Engorgeous George

So, $25,000 for first time home buyers. Interesting. Say 1,000,000 a year avail themselves of the program. That is 25 billion dollars a year we need from the federal coffers. Of course as the program will have to be administered there will be costs to transfer that money, costs in federal employees. Say that cost is 10% of the moneys to be allocated or 2.5 billion, then we need to find 27.5 billion dollars every year in the budget. Where will that come from? Probably from increased taxes, but on who? The ultra-rich are difficult to tax as they are happy to move monies off shore which is not necessarily good for investment in this country. The regular rich, well they are pretty good, through their accountants, in putting their money into capital gains mode so they don't pay either. Who pays, the middle income people, that's who. Now as for having that down payment and millions seeking the same stock of homes, well that is going to serve to drive up home prices. The home buyers will still be seeking mortgages of the same dollar amount. The homes are more expensive, and not really more reachable for them due to the down payment. There will be one economic impact, however. Home prices now rising will cause property taxes to increase, both for the home buyers and for existing home owners, many of whom are seniors on fixed incomes. I would argue taht yet again government, in refusing to understqand there is no free money and taht legislation does not produce value will have yet again, through a lack of thinking the program through, have screwed the economy.

Dude looks a bit like Paul Giamatti, a very under-0appreciated actor.

Last night for me. On the continental divide, checking out the full moon, listening to coyotes chatting back and forth until a wolf howl silenced them. Before that it would have been August 2, 2024 at the Sphere.

I believe Churchill was a drunk. Being a drunk is not a disqualifier for me. Being an idiot is, but not being a drunk. Trump is a sober idiot, harris a drunk one, maybe. RFK, well he has brain worms. Sad what the system has put forward for our "choice".

Indeed. I think my wife might have objections to me living with it, but who knows, she may be sick enough of me to allow it.

So Mike Greenberg.

So thus far her economic plan is a hybrid of Trump/Vance and Richard Nixon?

Whose feet will Rex Ryan stare at now?

Her face seems unnaturally white in that video and the bruise on her right leg is a bit unsightly. Also, I don't get the socks or leg warmers with the swimsuit. Still, nice tight package.

Love Sam Ponder. Loved Sage Steele. Screw ESPN.

So the guy hands Uncle Sam a stack of $100's 20, 000 miles high weighing in at around 750,000 pounds. Would have to be a strong man with great balancing skills and on a windless day.

So no more Moons over my Hammy. At least if there is an IHOP you can still get the rooty tooty fresh and fruity

She does not want to be some man's object. I'm thinking there is not much danger of that.

Marco from Tropoja

Easy to see why it is I have no political party, no political home.

DeTocqueville had no way to predict the effects of generations of ignorance breeding a welfare state and selfishness. He came at a time of expansion and promise and rugged individualism. I believe now he would be sounding the alarm but would be ignored.

I thought the proverb was the pointier the ears the bigger the ding-a-ling.

Yes, nobody wants adults in charge. We are living out Alexis de Tocquevilles prediction. Desperate fools will hope for miracles and panderers will pander to the desperation and ignorance of those fools for the panderers temporary wealth and power. We are a short0sighted, self-interested and self-defeating lot. Tough I could not caution all I still might warn a few Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools -- Robert Hunter

Yes, nobody wants adults in charge. We are living out Alexis de Tocquevilles prediction. Desperate fools will hope for miracles and panderers will pander to the desperation and ignorance of those fools for the panderers temporary wealth and power. We are a shortsighted, self-interested and self-defeating lot. Tough I could not caution all I still might warn a few Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools

Have to clean it up first, stage the property, begin by power washing off all the feces and picking up all the trash.

I believe government incapable of carefully thinking out such regulations. There are always more variables than they consider and government cannot help but succumbing to social engineering and political pandering in such regulations. Murphy's law will always make a mockery of planned economies. That said I have zero economic expertise beyond living for 6 and 1/2 decades and working and paying taxes for 5 decades.

Austerity in all government programs and spending with a mandated balanced budget which means no spending above tax reciepts and the blanced budget would have budgeted contingency funds for emergencies totally 1% of the budget. Every budget should include 1 % for deficit reduction. All entitlements would be locked in to increase only 1/2 of COLA for the next ten years at least. Any new programs would have to include concommitant reductions or elimination of old ones equal to the projected budgetary costs of the new programs. Federal departmentrs would no longer operate on a use it or lose it budget principle but would instead be graded on thier austerity and their austerity grade would be considered during any future requests for budget increases. Money returned to the treasury by agencies and departments not spendinbg their entire budget would go I/2 to additional deficit reduction and 1/2 to contingency emergency funds meaning only wars, or natural disasters. Finally, and this would hurt me and prove very unpopular with the monied classes capital gains would be taxed as basic income. ( I would remove inheritance taxes in all regards).

I wonder if her proposal, if it is ever made, will include rent controls on commercial as well as residential properties.

My predecessors were better men than I. My family bleed and died in the Great War which was not so great, in WWII in both Europe and the Pacific, and in Korea. We had none die in Viet Nam or since. In my generation and the ensuing ones we have had nobody perform military service.

Madness.