weekender

i dont understand your post. what did the venture capitalist due wrong or need to be excused for? the company went out of business and they agreed to raise the capital to continue operations. their goal was for the comany to return to profitabitlity and continue operations so they would get a return on thier investment. it didnt work out and they will take a loss on this project. without them the company would have liquidated the first time it filed. again, what do they need to be excused for? "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

So now we are saying that it is a good thing to not make people responsible for the debt they incur? Whatever happened to personal responsibility? I do not see in this case that anyone is saying that. i would be the first to flame if they were calling on the owed party, the banks mostly, to relieve the debt. they are not. this is an act of charity. IMO, true charitable acts come without conditions or judgement. they are acts of kindness solely to aid a person in need. if someone is in debt and you are willing to use your personal monies to aid them, i respect your kidness. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

its run by private equity. those investors dont care about blame. they care about profit. its not personal for them. if they feel they cannot make the profit they desire they will cut their loses. its their money at risk and they get to make all the decisions with it. they do not care about who gets blame or credit. they invested for a profit and if they cannot make one then they will move on to another project. sadly, the union people will be the ones to lose their jobs forever. bankers care about balance sheets and income statements. blame shifting and name calling is all just noise. the union doesnt see the big picture and is missing the point completely by thinking its about management vs them. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

I'm an experienced person and any interview i go on people generally know me. I have not been asked personal questions during interviews but it does come up during drinks or dinner. I dont hide from it and have actually gotten a very positive response in my expereince. I have a job that is purely performance based and involves risk, so perhaps that is why i get that response. people really dont care about what i do on my own time. My boss actually brings it up to customers all the time. he thinks its a great conversation starter. but then again, im a known entity and skydiving is tame compared to my reputation for coke and hookers. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

Attaboy for dispelling the notion that American politics is bitterly polarized. cmon. it does not make me a partisan to call that group a bunch of dolts. it makes me a realist. they are far left of useful. i'm speaking from first hand esperience of walking by the filthy park and listening to the morons speak. im very moderate, fyi. ive only joined one party ever and it was the Democratic party. my wife is very active with the party and ive attended many fund raisers in my lifetime all for the same party. they are not taken serious by any reasonable person. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

NYT article, "Occupy Wall St. Offshoot Aims to Erase People’s Debts". http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/nyregion/occupy-offshoot-aims-to-erase-peoples-debts. OWS is by and large a group of spoiled simple minded morons, imo. I cannot find fault in this though. pure act of charity and i admire people who are willing to give some of their own money to help others. I dont think it will take off unless there is some way to show the debtor is deserving of relief, though. i hope they find some experienced business people to help them purchase the debt. once sellers get wind of buyers they will make it tough for the un experienced. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

One benefit of it is to prevent a Bavarian Cpl from being elected to high office and detroying the nation. That is how my dad explained it to me when i was a kid. there is more to it, i.e. reflecting state demographics as others have pointed out ,but since you said you are young and dumb i dont see any need to give a more complicated answer. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

Trump is a bloated dolt. he plays a billinaire on tv and actually thinks he is one. There are literally books written on how phony he is. who cares what he says. anyone who doubts me do some research on Marvin Roffman. that will be a good start on what a failure Trump actually is at running a real business. Not a TV show, a actual business with actual balance sheets. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

actually its not the first strike. in 2006 100 or so workers striked in Hialeah Gardens, Fla. It went no where as this will. maybe they will unionize a store like they did in Canada. Then Walmart will close it like they did in Canada and everyone will lose their job. you will be happy and call them martyrs for the cause. i just see them as poor unemployed fools. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

As they should, because they have the vast majority of the nation's wealth. honest question so dont attack me. do you believe that the wealth is collective and not individual? the way you worded it you seem to imply it belongs to the nation and not individuals. to be fair, i will give my opinion. i believe each individual creates his own wealth. i understand the nation as a whole helps in that through infastructure, education, protection etc...but its not the nations wealth, its the individuals. i also believe in order to have a civil society we need taxes and support a proggressive system. just curious if you chose your wording for effect or it reflects your true feelings. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

i feel an unpaid intern who is a student can be a good thing. as i described above. i feel it is wrong and unfair to take a college grad, offer him an internship with no intention of hiring him. if this is what you are describing, i would agree with you that it is an unethical practice. the intern should wise up and leave. he is an adult and needs to realize when he is being taken advantage of. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

your response is not inline with my comment. not sure if you meant to reply to me or cannot keep a train of thought. no reasonable person could compare an intern to a slave. your post is worthless as long as you attempt that link. What this has to do with America, i have no idea. again you comment makes no sense to a reasonble person i agree, you get what you pay for. interns are typically quite worthless compared to normal employees. they are basically go-fers. they get exposure in the real world in exchange for menial task though. an exchange they freely agree too. if they feel it is not worthwhle they can quit and get a paying job. are you not capable of understanding that it is beneficial to young people to exchange their work for experience? "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

They have a choice. no one is forcing them to take an unpaid position in exchange for knowledge, contacts and a head start on their career in front of their classmates. i always envied kids who got plum internships. they got actual practical experience from real world people. The complete opposite of my instructors in school who never had a job i would consider real. In my industry it is a fast track to the elite training programs, putting you years ahead of your peers. I would have paid them money for an intership when i was a kid, let alone do it for free. it would have been a far more meaningful experience then most of my finance classes i had to pay for. I'm man enough to admit i was not a good enough student to get one, though. so i got a paying job. with that said, maybe your firm is crap and the experience has no value. i cannot say. if they are not getting a meaninful experience from it, then they should leave and get a job on the boardwalk. they have to grow up some time "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

WFC discussed this in their last 10Q. most believe they have ample reserves set aside for this litigation anyway. so it should not impact them much long term. thats good news for everyone, shareholders and account holders. the lead prosecutor in this suit has many insider convictions. word is he has been criticized for not going after banking enough. so this will calm his critics, he hopes. FHA loans, are small and it would be hard to argue had anything to do with the housing crisis. with that said, if a bank commits fraud or acts unethical, they should be punished. i just dont think this is the big deal people like Shah or Kallend are hoping for. sorry to dissapoint. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

>So in theory, shouldn't some of that money help lubricate the ecnomy and get things going again? Rather than 100% of it going into some hole? i do not accept the premise that paying your mortgage is throwing money down some hole. therefore, i cannot comment on your theory. you have a contract with the bank. you freely agreed to the terms. you are paying back money borrowed to put a roof over your head. i dont understand why you feel its money wasted. paying more than you'd like on a home is better than the alternative of being homeless. unless you have a time machine, its your home till you default or sell it. maybe you would be happier if you acccepted that, enjoyed it and moved on with your life. OR you could make post 167 about your home mortgage and be misrable. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

>"I understand that the interest rates on homes was well over 14% at some points during the 70’s. However one could argue high interest rates, though not the best for the economy were not a true detriment for they provided the middle class with a substantial tax write off." One could argue that the moon is made of cheese, that doesnt make it an argument with merit, though. by your own internet definition, we are not in a stagflation period because interest rates are at historical lows. What inventories are kept high anymore? inventories are kept low in almost all industries to reduce cost mostly. your statement is so broad that its impossible to even comment on intelligently though. inventories are cylical and only changes from one period to the next are indicators. Of course, that is also only in certain industries that are considered leading indicators anyway. i can show demand this quarter for NAND Flash and DRAM was high and supply could not keep up. But that is meaningless unless compared to a specific and apt time period. you dont mention anything specific so your entire comment is just yelling. i dont think you studied inventory cycles are understood the lesson if so. the tax write off is less than you are going to pay in interest expenses. it is put in place to encourage home ownership by politicians who hope people with EMBA's dont understand finance or basic math. Even if it wasn't, when interest rates are at 14%, you still have other costs than your home inflated that would cleary off set any "savings" you got from the write off. you state demand is not there for anything. again, that is so broad that your comment is meaningless. Demand is high, as stated above, in semi's, disproving your "anything" comment anyway. you ask how we can get out of it but you never proved we are in it. actually, you the opposite by admitting interest rates were low. read your own definition and find something else to talk about that you understand better. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

>It will be interesting to see how this plays out. i bet no where. not because that's what i want but because thats what i believe. Gretchen M is dialed in at the NYT. She is anti Wall Street IMO but not a bully or a loon. she is actually pretty fair and in her own words likes to make the big shots accountable. her article was very non specific about money and people. that lends me to believe the AG is too. if anyone knows i bet its her. Again, its my gut but i dont think this is a big event. if it was the AG would be more specific and the NYT would have been right on it. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

I'm most curious as to why people are prepping? Nobody has specified yet. People who prep must have a reason; what is your's? 1- Social breakdown (failed or overrun government, riots in the street, invasion by other nation(s)) 2- Asteroid or comet impact 3- Alien attack 4 - Any oogie-boogie related to the Mayan calendar/2012 apocalypse 5 - Nuclear war 6- Other, please specify "But just because we're hypnotized it don't mean we can't dance." - Tonio K because during the last storm and power outage Fema suggested people in our area keep a weeks supply of food, a wind up radio and flashlight, first aid kit and a way to purify water. seemed reasonably easy and cheap. so i did it. but again, i dont think im a prepper. just sort of prepared "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

FRAUD is a crime. Civil charges were made just yesterday concerning fraud by BS. The NY AG strongly hinted on NPR that further charges, including possibly criminal, would be following. the AG filed a civil suit against JP for the actions of BS, seeking damages, agreed. IMO, there will be no criminal charges. just my gut based on chatter ive heard. pure speculation and cannot be confirmed. id like to reit that i strongly support criminal charges agains people who commit crimes. banking included. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

Actually he was one of the biggest proponents. jesus h bushe's dumb ass friends may have built it but it was Obama's understanding of the financial system as well as his connection to wallstreet that got it passed so well. And remember after tap was passed 1) All the scum buckets still got their bonuses for that year! 2) Many got to keep their jobs or were let go with a very nice thank you note! 3) And the one that should piss you off but it has not is...NO ONE WAS EVER ARRESTED! you just make stuff up. i cannot figure out if your a troll or a complete moron. 1) many did not get a bonus, including myself and hundreds in my group. id venture that was not uncommon based on my real life experience in the business. As opposed to your delusional fantasy world of finance. 2)many did keep their jobs, including myself but thousands did not. ML, BS and LB were completely gone. so were most of those jobs. every firm has layed off additional and continue too. you'd know that if you actually followed the industry instead of making up your own facts. 3) i do not believe anyone was arrested, agreed. that is because losing money is not a crime. you're free to argue it should be but not free to imply people shoule be arrested for a crime that does not exist in our legal system. as ive said many times before. you do not understand the topic which you choose to speak on. you really should find something else to discuss, you make a fool of yourself here. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

I keep about a weeks supply of non perishable food. (realistically i have far more in my kitchen but this is technically stored for a purpose). i have a wind up radio and flashlights. first aid kit and the ability to purify water. i do this because when i moved to the subarbs i realized we were prone to storm related power outages. ive been lucky but have had friends lose power for a week or so. i dont think that really makes me a prepper but thought id add my comments because i am prepared for what i feel is a worse case scenario. I just dont see society degrading to where i need a bunker in my lifetime. Im curious to read at what level people here prepare themselves and what they see as worse case scenarios. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

No...adding them to the debates will not increase their chances. We (well, GOP faithful) already got to see what you get in a debate with 5-10 candidates. That's not a debate (which nearly by definition is two people or viewpoints), that's a circus. No, the crime of the debates is nearly always that the format is so contrived and prearranged that each candidate can ignore actual argument and just give short stump speeches to the viewers. I'm better off watching that reality TV show and just going to the party web pages. I'd like to see a good moderator who won't let them get away without answering the questions asked. AMEN. imagine how great it would be if the moderator could call them out on their rehearsed lines. they wont of course because then the network would never get another debate or interview. its a big business and you dont get debates or interviews asking tough questions. and if you dont get that, you dont get ratings which means you have no ads or revenues. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

"Since immigration was the only difference you mentioned, and given that your posts are usually well written and your meaning is usually unambiguous, I assumed that you were attaching considerable importance to immigration as a factor in health care. If that wasn't your meaning I stand corrected. That being said, I can't see any reason at all why immigration would have anything to do with the low proportion of the US population with health insurance, compared to every other industrialized country. Don " My point is that its not a fair comparison between tiny nations and the US. We are much larger with a much greater amount of poor and working poor. We allow poor people to come here because traditionally our growth absorbs them. they allow much much less. Google and see what it takes to get German or Italian residency not to mention citizenship. Its far more restrictive than ours. My argument is not so much about immigration, though, as it is about the make up of our nation being too different than theirs to make a fair comparison. The US to India or China would be a more apt comparison for me. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

Yes they are rich. Who cares, its their money and they earned it. What about how they helped peoples pension funds grow? Union workers who own the stock. Do you have a wiki cut and paste about that? "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante

Walmart people earn a healthy profit. So their employees would be better off if they had a large loss? a company must earn a profit to pay employees. No, the workers earn the profit. The 1% take the profit. In the real world and not your dreamed up one, the shareholders earn and take the profit. So that could be anyone who owns the stock. Including Calpers, the cali employee pension fund who is a major shareholder. So are union state employees part of the evil 1% takers? Don't answer, you don't even understand what I'm talking about. "The point is, I'm weird, but I never felt weird." John Frusciante