ChickenLips

Bottled Water and Other Casualties of the Recession

Smart people who plan their financial futures with due diligence have been living like this for years, that's why they are not suffering too badly during this recession. It's the free spending idiots who are now being forced to play catch-up. I'm kind of glad this recession happened. It's a slap in the face that we needed badly. Unsustainable lifestyles contribute nothing but unproductive debt and they also harm the environment.

Pay, Bonuses and Perks: Corporate View vs. Populist View

This logic doesn't make sense for anybody that works for a living in this country. What about the factory worker/technician that earns $70k/year who builds merchandise that sells for $millions$ in the marketplace? Where is his 20% bonus? According to your logic, this worker should be paid "fairly" for bringing in millions of dollars of revenue to his firm. But more than likely, this worker is just paid a flat salary unlike your Wall Street hero. This is why you will not find any sympathy for executive compsensation from Main Street USA.

My point is that it takes a helluva lot of people to make things happen in this country, but the system only rewards those at the top. It remains to be seen how long inequality will remain acceptable in the good ol' USA.


On Aug 09 11:33 PM Mad Hedge Fund Trader wrote:

> sdfgs. It always irritates the hell out of me when those off Wall
> Street try to tell those of us on Wall Street how to pay ourselves,
> contract issues aside. The only reason Phibro’s Andrew Hall is owed
> $100 million is because he made $500 million for his beleaguered
> Citigroup (seekingalpha.com/symbol/c) parent. C needs more
> traders like him, not fewer. A 20% performance bonus is the most
> common of hedge fund compensation arrangements. What Main Streeters
> don’t get is that in bad years you get paid zero, and in fact, get
> a due bill, if you throw in the overhead. If C shareholders don’t
> like the deal, they can hire the guy who is happy to work for 10%,
> or 5%, or the fixed salary of a postal worker, but they may not like
> the results.

A Reality Check on U.S. 'Economic Recovery'

My mortgage becomes variable in March and I CAN'T qualify for refinancing even if I wanted to, trust me I've been rejected. My payments are current but I don't know what's going to happen next year when my rate resets.

How is it beneficial to the economy and society if I foreclose on my home and walk away? How come the wealthy bank owners get bailouts but there aren't any refinancing programs to help people like me keep their homes and society stable?

I guess the economy and the stock market CAN grow if the middle class is decimated. At least that's what my government is telling me.

The New Reality for Higher Education

It's unfortunate that America doesn't value a broad based education in the arts & sciences any longer. Right now the "real world" of business enterprise could use a little dose of insightfulness and creativity that business and engineering majors lack in their decision making. Not everything, especially higher education, has to revolve around profits and expenses.


On Jul 24 09:52 AM relaplan1 wrote:

> There are so many "mickey mouse" areas of study at the university
> that prospective students must carefully choose a major to develop
> marketplace skills. Nearly all of the recent college graduates I
> know have "mickey mouse" degrees and none of them have jobs. One,
> an accounting major, has a job.

When Will the Market Turn Negative Again?

Population growth will get us out of this mess? That's amusing. I guess all these babies come out of the womb with wads of cash attached to their feet. Babies do demand more services and products, but if their parents are broke and don't have any disposable income, does an increase in population really help the economy? Look at third world countries.

Seriously, what concerns me the most is that most of my laid off friends are draining their 401k accounts to supplement their weak unemployment benefits. According to our government statistics, nearly 10% of the population is unemployed. If the unemployed drain their retirement accounts (which we all know what is happening since their incomes are falling), that's 10% more people who will definitely be dependent on the government in the future too. Where is the recovery in that? The stock market has to dip soon, this foolishness can't go on any further.

Kindle's Here - Close the Book on Barnes & Noble

For now, this is purely a trendy gadget for electronics geeks. Avid book readers will prefer traditional books because they are cheap, unbreakable, manageable, and can be re-sold when we're done reading them! Electronic books are still way too expensive to be a real contender in the marketplace. These devices need to be free or the electronic media needs to be very low cost since I can't readily re-sell it yet. I might buy one if either of these costs gets lowered.

Best Buy Seeing New Competition?

Best Buy does not offer any value. Their prices are higher than their competitors, and they have atrocious customer service. I don't think I've found a store with less interested or less motivated employees. I avoid this store like the plague!

Not News: CD Buyers Disappearing Daily. Might Be News: Music Buyers Disappearing, Too

Let's not forget that music today is totally horrible! I don't even bother "browsing" the latest CDs because they are all made by pre-manufactured corporate management. My last downloads were by real artists in the 60s-80s. I paid for those downloads because I want top quality. Record companies complain that the internet is killing the modern record industry, actually, it's these clown "artists" they push on us. Junk!

What to Buy and Why: Barron's 2009 Roundtable, Part II

AMAT might be a silly pick if as far as traditional microprocessor manufacturing is concerned (Intel's earnings dropped like a rock). But let's consider the future. The new administration might pass some serious legislation benefitting solar cell manufacturing here in the US. AMAT would be the obvious pick since a majority of manufacturers would be purchasing AMAT equipment/service contracts. Buying AMAT in the Q1 trough might not be a bad idea for a LONG term investment.

All Time Low Consumer Confidence Good News from Contrarian Perspective

During past recessions, credit saved the day. This time around, it's different. Credit has dried up for business and consumers. Besides, consumers are up to their neck in outstanding debt. In my opinion, the inflection point in the stock market will occur when the Obama administration gives huge tax incentives for business development in the US, and the credit markets are "forced" to lend to business investment Then I'll confidently start buying stocks like mad.

Questioning the Relevance of Abercrombie

If you pay more than $40 for a pair of sweatshop jeans, you are an idiot. If you pay more than $60 for a pair of jeans for your kid, you are an even bigger idiot!

How High Will Unemployment Go?

Why do all these analysts expect a recovery in a couple of months? For the past year, we have been reading articles just like this one, all we need is a "couple of more months to recover". This recovery will take years and requires long-term planning, I hope Obama's administration is effective in their long-term execution. But it appears to me that this administration is going to be yet another conservative disappointment. Same ol' BS.

Does Geithner Deserve a Pass for His Poor Tax Paying Performance?

He's busted, and willing to take shortcuts to get what he wants. We don't need another Bushie like that. I'm sure he makes the big bucks, who advised him on his taxes back then?

Are New Market Lows Likely in 2009?

We still haven't seen the effects from post-Christmas layoffs. Don't forget, The Big 3 are still collapsing. Corporate earnings will decline rapidly this year as more and more people lose their jobs and tighten their spending. We all want to be optimistic, but the fundamentals don't support it yet.

Obama Reconsiders Digital TV Transition Date

Anything to expand broadband connections is well worth it. Don't delay it! Why would you pay for cable/satellite TV if everything is going to be "free" on the internet? Besides, everything on TV is garbage, including the news, too much fluff. I can get my news instantly, and for free on the internet.