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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: combjelly who wrote (451974)	1/28/2009 6:49:07 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575411

only exacerbates that fear. Isn't this very much like what the neos used to scare us about the terrorist threat?" Excellent point. The motivation is a little different, though. JF is worried about retiring. If this thing drags on for a decade, he is royally screwed. I understand......we all have our individual fears and issues to worry about. "I think most of the trouble was caused by greed and lack of regulation." The problem is, what is really left? Did they screw the pooch to the point that everyone has to pitch their cards in and we start a new game? It isn't impossible, you know. There were so many things done in dark corners, we don't know what we have and what is just pieces of paper. I guess I am relying on people's inherent will to survive and prosper. I think my attitude comes from what I saw in LA at the very depths of that city's nadir. I was much like Chris and John.......I never believed it could possibly revive. In 1990, the city got hit by huge layoffs in its defense industries as Bush I downsized the military. Then the recession hit. Unemployment was well over 10%....I think it hit 14% at its peak. Then in 1992, total anarchy broke out.......people rioted and the city burned for two weeks. We were under martial law and a curfew. Military convoys were everywhere. For the next year or so all I heard was gun fire when I went to bed. Twice I got caught in gun battles.....once someone pulled a knife on me in a vacant building. The cops did nothing. On many occasions I saw someone run a red light or a stop sign and the cops would watch and do nothing. Most of them were trying to get jobs away from LA. No one seemed to care. Then in 1994 the northridge quake hit. Whole freeways were destroyed.....countless buildings. One of the buildings I rehabbed and managed in Hollywood.....100 units.....nearly topped into Hollywood Blvd. I was given 48 hours to get it torn down. Streets were impassable. There was destruction everywhere. Somewhere around that time Riordan got elected. He was much like Obama.....very optimistic. And he started turning things around. Frankly, at the time, I thought he was a fool and pushing on a string. But he did it....very slowly the city started to recover. The cops resumed policing the city. Things calmed down. The housing market stabilized and then recovered. So I believe there is enough left in these somewhat united states to permit a turnaround. Will it be easy? No. But I firmly believe it will happen. And I don't think it will take 8 years like in LA. And frankly, if you don't agree with me, that's absolutely fine. My experiences are my experiences.....we each have our own that provides us with direction.