The US Economy

Post by **Jonas** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:46 pm

So many words...

fox · Post by **fox** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 5:15 pm

Jonas - The Wordy wrote:So many words...

Smike · Post by **Smike** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:07 am

J. Michael Straczynski wrote:"Our job, as always as writers, is to create bar fights and arguments, not to solve problems or to answer questions."

All I can say, kid, is that I'm glad you were so incited. My opinion is that there's absolutely nothing I've said there that was fundamentally flawed - quite the contrary - but the detail just isn't there; there's no clear-cut point I'm making in that paragraph besides what a Polar Bear might think in a tornado. So you're really reaching with this second "flaw", and I'm staying away from that.

My only further observation related to what I was saying before is what I ALWAYS observe: if more people listened better and asked questions instead of pointing out the obvious and obscuring the truth with their idle thoughts - the words of the frenzied moment - it would be better for everyone.

Solid_Choke · Post by **Solid_Choke** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:06 am

Not like you guys will care, but I got into silver in 2001 because I didn't like what was going on with the lower and lower mortgage down payment trend. I'm thinking about selling most of it and going 20% silver, 30% TIPS, and 50% securities. I'm thinking about moving more into securities because I think there is an overreaction out of securities causing the prices to be under what the true value of the assets are worth. So basically things are on sale and it might be a good time to start improving my position.

Mr_Cyberpunk · Post by **Mr_Cyberpunk** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:23 am

if more people listened better and asked questions instead of pointing out the obvious and obscuring the truth with their idle thoughts - the words of the frenzied moment - it would be better for everyone.

Good idea.. Lets ask Jeeves he'll know.

Post by **DDL** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:20 pm

Solid_Choke wrote:Not like you guys will care, but I got into silver in 2001

Are we talking..like..actual silver? Chemical symbol Ag?

Where do you keep it? In a box under the bed? I've never really got the whole technical side of commodities buying: I mean, do you just wander up to some silversmith and say "I'll take two kilos, please" and then carry that to a local safety deposit box?

Moonbo · Post by **Moonbo** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:53 pm

"Are we talking..like..actual silver? Chemical symbol Ag?"

Yeah, it's like buying stocks and bonds, you usually make commodities trades (precious metals, grains, pork bellies, etc) either through a 3rd party who holds onto it for you or you buy shares in a fund that just buys the commodity. But it technically is yours, so I guess if you wanted to put it in a box under your bed you could ask them to give it to you

. Unless you're actually in the business of using the commodities (like a silversmith, or a farmer), doing commodities trades is usually in the hope that the selling price of the commodity will go up after you buy it so you can sell it at a profit (just like stock trading).

-Gelo

Post by **Jonas** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:23 pm

Personally I plan to just sit here and watch my savings turn completely worthless. Then shrug and feel sad.

Post by **DDL** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:30 pm

Moonbo wrote:either through a 3rd party who holds onto it for you or you buy shares in a fund that just buys the commodity.

Ah, see that's how I thought it would probably end up happening, but I was hoping it wasn't the case.

After all, if everything goes tits up, all we really have are 'promises that the numbers we see on paper/computer screens actually reflect some hard currency somewhere': we don't actually HAVE any cash at any given time. Likewise, if commodities worked that way, you'd only have some person's/organisation's promise that they'd actually treat that commodity as yours. Either way it's trust and promises....

Of course, my theoretical "tits up" scenarios involve shotguns and hoarding tinned goods, so perhaps I'm taking this to extremes.

Moonbo · Post by **Moonbo** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:35 pm

Yeah, any way you get around it, a successful economy is based on a bedrock of trust. Which is why people who say "greed is good" are wrong. Everyone has a desire for self improvement, but when enough people start shafting other people to get what they want, the economy can't hold up.

Post by **Jonas** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:35 pm

My tits-up scenarios involve making games and getting rich.

I may be missing a few steps between there, but I'm not sure what they are yet. It'll come.

Post by **DDL** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:22 pm

Those are your worst case scenarios?

I mean 'tits up' as in "oh shit, everything's gone tits up: time to run to the bunker" or similar.

Scenarios where everyone's fucked, essentially.

Also maybe zombies.

EER · Post by **EER** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:41 pm

DDL wrote:Also maybe zombies.

I always wonder where the zombies come from. In Resident Evil it's obvious, but in Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead it's a subject completely left untouched.

Post by **Jonas** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:46 pm

John, if zombies eventually begin walking the Earth, I will still be trying to sell them games. Presumably games in the vein of Stubbs the Zombie (just better, obv.)

I have no survival skills. No survival skills.

Jetsetlemming · Post by **Jetsetlemming** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:11 pm

EER wrote:
DDL wrote:Also maybe zombies.
I always wonder where the zombies come from. In Resident Evil it's obvious, but in Night/Dawn/Day of the Dead it's a subject completely left untouched.

It's touched, by characters speculating, it's just never outright explained, which is for the best. In the Living Dead movies it's some virus or chemical or some shit and all the zombies are fast zombies and it makes me sad.