From the Press of Atlantic City:
Condo owners hit with steep assessments for snow removal
Spring has arrived and, for most residents of southern New Jersey, the winter and its record snowfall are just an unpleasant memory.
But many people who own condominiums and townhouses are getting reminders of just how much it cost to plow that snow off their streets – in the form of additional assessments.
Donna Kelly, a resident of London Court II in Egg Harbor Township, said she got a letter from her homeowners association that she is expected to pay more than $300, her share of the community’s snow-removal costs.
“These are bad times financially, and coming up with that extra money is hard,” said Kelly, who has lived in the complex for four years. “They didn’t give us a lot of notice, either.”
…
London Court II spent about $50,000 on plowing snow this past winter; it usually budgets $6,000 to $7,000, Gurwicz said. Owners of the complex’s 158 units were assessed a share of the costs, based on the size of their homes.
…
The residents of London Court II are not the only homeowners being forced to pay extra for snow removal.A letter sent to the 490 owners at Society Hill at Galloway II stated the homeowners association had budgeted $25,000 for snow removal but had spent about $100,000, “or approximately $1,370 for every inch of snow Mother Nature dealt to us.” Homeowners were assessed an extra $150, which could be paid out in six $25 installments.
Associations kept their snow-removal budgets low for the winter of 2009-10, hoping it would be relatively dry like the last five winters, said Michael Mendillo, president of the Wentworth Group, which manages nearly 75 communities in southern New Jersey.
The storms put “a huge financial strain, not only on the communities, but on the vendors,” Mendillo said. “It snowed, it needed to be removed, and somebody needs to be paid.”
…
Some communities haven’t crunched the numbers yet or are waiting to see how other 2010 expenses play out. The Woodlands in Hamilton Township is assessing its 766 homeowners for other emergency expenses, but hasn’t gotten to the snow-removal part, said property manager Brenda Morrison.“We’re just taking care of expenses we couldn’t meet for 2009,” Morrison said.
But the community where she lives sent her a $375 special bill for getting rid of the snow, Morrison said.
…
“Unfortunately, our country as a whole, over a period of decades, went with the mentality of living above our means,” Mendillo said. “Now we have to go back to the basics and prepare for that rainy day.”Or for the next snowy winter.
1st
and 2nd. I’ve set a new record!
From the NYT:
Cash-Hungry States Are Putting Buildings on the Block
Is it better to rent or to own?
The default answer for a long time — when real estate’s horizon seemed limitless — was to own. Lately some individuals and businesses have decided that maybe owning is not always better, especially when you have other pressing needs for cash, like paying off your creditors.
Now the idea has spread to some states with serious debt problems. In January the state of Arizona concluded a deal to sell to investors ownership stakes worth a total of $735 million in several state-owned office buildings, arenas and other properties — including the buildings housing both chambers of the State Legislature. Arizona will lease back the property from its new landlords, among them the mutual fund giants Fidelity and Vanguard, for 20 years, after which ownership will revert to the state. Arizona is planning another, smaller round of real estate sales in June. For fiscal 2011, which begins in July, the state is estimated to have a deficit of $3 billion.
…
Last month California received sale-leaseback bids on a portfolio of 7.3 million square feet of office space in 11 state-owned buildings. The Golden State Portfolio includes buildings in Los Angeles and Sacramento, as well as the San Francisco Civic Center, where the state Supreme Court sits. The deal had been expected to yield about $660 million in revenue for the state, after $1.1 billion in expected proceeds were used to pay off construction bonds. California’s deficit for 2010-11 is about $20 billion.
From ABC News:
Economy Hurting Travel Plans in South Jersey
The sluggish economic recovery has potential vacationers hesitating to commit to visiting southern New Jersey.
The preseason survey for Cape May County, which includes such popular shore resorts as Ocean City, Wildwood and Cape May, indicated 57 percent of respondents planning to visit. That’s down from 78 percent who said yes in last year’s preseason survey.
The number of undecideds is also way up this year: 36 percent, compared to only 19 percent last year.
Still, tourism officials are optimistic that day trippers and family vacationers will help improve the tourism market this year.
What will the special assessment be for surrounding communities with 8′ high, broken-glass-encrusted security walls?
You trust your neighbors?
If the economy is getting so much better, why is copper getting crushed?
grim (6)-
Need guns for those close-range enemies. :)
I got 3 new listings emailed to me today. the greedy grubbers have listed for 5 to 10% more than similar houses were listed at when the 8k tax credit was available.
#7 Doom,
Maybe it’s fbs liberating copper pipes as they mail the keys to the bank? How many pounds of copper are in a typical mcmansion? If we have 20 million extra mcmansions could add up to a lot.
40 regarding trips to the Jersey shore- Cape May is lovely but is it worth spending at least $250 to $300/night for a room at a B & B? And now some of the inns require a minimum 3 night stay. I am sure that these beautiful B & B’s are expensive to maintain, clean, and decorate but at some point travelers will balk at spending that much money.
May 5 (Bloomberg) — The Obama administration is backing “significantly” higher limits for damages BP Plc might face for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and won’t rule out scaling back plans to expand offshore drilling.
“Beyond clean-up and containment, BP must be held responsible for the damages this spill causes,” White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer wrote on the White House website yesterday. The administration “strongly supports” a move in Congress to raise an existing $75 million cap on damages under the Oil Pollution Act.
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey is co-sponsoring legislation to raise the limit on damages awards from a spill to $10 billion from $75 million under the current law, which was passed in 1990. The cost to BP of cleaning up the spill isn’t affected by the cap.
https://njrereport.com/index.php/2010/05/05/snow-falls-in-may/#comments
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a29VLc3e5mQI
“These are bad times financially, and coming up with that extra money is hard,” said Kelly, who has lived in the complex for four years. “They didn’t give us a lot of notice, either.”
Simple, have the fed increase their swap line to the ECB (Every Con Banker) and cry to Angela for a bailout. If we can slip in billions for bows and arrows in our stimulus, why can’t Egg Harbor Township be included in the Greek bailout?
“NEW YORK — New York officials say they could stop attacks like the attempted Times Square car bomb by expanding a controversial surveillance system so sensitive that it will pick up even suspicious behavior.
The system “will greatly enhance our ability and the ability of the police to detect suspicious activity in real time, and disrupt possible attacks,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday.”
Just like London. Problem –> Reaction –> Solution. Buy stock in the security camera company.
9/11 –> Patriot Act, Afghanistan, Iraq
Underwear Bomber –> Airport Scanners
Time Square bomb –> Security Cameras CCTV.
Now we need a good reason to attack Iran and to blame the coming $7 gas on them. Funny how the border fence couldnt be built in 5 years in Arizona but we can get an aiport scanner and CCTV setup in days.
whine (11)-
RE was toast in Cape May County while the boom was still going in N Jersey. That whole county is a wasteland of debt, underwater properties, BK and foreclosure. Don’t even get me started on the rednecks in Wildwood.
I think I last looked at the absorption rate in Cape May Co in early 2007. Even then, it was over 100 months.
al (15)-
The only war being fought is the one the gubmint is waging against us.
Greeks sure have a funny way of throwing a bank run.
Gotta love those Europeans. Straight to the ramparts.
They found three dead in a burning bank in Greece.
Doom [18],
Just their(our)way of celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
From what I’m seeing on CNBC right now, this may be the biggest effort some of these Greeks make in their entire lives.
Ironic: a vigorous defense of laziness.
mocha (20)-
Is one of those three Trichet?
Anybody wanna go with me to blow up a Wachovia branch and protest for 14 months’ pay for 12 months’ work?
Oops…forgot. I’m a small businessman. I’m only allowed to pay out.
Other than watching midnight express and eating a few gyros in Astoria I don’t know much about the greeks. I know a joke though
Q. Why didn’t the greek boy want to leave home?
A. He did not want to leave his Mother’s behind.
#20 They found three dead in a burning bank in Greece.
Well, it’s a start.
jj (26)-
Midnight Express was in Turkey. They are swarthy like Greeks, though.
When does the plate-throwing start?
Opa!
9 Safe
Are you going to buy this year?
Doom – From the town council meeting last night – apparently if we make the pools too expensive, people will die when it gets hot!
Also, Mayor Fried thinks the Christie cap is a very, very bad thing. They don’t get how municipal budgets work.
Ironic: a vigorous defense of laziness.
Clot this might be the most philosophically enlighted statement uttered on this blog. Perfect in its simplicity and absurdity.
Risk assessment? Ha!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703866704575224480779342098.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth
JJ:
All the hard working Greeks left and either went to the USA or Australia. They were smart enought to know that the lazy people would never leave.
I did work with a Greek lady in Athens. I think she was the last hard working soul in the entire country.
#30 whatcrash
We are looking. If we can find something we like in good structural shape we would buy it if the mtg payment is about the same as our current rent.
What about you?
gator (31)-
Did they figure out a way to make you and Stu pay the entire fee increase on behalf of the town’s “underprivileged”?
The town MUST have its pools ready for everyone to take a dip once the tear gas starts flying this Summer.
I think we found our house. Its got everything we wanted- good flow, enough room, just cosmetic changes needed to get out of the 70s. Level decent-sized backyard.. the catch? Its on the main road- double yellow line in the middle. 35mph speed limit, but of course, the cars all do 40+.
The owner bought in 2005 at 875, so we’re thinking,at least 10% below that…
The double yellow is holding us back.. the house is really nice though… Aargh! Why is it always so hard?
Moody’s warns Portugal of possible debt downgrade
Is it too late for the short euro trade or is it just starting?
Goldman Sachs (GS) hierarchy is now considering removing Lloyd Blankfein from his post as Chairman and CEO, or separating the two roles.
Doom 36 – And we must have ALL 3 pools open for the season in our cut to the bone, not business as usual, austerity budget.
Highlight of the meeting had to be the people speaking up during public session regarding the clusterf*ck that is the new town animal shelter. We used to have an arrangement with PAWS for $100k/year that had them handling all animal control for the town. They were non-profit and were also able to attract donations and volunteers to provide a no-kill service at that cost.
A year ago the town boots them out, takes over the shelter, quadruples the cost of running the place and is now killing over 10% of the animals taken in because they are too lazy to do offsite adoptions or even properly update the town website with their current hours of operation.
15% tax increases for everyone!
Doom
This should brighten your day!
http://market-ticker.denninger.net/uploads/2010/May/giveusfree.jpg
Futures down again.
This 10% pullback was expected and will create monster buying opportunity.
Buy now or be priced out forever.
Private sector adds 32,000 jobs in April
10
Not as much as you think. The only copper in McMansions built over the last 5-10 years is in the wiring. Most plumbers have gone to CPVC or pex for piping.
Never heard of the following operation before until last night. I guess that wouldnt go over so well today, especially the name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Wetback
#41 Gator,
I am so happy I don’t live in Montklair.
Gator 41:
I used to interact with PAWS. They were just horrible. I have an interaction with them that I will never disucss again cause it’s so horrific. Trust me, I’d rather deal with the town animal shelter.
North Shore Animimal League out in Port Washington Long Island has cars in lot every day with New Jersey and Conn plates, it is worlds above any shelter in the who tri-state area.
http://www.nsalamerica.org/
All “H-Train” Hype says:
May 5, 2010 at 9:17 am
Gator 41:
I used to interact with PAWS. They were just horrible. I have an interaction with them that I will never disucss again cause it’s so horrific. Trust me, I’d rather deal with the town animal shelter.
44 “Private sector adds 32,000 jobs in April”
how many were “private sector” jobs were gov subcontractors or providing other services for the gov (or at least working for the new rules or regulations demanded by the gov)?
JJ:
I drive by the Montclair animal shelter every day and there are people there looking to adopt. The employees have helped me out in the past. They just need to get some more volunteers. As far as killing animals they do put down cats that are sick with terminal illnesses like cancer and feline leukemia.
No argument that the North Shore facility has it’s act together.
brink :37
Every day, you will regret that busy road in front of your new house. If it made an impression on you in the short time you were at the house…..just think what it will be like living with it.
Is there a driveway for off-street parking? Does the driveway have easy access? Or will you be backing out onto a busy street?
There are many other houses on the market.
Veto
re Portugal:
As we have seen time and again, TPTB will not just let the system fall apart. My question is what does it take and what sorts of deals with the devil does tricket have to make in order to stop the PIIG dominoes? The situation appears precarious at the moment, but if i have learned anything so far its that TPTB will pull every last string no matter what the long term consequences are in order to preserve the present state of things.
I think the EU is going to substantially shrink when this is said and done, but not just yet.
Another fun thought; Germany leaving the EURO at this point could be a benefit to them and shield them from the PIIGS collapsing, but their leaving would also have a high probability of precipitating the PIIG collapse.
what is the average length of occupancy for a first time home buyer’s first home?
Lets not forget California.
Cali is in a similar if slightly worse situation then Greece and saw its recent tax revenue fall through the floor again when the state was counting on it increasing to help buffer the current situation. Who defaults first, California or Greece?
Veto,
a more pertinent question perhaps; when is a major war started to delay reality and redirect public anger/unrest?
depends how long the foreclosure process takes?
jp says:
May 5, 2010 at 9:28 am
what is the average length of occupancy for a first time home buyer’s first home?
nw (39)-
Parity is still .29 away.
Plenty of time to pile on.
Note: rhesus monkeys have outperformed me in the fx markets.
32000 jobs in April? How many census workers? We need another stimulus or else the pale horse will arrive ahead of schedule.
brink (37)-
Buying on a main road- even with a 7-handle- in this market, at this time, ANYWHERE in NJ…is my definition of financial suicide.
hyde (53)-
We all know how this is going to end.
Big diff between ECB and FedCo/Treas is that ECB can’t/won’t spin the presses 24/7.
While driving through my neighborhood yesterday I saw an army truck and jeep sitting at somebody’s driveway. Clot, do you have any relatives in Edison? I guess somebody is preparing %)
Hello, .vix, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again / Because a vision softly creeping / Left its seeds while I was sleeping
http://www.google.com/finance?q=INDEXAMEX:QQV.X
Doom,
We know where this ends, but the interesting question is how do we get there. I doubt the EUR will go quietly into the night, in a steady downhill slide. I am curious as to what stunts they pull to pump the EUR on the way down.
“when is a major war started to delay reality and redirect public anger/unrest?”
Hyde,
From now on, lets base our analysis of the financial markets strictly using the the four horsemen of the apocolypse as an outline.
Check out this one 35k reduction. Would have been an easy 450-5 back in the bubble. Wonder what they payed, selling at a lose no doubt. My area is toast.
http://emailrpt.gsmls.com/public/show_public_report_rpt.do?report=clientfull&Id=54387130_1126
Link not working hmmm. Try again.
http://emailrpt.gsmls.com/public/show_public_report_rpt.do?report=clientfull&Id=54387130_11260
53 Hyde: “Germany leaving the EURO at this point could be a benefit to them and shield them from the PIIGS collapsing”
Germany is pushing for the bailout because German banks are on the hook. Leaving EURO does not protect them from the effects of PIIGS collapsing.
That’s better. It is only 2 years old can anyone get the price payed.
This euro stuff is overblown. Good Opportunity to get into good USA companies that don’t do business in Europe or Asia.
Here is a strange one, Smith Barney is saying buy Beezer Homes. Strange recommendation today unless they know something. Article is short term pain, long term gain!
John,
Stony Brook in the news:
http://www.finalternatives.com/node/12378
Veto 65 trying to get my boys (18,20)to join Airforce. Better than getting drafted as a ground pounder One sees it coming & is on board. The other wants to go for the Seals. Oh boy, a lot of sleep less nights for the wife & I.
The sexts Karen Lo allegedly has from Guerriero, courtesy of the Village Voice:
“I wanna take you in the stairwell on the low wat u say . . . I know ul love it. meet me there i wanna touch u already.”
“I wanna make u cumm like u never had is that a bad thing I know ul love it.”
“[Your boyfriend’s] lil dick please don’t make me touch myself thinking bou u lol at least feel me close.”
“I know deep down u are curious how I could feel lol I love touching ur legs when ur near me ur sexy . . . I had a dream about u it was so real lol.”
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/karen-lo-thomas-guerriero-lawsuit-2010-5#ixzz0n43we2pB
lo is a ho
So, how about Europe just calls the Euro a big mistake and everybody goes back to their own currency? How would that work?
Is there anyway to predict final closing price using less than five variables?
let’s say zip, price band, DOM, taxes as % list and finally sq ft.
Mike[67];
Jobs? Where within commuting distance might a buyer pull down ~$100k or so to afford that?
Fiddy: 52
Theres a 2 car garage with a driveway broad enough that you can turn a car around. No shoulder to the road, so if a guest parked on the street, he would partially block traffic.
Hmm, not sounding good already.
Doom:
I love that your opinions are so unequivocal- definitely reduces the indecision.
Mike Air force search and rescue are a hell of a special forces unit. Air force personnel get treated significantly better than any branch of the service. I would have your special ops interested son check them out.
signed former navy brat, who never served
hyde (64)-
I don’t see that they have many other tricks to pull, other than trash-for-cash.
Mike (67) – When I look at that house for some reason my flood detector is going off. It seems like all of the surrounding area is downward sloping toward the foundation. Or maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.
List 04/27/09 (Withdrawn 9/23/09)
OLP 439,900
LP 399,900
List 01/13/10
OLP 374,900
LP 339,900
No sales data on MLS
69. Mikeinwaiting says:
May 5, 2010 at 10:06 am
That’s better. It is only 2 years old can anyone get the price payed.
72.
The military is going to be used as cannon fodder. The real enemy doesn’t fly a flag.
mike (67)-
Is Pochuck Mountain next to Upchuck Mountain?
Holy shit. I gotta take you up on your tour invite; I’ll buy the drinks.
Came up as GLENWOOD, NJ
Sale 11/22/05
Price: $70,000
http://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/inf.cgi
http://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/m4.cgi?&district=1922&block=20.03&lot=19&qual=
Brink[37,79];
Regardless of the features of the property, don’t think about a 10% discount from ’05 – that’s like negotiating down from MSRP. See where the sales history of this property or neighborhood comps are going back 20 years or so, and compare v. CS or simple historical appreciation (meaning 1% over inflation).
Even if you do look at it at percent off peak, CS has the region down much more than 10%, closer to 16%. I think it may be lower still, and has more downside to run, but that’s only opinion, not data.
Personally, If I had to live on a major road, I’d want a large and fenced back yard tall privacy fence with high latches that little hands can’t reach. No worries about junion wandering around front after a ball, etc. The front would be essentially unusable except so far as it’s a buffer to distance you from the omnipresent road noise. I’d only then move if it were cheaper to buy than rent this or a similar property without the negatives. At $787.5k (90% of $875), I doubt you’re there.
I was about to say “but hey, its your money,” but considering the taxpayer bails out all mistakes, its not.
Moose 78 All of the homes in my development well over 400 k w 12 to 20 k taxes. Know 1 guy drives into NY everyday. Another police captain in town with teacher wife (que for the board, pile on tit suckers). Let see you could work in Morristown area, Parsippany, Mahwah, Wayne. All about an hour to 2 give or take. Already down 30 to 50% on some,nothing over 200k selling in any numbers.
Homboken no flood high ground up there.
Al gore agreed ,rather it not be my sons.
Airforce reserve Stewart Air base friend in a full bird there, 45 mins away.
Clot I’m waiting get the lead out.
Young buck thanks, wanted some color. Glennwood is section of Vernon, 70k was for land I guess
I will take A ride an eyeball it if anybody is interested.
There are better deals if you want to go out this far.This one just came up on the hot sheet this morn.
Dow trying to clawing back to green.
claw even ,shads of shore.
Clotpoll trying to claw out of hole he’s in.
You got shad up in Vernon, Mike?
I think that’s a sign of the apocalypse.
Moose: 88
Thanks for the input. You all just pulled me off my ledge… Guess I was beginning to get desperate.
Just got a 3 month notice from my landlord – he decided to sell to a friend. Now we have a deadline and that totally goes against all our plans.
But the season is young…
Thanks again everyone.
Oops no e clot.
“Holy shit. I gotta take you up on your tour invite; I’ll buy the drinks”
So when you coming up. I will take the day off, it will get ugly.
Mike, Clot
Count me in if its an open invite. I want to ride along just to listen to the banter.
onthebrink 96 get another rental.
Ket of course you are welcome.
If this was the borgata, i would go all in long on these markets here.
I think we are oversold just a bit.
Seems to me that the focus will be on stronger earnings and job improvemenst after the eu sorts these little problems out.
vets 101 “after the eu sorts these little problems outs.”
You have a talent for understatement.
If Euro collapses and take sdown Europe with it wouldn’t it be a good idea if we “allowed” them to use our King Dollar?
We will be able to export upcoming inflation quickly and send shiny down to pre 2001 level.
This sold for $2m in 2004, although its new construction so i dont know what the $2M is referring to.
Asking $4M that today.
Taxes $45k.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3830-Princeton-Pike_Lawrenceville_NJ_08648_1117693948
“You have a talent for understatement.”
Mikey, id like to understate the losses to my portfolio during the last week.
East Windsor
Bought in 2002 for $275k
Asking $265K today
Taxes $9k
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/9-Millstone-Dr_Cranbury_NJ_08512_1116485052?mp=1
Job cuts at near four-year low in April: Challenger- Reuters
veto 105 this prolonged rally crushed me.
May it go down another 1000 pts or more.
Where you stand is where you sit.
104 – Maybe I have a bad attitude but it looks like an assisted living place to me.
you got pounded like a greek sailor his first night ob the boat.
Mikeinwaiting says:
May 5, 2010 at 11:47 am
veto 105 this prolonged rally crushed me.
May it go down another 1000 pts or more.
Where you stand is where you sit.
jamil, this gift is for you. :-)
Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html
Obama will announce his Supreme Court nominee to change the subject…
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/36783.html#commentsform#ixzz0n4WsDdZI
“The double yellow is holding us back”
As well it should. I know someone with their “dream house” on just such a road. B&throoms can be added, kitchens replaced, yadda, yadda. That road will always be there and will only grow to be more of a drawback. If you have children, pets, or grandchildren, it will be a HUGE issue. Looking to have the windoes open on a mild evening? The woosh from the passing cars will be like a stone in your shoe.
Fidelity was warning me today to convert a Traditional 401K to a Roth IRA before the Bush Income Tax Rate Reduction expires. They had no answer to my question of suppose “O” implements VAT and Lowers Income Tax. Would be nice to know what they are planning, only of course, if you want to make a sane move.
Brink [96];
Don’t be bullied, espeically into making a bad decision for your family. If you want to make it difficult you can probably stay in that place at least six months after your ‘eviction’ date before they could actually force you out. I can provide lots of advice if it looks like you might get advesarial.
My LL has been exceedingly pissy and cheap in the past year or two and I’ve been looking since. I had plenty of opportunities to pay more for less, but I expect to secure better and cheaper living arrangements very shortly.
114: VAT is of course very likely durinO rule, but the chances of lower income tax during O regime is excatly zero.
Anyway, after seeing the O regime destroying country, the next president in 2012 will be more in tune with the country wrt spending, ie he or she will be able to push spending cuts and lower taxes.
I think he/she has a good chance for abolishing income tax (but keeping AMT) and replace income tax with VAT. I think the country is willing to accept VAT but only if it accompanied with concrete spending cuts (ie deficit is not made worse) and lower income taxes.
Current income tax with its zillions of politically inspired credits is a mess.
Veto [104];
From the listing:
“BROKERS OPEN HOUSE May 12, 2010 and a FULL CATERED LUNCH WILL BE SERVED”
At least the seller’s agent knows how to get the ramen-eaters’ attention.
Veto[106];
Still with this one? $9k in taxes for what? The school district is atrocious. And I don’t like the stream running through the backyard — swmapland/flood plain begging to happen.
111: “jamil, this gift is for you. :-)”
I saw that too. Last year, after BP lobbied the people in power, Gov waived environmental rules to allow BP to go ahead without safety measures. Naturally, O the biggest receiver of BP cash donations, but don’t anyone dare to suggest foul play by The Chosen One!
Damn, can only imagine if this had happened during Bush era..At least the heads of Keith Olberman/Shore Guy and every other hard-core lib would have exploded.
Moose, this is nj.
We pay extra for high taxes and flood plains.
I’ve heard its the proximity to manhattan.
Veto,
Of course it is. It brings a better class of runoff.
“Buying on a main road- even with a 7-handle- in this market, at this time, ANYWHERE in NJ…is my definition of financial suicide.”
Is it though?
If we do get hyperinflation through currency devaluation, isn’t the best play to hold a lot of debt in items locked down in pre-inflation prices?
(This from a current renter undecided between continuing the current path of renting vs taking on 750k in housing debt).
brink (96)-
Unless your lease has a clause to the opposite, your landlord and the new owner must honor your lease until the end…even if the sale comes before.
Consult an attorney.
make (103)-
Sorta like replacing your crack habit with meth.
“If Euro collapses and take sdown Europe with it wouldn’t it be a good idea if we “allowed” them to use our King Dollar?”
35 Safe
We will buy if the price is good. I have been saying this for 5 years now. It is hard to wait any longer.
meter (122)-
With all due respect, you should keep renting until you can extract your head from your ass.
@104 – Isn’t Princeton Pike sort of a dump? Or am I thinking of another pike in that area…?
Euro is now the new Thai baht.
ahh.. nothing like south east Asia during a meltdown.
Those days back in the 90s were alot of fun.
SAS
jamil and libtard,
Here’s one on bottled water that you both can enjoy.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle
Disclaimer: Found it from a comment on barista
110 thanks JJ more salt in the wound.
meter 122 I would not be counting on a hyperinflation scenario with so large a debt load. Could happen but if not.
127- meter – I wouldn’t call Princeton Pike a dump but it is a main road. Cars go about 50 mph, give or take. It gets very backed up at rush hour. I think this mansion is set very far back from the road though.
Who! Everything IS bigger in Texas, including their waistlines.
http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100257787>1=31036
Who is Wow, at least for today.
Doom:123
My planning has come back to bite me in the bu$$ – we negotiated a month to month lease with a 3 month notice after our year lease expired last august. Figured will make it easier to move on a house when we found the right one.
Moose:115
Would definitely appreciate some advice. Planning on requesting an extension after if I still cant find a place by June. Am concerned going through an attorney would raise LLs hackles.
Brink 134 Play nice, but if push comes to shove screw their hackles CYA.
Sorta like replacing your crack habit with meth.
Doom,
Different dealers.
I just viewed 60 or so photos of the riots in Greece on-line. Not good. Lots of angry folk of all ages.
@130 Mike –
Thanks, I was being facetious, but I do sometimes get the feeling that the ‘no good deed goes unpunished’ environment is the new normal. I know I’ll get financially raked over the coals for having been prudent and conservative.
How are you going to make it back is the next question?
What is the new strategy?
Mikeinwaiting says:
May 5, 2010 at 12:52 pm
110 thanks JJ more salt in the wound.
meter 122 I would not be counting on a hyperinflation scenario with so large a debt load. Could happen but if not.
What is the tired cliche? ….missing the forest for the trees….?
meter says:
May 5, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Is it though?
If we do get hyperinflation through currency devaluation, isn’t the best play to hold a lot of debt in items locked down in pre-inflation prices?
(This from a current renter undecided between continuing the current path of renting vs taking on 750k in housing debt).
Anon E. Moose says:
does it say for whom?
May 5, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Veto [104];
From the listing:
“BROKERS OPEN HOUSE May 12, 2010 and a FULL CATERED LUNCH WILL BE SERVED”
At least the seller’s agent knows how to get the ramen-eaters’ attention.
brink :134
Does the new owner really want to buy the place empty? No tenant? See if he’s amenable to letting you stay under the terms of the old lease(don’t tell hime the old lease is skewed in your favor).
What town are we talking here? Do you have to stay close to your job?
The worst move you could make is to buy something you’re not really sure you want….especially with a 7 handle. Way too many other options out there.
JJ This is for you
Miss World Wardrobe Malfunction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp9oBK8k56M
This is the most important news item of the day…
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/snooki_punches_bar_patron_in_miami_Il3jZcFPKaGoF2ZKsIRPjM?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=
Fiddy :142
The new owner wants to move in asap – he’s apparently renting too and his LL wants him to leave so he can put that house on the market.. wheels within wheels..
We’re talking Bergen county- “Buy before its all gone!” Dont want to move towns if I can avoid it.
[114] confused
“They had no answer to my question of suppose “O” implements VAT and Lowers Income Tax”
Lemme answer it for you: Ain’t gonna happen.
#37 – Double yellow line …
Run, run very fast and don’t look back. This is a HUGE mistake and well you know it. It’s not just one line in the sand but two yellow lines. Roads get busier year after year. It will be a thorn in your side and you will be forever angry with yourself because you knew better. Hold tight and buy with your head – remove all emotion from the decision.
brink :182 (early, but worth it)
Keep looking, my friend. Don’t make the largest purchase of your life under duress.
May I suggest Craigslist Aparts & Homes For Rent
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/apa/
Hunt for ‘Jason Bourne’ who kept arms cache in penthouse overlooking U.S. federal bank
Police are hunting a man who fled his high-rise Los Angeles penthouse ‘Jason Bourne style’ leaving weapons, counterfeiting equipment and passports in multiple names.
Brian Alexik slipped out of the window and climbed down the fire escape after refusing to let in officers.
A neighbour had knocked on the door after smelling suspicious fumes but Alexik refused to open up, even when firefighters and then police arrived.
Officers broke down the door just as the 33-year-old fled shouldering several duffel bags.
‘He escaped like Jason Bourne,’ said Deputy Chief Mike Downing of the LAPD Counter-terrorism Bureau, referring to the character played by Matt Damon in the hit film franchise based on the espionage thrillers by Robert Ludlum.
Police searched the apartment after Alexik vanished 11 days ago, uncovering a cache of weapons including an AK-47 assault rifle.
They also found sophisticated counterfeiting equipment and $15,000 in extremely accurate fake $100 banknotes.
Several different identifications, including passports, listed different aliases for
snip
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1270282/Hunt-Jason-Bourne-kept-arms-cache-penthouse-overlooking-U-S-federal-bank.html#ixzz0n509SstH
146 comrade
So you are saying VAT wont happen? Everybody knows tawes are not lowered by this regime, but VAT is already being planned – just need to wait until those nasty elections are over..
Thanks Fiddy.
Will check out Craigslist if I have to move temporarily before I can find a place to buy. Would prefer to just buy though- packing and unpacking is a b$$$, not to mention expensive.
That is a lot to do in his remaining two years in office
Comrade Nom Deplume says:
May 5, 2010 at 1:53 pm
[114] confused
“They had no answer to my question of suppose “O” implements VAT and Lowers Income Tax”
Lemme answer it for you: Ain’t gonna happen.
Egads!
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — BP officials told members of Congress in a closed-door meeting that the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico could be spewing as much as 60,000 barrels of crude a day, well over an earlier estimate of 5,000 barrels a day, according to reports on Wednesday.
snip
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-ups-spill-estimate-sharply-in-worst-case-confab-2010-05-05
for months i have had an uncontrollable desire to email the listing agents on realtor .com and start a debate about their asking prices. sarcasm and all.
it’s now at the point where i can no longer excersize restraint.
can someone please talk me out of this?
Escapee,
I wonder if the oil spill will help create buying opportunities on North Captevia?
This comes from the marketwatch piece:
“Meanwhile, Coast Guard and other authorities have been stepping up potential spill impacts in the Florida Keys and the west coast of Florida, including St. Petersburg. “
Veto
I would encourage this as long as you post the e-mails here for all to read.
Cindy,
You know the complaints about the 1099 issue with the new health care bill? I happened upon this response from a finance guru that I’ve been following for a while.
Please read the 2009 GAO report I linked at the end. This is one of the “close the tax gap” measures to make sure businesses don’t under-report their income or over-report their expenses. If a business received many 1099s from its customers, it has to at least account for all those income. If a business reported a lot of expenses on the tax return but didn’t issue nearly enough 1099s, the IRS may target them for audits.
The GAO report said the Bush administration proposed the same thing. So I guess it has bipartisan support. Bookkeeping will be a pain for sure.
Veto I 2nd Hyde’s endorsement. Keep it corgial and post the results.
Stu,
What is absurd is if we need to issue 1099s to telephone companies if we are spending over $600/year with each of them.
For example, whats the harm in a letter like this? :
Dear Agent,
The price of this new listing leads me to believe that the home has magical powers that will benefit me in some way.
Strangely, there is nothing mentioned in the description.
Can you please send me details on the magic?
thank you.
-Interested Possible Home Buyer
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
May 5, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Here ya go John:
“Former celebrity Lindsay Lohan will play a p0rn-star in some new p0rn-star biopic! According to Salon, the Bobby star will play Linda L0velace, the esophageally pliant lead in the 1972 adult film Deep Thr0at, which later became the pseudonym-sake of Watergate tipster Mark Felt. Bill Pullman will play Hugh Hefner.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/05/lindsay-lohan-is-deep-throat.html
ok, i will send but only if its hillarious and you all help me write it. Submit your email and then we can pick a winner.
May 5, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Here ya go John:
“Former celebrity Lindsay Lohan will play a p0-rn-star in some new p0-rn-star biopic! According to Salon, the Bobby star will play Linda L0velace, the esophageally pliant lead in the 1972 @dult film Deep Thr0@t, which later became the pseudonym-sake of Watergate tipster Mark Felt. Bill Pullman will play Hugh Hefner.”
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/05/lindsay-lohan-is-deep-throat.html
[150] jamil
A VAT is always being discussed, and has been analyzed at Joint Tax and IRS, but that is little more than fact-finding. Not even to the level of contingency planning.
Fact is, a VAT is, in effect, a “regressive” tax (hate that word), which simply means it is not “progressive”. This administration, and much of Congress, would never endorse what is essentially a national sales tax because it would so obviously break the One’s promise, and, more importantly, would never fly with the great unwashed, who would pay a far greater share of it than the “rich.”
And that is without considering the collateral effects (i.e., distortion) that this would cause in what is left of our economy.
This is why neither party wants it.
people keep using words like ‘civil liberties’ about those illegals in Arizona.
since when do people who are here illegally have right? why can’t they just do it the right way by applying and waiting?
I think “O” would brak his promise more letting the Income Tax Reduction Expire, then slipping in VAT through the back door. Of course people thought I was wrong when I forcast Greenspan/Bush&Clinton taxing Social Security, which had already been taxed. I think Medicare Tax on Passive Income like Capital Gains sets the stage for same on Roth IRA’s also. Bottom Line, “The Government Justifies Whatever It Wants with Appropriate Psychobabble”.
JJ 139 You tell me “O master of bonds”.
Shore,
Don’t doubt for a minute that the the three leaks are spewing only 5,000 gallons per day. The ocean is truly huge and it would take a lot more than that to create the gargantuan slick. It’s one thing when we are talking about birds and a few fish in remote Alaska. It’s a complete disaster when you talk about the potential shutdown of the tourism industry all throughout the Gulf and potentially up the East Coast for a year.
I recall having to use turpentine to get the tar off my skin in Ft. Lauderdale when I used to visit my grandmother as a child. I’m fairly certain that this open well won’t be stopped for a minimum of 60 more days.
Dear Agent,
What is that piece of equipment in your listing?
From the picture it looks like an ordinary water boiler but after noticing the asking price, i realized that it must be a time machine which has warped you and the seller back to 2005.
Please confirm which one it is.
i pay extra for time machines.
thank you.
Interested Possible Home Buyer
Shore,re: 155 it might cause even more stress in FL west coast re market. hey, market for clothespins should skyrocket.
37: OTB,
Don’t worry, in Ridgewood double lines propitiously turn into rainbows that lead to a pot of gold.
At least the Maroons voted down the budget.
170: Wonder if my Serve Pro buddy does oil spills.
[166] confused,
O won’t sweat the Bush tax cuts expiring. The left is already blaming that eventuality on the GOP. In fact, I see no concerted effort on the part of the Dems to pass the extension for their constituents for two reasons: First, the revenue spike would be welcome. Second, the dems have already teed this issue up in order to bash the GOP with it. The GOP is in a box on this one—fight it and risk the voter ire that the dems polling suggests would be a huge issue for them, or pass it and give Obama a victory. The Dems can’t lose either way so they will (cynically, IMHO), fight the GOP only halfheartedly to try to get a bill passed, expending no political capital on the way, and will wait and see what the GOP does.
If I were in the GOP, I’d triangulate and propose a bill that accomplishes the partial extension, but with other tax goodies, and with links to other legislation. Then let the Dems kill it, or hold it up. Then the GOP can say “hey, we gave on the extension, but now the Dems won’t agree to commonsense measures in other parts of the bill, etc.”
Veets here you go,
Dear Agent,
The pictures of the finished basement lack any images of the gold bars used to hold up this piece of 1950’s antiquity. Could you please remit pictures to me so I can verify value X, as the museum quality of the home does not justify the current listing price?
Regards,
interested home buyer
Dear Agent,
I noticed that the list price on this property is an outlier compared to any recent sales in the area over the past 24 months. If you can ascertain the mining rights to the underground oil reserve are included with the title, I will immediately Fedex over my good faith deposit.
pain, lib,
we can definately work with this.
175 happens to be a personal favorite but i guess its too early to call.
veto (154)-
Hey, it’s your time. Waste it as you see fit.
Shore 153
The flow currently seen doesnt match the known well pressure. The debris is most likely obstructing the flow. The oil also carries sand out of the oil deposit and is highly abrasive. As such, it is most likely eating the metal debris away bit by bit. Its likely that the flow will increase over time as more of the debris is worn away by the high pressure abrasive flows. If the well were unobstructed the original pressure readings suggest it could flow as high as 70,000.
Hey Doom, lol.
I guess any idea that doesnt involve shooting someone between the eyes is a big old waste of nothin.
Shore,
You can still find oil by turning over a few rocks on the beach in prince william sound. The gulf coast wont be clean of oil for a VERY long time.
If you use this as a buying opportunity on the gulf dont be surprised when oil continues to show up on the beach or in the sand 5 or 10 years after the fact.
More fun facts:
Russia has used nukes to stop similar underwater oil leaks. The report is that they have used nukes in such a manner 3 or 4 times and were successful with the exception of 1 reported failure. The used smaller kiloton weapons.
Can we get DOD in on this and they can test one of their new tactical bunker nukes?
Something tells me that the idea of nuking the ocean will draw objections from a certain side of the congressional aisle.
Doom,
Firing off a small “clean” nuke would probably have less of an impact then letting the oil gush into the ocean for another 1-3 months.
The nuke would need to be inserted into a hole drilled near then well, so it would be an underground detonation, not just sitting on the ocean floor.
Nuke BABY Nuke!!!
veto (179)-
A shot between the eyes will get you more of a response from a Realtor than doing what you’re about to do.
Most Realtors are like their worst clients. They ignore things to which they can’t come up with an easy, fast response.
Similar concept to magical thinking.
hyde (182)-
Why don’t we just roll duct tape around Jamil and ask the Corps of Engineers to jam him in the oil well hole?
Every large RE company in the US actively trains their agents to ignore concerns and objections the first time they are raised.
Today, we just turned down a RE agent who wanted to rent one of our listings. My agent explained to her that her annual income of $11,000/year was insufficient to pay the $16,800/year rent.
Her 502 FICO didn’t help, either.
After hearing this, the prospective tenant’s first action was to start screaaming, crying, cursing and threatening us.
The RE agent I let go a little while back made over 30K last year. She now lives in her car.
How the hell does an agent (or, anyone else) make it on 11K?
Doom 83/85
Would tying them to a chair followed and tasing them get their attention in regards to potential concerns? or perhpas a brief session of water boarding might be more effective
Excuse me while I go drink myself into a stupor.
Shore,
Perhaps we have a pure-fusion nuke we could toss down the well. Besides the neutron flux, there wont be any radioactive dispersal to be worried about.
hyde (188)-
I don’t know the effects of stuff like that on people who only have a brain stem with some petrified, pea-sized nugget attached to the end.
“A shot between the eyes will get you more of a response from a Realtor”
Hmm. Never thought of that. The fact that that realtor wont know how to process the question might make it even better than i initially thought.
hyde (190)-
Isn’t that what flux capacitors are for?
veto (192)-
Actually, it makes it sorta like talking to a wall.
I should know. I’ve been doing it for eleven years.
“The fact that that realtor wont know how to process the question might make it even better than i initially thought.”
Is this your idea of a Steve Martin impression?
Final Doom says:
May 5, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Excuse me while I go drink myself into a stupor.
Doom 193
good point.
Shore,
Call up the DOD! we need a pure-fusion nuke and a DeLorean DMC-12 with a modified flux capacitor. Toss them both down the hole and the problem is solved.
doom
Its ashame that they wouldnt even get the joke about the gold in the basement.
Im beginning to think it is as bad as you say out there.
Doom, Would they react to this one?
Dear Realtor.
The home is way too fcking overpriced.
This aint 2005 you moron. The house will rot before you get one appointment.
Its no wonder you are living in the back of a car.
-Interested buyer.
#198 Perfect.
“Why don’t we just roll duct tape around Jamil and ask the Corps of Engineers to jam him in the oil well hole?”
Perhaps we can duct tape Jamil to the tactical nuke instead? I wouldn’t want to see the environmental damage that could be done when you let Jamil converse with members of the delicate aquatic ecosystem.
Interesting that the market is worried about the Greek deficit, but doesn’t care about the US Mother of All Deficits.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
confused
Re greek debt.
My 2 cents is that the US is still the global reserve currency, we have a somewhat sizable military and can print (i mean QE) at will. The euro isnt the global reserve currency, the EU does not have a US like military, has numerous internal political conflicts amongst the member nations and the failure of a few of the PIIGS can rock the EUR for all the member nations.
The US has debt issues, but not as urgent as the EU’s are at the moment. We have more capacity at the moment for extend and pretend then they do.
JJ
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
You are right. We should nuke the well from orbit, just to be safe.
New research from the Univ. of Colorado, Denver shows major job cuts don’t guarantee prosperity down the line but, in fact, lead to lower profits and stock returns.
“Those who cut deepest, relative to industry peers, delivered smaller profits and weaker stock returns for as long as nine years after a recession,” the WSJ reports, citing a study by Univ. of Colorado business professor Wayne Cascio. He studied how companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index have performed during and after recessions over an 18 year period.
Why?
Turns out firms that cut aggressively aren’t prepared to ramp up quickly once the recovery begins. In contrast, peer firms that cautiously trimmed are well-staffed to take advantage of a swift shift in momentum. “You can’t shrink your way into prosperity,” says Cascio in the article.
This study is interesting fodder, when American unemployment hovers at 9.7 percent, and firms had cut aggressively and more quickly than during previous recessions.
the high expectation of posting consistent quarterly profit growth has made too many managers short-sighted. They’re quick to slash jobs to make quarterly numbers and appease shareholders, when most businesses indeed are cyclical with ebbs and flows of growth and lean periods.
#205 veto,
Maybe some smarter employers will focus on unpaid furloughs to cut costs. Its easier to ramp up from giving your trained staff 5 or 10 furlough days than it is to increase staff by 5% when the econcomy improves.
“New research from the Univ. of Colorado, Denver shows major job cuts don’t guarantee prosperity down the line but, in fact, lead to lower profits and stock returns.”
Yep, its all new research. Before the new research, we never knew cutting 20% of the workers would create bottlenecks in the workflow operations.
Mr Hyde says:
May 5, 2010 at 4:20 pm
JJ
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
You are right. We should nuke the well from orbit, IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO BE SURE….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCbfMkh940Q
CHifi 208
My sincerest apologies. I F’d up a great quote :(
Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this. The truth is organizations should be looking to upgrade to better, smarter employees and cut those who aren’t so good because talent is cheap during recessions. The problem is management is very short sided and not so bright. it turns out the only necessary qualification for being in management at american companies is being a borderline sociopath.
#207 veto,
If you don’t slash operations people by 20%, how else can the top 10 execs get their bonuses? If there’s no growth in cash flow from sales, the money’s gotta come from somewhere.
You wouldn’t want the top 10 people’s family to suffer. Their dogs and fish may have to use domestic spring water instead of something imported from the south pacific or a mountain range in europe if 5,000 lower level people weren’t let go.
Employers do keep great employees!!!!! Like Me.
I bet Larry Craig was just trying to help people too…
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/anti-gay_leader_caught_with_gay_prostitute_pleads.php?ref=fpblg
Bagholders?
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/05/05/olsen_twins_trying_to_sell_again_at_one_morton_square.php
Halliburton Role On Oil Rig Puts Firm Under Scrutiny Once Again
Halliburton is back.
The Houston energy services giant once led by Dick Cheney became the corporate bête noire of the Bush years as one of the biggest (and most troubled) Iraq War contractors. But the company had largely faded from public view since President Obama entered office — until now.
As the provider of crucial cementing services on the oil rig that exploded and set off the massive spill in the Gulf, Halliburton finds itself under scrutiny once again.
While the company says it had just four employees on the rig at the time of the April 20 explosion — out of a total crew of 126 — journalists and Congressional investigators are taking a close look at the possible role of cementing in the accident.
The Wall Street Journal last week highlighted the possible role of cementing in the April 20 accident:
In the case of the Deepwater Horizon, workers had finished pumping cement to fill the space between the pipe and the sides of the hole and had begun temporarily plugging the well with cement; it isn’t known whether they had completed the plugging process before the blast.
Regulators have previously identified problems in the cementing process as a leading cause of well blowouts, in which oil and natural gas surge out of a well with explosive force. When cement develops cracks or doesn’t set properly, oil and gas can escape, ultimately flowing out of control.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/halliburtons_role_in_the_bp_oil_spill.php?ref=fpb
Beware of Greeks bearing bonds.
[211] jcer
“it turns out the only necessary qualification for being in management at american companies is being a borderline sociopath.”
Or a partner at an AMLAW 500 law firm.
[205]
“This study is interesting fodder, when American unemployment hovers at 9.7 percent, and firms had cut aggressively and more quickly than during previous recessions.”
This was how my prior law firm got caught flat-footed back in the early 90’s. After the S+L crisis, they cut deeply. To the bone. But they never staffed deals leanly, so when the market turned and dealwork took off, they got caught with their pants down.
And because they had cut so deeply, they could not attract talent. They had to pay a much higher base salary than peer firms, and even then, they were known for getting “the worst of the best” or people from Top 20 schools who could not get offers elsewhere. That haunts them to this day.
These taxes and the maint fee are monthly, right?
http://www.stribling.com/propinfo.asp?webid=926920&type=SALE
By Robbie Fulks
With her drop-dead looks and her little-girl charm
Everybody thought she’d go far
And at 20 years old she was rich as could be
And a world-famed Hollywood star.
With the big parts coming and the sweethearts, too,
Life was a hell of a ride
But her star soon fell and her body got old
So she took a lot of pills and died.
She took a lot of pills and died
She took a lot of pills and died
her star soon fell and her body got old
So she took a lot of pills and died.
While the traffic crawled by in the street outside
She was sitting in her kitchenette
Listening to the scuttle of the rats in the wall
And staring at her TV set.
She once might have been too proud to be found
in a hovel on the lower East Side
But nothing in the world seemed to matter much now
So she took a lot of pills and died.
Now she hasn’t been seen on the silver screen
And she never may be again
But every once in a while at the far end of the dial
You can see her how she was back then.
In a soft close-up, with her hair backlit,
She seemed to glow inside
Yeah, but something went wrong, ’cause forty years on
She took a lot of pills and died.
That one goes out to Snookie and JWow.
Rusty:
http://s0.ilike.com/play#Robbie+Fulks:She+Took+A+Lot+Of+Pills+(And+Died):407953:m35070083
Shore 220 – A drop in the bucket for a man of your stature. Well at least in the eyes of the Obama administration.
a favorite article of mine follows…..
jcer says:
May 5, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see this. The truth is organizations should be looking to upgrade to better, smarter employees and cut those who aren’t so good because talent is cheap during recessions. The problem is management is very short sided and not so bright. it turns out the only necessary qualification for being in management at american companies is being a borderline sociopath.
============================
From a WSJ article in 2004…..
Odds are you’ve run across one of these characters in your career.
They’re glib, charming, manipulative, deceitful, ruthless — and
very, very destructive. And there may be lots of them in America’s
corner offices.
One of the most provocative ideas about business in this decade so
far surfaced in a most unlikely place. The forum wasn’t the Harvard
Business School or one of those $4,000-a-head conferences where
Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists search for the next big thing.
It was a convention of Canadian cops in the far-flung province of
Newfoundland. The speaker, a 71-year-old professor emeritus from the
University of British Columbia, remains virtually unknown in the
business realm. But he’s renowned in his own field: criminal
psychology. Robert Hare is the creator of the Psychopathy Checklist.
The 20-item personality evaluation has exerted enormous influence in
its quarter-century history. It’s the standard tool for making
clinical diagnoses of psychopaths — the 1% of the general
population that isn’t burdened by conscience. Psychopaths have a
profound lack of empathy. They use other people callously and
remorselessly for their own ends. They seduce victims with a charm
that masks their true nature as pathological liars, master con
artists, and heartless manipulators. Easily bored, they crave
constant stimulation, so they seek thrills from real-life “games”
they can win — and take pleasure from their power over other people.
“There are certainly more people in the business world who would
score high in the psychopathic dimension than in the general
population. You’ll find them in any organization where, by the
nature of one’s position, you have power and control over other
people and the opportunity to get something.”
On the broad continuum between the ethical everyman and the
predatory killer, there’s plenty of room for people who are ruthless
but not violent. This is where you’re likely to find such people as
Ebbers, Fastow, ImClone CEO Sam Waksal, and hotelier Leona Helmsley.
We put several big-name CEOs through the checklist, and they scored
as “moderately psychopathic”; our quiz on page 48 lets you try a
similar exercise with your favorite boss. And this summer, together
with New York industrial psychologist Paul Babiak, Hare begins
marketing the B-Scan, a personality test that companies can use to
spot job candidates who may have an MBA but lack a conscience. “I
always said that if I wasn’t studying psychopaths in prison, I’d do
it at the stock exchange,”
There’s evidence that the business climate has become even more
hospitable to psychopaths in recent years. In pioneering long-term
studies of psychopaths in the workplace, Babiak focused on a half-
dozen unnamed companies: One was a fast-growing high-tech firm, and
the others were large multinationals undergoing dramatic
organizational changes — severe downsizing, restructuring, mergers
and acquisitions, and joint ventures. That’s just the sort of
corporate tumult that has increasingly characterized the U.S.
business landscape in the last couple of decades. And just as wars
can produce exciting opportunities for murderous psychopaths to
shine (think of Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic),
Babiak found that these organizational shake-ups created a welcoming
environment for the corporate killer. “The psychopath has no
difficulty dealing with the consequences of rapid change; in fact,
he or she thrives on it,” Babiak claims. “Organizational chaos
provides both the necessary stimulation for psychopathic thrill
seeking and sufficient cover for psychopathic manipulation and
abusive behavior.”
But how can we recognize psychopathic types? Hare has revised his
Psychopathy Checklist (known as the PCL-R, or simply “the Hare”) to
make it easier to identify so-called subcriminal or corporate
psychopaths. He has broken down the 20 personality characteristics
into two subsets, or “factors.” Corporate psychopaths score high on
Factor 1, the “selfish, callous, and remorseless use of others”
category. It includes eight traits: glibness and superficial charm;
grandiose sense of self-worth; pathological lying; conning and
manipulativeness; lack of remorse or guilt; shallow affect (i.e., a
coldness covered up by dramatic emotional displays that are actually
playacting); callousness and lack of empathy; and the failure to
accept responsibility for one’s own actions. Sound like anyone you
know? (Corporate psychopaths score only low to moderate on Factor 2,
which pinpoints “chronically unstable, antisocial, and socially
deviant lifestyle,” the hallmarks of people who wind up in jail for
rougher crimes than creative accounting.)
This view is supported by research by psychologists Belinda Board
and Katarina Fritzon at the University of Surrey, who interviewed
and gave personality tests to 39 high-level British executives and
compared their profiles with those of criminals and psychiatric
patients. The executives were even more likely to be superficially
charming, egocentric, insincere, and manipulative, and just as
likely to be grandiose, exploitative, and lacking in empathy. Board
and Fritzon concluded that the businesspeople they studied might be
called “successful psychopaths.” In contrast, the criminals —
the “unsuccessful psychopaths” — were more impulsive and physically
aggressive.
Most criminals — whether psychopathic or not — are shaped by
poverty and often childhood abuse as well. In contrast, corporate
psychopaths typically grew up in stable, loving families that were
middle class or affluent. But because they’re pathological liars,
they tell romanticized tales of rising from tough, impoverished
backgrounds. Dunlap pretended that he grew up as the son of a laid-
off dockworker; in truth, his father worked steadily and raised his
family in suburban comfort. The corporate psychopaths whom Babiak
studied all went to college, and a couple even had PhDs. Their
ruthless pursuit of self-interest was more easily accomplished in
the white-collar realm, which their backgrounds had groomed them
for, rather than the criminal one, which comes with much lousier
odds.
Psychopaths succeed in conventional society in large measure because
few of us grasp that they are fundamentally different from
ourselves. We assume that they, too, care about other people’s
feelings. This makes it easier for them to “play” us. Although they
lack empathy, they develop an actor’s expertise in evoking ours.
While they don’t care about us, “they have an element of emotional
intelligence, of being able to see our emotions very clearly and
manipulate them,” says Michael Maccoby, a psychotherapist who has
consulted for major corporations.
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veto (198)-
The gary approach is always effective.
lib (200)-
Probably harmless. Like the flush scene in “Finding Nemo”.
“I wouldn’t want to see the environmental damage that could be done when you let Jamil converse with members of the delicate aquatic ecosystem.”
+1 to you for the suggestion to tape jamil to a tactical nuke, though.
jcer (211)-
That’s an insult to the people who’ve achieved full-on sociopath status.
“…it turns out the only necessary qualification for being in management at american companies is being a borderline sociopath.”
“I am shorting a stock market index in the US, I am shorting an emerging market index and I am shorting one of the large western international financial institutions.”
Jim Rogers
gator (214)-
Damn. I was about to try and register RentBoy.com at Go Daddy.
220: Yessiree.
219: Big accounting firms too. Not a lot of bodies in the Manager and above pipeline for years following.
maylook, 226
i see where you are going with that and i like it.
A for effort
“The gary approach is always effective.”
true, you can never go wrong with the gary approach.
And its easy to replicate, which is key. All you need is a large amount of hatred, and a small dose of perscription medication.
Clot, how about that header by Crouch today? he’s quick for a 6-foot-7 bloke
come for the links and real estate/financial nuggets, stay for clot’s doom & gloom!
Final Doom says:
May 5, 2010 at 8:56 am
The town MUST have its pools ready for everyone to take a dip once the tear gas starts flying this Summer.
153 “the Gulf of Mexico could be spewing as much as 60,000 barrels of crude a day”
Don’t worry. Stu reassured us yesterday, that if we delay action 9 days, there is no difference. Who notices 540,000 barrels anyway?
Comrade:
Interesting Posse Comitatus Act issue re Times Sq bomber.
State Media was reporting earlier today (WCBS):
“In the end, it was secret Army intelligence planes that did him in. Armed with his cell phone number, they circled the skies over the New York area, intercepting a call to Emirates Airlines reservations, before scrambling to catch him at John F. Kennedy International Airport,” reported Marcia Kramer.”
This was removed promptly from web and has not been mentioned since.
If this is true and Obama admin used US military for tracking and capturing US citizen in the US, this would be violation of Posse Comitatus Act.
Now, we all know what Keith “Shore Guy” O and Holder crowd would be saying had Bush done this (“biggest threat to this country since the beginning of the history”).
So, will the Left use now Yoo/Bush defense, ie we are at war, and POTUS has broad wartime authority and does not have to care about PC Act. However, this would destroy the leftist narrative re Bush era.
If Shore Guys of the world are consistent, they would call impeachment of O. Somehow I feel Shore is now channeling his inner John Yoo.
INTEREST RATES WILL STAY LOW!!
Frightened Foreign Investors Seek Safety of U.S.-Backed Mortgages
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 03:14 PM
Having shunned U.S. mortgage-related assets for 1 1/2 years, foreign investors are returning to the market, now that the U.S. government has a key stake.
http://moneynews.com/Headline/Frightened-Foreign-Investors-U-S-/2010/05/05/id/357974
Overseas demand is mounting, given the U.S. Federal Reserve today owns over 20 percent of agency mortgage assets after a 15-month buying spree to lower home-loan rates and revive the U.S. housing market.
Added to that, the U.S. Treasury has pledged unlimited credit access to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for three years.
Euro zone debt woes have also raised overseas appetite for high-grade U.S. securities.
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Last
Respect my authroty
243 I would if I knew what it was. What is “authroty” anyway?
yikes (237)-
Funny, he’s really not that good in the air. I can’t imagine trying to defend him, though. Most of the backs- except for the best- in the EPL are afraid of him.
borat obama is my favorite poster.
Chifi, (225) yeah, Good article. I’ve come across a few psychos in my career.
241.
Yome,
Freddie wants another 8 billion after they lost 8 billion in the 1st quarter. I thought last December the politburo extended them an unlimited credit line. Its all chump change. Pile it on.
We will have a 13 trillion national deficit by next week and we already passed 90% debt/GDP.
Bring on the IMF.
Al, 241, Will take your $8B and raise you $2.6B
Freddie Mac seeks $10.6B in aid after 1Q loss
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2010-05-05-freddie-mac_N.htm
Veets, how about a throwback approach…?
Good morning Friskie eater,
Have your greedy grubbers with the dank smelling crapshack lowered their asking price 30% off 2005 prices yet? I guess no commission check for you yet again this month. Enjoy eating those dry Friskies. Yum.
Bababababa
Boooooooooyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!
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Jamil [#240]
Seems like you owe an apology to shore — after you get a life.
http://gawker.com/55321/
The original WCBStv.com article, “Army Intelligence Planes Led to Suspect’s Arrest,” by Marcia Kramer, read:
In the end, it was secret Army intelligence planes that did him in. Armed with his cell phone number, they circled the skies over the New York area, intercepting a call to Emirates Airlines reservations, before scrambling to catch him at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Then, a few minutes after we wrote about it, the article was rewritten with no mention of spy planes, and no indication it had been updated. Spooky! We asked WCBS what happened, and a spokesman responded:
The story that was broadcast by WCBS-TV did not include any mention of a military plane, although the station did have unconfirmed information about the use of a plane that we looked into but were unable to confirm. A line about the use of military aircraft was inadvertently included in the story that appeared on the station’s Web site but was removed.
According to WCBS, they simply got caught up in the frenzy of breaking news and “inadvertently” put in an unconfirmed detail. There is a problem with this account: The detail about the Army intelligence planes was featured prominently in the title of the originally article. Clearly, the line wasn’t “inadvertently included”—it was put in and deliberately promoted. After all, it was the most eye-catching detail of the story.
#248 Al
Freddie was set up to fail for being forced to buy $1.5 trillion in assets and liabilities onto its balance sheet, causing the company’s net worth to plunge by $11.7 billion.This MBS were bought dollar for dollar from the banks to get rid of their toxic assets.It is being set to be sold 50 cents to the dollar.Money they are getting is from a Printing press that the Fed bought from treasury.worthless paper called debt but not really debt.Picture yourself writing useles numbers on a paper calling it money.Now borrow that money and pay it with same useless paper.Do you really owe any money?
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