September 12, 2015

Bits Bucket for September 12, 2015

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166 Comments »

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 01:09:03

Are oil prices doomed to fall still further?

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 01:12:03

Marketwatch dot com
Oil bear who won big in 2014 says prices can still fall further
By William Watts
Published: Sept 11, 2015 9:15 a.m. ET

In the spring of 2014, hedge-fund manager Doug King decided weak demand for natural rubber, a key industrial ingredient, meant global economic growth would be slower than many expected. That helped seal a decision to make a big short bet on oil futures, which contributed to a 59% net return for the Merchant Commodity Fund last year.

King, the London-based chief investment officer and co-owner of RCMA Asset Management, which manages the fund, moved Merchant to the market’s sidelines after late-August volatility saw oil futures jump 28% in three sessions and left the fund down around 10% for the year.

But with rubber prices near six-year lows, King remains bearish on oil and says the fund could make further short bets when market volatility subsides. Persistent oversupply and uncertain demand should lead the U.S. oil benchmark to test the 2009 low at $32.70 a barrel, according to King.

Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2015-09-12 10:12:29

So, are car tires going down in price with lower oil costs?

Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 10:38:21

Retail gas is down 40% plus and falling.

What’s not to like about falling prices?

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Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 05:02:09

Dan lost his ass on a depreciating house and oil and still can’t find it.

http://goo.gl/pw9QU2

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 05:57:22

Wow…I forgot he went long both house and oil!

 
 
Comment by ibbots
2015-09-12 05:18:26

As  oil and gas prices shrivel, Texans’ royalties are drying up too.

Substantial income — enough to buy new tractors, build a barn and help out their children’s families, has fallen to a fraction of what it was.

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/energy/20150911-as-oil-and-gas-prices-shrivel-texans-royalties-are-drying-up-too.ece

 
 
Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 01:17:28

Are China’s economic numbers trustworthy?

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 01:18:47

Why China’s Official Economic Numbers Shouldn’t Be Trusted
September 11, 2015 5:09 AM ET
David Kestenbaum
Morning Edition

Economic news coming out of China often rattles or rallies global markets. But how reliable is that news? It turns out basic measures like Gross National Product may be far from accurate.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

If it were possible on the radio, we should broadcast each story about China’s economy with an asterisk. For example, China’s economy slowing down, asterisk. The footnote would mention that we don’t know how much. Like the United States, China does publish economic numbers. Unlike the United States, nobody believes these numbers. That even applies to a number that almost every country uses. Here’s David Kestenbaum of NPR’s Planet Money team.

DAVID KESTENBAUM, BYLINE: When you ask, is a country’s economy is crashing, is it slowing down, there is a number you can look at, GDP, gross domestic product, the sum total of everything a country produces. And according to the Chinese government, the economy’s growing at a very healthy pace, 7 percent a year. At least that’s the official number.

CHRISTOPHER BALDING: I think in reality, it’s probably much lower, probably in the 1 to 2 percent range in all likelihood.

KESTENBAUM: Christopher Balding is a professor of economics in China at Peking University. He says you can feel the economy slowing. Five years ago, there were buildings popping up almost overnight.

BALDING: And now you talk to people and businesses are laying off people. Migrants from the countryside are returning home.

KESTENBAUM: So if you’re right, the official GDP numbers are basically a total fiction.

BALDING: I think that’s a pretty reasonable statement, yes.

 
Comment by azdude
2015-09-12 05:00:50

Inflation is masked today by taking more of your future earnings tomorrow.

 
Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 09:03:47

Are USA’s economic numbers are trustworthy?

 
Comment by Interested Observer
2015-09-12 11:06:51

Maudlin has a new documentary out on 9/23 with an internet debut for free - sign up here:

http://www.mauldineconomics.com/landing/china-on-the-edge-sign-up-v1

 
 
Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2015-09-12 03:50:35

Irving, TX Housing Prices Fall 6% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/irving-tx/market-trends/

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 04:10:38

1,279 properties found San Luis Obispo County, CA Homes for Sale & Real Estate

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/San-Luis-Obispo-County_CA/type-single-family-home,condo-townhome-row-home-co-op,multi-family-home,mfd-mobile-home

534 properties found San Luis Obispo County, CA Price Reduced Homes for Sale

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/San-Luis-Obispo-County_CA/type-single-family-home,condo-townhome-row-home-co-op,multi-family-home,mfd-mobile-home/show-price-reduced

Nearly half the sellers are slashing prices. Not bad.

PS- Inventory is up one-third since August.

Comment by rms
2015-09-12 06:07:45

Did you look at those prices?

That’s my former digs, and housing prices will have to fall a L-O-N-G way before the local economy can support them again. Without the fed reserve this area would collapse like a house of cards.

Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 06:12:05

Indeed….. Housing prices have a very long way to fall yet.

 
Comment by inchbyinch
2015-09-12 14:28:36

rms
Did you go to Cal Poly &/or teach there?
Love that town, and it had a great bookstore,
until that town was ruined by getting away from
mom and pops. Deep pockets changed it.

Comment by rms
2015-09-12 17:12:53

“Did you go to Cal Poly &/or teach there?”

Picked up my Civil Engineering ticket there. I had plans to move south closer to the skydiving scene and a CalTrans job, but the housing bubble put the kibosh to both. I’m debt free and have a good job, but I didn’t get the life I wanted. ‘Merica.

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Comment by In Colorado
2015-09-12 04:34:04

From yesterday:

Comment by Clubber Lang
2015-09-11 12:50:03

Viva Italiano. The revolutionary communist pope should be dancing in the streets!

He’s Argentinian, not Italian.

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 04:36:55

There’s no accounting for ignorance.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 05:15:56

“He’s Argentinian, not Italian.”

Yes, he is Argentinian.

He is also the first the first Jesuit pope (Jesuits promise not to “ambition” for any higher office) and he follows the first pope to resign in 600 years.

Dirty War Diaries: The Pope and Argentina’s Dictatorship

By Annette Langer
March 15, 2013

Pope Francis, formerly Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, at a private mass in Rome on Thursday

While much of Argentina celebrates the election of their countryman Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope, others accuse him of having played a dubious role in Argentina’s military dictatorship. There are prominent voices on both sides of the debate.

Speechlessness was followed by cheers of joy. With a simple “buonasera,” the newly elected Pope Francis greeted the faithful in Rome and cracked a joke about coming from the “ends of the earth.” It was a rhetorical slam dunk met with jubilation by the audience. There was a similar celebratory atmosphere in his homeland of Argentina. Though not everyone was cheering.

“I know people he helped,” said Yorio’s brother Rodolfo. “That’s exactly what reveals his two faces, and his closeness to the military powers. He was a master at ambiguity.” And he levels a bitter accusation: “When the army killed someone, (Bergoglio) was rid of him, when they saved someone, it was he who had saved them.” That’s why there are people who see him as a saint, Rodolfo said. “And why there are others who fear him.”

http://www.spiegel.de/…-had-dubious-role-in-argentine-military-dictatorship-a-889061.html -

Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 06:18:04

Communism is a failed ideology.

As is socialism.

As is Lolaism.

Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 06:51:59

As is Liberacism.

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Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 07:34:51

The “Italian” (lol) pope has been invited to speak to Congress - by the right. This is going to be good.

Be careful what you wish for.

It’s going to be hard to brand the pope a “communist” to anyone who reads the New Testament.

Labeling the pope a “communist” because he espouses the teachings of Jesus Christ is making a lot of dimwit heads explode. USA is not a Christian nation in many ways that would make Jesus happy.

So was Jesus a “communist” too?

 
Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2015-09-12 08:06:33

Jesus clearly had communistic tendencies; have you read the story of how he fed the 5000?

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:15:40

I wonder what the economic system in heaven is? It’s hard to imagine it being something other than communistic.

 
Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 09:26:15

USA is not a Christian nation in many ways that would make Jesus happy ??

+1…Likely very disappointed…I always like asking some friends, what would Jesus say ?? Usually I hear crickets…

 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:36:06

Jesus would help the poor, not condemn them to poverty and misery by destroying their families and subsidizing multiple generations of tragedy. Generations of blood on the progressives since LBJ.

I’ve also discerned an odd Catholic thing that goes on with Lola, not sure exactly what it is. He seems pro Catholic with some kind of relation to the church. I wonder …

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 09:43:22

About you? You got a problem my friend.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 10:32:57

Jesus would help the poor,

Like universal health insurance and LBJ’s civil rights act.

Generations of blood on the progressives since LBJ.

Right. And fascism is “left-wing”. LBJ’s civil-rights act is still driving pinheads nuts.

I’ve also discerned an odd Catholic thing that goes on with Lola, not sure exactly what it is.

Now that’s deep. From your one track but obtuse writing I’m pretty sure you don’t know exactly what’s going on with many things you “discern”. But I’m glad to see you think of me often CountryClubberLang.

The difference I’m sure between you and me is when you think of me you grind your teeth. When I think of my interactions with you and some other posters I actually chuckle. (Partly because you’re grinding your teeth) ;)

 
Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 11:29:51

Bulldog Rio…I love it…Go get um boy… : >)

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 12:30:09

You got clubbed by Clubber Lola.

 
Comment by reedalberger
2015-09-12 12:36:39

Re posting a link from Kessel yesterday

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-09-11/human-cost-socialism-power

Read this and tell me how Jesus was a communist.

Revolutionary communists killed upwards of 120 million souls in the attempt to create utopia.

Go away rio…you make me sick.

 
Comment by rms
2015-09-12 12:51:59

“Jesus would help the poor…”

Help them get more obese with a snap card?

Help them go further in consumer debt?

Help them with a satellite dish?

If you think about it you really can’t help the poor.

 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 13:11:59

There goes Lola bringing up race again.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 13:32:21

There goes Lola bringing up race again.

You bring up race all the time with your Dog Whistle Politics. You just don’t have the guts to come out of your hiding place and right-wing “code” words.

Dog whistle politics usually refers to the use of certain code words or phrases that are designed to be understood by only a small section of the populace.

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 14:25:13

Data Lola…. stick with the data.

MD Housing Prices Fall 12% YoY Statewide

http://www.zillow.com/md/home-values/

 
 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2015-09-12 07:23:54

Communism and socialism are indeed failed ideologies. However, our national lurch into IDIOCRACY, coupled with the parabolic expansion of the Free Sh*t Army, means the same cretins who fell for hope ‘n change or the even more repugnant GOP “alternatives” are setting the stage for tyranny.

http://www.epictimes.com/richardebeling/2015/09/the-human-cost-of-socialism-in-power/

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Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 07:38:17

Communism and socialism are indeed failed ideologies.

The failed ideology that America is experiencing is SupplySideTrickleDown.

Those who say USA’s problems are “Socialism” don’t even know what the word means. It’s like fighting an enemy that doesn’t really exist but it sounds really scary.

 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2015-09-12 07:50:54

Socialism at its essence is forcibly taking from the productive to give to the parasites in exchange for their support. Of course this means policies that encourage and reward parasitism so socialist administrations can draw their goons from the riffraff. There is no other kind of socialism.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 08:08:54

There is no other kind of socialism.

Unless one thinks critically or owns a dictionary. :)

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:11:09

Socialism at its essence is forcibly taking from the productive to give to the parasites in exchange for their support

Using this definition, has there ever been a non-socialist country in world history?

 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:21:32

Socialism at its essence is forcibly taking from the productive to give to the parasites in exchange for their support.

Wrong-o boy-o. In successful mixed socialist-capitalist countries there is strong voluntary support for taxes to pay for benefits that apply to all. The voters in those social democracies believe they are getting a good return on their taxes paid: they get good healthcare at a reasonable price; they can go to a university without being saddled with $100K in debt.

The silliness in the United States is chasing this false mirage that the “free market” will provide for all. The only thing the “free market” provides is for the 0.1% to capture a larger portion of a shrinking economy.

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:56:59

Government = Socialism?

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 16:43:05

Go away rio…you make me sick.

Is that you mom?? :)

 
 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 07:57:19

Communism is a failed ideology. As is socialism.

Silly boy. Socialism isn’t a failed ideology. Please look up which countries lead the United States in cost of living, infant mortality rate, affordability of university studies and so on.

If you want a failed ideology, see unregulated laissez-faire capitalism. Been there, done that, didn’t work.

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Comment by AmazingRuss
2015-09-12 08:33:46

Oh you and your silly facts…. Socialism is LITERALLY the DEBIL!

 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:47:45

LOL … all them oldsters shaking their fists at those darned socialists, egged on by Fox News and Rush … except on the 1st of the month when the Soc Sec check arrives

 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:39:21

I would do away with social security, how bout you?

 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 12:21:03

I would do away with social security, how bout you?

And replace it with what? Grinding poverty for seniors like we had in the 1930’s?

 
Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 12:49:56

I saved up $1,000,000 in my IRAs and 401ks and still paid into social security. If I could do it, any other boomer college graduate white collar worker could do it. I could have about $1.5 million in my retirement savings if not for the social security tax. That is not enough to retire in the good parts of California, but I would be living comfortably off of that in Tucson or San Antonio.

 
Comment by redmondjp
2015-09-13 00:47:46

WPA - check the debt-to-GDP ratios of those countries that lead the US in all the areas that you described.

From my recollection, it isn’t pretty. The whole world is going down, every last country. New global government financial system will then be trotted out, because every continent is TBTF.

 
 
 
Comment by Tarara Boomdea
2015-09-12 08:53:34

Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 05:15:56

Dirty War Diaries: The Pope and Argentina’s Dictatorship
spiegel.de/international/world/pope-francis-had-dubious-role-in-argentine-military-dictatorship-a-889061.html

 
 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 06:28:05

From yesterday:

Lotsa crazy 9/11 truther conspiracy stuff. Surprised I didn’t hear about chemtrails.

Comment by Ben Jones
2015-09-12 06:43:29

‘Lotsa crazy 9/11 truther conspiracy stuff.’

We should never allow ourselves to be a people who are not permitted to question our government.

Lucy Steigerwald made some points that are worth considering:

‘Paul had been saying it for years, however. YouTube videos with breathless titles like “Ron Paul predicted 9/11 in 1998!” confirm this. He didn’t predict anything. He’s not a seer. He simply understood then, as he does now, that people in the Middle East are not clay figures to be shaped by the US, and may react angrily to being treated as such. He understood it on September 12, 2001, as well, when he suggested that letter of marque and reprisal against the terrorists be issued, because “we must be certain that only the guilty be punished.”

‘There were a few others. My friend Jesse Walker, then and now an editor at Reason magazine, remembered to express caution and restraint on the day of 9/11, and to warn against an “unfocused war that would kill more innocent people. Walker, like Paul, suggested that “expert police work” was preferable to war. Again, this wild and crazy notion that a horrible thing like 9/11 should mean the perpetrators – and that is all – be punished.’

Why wasn’t it treated as a crime? Investigated, get to the bottom of it, find out who was responsible. Wouldn’t that be the obvious first step? No, the PTB took it upon themselves to make a very unlawful leap; entire countries would be invaded and punished. Millions are guilty, when there is no way millions had any knowledge of what took place. Here’s the prevailing logic:

‘Many people in the US, particularly our leaders and pundits, still seem comfortable with the spirit of Richard Kagan’s 9/11 suggestion that “Congress, in fact, should immediately declare war. It does not have to name a country.”

What’s crazy is that this is what has happened and is happening.

Comment by Muggy
2015-09-12 06:53:40

You should watch Good Kill. It’s average movie-wise, but very disturbing…

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Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 07:30:17
 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:42:19

I’m highly in favor of questioning government, but not paranoid nonsense from people who think there were explosives but not planes that knocked down the towers. It’s all been explained over and over. How much was yesterday’s group of posts just trolling?

 
 
Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 08:08:28

It was amazing yesterday reading from my conservative facebook friends all the posts “never forget.” And none of them ever mentioned alternative theories of what happened.

When any major event happens there will always be conspiracy theories.

But there are facts in this we have to keep in mind. Our founding fathers did fully understand it is the nature of government to get bigger, more powerful, and tyrannical.

In September 1991 George H. Bush gave his New World Order speech. Russia was dissolved and a vacuum was to be filled.

It’s amazing how prevalent the cognitive dissonance is, people accepting whatever government says. The same people who gushed about the Chris Kyle movie.

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Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 08:16:25

Our founding fathers did fully understand it is the nature of government to get bigger, more powerful, and tyrannical.

It wasn’t just government. The founding fathers were more worried about an a more powerful and tyrannical aristocracy like England. Obviously Jefferson did not think taxes on the rich were “theft”. Taxes to Jefferson were a way to keep America egalitarian and not become like England. So what happened?

The Founding Fathers on Tax for the wealthy.

http://www.politicalforum.com/political-opinions-beliefs/244513-founding-fathers-tax-wealthy.html

“legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of the human mind. The descent of property of every kind therefore to all the children, or to all the brothers and sisters, or other relations in equal degree is a politic measure, and a practicable one. Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise.”
– Thomas Jefferson; Letter to James Madison, (Oct. 28, 1785)

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:31:30

lessening the inequality of property

Who knew that Thomas Jefferson was a closet commie? They’re everywhere.

 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:46:07

Oh yes, the founding fathers wanted taxes, but not for the FSA. They wanted to pay the speculators in war bonds that people like Abigail Adams bought up at pennies on the dollar. And they wanted National taxation that they could control.

 
 
 
 
Comment by Lola
2015-09-12 08:24:36

lol@Lola.

 
 
Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 04:46:54

Did you do your part today cheering for ISIS fighters that your government backs?

 
Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2015-09-12 05:12:22

<b”Austin Realtor Caught On Camera Stealing From Home”

http://kxan.com/2015/09/10/austin-real-estate-agent-burgles-condo/

Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2015-09-12 06:19:58

Corrected.

“Austin Realtor Caught On Camera Stealing From Home”

http://kxan.com/2015/09/10/austin-real-estate-agent-burgles-condo/

 
 
Comment by azdude
2015-09-12 05:29:04

the economy hinges on a .25% rate hike, hilarious.

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 05:58:53

What is the percentage increase in going from 0.00% to 0.25%?

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 06:41:57

Wrong answer: 0.25% - 0.00% = 0.25%.

Correct answer: 100% X (0.25% - 0.00%) / 0.00% = ????

Comment by Blue Skye
2015-09-12 08:13:08

I don’t think the Fed Funds Rate is 0.00%.

Try your math with 0.14%.

https://apps.newyorkfed.org/markets/autorates/fed%20funds

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Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 06:24:05

I like how there are still stories about a September rate hike. I guess they won’t end until they run out of September.

 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 05:31:09

John Luv says:
September 4, 2015 at 1:41 PM

Left vs. Right = Fake.
Liberal vs. Conservative = Fake.
Democrat vs. Republican = Fake.
The State vs.You = Real!

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 05:55:22

We have met the enemy and they are us.

– Pogo

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 07:41:05

Left vs. Right = Fake.

Right.

ACA, TaxCutsForTheRich, Cuba, The Iran Deal and Citizens United are all “fake”.

Like there is no difference. The above is “all the same”. Right.

Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 08:15:06

Rio, you are not convincing anyone. Talk to the wall.

Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 08:20:50

Rio, you are not convincing anyone.

I beg to differ. “Not convincing anyone” would never draw such vitriolic reactions as is many times the case.

I don’t think you understand basic human behavior very well. (But you have your warmongering codes, your guns and your stocks so it’s all good right?)

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Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 08:30:31

Was Lincoln a racist?

 
Comment by rms
2015-09-12 12:59:29

“Was Lincoln a racist?”

I’m sure he enjoyed his weekly helping of brown sugar.

 
 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:23:43

Rio is the most eloquent and thoughtful poster on this board. Your loss if your mind is closed and won’t reflect on the points he makes.

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Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 08:51:11

LOLZ

 
Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 09:09:57

Double LOL

One wise man once said, he is wastrely. That is too kind IMO.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 09:19:31

LOLZ….Double LOL

I rest my case. ;)

 
Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 09:35:50

Your loss if your mind is closed and won’t reflect on the points he makes ??

Or more importantly make a “counter point”…When your response is LOLZ or Double LOL then you have no counter point to offer…Can’t respond because its a “Gottcha” question…

 
Comment by Shrimpsaladsandwich
2015-09-12 11:03:47

I’m pretty sure the LOLZ was in seeing Lola respond and praise Lola.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 11:10:37

Rio is the most eloquent and thoughtful poster on this board.

I doubt I deserve that but thank you amigo!

 
Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 12:16:36

Rio is the most eloquent and thoughtful poster on this board.

I found a fool to sell my pets.com stocks.

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 12:50:55

…..I found a fool to sell my pets.com stocks.

You realize you just insulted yourself right? (Probably not right?) :)

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2015-09-12 16:30:42

Eloquence in things foolish is simply long windedness.

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 18:39:58

So many Lolaisms, so little truth.

 
 
 
 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:22:08

Democrat vs. Republican = Fake.

Then why are you such a GOPtroll? Just a job?

Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 08:27:37

“Then why are you such a GOPtroll? Just a job?”

Mayday Mayday

Panties in a Wad - Panties in a Wad

Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:40:48

Panties in a Wad - Panties in a Wad

Sorry, didn’t realize it would affect you so much, phony. After you pull your panties back out, maybe you can answer the question?

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Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 09:34:58

Why does John Luv’s post upset you so Oddie?

John Luv says:
September 4, 2015 at 1:41 PM

Left vs. Right = Fake.
Liberal vs. Conservative = Fake.
Democrat vs. Republican = Fake.
The State vs.You = Real!

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 09:46:10

I asked you a simple question. I still await a non-deflective response.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 10:11:46

Is it “The State vs.You = Real!” that upsets you so?

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 10:48:01

It’s a GOPtroll pretending to be above politics that intrigues me.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 14:08:53

The State vs. Oddfellow = Real!

 
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 14:22:47

The State vs. Oddfellow = Real!

With that I agree. That’s why I’m leery of someone who represents the State pretending to be something else.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by ibbots
2015-09-12 05:43:57

17,000 snap up tickets for Donald Trump’s Dallas rally

Tickets to the rally were free. But now that they are gone, they are popping up on eBay, listed for between $20 and $99 Friday.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20150911-17000-snap-up-tickets-for-donald-trump-s-dallas-rally.ece

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 05:56:22

“Tickets to the rally were free.”

Apparently not so if there was a limited supply.

Comment by Professor Bear
2015-09-12 06:01:36

It reminds me of how bread was free back in the Soviet Union…unless you put a positive value on the hours of your day spent waiting in line to receive your ration.

Comment by ibbots
2015-09-12 06:36:44

They’re opening the doors at 8 am for a 6 pm rally. Anybody who thought Trump would burn out must be scratching their head.

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Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 07:45:52

Anybody who thought Trump would burn out must be scratching their head ??

Im not…He’s a lose lips idiot….Thinks his name & money allows him to say what ever comes to his mind….Makes for funny-Ha-Ha media but is not going to hunt very well in a real election particularly when he can’t raise the necessary money and will NEVER use his own in any serious way…

I also think he got played like a violin by GOP Chair Priebus into signing the Pledge…I don’t think that its any coincidence that now all the GOP candidates (except Kasich) are now on a full frontal attack on him…Jindal’s personal attack on him was about as nasty as it can get…

 
Comment by ibbots
2015-09-12 08:02:03

That’ll be the test, how he does when he has to put forth substantive policy positions. Next week’s debate should be a good indicator. He’ll be his usual outspoken self, but if he’s able to demonstrate command of meaningful topics, it’ll play very well.

‘will NEVER use his own in any serious way’

I think you underestimate his egotism and competitiveness. If he is close enough to smell the White House he’ll go all in and take large donations contrary to what he has said heretofore. The other GOP candidates going after him are like little poodles yapping at a mastiff. There is no effect, his numbers keep improving, especially among key components in his own party, i.e. women, minorities.

 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:50:37

Clearly the Leftists on this blog are most scared of Trump. Meanwhile their progressive champion is being investigated by the FBI.

 
Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 10:00:53

I think you underestimate his egotism and competitiveness ??

Oh, not at all…I clearly understand how narcissistic he is…

If he is close enough to smell the White House he’ll go all in and take large donations ??

I would agree with that…He’s calculated…Probably says to himself that if he can get to the Presidency then he will make back far more later then he spent getting there…

especially among key components in his own party, i.e. women, minorities ??

I strongly disagree..Thats why I suggest that he is DOA..Yeah, he is getting some anger votes in the polls but the idea that women are going to go into the booth and vote for this guy is just silly…We will see the “bleeding from wherever” tape over & over…Hilary would spend 50 mil on that add alone and he has 13 months to go…God only knows what is going to come out of white swinging mouth …

He is condescending to women and his tone towards hispanics & chinese will be looked at by these groups as racist…We all should be frightened by what he might say to foreign nations or leaders…Bush was a tyrant…This guy would be a Commander & Chief lose cannon…

Like I said, makes for funny Ha Ha on Jimmy Fallon but over time his big mouth and arrogant’s will bury him politically…

 
Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 10:41:06

Leftists on this blog are most scared of Trump

Why would the left be afraid of Trump leading the Repubs? Trump is a populist, is for progressive taxation and not against the Iran deal or Cuba relations in any meaningful way. Down deep he’s for single payer or at least universal coverage.

Trump is changing the debate within the Repub party - makes Jeb’ tax plan seen for what it is. More giveaways to the rich. Trump’s immigration thing is just noise the excites the reactionary Repub base but is mostly politically unworkable. And he’s probably unelectable in a general election. He’s also bringing out the Repub’s “hidden” “white power” thing.

The right should be scared, not the left.

 
 
 
 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:00:22

Only 17,000 … Bernie Sanders still has bigger rallies than Trump … neener neener

Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:25:37

Trump v. Sanders would be quite an election.

Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:44:20

Trump v. Sanders would be quite an election.

Indeed. The average voter might actually have to think about their choice and ponder the stark differences. This is the opposite of what the PTB/Chamber of Commerce wants, which is Clinton v. Bush. That would be a snore-fest, the people would be disengaged, turnout low… which plays right into the hands of the oligarchy.

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Comment by ibbots
2015-09-12 09:01:02

Trump v. Sanders - That’s the race I am hoping for.

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Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 10:05:46

If Sanders can rally the youth (18-40) of this country, get them angry and get them to come out in a big way it could carry him…A lot of what he has to say resonates with them…

 
Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 12:06:07

f Sanders can rally the youth (18-40) of this country,

Yeah suddenly these yutes will start listening to this old white foo.

 
 
 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 13:19:08

Bernie Snaders has been a politician since 1981. He’s disqualified.

 
 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 06:13:11

There was an old joke down here.

Q) If four Florida State football players are in a car, who’s driving?

A) The police.

Rutgers dismisses five football players after arrests

Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports
12:09 p.m. EDT September 5, 2015

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers has dismissed the five football players who were suspended earlier this week following their arrests. One was charged in two home invasions and four others were charged with assaulting a group of people in New Brunswick in April.

All five— Nadir Barnwell, Dre Boggs, Razohnn Gross, Ruhann Peele and Delon Stephenson — are no longer part of the football program, the school announced just before kickoff against Norfolk State on Saturday.

On Thursday, prosecutors said Peele, Barnwell, Gross and Stephenson were charged with aggravated assault, riot and conspiracy to commit a riot for a fight that left a man with a broken jaw. They said Boggs was charged in two home-invasion robberies in April and May.

The dismissals will leave Rutgers’ secondary very thin, as three of the five were defensive backs expected to be key contributors this season.

Comment by palmetto
2015-09-12 07:17:58

“Q) If four Florida State football players are in a car, who’s driving?

A) The police.”

BwahahahahahaHAH! I never heard that one before, just told my buddy and he nearly killed himself laughing.

 
 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 06:44:33

Remember…. Nothing accelerates the economy like falling prices to dramatically lower and more affordable levels. Nothing.

 
Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2015-09-12 07:10:17

Trumbull, CT Housing Prices Plummet 10% YoY

http://www.zillow.com/trumbull-ct/home-values/

 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2015-09-12 07:31:50

Let’s welcome all the people who have screwed up their own countries and now will screw up ours (even more). However, the DNC will be salivating at the prospects of signing up millions more lifetime entitlement voters.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/423902/obama-syrian-refugee-plan-somalis

 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2015-09-12 07:34:27

Bless the NYPD for keeping us safe from tennis stars.

http://www.theburningplatform.com/2015/09/12/nypd-keeping-us-safe-from-tennis-stars/

Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 08:46:22

When you’re a cop and you suspect someone of credit card fraud, you have to slam them to the ground at first encounter for your own protection. None of this “you’re under arrest” silliness. Given that he’s black, they should have just shot him on sight. He’s guilty of something.

 
 
Comment by rosie from the north
2015-09-12 07:49:29

Might be a good talking point for the next republican candidate debate.

https://today.yougov.com/news/2015/09/09/could-coup-happen-in-united-states/

 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:28:08

Bernie Sanders is tracking a little bit ahead of where Obama was in September 2007. Hillary was the “inevitable” nominee then as well. What’s striking this time is her deep dive in numbers this time around:

http://i.imgur.com/DZFHGZN.png

Comment by In Colorado
2015-09-12 10:18:54

Hillary was the “inevitable” nominee then as well.

And she’s still utterly uncharismatic. Makes you wonder why Bubba ever married her. I would say that when she was the First Lady she was one of his biggest political liabilities.

 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 08:32:16

Coverage in Affordable Care Act health plans wanes since winter

By Amy Goldstein September 8

Nearly 1 in 4 of the Americans who picked a health plan this year through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces have dropped or lost their coverage, according to new federal data.

A report, released Tuesday by federal health officials, shows that 9.9 million people were paying, as of the end of June, for health plans they had gotten through the federal and state-run insurance exchanges created under the health-care law.

Those people reflect a decline from the roughly 12.7 million consumers who signed up for a 2015 health plan. The vast majority signed up during an open enrollment period that ended in February and the rest through special enrollment circumstances since then.

The figures also mean that health plans sold on the exchanges are covering slightly fewer people as the year goes on. Between the end of March and the end of June, the number of people with active coverage dipped by about 300,000.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/coverage-in-affordable-care-act-health-plans-wanes-since-january/2015/09/08/a8cad442-563d-11e5-b8c9-944725fcd3b9_story.html

Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 09:22:53

Nearly 1 in 4 of the Americans who picked a health plan this year through the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces have dropped or lost their coverage,

How many got coverage through a new job, checked out or qualified for SocSec?

But what you are saying is that the ACA needs to be replaced with something more comprehensive? Like Single Payer right?

I mean you are worried about solving the problem more than politics right?

Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 10:19:38

“I mean you are worried about solving the problem more than politics right?”

I was better off without the Affordable Care Act, so you can shove your politics and your single payer up your @ss as far as I’m concerned.

John Luv says:
September 4, 2015 at 1:41 PM

Left vs. Right = Fake.
Liberal vs. Conservative = Fake.
Democrat vs. Republican = Fake.
The State vs.You = Real!

Comment by RioAmericanInBrasil
2015-09-12 10:44:15

I was better off without the Affordable Care Act,

And you are more important than the millions who now are covered. Me Me Me. (The right’s theme song)

you can shove your politics and your single payer up your @ss as far as I’m concerned

That’s so deep. Is that what Jesus would say about health-care?

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Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 14:30:05

“And you are more important than the millions who now are covered.”

I am more important than the wallpaper hanger I know who as of last year when I talked to him was paying a little over $100 a month for Obamacare.

He is the only one I know who’s enrolled. His premiums are so cheap because he only claimed $17k income the year before. Of course he made over $60k. Most of his business is for homeowners who make out a check to him, he goes to their bank, cashes the checks and doesn’t report it.

But I’m sure he is the only one.

I do however know about twenty people who like me lost their health insurance in the last few years and paid for our medical care out of pocket (the urgent care places are really pretty good for most things) and got to pay the tax or penalty or whatever they called it after that supreme court judge who they must have had pictures of in some compromising position changed his mind and his vote.

As far as “the millions who now are covered.”

I don’t believe those numbers anymore than I believe the GDP or unemployment numbers this “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor” administration spews.

‘The debate over repealing this law is over’: Obama boasts 7.1 MILLION have signed up to Obamacare - but study shows just 858,000 newly insured Americans have paid up!

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2594309/President-plans-victory-lap-strong-Obamacare-enrollment-Sebelius-faces-unpopular-law-blank-stare-tough-questions-remain-whos-signing-up.html#ixzz3lYtYBKon
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 18:47:47

“That’s so deep. Is that what Jesus would say about health-care?”

Oh we’re looking for deep and what Jesus would say about health-care.

Then I’m going with Jonathan Gruber who was a key player in developing the health-care law.

“Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage, and basically, you know, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass,”

“The stupidity of the American voter”

CBS News November 13, 2014, 6:57 AM

A new controversy is stirring over the Affordable Care Act, and this time it has nothing to do with the website.

One of the architects of the health care law was caught on camera saying the bill was written specifically so as not to be viewed as a tax. He then goes on to call American voters stupid, reports CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford.

He was one of the most senior advisers helping to create the health care law, and that’s why people could not believe he said this:

“Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage, and basically, you know, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass,” Jonathan Gruber said at the Annual Health Economics Conference.

Gruber was a key player in developing the law, and those remarks weren’t the only time an Obama adviser suggested the administration had pulled a fast one with the law.

“They proposed it and that passed because the American voters are too stupid to understand the difference,” he said.

The New York Times, in a glowing 2012 profile, said he not only “…put together the basic principles of the proposal…” but helped Congress, “…draft the specifics off the legislation.”

As a consultant, the government paid Gruber — an MIT economics professor — nearly $400,000 for that work.

http://www.cbsnews.com/…/affordable-care-act-architect-on-camera-bashing-american-voters/ - 131k -

 
Comment by TBoom
2015-09-12 21:36:30

Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 18:47:47

“The stupidity of the American voter”
cbsnews.com/news/affordable-care-act-architect-on-camera-bashing-american-voters/

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 08:33:55

Bernie Sanders tweets: “We need to create millions of decent paying jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. I plan to do just that.” This backlog of work desperately needs to be done if the US wishes to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Furthermore, these would be domestic jobs — local work, not outsourced to India.

What’s Trump’s position on infrastructure?

http://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Donald_Trump_Infrastructure.htm

Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 09:05:56

In other words, “I will escalate crony capitalism by building bridges to nowhere.”

What did the 700 bil stimulus got you and why do you think it would be any different? Fools are fools.

Comment by WPA
2015-09-12 09:54:27

What did the 700 bil stimulus got you and why do you think it would be any different?

Only $100 bil out of the stimulus went to infrastructure. Most of the money went to Medicaid, tax cuts and college tuition credits. The “stimulus” was too small and had far too little infrastructure projects to have much impact on the national repair backlog nor in stimulating jobs.

Obama’s stimulus is a bad example and should not be used to broadly dismiss the value of large-scale infrastructure investment.

 
 
Comment by CountryClubberLang
2015-09-12 09:54:13

Has Bernie Sanders ever created a single job in his life? I really don’t know anything about him other than that he has been a politician.

Comment by In Colorado
2015-09-12 10:22:09

How much of other people’s money has Trump flushed down the toilet through his many bankruptcies?

Comment by The Order Of The Golden Chainsaw
2015-09-12 12:09:16

Probably not as much as Bernie has voted to throw people’s money on stuff…..

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Comment by In Colorado
2015-09-12 16:20:16

Sorry to tell you this, but that’s what all elected officials do.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 08:58:33

rampant.appraiser.fraud.

Comment by azdude
2015-09-12 14:03:53

if there is a willing buyer hit the numbers.

Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 15:13:01

Fraud is at record levels

Fort Myers, FL Housing Prices Crater 14% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/fort-myers-fl/market-trends/

 
 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2015-09-12 09:39:29

Poor Nations Want U.S. to Pay Reparations for Extreme Weather

Want additional compensation for weather-related disasters as well as a “displacement coordination facility” for refugees

by Thomas M. Kostigen | USA TODAY | September 12, 2015

Poorer nations suffering from extreme weather disasters, so much so that their citizens are seeking refugee in safer terrains outside their borders, want rich nations like the United States to pay for reparations and to relocate populations.

Preparatory talks ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change to be held in Paris in December has representatives from developing nations asking for more than an already agreed upon $100 billion per year for climate change mitigation measures. They want additional compensation for weather-related disasters as well as a “displacement coordination facility” for refugees. And they want all this to be legally binding as part of the larger anticipated Paris accord.

The U.S. and wealthier nations in the European Union are balking.

The rationale for the additional funds and refugee facility is based on donor country failures to follow through cohesively on aid pledges following weather-related disasters. For example, last March, Cyclone Pam devastated islands in the South Pacific but attention quickly turned to the massive earthquake in Nepal soon thereafter. That left small nations such as Vanuatu, which was devastated, to manage its own cleanup without much in the way of international assistance.

Comment by palmetto
2015-09-12 11:02:40

Shakedown. Tell it to China.

 
 
 
Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 11:13:08

Zumper located a seven bedroom castle on 200 acres of land in Ringuette, Region Aquitaine, France renting for $2,925 per month and contrasted it against a current listing for a 401 square-foot studio apartment on Page Street in San Francisco’s Lower Haight, which goes for $3,000 per month.

Another six bedroom castle in France is currently on the rental market for $4,940 per month and includes a pool, three acre garden and “several lawns.” It’s juxtaposed against a Laurel Heights three bedroom apartment on Collins Street that runs $4,995. No square footage is mentioned, and one of the bedrooms doesn’t have a closet.

What ever happened to telecommuting? I thought that’s what silicon valley was going to bring us.

Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2015-09-12 11:43:56

Everybody wants to live there, and pretty much everywhere else except Detroit, Cleveland, etc. I just am trying to figure out where the J-O-B-S are and if they will ever come to places that are still really affordable.

Comment by scdave
2015-09-12 12:11:29

trying to figure out where the J-O-B-S are and if they will ever come to places that are still really affordable ??

They once were…Thats why you have these small vacated towns all across the country…Jobs were there and people could afford the homes…Raise a family…When the jobs left, the homes remained affordable but there was nobody left to buy them…

If we get our priorities right, that day of long ago could return…Bernie Sanders offers that message…

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Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2015-09-12 13:00:28

I can think of plenty of Oil cities off the top of my head I could live quietly in but they are sool in regards to jobs, so one would have to bring a passive income with themselves or be self-employed or telecommute or some other method. Ultimately, depending upon who is national president or some such is too much dependence in my book. My problem is that places are changing faster than I expect.

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 14:56:47

And housing prices in those locations are equally as grossly inflated.

Location has little to do with grossly inflated housing prices.

 
Comment by azdude
2015-09-12 16:21:08

house prices r in line with future incomes, buy.

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-12 16:31:45

Data my friend.

Denver, CO Housing Prices Plummet 9% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/denver-co/market-trends/

 
Comment by Prime_Is_Contained
2015-09-13 07:20:58

Denver, CO ppsf up 6% YoY

(from the same page that you posted)

Data, my friend.

 
Comment by Mafia Blocks
2015-09-13 11:01:28

As our own Senior Housing Analyst and good friend says, “It’s the 9% decline in transaction prices in Denver, CO that is important here. Price per square foot will fall as demand and transaction prices continue to crater.”

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Muggy
2015-09-12 13:50:47

Just drove by a bank offering 1.05 of a 12mo. CD!

Lol

Comment by rms
2015-09-12 17:17:44

Gotta check out Ally Bank, on-line, no branches. I just received $13.60 in checking interest for the August statement.

Comment by drumminj
2015-09-12 17:36:23

Didn’t Ally used to be GMAC financing?

Comment by rms
2015-09-12 19:38:07

Yes, you are correct.

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Comment by drumminj
2015-09-12 19:50:05

That makes me personally want to avoid them, given their history. But yes, they seem to have good rates on CDs!

 
Comment by rms
2015-09-12 20:35:12

They also refund two atm fees per month from anyone’s terminal.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by reedalberger
2015-09-12 14:05:02

Let’s do metal Saturday…Megadeth Holy wars and the punishment due.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54hP6f5sCv8

What a genius of thrash. If you play guitar, you know just how difficult this to play, let alone playing it live and sing at the same time. I’m not worthy.

Comment by Oddfellow
2015-09-12 15:17:04

What a genius of thrash. If you play guitar, you know just how difficult this to play, let alone playing it live and sing at the same time. I’m not worthy.

TESTify!

 
 
Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 15:03:24

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-09-12/crossing-borders-gold-and-silver-coins-glimpse-things-come

Why would I want to cross any national border with metal? The USA has its second amendment still and it’s there for us to protect ourselves against violations of the 4th amendment. Granted, the 4th is being violated a lot. But that’s happening to other people. When it happens to me and they come for gold, they will get lead.

I don’t buy the baloney that many hard metal gurus are saying that you should move metals out of the country. I don’t trust other countries either. Especially since they have far less freedom to own firearms and I’m not in those countries anyway.

I don’t buy the confiscation theory either. Most people in the USA do not own precious metals. Most people are like PB, laughing about a “barbarous relic” while central banks buy up gold.

Comment by AbsoluteBeginner
2015-09-12 16:47:26

Now is a very good time to buy on the dip for silver. The only problem is that the premiums on it are caustic. American Silver Eagles are getting near $6 premiums which is why generic stuff is more appealing. Junk 90% silver is getting even higher premiums from what I see .The spot price of silver has a CAGR of about 5% annually since 1964. That is not a super great rate, but buying by dollar cost averaging probably has boosted that amount for those that have been stackers since the 1970’s.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2015-09-12 17:01:28

Don’t be silly. Throw some of your bottles of wine to them.

 
 
Comment by The Selfish Hoarder
2015-09-12 19:40:14

17 Mind-Blowing Pics Of Car Purgatories Where Thousands Of Unsold Vehicles Sit Idle

http://tinyurl.com/pkzmhbt

who will buy a brand new 2015 model in 2019 at 2019 model prices?

 
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