Rico44

Four Home Furnishing Stocks for a Housing Recovery

Joe;
I don't want to quibble over the small stuff, but thought I'd comment on point # 2 in your rebuttal to Chris B. You state, "because the more dollars you put in the more you get out, a simple notion in real estate valuation". This may have been the old notion in real estate, but lately it has been 'the more you put in, the more you lose/have lost'. I'm not sure any of the old 'notions' are valid anymore...

Why Mortgage Modifications Have Failed

MattZN; You really didn't just say "Bernanke actually managed to pull off holding off inflation long enough for the home prices to bottom.", did you? Bottom? When? Now? Somehow, I think that is more than just a little overly-optimistic! Check back mid-2010 and see where your average home prices are at that point....

Hidden Risk for Canadian Oil Sands: Environmentalism

Jack; I'd say your definition of 'display' is a bit out to lunch. With the exception of the area between the Suncor and Syncrude sites, as you are driving north fromFort McMurray, it is hard to see any of the 'environmental devastation' that you so eloquently describe. Grant it, from the air, the view is not quite so pretty.... Perhaps you can tell me about ANY 'happy' North American Native Indians who don't have full time employment and a decent life style? Know of any? The Native personnel in the Fort McMurray area are looked after VERY well by each and every plant site in the area.

Home Buyers: Conspicuously Missing Legislation

RM; Maybe this is over-simplistic, but if we had requested (demanded) the 5% down payment over the past 5 years, perhaps there would not be so many people living in, or giving up the keys to, houses they cannot afford, and should have never been in, in the first place. There's a reason you don't give a house to just anyone. Make them prove they can afford it first, then talk...

The Right Way to Do an Option ARM

Mr. Ferguson, I'm shocked! Are you Canadian by any chance? What you've suggested is exactly what Canada has been doing with their mortgages for decades. Nice to see someone else agrees with how the Canadian system works.

Petro-Canada / Suncor Offers Attractive Long Term Value

Jarco; would you care to back up your statements regarding the Oil Sands with any shred of documentation? Investments going south? Negative. Scaled back in proportion to the rest of the financial mess the US has caused? Yes. Suncor's capital expenditures of $3 billion for 2009 still exceeds the vast majority of companies in Canada, and I'd be willing to bet the US as well. For someone to say that 'too much natural gas' is a strike against Suncor leads me to believe they don't know that Suncor produces more natural gas than they use... Environment? Let's look at coal plants in the USA whose net environmental damage far exceeds anything produced by the oil sands. Seems like a little homework is in order.