tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post9073427523183994224..comments2023-09-29T06:58:20.125-07:00Comments on Badtux the Snarky Penguin: The smoking ruinsBadTuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01345749557330760251noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-61804554671710159932008-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:002008-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:00I always come here for my mental floss, Tuxy. You ...I always come here for my mental floss, Tuxy. You never fail to do the trick.<BR/><BR/>And just when I think things might be getting a millimeter better . . . .<BR/><BR/>Yes, it's been being hollowed out since Reagan stole the election from Carter with the flak about the Iran hostages only to be released because of his (Reagan's) innate goodness (and fake strength). Ah, the memories that flood back. The papers I wrote in grad school in the early 80's about what this view of government portended for the lower classes as I (and only a few others then) saw the willful annihilation of the middle class as part of their plan.<BR/><BR/>No one believed it then but a few Chomskyites. Now it's a much larger party getting ready for the USA going-out-of-business free-for-all. At least we've got all that military hardware to put out on the sales tables, huh?<BR/><BR/>I grok fully your 401(k) comments. I lost mine after 14 years at Westinghouse being rewarded by having them go belly up after having its stock (where a lot of mine was) price halve and then quarter in value as the managers gave themselves million-dollar bonuses for having the good sense to drive that long-term solid company down the tubes after the end of the Cold War. I used to tell people (who had difficulty understanding the metaphor) that Westinghouse was the pre-Enron Enron (at least as far as being hollowed out by the people at the top).<BR/><BR/>And back to that millimeter - I've predicted on my blog that NC will go for Obama and that he will have almost a 50-state sweep as the rest of the country is awakened from their self-induced fog by hunger pangs.<BR/><BR/>Not that it will do us much good, but we can learn to pray I guess.<BR/><BR/>Great comments, Buck! Email me sometime.<BR/><BR/>SuzanCirzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07070125217972397204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-58361532024711726102008-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:002008-10-21T15:32:00.000-07:00And here I was feeling upbeat about the future of ...And here I was feeling upbeat about the future of America after the last time I read your philosophisings about how Americans had enough sense to turn away from violent militias after contemplating what Tim McVeigh/Terry Nichols had wrought...<BR/><BR/>Has the Economics Penguin read about Kondratieff Cycles and similar historicoeconomic theories? Can't say as I'm a student of them or a true believer, but it does seem reasonable, in a broad-brush sort of way.<BR/><BR/>A generation gets burned during a severe downturn (The 1930s). The next one is hard-working, thrifty conservatives (the 1950s). As prosperity returns, a generation looks beyond material things because it has enough security to do so (The 1960s). As prosperity is taken for granted, the next generation becomes frivolously self-indulgent (1980s-now). Then there's a crash. Lather, rinse, repeat.<BR/><BR/>The cycle can be roughly traced back through past American depressions like the one in the 1870s, that following the chaos of the Federation days, mid-1700s turmoil that led to the American Revolution...<BR/><BR/>The test of the American people will be how they respond to what's coming? Get it together, or fall apart? We shall see...Bukko Boomerangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02424677168216647964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-33781952833438476712008-10-20T22:11:00.000-07:002008-10-20T22:11:00.000-07:00They'll blame it all on "niggers and spics", Terra...They'll blame it all on "niggers and spics", Terrant. The way they always have. Never their own folly in electing people to office who aren't qualified and don't care. It's always someone *else's* fault.<BR/><BR/>Especially for Republicans. For Republicans, when Democrats are in charge, it's the Democrats' fault that things aren't going well. For Republicans, when Republicans are in charge, it's the... err... Democrat's fault? Yessiree, it's that old personal responsibility thingy. For Republicans, it's always someone ELSE'S personal responsibility, not their own. Alrighty, then!<BR/><BR/>- Badtux the Cynical PenguinBadTuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01345749557330760251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-16992994161357752942008-10-20T21:27:00.000-07:002008-10-20T21:27:00.000-07:00You know things are going bad when the wife, a tru...You know things are going bad when the wife, a true democrat, asks how much does a gun cost.<BR/><BR/>I'm terrified to look at my 401k balances especially when one of my co-workers said he lost 10k in one day(and he still thinks McCain is a better choice).<BR/><BR/>So, what's going to happen when people of this generation start retiring and finding out that they don't have enough money because all of these bad investments and bailouts?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-76118265124336247992008-10-20T16:48:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:48:00.000-07:00Whadaya mean signing this one the Apocalyptic Peng...Whadaya mean signing this one the Apocalyptic Penguin? <BR/><BR/>Pragmatic woulda worked<BR/><BR/>:)nunyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08833886980442919570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-798385981626033882008-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:43:00.000-07:00Unfortunately I don't have that choice, if I want ...Unfortunately I don't have that choice, if I want to take out pre-tax money for my 401(k) I have to use the corporate 401(k) plan, I'm not allowed to put it into my own IRA or anything :-(. I get to "manage" my 401(k) by moving my money between the mutual funds offered by my 401(k). Unfortunately they're all lame, lame, lame, and all of them have collapsed in value these past couple of months.<BR/><BR/>As for BBC, he'd need to have money before he'd have to worry about managing it :-).BadTuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01345749557330760251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-48119559702643934392008-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:33:00.000-07:00I have very little money going into a 401K. I take...I have very little money going into a 401K. I take care of the rest.<BR/><BR/>I agree with bbc. Money managers are not any better at managing our money than we are, so I manage mine.Ole Blue The Heretichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15607608554845566519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9612609.post-28123916095692129702008-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:00I never did have a 401K plan and I'm doing just fi...I never did have a 401K plan and I'm doing just fine. Screw letting someone else manage my money, only a stupid person would trust someone else to do that.BBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15323188240580782454noreply@blogger.com