EZEtoGRU

Unless I'm reading incorrectly, the 3% cap is annual so property taxes could go up 3% each year forever. That is still good for existing homeowers of course. I wouldn't own property in Florida because of insurance issues, storms/flooding (there's no point buying inland in that state) and the unmentionable topic. 

Sure...I get all that.  Even with the current service, it only takes 20-23 minutes to get from DC to BWI on Acela and only about an additional 10 minutes to get to Baltimore city center.  The elevated rail would save what?  10 minutes?  
I seriously doubt there is a compelling & realistic business case to spend how many billions such a route.  

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

Horrible news out of Prague today.  We are used to hearing about these events in the US but not so much in Europe.  Terrible.

I agree...although I do like the look of some of the Shinola watches.  Anyway, my smartphone covers all the bases for me.  

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

I would buy at least two, and carry one in my $100K bag as a drive my $300K car back to my $1M studio condo on the outskirts of Toronto... 

Sorry, I'm out.

I visited to Montreal last week for the first time in 4 years, and I had a great time. I stayed at the Hyatt Place Montreal, formerly the Gouverneur. I thought the renovations made for a huge improvement. It's clean, comfortable, not too expensive (in mid-December, anyway), and the location is as convenient as ever for the strip clubs. I did not plan it this way, but I made it each of the 4 bars twice.
Campus is thriving, as others have noted. There were plenty of dancers circulating with their shirts off (not always the case), and they were all quite attractive (not always the case). They were all good about taking no for an answer (again, not always the case), and I never saw groups of dancers congregating together and ignoring the customers. I did several private dances; the standouts were Zack, Apollo, and Pepe (looks like a lumberjack, huge all over, very generous and interactive).
Stock was a mixed bag for me. I did not have to pay the cover the first time I went (the cashier had wandered off and the security guard eventually just waved me in), and that was good because it was very dead (this was a Wednesday night). There were very few customers, long gaps between stage shows, and most of the dancers did not drop their shorts at all. Most of the dancers kept their shirts on offstage and huddled in groups talking to each other all night, not circulating or talking to customers at all. I tried to flag down a couple of them multiple times, but no luck. Santiago (Cuban, short, great body, really well-endowed) was the only dancer approaching customers, and he did more privates than all the other dancers combined while I was there. There was a tall, slender Black dancer named Piper who did not even take his shirt off during his stage shows, much less his shorts; that seemed odd to me, at a strip club. Stock was much livelier on Friday, but there were still lots of dancers ignoring the customers and talking only to each other; I don't know how they make any money that way.
Taboo was dead on Thursday night. In fact, I was the only customer there when I arrived (which I did not realize because all the dancers were sitting at the bar, fully clothed, so I thought they were customers). One dancer talked to me for the whole time I was there (<30 minutes); I did not want to do a private with him, but I could not think of a way to get him to move on ("I would prefer to sit all by myself staring into space rather than talk to you" seems a little unkind). I left as soon as I could. It was busier on Friday, and there were 2 dancers I would have done privates with; but they were both occupied with other customers the whole time I was there.
Red Diamond (formerly Expose, formerly Luxe, formerly...) was very quiet both times I stopped in. I have always liked this club - in all its many incarnations - more than most forum members. The staff has always been very friendly, the private dance area is really private, and I have had lots of interesting private dances there. Damian (tall, swimmer's build, friendly and low-key) was the only dancer working both nights. He was very approachable and chatty, and I had fun private dances with him twice. Friday was busier than Thursday, and Damian said he expected it to pick up later in the evening (I was there pretty early).
This was my first real vacation trip since before the pandemic, but I hope to get back to Montreal this Spring.
 
Ichabod

I haven't visited the oldest man-made structure in my state (of New South Wales) but having looked it up I may have to check it out. It is the fish traps in the Barwon River at the town of Brewarrina in the north-west of the state. I had no idea of the scale of the structures. They are estimated to be 40,000 years old.
OUTBACK TOUR: Australia Has One Of The Oldest Human-Made Structures On Earth. Meh? - New Matilda
NEWMATILDA.COM We love our history in Australia. Just so long as it’s white. Chris Graham explains. Just over a week ago, shortly after I...  

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

OMG!   Most recessions are caused by asset bubbles fueled by debt creation.  ECO 101.  The only thing "off topic" to you here are the posts you don't like.  YOU bring up Jaime Dimon and then decide you don't want to hear about anything he said.

I am on topic.  If/when a recession hits, something will have caused it.  I think that cause will be unprecedented and unsustainable levels of debt.
Before the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, similar conversations were taking place between those predicting bad times ahead and those insisting the economy would keep chugging along.  Hard to believe now, but plenty of people in the aughts insisted that the good times would keep rolling.  In fact, those people then sounded a lot like some of the posts in this thread.

correct - American society, institutions, infrastructure, etc are in decline.
the broader economy as measured by traditional metrics is doing just fine.
there is no recession, there hasn't been a recession and recession is not in the foreseeable future 
the biggest threat to the American economy is political instability.  If something happens where the US is no longer regarded as the safe-haven for global investment & deposits, then all bets are off.  Be careful what you wish for.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

So funny to see how some posters want to transition this thread discussion from a potential recession (that still hasn't happened) to being a discussion about personal and national debt.  I guess if you can't win the one argument then...presto chango...switch to a different topic.   
The national debt has been many decades in the making...under many administrations.  Neither the current nor the prior administration have been nor were concerned with the ever-burgeoning national debt. Shame on both of them.  I think the last time we had a balanced budget in the US was during the Clinton years.
In any case, let's stay on topic.  This thread is a discussion about if a recession is coming.

Libel requires a written or symbolic defamation which is proveably untrue and which causes damage to the reputation of the subject named.  
Slander is a verbal defamation.   So she was correct using slander until she stated that she would contact a lawyer about "what was libeled against me"  
However since her name was never mentioned, there is no chance that she would win if indeed the case ever got to court.  
On the other hand, she may have slandered Hunter Biden IF he is not proven to have influence peddled.   
Quite frankly, Ms. McCain was probably one of less than 100 viewers who even recall  her being on the panel, let alone connected these particular catty dots.  

A thoughtful article by Fortune on the US economic outlook for 2024 and their take on the economic pessimists that keep predicting the recession that never comes. 
 
Economic pessimists’ bet on a 2023 recession failed. Why are they doubling down in 2024?
STOCKS.APPLE.COM Despite the economy’s strength, there remains a reluctance to recognize a soft landing.  

Yes...but...people want to live much larger today than they did 60 years ago.  The typical household has a much bigger house than before and on a much bigger lot.  Two or three cars instead of one.  People take much more luxurious vacations now than before.  A week at the cottage will no longer do.  It needs to be at least two weeks during the summer in Italy and then a one week winter cruise to the Caribbean... plus a long weekend in Las Vegas somewhere in between. 
I wonder if an average one salary household could sustain a family today if they lived like folks did in the 50's/60's: in a 1500 sq ft bungalow on a 5,000 sq ft lot.  One car and a one-week summer vacation on the lake up north in a small rented cottage.  

This is so true.  Jamie Dimon has been predicting a recession for over 3 years now.  

these people have a vested interest in making everything negative.  it suits their political agenda and preferred narratives.  fear is the easiest tool in the political playbook to manipulate people - a constant stream of negative spin creates fear & uncertainty.  lots of people buy the propaganda, even when statistical analysis shows otherwise.
and this fits neatly into a broader effort to delegitimize education, science & experts in favor of those who “feel” something.
 It’s that perception thing - meaning the feeling is something different than proven factually.  Perception really isn’t a thing when actual critical thinking skills are zero to none.  
And these days - people believe what they want to believe and select news sources that will confirm exactly that.  They no longer consume news to be educated or have an open-mind to change opinion based on new information.  
It’s not a good trajectory and it’s not sustainable - nobody cares about that though. As usual, they have not considered the long term effects of a society that celebrates ignorance. 
 

The Fed held rates steady again and the market is SOARING at the moment.