The Republican Con

Free Book Sunday

2012-02-12T10:39:00.001-08:00

Modern Day Wealth Inequity.

2012-01-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

Shop Amazon Jewelry - Gifts for Every Valentine, Selections up to 70 Off

Here are some dirty stats on Wealth Inequality:

400 Americans own 3percent of all the nations wealth- they own more than 60% of all Americans combined.
top 1 percent own 43 percent of america
top 20% own 93% percent of america.

the bottom 80% own 7% of america
the bottom 50% own .02 percent of america.

in 1970 the bottom 99% owned 70% of america
in 2011 the bottom 99% own 57%

the bottom 90% account for 55% of all consumer spending. the barely middle class and the poor in the bottom 55% pay the majority of sales tax and the evil inflation tax.

As Wealth Inequity continues to grow- it accumulates at the top, the american dream goes down the tubes.
The middle class and the poor pay for 60% of all, ALL federal taxes, not just income tax. The middle class and the poor pay for 75% of the inflation tax, and 75% of all sales taxes.

Anyone outside of the 1% bracket isn’t rich, they are middle class.

The dirty trick is to try and combine the top 1% and the next 19% as the 20% that pays “all” the income taxes. But that still doesn’t count the federal taxes aside from income tax that the poor and the middle class pay.

There is a world of difference between the taxpayer that made 200 million in the top bracket and the taxpayer that made 50k in the twentieth percentile.

The reason the top 1% own 40% of the country is because they aren’t paying enough in taxes. And The reason the poor and the middle class own less of the country is because they pay too much.

The poor pay much more than there fair share in federal taxes. To state otherwise displays ignorance, stupidity, or a lack of integrity.

Federal income tax only generates less than 50 percent of federal revenue combined. Where then does the other 50 plus percent of federal revenue come from?

We all know the answers, but few are willing to expose the hidden taxes that the overwhelming majority at the bottom and the middle pay to the federal government.

What are some of the hidden taxes that the masses in middle and the poor must pay?

Sin tax
Gas tax
Federal payroll tax
Utility tax
Lotto tax
Import tariffs

There are many others, but ill save the “best” and the most pernicious tax for last. This stealth tax destroys the poor and the middle class, because they bear the brunt of it.

Lest I forget, we can’t forget about the sales tax which falls on the majority of the populace which includes both the poor and the middle class. As the poor and the middle purchase goods and services on trillions of transactions the nation’s tax coffers are filled.

Also worth remembering; while federal income taxes are avoided by the poor, State and City taxes may still be collected.

So, what is this silent deadly tax you ask?

Anyone that knows how the Federal Reserve works, knows exactly what this hidden tax is, and who it affects the most.

Amazon.com Widgets

The inflation tax!

The poor pay an unconscionable percentage of their incomes on too many flat taxes, which include sales, gas, import and inflation. If you look at the entire picture, it’s no wonder why this forces the government to refund a small amount of that money back in the form of a refund.

To argue that the federal income tax that is paid by wealthiest Americans is worse, or less fair than the inflation tax that is paid by the poor, and the middle is a piece of dung.

Commodity inflation without wage inflation is what this country has had to endure for the past decade. Inflation has destroyed the middle class and has murdered the poor.

Examine over multiple years and you will find non existent wage growth, compare that to the CPI index, price out what gas, food and other necessary commodities have done over the same time span.
when was the last time a social security recipient received a cost of living increase?

The government has borrowed money from the FED and dumped it all over the world. A large part of our debt went to the richest bankers but all US citizens have to pay for that monetary creation in the form of a diluted anemic dollar.

Simple math.
Do 99% of the US population purchase and consume more than the top 1%? If so, who bears the brunt of the inflation and consumption taxes?

There is no contest on which class of American pays a larger percentage of their income on taxes, and which class of American has been able to enrich themselves because of minuscule tax rates.

Ladies and gentlemen, we can always change things for the better. Just look at SOPA vs godaady.

2012-01-13T10:42:00.002-08:00

Close to 40,000 customers have left godaddy in the last two days because of their support of that disgusting bill named SOPA.

Officially, close to 100,000 sites have moved, the whisper number however is over one million.

Godaddy was staunch and unapologetic in their support of SOPA, up until a few weeks ago that is, today they seem very contrite.

They are actually reaching out to customers that have moved their business elsewhere or those that might. While they have reversed their public position on SOPA- many internet users remain skeptical on their true motives.

Wikipedia is in opposition to SOPA, they threatened to move off of godaddy on this issue. Throughout it all, Godaddy remained belligerent on its support of SOPA. Almost 40,000 paying customers decided they were right and that godaddy was on the wrong side of the aisle- Godaddy has since reconsidered their position.

I'm proud to say i moved my sites off of godaddy, and i convinced many of my friends to do the same.

Do you know what makes this story just a little bit sweeter? Bob Parsons Ex CEO and founder of godaddy is a vile Grinch- he is a proud member of the extreme right wing.

Collectively, we all make a positive difference, and we do it by shouting the truth from the rooftops. Expressing our opinions on what's on the right side of morality, and what's wrong with with the other side, that's one of the best gifts we can give to humanity.

Happy Holidays!

Must watch video on SOPA.

Buy Gas just in case the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian Threat might be more than bluster.

2012-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

If you can buy a few gallons, and store them away, that might be the ideal solution. This is certainly not the safest option or the most convenient for the vast majority.

For the rest of us, buying options is probably the way to go on Gasoline.

Take a look at (UGA) United States Gasoline Fund.

The United States Gasoline Fund, LP ("UGA") is a new way for investors and hedgers to manage their exposure to energy.

The United States Gasoline Fund LP (UGA) is an exchange traded security that is designed to track in percentage terms the movements of gasoline prices. UGA issues units that may be purchased and sold on the NYSE Arca.

I am not recommending you go out and bet it all on this. But, it might be prudent to hedge your gas costs against headline risk- just a little.

You can buy out of the money calls on UGA- take a look at the Feb 18 2012 with 51 Days to Expiration.

The 65.0 strike Call can be purchased for .10 cents.

If the Iranian scenario does go bad, gas is going to double, and those calls will be worth $2 to $3 bucks- each.

Spending $100 on these calls to protect your short term fuel costs is a modest proposal that could potentially pay off for the long haul.

That hundred you wagered could be worth a few grand if things go to hell in hand basket.

want to help out?

2012-01-04T16:01:00.001-08:00

Shop Amazon's New Kindle Fire

Buy anything by visiting Amazon through the above links, and we receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Donate now to keep blogging alive.

My stock pick for 2011.

2011-12-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

I like sprint, a lot.
The reason:
Apple is gonna save their asses

For the first time in years they have added new subscribers, and they are the only player that offers unlimited data at such a cheap price.

unlimited sprint

I bought the 2013 JAN 2.50 strike.
Why not just own it outright?

You can get more for your money with the 2.50 LEAPS, they go for around .80 cents, but you can put in an order limit for .60 cents and hope for a fill.

How high could this stock could go?
S&P has a 5 dollar price target for the next 12 months- I believe it could go higher. Sprint got the 4s exactly when jobs died, and if the iPhone was going to sell before his death, you know that after he passed, people have put this product on their short must have list that for xmas.

You can hear the cash registers working overtime once S got the iPhone, think of all those new contracts.

“The launch of this iconic device resulted in Sprint’s best ever day of sales in retail, web and telesales for a device family in Sprint history. The response to this device by current and new customers has surpassed initial expectations. The iPhone is expected to be accretive for Sprint, and iPhone users are expected to be among Sprint’s most profitable customers.”

The money is rolling in!

The problem with S; before the iPhone there was zero subscriber growth, and too much debt. They still have a lot of debt, but- soon, they are going to have a lot of cash to pay it down.

Another caveat, if the iPhone 5 is garbage, If no one buys the iPhone 5, sprint goes bankrupt.

I also like Sprint as a cheap and indirect way to gain some exposure to Apple stock.

Since Sprint had to commit 20billion on Apple- the two company’s fates are intertwined for the time being.
Give Apple credit, they were like- you want the iPhone- that will be 20B please. Damn!
If S sells all of those phones the incurred debt will be paid back.

Once Sprint finally got the iPhone, customers began to voluntarily switch from At&t and Verizion- the Sprint unlimited data plan is a steal.
If they can take market share from At&t and Verizon, S can become a big player and a real rival.

They bet it all on the iPhone, to put this in the proper perspective, the 20billion they committed to this deal is worth almost triple Sprint’s current market cap.

Just a little PSA, As far as Michelle Bachman goes.

2011-11-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone that lies more than Michelle Bachman?
Every time Bachman opens her mouth, I am amazed at the veracity of lies that spew from the bowels of GOPSatan.

Take a look at her stats from politifact.

Egads, at least fifty percent of all of her statements are either mostly false, or entirely false.
Keep in mind; this is with a generous splattering of mostly true’s from a site with an obvious rightwing bent. Many believe politifact has to distort facts in order to grade republicans with some “mostly true” statements.

When it comes to the left however, they really go out of their way to find a minor technicality when they check a democratic quote they grade as a “mostly false” talking point.

Newt could potentially destroy Obama at the debates.

2011-11-21T13:27:00.000-08:00

Newt is an obnoxious bully and he would dismantle Obama.

Out of all the potential matchups, I think Newt is the only one that is going to throw Obama off his game in the debates.

If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself this: Is Obama Milquetoast, or does he bring the heat?
Now image him arguing with a cantankerous, lying, bullying, blowhard.
Newt would eat Obama’s lunch, and what’s Obama gonna do about it?
No one else running for pres would present a challenge to Obama in the debates, but Newt is dangerous.

Before you dismiss this outright- consider this.

Many consider Newt to be a carbon copy of Cheney or McCain, this isn't true, they both had uncontrollable rage, but they were unable to express that rage in a cogent way.

Newt is a much bigger and polished bully than most.

McCain would just snarl, and grumble. Newt is much more lucid with his lies, he will be able bash Obama with his snake oil bottle in the fox news tradition.

Don't get me wrong, i despise Newt, but if you watch him at the debates, you will see that he will be able to go after Obama's weak points.

No one else on that stage would get the better of Obama, but Newt gives me pause.

They all lie, but they don't have the oratory skills that Newt has. Neither Cheney nor McCain posses the ability to convince millions of Americans that the BS they spew is intellectually driven- Newt has this ability .

Newt is Full of BS, but he can sell it by pretending his is an intellectual.

Newt is a lying thug and a bully with oratory skill, Obama has no defense against someone with this skill set.

Does newt bully the moderators? Do they back off when he does?
Does Obama stand up to bullies or does he capitulate?
Did Obama earn his Compromiser-in-Chief moniker?

Ask yourself this: if you had face-down a bully, would you take Newt or Obama?

Make no mistake, Newt is slime, but Obama can't debate with a snakelike bully.

Say what you will, if it makes you feel any better, shoot the messenger (me) if you will. None of this will change the facts.
Has Obama taken on the Tea Party bully on his own? Has he put the Tea Party in its place?
If it wasn’t for auxiliary support from Elizabeth Warren and the Occupy movement, Obama would be flailing even worse than he was during the debt ceiling fiasco.
This man doesn’t know how to deal with bullies. Newt, unlike Bush / Cheney / McCain / Perry can intimidate, while he gets his Fox news talking point across. Obama can’t counter a petite Fox news talking point with a 4 paragraph refutation, which cites stats, figures and facts in its defense.

One last note.
Just because Obama did well in the democratic debates, that doesn't mean he will be able to hold his own against Newt.

Just remember, Hilary Clinton and Edwards were saintly truth tellers compared to the current crop of GOP candidates.

Hilary and Edwards kept it civilized and the democratic debates were intellectual at their core.

Obama's weakness is Fox News / tea party talking points. and no one at the GOP debates is better at conveying those lies than Newt.

Mittens is a wimp, Bachman is possessed, Cain / Perry, sigh... can they even remember those three line talking points?
Newt is the only one that can effectively bash Obama with lies.

Fed chair Alan Greenspan Recommends, cutting taxes on the rich- to grow the debt.

2011-11-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

Greenspan Suggested Cutting Taxes on the Wealthy to Increase Debt so the Fed Wouldn’t “Lose Control of Monetary Policy”

Back in January 2001, just as George W. Bush was entering office, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was worrying; If the U.S. totally paid off its debt, it would no longer need to sell off Treasury bonds to borrow money. To avoid that scenario, Greenspan ended up endorsing tax cuts as a way of reducing surpluses. The Bush administration happily obliged

read the entire story on NPR.

life after debt, secret fed document on the debt.
Don't let anyone tell you taxes on the rich won't help to pay down the debt. Greenspan favored Tax Cuts To Reduce the Surplus and increase the debt. If we tax the rich, we can restore fiscal sanity.

Opponents of tax cuts are dismayed that Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan supports reductions in the federal tax burden. His reasoning implies that paying off the national debt is not a good idea.

read more here.

max baucus is not a democrat- stop calling him one.

2011-11-15T12:37:00.000-08:00

The mainstream media loves to denigrate the democratic party- they castigate the dems as ineffectual and weak, they cite high disapproval numbers for dems as proof that this is a conservative country.

That’s only one side of the story.

The popular narrative is that Obama had democratic majorities in the house and the senate, but with max baucus, joe Lieberman, and ben nelson on your side, who needs enemies.

There were 54 blue dogs in the house, after the 2010 elections the blue dogs got shellacked and only 26 were left standing.

The voters mistakenly thought the blue dogs and the party they were pretending to represent were the problem, so they replaced them with tea party zealots.
Ironically, they hated the republican ideology that the blue dogs practiced, yet they replaced them with people that were even more to the right!

On this site people have become despondent to the Democratic Party. And one of the main reasons is the blue dog congress members and the DINO senators that have sabotaged the party and this country.

The media is all too happy to pretend that Baucus and Nelson represent the Democratic Party; nothing could be further from the truth.
Putting Baucus on the super committee was an affront to all liberals- but when he compromises or when he pretends to bow to republican demands because he had no choice, the media will spin the tale of democratic weakness that ultimately lead to entitlement cuts.

If DINO’s go for cuts to entitlements, and no taxes on the rich, voters will ask:
“What’s the point of the democratic party?- they are just as bad, maybe worse than the republicans.”

The blue dogs / DINO’s have sabotaged and diminished the party; it’s time we called them out for it.

We can make a difference, since Erin Burnet made a mockery of Occupy, her ratings have plummeted.
David Gergory, is a shill, the sooner we get the mainstream to understand that, the better.

DINO’s aren’t democrats- next time they screw the dems over- it has to be understood that they are right wing extremists in disguise.

Illinois workers pay taxes to their employers, not to the state. read on.

2011-11-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

If that headline had you confused- here it is again.
Some companies in Illinois have convinced the government to let them pocket their workers taxes.

In other words, if you work for one of these companies, the taxes that are deduced from every paycheck don’t go into the governments coffers- they go to the company you work for.

Tax dollars that would normally flow into the state treasury to pay for education and other necessary state services never make it there- instead these taxes go towards CEO bonuses. The corporations that get these sweet deals get to keep the money from their employees that would normally go to the state free and clear.

Why would the government agree to this?

The Illinois government was desperate to keep companies in state, so they went looking for a solution that could reward the job creators.

Usually states offer tax incentives, to entice companies to stay, trouble is- these companies either pay zero state taxes, or the minimal amount they pay on taxes weren't enough of an incentive to stick around.

The Illinois government knew that if it had to write a large check to these companies to stay in state, it would look ugly. Some might call it a kickback, others might say it was extortion.

Either way, the solution was to let the businesses retain worker paid for taxes as they were generated.

Sounds like the people that work for these companies, aren't getting necessary services for their tax dollars. You know, little things, like police, fire departments, roads, schools. Oh well, who needs the police anyway. Better that those tax dollars contribute to the corporations profits. Call me cynical, but it sounds like the workers are actually paying their employers for the privilege of having a job.

funny that, i thought the job creators were supposed to pay employees.
call this what you will, but this isn't capitalism, it isn't a free market.

If this continues- you need to know that it isn't a zero sum game.
As the federal government cuts back financial aid and subsidies to states, it will starve the states of revenue.

Every single republican running for president wants to eliminate capitals gains taxes, and corporate taxes.
If they do that, the states will have to raise tax rates on corporations. Businesses will threaten to move from one state with high taxes, to a state with lower taxes. Finally, when the tax rate is zero in every single state, the job creators will still demand larger and larger kickbacks.

When that isn't enough if an incentive- what then?

read more here.
you can view the story here.

Paying the corporate overseers for the privilege of having a job, sounds like feudalism doesn't it?

Admittedly, I was slow to catch on; but if you look at those on the far right, namely the Koch brothers, Cain, Perry, Bachman, and Paul Ryan, they all pay lip service the Constitution, to freedom, but- what they really want- is to make us all serfs!

If we are the serfs, who would the feudal lords be?

Call what the far right believe in- feudalism, corporatism, fascism- it doesn't matter, what does matter is that they do not believe in democracy.

CNBC: Is this Michelle Caruso Cabrera?

2011-11-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Daily Free Kindle Books
Many people seem to think this is her- I'm not so sure.
I report- you decide.

Her book and other pics.

Need a balance transfer?

2011-11-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is the card for you.

21 Months at zero percent interest is the best deal available, anywhere.
If you don't need a balance transfer, take the cash and invest on some I-bonds which are yielding over 3% at the moment.

‘Zombie’ Properties coming back to life.

2011-11-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Is it finally time to buy that vacant property so that it can be rented back out?

Open question to all:

I’m frozen when it comes to RE, do i want to purchase a cheap property to rent, or should i put that same amount of money into a few REIT ETF’s?
Instead of a mortgage, one can purchase a REIT ETF on margin. In lieu of monthly mortgage payments, pay down the margin monthly.

In your opinion- you think a REIT ETF investment purchased today, can outperform purchasing a rental unit over the next 30 years?

What kind of REIT ETF do you favor (equity, mortgage etc)- and do you favor a REIT ETF over an actual property?

What say you?

*I prefer a REIT ETF's over any individual REIT- less risk, more diversification.

Silver and Gold on the move.

2011-10-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Gold ended the week at $1747.20 per ounce while silver posted gains of 0.3% to finish at $35.29 per ounce.

On the week, gold rallied for approx $105 or 6.3%, while silver futures surged $3.65 or 11.5%.

Both metals had fallen over 30% during the recent market swoon but they are climbing back, silver especially has had an impressive move.

I remain bullish on both for the foreseeable future and i sell calls or puts on them as the market dictates.

Crude oil futures, closed at $93.32 per barrel.

Finally, Natural gas rallied for 4.1% to close at $3.92.
Natural gas Futures were aided by cold snap that has hit the east coast. I play nat gas with the ETF UNG, I believe natural gas it is a great multi-year play at these cheap prices. Out of all commodities natural gas might be the only one that hasn't rallied, until now that is.

2011-10-26T15:01:00.001-07:00

Fall Reading and Cookbooks.

The cheapest diapers you can buy today.

2011-10-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Saving money, is the same as making some. If you have a baby, you know that money is hard to save.
I’ve checked and cross checked diapers everywhere, the best I can tell is Amazon has the best prices bar none!

They are cheaper than diapers.com and way cheaper than babies r us.

There is one catch to getting the cheapest diapers in the known world at Amazon, you need to sign up for an ingenious little program that they have running.
Click on the diaper banner and sign up right now.

Amazon has a new program called “Subscribe & Save”.
All you need to do is enroll to receive a new shipment of items in the time interval you select. The discounts are pretty steep and once you set a schedule you never need to order those same items again.
You can adjust the number of items or the schedule as you need.

If you combine the suscribe and save program with the Amazon Mom membership you can save a ton on diapers and wipes. Both memberships are free and they will save you a ton of money. Sign up today.

With all of the discounts in place you can get diapers for .17 cents each. That is an unbeatable offer, diapers.com with all of their coupons can’t compete.

*Amazon Mom is a free membership program aimed at helping parents and caregivers, from the prenatal days through the toddler years, use Amazon to find all the products their family needs. To join, simply sign into your Amazon account and tell us whether you are a Mom, Dad, or other caregivers of a child. By providing information about your family, you can help us personalize offers, e-mails, and product recommendations to help you find exactly what you need at just the right time. Amazon Mom members receive benefits such as 30% off diapers and wipes, exclusive offers, and FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime.

First Netfilx, then Amazon, Apple is next.

2011-10-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Months ago i recommend purchasing way out of the money puts on all three.
Netflix and Amazon Puts that were 40 points out of the money went up, on average 400%.

Don't get me wrong, i love Amazon, it isn't going anywhere as a company but right now, the market is looking to smite these high flying stocks.

Get out of the way, DO NOT GO LONG- any of these stocks.
With consumer spending and sentiment in the toilet, we need to wait it out. The shorts aren't done with this one yet.

The death of Steve Jobs marks the end of American exceptionalism

2011-10-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

The death of Steve Jobs marks the end of American capitalism.
The death of Steve Jobs marks the end of American consumerism.
The death of Steve Jobs marks the end of American innovation.

Make no mistake, he was a great man, an influential man, he wasn't perfect, but he didn't need to be.

When a man of his stature passes, it is a forceful reminder, a shock to the American collective- we are mortal, and our time will come.

Some are wondering why this news has hit them so forcefully and emotionally. We only need to look around us, at the depressing headlines to find the answer.
Americans will, and should shed tears for the loss of what Steve Jobs represented- what America once was.

We aren't the same nation we were when Jobs first rose to prominence, if we don't get our shit together, we will never get there again.

Jobs family's statement on death of Apple founder

2011-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Jobs family's statement on death of Apple founder

Steve Jobs' family today made the following statement regarding his death:

Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.

In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

Apple's Board of Directors said Wednesday in a statement.

"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," "Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Apple founder Steve Jobs dead at age 56

2011-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some words of wisdom from Steve Jobs, an American icon.

this speech is poignant, and sad.

Here are the facts on Obamacare.

2011-10-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Wait! If you don’t need medical coverage, don't ignore this message, I’m serious.
Even if you don't need it today, you will tomorrow, or someone in your family will.

The GOP (the tea party in particular) has succeeded in scaring the crap out of average citizens when it comes to Obamacare.
We need a frank and fact based discussion that people can follow and learn from.

The truth is- most Americans don’t understand how pathetic and expensive the current state of health care and health insurance is in this country.
It isn’t until one gets sick, or someone tries to decode the convoluted web that is health insurance that you begin to decipher a system that is byzantine in its bureaucracy and indefensible in its costs that are unaffordable for most. Healthcare is a basic human right, without it, we suffer needless loss of life and dignity.

I need to preface this discussion with a few facts:
The young and the lucky just go for regular checkups and pay a nominal co pay, they think all is well, until the unfortunate happens.
I am relatively young and healthy, it is only recently that my family and I have begun to use healthcare in earnest.
Many with insurance need to file for bankruptcy if they are diagnosed with cancer because of the exorbitant costs that are tied with treatments.
I am no expert in Obamacare, I can only provide what I think are bipartisan facts.
Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

1- Most of Obamacare doesn’t go into full effect until 2014
2- Obamacare allows young adults to remain on parents' policies until they turn 26.
3- Insurance For Pre-Existing Conditions must be given
4- Insurance For Pre-Existing Conditions is expensive
5- Under Obamacare all Americans will be forced to purchase insurance or they will be fined.
6- For those that think forced insurance is unconstitutional or impractical- think car insurance.
7- Obamacare will force employers to provide insurance or pay a fine of 2000 per employee.

1-employer-paid insurance, reported an increase of 9 percent, up from 3 percent last year.
2-annual premiums for a family of four climbed to $15,000 this year.

Annual employee contributions now total more $4,100 on average. That's more than 130 percent higher than back in 2000. The survey also found that, to cut costs, more employers are enrolling in high-deductible policies that cut annual premiums, but require employees to pay more out of pocket for medical care.

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec11/insurance_09-27.html

Questions and solutions:

The theory goes: if everyone is insured, premiums collected will increase and the price of health coverage should go down.
This would be the ideal solution but, if it happens to lower premiums is a very large unknown at this point.

For many employers, a 2000 fine is less than they currently pay for insurance per employee. Will some unscrupulous employers drop costly insurance and choose to pay the fine in lieu of providing coverage?

Will fines for a lack of insurance become an unbearable burden on American citizens?

Will expensive insurance policies coupled with huge deductibles impoverish an already weakened middle class?

Why is a for profit healthcare system so damned expensive? It isn’t just the costs of record keeping and unneeded tests that jack the prices up. The tests cost too damn much, but so does everything else.
To suggest that digitizing records will be a panacea is a joke, and it should be treated as such to anyone who brings it up as a solution to medical costs. That isn’t to suggest that it shouldn’t be done, and it certainly will bring costs down, but it is akin to treating a gaping hole in a patients chest with a Band-Aid.

There is an underlying rot to healthcare costs in this country, and it is the most pressing issue imaginable.

Part of that ROT belongs to people like Herman Cain; he willingly obfuscates what Obamacare does or does not do for personal gain. He is a rich man, and as a rich man he can afford the best possible insurance imaginable. Obamacare wouldn't affect the treatments he is able to pay for or the outcome of that expensive care in any way.

There is no such thing as diversification.

2011-10-03T14:55:00.001-07:00

If you are Long anything you are at risk. Short is the only true diversification.

The investing mantra goes, In order to lower risk one needs investments that do not correlate to US equities. The theory goes a portfolio with non correlated investments won’t move in the same direction as US equity indices- in truth- when the US enters into a bear market, so does every single other asset class. There is no protection in foreign stocks, currencies, or even commodities- if an equity fund gets hit with a margin call, they will dump currencies or commodities en masse.
There is only one true way to diversify, it’s by owning inverse (short) ETF’s in your portfolio. No 401k or mutual funds hold inverse ETF’s managers don’t even go to cash- so there is zero downside protection in your retirement fund.

Buy gold!

2011-10-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

With gold down 30% this year, take a good hard look at the precious metal.

I know, I know, some will say: its up so much, it’s a bubble, it will crash- etc etc.
Ignore this, buy gold, but, buy it wisely.

Here is a four step process for your gold investment.

1- Sell OTM gold puts in order to take advantage of sky high volatility.
2- Buy some cheap way out of the money puts to hedge.
3- Purchase a 2x inverse gold ETF to hedge some more.
4- Sell calls once the gold is put to you.

If the puts expire in the money- the gold will be yours. If not, sell more puts.

Do not sell your inverse ETF as this will hedge some of your downside.
Sell the long puts only if the price plummets.

Hedge Hedge Hedge.

2011-10-03T14:21:00.001-07:00

During the most recent downturn the markets are down 20%, my portfolio is up 3% during the same time period. I wasn’t as aggressive with hedges this year as I was during the 2008 swoon. My long term hedges worked, but I wasn’t position heavily for the short term. Perhaps the most important move I made was to go to cash in my 401k during the debt ceiling debacle. If you listen to the talking heads they want you to invest and forget your portfolio, they say over the long haul you will do better than market timers. This is a complete and utter lie. While I do agree when things are going well you can pay less attention to your investments, when things are as bad as they are now, you need to watch and more importantly act before a bad situation turns worse.

We all knew the country was in trouble, we all knew that Europe was struggling. Wages are down, unemployment is up, debt is unsustainable, yet the talking heads, the mutual fund managers never caution, they never sell your retirement account to wait in cash just in case the markets drop precipitously. When things look as bad as they did during the debt ceiling fiasco you can’t afford to sit idly by. You need to act!

I’ve said it before and it must be said again. HEDGE!
If you can’t, or don’t know how- go to cash. To make up for your temporary move to cash you can increase the amount you contribute to your 401k to the max. Just in case things don’t fall off a cliff and if they do you are still averaging down with your weekly contribution.

You can’t hedge in your 401k account but you can open a regular IRA and purchase inverse ETF’s and Puts in that account.
First thing you need to do in order to hedge is find out what that fund you have really owns. Is it heavily weighted in technology, small caps, energy?
Once you find the breakdown, you can purchase an inverse ETF in order to manage risk. An inverse ETF is an ingenious way to short; they go up as the market sector they represent goes down. For example, if you own a mutal fund that has 30% financial stocks, you would purchase SKF, or FAZ to hedge in your
Always hedge your 401k in a standalone account. Do the homework, find out what you own and find a creative way to hedge it in another account.

This market, the world and government is too volatile to just “set and forget” your investments.
Don’t get complacent; don’t rush in to buy all at once just yet. If Europe defaults we could easily drop another 50% this year!

If you do go long, you guessed it- hedge!

As far as Europe goes, lets not panic just yet, all is not lost; if you are long cash- you may want to consider buying the S&P 500 at some point. Currently, it yields more than the 10-year Treasury note. This is a rare event in the investing world. Take note of this factoid, but don’t run out and purchase the SPY just yet.

Here is an idea on a hedging strategy.
Purchase way out of the money puts on high flying stocks.

My favorite hedge?
As I mentioned on my previous post, I am long way OTM puts on (AAPL) Apple, if the market swoons, its going to take AAPL along with it.
[Image]