We are in a Depression. Read on.

[Pentegarn]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

Did you do anymore research on financial derivatives? and how many are them floating around? and have they caused the depression?

No, because there is no depression right now, this is a recession.

The recession of the 70s lasted longer. It is called a recession

The recession of the early 80s lasted longer, it is also called a recession

The recession of the mid 90s (internet bubble anyone?) lasted this long... guess what? It was a recession.

If you are going to argue that this is a depression, then you had better cough up proof that those 3 examples are as well or I am forced to officially inform you you are full of shit

[Colonel Flagg]

The 70's was the worst. Worse than the internet bubble, worse than the first few years of the Reagan Years (where deficit spending became a cottage industry for the gonvernment), and, yes, Coolinator, worse than the house of derivative paper cards that drove the financial houses to their bailout.

Can you even comprehend 21% inflation? People were getting 15% raises and losing money. People were getting 12% interest in their savings accounts and they were losing money. People were getting laid off in droves - my father among them. There was rationing, there was a wage-price freeze. Look it up if you don't believe me - I lived through those times.

Those years sucked worse from an economic standpoint than anything you've experienced in your lifetime.

But it wasn't a depression.

That would be even worse.

[Pentegarn]

Sadly he doesn't get that. People like him are fear-mongers who make the stupid think that it is worse than it actually is.

Trust me, if it were a depression, I would still be looking for work, and furthermore drifting to do so. The fact that I found work and didn't have to migrate to another town to do so puts lie to Coolinators whole house of cards theory. The fact that I was able to eat, internet, live under a roof on savings, and in fact pay all my bills (internet and cable included, things that depression era folks would call me rich for being able to pay I might add) disproves the depression bullshit even more so

In other words, I am living proof that Coolie is full of shit.

I am however quite concerned that people like him exist. That there are people living in the times we live in, where food is abundant, luxury is exponentially more available than it was in the 20s and 30s, and even in our worst times 90% of eligible workers make some form of income while the other 10% get money from the govegivernment, that think we are in a depression makes me fear for our collective IQ. Maybe Idiocracy is more of a sign of things to come rather than a silly movie?

Could you imagine Coolie in an actual depression? He would kill himself inside of a week tops. He lacks the coping mechanism to deal with real crisis. That this thread exists is proof of that.

[Tadao]

Kids nowadays are wimps.

[Pentegarn]

While I am brow beating you Coolie, let me ask you what I once asked Microshock:

If everyone in this thread disagrees with you (and they do), why are you still tugging at this bone? When in the history of ever has one person been right and everyone else that ever existed been wrong? Name me one time that has happened, please.

[Colonel Flagg]

Originally Posted by TheCoolinator

[...] drifters are in the form of tent cities (google it) [...]

Sad to say that I took the bait and "googled it" - and here's what I found:

Tent cities are a growing phenomenon around the country, mostly located in the inner cities of Detroit, Philadelphia, Camden, New York, etc. where there is a large homeless population. They are considered "holding patterns" for the many thousands of people who for one reason or another are out on the street without durable shelter.

But here's the thing - homeless people have been around for as long as we've had a society. Sometimes they stay in shelters, sometimes they stay in bus terminals sometimes on steam vents .... and sometimes in makeshift tents.

Saying that the derivative financial crisis caused tent cities is like saying that the present day greenhouse emissions caused the Medieval Warming Period. They are perhaps distantly related, but in no way does one have anything to do with causing the other.

There you have it. In order to disprove Coolie, just follow his instructions and "google it".

Next.

[Pentegarn]

I did so, awhile ago. Came to that exact conclusion (using our brains and what not)

But then I thought, "If I bother making that point, Coolie will just try and spin it into some sort of "Tent cities never existed before now" crap. Which is a flat out lie (NYC/LA anyone?). So ultimately, I never bothered to say so because you can lead an idiot to the truth, but you can't make him learn

[Zhukov]

Originally Posted by Pentegarn

If everyone in this thread disagrees with you (and they do), why are you still tugging at this bone? When in the history of ever has one person been right and everyone else that ever existed been wrong? Name me one time that has happened, please.

The Galileo affair.

[Pentegarn]

I doubt everyone disagreed with Galileo. Maybe the majority disagreed with him, but even in those times I am sure there was a person or two who thought he was right.

[The Leader]

Well, there are people who agree with Coolie. Do you think that he has come up with everything that he has posted by himself? He basically just plagiarizes everything he posts.

[Tadao]

I think there isn't anything more to say here.

[Tadao]

Originally Posted by Tadao

I think there isn't anything more to say here.

Originally Posted by Zhukov

Well that's slightly annoying.

Originally Posted by Tadao

The depression thread didn't evolve into anything and Babs decided to show up and thro insults at Coolie. I locked it for those two reasons. I can easily unlock, HERE WATCH ME DO IT. I expect you to post something worthwhile in there by Tuesday or you'll be banned for being a crybaby. ZHUKOV

...

[Pentegarn]

Meh, I think this will still be a mostly dead thread, I haven't seen much Coolie activity since Tadao was crowned, and his shenanigans were the driving force of the activity here

[TheCoolinator]

Isn't there a board game called shenanigans?

[Colonel Flagg]

I knew he'd be back!

[10,000 Volt Ghost]

:PISTOLWHIP

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

Tent cities are a growing phenomenon around the country, mostly located in the inner cities of Detroit, Philadelphia, Camden, New York, etc. where there is a large homeless population. They are considered "holding patterns" for the many thousands of people who for one reason or another are out on the street without durable shelter.

But here's the thing - homeless people have been around for as long as we've had a society. Sometimes they stay in shelters, sometimes they stay in bus terminals sometimes on steam vents .... and sometimes in makeshift tents.

Quoted.

This is just a small example of the amount of mental gymnastics which have taken place here. Denial isn't a strong enough word to describe what's going on in this thread.

[Fathom Zero]

If we are in a depression, why does that matter?

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by Fathom Zero

If we are in a depression, why does that matter?

Good Point.

I always feel its best to know what's going on so we can all make informed choices. The media has been spewing out how we are seeing a "Jobless Recovery" and how the "Recession is over", "green shoots" and so on. This is all bullshit of course to calm and neutralize the US population into believing that everthing is fine.

As Colonel has stated above. Tent Cities exist filled with economic refugees in the USA. House prices have dropped to 10 dollars in the CITY of Detroit and unemployment continues to rise, food stamps continue to be dished out, and people are still getting forclosed upon by predatory banks.

We are in a Depression. Worst yet, we are in a Global Depression. Everyone is feeling it. Why? Because wallstreet was allowed to create derivatives which are similar to Margin Loans. The same margin loans that caused the depression of the 1930's.

We also have a dwindling manufacturing base due to Free Trade agreements and no protective tariffs on products coming in to the United States.

People can use this knowledge to protect themselves and get ready for the worst. Build up some savings, invest in commodities, make sure your retirement plan is in safe assets.

That's all this thread is really for.

[Fathom Zero]

The only things I would invest in should I have knowledge of an impending depression are as follows:

1) Land, the only thing that'll be around no matter what
and
2) Guns, to defend the land when there's all sorts of civil unrest and redistribution of wealth happens.

Other than that, I live alone. I can backpack it. I don't need all of my things. Yeah, they're nice and I do need a couple of them, but if I lost about everything, I wouldn't be significantly disadvantaged, aside from the obvious homelessness and the troubles that brings anyway. But people get by. Now, if I had children or a wife or husband or whatever and responsible for someone else, I'd probably have a different opinion.

But I'll just say I'm prepared for whatever and whatever happens to stave off a depression will be thought of by somebody else because I can't attach myself to it.

Also, I should've rephrased my question better. That wasn't really the answer I was looking for.

[Zhukov]

Originally Posted by Coolio

People can use this knowledge to protect themselves and get ready for the worst. Build up some savings, invest in commodities, make sure your retirement plan is in safe assets.

That's all this thread is really for.

So, this thread isn't just an excuse for you to post something which you KNOW everyone will disagree with, simply so you can copy/paste pre-written rebuttals to their objections? You're simply here to help us? Could have fooled me.

I know in the past I have started topics with the sole aim of starting an argument, but I don't think (could be wrong!) I've ever pretended that I'm doing it for the good of the community; just warning and informing everyone. Actually, I take that back, I probably HAVE just said I was doing it for the greater good, but we were all young once

Sigh.

I'm a communist, so if the world was in a depression I'd be among the first to start feeling smug about it. I think the worldwide economy is a dangerous and disgusting sham that should be torn apart and replaced, and I think that eventually it will either be replaced, or get much, much worse for more and more people.

But.

I wont fool myself into thinking (or pretending) that we are at that stage yet. What's the point? It wont make it true, or make it any closer to happening (whether I want it to happen is another interesting question!). A lot of people on the far left tend to be melodramatic when it comes to world crises; making them out to be far worse/important than they are, but it just annoys me and alienates others. GLOBAL BANK MELTDOWN one week, and the next week BANKS MAKING RECORD PROFITS ON THE BACKS OF SLAVES.

MRI SCANS KILL BABIES, CAUSE CANCER

OBAMACARE DEATH PANELS PREVENT US FROM USING MRI SCANS = GENOCIDE FOR MILLIONS

Coolinator, you are just annoying people here by saying that the world is in a depression when there isn't really enough crises going on to suggest that it would be. There are some real hell holes of capitalism around the world, but the first world countries themselves are generally pretty well off. I would under no circumstances describe my country as that of one going through a depression, and I would be interested to know which ones you thought WERE going through a depression, and how the possibly one or two examples you can pull out of your poo hole would possibly constitute a WORLD WIDE DEPRESSION.

Oh, and the people that you aren't annoying are enjoying themselves making fun of your poor grasp of debate and logic. I know I am.

[TheCoolinator]

Originally Posted by Fathom Zero

The only things I would invest in should I have knowledge of an impending depression are as follows:

1) Land, the only thing that'll be around no matter what
and
2) Guns, to defend the land when there's all sorts of civil unrest and redistribution of wealth happens.

Other than that, I live alone. I can backpack it. I don't need all of my things. Yeah, they're nice and I do need a couple of them, but if I lost about everything, I wouldn't be significantly disadvantaged, aside from the obvious homelessness and the troubles that brings anyway. But people get by. Now, if I had children or a wife or husband or whatever and responsible for someone else, I'd probably have a different opinion.

But I'll just say I'm prepared for whatever and whatever happens to stave off a depression will be thought of by somebody else because I can't attach myself to it.

Also, I should've rephrased my question better. That wasn't really the answer I was looking for.

If I made a little more money and could do my job from home I'd definitely try to get a cheap house in the country side. Living in a metro / suburban area is nice and all but when tough times are happening I would definitely feel more secure if I had a escape area.

Not saying the end of the world is happening or anything but it's good to be prepared.

[Tadao]

no