Conforming loan limit holding back prices?

From HousingWire:

Is it now time to finally raise conforming loan limits?

The chances the Federal Housing Finance Agency will raise the maximum conforming loan limits for mortgages to be acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2017 is high now after meeting one certain condition.

Despite predictions that the loan limits would rise for 2016, the FHFA announced in November of 2015 that the conforming loan limits would remain unchanged for much of the country.

Now that a year has passed, it’s time again for the FHFA to announce what the limits will be for next year, and according to at least one industry expert, the signs point to yes.

Raising the conforming loans limits for mortgages to be acquired by the GSEs depends on one fact. According to the FHFA, the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 established the baseline loan limit at $417,000 and mandated that, after a period of price declines, the baseline loan limit cannot rise again until home prices return to pre-decline levels. And now home prices have.

The FHFA defines pre-crisis levels as the level of the expanded-data HPI in the third quarter of 2007, and according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, in the second quarter of 2016, the FHFA’s house price index was almost identical to the level of the index in the third quarter of 2007.

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113 Responses to Conforming loan limit holding back prices?

  1. Mike says:

    Good Morning New Jersey

  2. “See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup
    Yeah buddy that’s his own hair
    That little faggot got his own jet airplane
    That little faggot he’s a millionaire.”

    Discuss.

  3. Ottoman says:

    It really is a shame that the right wing is so unimaginably stupid–as evidenced by science and the parade of morons that haunt this blog’s comment section– because the democrats (who are about as left as Reagan) have every reason to be defeated this year. They spend years screaming about Obamacare and Benghazi and emails instead of focusing on the fact that Obama and Clinton are directly responsible for the murder and terrorization of perhaps a million or more families, including women and children, in Libya, Palestine, Yemen, Agfanistan, Iraq, Central America. And let’s not forget all the families destroyed by Clintons crime bill and welfare reform.

    But what do we expect? The right blames their troubles on Mexicans, women, gays, Muslims so they don’t really have much of a problem themselves if millions of brown people die. They also can’t seem to figure out that it’s corporations and capitalism that are really to blame.

    When Michelle Obama said “when they go low, we go high” she was talking about her husband’s drones in residential neighborhoods. — how hard is that?

    Grab them by the puzzy (the good one) says:
    October 8, 2016 at 11:49 am
    @paulkrugman

    No they don’t, and they never will.

    @JohnJHarwood
    at some point,
    those who’ve spent years demonizing President Obama have to face the fact that he’s been a sterling exemplar of family values

  4. grim says:

    They also can’t seem to figure out that it’s corporations and capitalism that are really to blame.

    The world would be so awesome if nobody had to work. Can you get on that?

  5. grim says:

    Personally, I blame:

    Career politicians and a lack of (short) term limits
    Regulatory over-reach and feel-good legislation
    Lobbyists and Political Contributors, especially super pacs
    Media – all of it
    Public sector fiefdoms, ever-expanding bureaucracy
    Two-party system in America

  6. grim says:

    From the Record:

    Trump Taj Mahal closes after 26 years; 5th casino casualty

    Donald Trump opened his Trump Taj Mahal casino 26 years ago, calling it “the eighth wonder of the world.”

    But his friend and fellow billionaire Carl Icahn closed it Monday morning, making it the fifth casualty of Atlantic City’s casino crisis.

    The sprawling Boardwalk casino, with its soaring domes, minarets and towers built to mimic the famed Indian palace, shut down at 5:59 a.m., having failed to reach a deal with its union workers to restore health care and pension benefits that were taken away from them in bankruptcy court.

    Nearly 3,000 workers lost their jobs, bringing the total jobs lost by Atlantic City casino closings to 11,000 since 2014.

    Picketers affixed an anti-Icahn poster that they had signed to the casino’s main Boardwalk entrance door. It proclaimed “We held the line.”

    “We held the line against a billionaire taking from us!” said Marc Scittina, a food service worker at the Taj Mahal’s player’s club since shortly after it opened in 1990. “This battle has been going on for two years.”

    The union went on strike July 1, and Icahn decided to shut the place down a little over a month later, determining there was “no path to profitability.”

    The Taj Mahal becomes the fifth Atlantic City casino to go out of business since 2014, when four others, including Trump Plaza, shut their doors.

  7. Ottoman says:

    Which one of these is the Cuckoos Nest quote?

    “Megyn Kelly is the quintessential “Look at me! Look at me!” cunt.”

    “I wonder how many Sanders voters vote for Trump with raised middle fingers if they replace the evil cunt with Biden or Kaine.”

    Also you fail to mention in your analysis that the occurance of the word has shot up immensely in the past month, and its generally just one person using it. Which begs the question, if the word is so acceptable and appropriate, why haven’t the people defending it been using it all this time?

    Of course we don’t know how many times c*nt or other variations were used or if comments using it were scrubbed.

    Also referring to a man as a cunt makes it better how? Since it’s meant to compare him to a woman. Implication being that makes him inferior.

    “As far as I can tell, it’s only twice that it’s actually referred to a female, and not male, so that’s 0.016% of total post, and one of those was the Cuckoo’s Nest quote. The others follow the Oxford English Dictionary usage of “an unpleasant or stupid person.”

  8. grim says:

    It was a BC Bob quote from nearly day 1.

    [about Nurse Ratched]
    McMurphy: Well I don’t wanna break up the meeting or nothin’, but she’s somethin’ of a cunt, ain’t she Doc?

  9. Ottoman says:

    In other words, you’re too stupid to understand that capitalism only works when there is a huge surplus of suffering so labor remains weak and their demands don’t cut into profits. But thanks for letting the world know you’re so lazy you’d be sitting home picking your nose if it weren’t for sweatshops, mass incarceration, and deforestation.

    grim says:
    October 10, 2016 at 8:28 am
    They also can’t seem to figure out that it’s corporations and capitalism that are really to blame.

    The world would be so awesome if nobody had to work. Can you get on that?

  10. grim says:

    Speaking of, did you folks know that the Bank of England is situated on Gropecunte Lane in London?

    Boris and Trump, meant to be.

  11. Ottoman says:

    see comment about the stupidity of right wingers above.

    grim says:
    October 10, 2016 at 8:33 am
    Personally, I blame:

    Career politicians and a lack of (short) term limits
    Regulatory over-reach and feel-good legislation
    Lobbyists and Political Contributors, especially super pacs
    Media – all of it
    Public sector fiefdoms, ever-expanding bureaucracy
    Two-party system in America

  12. grim says:

    In other words, you’re too stupid to understand that capitalism only works when there is a huge surplus of suffering so labor remains weak and their demands don’t cut into profits.

    Have you actually run a business yourself?

  13. Ben says:

    In other words, you’re too stupid to understand that capitalism only works when there is a huge surplus of suffering so labor remains weak and their demands don’t cut into profits

    Capitalism was working just fine until we decided to remove economic borders. You give corporations the option to hire people for 50 cents an hour and expect them to not be FORCED to take it. You have to take it or be put out of business by the people that do. It’s called protectionism for a reason. Tariffs protect the working class in a developed nation.

  14. grim says:

    IMHO – I too despise large corporations. However, the difference is that Ottoman sees them as the problem, and I see them as the symptom of the problem.

    What I see as the genesis of this particular problem is over-regulation. Creating business regulations so burdensome, which create perverse incentives towards mega-corporations, who have no issue with complying. Small and local businesses suffer, because the cost of regulation is astronomical in comparison.

    What are we doing to create incentives for small business to compete? What are we doing to reduce the regulatory burden.

    I actually opened a business, I live this EVERY DAY. Entrepreneurship and being able to open your own business, is dying in America. With it will go what’s left of the scraps of the American dream. BUT, small business has always been the great economic equalizer, being able to lift someone well out of poverty into incredible success. You kill that possibility, and you’ll never see the wage gap drop. There was a time when someone could open up shop, start their own business, give it a go. You try to do this in NJ today. I hope you have at least $25k in liquid capital, which a huge portion of will get vaporized as payments to government organizations and related crony monopolies.

    So to fix this, Ottoman sees more regulation being necessary, more burdens on the “corporation”, without regard for whether that corporation is 50,000 people or that corporation is 3 people. In the end, more regulation will kill the 3 person corporation, and the mega-corp just gets larger and more powerful.

  15. xolepa says:

    Ottoman,
    re: Grim and business

    What say you?

  16. D-FENS says:

    @cnn

    Mike Pence on reports he might drop off Trump ticket: “It’s absolutely false… It’s the greatest honor of my life.”

  17. I find it comical and ironic that liberals are now pro-censorship (so long as they get to do all the censoring). Here is an art exhibit that liberals tried to shut down this weekend (luckily they found a new venue in Chelsea and the show opened anyway):

    http://dailycaller.com/2016/10/05/pro-trump-art-show-cancelled-thanks-to-leftist-threats/

    Does anybody remember Piss Christ? Can you imagine an art piece called Muhammed Turd today?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ

  18. Comrade Nom Deplorable, just waiting on the Zombie Apocalypse. says:

    Grim,

    Does that commie cunt sound as if he’s ever run a business?

  19. Comrade Nom Deplorable, just waiting on the Zombie Apocalypse. says:

    Expat,

    Hypocrisy, thy name is liberal

  20. BTW, since all breitbartdotcom links are spam-filtered here, shouldn’t CNN links be excluded too?

  21. Footstool is Harry Seward’s brother, Smelly.

  22. Juice Box says:

    re: “Leftists threats” it ain’t over yet.

    Heard the progressives on Satellite radio this morning begging Mark Burnett and I guess MGM to release more tapes.

    “Many media and political circles are calling on Burnett and MGM to release any “Apprentice” archival footage that would shed light on the character of Trump, the Republican candidate for president.”

    http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/donald-trump-mark-burnett-mgm-apprentice-tapes-1201883344/

  23. Juice Box says:

    Just dropped on Wikileaks.

    RELEASE: The #PodestaEmails part two: 2,086 new emails

  24. Anon E. Moose, saying 'Come back, JJ' says:

    Footstool:

    They spend years screaming about Obamacare and Benghazi and emails instead of focusing on the fact that Obama and Clinton are directly responsible for the murder and terrorization of perhaps a million or more families, including women and children, in Libya, Palestine, Yemen, Agfanistan, Iraq, Central America.

    Classic — and telling. People who care about America & Americans think about the Obamacare implosion, restoring the US economy, protecting US citizens at home and abroad, and not being ruled by and admitted liar like Madame President BleachBit.

    You’re more interested in opening the borders to an unlimited flood of “refugees” from the Middle East and Central America — with full welfare benefits, nach.

  25. No One says:

    Why hate large corporations? There are many economic activities that require scale and global reach. Large multinationals are optimal for that. Try to imagine if large airplanes were made by 50 local craft producers. They’d be expensive and failing. Automobiles are globally competitive and mostly made by 10 large companies. Who would have mass-produced inexpensive and highly advanced computers, tablets, and phones? Who would be discovering and transporting abundant energy and fuel supplies that allows travelling 50 miles in a car take an hour at a cost of under $10?

    People who want to live without capitalism can try living in North Korea, Cuba, or Venezuela, or out in the Brazilian rain forests with the tribal people.

  26. grim says:

    Because I feel that over-regulation creates a massive burden to entry and competition, which favors the large players who have the economies of scale to absorb those costs. This creates a perverse model where large corporations can more easily out-compete smaller businesses, especially when that major differentiation is price.

    I can show you many examples of large corporations who have no actual reason to exist or be as competitive as they are in the marketplace, if it weren’t for legal and regulatory reasons that create a monopoly for them.

  27. grim says:

    By destroying the ability of small business to compete, you effectively destroy one of the major vehicles to prosperity. The death of the middle class, wage inequality, I feel is directly correlated to this phenomenon.

    Even the SBA and their programs to help small businesses start, are a joke. Let’s say the regulatory burden to start a new business is quantified at $50k. The SBA will gladly help you mortgage your home for that $50k. Instead, we should be asking how we reduce the $50k so that a low-income entrepreneur doesn’t need to put her life, and the life of her family at risk.

  28. Ben says:

    A lot of time, the businesses are forced to go to the big players to get into the realm. I’ve seen plenty of guys enter Shark Tank looking to simply gain access to the billionaires existing network simply because, they can’t do it on their own due to the increased costs of business associated with this.

    I’ve said it many times before is that the only thing keeping me from starting a jarred hot sauce company is the regulatory red tape. You need a commercial kitchen and have to keep records of pH of all your bottles. This changes the startup costs from he $500 it should be to about $25 to 30k. I used to just do it under the table as a hobby and sold them at farms without going through the proper channels. I gather, it would take me four years to break even with these burdens. At that point, $8 to 10k profit a year. It ain’t worth my time. Lower the red tape, and I’ll do it right now. And no, no one is going to die or get sick consuming my product. It’s biologically impossible.

    I know a guy who started out as a pizza truck operation illegally and eventually turned it into a full blown store. He now has 4 operations in NJ/PA and they are all incredibly successful. Would this have happened if he didn’t skirt around regulation illegally? Doubtful.

  29. Ben says:

    One of the funny things that I can’t get my head around as far as inequality goes is the idea that the left seems to be shaming people who don’t pay income tax. When we were talking about eliminating the income tax 8 years ago, they were like “that would create a trillion dollar shortfall”. Well, they had no problem running trillion dollar shortfalls a year later… They could eliminate the income tax for anyone earning under 75k and it would be a massive boost to the middle class. They don’t even consider it.

  30. Alex says:

    Yesterday Fab Max and today Ottoman, lashing out at Grim. Someone must’ve left open the latch to Fab and Otto’s “safe space”.

    I think they both stumbled out and now feel frightened and overwhelmed.

  31. joyce says:

    grim,
    It’s not that you feel this; it is fact. In addition to your comments, there are entire uneconomic industries that exist due to these regulations.

    grim says:
    October 10, 2016 at 10:24 am
    Because I feel that over-regulation creates a massive burden to entry and competition, which favors the large players who have the economies of scale to absorb those costs. This creates a perverse model where large corporations can more easily out-compete smaller businesses, especially when that major differentiation is price.

    I can show you many examples of large corporations who have no actual reason to exist or be as competitive as they are in the marketplace, if it weren’t for legal and regulatory reasons that create a monopoly for them.

  32. I have two very close relatives who are very high up in two different (and competing) large construction firms based in NYC. After winning a bid, they each have separate firms that they hire prior to beginning construction on a new project to, uh, let’s say smooth out any impediments to timely starts on the project.

  33. They’re trying to make the world their safe space. Those Seward brothers are a couple of beauties.

    Yesterday Fab Max and today Ottoman, lashing out at Grim. Someone must’ve left open the latch to Fab and Otto’s “safe space”.

  34. Ben – I know a very successful entrepreneur who grew up in a caucasian, liberal, educated welfare/food stamps North Hollywood family. He says that his parents firmly believed that rich people never paid any taxes. If that was the belief back in the 1960’s, I can’t believe that the needle has moved very far in the direction of truth since then.

  35. Ben – Sometimes you can find a salvation army, church, etc. with a commercial kitchen that will give you good deal on business week rental of their space. I only know this because when I was serving on the board of trustees for a church we were approached by someone with similar needs.

    You need a commercial kitchen and have to keep records of pH of all your bottles.

  36. No One says:

    I agree with Grim that regulation (and also the tax system) provides protection and advantages to big businesses over small and up-and-coming businesses. And of course the largest businesses will tend to capture their regulators for mutual benefit.

  37. 3b says:

    I guess I drank too much this weekend. I still can’t f figure out what started the melt down? Was it the c word?

  38. Flee? says:

    Grim,

    You seem to be against regulations and used a very broad brush. So, getting into real estate, are things like housing inspections, zoning laws, regular tax assessments, etc., are regulations or not? Say, you are making consumables, are food safety regulations good or bad? What about vehicle inspections, driving permits, insider trading laws, anti-discrimination laws, laws against harassment?

    The tone seems to be “all regulations are bad”, just like Trump’s “Obamacare is a complete disaster”, “economy is a disaster”, or this board’s “fire all teachers”, “kick out all h1b’s and their kids”. That sort of absolute statements, coupled with little reflection or self doubt, is a bad combo.

  39. Fabius Maximus says:

    grim when the yellow piece of the pie grows to be equal to the blue piece of the pie, the middle class will then see some relief.

    https://media.nationalpriorities.org/uploads/publications/revenue-2015.png

    As to regulation, yes I would likes of bourbon production regulated so that I don’t go blind drinking it.

  40. Ben says:

    Ben – Sometimes you can find a salvation army, church, etc. with a commercial kitchen that will give you good deal on business week rental of their space. I only know this because when I was serving on the board of trustees for a church we were approached by someone with similar needs.

    Yeah, I’ve seen several people rent out spaces to do what they need to do. Either way, that regulation only ensures that you are small time. These places won’t be able to rent you out a space to do real production to generate real wealth. If we removed the red tape, we’d create a lot more jobs and a lot more people would be working for themselves.

  41. joyce says:

    Can’t understand why this is such a hard concept for people to grasp

    “Can Business Pay Taxes?”
    by Milton Friedman
    Newsweek, 29 November 1971, p. 91
    ©The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC

    President Nixon’s proposals for reductions in taxes have been widely criticized as a “help-the rich” program “heavily weighted in favor of business at the expense of the individual taxpayer.” This criticism is sheer demagoguery. The elementary fact is that “business” does not and cannot pay taxes. Only people can pay taxes. Corporate officials may sign the check, but the money that they forward to Internal Revenue comes from the corporation’s employees, customers or stockholders. A corporation is a pure intermediary through which its employees, customers and stockholders cooperate for their mutual benefit. A corporation may be large and control large amounts of capital. Yet it does not follow that a reduction in the check it sends to Internal Revenue benefits wealthy individuals.
    http://0055d26.netsolhost.com/friedman/pdfs/newsweek/NW.11.29.1971.pdf

  42. Fabius Maximus says:

    3b

    It came from the discussion on a post Fear made years ago that grim was offended by and deleted. I pointed out that because he deleted that post it does show there is a line that if crossed, he will censor. My point is that he is accountable for the standards in here. He took exception to that. He allows the racism, bulling, misogyny and use of the C word to go on unchecked. I say if he condones it he has to own it.

    The rest is just noise trying to justify the C words use.

  43. Anon E. Moose, saying 'Come back, JJ' says:

    Buttocks [13:11];

    grim when the yellow piece of the pie grows to be equal to the blue piece of the pie, the middle class will then see some relief.

    How ignorant you are that pass-through entities (S-corps; LLCs – i.e., most small and some surprisingly large businesses) essentially don’t exist as taxable entities; all earnings through these entities appears on your graph as part of the blue slice.

    As to regulation, yes I would likes of bourbon production regulated so that I don’t go blind drinking it.

    If I were you I wouldn’t be the least bit worried about any bathtub booze having you at greatest risk of going blind, compared to other risk factors at hand, so to speak.

  44. Comrade Nom DePlume, too poor to expatriate, too rich to hide. says:

    Moose/Joyce, Rory knows that corporate taxation is lower in large part because C corp revenues are lower, or offset by NOLs, etc.

    I don’t think he appreciates that what he advocates cannot happen unless you repeal pass through tax treatment and force every business to be a C corp, and/or tear up all of our tax treaties.

    Which, BTW, our trading partners would love the former and could learn to like the latter. And make sure you aren’t standing by an exit when it passes.

  45. Comrade Nom Deplume, Locker Room Talk Artist says:

    Rory,

    “The rest is just noise trying to justify the C words use.”

    Nah, nothing so calculated. I just really like calling you that.

  46. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    “Tarantino showed us that in Django Unchained.”

    No he didn’t. The left in this country is so guilt ridden that blacks simply can’t do no wrong. You can go into a convenience store, shove the owner to the floor, steal some cigars to make some blunts and reach into a police car. You get shot for it and you are made a hero. Don’t bring up Tarantino as an example until he call’s the sheriff a ni(bing) and gets a laugh out of it. Though I do agree with you about Wendy the slow adult. There are certain derogatory words that have no place and retarded was being thrown around like candy. But cunt? Come on.

  47. Tywin says:

    Lots of people name their swords.

  48. Ottoman says:

    Just enjoying a Jacobin article and reminiscing about Grim’s claim this morning that corporations aren’t responsible for our country’s real and perceived problems. Instead, he thinks its media, over regulation, and corrupt politicians’ fault.

    Please, no one let on that the media is actually a small group of for profit corporations acting in their own best financial interests to draw the most eyes and gain the most access to politicians and other power brokers. Wouldn’t want Grim’s little head exploding with hypocrisy at the thought of a bunch of pesky regulations getting in the way of media corporations’ god given right to make as much money as they can by any means necessary. After all, that’s the capitalism he supports amirite?

    Also, don’t tell Grim it was the right wingers who successfully argued that corporate money belongs in politics, thereby insuring they only work for the few with the most to give. Sure it was cute when Grim invoked term limits as a solution–as if being in the House for 4 years instead of 16 makes a politician less desirable to his/her corporate masters. If you support capitalism, you support profit making by any means necessary whether that be making connections at Harvard or on a Senate subcommittee. But I digress…

    Let Grim live in his ignorant fantasy world of free markets for some. I’m sure he’s just one brilliant idea away from becoming Lloyd Blankfein’s heir apparent. After all, Grim’s so innately brilliant, he can <> count to cunt.

  49. Fabius Maximus says:

    So where does Trump’s S-Corp that is paying nothing anyway fit in the blue wedge?

  50. Fabius Maximus says:

    Lib,

    Your point was could Blazing Saddles be made today. Tarantino showed that you can take a very sensitive topic and make a movie around it with humor. Would Inglorious BStards be a better example?

  51. This clearly illustrated last night during the debates. Anderson Cooper actually went after Clinton a couple times last night, which astounded me (maybe her too). At first I thought he might be developing a conscience, then I remembered that CNN’s ratings have been in the toilet ever since the conventions, now #3 in cable news behind #1 FoxNews and #2 MSNBC. AC’s bosses told him to go after her in the hopes if winning some viewers back. There is an ever-growing mass of regular people out there who are finally figuring out what the media really is, and it has very little to do with reporting news. There are some who think CNN will be wholly irrelevant going forward if Clinton wins, worse still if Dems take back one or both chambers of congress. OTOH, They will continue to be profitable if Trump wins.

    Please, no one let on that the media is actually a small group of for profit corporations acting in their own best financial interests

  52. grim says:

    No comment on actually running your own business?

  53. grim says:

    You seem to be against regulations and used a very broad brush.

    No, you are making assumptions about my positions based on your prejudices.

  54. There you go again, Harry. Trump lost nearly $1 billion in ’95. That’s the whole story.

    So where does Trump’s S-Corp that is paying nothing anyway fit in the blue wedge?

  55. grim says:

    It came from the discussion on a post Fear made years ago that grim was offended by and deleted. I pointed out that because he deleted that post it does show there is a line that if crossed, he will censor.

    Absolutely, no question. But your hypocritical posts, I’ll make a point to leave.

    Did you enjoy the minimum wage porn stars at comic-con? I enjoy the hypocrisy of you supporting the single greatest form of misogynistic literature in the history of the US, but somehow I’m the bad guy because I really don’t give a shit about the language people use here. And to bring your kids to that? Shameful. How ’bout those tits though.

    You know the sexual abuse signs posted were not pre-emptive, right? It was because of the rampant sexual abuse that went on at those conventions previously. Where your slimeball cohorts felt it their right to grope the female attendees based on what they were, or weren’t wearing.

    No worries though, lets continue to reinforce female self-body image through completely unrealistic body shapes.

    I wouldn’t spend a penny supporting that industry, because of the damage it does. But, I am the bad guy.

    Did you know I spent nearly three years studying and doing research on negative self body image in both males and females? It is my position that comic books are especially insidious in their ability to reinforce idiotic male hero myths and male perceptions of attractiveness.

    No, you probably not.

    You just feel it appropriate to stereotype me based on what others say or do, or your own misperception.

  56. Fast Eddie says:

    G0d bless the corporations that have hired me based on a need… that have enabled me to make a living so that I can enjoy the bucolic view through the French doors of my home office.

  57. I had no idea there were 113 niggers in Django Unchained, and I saw it. I’m a stupid cunt.

  58. D-FENS says:

    William Foster was the greatest movie super hero ever.

    Anyone on the board has the potential to be just like him.

  59. Fabius Maximus says:

    If your line is crossed and it offends you it will be censored.
    “Absolutely, no question”
    outside of that
    “I really don’t give a shit about the language people use here”

    Finally we have the standard for this place defined. You can call me a hypocrite all you want, but I don’t set the standards you do.

    “Racism, Bulling and Misogyny! Welcome to Trumpland! Have a Nice Stay!”

  60. D-FENS says:

    Grim may not be consistent in his censorship, but you sure are consistently annoying.

  61. Fast Eddie says:

    Welcome to Trumpland!

    I rather like that, I must admit. It sounds like the remake of America in the form of greater wealth and strength. It’s like letting the world know that we’re still number 1 and everyone else is not even close.

  62. D-FENS says:

    Speaking of trumpland….there are social media whispers that Icahn will re-open the Taj-Mahal rebranded with a different name.

    Maybe with non-union labor? Is that possible in AC?

  63. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    D-Fens. He owns the Trop. Icahn knew a win at Taj Majal would be a win for lowering the cost of labor at both properties. I heard the same rumor since day one of the strike. The only issue with it is that gamblers are extremely loyal. If a Taj player leaves for say Boragata or the Nugget, they are not coming back. Not after their comps were depleted or transferred to the Trop. And quite frankly, Taj has been a great gamble for low budget players. They will end up at Bally’s, with me.

  64. Flee? says:

    NjEscapee from yesterday, re over-dramatization…

    http://gothamist.com/2016/10/09/its_2016_racism_in_manhattan.php

    It’s 2016: Woman On Upper East Side Yells, ‘Go Back To China’ At (American) NY Times Editor — BY JEN CHUNG IN NEWS ON OCT 9, 2016 3:45 PM
    Michael Luo (Twitter)

    An editor at the NY Times used Twitter to recount an extremely disturbing incident that unfolded in Manhattan today. Or it just sums up what America has turned into, a depressing cauldron of resentment and ignorance. Michael Luo tweeted, “Well dressed woman on Upper East Side, annoyed by our stroller, yells: “Go back to China…go back to your f—ing country.” #thisis2016.”

    Then he continued, “I ran after the woman and confronted her and said I was born in this country. But I felt silly. How to prove this country is mine too?” A colleague asked, “Any contrition or apology from her?” and Luo replied, “Uh no. She pulled out her iPhone 6 Plus and threatened to call the cops.”
    [snip rest of article]
    ===========

    To be fair, a well dressed woman from NYC most likely will identify herself as a liberal, so it is not a red-team vs blue-team thing. It is also possible that the woman was in a moment when the inner-a-hole in us comes out because of some frustration. It may be a definite outlier.

    The main concern is these things are being normalized, so it makes sense to be acknowledge the possibility that my kids may be told the same thing — once they grow up, they can make their own decisions. A five year old kid at the playground recently said something odd, and when she said, “pardon me”, he responded with, “can’t you understand English, do you only understand Spanish?” His mother came and apologized right-away to my wife… People here have expressed their desire to kick out all people that were ever on h1b, and don’t walk back when I point out how broad that generalization is (I was on a PhD and had to get a H1B to be a faculty member at the university — tonnes of people at work place were in same boat; to be fair, may be getting kicked out before losing a decade at the university would have been better for me, but…) Little things add up, and it is better to be prepared (at some cost of “insurance”) that not have many options if needed.

    I only thing I want to learn from the board is what is a reasonable risk management. Clearly, selling off the house, leaving the job, and hopping on a plane is the dumbest thing to do [sorry to have to spell it out, someone will counter with an argument that will exactly point that out to make himself/herself feel smarter].

    I feel that it is at least worth thinking about the possibility [we know that there is no robust safety net for us here or in India other than our savings; we have plans for who will get the kids and money if both of us were to die suddenly; we have plans for what to do if both of us were to lose our jobs suddenly; we had a plan on what to do if Trump wins (cheesey, but it was if things look bad, rent out the place, get out for a couple of years and come back when he is out of power — that plan won’t be needed anymore); so, it is logical to think about what to do if Trump loses but becomes a martyr to a major chunk of population with tangible consequences…]

  65. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    Fab,

    Inglorious is another bad example. Both are reverse of the stereotype. This will always be found acceptable and it’s hardly shocking film-making. Blazing Saddles/History of the World/even Naked Gun were parodies. Parody is unacceptable today by the left.

  66. grim says:

    “Racism, Bulling and Misogyny! Welcome to Trumpland! Have a Nice Stay!”

    So what were we pre-Trump?

  67. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    Trump will be a martyr to noone but himself. We heard the same fears of violence from the left at the Republican Convention. Yet it was the Bernie crowd in Philadelphia that were the hooligans or perhaps it’s just the city of Philly does this to people. None the less, if I hear one more time that Trump supporters have guns so we need to be careful about the election, I’ll hurl.

  68. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    These politic for sport people all need to take a chill.

  69. grim says:

    I think Tarantino was all downhill after Reservoir Dogs. I hope I’m not the only one that thought Kill Bill was awful.

  70. Harry Seward is a hypocrite.
    Harry Seward is a hypocrite.
    Harry Seward is a hypocrite.
    Harry Seward is a hypocrite.
    Harry Seward is a hypocrite.

    BTW, what’s “Bulling”? Is that the thing that John Travolta used to like riding?

    Finally we have the standard for this place defined. You can call me a hypocrite all you want, but I don’t set the standards you do.

    “Racism, Bulling and Misogyny! Welcome to Trumpland! Have a Nice Stay!”

  71. grim says:

    “Racism, Bullying, Misogyny and Trolls! Welcome to the Internet! Have a Nice Stay!”

    Fixed it.

  72. Kill Bill – so good it had to be two identical movies. Were you saying WTF? all through Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon like I was?

    I think Tarantino was all downhill after Reservoir Dogs. I hope I’m not the only one that thought Kill Bill was awful.

  73. STEAMturd questioning the gender of Hillary's Cankle fluid. says:

    I am completely with you. Not everything has to be exploitation. Loved dogs. Abhorred Pulp Fiction and nearly everything since. He’s gotten way to simple and predictable. His films are enjoyable, but very shallow. The Christopher Wentz Dentist character was the epitome of utter silliness.

  74. Comrade Nom Deplorable, Armed and sort of Dangerous says:

    Turd,

    “if I hear one more time that Trump supporters have guns so we need to be careful about the election, I’ll hurl.”

    Turd, next time you are down, wanna hit the range? I’ll let you try out one of my ARs.

  75. Comrade Nom Deplorable, Yellow Dog Republican says:

    Trump is a warm body, a placeholder. His sole job is to keep Hillary out of the Oval Office. If his mass occupies that space, hers can’t. That’s why no one cares what he says.

    Fact is, if you really want to restrain Trump, make him president. Once there, it’s like locking him up for four years.

  76. Grim says:

    Since when does the president actually do anything anyway

  77. Flee? says:

    Grim/Fab…

    My 9/11 post was basically listing topic of what the site’s main article for each year around 9/11 time [everything was about real-estate, except for that year; I haven’t checked for years afterwards]. Then four or five words, something to the effect of “fake patriotism”.

    I agree with Grim that it was uncalled for [it was a really cheap shot, a personal insult], he has said he didn’t particularly care about the Mosque [fair enough], he has accused me (or pointed out) that my bias made me see what I wanted to see [fair enough, many anti-mosque articles, and Grim’s post made me conclude that Grim *MUST* be condoning and encouraging it — my bias at play], and I had apologized to him at that time, and never brought it up till now. The reason I pointed that post was to make a point that I usually don’t post accusations easily.

    I have mixed feelings about Grim deleting the post. He sort of saved me embarrassment — I know quite a few people here and it was a cringe-worthy post and I am glad that people didn’t see it. On the other hand, it was censorship…

    The post could have opened by flaming and counter-flaming, usually coming together after having ugly fights build stronger relationships (may be GTGs are the right place for having such fights, but everyone is so damn polite there)!

    As for my concerns, I want to get actionable information — for many things, I have gotten perfect advice from here (be it buying the house, buying a car, where to get mortgage, what type of life insurance to get, investment options, etc. these are concerns we all share). The xenophobia concerns are quite unique — it is something that I don’t even bother to bring up with many Indian family friends here — many are single issue people [anti-Muslim or pro-tax cuts, or anti-gay, anti-illegal immigration], and some have higher risk appetite, and most think of it as a Trump-specific issue and will pass come Nov 8]. Some immigrant friends from Europe are sympathetic and actually told me that I am under-estimating the risks.

    This is the one place where there is a cross-section of people that have widely varying views, so I think it is a fairly good place to express the concerns — someone insulting me is less of a problem than someone deflecting and sucking up all the oxygen. I am not even making a statement that the risk is too much or too little — I simply want to know the risks.

    I admit, after the posts a couple of months ago, I felt pretty disappointed and sort of worried and simply withdrew, but now that Trump is out of the picture (and seeing Nom and Grim’s posts about how Trump is done and extrapolating), I figured it is a time to get some insight. If I thought the risks increased, I’d have continued to be silent.

  78. This made me laugh:

    @CaseyNewton
    This debate is the second-worst thing that ever happened to Abraham Lincoln

  79. Fast Eddie says:

    Are you better off than you were eight years ago? Is the country better off than it was eight years ago?

  80. Grim says:

    Just wait till you see the shit that will be dropped about trump right before the polls open.

    You always save the best for last.

  81. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    As someone who has spent way too much time studying the human psyche especially in regards to mass genocide, I would say we are still far from a Khmer Rouge or Third Reich event. Deep down, our country was founded on religious freedom. It is fun to flex our internet muscles and to call McCain a whimp for getting captured. But you’ll see by the results of this election, that deep down, Americans know their DNA reads more mutt than pure breed. As loudly as the anti-abortion or anti-gay marriage camp yells and in the media it appears that side is winning. Polls show the complete opposite is the case and that’s due to the true good in people. Hell, we elected a black president!!! I still find it hard to believe. Though I wouldn’t dismiss mass genocides in the future. I really don’t think it will happen here. You’ll be fine.

  82. Flee? says:

    Lib,

    “Trump will be a martyr to no one but himself. We heard the same fears of violence from the left at the Republican Convention. Yet it was the Bernie crowd in Philadelphia that were the hooligans or perhaps it’s just the city of Philly does this to people.

    If someone hurls a racial/ethnic slur at me, would it matter if they like the same politician as I do, or if they like the same sports team as I do? If some Sikh guy gets harassed because he looks like an Arab, I think we should address it as “no, harassing is not OK” (as opposed to , “no, he is not an Arab”).

    Ignorance/bigotry isn’t exclusive to red-team or the blue-team. There was a lot of Bernie crowd that went off the reservation after Super Tuesday losses (SC, GA, AL, AK, TX, TN) — discounting the years that the Clintons have spent building relationships with the community there, and attributing it to “these guys are too stupid to know what is good for them”.

    Let me ask you a simple question… do you think the level of discourse has been worsening in the past eight years? If it is, do you see it as something to be concerned or not?

  83. Flee? says:

    Lib,

    Sorry… I posted a question AFTER you had more than answered (and did it quite well — thanks). I had that tab open and typing on and off.

    I shouldn’t be posting… Forget about having to debug the code, I don’t even have the code ready — in fact, I don’t even have the design/math ready.

  84. STEAMturd questioning the gender of Hillary's Cankle fluid. says:

    The level of discourse has definitely been worsening for all, but the upper echelon of income here have benefited from the recent economic gains. And if there is truly one thing these two candidates have in common, it’s that they both will do nothing to change this. Blaming other cultures has always been the easy scapegoat. But it’s getting harder and harder to do as our world is getting much less and less homogeneous.

  85. D-FENS says:

    People are already voting.

    Grim says:
    October 10, 2016 at 4:25 pm
    Just wait till you see the shit that will be dropped about trump right before the polls open.

    You always save the best for last.

  86. STEAMturd questioning the gender of Hillary's Cankle fluid. says:

    I’m gonna vote with my cunt.

  87. Grim says:

    Pretty sure the NY Post is going to publish a picture of Trumps junk.

  88. Lib – anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage is winning in what media? I don’t think I get that channel, is it satellite radio? I don’t recall seeing a single story on either in recent times. Rather, I think those have been traditional mainstays of the Republican party that are now being jettisoned by the newcomers backing Trump. I’ll go out on a limb and say that what had been the Republican party is gone, perhaps to re-emerge as a third party? I don’t know. Do I think there are racists and violent lunatics voting for Trump? Sure. Do I think that is Trump’s “base”? Absolutely not. I think we’re going to see something very unique happen. Clinton will win the center, but it’s going to be the smallest center ever and it won’t be enough.

    As loudly as the anti-abortion or anti-gay marriage camp yells and in the media it appears that side is winning.

  89. It would be cool if they changed the ballots to read:
    Candidate for President of the United States of America (Choose One):

    1. Devil that we know
    2. Devil that we don’t

    I think this is a nation of good people, but also a nation of risk-takers. Risk-takers will choose 2

    If elected, I bet Hillary runs for her second term as the “First Out-of-the-closet Lesbian” president, with first “equal” Humma Weiner.

  90. It would be cool if they changed the ballots to read:
    Candidate for President of the United States of America (Choose One):

    1. Devil that we know
    2. Devil that we don’t

    I think this is a nation of good people, but also a nation of risk-takers. Risk-takers will choose 2

    If elected, I bet Hillary runs for her second term as the “First Out-of-the-closet Lesb1an” president, with first “equal” Humma Weiner.

  91. STEAMturd questioning the gender of Hillary's Cankle fluid. says:

    Really? You think Trump’s going to win? If he does, I’ll simply be astonished. I might not have been surprised until I saw the debates. After the debates, I too do not think he is fit for president. He can’t speak a complete sentence. He offers opinions much like a two year old does, but instead of yes and know he only says great or terrible. I was actually surprised that he could name a supreme court justice. If he does win, I am really not scared of the result though. I think he has smartly adopted a lot of popular watercooler topics to rile up the blue collars, but he would never ever build a wall. And if you think a past Republican couldn’t get anything through, how will Trump, who most conservatives hate get stuff through. It doesn’t matter though. He is simply a despicable circus leader. Hillary is truly no better for the country and won’t do 99% of what she promises, but she is way less likely to embarrass me. I really think you are nuts if you think Trump has a chance. As nuts as thinking Hillary had spinal meningitis or whatever else you claimed. Nothing personal. But Trump? How about the Fonzarella in 2020. He’d be great too. AAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEE!

  92. D-FENS says:

    Hey why not. Paula Jones says that Bill told her Hillary eats more pxxxy than he does.

  93. D-FENS says:

    Do you vote steamturd?

  94. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    Mainly I’ve voted for “none of the above.” I voted for Obama and Clinton’s first terms. Won’t get fooled again.

  95. bergenite says:

    Q: Are you better off than you were eight years ago? Is the country better off than it was eight years ago?

    A: yes, yes

    Remember 2008, the mess left from the big banks, Bush tax rebate fiasco, bailout for the big banks and extraordinary defense financing.
    I am better off since made more serious investments, more passive, more defensive, less bubble-ish. Trying to build a 10% gold on the side as a failsafe.

  96. STEAMturd knows hyper incarceration makes hyper gentrification oh so much easier says:

    I’m about 40 pounds heavier. :P

  97. Ben says:

    Q: Are you better off than you were eight years ago? Is the country better off than it was eight years ago?

    A: yes, yes

    Remember 2008, the mess left from the big banks, Bush tax rebate fiasco, bailout for the big banks and extraordinary defense financing.
    I am better off since made more serious investments, more passive, more defensive, less bubble-ish. Trying to build a 10% gold on the side as a failsafe.

    Yes, I am. My salary has gone up 30k and I’m making an additional 10 to 15 on the side. For the most part, people with steady employment have done well. Your lower echelon, not so much.

    My millenial siblings on the other hand…are still in the same boat. My younger sister who is going to turn 28 had like $15k saved out of college. She’s still working for $15 an hour and has since moved to Oregon. Probably doesn’t have much more saved. My brother is turning 30. He’s working two jobs and living in his girlfriend’s parents basement. His girlfriend suffers from health issues and is in need of a major surgery. No doctors accept her insurance. That’s the big joke about those idiots bragging how more people are covered. They are covered in name only. They have insurance and can’t get anything with it.

  98. D-FENS says:

    20 trillion in debt doesn’t seem much better than it was 8 years ago.

  99. D-FENS says:

    Sounds like you guys did a great job managing your own lives…I personally feel like the people managing the country didn’t do as well with it.

  100. Essex says:

    steamturd, who will stay home and watch the kids while you vote?

  101. D-FENS says:

    @jamiedupree
    Wikileaks has now made two Podesta email dumps in recent days – they have garnered 1 tweet from GOP lawmakers

  102. Hahahahahaha

    Well, we all thought the big problem for our US democracy was Citizens United/Koch Brothers big money in politics. Silly us; turns out that money isn’t all that important if you can conflate entertainment with the electoral process. Trump masters TV, TV so-called news picks up and repeats and repeats to death this opinionated blowhard and his hairbrained ideas, free-floating discontent attaches to a seeming strongman and we’re off and running. JFK, Jr would be delighted by all this as his “George” magazine saw celebrity politics coming. The magazine struggled as it was ahead of its time but now looks prescient. George, of course, played the development pretty lightly, basically for charm and gossip, like People, but what we are dealing with now is dead serious. How does this get handled in the general? Secretary Clinton is not an entertainer, and not a celebrity in the Trump, Kardashian mold; what can she do to offset this? I’m certain the poll-directed insiders are sure things will default to policy as soon as the conventions are over, but I think not. And as I’ve mentioned, we’ve all been quite content to demean government, drop civics and in general conspire to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry. The unawareness remains strong but compliance is obviously fading rapidly. This problem demands some serious, serious thinking – and not just poll driven, demographically-inspired messaging.

    https://www.wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3599

  103. Steamturd says:

    I like to bring the kids with me.

  104. Fabius Maximus says:

    Didn’t have time to post this earlier.

    “You just feel it appropriate to stereotype me based on what others say or do, or your own misperception.”
    I am not stereotyping you, I holding you accountable for what others say and do in here. Remember your big cease and delete letter. That was not sent to me, although a lot of my posts were deleted. It was not sent to the offending party, who’s posts they wanted removed. It was sent to you as you are the one that’s accountable.

    “Did you enjoy the minimum wage porn stars at comic-con? ”
    Here’s what I saw. I will say I was there on “Kids Day” so I can’t speak of the other days. I saw a lot of small toy shop owners. A lot of, authors, artists, game designers with games to sell or Kickstarter campaigns to fund. All that entrepreneurial sprit you have been bemoaning, has been missing from the US? While a very few had content that I would object to, most were appropriate. Thats before you got to the corporate Booths. Starwars, StarTrek and every MY9, CW, franchise you can name. The Lego booth and South Park were pretty cool as well.

    “spent nearly three years studying and doing research on negative self-body image” I hope that research covered the two areas that most concern me. The school lunch room and the school gym. That to me is where most of the damage is done. The girls are never taught team work and pitted against each other in popularity contests, clothes and academics. The boys are split between the strong and the week and the strong can show no emotion.

    “I wouldn’t spend a penny supporting that industry” So you’ve never been, OK noted. Would I take my kids back to ComicCon,? Yes, my only issue was the crowd volume? Here are places I have been that I would not bring my kids. Yankees/Red Socks, Jets/Pats, Giants/Cowboys. The ramps in the old Giants Stadium were ugly at times. Are all sports bad, No! Hockey with the Devils is a lot of family friendly fun.
    NBA, between Knicks and the Nets, I have never had an issue.

    So back to your dig on “minimum wage porn stars at comic-con?” If they are there, they are probably earning the same as the Flight Crew on Jets Game day.

  105. Fabius Maximus says:

    ExPat,

    I actually had a subscription to George. It folded soon after the crash. I think it only lasted nine issues and they sent me a refund on my remaining subscription.

  106. Fabius Maximus says:

    TinyURL, because the original didn’t make it through the filters, Priceless!

    It’s all wrong!
    http://tinyurl.com/hhomvdv

  107. Flee? says:

    Lib, re things will be fine…

    Though I wouldn’t dismiss mass genocides in the future. I really don’t think it will happen here. You’ll be fine.

    Hmm… I wasn’t talking about genocides (wouldn’t it be stupid to actually wait till such stuff materializes)? I was thinking in terms of something simple, like “what are the chances that in the next ten years this place will no longer be a good place for me and my family”. I am a bit slow in the head — I need a few years of lead time.

  108. SteamTurd the bourgeois drone, supportor of the canklephate and hyper about incarcenation says:

    Sadly, there is a very short period of time from the development of hatred to hate crimes. Just don’t bomb any marathons and your family will be fine.

  109. SteamTurd the bourgeois drone, supportor of the canklephate and hyper about incarcenation says:

    And Good morning New Jersey.

  110. Bravo pour le blog et vos articles.

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