From the WSJ:
Real-Estate ‘Pocket Listings’ Go Mainstream
The 19th-century brick rowhouse on a leafy street in the capital’s upscale Dupont Circle neighborhood is the sort of property that usually would spark a bidding war in a hot real-estate market.
But when the elderly owners were ready to sell, the home didn’t appear in the local real-estate listings. There was no for-sale sign nor even an open house.
Instead, like a growing number of properties sold here and in other major cities, the home was sold as a “pocket listing.” Such properties aren’t advertised to the public but pitched mostly by word-of-mouth among tight-knit networks of agents and their clients.
Pocket listings—also known as “whisper” and “coming soon” listings—have been popular for years among celebrities and the wealthy seeking to shield their privacy. But they increasingly are used by a broader segment as the housing market heats up and inventory remains tight.
The practice has its critics. Some agents say pocket listings are anticompetitive, preventing sellers from getting full market value. Proponents say such listings are useful if homeowners are looking for a quick sale and understand it might result in a lower price.
…
Even in a strong property market, homes typically spend at least a week or two in a listing database, so appearing for only a day can be a telltale sign of a pocket sale. Though it isn’t required, some agents list pocket sales in the database so the selling price can be registered, helping them keep better track of the market.
…
Some agents note the practice can lead to problems beyond a lower sale price. Pocket listings punish buyers who lack connections and never have a chance to bid on properties. There is also the risk of discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, if a property is shown only to an agent whose clients happen to all be white.There is also the potential for a conflict of interest when an agent finds a buyer from a colleague in the same brokerage, which then collects fees from the buyer and the seller.
State laws don’t prohibit pocket listings, but generally require that agents serve their clients’ best interests, which includes wide-scale advertising to maximize a property’s value, said June Barlow, general counsel at the California Association of Realtors. However, many states allow agents to bypass that step if they get their clients’ written consent.
…
The trend comes amid growing frustration over a shortage of homes up for sale. Nationally, at the current sales pace, it would take 5.2 months to eat up the supply of existing homes on the market, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s down from 5.6 months a year earlier and roughly the same level as in 2005, during the housing boom.
Frist
Heading to Boston for a conference……it is truly hell on earth…..going to the Fens on Sunday…….
Stuck in dead stop traffic on RT 80 around 700 yesterday. Pop on 1010 am to see if I’m stuck in some kind of pope traffic.
What I find is some kind of Pope play by play of the events in NYC. It was the most awkward thing I ever heard on the radio. It sounded like they staffed the WFAN announcers for the hour before the kickoff at giants stadium to do it, and they ran it like they would a game.
Driving up to Newport today, hopefully the traffic will be headed the other way.
This just in. The Popemobile is a gross polluter.
Opinion: Volkswagen lied to me when I bought my Jetta diesel
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/volkswagen-lied-to-me-when-i-bought-my-jetta-diesel-2015-09-23
…
I’ve been covering the world of business for 20 years, so I’m not shocked when a major multinational corporation is caught cutting corners, lying, cheating and defrauding the very customers who’ve built their brand. Corporations aren’t warm and fuzzy creatures that need our love and forgiveness.
Still, this lie hurts. It always does when it’s your life and your money that have been stolen from you.
As a once-proud VW owner, what do I do? Get rid of the car? And buy what? If I can’t trust VW, can I trust Ford? Or Nissan? Or Tesla? Can I trust the Environmental Protection Agency to uncover the companies’ lies on the cars I’d choose between?
I really, really, really hope Subaru somehow goes down with VW.
I agree. I was raised Catholic and I never thought I would never live to see a Pontiff eat so…many…beans! I’ll give him this, he is a control freak. I’ve never seen anyone who can hold their anus closed that tight until the motorcade fires up the engines.
Yes. I am his driver.
Originales Expatus
This just in. The Popemobile is a gross polluter.
Really, Stu? I never took you for a lesb1an hater;-)
I really, really, really hope Subaru somehow goes down with VW.
Omg, I could have a f.ucking field day with today’s topic. I need to run now, maybe I’ll post later.
I can’t *wait* for Frontline to do a show on how some pimply-faced geeks attending WVU flew to California, rented and borrowed a few diesel engined cars, strapped huge data analysis boxes into the back of these cars with plumbing capturing all tailpipe emissions, bought some dyne time for comparison, and presented their data (which sat publicly for a YEAR!). I sure hope none of these kids were smart enough to short VW.
dyne time.
damn it! dyno time. Fricking auto-correct.
Biographies of the Powerful UK Elite (jj Edition):
A soon-to-be-published unauthorized biography claims that British Prime Minister David Cameron placed a “private part of his anatomy” into the mouth of a dead pig as part of a dinner-club initiation ritual as a student at the University of Oxford, smoked pot in his dorm room and entertained a slew of gorgeous ladies.
Which brings up questions, such as — how did the pig die?
“Perhaps this is a case of mistaken identity,’’ the authors, a retired member of Parliament and a journalist, write in “Call Me Dave.’’
[10]gary – This predated even the now re-inflated bubble in Bergen County. The people who get the best deals are the ones who cut out the Realtor completely. They knock on the door (usually of a neighbor in the same town). The more money you have, usually means the more deals you have made, which consequently means you make your own deal and cut out your other neighbor’s wife from making a commission.
Omg, I could have a f.ucking field day with today’s topic. I need to run now, maybe I’ll post later.
Netflix>Black Mirror>Season 1>Episode 1
Biographies of the Powerful UK Elite (jj Edition):
A soon-to-be-published unauthorized biography claims that British Prime Minister David Cameron placed a “private part of his anatomy” into the mouth of a dead pig as part of a dinner-club initiation ritual as a student at the University of Oxford, smoked pot in his dorm room and entertained a slew of gorgeous ladies.
Which brings up questions, such as — how did the pig die?
“Perhaps this is a case of mistaken identity,’’ the authors, a retired member of Parliament and a journalist, write in “Call Me Dave.’’
I have no doubt that there are plenty of pocket listings. Strong agents with steady listing flow have some element of control and can play the pocket listing game. Yesterday’s article about Zillow explains part of how this occurs.
Pocket listings are WRONG. Disclosed dual agency is problematic. Yet the public will ask listing agents almost without fail, “do you have any buyer’s for my house” when interviewing agents to list their home. Homeowners lose sight of their own best interest due to anxiety about getting their home sold.
There are good deals to be had in the marketplace. Risk often leads to reward. If you are looking to buy in a conventional fashion that limits risk as much as possible, expect a conventional price.
Boehner to resign from Congress NY Times Report
JB – Back in Summer ’97 we used to go to Newport every week. My girlfriend (now wife) and I were executing a move to the New Hampshire Seacoast, while living on the North Shore of Long Island. We both had no jobs and ample savings so our routine was that we would drive up to Newport on Tuesday, stay at my sister’s large rental house alone(think the next generation of JJ and his NYC crowd, now moving upscale, ditching the Hamptons for Newport). We would have a nice dinner in uncrowded Newport on Tuesday evening and go back to the big empty house. Wednesday morning we would drive up to the seacoast in NH and look for rentals and get a hotel for one night, look for rentals Thursday as well and then drive back to Newport and have another relaxing dinner Thursday evening, retreating back to the house for the evening. Friday morning we would depart back to Long Island as my sister and her 20-something cronies started arriving. It was a great Summer.
Driving up to Newport today, hopefully the traffic will be headed the other way.
30 year – tell the truth now. Pocket listings you don’t have access to are wrong. Right?
Pocket listings are WRONG.
18 – Crybaby.
But this is well said, 30 year. Please take my above comment as tongue-in-cheek criticism.
There are good deals to be had in the marketplace. Risk often leads to reward. If you are looking to buy in a conventional fashion that limits risk as much as possible, expect a conventional price.
WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner will resign from Congress and give up his House seat at the end of October, according to aides in his office.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Speaker John A. Boehner in Washington on Thursday. He is under pressure to stand up to the president on Planned Parenthood.John Boehner, Strong Abortion Foe, Is Imperiled by the Like-MindedSEPT. 17, 2015
Speaker John A. Boehner at a news conference on Capitol Hill this month. Mr. Boehner is again confronted with a rank-and-file uprising by Republican lawmakers who want to end financing of Planned Parenthood.With Possible Shutdown Nearing, Obama Looks to Take Budget Fight to G.O.P.SEPT. 16, 2015
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Mr. Boehner was under extreme pressure from the right wing of his conference over
whether or not to defund Planned Parenthood in a bill to keep the government opena wide stance;-).Boehner so enjoyed exercising his power to maintain business as usual in the capitol (i.e. pork barrel politics) while stamping on idealistic politicians within his party, that I must assume there’s a scandal behind this resignation.
Car guys – I’m sure nobody changes their own oil anymore, right? Back in the mid-80’s I had a car with a side-mount oil filter that was always a pain to change because the oil from the filter would leak down the block. One evening (actually in my garage in grim and punkin’s home town) I decided to just let the oil drain all night and when I removed the filter it was bone dry. Further, I noticed that the oil was the cleanest I’d ever seen it every time I checked it. I continued to change my oil that way all the time since then and the oil stayed super-clean. Flash forward 20 years when I don’t change my own oil anymore. Our “regular” cars go to various places and my good cars go to my mechanic where I provide him with the filter, crush ring, and oil and I pay him $30 for the labor. A month ago my wife took our 2002 to Valvoline where we’ve always had the oil changed. The oil cap says 5W-20, but I’ve always run the car with 5W-30 because the owner’s manual says that is fine too (5W-20W is CAFE cheating, I think). So, about a month ago my wife had our oil changed at Valvoline and when I looked at the receipt, it said 5W-20, not 5W-30 like we have been specifying for 13 years now, so I sent her back the next day. My wife knows to tell them 5W-30 every time, so maybe the put the right stuff in and mad a mistake on the receipt, maybe they put the wrong oil in. Either way, they didn’t give her any problem and changed the oil again for free, including filter. Bottom line: I HAVE NOT SEEN OIL THIS CLEAN IN NEARLY 30 YEARS! My wife just got back from Valvoline because out 2002 burns a little oil because her trips are so short and she said that even they had to check the oil several times to even see the oil on the dipstick. I’m wondering if you really care about your engine, but aren’t going to change the oil yourself – Maybe get two $40 oil changes the same week?
another one coming out, too many queens hidden under the GOP tent
yome says:
September 25, 2015 at 9:35 am
Boehner to resign from Congress NY Times Report
24
Early money is on going to rehab.
He wasn’t crying yesterday, it was the gin sweats.
Ihe probably has cancer and is dying, his pope meeting yesterday was apparently some kind of redemption.
Can we please get religion out of politics already. I swear, the moment the Red team drops their old Christian Coalition ties, is the moment they stand a chance to get elected.
It’s really quite incredulous to go on an anti-muslim tirade while simultaneously attempting to tell women what they can and can’t do with their bodies. It’s no wonder the Republican party is imploding.
Put that in your Twitter feed you morons.
We have chosen not to send our children to Hebrew school. Way to go organized religion. Baa!
@25 I change the oil myself after Prestige got me for $400 for an oil change the first time. honestly its quicker for me at home vs spending a Saturday at a service station.
My Mazda 6 requires full synthetic. Our CX-9 doesn’t. We go to wherever it’s cheapest and only change the oil on the 5,000 interval on the CX-9 although it calls for 3,000 which is simply ludicrous. Old Reliable called for 3,000 mile intervals and I also only changed the oil on the 5,000s. Also, the only tune-ups one should ever do are on the 25,000s. Well besides changing the air filter. All of those interim inspections are really there for the dealers to get you in there to find something wrong that isn’t. Like a brake job or to change the cabin air filter. Tire rotations on the 10,000s are adequate as well, but I don’t worry about them since I do the summer to winter tire switch every year.
The Pope has shutdown UPS service to our offices in the city. Go religion!
Please provide details of how he is wrong and how we would be worse off than now, under his policies. I don’t see anything good for the avg individual in our economy. Only people doing well are 1% of the 1%.
This can’t last, but keep on acting like the way our current spoils are divided in the economy is efficient, productive, fair, and good for everyone. Current economy misses on every single one of these aspects. AWESOME
“C) Even if Bernie DID want want “to help make this a better world,” his proposed policies have been proven throughout history to make the places they’ve been implemented worse, not better, both on their own terms and relative to freer nations.”
Anon E. Moose says:
September 24, 2015 at 2:58 pm
Gourd [36];
Why does a politician that wants to help make this a better world scare you?
Nice loaded question. And have you stopped beating your grandmother?
A) Bernie doesn’t scare me.
B) Bernie doesn’t want “to help make this a better world,” at least not directly.
C) Even if Bernie DID want want “to help make this a better world,” his proposed policies have been proven throughout history to make the places they’ve been implemented worse, not better, both on their own terms and relative to freer nations.
Bernie appeals to mush-headed college students with little real experience in the world and over-the-hill stoners who’ve failed to achieve what was promised to them and need to blame others for their perceived failures. I don’t think you’re the latter, so regardless of where you are with respect to your college career, I have to group you with the former.
Changes need to me made, moose, continuing on this economic path is death by suicide. An economy that eliminates jobs and does not replace them will NOT LAST. You can’t have herds of unemployed roaming the country side, it just doesn’t work. The market can’t eliminate 50% of the jobs, because that eliminates 50% of their customer base/demand. Wish you could realize this, but for some reason you think an economy can work with extreme inequality. It’s bad for everyone and the worst part, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Ragnar, article published last week stated Boehner is an alcoholic.
WSJ:
Fewer and fewer law school graduates are able to pass the Bar exam.
Hillary confidant rips ‘alcoholic’ and ‘lazy’ Boehner in email
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/252390-hillary-confidante-rips-alcoholic-and-lazy-boehner-in-email
36-Correction
Not WSJ but nytimes.com
It’s called increasing the rigor. I’m sure if you gave some 50 year old lawyer with loads of experience the exam, he would fail.
Alex says:
September 25, 2015 at 10:49 am
WSJ:
Fewer and fewer law school graduates are able to pass the Bar exam.
39- Nothing gets easier, it only gets more rigorous. That’s why you want the earlier you graduate, the better off you are. You have no idea what the current generation has to deal, trust me, it’s much more difficult than 50 years ago. No comparison. Things don’t get easier, they make it more difficult. They make it harder and harder to get anything. I think even plumber’s now have to go 7 years instead of 5 to get their license. I’m also sure the test for the plumbing license is much more difficult than 40 years ago.
Jesus, typing so fast, didn’t realize all the grammatical errors. Obviously, don’t have time to proof read.
33 – Troll,
Way to argue something that is ridiculous. Of Course peace, prosperity, and happiness is preferred.
You claim his “policy” will help people? Tell me, how do we act during the next genocide with this as our guiding principle.
It is my firm belief that the test of a great nation with the most powerful military on earth is not how many wars it can engage in, but how it can use our strength and our capabilities to resolve international conflicts in a peaceful way.
Oh wait, that thoughtful and detailed plan isn’t clear enough to make the oppressors lay down their weapons in peace or fear?
How about he layouts out a detailed plan that says who we help, how we help them, and the limits we are willing to go to help. Then Ill consider his “policy” for its value.
Until then, its just a sound bite spout off to the hungering masses just to get a vote.
40 Pumkin,
Be careful what you say, you may offend others.
One example would be nursing, was it easier 50 years ago or now?
How many drugs were there in comparison?
Equipment, techniques, etc.
Expat, I put crappy wal-mart oil in my truck every change (when i hadn’t procrastinated it for a few thousand miles) along with an el-cheapo purolator filter.
Towed with it, drove it off road, twice in a flood…and used it as my daily commuter….it went well over 200k miles and didn’t burn or leak any oil when I traded it in.
Relax dude, it’s no big deal.
Pumpty, from the article:
“The decreasing LSAT scores of each entering class of students over the last three years will almost certainly mean further declines in bar passage rates for graduates in the coming years”.
Boehner-my view is that he was a moderate tired of being tamped down by Tea Party and other factions and chooses not to be a part of the next gov’t shut down.
Agree, if you can not put your religious beliefs aside, you should not be in an elected or appointed position. Your religious beliefs are irrelevant.
That’s some pretty easy math in a world where everyone post-graduate gets “A’s” as do most undergraduates. The obvious answer is that we need to eliminate the bar exam.
Alex says:
September 25, 2015 at 10:49 am
WSJ:
Fewer and fewer law school graduates are able to pass the Bar exam.
For example, if Kim Davis had some kind of issue with signing marriage licenses, she should quit her job.
Imagine if you slowed down enough to tabulate all the gross thought errors?
The Great Pumpkin says:
September 25, 2015 at 11:16 am
Jesus, typing so fast, didn’t realize all the grammatical errors. Obviously, don’t have time to proof read.
48-Either eliminate or make it easier. Problem solved.
One thing I agree with Pumpkin is that the Pope and Bernie Sanders have similar plans for humanity. What those plans are, we disagree on. Namely domination by a power group, control over the individual, violation of individual rights, and reversal of human progress.
Breaking news: Boehner was discovered to have a bevy of chained up boys in his basement and regularly corresponded with Ariel Castro in Cleveland asking him why he kept high maintenance girls.
Circa 1984 I could tell that our bosses were intimidated by my generation’s grasp on technology. 30 years later my underlings are glass-touching idiots.
(43) And at medical school, the students have to familiarize themselves with 4 times more procedures, drugs, known diseases, etc. than the students of 4 decades back. It is much, much harder than back then. You do have a better student pool, though. In the 70s one out of every 4 med school applicants got in. Now is it less than 1 out of 20, and getting worse. The competition for openings is brutal.
As to Law schools, they are going in the reverse direction. Employment rates for graduates were grossly overstated. The applicant pool caught on and is moving to other professions. Some Law schools are now bottom fishing.
Amazing what a country can can do with the money duped from a population that has been over-marketed to from birth…..
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-great-look-chinas-major-140700147.html
And also lied to, and going to be more so…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20150925-column.html
A new state law changes that — and makes it practically impossible for consumers to know whether a made-in-America product contains foreign parts.
To claim “made in America,” 100% of a product manufactured in the state had to have been made in America.
The business community believed that bar was too high……..
Re: [33];
Begone, Troll.
Better you than me, for a change.
Thank you, buddy. Some people like to romanticize about how they THINK they had it tougher in school than today’s generation. They are absolutely crazy, if they think they had it tougher than the current generations. Things don’t get easier, they get much more difficult. Not one student at any level, has it easier than previous generations. Do you see how much work a first grader gets these days? Some of you prob didn’t have hw your whole educational life. It’s not multiple choice question based tests anymore either, it’s all open ended. You either know it or you don’t.
Expat, no idea where they are passing individuals based on doing and knowing nothing. That’s crazy. It’s all about testing and accountability now. No idea what you are talking about.
xolepa says:
September 25, 2015 at 11:51 am
(43) And at medical school, the students have to familiarize themselves with 4 times more procedures, drugs, known diseases, etc. than the students of 4 decades back. It is much, much harder than back then. You do have a better student pool, though. In the 70s one out of every 4 med school applicants got in. Now is it less than 1 out of 20, and getting worse. The competition for openings is brutal.
As to Law schools, they are going in the reverse direction. Employment rates for graduates were grossly overstated. The applicant pool caught on and is moving to other professions. Some Law schools are now bottom fishin
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. It’s insane. No reward for all this hard work, just a “be happy you have a job” bs line.
Meanwhile, where did all these productivity gains by the workers go? Yes, to the profit kings. Worker is more productive, the owner gets it all, that’s fair. Now, since they have not been sharing in these profits evenly since the 70’s, you have extreme inequality forming and it’s only getting worse. The economy was able to keep going over these past 30 years (even though the consumer was losing its’ ability to maintain consumer demand) by letting these consumers borrow to infinity. Now they are becoming slaves to the debt holders.
This is what people like moose want? They think we are worse off with bernie/pope type mentalities? Wow.
Pumps, again with the poor reading comprehension. The ny times article states that law students are doing poorer from year to year.
I think xolepa addressed that issue. The lawyer market was flooded in the 80’s and 90’s. Technology has also eliminated lots of lawyer jobs. What the ny times misses, is what the xolepa pointed to……the quality students are no longer heading towards law school. The job prospects are no longer lucrative enough.
Alex says:
September 25, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Pumps, again with the poor reading comprehension. The ny times article states that law students are doing poorer from year to year.
Nice to see Pumpty riding a wave of stupid into the weekend.
I think it’s stupid to embrace the current economic policies. They are horrible, and only benefit a few.
Splat What Was He Thinking says:
September 25, 2015 at 2:19 pm
Nice to see Pumpty riding a wave of stupid into the weekend.
Yup, profit kings are good people. They would never do shady moves to increase profit at expense of the worker/consumer. Of course not, like fast eddie says, thank god for these people, they make all our lives better.
phoenix says:
September 25, 2015 at 12:19 pm
Amazing what a country can can do with the money duped from a population that has been over-marketed to from birth…..
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-great-look-chinas-major-140700147.html
And also lied to, and going to be more so…
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20150925-column.html
A new state law changes that — and makes it practically impossible for consumers to know whether a made-in-America product contains foreign parts.
To claim “made in America,” 100% of a product manufactured in the state had to have been made in America.
The business community believed that bar was too high……..
she’s now at home
@GuardianUS: Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis switches to Republican party
capitalism at its worse
The Great Pumpkin says:
September 25, 2015 at 1:54 pm
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. It’s insane. No reward for all this hard work, just a “be happy you have a job” bs line.
One thing I agree with Pumpkin is that the Pope and Bernie Sanders have similar plans for humanity. What those plans are, we disagree on. Namely domination by a power group, control over the individual, violation of individual rights, and reversal of human progress.
I usually agree with you by default, but I have a slightly differing opinion, shaped partially by my environment growing up. Just to be straight, while I’d consider myself a catholic, I’m by every definition an absolutely terrible catholic.
I grew in in a polish immigrant household in the 80s. Like every other polish son or daughter growing up in a polish house, there were two things that you could count on there being, in every transplant house.
A picture of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) and a Solidarnosc flag (symbol of the polish worker uprising against communism).
These were sacred, but not in a religious sense, but more so the symbology of social and economic change. The overthrow of communist and soviet totalitarian control and associated collectivism. This was an oppressive regime, and speaking out against it was a dangerous activity.
Wojtyla’s pre-papacy activities in beginning a quiet uprising in Krakow, and after being made pope, the support for Walesa and Solidarnosc, are probably the single greatest factors to shape Poland’s recent history and transition from communism, collectivity, and soviet control.
This shattered dominance and control, empowered individuals to take control, and resulted in what is probably one of the most significant transitions to an open market economy that Europe had ever seen, if not the world.
Eastern Europe would be a very, very different place if not for him. We can look at these events and understand that they didn’t require any kind of supreme being. But if that’s what it took to motivate the individuals, so be it. I’ll stop one step short of calling it instrumental in the fall of soviet russia and the end of the cold war.
I 95 in Connecticut rggghrhhharrrgh!
@Pontifex: War is the mother of all poverty, a vast predator of lives and souls.
rags is a fundamentalist, dangerous like the Taliban
grim says:
September 25, 2015 at 3:08 pm
One thing I agree with Pumpkin is that the Pope and Bernie Sanders have similar plans for humanity. What those plans are, we disagree on. Namely domination by a power group, control over the individual, violation of individual rights, and reversal of human progress.
I usually agree with you by default, but I have a slightly differing opinion, shaped partially by my environment growing up. Just to be straight, while I’d consider myself a catholic, I’m by every definition an absolutely terrible catholic.
I grew in in a polish immigrant household in the 80s. Like every other polish son or daughter growing up in a polish house, there were two things that you could count on there being, in every transplant house.
A picture of Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) and a Solidarnosc flag (symbol of the polish worker uprising against communism).
These were sacred, but not in a religious sense, but more so the symbology of social and economic change. The overthrow of communist and soviet totalitarian control and associated collectivism. This was an oppressive regime, and speaking out against it was a dangerous activity.
Wojtyla’s pre-papacy activities in beginning a quiet uprising in Krakow, and after being made pope, the support for Walesa and Solidarnosc, are probably the single greatest factors to shape Poland’s recent history and transition from communism, collectivity, and soviet control.
This shattered dominance and control, empowered individuals to take control, and resulted in what is probably one of the most significant transitions to an open market economy that Europe had ever seen, if not the world.
Eastern Europe would be a very, very different place if not for him. We can look at these events and understand that they didn’t require any kind of supreme being. But if that’s what it took to motivate the individuals, so be it.
#68…greatest thing I have seen in my life and gives me hope for the future…
Rags is no more a fundamentalist than you are with your undying faith in progressiveness. Actually, I would argue that you are the more dangerous of the two since you try to spread the gospel unprovoked. Like a retarded mercenary.
grim,
The current Pope is no John Paul II, who was a brave man, and who despite everything I might fault him for philosophically, did seem to be driven by some real concern for human freedom. John Paul II was also likely the only pope to have ever read “Atlas Shrugged” so he gets some credit for that.
Pope Pius V also deserves a credit for elevating Thomas Aquinas to “Doctor of the Church”, helping to officially legitimize reason as at least a part-time activity.
Punkinhead,
Your ADHD must have prevented you from noticing that splat/clot’s comments over the past decade have been about as far from embracing current economic policies as anyone could possibly be. Or maybe your mind can only hold 2 alternative economic policy possibilities 1) whatever you think current policies are and 2) Bernie Sanders’ policies.
“I think it’s stupid to embrace the current economic policies.”
Lib,
To a collectivist/subjectivist mind like anon’s, where there is no such thing as truth, objective reality, or even clear concepts, I can understand why my arguments would be an emotional affront.
Boston is pure shite. Nom what a cesspool of humanity
Southie has been whitewashed into a sterile POS
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. It’s insane. No reward for all this hard work, just a “be happy you have a job” bs line
Does that include you? You post the entire workday.
Pumpandsump is such a moron. There isn’t an office worker alive who isn’t doing 1/3 or less of the work than counterparts from 30 years ago. Low six figure salaries require nothing more than minutes per week. If you want to be a 1 per center, you may have to put in 20-30 hours.
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. I
I don’t know expat, they work us like dogs here. I work for a well known fininancial institution too.
That’s pretty much why I’m in the driveway and garage doing the car maintenance myself. Every dollar counts.
Anybody else blasted yet?
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Gotta love NY.
Tracking flights to try to help my kid get a good photo of the pope’s plane as it passes overhead.
Pope taking off on a replica of marine one from WS heliport now to get to JFK. Meanwhile a big a$$ Airbus on final approach gets re-routed into a holding pattern over the ocean at the conclusion of a 13 hr flight. Emirates, LOL. Wonder what the in flight announcement is.
ExPat #20 – I don’t show houses. The only reason I look at the MLS is for comparable listing and sale information to determine pricing. I couldn’t care less about agents pocketing listings except it casts my business in a negative light.
The US church will continue to ignore the Vatican, which is the same as it’s always been. He’ll be gone soon and can take his third world pandering back with him.
The US has become a crowded place and we don’t need any of these unwashed masses. Particulary since they contain a significant element of terrorists and are overall incompatible with American ideals.
Kim Davis will become a folk hero of the right not for being an evangelical but because she’ll be a symbol of Federal overreach. She was an elected Democrat in a district that opposed gay marriage 2-1 and that was the law at the time of her election. 9 judicial activists in DC decide to reinterpret an age old institution and made her a criminal overnight.
What fantasy world do you live in? You think education was more difficult 50 years ago. You also think workers had it tougher back in the day. What world are you living in? Do you not see the stats? Do you not see the increase in productivity gains with no wage increase to accompany it? 50 years ago, if you worked, you would not be living like some third world citizen. Today, there are millions and millions of workers living like a third world citizen in Anerica.
The Original NJ ExPat says:
September 25, 2015 at 9:05 pm
Pumpandsump is such a moron. There isn’t an office worker alive who isn’t doing 1/3 or less of the work than counterparts from 30 years ago. Low six figure salaries require nothing more than minutes per week. If you want to be a 1 per center, you may have to put in 20-30 hours.
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. I
I bust my ass. I’m highly productive, maybe that’s why I’m able to make time to post on a blog. Posting on this blog should show you what type of person I am….means I’m not lazy and take time out of my schedule to try and promote change for the greater good. Btw, from 2009-2012, do you know how many co-workers retired or were laid off, and I had to pick up their slack? Every time someone was eliminated, it was divided and given to who was left. It’s not happening anymore, but that’s just because they pushed each worker to the limit on what they can take on. You are right, I just sit around and do nothing, but post all day.
Ben says:
September 25, 2015 at 7:58 pm
I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago. It’s insane. No reward for all this hard work, just a “be happy you have a job” bs line
Does that include you? You post the entire workday.
Clot, believes in a total free market with no regulations. Been there, done that, it doesn’t work. I’m sorry, capitalism must be regulated, but it must be regulated to protect the regular people from the people on top. Right now, the regulation protects the people on top, they have bought our govt for their own needs. Need proof, look at the tax code. That doesn’t benefit anyone, but the monied interests at the top.
Ragnar says:
September 25, 2015 at 4:31 pm
Punkinhead,
Your ADHD must have prevented you from noticing that splat/clot’s comments over the past decade have been about as far from embracing current economic policies as anyone could possibly be. Or maybe your mind can only hold 2 alternative economic policy possibilities 1) whatever you think current policies are and 2) Bernie Sanders’ policies.
“I think it’s stupid to embrace the current economic policies.”
90- first regulation that should be in place are tariffs to protect our workers and market. Be scared of a trade war, right? Sure, the most powerful consumer market in the world, with loads of natural resources and the top military to back it up, should be scared of a trade war? The only people scared of a trade war and tariffs, are the people using slave labor from other countries to profit. These are the same people that always speak highly of “competition”, yet they are scared of a little competition called a trade war, where we have no chance of losing? Too funny. Protect that easy profit at the expense of the consumer base who you slowly suck dry over time.
Pumps, Pumps, pumps….tsk, tsk
Please try to string together a logical thought
“I would also say that almost every job has become tougher in the past 50 years. If you have a job, chances are you are doing the productivity equivalent of 5 workers 30 years ago.”
These two statements are unrelated. Difficulty has zero to do with productivity. In fact, productivity nearly by definition makes and given task easier.
35 years ago I applied to three colleges and it was an arduous, super time consuming process. My kid is applying to ten colleges with a few clicks of the button. He is easily multiples more productive than I was, and is working much less.
“Meanwhile, where did all these productivity gains by the workers go? Yes, to the profit kings. Worker is more productive, the owner gets it all, that’s fair.”
Uhm, yes. Because usually the worker had zero to do with the productivity gains. A secretary working 40 hrs a week now is hugely more productive than a secretary working 40 hrs a week a generation ago. They each worked forty hours, where did the productivity gain come from? Inventors of email, cell phones, online merchant services, etc, etc. They made the productivity, they get the benefits.
A laborer is digging a hole with a garden tool is given a shovel by his employer. He finishes the hole in 15 minutes rather than an afternoon. Under your logic he should look at his employer and say “thanks for buying the shovel, now pay me more”.
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