Y2HH

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:59 PM) You've hand-waved away data on numerous issues, not just this particular finance issue. You always prefer your personal stories and thoughts to data and analysis. That's terrible reasoning, sorry. Everyone is susceptible to all sorts of bias, conscious and subconscious, and that makes anecdotal evidence less than reliable. No, I've made it clear I don't like polls in the past, and I still do not. Data is fine, if it can be backed up by some sort of real world method. In the financial world -- especially in the financial world -- I see charts, graphs and other statistical data all over the place, but it often doesn't translate to the real world, but looks great on the paper it's printed on.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:57 PM) 1. If that's your point, maybe say that, instead of saying my statement is meaningless, when in truth its just a different point of view. 2. I personally don't see why one would decide to just throw up their hands and give up on making a positive change, simply because its not complete and total. Ok, fair enough. But I'm not throwing up my hands and giving up on making a positive change because it's not complete and total. I think it's ridiculous that such a thing exists or has to exist at all. But then again, by saying that I'm actually agreeing with you in hoping for people to "get over it and grow up". I just don't see it working, even with a law...they'll be allowed, but they still won't be accepted.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:46 PM) Don't bother, Y2HH has mastered the big glass parking lot method of discussion. All charts, statistics, and actual data is useless. All that matters is anecdotal experiences. This isn't true at all. Way to character assassinate someone who disagrees with most of your financial opinions, though, and then have your lackeys agree with a simple minded, "oh, I know...", load of s***. I know a LOT about finance. More than most of you ever will. But I know, my "anecdotal" evidence of rising prices isn't real -- because a chart says so. The fact that you guys believe I'm wrong, and prices have not risen (if I'm wrong and you are right, they haven't), shows how stupid and absolutely retarded both of you are in regard to finance... Prices HAVE risen, prices ARE rising.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:44 PM) What point are you trying to make here? My point was we allow our favorite sports stars to get away with this exact sort of behavior and rarely think anything of it, but since this specific instance of it (Military involvement) is brought up all the time, it's a big deal. Point is, it's happening everywhere, not just the military.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:21 PM) I believe they are crap as well, but I also have a strong inkling that they're going to use it as a means to set up a bipartisan slashing of OASDI. The President's "Deficit commission" set it up where the President has political cover for pushing for cuts, the Republicans would love to do so. It's become and endless cycle now, spiraling down the drain (and taking us with it). While in office, republicans spent, ran deficits, etc...and it was the right thing to do. Democrats take office, spend even more and blame republicans for having to spend even more. Republicans now think spending is bad. If republicans ever take office back, they'll spend even more and claim they have to spend more in order to fix the overspending by the democrats because the way the democrats spent was wrong, and inefficient, and this new spending will fix all that. Rinse, repeat. It's still a bunch of rich guys fighting when the cameras are rolling, but drinking together when they're not.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:17 PM) I have no need to say anything else. You can laugh about it all you want, but you know what I say is true. Compared to other currencies, the dollar is on the rise, but that means nothing to me. If some company gets to import goods for a cheaper cost, they're not passing that savings onto me...the price is still the same at Walmart or where ever else I go as it was a year ago (if not more expensive).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:16 PM) By the way, NSS...if we're talking about how the tax deal was a decent compromise and using the fact that we can now pass legislation as a reason why... Then I think it's important to withhold judgment slightly, until we see how the next fight that this tax deal will provoke plays out...how the spring budget cuts go, and we know that's going to happen. The entire non-defense discretionary budget is still smaller than the current budget deficit, so if the Republicans want to keep their budget-balancing pledges to the tea party, there's going to have to be either defense cuts, OASDI cuts, or Medicare cuts. Those budget balancing pledges from the republicans are a load of crap, too. They seemed to have no problem overspending while in power, but now it's a big deal and they're gonna fix everything. Yea, right.

QUOTE (Soxy @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:11 PM) Homeslice, don't feed the trolls. Wasn't trolling. So calling me a troll is the same as me telling you to STFU.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:10 PM) Red line is Core CPI, blue line is CPI including energy and food. The Federal Reserve's official core CPI target is 2-3 %, and currently that number sits below 1%. They can create charts and fudge numbers all they want. I know that the costs of everything I do have gone up. That's inflation. And it's > 0%. We can shut our eyes and pretend prices have not gone up...but they have, across the board. I don't care what some bulls*** chart says, either.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:05 PM) Means everything to me. Feel free to not care though, doesn't matter to me. This is a step in a maturation process in society, I am just expressing my desire for that process to go as quickly as possible. It's safe to say that the people who aren't committing crimes all share the desire for that process to go as quickly as possible. Doesn't mean it is.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 12:03 PM) So that's a reason to not have laws against murder? No, it's a reason that saying things like "people need to grow up" means nothing, though.

You lost me at inflation is basically zero. QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 11:58 AM) There are 3 long term deficit problems. #1, and really, 80% of the problem: Health Care costs growing at 8-9% per year (while inflation is basically zero). If you project anything growing at >10% more than inflation out infinitely, it's going to go to infinity as well. That has to change, otherwise both the private and public sector go bankrupt (The private sector can't afford that rate of increase either). #2. There really isn't enough revenue coming in to cover the government's obligations. This is a second-order effect right now, and can be solved with honestly small tweaks to the overall tax rates, ending a war or two, etc. This section however gets much of the focus as it's easy to rail against without having to cite specifics. #3. Social Security has an inherent flaw; the benefits going out climb at a rate slightly higher than the rate of inflation. In the past, this gap has been made up for by productivity growth in the economy, but we've lost enough in the past couple years due to deterioration of skills that it's going to be hard for productivity to catch back up. If productivity were to resume it's past growth rates, OASDI is solvent forever. If it never does, then a small tweak to the payout rates starting around 2030 coupled with indexing the cap on taxable income to inflation does away with that gap. The long-term Health Care costs issue is the real problem. Solve that and everything else winds up seeming miniscule. However, there is 1 more long-term problem that this nation has to deal with; deteriorating infrastructure, which I'd rank as #2 in importance on that list. Edit: and oh yeah, the climate crisis fits in there too.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 11:56 AM) lol wut? People in the military who are closed minded about this have a choice. They can act like idiots, or they can get over it. I don't really care which they do, just that they are punished if idiocy becomes illegal acts. So yeah, they will, one way or another, which is how it should be. The military as a whole will mature and adjust. I agree, but you said people need to grow up...and that's not really making a point. My counter was people need to do a lot of things, and it doesn't mean they will. There are laws against murder. But it still happens...all the time.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 20, 2010 -> 11:51 AM) People just need to grow the f*** up. These same arguments were used upon racial integration of the military, and no doubt there was plenty of problems it caused. Probably still some now. Doesn't mean its right, or that its a valid reason to promote organized bigotry. People need to do a lot of things, doesn't mean they will. Whether it be right or wrong is irrelevant. To start a quick list: People need to stop murdering each other. People need to stop raping women/children (or even men). And I could use a few hundred million dollars, too.

Gays aren't even openly accepted in the MLB or NFL, let alone the military. Even with the laws, it's oil and water. I personally don't care what you do in the bedroom or with who, but a lot of people do, including the sports stars we talk about on these websites daily.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 17, 2010 -> 12:00 PM) Ah, I see what you are getting at. In that case, 2 of those 3 are indeed quantifiable. But the question of whether or not the economy is getting better is very much subjective at this point. So I guess its really just one line item I take issue with. And is anyone really shocked that the chosen-ignorance crowd is more likely to be Fox News followers than other news? I don't find the last sentence true at all. Chosen-ignorance crowds have nothing to do with Fox news, NBC news, or any other news, and data showing they watch more of X channel could be cheery picked and/or manipulated -- easily. The ONLY true statement about such people is they would still choose to be ignorant even if neither channel existed.

I pay 3800 a year in properly taxes, not being able to write that off would suck.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Dec 18, 2010 -> 03:31 PM) holy s*** world is ending. Y2HH and Balta not arguing. If kap comes in and co-signs on a BigSqwert post I'm going to s*** my pants. There are rare times he says something that's actually true/right/correct.

IMO, the ENTIRE problem is psychological, which explains why every year the Twins destroy us and make it into the playoffs they get destroyed by any team they play, even if it's NOT the Yankees. Their team pitching and hitting were marginally better than ours last year, but they somehow won just about every game they played against us in grand blowout fashion. Statistically, being that they are marginally better in every way, that should result in them being 1 or 2 games better in head to head play...but it never turns out that way, because every time the Sox play them (no matter how good the Sox are), it's like Superman playing a solid block of Kryptonite for who knows what reason. Though if I had to venture a guess, the reason is that Hawk (and many others, including Ozzie Guillen in the Sox organization) gush over s***ty players like Carlos Gomez and how great he is -- when he sucks in every way possible -- not to mention build up the Twins as an invincible enemy. They need to take a queue from the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks with the Twins. Rather than coming in and building the Russians up as an invincible team and telling them that in comparison they suck, he chipped away at the Russians, making fun of them in every way he could think of, belittling them just enough every day that their aura of invincibility was dimmed in the eyes of the players. In contrast, if you ask Hawk, Ozzie, or anyone else in the Sox organization, the Twins are better than the Sox -- in every way, every single year -- so there is no point in trying. This entire conversation infuriates me, and serves as a lesson in exactly how you DO NOT COACH your players into thinking their opponents are better than they are.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 15, 2010 -> 12:23 PM) Link This would be sorta unbelievable if it weren't already so in-character. I can understand how "wall street" might be termed pejorative by some, and perhaps "Hedge funds" and "banks" and "Financial firms" is actually a more apt use. But "Interconnection"? "Shadow banking"? Those are pretty much the definition of how the crisis happened. Lehman Brothers's fall wouldn't have caused a run on the shadow banking industry if it wasn't for the fact that they were all interconnected. The fact that banks were keeping things off their books and using overnight lending to cover for that fact, aka "Shadow banking" is exactly where the real run/freezup happened. You can't tell the story without it. Well said.

Order a code red to take care of situations such as this, the problem will fix itself.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Dec 16, 2010 -> 10:05 PM) Well I have learned from Microsoft that the "cloud" is some sort of magical photo service from the interwebs. That is not at the level of hate that I had for the stupid "Windows 7' was my idea. Windows 7 isn't half bad, but that commercial made me want to nix it. This one. I hate all modern mentions of "cloud". Go back 10 years and the stupid word of the day was, "cyberspace", which is the same thing as the modern overuse of "cloud". Microsoft are advertising retarded, and need to keep away, far away...people buy most Microsoft products these days because they're forced too, not because they want too. They don't need commercials for that.

Thread has devolved into pointlessness.

Needs to be addressed as much as the poster above this posts avatar.

I'd like to go to this, but I don't really know any of you in RL -- does everyone else know each other? I just don't want to go there to get attacked by BigSqwert because he hates me.