From the Daily Mail:
US home prices turn negative as crash begins — a warning sign the real estate market is cracking
After years of eye-watering gains, America’s housing market just hit a chilling milestone: prices have officially gone negative.
What sounds like welcome news for frustrated buyers is actually a warning sign for the wider economy.
Falling prices make homeowners feel poorer, pull down household spending, drag on confidence, and can trigger deeper trouble in markets already stretched by high mortgage rates and shrinking savings.
Fresh daily data from Parcl Labs shows prices are now slightly below where they were a year ago, and have fallen 1.4 percent in the last three months alone. It’s not a crash, but it’s the first national decline since mid-2023.
The dip is nothing like the 27 percent crash during the Great Recession in 2008, but analysts say the ingredients for a broad slowdown are now falling into place.
‘The sharp increase in mortgage rates in 2022 and 2023 created an affordability shock,’ said Jason Lewris, co-founder of Parcl Labs. ‘Buyers were priced out, sales volumes dropped, and sellers had to adjust expectations.’
As well as high rates, experts say the drop is being driven by weaker demand, and more homes sitting unsold as stretched buyers back away.
That shift is beginning to show up in local markets. Austin is now down 10 percent year-on-year, Denver is down 5 percent, Tampa and Houston are both down 4 percent, and Atlanta and Phoenix have slipped about 3 percent.
Other areas, including Cleveland, Chicago and New York City, are still rising — as these areas have more demand than supply to offer homebuyers.
First.
Rip Rob Reiner
After years of eye-watering gains, America’s housing market just hit a chilling milestone: prices have officially gone negative.
Not here.
Draw a 40-mile radius around Manhattan and wrap it in Kevlar. That covers it. And scoop up all that lumber trash lying around because there’s tons of it. Every open spot of land seems to be plowed over for hundreds of pods. Scraps of lumber will build you a house for nothing.
Ya dun goofed, wannabe
Just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, officers responded to 207 Strand Ave. in Sewell, for a property check after a Nicholas Cabral, reported a home under construction had their front door open, Washington Township police said.
As officers arrived on scene, a marked Homeland Security police vehicle arrived at the same time, police said. Cabral exited the vehicle and identified himself as a Homeland Security police officer and attempted to assist officers in clearing the residence while armed with a handgun, police said.
Although he possessed a valid New Jersey permit to carry, a follow-up investigation confirmed Cabral was not employed by Homeland Security, any federal law enforcement agency or police department.
Cabral had been operating the vehicle that belonged to his wife, who is employed by Homeland Security and was out of state on assignment, police said. Homeland Security responded and took possession of the vehicle, police said.
An investigation revealed Cabral drove the police vehicle with emergency lights activated and to Wendy’s while his wife was away, police said.
Cabral is charged with impersonating a police officer and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, police said.
Michelle and I are heartbroken by the tragic passing of Rob Reiner and his beloved wife, Michele. Rob’s achievements in film and television gave us some of our most cherished stories on screen. But beneath all of the stories he produced was a deep belief in the goodness of people—and a lifelong commitment to putting that belief into action. Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose. They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired. We send our deepest condolences to all who loved them.
-President Barack Obama
Public records show Nicholas M. Cabral was previously licensed in California as a security guard and a security instructor. The license appears to have expired in 2017, public records show.
DOW is seeking 50,000.
Punkin haed! Let it ride!! 2026, yo!
An investigation revealed Cabral drove the police vehicle with emergency lights activated and to Wendy’s while his wife was away, police said.
Usually a guy looks to get some strange when his wife is away.
This eejit pretends to be the PoPo.
Hehe.
Taking over America with money and babies.
Interesting strategy. Chinese win without firing a shot. Hehe
Chinese billionaires are using American surrogates to expand their ‘unstoppable family dynasty’ by breeding mega-families with more than 100 children.
Wealthy businessmen, who claim to have been inspired by the likes of Elon Musk, say they will fight declining birth rates in China.
The ban on domestic surrogacy in the country means some tycoons have spent up to $200,000 (£150,000) per child to ship their genetic material abroad to the US were laws are more lax.
One billionaire, Xu Bo, who made his money making fantasy video games, boasted of having ‘a little of over 100’ children.
Dubbing himself ‘China’s first father’, Mr Xu appeared in court in 2023 when a judge denied his parental rights to four unborn children as it was found he had already fathered or was in the process of fathering another eight.
In court, Mr Xu said he hoped to have 20 US-born children via surrogates so they could take over his business.
Enjoy.
A little something for everyone here
https://x.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995291042346852861
Guy sounds like he has issues. His wife is a Homeland Security Cop, and he is/ was a security guard. She wore the pants in the family and made the money. Huge embarrassment for her.
A little lame duck fuckery in the NJ Legislature?
A mandatory charge on every ratepayer’s electricity bill to cover 5% of the projected construction costs of a to-be-constructed nuclear plant?
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2025/12/04/bill-nuclear-development-subsidies/
So we pay for the new power plant, and the. We pay for the electricity generated by the plant we paid for.
Makes sense!
Geoffrey Hinton who is considered one of the Godfather’s of AI, told Bernie Sanders that AI may lead to massive unemployment and social unrest. He further stated that the belief that AI will lead to new types of jobs is false. He said as AI gets smarter and smarter it will replace those new jobs, and AI will become smarter than humans. Hinton says tech exes are not paying any attention to this.
Juice: What does that carpetbagger Mikey have to say about this , what about affordability? Oh and than the banning of plastic utensils, another piece of Democratic nonsense. No plastic utensils unless you ask. Not only must you ask, but you have to specify which utensils you want. No more prepackaged utensils. This is the nonsense our dumb ass politicians spend their time on.
3b says:
December 15, 2025 at 8:42 am
Guy sounds like he has issues. His wife is a Homeland Security Cop, and he is/ was a security guard. She wore the pants in the family and made the money. Huge embarrassment for her.
Maybe iTs that person ex lax who did it.
re: “We pay for the electricity generated by the plant we paid for.”
More than that, it’s sold to PJM interconnect and will be sent the highest bidder meaning a data center somewhere else.
There is a plan now to restart Oyster Creek. Holtec out of Camden manages the sites wants to build four smaller reactors… They have never built any however, they just manage a few decommissioned nuclear sites around the country.
Dept of Energy is giving them about $800 million to begin developing these smaller reactors. They are known as BWRX-300 and developed by GE/Hitachi. There are already a few in development now https://www.gevernova.com/nuclear
https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/two-smr-projects-selected-for-us-federal-funding
Double jobs report released tomorrow. Novembers unemployment number, and some additional information on October job information.
Grim says:
December 15, 2025 at 8:49 am
So we pay for the new power plant, and the. We pay for the electricity generated by the plant we paid for.
Makes sense!
78 years old. The picture on Grim’s link, the folds on his forehead. Like counting rings to see how old a tree is.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Sens.+Bob+Smith+(D-Middlesex)&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
3b – Lame Duck Legislation in flight. Some examples….War on plastic cutlery, nuclear power consumer fees, ending reincarceration for parole violations, male prison inmates can be housed in women’s prisons, 14 year olds can get medical care without parental notification. Wellness checks on homeschooled children, 16-17 year olds can vote in school board elections, taxpayer funded healthcare for undocumented immigrants. Every corporation in NJ must have racial and gender quotas on their boards. Affordable high density housing in every town.
I am sure there are more…
NJ ratepayers have been subsidizing “green” electricity mandates for decades. But suddenly the activists would have them get upset when it’s always-on nuclear that’s getting expanded, instead of intermittent Chinese solar panels and wind? There’s a parking lot where they put in a bunch solar panels about 7 years ago, many of them already physically collapsing. Was that assumed in the financial plan?
At least we know the electrical generation industrywill be influencing the new Governor. Sherrill vowed to declare a state of emergency on utility costs. Whatever that means.
Here is the pick for Attorney General.
Current PSEG employee Jennifer Davenport to be nominated as Sherrill’s pick for the next attorney general of New Jersey. She served as first assistant attorney general for New Jersey from 2021 to 2022 and from 2018 to 2020.
Juice: Those policy items you mention, are absolute insanity. I have to believe the majority of people in NJ, Dem, Repub, or independent do not support those policies our stupid politicians want to implement. But, that’s the problems with Democrats their we know best, not the people. Now we will have Mikey the carpetbagger, and she is going to fight Trump. Forget fighting Trump, and do something positive for your adoptive state.
In other important news, Gen Z is nostalgic for the Hipster years, while not bringing back the term hipster itself, they are refocusing/rebranding it to make it theirs, they have revitalized the indie sleaze aesthetics of the late 2000 s early 2o10’s. They are rebranding so instead of a single hipster culture it will be vibe driven.
How Phil Murphy Caused New Jersey Electricity Prices to Soar
By Paul H. Tice
Aug. 8, 2025
Despite flat electricity demand for the past two decades—and some of the lowest energy usage per capita among the 50 states—New Jersey residents pay some of the highest retail power prices in the country. As of April 2025, the Garden State ranked No. 12 in the nation, with prices more than 15% above the U.S. average. This gap has widened further in the wake of the recent decision by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to approve an additional 17% to 20% rate increase for most utility customers starting in June.
A decade ago, the outlook for New Jersey electricity prices was much brighter. The state was adding natural-gas generation capacity to take advantage of abundant, low-cost Marcellus Shale gas located next door in Pennsylvania. By 2016, New Jersey achieved energy independence by supplying all its power needs with in-state generation for the first time in its history, partially fueled by Pennsylvania gas.
Then the state threw it all away. Since electing Gov. Phil Murphy in November 2017, New Jersey has shut down all its coal plants, reduced its natural gas-generation capacity, and increased its reliance on intermittent wind and solar power. Trenton is on a quixotic quest to achieve 100% “clean” electricity production by 2035.
Under Mr. Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey has tilted at offshore windmills—none of which have been completed to date, mainly due to cost overruns, despite the state’s generous financial incentives. New Jersey has also subsidized the rollout of solar power (mostly nonutility scale) even though the state experiences only 94 days with less than 30% cloud cover in an average year. The state ranks seventh in the country for small-scale solar power generation, with rooftop and utility-pole solar panels now ubiquitous.
Such supply-side mismanagement has led to a 12% decrease in New Jersey’s electric-generating capacity since 2016. Over the same period, average residential power prices increased by almost a third even as consumption declined slightly. The shale revolution has led to a significant drop in U.S. natural-gas prices since the 2000s, but New Jersey electricity customers have seen no benefit in their monthly bills.
A growing dependence on out-of-state generation to meet electricity demand—the shortfall stood at 16% in 2024—has increased the state’s reliance on the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland, or PJM, regional transmission organization. This subjects New Jersey to even harsher climate policy.
PJM was started as a two-state, three-utility power pool in 1927 but has expanded into one of the largest regional grid operators in the U.S., responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand across 13 states plus the District of Columbia. Given PJM’s largely blue-state makeup, it’s no surprise that its leadership has let climate policy objectives overrun grid planning and market dynamics in recent years.
Despite annual capacity pricing auctions meant to create an incentive for the construction of new power plants, total committed daily PJM capacity decreased by roughly 20%, or 34.3 gigawatts, between June 2015 and June 2025. Like Trenton, PJM has replaced dispatchable coal and natural-gas generation with variable wind and solar facilities across its entire service territory. Subsequent interconnection bottlenecks have delayed many winning-bid renewable projects as PJM struggles to provide the necessary new transmission infrastructure quickly enough. Both the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and the Energy Department have raised concerns about grid reliability and potential outages in the PJM system over the next five years due to the forecast increase in electricity demand from data centers and other large industrial users.
The laws of energy supply and demand are catching up with PJM—and New Jersey. In its last regular capacity auction, generation prices went up more than ninefold year-over-year. It was this price spike that led to the recent regulator-approved 17% to 20% increase in New Jersey residential bills.
Rather than mailing out government checks to provide temporary ratepayer relief as the Murphy administration has recently done, New Jersey needs to take responsibility for its own energy destiny by returning to energy self-sufficiency. This would make it no longer necessary to participate in PJM. Despite Trenton’s climate delusions, from a reliability, cost and emissions perspective, New Jersey already has an optimal generation mix. Natural gas and nuclear currently comprise more than 90% of its electricity output. The Garden State just needs to supersize both fuel sources to catch up with current demand as well as projected load growth.
New natural-gas combined-cycle plants can be delivered within three years and are the most affordable option. More natural gas power will also allow New Jerseyites finally to receive the shale dividend that they were promised years ago. Large-scale nuclear reactors take longer to complete but never go dark during their 80-year operating lives. New Jersey should take advantage of the Trump administration’s push to quadruple domestic nuclear capacity by 2050. In a hopeful sign earlier this year, the state’s public utilities board sent out a request for information on potentially building new nuclear power plants in the state.
Bringing down New Jersey’s sky-high electricity prices will require a fundamental shift in the political outlook in Trenton. Sound energy policy is on the ballot in the Garden State in November.
Mr. Tice is a senior fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics and author of “The Race to Zero: How ESG Investing Will Crater the Global Financial System.”
You thought taxes and the cost of living in NJ was high now? Wait until you see what your new Governor does.
Mikey’s a Gen X’er
Gen X’er, you did this.
Too many parents go into denial when they discover their child is really just rotten. But what can they do? This kid sounds like a real dark triad type.
https://nypost.com/entertainment/who-is-nick-reiner-rob-reiners-son-in-custody-for-murder-in-stabbing-homicide/
It’s no doubt Trump had something to do with the Reiners’ deaths. Trump is a dictator and is going to destroy all his enemies.
“We’re the United States of Amerigotit!”
Joe O’Biden
My favorite Rob Reiner movies
A Few Good Men
This is Spinal Tap
The Princess Bride
I would have never guessed they shared the same director.
I think When Harry Met Sally is ok but overrated.
I’ve never watched “Being Charlie”
Is this the first time that a film director has been murdered by the subject of their own film?
Bitcoin, hmmmm.
Trump was not about to be one upped by Obama:
“A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS,” Trump wrote.
Trump went on to say Reiner was “was know to have driven people crazy” with his obsession of Trump, adding that Reiner’s “paranoia” reached “new heights” as the administration “surpassed all goals and expectations.”
“May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
President Trump
War still raging in Ukraine, another 24 hours passed.
No Epstein files.
More mass shootings.
If this is “Making America Great Again,” can we just go back to un-great America?
I can’t stand all of this winning.
There is a price to be paid for fame and money … and it’s usually the kids that pay it.
Meow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSzX59llDhc
Lib – re: “ Bitcoin, hmmmm”
Ok, so to summarize : the fastest way to dispose of your spare cash is investing it in crypto gambling, both in the computer ledger entries ( because cryptos are erroneously described as coin or even currency), and in any stock or etf purporting to make you a fortune in that crypto alternate universe. No waiting either, buy now and you will see results in days and weeks, 30-50% losses are easily achieved. You cannot complain because this casino is decentralized, so nobody’s in charge.
Congrats on all your tax deductions,crypto bag holders.
So does Trump get cancelled now for making negative comments about someone who was just brutally murdered?
Or does St. Kirk get a special pass?
Dark: I believe the Epstein files are supposed to be released but mid December, so right about now, perhaps this week.
I wouldn’t be sleeping on bonds here. When everyone thinks something is dead and forgotten, the market brings it back. I’m 60% fixed income now.
The Reiner’s Son has been in and out of rehab, addiction issues since he was 15, lived on the streets for a time. even with all of their money they could not fix him.
Trump is such a cunning linguist. It’s always about him. Always.
Meanwhile, his approval rating is the lowest ever and DJT is getting mighty close to the 9s. And I don’t believe his inflation numbers one iota. Grocery prices continue to increase as well as the prices on everything he tariffed. And the companies can no longer layoff people to absorb the tariffs, so they are starting to pass these increases on to their consumers. Housing, has clearly peaked and people are stretched to their limit. And all Trump continues to do is make more things expensive except for gas. Of course, gas is way down due to the slowing worldwide economy as demand dwindles. I expect this Winter into Spring to get real ugly economically. The cracks are showing in everything. The tariffs will be Trump’s undoing. Of course, Laffer disagrees.
Enjoy your holidays, America.
This is what it’s like for some others on the planet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf4Cgy56slU
3b says:
December 15, 2025 at 11:29 am
The Reiner’s Son has been in and out of rehab, addiction issues since he was 15, lived on the streets for a time. even with all of their money they could not fix him.
Just because you love your kid doesn’t mean that someone else does.
Not saying it’s what happened here, just saying it happens.
I’m living that right now.
Tell your sons to double bag that thang in case one leaks
The politicans are coming for you again. You can call them sanctions if you like, you can now know how a Cuban or Russian feels right at home:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-unveils-bill-ensure-fathers-shoulder-50-pregnancy-expenses
Lib: I don disagree, with most of what you said. The drop in gas prices is due more to a glut of supply and more to the come, rather then slowing demand. We could blame it all on Trump, or we could also hold the Democrats accountable for the miserable choices they gave the American people. Hide Biden’s decline for 4 years, hide Kamala for making a fool of herself multiple times both domestic and internationally. Then when they can hide the Biden decline anymore, they force him to step down, and bring out that embarrassment of Kamala Harris , so bad that some people decided to vote for Trump again after the first 4 years of chaos. And looking out we have Gavin Newsom as the top contender for the Dems for Presient. Of course he made a mess of California, but he has good hair, so we should vote for him. Two party system is broken, and the politicians in both parties do not represent what most Americans want their government to be and accomplish.
I’d back that legislation.
Make the biological father the guarantor of any medical expenses as well.
Dark: I don’t disagree, I am just saying that whatever demons the young man had his parents were unable in the end to help him, even with all the resources they had. Whatever the reasons the son took it on his parents. Perhaps more will come out going forward.
Libturd,
It would be interesting if economic stress could create a buying opportunity in 2026. I’m about 70% fixed income right now and most of my equities are ex-US. I’d welcome a big market drop to supply some better forward returns, but I’d probably take advantage of the short term correlation of all markets to add to my non-US stocks, because to me it seems that the US stock market could have an extended period of underperformance due to higher valuations. Where I could be wrong is if the US tech giants actually do convert AI investments into revolutionary expansions in economic value. In that case I’d still probably make some money on the non-US tech equipment and manufacturers.companies.
So does Trump get cancelled now for making negative comments about someone who was just brutally murdered?
No, the democrats still have a five touchdown lead so until the republicans can get within two scores or less, Trump and maga can continue to bash the left. The left was disappointed that that kid didn’t nail Trump. Scalisce was almost whacked, Kavannaugh was on the list, Trump escaped it, a slew of lefties told their crowd to resist and attack so it’s still a big lead by the loons.
No one,
I agree with your analysis. You know, driving home from Costco in Clifton, they closed the left lane on Route 3 West causing a huge backup at noon on a Monday. As less and less of us are working due to AI, I wonder how many more cars end up on the road. I know it’s kind of counterintuitive, but what are people going to do all day? Golf?
This is a dreadful thing to say about a man who just got murdered by his troubled son.
Delete it, Mr President
-Piers Morgan
Rob Reiner and his wife were tragically killed at the hands of their own son, who reportedly had drug addiction and other issues, and their remaining children are left in serious mourning and heartbreak.
This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies.
Many families deal with a family member with drug addiction and mental health issues. It’s incredibly difficult and should be met with empathy especially when it ends in murder.
-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green
And I’m around 70% and have been for about two months, moving up to 80% probably ahead of Christmas week. I’m not sure bonds will due much better, but I have a feeling the indexes are due for a hurting, especially the Nasdaq. I’ve never had this much dry powder ever. Either as a percentage of my investments or certainly, total value. These opportunities come around every ten to twenty years. Don’t panic when it seems like the world is ending. Just think of Gary and how amazing his life is right now.
Lib: If people are not working because of AI than how many will be playing golf or driving in their cars, without a job. I am talking about younger people that may not have assets.
Speaking of NASDAQ, Lululemom was kicked off.
What Trump said about the Reiners is completely and undeniably despicable. The fact that MAGA supporters see nothing wrong with it speaks volumes of their infinite bias. I simply said that Kirk’s murder was not a surprise considering what he did for a living. You would think I organized the hit myself by their reactions.
re: ” the guarantor of any medical expenses”
Hahahah… You the taxpayer are the guarantor of any pregnancy related medical expenses. The largest payer for maternity care is Medicaid. 41% of all births! A million bastards and then some that bothered to get married as well.
You will die before that changes. So shut up and pay up.
Exactly 3b. The rich don’t share like they used too. When was the last time you saw a Getty Center, A Metroplitan Center, or a Carnegie Library built? Or a Stanford or Vanderbilt University? Or a Guggenheim Museum? Can’t remember seeing a Gates, Musk, Trump or Zuckerberg anything. Good luck to the latest generations.
Our kid pulled an incredibly tough semester with straight A’s again, even as we begged him to take one particularly tough course taught by an impossible prof, pass/fail, to which he refused to do. I think he had 5 classes of which 3 were three hundred level. Then add 2 credits of TAing and 2 different research labs. Guess what he’s doing right now? Working at the ABA center where he originally interned, so he’ll have spending money for the Spring semester. Kid couldn’t make me prouder. He’s also a good study in video poker and is up about $1,500 lifetime now.
What Trump said? Yes his timing is horrible.
I am pretty sure Reiner had some very bad things to say about Trump while he was alive. We know from Social media he was on a TDS tantrum tirade for about a decade. You do have to wonder what he said in private about Trump had to be even worse much much worse even if some of it is or isn’t true.
Should we talk badly about the dead? For the most part we are supposed to not talk badly immediately after someone’s death as well there are people grieving.
However this belief does not hold sway for the long term, people will speak and write things long after they have died. To take it too an extreme example, we would have no written recorded history at all because well there are plenty of bad things written about the dead long after they are buried.
Trump lives in the social media bubble of the here and now only. Nothing said lasts and nothing is remembered past the now. He cannot be cancelled unless well he either checks out or is impeached. You can bet the moment Trump dies (of natural causes) they will lash immediately with vitriol this world has never seen. Heck some here probably pray every single day he takes his last breath today….
Libturd,
That is the present generation of billionaire’s folly. Their opulent lack of empathy, lack of noblese oblige will eventually force their comeuppance.
In Landman’s latest episode, they explain where the $400 million fortunate is hidden to avoid taxes. The characters used their owned insurance companies in loosely regulated states like Texas to own their assets and classify them as underwriting collateral/cost -viola no capital gain/income taxes.
The NY Times has this opinion printed. Partially reprinted,
By Michael Hirschorn. Mr. Hirschorn, the chief executive of Ish Entertainment, writes about the intersection of culture and politics.
Billionaires had a great thing going. The ruling in the 2010 Citizens United case, among others, invited the super rich to exert all the influence on policy and politics that their money could buy — and then enjoy all the wealth that influence secured for them in return. Thanks to ever-more-obliging tax policies, the billionaire class grew absurdly rich over the years that followed. In the last five years alone, the wealthiest 20 Americans increased their net worth from $1.3 trillion to $3 trillion, Forbes reported.
And they did it in many cases without the rest of us even having a clue. It took the investigative reporter Jane Mayer five years of relentless digging to figure out how the Koch brothers gained a chokehold on the Republican Party. The title of her 2016 book, “Dark Money,” became synonymous with a particularly effective form of influence that was all but untraceable. The billionaires could have kept on like that forever. All they had to do was keep their mouths closed.
Today, billionaires are still flooding politics with their money and still reaping the benefits, but they won’t stop yapping about it.
Elon Musk bragged about his support for President Trump, to whose campaign and allied groups he donated more than $250 million. He loudly attempted to buy votes in Pennsylvania. Then he leveraged it all into a cruel and chaotic effort to dismantle federal agencies. Marc Andreessen’s tech-heavy venture capital firm publicly pledged $100 million to target lawmakers who attempt to regulate artificial intelligence; Mr. Andreessen then mocked the pope for suggesting some ethical guardrails around the technology. Bill Ackman announced that he and his pals were prepared to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat Zohran Mamdani, and urged Mr. Trump to call in the National Guard if that effort failed and Mr. Mamdani’s mayoralty met his worst expectations.
And all the while they’re out there lecturing us about their fitness routines, their weird personal philosophies, their conspicuous consumption and more. Jeff Bezos staged a three-day, celebrity-packed, $50 million wedding to Lauren Sánchez, the whole cringe affair optimized for global paparazzi interest. Mr. Ackman is advising young men to try the line, “May I meet you?”, a strategy that in his own experience, he says, “almost never got a no.” Owning the world isn’t enough for these people; they must also go in search of the cheap high of influencer culture.
But no amount of auramaxxing can hide the new reality. Just six years ago, 69 percent of respondents to a Cato Institute poll agreed that billionaires “earned their wealth by creating value for others.” An only slightly smaller majority agreed with the statement “we are all better off when people get rich.” Today, one poll after another shows that Americans want the rich to be taxed at higher, even much higher rates. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have attracted an increasingly large national following with an anti-billionaire message that previously would have sounded extremist. And New York City, the richest metropolis in the nation, just elected a democratic socialist who thinks billionaires shouldn’t exist at all.
Libturd,
When I retire I plan to do more golf, tennis, and travel, and much less time sitting in front of a screen. I could afford to do it now, but will probably work a couple more years if I get paid enough.
Most of the billions of the biggest billionaires are theoretical paper billions, helped by likely overvalued stocks. They aren’t sitting in bank accounts or Fidelity accounts, and can’t really be spent. They help founders retain voting control of their companies, which they are mostly still working at. Occasionally they carve out some of their shares and send them to places like the Gates Foundation or various family trusts that fund charitable organizations. The “effective altruism” folks have convinced them that there are more lives helped by administering shots in Africa than in building libraries or opera houses in the US. Also, if they donate to foundations they won’t have to pay the capital gains taxes they would otherwise.
I’d argue that superrich people do more good for humanity by continuing to work at their companies and making sure their companies are doing a good job. Most of the most valuable goods and services people enjoy come from private businesses pursuing profits. I’d rather the head of a drug company stay focused on profitably discovering more cancer cures and thereby making himself even richer than donate that money to thousands of soup kitchens while he fades into irrelevance.
In any case, the envious mediocrities who salivate at the idea of getting their hands on the paper riches of billionaire founders will find that if they try to consume it, it turns to dust in their mouth.
Lib:You are understandably proud of your Son as you should be. Happy for you and Gator. Your Sons hard work and discipline will serve him well in this new world we are entering. He is going to need everything he has got as he gets older.
Lib: The Zuckerbergs, Bezos, Musks etc, are self absorbed individuals, it’s all about them. Just seem like kind of a nasty bunch all around.
As usual, Trump’s outrageous post about Reiner illustrates that he thinks the world revolves around him. He’s increasingly out of touch. Like a lot of aging guys, they just become more extreme versions of their true selves.
No One: Tump has no shame. It’s just a matter of respect. Take the high road for once, it would not kill him.
Picked up my Audi and drove it a little over the weekend.
First impressions? What a wonderful piece of automotive engineering.
Stable and fast! Comfortable. I’m smitten.
3b what you don’t realize is that I’ve been with this incredibly gorgeous and intelligent woman for 30 years. We have a child together who were both adore. We are a three legged stool. The love and affection that we feel for each other isn’t dependent on income or position. Although I prefer high income and missionary.
Start getting into the habit of asking for utensils for your takeout orders, NJ Serfs, because your brilliant do-gooder masters in Trenton are planning to make it illegal for businesses to provide you with those plastic sporks, or chopsticks in your bag unless you specifically request them.
Unclear why they still deign to allow restaurants to provide bags for takeout orders. Let the serfs figure out for themselves how to carry and juggle the various trays.
https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S3195/bill-text?f=S3500&n=3195_S1
NoOne “extreme versions”.
Using Warren Buffet as an example. Always was frugal even famously stingy for example he ate whatever McDonalds breakfast he could buy with spare change he had.
I believe his 99% giving pledge (which he founded btw) has been reduced quite a bit. He instead has given approximately 60 Billion in stock to the Gates foundation and a hundreds of millions to his children but still holds onto the rest @ 95 years old. Approx 171 Billion in Berkshire Class A stock. 227,000 shares @ 755,080.00. Still enough to sway any vote..
Ex: Yeah whatever you say. Oh the irony!
Juice: And Charlie Munger was so cheap he didn’t even have air conditioning in his house. His friends used to bring him fans for his library in the summer. What’s the point of having all that money and denying himself A/C.
Ex – what did you pick up? I’m a month in with mb eqe and loving it. Fun car to drive on the highway and I can pipe in various engine gurgles through the sp
I was going to get a q8 very nice drive the interior was not a mb
3:01 no irony fool. Just life. Heterosexual life which apparently alludes you.
3:05 S5 convertible :) black in black, loaded. Supercharged v6.
Walking,
How is the public charging with the CSS issue. Do you have a CSS-NAC Tesla converter and if you hit the Tesla Superchargers with the shorter charge lines, do you have problems parking for charge port?
When you posted last about it, I looked up and there are a lot of good deals for used low mileage MB EQE 350+ sedans that look like they came off lease.
Love EV, they are sports cars in disguise. Have an Y. Might need another one in the near future and don’t want to support Elmo Ketamine on his transformation into Hugo Drax.
NoOne,
Responding to, “Like a lot of aging guys, they just become more extreme versions of their true selves.”
This is crazy, because as I age (I was born in 1970), I am finding myself less and less able to comprehend how the newest generations behave. From not recognizing influencers names to misunderstanding how people can watch short films (TikTok, reels, Instagram, etc.) for hours on end, is beyond me. My wife and I have just finished watching the the first two seasons of “Nobody Wants This,” and Hacks. We watch maybe an hour of TV daily. Usually Jeopardy and one sitcom. Well, Gator Jr., tries to watch the first episode of Season 3 of Hacks with us and leaves after five minutes claiming it’s nothing but character development trash. Gator and I are finding this series a real gem. My sense of humor may be the only character trait where my son finds it acceptable to expose me to his friends at this point.
And outside of here and LinkedIn, I am pretty much done with Social Media. It just seems like everyone is doing everything possible to copy each other.
Am I an old fuddy duddy?
Come-uppance, I have been charging at home for the past month. I have not bought the dongle yet which would give me access to Tesla. I am charging at a level 3 tonight but it should go from. 30 percent to 80 in about 20 minutes. I’ll let you know
As for deals yes the eqe I picked up was 18 months old and close to 70percent off MSRP. So you are looking at 37 to 45 k depending on miles and warranty left . I did not get the cpo warranty
There are some 3 to 4 year old q8s you can pick up for under 20k
The Audi q8s do have an issue with the coolant system failing and flooding the motor . But from what I read it’s a common problem with the teslas as well which I had never heard of.
Ex,
Since Audi comes under VW AG isn‘t your new car kind of like a souped-up Golf?
Ex – nice car, always going for the convertible. I would think the sf weather would have changed your mond.
Chad they are all souped up soups. Genesis is now just a souped up Hyundai. Also acura is just a Honda with leather
3:40 or a dressed down Porsche. Either way it’s fine.
Years ago I drove a 914 – make of that what you will .
3:41 oh I have the intent of returning to warmer climate with two years. I honestly doubt we’d ever buy in the SF area. Ridiculously overpriced. Taxes are insaaane.
The Quattro (the good version) is a concession to the weather here.
More moisture means more grip needed at the wheels.
What kind of a coolant system does an EV require? Last I looked, they all have their grills filled in. What are they cooling? The battery? The processors? I don’t know of any electric motors that require cooling. And why liquids over fans?
I’ve driven a few EVS. Yeah, those electric motors are responsive and quick. Buy in 2025, I still find it incredulous that you have to wait twenty minutes to get 300 miles worth of charge under ideal conditions.
For around town and if plugged in at home, I can see where they make sense. But they wouldn’t work for us as we do a lot of long-distance traveling.
I’ll have to read up on the tech. See how out of touch I’ve become?
Lib,
My Hyundai requires fancy non-conductive coolant. The ONLY issue I have experienced with this car in my five years of ownership was a recall associated with the cooling system. From this experience, I know the cooling lines run into the main battery pack. Also, the grilles are filled in, but these cars open have active slats within those filled in grilled that open when some internal temperature trips the system. When I come back from longer highway trips and turn the car off, these slats remain open for some time as the car cools.
Lib,
I wouldn’t mind a hybrid car, but I‘d never buy a regular EV. The lack of range is a big minus as well as the limited number of charging stations available. The batteries also lose a percentage of their charge in cold weather. The thing that governments haven‘t really taken into account is the wear and tear on road surfaces and car tires due to the increased weight of EVs. EVs aren‘t going to save the environment.
I always thought that Hybrids made a lot more sense as a stepping stone to the next long-term tech. But not when lobbies provide all political impetus.
Boomer, appreciate the explanation.
In a new one for the auto repair books. I go to ETD tires in Clifton to swap out my summer tires for the snow tires like I do every Winter. I used to be able to go anywhere. Now, all gas station mechanics seem to backed up five days and most places will only let you do it if you bought the tires there. Well, as I’m loading them into the car, I notice three of them feel flat. So I make an appointment and sure enough, the owner comes out and says three of the tires are flat due to old valve stems. I said, I bought them there 12 months ago and drove about 3K miles on them. This is asinine. I finally get him to admit the stupidity of replacing tires and not replacing the valve stems. Especially considering how cheap they are. Often just $1 each, but they can go up to $10. So who is going to spend $750-$1500 on tires and won’t pay the $4-$40 to replace the valve stems? Crazy that they chose to. Same amount of labor new or used, btw.
EVs are ok as second cars for running around town and shorter trips. But imagine what would happen in a weather evacuation. There would be lots of EVs on the side of the road. Gas stations already have problems in that situation, EV charging would be even worse.
Chad,
Is not about the environment, there is no environment left. For god’s sake we are in Jerzy, which means discounts on tolls. An extra $5.50 off on off-peak Porth Authority crossings.
My extended range Y ran ahead of a Corvette and BMW (don’t know each car specific) from standtill when those drivers wanted to drag race at traffic light.
I like tech. I got it as a new engineering tech toys to play with. Teslas are the best. The FSD is great exurbs and rural areas (the 90% of driving) but not around here (the 10% of driving). However, in bad weather looking at the FSD screen to back up what you see outside – like you are in the right lane but can’t tell because of rain or snow is great. The car’s computer knows your position relative to the road based on its map and GPS. Is like flying a plane with Instrument Flight Rules vs Visual Flight Rules.
I just can’t buy any future Elmo Ketamine products. That lack of empathy and promotion of dark enlightenment notsee african is a non-starter for me. That Hugo Drax wannabe and his ilk are going to ensure the success of chinese commies in the planet.
Libturd,
I was a fuddy duddy by the time I was 25 and am even more so now. Mostly listen to classical music, and I like virtually no music made after about 1993. And read older books.
Most modern shows and movies and music just seem like garbage.
SNL stopped being funny about 20 years ago I guess. Even longer ago? I couldn’t even imagine the sort of mind that would find it funny. I have no clue who 90% of TV or internet “celebrities” are or why people would care about them.
But there were a lot of great movies made and good books written in the past, with characters that resemble humans with some human values. Most of the current stuff, I don’t see that.
I’m looking forward to next year’s movie The Odyssey directed by Christopher Nolan, if that’s no good, then what hope will I have that any new movies ever will be?
Ex: Yeah irony you asshole. Enjoy the new car your wife bought for you. All the guys in the rest stops you give BJ s too will be impressed. Time to stop pretending you are heterosexual. Oh, and get a job you lazy shit.
I’m telling you buddy. Every accusation is a confession.
I traded the Subaru Outback for the Audi. Got a decent trade in.
My mechanic is putting the Audi up on his rack as we speak and going over it.
The M3 is in the garage. I just passed smog. That entailed driving on the interstate and maintaining a constant speed of 60 mph for 30 miles while the catalytic converter decided to open. Anyway. Me my hazards on at 60 mph. Fun! Every two years I go through this.
Mechanic: did you get warrantee with the Audi? Me: No, you are the warrantee.
4:39 Chris Nolan! The best. He & Kubrick.
Ex: No accusations, simply your confession. You don’t work, and have not really worked in years. Since you don’t work you are supported by your wife, who bought you the expensive car.
No accusations on your sexuality issues you demonstrate your obsession with Gay sex by constantly talking about dicks , cum, and butts, and stopping at rest stops , and of course your dick drawings . Again no accusations dear boy, just your own confessions.
It’s not very presidential. And that’s what matters. it’s not the timing.
Juice Box says:
December 15, 2025 at 1:57 pm
What Trump said? Yes his timing is horrible.
Looks the Audi has a leak in the transmission so I’m sending it back Friday.
Don’t know if you motorheads know this one but gasoline cars lose range in the cold too. Typical loss is about 15% when it drops below freezing.
As far as electric yup they lose lots of range when it drops below freezing. Tesla’s has added a sophisticated thermal management system with liquid coolant to both cool and warm the batteries optimal temp range is between 68–89.6°F. The newer models 2021 onward with the heat pump don’t lose as that much range in the cold. You just need to warm it first with the Mobile App they say about 1/2 hour before leaving.
Presidential? How about screwing the intern with a cigar while Yassir Arafat is waiting nearby for his meeting?
Amazing, universal condemnation of that message.
Maga, Democrats, republicans, rare to see all in agreement
Hmmmm. Just found a super low mileage RS5 in black with the ragtop.
“Ordered”… v8 baby!
Libturd says:
December 15, 2025 at 1:46 pm
Can’t remember seeing a Gates, Musk, Trump or Zuckerberg anything
https://maps.app.goo.gl/e33RQcpMXFN2vbVp7?g_st=ic
Every ‘Robber Baron’ waited until after they retired, closer to the end of their life to do any philanthropy.
“When was the last time you saw a Getty Center, A Metroplitan Center, or a Carnegie Library built? Or a Stanford or Vanderbilt University? Or a Guggenheim Museum? Can’t remember seeing a Gates, Musk, Trump or Zuckerberg anything. “
What does that have to do with Trump and today’s news?
Juice Box says:
December 15, 2025 at 7:31 pm
Presidential? How about screwing the intern with a cigar while Yassir Arafat is waiting nearby for his meeting?
what news?
Perhaps the fact that people think tweet is news now? He said something mean about the dead guy.
Too soon Trump…Too soon..
Better now?
The news is the death and the son being responsible.
Keep calling those balls and strikes. But before you do, switch to a new AI.
For those of you keeping score at home the RS leans more Porsche:
https://youtu.be/2vn_IW_p5sg?si=nV3zOP7EDppW3Myy