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A Modest Proposal For Dealing With The Soon To Be $1 Quadrillion + National Debt

Tyler Durden's picture




All Hail Octavia!

U.S. government stages fake coup to wipe out national debt

U.S. Government Stages Fake Coup To Wipe Out National Debt




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Thu, 08/13/2009 - 12:40 | Link to Comment demsco
demsco's picture

Umm, thats my last name. Follow ME!

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 12:49 | Link to Comment Dear Infinity
Dear Infinity's picture

He was dying. I wanted a child. It was a good way to have one without the bother of a husband around... who had legal rights to my body. So, one night at work... when the wounded and maimed were all asleep, I went to him. He was asleep. But his erection was there, as always. I removed my undergarments and climbed on top of him. He woke up then. He said the only word other than his name that I ever heard him utter. He said, "good." It didn't take very long, and that once was all that was needed.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:08 | Link to Comment pinkboxtrader
pinkboxtrader's picture

First story around here that didn't end with bail-out.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:18 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:50 | Link to Comment Roy Batty
Roy Batty's picture

Garp.....

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:50 | Link to Comment zeropointfield (not verified)
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:07 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:33 | Link to Comment NYcity
NYcity's picture

I guess we have to wait till next week to see who dumps them to the fed?

good articles; my newest bookmarked finance site ..http://www..
hat tip: finance news & finance opinions

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 12:58 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 12:58 | Link to Comment AnonymousMonetarist
AnonymousMonetarist's picture

"If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again."

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:02 | Link to Comment Joe Sixpack
Joe Sixpack's picture

How about:

 

1. Abolish the fed (www.abolishthefed.info)

2. Bankrupt the entire derivative's bubble.

3. Create a new [US] currency, allowing limited initial exchanges for individual citzens. Hopefull other nations follow our example.

4. Create a secondary market in Federal Reserve dollars during the wind down.

 

www.JoeSixPack.me/orig_letter.html

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:18 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

There's a movie called The Money Masters. It's the only solution I've EVER seen. It would hardly cause a disruption at all.

 

I mean compared to what will happen if we continue which will be a devastating blood bath.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:08 | Link to Comment mdtrader
mdtrader's picture

I saw this the other day, it may be old hat to people here.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

On viewing this debt clock my intial thoughts were - bankrupt!

 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:09 | Link to Comment Sqworl
Sqworl's picture

The one in China has a plus infront...but still in red font..lol

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:07 | Link to Comment D.O.D.
D.O.D.'s picture

I take it the bond auction is doing well?

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:09 | Link to Comment mdtrader
mdtrader's picture

Final attempt at 38.2% fib in the S&P, the bulls have been rejected every time so far.

 

 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 15:38 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:17 | Link to Comment crzyhun
crzyhun's picture
Nice One (3.655% +16/32)

The auction went very well, with the low yield being matched by the solid bid-to-cover ratio of 2.54 and the healthy indirect bidder participation rate of 48.1%. The bonds got an OK bump, taking the 30-yr yield back to 4.494% from 4.526% and the 10-yr to 3.646% from 3.674%, perhaps not as impressive a rally as it could have been, but there should be some delayed reaction follow through as this is the end of the week's refunding and the market is cleared of large issuance through to the last week in Aug while the Fed will be in buying in the mid-curve maturities next week.

Briefing.com

What did you expect??

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:08 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:33 | Link to Comment wolphkaat
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:52 | Link to Comment Bob
Bob's picture

When insanity becomes the norm, the only reasonable bet on the future is crazier still. 

We've completely blown through the resistance level without looking back. 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:10 | Link to Comment bullwinkle
bullwinkle's picture

I don't know about the bond market but the Octavia Industrial Average continues its relentless march upwards.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:11 | Link to Comment crzyhun
crzyhun's picture

Hey, where are the Freedonia fighters when we need them. Rufus T. Firefly for Treasury Sec.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 15:05 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:11 | Link to Comment ATLiens
ATLiens's picture

I really appreciate your analysis most of the time.  But I feel like the quality and depth of what’s covered has changed dramatically.  I realize this is a free site, so I can’t complain.   Unfortunately this is now not really a stop for me.  I feel like whoever was writing under the Tyler moniker is not the same guy now.  Did one of the big banks or CNBC buy site this and intentionally start reducing its quality?  I have been coming here since Feb or March and I learned a lot.  Even the comments at that time were extremely high quality.  Many of the topics and comments were above my knowledge base and or experience.    Now that you have become more famous, it’s like it all went down hill.  Most of the comments are ridiculous or at least very low on the analysis quality level.   Does anyone else feel this way?   

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:19 | Link to Comment Tyler Durden
Tyler Durden's picture

you bring up a good point. lately analysis has been useless. pure and simple: be it fundamental, technical, or otherwise - it is all being trampled by unbridled animal spirits and other bid buoying mechanisms. which is why for the time being ZH is more focused on observing yet providing analysis when relevant. as for tyler - he is who he has always been.

in the meantime enjoy the levity... that is all we can do until rationality comes back.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:28 | Link to Comment NRGTDR
NRGTDR's picture

Agreed. Its all about timing now. The facts are self evident. Analysis rendered useless. The outcome-definitely painful. Don't let the game wear ya down. It's all about endurance.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:41 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:07 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

That's not true. An irrational system is simply an uncontrolled unlogical system. Is the stock market crazy. Yes. Is it illogical. Yes. Analysis and understanding will bring it into a form that is logical and useful. It's a wild animal right now hurting people.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:17 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:24 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

Well the results will be good. Think of the market as a conciousness. It was subjected to too much illusion too much distortion and had a psychotic break. Now analysis and understanding are it's "therapy". It'll babble meaningless nonsense until it's had enough therapy.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:32 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:55 | Link to Comment Gunther
Gunther's picture

To me the market action dos not make sense either, but what if the tape has it right? I try to be devil’s advocate here. Classic Dow Theory is correct seven out of ten times. I observed a higher low and a higher high in Industrials and Transports. That means the trend is up, be it crazy or not. Then why is the trend up? Any fundamental improvement in the economy is unlikely as is explained somewhere else. One possible explanation is foreign money, since start of July Yen and Dow move inversely. There might very well be more dumb foreign money coming in to move stocks up farther. How many people from different continents are reading skeptical blogs? Ok, Cheeky, you are. But seriously, I can tell from Germany that the spin machine is still working well. The biggest, most flexible, fastest turning around and so on are qualifiers for the US economy in the mainstream German press. In Japan that might be similar, but I can not verify it because I do not read Japanese. So, as idiotic as it seems to be, the trend could continue for a while.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 15:57 | Link to Comment chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

Inflation.

I am Chumbawamba.

Fri, 08/14/2009 - 19:16 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:27 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:37 | Link to Comment ATLiens
ATLiens's picture


I am referring to comments exactly like this.   Vulgarity exposes a lack of vocabulary.   Please present something that shows how I am wrong or how you agree, or STFU. ha   I’m glad to know Tyler is the same.  I agree it is maddening to see what goes on.  I feel like Charles at Trimtabs, the one eyed guy in a sea of blindness.    Here are some green shoots, pack your bowls...

http://www.aei.org/outlook/100061

 

 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:06 | Link to Comment Assetman
Assetman's picture

I tend to agree, though I'm guilty of letting a vulgarity out or two on occasion. 

What I'd be in favor of, quite frankly, is doing away with the anonymous postings.  More than annoying, they're very hard to track-- especially when you want to indentify someone who is actually saying something useful.  It's not as if we are having to put our real names out there, or anything (though Assetman is my real first name).

And as TD pointed out, we can all try to analyze this, but we're just grasping at straws here in the day to day.  It's tough, but I find it very useful to see postings we can at try to ask ourselves: "What in the world is going on here?"

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:25 | Link to Comment zarrmax
zarrmax's picture

Have you ever watched a movie in which the lead character (usually a triple PhD) just figured out the world is about to end and there's nothing he or anyone can do to stop it. So he goes to the bar, starts drinking heavily, slaps the waitress on the ass and asks if she wants a go around. Of course his buddy (who also happens to be a triple PhD) is right there drinking along side him because he gets, he understand what's going on.

That's this board in a nutshell; swear at your leasure....

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:33 | Link to Comment Dixie Normous
Dixie Normous's picture

I just saw Knowing

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:26 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:42 | Link to Comment Cheeky Bastard
Cheeky Bastard's picture

Truer Words Were Never Spoken about this site +100

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:13 | Link to Comment Dixie Normous
Dixie Normous's picture

I get what you are saying.  I've definately felt the level of discourse declining, in fact, I contribute to it most every day.

I think the main reason is that we all watch our pieces of the puzzle and we try to "connect" with others and their pieces, to enhance our own understanding.

Unfortunately, the way this market is being pushed around, there's not much to be said or done outside of mocking the situation.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:34 | Link to Comment NYcity
NYcity's picture

Risk as it pertains to ... ? Backstop behind the SLPz? So, conceivably, a "past ball" (not seen coming, i.e. flashed in a dark pool) thrown in the dirt could get by the catcher and roll how far (without a backstop)? There is no risk when Bernanke is the umpire behind the plate.
His message was being spread and gaining even more support...therefore he needed to be censored.

Until we have guys like Black back as regulators nothing will change. We just

good articles; my newest bookmarked finance site ..http://www..
hat tip: finance news & finance opinions

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:34 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:00 | Link to Comment chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

Vulgarity exposes lack of vocabulary?  I find that statement to be vulgar.  Hence, I find you in serious need of a vocabulatory boost.  Fuckface.

I am Chumbawamba, and I will out vocabularize you any day.  Fuck-o.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:04 | Link to Comment ATLiens
ATLiens's picture

Oh a verbal gymnast exercising verbosity?  Please expound upon what exactly you find vulgar about my statement.  Can you do so using words that are found somewhere besides the urban dictionary?  Or does that build your “Street Cred”, bro?   Sesame Street.  

 

 

Shit, what it do? Straight been done havening, skippydo, ya heard? 

 

You are chumbawamba, and you sound unintelligent.  Fuck-o.   Don’t reply without explaining what you think is vulgar.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 18:15 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

Chumbawamba (aka punk rock band lover)... just so you know... whenever I see your name I skip over whatever you write... because you fail think before you write... its almost like you have a frontal lobe impairment and everything you are thinking is vomited out on the page in hideous display for all to see.  I am dying to know what combination of profanity is going to flow from this post... you have really used up all of the common vulgar terms so you may want to reach a little deeper inside to come up with a few oldies but goodies. 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:06 | Link to Comment Bob
Bob's picture

Well, ATLiens, tender sensibilities notwithstanding, a financial site will invariably attract a high proportion of males whose natural language--believe it or not--is heavily dependent upon profanity for maximum communicative impact.  You greatly underestimate the value thereof, me thinks. 

Thank god we have a place online where we're free to just speak our minds and be ourselves in this fucked up PC world. 

Discomfort with vulgarity expresses a discomfort with reality, IMHFO.  FWIW. 

How about an enlightened "I'm okay, you're okay"?   

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:21 | Link to Comment ATLiens
ATLiens's picture

You have missed my point.   Somebody replied with a “what the fuck” to my statement that the quality of comments has diminished.  If you weren’t here from the beginning you don’t know what I’m talking about.   If the original poster had said “what the fuck and followed it up with an argument that showed how I was wrong, I would have nothing to say.  You want a place to go and share worthless comments while using foul language, google finance is for you.  But if you take the time to actually develop an argument and present you facts, then you don’t need to use that language.  Do I cuss?  Yes, all the time.  As far as maximum communicative impact, you are off the mark.  I find Tyler to have a great impact, without using that language. 

 

 

 I mean what the fuck, post a fucking comment that is worth a fucking shit, goddamnit.   Is my message now somehow having more effect?  I think not.

 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:57 | Link to Comment Bob
Bob's picture

Awwight, having been here since February, I'll concede the deterioration of the  "quality of analysis and discourse", with the proviso that Tyler's remark speaks pretty well to that issue. 

But I don't see that the vulgarity is particularly  relevant, nonetheless.  Perhaps your frustration would be more productive if directed at the fundamental content issue. 

What would you like to say or hear others say (with or without vulgarity)?

I'm frustrated myself by the surreal spiral of collective self-destruction we seem caught in.  The paralysis is extremely difficult to get one's head around in any semblance of a "productive" discourse at this point. 

Perhaps this is all to say that we're getting sick and tired of being sick and tired. 

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 22:18 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 22:21 | Link to Comment ATLiens
ATLiens's picture

Ok, so I posted with out signing in.  My bad.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 22:35 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

That happens to me sometimes too... not sure why it happens though... should continue to be signed in when I open up ZH.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 18:24 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I agree... when it first started there were really interesting intellectual debates... but there many evenings now where the comments seriously deteriorate and leave the 'guns and ammo crowd' running the show with little to offer in the way of stimulating discourse. (By the way I put the words "stimulating discourse" together on purpose just for the guns and ammo crowd to play off of all night long).   I find the comments better in the daytime... and generally will read most people who are registered... and some of the anons (you can tell in the first few sentences).  I usually don't mind a 'fuck' here or there... sprinkled throughout... as long as there is a strong intellectual component to the debate.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:48 | Link to Comment Neo of Zion
Neo of Zion's picture

aka The Deadspin Syndrome

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:19 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 18:06 | Link to Comment Bob
Bob's picture

C'mon, love it or leave it and you're a waste of human life? 

It seems like we're gnawing each other to a nub in our frustration, which is no good for anybody. 

Just an observation, FWIW.  The times do suck, to say the least, but we don't have to surrender to nihilistic acceptance or mimicry.  Fuck that. 

Nothing wrong with being fair to one another here.   

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 17:25 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I agree with your thoughts... and do try to keep my input as relevant as possible... but sometimes it is like watching a 500 car train wreck... the cars keep piling up and piling up and you run out of new words to express the disaster that you see unfolding before your eyes... so sometimes you slip into morbid humor to ease the tension of the situation... but I do agree that some of what I read is really not relevant... and I think Assetman has the best idea of simply making sure everyone is registered so you can easily skip over the useless commenters.  (And Assetman... that is your real first name?)

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 18:09 | Link to Comment Bob
Bob's picture

Yeah, the  problem of being The Home of A Thousand Anons . . .

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:23 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 13:23 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 14:21 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 15:26 | Link to Comment mkkby
mkkby's picture

Please, please Octavia, don't wipe out the national debt for a few decades.  First let us pay the out $60 trillion in social security promises, and give us free health care for a while.  Then we can REALLY stick it to those Chinese bag holders.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 16:02 | Link to Comment chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

You know, this actually is a better plan than everything the goons in charge have come up with yet.

I am Chumbawamba.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 18:32 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 22:25 | Link to Comment waterdog
waterdog's picture

I do not use bad language when I write because even though you bloggers do not know my real name, my mother knows my sorry excuse for writing. I have always told my classes on sexual harrassment, if you would not want your mother to see it, read it or hear it, do not do it.

I move about blogs, going from one to the other, many times with two or three on-going at the same time. None of the blogs are about the same subject. I go from NASCAR to Zero Hedge to Betty Crocker. My intent for blogging is to communicate, even if it is with myself. I do not blog just to learn all there is about a subject. I blog to read the thoughts about what everyone else believes to be the issue with the subject blog.

Zero Hedge is a blog site that is up to the minute with the posts that are very important today as well as very frightening. This is a site where I can read the post and not read the comments. Many blog sites do not provide a string to encourage constructive thought betweeen bloggers.

In any process, 4 distinct personalities are present. Remove just one of these personalities from the process and the process will fail to meet the goals.

A blogger has stated that this site has gone down hill from its start 6 months ago. Mr. Durden blogged a comment that seemed to support the blogger's position.

I have been here 5 weeks. I have provided absolutely no intellectual benefit to any blogger on this site. I do not know enough to know how to ask for clarification. I have had my requests for clarity ignored. I have had some of my best comments ignored. But I have never been called a fool on this site; and it has never stopped me from acting like one.

I accept the insanity of the bloggers on this site. I look for the bloggers who are being constuctive in their comments about a post. Usually they are about 25% of the comments.

I do not accept the idea that some of these bloggers should go elsewhere because they appear to be inarticulate and they are dragging the blog into the gutter.

If you feel that a particular blog is junk, then mark it as so- leave a comment. Tell that blogger you do not appreciate it. Our identities are hidden from each other. No one knows it is you Martha.

Do not give Mr. Durden an excuse to enter the blog. It is like one's father letting it be known that if he hears one more word out of that room, there is going to be heck to pay, heck to pay.

We need them all. Even that old bat that blogged only an idiot would not beat the eggs for a full 5 minutes before mixing them with the dry ingredients.

Thu, 08/13/2009 - 23:01 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I read all of your comments Waterdog... and the story on Aug 7 was especially funny.  The mix of commentators has changed since the blogs inception... because I have been reading it since close to the beginning... and it is a BIG change.  However, I think that most everyone is pretty tolerant most of the time.  And there is certainly enough spice in the comments to make your mother blush... and Cheeky is one of my favorites... four letter words and all... however he usually has a really interesting angle from which his ideas flow... as do you.  However, I think tolerance breaks down when a person goes into really mean and aggressive attack mode against another blogger and their ideas... and I have seen many people on this blog stand up and say in no uncertain terms that 'you are over the top'... Cheeky just  did it himself when some Anon blasted D.O.D. for being unemployed and it was one of the best verbal take-downs I have ever read.  So I think that there are checks and balances to blog etiquette as there are rules that govern society.  And yes I agree we need everyone on this blog including Chumbawaba, but perhaps he could refrain from calling people 'fuckface' and 'fuck-o', because when you do that you are now fair game in my book.  And you don't beat your eggs for the prescribed 5 minutes... then please don't bring anything to my next bake sale  :-)

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