At the top now?

From CNBC:

Home listings suddenly jump as sellers worry they may miss out on the red-hot housing market

Sharply higher mortgage rates have caused a sudden pullback in home sales, and now sellers are rushing to get in before the red-hot market cools off dramatically.

The supply of homes for sale jumped 9% last week compared with the same period a year ago, according to Realtor.com. That is the biggest annual gain the company has recorded since it began tracking the metric in 2017.

Real estate brokerage Redfin also reported that new listings rose nearly twice as fast in the four weeks ended May 15 as they did during the same period a year ago.

“Rising mortgage rates have caused the housing market to shift, and now home sellers are in a hurry to find a buyer before demand weakens further,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.

Sellers clearly see the market softening. Pending home sales, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, dropped nearly 4% in April from March. They were down just over 9% from April 2021, according to the National Association of Realtors. This index measures signed contracts on existing homes, not closings, so it is perhaps the most timely indicator of how buyers are reacting to higher mortgage rates. It marks the sixth straight month of sales declines and the slowest pace in nearly a decade.

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119 Responses to At the top now?

  1. grim says:

    They were Grim.

    Who the hell is running this joint anyway..

  2. dentss dunnigan says:

    Pay cash …….

  3. Trick says:

    Houses that have posted sell prices are averaging 50-60k over ask, even the crappy one was 15k over. Nothing is currently on the marked.

  4. BRT says:

    And yes the hypocrisy of those small Gov Conservatives saying its a Mental Health Issue ( you putting any money towards addressing that?) or we need guards in the schools ( Umm, whoes paying) or the best, its the doors.

    A teenager gave an interview yesterday saying the kid was constantly trying to pick on others and when it backfired, he would get very irate. He said he was always an awful person and would torture animals. That’s a tell tale sign that is very common and I’m willing to bet all the puzzle pieces fit.

    The school failed miserably in it’s response. The kid was shooting for 12 minutes outside according to reports before he walks right into an unlocked door.

    The responding police officers engaged the shooter unsuccessfully and were hurt according to reports. The rest of them who stood outside for an hour were a complete failure. The police did the same thing when there was a shooting spree in a Pathmark in NJ years back. They formed a perimeter and stood outside for 3 or 4 hours. A lot of these guys probably made the decision that “I’m not going to die today”.

    If you think you are going to solve this with a single piece of legislation, you won’t. We have all the legislation in the world to deal with this already. These things are always a series of failures of everyone down the chain. Your president is screaming for laws, meanwhile, his crackhead of a son lied on his gun application and later had an incident in which the secret service covered for him. Yeah…that’s who I want drafting legislation on this issue….

  5. Ex says:

    In this Country you are “on your own”. Get used to it.

  6. Ex says:

    Seems that the Police response to the latest school shooting was, as expected, a clustterf-ck.

  7. 3b says:

    Raise rates and the inventory stats to rise, imagine that. The myth of the no inventory is starting to crack.

  8. 3b says:

    So if this kid in Tx was red flagged, then what? He can be encouraged to seek help, but cannot be forced. Should he be added to a list and then the list circulated to gun stores? I am just thinking out loud here, I don’t know what the answer is, but I do think a full background check should be conducted. Maybe an age requires, an 18 year old can buy a gun, but can’t buy alcohol.

  9. BRT says:

    3b,

    they’ve gotten a lot of people on plotting alone. It was the same deal with Nicholas Cruz and his internet postings. You could at least investigate. Instead, they just fly under the radar.

  10. Ex says:

    Nobody needs a f-cking assault rifle.
    Least of all a kid. An unstable bottom feeder. Nope.

  11. Ex says:

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Many voters in heavily Democratic Los Angeles are seething over rising crime and homelessness and that could prompt the city to take a turn to the political right for the first time in decades.

    One of the leading candidates for mayor is Rick Caruso, a pro-business billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat who sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and is promising to expand spending on police, not defund them.

    At another time, the high-end mall and resort developer would seem an unlikely choice to potentially lead the nation’s second-most populous city, where democratic socialist Bernie Sanders was the runaway winner in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. A progressive City Hall has embraced so-called sanctuary city protections for people who entered the U.S. illegally and “Green New Deal” climate policies.

    But these are fraught times in LA, with more than 40,000 people living in trash-strewn homeless encampments and rusty RVs, distress over brazen smash-and-grab robberies and home invasions while inflation and taxes are gouging wallets — gas in a region built on car travel has cracked $6 a gallon. Rents and home prices have soared.

  12. 3b says:

    BRT: I agree. I am just wondering how they do it once the individual is flagged? As in how do they contain them, prevent them from buying guns.

  13. Phoenix says:

    The basics: Step one, police don’t have to, nor have any duty to ever protect you. This leaves you on your own. A reason to have your own weapon right off the bat. It was a personal weapon ( a barber’s shotgun) that took down this kid.

    Warren v. District of Columbia.

    is a case in which three rape victims sued the District of Columbia because of negligence on the part of the police.

    The police had lost track of the repeated calls for assistance. DC’s highest court ruled that the police do not have a legal responsibility to provide personal protection to individuals, and absolved the police and the city of any liability.

  14. Trick says:

    There has never been a mass shooting where anyone that new the person was surprised it was them. Not saying they saw it coming but not surprised. IF something were to happen at my wifes school she already knows who would be involved. There are redflags all over the place, but were do you draw the line between a troubled kid and a potential mass murderer. Start with the guns i guess.

  15. 3b says:

    Ex: That’s a big change for LA, but I guess not surprising, too far one way snaps back the other way.

  16. Phoenix says:

    Step 2. They can laugh at you, and write reports that are gibberish, leaving you nowhere to turn:

    Barisone argued civil rights violations after he said officers unlawfully falsified police reports following three visits to his farm as well as an in-person visit to the police station, where Barisone — who said he was suffering a psychological breakdown — said Kanarek and Goodwin had guns and had made deadly threats. Officers, he said, refused to assist him, merely laughed off the claims and did not further investigate.

    While Sceusi said it is unclear whether the police reports contained falsehoods, he cited case law that the filing of a false report is not itself a constitutional violation. He also noted that Barisone’s claims that police failed to investigate his complaints were invalid.

    Step 3. They don’t have to investgate a single thing for you. They will if they “feel like” but have no responsibilty to actually perform. So remember, it helps to be the type they like to be “heroes” towards as that is motivation for them to perform:

    “Courts have held that a plaintiff does not have a constitutional right to have police investigate on their behalf, let alone do so to their satisfaction,” Sceusi said.

  17. Ex says:

    “It was a personal weapon ( a barber’s shotgun) that took down this kid.”

    So, it WAS the off-duty copy who ran over there to get his daughter. Holy Shit.

    Vested Interest. That is probably the single most important factor. Care. He obviously cared. Not exactly sure what the other cops who were on-duty and did respond were thinking. Probably, “damn I don wanna git shot….aight stand ova heeeere outta the way…”

  18. Phoenix says:

    Jacob Albarado, a border patrol agent, was off work on Tuesday and was at the barber’s when he got a text from his wife Trisha Albarado saying: ‘Help’
    Trisha, mother to their three children – sons Zachary and Jordan, and daughter Jayda, teaches fourth grade maths and science at Robb Elementary School
    Albarado leapt up from the barber’s, grabbed the barber’s shotgun, and drove straight to the school, where eight-year-old Jayda and her mother were inside

  19. Ex says:

    8:43 — just look down the road to San Diego and see just what a well-run City looks like.
    The LA Co. is massive. $4M in the city of LA and $10 total in the County. It’s a place like none other. You can walk through a cluster of homeless tents where they’ve kind of appropriated who blocks. You will under the trees and see the tents and there’s an eerie calm. Old bicycles are strewn into piles. Couldn’t say how many people are there, but if that is the future folks, then we are well and truly screwed. One block away there would be $2m apartments. Property is a relative term when it comes to the public thoroughfare at least where the City of LA and in fact many parts of the Valley are concerned.

  20. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Just like from 2008-2013….the only houses that will be for sale are POS’s. Of course, you never tried to buy a house during a housing bust. Take my advice, and if you don’t believe, ask FAST EDDie. He went through it too.

    3b says:
    May 27, 2022 at 8:09 am
    Raise rates and the inventory stats to rise, imagine that. The myth of the no inventory is starting to crack.

  21. Phoenix says:

    Pay 10k to have a semi auto gun proposed by some:

    So, then it is fine for the wealthy to have one, but not for some poor farmer to have one to kill wild boar on his farm.

    Sounds like financial discrimination.

  22. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Guess nj taxes do help….would have never happened in wayne. That kid would have been shot dead the minute he shot at cops. Everything has a cost. Want cheap taxes with half-ass cops….you got it. Just like they get half-ass teachers when they pay them 40k a year.

    Ex says:
    May 27, 2022 at 8:02 am
    Seems that the Police response to the latest school shooting was, as expected, a clustterf-ck.

  23. Fast Eddie says:

    House sales: My spider senses (a.k.a observations) tell me that the number of houses for sale in and around surrounding towns don’t appear to be greater in number. I usually look at 2 to 3 house tour guide sites every few days and the 3/2 worn cape for 500K is still the norm. Nothing changed there. And for every house I see listed with a sign on the lawn as I drive around, it goes from “for sale” to “under contract” in a matter of days. I do see that 30 year fixed rates are down about 40 basis points in the last 2 weeks. I expect to see it hover around 5% for a 30 year mortgage for the duration of this economic cycle. As a side, Zillow and Trulia have my house estimate at an all time high and quite honestly, I think I’d have no problem getting it.

  24. Phoenix says:

    Why die to become a “hero” when all you need to do that currently is to rescue a dog from a hot car?

  25. ex says:

    9:04. Did you know the god spelled backwards is dog?

  26. Fast Eddie says:

    The gun problem/mass shootings: It stems from the breakdown of family structure, discipline, guidance and adherence to rules. Couple it with the vitriol spewed daily on s0cial media and it’s “mass” influence over like-minded flunkees and you have a recipe for disaster. Period.

  27. joyce says:

    Barely past 9am and Gary is nominated for post of the day. Most ignorant post of the day that is…

  28. Ex says:

    But seriously, Who needs an assault rifle? There are not that many wild boars.

    Let’s all arm ourselves with …..bows and arrows.
    I know I know some dude went on a rampage with those.

    What in the HEELLLLL is wrong if you think you need anything like that weapon. Zombie Apocalypse??

    Shhhheeeet. Let alone a kid. An adult sold him that. An adult with no sense of responsibility, its systemic anything for a $$ life. I gotta make a living man. Sold that freaking spooky kid a rifle. What could go wrong.

  29. Phoenix says:

    Is this what you get when you follow the rules?

    The clip, reposted by CBS Sacramento shows a man being detained by police with his hands up, not resisting arrest. While his back is turned, a Sheriff’s deputy comes running at him and knees him in the back, knocking the man off balance. Once the man turns around to see what happens, he gets tackled by another officer.

    To make things even worse, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the situation was the result of a case of mistaken identity. According to CBS Sacramento, the man in the video matched the description of a suspect who was wanted on a felony arrest warrant.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4z5B29fkgA

  30. Ex says:

    More on Guns (sorry) IMHO *mandatory training. *Certified instructors. *21 years of age. *Licensure and *psychological profile. Oh, you think that would rule some people out? Unfettered capitalism re: gun mfgs under the guise of Liberty has made us all dangerous.

  31. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Wow, anyone want to move to Texas? What a joke. Seems like that tweet I shared the day this happened was dead on….pathetic response from the cops.

    Ex says:
    May 27, 2022 at 8:53 am
    “It was a personal weapon ( a barber’s shotgun) that took down this kid.”

    So, it WAS the off-duty copy who ran over there to get his daughter. Holy Shit.

    Vested Interest. That is probably the single most important factor. Care. He obviously cared. Not exactly sure what the other cops who were on-duty and did respond were thinking. Probably, “damn I don wanna git shot….aight stand ova heeeere outta the way…”

  32. Phoenix says:

    Start with facts-definition of “assault rifle.”

    The U.S. Army defines assault rifles as “short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges.”[18] In this strict definition, a firearm must have at least the following characteristics to be considered an assault rifle:[2][3][4]

    It must be capable of selective fire.

  33. Fast Eddie says:

    Barely past 9am and Gary is nominated for post of the day.

    Thank you, Joyce! I always knew you liked me!

  34. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Like selling a kid crack or the H. What’s the difference?

    “Shhhheeeet. Let alone a kid. An adult sold him that. An adult with no sense of responsibility, its systemic anything for a $$ life. I gotta make a living man. Sold that freaking spooky kid a rifle. What could go wrong.”

  35. Phoenix says:

    Pumps,
    You are a fool if you think the police in your town care one bit about you.

    Unless you are in a secret relationship with one of them, but who am I to judge? Open marriage is fine if you agree to it.

  36. Hold my beer says:

    Why was the door to the school unlocked? My district once school starts all exterior doors are locked. To get in you have to push a buzzer and show your id. At the high school you have to get checked in and then get buzzed through the doors that separate the lobby from the halls. All classroom doors are locked from the inside once class starts. The lower grade schools you have to get through the office and get checked in and then get buzzed in to get into the school.

    If they heard gunshots for 12 minutes, why didn’t someone lock the doors ? Why didn’t the school go into lockdown and lock all classroom doors. The psycho could have still gotten into the school after shooting up a door, but it would delayed him and his gun might have jammed while he was trying to break in.

  37. Phoenix says:

    Do we need now to define selective fire?

    Yeah, lets do that, just for safety’s sake.

    Selective fire is the capability of a weapon to be adjusted to fire in semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode.[1] The modes are chosen by means of a selector switch, which varies depending on the weapon’s design

  38. 3b says:

    When I was a kid there were other kids that were wrapped too tight as we would say, loners, others prone to violence and fighting, and then just plain odd. And I would think that was the case all over the country, but I don’t recall ever hearing about mass shootings. So what’s changed? We had screwed up families back then , so is it just the bad family upbringing thing? We have kids that have come from awful deprived backgrounds and have risen above it all, we have others that come from the best of families with every advance and are a mess. So what’s changed since I was a kid with these mass shootings and people saying it’s the family/ upbringing.

  39. Phoenix says:

    Why was the door to the school unlocked?

    Who knows. Maybe Texas is like NJ where the adults hoard every penny and refuse to put air conditioning in the schools.

    Boomer didn’t need AC. Boomer went to class when it was 200 degrees carrying 700 pounds of books. Boomer walked through 8 feet of snow and made it on time every time. Damn lazy kids of today, social media screen touchers!

  40. 3b says:

    According to the latest chatter Biden will not be announcing his stud loan forgiveness plan this weekend , but that the plan when announced will forgive 10k per borrowers for those earning less than 150k per year, or less than 300k for married borrowers filing jointly. What a kick in the ass to all those who paid for their kids college, and or paid their loans off.

  41. Phoenix says:

    3b

    Or a kick in the ass to those who don’t have a place for a “plug in” car, or can’t afford one so they can take advantage of the tax break when they purchase their Tesla.

  42. 3b says:

    Phoenix: I don’t argue your point on that. And I don’t argue there are all sorts of BS tax breaks and of course bailouts and handouts for business and some people.

    I think though for a lot of people this hits closer to home, and is more galling.

  43. Phoenix says:

    3b,
    Agreed. Even more appalling when you add the two together.

    I’m no fan of Dementia Joe. Nor AOC.

    Her comments the other day were disgusting and demeaning.

  44. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Looks like a face ripper is in progress.

    DNA is certainly ripping…little short squeeze probably. At 3.12 now….was 2.09 on May 11th. Whoever bought, made 50% in 2 weeks.

  45. 3b says:

    Phoenix: I agree, AOC s comments were absolutely disgusting, and shameful. I find her one of the most ignorant and arrogant individuals out there. She knows nothing about nothing.

  46. SmallGovConservative says:

    Few thoughts on mass shootings…
    – Not surprised that there’s no interest in exploring the possible role of heavy pot/drug use as a contributing factor in pushing these anti-social young men over the edge, and moving them from troubled teen to mass murderer. At this point I suspect it would be harder to restrict people’s access to recreational drugs than to restrict their access to guns.
    – I once saw an estimate that a hundred years ago, there were guns in over half of all households in the US. Yet I can’t find evidence of a random mass shooting until 1949, and then not another until almost twenty years later. And now of course, we have an epidemic. Certainly backs Ed’s comments about the breakdown of family and other ‘guiding’ institutions, but I think simple copy-catting is also part of the reason. Mass shooting was unimaginable a hundred years ago so no one ever engaged in a mass shooting. Now that they’re commonplace, there are probably troubled kids considering mass murder anytime they have a bad day.
    – Open societies do a poor job of dealing with mental illness. As discouraging and shameful as it is that we can’t put an end to mass shootings in the US, at least we don’t allow mentally ill people to fly commercial planes like they do in Germany. The fact is, it would take ~10 of these mass shooting events to kill the number of people that were killed because a known mentally ill young man was able to lock himself into the cockpit of a commercial German airliner and fly it into the side of a mountain.

  47. Fast Eddie says:

    Certainly backs Ed’s comments about the breakdown of family and other ‘guiding’ institutions, but I think simple copy-catting is also part of the reason.

    I was told this is ignorant thought process.

  48. joyce says:

    It is… you’re attempting to take a situation with multiple variables and point to one.

  49. Grim says:

    Fucccckkkkkk read through an article with the bios of the 10 year olds killed.

    I can not imagine. Any of this.

  50. Grim says:

    I can not imagine the sadistic brutality required to murder a 10 year old kid.

    Please spare me the “he was a good kid”

  51. 3b says:

    Grim: Maybe in the end it’s just pure evil and nothing else. I know that is dismissed by many today, and even the concept of evil itself is dismissed, as the belief is their has to be a psychological reason. But, maybe in the end it really is just pure evil.

  52. Libturd says:

    Maybe he was Muslim?

  53. The Great Pumpkin says:

    That was the first thing my old superintendent said when he gave an intro speech at my school. Yelling at the teachers…”they’re all good kids.” Pushed so many people out…and what is the result? Guess it wasn’t the teachers….

  54. The Great Pumpkin says:

    DNA up to 3.22….these high growth stocks are not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. Massive swings that most people can’t handle.

  55. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Oil somehow still at 114. This is with China shutdown. Try explaining that one. Until I see gas prices bust, economy won’t bottom and get better.

  56. No One says:

    This kid was not helping support a well regulated militia.
    “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
    This is a well written paper that looked back at the historical context of when this was written, and indicates that the second amendment wasn’t designed as an individual personal right to bear arms, but to clarify that the various states were allowed to organize militias (Federalists wanted more central control of militias).
    https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/9064/Campbell_okstate_0664M_12057.pdf
    On the other hand, it was written at a time when many individuals would have owned guns, often for hunting or protection from wildlife, hostile indians, or due to the recent war. So bearing arms probably referred to military grade arms, for use in militias, rather than those hunting rifles people owned.

  57. LurksMcGee says:

    10:12 don’t tell me you’re one of those “Reefer Madness” folks.

    Try to look outside the bubble of the US. Tell me the difference between our prevalence of mass SCHOOL shootings, and every other country.

  58. The Great Pumpkin says:

    U.S. households boosted spending for a fourth straight month in April, but the savings rate fell to the lowest in 14 years, suggesting many Americans are tapping savings to offset cost increases from inflation.

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/consumer-spending-personal-income-april-2022-11653597309?mod=hp_lead_pos1

  59. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Only a matter of time before they tap out, unless prices drop?

  60. Nomad says:

    3b says:
    May 27, 2022 at 8:16 am

    One master background check system – some states operate their own. With one national system, no issue of states keeping database current. Healthcare and other practitioners can enter info into their EMR, and data is transmitted in de-identified manner and when it gets ported to the background check system, it knows to flag the person as “cannot purchase firearm”. I assume the techies know how to do this.

    In many cases, shooter posts their intentions on social media well in advance of the act. FB, IG and others don’t have systems and algos that trip when this happens to warn local police and FBI field units – mandatory max amount of time for these folks to follow up face to face with person of interest and parent(s)? Could this algo also automatically send data to national background check system to at minimum, makes firearms and ammunition sales not available to the person of interest for a few days until things get sorted out?

    If underage kid gets parents gun and bad stuff happens (Sandy Hook shooter used parents gun I believe), should be treated as same when kids go to friends house, drink and then get in crash and injure someone.

    Sandy Hook Promise has free programs to train kids, teachers and parents what to look for so if your school doesn’t offer this, call them.

  61. BRT says:

    Lib, yesterday was a veggie hoagie day. Check out the shop Riccis hoagies around the corner from Antonio’s. Awesome Italian sub, kinda rinds me of White House in a way. Theyve been open since 1920.

  62. BRT says:

    Nomad, I’ve had two instances where I’ve notified authorities of potential red flags. One of a staff member. I know of another school where they had to take out a restraining order on a staff member based off posts and later police jailed him when he violated that.

  63. 3b says:

    Nomad: Then is sounds like their is a solution not 100 percent, as with anything, but certainly better than what we have now. I don’t know why then people of goodwill across all the divides can’t agree on getting this done.

  64. grim says:

    Realistically, the model should allow for anyone to file a concern on anyone, which would prevent them from purchasing any kind of firearm without additional screening.

    I can imagine the uproar this model would cause. Plenty of folks will claim this is some kind of mock court passing judgement on someone without any ability to defend themselves. Facebook being able to just flag someone? Holy Christ, Zuckerberg would need to wear a bulletproof vest from now on (oh, the irony).

  65. chicagofinance says:

    https://youtu.be/_2WofJ1cx_U?t=50

    Phoenix says:
    May 27, 2022 at 9:29 am
    Why was the door to the school unlocked?

    Who knows. Maybe Texas is like NJ where the adults hoard every penny and refuse to put air conditioning in the schools.

    Boomer didn’t need AC. Boomer went to class when it was 200 degrees carrying 700 pounds of books. Boomer walked through 8 feet of snow and made it on time every time. Damn lazy kids of today, social media screen touchers!

  66. Ex says:

    I prop my door (exit door) open trying to keep
    airflow moving. Helpful for Covid prevention.

  67. No One says:

    NJ has laws saying that you must not pump your own gas, but you must (in practice) bag your own groceries. And closely regulates what bag a store can sell you. And food places must not provide you with plastic straws unless you specifically ask for one. It might be easier to get an abortion than that. But selling pot is ok. Promising pensions that taxpayers may or may not be available to pay is ok.

    Is everyone enjoying their slower and more annoying “green” bagging experiences? Everyone enjoying their faulty paper straws ruining their cold drink? Good luck to the bubble tea buyers who forget to demand a straw as required by law.
    NJ has always hired the worst investment managers to run their pensions. I wonder how bad they are getting killed this year.
    NJ is run by idiots at best, tyrants and criminals at worst.
    I’m so glad NJ is only my summer house.

  68. BRT says:

    The bagging thing is awful. I have bags and keep forgetting them in the car. The fact that they banned paper is a joke. Paper is a sustainable biodegradable product.

  69. BRT says:

    oh yeah, and the straw thing, I stocked up in anticipation. You open my glove box, and out come 50 straws. I bought a pack of 1000 coffee stirrer straws from amazon the other week.

  70. Ex says:

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Ignored, stonewall and resisted these are the claims a report revealed about the handling of abuse allegations by the Southern Baptist Church.

    A months long investigation by a third-party showed the leadership focused more on protecting the SBC than the victims.

    According to a 288-page investigative report issued Sunday, the Southern Baptist Church (SBC) stonewalled and denigrated sexual abuse survivors to protect the reputations of the clergymen who committed the acts of abuse.

    In 2019, Jennifer Lyell, was the vice president for Lifeway Christian Resources and one of the highest-ranking woman in the SBC..

  71. Boomer Remover says:

    All — Has anyone school age children who didn’t get covid yet?

    Despite our best efforts and measures, covid tagged everyone at home this month. I picked up my daughter and witnessed a stream of sneezing, sniffling kids filing out. Kid tested today. If we were this careful and it happened, then this must be playing out all over the place.

  72. Juice Box says:

    No Covid officially in my house, after what seems like a dozen trips to get tests at CVS minute clinics and other testing centers and dozens of Binax Now tests since they came out. I still have plenty of home tests and anytime someone is not felling well we test. No Covid test was ever positive.

    My oldest is actually sick right now low grade fever, aches and pains, dry cough and vomiting. Two negative Covid tests so far.

  73. Juice Box says:

    re : bagging

    Ireland passed a plastic bag tax 20 years ago, if you wanted plastic you had to buy them and also pay the tax. Usage of plastic bags dropped over 90 percent within weeks as everyone bought cloth reusable. It made a noticeable difference, there were no plastic bags blowing around the environment anywhere after that.

    You may not notice the plastic bags in the environment unless you are stopped in an exit lane at a busy overpass. People tend to toss their garbage from their cars on those turns and it accumulates. Lots and lots of plastics. Spend some time near a busy stream and you can see plastic remnants everywhere. Hopefully this will get these plastics out of the environment. It is the least we can do for f*uc*ki*ng up everything else.

    I use the paper bags to light my charcoal grill. They work really well to get the chimney going. I stock piled about 50 of them, so good for now I guess. When I run out I will have to use some scrap paper as we don’t get a newspaper anymore.

  74. AJ says:

    We re-use ALL of the plastic bags from groceries as garbage bags. Many people do this, or use them for other things like picking up after the dog.

    4 and 8 gallon garbage bag sales will now skyrocket, and these are much thicker plastic.

    They mean well, but the results won’t be what they hope.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/04/09/711181385/are-plastic-bag-bans-garbage

  75. The Great Pumpkin says:

    My school has made masks mandatory since last week. It’s getting everyone and I hope some of these weak immune systems get vaxxed up or pay the price.

    Boomer Remover says:
    May 28, 2022 at 1:01 am
    All — Has anyone school age children who didn’t get covid yet?

    Despite our best efforts and measures, covid tagged everyone at home this month. I picked up my daughter and witnessed a stream of sneezing, sniffling kids filing out. Kid tested today. If we were this careful and it happened, then this must be playing out all over the place.

  76. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Well said.

    “You may not notice the plastic bags in the environment unless you are stopped in an exit lane at a busy overpass. People tend to toss their garbage from their cars on those turns and it accumulates. Lots and lots of plastics. Spend some time near a busy stream and you can see plastic remnants everywhere. Hopefully this will get these plastics out of the environment. It is the least we can do for f*uc*ki*ng up everything else.”

  77. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Aj,

    Come on, stop being selfish, something has to be done. A ton of plastic waste is created when every store transaction ends up in a plastic bag. Now they need to figure out how to use reusable bags for our garbage. Enough with the plastic unless you figure out how to recycle it. It’s destroying our oceans to the point we are eating plastic. It’s in our bodies now because the food we eat has been contaminated with plastic.

  78. Fast Eddie says:

    I continue to hear (and read) doctors, counselors, etc. assert that the primary reasons for the increase and frequency of school shootings is the disintegration of family and community structure, lack of strict adherence, a guiding presence and s0cial media. S0cial media and it’s influence may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It doesn’t take a trained expert to put the pieces together.

  79. Trick says:

    Our family of 4 has not tested positive for covid, we have all been sick but not to the point of flu like symptoms

  80. Old realtor says:

    The breakdown of the family unit is responsible. Marijuana is responsible. Mental illness is responsible. Social media is responsible.

    Where do the guns come into this?

  81. AJ says:

    I’m all for reducing plastic consumption, just stating the realities of a bag ban. Good intentions don’t always equal good results.

    As for being selfish, do you not use plastic garbage bags? Curious, what do you use then?

  82. Phoenix says:

    This is true.
    The guns have always been here. You have been able to purchase them for years.

    So why is there an “increase?” They have not become easier to get, in fact, every year gun ownership becomes more restrictive.

    So something has changed, but the availability is not the reason. It’s much, much more.

    But like everything, America likes to try the easy way out. But like anything else, anything that is prohibited, will be skirted. You might slow your problem a bit, but it’s not going anywhere unless you target the root cause- and that would be far too much work for Americans to handle.

    I continue to hear (and read) doctors, counselors, etc. assert that the primary reasons for the increase and frequency of school shootings is the disintegration of family and community structure, lack of strict adherence, a guiding presence and s0cial media. S0cial media and it’s influence may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It doesn’t take a trained expert to put the pieces together.

  83. BRT says:

    Boomer, there were about 10 kids that missed Omicron out of my 85 students. Most recent wave got them all, including me. The new variant evades pre-omicron infection immunity and also has proven to evade some omicron immunity from January.

    It’s not just that though. Flu, stomach flu, and a kinds of other stuff was spreading like crazy the past 8 weeks. I got 4 sicknesses in 4 weeks time. The cold weather has extended the cold season and when you combine that with every virus making a comeback after being artificially suppressed for 18 months through isolation…you get the ultimate petri dish.

  84. BRT says:

    As for being selfish, do you not use plastic garbage bags? Curious, what do you use then?

    It’s not what you do, it’s having the right opinion that makes you a good person.

  85. The Great Pumpkin says:

    I was speaking about our species and not specifically myself. Glad that you made it about me.

    At the end of the day, this question says it all. We continue to use plastic when we don’t have to, but human nature is a bitch, we don’t care about the long-term cost, only the short-term cost to our pocket and state of convenience. We have been using selfish throw away plastic bags for decades, that’s pathetic, i am glad some grown ups have finally entered the room to put an end to this horrible practice.

    “As for being selfish, do you not use plastic garbage bags? Curious, what do you use then?”

  86. Boomer Remover says:

    We were super cautious, I have a revolving line of credit with an official KN95 supplier, ninety six point five percent of my neighbors are courteous Koreans, and all of that just seems like it was for naught. Mixed feelings, especially about her teachers telling my kid to take off her mask for graduation practice, wtf?

    BTW, I was splayed out on my bed panting after testing, and on my Peloton 72 hours after taking my first Paxlovid dose. Can recommend. Only downside is the antiviral is incredibly bitter and you’ll taste it in your system for five days straight.

    re: bags
    I always scooped smaller grocery trips in my arms, just glad the stigma around this is gone. I too have a trunk full of cloth reusable bags. Give it time, we’ll get used grabbing them. Really confused why paper was banned, unless allowing would double its volume past what can reasonably be supplied.

  87. BRT says:

    Aj,

    Come on, stop being selfish, something has to be done.


    “As for being selfish, do you not use plastic garbage bags? Curious, what do you use then?”

    I was speaking about our species and not specifically myself. Glad that you made it about me.

  88. OC1 says:

    Phoenix said: “The guns have always been here. You have been able to purchase them for years.”

    30-40 years ago, if you had a long gun you were probably a hunter, and your gun was probably a bolt action rifle, with a small (5 rounds) internal magazine, or a shotgun. If you had a handgun it was probably a revolver. Semi-auto weapons of any kind with large magazines were uncommon.

    Mass killings were just harder to do in the days before we had AR-15s everywhere.

    Phoenix said: “I continue to hear (and read) doctors, counselors, etc. assert that the primary reasons for the increase and frequency of school shootings is the disintegration of family and community structure, lack of strict adherence, a guiding presence and s0cial media.”

    So all we need to do is completely rebuild American society and culture. Simple.

  89. Phoenix says:

    “Semi-auto weapons of any kind with large magazines were uncommon.”

    Uncommon, but they were available. So why the change? You could always purchase one-but most didn’t.

    Actually, it was Eddie that made this post-and it’s true. But don’t worry, Americans are too lazy, too greedy, too self serving to solve this problem, so don’t worry about having to do anything. It will take care of itself one way or the other. Thanks Boomer-another mess you created and left for your kids. You started with shotguns, worked your way up, and glorified gun culture for profit with war movies and video games.

    “I continue to hear (and read) doctors, counselors, etc. assert that the primary reasons for the increase and frequency of school shootings is the disintegration of family and community structure, lack of strict adherence, a guiding presence and s0cial media.”

  90. Phoenix says:

    America vs Europe.
    According to reports, the average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and witness 16,000 murders on TV by the time she is 18. Not only that, but the violence is getting more brutal and sadistic, and it often goes unpunished. In video games like Grand Theft Auto, players can run over sex workers, and the violence in Call of Duty has been linked to teen suicides. While this is considered fine and normal, showing the naked or partially naked human body on TV is considered extremely taboo. When Justin Timberlake accidentally ripped off a piece of Janet Jackson’s costume during the Super Bowl halftime show, revealing her nipple for a fraction of a second, this not only caused a moral outrage that lasted for days, but the FCC tried to fine television network CBS $550,000 for broadcasting “indecency.” The FCC ultimately failed, but not first without going all the way to the Supreme Court. The nip slip incident became the most-searched-for thing on the Internet in 2004, and CBS actually forced Jackson to apologize to Americans. “I am really sorry if I offended anyone, that was truly not my intention,” Jackson said.

    A Dutch friend who now lives in London also remarked on this disconnect between violence and nudity: “The movie Frida with Salma Hayek is rated R in the U.S. because of nudity, but in Holland it was 6 (for children 6 and older). But many violent movies are 16 in Holland and PG/PG-13 in the U.S. Why are boobs worse than death? How do boobs affect people negatively? Are they scary? Do they make people do bad things? I wanna know!”

  91. Phoenix says:

    Texas cops at the school-new video:

    https://youtu.be/jYFefppqEtE?t=143

  92. RC NJ says:

    The bag ban makes no sense. CVS will bag items for you at the front cashier in paper bags. I was in the Home Depot in Totowa yesterday and they have paper bags at check out. But down the road at Shop Rite in Little Falls there are no bags unless you want to buy a canvas one. Asinine.

  93. crushednjmillenial says:

    Asset price increases and charitable trusts . . .

    I haven’t heard any maintstream media coverage of how the recent asset price increases have pumped up the value of charitiable trusts. University endowments, etc/

    For example, the Leona Helmsley Foundation had around $5 or $6B for years. In 2021, assets got up to $8.3B.

    https://helmsleytrust.org/about/#trustee

  94. leftwing says:

    Glad we’ve started having rational discussions about mass shootings, for the most part, supplanting the shrill ‘just do something!’

    As more than a couple posters have noted getting to the underlying issues is critical. Can’t discern a solution to a problem unless you know what you are trying to solve….

    “Mass killings were just harder to do in the days before we had AR-15s everywhere.”

    “Where do the guns come into this?”

    Guns come in last…they are simply one means of expression of the underlying issue. Someone mentioned previously – not reaching back for the quote – banning 5.56 rounds….re: the reference to ARs above and banning certain rounds I really don’t think it matters to the dead TX kids and their families whether they were killed with an AR or a 12 gauge….the weapon is not the issue. For those who would argue relative lethality – “well, a shooter could kill only nine rather than 19” – is that the problem we are trying to solve? Nine deaths, OK, but don’t cross the double-digit barrier? Really? C’mon…

    The tax idea is off the reservation…so a shooter has somehow concluded his pathway in life is to kill a bunch of innocent children…We’re supposed to assume grabbing a credit card and banging out a charge he’ll never pay is going to prevent him?

    Re: the ability of anyone to file a warning complaint….We’ve seen how legal complaints are currently abused…Central Park dog walker, agenda driven false domestic claims…Not really sure it’s a viable option. Plus who is going sort through all these? An issue right now in many of these killings is not lack of data, it is that no one is looking at it and responding in a timely fashion, if at all….that being said, warnings filed to a central authority used as one piece of information may be useful.

    Mental health reporting….this one hurts…first glance it would appear beneficial to do so…however, it has taken us so long to begin to de-stigmatize mental health issues I would hate to see us take a step back in that regard. Also, it may very well be counterproductive for society in general and for the issue of mass shootings…someone on the edge who is a gun owner may forego any treatment out of fear of confiscation thereby worsening his condition and making him more prone to harming himself or others…

    Anyway, back to the original question, what are we trying to solve?

    Literally a needle in a haystack….

    Sources are all over the place but taking two credible which produce similar results it seems there are around 22 mass killings a year (four or more victims) with half or so being domestic or family violence.

    There are about 400 million firearms in civilian hands in America. The math? Only 0.00000006 of the weapons out there are used in mass killings….

    Looking for the killers, we’ll profile first (liberals will allow us to do this exercise as it is to the detriment of younger males and not one of their protected castes).

    There are 86 million males in America between the ages of 15 and 54. Assuming this cohort is solely responsible for mass shootings. The math? Only 0.0000003 of the males out there are responsible for mass killings…

    So, the salient questions, the haystack…

    How does one identify the young men culpable from the remaining 99.99997% of that population who aren’t prone to these acts? How do we oversee firearms in a manner that inhibits the use of a handful in these crimes from the remaining 99.999994% of firearms in possession never used in such acts?

    Certainly not taxes, blacklisting ammunition, etc.

    We need a common sense system that focuses on identifying and, most importantly, actually acting upon red flags with a good dose of incentive for those involved (positive and negative).

    Many of these shootings were preceded by significant, discrete events that should have been acted upon and in that absence allowed these events to occur.

    How is it that a child who views digitally and draws ‘killing scenes’ in school is brought to the office, his parents called, and then released unobstructed into the halls while having a weapon in his bag? There should be civil and criminal culpability for those involved.

    How is it that this TX school was a soft target, with doors unlocked and unsupervised, allowing the shooter to stroll right in with a rifle in plain view? A second year LEO or upperclassman at the Military Academy can instruct on how to harden a target. The technology can be wired by a kid in the HS shop class. There should be civil and criminal culpability for those involved.

    The US government has 100% knowledge of the identity and background of the original owner of each of those 400 million weapons. Establishing common sense responsibility along a chain of ownership combined with select additional data collection and – most importantly – actually acting upon that data will go much further than ‘feel good’ emotional responses that do not address underlying factors and have little to no chance of implementation.

  95. BRT says:

    all the signs were there. Threats of violence, dead animals, pictures of guns, and a countdown. One kid even asked him flat out.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/texas-gunman-frequently-made-frequent-death-threats-and-disturbing-posts

    Ten days before the shooting, he wrote “10 more days,” according to a Texas official. Another person replied: “Are you going to shoot up a school or something?” to which Ramos replied: “No, stop asking dumb questions. You’ll see.”

  96. Juice Box says:

    Shooter’s estranged old man seems to be a real dead beat, in his recent interview he said that his son quit school because he was being made fun of for wearing the same jeans every day to school. Reason why he wore the same jeans father explained was his mother did not buy him other clothes. Way to deflect…..

  97. OC1 says:

    We have other ammendments besides the 2nd!

    Everything that kid said and posted is protected speech.

    The internet is full of misogynists who post nasty pictures, talk about rape, killing, etc.

    99.999999% never do anything but talk.

    It would be impossible, and unconstitutional, to “red flag” them all.

    And if want to “red flag” people who make extremely vague statements like “I’m going to do something in 10 days”, then you should also be willing to “red flag” people who say stuff like “hang Mike Pence!” or “execute Hilary Clinton for Treason!”.

  98. OC1 says:

    “The US government has 100% knowledge of the identity and background of the original owner of each of those 400 million weapons. ”

    Not quite.

    https://www.thetrace.org/2016/07/how-a-gun-trace-works-atf-ffl/

    The ATF can trace a gun if they have the serial number- sometimes. They send the serial number to the manufacturer, who directs ATF to the distributor, who directs ATF the dealer.

    The dealer then searches though his paper records (assuming he kept good records, hasn’t gone out of business, etc.) and tells the ATF who he sold the gun to.

    There is no way to go the other way (ie- has Joe Blow purchased a gun?). And in most states there are no record keeping requirements for secondary sales.

  99. Phoenix says:

    Quote from an honest police officer:

    “No… I did this for the retirement and health coverage, the money was just a bonus. I stay for the same reasons. I haven’t actuality met anyone who does this out of the goodness of their heart, I’m sure they exist but everyone I know comes for the pay and benefits. Give me a desk job that does the same and I’m gone. The powers that be keep reducing benefits and raising the retirement age and reducing the payout for new hires… good luck.”

  100. OC1 says:

    “According to reports, the average American child will see 200,000 violent acts and witness 16,000 murders on TV by the time she is 18. Not only that, but the violence is getting more brutal and sadistic, and it often goes unpunished. In video games like Grand Theft Auto, players can run over sex workers, and the violence in Call of Duty has been linked to teen suicides.”

    Kids around the world watch the same movies and TV shows, and play the same video games, as American kids.

    For example, Grand Theft Auto has versions in French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Latin American Spanish, and Korean.

  101. Phoenix says:

    Nice Job, Karen. “I don’t know if I’m, like, racial profiling,” the woman had told the 911 dispatcher.

    Sure you do..

    It always starts with you-making a claim, mostly false-and takes off from there:

    Now there will be 500,000 million more of them who can’t tell the difference between a man changing his tire vs an actual car thief:

    Evanston aldermen on Monday agreed to pay a former Northwestern University doctoral student $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit filed against the city and four police officers after he was arrested for allegedly stealing his own car.

    A video of the arrest was released Jan. 11, 2017. The video includes an audio recording of a 911 call from a woman who said she saw a black man wearing a black hoodie trying to steal a car.

    She followed Crosby in her car as he drove, giving his location to police. Officers arrested him in the 1500 block of Ridge Avenue, according to the police report.

    The woman had seen Crosby as he tried to repair loose molding on his car, Touhy said.

  102. Phoenix says:

    OC1

    most GTA games since Grand Theft Auto III have been edited for release in Germany. Some examples include: the removal of blood, pedestrians no longer dropping money when killed, no headshots, some missions removed, some weapons missing, and a lack of additional functionality

  103. Nomad says:

    OC1 –

    If there was one master background check system (my understanding that half states go through central database and rest of states have their own), system gets updates as individuals become ineligable to buy / own firearm or when they become eligable to buy own. EMR’s and police databases should all be linked in to the system to trip when someone is prohibited from buying / owning.

    The, everytime there is a purchase, serial #, store / location of purchase goes into the system too. When any gun is re-sold or gifted, transaction must go through authroized entity to updatesystem with new owner. Make it a problem if you sell or buy without this compliance. Gun shows no longer have excuse since cell connections are so previlent. If your gun gets stolen, file police report and the system updates to reflect this too.

    Not foolproof but gets everyone on same page for much improved tracking. Might further help isolate bad actors to improve law enforecement efficiency pertaining to bad actors.

    2A people wont like this but there are laws and regs around a lot of things and if they refer to shall not be impinged, the response could be that at the time it was written, firearms were musketts and make musketts exempt from all this.

    Next step is to figure out how to do better follow upwith individuals who post their intentions online. Likely so many of these postings but isnt there a way to separate wheat from chaff using AI?

  104. chicagofinance says:

    They can cause otherwise rational people to make life altering bad decisions.

    Phoenix says:
    May 28, 2022 at 1:24 pm
    How do boobs affect people negatively? Do they make people do bad things? I wanna know!”

  105. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Two years from now deflation will be the operative word. Debt levels are too and if supply chains ever sort out we have far more production capacity than needed. Demographic trends in West Point to low growth. US needs to bring in immigrants, though it takes time, most assimilate.

    Lgr!!

  106. leftwing says:

    “There is no way to go the other way (ie- has Joe Blow purchased a gun?). And in most states there are no record keeping requirements for secondary sales.”

    Don’t think we’re disagreeing….my statement is that every original sale has a background check. Each existing weapon out there had an original sale.

    Regarding secondary sales maybe government tracking helps, maybe it doesn’t. My personal view is it doesn’t as government can’t digest adequately or timely the information it already has…secondary tracking will simply confirm what we know after the fact…some psycho that just offed ten kids then himself bought this gun at a show…really useless information as you’re mopping up blood off the floor….

    I would much prefer strict civil and criminal liability with reasonable standards…if your weapon was used in a mass killing irresponsibly you’re liable civilly and for manslaughter…what is ‘irresponsibly’? It wasn’t secured and your child/other relative accessed it. You gave/gifted/privately sold it to someone without a Fed check. It was ‘stolen’ and you never reported it as such. Etc.

    Apply the same to the straw buyers on the I95 corridor, along with reporting (and actual follow up) of anyone purchasing more than say six weapons in a short period of time and you shut down that trade…first toothless hillbilly that gets locked away for 8-10 because some NYC gangbanger offed another will incentivize the other hillbillies to go back to baking meth to pull down a benjamin or two rather than wholesaling pistols….

    Want a start on the profiling/mental health angle? Always tough based on prospective words, hell more than few posters here could be highlighted….how about tightening existing standards more? One question on the NJ application is character/sobriety, yet anyone with a DWI can get a card here….start lowering the bar on existing offenses that disqualify one from purchasing a weapon…if you believe getting banged up and hopping in a two ton vehicle is reasonable and safe – and have been convicted of doing so – you have zero business owning a weapon. Keep building from there.

    Lots of ways to get to the endpoint when you leave the emotion aside and give up the ghost on the irrational (and never happening) ban all guns movement.

  107. OC1 says:

    Nomad-

    Unfortunately, US law prohibits the feds from maintaining any database that links a gun to an owner. Don’t see that changing anytime soon. Don’t know whether individual states can.

  108. Phoenix says:

    Chi

    And all along I thought they just made great pillows…

  109. Ex says:

    8:41 now that’s a congregation i’d be willing to join.

  110. Libturd says:

    I said Hebrew, not she blew!

  111. Old realtor says:

    If all mass shootings are done with guns, why do you believe “guns come in last” in responsibility for mass shootings. Guns are the only common thread in all mass shootings. You cannot address mass shootings without addressing the role guns play. To believe otherwise is totally and completely irrational!

  112. NJCoast says:

    Hordes at the shore.

  113. The Great Pumpkin says:

    Look at this chart(you have to scroll down from the fortune article shared by old realtor). Exactly what I have said on this blog. Nyc metro is the safest real estate in the country. It is undervalued by 6%, meanwhile florida is overvalued by 73%…same with all the other “hot” spots. Why you would buy in these locations is beyond me. Sell your undervalued northeast real estate to buy overpriced real estate in Florida and other “it” locations.

    “The degree to which regional home prices are overvalued or undervalued, according to Moody’s Analytics”

  114. Ex says:

    Subaru shocker!! $1600 tab for 60k mile service. Ooof
    And as a bonus the CVT trans is leaking….

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