In honest businesses, as in honest government, the ultimate challenge to the ‘deciders’ is to provide something worth more than it cost to produce. In business, this extra is a ‘profit.’
Bill has a point. You gotta shake your head at who can win elections in the US of A. I can think of some doozies, why not start in 2008? There have been lots of examples since then, makes one feel like it's a whitewater raft trip. The guides thinks the rocks are the targets.
Bill. You clearly have a point of view. I respect that which is why I subscribe and read. However it seems to make your point you have to ignore many things. Trump is a successful billionaire. His children are productive citizens. He is POTUS despite enormous opposition. Not many achieve that in the world. Iran is led by men who want to destroy-not live with, trade with, and accommodate western society (especially the USA). Men who want a nuclear weapon not as deterrence but to use it. I fear you may be right about the hopelessness of US economic position. The math is the math. But history is full of hopeless situations that somehow resolved with hope. The founding of our nation is one of those. Hope this is current dilemma is one more.
Appreciate and agree on most of what you set forth and the thoughtful manner thereof, especially the need to maintain hope. Don’t agree on “successful” billionaire, given how that wealth was created, or on his children as “productive citizens”. What have they created, or contributed to society?
"Iran is led by men who want to destroy-not live with, trade with, and accommodate western society (especially the USA). Men who want a nuclear weapon not as deterrence but to use it."
You got receipts for these claims? Why would Iran want to destroy its Western markets?
"They" are a minority of Iranians, a small faction of Islamists among mostly Persians. "AMERICA" is the US Government, not the people, and Iran isn't alone in expressing its disdain towards it and its violent "spreading of democracy".
NOBODY with a brain says ITS THE PEOPLE AT FAULT OR THE PERSIANS who want to destroy Israel and America and NATO and EU etc. ITS THE REGIME. Geeeez. We said so and THEY say so.
When it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's generally a duck. The Iranian leaders have hated the US. for decades and want to eliminate us from the face of the earth so they can perpetuate Islam onto western society. I for one don't want that and will resist that by all means. Thus we are where we are with the fight with the Iranian leadership. Iran's leadershio if given free rein would massacre the people of the US under Islam. Sad but I believe that to be true. Islam is not the problem the radical Islam leaders are.
Well you have to wade deep into founding of Islam to find that answer, I assure that it there though hidden deep in the language of dogmatic orthodoxy.
BUT...there is HOPE. The Abraham Accords are working and long long after Camp David Accords with Carter and Egypt and PLO and Israel. Moderate SUNNIS are now investing and we have the Saudis willing to sign on with conditions. Stay tuned.
Just one question: Does anyone here, including Bill, think that the voters made the wrong choice in 2024? That the only alternative on offer, a Kamala Harris Presidency, would have been better? Sometimes we only get to vote for the lesser of two evils. And if that were the voters choice in 2024, who should really be blamed, "the man in the ring" who prevailed, or those powerbrokers in the Democrat Deep State who pinned their hopes on.... what exactly?
Just whinny sour grapes - now pointing their finger outward with four pointing inward..
Most Republicans and many Independents, myself included, thought we were getting a businessman in 2016 at the helm of this fading republic that might be able to veer us in the right direction. Instead we got the ultimate con man.
Trump never had any intention to try and make America great again, only to make Trump greater and wealthier again. Just like the vast majority of politicians and government officials from all parties in positions of power. And to think there was a time I was naive enough to think they were working for us.
Well Bill, todays piece is an interesting way to close the week. There is no doubt that Trump has had a colorful life both in business and personal activities. He's had many successful experiences and many disasters. We have two more years to see how this movie ends. I would like to believe the story of America isn't over but the political class seems "hell bent" (BOTH SIDES) on taking the ship down.....I hope the voters can make good choices and save the "republic" in time.
Bill, your premise seems to be that DJT is a flim-flam man who makes lots of plans and promises but in the end just disappears with the money. I suppose you make a valid argument, but I don’t know given I have not made the “extensive and unbiased” study of his business practices that you and the MSM have. Does look familiar to another billionaire I know of that started a financial-advice publication and spends his time providing worthless and highly biased criticism of politicians without any financial value. Just take the money and run while providing criticism of DJT and NO financial advice. True, Tom and Dan are valuable assets and given their best advice. Too bad the namesake on the letterhead doesn’t.
Couple of things today, Bill mentioned an " honest government" which of course is an oxymoron. He also mentioned that government does not produce a product so they don't sell anything in the traditional way therefore there is no product and therefore there is no "profit". So I ask myself "why then are most of the congress multimillionaires and why are they able to pick stock winners at rate higher the Berkshire Hathaway?" Well of course the answer is that that government is extremely profitable. So when I juxtapose governmental "business behavior" with the manner in which Bill has characterized Trump's "business behavior" I don't see any daylight. Not sure Bill understands the business of our country?
Guitars, Bibles, Fragrances, Flatware, Watches, Sneakers, Shot glasses and cocktail shakers, Golf gear, polo shirts, skincare products, jackets and active wear, blankets, robes and linens, 250th collectables... this guy is a regular Wallmart of Presidential swag.
-
Of course it's embarrassing, the "Most Powerful" man in the world peddling Chinese crap.
-
But then I think of how Biden left Afghanistan...
And how Biden intentionally erased the national border...
And how the Biden team lied to America about this mental capacity...
NOBODY forced to buy anything from Trump. NOBODY. Not even join his golf clubs. BUT the BIDEN deal? WE were all forced to pay. And Obama bail out of GM unfunded union pensions? We all were forced to pay up. ALL GOVERNMENT SPENDING is FORCED ON TAXPAYERS AND CITIZENS. Most of it is ROBINHOOD ECONOMICS btw. Who pays MOST of the taxes? UBER WEALTHY.
What else to do? Becoming expat doesnt help you STILL pay FEDERAL TAXES. Plus new nation taxes. And LOSE your constitutional rights overseas. Trust me.
This daily obsession with DJT is providing no value to the BPR reader. The vast majority of BPR subscribers fully understand the few benefits and value of big government and the vast array of con artists, grifters and unproductive workers on the tax payer dole. It would probably be more productive to sometimes mention some of the good initiatives emanating from the White House or Congress as well as the negative which for the most part are vastly better than the daily garbage we put up with over the Biden and Obama years. If Bill's obsession continues I'm only reading Tom's and Dan's weekly missives that provide much greater value to BPR readers.
Well this is a repeat of yesterdays TDS drivel. Sigh. But I am not a Trump investor in any of his properties or other businesses nor his crypto scam. Nor do i care one twit. I didnt vote for him because of his business success. And I note he IS successful in many properties i.e golf courses and developments and many other buildings. But I dont care. Not one twit. I voted for him because he was messaging what I was thinking and feeling, that globalism was an other liberalism libertarian SCAM. Like Global Warming. And needed to be culled. Quickly. We had sold out for ScumStreet, aka WallStreet bankers and hedgefunds and corporate CEOs in the name of fighting unions and finding "cheaper made goods" and all we did according to GREENSPAN aka Elmer Fudd was finance the CCP and Red Army and RAISE THEIR BOATS (and India and Vietnam) and HARM OUR ECONOMY AND MIDDLE CLASS. And both Greenspan (who spoke at Manhattan Club) and Trump were right. And I despise ScumStreet and its lawyers and bankers. SCUM. FILTH. GREEDMEISTERS and SHAM ARTISTS AND who created BUBBLES of wealth from scams like DERIVATIVES and now HIGHLY LEVERAGED ETFs in AI and OTHER LIBERAL CONMAN games in BIGTECH. UH OH.
Beware.
I am long gold and its performing for ME marvelously......I was early, bought in huge on Dysons and Rickards warnings years ago and fresh off being BURNED in the dot.com (I sold some stuff that actually survived and thrived like Broadcom...OUCH) and banking crisis etc......and got scared so looked for an offramp and they made sense, and I recalled my college ECON classes and my college professor (RIP PEACE Dr. Cashman) PhD Tufts who exclaimed ALL ROADS LEAD TO FASCISM...he taught IPE a NEW topic then. International POLITICAL Economy....a mix of politics, philosophy and economics and some socionomics too. I paid attention.
So I bought into the Gold LIFEBOAT. Was early and missed a lot of the BIGTECH rise from the ashes *but I have a FEW winners there* doing well....and waited. EARLY AND KNEW IT. And now paying off nicely even after the haircut this spring....
I wont list my holdings. paranoid about jackasses short selling.
Its all proprietary MY COIN MY HOLDINGS MY RISK MY PROFITS (in a ROTH IRA, Thank You Sen. Roth...I listened and put it in there Decades ago).
I also ask bill to look in the mirror for HIS investments......Nicaragua, France, Ireland and notably Argentina? Winners? NOT ONE. NONE. ZIP. ZERO. All black holes of repairs and continuing costs. THOUGH they do provide joy and happiness and family time and I get that... I have my vaca condo too. Which we LOVE AND ADORE AND USE.
Boats are black holes. Cars go to ZERO. Many personal homes LOSE money if you add up all the interest expense, property taxes, utilities, furnishings, repairs and INSURANCE etc. LOSE MONEY. Though on paper you "win" when you sell? NOPE. Add it up people. Surprising results.
We PAY bill to listen to and read his missives. NOBODY FORCES US TO DO SO. WE pay and we get what we deserve....Bill's drivel and TDS. LOL. And BILL profits. But I also buy for Dyson (whom I like and admire....lovely and beautiful family) and Denning.
I am up HUGE from the floor (of the haircut I got in March April and May) btw. HUGE. So recovering nicely and believe what Dyson and Rickards think that GOLD GOING MUCH higher and Miners even higher...but also VOLATILE. So no stop loss...dont want to be stopped out in Gold. I dont do Dysons tankers and oil and iron ore stuff. His gig.
Peace to all. PRAYING FOR PEACE IN IRAN and a Deal we can live with and that HELPS Persian People and they honor it. BUT I am pessimistic and realistic. WONT HAPPEN. They will never give up, never surrender and never cede power and always seek a nuke and they will BE A MENACE IN THE STRAITS.
Of course then there was Elon Musk. He has successfully started and managed an electric car company, a space ship company. a tunnel boring company, an internet company, and more. How many 0s in a trillion
Bill has a point. You gotta shake your head at who can win elections in the US of A. I can think of some doozies, why not start in 2008? There have been lots of examples since then, makes one feel like it's a whitewater raft trip. The guides thinks the rocks are the targets.
Bill. You clearly have a point of view. I respect that which is why I subscribe and read. However it seems to make your point you have to ignore many things. Trump is a successful billionaire. His children are productive citizens. He is POTUS despite enormous opposition. Not many achieve that in the world. Iran is led by men who want to destroy-not live with, trade with, and accommodate western society (especially the USA). Men who want a nuclear weapon not as deterrence but to use it. I fear you may be right about the hopelessness of US economic position. The math is the math. But history is full of hopeless situations that somehow resolved with hope. The founding of our nation is one of those. Hope this is current dilemma is one more.
Appreciate and agree on most of what you set forth and the thoughtful manner thereof, especially the need to maintain hope. Don’t agree on “successful” billionaire, given how that wealth was created, or on his children as “productive citizens”. What have they created, or contributed to society?
Elon Musk and Ross Perot BOTH had HUGE government contracts and "HELP." MOST billionaires got some Federal help.
"Iran is led by men who want to destroy-not live with, trade with, and accommodate western society (especially the USA). Men who want a nuclear weapon not as deterrence but to use it."
You got receipts for these claims? Why would Iran want to destroy its Western markets?
I dunno...
They display "DEATH TO AMERICA"
On the sides of skyscrapers, billboards and scrawl it on their bombs.
They repeat it at their political rallies and gatherings.
They chant it in their prayers.
-
Kinda seems like they don't care for westerners all that much...
Perhaps you should look to the Quran for your answer....
"They" are a minority of Iranians, a small faction of Islamists among mostly Persians. "AMERICA" is the US Government, not the people, and Iran isn't alone in expressing its disdain towards it and its violent "spreading of democracy".
NOBODY with a brain says ITS THE PEOPLE AT FAULT OR THE PERSIANS who want to destroy Israel and America and NATO and EU etc. ITS THE REGIME. Geeeez. We said so and THEY say so.
When it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's generally a duck. The Iranian leaders have hated the US. for decades and want to eliminate us from the face of the earth so they can perpetuate Islam onto western society. I for one don't want that and will resist that by all means. Thus we are where we are with the fight with the Iranian leadership. Iran's leadershio if given free rein would massacre the people of the US under Islam. Sad but I believe that to be true. Islam is not the problem the radical Islam leaders are.
"Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make".
- Lord Farquaad (and Mark)
Well you have to wade deep into founding of Islam to find that answer, I assure that it there though hidden deep in the language of dogmatic orthodoxy.
Genesis.
The Children of ISHMAEL shall be hated forever.
BUT...there is HOPE. The Abraham Accords are working and long long after Camp David Accords with Carter and Egypt and PLO and Israel. Moderate SUNNIS are now investing and we have the Saudis willing to sign on with conditions. Stay tuned.
Just one question: Does anyone here, including Bill, think that the voters made the wrong choice in 2024? That the only alternative on offer, a Kamala Harris Presidency, would have been better? Sometimes we only get to vote for the lesser of two evils. And if that were the voters choice in 2024, who should really be blamed, "the man in the ring" who prevailed, or those powerbrokers in the Democrat Deep State who pinned their hopes on.... what exactly?
Just whinny sour grapes - now pointing their finger outward with four pointing inward..
I have reminded my Dem friends for the past 10 years that they have only their party leadership to blame for DJT…and every one of them agrees.
Most Republicans and many Independents, myself included, thought we were getting a businessman in 2016 at the helm of this fading republic that might be able to veer us in the right direction. Instead we got the ultimate con man.
Trump never had any intention to try and make America great again, only to make Trump greater and wealthier again. Just like the vast majority of politicians and government officials from all parties in positions of power. And to think there was a time I was naive enough to think they were working for us.
WRONG WRONG WRONG. See above my lengthy post I voted for him NOT about his business acumen but OTHERWISE and also TO STOP HILLARY, aka BILLARY.
Well Bill, todays piece is an interesting way to close the week. There is no doubt that Trump has had a colorful life both in business and personal activities. He's had many successful experiences and many disasters. We have two more years to see how this movie ends. I would like to believe the story of America isn't over but the political class seems "hell bent" (BOTH SIDES) on taking the ship down.....I hope the voters can make good choices and save the "republic" in time.
Jim Marshall
Good choices? I'll take "none of the above."
Bill, your premise seems to be that DJT is a flim-flam man who makes lots of plans and promises but in the end just disappears with the money. I suppose you make a valid argument, but I don’t know given I have not made the “extensive and unbiased” study of his business practices that you and the MSM have. Does look familiar to another billionaire I know of that started a financial-advice publication and spends his time providing worthless and highly biased criticism of politicians without any financial value. Just take the money and run while providing criticism of DJT and NO financial advice. True, Tom and Dan are valuable assets and given their best advice. Too bad the namesake on the letterhead doesn’t.
Couple of things today, Bill mentioned an " honest government" which of course is an oxymoron. He also mentioned that government does not produce a product so they don't sell anything in the traditional way therefore there is no product and therefore there is no "profit". So I ask myself "why then are most of the congress multimillionaires and why are they able to pick stock winners at rate higher the Berkshire Hathaway?" Well of course the answer is that that government is extremely profitable. So when I juxtapose governmental "business behavior" with the manner in which Bill has characterized Trump's "business behavior" I don't see any daylight. Not sure Bill understands the business of our country?
Tom, don't you mean to say...
"Employed" by the gov't can be a highly profitable venture.
Gov't is $40T in debt.
Not so profitable...
It did cross my mind but my framing was more fun, at least for me. But good catch.
friend of mine, a lawyer once exclaimed to me, most of life is a scam and business a scam and its all about who gets caught and who pays up. A quote.
Wise attorney
Guitars, Bibles, Fragrances, Flatware, Watches, Sneakers, Shot glasses and cocktail shakers, Golf gear, polo shirts, skincare products, jackets and active wear, blankets, robes and linens, 250th collectables... this guy is a regular Wallmart of Presidential swag.
-
Of course it's embarrassing, the "Most Powerful" man in the world peddling Chinese crap.
-
But then I think of how Biden left Afghanistan...
And how Biden intentionally erased the national border...
And how the Biden team lied to America about this mental capacity...
-
Trump as bad as he is; is not guilty of treason.
NOBODY forced to buy anything from Trump. NOBODY. Not even join his golf clubs. BUT the BIDEN deal? WE were all forced to pay. And Obama bail out of GM unfunded union pensions? We all were forced to pay up. ALL GOVERNMENT SPENDING is FORCED ON TAXPAYERS AND CITIZENS. Most of it is ROBINHOOD ECONOMICS btw. Who pays MOST of the taxes? UBER WEALTHY.
What else to do? Becoming expat doesnt help you STILL pay FEDERAL TAXES. Plus new nation taxes. And LOSE your constitutional rights overseas. Trust me.
This daily obsession with DJT is providing no value to the BPR reader. The vast majority of BPR subscribers fully understand the few benefits and value of big government and the vast array of con artists, grifters and unproductive workers on the tax payer dole. It would probably be more productive to sometimes mention some of the good initiatives emanating from the White House or Congress as well as the negative which for the most part are vastly better than the daily garbage we put up with over the Biden and Obama years. If Bill's obsession continues I'm only reading Tom's and Dan's weekly missives that provide much greater value to BPR readers.
Well this is a repeat of yesterdays TDS drivel. Sigh. But I am not a Trump investor in any of his properties or other businesses nor his crypto scam. Nor do i care one twit. I didnt vote for him because of his business success. And I note he IS successful in many properties i.e golf courses and developments and many other buildings. But I dont care. Not one twit. I voted for him because he was messaging what I was thinking and feeling, that globalism was an other liberalism libertarian SCAM. Like Global Warming. And needed to be culled. Quickly. We had sold out for ScumStreet, aka WallStreet bankers and hedgefunds and corporate CEOs in the name of fighting unions and finding "cheaper made goods" and all we did according to GREENSPAN aka Elmer Fudd was finance the CCP and Red Army and RAISE THEIR BOATS (and India and Vietnam) and HARM OUR ECONOMY AND MIDDLE CLASS. And both Greenspan (who spoke at Manhattan Club) and Trump were right. And I despise ScumStreet and its lawyers and bankers. SCUM. FILTH. GREEDMEISTERS and SHAM ARTISTS AND who created BUBBLES of wealth from scams like DERIVATIVES and now HIGHLY LEVERAGED ETFs in AI and OTHER LIBERAL CONMAN games in BIGTECH. UH OH.
Beware.
I am long gold and its performing for ME marvelously......I was early, bought in huge on Dysons and Rickards warnings years ago and fresh off being BURNED in the dot.com (I sold some stuff that actually survived and thrived like Broadcom...OUCH) and banking crisis etc......and got scared so looked for an offramp and they made sense, and I recalled my college ECON classes and my college professor (RIP PEACE Dr. Cashman) PhD Tufts who exclaimed ALL ROADS LEAD TO FASCISM...he taught IPE a NEW topic then. International POLITICAL Economy....a mix of politics, philosophy and economics and some socionomics too. I paid attention.
So I bought into the Gold LIFEBOAT. Was early and missed a lot of the BIGTECH rise from the ashes *but I have a FEW winners there* doing well....and waited. EARLY AND KNEW IT. And now paying off nicely even after the haircut this spring....
I wont list my holdings. paranoid about jackasses short selling.
Its all proprietary MY COIN MY HOLDINGS MY RISK MY PROFITS (in a ROTH IRA, Thank You Sen. Roth...I listened and put it in there Decades ago).
I also ask bill to look in the mirror for HIS investments......Nicaragua, France, Ireland and notably Argentina? Winners? NOT ONE. NONE. ZIP. ZERO. All black holes of repairs and continuing costs. THOUGH they do provide joy and happiness and family time and I get that... I have my vaca condo too. Which we LOVE AND ADORE AND USE.
Boats are black holes. Cars go to ZERO. Many personal homes LOSE money if you add up all the interest expense, property taxes, utilities, furnishings, repairs and INSURANCE etc. LOSE MONEY. Though on paper you "win" when you sell? NOPE. Add it up people. Surprising results.
We PAY bill to listen to and read his missives. NOBODY FORCES US TO DO SO. WE pay and we get what we deserve....Bill's drivel and TDS. LOL. And BILL profits. But I also buy for Dyson (whom I like and admire....lovely and beautiful family) and Denning.
I am up HUGE from the floor (of the haircut I got in March April and May) btw. HUGE. So recovering nicely and believe what Dyson and Rickards think that GOLD GOING MUCH higher and Miners even higher...but also VOLATILE. So no stop loss...dont want to be stopped out in Gold. I dont do Dysons tankers and oil and iron ore stuff. His gig.
Peace to all. PRAYING FOR PEACE IN IRAN and a Deal we can live with and that HELPS Persian People and they honor it. BUT I am pessimistic and realistic. WONT HAPPEN. They will never give up, never surrender and never cede power and always seek a nuke and they will BE A MENACE IN THE STRAITS.
So War is likely. stay tuned.
Of course then there was Elon Musk. He has successfully started and managed an electric car company, a space ship company. a tunnel boring company, an internet company, and more. How many 0s in a trillion