1 Looking at the sidebar, I honestly thought that bearded guy was a character played by Ben Stiller.

2 Re: inflation in China.

Actually, I think the Chinese have been inflating their currency and using the proceeds from same to subsidize their exports. Inflation is basically a tax, but if you're the beneficiary of that tax, you can afford to charge less and drive the other countries out of business. The peasants in the back country wind up paying more for everything, but hey, they don't matter.

3 I wanted to quote in that above thing, but minx kept rejecting the post until I removed the quoted text. Something about how I should use the spacebar more.

4 Anyway, they don't do most of the work of keeping the yuan devalued by some regulatory magic; they do it by printing enough of it to keep the value down, but using the proceeds to subsidize the cost of raw materials to their export industries. So the price of everything like food goes up, but the price of the stuff they're exporting here stays down.

5

Well, if worse comes to worst we could always do like the NoKos and farm poppies for heroin. 

This is the part of that story that really steams me up:

That assessment was underscored by Chuck Downs, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, who said that the regime's military, which runs the camps and the nation’s illicit heroin production, “do not allow food production by prisoners because they would steal it. They would rather grow drugs.”

Nice. 

6 Watch out for more and more of these "austerity strikes".

Greece shuts up shop in one-day austerity strike

7 Posted earlier on the headlines thread

For the Monty DOOM files

Bank of England hints at rate rise by end of year as inflation climbs

Gee, do they calculate their inflation rate different than ours???

Also, if they raise interest rates we will have to follow shortly. When that happens the interest on the debt goes through the roof.

That will be the beginning of DOOM.

8

I wish you cobs would stop stepping all over each other to get your posts up.

Wanna get really, really pissed off?? Yeah??...OK... here ya go

9 Here we go with the fat-cat bashing again.

10 Just a pinche will spoil the menudo, jefe.

11

Nice DOOM!cat.  Yeah, I can see how aside from the STEM fields, grad school or even college might be a waste of time. But then employers often insist on their employees having at least a Bachelors, regardless of what the degree is in and despite the fact that the jobs don't require any specialized skill set.

For example, I have a friend who works in the pharmaceutical industry as a clinical scientist (not really any actual science, just basically seeing to the logistics of clinical trials).  She got pregnant at 21 so only has an Associates Degree.  But at her former job there were people who would be hired ahead of her because, despite being completely clueless, they had a bachelor's even in completely unrelated (and dare I say, practically useless) fields like Comparative Religion.

But if you consider that so many high school graduates are barely literate nowadays, I guess this is a way to make sure your hires can at least read and write.

I have a PhD in Chemical Engineering that proved very useful.  I made a great salary in a great job when I came finished, but then again, the field I'm in (not Chem E.) needs very specialized skills.  My brother has a Masters in Computer Science and Engineering and the "little one" whose graduating college this week is starting a Masters in the same program this year.  Luckily, our family was able to pay for college and we had or will get our tuition paid for plus a stipend, so no student loans either.  So in our cases, grad school was well worth it, considering that we pursued it not to delay entry into the real world but because we really enjoyed our fields.

Another point is that we all went to a historical black college for undergrad and the 2 of us that are done with school went to the same very good non-Ivy League school for grad school, and we're doing really well.  (I got into several Ivy League and similar schools but liked the school I went to best.)  Over the weekend, I was trying to convince my 11-year old nephew in Nigeria that Harvard may be a waste of money for Computer Science undergrad, but the (for the most part) severe overrated-ness of the Ivy League is another story.

But I wonder what a PhD in Womyn's Studies will get you aside from a college professorship or perhaps a book deal. 

12

RE: China.

I'm in the group that thinks a lot of the bluster that comes from China regarding their economic stability and growth is just that - bluster.  If you were to chip away at that patina of viability you'd find that the core is rusted out.  I really think they're afraid of what will happen if the US economy goes belly up, because they're in no position to save themselves, let alone anyone else.

I read quite an interesting article in The Economist the other day about the demographics crisis China is experiencing right now.  Considering the size of their population you wouldn't think they'd have a demographic crisis, but it's getting there quite quickly.

...But new census figures bolster claims made in the past few years that China is suffering from a demographic problem of a different sort: too low a birth rate. The latest numbers, released on April 28th and based on the nationwide census conducted last year, show a total population for mainland China of 1.34 billion. They also reveal a steep decline in the average annual population growth rate, down to 0.57% in 2000-10, half the rate of 1.07% in the previous decade. The data imply that the total fertility rate, which is the number of children a woman of child-bearing age can expect to have, on average, during her lifetime, may now be just 1.4, far below the “replacement rate” of 2.1, which eventually leads to the population stabilising...

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that male children are preferred over female children, so families are much more likely to abort a female baby rather than a male baby.  This has led, naturally, to a shortage of women. 

This ... implies that, in about 20 or 25 years’ time, there will not be enough brides for almost a fifth of today’s baby boys—with the potentially vast destabilising consequences that could have.

AWESOME.  You want to see a country fall apart at the seams?  Tell young men there's no one to marry.  There's nothing like a lifetime of blue balls to make a guy angry at the world and willing to lash out.

So why do they continue with the "one child only" policy? 

Joan Kaufman of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University... (argues that) official support for the policy is only partly to do with its perceived merits: it is also the product of resistance by China’s family-planning bureaucracy. This has massive institutional clout (and local governments have a vested interest in the fines collected from violators). “The one-child policy is their raison d’être,” says Ms Kaufman.

Think Planned Parenthood on steroids, with the subtle charm and less-subtle menace of the AFL-CIO.

13 and don't forget that Sears will further bone Illinois ....

14 Hey look at that...President Awesome has a 60% approval rating...OMG..unbeatable!!!

15 ... and the article is talking about fixed annuities - variable annuities are good places to grow funds for retirement without the taxman sucking the $$$$ out of your nest egg

16

Posted by: beedubya at May 09, 2011 05:19 PM (AnTyA)

Ugh. So the teacher watches a kid beat up a student and does nothing for fear of not being compensated for injuries in the line of duty, so he hopes an administrator walks by. (I assume it's a guy from the still shot of the vid.)

As disgustingly cowardly as the teacher was, he could have gone to get an administrator if he was so scared of being beaten up.  Cowardly and lazy, fantastic combo.

17

Ooof, grad school. 

Even for STEM fields, it can be a tenuous prospect.  You're trading away the best years of your life, just to enter a field with even more competition for jobs than you'd face with a BS. 

(What, me, bitter?)

18 the reason employers demand degrees is because the can't give IQ tests...thanks Griggs v Duke Power.

19 14 and don't forget that Sears will further bone Illinois ....

Posted by: Chuckit at May 11, 2011 09:29 AM (Yf7K+)

Serves the assholes right, did they expect these companies to stand there and take it up the squeakhole? The stupid...it burns, and wasn't it Dick 'You can run, but you can't hide' Durbin who wants vengance and is going after Amazon?

20 Another point is that we all went to a historical black college for undergrad What a coincidence! I went to a historically drunk college and woke up in Ft. Benning, GA with a shaved head and some dude in a Smokey the Bear hat yelling at me. But I've used the knowledge I've gained in college, such as: - grape Kool Aid is not an appropriate mixer for tequila - sometimes that dream you have about forgetting to wear pants to class is NOT a dream - you can never really "Beat the Clock" at the bar. The clock always wins.

21 But I wonder what a PhD in Womyn's Studies will get you aside from a college professorship or perhaps a book deal. Hairy armpits A closet full of hemp clothes Yeast infections Multiple cats

22

@16.  Yeah, I went to Howard University in DC and got into MIT (didn't go, just wanted to see if I would get in) and all the other top schools I got into.  My parents paid the very affordable tuition, supplemented with merit scholarships.  So now, no school loans.  The only debt is the house.

If you are a stellar, motivated student and perform well in school and want to pursue higher learning, you'll can get into any grad school you want. So I think selling your first born child and one of your arms to pay for Ivy League undergrad is a waste of time.  My best friend in college is now in Harvard for grad school, too.

My mom got her doctorate from Yale, but she doesn't advise Ivy League for undergrad either, especially for foreigners like us.  (My nephew is an American citizen but is being raised in Nigeria.)  She said the Nigerians she knew that came out of the Ivy League for undergrad were not very confident people. She thinks it's because they went when they were so young.

23 What a coincidence! I went to a historically drunk college and woke up in Ft. Benning, GA with a shaved head and some dude in a Smokey the Bear hat yelling at me. The faculty at the Fort Benning School for Wayward Boys would not stand idly by while a bully punched someone in the face. They'd see to it that the entire platoon got punched in the face. And then spent the entire night scrubbing the barracks floors with their toothbrushes, all the while chanting: "We are worthless turds, Drill Sergeant!" The faculty at the Fort Benning School for Wayward Boys are hard, but fair.

24 EoJ@22 - lol!

25

Hal, my brother and I got jobs before we graduated.  Also, when my boss at my last job annoyed me (screwed me over, IMO) last Nov., I got a new job offer by Dec. and was gone at the end of Feb.  I guess it depends on the field.

Plus I wouldn't recommend grad school to most people unless they really love their field. Sure, I made a pittance of a stipend for 5 years (except for my first year when I got a huge university fellowship) while my mates were making money, but I absolutely loved what I was doing and I was happy.  It's funny how I felt like I had all I need then and now that I make over 6 times what I did in grad school, I feel like I don't make that much money.

26 It's funny how I felt like I had all I need then and now that I make over 6 times what I did in grad school, I feel like I don't make that much money. That's what happens when you multiply a pittance times six. P * 6 = m (Where P is equal to "pittance" and m = "meh")

27

@28 Hal, my brother and I got jobs before we graduated.  Also, when my boss at my last job annoyed me (screwed me over, IMO) last Nov., I got a new job offer by Dec. and was gone at the end of Feb.  I guess it depends on the field.

Yeah, it really does.  I'm in the biological sciences; I dropped out of a PhD program (long story), though I have a pair of masters' degrees for my troubles.

The thing is, the field is garbage, whether you have a PhD or not.  I'm in my late 20s and barely scraping by; I make less than my girlfriend, who teaches high school english.  I'm in probably the best region of the country for biotech work, but the fact is, the field is saturated.  Most of the jobs I found when I was searching want either incredible specialization or up to a decade of experience, and even then the pay is modest at best. 

Do I like what I do?  Most days.  But that rarely makes me feel better when I have to explain to my girlfriend that it's going to be a while before I can buy her a ring (at least, not without emptying out my savings).

28 I have a PhD in Yemen studies

29 China is the proof case that even pure Kenysian policies fail. They have 64 million empty apartments while their people live in squalor. But, hey the growth rates look good.

30  This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it.

31

49% of Minnesota homeowners are underwater in their mortgage.

My pleas with friends to "don't buy" aren't working.  They think this is the bottom.

32

China is the proof case that even pure Kenysian policies fail. They have 64 million empty apartments while their people live in squalor. But, hey the growth rates look good.

Yea, but not to the genius progressives at The Atlantic Monthly and Think Progress.  They think China is fine and dandy.  How they reconcile the fact that people will have to be forced against their will to move to ghost towns is a topic they dare not discuss.

33 The hard part about playing chicken is knowin' when to flinch.

34

Also, it's usually a good idea to go to a different undergrad school than where one thinks he might want to go to grad school (assuming he has an idea, and not including the academic vo-tech schools).

Posted by: iknowtheleft at May 11, 2011 09:30 AM (G/MYk)

True, unless you happen to be an excellent student (top 5%) and have done research within the department in which you want to continue.

And describing law and medical schools as "vo-tech" is cruel, nasty, heartless...and 100% correct. A few people go to medical school for the academics; they get MD-PhDs and do research. But that's a tiny %.

35 >>49% of Minnesota homeowners are underwater in their mortgage. So are people who live within 1/2 mile of the Mississippi. Well maybe not their mortgage but they are underwater. Good thing a Republican isn't in office or we might actually hear about it.

36 49% of Minnesota homeowners are underwater in their mortgage. Well...on the upside, Minneapolis is apparently the "new gay", now that SF has priced itself out of their reach. Though I imagine that would cause some tension with the predominantly-Muslim Somali community up there....

37

The grad school article was a great read. Being an adult is scary - I love that. I'm going through the rest of the articles now. Thanks so much.

And for those that were curious, I did check into Social Security Monday. Even though we all know the money I and my employer paid into it is LONG spent and gone and I'm just left with  yearly papers saying what I paid into it, I figured I'd check it out and see if maybe people who renounced citizenship can get back what they paid. I gave it a 1% chance that maybe there was a loophole, someone who renounced citizenship fought this successfully before, etc. I put in $50,000+ that I'm just willing to say "No, that's alright, you can keep it. I'll make my own way..." but still if there was a chance to get some of that back...

Even after renouncing citizenship, I'm entitled to collect social security once I reach retirement age. I put in 7 years in the United States and 3 years in Canada which has a treaty with the United States so I therefore can collect benefits should Social Security still exist when I reach retirement age. The very nice woman on the phone wasn't sure about what would happen if I became Korean (was there such a treaty with Korea)

Someone was surprised that someone no longer paying US taxes could collect SS. I'm guessing that since SS is a separate system, they don't care about whether you are American or not, just whether or not you paid into the system. In any event, most people receiving SS are probably no longer working and not paying into the system anymore, so what does SS care what citizenship they are or become.

Do Walmart greeters, the really old ones, still have to pay into SS or have they reached a magical age where the government refuses to take some of their money?

Anyway, for those that were curious..

38

But what I've paid into SS, there's no way I can get that back now.

 

39 Posted by: Empire of Jeff at May 11, 2011 09:40 AM (TATbF)

I went to UC Berkeley, perhaps the mother lode of Womyn's Studies types. And then I lived in the area for a long time.

In my 20 years there, I never saw an attractive WS type. Oh, some of them had nice racks or nice asses, but the whole package? Never.

40 You arrogant ass. You've killed *us*! [ to Geithner and Bernanke]

41 My pleas with friends to "don't buy" aren't working.  They think this is the bottom.

Funny you should say that- down here in Texas, tried to talk a guy from Minny/St. Paul out of buying a house a couple months ago... dumb Scandi-lite wouldn't listen.

42 I went to UC Berkeley, perhaps the mother lode of Womyn's Studies types. Bah! Brown or Bryn Mawr is Ground Zero for those types.

43 But I wonder what a PhD in Womyn's Studies will get you aside from a college professorship or perhaps a book deal.

Bona fides with the 'right circles'.  It's the mark of the new aristocracy.

Ace has been talking it on and off, but I've suspected it for some time myself--we're sliding back into the aristocratic system we once threw off.  Obligations between classes, service in exchange for protection--that's the old feudal system reborn.  Except this time instead of 'divine right', it's 'progressive thought' that defines who is fit to rule.

That always goes to the same place.  And it's not a good place.

44 EoJ, lol. I actually make pretty good money (though not enough to be considered rich yet by Mr "At a certain point, you've made enough money" ).  I just have more stuff.  (Not that much since I'm quite frugal and very cheap.)

45 Posted by: Monty at May 11, 2011 10:03 AM (/0a60)

That's the sort of class warfare that has no losers -- at least in my book.

46 Well...on the upside, Minneapolis is apparently the "new gay", now that SF has priced itself out of their reach. Though I imagine that would cause some tension with the predominantly-Muslim Somali community up there....

Thunderdome on the lakes in the making.  I'd pass the popcorn if I didn't still have family thereabouts.

47 Ha! Carp. I'm trying to buy a place right now in the TC. It's heavily discounted, has a large lot, lake access, and good shooting lanes.

48 @ Canadian (and no longer American pending State Department approval) Infidel

Say- don't mean to get in your bidness, but what prompted this move? Been noticing the shift to the right that Canada is making, and am contemplating a move there if the stuttering JEF slithers his way back into the white house in 2012.

How difficult was/is it to get permission to move to Canada? Is there a difference between provinces in getting approval? Etc. etc. etc.?

49 (Native Texan btw, fam lives in Round Rock)

50 The First Lady apparently neither knows, nor cares, who Werner Foerster is. ...as she gets her party on with the "poet" who celebrates his murderer. A hearty fuck you also goes out to NBC for making out the woman who brutally murdered Trooper Foerster as a poor soul who was merely "convicted for the 1973 slaying of Trooper Werner Foerster on the New Jersey Turnpike. She escaped prison in 1979, and is living in asylum in Cuba." How hip and edgy.

Convicted for the slaying? That's the best description they can find? How about shot a wounded State Trooper in the head while he was on the ground - with his own weapon - which she deliberately drew from his holster, after wounding him with another pistol.

This the first lady celebrates? This is abhorrent.

51 Posted by: Monty at May 11, 2011 10:10 AM (/0a60)

Nope. Just in sheer numbers Berkeley wins. And don't forget that a few of them are also hard-core communists, courtesy of mom and dad and the RCYB. That counts extra.

Speaking of Bryn Mawr. I have an old family friend who went there, and came back with a lifelong love of history, but not an ounce of common sense. She is stupider and more insular now than when she left for college 30 years ago.

Stunning.

52 It's heavily discounted, has a large lot, lake access, and good shooting lanes.

ah, a fresh water supply and ease of shooting zombie hippies when the time comes. Your planning is excellent.

53

Speaking of buying a house in this market, I'm torn. We're very likely (tenure) to live in the same region (Piedmont NC) until retirement (20-25 years away). Housing market sucks right now, of course, but the casual glances I've been taking at the Real Estate sections have become more serious. The plan has always been to move only once more (and the house has to be on some sort of body of water with a wooded lot) before eventual retirement at the Cape. Anyway, if we buy now we'll not only get the benefit of affording properties that might otherwise not be practical, but we'll get that many more years in it. I haven't checked to see what homes comparable to mine are selling for lately (bought it in 2007), but I assume we'd take at least something of a hit.

Of course, I don't really feel like moving right now so maybe it's moot. Still, I want that house on a lake. Torn.

54 Whatever you do, don't get on a train car.  Even if they call it high speed rail.

55 31 I have a PhD in Yemen studies

Posted by: Cherry ð at May 11, 2011 09:56 AM (+sBB4)

Was your dissertation on "Western Oppression and the Politics of Storming Cockpit Doors"?

56 Is it just me or would that ugly fur faced bastard pictured in the side bar look better with 2 12 gage slugs through his face?

57 55 It's heavily discounted, has a large lot, lake access, and good shooting lanes.

ah, a fresh water supply and ease of shooting zombie hippies when the time comes. Your planning is excellent.

Posted by: Asian carp csar (now with scrubbing bubbles!) at May 11, 2011 10:17 AM (XyjRQ)

Grandma is READY!

http://tinyurl.com/6kpx5nb

58 In my 20 years there, I never saw an attractive WS type. Oh, some of them had nice racks or nice asses, but the whole package? Never. And that incense or patchouli shit they slather on themselves in lieu of actually bathing smells like a wet compost heap that's been recently fucked by a hobo.

59 Credentialism:  It's not just for the Elites in the Beltway anymore.

60 I went to UC Berkeley, perhaps the mother lode of Womyn's Studies types.

Bah! Brown or Bryn Mawr is Ground Zero for those types.

Posted by: Monty at May 11, 2011 10:10 AM (/0a60)

I'm not sure which one of those is the pole of WS; but I'm sure my school is one of the antipodes.

61 ah, a fresh water supply and ease of shooting zombie hippies when the time comes. Your planning is excellent.

I'm starting to wonder if you are my realtor.

62 One of these days I'll get around to posting my next installment of "Econ 101 for Morons" as part of my AoSHQ University series. Future classes: "The Hermeneutics of Fart Jokes: Flatus as Text" "Gender Bias and Dominance Heirarchies in Zombie Movies: A Modern Approach" "Why You Suck and Should Feel Bad Because You Suck: Overcoming the 'Self-Esteem' Movement" "You Are the Car You Drive: Why You Should Never Trust Anyone Who Drives A Chevy Volt"

63 Housing market sucks right now, of course, but the casual glances I've been taking at the Real Estate sections have become more serious.

Real Estate is always about location location location but the housing market here in North Central SC has not collapsed like other parts of the country. The key to that is we didn't have a big bubble to start with so there was nothing to collapse from.

Check and see what the prices did in the previous 10 years and if there was no huge run-up than there will likely be no huge drop.

(Meaning no huge run-up with no obvious cause like the research triangle and Cary etc.)

64

Nope. Just in sheer numbers Berkeley wins. And don't forget that a few of them are also hard-core communists, courtesy of mom and dad and the RCYB. That counts extra.

Got that right. When I was there, we had a saying: "The women who like men don't speak English, and the women who speak English don't like men..." Call it "Of Dykes And Chinawomen", to plagarize Steinbeck.

65 Althouse is an annoying pointy-headed elitest Obama voter.  Why Instapundit fellates her all the time is inexplicable.

66 Althouse didn't vote for Obama

67 "You Are the Car You Drive: Why You Should Never Trust Anyone Who Drives A Chevy Volt"

Posted by: Monty at May 11, 2011 10:26 AM (/0a60)

I actually saw a Volt in the parking garage yesterday. Waiting to see who is the dimwit that owns it. I think e-cars are cool, I just resent the government forcing down our throats. If they could solve the range, cold-weather, re-charge and accident possible electrocution problems I'd be tempted to buy one

68 If you can pinch more that an inch of doom you're fucked.

69 My eldest wants to be a psychologist or a counselor. She's going to have to get training for that. We'll have to see what we can do when we get there, but she's already 15.

70 69 Althouse didn't vote for Obama

What?

When I watch that video, I don't see a melt-down at all. I see Obama coming into his own at last. I see the Obama I voted for.

71

Posted by: Asian carp csar (now with scrubbing bubbles!) at May 11, 2011 10:13 AM (XyjRQ)

I'm thrilled Harper and the Conservatives won. Although I didn't vote.

I was born and raised in Canada. I lived and worked in America for seven years from 1999 on. After 9/11, I woke up, became very conservative, pro military and pro-American (which I still am) and very aware of Islam.

I gave up US citizenship because I fear what a broke US government might try to do to me, even as an American living abroad. Americans are the only citizens in the world that have to pay taxes or file returns when they are living in another country. We have constant cries of taxing the rich, now defined as $250,000+ by President Awesome and when I make more than that one day, I'm scared of the US government trying to take it away. No one here, my US relatives (my uncles - 1 Army, 1 Marine) could really say anything to convince me my fears were unfounded....

I'm not staying in Canada. After the human rights tribunals, they forever lost me mentally as a citizen. Between taxes, the welfare programs, the green insanity, the ignorance about Islam, I only have Canadian citizenship. I have no loyalty to this country as it currently has become, much like the rest of Western Civ - although it's better than most. But if you're going to come to Canada, Alberta is probably the best place in the country for conservatives. I feel the place still needs a cleansing fire to tear away the entire welfare state and eliminate 80% of government. In any event, they lost me at human rights tribunals.

I want to move to South Korea and become Korean.

After that, I'll renounce Canadian citizenship without 1/10th of the thought of giving up American citizenship. My government and the institutions we have loathe me and my conservative beliefs.

72 Posted by: Empire of Jeff at May 11, 2011 10:25 AM (+61wI)

I occasionally get a whiff of that combination of bad soap, dirty hair and patchouli oil while walking around NYC or my local Whole Foods. It's amazing how quickly I can detect it -- and my loathing for all that it stands for is undiminished. Proust was right!

73 Althouse didn't vote for Obama

Posted by: Zakn at May 11, 2011 10:30 AM (zyaZ1)

Then she lies a lot.

74

"AWESOME.  You want to see a country fall apart at the seams?  Tell young men there's no one to marry.  There's nothing like a lifetime of blue balls to make a guy angry at the world and willing to lash out."

 

According to Ken this is not a problem unless pornography is involved. Does China have pornography? Does the Economist report on such things?

75

After that, I'll renounce Canadian citizenship without 1/10th of the thought of giving up American citizenship. My government and the institutions we have loathe me and my conservative beliefs.

Posted by: Canadian (and no longer American pending State Department approval) Infidel at May 11, 2011 10:33 AM (GKQDR)

Need directions to the Gulch?

76
I never saw an attractive WS type. Oh, some of them had nice racks or nice asses, but the whole package? Never.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at May 11, 2011 10:06 AM (LH6ir)

The real lookers with SE Cupp hooter's and shapely asses from which one snorts a few lines of coke are earning a gynormous multiple of the WS chick's earnings, driving Corvette's, and earning a degree in Good Housekeeping while working at Platimum Plus. 

77 Ya'll complain about the womens in Berkley and Brown, I laugh. You should have seen the womens at Skidmore in Saratoga Springs n the early 70s. They would come in the bar trying to "dress down" but still wearing $10,000 worth of jewelry with their bib overalls.

I used to laugh. And, forth the most part, there wasn't a chance in hell for a regular guy to pick them up. We are talking high dollar womens here folks.

78 >>The First Lady apparently neither knows, nor cares, who Werner Foerster is. ...as she gets her party on with the "poet" who celebrates his murderer. Oh she knows. Bill Ayers named one of his kids Zayd Shakur after the Black Panther who was killed during the murder of Foerster. Just another fuck you to the American people while the msm remains uninterested.

79 And, forth the most part, there wasn't a chance in hell for a regular guy to pick them up. We are talking high dollar womens here folks.

Posted by: Vic at May 11, 2011 10:35 AM (M9Ie6)

The worse you treat 'em, the better they like it.

80 I guessing we are about 6 months from reaching Dystopia.

81 And, forth the most part, there wasn't a chance in hell for a regular guy to pick them up. We are talking high dollar womens here folks. Posted by: Vic at May 11, 2011 10:35 AM (M9Ie6) Some mighty fine grass often worked. Uh at least that is what I heard

82 I can't take this much DOOM! on a Wednesday so I'm going to post this instead for a laugh. Pick it up about 50 seconds in.

83 Posted by: Curmudgeon at May 11, 2011 10:29 AM (ujg0T)

We used to call them "hairy armpit lesbians."

The first generation Asians tended to be attractive and not yet wacked with the stupid hammer. And some of them embraced the less restrictive sexual mores of California rather quickly!

84 82 And, forth the most part, there wasn't a chance in hell for a regular guy to pick them up. We are talking high dollar womens here folks.

Posted by: Vic at May 11, 2011 10:35 AM (M9Ie6)

The worse you treat 'em, the better they like it.

Old adage: Treat whores like princesses and princesses like whores and you will be loved by all.

85

Posted by: Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at May 11, 2011 10:31 AM (9hSKh)

Althouse is a fool, and she demonsrated the extent of her foolishness in that post. Her opinions are the opinions of a fool, and carry the same weight.

86 73 69 Althouse didn't vote for Obama

What?

---

Yeah, and now she's doubling down and saying that post-OBL assassination she's really glad she did.

And she's got Meade saying he wished he voted for Obama. 

I check her blog for the pop culture-y type of links, but not much else.  She's never been a law blog.  Where there is something with a legal angle she rarely does more than link - it's not like Patterico or Volokh where you get detailed analysis.  There's no content there that really draws on any expertise she might have.   

87

Althouse is a fool, and she demonsrated the extent of her foolishness in that post. Her opinions are the opinions of a fool, and carry the same weight.

Posted by: maddogg at May 11, 2011 10:38 AM (OlN4e)

First she decided to vote for him because of his pretty speechifying, then she got buyer's remorse, but now she's vindicated!  Chick law professors are chicks first.

88

I'm waiting for my twin cities house to come onto the market in 2012.  Then I will buy.  I too want heavy woods, but I also want a bluff property so the barbarians have to climb a fucking hill to get to my fortress.

It also needs to be near a river so I can flee the progresslaves since they're afraid of water.

89 #74. You sound like a nice enough person who has admirable conservative beliefs but anyone who renounces their American citizenship can suck it in my book,

90 Some mighty fine grass often worked. Uh at least that is what I heard

LOL, I could barely afford the cheap draft beer at the time. Started out with 4 of us renting an apartment downtown while going to school there. One flunked out leaving 3 to pay the rent and I was making a car payment. Living was tight then and Saratoga Springs was not a cheap place to live.

91

Funniest line on Kudlow & Co last night.

"What is your short term investment advice Mr. Shapiro(some dude in Illinois)? - Kudlow"

"Buy 30 year Illinois bonds.  Yield is 7.5% right now. - Shapiro"

For realz.  I think Shapiro was serious.  However, his definition of short term is a tad odd.

92

The first generation Asians tended to be attractive and not yet wacked with the stupid hammer. And some of them embraced the less restrictive sexual mores of California rather quickly!

At times you had to get past the "Would you come to my bible study?" nonsense first, but yes, they were nicer. Ni hao, y'all.

93 And, forth the most part, there wasn't a chance in hell for a regular guy to pick them up. We are talking high dollar womens here folks. I dunno about that. I had pretty good success convincing the missus to slum it with me. The water's warm in the gutter. Just tell 'em it's a hot tub. I'm the kind of guy you bring home when you're pissed at your parents but not pissed enough to bring home a black guy, Jew or Irish.

94 "Buy 30 year Illinois bonds.  Yield is 7.5% right now. - Shapiro"

Paging Mr. Ponzi.  Mr. Charles Ponzi.

95 The future from the Bill Gross, link:

Like Gross, she thinks such a scenario—​which she calls “debt with drama”—is unlikely. Instead, she predicts that the United States will engage in “financial repression,” a sort of stealth default. Financial repression relies on inflation, regulation, and fancy accounting instead of forced restructurings, or outright refusal to pay. In 1932, for example, New Zealand did a “voluntary” debt swap that converted short-term debt to longer-term debt at lower interest rates. “You look at this deal and you ask yourself, ‘Why would anyone do this? ItÂ’s insane,’” says Reinhart. “And then you see that they changed the tax rules, so that if you didnÂ’t do the swap, youÂ’d lose a ton of money.”

Here and now, she thinks much of the debt will be “monetized,” or inflated away, by means of regulations that “encourage” the financial sector not to sell its government debt in the face of inflation. That means regulations such as the new set of international bank-capital standards known as Basel III, which heavily favor government debt, or Britain’s recent move to increase the percentage of each bank’s reserves that must be held in government bonds.

What does Basel III mean to me, the little guy?  More fiat capital tied up and not being available for lending, higher interest rates, etc.  Is anything besides a farm going to be safe?

96 85 I can't take this much DOOM! on a Wednesday so I'm going to post this instead for a laugh.

lol.  Thanks for that.

I used to watch that broadcast and always felt badly for Mark Kriski because I think he's a conservative (or at least not a lib) based on some of the back and forth they used to do.

I do not miss L.A. news broadcasts.  They usually dress like schlumpy teenagers and have the programs are spent on celebrity "news" or things like this or pole dancing classes (srsly). 

97 @86, Almost all the first generation Asians I saw in grad school dressed very dowdily and wore white socks with sandals. I guess white men just find Asian women attractive in general, right?

98 " I would respect leftists who left the US to live in a more left leaning country,"

I am beginning to think there is no such thing Comrade.

99 have, half.  What's the difference?!

100 I guess white men just find Asian women attractive in general, right?

101 92 #74. You sound like a nice enough person who has admirable conservative beliefs but anyone who renounces their American citizenship can suck it in my book,   polynikes, this is just the logical extension of people leaving the NE and CA to find states where they can afford to live. At some point I may consider Costa Rica or Chile just to be able to live out my life independently. The only reason one renouces their citizenship (now it takes 10 years) is to avoid the constant pillaging by the progresslaves. In FDR's time they outlawed gold, now they outlaw freedom of travel and migration while turning a blind eye to illegal immigration. Same gamebook, different play. I am waiting for a country to figure this out and revoke all extradition treaties with the US to capitalize on the retiree industry.   There is nothing more statist than a progresslave looking for a new fix.

102 Ann Althouse said...

By the way, I voted against Carter in 1976 and for him in 1980.

I'm sorry, I said Althouse was a fool. I was wrong. She is a full blown idiot.

103 Thanks Rons and Ette's for correcting me.

You wouldn't know she was retarded from her posting from the last 2 years or her BH's stuff..

I figure she's part of the crowd I ranted about in October 2010 where I work If you thought Bambi was x and he has done y and you as an "Independent" voter haven't ran for the exit with your hair on fire then you aren't an independent. You are a sucker and a fool. or you just vote for big D reflexively.

104 @107
Shit, my recollection is that she didn't even vote in the last election.  'Definitely some election since the 2008 one. 

105 101 @86, Almost all the first generation Asians I saw in grad school dressed very dowdily and wore white socks with sandals. I guess white men just find Asian women attractive in general, right?

Posted by: chique d'afrique (the artist formerly known as african chick) at May 11, 2011 10:49 AM (sG+Bw)

No. White men (as all the others) find attractive women attractive.

106 I had posted this in Headlines so in case you missed it....
 
If there was ANY doubts left about how boned CA is, check this out:
 
High pay and benefits for lifeguards in Newport Beach is the latest example of frustrating levels of compensation for public employees. More than half the cityÂ’s full-time lifeguards are paid a salary of over $100,000 and all but one of them collect more than $100,000 in total compensation including benefits. When thinking about career options with high salaries, lifeguarding is probably not one of the first jobs to come to mind. But it apparently should.
 
WTF indeed.

107

I'm sorry, I said Althouse was a fool. I was wrong. She is a full blown idiot.

Posted by: maddogg at May 11, 2011 10:53 AM (OlN4e)

The FBIA is not averse to suing people who slander our fine organization.

108 I guess white men just find Asian women attractive in general, right?

We cleared the whole inter-racial marriage thing up in the ONT last night.

109 White men (as all the others) find attractive women attractive.

What does attractive have to do with it?  Maybe you meant "breathing"?

110 @108
She's "liberal" on social issues and insulated from the economic ones because of her job (tenured full professor).  

I would love to know how much time she actually spends on her blog while at the university.  'Seems like UW is not getting a full 40 hrs out of her work week. 

111 Asian puss is sideways..thats why we like that shit

112

Vic, I just checked a few R.E. sites, and found good summaries of the market history, including this very concise one.

http://tinyurl.com/6y9rros

Looks like we all kinda road the same roller coaster, but being on the lower end of the scale, our damage seems less dramatic. I'm prospecting more sites for home sales in my neighborhood (the houses are all very similar, with various accoutrements, additions, etc. making up most of the range in prices).  

113  Minneapolis is apparently the "new gay", ... Though I imagine that would cause some tension with the predominantly-Muslim Somali community up

Skinny fight!

114

White men (as all the others) find attractive women attractive.

What does attractive have to do with it?  Maybe you meant "breathing"?

Don't forget, "not an evil bitch..."

115 fucking skinnys

116

OK. Let me provide some context.  Growing up in West Africa, Asians didn't rank as one of the most attractive groups of people, so I was surprised that over here, Asian women appear to be at or near the top of the heap.  That's all.  It's probably because they were so different from us - much lighter skin plus different eye shape.

 

117

OK. Let me provide some context.  Growing up in West Africa, Asians didn't rank as one of the most attractive groups of people, so I was surprised that over here, Asian women appear to be at or near the top of the heap.  That's all.  It's probably because they were so different from us - much lighter skin plus different eye shape.

Quite all right. To each their own and all that. For me, it was just a matter of what was available.

118 Its a little hard to determine much from that chart. It tracks the "median home price" index. It would be more informative if it looked at how sales prices of the same size home did over the years.

I note that they had SC falling now as well as NC but I haven't seen any big drop in my area. One other thing that would be useful would be an inflation chart on there as well because throughout history home prices follow inflation in the long run and on the average. 

For example in 1981 when I bought my house the average 1500 ft2 house here sold for around 60K. That same house now would sell for about $150,000 which would be slightly above the official inflation rate. (of course the official rate is BS so that 150K is probably right)

119 For me, it was just a matter of what was available.

Posted by: Curmudgeon at May 11, 2011 11:09 AM (ujg0T)

Interestingly, the pool of available women grew with each successive beer.

120 Posted by: Vic at May 11, 2011

Skidmore? And in the 1970s? That may not be the belly of the beast, but it was damned close.

121 That may not be the belly of the beast, but it was damned close.

Yeah, nothing like an all female liberal arts college that is private.

122 I thought Asian women were so attractive because they are the most loyal to their men among the women that actually show some skin.

123

92--So, living as a socialist drone and selling your kids and grand kids into tax slavery for the benefit of  leftists is cool by you, so long as you're still "an American citizen" eh? Just exactly what does being an American citizen mean to you? Nothing close to what it meant to the folks who set up this country--they'd have long ago burnt DC to the ground and run all of its inhabitants across the border into Canada.

Tell you what, if I thought I could rid myself and my kids of Uncle Socialist and the hoard of leeches in whose name Uncle does his looting merely by renouncing and moving elsewhere, I'd do that in a NY minute. But I doubt its so so simple. So long as Uncle is the big dog on the street, and is in serious need of cash, he isn't letting anyone walk.

124

Vic: To find the true value of a home the formula I use the sale price or assessed price in 96/97, just prior to the influx of new buyers that were fabricated by means of lowering the standards for mortgage approval.  I then add value based on any improvements made to the home from 1996-2011.

Basically, I think the relaxed standards for home ownership are officially toast.  Then you have to add the surplus of housing added since 96/97.

All of this is a product of the labor bubbles(high tech from dot com boom and housing from the cheap/easy money of Greenspan and the Bernank's first two years on the job).

In order for prices to stabilize there needs to be another labor bubble or some dramatic improvement in employment that could come from reducing the size of government and a new energy revolution.

125 92 #74. You sound like a nice enough person who has admirable conservative beliefs but anyone who renounces their American citizenship can suck it in my book,

Posted by: polynikes at May 11, 2011 10:40 AM (F40UQ)

Not a problem. I understand your feelings. But I've been on the DOOM threads for months. It's not like this has been a huge secret. And you haven't contributed anything to make me reconsider my fear of a bloated, broke US government coming after an American living abroad. Heck, convince me the US government won't be coming after any of you for more cash even if you haven't reached that rich $250,000 mark yet.

If it helps, I came to this site before I left the house hoping the revolution we needed to happen might have spontaneously erupted and there was still hope. I posted. Nothing.

I still consider myself American even with the signed and sealed Oath of Renunciation sitting upstairs. I sure as hell am more American than Canadian. I just can't legally work or study there anymore without going through the formal VISA process and my future stuff is now protected from the US government. You can't understand how relieved I feel knowing that, right there. Keep the money I put in SS. I don't care. Safety from a broke, ever powerful government is worth it all. If you guys revolt before I start my family in Korea, I'll join you. If I started my life there and can't leave, I'll do what I can to help out.

Anyway, I understand your feelings, but as pointed out below....

 

This is just the logical extension of people leaving the NE and CA to find states where they can afford to live.

The only reason one renouces their citizenship (now it takes 10 years) is to avoid the constant pillaging by the progresslaves.

Posted by: Goober at May 11, 2011 10:51 AM (Q5+Og)

You're exactly right regarding this being a logical extension to leaving NE and CA. But, renouncing citizenship, if you have citizenship elsewhere only took me a couple of months. It's another 6 months or so for State Department approval.

The contemplation started when Obama was elected, noted when the US Debt clock was expanding by a digit, given serious thought when I came back from Korea and saw the  debt hit $12 Trillion and was put into effect at $14 Trillon. You can't spend that much money. You just can't.

 

I don't hold a grudge against anyone for renouncing their citizenship.  They have to live with their decision, not me.  And if the US doesn't get it together pretty damn soon, that whole discussion might be rendered moot, anyway.

Posted by: iknowtheleft at May 11, 2011 10:47 AM (G/MYk)

Thank you. Sadly you're right. And it's not like DOOM isn't going to hit everywhere anyways. You can't outrun it. You can only prepare.

 

 

 

126 The house next door (nearly identical, major difference is they have a garage-under, but a crap yard, we've got no garage, but a pool, huge shed, garden, etc. I'd say it's about as close to a twin as my house could have. It sold for precisely 2,000 dollars more than what I paid for mine 4 years ago. I could certainly deal with that, considering I've been watching prices fall steadily on most of my target houses. Encouraging. Now I just have to muster up the energy to actively contemplate a real house search, selling a house, moving, etc. At best it'll be next year before I feel up to it.

127

Posted by: chique d'afrique (the artist formerly known as african chick) at May 11, 2011 11:04 AM (sG+Bw)

God, I would love to spend some years in Africa. Just to look around and do some hunting. Learn about the tribes through personal interaction. Alas, expensive, and a good chance of getting shot by whoever is the revolutionary of the week. In fact, I would like to go to Africa and just disappear for about 10 years.

128

Interestingly, the pool of available women grew with each successive beer.

So, how often did you hang out at Kip's? Raleigh's? Larry Blake's?

129  But I doubt its so so simple. So long as Uncle is the big dog on the street, and is in serious need of cash, he isn't letting anyone walk.

Posted by: glowing blue meat at May 11, 2011 11:31 AM (K/USr)

Yeah, you and Goober get it. The official paperwork making the Oath of Renuncitaion official used to be free but is now $495 dollars. There was a price list of Diplomatic services on the walls and outside of heavy, legal stuff, that was the priciest thing on the list.

I FEAR how far the future US government may go. I don't fear the US government because it's only so large. But the US government is the most powerful government in the world. What if I end up wriing a successful book, start a company,win a lottery or do something where some yahoo in the US government decides to pull up my name for kicks, finds out I'm a US citizen and starts the ball rolling for the government to come after me even though I'm no longer in the country just for some extra cash, or even for kicks.

This is the best site I've found that comes closest to how I feel about Islam and the evergrowing government. None of the people here would have a problem telling me to 'suck it' or 'fuck off and die.'. But no one gave me any reason why I shouldn't fear the US government. Not one. Ever.

That scares me.

130 Canadian (and no longer American pending State Department approval) Infidel at May 11, 2011 10:33 AM (GKQDR)-

Thanks for the knowledge drop. Calgary it is, I reckon.

131 101 @86, Almost all the first generation Asians I saw in grad school dressed very dowdily and wore white socks with sandals. I guess white men just find Asian women attractive in general, right?

Posted by: chique d'afrique (the artist formerly known as african chick) at May 11, 2011 10:49 AM (sG+Bw)

You sound so hot. I love black women too. My best friends are part Jamaican and the black females are so amazing.

The South Korean women are beautiful and feminine. They find me very handsome and attractive which is a plus. The biggest difference was in an essay written by one young girl in one of the English classes I was teaching. She wrote that she just wanted her young girl friend to grow up and marry a nice guy. The Korean women really liked me because I am a really nice guy (and I am still cute). WOW!. That just blew me away.

132 14 and don't forget that Sears will further bone Illinois ....

Don't worry. Teh Won will talk to the NLRB and somehow make it illegal for companies to move out of state. Or close.

133

If you guys revolt before I start my family in Korea,

While I understand your motive, is there really anywhere else to go? Will the rather insular Korean society accept you? What happens when the troops leave?

134 Good thing a Republican isn't in office or we might actually hear about it.

Posted by: JackStraw at May 11, 2011 10:03 AM (TMB3S)

Heard about what??

135

Posted by: Asian carp csar (now with scrubbing bubbles!) at May 11, 2011 11:46 AM (XyjRQ)

There are other Americans on this blog living there. I think that's where Empire of Jeff is from. Really talk with him and any other Americans. Canada is a great country, in comparison to others, and I recommend it.

For me, though, the human rights tribunals against someone simply telling the truth about Islam was a direct betrayal to me in so many ways. It wasn't personally against me, but as may as well have been and could potentially be in the future if I don't watch my mouth.

All the best to you. If you ever need any information about Canada or if there's something I can do to help. just let me know. I'd be more than happy to help.

136 The house next door (nearly identical, major difference is they have a garage-under, but a crap yard, we've got no garage, but a pool, huge shed, garden, etc

Pool doesn't add value to a house and can actually decrease value. What sells a house is first location, second location, third price. In with location is the school district, particularly elementary schools.

A well tended lawn will get people to stop to look but doesn't really run up the price.

137 129

Vic: To find the true value of a home the formula I use the sale price or assessed price in 96/97, just prior to the influx of new buyers that were fabricated by means of lowering the standards for mortgage approval.  I then add value based on any improvements made to the home from 1996-2011.

The only true measure of value is what the place would rent for in the current market * 100, or maybe * 120 if it's really a good neighborhood.    All the rest is BS, esp the "improvements."

138 138

If you guys revolt before I start my family in Korea,

While I understand your motive, is there really anywhere else to go? Will the rather insular Korean society accept you? What happens when the troops leave?

Posted by: Curmudgeon at May 11, 2011 11:53 AM (ujg0T)

I don't need to be accepted by all of them. I'll experience prejudice (although I never felt it, even once when I was there) but that's fine. No different than what any other person from different societies had to experience coming to Canada and America.

I found a nice little church there that stood by me when I was injured. My pastor's wife came to the hospital for 17 straight days in the morning to bathe me, even after her 2nd grandchild was born. I love that woman (and she has one single daughter left...)

After the troops leave, I don't care. Korea is my line in the sand. I'll do whatever I have to do to protect that country, the people in my church and my future family. As long as the government doesn't go completely Western on my ass spending itself broke and putting in massive programs to take care of people that family and friends are currently taking care of, there's no running from there. If the government leaves me alone, just lets me start and run some businesses there and lets me keep the majority of my money (I'm happy with 65%), I'll do whatever I have to to protect that country. That'll be home.

139

maddog, don't know anything about the life you speak of. I grew up in nice parts of Lagos, Nigeria, with all sorts of modern amenities, so I'm a sucker for luxury.  I did visit my mom's village and dad's hometown often when we were kids, but even there, we had modern houses.  I'm not sure you can find what you're looking for in Nigeria.  Maybe in Eastern or Southern Africa.  We're just as surprised at the Massai as you are.

Sure there's lots of poverty, but not really glorious nature.

140 and I'll also pay tribute and my respects to all American, Canadian and other foreign service members that gave so much to protect that country.

141 Cantor speaking calmly and firmly about the debt ceiling

142

Yeah Vic, I'm aware of the basics like the pool. Though in this climate, it's not nearly the turn-off it was in the Northeast. Yards and other stuff are all personal preferences that add value for some, detract for others. Same as being on a corner, at the end of a cul-de-sac, etc. My neighborhood has a good mix of these variations all built around similar original construction plans, same size lots, etc. 

I was mainly relieved to see that the neighbor house didn't sell for 30-40% less than what I paid for mine. Then I would've been putting the whole idea on the shelf for a few years.

143

If the government leaves me alone, just lets me start and run some businesses there and lets me keep the majority of my money (I'm happy with 65%), I'll do whatever I have to to protect that country. That'll be home.

If your work allows it, great. I think I am stuck here, so I would be happy to figure out a way to early retire somewhere cheap and not punitively taxing.

144

So long as Uncle is the big dog on the street, and is in serious need of cash, he isn't letting anyone walk.

Posted by: glowing blue meat at May 11, 2011 11:31 AM (K/USr)

The key is simply to be not-quite-rich-enough.  Once your net worth is up over a million you're in trouble - you'll have to pay exit tax on it.  But, if you're below the threshold you can skate out under the radar.  If I had $500K in liquid assets I'd already be on a plane to my retirement bolt-hole of choice.  If you don't need every modern convenience there are still a few nice enough places in the back-waters of the world where the government will not harrass you too much, and is grateful to have people with capital move in.  I recommend going to a place with no, or minimal, welfare.

 

145

Posted by: chique d'afrique (the artist formerly known as african chick) at May 11, 2011 12:03 PM (sG+Bw)

The bush is what I crave. With occaisional trips to town for beer. The Savannah. Cape buffalo, Elephants, Rhino, Kudu, Wildebeast, Hyena, lions, leopards, and plenty of long spear carrying wild men in loin cloths and body paint. (Too many books, mebbe).

146 Leaving CA for Texas is like renouncing your American citizenship? Really? So you're telling me my past and future efforts to keep this Country going in the right direction have been all for naught because I was under the impression people on my side would fight to the last was wrong. That they would give up and renounce their citizenship as soon as they could find something better. Yeah suck it.

147 Re the beauty of asian chicks, I have to say that I like the half-breeds the best, especially the half-white/half-Japanese ones.  Enough familiar features so they don't seem too foreign, yet exotic at the same time. 

148

The bush is what I crave. With occaisional trips to town for beer. The Savannah. Cape buffalo, Elephants, Rhino, Kudu, Wildebeast, Hyena, lions, leopards, and plenty of long spear carrying wild men in loin cloths and body paint. (Too many books, mebbe).

Posted by: maddogg at May 11, 2011 12:20 PM (OlN4e)

Does that shit even exists any more?  If it does, you can have it.  That stuff comes in a package with flies that lay maggots under your skin, malaria carrying mosquitoes, and every other form of human suffering.  Screw that. 

149

Does that shit even exists any more?  If it does, you can have it.  That stuff comes in a package with flies that lay maggots under your skin, malaria carrying mosquitoes, and every other form of human suffering.  Screw that. 

Posted by: Reactionary at May 11, 2011 12:23 PM (xUM1Q)

There ain't no free lunch, man. You take the bad with the good.

150

Leaving CA for Texas is like renouncing your American citizenship? Really? So you're telling me my past and future efforts to keep this Country going in the right direction have been all for naught because I was under the impression people on my side would fight to the last was wrong.

Which, honestly, is why I stay in Cali, which was once really THE best place on earth to live. Well, that and the fact that at this point in time I see no other realistic options.

But polynikes, I can't fault anyone who has found their Promised Land elsewhere. Just make sure you aren't chasing a mirage.....

151 My theory has long been that QE2 mainly served as a way to export our inflation to China, and it seems to have worked a treat. A common complaint is that China is doing something bad to us with it's exchange rate on it's currency. If that true (I'm not clear on it) then if QE2 has exported inflation to China ... ha ha.

152 The Fed is the central bank for China.  That's what you get when you peg your currency to the US dollar.

153

49% of Minnesota homeowners are underwater in their mortgage.

And, 100% of persons using credit cards are underwater..As well, anyone who drives a new car off the lot, puts a new boat in the water...Suck it up cupcakes!

154 151 Leaving CA for Texas is like renouncing your American citizenship? Really? So you're telling me my past and future efforts to keep this Country going in the right direction have been all for naught because I was under the impression people on my side would fight to the last was wrong. That they would give up and renounce their citizenship as soon as they could find something better. Yeah suck it.

Posted by: polynikes at May 11, 2011 12:21 PM (F40UQ)

No of course not. I hope everyone's efforts to get the country going in the right direction work but right now, the takers outnumber those willing to contribute.

I'd love to hear more about this mythical fight to the last. Is there a phantom group that actually HAS the political will to do what's necessary to eliminate entitlements, get rid of vast government departments and reign in government spending before DOOM hits? Is there a group I haven't heard of that's built a three walls along the Mexican border with razor wire and landmines in between each section to stop the illegals coming in? Has someone or anyone with any governmental power in either Canada or America actually admitted that Islam itself is a threat and needs to be taken care of and dealt with?

We both know the problems and many of the solutions this country faces. But I don't see any sort of an actual political fight going on that's going to acheive ANY of what needs to be done to keep the country from bankruptcy. In terms of the fight, yeah I'll fight. I'll be telling any and everyone in South Korea why some crazy Canuck gave up what used to be the double jackpot bonus of Canadian and American citizenship to be South Korean. I'll warn them of all of the mistakes of both countries. But I don't see that fight going on in America. I just see managed decline until math and DOOM steps in.

Me, I love everything Texas represents but because of the heat, I don't want to live in Texas. I was already out of the country. I wasn't planning on going back. And I seriously wanted that one piece of paper from the government that would mean they would leave any future assets alone. And as Reactionary pointed out, fortunately I don't have the assets now where I would get on the radar.

And you should be pissed off at me. You really should. I just took the ultimate vote of no-confidence in our American government. My fear that $50,000 / year is going to be the next rich and that even Americans abroad may be targetted by the most powerful planet on Earth got the best of me. America does nothing half assed. And right now, they're working on the biggest, greatest social welfare state the world has ever known. I fear what the American government has become. I've seen a kind, small gentle Canadian welfare state gently poking it's way into every part of my life. I fear such an American state.

We've been screaming about illegal immigration and Islam for almost decade, unsustainable debt for about 2 years now but there's no REAL fight going on to get the necessary changes done. Again, prove me wrong and point me to the fight that if we win builds the fence, starts the fight against Islam, eliminates welfare and decimates the public sector. I didn't see any such fight going on.

 

155

Which, honestly, is why I stay in Cali, which was once really THE best place on earth to live. Well, that and the fact that at this point in time I see no other realistic options.

But polynikes, I can't fault anyone who has found their Promised Land elsewhere. Just make sure you aren't chasing a mirage.....

Posted by: Curmudgeon at May 11, 2011 12:30 PM (ujg0T)

Oh you're still in California. I can understand why you don't go. Not everyone can just pack up and leave. But you're on the right site to prepare yourself as best you can. None of us can escape the DOOM, it'll affect everywhere and we'll all have our challenges.

In any event, I hope you're far enough away from major areas so you can avoid the zombies...

156 Wow, to think I was in a "STEM field" and didn't know it all these years. I guess my graduate degree is OK then. Can I go get a PhD?

157 Monty -- don't come make me whup your ass re: annuities. [disclosure: I'm an actuary, and I used to work for TIAA-CREF, and I really like their business model...I still have the bulk of my retirement savings with them] People always see early death as a risk, but forget the whole "oh yeah, outliving my money would really suck, too" aspect.

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