What Do We Have Here? Bank of America Will Accept California’s IOUs
What a surprise! Bank of America, now owned mostly by taxpayers will be accepting California’s IOUs.
California, one of the most solvent states is of course good for their debts/sarc.
This really should have been expected – a state-run bank accepting an insolvent, soon-to-be-bailed-out-state. Seems like monopoly money to me! This is similar to a false economy, where government interference and regulation make free markets anything but FREE/REAL.
Ponzi scheme has become my favorite catch phrase. It effectively seems as though California is issuing it’s own fake currency called IOUs, although it is already insolvent, to pay back at a later date – of which, will never happen. Bank of America is already suffering and got into trouble the last time it bought a toxic company and toxic assets, as did many others – but here it is doing the same thing again. Insanity = Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.
Bank of America Corp. says it will accept warrants issued by California’s state government through July 10.
BofA says the state’s budget crisis prompted its decision.
“To support our customers, while giving the state legislature additional time to pass a budget, we will accept California state-registered warrants — or IOUs — from existing customers and clients,” Charlotte-based BofA (NYSE:BAC) says in a written statement.
It is always important to ask “Why” in these very odd and overwhelming times.
Why would Bank of America, who is already in financial trouble and dire straights, accept California IOUs, which it will probably never see? Why does this seem incredibly like the forced situation of Merrill Lynch? Is Bank of America doing this as a favor to the US government? Should I assume that Bank of America will get more bailout dollars if it accepts such a risky investment?
My biggest “beef” with this scenario: who is supporting Bank of America? The government! And where does the government get its money? The taxpayers! It’s not ok by me, that my money is being used to help bailout California due to its liberal/progressive policies that it enacted on the state.
“It is impossible to introduce into society a greater change and a greater evil than this: the conversion of the law into an instrument of plunder.” ~ Frédéric Bastiat 1801-1850 “The Law”
Sticky Fingers ObaMarx Grabbing For More Economic Power – Even Internationally…
Obama wants his unprecedented historic power grab before he leaves office and the crisis window is closing soon. Obama’s plan Wednesday will officially call for the supervision of global financial firms through supervisory colleges.
The Obama administration this week will propose the most significant new regulation of the financial industry since the Great Depression, including a new watchdog agency to look out for consumers’ interests.
Under the plan, expected to be released Wednesday, the government would have new powers to seize key companies — such as insurance giant American International Group Inc. — whose failure jeopardizes the financial system. Currently, the government’s authority to seize companies is mostly limited to banks.
But critics say the easing of the financial crisis that gripped the country last year appears to have reduced the momentum for some of the most far-reaching proposals, such as merging several banking regulatory agencies.
The administration’s move to seize greater power over the financial industry is quite frankly… making me seize. This is so incredibly unconstitutional and will completely crush the economy. The banks are already too tight on lending and Obama wants to regulate them more – makes tons of sense!/sarc. Too many regulations on the free market make it completely dysfunctional – can we not let capitalism work? Why is it that difficult?
What’s worse? This new push for regulation will also give the Federal Reserve additional power and control. The Federal Reserve, as many of us already realize, has been behind many of the economic collapses/recessions in this country, since it’s creation in 1913.
The Federal Reserve, already arguably the most powerful agency in the U.S. government, will get sweeping new authority to regulate any company whose failure could endanger the U.S. economy and markets under the Obama administration’s regulatory overhaul plan.
Just what we need, an entity accountable to no one, not even an auditing agency…
To understand Obama’s intentions we could also take a look back at his G20 plan from a couple months prior:
The Financial Stability Board then has the international authority to set policies in these corporations, including compensation packages the private boards of directors in the examined companies decide to pay top executives and senior managers.
Morris charged that the Obama administration, by agreeing to create the Financial Stability Board, has gone beyond nationalizing U.S. corporations, to “internationalize” U.S.-based corporations under the control of this new global regulator.
While the G20 focused on regulating risks in hedge funds and derivatives, the authority of the Financial Stability Board extends to any banking, brokerage or business practice by a major U.S. corporation that the Financial Stability Board on its own authority determines is unduly risky.
Under the premise that the IMF and the Financial Stability Board would have the ability to make loans to important U.S. corporations, the IMF and the Financial Stability Board become the effective global regulators over the corporate world, superseding all U.S. governmental authorities, including the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and a host of corporate regulators, including the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Labor.
So Obama says no meddling in Iran but, we can meddle in Capitalism around the globe…? Huh?
President Obama, Refinancing Your Home Is Not a Tax Cut
President Obama’s assertion to homeowners that refinancing their mortgage loans now with interest rates at a near-record low equates to a tax cut isn’t that cut and dry, according to tax analysts.
Obama said at his third press conference last month that the housing plan his administration has launched has “already contributed to a spike in the number of homeowners who are refinancing their mortgages, which is the equivalent of another tax cut.
Well in all reality that is simply wrong. First off, interest paid on your mortgage is not a tax. It is the charge you pay the bank for using their money. Anyone who has financed a car, home, or credit card knows that. This is very basic stuff Pres. Obama. Interest paid is not paid to the government for services. Though, given the chance, I am sure Nancy Piglosi would incorporate that into a tax bill. So yet again, more democratic propaganda, lies, and misinformation for the purpose of political brownie points among people who may not know any better.
“While there could be overall savings by refinancing and lower monthly payments, there also could be reduced tax benefits as less interest is paid,” said Gil Charney, an analyst for The Tax Institute at H&R Block.
In short, for those who itemize and can deduct interest payments, by reducing the amount of interest paid, you reduce the amount of the deduction you could possibly take, thus reducing the amount of any potential tax break.
“Also refinancing could extend the period before the mortgage is fully paid off, so this might not be desirable for someone who wants to be mortgage-free,” he said.
When you refinance you restart the term of your loan at the new rate. Now depending upon the terms and the amount your refinance, you could reset back at the 30 year mark. By doing this one could extend the amount of time actually paid on the mortgage itself. Also, one must consider that if you refinance it may take several years to recoup the finance charges.
Savings, yes; tax break, NO! Please get it straight President Obama
