Eye of the Hurricane

[extelecom]

How bigger government harms blacks
Last Updated: 12:10 AM, April 27, 2011
Posted: 10:52 PM, April 26, 2011
Thomas Sowell

Walter Williams fans are in for a treat -- and people who aren't Walter Williams fans are in for a shock -- when they read his latest book, "Race and Economics."

It is a demolition derby on paper, as Professor Williams destroys one after another of the popular fallacies about the role of race in the American economy.

I can still vividly recall the response to one of Walter's earliest writings, back in the 1970s, when he and I were working on the same research project in Washington. Walter wrote a brief article that destroyed the central theme of one of the fashionable books of the time, "The Poor Pay More."
Williams: Caustic take on liberal myths.

It was true, he agreed, that prices were higher in low-income minority neighborhoods. But he rejected the book's claim that this was due to "exploitation," "racism" and the like.

Having written a doctoral dissertation on this subject, Walter then proceeded to show why there were higher costs of doing business in many low-income neighborhoods, and that these costs were simply passed on to the consumers there.

What I remember especially vividly is that, in reply, someone called Walter "a white racist." Not many people had seen Walter at that time. But it was also a sad sign of how name-calling had replaced thought when it came to race.

The same issue is explored in Chapter Six of "Race and Economics." The clinching argument is that, despite higher markups in prices in low-income neighborhoods, there is a lower-than-average rate of return for businesses there -- one reason businesses tend to avoid such neighborhoods.

I think Chapter Three is the most revealing one in the book. It begins, "Some might find it puzzling that during times of gross racial discrimination, black unemployment was lower and blacks were more active in the labor force than they are today."

Moreover, the duration of unemployment among blacks was shorter than among whites between 1890 and 1900, whereas unemployment has become both higher and longer-lasting among blacks than among whites in more recent times.

None of this is explainable by what most people believe or say in the media or in academia. But it is perfectly consistent with the economics of the marketplace and the consequences of political interventions in the marketplace.

"Race and Economics" explains how such interventions impact blacks and other minorities, whether in housing markets, the railroad industry or the licensing of taxicabs -- and irrespective of the intentions behind the government's actions.

Minimum-wage laws are classic examples. The last year in which the black unemployment rate was lower than the white unemployment rate was 1930. That was also the last year in which there was no federal minimum-wage law.

The Davis-Bacon Act of 1931 was in part a result of a series of incidents in which non-union black construction labor enabled various contractors from the South to underbid Northern contractors who used white, unionized construction labor.

The Davis-Bacon Act required that "prevailing wages" be paid on government construction projects -- "prevailing wages" almost always meaning in practice union wages. Since blacks were kept out of construction unions then, and for decades thereafter, many black construction workers lost their jobs.

Minimum wages were required more broadly under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 and under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, with negative consequences for black employment across a much wider range of industries.

In recent times, we have gotten so used to young blacks having sky-high unemployment rates that it will be a shock to many readers of Walter Williams' "Race and Economics" to discover that the unemployment rate of young blacks was once only a fraction of what it has been in recent decades. And, in earlier times, it was not very different from the unemployment rate of young whites.

The factors that cause the most noise in the media aren't the ones that have the most impact on minorities. This book will be eye-opening for those who want their eyes opened.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists

[fuagf]

miss the writing, strato.., yes, the place has changed a lot, less fun, fewer warm and fuzzies ..
am discovering how easy it is to have posts deleted .. if this is too long then that's just too bad ..

2007/2008 Human Development Report
01Human development index
Human development index value Excel Export results to Excel

HDI Rank Country 2005
1 Iceland 0.968
2 Norway 0.968
3 Australia 0.962
4 Canada 0.961
5 Ireland 0.959
6 Sweden 0.956
7 Switzerland 0.955
8 Japan 0.953
9 Netherlands 0.953
10 France 0.952
11 Finland 0.952
12 United States 0.951
13 Spain 0.949
14 Denmark 0.949
15 Austria 0.948
16 United Kingdom 0.946
17 Belgium 0.946
18 Luxembourg 0.944
19 New Zealand 0.943
20 Italy 0.941
21 Hong Kong, China (SAR) 0.937
22 Germany 0.935
23 Israel 0.932
24 Greece 0.926
25 Singapore 0.922
26 Korea (Republic of) 0.921
27 Slovenia 0.917
28 Cyprus 0.903
29 Portugal 0.897
30 Brunei Darussalam 0.894
31 Barbados 0.892
32 Czech Republic 0.891
33 Kuwait 0.891
34 Malta 0.878
35 Qatar 0.875
36 Hungary 0.874
37 Poland 0.870
38 Argentina 0.869
39 United Arab Emirates 0.868
40 Chile 0.867
41 Bahrain 0.866
42 Slovakia 0.863
43 Lithuania 0.862
44 Estonia 0.860
45 Latvia 0.855
46 Uruguay 0.852
47 Croatia 0.850
48 Costa Rica 0.846
49 Bahamas 0.845
50 Seychelles 0.843
51 Cuba 0.838
52 Mexico 0.829
53 Bulgaria 0.824
54 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.821
55 Tonga 0.819
56 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 0.818
57 Antigua and Barbuda 0.815
58 Oman 0.814
59 Trinidad and Tobago 0.814
60 Romania 0.813
61 Saudi Arabia 0.812
62 Panama 0.812
63 Malaysia 0.811
64 Belarus 0.804
65 Mauritius 0.804
66 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.803
67 Russian Federation 0.802
68 Albania 0.801
69 Macedonia (TFYR) 0.801
70 Brazil 0.800
71 Dominica 0.798
72 Saint Lucia 0.795
73 Kazakhstan 0.794
74 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 0.792
75 Colombia 0.791
76 Ukraine 0.788
77 Samoa 0.785
78 Thailand 0.781
79 Dominican Republic 0.779
80 Belize 0.778
81 China 0.777
82 Grenada 0.777
83 Armenia 0.775
84 Turkey 0.775
85 Suriname 0.774
86 Jordan 0.773
87 Peru 0.773
88 Lebanon 0.772
89 Ecuador 0.772
90 Philippines 0.771
91 Tunisia 0.766
92 Fiji 0.762
93 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.761
94 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 0.759
95 Paraguay 0.755
96 Georgia 0.754
97 Guyana 0.750
98 Azerbaijan 0.746
99 Sri Lanka 0.743
100 Maldives 0.741
101 Jamaica 0.736
102 Cape Verde 0.736
103 El Salvador 0.735
104 Algeria 0.733
105 Viet Nam 0.733
106 Occupied Palestinian Territories 0.731
107 Indonesia 0.728
108 Syrian Arab Republic 0.724
109 Turkmenistan 0.713
110 Nicaragua 0.710
111 Moldova 0.708
112 Egypt 0.708
113 Uzbekistan 0.702
114 Mongolia 0.700
115 Honduras 0.700
116 Kyrgyzstan 0.696
117 Bolivia 0.695
118 Guatemala 0.689
119 Gabon 0.677
120 Vanuatu 0.674
121 South Africa 0.674
122 Tajikistan 0.673
123 Sao Tome and Principe 0.654
124 Botswana 0.654
125 Namibia 0.650
126 Morocco 0.646
127 Equatorial Guinea 0.642
128 India 0.619
129 Solomon Islands 0.602
130 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0.601
131 Cambodia 0.598
132 Myanmar 0.583
133 Bhutan 0.579
134 Comoros 0.561
135 Ghana 0.553
136 Pakistan 0.551
137 Mauritania 0.550
138 Lesotho 0.549
139 Congo 0.548
140 Bangladesh 0.547
141 Swaziland 0.547
142 Nepal 0.534
143 Madagascar 0.533
144 Cameroon 0.532
145 Papua New Guinea 0.530
146 Haiti 0.529
147 Sudan 0.526
148 Kenya 0.521
149 Djibouti 0.516
150 Timor-Leste 0.514
151 Zimbabwe 0.513
152 Togo 0.512
153 Yemen 0.508
154 Uganda 0.505
155 Gambia 0.502
156 Senegal 0.499
157 Eritrea 0.483
158 Nigeria 0.470
159 Tanzania (United Republic of) 0.467
160 Guinea 0.456
161 Rwanda 0.452
162 Angola 0.446
163 Benin 0.437
164 Malawi 0.437
165 Zambia 0.434
166 Côte d'Ivoire 0.432
167 Burundi 0.413
168 Congo (Democratic Republic of the)0.411
169 Ethiopia 0.406
170 Chad 0.388
171 Central African Republic 0.384
172 Mozambique 0.384
173 Mali 0.380
174 Niger 0.374
175 Guinea-Bissau 0.374
176 Burkina Faso 0.370
177 Sierra Leone 0.336

http://hdrstats.undp.org/indicators/1.html

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MANY HAPPY NEW(S) YEARS TO ANY AND ALL ASUNDER

downunder

[RedneckInvestor]

Being politically correct is more of a pain in the ass than it's worth. For starters, you're always wrong, and piss off a lot of good people along the way. And good people make bad enemies.

Thank you for the kind words, you're a true class act.

Hope your day is equally beautiful. :)

[StephanieVanbryce]

Hi .. It seems you have a lot of objectivity and common sense. I have found
that not to be too popular on Ihub, in some cases .. ;)))

Hope you have a Beautiful Day .. ;)))

[StephanieVanbryce]

This was written by a life long dem friend of mine - just shows you how much our world has changed . It's simple, but what I thought was unique about it is .. these issues were 'always' assumed to be dem issues .. and NOW ..?? NO


Who is this man?
Why does he not hear
the cry of the downtrodden?

Why does he not dare to take our trust
and keep it safe near his breast?

Instead we are laughed at for our honesty
for our patriotism
for ours fears of a colder world
where some are seated at the table
while others are on the floor
we want to believe in our leaders
who do not charm us with money
and fancy suits

we have had better times
when we did not feel the bitter wind
which made us wise
we cannot afford another
to put us down
in order to prop up a president

By West Coaster

[StephanieVanbryce]

Hear Hear ! - The Coming Obama Thugocracy

"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors," Barack Obama told a crowd in Elko, Nev. "I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face." Actually, Obama supporters are doing a lot more than getting into people's faces. They seem determined to shut people up.

That's what Obama supporters, alerted by campaign emails, did when conservative Stanley Kurtz appeared on Milt Rosenberg's WGN radio program in Chicago. Kurtz had been researching Obama's relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers in Chicago Annenberg Challenge papers in the Richard J. Daley Library in Chicago -- papers that were closed off to him for some days, apparently at the behest of Obama supporters.

Obama fans jammed WGN's phone lines and sent in hundreds of protest emails. The message was clear to anyone who would follow Rosenberg's example. We will make trouble for you if you let anyone make the case against The One.

Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Obama that were "false." I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Obama's ties to Ayers.

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the "fairness doctrine" on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can't abide having citizens hear contrary views.

To their credit, some liberal old-timers -- like House Appropriations Chairman David Obey -- voted against the "fairness doctrine," in line with their longstanding support of free speech. But you can expect the "fairness doctrine" to get another vote if Barack Obama wins and Democrats increase their congressional majorities.

Corporate liberals have done their share in shutting down anti-liberal speech, too. "Saturday Night Live" ran a spoof of the financial crisis that skewered Democrats like House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and liberal contributors Herbert and Marion Sandler, who sold toxic-waste-filled Golden West to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion. Kind of surprising, but not for long. The tape of the broadcast disappeared from NBC's Website and was replaced with another that omitted the references to Frank and the Sandlers. Evidently NBC and its parent, General Electric, don't want people to hear speech that attacks liberals.

Then there's the Democrats' "card check" legislation, which would abolish secret ballot elections in determining whether employees are represented by unions. The unions' strategy is obvious: Send a few thugs over to employees' homes -- we know where you live -- and get them to sign cards that will trigger a union victory without giving employers a chance to be heard.

Once upon a time, liberals prided themselves, with considerable reason, as the staunchest defenders of free speech. Union organizers in the 1930s and 1940s made the case that they should have access to employees to speak freely to them, and union leaders like George Meany and Walter Reuther were ardent defenders of the First Amendment.

Today's liberals seem to be taking their marching orders from other quarters. Specifically, from the college and university campuses where administrators, armed with speech codes, have for years been disciplining and subjecting to sensitivity training any students who dare to utter thoughts that liberals find offensive. The campuses that used to pride themselves as zones of free expression are now the least free part of our society.

Obama supporters who found the campuses congenial and Obama himself, who has chosen to live all his adult life in university communities, seem to find it entirely natural to suppress speech that they don't like and seem utterly oblivious to claims that this violates the letter and spirit of the First Amendment. In this campaign, we have seen the coming of the Obama thugocracy, suppressing free speech, and we may see its flourishing in the four or eight years ahead.

Rasmussen
http://tinyurl.com/4nnx2h

[stratocasterca]

i have had my share of bannings lately, too. not very many people left to even have a conversation with. i think the election has a lot to do with it, and of course, the biggest economic meltdown in our lifetime kind of gets people worked up a bit, too.

every one seems to shout out their opinion and then defend it with not-so-clever personal attacks and deflections. in that regards, ragingbull is actually calmer on some topics.

to hate on people just because they have a different political opinion is an insult to our right to have a different opinion. And there is a lot of that going on lately. if you find a spot where humor, etc. is once again welcomed, zip me an email.

[RedneckInvestor]

So much for free speech. Hell, there wasn't much of that even while I was paying, come to think of it. I once had 10 posts deleted in one day and got a cute little note from admin, something about hurting others feelings. Nothing worse than a nekid shortin' sissy with a snitch button, a twitchy finger and a guilt complex. And all the Ihub cops take their side. Nice.

Sorry, Bill, but that warm & fuzzy feeling is gone. Other than interacting with a couple of dozen stand up individuals, this ihub message board isn't any better than RB. And it costs more.

[stratocasterca]

i wonder how the heck this one turned into a premium board? josh, maybe you ought to figure out how to make a free board so there is a place to post without having to pay or be obamanized.

[RedneckInvestor]

No real need for heat here, other than maybe three or four nights a year. Electric heat spins my meter faster than nobama on his birth cert. A fireplace is high on my list of things to do, but far enough down where it ain't gonna happen this year.

About 20 days to go in the official hurricane season, and everything's done, judging the number of people asking me for work. Three guys asked me in one day, and one of them was a real estate agent (thumb smashers, I'll never hire another). When you check out google earth, the blue tarps remaining indicate those who spent their insurance check on new Cadillacs.

Oh yeah, congrats on the condition off your wood (now there's something I don't say to another man every day). The old barn on my family farm is 158 years old, and a solid foundation slid under it would give it another 158. I saw an old house on the web that was 300, coolest thing I ever saw.

[stratocasterca]

pretty cheery news lately, eh? Talk of world economic apocalypse interspersed with worries and Wolf Blitzer hand-wringing about if Todd Palin recommended his ex-brother-in-law have his workmen's comp claim reduced.

I have enough provisions to last till spring if halloween gets too rough. would only have a tank of gas but no where to go anyway. Doesn't melamine just make people's skin soft?

Colder than hell here, a couple inches of snow on the ground, glad i won't need much kerosene if it's gonna be a long winter. Are the hurricanes over for the year? sounds like you guys missed the action this year. gotta give you time to rebuild more stuff for the next one, i guess.

[RedneckInvestor]

Even a broken clock is right once in a while. Unless it's an electric digital with no battery back up, which is what I think we're dealing with, after reading the worlds financial heads and central bankers are meeting this weekend, and they may shut down the whole world's markets until they agree on some new rules. Simply implying this is a possibility could crash the market on it's own, 'cause nobody wants their money frozen 'til the cows come home. With the addition of melamine to our candy supply (thanks, China) and FEMA/UN/US troops in the streets, could be one of the scariest Halloweens on record.

Probably cheering you right up, huh? The best investment going right about now may be lead, 4' X 8' by 1/2" sheets, lining a room about 20 feet underground.

[RedneckInvestor]

Joe Smith started the day early having
set his alarm clock


(MADE IN JAPAN ) for 6am.
While his coffeepot


(MADE IN CHINA )


was perking, he shaved with his



electric razor



(MADE IN HONG KONG ).



He put on a


dress shirt


(MADE IN SRI LANKA ),


designer jeans


(MADE IN SINGAPORE )



and


tennis shoes


(MADE IN KOREA )


After cooking his breakfast in his new


electric skillet


(MADE IN INDIA )


he sat down with his



calculator



(MADE IN MEXICO )



to see how much he could spend today. After setting his


watch


(MADE IN TAIWAN )



to the radio


(MADE IN INDIA )

he got in his car



(MADE IN GERMANY )



filled it with GAS


(from Saudi Arabia )


and continued his search



for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.



At the end


of yet another discouraging


and fruitless day


checking his


Computer


(Made In Malaysia ),


Joe decided to relax for a while.


He put on his sandals


(MADE IN BRAZIL )


poured himself a glass of

wine

(MADE IN FRANCE )


and turned on his


TV

(MADE IN INDONESIA ),


and then wondered


why he can't find


a good paying job



in AMERICA ..

[stratocasterca]

the bald headed prophet of doom, Ali Baba, on CNN actually has been right just about every day lately, and for some reason he is able to remain neutral even when sucked into political debates. an actual journalist that still has a job.

but why i brought him up is that he made a pretty good case to day that the plunge at the end of the day may have been close to a capitulation, and used TA to show that we are within 500 points of the bottom at a pretty high confidence interval.

Actually, it's either that or tanks rolling down the streets by Christmas.

To save up a couple hundred thousand in an index fund and see it nearly chopped in half makes one lose patience with politics. And to a level where two pallets of Yukon Jack and whole squads of dancers won't make me feel better about the fact that i knew the dow was a risk... hell, i figured it was less risk than the pinksheets, but once again, the baja portfolio effect is in vogue. the silver i bought is the only thing that keeps me from becoming actually angry. (mainly because i know abrams tanks can't make it over the pass into cedarville)

As an aside, termites don't live here. too dry and cold in winter. otherwise, my house, which is perched on a foundation of juniper logs, would not be still straight after 120 years.

the contractor opened it up and said, hey, there is only about an eighth of an inch of decay on 24 inch logs after a hundred years in contact with rocks on the ground,,, he would feel guilty taking my money for a full foundation. But i digress, as the trouble with having a couple years worth of firewood stacked is that it makes it easier to burn more than one needs, and think happy thoughts about the price of heating oil.

[RedneckInvestor]

Ouch. Watching your retirement slowly bleed into the sunset must be gut wrenching. I hear a lot of talk about reassuring investors... "just sit tight until we get the rest" is what it looks like.

On AIG, nice dip today, but I'm afraid buying more would send angry shareholders to my front gate with pitch forks and torches. Too bad they axed the next party, I was thinking of showing up with a pallet of Yukon Jack and a bus load of strippers.

Thought of it after I posted last, the bugs will let you know if you've cut too much firewood. And likewise if they take over an old forest. So let me know at the first good thaw and I'll bring Big Mac to knock 'em down.

P.S. May want to alter the gears in your loader & dozer to keep up. LOL

[stratocasterca]

dunno about the "locked in" rate.. but a lot of pension funds such as teachers pensions and state pensions are not moveable.

i have some timberland in idaho that will be a summer job for awhile, as if the timber prices ever recover in the west, it needs thinning before the insects do it for me.

[RedneckInvestor]

Can't cut too much firewood, no such thing.

And congrats on reaching retirement age with enough fingers remaining to type. Wall street types should all be required to wear a blue collar for at least one week.

Retirement is a fairy tale, I've always been told. When Dad retired he took a three week drive to Alaska (one week each way, with a one week stay), rested for a week, then got a part time job. And I've been constantly reassured that I'd never see a dime of the "Social Security" funds I've donated. 401K's? Unions? I'll stick with workin' hard and taking risks, as fortune has a way of finding those who earn it.

Just wondering, what's the percentage of funds "locked in" that investors can't touch?

[stratocasterca]

i sure don't know what to make of it. i have a bunch of money in a 401k in index funds, and am 8 months away from when i can retire. it is enough to make a guy mad enough to rip out oak trees and tie knots in the roots.

Suddenly retirement trips to the australia outback, etc. are more likely to be trips to the desert looking for scrap metal...LOL

i know the day i move more to cash the damned market will rebound a thousand points as a result of Sarah Palin striking gold in the klondike and setting off a gold rush or something.

Really tired of the election. Whichever poor bastard wins really has their work cut out for them. and tax cuts are as likely as a lottery win. they CAN'T be cut when we are adding debt daily, by the trillions, and the boy wonder has a whole host of handouts he has promised everyone.

I am sort of glad i have enough firewood for two winters already cut.

[RedneckInvestor]

All cash, sitting it out.

Should be safe to re enter when Dow dips below 100 and the NAZ bottoms out around 5 or 6...

Holy shit, the whole market looks like a pink sheet scam.

[RedneckInvestor]

What a great idea, Wasilla as the new Washington DC. Scientists are alarmed at the danger of a hurricane wiping DC off the face of the map, kind of like they were before Katrina, and then this latest blowjob in Galveston... I estimate the shipping cost around 2.7 trillion if we all chip in, probably much cheaper than rebuilding.

[stratocasterca]

a true post-apocalyptic world in which roving gangs of people in dirty leather clothing cruise around and graze off the countryside and search for Tina Turner, i think Ted would be da man. He can operate a compound bow very well, and, as you know, killing people with a bow is the green alternative: no chemicals like gunpowder and no carbon emissions.

But sarah palin is a good shot, and alaska would probably become the center of the united states, as they don't have hedges.

So she might surprise you. I think Ted and her could form a worthy coalition.

[RedneckInvestor]

...writing checks to bankers kind of makes me nervous.

One of my first experiences with banks, I was told, "It's a lot easier to put money in than to take it out." Amazing, after all these years, how true this rings. It's now so easy, they'll just take it directly from our paychecks and call it the "Oops, we lost your money" tax.

I accidently overheard one analyst say June was the bottom, and another say August was it, with the end of September proving them both idiots. The hedge funds have yet to collapse, so I don't think we're out of the woods. When they go down, I expect the rotten bastards will totally crush the global economy. They've been self regulated for so long, theirs is a pretty deep hole...

...And if it gets as bad as I think it might, Ted might look like the Best choice.

[stratocasterca]

as for the drama, they sure tried to worry us a bit. to shake some more money out of ours and our kid's pockets.

now we have a fricking mortgage on the country. was a lot nicer when we had the deed and a clear title.

I guess something was necessary, but writing checks to bankers kind of makes me nervous.

I still can't vote for obama, not even close.

I'm also having a hard time getting behind McCain, but Sarah Palin is being raked by the press, and so i kind of have to root for the underdog, just out of principle.

Having a woman from an ordinary, working background with no ties to washington might work. She might be able to do some common sense stuff before she even gets totally sucked into the beltway system.

anyway, either way you look at it, we are in for interesting times, as people are sniveling that america's best time is behind us. Fuck 'em, we know how to make our OWN good time. And we even bring our own bottles, without being asked.

I think the slump might last another year or so, but i don't claim to have any economic insight on that. However, people normally get most panicked-out right at the bottom, and right now everyone seems to be aware of an economic malfunction. Including Heidi, the transvestite gardener, and she lives in a van, literally, with no access to television. Even my dog is nervous about the economy. Can't have canned food without a can. So i think we are at a bottom, but the pull-out might be slow.

I heard the rumor that Ted Nugent might run last winter, too. right now, i would vote for him. But i wonder if we really need a stone age hunter/gatherer as the boss. LOL

[RedneckInvestor]

What's the difference between a hillbilly and a redneck?

Rednecks live on flatlands.

Who won the veep debate? IMO, hunters are smarter than comics, as they can survive quite well in a bad economy.

I thought Uncle Ted Nugent was running in '08...

Yep, that's about the extent of my political insight, a month before elections.

...The market, ain't getting any better anytime soon by the looks of things. Wifey says it's all because of the upcoming election, I say they're being a bit too dramatic.

[RedneckInvestor]

LOL Looking back I wish I'd had the balls to go all in, proving there's a bit of chicken in me.

[stratocasterca]

dunno, but as a squirrel, i think you found a stash when you dove in.

[RedneckInvestor]

OK, maybe I'm a little smarter than a blind squirrel. I believe the ratings analysts were a wee bit over reacting to knock more than 98% off the value of the US's largest insurer. I also believe some of them wanted cheap shares and had large short positions, and now expect them to make money on the way up. I don't know much about the management, but I think Moe, Larry & Curley could right the ship from here.

Is "Credit default swaps" anything like nekkid shortin'?

[RedneckInvestor]

You know what they say about blind squirrels.

I've almost doubled my investment in SSBX also, looking to take some profits Friday before everyone returns from lunch.

Sideways in MAGY, my kids say it will be huge. The concept is brilliant, but management will need to keep up the good work and not dilute the piss out of it.

Going after GE next, rumor has it Mr. B just plopped down 3 billion in prefered stock. Think he knows something?

[stratocasterca]

josh, you were right on AIG, it is on a tear again. hope you bought some. i didn't, as i am chicken to play in this turbulence.

[RedneckInvestor]

So much for the suppy & demand theory. Wall Street can kick your ass with a pencil and bad math.

[stratocasterca]

yeah, the index funds came back, but silver tanked bigtime... i just don't understand it some days.

[RedneckInvestor]

Da dead cat bounce is directly proportionate to the height of the building it was thrown off, multiplied by the direct force of the throwee. No extra points for style, but a good follow through is important.

Hope your index funds recovered some ground today.

Sideways is a good trend these days. LOL

[stratocasterca]

LOL.. that is almost like when i caught a bounce on Enron during its disaster. i made a bundle when it was down to like a buck and bounced back to four, right before it disintegrated.

so i hope you get the wounded cat action in AIG, but who knows... you might ride it like a horse.

i am up in silver, where i have most of my trading money right now, and it is going sideways, but gold went up so i think silver will follow it.

i lost enough in my dow index funds in my IRA to make me want to blow a kiss to Pelosi. Kiss of death, maybe.

[RedneckInvestor]

How many people do you know who are green in AIG? LOL I snuck in the back door this afternoon and got a couple at $2.63,was $2.70 AH last time I looked.

[RedneckInvestor]

My question is this: what ever happens to the independants who show up when they kick off the fundraisers before every election? Ralph Nadar, that guy probably bags millions every four years. Strato tried talking me into running, but I've got better things to do. And besides, I was never one to bullshit people out of their money, and not many would approve of the way I hunted terrorists.

Oh well, wake me with the bad news when it's over. :)

[stratocasterca]

HAHA.. stephanie, your analogy of comparing brainless spam posters to rattlesnakes: either you ignore them or shoot them was perfect!

allowing them to slither off is an option, but engaging one means you have to take a shovel to them.... you can't pick them up and put them in your pocket... ROFL.. i didn't know you had it in you...

I think sometimes i go too easy on them, as i have a hard time wrapping my mind around how moronic the logic of some of them is that they try to use.

but you are right, i waste a lot of energy on them. but sometimes pulling the wings off of pompous flies has merit, too. especially when they are female pedophiles picking on an underage girl, like a few choice women on zeev's do to bristol palin.

[StephanieVanbryce]

Hi Jupiter Josh .. nice to meet you .. ;)))

No it wasn't the best they could come up with but best didn't count this year .. best being defined as 'most competent' that is ..

He is the best at some things though that are/have been invaluable to 'his' democratic party. Making money - He is a cash cow, they thought they would get more for down ticket but I have read that he is mainly playing for himself .. LoL . .Surprise .. Surprise .. . then we have his ..

Community organizing skills .. aw yes ..! a convoluted term which means all kinds of things - for the 'one' it means getting people to vote for you .. whether it's by 'organizing people' to intimidate people at caucuses .. or

..organizing people to get people registered to vote for you and then making darn sure .. you get them there to put their vote in for you ... or

...legalizing illegal immigrants to vote for you ...or....

even going to cemeteries to pick up votes from the past, Chicago style ... the way past, I mean. well hey .... they need to be heard from too ... ;))

Then we have Fla.. there community organizing means getting the laws changed so that felons can vote for you .. of course , then you follow that up with getting them registered and tell them you will see them on election day .. with a ride to the polls..so they will vote for you ..

He is the absolute best at increasing dem registration, by hook or by crook.. The how you do it is unimportant . The ends justify the means - winning is everything .

Competency, experience etc. - not a factor . Just increase the dem voter rolls .. and keep the money rolling in.

Principles be damned! - The democrats with Obama in the leadership position have become a party connected by the hip to republicans ... They are really the same now. Repubs are quite happy with the situation .. and why shouldn't they be ??? .. win or lose .. Republicans Win .

The democratic congress gave more to Bush than he ever imagined they would .. you just gotta laugh . My only problem with this whole thing is .. simple - I believe .. Republicans make better Republicans than Democrats do ... LoL ..

Thank YOU for your welcome .. we are going to have some fun !

[stratocasterca]

yeah, i don't use credit cards either except when i travel, and then pay them off the same month. it is like handing out cash if one does.

[RedneckInvestor]

A tip of my hat to you, Stephanie...

Very well done, with number one. Without even seeing what you've got on the other eight points, I have to wonder if this cat is truly the best the donkeys can come up with. If it is, their party is in worse shape than I could've ever imagined.

Welcome to the board!

[RedneckInvestor]

I paid off my credit cards a long time ago, have been doing fine without them, and have work every day unless I can find something better to do. IMO, unemployment & government handouts are for those who can't adapt, or won't try. Yeah, tough times will kill some people, but others will hardly notice. And some of the cowboys might even compare these tough times to the roaring '20's, buying new pick ups, shopping in the big city malls for new bib overalls, scooping up wrongly undervalued stocks for pennies on the dollar... The real reason Jake shot his t-v was probably because he wanted a big screen plasma.

[stratocasterca]

that is a good reference list to use in times of cult attacks.

the need to overcompensate and be a "tough guy" is the one that sets off the most alarms with me. i know from experience that when you promote a certified wimp, you almost always end up dealing with a tyrant within months, and need to put them in their place. trouble is, when he is president, there really is no one to put him in his place, except a leader of another country. Or michelle. She looks like she has whupped him a few times, but the true narcissist isn't even fazed by setbacks, it only fires them up to become even more powerful.

[stratocasterca]

is this "depression" doing much to your area? last you posted about it, construction is still coming along at a good clip.

The price of hay, wheat, and cattle are still way up, near historical highs, so most of the cowboys here drive new pickups.

My kids both make it on their salaries, and the ebay market for antiques, etc. seem stable.

I am thinking this crisis is mostly urban and on wall street so far? they threaten that no credit will kill us, but i still keep getting credit card promotions in the mail daily.

Not sure what to make of this in real terms. I mean, i never smelled any fear around here about terrorists, either. Fear is getting to be a hard sell, to pissed-off people.

[StephanieVanbryce]

The truth as I see it is this .. an Obama presidency will signal weakness. He will be tried more than McCain would . McCain would have the Reagan effect - our enemies KNOW McCain will not mess around . They all ready know that.

A McCain presidency will be one that does exactly what it 'can' to do straighten stuff out . There will be no miracles, uh .. cause there are none in this instance. However, McCain is not going anywhere .. He will only want to do the best to ensure America's legacy and of course, his own .. He is not trying to make a name for himself - he all ready has and we all know him ..on the other hand - Obama , well....

...That Obama will be tested is a given, my fear is that he will overcompensate to try & prove himself as a 'tough' guy.

He is such a narcissist .. and truly has no control over that and it should give one pause .. here are the symptoms

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

3. believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

4. requires excessive admiration

5. has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

6. is inter personally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him

9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

.. Let's just look at number 1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance - exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements

To check off this item, a shrink would only have to look at the fact that Obama chose to run for president with almost no relevant qualifications or experience and with such a thin resume that he has barely ever held a full-time job

He has based his presidential campaign on the fact that he was a “community organizer” in the 1980s even though he had no tangible accomplishments

was president of the Harvard Law Review in the 1990s though he wrote no articles for publication..

his undistinguished tenure as a state senator in IL, and an anti-war speech in 1992 that wasn’t even audio- or video-taped and didn’t rate even a mention in the local papers.

Oh, and he wrote two autobiographical books by his mid-40s.

He claims to have been a “civil rights attorney” although he has argued no cases in court and a "constitutional law professor” ...but he was really a part-time adjunct instructor who never published a single peer reviewed article.


That's just no. 1 and that is an easy one to prove, well actually some of the other definitions are easy to prove also. ..

To me this alone shows so much sickness and arrogance combined that it is enough to make you shudder .. then you take into consideration his very OWN comments about it himself .. My Gosh - he said himself - that he would not be ready to run for President and that he needed experience and for those reasons he would not run ...

Of course , I have more .. but I'm off now .. going out for awhile .. ;)) ..

[RedneckInvestor]

Ol' Jake shot another t-v? He should try my t-v schedule... Turn it on just before the green flag, and shut it off right after the victory burnout.

Sweet board, Brother! I've seen Stephanie around plenty, and think she'll fit in nicely here.

Yep, all's calm on our little blue marble, 700B dollar bill for us taxpayers, and loving aliens due to arrive over Alabama on October 14th. Looks like a good time to tune up the big chainsaw and shapen my axe.

[stratocasterca]

and a place to store particularly good links. i am just tired of moderators bouncing me for not agreeing with them. i am not particularly concerned about me turning into one of those, as i can hold my own in most dust-ups.

I noticed that obama really concentrated hard to not stutter to the point that the vein on his right temple was bulging out more than i have ever seen before. His main thing was that he didn't fold when mccain flipped him a few reality burgers, but the flop sweat was such that i bet he had to empty out his shoes afterwards.

I bet pakistan is really shaking in their boots after the debate...LOL
Good diplomacy is easy when you deal from a position of strength. But obama only projects car salesman strength. Putin would reduce him to a puddle.

I have compared obama to the Edsel.. it represented change, but change that was ill-conceived and it failed faster than it took for the paint to dry on it.

[StephanieVanbryce]

Hello .. well, I don't know what we will do here . However with this mix it should be fun .. !

"The Spam Flooders" .. good term. It's amazing to me how or why people allow that on any political board, rambling on and on 24 hours a day/night on the same subject, all with one liners or two at the very most .. and People answer them .. LoL . .

yeah .. yeah ... . I know you do . There must be something in it .. I just never figured out what it was . To me - It's like responding to 'bots' .. oh .........wait .. ;)) .. that's what they are ...

Anyway .. we will see where this takes us .. at least we will be able to talk about 'stuff' without getting so much racket..

[stratocasterca]

due to the intense noise and acrimony of this election, and the inability of some boards to curtail spam flooders, a calmer spot in the middle of the storm has been created. Josh has hurricane experience, so the title is a wink to his experience rebuilding hurricane damage. His posting has turned florida into a red state. Stephanie can do research on political topics to a level without a peer, and takes daily attacks for not being in the obama camp. You don't know each other, i don't think, but i can vouch for both of you as principled people.

Jake Coffey, the real-life working cowboy and former employee of mine would be here, except he can't type, and he shot his television again due to a CNN newscast (third time in two years).