#cia

Americans have so far put up with inequality because they felt they could change their status. They didn't mind others being rich, as long as they had a path to move up as well. The American Dream is all about social mobility in a sense - the idea that anyone can make it. ↗

— Fareed Zakaria

#american #american dream #anyone #because #being

Iran is a country of 80 million people, educated and dynamic. It sits astride a crucial part of the world. It cannot be sanctioned and pressed down forever. It is the last great civilization to sit outside the global order. ↗

— Fareed Zakaria

#cannot #civilization #country #crucial #down

I'm largely in favor of financial reform. ↗

— Fareed Zakaria

#financial #i #largely #reform

Defaulting on the nation's debt would be cataclysmic. The U.S. Treasury's Aaa rating is the one constant in the world's financial system. When times are bad anywhere on the planet, global investors flock to Treasury bonds because they know they will get their money back. ↗

— Mark Zandi

#back #bad #because #bonds #cataclysmic

Investor demand for distressed property has been healthy, as rents rise to levels that can cover investors' costs while they wait for properties to appreciate. Giving investors a small tax break should further juice up demand, supporting prices for distressed homes and the market in general. ↗

— Mark Zandi

#been #break #costs #cover #demand

No one should expect the value of their house to appreciate quickly - counting on your home to be a significant part of your retirement saving isn't a winning strategy - but it is reasonable to expect that prices generally will rise with at least the rate of inflation for some time to come. ↗

— Mark Zandi

#come #counting #expect #generally #home

Potential home buyers have a two-step decision process. First, they determine whether they can afford to make a purchase - does their income safely cover their mortgage payment? Then they determine whether owning is a better financial choice than renting - are the costs of owning a home lower than the cost of renting it? ↗

— Mark Zandi

#better #buyers #choice #cost #costs

The Tea Party was born out of the disgust many Americans felt early in the financial crisis upon learning that the federal government was even contemplating reducing the principal on some troubled mortgages. ↗

— Mark Zandi

#contemplating #crisis #disgust #early #even

Too-easy credit and millions of bad loans made during the U.S. housing bubble paved the way for the financial calamity and Great Recession that followed. Today, by contrast, credit is too tight. Mortgage loans are particularly hard to get, creating a problem for the housing market and the broader economy. ↗

— Mark Zandi

#broader #bubble #calamity #contrast #creating

In the studios days, the public's perception of movie stars was much different, because the stars were so much less exposed. This made them seem more special, more unearthly. Today they're no longer perceived as different - they've become human, so to speak. ↗

— Richard D. Zanuck

#become #days #different #exposed #human