Well I’ll be the first to admit, I am already missing Mikes posts here. Not that I agree with everything he said, but he was a good guy I learned a lot from him. We shoulda had had a poll before changing the rules like this anyways.
Please vote. I’m sure i’m not the only one interested in seeing the results.
Honestly…
I don’t think he brought a THING to these pages for a long time and I’m not alone in that assessment.
Politics is like RELIGION…You believe what you believe and it’s best to simply LEAVE IT ALONE!! But for SOME people…They need to SPREAD their views on religion or politics to “OTHERS.”
Maybe I should start BOMBARDING RANDOM RAMBLINGS every single day with my RELIGOUS VIEWS!!! I can ALSO tell people who DISAGREE with MY VIEWS that…“NO…YOU ARE WRONG, THIS IS THE WAY IT WILL GO.”
I could also pick a religous leader that I don’t agree with and BUTCHER his name and start running daily posts with my NEW IMPROVED and INSULTING NICK NAME for that religous leader. IT’S FREE SPEECH RIGHT??
Do you think we should VOTE on this too???
Osama Bin Laden was directly responsible for the MURDER of 347 Firefighters on 9/11…To hear PROPERTY MANAGER refer to Obama as OSAMA day after day…hit a very personal NERVE with me…I knew some of the guys that RAN UP THOSE STAIRS as others were running DOWN…For Mike to use THAT NAME for his POLITICAL AGENDA is UNFORGIVABLE in my view. It insults every WIDOW and ORPHAN created that dark day and it showed NO CLASS what so ever.
Personally…I think this section has GREATLY IMPROVED since the rule change…It’s not a NEVER ENDING BOMBARDMENT of a one sided political agenda. The entire TONE here has done a 180 degree turn.
IT’s a POSITIVE SECTION AGAIN…It’s about ALTERNATIVE WAYS of making or SAVING MONEY!!!
I’m already seeing new posts from people who BAILED OUT because it was the same old SLOP, day after day after day, or they just got tired of it being PM’s personal political blog.
Mike CHOSE to leave…He also CHOSE to STOP contributing ANYTHING but political posts or DOOMSDAY ECONOMIC COLLAPSE PREDICTIONS.
Does ANYONE here REALLY think that’s what a REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT SITE should be DOING…An entire SECTION of that site devoted to the COMING COLLAPSE???
And here’s the BOTTOM LINE…
Mike could STILL be here CONTRIBUTING SOMETHING OF VALUE…SHARING his experience with others…But he’s NOT doing that.
HE left because he didn’t get HIS WAY!! Just like a little kid with his ball…He didn’t like the new rules…So he took his ball and went home…
HIS CHOICE…and a very telling one if you ask me!
Of course Mike brought something to this Forum. He worked very hard to pi-- you off and it worked…then you’d get pi–ed and pi-- him off.
I thought you guys were funny as all get out.
Keith
Yea…But the difference is… I’m still here willing to HELP others!
But I will admit I LOVED going back and forth with him…
My personal favorites???
The BILCO BOMB PROOF BOMB SHELTER with limited lifetime warranty posts!!!
This product has not been tested and not guaranteed for use in WAR, EXPLOSIONS, ECONOMIC COLLAPSE, or RIOTS
And ANYTHING with CANNED BEANS in it!
Those drove him CRAZY!
But those posts brought NOTHING of VALUE to this site…It didn’t belong here and the MODERATORS did the right thing by taking it off the table.
There are COUNTLESS POLITICAL sites out there where you can go and post that SLOP until your hearts content. You won’t make a DIME from the viewpoints…You won’t LEARN how to INVEST from them…So WHY put them on an INVESTMENT BASED WEB SITE???
Just my thoughts. :beer
First off Free Speech is a right in PUBLIC…A privately owned forum is not the public…So it doesnt apply here…And I agree with my long winded friend…Politics,religion and or sexual content have no place on any forum…Unless specified…
With that said I do miss Mike but I dont miss his posts/threads that are intentionally targeted at pi****g people off…This may be the Random Ramblings section but since his departure and the other non-sensical raving lunatic PO I enjoy reading and posting here…The internet for me is a tough place because you have to sift through a ton of BS…And thats something I have to deal with personally…I honestly think a good portion of what people post here is complete BS but I just stay silent…With that said I appreciate this place none the less…
I think you’re wrong…Mike did have a lot to offer in the REI world, especially in the realm of dealing with tenants and the whole run-of-the-mill ‘tenant mentality’ thing.
…and, yes, I know that you don’t agree with him regarding social welfare and him taking Section 8 funds and the whole thing - I get it, I do.
Keith
Dead on FDJAKE!! :beer
I have been a member for a few years. I am not very active on the Forums, I just like to absorb information and sometimes add my 2 bits.
Mike did have some value a year or so ago. Unfortunately, he went “Mel Gibson” after his friend Postive Outlook was removed from the Forums. I respect that he argued for what he thought was right. However, when you start telling me I am wrong and forcing your opinions down my throat like the kid on the playground, it is time for someone to leave. He did, he took his ball and went home.
I was also offended by his “Osama” comments. This is where I lost all respect for Mike. It insults all Americans. President Obama was elected by a majority of Mike’s peers. He can agree to disagree, it is his right. He is entitled to his opinion but the constant ranting and name calling diminishes the points that he was trying to make.
I have always been proud to be an American. I have never thought that someone from another country is any “less” than I am simply because they were from a different place, but I feel pride as an American because America has always been a nation of freedom, a nation that helped other countries in need.
A country to be proud of.
Are you proud to be an American?
It seems to be a silly question, but I find it is one that is important in todays world. Many of our own citizens show nothing but disdain for America, what it has always stood for and what it has always been. They continually wish to change our values that America was founded on.
It is a simple question…can you answer it with a yes or no, or does your answer include a “but” at the end?
Hammertime,
YES!!! with NO BUT!
I’m not only PROUD to be an AMERICAN…
I’m T H A N K F U L!
I THANKFUL EVERYDAY that I was LUCKY enough to be BORN in a country that simply let’s you TRY…JUST TRY…This Country doesn’t make GUARANTEES…It simply let’s people TRY…If they SUCCEED they did it because they EARNED IT…And A N Y O N E here can TRY!!!
KDHastedt,
I AGREE with you 100%…Mike did have a lot to offer and DID help a lot of people…As a matter of fact…On NUMEROUS occasions I BEGGED Mike to bring back the OLD PROPERTY MANAGER, the guy who had all that KNOWLEDGE…all the INSIGHT in a tough business!!!
I totally RESPECTED that guy…LOVED reading his posts…CRIPES…I even BOUGHT HIS BOOK (which is the BEST I’ve ever read on the subject) I wrote down a few thoughts about that book and he asked me if he could use them on his site…which he did! He had a TON to offer…But that Mike left us and was replaced with Crazy Eddies cousin Mike!
If the OLD Mike ever comes back…I’ll be the first to welcome him and APPRECIATE what he CAN bring to the table!!
Politics needs to stay gone. I too have enjoyed particpating more in the forums over the last two weeks.
Is the system screwed up? yes.
Do I know the system is screwed up? yes.
Do I need to be hit over the head with it every single day all day long? NO!
Especially in a website forum where I am trying get away from bad news and discuss something that I am interested in AND that I enjoy.
Right Jake. I just wish more people would “try.” I remember growing up where some people struggled to make it and wondered how they would put food on the table. I remember when young women who got pregnant worried about how they would afford that baby. Those days seem to be gone and have been replaced with commercials on tv about how people have the “right” to cell phones, home phone service, etc.
For anyone who hasn’t been on here more than about a year or so - go back and search out propertymanagers “vintage” posts from 3 or 4 years ago. It was totally different. He was the main person on here who was giving rental property evaluations with real world numbers. I learned a ton from his posts then and have used that for our business. I’m sure he kept many people from making mistakes by buying property too high. It’s too bad that was all replaced with numerous new threads about political items.
Yes I’m concerned about some things currently going on, but I’m not going to let it cripple me or our investments.
As Jake would say - the herd is sitting on the sidelines because they’re scared.
Maybe, Mike was on to something: :biggrin
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-28-doomsday28_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
I think limiting the conversation just because you don’t like it or disagree with it is a bad thing. Yes, Mike could tone down the name calling but, other than that, I think he was doing a good job.
I understand that I can’t do anything about politics. I vote for my guy if he wins I get rich. If my guy loses I get rich. I have always viewed politics as entertainment not the main reason I have value. Mike had a hard time believing that. Ronald Reagan got elected I made a lot of money. Bush I got elected I didn’t make as much money but I made money, Bill Clinton got elected I made more money. Bush II got elected I made more money, Obama is now president and I am making more money.
The issue is not who gets elected it is what kind of economy we have. I have been really bullish on Houston all along. We are losing Continental airline and oil is in trouble. That troubles me more than who gets to sit in 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. When I answered pretty much any of the political threads that was the point I always tried to make. If we got invaded by Russia and all became communists, I would be a rich communist.
Mike believed that who ran the government was the end of us all.
I agree. The name calling was completely unnecessary. It discredited him and the points he was trying to make. Mike had plenty of current facts but unfortunately, he extrapolated them into a apocalyptic/conspiracy conversation. I think he contributed more to the conversation of the actual state of the economy (vs. what the mainstream media says) than anyone else on this board.
JP
I was also offended by his "Osama" comments. This is where I lost all respect for Mike. It insults all Americans. President Obama was elected by a majority of Mike's peers. He can agree to disagree, it is his right. He is entitled to his opinion but the constant ranting and name calling diminishes the points that he was trying to make.I have always been proud to be an American. I have never thought that someone from another country is any “less” than I am simply because they were from a different place, but I feel pride as an American because America has always been a nation of freedom, a nation that helped other countries in need.
A country to be proud of.
Are you proud to be an American?
It seems to be a silly question, but I find it is one that is important in todays world. Many of our own citizens show nothing but disdain for America, what it has always stood for and what it has always been. They continually wish to change our values that America was founded on.
It is a simple question…can you answer it with a yes or no, or does your answer include a “but” at the end?
Very nicely put! Y E S
I was as disappointed as anyone having been a moderator with Mike for many years. I just wish him the best of success in his chosen endeavors and now… it is time to move on.
…and “NO” there should not be politics in the Random Ramblings Forum.
I have to agree with Rookie on his statement. Not allowing discussions about politics on a privatly owned REI related site is not an infringement of free speach. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if someone feels so passionate about a subject that causes tensionbout and is against forum rules, that person needs to go and create their own blog/forum.
It’s like a person working at a job and not liking the rules put in place by the employer. You either put up with the rules, or stick your neck out, take some risks and create your own business and make your own rules.
Personally, I have no desire to argue about politics. The way I see it, no matter who is in office my personal life will not be affected THAT much, because I’m not poor and not mega wealthy. My life situation changes based on what “I” do.
If you want to stay youthful....stay useful.
-Mike
Real estate is closely tied to the economy and the economy is tied to politics. I don’t see how it would be possible to discuss real estate investing without some mention of politics.
I have to say, even though I am interested in other people’s opinions, I stop reading a thread as soon as the inevitable fighting and name calling starts. It’s very unpleasant and completely unnecessary.
It seems to me that the most unpleasant person on the forum is not Mike. It’s fdjake with his unprovoked attacks, gloating, and deriding anyone who doesn’t toe his own personal party line. As an example: his unprovoked attack on Mike and Mike’s beliefs, at the opening of this thread. Mike isn’t even here and the attacks start.
It actually is possible to have a discussion about politics as it applies to real estate investing without the name calling and insults. But that would involve giving up all those behaviors learned in grade school and realizing that the person who shouts the loudest and frightens the most people is not necessarily the only one who is right.
I suspect that the nastiness has driven people off of this forum. It’s certainly unpleasant.
I don’t think its possible for a politics, religeon etc… discussion to not get heated and carried away. I think it got to the point where PM was ranting over and over without discussing possible ways to find profitable opportunites despite the politics. I personally like and respect PM. I also think his insight could serve this board well. He’s just focused on different things right now…
“I hear there’s a recession ,I just choose not to participate”-Rush Limbaugh- :cool
I personally don’t agree with the new rule.I thought that’s what moderators are for, to keep the name calling ect. to a minimum.I stop the conversation when the name calling begins.I’ve had several discussions with Furnished who I totally disagree with politicaly,but we don’t call each other names.And I’ve learned from her,and I hope I’ve cleared up any misconceptions of conservatives for her.We can disagree without disrespecting one another,can’t we??Or do we NEED “new rules” to settle us down? :rolleyes
I thought most of us here were business adults.Our business is directly linked to the economy/govt,soooo this is gonna be tough “rule” to follow.I’ll still visit here either way,but the more restrictions that come the less info we can get,so that in turn equals to less traffic.
It is healthy to have debates,on facts,not screaming and name calling.I skipped over sooooo many of the back/forth when it went into pointless,factless rants(and it was’nt ALL Mike).I know why Mike posted alot of the stuff he did on here,it was to let some who may not pay attention know what’s happening.He could’ve done without the labeling so hard,which probably caused people to not even read what it was.
None of us can control what the govt is doing.But that does’nt mean we should not watch it and let others know when something’s terribly wrong.But none of us should let it distract or dictate our lives and business either.
I say keep informed,never give up,it’s easy to get down about it.But americans are strong and good people.I beleive in this country and we will get through this,but if ignored we won’t,plus we won’t learn the valueable lessons to prevent it in the future.