2020 Election

Alcohol, Valium, knives, and pitch forks are all good investments.

 

I don't own stocks outright. One reason being is that the stock market is based on pure speculation.
I am curious though as to what percentage of 'muricans own stock outright.

 

Its enormous, especially the senior citizens who have all been given incentives to invest since Ronald Reagan. If nothing else, most people's penchant funds are invested in the stock market, and it is the stock market which accounts for the current success of the republican party which, let's face it, hardly represent the majority of Americans. Sadly, seniors were once the poorest of the poor, and now treat the rest of world like trash. If the US were anymore socially dysfunctional the Guinness book of records would have to invent an entirely new category.

 

I only have 1 share of Disney stock because the shares are a work of art. The rest of my meager retirement savings are in IRAs and a couple of 401K plans that I really need to rollover. But all of that is mutual funds which have substantial stock and bond obligations. So the stock market can still screw me, but not across the board.

We paid off our house years ago so we'd at least have a place to retire if the economy ever actually crashed and wiped everyone out. I wrote a book about that happening, but from a historical perspective. I still don't get what the super wealthy hope to achieve if the economy goes to hell for the rest of us.

As for 'Muricans, can you imagine what things would be like now if GW's STUPID plan to parse social security into a weird partnership with the stock market had actually been passed? Everybody in the country would have been wiped out completely (instead of just their homes and businesses) during the subsequent recession during the Obama years. It's almost as if the democrats and republicans colluded to defraud the whole country.

But that's just crazy talk.

 

I own a few stocks in solar energy and recreational marijuana companies
I invest like $20 - $40 a paycheck in stocks under $20 through the Robinhood app, I'm not willing to take any big risks. My grandma set up a mutual fund for me when I was a baby that I inherited when I turned 18. I lost almost all of it in a day when the market took a dive in 2008 so I know how fast investments can disappear. But losing 20 bucks a paycheck wont hurt my feelings, and it's fun to bet on companies who are doing things I actually believe in.

 

In what way are seniors trashing the planet? By investing in it? I don't follow this particular point Woolee.

 

A prudent plan. Don't forget to diversify your portfolio. Save up for a Philharmonic (try to buy one every year if possible) and keep it well hidden. The bond market is not good or I'd suggest municipal investing as well. Keep it as simple as possible, but don't put it all in stocks. I had an extra $1000 back in 2002 (when I first discovered Hippy.com) and bought an annuity with it. It's worth $3700 today. It's not a shocking growth rate, but it is guaranteed to be at least 3%, which is all I seem to be able to get as a raise from my employer each year. Just enough to cover my gasoline bill for the commute to help make them richer. What a team player I am! (Though I'll never be rich).

 

More power

 

Senior citizens are largely responsible for the economic collapse, pushing for banking and trading deregulation. They are the backbone of the republican party, and responsible for our glorious leader insisting he can make America great again, by never paying taxes and cutting the mass media a deal on their rent. Seniors have the best voting record of all and when I have pointed out to them that their votes no longer appear to matter, because everyone is voting for whoever advertises the most in almost every election, they've all insisted the solution is to "Vote the bums out of office!" Then chided liberal for a weak voting record, despite the fact their continuing to vote is part of the problem. They are currently dropping like flies from alcoholism, ulcers, and other problems associated with being full of too much piss and vinegar.

They have left their children nothing, putting the country 20 trillion dollars in debt, deregulating even coal and fracking, ensuring the 1% own 99% of everything, and many of their children are just waiting for them to die, so they can inherit their money. Conservative family values. Next stop, the Love Canal. And its one, two, three, what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Love Canal Armageddon!

 

Power over an economic wasteland seems like an odd plan. But I guess there's precedent. The panic of 1893 was triggered by commodity prices in South America because US farming had been priced for local production. When the bottom dropped out of the international wheat market, US farmers were fucked. Still, it wasn't a total collapse. Neither was the "Great" Depression of the 1930s which lasted considerably longer. But in both cases banks became the focal point of market failures. Growth nearly halted and even the rich had a hard time getting richer.

In today's deregulated arena, where banks play round robin with money by lending and borrowing from each other to beat the clock, I think we have a greater potential for a seriously nation-wasting crisis. I see a time approaching when the government is forced to sell off US assets just to keep the population from starving (and revolting). The other nations will happily nap up what they can, but the effects will cascade around the globe and fuck everybody.

Which means that power structures will have to be rebooted and the old cronies will be washed away. Much like what happened in the south after Lincoln died.

 

OK, so what about the old rich democrats? They sure didn't get fat on altruism. Is this really even a party issue at all?

 

Right around 50% of adults if you count people investing in their 401K's or other IRA's. Speculation usually only affects about 10-15% of a stocks value, and the rest is determined by things such as EBITA and earnings per share, all thing which are directly quantifiable.

All my personal investing after my 401k goes into index funds. Unless you're watching the stock market at a nano second interval via AI, you cannot beat the market. So I don't believe owning any individual stocks is a good idea.

Assuming that makes up a significant percentage of your portfolio. If you have spare cash and want to invest a small amount of money into individual stocks you like, hakuna matata.

 

There are no democrats, no republicans, just idiots voting for whoever advertises the most. Our glorious leader was a reality TV star and huge fan of Professional Wrestling and is often compared to PT Barnum. He was also originally a democrat and became a Neo-Nazi who was elected against even the wishes of his own republican party leaders, who all happen to be KKK members and fundamentalists, who deny the Libertarian party represents either one. You just can't make this shit up boy, and Hollywood is going cross-eyed. There are no political parties, when nobody ever gives either party more than lip service at the voting booth.

Hitler got into office, because Germans have always fought among themselves when the chips are down. The only loyalty they know is to their own discipline. Japanese are similar, being the only feudal culture ever, making them Japanese first, and willing to do anything to maintain their way of life. As bizarre as it might sound, to the Japanese they would rather kill their own emperor than become anything other than Japanese. For the republican party, success has meant the white population is crashing, because of their negativity and focus on workaholic values and spending money to make themselves happy.

 

Mostly no, judging from what I can gather from Wool's post. Though honestly, the democrats spend too much money and raise taxes to pay for it. In the old days, the Republicans cut taxes and cut spending.

But since the Bush years, the GOP have cut taxes and raised spending. All just goes on America's ol 'credit card. It's completely unsustainable. We had a surplus 20 years ago.

There is at some point a recession coming, and when we can't stimulus our way out of it, it's going to be worse.

 

It is already possible to replace millions of federal bureaucrats, teachers, and others with cheap computers. AI are already significantly better at diagnosing patients, and over a trillion dollars was invested in AI research in the last year alone. Trust me, neither political party exists for almost all practical purposes. Its just a business, and when that kind of money is involved, it takes on a life of its own. The entire Chinese electronics assembly line is being automated, and the AI are starting to design their own replacements.

What the hell anyone is going to do, is the 56 million dollar question that nobody in the industry believes even Steve Jobs and Dr Strangelove can answer. When the first few thousand robots were introduced to Chinese assembly lines, some 400 employees threatened to commit mass suicide, jumping off the factory building. These are the evil Chinese our glorious leader thinks charge too much for the crap you buy at Walmart.

So far, they have built a national highway system, several incredibly large cities, damns, etc. and have a navy big enough to protect their shores. However, the reason they keep stealing everybody's technology, is because they have no experience or technology of their own. They are actually quite familiar with capitalism, but a collectivist culture that is ultra conservative, making American conservatives look like loud mouthed drunks.

 

So I must ask

Yes it's a party issue !
Democrat Party which claims to champion the little guy is totally consumed with gender politics, ethnic politics, immigration politics, identity politics however it never talks about addressing the wealth extractors, the bankster class, the kleptocracy or as they're commonly known the 1%.
We'll never deal with this as long as we allow ourselves to be manipulated as we are now. Main street wants change , they want to topple the kleptocracy, they want government to work for us again, they want the wealth extraction business closed down and they also see that this party presently has no plan to do this.
I contend any party which refuses to talk about these issues isn't serious about changing the game but in fact are enablers if not closet supporters.

 

So they keep backing Americans into a corner. What could possibly go wrong?

Really though, I'm actually surprised we haven't seen class-based assassinations already. Or maybe they are happening but the story is being suppressed, which would be the prudent move. Because once they do start, it will snowball down the hill. Especially in the US where people actually have a revolutionary right to overthrow tyranny. Americans are also armed for the task though most armed Americans aren't criminals. However, I think most people can be driven to such drastic means. All it takes is for the wrong person to laugh in the face of someone they just ruined.

We may have a grim future ahead. The master class doesn't seem to realize how vulnerable they are. But then, they're banking on most citizens to play by the rules that have been laid down by previous masters. Which, so far, is the case.

 

Seems to me Bernie and Elizabeth Warren are addressing that every time they open their mouths, and Warren has plans out the wazoo. Keep it up, and the Dems will lose to the Donald bigger than they did last time and the country will descend deeper into the cesspool of corruption and authoritarianism.

 

Edit, Ah never mind. I think I misunderstood

 

Democrats are dumb as fuck, what good have they done?