for us Capitalists”.
(As heard by X-GS from his Grandad and uncles, fine upstanding “independent businessmen” in Eastern Ohio…..slightly embellished, but not by much. The same guys who filed Chapter 11 to get out from under their pension plan underpayments)
There is a lot of stupid regulation. Major costs imposed on business, with zero cost/benefit analysis.
OSHA wanted us to install a $100K fall prevention system, for the half dozen times a year I have to get 6-7 feet off the floor to fix/inspect something.
We chose to get rid of all of our 5 feet and taller ladders instead. Can’t work on, or inspect, the tail anymore, but what could possibly go wrong up there?
(The answer….plenty. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve found bad stuff, when inspecting or wiping down/cleaning something. That’s why I clean my own airplanes).
But because I have no legal way to get up there, I’m not legally required to look at the tail. It doesn’t (theoretically) get looked at until inspections at the shop are due.
(The reality is that the tall stands are hidden, and I get them out when there’s no chance of OSHA coming around.)
Like the EPA requirements on fuel storage. Mandated multi-gazillion dollar storage tanks. Put all the little gas stations out of business. Only the MNCs could afford the investments out of their own pocket. So locally, you can buy your gas from Phillips/Conoco, BP, QuikTrip, or not get it at all.
Seems to me that if there is a mandate on business for the public health/safety, the public (meaning everyone) needs to help pay for it. Otherwise, you have 2-3 multi-nationals dominating the market.
described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.
Eyes wonder if Mr. Jobs ever feed any of his kids/pets food in a can/bag from “made-in-China-were-we-do-things-the-right-way”? Probably knot. :-/
Bipartisan Senate bill would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on a residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States
American consumers and the federal government haven’t been able to bail out the sinking U.S. real estate market. Now wealthy Chinese, Canadians and other foreign buyers could get their chance.
Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States.
The plan could be a boon to California, which has become a popular real estate market for foreigners, particularly those from China.
Nationwide, residential sales to foreigners and recent immigrants totaled $82 billion in the 12-month period ended March 31, up from $66 billion the previous year, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. California accounted for 12% of those sales, second only to Florida.
“Overall, Los Angeles is the perfect place for investors,” said YanYan Zhang, an agent with Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills, who travels to China several times a year to meet potential clients.
“We need to keep house prices high so that they will continue to be affordable.”
Utter lunacy.
The schemes they hatch to keep the broken debt markets going and keep the resulting house prices at bubble levels get nuttier and nuttier with each passing month.
If they’re going to spend $2,000,000, I would rather see them invest it in a business rather than a house, which produces no wealth and employs no one after its initial construction.
Did you know the DC branch of #OWS demostrated against Harrison Ford? No, really. Ford was attending a $1000/plate charity event with the CEO of Wallmart. The fact that it was the Wallmart guy, a “1-percent-er (like Ford is NOT a 1% guy?), and it was $1000/plate seems to have riled them. Even the reporter on site said the protesters failed to acknowledge that it was a charity event for an environmental cause!
Several former Prime doctors and back-office medical coders said in interviews or court testimony that the company’s owner, Dr. Prem. Reddy, urged staff to log common medical conditions as more serious ailments – opening the door to higher Medicare payments to one of the state’s largest chain of hospitals.
Ho$pital chain accused of ‘blatantly wrong’ billing practice$:
Published: Oct. 21, 2011 Published: Oct. 21, 2011
By CHRISTINA JEWETT and STEPHEN K. DOIG / CALIFORNIA WATCH
California Watch examined Medicare patient billing data submitted by the state’s hospitals for 2010, focusing on the three medical conditions that Reddy highlighted during the San Diego meeting. The analysis found:
•Prime recorded malignant hypertension cases – a rapid onset of high blood pressure that can cause the eyes to bleed – at 11 times the statewide average. Hospitals can earn about $3,000 more when reporting the condition.
•Prime owns six of the seven hospitals in California that reported the highest rates of encephalopathy, a brain injury characterized by swelling, an inability to concentrate and drowsiness. A hospital could earn $7,000 more for treating the condition as a complication of pneumonia.
•Even though Prime treated 3.6 percent of the state’s Medicare patients, it reported handling 77 percent of the cases of autonomic nerve disorder among that same patient population. Treating the disorder – a potentially deadly condition related to Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and alcoholism – can earn $5,000 more for a hospital if coded the right way.
It’s unclear from the state data how much money Prime hospitals specifically may have earned billing for each ailment.
Prime’s business strategy has proved effective for the chain. The Ontario-based company has specialized in turning around struggling hospitals and earned $97 million in profit in 2010, according to state records.
Criticism of Prime’s business strategy emerged publicly during a 2005 trial.
Reddy had sued two former nurse managers over labor issues. The nurses countersued, arguing that Reddy fired them because they had questioned his business practices.
During the trial, Reddy testified that it is legitimate to change a billing code if the medical record indicates a doctor failed to describe a serious condition and, with prompting, documents the condition. Such direction is “one way to come out of the red and be able to keep things going,” Reddy testified.
In April 2007, Prime’s former corporate medical coding director Phelps sent a resignation letter to colleagues, urging them to continue to do the “right thing” when administrators ask them to change coding.
“I have worked with you all long enough to know that you will not be swayed into adding or re-sequencing diagnoses simply because it increases reimbursement,” Phelps wrote in his five-paragraph letter obtained by California Watch.
Phelps said top administrators at Prime went over medical charts to recommend changes that would heighten profits.
He said some doctors refused to add diagnoses. But chain executives pressured doctors to log the conditions, according to Phelps. The billing changes “misconstrued what was going on with the patient,” Phelps said.
Doty and medical coder Danika Fedeli said Reddy’s tone was stern.
The chain owner described medical conditions that he encouraged doctors to document, according to the two coders. Reddy assured physicians that his advice was legal and could shore up hospital finances.
Doty said she resigned after working about three months for Prime, troubled by pressure from a Prime executive to justify her coding. Fedeli, who had been a coder for four years, lost her job when Prime cut her position.
Joseph Ingrande, Doty and Fedeli’s supervisor, said the meeting spurred him to leave. He sent a resignation letter a few days afterward to hospital executives: “To stay and be part of these practices would give the appearance I approve and validate these procedures,” he wrote. “I cannot with good (conscience) be part of these activities which could potentially put me in legal jeopardy with (Medicare).”
Doty and Fedeli both said they’ve been to hospital-run sessions where doctors are urged to describe ailments clearly and completely. But both were dismayed when they say Reddy encouraged doctors to describe entirely different medical conditions in the place of others.
Both coders said Reddy talked specifically about how to handle patients who had fainted. He told the group that these patients could just as well be described as having a rare condition called autonomic nerve disorder, according to Doty and Fedeli.
“He made the comment that autonomic nerve disorder is such a vague, general description … that no one could ever question (it),” Doty recalled. “I was thinking, ‘This is crazy, how can I get out of here?’”
Medicare data shows that Prime reported seeing the nerve disorder 90 times as often as the statewide average.
“President Obama annunced a nearly complete withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq by the end of the year during a press conference Friday afternoon…The war has claimed the lives of 6,230 American service members since the invasion in 2003.”
Every death is one too many, but adding them up it is one ninth the level of Vietnam. Which was one seventh the level of WWII. Which was a third lower than the Civil War.
Well that’s definitely a Change let’s all Hope it works out for the Iraqi people.
Meanwhile, speaking of TREND$: WOW! (long long article with lot$ of evidence)
(Eyes find it interesting that they get to be the 1st ones in the repayment$ line, without wearing any “flak jackets”, well eyes reckon there’s all types of Risk$ involved for everyone.) :-/
Commodity trader$: The $ trillion dollar club:
On Friday October 21, 2011,
By Joshua Schneyer
NEW YORK (Reuters)- For the small club of companies who trade the food, fuels and metals that keep the world running, the last decade has been sensational. Driven by the rise of Brazil, China, India and other fast-growing economies, the global commodities boom has turbocharged profits at the world’s biggest trading houses.
They form an exclusive group, whose loosely regulated members are often based in such tax havens as Switzerland. Together, they are worth over a trillion dollars in annual revenue and control more than half the world’s freely traded commodities. The top five piled up $629 billion in revenues last year, just below the global top five financial companies and more than the combined sales of leading players in tech or telecoms. Many amass speculative positions worth billions in raw goods, or hoard commodities in warehouses and super-tankers during periods of tight supply.
U.S. and European regulators are cracking down on big banks and hedge funds that speculate in raw goods, but trading firms remain largely untouched. Many are unlisted or family run, and because they trade physical goods are largely impervious to financial regulators. Outside the commodities business, many of these quiet giants who broker the world’s basic goods are little known.
Their reach is expanding. Big trading firms now own a growing number of the mines that produce many of our commodities, the ships and pipelines that carry them, and the warehouses, silos and ports where they are stored. With their connections and inside knowledge — commodities markets are mostly free of insider-trading restrictions — trading houses have become power brokers, especially in fast-developing Asia, Latin America and Africa. They are part of the food chain, yet help shape it, and the personal rewards can be huge. “The payout percentage of profits at the commodities houses can be double what Wall Street banks pay,” says George Stein of New York headhunting firm Commodity Talent.
Switzerland-based Glencore, whose initial public offering (IPO) in May put trading houses in the spotlight, pays some traders yearly bonuses in the tens of millions. On paper, the partial float made boss Ivan Glasenberg $10 billion richer overnight.
SIZE MATTERS
How big are the biggest trading houses? Put it this way: two of them, Vitol and Trafigura, sold a combined 8.1 million barrels a day of oil last year. That’s equal to the combined oil exports of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Or this: Glencore in 2010 controlled 55 percent of the world’s traded zinc market, and 36 percent of that for copper.
Or this: publicity-shy Vitol’s sales of $195 billion in 2010 were twice those at Apple Inc. As well as the 200 tankers it has at sea, Vitol owns storage tanks on five continents.
U.S. regulations are now pending to limit banks’ proprietary trading — speculating with their own cash. The new rules don’t apply to trading firms. “Trading houses have huge volumes of proprietary trading. In some cases it makes up 60-80 percent of what they do,” said Carl Holland, a former price risk manager at oil major Chevron Texaco, who now runs energy consultancy Trading Solutions LLC in Connecticut. “They have the most talent, the deepest pockets, and the best risk management.”
In addition to proprietary trading curbs, the U.S. regulator voted on October 19 to impose position limits in oil and metals markets. That gives banks who trade futures cause for concern, but since physical players usually receive exemptions to limits — because they are categorized as bona fide hedgers — trading firms should go unscathed.
The trading houses’ talent and deep pockets translate into incredible power. “Most commodity buyers in the world are price takers. The top trading firms are price makers,” said Chris Hinde, editor of London-based Mining Journal. “It puts them in a tremendous position.”
The sort of position that has allowed Vitol to do a brisk oil business with the U.S. government, the besieged Syrian regime, and Libya’s newly empowered rebels simultaneously over the past few months. In April the company dodged NATO bombs and a naval blockade and sent an oil tanker into the battered Mediterranean port of Tobruk to extract the first cargo of premium crude sold by rebels at the helm of a breakaway Libyan oil company defying Muammar Gaddafi.
Vitol also discreetly supplied Libya’s rebels with $1 billion in fuel, Reuters has learned — supplies they desperately needed to advance on Tripoli. Vitol’s early running gave the firm an edge with the country’s new political stewards. As it turns the pumps back on, Libyan oil firm Agoco has allocated Vitol half of its crude production to repay debts.
THE SQUEEZE AND THE ARB
For many commodities traders, the most profitable ploy has been the squeeze, which involves driving prices up or down by accumulating a dominant position. In the early 2000s, the Brent crude oil stream — used as a global price benchmark — fell to 400,000 barrels per day from more than 1 million in the late 1980s. A few traders seized the chance to buy what amounted to almost all the available supply. Price premiums for immediate supply spiked, sapping margins for refiners worldwide. U.S. refiner Tosco sued Arcadia and Glencore for market manipulation; the case was settled out of court.
In metals, stock in warehouses can be tied up for years as loan collateral, allowing the same traders who dominate the metals market to control a huge chunk of world supply — an apparent conflict of interest that has drawn criticism from the UK parliament.
“The warehouses seem to have an infinite capacity to absorb metal, but a very small capacity to release it,” said Nick Madden of Novelis, the world’s top rolled aluminum producer.
Trading houses saw the opportunity to leverage metals warehousing after the 2008 financial crisis. Of the six major metals warehousers only one, Dutch-based C.Steinweg, remains independent. Trading houses competed with banks for the spoils — Glencore, Trafigura and Noble took one warehousing company each, Goldman and JP Morgan the others.
And unlike commodities producers, such as U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil, trading firms don’t just make money when prices go up. Most rely on arbitrage — playing the divergence in prices at different locations, between different future delivery dates, or between a commodity’s quality in different places.
That’s what Koch, Vitol and others did in 2009 when they parked 100 million barrels of oil in seaborne tankers. Thanks to a market condition known as contango — a period when buyers pay more for future delivery than to receive their cargoes promptly — they could sell futures and lock in profits of $10 a barrel or more.
Additional contributors:
(Jessica Donati, Christopher Johnson, Ikuko Kurahone, Richard Mably, Dmitry Zhdannikov reported from London, Gus Trompiz from Paris, Caroline Copley from Zurich, Emma Farge from Benghazi, Karl Plume and Christine Stebbins from Chicago, Hugh Bronstein from Buenos Aires, Joshua Schneyer from New York, Luke Pachymuthu, Harry Suhartono and Naveen Thukral from Singapore; Editing by Richard Mably, Simon Robinson and Sara Ledwith)
Your Video portrays him as “pure as $now”…wasn’t there CIA doctored film of Hilter driving around Germany, smiling at all his grateful people?
Things You Didn’t Know About Moammar Gadhafi
Written by NewsOne Staff on October 20, 2011
Hated Leader
Prior to this year, there have been at-least 8 recorded unsuccessful assassination attempts against Gadhafi. In 1993, over 2,000 Libyan soldiers plotted to assassinate Gadhafi. The soldiers were members of the Warfalla tribe, which rebelled because it was not well-represented in the upper ranks of the Libyan Army. The coup attempt was crushed by the Libyan Air Force, which was entirely made of members of the Qadhadhfa tribe, which Gadhafi belongs to.
Weapons Smuggler
In 1973, British authorities intercepted the Claudia, a ship carrying five tons of Libyan weapons destined for the Provisional IRA. Though briefly chastened, he again began funneling weapons to the IRA after a 1986 American bombing—launched from British bases—kills Gadhafi’s adopted daughter. In 1987, British and French officials stop another vessel, the Eksund, with 120 tons of weapons and ammunition
I’ll try to recite from memory some highlights of the video.
1 - No national debt
2 - Free land, seed, equipment, etc., to anyone who wants to farm
3 - $50,000 free upon marriage (presumably to the opposite sex)
4 - Money lent @ 0% interest
5 - Free medical
6 - Free education
7 - Free housing
Look, I know the guy was probably not ready for sainthood but my point here is that he is not the despot portrayed in our ‘fair and balanced’ MSM media. We just killed the leader of a sovereign nation! We just killed in the name of ……………..FREEDOM.
When are some people going to wake up to what’s happening around you. TSA checkpoints on Tennesee freeways, @ sporting events, train stations, bus terminals, obviously airports. Predator drones flying over our heads here. The Federal government actively fighting states that try to protect themselves from the illegal invasion. DHS trying to get approval to control a 100 mile swath of the US/Canadian border. Federalized police forces everywhere. FEMA camps. I could go on and on.
All to protect me from a never ending list of bogeymen. No thanks.
Facts and figures mean little to a closed mind.
+ but my point here is that he is not the despot portrayed in our ‘fair and balanced’ MSM media
Will since you seem to have such and “open mind”, why don’t you give into the possibility that he was actually even worse then he’s been portrayed?
Can’t or won’t answer the inquiry?
“Libya…never been there, you?” :-/
or this:
Your Video portrays him as “pure as $now”…wasn’t there CIA doctored film of Hitler driving around Germany, smiling at all his grateful people?
But iffin’ you feel the need to defend him, by all means don’t let ol’ Hwy stop you.
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Comment by SV guy
2011-10-21 13:18:36
Hwy,
My point is to illuminate our national hypocrisy, not get into an interstate pissing match.
And no I haven’t been to Libya nor am I familiar with ‘Hitler - Fast & Furious 6’.
Eyes tellin ya, those morning mimosas will have you captinin’ the debate team in no time flat!
Good day Sir.
Comment by Hwy50ina49Dodge
2011-10-21 15:42:10
Well, SV guy a good rest-of-the-day to you and not meaning to be pissing down your back calling it rain, but iffin’ it were eyes, x1 You-Tube video with Arabic sub-titles would not be something eyes be drawing conclusions of facts regarding a foreign country that eyes never set foot in.
All to protect me from a never ending list of bogeymen. No thanks.
Eyes hear ya SV guy, eyes hear ya, other American Patriots do too!
Main article: Controversial invocations of the USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act has generated a great deal of controversy since its enactment. Opponents of the Act have been quite vocal in asserting that it was passed opportunistically after the September 11 attacks, believing there to have been little debate. They view the Act as one that was hurried through the Senate with little change before it was passed. (Senators Patrick Leahy and Russell Feingold proposed amendments to modify the final revision.)
The sheer magnitude of the Act itself was noted by Michael Moore in his controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11. In one of the scenes of the movie, he records Congressman Jim McDermott alleging that no Senator read the bill and John Conyers, Jr. as saying, “We don’t read most of the bills. Do you really know what that would entail if we read every bill that we passed?” Congressman Conyers then answers his own rhetorical question, asserting that if they did it would “slow down the legislative process”. As a dramatic device, Moore then hired an ice-cream van and drove around Washington, D.C. with a loud speaker, reading out the Act to puzzled passers-by, which included a few Senators. However, Moore was not the only commentator to notice that not many people had read the Act.
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Comment by unc
2011-10-21 18:40:12
Just like these clowns read the Obamacare bill before it was passed. HAHAHA. Nancy Pelosi “Let’s pass the bill and find out what’s in it after”.
The guy did bring down a 747 over Lockerbie Scottland and bombed a disco in Germany and financed terror or that all a lie as well.
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Comment by SV guy
2011-10-21 15:57:41
“..or that all a lie as well.”
Apparently I now work for the GADL (Gadaffi Anti-Defamation League). Who knows for sure if it’s a lie? Most of us are somewhat aware of the BS our government pulls. Here are a couple of links that at least raise suspicion on the Lockerbie case.
The Washington Post reports Friday that when investigators performed DNA testing on Gadhafi’s body, they learned that the vainglorious strongman was wearing a wig. Interim Prime Minster Mahmoud Jibril told the Post that an autopsy team took samples of Gadhafi’s blood, saliva and hair–and soon discovered that the hair did not actually belong to the former dictator.
Spend Trillions you don’t have…
On “Green” products that only the wealthy can buy…
To “companies” that give MASSIVE kickbacks to obama and the democrat party…
For jobs OUTSIDE America!
————————————
Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland
abcnews.go.com | 10-20-11 | BRIAN ROSS, RONNIE GREENE
With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland, saying it could not find a facility in the United States capable of doing the work.
Vice President Joseph Biden heralded the Energy Department’s $529 million loan to the start-up electric car company called Fisker as a bright new path to thousands of American manufacturing jobs. But two years after the loan was announced, the job of assembling the flashy electric Fisker Karma sports car has been outsourced to Finland.
“We’re not in the business of failing; we’re in the business of winning. So we make the right decision for the business,” Fisker said. “That’s why we went to Finland.”
The loan to Fisker is part of a $1 billion bet the Energy Department has made in two politically connected California-based electric carmakers producing sporty — and pricey — cutting-edge autos. Fisker Automotive, backed by a powerhouse venture capital firm whose partners include former Vice President Al Gore…
Typical hypocrites. They ignore Bush’s blunders like mailing $12 Billion in cash to Iraq and having it all disappear and focus on Obama’s attempt at getting us off oil. lame.
“Capable of doing the work FOR 10 DOLLARS AN HOUR…..”
Me fix.
Of course, it’s in “Socialist Finland”. If you don’t have to pay for health care, and rich guys pay half a million bucks for speeding tickets, you can probably live a middle class lifestyle on $10/hour.
I can see the headlines now…….
“Headline, October 21, 2030……
Boeing moves production to Socialist countries, says free market principles have made their workforce too poor, sick, and stupid to function……”
The 1%ers of Fisker keep the “creative work” and “intellectual property” here, and ship the assembly off to socialist countries, where they don’t have to pay for retirement or health care.
“…if you tax them less, they can hire more people!”
Top 1% see income grow 224%
October 21st, 2011, by Mary Ann Milbourn / OC Register
The Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Orange County and related movements claim those in the top 1% in the U.S. have seen their incomes outpace the remaining 99% which has led to the rich having a disproportionate control of the nation’s wealth.
The Economic Policy Institute analyzed U.S. income data from 1979 to 2007 and concluded that those in the top 1% saw their inflation-adjusted income grow 224% during that time period while incomes for those in the bottom 90% were up just 5%. (Note this is inflation adjusted.)
For the 0.1% at the very top of the income ladder, the income increase was 390% over that same 28 years, the EPI found.
He cited a study by U.C.-Santa Cruz professor G. William Domhoff, updated in July, that concluded the top 1% controlled 42.7% of the national financial wealth in 2007.
Cox noted the wealth disparity has been around a long time.
“In 1922, 1 Percenters controlled 36.7 percent of the nation’s wealth, and that number jumped to 44.2 percent by the time the stock market crashed in 1929. The total hit a low of 19.9 percent in 1976 but has been on a steady uptrend since. In fact, there is a pretty direct correlation between the fortunes of the stock market and the amount of wealth the 1 Percenters control,” he wrote.
Hello Deadbeat
Hello Squatter
Well at least you, pay for water
That`s a nice car
Where`d you get it?
With the house payment you sixty times forgetted
How you do it?
What`s the deal?
You don`t pay them
And you squeal
That they shouldn`t
Have been givers
Of loans to a man who pizza he delivers
Name:Ben Jones Location:Northern Arizona, United States To donate by mail, or to otherwise contact this blogger, please send emails to: thehousingbubble@gmail.com
PayPal is a secure online payment method which accepts ALL major credit cards.
I watched Thomas Sowell on the “dreaded” Fox Business channel last night.
He indicated that Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who will stop the Federal
Reserve lunacy and return to the gold standard. Also he agreed with RP
that countries that can provide for their own defense should do so, and not
be welfare recipients of the US.
I am not so much interested in “returning” to the gold standard. It wouldn’t make our system sound as long as reserves are fictional and leverage is boundless.
Exactly, Blue. A “return” to the gold standard is exactly what we don’t want. And I used to be something of a goldbug. But after watching Bill Still’s documentary “The Secrets of Oz”, I’m in agreement that if there is a gold standard, the only people who will have any are the financial elites. Screw the gold standard. Debt free money is the way to go.
And stick a fork in Ron Paul. He’s done. This from a formerly rabid Ron Paul fan. He’s right about a lot of things. Dreadfully wrong on others. Too dreadfully wrong for me.
I assume you are an economics genius. Please explain why the gold standard was bad when we were under it for over 100years and kept our currency strong?
Are you really this ignorant of our nation’s history? Seriously, son; please finish high school before you waste any more of Ben’s bandwidth.
For your information I have a four business degree, and I do realize this blog is a waste of time for anyone who has a
viewpoint other than the left.
!!!
Well, palmy. I’ve a whole new respect for your take on the whole proceedings.
Dang. Smack me and my assumptions upside the head.
Thank you very much for this. Really.
Thomas Sowell
Sounds like a “Fear! Fear! Fear!” edakated mouth-piecer to Hwy, or as Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) says so eloquently: “$hows-me-the-monie$!”
WOW, Check out his collection of articles at this place:
Jewish World Review
Thomas Sowell Archives
Jewish World Review August 29, 2002
JWR’s Pundits:
Thomas Sowell
The media and the military:
“When we are talking about weapons of mass destruction, we are talking about the possibility of waking up some morning and finding half of Chicago in ruins or millions of Americans across the country dying in agony from some biological agent. Make no mistake about it, there are dangers in going into Iraq. But there are huge dangers in just waiting and hoping that nothing bad will happen.”
I would like to know his views on “going” into Libya…..
IDK, but here’s “Mr. 100 years!” in Iraq’s pat-on-the-back-in-a-round-bout way to lil’ Opie!
(Do ya think those US troops with Libya sand in their boots are on they’re back home to the US butterball?)
[CNN Update 11:45 a.m. ET] U.S. Sen. John McCain said of reports of Gadhafi’s death: “I think it’s a great day.”
The United States has been part of a NATO military mission enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya since the early days of 2011’s Libyan revolt against Gadhafi. McCain said that when he and other lawmakers visited Tripoli to speak with anti-Gadhafi officials after Gadhafi’s overthrow, those officials said that they would seriously consider reimbursing the United States for its efforts. The amount that the Libyans said they would try to give back to the United States is approximately $1 billion, McCain told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
U.S. Defense Department costs for operations in Libya stand at about $1.1 billion as of September 30, according to Pentagon spokesman George Little. That includes daily military operations, munitions, the drawdown of supplies and humanitarian assistance.
McCain said that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama “deserves credit” for how the crisis in Libya has been handled.
Where’s the Non-Hawaiian’s damn Birth-certificate!!!!!!!
(The less lil Opie does the more he seems to accomplish, maybe he’s really a Kenyan-Indonesian Taoist?)
Nobel monie$
Obamacares
Iraq (-100,000) US troop ordered back home to USA
2011 - $42 Billion Dollar Pentagon war reduction
Bin Laden
Pentagon to dra$tically cut $pending on Afghan force$:
Under pressure from the White House for steep reductions, the Pentagon agrees to a no-frills approach for Afghanistan’s army and police. Expenditures will be cut by more than half by 2014.
NATO
Qaddafi
Next,…:
If you really have to bring McCain to support your claims, you lost the argument already.
Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history? Has there been any war he didn’t like? Has there been any bombing he didn’t like? Are there any prospects of bombing he doesn’t like?
Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history?
Eyes always thought kindly of him as a Vietnam war soldier-hero, but if butterballs says, “he’s the most useless idiot in America history, then eyes yield the thread to Sir “Knows-it-all” / Count “Wisdom” aka; sweet butters
It doesn’t look like he has to bring McCain to support the claims
Gadhafi is dead, Bin Ladin is dead, troops are heading home,
and we are cutting costs and forcing Europe and Lybians to pay for some of the heavy lifting this time.
I think Obama is under the influence of WS, but he has a lot to run on in terms of foreign policy. Haters can burry their head in the sand if they like.
“Has there been any useless idiot than McCain in American history? Has there been any war he didn’t like? Has there been any bombing he didn’t like? Are there any prospects of bombing he doesn’t like?”
Hell, McCain is so gung-ho he tried to take out his own ship!
Iraq (-100,000) US troop ordered back home to USA2011 - $42 Billion Dollar Pentagon war reduction
Libya…Iraq…AfghanistanThis just in:
Obama announces full American withdrawal from Iraq:
By Chris Moody | The Ticket – 11 mins ago
President Obama annunced a nearly complete withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq by the end of the year during a press conference Friday afternoon.
“Today, I can report that as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home from Iraq at the end of this year,” Obama said. “After nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over. Over the next two months our troops in Iraq–tens of thousands of them–will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home.”
The military will keep about 160 servicemen and women in Baghdad to provide security for the embassy there.
The war has claimed the lives of 6,230 American service members since the invasion in 2003.
Gadhafi is dead, Bin Ladin is dead, troops are heading home,
and we are cutting costs and forcing Europe and Lybians to pay for some of the heavy lifting this time.
I think Obama is under the influence of WS, but he has a lot to run on in terms of foreign policy. Haters can burry their head in the sand if they like.
Listen to yourself. You are supporting Obama for the same things you would have denounced Bush for.
Gerald Celente is right - “Conservatives believe, but liberals lie, pretend and make excuses.” You guys are further proof of that. There’s no intellectual honesty, just lies and excuses.
BTW, I don’t agree with Conservatives believe part either. It should be Conservatives believe in wrong things…..
There’s no intellectual honesty, just lies and excuses.
Here ya go sweet butters, have a slice of Cheney-$hrubs “Yellow-Cake” “Mi$$ion Accomplice!” celebration de$ert, take some home, plenty of left-overs.
“”Listen to yourself. You are supporting Obama for the same things you would have denounced Bush for.”"
Wrong - I was all for going into Afghanastan, I would have taken Osama at Tora Bora bombed the hell out of the Taliban strongholds and left with a message that we’d be back. I felt Iraq was a contrived war sold to us with lies and I’m happy to see US troops coming home. I’m also happy that if we are going to go to war that others share some of the cost. I’m glad we aren’t occupying the country. Very big differences.
Now Lybia was not sold to us with lies. The arguement was that if we didn’t help the rebels they would be slaughtered and I’m sure that is true. Although I will admit that money and oil were probably the main motivating force there are plenty of slaughters around the globe that we do nothing about. I don’t agree that we alone should be overthrowing any bad dictator, but Gadhafi did blow up a 747 with close to 300 people on board along with a disco in Germany. WE also did it with a large consensus among countries, that was not forced or purchased or obtained by trickery or with lies about wmd.
I will also note that they did find yellow cake and uranium and I believe mustard gas in Lybia, not so much in Iraq. Not that this was given as a rational for war.
Honey, you’ve not a shard of credibility until you learn to spell the name of the sovereign nations who’s citizens you espouse bombing into oblivion.
War is not the answer. You know this.
So what is your solution all you on line Rocket Scientists?
The solution being the solution to our nations ills?
Realtors Are Liars®
Go RuPaul.
you’d better Wurk it Girl….
“All sins are forgiven once you start making a lot of money.”
― Rupaul
“that countries that can provide for their own defense should do so, and not be welfare recipients of the US.”
Seems kinda vague, let’s see who able to put their mouth where there money is.
[It's required that instead of "blah, blah, blah,..." you just contribute a name attached to your moniker of anonymity]
Let’s start a list, and prioritize by greatest U$ Dollar Military Aid after the list is completed:
Here’s a start [submitted by Hwy]:
Pakistan
Israel
Criticisms:
Critics cite that U.S. aid and training have contributed to human rights violations, supported corrupt and cruel governments,
and protected the economic interests of multinational corporations.
It is often believed that aid is given for political purposes, that it does not benefit the people in the target country, and it may even result in greater oppression and suffering. If military aid were cut off to Israel, the tax money could be spent in the United States to provide 364,000 low-income households with affordable housing vouchers, or to retrain 498,000 workers for green jobs, or to provide access to primary health care services for 24 million uninsured Americans.
Currently,
Congress wants to cut defense spending by lowering the amount of aid given to foreign militaries. Money saved from proposed cutbacks could benefit the U.S. military, which is closing military bases, freezing pay raises for service members, and cutting the defense budget by $78 billion for 2011
Particular targets of criticism include:
Funds appropriated to the State Department and Defense Department represent the vast majority of unclassified military aid and assistance.
The public does not have any way of tracking classified programs administered by the U.S. intelligence community.
The United States gives the same amount of money to its top five aid recipients as they give to the rest of the world.
Corruption is a major problem. Funds often go directly to leaders who may not share the aid with citizens.
Military aid went to Latin American dictatorships in the second half of the 20th century.
The U.S. provides assistance to the Colombian army which has documented ties with paramilitary groups on the U.S. terrorist list.
Foreign aid often aids the giver, not the recipient.
Tunisia has received military aid for several helicopters despite blatant human rights violations, abuse of power and the existence of a police state
Again, if any of these folks are receiving any form of government assistance, then they aren’t living on $10,000 or $11,000 a year.
The Secret to Living Well on $11,000 a Year
USNews
Our last story on frugal living, “The Secret to Living Well on $20,000 a Year,” stirred up some heated comments, many of which argued that $20,000 a year represents a king’s ransom. “Someone should do an article on how to live on less than $10,000 per year. I am a single mother who is doing just that,” wrote Rici of Wyoming.
An anonymous commenter from Texas wrote, “[I'm] not impressed. I live on $8,796 a year.”
“I am retired and living on less than $1,000 a month [from] Social Security,” wrote Liz Ortiz of Colorado.
Glenn Morrissette, 42, wrote in to say that he lives on just $11,000 a year, and he does it by living full-time in an RV. As a result, he pays no rent, needs no car, and can live wherever he wants. Unlike Joseph Fonseca, the writer we profiled in our “Living Well on $20,000 a Year” article, Morrissette has health insurance. A professional musician, he can work by computer from any location. He might not have a family to support, as the teacher living on $40,000 a year does, but we thought Morrissette’s story was interesting enough to share. We spoke with Morrissette, who is currently in New Jersey, about his lifestyle, which he also describes on his blog, To Simplify. Excerpts:
Why did you decide to live in an RV?
I had an apartment in Burbank and was the typical Los Angeles apartment dweller. I started to feel a strong desire to simplify my life. I had a garage full of stuff I never used, my closets were full, and I started to see that it was costing me money to have an apartment big enough to hold all the stuff I never use.
My initial plan was to scale back and move into a smaller apartment. Before long, I realized I didn’t need too much to be happy. I could fit into a small space. That’s when the RV idea occurred to me. I was just sitting in traffic and an RV pulled up. I said, “I could probably fit in that thing.” The more I looked into it, the more I realized how practical it would be. For what I was paying for rent in LA, I could own my “house” free and clear and not pay rent, and own my car as well.
The two key things that make it possible are not having rent or a mortgage payment. I own my RV, so that was an initial expense [of about $14,000], but I have no house or car payment. Gas is controllable; I don’t drive if I don’t want to. Most months, I spend less than $300 on gas. I estimate that I save about $1,000 a month compared to what I was spending in LA.
What do you eat?
I eat pretty well. I don’t skimp on food. I eat a lot of grass-fed meats, fruits, and vegetables … some people call it the caveman diet. I go to farms, farmers markets, and health food stores. I probably spend about $250 a month on food. I could spend a lot less if I didn’t care about eating well.
Do you have health insurance?
Yes. I’m self-employed so I purchase my own plan. I have a high-deductible plan and pay $80 per month. It would be even cheaper if I was 28. I don’t understand young people who say, “I can’t afford health insurance.” Last year, my appendix ruptured, and the insurance was a life-saver. I learned my lesson.
What about clothes?
I’m a pretty basic jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I don’t have to go to the office, so I don’t need a wardrobe. I have nine to 10 shirts and a couple pairs of jeans. I do have a suit so I can get dolled up when I have to, but my normal wardrobe is pretty minimal. I do one load of laundry every week, and I don’t see the point of owning more clothes than I can do in one load of laundry.
Do you spend money on entertainment?
I don’t go out much at all. I prefer the food I make to what I get in restaurants. More often than not, I’m disappointed. I’m pretty health-conscious and I want my food to be real food, so I’m content eating what I make. The idea of spending $30 at a restaurant–that seems like four to five days’ worth of food to me. Years ago, I ate out every single meal. I’m kicking myself now, if only I had invested that money instead.
I’m not a big drinker, although I drink somewhat socially. I’m a pretty simple guy. Music is my life. Even if I’m not working, if I have a free day, I will spend a big chunk doing music. It’s a profession and a hobby.
Do you splurge on anything?
The food I eat. I don’t feel like I’m skimping at all. It’s a form of health insurance to me.
And I just try to put myself in interesting places. I’m surprised how easy it is to do that. A lot of stuff is free out there. There’s a lot of beautiful scenery in this country and it doesn’t cost anything just to park. You can just drive into a national forest and live there for two weeks. I always try to give myself great real estate, whether it’s by an ocean, a lake, or in the center of a cool little town. So I always have a great front yard, real estate that people would pay millions of dollars for, and it doesn’t cost me anything.
Again, if any of these folks are receiving any form of government assistance
“TrueAnger™” + “TrueReduceTheDeficitNow!!!!™” = “Don’t touch MY Social Security!, or MY med-care!, or My Drug Distribution System!
Glenn Morrissette, 42 = Jimmay @ the Buffett: “12 volt man”
Now I now this Joe down in Mexico
He went there to work on his tan
For years he’s been plugged into blenders and songs
They call him the Twelve Volt Man
He don’t need no charge card
Just give him a Die Hard
And he’ll makes sparks fly ’round your head
Oh just ask for some palm trees
Or tales from the South Seas
And I’ll make sparks fly ’round your head
Blue Skye is not alone!
RV nation. I wonder if this is how the gypsies got started? A massive RE bust in wherever they’re from.
“….high deductible plan and pay $80 a month…..”
How high a deductible? How much did he pay out of pocket for that appendectomy?
Where did the money to buy the RV come from? What’s he paying for insurance and tags?
RVs aren’t the hot ticket for primary shelter out here in Tornado Alley. There are a lot more storms with 80-90mph winds that never make the news.
They do OK in earthquakes.
“How high a deductible? How much did he pay out of pocket for that appendectomy?”
I agree. A 42-year-old guy, and he pays $80 a month health insurance, and he’s not on a group plan? Must have a $50,000 deductible.
I’ve been buying similar insurance, with high deductibles, since my mid-30s, I have no medical problems, and I’ve never seen such a low rate offered by any legit company, no matter how high the deductible.
He probably made that part up. After all it’s only a “news story”.
I love how the MSM is conditioning us to accept our new poverty defined future, telling us we’ll be just fine as Lucky Duckies (who will also pay more taxes) while the rich get richer and pay less taxes.
I think that this propaganda/misinformation is aimed at the cubicle dweller class. Anyone who is already a Lucky Duckie isn’t buying it for a second. I believe the propaganda is an attempt to nip any nascent sympathy for the Luckly Duckies in the bud.
Last spring I was describing what I called my Frugal Life Style to an old friend, who happens to still be a cubie. He laughed at what I called “frugal” as I explained that I was about to move from my RV to my yacht for the season. “Only in America would this be described as frugality.”
As a debt hampster cubie years ago, I dreamed of living in a converted school bus. Now I have a friggin Airstream and it is my land based home. Freedom! You call it poverty. Oh well.
It’s one thing to live frugally by choice, but quite another because you have to.
Yes but doing the former helps prepare for involuntarily doing the latter.
Even as cubicle dwellers we are being forced into frugality. If you don’t get a raise over the years and the home ATM is shut down you have little choice but to cut back. Cars are kept longer, vacations are cancelled, you eat out less often (if at all), you buy your clothes and shoes at discount stores, etc.
Freedom! You call it poverty.
Having a paid for Gulf Stream and Yacht (I presume they’re paid for) is not “poverty”.
Lucky Duckies do not have such possessions. They’re too busy juggling 3 P/T minimum wage jobs, while praying that no one gets sick this winter or that the old car breaks down. And that is what we are being conditioned to accept as “normal” if you don’t live in the cubicle farm (where the ‘No Vacancy’ sign is on 24/7)
That word “poverty” then implies fragility rather than dollar income level. My lifestyle choice is below the $500/wk level that you equate with desperation.
And Oxy, you’re not a vagrant if you have money in your pocket. House free is a more friendly term.
That word “poverty” then implies fragility rather than dollar income level.
If by fragility you mean “no assets” then yes (partially), but cash flow does matter and its hard to save money when you’re living day by day.
By your own admission you’re an ex-cubicle dweller, so you had time to save your stash and acquire some assets. Linda, the $8/hr lunch lady/Walmart cashier/newspaper deliverer never had such a chance along with about half the workforce. For them life is about hoping the car doesn’t break down or someone get sick.
America is looking more and more like Mexico, a society with a large underclass and a small middle class, while those at the top laugh while saying “let them eat cake”. Of course now Mexico has become so dangerous that its elite is fleeing to the saftety of their Texas mansions.
“never had such a chance along with about half the workforce.”
No offense, but at any income level it is possible to spend just a little less than you earn or just a little more. The long term outcome is drastically different.
We’ve covered this ground before, but that half of the workforce you mention, they can afford lots of luxuries and cannot afford to save one red penny. We all know lots of them. Do you know many of them who do not have cable TV and high speed internet? Don’t have a car because they are a money pit? No cell phone? Cut their own hair. That kind of stuff.
Blue your missing the point..you dont have to have it, but then those who control the jobs today wont hire you…
Its like you can’t fall behind ..you HAVE to have a smart phone and a laptop to even get an interns job today….
Thats why my $3000 paydown of credit cards could do a lot to get people back up to speed…If only the big OH would give some tough love like spend it on a laptop not lap dances.
I get it to a degree. My point is that most schlepps couldn’t save a dime if they found one.
true….blue….hey that rhymes…
Do you know many of them who do not have cable TV and high speed internet?
I know plenty who have neither. And who don’t have a Smart Phone either. I also know plenty who struggle to pay rents that are over 50% of their take home pay.
The ones with the toys are cheaters who hide their incomes and get public assistance.
Blue are you retired or just making your living on the computer so you can be anywhere?
dj,
Still working, yes from anywhere. Planning on retiring soon. Just practicing now.
kewl….your stories and adventures brings smiles to a lot of faces.
Not sure if I would want the sleeping and travelling on the boat all summer, (maybe a week or two) but the RV is something we could do..maybe with the expandable side screened in area….now that you can save tons of space and store all your important stuff on a hard drive and the super thin tv’s
Airstreams are THE coolest ever.
No need to apologize, whatsoever.
aimed at the cubicle dweller class
+1 When we outsource your job and conservatives tell you that you’re lazy and you should live within your means, here’s how to live like a vagrant in a third world country.
The psychopath always blames the victim.
Next up they will show how we can live on 3000 a year with a family of 4.
Cardboard box house with plastic roof - $50 dollars
Alpo and trash can diving - 50 dollars a month
Witchcraft instead of medicine - 50 dollars
Entertainment - can kicking free
Retirement - die before your 50 - free
Education - Street smart education free.
I’m ready
All jobs done on a PC will be outsourced…. eventually.
Maybe not. It’s my availability to go onsite and make stuff work that is the essence of my job. As for the correspondence, no I do not have to, and I do not always stay in the country. Whtever it is you do, be better than everyone else.
Hmmm blue…
I wonder if there will be a Wedding DJ company in bangalore who will dj your wedding for $199?
All you need is a 100″ projector tv fast 2 way internet and big speakers all permanently mounted in the venue.
“I think that this propaganda/misinformation is aimed at the cubicle dweller class.”
I’m with you on this Colorado.
WTF is a “Lucky Ducky” in this context? I’m not saying you’re wrong - I just don’t know who the LD is - the cube dwellers that still have “decent” paying jobs, or the guy in the RV?
“Lucky Ducky” is a term coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe the working poor. The are called “Lucky Duckies” because they often pay no Federal Income Tax (because they are poor).
Great, these 1%ers are so retarded they think it’s lucky to make only 25K a year so you don’t have to pay taxes? Really? Being lucky is having the luxury of paying taxes on 5 million/year.
Is he an American citizen? What can America [The Nation] possibly do for this fella? (Eyes reckon the Libertarian thing to do would be to show charity & compassion and donate a skateboard for him?)
[Iffin' he were a citizen/soldier what would the "evil" VA do? What would Rash Limpbaughs think of using citizen/taxpayers monie$, how would he classify it: $pending or $timulus?]
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” 47-year-old Wesley Warren Jr. said in the poorly lit apartment. “It’s freakish.”
What sat in front of where Warren was seated in shorts — what is actually attached to him — was more than 100 pounds of scrotum, the protective sac of skin and muscle that contains his testicles.
“It’s not easy to get around,” he said, standing and groaning as he lifted his scrotum off its makeshift pedestal and carefully let it hang almost to the floor. “It makes me stay in most of the time.”
Las Vegas man with 100-pound scrotum seeks money for surgery:
BY PAUL HARASIM
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Oct. 16, 2011
Kim Voss, an associate administrator at the hospital, said that during an eight-week period a team of doctors, including urologists, surgeons, internists and infectious disease specialists, wrote up 20 different documentations of what they found.
In references to Warren’s condition, medical practitioners interchangeably use scrotal elephantiasis, scrotal lymphedema or scrotal edema, a condition characterized by an excess of watery fluid collecting in tissues of the body, to describe his condition. Doctors don’t know if his condition could grow even more pronounced.
Though the infectious disease generally tied to the elephantiasis was not found, Voss said multiple courses of antibiotics and anti-viral medications were given to Warren in hopes that they would take down the massive swelling. When they didn’t, she said doctors told him about a surgery that could be performed through Medicaid.
In hopes of getting the money for a possible corrective procedure that physicians have told him can cost about $1 million, Warren swallowed his pride by outing himself recently on shock jock Howard Stern’s national satellite radio and cable TV freak segment.
At UCLA, where Warren recently paid nearly $600 for an evaluation, he said doctors seemed more confident about saving his penis and testicles. They also told him that it would cost nearly seven figures for the procedure. Even if Nevada’s Medicaid program would allow him to go out-of-state for surgery, Warren said UCLA doctors informed him that they doubted that would work.
“They said Nevada Medicaid doesn’t pay enough so I would be a cash patient,” he said.
Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal com or 702-387-2908.
This man should be the mascot of the Teabagger Party
He have to show ‘em his birth-certificate 1st, of that Hwy is certain.
I thought that the churches and charities are supposed to take of people who can’t afford health care. Or take up a collection in the neighborhood.
They do.
Now what have you done personally to help?
Definition of a liberal.
Very generous with other people’s money.
With their own money? Forgetaboutit….
He’s appealing through national media because private charity is helping?
Can you even hear yourself?
“They do”
Now who’s being naive?
Definition of a libertarian: a 30 year old IT type who’s contrarian by nature but who hasn’t yet figured out how the world actually works, doesn’t need many governmental services yet, has good health and doesn’t see that he’s carrying water for the rich with his “abolish governmental departments” rants that he’s purloined from Ayn Rand whose arguments he doesn’t yet realize are bankrupt even though her prose is obviously dreadful.
That was me a few years ago. So embarrassing now…
Bless you Mr. B, for yer honesty & POV.
Kind regards, Hwy50
Too funny, MrBubble- and dead on!
Good post, MrB. This is why I don’t get the knock on those self-described as “social libertarians.” You can have both to some degree and I think most Americans do want both, to some degree. People are lying to themselves when they say they don’t want access to “Socialist” programs. They prove over and over that they do.
Now what have you done personally to help?
(Eyes sent an email to Rash Limpbaughs askin’ him to donate x24 lil’ blue pills so that the poor fella at least can aim straight with his squirt gun for a couple of weeks,…no reply yet.) ;-/
What are you planning to do $lipperybanana, since you seem so interested in the actions of others?
“Now what have you done personally to help?”
For all you know Mr. Ad Hominem Attack she does a lot.
Every time you open open your mouth I am reminded of why I left the GOP.
MAN WITH 100 POUND TESTICLES SEEKS DONATIONS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaFUS7VtC_A
2) The number of millionaires increased by about 20 percent.
50% of All Workers Made Less than $26,000 in 2010:
DEREK THOMPSON’S / BY THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY GROUP / Oct 21 2011
Today we get our first look at American wages in 2010 based on payroll taxes reported to the Social Security Administration. David Cay Johnston picks out the most important takeaways, including:
1) Half of all workers made less than $26,364, the median wage in 2010. That means the typical wage is at its lowest level since 1999, after adjusting for inflation.
The industries with wages growing considerably slower than the rest of the country — the ones really pulling down the national average — are construction (huge bubble burst), food service (an unproductive industry that requires little advanced education) and sales and retail (another unproductive industry that requires little advanced education). So one thing that’s keeping wages low is the fact that the most important stimulus of the last decade blew up in our face, and another big thing is that lots of workers without college degrees don’t have the skills to demand higher wages in more productive professions. I’m as astounded as Johnston about these wage numbers, but I’m less optimistic that is the kind of trend we can reverse in an election.
Update: There are some reasonable questions about how many of these workers are part-time. I don’t know the answer to that question. Our official measures of part-time workers are inconsistent, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data on workers by hours-per-week is here. What we know: About 24 million people worked less than 29 hours a week in 2010. About 35 million people worked 34 hours a week or less in 2010
(From the comments section:) Glory be!
Ulysses Not yet home:
“The concept being that the banks and financial industry were in collapse because of the defaulting on the loans that made up so much of their portfolios, so by supporting the individuals who owed the loan balances, the lien holders would be made whole, and stability would in fact “trickle up”. Moreover by the additional dollars, introduced at the “spender” end of the equation (the actual job creators), we also jump start entrepreneurial activity, stabilize real estate valuations, and a host of corollary systemic benefits.
This addresses the true problem of our economy which is that multiple wars, oil price manipulations, and predatory financial activities have combined to divert something on the order of 5 trillion dollars from circulation in the overall economic system. The problem NOW is having been shocked, ALL participants, at ALL levels have withdrawn to hibernation levels of activity, based on the certainty that “this ain’t over…”. Banks realize this and rationally think, “money I loan out now, before the real bottom, I likely to be 2013’s defaulted loan…”. Business at every level makes the same calculation, so they don’t hire employees that they believe they’ll have to shed, for projects they don’t believe the market will make profitable. So the downward cycle continues.
Lynn Wright:
Steve…now how did I guess that you would say ‘by the way, your numbers don’t square with the CBO’…you conservatives must all have the same accountants…the first thing you do is to cherry-pick some numbers from the ten thousand pages of the Tax Code. which is why the upper middle class is paying less and less taxes every year…look at my numbers again….now, which one of the charts do you not believe?…the ‘zero tax’ one or the other half of your ‘conservative talking points’?…the upper class is paying less in federal income tax every year since the days of reagan, ‘I’m not a president but I play one on TV’….between reagan and BOOSH, it is estimated those 2 cost the United States of America something north of EIGHTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS!!!…and they both weren’t educated enough to understand what the Federal Reserve was doing to us…’per capita spending by corporations’…LMFAO!!!…what the hell does that even mean?…more ‘voodoo’ economics?…how does a publicly held corporation spend that money on every person?…or family?…or in taxes paid to the treasury?…where does that money physically go, skippy?…and how does it get there?…my numbers are FROM the CBO…the rich are getting more wealthy from their investments, their CEO bonuses, stock options, insider trading, and outright theft and lies!! (’gramm-leach-bliley’ created the largest system of deceit EVER!!)…and their little frat boy friends in congress are making sure the laws, as expressed in the Tax Code, move the burden of gov’t more and more towards the middle class and away from the wealth…pick all the cherries you want but the fact remains…corporations are hoarding trillions in cash and the wealthy are, also…they’re waiting for the collapse of the middle class….and they can wait forever because they have all the marbles…N.M.Rothschild said ‘give me the power to print a nation’s currency and I care not for it’s laws’…and ‘give me control of a nation’s debt and I will own that nation in a hundred years’…that was 1913.
$26,364? But $500 x 52 = $26,000. HR/Accounting to commence immediate plan to raise worker productivity by $364 per worker bee. Can’t have those Lucky Duckies getting uppity with that extra $364
Hey, you forgot the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
between reagan and BOOSH, it is estimated those 2 cost the United States of America something north of EIGHTEEN TRILLION DOLLARS!!!…
Some of these monies that supposedly belonged to the “United States” stayed in my humble pocket. At the time, I thought the money belonged to me and what the “United States” took from me to enrich others and drop bombs was outright theft.
When I join the 50%ers maybe my tune will change. But I don’t think so.
disillusioned today. Thinking that complying with Fannie upon our post-foreclosure exit would get us cash for keys we were presented with a bit of a shocker. Leave the fridge or no $1800 CFK.
We were working with agents from Fannie Mae; who now own my wife’s property. They were originally willing to rent it out to me for a year because since I stated I was not the owner they assumed I was a tenant. Rental option not good to ex-owner occupants like my wife.
I felt excited about their cash for keys offer to my wife. Now they tell us we need to leave the fridge to get the CFC. We paid $1800 for the refrigerator, and need it in my other house, because my tenant has her own, so we will need it at some point.
How is CFKs gonna help us if we have to leave things like the fridge?? So we shall await the eviction rather than comply with agents for Fannie. I understand leaving the built-ins, the dishwasher, oven, water heater, etc, to qualify for CFK.
But the washer, dryer, and fridge and also the window coverings did not come with the home (for the record they are just asking for the fridge) and we just dont want to part with our fridge that was $1800 new to get $1800 from Fannie. What if we lived out of an ice chest for the last 5 years? Would we have to leave that?
Sounds like the rumors of free cheese for FB’s on this board are exagerated. Not surprising, only the rich get bailed out.
The work around is just too simple. Leave a frige. It doesn’t have to be your trophy frige. Visit the used appliance store and get er done.
I am sure “they” don’t have the make and model on your stuff. Besides, if it failed (which would be as simple as unplugging it) you’d be obliged to replace it with a working frige to get your $$.
Our oven has not worked in awhile, due to my daughter spilling into its control panel. Possibly that’s one more little gnat in the oinkment.
Thanks for the fridge work around idea, though. Slightly less disillusioned now!
Leave a frige.
Or a even a Refriderator.
Refriderator - Used - $50 (SE Bend)
http://bend.craigslist.org/app/2660203054.html
Works fine, looks Okay, been in garage for years as a backup fridge. Moving to apartment, no room.
Must move quickly.
Thank you for looking!
You don’t even have to go to the appliance store. You can decent free ones off Craigslist. People who bought new trophy appliances just want someone to come and get their old ones.
Just checked the Sears website. A basic Kenmore fridge costs $450. A good one costs $800 or so. New.
Sorry to hear you are neck deep in bureaucracy. In Northern CA, it is customary for the fridge to stay with the rental (I rented for 14 years in various places around here and never needed to get a fridge).
I learned (to my surprise) in Southern CA, the standard is that the tenant brings their own fridge.
Sounds like Fannie is trying to take the most aggressive stance to their benefit, even though the standard in various markets might be that the fridge goes with the tenant.
I also recently learned that if you are a tenant, there is a federal law that requires that the entity trying to get you out of your home needs to give you 90 days notice to evict.
If you are a “renter”, here is a blurb on the new Federal law:
http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/documents/4306116122EN.pdf?stateabbrev=/wa/
It says that it is unclear as to whether you need to pay rent for those 90 days. If this law applies to you, and you don’t need the cash now, run the math on potentially living rent free for 90 days, then taking everything out of the house that you purchased to the next place.
This chart shows a summary of various state laws on foreclosure, etc.
http://www.nlihc.org/doc/State-Foreclosure-Chart.pdf
Looks like for Oregon, any occupant is deemed a tenant post foreclosure…does this mean the 90 day Federal Law applies to you regardless of whether you are an owner or tenant?
I understand that some entities that foreclose hope that their tenants don’t know the Federal Law and try to get them out after 30 days. I would expect that Fannie doesn’t ignore Federal Law, but if they try to evict you with anything less than 90 days, I’d quote the Federal Law and fight them on it…
I’d be the biggest pain in the a** possible to your own benefit. If indeed the 90 days does apply from notice to eviction, and you may not need to pay rent, then I would string them along (negotiate) as long as you can as though you are going to take CFK. You may be able to get 120 days total free rent and keep your appliances. 150 days? 180 days?
Milk it…you know Fannie isn’t your friend…be your own friend in this case.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
New housing plan expected soon: Congress aide
By Thomas Ferraro and Rachelle Younglai
WASHINGTON | Thu Oct 20, 2011 7:45pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration and the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are expected to unveil new steps to help distressed homeowners in the next week or two, a senior congressional aide said on Thursday.
The aide commented on the plan after Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said the Federal Reserve planned to send Congress “legislative recommendations” on housing.
The aide said Feinstein “misspoke for a second” and meant the administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
After Senate Democrats met with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Feinstein told reporters the central bank chief had stressed that more needed to be done to help the housing sector.
“They are going to submit a list of recommendations next week,” Feinstein told reporters. She said the pending proposals are “legislative recommendations we can look at.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-usa-congress-bernanke-idUSTRE79J7QN20111020 - -
New help for homeowners votes…
I am expecting this to be another one of my New Year predictions that comes true. The CAMP program. (can`t make your payment, don`t worry about it nobody can)
Key word here is “legislative.” If Congress won’t pass it, it won’t happen. Anyone taking bets on this Congress passing anything other than (perhaps) a way to get around the automatic military cuts when the super committee can’t come up with a budget? No? Me neither.
If it helps banks, the congress will pass.
Quick - spend another half trillion more in bailing foolish banks and homeowners.
Thank you for hope and change…
Boy it warms my heart to know my elected official (Feinstein) is a courier for the Fed.
Let freedom ring!
The ironies will write themselves…
—————————-
Steve Jobs Slammed Obama, ‘You’re Headed For A One-Term Presidency’
http://www.investorguide.com| October 20 2011
Jobs’ Meeting With Obama
Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama “was really psyched to meet with you,” Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.
“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by union work rules,” noted Isaacson. “Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform.” Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
What is this?
Kung Fu Fighting Carl Douglas
No Rain Blind Melon
Two Of Hearts Stacey Q
Whoomp! (There It Is) - (2000 remix) Tag Team
I Want Candy Bow Wow Wow
Harper Valley PTA Jeannie C. Riley
What’s Up 4 Non Blondes
Don’t Give Up On Us David Soul
Electric Avenue Eddy Grant
Achy Breaky Heart Billy Ray Cyrus
Barbie Girl Aqua
Don’t Leave Me This Way Thelma Houston
Bust A Move Young M.C.
Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum
I Know What Boys Like The Waitresses
Just A Friend Biz Markie
Cum On Feel The Noize Quiet Riot
Puttin’ On The Ritz Taco
We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off Jermaine Stewart
Convoy C.W. McCall
Maniac Michael Sembello
The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia Vicki Lawrence
Funkytown Lipps Inc.
Mambo #5 Lou Bega
Jump Around House of Pain
Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades The Timbuk 3
Round And Round Ratt
867-5309 (Jenny) Tommy Tutone
Smokin’ In The Boy’s Room Brownsville Station
It’s Raining Men The Weather Girls
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) The Proclaimers
I Touch Myself The Divinyls
Turn The Beat Around Vicki Sue Robinson
Don’t Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin
Rock Me Amadeus Falco
How Do You Talk To An Angel The Heights
Hot Child In The City Nick Gilder
Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood
In A Big Country Big Country
Me And Mrs. Jones Billy Paul
I Melt With You Modern English
Turning Japanese The Vapors
Bitch Meredith Brooks
Afternoon Delight Starland Vocal Band
Got To Be Real Cheryl Lynn
Seasons In The Sun Terry Jacks
Pass The Dutchie Musical Youth
It Takes Two Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Pop Musik M
Stumblin’ In Suzi Quatro
Too Shy Kajagoogoo
Whip It Devo
Play That Funky Music Wild Cherry
We’re Not Gonna Take It Twisted Sister (1984)
Rapper’s Delight Sugarhill Gang (1980)
The Hustle Van McCoy (1975)
You Light Up My Life Debby Boone (1977)
99 Luftballoons Nena (1984)
Rico Suave Gerardo (1991)
Take On Me A-Ha (1985)
Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice (1991)
Who Let The Dogs Out Baha Men (2000)
Mickey Toni Basil (1982)
I’m Too Sexy Right Said Fred (1992)
Come On Eileen Dexy’s Midnight Runners (1983)
Thisis was my #1 worst song ever made…next to wind bekneeth my wind
Fun song ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-joviDb4QQ
You Light Up My Life Debby Boone (1977)
That song makes me want to drive nails into my ears.
Others on the list “Minnie Ripertons “Loving you”, and Melanie’s (?) “Brand New Key”
What is this?
One hit wonders.
“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” he told Obama at the start of their meeting
Didi Mr. Jobs bother to check out the GOP competition?
Obama sucks, but the other guys suck even more.
that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.
Funny how some schools do just fine without such resorting to convenience store hours. Of course it helps to have students from upper middle class families. Not sure how keeping the Lucky Ducky kids at school until 6 PM will help.
And how are schools supposed to pay for these extended hours of operations with shrinking budgets? I figure he’s expecting teachers (who in our district average a salary in the mid 40’s) to put in unpaid overtime (like he expected from his own employees), but there is still the issue of supplies, and other increased operating costs.
Hmmmmm - hard to make this decision
On hand we have a person who founded and ran one of the most successful American companies ever created. A company that creates truly innovative products and provides thousands of American jobs
On the other we have Colorado who uses 4th grade logic like “Obama sucks, but the other guys suck even more” so let’s keep doing what we are doing.
You mean the same guy who stabbed the REAL inventor of the Apple, his former partner, in the back?
You mean thousands of CHINESE jobs?
Yep, tough choice there.
All of those proposals are ways for him to get cheaper work out of his employees. Especially the schools one. Workers who don’t have to provide baby sitting for their kids between school closing and work ending are a lot less distracted (and take fewer emergency afternoons off when the sitter is sick) between 3 and 6.
For all of the S. Jobs bashers out there who complain about Chinese manufacturing.
Steve was very loyal to the Bay Area. He could have easily pulled a Haliburton and moved the corporation to a tax haven somewhere.
Apple is in the planning/permit process of constructing the finest Corporate HQ anywhere which will employ thousands locally. Many of those jobs which could be outsourced to a lower wage country.
Apple used to have a number of manufacturing plants here. There was a mac plant in Fremont, Ca and a number of smaller plants spread elsewhere in the bay area. I did sub-contracting work at a number of them. I am curious to see if Steve’s bio will reveal any angst over the decision.
I absolutely hate that our jobs have been outsourced to Chindia and elsewhere. My ire is aimed directly at the politicians that enabled it. Don’t worry, I’ve got some bile left for the other guilty parties as well.
I don’t mean to bash, but the cult of personality is sickening.
Oh… you do know that it was actually Xerox that invented the GUI and the mouse, right?
But honestly, without Apple, we would still be using command line and number prompts. I don’t miss those days at all.
“Oh… you do know that it was actually Xerox that invented the GUI and the mouse, right?”
Xerox PARC. Palo Alto Research Center.
Yes, I did know that. I’ve done work there.
“On the other we have Colorado who uses 4th grade logic”
Hey, thanks for the ad-hominem attack. It’s what I’ve come to expect from you.
On hand we have a person who founded and ran one of the most successful American companies ever created.
Robber Barons were very successful too, but hardly worthy of our admiration.
+1
Per Seattle Weekly
All of Jobs’ donations went to Democrats.
Yeah, I find it puzzling that in his life, he gave so much money to liberal causes, but now that he’s dead, people are coming forward to describe him as some sort of deregulating right-wing businessman.
I’m inclined to believe the long paper trail of money he gave liberals as revealing the real Steve Jobs.
The right to profit from your hard work is not right wing or left wing. It is Randian.
I like what Steve Jobs told Obammy.
Jobs also criticized America’s education system, saying it was “crippled by
union work rulesnot allowing kids to download music on ipods at .99 cents per-song during school hours,”Who benefit$?
America’s education system is hampered far more by stressed out parents and badly-behaved kids than it ever was by “bad teachers,” unionized or no.
That said, I’m TIRED of hearing how “business unfriendly” the US is. America is one of the most business friendly countries in the world. Why? Because we invent stuff, and more importantly, we BUY the stuff. Why do we buy stuff? Because we have taxpayer-supported safety nets so we don’ have to save every penny for retirement or kid’s college.
Maybe these countries should design, manufacture, and sell all their stuff overseas. See how many customers they get.
When you ask for specifics on how the US is “business unfriendly” you hear……
“Well, we have to pay for pollution control. And we have to pay a minimum wage, and obey labor laws. And our equipment wouldn’t cost as much, if we didn’t have to pay for these OSHA safety requirements. Think of how cheap airline tickets would be if we hired guys from Jiffy Lube to fix them, and 200 hour pilots to fly them. Just have them do their checkrides on “MS Flight Simulator”
We can’t rob people outright, we have to pay lobbyists and Congressman to make it “legal”. And it still costs money for accountants to take advantage of all those tax loopholes we paid for.
And taxes. Those 10% Capital Gains taxes are a killer. And all those state and local taxes to fund roads and education. Why should I have to pay for my employees education?…..”
“Bunch of damn Socialists are ruining this country for us Capitalists”.
(As heard by X-GS from his Grandad and uncles, fine upstanding “independent businessmen” in Eastern Ohio…..slightly embellished, but not by much. The same guys who filed Chapter 11 to get out from under their pension plan underpayments)
Nice rant.
Bless you Mr. X-GS, for yer honesty & POV.
Kind regards, Hwy50
They aren’t completely wrong.
There is a lot of stupid regulation. Major costs imposed on business, with zero cost/benefit analysis.
OSHA wanted us to install a $100K fall prevention system, for the half dozen times a year I have to get 6-7 feet off the floor to fix/inspect something.
We chose to get rid of all of our 5 feet and taller ladders instead. Can’t work on, or inspect, the tail anymore, but what could possibly go wrong up there?
(The answer….plenty. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve found bad stuff, when inspecting or wiping down/cleaning something. That’s why I clean my own airplanes).
But because I have no legal way to get up there, I’m not legally required to look at the tail. It doesn’t (theoretically) get looked at until inspections at the shop are due.
(The reality is that the tall stands are hidden, and I get them out when there’s no chance of OSHA coming around.)
Like the EPA requirements on fuel storage. Mandated multi-gazillion dollar storage tanks. Put all the little gas stations out of business. Only the MNCs could afford the investments out of their own pocket. So locally, you can buy your gas from Phillips/Conoco, BP, QuikTrip, or not get it at all.
Seems to me that if there is a mandate on business for the public health/safety, the public (meaning everyone) needs to help pay for it. Otherwise, you have 2-3 multi-nationals dominating the market.
yeah nice rant and I love big government and the big nanny state too.
described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where “regulations and unnecessary costs” make it difficult for them.
Eyes wonder if Mr. Jobs ever feed any of his kids/pets food in a can/bag from “made-in-China-were-we-do-things-the-right-way”? Probably knot. :-/
Sounds like a good line for another song.
Oops my post went in the wrong place. It should have nested under Jeff Saturday’s post. My fault.
Bipartisan Senate bill would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on a residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-visas-home-buyers-20111021,0,6715779.story
American consumers and the federal government haven’t been able to bail out the sinking U.S. real estate market. Now wealthy Chinese, Canadians and other foreign buyers could get their chance.
Two U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would allow foreigners who spend at least $500,000 on residential property to obtain visas allowing them to live in the United States.
The plan could be a boon to California, which has become a popular real estate market for foreigners, particularly those from China.
Nationwide, residential sales to foreigners and recent immigrants totaled $82 billion in the 12-month period ended March 31, up from $66 billion the previous year, according to the National Assn. of Realtors. California accounted for 12% of those sales, second only to Florida.
“Overall, Los Angeles is the perfect place for investors,” said YanYan Zhang, an agent with Rodeo Realty in Beverly Hills, who travels to China several times a year to meet potential clients.
“We need to keep house prices high so that they will continue to be affordable.”
Utter lunacy.
The schemes they hatch to keep the broken debt markets going and keep the resulting house prices at bubble levels get nuttier and nuttier with each passing month.
$500,000?? it should be $2,000,000.
If they’re going to spend $2,000,000, I would rather see them invest it in a business rather than a house, which produces no wealth and employs no one after its initial construction.
After it’s built, a $2,000,000 house in California employs a lot of wetback gardeners and helps their anchor babies.
Did you know the DC branch of #OWS demostrated against Harrison Ford? No, really. Ford was attending a $1000/plate charity event with the CEO of Wallmart. The fact that it was the Wallmart guy, a “1-percent-er (like Ford is NOT a 1% guy?), and it was $1000/plate seems to have riled them. Even the reporter on site said the protesters failed to acknowledge that it was a charity event for an environmental cause!
Walmart is cutting back on employee health insurance (again). I’d say protesting that is worthwhile where ever they find him.
Did they carry signs that read down with Harrison Ford.
If so I’d like to see a picture.
Otherwise we will file this post under garbage like most of your others.
I’ll bet there were women at that fund raiser, and some of those women had babies. Some probably have puppies at home.
Interpretation - OWS hates women. and OWS hates babies. and OWS hates puppies. Can you imagine that they hate innocent babies and puppies.
And the OWS clearly supports Darth Vader.
Mega-Retail$ / Mega-MedicalIndustrialInc.’$ / Mega-InsuranceInc.’$ / Mega-MilitaryIndustrialInc.’$ / Mega-OilIndustrialInc.’$
“Bidne$$ is Bidne$$!”
Don’t $top!,…Don’t $top!,…Don’t $top!,…Don’t $top!,…
Mega-peonCu$tomer$ervice:
Several former Prime doctors and back-office medical coders said in interviews or court testimony that the company’s owner, Dr. Prem. Reddy, urged staff to log common medical conditions as more serious ailments – opening the door to higher Medicare payments to one of the state’s largest chain of hospitals.
Ho$pital chain accused of ‘blatantly wrong’ billing practice$:
Published: Oct. 21, 2011 Published: Oct. 21, 2011
By CHRISTINA JEWETT and STEPHEN K. DOIG / CALIFORNIA WATCH
California Watch examined Medicare patient billing data submitted by the state’s hospitals for 2010, focusing on the three medical conditions that Reddy highlighted during the San Diego meeting. The analysis found:
•Prime recorded malignant hypertension cases – a rapid onset of high blood pressure that can cause the eyes to bleed – at 11 times the statewide average. Hospitals can earn about $3,000 more when reporting the condition.
•Prime owns six of the seven hospitals in California that reported the highest rates of encephalopathy, a brain injury characterized by swelling, an inability to concentrate and drowsiness. A hospital could earn $7,000 more for treating the condition as a complication of pneumonia.
•Even though Prime treated 3.6 percent of the state’s Medicare patients, it reported handling 77 percent of the cases of autonomic nerve disorder among that same patient population. Treating the disorder – a potentially deadly condition related to Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and alcoholism – can earn $5,000 more for a hospital if coded the right way.
It’s unclear from the state data how much money Prime hospitals specifically may have earned billing for each ailment.
Prime’s business strategy has proved effective for the chain. The Ontario-based company has specialized in turning around struggling hospitals and earned $97 million in profit in 2010, according to state records.
Criticism of Prime’s business strategy emerged publicly during a 2005 trial.
Reddy had sued two former nurse managers over labor issues. The nurses countersued, arguing that Reddy fired them because they had questioned his business practices.
During the trial, Reddy testified that it is legitimate to change a billing code if the medical record indicates a doctor failed to describe a serious condition and, with prompting, documents the condition. Such direction is “one way to come out of the red and be able to keep things going,” Reddy testified.
In April 2007, Prime’s former corporate medical coding director Phelps sent a resignation letter to colleagues, urging them to continue to do the “right thing” when administrators ask them to change coding.
“I have worked with you all long enough to know that you will not be swayed into adding or re-sequencing diagnoses simply because it increases reimbursement,” Phelps wrote in his five-paragraph letter obtained by California Watch.
Phelps said top administrators at Prime went over medical charts to recommend changes that would heighten profits.
He said some doctors refused to add diagnoses. But chain executives pressured doctors to log the conditions, according to Phelps. The billing changes “misconstrued what was going on with the patient,” Phelps said.
Doty and medical coder Danika Fedeli said Reddy’s tone was stern.
The chain owner described medical conditions that he encouraged doctors to document, according to the two coders. Reddy assured physicians that his advice was legal and could shore up hospital finances.
Doty said she resigned after working about three months for Prime, troubled by pressure from a Prime executive to justify her coding. Fedeli, who had been a coder for four years, lost her job when Prime cut her position.
Joseph Ingrande, Doty and Fedeli’s supervisor, said the meeting spurred him to leave. He sent a resignation letter a few days afterward to hospital executives: “To stay and be part of these practices would give the appearance I approve and validate these procedures,” he wrote. “I cannot with good (conscience) be part of these activities which could potentially put me in legal jeopardy with (Medicare).”
Doty and Fedeli both said they’ve been to hospital-run sessions where doctors are urged to describe ailments clearly and completely. But both were dismayed when they say Reddy encouraged doctors to describe entirely different medical conditions in the place of others.
Both coders said Reddy talked specifically about how to handle patients who had fainted. He told the group that these patients could just as well be described as having a rare condition called autonomic nerve disorder, according to Doty and Fedeli.
“He made the comment that autonomic nerve disorder is such a vague, general description … that no one could ever question (it),” Doty recalled. “I was thinking, ‘This is crazy, how can I get out of here?’”
Medicare data shows that Prime reported seeing the nerve disorder 90 times as often as the statewide average.
No wonder medical costs keep skyrocketing.
“President Obama annunced a nearly complete withdrawal of American military forces from Iraq by the end of the year during a press conference Friday afternoon…The war has claimed the lives of 6,230 American service members since the invasion in 2003.”
Every death is one too many, but adding them up it is one ninth the level of Vietnam. Which was one seventh the level of WWII. Which was a third lower than the Civil War.
I guess that’s a good trend.
I guess that’s a good trend.
Well that’s definitely a Change let’s all Hope it works out for the Iraqi people.
Meanwhile, speaking of TREND$: WOW! (long long article with lot$ of evidence)
(Eyes find it interesting that they get to be the 1st ones in the repayment$ line, without wearing any “flak jackets”, well eyes reckon there’s all types of Risk$ involved for everyone.) :-/
Commodity trader$: The $ trillion dollar club:
On Friday October 21, 2011,
By Joshua Schneyer
NEW YORK (Reuters)- For the small club of companies who trade the food, fuels and metals that keep the world running, the last decade has been sensational. Driven by the rise of Brazil, China, India and other fast-growing economies, the global commodities boom has turbocharged profits at the world’s biggest trading houses.
They form an exclusive group, whose loosely regulated members are often based in such tax havens as Switzerland. Together, they are worth over a trillion dollars in annual revenue and control more than half the world’s freely traded commodities. The top five piled up $629 billion in revenues last year, just below the global top five financial companies and more than the combined sales of leading players in tech or telecoms. Many amass speculative positions worth billions in raw goods, or hoard commodities in warehouses and super-tankers during periods of tight supply.
U.S. and European regulators are cracking down on big banks and hedge funds that speculate in raw goods, but trading firms remain largely untouched. Many are unlisted or family run, and because they trade physical goods are largely impervious to financial regulators. Outside the commodities business, many of these quiet giants who broker the world’s basic goods are little known.
Their reach is expanding. Big trading firms now own a growing number of the mines that produce many of our commodities, the ships and pipelines that carry them, and the warehouses, silos and ports where they are stored. With their connections and inside knowledge — commodities markets are mostly free of insider-trading restrictions — trading houses have become power brokers, especially in fast-developing Asia, Latin America and Africa. They are part of the food chain, yet help shape it, and the personal rewards can be huge. “The payout percentage of profits at the commodities houses can be double what Wall Street banks pay,” says George Stein of New York headhunting firm Commodity Talent.
Switzerland-based Glencore, whose initial public offering (IPO) in May put trading houses in the spotlight, pays some traders yearly bonuses in the tens of millions. On paper, the partial float made boss Ivan Glasenberg $10 billion richer overnight.
SIZE MATTERS
How big are the biggest trading houses? Put it this way: two of them, Vitol and Trafigura, sold a combined 8.1 million barrels a day of oil last year. That’s equal to the combined oil exports of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Or this: Glencore in 2010 controlled 55 percent of the world’s traded zinc market, and 36 percent of that for copper.
Or this: publicity-shy Vitol’s sales of $195 billion in 2010 were twice those at Apple Inc. As well as the 200 tankers it has at sea, Vitol owns storage tanks on five continents.
U.S. regulations are now pending to limit banks’ proprietary trading — speculating with their own cash. The new rules don’t apply to trading firms. “Trading houses have huge volumes of proprietary trading. In some cases it makes up 60-80 percent of what they do,” said Carl Holland, a former price risk manager at oil major Chevron Texaco, who now runs energy consultancy Trading Solutions LLC in Connecticut. “They have the most talent, the deepest pockets, and the best risk management.”
In addition to proprietary trading curbs, the U.S. regulator voted on October 19 to impose position limits in oil and metals markets. That gives banks who trade futures cause for concern, but since physical players usually receive exemptions to limits — because they are categorized as bona fide hedgers — trading firms should go unscathed.
The trading houses’ talent and deep pockets translate into incredible power. “Most commodity buyers in the world are price takers. The top trading firms are price makers,” said Chris Hinde, editor of London-based Mining Journal. “It puts them in a tremendous position.”
The sort of position that has allowed Vitol to do a brisk oil business with the U.S. government, the besieged Syrian regime, and Libya’s newly empowered rebels simultaneously over the past few months. In April the company dodged NATO bombs and a naval blockade and sent an oil tanker into the battered Mediterranean port of Tobruk to extract the first cargo of premium crude sold by rebels at the helm of a breakaway Libyan oil company defying Muammar Gaddafi.
Vitol also discreetly supplied Libya’s rebels with $1 billion in fuel, Reuters has learned — supplies they desperately needed to advance on Tripoli. Vitol’s early running gave the firm an edge with the country’s new political stewards. As it turns the pumps back on, Libyan oil firm Agoco has allocated Vitol half of its crude production to repay debts.
THE SQUEEZE AND THE ARB
For many commodities traders, the most profitable ploy has been the squeeze, which involves driving prices up or down by accumulating a dominant position. In the early 2000s, the Brent crude oil stream — used as a global price benchmark — fell to 400,000 barrels per day from more than 1 million in the late 1980s. A few traders seized the chance to buy what amounted to almost all the available supply. Price premiums for immediate supply spiked, sapping margins for refiners worldwide. U.S. refiner Tosco sued Arcadia and Glencore for market manipulation; the case was settled out of court.
In metals, stock in warehouses can be tied up for years as loan collateral, allowing the same traders who dominate the metals market to control a huge chunk of world supply — an apparent conflict of interest that has drawn criticism from the UK parliament.
“The warehouses seem to have an infinite capacity to absorb metal, but a very small capacity to release it,” said Nick Madden of Novelis, the world’s top rolled aluminum producer.
Trading houses saw the opportunity to leverage metals warehousing after the 2008 financial crisis. Of the six major metals warehousers only one, Dutch-based C.Steinweg, remains independent. Trading houses competed with banks for the spoils — Glencore, Trafigura and Noble took one warehousing company each, Goldman and JP Morgan the others.
And unlike commodities producers, such as U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil, trading firms don’t just make money when prices go up. Most rely on arbitrage — playing the divergence in prices at different locations, between different future delivery dates, or between a commodity’s quality in different places.
That’s what Koch, Vitol and others did in 2009 when they parked 100 million barrels of oil in seaborne tankers. Thanks to a market condition known as contango — a period when buyers pay more for future delivery than to receive their cargoes promptly — they could sell futures and lock in profits of $10 a barrel or more.
Sorry, didn’t quite get to the article’s end:
Tankxs to all:
Additional contributors:
(Jessica Donati, Christopher Johnson, Ikuko Kurahone, Richard Mably, Dmitry Zhdannikov reported from London, Gus Trompiz from Paris, Caroline Copley from Zurich, Emma Farge from Benghazi, Karl Plume and Christine Stebbins from Chicago, Hugh Bronstein from Buenos Aires, Joshua Schneyer from New York, Luke Pachymuthu, Harry Suhartono and Naveen Thukral from Singapore; Editing by Richard Mably, Simon Robinson and Sara Ledwith)
Wow. Yet another hiding-place of the above-the-law mega-rich.
Especially as obama is following the pull-out plan put in place under Bush.
From “In the Loop”:
“Still Hangin’ Chad?”
LOL! Bush gets credit for starting the war. NOT FOR ENDING THEM!
aka: “lil’ Opie…leading from behind!”
heheeeheeeheehaahaaahaaheeehaahaaa… (Hwy50™)
Gadaffi the tyrant revealed on video. God bless Amerika!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmZNfK01Is
“Libya…never been there, you?” :-/
Your Video portrays him as “pure as $now”…wasn’t there CIA doctored film of Hilter driving around Germany, smiling at all his grateful people?
Things You Didn’t Know About Moammar Gadhafi
Written by NewsOne Staff on October 20, 2011
Hated Leader
Prior to this year, there have been at-least 8 recorded unsuccessful assassination attempts against Gadhafi. In 1993, over 2,000 Libyan soldiers plotted to assassinate Gadhafi. The soldiers were members of the Warfalla tribe, which rebelled because it was not well-represented in the upper ranks of the Libyan Army. The coup attempt was crushed by the Libyan Air Force, which was entirely made of members of the Qadhadhfa tribe, which Gadhafi belongs to.
Weapons Smuggler
In 1973, British authorities intercepted the Claudia, a ship carrying five tons of Libyan weapons destined for the Provisional IRA. Though briefly chastened, he again began funneling weapons to the IRA after a 1986 American bombing—launched from British bases—kills Gadhafi’s adopted daughter. In 1987, British and French officials stop another vessel, the Eksund, with 120 tons of weapons and ammunition
Facts and figures mean little to a closed mind.
I’ll try to recite from memory some highlights of the video.
1 - No national debt
2 - Free land, seed, equipment, etc., to anyone who wants to farm
3 - $50,000 free upon marriage (presumably to the opposite sex)
4 - Money lent @ 0% interest
5 - Free medical
6 - Free education
7 - Free housing
Look, I know the guy was probably not ready for sainthood but my point here is that he is not the despot portrayed in our ‘fair and balanced’ MSM media. We just killed the leader of a sovereign nation! We just killed in the name of ……………..FREEDOM.
When are some people going to wake up to what’s happening around you. TSA checkpoints on Tennesee freeways, @ sporting events, train stations, bus terminals, obviously airports. Predator drones flying over our heads here. The Federal government actively fighting states that try to protect themselves from the illegal invasion. DHS trying to get approval to control a 100 mile swath of the US/Canadian border. Federalized police forces everywhere. FEMA camps. I could go on and on.
All to protect me from a never ending list of bogeymen. No thanks.
Facts and figures mean little to a closed mind.
+
but my point here is that he is not the despot portrayed in our ‘fair and balanced’ MSM media
Will since you seem to have such and “open mind”, why don’t you give into the possibility that he was actually even worse then he’s been portrayed?
Can’t or won’t answer the inquiry?
“Libya…never been there, you?” :-/
or this:
Your Video portrays him as “pure as $now”…wasn’t there CIA doctored film of Hitler driving around Germany, smiling at all his grateful people?
But iffin’ you feel the need to defend him, by all means don’t let ol’ Hwy stop you.
Hwy,
My point is to illuminate our national hypocrisy, not get into an interstate pissing match.
And no I haven’t been to Libya nor am I familiar with ‘Hitler - Fast & Furious 6’.
Eyes tellin ya, those morning mimosas will have you captinin’ the debate team in no time flat!
Good day Sir.
Well, SV guy a good rest-of-the-day to you and not meaning to be pissing down your back calling it rain, but iffin’ it were eyes, x1 You-Tube video with Arabic sub-titles would not be something eyes be drawing conclusions of facts regarding a foreign country that eyes never set foot in.
Kind regards, Hwy50
All to protect me from a never ending list of bogeymen. No thanks.
Eyes hear ya SV guy, eyes hear ya, other American Patriots do too!
Main article: Controversial invocations of the USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act has generated a great deal of controversy since its enactment. Opponents of the Act have been quite vocal in asserting that it was passed opportunistically after the September 11 attacks, believing there to have been little debate. They view the Act as one that was hurried through the Senate with little change before it was passed. (Senators Patrick Leahy and Russell Feingold proposed amendments to modify the final revision.)
The sheer magnitude of the Act itself was noted by Michael Moore in his controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11. In one of the scenes of the movie, he records Congressman Jim McDermott alleging that no Senator read the bill and John Conyers, Jr. as saying, “We don’t read most of the bills. Do you really know what that would entail if we read every bill that we passed?” Congressman Conyers then answers his own rhetorical question, asserting that if they did it would “slow down the legislative process”.
As a dramatic device, Moore then hired an ice-cream van and drove around Washington, D.C. with a loud speaker, reading out the Act to puzzled passers-by, which included a few Senators. However, Moore was not the only commentator to notice that not many people had read the Act.
Just like these clowns read the Obamacare bill before it was passed. HAHAHA. Nancy Pelosi “Let’s pass the bill and find out what’s in it after”.
The guy did bring down a 747 over Lockerbie Scottland and bombed a disco in Germany and financed terror or that all a lie as well.
“..or that all a lie as well.”
Apparently I now work for the GADL (Gadaffi Anti-Defamation League). Who knows for sure if it’s a lie? Most of us are somewhat aware of the BS our government pulls. Here are a couple of links that at least raise suspicion on the Lockerbie case.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/revealed-cia-offered-2m-to-lockerbie-witness-and-brother-1.866400
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/02/lockerbie-documents-witness-megrahi
What excuse will the government use to justify invading other oil rich countries that could use a little democracy?
“We just killed the leader of a sovereign nation!”
Those didn’t look like American GIs knocking Qadafi around in his final minutes.
And you guyz mock me for wanting us to get the guts to fight a religious Jihad and aim for the mosques
Some else has just been “revealed”:
The Washington Post reports Friday that when investigators performed DNA testing on Gadhafi’s body, they learned that the vainglorious strongman was wearing a wig. Interim Prime Minster Mahmoud Jibril told the Post that an autopsy team took samples of Gadhafi’s blood, saliva and hair–and soon discovered that the hair did not actually belong to the former dictator.
Bank of America Trying To Stick Taxpayers With A $74 Trillion Bill By Moving Derivatives Into FDIC-Insured Accounts
…wait I hear a loud laughter & can’t quite make out the words exactly, sounds like:
“These f@!king Guys!,” Jon Stewart.
Definition of Hope and Change:
Spend Trillions you don’t have…
On “Green” products that only the wealthy can buy…
To “companies” that give MASSIVE kickbacks to obama and the democrat party…
For jobs OUTSIDE America!
————————————
Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland
abcnews.go.com | 10-20-11 | BRIAN ROSS, RONNIE GREENE
With the approval of the Obama administration, an electric car company that received a $529 million federal government loan guarantee is assembling its first line of cars in Finland, saying it could not find a facility in the United States capable of doing the work.
Vice President Joseph Biden heralded the Energy Department’s $529 million loan to the start-up electric car company called Fisker as a bright new path to thousands of American manufacturing jobs. But two years after the loan was announced, the job of assembling the flashy electric Fisker Karma sports car has been outsourced to Finland.
“We’re not in the business of failing; we’re in the business of winning. So we make the right decision for the business,” Fisker said. “That’s why we went to Finland.”
The loan to Fisker is part of a $1 billion bet the Energy Department has made in two politically connected California-based electric carmakers producing sporty — and pricey — cutting-edge autos. Fisker Automotive, backed by a powerhouse venture capital firm whose partners include former Vice President Al Gore…
Typical hypocrites. They ignore Bush’s blunders like mailing $12 Billion in cash to Iraq and having it all disappear and focus on Obama’s attempt at getting us off oil. lame.
aka: Straw$…gra$ping…“get lil’ Opie!” = Job #1
Carter’s solar panels
lil’ Opie’s war expenditures in Libya
Trillion$ forgotten, never to be mentioned again:
Sept 2008:“This whole sucker could go down,…Hurry!”
“heheeheeeheee…”
“…..capable of doing the work.”
Ahhh the standby “Lazy American” plan.
“Capable of doing the work FOR 10 DOLLARS AN HOUR…..”
Me fix.
Of course, it’s in “Socialist Finland”. If you don’t have to pay for health care, and rich guys pay half a million bucks for speeding tickets, you can probably live a middle class lifestyle on $10/hour.
I can see the headlines now…….
“Headline, October 21, 2030……
Boeing moves production to Socialist countries, says free market principles have made their workforce too poor, sick, and stupid to function……”
This story should make Republicans happy.
The 1%ers of Fisker keep the “creative work” and “intellectual property” here, and ship the assembly off to socialist countries, where they don’t have to pay for retirement or health care.
It’s not a problem when Boeing or Apple does it.
“…if you tax them less, they can hire more people!”
Top 1% see income grow 224%
October 21st, 2011, by Mary Ann Milbourn / OC Register
The Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Orange County and related movements claim those in the top 1% in the U.S. have seen their incomes outpace the remaining 99% which has led to the rich having a disproportionate control of the nation’s wealth.
The Economic Policy Institute analyzed U.S. income data from 1979 to 2007 and concluded that those in the top 1% saw their inflation-adjusted income grow 224% during that time period while incomes for those in the bottom 90% were up just 5%. (Note this is inflation adjusted.)
For the 0.1% at the very top of the income ladder, the income increase was 390% over that same 28 years, the EPI found.
He cited a study by U.C.-Santa Cruz professor G. William Domhoff, updated in July, that concluded the top 1% controlled 42.7% of the national financial wealth in 2007.
Cox noted the wealth disparity has been around a long time.
“In 1922, 1 Percenters controlled 36.7 percent of the nation’s wealth, and that number jumped to 44.2 percent by the time the stock market crashed in 1929. The total hit a low of 19.9 percent in 1976 but has been on a steady uptrend since. In fact, there is a pretty direct correlation between the fortunes of the stock market and the amount of wealth the 1 Percenters control,” he wrote.
Hello Deadbeat
Hello Squatter
Well at least you, pay for water
That`s a nice car
Where`d you get it?
With the house payment you sixty times forgetted
How you do it?
What`s the deal?
You don`t pay them
And you squeal
That they shouldn`t
Have been givers
Of loans to a man who pizza he delivers