What is the most important US issue?
With the US election just around the corner, I was curious to see what each of you believe is the single most important issue concerning the US today. I realize that the DOW is now below 10,000 so that is fore front on most peoples’ minds but try not to give it more weight than you might if it had been this way for many weeks.
In addition, try to refrain from any name calling or “one ups man ship” in your reply. All replies are valid.
In addition, I do not really care who your are voting or rooting for so you do not need to tell us who you are voting for. I am just interested in what you feel is the single most important issue for the US today.
Thanks,
Mike
Hmmm… seems people like to eat and have roofs over their heads. Imagine THAT…
TG
What’s the phrase? It’s the economy, stupid?
I used to personally vote for social issues but no candidate ever did a thing for me. I am still awkward at parties.
But speaking for me… I want to see the value menu at Wendy’s return to everything being a dollar. I would also like to see Jack in the Box expand into the mid-west.
Duh, that’s a no brainer eh? 
Well I almost voted other, guitar prices need to fall sharply IMHO!
One bright side to this fiasco? I have my eye on a great big ol’ hoidy-toidy house and land… for CHEAP… Not quite lake front but very, very close. 5 acres, 3000+ sq. ft. Almost new home. Normally, around here it would go for half a million. Can you say FIRE SALE boys and girls? Only without the FIRE? I thought cha’ could… 
TG
PS I just despise the thought of a mortgage though… no matter the price…
PPS I mades a boo-boo… It’s only 5 acres. But still a heckuva buy… ooohhh the temptation…
I have my eye on that Apple stock I wish I had bought at $16
It closed today at 98.35 Some good buys out there right now if you feel a little froggy and have some long term money to throw into the market.
The Big Boys buy when the stocks are low…
and
sell when the prices are high…
How’s that
for an answer…
?
AND…
Why are we (out here on this coast) paying $1.19.9 a liter for gas at-the-pumps…??
A barrel of crude today sold for less than $90.00
AND
is equal to or contains 209 liters… Sorry to the UK and Europeans…
we can’t expect any sympathy from them… they pay even more for it than I do…
My heating season is
eight months long…
I use 1.4 gals. per hour…
Do the Math…
I have no other alternative to heat my house …
I use diesel fuel…
When my place was built heating fuel cost 0.05 - 0.08 a liter…
[EDIT] As a matter of fact… My furnace came on this morning… The first time this heating season…
The cost of energy is pretty high on the list of importance, to me…
Bill…
pump and dump
they know it’s over
Quote: (gtr4him @ Oct. 06 2008, 12:50 PM)
One bright side to this fiasco? I have my eye on a great big ol' hoidy-toidy house and land... for CHEAP... Not quite lake front but very, very close. 5 acres, 3000+ sq. ft. Almost new home. Normally, around here it would go for half a million. Can you say FIRE SALE boys and girls? Only without the FIRE? I thought cha' could...
TG
PS I just despise the thought of a mortgage though... no matter the price...
PPS I mades a boo-boo... It's only 5 acres. But still a heckuva buy... ooohhh the temptation...
Yep, a buyers market for sure on homes, getting a loan approval . . . there's the challenge.
Quote: (Yaz @ Oct. 07 2008, 3:42 AM)
Yep, a buyers market for sure on homes, getting a loan approval . . .
there's the challenge.
NO PROBLEM Yazzer ol' bean... I got the inside track man... fourteen sea trunks full of Confederate States currency. Oughta be worth what 15... 20 bucks? LOL...
That's more down-payment that a lot of these chuckle-heads paid who are now losing homes right and left...
Predator Banker: "So Mr. Butthead... hey, aren't you the 'windshield guy' at the car wash?"
Mr. Butthead: "Das right. My friends call me 'Squeegee'. Been there three weeks now..."
Predator Banker: "And you want to buy a home valued at a half million dollars?"
Squeegee: "Das right."
Predator Banker: "WELL!!! You've come to the right place!! SIGN HERE!"
Dickheads...
TG
Quote: (gtr4him @ Oct. 07 2008, 10:16 AM)
That's more down-payment that a lot of these chuckle-heads paid who are now losing homes right and left...
Predator Banker: "So Mr. Butthead... hey, aren't you the 'windshield guy' at the car wash?"
Mr. Butthead: "Das right. My friends call me 'Squeegee'. Been there three weeks now..."
Predator Banker: "And you want to buy a home valued at a half million dollars?"
Squeegee: "Das right."
Predator Banker: "WELL!!! You've come to the right place!! SIGN HERE!"
Dickheads...
TG
Yep, there were a few transactions like that for sure.
My guess is quite a few more went something like this:
Banker: So Mr. Jones, Are you ready to sign for this low interest loan?
Jones: What is an ARM again?
Banker: It just means you get a mortgage today at 2.5%, well within your means.
Jones: Will it go up?
Banker: Not for a few years, and by that time you will be able to refinance at a low fixed rate because you will have created good equity.
Jones: What if the fixed rates go up by then or I can't refinance?
Banker: I wouldn't worry, it doesn't look like the rates will increase.
Anyway this is probably your only chance to buy a home.
Do you want it or not?
Jones: Yes I want it.
The monthly amount is slightly less than what I was already paying on an apartment.
Banker: Great.... sign here.
A few years pass and the ARM increases to 8%+ and the Jones' can no longer afford their home.
His pay has actually decreased compared to the growth in the economy so he cannot refinance at a decent fixed rate.
The Jones' are now out of tens of thousands of hard earned dollars that have been invested in their home and they have no where to live.
During that same time, the CEO of his mortgage bank earns 480 million dollars.
Mike
Quote:
During that same time, the CEO of his mortgage bank earns 480 million dollars.
Yep... how you reckon those guys live with themselves? I couldn't do it... not knowingly anyway. These guys KNEW...
TG
Quote:
I would also like to see Jack in the Box expand into the mid-west.
They may be headed your way, Bubba, 'cause they went out of business here.
typical American apethy iluustrated very well here.
80 poll views
11 posts
A whoping 6 votes.
Quote:
typical American apethy iluustrated very well here.
80 poll views
11 posts
A whoping 6 votes.
I couldn't find the "All of the Above" option.
What was most important to you last time you voted?
And what changed?
Unless these crooks are proseccuted and carted off to
jail, after stealing peoples retirement savings to the
tune of 2 trillion dollars, I’ll have nothing to do
with business as usual. The poll should be whether
to execute them or just give them life in jail.
Meanwhile their arrogant in your face celebration parties,
and million dollar a month salaries even as we speak
is cause for new lows in confidence. I was hoping
to hear one of the candidates say they would run these
scoundrels out of the country. All of them. Right now.
First order of business. Replace the whole bunch with
people who can pass a humanity test.
I voted ‘other’. My greatest concern is government spending, which is the root of all the economic problems.
If this is not fixed, nothing else will matter. We’ll turn into USSR c. 1985. Population in poverty, incompetent bureaucracy.
Quote: (michaelST @ Oct. 08 2008, 10:54 AM)
I voted 'other'. My greatest concern is government spending, which is the root of all the economic problems.
I beg to differ. There are a lot of economic sectors that would evaporate without government spending... defense being one huge sector. And frankly, well engineered government spending is a good thing. Look at the TVA or the WPA. The government can also often times do things the private sector can't due to its size. The private sector wants a profit. Hopefully government at its best is working for you and will do things that will never turn a profit but will improve quality of life and stimulate otherwise underserved areas. (See Obama's rural high speed internet initiatives for instance.)
The root of our problems now are the same problems we faced in the 20's. Laissez-faire capitalism has the same effect repeatedly. Cheats run amok and screw the system for the rest of us. Thus the SEC and other regulatory agencies were created. However, then you have break downs of those sorts of agencies and people forgetting history (let's deregulate!) which puts us right back where we were. I am not saying regulation is the answer, but well applied and balanced regulation is. Pure capitalism doesn't work just as pure communism doesn't work due to corrupting forces. They both result in the same thing... a few big shots at the top and the rest of us suffer (see below). If the markets refuse to be honest in their dealings, then it must be a forced issue. As we have seen over and over in history, the markets cannot/will not self regulate as people are simply not honest.
So to another notable collapse of economic systems due to poor wealth distribution and crappy government oversight... Rome. Barbarians took off with much of the wealth (much as China is doing today), hoarding was a problem (the rich got richer, the poor got poorer) and the government solution was the dole rather than stimulus and wealth redistribution. The middle class dissolved. So look at modern times. If we are to allow the rich to get richer as th Republican idea is, then the ever consuming middle class dissolves. So fine, let's relieve the middle class much as the Dems want to do. That's fine, but what about these programs that sure seem to be a lot like the dole? Hrm, well, so which is the lesser of the evil? For sure we know the Repub ideas of continuing deregulation and cutting taxes for the wealthy causes more wealthy top heaviness which has shown historically to never work. So the Repub plan is probably a bad idea. The Dems are better IMO which say build the middle class (Barack's tax plan gives 3-4 times more money to the middle class than McCain's). However, you have the 600 pound gorilla of Social Security and Medicare in the room which is essentially the dole. So what's a brother to do? Both sides are flawed, but I think one side is much less flawed than the other in my ever so humble opinion as a history nerd.
Quote:
I beg to differ.
Do we really have to beg to differ?