TD2802

Public opinion or height consciousness never interfered with my jawa-cleansing duties.

No offense taken at all - just enjoying the dialog!

It may happen with regime change. But then how popular would that be dumping in someone else's backyard? Industrialized nations already send tons of old electronics and hazmat suspicious items to places like Bangladesh for 'recycling' where it ends up poisoning the locals who work with the stuff. Cynical as it may be, its feels great to be green in your own country but ignore the cost of its effects elsewhere. What we no longer use or need has to go somewhere if we don't want anymore landfills here. Furthermore, I wouldn't characterize the present economic cycle as typical though - there is a war going on (which is an economic aberration) so no one can generalize whether the trillions spent fighting it will have little impact on a typical 10-12 year cycle. The impact may not be readily apparent now but certainly your kids or grandkids will be paying for it.

Or if you're less scrupulous, invest in any of the big oil companies, and make your killing that way and avoid the inevitable government-environmental group wrangling over ANWR.

Ironically, Ron Paul advocated a return to the gold standard as part of his aborted campaign. As pointed out earlier, gold is a good source of reserve capital for many central banks and an economic hedge. Too much investment in gold however could lead to market inflation and volatility - that's why its kept in reserve and one of the reasons in '71, Mr. Nixon and the IMF switched to a monetary standard with the Bretton-Woods agreement. Before then, the global market was less diverse.

I just threw up in my mouth..... You have to remember that the Europeans tax the heck out of gas, that is why it is so expensive... for example, the average in the UK, it was 95.1p per litre about but 63.7p per litre was tax, 67% TAX... http://www.petrolprices.com/fuel-tax.html In the UK, the obvious targets for tax increases is gas, cigarettes and beer... That's not surprising because the governments are more proactive in encouraging you not to drive or giving you less incentive to. The US is a major non-signatory of the Kyoto Protocol to control greenhouse emissions and 'disincenting' its citizens not to drive isn't on the agenda nor practical for a lot of people.

What country would each US state or region's GDP be comparable to? Here's a controversial take: http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/0 ... f-the-usa/

Off to buy more Gold bullion. In less than five weeks, I made over $40 on 1/2 once. If things go the way i hope in the next 2 or 3 months i plan on investing 2k in gold bullion *fingers crossed* I've been thinking about it since i read an interesting thread on the RPF a few weeks ago where mike spoke of gold investing with a dark helmet i believe. I used to think saving money in the bank was the way to go boy was i way wrong! It just sits there i have to figure out how to get my money working for me Very true but I wouldn't write banks off just yet. There are some banks out there that offer high interest bearing savings accounts with no penalties for early withdrawal. But yeah, pay yourself first - the younger you start the better. Get a Roth IRA and max out on your contributions to your employer's 401k plan (if they have one). I usually invest all my bonus pay that way (despite the temptation to spend it on armor or related gear). And yup, that's where my tax rebate is going too.

Its great to see this kind of dialog here. As a trade finance banker, I happen to know something of how on the macroeconomic level, fluctuation in foreign markets will have an adverse ripple effect domestically. Despite the current administration's denial that we are not in recession but 'slowing', it doesn't obscure the fact that last quarter, the US economy grew less than .6%. Sorry you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig. The sub-prime mortgage meltdown is one symptom. Banks raked in fees off ARMs signed off by consumers who saw the lower monthly principal payment but got hit with foreclosure when their take home pay couldn't match the interest in a bull market. That's where the Fed Reserve stepped in and cut interest to make it cheaper to borrow. But yeah, the American lifestyle is based on instant gratification and the quick buck. Is it any wonder we're the only industrialized nation in the world with the least amount of government mandated vacation? In college I used to get in debates with friends from Europe who scoffed at our lifestyle based on mass consumption with little regard for the global consequences. Well, guess what? While we've moved to a service economy, countries like China and India took a page from capitalism to invite foreign investment to upgrade their manufacturing infrastructures and create jobs. The result is an emerging middle class with disposable income who want the same things they see in the West. Cars, houses, flatscreens, etc...Bottom line, the demand for OIL and capital to realize those goals isn't gonna go away. I wouldn't be surprised if we start paying European prices for gas but at least they have more transportation alternatives.

Marketing, pure and simple.

Good one!

Good work guys and way to stay in formation.

Nice weathering! Can't wait to start working on mine. Seth is the man.

Looks great to me. Its nice to know that there are ready alternatives elsewhere.

You mean he has his wife and 3 kids with him every time he troops!!! Yeah, you got the troops part right - sans limey accent and beard too!

Cheers matey.. We kid he's the new Kav but there's only one Kav. Each sandy makes his own rep.

Hey Jim, glad to see you here. What Vadersf15t is true. Cleanies are cool too, but the synergy of gear, bfgs and DIRT adds a notch more of élan and menace to a sandy. Come, join the Dirtside!

Nice job! Leave it to MEPD to elevate cisterns to works of art.

Excellent job for a first try.

Congrats Mike to you and all the selected command staff. Its great to be MEPD with the capability and energy you guys bring to the best **** det in the legion. Now for some brief levity: A man walks into a psychiatrist's office wearing only underwear made of Saran Wrap. The psychiatrist says, "Well...I can clearly see your nuts"

Now that would be some troop! Great to see you keeping the reb riff-raff in place too.

Tubestripes take guts (for me anyway) to paint. Looks great so far!

Your leadership and guidance was always appreciated. I enjoyed the encouragement, patience, and expertise you extended to others - and your humor as well; its certainly helped this det become a tough act to follow and a role model for all. Carry on!

Very cool! Great to have you MEPD

Did someone say party???