Arkansas Blog

After some complaints about the "Xam Yeltnarb" screen name, I'm caving in to public opinion and will go back to the old one for now. I'll try to figure out a better one later.

My investment tip would come too late for most of you. I've been saying for over a year to sell all stocks. I have nothing in the stock market and haven't since last year. I can't believe people just keep their money in it no matter what.

If things keep going the way they are going, even FDIC insured CD's may not be much good. It is either that or buy land though.

It amazes me that Republicans are somehow escaping blame for the past 7 years. It seems no matter how bad things get, their supporters rationalize it as not their fault.

Investment advice? Marry the kids off to citizens of Dubai.

Buy anything you've been postponing (without going into debt), today's inflation will be nostalgic soon. Keep cash around the house, it takes a while for FDIC to come to the rescue when banks fail.

QGL #2

The sentence "I could care less" is incorrect. It should be "I couldn't care less." (I realize I've set myself up for responses here....)

Yesterday's refresher: "it's" = it is / "its" = possessive pronoun

Life in bush/cheney/mccain USA............

Durango, cain't you feel the love darlin?????

clicky

If its a building you're looking for make sure its at least 11 stories tall with no awning to break your fall. At least thats what it says in "A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby.

Chalkdust,

I like it when people say "I could care less." I'll respond, "Really, how much less?" or something equally annoying.

eark-

It's almost impossible to know what to do, so people do the ridiculous, they trust the mainstream advice-the stock market will appreciate in the long run. The problem is most of us won't live long enough to see the recovery.

We've stayed solvent with a contrarian attitude. They said "ownership society" we sold. Whatever they promoted we avoided. Now, nothing is promoted, it's very, very bad.

Commodities were the last refuge, that ship has now sailed. The dollar looks like it will be worthless so who knows what to do? Maybe simply stay in cash with the hope that what looks like is going on will somehow not happen. When things settle down there may be dirt cheap opportunity, which is why this was allowed to happen. The problem may be that BushCo. couldn't even orchestrate a crash competently and it is out of their control.

Don't sell, don't buy, stand pat. Stay away from the financial sector unless you like to play Russian roulette.

QUESTION.
K. Anybody who knows me knows I'm the worst person in the world at dealing with money. Completely stupid about it. "Pissed it away so fast..."
Here's what I'd like to know - and it's an honest question:
The REpugs talk all the time about "privatizing" social security. Right?
Aren't these huge financial institutions that keep going belly-up the same kind of entities that would be handling all that money if privatization took place?
Does this say something about what could happen to our money if that were to happen?
If I'm wrong, I'm sure Strange will let me know. And that's fine. I just wanna know how it works.
Personally, if I HAD any money right now, I'd put it into silver.
Anything anybody can tell me about this subject would be most appreciated. I may not read any responses for a while, because stupid insurance claims are rolling in faster than I can set them up...

You could put your money in a simple savings account and earn more interest than you do in a social security fund. It is a terrible investment. The most conservative investment option would give you a better return than what you are getting today. That was an option that the Bush plan would have given you. Nothing is 100% including social security.

You could put your money in T bills and get a better return. That is about as SAFE as any investment can get. An idiot could get a better return investing their money than social security gives you.

Yeah, strange, that's a good idea - S&Ls. Reckon Silverado is still taking deposits or Madison? What about WaMu or HSBC? think they'd give me a passbook?

After 7 years of BushCo, amazingly, there is still some 'full faith and credit' in US Gov't bonds (probably not much longer).

Since this is an open line: question directed to anyone politically astute. Have any third party presidential candidates qualified to be on the Arkansas election ballot? How about third party candidates for any of Arkansas's congressional delegation? Just looking for someone for strangelove and me to embrace in November.

Thanks.

The simple fact is that you could be an investment idiot and do better than social security trust fund. Don't forget that even the social security trust fund could become insolvent and, in fact, even the OMB estimates that it will soon. When you add that to Medicare, Medicaid and the baby boomers then you have a serious problem of insolvency.

I guess this is the bottom line of what your Congress has been successful at doing. They have continued a program that hasn't changed much since its inception in the 30s. A program that gives you a return less than a saving account and by all reputable sources will go bankrupt within 20 years or less.

Ralph Nader's on the ballot for President. Rebekkah Kennedy is running for Senate as a Green. There are other Green candidates as well.

Thanks, Roderick. I can't vote for Nader but I can vote for Kennedy.

Give it up strange. You SS arguments are flat and won't sell. There will be SS as long as there is a United States of America. I will probably/possibly change, as it is always in a stage of evolvement, but SS is as solid as the Republic is.

You know the documentary video that YouTube censored because it's about Sarah Palin's Assembly of God church which she attended over two decades?

YouTube pulled it after 160,000 views.

So of course I have it for you at my clicky bluename.

Watch the video and read what this religion wants to do to you.

I love it, jazzy. And it's good to feel the love, again, sweet pea! The Jolson number is a reminder that nobody here has ever known tough times.

"Don't sell, don't buy, stand pat. Stay away from the financial sector unless you like to play Russian roulette."

strangelove, I agree with "don't sell," but ya gimme heartburn when you say, "don't buy." Humana would be a great buy right now, selling today for $43 below its 52-week high. The population is aging quickly; lots of healthcare will be needed in the years immediately ahead. Walgreens is another good buy, selling today for only $3 above its 52-week low. Everybody needs a 24/7 pharmacy. Coca-Cola is yet another good 'un at $12 below its 52-week high. Everybody pauses to be refreshed by drinking cokes, except me. It's also a great time to pick up a couple of little rental bungalows when you can find 'em in the right 'hood. Has been for over a year. This is no time to go wobbly.

70%er - WaMu's been running ads for deposit banking services (please open a checking/money market savings combo online at our bank and put money in it) on select TV channels. They need people to put money in the bank to give them more cash in the books to keep their liquidity up (and thus less likely to fail). To do this they are paying a pretty decent rate, and you still get FDIC insurance if something does go sour (you're crazy or have way too much money if you're keeping money in the bank above FDIC limits, which can stack (due to POD (revocable trust) and joint account rules) to be pretty big.

Strangelove you are so damn ignorant it's amazing. Social Security is solid AS LONG AS the US government repays what it has borrowed PLUS interest. It's not Social Security's fault that our government (including Republicans) spends money like a drunken sailor.

Only thing worse than tax and wasteful spending is tax cuts and wasteful spending.

We had a budget surplus at the end of Clinton's 8 years, and were in a position to start paying back Social Security. Now, under Republican "leadership" the national budget debt has almost doubled to 10 trillion.

Social Security's purpose was not to make people rich. People are free to invest the rest of their money anyway they see fit. Social Security was meant to be a guaranteed bottom for people.

"It's now official. America 's free market economy is really a socialist system for corporations."

Interested in economics? Click on Cato and discover what's happened to this country.

Do remember as you read strangelove's financial advice that he lies, makes shit up, and then lies some more. Repeatedly. Expect when you read him to find the truth is exactly backwards from what he says--that's the safe bet.

After you've wallowed in the mud with Sarah Palin's pigs (lipsticked or not) and what they want to do to America . . .

Watch Declan Galbraith and get cleansed.

Ok, vote for obama.

The LRSD provides quality education and is superior to private schools and home schooling. Katherine Mitchell is the epitome of a superior policy maker.

John, I'm going to stand up for strange 'cause I don't agree with your conclusions about his conclusions, most of which I take issue with. But the issue is the right of expression which I hold is dear to all. I enjoy all the comments from both sides of the aisle and will defend anyone's rights to express them on these types of public forums.

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for
people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."
-Noam Chomsky

"In this 20th century, every great step forward has come during Democratic administrations.
Every movement backward has come under Republican auspices, and it is the people who have
paid dearly...Too much is now at stake--here and throughout the world--to take the wrong path now.
There is one way to stop the forces of reaction. Get every vote out on election day, and make it count.
You can't afford to waste your votes this year. I'm not asking you just to vote for me.
Vote for yourselves!...
Vote for the standard of living that you have won under a Democratic administration!
Get out there on election day, and vote for your future!"
-- Harry Truman, 1948

Well, even IF we lose, we win: McAint says today that:
[ ] the fundamentals of our economy are "sound"

[ ] when elected HE will ensure financial markets are "regulated and subject to oversight." Lawdy, lawdy...and Phil Gramm just stocked up his hidey hole!!

This just in: the moon IS made of green cheese after all, Jethrine has just won the Mrs. Universe contest by sweeping the Bikini competition and East Buttfuck PA High School just beat the Steelers!! So sayeth McThuselah...Film at 10!!
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Thanks, cato...that was a DEPRESSING read; and I got reeled in thinking 'cato's gonna liven the night up with a great toon.' But no...you had to give us some truth. I read the entire thing and...need to stock my cupboards, ha.

Hubby says Palin put a tanning booth in the governor's mansion. I still don't care. She's a religious nut...tanning bed or not.

The Community Reinvestment Act was proposed by a Democratic President and approved by a Democratic Congress. If you want someone partisan to blame start with them.

Great song Norma. Here are the lyrics which are worth reading:

Declan Galbraith
Tell Me Why?

In my dream children sing a song of love for every boy and girl
The sky is blue and fields are green and laughter is the language of the world
Then I wake and all I see is a world full of people in need

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don't understand.
When so many need somebody we don't give a helping hand.
Tell me why?

Everyday I ask myself what will I have to do to be a man?
Do I have to stand and fight to prove to everybody who I am?
Is that what my life is for to waste in a world full of war?

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don't understand.
When so many need somebody we don't give a helping hand.
Tell me why?

(children) tell me why? (declan) tell me why?
(children) tell me why? (declan) tell me why?
(together) just tell me why, why, why?

Tell me why (why) does it have to be like this?
Tell me why (why) is there something I have missed?
Tell me why (why) cos I don't understand.
When so many need somebody we don't give a helping hand.

Tell me why (why,why,does the tiger run)
Tell me why (why why do we shoot the gun)
Tell me why (why,why do we never learn)
Can someone tell us why we let the forest burn?

(why,why do we say we care)
Tell me why (why,why do we stand and stare)
Tell me why (why,why do the dolphins cry)
Can some one tell us why we let the ocean die ?

(why,why if we're all the same)
tell me why (why,why do we pass the blame)
tell me why (why,why does it never end)
can some one tell us why we cannot just be friends?

Did you have a problem with the standard of living under Reagan? If you believe the President has a direct effect on the economy, please tell me how he does that?

All you poor Demoncraps out there seem to have gotten yourselves busted with the Greenberg picture scandal. Don't you liberal cheaters know that that should have been some kind of Repugnant trick? The more lies you lay down the more votes the Repugnants will walk away with. The truth is what you need to use to kill off your enemies, not falsehoods that can come back and bite you on the ass. Search for the truth of the Repugnant failures as they are searching for the truth in yours. Only scandalous slaps in the face of the truth will enlighten the American people to the necessity of siding with you. It is not just your own followers you need to win, but the followers of your enemy that you need to turn the heads and minds of so they will begin to follow your truths. Just make sure they are truths, and not just your version of the truth.

"Every time the word 'Palin' is mentioned, O'Bama loses." ---Joe Scarborough on MSNBC tonight. 'nuff said?!! He's right. There is NOTHING stronger than the "mindless christian" sympathy vote...pickin' on them and all...
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Oh, don't pay any attention to that. You talk about Palin all you want. We love to hear you bad mouth her. Come on!!!!!

"Did you have a problem with the standard of living under Reagan? If you believe the President has a direct effect on the economy, please tell me how he does that?"

Reagan? Old fiscal conservative Reagan? Attacked Carter's $40 billion annual deficits and predicted dire economic consequences and then gets elected and runs up $200 billion annual deficits. Took 39 presidents to get the National Debt to one trillion dollars and old fiscal conservative doubled it in four years. Old credit card Reagan. Strange, if you don't believe a President's policies don't have direct affects on the economy, then you aren't a good Republican for you haven't been listening to the hammering attacks by the GOP on Democrat presidents since 1936.

Standard of living under Reagan...........

My hubby is union, IBEW, we lost EVERYTHING, I mean everything!!!!!!!!!!!

The 80's were a nightmare for us.

Repugs have never been good times for middle to lower class.

"Sarah Palin has been getting briefed on what she needs to know to be
John McCain's vice president. The first thing they taught her was CPR."
-- Conan

Oil breaks down to under $100.00 a barrel, Woo-Hoo! Wait. That was what ALL the frigging politicians were stating was causing the inflated food and gas prices. The oil is back down, what the hell is the rest of the prices still doing all jacked up? You know, if our whole Nation would just buckle down tight for twenty four hours, not spend a friggin dime on anything or go anywhere at all. No work, no play, no runs to the local gas & go. Do not spend a single penny towards anything for just twenty four hours I bet we could put one hell of a dent in that tin can ass of OPEC and all those money mongering big businesses out there. It would show those damned terrorist Saudis and super rich gettin' richer by the second SOBs that they are not quite as smart as they thought they were. Come on everybody, pass the word, lets make it, say, this is a good day, voting day! That would even teach all those lying cheating stealing adulterating politicians a lesson too. Good God wouldn't that be fun! Lets do it!

Cato,

I have no interest in silencing strangelove--his right to expression is pretty near sacred to me. (Yeah, even his--worthless but not valueless.) Past silencing him is violence, and I'm even less in favor of that than silencing him.

Stopping him without silence or violence, on the other hand--yeah, that I'm up for. But how? If I could reason with him, convince him, if I thought there was an outside chance of doing so, I'd do that. But I don't think he's a good bet for sweet reason. Possibly shame--yes, I'm old-fashioned in some ways--or mockery can work on him. He creates facts in order to make arguments. In short, he's a liar. If he can't be awakened to that ethical failing on his part, perhaps he can be shamed into shutting up.

Probably not. But it's right to remind people of the failures of public character in those who make themselves public spectacles.

Cato,
I'm late to the discussion, but there are 4 Arkansas Greens running for Congress. Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are our Presidential and VP nominees. (Nader is NOT our nominee.)
Rebekah Kennedy - U.S. Senate
Deb McFarland - Second District (central Arkansas)
Abel Tomlinson - Third District (northwest Arkansas)
Joshua Drake - Fourth District (southwest Arkansas)

click on my blue-green name for more info or go to arkgreens.org

Right, John A... And when (1 of 100) he actually says something without a slam, lie, dig, lie or put-down, and you attempt to engage him respectfully, he reverts to the annoying asshole he REALLY is! Sad, but totally predictable. When nailed, he runs - and when no one "engages" him he carries on threads WITH .........HIMSELF!
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Yikes.....Frank Rich on the Maddow show just said that Sarah Palin is like a less talented Mike Huckabee with less accomplishments......oh my good lord.....can you imagine? Sweet Sweet Sarah's 15 minutes are up.

Plus going back on her word to talk to investigation of TrooperGate and more more more talk about not recognizing the subpoenas that have been issued......Does Sarah know Harriet Miers? What? More of that not testifying under oath? More of that ignoring subpoenas?

This is CHANGE? What next Sarah......less regulations for the banking industry? God.....send more lead paint China....save us!

Deathbyinches,
Who gave the Repugnant the fifteen minutes? I wouldn't give any of them anywhere near that much time credit. As soon as they stepped up to the plate both the Repugnants and the Demoncraps were already in a time deficit as far as I'm concerned. But then again with the choices we are stuck with I guess I will just have to be un-concerned.

I don't know if anyone has commented on this so I'll throw it out there.

In the Democrat-Gazette letters to the editor today, a letter from Wilfred Braithwaite of LR says (with some sections omitted here for brevity):
"We've suffered for almost eight years with a president grinning and spewing moronic one-liners. So why did George W. Bush perform so badly? For one thing, he is remarkably ignorant, a legacy of "gentleman" C's at Yale. A gentleman C is a polite way of flunking someone without actually flunking him...."
"John McCain's record at the Naval Academy was even worse than Bush's at Yale. McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class of 899 graduates...."
"Barack Obama recieved the highest honors at Harvard Law while taking the enviable and competitive position as editor of Harvard's 'Law Review'..."
"Is it safe to elect another inferior (intellect) to the presidency?"

Which leads me to today's stupid comment by McCain--
On a day when Wall Street was melting down, Republican Sen. John McCain insisted Monday that the nation's economy was "fundamentally strong,"

NVR,
there is a problem with a part of your post. Well maybe not, you state Obama "recieved" the highest honors. This does not mean he earned them, it could have been one of those funky "token" things. And by saying he had "taken" the Law Review editors position, does that mean he stole it?

JNYJ:

My disclaimer here is that I'm not the sharpest knife in the...knife holder thing.

But, there's no dispute that Sen. Obama was President of the Harvard Law Review. Doesn't matter if he was pink-on-maroon-paisley-American. He was President of the HLR. That means he's smart. They don't pass that out on some quota system or on an equal opportunity basis.

It's one thing to get into Harvard; another to get out. But the Harvard Law Review is no game of craps in the alley. It's serious game. At least I think.

Is there nothing to agree on anymore? I would think the fact that Obama is smart would have been one of them.

How ignorant does one have to be to think Obama's not smart?

JNYJ--I didn't write the letter--I just quoted it as it was published.

Here are the facts:
The President of the Harvard Law Review is elected by the members of the Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is selected by "Using a competitive process that takes into account first-year grades, an editing exercise, and a written commentary on a court decision, The Harvard Law Review selects between 41 and 43 editors annually from the second-year Law School class, which numbers 560" (quoted from Wikipedia).

Also from Wikipedia "At the end of his first year, he was selected, based on his grades and a writing competition, as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. In February 1990, in his second year, he was elected president of the Law Review, a full-time volunteer position functioning as editor-in-chief and supervising the Law Review's staff of 80 editors"

Several websites say Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude. If you earn such an honor then you also "receive the highest honors" at graduation.

So maybe the letter writer should have used slightly different language to make it clearer to you. Or you could have looked up the facts I just posted yourself. Oh, never mind, your intellect probably matches Bush/McSame.

Obama wasn't "given" anything as a "token", nor did he "steal" anything. To suggest it sounds like a racist comment to me.

I posted this elsewhere:

Obama took two IQ tests, one in kindergarten and one in high school. He scored a 172 and a 166 respectively.

That puts him (166) in the top .0005%. Average is 100. A 30 on your ACT puts you somewhere around 135 IQ. Link in my name explains IQ scores.

He's smart.

Let's say his scores were 15 points off. That's 151. That's still 99.97 percentile. Let's say 25 points off. 141 IQ---or 99.7 percentile.

Last post, I promise.

Supposedly Obama's campaign didn't want his high school to release his IQ scores because they didn't want him to be seen as "elitist"

You know, cuz we Amurrcans like our presidents dumb and ignorant tools, like us. See Bush. See Palin.

Click on my name all you insomniacs and super early risers and check out a 2 part series on Dick "Now You Know Why To Be Scared" Cheney. It's worse than you ever dreamed. Bush's puppet master is INSANE!

Honestly, we gots some wingnuts on this blog that are scary, but they aren't a fingernail clipping off Dick Cheney's pinky finger. This is the man whose controlled the United States nearly to death in the last 8 years. Holy sweet mother of god......

Because I found it hard to find on the page, click on my name and read part 2 of The Angler story. Vote Republican....yeah right!

Barack Obama is highly intelligent and well-educated, but he lacks common sense and a good understanding of human nature, which are essential qualities for being a good president. He also lacks experience.

Case in point: Obama has stated that he is willing to meet and negotiate with the president of Iran, who is a modern-day Hitler, and Obama would take our military options off the table while Iran pursues their nuclear weapons program and constructs ICBMs. We need a president who has more common sense than that.

A few words to the wise:

gold mutual funds:
U.S. Global Investors Gold Shares Fund (USERX)
Tocqueville Gold (TGLDX).

.

"Every time the word 'Palin' is mentioned, O'Bama loses."
HaHaHaHaHa!

Every time a Democrat listens to a Republican Obama loses!
The Republicans have lost their dirty tricks/Swift-boating edge...if that's the best they can do to defend Ms. Lipstick & John McCain. Ooh I'm shaking and Hell-Ya...I'll keep talking about how absurd John's Lipstick pick is!

Yeah...a night open line I can heartily agree with: Obama is very smart...compared to Monkeyboy/McSame he's playing with Einstein. (But, technically that's an unfair comparison...my dog is Einstein compared to Monkeyboy.)

But us Amuricans hates thems smart people. We wants us ignorant fools for leaders--just like us. Or, at least, that's what the Republicans tell us we want. Good thing our brains shut down every time some one says gays/abortion...else we might not buy something so stupid.

Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Palin Paliin IS A RELIGIOUS NUT.

Yeah, cool fall weather!! Now this is a great time of year...despite November. I'm thinking some good fall cooking...what are you cooking, jazzy? (I'm still lusting after your pork/cabbage dish...haven't made it, though.)

CiCi--are you out there...out of power?

"At the Values Voters Summit in D.C. last weekend, Mark Whitlock and Bob DeMoss were selling boxes of "Obama Waffles" for $10 per box. The box of waffle mix features a caricature of Obama reminiscent of stereotypical racist cartoons. The Family Research Council (FRC), the group that runs the conference, stopped the selling of the waffles and said they didn't realize before that they contained "offensive material."

"On the back of the box, Obama is depicted in stereotypical Mexican dress, including a sombrero, above a recipe for "Open Border Fiesta Waffles" that says it can serve "4 or more illegal aliens." The recipe includes a tip: "While waiting for these zesty treats to invade your home, why not learn a foreign language?" [CLICK]

Swift-boat purple heart band-aid redux!

"We need a president who has more common sense than that." Posted by: Arkansas Blogger

BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! That's the stupidest comment you've ever made.

What President did you have in mind? One who knows the importance of selecting qualified people to lead the government? One who knows the difference between Sunnis and Shias? One who knows the inappropriateness of singing "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran"?

RingDing - Iran is hoping that a weak leader like Obama will be elected because he would effectively allow them to build nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. McCain is willing to use the threat of military force to stop them, and Obama isn't.

If we did things your way, the result would be massive proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the world will become a much more dangerous place. No thanks.