January 10, 2017

Cost-Conscious Buyers Understand There’s A Bit Of A Glut

A report from TV New Zealand. The number of houses sold in Auckland fell 24 per cent to 721 and the median sale price slipped 1.2 per cent to $840,000 in December, Barfoot said. The slowdown came as Barfoot, the city’s biggest estate agency, had 3,270 properties on its books at the end of the month, up 35 per cent from a year earlier, and the biggest available stock at the end of the year for four years.”

“ASB Bank economist Kim Mundy said those rising inventory levels appear ‘to be taking some of the heat out of Auckland house price growth,’ though they’re still near historical lows which should keep a floor on prices.”

“New Zealand’s housing market has posed problems for policy makers with rapid price gains seen as crowding out first home buyers who are also stifled in their ability to obtain credit by Reserve Bank-imposed restrictions on highly-leveraged mortgages.”

From News.com.au in Australia. “Apartments are out, unrenovated houses are in. That’s the verdict of real estate experts who’ve predicted the sales trends for 2017. Robert Elezovic, Director of Raine & Horne Brunswick said that the size and ’sheer amount’ of new apartment developments cropping up have put the apartment market into oversupply, especially in his hometown of Melbourne, further exacerbating this supply and demand imbalance.”

“Mr Elezovic said apartments weren’t even attracting cost-conscious buyers, who were instead opting for townhouses. ‘We know they are struggling to find a house but our research tells us that they don’t really want apartments. They understand there is a bit of a glut in the apartment market.’”

From Property Investor Today on Hong Kong. “In recent years, wealthy international property investors, particularly from mainland China, have invested in Hong Kong’s ultra-luxury housing market as part of a diversified asset-safeguard strategy, despite low rental yields of around just 2%, helping to cement the city’s place as the world’s most expensive housing market. But with thousands of new build homes set to come on to the market over the next couple of months, housebuilders in Hong Kong have begun competing for homebuyers by offering steep price discounts on new property releases, raising the prospect of intensifying price competition as new projects come onto the market.”

“‘Developers will accelerate their flat sales this year. They had deferred the marketing of new project launches after the government suddenly raised the stamp duty in November last year,’ said Derek Chan, head of research at Ricacorp Properties. ‘Developers are certainly facing pressure on their pricing strategies, especially in areas with various new projects ready for sale,’ he added.”

The Bangkok Post on Thailand. “SET-listed developer Lalin Property Plc plans to launch 8-10 housing projects worth a combined 4 billion baht in 2017, aiming to secure 15% growth in revenue to 3.1 billion baht by year-end. Chief executive Chaiyan Chakarakul said all the new projects will be single-house and townhouse developments, as the low-rise segment consists of real demand, whereas condos have seen oversupply in many locations.”

“‘This year will be another sluggish year like 2016, as the recovery of key economies like Europe and Japan will be weak,’ he said. ‘It will be good if the government uses property incentives once again, but not only to stimulate sales. The government should also urge mortgage lending release,’ Mr Chaiyan said.”

“He suggested a reduction of the blacklist period for people who defaulted on credit card debt from three years to one year, similar to how the blacklist period for bankruptcy was reduced from 10 years to three years. He said mortgage rejections were a key obstruction to housing transfers last year.”

The Daily Herald Tribune in Canada. “Grande Prairie’s housing market dropped by more than 500 homes in 2016, but its expected to pick-up in the next two years. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation attributes the decline to a loss of jobs in the region that resulted in a 7.2% unemployment rate, which moderated housing demand. The housing market for 2016 largely favoured the buyer with house prices ranging between $299,000 and $306,000; a dip from $318,798 in 2015.”

“Tim Gensey, CMHC market analyst, couldn’t say whether the highly-paid medical staff moving into the area will affect house prices as it’s currently a buyers market with an abundance of single family dwellings and new builds. ‘There is a lot of supply relative to demand and we expect that to remain and that’s why we only projected slow house price growth over the next few years. We can really see that in the new home market…we think they’re going to stay quite low for some time. We’re projecting it’ll take about two years for this over supply to be corrected,’ he said.”

“In terms of rental units, in October CMHC reported a vacancy rate of 19.8% which is expected to gradually improve over the next couple of years. Gensey said sellers should hang tight as prices are not expected to fall drastically but remain relatively stable.”




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157 Comments »

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-10 19:48:02

‘The housing market for 2016 largely favoured the buyer with house prices ranging between $299,000 and $306,000; a dip from $318,798 in 2015′

Ah, but what was the price in 2014?

‘Calgary’s real estate market continued to slide in 2016, ending the year with total sales down 15 per cent from the 10-year average in December. The decline in the market came on the heels of a more dramatic drop in 2015, when sales tumbled 26 per cent from the same period in 2014. Taken together, the two years of contraction have resulted in 2016 sales levels that are the lowest Calgary has seen since 2010, said CREB chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie.’

“‘There was a dramatic fall in 2015, and the additional fall in 2016 is keeping sales at levels that are well below our long-term averages,’ Lurie said.’

 
Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2017-01-10 19:48:04

Westlake Village, CA Housing Prices Crater 14% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/westlake-village-ca/market-trends/

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-10 19:54:23

‘The crushing Alberta recession has wiped out more than $4-billion in value of downtown Calgary office properties, city assessors warned Thursday, with some suburban office landlords and retailers expected to see higher tax bills as a result.’

‘In updated property assessments mailed to more than 540,000 Calgary homeowners and businesses this week, city assessors said falling office rents and a commercial vacancy rate that now tops 25 per cent in the city core have driven down the average value of Calgary’s downtown office buildings by 16 per cent this year.’

‘Among Calgary’s most iconic commercial properties, The Bow office tower, owned by H&R Real Estate Investment Trust, saw its assessed value drop by 21.7 per cent to a little more than $1-billion. The assessed value of Bow Valley Square, owned by Oxford Properties Group Inc., the real estate arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, fell by 20.7 per cent.’

‘Falling property assessments don’t come as a surprise for Calgary’s commercial real estate industry, which has been grappling with a growing glut of empty office space over the past year. ‘The bigger story is: How far can this go?’ said Greg Kwong, regional managing director for commercial real estate services firm CBRE Ltd. ‘I can almost guarantee that you’re going to see property values drop further.’

‘Rents for premium A-class buildings have dropped at least 40 per cent since late 2014, Mr. Kwong said. Rents have plummeted as much as 70 per cent for C-class buildings.’

‘CBRE predicted that 2.4 million square feet of new, premium downtown office space will hit the Calgary market this year. Of that, 53 per cent is preleased – meaning vacancy rates could worsen further still. Cushman & Wakefield said it expects vacancy rates in downtown A-class office buildings to top 29 per cent by late next year. Meanwhile, remaining prospective tenants are being offered months of free rent for signing long-term leases, or other inducements.’

‘Calgary homeowners will see less of a sticker shock on their tax bills than commercial property owners this year. Median residential property values fell by an average of 4 per cent, with the typical single-family home dropping $20,000 to $460,000, while the median condo value fell $10,000 to $270,000. The total number of homes and condos worth more than $1-million dropped by more than 2,200.’

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-10 20:01:02

‘Look up at all of Calgary’s shiny downtown office towers the next time the sun peeks out. For years, the skyscrapers congregated south of the Bow River have been a testament to Calgary’s impressive economic might, housing hundreds of head offices and thousands of employees, particularly in the oil and gas sector.’

‘Today, however, the city’s office buildings are worth almost $4 billion less than they were a year ago, according to the new civic property assessment rolls. As energy companies have downsized, rents have fallen due to a glut of space and the downtown office vacancy rate has surged above 22 per cent.’

‘These trends have vaporized $3.8 billion in assessed property value — the total worth of downtown offices having tumbled to $17.4 billion from $21.2 billion last year — reflecting the toll of a prolonged recession.’

‘That drop in value will soon shake out with nasty ramifications for some property owners around the rest of the city — because when taxes paid by one of the biggest segments of the city’s economy dip, everyone else has to pick up the freight.’

‘And so the pain will spread out into other business areas, such as suburban retail shops and commercial properties situated outside the core, where real estate prices have remained more stable.’

“Suburban properties will bear the brunt of this,” warns Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Adam Legge. “This is the year everyone will take it on the chin pretty hard.”

Comment by BearCat
2017-01-11 11:20:10

‘… everyone else has to pick up the freight.

Yeah, it’s impossible to governments to cut spending, like everyone else has to….

Comment by taxpayer
2017-01-11 14:24:18

maybe the human tornado will RIF n Roll the fed bureaucrats

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Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-10 20:05:31

‘It will be good if the government uses property incentives once again, but not only to stimulate sales. The government should also urge mortgage lending release…He suggested a reduction of the blacklist period for people who defaulted on credit card debt from three years to one year, similar to how the blacklist period for bankruptcy was reduced from 10 years to three years’

This guy is like jingle mail. He brags about his market but forgets that the guvment rushed in to allow GSE loans to replace jumbos, which were cratering. Had the market been allowed to find a bottom, many of his renters would own the houses he overcharges them for. Plus the GSE’s gave him multiple loans to buy them. (Isn’t that nice, financing up to 10 houses). What a different world we would live in if not for all this government meddling.

Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-10 20:10:37

There’s a whole lot of fraud going on….. from Tijuana to Vancouver and everywhere in between. And my good friends are neck deep in it.

 
Comment by TheCentralScrutinizer
2017-01-10 21:00:14

He’s playing the hand he was dealt… so far, so good.

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-10 21:13:26

Aww, aren’t you sympathetic! He’s living large on guvment loans, sticking it to renters. What’s not to like? So far so good, til he bails on the loans you and I guarantee. So has your Trump throwing the election to Screech disaster sunk in yet?

Comment by Bubblebot
2017-01-10 21:41:15

“Aww, aren’t you sympathetic! He’s living large on guvment loans, sticking it to renters. What’s not to like? So far so good, til he bails on the loans you and I guarantee. So has your Trump throwing the election to Screech disaster sunk in yet?”

Bam! I love the smell of truth in the evening. MAGA

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Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 06:44:47

Lol, even better, has it sunk in yet that the “intelligence” community attempted to take down Trump via an X-rated Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon generated by internet trolls on 4-chan? Henceforth, the cable news network shall be known as PeeNN and the internet tabloid news as Buzzpeed.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 06:55:28

CIA says Russia has weapons of mass peestruction.

(Yes, Ben, I know I’m being totally juvenile, but I’m just getting into the spirit of things.)

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 07:19:43

Aww, what the heck. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Henceforth, the alphabet agency shall now be known as the Pee-I-A.

And the hits just keep on comin’!

But wait, despite all the humor in this, here’s another little tidbit that needs to sink in to some very thick skulls and it’s not so humorous. On the strength of similar “intelligence” from the PeeIA, the US went to war in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places, causing the destruction of hundreds of thousands of lives (through death and injury) and much property. Let that sink in.

 
Comment by Panda Triste
2017-01-11 09:16:13

X-rated Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons on 4-chan? PNN? I’m just going to come out and say I have no idea what you’re talking about. But I only consume fake news.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 10:12:58

Wait, Trump didn’t get sexual favors from an intern? That would be the “presidential” thing to do.

He was offered lucrative business deals from the Russians, but didn’t take them? That can’t be right, he must have done business with them, right?

 
 
Comment by oxide
2017-01-11 10:53:34

So far so good, til he bails on the loans

You said much the same thing when I bought my house… when was I going to walk out on my mortgage? Well, still going strong almost 5 years later. Jingle will probably not need to walk on the loans, since by now he has enough equity to sell, even into a declining market.

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Comment by Carl Morris
2017-01-11 12:18:57

You said much the same thing when I bought my house… when was I going to walk out on my mortgage? Well, still going strong almost 5 years later.

I remember that, I don’t begrudge you your so-far-successful gamble. But I still don’t think that you and the others like you understand how lucky you were to not get a sleeve stuck under a steamroller. Systemic corruption has definitely been your friend. My hope is that it ends soon (yeah, right) and that you’re far enough along in servicing your loan that you come out without a scratch.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 12:29:37

‘Well, still going strong almost 5 years later’

I don’t remember saying you would go down, but you might! Now take a look at that amortization chart. How much “equity” do you have after 5 years? Single digits?

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 12:50:17

After 5 years at 3.75% with 30-year amortization, about 10% of principal has been repaid.

If your starting point was a meaningful down payment (20%), there would be 28% equity with flat home prices. If a lot of the “appreciation” over the past 5 years is an illusion and could evaporate at any moment, and real home values have only risen with inflation over the past 5 years (up 7% over 5 years), there would be about 33% equity in the house.

If your starting point was a 3% down payment, the numbers change to 13% (0% appreciation) and 18% (CPI-based appreciation).

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 12:58:25

‘I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of mortgages, and I hope someone can help me. Say I buy a house for $100,000. I put down $20,000, and get an $80,000 mortgage. I’ve heard that for the first few years, I’ll only be paying down the interest of the mortgage, and not the principal (for argument’s sake let’s say it takes 5 years to start paying off principal).’

‘But, 4 years into the mortgage I decide to sell this house. At this point, I’m still only paying interest. Other than the down payment, do I have any equity in the house? If it sells for $100,000 again, what would be my share?’

‘Note that many lenders’ websites now offer calculators which can show you how much interest, and how much principal, will be included in each payment for the life of the loan. That can be a useful tool for understanding your options. Initially you will be paying MOSTLY (not entirely, in a normal loan) interest. That division shifts as your balance decreases, until near the end of the term you are paying MOSTLY (not entirely) principal. – keshlam Jun 1 ‘14′

‘Keep in mind that in an actual transaction there are many fees (title insurance, appraisal, origination fees, real estate agent commission) which will change your purely mortgage-focused result. In particular, if you bought a $100,000 house and wrote a $20,000 check at closing you probably financed more than $80,000 (say $82,000) to cover some of those fees. Then when you sold the house for $100,000 again you netted less after commissions and other expenses (say $92,000). So ignoring what you paid in principal, you would only have $10,000 in equity. – Ben Jackson Jun 1 ‘14′9

‘@BenJackson Ooh, that’s a bummer, but a good thing to be aware of. So in the above situation, I guess it would have been better to rent for the 4 years. – GoldenBunny’

http://money.stackexchange.com/questions/32087/what-equity-would-i-have-when-selling-early-on-in-mortgage

 
Comment by oxide
2017-01-11 13:15:34

“How much “equity” do you have after 5 years? Single digits?”

I put down 10%, and I’ve been adding extra $$ onto principle, even more than the 13th-monthly-payment amount. I also got a break on closing costs because the seller was getting desperate.

How much equity have I built up:
21% compared to 2012 purchase price
31% compared to June appraisal that I got to get PMI removed
38% compared to Zestimate (which IMO is ridiculously high)

Ben’s example that “renting is better” isn’t really relevant, since the posters are “ignoring” a 20% down payment, and selling at 4 years after buying. It’s VERY well known that mortgages front load their interest into the first 7 years. Situations are different.

 
Comment by oxide
2017-01-11 13:21:05

Carl, I purchased only AFTER I moved to an area with stable jobs, had a stable job myself, and the market had reached a minimum. If I didn’t have those advantages, I would not have bought. And it took me 18 years of renting apartments before things fell into place. If that’s a gamble, it was a pretty safe gamble.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 13:34:52

“I guess it would have been better to rent for the 4 years.”

If someone’s time horizon is 4 years, I can’t think of a situation where it would make sense to buy.

IMHO, you’ve got to have a strong likelihood of staying in place 10-15 years to make buying a house have even a possibility of making any sense at all.

How much of the first payment goes to principal is a function of the interest rate.

At 10%, only 5% of the first payment goes to principal.
At 7%, 12% of the first payment goes to principal.
At 4%, 30% of the first payment goes to principal.

 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 14:00:15

“If someone’s time horizon is 4 years, I can’t think of a situation where it would make sense to buy.”

I agree. In our small town people get a job here, buy, and get a raise by finding another job in another town. They always try to sell with their previous fees tacked-on. If they’re not lucky they try renting it… and it downhill from there. These types are ALL IN when it comes to the fed.gov supplying cheap easy credit.

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 14:00:46

It doesn’t much matter when you pay multiples of construction costs and multiples of long-term prices. Worse yet those losses are doubled by financing.

 
Comment by Carl Morris
2017-01-11 14:14:09

If that’s a gamble, it was a pretty safe gamble.

I remember. I still say it was only safe because the Fed wind at your back never slowed…and there was no guarantee of that. But I agree that it has gone on long enough that you are rapidly getting safer and it has turned out well for you.

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 15:07:15

Did it?

 
 
2017-01-11 13:06:14

I don’t know why that triggered a TrumpleTantrum, but I think your faith in him fixing any of this is misplaced. Puts me in mind of the lady that thought Obama was gonna pay her electric bill.

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Comment by Senior Housing Analyst
2017-01-10 20:14:27

La Mesa, CA Housing Prices Crater 5% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/la-mesa-ca/market-trends/

Comment by azdude
2017-01-11 06:15:00

la mesa is built out, limited inventory and everyone wants to live there.

Comment by rms
2017-01-11 13:48:51

“La Mesa, CA”

A friend lives on the north side of Miramar, your basic 3/2 shack, frequently foggy, but always fresh ocean air. Of course his kids had to move far away when they came of age.

 
2017-01-11 17:21:34

And meth is plentiful!

 
 
 
Comment by Palm Beach County
2017-01-11 05:23:05

Mark Hanson ‏@MrMarkHanson 13h13 hours ago

UH-OH HOUSING PART DUEX: Chicago headline also contrary to popular opinion that SURGING RATES = SURGING HOME SALES

http://www.chicagonow.com/getting-real/2017/01/chicago-real-estate-market-update-lowest-december-sales-in-4-years/

 
 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-01-11 05:41:26

Oh dear. Sweet William’s stamping of little feet over the implosion of his beloved scam cryptocurrency must be setting off seismic detectors all over the globe.

http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-january-11-2017-2017-1

 
Comment by azdude
2017-01-11 06:00:43

“Fed Remits Only $92 Billion To Treasury In 2016, Lowest Since 2013″

We need to borrow more from uncle fed so we can do a stimulus package and fix the roads!

 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-01-11 06:01:03

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin craters. Sweet William, whose endless harangues against all and sundry who did not adopt and use Bitcoin as their primary medium of exchange were a longtime staple of the HBB, will not be gracing us with his presence to acknowledge his error in promoting this make-believe, computer-mined scam “currency.”

On a happier note, my physical precious metals are doing just fine, thank you very much.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-11/bitcoin-plummets-after-china-launches-market-manipulation-investigations-bitcoin-exc

 
Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-01-11 06:03:24

Looks like heads are going to roll in the intelligence community once Trump is sworn in. He does not take kindly to fake news or fake “intelligence reports” of the sort so beloved by the neocons.

https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/819155311793700865

Comment by Sean
2017-01-11 08:23:23

He wrote that tweet in ALL CAPS, so you know he means business!!

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 08:32:03

It was me: Sworn Trump enemy John McCain admits HE handed smear dossier to FBI - as details surface of document’s bizarre journey from Moscow

Arizona Senator who disowned Trump before election admits he handed document outlining claims of Kremlin blackmail to FBI

Brief statement claims that he received it and gave it directly to FBI Director James Comey because he was ‘unable to make judgment about accuracy’

But Washington reporter Carl Bernstein says former British ambassador to Moscow handed it to McCain

Ambassador has not been named - and author of report also gave to FBI agent he knew at its station in Rome months ago

Report was apparently paid for first BY Republican enemies of Trump then by Democrats

By Darren Boyle for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 06:48 EST, 11 January 2017

Sworn Donald Trump enemy John McCain admitted Wednesday that he passed the dossier of claims of a Russian blackmail plot against the president-elect.

The Arizona senator issued a public statement amid mounting questions of his exact role in the affair - and how a document riddled with errors and unverifiable claims came to be published.

‘Late last year, I received sensitive information that has since been made public,’ he said.

‘Upon examination of the contents, and unable to make a judgment about their accuracy, I delivered the information to the Director of the FBI.

‘That has been the extent of my contact with the FBI or any other government agency regarding this issue.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4108960/How-Trump-s-nemesis-John-McCain-kicked-Kremlin-memo-scandal-handing-dossier-FBI-sending-emissary-abroad-collect-it.html#ixzz4VT2PWrTz
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 08:32:25

“Clapper also said there is no evidence that the Russians altered or manipulated the emails and other information they stole during their hacks of the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign,” USA Today reports.

 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 08:44:33

There are some big players selling cyber-security to the gubmint… billions being made pimping fear. Most shops that are hacked don’t have computer science / EE staff designing their infrastructure because they’re expensive, and most of these attacks come from insiders, IMHO. It’s a huge scam being foisted on a point-n-click public.

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 09:09:39

‘That the CIA, in particular, has become a thoroughly politicized cadre of desk jockeys whose intelligence-gathering abilities have seriously atrophied is borne out by the remarks of one “Ishmael Jones,” a former CIA officer writing under a pseudonym: he is the author of The Human Element: Inside the CIA’s Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture. Jones writes: “CIA intelligence reporting stating that the Russian government hacked the presidential election in order to elect Donald Trump is false. It is merely a political attack against Donald Trump with the goal of delegitimizing his presidency.”

‘What Jones has to say about the culture of the CIA – its politics – tells us why we are seeing this remarkable public spat between an incoming President and the intelligence community he will (ostensibly) command: “The reporting instead reflects the political opinions and agendas of bureaucrats. CIA bureaucrats are a big blue voting machine with a long record of creating information harmful to Republican presidents. The danger to Mr. Trump is ratcheted up because the recent election influenced many people at the CIA to believe that Trump is the second coming of Hitler. And to stop Hitler, anything is ethical, even treason. CIA bureaucrats have chosen to attack Mr. Trump before he even takes office.”

‘These are the Praetorian Guards of a decadent and corrupt empire: comfortably ensconced in the swamp Trump has vowed to drain, they long ago lost touch with their alleged mission: gathering intelligence overseas. As Jones relates: “The CIA is meant to spy upon foreign countries. The secrets we seek are located in foreign countries. Yet the bloated CIA bureaucracy exists almost entirely within the United States. CIA bureaucrats appear to find foreign service disagreeable. They enjoy their lifestyle and will fight with aggressive passivity to keep it that way. More than 90% of CIA employees spend their careers living and working entirely within the United States….”

“The incoming CIA chief, Mike Pompeo, will be astonished by how many of his senior leaders have not had an overseas assignment in decades. Brief junkets and TDY’s to foreign countries do not count. CIA boss John Brennan’s 40-plus years of CIA service have occurred almost entirely within the Headquarters building….”

“Today, we have more employees working in encouraging diversity, and as of recently, more transgender employees, than we do case officers operating under cover in Russia, China, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and North Korea combined.”

Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 09:16:25

Trump presser going on right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV4DsSKkl7Q

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Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 10:56:33

I’m listening to it now. He lies in his very first sentence, claiming that he had a lot of press conferences during the campaign.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 12:10:47

You lie about a lot of stuff, lyin’ Mike. He had a number of press conferences. I watched some of them on line. Like this one here, that got the press so upset:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ5kNEL0KzI

He talked to the press just about every day, he was always on one show or another.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 12:41:46

You failed to notice the date on that. It was over seven months ago. You can’t identify any time that I’ve ever lied. So your accusation is a lie. I don’t need to lie. You and Trump do, because you’re pushing an unpopular agenda.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 13:01:04

‘an unpopular agenda’

Example

Fake News Mike is available, BTW.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 13:13:16

Trump won empty space and lost the popular vote. Trust me. It’s an unpopular agenda.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 13:42:48

Let’s not talk in generalities.

First off, let’s define his agenda (not his personality). Then, let’s talk about what is unpopular about it.

So, what’s his agenda?

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-01-11 14:09:51

“He lies in his very first sentence…”

So I went and listened to what Trump actually said, and sure enough Mikey, you are full of BS. 2017 is going to be a very rough year for you.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 14:27:54

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/us/politics/trump-press-conference-transcript.html?_r=0

“TRUMP: Thank you very much.

It’s very familiar territory, news conferences, because we used to give them on an almost daily basis. I think we probably maybe won the nomination because of news conferences and it’s good to be with you.

TRUMP: We stopped giving them because we were getting quite a bit of inaccurate news,”

+1 Blue Skye…Mike is full of it, hearing what he wants to hear, not what is said.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:28:41

It’s very familiar territory, news conferences, because we used to give them on an almost daily basis.

So it was this sentence, the second one, not the first. Thanks for that important clarification.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:30:46

So I went and listened to what Trump actually said, and sure enough Mikey, you are full of BS. 2017 is going to be a very rough year for you.

That’s quite a reaction there.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:32:41

So, what’s his agenda?

I was referring to the standard GOP agenda - tax cuts for the rich, etc.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-01-11 16:30:11

So it was this sentence…

What he said was obviously true. Please do print out the rest of it as well and apologize for lying.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 16:41:33

He hadn’t had a press conference for nearly six months. Are you aware of some schedule that shows that he was having them during some period “on an almost daily basis”?

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 16:51:30

Lyin Mike….. there he is. Lyin’ Mike!

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 17:00:46

Show me the schedule. Otherwise, you can’t make that assertion.

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 17:06:06

Llllllllllllyin’ Mike!

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 17:18:06

I was referring to the standard GOP agenda - tax cuts for the rich, etc.

So, it’s not Trump’s agenda, but that of the GOP?

If the GOP positions were so unpopular, how did the House Republicans get 3MM more votes in aggregate than House Democrats?

And before you trot out the Senate numbers (where the Democrats got more votes), you need to remember that ALL House seats were up for a vote, but only 34 of 100 Senate seats were up, including CA and NY (very populous, very “blue” states).

And California, didn’t even have a Republican up for election (there were two Democrats vying for the seat). So, in California, there were 7.9MM Democratic votes and 0 Republican votes. The overall margin of victory in the senate count was about 6 million votes favorable to Democrats.

If CA had a Republican candidate, and the Democrat got the same proportion of votes as HRC in CA, the Republican would have gotten 3MM votes…a swing of 6MM…nationally, despite there being senators from NY and CA up for re-election, senate votes would have been about even.

So, onto the policies.

“Tax Cuts for the Rich” is a very MSNBC phrase. How about tax reform? Since McConnell is pushing for changes in the tax code to be revenue neutral, that is more appropriate. Tax reform is very popular, and, as far as I can tell, only the GOP has a plan that will simplify the tax code (reform, not amend).

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but reducing regulation is also a GOP position. And few people want more red tape…most want less.

And healthcare…according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in December 2016, 46% of the population had an unfavorable view of the ACA, vs. 43% favorable. So, anti-ACA policies are not unpopular.

So, what policies exactly are unpopular?

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 17:30:03

“He hadn’t had a press conference for nearly six months. Are you aware of some schedule that shows that he was having them during some period “on an almost daily basis”?”

Are you aware that he did not?

In any event, it is pretty clear that he talked about potentially winning the NOMINATION because of his frequent press conferences, NOT the election.

He’s also clear that he said he stopped doing them after a while.

In other words, his statements are totally consistent with not having a press conference in 6 months.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:21:01

It’s good that you bring up specific issues. Let’s look at two of them.

I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but reducing regulation is also a GOP position. And few people want more red tape…most want less.

To discuss regulations in the abstract is pointless. People may say that they would like fewer regulations, but the more interesting thing to do would be to ask people about specific regulations. For example, if people in Los Angeles who are old enough to remember the 1960s were asked if they would like the air quality to return to what it was in those days, most would probably say no.

And healthcare…according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in December 2016, 46% of the population had an unfavorable view of the ACA, vs. 43% favorable. So, anti-ACA policies are not unpopular.

You have to remember that that 46% includes people who would have preferred a single payer plan that covered everyone. I looked up some polls and found that the same Kaiser poll showed that 30% of the people polled would like to see that ACA expanded.

If you familiarize yourself with polls in general, you’d find that Americans have pretty strong social democratic preferences. Every time a minimum wage is proposed, a majority support it. Labor unions are popular. People think that income inequality is a big problem and that the rich should pay more in taxes. The idea of turning Medicare into a voucher program (proposed by Trump’s HHS nominee) is very unpopular.

To put it in term of politicians, Bernie Sanders is not far left of the center of American popular opinion. The House GOP caucus, with its strong Tea Party component, is pretty far to the right of where the people are.

This is not a new phenomenon either. I remember reading things written shortly after the 1984 election. People were polled on 10 major issues of the day. The polls showed that people preferred Walter Mondale’s position on 8 or 9 of the issues. Nevertheless, he lost in a landslide.

There a number of reasons for these disparities. The first thing to note is that a large portion of the population doesn’t vote in the first place. Rich people are more likely to vote than poor people and old people more than the young. These things benefit the Republicans.

You also have to keep in mind that what people remember of what the candidates said had little to do with the important issues. Trump will be remembered for “build the wall” and “lock her up” and Clinton for “basket of deplorables”. There are political scientists who theorize that that’s the result of big corporate money in politics. Let the little people worry about Trump’s business empire or Hillary’s health. Those things just distract the voters, allowing monied interests to set the agenda on the important issues.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:28:24

It’s possible, but it’s highly unlikely. A lot of reporters were complaining all of the time that went by since his last press conference.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 18:42:40

“To discuss regulations in the abstract is pointless. People may say that they would like fewer regulations, but the more interesting thing to do would be to ask people about specific regulations. For example, if people in Los Angeles who are old enough to remember the 1960s were asked if they would like the air quality to return to what it was in those days, most would probably say no.”

Let’s look at one…Dodd Frank.

The “money” quote on this particular law comes from Chris Dodd as it related to liberals criticizing him for not spelling out the regulations in the law, but instead putting forth a framework for the SEC to fill in the blanks:

“”What do they expect me to write, a 100,000-page bill? This is far beyond the capacity, the expertise, the knowledge of a Congress” to detail every new regulation, he said.”

That’s exactly the point. I don’t care what the regulations are about, if they result in 100,000 pages of new rules to follow, they favor gigantic entities, crush the little guys, and leave a multitude of loopholes for highly paid attorneys to exploit for their gigantic clients.

You think regulations like Dodd Frank are popular and good? They’re sh*t. We need better, shorter regulations, not laws like Dodd Frank.

With respect to tax law, of course most people want the rich to pay more. Why not? Most people aren’t rich. However, even more people want the tax code simplified.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:54:04

However, even more people want the tax code simplified.

I’ve never seen a poll on that subject, but it’s another meaningless question. Let’s see some specific simplification plans and then ask people about those.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:58:09

With respect to tax law, of course most people want the rich to pay more. Why not? Most people aren’t rich.

The reason is really beside the point. My point is about what the people want.

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-12 09:44:09

There are multiple aspects to each topic, and by trying to simplify is pointless.

Tax is about 2 main things: 1. Who pays (and how much); and 2. How difficult it is to comply.

I saw a poll from 2014 on various matters–and that’s 6 years into Obama’s policies, so I would say that these views are not too different from what the candidates were facing this election (http://pos.org/documents/key_findings_national_survey_economy-tax_release.pdf).

The key takeaway:

86% of the people favor simplifying the tax code (even 81% from Democrats)

A Gallup Poll from April 2016 (http://www.gallup.com/poll/190775/americans-say-upper-income-pay-little-taxes.aspx) noted that 61% of the population felt that upper income people were not paying enough in taxes (down from as high as 77% in the 90’s).

At this point as the political pendulum swings, more people care about simplifying the tax code than soaking the rich. In other words, broadly speaking, there is good reason to believe that Republican tax policy overall was more popular this election cycle.

 
 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 09:22:38

Heh, he just schlonged the “intelligence” community in his presser.

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Comment by junior_kai
2017-01-11 15:24:09

And this whole affair exposed the intel community as a joke and the media as merely an extension of the joke. Hope the Trump crushes both.

 
 
Comment by snake charmer
2017-01-11 10:36:32

Of late, the left has become deeply interested in the diversity of our institutions and uninterested in reforming them, as if whether something works, or is effective, is secondary to its level of inclusion. Either that, of the effectiveness of the institutions is simply taken as a given.

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Comment by Big Fat Ugly Bubble
2017-01-11 14:55:23

This part:

“Today, we have more employees working in encouraging diversity, and as of recently, more transgender employees, than we do case officers operating under cover in Russia, China, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and North Korea combined.”

..

It’s one thing for our universities. For the CIA to become infected with this, too? If it is true, that is very sad.

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Comment by Big Fat Ugly Bubble
2017-01-11 15:17:21

I hope they all get fired and have to work at McDonalds.

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Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 09:14:37

“Most shops that are hacked don’t have computer science / EE staff designing their infrastructure because they’re expensive”

I bet the Supreme Court doesn’t have it either.

 
 
Comment by Panda Triste
2017-01-11 09:21:04

These are the same social justice warrior snowflakes that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction 14 years ago.

Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 11:01:26

social justice warrior snowflakes

Cheney?

 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 14:20:11

Didn’t “see” the Soviet Union crumbling either.

Comment by junior_kai
2017-01-11 14:36:06

Isis was the JV team.

Hillarys server wasnt hacked.

No classified emails were sent or received.

Lots and lots of lies. Its all theyve got at this point.

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Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 18:15:49

Bush created ISIS when he fired the Iraq army, we all know this.

4.7%
DOW 19999

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Palm Beach County
2017-01-11 07:25:21

“The mother of all liquidity crises is coming to China sooner than most realize.”Vince Noir added,

Jesse Colombo @TheBubbleBubble
China Barreling Toward Major Economic Crisis: https://dailyreckoning.com/china-barreling-toward-economic-crisis/ … $FXI $EEM

 
Comment by Palm Beach County
2017-01-11 07:56:29

Mark Hanson ‏@MrMarkHanson 26m26 minutes ago

UH-OH…11-11 HOUSE PURCHASE APPLICATIONS PLUNGE POST-RATE SURGE: Purchase Applications now DOWN 18% from last year. https://www.mba.org/news-research-and-resources/newsroom

 
Comment by Vancouver Guy
2017-01-11 08:16:05

The real estate cartels in Canada are all making lieing into a reputable vocation. Their analysis is always something like, the laws of supply and demand are only valid for price appreciation, the law does not apply to our clients who recently purchased properties.

Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 08:21:38

As I like to say, it’s not so much the lies that are troublesome, what is troublesome is that people will believe them.

 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 08:35:41

‘the laws of supply and demand’

Yes, these unstoppable economic forces, usually articulated by used house salespeople who trained for zero weeks in economics and can be certified after a few days online. Never mind that without government backed loans, demand at these prices would be zilch.

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 09:14:47

‘The number of residential real estate sales in the region plummeted last month in the face of shrinking inventories, the San Diego Association of Realtors reported Monday. In December, 1,781 single-family homes changed ownership in San Diego County, 8 percent fewer than in November and 11 percent below the level of December 2015.’

‘The plunge in sales was more pronounced for attached homes like condominiums and townhouses. SDAR data shows 859 condos changed hands in December, a 14 percent drop from November and a 21 percent drop from December 2015.’

“Prospective home buyers and real estate professionals are challenged by low inventory levels and higher competition for those fewer properties,” said SDAR President Bob Kevane. “But we are as busy as ever, and opportunities abound for those who are diligent in their home search.”

 
 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 08:18:33

CBS FAKE NEWS (I will leave out Charlie Rose running from the Bilderberg question this time)

Classified U.S. intel report: Russia gathered compromising info on Trump

By JEFF PEGUES, JULIANNA GOLDMAN AND LAURA STRICKLER CBS NEWS

January 10, 2017, 8:34 PM

Multiple government and intelligence officials tell CBS News that an addendum to the classified intelligence report on Russia’s efforts to interfere in the U.S. election contained unverified details of potentially compromising information that Russia has gathered on President-elect Donald Trump.

http://cbsnews.cbs.com/news/classified-us-intel-report-russia-gathered-compromising-info-on-trump/

Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 09:24:32

As I said above, he just schlonged the “intelligence” community in his presser. Can’t stump the Trump.

Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 09:44:56

He also just schlonged a very angry reporter (who I assume will be given a seat about 4 rows behind the Info Wars reporter’s seat if at all at the White House Press conferences) who was asking about his tax returns.

Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 09:51:11

“asking about his tax returns”

What a joke. What tiny, putrid little pustule of a person.

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Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 11:23:46

It was a perfectly reasonable question. Trump’s assertion that only reporters care about his tax returns is almost certainly false.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 12:13:52

It was a stupid, whiney question. No one gives a rat’s patootie about his tax return except whiney urinalists.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:55:15

While Trump has yet to release his personal tax returns, the public thinks that he has a responsibility to do so: 60% say this, compared with 33% who say he does not have a responsibility to release his tax returns. By 79% to 17%, more Democrats and Democratic leaners say Trump has a responsibility to release his tax returns than say he does not. Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 38% say he has a responsibility to do this, compared with 53% who say he does not have this responsibility.

http://www.people-press.org/2017/01/10/negative-views-of-trumps-transition-amid-concerns-about-conflicts-tax-returns/

 
 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 09:58:12

Chuck Schumer schlonged.

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Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 10:11:52

Schumer recently “warned” Trump about messing with the spooks budgets, saying they would retaliate. Who’s working for who here? I’m kinda glad the gloves have come off. Let’s roll some heads.

 
Comment by palmetto
2017-01-11 10:41:49

“I’m kinda glad the gloves have come off. Let’s roll some heads.”

And don’t think there aren’t some cowardly, compromised Congresscritters who are secretly relieved the “intelligence community” is getting its comeuppance.

How many military actions has the US engaged in because of fake intelligence? And not because of the “intelligence” so much as because of cowards in Congress who have to support these things because of coercion. Now, they COULD have taken the hit to their reputations and saved the country a lot of blood and treasure, but they didn’t. Thousands must die to save the reputations of a Congressional grifters.

 
Comment by aqius
2017-01-11 12:53:00

geez. what a mess this country is in. and the world.

greedy, self-serving power-hungry assholes perpetually fighting & bickering over everything but what really matters.

good lyric sez it all;

‘We were meant to live for so much more.
have we lost ourselves / somewhere we live inside…. ”

Switchfoot

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 09:55:00

‘The latest monthly QV House Price Index for December shows the Auckland market has increased 12.2 per cent year-on-year which is the slowest rate since January 2015. The average current price in the Auckland region is $1.047 million.’

‘Nationwide, prices rose by 1.3 per cent over the past three months and are now 51.5 per cent above the 2007 peak. Prices in the Super City rose by 1.5 per cent in the last quarter and are now 91.6 per cent higher than the previous peak of 2007.’

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 09:59:59

Video of a Red Hooded DUMBO Duck

Very rare.

Ivanka’s heckler gets real quiet

By Daniel Halper January 6, 2017

A man who harassed Ivanka Trump on a JetBlue flight was tight-lipped when confronted about his actions, according to a report airing this week.

“You harassed a woman with her baby on a flight. You proud of that?” Fox News’ Jesse Watters asks the man, according to a clip of the exchange that aired Thursday night on the network.

The report doesn’t name the man, who hid his face under a bright red parka, but on the Dec. 22 flight, Trump was berated by Brooklyn lawyer Dan Goldstein, who was booted from the plane, along with his Hunter College professor hubby, Matthew Lasner.

http://nypost.com/2017/01/06/man-who-harassed-ivanka-trump-on-flight-gets-quiet-on-air/

Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 10:36:41

Of course, Jesse Watters is also an a–hole. So that must be great entertainment there on FNC. It’s probably similar to Jerry Springer.

Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 13:03:30

“Of course, Jesse Watters is also an a–hole.”

What makes you say that?

I have never seen Jesse Watters running and hiding his face from the camera after verbally abusing a mother and her child on an airplane like this cowardly Dude and his husband did.

Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 13:18:02

Well, he’s chasing someone who doesn’t’ want to be on TV. That qualifies him as an a–hole. In fact, it’s what he does for a living. There was also that famous incident in Chinatown in NYC.

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Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 13:46:48

Well, he’s chasing someone who doesn’t’ want to be on TV. That qualifies him as an a–hole.

The person he was chasing sought out someone to publicly berate (in front of their kids) because of who their father was–with their spouse publicly (and gleefully) tweeting about it.

If the roles were reversed, and it was Anderson Cooper chasing down someone in the street who publicly berated Malia Obama, you wouldn’t be calling Cooper an a-hole.

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 14:09:38

“In fact, it’s what he does for a living.”

Au contraire mon frere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB3ZaVYWRr4

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:34:07

If the roles were reversed, and it was Anderson Cooper chasing down someone in the street who publicly berated Malia Obama, you wouldn’t be calling Cooper an a-hole.

No, I would say the same about Mr. Cooper if he did that.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:35:29

What are you saying, phony, that he does other things as well?

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:51:48

The person he was chasing sought out someone to publicly berate (in front of their kids) because of who their father was–with their spouse publicly (and gleefully) tweeting about it.

That’s why I wrote that Watters is also an a–hole, meaning he’s like the people he’s chasing.

 
 
 
 
 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 10:11:57

Trump is seriously one weird dude!! He can’t stop bragging about himself, even when unwarranted. So unpresidential!

Why is he so insecure?

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 10:53:46

Don’t read this Natty Ice Dude, you’ll blow a gasket too:

‘Brown Unveils Austere Budget, Warns of Economic Downturn’

‘Brown, announcing his budget Tuesday just 10 days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, warned that this year could be the most difficult since 2012 as the “surging tide of revenues we have enjoyed the past few years appear to have turned.” He said the state has a $2 billion budget deficit — far less than the $27 billion shortfall he inherited, but still important. Brown said that, in general, California’s budget surpluses are far smaller than its deficits “and that really is the challenge of California.”

I think you should break off and join Mexico. Canada said it doesn’t want you.

Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 10:58:03

Sounds good! and the drought is over, nor cal reservoirs are spilling over.

Bring on the Trump Recession! I love lower prices!

Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 11:13:23

I told you you shouldn’t read it, look how far your gasket blew!

They won’t be calling it the trump recession, BTW, as we can blame everything for the next 8 years on Obama.

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Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 11:25:02

Obama’s score card is in the history books now. 4.7% and DOW 19999. re-write all you want.

Will Trump’s recession be worse the Bush’s Great Recession?

Dont forget to sell high.

 
Comment by Blue Skye
2017-01-11 14:56:35

score card… some other numbers come to mind as well. 26,000. 95 million. 20 Trillion.

 
Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:46:17

Is that the 95 million that includes 40 or 50 million retired people?

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 17:37:55

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU01300060

Here is the most important graph. For prime working age population, the participation rate is down 1.5 points from where is should be. 81.5% vs. about 83%.

There are about 125MM people in this category, so 1.5% represents about 1.9MM people.

If you count those 1.9MM people in the unemployment calculation, the 4.7% unemployment rate becomes 5.6%–still not bad, but helps explain the piss poor wage growth.

 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 18:17:32

65 mill on soc sec. lots of unskilled crazies that no one will EVER hire.

4.7%

 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 19:06:18

“lots of unskilled crazies that no one will EVER hire.”

When push comes to shove they’ll turn-off the TV and roll-up their sleeves and get ‘er done. Rugged Individualism.

 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 15:48:11

“I love lower prices!”

Here ya go.

https://patriotdepot.com/kennedy-vs-obama-t-shirt/

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Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 11:10:53

Wait, Brown is suggesting spending decreases rather than tax increases to eliminate a deficit? I feel like I just stepped through the looking glass.

Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 11:27:11

Brown (DEM) is a smart, fiscally conservative liberal. He really turned CA around after the Arnold (GOP) years.

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Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 11:31:24

‘Brown is suggesting spending decreases rather than tax increases to eliminate a deficit?’

Natty Ice Dude’s gonna have an aneurysm.

 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 11:52:45

aneurysm does that mean “party?”

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 12:08:53

And what exactly did Arnold do that was so bad? He was re-elected 56% to 39% in the context of being highly rated as a governor who cut spending and taxes (and was pretty socially liberal as well).

His biggest flaw was being governor during the Great Recession–and I haven’t seen anyone blame that calamity on Arnold.

 
 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 13:03:32

So, the author of your piece didn’t like Arnold…no surprise, he worked for Arnold’s Republican competition (McClintock).

Here is a more independent view.

https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/fiscal-policy-report-card-americas-governors-2004

Cato Institute (Libertarian):

“four governors receive the grade of A: Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, Craig Benson of New Hampshire, Bill Owens of Colorado, and Judy Martz of Montana.”

This rating was based entirely on fiscally conservative metrics (lowering taxes and spending).

And your biased webpage claims Arnold is more socially liberal than Gray Davis.

 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 14:06:58

low energy immigrant, not a fan

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 17:51:20

not a fan

So, your implication that Arnold did something to damage CA that Brown needed to “turn around” is based on you not liking him.

Great. Glad we cleared that up.

 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 18:19:15

that is your fake news

 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 19:31:38

Game, set, match to Rental Watch

 
 
 
Comment by cactus
2017-01-11 14:50:03

how to get money for CA

“University of California President Janet Napolitano denounced the audit’s conclusions as “disappointingly pre-baked” and “unfair and unwarranted.” She said auditors ignored the fact that higher-paying out-of-state students contributed $728 million to UC coffers and allowed the 10-campus system to accept more Californians in the face of massive budget cuts imposed since the 2008 recession.

The audit — and reaction to it — raised the stakes in an intense and long-running political controversy: whether the increase in nonresident students to what is widely viewed as the finest public university system in the nation has helped or hurt Californians.

The audit was requested more than a year ago by Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson), who has watched with dismay as the enrollment of students from other states and countries has grown to 15.5% of UC’s total undergraduate enrollment, up from about 5% eight years ago.

The audit found that out-of-state applicants benefited from lowered admission standards, while California students increasingly were turned away from their campus of choice.

“The university has undermined its commitment to residents in an effort to increase its revenue by recruiting and enrolling nonresidents,” the audit said.

Comment by cactus
2017-01-11 14:58:34
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Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 12:56:01

“Trump is seriously one weird dude!! He can’t stop bragging about himself, even when unwarranted. So unpresidential!”

“Why is he so insecure?”

Obama Refers To Himself 75 Times In Farewell Address

Peter Hasson

10:43 PM 01/10/2017

President Obama referred to himself 75 times in his farewell address Tuesday night, according to a review of his prepared remarks by The Daily Caller.

Obama heavily promoted the speech, penning a blog post about it and appearing in a promotional video in the days leading up to the address.

Obama said “I” 33 times during the speech, “my” 20 times, “me” 10 times, and “I’m” or “I’ve” 12 times.

The president made a habit of focusing large chunks of his speeches on himself during his eight years in office.

Last July, for example, he mentioned himself 45 times over the course of a speech given at a speech for the slain Dallas police officers.

In his blog post promoting the speech, Obama encouraged Americans to tune in “because, for me, it’s always been about you.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/10/obama-refers-to-himself-75-times-in-farewell-address/#ixzz4VU6nA4Bz

Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 13:21:20

Many more Americans care about Trump’s tax returns than this issue.

Comment by Blue Skye
2017-01-11 14:38:36

Trump turned down $2Billion dollars over the weekend.

The tax returns of a guy who owns companies are largely irrelevant. One take what one needs and leaves the rest of whatever increases in wealth occur inside the owned companies. Almost everything the man does is a business expense and doesn’t show up on personal tax returns. If you have a big loss, declare that as negative income and don’t pay taxes for years despite getting more wealthy.

In a different way, the Clinton’s tax returns are irrelevant as well. Their hundreds of millions in payola went into an offshore tax shelter.

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Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:42:01

He could just release them and let the American people decide for themselves whether they’re relevant. We can play this shoe on the other foot game. What if Trump had release his returns and his opponent had not. You know what you would say. Why won’t she release? She must be hiding something!

 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 14:44:41

Trump’s tax returns?

That horse died November 9, but you can beat it if you want to.

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Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 15:37:23

In your mind the horse was never alive.

 
 
 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 14:08:43

4.7%

Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 15:38:34

4.7%

Percent of counties in the United States won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential Election?

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Comment by Ben Jones
2017-01-11 10:21:53

Don’t read this oxide, you’ll blow a gasket:

‘Canada’s subprime mortgage providers are increasingly teaming up with unregulated rivals to sidestep rules designed to clamp down on risky lending. The result of these partnerships are so-called “bundled” loans, which pair a primary mortgage with a second loan from unregulated groups called Mortgage Investment Corporations (MICs).’

‘The arrangements have proliferated, mortgage brokers told Reuters, as Canadian regulators have tightened lending standards to shield borrowers in case a decade-long housing boom goes bust.’

‘The practice has grown fast because it allows borrowers to make down payments of just 10 percent, dodging federal rules that require either 20 or 35 percent down on mortgages not backed by government insurance, according to industry experts. Packaging two loans together allows the regulated lender to skirt those rules.’

The rise of bundling reflects declining affordability after a long run-up in home prices, and it could present a danger of defaults if prices fall. Such high loan-to-value mortgages are common when housing markets are about to implode, said David Madani, an economist with Capital Economics who has long forecast a housing crash in Canada. “This is what happens at the late stage of a housing bubble - the quality of lending goes down,” he said.’

‘Finance Ministry data shows that the share of unregulated lenders has shot to 12.5 percent of Canada’s C$1.6 trillion mortgage market in 2015, up from 6.6 percent in 2007. “It’s becoming prevalent with everybody. This is how they sidestep the loan-to-value issue,” Guy Lew, a mortgage broker at CENTUM Metrocap Wealth Solutions said in an interview, adding that he arranged such loans for his clients.’

‘In a report published last month, the Bank of Canada estimated that unregulated lenders have about C$125 billion in assets, including auto loans and other products as well as mortgages. The vast majority of that total is held by companies not listed on public exchanges - meaning little hard data is available on their lending.’

“I would suspect that at least 10 percent of homeowners who are taking out this type of product may find themselves in hot water within the first couple of years of home ownership,” said Scott Hannah, the head of Canada’s Credit Counseling Society, a charity that advises consumers on debt.’

‘Canada’s biggest six banks, which provide about 7 out of 10 mortgages, told Reuters that they do not offer bundled loans. But Home Trust, a unit of Home Capital Group and Equitable Group - two of Canada’s biggest subprime lenders - said they participate in bundled lending.’

‘Home Trust, which had assets of C$20.5 billion at the end of last year, confirmed it provided bundled mortgages worth up to 90 percent of a property’s value, with no mortgage insurance requirement. Home Trust said in a statement that bundling was a common practice, but declined to disclose how much of its business depends on it.’

Comment by oxide
2017-01-11 11:06:21

Ok, I won’t read it.

Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 12:40:06

Hey Donk

 
 
 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 10:40:28

Interesting Mortgage Monitor this month…it provides data for topics often discussed on the HBB:

1. Negative Equity
2. Cash Out Refinances
3. ARM resets

http://www.bkfs.com/Data/DataReports/BKFS_MM_Nov2016_Report.pdf

Broad detail

1. Negative Equity: There are still 2.2MM borrowers with negative equity, disproportionately located in NV, AZ, Missouri, Illinios (with specific call-out to Chicago), the NE, and SE.

2. Cash out Refinances: We are approaching the same level of equity available to be borrowed against as we had in 2005, and the amount of equity being pulled out each quarter through cash out refinances is steadily growing since Q1 2014, now at about $26B per quarter. This is still way below what was happening in 2005-2006 (more like $80B per quarter).

3. ARM Resets: In 2000 there were a bit over 4MM ARMs. In 2006 there were more than 13MM ARMs (more than 25% of the mortgage market). That total number has been declining, but at a slightly decreasing rate since 2006. Today, there are about 5.25MM active ARMs mortgages, of which all but 1.4MM have already reset.

Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 16:01:40

4. Skyrocketing housing inventory
5. Collapsing housing demand
6. Accelerating housing price declines
7. Record high vacancy rate

 
 
Comment by new attitude
2017-01-11 10:56:10

ACA -if congress can make it better WHAT IS STOPPING THEM? big insurance lobbyist????

I thought they worked for us….

 
Comment by In Colorado
2017-01-11 11:45:22

Look out below …

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/suddenly-home-sale-agreements-are-falling-apart-across-the-us/ar-BBy8WBw

“A Trulia analysis of U.S. listings shows that 3.9 percent of homes that moved from for-sale to pending moved back to for-sale again, nearly double the rate in 2015. Such “failed sales” increased in 96 of the 100 biggest U.S. metros, with big swings in areas large and small, rich and poor. That includes Los Angeles and Charleston, S.C., as well as San Jose and Akron, Ohio.”

Comment by Raymond K Hessel
2017-01-11 16:56:42

The red flags are proliferating.

 
 
Comment by rms
2017-01-11 14:29:43

Thread: “We really don’t have time,” he said as he continued playing video games. —Deadbedrooms

Many thanks, Front Range, for your reading suggestion. I get over there every couple of weeks when I’m bored… and come away laughing. Great reality check.

 
Comment by junior_kai
2017-01-11 15:13:00

Green Party of Germany proposes that the government will pay for hookers for those unable to afford them.

Surprise, surprise, another (((tribe member))) heading the (((green party))) and proposing to destroy its host nation. Where have I seen this before?

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 15:54:02

Grease. Meet fryin pan.

Milpitas, CA Housing Prices Crater 16% YoY

http://www.movoto.com/ca/95035/market-trends/

 
Comment by Big Fat Ugly Bubble
2017-01-11 16:00:51

On a related note about Canada’s mortgages, the liar loans are increasing too. From today:

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/equifax-canada-mortgage-fraud-on-the-rise-nyse-efx-2187597.htm

‘13 per cent of Canadians indicated they felt it was okay to tell ‘a little white lie’ when applying for a mortgage to get the house they want.’

 
Comment by DJT
2017-01-11 16:16:16

We’re going to create new bidding procedures for the drug industry because they’re getting away with murder.

 
Comment by The Enrager
2017-01-11 18:05:45

Labor Force Participation Rate Falls To 30 Year Low; Joblessness At Record High

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART

 
Comment by Rental Watch
2017-01-11 18:30:15

Peter Thiel article in the NYT….interesting comments:

He recalls that he went through a lot of “meta” debates about Mr. Trump in Silicon Valley. “One of my good friends said, ‘Peter, do you realize how crazy this is, how everybody thinks this is crazy?’ I was like: ‘Well, why am I wrong? What’s substantively wrong with this?’ And it all got referred back to ‘Everybody thinks Trump’s really crazy.’ So it’s like there’s a shortcut, which is: ‘I don’t need to explain it. It’s good enough that everybody thinks something. If everybody thinks this is crazy, I don’t even have to explain to you why it’s crazy. You should just change your mind.’”

“For speaking at the Republican convention, I got attacked way more by liberal gay people than by conservative Christian people.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/fashion/peter-thiel-donald-trump-silicon-valley-technology-gawker.html

Comment by MightyMike
2017-01-11 18:44:33

“For speaking at the Republican convention, I got attacked way more by liberal gay people than by conservative Christian people.”

He was helping Trump. Liberals criticized him more than conservatives. It shouldn’t be a surprise, mister Silicon Valley genius billionaire.

 
 
Comment by phony scandals
2017-01-11 19:37:43

LMAO

The only thing missing was…

Now fetch me some Cheetos

Trump Tells CNN’s Jim Acosta — ‘You Are Fake News’ [VIDEO]

CHRISTIAN DATOC

12:18 PM 01/11/2017

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/11/trump-tells-cnns-jim-acosta-you-are-fake-news-video/#ixzz4VVkAOlgq

Comment by Bubblebot
2017-01-12 01:25:43

“The only thing missing was…

Now fetch me some Cheetos”

Brilliant! lol

 
 
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