Saturday, January 03, 2009

2008 Reflections


There's a story about a true believer facing a flood at his home. The fireman knocked on the door but he stayed put trusting his faith. A neighbor paddled up in a boat but he said no his faith would sustain him. On the roof with the water still rising he waves away the rescue helicopter trusting instead to his beliefs. He drowns. When he meets his maker in the great beyond he complains "Why didn't you warn me?" God replies; "Who do you think sent the fireman, neighbor and helicopter?" We already know one thing and one thing only but it is enough. When the bailouts stop working it will happen too fast to contain and we have been warned. Financial tricks work until they don't. They don't fail elegantly.

2008 was not the disaster, it was the warning.

27 comments:

Tyrone said...

2009 is going to be very interesting, to say the least,... firstly.

H Simpson said...

Mass Gov Patrick is said to be in cahoots with 4 other Democratic govenors to ask President Obama for a Trillion dollars to tide the states over the next 2 years.

Want to give out by population. So there may be some low value bucks coming to California.

h.

Unknown said...

What's your forecast regarding the DOW and S&P500? When are we revisiting the lows of 2008?

-tk

Rob Dawg said...

First rough guess subject to massive revision; 9200 high next 3 weeks, touching below 8000 before the ides of march and a low of 6700 maybe as soon as summer. S&P proportionate declines.

Northern Renter said...

Hey, when you elect the son King, you have to expect a little "Apres moi le deluge"

NR

PS Yeah, I skipped the accents. Pedants can bite me.

Son of Brock Landers said...

@H Simpson

Gov Patrick's plan is to ask for the money, get an appointment in Obama's admin, and then leave Mass before everyone sees that the money does not do a d@mn thing.

r said...

Ah, the Celluci model. Left the state with Jane Swift "in charge". Nice to see history repeating itself.

Jean ValJean said...

You're all a bunch of loosers!

It's a GREAT time to buy a car.

My Dealer Told Me So.

Lou Minatti said...

It's a GREAT time to buy a car.

It IS a great time to buy a car. If you are solvent and have no worries about the economic shitstorm. Zero percent for 80s months. They are also doling out cash rebates now, which IIRC was last done during the early 80s. "Buy" a car and get $1500 cash back. Cash back at closing, baby!

Lou Minatti said...

60 months. Dammit.

Lou Minatti said...

Why is California suffering from a budget crisis when Sacramento still rakes in the bucks, even adjusted for inflation? The amazing thing is that you Californians haven't (yet) started marching on Sacramento. I guess it's because so many Californians are on the state payroll.

There's no longer any point in telling our kids to study hard so they can be a doctor or an engineer or a programmer. They can just get a government job.

Akira said...

I am so sick of Israel.

Jean ValJean said...

What are you doing up so late anyway, Lou?

Lou Minatti said...

I am so sick of Israel.
I am sick of the stooopid left's thinly-veiled Jew hatred.

Anonymous said...

I actually want Hopey to give Cali a bazillion dollars, so everyone will stay put.

Pleather Murse said...

Criticism of Isra-hell is not synonymous with hatred of the jewz (tm.) Though the more one studies history and current events the more jew-wise one is likely to become. The trick is to look beyond the approved kosher media outlets.

Akira said...

@Lou,
Being sick of the ongoing slaughter in Israel has absolutely nothing to do with anti-semitism - and I get really pissed off when people made that simplistic argument. I'm sick of all forms f senseless slaughter.
Did you celebrate Hanukkah this year? I did. Are you truly Kosher? I am.
Please. Hating the politics of Israel is *not* anti-semitic.

Akira said...

Celebrating Hanukkah

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Lou Minatti said...

Being sick of the ongoing slaughter in Israel has absolutely nothing to do with anti-semitism - and I get really pissed off when people made that simplistic argument.

Horseshit. You said jack over the past year as Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israeli towns and cities killing and terrorizing civilians. For over a year Israel didn't fight back. Now Israel fights back and you don't like it.

Jew haters better get used to the fact that this time around they won't be quietly marched to the gas chambers.

Lou Minatti said...

Here ya go, Akubi. I am sure you will enjoy seeing Hamas "soldiers" being transported around town via UN ambulances.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=116_1231063776&p=1

How noble of them to hide in ambulances paid for with our tax dollars. How brave these freedom fighters are. So when the IDF comes along and fires a missile at this ambulance it gives people like you the opportunity to spout fake moral outrage ("I am so sick of Israel. Don't you dare call me a Jew-hater!") at the eeeeevil Israeli Joos who attacked an ambulance.

Pleather Murse said...

I wondered how long it would be before someone would pull in a gas chamber reference to trump any and all criticism of the Chosen (tm.) Two posts -- didn't take long. There's nothing like the Holyco$t when it comes to ending debate.

Property Flopper said...

> I am so sick of Israel.

Well, get used to it, Israel isn't going away any time soon.

I'm sure the people in Israel are sick of rockets raining down on them, I know I'd be upset by that happening to me.

Ya poke someone with a stick enough times, they'll get up and hit you back. Being "outraged" that they respond is just silly.

Akira said...

@Pleather Murse,
Exactly.

Akira said...

Other than senile old ladies in Florida, I find it fascinating that the pro-Israeli base is generally Faux News watching, Protestant Republicans with some sort of military connection.

Property Flopper said...

Akira - What do you base that on? I don't watch Fox, I'm an agnostic Democrat and have never been in the military. I feel Israel has the right to defend itself from continued rocket attacks.

It's fine to critisize them sitting safely out of harms way. Have someone lob bombs at your family for a while and see if you still think that's OK.

Akira said...

Property Flopper,

I like you so I don’t want to make much of this, but check out the comments on SFGate and maybe you might see that the only self-described Jews commenting are f-ing embarrassed and insulted by Israel's behavior. It's mainly wingnuts who support the same old BS Bush has promoted that has pissed me off for 8 years.
Defending oneself with a 100:1 death ratio? I think both sides are f-ed up, but I don’t see how anyone could live with themselves after killing well over 100 little "terrorist" kids in Gaza (with plenty of American tax payer support). Yeah, we could go on about how Hamas was perhaps using them as a human shield, but I question the ethics/moral authority/etc. of someone who could knowingly send a missile or two towards a f-ing children's refugee camp in a school. Could the "terrorists" pathetic bottle rockets be such a threat? Give me a f-ing break.
Both the Israelis and Palestinians have been regularly abusing the Geneva laws – but then so has our POS prez so this country clearly lacks moral authority as well. The whole situation pisses me off hence my original comment on this thread.

Why fight someone who is clearly not in one's league militarily or financially (Hamas may as well be firing bottle rockets)? That’s fucked up.

Akira said...

Apparently, the NYT is perceived as a slanted news source these days because they avoid using the term "terrorist".
I hope they don't go under like so many other media sources these days.