Home » The Watercooler for 12/04/08 9:00 AM
The Watercooler for 12/04/08 9:00 AM
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Tried to wade through the article you posted but just couldn't -- main idea that a bunch of monkeys treated non-existent money like a house of cards and manipulated it into $ for themselves?
Lower home mortgage rates - can't hurt?
Jobs programs -- good!
Bonds -- like WWII War Bonds to raise money -- great idea -- us poor retirees scratch around for 'safe' places to invest and make a little grocery money -- my best deal at the moment (w/ liquid money) is a measly 3.2 percent or so -- guess you can make 4 or 4.5 w/ a CD but it ties your $ up -- if the US of A would come up w/ 'war bonds' and pay out say 5 or 6 percent and make them mature in a year we old folks would be lining up if FDIC or otherwise guaranteed...
We need a great slogan NOW to stomp out any momentum by Jeb -- something like JEB (w/ a circle, like no smoking) and maybe Thanks, but no thanks -- we've a bellyful of Bushes). How about that:
NO JEB - WE'VE GOT A BELLYFUL OF BUSHES
politico on the subject:
Will voters elect a Bush again?
His big brother helped drag the GOP to two consecutive thrashings at the polls, but former Gov. Jeb Bush’s prospective Senate candidacy is nevertheless getting a hero’s welcome from Florida Republicans.
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By AMIE PARNES & CHARLES MAHTESIAN | 12/3/08 6:50 PM EST
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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16186.html
You have to remember these people believe in Creationism -- and remember JEB was the one that prompted that ridiculous '11th hour' 'rescue' of that poor woman who was in a coma in central FL and the stupid Repugs pulled that dramatic nonsense to 'save her.' In my heart of hearts I think that moment was the one in which America realized the Emperor REALLY HAD NO CLOTHES.
I understand what you're saying. We are in the process of moving some of my mom's money around and she's retired, on a fixed income and can't take much risk at all but the yields on the safest fixed income instruments are so meek.
We're looking at the preferred shares of some of the (believe it or not) banks--the ones that have received TARP money.
Some of their preferred shares are selling significantly below face value, pushing the yield to closer to 12% as opposed to the 8% coupon rate. My view is that there is less risk in these as the US Government gave these banks billions of dollars and owns preferred shares as a result. In other words, unlikely that the government would let them go into bankruptcy.
We're just now looking at some of this bank debt, have made no decisions yet. More analysis required but the yields are interesting enough to make me do the work.
I'd suggest discussing any plans to enter the market with your professional financial adviser. If you don't have one find one in your area. Shop around till you find someone you are comfortable with. Don't be embarassed to ask questions re. terminology. This field has a language of its own but it's your money--ask until you understand what is being proposed. Once the term is explained it isn't really difficult to understand it's just that it's a whole new language so take it bit by bit.
This post is not a suggestion that people enter the stock market. Again, discuss that decision with your professional financial adviser.
Good (yawn) Morning...
I've spent about 9 hours testing Gizmo's upgrade over the past 6 days, and their was actually some improvement.
Normally, the program would crash instantly when my heart's amplitude
exceeded 120% of the game's capacity. The software guy didn't think
that was possible, and I've been trying to gently remind him that 5 of
the 13 people who tried my Dance Music Protocol overloaded the game
within 45 minutes. Including Charlie Grapski.
Anyway, during three of my sessions this week, I was able to maintain
just above 120% of capacity for a full 12 seconds before the crash, and
it was quite a rush each time.
It's my opinion transcendent fractality begins somewhere around the
140% range, and I know from times when I crashed the game hard, I've
reached above 160%.
But just think about that for a minute and how far modern technology
has come. I have a video game where my heart is the joystick, and I've
learned to overload the game by consciously manipulating my own
electromagnetic field.
Just waitin to take it to the next level...
The Fed did just that last week and it worked. That's why more is under consideration by Treasury. You try it--if it works you do it some more.
Last week's Fed move drove mortgage rates down to 5.5%, from 6.06% a week earlier. The Fed said on Nov. 26 that it would purchase up to $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities from Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie Mae, and that it would buy another $100 billion in direct debt issued by those firms.
Mortgage applications more than doubled as a result, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. Much of the activity stemmed from homeowners looking to refinance.
and Phil, yes--you have to get yourself to a state of creditworthiness. I don't place blame solely on those that took what are now called *liar loans* but there is at least some culpability by people driving themselves into credit holes.
Just in case, I'll go ahead and state that JOBS are a must. It isn't a choice of shore up housing markets OR create jobs. These are not mutually exclusive. We need to do both.
Got to get back to work.
See you all later:)
A minute before catching the p lane. Michael Moore says to fire the CEOs for a start. Good idea.
They're totally incompetent...dog and pony show today. We need smart men/women and smart ideas. These are not the guys!
Absolutely. And while they are at it, put in some women in those positions who can do the job better that the twerps who are in there.
already touting the Jeb Bush possible run for the senate.
I predict that we will be getting sick and tired of hearing the "Jeb" story before very long, if we are not already. But that's the media. As soon as one election is over, they must focus on the next one in order to have some political "news" and controversy.
Newspapers here are already at it declaring that Jeb Bush is "very popular" here among Republicans and Democrats. Don't believe it! They haven't run any polls here at all and are just wishful thinking. The ones they do run are from 2006.
They talk about Jeb Bush's great successes here as governor with education (his FCAT is extremely unpopular), lowering taxes to make Florida more business friendly (right, that is why Florida is currently more than $2 billion dollars in the red and that is unconstitutional here),-- I could go on but won't.
If ever anyone was unsuited to being a U.S. Senator, it is Jeb Bush. He never could work with his colleagues or adversaries while he was governor. His ego is off the charts and he is an ideologue of preposterous proportions.
If Democrat Alex Sink, Florida Chief Financial Officer, the strongest position in the cabinet, she would be a shoo in for the Dem nomination. Sink won handily in the same election in 2006 in which Repug Gov. Crist also won handily. Sink is former president of Bank of America, and has vast governmental and environmental experience.
Bottom line: Bush could never win a debate nor an election over Sink.
Rather than trying to whip the vote for an auto bailout, he's giving up withoput a fight.
- if the big three go down there is no such thing as a "safe" investment
By Phil Specht on Dec 4, 2008 12:02 PM ESTand if UAW pensions are disposable so are government pensions
the right is talking up no bailout because they want to killl the labor movement once and for all
a lot of folks died getting it to where it is now, it would be a shame to turn this country into a banana republic and start all over
we are a lot closer to the cliff of a government default if the big three go
Nobody asked the bankers how they got to Washington (corporate jets all). Nor, despite the bluster from Democrats, were any meaningful conditions attached the the TARP bailout.
I had "Morning Joe" on briefly this morning. Joe and a repug guest were touting Bankruptcy, so the Car companies could "kill the unions, kill the dealers' network, then do whatever they wanted".
That's the Repug plan, and too many Dems go along, alas.
From Amy Goodman's new column, "Chevron in the White House."
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081202_chevron_in_the_white_house
How does that lyric go? Meet the new boss.....
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