longtooth

As I do not know you, I might say you're fear-mongering out of ignorance. But I don't know you, and as such, you've the benefit of the doubt.

Neither do I. I believe it to be a re-aligning the risks of the financial markets as we've witnessed over the last two months and Governmental exposure to it. As the old FDIC-insured limits became 'unwieldy', an adjustment to 250K was enacted. My take: Personal wealth accumulated past the Federally insured limits now carry a much higher risk to the individual saver/investor. What I'm also hearing: Spread it around and diversify as much as possible. The additional capital in flux helps to move the Economy too.

Then you owe it to yourself to research the antidote to the 'Conservative' backlash to Obama's recent election. I did and found the "blogosphere" is lit up with alarmist claims, that truncheons-in-hand, they are coming for your money. As though we weren't already involved in some sort of hyper-sophisticated Ponzi-scheme with the coupon-like U.S. Dollar as it's bedrock. Comrades, relax.

The proposal does not involve "confiscating" existing IRA and 401(k) accounts. You would still have whatever moneys you invested in them. But any more money invested in them would lose all the tax breaks currently given to those accounts. Meaning that employers would almost certainly stop any company match. And no new IRA or 401(k) accounts could be opened any more.

'BIZ, short of having an extremely bad experience with a GM, Ford or Chrysler machine or being felt-up in a theater by UAW members, I can not fathom the overarching contempt of the manufacturers or the workers as I'm seeing here and there. Personally, having had 32 GM vehicles in nearly four decades, the biggest deal I had was a leaking intake-manifold gasket on a 1990 1 Ton Chevrolet Silverado pick-up. Numerous little items, of course, that were routinely dealt with in turn at services intervals. That's it. Yet in driving the highways and byways I've seen as many foreign-branded/built vehicles stranded with concerned owners peering owlishly under the hood as though enlightenment would suddenly come upon them and through insight and chewing gum the situation would be rectified and their travels would resume. Go figure.

'BIZ, in all seriousness, do you think Canada would pony-up the loan, save the whole deal and shame us at the same time?

The stigma attached to modern bankruptcy's not as it once was, but I can't speak for the consumer-at-large. Then again I have a bias. I think GM's keeping it at arms-length in order for the Hail Mary pass route to firm up a bit more.

Barack Obama ran partly on a 'Help Main Street/Health-care/Jobs' platform. If Detroit plunges into the abyss, dragging all of those insured/employed people that 'benefit' directly or indirectly under the auspices of it's mere existence, the implications of failure for his nascent Administration would be manifest. So I think all due haste will be made to fix this. Semper Gumby (always flexible)

Ah, but "The Onion" supplies the answer. Struggling Americans Forced To Work Extra-Dimensional 4th Shift November 3, 2008 | Issue 44•45 http://www.theonion.com/content/news/strug...icans_forced_to

Good. That's all you can do. Frustrating in some respects. Many of them for that matter.

Expect the winds of change through the w/e, much cooler and breezy. You just missed Joe Biden in town for 'Return Day'... http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl...D=2008811070333 I'm going surf-fishing with my Father and Brothers in Ship Bottom, NJ Sunday thru Thursday or so. I hope that you made your Father as comfortable as was possible. Had to see this happen with my Mother and Grand Mother in the last 10 months. From Delaware Online: An ignoble end to an Aztek... http://www.delawareonline.com/article/2008...ONTPAGECAROUSEL Stop by the Plant, it's like a mausoleum.

MM Cramer weighs in: http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/funds/stop...E&cm_ite=NA

Here, they're live-blogging the earnings call: http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2008/11/07.../#comment-88127

I agree. I'm Union and it'd settle a bunch of scores for me going back to the late 70's.

They're laying it on thick, aren't they?

Nice detective work.

You're right, it's devolved and I haven't helped. Enjoy SEMA...

You speak/write as imprecisely as you drive, in sweeping generalities.

Nope. Even if he wished to appoint Saladdin as Sec Def.

You only heard what you wanted to hear. The text of his speech is posted on-line. Where did he backtrack?

(?) I hope that a truckload of recent emigre Russian mail-order brides are delivered by FedEx to your place in error. Have fun explaining that to the little-lady. Seriously, this Saturday I'll be trudging up to Vlad's U-Pull-It in Hazleton, PA with my fuel-cell powered Sawz-All and I'll carve out a few 'B'-pillars in your honor. Seriously, it sounds like you labor pretty hard and have to get up at an unholy hour. It's counter-productive to bark at each other like foam-at-the-mouth ideologues over entrenched ideology. Workers of the world, unite, comrade.

I understand through your posts that you've alluded to a hardscrabble existence as an immigrant to this country, yet, unless you were personally held hostage shackled to a B-pillar by former Romanian strongman-dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, you haven't the moral authority to dismiss Barack Obama on the basis of his heritage.

Some long-winded screed that was. But, you got it off of your chest. So consider this: Heroes, my age and older bled their life away in the jungles of South East Asia fighting something we are pleased to label as Communism. Come forward 35 years from those times and witness the folly of trading with Communist China. We embraced Socialism a very long time ago here but were not honest enough to admit this to ourselves. So, put aside your labels and anger and get with the program. That is all.

If you'd like to experience some truly screwed up sh*t where merit plays no part in the matter, try joining any branch of our armed forces. Then report back. It might curl your toes.

Moltar, (funny name) Just as I admire Michael Jordan for his maximization of his talent, I can admire individuals for striving to stay ahead of the curve by continuously honing their skills. Best wishes.