Uncommon_Cents

More foreclosure stories: Neighbors surprised to see a Wells Fargo (WFC) executive using an oceanfront home, lost by a couple duped by Bernard Madoff, for weekends and eye-catching parties - and an agent saying that the bank refused to show the house to interested buyers.

Unemployment is rising, wages are stagnant, the government is pushing massive debt on the taxpayers to subsidise the existence of failed corporations and individuals. There is a reason manufacturers of firearms and ammunition are running full speed and still cannot keep up. Keep giving the people reason to seethe.

One Problem with Newspaper Micropayments

The entire MSM is going the way of the dinosaur, newspapers included. They can try to monetize relationships or content, but they will invariably fail. There is so little in the way of investigative journalism now. It is mostly infotainment pandering to one party or the other.

And who are newspapers to pitch a fit over quoting? Most local newspapers reprint several articles obtained from the national gasbags.

Charting the lone advertising bright spot: Cable TV.

Cable - pay for the service AND you get to watch commercials for 30% of the show!

The Internet will put an end to this in due time. Sites like Hulu can be accessed through media centers like the Playstation 3 for a much more pleasant, free, entertainment experience. It will take time for the Internet/television intergration to become the norm, but it will be.

The Tyranny of the CPM

CPM stands for, "Cost Per Thousand", with M (the Roman numeral) taking the place of "T" for thousand. It should have been explained in the article, but Mr. Salmon frequently writes with a very specific target audience in mind, conscientiously or not.


On Aug 26 12:54 PM Alan Young wrote:

> I don't know what CPM stands for, and couldn't find it referenced
> in the article. Clarification?

Loans Aren't Better than Securities

Phase 1 and Phase 2 are the same. Bad loans, whether securitized or not, are the problem. Plain and simple.

All three stock indexes closed at their 2009 highs, as did oil. For the week: Dow up 1.9%; S&P up 2.2%, Nasdaq up 1.8%. Five out of six up weeks, as Ben Bernanke says the worst is behind us.

I think one has to seperate best for the corporate interests from best for citizen interests to understand the meaning of the such utterances.

Average Detroit Home Price Falls to $11,596

Perhaps the illegal immigrants could be granted amnesty if they agree to, and successfully, move to Detroit and purchase a home in which they live for a minimum of 10 years.

Place Not Your Hopes in Mortgage Servicers

Forget loan modifications, there's too many reasons they won't work. Debtors who are prone to re-default, moral hazard, servicers looking only to line their pockets, etc.

Let's just institute a speedy foreclosure porcess, and get these homes in the hands of landlords. The idea that every American should own his or her home can come back around when personal responsibility once again takes hold as a core principle. Until then, renter nation.

Chatter that hedge fund manager John Paulson has taken as much as a $3B long position in the dollar.

Chatter that hedge fund manager John Paulson has taken as much as $10B from the government to help prop up the perception of a recovery and soon to be good times.

Let the regulators go after overpaid bank executives, Barry Ritholtz says, but not Andrew Hall - one of Citigroup's (C) most profitable traders ever. Earning lots of money isn't inherently bad - except when it's paid for non-performance.

The populist outrage over such a large sum of money being paid out is certainly understandable, especially during a time in which many are losing their job and/or home.
But, win, lose or draw with respect to Mr. Hall's earnings for Citi is irrelevant. This is an individual who had a contract, and it needs to be honored.

MSNBC Acquires Hyperlocal News Aggregator EveryBlock

This is a bit off topic, as I will not be replying directly about the content of the post. But it is certainly related, so I am hoping someone here can help me:

Yesterday I began a search to find a news (preferably political news) site that is setup like "Seeking Alpha". Somewhere I can go that will have a good, categorized selection of links to stories, as well as the comment streams.

Not looking for something that is inherently left or right, as SA is neither bullish nor bearish. Just want news and discussion. Any help appreciated.

Where The NYT Beats The WSJ

Evidence that readers of the New York Times are more likely to engage in petty theft than readers of the Wall Street Journal?

Or, potential readers of the Wall Street Journal are too busy with their white collar crimes to be bothered with stealing a measly newspaper?

Jim Rogers: Focus on China

Rogers is always a pleasure to see. He is well respected for good reason His sensible, common sense approach to investing is usually spot on, and that he isn't affraid to speak his mind makes it entertaining as well.

Peter Schiff vs. the Fed

This is good warmup stuff for Schiff. He is going to have to craft his message to appeal to the masses whom are not highly, or even moderatley, literate in economics. Lawrence O'Donnell started in on him there, and he also attempted to take Mr. Schiff to task while he was hosting "The Ed Show" on MSNBC (search the clip on Internet if interested).

I have no doubt Peter Schiff will be able to raise the capital he requires for his run, but whether he will be able to convey his message that government is the real problem, while also offering actionable solutions, remains to be seen. I wish him the best of luck, as he is precisely the type of Change everyone should Hope for.

California Resource Maximization: Marijuana First, Then Oil

That a government would allow a resource, that the people are ASKING to be taxed, to go untapped is insane. A majority of Americans are well past the foolish "Reefer Madness" mentality. It's time politicians caught up.

However, what California needs more than anything is to cut its spending. Then, I know this is going to sound crazy, they could reduce taxes on businesses, and maybe, just maybe, stop the outflow.

Have you ever seen a balanced budget and low taxes? Have you ever seen a balanced budget and low taxes...on weed? (please excuse my "Half Baked" reference)