The Housing Bubble

They…they…they…

The HBB hasn’t run short of bigotry…

‘The HBB hasn’t run short of bigotry’

No, we haven’t even got to a rich Muslim who belongs to the tea party.

“…rich Muslim who belongs to the tea party.”

That would be a multiculturalist’s wet dream…

“the reality of their coexistence is living in neighborhoods that are 95+ percent white”

I’ll admit to living in one of these neighborhoods. But the city I live in is only maybe 50% white. And just over the hill, about 5-6 blocks away, there is a neighborhood that is probably only 25% white. Of course this is separated by a major roadway with a median and the people living on either side might as well be different species.

You can see the same thing near where I work in DC - when you come down 11th Street near Logan Circle area (R.I. Ave) it’s nearly 100% white. Then at O and N streets it gets brown/black. Once you get the L and K streets, you’re back to nearly 100% white (or asian).

Uniquely American!

Bobos may be dumb but they ain’t stupid.

What makes America’s gun culture totally unique in the world, in four charts.

Most Americans live in a bubble, having no idea what it is like anywhere else in the world. Regarding guns, there is something different going on here. This might be a good place to begin the discussion.

And yes, I know how to shoot a gun (Lady’s Night at the shooting range, what fun!), owned a revolver for about 15 years. Gave it to a friend when my first kid was born.

Not having guns in the house when you have kids is right up there with using a seat belt and swim lessons.

Whoops, forgot the link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/15/what-makes-americas-gun-culture-totally-unique-in-the-world-as-demonstrated-in-four-charts/

“we haven’t even got to a rich Muslim who belongs to the tea party’

maybe i should introduce HBB to my favourite Egyptian-American dentist.

Catch a re-run of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show 01-16-2013 for a good look at the ATF and what republicans have done to castrate it. If feel a lot safer now. I wish they would do the same thing to the DEA.

Struck a nerve there, did he now?

Better call Al and Jesse cuz that’s Racist®

“Any specific group you are trying to identify here Nicky ??”

1. Progressives
2. Statists
3. Libruls
4. Communists
5. Other?

“Any specific group you are trying to identify here Nicky ??”

Never forget, Nick/Diogenes (who gives Greek Americans a bad name btw) yearns for a time when Americans supported the Fugitive Slave Act.

6. Liars
7. Corrupt elected officials(all of Congress)

Struck a nerve there, did he now ??

Not really….I am under no illusion that racism and bigotry in our country is very much alive & well…I am just calling Nicky out on it…

Never forget, Nick/Diogenes (who gives Greek Americans a bad name btw) yearns for a time when Americans supported the Fugitive Slave Act………

I’ve never commented on the Fugitive Slave Act, so you’ve obviously taken statements of others and attributed them to me.
Perhaps you made them yourself.
I was never “pro-slavery”, although I did and do support States Rights, as that was the basis of the Constitution, despite all the Denial of it by most Pro Federal take-over of all things in Government.

when Americans supported the Fugitive Slave Act.

Hey, property rights are sacrosanct, right?

“Any specific group you are trying to identify here Nicky ??”

You are all smart enough (well maybe not all) to understand my point. It stings when you realize some of your troops can be lampooned for their way of life. Like I said earlier this week, mind your own business and this will be a happier country.

“Fugitive Slave Act.”

Missed that one from the poser. Another Alinsky disciple seeks to destroy the messenger with smear tactics. Nice try.

“I also do listen to NPR on ocassion (they have some excellent shows, as does PBS).”

Communist!

I also listen to Marc Levin and Michael Savage at times. They are hilarious and should *never* be taken off the air! I also miss Glen Beck having a TV show. He could make some decent points, but then follow them up with completely ridiculous and unsupported conclusions.

“ridiculous and unsupported conclusions.”… or delusions.

Beck went over a cliff and tried to take his fanboys with him. Give people credit for turning away.

Which is scarier, bears or gun-toting teabaggers?
Gun-toting bears.

The right to Bear arms.

Thankfully the Bill of Rights does not mention the right to arm bears.

Neither. What scares me most are blowhards who blame their own intellectual shortcomings on “Them”.

We spend a lot of time camping and hiking in National Forests. We always pack the .357 during late summer and early fall when the bears are fattening for hibernation. There are known trouble spots for bears, Lake Como and Willow Lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Snowmass / Maroon Bells area near Aspen. The source of the problem is always human food and garbage being improperly stored and disposed of. A friend of a friend was camping near Aspen and took all necessary precautions and nevertheless woke up with a bear chewing on his leg.

The National Forests attract a lot of other campers and visitors who are not into hiking, rock climbing, mountaineering. While we have never had any incidents, people we know have been verbally threatened or indirectly threatened by late night campers drunkenly shooting off guns nearby. Can’t speak to the political affiliation of these folks, but they tend to be fans of ATV’s and crawler Jeeps, and are seldom seen far from places accessible with motorized transport.

We spend a lot of time camping and hiking in National Forests. We always pack the .357
There is a National Park Service campground in Greenbelt, MD adjacent to a Metro rail station, about 10 miles from the heart of DC. I camped there once to attend a special Veteran’s Day in DC in 2004. I met a local vet and told him where I was camping. He said, “I wouldn’t sleep there unless I had a loaded .45 underneath my pillow.”

A friend of a friend was camping near Aspen and took all necessary precautions and nevertheless woke up with a bear chewing on his leg.
What good would having a .357 do in a case like that? You would be more likely to shoot yourself or a human companion in the dark than the leg-chewer (or head-chewer). About the only way to prevent such an attack would be to maintain a bright fire and an armed guard to watch over you while you sleep.

“…and are seldom seen far from places accessible with motorized transport….”

Bingo. Hard to carry all that beer in on foot.

Around where I live, the drunk/druggies are too lazy to go camping, they just start shooting from their backyards. Closer to the fridge that way, y’see.

Speaking of “Them”, we greatly enjoyed reading British humorist Jon Ronson’s book of that title:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743233212

Allena is those oil fields around Bakersfield still active or did they tap out?

What few have been tapped out completely are now mostly failed real estate developments, but “oilmen” are using steam extraction (and, one suspects, fracking) to get to the 40+% of the oil that’s left in most of those older fields.

The Kern River Oil Field is still the “Oil Capital of California” with Kern Kounty being the largest oil-producing county in the United States, pumping about 10% of the nation’s crude. Yet CA imports 70% of its oil….

Here’s an excellent article on the local and international viccissitudes of oil extraction:

http://www.nationaljournal.com/features/restoration-calls/where-oil-is-plentiful-and-expensive-20120628

“Hard to carry all that beer in on foot.”

Probably easier to carry in boxed wine, trail mix and marijuana.

Right on.. It’s like getting back on the horse, except you are getting back at the bear… My old football coach used to say, “Beat the bears!”

The thing is, I rather LIKE bears, and have advocated against their mindless slaughter much of my life. Just as there are some rotten human beings out there, so are there also a few rotten bears. Punishing the one for the sins of the other seems as unfair as restricting gun rights for people who have nothing to do with the carnage inflicted upon schoolchildren.

On the other hand, there’s nothing so delicious as a slow-braised bear haunch stew with fresh winter veggies and a fine cabernet.

On the other hand, there’s nothing so delicious as a slow-braised bear haunch stew with fresh winter veggies and a fine cabernet.

Party at ahansen’s!

With target practice beforehand! (Paper targets and iron sights only.)

Just as there are some rotten human beings out there, so are there also a few rotten bears.

Being a surfer, this describes how I feel about sharks.

“sharks”

Have you seen this Youtube footage? It must bum out the enviros to realize one of their pet species for an ESA listing is a vicious killer of marine mammals.

Rahm Emmanuel’s Chicago in a nutshell.

Oops, wait. Guns are illegal there

Obama seems to get trashed on a regular basis on “Democracy Now”, which unlike the sell outs at NPR and PBS, really is “leftist”.

Democracy Now

Real journalism. But most people, liberal or conservative, don’t have the attention span for the sort of in-depth reporting that shows like Democracy Now. They want complex issues explained to them in less than 60 seconds.

They want complex issues explained to them in less than 60 seconds. No. They don’t want any explanation that takes longer than a soundbite. Ratiocination makes their heads hurt, then they get fidgety & change the channel.

Isn’t Democracy Now a PBS program? Or am I thinking of something else?

Isn’t Democracy Now a PBS program? Or am I thinking of something else?

It’s carried on independent radio stations. Such as that one I used to deejay for.

Great Orange Liberal Site has been less vocal on the wars, but has loud fights when Obama sells out to Bohner on fiscal policy such as chained CPI.

Most people want the explanation that agrees with what they already think.

But most people, liberal or conservative, don’t have the attention span for the sort of in-depth reporting that shows like Democracy Now. They want complex issues explained to them in less than 60 seconds.

When I was working on my useless MBA, we were told that you had to be able to get your point across quickly, and that executives don’t like long, in depth reports or analysis.

This struck me as odd. How could you make a good decision without background information. Of course, this explains the incredible clusterf**ks that companies make, like when HP overpaid billions for software maker Autonomy.

What’s wrong with just saying “Don’t do it”…? That takes much less than 60 seconds. The executives can then ask you “why not” and you should have the background research ready…

How could you make a good decision without background information.

Whenever I’m proposing something to management that needs their approval (giving away free gear to an important client, por ejemplo), I literally begin with a “Cliffs Notes version” of what I ultimately need followed by a “Long version” with all the deets that might get asked of them by their managers if there’s an audit at some point. It’s all there in writing if it’s worth their time to review the minutiae. If not, they know what I need and can give a quick thumbs up/down.

You are the one that is misinformed and completely out of touch.
the LIE of the left is that OBAMA has signed LESS than Bush,Clinton, etc.
HE has signed more than all of them combined, going back to FDR.
GO the the Whitehouse.org, since you don’t believe “right wing” propaganda, and look at the LIST of orders.
There’s about 10 pages worth, in reverse order, starting this year.
My last count was over 150, and some are rather “benign”. Others are big over-reaches.
You excuse this tyrant in disguise at every turn.
IF Bush had done the same things, the press would be unrelenting in its criticism.
Others that claim to be “progressives” would be rolling over if Bush had done these things.

I don’t disagree with the number.. what I last read was 157. Second result on Google search for Bush II XO count:

George W. Bush (2001-2009) EO’s 13198-13488.

By my count that is 291. What the content is may be a different story, but I’m not misinformed on the number.

Again, this is no excuse for policy. I’m actually on a similar page to you in that regard..(just read my post man!) . I’m just trying to correct you on the Executive order count. The past 3 presidents have had more.

Pick the right thing to get upset about or else you will be ignored as uninformed and ignorant. There are enough facts that you don’t need to spin mistruths to make the guy look bad.

I do have to say this.. If Bush II had 291 XO’s over 8 years, and Obama has had 157 in a little over 4 years, he IS on pace to have the same # as Bush II, even if his current tally is lower. Again though, we should be much more worried about economic and foreign policy abominations he is pushing (in conjunction with the Republicans!) than these pretty benign executive orders.

Snopes to the rescue again:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/executiveorders.asp
Reagan : 381
Bush I : 161
Clinton: 364
Bush II :291
Obama : 138 (157 currently last I saw)

Thank you for sharing my moment of brilliance. In true seek and destroy progressive style you left out the opening line. I don’t even have to go back and read it…I opened by saying this is my conspiracy theory of the day, and it looks like you fell for it hook, line and sinker. Glad to see you are still following my posts.

Paranoia is the new black.

‘Labels lose their impact if used too often’

Kinda like wing nut, nut job. It’s interesting how many here start off an attack on someone else by using some ‘label’ that intend to categorize them as insane.

While we’re on terms; I’ve got to the point where I tune out if I read the word metric!

I only enjoy labels if I can hear myself laugh out loud every time I read them.

“teabillie” is a funny one…”progressive” is another.

“teabillie” is a funny one…”

Does that mean they’ve worn out “teabagger” ?

“teabagger”

It’s funny, though a bit over the top for its connotations.

“teabilly” is something I say because it’s more of a cultural reference. Someone who is, culturally speaking, poor white trash, but has the added wrinkle of being a hard core GOP supporter. The type that votes out Richard Luger in favor of the “rape guy”. These teabillies support candidates that, in turn, support policies that would screw over the working people in America, put American into more debt, spend more on the military, and reduce personal freedoms (e.g. most of them hate Roe v Wade).

^This.

As we have previously posted here, the modern popularity of the phrase “Tea Party” originated with Ron Paul’s Tea Party “money bomb” fundraising event on 12/16/2007.

What the “Tea Party” became after Rick Santelli’s CBoT floor rant in early 2009 has been quite pathetic.

We attended a speech by (former U.S. Rep) Tom Tancredo in October 2010 in the final days of his gubernatorial bid. The “Tea Party” presence at the event was thick and vocal, and confirmed for us that it was a movement we had no reason to support.

‘Labels lose their impact if used too often’

Calling everything racist (whether you are joking, as some on this board do), or playing the race card, has the same effect.

Calling everything racist

We were a young and naive undergrad liberal arts major once. A decade on from there spent in the real world has schooled us that the biggest racists are the ones who most often accuse others of being racist.

A native American elder once told me she thought native Americans were the worst racists she ever encountered.

Maybe “racism” is normal adaptive behavior.

Maybe “racism” is normal adaptive behavior.

Social norms and us vs. them are powerful things. It’s not about skin color.

Most times I have visited places on reservation land, the hosts have been cold and even rude. They like the money we bring but they don’t like us.

Wait until you visit China.

Or Hawaii.

The current extremely-ill-informed popular ‘discussion’ (actually a propaganda distraction) on gun control, of course, has not mentioned the high likelihood that US law enforcement personnel have a mentally-ill or otherwise untrustworthy relative or acquaintance who could filch their weapons and go on to cause trouble. Wiki “Red Lake Massacre.”

“the high likelihood that US law enforcement personnel have a mentally-ill or otherwise untrustworthy relative or acquaintance who could filch their weapons and go on to cause trouble.”

Just US law enforcement personnel?

VA to loosen rules to get PTSD benefits

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jul 10, 2010 9:06:13 EDT

New rules could take effect as early as Monday to streamline the process for veterans of all eras with post-traumatic stress disorder to become eligible for disability benefits and treatment.

Veterans Affairs Department rules, due to take effect after they are published in the Federal Register, relax the type of evidence that veterans need to try to prove they have service-connected PTSD.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/07/military_va_ptsd_rules_071010w/ - 54k

Nearly 30% of Vets Treated by V.A. Have PTSD

by Jamie Reno Oct 21, 2012 4:45 AM EDT

A new study by the Veterans Administration reveals nearly 30% of its patients who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have PTSD. Jamie Reno reports.

The report, which revealed that 247,243 veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have been diagnosed with PTSD, was buried on the V.A.’s website without fanfare. “As far as we can tell, V.A. didn’t tell anyone these numbers were made public,” says veterans advocate Paul Sullivan at Bergmann & Moore, a law firm that focuses entirely on veteran disability issues. “No press release. Nothing. I actually found the report while searching for new data. I simply changed the V.A.’s web address from second quarter to third quarter by altering one digit, and the new numbers appeared. Magic, eh?”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/21/nearly-30-of-vets-treated-by-v-a-have-ptsd.html - 79k -

Senate Democrats protect administration’s right to strip PTSD vets of guns

December 5, 2012
By: Patricia CampionSubscribe

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the Senate approved a sweeping, $631 billion defense bill – the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act – “sending a clear signal to President Barack Obama to move quickly to get U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan.”

Against Obama’s “veto threat,” the Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 98-0.

However, as The Washington Times reported Tuesday, the bill “hit an unexpected bump on its journey” when an amendment on veterans’ gun rights “devolved into a heated floor debate.”

Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, wants veterans who have been deemed “mentally incompetent” to have their cases adjudicated by a judge — rather than the Department of Veterans Affairs, as happens currently — and argued that veterans who simply cannot support themselves financially are needlessly given the label and, as such, cannot buy or possess firearms.

“We’re not asking for anything big,” Coburn explained on the Senate floor Thursday. “We’re just saying that if you’re going to take away the Second Amendment rights — they ought to have it adjudicated, rather than mandated by someone who’s unqualified to state that they should lose their rights.”

However, as soon as New York Democrat Sen. Charles E. Schumer discovered that Coburn’s pitch was part of a bundle of amendments tucked into the NDAA, he quickly objected.

“I love our veterans,” Schumer prefaced his opinion. “I vote for them all the time, they defend us.”

Despite his professions of “love” for “our veterans,” Schumer then equated military veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to convicted criminals.

“But if you are mentally ill, whether you’re a veteran or not, just like if you’re a felon, if you’re a veteran or not, and you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun.

http://www.examiner.com/article/senate-democrats-protect-administration-s-right-to-strip-ptsd-vets-of-guns -

VA to loosen rules to get PTSD benefits

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jul 10, 2010 9:06:13 EDT
———————————————————————
Nearly 30% of Vets Treated by V.A. Have PTSD

by Jamie Reno Oct 21, 2012 4:45 AM EDT

The report, which revealed that 247,243 veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have been diagnosed with PTSD,

“As far as we can tell, V.A. didn’t tell anyone these numbers were made public,”
———————————————————————
Senate Democrats protect administration’s right to strip PTSD vets of guns

December 5, 2012
By: Patricia CampionSubscribe

“But if you are mentally ill, whether you’re a veteran or not, just like if you’re a felon, if you’re a veteran or not, and you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun.”

Yeah, I saw that a few days ago.

Absolutely brilliant way to cut back on rising veteran’s benefit costs for PTSD claims. Bravo!

‘…you have been judged to be mentally infirm, you should not have a gun.”

I know a 2 tour Iraq War vet who did this. He had talked to a buddy he had served with and went in knowing what to say and got $1,200 or whatever it was a month for PTSD. He is pretty close to a gun fanatic which led me to sak him while he was doing this…. Won`t they make you give up your guns? He said…. No I checked into that first, you get to keep your guns.

“Absolutely brilliant way to cut back on rising veteran’s benefit costs for PTSD claims. Bravo!”

When it comes to the 247,243 veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars that have already been diagnosed with PTSD. I don`t think they are going to let them say…

Well, I`m feeling better now.

In which case it looks like a pretty good set up. But there is a big part of me (which most of you know well) that says….

That money was there for the ones who needed it and the ones who scammed the system get what they got coming.

Also would be great way to keep all those who are …ahem …disabled/ permanently not working…from owning a gun. Urban street violence would stop in a week.

“I do not keep a round chambered”

Not to get up in your business, but you should reconsider when carrying outside of the home. In any kind of altercation, things can happen quickly, look into the 21 foot rule.

I’m with moral hazard. I don’t like keeping a round chambered unless I’m in immediate danger, in which case I should also be getting away from that situation as quickly as possible. I agree that I would rather be killed myself than having an innocent person hurt or killed by an accidental discharge. A double action revolver can be a good compromise.

If you don’t carry chambered then it really does you no good outside of your house. You should really reconsider or decide not to carry. I do understand where you are coming from, I carried un-chambered for years until I really started to think about how fast something can happen. Look into that 21 foot rule and be safe out there.

“If it isn’t loaded and ready to fire, you might as well throw it at them. That’s all it’s good for.”

Or you could…

Draw, rack and fire - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzGwsriMnII - 131k -

Or it could be a considered response to a large and vocal portion of the electorate demanding government action? In either case, gun control is a non-starter when it comes to actual federal gun regulations.

I’ve always maintained it should be a municipal issue.

Or it could be a considered response to a large and vocal portion of the electorate demanding government action?

AP Poll: Majority want gun controls

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly six in 10 Americans want stricter gun laws in the aftermath of last month’s deadly school shooting in Connecticut, with majorities favoring a nationwide ban on military-style, rapid-fire weapons and limits on gun violence depicted in video games, movies and TV shows, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

A lopsided 84 percent of adults would like to see the establishment of a federal standard for background checks for people buying guns at gun shows, the poll showed.

– Those AP polls never ask the interesting questions that would help us make sense of the qualifications those answering the polls, such as “Do you believe in free lunches?” and “What state is Columbus, Ohio the capital of?”
– I’ve learned more from Jay Leno’s polls than from the AP.
– When a pollster calls me, I hang up.

“I’ve always maintained it should be a municipal issue.”

Yes, the heartland of the left and the birthplace of incremental statism.

Actually, the Fed is owned by its member banks.

Who owns the Federal Reserve?
…
The 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, which were established by the Congress as the operating arms of the nation’s central banking system, are organized similarly to private corporations–possibly leading to some confusion about “ownership.” For example, the Reserve Banks issue shares of stock to member banks. However, owning Reserve Bank stock is quite different from owning stock in a private company. The Reserve Banks are not operated for profit, and ownership of a certain amount of stock is, by law, a condition of membership in the System. The stock may not be sold, traded, or pledged as security for a loan; dividends are, by law, 6 percent per year.

Actually, the Fed is owned by its member banks.

Yup, so let’s just quit even thinking that the FedRes cares about the American people, except as a source of wealth to siphon.

“…except as a source of wealth to siphon.”

Having monopoly rights to the printing press technology with full discretion makes the siphoning quite straightforward to accomplish. It’s really very similar to the milk shop drinking concept as explained in the movie There Will Be Blood.

shop

shake (never post while talking on the phone to your wife…)

The Fed is like a GSE. It has its own agenda. Sometimes it lines up with the national interest. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Then we agree. I don’t think we’ll see a revolution here either, although people here were braying about it the other day. How all the teabillies are going to fight the government and how even some of the armed forces (enlisted, presumably) and veterans would join in.

There is no chance of that. None. Average American - especially teabilly - has no ability to plan. They have no attention span. They are quite often out of shape. And they may not be living lavishly (like Linda the Lunchlady (TM)) but they have NFL football, frozen dinners, Applebee’s, and American Idol to keep themselves busy.

Joesmith,

how wrong you are. One of the hobbies I’ve taken up recently is machining. I purchased a small mill and lathe and have been working on creating a CNC adaptation of the mill to create parts directly from computer drawings. I’m guessing you don’t understand the precision, attention to detail, time, and skill required to make even a simple part like a gear for a car transmission, and just assume that because you can buy one for 23.99 if it needs to be replaced in your transmission, it must be easy.

The community of teabaggers (remember, you WILL be licking their balls) who are engaged in hobby machining, metal casting, robot building, electronics projects, ham radio, etc is pretty amazing. Look up the term hackerspace if you are interested. These people are banding together to create community places to build amazing things. You really think the automatic weapons ban will keep these people from building systems to keep themselves safe? It takes filing one small pin away in a semi-automatic rifle to turn it fully automatic in some cases.

Keep ignoring and underestimating the worth of the builders (working class, not 1%) of our economy. You are doing so at your own peril. For now these people are agreeing NOT to file away that small pin and are following the law, they are trying to listen to and appease the fears of society. When will they get sick of following stupid rules and giving away 30-50% of their earnings to state and federal taxes? When will they abandon the US currency and stop declaring their income in dollars? When will they switch to commodity and barter currencies? Really.. you think it’s just a bunch of stupid hicks who would be to dumb to do anything of the sort? Ever hear of bitcoin? How about the greek barter currencies? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/world/europe/in-greece-barter-networks-surge.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

You’re doing more to reinforce the “stupid uneducated american” stereotype than any of these “teabaggers”. History shows time and again that money printing in FIAT currencies causes economic and political collapse. The one group of people calling for restraint from inflationary monetary policy, and you are calling them idiots.. Take a look in the mirror.

The community of teabaggers (remember, you WILL be licking their balls) who are engaged in hobby machining, metal casting, robot building, electronics projects, ham radio, etc is pretty amazing

And they’ll get taken out by drones when the SHTF.

Machining II

I’m a retired engineer and rancher. My
shop includes a vertical milling machine, a lathe, bandsaws (wood and metal), stick, tig,and wire welding machines, four wood shapers, 14 inch table say, 10 inch cabinet saw, jointer, planer, and much, much more.

The American rancher and farmer are probably the most inventive group of people ever, having to fix or build most of everything in order to survive. When you’re 50 miles from the nearest hardware store
or John Deere dealer, you learn how to fix and repair just about anything.

The American rancher and farmer are probably the most inventive group of people ever, having to fix or build most of everything in order to survive. When you’re 50 miles from the nearest hardware store or John Deere dealer, you learn how to fix and repair just about anything.

Years ago, when I was bicycling around the USA, the above was proven to me many times. Especially when my bike broke down.

We used to have a poster who was into ‘hackerspace’ and all that. VaBeachBeyatch, or something? He was about as Tea Party as Noel Coward.

Some of the hackerspacers may be Teapartiers, but I seriously doubt any large majority is. The ‘hackers’ are mostly science nerds, and there’s no place for science in the Teaparty wing of the GOP.

Now if you’re talking about survivalists, then I bet many are tea partiers, but I wouldn’t confuse them with the hackerspacers.

‘When do you think businesses PAY for the factors of production contained in the products they SELL? AFTER they collect the payment from customers, or BEFORE they collect the payment from customers? Hint: this is not a trick question. ANSWER: BEFORE.’

Yes, to hear some posters here, you start a business and soon after you can charge whatever you want for your services. This thinking is UFB.

Okay, peeps, let’s put the verbal guns down, mmm-kay?

What we’re getting at is that there are many different flavors of small business. You have scdave’s friend’s electrical contracting firm. It needs to borrow money to fund necessary costs on new work.

Then there are businesses like my little itty-bitty studio. I can’t very well take out a loan on that creative freelancing head of mine. I’d be laughed out of the bank if I tried.

“What we’re getting at is that there are many different flavors of small business.”

And some are new (1,2,3 years old), in that zone where borrowing money for up front costs is kind of assumed until you get your footing.

…until you get your footing.

Or, you could stay at your day job and raise the money over time, or get investors to fund your brilliant idea.

It was rare to see zero debt.
Putting these various observations together, then:
Most if not all businesses need continuous access to lending.
Banks are key sources of lending.
If the banking system seizes up, businesses will fail en masse.
The lender of last resort must do whatever it takes to keep the current banking system running.
— no wonder we’re in the fix we’re in. What am I not considering properly?

The fact that banks have stopped providing liquidity. The only source of liquidity is the Fed discount window, of which the banks make liberal use. Paying off their old obligations, zeroing out bad debts and all. And NONE of that liquidity is reaching the small biz owner who traditionally depended on it.

Yet, miraculously, the banks and big companies are sitting on massive amounts of cash.

It’s broken. Break up the big banks and let’s have a massive resurgence in community banks.

I didn’t see that. Is that Clearchannel?

New billboards are amazing. I’ve studied the math behind them, and they can be HUGE cash machines. The newer ones don’t glow as brightly, and so they look a lot like traditional billboards (making it easier to get them approved by transportation agencies). But think of it this way, a traditional billboard might rent for several thousand per month (could be upwards of $10k per month or more on the busiest freeways). How much can you sell a 6 or 10 second impression for? Let’s say, as a local business owner, you want to buy 50 daily ten second impressions on a busy street, what would you spend per month on that advertisement? $200? $100? $300?

There are 1,728 of those to lease on a billboard on a busy street…the net result is that you can get WAY more in revenue than if you lease the billboard to a single user. Yes, there is a cost to the newer billboards, but that cost is low relative to the boost in income.

If their business model is to convert their traditional billboards to the modern billboards…I’m a believer in that growth model.

“New billboards are amazing.”

And probably cause more accidents than people talking on cellphones. I only say this because I drive for a living, and these things are designed to catch the eye. Of drivers. And they succeed, for multiple seconds at a time as you try to read the message, or look at the chick’s naked back. Not that I think it should be banned, but it should be higher on the list than talking on the phone. The ultimate infraction should be texting someone about the interesting billboard you just saw.

They are pretty hard to get approved…there is one on 101 on the mid-Peninsula, which is of the older variety…bright lights. Bigtime distraction. I noticed the less bright version only recently, and was surprised at how much less it distracted me.

It was a distraction though…

“I didn’t see that. Is that Clearchannel?”

No, CBS has its own billboards, though nowhere near as many as Clearchannel, at least not in central California.

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away

Unless the average citizen is able to buy things like heavy machine guns and strike aircraft, there is no way for them to fight back effectively.

Even if it were legal to buy them, they’re kind of expensive.

Unless the average citizen is able to buy things like heavy machine guns and strike aircraft, there is no way for them to fight back effectively.
Denizens of Afghanistan (I won’t call them ‘citizens’ of anything) have been holding their own with small arms, homemade high explosives and RPG’s. Of course, their casualties have been extremely high.
Average US citizens haven’t yet found a hill near home that they’re willing to die on. Should the domestic grid, communications and the food supply chain ever break down, they will start dying of natural causes.

Tresho, the PTB are rational like good sociopaths. They know they make up .02% of the population so if there ever is a civil war, far too many of them will die and it will be horrible for business. The masses do not need enough arms to “win the war” just enough to pose a credible threat to disrupt business as usual and to pose a threat to them despite their body guards. You do not need tanks, jets etc. to pose such a threat.

the PTB are rational like good sociopaths. They know they make up .02% of the population
I think they are too stupid to think that far ahead. They may be rational and clever but they are not wise.

Unless the average citizen is able to buy things like heavy machine guns and strike aircraft, there is no way for them to fight back effectively.

If there was to be open rebellion in the US, the Federal military would split as well. What do you think would happen to all the Federal military hardware and equipment in Texas bases if Texas were to “declare independence”? Same goes for personal tied to whatever region(s) declared independence.

What do you think the Army and Air National Guard are? State militia with similar equipment and training as the “active” military.

Lastly, there are 40+ million gun owners in the US and 4+ million NRA members. There are approx. 3 million active and reserve members of the military. Of that 3 million, only a few hundred thousand are actual combat arms, aka. trigger pullers. The rest are support personal.

Add in various other Federal agencies trigger pullers, and you still have significantly less shooters than the number of NRA members, never mind gun owners in general…

I want to buy, as a private citizen, one of Russ’s proposed strike aircraft. I will house it at John Wayne Airport in the Great OC, CA.

How much to buy it, maintain it, and operate it?

Can I get financing - ?

300 million of them enough?

I could ask the same thing from the left about taxes. Is a combined state and federal 35-40% tax not enough?

Tell you what, I’ll stop buying more guns when the left stops increasing our taxes. Think I’m wrong? Payroll tax just went up 2%, that’s 2% less in my family’s pocket. Now state income tax is proposed to go up another 1%. Hmm, I wonder if I will get a 3% raise this year for all my hard work… oh wait, if I get a raise, the government has decided to take it.

Want to know why us “Teabillies” hate the left? Because you liberals won’t leave people alone… whether it be our guns or our wallets.

Want to know why us “Teabillies” hate the left ??

Neocons don’t hate the left, left-of-center, the center or the center right….They hate everyone who does not see it “exactly-like-them”…

Here is a memo that you may have missed…The neocons are in free-fall…Why ?? Because they have chased away people like me…And, chased me into the arms of any alternative that will defeat them…

Sorry, but Tea Party is not synonymous with Neocon, just as it is not synonymous with Religious Fundamentalist. There may be some overlap in certain political ideals, especially as members of one or another group try and subvert the movement, but they are not the same.

“Tell you what, I’ll stop buying more guns when the left stops increasing our taxes.”

how about you pay a road toll as soon as you drive out your driveway, and put a dime in your toilet before you flush a log down, and pay for your private security during your commute to work e.t.c… taxes is what we pay for the privilege of living in a somewhat civilized society, how about you ship your ass to a third world h**lhole and don’t have to worry about paying taxes ever again.. for the rest of us we’ll be working on getting the right legislators into office..
and btw. all this hand wriggling about ‘executive orders’ is getting old, you do realize that those can be challenged in court, those are like directives your boss gives you on how to turn the wrench.

Want to know why us “Teabillies” hate the left? Because you liberals won’t leave people alone… whether it be our guns or our wallets.

Yeah, like all those Teabellies that want to tell people who they may or may not marry?

Those same ones that want to control women’s wombs?

you do realize that those can be challenged in court, those are like directives your boss gives you on how to turn the wrench.
This comparison is not valid.

Want to know why us “Teabillies” hate the left?

You forgot one part of the reason. You hate the left because it feels good. It’s so much fun to fill your brain with hate and anger that you do it every day.

taxes is what we pay for the privilege of living in a somewhat civilized society

Yeah, like all those Teabellies that want to tell people who they may or may not marry?

Those same ones that want to control women’s wombs?

It’s so much fun to fill your brain with hate and anger that you do it every day.

There are the best arguments the left can come up with, folks. “Pay your taxes and shut up or move to Somalia.” “You hate gays and want to control women’s wombs” “You’re just a hater.”

We already pay enough taxes for those basic services. We won’t pay more taxes to further the left’s socialist utopia agenda…

I don’t give a crap about who you marry or what you do with your womb. I personally find abortion repugnant, and so does the Catholic Church, but it doesn’t go any farther than that for me…

As to the hate, I’ll admit: I hate the left, with a passion. As far as I’m concerned, you’re one step removed from the communist trash we spent almost 50 years fighting. Think that’s outmoded ideology? Well, here it is 2013 and once again the French, another bunch of socialists, has gotten itself into a fight it can’t handle and needs the support and aid of the US. The more things change, the more they remain the same…

Sorry, but Tea Party is not synonymous with Neocon ??

No ?? How about Teaparty Cheif-7-Feathers Neocon….

Paul Ryan…..

You guys are so transparent to the majority but blind to yourselves….Look at the last two elections;

McCain….Selects who……Palin = Teaparty-Neocon

Romney…Selects who……Ryan = Teaparty-Neocon

“We already pay enough taxes for those basic services. We won’t pay more taxes to further the left’s socialist utopia agenda… “

The real problem is that you are paying Mitt Romney’s and corporations’ taxes. The services you get are a small percentage of expenditures and a lot of them are state (roads) or local (water).

The other problem is that you live in Massachusetts. You should move to the business paradise of Texas where the state does not tax your income.

Mr. Northeastener, those communist defeated the Germans in WWII. While the allies were providing a diversionary attack from the west it was the Russians who broke the back of the Third Reich. Germany threw 10 divisions at Russia while the allies had to fight just 4. One more thing, the British are largely responsible for the nightmare we call the middle east and the simmering India/Pakistan tensions to this day and the French dragged us into Vietnam. Where do you get your history from, the Glen Beck University?

‘300 million of them enough’

We have enough guns, and the Feds know it.

‘The idea that Americans are going to lose their guns is just selling the “be afraid”

I’ve been saying here that the Fed’s aren’t going to take any guns. They’d get their ass shot off if they try. My point is the fact we are subject to executive orders is just one more reason why we need to keep them. What if a future president uses an EO to outlaw abortion, or round up Muslims and put them in camps? Or declare thousands of Occupy protestors terrorists and indefinitely detain them? I know there is this idea out there that the US can never fall under tyranny. But IMO that’s a serious delusion about human nature and what we are facing.

‘all this hand wriggling about ‘executive orders’ is getting old, you do realize that those can be challenged in court’

When was the last time one was overturned? The courts have failed us IMO. If you think it’s ‘getting old’, just wait until the line gets crossed.

‘how about you pay a road toll as soon as you drive out your driveway, and put a dime in your toilet before you flush a log down, and pay for your private security during your commute to work’

Oh. I’m not paying for that already? I guess a magic fairy is wishing all these public ‘goods’ into existence. The Feds don’t print money to pave my roads (full of pot holes BTW). I’m on a septic system, so that takes care of that. And all the troopers do is write tickets. Just what part of civilized society do you think I’m getting a free ride on? You act like if we all pay into the magic fairy pot, somehow more comes out than goes in.

“Because you liberals won’t leave people alone…”

Yes, and it’s reaching a boiling point.

A poem is not historical fact.

But a poem can be based on a historical fact. We were at war a year before Independence was even proposed in June 1776 in Philadelphia although the desire for independence had been growing.

I’m not sure how America could make a “peaceful Declaration of Independence” to a country that we were already at war with.

Earlier, we had made peaceful overtures towards England which were rebuffed by King George, however the Declaration of Independence was not a peaceful overture. It was saying no more BS - it’s over and we’re prepared to die for our Independence.

“Earlier, we had made peaceful overtures towards England which were rebuffed by King George”

On this we agree.

“however the Declaration of Independence was not a peaceful overture. It was saying no more BS - it’s over and we’re prepared to die for our Independence.”

It made things official. My point is that the colonists would much rather have reached a peaceful resolution and indeed did attempt it, at least according to some of the papers I’ve read.

“A poem is not historical fact.”

“But a poem can be based on a historical fact”

Mary bought back in 05
She never paid her debt
Mary lives there still today
She’s not been thrown out yet

jeff, what comes to mind for me is the subject of immigration and the oft-quoted Emma Lazaraus screed of “give me your tired, your poor, blah, blah, blah”.

In that case, a poem is not an immigration law. It might be a nice thought, but those “huddled masses” are spitting on us these days.

Anyway, to get back to my original point about the alleged barrister, who tried to link me to some sort of call for bloody revolution, people, whether they be colonists or citizens, would rather work things out peacefully. Negotiation is always better than war.

But you can’t negotiate with a thug.

those “huddled masses” are spitting on us these days

Any discussion of this is Racist®.

The Media/Academia Race Hustlers Industrial Complex will determine the “correct” opinion about immigration. You are not permitted to have your own opinion about this.

Any discussion of this is Racist®.
History is Racist®, full of nasty formulations & events like ’survival of the fittest’, ‘droit de seigneur,’ the Fort Pillow massacre and the EEEEVILLL N-word.

Asian immigrants to California eclipse Latinos in past decade

The face of new Californians – once predominantly Latino – is increasingly Asian American, census data show.

A seismic shift in immigration has occurred in California over the last decade, with Asia replacing Latin America as the primary source of the state’s immigrants.

“For the first time in decades, the number of Asians coming to California exceeded the flow from Latin America, and it exceeds that flow by a lot – 2 1/2 times greater.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/17/5120459/asian-immigrants-to-california.html#storylink=cpy

“But you can’t negotiate with a thug.”

on this, believe it or not, i agree with you. Wake me up when we get to the Wiemar Republic circa 1933.

“But you can’t negotiate with a thug.”

Says the guy trying to pick a fight, out of the blue, (and rally his ‘gang’- right jethro?) with anther poster over some vague thing supposedly said at some time in the unspecified past.

“The shot heard round the world.”

I thought that was the start of WW1.

Later that too. And then this:

In baseball, it refers to Bobby Thomson’s game-winning home run that clinched the 1951 National League pennant for the New York Giants. wiki

In many ways, the Revolutionary War should be thought of as the first world war since it triggered world wide conflict and the involvement of many countries in the dispute.

The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a world war that preceded the American Revolution. George Washington actually started that war near modern day Pittsburgh due to his poor understanding of the French language, according to some historians, although George did not realize the significance of his involvement at the time. That war gave future US revolutionaries up close and very personal experience with British military practices and vulnerabilities and how rebellious colonies might play one European power against another. After 1763 the British Empire was a bit squeezed for funds and attempted to tax American colonists directly to pay their fair share of imperial military expenditures while at the same time forbidding future colonization west of the Alleghenies.

It did not involve nearly as much foreign involvement for example from Hessian mercenaries to numerous people from all over the globe supporting the revolution. The French, of course, were involved in both wars.

It did not involve nearly as much foreign involvement
Do you think the USA would exist were it not for French support during the American Revolution?

Tresho, I am not sure about what you mean by the question. I think that the support of Holland, France and Spain, and volunteers was very critical. Would the U.S. exist in its present form without it, probably not. However, just as Canada exists, I think that it was inevitable that the U.S. would become an independent country. But the borders would probably be somewhat different and there would be differences in our laws. I think without foreign support initially we might only have able to win greater autonomy not full independence.

I think that Polly is trying to make the point that in the British Commonwealth you have two different and distinct types of lawyers: solicitors and barristers. Both are licensed attorneys at law, but they do different things. It is also my understanding that in the UK you cannot directly retain a barrister, that you must contact a solicitor first, who will then get you in touch with a barrister.

I assume that Palmetto knows that we don’t have barristers here in the U.S. and that his intent is some sort of vaguely insulting connotation.

I assume that Palmetto knows that we don’t have barristers here in the U.S. and that his intent is some sort of vaguely insulting connotation.

As Horace Rumpole would say, “A barrister, my dear sir, is a taxi plying for hire. That is the fine tradition of our trade.”

+1 Colorado…

“But hey, at least we have the option to file for BK because of medical bills.”

For now.

A lot of people don’t have enough money to file for bankruptcy. Seriously. You have to have a couple of hundred bucks minimum to get started.

Think it was Smithers who may have posted that. Where’s he been lately?

Maybe he turned 60?

Longer life under tyranny might sound better until you and your children actually have to live under it.

“Longer life under tyranny might sound better until you and your children actually have to live under it.”

I suspect that tyrannies generally produce shorter lifespans.

I suspect the hidden agenda here is: Obama and the Dems win big time and all the problems go away when the median age of the citizens in this country is lowered by 4.5 years (my back of the envelope calculation).

Unemployment goes away even with a decreasing jobs base and an imploding economy. Social Security and Medicare liquidity crises go away.

So it all makes sense. Import masses of illegal alien breeders to weight the demographics to younger, and pay ‘em to breed. Kill off the elderly faster. They are (after all) the drivers of the bloated health care costs, and the burden of high medicare and SS payouts. Because Lucky Duckies will not get $2500/month payouts on $500/week earnings, replace the $2500/mo SS payouts with $650/mo payouts. For the children of first generation illegal aliens, they can go back “home” at the point they retire since they won’t be able to afford the Medicare co-pays.

For the dumb second generation, they’re screwed on the same hamster wheel as the indigenous Lucky Duckies. They’ll get $650/mo SS payments AND Medicare co-pays, without the option of returning “home” to free health care systems since their parents were not born in the old country.

Steady state will have been achieved when we have the 1%, who are long lived, healthy, wealthy and wise. And the 99%, ignorant, impulsive, drug addicted, hopeless, and with a median age at death that stops just shy of the SS qualification age of 67.

Problem solved. The One has come through for us again.

this

The needs of the Romney Class (the “producers”, LOL) are different than the needs of the population as a whole. Luckily for Mittens & Co., enough of the population can be fooled every few years to head of serious reforms. You may not win the Presidency, but you can win plenty of House seats, which are more important for nuts and bolts issues anyway.

Cheap labor?

Of course. I know the reason but I do not know why more people are not upset about it. We should not be accepting these huge numbers of people just because there is an immigration myth that we have always accepted people for their benefit and not the benefit of the country as a whole. We have more than enough people in this country. Should we be open to perhaps a few hundred thousand truly gifted people a year, a sound argument can be made for that. However, should we use the immigration policy to drive down wages as it is being used today, including in the high tech world? My answer would be no.

You may not win the Presidency, but you can win plenty of House seats, which are more important for nuts and bolts issues anyway.

That was true during Reagan’s presidency and is true today. Conservatives were able to pass more welfare reform after winning the house in 1994 under Clinton than they were under Reagan. I wonder how many of Obama’s voters really understand that and will turn out in 2014. The man has great coat tails but he is not going to be on the ballot. Although that will impact the senate races more than the house. We have already seen one democrat ducking a race in WVa, might be related to gun control and the fact that Obama will not be on top of the ticket in 2014.

However, should we use the immigration policy to drive down wages as it is being used today, including in the high tech world? My answer would be no.

As would mine. But since we are “little people”, no one at the top cares what we think. Thus blue collars will continue to be displaced by illegal immigrants and white collars will be displaced by H1-B’s.

Maybe they just enjoy whining?

High income states (e.g. Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts) often collect less in total taxes as a % of individual income than states with low incomes (e.g. Texas, Florida, Arizona). The key words are “as a % of individual income”.

Now, municipal taxes can vary and I’m not sure how that measures up. But then it’s foolish to compare taxes based on municipalities because of real estate price differences anyway.

Now, municipal taxes can vary and I’m not sure how that measures up.
The basic measure is then what %-age of taxpayers’ income paid to both state & city levels. I smell manipulation of data whenever discussions veer off on who pays what to whom, and do not start off with a basic measure.
The other basic measure is what portion of government spending is made possible by debt vs. revenues. This is also seldom mentioned.

Fair enough. Another part of my point is… if you could make the same salary in NH as MA, then fine, move to NH. However, in reality, for the vast majority of people, moving to a less expensive state would also mean less job opportunities and less income. So it is foolish to just say “I’ll just move to [X state]” without owning up to the fact that wages in [X state] are likely lower.

moving to a less expensive state would also mean less job opportunities and less income
You can say that again. This needs mentioning in every discussion about RE costs, cost of living, standards of living, etc.

Doesn’t it seem counter intuitive that state with higher average incomes would have higher tax rates? At the same tax rates, shouldn’t the state have a higher tax base at a lower rate? At economies of scale, shouldn’t this mean they can be more efficient with the larger amount of money they collect and actually charge LOWER tax rates? Why is Massachusetts failing in this regard. Why is California failing in this regard?

At economies of scale, shouldn’t this mean they can be more efficient with the larger amount of money they collect and actually charge LOWER tax rates? Why is Massachusetts failing in this regard. Why is California failing in this regard?

The only thing I can think of is “cost of living”, i.e. a higher income state like MA or CA has a higher cost of living because of the higher wages paid, so it must collect more money to pay for the services it provides.

if you could make the same salary in NH as MA, then fine, move to NH.

It’s an interesting dynamic. Southern NH is full of MA transplants and many commute to MA, and specifically Boston, for jobs. The problem with working in MA and living in NH is that NH doesn’t collect income tax or sales tax, but has significantly higher real estate tax. If you own a residence in NH and work in MA you pay MA state income tax and NH real estate tax.

The ideal scenario is moving to NH and working in NH, where you benefit from the lower sales and income tax and maintain a similar salary. Renting would be the most ideal scenario, as then you don’t deal (directly) with the higher NH real estate taxes.

Fair point. Given that it’s a David Brooks book I’m sure there are nuances and reading the book might change my evaluation.

But his constant bragging about HYP and his position, plus his utter disdain for the people with less money than him, makes him a bona fide yuppy.

“utter disdain for the people with less money than him”

Not really, if anything I’ve been trying to wake up people to realize that our society is rigged in favor of the asset owners. We can argue to what extent owning assets should be preferenced, but rational people generally agree changes should be made. What changes? Focus on infrastructure and K-12 education, reduced spending on military and b.s. law enforcement (war on drugs), single payer health care, a workable plan for bringing fed budget in line with revenues, and so forth.

I fail to see how pointing out the absurd, self-defeating political preferences of teabillies = disdain for all people with less money.

rational people generally agree changes should be made
All 2 dozen of them.

“All 2 dozen of them.”

There’s THAT many?!

although I do share Thorstein Veblen’s disdain for conspicuous consumption
As do I.

“Theory of the Leisure Class”… a great book, but only Veblen’s 2nd best.

I know few young “democrats” like this..bunch of hypocrites. On the other had it just tells a sad state of affair the war party is.

A lot of us aren’t democrats but are just appalled at the state of the GOP. I’m unaffiliated and voted for a hodgepodge of independents, a Republican congressional candidate (lost to Sarbanes), and only one Dem. The Dem was Obama, who I supported because Mittens was just so awful. Otherwise, Ron Paul or Gary J all the way.

I still laugh that the True Patriot Party (TM) nominated a guy who made a business model out of f**cking over American workers, required Mass. residents to buy private health insurance, and kept vast sums of money overseas because his already-low taxes aren’t low enough for him.

and kept vast sums of money overseas because his already-low taxes aren’t low enough for him

Since ‘all taxes are theft’, cheating on your taxes (or legally avoiding them like a .1%er) makes you a freedom fighter.