curious cat

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    • Mon May 26th 14:05 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      When Will American Realize the World Has Changed?

      america has had it pretty good for a long time. most people in the world would still rather be educated here, live here and work here. when our citizens leave, it is only to retire. this is the land of the living, where ideas come from, the heart of capitalism.

      we let their smartest and hardest working people come to the u.s. for centuries. suddenly, we're surprised that the remaining detritus hates us. please....

      maybe we should just let them buy bank of america and anything else they want, then we can renationalize everything. that's what they do to us, isn't it?

      let's face it, we've already moved the rest of the world towards capitalism and democracy. at this point, we should defend our shores, rebuild our infrastructure and create an energy policy that secures our future.


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    • Thu May 22nd 02:04 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      James Turk on Gold: The Ultimate Inflation and Catastrophe Hedge
      i knew a man who saved gold and silver coins his entire life. he worried every time he left home and he worried when he was at home too. sadly, he was eventually robbed and killed for them. he died a rich man, but he died.

      the reason fiat money works is the same reason that laws work, we all agree to believe in them. when some people opt out of the legal system and start doing whatever they want, it benefits them and injures the rest of us. when people opt to move out of fiat money, they are doing the rest of us the same disservice. naturally, the government must make every effort to ruin their plans for the good of society.

      in the precomputer days, it was nearly impossible to effectively control the price of gold, silver or panics of any consequence. however, now that the power of the media is ubiquitous and concentrated in a few hands, now that computers are immediately aware of all transactions, it is relatively simple for them to control the price of gold and silver.

      they can sell from their reserves. they can pretend to have plenty of it left. they can also create vehicles that pretend to invest in it, without actually buying any of it, which only takes dollars out of circulation and keeps gold and silver prices and mining prices in check.

      fortunately, the government no longer has to hunt and kill people who save gold and silver coins. unfortunately, you cannot drive the price of gold and silver up the way you can drive up the price of oil. so, buy oil, instead.



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    • Thu May 22nd 00:57 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      5 Stocks to Hedge Against the Falling Dollar
      the author is trying to make a political point, but no one person and no one party is to blame. nor should they get credit for our collective actions. true, we americans are greedy and wasteful, but anyone from anywhere in the world would have done the same, given the opportunity. in fact, most of the people in america are from somewhere out there, so that kind of proves my point.

      americans have purchased a whole lot of things from the rest of the world at very cheap prices. clearly, that was very smart of them to buy while the prices were so low. they were unable to stop buying just because they ran out of money and had to borrow against their futures. the bargains were just too great to pass up!

      now, that foreign goods are getting more expensive, we'll stop buying and sell more stuff to them, instead. hey, that seems like a good system. americans are really smart. buy low, sell high!

      i bought ten pairs of shoes for a few bucks a piece at sam's last month. they should last me until my feet grow bigger. if they become more expensive in the future because the dollar gets weaker, i'm still set for life. in fact, i have enough clothes to last a lifetime, too. i also think my japanese car will last another 100,000 miles, at least. i've been driving it since 1993. bought it when cars cost less than twelve grand and it appreciated for years.

      i feel fairly confident that foreign consumers, on the other hand, are just beginning their long march to larger homes with jam packed garages. since we all know what those foreigners are like and what they like, we can profit from that. they will be eating our burger king and mcdonald burgers with secret sauces, so they'll be getting huge and they'll need more clothing, larger homes, bigger cars and arterial bypass surgeries. after all, there are so many other things we can sell them besides action movies, cancer sticks and u.s. bonds.

      maybe we should have lotteries abroad that cost maybe five euros a ticket. the winners can be given dollars or citizenship or a seat in congress, anything we don't care too much about these days.

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    • Thu May 22nd 00:02 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Buy Low, Sell High: Right Time for the Former
      i guess that's what people shorting energy were thinking. it's a crowded trade, lots of people keep getting in and the price keeps going higher against the dollar. so far, however, they've been getting burned.

      the key is not knowing that something is expensive or too expensive. the key is following direction. that's what makes a good lover and a good investor. you've got to wait until they move in your direction.

      hmmm, maybe that's why beautiful women are attracted to rich men!
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    • Tue May 20th 00:53 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      BRIC Is for Real
      the american people do not have the time or the inclination to be informed. jeez, they barely have time to read people magazine. besides, lots of americans are sacrificing, or rather, are sacrificed all the time. they are called the middle class. they work their butts off and have all their efforts diverted into supporting undeserving social misfits.

      i know 'cause i am related to a few misfits. they can't help themselves either. they see people on tv getting free prizes on game shows, other people in sports or the movies getting paid handsomely for doing nothing, casinos advertising winners on the side of the road, etc. then they compare that to all the hard work, extra school and the financial burden of becoming a doctor or engineer. they decide whether they want to wake up for emergencies in the middle of the night or hit the snooze button. they decide whether they want to worry about being sued or pretend they were injured in a car accident.

      i can't always fault them for their decisions. (excuse me while i take an antacid for my ulcer.) we need a better school system, one that teaches rational and legal behavior and reminds kids that they are part of a larger system, a structure that functions on capitalism, the way the real world does. pay teachers more when their students advance and pass standard exams. put police in schools, put metal detectors at the doors, create courses that are related to the real world, so students can think, read, write and balance a checkbook when they get out.

      we need a better legal system, one that has fewer lawyers, screening of law suits and tort reform.

      we need a fairer tax system, one that remembers that small business cannot fill out as many forms as large business, even better, one form for all the taxing entities. we have computers now, that should be possible and mandated. one tax that the city, county, state and federal gov't share-just one.

      we need to help doctors perform the best medicine without worrying about being sued. that's right, no fault medicine. if they make a mistake, you get a predetermined flat amount for the injury, pain and suffering. i don't want my doctor losing sleep because they are being sued. i don't want them worried, nervous, sleepy, anxious, bitter, traumatized, delusional when they are deciding my diagnosis or getting me ready for surgery. maybe it's just me, but i'd rather they got all their school loans paid by the state in which they were going to practice. i'd rather they got a house, a maid, a gardener and a masseuse for putting in the extra 12-20 years of study.

      now, some of you think that all doctors are rich and come from rich families and have perfect lives. that's because there are some, and some that do unnecessary procedures and some that abuse the insurance system. i would guess there are very few, cause most of the doctors i know were not.

      i do know that half of all doctor's offices are embezzled and that many get divorced, become drug users or have other problems.

      we need a police force that is trained and allowed to use modern surveillance techniques. we need to compensate them well for risking their lives every day. we need to thank them when we see them and buy them a lunch when the opportunity arises.

      we need to put ourselves in each other's shoes every once in a while. thanks for putting yourselves in mine.
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    • Sun May 18th 19:27 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      E*Trade Primed for a Breakout
      i'm a trader. i trade with e-trade. hmmm, if all the e-trade traders traded e-trade stock, we could probably send it higher and make ourselves rich. of course, we couldn't agree to do that because it would violate the law, but that sure is a heady way to daydream.

      i am not currently long or short, but i am examining my options.
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    • Wed May 14th 02:22 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      China’s Leaders Are Opening the Door for Profits
      your conclusion, puttster, has leap frogged the facts. you may only safely conclude that most of the inflation is in the food prices, not that food constitutes seven eighths of the purchases. the proportion of food to other purchases is unknown. the answer is c: unknown.
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    • Sun May 11th 19:15 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Should We Force a Housing Bottom?
      businesses in poor neighborhoods should be subsidized. they should not be taxed. they risk being robbed, beaten and killed and have to raise their prices to compensate for these risks. eventually, most good businesses leave and the public housing problem gets worse when business abandons an area.

      rather than tax them, we should merely require that they hire local residents and make it worth the risks they take for being there with credits and subsidies. this would help residents buy cheaper necessities, recognize that business is not trying to gouge them, and give local residents opportunities to escape their environment through job placements and provide role models other than drug users, sellers and pimps. society would benefit on many levels.
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    • Sun May 11th 12:26 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Seeking Foreclosure Riches: What Does it All Mean?
      gmm, if housing prices do not fall as far as you think, you are the loser. so, make sure you convince as many people as you can to join you in abandoning ship. oh, yeah, it is possible that after you buy it for two hundred thousand, it will fall to one fifty, so maybe you better wait till 2011. good luck.
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    • Sun May 11th 02:58 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Introducing the Minsky Theory - Stability Is Destabilizing
      a little too much mynsky in my julip, thank you. so, he recognized a system that swings to extremes. hey, i was there in the seventies. it looked pretty extreme back then, too. we managed to come out of it without anyone firing nukes.

      eventually, we bankrupted russia, mostly because they forgot they could keep printing money, i guess. maybe because we had naked pictures of gorbachov with a bear, who knows? the important thing is that we can go to china for the olympics, thanks to nixon, but does anyone remember him? no, all they talk about is mynsky this and mynsky that. the man died in obscurity, let him rest.
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    • Sun May 11th 02:38 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Should We Force a Housing Bottom?
      investing in homes, even second homes, was not the problem. we allowed people to borrow, who had no way to pay the money back, unless property values went up. of course, that is the same thing that happened in japan, the same thing that happened in the roaring twenties too. if the bankers tighten too much, too fast, there will be no buyers and all their previous borrowers will be swept into a black hole.

      if credit flows at a reasonable rate, there will be enough buyers to form a cushion. this is why the fed had to loosen again. they realized the crash would be deep and hard otherwise. this is also why they cannot raise rates quickly. they can attempt to look vigilant against inflation, pretend that inflation will not be a problem, in the hope that consumers and investors will believe them and stop worrying about inflation. as a result, the global forces of deflation may have a chance to counter any spikes.

      if our corporations bring in more dollars and we begin to produce cheaper goods and services to send abroad, our dollars will eventually get stronger and we will live in peace and harmony.

      either that, or we'll have to go into a downward spiral of lower prices and lower income and lower status at home and abroad until we just hand over the keys to the canadians and the mexicans in exchange for oil. what the heck, maybe the indians will let us make one last bet in their casinos.
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    • Sun May 11th 02:14 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Forced Labor: Spending More Than We Earn
      hey icandoitdon, i routinely get mail for my dog. she is offered credit cards, loans, insurance, whatever. maybe i should start a credit history for her, just in case i need to fall back on something someday.

      seriously, i have relatives who anticipated their checks and spent their rent hoping to get their government checks in time. i'm not sure how i could be related to such dimwits but i hesitate to ask my parents at this late date. perhaps, when those genetic tests get a tad cheaper and you can do them at home, i'll borrow their hair brush or swab their glasses and see what gives.

      until then, i would just like to say that they moved to california years ago and were relatively sane before they left home. maybe there's something in the water there. maybe we should have everyone in california tested.
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    • Sat May 10th 22:35 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Economic Report Summary: Consumer Confidence Still Low as Full-Time Employment Falls
      i understand, from the talking heads, that most of the jobs being lost are those which were held by men. could be that men had higher paying positions and el jefe let them go because business was slowing. could be that men do not work as hard as women, so the women were kept instead.

      in any case, the jobs are mostly high paying wall street jobs, high paying realtor positions, high paying hair cuts. so, we are not in any danger of letting the nurses go, the maids go, the teachers go. theoretically, the fairly well off that lost jobs will have some savings to fall back on, will pull quite a bit of unemployment before they are completely broke.

      some of them will be hired elsewhere, some will go for more training and others will start their own businesses. this recession will be shallow. we will end up in the same houses paying less in mortgages, rent and taxes. personally, i'm hoping that many of the brains let go will spend a little quality time with their families, take earlier retirement if possible, create new small businesses. who knows, maybe some of them will go into politics.

      i'm pretty sure though, that people with actual skills, who managed to get science degrees instead of arts degrees, will still be in demand. glad i went to purdue.
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    • Sat May 10th 21:53 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      The Humble Arithmetic of Portfolio Management
      good ideas, i find that i can transfer my fund investments and watch a market go up or down subsequently with no adverse emotional consequences, but i still have difficulty selling an individual stock once i've purchased it. i keep thinking that my entire loss can be returned if i am patient. so, i end up with lots of penny stocks that have been languishing for years, convinced that they will explode higher the moment i sell them for any tax advantage. ah, well, that's the way it goes. first they take your money, then they take your clothes. lol
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    • Sat May 10th 02:47 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Foreclosure Prevention Nonsense
      you know, most of the active crazy people in this country live in either california or the new york area. why do we have to suffer whenever they drink cool aid? ok, there may be a few whack jobs in other states who think they are entitled to something, but they are pretty much spread out. they usually do little damage in those areas, unless the media spots them sitting on the roof after a flood.

      one of the worst things that ever happened to this country, and possibly the world, was the invention of television. a nation was hypnotized into thinking they could do whatever they wanted, suffer no consequences and become stars. game shows made instant millionaires and the media turned sports figures and other entertainers into role models.

      we cannot put things back into pandora's box, but we can take some solace from our rapidly maturing internet. people other than liberal media mouthpieces finally have a voice. common, rational people, who are being injured by the constant yammering of greedy children, can finally balance the scales. listen up, please. the man said, "NO MORE FREE LUNCHES!"

      most of us have some sort of crutch that we lean on to filter out the madness. we drink, smoke, take drugs, listen to loud music, over eat, run away, whatever. please examine the crutches in your life and ask yourself what it is that drove you there.

      if the answer is the irrational decisions and arguments of others, take a moment and confront their whacko positions and demands. voice your own rational opinion. don't stay quiet for the sake of peace. your acquiescence makes them think they are correct. your silence empowers them and frankly, i'm tired of doing your job for you. why should i have to correct your misguided spouse, child, parent or best friend , just because you were unwilling to do your part. you could have stopped them when they were just slightly off, instead of letting them get to the point where they need radical reorientation. let's step up....
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