Thursday, December 11, 2008

California Dreamin' ...

The WSJ has an article about the California state government budget deficit growing rapidly. I'd expect that state to get a huge shock on January 15 as estimated tax payments will show a stunning drop. Everyone doing tax loss selling will be able to cut back their payments and will do so at once. And unicnorporated businesses suffering now will have overpaid prior quarters so will cut their payments, too.

That last estimated tax payment was September 15, just before the panic hit hard.

California home prices are still far above the ability of the bulk of people to afford. Long commute distances and traffic jams waste huge amounts of time and money. The state government is bloated and taxes are already very, very high. Once I was did business in California and can write from first hand experience.

Local governments there are often full of pushy, obnoxious tyrants. And even private groups seems to think they are lords of the manor in telling one how to live. Trendy left wing proto-fascists ... or even crypto-fascists ... are always passing laws there forcing one to conform to their foolish life choices. Again, I have lived there for periods of up to six months, so speak from experience.

Yes, I simply do not like that state. Sure, the weather is nice. Big deal. It's a nice place to visit as a tourist, but to live there ... ugh !

What will they do ? I really don't care. Raise taxes a lot, I'd guess. That's their usual practice. California is an endless ratchet of emergency tax increases that become permanent. Home prices must still fall substantially. Hollywood fools will bloviate [*Word of the Day] about "investing" in alternative energy and climate change. If one place will become a desert again under climate change legislation, it's southern California.

Markets

The resource stocks and dry shippers ripped again, so I flipped more stock I bought at very low prices when I "averaged down". Those worked out very well. I have FCX, DRYS, GNK and EXM. I still have a bit too much of each, but for now, it's not excessive. I try trading around to lower my average cost and cut the size down a bit more. I do seem to have retained some trading skills.

I did more research on stocks to buy soon and found a long list of good prospects. I need to go through more closely. My intent is to invest modest amounts in 10 to 20 of these and hold for a couple years. Objective: not a "return of my money" but a "multiple on my money". My target is 5 to 10x total return by some time in 2010.

Obviously these will be beaten down, lower priced stocks and quite risky. Interestingly, though, I find some high quality names, too.

Word of the Day

"Bloviate" - verb [$10] an old one from the file
Bloviate means to speak or write verbosely or windily.
Sentence: Does anyone bloviate to such lengths or with so little factual substance as an alternative energy advocate ? They try to convert the gullible, but are truly quacksalvers as to make their policies work without subsidy, both the laws of economics and the laws of physics must be violated concurrently.

47 comments:

mfl59 said...

Bloviate....Bud's boy Bill O'Reilly uses that word constantly...

Bunkerman said...

O'Reilly is a synonym for Bloviate

Bunkerman said...

He's a paragon of bloviation, a bloviating big mouth.

mfl59 said...

Indeed....add him to the list of AFO's we know...

he's got it All Figured Out.....

Spin-em said...

gotta luv afo term..$20 loool

Bud said...

uhhh.......sean hannity's my boy


i never knew how much of a populist O'reilly is......'wall street gangsters and thugs'

come to think of it ...Bman is a big-time populist too

'the ruling classes'


pfffffffffffffffffft

Bunkerman said...

Accurately, I'm a populist libertarian, not one of the proto-fascist populists.

Spin-em said...

As a child,Mr Pitt was forbidden to watch the Thanksgiving parade with the common man.......

mfl59 said...

John Daly smashed a spectator's camera into a tree while shooting a 6-over 78 in the first round of the Australian Open on Thursday, making it unlikely he will make the cut for the third consecutive week Down Under.

atta boy John....

Frosty said...

"California. What will they do ? I really don't care."

The common man can kiss my ball sack. The state with the highest concentration of farmers and laborers ie common men. Unless they are pushing deals to bloated pompous right coast investment bankers, f’em…do you have no shame sir.

mfl59 said...

wake up Bud....Frosty trying to snatch the MVP right from your grasp...

Spin-em said...

Time is running out. Sign Up Now for the Deepest Savings Ever Offered by Shark Investing.

mern said...

actually spin, i knew the sonics won it in 78 or 79, but i did have to look. the rest was all merny.

cant u see it?

bob, niles, frasier sitting court side, tonite, wondering y the place is empty.

dont worry frosty. its the marniners yr!

when do catchers and pitchers report. frost prolly more of a catcher fan, imvho.

:-)

Bunkerman said...

sorry but that State government is completely corrupt and a bunch of parasites.

The ruling classes out there demagogue to the common man and grind him down and keep him poor so they can get the votes and power.

The media propaganda machine keeps the machine in power.

Sheesh farmers ? You mean agribusiness getting subsidize water and then bringing migrant labor and underpaying them like lord of the manor with their serfs.

I guess I dealt with the laborer issuer there, too.

Those ruling classes don't pay fair wages to anyone who is a "common man".

Small shops get regulated to death.

Bunkerman said...

flipped a bit more FCX just under 25. OK position size now.

mfl59 said...

the beefers would be proud of your pinball-like maneuvering Bunkerman....

Bunkerman said...

I still seem to have some trading skills - need then lately to cure my "buyearlyitis" and "addearlyitis".

I'm about even on FCX, DRYS, GNK adn EXM now. Early buys were very early and high.

mern said...

admit it bman, u a slut just like sal!

and no i havent dropped a ticket in many moons!

sure glad i took ALL the risk out of my life by not having a mortgage and buying all AAA rated munis.

UGH!

even my perma bear azz didnt see how bad this was gonna get.

anyone else read the article about bill miller? talk about shitting the bed!!!!!!!!!!!

he shit the bed, his wife, his customers, the wall, the carpet, his dog and dresser.

violent diarrhea. like cartmen, when his mom brough him his poop box, while he played video games.

bman, southpark has lost it. this entire yr has been weak, imo. and its not like they dont have a ton of material to work with.

sarah silverman is much funnier.

a few episodes ago sarah discovered she wasnt fat but 9 months pregnant. after realizing she was prego she says "well u know where ill be the next 35 minutes.............."

but dr LYNCH, wudnt give her an abortion.

LOOOOOOOOL

oh and GOD was the father! who is played by a black man.

mern said...

here is the merny word of the yr

In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea (see spelling differences), is frequent loose or liquid bowel movements, The word "diarrhea" with its odd spelling is a near steal from the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." [1]. Acute diarrhea is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide.

mern said...

lets use it in a sentence.

mern constantly spews mental diarrhoea via the net and out his mouth, and he is shocked that he is still single.

Spin-em said...

mern just DQ'd this week for MVP...loool

Spin-em said...

No where in your rambling incoherent response did you come close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. We are all dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul.

mfl59 said...

lmaoooooooooooo

"O'DOYLE RULES!!!"

mfl59 said...

Bunkerman would you give money to Bill Miller to manage for you?

Bud said...

Bman you read that article on bill miller in the journal yesterday ?? was he a real buyer ??

Bunkerman said...

No.

I wouldn't give anyone money to manage for me.

Bill Miller's year is more proof that very, very, very few people have a consistent ability to beat the total marekt over a long, multi-cycle period.

Bunkerman said...

lol, Bud, I think your choice as tense for the verb was quite proper.

;)

mfl59 said...

Do you think he is a good money manager?

Bunkerman said...

lolol your verb tense is wrong, mfl.

;)

In my opinion, those whom most people call a "good money manager" are just lucky.

This example supports it my claim.

Bunkerman said...

My dog, Krypto, is a "good" money manager ... cheap, too. She jsut uses her model and pushes the button.

Guaranteed to outperform over long time periods on a risk adjusted basis.

mern said...

President Bush said in a recent interview he doesn't take the Bible literally.

MVP MVP MVP!

hey, after lying for 8 straight yrs, y start telling the truth now?

in other news, palin believes homosexual men are born that way and u cant "pray the gay away"

white christians ruined this country.

maybe the spear chucking, muslim can save it.

lol

Frosty said...

miniheater full of blood today...yousguys watch your aazzz...I feel a licken coming.

Frosty said...

(570) 383-9011

mern said...

bob, niles coming over to get a rim job?

mfl59 said...

can someone explain to me how Mike Teel did not make 1st or 2nd team All-Big East?

The lack of respect for Rutgers is simply staggering.....people need to stop living in the past...

I cant wait to see Spin's boy Tommy Savage go to work under center next year....

mern said...

frosty i just noticed the 570 area code. u vacationing at the woodlands?
spin, bob is stalking u.

Spin-em said...

hey great..sounds good see a hockey game drink some Rocks....loool

Frosty said...

uh, theres no kayaking at the woodlands contrary to some reports...ppffttt

Spin-em said...

Lmaooo wth?...who hasnt been to "The Woods"?

Bunkerman said...

jeez, Thain was giving away the ML store to his Goldman buddies.

mfl59 said...

for a case of rocks....Who knows who Dick Proenneke is? no googling...

mern said...

trust me frosty. this past march, they were shooting class 5 rapids, within spitting distance of the woodlands.

i may have been hallucinating, but i have pictures.

here call 570 262 5760

ask for the coffee nazi, tell him mern gave u the #.

ask about the class 5 rapids the first week of march.

Frosty said...

wind from that swing berry nor'easter like....SSSSSSSSTTTTTTTRIKE...Spin twirls his raleigh fingers mustache.

Spin-em said...

that guy was a tough sob mike.....always watch his film on PBS....cutting down all those trees....fireplace...lmaooo..we are pussies..lool

mfl59 said...

ding ding ding....

the documentary of him living in Alaska may be the greatest thing these eyes have ever seen....

Spin-em said...

"the greatest thing these eyes have ever seen"

lmao...Rudy's dad was a bit of a dick...the whole family for that matter....

rip Pete

Spin-em said...

email return alert!!..lol