http://hjmann.com/blog Business, Technology, Politics, Wine, Stocks, Life, Whatever Comes To Mind Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:34:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en What concerns me about Obama does not involve his politics or his party or his tax policies or any of that. America has had its share of good and bad Presidents and economies. Whatever it ends up being, I am pretty sure we'll survive this too. What really concerns me is ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/11/05/some-thoughts-on-the-election/ So all the buzz in the market is the new Dream phone running the new Android OS from Google. To properly look at the Dream phone, it must be done in two distinct parts: The Google Android Operating System, and the actual telephone hardware.  By every demonstration I have seen and the reviews that I have read, the indications are ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/10/03/my-early-take-on-the-google-phone-and-google-stock-dream-might-be-a-little-strong/ Buffett gets massively into Goldman Sachs and GE, and the market yawns. The terms were fabulous for Berkshire, and the companies will be issuing new shares which will lead to EPS dilution, so I kind of understand why no one took it as a broader signal. Then today, Wells goes in ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/10/03/buffet-strikes-twice-lightning-strikes-once/ Michael Bloomberg is seeking a repeal of the NYC term limits law in order to run for a third term as the Mayor of NYC in 2009. The repeal of the term limits law would not only repeal it for the Mayor's post, but dozens of other elected posts. It begs the question: ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/10/01/bloomberg-is-postioning-for-a-presidential-run/ Mark Cuban suggests that we should tax stock trades 10 cents per share. My reply below: Mark, This is not as well thought-out as most of your posts are. And it’s a lousy idea. At a macro level, if you are so unconcerned about the amount taxes cost, then I am sure you ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/30/tax-the-hell-out-of-wall-street/ See here. The polls say Obama won the debate. Are you surprised? Well you shouldn't be. Can someone tell me the last time any poll indicated that a Republican Presidential Candidate won a debate? Reagan vs. Carter? And yet the Republican nominee has won 7 of the last 9 presidential elections. In fact, other than that debate-- ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/27/should-we-be-surprised-the-polls-say-obama-won-the-debate/ A new website helps to answer the question. My answer: Over four years, I will pay $9500 more in taxes under Obama than I would if McCain were President. Let me know how you fare. http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/26/would-you-pay-more-taxes-under-mccain-or-obama-take-the-test/ See below… At this point this is just an overly-reported rumor.  But unrelated to this story, Barron’s reported this morning that the pricing for Wachovia to insure certain credit instruments went up 350% literally overnight. I don’t understand the finer details of how these instruments work, but what is clear is ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/26/wachovia-talking-to-citi/ In one of my very first posts, I wrote about a woman who was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for loading some songs onto Kazaa. A jury in Minnesota ordered her to pay $222,000 in damages. At the conclusion of my post, I said the following: "Oh yeah, ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/25/follow-up-on-the-file-sharing-lawsuit/ Again, Mark Cuban writes, and asks a very important question: "I dont know why anybody thinks that the Bankers who got us into this mess are going to take 700B of taxpayer money and  know how to loan us out of this mess. It makes no sense at all. We need ... http://hjmann.com/blog/2008/09/25/how-do-we-trust-the-same-bankers-with-another-700-billion/