The government essential built the internet.

Does that mean that the government tells us how to use it? Where to go? How much to pay for various services?

i do agree a large segment of the population is stupid and doesn’t save and wastes money … but i just dont see how governmental programs will help people all of a sudden “see the light.”

For example, most banks that are large enough can eliminate fee checking for many patrons. Just about anyone starting out can find a free checking offer. This indicates to me that this should be a free service of the system. No ill-informed consumer should be paying certain fees simply because of an educational gap.

Financial advice would work up to this free level eventually, if you follow the educational pyramid of logic. No one should pay for a service that is available for free to those to know how to get it for free.

It’s another internet benefit.

Grim your “Rube Goldberg” comment in the election thread was priceless.

And since I’m here, I think I might be an angel of death or something. In O4, after years in the newspaper business, I got a job in the housing industry. This year, I began working in the “gaming” industry. Just saying.

but anyone have thoughts on this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/business/09shiller.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

“The financial crisis that afflicts the country is largely a result of speculative bubbles, built on false hopes, in the housing and stock markets. Many Americans thought that they would rise in the economic hierarchy from one or another of these investments, and their disappointment is profound. As dreams have been lost, the gap between the wealthiest and those struggling to provide basic items for their families will become more evident and more painful.

The best way to battle gratuitous inequality is to make our financial institutions better embody the true principles of risk management. Financial theory is all about incentives for people to work effectively, and diversifying against random shocks by sharing them among many investors. At its essence, finance is really more about helping and sharing than “beating the market.”

Later in the article, he essentially calls for the govt to provide financial advisers for the people. At least i think he does.

I doubt Ranieri will end up living under an overpass.

The real story here are the hundreds of other smaller banks that are about to be wiped out due to exposure to failing commercial RE/construction loans.

Bailout Includes Key Tax Breaks

Not sure whether to be surprised at this one.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHJNCy_68fJtiIPaltzwBwynBdkAD94AUVCO0

How do you make it in to bed each night with your head constantly spinning?

If you have a pretty good idea what you want in terms of caliber, don’t fret about guns being outlawed. The Heller case in DC this past year secured the individual right. I have little fear that they will become unavailable to legit citizens.

However, the Heller case said nothing about ammo, and the gun grabbers have focused on curbing ammo sales as a way to make guns useless to ordinary citizens. Presently, there are two bills in NJ that would make ammo riduculously expensive, so expensive it would be unavailable. I dont think that such “inverse condemnation” would survive in court, but it takes a long time to get a case to the Supremes.

The second risk is permits. NJ cannot take away your right to own, but they can make it damn hard to get a permit, and will ratchet up the fees for it. Irrespective of the election, I expect towns to jack up these fees to capture revenues, especially since they are expecting a flood of applications.

In my considered, legal, opinion, anyone considering owning a gun eventually should apply IMMEDIATELY for the requisite permits. Its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Get in now before prices go up.

Also, especially if you can do so now legally in some places, such as in PA, purchase the ammo. Don’t bother with rifle ammo—that wont be made illegal. Get handgun ammo in a caliber that you expect to buy, such as 9mm.

Finally, when you are ready (and properly permitted), find and select your gun. By waiting, you avoid the shelf-clearing panic buying going on right now. Many of these guns are bought for resale. Don’t buy the hype that you have to buy before 1/20/09.

Remember, NJ or the feds can’t attack gun ownership directly, so the only remaining avenues of attack are to make ammo expensive and scarce, and to make licensing hard.

Beat them before they try to restrict your rights, and send a strong signal to Trenton and the transition team.

Went down to AC with $30 in wallet. Casino’s gave me about $210 in cash. Came home with $1350. There’s a little noodle shop hidden in Showboat that has pretty decent Asian eats for AC. Had their Roast Duck with Bok Choy (awesome) and some Kim Chee (weak) this time. All in all, I couldn’t complain. Showboat was busy on Friday Night for the Dropkick Murphy’s, but dead Saturday. Bally’s was dead both Friday and Saturday. On the bright side, Showboat had $5 blackjack tables on Saturday. Hadn’t seen a $5 table in ages in there. Typically they are $15 on Saturday.

Enjoy your Sundays folks.

Me happy.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Is that your job? You just talked about being a journalist!

MATTHEWS: Yeah, it is my job. My job is to help this country.

Matthews wasn’t done with his odd new job description . . . An incredulous Scarborough kept pressing, astonished at such a complete 180 from Matthews’s repeated insistence during the GWB presidency that he had to hold the government accountable.

SCARBOROUGH: Your job is the make this presidency work?

MATTHEWS: To make this work successfully. This country needs a successful presidency.