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Blogs, Profanity and Editorial Integrity

Bosun J comments, "Freedom. Either you believe in it or you do not. If you truly do then embrace it. Accept that freedom means others get to exercise theirs even when it makes you uncomfortable. Most especially when it makes you uncomfortable!"

I have selected your comments not to use as a personal attack rather to highlight how highly problematic is your stance. My presumption is you are writing of Freedom of Speech, unlimited and uncensored Freedom of Speech. A number of other participants are assuming a stance similar to yours which is we should be free to use language as we please.

Based upon this notion of yours and of others, I should be allowed to approach a child, perhaps your child, then begin speaking about sexual activities using vulgarity. This should not bother you at all because I am exercising my right to Freedom of Speech.

I am quite certain if you, others, me, if we began speaking around children using vulgar words, began talking about sex, I am quite certain we would be beaten to death right on the spot by angry parents.

So, if you do not support this freedom to speak about sex, or how wonderful is abusing drugs, or becoming a gang banger, if you do not support freedom of using vulgar words around children, you are a hypocrite, yes? You are adamant about Freedom of Speech but I do know you and others draw a line, a deep and distinct line.

You and others are practicing your own brand of censorship, rightfully so. Mick Weinstein and his people enjoy the same right.

Yours and others attitude of "all or nothing" is, quite frankly, unrealistic and certainly a display of hypocrisy.

We are expected to measure our language usage according to circumstance. This expectation applies here at Seeking Alpha.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

Blogs, Profanity and Editorial Integrity

With my being a decades long English professor, I can write to this topic with certain expertise. My specialty is creative writing, I am published many times over through many media.

Right off I object to unwarranted censorship but am pragmatic and know we are not to shout out "Let's get naked" during a Catholic high mass. I am a strong supporter of Freedom of Speech and a strong supporter of appropriate civil behavior.

A good writer, a talented writer, will adjust language usage level according to a target audience. We speak differently to children than we do to adults. We speak differently to a recalcitrant gang banger than we do to a parish priest. Same principle applies at this blog and all blogs.

Profanity works well for some creative writing, for some story telling. We are not telling stories here at Seeking Alpha. At this blog, profanity does not add power to words, does not truly add any value. Use of profanity here is to target the wrong audience.

Topics here are financial in nature, are technical in nature, are of a high level, a professional level. Profanity and professionalism simply do not mix well. Mick Weinstein and other administrators should hold participants to a higher level of conduct, a more professional conduct.

Readers do not need to read, "Bernard Madoff F-worded over people." We know this, we are intelligent and aware. This type of profanity adds no value rather reduces quality of writings. Almost all of us would rather read opinion on what effects Madoff's actions will have upon our stock markets, upon our economy, upon peoples. We know he perpetrated horrific fraud and do not need to be informed of this through profanity.

Profanity at Seeking Alpha adds no value, is problematic and is insulting. My personal insult is not the profanity rather is some participants assuming me to be so ignorant I need to read profanity to realize the impact and seriousness of an issue. I am sure other participants experience the same type of personal insult.

This is the wrong place for profanity. There is no power in profanity here. Most of us expect a higher level of professionalism and we expect to be treated as intelligent and aware people. We are here to discuss, to share information, to learn, to do better. Profanity does not lend well to those notions.

I support Mick Weinstein and staff on this issue; profanity should not be allowed. Participants should both show respect and support Weinstein by not using profanity.

We are professionals, this is a professional blog, our words should also be of a professional nature. Profanity is not a display of professionalism.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

Don't Get Sanguine About This Bill

Welfare for Wall Street is approved by the Senate.
Congress will heel and pass this bill Friday.

Each of you is to whip out your checkbook and write
a $2500 check payable to "My Favorite Wall Street CEO".

Welcome to the United Socialist States Of America.

USSA! USSA! USSA! USSR! USSR! ooopppsss...

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

3 Key Steps to Fix This Fiasco

User comments with frustration, "...then throw the bums responsible in jail...."

No! No! Wall Street has this Monopoly card up its sleeve:

www.purlgurl.net/aue/b...

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

Time Not for a Bailout, But for Nationalization

Brad Delong writes, in part, "John McCain and the House Republicans have blown up the Paulson-Dodd-Frank compromise...."

Oh my, Mr. Delong, you are a partisan leftist socialist, yes?

Rather clear your thinking is tainted by partisan concerns rather than concern for our American peoples. This economic crisis is a national issue, is a global issue, yet you are sitting there thinking leftist socialism.

I am a registered democrat. I am voting John and Sarah because I think clearly and because I am partial to good common sense. I do not make decisions based upon political party affiliation rather I make decisions based upon what I believe will be best for all peoples.

You disqualify yourself as a commentator upon playing party politics when this comes to issues which both effect and affect all peoples.

Mr. Delong continues, “Let's decide between bailout and nationalization.”

Bailout, this is to reward Wall Street criminals for their financial crimes against America.

Nationalization, is not this a tactic of Banana Republic despots?

Best option is the “Do Nothing” option. Wall Street should be allowed to collapse. Our economy and our global economy should be allowed to collapse. We need a repeat of the Great Depression to cull the flock. America and our world need to be rid of Wall Street types and be rid of peoples who refuse to live a lifestyle within their means. Wall Street is not solely responsible; our politicians and our peoples are equally responsible.

Yes, I am advocating economic collapse leading to loss of jobs, loss of homes, families ending up on welfare, maybe homeless and on the streets. This breaks my heart because of innocent children who will be victimized by adults who made bad decisions and gave over to greed.

If I could protect children of our world, I would financially nuke our world.

All in our family were born to poverty on a rural Oklahoma farm, many decades back. We were born ignorant, could not attend school, never enjoyed money, literally, then we set about working our fingers to the bone to attain financial security. Yes, this economic crisis has reduced our family wealth quite significantly. Nonetheless, we are very comfortable; we enjoyed sense enough over the decades to stash away cash for rainy days. We have no debt, no credit card debt, no mortgages on our home nor our income properties. No debt at all. Reason for this is our family made a point to do without, to sacrifice, to work hard, to move ahead in life by living well within our means and ways; we hold ourselves financially responsible.

Why should our family bailout Wall Street and Americans who are financially irresponsible?

Let the chips fall where they may. Our world needs culling.

Pity the children of our world, though. This hurts me deeply.

These leftist socialist bailout and nationalization notions will prove an albatross around the necks of hard working honest peoples who did not contribute to our current economic crisis.

Survival of the Fittest is Mother Nature’s way. This is precisely what we need.

No bailout, no nationalization. We need to cull this diseased chicken flock we call America and call, our world.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

How Much Can We Blame the Uptick Rule?

Quite a few comments about naked shorting. This is a problem.

You are afforded an opportunity to comment on naked shorting through the SEC web site. The SEC is requesting comment on proposed rule changes related to naked shorting. This is your chance to make a difference.

Main page for proposed rule changes:

www.sec.gov/rules/prop... (top rule - naked shorting)

Your comments can be submitted at this web page:

www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/ru...
8-08&action=Show_F...

Already submitted public comments can be read here:

www.sec.gov/comments/s...

My submitted comments are available here:

www.sec.gov/comments/s...


Rather than complain, take action.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

Should Wall Street Have Saved Itself?

“...some of the people who struggle the most are high-IQ sorts, with a tendency to over-think trading decisions.”

- Paul Kedrosky

Paul currently comments on Wall Street,

“...blaming the banks for doing what they had to do....”

Typical of a PhD type to over-think mocking parody. Your sarcasm is sorely appreciated by this PhD type, also out of the University of California, but not the sun tanned surfer, party hard campus down south, your San Diego campus. No, I am up here at our traditional straight laced conservative right-wing farmer agricultural campus, Riverside.

As you know, PhD types typically have not a cow lick of common sense. You have some common sense. I have my share of common sense. Your common sense is displayed through your frequent sarcastic articles aimed at mockery of the powers that be; sometime during the course of your life you learned to question societal dogma.

My common sense originates from being born penniless, ignorant and bare foot on a rural Oklahoma farm, literally on our farm. We were richly poor. Life on our farm could not be better although we had no car, although electricity, telephone and television did not come to our farm until the late Sixties. We never went hungry, well, almost never. All of our needs were provided through farming. A good life, there were even years our family was able to save up a few hundred bucks over the course of a year.

Personally, I would rather still be a farmer than a PhD type over-thinking my stock trading.

My Choctaw elders taught me about life, pride and integrity. Grandpa, an Anglo, taught me about being fiercely honest, usually by taking a switch to my bare butt.

We bartered a lot corn for socks, boots, coveralls along with pots and pans. Sometimes we sold corn to our local community. Grandpa taught us, after leveling off a bushel of corn, to add two quart Mason jars of corn to maintain our family reputation for fierce honesty. When we sold a gallon of raw milk, we always tossed in a pint of fresh cream. A dozen eggs from our farm counted fourteen. Behind Grandpa’s back, we always gave a couple of free quart Mason jars of white lightning to our local sheriff in exchange for his overlooking our still which we operated far off in a pine forest on our farm land. We played the survival game fair and square although Grandpa never knew we were bootlegging. Grandma knew, though.

Wall Street has no common sense. Wall Street is engaged in a business of selling empty bushel baskets with a promise of filling those baskets with corn, sometime in the future. Surprises me how many people will buy empty bushel baskets based only on a promise of future rich rewards.

This is what Wall Street leveraging is all about; selling empty bushel baskets of promises. Maybe this is just we Okie farmers have a bit more common sense than to buy empty bushel baskets, even if we do drink white lightning.

I do not know. Reckon I figure the old fashion way of doing business is the right way. Folks around our farming community always came to our farm to buy crops, milk, cream and salted pork knowing they would enjoy a really good bargain, along with enjoyment of swapping lies and swapping tall tales, along with swapping a blackberry pie for a gallon of our raw milk.

Wall Street has no common sense, has not enough sense to toss a few handfuls of corn into their empty bushel baskets so naive and gullible traders will think they are receiving something in exchange for their easily and soon parted money.

Yes, Wall Street should save itself and Wall Street is to blame for these financial crises which plague us like blood sucking ticks and chiggers back on our Oklahoma farm. Wall Street should grow some corn to show off, to sell, to take to the general store to barter. Wall Street simply has not a cow lick of common sense; their heads are empty bushel baskets.

What do I know? Heck, I am just an ornery Okie farm girl who likes to sip white lightning while telling really tall tales about my wild Choctaw lifestyle. Well, I have sense enough to keep my doctorate degree buried under reams of paper in a bedroom closet so none will think me to be a PhD type who has not a cow lick of common sense.

I also have sense enough to fill up a bushel basket with corn until overflowing. I am honest.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

The Fed Is Leaning Hard Into a Headwind

Dan H comments,

"Affordable housing is a good thing, right?"


Stable or lowering cost of living along with improving wages is better, yes?

Dan, your logic is housing should become cheaper rather than workers' average wages becoming better. Yours is backwards thinking.

Home prices have corrected a safe amount. Any further lowering of home prices will have a devastating effect upon almost all American families. What you and others are proposing is causing greater economic harm to the majority so the few can afford homes.

As it is, Americans have lost the greatest amount of family equity in their homes since 1945 year. Should home prices fall more, America will be faced with Great Depression II circumstances. Lower home prices will create economic circumstances of almost none being able to afford homes regardless of how low home prices fall; people cannot afford homes while standing in long bread lines.

American wages can be improved through raising relative purchasing power. This can be accomplished through lowering cost of living, such as energy costs, food costs and health care costs. Our dollar is seriously devalued, inflation is running rampant and corporate America is increasing its efforts at stealing away American families' money while our government effects a domestic economic policy slopped together by a known chimpanzee in the Oval Office.

Real estate prices do not need to lower more and best not lower. Purchasing power of Americans needs to increase.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

In the Wake of Bear: I-Bank Regulation Now in Fed's Hands

You are the Prince of Wall Street. I am the Witch of Wall Street.

Prince writes, in part,

"Leveraging through derivatives will probably end with an order from the regulators against such actions."

I would not hedge a bet on this, certainly not under Bush's administration. Regulatory enforcement and regulatory actions, both are down significantly since Bush fired aggressive SEC chair Bill Donaldson then replaced him with a known crook, Chris Cox.

Some quick SEC numbers generated by the White House:

Cases Successfully Resolved:

Donaldson - 98%
Cox - 92%

Cases Filed After Complaint Initiation:

Donaldson - 69%
Cox - 54%

Monetary Disgorgements / Penalties Ordered

Donaldson - 86%
Cox - 55%


There is no doubt new regulations are needed to strap a leash on this new class of Wall Street criminals. However, a leash serves no purpose when our government actively discourages enforcement of securities regulations and discourages enforcement of our laws; Wall Street criminals are allowed to run wild upon our streets while their leashes hang on a wall in the SEC chairman's office.

Is not this the true crisis we Americans face today?


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

The Fed Is Leaning Hard Into a Headwind

Scott Brown writes, in part,

"Affordability is the key issue in restoring the longterm health of the housing sector. Incomes will improve over time, but home prices may have to decline further to bring them in line with incomes."

This crisis in housing affordability is significantly more complex than presented in your article. Home prices have corrected downward an appropriate amount. Wages, adjusted for cost of living, have not adjusted upward an appropriate amount.

As of this date, home prices have corrected a maximum amount without setting off a downward death spiral. Current home prices are a "Goldilocks" just right. Any further drop in real estate value will have her bears eating us.

While your nifty chart shows wages increasing, this is raw data not adjusted for income relative to cost of living. Reality is average wages are decreasing through devaluation of the dollar and inflation. A quick look at energy costs, food costs and health costs, quickly informs us the purchasing power of average wages has dramatically decreased.

Spending by our American people represents about three-fourths of our Gross Domestic Product. While inflation adjusted wages are decreasing, corporate profits are increasing. A vulgar example is Exxon clearing a net profit of forty-billion last year while American consumers are being severely beaten down by gasoline costs and diesel fuel costs. Wall Street crime and greed is eating up Americans’ disposable income; the bears are eating us. As Wall Street financial criminals steal away money from American families, public spending, which supports our Gross Domestic Product, decreases. Wall Street crooks are biting the hands which feed them.

Health costs is an interesting form of greed being somewhat disconnected from inflation through rising energy costs. Last year, my husband consulted with a surgeon, related to minor but needed surgery. Fairly typical hospital, fairly typical surgeon. I timed my husband’s office visit with this doctor. He visited with the doctor for just under six minutes. The doctor billed us $750 for roughly a five minute office visit. This is more than greed, this is outright theft.

While your charts are fancy, those charts do not reflect the true problem. Home prices are no longer a problem having corrected downward. Diminishing inflation adjusted wages are the true problem; raw wages are increasing, purchasing power is dramatically decreasing.

Americans could afford homes if inflation adjusted wages were moving upward rather than moving downward. Home prices are just right. Relative wages are all wrong.

Reality is, the true problem is, a loss of moral values and loss of good ethics. Each time an American looks behind, there is a politician, a Wall Street tycoon or a doctor, looking to pick pockets without one bit of shame.

What is needed is for Goldilocks’ Three Bears to eat those crooks.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

BIDZ Shareholders Fight Against Alleged Illegal Shorting

Matthew Mills, quoted above by Scott Evans, writes an article which parrots, almost word-for-word, hundreds of articles I have read over the many years. In each case, those type of words precede a company collapse after fraudulent activities are exposed.

"I'll get those shorters! I'll sue them, sue others, sue everybody!"

Just a pile of mule manure excuse making. None have been successfully sued for lawful shorting nor has Timothy Miles nor has his alter ego, Andrew Left, ever been successfully sued for their exposé articles, although inanely emotionally charged laughable articles written to masturbate their egos.

Nothing new about any of this, just a handful of shareholders all ticked off because they suckered into a scam company and are looking to blame any and all for their poor trading decisions.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

BIDZ Shareholders Fight Against Alleged Illegal Shorting

I will be succinct. My personal opinion is BIDZ is a scam company.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

The Fed: On the Cusp of Moral Hazard

Roger Ehrenberg comments,

"But my analysis was predicated upon one key assumption: that the Fed is not populated by a bunch of morons."


There is your fatal erroneous assumption for your analysis.

The feds are blithering idiots, capital hill is populated by clowns and the Oval Office is a romper room for an illiterate chimpanzee.

Our American public is not of much higher caliber; almost all of our citizens are fat, lazy, hamburger eating, beer drinking, television remote control button pushers.

Wall Street, however, is overburdened with savvy financial criminals.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

A Diversified Portfolio Should Take Risks, But Not a Lot

Subhash Juneja writes, in part,

"ETFs are the best friend of small investors...."

Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) are usually not for "small investors" as you suggest. Typically, an investor needs to drop ten grand into an ETF to overcome fee based erosion of investor equity. Ten grand is not an insignificant amount of money.

An ETF is a safer investment when markets are stable. We do know today's markets are far from stable. An example is an ETF based on the financial sector has lost an average twenty-five percent in equity value.

While an ETF provides a loss cushion through specific sector diversification in securities holdings, should an entire sector suffer losses across all related securities, ETF losses can be multiplied by extreme losses for specific securities within an ETF portfolio. This is well exemplified by my financial sector losses previously cited. A more specific example is being vested in an ETF which contains Bear Stearns in the securities mix.

An ETF will almost never exceed average index growth in a specific sector. Through diversified holdings there will be, inherently, some securities which lose value contrary to overall average growth of a sector. Potential for ETF growth is almost always slightly less than an index average. Savvy and seasoned investors usually can well outperform an index average. However, individual investing does require a lot of research and time, to be successful.

During times of market stability and growth, an ETF is a very good choice for those who want to assume less risk in the markets and need to have others decide which securities to buy and how much diversification is needed for acceptable growth and lower risk.

Contrasting this, during times of market instability, such as now, an ETF can be amongst the most high risk investments made. This risk is concentration of investment in specific sectors such as the financial sector or the precious metals sector.

There are advantages and disadvantages with these “exotic mutual funds” we know as Exchange Traded Funds. Rather than launch into a lengthy discussion of ETF basics, my sincere suggestion is readers spend a lot of time carefully researching ETF basics to determine if an ETF investment or ETF trading is best for you and your individual needs.

Always keep in mind when a person promotes a certain investment strategy, this is almost always done so for self-interest reasons; those of Wall Street are certainly not your friends.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

The Credit Crisis and Potential Shorts

Ah ha! You boys are talking all around the true opportunity to make long term profits off this financial sector crisis. This true opportunity is to roll much of your money over into real estate.

Stock traders frequently chase around different market sectors based on anticipated better performance within a given sector. Stock traders often do not think of sectors outside our traditional stock market sectors.

Real estate investment will prove a very viable investment in the long term, with long term being a number of years away. The real estate market will recover, always does, but will recover very slowly as is expected and as is historical. There is a way to profit and multiply your profits in the real estate market. This method is to purchase rental homes for income.

Only trick to rental home investment is location, location, location. A typical three bedroom, two bath home is a more attractive neighborhood is an excellent investment; we have never lost money on income real property. Our equity value moves up and down in the short term, but long term growth is typically better than most long term stock investments.

Home prices have not quite hit bottom but are coming very close. Some micro-regions are now beginning to display increases in home prices, others have stabilized, most regions are still yet to fall another two to four percent. Timing of purchase of real property is not too important but is to be considered. This is a hot buyer’s market for real estate; prices will not be this low ever again during your lifetime.

Opportunity here is double. There will be equity growth plus enjoyment of monthly rental income. Equity growth will be somewhat slow to resume but monthly rental income is quite reliable; a virtual guarantee if you properly manage your rental homes.

Here in Southern California, an average home in a decent location will fetch a rent in the range of $1200 to $2000 per month. This is a decent fixed income. Demand for rental homes has skyrocketed right along with foreclosures skyrocketing. We enjoy a waiting list for our rental homes, a very long waiting list.

Of course there is upkeep, taxes and such. This carves out about one-fourth of yearly income.
Rental homes do require work, especially if you buy a “fixer upper” type home but there is no better money earned than sweat equity. Sometimes a headache dealing with tenants but income is very consistent, very reliable, very low risk.

Concept is, on the average, you enjoy ten percent growth in equity per year plus your annual income from rent collected. This is a very decent growth in your money. Equity moves up and down with market value but, historically, always moves upward. Rental income never moves downward and enjoys room for modest increases in rental fees, especially between tenants.

Our approach to buying real estate is to always pay cash. We have no mortgages making for an excellent equity position. However, most are not willing to work at real estate investment for decades to earn a position of being able to pay cash for homes. There is an alternative. This is to make a down payment of fifty percent then finance the rest. Typically, your rental income will pay your mortgage payment, with fifty percent down on the purchase price. If a lesser down payment, your rental income will not quite meet your mortgage payment which is a bit of negative cash flow but your equity growth compensates for this. Other words, your tenants pay a majority of your mortgage payment, you pay a little and realize gains in equity growth. More succinct, your tenants are paying for your purchased house.

This is an excellent time to roll your money over into real estate. Again, location of a home is extremely critical. A decent neighborhood is a must typically gauged by a location within a good school district and a safe neighborhood, which parents want.

A caution is some regions in our country will experience continued falling in real estate prices to a rather severe degree. Typically, rural, industrial and urban centers are not good locations. This is to be carefully considered and carefully researched.
Regions like Southern California, lower Florida, Las Vegas, Reno, Portland, Seattle, New York, Boston and other popular cities, out in the suburbs which are attractive to family living, these are types of micro-regions which will recover first and display the greatest growth over the years. In some cases, equity growth can be up to 15 percent to 20 percent per year, in a high demand location, often suburban areas surrounding major job market centers.

Real estate market crashes like today’s do not come around very often. Usually crashes like this are twenty to thirty years between. Chances are very high this is the best buyer’s real estate market you will witness during your lifetime.

Should you be looking to safely profit on this credit crisis, consider buying income real property.


Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation