*ALERT* End of Days

[KJ Duke]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:

market manipulation, madoff, stanford, look-the-other-way SEC, bailout after bailout, higher and higher debt, where does all of this end?



am i the only one who feels that FRAUD is rampant and the american taxpayers as a whole is a host for these fraud parasites?

Negativity and risks are heightened in tough times and brushed off in good times.



In the stock market, when good things are happening for a company the market brushes asides risks and concerns, eventually bidding it up to unsustainable levels; then when a stock starts sliding every minor risk is gonna destroy its margins, market share and revenue growth. These tornados of optimism and pessimism come and go every quarter, somewhere. Some are small, some are huge, but they're always going on. The fraud, manipulation and all was going on for decades before you were born, GG. Different time, different fraud, but its more of the same. Right now, my negativity compass on the market/economy as a whole says that we are rapidly approaching maximum levels.



Why will we survive this crisis? The US has an unprecedented place in the world because of the importance of our spending power, our currency and our military. We can do things no other nation can. We are, in effect, the world's "too big to fail" conundrum, in the same way that Fannie Mae, AIG, Citi and Merrill are the US government's conundrum.



This means, one way or another, the world will have no choice but to bail us out - whether that means they eat our currency, like it or not, or devalue their own to keep selling to us, or whatever other form it may take. There will be lip service to the contrary, but in the end, that is what I expect to happen.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

quote:Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

By asking the reader to assume that the focus of the story is true, leads me to believe that it is not.

Like, reporting ARod was injected with steroids by his cousin, and later in the story the author asks us to assume ARod was injected by his cousin, leading me to believe that he doesen't believe it. don't worry. the congressman is on my list to be contacted THIS weekend. if i get a chance to sit down with him, i'm going to ask him specifcally about his interview and what was true, a mistatement and/or lie. [/QUOTE]Keep us informed. [/QUOTE]like i said in another thread, i'll get my gameplan formed this weekend.



we aren't going to see the final details on the housing plan till early march so that will likely have me on tilt for the nfbc main event. [/QUOTE]I'll call Obama and ask him to hold off on the housing plan till around March 18

[sportsbettingman]

Too many parallels between us Mark.



I would PM this, but I'm not fearful of being called a crazy, because I know I'm not.



I will say some of it is at worst great fiction, and some of it is also fact. Amazing stuff you just won't hear elsewhere.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 3186&hl=en



Nobody is giving out full transperency on life and history...you have to dig through all the respected as well as "crazies" to get the info and make up your own mind.



~Lance

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

The fraud, manipulation and all was going on for decades before you were born, GG. that makes me feel better, NOT!!! the level of the fraud now dwarfs previous fraud, no? what previous fraud has been on the level as madeoff?

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

Why will we survive this crisis? The US has an unprecedented place in the world because of the importance of our spending power, our currency and our military. We can do things no other nation can. We are, in effect, the world's "too big to fail" conundrum, in the same way that Fannie Mae, AIG, Citi and Merrill are the US government's conundrum.



This means, one way or another, the world will have no choice but to bail us out - whether that means they eat our currency, like it or not, or devalue their own to keep selling to us, or whatever other form it may take. There will be lip service to the contrary, but in the end, that is what I expect to happen. these are good points KJ, esp the military part.

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

I'll call Obama and ask him to hold off on the housing plan till around March 18



man, these forums have been a great place to vent and get some good insight from other people who are dealing with this.



special thank to KJ. he's been able to guide me through a lot of the BS out there. he's invested a lot of time on this and the wcoff MB to help guide people. he's a good guy and a smart guy. i really appreciate it KJ.



[ February 19, 2009, 09:31 PM: Message edited by: Gordon Gekko II ]

[sportsbettingman]

"special thank to KJ. he's been able to guide me threw a lot of the BS out there. he's invested a lot of time on this and the wcoff MB to help guide people. he's a good guy and a smart guy. i really appreciate it KJ. "



Ditto.



I think he's a bit too trusting of the FED and is currently too optimistic on the coming 8-14 months...but I thank him for his efforts here.



GOLD up! (kidding)



~Lance

[DOUGHBOYS]

My feelings exactly.



I nominate KJ for MVP





(Most Valuable Posts)

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

I think he's a bit too trusting of the FED and is currently too optimistic on the coming 8-14 months...but I thank him for his efforts here.

yes, duke is a bit too trusting for my liking, but he still gives the best take.



i went to the Fox Mulder school of trust..."Trust No One"

[DOUGHBOYS]

He likes Milton Bradley, he can't be THAT bright!

[sportsbettingman]

All these small steps. Baby steps. The only steps that can go unnoticed or unchallenged.



We are dealing with VERY smart people.



I just see this as another step toward unification of countries that have the Central Banking System run by the same group of people.



You just want me to trust, trust, trust and keep thinking all is on the up and up? F-That.



Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- U.S., U.K., and European regulators are in talks to jointly regulate the $28 trillion credit-default swap market, the Federal Reserve said today.



http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2060 ... refer=home



~Lance

[KJ Duke]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:

quote:Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

I think he's a bit too trusting of the FED and is currently too optimistic on the coming 8-14 months...but I thank him for his efforts here.

yes, duke is a bit too trusting for my liking, but he still gives the best take.



i went to the Fox Mulder school of trust..."Trust No One" [/QUOTE]Too trusting ... or is that I am the real contrarion - looking through the trees - and you guys have simply hitched on to the pessimist bandwagon trying to find the forest?



Honestly, forecasting is an art in anticipating the unknown, and that's all any of us can do. No one KNOWS what will happen next. You've got highly intelligent people on all sides of these issues.



[ February 19, 2009, 11:19 PM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]

[KJ Duke]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

He likes Milton Bradley, he can't be THAT bright! What's not to like?

[sportsbettingman]

Check out the 7:18 min mark of this video...it is quite interesting...(I believe the video was made in 2004?)



1) The predictions for 2007 are interesting. (and right around when I broke from sports only and expanded my curiosities specific to economics and politics.)



2) That "Pluto" was removed as a "Planet" in 2006.



Food for thought.



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 3186&hl=en

[sportsbettingman]

Sorry...not at all related to topic...



(But I am still surprised.) (I have been in a Trader Joes 3 times (usually on a lull in a busy work day just checking it out)and have yet to purchase anything...weird!)



February 19, 2009, 10:41 am

Do You Know Who Owns Trader Joe’s?

By Stephen J. Dubner

Do you shop at Trader Joe’s?



From what I have seen, the world is divided into three sets of people.



1. Those who have never been to a Trader Joe’s, and perhaps have never heard of it.



2. Those who love Trader Joe’s more than they love their own families.



3. Those who love Trader Joe’s more than they love their own families and are incensed that there isn’t one nearby.



So, let me ask those of you who fall into categories 2 and 3: Who owns Trader Joe’s?



1. Some great California family full of surfers and gardeners.



2. A small band of communal farmers in Oregon.



3. A huge German discount-grocery chain best known in the U.S. for no-glamor stores often located in marginal neighborhoods.





Yeah, it’s No. 3. The company is called Aldi and, though I’d seen one or two of its stores in the past, I didn’t even know it was a grocery store. Then I read this very interesting Wall Street Journal piece about the company’s ambitious new plan for the U.S., which calls for 75 new stores this year. The article claims that Aldi is so good at selling cheap goods that WalMart couldn’t compete with it in Germany. How do they do it? Here’s one way:



Store-brand goods generally make up 22 percent of U.S. food sales in terms of unit volume, according to research by Nielsen Co., while in some European markets, they account for about 30 percent. At Aldi, 95 percent of the goods are the retailer’s own brands.



They are, in other words, not the obvious owner of a chain like Trader Joe’s — which, although it tries to be ruthlessly cheap, also has a very high style quotient and neighborhood grocery store vibe.



I thought of all this when I ran into a friend who used to work at a Trader Joe’s. I asked her if she knew who owned the chain. She said no, then thought about it, and then remembered: “Oh yeah, some Germans!” She knew this only because some Aldi executives came to look at her store a few times, and she says management asked all the employees to not talk to the Aldi executives. She was uncertain why this was necessary. But then she remembered something: “The carts we used to wheel boxes up and down the aisles, we called them U-boats, because they were shaped like a U. We were told to definitely not call them U-boats whenever the Germans were visiting.”

[KJ Duke]

Funny Lance. I've seen Aldi supermarkets, never would've imagined a connection to Trader Joes. There's one very close by, but I prefer Henry's, which is better than (lower prices, less attitude) but being acquired by, Whole Fds.

[Edwards Kings]

Been in Aldi's. Not impressed. I never like to feel "cheap" when buying food. I am, in fact, cheap and look for bargains, but Aldi's made me feel like I was in a second hand tire store (i.e. do you really want to put you moving ton of vehicle on a set of second hand tires?).



Trader Joes I have shopped in twice or three times. Once for the "Gee Whiz" factor and after the second time, I was kind of like "Ehhh...whats the big deal".



Perhaps Perry can give us his professional opinion on the "Trader Joes" brand of red and white table wines?

[headhunters]

gecko- make your reservations for chicago in the summer. rick santelli will be hosting the party you will want to be at. rick s. the voice of reason.

[Gordon Gekko II]

Originally posted by headhunters:

gecko- make your reservations for chicago in the summer. rick santelli will be hosting the party you will want to be at. rick s. the voice of reason. if it happens, you could see me there.

[sportsbettingman]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko II:

[QUOTE] i've always enjoyed the law and a couple of my immediate family members are attorneys (one is Federal). I know the web is full of crap, so when you come accross a site (any subject) worth bookmarking/favorites...please share them with me via here or via PM.



That goes for all of you...the more the better!



Here's one that seems worthy of spending the time to read...



http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/



~Lance

[KJ Duke]

posted February 19, 2009 07:19 PM

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

Negativity and risks are heightened in tough times and brushed off in good times.



In the stock market, when good things are happening for a company the market brushes asides risks and concerns, eventually bidding it up to unsustainable levels; then when a stock starts sliding every minor risk is gonna destroy its margins, market share and revenue growth. These tornados of optimism and pessimism come and go every quarter, somewhere. Some are small, some are huge, but they're always going on. The fraud, manipulation and all was going on for decades before you were born, GG. Different time, different fraud, but its more of the same. Right now, my negativity compass on the market/economy as a whole says that we are rapidly approaching maximum levels.



Why will we survive this crisis? The US has an unprecedented place in the world because of the importance of our spending power, our currency and our military. We can do things no other nation can. We are, in effect, the world's "too big to fail" conundrum, in the same way that Fannie Mae, AIG, Citi and Merrill are the US government's conundrum.



This means, one way or another, the world will have no choice but to bail us out - whether that means they eat our currency, like it or not, or devalue their own to keep selling to us, or whatever other form it may take. There will be lip service to the contrary, but in the end, that is what I expect to happen. Dough, I also ran across this post from the height of the market meltdown. Think it turned out to be fairly accurate. Of course, now that we've survived, there will be long-term consequences that are less good for the economy, and pessimism in the market has turned into the fear of missing an ongoing market recovery. Thus, when it felt dangerous then, it was actually safer. Now that it feels safer, it's getting dangerous.



[ October 07, 2009, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]

[DOUGHBOYS]

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

quote:Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

He likes Milton Bradley, he can't be THAT bright! What's not to like? [/QUOTE]KJ,I hope you are as wrong about this as Milton Bradley



Seriously though, I am more scared now than when these postings were made. The Dow does not even seem real, it's like smoke and mirrors have propped it back up and the Government wants to pretend that everything is getting back to normal.

I don't know how it is in other folks neck of the woods, but there is a lot of joblessness here and nobody is building. The only thing that has changed is that people are getting used to the changes.

My own little stock market indicater is Wal-Mart. When the market was horrible, Wal-Mart was around 50. Now that the market has "recovered" Wal-Mart is around 50.

[Vander]

My guess is the market will continue to go up for a little while yet, but I must agree with KJ. The risks are much greater now. I hate to sound like a doom and gloomer all the time and unemployment is a lagging indicator, but there just isn't the ability to lend on the part of our lenders, the politicians will surely get in the way of any progress that is made anywhere, BTW thanks for Sarbanes/Oxley that helped a lot. They will come up with new legislation to screw thing up further, I mean er fix the problems, Printing money like there's no tomorrow, then buying the debt back up. That's inflation. Gold won't go straight up and the $ won't go straight down, but I'm trying to hold as much inflation protection as possible ie gold, stronger currencies, stuff you can hold. I see inflation and a slow economy. Used to be called stagflation. I also see boom and busts not the steady Goldilocks economy of the 90's. Just my opinion again when not asked for.

[Vander]

Banks and consumers are deleveraging. It will take years for consumers to deleverage. The fed is bailing out banks and other financials. The debt doesn't go away though it just moves from the banks to the fed which is now more leveraged than ever. There just aren't enough rich people to pay all this. Not even close. That means the middle class gets hit again regardless of what any politician promises. This time though there may not even be enough cash in the middle class. They must inflate their way out of this.

[KJ Duke]

Originally posted by Vander:

Banks and consumers are deleveraging. It will take years for consumers to deleverage. The fed is bailing out banks and other financials. The debt doesn't go away though it just moves from the banks to the fed which is now more leveraged than ever. There just aren't enough rich people to pay all this. Not even close. That means the middle class gets hit again regardless of what any politician promises. This time though there may not even be enough cash in the middle class. They must inflate their way out of this. I don't think the Fed will allow inflation to gather steam, the Administration certainly would prefer that, but I don't think the Fed will allow it. They can take money out of the system just as fast as they put it in.



Thus, I think inflation is an ongoing debate, but ultimately is contained. Uemployment remains high, we experience a stop-and-start economy with most asset prices stuck in neutral while our standard of living in financial terms must decline. Not only do consumers and lenders have to scale back, so to does government at every level. We're seeing it in CAL, just the tip of the iceberg as tax revenue is down and will stay down across the board from local to Fed. While any tax increases will just push up down at a faster rate.