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Byron King's avatar

This: "But in 1925, you could buy an average house for 300 ounces of gold. Today, it will take only 175 ounces. In gold terms, the price of a house has fallen 41%."

Makes sense.... That 1925 house was better in many ways... Better lumber than now; better brick & mortar; slate roof; better craftsmanship; copper pipes versus plastic; better hardware on better doors; all that and more... Just a sturdier old house.

Okay, today we have better HVAC. Better energy systems (gas & electric, versus coal). Tighter windows. Better wiring & circuit panels. Better appliances...

But most of the time, I'll still take the 1925 house over the 2025 house... If there's a 41% difference... And I'll put the difference into upgrades.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

I am currently in a post-WWII "cottage" built as Officer Housing on the old Palm Beach Naval Air Station, immediately after the war. My entire Real Estate professional family told me not to buy it back in '15 - "It's too old." My attitude was that this house is made 100% out of wood from the Pinus elliottii 'Var-Densa' tree (aka Dade Pine - 2nd hardest wood on earth, immune to any insect or fungus), with Pittsburgh Steel Nails, hammered together skillfully with attention to detail by the hands of a bunch of extremely optimistic men who had just kicked the shit out of Hitler and the Japanese. I'll take this house any day over one made 10 -20 years ago from White Pine, Chinese nails and nail guns, put together by a bunch of immigrants who mostly don't care about the finished product. She's lived through a couple dozen Hurricanes and countless Tropical Storms - still solid as a rock....

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Bill's avatar

I own a house.

In kansas that's over 120 yearas old. There are pictures of the wagon train's going past it. There was a fourteen foot brick chimney that was built for a pot belly stove. The chimney only went half down the wall. The chimney and all its weight sat on a shelf of made of no more than three feet of true 2x4 inside a wall. The largest frame nails from through guns would literally bounce off curled when they hit the wood. We had to.

Predrill holes for our nail guns to work.

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An Ol' LSO's avatar

Still solid as a rock........but how are you doing?

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James Naylor's avatar

Right on Byron...me too!

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Jon's avatar

You know when I hear about all the home costs etc. this $510000.00, it appears to me it is a similar comparison to comparing Tesla w/ Chinese electric cars. Barron's ran an article on this. not everyone can afford a Tesla but a lot of them can afford a China car that can come to market @ half the price. You don't get a Cadillac for a Honda Civic, Toyota Corrolla, or Ford Escort price but a lot of folks drive them. There is a very real need for both. I have heard in some pontificating conversations that if China doubled the price that our motor companies still would not be able to match it. Where their is a need someone will fill it.

There are a lot of homes that can be built for < that I would guess buy half to 2/3 at least. Much of that cost is in the location of where the house is and what one really needs to live i Vs. needs to live in. The real estate market is getting bought up by wealthy organizations and individuals looking to control the real estate market on both a large and small scale. The wealthy are taking the American Dream away from many of the American people. Perhaps in time we will see a breakup in housing markets like there was in oil industry w. John d. Rockefeller.

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Bill's avatar

True, where's the suburban house with 3 bedrooms , one bathroom? We need ten foot sidewalks on each side of the street street lights that have half the interval that they were in the sixties underground storms sewers instead of drainage ditches. And again to your point the value of the land..

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Bill's avatar

How much would you have to pay for a two by four in 1925? I'm gonna start stocking up on them. To come back to an earlier post.It's not the house that has the real value.It's the real estate. Tons of mansions in Baltimore that are more than wortless.

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Abe Porter's avatar

Bill:

You spent this whole commentary on gold, the stock market and bashing Trump and Musk. Get your head out of sand and see the amount of fraud and corruption Musk/Trump have found. This is just a small tip of the iceberg of American tax money wasted. I love cutting the government down to using the tax money wisely; helping Americans and people in need as well as keeping America safe and healthy. AP

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Agree 100%. What happens when the entire productive class becomes absolutely disgusted with their government. If this grift doesn't disgust you then I'd suggest taking your pulse. These are some dots Bill should be looking to connect :-)

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Bill's avatar

I agree. A truly strange

diatribe against heavy cost cutting coming from the former head of the "Taxpayers Alliance."

That's the wrong name, but as I recall, Bill was a champion for lower taxes.

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working stiff's avatar

he just loves to trump bash, never has a solution, just lots of bashing. He likes the attention.

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Steve L's avatar

Exactly Abe! Bill loves to go to his left wing sources and explain the lies and misinformation of our past four years under Biden/Obama. “The Scotsman:

How Donald Trump is making it clear the world faces four years of 'constant chaos” 🤪🤣😂🤣😂After what our world has endured with these same leftist running America and the real Chaos that has bankrupted the world. Still hope for America, but not much for Bill, like Biden and McConnell, it’s better to know when to quit while ahead, especially after you lost your mind 🤔

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Nah. Perversely, I wanna see him keep diggin'...

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rKf's avatar

Me too. And what”s with ole Howdy Doody McConnell? Who pulls his strings?

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RANDALL R NORTON's avatar

I'm pretty hardcore conservative and as far as McConnell goes, the ONLY positive I have for him is NOT voting Merrick Garland onto the Supreme Court. Otherwise, McC does nothing for me.

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RANDALL R NORTON's avatar

And yes, I believe it's China pulling strings.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Not sure exactly who, but 100% positive they speak Chinese...

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Bill's avatar

Probably Hunter Biden. Although i'm not sure if he's pulling his strings or pushing his wheelchair.

Definitely not wiping his ass. Won't fit through this straw. Especially a papers draw.

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rKf's avatar

😎

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rKf's avatar

A lot of hoopla, I await results.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Nailed it. More on this concept later...

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Penny's avatar

I prefer we cut ties with Ukraine entirely.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Ditto Gaza and Israel!

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RANDALL R NORTON's avatar

Shut it down AFTER repaying US for war $$$ "donated" to Ukraine by giving US Rare Earth Elements.

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Bob Gmitter's avatar

Trump is accomplishing so much so fast it is hard to keep up with him. He got that teacher released from Russia that harris/biden abandoned. He is forcing zelenski to give us exclusive rights to the massive rare earth minerals in the Ukraine (why biden didn't do this is another sign of their incompetence, plus biden missed out on his 10% cut). He is cutting bloated government bureaucracies that only hurt business. Bill, you should be salivating.

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Mackinac's avatar

Of course these politicians don't like Trump. He is showing their incompetence.

Lots of extraneous ideas, Bill.

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Paul Murray's avatar

He's merely showing their incompetence, which is obvious, anyway. President Trump is exposing their corruption, a necessary step in returning to sanity. Best always. PM

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Dan's avatar

Aah, Bill. You had me worried that you were sick because you hadn’t bashed DJT in awhile. Glad to know you’re back up and running on your high horse. You raised a question that I didn’t understand what you meant and it is a serious accusation. You said one of Musk’s team, aka: Big Balls, created a “url” that apparently was of sexual material and by your limited description particularly onerous. I need a layman’s explanation of this accusation. Is this a typical 16 year old’s stupid perusing, or an indication that this young man is morally corrupt? We deserve clarification, Bill. Spell out what this tidbit is, what it means and your sources. Otherwise, you fall into the same category as MSNBC and the other idiots on the left.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Bill got this "tidbit" from a rabid, oft-discredited leftwing "journalist" and yet Bill thought it worthy to include in his diatribe. There has been ZERO evidence presented to back up the claim. It is just another in a LONG line of Get Trump/Musk made-up bits of "news" and seeing it here should tell the reader all he needs to know about where Bill Bonner's mind is at. Throw the most ridiculous, un-sourced defamation that you can at the wall and see how many are gullible or stupid enough to believe it because it fits their hatred...

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Dan's avatar

Starboard: This is particularly bothersome to me. Bonner doesn’t like DJT. Ok, I can live with that. But when he starts this crap we put up for the entire election cycle with saying ANYTHING about Trump and his minions, he becomes another source of left-wing fake news. I quit listening to Fox because I got fed up with their constant regurgitation of left-wing news and I sure as hell don’t listen to left-wing news. Frankly, Bill is about to move into that black hole as well. His associates are great, but I am about to turn Bill off.

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John P Gallien's avatar

Bill hasn't bashed Trump in a while? You mean like yesterday when he wrote an excellent column?

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Tom Tiede's avatar

If you watched Elon in Trump’s WH office last evening give a press briefing on why & what the DOGE team is doing to make our government more cost-effective for the American people, you would have heard specifically from Musk a direct tie in to our 36 trillion debt problem. Where were you, Bill? ….Ignoring the two together seemingly on the same page….or preferring to continue to make them dissimilar bed-fellows?

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368671861112

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StarboardEdge's avatar

THIS VIDEO SHOULD BE SEEN BY EVERY AMERICAN! And yes - it is pathetic that Bill would ignore this. Watch Trump's facial expressions and body language as Musk spells things out. These two are, beyond doubt. on the same page.

Here is a shorter version that cuts to the chase. If you are against this then you are TRULY an enemy of this Country...

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1889428322813153769

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

This is absolutely our last chance. If DOGE and Trump's domestic agenda fails its game set match. It won't matter what Tribe you belong to because you'll be done!

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Here's a good read from Paul Craig Roberts. President Reagan appointed Dr. Roberts Assistant Secretary of the Treasury back in 1975. He calls it as he sees it and this one is bare knuckles :-)

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2025/02/paul-craig-roberts/democrats-and-presstitutes-panicked-that-musk-is-revealing-their-grift/

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

Do not say that You are an enemy of this country. That is what Putin said he hates. Do not put the USA in this same category. If You have read the books on the Gulag You would not want any country to go this route. Do not mean to be an adversary as Usually the way You describe things is spot on.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

I'd counter and say that the Country and the Government is not one and the same. I can love America and hate the U.S. Government and vice versa, right?

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

Yes that is the correct way to look at things in My way of thinking. Thanks C.W. It is the people that make the country' , not the government People are generally easy going in most of civilized countries.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

We're on the same page! I love America like a family member. It breaks my heart and infuriates me to see what the U.S. Government has done to America.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Yet I am directly referring to the "people" OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT who are gaslighting this situation...

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

Thanks for the clarity.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

I get your point, Don. How else to describe those among us who are ignoring the Criminality and Corruption to ridiculously focus only on those who are exposing the evil? And striving to convince others that the "messengers" are the real problem??

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

If I was a wise man I probably could answer Your question. There probably are ways and I am sure that many a reader of this site could answer Your question.

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Patrick H Neff's avatar

Ygbsm

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Bill's silence on this is mind bending. This should be red meat for him! Makes one wonder if Bill's still in the author's chair.

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Patrick H Neff's avatar

Ygbsm

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Patrick H Neff's avatar

They both looked like border line idiot savants.

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D. Young's avatar

Ah. But they are both savants in their own way surrounded by some eager, young bright people. The last idiot in the Oval Office was no savant.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Is your butt hurting from losing so much in the last 4 weeks, Patty?

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Patrick H Neff's avatar

What the hell , U talkin about Starry

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StarboardEdge's avatar

You can lead a lefty to Logic, but you can't make him think...

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Patrick H Neff's avatar

HUH?

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StarboardEdge's avatar

"𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳… 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳… 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳… 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘥’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 30 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘢 ‘𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵’ 𝘨𝘶𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘙𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘭 — 𝘢 ‘𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺’ 𝘨𝘶𝘺 — 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘥."

Makes perfect sense once the reader realizes that Bill has an irrational, never-ceasing hatred for anything related to President Trump and is rapidly being shown to be completely WRONG in his assumptions and pathetic, snarky attempts to bite Donald's ankles. Sad, yet he unexplainably persists. I come here to get something that I don't get from the "legacy" media, but even BPR apparently reads and embraces the daily 4:00am DNC-issued memos.

"...𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘭𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?"

You stoop to disparing a group of young men (who appear to have been brought up well enough to pass your "virginity question" test) 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲?? They are doing exactly what you tried to do in the past, but they are finding Success where you didn't. Ignore the delicious meal and instead unjustly criticize the ingredients.

𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀𝘆 - the cornerstone hallmark of all Leftardes. Just amazing to see it so blatantly spewed in these pages.

A level of Arrogant Ignorance and Cognitive Dissonance is showing through - not something most of us ever expected to see emanating so brightly from the pen of Bill Bonner...

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Bill's bitched about the unelected bureaucracy and their theft for decades. We now have an Administration airing out all the dirty deeds, and crickets. WTF! I'm beginning to question whether Bill is actually penning these missives.

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Steve L's avatar

Yes Craig, I believe Bills wife Elizabeth has been doing most of the writing for the past year. His writing has become very feminine and anti republican and is a very noticeable change from his past writings. Either that or his mind is going 🤔

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

I sure hope its the former rather than the later :-)

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Hey Steve -

I never thought of that, but it kind of makes sense...

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John P Gallien's avatar

Tell us how you really feel about Bill. 🤣

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StarboardEdge's avatar

I don't hate Bill - I don't hate anybody. What I DO have an extreme dislike for is when someone who sells themselves as a trustworthy "expert" decides to mislead and gaslight those who depend on him, for what appear to be purely personal, malicious reasons. The last few years have shown that when it comes to virtually anything Trump and/or Conservatism (capital "C") related, Bill Bonner is deserving of the same ridicule and disdain ALL thinking people have for the "mainstream media." I'm only pointing out the reality, hypocrisy and dishonesty - and the fact that incessant Trump-bashing is not why most of us subscribe. We can get that for free in so many other places...

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John P Gallien's avatar

Yes, I understand. You can actually hate someone's ideas without necessarily hating the person. I read Bonner's recent book, "Un-Civilizing America". It was quite good in his promotion of "Win-Win" deals although he never gets down to the basic philosophical and fundamental principle of what makes "Win-Win" deals possible - a respect for individual rights. But at some point, after page 300, he goes on a several page unhinged rant against Trump. Totally unwarranted.

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

I read said book also. At least it in His book. But what He writes He writes.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Bill, you say your beat is money. DOGE is following the money and attempting to connect the dots. I've never witnessed the undressing of the U.S. government on a scale like this and they've only just begun. Man you need to wake up and drop your Tribal allegiance or TDS ASAP. DOGE has the potential to take on a life of its own. It will be interesting to take the peoples temperature on their big beautiful government one year from now. You want to see the culprits? They're out their on the idiot box for everyone to see. They're the miscreants crying because DOGE broke their trough. DOGE is the first sunshine the Swamp has seen in my lifetime. We all know Cockroaches prefer dark environments :-)

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

I have to admire MR.T. for his work on opening eyes to the real world. Not only in the USA, but across the world. I just hope that the ending is as good as the start.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

In my line of work I've been heavily involved in the turn-around of many a troubled business. The gameplan is exactly what Musk is employing. 1) Apply Sunshine, 2) Identify Cockroaches, 3) Eradicate them. We all know this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm expecting the productive class to lose their collective minds once all this corruption and theft is brought to light. Time will tell, but we're off to a great start.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

And April 15th is right around the corner.

Whoa, Nelly...

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

Don't think you'll be hearing pay your fair share :-)

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StarboardEdge's avatar

I fully expect to continue hearing that idiotic refrain.

And the continued tone-deaf stupidity coming from the leftardes is absolutely DELICIOUS. Couple that with the fact that we will FINALLY begin cleaning up all the fraud in our Electoral System, and the dimocrats will never win any election of consequence for the next several generations.

America - we have a golden opportunity to truly "Be Back"....

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Don Hrehirchek's avatar

Yes take that opportunity. Have it grow !

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Bill's avatar

Your reference to Mr. T. You remember him in the A Team tv show? His tag line was "Shut up fool!"

It reminds me of how trump deals with stupid questions from journalists.... He actually says.Well that's a really stupid question.... Shut up fool!

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frank hayes's avatar

My My.

You ,too,have quickly descended to ad hominem attacks. Must be difficult to look in the mirror with all that self-righteousness dripping all over you.

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Craig Whitfield's avatar

"Elon Musk’s revelations of the extraordinary corruption in federal departments have made it clear for me why so many Democrat Representatives and Senators without business backgrounds became multi-millionaires and how the presstitute media abandoned by the public remains on its feet. Their source of wealth and funding is the US budget, which also explains why the budget is so totally out of control. The political establishment and the media are living on the federal budget, while American taxpayers cannot make ends meet and are up to their eyeballs in debt."

-Paul Craig Roberts (February 12, 2025)

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John P Gallien's avatar

Many good points today, Bill, except for your bashing of Trump. During his first term, Trump had to react to the Democrat's (i.e., Progressive Fascist Nihilist horde) constant assault on his administration - from impeachment being brought up almost immediately and then in actuality over a phone call (which was rushed onto the House floor for vote before the transcript came out, if I remember correctly), then 2 years of investigation over the Russian Collusion Hoax which was started by the Democrats themselves (via Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Steele Dossier), etc. Now Trump is turning the tables by bringing up so many actions and policies at once, the Democrats only have time to react. He is predominately on the offensive, Democrats on the defensive. If Trump is "throwing the world into turmoil" over buying Greenland, making Canada the 51st state, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, taking over the Panama Canal, etc., then this world is in a very sad state, which, of course, it is.

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Jon's avatar

Trump and Gaza, maybe he is not telling us his true plan & holding it back as a surprise. He plans on rebuilding Gaza rather than rebuilding the homeless from fires in CA so they can move there!! If your not laughing by now then you didn't get the pun! I'm betting no one will want to insure anything in either of those 2 places.

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An Ol' LSO's avatar

Gentlemen..........really? Ya'all bash Bill like ya'all claim he bashes good ol' DT. If so and it frustrates ya - why are you still here. All retired living off of.........doing this while you eat bon-bons? The proof will be in the pudding and maybe, just maybe, the 47 will take a healthy whack at our out-of-control brain dead government. Still waiting for the pudding but thumbs up so far domestically. Internationally is a whole another story and - that is going to be ugly beyond imagination. Hold your gold and you might want to stock-up on some rye whiskey. Just saying.......

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MarcusTC's avatar

Interesting this gold thing! Gold goes to $8000 with a Dow of 40k to get to our 5. But at that point is our gold really a boon or is the price of everything going to be up by 2.5. It’s all relative to how much more you have than your neighbor or fellow countrymen. Maybe that’s why we sell at 5 and pick up real earning assets before everyone else catches on.

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Howard E Bouchard's avatar

I thought Joy Reid of The View called Musk "Big Balls" and said she wanted "Big Balls" incarcerated? I then thought I heard that Elon changed his name to Harry Balls on X ?? Such is the quality of my radio news as I traveled across the snowy pass to my favorite ice-fishing lake. Thanks, Bill for informing us who "Big Balls" really is!

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Bill's avatar

The name change was to " Big Bolz." A major troll to lib media and it worked. They Are saying balls with clear diction, despite the fact that's Bolz.

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StarboardEdge's avatar

Actually, Musk changed his X moniker to Harry Bolz, but I'm not one to quibble...

:)

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