Oy! downgrade of US debt < aliens and psychics

ladelfina

ladelfina

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Oct 18, 2005
Messages
2,713
[sorry, title should not read "downgrade" explicitly.. I can't change it now but let's say 'extreme devaluation']


as of now:

psychics thread: 837 views

extraterrestrials thread: 302 views

AAA CDO write-off thread: 202 views


Not looking to win a popularity contest.. but curious that current financial events take a back seat to National Enquirer/Weekly World News fare here.

180px-Batboy_Steals_MINI.jpg
 
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ladelfina said:
[sorry, title should not read "downgrade" explicitly.. I can't change it now but let's say 'extreme devaluation']


as of now:

psychics thread: 837 views

extraterrestrials thread: 302 views

AAA CDO write-off thread: 202 views


Not looking to win a popularity contest.. but curious that current financial events take a back seat to National Enquirer/Weekly World News fare here.

180px-Batboy_Steals_MINI.jpg
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Amazing isn't it. Nobody wants to deal with bad news until it bites them in the butt.
 
We're all having a little fun, because whats life without it? A never ending crushing torrent of why life sucks and why you should run away screaming and stick your head in the sand?

I'm thrilled beyond belief that there are some bad times. Shakes out the slow gazelles and a smart cat can have a cheap meal or two. And I can still do math and am able to apply the appropriate formulas and calculations to the task at hand. And pretty good times usually follow the bad times eventually. And I have a plan that takes periods of downturn into consideration.

So why dwell on it?

I think I'll have some cake instead!
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
We're all having a little fun, because whats life without it? A never ending crushing torrent of why life sucks and why you should run away screaming and stick your head in the sand?

I'm thrilled beyond belief that there are some bad times. Shakes out the slow gazelles and a smart cat can have a cheap meal or two. And I can still do math and am able to apply the appropriate formulas and calculations to the task at hand. And pretty good times usually follow the bad times eventually. And I have a plan that takes periods of downturn into consideration.

So why dwell on it?

I think I'll have some cake instead!
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I like that pizza hat you're wearing. :D
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
And I have a plan that takes periods of downturn into consideration.
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Those sound like famous last words to me, I think I have heard that more than a few times before.

What kind of cake is it? Chocolate Turtle Rosy Senario with Life's a Bowl of Cherries glazing? :D
 
It is whatever the minds eye perceives.

My three year old just jumped up on the couch next to me, pointed at your avatar and said "PEPSI! I want some!!! Its in the garage!!!!"

Thanks a bunch. ;)

Avatar changed to something easier to identify...
 
Sorry, but having bad news presented over and over and over with no solutions offered doesn't exactly entice me into posting--most people on this board seem pretty in tune with the state of affairs already without being hit over the head with it. Now a good psychic/alien discussion? Priceless.
 
ladelfina said:
Sorry, I mistook this for a forum about retirement and finance!!
My humblest apologies.
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It is and theres no reason to apologize.

Just maybe not 50 threads a week about the stuff we oughta worry about today and tomorrow if we have a bad plan for our financial future or what we'd do if we were keyed in on making snap decisions based on what may be wrong with the deepest levels of our economic institutions.

Lets be simple about it. I get it that you think there are a lot of things wrong with what goes on in the world. I dont necessarily disagree. But there seems to be some concern when there isnt a reaction to the bad news and a resultant flow of more urgent posts.

What would you have everyone do differently to simplify the matter?

I feel that you think we ought to make some major sea change. What is it?
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
What would you have everyone do differently to simplify the matter?

I feel that you think we ought to make some major sea change. What is it?
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I think she'd be thrilled if we all dressed in sackcloth and/or hair shirts, smeared ashes on ourselves, joined the Penitentes in public self flagellation, and then maybe committed hari-kari. This is based purely on what I have seen here on the forum.
 
Bestwifeever said:
Sorry, but having bad news presented over and over and over with no solutions offered doesn't exactly entice me into posting--most people on this board seem pretty in tune with the state of affairs already without being hit over the head with it. Now a good psychic/alien discussion? Priceless.
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Agreed. Silly to suggest that forum members do not care or are not in touch with todays financial crisis because of 'other' topics discussed here. Lot's of things are discussed here. If a topic is of no interest to me, I move on. Simple.
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
What would you have everyone do differently to simplify the matter?

I feel that you think we ought to make some major sea change. What is it?
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I think it is of utmost importance today to attempt to determine whether this financial crisis (and the current state of the economy) is a small matter and something to be ignored or a very serious concern. The data and news comes in daily.

When it is discussed there seems to be two camps, one camp simply saying don't worry, be happy, and the other camp is more worried and looking for help in determining how bad things really are.

Personally, the don't worry, be happy, camp is not very helpful. That view may be right in the end, but if not, it could be a very serious to anyone considering ER.

It would be nice if issues were discussed without taking a stand (or name calling) based on optimist/pessimist bias. Labeling a view based on it being negative, doesn't necessarily make it the wrong view.

So for me, ladelfina, keep it up. I find your posts to be interesting and thought provoking even if I do not always agree .
 
50 threads is an exaggeration by a factor of 10 or more; I posted two 'concerned' threads and a couple of neutral ones. I also don't care whether people post or not; I was looking at views, which to me indicated level of interest.

All the talk on the 'dumb debtor' thread about individuals having to learn to avoid the hot iron? Not being deceived by financial tricksters? Not your words, CFB.. but come on.. on the one hand here everyone feels superior to the "don't worry; be happy" grasshopper crowd that's living for today. Then TS starts to HTF .. things start to look really structurally different from anything we've ever been called upon to experience.. and the reaction is "don't worry; be happy"? It seems like the same denial of reality just at a more 'evolved' level. We haven't chosen to take on debt personally, so we can pat ourselves on the back? Not quite. The debt -unredeemable levels of debt- instead has been taken on for us and it is literally everywhere.

"We" on the forum can't re-build a broken system, but we can take individual steps like contacting legislators, or getting into more defensive positions than usual (more cash, more PMs, more foreign currency, whatever..). If I were in the US, I'd have bought some farm/timber land, not because I want to dig a bunker, but because having it couldn't hurt.

I had kinda felt like I'd found common ground here, but I guess I am part of a tiny minority w/in a tiny minority. I like to examine and think about what is going on. (I'm one of those people who likes to watch the dentist work on me in the mirror, too.)

I know I'm not entirely alone. I doubt that a couple years ago anyone was asking how to buy Swiss bonds.


roswell_aliens_army_confess_ufo.jpg
 
I'm personally not interested in getting into "more defensive positions". I'll lose with those regardless of what does or doesnt materialize in the financial arena. You dont make enough money from them to stay ahead of cost of living changes and enjoy a reasonably nice lifestyle.

I'd rather take a shot at winning than try to not lose that badly.

So thats basically been my takeaway from the 50 threads and oh yes, its been 50 or more. Its not just you, theres other people who have nothing to say besides "the sky is falling", so we all oughta be afraid and buy investments that'll leave us with lousy buying power when we're in our 70's and 80's.

There are a lot of things wrong in the world. There always have been. Theres a lot of things that are right in the world. I dont think I want to spend my days wringing my hands about the bad things that might be going on.

Thirty to forty years ago we had gross corruption in governments all over the world. We were constantly on the verge of war with another huge country with nuclear weapons. We manipulated governments and economies all over the world, usually not to anyones benefit. We engaged in wars that incurred great loss of american lives. We experienced long periods of sideways stock markets and double digit inflation. Repression, lies, deception and all their associated illnesses and pestilences were readily evident all around the world.

And our lives went on, our lifestyles improved, the stock market went up by an order of magnitude, the sky didnt fall, the earth wasnt overrun by floods or fires or locusts.

People who took on "defensive positions" back then did far less well than people who simply took on a reasonable plan that protected them from expected and ordinary risks and made the most of the periods of economic boom that are typically the norm.

In short, if things are going to pretty much be the same they always have been, then theres nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if 25% of the doom and gloom prophecies come to be, we're all really and truly ****ed no matter how "defensive" we got.

ladelfina said:
I know I'm not entirely alone. I doubt that a couple years ago anyone was asking how to buy Swiss bonds.
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You're right. It was swiss francs.
 
Wow, I didn't know about Bat Boy. I should get out more often... :p

The US economy has endured any number of shocks and crises, and I'm slightly optimistic we'll continue that trend. I do think the US is going to have to share the world stage in ways we're not accustomed to, and that we'll probably have to be dragged screaming and kicking...

As for purchasing farm/timber land, if the doo-doo hits the rotating blade, you'd better add a team of mules to that equation.

Edited to add: I don't give a rat's patoot about psychics...
 
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Dear Aliens:
You know the mess we are in with subprime mortgage/banking, so can you please come? Please, please come!! We will make you our Presidents, CEO's, etc. Oh, by the way we are running a tad short on Oil soooooooooo can you pack let's say a trillion barrel or so on your ship? And please hurry as we are having an immediate crisis with Bat Boy as he is taking police on a three state chase(God knows how much Oil is being wasted just on that). Thanks in advance!

P.S. Do you think you can do me one more favor...PLEASE....can you bring a few of those waffle hats?....some of the ER forum members have taken a liking to cute fuzzy bunny's waffle hat. THANKS!
 
cute fuzzy bunny said:
I'm personally not interested in getting into "more defensive positions". I'll lose with those regardless of what does or doesnt materialize in the financial arena. You dont make enough money from them to stay ahead of cost of living changes and enjoy a reasonably nice lifestyle.
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Despite being in the "deaccumulation" phase of life, I'm not in the doom and gloom group. I still look at this situation as a buying opportunity, just a bigger opportunity than I really wanted. :rolleyes:
But, some day there will be a major financial disaster. The choice will be between losing a moderate amount in defensive positions, or otherwise losing virtually everything. Too bad I can't tell you when that will happen, so I play a mixture of investments that hopefully eliminate the extremely bad (or extremely good) outcomes.
 
You don't think aliens and psychics might have a huge impact on the economy if they exist?

If psychics end up being real and they tell me to put all my money into some pennystock for a company that is gearing up to sell alien chow exclusively, then you better believe I want in on the ground floor of that!
 
RockOn said:
I think it is of utmost importance today to attempt to determine whether this financial crisis (and the current state of the economy) is a small matter and something to be ignored or a very serious concern. The data and news comes in daily.
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So go ahead, determine it for yourself. That's what we are all doing.

When it is discussed there seems to be two camps, one camp simply saying don't worry, be happy, and the other camp is more worried and looking for help in determining how bad things really are.

Personally, the don't worry, be happy, camp is not very helpful. That view may be right in the end, but if not, it could be a very serious to anyone considering ER.
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I think you are wrong here. I think what you call the don't worry be happy camp is actually the experienced group of campers saying to the less experienced ones "that sound isn't a bear coming to kill us all. I've heard it before and it's just a couple of racoons trying to steal our M&Ms". I don't know if age is the defining characteristic since I don't know everyone's age, but I know that I and UncleMick and CFB at least are saying that we've all seen things get just as bad or worse in the past, and we're satisfied that our plans will hold up under the current conditions too. If we're wrong, it's only ourselves that will be effected. I personally need a lot more than what I see happening these days before I freak out.

It would be nice if issues were discussed without taking a stand (or name calling) based on optimist/pessimist bias. Labeling a view based on it being negative, doesn't necessarily make it the wrong view.
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I agree on the name calling issue. However, I and I believe many others aren't taking a stand based on optimism. It is based on personal experience. And if the people we are talking to don't listen and ask the same things over and over, it's easy to get a little sarcastic about it.

If you don't want our comments, just put in the something in the title specifying that it's only for whatever you pessimists/gloom and doom/sky is falling/gloom and doom'ers want to call yourselves. I'm not name calling, just looking for a better term. Feel free to self define. I will opt out of those threads as long as you make it clear my opinion isn't wanted.

Harley
 
So if one doom and gloom thread out of many dozens of similar doom and gloom threads gets fewer hits than a thread about a different topic that is a welcome respite from nonstop sky-is-falling armageddon talk, it's supposed to be proof that people are sticking their heads in the sand? Is that the thesis here?

Are we supposed to be all financial apocalypse all the time?
 
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