gemonk21's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/247294/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/122958-it-s-an-economic-reset-not-a-recession?source=feed#comment-405132 405132 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:42:01 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/119352-tim-geithner-vs-the-american-banking-elite?source=feed#comment-386189 386189
Elite
–noun 1. (often used with a plural verb) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
2. (used with a plural verb) persons of the highest class: Only the elite were there.
3. a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group: the power elite of a major political party.

the plural, elites, a noun, is also in the dictionary. Tree-huggers - now that's jargon.

On Feb 11 12:26 PM antiquary wrote:

> I hope if nothing else happens people will at least stop quacking
> about "elites." Calling 'em vested interests is fine. Apart from
> the root word being an adjective and not a noun, "elites" is jargon,
> and jargon is something used mainly by one of the demons of modern
> life-- activists who are essentially uninterested in thinking. Elites,
> fundies, tree-huggers-- all excuses to turn off your brain.]]> Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:10:10 -0500
Elite
–noun 1. (often used with a plural verb) the choice or best of anything considered collectively, as of a group or class of persons.
2. (used with a plural verb) persons of the highest class: Only the elite were there.
3. a group of persons exercising the major share of authority or influence within a larger group: the power elite of a major political party.

the plural, elites, a noun, is also in the dictionary. Tree-huggers - now that's jargon.

On Feb 11 12:26 PM antiquary wrote:

> I hope if nothing else happens people will at least stop quacking
> about "elites." Calling 'em vested interests is fine. Apart from
> the root word being an adjective and not a noun, "elites" is jargon,
> and jargon is something used mainly by one of the demons of modern
> life-- activists who are essentially uninterested in thinking. Elites,
> fundies, tree-huggers-- all excuses to turn off your brain.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/119352-tim-geithner-vs-the-american-banking-elite?source=feed#comment-381254 381254
An interesting concept, but how does it work? The banks are recapitalizing using fiat printed by the fed quite literally out of thin air.

Does it make sense mathematically that the failure of 5% or so of the mortgages in America should lead to a global meltdown?
]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:15:10 -0500
An interesting concept, but how does it work? The banks are recapitalizing using fiat printed by the fed quite literally out of thin air.

Does it make sense mathematically that the failure of 5% or so of the mortgages in America should lead to a global meltdown?
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/119352-tim-geithner-vs-the-american-banking-elite?source=feed#comment-381068 381068
Maybe the elites are rewriting the rules as we speak - remember, the entire fractional reserve system (or any economic structure, for that matter) is at root an idea not a physical reality. Maybe some clever someone is working on a grander scale than we imagine, and is doing it very well. Just maybe...]]> Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:29:58 -0500
Maybe the elites are rewriting the rules as we speak - remember, the entire fractional reserve system (or any economic structure, for that matter) is at root an idea not a physical reality. Maybe some clever someone is working on a grander scale than we imagine, and is doing it very well. Just maybe...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/113162-the-law-of-unintended-consequences-20th-century-and-beyond?source=feed#comment-346810 346810
Is our corporate/federal leadership culture is riddled with corruption, from the very top down, and has been for five decades or so?

Have we allowed venal leaders to manipulate our society into spending foolishly at home, and backing adventures abroad, for the leaders' personal gain?

Did we allow these very same leaders to bail themselves out of a financial crisis when their calculations did not mesh with reality - using our money?

Have we allowed them to plant the seeds of tyranny right here in our yard?

Does this ecdonomic crisis feel somewhat engineered to you?

Hence my earlier question - what do we, whom Jefferson left in charge of protecting freedom, do?
]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:30:58 -0500
Is our corporate/federal leadership culture is riddled with corruption, from the very top down, and has been for five decades or so?

Have we allowed venal leaders to manipulate our society into spending foolishly at home, and backing adventures abroad, for the leaders' personal gain?

Did we allow these very same leaders to bail themselves out of a financial crisis when their calculations did not mesh with reality - using our money?

Have we allowed them to plant the seeds of tyranny right here in our yard?

Does this ecdonomic crisis feel somewhat engineered to you?

Hence my earlier question - what do we, whom Jefferson left in charge of protecting freedom, do?
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/113162-the-law-of-unintended-consequences-20th-century-and-beyond?source=feed#comment-346247 346247
What can I do confront the military-industrial complex? I am not fatalistic in any sense of the term - I simply do not know what I can do to turn back the tides. suggestions? ]]> Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:23:56 -0500
What can I do confront the military-industrial complex? I am not fatalistic in any sense of the term - I simply do not know what I can do to turn back the tides. suggestions? ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/112450-2009-expecting-a-massive-rally?source=feed#comment-342718 342718
in the scheme of things, both of us have been here but an instant, we have seen very little, and we know next to nothing.

negativity without basis is equally unsound as optimism without basis.

the sun is shining warmly today. get some fresh air...


On Dec 31 11:58 AM bobbobwhite wrote:

> This article shows a great example of what I have been writing about
> for nearly 6 months......that our trumped-up economy based almost
> entirely on perpetual consumer spending and ever increasing GDP has
> thoroughly inculcated younger financial writers with a "growth at
> all costs" market enthusiasm that is not justified by what is happening
> in economic reality. They seem to think all things financial will
> always revert to the high point of the cycle, and not to the mean,
> let alone the low point.
>
> This optimistic nature without a solid basis, this Disneyland, Pollyanna,
> constant upbeat attitude that all things will right themselves in
> our best interests naturally shows itself in "sense of entitlement"
> younger people far more than in older ones who are more likely to
> have witnessed at least some of the severe deprivation and life-threatening
> hardships of the Great Depression that did not end until WWII ended...16
> hard years long.
>
> None of these younger writers has ever experienced the tragedies
> of those killer days, so is writing as if an authority from an incomplete
> life experience lacking the full cycle witnessing of boom and total
> bust. Not ever seeing a total bust as was the Great Depression makes
> their falsely persuaded opinions as empty and valueless as market
> gains this year.]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:19:02 -0500
in the scheme of things, both of us have been here but an instant, we have seen very little, and we know next to nothing.

negativity without basis is equally unsound as optimism without basis.

the sun is shining warmly today. get some fresh air...


On Dec 31 11:58 AM bobbobwhite wrote:

> This article shows a great example of what I have been writing about
> for nearly 6 months......that our trumped-up economy based almost
> entirely on perpetual consumer spending and ever increasing GDP has
> thoroughly inculcated younger financial writers with a "growth at
> all costs" market enthusiasm that is not justified by what is happening
> in economic reality. They seem to think all things financial will
> always revert to the high point of the cycle, and not to the mean,
> let alone the low point.
>
> This optimistic nature without a solid basis, this Disneyland, Pollyanna,
> constant upbeat attitude that all things will right themselves in
> our best interests naturally shows itself in "sense of entitlement"
> younger people far more than in older ones who are more likely to
> have witnessed at least some of the severe deprivation and life-threatening
> hardships of the Great Depression that did not end until WWII ended...16
> hard years long.
>
> None of these younger writers has ever experienced the tragedies
> of those killer days, so is writing as if an authority from an incomplete
> life experience lacking the full cycle witnessing of boom and total
> bust. Not ever seeing a total bust as was the Great Depression makes
> their falsely persuaded opinions as empty and valueless as market
> gains this year.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/112450-2009-expecting-a-massive-rally?source=feed#comment-342539 342539

On Dec 31 10:41 AM jiltedpatriot wrote:

> In response to the previous posts about "blood in the streets buy
> now", if you had done that in December of 1930 after a 45% drop in
> the DJIA by March 8 of 1932 you would of lost more than half of your
> investment. Bear market rallies are death traps to "buy and hold"
> If you notice every one of those rallies of the late 20s and early
> 30s were followed by larger percentage sell-offs. Up 21%; Down 37%;
> Up 28%; Down 44%; Up 35%; Down 39%. Do the math. The return of your
> principle was horrible in the 30s and looks the same now. Timing
> is everthing. Just remember even though there was 5 large rallies
> of the early 30s the DJIA lost 81%. Sept 3 1929 381 points March
> 8 1932 71 points.]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2008 11:10:27 -0500

On Dec 31 10:41 AM jiltedpatriot wrote:

> In response to the previous posts about "blood in the streets buy
> now", if you had done that in December of 1930 after a 45% drop in
> the DJIA by March 8 of 1932 you would of lost more than half of your
> investment. Bear market rallies are death traps to "buy and hold"
> If you notice every one of those rallies of the late 20s and early
> 30s were followed by larger percentage sell-offs. Up 21%; Down 37%;
> Up 28%; Down 44%; Up 35%; Down 39%. Do the math. The return of your
> principle was horrible in the 30s and looks the same now. Timing
> is everthing. Just remember even though there was 5 large rallies
> of the early 30s the DJIA lost 81%. Sept 3 1929 381 points March
> 8 1932 71 points.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/112450-2009-expecting-a-massive-rally?source=feed#comment-342477 342477
I bought this stock well under a buck (many shares), and I will sell half of them when and if the price doubles. Thus I will have many shares at a cost of $0. I have already done this with Wachovia, AIG, Citi and Ford (carrying C and F at a small per share cost, but way under a buck).

HTM - US Geothermal: research it - I think you might agree that this one is a potential flyer. Same for BCON. COT is a debt service play, and now a bit over a buck, but a potential winner. LEA is around a buck today - will do as well as the overall auto industry.

If you include stocks under $3/share, the pickings become even more interesting.

My general point is that there are some real bargains out there right now. Unless you truly expect the system to collapse, start poking under the rocks for bargains. I am looking at SIRI - 12 cents/share - can only rise if mgmt can scale the debt hurdle - great product.

For the record, I am long FNM, HTM, LEA, AIG, COT. Also long GLD, SLV, PAL, and many others. Roughly 50% of my holdings are long American equities.]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:32:04 -0500
I bought this stock well under a buck (many shares), and I will sell half of them when and if the price doubles. Thus I will have many shares at a cost of $0. I have already done this with Wachovia, AIG, Citi and Ford (carrying C and F at a small per share cost, but way under a buck).

HTM - US Geothermal: research it - I think you might agree that this one is a potential flyer. Same for BCON. COT is a debt service play, and now a bit over a buck, but a potential winner. LEA is around a buck today - will do as well as the overall auto industry.

If you include stocks under $3/share, the pickings become even more interesting.

My general point is that there are some real bargains out there right now. Unless you truly expect the system to collapse, start poking under the rocks for bargains. I am looking at SIRI - 12 cents/share - can only rise if mgmt can scale the debt hurdle - great product.

For the record, I am long FNM, HTM, LEA, AIG, COT. Also long GLD, SLV, PAL, and many others. Roughly 50% of my holdings are long American equities.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/112450-2009-expecting-a-massive-rally?source=feed#comment-341291 341291 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:57:36 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/107598-the-sun-is-shining-on-wall-street?source=feed#comment-313690 313690
this is the great strength of america; resolve and resiliency will pull us through again. i think i feel it this morning, too. i am not an obamite, actually, a ron paul guy. i am, however, an american, and i understand the consequences of failure.

i think it is time to bet on america once again.]]> Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:20:41 -0500
this is the great strength of america; resolve and resiliency will pull us through again. i think i feel it this morning, too. i am not an obamite, actually, a ron paul guy. i am, however, an american, and i understand the consequences of failure.

i think it is time to bet on america once again.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/107007-the-smoking-gun-of-the-credit-crisis-fico?source=feed#comment-311195 311195 DU), Freddie uses Loan Prospector (LP), and others have their own in-house systems modelled on the GSEs.

Once the AUS made a buy decision, it was virtually impossible to overturn, even if you knew there was something not right about the findings. Between 2000 and 2006, underwriting standards became slacker and slacker, and a higher and higher proportion of loans were approved by AUS.

I also underwrote sub-primes for the wall street investors. They did not ever want to hear "this is not a good loan". they bought all this trash knowing it was trash - "the model accounts for fraud and lower credit quality" they said repeatedly. Whistling past the graveyard...]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:46:21 -0500 DU), Freddie uses Loan Prospector (LP), and others have their own in-house systems modelled on the GSEs.

Once the AUS made a buy decision, it was virtually impossible to overturn, even if you knew there was something not right about the findings. Between 2000 and 2006, underwriting standards became slacker and slacker, and a higher and higher proportion of loans were approved by AUS.

I also underwrote sub-primes for the wall street investors. They did not ever want to hear "this is not a good loan". they bought all this trash knowing it was trash - "the model accounts for fraud and lower credit quality" they said repeatedly. Whistling past the graveyard...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/104719-the-shallowest-generation-a-rebuttal?source=feed#comment-300146 300146 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:02:23 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/104719-the-shallowest-generation-a-rebuttal?source=feed#comment-300117 300117
could talk all day about who is to blame for the debt bomb, and who is more shallow. neither is a function of age. has anybody thought about torching madison avenue yet?]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:47:13 -0500
could talk all day about who is to blame for the debt bomb, and who is more shallow. neither is a function of age. has anybody thought about torching madison avenue yet?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/103820-dollar-tsunami-the-wave-may-be-about-to-crest?source=feed#comment-297853 297853 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:55:58 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/103408-where-have-all-the-peak-oil-believers-gone?source=feed#comment-295882 295882
hopefully the artificial scenario that has played out over the last 18 months - huge rise and fall of oil prices - has convinced us of the need to find a better energy solution. the price of oil wont be especially relevant to a self-sufficient nation using wind, wave, sun, geo sources (using our heads instead of killing our kids) for our precious energy.

so dont think for a second the fundamentals have changed. be hopeful, instead, that we are coming to our senses, and that only one artificial spike spurs us into action.

and please dont pose a "where are they now" question. we are right here, seeing the same thing we always have, ringing the same bell we have rung for 30 years - "dont fight for oil, do use the truly great American resource - ingenuity - to solve the problem".]]> Sat, 01 Nov 2008 17:22:24 -0400
hopefully the artificial scenario that has played out over the last 18 months - huge rise and fall of oil prices - has convinced us of the need to find a better energy solution. the price of oil wont be especially relevant to a self-sufficient nation using wind, wave, sun, geo sources (using our heads instead of killing our kids) for our precious energy.

so dont think for a second the fundamentals have changed. be hopeful, instead, that we are coming to our senses, and that only one artificial spike spurs us into action.

and please dont pose a "where are they now" question. we are right here, seeing the same thing we always have, ringing the same bell we have rung for 30 years - "dont fight for oil, do use the truly great American resource - ingenuity - to solve the problem".]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/93053-how-to-explain-fiat-currency-to-silverbugs?source=feed#comment-240894 240894 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:24:06 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/92529-the-real-story-of-precious-metals-returns?source=feed#comment-238592 238592 Even by Brad Ziglar's logic, if you expect a slump in the stock market, buy metals. ]]> Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:55:17 -0400 Even by Brad Ziglar's logic, if you expect a slump in the stock market, buy metals. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/92429-why-should-i-own-gold?source=feed#comment-238546 238546 I am long GLD, which is a completely different strategy from holding physical gold. I hold GLD because the price of stored gold will of necessity catch up with the burgeoning shortage of physical gold. My profits are in dollars, I know, and that is an issue, but it feels like a better hedge than, say, bank stocks.
I hold gold and gold ETF because they are among the relative handful of things which will hold value if it hits the fan. And it might.]]> Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:14:33 -0400 I am long GLD, which is a completely different strategy from holding physical gold. I hold GLD because the price of stored gold will of necessity catch up with the burgeoning shortage of physical gold. My profits are in dollars, I know, and that is an issue, but it feels like a better hedge than, say, bank stocks.
I hold gold and gold ETF because they are among the relative handful of things which will hold value if it hits the fan. And it might.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/91957-silver-and-gold-buy-hold-or-run?source=feed#comment-235636 235636 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:15:27 -0400