N.Y. Times to the rescue......

The government got us into this mess by allowing every broke dick in the country to have a house. It's the affordability index, stupid. In Idaho a house sells let's say for 185000. I can afford 135000 on my income. No buy this year. Or next. Until I and millions of average income people can afford it, the economy stays in the tubes.
   In the past few years  I could have bought a home and by now been paying 50% of my income to keep it. Might as well rent a house. Or as I'm doing, buy a mobile home and have it paid for in a couple of years. That's the plan. Why spend my old age slaving for these crooks in the finance industry, hmmm?
    What's your plan to get through the depression? By the way all this printed money, 2 trillion and counting will cause the boom to reignite. The next bust will even be worse. Keep your eye on China. There economy has dropped to 9 % growth. Break even so far. Disaster if it falls below 5%.

May you live in interesting times. Pay off your bills. Keep your lines of credit open and save cash. Then if you want to buy something you'll have your choice. I'm thinking buying older mobile homes in retirement parks, remodeling and flipping them. Being able to finance them is the key. No one will lend money on them and everyone has to have a place to live.

Economic Scene - With Rescue Money Available, Who Wouldn’t Line Up? - NYTimes.com

The idea of helping Main Street has an undeniable appeal. Housing is at the root of the financial crisis, and preventing foreclosures could bring a double-barreled benefit. It would allow families to remain in their homes and could also help keep the housing market from spiraling out of control. The more foreclosed homes that are dumped on the market, the more home prices will fall.

But before any of the various rescue plans reaches the point of inevitability — and these days, ideas can go from unlikely to inevitable in about 48 hours — I think it’s important to stop for a moment and consider how complicated any such plan would be. Every one of them, in fact, faces an inherent conflict: coming up with a large-scale homeowner bailout without also helping millions of people who don’t need help is almost impossible.

China, credit.casheconomic, "mobile homes"

Jesus... all this and no toilet paper

This is so rich. Imagine these sissies in charge. Why do we take these seriously.

Musings on Money, Personal Finance, Frugality, Debt, and Other Matters — Money, Matter, and More Musings

Ike Is Closing In And TV Reporters Are Going Crazy

by golbguru on September 12, 2008

It’s probably just a few more hours before we lose electric power, and have trees flying around. I don’t know long it will be before we have electricity back up, so I just thought of dropping a line here.

If you don’t have anything better to do, follow the eye of the storm closely and you would be able to zero in on my current geographical location.

Anyways, about TV reporters - man, those guys get so animated (even when other people in background are going about peacefully doing whatever they are doing). Interestingly, this afternoon, one of them even suggested this as a part of “survival tips for hurricane”:

People who use electric toothbrush should buy manual ones, and people who use electric shaving machines should get manual ones …

It's all in your head.....

Seems that psychology is more important than reality. Just look at all the "I can't get it up" pills on the market. Must be a billion guys running around unable to get a hard on. No wonder the divorce rate is so bad. Na, people are just stupid.

14 Wild Ideas

In the 1970s, the RAND Health Insurance Experiment randomly assigned 5000 adults to free or full-price health care over 3-5 years. Free care folks got more eyeglasses and teeth filled, and spent ~30% more, but were otherwise no healthier. This result is consistent with typical time-series and cross-sectional analyses. I'm willing to extrapolate from this 30% change to a 50% cut. More here.)

"health care"

I know how to be frugal....

Patti says I'm tight. Matter of fact I give scrooge a run for his money. After all a year ago we were technically homeless. Got my own place again and will be payment free in a year or so. Beats camping out in my son's backyard. Here's a site where the yuppies can can commiserate because the cost of bri and croisants have gone up.

iwillteachyoutoberich

Americans don’t know how to be frugal — yet
Things will get more expensive. Taxes will eventually go up. They have to. Costs of ordinary goods will go up. They always do. If you’re expecting it to get easier, you’re wrong. The key is to make more money and cut your costs. Sadly, Americans are poorly versed in being frugal. You think it makes sense to buy a new car every few years? You think it’s normal to eat out 5 times per week (lunch and dinner)? You feel good about yourself for ordering water when you go to a restaurant, but you blew $50,000 because you didn’t take the time to understand your mortgage? You’re not frugal. But a few more years of an economy like this and things just might change.

frugal, rich

Best way to save for the common man....

Food. Big expense. Big pain in the ass. Best tip that I can give is to create a menu for every meal. List and then buy only items on that list. Stay out of restaurants. Shop around with ads in hand. Remember Walmart rocks (the Empire made me put that in).

8 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill at SmartMoney.com

The resulting higher costs are swiftly passed down the production food chain to grocery store shelves. "It's like when the price of oil goes up, and you see a difference at the pump in the next day or two," says Al Ferrara, national director for consulting firm BDO Seidman's retail and consumer product division. Constantly produced fresh items like milk (up 10% compared with 2007, according to the USDA), eggs (up 7%) and bread (up 16%) are more apt to reflect changes on a nearly daily basis.

With a little legwork, savvy shoppers can keep their grocery bills at pre-2008 levels — if not lower. Here's how:
Stockpile

Most items are discounted just once during a 10-to-12-week sales cycle, says Teri Gault, founder of shopping site The Grocery Game. Seasonal items (think barbecue sauce in summer, soup in winter) show up every one to two weeks, while highly-competitive categories (cereal, soft drinks) cycle in every three to four. While it's not necessary to buy, say, eight jars of peanut butter, it's better to buy one jar while your favorite brand is on sale now than one at full price after you run out in two weeks.
Explore the store

Saving at the supermarket requires more effort than a quick dash and grab. Some of the best deals aren't obvious unless you take the time to price compare, says Phil Lempert, founder of Supermarket Guru. Cheese, for example, can be purchased from the cheese counter, the deli and the dairy case. "New York cheddar is New York cheddar no matter where you buy it," says Lempert. "But the price may be cheaper in one section than in another."

Keep an eye out, too, for sales. There are twice as many unadvertised sale items in the store as there are in the weekly circular. But be cautious. The longer you spend in stores, the more susceptible you are to sneaky supermarket tricks that entice you to spend more. Make a list, and stick to it.
Try store brands

walmart, money, food, groceries

No conspiracy here.........

Oct 17, 2008 Wall Street Monsters & Meat (You) Jim Willie CB 321gold ...inc ...s

TOP DOWN SOLUTION FAVORS THE ELITE

The top-down approach used to date aids the wealthy bankers, while the homeowners are denied aid. That aid is promised but rarely arrives. The fundamental problem here is that billion$ are devoted to shore up insolvent banks, to redeem their worthless (or nearly worthless) bonds, and to give a giant pass to the executives. Trust has eroded throughout the system. Banks distrust each other's collateral. The result is that eventually the USEconomy will enter not a recession, not a depression, but a DISINTEGRATION PHASE.

"wall street", depression, gold

I wonder why?.........

Let's see.

Why are they even going to bother. I don't think they will be allowed get too involved with what happened because too many Washington big shots are in up to their ass cheeks These guys gave Dod and frank way to much "help". 

I guess it's nice someone is trying. But I don't have much faith in justice being served.

Lehman Execs Subpoenaed in Criminal Probe at SmartMoney.com

NEW YORK (Dow Jones) -- Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed 12 current and former executives of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LEHMQ), including CEO Richard Fuld, in connection with three grand jury investigations into the famed brokerage's recent bankruptcy, according to news reports Friday.

Also among those receiving subpoenas are former Lehman chief financial officer Erin Callan, former chief operating officer Joe Gregory and chief financial officer Ian Lowitt, CNBC's Charles Gasparino reported.

At a hearing Thursday in Manhattan, according to the New York Post, bankruptcy lawyer Harvey Miller, representing Lehman, confirmed that the U.S. attorney's offices in the Eastern and Southern districts of New York and in the District of New Jersey are leading those probes.

Miller didn't identify the nature of the investigations, but sources say the focus is whether executives made false comments about the health of Lehman before it collapsed. The 158-year-old Wall Street firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 15. read more at SmartMoney.com

Rednecks rule.......

Could have been my sister. Na she can't afford dressin up.

Rate My redneck

Redneck Woman Submitted By: phip42 on 12/11/2006 Debra Jackson said she likes shopping at the Dollar Palace because it is convenient and casual. "I don't have to get all dressed up like I'm going to Wal-Mart or something," she said... more Tags: redneck walmart woman

A Basic Primer to Reading Hands in Hold 'em

A Basic Primer to Reading Hands in Hold 'em: "Read No.1

Several players take the flop. You are in late position and the action gets checked to you. You bet and several players call before the good player to your right checkraises. He likely does not yet have a hand but is drawing to a flush or open-ended straight.

Analysis

If the preflop betting was such that the good player had no reason to believe that a player to his left would bet the flop, you can likely rule out a big hand because he surely would have bet (from his late position) instead of looking for a checkraise. After all, he could not know with any degree of certainty that you MORE

Damned if I know.......

The Improbability of God

Much of what people do is done in the name of God. Irishmen blow each other up in his name. Arabs blow themselves up in his name. Imams and ayatollahs oppress women in his name. Celibate popes and priests mess up people's sex lives in his name. Jewish shohets cut live animals' throats in his name. The achievements of religion in past history -- bloody crusades, torturing inquisitions, mass-murdering conquistadors, culture-destroying missionaries, legally enforced resistance to each new piece of scientific truth until the last possible moment -- are even more impressive. And what has it all been in aid of? I believe it is becoming increasingly clear that the answer is absolutely nothing at all. There is no reason for believing that any sort of gods exist and quite good reason for believing that they do not exist and never have. It has all been a gigantic waste of time and a waste of life. It would be a joke of cosmic proportions if it weren't so tragic.

Why do people believe in God?

The Union Lable,,,,,

The gangs never stop trying to muscle in on the Empire. We rule a large part of the world. Deal with it. Resistance is futile......


Bloomberg.com: Canada

WalMart Closes Quebec Tire Center After Labor Accord (Update1)

By Frederic Tomesco and Kevin Bell

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's biggest retailer, said it closed a unionized Quebec tire and lubrication shop because of costs tied to the first labor agreement imposed at any of its North American locations.

The closing is effective immediately because it would have raised operating costs by at least 30 percent and triggered ``dramatic'' price increases on products, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer said today in a statement. The Quebec Labour Relations Board imposed the three-year labor contract in August after the union and company failed to reach an agreement.

Read more here

It's a depression if I lose my job.......

Been working the Walmart Empire now for over a year. They just threw our whole crew from 11am-8pm to 4-1am. Of course customer service will suffer but Wally World doesn't have to worry about that . Our sales are still up. Who needs service when we have cut rate pricing. I guess. anyways, changes are a coming. The Bentonville boys are trying to get ahead of the curve. Collapsing economies are right up our ally. Walmart has the muscle to gain market share while competitors go broke scrambling for financing their future inventory. We'll just squeeze suppliers and employees. More for less is the new mantra for everyone. If my job, inventory control, goes away, you will have nothing to buy because it won't be in the stores. You have to keep track of the goods to have them to sell. Of course, if sales fall off a cliff here in Redneck Heaven, we still have our guns until Obie gets elected.

By the way, where do you live?


smart money

NEW YORK (Dow Jones) -- Foreshadowing what may be a grim holiday selling period, initial results from U.S. retailers showed disappointing September sales, as a global financial crisis made shoppers even more reluctant to spend.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) said Wednesday that its sales excluding fuel in the five weeks ended Oct. 3 rose 2.4%. On that basis, the company missed the 2.5% average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.

Wal-Mart said total sales were hurt by 0.4 percentage point from the impact of Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike, which resulted in 341 store closings. However, Sam's Club sales rose 4.6%, exceeding estimates of a 2.8% increase.

Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) sales rose a less-than-expected 7%. Sales at rival BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. (BJ) also missed estimates. Target Corp.'s (TGT) sales dropped a worse-than-expected 3%, and the company said it may miss analysts' third-quarter profit estimate.

read more here

Socialism R Us.......

The Empire has imploded upon itself perhaps destroying what gave the world a vast magical wealth machine pretty much guaranteeing that if everyone works everyone eats. We have been on the cusp of giving literally everyone on the planet a real chance at 3 meals a day, roof over their heads and shoes on their feet.

This machine was called Capitalism.

Now history takes a step backwards and we all work directly for the government. Beg the government for loans. Retire if the gov. deems it appropriate. And shit when, where or if the government decides (literally anywhere on the planet).

This machine is called Socialism.

In the last couple of days governments have gotten together and grabbed all the money by nationalizing the global banking industry . This is means the ones controlling the governments will completely control the money.

And who ever controls the money controls all of us.

I'm thinking it might be a good time to become Democrats and hold our hand out for crumbs at the new table. Here's the proof:


a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/economy/fleshes-plan-buy-stakes-banks/">U.S. Fleshes Out Plan to Buy Stakes in Banks - FOXBusiness.com

Joanna Ossinger
FOXBusiness

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President George W. Bush 10-14-08

U.S. officials announced Tuesday morning a broad range of measures designed to shore up the struggling financial system, including the purchase of stakes in some of the country’s largest banks and guarantees for most new debt issued by insured banks.

President George W. Bush made a general announcement just after 8 a.m. Eastern time about the developments, and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair held a joint news conference later that hour to elaborate on the planned steps.

"Clearly the time had come for a more comprehensive and broad-based solution," Bernanke said at the news conference. "Waiting too long to act has usually led to much greater direct costs of the intervention itself and, more importantly, magnified the painful effects of financial turmoil on households and businesses."

What did he say?.......

I read this 4 or 5 times and I still don't get it. Where did all the stock market money go? Some one's got all these trillions. Patti and I bought bonds for our retirement account and we didn't get it. How about you? Stick 4 or 5 million in you back pocket?

Answer Desk: Where did the money go? - Answer desk- msnbc.com

John W. Schoen
Senior producer

The financial market collapse of the past few weeks has destroyed trillions of dollars in wealth. So where, exactly, did all that money go?

Tell me again which one is the Republican?....

McCain is not being beaten. He just can't run against people he pretty much agrees with. Money talks in politics. In politics everyone believes in the system. The system generate the power, prestige and psychological gratification. No one can successfully argue that the system is not working and remain inside it. Even Reagan's deciples couldn't crack the power structure and make our system work for the common people paying for it. Corruption is endemic in any Empire by it's very nature. Ours is no different. Remember, our "system" chooses winners and losers. The system has decided........

Intellectual Conservative Politics and Philosophy

5 reasons why John McCain is in big trouble — and none of them have to do with Barack Obama.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article listing ten reasons “Why Obama Lost the 2008 Election”, ranging from the hidden racism of rank and file Democrat voters, to Bill and Hillary’s not-so-hidden desires to see Obama lose in 2008 so Hillary could run again for president in 2012.

In an almost textbook example of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, John McCain has managed to transform the political landscape in less than five weeks into one that no longer favors his candidacy, but may actually be preparing the way for an Obama presidency.

Like my previous analysis,

Now if the Bible could only outlaw human nature......

This speaks for itself.....

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

click here for more

All roads lead to oil.....

Oil is thicker than water. Oil booms economy crashes. Oil crash economy booms. Duh!!!

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future

The Official Demise of the Oil Bubble

On Sept. 11, 2007, the price of crude oil closed at $78.23 a barrel — the last time oil closed below $79 a barrel, until Friday. What seemed like a bewildering ascent in the price of crude at the time is now a relief to traders, who watched oil fall $8.98 a barrel to close at $77.61 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest closing price in more than a year.

Like a number of other commodities, oil’s move went from a steady ascent to a vertical bounce in the spring of 2008, topping out near $150 a barrel before speculative excess started to drain from the market. And those who believed that the oil price was justified by fundamentals — being, as it is, an actual product, rather than an Internet company’s vague promise of revenue — are smarting.

“This is a market that is basically returning to the price level of a year ago which it arguably should never have left,” says Tim Evans, energy analyst at Citigroup. “We pumped up a big bubble, expanded it to an impressive dimension, and now it is popped and we have bubble gum in our hair.”

Now look.... I only work there......

I tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen.

 Hordes of Horny Geezers Storm Wal-Mart’s Dating Night < Satirium

Hordes of Horny Geezers Storm Wal-Mart’s Dating Night

Frightened Female Shoppers Hide in Bathrooms, Dressing Rooms
Wal-Mart hurriedly canceled the national rollout of its “Love in the Aisles” program after hordes of horny geezers filled more than 200 stores Friday hoping to find dates. Startled female shoppers of all ages fled to bathrooms, dressing rooms, and garden centers for refuge.

“We regret any inconvenience to our customers and offer our sincere apologies to anyone who had an unpleasant shopping experience,” the nation’s largest retailer said in a terse statement.

The program made its debut Friday night at 200 stores nationwide and was seen by retailing experts as a clever marketing ploy. Shoppers of both sexes who wanted to participate registered as they entered the store and were given a red heart to attach to their shopping cart.

More...

Let's see..... anyone in either presidential campaign innocent?.......

How come no fire in the belly about the banking crash in last night's debate? hmm....Good ol boys sticking together perhaps?. Just because both candidate's staff and advisers were in it up to their eyeballs. Get ready for the next bust. This is just a beginning. History shows that debasing the currency destroys every culture that does it.

Thank God for foreigners.....

OK what would we do without the Commies? We sold our manufacturing base back in the 80's impoverishing our blue collar middle class. Now it comes home to roost. Print money is all we have left. Don't worry, this is not the big bust. That comes when China's economy collapses....
24/7 Wall St.: Will China Save The US Financial System

Will China Save The US Financial System

China

When it comes to the potential failure of the US economy and banking system, China has an especially large dog in the fight. The central government and a number of large banks own hundreds of billions of dollars in US Treasury notes and paper from companies including Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). An American disaster could turn into one for China as well.

According to Reuters, "speculation is swirling that Beijing could also chip in with a vote of confidence by pledging to hold onto its vast dollar assets and even buy more to help fund the massive bailout of the U.S. financial system now under way."