What is Digg?Sponsored by Paramount Pictures
TIME calls 'The Lovely Bones' "engrossing" & "enthralling". view!
time.com - TIME reviews Peter Jackson's new film, which is part thriller, part fantasy & part love story.
138 Comments
- pookydirt, on 04/17/2009, -7/+60"I'd be more optimistic if my fellow Americans were simply suffering from congressional deception as opposed to their not caring about the economic calamity that awaits tomorrow's Americans."
------------------------
Now THAT's a winner!! - inactive, on 04/17/2009, -15/+44FTA: "How stupid is it of us to ask those who brought us "affordable" housing to now turn their attention to bringing us "affordable" health care?
Congressional deception about government finances means today's children will face a financial disaster that will make today's mess seem like a walk in the park."
The whole mess stinks, and the proposed 'Solutions' are a fraud. Obama and the Dem's are doing nothing but making the manure pile bigger. Breath deep folks, it aint over yet. - bradleyrclark, on 04/17/2009, -4/+22What worries me is that both major parties are in on this deception but through finger pointing and name calling they continuously keep the American people too divided to do anything about it.
- shauncorleone, on 04/17/2009, -0/+16Unfortunately, you have to pin this on Washington Politicians and their corporate interests. Having an "R" by your name doesn't excuse you any more. It is the nature of politics that cause this mess more so than any particular politicians.
- radioactive21, on 04/17/2009, -0/+16That was only part of the reason. People's stupidity was the other. No matter how big a loan the bank approved for you, you are telling me somehow you didnt do the numbers for each month and realized you cant afford a $1Million house making $30K a year?
I know people who have bought houses and couldn't afford furniture, so they were embarrassed to invite friends over to their house. Or people who unwisely cleared out their 401Ks to buy a house, then lost it and now have lost their retirement. That's not deception, that's stupidity.
It went both ways. The banks approving outrageous loans, and home owners who deceived themselves into thinking they can live beyond their means. - stutimandal, on 04/17/2009, -8/+24So why could they not deceive me? Or many others?
It is time people took responsibility and understood where *THEY* went wrong, rather than blaming housing bubble on Congress.
That said Congress is not clear and honest either. Recent bailouts of banking cartels being the example. - Pseudorious, on 04/17/2009, -1/+15Inaccurate.
Irresponsibility is the root of America's ills. - PWoT, on 04/17/2009, -5/+19Ah, another right-wing hack tries to paint the whole thing as the Democrats' fault.
It's not a party thing, guys. It's flaws in the system that span Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr, Democrat congresses and Republican congresses.
Stop with the partisan *****. Everybody was getting rich off this shell game. - disrupter, on 04/17/2009, -12/+23F*ck the RIAA!
- pathouston22, on 04/17/2009, -3/+13Too bad we voted the Democrats into power in Congress 2 years ago. And the fact they had a lower approval rating than Bush. And right now, they are about even with where Bush left off.
- inactive, on 04/17/2009, -1/+11Many people have an entitlement mentality, they want stuff but they don't want to work or sacrifice in order to get it. The banks exploit this to enrich themselves. The major problem is when the free ride comes to an end, the government punishes all the responsible people who saved and lived within their means and forces them to bailout all the irresponsible people.
- inactive, on 04/17/2009, -8/+17Congress mandated that banks create and make these high risk loans, and in doing so Congress Created the Sub-Prime market.
The FED kept interest rates artificially low and the bubble going.
Together...well, you are seeing the results now. - inactive, on 04/17/2009, -0/+9What would happen if the Bank were allowed to use traditional under-writing standards?
I agree that those who signed the contracts are at fault; I don't want to pay to bail them out either, but without Congress mandating that Banks offer these loans we would never have had the problem. - inactive, on 04/17/2009, -0/+9There was a good Rolling Stone article on the crisis that omitted Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. Not to mention Franklin Reigns ( Fannie Mae CEO that gave false quarterly reports ) was Clinton's CBO. The entire housing ponzi is broad based.
- inactive, on 04/17/2009, -5/+13Best quote:
"How stupid is it of us to ask those who brought us "affordable" housing to now turn their attention to bringing us "affordable" health care? - shadus, on 04/17/2009, -0/+8People do care though, they care a lot. Because it effects them, when things are good people don't care much, because it doesn't effect them, but when they're bad, they care a whole lot... but what do you do when your choices are vote for an idiot who sells you out to x group or an idiot who sells you out to y group? People of my grandparents age (80s-90s) vote religiously and they won't even consider a third party candidate, they vote how they've voted for the last 60 years, republican or democrat. There's no thought, no evaluation, it's just how they vote and until that mentality is completely gone there is no real hope for change, the only change is name and who they're selling you out to... you're still being sold out.
- ApokalypseNow, on 04/17/2009, -1/+8You must have tremendous neck muscles to keep those bible-blinders on 24/7.
- ApokalypseNow, on 04/18/2009, -1/+8Since there is no such thing as "Neverlution", then yes, it is made from nothing. However, if you are referring to evolutionary biology, then you are mistakenly referring to it as a blinder when it is instead a tool, a description of a demonstrable and repeatable process. Your willful ignorance of science does not invalidate it, now or ever.
- RogerStrong, on 04/17/2009, -2/+8"Affordable housing" was just a tiny part of the problem. By itself it was nowhere near enough to put us into this situation.
The bigger problem was that the investment banking system created a *demand* for the riskiest subprime-backed bonds, because they were worth betting against.
And when there weren't enough bad mortgages, the banks created them - in vast numbers - out of thin air. THAT is the main problem.
The folks who should have warned the investors - bond rating companies like Standard & Poors - were instead in on the scam. (Just like Arthur Anderson was in on Enron's scams rather than acting as an impartial outside auditor for investors.)
Here's an excellent article that explains the processes that led to the big crash on Wall Street from the sub-prime mortgage debacle. It is written by Michael Lewis, who wrote the "Liar's Poker" Wall Street expose:
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-new ...
"There weren’t enough Americans with ***** credit taking out loans to satisfy investors’ appetite for the end product. The firms used Eisman’s bet to synthesize more of them.
Here, then, was the difference between fantasy finance and fantasy football: When a fantasy player drafts Peyton Manning, he doesn’t create a second Peyton Manning to inflate the league’s stats. But when Eisman bought a credit-default swap, he enabled Deutsche Bank to create another bond identical in every respect but one to the original. The only difference was that there was no actual homebuyer or borrower. The only assets backing the bonds were the side bets Eisman and others made with firms like Goldman Sachs.
Eisman, in effect, was paying to Goldman the interest on a subprime mortgage. In fact, there was no mortgage at all. “They weren’t satisfied getting lots of unqualified borrowers to borrow money to buy a house they couldn’t afford,” Eisman says. “They were creating them out of whole cloth. One hundred times over! That’s why the losses are so much greater than the loans." - johnyaya137, on 04/17/2009, -3/+9What would happen if the government did not create conditions in which people were tempted to take high risk loans they couldn't qualify for without specific legislation?
- rockytop9808, on 04/17/2009, -2/+8But they still managed to pull off a lower approval rating than Bush.
Why do the liberals always blame Bush, but can't accept when their own ***** up? - stutimandal, on 04/17/2009, -3/+9What would happen if people were judicious enough to not take a high risk loan in the first place?
- CrazedLeper, on 04/17/2009, -2/+8No wrong time for that... Also, death to Mi¢ro$oft!
- laminac, on 04/17/2009, -0/+6okay you don't want government to run it, but you want the government to guarantee health care? Sounds like the government running it to me. I think it should be up to the states to decide how they treat health care, not the federal government, that way if a few states screw up we won't all be in trouble, but if the federal government program sucks then we are all screwed.
- gerrylazlo, on 04/17/2009, -0/+6Hucksters selling unrealistic dreams, and dumb people believing them. Greed and stupidity in equal amounts. Amen.
- acknotSW, on 04/17/2009, -0/+6I don't know much economics beyond what I've read about the current problem and picked up in a college macro course, but even I knew that very bad ***** was going to happen when I kept hearing 5 to 20 ditech ads per day offering interest only home loans, with no money down, targeted at people with bad credit.
- Tarantulus, on 04/17/2009, -0/+5amen
- oboshoe, on 04/17/2009, -1/+6Ultimately life is expensive.
I don't believe that life's necessities. Medical care, housing, food will ever be "cheap". They certainly never have been in history yet.
As long as those items are not rationed out, they will be expensive.
The only way to make them -appear- cheap, is to ration them at a low base level.
The only time these items appear cheap is when the population is wealthy. We think food is cheap because we are wealthy on a global scale. Where is our wealth going now? - Dalhectar, on 04/17/2009, -2/+7Blaming some home owners, or Progressives for pushing more home ownership is only part of the issue. The reason this crisis is being felt globally isn't that the Italians or other non-US citizens got US sub prime loans. In addition to this, we allowed a shadow financial system to form along side the regulated one, and allowed the regulated financial corps to mix with the unregulated. When the unregulated system was able to finance/back/secure the regulated system, any potential risk the unregulated one put the regulated system at risk. I believe in private markets, and if people want to invest in the unregulated market, I don't care. But it defeats to purpose of having a regulated financial market if the underpinnings of the regulated market are an unregulated system.
If any country wants a regulated banking system to secure itself from potential collapse, then there has to be a division between unregulated high risk/high reward banking and a regulated system whose integrity is deemed vital to the national interest. - Mockylock, on 04/17/2009, -1/+6Hmm... I thought it was greed, corruption and those who are naive.
- superkendall, on 04/17/2009, -0/+5Community Reinvestment Act. Look it up.
People on both sides voted for it, they are the ones responsible. - ITguy88, on 04/17/2009, -1/+6If the government had done its job and regulated these business according to the laws we had we wouldn't have this mess.
The government let banks create the mortgage derivatives which they were not allowed a few years ago. The government guaranteed the loans that Fannie and Freddie Mac dealt with in the name of affordable housing.
You blame the poor that got houses? They SHOULD have been laughed out the door but instead they got a loan.
There where many hearings years ago about the banking problems but SOME in congress didn't want to hear it. DID YOU READ THE ARTICLE?
Buried for being dumb and not being able to read. - InetRoadkill, on 04/17/2009, -3/+8---"Congress mandated that banks create and make these high risk loans, and in doing so Congress Created the Sub-Prime market."---
*****. The CRA program did not mandate banks make high risk loans. In fact, CRA loans were carefully regulated and were subject to federal oversight. The default rate for CRA loans was low and the loans were profitable to the banks offering them.
Subprime mortgages were invented by Wall Street. It had nothing to do with congress other than the fact that congress relaxed federal oversight of the credit market which the banks exploited motivated by greed. - inactive, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4I bet you are someone who believes that the compassionate way to help alcoholics and drug addicts is to give them more alcohol or drugs. After all it is in their best interest, we wouldn't want them to suffer from withdrawal.
- ITguy88, on 04/17/2009, -5/+9What about CHANGE and HOPE? How about we keep spending more than we have and add more entitlements. I have a plan lets just burrow the money and make future generations pay for it. Absolute disgusting greed. Take for yourself now and stick it to your kids without them have a say.
Politicians and the people that support these entitlement programs are misguided. America will have to end Social Security and Medicare may not be today but the unfunded liabilities will need to be pay or cut. - DulcetTone, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4Affordable housing initiatives are theft, pure and simple. If a region becomes so upscale that no reasonably accessible areas can supply lower wage workers, the balance of pay and the opportunity to overcome this bind will present a natural remedy that is more efficient and fair.
- Tarantulus, on 04/17/2009, -4/+8I cannot express how right this article (and the following comment by stutimandal) is. It's heartening to know that thereare a least a handful of sensible human beings left in america.
- GreyFlcn, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4Well it's funny when people believe in imaginary utopias, and imaginary friends.
It's scary when these same people start making political policy.
This is why market fundamentalism, and religious fundamentalism scares me. - Craig304958, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4Well damn, I just KNEW it was my wife's fault.
- JinnRikki, on 04/17/2009, -2/+6Greed is our problem, I think a three year old would recognize that.
- kemp34, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4Both. Irresponsibility plus deception = fail.
- failedpimp, on 04/17/2009, -0/+4States have no right telling business owners that customers can't smoke in their establishments. If someone wants to let their customers smoke, then let them! If other people are offended by the smoke, then they can go somewhere else! The business owner should have the right to lose the business of non-smokers and feel the economic consequences.
Ok I'm done now. - acknotSW, on 04/17/2009, -0/+3yes, blame it on a nonexistent "enemy", that makes sense.
- FredFredrickson, on 04/17/2009, -0/+3I'm sorry, but are you really trying to sell us on the idea that our nation should be without hope?
This problem was caused by a bubble in the housing market that was the result of greed. People asked too much for homes, and other people were willing to try to pay. It got an unsustainable point, and the whole thing collapsed. This wasn't congress' fault. - RavagesOfTime, on 04/17/2009, -0/+3If I believed in religion, I'd pray that you don't get buried.
- akhomestead, on 04/17/2009, -2/+5I would say it's a combo of CRA and us backing any losses of Fannie and Freddie. If you deregulate failure people will take a lot bigger risks. I mean if I went to Vegas and was told whatever I win I keep whatever I lose they will pay me back, let me tell you I'd be playing the games with the highest risk and biggest rewards. Oh and at the same time the casino was loaning money out at 1%.
- YouandWhoseArmy, on 04/17/2009, -0/+3Funny that he doesn't mention cutting the military budget....
- jerbaker, on 04/17/2009, -1/+4Why is it that corporate profiteering is cheered as some kind of virtue while profiteering on the part of politicians is treated as some crime at the level of treason? Now you're going to say that the evil people are those who want to kill the giant leech on our economy (health care drains 16% of our GDP from other priorities) the "bad" ones? I guess it's OK as long as the tax is enacted by a corporation and not by Congress, and punishable by death instead of fines. I think your priorities are showing ... and they're not in the correct order.
- icandigthat, on 04/17/2009, -0/+3Government without transparency is Tyranny.
- aurorous, on 04/17/2009, -2/+5Remember when everyone first started saying "We're spending our childrens inheritance" "We're leaving our children a massive debt they can't repay"? I got news for you, Our parents were the ones saying that, we're the children that will be stuck working off that massive debt. And it's coming due soon. When the next couple of shoes drop the student loan crisis and the credit card crisis, it'll become pretty clear that Obama's plan of fixing the economy by getting banks lending money... thereby sinking us deeper into debt when we can't afford the payments we have now the whole stinking system is gonna collapse in on itself and life is gonna suck.
Please will someone tell president Obama that you don't get out from crushing debt by running up your credit cards even further. Every dollar we spend now just makes it worse when we wake up and realized the mountain that's in front of us -
Show 51 - 100 of 139 discussions
