Oh, my....hope this guy is off.......WAY off.......... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9nJ7LM3iyNg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9nJ7LM3iyNg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Aint that a kick in the head.. It's pretty bad but I don't think it's the Doomsday-bad like the media is making it out to be.
So true. We haven't even hit the inflationary stage of the recession/depression yet, but it's coming. That's when China and Japan start pulling out of the US dollar, and that's when stuff really starts to hit the fan. Until then, we'll continue to see crime rates increase and unemployment rise.
i still think we're still 2 years before all the really bad loans are getting defaulted on. People still have money...as the economy gets worse, they won't...and their loans reset then everyone is fucked. People are staying afloat right now I imagine...but more and more aren't...i'm talking about the folks who bought their houses on risky loans hoping to flip in 5 years on that sweet equity they so lusted after. The ones who figured their incomes would rise exponentially. oh yeah, america is gonna take it up the butt hard. i don't know how much more crime will rise though. while no money may cause more property crimes, i'm not sure if it will actually all materilize.
My crime comment was anecdotal. Twice in the past month, vehicles have followed parents into my youngest daughter's daycare lot, parked, and smashed out windows of cars to snatch the purses of Moms who ran their kid inside. So incredibly bold that it defies normal criminal logic. We don't live in a bad area, either. Also, I think we'll start to see "good loans" defaulted on over the next two years. People who have never missed a payment are going to see their situation dramatically start to change. I honestly can't make any sense of the Obama "stimulus" plan. Why not just cut capital gains and corporate taxes if the idea is to jumpstart the economy?
Unfortunately, the president is raising taxes 35% for money made off investments and dramatically raising taxes for all corps like PGE for any & all coal, natural gas and oil burning. Those utility stocks are supposed to be the backbone of the market in depressions and now they tanking fast as a result of the new taxes. Also, the 35% raise in investment taxes will scare away many potential investors (like me). I know we need new streams of revenue, but this isn't the time or place for these. We're sinking fast.
I would think because capital gains taxes are already quite low. Economist's would tell you that lowering already low taxes would have very little, if any, impact on behavior. Additionally, what or who have net positive gains? No one is paying gains taxes right now anyway. Corporate taxes could be lowered, but since they are currently hoarding cash, there would be very little "stimulus". Yesterday, in Portland (Sylvan, not a "bad" area at all, far from the areas where the marginal congregate), in the middle of the day, in our office parking lot, a thief smashed a car window and stole a laptop. We have had night crimes in the past (though not for years). Not middle of the day crime. That is new. And don't count on the government to be able to do anything much about it. Cutbacks and layoffs of police are already happening.
False sense of security from living in areas that don't see such blatant criminal action. The two incidents I posted about at my daughter's daycare were so brazen they defy logic. Car follows a mom in, parks beside, bashes out window, and then has to leave through a one-lane entrance. It would be so easy to be blocked in there without an exit.
Just had my company's Mastercard debit card number stolen by some asshole in New York. Fucker bought $900 worth of merchandise today before I had it cut off. Mother fucking mother fucker.
And, if you listen to this guy, we're doing way better than everyone else! On a side note, how can I tell if I'm depressed over the economy or just depressed because I live near the most depressed city in the US? One of the scariest things I heard yesterday (Lou Dobbs) is that the median price of a house in the Detroit area is $7,500. That's right, not $175,000 or even $75,000... $7,500 is not a typo. I had no idea how bad things had gotten there.
Exactly right. The brazeness and stupidity of the crimes mentioned in this thread are the concerning point. "Smart" criminals are bad, but boil down to an insurance and loss of property problem. Smart criminals avoid people, give themselves plenty of exits so they don't get cornered, and take calculated risks. Stupid and desperate criminals are how folks get hurt. As for the false sense of security - I lived in the Midwest as a kid for a few years. A small town. Doors were unlocked. Keys left in ignitions. It was strange having moved there from the big city. Our neighbor across the street would lock their front door only if they left town. That was it. I walked in the back door into the kitchen one summer day. Wondered where everyone was. Took me awhile to remember they were on vacation. They had that security. Of course, those small town cops wouldn't let any person of color they didn't personally know do much without being watched and more. And criminals were rumoured to receive back-alley instant justice. "He fell". Different times.
