The Weston Memorial Park that is off Purchase Street has had its trail system destroyed. The area had some cutting done and what this really represented was a woodlands version of strip mining. Swaths fifteen feet wide or wider were cut into various areas and that did in most of the previous trail system. Why this was done without any consideration of the trails is beyond my comprehension. I have run in scores of areas in many other towns and have not seen this drastic approach and such a blatant and total disregard for existing trails. The swaths have done nothing but have a variety of undergrowth sprouting and the remains of the woody refuge left behind. Where one could previous walk or run is now a high risk factor. Forget biking. I did manage to locate part of a previous trail that went for about ¼ mile that ran parallel to one of the butchered areas. Then it became victim to the cutting. I went to Faye Avenue where there is a entrance to your right as you go down Faye. I went in and where a trail breaks to the left is now just a mess. This was a nice trail of over a mile. Destroyed or an least virtually inaccessible - maybe piece meal portions exist but I chose not to risk injury to explore. The other portion of the trail use to be a short hike to the parking lot and now just breaks into one of the paths of destruction. I would gladly take any and all of the folks responsible to other trail systems in other towns or even to Pratt Farm. Old growth sometimes has to be removed but it has to be removed with a certain degree of forethought.
I have no real qualms about the various sky is falling outcomes that anti casino lightweights seem to always put front and center. I am like virtually all who go to a casino in that - to quote Clint Eastwood - “A man has got to know his limitations.” I play with a set amount as do most. I have been to dozens of casinos in various sizes in probably fifteen states. I have yet to see any prostitution, drunks rampaging about the place and drug dealers looking to score. Probably exists but I can tell you places in Middleboro where it also exists. I have seen many a depressing sight at casinos of folks lined up at an ATM or just mesmerized by the slots - much like they are mesmerized by scratch tickets at the Village Market. This state has already opened the door on legalized gaming and casinos/slots are just another step. If it means we recoup some dollars leaving our borders I’m all for it. I do believe the social costs are present but greatly overstated. I do feel that it is merely another way to spend discretionary income and that is a personal choice. If the zealots wish to legislate social behaviors then good luck with that since it will fail and fail miserably just as has their efforts to keep casinos/slots out of Massachusetts.
Very bad Tuesday for incumbents, Democrats, selective Republicans, Obama and moonbats. The results have shown that the Tea Party is a viable movement and it will be interesting to see if their positions are “copied” but the two reigning parties. TP crowd is going to cause havoc to both Democrats and Republicans who just don’t seem to “get it.” The TP message of just about anti everything has resonated with the middle.
Harvard has some impressive admissions standards.
State budget is at 28 Billion. After listening to our local reps this is the slash to the bone and Draconian?
The law and justice. I had a conversation with a judge recently over those two points - a little name dropping without a name. My question was how many times can he recall following the law but not justice in a case? He had never been asked that question. He reflected that there were many decisions he has made over the years that he knew flat out were wrong but represented the law as written.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Nothing About SysCo
Medicare’s chief actuary announced last week that the new health care deficit….I mean program….will add 311 Billion in increased deficits over the next ten years. Another new projection to show more costs and not less.
Margery Egan had a great column in The Herald on SCOTUS diversity in that the justices have very little in the way of real life experience since they were on the elite fast track since day one. None have the experience of meeting a payroll, addressing mandated government programs, environmental concerns, miserable economic conditions and most importantly NEVER having to deal with the outcome of their decisions at the grass roots level.
I’m not an energy expert like JP but the information I have read on the recent oil spill is there was measures in place that should have initiated a shut down. Didn’t work. Is this a technology failure?
Fannie Mae wants another 8.4 Billion in aid - a simple translation is our money. Maybe Barney Frank (D- financial patient zero) can look into this?
The local restaurant meals tax is just what it is - a tax. I love it when terms like “source of revenue” are tossed around. With government that source is a tax. Now this is a small tax in the scheme of things but you do have a cumulative effect with many small taxes and their bastard offspring - fees - adding up to a considerable amount of money. After a defeated override and a defeated CPA you would think our local BOS would deep six this measure also.
The necessity for handing out crumbs like the above tax is the result of decades of failures on Beacon Hill to address a myriad of issues that directly impact our pocketbooks. Recently fees and taxes were increased and a backdoor attempt at watering down 2 and ½ was scuttled so crumbs are handed out as a way of minimizing the lack of funding from the state and allow the locals to implement their own taxes.
Bob’s Furniture commercials just get to me. At this point I’d sit on an orange crate before I buy his stuff.
The Mashpee whatever tribe is now talking to Fall River or is it New Bedford? I get the two confused. Originally this was reservation shopping and now it has reversed where the tribe is shopping. I’m getting the feeling they have self destructed their welcome mat.
There are no Constitutional or legislative qualifications for Supreme Court justices. So theoretically, if appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate anyone can serve. Maybe it is time for a Joe The Plumber to sit?
The Red Sox are in a slightly more advantageous position than the NY you know who were last year at this time. The Yankee$ eventually won 103 games and the World Series. I guess that may be a glimmer of hope.
You want a look at the future look at Britain and Greece and soon to be much of Europe. In Britain the new government speaks of austerity and a reduction of decades of entitlements - sound familiar? Greece there are riots and a good portion of it is based in reduction of pensions and entitlements. Crushing debt and much of it the end result of a mentality of giving to those who have contributed little.
Margery Egan had a great column in The Herald on SCOTUS diversity in that the justices have very little in the way of real life experience since they were on the elite fast track since day one. None have the experience of meeting a payroll, addressing mandated government programs, environmental concerns, miserable economic conditions and most importantly NEVER having to deal with the outcome of their decisions at the grass roots level.
I’m not an energy expert like JP but the information I have read on the recent oil spill is there was measures in place that should have initiated a shut down. Didn’t work. Is this a technology failure?
Fannie Mae wants another 8.4 Billion in aid - a simple translation is our money. Maybe Barney Frank (D- financial patient zero) can look into this?
The local restaurant meals tax is just what it is - a tax. I love it when terms like “source of revenue” are tossed around. With government that source is a tax. Now this is a small tax in the scheme of things but you do have a cumulative effect with many small taxes and their bastard offspring - fees - adding up to a considerable amount of money. After a defeated override and a defeated CPA you would think our local BOS would deep six this measure also.
The necessity for handing out crumbs like the above tax is the result of decades of failures on Beacon Hill to address a myriad of issues that directly impact our pocketbooks. Recently fees and taxes were increased and a backdoor attempt at watering down 2 and ½ was scuttled so crumbs are handed out as a way of minimizing the lack of funding from the state and allow the locals to implement their own taxes.
Bob’s Furniture commercials just get to me. At this point I’d sit on an orange crate before I buy his stuff.
The Mashpee whatever tribe is now talking to Fall River or is it New Bedford? I get the two confused. Originally this was reservation shopping and now it has reversed where the tribe is shopping. I’m getting the feeling they have self destructed their welcome mat.
There are no Constitutional or legislative qualifications for Supreme Court justices. So theoretically, if appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate anyone can serve. Maybe it is time for a Joe The Plumber to sit?
The Red Sox are in a slightly more advantageous position than the NY you know who were last year at this time. The Yankee$ eventually won 103 games and the World Series. I guess that may be a glimmer of hope.
You want a look at the future look at Britain and Greece and soon to be much of Europe. In Britain the new government speaks of austerity and a reduction of decades of entitlements - sound familiar? Greece there are riots and a good portion of it is based in reduction of pensions and entitlements. Crushing debt and much of it the end result of a mentality of giving to those who have contributed little.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Jail/Immigration/Wall St./MWRA
If you are a guest of the Commonwealth you will soon be required to pay a $5 per day inmate fee per legislation passed by the House. I’m sure the usual suspects will surface rallying against such a Draconian measure. These are the same folks who are conspicuously absent when a discussion is made over the crimes these “guests” have committed in their illustrious careers of criminal activity. My sympathy meter is firmly stuck on zero when it comes to this issue.
Immigration laws in most other nations are highly restrictive and that is especially true in Mexico which requires - among other things - your own health insurance, a sponsor, minimum income requirements for you and dependants, not take a job in Mexico and translate all documents into Spanish. There is much more including the possibility of being shot crossing the border.
The Wall Street Journal had an article detailing members of congress who profited form the economic turmoil by betting the market would go short (stocks going down). This is a quote from the article: In February, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R., Ga.) argued on the Senate floor that "we don't need those speculating in the marketplace to take unfair advantage of the values of equities that are owned by Americans all over this country for the sake of making a buck on a short sale." Guess what he was doing? Buying an EFT targeting a market going short. Naturally his excuse was his account is “professionally managed.”
This is for the folks in the MWRA water district recently impacted by a failed water main. Take a large pot. Fill it almost to the top with tap water. Place it on the stove. Turn the stove on. Eventually bubbles will form on the water and this is called “boiling.” Allow this to happen for over a minute. Turn off stove. Remove pot. Let water cool. Place in refrigerator to cool even more. This means you don’t have to make a freaking third rate dips**t out of yourself getting bottled water in some type of herd mentality panic.
The Middleboro BOS gets a lot of heat but compared to the Boston City Council they make Bernie Madoff look like Mother Theresa.
What has become abundantly clear in the last week is that economic recovery is an illusion propagated by either fawning sycophants of the current administration or Wall Street dreamers. The jobs picture remains bleak and several counties in Europe - especially Greece - have debt and credit issues that remind me of Mexico back a few decades ago. I’m not exactly going out on a limb here to say this administration continues to be like someone in a maze that has no exit.
Speaking of Greece and its impact on the economic turmoil just how much of an economic powerhouse is Greece? Well, the GNP is ranked 29th in the world at 218 Billion and Greece has a population slightly over 11 million. Does this smack of over reaction?
Along those lines when you have stock sell offs - much of it computer generated - like happened on Thursday with selling and then triggering buys when stocks go lower. A computer generated merry-go-round. There are pre market triggers in place that stop trading when the market recedes 500 or more points. I was online watching the proceedings and the action was so fast the computers could not keep up as the market continued to drop rapidly. Usually a buy order will process in a few seconds. I had one in that took almost a minute to process and since it was a market order the price actually went up 4% in that one minute.
In the another one bites the dust department representative David Obey (D-Wisconsin) has decided to pack it all in as it appears he just may have the voters do it for him. Obey chairs House Appropriations and was a key element in the stimulus disaster.
Immigration laws in most other nations are highly restrictive and that is especially true in Mexico which requires - among other things - your own health insurance, a sponsor, minimum income requirements for you and dependants, not take a job in Mexico and translate all documents into Spanish. There is much more including the possibility of being shot crossing the border.
The Wall Street Journal had an article detailing members of congress who profited form the economic turmoil by betting the market would go short (stocks going down). This is a quote from the article: In February, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R., Ga.) argued on the Senate floor that "we don't need those speculating in the marketplace to take unfair advantage of the values of equities that are owned by Americans all over this country for the sake of making a buck on a short sale." Guess what he was doing? Buying an EFT targeting a market going short. Naturally his excuse was his account is “professionally managed.”
This is for the folks in the MWRA water district recently impacted by a failed water main. Take a large pot. Fill it almost to the top with tap water. Place it on the stove. Turn the stove on. Eventually bubbles will form on the water and this is called “boiling.” Allow this to happen for over a minute. Turn off stove. Remove pot. Let water cool. Place in refrigerator to cool even more. This means you don’t have to make a freaking third rate dips**t out of yourself getting bottled water in some type of herd mentality panic.
The Middleboro BOS gets a lot of heat but compared to the Boston City Council they make Bernie Madoff look like Mother Theresa.
What has become abundantly clear in the last week is that economic recovery is an illusion propagated by either fawning sycophants of the current administration or Wall Street dreamers. The jobs picture remains bleak and several counties in Europe - especially Greece - have debt and credit issues that remind me of Mexico back a few decades ago. I’m not exactly going out on a limb here to say this administration continues to be like someone in a maze that has no exit.
Speaking of Greece and its impact on the economic turmoil just how much of an economic powerhouse is Greece? Well, the GNP is ranked 29th in the world at 218 Billion and Greece has a population slightly over 11 million. Does this smack of over reaction?
Along those lines when you have stock sell offs - much of it computer generated - like happened on Thursday with selling and then triggering buys when stocks go lower. A computer generated merry-go-round. There are pre market triggers in place that stop trading when the market recedes 500 or more points. I was online watching the proceedings and the action was so fast the computers could not keep up as the market continued to drop rapidly. Usually a buy order will process in a few seconds. I had one in that took almost a minute to process and since it was a market order the price actually went up 4% in that one minute.
In the another one bites the dust department representative David Obey (D-Wisconsin) has decided to pack it all in as it appears he just may have the voters do it for him. Obey chairs House Appropriations and was a key element in the stimulus disaster.
Friday, April 30, 2010
May Day
The ever present email trail has shown Goldman was playing against the market as their traders were bragging about their collective efforts. What was the SEC doing? Looking at porn.
The Ponzi scheme that is called social security is now faced with a negative income situation and those IOU’s issued to the fund must be paid upon. More debt to an economy that will be staggered by the short and long term consequences of the federal government using a credit card approach to the budget.
Scott Burns had an interesting point about the economic recovery in a column on Sunday. This recovery is shaping up as V shaped meaning unemployment will remain high.
Here in casino land the BOS is asking or is that pleading for the Tribe to have an open discussion. IMO the Tribe would be nuts to have an open forum unless in was run similar to the way the school department handled the override meeting - submit questions. I’m sure the goal of the Tribe is to slither away from a commitment that has come back to bite them. Has anyone taken a picture of “The Raven” in his orange jump suit picking up highway trash?
Physicist Stephen Hawking has warned about contact with extra terrestrial life as it may post a significant danger. I’m more concerned about the terrestrial life.
The Massachusetts House tried to sneak through the possibility of legislation to circumvent prop 2 and ½. When tax payer groups and certain legislators got wind of this slinky maneuver it quickly fell apart. Governor Patrick and Senate Chair Murray said they would have rejected it. Sure they would.
The gimmie bill know as Quinn has become somewhat of a political issue. This excessive payout to the multitudes “graduating” from Anna Maria College has certainly risen to the surface in cash strapped communities. Bad enough with paid details.
WOW wants bipartisan support on issues dealing with the debt. I’d encourage the party of no to look the other way. WOW - AKA - Commander and Thief - was exhibit #1 to get us in this mess.
The Massachusetts House recently killed legislation that would remove illegals from the welfare rolls. I am just amazed at the extent of benefits that are handed out to many who make a living off of those who make a living.
The do as I say not as I do crowd is in full sue mode after the approval of Cape Wind.
Thanks, Ed, for your CPA efforts to tax those who pay taxes while you live where you can avoid it.
The Ponzi scheme that is called social security is now faced with a negative income situation and those IOU’s issued to the fund must be paid upon. More debt to an economy that will be staggered by the short and long term consequences of the federal government using a credit card approach to the budget.
Scott Burns had an interesting point about the economic recovery in a column on Sunday. This recovery is shaping up as V shaped meaning unemployment will remain high.
Here in casino land the BOS is asking or is that pleading for the Tribe to have an open discussion. IMO the Tribe would be nuts to have an open forum unless in was run similar to the way the school department handled the override meeting - submit questions. I’m sure the goal of the Tribe is to slither away from a commitment that has come back to bite them. Has anyone taken a picture of “The Raven” in his orange jump suit picking up highway trash?
Physicist Stephen Hawking has warned about contact with extra terrestrial life as it may post a significant danger. I’m more concerned about the terrestrial life.
The Massachusetts House tried to sneak through the possibility of legislation to circumvent prop 2 and ½. When tax payer groups and certain legislators got wind of this slinky maneuver it quickly fell apart. Governor Patrick and Senate Chair Murray said they would have rejected it. Sure they would.
The gimmie bill know as Quinn has become somewhat of a political issue. This excessive payout to the multitudes “graduating” from Anna Maria College has certainly risen to the surface in cash strapped communities. Bad enough with paid details.
WOW wants bipartisan support on issues dealing with the debt. I’d encourage the party of no to look the other way. WOW - AKA - Commander and Thief - was exhibit #1 to get us in this mess.
The Massachusetts House recently killed legislation that would remove illegals from the welfare rolls. I am just amazed at the extent of benefits that are handed out to many who make a living off of those who make a living.
The do as I say not as I do crowd is in full sue mode after the approval of Cape Wind.
Thanks, Ed, for your CPA efforts to tax those who pay taxes while you live where you can avoid it.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Illegals/Payrolls/Fung Wah/SCOTUS
Interesting article in The Herald last week as 400 took the oath of allegiance to the United States. What a novel idea actually becoming a citizen instead of an illegal. The newly minted citizens represented quite a collection from Turkey, Albania, Gabon, Viet Nam, Mexico, assorted European and South American countries. Over thirty countries represented. A few were even dressed in their military fatigues since they now serve in the military so it can actually be done - coming into our country and playing by the rules.
Welcome back to CHB, Hal.
Americans are now giving higher marks to American cars rather than Asian and European.
Recent article showed - using Department of Labor statistics - that the public sector jobs are worth 39% more than the dreaded private sector. Big differences is in health care and pensions.
A federally funded institute to honor Ted Kennedy now has a price tag of $68,000,000. More waste. This is the type of government BS that just legitimizes the Tea Party.
Going to New York City this weekend but will avoid the Fung Wah bus in favor of Peter Pan. I really don’t care for NYC as I consider it too expensive and overrated. I’ll take Chicago, San Francisco or Seattle any day. However my wife - The Lovely Cynthia - loves the city and the theater so off I go.
I see some rugs lying out on my street that were victims of cellar flooding. Naturally our over price trash pick-up does not take them so folks will have to go to the landfill (AKA - Dump) and pay a premium price to get rid of them. According to the TM the logistics of such an endeavor would be difficult since many would take advantage of the opportunity to clean out their basements. I’d still like to see at least one pick-up a year dedicated to just that.
For you true baseball fans Jeffery Todd Bailey is now with Reno in the PCL.
Companies are now starting to take some losses thanks to heath care costs. Lockheed-Martin lowered its projections by 15 cents per share because of the elimination of a tax deduction for Medicare-related expenses.
A SCOTUS decision of about 5 years back allows eminent domain to be exercised for private development if it is for the greater good. This is happening in New York state where a town is in the process of confiscating four private businesses so that a developer can build a hotel and sundry attachments that would dramatically increase the tax rolls. I watched an interview with some of the victims in this farce and they were average folks who risked their capital and took a big chance. Now they are screwed. They’ll get a “fair price” but they don’t want that. This is why the second amendment has a purpose.
A mine disaster and a similar one on an oil rig has taken many lives as the search for fuels go on and on. I am wondering has anyone died in a U.S. nuclear facility? Aboard a nuclear powered ship?
Welcome back to CHB, Hal.
Americans are now giving higher marks to American cars rather than Asian and European.
Recent article showed - using Department of Labor statistics - that the public sector jobs are worth 39% more than the dreaded private sector. Big differences is in health care and pensions.
A federally funded institute to honor Ted Kennedy now has a price tag of $68,000,000. More waste. This is the type of government BS that just legitimizes the Tea Party.
Going to New York City this weekend but will avoid the Fung Wah bus in favor of Peter Pan. I really don’t care for NYC as I consider it too expensive and overrated. I’ll take Chicago, San Francisco or Seattle any day. However my wife - The Lovely Cynthia - loves the city and the theater so off I go.
I see some rugs lying out on my street that were victims of cellar flooding. Naturally our over price trash pick-up does not take them so folks will have to go to the landfill (AKA - Dump) and pay a premium price to get rid of them. According to the TM the logistics of such an endeavor would be difficult since many would take advantage of the opportunity to clean out their basements. I’d still like to see at least one pick-up a year dedicated to just that.
For you true baseball fans Jeffery Todd Bailey is now with Reno in the PCL.
Companies are now starting to take some losses thanks to heath care costs. Lockheed-Martin lowered its projections by 15 cents per share because of the elimination of a tax deduction for Medicare-related expenses.
A SCOTUS decision of about 5 years back allows eminent domain to be exercised for private development if it is for the greater good. This is happening in New York state where a town is in the process of confiscating four private businesses so that a developer can build a hotel and sundry attachments that would dramatically increase the tax rolls. I watched an interview with some of the victims in this farce and they were average folks who risked their capital and took a big chance. Now they are screwed. They’ll get a “fair price” but they don’t want that. This is why the second amendment has a purpose.
A mine disaster and a similar one on an oil rig has taken many lives as the search for fuels go on and on. I am wondering has anyone died in a U.S. nuclear facility? Aboard a nuclear powered ship?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Tea Party/More Tea Party/SEC/Casinos
Another blog in town occasionally focuses on the Tea Party movement (I consider it an activist movement). I am amazed that terms such as “ignorant” and “stupid” are applied to those who simply disagree with the positions of the far left and especially pointed to the TP. The terms are also somewhat of a contradiction in that one is lack of knowledge while the other is lack intellect. But I guess in the isolated world of the “blessed” it is interchangeable with those who differ both eligible for the tag. I assume far left fear is one that is based in a bit of truth in the TP movement and that seems to scare the bejabbers out of the moonbats. Nothing like a smidgen of truth and an honest discussion with tagging to toss them off kilter. To find out more about the TP I talked to a real live Tea Party member.
What he finds just “ignorant” and “stupid” is the incessant patter of the far left that is just a party line that they all seem to preach. Lock step with the same phraseology over and over. A real mantra without substance or content. The Tea Party are not racist and brick throwing thugs but folks who are just concerned with the real issue that he described in one word - policy. I guess this is a case of “deflection” where without facts you toss out slogans in an childish attempt to get off the facts and your opposition into defensive mode. The shallowness is so apparent it is laughable. He went on to state that with any movement it is possible to attract a fringe element but he has witnessed none. Me? I’m sure it exists and is overstated such John Lewis and others claiming racial taunting. That is starting to look like another fictitious fantasy designed to debase opposition. Despite all the microphones, cameras and cell phones present none picked up anything. So far a $100,000 reward for proof of racial taunting has not been collected. Maybe it will but until then I will remain a skeptic.
I read some interesting stats on the Tea Party. 58% classify themselves as conservative versus 34% of the general population. 89% are white. It is predominately male. Only 20% at the rallies have made any monetary contributions. They are active voters. Most have a college degree or some college.
The casino and slots were inevitable. The up front money is attractive and the impacts are either ignored viewed as overstated. Didn’t help when the pro’s managed to take the high ground in the debate by picturing the anti’s as just a fringe group of malcontents.
Senate has to approve the latest venture into gin mills so expect a little debate and then approval.
The housing market continues to drag any recovery down to a virtual standstill. Home builders are out of the Fortune 500 for the first time in decades.
Manufactures don’t appear in any great hurry to build up inventories and that trickles right down the financial food chain.
Economic information fluctuates more than BB’s weight. One week job data is spiffy and the next it is in the toilet. Then consumer confidence shoots up and then the next month bottoms out. No consistency. That unemployment figure is still way too high and it is skewered by government hires. Go deep into the data and you see job creation that is not anywhere near what folks were use to. Less pay for more work and service oriented.
The most gutless of agencies was in full swing on Friday. Come on down, SEC, and totally Clark up everything. These layabouts with strong ties to the banks and the fiscal incompetents in the current administration finally moved on Goldman Sachs claiming fraud! Well how do you do you collective geniuses. You figured it out after years of warning? Then you move ahead on a Friday after the Asian and European markets have closed. There are a small fraction of folks I can actually say with great confidence “I can do better than that” and the SEC is on top of the list.
The financial havoc created Friday to bank stocks also offer opportunity. A nice 5-10% drop made several more attractive.
What he finds just “ignorant” and “stupid” is the incessant patter of the far left that is just a party line that they all seem to preach. Lock step with the same phraseology over and over. A real mantra without substance or content. The Tea Party are not racist and brick throwing thugs but folks who are just concerned with the real issue that he described in one word - policy. I guess this is a case of “deflection” where without facts you toss out slogans in an childish attempt to get off the facts and your opposition into defensive mode. The shallowness is so apparent it is laughable. He went on to state that with any movement it is possible to attract a fringe element but he has witnessed none. Me? I’m sure it exists and is overstated such John Lewis and others claiming racial taunting. That is starting to look like another fictitious fantasy designed to debase opposition. Despite all the microphones, cameras and cell phones present none picked up anything. So far a $100,000 reward for proof of racial taunting has not been collected. Maybe it will but until then I will remain a skeptic.
I read some interesting stats on the Tea Party. 58% classify themselves as conservative versus 34% of the general population. 89% are white. It is predominately male. Only 20% at the rallies have made any monetary contributions. They are active voters. Most have a college degree or some college.
The casino and slots were inevitable. The up front money is attractive and the impacts are either ignored viewed as overstated. Didn’t help when the pro’s managed to take the high ground in the debate by picturing the anti’s as just a fringe group of malcontents.
Senate has to approve the latest venture into gin mills so expect a little debate and then approval.
The housing market continues to drag any recovery down to a virtual standstill. Home builders are out of the Fortune 500 for the first time in decades.
Manufactures don’t appear in any great hurry to build up inventories and that trickles right down the financial food chain.
Economic information fluctuates more than BB’s weight. One week job data is spiffy and the next it is in the toilet. Then consumer confidence shoots up and then the next month bottoms out. No consistency. That unemployment figure is still way too high and it is skewered by government hires. Go deep into the data and you see job creation that is not anywhere near what folks were use to. Less pay for more work and service oriented.
The most gutless of agencies was in full swing on Friday. Come on down, SEC, and totally Clark up everything. These layabouts with strong ties to the banks and the fiscal incompetents in the current administration finally moved on Goldman Sachs claiming fraud! Well how do you do you collective geniuses. You figured it out after years of warning? Then you move ahead on a Friday after the Asian and European markets have closed. There are a small fraction of folks I can actually say with great confidence “I can do better than that” and the SEC is on top of the list.
The financial havoc created Friday to bank stocks also offer opportunity. A nice 5-10% drop made several more attractive.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Taxes/VAT/Allin/Massasoit/KC
According to an AP story 47% of all American households will pay no taxes. The combination of income levels and a variety of tax credits has created that situation. Conversely the top 10% pay 73% of income taxes collected by the federal government. I guess this means “The Rich” are already taxed. To pile on the bottom 40% actually make a profit from federal income tax by getting more money in tax credits than taxes they owe. They get a check!
The Tax Foundation has also reported that tax day this year was April 9th - the point at which we have paid our obligation to the government and will now me earning for ourselves. How encouraging.
With half not paying any taxes maybe that Value Added Tax (VAT) may have some legs especially if it is high enough to finally eliminated personal income tax or set the taxable level at $50,000+.
Michael Graham in The Herald had a nice article in which he mentions some attacks by union thugs on Tea Party members. Seems these incidents get little or no play.
Didn’t take long for the blog first think later group to show their stuff after two interesting things happened locally - an election and Massasoit College coming to town. I would think JP would be gracious enough to toss verbal kudos Wayne Perkins way for his behind the scenes hard work to get Massasoit into downtown Middleboro. I and others may have issues with Mr. Perkins but in this instance he certainly earned a pile of points. Nice job.
Mark seemed to feel the election results - meaning Allin losing - is on a par with the Visigoths sacking Rome. To quote: "The old guard wins the day. More years of the same thinking that got us where we are today." That just degrades those who voted for others. Allin made a great showing and will be back. When I am lounging at Island Terrace in a few years Allin will probably be on his third or fourth term on the BOS.
The influence of blogs? They are virtually all opinion pieces but what strikes me is the lack of research that goes into the opinions. Opinions with little facts and those that are used are often questionable. Even a little something on the sidebar regarding casinos and oxygen. Repeat a lie often enough it becomes a truth.
I remember “back in the day” when some TV stations had weather girls and they’d do the weather while wearing a bathing suit. Now we have meteorologist but they don’t wear bikini’s or Speedo’s. Might help.
Spirit Airlines got attention with their proposal for up to a $45 charge for a carry on. Now Spirit is a quite small regional but has the youngest fleet of any national carrier. Spirit is also the largest privately held airline with 29 Airbus aircraft.
Just got back from the Red Sox series in KC. This is a great ballpark with nice seats for a reasonable price. The atmosphere has a distinct minor league feel to it with silliness between innings and the scoreboard constantly encouraging fans to “get loud.” But then I saw the idiot move of the year. They have a mascot called “Slugger” who roams the stands. Late in game one he wandered into the section next to us with the Sox trailing. This section had a passel of Sox fans including several who had enjoyed a significant number of adult beverages. Slugger decided to have some “humor” and approached one rather inebriated Sox fan and removed his cap and pretended to wipe his butt with it. This is tantamount to flashing the wrong sign to a Crip or Blood. Needless to say arrests ensued and Slugger lost his tail and was drenched in beer.
The Tax Foundation has also reported that tax day this year was April 9th - the point at which we have paid our obligation to the government and will now me earning for ourselves. How encouraging.
With half not paying any taxes maybe that Value Added Tax (VAT) may have some legs especially if it is high enough to finally eliminated personal income tax or set the taxable level at $50,000+.
Michael Graham in The Herald had a nice article in which he mentions some attacks by union thugs on Tea Party members. Seems these incidents get little or no play.
Didn’t take long for the blog first think later group to show their stuff after two interesting things happened locally - an election and Massasoit College coming to town. I would think JP would be gracious enough to toss verbal kudos Wayne Perkins way for his behind the scenes hard work to get Massasoit into downtown Middleboro. I and others may have issues with Mr. Perkins but in this instance he certainly earned a pile of points. Nice job.
Mark seemed to feel the election results - meaning Allin losing - is on a par with the Visigoths sacking Rome. To quote: "The old guard wins the day. More years of the same thinking that got us where we are today." That just degrades those who voted for others. Allin made a great showing and will be back. When I am lounging at Island Terrace in a few years Allin will probably be on his third or fourth term on the BOS.
The influence of blogs? They are virtually all opinion pieces but what strikes me is the lack of research that goes into the opinions. Opinions with little facts and those that are used are often questionable. Even a little something on the sidebar regarding casinos and oxygen. Repeat a lie often enough it becomes a truth.
I remember “back in the day” when some TV stations had weather girls and they’d do the weather while wearing a bathing suit. Now we have meteorologist but they don’t wear bikini’s or Speedo’s. Might help.
Spirit Airlines got attention with their proposal for up to a $45 charge for a carry on. Now Spirit is a quite small regional but has the youngest fleet of any national carrier. Spirit is also the largest privately held airline with 29 Airbus aircraft.
Just got back from the Red Sox series in KC. This is a great ballpark with nice seats for a reasonable price. The atmosphere has a distinct minor league feel to it with silliness between innings and the scoreboard constantly encouraging fans to “get loud.” But then I saw the idiot move of the year. They have a mascot called “Slugger” who roams the stands. Late in game one he wandered into the section next to us with the Sox trailing. This section had a passel of Sox fans including several who had enjoyed a significant number of adult beverages. Slugger decided to have some “humor” and approached one rather inebriated Sox fan and removed his cap and pretended to wipe his butt with it. This is tantamount to flashing the wrong sign to a Crip or Blood. Needless to say arrests ensued and Slugger lost his tail and was drenched in beer.
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