kapkomet

You all are right. Every major investment firm is now dead as they once were. We just need to bury them, and have the government take it all over, since the "buck stops with Obama" now.

QUOTE (santo=dorf @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 03:15 PM) He's part of the "nolongeramember" club. If you see a thread where he had the final post, that's what will show up. Also belonging there are Hotsoxchick, Hawaiisoxfan (apparently that was soxplosion,) and the infamous Ncorgbl. I think Beureauemployee is in his own club by having every single one of his posts deleted. I'm glad to know that you have the "banned list"... as well as being so interested in how everything's done around here!

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 02:03 PM) Steve Bartman is my idol And I believe he had a few other SN's too, Israel4Ever or something like that Those two were brothers.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 01:38 PM) Run over? Backed up? The White House made nothing more than an offhand remark from the press secretary, as far as I can recall. I call Kaperbole. People don't say anything offhanded at that level... And the press went for it hook line and sinker... just like they always do... including the cult hero Mr. Johnny boy Stewart. (hee hee...)

I sincerely apologize to whoever got my team, because it TOTALLY sucked for the last two years... and I didn't keep up with it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 12:55 PM) This doesn't make any sense to me. People didn't like him before, but he wasn't in the press much or anything, so what was to discuss? He comes up in the news, we discuss him. That isn't obsessing, its reality, and most of our discussions here are prompted by something or someone being launched into the headlines for some reason. Sure, but people are critical of Obama every day. But now, he gets ran over by the bus BY THE WHITE HOUSE? Please. It's Bush League... except Bush didn't even back up the bus like this. With the Bush's, at least you knew what you were getting before it happened.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 12:30 PM) Some goof on CNBC cricized Obama and all the Obama worshippers are freaking out. If Cramer talks about how Obama is God, Cramer is a great journalist and does a perfect job in their minds. Thank you... See, everyone wants to talk about Cramer and what he knew or knows... NO ONE questioned him (well, say it this way, screamed OUTRAGE!!!!!!) until he DARED question the Messiah...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 12:12 PM) 3 words. Public campaign financing. It's the closest thing to a panacea I can offer. It's difficult to institute and people can still go around it if they want to self-finance, but spending the $5-$10 billion in public funds on making sure that no official campaigning for office has to beg businesses, interest groups, and rich people for money will pay for itself many times over. So get rid of the system and make it totally public? Then, the "rich" get their guy, right? I'm asking because it's something that I wish we ALL could fix.

You people who have been around for a while knows it takes a lot to get "banned" around here. If people can't respect the "rules" (which are pretty damn lax) then they aren't here. It's not like we power trip... For the most part, people get second (and third and fourth) chances, with a few exceptions of course.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:56 AM) And as I replied...term limits do nothing as long as the system requires you to kowtow to the highest bidder in order to get elected. Hell, if we're looking at it in that regard, it could easily make things worse, because it takes a lot more money to run a competitive race than it does to run nearly-unopposed. I hadn't thought of it the way you said it, and that's true too. So I guess we're screwed no matter what. There's no way that we can get rid of corruption unless lobbiests are 100% outlawed, and that won't happen.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:51 AM) Of course it is. Because for at least the last 20-30 years (can't speak to before that because frankly I wasn't around)...they've been run by the same people. That's the short definition of a plutocracy. Exactly! And we expect "change"? That's the hard part and why I asked the other day... is it time for term limits?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:50 AM) That was my other thought, but I didn't even mention it because I didn't figure anything could have hit yet, between the FHA, the stimulus plan's housing incentives, extra funds being pumped in to the GSE's, and so forth. And anyway, if those things were what drove them...wouldn't you expect housing purchases to pick up a bit before the construction starts? I can't remember, but I think the opposite is true. A "sale" isn't recorded until the house is signed over...

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:27 AM) A question for anyone who has an answer...yesterday's rally was promoted in part by a significant surge in new housing starts. My question is...why was there a surge in housing starts? There's still a fairly large glut of housing on the market, prices are still falling significantly, credit is still tight. It seems like a surge in housing starts now is way ahead of the game even given that it takes a while to construct housing. We're sitting on an 11 month or so supply of housing at the last numbers I found, where a 6 month supply is typically normal. The only reason I can figure for why there would be a surge in housing starts is if there was anomalously good weather throughout much of the country. Can anyone explain to me how else that makes sense? It seems like another pulse of construction will just wind up increasing the over-supply unless there's a huge surge in buying. Actually, my first thought was exactly the same one... the weather was pretty temperate across most of the country, not to mention it's the first month in the south after "winter". I also wonder if all the new FHA programs helped a little.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:05 AM) So in other words, you have no problem with the concept of buying votes, you just care about the mechanism of how its done? It sounds like I've rapidly killed your principles there. I have an idea. Let's just get rid of the government all together! No, I don't like it, but it will always happen. Our government is just as corrupt (if not more so) then any of these businesses you love to throw s*** all over.

I wonder if AIG campaign contributions given to Dodd and Obama should be given back?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:00 AM) Do you think things that go through committees aren't also used as ways of buying off votes? Since we're on defense spending, that's perhaps the perfect example. Very little of that is funded through earmarks, but since the materials and bases are in so many districts, adding in an extra B-2 or an extra carrier for $10-$20 billion gives us an extra plane/boat that we really don't need, but it makes sure stuff passes. Sure. But it goes through a process that's (more) open, not this shoving s*** in at the last minute that no one knows about.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 10:35 AM) well right, but compared to the billions given this isn't the straw that broke the back for me, but the giving of bonuses is just so absurd. They must be the most insulated, self-loving people in the world. How do I say this and be nice? You better not get in the real world then, because it's pretty lonely out there unless you love yourself.

qwerty's still around... I see him lurking and sometimes he posts. I think he's just got a lot going on.

I do not have a problem with funding things if it goes through the appropriate processes (going through committee, getting into the budget, and voted on). This buy off of votes, though, is bulls***.

QUOTE (bmags @ Mar 17, 2009 -> 06:02 PM) Why would we do that? Defense spending doesn't count against the budget right? /green Obviously, neither do bonuses or earmarks.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Mar 17, 2009 -> 08:59 PM) Terrorism no, more like man made disaster. GMAFB It's going to take a few more thousand people to die for these assholes to wake the f*** up and stop with the god-damned PC bulls***. These people are afraid of standing up for anything except PC crap. But they make us FEEL SOOOO much better! :) :) :)

I wonder if they will get a separate stimulus bill to give back to New York City after they steal all this money away from them...

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Mar 17, 2009 -> 03:07 PM) Look if we just get the CEO to go on CNBC and say its just a managed bankruptcy, just looking to get all this labor off our books so we can focus on our core products and so on, I don't think it would be a problem. Labor is not the problem. Our smartest Treasury Secretary EVA needs to get off his ass and get the markets set up for these assets.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Mar 17, 2009 -> 01:45 PM) This is really not gonna go over well. http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/17/ve...ppy-with-obama/ Obama cares about us Americans, especially our vets! Yup.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Mar 17, 2009 -> 01:41 PM) They can bake it or fry it or barbecue it for all I care, no different than wasting it on s*** that the federal government shouldn't be funding. I hear you.