Gone Fishin

Too much laggard teabagging pessimism and ignorance around here.

Good luck America.

Enjoy the boom.

Don't forget that we're simply monkeys, floating on a rock through space

And at any moment, it could be over.

And one day, maybe sooner than you expected, you will die.

Enjoy your trip.

This just in - Tea Partiers are idiots

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

- Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963



Here it is folks.

Tea Partiers are idiots.

Sure, a few of 'em aren't. But damn, just look at these stats, and it should be fairly obvious, if you're not an idiot, that the teabaggers are idiots. Maybe the should rename the party as the Know Nothing Party.

I know it would have been a natural for readers of HousingPANIC to be teabaggers. Hell, that's what Dick Armey wanted when he got a hold of me, to support his astroturf Angry Renter blog. But I quickly saw that the Ron Paul tea party money bomb movement was being co-opted by Fox News, the GOP, Karl Rove, Roger Ailes, Sarah Palin, Dick Armey and essentially the very same bastards that got us into this mess, and no way no how was I going to support 'em.

And then I saw who was showing up at the Fox News Tea Party rallies. A bunch of wingnuts. Fox News viewers. Republicans. Conspiracy theorists. Ignoramuses. Idiots.

Be mad at deficit spending and taxes, but you better be against Social Security, Medicare and military spending too. And boy, I hope you don't support the Dick Armey Fox News teabaggers. I hope you don't support the bastards who got us into this mess - from either side of the aisle. And I hope you're not an idiot.

Here's some gems from the teabagger survey:

59% of Tea Partiers think Obama was born in another country or don't know

Two thirds of Tea Partiers said they had a favorable opinion of Palin, 59 percent have a favorable opinion of Beck. Fifty-seven percent think well of former Republican President George W. Bush

66% of teabaggers think global warming will have no impact. Seriously.

88% say the economic stimulus has had no impact on the economy - 36% said it actually made the economy worse. I guess they never took an econ 101 class. Or noticed the gdp numbers.

62% support Social Security. Idiots. They want low spending, low taxes, but DON'T CUT MY GOVERNMENT CHEESE!

89% are white. 1% are black. Surprise!

92% say that Obama is moving the country toward socialism

54% identify as belonging to the GOP while 41% claim to be Independents. Just 5% are Democrats

75% don't believe that the president shares the values of most Americans


[UPDATE - GOP operatives crash the tea party]

Looks like the Glenn Beck pessimism porn folks are in trouble: "How America pulled itself back from the brink—and why it's destined to stay on top"

One more time - HousingPANIC was about the shitstorm to come. And then it came. We crashed.

Soot & Ashes is about the world AFTER the crash.

March 2009 was the pivot.

We were pessimistic when the masses were optimistic. Now (some of us, especially those who read Manias, Panics and Crashes a few times) are optimistic, when the clueless masses are pessimistic.

Pivot.

Get out of your bunker.

Turn off Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Fox News.

We've got problems, but problems that can be solved. It was a hell of a storm, but storms pass. And if we're smart, we'll have learned some lessons, and we'll adjust.

Bottom line - I like America's chances.

Party time.

2011 - 2020.

But this one will be more tea and cookies, instead of hookers and cocaine.

And that's a good thing.





The Comeback Country

So what will our new economy look like once the smoke finally clears? There will likely be fewer McMansions with four-car garages and more well-insulated homes, fewer Hummers and more Chevy Volts, less proprietary trading and more productivity-enhancing software, less debt and more capital, more exported goods and less imported energy. Most significant, there will be new commercial infrastructures and industrial ecosystems that incubate and propel growth—much as the Internet did in the 1990s.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing"

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."

Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709


You know, I don't think she knows that she's stupid.

And that's kinda funny, in a cute way, no?

And now a word from Lawrence Yun

If you suck really, really, really bad at what you do, don't you usually lose your job?

And if you own investment real estate, and then you go out in a professional capacity in public and pump real estate, shouldn't you at least have to legally disclose your holdings, and conflict of interest?

A special message to angry, teabagging, underemployed and unemployed Americans, whose fake housing "wealth" has disappeared:

This man didn't cause your problems.



This man did.



It may be convenient to blame the janitor for cleaning up the puke on the bathroom floor, but it would be stupid.

The "Ownership Society", corrupt deregulation and unchecked speculation and greed got us here. When we needed adults in charge, we got children. And of course, you're to blame too. You knew you couldn't afford that mortgage. And you should have known the home's P/E was out of whack.

Be angry, be upset. But look in the mirror, and look who was in charge when the problems could have been averted. To do otherwise is delusional.

"How to Get Dummies to Believe Fake Movements are Real"

Has SNL done one on Dick Armey and the tea party yet?

For the 16% of you here that self-identify as 'tea baggers', you are being conned. But deep down you probably know that anyway.

Imagine the worst. "al Qaeda are .. trying to secure a nuclear weapon -- a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using"

Serious question - what would be the impact on humanity, and the future of world events, should terrorists set off a nuke in New York City? Or Mumbai? Or Paris? Or Moscow? And threatened that they had 5 more to go.

First, imagine that it happened.

What would be the impact? On the world economy. On how countries like India, Russia, China, the UK and the US dealt with foreign and domestic terrorists. On how people who lived in big cities felt and behaved. On political discourse in the US.

If one went off in Mumbai, would that be much different than one that went off in New York? Why? If one went off that killed 1 million, would that be much different than one that killed 10 million? Why? If one went off, who would be put to blame?

No jokes.

Because it's not a joke. With loose nukes and loose nuke material, combined with corrupt and incompetent government, military and science officials, the unimaginable could and should be imagined. And when Obama proposes increased efforts and funding to lock down nukes, and when the new START treaty with Russia comes to the Senate, those who oppose for political advantage or profit should be exposed.

It just takes one.





“We know that organizations like al Qaeda are in the process of trying to secure a nuclear weapon -- a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using... If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically, and from a security perspective would be devastating.”

- President Obama, April 2010

You get one life.

Isn't life too short to be a realtor?

Isn't life too short to live in Newark. Or Detroit. Or Las Vegas?

Isn't life too short to be a tea bagger, or Fox News zombie?

Isn't life too short to spend it buying cheap crap you don't need at Walmart?

Jumping off cliffs in wing suits might be the answer for some. Raising a family and living a moral life might be the answer for others.

Just remember, life is short.

Enjoy it.

Republicans 2001 - 2008: the out-of-control, unregulated, drunk-on-power girl in the red dress. America 2010: the girl in white.

It's not just that the Republicans got out of control, and took the world down with them.

No, it's that everyone stood around and watched, and did nothing, until it was too late.

Watch out for girls in red dresses. After they sober up, and everyone's forgotten what they've done, they'll come right back another night and do it all again.

Watch out for girls in red dresses.

The Worst Town in America? "UNLV survey reveals 40 percent of Las Vegans would leave Nevada if they could"

I was actually surprised by this poll.

Only 40%?

Man, thought that number would be higher.

Life's too short to live in a realtor-infested-suburban-nightmare-morally-and-culturally-bankrupt-soon-to-be-out-of-water-hell-hole like Las Vegas.

Get out, people of Las Vegas. Get out. Now.


[If Las Vegas isn't America's Worst City, what is?]


LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas was once the fastest growing city in the nation, but the recession hit, and now a record number of people want to move out of the valley. A UNLV survey reveals 40 percent of Las Vegans would leave Nevada if they could. The question is why are these people leaving Las Vegas?

Las Vegas has grown from a gambling outpost to the entertainment capital of the world. It was just a few years ago, Las Vegas was a thriving town... A symbol of growth, a Mecca for opportunity. But then the housing market crashed, gaming was down on its luck, and unemployment skyrocketed.

Shocking video showing the destruction of America

Play Video


Is there a way to make the evil blue dots go away?

Taking advantage of dummies for money 101. Realtors and phishers? Of course. Glenn Beck? Dude conned America to the tune of $30 million in '09.

I gotta give it to Glenn Beck, he knows his history.

His P.T. Barnum.

His Father Coughlin.

His Rush Limbaugh.

His Joseph McCarthy.

Back when he was doing pie-in-the-face radio gags, I wonder in his wildest dreams if he thought he could create a character that would eventually go on to make $30 million a year. But so he has, and the money will keep pouring in. TV show, books, radio, speeches, merchandise, gold advertisements, you name it, he's his own industry. And Fox News is his pusher.

I like Glenn Beck. He entertains me.

But I worry about America. I'm not sure they're in on the gag?


Glenn Beck Earned $32 Million In 2009

Just how handsomely does it pay to be one of the most controversial men in America? For Glenn Beck, $32 million.

Beck, who became a household name in 2009, pulled in the shocking sum through a revenue stream that includes books, radio, TV, digital media, and speaking fees.

Interestingly, Forbes reports that Beck's Fox News contract is the least lucrative of all his ventures.

According to the Forbes analysis, Beck earned $12 million from book sales thanks to his "profit participation co-venture with Simon & Schuster typically reserved for authors like Stephen King." He has a five-year, $50 million contract with Premiere Radio Networks that netted $10 million for the year. His website, supported by both ads and an "Insider" subscription service as well as retail merchandise sales, brought in another $4 million. Speaking fees and events like his "Bold Fresh Tour" with Bill O'Reilly earned him $3 million, and his Fox News contract brought in $2 million. Add in a final $1 million from his Fusion magazine, and Beck had a $32 million year.

KyrgyzstanPANIC

Man, I wish they knew how to do this in China.

Or Iran.

Or in America back in 2003.

Seriously, in the past couple of years, I'm surprised this hasn't happened more. Greece, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Russia, China, Thailand, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Dubai, Mexico, America - all the housing bubble countries, especially the ones with corrupt governments, should have went up like a tinderbox.

Money bombs and police states can only hold back the tide so long.

Here's Jim Grant destroying Alan Greenspan, Ayn Rand and by association the idiots who followed them while America burned

I despise Alan Greenspan.

I laugh at Ayn Rand and her greedy, self-centered, ignorant, as*hole followers.

I don't think it's possible for the two of them to be more discredited at this point. Now, and forever.

Being an Ayn Rand follower should disqualify anyone from the Fed, or any public office. They're a danger to America. Watch out for them. They'll screw you every time.

Makes sense now, don't it?

Forget your troubles. Come on, get happy.

Get out of the bunker.

Seriously.

Get out of the bunker.

I dare you to get happy.

For awhile at least.

Hell, you're paying for it. Might as well enjoy the party.

(anyone wonder if this cheap-money no-regulations party will end just as badly if not worse than the last one?)

Forget your troubles
Come on get happy
You better chase all you cares away
Shout halleluja
Come on get happy
Get ready for the judgement day

The sun is shining
Come on get happy
The lord is waiting to take your hand
Shout halleluja
Come on get happy
We're going to the promise land

So, looking back on it, how close did we come?

So, if it wasn't for the $10 trillion money bomb, the 0% interest rates, the stimulus bill and the bank bailouts, would it have been a World-Weekly-News-worthy depression-of-all-depressions? People eating dogs in the streets, ATMs not working, 50% unemployment, martial law imposed?

How close were we to total economic Armageddon?

Yes, this is called "piling on". Sean Hannity needs to apologize to the families of Oklahoma City. And that audience of his should be ashamed.

Sarcasm and joking around end when it comes to 9/11 and Oklahoma City.

And if you're ever in an audience, and you're referred to as "Tim McVeigh Wannabe's" or anything like that, you don't cheer.

Never.

Not in the America I remember.

Too bad there wasn't an American hero in that audience that day. One who would have taken the insult, rushed the stage, grabbed the microphone out of the multi-millionaire's hands, and told him to go f*ck himself.

No, you don't expect people to do good things at Hannity/Fox News rallies.

Just the opposite.

They cheered.

They cheered.

I've waited 20 years for a simple device to access the internet. That's it. And now the wait is (almost) over. The iPad is here.

100 years from now, this day will be seen as a historic day. They'll still have an internet, of course, and it will be everywhere. They'll think of life before the internet as the "dark ages". They'll have no comprehension as to how we survived, or learned, or communicated, or thrived, without it. And they'll wonder what took us so long to develop a device to take the internet with us. Everywhere. As it should be. As it should have been all along.

And now Apple has found a way to take the internet everywhere. As it should be. As it should have been all along.

Apple will eventually become the largest company on the planet by market cap. Bigger than Exxon. Bigger than Walmart. Bigger than GE and P&G combined.

Why?

Because they invented magical products and services, loved by their consumers, and were miles ahead of their competition. Steve Jobs is a genius, but Jonathan Ive is from outer space. Between the two of them they changed the world. They showed everyone what American (and British) ingenuity looks like. And they simply changed the world.

Apple's competitors will get stories planted poo-poohing the iPad. Laggards will complain about this and that. And some of you will see lines to buy an iPad as consumerism run amok.

For me, I see the iPad as a dream come true. And I see it not as a product - a noun - but as a verb. It's not a computer. It's simply the internet. Information. Knowledge. Newspapers. Magazines. Films. Games. Ball games. Encyclopedias. Phone calls. Books. TV Shows. Stocks. Travel reservations. Blogs. In bed. At the pub. In the john. At the cafe. On a plane. In Bulgaria. In France. In Texarkana. Everywhere.

As it should be. As it should have been all along.

Bravo Apple.

Bravo.


(disclosure - of course I still own Apple stock. And now they need to get iPad to Europe ASAP!)

Happy Easter

From S&A: "Top 10 Ways You Know You're a Tea-Bagger"

1) You've conveniently forgotten who got us into this mess

2) You only watch Fox News, morning, noon and night

3) You call yourself a christian, but you hate poor people, and think if you're sick and uninsured you should just go ahead, suffer and die

4) You didn't go to college, and if you did your degree is of Sarah-Palin-quality

5) You hate science, you hate scientists, you don't understand evolution, you dismiss global warming, and you think dinosaurs and humans roamed the earth together

6) You have guns in your house. Lots of 'em.

7) You're in a dead-end career, or you've already lost your job

8) You enjoy your government benefits, but you don't want to pay taxes to the socialist US government

9) Tim McVeigh, the Branch Davidians, Eric Rudolph and Scott Roeder are heroes of yours

10) You're a sucker born every minute. Even if you don't know it.


[bonus edits...]

11) You're white

12) You're easily conned

Read this book: The Next 100 Years, by George Friedman (STRATFOR).

Easily the best non-fiction book I've read this year.

HP and S&A have been about what comes next. And although nobody can accurately predict the future, some do come close.

Get popcorn. Enjoy The American Century. Watch Poland and Turkey. Say goodbye to old dying decaying Western Europe. Get ready for us to start PAYING people to come to America. Wait for drone wars, country break-ups and space power. And seriously, read this book. It's a fun one.

The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century

Sean Hannity admits the truth. His supporters, the Tea Baggers, are simply "Tim McVeigh Wannabes". Wow.

Pretty sick to see the audience cheer at that one. You know, instead of recoiling in horror. Instead of booing. Instead of walking out in droves.

Tim McVeigh - hero of the right? The Original Tea Bagger? Are you serious? Are we no longer Americans?

At this rate folks, they won't be simply "wannabes".

No, I'm afraid, soon, they'll be the real thing.

Dead innocent women and babies. Assassinated politicians. Domestic terrorist bombings. Militia crazies doing their thing.

Why? Because Fox News, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Dick Armey and the rest of their ilk called for it. Encouraged it. Asked for it by name.

I think they did it for the money. I think scum like Hannity and Beck simply sold their souls for a buck. But soon enough, they'll have (even more) blood on their hands. And you have to wonder, at that point, will they have any shame?

Don't hold your breath.

NEWSFLASH! GUAM MAY TIP OVER!

Why do we put morons in Congress?

Serious question.

Utter, complete, total morons.

I guess in total though Congress is indeed a good representation of America. Morons, corrupt criminals, religious whackos, sexual deviants and the insane.

Nice job American voters.