[snarg]

i get my ecomomic advice from easterbrook on tuesdays:

A week ago, Warren Buffett rescued Goldman Sachs by injecting $5 billion in capital. Did Buffett bargain for warrants that can be exchanged at an unknown later date for nonvoting shares? No: He is not a fool. Buffett gave Goldman Sachs $5 billion in return for senior preferred stock, the kind that votes and also is more valuable than ordinary shares. That is to say, he used his money to buy something. Goldman can now employ the cash to fix its liquidity problems. The United States Congress and the White House should use the public's $700 billion to buy something, namely senior preferred shares. Why are Congress and George W. Bush not simply following the road map laid out on this problem by the smartest investor of our era? Either Congress and the president are a bunch of blithering fools -- or what they actually want is to insure the public's money is never seen by the public again.

[Flumper Barflusterbutt]

I thought Nancy Pelosi's opening remarks yesterday when the bill was announced in the House was fucking retarded. If I had been a congressman planning to vote on that bill, I would have punched her in the face, voted no, and gone the fuck home.

[WoolyGoat]

I thought Nancy Pelosi's opening remarks yesterday when the bill was announced in the House was fucking retarded. If I had been a congressman planning to vote on that bill, I would have punched her in the face, voted no, and gone the fuck home.

I heard a handful, maybe even 10-15, congressmen changed their votes because of what she said. Idiotic thing for her to say, equally stupid for congressmen to get offended enough to change their votes because of it.

Seems pretty obvious that no one liked the plan based on its own merit; those who voted in favor of it did so because of the lack of alternatives. so what now?

Nice rebound by the market today.

[BIRD33]

but in all honesty is that the proper way to run a small company? yeah it's now considered acceptable practice but that dosn't make it right. 30 years ago alot less people were starting their own businesses simply because they didn't have the start-up capitol. now everyone can do it, just borrow the money.

Are these small business the reason for the catastrophe we are in?Why should they get punished?If you're used to dealing with vendors and contractors you know that everyone pays everyone late and sometimes loans are the only thing that keeps them a float until some checks come in.These small contractors and business's are the ones that buy gas for equipment that pad's 8's pockets and do the grunt work on most big projects as sub's that keep costs down and your jobs moving.They arent scamming the government, they are creating jobs for the little guy.I can't believe a huge bank a 1000 miles away fails while the CEO gets a severance check of more than everyone in this thread makes in a decade and your automatic response is fuck those small business's like they were the problem.What did the way they run their business and the way they pay their bills have to do with the problem we have today?Lets punish the people who actually made the mistake and protect the people havent done one thing wrong that employ a lot of your neighbors

[BIRD33]

If anyone changed their vote to avert a possible great depression because Pelosi made them mad then they should be strung up.Do their constituents care if their congressman's feelings get hurt?

[who]

The market has been overvalued for close to a decade, like all storms this shall pass

[who]

Nice rebound by the market today.

Plenty of great deals for long term investors
overcoming a 700 point drop isn't difficult

[WoolyGoat]

If anyone changed their vote to avert a possible great depression because Pelosi made them mad then they should be strung up.Do their constituents care if their congressman's feelings get hurt?

the only thing the constituents care about is that their congressmen agrees with their uneducated opinion.

[who]

the only thing the constituents care about is that their congressmen agrees with their uneducated opinion.

don't forget most congressmen have a staff to let them know what their opinion should be

[BIRD33]

A reader writes:

I am a retired Wall Street Advisor and have been with one of the largest banks mentioned in the news for sixteen years.

The bounce that you see today in the market should be attributed to:

1- "Dead Cat Bounce"- After a big daily decline, there is always a reflexive uptick generated by "short Covering" and "buy on the dip "investors.

2- "talk of Optimism"- The news media this morning is talking about another shot at a bailout, albeit a smaller one. Also, do not forget that market does not have all its participants at "at the table". One thousand financial related shares can not be sold short, yet.

[Anhil8tor]

who bailed out the dot.coms during their bust in 1995?


who bailed out the oilfield in the 80's?


fuck'em

[BIRD33]

who bailed out the dot.coms during their bust in 1995?


who bailed out the oilfield in the 80's?


fuck'em

These two industrys you note do not touch all aspects of business like the banking industry does.8 what happens to you if nobody is doing construction and buying gas for their machines or driving to work?How much will you stand to lose?

[Anhil8tor]

These two industrys you note do not touch all aspects of business like the banking industry does.8 what happens to you if nobody is doing construction and buying gas for their machines or driving to work?How much will you stand to lose?

not that much. It'll shut down the little bullshit operations and the bread and butter like Halliburton, Schlumberger, etc etc will still be operating.

[BIRD33]

Bullshit operations like major construction, right.

[Anhil8tor]

Bullshit operations like major construction, right.

If you owe more than your company is worth......


Just like all these people that took out home loans to cover 50K more than the home was valued at... Why? because you could.. and now you are stuck...

gov't to the rescue!

[BIRD33]

Well you elected a president who was supposed to be conservative but isnt and now he's going to be known as the socialist president as well.I don't see your current republican candidate coming out against it either.Maybe if your party had some backbone?

[Anhil8tor]

probably...


I can say mccain has done as much to hurt himself by not standing against bush as gore did by not standing with clinton.

I may be libertarian now.

[BIRD33]

17% like Bush.He's beyond an embarrassment.Most people who oppose the bailout don't understand it.Its the presidents job to get on TV and explain it but he's incapable.It was a smart move to get away from GW.

[Flumper Barflusterbutt]

Are these small business the reason for the catastrophe we are in?Why should they get punished?If you're used to dealing with vendors and contractors you know that everyone pays everyone late and sometimes loans are the only thing that keeps them a float until some checks come in.These small contractors and business's are the ones that buy gas for equipment that pad's 8's pockets and do the grunt work on most big projects as sub's that keep costs down and your jobs moving.They arent scamming the government, they are creating jobs for the little guy.I can't believe a huge bank a 1000 miles away fails while the CEO gets a severance check of more than everyone in this thread makes in a decade and your automatic response is fuck those small business's like they were the problem.What did the way they run their business and the way they pay their bills have to do with the problem we have today?Lets punish the people who actually made the mistake and protect the people havent done one thing wrong that employ a lot of your neighbors

Trying to pin the blame on a situation like this is like trying to pin the blame on the drug problem. Who do you blame? The money rich cartels that corner the market and then smuggle the dope into the country to distrubute out to whatever network of gangs and dope buyers there are? Do you blame the Crips that corner the market in Los Angeles so they are the single supplier of cocaine and are manufacturing the cheaper crack cocaine to the poor? Do you blame the local kids that stand on the street corners and sell the stuff? Do you blame the people in the community, poor, middle class, and wealthy that buy the dope? I think the blame pretty much falls all over the board.

[BIRD33]

Trying to pin the blame on a situation like this is like trying to pin the blame on the drug problem. Who do you blame? The money rich cartels that corner the market and then smuggle the dope into the country to distrubute out to whatever network of gangs and dope buyers there are? Do you blame the Crips that corner the market in Los Angeles so they are the single supplier of cocaine and are manufacturing the cheaper crack cocaine to the poor? Do you blame the local kids that stand on the street corners and sell the stuff? Do you blame the people in the community, poor, middle class, and wealthy that buy the dope? I think the blame pretty much falls all over the board.

You blame the people who were in power the majority of the time and those who cozied up to business and pushed deregulation.Only one party fits that bill.Its not completely their fault but to say both parties share equal blame is crazy.