- On 25 Apr 2013
in
Down Payment Rules Are at Heart of Mortgage Debate - Yahoo! Finance,
varmint said:
Downpayments are going away. All the downpayment does is suppress demand from people who shouldn't buy. To get prices back above peak they need just as many unqualified people buying as last time.
- On 24 Apr 2013
in
Paul Krugman Is Right (But He Has Not Won),
varmint said:
How exactly do you achieve wage inflation without having every essential consumable rise in a commensurate manner?
Increase supply/productivity?
- On 24 Apr 2013
in
Paul Krugman Is Right (But He Has Not Won),
varmint said:
I agree that stimulus should go to main street. But this is where I disagree, that inflation in wages should be the goal.
Inflation in wages IMO is a good goal. The problem is that it's not happening and the inflation is going into assets. How else would you propose getting more money to main street?
An issue I have with Krugman is that he totally dismisses that people would ever fear a US default. He's right so far, people aren't afraid of US debt. However the US has also not taken the fiscal policy path he suggests (borrow and spend whatever it takes).
- On 24 Apr 2013
in
Why Krugman is a lackey to neofeudal debtocracy,
varmint said:
I am often struck by how both major parties and the commercial media seem to fetishize GDP
Agree completely and am surprised that so many people still fall for this. Quality of living can be going down for everyone, but if corporate profits improve enough... ta da positive GDP growth!
We should all be happy the economy is improving!
- On 24 Apr 2013
in
Paul Krugman Is Right (But He Has Not Won),
varmint said:
Now, we have stimulus going to the wrong place. Now we have massive middlemen cornering markets. It is different now.
I thought it was humorous more than anything.
How is it different now? All the links in that article are from the last 18 months. It may be that the inflation is farther out, but it hasn't come due yet.
- On 24 Apr 2013
in
Paul Krugman Is Right (But He Has Not Won),
varmint said:
KrugTron the Invincible!
http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/krugtron-invincible.html
- On 23 Apr 2013
in
Man Wearing Novelty T-Shirt Arrested For Refusing To Leave South Carolina Park,
varmint said:
a yearly concert that is devoted to raising awareness of sexual violence against women
classy
- On 17 Apr 2013
in
Feminists ignore child care issue,
varmint said:
Option 1: Pay $6000/yr for daycare instead of $15,000/yr, a 60% savings!
Worker: $45,000/yr
Economic Profit: $5000/worker/yr (10% of worker's production)
Expenses: $10,000/yrOption 2: Pay $15,000/yr, but get better quality of service.
Worker: $126,000/yr
Economic Profit: $14,000/worker/yr (10% of worker's production)
Expenses: $10,000/yrYou're underrating expenses portion, by a lot.
Social security/unemployment/medicare/disability taxes paid by the employer are 15-20% depending on field (for disability rate). Plus benefits, vacation, etc. It typically costs 1.5-2x as much to employ someone as you pay them.
Then there's management. Not every worker is handling kids. Someone has to answer the phone, write paychecks, etc.
- On 16 Apr 2013
in
Drug makers trying to block generics,
varmint said:
water is wet
- On 10 Apr 2013
in
MRIs in US disprove Equilibrium Theory,
varmint said:
No they don't. They prove healthcare is a cartel.
- On 8 Apr 2013
in
$40,000 a month rent for a restaurant?,
varmint said:
I mean, it's not horrible, but nothing special about it at all.
No, Macaroni Grill is bad.
Maybe not compared to Applebees, but compared to any food expected fit for human consumption it's pretty horrible.
- On 8 Apr 2013
in
$40,000 a month rent for a restaurant?,
varmint said:
The real insanity is the leverage it gives these idiots during lease negotiations; it allows them to play a game of chicken (jack up the rents exorbitantly) without real consequences. If the restaurant decides not to renew, the owners can afford to keep the place empty with the below market tax basis.
Pretty much. That's what happened with the original Chevy's in Alameda. Chevy's is pretty whatever, but that place was PACKED always. Landlord decided to raise the rent a ton and nobody's been in the building since 07.
- On 3 Apr 2013
in
827 Portola Ave. Alameda 94501,
varmint said:
I saw that. Insane.
I'm not sure how they were able to list it as a 3br. An agent I talked to said if you have to go through one br to get to another they cannot be listed as two separate rooms
- On 3 Apr 2013
in
The Uglyiness of the Left,
varmint said:
I agree with the author that you are exposed to the highest number of quality mates while in college. This is especially true if you're a man going engineering or tech. However, it depends on the individual's maturity level as to whether they are ready for identifying their wife/husband.
Aside from that she is pretty insufferable. That you went to Princeton doesn't mean you are the smartest person on the planet. It means you came from money and got good grades in high school. Get over yourself and your bratty kids.
- On 20 Mar 2013
in
Why Are Lesbians So Intolerant?,
varmint said:
That video on the train is disturbing. Why are there 10 people just standing there filming and not doing anything to stop it?
Seriously sad.
- On 13 Mar 2013
in
Post if you know of a vacant home near you that is not listed!,
varmint said:
Yes, several houses I would be interested in should they come for sale ever. They have been vacant for over 6 months, but I'm not sure how much over.
I've also seen some recent purchases remain vacant with no apparent remodel or other work in progress. Sold and sits.
- On 12 Mar 2013
in
Amish built house and farm in English speaking Belize $49,000,
varmint said:
Belize is a nice place to visit. Most do people speak Kriol day to day, but everyone I met there knew English which is what they teach in the schools.
That house was probably built by Mennonites, not Amish. Also it does not appear to have indoor plumbing. Basically a shack in the forest. Belize also has high tariffs so anything imported costs a ton and the population is so small they can't support a lot of industry.
- On 11 Mar 2013
in
Funny cat pictures thread,
varmint said:
- On 10 Mar 2013
in
Funny cat pictures thread,
varmint said:
- On 10 Mar 2013
in
Funny cat pictures thread,
varmint said:
- On 7 Mar 2013
in
How the Student Loan Crisis Drags Down House Prices,
varmint said:
The main problem is that college is so damn expensive now. Just 10 years ago my tuition was ~$4000/year at a UC. One year it even went down and was less expensive than the previous.
Lack of state funding is a problem, but a big part is cheap money. Why should the university rein in costs when students can just borrow more? Hell, borrow 2x as much and they'll build a new rec center to recruit students who will borrow 5x as much.
- On 6 Mar 2013
in
Inefficient quasi-monopolies/cartels protected by the state,
varmint said:
I like CHS's message but his blog is too repetitive. Every post says essentially the same thing and he reuses graphs too much.
- On 4 Mar 2013 in Shorting companies that use QR codes in their advertising., varmint said:
- On 27 Feb 2013
in
Bud Light waters down, what's wrong with US capitalism?,
varmint said:
Thanks for the source. The prices at Oak Barrel are comparable to those at MoreBeer over in MV.
There are a couple spots over in San Leandro too. Depending on what you need it may be cheaper to buy equipment from one place and grain from another. You may also find that the differences in prices for grain are small enough that it's not worth it to waste gas driving past the nearest place.
- On 26 Feb 2013
in
California House Prices,
varmint said:
Most cars don't appreciate like the Mustang Boss.
It was more a statement that many things cost 10 times or more what they did in 1970. A can of Campbell's tomato soup cost $0.10.
Besides, unlike a house, you can't live in a car.
Thanks. Just checking, is it possible to drive my house?