72% of Americans believe now is a good time to buy

From Gallup:

Most Americans See Home Prices Stable or Rising

Lower but stabilizing home prices combined with continued low mortgage interest rates have persuaded 72% of Americans that now is a “good time” to buy a house — essentially the same percentage as a year ago, but up 19 points from 2008.

More importantly, Americans’ expectations about housing prices have improved markedly from last year — potentially encouraging prospective buyers to take advantage of the current home-buying opportunity, and thereby making it easy for homeowners to sell. Thirty-four percent of Americans expect the average price of houses in their area to increase over the next year — up 12 points from last year, and the highest such expectations in Gallup’s monitoring since June 2007. When this is combined with the 43% expecting house prices to stay the same, a total of 77% of Americans see housing values in their area stabilizing or moving higher during the year ahead. To the degree that potential home buyers agree, this should significantly reduce their fear that the homes they buy could decline in value shortly after purchase.

Expectations for housing prices are best in the East and the West, followed closely by the South; they are poorest in the Midwest.

While an overhang of foreclosures and distress sales continues to depress some areas, the basic problem facing housing in 2010-2011 is the same as that challenging the overall economy: jobs. Buying a home is the most important purchase and largest financial commitment most people make during their lives. For most Americans, it is hard to feel financially secure enough to make such a commitment in an economy in which 20% of the U.S. workforce is underemployed.

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352 Responses to 72% of Americans believe now is a good time to buy

  1. grim says:

    From the Record:

    Bank: Economic activity in New York and New Jersey has stabilized

    Economic activity in the New York region has stopped declining but the rebound is likely to be “muted,” officials at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Wednesday.

    An index created by the bank to assess economic activity in New York State, New York City and New Jersey shows that each has stabilized, said James Orr, a regional economist for the bank.

    The index showed that New Jersey’s economy began slowing about a year before the national economy did, and the decline began in New York City about six months after the nation’s.

    There are signs that the city has so far suffered proportionately less than in two previous downturns, said Rae Rosen, an economist at the bank. She said the city has lost 5 percent of its jobs in this recession, compared to 6 percent in the 2000-2003 slowdown and 10 percent from 1987 to 1993.

    Financial sector employment has also declined less than in past recessions, she said. The sector has so far lost about 16 percent of its jobs, about 31,000, compared to losses of 20 percent and 21 percent in the past two recessions, she said.

    Yet the decline in real earnings from those positions is as great as in the past, she said. Moreover, the securities industry continued to shed jobs in February, and the future trend is unclear, she said.

    Employment figures released Wednesday for March showed that New Jersey’s finance and insurance sector lost 600 jobs, for a total of 2,700 jobs lost this year. The sector began to lose jobs in 2006.

    Orr reported that the rate of job decline in Northern New Jersey is roughly in line with that of the nation.

    Bergen County, with an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent in February CQ , has fared better than Passaic and Hudson counties, with rates of 11.8 and 11.1 percent, respectively, he said.

  2. grim says:

    From the APP:

    N.J. labor market remains fragile

    The New Jersey labor market slipped in March, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said Wednesday, in a sign that the economy may be recovering but remains fragile.

    The state said it lost 3,100 jobs and its unemployment rate fell from 9.9 percent to 9.8 percent. The bulk of the job losses — 2,500 — were in the public sector.

    “It shows the long, difficult path ahead,” Rutgers University economist Joseph J. Seneca said. “And we’re probably going to see more ups and downs going forward.”

    The February survey gave hope that the labor market is reversing course. The private sector added 4,200 jobs that month. But the March survey showed a loss of 600 private-sector jobs.

    In March, half of New Jersey’s private sector industries added jobs. Transportation and utilities added 2,500 jobs; construction added 1,600 jobs; and leisure and hospitality added 600 jobs.

    In the meantime, manufacturing lost 3,400 jobs; education and health services lost 1,000 jobs; and professional and business services lost 800 jobs.

  3. serenity now says:

    72% of people may think now is a good time to buy-
    problem is only 8% will qualify for a mortgage.

  4. WestchesterNY says:

    And 100% of that 72% are probably trying to sell their house.

  5. crossroads says:

    they must have polled underwater homeowners. I guess the list price will go up another %10 and sit longer

  6. Final Doom says:

    Imagine the disillusion when this little uptick turns sour. All the weak hands and greater fools have been sucked into various mirage bubbles, and the whole shitshow is about to get shanked. The world’s economy now follows a business plan that is half organized crime, half from the days of slavery.

    Nobody gets out alive. Oblivion, dead ahead.

  7. grim says:

    From the Star Ledger:

    Edison metro area hit hard by job losses

    The Great Recession affected various parts of New Jersey in startlingly different ways, with the fastest-growing areas suffering the biggest declines, according to economists at the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

    While the state’s job decline has largely mirrored the national downturn this past year, the Edison metro area — which includes Middlesex, Somerset, Monmouth and Ocean counties — saw particularly heavy job losses across many sectors, economists said yesterday during a regional employment briefing at the bank’s headquarters.

    “The Edison metro area had strong population growth in the ’80s and ’90s, so they had more potential for growth than mature, built-up areas,” said James Orr, an assistant vice president of the bank’s regional studies team. But the Edison metro area’s accelerated expansion also made it more vulnerable to the recession. Construction employment in that region declined 21.3 percent in the year ending in February, exceeding the state average by one-third, according to the group.

    Professional services employment fell 9.5 percent — more than twice the state average and nearly five times the national average.

    Job losses in the area’s retail, wholesale and information sectors also outpaced the rest of the state and nation. Meanwhile, Bergen, Hudson and Passaic counties saw the biggest job decline in the transportation and utilities sectors, the bank said. The Newark metro area — which includes Essex, Morris, Union, Hunterdon and Sussex counties — saw the largest drop in financial services jobs.

  8. crossroads says:

    When is the FHA bubble going to burst? or when will we start to see defaults on the 2008-present vintage? and how will it be handled? principal reduction, lower rates??

  9. grim says:

    From Bloomberg:

    New Jersey Flips Build America Bonds as IRS Scrutinizes Market

    New Jersey’s pension fund, facing a $46 billion deficit, is bolstering its finances by buying Build America Bonds from the state’s debt underwriters, then selling them for a profit in as little as five days, state records show.

    The pension, whose $700 million in Build America investments would make it the seventh-largest holder of the bonds, earned $2.6 million in the past year by rapidly buying and selling, or flipping, the taxable debt issued by municipalities across the U.S., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

    New Jersey’s ability to turn profits 17 times in five months or less shows how some borrowers in the $93.4 billion Build America market may be selling bonds at a higher cost to taxpayers than necessary, said Robert Lamb, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

    “This is supposed to be a wash,” said Lamb, who serves on the board of editors of the Municipal Finance Journal, a scholarly quarterly. “The fact they are making a market in this fashion so quickly with, it appears, little added value certainly raises certain ethical questions and may involve legal issues.”

    Flipping is under review by the Internal Revenue Service because the U.S. Treasury subsidizes 35 percent of Build America costs. The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, the market’s self-regulator, is considering restrictions on how underwriters allocate the bonds among institutional and individual buyers.

    While public pensions in California, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also bought BABs, New Jersey may be unusual in both the amount it purchased and in the profits it made selling them, according to records from other states and interviews with fund managers.

  10. Final Doom says:

    Political Class Has Vested Interest In War

    “The reason “95% of the Political Class support Obama” over Ron Paul is the political class in both parties are mostly war mongers. Enough already!

    Indeed, the military complex has a vested interest in perpetual war, much like unions has a vested interest in forever increasing benefits regardless of the consequences to the taxpayer. Note that wars on terror cannot possibly be won because it is impossible to win a war against a method – terror.

    I am tired of the argument “weak on defense”. Defense should be just that – defense – not military escapades costing $trillions in Iraq. We won the war. Great. The cost was insanely high. From the point of view of Bin Laden, we lost because we wasted a $trillion for no reason at all.”

    http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/04/ron-paul-we-can-do-better-with-peace.html

  11. Final Doom says:

    “RealtyTrac reports the next catalyst that will surely take the Dow to 12,000 by 9:31 am tomorrow. “Foreclosure filings were reported on 367,056 properties in March, an increase of nearly 19 percent from the previous month, an increase of nearly 8 percent from March 2009 and the highest monthly total since RealtyTrac began issuing its report in January 2005.” And people were wondering where consumers get all their money from. Of course, those foreclosed upon have likely figured out ways to continue squatting in their house so they dont have to pay mortgage and rent. Nothing beats living for free in America, especially in a 2,000 sq. foot average home. We can’t wait to hear Jamie Dimon’s rebuttal on how this data massively misrepresents the optimism that JP Morgan is seeing everywhere, and how the JP Morgan unicorn ranch is about to issue a royal smackdown on those speculative traitors over at RealtyTrac who, unlike JPM, dare to speak the truth.”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/article/march-foreclosures-surge-absolute-record-369491-19-jump-february

  12. Cindy says:

    http://cliftonchadwick.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/a-partisan-scrum-on-fannie-freddie-at-hearing-hud-secretary-and-gop-spar-over-why-mortgage-firms-collapsed/

    Clot – I was searching this AM to find current info on the GSEs. It looks like those in the hearings are still fighting about why they collapsed.

  13. Cindy says:

    http://mortgagenewsclips.com/2010/04/15/thinking-of-selling-your-home-the-weight-of-evidence-says-get-it-done-yesterday-by-michael-david-white/

    I know nothing about this guy – Michael David White but he says:
    “Thinking of selling Your Home? Get it Done Yesterday.

    Kettle may like a few of the charts.

  14. frank says:

    “N.J. labor market remains fragile”

    Old news, job market is picking up big time, companies are hiring like it’s 2005. Buy a home now, before prices go up.

  15. jamil says:

    sastry (from prev thread):

    ” Very different from extra-judicial killings. Of course, you already knew that, but are playing dumb and failing at that…”

    Sastry, you make this too easy, but since you probably only follow MSNBC this is understandable. Explaining this on TV would have blown off the head of Chris Matthews and Shore Guy (assuming they are different person).

    Yes, Obambi has, first time in the history of US, started the policy of extrajudicial killings of US citizens. These warrantless killings (outside battlefield) are ordered by President, without any court orders or approvals, and without any Miranda rights or defense attorneys. No need to be even “proven threat” to the US (btw, this concept was created by Eric Holder).

    I’m sure Shore Guy is happy to explain how this (along with nuking civilian cities) is perfectly fine use of President’s constitutional authority. Killing upleasent US citizens is sure needed and The Left surely would have approved it for Bush, too.

  16. Cindy says:

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/nudge-nudge-wink-wink

    Chicago, Grim: “Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink”

    Yes I know it is the Weekly Standard. But Chicago, Grim and I read the Thaler/ Sunstein book “Nudge” so I thought they would be interested in this article on behavioral economics.

  17. Essex says:

    Another gorgeous day folks!

  18. Simply Ravishing HEHEHE says:

    “72% of people may think now is a good time to buy”

    Are those the same 72% that thought Iraq attacked us on 9/11?

  19. Shore Guy says:

    If one makes a living skimming a bit off the top of each transaction, it is always a good time for someone else to buy a house.

    If one is selling a house, it is always a good time for someone else to buy a house.

  20. Shore Guy says:

    Clot,

    The word is Hawks. Monger has such a negative connotation.

  21. Shore Guy says:

    Ket,

    From last night:

    “I wonder what intel if any backs up 10 k”

    Ket,

    My guess would be this. If one looks at terrorists assembling an atomic weapon, it is likely going to be a gun-type device. To create one, it would take about 50lbs of enriched U. While this mass of U would cause major problems, the efficiency is not very high and most of the U wouldnot fission. I suspect the DOE folks have looked at the likely efficiencies and made a guesstimate based on how much of the fuel would fission in a terrorist-constructed device.

    Now, if they get something built by a real nuclear power, all bets are off.

  22. Shore Guy says:

    NJ teachers union squares off with Trenton over reforms, finances

    Some of the state’s more powerful leaders have privately complained for years about the power of the state’s teachers union. Yet virtually none would voice those issues in public or even respond to reporters’ questions.

    But now Gov. Chris Christie is three weeks into a full assault on the New Jersey Education Association, and others are criticizing the union’s entrenched stance on pay and benefits, an amazing change for a union long considered the pre-eminent power player in Trenton.

    snip

    http://www.app.com/article/20100415/NEWS/100409075/NJ-teachers-union-squares-off-with-Trenton-over-reforms-finances

  23. Shore Guy says:

    From the Christie NJEA Article (What are dues? Something like an average of $700/yrar? I wonder what portion of that stays with the local and what portion goes to HQ?):

    “Reagan had the air traffic controllers union. … Bill Clinton had Newt Gingrich, and
    now Chris Christie has the NJEA,” McDonough said. “They are the foil to him that is allowing him to stake out positions in a clear and forceful way. When you are trying to define yourself, it is helpful to have the light and dark, the white and black.”

    Until now, the 200,000-member union had held virtually unchallenged sway in New Jersey.

  24. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    21.

    Shore,

    Do you seriously believe in nuclear terrorists from the caves of Afghanistan? 10 kilos is what the DHS planned for. More than enough to cause chaos especially if there is more than one. No doubt it will be much bigger than 9/11, multiple targets, more casualties. This is what we get for failing to figure out the what really happened on 9/11.

  25. Final Doom says:

    Cindy (13)-

    You say tomah-to, I say tomay-to. Let’s call the whole thing off.

    Who cares? The common denominator in the massive fail is a giant dose of stupid. Funny thing is, armed with a printing press, Phony & Fraudy are attempting to do the exact same thing that led them to failure…and calling the new plan a path to success.

    Gonna be a long walk home.

  26. Final Doom says:

    sx (17)-

    STFU. Another day of suck-ass; just like the day before, just like tomorrow.

  27. Mocha(Mr. Sig) says:

    Ah, jobless numbers up again. Don’t worry Rick Santelli says its another outlier….Everything is fine.

  28. Sas3 says:

    Jamil, #15…

    I saw *one* MSNBC episode so far (that too while traveling, and I did explicitly mention that in my posts on the ACORN video). And I ended my posts saying that RM was more focused on what Fox was saying than finding a way to help someone she thought was unfairly fired. So, I don’t know where you and Nom are getting this idea of “channeling MSNBC”.

    Now, you should retract your statement.

  29. Cindy says:

    http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63D1Y020100414

    They might want to check out Figure 5.2
    Relative Financial Wage and Financial Deregulation @24.

  30. Cindy says:

    26 – Clot – Agreed. Long walk home.

  31. Sas3 says:

    Clot, I am a proud owner of FNM shares (won’t sell since they are worth nothing — and I am carrying over losses, from ironically, shorting FNM!)… But, I keep wondering, what is keeping them above $1? Common should have been wiped out. Same thing with AIG.

  32. Sas3 says:

    Jamil,

    Obama “… started the policy of extrajudicial killings of US citizens…”.

    Care to cite any references?

  33. schabadoo says:

    I am tired of the argument “weak on defense”.

    Pity the elected official that brings up a reduction of military spending…he’ll get destroyed.

    The spice must flow.

  34. Sas3 says:

    schabadoo,

    The neocons tried to reduce defense costs with “modernizing” and “smart weapons”, but they also tried to send the savings directly to their military contractor friends.

  35. Cindy says:

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/198875-what-should-the-u-s-do-about-housing-finance

    According to this article, the US Gov is seeking your opinions on housing finance – 7 questions.

    (Geez – If Bi were here keeping score, I’d be way over my limit on postings today.)

  36. Final Doom says:

    sastry (32)-

    Thank your gubmint and the bailouts. In a normal world, all those companies would’ve BK’d and the equity would’ve been wiped out.

    Now, your equity stake is essentially tokens fed into a one-armed bandit.

  37. Final Doom says:

    Cindy (36)-

    A system of covered bond operations becoming the secondary market (with Phony & Fraudy shut down forever), married to old-fashioned portfolio lending would be a good foundation on which to reconstruct housing finance.

    Naturally, this will never happen, as the potential for exponential profit generated by fraud in such a system is virtually zero.

  38. Final Doom says:

    I’m having a little confab with Hyde at 11 AM. Will he think less of me if I’m drinking whiskey at that hour?

  39. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Cindy 13 liked that one too check out my post 19 from yesterday.

  40. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Clot 39 you guys up to no good? I’m game.

  41. Mikeinwaiting says:

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/198836-foreclosures-keep-inching-up?source=email

    Check this one out nice map of U.S. with level of foreclosures. Jersey not looking to good.

  42. relo says:

    60% of the mods from ’08 are a fail. Even the those cut by 20% fail at a 40% clip – and counting.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/business/15mortgages.html?ref=realestate

  43. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Clot quick check out SRSs @ $26.00 after hours , whats up?

  44. homeboken says:

    This is a true BLS gem, want to know why the jobs number came in below expectations? Easter (for the second week) and Ceasar Chavez Day. Seriously??

    ” A Labor Department economist said Thursday that this latest rise can also be pegged to lag effects from the spring holidays including Easter and Cesar Chavez Day, which is celebrated in worker-heavy California, and blamed the increase on technical factors and not on rising layoffs.”

  45. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [12] cindy

    They’re both right. The GSEs did pursue profits recklessly, and they were also pressured to provide more LMI funding.

    Plenty of blame to go around.

  46. Cindy says:

    40 – Mike

    Cool – same dude. I’ll continue to watch what he has to say.

  47. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [45] ‘boken

    Didn’t you get the memo? There’s a new sherriff in town. Cesar Chavez Day and May Day are now recognized, if not official, holidays.

    Used to be the sherriff wore a gold star. Now it’s red.

  48. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [29] sas3

    “So, I don’t know where you and Nom are getting this idea of “channeling MSNBC”.

    I fight fire with fire.

  49. homeboken says:

    Earth day is next week, Cinco de mayo right around the corner, I suspect these will wreak havoc with the jobs number.

    Next up, weakness in the jobs number tied to the existence of weekends, President to abolish Saturdays in response.

  50. JJ says:

    Now may be a good time to buy if you have a lot of stock gains from the huge bull market, have a stable job and think the mortgage interest deduction will be the last good tax deduction left after tax rates go up and think we are headed towards an inflationary period.

    Lots of Ifs.

  51. Cindy says:

    Ooooopppsss.. #51 was meant for you Nom
    @ 46….

    Plenty of blame to go around…

    That is while I wish these guys (@51) would do something. FCIC – subpoena power and everything but there they sit…

  52. Cindy says:

    Well….”while” I wish should probably be “why” I wish…man.

  53. WestchesterNY says:

    Mikeinwaiting #44 – Reverse splits yesterday.

  54. Essex says:

    Ahhhhh, Life IS good….reorg in big Swiss firm spared the breadwinning beauty….;)

  55. Painhrtz says:

    Homeboken you forgot Flag and Arbor Day. Are we also adding in the Hallmark Holidays as well?

    Ceaser Chavez Day!!!??? We are now allowing celebrations for 2nd world dictators WTF!

  56. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [15] jamil

    Though we are sympatico, I feel the need to interject.

    I agree that Obama’s laughable attempt to look tough with the extrajudicial killing thing is sickenly hypocritical, however, we are missing the really big picture. My visceral reaction is to yell “wax the MF”, but the lawyer in me is waving a yellow caution flag beause this raises serious constitutional implications. Why the folks on the left aren’t shouting about this from the rooftops, I don’t know (more hypocrisy, I suppose), as an extrajudicial execution of a U.S. citizen certainly implicates several sections of our cherished document. We should be focusing on Obama’s seeming willingness to blatantly disregard the rule of law in a manner that the left accused Bush of, and that requires a higher level of debate. We should encourage that debate and enjoy watching the lefties squirm as they try to justify Dear Leader’s policy and reconcile the pre-election Obama with the post-election Obama.

    Also, I know you have this running disagreement with shore, but come on. He(?) is a lot closer to us politically than to schabadoo, sas3, or the other progressives on this board. Lumping him in with the redistributionists and apologists is silly and wrong.

  57. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “SRSs @ $26.00 after hours , whats up?”

    reverse split.

  58. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [57] pain

    Cesar Chavez was an american (I think), and a labor leader in California. You are confusing him with Hugo.

    An understandable mistake, given their similar names and politics.

  59. Mikeinwaiting says:

    What was the split 2-1 ,3-1 ?

  60. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    Soros trying to make a killing on his short positions by bringing world markets down. Pullleease. This clown is calling for a market correction — in 8 years. Thats a huge buy signal if i’ve ever heard one. Im tempted to go all-in leveraged long world markets on this news alone.

    Markets could be derailed again, warns Soros

    Railway porter-turned-billionaire financier George Soros delivered a stark warning last night that the financial world is on the wrong track and that we may be hurtling towards an even bigger boom and bust than in the credit crisis.

    “We have added to the leverage by replacing private credit with sovereign credit and increasing national debt by a significant amount.”

    One crumb of comfort could be the 10-year period between the 1998 Asian crisis and the 2008 credit crisis. If the pattern is repeated, it should at least mean we have another 8 years to go before the next crash…

    -Reuters

  61. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    mike 5-1 split.

  62. Mikeinwaiting says:

    Thanks Veto

  63. borat obama says:

    First

  64. Shore Guy says:

    “President to abolish Saturdays in response.”

    That is NOT true and you know it.

    The official position is to take away weekends from the rich and to redistribute the days to everyone earning less than $200,000/yr.

  65. Shore Guy says:

    66ish in mod, it seems.

  66. Shore Guy says:

    http://www.app.com/article/20100415/NEWS03/100415007/Bill-could-spark-a-wave-of-NJ-teacher-retirements?GID=U/aiBjzRcsvk33AD3QK0WHEGItHfnP1qaxIh1TubWUs%3D

    TRENTON — Proposed legislation could generate a wave of retirements among public employees in New Jersey, particularly among teachers.

    The Christie administration is preparing a bill that would require state employees
    and new retirees to begin paying a portion of their benefits beginning August 1.

    Education Commissioner Bret Schundler says state employees who retire before that date would retain free lifetime medical benefits.

    snip

  67. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [66] shore

    “The official position is to take away weekends from the rich and to redistribute the days to everyone earning less than $200,000/yr.”

    Funny, yet conceptually true if you think about the extensions of unemployment benefits.

  68. njescapee says:

    Everything’s free in Americkah!!

  69. jamil says:

    58 com: I’m all for debate, but lets be honest. The Left cannot debate on this. Trying to come up with arguments why Obama’s extrajudicial, warrantless killings are fine, after ranting against Bush and demanding jail time for Yoo. Shore led the way in Yoo witch hunt.

  70. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [229] [prior thread] schabadoo

    It’s so cute when schab tries to explain the law. Reminds me of some of the 1Ls I knew at my law school.

    Most of them never became 2Ls.

  71. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [72] jamil

    I agree that they can’t debate this, and certainly don’t want to. IMHO, they are between a rock and a hard place on that one, and I am sure Obama wishes he never said it.

    But his adoring, tingling fans in MSM are not covering what strikes me as an astonishing statement that ranks right up there with “If the president does it, it isn’t illegal.” That is why it is all the more important to call them out on it.

  72. Shore Guy says:

    Nom,

    The “rich” already have too much leisure and when they travel they get better hotels, better plane seats, etc. It is only fair to spread that around some more.

  73. meter says:

    Go Flyers.

  74. Jamal Van Jones says:

    Fox News Dominates 3Q 2009 Cable News Ratings

    Fox News has pulled off another dominant quarter, claiming the top 10 cable news programs in 3Q 2009 and growing against 3Q 2008, while CNN and MSNBC lost substantial portions of their election-boom audience.

    Fox News averaged 2.25 million total viewers in prime time for the third quarter, up 2% over the previous year. That’s more than CNN (946,000, down 30%) and MSNBC (788,000, down 10%) combined.

    I suppose the definition of “mainstream” has changed.

  75. Painhrtz says:

    Nom thanks for the info on Chavez, I guess knowing is half the battle : )

    If that is the case as an american of blue collar upbringing I would like to celebrate Jimmy Hoffa day fits for NJ.

  76. New in NJ says:

    sas3 #33

    I don’t guess we’re going to get a citation.

  77. Jim says:

    Here is an interesting article about the effect of raising taxes on the wealthy. Sorry if it was already posted. I haven’t had time to read through all the posts the past couple of days. Well I’m out of here. I have to get back to work and pay the taxes for the 47% out there not paying anything.

    http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/personal-finance/financial-planning/tax/does-raising-taxes-wealthy-boost-government-revenue-maybe/

  78. Painhrtz says:

    Meter go F yourself signed a Rangers Fan

  79. meter says:

    It’s difficult to reconcile the underlying economic fundamentals (atrocious) with J6P consumer sentiment (not great, but apparently improving).

    As in with the equities market, perception must be reality. I would have never thought it possible that this charade could go on this long. Now I’m left wondering if it will ever stop.

  80. meter says:

    Rangers fans know where it hangs.

  81. Shore Guy says:

    “Jimmy Hoffa day ”

    The problem with it is that nobody can find it on the calendar.

  82. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “state employees who retire before that date would retain free lifetime medical benefits.”

    Imagine that. the FIFO method. And we thought it would never happen like that.

    This is not a bad idea if the feds can pump the stock market back up to dow 14k.

  83. Painhrtz says:

    Meter no goalie, no cup too bad Clark and Holmgren never learned that lesson. Then again I would trade any one save Lundquist Staal and Gaborik for Carter and Richards.

  84. meter says:

    I know the Flyers are going nowhere until they solve their omnipresent goalie problem, but nice to put the Devils back on their heels.

    You’re lucky to have Lundqvist – guy’s money.

  85. Painhrtz says:

    The slide into mediocrity continues, a little history lesson for you folks when the Soviet Union wound down its space program, namely their manned moon exploration. They downgraded the Soyuz capsule to service their space stations and serve as an escape capsule. It was mainly economic as they could not generate the funds to fix the problems with their large rocket.It was a portend of the coming economic collapse of the Communist State a scant 15 years later. I’m sure most of you know this but here is an interesting article about Chairman O and NASA

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_space

  86. jcer says:

    let go devils! I think Parise needs to break Pronger’s ribs to teach him a lesson, bad things can happen in the corner.

  87. Anon E. Moose says:

    Can the stock market bump be as simple as people dumping their 2009 IRA contributions to beat the Apr 15 deadline?

  88. jcer says:

    Summary:

    Flyers:
    Carter
    Richards
    Pronger

    everyone else is pretty worthless

    Rangers:
    Lundqvist
    Gaborik(entire offense)
    Drury(way overpaid but a winner)
    DelZotto(promising rookie and probably there best defender)

    everyone else….well pretty much worthless.

  89. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    90.
    no.

  90. Sas3 says:

    Jim #80

    Yeah, fully agree. We should cut the taxes on the top 5% of the population and raise the taxes on 95% (that got tax cuts under O). That way the 5% can trickle on the 95% and water the economy and the tree of liberty.

    Though, somewhere I see it as only top 2% had higher taxes, so they should trickle on more.

    And the slacker soldiers that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan whose families are not paying any fed income taxes, traitors they are. They should be patriotic like Palin and stop sucking the government money and do more productive things like 100k a pop speeches.

  91. meter says:

    @91

    Devils:

    (sound of crickets)

  92. meter says:

    @89 – amusing. Parise is what, 5’6″? Certainly looks it next to the California redwood that is Pronger.

  93. Painhrtz says:

    JCER Staal, 30 points, shut down defenseman at 23 and on the plus side playing against teams best players. Hardly worthless.

    Drury on the other is so clutch, he cashes his overpriced salary with deft hands while not perfoming on the ice.

  94. schabadoo says:

    It’s so cute when schab tries to explain the law.

    I went back and looked: never mentioned the law, or any laws. Maybe you meant a different poster?

    Unless you’re talking about the link to Snopes in response to the ‘governor never asked for help’ myth. In which case, how sad. Very consistent, but sad.

  95. jcer says:

    Meter when Pronger comes in for a crushing check on Parise all he needs is the butt end of his stick and bam broken ribs. Parise is generously listed at 5’11 he is really 5’9 or 5’10. The Devils are loaded with offensive talent the issue is their ability to play when they are physically out muscled.

    Devils:

    Illya Kovalchuck
    Zach Parise
    Travis Zajac
    Patrik Elias
    Jamie Langenbruner
    Marty Broduer

    They are a very talented team arguably the devils top three offense men are better than any of the players on the flyers. Carter is clearly their best forward but I honestly think Kovi, Parise, or Zajac are better.

    Pronger aka Captain Elbows is really a dirty player, he was crosschecking Parise in the head all last night. Quite the contrast Parise is considered a good role model, Star of Team USA, seen as a hardworking talented guy vs. Pronger a cheap shot artist redneck Canadian who strikes me as a low class piece of sh*t. That wasn’t a hockey game last night.

  96. jcer says:

    I give you that I totally forgot about Staal as he is the least valued of the brothers.

  97. schabadoo says:

    Rangers

    everyone else….well pretty much worthless.

    For confirmation, look who they sent out for that final shootout. It was embarrassing.

    And even if he stinks in shootouts, you have to send out Gaborik. There’s no scorers on the team anyway.

  98. jcer says:

    I know Drury is a good guy to have on your team and he is the heart of the Rangers and that is great but he is simply not worth his contract he is a 5 million dollar a year player plain and simple. His contract is worthy of a true NHL superstar, which he really is not.

  99. schabadoo says:

    Pronger aka Captain Elbows is really a dirty player

    He beat out Avery for this year’s title. Quite a feat.

  100. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [97] schab

    That’s right. Your snopes post only mentions the Insurrection Act. Yet you posted that as a rebuttal to someone else’s post concerning the putative requirement that a state request assistance before the feds can come in and federalize a state function (in this case, taking over after Katrina).

    Your post does not, as you suggest, rebut the prior post (I think it was from outofstater) as they discussed different things. Judges often use the work “inapposite” to describe your effort.

    Oh, and Go Philly!

  101. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [97] schab,

    And you should also get your facts straight. I never said Blanco didn’t ask for help; only that she initially told the feds they didn’t need it yet.

    Now that’s what is sad. No wonder you couldn’t get into law school with rhetorical skills as bad as yours.

    Should we continue to insult each other some more, seeing as you have no other arrows in that quiver?

  102. jcer says:

    At least the Ranger can take solace in the fact that by losing that game they killed the Devils. The Devils tend to due poorly against their rivals and Marty loses his edge against them, mentally he is a basket case it seems. Sometimes he is bulletproof making 50 saves other times he allows that 2nd goal and it is always a clutch goal he fails to save. Additionally physically we don’t have the muscle to stay on the puck.

  103. njescapee says:

    Nom, 104, damn, I felt that scorcher down here.

  104. meter says:

    @98 – jcer

    Don’t get me wrong, I like Parise, but the thought of him doing any physical damage against Pronger – with or without the butt of his stick, a 2×4, and/or a machete – is amusing.

  105. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [80] Jim

    That is a debate you are never going to win with the other side. The only facts are those you make for yourself.

    In my case, it is to do what I can to avoid the forced exaction of the fruit of my labors, and since my job is (in part) to help others do the same, then that is what I do.

    In the end, water seeks its own level. The indolent and unfortunate take from the productive and lucky in the form of taxes. The productive take it back in the form of prices. And taxation is distortive—if the pain becomes too much, then the solution is to avoid the pain, either by offshoring, going galt, or a combination of the two. The have nots may vote with a ballot and a gun; the haves vote with their feet and with their control of the productive capital.

    As Ned Beatty said “You are meddling with the primal forces of nature, Mr. Beal.”

  106. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [106] escapee

    Thanks. I try to refrain but sometimes I just can’t.

    I’ll come back later to see the pithy response it gets. Always like hearing the view from the alternative universe.

  107. Jamal Van Jones says:

    Another glorious day at NJDrudgeReport.com

    Soci@lism invoked – check
    47% mantra – check
    State media – check
    commiserate with the rich – check
    Ad Hominem against liberals – check

    Items Remaining –
    Denigrate Public Employees
    Praise Christie
    Further revise history
    Go Galt!

  108. schabadoo says:

    And you should also get your facts straight. I never said Blanco didn’t ask for help;

    The post you referred to had nothing to do with you. And I never said you said anything like that: why would you need to make that up?

    Why you’d like this myth to float around, I have no idea:

    As I remember, the feds can’t act unless the governor asks them to and the governor at the time (I forget her name) at first declined to ask for federal help.

    You agree this is completely wrong, right? Blanco asked Bush to declare a state of emergency on the Saturday before hurricane and the President officially declared that a “state of emergency” exists in Louisiana and orders Federal aid to the affected areas to complement state and local relief efforts.

    To be clear: the governor asked for and received help on the Saturday.

    Odd and telling how you worked law school into this conversation. Yes, a great achievement it truly is, and you should be very proud of yourself.

  109. SG says:

    RealtyTrac: Pa., N.J. foreclosures up in March

    In New Jersey, there were 5,998 foreclosure filings, or one for every 586 homes. That represents a 60 percent increase from February and 31 percent increase from March 2009. New Jersey ranked 22nd nationally.

  110. SG says:

    Tax day 101: Are some states driving people out with high state taxes?

    Among the millions of Americans paying taxes this week more than a few of them probably feel like hiring a moving van.

    That’s because what state they live in can have a big impact on they total tax bill. Some states, like California and New Jersey, have income taxes with top rates above 10 percent. Others charge no income tax at all.

    The eight states with big population outflows are California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. The District of Columbia also saw heavy net migration outward.

    California, New Jersey, and New York have so-called “millionaires’ taxes” (higher income-tax rates on the rich). The top rates in California and New Jersey are higher than 10 percent of income, and New York’s is nearly that high. Four out of five other states with this kind of tax structure also saw out-migration during the decade, with Oregon the exception.

    If you live in a high-tax state and are thinking about that moving-van idea, remember to think about not just current tax rates but potential future ones as well. States in “fiscal peril” from unmet budget obligations may have to raise taxes.

  111. Shore Guy says:

    Having sent off six figures in taxes to DC again this year, I only wish that the putzes running things for us could at least run a budget in black. There is very little blood left in these turnips and we need it for our offspring to go to college. Enough already, start cutting things..

  112. SG says:

    Builders conference in A.C.: McMansions are dead

    Analyst Jeffrey G. Otteau told a roomful of New Jersey builders Tuesday at Caesars Hotel and Casino that luxury McMansions on sprawling country lanes are dead.

    The next generation of 30-something homebuyers, frequently called Generation Y, will have few to no children. They will be looking for smaller, more fuel-efficient homes near where they work. They want to own fewer cars and take mass transit to work.

    “The next crop of first-time buyers will be earning 17 percent less than their parents earned 30 years ago, so luxury housing is severely troubled,” said Otteau, one of three panelists to offer sober predictions about the future of New Jersey’s housing market.

    While home prices will rise slowly, inventories will shrink over time and credit will loosen, Otteau predicted. He said a full recovery will be delayed until 2020.

    Baby boomers are not likely to bail the industry out because more are staying in their homes longer, then moving out of state to lighten their tax burden.

  113. I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post.

  114. Anon E. Moose says:

    SG [115];

    “The next crop of first-time buyers will be earning 17 percent less than their parents earned 30 years ago,…”

    I really want to ask a baby boomer how it fees to be the first American generation in over a century to leave the country worse off than they found it. Oh, and to ask them to say “thank you” to me for funding their social security check.

    They must look at each other and say “You screw my kids and I’ll screw your kids and we’ll all retire in Boca together.”

  115. Anon E. Moose says:

    fees==feels

  116. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “In New Jersey, there were 5,998 foreclosure filings”

    i need interpretation of this.

    This means the bank filed foreclosure right? If so, how long before the bank takes posession? and then how long after that before the bank decides to sell the foreclosure on the open market.

    Something tells me this is a 1-5 year process and we wont see its effects for a while. Does anyone have a better idea? Clot?

  117. Painhrtz says:

    Latisha Dorcas has to be the best spam name yet! Moose you think the boomers are bad dealing, with there Gen Y progeny is even worse. I’m really sick of the kumbaya spirit brought on by that generation.

    Winning is not a dirty word, some people are not better than others, social responsibility doesn’t mean victimization and pussification. I really despise the cultural shift that came out of the sixties and seventies. Fcuking greedy and narcisistic generation I would like to instutute carousel for each and everyone of them. That includes my own overly victimized mother and her drug addicted self centered brother. By the way I work in a company run by boomers they make me vomit on a daily basis.

  118. schabadoo says:

    would like to instutute carousel

    Always enjoy a Logan’s run reference…

  119. #117 – I really want to ask a baby boomer how it fees to be the first American generation in over a century to leave the country worse off than they found it. Oh, and to ask them to say “thank you” to me for funding their social security check.

    I’d also like them to ask them to STFU about the 60’s already. Seriously, it was old 20 years ago. Stop it.

  120. relo says:

    695 at last count scheduled for auction in BC. Last sale date all but one went back to banks. Freedy, your old town of Closter is well represented.

  121. DL says:

    75% of Americans think the Simpsons are real people.

  122. yo'me says:

    Money for Failed Modifications Goes to Banks, Not Homeowners

    Thursday, 15 April 2010 07:11
    The NYT reported on the release of new data from the Treasury Department showing a doubling in the number of redefaults on loans that had been permanently modified through the administration’s HAMP program. The new data show that more than 1 percent of permanent modifications have already redefaulted. Since most of the modifications have only been completed in the last few months, this indicates that a very percentage of the permanent modifications are likely to end in default. Since the vast majority of homeowners facing foreclosure will not receive a permanent modification, these means that the program is likely to help only a small minority of homeonwers keep their home.

    It would have been useful to point out that the money that the government spends on a failed modification goes to banks, not homeowners. Typically, the government will have subsitituted an FHA insured mortgage for the original mortgage issued by a bank. This means that when a redefault takes place, the bank will have received most of the principle back on the loan, with the government incurring the loss on the redefault. The net result of this policy is that far more money is likely to be given to banks through the HAMP than to homeowners. This should have been pointed out in this article.

    –Dean Baker

  123. relo says:

    15: Got bailout?

  124. relo says:

    er, 125.

  125. DL says:

    The thing that gets me about taxes is that in some countries, you aactully get to see what you are paying for. I’ve come to the conclusion that we are the richest, and the most corrupt nation on earth. Admittedly, European countries are the size of US states and much easier to manage, but they don’t have the ear-mark system which is essentially carte blanche to plunder the treasury in the name of bringing home the bacon in order to get re-elected. Take the John Murtha international airport in a part of PA that hasn’t seen an airplane since the Wright brothers and multiply it by 435 members of congress times the number of years the US has been a nation. Yet, we lecture every other nation on their corrupt governments.
    Rant off. Back to my bottle of JW Blue.

  126. JJ says:

    47% of Americans pay zero tax on their tax return.

    The next 50% pay not so much.

    How about the top 3% tax payers get a welfare mamma of their own to do their chores as a consolation prize.

  127. Final Doom says:

    veto (85)-

    Leave it to Bret Schundler to come up with a scheme that closes the circle on a classic Ponzi.

  128. yo'me says:

    Back to my bottle of JW Blue.

    Time for some luxuries.

  129. Final Doom says:

    Jamal (100)-

    You left out “crack open bottle of whiskey”.

  130. Final Doom says:

    yo is thinking along with me…

  131. Final Doom says:

    veto (119)-

    Can take 18-24 months to get to a sheriff sale from the date of original filing of lis pendens. I’ve seen cases where a clever borrower can stretch it to four years.

    You imagine some nasty “time release”-type side effects which will probably come to pass, IMO.

  132. Yikes says:

    back to the school talk, briefly –

    what metrics are you using to compare schools? it almost seems like some people here are automatically saying, ‘if you pay x in taxes, you get good schools.’

    what are the most important stats?

    student:teacher?
    test scores?
    how many kids go Ivy League?

    and dont just tell me ‘magazine ratings’

  133. JJ says:

    No herioin, crack, stabings or large amount of drop outs and pregant freshman is what a good town buys you in tristate area.

    Yikes says:
    April 15, 2010 at 1:38 pm
    back to the school talk, briefly –

    what metrics are you using to compare schools? it almost seems like some people here are automatically saying, ‘if you pay x in taxes, you get good schools.’

    what are the most important stats?

    student:teacher?
    test scores?
    how many kids go Ivy League?

    and dont just tell me ‘magazine ratings’

  134. jcer says:

    Whiskey, hmm some Basil Haydens or perhaps Elijah Craig 18yr would be good about now.

  135. jcer says:

    What amazes me about bourbon is that the Beam family is basically involved in the production of pretty much every bourbon out there.

  136. Confused in NJ says:

    124.DL says:
    April 15, 2010 at 1:11 pm
    75% of Americans think the Simpsons are real people
    They are, they live in Congress and are called Senators and Representatives.

  137. sas3 says:

    DL says:
    April 15, 2010 at 1:21 pm

    “The thing that gets me about taxes is that in some countries, you actully get to see what you are paying for.”

    What countries do you have in mind?

    US has SS & Medicare/Medicaid benefits. Defense, interstates, farm subsidies, research (NIH/NSF).

    Local taxes go to schools, police, etc.
    There are some things that can be optimized, but a majority of them cannot be eliminated.

    The levels of bribery/corruption seem to be low (except for the defense industry).

    Of course, I assume there are no cheap shots at ACORN.

    S

  138. DL says:

    JW Blue, $146 a bottle at you local Class VI store. At those prices who can afford to stay sober. Clot, this one’s for you.

  139. relo says:

    That’s a lotta food stamps.

    $146 a bottle

  140. sas3 says:

    To tax complainers:

    In fact, tax refunds reached an all-time high this year in part because of the stimulus, the president said in his weekly address on Saturday. Meanwhile, taxes are at their lowest levels in 60 years, according to William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution.

  141. Outofstater says:

    #136 Have you looked at greatschools.com? It ranks elementary, middle and high schools across the country. I think SAT scores are an unbiased indication of how well a district prepares its college-bound students. It has been my experience that the more affluent the area, the better the schools, for all kinds of controversial reasons.

  142. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [111] schabadoo,

    Frankly, that last post is cryptic. Were I to respond to it, it would only be for the benefit of the other readers, and I think they can go back and compare the threads for themselves. If they can’t understand the issues, I am happy to explain them, as the posters seem like a rational bunch for the most part.

    As for you, I have come to the conclusion that you are a troll or delusional. If you are a troll, I am not taking that bait; it wastes my time and prevents me from earning a living and funding your benefits. If the latter, trying to explain what you are talking about, let alone dumb down what I am trying to say, would be like talking to a wall. Also a waste of my time.

    I hope it is the former, and that you are just a sniveling troll. Would hate to think of you out there trying to function in this society without your meds, or worse, reproducing.

  143. relo says:

    144: That’s pretty general info. you got there. Needs to be carved up to be worth anything.

    Not picking on you, as I’m to taxed to look myself. Just saying.

  144. DL says:

    Sas, in some countries (and I know you’ve seen them) the bridges are safe, the roads fixed, the buildings in good repair, trains and buses take you where you want to go. Perhaps its just different priorities and ultimatley you pay for what you want. I had to escort a Congressional staffer for a Senator whose name you’d recognize and he told me when he goes home to upstate NY (not the state of the Senator) his friends tell hin their orads have not been imporved in 20 years and we’re spemnding trillions of dollars on (name your favorite cause here). The Euros have the same if not better social benefits and safety nets than we do. I understand defense and what it buys. And if I lived in t he US maybe I’d be convinced the rest of our taxes are well spent. The fact that our type of corruption is gov’t sanctioned may keep it from being illegal but its still a waste. Earmarks anyone?

  145. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [144] sas3

    “taxes are at their lowest levels in 60 years, according to William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project at the Brookings Institution.”

    When Gale says taxes, does he mean tax receipts, nominal marginal rates, or effective tax rates?

    All three are likely to be lower, but they mean different things.

  146. jcer says:

    I think the rate of taxation is not the issue. It is really the way the money is spent, America has ignored it’s infrastructure needs for the last 40 yrs. There is no reason for infrastructure to be so bad, the American political system is fundamentally full of corruption, vendors working for the government make tons of money due to political connections and the vendors have a seat at the table that the voter will never have.

  147. jcer says:

    The incompetence and graft in european governments is as bad or worse than the US it is just that they lack military spending.

  148. RayC says:

    http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2010/03/29

    The best and worst thing EVER. So wrong, on so many levels. But I am logging back on to watch again.

  149. schabadoo says:

    I hope it is the former, and that you are just a sniveling troll.

    I certainly know the feeling.

  150. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    110.

    Ill help you with your daily list.

    Denigrate public tit suckers. “Residents decry East Orange plan to lay off 280 school employees”
    http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/04/residents_decry_east_orange_pl.html

    Thats 280 less tit suckers. Today was a good day.

  151. njescapee says:

    jcer 150, problem is government has become a corrupt pension and annuity fund which sidelines in businesses such as national defense, infrastructure,

  152. Final Doom says:

    confused (140)-

    I’m pretty sure my congressman is Ned Flinders.

  153. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    115.

    SG, the next generation of home buyer (generation Y) will be lucky to not devolve into limbless sea animals. You can only spend so many years without manual labor or physical activity before evolution takes hold.

    Its better for humanity if we skip a generation of breeding. Generation Z will be raised poor and probably better able to cope in reality.

  154. schabadoo says:

    it wastes my time and prevents me from earning a living and funding your benefits

    To get this from someone with your post count is really something else. But yes, do call others trolls.

    I post infrequently, as I have to pay for these bailouts dreamed up by Washington attorneys.

  155. Mr Hyde says:

    Al 157

    i spoke to a russian guy about the russian currency collapse and its relevance to the US he has the following to say:

    look on the bright side, the women get nice and lean looking. They lament their recovery over the last decade as far as women go, saying that far less of them have that Euro super-model look and are getting pudgy again. Rationed energy and staving off cold during the winters months is the worst of it.

  156. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    Hyde,

    Ah yes, Russians always look on the bright side of things. One thing I learned from the Russians was that currency collapse can happen overnight and dont always take 10 years. You wake up one morning and everything is fine. On the way home everything is completely f%cked. Cubans who fled to the US in the 50’s also have some good stories.

  157. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [158] schabadoo

    “I post infrequently, as I have to pay for these bailouts dreamed up by Washington attorneys.”

    Wasn’t me. My former boss maybe, but not me!

    I just helped to dig the hole a bit.

  158. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [158] schab.

    “do call others trolls.”

    Not calling the others trolls. Just you princess.

  159. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    “Japan’s ruling party has called for drastic monetary easing to devalue the yen by 30pc and halt the slide into deflation, putting it on a collision course with the Bank of Japan.

    A draft by 130 lawmakers from premier Yukio Hatoyama’s Democratic Party of Japan said the country needs a radical shift towards growth policies, calling for an inflation target above 2pc. The exchange rate should be steered to ¥120 against the dollar, from the current ¥90. Shizuka Kamei, financial affairs minister, said the central bank must monetise government debt to support the market for state bonds and prevent deflation becoming deeply lodged in the economy.

    The Bank of Japan’s governor, Masaaki Shirakawa, told lawmakers that it would illegal to fund state spending by printing money. “History has proven that central banks directly buying government securities caused severe inflation and dealt a blow to the economy. The BoJ is now providing adequate funds,” he said.”

    If you go back to Januarys predictions you will see that the so called paranoid blogger Al Gore said this would happen.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/7587346/Japan-mulls-monetisation-of-public-debt-and-yen-devaluation.html

  160. Jamal Van Jones says:

    Comrade Schabadoo,

    Please, you are interfering with the plan to make benefit the glorious nation of the USS of A.

    Please stick to the agenda identified in Post#110 (supplemented with post#132). You are hindering the glorious work done by our master – Comrade Nom. If you continue in this vein, we will have to report you to Comrade Sarah.

  161. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [164] jamal

    Da, comrade. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to continue oppressing the proletariat by continuing my criminal employment as a lackey of the bourgeois running dog capitalists.

  162. Final Doom says:

    al (163)-

    Speaking as a holder of YCS, may I say I think I just had an 0rgasm:

    “The exchange rate should be steered to ¥120 against the dollar, from the current ¥90. Shizuka Kamei, financial affairs minister, said the central bank must monetise government debt to support the market for state bonds and prevent deflation becoming deeply lodged in the economy.”

  163. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom

    COme one now, your not day trading forex?

  164. still_looking says:

    Doom, 156
    “Ned Flinders”

    I’m pretty sure mine is Wesley Mouch.

    sl

  165. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom

    USDJPY is currently at 93. if we hit their target of 120, assuming a 100X leverage account, and that you have the margin to handle any early swings, you are looking at at $27,000 per $100K contract.

    a %50,000 account would give you enough margin to conservatively carry 10 contracts from the start and enough build up to 20-30 contracts.

    An easy $500K!!! a nice little 1000% return.

  166. Mr Hyde says:

    opps

    a %50,000 account = a $50,000 account

  167. still_looking says:

    DL, 142

    $139 at Ludwig’s — but can’t ship to NJ.

    Loooooove JW Blue…

    Just was given a bottle of Laphroaig 10 yrs old — opinions? Haven’t cracked it yet.

    (anything that ends in “AIG” makes me wary.)

    sl

  168. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “If you go back to Januarys predictions you will see that the so called paranoid blogger Al Gore said this would happen.”

    Al, nice call. then again when you post an average of ten unlikely radical scenarios per day, i guess one of them is bound to happen at some point.

    Now, carry on with reading the Enquirer.

  169. Painhrtz says:

    Still $139 for 750mL or 1.5 liter. I’m assuming for a 750. Not a fan of younger scotches, to have the right notes a scotch should be aged a minimum of 12 years. That being said that particular vintage of Laphroaig falls between Johhny Red and Black.

  170. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom,

    Got 50K i can borrow? How about 12% APR? Sound fair?

  171. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    darnit, if i knew the markets were going to be pumped full of helium, i would have never sold my rather large position in BAC for 16 bucks and a chocolate chip cookie.

    I never thought they would be able to pay down over $300 billion of debt over the last three qtrs. Once i saw how guilty bernanke and paulson looked after they hatched the bailout, i should have never doubted that this feat was possible.

  172. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    172.

    Veto,

    You mean like this?
    Meteorites light up the Midwest sky.
    http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/19162074

    A confluence of bad events is coming no doubt about it. If you just accept it then making easy money will continue. By the way, i do believe you are draft age. Best get in shape because Mommy wont be there to pat your bottom.

  173. Painhrtz says:

    Veet’s the cake was baked in, as much as I hate admitting it John was right. Onions be damned. We all should have loaded up on BAC and Citi, we expected normal market cycles, we got to watch government force majeure in action. Onward and upward, so buy a house get a prescription, everything is fine.

  174. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “A confluence of bad events is coming no doubt about it.”

    The only confluence of bad events are the ones that acompany your highly imaginative posts.

    Now snap out of it and grow up. this isnt science theatre.

    Sell the comic books.

  175. yo'me says:

    The required down payment on purchases of second homes will rise to 50% from 40%, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement issued late Thursday by the State Council following the conclusion of an executive meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao.
    Other changes will see down-payment requirements on homes of more than 90 square meters rise to 30% from 20%, and the minimum mortgage rate on second-home purchases will be set at a minimum 110% of the central bank’s benchmark lending rate, according the State Council statement

    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/china-unveils-new-requirements-to-cool-housing-2010-04-15?dist=countdown

  176. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Had to come back to post this from Jane Welles, as it was pretty funny:

    “Someone told me the following story about a married couple. Both partners worked their way up to high paying jobs, and they eventually built their own home and had a couple of kids. As their taxes went up, they decided to take the following drastic action:

    “The house they built is on the corner of, let’s say, Oak and Elm. There just happened to be a driveway to each street and they put a mailbox at the end of each driveway. Without telling anyone, they filled out some quickie divorce papers and began filing taxes as single head of household each with one minor dependent. He lived at 123 Elm St., and she lived at 456 Oak St., which just happened to be the same house. The money they saved was sizeable but, just to make sure, they saved every penny of it plus 10 percent for penalties just in case they got caught.“

    Eventually, after their kids went off to college, and with retirement on the horizon, the couple went to Vegas and remarried. . . .”

    Note: This is illegal, but only because both claimed HOH status and a dependent exemption on the same house and dependent. As for living together as a divorced couple, that isn’t illegal.

  177. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “as much as I hate admitting it John was right.”

    Pain, very true.

    John was a total nutcase back in the midst of the crisis and never waivered even once. At one point, I was actially getting excited to see his whole portfolio default after he simply refused to listen to us tell him to sell his whole portfolio. In the end he proved us/me dead wrong about everything. That made me realize how little i know about a lot of things.

    Forget kool aid, they must hook them up to electric shock therapy and lobotamize the fear right out of their employees at jpm.

  178. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Whoops, meant to delete “and dependent”

  179. Final Doom says:

    hyde (169)-

    Please do not discuss my magical thinking with others on this board.

  180. Final Doom says:

    veto (172)-

    Just a watered-down form of Black Swan theory.

  181. Final Doom says:

    If you’re a fan of excessive leverage, forex is for you. :)

  182. Anon E. Moose says:

    Nom [180];

    They have two kids, each claimed one as a dependent – I don’t see any double-dipping there. I can see that they both claimed to be heads of the same household. Would it be legal if the house in question were a two-family or mother/daughter?

  183. Final Doom says:

    Where else can you get margined out in .004/second?

  184. JJ says:

    Real estate is nearing a bottom and eventually could be a better bet for investors than stocks or bonds, Pimco’s Bill Gross told CNBC.

    Bill Gross just called the bottom in real estate, oh no!!!

  185. Anon E. Moose says:

    Ahh, answered one of my Qs at [182].

  186. yo'me says:

    #180 Nom
    In the same scenario.It will be legal to say husband is renting in the spouse home.

  187. Final Doom says:

    IMO, the best Scotch is aged in sherry casks, or even port casks (Glenmorangie 12 Port Finish). To me, traditional Scotch tastes like piss (or, what I imagine piss to taste like).

  188. Final Doom says:

    No whiskey like Irish or good, old American Bourbon.

  189. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “If you’re a fan of excessive leverage, forex is for you. :)”

    looking back, I find that my typical investment risk tolerance threshold is met somewhere in the vacinity where my potential losses are magnified by a factor of infinity.

    As you can imagine fx is quite tempting for me.

  190. Painhrtz says:

    Clot I have had piss and can tell you without fibbing that only American whiskey tastes like it.

  191. Final Doom says:

    What do you know; you’re a hockey player.

  192. jcer says:

    Laphroaig is very smokey, nice but not what I’d call smooth. Hard to drink it neat, needs a little water maybe ice. Then again I’m partial to bourbon and a really good bourbon is about half of what Blue costs.

  193. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom,

    There is a proposal to limit forex to 10:1 down from its current 100:1

  194. Final Doom says:

    veets (193)-

    I was thinking chief risk manager at MS.

    “looking back, I find that my typical investment risk tolerance threshold is met somewhere in the vacinity where my potential losses are magnified by a factor of infinity.

    As you can imagine fx is quite tempting for me.”

  195. JJ says:

    John McCain or me. You guys were even doubting me when I said I am holding my chase stock as it will be back!!!

    Zions, SNV, AIG, GMAC, F, UIS, GMW, NCC, SOV, HIG, BAC, C to me were “cash equivalents” paying 16-40% a year.

    Even CIT bonds are worth much more post bankrupty than pre-bankrupty.

    Only thing I regret is no loading up on home builder bonds, HOV, DR Horton etc. since 12-08 have been up every month. We all missed that buy of a lifetime.

    Interesting during my “bond of the day days”, days how much heat I got with my TBTF strategy.

    The craziest was December 2008 when I was saying buy GO munis and senior rated investment grade bonds and I still got shot down. 7% a year tax free for 30 years is looking good now.

    Today is a sad day for me however, as I got smacked all around by uncle sam on taxes. He took back a lot of my money, but good news it was his money anyhow!!!!!!

    veto that – lawrence yun ‘the panda’, ‘next fall’ says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:34 pm
    “as much as I hate admitting it John was right.”

    Pain, very true.

    John was a total nutcase back in the midst of the crisis and never waivered even once. At one point, I was actially getting excited to see his whole portfolio default after he simply refused to listen to us tell him to sell his whole portfolio. In the end he proved us/me dead wrong about everything. That made me realize how little i know about a lot of things.

    Forget kool aid, they must hook them up to electric shock therapy and lobotamize the fear right out of their employees at jpm.

  196. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom,

    If you have a big brass set and dont mind loosing 50K you could push that trade to 700K

  197. Final Doom says:

    hyde (197)-

    Expect a wave of seppuku to engulf Japan. Bob Watanabe might also have to look for another game, too.

    “There is a proposal to limit forex to 10:1 down from its current 100:1”

  198. Final Doom says:

    I think I qualify for the brass set; however, dropping 50K could be a game-changer for me.

  199. Painhrtz says:

    JJ we are giving you your due no need to gloat stick to LI sex stories for entertainment

  200. yo'me says:

    A simple JW Swing can cool me down

  201. JJ says:

    Actually, the free money is over, no more stories from me. I am slowly getting out of margin selling bonds as they hit one year of age. Painhertz believe me when I manned up in March 2009 and went 160K into margin to buy junk bonds I slept like it was first night in prision, but fortunately tube steak was not on the menu that night.

    My next issue is Bill Gross right and is homes bottoming. If so I want a new home.

    Painhrtz says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:54 pm
    JJ we are giving you your due no need to gloat stick to LI sex stories for entertainment

  202. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom 202

    just buy a home and equity strip it for the 50K. If you lose on the trade, walk on the house ;)

    if you win on the trade, walk on the house
    .

  203. veto that - lawrence yun 'the panda', 'next fall' says:

    “JJ we are giving you your due no need to gloat stick”

    pain, my favorite part of the afternoon is pumping up johns ego and then watching how much further he takes it. he never under delivers.

  204. Final Doom says:

    JJ (205)-

    Keep in mind that Gross is pimping RE as he shifts a big chunk of his company into equities.

    Bit of a gap between what he says and what he does.

    And, what he does is serve himself. At all times, in all ways.

  205. JJ says:

    I do the pumping baby.

    veto that – lawrence yun ‘the panda’, ‘next fall’ says:
    April 15, 2010 at 4:02 pm
    “JJ we are giving you your due no need to gloat stick”

    pain, my favorite part of the afternoon is pumping up johns ego and then watching how much further he takes it. he never under delivers.

  206. Final Doom says:

    hyde (206)-

    Put expires worthless, position totally hedged.

    Who cares if this is a symptom of a completely amoral, lawless society? When the trade is on, it’s on.

  207. Final Doom says:

    Then again, I knew a Realtor back in the day who margined on his 19.9% interest credit card to buy .com stocks.

    I think he’s a greeter at Wal-Mart now.

  208. JJ says:

    I had a friend do that to. However, margining at 7% to buy investment grade bonds yielding 16% is a little different.

    Final Doom says:
    April 15, 2010 at 4:18 pm
    Then again, I knew a Realtor back in the day who margined on his 19.9% interest credit card to buy .com stocks.

    I think he’s a greeter at Wal-Mart now.

  209. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom,

    The tax rate on that trade would be what, about 30%? You clear 500K. Not bad

  210. Shore Guy says:

    “escort a Congressional staffer for a Senator”

    DL,

    Nothing like the sight of someone on a CoDel, strapped into a jump seat on a C-17, wearing a flack jacket and helmet, as the plane corkscrews, lights out, and the flares go pop, pop, pop, and the lasers activate, after the MWS picks up the teltale signs of a ground-to-air attack.

  211. Painhrtz says:

    Clot how did we get in this trouble again with real estate. Good God, would have been better off betting on black

    Final Doom says:
    April 15, 2010 at 4:18 pm
    Then again, I knew a Realtor back in the day who margined on his 19.9% interest credit card to buy .com stocks.

    I think he’s a greeter at Wal-Mart now.

  212. Final Doom says:

    Holy fcuking sh!t. This dirtbag will say anything:

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – President Barack Obama predicted Thursday his new space exploration plan would lead Americans beyond the moon and to Mars within his lifetime. “I expect to be around to see it,” he declared.
    Obama’s bold prediction was an answer to critics, including several former astronauts, that his changes would deal a staggering blow to the nation’s manned space program.

  213. Final Doom says:

    The last time I saw the words “bold prediction” here, they were in a post by bi.

  214. Final Doom says:

    In ten years, we’ll be lucky to be shooting chihuahuas into outer space.

  215. Mr Hyde says:

    Doom 216

    I am pretty sure that every american president since kennedy has made that statement at least once.

  216. Mr Hyde says:

    Re mars

    At the moment the trip only makes sense as a 1 way ticket or using the original orion technology (nuclear rockets)

  217. njescapee says:

    Doom, the One has no shame.

  218. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [186, 190] anon

    I considered that. The dependents aren’t the issue (I had to correct the post because I hit the mouse while over submit). The issue is that both parties are claiming HOH status over the same household.

    I did consider that both are separately heads of their own “households” or that by virtue of being single and having a dependent, that is the proper designation. That may well be the case, since it is possible for both parents to be divorced and file as HOH. That typically presumes separate residences.

    Still, I think that is being too cute, and unless the law and regs are clear, the IRS would almost certainly say tell it to the judge. Moreover, they did act in a fashion to create the impression of separate residences, so that would be evidence of evasion if the HOH argument isn’t on their side.

    I have not looked to see if there is a TAM or GCM on that issue, but as it is purely academic, I don’t really care.

  219. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [191] Doom,

    If you liked that, you will also like the Quinta Ruban. Just got another bottle in the Sovereign State of New Hampshire.

    Also got a bottle of Oban (12 years). Anyone have any tasting notes on it?

  220. Final Doom says:

    hyde (219)-

    Unlike JFK, O will not plan for, budget for or provide a drop-dead date for this verbal ejacul@tion he just had.

    Which is pretty much par for the course on every single item in his agenda so far.

  221. Final Doom says:

    Aren’t planning, budgeting and timing important parts of being an executive?

    I guess nowdays, being multiracial trumps all that boring stuff.

  222. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [190] yome

    True about renting, but on audit, there will be income imputed to the other spouse, and that would be a bad result.

    I think that a creditable argument for HOH in the same household can be made; I just don’t think it will be well received by the boys on Constitution Avenue.

  223. JJ says:

    If Chifi was on today he would puke if he saw todays interest payments

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    00828DAJ0 AFFINION GROUP INC SR SB 11.50000% 10/15/2015
    Margin Amount: $862.50

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    099599AE2 BORDEN CHEMICAL INC DEB 8.37500% 04/15/2016
    Margin Amount: $209.38

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    75605EAW0 REALOGY CORP SR SUB 12.37500% 04/15/2015
    Margin Amount: $185.63

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    02639ENB6 AMERICAN GENL FIN MTN 6.000% 10/15/2014
    Margin Amount: $180.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    00828DAC5 AFFINION GROUP INC SR NT 10.12500% 10/15/2013
    Margin Amount: $151.88

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    37042G2Y1 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CPSMARTNBE 6.80000% 04/15/2013 CALL
    Margin Amount: $340.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    37042GRJ7 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CPSMARTNBE 6.75000% 09/15/2016 CALL
    Margin Amount: $28.13

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    02639EPN8 AMERICAN GEN FIN CORP 6.00000% 07/15/2011 FR
    Margin Amount: $300.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    3704A0GF3 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CORP 6.00000% 02/15/2019 CALL
    Margin Amount: $300.00

  224. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [216] doom

    I’ll say this; he is doing at least some of the heavy lifting that I wanted others to do, like killing off NASA and cutting back some at DoD.

    But he isn’t even close to cutting everything I want cut, or at least pushed off to the states.

  225. Painhrtz says:

    225 Doom or trying to be the black Kennedy, hope it doesn’t have the same ending this guy as a martyr will make me ill the rest of my life. Anyway Michelle is no Jackie O, she has no sense of style or class.

  226. Shore Guy says:

    Obama’s nievete keeps astounding me.

    Bush was a stupid di(k.

    Obama is a smart di(k.

    And, although thelook different, when they get excited about something, we get f(uked.

  227. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [187, 190] anon, yome,

    I have posted here before that there are measures like that one can take, but you don’t have to get divorced. Legal separation may also work, and the best part is that you can claim it for a tax year if you get separated December 31st. Trick there is that the single house thing definitely won’t work—separated means that, and you must live apart (on paper at least).

    Downside to the divorce angle is that it does change your legal rights and obligations, and there may be tradeoffs. These days, the tradeoffs are minimal, but one must consider SS survivor benefits, pensions, etc. as being in the mix.

    I expect a lot more of this (relatively speaking—it isn’t something frequently done) but I also expect some pushback from the munis and states should they get wind of it.

  228. Shore Guy says:

    “The eight states with big population outflows are California, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. The District of Columbia also saw heavy net migration outward.”

    Yippee. We pay taxes in all but LA. (as well as a bunch of others). I feel so good.

  229. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [229] pain

    Agreed. Kennedy would be a historical footnote if he didn’t get shot. Last thing this country needs is for someone to wax Dear Leader.

    Heck, there has already been an effort to build a monument to The One on the Mall in DC. Someone caps him, and we are looking at Civil War 2.0.

  230. Mr Hyde says:

    Nom,

    <i.Civil War 2.0

    You say that like it’s a bad thing.

    /Joking

  231. Painhrtz says:

    Nom are you kidding about the monument? Oh why the Fcuk not, Lenin had his, I’m sure Chavez has his. His cult of personality borders on exactly that a cult.

  232. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    229.

    Pain,

    Lyndon Larouche has repeatedly told Obama to stay hidden in the white house.

    There are times when TPTB believe someone is worth more dead than alive.

  233. jpl says:

    Doom-

    The Oban (highland) is delicious, one of my favorites Although I usually only see the 14 bottled around me. The Laphroiag and Ardbergs are to peaty for me neat (as mentioned).

    I’ve been working on a Balvenie 15yr which is quite enjoyable as well.

  234. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [235] pain

    No, not kidding. In fact, serious talk of it started before he was sworn in.

    DC has a commission for that sort of thing. No word on whether they got an official application.

    Now, further to the issue about Obama looking like Bush II (III?) for targeting an american for death, even the NYT has to depart ever so slightly from the president it tingles for.

    http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/title-2/?hp

  235. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [236] al

    LaRouche is a certifiable nut job. Real tin foil hat material. Even TEA partiers don’t want to be around his ilk (though Birthers might).

  236. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [234] hyde

    Economically and politically, it is very bad.

    OTOH, we’d probably get in a lot of target practice.

    /kidding

  237. chicagofinance says:

    FCUK YOU YA SOUTHERN FRIED FROG>>>>

    Final Doom says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    IMO, the best Scotch is aged in sherry casks, or even port casks (Glenmorangie 12 Port Finish). To me, traditional Scotch tastes like piss (or, what I imagine piss to taste like).

  238. chicagofinance says:

    My wife used to tap the L to warm her up, and then when for the Tanqueray straight up no vermouth with 4 olives…..where is that woman?

    jcer says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:50 pm
    Laphroaig is very smokey, nice but not what I’d call smooth. Hard to drink it neat, needs a little water maybe ice. Then again I’m partial to bourbon and a really good bourbon is about half of what Blue costs.

  239. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [235] pain

    Interestingly, I cannot find a link to the story about a group who said they wanted to call for an Obama monument. It was a small story, and obviously trivial, but in a mainstream newspaper. Surprised I can’t find a link.

    There are, however, suggestions for a design.

    http://papundits.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/the-obama-monument/

  240. chicagofinance says:

    Laphroaig……[silence…no further explanation needed]

    jcer says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    Laphroaig is very smokey, nice but not what I’d call smooth. Hard to drink it neat, needs a little water maybe ice. Then again I’m partial to bourbon and a really good bourbon is about half of what Blue costs.

  241. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [242] chifi

    John called, and said she’d be home soon.

  242. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    234.

    Hyde,

    No civil war will happen. A peaceful break up of the nation maybe but not a civil war. Im in favor of a peaceful break up of the nation or an acceptance of economic triage by the domestic communists.

    One way or another its going to happen. You can only grin the productive between the stone mills of taxation and inflation for so long. Eventually the productive leave for geener pastures.

  243. Qwerty says:

    Question, a house with a radon mitigation system is:

    1) Nothing to worry about.

    2) Too risky.

  244. chicagofinance says:

    Comrade Nom Deplume says:
    April 15, 2010 at 4:37 pm
    Also got a bottle of Oban (12 years). Anyone have any tasting notes on it?

    Nom: It is righteous, but I drew the line when they pulled it off the market for about 9 months in 2005. Before it left, I could grab it for about $50-60, then magically it reappeared at $80-90. I can’t justify that price.

  245. chicagofinance says:

    Oban is best drunk with Koreans. Phonetically “OH-bahn” means “fifth class”….so it is a running joke that gets funnier the drunker you are….

  246. sas3 says:

    The rhetoric against Obama has reached the same level as that against JFK. However, the secret service is better equipped now.

    O is center-left, which is the equivalent of center-right in most developed countries, so all this cult of personality cr@p is Faux (7% owned by a Saudi Prince) trying to paint him as some evil thing.

    S

  247. sas3 says:

    246, Al:

    If the red states secede, that may actually be a net +ve financially for the rest of the country. It can be a wonderfully happy divorce.

  248. chicagofinance says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INl10X5ZL9s

    JJ says:
    April 15, 2010 at 4:42 pm

    If Chifi was on today he would puke if he saw todays interest payments

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    00828DAJ0 AFFINION GROUP INC SR SB 11.50000% 10/15/2015
    Margin Amount: $862.50

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    099599AE2 BORDEN CHEMICAL INC DEB 8.37500% 04/15/2016
    Margin Amount: $209.38

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    75605EAW0 REALOGY CORP SR SUB 12.37500% 04/15/2015
    Margin Amount: $185.63

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    02639ENB6 AMERICAN GENL FIN MTN 6.000% 10/15/2014
    Margin Amount: $180.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    00828DAC5 AFFINION GROUP INC SR NT 10.12500% 10/15/2013
    Margin Amount: $151.88

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    37042G2Y1 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CPSMARTNBE 6.80000% 04/15/2013 CALL
    Margin Amount: $340.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    37042GRJ7 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CPSMARTNBE 6.75000% 09/15/2016 CALL
    Margin Amount: $28.13

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    02639EPN8 AMERICAN GEN FIN CORP 6.00000% 07/15/2011 FR
    Margin Amount: $300.00

    04/15/2010 INTEREST
    3704A0GF3 GENERAL MTRS ACCEP CORP 6.00000% 02/15/2019 CALL
    Margin Amount: $300.00

  249. prtraders2000 says:

    Tax season is over. John – bring back bond of the day. Please. FITB worked wonderfully. Thanks.

  250. sas3 says:

    J.K. Rowling on why she doesn’t move to a tax haven: “I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become, was there to break the fall.”

  251. Qwerty says:

    The first sentence is an eye-catcher…..

    http://www.mitigationsystem.com/radon_gas.html

    There is no level of radon determined “safe” for human exposure.

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that a homeowner with greater than 2-4 pCi/L (pico Curies per Liter) of radon in their house should strongly consider fixing the problem.

  252. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [246] Al

    Much as Sastry and I want it (for different reasons and with different terms), it won’t happen. Not peacefully, not ever.

    The rich will leave, but won’t take Texas with them.

    [248] chifi

    Huh? Paid $49 at the state store in New Hampshire. Not that much more at my local store in Brigadoon (around $60 maybe?)

    Guy in the NH store recommended it because a change in ownership meant that it may possibly be pulled from the US market in order to supply the asian market. So I got a bottle.

  253. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [255] sas3

    I find it commendable that Ms. Rowling is willing to contribute so much to the british welfare state (and american since her work is taxed here too). It is her money, and if she wants to give it away, that’s her business.

    What I find objectionable is the insistence that I give mine away also. In fact, if one employs that marginal utility theory that is the first line of defense for progressives, I should be allowed to keep more of mine. But I am not.

  254. Shore Guy says:

    LaRouche is a joke. It is sad that there are enough people who admire him and support to keep him in the public eye.

  255. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [250] sas3

    “which is the equivalent of center-right in most developed countries . . .”

    Been following their politics of late? Even Sweden is trending right.

  256. Qwerty says:

    On radon, leaning toward “too risky”:

    How safe is the 4 pCi/L radon “action limit”?

    People spend most of their time at home – on average 70%, but more in case of women and particularly, children. Although the 4 pCi/L level has become a benchmark for real estate transactions, it still carries considerable risks – equivalent to getting a chest x-ray or smoking 10 cigarettes each day. (EPA)

    When relaxing at home, we breathe in radon. It is soluble in blood and circulates through the body and all organs. Some tends to accumulate in fatty issues. Then, almost all is harmlessly exhaled by our lungs or skin until equilibrium is established between the ambient and internal radon concentrations.

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  257. Shore Guy says:

    “What I find objectionable is the insistence that I give mine away”

    Bingo!

  258. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    [260] shore

    There are a lot less of them than when I used to bait them in my store’s parking lot, but they persist.

    I don’t even know what he is for or against. I suspect they don’t either.

  259. Yikes says:

    John says:
    April 14, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    Exactly what difference does it make what a kids wants to be?

    40 years ago Dad would say, Accounting, Phamacy, Law etc. if I am paying for it. You want to do a BS art history mumbo jumbo do it on your own dime.

    Also what does a 17 year old boy or girl know. The 17 year old boy who pursues his nonsense major and run up debt is ruining the life of his future wife and kids and will be a burden on his parents till the day they die. A parent who puts themselves in poor house or lets kids run up loans while pursuing his are history degree is a lousy parent. Heck Wall street journal today mentioned some college now has a DJ degree, yes you too can spend 100K to learn how a turntable works.

    might not be popular, but i agree with John here. tell them to do their art/hobby on the side while getting a real job. and if you have enough passion for the art/hobby, it’ll happen.

  260. sas3 says:

    Shore/Nom:

    No insistence implied. Punches a hole into the theory that “many rich will leave”. So far, only Haliburton’s HQ left to Dubai.

    S

  261. sas3 says:

    Yikes,

    It becomes complex with things like basic sciences, language/literature, music, etc.

    Each individual’s situation will be different, so…

    Someone I know is very good at English (wrote a novel at 15), but was pressured by parents to go to med school, then dropped out after one year, and did a PhD in English. I did my part in explaining the “practicality” of med school, but thankfully my advise was ignored.

    Reminds me of the quote: “I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.” — John Adams

  262. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    251.

    SAS3,

    Not if we break it down by county. Down here at the shore we would be happy to get rid of the rest of the state. You pieces of sh#t have been living off our tit for far too long. Go get a real job loser.

  263. Al "The Thermostat" Gore says:

    Ill put Ocean Counties old people, tea baggers, and gangs up against any UN indoctrinated graduates of Columbia University or Seton Hall. Lets see who asks for a bottom patting when you get a rifle butt to the gut and a bayonet in the neck.

  264. Anon E. Moose says:

    If I can interrupt with some (marginally) real-estate related talk:

    When I was living in suburban DC, and taking the Metro arround, the dearth of stops in Georgetown and NW, despite two subway lines running right under it, was a puzzlement. The answer: the residents wanted it that way. Looking at a couple of bank-owneds in Holmdel and trying to puzzle out my prospective commute leads me to the same conclusion. There is not so much as a taxi stand in sight of that town, presumably because the hoi-poloi want to keep the riff-raff out. Nom, Shore, Gator, who did they know that Brigadoon didn’t?

    Looks like a drive to Matawan train station. Are there any commuter busses serving the Cheesequake Park & Ride? The ferry looks like a nightmare as its 20 minutes away, and they run one a day each way to midtown. And change boats at Wall Street? Better off taking the subway, which is the point, I suppose.

    Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

  265. Ben says:

    “What I find objectionable is the insistence that I give mine away also. In fact, if one employs that marginal utility theory that is the first line of defense for progressives, I should be allowed to keep more of mine. But I am not.”

    Progressives are for civil liberties, unless it comes to your money. In that case, they prefer a Soviet style state of affairs.

  266. freedy says:

    20k public workers to demo in Trenton,
    lets BK the state and get it over with.

    they demo while we all work to pay for the pensions, health care, etc

  267. Barbara "just wait till fall" Believer says:

    freedy, like the teachers onvention – I’ll be suprised if they get 20% of that number. Day off = Rachael Ray, Starbucks hang and Facebooking!

  268. sas3 says:

    Gore, I think you are just BS’ing about the secession. I’d wager that chances are you got a tax cut (over 95% got) — 250k AGI is a lot — one can hide 400k gross into 250k AGI. How will you enforce borders if you divide by county? Given the tolerance you show in your posts, I am sure you’d be scared of a lot of people different than you.

    Why do you stay in NJ when you can join some state down south? Just curious, what’s your definition of a real job?

  269. NJGator says:

    For all our gentile friends here. Glitter yourself up for J*sus.

    http://www.blueq.com/shop/114-catId.117440633_114-productId.0.html

  270. Final Doom says:

    chi (242)-

    Who are you married to, Snoop Dogg?

    “My wife used to tap the L to warm her up, and then when for the Tanqueray straight up no vermouth with 4 olives…..where is that woman?”

    …rollin down the street, smokin endo, sippin’ on gin and juice…

  271. Final Doom says:

    gator (276)-

    This is some kinda Florida panhandle thing, right?

  272. Outofstater says:

    150kt in NYC second by second. It would not be a fun day.
    http://www.atomicarchive.com/Example/Example1.shtml

  273. NJGator says:

    Doom – I’m sure it originated down there, but a Monmouth County friend put it on her 5 year old tonight. She thinks it’s a sign of questionable mothering.

    Oh and here’s an overnight bag for your special evenings with him.

    http://www.blueq.com/shop/item/114-productId.125844871_114-catId.117440673.html

  274. NJGator says:

    THE bag. THE man. They both wrap over your shoulder and hold you tight, helping you through the day and the night. The King. And now, made of 95% recycled woven polypropylene.

  275. Pat says:

    Ok…the gentile in me feels it’s time for a shatnez alert.

    http://shatnez.n3.net/

  276. borat obama says:

    Goodnight everybody

  277. Juice Box says:

    re #282 -Cumon now gator don’t you find the anachronistic ways of the Hasidim embarrassing?

  278. sas3 says:

    Nom, an interesting post on dailykos…

    “Would I organise my money around my life, or my life around my money? If the latter, it was time to relocate to Ireland, Monaco, or possibly Belize.”

    S

  279. A.West says:

    Sas3,
    You can’t only look at the people who leave because of taxes. Even more important are the people and companies who never show up in the first place.

    Is cannibalism ok as long as it’s only practiced on a few percent of the population?

    This week somebody (via the IRS) took from me the equivalent of my first five years of professional income. It’s like spending twenty years to make a beautiful cake that you planned to share with your family, and then having a gang of cretins barge in and grab handfuls of it to stuff in their filthy mouths.

  280. chicagofinance says:

    For Holmdel, the north end is served by Hazlet Station and the south end by Middletown Station. Possibly for some of the western sides Matawan could be closer. Matawan and Middletown have the parking.

    270.Anon E. Moose says:
    April 15, 2010 at 7:55 pm
    Looking at a couple of bank-owneds in Holmdel and trying to puzzle out my prospective commute leads me to the same conclusion. There is not so much as a taxi stand in sight of that town, presumably because the hoi-poloi want to keep the riff-raff out.

    Looks like a drive to Matawan train station. Are there any commuter busses serving the Cheesequake Park & Ride? The ferry looks like a nightmare as its 20 minutes away, and they run one a day each way to midtown. And change boats at Wall Street? Better off taking the subway, which is the point, I suppose.

    Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

  281. Shore Guy says:

    Belize works for me. If you have never been, it is worth a trip.

  282. NJGator says:

    Love Belize

  283. Essex says:

    275. Cause even the south has standards?

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