I feel like I’m more tickled by KEXP doing every Sub Pop release than I should be. I was a teenager in Seattle at a time when they were huge. I guess that may be true of any time in the last 30 or so years.
Can’t Bring Yourself to Type the Word “Ass”?
Eager to share our brilliant political commentary and blunt media criticism, but too genteel to link to horsesass.org? Well, good news, ladies: we also answer to HASeattle.com, because, you know, whatever. You're welcome!
Special election in PA tomorrow, of little practical significance, but of huge symbolic importance. And the omens don’t look good for the Trumpistas.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/pennsylvania-special-election-bad-omens-for-trump-gop.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: A Democratic victory here would be especially satisfying, simply because the “R” candidate is so bad. While not a child stalker like Roy Moore, Rick Saccone is a dominionist who wants to impose biblical law, and an ultra-conservative crank who “supports cuts to K-12 education, childhood education programs, public libraries, child welfare, and other state programs in order to pay back the federal government’s debt” while living it up on his legislative expense account. His career background includes working as a civilian interrogator at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. (Wikipedia)
This soon-to-disappear district (due to court-ordered redistricting) is in “steel country” in suburban Pittsburgh. Trump was there campaigning for him last week. This would be a lovely place to hand him a bloody nose.
@1 Last-minute polls point to a Democratic win.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/conor-lamb-leads-rick-saccone-in-pa-special-election-monmouth-poll.html
Meanwhile, as economists predicted, most of the GOP’s corporate tax cuts are going to investors (including yours truly):
“Companies have been feverishly putting the savings they reaped from the tax breaks passed in December into their investors’ pockets this year.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/companies-are-putting-tax-savings-in-the-pockets-of-shareholders.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Thanks for the free money, kids! I appreciate it. Hey, life isn’t fair. I didn’t vote for this, but you can’t expect me to not take it.
@ 3
Roger Dumbfuck Rabbit, what might have happened early this year to contribute to the surge in buybacks?
If you listen to the video in your link, you’ll hear the first sentence begins with something along the lines of ‘While investors are selling, companies are buying…’.
That’s right, you stupid fuck, the brief correction was seen by corporations as an opportunity to buy back their shares on the cheap, which seems to have worked out extremely well.
Was there a correction last year in the first two months or so? No? Then STFU unless you have an apples-to-apples comparison to make.
Corporations aren’t just buying back stock with their cash, BTW. From your same link:
While GDP growth for the first quarter won’t be known for another month or so, 2017 figures indicated a trend toward increased capital expenditures. Nonresidential domestic investment increased 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter, which included an 11.8 percent surge in equipment, the biggest rise in more than three years.
Still, the jump in buybacks is likely to draw attention.
Though buybacks slowed last week to just $8 billion, one three-week period in weeks ending Feb. 1-15, saw buyback announcements jump nearly $148 billion. Since the start of February, the total is $162.5 billion…
Yes, the jump in buybacks drew attention, Roger Dumbfuck Rabbit. Shiny objects usually do. It’s the hook behind them that catches those scaly creatures too stupid to discern the reality behind the shimmer. Those such as yourself, as you so consistently demonstrate.
Next up: Roger Dumbfuck Rabbit informs us that the biggest tax cut savings go to those who pay the most taxes. Go figure.
This really is my favorite part:
“(b) use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the President that she may have in her possession…”
While I continue to believe that the real story with Ms. Clifford’s NDA, and the best way to report it, is from a business/legal standpoint, I just can’t help but anticipate the humiliating effect of such photos, videos, and text messages on not only Trump supporters, but also the Trump brand, the Trump family, and Trump himself.
The scheme set up by Mr. Safety School, Esq. is a felony conspiracy to defraud. It is likely to be yet another such conspiracy that involves the Republican President. That’ll sort itself out eventually through the due process afforded to the Republican President and his lawyers and enablers.
Long before any of that is resolved, however, the NDA is likely to be invalidated sufficiently to permit the sale of these communications to the highest bidder. I suspect a preview of that will come this weekend when this latest proposal is set to expire and Ms. Clifford’s interview for 60 minutes is tentatively set to air. I assume CBS will be paying Ms. Clifford very handsomely for her appearance. But in addition to that, the interview will serve as a 15 minute, nationally broadcast prime audience advertisement for whatever media she has in her possession.
I’m sure it’ll go away if they just ignore it. Absolutely.
Starting with Reagan, the Republican Party has dedicated itself to discrediting government. The best way to discredit government is to get elected and then put ignoramuses in charge. See, e.g. …
“White House officials were alarmed by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ struggle to answer basic questions about the nation’s schools … during a tour of television interviews Sunday and Monday, according to two sources familiar with their reaction.”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/politics/white-house-officials-alarmed-at-betsy-devos/index.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Let me get this straight. Trump puts a know-nothing in charge of education policy (and now gun policy), and the White House is alarmed because she knows nothing about education (or guns)? Wasn’t that the whole idea behind appointing her?
@3 Wait a sec! We were told by boob the tax scam would benefit “all levels”…
Boob mighta been right (in an always wrongist way). Didn’t Randroid Ryan report a $1.50 increase in a teacher’s paycheck?
Boob musta had a slight sad mixed with its fist pump.
@4 Boy, you sure got me there, doc. As Figure 1 on page 3 of this report from Yardeni Research shows, companies ramp up buybacks during market downturns and turn the spigot off when stocks are expensive …
https://www.yardeni.com/pub/buybackdiv.pdf
… oops.
Better not pull your finger out of your nose, or your brains might leak out.
Here’s how buybacks actually work. Let’s say Mr. CEO gets paid $1 a year plus $1 for every $1 the Company’s earnings per share go up. Incentive plan, right? Not so fast.
Let’s say Company earned $100 last year. And $100 the year before that. And $100 every year since Mr. CEO became CEO, reaching back many years. And is going to earn $100 again this year. Since earnings aren’t increasing, Mr. CEO earns only $1 per year, right? Uh, no.
Here’s what actually happens. Let’s say Company has 100 shares outstanding, so its earnings are $1 per share. So Mr. CEO and his compliant board decide to spend $50 of this year’s earnings to buy back 50 shares. Earnings are still $100, but since there are now only 50 shares outstanding, earnings now are $2 per share instead of $1 per share, and Mr. CEO gets his bonus. Even though Company didn’t earn a fucking penny more.
Cute, huh? Yeah, I thought you’d appreciate it. The real kicker here is that Mr. CEO doesn’t really care what the share price is when using your money to buy back stock so he can get his bonus. If the share price is $2 and he has to spend the entire $100 to buy back 50 shares, well fuck you, he still shows $2 EPS and get his bonus.
See how that works? Understand now what that chart shows what it shows, i.e., companies spending trillions to buy back shares at market peaks? Yeah, even your wife’s horses can figure this one out.
The truth is, companies are no better at market timing than you or me. Not infrequently, they pay top dollar for their shares, which is a lousy deal for the shareholders. I’d rather get dividends. But managements sure like buybacks. The S&P companies spend twice as much on buybacks as they do on dividends. If you think they’re doing that only when there’s a 10% correction, you have your head up your ass. Well, you do, anyway, all the time, on pretty much every topic, not just buybacks. About the only time you don’t have your head up your ass is when you have your cock up a horse’s ass, because it’s anatomically impossible to perform both of those athletic feats at the same time.
8,
Too late. In all the excitement of Nov. 9, 2016 poor Doctor Dumbfuck used both hands to choke-fap himself into ecstasy in front of Fox News. The last dribble of functioning gray matter ran down his chin along with the first of a long line of orange throat yogurt before that week was out.
Think of his commentary as a kind of white nationalist plantar response of the otherwise brain dead.
@5 “I assume CBS will be paying Ms. Clifford very handsomely for her appearance.”
Rarely has a notoriety seeker so richly deserved cash rewards. Think of what she must have gone through to have sex with The Donald.
Looks like one of Trump’s “fine people” is depositing bombs disguised as packages on the porches of African-American homes in Austin.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/austin-texas-deadly-package-explosion-home/
Anybody who has read the loon’s comments knows this to be true.
“Scientists have established a link between brain damage and religious fundamentalism”
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/scientists-established-link-brain-damage-religious-fundamentalism/
Speaking of the loon, I hope he didn’t get himself lynched. I’ve told him many times that he was tempting fate running around as he does with those nasty white supremacist types.
@14 He shouldn’t open any packages he isn’t expecting, either. See #13 for details.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to call you “nasty”, Doc. I’m sure you’re one of the good ones.
@14
Pretty sure this is what the loon has: https://ocdla.com/scrupulosity-ocd-religion-faith-belief-2107 or here:http://anxietyhouse.com.au/scr.....moral-ocd/
He exhibits all the signs.
Sadly there is no hope for him: “The first step in treating Scrupulosity is identifying the need to seek help. ” (see the anxiety house link above), as he thinks he is right in the head and there is nothing wrong with him.
@17 Well, at least he isn’t a Scientology cult captive.
Carl I’m KEXP neutral, but I just don’t see the connection between KEXP and local politics and local teenagers. Don’t take the thunderbird away? I see you can donate. Is this like pay to play in the radio business? The internet has not yet killed radio?
Would Kurt Cobain have been huge in the Seattle political scene now if he was still alive?
Hey shitstain steve, still not lynched. House Committee finds no Trump collusion!
Oopsie!
Till Next TIme
If this guy was black, he’d be dead. But … white privilege.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL_NyaDDcKE
@20 “House Committee finds no Trump collusion!”
What did you expect them to find? A pony?
@1 RR would do better to not just put up an article by Mr. Harwood who is known to be biased. As in CNBC. This election in Pennsylvania is not about Trump it’s about labor.
Working men and women are going to put one of the two candidates into office. Union members are going to decide the outcome. No matter which candidate they elect one candidate is going to be in the Trump camp, and the other candidate is going to be friendly to Trump on some issues, such as labor.
Trump gets the importance of labor, unfortunately the Republican running does not, making it a close race. Closer than it should be. The previous Republican was willing to talk to Unions and march with them in parades. He consistently got 44 percent of Union members votes. He got it, unfortunately too many in today’s Democratic party don’t get it.
RR has simply spoken to the church choir here. No matter the outcome, and this church choir has no part in that election. We can only observe the election and spin it one way or the other, and pretend that Republican’s will not pay attention to the outcome, and not be concerned about the next election in November, where they could win the seat, maybe with a more Union friendly candidate,. For the moment they are going with what they got. Perhaps Mr. Harwood is correct, unfortunately it’s known he’s put his thumb on the scale to help the Democratic party, and that is beyond just working at CNBC.
@22 No. I expected them to find a rascally rabbit. Remember trixs are for kids.
Though it does demonstrate that it sucks to be the party in the minority in the House of Representatives. I’m sure the Democrats will take full advantage of being in the majority when ever that happens again. It will happen. Will Nancy Pelosi be Speaker or even alive remains to be seen.
After the beating Rog gave BoB he probably decided to go check out how the horse was doing. Poor horse.
@24 oohh wow – that kind of felt like a fire ant bite.
@3 But we can insist you take us all out for coffee. Put some of those gains back into the local economy and all that. Isn’t RR a swell guy for taking us all out for coffee. I just cannot wait for him to announce where and when. Enjoy HA Heroes I probably will be working.
@23 “The previous Republican was willing to talk to Unions and march with them in parades” and cheated on his wife and told his mistress to get an abortion and treated his staff so badly his own party leaders pressured him to resign.
“: … Republican’s will not pay attention to the outcome,” which is why they’ve spent millions on this race and even sent the president and several White House staffers there to campaign for their candidate, in the process turning this otherwise meaningless special election into a referendum on Trump.
” … and not be concerned about the next election in November, where they could win the seat, maybe with a more Union friendly candidate,” in a gerrymandered district that will no longer exist in November because of court-ordered redistricting, which you would know if you read actual news from real journalists once in a while instead of wherever the hell you get your “information” from.
Here’s some spin for you, Mark: Never underestimate the symbolic importance of an otherwise meaningless election. Also, there’s a practical aspect here: Both parties are using this election as a test bed for their fall campaign messages.
@24 Can’t even spell Trix. Sheesh. Hopeless.
@25 I didn’t intend to kill him. I want to kick him around again tomorrow. He’s fun, like a beach ball.
@26 I didn’t even feel it through my thick fur. I suppose that’s why rabbits have fur.
@6 Reagan arguable did put some rocks in charge of some things. He found out that does not work, and he had to put competent people in charge. Even at those departments like the energy department that he did not care for. Either Betsy shapes up or we get to hear Trump’s line. Which you gotta love, and is the best reason he is President. Meanwhile the current crop of apprentices could go under the ax at any moment. So much like some television, so much fun, and the apoplectic shocked looks of the experts is priceless. Maybe not the best way for government to run, but like Reagan Trump is learning on the job. Guess China won’t have that problem with their new President for Life, and he did not have to change his last name to Mao,
I offer to feed Goldy when I’m at DL. Also, I donate to HA.
@8 Though the numbers don’t show any connection between buy backs CEO’s pay there could be some sort of collusion going on. Much stronger than the Russian kind.
@33 Doesn’t Carl deserve a big steak? Feed Carl RR it will feel good, and then you can use more of those gains toward HA heroes some who may publicly thank you. So Goldie is squeamish about accepting, definitely not in the Karl Kochak school of journalists. Good for Goldie, not so good gor his pocket book.
@34 Here, I’ll help you:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/destructive-stock-buybacksthat-you-pay-for_us_59bafc61e4b06b71800c37e4
https://hbr.org/2014/09/profits-without-prosperity
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-stock-buybacks-focus-ceos-on-making-a-fast-buck-2017-04-18
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-buybacks-pay/
https://gsm.ucdavis.edu/research/stealth-compensation-scrutinizing-stock-buybacks
That should get you started if you’re interested in learning something about the topic from people who know what they’re talking about.
@35 That tavern doesn’t do steak dinners. DL attendees make do with beer, sandwiches, and french fries.
@9 There is a solution and would happen in a corporation with a hundred shares, and that is the shareholders actually voting for board members like it means something. Few if any holders of stocks like collages, funds, cities unions actually vote their shares, which allows the CEO to act the way they do. Investors voting their shares in their best interest would change board and CEO behavior and make buybacks rare. Hopefully RR votes his shares, as that is one thing that can separate the market from just being a casino.
@28 Not disagreeing with you, but you gotta spin spin spin in front the right audience. Now you have pointed out your original statement was spin hoping to call the election right, rather than humble pie over a meaningless election. If the Democrats win it will be because the Republican sucks, even Republicans plan to vote for Lamb which may mean he is a centrist, a corporate Democrat, or a Republican in disguise.
@36 They got a cook right. A steak for Carl, one for the cook and one for you. I give Carl a hard time on here and he deserves a steak dammit. Gotta pump the trickle down pump whenever one has a chance, just to show the blasted thing is busted, even when it’s aiding a liberal Democratic rabbit.
@29 https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=trix+are+for+kids&view=detail&mid=EE7A4993B795CF4B3183EE7A4993B795CF4B3183&FORM=VIRE
I can google though.
@32 There is no good reason for Trump to be president, and most people who voted for him did so for bad reasons (racism, etc.). He has no character, a bad temperament, poor judgment, lacks relevant experience and knowledge, is unqualified and incompetent, is an inciter and divider, a pathological liar, a racist and bigot, has conflicts of interest, and is doing far more damage than good. Voting for him is an act of voter malpractice.
@37 This information is a bit dated (2014), but roughly 85% of large institutional investors vote their shares, whereas less than 30% of retail investors do.
http://buzz.money.cnn.com/2014.....dont-vote/
Some companies have a controlling interest — for example, the two founders of Google control 51% of the voting power, so if you’re an Alphabet shareholder, you’re wasting your time to vote.
Last fall, we witnessed a proxy fight for a board seat at a very large and widely held company (i.e., voting power is less concentrated), namely, Procter and Gamble. The result, it turned out, was very close. I voted, but I doubt that my votes tipped the result.
I generally do vote my shares, especially if there are shareholder initiatives on the ballot. For example, I voted my Exxon shares in favor of a shareholder resolution on climate change reporting. This is a report that discusses how climate change affects Exxon’s business.
Voting is work, though; I currently own nearly three dozen companies. That’s a lot of annual reports and proxy statements.
@38 “If the Democrats win it will be because the Republican sucks”
Well, you got that much right, but this factor usually doesn’t have much effect on election outcomes because Republican voters suck, too. Remember, Roy Moore — a candidate so bad he shouldn’t have gotten more than 1 vote … his own … lost by only 1.5%. Why? Because 48.4% of Alabama’s voters suck almost as much as he does, otherwise they wouldn’t have voted for him. So bad candidates don’t necessarily suffer at the polls because they’re bad, because you also have bad voters.
No, I think if Saccone loses tomorrow, it won’t be because he sucks, or even because Trump sucks, but because a large chunk of Trump’s voters in that soon-to-be-defunct district (he won there by over 20%) are ditching Trump and the GOP because ___________ (fill in blank with your choice of explanations — does it even matter why?).
@39 “I give Carl a hard time on here”
You’re not giving anyone a hard time on here. You’re not even a speed bump. You’re just roadkill.
Whew! I’m so glad to see the loon wasn’t lynched this last weekend. I was getting worried that the odds had finally caught up with him. After all, a black loon can hang out with white supremacists for only so long before something really, really bad happens to him.
After all, a black loon can hang out with white supremacists for only so long before something really, really bad happens to him.
Such hate delivered by shitstain stoooooooooooooopid solution steve.. Glad you finally spoke the truth about yourself shitstain stoooooooooooooopid solution steve.
Till Next Time!
41,
“Voting for him is an act of
voter malpracticetreason.”ftfy
And denying that they did, like the HA trolls do almost daily, is an act of cowardice and an obvious admission that they know it and are ashamed.
Tillerson has finally had enough.
Weird to think that a potentially destabilizing and doomed effort at rapprochement between the world’s most powerful Man-Baby and the Nuclear Hermit Kingdom is all because Keith Schiller isn’t around to hand out pink slips.
#youbuiltthat
“The Russians should stop mudering people generally but definitely on foreign soil.”
“You’re fired!”
@46 He’s trying to be your friend. He’s trying to save you from yourself.
Trump fires Tillerson, replaces him with CIA director, and picks “black site” kidnapper and torturer to run CIA.
“President Donald Trump’s plan to appoint CIA Director Mike Pompeo as secretary of State sends a startling message to China, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Tuesday. ‘It says to China you are our enemy,’ Cramer said ….”
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/13/cramer-picking-pompeo-as-top-us-diplomat-sends-stern-message-to-china.html
POTUS is out of control. He’s fucking nuts.
@48 Tillerson didn’t quit, he was fired. And this seems to be more about Trump picking a fight with China than doing anything about North Korea. In any case, it certainly points to a more belligerent foreign policy ahead.
Trump is shaking things up again. And not in a good or constructive way. It’s now up to Trump voters in Pennsylvania to show Trump and the nation what they think of this.
In fact, the timing of these moves is most interesting. I wonder if it’s a last-ditch attempt to salvage a special election all the polls say the GOP is going to lose? Or maybe he’s trying to distract attention from this election in case its outcome isn’t so good for him?
Getting fired via tweet is like breaking up with your high school girlfriend by giving her bestie a note to give to her.
Meanwhile, an ICE spokesman says he quit because he was asked to “fabricate the truth” and “deflect” reporter’s questions in press briefings.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ice-spokesman-resigns-over-sessions-misleading-raid-comments-n856081
While everyone is distracted by Tillerson just a reminder.
The President repeatedly fucked a porn star in the months after is wife gave birth to his son.
@53 Work for Trump, get humiliated by your boss in front of the whole world, then see on NBC News that you’ve been fired. It’s SOP for this administration. But at least “Fired by Trump” looks good on a resume.
@55 And then told his lawyer to buy her silence, stiffed his lawyer for the hush money, and didn’t sign the NDA. Waytago.