We recently sold our home in the Phoenix area. No idea if we cashed out at the top or bottom, but it doesn't matter, the wind will blow where it wants. I do know I'm free of the never ending grift of increasing property taxes which went up again and the continuously spiraling out of control home owner's insurance.
Whole damn thing is a racket, don't even want back in at this point. I doubt we'll get a collapse, but I'm just an idiot so maybe it will happen.
As an Irish person I have long been ashamed of Bono and I suspect the rest of of U2 feel the same way. They went down hill years ago, probably after actumg baby. Their stuff from 2000 on is hideous. I take solace from watching him on South Park portrayed as a human poo or this video of him falling off the stage https://youtu.be/vQFQEJ9K77I
Excellent! These two quotes from that PE article are fantastic: The challenge is that private equity firms are vastly less regulated than investment banks, which are generally considered either banks or bank holding companies. What this means is that private equity firms are doing a lot of the work that these companies did prior to the financial crisis. but they’re doing it with even less oversight.
BB: Private equity’s influence pervades not just the machinery of the court, but every level and layer of government, at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether it’s getting favorable contracts for prison health care and phone services, or getting tracts of foreclosed homes from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or protecting the carried interest loophole in Congress, private equity has been enormously successful in achieving its legislative and legal agenda. That said, this has happened before and ordinary people have solved it.
The 80-year old woman reminded me of a meeting with a elderly convent nun in a position to approve a parish contract. Take her to lunch, order, eat, talk, and when leaving she pulls a dime from a little bag to make sure the waitress gets “a generous tip.” We all live in some sort of bubble, but some are very, very small . . . and dated.
You've probably seen this Robert Rubin (aka "Mr. I don't want any operational responsibility") interview today in the WSJ but in case you haven't seen it. It's very annoying!
Thanks. I'm going to not look at that Rubin article, or else I will go off on another rant. That guy is on my top 10 financial war criminals list (I should make one up).
Brilliant, as usual.
We recently sold our home in the Phoenix area. No idea if we cashed out at the top or bottom, but it doesn't matter, the wind will blow where it wants. I do know I'm free of the never ending grift of increasing property taxes which went up again and the continuously spiraling out of control home owner's insurance.
Whole damn thing is a racket, don't even want back in at this point. I doubt we'll get a collapse, but I'm just an idiot so maybe it will happen.
As an Irish person I have long been ashamed of Bono and I suspect the rest of of U2 feel the same way. They went down hill years ago, probably after actumg baby. Their stuff from 2000 on is hideous. I take solace from watching him on South Park portrayed as a human poo or this video of him falling off the stage https://youtu.be/vQFQEJ9K77I
He really is insufferable.
Astonishing synopsis. (And sadly, likely to be underappreciated as usual.)
Excellent! These two quotes from that PE article are fantastic: The challenge is that private equity firms are vastly less regulated than investment banks, which are generally considered either banks or bank holding companies. What this means is that private equity firms are doing a lot of the work that these companies did prior to the financial crisis. but they’re doing it with even less oversight.
BB: Private equity’s influence pervades not just the machinery of the court, but every level and layer of government, at the federal, state, and local levels. Whether it’s getting favorable contracts for prison health care and phone services, or getting tracts of foreclosed homes from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, or protecting the carried interest loophole in Congress, private equity has been enormously successful in achieving its legislative and legal agenda. That said, this has happened before and ordinary people have solved it.
The 80-year old woman reminded me of a meeting with a elderly convent nun in a position to approve a parish contract. Take her to lunch, order, eat, talk, and when leaving she pulls a dime from a little bag to make sure the waitress gets “a generous tip.” We all live in some sort of bubble, but some are very, very small . . . and dated.
Great post as usual!
You've probably seen this Robert Rubin (aka "Mr. I don't want any operational responsibility") interview today in the WSJ but in case you haven't seen it. It's very annoying!
https://www.wsj.com/articles/robert-rubin-warns-that-the-u-s-is-failing-to-face-its-problems-16c7dcdb?mod=Searchresults_pos1&page=1
Thanks. I'm going to not look at that Rubin article, or else I will go off on another rant. That guy is on my top 10 financial war criminals list (I should make one up).
Good call. Apparently he has a book coming out.
OK, I at least had to do this to keep Rubin's true memory alive...
https://substack.com/profile/22041356-rudy-havenstein/note/c-15971383
[Gagging noises]