tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post3771987427535972443..comments2024-03-28T21:41:52.558-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: "Shoot Straight You Bastards. Don't Make a Mess of it."Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-64772809742471706672008-09-20T11:09:00.000-04:002008-09-20T11:09:00.000-04:002164th: It all comes down to the first debate.Nego...2164th: <B>It all comes down to the first debate.</B><BR/><BR/>Negotiations by the Obama campaign to allow a TelePrompTer at the debate continue.Teresitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05528002521904908827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-20682215033361447192008-09-20T11:06:00.000-04:002008-09-20T11:06:00.000-04:00ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A huge explosion ripped...<I>ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — A huge explosion ripped through part of the heavily guarded Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital on Saturday. Many people, including foreigners, were seen running out, some of them stained with blood.</I><BR/><BR/>Gosh, they blocked the Americans from going after al-Qaeda in the border region, and this is how al-Qaeda pays Pakistan back? The ingrates!Teresitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05528002521904908827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-28853391960209337682008-09-20T11:04:00.000-04:002008-09-20T11:04:00.000-04:00This week features the first debate, Friday night ...<I>This week features the first debate, Friday night in Oxford, Mississippi. When an incumbent is running for reelection, history suggests that, by the time of the debates, all but a few voters will have already made their minds up. This year there's no incumbent, and the debates will be watched by many voters (perhaps as many as 20 percent) who remain undecided or have only a weak preference. </I><BR/><BR/>I have a feeling McCain might do pretty well. He's been cogent (except on this crisis business) on the campaign trail of late. Seems to be able to rattle off sensible sounding stuff easily.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-38453727999638177542008-09-20T10:49:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:49:00.000-04:00Washington Mutual might be a good buy. Or might ha...Washington Mutual might be a good buy. Or might have been. Maybe not, though. Might not have been. <BR/><BR/>< ?:) ><BR/><BR/><BR/>The election has a fairly good chance, as these things go, to be an electoral college tie, too, though as Rat says that means the dems win.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-78738847426057819342008-09-20T10:24:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:24:00.000-04:00As I've stated here a few times, there just isn't ...As I've stated here a few times, there just isn't enough <I>bad</I> paper out there to sink the system. We were just "froze up" because no one knew, exactly, who had how much.<BR/><BR/>Once it's out in the open, it will be fairly easy to adjust to the situation. <BR/><BR/>Capitalism was working just fine until, for some inexplicable reason, the Ratings Agencies decided that a whole <I>bundle</I> of b-- loans became AAA.<BR/><BR/>Some day we've got to <I>revisit</I> those people (They'd better have a damned good story.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-37906489363026792002008-09-20T10:17:00.001-04:002008-09-20T10:17:00.001-04:00This election could, conceivably turn on New Hamps...This election <I>could,</I> conceivably turn on <B>New Hampshire,</B> for Christ's sake. Wouldn't <I>That</I> be a hoot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-35240207811650757612008-09-20T10:17:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:17:00.000-04:00Bob, It looks like AIG has only drawn down $28B an...Bob, It looks like AIG has only drawn down $28B and there is some serious effort to pay the US back. I am not sure how they do it but suppose they put their 80% back on the market, after the company is fixed, the balance of the 20% goes along for the ride. It seems sorta hard not to make money at the current stock price. One would hope. Especially this one.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-74511037051735182922008-09-20T10:12:00.001-04:002008-09-20T10:12:00.001-04:00I would not worry about those polls Bob, consideri...I would not worry about those polls Bob, considering the week we had. It all comes down to the first debate. Everything rides on that, unless of course, something else happens.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-4389162994557931912008-09-20T10:08:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:08:00.000-04:00The news from Rasmussen Reports isn't so good toda...The news from Rasmussen Reports isn't so good today. Obama up by 1 nationally, and McCain only up by 2 in Indiana.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-5397836570931136392008-09-20T10:07:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:07:00.000-04:00Great Playon AIG, I mean.Great Play<BR/><BR/>on AIG, I mean.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-69484543069030556052008-09-20T10:06:00.001-04:002008-09-20T10:06:00.001-04:00Are you interested in a pickup truck?Are you interested in a pickup truck?Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-14875466310046945582008-09-20T10:06:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:06:00.000-04:00Good move, deuce.Just how does the government go a...Good move, deuce.<BR/><BR/>Just how does the government go about acquiring 80% of AIG? From whom, at what price?<BR/>---------<BR/><A HREF="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisks-world-why-does-the-us-think-it-can-win-in-afghanistan-936185.html" REL="nofollow">Optimistic Report From Afghanistan</A>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-72941330831726089702008-09-20T10:05:00.000-04:002008-09-20T10:05:00.000-04:00Ding, Ding, DingWe have a Winner!We spend some mon...<I>Ding, Ding, Ding</I><BR/><BR/>We have a Winner!<BR/><BR/>We spend some money to bail out the <I>Masters of the Universe;</I> and, then, we raise taxes on the <I>Masters of the Universe</I> to pay for it.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, <I><B>Credit</B></I>, the very Lifeblood of Western Civilization, continues to flow. <BR/><BR/>Not bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-24161346931248833122008-09-20T09:40:00.000-04:002008-09-20T09:40:00.000-04:00The interesting thing will be watching what all th...The interesting thing will be watching what all these treasury holders will do in the following weeks with liquid assets that are yielding them nothing. <BR/><BR/>Yesterday at the open I bought AIG, knowing nothing about the stockholders plans to try and cancel the government loans. I figured that if the US was guaranteeing it and the going to own 80%, then that left 20% of the value of a company that will never fail. I checked and saw the stock was down way more than 80% off its high and I bought.<BR/><BR/>Surprise , surprise , it went up 43% and I think it has a long way to go on the up side. <BR/><BR/>This is no recommendation.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22347663433081554962008-09-20T09:26:00.000-04:002008-09-20T09:26:00.000-04:00I doubt all these bail-outs mean much at all. Gove...I doubt all these bail-outs mean much at all. <BR/><BR/>Government taxes all commercial transactions at various stages. <BR/><BR/>All manufacturing, extraction industries, services including all military and government programs become ordinary income which is taxed. <BR/><BR/>The goods that flow through the various sectors are taxed. <BR/><BR/>All profits are taxed.<BR/><BR/>There really is such a thing as the multiplier effect where income flows from one entity to another, taxed at each exchange.<BR/><BR/>Any money that gets into commercial or residential construction creates a fixed asset that may see 40 years or more of real estate taxes.<BR/><BR/>Properly accounted, all of these bailouts will end up bringing in more government revenue than will be spent on the programs. <BR/><BR/>The amount of total debt in a vibrant economy seems to defy expectations. Despite the colossus of federal debt and all the hype that foreigners will not accept more US paper, guess what we saw this week? An insatiable demand for US Government treasuries, so much so that the yield was driven down to below zero.<BR/><BR/>Fascinating.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-21804192972036695982008-09-20T09:21:00.000-04:002008-09-20T09:21:00.000-04:00Canada (/ˈkænədə/)kanata, meaning "village" or "se...Canada (/ˈkænədə/)<BR/>kanata, meaning "village" or "settlement".<BR/><BR/>Ontario (/ˌɒnˈtɑːɹ.i.əʊ/)<BR/>ontari:io, meaning "great lake".Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-27390826586481806562008-09-20T09:06:00.000-04:002008-09-20T09:06:00.000-04:008/ Mat also has an affinity to Cone Heads.8/ Mat also has an affinity to Cone Heads.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-39170053162094882272008-09-20T08:49:00.000-04:002008-09-20T08:49:00.000-04:007/ Like Chaim Witz, Mat's Hai-Po mate "Gene Simmon...7/ Like Chaim Witz, Mat's Hai-Po mate "Gene Simmons", Mat prefers Sleepish Blondes.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-17478722632080650332008-09-20T08:42:00.000-04:002008-09-20T08:42:00.000-04:00Fortune, the financial mag I never had a fondness ...Fortune, the financial mag I never had a fondness for<BR/><BR/><I>But for the rest of us, the feds' rush to defend teetering financial firms only defers the tough decisions that will need to be made before this crisis subsides - at the expense, perhaps, of repeating Japan's so-called lost decade of economic stagnance after its property bubble collapsed around 1990. <BR/><BR/>History shows that setting up bad banks without forcing financial firms' managers to confront their problems won't solve anything.<BR/><BR/>"This seems to us," Bernstein writes, "to be a very Japanese approach to solving a credit crisis." <BR/></I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-27645501695313256962008-09-20T08:28:00.000-04:002008-09-20T08:28:00.000-04:00Can't sell the real assets of the Government, land...Can't sell the real assets of the Government, land and such.<BR/>Need free public access to bob's favorite fishin' hole.<BR/><BR/>Can't sell them wild horses.<BR/><BR/>Can't sell the Navy or those fancy new jets.<BR/><BR/>We'll be free of foreign oil, in a decade, but not free of paying interest, on the money we now borrow, that's the new addiction.<BR/><BR/>The magic of compound interest, in reverse. mat's been right, the oil won't matter, but the finance sure will. <BR/><BR/>The "other" is well ahead of the curve.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-20258475423695740152008-09-20T08:14:00.000-04:002008-09-20T08:14:00.000-04:00As related at Forbes, a trusted source of informat...As related at Forbes, a trusted source of information, for over thirty-five years.<BR/><BR/><I>So far, the federal government's tab for propping up Fannie Mae (nyse: FNM - news - people ), Freddie Mac (nyse: FRE - news - people ), and American International Group (nyse: AIG - news - people ) is $400 billion. Add the new loan relief entity, plus a smattering of other recent initiatives, and the jumping-off point could be near $1 trillion.<BR/><BR/>Seem high? It isn't. If history is a guide, the price tag for all this bold action will ultimately outstrip any estimate now being floated. In past bailouts, including the Resolution Trust Corp. formed in 1989 to help resolve the savings-and-loan crisis, the ultimate taxpayer cost was magnitudes larger than originally projected. <BR/><BR/>When Congress put together the RTC, it funded it with $50 billion and tasked it with taking on the assets of failed thrifts and subsequently working them off. The RTC lasted until 1995 and required additional injections of capital along the way, ultimately totaling more than $100 billion.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Where oh where is the US Government going to borrow a trillion dollars, this time?<BR/><BR/>The Sauds or the Chinese?<BR/>A mixture of both?<BR/><BR/>No new taxes, that's the rallying cry!desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-15140163464707471702008-09-20T04:48:00.000-04:002008-09-20T04:48:00.000-04:00A clean shot.A clean shot.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-57047052002640321912008-09-20T04:23:00.000-04:002008-09-20T04:23:00.000-04:00Nite, Sam.Nite, Sam.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-70595971644756852202008-09-20T04:20:00.000-04:002008-09-20T04:20:00.000-04:00Work getting in the way here.G'nite, Linear.Work getting in the way here.<BR/><BR/>G'nite, Linear.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-69604713624499137932008-09-20T04:05:00.000-04:002008-09-20T04:05:00.000-04:00slider, you've got more confidence in conspira...slider, you've got more confidence in conspiracies than I do. <BR/><BR/>Interesting perspective, though. Templars? Luminati? <BR/><BR/>Gotta be bigger than Skull & Bones.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.com