davidm's comment history

davidm said...

Yeah, I'm gonna agree with nucanuck. Equities are way too volatile right now, and I certainly wouldn't describe today's market as a 'buying opportunity.' The only sure thing you can do with your money right now is save it.

March 23, 2009 at 11:06 p.m.
davidm said...

Municipal elections play a pretty substantial role in our day-to-day economic lives: from courting potential businesses (VW, Alstom) to zoning (Two Northshore) to protecting property (police department).

I would argue that the outcome of local elections is far more important than those on the state or federal levels. Incidentally, Nov. 2008 election turnout was 72% in Hamilton Co.

As a fan of all of Bennett's work, I think this cartoon is spot-on with its commentary.

March 5, 2009 at 1:04 p.m.
davidm said...

I've heard that you can make a lot of money with this social media thing. Is there a way to do that? I want to be very rich...

February 24, 2009 at 3:04 p.m.
davidm said...

"Stimulus? What stimulus?"

This bill has been in the making since November 4 -- a political reality, not necessarily an ideal -- and mayors of other large municipalities have had spending proposals on the table for quite some time:

http://chattarati.com/2009/02/12/theres-no-stimulating-chattanooga/

Even Cleveland, TN is in there. So how is that department heads for the City of Chattanooga (and presumably Hamilton County, too) are just now being asked to "come back with a list of projects in 10 days that could potentially receive funding?"

Whether you agree with the stimulus or not, it's in everyone's best interests to keep Hamilton County tax dollars invested into Hamilton County, and at the very least, our leaders should have been anticipating how to leverage federal funds for our benefit since November.

February 17, 2009 at 12:26 p.m.
davidm said...

According to the Chattanoogan, "The suit was brought by David Matthews (heh) and Tommy Baker against the city of Chattanooga, EPB and EPB Telecom."

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_143410.asp

January 27, 2009 at 2:54 p.m.
davidm said...

Very strange. I don't see EPB moving forward on the easements without knowing they have the legal authority to do so. And why is there no plaintiff listed in the article?

"Every EPB customer is potentially affected by the lawsuit, attorney John Cavett said, and could possibly be entitled to compensation from EPB for the improper use of their land."

Ha - EPB is a publicly-owned agency of the City of Chattanooga. So now we're filing a class action lawsuit against ourselves...I smell a PR stunt.

January 27, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.
davidm said...

Would have been way cooler with scratch n sniff pages.

These reports may have personally cost me a whopping $2-$3 spread out over a year -- just so EPB can improve its bond rating and insure millions in credit which will pass larger savings on to me in the future?

Yeah, I get why I should be mad about this.

October 28, 2008 at 11:59 a.m.
davidm said...

A 5% decline in American consumption is fairly substantial (and commendable), but I'm not convinced that current oil prices are reflecting 'lower demand' as much as they're reflecting the drop in equity markets across the board (the price of oil has dropped 44% from its July peak).

When there's a market correction early next year, there's a very good chance oil will surpass record highs -- and fast.

October 21, 2008 at 11:42 a.m.
davidm said...

I was shopping for cleaner at Wal-Mart and noticed a lot of bottles marked 'green' or 'eco-friendly' a few days ago, knowing full well that many of them weren't good for the environment. It's unfortunate that marketing departments are playing fast and loose with the term 'green' without making any changes to their product's environmental impact.

At the same time, people are actively choosing products they believe to be green. The marketability of 'green' proves that shopper's overall awareness is rising.

A good starting point to see through greenwashing is to think about the full life-cycle of any product you buy or consume. How is it made and packaged? Where was it manufactured? What will happen to it when I'm through with it?

Also, there are a number of websites with info on being a greener consumer. http://treehugger.com/buygreen offers a great primer.

October 8, 2008 at 11:22 a.m.
davidm said...

Rolando, what world are you living in? Washington Mutual just failed. If the bleeding isn't stopped, Main Street Americans aren't going to have any money. My retirement is rolled into a 401k, mutual funds and savings. How do you think those have fared this week?

If credit continues to tighten, people won't be able to get loans for homes, automobiles or college. I'm not referring to irresponsible borrowers; I'm talking about guys like you and I who work hard, save money and behave responsibly.

John McCain is doing little to help move White House negotiations along - inserting politics into the process every step of the way (alongside House Republicans). Barack Obama maybe be a liberal, but at least he's working to help you right now.

NO ONE likes this deal, but sometimes you have to make the best of the hand that's dealt to you. If anything, local papers like the Times Free Press could do a better job of explaining how the problems on Wall Street will in fact threaten Main Street Americans' financial security.

September 26, 2008 at 9:39 a.m.
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