Bits Bucket for December 2, 2011
Post off-topic ideas, links, and Craigslist finds here.
The Housing Bubble
Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
About Me
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.
Links
-
May 2024 M T W T F S S « Sep 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Photo Submission: hbbphotos@gmail.com
View the HBB Photo Gallery *updated 4/13/2008
Op-Ed Columnist
A Banker Speaks, With Regret
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: November 30, 2011
If you want to understand why the Occupy movement has found such traction, it helps to listen to a former banker like James Theckston. He fully acknowledges that he and other bankers are mostly responsible for the country’s housing mess.
As a regional vice president for Chase Home Finance in southern Florida, Theckston shoveled money at home borrowers. In 2007, his team wrote $2 billion in mortgages, he says. Sometimes those were “no documentation” mortgages.
“On the application, you don’t put down a job; you don’t show income; you don’t show assets,” he said. “But you still got a nod.”
“If you had some old bag lady walking down the street and she had a decent credit score, she got a loan,” he added.
Theckston says that borrowers made harebrained decisions and exaggerated their resources but that bankers were far more culpable — and that all this was driven by pressure from the top.
“You’ve got somebody making $20,000 buying a $500,000 home, thinking that she’d flip it,” he said. “That was crazy, but the banks put programs together to make those kinds of loans.”
Especially when mortgages were securitized and sold off to investors, he said, senior bankers turned a blind eye to shortcuts.
“The bigwigs of the corporations knew this, but they figured we’re going to make billions out of it, so who cares? The government is going to bail us out. And the problem loans will be out of here, maybe even overseas.”
…
“The
bigwigsCEO ProFEESional$ of the corporations knew this, but they figured we’re [Starting-@-the-Top] going to make billions out of it, so who cares? [CEO lights x1 cigar, pours x1 Scotch, $miles emphatically] The government is going to bail us out. [gov't: as in global] And the problem loans will be out of here, maybe even overseas. [yous can hidesomemany of them most of the time, but yous can not hide all of 'em,...forever.] ”Bonu$ = “Pay-for-Performance”
$alary = $1.00 USD
At that point, I don’t think they were planning on a government bailout, except in the sense of being able to package all the bad loans and sell them off to Freddie Mac….or is that Sallie Mae.
Who takes the loans in the secondary market and uses them as “securities”?
Ultimately, the real issue is one of FRAUD. To make the plan work, you needed to sell off worthless mortgage to “investors”, while convincing them the loans were “rock solid, AAA”. You just can’t get any better than that.
When the trades started to go south, the Banksters took the inverse of there own advice, misleading their customers.
In the end, you are correct, the Banks never loose. The FED passes all the losses on the the US Taxpayer. That’s the job of the FED, or at least they claim it’s their job to “recapitalize” the banks. I would have shut their doors and liquidated their assets.
Sallie Mae is student loans (Sallie comes from SL).
Yes harebrained decisions were made by borrowers like my wife borrowing on our family’s behalf. The underwriters, however, facilitated the whole deal. No-documentation meant that my wife did not have to include income documentation, so the underwriters did not need to know that she made 6k to loan her 300k; they were happy she cracked 700 fico and had 20% down.
It was the last loan of its type; these noxious loans were being phased out by the time my wife was granted hers; April 2007. One of the last such deals to squeak thru ; and one loan she should not have entered into.
Cost us 160k(down plus two years payments) which could have come in handy, to say the least. Could have rented for 24k and had 50k in each kid’s college fund. Or purchased two homes for cash later, instead of one. but we gambled, our faults. the underwriter’s role, as well as the appraisal hitting an absurdly high number, and the sales guy promising we could always sell at a profit, those collusions stacked the deck against our greed clouded aspirations which were to make as much easy money as possible!
Good to hear some bankers admitting culpability in the “fog a mirror” underwriting standards. Down payment requirements are still small; but at least borrowers seem to have to prove that they have verifyable income these days.
Exactly. It took two to tango… the FBs who should have never even thought about buying and the lenders who never should have even thought about lending the amount the they did to the people they did.
True, it took two to tango… but to me there seems to be a bit of difference in why they joined the dance…
One side had greed and the ability to pass the risk onto others
Other side had greed and naive belief in the “American dream” in which real estate never went down.
There should be consequences for both dancers.
Greed vs greed and stupidity.
Knew-damn-well-what-they-were-doing greed vs. regular greed and ignorance.
Exactly.
I don’t agree. If your State doesn’t allow for Deficiency Judgements in the event of a default, which is, of course, the inevitable outcome, then why not live like a Duke or a Prince, on a workman’s income for a year or 2? Maybe even 5 if the reset was put out that far.
The loans with 1% or NEG. Amortization did just that. The sad part is that some really stupid people, never having owned a mansion, or any other house before, actually believed that they had achieved their dreams. Yes, for $800 a month, you can live in a half-million dollar mansion, complete with pool and servants quarters. Honey, what’s this tax-bill for 12,000?
It took two to tango… the FBs who should have never even thought about buying and the lenders who never should have even thought about lending the amount the they did to the people they did.
Exactly. So in a non-crony capitalist country, the FBs and the banksters would be the ones suffering the consequences of their greed and poor decisions. However, in our Republicrat griftopia, the consequences have been shifted onto taxpayers and the responsible.
Thank you, Obama voters. Thank you, McCain voters.
“You’ve got somebody making $20,000 buying a $500,000 home, thinking that she’d flip it,” he said. “That was crazy, but the banks put programs together to make those kinds of loans.”
I’m sure the economists at the NAR can see nothing wrong here.
“…economists at the NAR…”
Isn’t that something like a witch doctor working with a used car salesman?
Back in 2004, when I was seeking a mortgage, I got the big song and dance about the ARM and how it would lower my monthly payment and wouldn’t that make life wonderful. In response I said, “But interest rates are going up.”
The oh-so-cool salesman seemed a bit taken aback by my introduction of facts. After all, I was a woman and I was supposed to be so swayed by his charm and smiles that I would just melt and sign up for an ARM. (Note to guys: Trying to charm Slim into a bad deal just isn’t going to work.)
Any-hoo, I insisted on a fixed rate mortgage, and that’s what I have. And, for some strange reason, after I was so insistent, Mr. Charm was a lot less helpful and friendly. I can’t IMAGINE why.
Editorial
The Fed and the Euro
Published: December 1, 2011
The Federal Reserve’s move on Wednesday to make it easier for European banks to acquire dollars shows that American policy makers understand the gravity of Europe’s turmoil and will do what they can to prevent a financial collapse across the Atlantic. European leaders, however, seem paralyzed and, even at this point, fail to share the Fed’s sense of urgency.
The Fed’s extraordinary intervention should impress upon the European Central Bank, as well as its paymasters in Germany, that it is high time it stopped sitting on its hands. Only aggressive action by the bank can arrest the government debt crisis that is spreading across the Continent and threatening the very survival of the euro.
The Fed offered to swap dollars for euros at a low interest rate with the E.C.B., which would allow it to offer cheap dollars to European banks. That became necessary when American money market funds and other financial institutions started cutting off financing to banks in Europe, which own piles of risky government bonds.
…
European leaders, however, seem paralyzed and, even at this point, fail to share the Fed’s sense of urgency.
Or perhaps they’re a bit squeamish about going where we so readily went 3 years ago? Their memories of WWII are probably a lot less romantic than ours.
Their memories of WWII are probably a lot less romantic than ours.
There are a lot of Americans with similar memories.
My mother’s best friend’s cousin was killed on the USS Arizona. And my father’s best friend was blown up on the battlefield in Europe. Not to mention my father’s cousin, who was killed in the London Blitz.
True, but our mainland was unspoiled by the war.
When my parents lived in Germany (early 60s) there was still rationing.
Zimbabwe Ben could never get away with his Weimar Republic-style money-printing in Germany the way he does over here. Some of the very old remember how that turned out for them.
“True, but our mainland was unspoiled by the war.”
Unless you happened to be a Japanese-American.
What I don’t get is why they insist all must be in the Eurozone, or it’s war again.
“Merkel’s refusal to deploy the ECB is a rebuff to President Barack Obama after he exhorted Europe’s leaders to take more action to combat the crisis. The chancellor is loath to agree to follow the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England in policies she views as akin to fighting debt with more debt.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-01/franco-german-push-for-budget-rules-snubs-investor-bid-for-ecb-crisis-role.html
The Fed Makes Sure U.S. Dollar Collapses With The Eurozone
December 2, 2011
On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, and the Swiss National Bank announced coordinated actions to shore up international banks. The purpose is to ease pressure on European mega banks which are in increasing danger of insolvency due to the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, are heavily short the dollar, via various mechanisms, and must now incur big interest costs in funding dollar-denominated assets.
The central bankers agreed to lower the price of existing U.S. dollar liquidity swap arrangements. Even before the recent action, the ECB and other central banks, were offered as many dollars as their banks would borrow. But the cost was higher. The potential size of the swaps are unlimited, as the Fed has agreed to supply as many dollars as its peers request. The Federal Reserve, of course, does not have an unlimited number of dollars currently available. Its books are evenly balanced between assets and liabilities. It is not talking about selling assets to pay for these swap lines. To supply the dollars, the Fed must print them without limit.
…
And that, my friends, is what a “global” financial system is all about!
Everyone kneel!, cometh the king of all, Mr. Transistor!
+1 Bend the knee.
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!
Great news from the Fed! Wait, what did it do?
By Robert J. Samuelson, Thursday, December 1, 9:15 AM
We live in a time of such economic strangeness that small events — for good and ill — inspire outsize reactions. A case in point is the response to Wednesday’s announcement by the Federal Reserve that, cooperating with the European Central Bank (ECB) and other government banks, it would “provide liquidity support to the global financial system.”
Probably 9,999 out of 10,000 Americans, including many professional investors, didn’t have a clue what the Fed was talking about. No matter. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 490 points, or 4.2 percent. We weren’t alone. Stocks rose around the world. Whoopee!
You should treat this skeptically. What the central banks did won’t accelerate the economic recovery, here or abroad. It won’t resolve Europe’s deepening debt crisis. Its virtues are defensive: It might avert a new credit squeeze or possibly stop a full-blown financial crisis, a la Lehman Brothers. We are so hungry for good news and so fearful of bad news — and, in general, so confused about what’s going on — that events get twisted out of proportion. The stock market’s wild day-to-day swings (a.k.a. “volatility”) are a barometer of our ignorance.
…
What good is liquidity support going to do when the fundamental problem is insolvency?
It allows more “spending”, so you can pile on more debt. Isn’t that the goal of any Central Bank?
Dec. 2, 2011, 1:56 a.m. EST
Australia housing market in danger, says Keen
By Chris Oliver, MarketWatch
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) — Australia’s housing market is flashing warning signs of a major crisis, with data release earlier this week of slumping construction starts a replay of conditions in the U.S. shortly before its real-estate crash, according to noted scholar and financial author Steve Keen.
“Construction is collapsing, but the supply of properties that haven’t sold is exploding like crazy,” University of Western Sydney finance professor Keen told MarketWatch, citing to back-to-back months of weakening housing starts.
…
Another stunning surprise!
No warning whatsoever.
Shock and awe!
Who could have seen it coming?
It was fall 2005, in my bellwether zipcode, that I saw inventories first start to skyrocket. Took another three years till August 2008 for the stock market to start crumbling, combined with Lehman in the fall. And another three for Europe to start cracking under the debt load.
There’s a saying, “the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.” But the beauty of renting is that it tends to build one’s net worth, not decimate it.
Dec. 2, 2011, 12:01 a.m. EST
Make Wall Street pay for its criminal conduct
Commentary: Follow judge’s lead: No more business as usual
By Howard Gold
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — This week U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff upended the cozy world of securities law by rejecting a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup.
The SEC had gotten Citigroup to agree to pay $285 million to settle civil fraud charges on one of the horrible deals Wall Street firms foisted on clients during the housing bubble.
This one involved a $1-billion mortgage-bond deal, half of which Citi allegedly bet against. (Goldman Sachs paid $550 million in its infamous Abacus deal.)
Read Howard Gold’s piece, “Buy Means Sell in Goldman’s World” on MoneyShow.com.
In his ruling, Judge Rakoff, who made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the Citigroup deal from Day 1, called it “neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate, nor in the public interest.”
He reserved particular scorn for the SEC’s policy of including boilerplate language in which settling firms neither admit nor deny wrongdoing.
In a rhetorical flourish, Judge Rakoff declared this policy was “hallowed by history but not by reason,” adding that such settlements were “viewed… as a cost of doing business.” He called the $95-million penalty part of the settlement “pocket change” for Citigroup.
…
I’ve seen this story all week. Rather amazing. But…
I’m still waiting to hear of his impending “retirement.”
Federal judicial appointments are lifetime apoints. Of course Newt has proposed that it SHOULD be possible to force them to retire.
OK. I’ll be blunt. Forced retirement.
Well the PTB found some way to remove two democratically elected governments in the EU when it suited them..
A friend of the family is a senior federal judge in Philadelphia. She’s in her mid-80s like my mother and dad, and she’s not going anywhere, believe you me.
She will be going to the grave, sooner rather than later.
I linked a lengthier story about this case in the “Weekend topics” section of the blog. It is quite informative.
The most telling info. I got from that article is how the Financial Community (i.e. banks and brokers) has been able to work out “deals” with the SEC over the past 40 years, without going to trial, and without admitting any wrong-doing.
Consequently, the investors who loose money get screwed, with the perpetrators, who have committed fraud, perjury, malfeasance, misfeasance and non-feasance have been able to walk, while keeping their jobs and their bonuses.
The SEC is the ENEMY of the people and the Public Trust, as they have failed consistently to FILE charges that would bring about settlements to the individual account holders, those who were hurt the most by the Fraud that has been allowed to continue.
It is a culture of Fraud, and what I call a skimming operation by the SEC. SEC gets a few hundred million into their agency, and they claim justice has been served. No trial. No revelations. No prosecutions. Just a 3% fee on the profits gleaned from Lying, cheating and stealing. What a sham~!
Of course, the Financial Reformation Acts of Barney Frank will fix all this, right? Didn’t we need just more “regulators”?
I hope this Judge puts them in Bankruptcy and forces disclosures of the mis-deeds of the past 3 years.
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=198421
The Massachusetts AG, Martha Coakley, is going after the banks as well. However, being a Lib-Dem, the only issue is how much money the banksters have to fork over to DNC coffers to make this lawsuit go away.
Mass. attorney general sues banks over “destructive path” of foreclosures
By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
1:53 PM Thursday, December 1, 2011
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced this morning that she is suing five leading lenders in connection to alleged foreclosure abuses.
The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, is against Bank of America, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, Citi, and GMAC.
“The single most important thing we can do to return to a healthy economy is to address this foreclosure crisis,” Coakley said. “Our suit alleges that the banks have charted a destructive path by cutting corners and rushing to foreclose on homeowners without following the rule of law. Our action today seeks real accountability for the banks illegal behavior and real relief for homeowners.”
Before the lawsuits were announced, Florida’s Senate Democrats released a 3-minute video and press release criticizing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for what they said was a lack of action to investigate foreclosure wrongdoing.
The video is part of a weekly “Florida Senate Democratic Update.”
It wasn’t immediately known if the Democrats knew of Coakley’s lawsuits, but the press release and video compare Florida to California, where the attorney general has withdrawn from a 50-state attorneys general investigation and settlement negotiation.
“In Florida, Attorney General Pam Bondi took a decidedly different track,” the press release says. “Not only did she move to protect financial companies from criminal prosecution, but fired two of the most aggressive attorneys in her agency pursuing mortgage fraud shortly after taking office.”
Bondi requested an independent investigation of the firings of former assistant attorneys general June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards. She also said her office has added more manpower to the ongoing foreclosure investigations in the state.
Her office could not be immediately reached this afternoon.
In Coakley’s complaint, she alleges the five banks engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices by “pervasive use of fraudulent documentation in the foreclosure process, foreclosing without holding the actual mortgage, corrupting Massachusetts’ land recording system, and failing to uphold loan modification promises.”
That is the worst headline ever.
In Coakley’s complaint, she alleges the five banks engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices by “pervasive use of fraudulent documentation in the foreclosure process, foreclosing without holding the actual mortgage, corrupting Massachusetts’ land recording system, and failing to uphold loan modification promises.”
Those are very specific complaints and none of them are even remotely as vague as ““destructive path” of foreclosures.” The “failing to uphold loan modification promises” is least sturdy of all the charges and even that one is fine if they promised to do it in some legally binding way that isn’t specified.
Being evil isn’t illegal. Only doing something illegal is illegal.
Pure political grandstanding. She, like almost all the other AGs, will settle for a slap-on-the-wrist fine and no admission of wrongdoing in exchange for a quid pro quo in the form of generous donations into DNC coffers.
polly is smart.
Smart’s hot.
This gentlemen is so sweet w/his Craigslist listing.
It is so refreshing to look beyond the sphere of the entitlement crowd:
This is an update to yesterday’s mobile home post. I will now take the most reasonable offer, I have to travel to show the home as it is in West Monroe. Is a very nice home, 3 bedroom, tipout, large living room, dishwasher, refrigerator and stove. Propane heat, and hot water. Needs to be moved ASAP, would like to get at least 1,500-$2,000 for the home, but I cannot afford to move it, and need it gone off the owners property ASAP. Please feel free to email me with any questions. I don’t have any photos of the home. Just trying to get through the holiday season and not be greedy when selling a home. Thank you for looking. The home is a 1986 and is 14 by 70
http://syracuse.craigslist.org/reo/2731108561.html
We had to travel to Ithaca to do some business recently. We sat w/in a crowd waiting for our turn. Everybody was so sweet and talking among themselves in a friendly way. When it was our turn the person attending to us was so accomodating in a way we were not accustomed to it was just amazing. I just felt she was beyond common respect and was more like the old fashioned version of keeping the customer happy. I don’t think I’ve been treated quite that way for at least 20 years.
In my job it is amazing how many people sneer down at us in derision simply because we’re working. My boss has had things thrown at him despite his impressive resume. They assume because we’re there we must be broke but in reality many of us have six years education, are in retirement w/lawyer husbands, are in retirement w/the goldplated NY teacher pensions or in one instance has the decorator spotless dream home that is probably considered one of theirtop trophies. Dad’s business had done well over the years and to the daughter went the spoils. I’ve been there at that job to alleviate boredom, to get out with other people and to help others. Overall it’s been great fun but the worst part of it is the condescending sneerers which really are over the top w/their superiorty games. Sometimes I wonder how much longer I really feel like biting my tongue and enduring all their trumped up drama for my charity pay. These people suck. I feel more safe w/the Ithaca crowd that instinctively reached out to others w/kindness.
Sorry, got off of housing but maybe what I’ve been grappling with is where do you really want to be as we go through this credit contraction hardship?
and to the daughter went the spoils.
is this new york speak?
oops, never mind. I thought it said the daughter went to the spoils..lol.
I’ve found that most of the top 5 largest cities in this country are populated by the recto-cranially-inverted who are also proud of it.
Victim alert! Victim alert!
About 3/4 of a mile from the victim who stole, I mean took “his” $200k of equity out lived 3 years for free in his much bigger newer house I posted last week, all within 1 mile from where I currently live. KERWIN DANIEL T didn`t do quite as well, only $120k cash out and 3 years of rent free living in Tequesta Fl. Can be had for $139,900 today which is still over the Mar-2002 price of $123,500 paid by KERWIN DANIEL which was $30k to $40k too high for a 2/1 single family house IMHO.
201 W Riverside Dr Jupiter, FL 33469
139,900 Price Reduced
Beds:2 Bed
Baths:1 Bath
House Size:1,117 Sq Ft
MLS ID R3228024
65 days
Property Appraiser site
Property InformationLocation
Address: 201 W RIVERSIDE DR
Owner Information
Name: WELLS FARGO BANK NA
Mailing Address: 1 HOME CAMPUS FL 3
DES MOINES IA 50328 0001
Jul-2011 24727/1121 $234,715 WARRANTY DEED WELLS FARGO BANK NA
Mar-2002 13563/0358 $123,500 WARRANTY DEED KERWIN DANIEL T
———————————————————————————-
Type: D
Date/Time: 4/2/2002 09:05:47
CFN: 20020167346
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 13563/358
Pages: 2
Consideration: $123,500.00
Party 1: BRINDELL JAMES R
BRINDELL DARLENE H
Party 2: KERWIN DANIEL T
Legal: JUP IN PINES B1 L20 BL
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 6/24/2004 08:36:02
CFN: 20040363938
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 17156/1134
Pages: 6
Consideration: $100,000.00
Party 1: KERWIN DANIEL T
Party 2: WACHOVIA BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Legal: JUP IN PINES B1 L20 BL
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 1/11/2006 09:49:10
CFN: 20060019682
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 19784/124
Pages: 6
Consideration: $243,992.08
Party 1: KERWIN DANIEL T
Party 2: WACHOVIA BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Legal: JUP IN PINES B1 L20 BL
Type: LP
Date/Time: 10/6/2010 15:00:56
CFN: 20100378594
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 24120/1356
Pages: 2
Consideration: $0.00
Party 1: WELLS FARGO BANK NA
WACHOVIA BANK NA
Party 2: DOE JOHN
KERWIN SPOUSE
KERWIN DANIEL T
Legal: JUP IN PINES B1 L20 BL
Type: D
Date/Time: 9/6/2011 12:53:01
CFN: 20110331883
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 24727/1121
Pages: 2
Consideration: $234,715.02
Party 1: KERWIN DANIEL T
Party 2: WACHOVIA BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
WELLS FARGO BANK NA
Legal: JUP IN PINES B1 L20 BL
Realtors Are Liars®
Deadbeats Are Criars >D<
mud-turtle-tail-wag:
CorpInc. CEO’$ are ProFEE$sional$!®
One down, one more to go…
End of an era as US military hands Camp Victory to Iraqis
m s n b c
“CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — The U.S. military said it handed over Camp Victory to the Iraqi government early Friday, marking the end of an era at the sprawling base that included palaces built by Saddam Hussein.
…On Friday, the base that at its height was home to 46,000 people was handed over to the Iraqi government as part of American efforts to move all U.S. troops out of the country by the end of the year.
…The Iraqi government has not yet announced plans for the complex, prime real estate in a country sorely lacking in parks and public spaces. The Iraqi military is already using some parts, and there is talk of turning Saddam’s jail cell into a museum. “
one more what to go?
base? country?
if you think it’s just one more country to go you are leaving out:
korea
japan
kosavo
germany
cuba
and probably many many more.
Uh… one more sandy place where our troops are constantly in harms way?
One of the things that the “Yankee go home!” crowd ignores is that the U.S. military people spend a lot of money in these countries. ISTR reading that, when Clark AFB closed in the Philippines, the locals weren’t too happy. As Clark went, so went their economy.
” . . . and probably many many more.”
Ummmmm . . . Terra ‘Merika maybe? We ARE a ” battlefield” now, donchaknow. S. 1867 passed 11/2911. [Thanks McCain/Levin!]
We are so fooked . . . .
Thank you, America! Your tax dollars supported the decimation of a country that was, for no good reason, turned into an abattoir. And your tax dollars funded this “monument” to American military might! Boo-yah! We must all be so proud!
And now, a moment of silence for those poor sods who were killed or maimed in the service of the military industrial complex.
Ah, and let us not forget another result of this whole sorry debacle: your Senate has now voted (as part of the National Defense Act, which funds these horrors) to allow American citizens to be held indefinitely, without due process, on suspicion of being a terrorist. And those in the Senate with a conscience who tried to modify or delete that amendment, have been blocked by totalitarian fascists from both sides of the aisle.
To my two Senators: Thank you, Bill Nelson, for at least trying to do something about this. Eff you, Marco Rubio, you deserve a visored military cap and mirrored sunglasses and Dubya’s Members Only faux bomber jacket. Oh, and some shiny black boots.
The liberal/Democrat controlled Senate?
Say it isn’t so!!!!
I guess my only amazement is how many who comment on blog posts do the “rah rah” Democrat vs Republican thing, when the DNA is 99% the same and only 1% different.
Does anyone have the percentages of who voted for or against this?
Sorry evildoc. You really should get that chin stitched up. That’s one nasty cut from your knee jerk.
You see, the Senate is NOT controlled by the Dems. In fact, it’s almost even, with independents greying out the difference.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate
Even has a handy chart for the research impaired.
Yeah, a real bi-partisan piece of legislation. And when was that provision taken out? The latest headline I’ve read is that the Senate BLOCKED it from being removed.
Carl Levin was one of the ones responsible for this. Supported by Holy Joe LIEberman.
Nah. Dems dominate. You can parse “control” if ya want, but the term fits.
For example, would this bill have passed the Senate had no Democrats voted for it?
And there ya have it.
Would the bill have come to the floor without Harry’s ok? The President’s budget wasn’t able to.
And there ya have it.
Yet it was a Dem who proposed to remove that provision.
Yeah, but in the end he (or she? Feinstein?) voted for it. Rand Paul and six others voted against.
i love how alot of folks have to see how their party voted before they can determine whether or not it was a bad bill.
I’ll concur with that statement Mike.
However, because congress is bought and paid for, WTF does any of it matter? Their votes mean everything and our votes are nothing.
Polling place=cheap counterfeit
Who gives a flying fookalah about the Dems v. Repugs? Same side of the coin.
“It’s a big club — and you ain’t in it.” — G. Carlin
The question is why do the mouth breathing hordes still continue to vote for these “rich €#%#suckers who don’t give a $&#% about you and me”? — G. Carlin.
Maybe someday Charlie Brown will refuse to try to kick the ball that Lucy ALWAYS pulls away — despite all of her assurances that THIS time it’s different.
We live in a Bud Light Kleptocracy.
That provision was taken out, palmetto.
When? Must’ve just happened.
Sorry, I see as of today the Senate voted against removing that provision and so it remains.
My bad.
However, the bill is not finalized and the White has vowed to veto it if it remains.
How is this provision going to survive the Supreme Court? They aren’t going to buy that “in a time of war” thing nowadays.
Puh-leeze, the SCOTUS granted personhood to corporations, LOL! They’ll find some way to sanctify this.
What a complete joke SCOTUS is at this point.
SCROTUS?
lmao. I love HBB Fridays.
Puh-leeze, the SCOTUS granted personhood to corporations, LOL!
Here in Tucson, the Occupy camp has a sign that says “I’ll believe that corporations are people when Georgia executes one.”
So, Obama’s not going to veto it?
No hope? Not even from you……
butters, I didn’t see the White House promise of a veto.
“They aren’t going to buy that “in a time of war” thing nowadays.”
Haven’t we always been at war Eastasia?
http://www.zazzle.com/george_bush_miss_me_yet_poster-228370321340421380
I bet they steal every thing out of any museum that is built.
The war that the neo-cons promised would pay for itself, and where US troops would be welcomed by liberated Iraqis “dancing in the streets”, has cost in excess of $4 trillion dollars.
But any war on Iran will pay for itself, and the liberated Iranians will greet us with wild gyrations of joy and showers of rose petals, offering up their oil in gratitude.
Wow. Eight years.
Reminds me of this scene from Full Metal Jacket (1 minute 54 sec).
Also, reminds me of this image.
What percent are you? (And they’re still trying to confuse income with wealth, and income tax with capital gains tax. But it’s not the OWS protesters doing it- it’s the mouthpieces of the 1%.)
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/10/19/what-percent-are-you/
The calculator above shows where your income stands on the wide range of the 99%. An annual salary above $506,000 puts you in the top 1%, while you need to make less than $2,500 a year to be in the bottom 1%. Where do you stand?
I was a lower percent than I thought.
Hmm, 77% in fly-over ’cause winter dampens everything.
sweet…not in the one percent.
one percent equals bad.
ninety nine percent equals good.
man…slogans are for cattle.
Slogans are for sheeple too. You need only examine the clients of sloganmeister Frank Luntz, he who brought us “death tax,” “job creators,” “climate change,” “tax relief,” and other Orwellian masterstrokes.
those are good…but my all time favorite is “pro choice”.
The squad is pro-choice-to-surgically-remove-and-kill-living-human-fetuses, see below post about world population projected to reach 9 billion eaters by 2050.
WRT “pro-life”, most of that opinion are pro-birth, not pro-life, as they could care less about the circumstances of the unwanted child and its reluctant mother after birth.
But it gets better. Pro-life only applies to non-humans. If you’re a war casualty or facing the death penalty, tough luck… you don’t count.
“…world population projected to reach 9 billion eaters by 2050.”
peak oil will put an end to that.
“peak oil will put an end to that.”
And in much less merciful fashion than aborting the unwanted.
Slogans are for sheeple too.
Don’t forget “Hope and change [Goldman Sachs] can believe in.”
slogans are for cattle.
“Just say No!”
Nancy Reagan to the National A$$ociation of MegaBankers Inc., circa 1980’s
“Just say no!”
Works for me. Many of one’s chronic problems could have been avoided by just saying “No!” right from the start.
Think crackheads. Think FBs. These people could have said “no” but for some reason they didn’t.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5GOjzw1f-c
Why should parasites say “no!” or take responsibility for their action, when they can pump out 15 kids with multiple fathers and then demand that “someone be held accountable” when the free $hit spigot doesn’t come through like she thinks it should after she delivered 15 future Democrats in exchange for lifelong entitlements.
“15 future Democrats in exchange for lifelong entitlements.”
Home sweet Alabama, been awhile since you visited Sammy?
Dang. I’m not a 1% after all. Disappointing, verily. Now I guess I must engage in vitriolic class warfare jargon to help Barry get reelected but to make no actual change in my 99%-er status.
Oh, the pain, the pain of it all…
Surely you’re within the second standard deviation?
—-Surely you’re within the second standard deviation?—-
I deviate as often as possible.
“I deviate as often as possible.”
Dark story:
Back in the eighties when I was a repo-man I had a San Francisco voluntary, i.e., knock on the door — they’ll give you the keys. Turns out it was an aids victim whose lover had already passed away, and he had precious little time remaining eyeing his gaunt frailty. Keys in hand I made my way to the basement parking where I found their car with the license plate, “WE DV8.”
Now, stop that rms! Those are romantic words to the geeks on this board.
I would be happy if my income kept pace with inflation, instead of my raises going into the insatiable corporate maw.
But I’m supposed to remain quiet and be a good little serf.
Yes…. back to your station you. And QUIET!
“Shakin’ the tree, boss”
That’s right…. boy. /sarcasmoff
Even if you were in the top 1% you are not the focus of OWS if most of your income comes in the form of a W2. The rich working class ie doctors lawyers athletes entertainers high end engineers and scientists etc are the target of the elite. Capital gains tax breaks for these people are minimal.
The top .1%, about 315,000 earn 50% of all capital gains.
news.yahoo.com/top-0-1-nation…172647859.html
This income historical tax rates are:
1978 reduced from 35% to 28%.
1981 Reagan reduced to 20%
1987 Bush raised back up to 28%
1997 Clinton reduced to 20%
2003 Bush cut to 15%
Top 1% who work for a living pay over 30% on their wages.
Things to wonder about as world population hits 9 billion in 2050.
“Bug Bites: Insects Might Be the Protein of Tomorrow”
http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/12/bug-bites-insects-be-protein-tomorrow/
It is estimated that by 2050, the world population will reach nine billion. With that will be a greater demand than ever for food. Traditional livestock already uses 70 percent of agricultural land. Bugs also have a high food-to-feed ratio. For example, crickets require six times less feed and 1,000 times less water than cattle to yield one pound of food. They’re biologically distant enough from humans that there is little chance of disease jumping species, the way swine flu did. And, in contrast to traditional livestock, insect cultivation is relatively sustainable: they thrive in close quarters, produce little waste, and emit a fraction of the greenhouse gases. Americans unknowingly ingest a pound or more of insects annually. The FDA publishes a handbook that specifies acceptable levels of bugs and bug parts, among other unappetizing defects, in processed food. Peanut butter—a common household staple—is allowed up to 30 insect pieces per 100 grams.
“Americans unknowingly ingest a pound or more of insects annually.”
Especially if you’re a Florida retiree walking or golf carting around with your mouth hanging open.
Or a slack-jawed Obama Zombie or McCain Mutant.
Ralph Nadir…think of the alternatives Sammy!
Will that complete your order?
Cops: Man wanted sex with fast-food order
Daniel Tepfer, Staff Writer
Published 08:40 a.m., Friday, December 2, 2011
MONROE — Police said a Goshen man was trying to order much more than a hamburger at the Zoar Drive-In.
John Traonetta, 35, was charged with second-degree harassment after he called the popular food stand and demanded some sex with his takeout order, police said.
According to police, on Sept. 9, a teenaged female employee of the stand said she received a call from a man who said in addition of his food order he wanted to perform a sex act on the young woman.
Police said they managed to trace the call to Traonetta’s cell phone. When they confronted Traonetta, police said he admitted he made the call but agreed to write a letter of apology to the teen.
http://www.greenwichtime.com/ - 145k -
Aw, he was just out for a harmless game of The Wall Street Plutocrat meets the Hope ‘n Change voter.
Just to show how passionately beliefs can manifest amongst the crowd.
Flesh Easting Banana Crushing Banana Sales in Mozambique:
Maputo — Sales of bananas in Maputo have plummeted following the circulation of malicious e-mails and mobile phone text messages claiming that South African bananas are infected with a lethal bacteria.
The bananas sold in Maputo are grown in Mozambique, not South Africa indeed, Mozambique exports bananas to South Africa. But this has made no difference to panic-stricken consumers who are avoiding the fruit altogether.
The Ministry of Health has assured consumers that the messages are a hoax and that nobody has appeared at any Mozambican health unit suffering from illness caused by infected bananas.
The Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Trade issued a joint statement on Wednesday stating “there is no record of the entry of any infected bananas into the country”, and guaranteeing that staff on the borders are careful to avoid the entry into the country of any infected produce.
This has not done the banana sellers in Maputo any good at all. One of the suppliers of bananas to the Maputo market, Horacio Simbine, told the independent television channel STV, that he has been unable to move bananas out of his warehouse because of the rumour.
Relevant Links
* Southern Africa
* Mozambique
* South Africa
* Legal Affairs
* Trade
Yet none of his bananas come from South Africa. Simbine said they are all produced by the company Bananalandia, in Boane district, about 30 kilometres west of Maputo. Mozambique has not imported bananas from South Africa for the past ten years, he said.
The authorities in the South African province of Kwazulu-Natal, where the lethal bananas are supposed to come from, have also stressed that there is no reason for alarm. South African banana producers have publicly expressed their indignation at the malicious hoax.
The hoaxers claimed that the bacterium involved causes necrotizing fasciitis, an extremely rare infection of the deeper layers of skin and subcutaneous tissues, often referred to as a “flesh eating disease”. It cannot be caused by eating fruit.
Why Did the Unemployment Rate Drop?.
December 2, 2011, 9:09 AM ET.
In October, the household survey showed the number of people unemployed fell by 594,000, but the labor force — the number of people working or looking for work — fell by a little more than half that amount. That means that though the number of employed people rose, a large group just stopped looking for work. That could be due to discouragement of the long-term unemployed or by choice over retirement or child care. So the decline in the unemployment rate to 8.6% was about half due to people finding jobs and half people dropping out.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011...
Google news “unemployment claims.”
It went back up this week.
Wake me when claims drop below 300k a week.
Wake me when claims drop below 300k a week.
Get comfy. That’s gonna one long nap!
Yes, the unemployment rate is not the unemployment rate. Thank you government gobbledygook.
Anyone out of work too long is no longer “out of work”, but rather “not really trying”.
Sigh.
The “real” unemployment level is at Great Depression levels.
The number of “added” jobs this cycle does not account for the grossly larger number of people this cycle who are still out of work but no longer counted by the gov’t as out of work. So real unemployment jumped significantly, but some leader can claim now that “unemployment is getting better”.
And… so…. it… goes.
“The “real” unemployment level is at Great Depression levels.”
Not _quite_, IMHO—but pretty close.
Shadowstats SGS Alternate shows around 22.5% (eyeballed from chart on their homepage). In the GD, the estimates were around 25%, IIRC.
That’s close.
The really interesting thing, though is that SGS Alternate has been slowly trending up over the past few years, where lying government stats have been showing a very slow trend down (since they stop counting people unemployed long-term, even in U-6).
Linky:
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
From the Denver Post / Boulder Daily Camera:
CU-Boulder named ‘druggiest’ college in America
“The rankings put CU at the top of a list of 30 schools based on a grade of “C-” for drug safety, 801 reported drug arrests on the campus during the study period and 27.3 percent of people ages 18-25 statewide who are regular drug users. CU placed fifth in the same survey in 2010.
Joining CU at the top of the rankings were Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.”
Gives new meaning to the term “pharmacy program”. But let’s face it, the US is full of people on drugs. Brave New World. Take that soma. You’ll never be in a bad mood and you’ll always be able to get a woodie.
…and that’s just the legal ones!
Why do you care if they do?
If people want to take drugs, why stop them?
.
Local News:
A thirteen year old overdosed on Grandpa’s Viagra.
Sustained Third Degree burns on both palms. Patient was treated and released.
I think I’ve hurt myself.
Okay, turkey lurkey, this’ll really make you hurt. With laughter.
Presenting Christmas Lights Gone Wild.
Cool. But I’m glad I’m not his neighbor.
Cool. But I’m glad I’m not his neighbor.
I have neighbors who single-handedly keep Tucson Electric Power in business.
And, to my absolute amazement, they haven’t put their Xmas light show up yet. What’s wrong with them? This neighborhood needs a yard that can be seen from space!
But seriously Steve, most of the crimes in this country are committed by drug abusers.
I’ve seen it up close and personal many times.
I’m all for freedom and responsibility, but most drugs are illegal for a very good reason… they really do make people insane and stupid.
I’m all for freedom and responsibility, but most drugs are illegal for a very good reason… they really do make people insane and stupid.
Or, as some of us are wont to say, they don’t call it dope for nothing.
Alcohol is legal and yet it makes a lot of people insane and stupid.
I had a buddy who was a pharmacy student in college. He used to introduce himself as a “drug dealer, legalized” to the girls.
What? The University of Michigan isn’t up at the top? Come on! Ann Arbor has had a five-dollar dope fine since the 1970s.
This U-M alum is so disappointed.
FYI: U1 through U6 link below. What I find interesting is all measures of unemployment dropped from October to November, yet, 315,000 people left the workforce.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm
…and claims rose again this week.
Google news “unemployment claims”
Alternate view of unemployment, which I trust more:
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts
Gotta love Shadow Stats.
And the shadowstats on inflation are also interesting…apply those inflation rates to Professor Shiller’s 1890-2011 “inflation adjusted home price” graph and see how far below the trendline we have gone…
From Bloomberg: Fed’s Fisher Says U.S. Risks ‘Social Unrest’ Amid Rising Federal Deficits
“Our debt burden is larger than that of Europe. We are headed in the wrong direction,” Fisher told the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council. “If we don’t bring it under control, we will have social unrest.”
At least the trillion dollar defense budget passed with flying collars.
You gotta problem with corporate communist capitalism?
Earth to Richard Fisher: We’re already having social unrest.
My thought as well, Slim…
“If we don’t bring it under control, we will have social unrest.”
And if we DO bring it under control, we will likely have MORE social unrest.
At least, sooner.
Of course what fisher means is what
TO keep the prolls from rioting we need to cut all money going to the prolls. Do away with medicare ss and cut taxes on the elite?
We will have social unrest because the middle class is being pushed into poverty while the FED is keeping the elite rich and the gov is looking the otherway as the elite rape pension funds investors homeowners etc.
If the serfs get restless, the oligarchs can have them declared “enemy combatants” and place them in indefinite detention. After all, while you slept, the Homeland became part of the battlefield.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rghhz_t5POo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUHh1iqe43w
To the vegetables who voted for McCain, this must be your finest hour.
Iffin’ Ron Paul-the-$avior is the corner you painted yourself in $ammy, Nov 2012 will find you alone, very alone. :-/
I’d rather be alone than in a garden full of vegetables.
Meatson,Turkey,Rio, and Slim
it seems to me we agree w/ the OWS movement and its premise, in the beginning the organic nature of the movement was exciting.I said in my comment Yesterday that the movement was hijacked by people who mostly hated the USA.I walked by Occupy LA,went into the camp.These folks were on the fringes of society.Socialist, Communist,Anarchist,and Jew Haters.This was the make-up of the movement in all big cities in America.If u want to call me anti american because i am happy the cops broke up this party,thats okay. I am ready for hope/change,but not Obama style change.
Then you should come to Tucson and take a look at our Occupy. It isn’t a bunch of fringe people. And, if it is, so what? A lot of the social changes that we now take for granted were started out on the fringes.
I’ve noticed that people scan a crowd and find whatever they are looking for. I’m sure there were plenty of homeless and hippies at many of the protests if that was what you wanted to see. After a few weeks in the field everybody kind of looks homeless.
—I’ve noticed that people scan a crowd and find whatever they are looking for.—
Fascinating thesis, but rather a straw man on the discussion of the behavior and population present at Occupy vs Tea.
Whether or not one can find what he looks for during a scan, is quite a separate issue from what was present while the scan occurred.
It might not be easy to pin down an answer– though it might be– but noting that individuals tend to register things that confirm their biases is quite the separate thing.
Fascinating thesis, but rather a straw man on the discussion of the behavior and population present at Occupy vs Tea.
From the pictures I’ve seen both the behavior and the “population present” at OWS varied widely. Thus allowing people to point to anything they wanted to point to. The pictures I saw of the Tea Party looked more homogenous and cleaner, but as I’ve noted elsewhere the “cleaner” part is easily explained by the length of time spent on-site.
but as I’ve noted elsewhere the “cleaner” part is easily explained by the length of time spent on-site.
Plus the fact they are cheery picked and bused in.
I always pick with good cheer
They are cheerily cherry picked
I doubt if any cherries are getting popped with that bunch.
After a few weeks in the field everybody kind of looks homeless.
Which is why people found other seats when I sat down to read in the Saskatoon public library. I’d gotten there via bicycle. From Mexico.
Believe me, after a few weeks of bike-tripping, you’d look like a homeless person too.
“Believe me, after a few weeks of bike-tripping, you’d look like a homeless person too.”
Hmmm… Did my first long bike trip this past summer, Slim, and I don’t _think_ I looked homeless…
BTW, thanks again for posting your e-book on your experiences. It was perfect timing for me…
Jew Haters??Yes OWS is the new Nazi party. More likely groups with an Ax to grind want to look like they have a large group behind them and so show up with a sign. Show me any evidence that even 1% of the OWS movement is made up of Jew Haters.
Socialists hate America?? You don’t even know what a socialist is. The US and pretty much every developed country has some socialist aspects to their gov. Most Americans support Medicare and SS. So again I say it is you that hate America.
Have you visited “all big cities” NO
Have you spoken with the majority of the movement? NO
The answer is that you have not.
You are Anti-american and you are shallow minded.
PS We agree that Obama does not amount to hope and change, but god help us if Newt Gingrich is our president.
anti-semitism? Ask my jewish friends how much of an anti-semite I am.
anti- Israeli Govt? You betcha. And there are alot of us. Including my jewish friends.
Anything else?
Anti-American? It’s a bad thing for any argument for any “side” to be dragging this one out. “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” and all that. As Rodney said in Caddyshack, “Keep it fair, boys, keep it fair” (handing the ref money)
In gardening “news”: MrBubble –1; Gophers — 0. Although something is under the Meyer lemon tree… In the words of Jean-Paul Sartre, “Au revoir, gophaires”.
Any non-poison gopher-eradication tactics would be appreciated. Got the Victor Black Box and the Victor “punji stake” traps so far.
“anti-semitism? Ask my jewish friends how much of an anti-semite I am.
anti- Israeli Govt? You betcha. And there are alot of us. Including my jewish friends.”
This distinction shouldn’t need to be pointed out so often, but it does. So thank you.
You’re welcome.
Well hell, that’s just normal LA!
The irony is, most of these OWS types were Obama Zombies back in 2008. Meaning, they dropped the soap for the same Wall Street grifters that they’re lambasting today. Accepting their own culpability for perpetuating the status quo would be a big step in the right direction.
For people’s consideration…
We have been speaking with A LOT of groups that have been buying homes at foreclosure auction and flipping them.
A significant number of them are changing their strategy to rental…not because they can’t make a profit flipping, but they see rental markets tightening up in a big way for single family.
In a small, but increasing way, this will reduce the flow of foreclosures into the resale market.
A significant number of them are changing their strategy to rental…not because they can’t make a profit flipping, but they see rental markets tightening up in a big way for single family.
Not gonna happen anytime soon in Tucson. Our rental vacancy rate’s right around 16%. Homeownership vacancy is around 8%.
Not that this stops people from buying houses to rent out, then sell for a handsome profit in a few years. I guess that the appreciation fairy hasn’t left town yet.
Understand completely. I’d probably also avoid Florida generally at this point…their foreclosure backlog is going to put a smackdown on values there once they start flowing onto the market. Said another way, if you want to be an investor in Florida, there will probably be a better time.
Who will win the GOP nomination? Can the president overcome the bad economy? Precisely how much money will each party spend? These questions are still up in the air, but what is clear is that the 2012 election is set to be the most expensive in history .
The price tag on presidential victory is expected to be in the billions this cycle, higher than ever before . While some credit the internet for creating an easy donation platform, others point the finger at the new guy on the campaign finance block: Super PACs .
“Super PACs are a different animal,” said Michael Toner, the former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission. “They have really come onto the scene in the last year or so and are really going to ramp up in the 2012 election.”
Super PACs, unlike traditional political action committees, can collect an unlimited amount of money from any source — corporations, labor unions, individuals — but are barred from coordinating with a particular campaign, although they can advocate for a candidate.
The 2010 election was the first time such groups played a role, following a Supreme Court decision last year that struck down prior laws prohibiting corporations from expressly advocating for or against political candidates.
And the winner is
BIG MONEY
We love BIG MONEY
We know that BIG MONEY always puts the interest of the country and the people first.
Thanks you Supreme court for protecting BIG MONEY. I hope you are rewarded well.
Who will win the GOP nomination?
Romney
Who will win the general election?
50/50 Romney or Obama, unless Paul declares independent candidacy, in which case Obama wins.
So whether you like it or not, accept the possibility of
FOUR MORE YEARS
Romney and Obama are the same candidate in my book. Owned by the same big money. In the primary I’ll probably vote for Ron Paul. Don’t agree with alot of what he says but he doesn’t hide what he thinks. At least the final election would be an interesting debate.
Romney will not make it. His anger management problem is beginning to show. He can’t handle the tough questions from the media. He is squirming, acting out, and about to blow at any moment. I foresee a large gaffe which he is unable to overcome. Think “corporations are people,” on steroids.
NOTE SuperPACS are a problem on both sides of the isle. Not only are they bad for democracy in terms of elections but they are a perfect avenue for bribery. They are unregulated and can be used for almost anything. clothes travel hiring a friend for a million dollars an hour while your friends friend hires you for a million dollars an hour. Our supreme court sold us all up the river.
Who will win the GOP nomination?
Who cares? With the exception of Ron Paul, they’re all the same guy. Corporatist, statist neo-cons.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/196779-conservatives-craft-bill-to-prevent-imf-bailout-of-crumbling-eurozone
Finally, a few conservative GOP members ACTING like conservative Republicans, and trying to prevent an IMF bailout to the Eurozone, since US taxpayers are on the hook for 17% of the IMF’s budget. Naturally Harry Reid and a host of the oligarchy’s other bought-and-paid-for hirelings from both parties will try to push this and ever-larger bailouts through with no debate.
Every dollar is a vote and everyday there is an election:
“Customers to Banks: It’s You, Not Me”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/customers-to-banks–it-s-you–not-me-.html
Customers who feel jacked by banks are responding. No Movement necessary, just raw individual capitalism at work.
I like it, I love it, I want some more of it.
The PTB thinks they have the final say on who is TBTF? Yes?
Well, stay tuned and let us see.
I’m consider taking actions that COST them money, personally.
Chase keeps sending me these CC offers with actual bribes attached: $100 to open an account $150 to open an account, $200 to open an account.
They don’t seem to be upping the amounts anymore, though; but I’m tempted to open it, jump through their hoops (minimum amount of charging to get the free $$$s), spend the bribe, immediately close account.
Lather, rinse, repeat if they keep soliciting.
Wells Fargo has been sending mail to someone who no longer lives here. I keep sending it back, saying “Not At This Address.” But it keeps coming, including one credit card and PIN.
Slim -
It might be fun to think of giving the card - and the pin - to the homeless. Or maybe sending it to Nigeria.
Send it Nigeria, with a thank you post-it.
The banks are all geared up with infrastructure such as branches and ATMs and such and they decide to jack their customers? Talk about stupid.
Banks need to jack customers more than customers need to be jacked by banks. The true power lies with the customers. I am hoping this plays out as it should.
But sheeple, being as they are and needing the shearing that they are used to getting …
The conservative news magazine Newsmax announced Friday that it would co-sponsor a Republican presidential debate moderated by media personality and real estate tycoon Donald Trump on Dec. 27th in Des Moines, Ia., but they may have trouble convincing candidates to show up.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is the first to send his regrets.
“We look forward to watching Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich suck up to Trump with a big bowl of popcorn,” Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller told Yahoo News.
President Gingrich? I think I’m going to puke.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/legal-action-looms-as-boi-tries-to-wipe-out-46m-pension-bonds-6269770.html
British pensioners getting shafted by the Bank of Ireland. Imagine how our own Boomers, who blithely assumed they would be long gone before the full consequences of their lifelong fecklessness and cumulative errors caught up with younger generations, end up getting ripped off the same way. I have a feeling a lot of Obama Zombies and McCain Mutants are suddenly going to have their blinders yanked off when that happens.
“who blithely assumed they would be long gone before the full consequences of their lifelong fecklessness and cumulative errors caught up with younger generations”
I think you give most boomers too much credit for foresight.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/12/02/romney_declines_lincoln-douglas_debate_against_gingrich_112265.html
Establishment GOP trying to get its clones to debate how they will implement the plutocrats’ corporatist, statist agenda, while pretending Ron Paul doesn’t exist.
Local Realtor Mrs. saturday gave our e-mail to sends these everyday.
Status Change $110,000 282 Cherry St
4 Bedrooms, Status: Back_On_Mkt. Residential
Price Reduced! $174,900 11601 Fir St
3 Bedrooms, Status: Price_Chg. Residential
Status Change $139,900 3819 EVERGLADES Rd
3 Bedrooms, Status: Back_On_Mkt. Residential
Status Change $171,500 4293 E Hazel Av
3 Bedrooms, Status: Back_On_Mkt. Residential
Status Change $145,000 516 W Whitney Cir
3 Bedrooms, Status: Active. Residential
Not far away from me is a house sporting a “for sale” sign. Up until a few days ago, said sign also had a “sold” sticker on it. I wonder if this deal failed to close.
Location Address: 11601 FIR ST
Municipality: PALM BEACH GARDENS
Parcel Control Number: 52-42-42-01-02-047-0170
Sales
Mar-2011 24426/0067 $145,100 CERT OF TITLE FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION
Mar-2006 20057/0452 $1 QUIT CLAIM DOMANDO SANDRA D
May-2004 17041/0130 $277,500 WARRANTY DEED GILLETTE MICHAEL
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 4/5/2006 10:53:26
CFN: 20060198637
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 20153/1935
Pages: 12
Consideration: $301,000.00
Party 1: DOMANDO SANDRA D
Party 2: MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS INC
HOME LOAN CENTER INC
LENDING TREE LOANS
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L17 BL
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 7/24/2006 16:06:23
CFN: 20060429533
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 20637/643
Pages: 14
Consideration: $86,000.00
Party 1: DOMANDO THOMAS A
DOMANDO SANDRA D
GILLETTE MICHAEL
Party 2: BANK OF AMERICA NA
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L17 BL
Type: LP
Date/Time: 9/29/2008 14:20:19
CFN: 20080357698
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 22880/1228
Pages: 2
Consideration: $0.00
Party 1: CITIMORTGAGE INC
Party 2: DOMANDO SANDRA D
DOMANDO SPOUSE
BANK OF AMERICA NA
DOE JANE
JULLITTE MICHAEL
GILLETE MICHAEL
DOE JOHN
DOMANDO THOMAS A
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L17 BL
Type: LP
Date/Time: 7/7/2009 09:01:50
CFN: 20090224982
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 23318/931
Pages: 2
Consideration: $0.00
Party 1: CITIMORTGAGE INC
Party 2: FIRST UNION NATIONAL BANK OF FLORIDA
DOE JOHN
DOE JANE
DOMANDO SANDRA D
VELIX SANDRA D
DOMANDO SANDRA VELIX
DOMANDO SPOUSE
VELIX SPOUSE
BANK OF AMERICA NA
DOMANDO THOMAS A
JULLITTE MICHAEL
GILLETTE MICHAEL
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
SAMS
WACHOVIA BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
FLORIDA NATIONAL BANK
Location Address: 4293 HAZEL AVE
Municipality: PALM BEACH GARDENS
Parcel Control Number: 52-42-42-01-02-047-0470
Subdivision: PALM BEACH GARDENS PL 4 IN PB 27 PGS 4 TO 6 INC
Sales
Jun-2011 24566/0374 $140,000 CERT OF TITLE US BANK NA TR
May-2006 20402/1844 $395,000 WARRANTY DEED REIFSCHNEIDER TROY A &
Jun-1997 09827/0382 $128,000 WARRANTY DEED
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 5/30/2006 16:11:12
CFN: 20060318412
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 20402/1846
Pages: 23
Consideration: $316,000.00
Party 1: REIFSCHNEIDER TROY A
REIFSCHNEIDER FLOR R
Party 2: BANK OF AMERICA NA
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L47 BL
Type: MTG
Date/Time: 5/30/2006 16:11:12
CFN: 20060318413
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 20402/1869
Pages: 8
Consideration: $59,250.00
Party 1: REIFSCHNEIDER TROY A
REIFSCHNEIDER FLOR R
Party 2: BANK OF AMERICA NA
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L47 BL
Type: LP
Date/Time: 10/10/2008 13:11:13
CFN: 20080373726
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 22902/540
Pages: 1
Consideration: $0.00
Party 1: U S BANK NA TRUSTEE
Party 2: REIFSCHNEIDER TROY A
BANK OF AMERICA
REIFSCHNEIDER FLOR R
REIFSCHNEIDER SPOUSE
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L47 BL
Type: JUD
Date/Time: 8/31/2010 14:31:26
CFN: 20100324128
Book Type: O
Book/Page: 24043/1551
Pages: 6
Consideration: $0.00
Party 1: U S BANK NA TRUSTEE
Party 2: BANK OF AMERICA
REIFSCHNEIDER FLOR R
REIFSCHNEIDER TROY A
Legal: PALM BCH GDN 4 B47 L47 BL
Texas may have rolling blackouts this winter. Yes here in the heart of Gas country where Drill, baby Drill is not just a slogan, it’s a way of life. The state utility commission is warning that the extreme drought is cutting output from the electric grid because the low levels of water in lake reservoirs will reduce electrical production.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/12/01/3565180/rotating-blackouts-are-possible.html
So just because you have huge Natural Gas reserves and plenty of coal from strip mining doesn’t do you any good unless you can find enough water to power the boilers and cool the nuclear reactors.
Water may be more valuable than fossil fuels in the long run.
Stare deep into the heart of 12 conservatives with C-SPAN coverage of Republican Voter Focus Group hosted 12/1/11 by Hart Research.
Check out “Chuck” the realtor and tell me which HBB poster sounds just like this guy.
http://www.c-span.org/Events/Focus-Group-Weighs-in-on-Campaign-2012/10737425962-1/
Best quote: What would you do with the Illegal aliens here now… Chuck: I’d Export ‘em!