Bits Bucket for October 11, 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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Name:Ben Jones
Location:Northern Arizona, United States
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If you take on mortgage debt at current massively inflated housing prices, you’ll enslave yourself for the rest of your life.
“Debt is bondage.”~ Suze Orman, May 11, 2013
Don’t Be A Debt Donkey®
After “throwing money away on rent” every month I have so much money left over I don’t know where to throw it
Mortgage debt slavery is FINANCIAL SUICIDE
(from the other link I just posted)
Date: October 11th, 2013 4:05 AM
Author: peanutchew
a primary residence is not that good of an investment.
-you only reap the benefits of appreciation when you sell.
-it confines you to one city and makes it difficult to pursue job offers in other cities.
-a huge mortgage hanging over your head for decades is not a good feeling.
-someone buying a 700k house will probably end up paying $10k+ a yr in property taxes (which offsets a good percentage of the appreciation gains).
Bill in Los Angeles = WIN
If I get a job offer in another city, I can write a check to cover the remainder of my lease, move tomorrow, and have the landlord (my employee) start showing my old place. Even if I pay double rents for a few months, it is still well below the bottomless pit of albatross mortgage debt slavery.
Yes I was summoned by SJBE’s post. This morning I heard some guy at the gym explain he broke his arm by rear ending another car. The air bag deployed, and if not for that he would have done worse. I asked him where he works. City of Industry. That is 43 miles one way. He admitted that is how he got in the crash. Highway hypnosis. I did not tell him my solution. I heard him tell someone he has kids in college. He is boxed into the rat race. At least he tries to work out.
The rat race is not worth it. Having kids is an additional cost, without which he could move to where his lobs move.
Knock on wood because I might have to commute for a few months the same distance to El Segundo. We have so much work at our small company that we probably have to hire more. And we are moving our office in a few weeks or months to some place else in Irvine.
Goon, in California at least where I rented in L.A. previously and where I rent now, I have only a one month break lease penalty. This is the nice thing about working here. I can jump from company to company and mop up the money but break a lease and move close.
I could buy that Mustang 5.0 litre GT and not wore about gas prices.
I go back & forth about having a kid. On the minus side, neither my wife nor I really want to care 24/7 for an infant. Plus, the last thing the world needs is more humans.
On the plus side, I think it would be great to have a kid to teach sports, introduce to music, and support in doing whatever he/she wants during the teenage/early adult years. Also on the plus side money wouldn’t be a huge issue and I would never spoil a kid anyway, seems like the worst thing you can do.
I have a couple years, but ughhh, it’s going to be a tough call.
The last thing the world needs is more
humansunwanted kids.adopt a shelter pet instead
I didn’t say the kid would be unwanted!
Why does _thinking_ about parenthood and its effects on your life automatically mean you don’t really want the kid? If anything, I think it’s the opposite. If I have a kid, it means we were more than ready and planned it.
OTOH, the people who have the most kids in our society don’t seem to weigh it out very much and largely don’t do a great job of parenting.
Also, not knowing how you’ll do with the 24/7 period of having an infant is far different than not wanting a child. The first 6 months or year are very rough. We like kids, my wife teaches young kids, etc.
Lastly - - yes, there are finite resources like fresh water, petroleum, and arable land. More humans are not really a good thing.
Be debt free (outside of mortgage) before you start having kids. Kids expenses, auto loans, credit card loans, student loans, mortgage….that’s a lot for any human to deal with at the same time.
don’t do a great job of parenting.
Who does that benefit? Government and Bankersters….expect it to get a lot worse.
“Also, not knowing how you’ll do with the 24/7 period of having an infant is far different than not wanting a child.”
That period only feels like forever when it’s your 3rd night up at 3 am and you’ve got an important meeting tomorrow at 8:30. But in reality you’re out of that period so fast….
And then all the different stages just go by faster and faster….
I can’t believe we’re looking at colleges. I still remember leaving Brigham & Women’s with new little bundle in my arms.
Also, not knowing how you’ll do with the 24/7 period of having an infant is far different than not wanting a child. The first 6 months or year are very rough. We like kids, my wife teaches young kids, etc.
It helps to have extended family nearby during the first 6 months to 1 year of your child’s life. Both my parents and my in-laws were within 30 miles of us and helped tremendously…
“I didn’t say the kid would be unwanted!”
I have very liberal colleagues at work who eschew parenthood for similar reasons.
Note that even though peanutchew doesn’t think buying a house is that good of an investment, he is at least bright enough to realize that it will eventually make the owner money when it is sold (”-you only reap the benefits of appreciation when you sell.”)
‘Cause real estate always goes up, ya know?
Nah, if you read the full thread or you read that chat board often enough, there are a lot of cynical millenials law school kids/recent grads. The wisdom there is, tell everyone not to go to law school and make sure they don’t buy a house or striver car. Also, don’t spend too much on college unless it’s top 15ish. The rule is minimize your downside, maximize your upside. So even if you _could_ sell your house for more, you’d have to actually do the sale to realize “gains”, which will be ephemeral considering taxes and maintenance costs.
Liberace,
Quit sh*tting on my threads.
I’m living in your head rent free.
Also gigging at the Dancing Hippo this weekend.
Gee… how original Lib.
“Don’t Be A Debt Donkey®”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWa_QMuQLoc - 129k
Your message is catching on, RAL.
http://xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=2384282&forum_id=2
@JoeSmith
Values Voters Summit streaming live on C-SPAN Radio, Sen. Ted Cruz is speaking right now …
The crowd just shouted down a heckler with chants of USA! USA! USA!
Additional morning speakers today are Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Michele Bachmann, Mark Levin, Ben Carson. Followed this afternoon by Paul Ryan, Allen West, Joel Rosenberg, Jim Bridenstine, Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Gary Bauer, Alveda King, Sandy Rios, and Rick Santorum.
Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Michele Bachmann, Mark Levin, Ben Carson. Followed this afternoon by Paul Ryan, Allen West, Joel Rosenberg, Jim Bridenstine, Louie Gohmert, Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Gary Bauer, Alveda King, Sandy Rios, and Rick Santorum.
Who are the flimflammers of the pseudo tea party, Alex?
The inclusion of Rick Santorum brings up the whole issue of these fundamentalists trying to form an alliance with conservative Catholics. I started listening to this and one of the first things mentioned was some sort of prayer meeting that was going to run by Tony (or is it Tom?) Perkins, the head honcho of the summit. I have to imagine that Catholics would not feel comfortable at such a gathering.
So forget about about these people reaching out to young voters or Latinos. After something like 30 years of trying, they keep screwing up their attempts to bring in conservative white Catholics.
I’m tuning in now…
I’m planning to listen in most of today, hope my phone doesn’t ring.
There needs to be a subsequent discussion about how today’s speakers will attract new voters to help the GOP win more elections. Because they won’t. All they’re doing is “rallying the base”, a dying base, a demographically doomed base …
Marco Rubio: “I graduated law school with over 100k in student loans and worked hard to pay them off. Coincidentally, what helped me pay them off was the sales of my book last year, now availbale in paperback…”
Then he seemlessly shifted into talking about Jesus Christ is God, family values, culture of dependence, The American Dream, etc.
A++++
Tim Scott (tea party senator from s carolina):
“WE MUST PRAY FOR THE BEAST OF JERUSALEM.”
LOL, this stuff is hilarious.
it’s hilarious but i’d like to know
how does the message/platform being presented today attract young voters?
I think Ben Carson’s message is good. But I have to point out that Ben Carson _did_ get where he is because of progressive shitlibs. And it’s not like he’s famous for being a neurosurgeon in the south, he’s the chief neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, surrounded by deep blue shitlibs.
Carson’s basic message is, the gov’t shouldn’t disempower people by doing everything for them. He keeps it pretty simple. And he doesn’t dumb it down too much.
Rand Paul speaking now.
He’s talking about how it’s like the Middle Ages and Christians are martyrs, being persecuted around the world, and Obama doesn’t care, he aids and comforts the enemies.
Lib,
You should have done the gig there. I can see you now….. Dancing to the pre-show music with Rick Santorum. What a couple!
My parents had Santorum lawn signs in ‘94. Also Tom Ridge signs. My first exposure to politics. Now I see both as scum - Santorum for his ridiculous social conservatism, Ridge for being Homeland Security chief under W.
He’s talking about how it’s like the Middle Ages and Christians are martyrs, being persecuted around the world, and Obama doesn’t care, he aids and comforts the enemies.
I’d like to see if I can find a transcript of that. Does he want the American government to be the protector if Christians all over the world?
I didn’t realize that Carson stepped down as the chief of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins to go to work for (drumroll) Fox News. WTF?
————————————-
“Carson, who left Johns Hopkins in June, joined the Washington Times as an opinion columnist in July.
Carson’s status as a contributor at Fox was first reported by TVNewser Wednesday.”
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-hopkins-neurosurgeon-ben-carson-joins-fox-news-20131009,0,6381842.story#ixzz2hQezsuSj
He’s giving up the field of medicine for a job in show business. You notice this with a lot of people. Being in show business is more exciting than any other sort of job.
Also, being a neurosurgeon required him to spend a lot of time reading medical journals to keep up with the latest developments in his field. On Fox News, knowledge is unimportant and he can just say anything that fits in with their wacky philosophy, regardless of the facts.
“Being in show business is more exciting than any other sort of job.”
But more importantly, its easier and you usually make more money.
Some liberal college student tried to put Cornel West on the spot in front of a live audience by asking him: “why didn’t you turn down Yale and instead teach at an HBCU where you could better help the brothahs and sistahs in the struggle…?”
Cornel said: “because at the HBCUs, you gotta work too hard! At Yale I only gotta teach 2 courses a semester; the rest of the time I can work on my books and give lectures all around the world…”
God smiles when a black person tells the truth.
It’s the lawyerization of America. Why produce something or do something worthwhile when you can just talk and shuffle paper while earning more?
He’s talking about how it’s like the Middle Ages and Christians are martyrs, being persecuted around the world, and Obama doesn’t care, he aids and comforts the enemies.”
WTF they had Crusades in the Middle ages. Turks fighting Europe.. Europe fighting Europe Turks fighting Arabs.
a house will make you more money than that 9-5 ever will. cha ching!
You are absolutely correct, and it will benifit you the most if you are the lender and not the buyer.
Keep the rewards, pass on the risks.
it must be nice to be a middle man between the FED and home buyers.
I thought you were pro-housebuying?
Indeed it is.
I say breed the FBs to make more of them (my old-age pension plan).
“Houses are depreciating assets. They never give. They always take dollars from your wallet.”
Exactly. And the losses are magnified tremendously when they’re financed.
“People have learned that a highly leveraged, illiquid, high-transaction cost “asset” requiring regular annual maintenance of thousands of dollars is not worth the risk”
The wisdom of an unknown Wall Street Journal online commenter
Should be re-posted on every lying liar realtor thread on the City-Data forums
That’s one universally truthful and accurate quote right there.
Isn’t strange how Debt Junkies understate the overpayment, understate the massive interest costs and grossly understate the maintenance cost?
25 MILLION excess, empty and defaulted houses CHECK
Housing demand at 14 year lows and falling CHECK
Housing prices inflated by 250% CHECK
Household formation at multi decade lows CHECK
Rampant housing fraud CHECK
Public denial formed and supported by a corrupt media CHECK
Population growth the lowest in US history CHECK
Immigration flat to slightly negative CHECK
Oh my word
Governments at all levels doing everything they can to prop up housing -check.
Republicans and Democrats both fully on board the housing train - check.
Correction: Republicans and Democrats both boarded the housing train wreck - check.
California Housing Demand Collapsed 10% in 2013 and Falling
http://picpaste.com/pics/e94d1294da3bb02e1769425685140573.1381496567.png
That is really an awesome graph, as it documents a steady downtrend in California home sales since 2009 against a backdrop of myriad failed government programs to prop up housing and an influx of all-cash investor fools who were duped into paying top dollar, all the while thinking they were buying at the bottom.
“Housing makes insiders rich…. and buyers poor. Very poor.”
No question. Paying in excess of $35/sq ft for a resale house is counted as loss. Your losses are magnified tremendously if you finance it for 15 or 30 years.
Wait, I thought $50/sq ft was the relevant metric?
What gives, man? I just can’t keep up.
A 20+ old house is depreciated from the cost of a new house.
Oh man, I’m pwned.
housing: I’m on board with your ppsf for new, but you should clarify… an UNMAINTAINED house is $35/sq ft. The maintenance costs to keep a house at just under new ppsf are enormous…
No.
A newly constructed house is roughly $55/sqft, materials, labor and profit. A 20 year old house (or any other used item) is typically a third less than the cost of new.
a fool and his house are soon parted?
Facebook is for depressed, narcissistic loosers, don’t use Facebook
Wall Street Journal - Facebook Makes it Harder to Hide:
“The social network said Thursday that it would begin dismantling a feature that lets users block their Facebook profiles from appearing on searches.”
A recent related article notes that teenz are using Twitter more than Facebook now.
FB trading at a P/E ratio of 204.38 …
“FB trading at a P/E ratio of 204.38.”
Wall Street, where the jokes write themselves.
what is tesla’s P/E?
With or without massive government loans and subsidies…?
One more engine fire, it will be through the roof.
It wasn’t an engine fire, they hit a big piece of metal that shorted something out.
Hope and Change
Welcome to the recoveryless recovery
Wall Street Journal - U.S. Poverty Rate Stabilizes:
“America’s poverty rate has stabilized after rising during and right after the last recession — yet a greater share of the poor are poorer than they have been in years.
Forty-four percent of America’s poor are considered to be in “deep poverty” — defined as an income 50% or more below the government’s official poverty line. That percentage of Americans in deep poverty is up from 42% before the recession and near the highest level since data became available in 1975, according to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.
Last year, 6.6% of Americans, or 20.4 million people, were classified in deep poverty, up from 4.5% in 2000, when the economy was strong. The share of Americans in deep poverty has climbed over the past four decades, nearly doubling from 3.7% in 1975.”
Bigger and bigger government, higher and higher taxes and more and more regulations will solve this…
Obama’s “big government” sure has been good for the 0.1%
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/05/09/the-insiders-the-obama-economy-has-delivered-for-the-1-percent/
Government Contractors = $500,000,000,000+ a year
Food Stamps = $80,000,000,000 a year
Obama’s “big government” sure has been good for everyone in the FSA:
Bankers
Wall Streeters
Private Unions goons
Government Contractors
Where is my free sh*t people
47ers%
Public Union goons
Housing flippers
etc.
Don’t forget all of those people who are whining because they can’t get into national parks.
yeah - especially the places that used to be open 24/7 and now have guards/barricades.
Park Service ranger: “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can.
Don’t forget it’s Obama AND the Bushes and other democrips and republoods big government. The public trough isn’t just for the elitist, all the crony capitalists like to feed at the trough…
yeah - especially the places that used to be open 24/7 and now have guards/barricades.
Visits to those places were the free $hit. Access to the free $hit has been taken away for a few days, so the free $hit army is incensed.
This can probably be solved by enforcing the laws against hiring illegal immigrants to work under the table, thereby undercutting tax revenues, eliminating opportunity, and reducing wages for workers at the lower end of the payscale.
I wonder if they count Mexicans in that number.
while the republican party is busy slashing its own throat…president obama’s approval rating is 37%.
Polling on congress is pretty ironic.
The “body” of congress usually gets pretty bad in approval numbers (8-20%).
But when people are polled about their OWN congressperson - it is usually around 40-50%.
Which means everyone thinks the OTHER congressperson from OTHER districts are bad. NOT their own congressperson.
So nothing will change.
Another irony:
Individual congressperson (i.e. - named) are now polling better than obama in their own districts.
You realize there is a ton of gerrymandering in the drawing of congressional districts, right?
“Individual congressperson (i.e. - named) are now polling better than obama in their own districts.”
Have you seen recent polls on individual congresspersons in their districts? I would be very curious to see if there has been any impact from the shutdown.
“Which means everyone thinks the OTHER congressperson from OTHER districts are bad. NOT their own congressperson.
So nothing will change.”
I absolutely agree with you on this. The crux of the problem is that we are a divided nation. Gerrymandering contributes to the problem, but is not the whole story.
I saw this article today about an oil spill in North Dakota, discovered by a farmer. It makes me wonder if Nebraska farmers are worried about the potential for contamination of the Ogallala aquifer from the Keystone pipeline.
http://news.msn.com/us/nd-farmer-finds-oil-spill-while-harvesting-wheat
Congress perfectly represents the voters. The president perfectly represents the voters. I voted for none of them. There were two times in my 36 years of voting when a candidate I voted for won the office. The first was me at age 23 for some municipal election in Fresno. The second time was when. Voted (with heavy regrets) for GWB in 2004.
To atone for my goof of voting for GWB I contributed $2000 worth to libertarian candidates after that.
Amazing the good things that happen when government gets smaller, taxes do down and with less regulations.
Waiting for the arguments of the USA turning into Somalia (with dirty air, starving kids and grandma thrown out in the street) in 3…2…1…
—————————
Michigan Residents Doing Better Financially
Capitol Confidential | 10/8/2013 | James Hohman
In another sign Michigan’s economy is on the rebound, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis updated its reporting on the state’s personal income growth over the past few years and found that Michigan’s residents made billions more than previously stated.
The release showed that personal income in Michigan increased by 3.1 percent in the second quarter of 2013 from the second quarter of 2012, growing the 8th most among the states. The top six states for growth were right-to-work states.
Only because of the hated government “bailout” of the auto industry.
That, and the money the automakers are making because their labor costs were cut in half (as a bailout condition), but their prices are the same, if not higher.
And because there is Detroit……and the rest of Michigan. Don’t confuse the two.
40 ‘Frightening’ Facts On The Fall Of The US Economy
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 05/27/2013 14:49 -0400
#2 During Obama’s first term, the federal government accumulated more debt than it did under the first 42 U.S presidents combined.
#3 The U.S. national debt is now more than 23 times larger than it was when Jimmy Carter became president.
#4 If you started paying off just the new debt that the U.S. has accumulated during the Obama administration at the rate of one dollar per second, it would take more than 184,000 years to pay it off.
#5 The federal government is stealing more than 100 million dollars from our children and our grandchildren every single hour of every single day.
#22 According to Forbes, the 400 wealthiest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans combined.
(Obama showed those rich people)
#26 Overall, the federal government runs nearly 80 different “means-tested welfare programs”, and at this point more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one of them.
(pennies for 100 million voters and billions for their friends)
#29 At this point, Medicare is facing unfunded liabilities of more than 38 trillion dollars over the next 75 years. That comes to approximately $328,404 for every single household in the United States.
#31 Overall, the Social Security system is facing a 134 trillion dollar shortfall over the next 75 years.
#36 There are now 20.2 million Americans that spend more than half of their incomes on housing. That represents a 46 percent increase from 2001.
#37 45 percent of all children are living in poverty in Miami, more than 50 percent of all children are living in poverty in Cleveland, and about 60 percent of all children are living in poverty in Detroit.
#38 Today, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. This is the first time that has ever happened in our history.
#39 When Barack Obama first entered the White House, about 32 million Americans were on food stamps. Now, more than 47 million Americans are on food stamps.
#40 According to one calculation, the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of “Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-05-27/40-frightening-facts-fall-us-economy - 241k -
Have a nice weekend
ps
Bigger and bigger government, higher and higher taxes and more and more regulations will solve this…
no…taxing the rich more (a lot more) will.
i will leave it to the experts like harry “he doesn’t speak with a negro dialect” reid and john “bomb the shit out of brown people” mccain…to define “rich” for me.
i take that back…i think john mccain and his military industrial complex cronies would be perfectly happy bombing the shit out of yellow and white people too…and beige…and even those little green men.
Yeah, like less government, lower taxes (on rich people), and deregulation of the financial industry have worked out so well…….
So let’s double down.
Or how about we eliminate the income tax (at least on anything below the mean american income) , and just tax capital gains? Why should a guy making 7.25 per hour have to worry about filing taxes anyway? Almost by statistical certainty he can’t do any kind of basic math in the first place, and may even be illiterate..
Probably nearly zero people who make minimum wage pay any federal income tax. Don’t you remember Romney’s remark about the 47%?
if they have kids they are even subsidized through the fraud ridden EIC.
hell…clinton even made so a single white 23 year male can even get a EIC check…a small one…but still a check. (not sure if this provision remains).
“lower taxes (on rich people),”
“So let’s double down.”
They did.
This is pathetic, these loosers should have read Mr. Money Mustache
Washington Post - Halved paychecks force the furloughed to slash expenses and take loans, second jobs:
“The paycheck federal workers have been dreading hit bank accounts across the region Friday, representing salaries cut in half for most idled employees. The next payday will be all zeros, and with furloughs dragging on, civil servants are settling into a financial crouch, slashing expenses, canceling vacations, tapping retirement savings and taking second jobs.”
Suggestion to the broke ass loosers: live on less than half your income and don’t pay for overpriced housing and you won’t have these problems
How about have at least a few paychecks in the bank?
Miss one paycheck and you have to tap into your retirement savings???
Really?
And these same people will be running obamacare…
How about have at least a few paychecks in the bank?
And they can’t blame Walmart and McDonalds this time. Government for what I know pays more than minimum wage, right?
Government for what I know pays more than minimum wage, right?
It depends on the job. Not everyone who works for Uncle Sam makes bank.
Living in the D.C. region is the problem.
Look up the GS pay scales for D.C. and compare with other metros. A single GS-11 could buy a house in the Midwest that would need two GS-13 incomes to buy in D.C.
yep…wife left private sector and took a 50k a year pay cut.
small price to pay for piece of mind though.
“Look up the GS pay scales for D.C. and compare with other metros. A single GS-11 could buy a house in the Midwest that would need two GS-13 incomes to buy in D.C.”
About 6 to 8-yrs ago I read that the best metro area to be a federal employee was Huntsville, AL. Several reasons were cited, but chief among them were fewer regulations, reasonable housing prices, a wide variety of federal jobs available meaning a fast track career without having to move, and an ideal demographic ranking of age distribution. With or without a college degree, Huntsville was “the place to be.”
my parents and brother live there…nice little town. they call it the silicone valley of the south.
housing prices have risen substantially though.
Seriously, everyone is always claiming that that the high average federal wage (something like 80k/yr) is because the average federal worker is more highly educated than the general populace. Hopefully they educated themselves about the value of having some savings, and not living paycheck to paycheck.
Civil servants have never before faced the prospect of unemployment. Unlike the rest of us, they have been living in a dream-land where tax money always covers their bills. This must be hard for them to deal with.
“Civil servants have never before faced the prospect of unemployment.”
You really should spend some time searching for “reduction in force”, or RIF. It usually hits both the civilian and military when a new administration with different priorities is voted into power. Small towns usually take a real beating some never recovering.
This must be hard for them to deal with.
The highly skilled land on their feet before long. It’s the lower ranking peeps who are typically lacking modern skills and thus immobile.
West Point Cadets Taught Patriots Are Terrorists
February 13, 2013
By Victor Thorn
At West Point where cadets are groomed into officers, a new 148-page report released on January 15 is urging enlisted men and women to be on alert for “terrorists” in the form of those who consider themselves patriots.
This study, released by the United States Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center, is entitled “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.” Its author, Professor Arie Perliger, the Director of Terrorism Studies at the Combating Terrorism Center and Assistant Professor at the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, holds membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, as well as being a former instructor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Considering his background, Perliger warns that growing legions of conservative-minded citizens across the U.S. pose a serious threat to our nation’s safety. Yet, whom precisely does Perliger deem as being affiliated with what he labels the “violent far right?”
In his own words, Perliger placed a bulls-eye on those who “espouse strong convictions regarding the federal government, believing it to be corrupt and tyrannical, with a natural tendency to intrude on individuals’ civil and constitutional rights.”
Even more specifically, Perliger asserted that other so-called extremists fall into the categories of anti-federalists, fundamentalist Christians, survivalists, gun-rights advocates, libertarians, pro-lifers, and those who oppose high taxation.
Not content with simply fingering these broad-reaching factions, Perliger zeroed in on another favorite globalist target. “Some groups are driven by a strong conviction that the American political system and its proxies were hijacked by external forces interested in promoting a New World Order.”
This umbrella characterization includes constitutionalists, those wary of a growing police state, and political activists such as some tea partiers. Thus, by using manipulative, emotionally-charged language intended to divide-and-conquer, Perliger equates those interested in preserving their individual freedoms with skinheads, neo-Nazis and militia members. Or, even more condescendingly, he smears conservatives as being backward, archaic and living in an era that has passed them by. In contrast, Perliger applauds liberals as future-oriented and progressive in their views.
Dr. Herbert W. Titus, a constitutional law professor and former dean of the Regent University School of Law “says it’s an attempt to link conservative thought with violence.”
Titus told WorldNetDaily: “Professor Perliger has adopted the strategy of many left-wing members of the professoriate, concentrating on the behavior of a few in order to discredit many who hold similar views but who do not engage in any form of violence.”
“His theory is that of the iceberg, that which as seen may be small, but it hides what is a much larger threat just below the surface. Obviously, the professor disagrees with those who favor small government, cutting back of federal government encroachments upon the powers of the state and to discredit this movement focuses on a few gun-toting militia,” Titus said.
“Like so many in the Obama administration, Perliger does not want to engage in any dialogue on the issues, but just discredit an entire political movement by ad hominem charged words,” Titus said. “Perliger is not a serious scholar, but a propagandist for the existing regime.”
http://americanfreepress.net/?p=8607 - 62k -
The military’s job is to fight the enemies of the state.
The police’s job is to maintain law and order amongst the citizenry.
Combine the two and the natural outcome is that the citizenry become the enemies of state.
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
–Ayn Rand
west point cadets are much wiser than that.
they should just stick to left wing liberal arts libtard factories to peddle their propaganda.
So, um, people who work for the military are not gun-toting militia members? I always thought they were paid (using tax money) to tote guns in the militia.
Establishment Republicans Slam Tea Party As Stain On The GOP
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From county chairmen to national party luminaries, veteran Republicans across the country are accusing tea party lawmakers of staining the GOP with their refusal to bend in the budget impasse in Washington.
The Republican establishment also is signaling a willingness to strike back at the tea party in next fall’s elections.
“It’s time for someone to act like a grown-up in this process,” former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu argues, faulting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and tea party Republicans in the House as much as President Barack Obama for taking an uncompromising stance.
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is just as pointed, saying this about the tea party-fueled refusal to support spending measures that include money for Obama’s health care law: “It never had a chance.”
The anger emanating from Republicans like Sununu and Barbour comes just three years after the GOP embraced the insurgent political group and rode its wave of new energy to return to power in the House.
Now, they’re lashing out with polls showing Republicans bearing most of the blame for the federal shutdown, which entered its 11th day Friday. In some places, they’re laying the groundwork to take action against the tea party in the 2014 congressional elections.
Iowa Republicans are recruiting a pro-business Republican to challenge six-term conservative Rep. Steve King, a leader in the push to defund the health care law. Disgruntled Republicans are further ahead in Michigan, where second-term, tea party-backed Rep. Justin Amash is facing a Republican primary challenger who is more in line with — and being encouraged by — the party establishment. And business interest groups, long aligned with the Republican Party, also are threatening to recruit and fund strong challengers to tea party House members.
Tea party backers are undeterred and assail party leaders.
“They keep compromising,” said Katrina Pierson, a former Dallas-area tea party organizer now challenging Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas in the 2014 GOP primary. “They all campaigned on fiscal responsibility. They just need to do what they campaigned on.”
In more than a dozen interviews, Republican leaders, officials and strategists at all levels of the party blamed Obama for the shutdown but also faulted tea party lawmakers in the House, who have insisted that any deal to reopen the government be contingent on stripping money for the health care law.
An Associated Press-GfK poll released Wednesday showed why these party loyalists are so concerned: More Republicans told pollsters that the GOP is mishandling the shutdown than is handling it well. And among those who say it’s being poorly handled, twice as many Republicans say the party is not doing enough to negotiate with Obama than those who say the party is doing too much.
http://www.businessinsider.com/establishment-republicans-slam-tea-party-as-stain-on-the-gop-2013-10
Such a simple and truthful theme:
“They keep compromising,” said Katrina Pierson, a former Dallas-area tea party organizer now challenging Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas in the 2014 GOP primary. “They all campaigned on fiscal responsibility. They just need to do what they campaigned on.”
I always like the way “former” republican office holders complain about the tea party. You guys had your chance and failed.
I hope for the day there can be at least some democrats that hold fiscal responsibility in high regard and get elected. Right now, they all march in goose step to an ever bigger government that consumes more and more of the GDP.
I am not a tea partier…I might become one if they keep messing up with the crony capitalists of the very old party.
Bush, Rove, McLame, Lindsey, RMoney…..do we honestly care what these people have say? Come, on!
LMFAO
I am not a tea partier…I might become one if they keep messing up with the crony capitalists of the very old party.
I have a sinking feeling that the Tea Party folks will become the new cronies.
‘become the new cronies’
they already are
http://mobile.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-30/tea-party-congressmen-accept-cash-from-bailed-out-bankers
Some of them already are. Flimflammers will always rise to the top in any political movement/party/system.
The Republican establishment also is signaling a willingness to strike back at the tea party in next fall’s elections.
It will be interesting to see what will happen when the Tea Partiers complete their take over of the party. What will the old school GOP’ers do? Will they meekly follow the Tea Party’s marching orders … or will they bail? And if they bail, the GOP will slide into demographic irrelevance. As Goon Squad would say: Permanent Democrat Supermajority. And that’s not a good thing. We would become a defacto one party system.
‘What will the old school GOP’ers do?’
What came to be called neocons was a branch of the Democratic party for decades.
What will the old school GOP’ers do?
They can start their own party.
I suggest they call it the “Democrat-Lite Party” or DLP.
Slightly less bigger government, slight less higher taxes, slightly less new regulations and slightly less brown children killed by drones…
That’s the GOP since forever, right?
They can start their own party.
Which will guarantee Democrat majorities. So they’ll have to pick their poison.
No Country For Mortgage Lenders: JPMC And SunTrust Staggering Mortgage Settlements
Confounded Interest | 10/11/2013 | Anthony B. Sanders
The climate for mortgage lenders is definitely taking a downward turn.
Wells Fargo has released their Q313 Quarterly Supplement which revealed a shrinking mortgage pipeline.
But the humming dragon lingering in the background is the cost of litigation for originating and servicing mortgage loans. According to JPMorganChase’ Q3 earnings report, they paid a staggering $9.15 billion in pretax legal expenses.
And then there is SunTrust which has been ordered to pay over $1 billion in mortgage settlements.
Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) — SunTrust Banks Inc., Georgia’s biggest lender, said third-quarter earnings will be cut by $179 million, or 33 cents a share, after it reached settlements with U.S. officials over claims tied to faulty mortgages.
Thus we have a classic government generated fiasco. Housing activists and government regulators try to “protect” consumers by delaying foreclosure through droves of programs like HAMP, HARP and the infamous Attorneys General Settlement (not to mention the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). Now the regulators and HUD/DOJ are suing lenders and servicers for NOT speeding up foreclosures (see FHA link above).
As I testified in the House of Representatives, I am surprised that any FHA lenders still exist. Throw in DOJ’s theory of disparate outcomes (where lenders can be sued by doing proper underwriting if minorities receive a smaller percentage of loans), and we have a hostile environment for lending.
Throw in declining real household income and increasing taxes, and this is “No Country For Mortgage Lenders.”
no-country-for-old-men
I’d be interested in which 66 members of the 435 strong House of Representatives are pushing this. I’m kind of surprised it’s only 66 members. Probably they’re the biggest recipients of money back from the FIRE sector.
Lawmakers to DeMarco: You Can’t Reduce Loan Limits
October 10, 2013, 10:28 PM
By Nick Timiraos
Wall Street Journal Blogs
To get a sense of how difficult the process of overhauling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be, witness the latest kerfuffle over whether the companies’ regulator should drop the maximum loan limits.
In a letter released Thursday, some 66 members of the House of Representatives—59 Democrats and 7 Republicans—called on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to drop previously announced plans to reduce the limits.
http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2013/10/10/lawmakers-to-demarco-you-cant-reduce-loan-limits/
And look how many slimers are from that hellhole California.
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/demarco1010.pdf
Good luck with that 160 to 500K 22k a year probably all tax free
unless they have been living larger on refinances not a bad cash out except I think they are late to sell.. parties ending
Listing #13014166
$499,950 (LP)
Price/SqFt: 342.43
4397 Wildwest Cir, Moorpark, CA 93021 New Listing 10/10/2013 Active (10/07/13)
Beds: 3* Baths: 2 (1 1 0 0) (FTHQ) Sq Ft: 1460* Lot Sz: 6960sqft*
Area: SMP Yr: 1981
Date Description Price Change $/sqft Source
03/20/1998 Sold $160,000 – $109 Public Record
07/23/1987 Sold $160,000 – $109 Public Record
THIS is the strategic issue I’m talking about - the shutdown putting selective pressure on Democratic Congress critters and leaving Republicans relatively unscathed.
The debt ceiling issue is a wildcard. If that causes blowback across Republican and contested districts, that will lead to a debt ceiling deal. But the six-week can kicking might not be good for the Democrats as then, their feet can be held to the fire with impunity. So if they can blame Republicans for a default, even with Republicans scrambling to do a debt ceiling deal, that might actually be the most effective route to take.
[DC Mayor] Vincent Gray confronts Reid on Capitol steps over shutdown’s impact on District
By Mike DeBonis and Ed O’Keefe
Published: October 9
Washington Post
Mayor Vincent C. Gray stepped away from his role as scandal-scarred leader and into the spotlight as agitator in chief against the federal shutdown during a dramatic confrontation on the Capitol steps Wednesday with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid.
It was a new public posture for an embattled mayor whose 2010 campaign remains under federal investigation — but who is now fighting to keep the District government in business by exempting it from the ongoing shutdown.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-mayor-gray-confronts-reid-on-capitol-steps-over-shutdowns-impact-on-city/2013/10/09/02577428-3103-11e3-89ae-16e186e117d8_story.html
This shutdown is reminding me a lot on how obama and the democrats are handling obamacare.
Handing out exemptions to their friends and cronies and trying to punish their enemies…
When has it ever worked to blame each other?
In addition to ending the shutdown and increasing the debt limit, the proposal includes an easing of the across-the-board spending cuts that began taking effect a year ago, and replacing them with curbs in benefit programs that Obama himself has backed.
Among them is a plan to raise the cost of Medicare for better-off beneficiaries.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss private deliberations.
Once again it is the upper middle class and likely middle class that will get fleeced. The elite won’t notice the change as it’s a tiny fraction of their wealth. The poor don’t have any money. Our tax code does the same thing taxing me at 26% and Mit Romney and other elites at a reported 14% but really 7%. Social Security will be next. As stated previously there are many big fish in small ponds who will find out that in the end they too are whale food.
wareen buffet always laments that he is not paying enough income tax…but he never suggest a net worth tax.
Ted Cruz as the leader of the tea party / GOP hasn’t worked so well.
In the last 2-3 weeks, it’s gone like this:
1.) DEFUND Obamacare!!
2.) No? Ok then… Delay Obamacare
3.) Talk to us, we can work something out
4.) GOP leadership frantically imploring Obama: PLEASE HALP!!11
5.) Boehner bending over, Obama readying the lube
never trust a canadian
‘it’s gone like this’
Your knowledge of what’s going on is two dimensional and basically what a 10th grader could gather on cable news. Do you do any critical thinking on your own?
The GOP “leadership” didn’t want any part of this fight, and tried to stop it. And Karl Rove did too. You know what? I don’t like Karl Rove.
Here’s what I’ve noticed the Democrats have; Republicans! Romney! Bahh!
That isn’t a platform. Most voters are independent. So tell me why should I vote for Democrats? So we can add 20 million illegals? Strike one.
So you can force health care expenses on me? Strike two.
So we can bomb places like Syria that don’t have a damn thing to do with this country? Strike three.
So the government can record my phone calls and spy on my internet usage? You’re OUT OF THE GAME!
Fact is you got nothin’ but Romney! Bahh!
I’m going to vote for whoever gets these leaches out of my wallet, promises to use the military for defense only and abolish the NSA.
BTW check Obama’s approval numbers. And a tip; when the whole country stands up and says DON’T YOU DARE bomb Syria, it’s a sign you ain’t as powerful as you think you are.
My wife was raised by a teacher, who is VERY political (MIL raised in Washington DC, never crossed a picket line, GWB and Republicans are evil incarnate, gets all of her news from Rachel Maddow, etc.), and my wife is pro-choice, non-religious, etc., and candidly, I’m not sure she’s ever voted for a Republican.
However,
The current administration has turned my wife into a Republican.
I’m going to vote for whoever gets these leaches out of my wallet, promises to use the military for defense only and abolish the NSA.
This.
+1000
You can’t stop the technology that empowers government and big business. We as individuals only have one option, stop using the stuff they track us with. That means no phones, no internet and living with cash only.
‘You can’t stop the…’
There’s nothing that makes me more energized than someone telling me I can’t do something.
“There’s nothing that makes me more energized than someone telling me I can’t do something.”
A little french canadian going on there?
Do what Ben? I am just as concerned as you are about the invasion of our privacy but there isn’t one government in the world who has stopped the technology that allows this spying.
If you really want to have your privacy then you have to unplug from the networks they control.
If they are so unstoppable, why do they need back doors in everything? Eliminate the back doors to start. Make it illegal; already underway.
What I am most optimistic about is counter technology. If you could build a truly secure email system, or phone or computer or database, do you suppose you could make a few bucks selling those? With as much money as is at stake in the tech biz, don’t you think there are several people/companies working on that right now? Sure, it’s always going to be a race, but we don’t have to make it easy for them.
I posted a story a while back about John McAfee who is trying to make such a device.
At this very moment the first generation of quantum computers are just coming online. It has long been known by computer scientist that there is no encryption algorithm that can’t be cracked by quantum computing.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/10/4824026/a-first-look-inside-googles-secretive-quantum-lab
These guys are trying to fight fire with fire.
http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/battelle-installs-first-commercial-quantum-key-distribution-protected-network-in-us-1839974.htm
If you really care about the future you should check out Kevin Kelly’s book, ‘What Technology Wants’.
Kelly focuses on human-technology relations and argues for the existence of technology as the emerging seventh kingdom of life on earth. What Technology Wants offers the anthropomorphic conception that technology is one giant force – the technium – which Kelly describes as “…a word to designate the greater, global, massively interconnected system of technology vibrating around us”.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Technology-Wants-Kevin-Kelly/dp/B004Y6MT6O
Joe is a fraud. It’s not that he doesn’t understand, he just regurgitates the talking points endlessly
+1.
Just got a call from my mortgage company. Those kind-hearted souls want to lower my interest rate.
Mind you, they initiated the call, not me. And I doubt that they’d lower that rate for free.
Lady wanted my e-mail address, which I wouldn’t give out. Told her to send me something in the postal mail.
LOL…..got a similar call yesterday.
Made the mistake of giving some money to my daughter’s Alumni association a few years ago.
Phone rings (at dinnertime)
Caller: “Hi, my name is yadda-yadda, I’m calling from yadda Alumni association, do you still live at “X” “?
Me: “No, I moved.”
Caller: “Can I get your new address to update our records?”
Me: “Naaaaah, don’t think so…….”
Silent pause.
Me: “Thanks for calling”. CLICK
That is a good technique. You can also just tell them “I never give money to organizations that contact me by telephone, ever.” It isn’t a bad rule. Most of the time the callers are from a business that keeps the overwhelming majority (can be upwards of 90%) of the money raised and barely forwards any to the organization you think you are giving to. If you get a call like that and you know enough about the organization that you actually want to support it, just use the call as a reminder to send the org a check directly. Don’t donate through the callers. Just don’t.
“Made the mistake of giving some money to my daughter’s Alumni association a few years ago.”
Why is that a mistake? I donate $1,000.00 annually to the Civil and Environmental Engineering college at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.
Let’s summarize
-”Garn-St Germain Depositor Insurance Act of 1982″……see “Savings and Loan Crisis”
……..passed by Republicans
-”Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997″……reduced capital gains to 20-15%, exempted capital gains profits on “primary residences”…..
Supported by Republican 225-1/55-0
-”Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999″ ……repealed “Glass-Steagal”
supported by Republican 207-5/52-1
-”Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000″…….deregulated “derivatives”; aka “Opening the Casino”
……inserted into a 11,000 page bill, passed by a voice vote, during a lame-duck session of Congress by Phil Gramm, Richard Lugar and Thomas Ewing (all Republicans), as the “hanging chad” fiasco played itself out, and signed by a lame-duck president, who moved to New York City as soon as he was out of office.
All of these laws “enabled” the last two financial disasters……admittedly with some help from Northeast Democrat-Financial-industry whores.
Somebody might ask, with this record of “accomplishment”, why Republicans have any credibility whatsoever.
Garn-St Germain:
The bill is named after its sponsors, Congressman Fernand St. Germain, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Senator Jake Garn, Republican of Utah. The bill had broad support in Congress, with co-sponsors including Charles Schumer and Steny Hoyer. The bill passed overwhelmingly, by a margin of 272-91 in the House.
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997:
Supported by Democrats: 164-41 House, 37-8 Senate
Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999:
Signed into Law by Clinton
Commodities Futures Modernization Act of 2000
House vote: 292-60, signed into law by Clinton
Are you trying to draw a distinction between Democrats and Republicans? There was bipartisan support for MOST (daresay, ALL) of these “Republican” actions, with 2 being signed into law by Clinton. NO ONE can claim that these laws were shoved down Democrats throats over their loud objections.
How about the ACA, not a SINGLE Republican “Yea” in either the House OR the Senate.
Or Dodd Frank, with 3 Yea votes from Republicans in the House, and 3 Yea votes from Republicans in the Senate (with Brown:MA and Snowe:ME, being 2 of them).
Both Dodd Frank, and the ACA were shoved down Republican throats, and both are MAJOR laws. And Dodd Frank is a friggin’ disaster, and the ACA is unloved (to put it mildly).
I think the ACA is the crowning achievement of what a capitalist vision of a health care system should be.
Take a absolutely critical service like health care and get the government to force everyone to buy private insurance coverage PLUS a guaranteed profit margin and you’ve got a legal monopoly.
Of course they sure didn’t like the parts about limiting ‘overhead’ to 20% or the parts about covering per-existing conditions - all Democrat additions to the law.
But it is a common misconception that the ACA was a 100% Democrat bill. In fact there is a lot of stuff in the fine print that the Republicans stuck in there but the final vote was a political decision to be used in the 2010 election cycle.
Republican initiatives included in legislation passed by Congress:
Includes personal responsibility incentives: Allows health insurance premium to vary based on participation in proven employer wellness programs.
Sources:
H.R. 3468, “Promoting Health and Preventing Chronic Disease through Prevention and Wellness Programs for Employees, Communities, and Individuals Act” (Castle bill);
H.R. 4038, “Common Sense Health Care Reform & Accountability Act” (Republican Substitute bill); H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill);
H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act” (Kirk bill), “Coverage, Prevention and Reform Act”)
Advances medical liability reform through grants to States: Provides grants to States to jump-start and evaluate promising medical liability reform ideas to put patient safety first, prevent medical errors, and reduce liability premiums.
S. 1783, “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America Act” (Enzi bill);
H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill);
H.R. 4529, “Roadmap for America’s Future Act” (Ryan bill);
S. 1099, “Patients’ Choice Act” (Burr-Coburn, Ryan-Nunes bill))
Extends dependent coverage to age 26: Gives young adults new options.
H.R. 4038, “Common Sense Health Care Reform & Accountability Act” (Republican Substitute bill);
H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act” (Kirk bill))
Allows automatic enrollment by employers in health insurance: Allows employee to opt-out. (Sources: House Republican Substitute; H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill); “Coverage, Prevention, and Reform Act” )
Mechanisms to improve quality.
H.R. 4529, “Roadmap for America’s Future Act;”
S. 1099, “Patients’ Choice Act;”
H.R. 3400, Republican Study Group bill;
S. 1783, “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America Act” (Enzi bill))
There is a lot more but the point is the republicans voted ‘yes’ on lots of stuff that went into the legislation but decided for political reasons they would vote against the final bill - chicken sh*ts.
“Colorado kicks in $362,700 to reopen Rocky Mountain National Park”
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24291279/colorado-kicks-362-700-reopen-rocky-mountain-national