cwd Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Because of the way Walmart reduced the sellers margins to zip - I think the standard of living went down... 684544[/snapback] I agree. All of the local merchants in small town America were put out of business and were forced to go to work for WMT at minimum wage. WalMart sold merchanise cheaper than the local merchants could purchase it wholesale. One of the Directors just happened to the wife of the governor of its home state. She claims to support working folk. : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwd Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Wal-Mart has singlehandedly destroyed many of the U.S. manufacturers and thousands upon thousands of small retailers. It's just Gresham's Law in action -- the bad drives out the good. People buy stuff of poor quality that is cheaply made by slave labor in China, and manufacturers in other countries, especially the U.S., just can't compete. So, to survive, the U.S. companies started doing their manufacturing in China. Then, people lose their jobs or have to take lower-paying jobs to survive, so they have no choice but to buy cheap crap at Wal-Mart. Sam Walton was a great patriot, wasn't he? As far as trying to deal with WMT if you have a product to sell -- they will find a way to rape you. I know people who have had horrible, company-destroying experiences with those scumballs. I won't say that I won't buy anything from WMT -- if I were stranded in a snowstorm, and the only warm place around was WMT, I would go in and buy a Coke or a bottle of water so I could come in out of the cold. By the way, CostCo is a whole different ball game. I have nothing but respect for the ethical way they have run their company. 684557[/snapback] Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHanky Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 It was because both you and Doc were away. We need to plan this better so we can all cash in. Except you, of course. 684563[/snapback] That's usually the case anyway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwd Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 This could be fun, eventhough it's probably a non-issue. Below is an email I received from Fidelity regarding a $25,000 CD that was supposed to mature today. Just thought I would share given I have never seen a notice like this and also given the current banking debacle._______________________________________ For account ending xxxx: Fidelity would like to inform you of an event that has occurred on one of the securities which you hold in your portfolio. The below security was NOT affected by Maturity Cusip: 337629JS9 Description: FIRSTBANK P R Rate: 4.400% Maturity Date: 2008-08-29 Quantity: 25,000.00 Redemption Price: 100.00 Redemption Principal: $25,000.00 Amount Outstanding expressed in ($000s). To discuss your investment or other fixed income opportunities, please visit Fidelity.com, visit your local Investor Center or call 800-544-5372. 684567[/snapback] What does that mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwd Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 DAMN IT!!!!! Everytime I see that Palin chick I think of something along the lines of this....I can't be the only one.....right? 684566[/snapback] What would you say if he picked an ugly one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader Joe Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 What does that mean? 684571[/snapback] In short, the CD matured today but Fidelity has not received the proceeds from the bank......think along the lines of a failed trade. I am not concerned however, it's the First Bank of Puerto Rico, so I am assuming folks ran out of the office early for the holiday weekend. Or maybe it was a technical glitch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 the old marketing approach was "whatever the market will bear", i.e., charge the consumers as much as you can get away with....under this model, producers focused mostly on high quality and stores competed on their selling prices and customer service.....things you bought generally lasted a long time and your shopping experience was personal and enjoyable...both customers and employees were valued as human beings, and the producers were often skilled craftsmen proud of their products Walmart's approach is "whatever the supplier will bear", i.e. pay the producers as little as you can get away with.....under this model, producers compete to see who can cut costs the most and still produce something that appears to be an actual product, but which is diluted/poisoned/crappy.....things you buy at Walmart generally wear out or break soon, if not immediately upon first use, and your shopping experience is like a third-world trampling ceremony....both customers and employees are treated like pieces of crap to be exploited for the shareholders, and the producers are generally slaves being milked by greedy anglers for a quarter-century, from 1975 to 2000, Walmart generated riches for its shareholders.....for the last eight years they have generated nothing (except misery for all involved) it will come full circle and this evil behemoth will go to zero the sooner the better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 In short, the CD matured today but Fidelity has not received the proceeds from the bank......think along the lines of a failed trade. I am not concerned however, it's the First Bank of Puerto Rico, so I am assuming folks ran out of the office early for the holiday weekend. Or maybe it was a technical glitch? 684573[/snapback] I think they ran out of the office with your money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shorty Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 With the housing market in turmoil and lending standards tougher than ever, you'd think that the kind of unscrupulous activity that helped plunge the industry into crisis would be a thing of the past. You'd be wrong. Mortgage fraud is still soaring....the number of fraudulent loans issued during the first three months of 2008 skyrocketed 42% compared with the same period in 2007. "We were stunned," said spokeswoman Jennifer Butts. "It shows that some folks [in the industry] are desperate." Most fraud involves average home buyers whose lending officers feel compelled to tweak their applications. But some involves criminal enterprises....crime rings use phony identities to obtain mortgages on properties they don't own, then take the cash and vanish. Florida had the largest volume of mortgage fraud...second was California. "Mortgage fraud will not disappear - in fact, it is expected to significantly grow, evolve and penetrate new areas within the industry." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek Paper Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 TE,Nice to see you back. TURK 684546[/snapback] ditto ... watching pretty much watchoo are. I had a nice day, although I didn't get the spike I needed to bet The Ranch. Betting the garage and dog house was still pretty profitable, though Lightened up a lot at the close ... I have to say this is the best trader's market I've seen in a while. Buy and Hold = Buy and Fold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineup32 Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Some feed back on:MCDX. some background: Markit, in conjunction with major broker-dealers in the credit derivative and municipal bond markets, has launched a new credit index referencing municipal CDS, Markit MCDX. The index started trading on May 6, 2008, and is referred to as MCDX.NA.10. Find below key characteristics of the index, and links to documentation and the investor call, which took place on April 29, 2008, and for which a replay is accessible. http://www.markit.com/information/products...dices/mcdx.html A bit from Accured Interest: "As you can see, the MCDX is trading at levels that imply nearly 20% of the municipals in the index will default within 5 years. Again, it seems likely that municipal credits will be more stressed than in years past, but given that the credits within the index are only mildly exposed to property taxes, a 20% default rate seems unlikely. In addition, because of the stronger recovery expected in municipals, the current spread levels imply greater default levels for municipals than investment-grade corporate bonds. This is tough to imagine. We know consumers will be pinched, but given a choice between paying their taxes (and avoiding jail) versus buying goods from corporate America, I think its obvious which way people will go." http://accruedint.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drano Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 In short, the CD matured today but Fidelity has not received the proceeds from the bank......think along the lines of a failed trade. I am not concerned however, it's the First Bank of Puerto Rico, so I am assuming folks ran out of the office early for the holiday weekend. Or maybe it was a technical glitch? 684573[/snapback] Um. Not to alarm you, but.... That bank was one that was mentioned on various websites as a candidate for insolvency. Fortunately the FDIC still has some money, so if the bank is in trouble, you should get your dough back someday. Have a nice weekend ! ! ! ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineup32 Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 Since the major parties are picking Vice-Prez contenders I offer these bits of wisdom from Dan Quayle: I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican. Dan Quayle I have made good judgements in the Past. I have made good judgements in the Future. Dan Quayle People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history. Dan Quayle Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child. Dan Quayle The American people would not want to know of any misquotes that Dan Quayle may or may not make. Dan Quayle - More quotations on: [Quotations] The future will be better tomorrow. Dan Quayle - More quotations on: [The Future] We don't want to go back to tomorrow, we want to go forward. Dan Quayle We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a *part* of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are a *part* of Europe. Dan Quayle We're all capable of mistakes, but I do not care to enlighten you on the mistakes we may or may not have made. Dan Quayle - More quotations on: [Mistakes] Welcome to President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and my fellow astronauts. Dan Quayle What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is. Dan Quayle When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame. Dan Quayle [it's] time for the human race to enter the solar system. Dan Quayle Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things. Dan Quayle, 11/30/88 One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'. Dan Quayle, 12/6/89 Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it. Dan Quayle, 5/20/92 (reported in Esquire, 8/92) I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy - but that could change. Dan Quayle, 5/22/89 Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe. Dan Quayle, 8/11/89 Murphy Brown is doing better than I am. At least she knows she still has a job next year. Dan Quayle, 8/18/92 The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century. Dan Quayle, 9/15/88 Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children. Dan Quayle, 9/18/90 We're going to have the best-educated American people in the world. Dan Quayle, 9/21/88 We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur. Dan Quayle, 9/22/90 For NASA, space is still a high priority. Dan Quayle, 9/5/90 Public speaking is very easy. Dan Quayle, to reporters in 10/88 I stand by all the misstatements that I've made. Dan Quayle, to Sam Donaldson, 8/17/89 http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Dan_Quayle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drano Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 That's great. Thanks for the laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4shzl Posted August 30, 2008 Report Share Posted August 30, 2008 DAMN IT!!!!! Everytime I see that Palin chick I think of something along the lines of this....I can't be the only one.....right? 684566[/snapback] Yeah, baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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