[Nords]

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Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate It’s ironic that I’m writing this, since I’m regularly bashed (not here, thankfully) for being un-American, even a socialist, for my anti-consumerism views.

You should ask your pooooor wife to lighten up a little! And notify the moderators immediately if you catch her posting here...

But getting back to your comment-- a few years ago, weren't we being encouraged to go out there and spend our economy back to solvency? I haven't heard much of that lately from either politicians or company execs.

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Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate But here we are at the very moment when hordes of Americans are fleeing the market, making an already bad situation exponentially worse, raising in my mind a question: Am I the only guy out there willing to stay in the market for the common good?

My reinvested dividends have been right there with you.

However I should announce that on Monday I'm going to engage in a huge gluttonous binge of tax-loss selling in DVY and possibly IJS. But never fear, I'll just be replacing them with different stuff advancing in a different direction and moving my assets back to their original allocations in another 31 days. Hang in there... I'll be right back.

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Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate But honestly, most of all I’m staying in because I’m too proud (or perhaps too stupid) to play the role of a rat jumping off a sinking ship … no offense to anyone already out there in the water. I’m reminded, of course, of when the markets reopened after 9/11: I was one of those fools who, on that day, bought and bought big, not because I was that stupid (that’s already been verified by multiple sources over the years), but because I thought it was the right thing to do. No brag, just fact.

There are a few other options, too: apathetic, lazy, or paralysis by analysis.

We bought big after 9/11, too, and it laid the foundation for five years of double-digit annual gains. Which is about what it's gonna take to get this market back to parity.

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Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate Of course I do admit that I’ve always had issues when it comes to self-professed patriotism and money. Even though I’m proudly “America’s Cheapest Man,” I’ve never minded paying taxes. So I’ve always wondered why, for example, being supportive of higher taxes – or, in this instance, staying in the market rather than bailing out – isn’t considered an act of patriotism?

Warren Buffett would agree with you about taxes, although he's still under the impression that he's also one of America's cheapest men.

But I'm still going to take advantage of the provisions of the tax code which allow my personal "mark to market".

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Originally Posted by Ultimate Cheapskate In fact, IMO, I think I generally get good values for my tax dollars, the $400 hammers notwithstanding.

Hey, those hammers & toilet seats paid for a lot of submarine missions classified operations that we don't discuss!