Four Seasons, here I come!

Walkaway hotel empires!!!
yeah!

repost of pigged one to Lucifer- sorry folks!

Lucifer, the west has not won a real war since WWII because we have not had a total war of annihilation since then.

Even Korea, when it threatened to spin out of control was still just a sideshow to a cleanup after WWII.

Nobody wanted to fight a total war against America again- we proved that there is a threshold at which we will use almost any means necessary to win.

One of the problems is that in a multipolar world, there are too many overlapping spheres of influence, but with the history so raw and new, nobody was willing to put down the massive sacrifice to extend real influence beyond the natural national borders.

Both world wars had European powers attempting to do just that, in large scale. The result was between 70 and 90 million dead.

The next world war will have casualties in the billions.

Guaranteed.

These little post colonial police actions like Iraq and Afghanistan are just that- piffle in terms of resources and manpower. Sucks to be the folks who have to go out and die, just like it did in Kipling's day on the Northwest Frontier.

Same results, same stupidity, but not real western style warfare, unless you count what Custer did after the Civil War as warfare- which I don't.

Did any of England's colonial messes end up doing in the Empire? Nope it was the World Wars.

What would the casualties be if India decided to conquer Pakistan- not just beat but conquer?

That is total war, as has been waged before in Asia, and will be again.

Same goes for North Korea today- if the Chinese ever decided the have no use for that idiot in charge, they might find a way to get rid of him, meanwhile it keeps millions of Koreans either occupied or preoccupied with a moronic dictator with small nukes.

Someday this war's gonna end...

Everybody is walking away - homeowners, hotel owners, bank regulators, state legislatures

The federal government is filling the ever increasing void

Can you walk away from the federal government???

the west has not won a real war since WWII

The West won WWII? Really??
Does that definition of "the West" include the USSR?

WWII - the battle of the tyrants

OT -
Man, just blew my Hefeweizen keg, oh well I got three others.

"Does that definition of "the West" include the USSR?"

funny how folks forget - WW2 was fought over ukraine and manchuria, and the dying (if not fighting, in both cases) really started around 1930... while mussolini was in charge as of the early 20s... the us really only participated in a third of WW2 going by the timeline, and was nowhere to be seen at kursk

I didn't know that there were any real hotels in San Berdoo or Riverside.
Are we talking about real hotels, or Red Roof, Holiday Inn, and other motels?

HomeGnome -

I just want to pay my home off as quickly as possible.

I did that with my condo, and now I'm not so sure it was the best thing to do.
But I did it mostly because I don't trust banks, and I really thought I would get a better return on getting rid of my debt than I would in equities. I don't seem to be a good stock picker.
And yes, I do AG also, just picked up the grains and hops for an imperial IPA to be brewed tomorrow morning as soon as I get off work.

"We really don't count as an Empire because we just don't want to rule anybody who doesn't have a vote in Congress."

lol

U.S military actions just since 1890

"Can you walk away from the federal government??? "

Sure. I am already on strike. Quit my job a few weeks ago, took out all my money from IRA/401k and US banks.

The hotel was previously known as the Kona Surf Hotel, which closed in June 2000. Its present owners acquired the leasehold title to the hotel in 2001 from the hotel’s former owner, Otaka Inc., through foreclosure after purchasing the first mortgage on the hotel for more than $20 million.

Leasehold estates. Hawaii property law is so medieval.

Hawaii property law is so medieval.

Need I remind you of the origin for the word "mortgage"?

Winning requires a few factors-

resources..

I agree with the third factor, and I would modify the first one by saying it is the availability of young people and willingness of their government to get them killed.

But the second one? Come on - nobody had an overwhelming advantage in WWI or WWII.
Whenever the UK, the USSR or the US tried to fight local wars in Afghanistan, they did have an overwhelming technological advantage, but it amounted to zilch in their ability to secure victory against the locals - it has been the case over the past two centuries.

Basel Too -

Leasehold estates. Hawaii property law is so medieval.

Kamahameha Schools / Bishop Estate I believe hold the title, they are slowly selling those off with first choice going to the current leaser and then up for bid. Lease hold is slowly becoming a thing of the past, it used to around 40% of the market if I remember correctly back when land was tightly controlled by the big 5 corporations / trust here. If you ever see a book called "Land and Power in Hawaii", pick it up. A very interesting read.

MrM,

that is precisely my point! Wars are winnable only if you are brits with machine guns facing stone age zulus. All other types of wars are essentially unwinnable, in that the "victor" is just a little better off than the "losing" side.

The biggest danger today is growing dissolution of nation states

Google: 4th Generation Warfare or William Lind.

Just like with homes and cars, we need a hotel tax credit. If someone stays at a hotel, they can get 20% back in the form of a credit on their taxes.

Citizen AllenM: "We really don't count as an Empire because we just don't want to rule anybody who doesn't have a vote in Congress. Now our corporations are far more dangerous to the rest of the world than our governments- but those are private enterprises that every country gets to decide their level of involvement with."

Our army exist so that our corporations can extract anything that can be extracted and enslave anything that can be enslaved. It's a nice little military industrial symbiosis. I think one of your presidents spoke of it a while ago..

I always found it amusing that Bishop Estate was once the largest shareholder in Glodman Sachs...

Kahuna,

how many cubans are ruled by an american official? See.. that is what I mean.

Gee, Kahuna, a useless postage stamp coaling station being used to store worthless prisoners. I am sure that invading Grenada was a vital use of that base.
If we really wanted to get rid of those prisoners, we should just send them back to Afghanistan- that seems to kill more of them than anything when they try to get even for their incarceration. What a waste of time. If anything proves Dick Cheney is a moron, Gitmo prisoner fiasco is it.

Someday this war's gonna end...

HollywoodHack -

but, golly - how many nations do we currently have troops stationed in? how would you feel about a chinese or iranian military base stationed at long beach or san diego?

We call them Embassy's.

"Our bailout nation policy says the next owners of the bankrupt properties will be given enough advantages to enable them to undercut prudent hoteliers."

Prudent Hoteliers are in trouble either way, simply because there are too many hotels in many areas. The only hotels worth owning are the ones in areas that are attractive year-round, and are artificially constrained from building more capacity. My favorite example of this is the Carmel/Monterey/Seaside/Marina market, where it's difficult to get a room all year round, and even not-so-good properties are running above 90% occupancy every night.

Basel Too -

I always found it amusing that Bishop Estate was once the largest shareholder in Glodman Sachs...

Bishop Estate is huge, and they also went whole hog into malls, etc back in the day. Now you never how they are doing or what they are doing unless it's scandals with the trustees.
What was that song, "All I ever want to be is a Bishop Estate trustee".
Instant Millionaire, reserved parking on Keeaumoku Street. Ah, the good old days.

but I don't want to "own"(only the liabilities of) any hotels...

"our corporations beyond the Cheney military industrial complex find it cheaper"

cheaper? quite the contrary. but i'm sure at least a few pennies to the tens of billions (hundreds?) of dollars found their way into DC's options values which were funneled into KBR/hal on a no-bid basis...

We are not an empire by any sort of definition- more like a Venetian trading alliance.
Your link is pretty funny btw: YEMEN 2000 Naval USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed.

The US does not wage wars because of insults or injuries. The US wages wars because it can.
It chose not to wage war against Yemen or Lebanon because there was no popular support.
It chose to wage wars against Afghanistan and Iraq because the population wanted the former and the White House wanted the latter.
I will not go into the Latin American history.

Take the very small (by historical standards) size of the US military, its huge technological advantage against any other Army in the world and combine that with the fact that most politicians and and most of the electorate do not have their children in the military (no draft) and you find that starting a war by the US has never been easier or cheaper. All it takes is the President's go-ahead.

How is that for an empire?

"has never been easier or cheaper"

well, it is largely a video game these days. but that doesn't really help with the whole 'hearts and minds' thing.

RFIPO -

so whose getting the schweet deals from Hawaiian Homelands?

A little off topic, but:
Most of the Queens lands have already been stolen, what little was left was put under the control of OHA to keep control of the land within the State powers, which promptly started stealing even more.
I'm a full on Haole who grew up here, but even I'm pissed at how this mess is handled. To actually legally buy Hawaiian Homelands properties you have to be 50% Hawaiian, there are not many of those left any more and they all have homes already.

HollywoodHack -

well, it is largely a video game these days. but that doesn't really help with the whole 'hearts and minds' thing.

I know a lot of ground pounders who would not agree with that.

One Matson union goes on strike; contract talks to continue today

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090627/BREAKING01/90627001/One+Matson+union+goes+on+strike++contract+talks+to+continue+today

Man I need to run to the store to stock up on toilet paper and rice.

ground troops are a quaint, expensive liability

HollywoodHack (homepage, profile) wrote (in reply to...) on Sat, 6/27/2009 - 4:07 pm

ground troops are a quaint, expensive liability

Not as quaint nor as expensive as manned aircraft.

"Not as quaint nor as expensive as manned aircraft. "

agreed, and that goes triple for manned spacecraft, which is also stupid

sorry, tom. i would be more on topic, but there's just not much to say. hotels are one of the more screwed components to a deeply screwed RE universe. in fact, they occupy a super-screwed nexus between tourism, business travel, and generally fucked conditions in RE.

really, not much to say.

HollywoodHack -

ground troops are a quaint, expensive liability

I agree, but TPTB still love to use and abuse them.

Kahuna,there is significant and unnecessary information asymettry in real estate...but NO ONE has good numbers.I am a licensed broker and I can give you an educated guess....that's all.

"...and abuse them. "

my cousin, who was in a bradley in desert storm (I) and half lost his mind, actually gets upwards of 50K a year now that the VA and SS has kicked in. too bad the current batch of nutcases will be unlikely to receive such generosity. he's one of the more successful people in his community with that package.

"in fact, they occupy a super-screwed nexus between tourism, business travel, and generally fucked conditions in RE."

Really, how many ways are there to say: "we're screwed"?
And superlatives fail me, as well, when it comes to the hotel/motel business.

The hotel in Balto we stayed at seemed to have a reasonable
number of people. But maybe my standards are getting low.

breaking news from WSJ

GM has agreed to assume legal responsibility for injuries drivers suffer from vehicle defects after the auto maker emerges from bankruptcy protection.
Of course, Chryler denied successor liability.

On the topic of the ease of entering a war...

After Vietnam, many generals were upset with Johnson and Nixon for not mobilizing the reserves and instead relying on the draft to fill the ranks. They thought it sheltered much of the nation from suffering casualties. As a result, they have structured the military such that it is impossible to start a large war without mobilizing huge numbers of guardsmen and reservists; most of the construction/engineering units are in the reserves, as well as military police, motor transport and airlift. Thus, casualties will be borne not only by culturally and geographically isolate communities like Fayateville NC, but by units spread throughout the country. For proof, go through the lists:

Forces: U.S. & Coalition/Casualties - Special Reports

Enduring Freedom Casualties - Special Reports

Just thought you'd like to know that many people in the highest reaches of the military share the concern that it is too easy for a president to send troops to war.

CR, the note from Basel Too suggests that GM's acquiesence is part of a compromise. It certainly didn't come from any ruling by the court on a weekend.

Under those circumstances, I wouldn't expect Steve to communicate with outsiders until the papers are signed.

You know, when is a deal a done deal?

There is an ad (that many consider a scam) that is apparently showing up
Darn it. And here I thought my financial worries were over. Now I have to find out how that housewife makes 120K in her spare time,... all from home. How come this financial blog doesn't teach us these simple money making skills, huh?