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Almost agree with you here syl. The only question is why they were brought to Cuba. Seems the Afgans & certainly the Isralies could have questioned those much more quickly & effectively and there would be none of these enemy combatants on earth. Still looking for the part of the constitution that protects those trying to kill us,,
syl-- I was reg 'independent'. Now I'll give Bush all the help I can. We would be typing in Arabic if Al Bore was elected. Next I think of WHO could run against him and do better,,,,,, there is no one,,, I just wish his balls were a little bigger and there would be no hotspots left-- as in *POOF*!
Whoops-- how about NOVN today? Thought it was going to be stopped out today,,,
Nope--- Augie's comments, although true, were very subtle. If politics were discussed here, there would be so very much more Augie could have said about Monaca & friends boy toy,,like all the times he was going to hunt the perps down & punish them,, but that was not the way Hil wantrf to run the company..
LOL!! Very true Augie. eom
JMK-- <<"walk softly but carry a big stick.">> Situation is a bit different today. Carrying the stick does no good. Walk softly, sneak up, & beat them to death with the stick--- that is the only language understood today.
TG-- The power company where I lived last (PA) had some stranger stuff. The gas service sucked so most everyone had elec everything except oil heat. They paid you $75 to put in an 80 gal hot water tank. Then knocked 3 off the load every month. When I went to put in new AC they gave me $750 to put in a heat pump instead. Then from Nov through Apr dropped the load another 3. They wanted the power used for heat in the winter when total draw was down. Heating ending up costing much less than using 100% oil. The only restriction could come from hot water-- if power use was high they could shut the tank down for periods between 7AM & 6PM.
Dan-- thanks for the reply, just got in 1/2 hr ago. the sell orders were to take profits,, not all that confident to short. I see the buy orders on DOW went off and are a little green too. Maybe I should put orders in every night and not look until 30 min before the close,, BRKB & WPO still will not allow me to add to core. Will add BRKB at some point before 1/1/3.. price be damned..
Syl-- contrarian has paid off well the past 18 months or so. Looking for my next entry (still holding some longs),, just uncertain into what for a swing. Looks like my NOVN will be taken out soon & the MO bought @ 38.01 is near my sell point. Add those to the gold sales & the result is a higher cash % than I like. BRKB & WPO do not want to get into my buy range-- which is not nice on that side but makes the long positions look sweet. Oh well,,, orders are in-- will be out the morning,, may get back before the early close. Put a couple low bids on PFE too,, maybe I'll get a couple Xmas gifts tomorrow,, just so they do not turn to coal.
All this excitement over gold has finally enlightened me! Sell orders went in tonight.
I think you are correct Paul A, but it is getting close to my S/L. Oh well, not a big loss-- would like it better to start '04 with though as I like where I'm ending now..
jd -- <<"I am sure AOL will eventually get similar ruling on netscape browser. ">> Tried a few 'upgrades' and returned to Netscape 4.76. Never did like Internet Exploder. Putting Netscape on WIN may force them into a much better upgrade than the current-- just made stuff worse.
The only boost this will give to SUNW is to Larrys ego.
Yes Brain-- just much more avail land and therefore a much lower cost. Thats the only thing that is no longer being made...
Belgie-- ~~OT~OT~~ did not think you did. Moved to PM.
brain-- I wish I could find that type of doc for my area, esp on rental prop. Ground in the midwest is still available and lots will range anywhere from K15K to $50K. Stick construction will go from $125 - $150 sq ft with the majority of homes built in the 2200 - 3500 sq ft range. Winter prices can often run less to keep crews working. There are very few large developements by the same contractor.Often an area is opened and lot buyers have their choice of contractors. Modular is not very popular, although somewhat cheaper. Some areas still have restrictions against modular construction. Roof trusses are being used more often though. I've built a few on spec as a hobby. I'll do most of the wood construction and sub most of the rest out (most meaning I'll do the elec except putting in the service,, other functions the same) It takes up to a year for me to complete one in this manner but is a fun hobby. Profitable too, esp when material can be purchased very early and stored if found at discounted prices. The same is true with rentals-- I can buy them needing work, remove everyone to get work completed, charge much higher rent and sell the unit-- markup can be a real fun thing on these flips. Buyers would not touch them at the rent level and condition,, but once remodeled and new rent structure they are excited,,
jd-- I agree,, but it will end one day. Homes there going for 750K-1M sell for a ton less in most other parts of the country. The trick is to buy as much as possible but NOT be the last one holding.. who knows-- it could go on for decades longer..
LOL!!! but Sandy Mack,, we certainly do not want them here even though our women just think they are 'funny in a strange way'. The rest will just move south to be with the relatives-- no, they will take their relatives since they married them already. Be nice to the SUVs & PUs. Thats about all we drive here. This is big Ford & Chevy country-- not much for the vehicles made by boombox companies. I'll get a few guys together again tomorrow to put out signs with an arrow pointing South. BTW-- we give enough gas money to get them 2 states down.
Belgie24~~OT~OT,, I have both the CSRS & FERS programs on disk. If you are interested in finding the way it really is I'll be happy to email them to you. In the plan you will see medical coverage is not funded and if an employee did not have a plan for 5 yrs prior to retirement will not be able to get one. Also, the FEDs I know pay a portion of their medical coverage while employed and have for many years. There are many other statements that can have holes shot in them. The AVERAGE FED in a large city may have a problem fully funding FERS. Their pay rates are not up to private industry. The new contract with UPS will have 5 year employees earning $60K + overtime. The USPS employee with 20 years will be making about $46K with overtime often being next to non-existant.
A few years after FERS was implemented CSRS employees were able to put up to 5% of their base into the bond fund only. Some time later they were able to get into the other funds. Recently, this non-matched deduction has been raised 1% per year and will be 8% in '03. This is tax deferred.
There is a formula and it can even be higher than 55% - 60% depending on age and years service. It is not based on <<"provides 55-60% of your ending salary..">> but on the high 3 year AVERAGE of BASE salary. OK-- no SS and 60% of $46K is $27.6 minus medical & life insurance, taxes, == not very generous considering there are no nice size contract increases but only small COL adjustments that do not cover the rise in medical premiums each year.
Some states (PA) do not tax CSRS pensions while others (OH) do.
Then there are the business of every size that move offshore to tax havens. TYC is a prime example. Additionally some entertainers with huge incomes will even get a dual or give up their US citizenship to beat the taxman.
Belgie24-- Actually, my post on CSRS is a lot more accurate than yours. In approx '84 CSRS was no longer avail to fed employees. I guess you missed the part about those 'grandfathered' will have a CSRS pension unless they were of the few to volunteer into FERS. PLEASE tell me WHERE the FREE medical comes in. I know quite a few that are paying big bux for terrible medical coverage, all deducted from their CSRS acct. Most if not all are USPS retirees. If the rest of CSRS receives free medical those people should go to court as they are the only ones actully funded by their employer. Yes-- FERS employees can get up to 5% matching. They are also able to put in up to 13% of their base pay. You are wrong again! The F fund is another POS that is available. Actually, the C & F have been around since the beginning. About a year ago and (I)nternational, and (S)mall Cap fund were introduced. They also suck big time along with the mkts. The G fund has been around since the beginning and is a fund of govt bonds only available to FED pension plans. The G fund has a very good rate in comparioson to the general mkt. Now, who can retire on a bond fund. Are you aware these funds are only updated for employees once a month? Balances & values -- 1 time a month! If they decide to transfer funds it takes over 2 weeks. Great Crap. Have you checked the FEES associated with the crappy funds? I am aware of several that put in only enough to get the full match in the G fund. The rest of their retirement investing is done outside FERS.. As I stated-- the CSRS was very good but you will be very hard pressed to find anyone that thinks FERS is any where near as good as CSRS. Many FED employees are clients & only the CSRS will have a decent retirement, at least until SS kicks in.
Only the USPS puts $$ into CSRS, and their portion is underfunded by approx $5BB. The rest of CSRS funding comes from the taxpayers,, 100%.
basserdan-- Even the FEDs dumped the old Civil Service Retirement Plan (CSRS) in about '84. Those 'grandfathered' will not collect Soc Sec unless they have the required qtrs from other jobs also (they paid higher rates to CSRS and not into SS),, then the Soc Sec is greatly reduced. The new plan had many federal workers happy until the decline in the mkt and now some look to work until death. Not much the fed workers could do as they cannot strike as industry does.
syl,, a couple of months ago I took wifey to order her Xmas Jag. She decided the grandchildren would fit better (twins -- car seats and all) & be safer in an Explorer-- have not seen any commercials with Explorers wearing ribbons. Since she took the Explorer there was enough change from the proposed Jag purchase to buy myself a new truck,,,
brain-- just looks like some have awakened and decided to dump the very overpriced & overtaxed property to move to a lower cost of living. Many probably finally figured without all the overpaid people in NY there would be fewer buyers and are trying to bail on property they paid about 3X the value. Hope they are all moving south as we do not need them in the mid-west,,LOL! I've wondered when the NJ proprty balloon would burst for over a decade.
LOL! Poor Gray Davis! He relied on Greenspan to pull him out of a pickle. Pretty damn dumb for a Gov,,, But those in CA want a lot high cost services. The question is,, when CA falls into the ocean who will pay those bills..
WHOA-- Zeev,, thought you were talking to me?? LOL! I'm Mr Freakin Nice-Guy,
jb-- your optomisim is overwhelming,,LOL! You make some points and some I have stated before. There may not be a reason to buy the newest and the best-- and companies may refrain for awhile,, but the consumer still wants a new 'puter, car, etc and will buy. yes-- commodity prices are rising and due to emerging mkts/countries. These people KNOW they must also protect the US economy or they have ZERO customers.As for Europe-- well just do not laugh yourself into a coma. Any move by the FED during the forseeable future will only be down. AG will not hesitate to go to 0% if he feels it will help. The American, and every other, investor may (and many already have said) say "never again" but with the elimination of defined pension plans they have little choice, its either invest or work until death. They quickly forget anyway-- but while paying rent & etc help through investing will still be required to find the American dream-- no matter what one dreams. Doubtful they will be happy watching the near zero inflation put the interest on the CDs in negative returns. As for jobs leaving-- agree,, just rambled on about that a few days ago. Still, the biggest influence is years, maybe decades, away. Profits turned to cash in those countrys will still arrive in US mkts-- with some volatility of course.
I certainly am not a perma- bull. Never did believe in the 'buy & hold forever" tirade. Daytraders have, as you stated, made the mkts volatile. After the past couple of years of volatility 3% - 5% daily swings are hardly commented on any longer. It will not be much longer the memory of accounting scandles will be no longer a thought unless a few more pop up. There WILL be a bottom in at some point,, maybe already has. If one accepts no risk-- well back to the CDs & peanut butter instead of surf&turf. What I think we will see is a more knowlegable, cautious, investor/trader. Those that did not move out of tech now have learned valuable lessons (well not all). They will put those lessons to work. Since I'm 54 I certainly hope to be alive long enough to see the DOW @ 12K again,, although I doubt it will be any time soon. In reality I look for next year to be in the crapper too,,, but a bit of luck, agility, & following TA / FA I expected to be on the upside. With all the political crap going on we will see a lot of economic stimulation next year. As for the Iraq situation--- doubtful it will be permitted to go on much longer w/o some action,,,,, if it looks to be a more difficult fight than thought all stops will be pulled as GW likes his job. A rosey pictue?? Hell no! But it certainly is not time to be looking for a 2nd depression or decades long recession. The recovery will not be fast & furious--------- but it will come.
jb-- what do you see in the US economy that mimicks what is going on and has been going on in Japan? Their entire busines/labor structure is different. The govt there has done what compared to ours? Do you believe our banking system should have failed 10 years ago? How much deflation do you see here compared that in Japan that has been going on for over a decade? Extremely doubtful IMO as Japanese economic practices could do nothing more to bring their problems on and could do nothing less to fix them.
syl-- Powell is a pussy & has proved that for years. Why has GW not fired him long ago?
Great move, Syl! eom
jdaasoc-- Buffet is not saying much,, back off the soap box as too many begin trying to guess his next thought and move. He is quietly looking to purchase additional companies. He did not buy stock in lvlt-- he bought bonds with a nice rate and some additional security. As for <<"Al Bore pushed the telecommuncations reform act..">> well,, after all, he invented the internet too,, I'll bet he can tell us of many more things he invented. Given a little time he would prove it was him & not Edison that gave us the electric light,,, LOL!
mlsoft-- very true. Without the dollars rolling in no other currency can stand--- at least until the Chinese take our place as the biggest spenders in the next decade or two. For that reason the Chinese are going to help protect the dollar,,, for the time being as a devaluation at present certainly is not in their best interest. When the rest of the world sees the Chinese as THE producer or manufacturing economy and the US as a service economy is when our problems really begin. Our labor cost vs all others will hasten that as seen by US companies already sending jobs and growth overseas. Can't you just see a union being organized and shop rules presented in China?
Joe-- <<"I much more enjoy the swing trades
and position trade..">> Agree. And like you have multiple accounts. One main trading account and two easily trasded accounts. The others are somewhat clumsy to day trade anyway. Just doing DTs in 1 at a time while watching swings & etc is enough.
Sherlock-- <<"....Buffet's Insurance Cos can foot the bill ...">> not nice to say to someone that holds a decent amount of BRK in their portfolio ,,,,,,,,,, all but a small amount significantly green. Of course after being hit after 9-11 many found all insur companies changed their policy AND increased rates-- hence Bush's terror insur. So-- seems taxpayers would be paying the bill,,,, HHMMmmm,, you may have something there,,, could create a nice dip to load up on...;-]
Zeev-- have had approximately the same thoughts as you with the exception of the nas. I actually looked for things to happen much faster than they have. There are still questions why some companys are still swimming against the BK current. Of course one must still wonder why some on other exchanges still exist too,, especially in the air line sector (US Air & ual should go POOF). Additional consolidation is required to dry up excess capacity in order to improve pricing and profits in the next few years. The thought of a volatile or lower mkt is understandable but a crash on the order of '29 is not probable. There have been many measures put in place over decades (and hours -- ext unemployment benefits) to curtail the possibility and not all ammo loaded yet either.
jdaasoc-- LOL!!! HEY!!! Some of us are far from "elderly" (maybe not TOO far) and are not YET " immune comprised patients" but are treated at VA clinics and hospitals for various injuries and other problems. Additionally, new programs offer all vets services at reduced or no cost, like flu shots, vision care, & pharmacy products. ;-]
Thanks-- eom.
Thanks for the info Sandy,,& I must agree no one should rush to the front of the line until they are aware of everything involved. If it is found my generation is still protected is it possible the antibodies were passed on to our children? Grandchildren?
Must agree-- since it looks like it will be a year before the general public has the vaccine readily available more accurate info will be avail to him. Doubt I'll bother--- as with flu shots it hardly seems worthwhile at this time & I'm sure the VA will have an ample supply as well as family practitioners.
Zeev you vaccination numbers are close to what I have heard. This is supposedly a diff vacc than what was given to all a few decades ago. Here is a portion on an email recd from a friend that has researched it a little..
For my family the "cure" can be worse than the "threat" of Smallpox.
According to the US Government there are 30 to 50 million Americans who
should NOT get the vaccinations.
My daughter has eczema and if she gets exposed to anyone who gets the
vaccination during their 3 week incubation period she could very easily die.
That goes for anyone with eczema, or who had it years ago too. Or with
weakened immune systems, ect, ect.
Seems like this is not the same vaccination you and I had as a child.
Different. And deadly.
As they should. With all the wonderful news on the sector who would want to buy a d-drive company except at a huge discount?
Yep- since it has held up better than most..