mr_genius

QUOTE (knightni @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 01:11 AM) knightni, that is the best avatar i've ever seen i salute you

QUOTE (Nokona @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 11:44 AM) http://kdka.com/local/attack.McCain.Bloomfield.2.847628.html What a f***ing idiot haha this is classic. what a fitting end to the McCain campaign. seriously, the GOP is a complete disaster right now. i know, this lady isn't some GOP shot caller, but still...

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 24, 2008 -> 09:24 AM) I would think race is a bigger issue then sex. How many people do you run across in your lifetime that despise women? true. but i think the power of the racist vote has been greatly over-estimated.

QUOTE (sox4lifeinPA @ Oct 23, 2008 -> 08:28 PM) I think not as many republicans vote obama as expected but new voter turn out and 18-30 year olds show up for once and make a difference. I could see McCain squeaking, but being realistic Obama wins with 53-55% I don't think a lot of Republicans will vote Obama, but there are a lot that are pretty much fed up with the Republican party and will stay home. Obama will get a lot of new voters in his tally. I don't think it's going to be as close as some of the polls are showing. How you been? long time no post.

I predict a 7% point Obama win of the popular vote, which is about as close to a landslide you can get with the polarization our country has embraced. I also predict a robust electoral college win.

I see Obama's supporters really took his suggestion of "Get in people's faces".

QUOTE (Flash Tizzle @ Oct 23, 2008 -> 02:17 PM) This much is guaranteed -- if Obama loses, the one place in the world I wouldn't want to be is a McCain supporter in Grant Park. a 100% chance they would be murdered.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Oct 22, 2008 -> 07:08 PM) yeah no. it takes a special kind of congressman to have a prostitution ring being run from their home and be a pivotal engineer in a nation wide fiscal disaster. this is why I nominate the honorable Barney Frank as a high ranking member of such lists.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Oct 22, 2008 -> 04:42 PM) yeah you're right. he's totally worse than ted stevens. ... By far. Exponentially worse.

whoa. no Barney Frank? He should have been in the top 3, I would actually put him at #1.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 21, 2008 -> 04:40 PM) OMFG. You and I totally agree. Like 100%. I couldn't have said that better myself. I'm going to go be sick now I changed my mind. I am now supporting the free money giveaway so I can buy coke and hookers.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 21, 2008 -> 03:11 PM) These stimulus checks are silly. Won't help in a way that needs to be helped. I've heard talk of funding a lot of works projects, like roads/rails/bridges type stuff - its a nice marriage between things the country needs (infrastructure work and jobs) and a more sustainable solution than a $600 check. I'd rather see that done. Alternately, we can do some serious funding for alternative energy infrastructure and technology projects, which could help trigger long run jobs and growth as well as help our energy needs (and reduce pollution and health care costs, and help the environment, and allow us to sell technology globally, etc.). Infrastructure and technology investments would be much better than the cash giveaway. I think the Dems are planning on both, they need to ditch the stimulus check portion.

I hope this proposal gets shot down, soon.

Well, there's already talk of another stimulus check which will be sent out after the election . Schumer predicted a $600 check to be sent out to individuals. thoughts?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 09:48 PM) Well, it would if the FDIC hadn't already run out of money. since when did 'not have any money' stop the government from anything? there is a 10 trillion dollar debt and the US wouldn't blink at raising it to 20 trillion in the next 10 years. the FDIC will be able to back up these bank deposits.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 21, 2008 -> 06:34 AM) Well the first thing I have a problem with is that it is not a fact, it is some people's opinion. Secondly they offer zero alternative to anything. As a matter of a face their "proposal" reminds me of a term I learned in marketing101 all of those years ago, "glittering generalities". There is no substance there at all. Nothing they say would actually fix the existing problem. The problem is that there is no capital to be lent in the system. Lending is like blood to the American economy, without it business shrivels up and dies. Its cute and cool to say "why should we bailout bad business, let em fail", but silly me I happen to like my job, and dislike 25% national unemployment. If you don't believe me, track down some real life corporate executives and ask them how important capital is to their business sector and model. The bailout isn't perfect, but it is ignoranance of the banking systems functionality within modern corporate America to think we could let the biggest banks in the country fail without suffering huge repercussions. Herbert Hoover tried this same thing eighty years ago and how did that work out? I prefer to learn from my history instead of repeating it. Again you assume that the only solution to avoid another great depression was a bad bailout bill, which was rushed and short sighted. Grats on taking marketing 101, but I and these economists are not ignorant on these matters. The concerns listed were direct and accurate. No one cares about any cutesy bulls***, the suggestions for improvements were there; but they aren't going to put to together a 100 page proposal that will never get read or enacted. They wouldn't add a acceptable amount of pork ear marks for congressional approval. The purpose was to send out a compact letter of greviences and suggestions. If done correctly, the plan could have been more of a cash injection into the credit markets, not less. An alternative to merely dishing out 700 billion would be to address core issues with the banking system. Right now we get the worst of both worlds. A trillion dollars is quite a bit of money to dump into a failed system, and learnign from the past isn't happening. If the government is explicitly funding these banks, there needs to be much more oversight. Actions should have been taken not only to inject cash flow into the lending system but to ensure that this was done wisely. A more thought out, targeted use of the money would not have caused a great depression. There needs to be much more transparency in entities that are insured by the taxpayers and will get bailed out upon failure. Demands that banks give out risky loans needs to end. There needs to be higher levels of accountability upon disasters such as this, and there needs to be signifigant actions taken, besides merely bailing out corporations, to help ensure a solid future within the banking industry.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 07:13 PM) The only other way is to change the accounting system. You can post all of the names you like, but without a banking system, we don't exist. i'm fine with more transparency in accounting. not I, or the economists i listed, want to get rid of the banking system. the fact is that the structure of the bailout is not that strong. what parts of the concerns listed do you disagree with?

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 03:07 PM) I'm much much much more happy with the current model than the previous one. i do like the increase in the FDICs deposit insurance cap.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 04:23 PM) Well I guess if your friends mom says the whole area is racist they are. it's irrefutable evidence.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 02:12 PM) You also realize that as interconnected as all of these banks are, if one top bank fails, odds are the majority of them fail. You are literally endorsing the very moves that got us into the great depression. stop asking me 'you do realize' questions. here, some people that agree with me wrote this. these are legitimate concerns. Signed (updated at 9/27/2008 6:00PM CT) Acemoglu Daron (Massachussets Institute of Technology) Ackerberg Daniel (UCLA) Adler Michael (Columbia University) Admati Anat R. (Stanford University) Ales Laurence (Carnegie Mellon University) Alexis Marcus (Northwestern University) Alvarez Fernando (University of Chicago) Andersen Torben (Northwestern University) Baliga Sandeep (Northwestern University) Banerjee Abhijit V. (Massachussets Institute of Technology) Barankay Iwan (University of Pennsylvania) Barry Brian (University of Chicago) Bartkus James R. (Xavier University of Louisiana) Becker Charles M. (Duke University) Becker Robert A. (Indiana University) Beim David (Columbia University) Berk Jonathan (Stanford University) Bisin Alberto (New York University) Bittlingmayer George (University of Kansas) Blank Emily (Howard University) Boldrin Michele (Washington University) Bollinger, Christopher R. (University of Kentucky) Bossi, Luca (University of Miami) Brooks Taggert J. (University of Wisconsin) Brynjolfsson Erik (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Buera Francisco J.(UCLA) Cabral Luis (New York University) Camp Mary Elizabeth (Indiana University) Carmel Jonathan (University of Michigan) Carroll Christopher (Johns Hopkins University) Cassar Gavin (University of Pennsylvania) Chaney Thomas (University of Chicago) Chari Varadarajan V. (University of Minnesota) Chauvin Keith W. (University of Kansas) Chintagunta Pradeep K. (University of Chicago) Christiano Lawrence J. (Northwestern University) Clementi, Gian Luca (New York University) Cochrane John (University of Chicago) Coleman John (Duke University) Constantinides George M. (University of Chicago) Cooley, Thomas (New York University) Crain Robert (UC Berkeley) Culp Christopher (University of Chicago) Da Zhi (University of Notre Dame) Darity, William (Duke University) Davis Morris (University of Wisconsin) De Marzo Peter (Stanford University) Dubé Jean-Pierre H. (University of Chicago) Edlin Aaron (UC Berkeley) Eichenbaum Martin (Northwestern University) Ely Jeffrey (Northwestern University) Eraslan Hülya K. K.(Johns Hopkins University) Fair Ray (Yale University) Faulhaber Gerald (University of Pennsylvania) Feldmann Sven (University of Melbourne) Fernandez, Raquel (New York University) Fernandez-Villaverde Jesus (University of Pennsylvania) Fohlin Caroline (Johns Hopkins University) Fox Jeremy T. (University of Chicago) Frank Murray Z.(University of Minnesota) Frenzen Jonathan (University of Chicago) Fuchs William (University of Chicago) Fudenberg Drew (Harvard University) Gabaix Xavier (New York University) Gao Paul (Notre Dame University) Garicano Luis (University of Chicago) Gerakos Joseph J. (University of Chicago) Gibbs Michael (University of Chicago) Glomm Gerhard (Indiana University) Goettler Ron (University of Chicago) Goldin Claudia (Harvard University) Gordon Robert J. (Northwestern University) Greenstone Michael (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Gregory, Karl D. (Oakland University) Guadalupe Maria (Columbia University) Guerrieri Veronica (University of Chicago) Hagerty Kathleen (Northwestern University) Hamada Robert S. (University of Chicago) Hansen Lars (University of Chicago) Harris Milton (University of Chicago) Hart Oliver (Harvard University) Hazlett Thomas W. (George Mason University) Heaton John (University of Chicago) Heckman James (University of Chicago - Nobel Laureate) Henderson David R. (Hoover Institution) Henisz, Witold (University of Pennsylvania) Hertzberg Andrew (Columbia University) Hite Gailen (Columbia University) Hitsch Günter J. (University of Chicago) Hodrick Robert J. (Columbia University) Hollifield Burton (Carnegie Mellon University) Hopenhayn Hugo (UCLA) Hurst Erik (University of Chicago) Imrohoroglu Ayse (University of Southern California) Isakson Hans (University of Northern Iowa) Israel Ronen (London Business School) Jaffee Dwight M. (UC Berkeley) Jagannathan Ravi (Northwestern University) Jenter Dirk (Stanford University) Jones Charles M. (Columbia Business School) Jovanovic Boyan (New York University) Kaboski Joseph P. (Ohio State University) Kahn Matthew (UCLA) Kaplan Ethan (Stockholm University) Karaivanov Alexander (Simon Fraser University) Karolyi, Andrew (Ohio State University) Kashyap Anil (University of Chicago) Keim Donald B (University of Pennsylvania) Ketkar Suhas L (Vanderbilt University) Kiesling Lynne (Northwestern University) Klenow Pete (Stanford University) Koch Paul (University of Kansas) Kocherlakota Narayana (University of Minnesota) Koijen Ralph S.J. (University of Chicago) Kondo Jiro (Northwestern University) Korteweg Arthur (Stanford University) Kortum Samuel (University of Chicago) Krueger Dirk (University of Pennsylvania) Ledesma Patricia (Northwestern University) Lee Lung-fei (Ohio State University) Leeper Eric M. (Indiana University) Letson David (University of Miami) Leuz Christian (University of Chicago) Levine David I.(UC Berkeley) Levine David K.(Washington University) Levy David M. (George Mason University) Linnainmaa Juhani (University of Chicago) Lucas Robert (University of Chicago - Nobel Laureate) Ludvigson, Sydney C. (New York University) Luttmer Erzo G.J. (University of Minnesota) Manski Charles F. (Northwestern University) Martin Ian (Stanford University) Mayer Christopher (Columbia University) Mazzeo Michael (Northwestern University) McDonald Robert (Northwestern University) Meadow Scott F. (University of Chicago) Meeropol, Michael (Western New England College) Mehra Rajnish (UC Santa Barbara) Mian Atif (University of Chicago) Middlebrook Art (University of Chicago) Miguel Edward (UC Berkeley) Miravete Eugenio J. (University of Texas at Austin) Miron Jeffrey (Harvard University) Moeller, Thomas (Texas Christian University) Moretti Enrico (UC Berkeley) Moriguchi Chiaki (Northwestern University) Moro Andrea (Vanderbilt University) Morse Adair (University of Chicago) Mortensen Dale T. (Northwestern University) Mortimer Julie Holland (Harvard University) Moskowitz, Tobias J. (University of Chicago) Munger Michael C. (Duke University) Muralidharan Karthik (UC San Diego) Nair Harikesh (Stanford University) Nanda Dhananjay (University of Miami) Nevo Aviv (Northwestern University) Ohanian Lee (UCLA) Pagliari Joseph (University of Chicago) Papanikolaou Dimitris (Northwestern University) Parker Jonathan (Northwestern University) Paul Evans (Ohio State University) Pearce David (New York University) Pejovich Svetozar (Steve) (Texas A&M University) Peltzman Sam (University of Chicago) Perri Fabrizio (University of Minnesota) Phelan Christopher (University of Minnesota) Piazzesi Monika (Stanford University) Pippenger, Michael K. (University of Alaska) Piskorski Tomasz (Columbia University) Platt Brennan C. (Brigham Young University) Rampini Adriano (Duke University) Ray, Debraj (New York University) Reagan Patricia (Ohio State University) Reich Michael (UC Berkeley) Reuben Ernesto (Northwestern University) Rizzo, Mario (New York University) Roberts Michael (University of Pennsylvania) Robinson David (Duke University) Rogers Michele (Northwestern University) Rotella Elyce (Indiana University) Roussanov Nikolai (University of Pennsylvania) Routledge Bryan R. (Carnegie Mellon University) Ruud Paul (Vassar College) Safford Sean (University of Chicago) Samaniego Roberto (George Washington University) Sandbu Martin E. (University of Pennsylvania) Sapienza Paola (Northwestern University) Savor Pavel (University of Pennsylvania) Schaniel William C. (University of West Georgia) Scharfstein David (Harvard University) Seim Katja (University of Pennsylvania) Seru Amit (University of Chicago) Shang-Jin Wei (Columbia University) Shimer Robert (University of Chicago) Shore Stephen H. (Johns Hopkins University) Siegel Ron (Northwestern University) Smith David C. (University of Virginia) Smith Vernon L.(Chapman University- Nobel Laureate) Sorensen Morten (Columbia University) Spatt Chester (Carnegie Mellon University) Spear Stephen (Carnegie Mellon University) Stevenson Betsey (University of Pennsylvania) Stokey Nancy (University of Chicago) Strahan Philip (Boston College) Strebulaev Ilya (Stanford University) Sufi Amir (University of Chicago) Tabarrok Alex (George Mason University) Taylor Alan M. (UC Davis) Thompson Tim (Northwestern University) Troske Kenneth (University of Kentucky) Tschoegl Adrian E. (University of Pennsylvania) Uhlig Harald (University of Chicago) Ulrich, Maxim (Columbia University) Van Buskirk Andrew (University of Chicago) Vargas Hernan (University of Phoenix) Veronesi Pietro (University of Chicago) Vissing-Jorgensen Annette (Northwestern University) Wacziarg Romain (UCLA) Walker Douglas O. (Regent University) Walker, Todd (Indiana University) Weill Pierre-Olivier (UCLA) Williamson Samuel H. (Miami University) Witte Mark (Northwestern University) Wolfenzon, Daniel (Columbia University) Wolfers Justin (University of Pennsylvania) Woutersen Tiemen (Johns Hopkins University) Wu Yangru (Rutgers University) Yue Vivian Z. (New York University) Zingales Luigi (University of Chicago) Zitzewitz Eric (Dartmouth College)

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 01:49 PM) You do realize that for many banks to continue to exist under the current accounting laws that they HAD to keep some reserves so that they didn't fail, right? yea. thats why you don't bail them out. if anything you give the money to banks that didn't fail. we'll see how this money is spent, from what i'm hearing some might get out of the home loan business and use different avenues to generate revenue. i do understand the logistics of another bank taking over all the bad loans though, the whole thing is a mess. i'm not against government action i just don't like the structure of the bailout that passed. at least the market is surging today.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 01:40 PM) The direct reasonS (plural) included jobs protection, keeping financial order and preventing panic, generating liquidity, and yes, also, lending out the cash to open credit markets. But I never had the impression that was a single, only reason for it. I do agree however, that what is missing is the second step that needed to come after the bailout - changing the rules. Well, there was tons of panic, so the bailout didn't really help with that. The bailout didn't generate liquidity by giving billions to failure, giving billions to banks that did not belly up would have generated more liquidity. As far as the jobs, when your corporation goes bankrupt you lose your job, it's a hard reality but a reality. Tossing trillions into failed corporations to save jobs hurts the long term stability of the economy. Rewarding failure will encourage more failure. Giving away a trillion dollars when we are 10 trillion in debt weakens our currency. The best solution IMO would have been, if we were hell bent on a massive corporate welfare give away, to give the money to lenders that did not fail or create a massive fed bank.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 20, 2008 -> 01:29 PM) Sort of. Its not as if they are creating cash reserves with it. They are staying afloat with some of it. That will help more people keep their jobs, and later, get lending opened up faster. I didn't think anyone was under the impression that this money was all going to go directly towards lending anyway. Only some of it. The direct reason we were given for the bailout was that money was needed to be injected immediately into credit for small businesses and such. I knew that claim was incorrect as these banks were going to use the money to stabilize their failed corporations. A very small fraction of this money will be used for loans, we would have been better off letting these banks blow up and give the billions to banks that did not fail. At least reward banks that worked well, strengthen these entities. Oh, if these same lending demands that Barney and the Dems put on the banks to give out risky loans is still enforced these banks might get out of the home loan business completely and take their bailout money and use it to generate money in different avenues.

What I thought was going to happen is. The banks are going to hoard their bailout money, not use it to give out loans any time soon. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/business...amp;oref=slogin

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Oct 19, 2008 -> 09:21 PM) With all the talk on the fringes of the left about McCain's medical records and such, has anyone looked at Biden's records? he had near-fatal aneurysms in 1988. And he has also not released HIS medical records. Maybe a few MSM papers can remove somebody fro the Joe the Plumber beat and look into it. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14700.html