BOOM! US Economy Grows By Big 4.3% In Third Quarter

4.3% is the annualized growth rate. What "annualized" means is "if we took this quarter's actual growth rate and multiplied it by four to find the growth we could expect over an entire year, if it continued."

The actual growth rate for the quarter is then something like 1.08%, but don't worry about that, because we always talk about the annualized growth rate. There is no mathematical manipulation going on to make the number seem bigger than it is. This is how we always measure it.

Just to know how to evaluate GDP growth, here's a quick but Expert primer, because I'm an Expert in literally anything I talk about:

Less than 0% (negative "growth"): the economy shrank. Recessionary.

0%: No growth, and pretty recessionary, because the population always grows. Zero growth thus means that everyone lost a little.

1%: Weak, barely perceptible growth. Either a poor economy or maybe even one about to fall into recession.

2%: Growth, and not really a sign of a recession, but sluggish and unimpressive growth that no one will brag about. Also nothing to panic about. Very meh. To put it terms you can understand, if we were using the Hustler boner meter to rate the economy rather than pornography, it rates one erect penis and one droopy one (out of a possible four erect penises, obviously). It's the "garrett" of economies, then. At this level, the economy is a vaguely unwelcome presence that won't shut up about its bike but you just shrug and just think about the blissful oblivion of death.

3%: Solid growth. No one can dispute the economy is growing. No one would dispute that this is a good solid economy. People's moods will naturally be a little elevated during a period of this level of growth. Think "Jack Straw smoking a bone while steering his yacht with his bare foot and listening to a 15 minute double drum solo." I know that sounds like the Holocaust, but I mean, think about this from Jack Straw's perspective. He likes 15 minute double drum solos because he was raised wrong and don't know no better.

4%: Very high growth. Starting to get into actual "BOOM" territory, if sustained, if it's not just a one-quarter wonder. Think: Me riding down the street on my Vespa, carrying my J. Crew messenger bag, looking at the world with optimism and cheer and thinking of all the vertical surfaces I can stick shelves on.

5%: Outstanding growth. This level is rarely seen and means the economy is running on all 12 cylinders. (Yes, 12 cylinders, it's now a sportscar.) Sustained 5% growth means Golden Times. Think "Sydney Sweeney wearing a low-cut top with beads of golden honey sweat trickling down between her breasts as she washes and details your Camaro." (Artist's conception.)

Clinton had some of this during the internet bubble and the deficit actually fell (despite his best efforts to increase it) because tax takings were so large and welfare spending fell.

This level of extraordinary growth can't be sustained forever, maybe just a year or two. This is about the best level of growth you can realistically hope for.

You occasionally see 6% or 7% quarters -- or even higher -- but usually only in like Latin American countries when they recover from one of their frequent recessions/depressions, or China up to about ten years ago. When it happens in America, it's a one-quarter wonder. I think GWB had one 7.2% quarter but I think that was like six months after the economic apocalypse of 9/11 -- so a one-quarter wonder, with the American economy rebounding back from a deep shock-recession, like Latin American countries do with their always-volatile economies.

Apart from some weird one-off circumstances, like recovering from 9/11, advanced, stable economies almost never grow in a sustained way at these levels.

So, the 4.3% growth is very high and not too far away from "It's Morning in America again."

And it's not even a one-quarter wonder -- the last quarter showed strong 3.8% growth. It looks like it's real and building.

Is the economic turn we desperately need for 2026 and 2028, too, finally here?

Let's hope. It looks good at the moment.

Ed Morrissey:

The US economy grew 4.3% in real gross domestic product in Q3 (annualized), the best quarter of growth in the past two years. It exceeds the 3.8% growth in Q2 that had largely been seen as driven by rebalancing of the trade deficit. It's the first BEA analysis of overall economic activity since September, thanks to the Schumer Shutdown:

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025 (July, August, and September), according to the initial estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 3.8 percent.
Due to the recent government shutdown, this initial report for the third quarter of 2025 replaces the release of the advance estimate originally scheduled for October 30 and the second estimate originally scheduled for November 26.
The increase in real GDP in the third quarter reflected increases in consumer spending, exports, and government spending that were partly offset by a decrease in investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.
Just to clarify: "real GDP" already accounts for inflation. This is growth above the rate of inflation, annualized for comparative purposes. The last six months of economic activity has shown a combined growth of 4.0% or a bit better, which is a fantastic momentum by anyone's reckoning.

Previous growth was explained away by experts by claiming that the apparent growth was mostly due to technical factors due to Trump's tariffs. (Imports reduce GDP, so reducing them "increases" GDP, at least on paper.)

But Ed Morrissey explains that the new numbers appear to be unaffected by changes in tariff policy. See his post for that. It's dangerously close to math and you know that we do not do that here.

He also notes that the WSJ breaks out my favorite leftwing buzzword: "Unexpectedly."

The U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly robust pace in the third quarter, powered by strong consumer spending.
Gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced across the economy, rose at a seasonally and inflation-adjusted 4.3% annual rate for the July through September quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a shutdown-delayed report.
It was the highest growth rate in two years, and reflected robust spending by consumers on services like healthcare as well as spending on recreational vehicles. Growth picked up from 3.8% in the previous quarter, and beat the 3.2% forecast among economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

There is a chance this number will be revised down after a time. "Big numbers" are often revised back to be closer to the mean (that is, back to a more moderate level, whether up or down).

But even if it's revised down a touch, it's still a big number.

And it could also be revised up, of course. The leftwing bureaucrats in the BEA always seem to produce bigger initial numbers for Democrats and worse numbers for Republicans than time eventually reveals to be the accurate numbers.

HASSETT: "It's a fantastic [GDP] report — 4.3%. It's just about as good as GDP numbers get... these numbers are showing that @POTUS' trade policy, and his supply-side policy... is having a big effect." pic.twitter.com/TpL6mdeKNZ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 23, 2025

Posted by: Ace at 12:12 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 maybe....

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead...Wearing Pants and Working at December 23, 2025 12:12 PM (luW68)

2 FIRST UNTO THE BLADE IS THE BLADE

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:12 PM (iFTx/)

3 Hell yeah! Take that Elric...

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead...Wearing Pants and Working at December 23, 2025 12:13 PM (luW68)

4 0%: No growth, and pretty recessionary, because the population always grows. Zero growth thus means that everyone lost a little.

====

Well, except right now.

Our population is actually shrinking because of the deportations.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:14 PM (GBKbO)

5 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:14 PM (Zz0t1)

6 That's a big number, the stock market should take off like a rocket in the next couple of weeks.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at December 23, 2025 12:14 PM (XV/Pl)

7 Throw the bums out. For the economy.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:14 PM (5DEFi)

8 LOL.. Tha CNN Bimbo with Hassert doesn't look very happy...

Posted by: It's me donna at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (VE6XX)

9 It's the "garrett" of economies, then. At this level, the economy is an unwelcome presence that won't shut up about its bike but you just shrug and just think about the blissful oblivion of death.

Wait.......so he DOES read the comments!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (Zz0t1)

10 I for one am worried about inflation

Posted by: banana Dream - IN MY PANTS! at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (3uBP9)

11 Gee, it's almost like The Blade has been shouting about the strong economy from the rooftops for all of 2025 ....

Trust The Blade. He knows things.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (iFTx/)

12 If the economy stay strong look for COVID OP DEUX - HAIL MARY BOOGALOO.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (XV/Pl)

13 Um....

Can I take the Sydney Sweeney version, please? And not the Garrett one?

Not sure about Ace on a vespa thinking about shelving. What about if instead he is hunting down the main ingredient for hobo stew? More appetizing a picture!

Posted by: SimoHayek at December 23, 2025 12:16 PM (/ZkOF)

14 You know what they say, tossing deadweight overboard lifts all boats.

Posted by: t-bird at December 23, 2025 12:16 PM (6LzyB)

15 They need to end EBT to stave off food inflation.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:16 PM (5DEFi)

16 Hell yeah! Take that Elric...
Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead...Wearing Pants and Working at December 23, 2025 12:13 PM (luW6

________

[Kicks rock]

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:16 PM (iFTx/)

17 You occasionally see 6% or 7% quarters -- or even higher -- but usually only in like Latin American countries when they recover from one of their frequent recessions/depressions, or China up to about ten years ago.

Reflecting the fact that the economy was underperforming, usually for governmentally-caused reasons.

Posted by: Archimedes at December 23, 2025 12:16 PM (Riz8t)

18 Retarded people are bad for the economy?

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (5DEFi)

19 CNN broad looks like she was weaned on a pickle.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (npFr7)

20 Also, someone much more talented than I (Anna, maybe?) should totally give us some renderings of these comparisons. Made safe for work for the Garrett and Jackstraw ones, of course.

Posted by: SimoHayek at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (/ZkOF)

21 thank you joe biden! while all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even hunter, who has his own ideas for what a spoon is for snort snort

Posted by: gnats local 678 at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (CWTWj)

22 If they’re always wrong, they’re not really experts, are they?

Posted by: Duke Lowell at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (u73oe)

23 Think: Me riding down the street on my Vespa, carrying my J. Crew messenger bag, looking at the world with optimism and cheer and thinking of all the vertical surfaces I can stick shelves on.

*starts humming "Happy Days Are Here Again"*

Posted by: Diogenes at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (2WIwB)

24 The growth is excellent news. For our side - defined as normal Americans who love their country. To all others this sounds like maybe they need to manufacture another case of the sniffles, shut down the economy and kill a few million more people. You know...to stop the Orange Fascist.

Is Fauci in jail yet or is he still walking free?

Posted by: Chairborne!...Desk From Above! at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (gqsiU)

25 Is it something that's improving the lot of all, or even most, Americans? Or just the uppers padding their nests a bit more?

That is what matters. I've had my fill of "growth" that never benefits average folk, but makes the ultra rich even richer.

I may be souring on "supply-side" in a "morality-optional" world, why do you ask?

Posted by: Brother Tim (102mm/W59), Keeper of the Tim Continuum at December 23, 2025 12:17 PM (OUMaO)

26 So honey covered bewbs is good.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (pLaQB)

27 I'm not going to comment on this info until I hear what Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson or Mark Levin have to say about Israel.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (Zz0t1)

28 I just did my annual reread of the 1949 WSJ editorial In Hoc Anno Domini. It delivers different messages each year. This year, is speaking to Trump's already-waning 2nd term and the need for him to move quickly.

I recommend it highly. It can take some work to find a free version, but it is worth it.

Posted by: 496 at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (uC8L0)

29 Sweet.
And good morning Ace.

If I don't get the chance later, Merry Christmas too.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (xcxpd)

30 Finally a post written in terms I easily understand.

Posted by: Farmer Bob at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (xSk1L)

31 11 Gee, it's almost like The Blade has been shouting about the strong economy from the rooftops for all of 2025 ....

Trust The Blade. He knows things.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:15 PM (iFTx/)

=======

I still feel like we're going to be seeing weird topline numbers, and this may be part of it, as the economy redirects from the foreign-born focused to the native born focused.

Especially in employment numbers.

With the huge power of the executive, too, a Democrat Congress won't be able to derail much.

Still, the YouGov poll they released this morning is D+3. They had a D+4 in September of 2023.

No idea what 2026 will bring, but...normal political gravity seems to have possibly shifted.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (GBKbO)

32 2%: Growth, and not really a sign of a recession, but sluggish and unimpressive growth that no one will brag about. Also nothing to panic about. Very meh. To put it terms you can understand, if we were using the Hustler boner meter to rate the economy rather than pornography, it rates one erect penis and one droopy one (out of a possible four erect penises, obviously). It's the "garrett" of economies, then

How does the "flaming clown boner" factor affect the result?

Posted by: Archimedes at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (Riz8t)

33 "This is how we always measure it."

You mean, "this is how we used to measure it"

-- the MSM

Posted by: No One of Consequence at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (OGOaV)

34 But . . .

. . . what about AFFORDABILITY?

Posted by: M. Gaga at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (KiBMU)

35 Cheaper fast food? No EBT for McDonalds.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (5DEFi)

36 There is a chance this number will be revised down after a time.

Maybe I missed it but have President Trump's numbers ever been revised downward? Usually its the other way around.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (2WIwB)

37 Garrett has two dicks? I did not expect to read that in an economics lecture.

Posted by: Kratwurst at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (mmFQG)

38 "Clinton had some of this during the internet bubble and the deficit actually fell (despite his best efforts to increase it) because tax takings were so large and welfare spending fell."

and gingrich and the repubs in congress had nothing to do with it? but yeah the intel pentium had a lot to do with it, i think

Posted by: gnats local 678 at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (CWTWj)

39 Joe Biden could have done that; he just didn't want to.

Posted by: Rachel Maddow at December 23, 2025 12:20 PM (wt98q)

40 Garrett has two dicks? I did not expect to read that in an economics lecture.

Pffffft.

Posted by: George Washington at December 23, 2025 12:20 PM (Riz8t)

41 "4%: Very high growth. Starting to get into actual "BOOM" territory, if sustained, if it's not just a one-quarter wonder. Think: Me riding down the street on my Vespa, carrying my J. Crew messenger bag, looking at the world with optimism and cheer and thinking of all the vertical surfaces I can stick shelves on."

There are a couple of questions that come up now:

1. If the economy is growing like this, is there a need to lower interest rates further, which could risk inflation. The Fed doves like Stephen Miran (Trump's temporary Fed governor) and Trump's Fed Chair replacement would have to balance that with Trump's wrath if rates don't go down further, as he would like.

2. Is Garrett riding the back of Ace's Vespa, with his arms around his waist while wearing sparkly red Crocs as they ride down to the local Home Depot to get more fixtures for Ace's new shelves?

Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:21 PM (0CU3H)

42 No idea what 2026 will bring, but...normal political gravity seems to have possibly shifted.
----------------
Methinks Venezuela and Cuber become open societies, once again.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:21 PM (pLaQB)

43
If I don't get the chance later, Merry Christmas too.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (xcxpd)

Merry Christmas to ALL you M F'ers........well, most........Ah to heck with it.

ALL!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:21 PM (Zz0t1)

44 >>>and gingrich and the repubs in congress had nothing to do with it? but yeah the intel pentium had a lot to do with it, i think

yeah they restrained spending BUT the driver of the surplus was the boom. Without the boom, the deficit would have just narrowed a bit.

I'm not giving Al Gore, Creator the Internet, credit. It's just that the internet boom came when it did. Clinton was the accidental beneficiary.

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:21 PM (1wjle)

45 What about if instead he is hunting down the main ingredient for hobo stew?

Rumor has it Marco Rubio's garbage is back on the menu.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:21 PM (QZThv)

46 I don't think there's a subtle way of stating this, so I'll just go with the obvious: that Boston mayor Wu is one dumb bitch.

Posted by: Crusader at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (TN0g+)

47
Hopefully Santa brings good sense to the naysayers here.

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (3ek7K)

48 I dunno. There was some confusing borderline math there, Flaming Skull notwithstanding.

Posted by: Illiterate, Innumerate, Sometimes Incontinent at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (oftw2)

49 Newsrooms are frantically trying to make it a bad thing or tell us how Biden laid the groundwork for the boom.

Posted by: NR Pax at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (lXoJ5)

50 You say tomato
And I say... no NATO!

https://tinyurl.com/stvkpk6k

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (KgVf3)

51
Quick! More Epstein/Trump files!!!

-Dems

Posted by: Frank Barone at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (IifOV)

52 Finally a post written in terms I easily understand.
Posted by: Farmer Bob at December 23, 2025 12:19 PM (xSk1L)

You asked for it........

https://youtu.be/7xxgRUyzgs0

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (Zz0t1)

53 It will be revised up. Put Bessie and Chickchick and the rest of the farm on it.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:23 PM (oHAzj)

54
>>>If the economy is growing like this, is there a need to lower interest rates further, which could risk inflation

good point, they usually do not lower rates during a boom.

But if they don't lower rates, inflation will fall more, which is good.

I don't think they'll raise them. This isn't a bubble. This isn't driven by "irrational exuberance."

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:23 PM (1wjle)

55 CNN girl looks like Charlie sent an iron dildo up her butt.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at December 23, 2025 12:24 PM (Mis34)

56 Garrett has two dicks? I did not expect to read that in an economics lecture.
Posted by: Kratwurst

There was a woman named Myrtle Corbin (1868-192

who had four legs, two on the left side of her body, and two on the right. She also had to uteruses, one on the left and one on the right. And she had 5 children.

Posted by: Bulg at December 23, 2025 12:24 PM (77rzZ)

57 Clinton was also helped by i) cell phones started taking off and ii) personal computers began to boom (lots of companies had monitors that went to the company's computer. In the 90's desktop computers became ubiquitous IMO)

Posted by: 496 at December 23, 2025 12:24 PM (uC8L0)

58 40 Garrett has two dicks? I did not expect to read that in an economics lecture.

Pffffft.
Posted by: George Washington at December 23, 2025 12:20 PM (Riz8t)

LOL

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (xcxpd)

59 Is Garrett riding the back of Ace's Vespa, with his arms around his waist while wearing sparkly red Crocs as they ride down to the local Home Depot to get more fixtures for Ace's new shelves?
Posted by: Darrell Harris
_

Thanks for that very disturbing mental image.

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (22p5n)

60 2. Is Garrett riding the back of Ace's Vespa, with his arms around his waist while wearing sparkly red Crocs as they ride down to the local Home Depot to get more fixtures for Ace's new shelves?

And how will he accessorize the Crocs. Perhaps heels?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wtj1l3ykvGs?feature=share

Posted by: Archimedes at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (Riz8t)

61 Think "Jack Straw smoking a bone while steering his yacht with his bare foot and listening to a 15 minute double drum solo."

Jack Straw is a faig? Smoking a bone?

Huh......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (Zz0t1)

62 Saved by Kamalanomics! Trump took all his ideas from the black woman!

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (oHAzj)

63 52- awesome song!

Posted by: Farmer Bob at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (xSk1L)

64 There was a woman named Myrtle Corbin (1868-192 who had four legs, two on the left side of her body, and two on the right. She also had to uteruses, one on the left and one on the right. And she had 5 children.
-------------
This sound like maff and stuff.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (pLaQB)

65 With all of this good economic news, what we really need is....

Well... Nothing...

Just hopefully the American People Don't Do Something Stupid Like elect Democrats in 2026.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (XV/Pl)

66
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wtj1l3ykvGs?feature=share
Posted by: Archimedes at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (Riz8t)

Big gurl gonna strike oil walking around in those stiletto heals.

I'd rather see the broad with the big boobs telling me why she hates those.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (Zz0t1)

67 Is the economic turn we desperately need for 2026 and 2028, too, finally here?

Let's hope. It looks good at the moment.
++++
It looks, at best, okay. The major drivers were "consumer spending" and "government." Government is, optimistically, neutral. Government spending should not count as positive in GDP, but I am tired of tilting at that particular windmill. On the "consumer" side, the primary good driver was motor vehicles (not bad) and "information processing equipment" (danger). The primary services driver was, again, medical services (danger), then other professional services (probably good).

This is a YUGE print, but pull AI bubble components out of it, along with continued runaway medical costs, and it is much, much softer. Recent employment reports have also not been anything like as promising as their headline numbers might indicate.

I am not shouting "DOOM" from the rooftops by any means, but the AI bubble, government and runawaymedical costs are keeping things afloat right now. If AI pops next year, look the hell out.

I love a good print, of course, but this is not as rosy at it might appear at first blush.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (avHHk)

68 Just hopefully the American People Don't Do Something Stupid Like elect Democrats in 2026.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at December 23, 2025 12:25 PM (XV/Pl)

You mean you hope 40 Republicans don't retire and usher them in almost like they are being compensated to do so.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (oHAzj)

69 Any man who accessorizes Crocs spends a night in the box.

Posted by: Carr, the Floorwalker at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (wt98q)

70 Merry Christmas to ALL you M F'ers........well, most........Ah to heck with it.

ALL!!!!!
Posted by: Sponge
___

Mele Kalikimaka to you too!

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (22p5n)

71 Pop open the champagne early?

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (ftFVW)

72 The worst non Canadian whiskey company is shutting down for a year.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (5DEFi)

73 This isn't news or scandalous, though the poster wants it to be:

https://tinyurl.com/45kyad45

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (KgVf3)

74 I'm super stoked today. On this day, this very morning I had a big boy poopy.

And after a week of digestive problems from hell, 100 bathroom trips a day, thermonuclear bowel launches, an actual real normal bowel movement was so great. I think my butt didn't know what to do at first, "Hey,... oh no, what?, no this is new..." but it was all systems normal. And I am so proud.

I honestly want the full toddler's first potty treatment now. I wanted applause, I truly wish all of you, my beloved internet friends, were there with me to celebrate, maybe a holding a handmade sign and throwing confetti, and then you'd all take me to toys-r-us for a present.

Anyway, wanted to share.

Posted by: banana Dream - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (3uBP9)

75 that Boston mayor Wu is one dumb bitch.
Posted by: Crusader at December 23, 2025 12:22 PM (TN0g+)

Who's worse: Her or the dumb f*cking retards that elected her?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (Zz0t1)

76 But if they don't lower rates, inflation will fall more, which is good.

I don't think they'll raise them. This isn't a bubble. This isn't driven by "irrational exuberance."

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:23 PM (1wjle)

This makes me wonder about whether Greenspan actually needed to raise rates in the late 90s to kill 'irrational exuberance'. We didn't have inflation then, and we didn't have high unemployment - to the contrary, the Internet boom was getting us towards full employment, and we were on our way to paying down the deficit. I'd argue that Greenspan taking away the punch bowl when it wasn't necessary artificially stalled the economy and plunged us into an unnecessary recession.

Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (0CU3H)

77 I think Ace's commentary on the 0% to 5% growth is funny and clever, but I disagree a bit on the numbers.

Although Ace mostly poo-poos 2% growth, it's actually pretty good. 2-3% is considered a kind of sweet spot for good, solid growth without risk of overheating. Most economists -- spit -- would take a consistent 2-3% over anything else.

Remember: these percentages are after inflation.

4+% GDP growth is raging, and 5+% is Lambo Time. The risks with these kind of growth rates is that things can overheat. So the over-under on when the media will start whining about the economy overheating is ... 48 hours?

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (iFTx/)

78 Did not expect Cool Hand Luke this morning. But that scene is very educational.

"Wiping it off here, boss" indeed....

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (xcxpd)

79 Afternoon Ace.
A less than 0% growth on the Hustler boner scale is a drunken naked Hillary Clinton covered in vomit climbing into your bed

Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (2vrAX)

80 This isn't news or scandalous, though the poster wants it to be:

https://tinyurl.com/45kyad45
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (KgVf3)

Age verification.

Sads.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (Zz0t1)

81 I am not shouting "DOOM" from the rooftops by any means
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!)

I wonder what Monty would've made of Trump.

Posted by: Bulg at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (77rzZ)

82 But...but...what about Trump's "disturbing manic cadence?!"

Posted by: Lady in Black at December 23, 2025 12:28 PM (qBdHI)

83 Found out earlier. Someone axed about the market.
As I was writing a response a text came in advising that a pos equity that had been up for sale over six freaking months SOLD.

There is no reason for it to sell other than sentiment.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (Mis34)

84 72 The worst non Canadian whiskey company is shutting down for a year.
Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (5DEFi)

Which one?

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (xcxpd)

85 Myrtle Corbin coined the phrase "Four legs good-two legs bad".

Posted by: Tough To Find Pants, Though at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (oftw2)

86
I honestly want the full toddler's first potty treatment now. I wanted applause, I truly wish all of you, my beloved internet friends, were there with me to celebrate, maybe a holding a handmade sign and throwing confetti, and then you'd all take me to toys-r-us for a present.

Anyway, wanted to share.
Posted by: banana Dream - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (3uBP9)

This place.......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (Zz0t1)

87
Which one?
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (xcxpd)

Jim Beam, I believe.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (Zz0t1)

88 Looking through NOAA's weather API, I see an api key, Waning Gibbous.

I've always hated it when my Gibbous Wanes.

Posted by: Thomas Bender at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (XV/Pl)

89 Jim Beam.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (5DEFi)

90 "unexpectedly" is a fun word when it comes to economics.
For 4 years "Unexpectedly" always preceded lower gains than predicted by the "experts" during Biden's tenure.
Now it precedes gains above the "experts" predictions.

If you ask me, I think we need better experts.

Posted by: Dave's not here at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (kp5iD)

91 Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (avHHk)

There is no point in cherrypicking the data, not the least of which because all our enemies do is lie anyway.

But when an RB in football has a great stat line for the year, you'll always get dudes who say "well if you take his five longest runs away, his numbers are very average". Silly game.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (oHAzj)

92
Uh, some things don't need to be "shared."

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (3ek7K)

93 Unexpertedly

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (oHAzj)

94 54 good point, they usually do not lower rates during a boom.

But if they don't lower rates, inflation will fall more, which is good.

I don't think they'll raise them. This isn't a bubble. This isn't driven by "irrational exuberance."

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:23 PM (1wjle)

=====

Interest rates on government debt doesn't affect inflation. If it did, we'd have massive inflation during Obama's years.

The argument is that more people are asking for loans and then fractional reserve banking lets banks print more money. But that's not how it works.

Fractional reserve banking does allow banks to lend out more than they have, but they don't print the currency. The Fed prints the currency.

So, if banks are suddenly able to increase their lending capabilities, it's not because someone invested $1 and then they can lend out $9 more automatically. It's that the Fed has decided to print more money to lend to banks.

The point of lowering interest rates now has nothing to do with inflation. It has to do with saving hundreds of billions on government debt.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (GBKbO)

95 Is that Navy Cop Joe?

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (5DEFi)

96 Woot!!! We're rich!!!!

Posted by: LASue at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (lCppi)

97 72 The worst non Canadian whiskey company is shutting down for a year.
Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (5DEFi)
-------
"When used as directed, it will get you drunk."

Posted by: 496 at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (uC8L0)

98 Who's worse: Her or the dumb f*cking retards that elected her?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (Zz0t1)

Yes.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (oHAzj)

99 The worst non Canadian whiskey company is shutting down for a year.

If it's the one going around on X, that's a Democrat lie. They're shutting down and remodeling the visitor center, the actual production line's full speed ahead.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (QZThv)

100 I love a good print, of course, but this is not as rosy at it might appear at first blush.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:26 PM (avHHk)

======

That it's happening while our population is actually decreasing slightly is what is most important in my eyes.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (GBKbO)

101
But when an RB in football has a great stat line for the year, you'll always get dudes who say "well if you take his five longest runs away, his numbers are very average". Silly game.
Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (oHAzj)

Pet peeve:

Why is it that everywhere on the field, hands to the face is illegal, unless you're carrying the football. In THAT situation, you can grab a f*ckers facemask and throw him to the ground and keep on truckin.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (Zz0t1)

102 89 Jim Beam.
Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:29 PM (5DEFi)

Wow.

Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

103 74 I'm super stoked today. On this day, this very morning I had a big boy poopy.

And after a week of digestive problems from hell, 100 bathroom trips a day, thermonuclear bowel launches, an actual real normal bowel movement was so great. I think my butt didn't know what to do at first, "Hey,... oh no, what?, no this is new..." but it was all systems normal. And I am so proud.

I honestly want the full toddler's first potty treatment now. I wanted applause, I truly wish all of you, my beloved internet friends, were there with me to celebrate, maybe a holding a handmade sign and throwing confetti, and then you'd all take me to toys-r-us for a present.

Anyway, wanted to share.
Posted by: banana Dream - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (3uBP9)

As the saying goes, sorrow shared is halved and joy shared is doubled.

If that's the case, what the heck is this?

Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (0CU3H)

104 73 This isn't news or scandalous, though the poster wants it to be:

https://tinyurl.com/45kyad45
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (KgVf3)

I'd say it was in reference to Bill Clinton

Posted by: It's me donna at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (VE6XX)

105 also... during clinton's 2nd term, social security was folded into the budget, with the result that the s.s. surplus covered up the fed gov't budget deficit. steve moore pointed out years ago that the same year the gov't supposedly ran a surplus the nation debt still increased

Posted by: gnats local 678 at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (CWTWj)

106 Woot!!! We're rich!!!!
Posted by: LASue at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (lCppi)

"Let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet, gentlemen."

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (Zz0t1)

107 The point of lowering interest rates now has nothing to do with inflation. It has to do with saving hundreds of billions on government debt.
--------------
Which a large chunk of going to China.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (pLaQB)

108 That CNN gal was suffering, reporting on a Trump success

Posted by: Zeera , Damn Right I voted for all of this! at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (jvxGE)

109 Really. They were whining about job losses even.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (5DEFi)

110 Wait until 2026. The seeds Bessant and Trump have been planting are like nothing ever before.

Posted by: Ordinary American at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (WHfpM)

111 Wow.

Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

Sales are down and they're overstocked.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (Zz0t1)

112 Anyway, wanted to share.
Posted by: banana Dream - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER at December 23, 2025 12:27 PM (3uBP9)

If you do a Christmas letter, please add me to your list.

Posted by: LASue at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (lCppi)

113 Is the economic turn we desperately need for 2026 and 2028, too, finally here?

Noooo! That's not true! That's impossible!

Posted by: Mark Hamill screaming every morning at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (D0HYP)

114
Yes.
Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:31 PM (oHAzj)

Valid.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (Zz0t1)

115 What nefarious plans do the Democrats/GOPe have in the works to tank the economy just before the midterms?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (ESVrU)

116 The worst non Canadian whiskey company is shutting down for a year.
Posted by: Boss Moss

===

I was reading that, I guess the canadians have done a good job boycotting American goods. Something like a 60% drop in canadian exports of Jim Bean.

I was never really interested in a trade war with canada, but I now find myself hoping Trump destroys their economy.

Posted by: Leupold at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (eIzlH)

117 Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

Fake news. Democrats trumpeted it as the company going out of business, but they're actually just closing the visitor center for a year to remodel and actual production is not affected. Hopefully not the way Cracker Barrel remodeled.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:34 PM (QZThv)

118 The new narrative will be that the economy is growing too fast and recklessly.

Posted by: Ordinary American at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (WHfpM)

119 Thanks for the educational column - best present so far. I also hope they catch Ng One before he murders someone else.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (GPa4z)

120 Why is it that everywhere on the field, hands to the face is illegal, unless you're carrying the football. In THAT situation, you can grab a f*ckers facemask and throw him to the ground and keep on truckin.
Posted by: Sponge
___

70s football was so much fun to watch...*sigh*

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (22p5n)

121 Even if the economy was straight up in boom times that nobody could contradict, I still see the GOP having a lousy upcoming midterms.

Just the way it is. voters are dumb.

Posted by: Leupold at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (eIzlH)

122 I'd say it was in reference to Bill Clinton

Posted by: It's me donna at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (VE6XX)
-

No. Check the date. Still a nothing burger. Do you have a concern otherwise?

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (KgVf3)

123
Waiting on It'sGoTimeDonald to tell us how terrible this is.

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (3ek7K)

124 117 Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

Fake news. Democrats trumpeted it as the company going out of business, but they're actually just closing the visitor center for a year to remodel and actual production is not affected. Hopefully not the way Cracker Barrel remodeled.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:34 PM (QZThv)

A quick look at Kentucky news outlets indicates that they are in fact shutting down production at Claremont for a full year. They have other sites that are still producing.

Still...not good news. Buy your Basil Hayden now.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (xcxpd)

125 jim beam is NOT shutting down for a year. they are shifting everything to their second location which is about five miles away.

Posted by: nckate at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (uQzkA)

126 What nefarious plans do the Democrats/GOPe have in the works to tank the economy just before the midterms?
_

War with Russia would be my guess.

Posted by: SMH at God's mercy at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (22p5n)

127 Anyway, wanted to share.
Posted by: banana Dream - THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER

I'm used to all sorts of shit being shared here, but this may take the cake.

Posted by: Brother Tim (102mm/W59), Keeper of the Tim Continuum at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (OUMaO)

128 As the saying goes, sorrow shared is halved and joy shared is doubled.

If that's the case, what the heck is this?
Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (0CU3H)

Literally shit.

Posted by: Being literally literal at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (TbWk/)

129 There are better cheap bourbons than Jim Beam.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (5DEFi)

130 The new narrative will be that the economy is growing too fast and recklessly.

Posted by: Ordinary American at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (WHfpM)

No it will be something like all Trump cares about is the economy and himself. He's hurting browns and women but some piddly numbers are up and he's happy.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (oHAzj)

131 Fake news. Democrats trumpeted it as the company going out of business, but they're actually just closing the visitor center for a year to remodel and actual production is not affected. Hopefully not the way Cracker Barrel remodeled.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:34 PM (QZThv)

Huh.
Step one, fire their social media director. The rumor has gotten way out of hand.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (2WIwB)

132
No. Check the date. Still a nothing burger. Do you have a concern otherwise?
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarke

No... But my take was he said President ... He didn't say current President and at this time Trump and he were enemies...

Posted by: It's me donna at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (VE6XX)

133 Also, lefties want everyone to know that due to USAID shutting down, rape victims in Africa will now die of AIDS. People were saying "aren't the rapists the problem, not Trump?" and getting the blue-haired shrieking "Trump is also a rapist!" in response. Good times.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (QZThv)

134 re: the nothingburger letter

This was written when Epstein was constantly attacking Trump in letters and emails. He hated him. He had reason to smear Trump.

Also, fun fact, "nubile" means "sexually mature, of marriageable age." That's probably not how this pedophile meant it, but that's the definition.

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (1wjle)

135 There are better cheap bourbons than Jim Beam.
Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (5DEFi)

Indeed.
All of them.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (2WIwB)

136 131 Huh.
Step one, fire their social media director. The rumor has gotten way out of hand.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 23, 2025 12:36 PM (2WIwB)

=======

"I gotta go out and buy more Jim Beam before the shelves are empty!"

"Give the social media director a raise."

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (GBKbO)

137 Had we been able to clone Myrtle Corbin, America's shoe industry could have been saved. And Piper would have twice as much to school us about.

Posted by: Buster Brown (and Tige) at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (oftw2)

138 108 That CNN gal was suffering, reporting on a Trump success
Posted by: Zeera , Damn Right I voted for all of this! at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (jvxGE)
Looked like a loosing fight against loosing a SBD,

Posted by: Eromero at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (LHPAg)

139 --------------
Which a large chunk of going to China.
Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (pLaQB)

Suppose, and I'm just spitballin' here, Trump's "600,000 students from China" thing is a slight of hand play to get a small portion of that money BACK in the US?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (Zz0t1)

140 My favorite Economists?

Ludwig Von Mises, and ACE!!!

Posted by: Ed at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (z6Sq8)

141 Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

Sales are down and they're overstocked.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (Zz0t1)

Very sad. I like Maker's Mark and Basil Hayden is ok, overpriced maybe, but Jim Bean itself I only use in mixed drinks.

But I like bourbon and I hope the industry rebounds.
Also I hope I get Buffalo Trace for Christmas.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (xcxpd)

142 you can grab a f*ckers facemask and throw him to the ground and keep on truckin.

They can stiff-arm the facemask, but even they are not allowed to grab it.

Posted by: t-bird at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (6LzyB)

143 Looking through NOAA's weather API, I see an api key, Waning Gibbous.

I've got a brand new pair of roller skates, you have an api key

Posted by: Melanie at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (D0HYP)

144 There are a couple of questions that come up now:

1. If the economy is growing like this, is there a need to lower interest rates further, which could risk inflation. The Fed doves like Stephen Miran (Trump's temporary Fed governor) and Trump's Fed Chair replacement would have to balance that with Trump's wrath if rates don't go down further, as he would like.

Posted by: Darrell Harris
========
Most current macro models are bullshit. Inflation is mainly a monetary issue where too much money from deficits are chasing too few goods. The key is productivity increases among the native population can produce more goods at the same or lower price and channelling money into investment instead of purchase of goods, also means future productivity increases where future workers produce more goods at the same or lower prices.

Virtuous cycle.

Instead Social Welfare Economics focuses on consumer demand and government spending which almost always shrivels investment and thus productivity. Not virtuous cycle.

Biden era led to massive deficit spending pushing exploding the G portion of GDP while productivity decreased in mfg and was stagnant in services. Led to massive inflation.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (WDjG6)

145 If true, interesting Mossad/Shin Bet operation:

https://tinyurl.com/4ew43spd

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (KgVf3)

146 But when an RB in football has a great stat line for the year, you'll always get dudes who say "well if you take his five longest runs away, his numbers are very average". Silly game.
Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:30 PM (oHAzj)
++++
That it is, but I think that it's also not a valid comparison. Two of the four major non-government drivers of growth in the quarter represent investment dislocation and major opportunity costs as a result. This was not a bad print and I didn't say it was, but I don't see roaring strength in it, either.

The AI bubble is so tremendous, though, that it *does* have me extremely worried.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (avHHk)

147 bD,

Merry Christmas...

https://tinyurl.com/4a4cd76e

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (wt98q)

148 I don’t want to go on the cart!

Posted by: Jim Beam at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (u73oe)

149 Previous growth was explained away by experts by claiming that the apparent growth was mostly due to technical factors due to Trump's tariffs. (Imports reduce GDP, so reducing them "increases" GDP, at least on paper.)

=====

Distortions due to the government shutdown.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (GPa4z)

150 This was written when Epstein was constantly attacking Trump in letters and emails. He hated him. He had reason to smear Trump.

Also, fun fact, "nubile" means "sexually mature, of marriageable age." That's probably not how this pedophile meant it, but that's the definition.
Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (1wjle)

I learned this from the educational website 'nubiles.net'

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (xcxpd)

151 Think I’ll go for a walk.

Posted by: Jim Beam at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (u73oe)

152 Wow.

Yeah, not my favorite by a long shot but...not great news.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (xcxpd)

Sales are down and they're overstocked.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:33 PM (Zz0t1)
_________

It's mostly fake news and an op to try to blame Trump. Literally every article -- every single one -- gleefully mentions tariffs as the main or one of the main causes. Tariffs have nothing whatsoever to do with this.

The reality is the bourbon industry -- and whiskey in general -- exploded over the last 10-15 years and were stuffing their pockets with money. The industry's revenue was up like 600% in 15 years. Prices spiked, brands became hard to find, and the industry laughed all the way to the bank.

That was unsustainable. So the inevitable happened. The party is over and the industry is stuck with a glut of inventory.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (iFTx/)

153 149 Distortions due to the government shutdown.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (GPa4z)

======

Okay. Shut down the government some more.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (GBKbO)

154 Huh.
Step one, fire their social media director. The rumor has gotten way out of hand.
Posted by: Diogenes

==

I think it's probably more "we're going to say it's a remodel, but the real reason is cutting back production because of weak demand"

It's a single data point, it's not like the economy lives and dies by a liquor brand, but there's all sorts of non-fake news data that shows bourbon sales are way down. Alcohol sales in general are just down, younger people don't drink as much alcohol is part of it. I also think some of these American boycotts are part of it. Canada went to the length of pulling American liquor off of their store shelves as a middle finger.

Posted by: Leupold at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (eIzlH)

155 Also, fun fact, "nubile" means "sexually mature, of marriageable age." That's probably not how this pedophile meant it, but that's the definition.

Posted by: Expert analyst Ace of Spades at December 23, 2025 12:37 PM (1wjle)
-

Precisely. Already known nothingburger.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (KgVf3)

156 Great writing Ace. I can just see you zipping down the street on your vespa, j. Crew bag over your shoulder, beret atop your head, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning as you make you way down to the local....

Posted by: Simplemind at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (shH1w)

157 FWIW, DoL had productivity growth for Q2 2025 at 3.3 percent. Labor costs at 1.0 percent increase.

Durable goods productivity in particular hit just under the 3.3 average with almost no labor cost increase (.3)

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (WDjG6)

158 I feel happy! I feel happy!

Posted by: Jim Beam at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (u73oe)

159 Couldn't they make products that people wanted at Jim Beam like Buffalo Trace?

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:41 PM (5DEFi)

160 Hey look, it's a recent photo of Vince Zampella. (burning skull).

Posted by: Orson at December 23, 2025 12:41 PM (dIske)

161 The most important stat for a QB is yards per attempt. If a QB is completing 50% of his passes with YPA of 10, he is a legend. A QB completing 70% of his passes with a YPA of 6 might be okay, but I'm not interested in watching him play.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:41 PM (GPa4z)

162 bD,

Merry Christmas...

https://tinyurl.com/4a4cd76e

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (wt98q)
-

The other BD.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (KgVf3)

163 "unexpectedly" is a fun word when it comes to economics.
For 4 years "Unexpectedly" always preceded lower gains than predicted by the "experts" during Biden's tenure.
Now it precedes gains above the "experts" predictions.

If you ask me, I think we need better experts.
Posted by: Dave's not here
-------

Somewhere, I have cartoon extracted from the NR. It depicts a hospital room, with an obviously sick guy lying in bed behind a room curtain. In the foreground is a huddled group of three doctors. One is saying to the others, 'We've got to be careful with this one, he's an economist, so he's familiar with guesswork'.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (XeU6L)

164 But I like bourbon and I hope the industry rebounds.
Also I hope I get Buffalo Trace for Christmas.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (xcxpd)

Wife actually found some down here and gave me a bottle for my birthday.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (Zz0t1)

165 FWIW, DoL had productivity growth for Q2 2025 at 3.3 percent. Labor costs at 1.0 percent increase. ...
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (WDjG6)
++++
That is a very nice print for the enterprise. Not so much for labor, but not terrible. If *that* keeps up, except the gap to narrow sometime around Q2/Q3 next year and for labor costs to increase. That would not be a bad thing at all, election-wise.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (avHHk)

166 The AI bubble is so tremendous, though, that it *does* have me extremely worried.

The consumer-facing chatbots and deepfakes part hasn't found a business model that works yet, but the B2B end is doing pretty well. I don't think there's gonna be a crash like the dotcom one in the early 2000s, more like a correction.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (QZThv)

167 Oh right so the lib argument against the good economic numbers is even more predictable:

"Epstein"

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (oHAzj)

168 164 But I like bourbon and I hope the industry rebounds.
Also I hope I get Buffalo Trace for Christmas.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (xcxpd)

Wife actually found some down here and gave me a bottle for my birthday.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (Zz0t1)

Congrats Sponge.
Not only First, but also given good bourbon.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (xcxpd)

169 As the saying goes, sorrow shared is halved and joy shared is doubled.

*Fistbump

Posted by: Myrtle Corbin at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (w9Wax)

170 >>No. Check the date.

The date is irrelevant. "Our president" could mean any of the them, especially Clinton.

Posted by: one hour sober at December 23, 2025 12:43 PM (Y1sOo)

171 Most current macro models are bullshit. Inflation is mainly a monetary issue where too much money from deficits are chasing too few goods. The key is productivity increases among the native population can produce more goods at the same or lower price and channelling money into investment instead of purchase of goods, also means future productivity increases where future workers produce more goods at the same or lower prices.

Virtuous cycle.

Instead Social Welfare Economics focuses on consumer demand and government spending which almost always shrivels investment and thus productivity. Not virtuous cycle.

Biden era led to massive deficit spending pushing exploding the G portion of GDP while productivity decreased in mfg and was stagnant in services. Led to massive inflation.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:38 PM (WDjG6)

whig, I tend to agree with you here. I brought up in #76 whether Greenspan actually needed to raise rates in the 90s, when the internet boom then was working on doing what you write about here. Reading this, would you agree with that take?

Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:43 PM (0CU3H)

172 Solid, like Joe Biden's brain.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at December 23, 2025 12:43 PM (abIsI)

173 Flaming Economic Skull AND banana Dream made a Boom-Boom. What a great day!

Posted by: The Sky's The Limit! at December 23, 2025 12:43 PM (oftw2)

174 Tempted to find an old account I follow on Twitter who wrote that the economy was ruined after the Trump tariffs. But, in the spirit of the season, I won't .

Posted by: weft cut-loop at December 23, 2025 12:44 PM (mlg/3)

175 @TJM, I'm with you on "the numbers are going to be screwy for a while." As I've posted before, if you kick 2% of the population out every year, that's 2% less demand for just about everything. Even though that's better for citizens in every possible way, the aggregate economic statistics are going to show a 2% reduction.

Posted by: Caesar North of the Rubicon at December 23, 2025 12:44 PM (eStot)

176 The consumer-facing chatbots and deepfakes part hasn't found a business model that works yet, but the B2B end is doing pretty well. I don't think there's gonna be a crash like the dotcom one in the early 2000s, more like a correction.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (QZThv)
++++
But the B2B side of things also usually doesn't require a hyperscaler to make it work. Even during the first tech bubble, revenues and investments were nowhere near as out of whack as they are for the hyperscalers, and that's the primary driver of the mind-boggling finances.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:44 PM (avHHk)

177 Were Myrtle's two uteri synched?

Posted by: I Have A Haddock at December 23, 2025 12:45 PM (oftw2)

178 Waiting on It'sGoTimeDonald to tell us how terrible this is.

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (3ek7K)

Heh.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:45 PM (Zz0t1)

179 Tariffs need to be increased based on how many of your people are in our country.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:45 PM (5DEFi)

180 If Jim Beam is shutting down production for a year, it's because they produced too much to begin with. The industry as a whole got way too far out over their skis. Craft beer industry is in the same boat. Flooding the market only works for a little while. My favorite Brewery, Rogue, recently shuttered. They made basically one beer for years. Then they starting making all kinds of specialty crafty shit, and boom. No more Dead Guy ale.

Posted by: Ex Rex Reeder at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (MZ+PY)

181 A million layoffs this year and no official recession. First time in history for this. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Posted by: Somedumguy at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (1ufgs)

182 Not being an economist, I don't know what this means, but I have heard that there is no such thing as macroeconomics.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (GPa4z)

183 Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:39 PM (avHHk)

It's fair - and the argument about the guys longest runs isn't totally invalid - it's just shaping. Take the win and move on. Lord knows they are looking for any chink they can find.

I put aside intellectual honesty the day I realized 80% of my own side and 100% of the other side wants me dead. Which was like 2005.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (oHAzj)

184 Dumb news: Charlottesville VA is eliminating their city surveillance cameras because they're catching too many illegals.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (QZThv)

185 Oh right so the lib argument against the good economic numbers is even more predictable:

"Epstein"

We're also going to try "Trump fired all the honest economists so he's rigging the numbers"

Posted by: MSM at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (D0HYP)

186 This light-eyed brunette hopes for continued good news:
http://tiny.cc/4usw001

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (avHHk)

187
Congrats Sponge.
Not only First, but also given good bourbon.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, buy ammo at December 23, 2025 12:42 PM (xcxpd)

Thanks!

It's part reason for my slight hangover today.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (Zz0t1)

188 Distortions due to the government shutdown.
Posted by: Oglebay

Not so sure about that one other than tempering inflation as G (govt) spending declined in real terms.

I (investment figures) since Trump took office soared in Q1, Q2 and Q3 has some declines from the peak in Q1 but every quarter has had higher investment than during Biden junta years.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (WDjG6)

189 On an earlier thread I argued that we'll know the Bidens are broke when they start turning on each other. I just watched the Hunter vid where he pissed on some of his father's policies, including immigration. He says he's $15m in debt. Guess the circular firing squad has begun

Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (2vrAX)

190 181 A million layoffs this year and no official recession. First time in history for this. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

Posted by: Somedumguy at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (1ufgs)

======

Hey, Biden had a million of his jobs in his final year just pulled away completely because they were fake.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (GBKbO)

191 >>>4%: Very high growth. Starting to get into actual "BOOM" territory, if sustained, if it's not just a one-quarter wonder. Think: Me riding down the street on my Vespa, carrying my J. Crew messenger bag, looking at the world with optimism and cheer and thinking of all the vertical surfaces I can stick shelves on.

Very expert description.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (dK+Kv)

192 I've got a brand new pair of roller skates, you have an api key
Posted by: Melanie
-------

'I rode my bicycle past your Windows last night...'

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (XeU6L)

193 That was unsustainable. So the inevitable happened. The party is over and the industry is stuck with a glut of inventory.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:40 PM (iFTx/)
Buy bourbon just like you buy ammo.

Posted by: Eromero at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (LHPAg)

194 Macroeconomics and cheese.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (5DEFi)

195 Guys wanted for threesomes. No waiting.

Posted by: The chick with two minges at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (Y1sOo)

196 Everyone's getting rich in this raging economy. So, on today's episode of The Blade's Garage of Awesome, we ask: Can a $500,000 car be worth the money?

Last month I was lucky to drive the new Lamborghini Temerario at Sonoma Raceway. The track itself is great, with a lot of elevation change and blind corners, in a beautiful setting. Maybe JackStraw with his yacht and garrett with his $40k bike were also there. Maybe.

The "Teme" is Lambo's successor to the highly successful Huracan. Instead of the Huracan's V10, however, the Teme has a flat-plane twin-turbo V8 that revs to over 10,000 rpm. The motor officially makes 789 hp, although some Lambo insiders say the real output is near 840.

The car also has 3 axial-flux EV motors that not only provide instant power and sophisticated torque-vectoring, but also bump official total power to 907 hp.

So what's the car like to drive? Incredible. The car is so insanely fast it's almost too fast. Great handling, fantastic brakes, and a new luxurious interior with more space than the Huracan. My only complaint was the exhaust was too quiet.

So is the car worth north of a half-mil? I'd say yes.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (iFTx/)

197 Buy bourbon just like you buy ammo.
Posted by: Eromero at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (LHPAg)
++++
How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?

Serious question. I have no idea.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (avHHk)

198
I'm old and don't need anyone shitting down my legs unless they are shitting tons of money, lol.

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (3ek7K)

199 Not kidding I think the lib argument today is

But but EGGS!!!

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (oHAzj)

200 189 On an earlier thread I argued that we'll know the Bidens are broke when they start turning on each other. I just watched the Hunter vid where he pissed on some of his father's policies, including immigration. He says he's $15m in debt. Guess the circular firing squad has begun
Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (2vrAX)

Hunter should reach out to Banana Dream. I believe he has a line on where Hunter can secure plenty more painting materials from.

Posted by: Darrell Harris at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (0CU3H)

201 182 Not being an economist, I don't know what this means, but I have heard that there is no such thing as macroeconomics.
Posted by: Oglebay

Too many variables and underspecified models (not identifying the proper variables and their size effect ) is the problem in macroeconomics.

So we often get aggregates that obscure more than illuminate.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (WDjG6)

202 184 Dumb news: Charlottesville VA is eliminating their city surveillance cameras because they're catching too many illegals.
Posted by: Ian S.

School's closed for another month, students all gone. Great time for a dragnet to kick out all the illegals.

Posted by: Friday and Gannon at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (oftw2)

203
So what's the car like to drive? Incredible. The car is so insanely fast it's almost too fast. Great handling, fantastic brakes, and a new luxurious interior with more space than the Huracan. My only complaint was the exhaust was too quiet.

So is the car worth north of a half-mil? I'd say yes.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (iFTx/)

The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

204 So is the car worth north of a half-mil? I'd say yes.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (iFTx/)
++++
Cool!

*No* car is worth a half a million dollars to me. It could give me a hummer as I took a hairpin at 200 and it wouldn't be worth it to me.

It's almost like differences of opinion allows for different markets to exist! Astounding!

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (avHHk)

205 199 Not kidding I think the lib argument today is

But but EGGS!!!

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (oHAzj)

======

Average national price of eggs right now is about $1 a dozen.

They've forgotten eggs were a rallying cry a few months ago.

Now, it's beef.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (GBKbO)

206 Even during the first tech bubble, revenues and investments were nowhere near as out of whack as they are for the hyperscalers, and that's the primary driver of the mind-boggling finances.

I go back and forth on hyperscalers. Literally the entire Internet except the HQ is on some combination of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, so it seems like a solid business. But people are waking up to the fact that you can do on-prem servers for comparable money and not go down every time one of Amazon's crack staff of dot-Indians sneezes.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (QZThv)

207 But but EGGS!!!
Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (oHAzj)

https://youtu.be/L2W8A942JWQ

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:50 PM (Zz0t1)

208 Outstanding growth. This level is rarely seen and means the economy is running on all 12 cylinders.

The technical term for this among economists is a “Pierce-Arrow 1236 economy”.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at December 23, 2025 12:50 PM (EXyHK)

209
What of Milk?

Is a gallon of biden Milk still $5?

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (TWzjC)

210 I go back and forth on hyperscalers. Literally the entire Internet except the HQ is on some combination of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, so it seems like a solid business. But people are waking up to the fact that you can do on-prem servers for comparable money and not go down every time one of Amazon's crack staff of dot-Indians sneezes.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (QZThv)
++++
The compute/network hyperscalers have found profit, and sometimes it's excellent. Very expensive business and so it's cyclical.

On the AI side of things, the power demands and silicon costs are so huge, and the hyperscalers themselves are so huge, that it beggars belief and nobody has demonstrated where the revenues are going to come from. It's bonkers.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (avHHk)

211 Economy is too hot.

Can't reduce rates.

Powell

Posted by: Steve_in_SoCal at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (FxH7T)

212 How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?

Serious question. I have no idea.

Forever*

* assuming you store it reasonably

Posted by: Chuck C at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (D0HYP)

213 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

======

There are definitely worse ways to go!

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (GPa4z)

214 Forever*

* assuming you store it reasonably
Posted by: Chuck C at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (D0HYP)
++++
That's very good news!

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:51 PM (avHHk)

215 If Jim Beam is shutting down production for a year, it's because they produced too much to begin with. The industry as a whole got way too far out over their skis. Craft beer industry is in the same boat. Flooding the market only works for a little while. My favorite Brewery, Rogue, recently shuttered. They made basically one beer for years. Then they starting making all kinds of specialty crafty shit, and boom. No more Dead Guy ale.
Posted by: Ex Rex Reeder at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (MZ+PY)
________

I really liked St. Rogue Red Ale

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (iFTx/)

216 There's no way Hunter is $15m in debt.

SOMEONE would've killed him by now.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (Zz0t1)

217
Whey Protein powder, made from Milk, is still high.

If Milk goes down, then all the muscle-heads like me will be happy.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (TWzjC)

218 How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?

Serious question. I have no idea.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:48 PM (avHHk)

It's water, ethanol, some sugars, some colorings either natural or otherwise. It'll outlast you, but it might not taste as good as the day it was bottled. But I don't know when that practical "best by" date is. It can't ever get any worse than Old Grandad or Thai "Whiskey."

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (dK+Kv)

219 I saw a news item that Sweden found that 70% of their "refugees" took vacations back to their home country.

Most of the comment were along the lines of "then they aren't refugees are they?!?" but there was a stubborn group of leftists that argued it was racist to deny them vacations and of course they'd want to visit friends and family!

Posted by: 18-1 at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (sKqQm)

220 A bottle of bourbon should outlast you.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (5DEFi)

221 The argument is that more people are asking for loans and then fractional reserve banking lets banks print more money
==
The banks dont print more money per se. The money they loan out winds up in other banks as deposits, which they loan out fractionally. And so on and so on. 1000 loan with 10% held is 900. That 900 makes its way into the next bank(s). 810. That is 1710 dollars loaned on a 1000. And you iterate it down. Thats the macro view of the whole process. Not just one bank. Low rates means more loans, especially if the rates are lower than returns in economy/ stock market. More loans means more multipliers. It used to be a stronger effect before they monetized the debt. Now with the printing presses running at light speed it is relatively less important.

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (shH1w)

222 This light-eyed brunette hopes for continued good news:
http://tiny.cc/4usw001
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:46 PM (avHHk)

Thanks!!!

Posted by: MAC V SOG at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (P4Pk9)

223 How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?
---------

About five minutes these days

Posted by: Kamala at December 23, 2025 12:53 PM (oHAzj)

224 How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?

Serious question. I have no idea.
Posted by: Joe Mannix

Major issue is oxidation over time so you store it like wine. But you don't get additional benefits taste wise from aging whiskey in a glass bottle. Aging in situ in a wooden barrel yes, in a bottle, no.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:53 PM (WDjG6)

225
but but but eggstein!

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:54 PM (TWzjC)

226 220 A bottle of bourbon should outlast you.
Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (5DEFi)

A bottle of good bourbon, shouldn't.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 12:54 PM (06Hmj)

227 So what's the car like to drive? Incredible. The car is so insanely fast it's almost too fast. Great handling, fantastic brakes, and a new luxurious interior with more space than the Huracan. My only complaint was the exhaust was too quiet.

So is the car worth north of a half-mil? I'd say yes.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (iFTx/)

The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)
_____

Yea, supposedly a 296 GTS. The car is a piece of shit, but it's very fast (over 800 hp). I'll bet drugs, booze, or insane risk-taking played a part in the crash.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:54 PM (iFTx/)

228 That CNN gal was suffering, reporting on a Trump success
Posted by: Zeera , Damn Right I voted for all of this! at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (jvxGE)

Looked like a loosing fight against loosing a SBD,
Posted by: Eromero

I still gotta say, CNN gal is hawt.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (XvL8K)

229 Major issue is oxidation over time so you store it like wine. But you don't get additional benefits taste wise from aging whiskey in a glass bottle. Aging in situ in a wooden barrel yes, in a bottle, no.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:53 PM (WDjG6)
++++
Right, not looking for some magical improvement, just curious about shelf life. If "store it cool, dry and dark" translates to "more or less forever," then cool. I will stock up during the bourbon bust!

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (avHHk)

230
Whoa!

Did I just coin another great term right here at the ol' HQ?!

The left's obsession with their eggstein gaslighting hoax.

Get it? Eggstein.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (TWzjC)

231 221 The banks dont print more money per se. The money they loan out winds up in other banks as deposits, which they loan out fractionally. And so on and so on. 1000 loan with 10% held is 900. That 900 makes its way into the next bank(s). 810. That is 1710 dollars loaned on a 1000. And you iterate it down. Thats the macro view of the whole process. Not just one bank. Low rates means more loans, especially if the rates are lower than returns in economy/ stock market. More loans means more multipliers. It used to be a stronger effect before they monetized the debt. Now with the printing presses running at light speed it is relatively less important.

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 12:52 PM (shH1w)

======

Except, again, it's only the Fed that prints the money. Banks aren't allowed to just expand their balance sheets by a stroke of a keyboard. They borrow the M2 money from the Fed who prints the money.

Fractional reserve banking is a mirage of inflation hiding the fact that the fed just keeps expanding the M2 supply.

Inflation is purely a monetary phenomenon, dollars chasing goods, and the pace of loaning doesn't actually affect that.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (GBKbO)

232 Lord knows they are looking for any chink they can find."

Ah, er... sure. Ok.

Panda express is over there...

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (XuXeR)

233 I don't like g forces so these insane hp cars do little for me. It's possible I should have been born a chick.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (oHAzj)

234 The left's obsession with their eggstein gaslighting hoax.

Get it? Eggstein.
Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (TWzjC)

Bro's not even waiting for the chicks to hatch....

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (06Hmj)

235 >>>If they’re always wrong, they’re not really experts, are they?

Posted by: Duke Lowell

>Paul Krugman has entered the chat.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (nljXp)

236 How long does an intact, sealed bottle of bourbon last?

Serious question. I have no idea.
Posted by: Joe Mannix
-------

I have a 30 year old, sealed, packaged, bottle of Suntory Old Whisky. I have seen such auctioned at $500, not because it is a $500 whisky, but for collector value. If I ever make it to the Mome, we're going to crack it open.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (XeU6L)

237 So is the car worth north of a half-mil? I'd say yes.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:47 PM (iFTx/)
++++
Cool!

*No* car is worth a half a million dollars to me. It could give me a hummer as I took a hairpin at 200 and it wouldn't be worth it to me.

It's almost like differences of opinion allows for different markets to exist! Astounding!
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (avHHk)
______

Nah brah. You must like and value things the exact same way as everyone else does. No exceptions.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (iFTx/)

238 Yea but, the price of Tampons is still way too high for my taste....

So Minnesotans will not be celebrating....

Posted by: Tim Walz at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (J9q9v)

239 Suppose, and I'm just spitballin' here, Trump's "600,000 students from China" thing is a slight of hand play to get a small portion of that money BACK in the US?
-------------------
Yes and no. Yes, it provides money to colleges. No, it causes higher pricing to attend college. Even so, colleges are shrinking fast.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (pLaQB)

240 Nah brah. You must like and value things the exact same way as everyone else does. No exceptions.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 12:56 PM (iFTx/)
++++
Sigh.

:: adds another name to the 'irreconcilable mortal enemies due to minor disagreement' list ::

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (avHHk)

241 Yea but, the price of Tampons is still way too high for my taste....

Posted by: Tim Walz at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (J9q9v)

Taste? You are doing it wrong.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (oHAzj)

242 239 Suppose, and I'm just spitballin' here, Trump's "600,000 students from China" thing is a slight of hand play to get a small portion of that money BACK in the US?
-------------------
Yes and no. Yes, it provides money to colleges. No, it causes higher pricing to attend college. Even so, colleges are shrinking fast.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (pLaQB)

=======

It's mostly just a continuation of existing policy.

300,000 students per year for two years. There's no expansion on that front.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (GBKbO)

243 Heh.

BREAKING: GOP lawmaker unveils WALZ (Welfare Abuse and Laundering Zillions) Act after billions lost in Minnesota fraud scandal.

https://is.gd/0d4m53

Posted by: ShainS -- A DEI Kakistocracy, If You Can Keep It at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (Aug9c)

244 That would buy a lot of Toyotas.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (5DEFi)

245 Notice the CNN GDP chart - GDP over 6% in first half of 2021 (end of Trump's first term, post Covid lockdown boom), then for the length of Sleepy Joe's term, it is sluggish growth at 2-2.5%.

Posted by: Joemarine at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (y171U)

246 Whoa!

Did I just coin another great term right here at the ol' HQ?!

The left's obsession with their eggstein gaslighting hoax.

Get it? Eggstein.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (TWzjC)

Omelet you finish, but . . . .

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (dK+Kv)

247 240 Sigh.

:: adds another name to the 'irreconcilable mortal enemies due to minor disagreement' list ::

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (avHHk)

=======

*considers mentioning Prometheus*

*thinks better of mentioning Prometheus and does not mention Prometheus*

*does own part to keep thread Prometheus free*

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (GBKbO)

248
It's mostly just a continuation of existing policy.

300,000 students per year for two years. There's no expansion on that front.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (GBKbO)

But, It'sGoTimeDonald told me its a bad thing and America last!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (Zz0t1)

249
The left's obsession with their eggstein gaslighting hoax.

Get it? Eggstein.
Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:55 PM (TWzjC)

Bro's not even waiting for the chicks to hatch....
Posted by: Warai-otoko

Nice.
That was Ace-level.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (TWzjC)

250 213 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

======

There are definitely worse ways to go!
Posted by: Oglebay
========
Crash then fire. So mebbe not. Also killed his passenger. They did not really get a say in the matter.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (WDjG6)

251 26 So honey covered bewbs is good.
Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:18 PM (pLaQB)

Sweaty Sweeney Sweater puppies is never bad.

Posted by: Roy at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (BZF07)

252 just curious about shelf life. "

Cool, dry, unlit storage? Lifetime, I guess. Had a nice bourbon from our wedding stored away, opened on 25th anniversary. Both the bourbon and the anniversary were quite good....

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (XuXeR)

253 It does seem like all respect for money is gone. A guy can make $1,000 for power washing a driveway which is enough to buy the equipment and a couple bottles of pappy van winkles. Gold is up nearly 70% this year which is not really good news for the dollar.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (GPa4z)

254 248 But, It'sGoTimeDonald told me its a bad thing and America last!

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:58 PM (Zz0t1)

====

He has the memory of a goldfish, the logic skills of a rock, and the argumentative ability of a child.

I find him tiresome and ignore him most of the time now.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (GBKbO)

255 :: adds another name to the 'irreconcilable mortal enemies due to minor disagreement' list ::

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 12:57 PM (avHHk)

Lighten up, Francis.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (dK+Kv)

256
I have a 30 year old, sealed, packaged, bottle of Suntory Old Whisky.
-------
For the curious:
https://shorturl.at/0St5P

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (XeU6L)

257 Diesel is under $3 some places here.

Posted by: Ben Had at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (sDNVV)

258 248
It's mostly just a continuation of existing policy.

300,000 students per year for two years. There's no expansion on that front.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison
=========
In a weird way, those students, many of whom have very influential parents in the CCP back home, are also de facto hostages to Chicoms behaving nicely regarding Taiwan dispute.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (WDjG6)

259 Crash then fire. So mebbe not. Also killed his passenger. They did not really get a say in the matter.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (WDjG6)

Well, then he did that WAY wrong.

Posted by: Vince Neil at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (Zz0t1)

260 On the AI side of things, the power demands and silicon costs are so huge, and the hyperscalers themselves are so huge, that it beggars belief and nobody has demonstrated where the revenues are going to come from. It's bonkers.

For the big guys repurposing those racks is not difficult, aside from the GPU writeoff. Even if there are no workloads using the GPUs the servers typically still have a decent Xeon or Epyc. I think the smaller players are definitely going to be a bloodbath though.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (QZThv)

261 BREAKING: GOP lawmaker unveils WALZ (Welfare Abuse and Laundering Zillions) Act after billions lost in Minnesota fraud scandal.

Grandstanding. Let's make it ILLEGAL-illegal!

Posted by: t-bird at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (6LzyB)

262 I'm a salaried software engineer, and with the shit raises we get here at one of the biggest tech companies in the world, directly benefitting from the massive AI build-out, my real wages are actually lower than last year.

So yeah, I don't want to hear it.

Posted by: Tinfoil Dispenser at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (ERYKL)

263 Lighten up, Francis.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (dK+Kv)
++++
LOL

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (avHHk)

264 That would buy a lot of Toyotas."

*looks at Toyota 2000 GT. Nope. Ah well*

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (XuXeR)

265 Crash then fire. So mebbe not. Also killed his passenger. They did not really get a say in the matter.

The passenger was lucky - died in the hospital. Driver was trapped in the car when it burned.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (QZThv)

266 For the curious:
https://shorturl.at/0St5P
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (XeU6L)

You bring that to the TxMoMe, I'd be GLAD, and honored, to help you drink it.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (Zz0t1)

267 213 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

---------

It was another stupid death.

Posted by: Seems Legit at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (aZm/F)

268 keep thread Prometheus free*

PROMETHIUS AND BOOBS

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (Kt19C)

269 PROMETHIUS AND BOOBS
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (Kt19C)

Hawt

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (06Hmj)

270
This isn't news or scandalous, though the poster wants it to be:

https://tinyurl.com/45kyad45
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey

Age verification.
Sads.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer

Try this link:

https://t.ly/iENVk

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (pkeXY)

271 I find him tiresome and ignore him most of the time now.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (GBKbO)

*fistbump*

I made the decision last thread to ignore him for the rest of time.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (Zz0t1)

272 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

======

There are definitely worse ways to go!
Posted by: Oglebay
========
Crash then fire. So mebbe not. Also killed his passenger. They did not really get a say in the matter.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 12:59 PM (WDjG6)
________

Yea, the guy was alive in the car, but the extent of the wreck trapped him in the car. He burned to death. Definitely not a good way to go. There's video of the crash:

https://tinyurl.com/mrxnfb7c

I won't speak ill of the dead in this instance, but it looks like he was driving like an idiot.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (iFTx/)

273 Ben Sasse announces he has stage IV prostate cancer.

The Trump curse strikes again.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (abIsI)

274 Is that movie good or not?

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (5DEFi)

275 Inflation is purely a monetary phenomenon, dollars chasing goods, and the pace of loaning doesn't actually affect that.
==
Well it is now.

Banks by fractional lending, in aggregate and by iteration, lend out more than they take in. According to a school of thought and a formula someone got a prize for....

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (shH1w)

276 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)

---------

It was another stupid death.

Posted by: Seems Legit at December 23, 2025 01:01 PM (aZm/F)

No respawns in the game of life.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (dK+Kv)

277 Way off topic, but if you have a chance to watch both seasons of Andor, do it. Best TV I've ever watched.

Posted by: Seems Legit at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (aZm/F)

278 bottle of Suntory Old Whisky"

*contemplating how to get hands on said whiskey...*

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (XuXeR)

279 Gold is up nearly 70% this year which is not really good news for the dollar.
Posted by: Oglebay

In reverse, forex dollar declines from interest rate cuts spur exports from teh US and reduce imports. Gold usually goes up as a consequence as an inflation hedge. But the extent that gold and silver have boomed (gold up about 70 percent in one year and silver over 170 percent), I think is a speculative frenzy that is not supported by underlying fundamentals based on momentum trading.

But remember also that gold is an international market like silver and unrest in other countries often leads to demand for very portable wealth beyond easy govt confiscation in places like China and India.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (WDjG6)

280 Eggstein sounds eggsolutely eggcellent.

Posted by: Vincent Price in a Tim Pool wig at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (7Q0e+)

281 It was another stupid death.
Posted by: Seems Legit

For the passenger, I agree. Could not care less about the man-child driver who never grew up.

Posted by: one hour sober at December 23, 2025 01:05 PM (Y1sOo)

282 For the big guys repurposing those racks is not difficult, aside from the GPU writeoff. Even if there are no workloads using the GPUs the servers typically still have a decent Xeon or Epyc. I think the smaller players are definitely going to be a bloodbath though.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (QZThv)
++++
The "GPU write-off" is the big part of it, and physical plant is not cheap at this scale, either.

Write off the value of GPUs that, on your books cost more than your current enterprise value but in the post-crash market are worth pennies on the dollar, and see how it goes in terms of remaining a going concern.

We're also starting to see vendor financing games again, like we did last time in the 90s. Those games took out several major players entirely. The asset had little residual value during the crash, and had to be marked down radically even before it because of generational value differences.

The AI bubble is dangerous.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 01:05 PM (avHHk)

283 Google buying a majority share in a power plant scares the fuck out of me. Setting a precedent that ends up with tech oligarchs running large chunks of our power grid is another step toward the worst of all corporate run dystopias with no cyberware, smartguns, or ready access to drugs or hot chicks

Posted by: Duke-Meta Energy? No thanks. at December 23, 2025 01:05 PM (TbWk/)

284 Is that movie good or not?"

Bewbs? Sure. Always a hit.

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 01:06 PM (XuXeR)

285 275 Inflation is purely a monetary phenomenon, dollars chasing goods, and the pace of loaning doesn't actually affect that.
==
Well it is now.

Banks by fractional lending, in aggregate and by iteration, lend out more than they take in. According to a school of thought and a formula someone got a prize for....

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (shH1w)

=======

Except that's driven by M2 money supply, which the Fed controls.

The banks don't just say, "Hey, we got a new deposit! We get to lend out more now!"

They say, "Hey! We got more deposits, Fed, can we borrow more money from you?"

And then the Fed prints them more money. That has nothing to do with lending and rates.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 01:06 PM (GBKbO)

286 Google buying a majority share in a power plant scares the fuck out of me. Setting a precedent that ends up with tech oligarchs running large chunks of our power grid is another step toward the worst of all corporate run dystopias with no cyberware, smartguns, or ready access to drugs or hot chicks
Posted by: Duke-Meta Energy
------
This

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at December 23, 2025 01:06 PM (XeU6L)

287 I won't speak ill of the dead in this instance, but it looks like he was driving like an idiot.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (iFTx/)

My nephew in law and a good friend from HS died similarly in separate crashes doing similarly stupid stunts. WRXs are not an invincibility suit. Trees are stronger than your puny body.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (dK+Kv)

288 No respawns in the game of life."

VW (I think) commercial in the 90s.

Posted by: man at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (XuXeR)

289 283 Google buying a majority share in a power plant scares the fuck out of me. Setting a precedent that ends up with tech oligarchs running large chunks of our power grid is another step toward the worst of all corporate run dystopias with no cyberware, smartguns, or ready access to drugs or hot chicks
Posted by: Duke-Meta Energy? No thanks. at December 23, 2025 01:05 PM (TbWk/)

The other part that makes me uncomfortable is the idea of the same nutsacks who piss about with VR goggles and crappy social media sites that break about once a month being in charge of large scale power generation hooked directly into the national grid.

Fartbook goes down, oh well lol.

Greater Regional Fartbook Power and Light goes down... ruh roh.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (06Hmj)

290 I believe I have a new parlay system.
1. Pick three or four overmatch games; i.e. Pats v Jets
2. Build a three or four leg parley out of them
3. Benefit on the combo risk it returns
3. Profit and have Hawt Monkey Love.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (pLaQB)

291 Nah brah. You must like and value things the exact same way as everyone else does. No exceptions.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade
=========
You have to be an economic modeller then. Everyone must want a widget whether they actually do or not.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:08 PM (WDjG6)

292 Great news in my leftist home city. I've told you my city is the first upstate city with rent control. A recent review said the rent control wasn't necessary pursuant to rules and regulations. The common council voted to ignore the findings. The mayor a prog vetoed the bill. Now the even more prog council is threatening an override and the activists are going nuts. Fun, fun, fun. I'm hoping for casualties

Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 23, 2025 01:08 PM (2vrAX)

293 California leaving
On such a winter's day!

https://tinyurl.com/mx425m82

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 01:08 PM (KgVf3)

294 The asset had little residual value during the crash, and had to be marked down radically even before it because of generational value differences.

The AI bubble is dangerous.

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 01:05 PM (avHHk)

Great values to be had after the bubble bursts. Have cash ready.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:08 PM (dK+Kv)

295 Nothing will ever beat the owner of Segway dying on his Segway. At least he got killed by the thing that made him rich.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (BI5O2)

296 Try this link:

https://t.ly/iENVk
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (pkeXY)

That worked.

Not sure why that would need age verification......but a nothingburger nonetheless.......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (Zz0t1)

297 For the big guys repurposing those racks is not difficult…

I really thought this was part of the Sweeney conversation at first.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at December 23, 2025 01:10 PM (EXyHK)

298 I won't speak ill of the dead in this instance, but it looks like he was driving like an idiot.

Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (iFTx/)
-

Obligatory PSA:

https://youtu.be/IJNR2EpS0jw

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 01:10 PM (KgVf3)

299 Nothing will ever beat the owner of Segway dying on his Segway. At least he got killed by the thing that made him rich.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (BI5O2)
++++
Nothing like it. The only way to go!

Posted by: Zombie Stockton Rush at December 23, 2025 01:10 PM (avHHk)

300 For the big guys repurposing those racks is not difficult, aside from the GPU writeoff. Even if there are no workloads using the GPUs the servers typically still have a decent Xeon or Epyc. I think the smaller players are definitely going to be a bloodbath though.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:00 PM (QZThv)
++++

You know whose rack does not need repurposing?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 01:10 PM (npFr7)

301 You know whose rack does not need repurposing?
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 01:10 PM (npFr7)

Saginaw?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 01:11 PM (06Hmj)

302 Nothing will ever beat the owner of Segway dying on his Segway. At least he got killed by the thing that made him rich.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (BI5O2)

Not the inventor; the buyer of his company.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (npFr7)

303 Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (pLaQB)

I say this with no intended malice - house is gonna take you for a ride but those can be fun sometimes

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (oHAzj)

304 Whoa, the Segway guy didn't get rich from Segways. He invented Hesco barriers. Then he just bought Segway as an investment, and one of their products killed a year later. Lame!

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (BI5O2)

305 Not sure why that would need age verification......

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (Zz0t1)
-

You avoid this if you create an X account and swear that you're 29.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (KgVf3)

306 Which a large chunk of going to China.
Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 12:32 PM (pLaQB)

Yeah, the PRC holds about, what, $1-2 trillion?
No griping about Japan or the EU though.

Oh, wait. The national debt is only bad when the PRC has Treasuries. Never mind.

Posted by: Cow Demon at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (Wv0GD)

307 The creator of Call of Duty killed himself by wrecking his Ferrari.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 12:49 PM (Zz0t1)
_____

Yea, supposedly a 296 GTS. The car is a piece of shit, but it's very fast (over 800 hp). I'll bet drugs, booze, or insane risk-taking played a part in the crash.
Posted by: Judge Elric The Blade

TRUST me. Angeles Crest is to be taken seriously. Off the edge and you won't be found til the spring.

Twisties 7k feet. No rain and warm. So no black ice.

Fast cars and crotch rockets on Sat & sun

Posted by: Steve_in_SoCal at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (FxH7T)

308 296 Try this link:

https://t.ly/iENVk
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at December 23, 2025 01:02 PM (pkeXY)

That worked.

Not sure why that would need age verification......but a nothingburger nonetheless.......
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (Zz0t1)

Has anyone even tried to, I don't know, authenticate this in any way? Handwriting analysis, dating the ink or stationery, anything at all? Not that it means anything anyway but has even the most basic of due diligence been performed?

Posted by: I'm guessing that answer is "no" at December 23, 2025 01:12 PM (TbWk/)

309 >> But the extent that gold and silver have boomed (gold up about 70 percent in one year and silver over 170 percent), I think is a speculative frenzy that is not supported by underlying fundamentals based on momentum trading.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:04 PM (WDjG6)

======

Yes, it is a little unnerving to buy an ounce of gold today for $4,500 when a one year put at X=$4,500 costs north of $1,000.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 01:13 PM (GPa4z)

310 "NooOOoOOOO!!!!1! The economy sucks! Stop looking at that information! Beef is expensive!"
--every leftist

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:13 PM (3Amc7)

311 BUT EPSTEIN!!!!

AFFORDABILITY!!!

INSURANCE PREMIUMS!!!

ORANGE. MAN. BAAAADDDDDD!!!!!

Posted by: Jukin the Deplorable and Totally Unserious at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (xvV+O)

312
Beefstein!

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (TWzjC)

313 81 I am not shouting "DOOM" from the rooftops by any means
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!)
-----

But; What did Kramer say?

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (Mis34)

314 I was going to be pedantic about how you annualized, but the difference for very low interest rates is tiny, 0.03% in this case, so I won't, this time.

But that's why your shelves fall down.

Posted by: These fish sticks are hard as tits at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (am+xr)

315 And then the Fed prints them more money. That has nothing to do with lending and rates.
==
I dont disagree with you on the money supply at all. Its the major issue for inflation. Clearly.

In the fractional reserve iteration the banks are not using fed money to make the loan iteration. They are loaning deposits. The 1000 is not destoyed. Well in a sense 10 percent each loan is taken out of the economy. So there is a notional multiplier. Which is sort of meaningless now, given we are currently running the presses at warp factor twelve.

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (shH1w)

316 123
Waiting on It'sGoTimeDonald to tell us how terrible this is.

Posted by: fourseasons at December 23, 2025 12:35 PM (3ek7K)

He’s waiting for marching orders from Tucker Carlson and his crush, Nick Fuentes.

Posted by: Cow Demon at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (Wv0GD)

317 No respawns in the game of life."

VW (I think) commercial in the 90s.
Posted by: man
_______

Guessing the Hindus would disagree.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (XvL8K)

318 310 "NooOOoOOOO!!!!1! The economy sucks! Stop looking at that information! Beef is expensive!"
--every leftist
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:13 PM (3Amc7)

That's like one of them complaining that diapers are expensive.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (06Hmj)

319 303 Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 01:07 PM (pLaQB)

I say this with no intended malice - house is gonna take you for a ride but those can be fun sometimes
----------------
I concur, but you can alter the spreads while increasing the payout. The biggest risk is whether the winning team wishes to run up the score. Most are already in the playoffs and may prize health over points.

Posted by: Pudinhead at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (pLaQB)

320
Did anyone buy a Roast today?
Or check the prices at your local supermarket?

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (TWzjC)

321 Nothing will ever beat the owner of Segway dying on his Segway. At least he got killed by the thing that made him rich.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:09 PM (BI5O2)

*raises index finger to object*

Posted by: Jim Fixx, Jogging Influencer at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (wVcYX)

322 Ben Sasse announces he has stage IV prostate cancer.

The Trump curse strikes again.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at December 23, 2025 01:03 PM (abIsI)

It's worse.

"Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die."

That's very fast acting with very little positive prognosis, in my experience.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (dK+Kv)

323 Think "Sydney Sweeney wearing a low-cut top

So it's either boom or bust?

Posted by: stu-mick-o-sucks at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (w9Wax)

324 What's great is for banks to buy treasury bonds that then count as reserves.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (GPa4z)

325 It's worse.

"Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die."

That's very fast acting with very little positive prognosis, in my experience.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (dK+Kv)

He sounds vaccinated.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (Zz0t1)

326 Did anyone buy a Roast today?
Or check the prices at your local supermarket?

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (TWzjC)

I pulled two out of the freezer from the side of beef we bought. I can't wait.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (dK+Kv)

327 You can continue to buy DJI and other Chinese drone products, but those brands can’t import newer models or replacement parts.

US Foreign Drone Ban Is Here: DJI Hit Hardest by New FCC Rules

Posted by: SMOD at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (WQ6sk)

328
Eggstein file prices went up because Trump!

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (TWzjC)

329 That's like one of them complaining that diapers are expensive.

You know what's cheap? Diaper pins and cloth diapers. Messy and annoying, but cheap as dirt.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (3Amc7)

330 I bought 3.3 lbs of ribeye for $9 a pound. Kroger Krazy has 80 20 beef at $4.00 /pound next week.

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (5DEFi)

331 Now did the working population actually shrink due to deportations? Cuz that would put us into WooHoo economic boom territory.

And I don't know how fed spending is counted, and there may have been no additional shrinking of the fed spending since the DOGE work that ended in what June?

But "affordability crisis" since that is the only way the FNM can attack DJT.

Posted by: PaleRider at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (hhkIi)

332 Did anyone buy a Roast today?
Or check the prices at your local supermarket?
Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (TWzjC)

Just got back from Kroger. Parking lot is pretty full, checkout lines are humming, and the aisles are full of zombies, freaks, and mutants. Situation normal.

They are doing brisk business.

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (wVcYX)

333 315 In the fractional reserve iteration the banks are not using fed money to make the loan iteration. They are loaning deposits. The 1000 is not destoyed. Well in a sense 10 percent each loan is taken out of the economy. So there is a notional multiplier. Which is sort of meaningless now, given we are currently running the presses at warp factor twelve.

Posted by: Some economists who are idiots would say at December 23, 2025 01:14 PM (shH1w)

====

Lending out cash in hand, deposits, doesn't affect the money supply at all, of course.

The only way fractional reserve banking is a boogeyman of inflation is because the Fed prints cash to cover it. The base issue is the Fed printing money. Lower interest rates encouraging more borrowing doesn't actually increase the ability of banks to do fractional reserve banking because that is derived from deposit amounts. And no one in any material number borrows money from one bank at 5% and then deposits it into another at 1%.

So, no, interest rates on government debt does not drive inflation.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison, seeing life through the shadows with Otto Preminger at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (GBKbO)

334 By the way, social media is absolutely flooded with fake AI pics and stories about Trump with little girls and shocking revelations about the Epstein files including him. Its like Pallywood all over again.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (3Amc7)

335 He sounds vaccinated.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (Zz0t1)

I'm not going to preemptively dance on his grave like I might for Rob Reindeer. But the guy's an asshat.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (dK+Kv)

336 "Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die."

That's very fast acting with very little positive prognosis, in my experience.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (dK+Kv)

He sounds vaccinated.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cance
===
Well played. *golf clap*

Posted by: Harsh but probably fair at December 23, 2025 01:18 PM (shH1w)

337 He sounds vaccinated.

Aggressive sudden pancreatic cancer predates mRNA by over a decade. It seems more tied to Big Pharma getting a free pass on anything they claim is a vaccine starting in the late 80s.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:18 PM (84SEz)

338 Yes, it is a little unnerving to buy an ounce of gold today for $4,500 when a one year put at X=$4,500 costs north of $1,000.
Posted by: Oglebay

I think also some of impetus into gold and silver purchases come from the relative stagnation of crypto for the last several months.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:18 PM (WDjG6)

339
poor sassy sasse, he was an ass, but that's a lousy way to go

*There was a very brief time around 2015 when Ace wanted Sassy to run for president.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (TWzjC)

340 Now did the working population actually shrink due to deportations? Cuz that would put us into WooHoo economic boom territory.

And I don't know how fed spending is counted, and there may have been no additional shrinking of the fed spending since the DOGE work that ended in what June?

But "affordability crisis" since that is the only way the FNM can attack DJT.
Posted by: PaleRider at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (hhkIi)

We were in the pool!

Posted by: Working Population and Fed Spending at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (wVcYX)

341 Sasse wasn't my cup of tea as a senator, but he did good things in Florida with the college bureaucracy.

Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (2vrAX)

342 Now did the working population actually shrink due to deportations?

In some sectors yeah. But its being offset by lower traffic and fewer low end crimes. By the way Chris Hanson said... (beware, autoplay video)

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367601796112

Basically: every time I set up a sting to catch a pedo... its an illegal.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (3Amc7)

343 poor sassy sasse, he was an ass, but that's a lousy way to go

*There was a very brief time around 2015 when Ace wanted Sassy to run for president.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (TWzjC)

But the preference cascade never materialized, fortunately.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (dK+Kv)

344 US Foreign Drone Ban Is Here: DJI Hit Hardest by New FCC Rules

Kinda sucks, but it's also not ideal to have millions of drones flying around that may have a CCP backdoor.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (84SEz)

345 You know what's cheap? Diaper pins and cloth diapers. Messy and annoying, but cheap as dirt.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:16 PM (3Amc7)

Keep the little bastards in wire-bottom pens over a bucket, and hose 'em off twice a day, whether they need it or not.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (npFr7)

346
"Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die."

That's very fast acting with very little positive prognosis, in my experience.
Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:15 PM (dK+Kv)

I read this and thought it was about Flounder breaking the news to us. What a Christmas nut punch...

Glad it's not.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (TWzjC)

347 Fake news.

Reddit says it’s all lies and we’re really worse than 1931 right now.

Posted by: Its Go Time Donald at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (UJWr0)

348 I read this and thought it was about Flounder breaking the news to us. What a Christmas nut punch...

Glad it's not.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (TWzjC)

Sorry for the potential misunderstanding, and thanks for the sentiment.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (dK+Kv)

349 Remember when Biden had super duper deadly stage 9 cancer? Is it like his stutter? He seems perfectly fine, for Biden.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (3Amc7)

350 Keep the little bastards in wire-bottom pens over a bucket, and hose 'em off twice a day, whether they need it or not.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (npFr7)
-

/tries to turn the clock back

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (KgVf3)

351 Pedophilia is no yolk!!!

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (oHAzj)

352 I bet ya a certain someone is already scripting her next podcast about how the smol hats gave Sasse grundle cancer for not making out with her in high school.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (06Hmj)

353 the CNN newshag had a look on her face like there was a bad smell in the room.

Posted by: vivi at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (NddcJ)

354
Glad it's not.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:20 PM (TWzjC)

He remembered Ace threatened us and told us to stop dying.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (Zz0t1)

355
See? Told ya Beefstein prices went down.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (TWzjC)

356 Aggressive sudden pancreatic cancer predates mRNA by over a decade. It seems more tied to Big Pharma getting a free pass on anything they claim is a vaccine starting in the late 80s.

Which brings us exactly back to Sponge's comment: he sounds vaccinated.

Posted by: t-bird at December 23, 2025 01:22 PM (6LzyB)

357 One convicted sexual predator writes a note to another convicted sexual predator from prison and I'm supposed to give a flying f*ck about it, why again?

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:22 PM (Zz0t1)

358 He remembered Ace threatened us and told us to stop dying.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (Zz0t1)

Ace is not the boss of me, but yeah, I hang on like a bad aftertaste.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:22 PM (dK+Kv)

359 >>> *There was a very brief time around 2015 when Ace wanted Sassy to run for president.
Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:19 PM (TWzjC)

Ace tries to give republican politicians love at first before he slaps them around to correct them.

You see, Ace's love is very different from that of a square.

Posted by: banana Dream at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (3uBP9)

360 the CNN newshag had a look on her face like there was a bad smell in the room.
Posted by: vivi at December 23, 2025 01:21 PM (NddcJ)

She had just finished going ATM.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (Zz0t1)

361 But; What did Kramer say?
Posted by: Braenyard

It's a writeoff, Jerry. They just write it off.

Posted by: Bulg at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (77rzZ)

362
Sasse was a bad Republican Senator, but still 100X better than "tea party favorite" fraud jeff flake.

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (TWzjC)

363 Which brings us exactly back to Sponge's comment: he sounds vaccinated.

100%. But that joke's normally about the coof so I had to go for it.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (84SEz)

364 Reddit says it’s all lies and we’re really worse than 1931 right now.

How would they know? Are there a lot of 100-year-olds posting on Reddit?

Posted by: Jetto at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (YoUJR)

365 So, no, interest rates on government debt does not drive inflation.
Posted by: TheJamesMadison

Not directly. High interest rates on government debt tends to crowd out private investment (because a supposed risk free return on govt bonds means that private investment rates have to add a 1.5-2 percent risk premium to yield calculations). That reduced private investment in turn which does lead to productivity stagnation and thus inflation over the long run ceterus paribus.

That is one of the problems with macro econ, it simply has issues like lag problems, unspecified 2nd and 3rd order effects, inadequate modeling of global environment, inadequate modeling of investor and consumer psychology, etc.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (WDjG6)

366 Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (3Amc7)

367 I think the "thats like leftists complaining that diapers are expensive" was a reference to lefties having few if any kids anyway". But they probably do actually eat beef, while thinking the MAGA proles can get by with rice and beans and the occasional serving of chicken.

Posted by: PaleRider at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (hhkIi)

368 100%. But that joke's normally about the coof so I had to go for it.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (84SEz)

I'll allow it.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (Zz0t1)

369 He sounds vaccinated.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer
----------

Virtue's bonus.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (Mis34)

370 332 Just got back from Kroger. Parking lot is pretty full, checkout lines are humming, and the aisles are full of zombies, freaks, and mutants. Situation normal.

They are doing brisk business.
Posted by: Count de Monet at December 23, 2025 01:17 PM (wVcYX)

Good to hear!

Posted by: Joemarine at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (y171U)

371 the CNN newshag had a look on her face like there was a bad smell in the room.

Toobin had used her chair last.

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (84SEz)

372 You see, Ace's love is very different from that of a square.
Posted by: banana Dream at December 23, 2025 01:23 PM (3uBP9)
++++
Coming soon: "Upgrayde" of Spades

Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (avHHk)

373 Flounder if you drop dead I want you to know in advance I'm probably gonna make some highly inappropriate jokes about it.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (oHAzj)

374 362
Sasse was a bad Republican Senator, but still 100X better than "tea party favorite" fraud jeff flake.
Posted by: Soothsayer
========
Flake and his family used illegals on their farming interests for starters.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (WDjG6)

375 "Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die."

Oh yeah. I say with factually and without malice, he's completely fucked. It's really nasty. The only good news is that he's not going to have to linger with cancer for very long.

Posted by: Really awful stuff at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (TbWk/)

376 >>> Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (3Amc7)

Boobs
Battleships
Beer

Posted by: banana Dream - Winning Platform at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (3uBP9)

377 But they probably do actually eat beef, while thinking the MAGA proles can get by with rice and beans and the occasional serving of chicken.
Posted by: PaleRider at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (hhkIi)

Beef causes global warming via cow farts, it’s become very unfashionable for leftists to eat it.

Posted by: Its Go Time Donald at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (UJWr0)

378 EweToob feed has this:

The Economy Grew But More People Are Living In Storage Sheds.

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 23, 2025 01:26 PM (wVcYX)

379 And no one in any material number borrows money from one bank at 5% and then deposits it into another at 1%.
==
Everyone, except drug lords, puts their money in the bank. They buy lambos, and the lambo dealer puts that money in the bank. Which the bank is free to lend out. If the rates are low they will have more takers than not. It still has to make sense for the bank to loan to the debtor. They might get a better return elsewhere, which has same effect.

It isnt just one person or one bank. In a closed system, without the printing presses, the macro guys show a multipler effect from fractional reserve banking. Which now is sort of irrelevant because they have monetized the debt.

Posted by: Harsh but probably fair at December 23, 2025 01:26 PM (shH1w)

380 Flounder if you drop dead I want you to know in advance I'm probably gonna make some highly inappropriate jokes about it.
Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (oHAzj)

For it is the way.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:26 PM (Zz0t1)

381 Flake and his family used illegals on their farming interests for starters.

In all fairness the man was doomed at birth with the name "Flake."

Posted by: Jetto at December 23, 2025 01:26 PM (YoUJR)

382 There must be a way we can vax the poor huddled masses?

Posted by: Boss Moss at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (5DEFi)

383 Wow, the Hesco guy was awesome. He dropped of HS to be a coal miner, and when got laid off in the 80s, he started a sandblasting business with his severance package, and used it to fund his Hesco invention.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (BI5O2)

384 "Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and I'm gonna hang around for a few more years."

Posted by: Ruth Bader Ginsburg at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (w9Wax)

385 Aggressive sudden pancreatic cancer predates mRNA by over a decade. It seems more tied to Big Pharma getting a free pass on anything they claim is a vaccine starting in the late 80s.
Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:18 PM (84SEz)

Everyone hates Big Pharma until they need Big Pharma.

Posted by: Cow Demon at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (Wv0GD)

386
nood pervert

Posted by: Soothsayer at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (TWzjC)

387 Flake and his family used illegals on their farming interests for starters.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (WDjG6)

Flake lived up to his name.

Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at December 23, 2025 01:27 PM (Zz0t1)

388 . Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor
--------

They are the opposite of littoral ships.

Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others _ at December 23, 2025 01:28 PM (Mis34)

389 Like - at least flounder died doing what he loved - screaming in a flaming car wreck.

Posted by: ... at December 23, 2025 01:28 PM (oHAzj)

390 Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (3Amc7)

Options discussed here:

- Jump start American manufacturing - national security implications.
- Jump start American steel demand - national security implications.
- Reaganesque ploy to get China/Russia to spend or misallocate scarce resources.
- Actual utility in all the small war operations against below peer nations such as Venezuela, Cuba ,etc.
- Modernizing capabilities in view of all that is known about drone warfare including UUVs.
- Tweaking the left.
- Trump.

Posted by: Comrade Flounder, Disinformation Demon at December 23, 2025 01:28 PM (dK+Kv)

391 The Economy Grew But More People Are Living In Storage Sheds.

Sounds like Bathhouse Barry.

Well, except for the part about the economy growing.

Posted by: Jetto at December 23, 2025 01:28 PM (YoUJR)

392 374 362
Sasse was a bad Republican Senator, but still 100X better than "tea party favorite" fraud jeff flake.
Posted by: Soothsayer
========
Flake and his family used illegals on their farming interests for starters.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM (WDjG6)

Jeff Fake

Posted by: Cow Demon at December 23, 2025 01:28 PM (Wv0GD)

393 Why is Trump talking about building new battleships?

They've come in handy with the Houthis and now Venezuela. And if Xi does go for Taiwan before the Three Gorges lets go there's going to be a significant naval component. (And after it lets go you'll need battleships to navigate mainland China, amirite?).

Posted by: Ian S. at December 23, 2025 01:29 PM (84SEz)

394 377. Sure, they probably don't eat beef in public settings, or maybe the wine moms don't eat it at all and their husbands have to sneak off to a beef BBQ joint at lunch to get their red meat, but by large its probably like DiCaprio flying off in his private jet to some climate change conference where they announce that all the proles should give up their cars.

Posted by: PaleRider at December 23, 2025 01:29 PM (hhkIi)

395 378 EweToob feed has this:

The Economy Grew But More People Are Living In Storage Sheds.
Posted by: Count de Monet at December 23, 2025 01:26 PM (wVcYX)

....or living in tents...

Posted by: Joemarine at December 23, 2025 01:29 PM (y171U)

396 >>>Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

>He's trolling the chumps across the aisle, like with the White House Ballroom.

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at December 23, 2025 01:30 PM (nljXp)

397 Coming soon: "Upgrayde" of Spades
Posted by: Joe Mannix (Not a cop!) at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (avHHk)

----

Ahem. There's two "D"s, for a double dose of this pimpin'.

Posted by: Upgrayedd at December 23, 2025 01:30 PM (BI5O2)

398 376 >>> Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at December 23, 2025 01:24 PM (3Amc7)

Boobs
Battleships
Beer
Posted by: banana Dream - Winning Platform at December 23, 2025 01:25 PM
I'd say battleship talk is just talk.

Posted by: Eromero at December 23, 2025 01:30 PM (LHPAg)

399 366 Look I am a simple artist and writer, not a smart military type despite being on here. Why is Trump talking about building new battleships??
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

For a long time, US ships relied on carrier groups for protection along with Aegis missile defenses. The new era of throwaway drones plus massive anti ship missile numbers of teh Chicoms involved in any war with Chicoms means that we can no longer guarantee our current ships will not get hit hard by suicidal drones and missiles.

Basically the new 'battleship' seems to be a concentrated and more heavily armored platform for disputed seas where one does not want to risk carrier groups.

The ridiculous expenditures of high priced missiles in the Red Sea by naval ships to thwart cheap drone attacks by the Houthis means we need different and cheaper ways to intercept them because like Israel facing Iran, launch enough missiles, drones, etc, you can overload defensive means and run supplies of those expensive intercept missiles out.

So you need lasers, conventional slug throwers, etc. plus armor enough to make small scale hits easy to shrug off.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:31 PM (WDjG6)

400 So, because of the special 4-year presidential responsibility delay, this result is really from Biden's first year in the White House?

I distinctly remember everything bad that happened in Obama's first term was definitely George Bush's fault.

Posted by: JB1000 at December 23, 2025 01:32 PM (/gRa9)

401 CNN broad looks like she was weaned on a pickle.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon

CNN girl looks like Charlie sent an iron dildo up her butt.
Posted by: Braenyard - some Absent Friends are more equal than others

the CNN newshag had a look on her face like there was a bad smell in the room.
Posted by: vivi
.......

I'm sensing a pattern here.

Posted by: wth at December 23, 2025 01:32 PM (v0R5T)

402 >He's trolling the chumps across the aisle, like with the White House Ballroom.
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone

I've briefly skimmed over the reasoning but it is because cheap drones and missiles have changed the calculus for our current Navy and its composition. We are facing a peer level navy (China) which we have not since WWII and the Japanese in the Pacific.

Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:33 PM (WDjG6)

403 There is so much more to unpack here.

There are multiple things that are dragging that growth number DOWN from where should be:

1) reduced government spending - we are no longer pumping as much money into the economy. That reduces growth
2) loss of illegals should be disrupting growth.
3) Tariffs should be reducing growth.
4) Interest rate are too high and reduce growth.
5) Canada is in a massive depression, and Europe is stalling along with China. If we had strong exports, we'd grow even more.
6) various dumbass blue states like California, stifling growth.

If all of that wasn't also happening, you might see 5-6% growth right now. And, given the U.S. has the largest economy in the world, even small increases ingrowth represents HUGE swings in money. $30 trillion. 1% growth on that is $300 billion. That's like adding the economy of Finland to ours.

Posted by: El Mariachi - Attorney at Law at December 23, 2025 02:25 PM (C3IAS)

404 So you need lasers, conventional slug throwers, etc. plus armor enough to make small scale hits easy to shrug off.
Posted by: whig at December 23, 2025 01:31 PM (WDjG6)

Exactly. One idea I've always thought about is using water as a barrier. Simply spray ocean water using pumps to mask the ship. Small drones would be knocked down, and large fast drones it would be like hitting a brick wall - they would break up before hitting the ship.

Posted by: El Mariachi - Attorney at Law at December 23, 2025 02:29 PM (C3IAS)

405 As a Camaro owner, I heartily concur.

Posted by: Sydney Sweeney's Golden Beads of Sweat at December 23, 2025 04:25 PM (XH8Su)

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