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Replies (30)
- MORTGAGE OPERATOR
- Contributions:2081
- annelisek
- Contributions:2121
Thanks Amerisave!
- MORTGAGE OPERATOR
- Contributions:2081
I think we're going to start importing buyers...Countrywide is increasing their spanish commercials...
- BuyEqualsRent
- Contributions:1491
The real pain here hasn't been felt yet, and that's the "prime" alt-a loans where rich people with good credit bought too much house or HELOC'd to maintain their lifestyle. The ratings on the bonds backed by these mortgages is WAAAAAY too high, they are still using historical models to assess risk and none of those models is worth crap when housing drops 40%.
- klarek the realist
- Contributions:7044
On the brighter side, now we're all awake.
- MORTGAGE OPERATOR
- Contributions:2081
are we in the eye of the storm?
Is this a tsunami?
Is this a tsunami?
- MORTGAGE OPERATOR
- Contributions:2081
Our Governement is working on programs to motivate buyers and we'll probably see big tax incentives/credits coming soon...
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
On the brighter side; most countries don't last much longer than 200 years without some major restructuring or take-over.
Being about 250 years old with a lot of dead-wood in the laws; we are overdue for restructuring. But so far, the government just puts off the inevitable, borrows more foreign money, and countinues business as usual.
Even if our houses are only worth 1960's prices, at least most people will have a place to live. And then there are always the prisons where we pay $65k per year per person to make sure they have room and board.
No one needs to work 150 hours a week to make $15k dollars a year since the government is happy to pay $65k of "borrowed" money per person to lock them up.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
We are not even close to the "eye of the storm". That won't occur until the French invade to destroy our "weapons of mass distruction" as we are so happy to do for others.
- Practical_Guy
- Contributions:34
LOL I see most of the Zillow discussions have degraded into pure comedy and or pure frustration for most of us.
- neverborne
- Contributions:123
viva la revolucion
Seriously though... I'm starting a cult in a bunker buried deep beneath the rocky mountains... we'll emerge in 50 years with an inbred army of mutants to retake this country from China.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
I read "Level 7" written in the 1950's. It isn't deep enough and the energy supply will cause problems.
- NTETS, "Mr Caveat"
- Contributions:6436
very true, to fend off the great depression and fix our country we had to create social works programs, thanks FDR and if we dont have another "New Deal" soon, we'll be hosed. if we dont subsidize "clean" renewable energy about 1000 times more agressively 10-25 years from now we'll be seeing 20$ a gallon or $50. forget global warming, worry about Supply and Demand when international transportation costs are increased by a factor of 5. this isn't the metric system or a new IP standard, we cannot wait for all the other countries to walk from oil so our costs go down, it wont work. that is where our next "new deal" should focus, along with SS reform... that 2017-2025 is not reassuring considering i retire in 2055
- NTETS, "Mr Caveat"
- Contributions:6436
our next depression will be either now, or 10 years from now and will stem either from the devaluation of american assets, or the dependency on oil that we still have no plans to fix... i'm hoping for 10 years because i feel totally exposed atm
- space_acer
- Contributions:4311
"subsidize "clean" renewable energy about 1000 times more agressively"
People talk about clean... but they are talking about burning "dirty" coal...
which isnt clean... if you want to reduce dependency on oil you can start
by driving less... Yea ... that works... You can build nuke plants which are
far more cleaner and safer then 30 years ago. But the liberals in Congress
dont want real clean... its all politics in the end...
If you want innovation, give tax breaks... as for "subsidized goverment programs"
they have never worked. So me an example of one ?
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
Subsidies for alternative energy only puts money in the hands of people that waste it. Subsidies have been shown to never work.
Many alternative energy options are already available; but to compete, you don't want to subsidize them; that will only guarantee that they will never be able to compete.
Instead, tax gasoline very heavily; this will motivate people to car pool, consolidate trips, and drive less. Then use the tax to subsidize public transit, making no dirrect cost to "ride". This will bribe people to actually use transit (instead of traveling around almost empty) which will create economy of scale.
With gas heavily taxed, this breaks the energy monopoly of the oil companies, people demand alternative energy products, and then the gas stations are actually willing to stock it, thus you get the needed distribution system.
Gasoline needs to cost $12 per gallon with only $3 of that going to the oil companies. We have to get those excessive cars off the roads to leave room on the roads for super wealthy!
When we said the highways are "freeways", we never intended to mean that they were not paid for by a tax of some kind.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
But when I stated the energy sources in deep underground living such as in the book "Level 7" - "caused problems"; I was refering to the fact that you cannot practically burn fuels at such deep levels, you have to maintain your oxygen supply, and if you use nuclear reactors, you have a difficult time shutting them down for repair or service. There is not sufficient redundancy in such systems.
- ptchrist
- Contributions:97
and if you use nuclear reactors, you have a difficult time shutting them down for repair or service.
Nuclear reactors get shut down all the time for repairs and service and refueling. It takes a while, but it's hardly an extraordinary event. The real problem is what to do with the spent fuel rods.
- Captain Hightop
- Contributions:107
Pasa, you may need to clarify for me. You said,
“Subsidies have been shown to never work...”
“...Then use the tax to subsidize public transit...”
Hmm........
- space_acer
- Contributions:4311
The real problem is what to do with the spent fuel rods.
Its not your dads 1970 China Syndrome anymore...
Actually recycled fuel rods which would power a home for 30 years have a
radio active life of 20 years and have a size of a hocky puck. After 20 years
its harmless. There is great potential for real clean "nuke" and reduce the
reliance on gas to power turbines which generate eletricity.
It appears that nuclear technology has made some great leaps forward,
but that hasnt been known to the gneral public. Very few talk about it
because of the stigma.
- Captain Hightop
- Contributions:107
Eventually nuclear power will be considered green energy. its only a matter of time. It already provides significant percentages in other developed countries. The newer technologies (Pebble Bed Reactors for example) are much higher efficienty, much lower waste producers, and nearly Homer Simpson proof.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
Nuclear power will never be considered "green energy". We have absolutely no way to retire the power plants without filling them with concrete, and the life span if the best ones is still only 80 years; and at most extended to 120 years with complete overhaul.
Not to mention, we still have no way to dispose of the radioactive material; and even when "recycled" as done in France, the new waste is even harder to dispose of and much hotter.
There is more than enough energy from other sources that Fission is completely foolish. As for fussion; GE promised that to be available at the World's Fair in 1964, and we still don't have anything close.
Besides no nuclear reactor is tamper proof. All that needs to be done to create a meltdown is put some holes in the cooling system; and that can be done so quickly remotely that no plant operator will be able to do anything about it in time.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
ptchrist -
I'm refering to living deep below the earth's surface as suggested by "neverborne" and illustrated in the book "Level 7". When you rely on your power source for all your energy needs including purifying water and air, the only way to shut one down is have two. Even then you have problems with proximity.
Going beneath the earth's surface to avoid nuclear radiation from a nuclear war is not only impractical, it doesn't provide the protection desired.
Though "Level 7" is a fiction book, it still gives some idea of some of the issues.
If one wants to be safe from nuclear fallout and other ramifications, the best choice is move to the U.S science station at the south pole. Most of the nuclear radiation will circulate in the Northern Hemisphere and will cover most of Europe, Asia and North America.
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
Why subsidize public transit if subsidies don't work?
Simply because by definition "public transit" is a "government service", not a "private industry".
- . . .
- Contributions:3384
Besides, the point of "public transit" is to minimise private transit, thus conserving energy and maximising existing roadway capacity.
Just as "freeways" are subsidized through existing gasoline taxes.
- NTETS, "Mr Caveat"
- Contributions:6436
you go to germany where something like 40% of their power nation wide comes from solar energy, where solar panals are formed into "modern" artwork along freeways, including the autobon and you try to tell me all about how subsities never work. if we reduced our dependence on oil, coal and natural gas by 40% as a nation, i would bet you would see dollar gas again
on an interesting note, again visa vis europe(Italy) the gas tax in itally is $4 a gallon(roughly) this goes to a number of things including the funding of a very efficient public transportation system, which people use because they cant afford an SUV... its another way to look at the world, even if it doesnt suit you.
lastly i ask you how do you produce radioactive material, so far as i know(and i am far from an expert here) but the manufacture of of U-235 or U-238 poses the exact same problems as our reliance on natural gas, you have to find it. i dont believe you can melt lead, apply heat and pressure to create it again... if you could do that, i would surmise that your wase problem would be all but solved
Take some physics courses and some chemistry courses. They are supposed to be required in highschool and college anyway. You have a lot to learn about energy and its various forms as well and properties of various materials.
Also read up on Nuclear reactors, centrifuges, and half-life.
Urianium-238 (also known as Depleated Uranium) is esentiually useless as an energy source and posses little risk from radiation; but is much more common than Uranium-235. After mining for Uranium-235, the Uranium-238 is separated out by Centrifuge. The U.S. government buys most of this waste product to used for coating bullets, Hummers bombs and bullet proof vets due to the hardness of the material. Its toxic problem is not the radioactivity, but this "heavy metal" getting into the air and water (it powders when impacted), and ingested into the body, having a similar impact as lead poisoning.
Photovoltaics are still less than 10% efficient, extremely expensive to make, and the germanium-arsnide crystal waffers can be sold for a much higher profit margin when made into high-speed computers.
It is not hard to turn Uranium-238 (Depleted Uranium) into weapons grade radioactive fissionable material. All that is required is to bombard it with Neutrons in a partical accelarator; this will produce plutonium 239.
But then anyone with a dictionary knows that.
- 30ashopper
- Contributions:160
Green energy, bah! The environmentalists have been promising me beach front property for my 10 mile inland condo for 30 years! Burn more dirty coal you bastards, I’ve only got 30 years left!
--
Can you say "off topic topic thread"??? sheesh. :/
- Pasadenan
- Contributions:21374
Just think, we gave Iraq enough Uranium-238 (free) to destroy the U.S. 25 times over; all they need is a partical accelerator and a delivery method.
The U.S. has always liked to promote terorist organizations and provide them free resources.
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Contributions:2081Now, Even Borrowers With Good Credit Pose Risks
The Rise of the Mortgage 'Walkers'
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