The New America

From CNN:

The jobless in New Jersey find refuge in Tent City

Cars and trucks cruise along Cedar Bridge Avenue, drivers listening to radio anchors reporting the headline that a record 46 million Americans are living in poverty, while 50 feet from the bustling boulevard, hidden by the woods that border the road, lies a shocking example of that shameful statistic.

Behind the trees, six dozen homeless Americans have set up camp, in tents, teepees and huts, residents of what they call Tent City. It’s a place where those out of work and out of luck can drop out of society while living as cheaply as possible.

“It’s a community here,” said the Rev. Steven Brigham, who founded Tent City in 2006 as part of his Lakewood Outreach Ministry Church. “They have a sense of belonging.”

In the past year Brigham has seen Tent City’s population nearly double as the jobs recession drags on.

Angelo Villanueva jabs at a homemade punching bag he hung from a tree — a plastic bag filled with dirt wrapped with tape. It’s a “stress reliever,” said Villanueva. He’s a skilled mason who worked construction jobs for nearly two decades, then fell victim to a sucker punch from the housing collapse. Villanueva, also an artist who has been drawing sketches of Tent City, never dreamed that he’d be among the nation’s homeless.

“You think of a homeless person, you think of a wino. But it can happen to anyone at any time,” said Villanueva. “I had the wrong conception of a homeless person — I figure he’s a bum, a deadbeat.”

Brigham receives donations from individuals, churches and synagogues that he says allow him to operate Tent City for about $1,000-a-month.

Loaves of bread are piled on a communal table, next to plastic garbage bags filled with clothing. Cans of food sit neatly in a wooden pantry. Residents are free to take what they need.

There are makeshift solutions to conveniences that most people take for granted. A power generator is connected to a pump that delivers groundwater to a both a shower and washing machine. Nearby sits a hot water heater that works off a propane tank.

“They’ve got all their needs met here,” said Brigham.

Tent City residents are hopeful they’ll be able to remain in their community, even through the winter. That’s what Marilyn and Michael Berenzweig did last year. Marilyn, a textile designer who worked in New York just two years ago, and her husband Michael, a former public radio producer, have been living here for 16 months, with fading hope of finding employment.

“It’s very hard for a company to decide to use a 61-year-old trainee. I’m too young for Social Security. It’s going to be a rocky flight. It’s been a rocky flight,” said Marilyn Berenzweig.

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118 Responses to The New America

  1. grim says:

    From HousingWire:

    Zandi sees 40% chance of another recession

    Back down into recession or finally up toward recovery, Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi says the inflection point for the economy will likely occur in the coming months and before the 2012 election.

    Zandi said Thursday there is a 40% chance the economy will slide back into recession within the next year.

    Real GDP during the first half of 2011 increased at nearly 1% annualized rate and job growth slowed from close to 200,000 new positions per month to barely positive at the end of the summer.

    “This is not sustainable. Unless spirits improve soon, businesses will ramp up layoffs, consumers will pull back and the economy will fall into another recession,” Zandi said in a research note.

    In an interview with HousingWire Thursday, Zandi said the problems threatening the economy is a laundry list of outside and articifical forces created by the struggling economies in Europe and the “psychologically debilitating events in Washington,” such as the recent debt crisis debacle and subsequent Standard & Poor’s downgrade.

    But at its core is housing. Before a Senate subcommittee Wednesday, Zandi said the U.S. economy faces an overhang of 1.25 million vacant homes and roughly 3.5 million loans in the foreclosure process or more than 120-days delinquent. Signs of restarting foreclosures in the recent report from RealtyTrac was a good sign of progress, Zandi said.

    “Housing generally is a major source of growth early in recovery. Two years into a recovery housing should be a tailwind to growth and of course it’s not. It’s a drag. Housing is not adding to growth,” Zandi said. “It’s subtracting.”

  2. Mike says:

    Good Morning New Jersey And Happy Friday!

  3. grim says:

    From the APP:

    State lost 100 jobs in August

    After six straight months of growth, New Jersey lost 7,100 jobs in August, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Labor and Worforce Development.

    But after taking 7,000 striking Verizon workers out of the picture — they are now back on the job — New Jersey saw only a small net total employment drop of 100 jobs.

    That small numerical loss, however, represented a significant loss of momentum.

    From January to July, the state’s economy added 47,700 jobs, about 8,000 a month.

    “Currently there is a real fear that the national economy is slowing dramatically,” said Rutgers University economist James W. Hughes.

    Despite the net job loss, New Jersey’s unemployment rate dropped in August, moving lower by 0.1 percentage point to 9.4 percent.

    In July, New Jersey was on track to have its best job-growth year since 1999.

    “I guess the headline is ‘Thud,’ ” said Patrick O’Keefe, director of economic research for J.H. Cohn, a Roseland-based accounting and consulting firm. “Like the national labor market the state labor market has stalled.”

  4. Mike says:

    CNN What a wake up call and right here in NJ. 60 Minutes should show this one

  5. grim says:

    From the Street:

    Home Prices May Take 20 Years to Return

    Many U.S. homeowners waiting for their house to be worth what they could have sold it for in 2007 or 2008 could be waiting 20 years, according to forecasters.

    “We have a very long road to go,” says Mike Cosgrove, principal at Econoclast, an economic research firm based in Dallas. “It’s not like the equity market where you get a rebound and pretty much recover in a couple of years from a crash. In the housing market, without really high inflation numbers, we’re talking about a decade, maybe a decade and a half or two decades before someone who bought around the peak ever recovers.”

    Some markets, however are a different story. Washington D.C. and coastal California look to snap back pretty quickly, and New York’s housing market has so far been on a solid trajectory toward recovery due to strong bank profits, according to Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

    For markets such as Florida, Las Vegas and California’s Inland Empire, “maybe 20 years is right,” Green says.

    While this news may be depressing to many homeowners, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the economy, says Christopher Thornberg, founding principal of Beacon Economics. “We have this weird dichotomist view of housing. If you think about oil prices: if they go up, that’s bad. You think about clothing prices: if they go up, that’s bad. Energy prices: if they go up, that’s bad. But somehow if the cost of housing goes up, that’s good? It doesn’t make any sense,” he says.

  6. nj escapee says:

    AG, many thanks for your advice on a buying a boat

  7. gary says:

    Zandi said Thursday there is a 40% chance the economy will slide back into recession within the next year.

    We never emerged from the first so-called recession.

  8. gary says:

    And on a lighter note, bridge and tunnel prices rise this weekend. But hey, we’re prestigious and it’s very competitive to live here. A realtor told me so and suggested that those that can’t afford to live here should look out of state.

  9. nj escapee says:

    8. gary, that’s why we moved. we’re just not worthy. lol

  10. young buck aka Eastwick Pioneer says:

    Elizabeth school district to review employees’ applications to enroll kids in free lunch program

    Published: Thursday, September 15, 2011, 6:49 PM Updated: Friday, September 16, 2011, 5:38 AM

    By Ted Sherman/The Star-Ledger The Star-Ledger

    ELIZABETH — Elizabeth Board of Education officials say they will now cross-check payroll information against the applications of all employees seeking free or low-cost meals for their kids, following allegations of abuses in the school lunch program.

    The move came a day after board President Marie L. Munn said she had paid back $2,682 to cover the cost of free meals her children had improperly received over a six-year period.

    At the same time, the district said it had followed all proper procedures in processing the applications for Munn and two other high-level school administrators who were receiving benefits through a federally supported program that helps feed the children of needy families.

    “The board did what it was supposed to, based on the information provided,” said Kirk C. Nelson, the board’s general counsel.

    The state Attorney General’s office has launched a criminal investigation into the Elizabeth school district, following an examination of the free lunch program by The Star-Ledger.

    Nelson said administration of the program is largely based on the honor system.

    “The program is meant to encourage, not discourage, free meals at school for those families who cannot afford them,” he said.

    Nelson said the board audits 3 percent of all applications at random, as required by law, but has been told it cannot specifically target individuals for income checks.

    “Nevertheless, to the extent allowed by law, the district will proactively cross-check all employee families who apply for the program to compare known salary information with program guidelines,” he said.

    Basically, Nelson said, that means the district will compare the list of families participating in the subsidized lunch program against all employees with salaries above the federal qualifying incomes.

    Both administrators whose children were receiving free or reduced cost lunches have already been placed on paid leave, pending an investigation of the matter.

    Nelson said the two have discussed reimbursing the board for the benefits they received.

    Marlene Abitanto — who makes $73,350 as supervisor of custodians — told the board her application for her daughter was submitted by her husband without her knowledge. Nelson said that when she discovered it, she immediately asked to repay the program.

    The Abitantos received $1,738.95 in benefits, according to Nelson, and are making arrangements to return the money.

    Carlos Lucio — an Elizabeth school principal who makes $103,163 a year — told the board the application for his daughter was submitted by his divorced spouse without his knowledge. Nelson said the board, subject to further audits by the state, determined Lucio’s child received $833.85 in benefits. Lucio also made an offer to repay the money, Nelson said.

    On Wednesday, Munn, the board president, said she had repaid the district $2,682 to cover the free meals her children had received over a six year period.

    In a statement, Munn — who is employed and acknowledged she was ineligible for the program — blamed misunderstandings for the fact she was unaware her two children were receiving free lunch until contacted by a reporter for The Star-Ledger.

    Nelson said approximately 19,000 Elizabeth students, or 88 percent of the school population, qualified for the free lunch program last year. The district received $7.6 million in assistance.

  11. Barbara says:

    I watched the CNN piece yesterday. Obvious racial angle not touched as all of the people interviewed would qualify for fully paid public housing. We have entire generations of eternally unemployed but housed, yet somehow these people can’ t get help? Also, the elderly “textile designer” …. Give me a break, if you see her in the interview, unemployment isn’t her biggest problem. AnywAy, just more p*ss poor journalism the fails to beg the obvious questions.

  12. JJ says:

    Gary, Thank You! As a Port Authority Muni Bond holder your added toll payments is greatly appreciated.

    gary says:
    September 16, 2011 at 7:36 am
    And on a lighter note, bridge and tunnel prices rise this weekend. But hey, we’re prestigious and it’s very competitive to live here. A realtor told me so and suggested that those that can’t afford to live here should look out of state.

  13. 3b says:

    #5 New York’s housing market has so far been on a solid trajectory toward recovery due to strong bank profits, according to Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

    Define NY, is is just Manhattan, the tri state area? And strong bank profits? which banks? and for the second half of the year that will not be the case> And these strong bank profits we know lead to big bonus checks , and yet to a very limited few. Re we to believe that these bonus checks will lift the entire NY tri state real estate market? Just saying.

  14. chicagofinance says:

    Do I get street cred points for seeing Run-DMC at the Ritz in 1985? I took NJT and met my brother there……I could be wrong, but I didn’t see any other white guys there……seated maybe 1500….it was more of a revue….Run-DMC was only on for about 45 minutes. We got a bunch of Force MD’s, Roxanne Shante et al.

    young buck aka Eastwick Pioneer says:
    September 15, 2011 at 4:31 pm
    I’m not saying Elizabeth is the best city in NJ to raise a family in….but dude, it’s pre-school. The 3 year olds in Elizabeth learn the same shapes, colors and letters that the kids in hoity poity suburbs learn, except for free.
    P.S. Plus they’ll have some street cred once they start school in the burbs!

  15. chicagofinance says:

    Do I get any street cred points for seeing Run-DMC at the Ritz (?) in 1985? I took NJT there and met my brother….place seats 1500 and I did not see a single other white guy.

    young buck aka Eastwick Pioneer says:
    September 15, 2011 at 4:31 pm
    I’m not saying Elizabeth is the best city in NJ to raise a family in….but dude, it’s pre-school. The 3 year olds in Elizabeth learn the same shapes, colors and letters that the kids in hoity poity suburbs learn, except for free.
    P.S. Plus they’ll have some street cred once they start school in the burbs!

  16. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Riduculous OT alert:

    I heard of a study this week that shows a correlation between being an attentive dad and a drop in test0sterone. (JJ, feel free to jump in on how dads like me are sissies, and you never see your kids, or even remember their names).

    But you cannot make this stuff up: The acronym for the organization that publishes the journal (and the journal’s name) where this report was published?

    Wait for it. . . .

    PNAS

    http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/09/02/1105403108

  17. 3b says:

    Geithner says loose lips sink ships, or in this case Euro’s

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0916/breaking11.html

  18. 30 year realtor says:

    #14 chicago – I was at that show! I’m a white guy!

    Went to the Crush Groove Christmas Party at the Garden in 85 and my there were 20,000 people there. My friend who went to the show with me was the only other white face I saw that wasn’t wearing a badge.

  19. JJ says:

    Saw them four times. Best was the Run DMC/Beasitie Boy/Public Enemy concert in MSG with a full riot going on. Brought two body guards with me. Saw then in a bar in the Upper East side that held 40 people, one bartender and they stood on a sheet of plywood in corner. Saw them in the Hamptons. But best was I saw them pre 1985 at ratskeller at SJU when they DJ as students. The other was at Queens College.

    They are studio G’s anyhow, they ain’t gangsta, rich kids from Holliswood Queen with 6k turntables goint to a private college. They have no street cred. Heck Rev Run, Rev of what the homeboy is Catholic.

    chicagofinance says:
    September 16, 2011 at 9:25 am
    Do I get any street cred points for seeing Run-DMC at the Ritz (?) in 1985? I took NJT there and met my brother….place seats 1500 and I did not see a single other white guy.

    young buck aka Eastwick Pioneer says:
    September 15, 2011 at 4:31 pm
    I’m not saying Elizabeth is the best city in NJ to raise a family in….but dude, it’s pre-school. The 3 year olds in Elizabeth learn the same shapes, colors and letters that the kids in hoity poity suburbs learn, except for free.
    P.S. Plus they’ll have some street cred once they start school in the burbs!

  20. JCer says:

    Juice, UBS and Investment Bank are clearly 2 things that should never be uttered together. What is the total bill of devastation so far….

  21. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Marty Connor fracking on CNBC now. His message? Buy now or be priced out forever.

    I thought I had turned on comedy central.

  22. JCer says:

    3b, this is the first time in a long time that Geithner said something that makes sense. Merkel and the Austrians simply don’t get it, yes your economies are relatively strong but any issue in the euro and that is finished, they’ll be in the pit with the rest of us. Unfortunately in a large global economy when the export nations are economically strong on a bubble of credit to import nations who really can’t pay it back, how strong is there economy really? Keeping that dogsh*t currency alive is the only option any of these countries have, failure doesn’t seem to be a viable option, maybe they could absorb losing greece and some member nations but all out collapse or a German pull out would be disastrous.

  23. chicagofinance says:

    Studio G’s??? They were done before the 90’s…at the time (before Raising Hell) they were prolific. A lot of other crews had a song or two, but they put together two entire albums of good tracks….anyway, I thought they were good at the Ritz when they played, but the show was more of a revue (which pissed me off…Force MDs? Roxanne Shante?) and they played for 45 minutes. I felt ripped….

    JJ says:
    September 16, 2011 at 10:47 am
    They are studio G’s anyhow, they ain’t gangsta, rich kids from Holliswood Queen with 6k turntables goint to a private college. They have no street cred.

  24. chicagofinance says:

    JJ…here is your theme song….one of my favs…

    Whodini – I’m a Ho.

    (Intro)
    I’m ready
    Here we go
    Yo Donkey
    Yo what’s up man
    Yo what’s happenin tonite man
    I’m goin to check out a few skeezers over there, you know what I’m sayin
    Yo man I seen a lot of skeezers in this place tonite, man
    I know I’m ready to do the wild thang, know what I’m sayin
    and it goes a little somthin like this

    (Verse)
    Some say it’s an art some say it’s a shame
    you would give me your body before your name
    But i’m a jigga ha and i’m a jigga lo
    i’m a jigga wherever it can go
    So later on don’t act like you don’t know
    when I pick out the freaks in the front row
    I’m the rapper Jay that’s the rapper Ex
    we’re known for playin tag team sex
    When I get you in the house you know what I do
    well let me tell you a story that’s definitely true
    When I came to the party I was by myself
    9 times out of 10 I leave with someone else
    It’s somethin about the way I rock the microphone
    the ladies in the place wanna take me home
    Stretch me out all along the couch
    and show me what good lovin is all about
    So when I get em then I let em
    I throw a cherry on the top and then I wet em

    (Chorus)
    Cause I’m a ho you know I’m a ho
    I rock three different freaks after every show
    I’m a ho you know I’m a ho
    how do you know cause I told you so

    (Verse)
    Now the lover of many I just may be
    but I’ll never touch another man’s property
    So if you got a little mama you wanna keep her neat
    then keep the little freak off my street
    Cause if she comes knockin at my door
    it’s my duty to give her what she came here for
    What can I say that’s the life I live
    now how’s your wife and my kids

    (Chorus)

    (Verse)
    Now if knock on your door you should open it up
    you wanna know who is its your neighborhood freak bustin
    Rockin freaks all through the week
    now when I say freaks I mean the ones with the sneaks
    I mean the ones with nerves the ones with the guts
    to call me a ho when they’re givin it up
    So I think it’s bout time you all learned a lesson
    so bust this is our new profession

  25. Juice Box says:

    re # 22 – JCer – the Germans have to eat a shit sandwich either way. If the Germans people are smart they will not adopt the other welfare states in the EU. And by adopt I mean issuing Euro-bonds to paper over the lazy, cheating , lying ways of the other EU states.

  26. JJ says:

    You don’t know what a Studio G is?

    Studio G, – LL Cool J, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, MC Hammer
    Original G, NWA, Public Enemy, Tupic, Biggie

    I am OG all the way, Original Gangsta. Don’t want to be no Studio Gangsta like Vanalia Ice

    chicagofinance says:
    September 16, 2011 at 11:00 am

  27. JJ - AKA Two Hands says:

    Favorite Rap Concert I saw was Rock Master Scott who did his famous All #### Eat ##### All ###### Suck ##### song – Tastes Great Less Filling and his most famous Song The Roof The Roof The Roof is on Fire, We don’t need no water let the ##### Burn, Burn ###### Burn, showed up let in a purple limo in a purple fur coat and matching Purple hat. Guy had street cred.

    Also liked when I saw Snoop Dog in LA on a business trip and House of Pain in NYC.

    I was in LA in 1989 and I got a hold of NWA’s first album #### the police. Funny stuff going down Dune Road in Southhampton in a Jeep with top off and 500 watt speakers blasting F the Police. Jeep Wrangler was wicked, I had a clip so I could open doors against front fender so inside is facing out, I had the 500 watt speakers in door and another two clip on 500Watt speakers on roll bar.

  28. gary says:

    I received seven pages of “price reduced” listings yesterday from a realtor who’s been sending me stuff daily for the last four years. This is by far the biggest stack of reductions at one time that I’ve received. You spin it any way you want but this slide is picking up steam. The foreclosure pipeline valve has been re-opened and the economy is approaching stall speed. Mark my word; the moment the tell me they’re converting me to permanent is the week I start emptying the garage and the basement and put the word out that the house is for sale. I’m then taking a baseball bat to these asking prices. If I sign a paper, it will be on my f*cking terms.

  29. chicagofinance says:

    I know what a Studio G is, but DMC Run aint that…..LL Cool J, MC Hammer were studio G’s…..Run DMC and the Beasties were never gangsta, so how could they be Studio G’s? Also, gangsta rap didnt explode until Snoop and Dr. Dre, which was maybe 1991? So comparing mid-80’s stuff to the next decade is an anachronism….

    JJ says:
    September 16, 2011 at 11:12 am
    You don’t know what a Studio G is?

    Studio G, – LL Cool J, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, MC Hammer
    Original G, NWA, Public Enemy, Tupic, Biggie

    I am OG all the way, Original Gangsta. Don’t want to be no Studio Gangsta like Vanalia Ice

  30. freedy says:

    what kind of reductions Gary? or just fluff. This is Bergen County and things
    are not so bad. Talk to some of the people all is well

  31. 3b says:

    #25 Juice: They might adopt Ireland; they love the Guniess and the trad music.

  32. 3b says:

    Sorry Guinness

  33. 3b says:

    #28 gary: bring 2 bats. Although I thought you said some time back that you were going to stay where you are. Is the siren song of the Unicorns and the allure of a blue ribbon calling to you?

    In my case my spouse said she will let me know when we are going to buy> she said she is in no hurry now; she will wait.

  34. gary says:

    freedy,

    The bottom line is that the number of reductions is increasing. And these are the “need to have” towns.

  35. 30 year realtor says:

    #29 freedy – That house I have mentioned in Bergenfield was listed 7 weeks ago at $479,000. Current price $399,900. That kind of reduction is what’s going on out there!

    Was doing some BPO’s in Bergenfield yesterday. That market is set to slide 5% to 7% in the next 120 – 180 days! Recent comps closed above what are now current list prices. Down we go…

  36. 3b says:

    #34 30 Year: As I am sure you know, there are asking prices in Bergenfield now that are the same as in the 1980’s.

  37. chicagofinance says:

    chicagofinance says:
    Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    September 16, 2011 at 11:25 am
    I know what a Studio G is, but Run DMC and the Beasties were never gangsta, so how could they be Studio G’s? Also, gangsta rap didnt explode until Snoop and Dr. Dre, which was maybe 1991? So comparing mid-80′s stuff to the next decade is an anachronism….

    JJ says:
    September 16, 2011 at 11:12 am
    You don’t know what a Studio G is?

    Studio G, – LL Cool J, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, MC Hammer
    Original G, NWA, Public Enemy, Tupic, Biggie

    I am OG all the way, Original Gangsta. Don’t want to be no Studio Gangsta like Vanalia Ice

  38. gary says:

    3b,

    I was seriously considering staying where I was but environmental factors have quickly created the “Gilligan’s Island” effect and I think it’s time to build a raft and drift to another land.

  39. 3b says:

    #29 freddy:Talk to some of the people all is well.

    And as with most topics they are clueless. It wont be long before you start seeing people talk about prices declines, and it won’t be well my part of town is holding up better than the part next to the tracks or highly way etc. It will be well OK prices are falling but not on my street!!!

  40. 30 year realtor says:

    #35 3b – You can now purchase a cape with 2 baths and a garage in good condition for under $250,000 in Bergenfield.

    Even in hot sh*t Bergen County towns there are decent homes available in the high 3’s. Gary is correct, the slide is on.

  41. A.West says:

    Gary, (28)
    This is the time of year you find out who is trolling for suckers and who really has to sell. School is already in session, peak selling season is over, some sellers will have to face the harsh reality, that buyers set the price now. Big Q for some homes is whether the sellers can even afford to sell at your price.

  42. 3b says:

    #37 gary: Understand> But I worry about your mental health in a blue ribbony town. Are you sure you are going to be able to handle the mom with the pony tail pulled through the back of the base ball cap?? A major attitude adjustment will be required on your part.

  43. 3b says:

    #40 Some Realtors say there is a mini Fall market for people who want to be in/out before the holidays. I understand that, 4th of July is right around the corner

  44. 3b says:

    #39 30 Year: And that 250k price will continue to fall. You are seeing the same thing now in Dumont and New Milford as well. But I am also seeing on the mls houses (not sure what condition) for under 200k in Bergenfield. I remember when we were looking in Bergenfield back in the 80’s before we bought in the land of the Unicorns, prices for nice houses in Bergenfield were in the 160K to 185k range.

  45. 3b says:

    There are 125 SFH’s on the market in Bergenfield right now. Many are available in the 180k to 250k range asking prices.

  46. 3b says:

    #43 In moderation, so noT know whay?

  47. freedy says:

    Their is a KIA dealer in Tenafly. Oh the horror

  48. freedy says:

    Are any of the Realtors selling homes in Bergenfield and Dumont throwing in
    Spanish lessons?

  49. gary says:

    3b [41],

    It’s amazing how humble people become when they start to see the muddy bottom of the well. :)

  50. 3b says:

    #22 JCer: Merkel may want to keep the Euro alive, but ultimately it will be the German people who agree to it. She and her party are deeply unpopular at home right now, and she is having difficulty keeping her coalition government together.

  51. 3b says:

    #48 gary: You do not understand the dream dies harder in the blue ribbony towns.

  52. gary says:

    3b [49],

    It’ll be my duty to support and console them! ;) Heck, I’ll even throw in a little care package including toothpaste, Hunt’s Ketchup and a roll of duct tape.

  53. gary says:

    First there was Fast and Furious, then there was Solyndra and now there is LightSquared — three high-level scandals that involve allegations of cover-ups inside the Obama administration.

    For a president who is already dragging an unpopular agenda and low marks on his handling of the economy along the campaign trail, this scandal troika is seriously bad news.

    Yes… We… Can…

  54. 3b says:

    #51 gary:Hunt’s Ketchup ?? That is poor people, it has to be Heinz, if that is the best you can do. It really should be Salsa (premium brand, not Tostitos), as people in blue ribbony towns have more sophisticated palettes.

  55. JJ says:

    A girl says to her date,”You’re in for a real treat. I’ve been told that I have a body like New Jersey.”
    So, her date grabs her waist and asks, “What’s this?”
    She replies “Middlesex.”
    He grabs her butt and asks “What’s this?”
    She replies, “Freehold.”
    Then he grabs her breast and asks “What’s this?”
    She replies,”Point Pleasant.”
    Finally, he reaches between her thighs and says, “I guess this is Cherry Hill?”
    “No”, she replies, “That’s Eatontown.”
    The guy gets so excited that he pulls down his pants and says, “Welcome to Long Branch!”
    “I don’t know,” she replies, “It sure looks like Short Hills to me!”

  56. grim (5)-

    Too optimistic. 50-100 years, at best.

    I’m betting human extinction before any housing recovery.

  57. Theo says:

    My parents sold in Bergenfield in 1986 for $180k.

  58. There’s no toll at the gates of hell.

  59. 3b (166)-

    Geithner’s lips are loose from being wrapped around Blankfein’s member.

  60. 3b says:

    #57 It is back to the past there in that town, and is moving in the same way in more tha a few others.

  61. chicagofinance says:

    The End Is Nigh (clot Edition):

    DENVER (AP) — Two men are accused of driving around with a dead friend, using his ATM card and visiting a strip club in a less amusing real-life version of the film “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

    The two men face charges of abusing a corpse, identity theft and criminal impersonation.

    Robert Young and Mark Rubinson are free on bond but they couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

    It’s unclear how Jeffrey Jarrett died, but the men are not charged in his death.

    The story was first reported by the Denver Post http://bit.ly/nEgeF4 .

    In the movie, two ne’er do wells find their boss dead at his ritzy beachfront home and squire the body around town, hoping to save the weekend of luxury they had planned.

    According to a police affidavit released Friday, Rubinson said Jarrett was unresponsive when they loaded him into a car and went to Teddy T’s restaurant and spent more than an hour drinking, leaving Jarrett in the back of the car.

    Police said the two men used Jarrett’s credit card to pay for the drinks on Aug. 27, noting “they did not have Jarrett’s consent.”

    Rubinson and Young then drove to another restaurant to hang out, then returned to Jarrett’s home where they carried Jarrett into the house and put him in bed, leaving him there while they went to get gas and go to a burrito joint.

    The two men then went to a strip joint, where they flagged down a police officer and told him they thought their friend was dead. Police went to the man’s home and found the body.

    Police said Young told them Jarrett was obviously dead while the three were at Teddy T’s.

    The Denver District Attorney’s Office said Young posted a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 27.

    Rubinson posted a $3,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Denver County Court on Oct. 4.

  62. RayC says:

    Bloomberg warns high unemployment rate could lead to widespread rioting

    http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bloomberg_warns_bad_economy_could_SpzJR6SGvta9s07LO0bJSK

    Way to go NY Post for spinning a “we need to create jobs speech” into Rodney King redux. I have been unemployed for a year, and I hadn’t even thought about rioting. Finally, a purpose to my day.

  63. grim says:

    Will there be any looting? I need a new couch.

  64. Juice Box says:

    Soon may be fewer places to buy a late night 6 pack in NYC before you hit the clubs

    http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-bodegas-closing-2011-9

  65. JJ says:

    From the waist down

    There Went Meat says:
    September 16, 2011 at 1:19 pm
    Who knew jj was black?

  66. Juice Box says:

    re – # 62- Bloomberg should be worried there are over a million indigents in NYC alone.

  67. Juice Box says:

    re: Bloomberg comments today. I remember why my entire extended family moved in the 1970s from our lovely walks ups in the Bronx to burbs of New Jersey. If the mugging and fires start again it may be time to move further and further away from the city.

  68. 3b says:

    #68 Juice: Funny thing though, some neighborhoods in the Bronx have never changed, and are still good.

  69. 3b says:

    #68 Juice: But won’t bank profits help NYC??

  70. Juice Box says:

    re #69 – what profits?

  71. Juice Box says:

    re # 68 – Yeah I lived in a decent one across from the golf course until some creep tried to rape my teenage cousin in a stair well, a heroin addicted idiot pulled a 38 revolver on a bunch of kids, and the neighbor had her pursue cut right off her arm in broad daylight on Jerome Ave. We all left, out of the dozens of kids I grew up and went to school with none stayed.

  72. JCer says:

    3b[48] nobody gives a damn about merkel or the german people, the banks in Germany call the shots like they do everywhere else. For them to continue existing the euro needs to stick around, Germany moving away from the euro would probably make half of them insolvent overnight. Who ever gets elected in Germany regardless of sentiment will support the euro, end of story not question it will not be allowed to fail until they run out of options.

  73. 3b says:

    #73 We will see about that, if only because of historical reasons.

  74. JJ says:

    I hate it when someone gets their pursue stolen.

    Juice Box says:
    September 16, 2011 at 2:06 pm
    re # 68 – Yeah I lived in a decent one across from the golf course until some creep tried to rape my teenage cousin in a stair well, a heroin addicted idiot pulled a 38 revolver on a bunch of kids, and the neighbor had her pursue cut right off her arm in broad daylight on Jerome Ave. We all left, out of the dozens of kids I grew up and went to school with none stayed.

  75. 3b says:

    #72 I used to frequent some of the bars on Jerome, and noticed how quickly the area declined especially in the 1980’s Same thing in my old neighborhood in the Bronx, everybody left, and the thought was the entire borough would collapse so to speak. But some of the areas that were still good when we left in the late 80’s are still good.

    Ironically there are more than a few formerly places in the burbs now, (even in Bergen Co.), are starting toe exhibit the same signs of decay that all those Bronx neighborhoods did back in the 80’s. I find it very ironic.

  76. 3b says:

    #71 Juice: See #5.

  77. chicagofinance says:

    The difference with an inner ring suburb is that once it is shot, there is no reason for it to return from the dead. Empty strip malls, no sidewalks, and traffic mean that there will never be a reason to return or gentrify. Once in a blue moon you have a special situation such as Edison with the South Asians…..

    3b says:
    September 16, 2011 at 2:26 pm
    Ironically there are more than a few formerly places in the burbs now, (even in Bergen Co.), are starting toe exhibit the same signs of decay that all those Bronx neighborhoods did back in the 80′s. I find it very ironic.

  78. 3b says:

    #79Chgo: One could reasonably think that the inner ring burbs would due better due to proximity to the city; does not seem to be the case however.

  79. JCer says:

    3b[79] once a place turns, it takes a lot to turn it back, eventually it happens provided the land values fall enough. When homes can be snatched up on the cheap redevelopment happens and suburbs there can be a resurgence.

  80. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Gotta love FEMA.

    I had some issues with the hurricane but nothing of significance. Still, I decided, what the hell, if FEMA is giving away money, I want some. So I applied.

    FEMA guy came out. I went over things with him, and acknowledged that I suffered little and did not know if Iwas entitled to anything. Got some forms in the mail to apply for different types of aid, yet haven’t looked at them.

    Today I got a check for “disaster assistance.” Totally unexpected, and not sure what it is for (I suspect it is a grant to fix what damage I had per their formula).

    This brings home the stories of government waste. If they will throw money at me for my relatively minor issues, they will throw it at anyone. On the flip side, I am really starting to enjoy being a leech, especially since I see it as a return on investment.

  81. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Sold some scrap metal today. I had a cat from my Audi, and the a-coil from my central AC unit (lot of copper there). Took it to the scrap yard in Plainfield.

    Place was rough as they come, but the people didn’t seem to care much about the white guy selling scrap. The a-coil had to be broken up, but they said they would do that for me and did.

    Took about a half hour for waiting and weighing, and walked out with $88. Importantly, I also got rid of this crap next to my garage. Now I know why all these people are snipping wires. A 5 gal bucket of wire probably nets you 10-15 bucks.

    If I collect any more scrap, heck yeah, I’ll go back, but I don’t care to make a hobby of this like my BIL. He’s a surgeon but he grew up dirt poor in Queens, so he never lost that knack for turning every motion into money. He scraps periodically, and uses the money to buy physical shiny.

    My sister has it set as jewelry so they can walk it through customs if need be.

  82. Juice Box says:

    Nom – my dear old’s mom basement flooded again last week twice since Irene. Usually and inch of water, about the 500th time since she bought the place in the 1970s. FEMA will be out on Sat to inspect. I suspect a vote buying operation is in place.

  83. JCer says:

    Juice, got to keep the voters pacified before the election! This crap makes me sick, when will we get REAL leadership in this country.

  84. Bill says:

    Would anyone here buy a home that did not have a basement? Aside from the obvious storage reasons, Are there other concerns you would have? I’m a longtime lurker and would appreciate some feedback. Thanks.

  85. Comrade Nom Deplume says:

    Diamonds are the new gold

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/44552952

    “Is it safe?”

  86. A.West says:

    Main drawback for lack of basement is lack of space, and need to put furnace & water on main floor. I lived in a bilevel on a slab for 9 years. At least I didn’t have to worry about a flooded basement. I guess a cracked slab could be a problem, but probably rare. Fewer places to hide from a tornado?

  87. Shore Guy says:

    “There’s no toll at the gates of hell.”

    Whew! At least hell isn’t in NJ.

  88. WickedOrange says:

    Articles like this are going to ruin my street cred.

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903927204576572793704761026.html

  89. I’ll have mine medium rare, please.

  90. When will Geithner set himself on fire?

  91. Do I take UBS or SocGen in my next dead pool?

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  93. Prtraders2000 says:

    The house I live in now has a crawl space (no basement). One of the big drawbacks in the winter are the cold floors. We don’t have rugs and now shoes allowed. Wife consistently blasts heat to 75 or higher because feetsies are cold!

  94. Just pour gasoline on your feet and set fire to them.

  95. Shore Guy says:

    I have had slab, with radiant heat, a crawl space, and a basement. The slab was fine, but is hard; the lack of give could be a consideration depending on age. The basement was fine; it was dry and provided storage, etc. The crawl space sucked; heaters have to be special size, working on other mechanicals is a pain in the neck, gaining access is a pain. Nothing or basement beats a crawlspace, at least to me.

  96. Shore Guy says:

    I am supposed to meet an old friend in Seaside tomorrow evening. If anyone is going to be around, let me know via e-mail, Grim has it, and we can try to get together.

  97. Fabius Maximus says:

    Clot,

    We get ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (football edition) tomorrow.
    West Ham at Milwall, is the scariest fixture I have seen in years.

  98. gluteus (99)-

    Hard to believe there are people who would pay to watch that train wreck.

  99. Punch My Ticket says:

    Why do we never see stories like this about JJ?

    http://stage.sundaysport.com/?p=1798

  100. jj went through his badger-banging phase years ago.

  101. Talk about too much teeth…

  102. When I think of America I don’t imagine something like this. I had not heard of ‘tent city’ before and find it surprising that som many could slip thorugh the state benefit net. I remember watching Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe during the depression in the 1930’s and it had one scene with a tent city in Central Park. It sounds like the same thing only 80 years on. I don’t understand what is going to happen to these people and what is being done. It’s also funny that we did not hear about this in the UK.

  103. speedkillsu says:

    Hello Wall Street – We Are Anonymous Sept 17 ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-eFxCDx7Yw

  104. LoveNJ says:

    I wish these tent city people could move to EU.

    Because of work, I spend six weeks in France and Switzerland this year. There is no sense of crisis as far as I can tell. One of my coworkers will be out of work soon, she is a temp in office. But she will be able to collect up to 1 yr unempolyment paycheck from French goverment, then if she can find 4 months full time job and she will be entitled for another 1 year pay from goverment and one can repeat this cycle. Such that she is calm and not worried. Another coworker was on leave for a year to tour the world. No pay, but company has to hire him back after that one year. He is keeping everyone informed he current location – Spain.

    I am the first one in office and last one to leave – can not change the habit as American. My French coworkers also take Friday afternoon off every two weeks, because 35 hours per week work rule. My French Technician just said have a nice weekend, and disappeared in the middle of unfinished work. Oh, some of my french colleagues were not happy that we amercian did not discuss with them on some projects. God, we were working our butts off, while they were all on vocation in summer. Ok, something wrong with America, we worked too much and still can not match the European’s productivity. Where is my automatic 4 wks vocation per year, something like after 15 years in my company on US side?

    And Friday I made a mistake not readying parking garage hour while parked my rental car in Geneva. It was closed when I came back. It took 100 cfs to have an lazy Swiss security guard come back to open the door. I need to find an good reason to reinburse this one.

    Well, still angry with Europe. A bounch of crooks.

  105. LoveNJ says:

    Sorry about my typos, English is not my native lauguage.
    If not happy with my English, you shall try my French.

  106. Where the f is everybody?

  107. jamil says:

    110
    Day of rage

  108. toomuchchange says:

    110 —

    Where is everybody?

    Can’t say for sure, of course. I think some have departed for places where nobody calls our President Bojangles and where people who aren’t crazy or stupid can feel pretty sure they won’t be ridiculed for expressing their commonly-held opinions (e.g. Sastry).

    Just a wild guess as to why participation — and information sharing, which is the particular value of this site — is down by 50-75% on a consistent basis and has been for many months.

  109. Anybody got video of Bojangles, an organ grinder and a monkey?

  110. Hey Plume-

    Here’s how to create an expat:

    “In his increasingly desperate attempts to pander to a population that has by now entirely given up on the hope, and barely has any change left, Obama is going for broke (or technically the reverse) by setting the class warfare bar just that little bit higher. This time around, his targets are millionaires, who according to the NYT are about to see their taxes soar. Or not: nobody really knows if the proposed “Buffett Rule”, affectionately known for crony communist #1, will impact just millionaires income tax, which incidentally is the same as what everyone else is paying, or, far more importantly, their Investment Income, which is where the bulk of America’s wealthy income comes from. Which incidentally makes all the sense in the world: two and a half years after Bernanke has been desperately doing everything in his power to raise the “wealth effect” if only for the richest 1% of the US population, it is, from the government’s perspective, time for the taxman to come knocking and demand his share of the capital gains. Yet what is lost in this ridiculous proposal are the unintended consequences, which always follow idiotic decisions arising out of central planning, number one of which would be a market crash as those who have paper gains since the market lows of 2009, scramble to lock in the old capital gains tax rate of 15% instead of holding on to paper profits that could end up being as high as 35% (or more): an event that would cut actual income by over 25% should one wait to cash out! And since 25% is substantially more than anything that Twist and QE3 and 4 could hope to achieve, it is all too conceivable that those holding on to profitable positions will have had enough, and take their profits, likely converting them into physical and non-dilutable assets along the way. As to whether they would subsequently relocate to far more hospitable countries, such as those that don’t foment class warfare, and implicitly invite a civil war, that remains yet to be seen.”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/obama-takes-class-warfare-next-level-buffet-rule-and-new-millionaire-tax-market-selloff-imminen

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