*promote

Real rights for real families! Rep. Jamie Pedersen is one of my favorite State House politicos. I'm sad to have now moved from his legislative district [the 43rd]. Cool guy =o)

Thanks, for the promote!
In reply to this comment by alien_concept:
*promote. When will it be safe to submit Ned's... ahem...?

>> ^shuac:

It's Eddard.


Or Ned

Is that walrus, Jamie?

Hmmph, they should have used an ant, like me, instead of a walrus.

*wtf

*80s

Jamie can really dance.

>> ^SFOGuy:

Very interesting---Does anyone remember the Mythbuster's episode where they tried to do this in the desert with a cooperating jet fighter? I think Adam was in the fighter and Jamie in a little shack with windows that they built on the ground...
To my recollection, the last, lowest, fastest pass busted a window in a shack too! (they should do the myth again with en entire sheet glass wall...)


I believe that the Mythbusters episode still maintained a "safe" altitude. I don't think the blue angels ever got within 100 feet of the ground for that, and those planes were about that.

Very interesting---Does anyone remember the Mythbuster's episode where they tried to do this in the desert with a cooperating jet fighter? I think Adam was in the fighter and Jamie in a little shack with windows that they built on the ground...
To my recollection, the last, lowest, fastest pass busted a window in a shack too! (they should do the myth again with en entire sheet glass wall...)

@kevingrr

I understand times are tight. That's bankers being responsible, whether voluntarily or at the government's request. They were broke and need to rein in the lending. Tighter standards means it's expected that projects once referred to as "good" are no longer viewed that way. It's tough, but you adapt. If everything is right with the deal, someone will finance. Where there is profit, there is a businessman.

I feel for the laid off construction workers, but frankly there was a bubble. We have HUGE housing developments that are sitting empty and going for 40k a house. We have a glut of empty shopping malls. We don't need more right now. If there is construction to be done right now I firmly believe it is public infrastructure investment we need. Rail, road, bridges, power, etc. That'll put people back to work.

Jamie Dimon has a good rolodex. In todays world, being a good banker means being a good insider trader, and lobbyist. I have about zero patience for their manipulation of our democracy let alone our markets.

@bmacs27

I am all for good lending practices, but what is happening now goes beyond that. I know of several instances of developers having signed leases from investment grade tenants (large pharmaceutical companies , retailers etc.)who have had significant challenges obtaining financing, even with putting up 40% equity.

At the end of the day the fewer 'good' projects that get done means fewer jobs that are created, both on a temporary (construction) and permanent basis.

I am not on the development side so I don't have first hand experience with the above.

I don't disagree that speculative real estate developments should have trouble getting financing, but that isn't the only kind of product being effected by the new standards.

My take on Jamie Dimon is he isn't Bill Gates. He is a banker and he wants to make money for his company and his shareholders. So did Steve Jobs. I don't fault him for looking out for his interests and I don't fault those who seek to restrain them reasonably. I don't view him as a hero or a demon. He is just a banker - and he seems to be a very 'good' one.

@kevingrr

I think there is a lot of reason to be angry, and increasingly a sense that the traditional tools of policy and working within the system have failed us. Jamie Dimon is no hero. He's one of the key people that fought tooth and nail to keep effective regulations from being drafted. They talk big about the natural consequences of the market, and then they go and benefit more than almost any other industry from the government tit. It's disgusting hypocrisy.

I'm also surprised that you would talk about being from the real estate sector, and not be familiar with at least the putative benefits of the securitization of debt (the reason the needed to repeal glass steagall). If you are waiting for a return to the ease of real estate finance you may have experienced in the past decade or two of frothy CDOs you're kidding yourself. The party is over. There needs to be a return to actual underwriting standards, and an enforcement of those standards. That means paperwork. Sorry.

I'm not sorry I read the books but this show is getting more and more difficult to watch because of it. The big reason Catelyn goes to Jamie and does what she does is because she hears about what happened to Bran and Rickon, her youngest sons.

In this scene, she hasn't yet heard about her boys so it makes less sense than it could. I suppose Brienne provides as much justification as there can be had (the Karstarks will kill him) but still, to do what she ends up doing is still a pretty big deal with serious consequences, especially for Robb (spoilers deftly avoided).