I Told You So! (AKA The Economy's in Flames) by SignyM

(Forgive me, I've been itching to say this for a month, and not finding a thread more appropriate)

"WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW ?!"

BWAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA...
(insert about 3 full minutes of amplified mono-maniacal laughter with partial amp distortion here for effect)

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:02 PM

I'm sure you'll be seeing much more of him in days to come than you'd care to Frem. If ya don't catch my meaning, it's all in Job.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:12 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Okay, I hereby formally open up this thread to EVERYONE who's been itching to say

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

Have at it!

---------------------------------
Always look upstream.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:28 PM

Hopefully the $600 or $800 or whatever we're getting, whenever we get it just offsets the worth of our money lost this year to inflation, FED rate cuts and the very fact that the dollar will drop even further when we get those checks because we're the ones funding this so called tax rebate. They'll be banking a lot of overtime at the Federal Reserve printing press that month.

As for "I told you so", I say it all the time in here Signy. ;)

I'll leave this thread to anyone else who might desire to share that enjoyment...

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 2:58 AM

SERGEANTX

I think the government should start selling Amway.

Of course, us whacky libertarians would say it isn't the government's job to manage the economy...

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 3:20 AM

SABOT

Maybe my sense of history is a little off, but was it not the government that brought America out of The great deppression?

And a response could be that the scandinavian countries have had great succes with implementing expansive state agenda´s

Also, if you want to privatize state owned property, just look at the UK in the 1980´s cause that went real well.
(sorry about my humble spelling, this is not my given language)

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 3:53 AM

SERGEANTX

Quote:
Originally posted by Sabot:
Maybe my sense of history is a little off, but was it not the government that brought America out of The great deppression?

And a response could be that the scandinavian countries have had great succes with implementing expansive state agenda´s

It depends on what you want from government. If you want a government that runs the nation like a corporation, then I suppose you've got a point. If, on other hand, you want a government that protects freedom and stays out of the way, then the economy is none of their business. Our nation was founded on the latter premise.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:15 AM

FINN MAC CUMHAL

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
'Cause even committed supply-siders realize that it all depends on Joe and Jane Average spending their paychecks to make the economy go.

Actually it has more to do with politicians bribing the people before elections then anything to do with economics.

Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:28 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Okay, I hereby formally open up this thread to EVERYONE who's been itching to say

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

Yep. I can feel the schadenfreude in this crowd.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 5:37 AM

HERO

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
What did low interest rates do?
Set off a housing bubble.
Put lots of almost-real money in people's pockets.
Got them to buy cars and shit.

It wasn't the low interest rates that cause the bubble. It was the steady rise in interest rates after 2002 coupled with predatory lending practices.

Low interest rates meant people buying houses they could afford. Bigger, nicer houses. Unfortunately not everyone bought them at the same time. Interest rates rose, but lenders continued to offer the sweet rates, like 3%, only instead of being fixed rates, they were adjustable sub-prime rates. This meant a large number of people buying houses they could not afford. That was the bubble.

Cutting interest rates, limiting unfair rate increases, making foreclosure more difficult, and subsidizing state refinance programs will allow this problem to correct itself. Better regulation and prosecution of criminal lending practices will prevent it from happening again.

So, bad as it is, its not all bad. Prices are dropping and interest rates are too. If fixed mortgage rates go below 4%...I'm going house shopping. Saw this coming, spent the last couple years saving, so I have cash, and my RAD stock is up 25% in less then a month, thats another $2500 right there...no credit card debt either. Hell, far as I'm concerned the economy is great...for me! Feel bad for the rest of the folks who ran up there credit cards, didn't save money, and didn't read the fine print on the lending documents.

H

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:30 AM

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Now where is Rap when you need to talk with him about the econmy ?

***************************************************************
"Global warming - it's not just a fact, it's a choice."

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:46 AM

WULFENSTAR

http://youtu.be/VUnGTXRxGHg

Even tho the rates are going down, the house prices themselves are not. Its mostly due to the stupidity of the sellers. They still believe they are going to get rich off of the rest of us.

Can't help but laugh as the prices drop by the (literally) hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I saw a 2 bed condo drop from 320 (in a no-name area with nothing going for it) to its standing price of 160. 160 is still too much as they bought it for 93.

Hehehehe its fun to watch the greedy get screwed....

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
Feel bad for the rest of the folks who ran up there credit cards, didn't save money, and didn't read the fine print on the lending documents.

The man does have a heart after all....

isall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Okay, I hereby formally open up this thread to EVERYONE who's been itching to say

I TOLD YOU SO!!!

Have at it!

I SO SAW THIS COMING AND I TOLD Y'ALL SO!!!!!

Kinda bittersweet that is....

I was hopin' I was wrong Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sabot:
Maybe my sense of history is a little off, but was it not the government that brought America out of The great deppression?

And a response could be that the scandinavian countries have had great succes with implementing expansive state agenda´s

Also, if you want to privatize state owned property, just look at the UK in the 1980´s cause that went real well.
(sorry about my humble spelling, this is not my given language)

Some people here are under the impression that it was the government that may have put us into that Great Depression in the first place.... or at least those shady, wrinkly old white men who were in the pockets of those running the Fed of yesteryear....

Here we are, 70... 80 so years in the wake of the aftermath....

Heaven's me, we're looking straight down that cliff again, aren't we? ...just waiting for some cocksucker in a suit to push us off of it. Perhaps we should all buy parachutes here with our tax rebates... What say you, as an outside party?

Seeing as how we're so dangerously close to where we started when our benevolent government unconstitutionally taxed our income, for our own collective good, I'm not especially giddy about the cold hard truth that the only thing we really got out of the last deal was a social security number.

Funny how this is all happening at the same time, what with the housing crisis, the credit crisis, Mexican's overrunning our southern borders and taking jobs without paying taxes, and of course the "Terror" from the middle east..... all right in time to take that next big step for mankind and implement a real ID on each and every one of us.

What I really fear is what might be orchestrated one day as to convince our children to one day voluntarily give their palms up, so they may all be branded with barcodes which serve no less a purpose than to allow them entry into their local supermarket to buy the very foodstuffs which bring them sustainance.

Granted... that's likely not the majority opinion here. To believe so would be to proclaim your own madness.

At any rate... It is kinda fun to have a first class seat to see it all unravel.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:19 AM

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

6-IX

You're citing history ? I thought you didn't believe in anything unless you were there to see it yourself.

***************************************************************
And besides, history is, like, SSOOoooooo yesterday.

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:31 AM

Hmmmmmm

Dow Jones is up 207+ today at 12,650
Nasdaq is up 40+ today at 2,389
S&P is up 22.5+ today at 1,378

Yeah, the ole economy's in the crapper all right. What a buncha doomsayers.

But that's what keeps coming here reading this stuff fun,

Bad_karma
Heckler of the self-disenfranchised

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Hmmmmmm

Dow Jones is up 207+ today at 12,650
Nasdaq is up 40+ today at 2,389
S&P is up 22.5+ today at 1,378

Yeah, the ole economy's in the crapper all right. What a buncha doomsayers.

I guess reduced blood loss means the patient's out of the woods, eh Doc?

What's up Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:52 AM

KIRKULES

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
What did low interest rates do?
Set off a housing bubble.
Put lots of almost-real money in people's pockets.
Got them to buy cars and shit.

Now that the housing boom has turned into a bust, spending is down.
Investment is down.
The economy is down.

Those that think low interest rates have caused our current problems have only looked a rates from the perspective of their own lifetime. Interest rates were at historic highs through the 1970's and 80's so when they returned to the historical trend line for rates everyone thinks rates are at historic lows. This is not the case. All the problems you site are actually due to the inefficient use of capital due to historically low lending standards. Capital that should have gone into business investment and to responsible home buyers went to those only interested in how many new cars they could buy with their home equity loan. For the same reason the tax rebate portion of the stimulus package will do nothing for the economy in the long term. Judging by the almost universal doom and gloom I'm hearing here, I think I'll be putting my rebate to work in the stock market. When everyone thinks the end of the world is coming is the best time to buy stocks. Plus, buying stock will actually have a stimulative effect on the economy.

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:55 AM

KIRKULES

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Hmmmmmm

Dow Jones is up 207+ today at 12,650
Nasdaq is up 40+ today at 2,389
S&P is up 22.5+ today at 1,378

Yeah, the ole economy's in the crapper all right. What a buncha doomsayers.

I guess reduced blood loss means the patient's out of the woods, eh Doc?

What's up Chrisisall

Blood in the streets. Buy,Buy,Buy...

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
I think I'll be putting my rebate to work in the stock market. When everyone thinks the end of the world is coming is the best time to buy stocks. Plus, buying stock will actually have a stimulative effect on the economy.

That's actually a good plan, IMHO.

Half-full Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:09 PM

Well, no, but everyone can relax once we get a demoncrat into office, and the USA gets back to the welfare state that so many seems to want.

No more having to decide where we spend our money, which doctors we see, or how we choose to live. Boy that'll take the pressure off!

Bad_karma
Refusing to see only the bad, and choosing to be positive:)

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Well, no, but everyone can relax once we get a demoncrat into office, and the USA gets back to the welfare state that so many seems to want.

No more having to decide where we spend our money, which doctors we see, or how we choose to live. Boy that'll take the pressure off!

Democrat or Republican, anythin's better than what's in office now...NeoConlicans? Carpetbagocrats? MilitaryIndustrialocrats?

Needing a changeisall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:21 PM

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

Let's see, if the DOW kept up with inflation after 2000 it would be at 13,250 today. So it would only have to go up 600 points just to get out of the crapper. Things are going really, really well. In fact, I think you should invest your money there. It's not too late ! But just to let you know, in far under a year my gold's gone up 45%.

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Hmmmmmm

Dow Jones is up 207+ today at 12,650
Nasdaq is up 40+ today at 2,389
S&P is up 22.5+ today at 1,378

Yeah, the ole economy's in the crapper all right. What a buncha doomsayers.

***************************************************************
"Global warming - it's not just a fact, it's a choice."

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
6-IX

You're citing history ? I thought you didn't believe in anything unless you were there to see it yourself.

***************************************************************
And besides, history is, like, SSOOoooooo yesterday.

Heh... I do, however, have a Grandpa who just left us last year who spoke of such things often. He was always dismissed by everyone around him, mainly because he had mostly daughters and tended to say things about women being horrible drivers and such in his cute funny old man who doesn't matter anymore type way. He loved his wife very much though and they celebrated their 50 year anniversary before his passing.

3 things he's said that I will never forget.

1. Television is the ruination of the American family.

2. Save your own money while you can, because you won't get any Social Security when you retire.

3. I don't envy any of you boys growing up today.

I trusted him like I've trusted almost no other human being on the planet. He knew what it was like to be a poor polock who picked up cigarette butts off the street with his friends growing up because they couldn't afford the 3 cents for smokes. Something tells me we have quite a way down to go before I'm caught doing that.

Then there's my other Grandpa who spent a night in the pokey after telling a female judge with great disgust "It's a woman's world now" after she stuck him hard with exorbinant child support payments. My grandma told me that story.

And BTW.... I don't necessarily believe something cause I've seen it with my own eyes either. But the truth is, we have a Social Security number now, and I know that it must have taken something great to have spurred Americans to conscent to being numbers.... a Great Depression, perhaps?

I'm just drawing the parallells here, and I know you're not arguing me here and likely see them as well as I do.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Hmmmmmm

Dow Jones is up 207+ today at 12,650
Nasdaq is up 40+ today at 2,389
S&P is up 22.5+ today at 1,378

Yeah, the ole economy's in the crapper all right. What a buncha doomsayers.

But that's what keeps coming here reading this stuff fun,

Bad_karma
Heckler of the self-disenfranchised

What lies were told today, hmmm....?

I'll be impressed when gold is back down to $417 an ounce where it belongs. Till then, the rich can take the DOW Jones and stick it right up their dandy asses.

Those numbers mean less to me than any Gallop poll or the countless lies spilling like diarreha out of el Presidente's mouth.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Well, no, but everyone can relax once we get a demoncrat into office, and the USA gets back to the welfare state that so many seems to want.

No more having to decide where we spend our money, which doctors we see, or how we choose to live. Boy that'll take the pressure off!

Bad_karma
Refusing to see only the bad, and choosing to be positive:)

Why does somebody staunchly on either "side" do that?

Why do I have to be a supporter of the Demons because I'm not happy with that cocksucking asshole who should be impeached if we still live in a free country?

Don't do that anymore. You insult me by casting me in with the HillObama ass sucking lot.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
But just to let you know, in far under a year my gold's gone up 45%.

That is kinda nice... my GG took a little beating today it seems but I'm still up 53% from my investment in May.

Truth be told though, I'd be happier if the Dollar rose and that stock went into the toilet.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:51 PM

Six, I don't always agree with you, but damn, I respect ya.

Chrisisall

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 4:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Six, I don't always agree with you, but damn, I respect ya.

The feeling is mutual my man.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:36 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Well, no, but everyone can relax once we get a demoncrat into office, and the USA gets back to the welfare state that so many seems to want.

No more having to decide where we spend our money, which doctors we see, or how we choose to live. Boy that'll take the pressure off!

Bad_karma
Refusing to see only the bad, and choosing to be positive:)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why does somebody staunchly on either "side" do that?

Why do I have to be a supporter of the Demons because I'm not happy with that cocksucking asshole who should be impeached if we still live in a free country?

Don't do that anymore. You insult me by casting me in with the HillObama ass sucking lot.

----------------------------------
Since you copied my post, I assume this was meant for me. And I don't recall addressing you with my statement, though I prob should have posted the comment I was replying to. I don't care which side you're on, or who you vote for, so long as you DO vote.

If you feel insulted, then maybe you oughta figure out why that is, since I wasn't talking to ya in the first place. As far as 'don't do that anymore' , phhhttt.

I have as much right to my opinion as you do to yours, Jack.

Bad_karma

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by badkarma00:
Since you copied my post, I assume this was meant for me. And I don't recall addressing you with my statement, though I prob should have posted the comment I was replying to. I don't care which side you're on, or who you vote for, so long as you DO vote.

Yeah, I suppose when I wrote it I was writing it to you, not knowing who the original post was intended for. I figured yours was nothing but a general umbrella statement intended to knock anybody who dare question the state of the Union and the Prick in Chief.

I considered my own post to be the same sort of general umbrella opinion directed at anybody who thinks or says that because somebody isn't happy with Capitol G's performance that they're a leech on Hilary's ass and are just waiting for the day that their savior from the Democratic party will give us all our little hearts ever desired for free, save the world from enviornmental meltdown and resurrect Rodney Dangerfield to say "Come on everybody, we're all gonna get laid!", to which we would all start dancing to Kenny Loggin's "I'm Alright" and live happily ever after, for ever and ever. Roll credits...

Which is why I reckon I didn't directly address you in that post. I was using it more of an example of the attitude that really pisses me off. Trust me, I know it comes from the other "side" just as much.

My apologies if your comment wasn't directed to me, at least a little bit. I'm just tired of this "Us or Them" mentality everybody seems to have today, as it pertains the the "Right" and the "Left", which has us so divided and locked in a stalemate while the powers that be sell this country out from under our feet. When there are only two points of view that have any pull, you've got to give up a whole damn lot of what you believe in to get a little that you want in return, and it's always diminishing returns, hence the "Lesser of Two Evils" bullshit that I've heard for years.

Quote:
If you feel insulted, then maybe you oughta figure out why that is, since I wasn't talking to ya in the first place. As far as 'don't do that anymore' , phhhttt.

I have as much right to my opinion as you do to yours, Jack.

Hey... can't disagree there. I'd have prolly told me to fuck off too. You have just as much a right to your opinion as I do, and good for you for telling me so.

I just want to make it crystal that I think the whole lot would look a lot more at home employed in the arts of water reclaimation so they can be knee deep in shit every day and spend the rest of their days up close and personal with their parasitic, shit reeking, vomit inducing, poisonous brood.

That goes for both "sides" equally. Just cause I'm against Him, doesn't mean we're not on the same side.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:57 PM

I see Jack's been channelin Edgar Friendly, just a bit...

Carpetbagocrats, now that has a ring to it, dunnit ?

It's a damned accurate appraisal too, even if the revisionists down at wiki did rewrite that one to practically venerate the sumbitches.

Anyone wanna take bets on how long/how many of this little cabal remains in-country once they're out of power ?

Although I am betting they get a much frostier reception than any of our previous loot-n-scoot politicos, cause this time their actions have negatively impacted most of the planet... I can really only think of one country that could possibly be happy about it, and that country is welcome to them - and if they seek and find political office there, more power to em.

Talk about Karmatic Justice, heh.

-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Friday, February 1, 2008 12:19 AM

All I wanna do is bury Cocteau up to his neck in shit, and let him think happy-happy thoughts forever.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 12:46 AM

That and ram my Xbox up his ass crossways...

N.M. tax would target TVs, video games
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080201/ap_on_re_us/no_child_left_inside;_
ylt=AiWNycFHdSpsyBCLFTSDfS2s0NUE

Goddamn, what's next, Verbal Morality Statues ?

-F

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Friday, February 1, 2008 1:10 AM

Why Frem, who are you to put out all of those Americans wrongfully afflicted by second hand video game playing? Isn't it only right that your tax money for playing games should go to the countless eye surgeries that will be necessary when these kids get older from years of video game abuse?

Sit down and shut up in your beige pajamas and drink your banana-broccoli shake singing, "I'm an Oscar Meyer wiener" you middle-aged man-child, and let the adults decide what's best for everyone.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 6:00 AM

Thing they don't realize with that, is that it's a really offensive shafting to me, as with my leg and health failing me, I am spending more and more time in a wheelchair than I would like - and yet all the bastards want is to take more from me because of it, kick me while I'm down by levying tax on one of the few things I can still do.

I don't live in N.M. mind, but someone needs to cut the legs out from under that one and rub their face in the reality that many adult folk are gamers as well, in a world that debt slavery has consumed so MUCH of our time, that there's just not *enough* for anything else.

And the insult it is to children, not only our school "system" and it's ever growing load of busywork-homework mostly to just waste their time and keep them out of the adults hair, and now on top of that try to force them outside ?

What about kids who live in dangerous parts of the inner city ?

One thing about childhood, one measure of how a child retains sanity in our broken world, is the value of "play" - a critical part of our humanity we've all but destroyed, or defiled with rabid consumerism and half-hour product commercials masquerading as entertainment...

And it's not like all the role models are bad, either - I am rather pleased with the fact that my niece idolizes Yuna (FFX, FFX-2) as a person who chooses not to hate, to hurt, or hold a grudge.. to be honest, go ahead and laugh, so do I.

But really, if they want kids to go out into the world, instead of trying to shove them out the door into a world we've made so unsavory and hostile that they would naturally recoil from it...

How bout making it safer and more humane, and then allowing their natural curiosity to lead them to it's exploration on their own.

But no, always the Control-Force-Break model, isn't it ?

They hate us for damn good reason, I don't blame em a bit.

-Frem

It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Friday, February 1, 2008 2:37 PM

No problem, Jack. And I agree with your sentiment, at least in part. I am a republican, a staunch conservative. And there's a whole lotta things that GW has done in office that I don't care for, and some that have completely pissed me off.

I have just as big a problem with the looney RIGHT as I do with the looney LEFT, to be honest. There has to be some room for moderation. I am sick to death of extremist comments from either side.

As much as I'm put out with W however, if it was a choice between him again, or Hillary Clinton, I'd go with W. Clinton and her agenda smack of socialism, and I don't like it. None of us should.

There IS a place in our society for Social ideas, especially in seeing that all of our people have good health care, and other, equally important care where needed.

But her ideas not only offend me, but give me pause, as well. She would make it impossible for me to defend my family from intruders, and use the system against those of us who are not in agreement with her thinking.

One has only to look at how things went under her the first time, when SLick WIlly was in office, to know that.

I get tired of all the hate stuff. It's like people think of America as evil, and I'm sick of it. Nothing is perfect. America isn't an exception to that rule. But this has been coming for a long time, and I fear that it will end in this nation being firmly divided before it's over, and rhetoric such as what sometimes graces this board is one of the reasons.

People make their decision on who they hate, instead of who they support. That's a poor way to make important decisions IMO.

As for the earlier stuff, I'm good if you are. And thanks for your reply.

Bad_karma
Hopeful, but not expectant

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Friday, February 1, 2008 4:18 PM

Hey Frem,

I surely wasn't trying to be insulting there if that's what you thought with justifying your position on this. This being the "I Told You So!" thread, I guess my last post was nothing more than a very sarcastic way of drawing parallells to what they've done to us smokers to what they are trying to do to another part of our lives that a much larger percentage of the country (and world) partakes in. You and I know that there ain't no way that this is going to stop at cigarettes.

As for your reasons, I couldn't agree with you more. That's all spot on in my book.

And I've been a big fan of the Final Fantasy series since the first one hit the states and I weighed in at about 1/3 what I do now. Pretty much missed the ones on the Playstation 1 though cause I was too busy partying those years to play any video games. I did quite enjoy FFX and FFX-II, even though I did feel like a perv walking to the register at Best Buy to buy FFX-II with that cover. I'm fairly certain that some of my idealism comes from games like that and from putting myself in the shoes of the oppressed fighting the oppressors. Sigh... if only it were as easy as stepping outside my door with a sword and killing some imps for gold in real life.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 4:46 PM

Hey badkarma,

I have leanings towards Conservatism in most aspects of my ideals myself. The only problem is that nobody that's been calling the shots for the last 7 years has behaved conservative in any fashion. They're globalists building an empire and I don't remember when the conservative motto was "Expand and Conquer".

As far as extremist comments from both sides, I'm not so against them myself, as I am against people just blindly defending their "side". To talk to my father, he'd say that I'm an extremist on both sides and sometimes I personally feel that's the healthiest place to be, and we'd all be a lot better off if more people were that way. I do believe that there are a lot of good ideas and ideals on both sides, but this two party system is ruining our country because the most vile shit from either party is the only thing that ever seems to rise to the top.

As sorry as it makes me to say it, I agree that if the only two choices were Hillary or Obama and Bush then I would vote for Bush again. Fortunately for America we do have other choices. Kucinich was the only Democrat that I would have considered voting for. Although if Ghouliani were to get the nod, I might have to swallow my words there. I'm not really a fan of McCain or the twins wearing their religions like a banner either.

And every time any of those Rethuglican cocksuckers mocks Dr. Paul when he's saying things that make sense and when he defends the Constitution I want to punch a fucking hole in my tellivison.

And all the hate stuff is exactly what both sides want. It not only keeps us divided as a nation, but it fuels other countries hatered for us as well. I feel that Bush has set the stage for the UN to take us over and reign in America's crazy cowboy mentality, and the democrats left and any of the Republicans, Dr. Paul withstanding, would just further that cause. Bush has also done a damn good job making it hard to justify voting in another white male and he's all but destroyed the Christian religion for about half the nation. I don't even buy that he goes to church other than to front for all the gay bashing voters over 50 years old in this country. In my opinion, he's single handedly labled America, Whites, Men, Republicans and Christians as evil in the eyes of the proles worldwide.

As for the earlier stuff, it was never personal with me. We'll probably butt heads in here on something sometime as I'm known to do that with pretty much everybody here save a few. We're good.

Regards,
~Jack

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 5:39 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

After 7 yrs of saying the same thing, you were bound to be partially right, eventually.

It is not those who use the term "Islamo-Fascism" who are sullying the name of Islam; it is the Islamo-Fascists. - Dennis Prager

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Friday, February 1, 2008 5:48 PM

Nah, your sarcasm never offends me Jack, just felt the need to express why it burned me so that they even considered such a moronic stunt, is all.

I got maybe a strange way of lookin at things, but since I don't hold with mainstream politics, religion or society... there really isn't an us-n-them divide and conquer dynamic the cabal and sell to me, and being so far mentally outside their systems allows me to see them for the control models they are and often effectively exploit them against themselves.

As for Yuna... folks tend to idolize role models with traits they wish they had, or ideals they have failed themselves to accomplish, so it should come as little surprise that I class Yuna, Relena Peacecraft and Tohru Honda amongst them - and I did like FF-X2 in spite of the hardcore gamers disliking it... once you get past the combat system being (gag,hack!) fashion-based, it's really quite innovative, and the storyline is hopeful, uplifting and has a happy ending.

All games are a form of escapism, but why do they seem as of late to do all they can to horrify and depress you with dystopian no-hope scenarios ?

Or mock you with propaganda so overblown it's often downright comic ?

Hell even racing games have as of late been severely cheapened by artificial means like "Rubber-banding" and bending the laws of physics rather than a decent competitor A.I.

I did score major coup points on my Nephew, who is doing poorly at math, by stomping him utterly at a game while explaining in detail how my "Leet Math Skills" allowed me to do so - he's a bit young for real-world examples of their importance to completely get through to him, but being completely swamped under by someone who had those skills and used them to do it struck him in a more immediate fashion, and his comptetative nature has since increased his grades 20-25% in that area - games can be a useful way to teach or set examples, in ways that directly and immediately make sense to a kid.

I've also got one of the neices into reading books, which has done wonders for her reading, language and comprehension - although her appetite for golden-age science fiction is burning through my collection of it pretty quick, heh.

Pushing them outside into a hostile world with no real place for them isn't the answer, especially since with our debt-slave society eating so much of their parents time that there's not enough left to properly protect and supervise them if they did go out there.

If the politicos really wanted to encourage better parenting, they'd cut us damned wage-slaves a break and give folks time to do it right...

But that would mean less slaves busting ass nonstop to hold up their cushy lifestyles, and we can't have that now can we ?

Think of how MUCH parenting time even 30% of a single CEOs salary could buy for an average single mother, often stuck with two full time jobs just to put food on the table and keep the bills paid ?

Just another one of those simple answers no one wants to hear because it would require the elite to sacrifice on behalf of us peons, is all...

-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it

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Friday, February 1, 2008 6:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
After 7 yrs of saying the same thing, you were bound to be partially right, eventually.

I assume that was directed at me, and it was a dig of some sorts, but its meaning completely escapes me.

Care to elaborate?

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 6:17 PM

I didnt' think you really too offence. Glad I was right.

FFX-2 was a great game I thought, even though the weirdness of purchasing/owning it didn't wear off after leaving Best Buy. It was by far the "girliest" game I've ever played, but until FFXII came out I thought it was the best battle system in a FF game. The story wasn't bad either, but I think the story in FFX hast to be the best story I've seen in a video game. In a very super-real sense there were many parallels to the "real world" era before the 80s/90s, during the 80s/90s and post 80s/90s between the 2 stories. I suppose to get into that and give it justice would require a thread of its own though.

As for the rest of what you said, you know I stand with ya.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Friday, February 1, 2008 8:41 PM

I can go one worse - Rhapsody.

At one point I was trying to find a suitable and age-appropriate RPG for a friends kid, the same girl in fact, who I built the dollhouse for, and ran across this particular PS1 title.

Had to play it to make sure it would suit as a Xmas present... and wound up buying TWO copies, it's screechingly hilarious in the same way as Army of Darkness, campy, cheesy, over the top funny, with a phenomenal soundtrack.

But it's about as apallingly "girly" a game as you'd ever find, believe it - still, it's a good title for girls, as is One Piece Mansion...

I wind up having to make the call on age appropriateness of some games for a lot of kids with non-gamer parents, you see, so I am kinda their go-to-guy for that sort of thing.

-Frem
Rhapsody
http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/rhapsodyamusicaladventure/index.html
One Piece Mansion
http://www.gamespot.com/ps/puzzle/onepiecemansion/

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Saturday, February 2, 2008 9:21 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
After 7 yrs of saying the same thing, you were bound to be partially right, eventually.

I assume that was directed at me, and it was a dig of some sorts, but its meaning completely escapes me.

Care to elaborate?

T'was directed toward the one who started this thread, Signym

It is not those who use the term "Islamo-Fascism" who are sullying the name of Islam; it is the Islamo-Fascists. - Dennis Prager

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

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Saturday, February 2, 2008 9:51 PM

My apologies Rap....

Your post came right after mine where I mentioned the last 7 years as well. It also seemed a lot like a post somebody wrote to me in another thread when I was doing a little gloating about telling people for the last 4 or 5 years that the housing market was going to crash and burn soon. I don't remember who posted that though.

Nevermind my previous post.... carry on sir.

"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack

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Tuesday, February 5, 2008 12:18 PM