patrick.net

I'll go out on a limb here, since it's unlikely that many will agree with me. S&P500 is looking great by my estimation. Not much thought; great diversification; good growth prospects.

The consumer is dead, but big business can still do quite well in an inflationary environment once we get over this bout of deflation.

Of course, I think longer term than 1 year. I'm usually too early.

Chuck Ponzi

I'd short everything, especially the broad equity indexes. One exception might be gold for which I'm long with very tight stops.

frank, what is your primary trading time-frame? Do you use daily charts or 30-minute charts?

frank is joking... or else OO got inside his head...

I just read German houses as good as gold!

http://uk.reuters.com/article/stocksNews/idUKLNE51G00D20090217

actually: not sure how you put a house in your pocket and take it down to the store to buy something (perhaps stopping at the coin dealer to exchange for fiat currency first).

As drudge says in a way - Today we are all Swedish! Although Sweden has a better rated democracy.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ad3b750-fd27-11dd-a103-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Top of the list for democracy this year: SWEDEN!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index#2008_ranking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Empire

It says German houses dropped 1% versus 14% for British houses, over a 1 year period, ending last september if I understood the verbiage correctly.

Presumably this is because the prices did not rise in the first place -- or what?

California budget:

The draft bills include plans to raise the state sales-tax rate to 8.25 percent from 7.25 percent; boost vehicle license fees to 1.15 percent from 0.65 percent of the value of an automobile; add 12 cents to the per-gallon gasoline tax; reduce the dependant-care tax credit to $100 from $300 and impose a surcharge on income taxes of up to 5 percent.

Combined, the measures would raise taxes and fees by $14 billion, cut spending $16 billion and add $10 billion to the state’s debt. Another $2 billion in reserves would be created from funds moved on balance sheets.

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I think this means that he highest tax bracket will be about 10.8% instead of about 10.3%.

Well, that was pretty simple. What took them so long? (actually, the budget is still pending, they need one more republican vote)

I know the answer: The idiotic requirement (passed by dimwitted voters of California) that requires a 2/3 majority to pass the state budget. That was the worst idea ever.

If you expect a SIT refund, just apply it to this years' tax and then reduce your state withholding for '09 to balance it out. That will be easier than checking the mailbox for the refunds they're not mailing out.

But to answer the question of what to do:

Grow our own vegetables, corn, melons; keep laying hens, compost, patronize used clothes stores when it is practical, if you must buy gadgets (including a car) get used ones.

Do your own car maintenance as much as you can, get entertainment at the public library you're already paying for. Don't eat out so much, if you insist on it, order tap water for your beverage.

Take in a border or become one.

These are not terribly big sacrifices, to most people in the world it'd be a privilege to even have such choices.