Cknolls

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2009 -> 02:39 PM) This law will be unambiguously more restrictive than the previous laws were, especially hitting poor women. Let me get my hanky out. Learn to keep your legs shut then if you know you can't afford a child.

QUOTE (bmags @ Dec 19, 2009 -> 07:55 PM) While we don't know what specifically will pass: 1) The senate bill is funded by a tax of "cadillac" health care plans 2) The house bill is a tax on high income brackets. And the Cadillac plan tax is not indexed to inflation so it will ensnare more people every year with lower priced health plans........Waits for the union carve out of the cadillac plan tax........

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Dec 19, 2009 -> 06:45 PM) And our debt with it. This bill is fiscally retarded, but then so too are the people who will vote for it. But then again, this country is used to unfunded entitlement programs.

And this bill does the opposite of what Nelson was hoping. Hopefully the House, i.e. Stupak et al will vote against it.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 19, 2009 -> 02:57 PM) If the Dems can somehow get this package through...then the next logical step is to start allowing other groups to buy into Medicare in future reform efforts. The Public Option was a one time, put everyone else into this batch shot. It makes no sense to set up a public option gradually from this point on, just expand Medicare eligibility. And our debt with it. This bill is fiscally retarded, but then so too are the people who will vote for it.

Does the bill expand Medicaid eligiblity? And if it does, how will states pay for it? And how can the Feds pay for it and have it remain deficit neutral? Repeat after me:..... Unfunded Mandate!!

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 17, 2009 -> 11:19 AM) lol I really don't ever want to hear about how so and so broke the rules, the Republicans abused the hell out of the rules when they were in the majority, they'd either make unprecedented changes to blatantly work only for them or they'd just outright ignore them. Fact is, when you are in the minority life sucks for you, that's just how it is. I'm sure you will provide examples. And what about the supposed threat of closure of Offutt AFB in NE. That has "rat" Emanuel wriiten all over it. Not to mention it is probably the 2nd or 3rd most important AFB. But this is all politics.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 09:13 PM) Actually they did. And they withdrew the amendment in mid-read so they could get the appropriation through. The single payer amendment doesn't have close to 50 votes, let alone 60 votes anyway - so the reading of the amendment was pure political theater - and a delaying tactic "by any means necessary." Because it doesn't matter how watered down the bill is, the GOP recognizes that passing the bill turns a burden into a boon for the Democrats next year. Fortunately, for them - and frankly for the country at large, Sanders no longer supports the bill because it forces taxpayers to take a private insurance program that is basically broken. So we're back to 59 votes now. Hopefully enough liberals will fail to support the bill to cloture as it stands so we can get back to a good bill and force it through with reconciliation and get the 57 votes it would receive. With the medicare buy-in, its nearly all applicable to reconciliation now. And word is they, DEMS, broke the rules when pulling the motion from the floor. http://spectator.org/blog/2009/12/16/senat...s-dems-violated

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 10:23 PM) It's a good message for the Dems. There is still a lot of good in this bill, if the private insurance mandate is removed. I think the exchanges alone are a huge step forward. I think if they remove the private insurance mandate, they get 60 votes again. Please do share what is in this bill. Since Reid is the only one who knows, you have piqued my curiosity. Share with the class.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 02:49 PM) I like Durbin and I'd put him in "good." Dick Lugar is excellent. Taking politics out of the equation and going on straight honesty, Feingold is about as honest a guy as you can get. I don't know where that puts him. I hate Inhofe and Coburn with a passion and I'd be pretty embarrassed if I lived in OK. They are both, umm, how do I put this nicely... complete f***ing idiots. Don't tell Coburn's patients that. After several thousand successful baby deliveries, I would think Idiot is a bit harsh, no. And giving Franken anything but incomplete is moot.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 02:54 PM) TPM- Obviously this will be spun by the opposition to show that Americans drastically oppose heath care reform, while the numbers actually show many are opposing it because it doesnt go far enough. s*** is s***. Does not matter who calls it s***.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2009 -> 07:05 AM) You're linking to a page dated October 2, 1997. How about some more recent data and analysis? It was lost.

From everything I am hearing this new bill is DOA. Nelson of Fla. said it is a non-starter. Nelson of NE said he will not vote for cloture. Mikulski is apprehensive about the additional costs that will burden Medicare.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Dec 9, 2009 -> 09:43 AM) It's not that he's right or wrong. He is trying to take a non issue and turn it into some kinda of progressive conspiracy to take over the country or something. You mean they're not?

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 08:37 PM) I thought there were rules in place on this forum for saying things like this? Yeah Kap, do not make fun of their Senate leader like that.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 8, 2009 -> 10:58 PM) You don't need a PhD in economics to see the bulls*** here: And they can raise short-term stock performance to the detriment of the long-term profitability of the company. The entire system of focusing so much on quarterly performance incentives this. Like the gov't reflating through higher asset prices to make everything seen rosy. The gov't is doing exactly what you are saying, but on a scale exponentially higher.

Six more banks fail Friday, bringing total to 130. The jobs report showed an expanding service sector, the ISM did not. Friday's employment report showed that the Sevice Sector added 58,00 jobs. This does not jive with the Nonmfg ISM data released last Thursday. Nonmfg ISM was expected to show a reading of 51, but came in at 48.7 reflecting a contraction in the Service Sector. The jobs component came in at 41.6 suggesting job losses. This is why I'm still negative.

Just when they say everything is ok, CDS of Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group are absolutely blowing out today, up 738.77 bps, 62%.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 3, 2009 -> 09:40 AM) http://blog.american.com/?p=7572 THIS is who will create jobs?

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y...WM5OGU5OTg1MDA= Stay classy, Matthews!

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 02:15 PM) the report's analysis, is saying that the unemployment rate would be 10.5-11.1% had the $100 billion not been spent. I'm curious what they'll say in 6 months when it IS 10.5 11.0%.

QUOTE (jasonxctf @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 01:48 PM) Only $100 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package passed nine months ago has actually been spent by the federal government so far, with another $90 billion of stimulus coming in the form of tax reductions, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Monday evening. That leaves three quarters of the package -- and its stimulative effects -- yet to come. Slow as that pace may seem, it's in line with initial CBO estimates. But much of the spending hasn't had the full impact it could, the report says, because "it appears that stimulus funds substituted for some spending from regular appropriations." Despite the limitations, the CBO estimates that between 600,000 and 1.6 million people were employed in the third quarter of 2009 who otherwise would not have been. The spending and tax cuts raised the Gross Domestic Product by somewhere between 1.2 and 3.2 percent, it found, and reduced unemployment by 0.3 to 0.9 percent. Full article is here... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/30/s...o_n_374729.html Has unemployment decreased since the stimulus passed? Or are they saying unemployment would have been .3 to .9% worse? Again how do we measure that?

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Dec 1, 2009 -> 08:55 AM) Let's be honest that had more to do with the leadership of Iraq than the sanctions. I don't believe food aid or medical supplies were restricted due to the sanctions. Ah details.

It is a pretty well known fact that the gov't is an active player in the markets. President's Working Group. Also known as the PPT(Plunge Protection Team). A close today under 1080 would have been a bearish signal portending a larger pullback was in order down to the low 1000's and maybe even 980. Not to say it won't happen because I do think it will and possibly on or around Dec. 2nd to be a little more specific. 1111 was a turning point in that it "squared out" with the March 6th low. The Russell is very weak and the Transports look loike they are putting in an MA topping pattern with no support until 3400 or so.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 27, 2009 -> 11:53 AM) Wait, what? You are saying the US is looking to bid into the debt being played with by DubaiCo? They are buying futures today!! Putting a bid in the market to keep it up.