www.CostaRicaTicas.com

And did you see all the random shit they snuck into the bill... Those are some dirty bastards we have in our nation's capitol. And I'm talking on both sides...

Sadly, nearly every Member of Congress will be returned to office. It is a unique phenomenon which is driven by the power of incumbency:

• Incumbents have the bully pulpit – free media, they can send mailings to your home, paid by a PAC or the government, telling you how much they are helping you.

• Incumbents have the ability to raise vast sums of money which a challenger cannot raise. Money means the candidate can sell his message to the voters. Not the public, but likely voters.

• Incumbents raise fears and doubts in the competition. It is a very well recognized human foible that one of the most difficult things for anyone to do is to launch a new organization, business or campaign. In large part that is due to the fact that those who benefit from the old system are against the new. Also, there is a human trait among most people to be fearful and suspicious of anything new. That is due in large part to a lack experience with the “new” concept. Therefore, those who stand to benefit from a new system are afraid – afraid of something different because they are “comfortable” what the status quo and don’t understand what the future holds—the unknown. No one changes until the status quo becomes intolerable.

• Incumbents bring back “pork” to the district; that means government jobs-- maybe the voter’s job.

• Incumbents offer constituency services such as helping get someone into a military academy which gives families and communities pride or help fighting the IRS or some other branch of an otherwise massive nameless, faceless bureaucracy.

• Incumbents help to design or influence the design of congressional districts. That is why there are overwhelming GOP districts and overwhelming Democratic districts. It is by design.

Incumbents win.

I will admit that I am not the smartest guy in the world; and not living in the states, I do not keep up with things like I use to. I am not pushing one canidate over the other. I am not trying to get political here. BUT I have been hearing McCain talk a lot about exposing the authors of earmarks and doing away with them and vetoing them. Then yesterday he voted for the bailout package and has never said a word about the, as I understand it, 100 billion dollars in earmarks that were added to the bill!!! Am I missing something here or am I the only person that has notice this contradiction??

I agree something had to be done and I certainly do not have the answers, But I have to agree with Pac55 ; It sounds to me more like a "sellout' of the American people by the whole congress, not a bailout of wallstreet and the economy.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

The 'rescue plan' was an example of the golden rule. He who has the gold, rules.

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

under 9,000.

new poll... what date will the dow hit 7,000?

We have the very real prospect of a sovereign nation going bankrupt (Iceland) and that's a "clean" nation 'fessing up. We also have the top officers and money managers at Lehman splitting $400 Million at the same time letters are going out to the snuffies saying their severance is cut off. And how about those AIG Big Boys partyin' hard? And the band plays on.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Both political parties just sold out the future of America with the bailout. The companies should have been allowed to fail if that is what would naturally happen. Capitalism involves failures as well as succeses. Even if the consequences are dire. Propping up the economy with bailouts, interest rate cuts and other artificial means only makes things look better on paper. It does nothing to fix the causes of the problem.
It is corporate socialism. All the bad parts of socialism without anything that helps ordinary citizens like educaton and health care. Now the fed is talking about taking over some banks. And these are supposed conservatives!

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I believe in moderation in everything except excess.
I phuck 'em just to see the look on their face.
Klatu, berata, nicto.

Jim Sinclair's Commentary

Concerning the shortage of the hard stuff, that is real. The paper gold market demonstrates that by the violence now on the buy side as well as the sell side.

Bullion will take out paper.

Gold, silver in short supply for those getting out of stocks
By Doug Page
Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 08, 2008

DAYTON — If you are thinking of diversifying your portfolio to include gold and silver, you may have to stand in line.

Richard Hana of Belmont Coin said his shop ran out of pure gold and silver coins two weeks ago.

"We people come looking for gold or silver, we take their name and when something comes in, we call them," Hana said Wednesday, Oct. 8. "In a sense, it is already sold before it comes in the door."

Hana said business is up 300 percent to 400 percent, particularly in the past weeks.

"People are scrambling to buy gold and silver," said Ed Fritz of Centerville Coin & Jewelry Connection.

"There is huge shortage worldwide. People are pulling money out of economy, which has created a huge demand," said Fritz, who has been in the business for 40 years.

Gold was selling around $910 a troy ounce by midday and silver at $11.70.

If you print the money everyone works for you .

What are the top stock pickers saying?

In Bob Brinker's last letter, written about the first of the year, he said that the fourth quarter will be a good time to buy. Of course, this may be changing in view of the subsequent events.

I remember hearing some physicians talking one day. One guy said he did just as well as everyone else maybe a little better. His advise was to listen to what everyone else is saying – buy, sell, etc – and then do just the opposite.

Not sure if that is good advise but it sounded interesting.

I've wondered what Bob Brinker's been saying lately, they pulled his show off the radio here for some reason guess I could search and maybe listen to him online.

Just heard 2 more banks failed. Cramer predicts more selloff carnage Mon. and Tue. with Tue. possibly being a buy opportunity - but who know where the bottom is or how long it will take

Get Brinker's letter for $180 a year. It is a fantastic value.

This is probably going to be an unpopular position but Unless the US dollar crumbles, I am happy to see all the pigs stewing in the crap they made.

People who worked 6-7 days a week for 20 years to be able to afford something, then not to be able to buy it because some little punk just signed a zero down, deferred payment, fluctuating interest, no payment for 12 months or never loan.

And forget trying to hire good people in the last 10 years. All the K*ds wanted to make 60k a year straight from 2-4 years in college. I got sick of it and quit. Let em have it.

I did not like companies selling on Wall street for Six Thousand times earnings so I bought what I believed the economic "acid-trip" had the least effect on. Commercial real estate. Not affected as much by gov backed loans.

The pigs stewing in their crap is one thing but all of us having to pay for it is another.

Then there's the HUD report that 5 million illegal aliens obtained fraudulent home mortgages. WTF