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What should Zero Hedge focus on next year?
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from the Washington Post
U.S. promises unlimited financial assistance to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
Friday, December 25, 2009
The Obama administration pledged Thursday to provide unlimited financial assistance to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an eleventh-hour move that allows the government to exceed the current $400 billion cap on emergency aid without seeking permission from a bailout-weary Congress.
The Christmas Eve announcement by the Treasury Department means that it can continue to run the companies, which were seized last year, as arms of the government for the rest of President Obama's current term.
But even as the administration was making this open-ended financial commitment, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac disclosed that they had received approval from their federal regulator to pay $42 million in Wall Street-style compensation packages to 12 top executives for 2009.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR200912...
Didn't predict this, did you Hedgies? Ban on housing evictions to follow shortly. I warned you about this--I warned you that we were changing Constitutional regimes, but you preferred to snuggle up to your petit bourgeois prejudices. Now you're bruised. Poor babies!!
I can tell you at length and probably ad nauseum, where this is going. But I'm not sure you're going to believe me, or want to, but this is the way it is:
We are moving rapidly out of the scrutiny regime (West Coast Hotel v. Parrish), and into the maintenance regime, which I described in my study of the anti-eminent domain movement, The Eminent Domain Revolt (New York: Algora 2006).
The doctrine of the scrutiny regime is that the Constitution is a rational relation to a legitimate government purpose. This extremely porous doctrine has meant:
1. the political system has absolute power over the facts; and
2. individuals have no individually enforceable rights over the facts.
Wanna see where the scrutiny regime has been with regard to housing? Just read Lindsey v. Normet. Housing, under the scrutiny regime, enjoys only minimum scrutiny. Which means there is no individually enforceable right to housing.
Now, I know what your petit bourgeois mind is thinking: "Darned right. Moral hazard. Can't pay for it? Can't stay." You know, the Nancy Reagan response.
Well, nobody cares about that anymore. It's just over.
What the Treasury has announced is that we are moving rapidly toward MY regime, the maintenance regime. The doctrine of the maintenance regime is that the Constitution is the maintenance of important facts.
Huh? What's an "important" fact? The Court, in West Virginia v. Barnette, tells us that an important fact is
1. a fact of human experience
2. which history demonstrates
3. is unaffected by attempts to affect it.
When your fact passes that test, it is REMOVED FROM THE POLITICAL SYSTEM, and power over it is GIVEN TO THE INDIVIDUAL. Ouch! Bad luck for housing bonds and housing debt.
Guess what? It has been concluded that housing is an important fact. (P.S.--also liberty, maintenance, education and medical care.)
Meaning? Well, in scrutiny regime terms, it means that housing now enjoys strict scrutiny (policy affecting housing must be "narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government purpose"). This means housing as an investment vehicle is over, finished, kaput. Evictions are forbidden under any circumstance. Ouch for your housing portfolio!!!
In maintenance regime terms, it means that
no individual shall be involuntarily deprived of housing.
Plug in those other four facts, and you have the new bill of rights.
Treasury is simply saying the power structure has capitulated, overthrown the srutiny regime, and established the maintenance regime.
THIS is the coup d'etat, it's WAY over the heads of you who are reading this, because you're petit bourgeois and don't know the law.
But I do, and that's what matters. Democracy has lost this once, but hey, democracy put Hitler in power. Democracy is on the leash, just like every other fact.
well, I am certainly not a small burger but it's true I don't understand the law. It is indeed way over my head. Is this one of those things where you smart folks argue over what the meaning of word is, is?
Hey nony, if you can't explain a scrutiny regime in a way that even my grandmother can understand it, you probably don't know what you're talking about.
"it's WAY over the heads of you who are reading this, because you're petit bourgeois and don't know the law."
Fuuuuuuck you!
If you are the real Ryskamp, you are an insufferable ass who needs to be taken out behind the woodshed, where real citizens would stomp your ass a mudhole and walk it dry for ya. You probably are not though. You probably have something against Ryskamp and you are posting here, trying to harm his image for some reason.
Go away troll idiot.
So busted, nice !
Hey Anon
You spew the same droll logic as Mein Kampf . Perhaps you will become our megalomaniacal leader ? Not. Better to limit your dissertation to 2 syllable words so we can understand your point.
Oh. Why not move to China. I hear there are underpaid and overworked factory workers ripe for a Communist Revolution. Oh, sorry, done before. No one left working here....
p.s. the law is what those in power say it is.
Interesting thesis in your comment.
I only wish you'd written it with slightly less brandy egg nog.
.
A review of your book was titled "Sloppy".
Indeed.
His book review was less than flattering.
Typical half-baked pseudo-intellectual comic relief. +2 though for some of the most extraordinarily creative sophistry ever produced by a Kollege graduate (sorry, can't type my "e's" backwards for this pseudo-academia wannabe sycophant).
My only question here is how much hashish does a guy have to smoke to get into the mindset of writing at that level of convoluted horseshit?
Writing is not your vocation my friend. Stick to your Wal-Mart greeter job. It's your calling.
You lost me at "New Bill of Rights". Sayin' it doesn't make it so. And apparently your reader (singular) doesn't think so either.
Ha, ha, ha!
What a prick.
Your comment raises a pressing question: Why are you such an asshole?
The guy's puffed a wee too many bong hits as of late. He's really a Jeff Spicolli type hiding behind a keyboard.
Arrogance breeds ignorance.
thank u for saying that. i read a similar comment by our friend this morning and was thinking the same thing all day long.
monsieur ryskamp, i suggest you go see The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. you remind me of heath ledger's character, tony aka barry. feel free to come back when you've seen it and we can discuss the ending.
Anon,
While you may know the law,and are obviously learned, and while I agree w/you to a large degree, the Powers that be, have one major looming unresolved issue.
80 Million+ firearms owners..............
The Revolutonary War was fought with less than 10% of the populace.
The military is bound by an Oath, and it's not to a NEW Const or to the POTUS.
It's to the Original,to Defend and Protect the Constitution of the United States of America, from enemies both Foreign and Domestic.
(the POTUS Command comes 2nd in that Oath, as CIC), I have many close friends in all branches, up and down the chain.
I put it to a Ret Lt.Major, WHAT would happen if the current Admin, did something/s, outside the purview of their Oaths.
Would they intervene?, He said,likely NO.
(The history of separatism is far too great,unless it was sedition,etc).
But, he did say, in his opinion, if the PEOPLE rose up, the Military would in his OPINION, stand DOWN.
So, using the Rev War stats for convo sake, say just 10% of those under arms decided enough.
That's 8 Million men & women armed to the teeth.
Who's going to stop them?, from re-taking this Republic?.
Remember the Military, and ALL who took that Oath, it stay's with you for life.
There comes a point where you roll over, or have enough.
uhhh, don't know what branch of service that "Lt. Major" claimed to be from, but there ain't no such rank AFAIK........
oh, and BTW, romanticizing the the US military is a BIIIIG MISTAKE.
They are one of the most politically corrupt organizations on earth. There are plenty of good people in the organization, but the leadership is totally politicized........as in, they DO NOT look out for their own.
This Oath Taker idea that the "Military" will protect the people against the govt is bullshit.
Sorry, Sgt Mjr,and I did not mean that the Military would prtotect the common citizens.............
That they would let us rip.
If it came to that.
Remember, these folks are US.
If it got that bad, trust me, they know where their bread is buttered.
And your correct..................Texans, will be with Texans.
Republic of Texas: 1836-1845 R.I.P.
How'd that work out the first time? Oh, that's right, they needed the US to annex them because they were up to their eyeballs in debt and couldn't handle being an independent republic back then, any more than they'd be able to today, either.
You can wave your guns and your flag all you want, while i'll be watching video from the predator strikes during this latter-day version of 'the alamo'.
The US can hardly bring itself to fire on foreign enemies on foreign soil without lawyering the situation to death. That makes it less not more likely that they fire on say, Texans especially when the fire team in question is likely to be from Texas.
The US can hardly bring itself to fire on foreign enemies on foreign soil without lawyering the situation to death. That makes it less not more likely that they fire on say, Texans especially when the fire team in question is likely to be from Texas.
look - the American public is armed well enough to take over some pacifist country but who are you kiddin that it could even topple the local swat team??
The reason Americans can be well armed is that the US Military is armed beyond anyone's dreams which makes the public look like a declawed kitten
If I understand him right I tend to agree with his general thesis. The size of the housing problem for the largest national economy in the world is greater in force than the constitutional government. Therefore any forcast that's based on the last 100 or so years of examples in democractic capitalism is suspect. Expect major paradigm shits, as Faber points out war is the most obvious.
That being said for a supposed superior intellectual he seems to miss the entire nature of communication. For example, no one cares if you know more than them if you can't communicate that you know more than them. Trees 'know' a lot of stuff I don't too, but frankly I don't give a shit. Richard Feynman, well known physicist, talks about the nature of communication in one of his interviews. Or see Lao Tzu.
the problem with most of the people on ZH is that the only way to communicate with them is to throw a bag of gold off a cliff
This is a very good response and I disagree only on one point... Democracy was never a system for the masses to be heard , rather Democracy means many Kings and with the power of the polling booth even a tiny minority can gain power ... in other words the smartest faction in the mob gains the rights of the moral founded law.
I would like Zerohedge to get a bit more Asian, the bubble being formed in Singapore, Hong Kong and China is truly magnificent. Building is just continuing and continuing. The easy credit policy funded by China will have to stop at some point and I for one would like ZH to get in some decent 'on the ground' writers for the topic.
Thanks for 2009.
ORGY!!
http://popup.lala.com/popup/432627043557996816
AND GOLD!
AND BITCHES!!!
"What should ZH focus on next year?"...censoring this jackass's comments.
Nothing a few lawsuits can't deal with. In any event, you seem to be confusing landlord-tenant cases with foreclosures, Two very different things.
It's entirely possible that:
A)This guy is a prick
AND
B) Obama wants to make housing, credit, healthcare, a job and a decent chunk of your money a civil right for anyone who happens to be maintaining body temperature within the borders of the USA. Right now.
What do you think "Second Bill Of Rights" or "Positive Rights" means. Barry's actually quite keen on the idea and talked about it openly all the time before he got elected. He'd probably wax poetic on it right now if anyone bothered to ask him.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1151942/barack_obama_on_redistr...
Yeah, censorship, it's the American Way! I'll put in a good word for you to head up the Thought Police.
I am Chumbawamba.
S E X . . . . . . . . .
with real people,,,,,,,,, not virtual
Retailers Vying for Discount Seekers Cut Prices After Christmas
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amN49nN5nmEs&pos=1
There are many news stories about retailers offering big discounts over the last month and how it seems to be drawing in shoppers. Retail stocks have been soaring.
The obvious question is, if discounting is so good for retailers then why don't they do it all the time?
@EVERBODY
Any takers on the name-the-(potential)-scandal identified by Sprott? I think a name could give the story some legs:
+ QuEasyGate?
+ GeithnerGate?
Any others?
BillGate (as in T-bills)
BillGate. I like it. Kinda reminds me of Billingsgate, the infamous district of swearing and cursing.
List A
______
ARMEGADDEN
THE TRUTH
THE END
THE GREAT KOOLAIDE REGURGITATION
WORLD WAR THREE
CHAOS
OUR FINAL UNDOING
List B
______
THE GREAT IGNORING
THE GREAT SO WHAT
THE CONTINUED DENYING
THE MILD WHATEVERING
THE COLECTIVE SIGH
THE ENIGMATIC, HUH?
Give ignorance a chance!
derivatives of lies, loyalty and ethics swaps, honesty defaults, ponzy insurance
all too complex for me. From hereon each day the sun will shine a little longer, and perhaps remove the shadows from wallstreet. Yea right!
LOL What you don't know can't hurt you. He who increases his wisdom increases his sorrow. He who doesn't increase his wisdom doesn't increase his ability to respond appropriatedly. Ignorance is the blissful employment of no response-ability.
I agree with ya. Give ignorance a chance! Do it for the dumbasses who want to be know it alls, answer to every problem, full of shit guides to a full of shit universe!!!
Valentine's Day Part Deux - Airing the Greivances
and of course, that old standby, Charlie Foxtrot Nation.
gotta be "FedGate"
Thanks, DH!
"ForeclosureGate"
Any one hear that the Pope was 'assaulted' at his Xmas mass today? A 'mentally unstable' woman jumped the rail and managed to pull the Pope to the ground before security intervened.
Between this and the Berlusconi incident, and the Obama secret service lapses, I think the Powers that Be are sending a message to all their lackeys, henchmen, puppets... Do as you are told, or you will be involved in an accident, caused by some random "mentally unstable" person...
Just a though!!!
Interesting. However, it looked to me that she never even got close to Popey, and that he merely tripped over the rug he was wearing while the woman was being tackled to the ground by the Pope Goons.
At any rate, maybe it's an indicator that people are getting nastier, and that current security--which assumed a more docile public--are inadequate for the new level of disquiet and hatred brewing in the ocean of plebes.
I am Chumbawamba.
"Mentally unstable?" Sounds more sane than any woman I've ever known.
[Ba-da-dum, dum, <cymbal crash>]
Hey-ooooh.
We are all becoming mentally unstable
"schizophrenia is the exterior limit of capitalism itself or the conclusion of its deepest tendency, but that capitalism only functions on condition that it inhibit this tendency, or that it push back or displace this limit....Hence schizophrenia is not the identity of capitalism, but on the contrary its difference, its divergence, and its death " - deleuze & guattari
many would disagree with D&G's use of the term capitalism, myself included. but whatever they described as capitalism was exactly what we are experiencing today, so please excuse the loaded term.
Less anti-government tirades & conspiracy theory tinfoil, more facts and figures from legitimate, proven & credible sources.
And pray tell who are these "legitimate, proven & credible sources"? The NYTimes? Washington Post? US Government? The Federal Reserve? HAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!
Certainly not GG, but c'mon, some of the tinfoil and the so-called "sources" cited by some who post here would make one think the NYT, WP or Uncle Sam, etc were the epitome of credibility.
I say let people fish the ocean of ideas and find the good ones for themselves.
I am Chumbawamba.
That has always worked for me. What also works for me is calling out some of the bovine excrement to be found on here from time to time by its proper name, ie: bullshit. Just to clarify, i am not speaking of Marla or Tyler (or you or GG) here, but there certainly are a few others. Happy holidays.
Well, I think that our entire present education system is one big giant turd, so whenever I come across something that seems to be the exact opposite of "legitimate and credible" (as taught by our "education system"), I consider it totally legitimate and credible and go with that. But that is my modus operandi and you are free to choose yours, so good luck and happy holidays.
Our education system is doing exactly what it is designed to do, whether we like it or not.
The Seven Lesson School Teacher.
I thought so. Thanks.
Our education system is design to stupefy a greater portion of the masses...
Oh so they are "credible" sources because the bank bandits who bought them give them good fico scores and upgrade them with ratings agencies all the time!!!!!
You can't legitmize bullshit. It's too easy to burn.
"And pray tell who are these "legitimate, proven & credible sources"?
That was great GG, laughed my ass off!
My wife has always been more cynical than me when it comes to anything said by the government, large corporations, and mass media. In my defense, I've had little trust in governmental and media pronouncements over the years, just not as downright cyncical as she is. As to large corporations, I worked in financial services for 30 yrs and I do know that just about everything is a lie, misrepresentation, spin, daily Dilbert dialogue, etcetera.
She won. She's right. I'm wrong.
I've had the experience of working at very high levels
with corporate PR departments (Chairman of the Board
level). They are all are liars. Constantly lying about almost any public statement. Corporate PR is a career of lies.
+1 I agree 100%. Too many financial blogs spell their own demise when they move from mostly fact posts to mostly rant posts. Listen, everyone thinks the government is a bunch of shitbags, it is not news and the rants about it bring nothing new to the world. All it does is increase the amount of off-topic goldbug rants in the comments for all of the real posts, which is a shame. I am sick of 50% of the comments on totally unrelated stories ending up being about gold or healthcare or both. "I can't wait for the apocalypse, I am going to trade my home jarred lettuce jams for gold to pay the doctor with when Obama's nazi healthcare explodes the socialism in all of our faces!!11!!"
+1 I agree 100%. Too many financial blogs spell their own demise when they move from mostly fact posts to mostly rant posts. Listen, everyone thinks the government is a bunch of shitbags, it is not news and the rants about it bring nothing new to the world. All it does is increase the amount of off-topic goldbug rants in the comments for all of the real posts, which is a shame. I am sick of 50% of the comments on totally unrelated stories ending up being about gold or healthcare or both. "I can't wait for the apocalypse, I am going to trade my home jarred lettuce jams for gold to pay the doctor with when Obama's nazi healthcare explodes the socialism in all of our faces!!11!!"
lol, definitely have read that last line here more than once in all of its various forms
I love the way Jesus' post about not getting hijacked by foaming at the mouth goldbugs has been hijacked by the very same thing.
I'd rather be a foaming at the mouth gold bug than a foaming at the mouth dollar-bug/paperbug any day.
Dollar "bugs" are nowhere near as vehement in their 'belief'.
I'm short term bullish on the dollar, but I'm prepared to run screaming from the greenback at any moment.
Few goldbugs can say the same.
They end up being about gold because gold is important. Don't overlook the obvious. Unknown people are trying to help you, despite what you may think. The good guys are out there. Learn to be more discerning.
I am Chumbawamba.
No, they become about gold because most of the hardcore market blog folks are obsessed with it, it is not some natural movement where everyone sees the gold-light all of the sudden. This site was not all about gold before it was popular. I have witnessed in many blogs about the credit bubble since at least 2005 that once they become popular a clique of goldbugs moves into the comments. It is probably all the same people in each one!
As someone who was viewed as a wingnut or worse because I tried telling everyone I met about gold from 2002 (gold under 320) onward I want to say this.
In 2002-07 the people I talked to didn't want to listen. Their optimism filter wouldn't allow in a message that predicted the current events. The message was also a hard sell because Bartender Al kept everyone drunk. You know how hard it is to talk to drunks. I tried but I more or less gave up because it was futile. Now everyone knows about gold. In some ways I agree because there isn't much of a discussion with all these recent experts but I do not agree that is the case here at ZH. The quality of the contributors and commenters is outstanding and as long as that continues ZH will be what it is. The death of other blogwebsites has been in my experience from the contributors loosing inspiration, "anotherfuckedborrower" comes to mind. Its too big a burden for one man or woman to carry. Blogs are born and and blogs die.
Now at least gold is on everyones radar.
One aquiantance who has heard my message for a while said to me last week, "why didn't you tell me you weren't lying about gold".
dogbreath, Oh don't I hear you! I was buying gold/silver in 1994 telling people what was coming. I've been the 'kook' in the circle of friends the entire time since then. Everyone says some variation of "you gotta go along to get along" or "it will never happen".
I started to laugh when after a few years it changed to "it will never happen in our lifetime". Now I get (about monthly) calls randomly from all these 'friends' who had given me so much shit over the years, all asking me pretty much the same thing you mentioned, and all starting with some ridiculous statement like "oh man, remember that crazy shit you used to talk about? Oh Man, I SEEN IT ON TEE-VEE!".
That's what made it real for them. NOT that I was a living human being in the room showing them photocopied documents and tables and desperately trying to explain it to them in full context, oh no. It's when the fucking Television shows it, well good God man, It Must Be Real!
Pathetic.
billybonsai7 should pick up on that phrase and characterize it.
It is ALL about GOLD. He who has the Gold makes the rules, and if you don't have any, I guess you won't be making any and will just have to play along (read: be a slave).
Gold is a Hardcore Insurance Policy- that is its true value. But... he who has the gun can confiscate the gold.
Gold will only have value, so long as we keep this bruised and bleeding country together. Otherwise, the more gold you have, the bigger the army you will need to feed.
Thank you for that completely jumbled and yet nonsensiscal and poorly-reasoned thought.
I am Chumbawamba.
Bingo.
Do you really think that all of this financial damage can be fixed by creating more paper ticket/digital money out of nothing? ...and without dire consequences?
The Titanic has already hit the iceberg. The damage is done. Some of us have filled some lifeboats and are paddling, as others say "It can't be sunk!" and go back to the bar to talk about stochastics and head and shoulder patterns.
If you were one of these people, and you didn't do everything you possibly could to encourage fellow passengers to get off the sinking ship and onto the lifeboats, could you live with yourself afterwards?
fuck 'em Rusty. Remember your OPSEC, or you'll have these cold and hungry idiotic minions pounding on your door for a handout.
Live up to your namesake there! ;)
Yeah, I guess.
Oh well, back to the LP/OP.
Thanks Rusty and Chumby for your well-reasoned counterpoint.
If your gold is paper IOU's then, of course, it can be used to wipe your ass, so it will always retain some value. If it is in bricks at your house, you better spend some time practicing your shot. If it is more than a few bricks, plant a big garden to feed your army. Is that clear enough fer ya...
yeppers, easily
I thought you said that you were tired of the Healthcare rants.
Why are you evading the family Christmas Intimacy Express Experience today? X-Mas, one day of divine hope, peace and love each year, and you're online. So am I.
Why?
My best reason is I've been happily relegated to the smoker's room. But I'll have to carve the turkey in 10 minutes, I'm now being told.
Who are the rest of these people posting on Christmas, I'm wondering?
I'm stoned and in the mood to share my thoughts.
What % of invested retirement funds are in mortgages underwater and thereby lost?
This on is sitting, drinking, eating and generally trying to enjoy the day after shoveling 3 frikin feet of snowdrifts so in case my 91 year old Mom in law has any problems the paramedics can get in. Some of the family can't even open thier doors to get out! Never be carefree when they say a blizzard is coming. AND, we say Merry Christmas to all.
Ouch, sorry to hear. I remember my days shoveling fondly. Now, I'm enjoying the sunny and 62 degs. here in Phoenix. Yeah, I know it's hot here in the summer, but you never have to shovel sunshine.
Well, my father ate a fricking Christmas ornament that was shaped like a gingerbread cookie, and my elderly mom tried to kinda filch one of the grandkid's plastic bouncy toys (I caught her in the act putting it in her purse and made her give it back.) Karma was found when the toddler accidentally boubced it off her face in an attempt to get it to light up.
Yep, its Christmas time in my household and I'm all out of hard liquor.
I'm sorry. Used to have those Christmases. It changed. Life is much better. Sounds like work is a haven, in comparison.
shalom bitches !!!!1
we thought you were spirited away to Lithuanian CIA
interrogation center
Cheeky, you bastard, how did you manage to get out of the trunk?
Yo Cheeky, you're alive!
Shalom Bernanke!
Shalom ya Bastard. Hang out more. Teh peeps likes you. See posts around where folks want to know where ya been.
Bobsled bitches!!!! Just say no to slalom.
good guess you don't hang christmas lights around your swiss chalet......
sheffa
Criminal activities of the Federal Reserve and who owns it. WE NEED TO BRING THIS SUCKER DOWN!
The Federal Reserve is NOT the only problem. They are simply a lobby group for the member banks. Getting rid of FR is like trying to stop the war by getting rid of lobbyists for Raytheon .
"like trying to stop the war by getting rid of lobbyists for Raytheon ."
Gotta start somewhere...
That sounds like a small, managable, doable little project there.
Ms., Merry Christmas!
Happy holidays and may you remain, Unscarred.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year MsCreant!
:-D
Same to you, dear one!
Bloomberg says Goldman owns Harris Beechcraft that has a billion dollar contract to make spy planes for Afghanistan.
That's a bit simplistic. Sure, the FR is not the ONLY problem, but it's certainly the biggest and most destructive.
I am Chumbawamba.
Would you blame the USDA for all the fat arses? No because like the FR, the USDA is just a lobby group for the food industry. You can destroy the FR but unless you dismantle the entire fraudulent banking system, it would just morph into another "creature". FR is not the body or even a tentacle, but simply just the ink cloud allowing the tentacles to either take hold or, as recently seen, allowing the predatory system to escape death.
Well, I certainly don't disagree, but you gotta start somewhere.
I am Chumbawamba.
The Fed is the wellspring by which all the socialist zealots are empowered.
Be they academic charlatans, war- mongering corporatists or welfare state bureaucrats,
all rely on the regime of irredeemable currency to fund their odious agenda.
SHRED THE FED!
Take down the FR, and we take down their ability to manipulate the currency and scam the entire populace. Like cutting three or four heads off the hydra....the beast is severely weakened, but not yet dead.....soon enough.....
Well, we gotta start somewhere, and the fed seems as good a place as any.
Who OWNS the FR ?
This would be good info....
Who owns the Federal Reserve ? The Antichrist, of course.
I'd like to see a comprehensive series, written for the average individual, on how economic insitutions actually function, and their effect upon average people.
It would be nice with a map to the jungle , yes.
In the coming year, you are going to see real life enactment of how those economic institutions function. Many of those "economic institutions" no longer even make the effort of concealing their illegal behavior.
That would actually be a great idea. Then I could actually penetrate the brains of those I steer to certain threads here whose eyes glaze over after reading language totally foreign to them.
The free market system, a laudable theory, was long ago replaced by a system that caters to the very few on the backs of the many. It is no longer taught in college, the books have been burned. Sorry...
Why do we have so many Scot trade helicopter Commercials?
Why do Companies advertise (Aka, beg for cash) shortly after their names are up in the media somewhere?
What about the dozens of Companies quietly making a small penny unnoticed?I am so tired of the fake smiley propaganda spouted by media networks on thier so called business channels.
What does Poland and Turkey matter to us? See thier channel on satellite tv alot.
Why is it I see more commercials for money, either plated mint coins on blanks, gold sells via envelope by mail, or a bank promising safe haven by way of second mortgage etc....
Why cannot all that go away, Ditech used to be pretty darn good barometer for Real Estate before the craptastic crash. Just after I forgot about Ditech, they are BAACK!
Do these people think we are dumb?
What is it with State Farm, Travelers, Geico and similar companies crowding my TV set on the satellite vying for my insurance business?
The landscape needs changing. I might just open wide, bend over and endure the cost of a DVR or something and record only the content that matters a tinkers damn while bleeping out these commercials.
Be nice to sit down longer than 7 minutes and WATCH something all the way through.
And finally but not last... I am so sick of having the volume way down at level 8 and get blasted out of my chair 60% or more on a commercial.
You don't have a DVR? (Stunned uncomfortable silence). However, before the anti-TV lobby decends on me with their shrill, turn my mind to mush, argument...Note, He already has a tv! In my mind, the DVR is the product of the decade, hands down, and the most vital piece of technology in my house except for my tv, remote (without the DVR is useless)and a hand gun.
got a gun? if so, i got a great idea for some quality entertainment:
take your TV out to the backyard, paint a bullseye on it and shoot a clip into that motherfucker. you'll spend weeks reliving the memory in your easy chair, plus you'll most likely give some inspiration to the neighbors.
better yet, shoot a vid and upload it to uboob.
i) Working out how to be able to pay yourselves a decent wage for the work you put in, without selling out to financial industry...
ii) The various tricks governments will use to pretend the fiscal situation is better than it really is, especially understating inflation...
iii) Suspicious trading activity...
iv) The dreadful job the munis do at managing budgets - excessive wages and benefits to local authority workers , misuse of derivatives...
One more thing - a periodically updated table of Treasury auctions, date, size, maturity bid-to-cover, direct vs indirect etc etc, so we can quickly see changes to auction results. Obviously, I could do this myself, but it would allow for discussions of perceived trends...
Oh, which elements would you like to see on the new periodic table?
666 Ho Hopium
Japan.
2010 budget: JPY 92300 bn.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d4a884b8-f051-11de-839a-00144feab49a.html
2010 new JGB issuance: JPY 44300 bn.
http://www.mof.go.jp/english/bonds/e20091225overview.pdf
JGBs currently outstanding: JPY 694300 bn.
UN to Produce Bullion Coins as World Currency
There is a mint now producing silver bullion one ounce coins stamped with indents to be split into 1/2s or 1/4 s. How perceptive of the industry. I would call that forward looking. If i could remember i would leave the link, but i was smoking a bowl at the time. Now theres a growth industry.
You all have a wonderful day!
And a wonderful barter item as well.
"Stagecoach Silver" ("for when you have to get out of dodge") from Northwest Territorial Mint. It's directed toward the gunshow crowd, I think.
http://bullion.nwtmint.com/silver_stagecoach.php?cid=193
Cool. I just picked up a "Piece of Eight": a silver coin with 4 diametric indents to allow the coin to be split into 1/8ozt bits.
I am Chumbawamba.
Well between Anon, and Mad Max, at least we have two gun owners.......LOL
This mint has fractional silver (and gold), but the mark-up is pretty high. But apparently they are selling a lot of them.
http://bullion.nwtmint.com/index.php
I think it would be cool to have a real time graph of those interest maturity rate swaps that Morgan Stanley was pitching Mtd,Ytd performance etc.
We could call it watching the train wreck in real time. That and price of gold GG.
#1 Profitable trading FOR REAL PEOPLE (not millionaire quants) on all the corruption of the US government including the Fed, Treasury and Congress and Judiciary that you write about. We all know it is corrupt and broken to the core. FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TRADE IT. CONCENTRATE ON THAT. Gecko is on the right track. At some point dollars will stop working and only blood will fix it. Bring it down. The sooner the better. #2 The trading. #3 The trading. Predictions without accountability are useless.
What happened to Wall St. Pro? Miss him!! Probably got foreclosed and living on the street now.
Or hiding from the repo man.
Tell me, why in the hell would you bother to try to repo anything from walstpro?????
We've seen what he does to the things he (presumably)paid for, what do you think he would do to something that he had stopped paying for? Come to think of it, that would probably be his most entertaining video ever... Not that I want to see him having issues with repo or forclosure crap, I'd just like to see him let loose on some bigger targets.
Deckhand
Zero Hedge should focus on the same things it has been focusing on since its inception, and keep an accurate record of any and all policies and subterfuge that ruined the economy so as to refute any revisionist history you know will follow as politicians try to deny responsibility.
The great ponzi scheme on which the American economy is based has began to fail in 2007. Its been balanced on the precipice ever since.
My Question;
What year in the future will the American economy face its ultimate collapse?
My hope (and it is only that) is that collapse doesn't happen before 2012, as I need more time to prepare. I've been telling friends for years, though, that the FRN won't see its hundredth birthday (2014) and am curious about two things: (1) everyone's thoughts on this article: http://www.strike-the-root.com/92/butler/butler3.html and (2) what everyone thinks about the FRN being replaced by a regional currency (the so-called "amero") and the likelihood that it will be accompanied by the creation of the so-called North American Union (following escalation of war in the ME and a "national emergency" requiring the implementation of martial law).
I frankly don't know how the USG can survive (not that I want it to) without a lurch toward regionalism following the collapse of globalization (dollarization).
The Amero? Are you kidding? how would that be in the strategic interest of the Canadians, or even the Mexicans? Canada has a fiat currency, but at least it has immense natural resource wealth with which to back it. The only way the Amero will happen is at gunpoint.
The US has immense natural resource wealth as well. We're just not allowed to use it.
I am Chumbawamba.
Interesting thoughts....I am mega-bearish on the USA, and think the FRN will fail. But not in the near future, no where near it. The chaos it will create will be the endgame for the current system, of the 300m people in the USA, I would say about half give a shit.....and that half will be gunning for blood. The world has seen nothing like this....and they know it. A long way off a currency failure, but the decline continues in the meantime.
Who really owns and controls GS and JPM and the Fed.
GW, is it possible to compute the amount of interest we paid in 2009 to the Fed for the use of our own money? It would be interesting to track this year by year, and watch what happens to our families, infrastructure, schools, crime, etc., as it progresses.