Bits Bucket for January 4, 2013
Post off-topic ideas, links, and Craigslist finds here. And check out Chomp, Chomp, Chomp by a regular poster!
The Housing Bubble
Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
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Name:Ben Jones
Location:Northern Arizona, United States
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h1oRP7FfBw
It’s not cheap “community organizing” on a tropical beach
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/01/04/taxpayer-bill-obamas-hawaii-vacations-20-million/
Counterpunch - Drone Denial Syndrome:
“Drone strikes are the weapon of choice in the current phase of the endless “war on terror.” They have become the trademark instrument of the Obama presidency which has dedicated itself to eliminating any Islamic jihadi who may now or in the future constitute a threat to the United States. That category includes all those who identify themselves as members of an al-Qaeda affiliate whether in Yemen, Somalia, Mali, Libya or Pakistani; the Taliban in either the Afghan or Pakistani variant; anyone placed on the White House’s secret “kill list” not an explicit member of the above mentioned groups …
Last week, as a case in point, we saw military authorities issuing a battery of statements designed to downplay the episode in Yemen where the killing of women and children in a drone strike enraged an entire community. The rage expressed itself in pledges to join the local al-Qaeda franchise Ansar al-Sharia as the best way to take revenge and to kill Americans. The botched drone strike in the central town of Rada that left 12 civilians dead evoked this official Washington proclamation : “We don’t go after people in dwellings where we don’t know who everyone is. We work very hard to minimize the collateral damage.” Cross my heart and hope to die. This in an outright mistruth – i.e., a lie. For that is precisely what we have been doing in Afghanistan and Pakistan for years as acknowledged in both official strategy and after the fact delayed admissions. Our baldy stated intention is to go after a high value target if believed in a compound or other residence whatever the risk of collateral damage to civilians. Further, we will attack locations where supposed enemies are known to assemble or groups of people engaged in certain predetermined patterns of behavior even where there is no sure knowledge that we have miscreants in our cross-hairs.
These last are called “signature” strikes by the White House and the Pentagon. In April of this year, the Washington Post (April 26, 2012) reported their authorization by President Obama. That allows the Central Intelligence Agency and the US military to launch drone attacks when the identity of those who could be killed is not known. The Wall Street Journal (April 26, 2012) quoted a senior official as explaining that the United States has gone yet a step further in the Pakistani tribal areas in targeting wider communities “if intelligence points to al-Qaeda related activity” in the vicinity. In other words, we declare some locations are “toxic’ – anyone observed at them is to be neutralized.”
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/03/drone-denial-syndrome/
So a Nobel Peace Prize winning President can’t torch a few women and children?
It was the Nobel Hope Award.
Ours is a time of unrealized hopes and undesired changes.
Ours is a time of unrealized hopes and undesired changes.
What changes? Are you saying something like Pres. Obama has changed America in to an uncivilized society because Pres. Obama uses drone attacks where sometimes civilians are killed? Is this the undesired “change” of which you speak?
If this is what you think has changed, I say you are wrong if in fact we are in a war on terror. And I say we ARE in a war on terror. Should we be is another question but in fact, we are in a war on terror. There is no doubt in my mind that radical Islamists have waged war on America and are planning to continue to do so.
Unfortunately, in every war there ever was, civilians are killed and sometimes….millions.
“Around 600,000 German civilians died during the allies’ wartime raids on Germany, including 76,000 German children, Friedrich says. In July 1943, during a single night in Hamburg, 45,000 people perished in a vast firestorm.” UK Guardian,
Germany’s forgotten victims
Both sides in recent wars strategically bombed CITIES with the exact goal of killing thousands of civilians to break the will of the other side.
So what is this “change” of which you speak? I see no change in the fact that civilians are killed during wars. I see no change that Obama has changed the rules of war because there is collateral damage in this war.
Here are the changes I see:
1. It is a religious war waged by radicals not confined to one country. Does this make it less of a guerrilla type war? I think not. Does this mean we can’t cross borders to kill those who wage war against America? Maybe we can’t according to some international laws or our feelings, however the US Constitution requires our Commander in Chief to protect America and Americans from our enemies.
So should we wring our hands that Obama is killing by drones in 4 or 5 different countries? Because of what? Because of those countries’ sovereignty? If those countries do not want their sovereignty violated, should they not eliminate their citizens who are waging war on America? If they do not, is it not our President’s Constitutionally mandated job to eliminate those war waging enemies of America?
2. Our new type of enemies now possess new types of chemical, biological and unconventional weapons that are much more destructive than in the past. There is no doubt in my mind that they would use them to kill American civilians. In fact they did during 9-11. These new types of weapons and enemies easily cross borders.
3. The United states now possesses different types of weapons too, such as the drones. If we are at war, is it not the President’s responsibility to use drones if they are in fact protecting America? And even no matter how strange these new weapons seem?
4. The big change I see is the opposite of the change that many Obama haters see. The change I see is that America is going out of our way, much more than in the past, to insure many less civilian casualties in this new type war. A drone strike has the exact intent to kill less civilian casualties than say the B-52 Christmas carpet bombing of Hanoi.
So again, if in fact we are at war, (which I think we are) I see absolutely no change of America turning into a savage enemy who is just now killing civilians in its wars. In fact, I see the opposite. In this war, by using drone strikes, the USA is going out of our way to insure that many less civilians are killed in our fight to protect Americans.
That’s a large argument against an imaginary position.
BTW, look up the definition of “insure”.
That’s a large argument against an imaginary position.
It is not an imaginary position. Many on the HBB have that position. Many on the HBB have that position because of politics.
I did not really know if that was your position which is why I posed my argument as a question as well. It’s hard to tell sometimes what you mean in your one line swipes.
BTW, look up the definition of “coherent”.
My problem with the drone strikes is that it gathers less intel than snatch and grabs and I think it still has a greater danger, in most cases, of collateral damage.
gathers less intel than snatch and grabs
Obviously, snatch and grabs are immensely more dangerous to our men- and probably to civilians, too- than drone strikes.That said, I also suspect a lot of ‘drone strikes’ really are snatch and grabs. What better way to get useful intel than for the enemy to think their commander and his laptop got blown to bits, rather than snatched and grabbed,and are now being interrogated and analyzed?
‘What better way to get useful intel ‘
What part of war crime do you not understand?
‘The report admits the difficulty of finding exact numbers, but says the “best currently available public aggregate data on drone strikes are provided by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), an independent journalist organization. TBIJ reports that from June 2004 through mid-September 2012, available data indicate that drone strikes killed 2,562-3,325 people in Pakistan, of whom 474-881 were civilians, including 176 children.”
‘In addition, the report continues, “the US drone strikes cause considerable and under-accounted-for harm” in the daily lives of ordinary civilians that go beyond death and physical injury.’
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/25-0
‘NYU and Stanford Law Schools say we are committing a war crime that is considered a terrorist act by our own government — double tap. What is double tap? It’s when you blow up someone, and when you see first responders and family coming to help, you blow them up too.’
‘Yep. You. You are doing this. Your vote and your tax dollars and your silence, did this. That is how the world sees it, and it’s not too far of a stretch.’
‘Why do writing posts like this become so… meh? So we’re international terrorists, by our own standard. Meh. So we killed some more kids today, in an act condemned by nations around the world. Meh. We will presently be under an investigation by the UN for war crimes. Meh meh meh.’
‘It’s because we’re shocked into not giving a flying pig. We’d say wake up, but odds are you might just flip us off and take a permanent nap. Still, it’s our duty to tell you.’
http://occupyeducated.org/2012/12/19/double-tap-us-commiting-what-the-us-calls-an-act-of-terror/
This is the same guy who used the FBI and DHS to work with wall street banks to destroy the occupy movement. He’s a war criminal and tool of the 1%. And you alpha, sicken me.
There’s an old saying: Payback’s a bitch.
Hiding behind civilians is also the oldest trick in the book. Hiding behind children is the lowest of low.
You do know that terrorists and guerrillas also use children as weapons, right? You do know this?
Those of you arguing on behalf of state sponsored executions of terreris’ need a reality check.
I often wonder if some of our “staus-quo defenders” are paid hacks?
need a reality check.
Like 9-11?
Tower 7?
‘Payback’s a bitch’
So killing brown people all over the world is OK, cuz we hate some other brown people? I’ll add ecofeco to the posters here that disgust me.
‘Like 9-11?’
As I said, George Bush won the election, and now your defending him. Do you not remember what happened after September 11th? The US invaded a country that had nothing to do with it, in the name of fighting ‘terrorism’ and killed at least 100,000 innocent people. I guess that was some more ‘payback’ huh, alpha? And the illegal killing of innocents continues and you’re all for it. You’re disgusting.
Isn’t there a fascist blog you guys could be posting on? Because I sure am sick of your racist, bloodthirsty shit.
AQDan was posting that he supported snatch and grabs. Plenty of right-wingers here have said everything eco and i have said.
What singles us out for your disgust?
I already told Dan what I thought of his insane ‘war against Islam’ thing. But you guys are advocating murder of innocent people.
‘Plenty of right-wingers here have said everything eco and i have said’
Yeah, I pretty much can’t stand those bastards either.
Yeah, I pretty much can’t stand those bastards either.
OK, as long as you hate us all, I guess that’s fair.
What’s wrong with hating apologists for war criminals?
It’s like hating Nazis…generally an acceptable attitude.
That right there was an awesome exchange. Well played, players!
perhaps obama will include “drones” in his assault weapons ban?
I’ll ask again; when do we become concerned?
‘If one were looking for a way to demonstrate how faithfully the Obama administration had carried on the legacy of the Bush administration, this past week takes the cake…In a matter of four days, President Obama ushered in three landmark decisions that further institutionalized the Bush administration’s penchant for abridging civil liberties in the name of national security, all the while making us less safe.’
‘1. Warrantless wiretapping of American citizens: On Sunday, Obama signed into law a renewal of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which authorizes broad, warrantless surveillance of Americans’ international communications, checked only by a secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that doesn’t make it’s activities and procedures available to the public.’
‘2. Indefinite detention without charge or trial: On Wednesday, Obama signed the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law. The 680-page omnibus bill contains more military and national security provisions than any one person can account for, but it notably renews the prohibition against transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the US for any purpose, a measure which again prevents Obama from fulfilling his pledge to close the black hole detention center.’
‘In Afghanistan, too, the Obama era has meant mere suspects can be locked away without charge or trial in abusive detention camps, mostly in secret. The US military’s increased use of night raids led to a huge surge in detainees, very few of whom have had any evidence placed against them. The Obama administration has had them sent to Bagram to be held for indefinite detention without charge or trial, which Daphne Eviatar, an attorney for Human Rights First, has described as “worse than Guantanamo, because there are fewer rights.”
‘The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the practice of extraordinary rendition, wherein suspects are captured and transferred to another country to be held without charge or trial, is “taking on renewed significance” under Obama.’
‘One could argue that Obama doesn’t support indefinite detention as much as Bush did, since he supports killing suspects before the issue of detention ever arises.’
‘3. Targeted killings of suspects by drone, without any pretense of due process (even if they are US citizens) remains none of the American people’s business. On Wednesday, a federal judge sided with the Obama administration in a case brought by The New York Times in which the latter was demanding that more information about the legality of the drone war be disclosed.’
‘In terms of carrying on the legacy of the Bush administration, this one is a double-whammy. Not only did Obama expand Bush’s covert drone program exponentially, but he’s doing so by shutting out any judicial scrutiny by claiming disclosures would harm national security, a tactic called ‘state secrets privileges’ which was pioneered by the Bush administration.’
‘US District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan appeared reluctant in her ruling, noting she “can find no way around the thicket of laws and precedents that effectively allow the executive branch of our government to proclaim as perfectly lawful certain actions that seem on their face incompatible with our Constitution and laws while keeping the reasons for their conclusion a secret.”
“The Alice-in-Wonderland nature of this pronouncement is not lost on me,” McMahon said, referring to the nightmarish wonderland in which people are sentenced to death before a verdict from a jury is in.’
As I’ve said before, it looks like the winner of the recent election was GWB. However you want to look at it, this amounts to four terms of GW Bush policies. If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will.
I can’t wait until the Pentagon provides drone with Hellfire missile to my local county Sheriffs Dept. to go along with their tank.
One unique feature of American politics is that especially presidents tend to be best at establishing policies that are generally associated with those across the asile. Nixon established the EPA for example, Reagan raised taxes, Clinton drastically reformed welfare, because it’s very hard for a party to attack their own sitting president and congress tends to shift away from a sitting president.
I think we should all be quite concerned about the expansion of the executive branch, especially those who vigorously opposed such policies in the first place. But what do I know, I didn’t vote for either GWB or Obama.
Yo, Bluto. Good to see ye.
Do they have a Nobel prize w/oak-leaf cluster?
Nobel prize w/oak-leaf cluster?
LOL
And “V” device.
I suspect this explains why Obama won’t close Guantanamo and give the terrorism suspects a fair trial. From the Washington Post article cited:
Congress has thwarted President Obama’s pledge to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and has created barriers against trying al-Qaeda suspects in civilian courts, including new restrictions in a defense authorization bill passed last month.
It is Bush’s fault that Obama won the Nobel prize!
He can always let them go.
Michel Fortier only served 8 years in prison for his rolein the Oklahoma City bombing.
He is currently in the witness relocation program to keep him from being murdered by his victims relatives.
Do NOT buy housing now. You will lose A LOT of money if you do.
Why buy now when you can buy later for 50% 60% 65% less?
Good point.
Last week I noticed we’re at 65% now; please let me know if your crystal ball shows even more CRATERING (!!!) in the future and I will update accordingly.
50 60 70%…… take your pick. They’re your losses to own “Joe”….:-)
Why would they be losses rather than expenses? The term “losses” implies that there could also be “profits” on the flip side. Expenses more accurately reflects the real world, as in, everything I spend on my house is a housing *expense*, not an investment, not a profit, not a loss.
The profit/loss/investment thinking regarding primary residence is a particularly annoying thing about Americans, a personal residence is an expense not an investment. You wish it was just the Realtards promoting this way of thinking, but it’s most of the country. An idiocracy indeed.
You’re right. But call it what you want. Housing at current inflated asking prices result in massive losses/expenses from which you’ll never recover.
Rent on the other hand is a mere fraction of the monthly expense of housing.
from which you’ll never recover.
Really?!? That’s a tad hyperbolic, no?
I’m no fan of overpaying as everyone knows but never recover? Independent of financial worth or prospects? Seriously?!?
That’s a bit much. Dial it down.
Yesterday I invested $130 for a new battery and oil change for my 20 yr old Saturn. I think the mechanic tweaked the clutch as it is shifting better now.
So, if this keeps me from buying a new CX-5 for a year it could be a 3800% return on my investment.
Rent on the other hand is a mere fraction of the monthly expense of housing in some of the overpriced markets.
Fixed that for you.
The fraction may be 8/10 or 9/10 in many markets. The potential homeowner will have to decide if the extra expense if worth it. That’s a personal decison and one not served by platitudes.
Spending 10x annual income(which is flat) on a grossly inflated depreciating asset is an irrecoverable loss.
You haven’t been spending much time here the past 12 months have you, Pussy?
Spending 10x annual income
Are people really spending 10x? Effin’ delusional.
(which is flat)
Which will decline as automation increasingly rules the roost. (Fixed that for ya.)
An iPad has more computing power than the best supercomputer of 1995. Automation is gonna nail every job that has a routine component.
Inflate that, central banks!
“So, if this keeps me from buying a new CX-5 for a year it could be a 3800% return on my investment.”
And you couldn’t find a buyer for it for a small fraction of what you have in it.
Cars depreciate rapidly. Just like houses depreciate rapidly.
Automation is gonna nail every job that has a routine component.
Yep, even in China eventually if not already.
Yep, even in China eventually if not already.
Already.
AAPL is not bringing manufacturing back to the US out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s a pilot program. They want to be the leaders in the brave new world.
The Chindians that are taking on a ton of debt are gonna be the losers (or “loosers”) in this game.
As such, I’m quite bullish on the US long-term.
“Spending 10x annual income(which is flat) on a grossly inflated depreciating asset is an irrecoverable loss.”
It’s also a convenient strawman. I’m not saying there aren’t idiots “buying” for 10x annual income. But I’m saying most buyers in the U.S. are probably in the 3-5x income range. I think that’s the market segment you should dwell on.
“They want to be the leaders in the brave new world.”
I also imagine that actually moving production back to the US puts them in a great position to argue down the prices on the next contract they negotiate for maufacturing they are leaving in China.
“Yesterday I invested $130 for a new battery and oil change for my 20 yr old Saturn. I think the mechanic tweaked the clutch as it is shifting better now.
So, if this keeps me from buying a new CX-5 for a year it could be a 3800% return on my investment.”
————————-
When you compute your “ROI” the relevant comparison would be to the cost of the CX-5 that you’d allocate to this year. Lumping the entire cost of the car into one year (or month, week, etc) is fallacious accounting. I’m not arguing against the repair being an awesome bargain compared to buying the car, I’m merely questioning the ROI number you propose.
There is an excellent reason accountants use ammortization and depreciation. Unlike many accounting rules, it is not B.S.
BTW, $130 for the repairs you mentioned might make some people here cry in their cornflakes. “But that’s so expensive!!” In reality, these routine expenses should not be a big deal, they are part of owning a car and should be anticipated. It’s a good reason to buy a Honda, Toyota, Ford, GM, etc as opposed to a POS VW.
I also imagine that actually moving production back to the US puts them in a great position to argue down the prices on the next contract they negotiate for maufacturing they are leaving in China.
Now that’s deflationary, darling!
Not a very good situation for Chinese debtors.
“But I’m saying most buyers in the U.S. are probably in the 3-5x income range.”
And it’s a distinction without a difference. Overpaying by 100% is no different than overpaying by 200%.
And yes it’s true. If you’re paying 5x your income for a house, you’re overpaying by 100%.
Nice try though.
“BTW, $130 for the repairs you mentioned might make some people here cry ”
Another strawman? You’re pimping now.
YOU said last week, “$250 is cheap for an alternator.”
You were wrong then and you’re wrong now.
Joe, I calculated my ROI based on the payment for a 5 yr loan. I could have calculated based on 1 yr depreciation (significant) or on 5 -7% of 15-20 yr depreciation plus expected cost of repairs (not quite so dramatic).
I aboslutely agree it is foolish to spend 10X income on a house. Like I said, PW, you’re right about twice a day. That was meant as a complement ;-).
“Joe, I calculated my ROI based on the payment for a 5 yr loan. I could have calculated based on 1 yr depreciation (significant) or on 5 -7% of 15-20 yr depreciation plus expected cost of repairs (not quite so dramatic).”
Why would you not compare it to the net present value of a monthly payment based on the expected useful life of the asset? I’m of the mind that the relevant measure for a car’s expense should be the total costs to own (include everything) divided by mileage or by length of time.
Under your method (looking at 5 yr car payment amount), you’re basically using a “howmuchamonth” analysis. This is like thinking monthly mortgage payments are your cost to own a house. There is obviously room for discretion, but it’s pretty clear you’d keep the car longer than 5 yrs. (By the way, I said I’d never sell or trade in a reliable car because it could become the “mile eater” and help reduce wear and tear on a newer car… people got carried away with my use of “beater”.)
PW - OEM alternators for Hondas aren’t that expensive. And buying any of the better Honda models is hardly throwing away money. Lastly, cheap is a relative term. Yes, to me $250 is cheap. And based on my value system, if a $250 repair wasn’t cheap, I wouldn’t buy us a second car. I feel bad for grown adults who have to worry about $250 every couple months for car repair or maintenance. I guess I can admit–no, I don’t understand poverty, nor why someone wouldn’t work really hard to get out of that situation. This doesn’t mean I don’t have empathy for people who sweat bullets over car repairs. I do. I feel bad for them. You can feel bad for people even without understanding their financial situation or way of thinking.
2005 Honda Civic alternator - less than $100, check it out: http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/MC/6014-07089793.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=MC&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=2002-2005+Honda+Civic+Alternator+MPA+13977+02-05+Honda+Alternator+04&fp=pp&gbm=a&gclid=CO-qsse7z7QCFQSf4AodclQApA
As I said, one of my good friends runs an auto shop, he does my work for free or very low cost.
You apparently have bought POS cars before (your VW story the other day). That wouldn’t be something I’d consider. For crossover SUVs I’d pretty much only consider Honda CRV, Chevy Equinox, Toyota RAV4, or Ford Escape. Suitable for my wife to use, but hardly expensive. And yes, parts are cheap.
In the future we’ll probably get Audi or Merc but that’s at a different stage life than I can imagine now.
PW -
Alternators for ‘05 civics can be had for under $100, cupcake.
Bad example, try again. And if Hondas are expensive parts to you, I really feel bad for you.
Oh, so now nobody here knows anything about auto repair costs, either, according to the Pimpster.
How lucky (ducky) that we have our resident taunt-bot to keep us humble!
And in walks the drama queen spouting more cluelessness.
Carry on queen.
“Alternators for ‘05 civics can be had for under $100, cupcake.”
Nice try but you got caught lying again. Try $725 for an alternator for a 2005 CRV….. And that’s from an internet discounter.
http://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_Product/PartDetail.aspx?catalogID=59&productID=7&yearID=36&doorID=3&gradeID=387&areaID=2&transmissionID=7&originID=-1&colorLabelIDs=-1&colorLabelID=-1§ionID=&idAndImageID=10453%201245732
You’re a liar. A bonafide liar.
I don’t know where he came up with “$250 for an alternator”. I mean, maybe if you include labor AND the mechanic rips you off on it.
My point was that the parts themselves are pretty cheap for the major Honda models, so I don’t care if RAL claims to have been factoring in labor from a rip-off artist.
RAL also admitted he bought a VW which was poorly built. Even if a VW is well-built, the parts are just a pain in the a**. I asked my buddy what he thought about VW CC - he said it’s a great drive, he’s worked on them before, but (his words) never, ever, ever buy a VW.
A big reason to buy the major Japanese brands or the better GM/Ford models is that the parts are much less expensive, maintenance is easier, mechanics are familiar with them, insurance is cheaper, etc. You could argue that some other car (say, a Mazda or a Subaru) might get the same performance or have some nicer features, etc. But for the extra you’d pay in parts/maintenance/etc. you might as well buy a lower-level luxury car. You can apparently use Toyota parts in place of Lexus parts in many cases (same original parts suppliers using the same assembly lines; same OEMs make the parts).
Never forget: RAL bought a POS VW and wants to talk about Honda parts. ROFL @ RAL.
RAL coming unhinged. SO EMBARASSING. Hey RAL, you might as well carried a purse. A middle aged man purse.
http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/MC/6026-07089786.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=MC&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=2002-2006+Honda+CRV+Alternator+MPA+13966+02-06+Honda+Alternator+04+05&fp=pp&gbm=a&gclid=CIWE_tHoz7QCFQqe4AodBQwAAw
BTW, my ‘05 is a Civic, not a CRV. I’m going to buy a ‘13 CRV for my wife.
But my point stands. Only a clueless idiot with horrible personal finances (i.e. RAL) continues to lie and lie and lie.
Try again, cupcake.
Is everyone seeing this? Because they need to - - RAL getting owned over and over again. Lying about $725 for a Honda CRV alternator…. hahahaha.
Dude, this is why you never did anything with your life. This is why you’re buying spectacularly pitiful cars like VWs. This is why you’re sweating bullets over car parts.
Really, what’s the deal? Is your real life story a tale of financial ruin? Please share. I have a feeling your anger stems from a lot of dark places in your psyche. Let it out…
A 2005 CRV alternator is available widely on the internet for under $100. I posted a link a min ago, not sure when it will go through.
Keep trying, RAL.
Or, you know, you could start going to anger management or something.
Here’s the link : http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts/MC/6026-07089786.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=MC&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=2002-2006+Honda+CRV+Alternator+MPA+13966+02-06+Honda+Alternator+04+05&fp=pp&gbm=a&gclid=CIWE_tHoz7QCFQqe4AodBQwAAw
Anyone can google “2005 Honda CRV alternator” and try for yourselves.
RAL: Liar. So sad, so obvious.
Automation is gonna nail every job that has a routine component.
I agree with that. However, I have said for years in the illegal immigrant debates that we should and would automate the type of dirty low paying jobs that many illegal immigrants do. However, the problem we have as a country is what do you do with people that do not have the IQ to engage in the high tech manufacturing jobs and now will be displaced by robots? I think that robots work for the equivalent of $5 an hour and that may drop. Nobody can support themselves on that wage and he/she will be a permanent burden on society. We need a humane way to deal with this problem and it is the true third rail of politics, no one will address it. One thing for sure we should not import more people that will be a burden on this county, people forget all the people that were turned away at Ellis Island for a similar reason.
If there aren’t any jobs because of automation, what shall we do with all the idle people?
If there aren’t any jobs because of automation, what shall we do with all the idle people?
This is the kinda “static thinking” that drives me crazy.
I’m gonna beat you up. Permit me.
It’s for your own good, I promise.
There will ALWAYS be jobs even with the advent of automation because it will free you up to do other more productive things.
Why do I drive my car? My car should drive me. It’s a waste of my intellect to have to drive a car.
Why am I juicing fresh oranges? The oranges should be juiced and kept ready for me when I demand them.
That’s automation.
Think through your day. Almost 90% is pure waste. That’s gonna get fixed.
And yes, you will need humans to still do stuff. There’s no lack of stuff to do.
That’s gonna get fixed.
And yes, you will need humans to still do stuff. There’s no lack of stuff to do.
I often wonder if it’s this construct that’s partly behind the “buy local”, food, and mom-and-pop revolutions taking place at least here in Portland and, I’d guess in even greater extent, in NY.
‘Joe’
….. you’re a bonafide liar
You lied “joe”. You misrepresented the truth.
I still wanna know what everybody’s gonna do. Reminds me of the ’service economy’ that we were all gonna take part in.
I still wanna know what everybody’s gonna do.
We will all be taking in each other’s washing chores. Big bucks to be made. Everybody needs to have their clothes washed, don’t they?
Once QE-to-infinity-and-beyond is ended, houses and gold are toast…(and that’s why I doubt the Fed will ever end them for years to come).
Should read:
50%60%65% less.Very cool house. Very cool pub in the house.
I am sure there is another reason why Steve Harris is selling it other than “now spends too much time abroad”
And if he is taking a loss on the house.
——————————————
Iron Maiden bassist puts his £7-million mansion on the market …
Daily Mail (UK) | 4 January 2013 | Suzannah Hills
The multi-millionaire founder and bassist of heavy metal band Iron Maiden is selling his Essex rock star mansion, which includes its own pub called the Horse and Cart.
Steve Harris’ £6.75 million ($11 million) house also has an indoor swimming pool surrounded with garish murals of voluptuous women, vikings and Gothic pictures on the walls, which wouldn’t be out of place on one of the band’s horror album covers. Outside there is an old-fashioned red telephone box, floodlit tennis court and a full-sized football pitch with home and away changing rooms. …
Long-haired Harris, 56, who released his first solo album last year called British Lion, is said to be selling up because he now spends too much time abroad. …
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256729/Iron-Maiden-bassist-puts-7m-mansion-market-complete-garish-murals-busty-women-pub.html
Wow, look at all the clutter. I’d hate to have a hangover there.
Up the Irons!!!
…. and run to the hills!
Bruce rocks.
Filed under: Hope and Change
Bloomberg - East St. Louis Cops Outgunned as Cuts Let Killers Thrive
“Dodging open manholes where thieves had swiped cast-iron covers, Stephen Wiggington drives the crumbling streets of his hometown, East St. Louis, Illinois, pointing out new landmarks in America’s most violent city.
There’s the shopping mall where a police officer was shot in the face, a youth center that saw a triple homicide in September, and scattered about the city of 27,000 are brightly lit gas stations that serve as magnets for carjackers, hit-and-run robbers and killers.
“It’s the Wild West,” said Wiggington, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. With a murder rate 17 times the U.S. average, the nation’s highest according to the FBI, East St. Louis offers a glimpse at the future for budget-strapped cities like Detroit and Camden, New Jersey, that have made deep cuts to their police forces.”
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-04/east-st-louis-cops-outgunned-as-cuts-let-killers-thrive.html
Forward
“Stephen Wiggington”
That’s a very white-sounding name for East St. Louis.
I once had a black college roommate when I lived in the vicinity; I asked him what he thought about East St. Louis.
His response:
Are you suggesting that race may have some component in crime statistics???
For shame, for shame.
We are all the same.
Soon, people who say such things will be picked up for “hate crimes”, or “hate thought”. I suspect if you have unacceptable ideologies, perhaps we could “eliminate” you by drone strike. Look out.
Are you suggesting that race may have some component in crime statistics???
Yes. The traitorous, protected from prosecution bankers, politicians and Wall Street goons who have done more to harm America than any Black or Brown people are about 95% White.
It was White people who have destroyed what America once was. It was White people who sold out their country for a buck. It was Whitey who shipped our jobs away. It was Whitey who took the Black man’s job from East St. Louis and Camden NJ.
It was White people who’ve laid the groundwork for America’s situation that makes you so bitter Diogenes.
Financial crisis ’caused by white men with blue eyes’
….Brazilian leader apportions blame for global recession
President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, said the financial crisis was caused by “white people with blue eyes”. He told a joint press conference with Mr Brown that he had never met a black banker.
“This is a crisis that was caused by people, white with blue eyes. And before the crisis they looked as if they knew everything about economics,” he said. “Once again the great part of the poor in the world that were still not yet [getting] their share of development that was caused by globalisation, they were the first ones to suffer.
“Since I am not acquainted with any black bankers, I can only say that this part of humanity that is the major victim of the world crisis, these people should pay for the crisis? I cannot accept that. If the G20 becomes a meeting just to set another meeting, we’ll be discredited and the crisis can deepen.”
Friday 27 March 2009 , The Independent uk
“9.23 per 10,000 people compared with the national rate of 0.55.”
I thought murder rates were normally quoted per 100,000 population:
E.g. ‘92.3 per 100,000 people compared with the national rate of 5.5.’
It’s higher than it was a quarter of a century ago when I used to regularly drive through the area, and it was high then.
FYI - Camden laid-off every cop.
Detroit, Camden, East St. Louis, etc - what do they ALL have in common?
60 years of unbroken “progressive” democrat rule and out of control public unions…
Detroit and Camden, New Jersey, that have made deep cuts to their police forces.”
The reason the .02% want Obama, if he was not black the cities would be burning:
(CNSNews.com) – Government unemployment numbers for December showed that while the general unemployment rate remained flat at 7.8 percent, unemployment for women and African-Americans rose despite an economy that created 155,000 jobs.
Unemployment for women rose to 7.3 percent in December from 7.0 percent while the rate for African-Americans rose sharply to 14.0 percent from 13.2 percent in November.
BTW, I think there may be another reason for the data that showed unemployment dropping in October and essentially creating 800,000+ jobs when the other data showed slow growth. Government workers would not be responsible for manipulation if it happened. Blacks may have in an effort to boost Obama claimed they were working when they were not. The unemployment number is set by survey. Of course, the other possibility is they were all on the Obama campaign payroll for the month. (sarcasm on that one).
After thinking about the numbers it could explain some but not all the difference between the hard numbers about 150,000 created jobs and the rate but not all the difference. BTW, I do commend the Obama administration on how it avoided a headline saying that unemployment rose last month, revise last month’s figure up to 7.8%. (sarcasm)
Blacks may have in an effort to boost Obama claimed they were working when they were not….if he was not black the cities would be burning
There is nothing as pathetically political and convoluted as Albuquerquedan trying to explain the meaning of a trend, a pattern, a poll or a report.
Or Rio trying to explain anything.
I will say I really meant the numbers release in October not the October numbers. Remember what still makes no sense to me or anyone that understands numbers is how the government could claim that almost 900,000 jobs were created in September when none of the actual numbers or private surveys or polls found anything like that. Jack Welch’s concerns as expressed in Bloomberg are even more valid today than they were back then since none of the subsequent data has found a surge in hiring during September:
Welch also questioned the household survey used to calculate the unemployment rate. That survey, which is separate from the sampling of businesses used to compile the job-creation tally, showed a monthly gain of 873,000 jobs
Here Rio another chart:
http://www.businessinsider.com/pct-job-losses-in-post-wwii-recessions-2013-1#ixzz2H1UeEcJN
That’s Racist®.
Go directly to Diversity Training. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
Do not collect $200
Not even in SNAP benefits?
No $200 for Whitey.
Only “gifts” go to voters who supported The One.
You know that also shows that the PTB respond to violence or even the threat of widespread violence. Throughout the history of the U.S. there have been times when the will of the .02% has been frustrated by armed workers. Whether in mining towns such as Telluride or coal mining areas back East.
The government is broke and will either collapse or make very unpopular cuts, it is buying bullets in large quantities and drones, it is making it easier to conduct electronic monitoring of citizens and finally the Obama adminstration is attempting to restrict the exact weapons most effective in combating a police state. Is it conclusive evidence that we are heading to a police state due to an economic collapse? It would be difficult to convince a jury of that on the evidence. However, if I was the judge of the case, it would be enough circumstantial evidence to avoid summary judgment. I think people should be concerned but not panic.
people should be concerned but not panic
Our local WallyMart is always sold out of ammo
Maybe they ran out because DHS bought it all
http://www.infowars.com/dhs-buys-200000-more-rounds-of-ammunition/
The reason the .02% want Obama, if he was not black the cities would be burning:
Let them burn… In nature, wildfires clear the dead wood and allow for a new cycle of growth. These communities need a new start.
Three or four blocks from my house is a small apartment complex that was primarily Section 8. The majority of the crime in the neighborhood came from that complex. It was shut down by the city and is either going to be torn down or rehabbed. Since the residents were forced out, the entire neighborhood has been much quieter.
Other development, both commercial and residential is already occurring around that area… all that was required was a good “burn” to raze the deadwood and make room for new growth.
The scenario you describe is the problem facing Most cities in America. It has been on-going for decades. Section 8, low-income housing (where work is minimal and dependence is maximum) are pools for crime and violence.
If you don’t have to go to work everyday to support yourself, you have ALL DAY LONG to roam the streets looking for something to steal and someone to rob.
The solution, unfortunately, is to “integrate” that portion of the population into neighborhood housing. That has destroyed vast portions of subdivisions in American and the “plan” continues. Oh, happy day.
SEE HUD programs.
If you don’t have to go to work everyday to support yourself, you have ALL DAY LONG to roam the streets…
The solution,
unfortunately, is to….. KEEP JOBS IN AMERICA EVEN THOUGH IT WILL PRODUCE FEWER BILLIONAIRES.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfGLB8LO1aM
They are also former manufacturing hubs that lost all their factories.
Detroit, Camden, East St. Louis, etc - what do they ALL have in common?
Jobs that went away. No jobs. Lost jobs. Their industry sent to China. No work. NAFTA. The people can’t find jobs. Illegal alians taking their jobs. Rich people off-shored their jobs. GATT. Closed factories. Dying industries replaced by off-shored jobs.
Like many larger industrial cities,(East St. Louis) has been severely affected by loss of jobs in the restructuring of the railroad industry and de-industrialization of the Rust Belt in the second half of the 20th century. In 1950 East St. Louis was the 4th largest city in Illinois. wiki
No businessman in his right mind would open up a business where he is more likely to be sued for any possible reason, taxed out of profits and forced to hire people who won’t do a decent days work.
How is it that other areas that didn’t have Majority Black populations managed to survive without all the problems that these portions of the Country and State have??? humm?
Could it be there are major racial differences that are just plain BAD for business?
I say yes, there are.
Those differences are masked by integration policies that “mix up” the population so you can’t differentiate the racial component.
The only solution for White folks is to “move away”. Then the Left says THEY are the problem, for leaving. Amazing.
How is it that other areas that didn’t have Majority Black populations managed to survive without all the problems that these portions of the Country and State have??? humm?
Because if you’re white you usually have a lot more family money, more money in general and it’s easier to get another job because you are white.
White people also don’t face the day to day prejudices that Black folk face from race obsessed grouchy haters like Diogenes.
Those place have other things in common.
http://obamaphone.net/
They are also mostly Black. But, i guess that couldn’t possibly be a factor, could it?
They are also mostly Black
Newsflash Obama-hating ignorant racists:
Black people work when they have jobs.
Black unemployment rate 1972-2012.
http://blogs-images.forbes.com/realspin/files/2012/08/Blackunemployment1972to2012.gif
Oh, the LOLZ this article has created!
And amazingly, it’s from (gun-grabbing, global-warming-cult, one-worlder) Bloomberg. One would normally expect this kind of content in a Breitbart or CNSnews link from the Drudge Report
Does anyone use Amazon prime? We have a family kindle fire now, and I really like using it for HBB, surfing, email etc. We’re exploring ditching basic cable/TV altogether.
I’m interested in combining Amazon Prime with Hulu & Netflix and ditching cable as well. As it is, I only have cable so that I can record a few shows to watch during downtime.
I don’t quite understand how Amazon Prime works, though.
I’ve been on Hulu+ & Netflix forever (at least the latter.) Never had cable.
Netflix is not the value proposition it used to be and the content has degraded considerably.
However, I’m in just for the movies (movie buff here) so my solution may not be acceptable to those that want it for tee-vee.
I loathe ads which you get even if you subscribe to Hulu+ but they don’t have it on the Criterion movies which is all I care about so I’m happy to pay for that subscription.
hulu + sucks. Netflix is good. But still, not much worth wasting time on. Good for those days with the flu though.
A blu-ray player and local red box is good for movies.
Depends on the movies.
If you’re only interested in the latest garbage marketed to ADD-laden teens then Redbox is fine.
Otherwise, you’ll probably have to search out a little more carefully.
Amazon prime is a free two days shipping service for $79 a year. Amazon throws in a small collection of movies and tv shows for it’s prime members.
My verdict - very disappointing choices in movies & shows, so basically not worth it. Free 2 days shipping is awesome if you order a lot like I do from Amazon.
Limited selection is what I’d be worried about if I just cut the cable. Contrary to what people say, not everything on teevee is junk–NatGeo, History, Discover, sometimes CSPAN have interesting content, you just have to find it and record it, then filter out the junk.
I also enjoy watching tennis & sometimes the Tour de France. I can not wait until things like this can be purchased through individual channel subscriptions (Google is working on this, I believe) rather than having to buy the entire package.
Some good shows are already available online for free if you’re willing to wait a few days, e.g. Charlie Rose Show, PBS Frontline, etc.
You will NOT get tennis.
I enjoy watching it (and playing) but you will need to find an alternate venue. I go to a bar when I want to see a specific match.
We pay $40/month total to Comcast for internet only. Stream C-SPAN over the interwebs. Converter box and rabbit ears allow analog TeeVee to get multiple PBS stations.
The History Channel is for retards, programming is equivalent of a 5th grade reading level. TeeVee for wannabe smartypants poors too lazy to read books.
We watched a DVD of some History Channel show from the Library. Made for ADHD audiences and channel flippers, as after every commercial break, the show “recaps” summary of program so far. Totally unwatchable garbage.
I enjoy watching it (and playing) but you will need to find an alternate venue. I go to a bar when I want to see a specific match.
I feel the same way about college football. When I want to watch my beloved Michigan Wolverines play, I go to a sports bar.
OTOH, I watched the Outback Bowl with my folks in PA. We used their Internet connection and the ESPN live feed.
Tip: Do NOT get me started on the Michigan defense. Just don’t. Likewise, the erratic offense. Luv ya, Denard, but you should have been a college running back from the git-go.
I can not wait until things like this can be purchased through individual channel subscriptions
Ditto. A la carte cable is what I’ve wanted for a decade. Too much of a money-loser it would seem.
I actually think it’d be a winner, in the same way that when bars have gone smokeless, while losing some customers, they’ve actually attracted people back who didn’t go because of the smoke.
I refuse to pay them $50-100 for 700 channels. But I might pay them $15-20 for 5 channels of my choosing.
We watched a DVD of some History Channel show from the Library. Made for ADHD audiences and channel flippers, as after every commercial break, the show “recaps” summary of program so far. Totally unwatchable garbage.
The same can be said about most non-fiction books.
They want to end each chapter on a cliff-hanger. Ironically, they answer the “cliff-hanger” in the next chapter and you just sit there thinking you created all that suspense just to answer it in the next chapter?
Totally bogus.
Most science writing falls in this category too. They should all be shot.
Be careful what you wish for, as the math in this case is pretty clear. With ala-carte cable you’ll be asked to pay $50-70/mo for 5 channels of your choosing. ESPN would do very well, but they’re about the only major beneficiary. Currently, the huge numbers of folks who highly value ESPN provide a massive boost to a large number of niche channels take that subsidy away and the niche channels need a big increase in fees for their likely subscriber counts to come close to the same budgets they currently have.
Good heavens, SHOT? Then where would we get science writing from? I sure don’t have the time to fill in the void!
I never could find the tour de france on my basic (somewhat expanded) cable this year. It’s apparently been bumped up to a more expensive package. To hell with it.
Once you shoot all the writers writing in the entirely bogus “cliffhanger style”, there will rise a new set of writers writing in a “non-cliffhanger style”.
It’s quite elementary, my dear Jane!
Tennis is one of the reasons I pay for cable. Yes, I could go to a bar I suppose, but as you can imagine I’m not going to be able to flick between matches on the opening days of a major, nor see most of the high profile matches, because pubs aren’t open in the morning and I can’t leave work for 3-4 hrs to watch an entire men’s 5 set match. With cable, I can record, flip between matches, etc.
ESPN sometimes carries many matches online, but the picture quality is sketchy and it naturally lacks the utility of being able to record.
because pubs aren’t open in the morning
During the Soccer World Cup, the bars were most certainly open all night and in the morning.
Baltimore is no NYC.
Oh well, back to the tyranny of cable for you.
My area is very fratty and I’m sure the bars were open during the world cup. Tennis is nowhere near the draw of soccer, alas. I live right near Looney’s and they show basically any sport except tennis. It’s quite tragic but alas there is no city quite like NYC.
You know what’s better than a boat?
A friend with a boat.
You know what’s better than cable?
…
“You know what’s better than cable?”
A wife who realizes it is not worth the monthly.
I was going for “almost anything” but a wife would certainly qualify under that umbrella.
In my house, it’s the husband who wants the cable. I’d be fine without it.
Slim, the last 30 seconds of the Outback Bowl are a good example of why I usually don’t watch sports.
Frickin’ waste of time.
“You know what’s better than cable?”
Sex on the living room floor?
“You know what’s better than cable?”
Sex on the living room floor?
+1,000,000,000,000
That’s my kinda thinking and I try to indulge in it frequently.
With ala-carte cable you’ll be asked to pay $50-70/mo for 5 channels of your choosing.
Agreed. If not at first, it would move there quickly. Which is why I put the qualifier that I would be interested at the rates I suggested. Otherwise, why bother?
This doubles as the reason I am certain I will never have cable again in my house…
And ESPN would be one of my five. So, yeah, definitely doubles as the reason I’ll never have it again…
We have both Netflix (streaming + 1 Blu-ray) and Amazon Prime. Not cable at all.
Comparing the two services for a replacement to cable seems to favor Netflix. I’m not a fan of the Amazon Prime interface and it seems their selection isn’t as deep as Netflix. May just be inertia on my part.
As for missing cable, I find that when I travel for work I end up watching junk on the cable tv, like “Breaking Amish”. In otherwords, the money I’d spend on cable is mostly wasted.
But if you order a ton from Amazon, the Prime is attractive to get things on two-day shipping.
What kind of “a lot” stuff do people order from Amazon? I know they sell boxed food and toilet paper and stuff, but ISTM that that amount of ordering would clutter up the house something awful.
I buy a ton of books. I don’t have Prime and I get the free shipping.
I have 14 bookcases and 20 boxes in my “attic” filled with books.
I also buy an insane amount of music which I have since ripped losslessly (FLAC) and turned the music cases into bookcases. (The music is packed away into closets.)
Any more questions?
“…music which I have since ripped losslessly…Any more questions?”
Yes, how do you feel about analog vs. digital with respect to your music listening experience? Which do you prefer?
In your answer, if you could address patterns in nature and quantum mechanics, that would be great.
(Did I just reveal my bias for analog?)
I used to own an insane amount of LP’s which I have converted to digital (largely because they are not and never will be available!)
Does that answer your question?
I know enough digital signal processing that the debate is largely superfluous.
I wasn’t being specific enough: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war
Most of my stuff is pre- this nonsense so I don’t care.
“I have 14 bookcases and 20 boxes in my “attic” filled with books.”
Now that’s the way to do it. I’ve got a mere 2 bookcases and 3 boxes. I’d feel inadequate if I didn’t have good books in the collection.
I don’t quite understand how Amazon Prime works, though.
It’s a streaming service, no different than Netflix or Hulu streaming video. Either your TV/set-top/DVD/gaming console is set up to stream Amazon Prime, or you can stream to a device like the Kindle or a computer.
I was wondering if it was a la carte (more akin to OnDemand) or if it was all-inclusive. My other question was regarding the depth and quality of movies/programs available. As FPSS noted, this changes over time and can be disappointing.
As I understand it, it’s half and half (or 80 and 20.)
You get a bunch for free but it’s all garbage anyway and you can purchase “premium” content (read: all the stuff that you would want to watch in the first place.)
However, I don’t have it and this description is based on something that I heard described (and demonstrated) at a friend’s place but I’d had a few glasses of wine so this may be all over the place.
Can’t speak to the quality of the programming, as I’m a cable guy. Both the wife and I watch AMC’s The Walking Dead, HBO’s Game of Thrones, and Showtime’s Homeland religiously… for us, it’s worth the cost of cable to not have to wait to see these shows.
I watch Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Falling Skies and Spartacus. I also love the history and discovery channels.
I did the same. Add in FREE HDTV where you get all your local channels ( I get 30+ channels) using an antenna and you cover 85% of what you had in cable for about $15/month.
Any cable TV series that you have to watch you can rent the whole series for about $10 from amazon.
I’m interested in combining Amazon Prime with Hulu & Netflix and ditching cable as well.
Watching The Goonies via streaming.
“Let go of the handle!!”
Here in Tucson, an interesting competitor to the local cable monopoly is emerging. Which is of great interest to folks like me, who use said monopoly for high-speed Internet.
Will keep you posted…
Look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab (wi-fi only):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321042839527
We have hulu+ and Netflix. While Hulu+ does have commercials its content, with next day viewing of most TV shows on ABC, NBC, FOX, etc. is very good. Netflix fills in for our movie needs and now have many Disney shows. I get my ESPN sports fix for through our Xbox, since ESPN is included with hour internet subscription through comcast. Total cost for Hulu+, Netflix and my Xbox subscription is about $21 dollars a month.
Wow, should have proof read everything. Sorry.
check out 10101 sweetleaf, orlando fl 32827 on zillow.
Take a look at the price changes on it from when it was bought on 2005.
Foreclosed upon…….sat vacant for almost a year. (typically a problem with the humidity in Orlando!)
Investor picked it up……..did some yard work to make it look a little prettier and now is trying to flip it for a tidy 20% mark up in 4 months!!
Questions to ask the seller:
1. Did you do any work on the basic systems of the house? As in, the electrical, plumbing and mechanical?
2. What is the history of repairs/upgrades/other work on the roof?
3. Any history of problems with the foundation?
I guarantee you that this seller will greet such questions like a deer that’s caught in the headlights.
From a flipper?
He/She will lie through their teeth or give a non-answer.
And when they sell the house - it is not their problem anymore.
I guarantee you that this seller will greet such questions like a deer that’s caught in the headlights.
The house was built in 2005. It probably doesn’t need much systems work, unless it has Chinese drywall.
Looks like they went hard-core with the HGTV paint colors. Landscaping is rather meh. And how would a traditional house shape like that survive a Florida climate?
If wealth is defined income and taxes are raised on income then, natch, income earners are going to be hit if/when taxes on income are raised again.
But if wealth is defined by stored money then maybe not because taxes on stored money is different than taxes on earned money. In fact, if done right, there are no taxes at all on stored money.
A few windows were opened by the tax man after the 2008 economic fiasco when taxes were reduced, and these reduced taxes allowed savers to store more of their earned money - allowed them to convert more earned money into stored money.
A penny saved is a penny earned, and all that. A penny saved usually escapes the tax man, but this penny can only be saved once it has passed by the outstretched hands of the tax man after it has been earned. Once it passes by then it is pretty much out of the tax man’s reach.
Those few windows that were opened by the tax man after 2008 are now being closed - some of them at least - and this is going to make it tougher for savers to save, and as a result the value of savings to the saver should increase.
Best of all is not earning money or storing money but controlling money. Other people’s money (OPM).
Get yourself a foothold in a large pile of OPM and - if done correctly - you will get to shift all your expenses to the OPM pile and allow the owners of the OPM to pay all your bills.
“If wealth is defined income and taxes are raised on income then, natch, income earners are going to be hit if/when taxes on income are raised again.”
Taken to the extreme, governments will declare a war on wage earners. They already have and they really have no choice, the money sucking monsters have to be fed.
Housing at current inflated asking prices represents a massive loss. The risk is astronomical.
“Astronomical” is a tad over-the-top.
For most people, it’s likely to be long-term catastrophic. That would be probably true.
But long-term is a long-ways away and nobody thinks about Alpo in their dotage.
Party away!
Somehow I think if Janet Milliken was not underwater by $100,000 this would not be an issue.
More like the ghost of flippers past…
————————————-
Home sellers can keep murders, suicides secret
January 03, 2013 - Sam Wood - Philly.com
If the property was the site of bloody crime, the seller does not have to divulge that scrap of information.
In a decision handed up in Pennsylvania last week, a panel of Superior Court judges reaffirmed that the sordid reputation of a home - no matter how gruesome - does not count as “material defect” and does not have to be disclosed to the buyer.
“The fact that a murder once occurred in a house falls into that category of homebuyer concerns best left to caveat emptor” - let the buyer beware, the court wrote.
Janet S. Milliken bought a 14-year-old Delaware County McMansion in 2007 from Kathleen and Joseph Jacono. The Jaconos had spent $450,000 to buy the Thornton property at auction in April and flipped it, selling it to Milliken in August for $610,000, according to court records.
In September, Milliken learned her new home had been the site of a murder-suicide the previous year.
Police said three children were in the house on a cold February morning when Konstantinos Koumboulis, 50, shot his wife, Georgia Koumboulis, 34, and then turned the gun on himself. The children were not physically harmed. According to the court decision, the Jaconos and their real estate agents, Re/Max, knew about the home’s lurid history. They called the state Real Estate Commission who assured them that they were not required to disclose that information.
Milliken sued, arguing that she never would have bought the house if she had been aware of the grisly crime. Brokers often consider homes that have been the scene of a murder or suicide as “stigmatized.” The term also encompasses the belief that a house might be haunted by ghosts.
Milliken asserted that the damage to the house was as real as any structural defect because the crime diminished the value of the property.
In a dissenting opinion to last week’s decision, Superior Court Judge John T. Bender acknowledged that Milliken had suffered a six-figure loss.
Said Bender: “The financial penalty Mrs. Milliken has suffered was entirely avoidable had the sellers whom she bought her home merely exercised a little more integrity and a little less greed.”
Darrell Issa, mouthpiece for among others, the American Bankers Association and Patrick McHenry, the other house banking mouthpiece, the one who attempted to aggressively undermine (now senator) Elizabeth Warren last year, have surprisingly released a report blasting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Color me shocked.
However, I enjoy seeing these bought and paid-for debt peddlers howl. If something is making them howl, it’s almost certainly a good thing.
GOP report: Consumer bureau looks to be ‘run-away regulator’
By Peter Schroeder - 12/14/12 11:10 AM ET
The Hill
The House Oversight Committee has accused the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) of having unchecked power and a vague mandate, giving it the potential to be a “run-away regulator unlike any other in American history.” You mean a financial regulator that hasn’t been captured yet by the industries it regulates?
“At a time of prolonged economic strain, American consumers can ill-afford such an unaccountable, unresponsive, and all-powerful financial regulator,” the report states.
The document marks the latest in a long-running Republican campaign opposing the bureau.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/banking-financial-institutions/272993-gop-report-consumer-bureau-looks-to-be-run-away-regulator
The Republicans simply and utterly do not get it. I don’t know what’s going on with them. They are a party now that is utterly beholden to very narrow interests, and is dancing for those interests. I’ve been a supporter of the Republicans in the past. But they seem to be on the wrong side of the big issues nowadays, supporting narrow, destructive interests of their paymasters rather than looking to the good of the society. I hope they get their act together soon.
Forget financial products, farmville tractors and houses, we could make money selling baseball cards to each other! Maybe the government could create a battery of debt insurers, lenders and securitizers around this market which could allow us to take on debt to buy these cards! Then securitize those bonds and sell them in a new market! Well all be rich!
I almost don’t want to give them any ideas
Honus Wagner Card May Sell at Auction for More Than $2.8 Million
By Eben Novy-Williams - Jan 4, 2013 11:27 AM ET
Bloomberg
The trading card that the National Baseball Hall of Fame calls the sport’s “most famous collectible” will be up for sale next month and might fetch more than $2.8 million, according to the auction house.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-04/honus-wagner-card-may-sell-at-auction-for-more-than-2-8-million.html
I don’t know why everyone is bitching about drones.
The alternative is using F-16s and Apaches to shoot Hellfires…….or worse, dropping 500 and 1000 pound bombs, instead of 50 pound Hellfires. Talk about collateral damage…..
Might as well go back to carpet bombing. You can buy a whole bunch of “dumb bombs” for the price of a single GPS/laser guided weapon.
Sending an manned fighter or helicopter to do a drone’s job is expensive. The aircraft costs many millions more. A lot more fuel is burned. And you gotta pay for flight training and salary for a pilot, vs. the A1C flying the drone, who has gone thru basic flight school in front of his Xbox, or Microsoft’s Flight Simulator.
The Taliban choose to follow the “guerrilla lives among the people, as the fish swims in the sea” plan. If they were worried about collateral damage, they wouldn’t choose to live among the people.
Better yet, the people would tell the Taliban to GTFOOD, and go live in their own mud huts, outside of the blast radius.
People just need to bitch about the basic policy, not get side-traced about the choice of weapon.
The alternate is to do nothing.
We brought the war to Taliban. Taliban didn’t bring it to us. It’s kind of reeks of hypocrisy to tell Taliban fight the war with rules while we disregarded every conceivable rules by attacking them in the first place.
BTW, do you work for the drone industry?
Peace sells…Whose buying?
“I don’t know why everyone is bitching about drones.”
Because the Israelis put 1 person on 1 dirt bike with 1 pistol or 1 sticky bomb.
THAT is how you assassinate people.
Actually THIS is probably close to how people will be assassinated in the future:
Firing paintballs from publicly available remote control aircraft: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jplh7uatr-E
The next step up: Firing machine guns from publicly available remote control aircraft: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPJMk2fgJU
Maybe a Barrett 50 caliber on a Predator or Reaper, continously optimized for windspeed and motion. With a smart bullet. Or just a smaller missile instead of a rifle.
I think the Charlene video itself was debunked, but the concept is legit.
Coincidence you mentioned the Barrett 50. I was just talking about the movie “Shooter” with one of my buds and reading up on sniper science. My bud (helo mechanic ) was talking about quiet blades (http://gizmodo.com/5481081/the-blade-that-would-make-helicopters-almost-silent) and we got bs’ing about all of the other secondary things that happen in physics; blade vortex interaction reminded me of snipers, projectiles, and hydrostatic shock…
I have no idea where I am going with this.
Think rockets: No recoil.
“would make”?
I watched one of those noiseless helo’s (all white and very sleek) take off not more than 100 feet from me while I was riding along the Pacific Crest Trail about 15 years ago. Totally freaked my horse, but I don’t think the pilot saw us. Literally did not hear a thing. Very spooky machine.
“I don’t know why everyone is bitching about drones.”
i think some are bitching about drones because those that bitched about water boarding are not bitching about drones.
Wait until you can buy a drone on Amazon.com…well, what do you know? You can!
“House foreclosure bill would speed up process
TALLAHASSEE — A “faster foreclosures” proposal that sparked consumer outcry and protest last year has resurfaced in a more moderate form, with a new bill filed this week by Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.
The bill, HB 87, offers a slew of changes to the civil procedures governing foreclosures in Florida, where home repossessions are on the rise again.”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/article1268970.ece
Could it be the third judicial state to speed things up?
New Jersey: Speedy foreclosures of vacant and abandoned homes (starting in March ‘13)
Illinois: Ditto (I think May ‘13)
Florida…faster, but looks like they scrapped a similar “abandoned” home provision…too bad…
Perhaps this was already posted, but I caught this in my doctor’s office copy this morning:
“Inside The Koch Empire: How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2012/12/05/inside-the-koch-empire-how-the-brothers-plan-to-reshape-america/
“The goal has always been, Charles says, true democracy.”
“The goal has always been, Charles says, true democracy.”
Gaza style? No thanks.
Speaking of the Koch Brothers, where is our resident Koch Fluffer Northeasterner? He’d tell you to stop being lazy and criticizing the “boot strapping” “job creators” like the Kochs.
I’m glad these two lived long enough to see their estate taxes go up.
LOL
“true democracy”
Mob rule…No thanks.
Why buy a house when prices are grossly inflated at 2004 levels and falling?
Ooh, only 6-9 more years of backtrack to go!
Why not post your one liners on patrick’s site. Oh that’s right, got booted.
It was really slow today, fugg’n dead as a matter of fact. Gray overcast and a daytime high of 25-degrees F didn’t help things, but I didn’t see any pan-handlers either. Trying to stay warm surfing Redfin’s Phoenix listings.
I agree with this conjecture.
Janet Yellen Could Become Next Fed Chair
By Alex Gauthier | 11/20/2012 | Banking, Budget, Economy, Economy, Headline, Issues
Photo: Dan Smith /Federal Reserve Headquarters located in Washington D.C.
Although Obama is set to reclaim the presidency, several of his appointments might not follow him to the end of his second term. It is probable that Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, will not seek reappointment at the end of his term in 2014. It has been speculated that the next Fed chair will be Janet Yellen. She currently holds the vice chair position. Should she be nominated, Yellen would be the Fed’s first chairwoman.
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Long winded talk on how to remedy the causes of the financial crisis without ever mentioning the role of “too big to fail” bailout policy in providing incentives to play “heads we win, tails you lose” investing strategies…
Fed’s Yellen Says Tighter Regulation Needed for Crises
By Aki Ito - Jan 4, 2013 12:30 PM PT
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Janet Yellen said financial markets should be regulated more tightly to reduce the risk of 2008-like credit crises.
“Experience — most importantly, our recent financial crisis — as well as a growing body of academic research suggests that interconnections among financial intermediaries are not an unalloyed good,” Yellen said today in a speech in San Diego. “Certain types of externalities, such as those arising from incomplete information or a lack of coordination among market participants” can be “devastating during a crisis,” she said.
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This is more like it:
Goldfinger Would Envy Latest Taxpayer Shakedown
By Simon Johnson
Jan 4, 2013 9:26 AM PT
It has become fashionable to despair of our supposed recent lack of technological progress. All the big inventions of modern society — jet engines, television, nuclear weapons — were on the scene by the early 1960s.
Proponents of this view should watch the classic James Bond movie “Goldfinger.” Made in 1964, this entertaining (and politically incorrect) thriller features an egomaniac financier intent on irradiating the U.S. government’s official gold holdings to drive up the price and make what he estimates will be a profit of about $180 million (about $1.3 billion in today’s money).
Goldfinger’s technology — including a dirty nuclear device and nerve gas delivered by aircraft — seems very modern in some ways. The physical equipment of the mid-1960s is very similar to what today’s villains have at their disposal.
Yet Goldfinger’s economics are completely anachronistic. A modern archvillain would create the conditions for a major financial crisis, and walk away with cash compensation while sticking the rest of us with the kind of tax bill that came due this week. This isn’t fiction: Our recent fiscal-cliff experience and the next round of the debt-ceiling debacle (due around the end of February) are the direct result of irresponsible behavior in the financial sector.
Perfect Crime
But this modern financial crime is so perfect that no politician even wants to connect the dots from banking crisis to fiscal pressure. If you want to know why, consider what happened over the past decade.
The best way to pocket $1.3 billion today is to take excessive risk at a large global financial enterprise. When times go well, you get the upside. Sanjai Bhagat of the University of Colorado at Boulder and Brian Bolton of the University of New Hampshire estimate that executives at the 14 largest financial institutions in the U.S. received about $2.6 billion in various forms of cash compensation from 2000 to 2008 (with about $1.5 billion going to the five best-paid individuals).
This compensation was based, of course, on profit that proved illusory because it wasn’t adjusted for risk. When these risks materialized, in the form of losses on loans to the housing sector and associated derivative exposures, there was a major negative impact on the economy.
Whether or not you like the countermeasures taken by the government and the Federal Reserve, this was a huge hit to economic growth that was directly due to the buildup of mismanaged credit risk in big financial firms. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was allowed to fail, but the rest were saved on very generous terms.
And their executives were allowed to walk away not just with their previous compensation, but in many cases also with bonuses for 2008 and 2009 that were made directly possible by government (and taxpayer) subsidies. As Neil Barofsky, a former special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, writes in his book, “Bailout,” there was excessive deference by Treasury and other parts of government to the notion that Wall Street talent must continue to receive top dollar lest something bad would happen to the world (the kind of threat that Bond villains enjoy making).
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The money quote from this article:
SWEET! New LEGO sets are out. I can start teaching my son about the bubble.
“HELP! An abandoned house is on fire and only the LEGO® City firefighters can save the day! ”
http://city.lego.com/en-us/products/fire/60003/
I can start teaching my son about the bubble.
And unions!
I’ll have to help my son make the connection:
http://kingdoms.lego.com/en-us/Products/Default.aspx
“And unions!”
And three days on, four off.
OMG
I should buy now before I am smooshed in.
“And several demographers predict that within two or three years Florida could eclipse New York as the third most populous state in the country.”
http://www.tampabay.com/news/growth/population-growth-likely-to-push-florida-past-new-york-experts-say/1269028
Lots of vacant homes in FL currently…if they do speed up foreclosures, there will could be a nice window in the coming 2-3 years to buy.
Jan. 4, 2013, 3:36 p.m. EST
Tech, bank forecasts slashed in run-up to earnings
Still, modest gains for S&P 500 firms could amount to record profits
By Wallace Witkowski, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Sharply scaled-back forecasts for tech and financial results have flattened the outlook for the fourth-quarter earnings season, the next likely catalyst for stocks after a policy-clogged few months.
Analysts have cut their forecasts by a little more than 10% for tech and financials over the three-month period that ended in December, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
The only larger reduction by analysts was in the materials sector, with estimates off by 14.4% from early October. Tech and financial companies, however, are more heavily weighted on the S&P 500 Index than resource stocks.
Declining PC sales and their effect on traditional chip makers, along with the popularity of tablets and smartphones, are putting pressure on the tech sector, while financial firms are still struggling with declining brokerage businesses and the costs of shoring up reserve funds, Silverblatt said.
The big picture, however, isn’t as grim as those more conservative outlooks imply. Thanks to a combination of good cash flow and low debt levels, S&P 500 companies have a shot at setting a new all-time high for quarterly earnings.
“We’re talking potentially making a new record,” said Silverblatt. “These companies have found a way to find a way.”
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Jobless drop to put Fed in position to end QE3 in 2013: Bullard
Published January 04, 2013
Reuters
SAN DIEGO – St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard on Friday said the U.S. central bank may be able to end its current asset purchase program before the end of this year if the U.S. jobless rate falls as he expects.
U.S. unemployment will probably fall to the “low sevens” by year’s end, from 7.8 percent in at the end of 2012, Bullard told reporters after participating on a panel at the American Economics Association’s annual meeting here.
“If we get even moderately good growth this year I would expect unemployment to continue to tick down,” Bullard said. “I would say that that would put the committee in a good position to think about doing a pause with the balance sheet policy.”
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I realize I sound like a broken record by now, but what props up the U.S. stock market, given that investors pull massive amounts out of stock funds each and every week?
I note that three more weeks of this will make six straight months worth of weekly stock fund withdrawals.
AP News
Cash pulled from stock funds 23rd straight week
By By Mark Jewell on January 02, 2013
Money was withdrawn from stock mutual funds for the 23rd consecutive week during the period ended Dec. 26 as investors watched negotiations in Washington to try to avoid the “fiscal cliff.” Bond funds continued to attract new money.
Businessweek
The movement of cash was in line with the conservative approach that many investors have taken since the financial crisis of 2008. Money has consistently been withdrawn from stock mutual funds and added to lower-risk bond funds.
Stocks:
Investors withdrew a net $3.64 billion from U.S. stock funds, the Investment Company Institute said in a preliminary report Wednesday. That compared with withdrawals of $5.28 billion for the week ended Dec. 19. Withdrawals have exceeded deposits each week since mid-July.
Cash was pulled out as the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 1.1 percent during the weeklong period ended Dec. 26. Investors were concerned by the lack of progress in Washington on negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff, which would have meant a series of sharp government spending cuts and tax increases. Those changes had been scheduled to start Jan. 1, but Congress approved an agreement on Tuesday to avoid the cliff.
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