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An Antidote to Corporate Media
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Brand,
Yes, I have been to The Netherlands a number of times. I have been to Amsterdam like five times, Rotterdam, The Hague and a couple of small agricultural villages that I cannot remember the name of. I really like the Dutch and think they have a pretty neat society going there.
theotherside Says:
Admission to a brand-name college is viewed by many parents, and their children, as holding the best promise of professional success and economic well-being in an increasingly competitive world.
Peter P. Replies:
Again, success is about bypassing competitors, not winning competitions.
COMPETETIVE EMPLOYEES ARE EXCELLENT CORPORATE SERVANTS THOUGH.
_____
Yes! Very astute observation.
They are born and bred to be servants of the globalist grand design
Randy H
2007 Apr 1, 6:39am
I'm just happy to see tOs get suckered by an April Fools joke. Joke's on you.
Someone Said:
> I think it would be a good exercise for the libertarians to
> build a ‘utopia’ community where all drugs are legal and
> freely available. I’d love to watch that lesson learned.
Then Jimbo Says:
> Isn’t that pretty close to what The Netherlands is today?
> They seem to be doing fine, quite a bit better in many
> ways than the US, in fact.
The Netherlands is mostly white and has lots of drugs, but not a lot of problems. Grateful Dead shows were mostly white and had a lot of drugs, but not a lot of problems.
West Oakland and Hunters Point are mostly black and have a lot of drugs and have a lot of problems. The only politically correct thing we can blame is the drugs.
String Cheese Incident and Fish fans and UHS kids in Presidio Heights use more drugs per person than the gang members in West Oakland and Hunters Point, but don’t shoot each other as much…
Brand Says:
> FAB says: [My friend in favor of legalization] points out that
> some heroin and meth users are able to lead otherwise
> perfectly normal lives and that it should be sold and taxed
> like anything else.
I didn’t say this, since I have heard of functioning heroin users I have never heard of anyone who has going for a long time using meth without crashing hard. Meth is evil stuff that will melt your brain and turn an otherwise normal person in to a suicidal maniac (as a landlord and property manager I’ve had way more contact with meth users then I would have liked to have)…
Jon and Brand,
I'm not advocating drug usage, just arguing that over twenty years into a failed policy of drug criminalization has done very little good and an awful lot of harm by making narcotic distribution into a highly profitable business.
Anybody in this country who wants drugs can get it already. If seeing what drug does to a person doesn't discourage them, the vague chance of getting arrested for usage will not change their minds.
SFBB,
LOL! That's an ugly house.
Jimbo Says:
I am curious Mr. Holliday, what do you do for a living? You have the marks of “professional shit stirrer†written all over you.
_____
Good observation. I'm on break from doing a conservative talk show on an AM station in Arizona, for recreation.
I'm employed at a defense contractor as a Project Analyst.
I'm not pointing my finger saying, "I'm better than you, I'm gainfully employed, etc."
I'm not like that. I'm just highlighting some left-wing stereotypes that happen to be true.
Fair enough. Project analyst at a defence contractor seems like pretty real world work to me, but what do I know? I mostly have worked at startups.
Jimbo:
I think the point is to put your views out there and let the chips fall where they may. I'm not the smartest or most educated guy on this site and I don't pretend to be better than anyone else.
I merely post my views, then walk the gauntlet of public perception.
Homeowners on the brink: Subprime borrowers face foreclosure, ruin
By Eve Mitchell
MEDIANEWS STAFF
Last year, James and Barbara Morgan refinanced their mortgage into a subprime loan in hopes of lowering their house payments. Now the couple worry that the high-risk loan could force them to sell the East Oakland home they have lived in for more than 30 years.
First-time homeowner Carmen Rodriguez likes everything about the three-bedroom house in San Pablo she bought in September and shares with her brother. Except for the loan.
Rodriguez, SPEAKING THROUGH A SPANISH TRANSLATOR, said the payments on her loan, which has an interest rate that changes every month, have increased by a third, rising $500 to $2,000 a month.
"I am very frustrated. I am very upset," said Rodriguez, a 44-year-old CANDY PACKER whose monthly take-home pay is about $1,700. "I have not been able to pay other bills."
_____
See, this is the insanity that I'm talking about.
A million angry ideas are flowing, like a river of sewage, through my mind right now, but, mercifully I'm at a loss for words to describe them...
However, three letters do stand out: WTF?
I dont use drugs and am an atheist. But the two things the US needs is religion and a drug free society. Without these two, we are toast.
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One of the more interesting side-effects of the housing bubble's collapse is its ability to produce victims from some rather unexpected places. For example: Lennar Corporation, one of the nation's largest home builders which profited handsomely during the run-up (and has been accused by some of substandard workmanship), has just officially been granted victim status from the media:
Apparently, the recent sub-prime credit crunch has also produced quite a few human victims among those who can no longer borrow beyond their means indefinitely and add to their already crushing debt loads:
And the damage is not just limited to uneducated, Joe 6-pack types with limited means and bad credit. Look what just happened to a PhD with a good job:
If these people can become media "victims" of the housing bubble, who's next? Some possibilities:
Alan Greenspan:
"I was forced to lower rates to 1% to moderate the tech bubble recession, and to make the economy look good, so incumbents could get reelected. Those big, mean politicians were really pressuring me! How was I supposed to know it would spawn an even bigger bubble in real estate?? I'm just a powerless (former) central bankster!"
David Lereah:
"I didn't want to keep fanning the flames with outrageous lies and baseless industry propaganda, but I had to feed my family. The NAR kept on blackmailing me with my enormous salary and benefits. What was I supposed to do --quit and become a regular working-stiff like all you low-rent schmucks out there?"
Gary Watts:
"If I didn't come right out and say '15% was in the bag' for 2006, they would have hurt my family. I practically choked on those words, but it was either say it or 'lights out' for little Billy and Janie. I had to choose between my family or my integrity --what would anyone have done in my situation?"
Casey Serin:
"How could I say 'no' to such sweet deals, when everything I learned from those R.K./Robert G. Allen books and seminars was screaming 'Yes, yes, yes!' Besides, Galina was really pressuring me to 'get a house'. How was I suppoosed to know she meant only one? Besides, all those sellers really tricked me --they used my Macaroni Grill & Jamba Juice addiction to talk me into those illegal cash-back deals. They preyed on my fears of being a Looser and took full advantage of me. I feel so... violated."
Discuss, enjoy...
HARM
#housing