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LewisBraham
Hi Hank,
Your satire came across very well. Don't worry about the user name.
Best,
Lewis
@Maurice, One thing I could never understand was why Republicans were so obsessed with Obama's birth certificate and citizenship but didn't seem to care that John McCain was born in Panama when he was running for president.
I remember reading an article years ago about research indicating that women investors tended to be more patient than male ones who were more aggressive and overly-eager to prove themselves. It would fit the psychological stereotypes at least that w…
One thing I don't hear discussed is the fact that Greece has a significant shadow economy of people who don't pay any taxes or under-report their income and pay less tax than they should. While raising taxes on an imperiled economy may not be the gr…
@Vintage Federal tax rates have not been on their way up for a long time, but are close to historic lows for the post Great Depression era: businessinsider.com/history-of-tax-rates?op=1
And this not to pick on the 1% because it isn't just them that …
@David Since I went to a public school, drive on public roads, am protected by public police, firemen and soldiers and my parents received Social Security, I see paying taxes as part of my civic duty as an American and a way to give back to my commu…
@Scott: There have already been many public-private partnerships in the U.S. and the results have definitely been mixed. It often amounts to allowing some company like Goldman Sachs to dip into the public till, provide substandard service and overch…
@OldJoe I agree it seems unlikely, but I am sure these other nations are watching these negotiations with Greece like a hawk. It's a test case for how much they can push back against Germany and the other members if they don't like the terms of thei…
C if Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain don't follow suit. A if any of them do. That is what everyone is really worried about, not Greece itself, but the precedent it sets.
@Kevin I have no problem calling Clinton and Buffett out for tax evasion. That has nothing to do with the basic fact that there is plenty of money to pay for the U.S.'s social programs. Clinton did a lot of stupid things as president as do most pres…
@Kevin, Yes but our interpretations differ. I do not see the U.S.'s spending on social programs as being particularly high. It ranks low on the OECD's list. Moreover, GDP isn't the only source to pay for social programs. America has a total househol…
@Ted, Fine and I suppose two days ago when you said I "didn't have a clue!!" and that if you were my boss, you'd fire me, you were just being neighborly. Sure, whatever you say.
@Ted Stop attacking me and I'll stop calling you a cyberbully. It's quite simple. And don't be coy about the article. You and I know exactly why you are quoting those comments out of context/
@MFO, Ah, Ted the cyberbully strikes again, intentionally quoting the myths about Greeks out of context without their appropriate refutation. It's almost sad.
@hank The analysis of entitlements and other expenditures in the U.S. as a percentage of GDP ignores household net worth, which is vast. And that net worth is after all household debt is subtracted. So the idea that the U.S. can't afford to pay its …
@Kevindow and Hank. Lack of money is not the problem:
https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/TNWBSHNO
https://cooklaw.co/blog/current-historical-federal-estate-tax-structure-exemptions-rates
@Catch I don't know if there will be any contagion, but volatility I would certainly expect on the menu this week if some sort of amicable resolution isn't worked out.
@LLJB You are correct and there is an important lesson in this. The type of bubble and the type of crash determines which funds will hold up in a big way. 2000-02 was a valuation driven crash in which there was a huge valuation gap between value and…
While I agree with both MJG and Anna that over the truly long-term the timing of your investment hasn't mattered so much (if as Anna rightly points out you can afford to hold for the very long-term), I am more critical not of the timing of investme…
@Davidmoran. Interesting article. The problem is that paralysis Kristof describes is sure to remain thanks to gerrymandering of political districts, increasingly onerous voting restrictions and the Citizen's United decision. By equating political co…
There is of course a larger question as to whether private enterprise should be in charge of water systems:articles.latimes.com/print/2006/may/29/local/me-privatewater29
@MJG Given that Chicago is a Democratic stronghold, the study's results would actually indicate that nationwide the perception gap on these issues is probably even wider. Also, you are apparently not aware of the significance of the "rich are differ…
@MFO Once again Ted the cyberbully strikes, attacking fellow MFO members--CathyG and Limoman--and imperiously deciding what should or should not be discussed.
@Ted Here's the thing: mutualfundobserver.com/discuss/discussion/comment/44820/#Comment_44820
I defended you after you stole my work and other MFO members were talking about banning you from the site and David suggested your posts be monitored and e…
What is the difference between believing this is an indicator and fearing black cats or going to an astrologist to make major life decisions? Might as well check the phases of the moon. In fact, checking the phases of the moon makes more sense becau…
For a more objective source, try this: politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/feb/18/ed-schultz/schultz-go-unions-so-go-wages/
For one as biased as Wall Street Week but on the liberal side try this:
epi.org/news/union-membership-declines-inequal…
@MJG It's unlikely that Rothschild ever said "buy when there's blood in the streets" and there never was a Rothschild who became a baron until 1885. Many of the quotes ascribed to the Rothschild family are apocryphal and falsely used by anti-Semitic…
