Bits Bucket for March 22, 2013
Post off-topic ideas, links, and Craigslist finds here.
The Housing Bubble
Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
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What’s a Bitcoin? Is it safer than gold coins?
Which is more “virtual”: A QE3 dollar or a Bitcoin?
Cyprus Haircut Boosts Soaring Bitcoins
By David Manners on March 22, 2013 9:29 AM
The Cyprus haircut scandal is having an amazing effect on the value of the virtual currency Bitcoin.
Before the EU proposed its infamous raid on Cypriots’ bank accounts, the Bitcoin price was $40. Now it’s $70.
It seems that Europeans, terrified of the precedent set by Cyprus that the EC can raid their private bank accounts at will, are putting their money into Bitcoins.
One of the stated reasons for founding Bitcoin was that, as a deregulated, decentralised, non-National, digital, virtual currency it would be immune from the propensity of governments to debauch their currencies via inflation.
However Bitcoin, far from being a stable safe haven of a currency, is acting like a soaring petro-currency from a small country with huge new oil-fields.
The Bitcoin value went from parity with the US $ in March 2011, to $10 in June 2011, to $40 at the beginning of March 2013 and to $70 this week.
This week a Canadian put his house up for sale and quoted an asking price in Bitcoins.
Whats a Bitcoin?
I posted about it yesterday, but we were too busy describing our end-days prophecies to notice this new challenge to central banks:
Comment by alpha-sloth
2013-03-21 05:06:06
Canadian man to sell house for Bitcoin virtual currency
BBCNews
Canadian man is hoping to be the first person to sell his house for virtual currency Bitcoins.
Entrepreneur Taylor More listed his two-bedroom Alberta bungalow, asking 405,000 Canadian dollars (£261,000; $395,000) - or the equivalent in Bitcoins.
Bitcoins are now a widely used alternative payments system and one Bitcoin is currently worth about £37.
“Bitcoins are really hard to get your hands on if you want to get them in large quantities,” Mr More told the BBC.
Unlike other currencies, Bitcoins are not issued by a central bank or other centralised authority.
People generate or “mine” Bitcoins by participating in that network - for instance, by solving a complicated mathematical problem using their computer.
I just so happen to have come by 1,000,000 Bitcoins inherited from a rich uncle who once won the Bitcoin lottery. Does anyone have a house they are willing to sell me in exchange for my coin stash?
Bitcoins are worth quite a bit more than dollars, so yeah, you can have my house for a million bitcoins, prof bear.
Electronic currency, accepted at a bunch of second tier online commerce sites. Has limited appeal at present.
“Is it safer than gold coins?”
sure it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=b0u8cTCYLSw
Watch this movie about currency and RE.
Would it be best for Cyprus to exit the Eurozone, or endure a Romney haircut?
March 22, 2013, 2:12 a.m. EDT
Cyprus likely to go ahead with deposit tax
By Sarah Turner, MarketWatch
Reuters
People line up at an ATM outside a Laiki Bank branch in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.
SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Cyprus is facing a difficult choice between levying an unpopular tax on bank deposits or defaulting on its debt — and the tax route now looks more likely as the nation stares down a deadline to meet its lenders’ demands.
Cyprus last Saturday shocked markets by announcing a one-off levy on Cypriot bank accounts to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) to shore up its finances in exchange for a €10 billion bailout from its institutional lenders, the European Central Bank (ECB), the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission — collectively known as the Troika.
But in yet another extraordinary development, the country’s parliament on Tuesday refused to pass legislation to support the bank-deposit tax, even after some exemptions for smaller accounts were proposed.
That provoked a threat from the ECB that it would cut off emergency lending to banks in Cyprus, with effect from next Monday night.
Aside from the ECB, Russia also represented a potential source of finance for Cyprus, having lent the country €2.5 billion two years ago. However, Bloomberg reported Friday that Cyprus’s Finance Minister Michael Sarris, who had been in Russia for talks, was on his way back to Nicosia without an agreement to extend the loan or revise the terms.
The government of Cyprus is now trying to come up with an alternative plan, more palatable to parliament, before the ECB’s deadline.
On Thursday, reports emerged that Cyprus Popular Bank PCL — also known as Laiki Bank — will be split into a “good bank” and “bad bank” to avoid bankruptcy under a revised proposal.
Bank deposits totaling €100,000 or less, would also be protected, according to Cyprus central-bank Gov. Panicos Demetriades. Still, that implies that deposits of more than €100,000 would be subject to a deposit tax. Read: ECB tells Cyprus to strike deal by Monday or else
Weighing a deposit-tax against an euro-zone exit, Brown Brothers Harriman global currency strategist Marc Chandler said: “We think Cypriots’ lives will be made significantly worse on an exit. Small depositors will not simply see 6.5% of their savings taken, but will lose much of savings.”
“The banking system will collapse and the means to recapitalizing it are not obvious,” said Chandler of Cyprus potentially leaving the euro zone.
…
“The banking system will collapse and the means to recapitalizing it are not obvious,” said Chandler of Cyprus potentially leaving the euro zone.
Russia and/or China come to mind as possible sources of recapitalization. Especially since Russia may be losing its ally and base in Syria.
If I were Russia, I’d look at this as quite the opportunity. Could pull together its own economic bloc, the Russozone. Some of the eastern European countries that are fed up with the Eurocrats could join. Although for some, the Iron Curtain days might still be alive in memory. OTOH, the atrocities of Stalin have been flushed down the memory hole by much of the international press.
Would be interesting to see the reaction, though, from the Eurocrats if Russia made a move.
Ahh, globalization!
Although for some, the Iron Curtain days might still be alive in memory.
That could be a show stopper for some.
Would be interesting to see the reaction, though, from the Eurocrats if Russia made a move.
I suppose that more cheese could flow.
I’d love to see it, but unfortunately, Russia doesn’t seem to have its act together enough to pull it off. Still too disorganized, partially stuck in the past, thugs running things, oligarchs still grabbing for all the goodies, etc. There was real chance here for Russia to take its place on the world stage, but I think they’ve blown it.
oligarchs still grabbing for all the goodies,
USA
ft dot com
Last updated: March 22, 2013 9:12 am
Cyprus unveils shake-up as the clock ticks
By Michael Steen, Kerin Hope, Andreas Hadjipapas, Peter Spiegel, Charles Clover and Joshua Chaffin
Cypriot lawmakers will on Friday vote on a revised bailout plan to overhaul its banking industry and force losses on big depositors, in a race to reach a deal to avert financial collapse before the European Central Bank suspends crucial funding to the island nation.
The Friday vote, which is due to take place after parliament debates the bill some time after midday local time, follows the end of fruitless talks between Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov and his Cypriot counterpart, Michael Sarris, over possible support.
There were already long lines at cash machines in Nicosia on Friday and one Cypriot official summed up the sense of desperation saying: “We are waiting for a messiah to come and save us, and of course, there is none”.
…
People here in Cyprus are extremely nervous. Going into the weekend with no solution set in stone. The EU has forsaken them and the Russians have too. Too bad they bought all of those Greek bonds.
Thanks for checking in. I was wondering how things were going there. Why the heck did they use Russian OPM to buy Greek bonds? Chasing the short-term high interest rate, probably.
“The EU has forsaken them and the Russians have too.”
A dang shame. As I posted above, there was a real opportunity for Russia here, and they blew it. Big time.
Messiah is in Jordan I think.
I think the Bernank will bail Cypress out. He has been bailing out rich Europeans in the past. Why not few more ruskies?
Please correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t the U.S. bank bailout tab actually run well in excess of $1 trillion?
Bank run expert: Cyprus’ plan was ‘absurd’
By Stephen Gandel, senior editor
March 19, 2013: 4:17 PM ET
FORTUNE — You can thank Cyprus and Europe’s leaders for making our $700 billion bank bailout look good.
The plan to impose a tax on bank deposits to help pay for the bailout of Cypriot banks was “absurd,” says Philip Dybvig, one of the world’s leading economic experts on banks and financial crisis. Back in 1983, Dybvig co-authored, along with University of Chicago economist Doug Diamond, a paper on why bank runs happen. It has since become one of the most influential pieces of research on the topic and on financial crisis in general, and is a regular staple of most economics curriculums.
Dybvig, who is now an economics professor at Washington University, says the plan to bailout Cyprus at the expense of local depositors would have done more harm than good and could have put more strain on the already troubled European banking sector.
…
Fed Loaned Banks Trillions in Bailout, Bloomberg Reports
By Bill McGuire | ABC News – Mon, Nov 28, 2011
In a story that sheds new light on the extent of the country’s financial crisis, Bloomberg Markets magazine reported today that the Federal Reserve lent trillions of dollars to beleaguered financial institutions, with $1.2 trillion going out on just one day in 2008.
“The Fed didn’t tell anyone which banks were in trouble so deep they required a combined $1.2 trillion on Dec. 5, 2008, their single neediest day. Bankers didn’t mention that they took tens of billions of dollars in emergency loans at the same time they were assuring investors their firms were healthy,” Bloomberg reported today. ”And no one calculated until now that banks reaped an estimated $13 billion of income by taking advantage of the Fed’s below-market rates.”
Bloomberg Markets said it went over 29,000 pages of Fed documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act and central bank records of more than 21,000 transactions.
“Saved by the bailout, bankers lobbied against government regulations, a job made easier by the Fed, which never disclosed the details of the rescue to lawmakers even as Congress doled out more money and debated new rules aimed at preventing the next collapse,” Bloomberg reported.
…
Roh-roh…articles about the stock market featuring Wall Street traders with worried looks on their faces seem to be appearing with increasing frequency.
Is it too early to “sell in May and go away,” given that Spring only arrived this week?
Stock futures signal slightly lower open
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, March 19, 2013. REUTERS-Brendan McDermid
LONDON | Fri Mar 22, 2013 5:58am EDT
(Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent at 4:16 a.m. EDT.
…
The Dow Jones industrial average slid 90.24 points, or 0.62 percent, to end at 14,421.49. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 12.91 points, or 0.83 percent, to finish at 1,545.80. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 31.59 points, or 0.97 percent, to close at 3,222.60.
…
the recovery is gaining steam.
That’s great because a “recovery in housing” is prices falling to dramatically lower levels by definition.
Eurozone downturn deepens as output slips
The eurozone’s economic downturn has deepened for the second month running, a business survey revealed, with the prospect of further deterioration as Cyprus fights to stave off collapse.
By Rachel Cooper, and agencies
10:36AM GMT 21 Mar 2013
Markit’s flash composite purchasing managers’ index, which tracks services and manufacturing activity, fell to 46.5 in March from February’s 47.9.
But with many survey responses having been received before news broke of Cyprus’ €10bn bailout deal, survey compiler Markit said the picture could be even worse in a couple of weeks’ time.
Cyprus has pushed the eurozone into fresh turmoil, with its parliament voting overwhelmingly on Tuesday to reject the terms of the bailout deal, raising the risk of default and a bank crash.
“Events that hit business confidence can have a very rapid effect on the data and so there is good reason to believe that responses we collect this week will on average be more negative,” said Chris Williamson, Markit’s chief economist.
“It’s really quite disappointing. Given the deterioration in the political and financial market outlook there is really little hope from what we see that there is going to be a turnaround in the second quarter, and in fact more likely an increased weakening.”
…
Sequester shenanigans dug Congress into a deeper hole
David Horsey / Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2013, 5:00 a.m.
This week, realizing that government actually does do some things people like, senators in both parties tried to undo some of the damage wrought by the sequester/fiscal cliff debacle. Their efforts were quickly undone, however, by the chronic dysfunction of the United States Congress.
Attempts were made to restore White House tours, maintain an efficient number of meat inspectors, keep up sane staffing of airport control towers, provide tuition help for members of the armed forces, undo cuts to military maintenance and take back many of the other across-the-board cuts that came about when the lawmakers failed to avert the $85 billion in automatic reductions that kicked in on March 1. In the end, though, fixing even the most idiotic cuts was put off so that yet another irresponsible political move could be avoided: shutting down the government.
A stopgap spending bill must be approved by March 27 to keep the federal government in business. The fixes to the sequester cuts came in the form of more than 125 amendments that senators wanted to tack onto the spending measure. Squabbling over all those changes would have thrown 125 wrenches into the legislative machine and pretty much guaranteed a government shutdown.
For once, good sense prevailed and most of the amendments were withdrawn. However, that still leaves the mounting wreckage that is being created by the sequester. Furloughed defense workers, air travelers, poor people getting food assistance, families visiting national parks, students needing loans and more and more Americans who benefit one way or another from government services will feel increasing pain and aggravation the longer lawmakers put off developing a more intelligent budget plan.
…
Can kicked two weeks:
http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/03/21/defense-department-to-delay-furlough-notices/
Is the Fed winning?
I guess if economic cannibalism is necessary to fuel the recovery, then so be it.
Fed sees job growth, housing market gains as validation of its stimulus effort
By Ylan Q. Mui And Jim Tankersley / The Washington Post on Wed, Mar 20, 2013
WASHINGTON – Federal Reserve officials voted Wednesday to continue pumping money into the economy and keep interest rates near zero as they wrapped up their regular policy-making meeting amid fresh signs that their massive stimulus effort is gaining traction.
All but one of the 12 members of the Fed’s policy-making committee voted in favor of the plan. In a statement, the Fed said it has seen “a return to moderate economic growth” in recent months. Holding steady now suggests that the central bank views recent data showing a pickup in job growth and strength in the housing market as a validation of its course of action.
Stocks closed higher on the news: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 55 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 14,511. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 10 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,558. The The Nasdaq composite index rose 25 points, or 0.8 percent, to 3,254.
Still, the Fed slightly lowered its forecast for economic growth over the next few years, even though its outlook for the job market was a little brighter. The Fed lowered its projections for unemployment through 2015, forecasting a jobless rate of under 7.5 percent by the end of the year. It has promised to keep interest rates low until unemployment is at least 6.5 percent or inflation is at least 2.5 percent. Thirteen of the Fed’s top 19 officials believe the first rise in interest rates won’t occur until 2015.
“The Fed is winning,” economists at High Frequency Economics wrote in a research note last week. The numbers “are suggesting significant upward momentum, raising the potential for growth to effectively ‘feed on itself.’”
…
the FED is supporting asset prices and thats about it. they should try and help the business environment so some companies can hire some people.
how many more govt jobs do we need?Do we need 6 govt workers for every private worker?
What (in your opinion) does the Fed’s QE3 have to do with how many govt workers are hired?
all the govt spending is supporting govt jobs. The FED is the contributor because they buy the debt and are supporting the deficits. If they had to balance the budget how many govt jobs would disappear?
That has been the whole argument with this sequester thing. If they cut spending the economy tanks.
seems like they have got themselves into a position of borrowing to support any kind of growth because there is no growth without borrowing.
“…all the govt spending is supporting govt jobs.”
Really? How does $40 bn a month in QE3 MBS purchases support govt jobs? And doesn’t a good deal of federal money go into paying private contractors to build munitions? Or is that under your umbrella category of ‘govt jobs’ as well?
I’m really missing the logic in your post.
there is 85 a month in total bond purchases. so 40 to mbs and 45 to other bonds.
so the 40 to buy mbs supports fannie and freddie who are buying all the loans origninated.
So the other 45 is left to support the economy. The govt has to borrow 85 billion a month to pay bills if there is a trillion dollar deficit.
Where else do they get the money to keep everyone paid if the they dont borrow? Taxes dont foot the bill.
“Where else do they get the money to keep everyone paid if the they dont borrow? Taxes dont foot the bill.”
The problem with your fixation on funding the federal workforce is that it ignores the vast majority of federal government liabilities which are financed by the Fed’s QE bond purchases — mainly for entitlements and military operations.
Gary Shilling says it is losing to deflation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-21/stimulus-spending-only-delays-chronic-deflation.html
Chronic Deflation because we have too much debt and not enough high paying work to EVER pay it off.
Thats why IMO the government is trying to inflate. And I agree this only delays it but for how long ?
And how many useless bubbles will form until RESET ?
And when RESET comes what assets will be any good ?
RESET is when the dollar is downrounded (divided 1/10 for instance ) and many debts are paid at 10%. New dollars are paid to workers. Or somthing like that. Government will have to start some giant panic to get this through, maybe a WW3 ?
When you consider who owns the fed, i think the relevant question is, are those banks winning? Right now I’d say yes. But were in the early innings.
who owns the fed?
The same thugs that own us.
You seriously don’t know this? Please tell me you are joking, because I see you venturing opinions on all sorts of things here, which would be really LULZy if you didn’t know the answer to this Q.
i know it’s owned by private banks…but which ones?
in other words…who?
goldman owns the FED.
Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Morgans, etc.
Huge gap between the nice areas and the downtrodden areas. Near me they’re putting up a half dozen large apartment buildings (50-100 units). 1 br usually about 1800-2k/month. Also about a dozen blocks of newly built 3-4 story townhouses.
They’re also building a subway line and a large shopping complex near the heliport right on the inner harbor. Hers an example of a new groundbreaking this week. http://baltimoreguide.com/http:/baltimoreguide.com/new-apartments-57-units-in-canton/
But if you go north of eastern avenue by a few blocks… Crickets.
“The size of the units range, from around 740 square feet for the smallest one-bedroom apartments to roughly 1,120 square feet for the largest two-bedroom apartments. Approximately 10 percent of the units will be studio apartments, Taylor said, with one-bedroom units comprising about 70 percent of the facility, leaving 20 percent for two-bedroom units.
The renters he envisions, Taylor said, are “Hopkins employees and young business professionals—an expansion of the current Canton demographic, which I am part of.”
“My wife and I will be in Canton for a significant amount of time to come,” he noted.
Rental rates, he said, would be competitive with those of nearby apartment projects, such as Domain Brewers Hill.
Amenities will include a fitness center with yoga room, a business center, and an interior courtyard with a grill and fire pit, as well as a “green roof,” which is covered with seedum-based plant life year round, Taylor said. Some units will have high ceilings; all will have stainless appliances and granite counter tops.”
seedum-based plant life year round
what is that ?
Basically xeriscaping. Small plants that serve as “green walls” or “green roofs”. They don’t require much water and are resistant to temperature extremes. I’ve seen some green walls and roofs, they soak up rainwater year round and sunrays in the summer.
My yard is a xeriscape.
Slim, you have zeroscaping. In the east, zeriscaping is called “using native plants.”
actually spelled sedum with one e. Sic aimed towards the Baltimore Guide or whomever, not Joe Smith
What’s really going on in California
California imposed a new law on banks innocuously called “Homeowners Bill of Rights” which forces banks to switch over to a judicial foreclosure process, which they can opt to do on their own, but takes a year or more to renegotiate contracts and compensation structures for the foreclosure law firms who do all the leg work for the banks. And while those changes are being made… it makes it appear that foreclosures have slowed down dramatically in the state.
The reality?
Defaults (undeclared) are spiraling upward that yet have to pass through the foreclosure pipeline.
The truth?
California is still the highest foreclosure state in sheer volume and percentage.
The low-down?
Resale housing is still massively overpriced as a result of unprecedented interference by individual states and the federal government. The market distortions will be removed and the down draft will continue allowing the market to correct.
With millions of excess empty houses and housing demand at 17 year lows, housing prices have a long way to fall. A very long way to fall.
housing is the path to riches like you have never seen.
Riches, yes, but not riches for the looser homemoaners.
Riches for banks collecting interest.
Riches for parasite Realtors®.
Riches for bLowe’s and Home Depot shareholders.
Riches for municipal public unions via taxation.
No riches for the buyers of overpriced housing, for them only incalculable losses.
“bLowe’s”
lmao….. no doubt. And anything you buy in either store doesn’t meet any spec’s.
Summary of conversation with some friends last weekend. I was complaining about the 15% increase in my rent when lo and behold someone says, “You need to buy a house instead of throwing your money away on rent!” “Why?” sez I. “So and so has a house and she’s only paying a little over $500 a month!” “What kind of financing does she have?” asks I. “Uh….” Silence. I let it go at that.
“The market distortions will be removed and the down draft will continue allowing the market to correct.”
Really? When?
never gonna happen. the printing press will keep the whole system afloat.
Markets can stay irrational a lot longer than you can remain solvent!!!
I wonder if this has anything to do with our wealth inequality?
The minimum wage should have reached $21.72 an hour in 2012 if it kept up with increases in worker productivity, according to a March study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. While advancements in technology have increased the amount of goods and services that can be produced in a set amount of time, wages have remained relatively flat, the study points out.
Even if the minimum wage kept up with inflation since it peaked in real value in the late 1960s, low-wage workers should be earning a minimum of $10.52 an hour, according to the study.
Between the end of World War II and the late 1960s, productivity and wages grew steadily. Since the minimum wage peaked in 1968, increases in productivity have outpaced the minimum wage growth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/minimum-wage-productivity_n_2680639.html
Get to work, Mr. Chairman.
That’s the only and only reason of wealth inequality in last 10 yrs.
No, I think that the relative value of the dollar compared to other currencies played a big part. You get a lot of bank for your production buck in China.
It should have reached $9 hr just to keep up with the most conservative reports of inflation.
http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html
And if it did, you’d have inflation. But it didn’t.
The last 3 recessions have proven that severe inflation occurs without raises in wages.
Decreasing demand, unemployment and falling aggregate wages results in inflation?
Have you ever cracked open an economics book?
How do all these vaunted econ books address the flow of money when there is outsourcing? Do they say something about needs industries vs. wants industries? What about creating money from *poof* faster than people will EVER labor it off? Or expanding credit because underpaid workers can’t afford needs items any other oway. Or assets that you can’t see instantaneously like stock? What about the machinations to maintain profit by cutting employees? Supply, demand, monetization, Kenyes, Austrian etc, are USELESS.
Hong Kong Homes Face 20% Price Drop as Banks Raise Rates
By Stephanie Tong & Kelvin Wong - Mar 22, 2013 3:40 AM ET
Hong Kong officials, who have struggled in vain for three years to slow the growth in home prices, are about to get their wish as the city’s biggest banks raise mortgage rates.
Prices could fall as much as 20 percent over the next two years, according to Deutsche Bank AG, after lenders including HSBC Holdings Plc, Hong Kong’s biggest by assets, and Standard Chartered Plc raise their home loan rates by 25 basis points in response to tighter risk rules.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-21/hong-kong-homes-face-20-price-drop-as-banks-raise-rates.html -
“… are those banks winning?”
You mean the TBTFs? How can they lose?
They have a lock.
The Medici would be proud.
Machiavelli would be envious.
We are at the point where it is feared that JUST CONSIDERING breaking up the TBTFs will cause a massive global meltdown.
The TBTFs have us just where they want us.
Similarly, the Fed’s JUST TALKING about exiting from QE3 will result in stock and bond market crashes.
they will print till the economy gains traction. If and when are the real questions.
they should have made their unemployment target 4% cause we are going to need stimulus a long time.
If we have a trillion dollar deficit that means we need to borrow ~ 85 billion a month just to pay everyone.
The FED has to buy the bonds cause there is no one else who is willing to buy that much. The bond buying also keeps interest rates down and borrowing costs low.
If you plan to sell these bonds in the open market before maturity you cannot let interest rates rise because that would destroy the value of your portfolio.
So if you plan on holding till maturity then there has to be money to pay back the FED when the bonds mature. If there is no money to repay them you simply issue more debt to pay off the maturing debt. Its like paying your credit card by borrowing from another credit card.
they will print till the economy gains traction. If and when are the real questions.
the answer is never. dumping counterfeit fiat currency into an economy would only hurt it by causing price inflation. the only ones benefiting would be the counterfeiters.
they should have made their unemployment target 4% cause we are going to need stimulus a long time.
‘targeting’ unemployment is a dangerous mindset and should never be done. instead create an environment where wealth is generated and unemployment will become extremely low or even non existent.
on the rest of what you are saying about the FED.. there’s no doubt that their policies are hurting the country greatly. they believe they can ‘do-good’ and by trying, they do evil instead. they distort markets and cause pain for everyone.
“they will print till the economy gains traction.”
Traction? Hehe.
We really need the next revolution; genetics maybe? The current three-trick pony is so exhausted that dog meat is the only remaining option. There are simply too many obese, too many old, too many poor, too any illegals, too many ???, and all of them apparently have an entitlement claim to what remains of a shrinking social budget. Then factor in global wage competition. Heck, it’s guaranteed to end badly, IMHO.
“they will print till the economy gains traction.”
The floggings will continue until morale improves.
Hope and Change
“Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals ans small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation’s biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.
The projected increases are at odds with what the Obama administration says consumers should be expecting overall in terms of cost.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324557804578374761054496682.html
Not because of, but because 2014 is the cut off year for extortion, er I mean rate raises.
Do Not tell your children what’s coming for their fair share. it’s best to surprise them that they will need to pay for my bladder tuck when im 75! Young people will bear the brunt of higher premiums, period!
that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.
But Medicare costs won’t double and VA costs per service won’t double.
Only private plans and private health-care will double.
Public option anyone?
If you pay current inflated asking prices for a house, you’ll be underwater instantly. Your losses will quickly magnify as prices continue to erode over the coming years.
What if we can just cut down the trees, plow up the lawns, and farm the land? Then what? What if we just become small time farmers and market our produce to all the local groceries and restaurants while simultaneously keeping our jobs?
#winning
How does that work in the winter?
I was mocking the idea. I couldn’t believe how incredibly naive it was.
Small scale farming isn’t nearly as efficient as large scale farms. You can’t afford the machinery which makes it very time intensive. The soil is just not going to be good and will take a lot of remediation/supplementation. And how do you irrigate the crops? Use a standard hose? LOL!
I get the appeal of doing some back yard gardening, but don’t fool yourself, if you include all costs (soil, fertilizer, seeds, water, labor) you pay more for less. That said, yes, I do grow herbs and cucumbers in containers during the summer. It would be pure idiocy to think I’d have the time or energy to drive around marketing and delivering my produce. Or expect people to drive out of their way to pick up some tomatoes.
Bingo
I garden about 600 sf at a nearby rental house. I used to figure my hobby was worth about $2 an hour but with the rising cost of organic vegetables it may be up to $4-5/hour now.
Hmm- never thought about it that way but the produce does just about pay for the taxes on the place - $560/year. Besides lower taxes we have a much longer growing season than upstate NY.
My cultivation method is to lay down black plastic, old tarps, or cardboard bike boxes and cut openings for the plants. No toiling from dusk to dawn, that’s for sure.
I get ‘alot’ of food from my fruit trees and bushes and patches, which require almost zero labor, other than picking and eating. (Planting fig trees this year- got some great local cuttings.)
Tomatoes are almost zero maintenance too. As are most squashes and pumpkins, beans, potatoes, cabbages…
Other than the initial planting, there’s really not a whole lot of labor involved in growing many veggies, especially if you’re using raised beds, which you should. As long as you check it regularly to nip any weeds in the bud. And have a good irrigation system set up.
My rule of thumb is it’s got to be easy to grow and taste as good or better than what I can buy at the store or FM. Otherwise I don’t grow it.
plow up the lawns, and farm the land
If you live in a newer development, you’re SOL, since they scrape up and sell your topsoil now.
I was specifically responding to a thread yesterday concerning a house outside of Syracuse, NY. Someone suggested you could pay the 20k/yr in property taxes by farming the land (it was like 6 acres).
I’d pay good money to see some middle aged homeowner out in their back yard in March in Syracuse, digging up the land and preparing it for small-scale farming to pay the property taxes.
And then driving around the region all summer, transporting produce to local markets and attempting to get good prices that would pay for all the energy, water, gasoline, and labor needed to grow the crops.
Get real. 6 acres of dirt isn’t going to yield $20k no matter what you’re growing excluding MaryJane of course.
Hence the reason I’d pay good money to watch some middle aged homeowner try to do it.
They would lose alot [sic] of money. They’d also have chronic pain from all the work and sleep deprivation from trying to do the work by hand (early morning? late at night) while holding down the job they’d need to make the housing payments.
Joe,
Where are you gigging with your harpsichord this weekend?
I suggested no such thing, Joe. And what I did say was with tongue firmly in cheek. The thought of buying 6.4 acres of mostly useless property and paying $20k every year in taxes for the privilege is absurd. But thanks for paying attention. From now on I will be sure to include a wink in such posts.
You’re somewhat misrepresenting my post. You also talked about how your husband grew up there and how the area was close enough to Syracuse that it might make sense. I don’t know if you’ve seen Syracuse lately (other than the campus, which might as well be in a different universe). Other than the university and a few surrounding areas, that entire region is falling apart. And people say it’s been that way for a couple of decades now.
What I said was, IF it’s close to Syracuse there is probably shopping and medical care within reasonable distance. I’ll just stop responding to your posts altogether if you’re going to misinterpret what few rather mild comments I might choose to make. It’s hard to believe that you could take seriously a comment about defraying property taxes by farming 6 acres!
But hey, if you want to think of a 59 year old doctor as “naive”, who’s gonna stop you?
I don’t want to become obstinate like RAL, so I retract my comments, MiddleCoaster. My bad.
Harpsichordist…. where are you gigging tonite?
They’d also have chronic pain from all the work and sleep deprivation from trying to do the work by hand
I don’t know. I have neighbors who have their entire back yard (about 1/6th of an acre) turned into a mini-farm, complete with chickens. They’re not totally self-sufficient, but they supply ‘alot’ of their own food, almost all with their own labor.
They’re at least 80 years old, but still seem healthy. Sometimes their middle-aged son helps out.
There was also once a story on CNN (I’ve never been able to find it since, it was maybe ten years ago) about a family in Cal who lived in a normal-sized older neighborhood (maybe quarter to third acres lots) and intensely farmed every square inch of their property- front, side, and back yards. They even grew strawberries in between their two driveway strips. They claimed to be able to support themselves by supplying much of their own food and selling their specialized organic produce to local restaurants.
6 acres of dirt isn’t going to yield $20k no matter what you’re growing excluding MaryJane of course.
Back in the Good Old Days you could make thousands of dollars an acre, profit, growing tobacco. Of course, you were only allowed to grow a certain allotment, that ‘went with the land’ (ie you couldn’t sell it to anyone without selling them the land it was on). The system supported ALOT of family farms.
Of course, since it worked well and supported the little guy, we got rid of it.
If you live in a newer development, you’re SOL, since they scrape up and sell your topsoil now.
Out here its the other way around. Soil here is very clayish, so when you do your landscaping you have to buy topsoil.
“What if we can just cut down the trees, plow up the lawns, and farm the land?”
Besides the drought problem that will continue for many years to come, here is a better plan: Modern hydroponics.
Less water, less pesticides, higher yield and can be cultivated indoors or out while grown vertically to maximize space.
Even better, it can be built by J6P from Home Depot hardware.
“Besides the drought problem that will continue for many years to come, here is a better plan: Modern hydroponics.”
That’s exactly right. We have a hydro-harvest farm in these parts, they can produce six acres of food on one acre of land, and they’re got great veggies and vine fruits. It’s awesome. Doesn’t require batallions of stoop labor either.
Serious question: When you’re growing indoors, how do plants get pollinated? Doing it by hand with a Q-tip or something like that sounds like it could be a bit labor intensive…
When you’re growing indoors, how do plants get pollinated? Doing it by hand with a Q-tip
Bee sized drones?
Drones are useful after all.
many varieties of plants have been developed that can self pollinate.
“When you’re growing indoors, how do plants get pollinated? Doing it by hand with a Q-tip or something like that sounds like it could be a bit labor intensive…”
This being Florida, our local hydro-harvest farm is outdoors. The owner knows a lot about bee and other insect interaction with plants, he was very aware of the hive problems and knew what caused them. He has hives of healthy bees close to the growing area at certain times of the year, I understand there are “rent-a-hive” businesses.
Dale has the answer.
But there are plenty of other techniques that don’t require insects or birds and aren’t very labor intensive either.
Dale is right, and so are you.
Friend of mine is starting a business setting up hydrophonics in people’s backyards or even balcomies. She says she can create a set up with as little as one ten gallon tank.
Forward
“With Chicago Public Schools facing a financial meltdown, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration on Thursday targeted 61 buildings for closing, unleashing a torrent of criticism from anxious parents, children and teachers as well as alderman.
Officials said the shutdowns would affect 30,000 students, almost all in kindergarten through eighth grade and most now attending poorly performing schools in African-American neighborhoods on the South and West sides where enrollment has sagged in recent years.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-cps-school-closings-0322-20130322,0,4006824.story
So he shuts down the bad schools and people complain?
You really can’t fix that kind of stupid. *sigh*
I know, right? That’s why Chi-town is in such a mess. The pandering gravy train has reached the end of the line and they’re now faced with reality. I’ve read that many of the schools have become little more than pseudo-detention centers with massive security.
pseudo-detention centers with massive security
That’s Racist®. Our differences only make us stronger. Cultural relativism requires that you accept all methods of parenting (and non-parenting) and children’s methods of learning (and non-learning).
I pointed this out before, but this has already been done in New York and is now being done in Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. I assume it will come to Boston sometime soon (maybe it already has?). Populations shift, buildings get old, new construction gets better, etc. It would be idiocy not to close some buildings while renovating/expanding others.
But Joe the point being made if you staff the new school with the same dropout mentality students you gain very little and it costs taxpayers a lot more money.
Thats why i harp on this so much newer schools, teachers salaries, advanced degrees , pay for excellence, are all things around the edges for me…all matter a little and in total they matter somewhat..
Shutting down obsolete buildings is a way to stop paying outrageous utility bills & maintenance costs and redirect the money towards serious construction and renovation of buildings that are in well-populated neighborhoods.
If you don’t think uncomfortable and ill-equipped facilities have any effect, I think you are wrong.
As far as the broken family in the United States, the issues go far beyond anything that a teacher or principal can control.
the issues go far beyond
The best way to improve the education of disadvantaged children in inner city Chicago would be to give Jesse Jackson’s sons another Anheuser-Busch distributorship.
As far as the broken family in the United States, the issues go far beyond anything that a teacher or principal can control.
Agreed. My kids attended Parochial school. All the kids there came from ideal, upper middle class families that were very involved with their educations.
The best way to improve the education of disadvantaged children in inner city Chicago would be to give Jesse Jackson’s sons another Anheuser-Busch distributorship.
And how about throwing in a membership at Onwentsia while we’re at it?
Broken, old facilities make a difference in motivating people.
throwing in a membership at Onwentsia
We are visiting family in Lake Forest in June who have been members of Onwentsia for 40+ years. Will take some pics of the dining room and swimming pool to share here if we go.
Goon, if you do post photos, that’s the closest I’ll ever get to its high-falutin’ grandeur.
Broken, old facilities make a difference in motivating people.
——————-
I agree. In theory we can talk all we want about how everyone should just hunker down and do their jobs or students should just shut up & pay attention, but if you’ve ever spent time in a run down building, it does effect your outlook and concentration.
The older buildings also are often heated by oil heat and radiators. Many (most) have no A/C whatsoever, even in rooms used for summer school.
Ok I chime in with my war on ebonics…
But shoving that back into black peoples faces is the answer…..what you want you kids to be failures and fodder for the criminal justice system? If you want this school to stay open we are instituting a major change in policy English first…and those that cant speak it will stay after school everyday until they learn it.
So what will the parents and the ACLU do…protest to keep our kids stupid?
They already speak English. Probably better than you do. Certainly better than you write English.
Polly hardly…. why are almost all the failing schools heavily minority?
Polly:
On Thursday, CTU President Karen Lewis said the plan was both “racist” and “classist,” and she called Emanuel “the murder mayor.”
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/03/22/school-closing-opponents-call-mayor-a-racist-liar/
DJ,
Your racism is tiresome. I know this is the web and you can say all kind of things that you would never say in public, but your bigotry is really ugly.
and this is not?
The Chicago Public Schools’ plan to close 53 schools and 61 buildings, mostly in black neighborhoods,
On Thursday, CTU President Karen Lewis said the plan was both “racist” and “classist,” and she called Emanuel “the murder mayor.”
So her agenda is keep black people stupid, illiterate and in failing schools…and shooting babies?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/cops-hunt-young-boys-baby-mom-shooting-article-1.1296312
Sorry SF Obama makes it all racial. Notice not 1 other Zimmerman type shooting in how long? Trust me SF if it were Lithuanians or Vietnamese or some African tribe I would be just as critical..
Too bad the catholic schools are banned in chi town. they don’t close down!
No Parochial schools in Chicago?
http://www.parochial.com/illinois/list.html
Many Catholic schools close each year across the U.S.
What are you talking about? Of course there are, and a number of them have been closed, or are soon to close.
ann is a Drudge Devotee/O’Reilly fan.
O’Reilly’s been on a pro-Catholic tilt the past few months, even having the cardinal of NY Archdiose on his show. I think it has something to do with wanting to have his 12 year marriage (with 2 kids) annulled. He’s the one who messed around, but he wants the catholic church to make everything right.
My understanding is that the Vatican has been cracking down on annulment abuse in the US. About 70% of all annulments were granted in the US in the past. From what I have heard, it’s becoming a lot harder than it used to be to get one. I wouldn’t put it past O’Reilly to suck up to try to get one. I’d love to hear his justification for it and how he’ll explain that his marriage was never valid.
Someone at the courthouse is Nassau county leaked some of the documents regarding his child custody situation a while ago. I remember one of the things that his children told a counselor appointed in the case was, “dad says mom’s new marriage is against our religion” or “mom’s marriage isn’t real” or somesuch.
This from a guy who drones on and on about “the good old days” and “family values”.
Could someone please tell me wtf who you’re married to or not married to has to do with the Catholic church?
Do people actually take this stuff seriously?
Clearly you weren’t raised catholic. Without that tragic childhood and the good fortune to have recovered from it, you’ll never understand.
where enrollment has sagged in recent years.”
And that ain’t all.
Welcome to the recoveryless recovery:
“A new look at the so-called sandwich generation finds that financial pressures tied to caring for family members from different generations are mounting on middle-aged adults. And the increased strains are “coming primarily from grown children rather than aging parents.”
Almost half (48%) of adults ages 40 to 59 provided some financial support to at least one grown child in the past year — with 27% providing the primary support … young adults who were employed full time experienced “a greater drop in average weekly earnings” from 2007 to 2011 than any other age group.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324162304578304533166526390.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
We have had the government we deserve for the last 35 years.
Banks May Be Too Large to Prosecute
March 6, 2013, 6:12 PM.Holder:
“I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them,” Mr. Holder told lawmakers. Prosecutors, he said, must confront the problem that “if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy. And I think that is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large.”
After the hearing, the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, issued a statement calling Mr. Holder’s remarks “stunning.” Mr. Holder “ recognized that in effect, the big banks and their senior executives have a get-out-of-jail-free card,” he said.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/03/06/holder-banks-may-be-too-large-to-prosecute/ - 67k -
(Just send your DHS army after them)
DHS army
The DHS army doesn’t go after the Masters Of The Universe, silly wabbit. They only go after the bitter clingers, veterans, libertarians, pregnant women and children, and specifically only white people.
seriously though…why are they buying all those rounds?
Tea & Occupy Crackers.
DHS is now the 3rd largest federal government department. Their unspoken role is to prepare for war with the tea people. I said this yesterday, though - why would they use guns/bullets when they could just call in a helicopter gunship or use nerve gas?
I think the reason is that DHS will be setting up the perimeter and letting civilians evacuate an area. Then the military would go in and finish the teabillies. The DHS would just provide the scaffolding to get civilians out before the heavy military operations.
“unspoken” ?
“unspoken” ?
Exactly. May be unspoken towards Occupy crackers but DHS is on an open war with Tea crackers. When the R president comes in the role will reverse.
Doubtful. Elected Republicans at the federal level, with very few exceptions, hate tea people.
seriously though…why are they buying all those rounds?
We just answered you. It’s to use against the “extremists” at home if SHTF.
Another reason could be to leave people with less rounds to buy. Then again the question is why?
“Departments” don’t do anything in most of the government. Agencies do. The DHS is supposed to be an umbrella department so that there is a higher level boss able to kick someone’s butt if, for example, border and customs finds out something that the FBI needs to know but refuses to share the information because (without DHS) their only shared chain of command had to go all the way up to the president and the White House isn’t set up for that detailed level of micromanaging intel.
Seriously. DHS might buy a level of stuff that you find absurd, but you should find out which agency is getting it before you have a real fit. There is a difference between arming every FEMA worker and making sure the place in Georgia that trains all the federal agents has enough bullets so they can teach them to shoot straight.
There is a difference between arming every FEMA worker and making sure the place in Georgia that trains all the federal agents has enough bullets so they can teach them to shoot straight.
Uhuh. This from our resident Federal Employee. Here are a few interesting statistics:
*The amount of ammunition purchased by DHS is the equivalent of 20 years worth of fighting at a level similar to the peak of the Iraq war.
* The majority of the ammunition purchased is hollow point or expanding, which is illegal to use in modern war due to the Geneva Convention.
* The military has reduced training, including live-fire exercises because of sequestration
* Local LEO across the country have reduced training and begun to cap the number of rounds carried by officers because of ammunition shortages
The stock answer we’ve received about DHS using this for training is crap. The military is cutting back, local LEO is cutting back. At the height of the Iraq war, we didn’t use anywhere near that amount of ammunition. It is being stockpiled and it is being stockpiled for use against US citizens.
It is being stockpiled and it is being stockpiled for use against US citizens.
———-
Sounds like “go time” to me.
Sounds like “go time” to me.
He loves the sound of neighborhood AK’s and AR’s in the morning……
It sounds like……… “victory”.
He loves the sound of neighborhood AK’s and AR’s in the morning……
Time at the range with friends and family make for a great day. The sounds and smells remind me of what makes this country special compared to almost every other nation on earth… our Constitution and specifically the 2nd Amendment as a backstop to all others.
“the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”
When the 2nd Amendment goes, so will the 1st and the 4th…
I think a lot of you guys are deluding yourself that having weapons is going to protect your civil rights. If things start to get out of hand I’m sure most people could be neutralized by digit assassination. Freeze their assets, all lines of credit, and access to the internet/telecommunications. They will lock you out of most of modern civilization including health care, transportation systems and suspend your drivers license, social security number.
You want real change then get 20% of the work force to have a general strike. Make the strike last a week.
You don’t need to know that, and apparently neither does Congress:
http://www.infowars.com/big-sis-refuses-to-answer-congress-on-ammo-purchases/
Bwahahahaha! Congress has just about neutered itself. Look at the contempt in which it is held. Although there is a handful of decent folks still left in Congress, it has become a complete joke.
Too bad Rand Paul followed his awesome filibuster with a grovelling pander to the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. First I was going to Stand With Rand, now he wants us to Fall With Paul. Too bad he lied like a rug about how the filibuster came about, too. I keep holding out hope that all this stuff is a head fake, though.
I like the White House petition to make members of Congress wear the logos of their sponsors on their clothing. Google it, good stuff.
“Banks May Be Too Large to Prosecute”
But borrowers(homedebtors) are easy to prostitute.
The future belongs to Lucky Ducky:
“Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin said low borrowing costs, while spurring the economic expansion, can’t create the higher-quality jobs needed by low- and moderate-income workers.
While about two-thirds of all job losses in the recession were in moderate-wage positions such as manufacturing, construction, and office administration, those fields account for less than a quarter of job gains since then, she said. Lower-wage jobs such as retail sales and food service made up about a fifth of job losses and half of later gains, she said.
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/raskin-says-fed-policy-can-t-fix-all-issues-for-low-paid-workers.html
Bullcrap. The jobs exist, they just don’t pay for squat. The lack of disposable income depresses retail demand, thus manufacturing, causing further downward pressure on wages.
It’s a vicious cycle, best summed up in the old saying, “It’s good to save money in business but you can save yourself right out of business if you are too stingy.”
thats so true. also the low paying jobs make it easy for someone just to say the hell with it and get on public assistance. If you are poor in CA you get a lot of stuff, even a cell phone now.
http://obamaphone.net/
It’s going to get a lot harder to carry handguns on the east coast. The Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s nearly-universal band on carrying.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bal-federal-appellate-court-rejects-challenge-to-md-handgun-permit-laws-20130321,0,6527965.story
I’m not sure what the laws are right now in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, but I expect those will get tighter too. Doesn’t seem to be much question they will be upheld as constitutional.
Northeasterner, this is your “go time”, what are you waiting for?
“go time”
It didn’t work out so well for many of those who failed to realize it was “go time” in Russia 1917, Germany 1933, China 1949, now did it?
That’s my point. You can’t wait until it’s too late. Teabillies are whiter and older than the average American. If they wait 5 or 10 years for “go time”, I’m sorry but 5-10 years older means more health problems and less physical endurance/strength. Go time should be now.
I wonder how many teabillies are really ready to give it all up, such as would be required to fight the government. They’d have to be prepared to lose their house, their car, anything of value that they have, etc.
They would also have to really and truly believe in the cause of the right to own assault rifles, etc. Because, sure, they could probably keep the military and DHS occupied by a while, similar to insurgents in Afghanistan. But Afghanis can only manage that because a) they’re willing to die at any time and watch their friends and family die around them, b) they’re in a mountainous terrain, whereas many teabillies live in the suburbs and are easily reachable by roads, c) Afghanis have a very low standard of living to start with, d) Afghanis tend not to expect much for their children other than to be child soldiers or cannon fodder, thus moving their families to isolated areas to fight the enemy isn’t consigning them to a much different life than they already have, and e) the US military bends over backwards in Afghanistan vis a vis rules of engagement.
It’s “go time” northeasterner, step up before it’s too late. A couple years from now will be too late, the states will have acted on gun control.
I have no dog in this fight, other than to laugh at teabillies. I don’t think gun control is the real answer to limiting violence (most of which is related to drugs being illegal). I also can’t relate to someone making it a big priority to be able to buy new heavy duty firearms. It strikes me as a symptom of cultural poverty.
I realize you’re intentionally trying to annoy NE, but this seems worthy of a real conversation…
That’s my point. You can’t wait until it’s too late.
Valid point, if you look at history. But what makes you think you know any better than him that it’s now? If you’re just poking for fun I would think the subject would be a bit serious for that.
Teabillies are whiter and older than the average American. If they wait 5 or 10 years for “go time”, I’m sorry but 5-10 years older means more health problems and less physical endurance/strength.
They have kids. A lot of kids by coastal white people standards. Part of the reason they stockpile is just so that their kids won’t be helpless even if “go time” is 50 years from now. It seems like you are assuming they want this to happen and they want it to happen now. I don’t think that’s true at all except for maybe a few crazies. I think they’re hoping for peace through strength and want to preserve that strength for generations to come.
Go time should be now.
Even if you believe that’s true (and I don’t think you do), that’s very presumptuous of you to say. If somebody is going to die for what they believe in, I respect their right to decide when it makes the most sense. Mocking comments from the peanut gallery on such in important subject seem almost evil to me.
They have kids. A lot of kids by coastal white people standards.
Which is a HUGE liability. If the teabillies really do rise in arms their families will have bulls eyes on their backs and might get visited by a friendly neighborhood drone.
Could be. But if it’s all about having enough trigger pullers they will have plenty.
So they’d piss their kids’ lives away like that? I’m not saying they wouldn’t, I just find it very hard to relate to.
@Carl Morris
Bravo to all you said!
So they’d piss their kids’ lives away like that? I’m not saying they wouldn’t, I just find it very hard to relate to.
You have no backbone. Did our forefathers balk at revolting against their rightful rulers in 1775? It is people like you who will risk nothing, but reap the rewards gained on the backs of people who sacrifice everything. Pathetic.
Risk something for what? I think some restrictions are reasonable. I really think the so-called onerous restrictions are going to be pretty weak and limited. And you can still transfer/buy existing arms. I already live and work in 2 jurisdictions where guns are all but illegal (DC/MD). And I lived in NYC previously.
I’ve also said that I think focusing on guns is really missing other problems in our society. Namely the “war on drugs”, lack of mental health care, and focus on military spending as opposed to education.
But why would it be courageous for me to fight for something I don’t believe in? To me, it sounds stupid. I would fight for other things, but not because some state decides to do background checks or ban certain rifles.
“Northeasterner, this is your “go time”, what are you waiting for?”
The ball is in Janet`s court not Northeasterner`s. If you are looking for “go time” Janet Napolitano is who you should be addressing.
You have no backbone. Did our forefathers balk at revolting against their rightful rulers in 1775?
Were the stakes as high back then? The Brits didn’t have drones, chemical, biological or other WMDs back then. If it comes down to a flat out revolt, what would happen if entire teabillie communities in flyover were wiped out in a single fell swoop?
The signers of the Declaration knew very well they were signing their own death warrants if the British won the war. Stakes don’t get much higher than “death”.
Mocking comments from the peanut gallery on such in important subject seem almost evil to me.
It’s not evil. It is mocking irrationality. Condoning armed insurrection might be evil and it is dumb. The few that would really fight would get their clock cleaned quickly.
Other options such as general strikes, boycotts and massive demonstrations are more realistic and a lot less evil imo.
Did our forefathers balk at revolting against their rightful rulers in 1775?
Uh………most of our forefathers balked at independence for a couple decades before our real “go time”.
Do you understand American history or the just the right’s rewrite?
So they’d piss their kids’ lives away like that?
You assume they’ll lose. They don’t. And as people have pointed out, a lot of them are getting on in years. Their kids are the ones back home working McJobs and taking care of the grandkids while they “march” (or roll in Rascals as the case may be) on Washington.
The few that would really fight would get their clock cleaned quickly.
Just like the Iraqis that tried to take us on in the first few days after we invaded. Then it became an occupation. Then the real war started.
Uh………most of our forefathers balked at independence for a couple decades before our real “go time”.
Do you understand American history or the just the right’s rewrite?
Do you?
* National Firearms Act of 1934
* Gun Control Act of 1968
* Brady Act of 1993
* Assault Weapons Ban of 1994
* 2013???
Looks to me like we’ve been watching our 2nd Amendment rights be taken away for the better part of 79 years. And for the record, “Go Time” for our forefathers was in 1774-1775 when a British General was put in charge of Massachusetts post “Boston Tea Party” and that same General attempted to confiscate Colonial weapons.
It’s not evil. It is mocking irrationality. Condoning armed insurrection might be evil and it is dumb. The few that would really fight would get their clock cleaned quickly.
Robert A. Heinlein - “Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.”
“The Brits didn’t have drones, chemical, biological or other WMDs back then. If it comes down to a flat out revolt, what would happen if entire teabillie communities in flyover were wiped out in a single fell swoop?”
Oh dear, that means if there is a shadow “teabillie”
in your “nabe” you could be collateral liberal damage.
“I wonder how many teabillies are really ready to give it all up,”
About 7-10 million.
Leaked U.S. Army Document Outlines Plan For Re-Education …
http://www.infowars.com/leaked-u-s-army-document-outlines-plan-for-re-education-camps-in-america/ - 54k - Cached - Similar pages
May 3, 2012 …
If and when it becomes “Go Time”, it won’t be announced on a public internet forum.
Given the ground we’re gaining between Feinstein’s bill being discarded and Cuomo backpedaling in NY, not to mention all the corporate support for companies leaving Ban states and not selling to LEO, I’d say we’re doing our job supporting 2A.
And you’re very transparent… trolls should try harder or go home.
“Northeasterner, this is your “go time”, what are you waiting for?”
Looked that way at Gander Mountain yesterday at 10:30 AM. They get their weekly ammo delivery Thursday morning and the place looked like it was Black Friday at Best Buy.
Saw some dude wearing a “Molon Labe” hat at Caribou Coffee yesterday.
The coastal elitist, libtard bedwetter, nanny state, gun grabbers underestimate the sentiment out here in flyover.
“gun grabbers underestimate the sentiment out here in flyover.”
I don`t think they do. I do think their hired help does though.
An open letter to the United Nations - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFjvA4OFWY8 - 164k - Cached - Similar pages
Jul 18, 2012 … AMERICA’S HUNTERS The world’s largest army. … woods of a single American state, Wisconsin, to hunt with firearms, and no one was killed.
Saw some dude wearing a “Molon Labe” hat ….The coastal elitist, libtard bedwetter, nanny state, gun grabbers underestimate the
sentimentlow cost of embroidery out here in flyover.Rio was recently seen wearing a shirt that read “I stand for nothing”. On the back it said “Will fall for anything”…
KEYRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!
http://i2.mail.com/252/1925252,h=425,pd=1,w=620.jpg
That’s the sound of falling housing prices crashing through the floor in your neighborhood.
Look out below!
No dude, that’s the sound of Putin taking a crap on the Cyprus bailout plan.
No, it’s the sound of Senator Dianne Feinstein dropping a deuce on the Second Amendment after eating a whole Crave Case of White Castles.
Both Putin and Feinstein enjoyed immensely doing so.
“What he is doing with his reckless monetary policy is causing our resources to be malinvested,” Schiff continues. “We’re spending too much on housing right now because of what Ben Bernanke is doing. He’s bragging about the fact that we’re building more houses and home prices are up, but they’re only up because of the artificially manipulated prices thanks to the Fed, and all of this is a mistake and is going to be unwound in a very painful way.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/schiff-dollar-bears-aren-t-wrong-just-early-145413288.html
Years worth of foreclosures they can`t get through the court system but still………
Palm Beach County home prices up 27 percent from a year ago
By Jeff Ostrowski
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted: 11:26 a.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013
Is the boom back? Palm Beach County’s housing market continued its dramatic rebound in February.
The median price of an existing home sold in the county rose to $235,000, up 27 percent from a year ago and 8 percent from January, the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches said today.
Sales volumes continued to rise, too. There were 1,012 single-family home sales last month, up 9.6 percent from a year ago and up 5 percent from last month.
“The housing numbers reflect a positive trend and the return to a more conventional market,” said Tim Harris, president of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches.
Prices were buoyed by shrinking inventories. It also helped that there were fewer low-priced foreclosures and short sales dragging down prices.
Such a strong spike in home prices brings back memories of the disastrous bubble of 2005, but the market is much different now. Prices plunged by more than 50 percent from their 2005 peak before bouncing back.
“The market had overcorrected,” said Douglas Rill, owner of Century 21 America’s Choice in West Palm Beach. “Properties were selling below replacement cost, so we’re returning to reality.”
The supply-and-demand equation has changed markedly over the past year. Homeowners listed 6,740 properties for sale in February, down 42 percent from a year ago. That translates to a 5.8-month supply of homes for sale, a level that’s considered a “balanced” market rather than one that favors buyers or sellers.
But for lower-priced homes, it’s a sellers market. Buyers are frustrated by a shortage of properties under $250,000, Rill said.
“If you’re trying to buy at the low end, it’s a problem,” he said. “I have first-time home buyers who have been looking for months and months and months.”
Florida Realtors Chief Economist John Tuccillo cautioned that the 27 percent rise in the median price doesn’t mean that the value of every home in Palm Beach County rose by that amount. The median price can be skewed by market trends.
“This is a price number that reflects what’s selling in the market, and it does not necessarily reflect appreciation,” Tuccillo said. “It shows directionality, but it’s not a measure of values.”
In February, the changing mix of so-called distressed sales caused the median price to rise. Palm Beach County saw fewer foreclosures and short sales, low-priced deals that drag down prices.
The number of foreclosure sales fell 40 percent from a year ago, while short sales dipped 9 percent. Traditional sales jumped 25.7 percent.
In one sign of the lingering hangover from the housing bubble, more than half of homes sold in February were bought for cash, without a loan. Mortgage rates remain at rock-bottom levels — the average 30-year loan cost 3.54 percent, Freddie Mac said today — yet many borrowers are unable to qualify for loans.
Home prices are recovering nationally, too. The U.S. median price rose to $173,600 in February, up 11.6 percent from February 2012, the National Association of Realtors said. That was the highest home-price gain since November 2005 — the height of the once-frothy housing cycle.
“A strong rise in home values is contributing to housing wealth recovery, which has risen by $1.4 trillion in the past year and looks to top that increase this year,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said.
The future that could have been restored, the America that could have been taken back:
“It’s one of the great untold stories of the 2012 presidential campaign, a tale of ego and intrigue that nearly upended the Republican primary contest and might even have produced a different nominee.
As Mitt Romney struggled in the weeks leading up to the Michigan primary, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum almost agreed to for a joint “Unity Ticket” to consolidate conservative support and topple Romney.”
America’s pets could have been saved from the looming threat of “man on dog” action that Santorum so eloquently predicted would result from Obama’s support of homo-gay marriage. And the children of Lucky Ducky could be gainfully employed sweeping up their schools and earning extra ha’pennies and farthings working as chimney sweeps. The “food stamp president” would have been dethroned. Prosperity would be around the corner. Normalcy would be returned to. A chicken in every pot. Liebensraum for the Fatherland!
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-22/gingrich-santorum-unity-ticket-almost-toppled-romney.html
Gingrich and Santorum would’ve been an even worse ticket. I can’t even imagine.
Where does the GOP come up with these people? Sure Hillary and Obama were (and are) flawed, but they look like angels compared to the garbage the GOP has been dredging up the last 5-6 years.
Where do they come up with these people?
We lived in Cincinnati for two years, right across the Ohio River from the Creation Museum. And have spent some time in Colorado Springs, home of Focus on the Family and meth-and-escort-party Pastor Ted Haggard.
Spend some time outside of the coasts or bobo bubbles and you’ll meet the constituencies that vote for people like Todd Akin and Richard Mourdoch.
We lived in Cincinnati for two years, right across the Ohio River from the Creation Museum.
Ya know….. I think a Crater Museum chronicling the massive fraud and losses of the housing bubble years of 1997-2013 would be a great idea. Just think of the exhibits……
Sure Hillary and Obama were (and are) flawed, but they look like angels compared to the garbage
Remove your blinders they will look all same.
They’re just different colors of puppets.
You have to admit that Santoum and Gingrich seem unhinged, though. And nominating Romney is the political equivalent of walking into a pub, pissing all over the bar, and then expecting to get served. Obama and Clinton were puppets but knew how to come off looking inoffensive and responsible.
We’d be better off without either of these clown parties. In a few years, it will be reversed and the Dems will be back to nominating true elitists while the GOP will eventually hit on someone who can get votes from people under age 50.
“Where does the GOP come up with these people?”
Are you serious? The GOP is controlled by wealthy insiders who’s only requirement in life is to stay rich at all costs and that circle has become very inbred over the generations.
As it always does.
Gingrich and Santorum
The Democrat’s dream ticket.
Happy Birthday to the Georgia Guidestones!
33 years old today.
Ownership
Elbert County owns the Georgia Guidestones site. According to the Georgia Mountain Travel Association’s detailed history: “The Georgia Guidestones are located on the farm of Mildred and Wayne Mullenix…”[3] The Elbert County land registration system shows what appears to be the Guidestones as County land purchased on October 1, 1979.[4][5]
The monument was unveiled in March 1980, in front of 100 people.[6] Another account specifies March 22, 1980 and says 400 people attended.[2]
1.Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2.Guide reproduction wisely — improving fitness and diversity.
3.Unite humanity with a living new language.
4.Rule passion — faith — tradition — and all things with tempered reason.
5.Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6.Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7.Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8.Balance personal rights with social duties.
9.Prize truth — beauty — love — seeking harmony with the infinite.
10.Be not a cancer on the earth — Leave room for nature — Leave room for nature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones - 63k -
Sounds like a bunch of hippie-dippie thumbsucker granola, but we agree with the reduction of humanoid population to 500M.
Unfortunately, it may have to hit 10, 12, 15 billion before it will drop to 500 million. Global warming should make for a pretty miserable next few centuries for the humanoids. Enjoy the die-off, loosers!
11. and provide candy crapping unicorns for everyone!
1.Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
People like that scare me because it seems like they or people inspired by them eventually seem to come up with a plan to accelerate progress toward their population goals.
Global climate change, crop failures, resource wars will take care of all of that without the need for a “plan” or leaders to get us there. You’ll see.
You forgot pandemic.
We’re overdue, you know.
People like that scare me because it seems like they or people inspired by them eventually seem to come up with a plan to accelerate progress toward their population goals.
again you are correct. we would never had the massive gains in science and technology with only 500,000,000 people. our standard of living would be lower as life would be much more difficult without so many more people doing so many different things..
i don’t don’t what the upper limit for humans on earth is, but we’re not even close. perhaps just as we begin to approach the limit, we begin to move out to the stars..
Hmm…. 300 million Americans seemed to be more than enough to “innovate”.
enough innovation? how much innovation is enough? wouldn’t more innovation always be better? how do you know how much better our lives would have been if we 400 million?
of course all this supposes that everyone is working. but wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a higher standard of living with only working 20 hours a week?
It helps having army bases all over the world to guarantee our supply of cheap natural resources that enable us to consume at levels ten times the average global Lucky Ducky.
we don’t need bases anywhere in the world to guarantee cheap supplies of anything. it matters not who produces the resources as long as they get produced and we are free to buy them. the only thing that counts with resources or anything else is the value of our dollar. if our dollar gains in value, we can buy more of everything with it. but the keynesians fear price deflation and try to fight it with monetary policies that have disastrous consequences.
but wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a higher standard of living with only working 20 hours a week?
I don’t see how having a larger population guarantees that. If anything, we are having a devil of a time providing jobs for everyone who wants one.
I’m not saying that 500m is the magic number. But we are already starting to see not so trivial signs of the earth struggling to provide resources for those here now. The oceans are overfished. Clean potable water is at a premium in many places, our cities are choking in smog, etc.
More people isn’t always the answer. And hoping that someday we’ll have warp drive and colonize the galaxy when the Earth’s “no vacancy sign” turns on strikes me as wishful thinking.
I don’t see how having a larger population guarantees that.
i know. but if you strive to, you will be able to.
If anything, we are having a devil of a time providing jobs for everyone who wants one.
only because we’re doing things that harm our economy.
But we are already starting to see not so trivial signs of the earth struggling to provide resources for those here now.
yes, because of what we are doing. look at n. korea. it wouldn’t matter how low their population gets, they couldn’t feed themselves or do much anything else. it’s not their location, it’s their system. their system stifles economic activity. they are all dying. only china and other aid keeps them afloat.
The oceans are overfished.
let the innovators risk their money and time for profit to devise new ways to farm or increase fish populations and there would be plenty.
Clean potable water is at a premium in many places,
water will soon become plentiful. right now atmospheric water generators (AWGs) are producing a gallon of water for about eight cents. technology is constantly bringing the price down. and don’t worry about ‘drying out the air’. it can’t happen. the moisture in the air remains in constant equilibrium from the surface water of lakes, rivers and oceans.
our cities are choking in smog
all these problems will easily be solved by technology if you let someone make a profit from it. just keep the government do-gooders away.
And hoping that someday we’ll have warp drive and colonize the galaxy when the Earth’s “no vacancy sign” turns on strikes me as wishful thinking.
we will be out to the stars long before we have a population problem, if socialism doesn’t kill us first. we need to start building defenses now against an asteroid strike, or some fine day we’ll be out of business in a flash.
Your naivete is something to behold, tj.
Your naivete is something to behold
your blindness leads you to the lions den.
but wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a higher standard of living with only working 20 hours a week?
How could this ever happen without the person working 20 hours a week owning or at least partially owning the means of production?
Why would the owner of the means of production pay a high living standard to someone only working 20 hours a week?
Because the owner of the means of production is nice or “has enough” money already?
How does paying a high standard of living to someone working 20 hours a week reconcile with your saying someone needs to make a profit? Because the person making a profit will pay higher than he could because he’s nice?
How could this ever happen without the person working 20 hours a week owning or at least partially owning the means of production?
it would happen as the value of labor increased. there’s no need to own the means of production in any part, to see the value of one’s labor increase.
Why would the owner of the means of production pay a high living standard to someone only working 20 hours a week?
to get the labor he wants.
Because the owner of the means of production is nice or “has enough” money already?
hardly anyone will admit that they have enough money if they’re being honest. so no, the owner or laborer always wants as much money as he or she can get. but the owner must always pay the ‘going rate’ or he’ll not get what he needs. and the laborer can accept or reject what the owner or employer is willing to pay. when the employer and laborer both accept a wage, it is by definition ‘fair’, no matter what you might think of it.
How does paying a high standard of living to someone working 20 hours a week reconcile with your saying someone needs to make a profit?
the owner’s profits can increase even as he pays higher wages. raises wouldn’t be possible otherwise. it’s up to the laborer to increase his value by acquiring skill sets.
Because the person making a profit will pay higher than he could because he’s nice?
no, because he wants more profits.
don’t know how my next to the last sentence got so screwed up, but what i obviously meant to say was: “i don’t know what the upper limit for humans on earth is..”
I wonder which one of you will be appearing on the next episode of “Meet The Craterton’s.
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2013/03/homebuilders-struggling-with-lot.html
**runs to make popcorn**
**returns to watch Pimp Watch respond**
LOL.
Good Morning Liar.
Washington?
Here’s the truth about housing in Washington.
Washington Real Estate Market in Crisis
http://www.kimatv.com/home/video/Real-Estate-market-in-crisis-192620891.html
“They’re not selling,” she said. “Houses all over the place aren’t selling.”
“the average sales price has also dropped.”
You’re a shameless liar……. Liar.
Don’t you mean the Yakima, Washington real estate market in crisis?
“YAKIMA, Wash.– A rebound in the housing market around Washington State is not having a local ripple effect. Yakima isn’t seeing it. In fact, analysts say it’s worse than last year. Some homeowners are dropping their prices to close a deal.”
No. I wrote what I meant.
Oliver - Good Morning Starshine Lyrics
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh…………
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la …………….
Good mornin’ Liar, the earth says hello
You twinkle above us
We twinkle below
Good mornin’ Liar, You lead us along
My love and me as we sing
our Liar mornin’ singin’ song
Glibby gloop gloopy Nibby Nabby Noopy La La La Lo Lo
Sabba Sibby Sabba Nooby abba Nabba Le Le Lo Lo
Tooby ooby walla nooby abba nabba
Early mornin’ singin’ song
Oliver- Goodmorning starshine - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAOTxAGJUug - 204k -
http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2013/mar/21/report-las-vegas-land-prices-rising-downright-scar/
This IS scary…if NV overturns their obstructionist foreclosure law (and rumor has it that they are planning to do so), there will be a flood of additional foreclosures. With all the physical vacancy in Vegas, and a release of foreclosures onto the market…this could be a massive dead-cat bounce.
Scary is 25 MILLION excess empty houses.
Why would anyone build in Vegas when there are 5,000 empty houses?
http://www.realtytrac.com/map/nv/clark-county/#cp=35.92799377441408;-114.97210693359375&lvl=12&sty=r&srange=3&page=1&sort=price,asc&tabs=PreForeclosure,Auction,LiveAuction,OnlineAuction,BankOwned,REO,GovernmentOwned,Resale,FSBO
The funny thing is that you are way off in your 5k number. There are more like 20k-25k empty housing units in Vegas when you include rentals as well. In 2011, they were noted as the second emptiest city in the US.
If/when they change their foreclosure law, there will be a spike in foreclosures, which won’t be good…unless you’re a buyer.
Pro athletes who can’t manage their money are loosers:
http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2013/03/22/former-nba-player-trashes-his-foreclosed-home/
They’re also the majority of pro athletes.
There’s a good EconTalk episode where Leigh Steinberg (an NFL “superagent”) talks about issues related to this.
Western Banking And Financial Institutions “Immediately”!
Posted by UnSlaveMe on March 22, 2013 at 9:10am in Editorials, Commentaries, BlogsView Discussions
(Before It’s News)
President Putin has sent a memo to ALL embassy’s world wide today advising both Russian citizens and companies to remove deposits out of ALL Westearn banks immediatly or risk losing your wealth.
NICOSIA – A web site on Friday claims to have seen an urgent bulletin from the Russian Foreign Ministry sent to its embassies all over the world advising both Russian citizens and companies to begin divesting their assets from Western banking and financial institutions“immediately”.
The site said the Kremlin feared grow that both the European Union and United States were preparing for the largest theft of private wealth in modern history.
http://www.incyprus.com.cy/en-gb/Showbiz/4118/33749/russian-warning?
Must Watch Rissia Today -GET YOUR MONEY OUT
Farage on Cyprus – It’s your money – take it.
The Euro is DOOMEDD get your money out before Monday. Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal NEXT WEEK
Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com
Tags: Russian Warning: Get All Your Money Out Of Western Banking And Financial Institutions “Immediately”!
http://yourtubenews.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=3181219%3ATopic%3A488366&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_topic
Sounds like he thinks they’re getting tippy and this is the right time to push…
“President Putin has sent a memo to ALL embassy’s world wide today advising both Russian citizens and companies to remove deposits out of ALL Westearn banks immediatly or risk losing your wealth.”
“The Euro is DOOMEDD get your money out before Monday. Spain, Ireland, Italy and Portugal NEXT WEEK”
and now for sports and weather……
Are Russian banks stable? Is Putin looking to extract taxes from repatriated money?
http://rt.com/usa/us-retailers-reject-frankenfish-680/
modified fish died!
Most genetic modifications will lead to a decrease in genetic fitness, which makes me wonder why the environmental extremists get their underwear tied up in knots over fears about genetic mods?
Rest in peace, Chinua Achebe.
And if you aren’t familiar with the name, go out and buy or borrow a copy of “Things Fall Apart” right now. Then read it. Twice. You’ll miss too much the first time.
Where is 2banana when you need him to weigh in?
Gingrich-Santorum dispute derailed joint ticket: report
March 22, 2013, 10:00 AM
Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum nearly teamed up against Mitt Romney in last year’s race for the Republican presidential nomination, but couldn’t agree on who would be president and who would be vice president, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report out Friday.
The story calls the Gingrich-Santorum dance “a tale of ego and intrigue that nearly upended the Republican primary contest,” but one that ultimately collapsed as each man thought himself the best candidate for commander in chief.
Santorum tells Bloomberg: “I was disappointed when Speaker Gingrich ultimately decided against this idea, because it could have changed the outcome of the primary…and more importantly, it could have changed the outcome of the general election.”
“In the end,” the report quotes Gingrich, “it was just too hard to negotiate.”
…
I can’t imagine why it was so hard to negotiate. With two such powerful “leaders” like that you should always be able to solve all your problems and get to an answer everyone can agree with.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall…
TOP TEN OBAMACARE HORROR STORIES THE MEDIA ARE COVERING UP
by JOHN NOLTE 22 Mar 2013, 12:36 PM PDT 15 POST A COMMENT VIEW DISCUSSION
Because the mainstream media lobbied every bit as hard as Obama to win passage of ObamaCare, they are every bit as invested in doing whatever is necessary to see that it is perceived as a success. Unfortunately for Americans who expect truth from their media, this means the media are having to manufacture a false reality that says ObamaCare is, to steal a phrase, “doing fine.”
In order to manufacture this phony reality, the media must further sell their blackened soul by violating one of their most cherished principals: reporting on how government policy hits America’s weakest the hardest. It’s just a fact that the worst fallout of ObamaCare is already landing hard on the working class, who are losing work hours, jobs, and their insurance.
Usually when a government policy hits the working class, the media will fall all over themselves to “tell their personal stories.” But not these people. The media perceives these poor souls as sacrifices to a bigger cause known as The State.
So with that in mind, I present to you (with big hat tips to Drudge and Investors Business Daily) the top ten ObamaCare horror stories the media is willfully covering up.
In no particular order…
1. Millions are and will lose the insurance Obama promised they could keep. Because ObamaCare forces employers to offer expensive Cadillac plans but also offers the option of paying a fine for not providing health insurance that can be cheaper than providing it, between seven and twenty million Americans are likely to lose their health insurance coverage according to the Congressional Budget Office. The original estimate was closer to four million.
2. The cost of healthcare premiums is about to further skyrocket. Premium costs have already exploded, but that is a slow-motion explosion. In the near future, we could see costs double or worse. Naturally, these costs will hit an already burdened middle class hardest.
3. Lost jobs. Lost jobs.
The Federal Reserve’s March beige book on economic activity noted that businesses “cited the unknown effects of the Affordable Care Act as reasons for planned layoffs and reluctance to hire more staff.”
Meanwhile, human resources consulting firm Adecco found that half of the small businesses it surveyed in January either plan to cut their workforce, not hire new workers, or shift to part-time or temporary help because of ObamaCare.
4. Potential doctor shortages that will mean rationing: The healthcare industry is already a bureaucratic quagmire. ObamaCare is about to add steroids. As the profession becomes tyrannized by government, the talented people currently practicing medicine plan to get out sooner than expected. Who knows how many will choose not to get in.
Doctor shortages are what lead to the nightmare known as rationed care. Here’s an unsettling example already being practiced.
5. Somewhere around $800 billion in tax increases will hit America’s middle class. This added burden will not only further oppress a middle class already reeling from a drop in wages over the last few years, but could damage the overall economy.
6. Inflation, the cruelest tax on the poor. When businesses get socked with added costs brought about by higher taxes and burdensome government mandates, they pass those cost along to the consumer in the form of higher prices.
7. Added bureaucracy. Even those Obama lapdogs over at the Washington Post’s Wonk Blog are admitting that applying for health care is about to get more burdensome than the byzantine paperwork involved in buying a home.
8. To cut costs or to avoid having to provide insurance, workers on the economic margins are already losing hours, which means a lower paycheck. There are a million sad stories in ObamaVille; here are just a few of them.
9. ObamaCare is projected to add $6.2 TRILLION to a deficit the GAO has already declared “unsustainable.” That’s “trillion” with a “t”.
10. More taxes than currently estimated are likely to hit because of situations like this one.
Three years ago, Obama, Democrats, and his media lied to us about cutting the cost of health care, being able to keep our insurance, and not taxing the middle class.
Today, those lies and what ObamaCare is and will do to the working and middle class are the biggest untold story in America.
The media is currently engaged in an ObamaCare cover-up every bit as big, corrupt, and damaging as the ongoing Libya cover up.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
So Hillary’s health plan in the 90’s doesn’t so bad after all….
Stanford University drops pro-capitalism course; keeps one questioning free market
By Cheryl K. Chumley-The Washington Times Friday, March 22, 2013
** FILE ** Milton Friedman, one of the most famous economists and …
STORY TOPICS
Education
Stanford University
Stanford Center For Ethics
FOLLOW US ONFACEBOOKFOLLOW @WASHTIMESQUESTION OF THE DAY
Will the Senate’s vote to kill an Obamacare-related tax on medical devices open the floodgates for further repeal?
A popular course with a pro-capitalism slant has been cut from Stanford University course listings.
Called “Moral Foundations of Capitalism,” the class received rave reviews.
“This is one of the most fantastic courses that I have taken at Stanford,” said one student, in a written review of the class, as reported by The Daily Caller.
“Definitely offer this course again,” wrote another student.
Stanford Center for Ethics in Society officials, who sponsored the class, said they’d rather invest money somewhere else, The Daily Caller reports. That “somewhere” includes a course that offers a seeming opposite view of the free market.
The Center of Ethics is still sponsoring its class, the “Moral Limits of the Market.”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/22/stanford-university-drops-pro-capitalism-course-ke/#ixzz2OJWs7LyP
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
Never forget who the socialists are today and what they were 50-100 years ago… Communists. Words have meaning. Don’t be afraid to call them what they really are.
AL GORE
Former Vice President Al Gore in his home office in Nashville, TN. (Time magazine)
The Alliance for Climate Protection
The Climate Project
Live Earth
An Inconvenient Truth
Current TV
Generation Investment Management
< Previous: Sandy and the Climate Crisis… |
“Time has come” for a carbon tax March 21, 2013 : 8:28 PM
Last weekend, the Financial Times published a must-read editorial on the need for a national carbon tax:
“Taxes are always a regrettable necessity, but some are less regrettable than others. A tax that strengthens energy security and cuts pollution, while minimising the damage done to employment and investment, is one of the least regrettable of all.”
“Yet a carbon tax, which has all those characteristics, is struggling to find support from the US administration or in Congress. It deserves much wider enthusiasm.”
“One of the few uncontroversial conclusions of economics is that it is better to tax “bads” than “goods”. Wages and profits are desirable objectives, and governments have no good excuse for obstructing them. They are taxed largely for reasons of convenience, at the cost of disincentives to wage-earning and profitmaking that are a drag on the economy.”
“Energy consumption, on the other hand, is not an objective for anyone. Indeed, the negative externalities of energy use, including local pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, mean that, other things being equal, an economy that burns less fuel is better off.”
“That insight lies behind support from across the political spectrum for a tax linked to the carbon content of fossil fuels, generating revenue that could be recycled through cuts in other taxes. Four leading Democrats in Congress this month proposed such a tax, and asked for suggestions for how it could be implemented. On the Republican side, a carbon tax has been backed by several prominent figures, most notably Greg Mankiw of Harvard, a former economic adviser to George W. Bush and Mitt Romney.”
“Carbon taxes have their drawbacks, it is true, but their problems are mostly fixable. They are regressive, but that could be offset by changes to other taxes. They can create difficulties for energy-intensive sectors, but those could be eased with targeted reliefs.”
“The claim made this week by more than 85 Republican members of Congress that carbon taxes would “kill millions more jobs” has no evidence to support it.”
“While the adjustment to higher energy costs would have some negative impact, it would be offset by the benefits of cuts in other taxes. Curbing consumption would also improve energy security, making the economy less vulnerable to commodity price shocks. President Barack Obama on Friday set out an energy agenda including reduced oil imports, greater use of natural gas and increased energy efficiency. A carbon tax would help meet all of those goals.”
“The prospect that extra revenues will be needed to stabilise the public finances in the long term suggests that some taxes are likely to rise, and a carbon tax would be one of the least painful ways to do it. Shifting the tax burden off incomes and on to carbon would be a good idea at any time. Right now, the case is overwhelming.”
School closings in Chicago coincide with planned wave of union action
Posted by Anne Sorock Friday, March 22, 2013 at 6:35pm
Yesterday the Chicago Public Schools announced 61 school building closures, including 52 elementary schools, due to a $1 billion budget deficit. This is the largest closing in the district’s history, and the reaction from the teachers union has been swift.
A few weeks ago, noted radical organizer Lisa Fithian was in town training the teachers (perhaps the ones who missed the large teacher training at the Midwest Marxist conference) in nonviolent protest action. Jesse Sharkey, Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union and panelist at the Midwest Marxist conference, said during Fithian’s training:
(School closings are) not something we’re prepared to accept without a fight…Tonight is about us training our people in the methods of non-violent civil disobedience because we’re going to take this fight as far as we have to, to defend our community schools.”
Kyle Olson of Education Action Group, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting education reform, told me that “having Lisa Fithian involved shows how serious the union is at winning. When Fithian’s involved, nothing good will come of it. She’s only about confrontation and clashes with the police. The fact they turn to her shows how radical they are.”
Olson said not only is the district operating as though it has about 100,000 more students than it does, but also “The CTU is using the momentum it gained through the successful strike to stop school closures. It believes it’s developed the support necessary to defeat them. Emanuel should both be seeking salary and benefit concessions and closing schools. He didn’t get concessions – in fact the new contract is costing more – and we’ll see if he actually closes schools.”
An article on EAG reports that many of the district’s buildings are half-empty, and officials say that $560 million will be saved over 10 years, with an additional $43 million/year in operational costs saved, with the closings. From EAG:
The CTU’s hypocrisy is the most sickening part of this entire situation.
Last fall the union went on strike for 10 days, pressuring the school district to cough up an absurdly large 17.6 percent raise for teachers which will cost about $74 million per year. We’re guessing that $74 million would be enough to keep a few schools open.
The union also pressured the district into recalling hundreds of laid off teachers to help cover the extra workload of longer school days that will start next year.
So the union is really good at spending school district money, but not so great at helping city and district officials figure out how to deal with the deficit.
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, leader of the strike earlier this school year (and never one to miss an opportunity to use schoolchildren to advance the union), said the following:
These actions unnecessarily expose our students to gang violence, turf wars and peer-to-peer conflict. Some of our students have been seriously injured as a result of school closings. One died. Putting thousands of small children in harm’s way is not laudatory.
A large-scale protect action is planned for next Wednesday. While today, parents kicked off the protests by pulling the fire alarm at a targeted school in protest.
+50
Related events in Detroit, see detnews.com:
Apparently those poor 2.3 million Michigan residents are no longer voters in the state of Michigan. Or so this carpetbagger would have us believe.
Last fall, the voters of Michigan overturned the previous Emergency Manager law passed in 2011. Michigan Republican politicians did not care to listen to the voters of Michigan and passed a new law this year.
Michigan Republican politicians did not care to listen to the voters of Michigan and passed a new law this year.
Weren’t these Michigan legislators elected to office by Michigan voters?
Gerrymandering.
I remember the kids on the travel teams listening to this song, but I never actually listened to the lyrics. Jeez, not to mention the questionable advice the Rasta dude gives.
Shaggy - It wasn’t me - lyrics HD - rated 10/10 - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHD3Jwt5wvc - 230k -