Hot Richard

The Intrinsic Value of Nothing, Part 2

Not just the shell game, but the Ponzi scheme also is about to end.

Let me get muddy...

"You von mise idiots are clueless."
Always a hint that someone smart is posting.

"Sovereignty is priceless."
Only the biggest gun has sovereignty, and no one else. This is the rule of violence in which we live, but refuse to admit.

"The ability to direct affairs to protect an entity in crises is as valuable as life itself."
The state will sacrifice ALL for the continuation of the state--even when the people would be better off without the state. Horribly, the people are often complicit and walk willingly to their death for the state.

"Laissez-faire in peace.... direction during crisis... is the essence of why one system of belief's survive and another collapses."
There is never peace and never Laissez-faire--only the illusion--if there is the state.

"The value of a wise structure of sovereignty, like american democracy is what you are attacking."
Let me be the most ardent attacker of the false god: democracy. No need to use "America" or "wise" as adjectives here. They don't apply.

It's Raining Silver!

Reminds me of a weekend of experimentation in Thailand.

Wal-Mart Executives: There Are Families Not Eating at the End of the Month

Walmart sent good paying manufacturing jobs overseas...where kids overseas now could eat because their parents now had jobs. AND back in the USA, millions of consumers got more for less at Walmart (oh, the horror of capitalism). Why does all the socialism and moral hugging stop at the border? Hungry kids across the border are still hungry kids. If I "gots to help the children", I "gots to help 'em all." Praise Jesus. We are all God's children.

Hungry kids in the USA and some of you are blaming Walmart? UCMTSU! Start (and end) with Congress and American's support of a one-party (Big Government) system that is corrupt and inefficient as the day is long while also knowing diddly-poo about economics.

Wowzer. America sinks to being TERRIFIED of competition for low-ass-paying jobs. Don't worry, they're coming back...your kids and grandkids will have them.

I've done a considerable amount of charity work the last decade with the poorest of the poor. I cannot remember a single instance of someone being without food who didn't also have horrible spending priorities. Don't smoke, don't buy booze, have roommates, cook your own food (live mostly vegetarian), don't own a cell phone, don't own a car, don't have a cable TV bill, and shop for bargain clothes. Done and done. You aren't going to be living large, but you can at least feed your damn kids!

Yes, there is a penalty for electing morons for most of this century. Your citizens start to starve. Stop crying "no fair".

I sincerely hope that a lot of Americans get the opportunity to experience socialism. You'll love it, really, because they'll tell you that you love it.

Unemployment: It's Even Worse than You Think

If I had a time machine and Ron Paul, I wouldn't waste my time saving the USA. You can have your government-provided utopia illusion.

Remember people, we are WAY PAST the event horizon. The downward spinning will continue to accelerate at an accelerating pace.

Burn, baby, burn...and profit from it. Not real popular, but I'm not the one crashing the plane.

And Bernanke Didn't Think Unemployment Would Reach 10%

You migh want to consider that Bernanke is a liar.

Employment: Neither Quality Nor Quantity

Government is the fox guarding the hen house and the fox doesn't give a hoot if he eats all the chickens. All the fox cares about is getting his noms. Hint: you, your kids, and your earnings are the chickens.

Gov spending (and debt) will increase and increase and increase and increase and increase. You are not fighting for fiscal responsibility. You are at war with the dogma of socialism. But don't worry, serfdom is just up the road.

America, The Nanny State

This is no crossroads. It is 200mph down a road that ends in a brick wall. Socialism will expand (and State powers will grow) until collapse. There will be no intellectual revolution in the voting booth. And it'll take more than one collapse before capitalism returns.

Invest accordingly. But be aware that there is no limit to the State's ability to tax you and limit your options to flee.

Pelosi: New health care bill is 'historic moment'-Update 3: 11/6/09

So many grand plans on how to best spend my money.

The Intrinsic Value of Nothing, Part 1

"...organized government representing the will of a sovereign people ..."

Please provide an example.

"Yet that we have among us the blind leading the blind into a ditch is not necessarily a bad thing. How else might wiser minds gain the path of least resistance in rising to the top?"

Now you're talking. Burn, baby, burn!

The Intrinsic Value of Nothing, Part 1

Bruce E. W.,
You have won the "Worst Post Ever" award as your lengthy response can be summed up as basically you saying "You're a poopy pants because I said you're a poopypants." You provided NO SUBSTANCE, just numbing bloviation. A truly amazing and comical post in at least a dozen ways.

When you want to logically destroy a premise, don't ramble. Construct, man, construct! Unless you didn't really want to logically compete against the Austrians at all...hmmmm.

PS: Don't hate on Dictatorships. It is un-American.

"As with most of Austrian Economics, you have much of a cart before the horse and a dead horse at that. There is something of a dogmatic herd instinct to your blind trust, and the headstrong denial of failures in application are always smoozed over by transferance of synptoms to the Doctor. Historically and analytically, Austrian Economics descends not from pure science as it purports (numbers and quantification can obscure as much as they can predict; but even predictive quantity and projections of probability are only as good as the horses that are being run). But instead it stands as a reflection of a proud Aristocratic form of a Golden Liberty style of Dictatorship of the majority by the minority.

The work of Hayek can only be assessed in a process that sees the early "cold war" ideological backdrop of his period. Over time there are qualifications that he included which are omitted by current proponents of the herd instinct economic advisors. Mises' statement that you quote, meanwhile, suggests clearly that Mises'
numbers were more convincing than his narrow minded thought and reasoning. Action is certainly not always purposeful; it can be reactive (especially on the market...perhaps exampled by what you are attempting to accomplish with this diatribunal to hail hail, we're all going to fail dissasociation from REAL purposeful direction). And much of the consequences of your rally will be reactive itself (milking reflex reactions with pride and prejudice). That is to say it is behavioristic and its subject to conditioned reflex like Pavlov's dog. Perverted incentives and big bonus capital behavior modification will take purposeful action for a joy ride off the roof.

Of course the other side of the coin says that momentum is a random walk; totally unrelated to past incidence. Prevailing sentiment is unpredictable overall but the "purposeful" actions of some behaviorist praxis is to work the trend and provoke the principles of leverage that can evoke fear and doubt into self serving market logic. "

Dollar Forced to Abdicate Its Throne

A country that willingly weakens its currency tells as much about its objectives as does a country that willingly goes trillions of dollars into debt.

Nothing here good for Americans until Ponzi Politics ends.

The government will reportedly order deep pay cuts from the biggest bailout recipients in a plan the Treasury will announce in the next few days. The seven companies that got the most assistance will have to cut cash payouts to their top 25 execs by an average of 90% - to be replaced by stock that they'll be restricted from immediately selling - and cut their total compensation by 50%.

If you think it isn't political, it is. It is always politics.

We're talking about 25 super rich dudes at companies heavily touched by the US Gov.

This is a press release that Dems can quote in elections to get cheers from the fire and pitchfork crowd.

The Hypocrisy and High Stakes of Healthcare Reform

I support the Stossel plan: Everyone that wants health care insurance should BUY health care insurance.

U.S. Stock Markets Are Disconnected from Reality

A fundamental-focused investor is in the same boat as a vegetarian at a pig roast.

Three Asset Classes that Can Actually Outpace Coming Inflationary Price Increases

Energy looks like a golden goose that lays golden eggs on a golden nest. And I mean in BRIC as well as the USSA.

Congratulations to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. So far they are looking pretty good. And by "pretty good" I mean "sane".