1.31.2009
How to know you've found the right girl
I started balling when I saw the box.
- from a friend's wedding web site on her reaction to the moment he proposed and presented the ring (in a fancy restaurant, nonetheless!)
- from a friend's wedding web site on her reaction to the moment he proposed and presented the ring (in a fancy restaurant, nonetheless!)
Loan modification is evil
The WSJ:
If the intent is to help homeowners, then foreclosure is undoubtedly the best solution. Household balance sheets have been destroyed by taking on too much debt via the purchase of inflated assets. With so little savings, a household with negative equity almost implies negative net worth. Walking away from the mortgage immediately repairs the balance sheet.
Credit may be damaged, but homeowners can rebuild it. And by renting something they can afford, instead of the McMansion they cannot, homeowners are most likely to have some money left over each month that they can save toward a down payment on a house they can eventually afford.
[...]
Finally, loan modification is not only ineffective, it is evil. Coercing borrowers to continue paying a mortgage on a home that is hopelessly overvalued and not informing them of alternatives is predatory lending.
The media should interview those who had been foreclosed upon. Do they feel sorry or relieved? Are they rebuilding their credit, not to mention their lives? Do they miss the pressure of having to make payments they cannot afford on a McMansion that belongs to the lender?
The intent of modification programs to date is to create a generation of mortgage slaves. Fortunately, mortgage slaves can free themselves via foreclosure, and the masses are choosing to do so.
Homo vegetarians down under
Mrs. Keith sends this news from down under:
This is where Australia is really behind the times. Trading floors in the U.S. are so much more open-minded.
A gay vegetarian foreign currency trader says his boss tormented him for being a "homo" who wouldn't eat steak with the boys.They should have offered him tube steak!
Pacifico's discrimination suit claims the firm made up lies about his performance to sack him but the real factors were that he was a vegetarian who was perceived to be gay by boss Robert Catalanello.Indeed.
Court papers say Catalenella called him "a vegetarian homo."
[...] His lawyer, Rick Ostrove, said the firm associated being a vegetarian with being gay.
"It's a ridiculous male stereotype that only real men eat meat."
"A trading floor is certainly a manly man's world," Pacifico said.
This is where Australia is really behind the times. Trading floors in the U.S. are so much more open-minded.
1.30.2009
"There will be time for profits on Wall Street. Now is not that Time."
So says our dear leader. The market conditions might make that statement correct, but still, isn't it nice of him to have decided that 9 days in office has somehow given him the authority to hault profit-making? Not that I'd defend the crooks on Wall Street, and yes, many of them are now playing with OUR money and owe us big time, but since WHEN does the President have this authority? And since they're using OUR money, I'm really hoping they DO make a profit so they can pay us back! Congressmen are shouting out sophisticated arguments like, "these people on wall street are idiots! What gives them the right to dish out bonuses?" Ah... a VERY good question. But are we allowed to ask whether our government has the "right" to run up a trillion dollar deficit? To redistribute our money to the politicians' Wall Street Cronies? To run up a $53 TRILLION debt? If they have the right to do all that, then surely we can allow SOME people to have the right to make a profit, eh?
Wait, maybe not, if Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) has her way. According to CNN's report on her proposal;
Under the terms of a bill introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, no employee would be allowed to make more than the president of the United States.
Obama's current annual salary is $400,000.
"We have a bunch of idiots on Wall Street that are kicking sand in the face of the American taxpayer," an enraged McCaskill said on the floor of the Senate. "They don't get it. These people are idiots. You can't use taxpayer money to pay out $18 billion in bonuses."
No one should be allowed to make more than the President? And she's calling Wall Street " idiots"?
Let's see...what is it now? Approximately $2 Trillion in bailouts in 2008? Now another $1 Trillion in pure PORK renamed as "stimulus"? And a possible ADDITIONAL $2 Trillion to set up a "bad bank" and purchase all the remaining bad assets? That's approximately $5 TRILLION in the last 7 months or so! (do I have that correct?)
So, yeah, let's just bring on National Socialized Health Care while we're at it, because obviously we have the money for it. Yup, Congress voted to expand the CHILDREN's Health Care program to cover the children of parents making up to $80-100k/year, and it now includes adults, too, not just children! Sure, bring on National Socialist Health Care! Uh, then again, maybe the video clip below could explain why we should think twice about that better than I could. There are some interesting historical background tid-bits in this speech. And until that awesome Texan-guy in the recent Negocious Youtube post comments on National Health Care, this man from Illinois below will have to do. Just look at that snazzy photograph!
Let's see...what is it now? Approximately $2 Trillion in bailouts in 2008? Now another $1 Trillion in pure PORK renamed as "stimulus"? And a possible ADDITIONAL $2 Trillion to set up a "bad bank" and purchase all the remaining bad assets? That's approximately $5 TRILLION in the last 7 months or so! (do I have that correct?)
So, yeah, let's just bring on National Socialized Health Care while we're at it, because obviously we have the money for it. Yup, Congress voted to expand the CHILDREN's Health Care program to cover the children of parents making up to $80-100k/year, and it now includes adults, too, not just children! Sure, bring on National Socialist Health Care! Uh, then again, maybe the video clip below could explain why we should think twice about that better than I could. There are some interesting historical background tid-bits in this speech. And until that awesome Texan-guy in the recent Negocious Youtube post comments on National Health Care, this man from Illinois below will have to do. Just look at that snazzy photograph!
Integrity Watch
Let's see if the President allows Federal Prosecutor Pat Fitzgerald to continue his investigation into the vast web of corruption in IL politics, with full freedom to go wherever the evidence takes him. Illinois is SO unbelievably corrupt, that it strains one's imagination to think that our President had no dealings with these proven-to-be-corrupt politicians in this state.
But now, as President, he has the power to simply "re-assign" Pat Fitzgerald to another district, or to "discourage" him from following this case to the end, no matter where it leads him. What if Blago decides to cooperate with Fitzgerald in exchange for a lighter sentence? Or if he turns state's evidence entirely? I'm not suggesting anything, but Blago has no love for Obama. He is extremely jealous of him, because Blago himself often told everyone he was going to be President. And he felt slighted by Obama once or twice. However, they are both mutually linked to other corrupt people like Tony Rezko, who was convicted of corruption. The Rezko investigation grew OUT of the Blago investigation, I think. So who's to say where the Blago investigation might go? So, I'm just saying that it will be interesting to see if the President puts any limits on Fitzgerald's investigations. There is no indication he will, but then we'd probably never see such an indication overtly, anyway. He wouldn't be the first President to thwart an investigation that might (that's the key word) have the the potential to hurt the President.
But now, as President, he has the power to simply "re-assign" Pat Fitzgerald to another district, or to "discourage" him from following this case to the end, no matter where it leads him. What if Blago decides to cooperate with Fitzgerald in exchange for a lighter sentence? Or if he turns state's evidence entirely? I'm not suggesting anything, but Blago has no love for Obama. He is extremely jealous of him, because Blago himself often told everyone he was going to be President. And he felt slighted by Obama once or twice. However, they are both mutually linked to other corrupt people like Tony Rezko, who was convicted of corruption. The Rezko investigation grew OUT of the Blago investigation, I think. So who's to say where the Blago investigation might go? So, I'm just saying that it will be interesting to see if the President puts any limits on Fitzgerald's investigations. There is no indication he will, but then we'd probably never see such an indication overtly, anyway. He wouldn't be the first President to thwart an investigation that might (that's the key word) have the the potential to hurt the President.
Bank Failure Friday -- MagnetBank, Salt Lake City, UT; Suburban Federal Savings Bank of Crofton, MD; and Ocala National Bank of Ocala, FL
Happy Bank Failure Friday, everybody!
Sheila Bair is still going after the small fry while hoping Geithner and Bernanke can pull a few trillion dollars out of taxpayers' asses to save the big banks.
Today it's MagnetBank of Salt Lake City.
UPDATE: Triple play! Suburban Federal Savings Bank of Crofton, MD, and Ocala National Bank of Ocala, FL, bite the dust.
Sheila Bair is still going after the small fry while hoping Geithner and Bernanke can pull a few trillion dollars out of taxpayers' asses to save the big banks.
Today it's MagnetBank of Salt Lake City.
UPDATE: Triple play! Suburban Federal Savings Bank of Crofton, MD, and Ocala National Bank of Ocala, FL, bite the dust.
Veggie tails
A 30-second commercial at the Super Bowl: $3 million.
Getting millions of dollars worth of publicity by getting your ad banned: Priceless.
And the cinematography is pretty good too.
Getting millions of dollars worth of publicity by getting your ad banned: Priceless.
And the cinematography is pretty good too.
1.29.2009
Bravery and the Truth in Illinois...No, it's not what you think
1) Truth: An angle you probably haven't heard about this impeachment of Blagojevich. I'll try to be brief. Blago was on tape, showing his endless corruption skills. Many hours of tape. MANY different names were mentioned on the tape. As impeachment gathered momentum, the Democratic party (which dominates this state, hardly any Repubs to be found), was all for moving ahead on impeachment. Repubs, too. The Impeachment trial was set to begin reviewing the evidence (the audio tapes of Blago). Then the Dems who control the house and Senate, however, suddenly decided to accelerate the impeachment hearings! The reason? Well, they did NOT want all the evidence to be shown so publicly, because many of THEIR names are mentioned by Blago in the tapes! He was doing crooked deals with everybody in the state. And the entire state is a cesspool of this kind of thing. So they had to impeach him, but they didn't want TOO much of the evidence to get out.
Funny thing was, the Repubs were saying, "wait...let's have a FULL trial. Let's see ALL the evidence. Why are we rushing this? Why did you Dems suddenly accelerate the pace of the impeachment trial? This is not right. The people of Illinois deserve to see ALL of the evidence." Of course, they rushed the impeachment trial, only spending something like 45 minutes playing the tapes in the impeachment trial (out of an approximate 300 HOURS of tape)! Dems were just trying to get this over as quickly as possible.Let's hope more of the tape comes out in the criminal trial.
2) Bravery: I was listening to the live Roll-Call-Vote on the radio as the 59 IL Senators cast their votes "yes" or "no" for impeachment. A Senator's name was called, and then he/she said yes/no. First 20 votes were Yes. The next 10 were yes. One guy chose instead to vote "ABSOLUTELY"! It was funny. Somewhere around the 30th or 35th votes, there were 2 Senators who cast "non votes"! They just chose to vote "silent"! At this point I thought, "how could these pathetic Senators not have the balls to at least cast a definitive vote in the most-watched vote in the recent history of the IL Senate? I mean, the guy was ON TAPE trying to SELL our US SENATE SEAT! And they can't decide which way to vote?"
The rest of the votes came in "yes". They officially declared, "that's 57 votes for yes and zero no votes". They didn't mention those who abstained. Then there was some paper shuffling, some pseudo-official talk, some procedural stuff...and then after 5 or 10 minutes of that, our Chief Justice of the IL Supreme Court stepped in to confirm with the Senate that they have voted to Impeach the governor. He said, "Senators, you have voted to Impeach the governor. Can we can get a confirmation voice vote on that?" and at that time, the official vote-tally was CHANGED! And at some point between the procedural paper-shuffling, and the Chief Justice's request for voice confirmation, the two who had voted "silent" CHANGED their votes to "Yes"!!
HOW VERY BRAVE OF YOU TWO SENATORS!!
I couldn't find the names of those 2 Senators anywhere, after it was over. But....
I was SO impressed that they had the guts to wait until the other votes were shown to be unanimously in favor of impeachment, before they finally decided which way to vote. Now THAT is what I call Bravery!
[Interestingly, they also banned Blago from being able to serve in any IL state office ever again! And the security detail, the cops that stood outside his house, just immediately left his house the very minute the impeachment vote passed! Blago had "testified" earlier in the day, speechifying for 45 minutes, and then he BOLTED onto the State-Owned airplane to fly home to Chicago one last time on the State's dime, while the Senate was voting. He then gave a pathetic press conference at his house, saying the "fix was in", and went inside to be with his family. BUT...then the ego-maniac came BACK outside to talk to the press AGAIN, pleading with them, "if I wanna say some more, will you guys cover me? Huh? Will ya?" It's a great audio clip! The reporters said, "sure". Then, of all people, our oozingly-corrupt Mayor Richard Daley issued a statement saying he's "glad we can now clean up IL state politics". He conveniently left out "City of Chicago" politics in his statement. No, he wants that to stay just as it is; A 100% pure pool of Daley-run corruption, which drains into a saturated sleaze-river that eventually runs like vomit-hued white-water rapids, and finally cascades like a Mafia-owned Niagra Falls over the entire city of Chicago, creating as it hits the ground, a thick, disgusting, smelly, sewer-mist, which each Chicagoan must taste with every breath he or she draws, fighting gasps and wet-heaves as the sewer-mist, with ever-increasing density, relentlessly moves on, enveloping every block of our otherwise lovely city, never escaping into the upper atmosphere like most gases, never ceasing its expansion in all the years since Eliot Ness became the first and last person to suck a small bit of it away, swells to the point where it rivals now in its total mass, the gas-weight of a brown-dwarf star, with which it shares its color.]
Walstreetpro
Last week, Negocios linked to a Walstreetpro video. The combination of hillbilly jive and a thorough comprehension of Wall Street and Washington crimes is magical.
Here's Wallstreetpro's latest (content warning: extreme profanity): We've been robbed.
Here's Wallstreetpro's latest (content warning: extreme profanity): We've been robbed.
This is Democracy
2. Republican - George Ryan
What's the difference? Ideology, moral conviction, human rights? No dear friends, the only difference between the previous governor, impeached today, and the previous, previous governor is that one has been convicted and is serving time while the other is going to be convicted and will serve time.
Hey Illinois, ain't democracy a peach?
1.28.2009
More Victims.
It's not quite Greenspan's Body Count, but reading stories like this makes me wonder if we should also be keeping some kind of a "non-fatality casualty list" of those who have been victimized by the current bad economic situation. Seriously, poor Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and um....the other ones, too.
full link below
full link below
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/nyregion/28daba.html?_r=1
Greenspan's Body Count: The Ervin Lupoe Family
It's a tough job being the official arbiter of Greenspan's Body Count. We take this responsibility seriously, at least as seriously as Alan Greenspan took the decision whether to allow a normal recession or create the greatest asset bubble in the history of the world.
When we first heard about the case of Ervin Lupoe, we thought it didn't qualify for Greenspan's Body Count.
... click here to read the rest of this article.
When we first heard about the case of Ervin Lupoe, we thought it didn't qualify for Greenspan's Body Count.
... click here to read the rest of this article.
Inflation: the ultimate bailout
Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
The Fed is just getting warmed up in its battle to reignite inflation. It has already doubled the monetary base:
... and it will soon begin printing money to buy long-dated Treasury bonds, pushing down interest rates. It's hard to wrap your head around the concept, but Congress can spend as much money as it wants without causing Treasury rates to go up, because the Fed can print as much money as it wants to buy Treasury bonds. In fact, why don't we eliminate the income tax, and just have the Fed print the roughly $1 trillion dollars it brings in?
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In the short term, it doesn't cause inflation because the depression has crushed demand for goods and services. It also doesn't cause the dollar to collapse in FX markets because all other major countries are simultaneously doing the same thing. But in the long run, a vastly greater number of dollars out there means that each dollar is worth a lot less.
This is, in fact, the desired outcome for the Fed/Treasury. Devaluing the dollar punishes savers and rewards debtors, which is exactly what Geithner-Bernanke wants. Cut the value of the currency in half, and everyone's debt (mortgage debtors', consumers', businesses', and the government's) is suddenly a lot more manageable. Cut the value of the dollar by two-thirds or three-fourths, even better. And if some little old ladies can't buy groceries because the money they saved all their lives is no longer worth anything, well, let them eat Alpo.
Now that he needs a favor, he's suddenly Limbaugh's best friend
Obama Agrees to Trim Alternative Minimum Tax; Lobbies Rush for Cut of the Pie
- headline, Wall Street Journal, 1/28/2009
- headline, Wall Street Journal, 1/28/2009
1.27.2009
Happy Bank Failure Fri...Tuesday
We forgot a shout out last Friday to Redlands, California, proud home of 1st Centennial Bank. Actually it's a bank no longer thanks to the FDIC. It's the latest in a long line of irresponsible banking which end in failure. Of course they didn't qualify for TARP money because didn't pay enough to buy those whore Washington politicians.
For those keeping track, or checking here, that's 3 for the month. Let's see if Sheila has some suprises in store for us this weekend.
For those keeping track, or checking here, that's 3 for the month. Let's see if Sheila has some suprises in store for us this weekend.
The thinker
How do you think Greenspan made that decision: "Should I allow the economy to experience a typical cyclical recession, or should I create the biggest asset bubble in the history of the world?"
Mish, Schiff and Spleef
Mish completely destroys Schiff for some of the predictions he's made. I still think time will tell but Mish makes some excellent points. To be fair, Schiff broke into the mainstream media and was the only one sounding the warning bells. He might not have hit all the nails on the head but he did stand up to CNBCs idiot panels and predict reality as opposed to their fantasy. I have posted a couple of videos involving Schiff here and here that I feel deserve consideration.
Fine, Mish is attacking one of those that actually was spreading the message. Well Mr. Shedlock, what do you have to say to this guy? He might be more right on than you or Schiff!
* Warning contains material inappropriate for children and the weak minded.
Fine, Mish is attacking one of those that actually was spreading the message. Well Mr. Shedlock, what do you have to say to this guy? He might be more right on than you or Schiff!
* Warning contains material inappropriate for children and the weak minded.
That'll teach him!
Two rich kids who lost their trust funds to Bernie Madoff sure showed him!
You see? Karma, man. Madoff will have to live his whole life now remembering that his palm tree was once toilet papered. If that's not justice, I don't know what is.
Two Florida teens whose trust funds went down the toilet because of Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff vented their rage by wrapping a tree on his Palm Beach estate in toilet paper.
The once-flush trust-fund kids called The Palm Beach Post after their deed was done, saying it was retaliation for Madoff losing the money that had been invested in their futures.
They said their parents approved.
You see? Karma, man. Madoff will have to live his whole life now remembering that his palm tree was once toilet papered. If that's not justice, I don't know what is.
The education scam
Just as the real estate industry suckered millions of Americans into taking on crushing debt to own a home because home ownership was the Meaning of Life, the education industry has suckered millions of Americans into taking on crushing debt to go to school because education is the Meaning of Life.
Forbes explains: The Great College Hoax.
And like the housing bubble, the education bubble was created with easy money. If people actually had to save for college, colleges couldn't charge $40,000 a year. But when student-victims can be swindled into signing a lifetime debt agreement, colleges can charge whatever they want.
On a related note, "Doug" tells GetOutOfDebt.org that he's considered suicide to get out of debt. The $30,000 credit card debt? He can always declare bankruptcy and start with a clean slate. The $75,000 student debt? Not so fast. The education pushers and their lackeys in Congress have made student debt generally ineligible for bankruptcy, so that the education vultures will haunt you until your dying days.
Don't take on student debt. Go to community college, or get a scholarship. Work your way through school.
Forbes explains: The Great College Hoax.
And like the housing bubble, the education bubble was created with easy money. If people actually had to save for college, colleges couldn't charge $40,000 a year. But when student-victims can be swindled into signing a lifetime debt agreement, colleges can charge whatever they want.
On a related note, "Doug" tells GetOutOfDebt.org that he's considered suicide to get out of debt. The $30,000 credit card debt? He can always declare bankruptcy and start with a clean slate. The $75,000 student debt? Not so fast. The education pushers and their lackeys in Congress have made student debt generally ineligible for bankruptcy, so that the education vultures will haunt you until your dying days.
Don't take on student debt. Go to community college, or get a scholarship. Work your way through school.
1.26.2009
Agape World - Hauppauge Ponzi scheme
a⋅ga⋅pe [ah-gah-pey] –noun,
1. unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.
2. a touchy-feely word used by swindlers to cause suspension of disbelief.
a⋅gape [uh-geyp] –adjective,
1. with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness: He stood there agape as he realized he had put hundreds of thousands of dollars into a Ponzi scheme.
1. unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.
2. a touchy-feely word used by swindlers to cause suspension of disbelief.
a⋅gape [uh-geyp] –adjective,
1. with the mouth wide open, as in wonder, surprise, or eagerness: He stood there agape as he realized he had put hundreds of thousands of dollars into a Ponzi scheme.
End of Days
And you thought Del Mar real estate has tanked
This poor schlub bought a Florida mansion for $13.75 million in March 2004--and sold it in November for $10 (or $100, depending on which reports you read).
What? The poor schlub is Lehman Brothers' chief expropriation officer Richard Fuld? And he "sold" the mansion to his wife? He must be the guy who gave Bernie Madoff the brilliant idea of mailing his jewelry to his relatives.
What? The poor schlub is Lehman Brothers' chief expropriation officer Richard Fuld? And he "sold" the mansion to his wife? He must be the guy who gave Bernie Madoff the brilliant idea of mailing his jewelry to his relatives.
1.25.2009
Del Mar retail / CRE update
If it's a Sunday with nothing happening, it must be time for another Del Mar CRE update. The last update is here, and earlier updates are here, here, and here.
Let's start on a positive note: the long-awaited Three Dog Bakery finally opened.
And while there were no customers in the picture, I did see people in the store earlier in the day. It smelled delicious. If I were a dog with a credit card, I would have bought something.
That was the only good news of the day though.
Remember how the high-end Del Mar Plaza used to paint scenery over the windows of its vacancies?
Well, they've given up on that. And another one's gone...
And another one's gone...
Another one bites the dust!
And a few blocks to the south, more vacancies are popping up:
No more of the vacancies from earlier CRE updates appear to have been filled. At this rate, Del Mar is going to be a ghost town by race track season.
Let's start on a positive note: the long-awaited Three Dog Bakery finally opened.
And while there were no customers in the picture, I did see people in the store earlier in the day. It smelled delicious. If I were a dog with a credit card, I would have bought something.
That was the only good news of the day though.
Remember how the high-end Del Mar Plaza used to paint scenery over the windows of its vacancies?
Well, they've given up on that. And another one's gone...
And another one's gone...
Another one bites the dust!
And a few blocks to the south, more vacancies are popping up:
No more of the vacancies from earlier CRE updates appear to have been filled. At this rate, Del Mar is going to be a ghost town by race track season.
Corruption at the SEC
The San Diego Reader's Don Bauder has a good article on corruption at the SEC. SEC attorney Gary Aguirre wanted to interview John Mack of Pequot Capital Management about possible insider trading...
Read the whole thing. It gets worse, including blatant cover-ups at high levels of the SEC. And now the SEC wants to be in charge of investigating itself regarding its failure to do anything about Bernie Madoff even when it was repeatedly and specifically told Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme.
Good riddance to the Bush Administration! Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is putting insider holdovers in charge at the key SEC, Treasury, and FDIC positions (I include the FDIC because it has departed from its legal role as protector of small depositors and become a slush fund to guarantee bad assets for Wall Street). Change we can believe in, indeed!
But his boss said Mack had big Washington connections — specifically, to President George W. Bush. Aguirre protested. Just weeks after he had been given a strongly positive job review, Aguirre was fired. The Senate’s Committee on Finance and Committee on the Judiciary did a 108-page study on the matter.
There were some hair-raising findings. While Aguirre was trying to get the Mack interview, an attorney at the Debevoise and Plimpton law firm sent Paul Berger, Aguirre’s boss, an email with the opening words “Yowza!” It described how an ex-SEC lawyer could make $2 million a year with the firm. One of the top attorneys at the Debevoise firm contacted a senior official of the securities agency on behalf of Mack and behind Aguirre’s back. After he fired Aguirre, Berger took a job with Debevoise. Similar quid pro quos are called the “revolving door” phenomenon — agency officials do dirty work while at the commission and then go with a big law firm representing the crooks who got off.
Read the whole thing. It gets worse, including blatant cover-ups at high levels of the SEC. And now the SEC wants to be in charge of investigating itself regarding its failure to do anything about Bernie Madoff even when it was repeatedly and specifically told Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme.
Good riddance to the Bush Administration! Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is putting insider holdovers in charge at the key SEC, Treasury, and FDIC positions (I include the FDIC because it has departed from its legal role as protector of small depositors and become a slush fund to guarantee bad assets for Wall Street). Change we can believe in, indeed!
1.24.2009
Friday night donkey punch
... from Freddie Mac to the taxpayers:
Freddie Mac, the mortgage-finance company under federal control, said it will ask the U.S. Treasury Department for as much as $35 billion more in aid.
Freddie, which took $13.8 billion from Treasury in November, said in a securities filing today that its fourth- quarter operating losses will again drive its net worth below zero.
Anybody speak Hungarian?
These guys just linked to us, but I have no idea what they are saying. Babelfish doesn't do Hungarian.
I think they said something about your mother.
I think they said something about your mother.
Gold hits $900
And it's an all-time high in both Euro and Sterling terms. What's happening here is that all currencies are simultaneously devaluing as all countries print money to try to overcome debt deflation. So the dollar may look "strong" at the moment against other currencies, but that's sort of like a skydiver with his back arched and limbs outstretched falling slightly slower than other skydivers in sleek vertical postures.
Sure would have been nice to buy the GDX at 22 in October, eh?
Austrian economics
On the disastrous California economy:
There's no stimulus like a tax increase!
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cited the growing unemployment rate as evidence that the state needs “aggressive economic stimulus” – including revenue increases, job creation programs and government streamlining.
There's no stimulus like a tax increase!
At the movies: Gran Torino
1.23.2009
Victims of the housing bubble
I do my best to keep track of Greenspan's Body Count. But to paraphrase the immortal lyrics of Megadeth,
The living victims of the housing bubble may not yet envy the dead, but they are victims nonetheless.
Consider:
Victim #1: W.C. Varones. A man who would love to own a home in his community, a community in which all homes are still priced at insane multiples of rent and median incomes. And the government is using Varones' own tax dollars on a wide variety of ventures designed to keep housing prices unaffordable.
Victim #2: A close associate of W.C. Varones. A man who bought a luxury 1-bedroom condo in the bubble. He now yearns to move his young family to a bigger home, but cannot bring himself to dump the condo at a loss.
Victim #3: A close associate of W.C. Varones. He owns homes in two cities, though, curiously, lives in only one at a time. His mortgages are like a millstone around his neck.
Regular Americans are screwed, whether they participated in the bubble or sat it out. The only winners are the bankers like Angelo Mozilo, Franklin Raines, and Henry Paulson who cashed out at the top, and politicians like Chris Dodd who took bribes from the bankers.
I personally know many, many more victims of the housing bubble. You do, too.
The arsenal of Greenspan can't be rid they said
And if it comes, the living will envy the dead
The living victims of the housing bubble may not yet envy the dead, but they are victims nonetheless.
Consider:
Victim #1: W.C. Varones. A man who would love to own a home in his community, a community in which all homes are still priced at insane multiples of rent and median incomes. And the government is using Varones' own tax dollars on a wide variety of ventures designed to keep housing prices unaffordable.
Victim #2: A close associate of W.C. Varones. A man who bought a luxury 1-bedroom condo in the bubble. He now yearns to move his young family to a bigger home, but cannot bring himself to dump the condo at a loss.
Victim #3: A close associate of W.C. Varones. He owns homes in two cities, though, curiously, lives in only one at a time. His mortgages are like a millstone around his neck.
Regular Americans are screwed, whether they participated in the bubble or sat it out. The only winners are the bankers like Angelo Mozilo, Franklin Raines, and Henry Paulson who cashed out at the top, and politicians like Chris Dodd who took bribes from the bankers.
I personally know many, many more victims of the housing bubble. You do, too.
Deflation vs. Inflation
We've been going over this debate for months. It's the most important investment question of our time.
I haven't articulated it much. But the two camps are captured well by Mish for deflation and Toscano against deflation. They are both right. We are certainly in a deflationary situation right now, but the Fed printing presses are limitless. To be fair, Mish says no hyperinflation, while Rich says no deflationary spiral. So they can both be right in the unhappy middle: stagflation.
Do what you will. I am holding both gold and cash for either eventuality. Bonds are for fools.
I haven't articulated it much. But the two camps are captured well by Mish for deflation and Toscano against deflation. They are both right. We are certainly in a deflationary situation right now, but the Fed printing presses are limitless. To be fair, Mish says no hyperinflation, while Rich says no deflationary spiral. So they can both be right in the unhappy middle: stagflation.
Do what you will. I am holding both gold and cash for either eventuality. Bonds are for fools.
Then and now -- Assemblyman Anthony Adams
California Assemblyman Anthony Adams, 11/25/08:
Lying weasel Anthony Adams, 1/22/09:
Every year, California Republicans promise to hold the line on taxes and spending. And every year, Schwarzenegger and the Democrats bribe or threaten enough weak Republicans to pass a budget with massive spending increases -- 40% in just four years. Now that real estate bubble tax revenues have dried up, instead of rolling back spending, Democrats are pushing Republicans to pass tax increases on the most overtaxed people in the country. And Anthony Adams is the weakest Republican.
Adams will probably be rewarded for betraying his constituents with a cushy, do-nothing, $100,000+ seat on the State Board of something-or-other. That's how Schwarzenegger and the Democrats typically bribe legislators. And Adams, an apparent four-time loser on the California Bar exam, could certainly use a do-nothing job.
Anthony Adams' contact info is here:
DISTRICT OFFICE
540 W. Baseline Rd. Suite 16
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 625-1038, (909) 625-1063 fax
CAPITOL OFFICE
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 319-2059, (916) 319-2159 fax
"It is absurd for Democrat to refuse to live within their means and expect California's taxpayers to pick up the tab for their poor spending choices," said Adams. "California's families have been hit hard by the economic downturn and are struggling to balance their own family's budget. With the holiday season approaching, Californians shouldn't have to choose between putting presents under the tree and giving more of their hard-earned money to Sacramento."
Lying weasel Anthony Adams, 1/22/09:
"(We must be able) to tell constituents, 'Look, we had to raise taxes, we had to go forward, but we've fundamentally altered the way in which Sacramento is going to be budgeted – and we will not have these problems again because of it,'" Adams said.
Every year, California Republicans promise to hold the line on taxes and spending. And every year, Schwarzenegger and the Democrats bribe or threaten enough weak Republicans to pass a budget with massive spending increases -- 40% in just four years. Now that real estate bubble tax revenues have dried up, instead of rolling back spending, Democrats are pushing Republicans to pass tax increases on the most overtaxed people in the country. And Anthony Adams is the weakest Republican.
Adams will probably be rewarded for betraying his constituents with a cushy, do-nothing, $100,000+ seat on the State Board of something-or-other. That's how Schwarzenegger and the Democrats typically bribe legislators. And Adams, an apparent four-time loser on the California Bar exam, could certainly use a do-nothing job.
Anthony Adams' contact info is here:
DISTRICT OFFICE
540 W. Baseline Rd. Suite 16
Claremont, CA 91711
(909) 625-1038, (909) 625-1063 fax
CAPITOL OFFICE
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 319-2059, (916) 319-2159 fax
1.22.2009
White Male Construction Workers to get no Fed Money!
But maybe MORE importantly, neither will "highly skilled workers who are already professionals"!!
This is exactly why I trust, with all of my heart, my Federal Government to know how best to spend my money. I'm glad they didn't ask me, because I would have said, "if you're gonna build stuff, hire qualified people to do it."
This is exactly why I trust, with all of my heart, my Federal Government to know how best to spend my money. I'm glad they didn't ask me, because I would have said, "if you're gonna build stuff, hire qualified people to do it."
Say, that is intimate Obamas fisting
"The Obamas do a lot of touching, and kissing, and even fisting, with one another"
Den of hookers: 1355 Stratford Court, Del Mar
It just keeps getting stranger and stranger.
We made this off-hand comment about a condo with $25,000 monthly rent:
But who says you can't have it all? It turns out the condo comes with its own hookers:
We made this off-hand comment about a condo with $25,000 monthly rent:
So, it's not subsidized, but it's still available if you've got $25,000 burning a hole in your pocket and you've given up crack and hookers.
But who says you can't have it all? It turns out the condo comes with its own hookers:
Intimate Moments Outcalls
1355 Stratford Ct, #17
Del Mar, CA
(858) 279-3093
Great moments in literature
"Her skirt was very short and Josh found himself mesmerized by her perfectly shaped, silken legs with kneecaps that reminded him of golden apples."
- A Time to Run, Senator Barbara Boxer
- A Time to Run, Senator Barbara Boxer
B of A - Merrill paid early bonuses while extorting taxpayers
Last week we wrote Paulson persists picking your pocket, wherein Bank of America took tax money from Henry Paulson under the threat of dumping the Merrill Lynch deal at the last minute.
Now we learn that while Bank of America was extorting taxpayers in the boardroom, Merrill was shoveling cash out the back door to executives:
Good riddance to Hank Paulson. If only his replacement weren't Tim Geithner. And not because Geithner is a tax cheat. He was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as the banks under his watch were taking on outrageous leverage to load up on toxic assets. And he was Vice Chairman of Greenspan's Open Market Committee that created the housing bubble. It's like nominating the captain of the Exxon Valdez to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
Now we learn that while Bank of America was extorting taxpayers in the boardroom, Merrill was shoveling cash out the back door to executives:
Merrill Lynch took the unusual step of accelerating bonus payments by a month last year, doling out billions of dollars to employees just three days before the closing of its sale to Bank of America.
The timing is notable because the money was paid as Merrill’s losses were mounting and Ken Lewis, BofA’s chief executive, was seeking additional funds from the government’s troubled asset recovery programme to help close the deal.
[...]Nancy Bush, an analyst with NAB Research, described the size of the 2008 Merrill bonus payments as “ridiculous”.
BofA said: “Merrill Lynch was an independent company until January 1 2009. John Thain (Merrill’s chief executive) decided to pay year-end incentives in December as opposed to their normal date in January. BofA was informed of his decision.”
Good riddance to Hank Paulson. If only his replacement weren't Tim Geithner. And not because Geithner is a tax cheat. He was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as the banks under his watch were taking on outrageous leverage to load up on toxic assets. And he was Vice Chairman of Greenspan's Open Market Committee that created the housing bubble. It's like nominating the captain of the Exxon Valdez to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
1.21.2009
No subsidized housing in Del Mar 1355 Stratford Court
Last month, we wrote Subsidized housing in Del Mar, wherein the dopes who were paying somewhere around $19,000 a month to "own" a condo were offering it for rent for $6500 a month.
Oops. A couple corrections are in order:
First, the condo for rent (1355 Stratford) was not the same condo as the one that had sold for $2.55 million (1426 Stratford). I was confused because they were on the same block, had similar architecture, and 1426 Stratford had a "For Lease" sign in front of it while 1355 Stratford was the only one showing up online. It looks like the owners are into 1355 for about $1.6 million, so their carrying costs are more like $13,000.
Secondly and more importantly, though, it seems they may have meant $6500 per week, as they have now changed the rent in the ad to $25,000 per month.
Now, those of you who don't know Del Mar might think $25,000 a month is high for rent. Let me assure you, those of us who do know Del Mar think it's friggin' ridiculous. Nice homes can be rented in the area for a fraction of that price -- a very small fraction of that price.
So, it's not subsidized, but it's still available if you've got $25,000 burning a hole in your pocket and you've given up crack and hookers.
Oops. A couple corrections are in order:
First, the condo for rent (1355 Stratford) was not the same condo as the one that had sold for $2.55 million (1426 Stratford). I was confused because they were on the same block, had similar architecture, and 1426 Stratford had a "For Lease" sign in front of it while 1355 Stratford was the only one showing up online. It looks like the owners are into 1355 for about $1.6 million, so their carrying costs are more like $13,000.
Secondly and more importantly, though, it seems they may have meant $6500 per week, as they have now changed the rent in the ad to $25,000 per month.
Now, those of you who don't know Del Mar might think $25,000 a month is high for rent. Let me assure you, those of us who do know Del Mar think it's friggin' ridiculous. Nice homes can be rented in the area for a fraction of that price -- a very small fraction of that price.
So, it's not subsidized, but it's still available if you've got $25,000 burning a hole in your pocket and you've given up crack and hookers.
Couldn't happen to a nicer paper
Desperate New York Times borrows from Mexican loan shark.
They will likely blow through the $250 million within a couple years, at which point they will be at the mercy of Carlos Slim Helu. Unless they are rewarded with a bailout by the Obama Administration for their loyal reporting.
They will likely blow through the $250 million within a couple years, at which point they will be at the mercy of Carlos Slim Helu. Unless they are rewarded with a bailout by the Obama Administration for their loyal reporting.
1.19.2009
Obama Inaguration Speech Theme: Irony or Deception?
Reportedly, the theme of Obama's Inauguration Speech is going to be.....well first let me lay out some facts that might put his theme into clear relief.
-He is a big supporter of using Federal money to prop up businesses that have fundamentally failed. He's calling for more bailouts and more Federal Stimulus Packages.
-He's in favor of bailing out GM and the Unions.
-His stimulus package proposes sending "tax refunds" to people who didn't even PAY TAXES in the first place. In the English language we call that "welfare".
-He was deeply involved in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae housing-loan/fraud-policies, and received more money from them than any other candidate.
-You get the idea....
Back to his Inauguration speech's theme, which will be (I'm not kidding here), "PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY"!
So yes, let's all sit back and listen to Mr. Personal-Responsibility-Begins-With-Calling-on-Uncle Sam -for -Help tell us how we can better take care of ourselves. I can't wait for that wisdom to come into my life. Thank you, Dear Leader.
-He is a big supporter of using Federal money to prop up businesses that have fundamentally failed. He's calling for more bailouts and more Federal Stimulus Packages.
-He's in favor of bailing out GM and the Unions.
-His stimulus package proposes sending "tax refunds" to people who didn't even PAY TAXES in the first place. In the English language we call that "welfare".
-He was deeply involved in the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae housing-loan/fraud-policies, and received more money from them than any other candidate.
-You get the idea....
Back to his Inauguration speech's theme, which will be (I'm not kidding here), "PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY"!
So yes, let's all sit back and listen to Mr. Personal-Responsibility-Begins-With-Calling-on-Uncle Sam -for -Help tell us how we can better take care of ourselves. I can't wait for that wisdom to come into my life. Thank you, Dear Leader.
Federal Home Loan Bailout number
This is a public service announcement brought to you by W.C. Varones.
If you signed up for a house that was 10 times your income and you lied on your home loan application regarding your employment and savings status, and you are about to lose the house because you can't afford the 7Gs a month converted mortgage payment - call this number because we the responsible tax payers of this country, like myself, want you to have a home, while I rent.
1-800-600-8128
I called the number and it was explained to me that there are a variety of reasons someone needs assistance. I suggested - like fraud. When I asked the representative on the phone why this happened, she said it’s the fault of the banks and the hedge funds. Interesting that she blamed the hedge funds.
I know people will call me a radical, conservative fascist but I blame those who purchased homes they couldn’t afford. I blame the evil, little orange people who provided the loans to these people. I blame the enablers such as Fannie and Freddie fuck. I blame the credit agencies who gave AAA ratings to mortgage securities that were made up of $500K mortgages given to illiterate migrant workers who signed an X on the signature block. I blame the politicians for doing the will of their pimps instead of their constituents. And I blame the Fed for doing the exact opposite of its public mandate. (of course I realize their private mandate is to steal as much from the population as possible and move to Paraguay so they are super successful internally)
Now don’t get me wrong, the hedge funds do some “creative” things to charge 2 and 20 from their millionaire clients. And occasionally they get themselves in positions to blow up entire currencies (see George and Jim), but without the conspiracy that our government agencies perpetrated, this would never have happened.
Please give them a call if you are a scum loser who signed up for a house you do not deserve. I’m here to rent and pay taxes so you can stay in your McMansion while I attempt something completely un-American and save up for my home.
If you signed up for a house that was 10 times your income and you lied on your home loan application regarding your employment and savings status, and you are about to lose the house because you can't afford the 7Gs a month converted mortgage payment - call this number because we the responsible tax payers of this country, like myself, want you to have a home, while I rent.
I called the number and it was explained to me that there are a variety of reasons someone needs assistance. I suggested - like fraud. When I asked the representative on the phone why this happened, she said it’s the fault of the banks and the hedge funds. Interesting that she blamed the hedge funds.
I know people will call me a radical, conservative fascist but I blame those who purchased homes they couldn’t afford. I blame the evil, little orange people who provided the loans to these people. I blame the enablers such as Fannie and Freddie fuck. I blame the credit agencies who gave AAA ratings to mortgage securities that were made up of $500K mortgages given to illiterate migrant workers who signed an X on the signature block. I blame the politicians for doing the will of their pimps instead of their constituents. And I blame the Fed for doing the exact opposite of its public mandate. (of course I realize their private mandate is to steal as much from the population as possible and move to Paraguay so they are super successful internally)
Now don’t get me wrong, the hedge funds do some “creative” things to charge 2 and 20 from their millionaire clients. And occasionally they get themselves in positions to blow up entire currencies (see George and Jim), but without the conspiracy that our government agencies perpetrated, this would never have happened.
Please give them a call if you are a scum loser who signed up for a house you do not deserve. I’m here to rent and pay taxes so you can stay in your McMansion while I attempt something completely un-American and save up for my home.
1.18.2009
Fiddling while Rome burns
Obama hosting pricey party in a dicey economy:
The price tag for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration gala is expected to break records, with some estimates reaching as high as $150 million. Despite the bleak economy, however, Democrats who called on President George W. Bush to be frugal four years ago are issuing no such demands now that an inaugural weekend of rock concerts and star-studded parties has begun.
Rep. Gary Miller (R) introduces Keep Homes Unaffordable Act
It should be obvious to everyone at this point that inflated home prices are not a good thing. Homes should return to reasonable (3x to 4x) multiples of annual incomes, and young families should be able to save up a 20% down payment before purchasing. We are still far from that point.
Enter dimwitted California Republican Gary Miller, who thinks the solution to a housing bubble created by easy money is to try to reinflate the bubble with more easy money. His Keep Homes Unaffordable Act:
It's bad enough that Fannie and Freddie helped create the bubble by using tax dollars to subsidize loan rates for sub-$500,000 homes. Gary Miller wants them to do the same for houses over $500,000.
The real solution: 20% down, no rate subsidies, fully documented income on loan applications. Without government funny money propelling a bubble, homes will return to affordable levels.
Miller is sick to want first-time homebuyers to have to take on extra debt to buy artificially inflated homes. Either that or he is on the payroll of the real estate industry.
Enter dimwitted California Republican Gary Miller, who thinks the solution to a housing bubble created by easy money is to try to reinflate the bubble with more easy money. His Keep Homes Unaffordable Act:
Economic stimulus legislation passed into law last year temporarily lifted the loan limits to nearly $730,000 from $417,000 through the end of 2008. The limits dropped to $625,500 from $729,750 on January 1.
Rep. Gary Miller, Republican of California, introduced legislation Thursday to reinstate the higher limits, arguing the move was crucial for restoring the affordability of mortgages in some regions of the country and stabilizing the housing market.
"As the crisis in housing markets continues, the availability of affordable mortgage loans remains essential to alleviating the credit crunch and stabilizing the U.S. mortgage market," Miller said in a statement.
The Jan. 1 drop in the high-cost limit has pushed up rates on larger mortgages that no longer qualify for purchase by Fannie or Freddie. Interest rates on "conforming" loans - those that can be sold to Fannie or Freddie - are much lower than on larger loans, known as "jumbos."
Lawmakers representing costly home markets along the coasts have vowed to attach language restoring last year's higher limits to economic stimulus legislation.
The National Association of Realtors, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Home Builders have been lobbying for months to make last year's higher limits permanent.
It's bad enough that Fannie and Freddie helped create the bubble by using tax dollars to subsidize loan rates for sub-$500,000 homes. Gary Miller wants them to do the same for houses over $500,000.
The real solution: 20% down, no rate subsidies, fully documented income on loan applications. Without government funny money propelling a bubble, homes will return to affordable levels.
Miller is sick to want first-time homebuyers to have to take on extra debt to buy artificially inflated homes. Either that or he is on the payroll of the real estate industry.
1.17.2009
Recognition
Getting a mention in Newsweek is OK, but we're really honored to be linked in the Daily Paul.
1.16.2009
Bank Failure Friday: National Bank of Commerce, Berkeley, IL
Happy Bank Failure Friday, everyone!
Lazy FDIC bureaucrat Sheila Bair took a month off, but she's back in action with the seizure of Illinois' National Bank of Commerce.
UPDATE: Double play! The Bank of Clark County, Vancouver, WA, goes down.
Lazy FDIC bureaucrat Sheila Bair took a month off, but she's back in action with the seizure of Illinois' National Bank of Commerce.
UPDATE: Double play! The Bank of Clark County, Vancouver, WA, goes down.
Countrywide lawyers: don't believe that crap our PR guys say about helping homeowners
News from Countryfried:
Our friend Super Fly translates:
“Mere commercial puffery” … “We’re just outright liars and evil like every other bank out there. We lie to you and we certainly lie to the government so we can get loans that we describe as temp financing but really we’re insolvent and hopefully if we get in deep enough the government wouldn’t dare let us fail. This strategy is so good, I’m pleased to see the auto industry taking a page from the play book too.”
In marketing, advertising and testimony before Congress, Countrywide Home Loans has said repeatedly that it is working hard to modify the mortgages of financially strapped borrowers caught up in the subprime meltdown. But in a New Hampshire court, attorneys for the lending giant are singing a different tune, describing such assurances as “mere commercial puffery.”
Saying the modification offers are “only Countrywide’s vague advertisements,” attorneys for the lender are asking the court to throw out a lawsuit alleging breach of good faith, fraud, negligence and misrepresentation, which was filed on behalf of a family that was refused a loan modification by the California-based company.
Our friend Super Fly translates:
“Mere commercial puffery” … “We’re just outright liars and evil like every other bank out there. We lie to you and we certainly lie to the government so we can get loans that we describe as temp financing but really we’re insolvent and hopefully if we get in deep enough the government wouldn’t dare let us fail. This strategy is so good, I’m pleased to see the auto industry taking a page from the play book too.”
1.15.2009
The solution to the physical gold shortage
I've written before about the physical gold shortage. The bottom line is people want to buy more gold coins than governments want to mint. You could buy the GLD ETF, but gold kooks don't like having their transactions electronically traceable, and they don't like trusting some bank to hold their gold.
Enter the private market:
PAMP S.A. is a Swiss company that makes gold bars. You still pay a relatively hefty premium ($37.50 over spot in my recent purchase), but less than you'll pay if you're lucky enough to find Krugerrands, American Eagles, or Canadian Maple Leafs these days.
Enter the private market:
PAMP S.A. is a Swiss company that makes gold bars. You still pay a relatively hefty premium ($37.50 over spot in my recent purchase), but less than you'll pay if you're lucky enough to find Krugerrands, American Eagles, or Canadian Maple Leafs these days.
Safe - US Airways flight 1549
Testimony from a Fed Consigliere
At least one congressman is concerned about his legislative oversight role. Well done Grayson!
Paulson persists picking your pocket
Once Bank of America saw Merrill Lynch's horrible books, it didn't want to go through with the merger. So Henry Paulson bribed them with your money to do it:
They could have wiped out Merrill shareholders and executives, but no, they'd rather give billions to Merrill and leave future generations of taxpayers with the tab.
Discussions over these funds began in mid-December when Bank of America approached the Treasury Department. The bank, already the recipient of $25 billion in committed federal rescue funds, said that it was unlikely to complete its Jan. 1 purchase of the ailing Wall Street securities firm because of Merrill's larger-than-expected losses in the fourth quarter, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Treasury, concerned the deal's failure could affect the stability of U.S. financial markets, agreed to work with the Charlotte, N.C., lender on the "formulation of a plan" that includes new capital from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the person familiar with the talks. The amount and terms are still being finalized, this person said. Details are expected to be announced with Bank of America's fourth-quarter earnings, due out Tuesday.
Any possible arrangement might protect Bank of America from losses on Merrill's bad assets. There would be a cap on the amount of losses the bank would have to absorb, with the federal government being on the hook for the remainder, said one person familiar with the matter.
They could have wiped out Merrill shareholders and executives, but no, they'd rather give billions to Merrill and leave future generations of taxpayers with the tab.
1.14.2009
Newsweek catches on to Greenspan's Body Count
Well, well, well. Little ol' W.C. Varones got a link and a mention in Newsweek:
Recent weeks have seen a spate of suicides by some of the most financially powerful people in the world. German billionaire industrialist Adolf Merckle lay down in front of a train after huge investment losses threatened his family's business empire. Chicago real-estate mogul Steven Good shot and killed himself in the driver's seat of his Jaguar after the property-auction business turned sour. René -Thierry Magon de La Villehuchet lost $1.4 billion to Bernie Madoff, went to work, took sleeping pills and slit his wrist.
The deaths bring up two questions: Is this the start of a disturbing recession-induced trend? And will it spread to rank-and-file Americans? The answers to both questions are a matter of debate. New York Magazine this week questioned whether a suicide epidemic was really taking place on Wall Street. In the blogosphere, Greenspan's Body Count—named after the former Federal Reserve chief whom many people see as partly to blame for the current economic crisis—offers a macabre tally of people who killed themselves or close family members allegedly due to economic pressures (the current tally is up to 72).
Some Intellectual Honesty in our future?
Back to that sea-ice-level report WC posted a link to, which shows that today we once again have the same amount of sea ice as we did in 1979.
In the 70's, the popular theory was that we were heading into another ice age. Then we warmed up. Well, now that the sea-ice-levels are THE SAME as they were in the late 70's, I pose 2 questions: Will we be seeing any intellectual honesty from the scientists and politicians who are trying to scare us daily about global warming? Shouldn't they now start scaring us about a coming ice age again?
If you think about it, that WOULD be the intellectually honest thing to do, right? Now that we're back "where we left off" in the 1979, let's start worrying about our depressed-value houses being crushed by southbound glaciers, ok? Anyone wanna fund my next movie project, "An Inconvenient Glacier"?
In the 70's, the popular theory was that we were heading into another ice age. Then we warmed up. Well, now that the sea-ice-levels are THE SAME as they were in the late 70's, I pose 2 questions: Will we be seeing any intellectual honesty from the scientists and politicians who are trying to scare us daily about global warming? Shouldn't they now start scaring us about a coming ice age again?
If you think about it, that WOULD be the intellectually honest thing to do, right? Now that we're back "where we left off" in the 1979, let's start worrying about our depressed-value houses being crushed by southbound glaciers, ok? Anyone wanna fund my next movie project, "An Inconvenient Glacier"?
1.13.2009
Points to ponder
We note that supporters of Palestinian militants often compare their situation to apartheid in South Africa.
We don't recall Nelson Mandela or Stephen Biko sending suicide bombers onto buses full of women and children. And we don't recall barrages of missiles raining down on civilian neighborhoods in Johannesburg or Cape Town from the townships.
One might think the Palestinian plea for sympathy would be more effective if they were a little more like Mandela, Gandhi, or King, and a little less like bin Laden.
We don't recall Nelson Mandela or Stephen Biko sending suicide bombers onto buses full of women and children. And we don't recall barrages of missiles raining down on civilian neighborhoods in Johannesburg or Cape Town from the townships.
One might think the Palestinian plea for sympathy would be more effective if they were a little more like Mandela, Gandhi, or King, and a little less like bin Laden.
I got your irony right here Alec Ahsoak
Child molester wins lottery put on by anti-rape organization.
HT: Ang.
UPDATE: The people of Alaska don't appreciate irony. Maybe they should add it to the high school curriculum.
Unclear. Yeah. Let's go beat the crap out of some lottery winners. They really piss me off.
HT: Ang.
UPDATE: The people of Alaska don't appreciate irony. Maybe they should add it to the high school curriculum.
The man who won the state's first half-million-dollar lottery was attacked on a downtown street Tuesday afternoon with a tire iron or metal pipe, according to Anchorage police.
Police say Alec Ahsoak, 53, was attacked when a man approached him to ask if he was the man who won the $500,000 jackpot.
Whether the attack was motivated by Ahsoak's winning the lottery or the widely distributed reports that he is a three-time convicted sex offender was unclear.
Unclear. Yeah. Let's go beat the crap out of some lottery winners. They really piss me off.
1.12.2009
1.11.2009
1.10.2009
Feel-good story of the day
The Somali pirates who hijacked a Saudi oil tanker last year got their ransom payment...and then drowned making their getaway.
Innocence
A father asked his ten-year old son if he knew about the birds & the bees.
"I don't want to know," said the boy, bursting into tears. "Promise you won't tell me."
Confused, the father asked his son what was wrong.
The boy sobbed, "When I was six, I got the 'There's no Easter Bunny' speech. At seven, I got the 'There's no Tooth Fairy' speech. When I was eight, you hit me with the 'There's no Santa Claus' speech. If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for."
From Mohawk Campfire.
"I don't want to know," said the boy, bursting into tears. "Promise you won't tell me."
Confused, the father asked his son what was wrong.
The boy sobbed, "When I was six, I got the 'There's no Easter Bunny' speech. At seven, I got the 'There's no Tooth Fairy' speech. When I was eight, you hit me with the 'There's no Santa Claus' speech. If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for."
From Mohawk Campfire.
Ron Paul on Madoff
Zactly what I said:
Paul actually said this a few days ago, but I just found the video.
[H]aving agencies like the SEC gives people a false sense of security.
Kind of like the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They don't really check for melamine in food or lead in toys from China. But they give the public a false sense of security: "Well, I know there's a government agency responsible for it somewhere, so it must be OK!"
Sure, there will always be Ponzi schemes. But they don't grow to $50 billion without government endorsement.
Paul actually said this a few days ago, but I just found the video.
1.09.2009
Atlas Shrugged
Stephen Moore in the Wall Street Journal:
The current economic strategy is right out of "Atlas Shrugged": The more incompetent you are in business, the more handouts the politicians will bestow on you. That's the justification for the $2 trillion of subsidies doled out already to keep afloat distressed insurance companies, banks, Wall Street investment houses, and auto companies -- while standing next in line for their share of the booty are real-estate developers, the steel industry, chemical companies, airlines, ethanol producers, construction firms and even catfish farmers. With each successive bailout to "calm the markets," another trillion of national wealth is subsequently lost. Yet, as "Atlas" grimly foretold, we now treat the incompetent who wreck their companies as victims, while those resourceful business owners who manage to make a profit are portrayed as recipients of illegitimate "windfalls."
1.08.2009
Obama bingo
Baseball whiff
Don't go to MLB.com. The creepy viruses have spread from the locker room to their website.
Darth Cheney Speaks
WASHINGTON – Vice President Dick Cheney says that his boss, President George W. Bush, has no need to apologize to the American people for not doing more to head off the financial calamity, saying no one saw the crisis coming.
He said Bush doesn't need to apologize because he has taken "bold, aggressive action."
Translation: We absolutely knew this was coming, god damned Peter Schiff wouldn't keep his trap shut. But that's why we accelerated it so that we could most effectively rob the national treasury of any value it had left so that out friends could all be rich while the country burns. We were very smart indeed; fooled you idiots!
President Bush was the perfect patsy. Dumb as a stump and easily ordered around.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha, fuck you America, I'll be in Paraguay humping all the sheep I can dream of!
Letter to the Congressional Oversight Panel
So I wrote:
Paulson and Bush's TARP plan is a complete failure of the Executive and Legislative Branch. Paulson lied about what he was going to do while the Legislature gave up the oversight it is required to keep according to the constitution.
Please resign your positions on this panel and in our legislative branch of government. You have utterly failed the people of the United States of America in your oversight role. This upcoming economic depression is your fault. And they wrote:
Congressional Oversight Panel
732 North Capitol Street, NW
Rooms: C-320 and C-617
Mailstop: COP
Washington, DC 20401
January 8, 2009
Dear [Negocios Loucos All Mighty],
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the Congressional Oversight Panel. We have received an enormous amount of correspondence through our website over the past few weeks, and we apologize for any delay in responding to your message.
As part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Congress established the Panel to oversee the U.S. Department of Treasury’s administration of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and to provide recommendations for future regulatory reform. To fulfill that mission, the Panel is empowered to hold hearings, review official data, and provide regular reports to Congress and the American public.
Because the Panel relies on direct input from the American people in going about our work, we appreciate your views and will endeavor to take them into account in our ongoing oversight work.
We are approaching the work ahead of us with great urgency and seriousness. We will do our best to ensure that the Treasury Department uses TARP funds in an accountable and responsible manner and that reforms to the financial regulatory system are adopted in a way that serves the best interests of the American public. Thank you for your contribution to this effort.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Warren
Chair
Any questions?
Please resign your positions on this panel and in our legislative branch of government. You have utterly failed the people of the United States of America in your oversight role. This upcoming economic depression is your fault.
732 North Capitol Street, NW
Rooms: C-320 and C-617
Mailstop: COP
Washington, DC 20401
January 8, 2009
Dear [Negocios Loucos All Mighty],
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with the Congressional Oversight Panel. We have received an enormous amount of correspondence through our website over the past few weeks, and we apologize for any delay in responding to your message.
As part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Congress established the Panel to oversee the U.S. Department of Treasury’s administration of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and to provide recommendations for future regulatory reform. To fulfill that mission, the Panel is empowered to hold hearings, review official data, and provide regular reports to Congress and the American public.
Because the Panel relies on direct input from the American people in going about our work, we appreciate your views and will endeavor to take them into account in our ongoing oversight work.
We are approaching the work ahead of us with great urgency and seriousness. We will do our best to ensure that the Treasury Department uses TARP funds in an accountable and responsible manner and that reforms to the financial regulatory system are adopted in a way that serves the best interests of the American public. Thank you for your contribution to this effort.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Warren
Chair
Why "more regulation" won't work: Meaghan Cheung
Because the type of people attracted to regulation bureaucracy jobs are lazy and incompetent:
The Securities and Exchange Commission's New York watchdog, under fire for failing to uncover Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme - despite a dead-on tip by a whistleblower - yesterday tearfully defended herself, arguing that she and the agency did the best job possible.
"Why are you taking a mid-level staff person and making me responsible for the failure of the American economy?" an upset Meaghan Cheung, with eyes tearing up, told The Post.
"I worked very hard for 10 years to make a career, and a reputation, and that has been destroyed in a month," said Cheung, who was the SEC's branch chief of the New York enforcement division during that unit's earlier probe of Madoff's brokerage business.
The 37-year-old has been singled out by whistleblower Harry Markopolos as the woman who failed to detect the scam despite his lengthy warnings. It was Cheung who signed off on a 2006 SEC investigation that effectively gave Madoff the all clear.
She said, "I was shocked" to learn last month that Madoff had been charged with - and confessed to - operating a massive Ponzi scheme at his Manhattan firm that swindled thousands of investors.
1.07.2009
Greenspan's Body Count: Steven L. Good
The W.C. Varones Blog is having serious trouble keeping up with Greenspan's Body Count. Sent in by IA and Ryan, another one today:
Greenspan's Body Count now stands at seventy-two:
Steven L. Good
Adolf Merckle
Mike Upham
Randy Motts
Kristy Hunt
Joseph Nesheiwat
Tom Brisch
Alex Widmer
Brian Pugh
Marilyn Lewis
Sid Agrawal
Kirk Stephenson
Barry Fox
Dallas Dwayne Carter
David Hetzel
Sharron Hetzel
Cliff Kendall
Pamela Ross
Roland Gore
Mrs. Gore
Wanda Dunn
Karthik Rajaram
Subasri Rajaram
Krishna Rajaram
Ganesha Rajaram
Arjuna Rajaram
Indra Ramasesham
Joe X
Isabelle Jarka
Robert Wagner
Lt. Michael Howe
John Roberts
Palmer C. White
Dianne Pittman White
Ed Boesen
Edwin F. Rachleff
Carlene Balderrama
Troy VanderStelt
Scott M. Coles
Dawn E. Armstrong
Thomas Lizotte
Jonathon Calvin "40-Cal" Jacques
Salvador X
Lupe X
Jade X
Little Boy X
Little Girl X
Kashmir Billon
Bill McMurtry
Lisa McMurtry
James Hahn
Raymond Donaca
Deanna Donaca
[redacted]
[redacted]
Michel Veillette
Nadya Ferrari-Veillette
Marguerite Veillette
Vincent Veillette
Mia Veillette
Jacob Veillette
Maurice Pereira
Natasha Pereira
Mark Achilli
Raed Al-Farah
Andrew Kissel
Rufus Shaw Jr.
Lynn Flint Shaw
Mr. Pierce
Walter Buczynksi
Marci Buczynski
Jason Washington
One of Chicago's most well-known real estate moguls appears to have shot himself to death, police said.
Steven Good was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot Monday, police said.
The body of Steven L. Good was found in his Jaguar on Monday. The car was spotted in a parking lot of a wildlife preserve in Kane County, Illinois, just outside Chicago, authorities said.
No note was found, and police say they do not know how long the 52-year-old had been in the vehicle.
Good was the chairman and chief executive officer of Sheldon Good & Co., a major U.S. real estate auction company.
The death comes amid great turmoil in the country's real estate industry. In his role as chairman of the Realtors Commercial Alliance Committee, Good commented on tough conditions last month at a business conference.
Greenspan's Body Count now stands at seventy-two:
Steven L. Good
Adolf Merckle
Mike Upham
Randy Motts
Kristy Hunt
Joseph Nesheiwat
Tom Brisch
Alex Widmer
Brian Pugh
Marilyn Lewis
Sid Agrawal
Kirk Stephenson
Barry Fox
Dallas Dwayne Carter
David Hetzel
Sharron Hetzel
Cliff Kendall
Pamela Ross
Roland Gore
Mrs. Gore
Wanda Dunn
Karthik Rajaram
Subasri Rajaram
Krishna Rajaram
Ganesha Rajaram
Arjuna Rajaram
Indra Ramasesham
Joe X
Isabelle Jarka
Robert Wagner
Lt. Michael Howe
John Roberts
Palmer C. White
Dianne Pittman White
Ed Boesen
Edwin F. Rachleff
Carlene Balderrama
Troy VanderStelt
Scott M. Coles
Dawn E. Armstrong
Thomas Lizotte
Jonathon Calvin "40-Cal" Jacques
Salvador X
Lupe X
Jade X
Little Boy X
Little Girl X
Kashmir Billon
Bill McMurtry
Lisa McMurtry
James Hahn
Raymond Donaca
Deanna Donaca
[redacted]
[redacted]
Michel Veillette
Nadya Ferrari-Veillette
Marguerite Veillette
Vincent Veillette
Mia Veillette
Jacob Veillette
Maurice Pereira
Natasha Pereira
Mark Achilli
Raed Al-Farah
Andrew Kissel
Rufus Shaw Jr.
Lynn Flint Shaw
Mr. Pierce
Walter Buczynksi
Marci Buczynski
Jason Washington
1.06.2009
Greenspan's Body Count: Adolf Merckle bitte die scheisse
Thanks to Junior Accountant for sending this one. German tycoon Adolf Merckle, "Germany's Warren Buffett," killed himself after his business and family fortune blew up in Greenspan's bubble:
What does that teach you, kiddies? That's right: leverage kills. And extreme leverage kills extremely. Now you might ask yourself why Dick Fuld and Vikram Pandit haven't killed themselves. Silly kids, that's because they are Americans. When rich Americans screw up, the taxpayers bail them out.
Greenspan's Body Count now stands at seventy-one:
Adolf Merckle
Mike Upham
Randy Motts
Kristy Hunt
Joseph Nesheiwat
Tom Brisch
Alex Widmer
Brian Pugh
Marilyn Lewis
Sid Agrawal
Kirk Stephenson
Barry Fox
Dallas Dwayne Carter
David Hetzel
Sharron Hetzel
Cliff Kendall
Pamela Ross
Roland Gore
Mrs. Gore
Wanda Dunn
Karthik Rajaram
Subasri Rajaram
Krishna Rajaram
Ganesha Rajaram
Arjuna Rajaram
Indra Ramasesham
Joe X
Isabelle Jarka
Robert Wagner
Lt. Michael Howe
John Roberts
Palmer C. White
Dianne Pittman White
Ed Boesen
Edwin F. Rachleff
Carlene Balderrama
Troy VanderStelt
Scott M. Coles
Dawn E. Armstrong
Thomas Lizotte
Jonathon Calvin "40-Cal" Jacques
Salvador X
Lupe X
Jade X
Little Boy X
Little Girl X
Kashmir Billon
Bill McMurtry
Lisa McMurtry
James Hahn
Raymond Donaca
Deanna Donaca
[redacted]
[redacted]
Michel Veillette
Nadya Ferrari-Veillette
Marguerite Veillette
Vincent Veillette
Mia Veillette
Jacob Veillette
Maurice Pereira
Natasha Pereira
Mark Achilli
Raed Al-Farah
Andrew Kissel
Rufus Shaw Jr.
Lynn Flint Shaw
Mr. Pierce
Walter Buczynksi
Marci Buczynski
Jason Washington
German billionaire Adolf Merckle has committed suicide, in despair over the huge losses suffered by his business empire during the financial crisis, his family said on Tuesday.
The media-shy billionaire, whose family controls some of Germany's best-known companies, was hit by a train on Monday evening, local officials said.
"The desperate situation of his companies caused by the financial crisis, the uncertainties of the last few weeks and his powerlessness to act, have broken the passionate family entrepreneur and he took his own life," a family statement said.
State prosecutors from the southern city of Ulm said Merckle, 74, left work on Monday and died after being hit by a train near the town of Blaubeuren. He left behind a suicide note to his family, they added.
What does that teach you, kiddies? That's right: leverage kills. And extreme leverage kills extremely. Now you might ask yourself why Dick Fuld and Vikram Pandit haven't killed themselves. Silly kids, that's because they are Americans. When rich Americans screw up, the taxpayers bail them out.
Greenspan's Body Count now stands at seventy-one:
Adolf Merckle
Mike Upham
Randy Motts
Kristy Hunt
Joseph Nesheiwat
Tom Brisch
Alex Widmer
Brian Pugh
Marilyn Lewis
Sid Agrawal
Kirk Stephenson
Barry Fox
Dallas Dwayne Carter
David Hetzel
Sharron Hetzel
Cliff Kendall
Pamela Ross
Roland Gore
Mrs. Gore
Wanda Dunn
Karthik Rajaram
Subasri Rajaram
Krishna Rajaram
Ganesha Rajaram
Arjuna Rajaram
Indra Ramasesham
Joe X
Isabelle Jarka
Robert Wagner
Lt. Michael Howe
John Roberts
Palmer C. White
Dianne Pittman White
Ed Boesen
Edwin F. Rachleff
Carlene Balderrama
Troy VanderStelt
Scott M. Coles
Dawn E. Armstrong
Thomas Lizotte
Jonathon Calvin "40-Cal" Jacques
Salvador X
Lupe X
Jade X
Little Boy X
Little Girl X
Kashmir Billon
Bill McMurtry
Lisa McMurtry
James Hahn
Raymond Donaca
Deanna Donaca
[redacted]
[redacted]
Michel Veillette
Nadya Ferrari-Veillette
Marguerite Veillette
Vincent Veillette
Mia Veillette
Jacob Veillette
Maurice Pereira
Natasha Pereira
Mark Achilli
Raed Al-Farah
Andrew Kissel
Rufus Shaw Jr.
Lynn Flint Shaw
Mr. Pierce
Walter Buczynksi
Marci Buczynski
Jason Washington
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Nailed it!
July 5 :