jack kreg

California Comes to a Cowardly Compromise

Democrats not to allow California's mediocre educational system to be completely gutted";
An amazing statement, given that CA teachers are highest paid in country, working about 9 months, or 3 months less than the rest of us,
CA education system spends over $300,000/year running each classroom, the teacher gets less than $100,000 including benefits, and the state bureacracy wastes much of the rest, funding personnel who barely support our childrens education.
The state school budget could be cut by a 1/3 and still have funds to raise the salary's of teachers, and their aids. Further, still leaving over $100,000/year to fund NON classroom expenses.

State Budget Woes: Are We There Yet?

its beyond me and telling how states reduce expenses,
do they cut salary's, and maintain services, like a business would?? no
do they cut hours but not salary's, yes, this completely ignores the fact that States are supposed to provide services, roads, waterways, mountains, etc, but no services is not the priority, simply cut hours, saving money yes, but also reducing services and efficiency.

States need massive cuts in salarys and benefits, they are currently way overcompensating compared to private sector, where even 401K's are hard to find.
but in the public sector, 401K's are not good enough, they (public gov worker unions) demand, defined benefit retirements plus health care, essentially no where to be found in private sector.
The local school district, SoCal, just hired a director for $250,000 plus life time benefits, thats outrageous and must come to an end.

Obama's Sure-Fire Formula for Accelerating Inflation

the blame throwers want it both ways,
every thing good is cause of BO
every thing bad is cause GW!!

that sounds like logic used in government not in real world.

Corporate Profits: Where Are They Going?

this socialist needs to consider just how long Americans are going to put up with Obama socialism, I grow more and more convinced everyday Obama moves to destroy America, that he will clearly be a ONE TERM president.
As to investment, of course, we have a few more years of his destruction, during which one must invest defensively, the market will rally in 2011, as it begins to predict Obama's loss of the presidential election.

Feds to California: Drop Dead

Thank God we need a 2/3's majority to pass the budget in CA, or our taxes which are already at the highest in USA, would be even higher.
Here is what majority rule gets you; a small majority votes enormous taxation on the top 10 or 20%, who end up paying for an otherwise socialist economy.
Just a small clue as to how WAY out of line the state is; a school district in SOCAL recently hired a new director, the lady will run the district, her starting salary, $240,000, or 6X the national average wage, $40,000. I'm not even sure that she will work in the summer??
Obama is right about salary caps, except they are needed in GOV, CA needs a gov worker salary cap of $99,000, no gov salary's over $100,000. 1000's of gov workers receive over $200,000 in annual compensation, outrageous!
Then, we need to cut remaining salary's at least 10%, and eliminate another 10% of all state gov workers.
The state worker pension must be immediately converted to a 401K, eg to defined contribution from defined benefit.
1000's of retired state workers receive over $200,000 in annual compensation, many retiring in early 50's.
The state is beyond out of control, it may take citizens with their pitchforks in Sacramento, to right this massive waste.

Did Politics Cause Monday's Dow Decline?

yes, market was listening to the Obama plan to destroy yet another important part of USA, our health care system.
The market listened and sold off.
There is considerable hope that the current administration will be short lived, one termer, they are overreaching and none of their programs are succeeding, most are failing badly.
If the senate elections go against the Obama plans, then Dems will lose the fillibuster proof, and McConnell can keep Obama at bay, until Obama loses in the 2012 election.
Thats the slim ray of hope for a free and capitalist America.

Nine Reasons for Dow 6000

5 letters lead to Dow 6000, OBAMA!!

The Current Economic Crisis: Hell, Meet Handbasket

the next step is to move from the financial picture to the economic one, focus on workers and employers.
A global round of tax cuts for all workers and employers, let workers keep more of their own money, leave more money at employers!!
Do you expect that employers will go on a hiring ramp when looking at higher taxes, as Obama has proposed?
Just imagine the economic response to a global round of tax cuts on all workers and employers, in UK, EU, USA and Asia.
That is the next best step.
Tax cuts successfully ended economic downturns in the past, JFK, Reagan and Bushed were successful in ending economic downturns, as well, it is clear that raising taxes on employers and high income workers failed miserably, under FDR, in ending the economic downturn.
We need a global round of tax cuts on all workers and employers!!

Recession? I've Got a Solution

Sterman must be commended, as an engineer, the CTL refinery is a no-brainer, even if it only moved 1/4 of our energy dollar flow away from the Middle East, and was paid to an American Energy Industry and its employee's. These jobs will not be outsourced. Don't let the warming croud hold this back, in 5 or 10 years, they won't be able to explain the credible data that the earth has cooled. It is already starting, as solar evidence is a leading indicator. Stay with CTL, the American Energy Industry and its American employee's.

Reading Between the Lines of the Jobless Claims Data

We are losing jobs in housing construction and finance, however, we are gaining jobs in technology, health care and particularly in industrial exporters, GE, Honeywell, United Technologies, and many other medium and smaller firms. The net is a weakened job market, and perhaps sadly, I am not sure how you put a carpenter to work at Intel, but that is sort of what we are faced with.

On the positive side, we are gaining jobs in the sustainable part of our economy, and probably "right-sizing" jobs in the less sustainable part, housing. The boom in housing was not sustainable, how many new houses do we really need? With the current cost of labor, materials and land, hardly anyone can afford a new house. Average price of homes in Orange County, where I live, is over 1/2 million, hardly affordable. Hopefully, we will rebound to a more sustainable economy, better connected to the global markets, and less connected to the less productive, US housing market.
You may be right about the down turn having legs, as the housing bubble was over inflated to hyper levels, and hence employing way to many people.

Stimulus Plan: We're In The Money?

A different take on the "stimulus", it is really, trading expensive consumer debt, much of it credit card at rates over 10%, for cheap government debt, with the 3-5 year treasury yielding just a few percent. Eventually, the rich pay for most of the government debt, with the top 10% now paying over 70% of all income taxes. So, the STIMULUS is really, a $168 Billion transfer from the rich to the poor. Don't forget, that the personal income tax is the biggest contributor to government revenue, much larger that social security or corporate income tax.