Socialism cannot compete!

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    • Thu Sep 25th 17:24 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Greatest Short Sale in History
      Heh. Iraq and Afghanistan combined have cost about $600B since 9/11. Less than this bailout. At least we got something for the 600B...riddance of some tyrants, girls can now receive education in those countries, *private* biz is starting up in Iraq and infra is being built. Not to mention we outted the Food For Oil scandal in the process. Nothing like irony against those crying "no blood for oil" huh?

      Sorry bud, sometimes military action is needed. This financial package is not - it is a massive de-privatization at taxpayer expense. And it is only a short-term bandaid as long as Americans continue to struggle under the hegemonious tax burden they are under. But that too shall pass...as did the dictatorship in Iraq. Thanks for bringing it up.


      On Sep 25 09:06 AM User 229486 wrote:

      > Most commentators seem to be locked inside the country. Outside the
      > country there is one major move that could be financially helpful.
      > Immediately cut back military spending in Iraq and pull out significant
      > numbers of troops over the next nine months. In addition, there needs
      > to be better political oversight of lobbying by the Defense Industry
      > - or the Offense Industry as I call it - to limit future war promotions
      > by this politically connected industry.
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 25th 17:16 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Greatest Short Sale in History
      Hey Foxie, I'm not buying it. If the government is going to make money selling these distressed assets why not just let the private holders keep them and make money? The solution is not upsizing government. It's changing/killing the mark-to-market rule, and on the other end of the equation - the core of the problem, mind you - giving the American worker back more of their own money...so they can use it towards their mortgage or whatever *they* choose to use it on. When 40%+ of income disappears off the top for taxes, that's way too much and unsustainable. Given that kind of overhead, $700B is a band-aid. Mark my words.


      On Sep 23 04:28 PM Stone Fox Capital wrote:

      > The govt is hardly spending any money to rescue the system. Most
      > of it is just investments. They'll get the money back from AIG and
      > the $700B proposal. The govt is hardly bailing out anybody so I don't
      > get the dollar weakness/inflation story.
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 25th 17:11 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Is the $700 Billion Really for Bailing Out the Fed?
      Not surprised. There's not enough transparency into the Fed. What this nation really needs for an economic solution is *not* a bank balance sheet reset (if the government can expect to later sell the "troubled" assets, so can private holders)...but a massive down-sizing of government and consequent radical tax cut! I'm talking 30-50%, not 3-5%!! That would restore money to American households, which would then by and large nix the foreclosure issues. That would also restore some measure of freedom to the people, in the form of more limited government. That would avoid all the "moral hazards" that have been mentioned as part of the Paulson plan.

      But will we ever see it? Not until we all decide enough is enough...enough smoke-screen accounting. Enough upsizing of government in response to every business mistake. Enough fleecing of the taxpayer. Do we need to march on D.C. with pitchforks?? Maybe.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 23rd 18:38 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Buy, Sell or Hold: Potash Deserves Another Look
      WACG - I wouldn't have phrased it that way...but I think I know what you are driving at: until India thoroughly cleanses itself of its caste system, and creates opportunity for *all* its people, it cannot thrive. There needs to be a foundational basis for every Indian to have the ability to become what he chooses - via education and hard work. This is so far from true at the moment as to be pathetic. Equality and open doors for all is the only way to true competition and free market capitalism...which are the only way to sustainable prosperity (as opposed to a temporary surge on the backs of "underlings."...

      Unfortunately, we in the U.S. are receding towards just such a caste system - though many do not recognize it. Or maybe just don't have time or energy to deal with it. The tax system as well as political system (no term limits for congress = trouble) plus ever-swelling regulation on our lives make rising above middle-class status increasingly difficult - not impossible, mind you...but the barriers continue to rise. And that's economics. Let's mind the costs to our freedom as well.

      There are some lessons for all to heed as we ponder the current economic situation and how to resolve it. Let's not jump on the bandwagon of any solution until we consider the risks to principles and the long-term view!!
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 23rd 16:15 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Greatest Short Sale in History
      How exactly does RTC II help the dollar?? I'm seeing currency rolling off the press here. Dollar going down...I'm getting long gold.

      @madasiwannabe: You said: "Putting an 80% warrant on AIG's shareholders as well as payday loan rates on the short term loan also did nothing to calm investors." The government only gets an 80% stake if AIG doesn't pay back the loan. It has two years to do so, and likely will, via asset sales. I'm more concerned about the implications of this new socialized bailout plan than the AIG *loan*. The new New Deal will likely have provisions for writing down mortgage principles - and via reverse auction, propping up the value of the bad paper being sold to the government by the financials...basically a freebie for those who bought more house than they could afford. I think the whole thing stinks. Just revoke "mark to market" and we're done with the whole mess. It's that easy.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 23rd 15:21 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Precious Metals Stocks to Consider as the Dollar Falls, Banks Fail
      Confiscation risk?? Um...zero. We're talking total melt-down in order for that to happen - Great Depression II. And I think the govt. would come to confiscate and be met with people bearing arms in that case...because ability to eat and pay bills would require tradeable commodities with real value, i.e. gold...and in life vs. death (as opposed to appreciable investment tools) situations, noone's giving up their ability to buy food. Although I think at that point, the govt. will be rather more busy with panic and chaos, riots in the streets, than to spend time confiscating gold. I'm long AUY and accumulating on dips. The dip today was profit-taking on the last couple days' strong moves. The move up is not done...today's dollar-up move was also a faux move, given the state of all things finance - remember, although there is global weakening, the U.S. finance & housing sectors are the *epicenter*. Thus, the long-term trend is dollar down, gold up.
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 18th 18:23 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Not Everyone Is In Trouble
      Roebuck: Kudos! Sorry that you are taking a hit, but like you said - some things are more important. Like character. In the long haul, character will pay dividends. Believe it. I just wish others were so principled - know what you're signing, then stick to the agreement. We wouldn't have half this mess if that was followed.
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 18th 17:41 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Now What for Apple Investors?
      Ummm...Zach? I thought this was about AAPL??? Several paragraphs about AIG & the Fed...then the last paragraph is AAPL. Wow, I'm impressed.
      View article »
    • Thu Sep 18th 17:39 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      AIG: The Cramer Conspiracy Theory
      Hmmm. A buck a day for expert stock advice? Bargain. Regarding the shorting, Cramer is right - when the SEC temporarily halted naked shorting in financials, things got better immediately. Funny thing...the SEC announces comprehensive rules last night regarding naked shorting applicable to all stocks...and today we get a big rally. Coincidence? I don't think so. Yes, there are fundamental underlying problems in finance - but they have been vastly compounded by raging shorts who have made some assets worth 1/10th their real value, by selling what they don't have to sell. That's not good for anyone.
      View article »
    • Wed Sep 17th 17:24 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Holding Multinationals? Look Out for the Rising Dollar
      Lo and behold...here comes gold!! ;)


      On Sep 16 05:18 PM Socialism cannot compete! wrote:

      > I'm not doubting that the dollar could fall again. I am long AUY,
      > as I like gold against that possibility. But...remember that with
      > global economies weakening, strength of the dollar is relative -
      > what's more important are economic measures in real terms. As far
      > as hurting multinationals...there... another side you've forgotten
      > - the stronger dollar has helped bring down commodities (along with
      > deleveraging by the hedgies and financials who need cash). Lower
      > commodity costs will easily make up for the currency gains that the
      > likes of KO and MCD benefitted from during the weak dollar era.
      View article »
    • Wed Sep 17th 13:11 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Five Companies PEG'ed for Growth
      "Naked girls are not as recessionary as many people think."

      Um, yeah...the addiction play. Thanks, but no thanks. I have zero desire to make money by promoting bad morals or worse yet, capitalizing on others' addictions. I think we can all do better than that.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 16th 17:41 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Corning Retains Strong Balance Sheet & Market Position Despite Earnings Warning
      Garry - plasma is losing out. LCD has wider viewing angles and is cheaper. Plasma does not pose a competitive risk at this point. The decline is more about macro-economics. I'm long GLW because I agree with everyone above that Corning is fundamentally sound, and the time to get in is on the bottom.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 16th 17:22 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Buffett Holdings Doing Okay
      Re. buffeting Buffet for his picks...I don't see how we can do that on the basis of their performance, without knowing his time horizon for a specific stock, and the reasons he owns it.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 16th 17:18 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Holding Multinationals? Look Out for the Rising Dollar
      Disclosure: should mention, I'm also long KO and GE.
      View article »
    • Tue Sep 16th 17:18 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Holding Multinationals? Look Out for the Rising Dollar
      I'm not doubting that the dollar could fall again. I am long AUY, as I like gold against that possibility. But...remember that with global economies weakening, strength of the dollar is relative - what's more important are economic measures in real terms. As far as hurting multinationals...there... another side you've forgotten - the stronger dollar has helped bring down commodities (along with deleveraging by the hedgies and financials who need cash). Lower commodity costs will easily make up for the currency gains that the likes of KO and MCD benefitted from during the weak dollar era.
      View article »
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