bobbobwhite's Comments

Ford Gaining on Honda, Toyota in Perceived Quality

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:42:21 -0500

And what is the company that does most/all of these quality surveys that says Detroit is up to Japanese brands in quality?.......JDPower, an American company...... duh. If a Japanese company did these surveys, you could bet that Detroit iron would be seen more truthfully, and that is vastly inferior where it really counts.....after 3 years on the road. Initial showroom sparkle should not even be considered as it is in JDPower junk polls, as that is what "initial quality" is, and it says nothing about how well the car will last through the years. And that's the only thing that counts to buyers over the immature age of 21.

From owning all 3 Detroit brands many years ago, I thought all were junk then, and from driving many domestic rental cars since...... they are still junk, as marketing has always ruled Detroit iron sales since the 50's, not quality. And, that will never change.

10 Reasons to Believe That We're in a Depression

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:05 -0500

The problem is so much larger than what you say. At the core of it all is the arrogant refusal(and perhaps innate inability) of modern humanity to honor, respect and follow the basic laws of nature that is the fundamental, underlying reason for everything that is wrong with its relationship with the earth. Overpopulation in lower animal forms is always controlled and balanced by natural forces, but humans no longer respect nor adhere to any natural controls that humans can dominate, even termporarily, knowing all the while that this negligent behavior will end badly for the earth and for all future humans, as we are now seeing occur in its initial stages. As we have allowed ourselves to progressively devalue all respect for anything other than all things human and care only for the satisfaction of the immediate and personal now(no true concern even for our own grandchildren!), that abject disregard will end our days much earlier than simple evolution would have done naturally, as we are now too far down the road of arrogance and disrespect of nature to change our ways in time to reverse the immense damage already done.

The earth will be the final winner, and regain its former health in time, as it " knows" in its eternal Rock of Ages that it would have been much better for all living things if man had never mutated from the apes. But we did, and more's the pity, as we are all now paying dearly for our temporary moment in the sun that we all mindlessly thought would last forever as we uncaringly hurried it along toward its end.

On Nov 19 12:23 PM User 353732 wrote:

> America's greatest export during its great ascent in the 20th century
> was freedom. Free markets, free speech, free elections, free minds.
>
> The freedom to innovate and succeed or fail;the freedom to be accountable
> for one's decisions and actions; the freedom to take the lonely path
> less traveled that often led nowhere but sometimes led to rich hidden
> treasures and unexpected vistas that inspired and motivated entrepreneurs
> and inventors and liberators.
>
> When America stopped exporting freedom because its Bosses no longer
> believed in it and its reigning elites began to import collectivism
> , class warfare and contempt for entrepreneurship and middle class
> values, then the moral and intellectual balance of trade turned against
> the USA and continues to worsen by the month.
>
> The worse the moral and intellectual balance the more debased and
> devalued becomes the polity. This devaluation is now being made tangible
> in the disgrace of the dollar( from as sound as the dollar to as
> fake as a dollar....), in the glorification of entitlements and instant
> gratification, in the mutilation of markets and institutions, in
> the accelerating corruption of the US Regime and in eroding civil
> society. As the moral and intellectual net worth of America is depleted
> so is its capacity to create real wealth and enduring competitive
> advantage.
>
> America cannot "be" Europe or Asia : it can only "be" itself; either
> much worse than Europe or Asia, which is the present trajectory or
> far, far, better which is what a rediscovery of liberty and the truths
> of the Constitution will lead to.
>
> Yes, there is a depression but it is a moral and intellectual one.
> Unless faced and cured, it will surely become a social and economic
> one. This depression is from within and from within may come the
> cure and restoration.
>
> No contender is defeating America the Champion; it is defeating itself.
> Greed, vanity, deceit is what the US Regime now gorges itself on
> every day.......This is not the breakfast of champions.

Best Performing Stocks of the Decade

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:01:47 -0500

Not for me, but one of the most successful gambl.......no wait......investors I know always puts his big money bets on one growth company at a time, just like roulette in Vegas. Hanson, Apple, Wynn(duh), Diedrich, Boise are a few. How he picks these other than by momentum is not obvious. Some people are just good gamblers, as they can see and sense things others can't do as well.

Chance of a Depression Now 5 Percent

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:06:02 -0500

What our complicit gov't has done by bailing out the biggest crooks on Wall Street by not allowing them to fail and forcing the taxpayers to foot the bill for their outrageous actions, thereby putting America into a deficit burden that will last for many decades, is to cause the very same situation that has befallen Japan for the past 2 decades of economic disaster there.....an industrial and financial malaise at best that is only kept as alive as it is by free gov't loans and company bailouts. An economy that is kept on life support solely by taxpayer and gov't fiat money is no real economy at all, it is merely a house of cards fearfully dreading a strong wind. The plug must be pulled if few life signs are seen over a planned time period, and that period of time must be fixed and unalterable. The only way out.

Meredith Whitney: 'I Haven't Been This Bearish in a Year'

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:09:31 -0500

Maybe everything has been bought on eBay...no sales tax in many/most cases.

Kidding, I think, but it does make me wonder...when will come the tipping point of mass consumer purchasing on online sites that will cause a gov't rush to sales tax all those purchases?

As states go belly-up, I see it coming.

On Nov 16 08:14 PM Gary A wrote:

> No one else is going to buy these mortgage backed securities. There
> is no other market. Bill Gross is getting out of them.
>
> This credit contraction is not over and will bite this economy.

>
> And states are tanking even though the government lies about consumer
> spending. It has to be a lie, just look at the tax receipts of the
> states. Investors who are believing government numbers are foolish.

10 Years After Glass-Steagall

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:13:39 -0500

In the infancy of American capitalism, business monopolies were discouraged and even prevented by our gov't as unfair business practices detrimental to the opportunity for competitive equality and damaging to our overall socioeconomic system.

Today we have, in modern gov-speak, many "too big to fail" companies that also are seen to threaten our economy in a similar manner, as their potential demise is considered by our gov't to also have the potential to create an excessive burden on that same system, with an extra emphasis on the potential damage to Main Street in employment and other social hardships that may not have occured to a similar extent with monopolies.

What has our gov't done in response to these two similar threats to our country internally? It treats them as entirely different entities and allows the monopolies of giant companies(Wall Street banks, Detroit) to continual at will, even bailing them out with public funds when threatened.

Does the free capitalism that built this country still exist? From the above examples, it definitely does not. We now have a new and modern version of the military/industrial complex that Eisenhower warned against as a danger to our country, only today it is known as the financial/gov't complex, with Goldman Sachs providing the primary seed people for its continued and unassailable prosperity. Pathetic, and so wrong for America.

The Global Oil Scam: 50 Times Bigger than Madoff

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:56:04 -0500

My main concern at this stage in the disintegration of the American way of life is why tens of millions of our citizens have not joined together in a mass tax revolt. If 50 million people stopped paying taxes, what could the gov't do but capitulate?

Fear and lack of courage is what soft living causes, every single time in history......unorganized and cowardly masses so afraid of losing their present quality of life, even as that same quality of life erodes before their very eyes and they perpetually do nothing of significance to prevent it. Pathetic.

The Global Oil Scam: 50 Times Bigger than Madoff

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:36:29 -0500

To monitor and control greedy and unconscionable outfits such as Goldman on Wall Street and also those on main street, the gov't absoultely needs to immediately create a new Marines-like oversight and regulation entity with total commitment to the cause of defending our country from internal invaders, just as the Marines have in defending America from external ones. The time has come to defend America from equally threatening attack from within, and this new and very elite unit would hire and train the same highly business-educated people that Wall Street now does to create and execute its scams on the American public. There would be no gaping differences in employee quality as there are today in our existing inept "regulators". And, the main controlling factor that would keep this elite unit from decay and corruption from both the outside and the inside would be a lifetime prevention of staff from private financial institution employment if they ever left "the agency," thus gaining a total commitment to lifetime employment and dedication to the cause. This total commitment to the cause of defeating all enemies of America, exactly like career Marines have, would be the primary factor ensuring success.

We have the FBI and the CIA, and it is now high time for the BICA(Bank and Investments Control Agency).

Too Big to Fail Banks: A Simple Solution

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:21:12 -0500

Nothing ever changes with human behavior over the ages as we are still hardwired to slay the bear in the cave in order to survive. The methods and mechanisms to kill have evolved, the bear is no longer a bear, and the cave is not an issue now. But everything else is the same caveman we always were......."so get yours before the other guy does, and take it all to make sure that he gets nothing." We treat the earth and all other inhabitants of any kind in exactly this manner, and it is unsustainable over time.

Unchangable humans and variations on the above theme will go on until we cannot sustain it and are no more. Many "lesser" humans do not possess this ultimately self defeating behavior, but not enough of them to change our destiny as these have little power, but all of the rich and powerful decision-makers everywhere are of this ilk, so due to them we as a species are approaching the end of our tenure because those who are that way have to win everything and care nothing about those who cannot or will not compete with them for all the riches.

See Goldman Sachs and Washington DC et al for proof of this.

The Unsustainable Lie of Inflation

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:14:25 -0500

This is merely an extension of the great push to the left in education policy since the late 60s, as all kids in American schools are now branded as "special" by liberal agenda-makers in order to drive up their self esteem. No dummies, no creeps, no fools, no flakes, no tramps, no gangmembers, no stoners.....now they are all "special", and "special kids cannot commit crimes, can they? If we can make it seem as such, then we have been successful in our agenda. Natural selection be damned, we will make everyone a winner."

Has anyone, in their heart of hearts, really bought the thinking that this off-the-wall and totally unnatural agenda has been successful in the America we see today?

On Nov 09 06:09 PM lower98th wrote:

> Have you noticed, in recent years, that the person objecting to a
> crime is more likely to be ostracized than the person Committing
> a crime. At all level. Our society has perfected the art of obliterating
> anyone who tells an inconvenient truth.

Are Oil and Natural Gas Cheap or Expensive?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:37:47 -0500

When discussing the use of NG in all of its forms, to be fair one must speak of any "toxins" emitted from its usage only in comparison with those in other carbon energy forms. Those NG toxins so derided here are not only emitted from the burning of NG but from any carbon-based fuel, and are significantly lower in NG than in oil and coal.

Try to be fact-based and fair in your arguments, or are you being paid not to be? Like it or not, NG will be the bridge fuel from oil to green, and will finally get us away from foreign oil dependency. That alone is reason enough to use it until it too is gone.

Charlie Gasparino: Another Crash 'Has to Happen Again'

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0500

If the financial markets could only be lawfully affected by actual business events, cycles and markets found in typical business practices/operations, perhaps then they would be less affected by what is running and ruining things there today, which is 99% of the total activity....and that is the hype of manufactured news, gov't meddling and deregulation, gov't/business incestuous collusion, et al, that have no place in real business markets. We would still have the greed, deception and crime of business operation that we have always had, but with sincere and honorable gov't regulation by uncompromised persons this would be dutifully dealt with to the full extent of applicable laws. And, if a company fails, it fails. If they all fail, they all fail. No gov't(taxpayer) help. This is the only cure to allow full and honest recovery.

This will never happen, of course, but it is one of my fondest wishes. What a dreamer I am, but I just can't help it.

Why Junk Bond ETFs Have Been Cleaning Up

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:26:14 -0500

Have HYD and JNK plus CMO, also NGLS and BTE for energy divivie stocks.

Satisfied with yield over growth for now.

Earnings Season: The Car Is Shiny, But Look Under the Hood

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:55:08 -0500

Yeah, it is so deceptive to use "50% up" like it means something way more than it is. Remember, that 50% pop was on a greatly reduced figure(and no certainty that it will last). A $100 stock falling to $10 is a 90% drop, but a $5 pop up on that same $10 stock is up 50%. Wow! ......Not. Don't be like fund managers and try to make that 50% pop "seem" to be worth more than half of the initial 90% drop. Never was, never will be. Huge difference.

On Nov 04 11:03 AM jdl51 wrote:

> Well, I've always been told that the markets are forward looking.
> We've gone up over 50% in six months. The markets anticipated improved
> earnings, they're here and now we're waiting for what's next. If
> the economy continues to improve, job cuts are trending down and
> are expected to show growth shortly after the first of the year,
> then we'll start the next leg up.

Riding the Rails: Why BNI Was Berkshire's Best Bet - And Vintage Buffett

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:22:39 -0500

Yours is the closest to any reply I could make, and you already said it. Buffett way overpaid for his John Wayne-style, early-American patriotism that seems more emotion based than reason based this time. And, relative to railroad transport, America should use its vast NG resources before using coal, and leave coal safely in the ground until tech improves the burning systems necessary to allow cleaner air.

Also, I have noticed over the past few years that Warren is acting more on emotions as he ages. That is a typical aging pattern but is also a dangerous and risky departure for him. I do not think this buy will be a great thing for Berkshire, not terrible, just a ho-hum one over time and certainly not worth the price paid in returns given.

On Nov 04 12:10 AM Mark Anthony wrote:

> My comment is Warren Buffet has good big picture view, bad timing
> and bad pricing. Every one in the world has known for two years that
> Warren Buffett loves railways. He openly talked about it more than
> two years ago. So why why he picks a time to pay nearly the higest
> price? Way over-paid.
>
> If he likes railway, Chinese railways are way much better play. The
> capacity of China's railways transportation is stretched tot he extreme.
> Whole America's railway system has excessive capacity that is idled.
>
>
> If he likes commodity and transportation play, he should be buying
> coal mines, and he should be buying dry bulk shippers. Both sectors
> are dirt cheap compare with railways.
>
> seekingalpha.com/autho...
>
> I am afraid Warren Buffett is getting too old to calculate relative
> valuations correctly. There are so many good under-valued assets
> around at dirt cheap price. Railway will be the last thing I will
> pick up. It's going to be good, but just not as good as other things.

Property Values Set to Fall 43% from Current Depressed Levels

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:38:28 -0500

What you said was what I was thinking as I read this article: it depends on where the house is. SF, LA, LV and Pee-hoenix have way different housing prices and activity relative to income than central Kansas does, and etc. It is good sense to stick to specific markets when making predictions, and not put the doughnuts in with the dumplings.

On Nov 02 09:59 AM John Galt wrote:

> I read a Goldman economist said that housing prices would nationally
> be 5% lower if the government didn't get involved. So the prices
> in Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho might be similar to what they are
> now, but the prices in say Miami, Vegas and Phoenix might be 20%
> lower... Who knows what the real number is, but 5% is pretty noteworthy.
> That also doesn't factor in that housing prices still might go even
> lower ( I think they will).
>
> I've been probably the biggest bear you could find on housing, but
> I don't think prices will fall another 43%.

How Much Did 'Cash for Clunkers' Cost?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:25:44 -0500

"We are your gov't and we can delay anything until whenever. We can do work or not and we don't care about what you think of us and we don't have to answer to anyone. But, be sure you send us your entire tax obligation which is, of course, the only obligation we respect. Do it today."

How Much Did 'Cash for Clunkers' Cost?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:14:17 -0500

Ever held a gov't job of any level? What you stated is its modus operandi on every day of the week, no matter what happens.

"Why do today what you can put off indefinitely? We're the gov't, we don't have to care what they say or answer to anyone for anything."

On Nov 01 11:17 AM D. McHattie wrote:

> White House economist Jared Bernstein: "In other words, I'm sure
> that some of those sales were pulled forward...we really need that
> growth now. Pulling sales forward is actually helpful."
>
> This statement says a lot about this administration's approach to
> the economy.
>
> Borrow growth from the future. Kick the can down the road. Cross
> that bridge when we come to it. Why do today what we can put off
> until tomorrow.
>
> Is this administration so unforgivably stunned that it actually thinks
> this is a sound approach?

George Soros: The Guru Outlook

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:03:42 -0400

Always pay close attention to Soros, one of the smartest investors ever. Buffett gets all the headlines but Soros is the genius of the two and the one who made that egoist Jim Rogers all of his money back in the 70's, contrary to what one may read in the bloated bragging of Roger's claims that he did it himself.

When Soros talks, it pays well to listen and learn. When Rogers talks, it pays to run out the door before he takes your money.

Europe Is Breaking Up Its 'Too Big to Fail' Banks

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:37:05 -0400

How much will Goldman pay our crooked gov't officials to NOT consider doing the same thing? And, JPM, and BofA, and MS.............

Not to the taxpayers, but to them personally. Count on it.

Who Thinks This Recession Is Over?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:43:31 -0400

In a look at the big picture instead of these macro views that can be interpreted as one wishes, the American society bell-shapped curve of growth has peaked and we are now falling down the other side. We will never again be the power we once were, mainly due to the rot of privilege that has been the root of all failed civilizations for at least 6000 years.

Due to this rot, all eras and countries have their peaks, i.e., Egypt, Greece, Rome, Europe.....first Spain, then France( after 1812) and Britain (after WW1), and now America in 2009. Also, the world art bell-shaped growth curve peaked at the inception of the industrial revolution, with the start of factory production, in the year 1800 and slowly tailed off, and as a result will never again be anywhere near that level. Our progressive modern ways killed it.

It happens in all human life and eras, no use fighting it or denying it. Learn to live with it and within it as best you can. It is here to stay.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:46:20 -0400

Couldn't have written your comment better myself. Untold millions of USA high paying, non-productive gov't and service industry "jobs" are really harming us terribly in huge overhead costs for what they truly accomplish, as most of the gov't and service jobs prevalent now produce primarily lots of paper landfill and its cyber space equivalent, and not much else of real value relative to their cost. Too much in, too little out.

And, companies complaining that lowered pay will cost them their best employees to higher paying, unrestricted companies should recognize that losing them is really a blessing in disguise. The executives they stand to lose are the ones who created our economic crisis in the first place, as giant money rewards were always their primary motivation and not the quality and need of their products. Good riddance to those self centered non-producers.

On Oct 23 09:15 AM AndrewBaker wrote:

> A basic problem is that there are too many people getting paid for
> doing non-jobs and non-productive jobs: the list includes many politicians,
> State and Federal workers, bank, insurance and financial company
> workers and the many media commentators who are so fond of telling
> us what needs to be done for the economy to improve.
>
> Add to this the exorbitant pay that is now common in many companies
> for higher and highest level staff and paid on the excuse that they
> need to retain the best people, and it is no wonder that the greed
> of these non-producers has caused a downturn from which it will years
> to recover.
>
> Token gestures to restrict pay for a certain group is just not enough.
> Pay differentials from base to peak need to be far less than they
> are, and based on real productiveness and genuine capability, not
> just paid to someone just because they've reached a level where excessive
> pay is the norm regardless of the quality of the person's real personal
> contribution.

The Secret Paulson-Goldman Meeting

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:01:18 -0400

It doesn't take too much brainpower to see that when gov't forbidden behavior is undertaken and the consequences are written only to show strong official position but are not acted upon, nothing untoward will happen to those in power when that so-called forbidden behavior is committed by them.

Paulson and all the Wall Street others in Washington know that they are nearly untouchable and thus do whatever they want in the gov't of today, short of anything sexual, which is still taboo in America. The Nixon thing was 35 years ago and great lessons on how not to get caught were learned from it and are extensively practiced today. That less sophisticated 70's era in our country's morality will never again be seen as it is actively worked by our gov't so that it is never seen again. The system must collapse for any change to occur, and that time is coming.

Will Housing Data Show Improvement This Week?

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:50:27 -0400

One thing not debated enough is how/why the gov't is pushing the extremely harsh realities of this economic mess out further and further on its improbably infinite time line, as if that would soften what has to eventually happen. That soft landing everyone wants will not happen, and the roof will fall in(sorry, housing industry) at some future point, probably after the present crop of failed politicans leaves office. It will be worse than it was in 2008. Prepare.

Why I'm Not Shorting Diedrich Coffee

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:34:10 -0400

Know a woman who spends $1k a year in Starbucks. In a 40 year work span, that's $40k bucks that could have been invested. I probably spent no more than $1k total in the last 40 years on coffee.

Spending like she does on Starbucks-type coffee is the new paradigm for having too much money. Used to be cocaine, but is coffee really any different? Just the words.

Why I'm Not Shorting Diedrich Coffee

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:33:44 -0400

Know a woman who spends $1k a year in Starbucks. In a 40 year work span, that's $40k bucks that could have been invested. I probably spent no more than $1k total in the last 40 years on coffee.

Spending like she does on Starbucks-type coffee is the new paradigm for of having too much money. Used to be cocaine, but is coffee really any different? Just the words.

Why I'm Not Shorting Diedrich Coffee

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:33:35 -0400

Know a woman who spends $1k a year in Starbucks. In a 40 year work span, that's $40k bucks that could have been invested. I probably spent no more than $1k total in the last 40 years on coffee.

Spending like she does on Starbucks-type coffee is the new paradigm for of having too much money. Used to be cocaine, but is coffee really any different? Just words.

How Washington's Policymakers Are Damaging the U.S. Economy

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:53:24 -0400

Anyone who concentrates his entire being into all things money is sure to disrupt greatly the personal society in which he functions. Multiply that by millions doing the same, and the entire country's society is disrupted to great damage. That very intrinsic human problem allowed, nay, promoted, to flourish, is our main problem and concern that must be changed by socio-governmental ideology...........and that is the love, nay, the adoration, nay, the worship, of money over all other things in life. That base and grubby religion has been promised, promoted, and sold to the American public for 3 decades running, and the big chicken of shameful comeuppance is now coming home to roost on all of our guilty heads.

The Greatest Depression Is Coming

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:03 -0400

And, there will always be uncaring, greedy economic predators who take every and full advantage of those most in need and in trouble in hard times. We have no collective conscience in America any longer as we have lost the shared brotherhood we had in building this country from scratch. What is left now to still grow like bacteria cultures are the gov't supported financial industries profiting like vultures from the ignorance, confusion and misfortune of others, all the while under total government approval and support, in policy as well as financial. This corrosive plague has now seeped into every level of our society and also into the very bowels of the gov't that is charged to protect us, and we may not survive its damage as a country. I opine that our survival odds are no better than 50/50 and the next two decades will tell the tale.

Two Madoff victims are the first to take their fight to the SEC: They want their $2.4M back and are suing the agency for negligence.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:04:54 -0400

Any monies ever paid by the SEC in a lawsuit are from taxes paid by American taxpayers, and not from the SEC employees who bungled their oversight of Madoff. This lawsuit is a giant ruse from the gitgo, as Madoff is being sued by tons of people so the chances of getting anything that way is nil. So, other avenues are being explored by these unfeeling jerks, no matter who pays.

Oh, but the taxpayers have deep pockets so why not add to their burden by getting them to pay for the gov't's incompetence? This is as bad or worse than Madoff and should be disallowed. Instead, these jerks should sue Madoff and stand in line like the rest of them!