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curious cat
128 Comments
Fact or Fiction: Sell in May and Go Away?
Oil Will Peak at $150-200 - Barron's Interview
this grim aspect of growth is broken whenever some really smart persons discover methods to produce superfoods (like bread), refrigeration (tons of the world's food spoils before it can be eaten), storage (tons of food are consumed by pests and rodents), or crop yield improvements (through genetic manipulation, fertilization, pest controls and water or soil improvements).
those discoveries make it possible for the population bubble to expand just when it seems the world has reached its tolerance level and during the next cycle more people survive. of course, that also means that more people die when we reach the upper support level of the next incremental improvement. never-the-less, the incentive for improvements comes from necessity, the mother of all invention. we would still be living in villages, if the process were interrupted. if kings had forced their peasants to stop breeding, progress would have been halted. we have to look at the bigger picture.
someday, we will send people to the stars. when we get tired of being congested, here on earth, we'll develop a way to escape and seed the universe. that is our mandate. grow or die. you can't mourn the ones who die in the process from hunger, disease or war. their existence serves a higher purpose and ultimately, they will be so small in number when you compare them to the countless people who will be able to enjoy other planets because of their sacrifice.
feel free to contribute by buying refrigeration stocks, fertilizer stocks, seed stocks or tech stocks. if you are really very smart, maybe you could work on the next generation of solutions yourself. we have to acknowlege that the "just say no" programs are insufficient. our history suggests that adversity is necessary to prod mankind forward. sometimes, that's a nagging spouse. sometimes, it's the perception that armegeddon is just around the corner.
Is This a Recession, and Should We Care?
in a system where we have to drive the russians out of business and show others that capitalism is a wonderful way of life, that high revving engine of productivity is essential. but that's done now. so, maybe we can let the rest of the world do some pushing, while we sit back and enjoy the ride.
maybe we can stop our industry and become a resort paradise, a large theme park, a vacation spot or the perfect place to retire. why should the island people be happy all the time while we work mine to five? don't worry, be happy. ooh, maan, me havin' a bad dream.
Political Party Power and Its Affect on U.S. Market Return
Bets On A U.S. Recession Receding
however, when we are asking people to predict the results of the actions of all the elements in an entire economy, we may as well be asking when the next asteroid is going to hit us. personally, i'm not going with the aztec prediction just because a group of indians invested in calendars. i'm going to guess that they got tired of counting at 2012.
likewise, i'm going to guess that anyone who goes to that site and invests their money on whether we are having a recession is exactly the kind of person who should not be making that bet.
The Amazin' Ragin' Housing Contagion
counter those negatives with positive life events:
unemployment: self employment or tenure,
divorce: remarriage or just stay married-there must have been something you liked about them,
disease: healthy lifestyle (see marriage),
disaster: prayer and research,
disability: abilities (see prayer, research and healthy lifestyle)
Electric Cars for 2010: Shift from Foreign Oil to Riding on Local Renewable Energy
Are Subsistence Wages Killing the US?
we can divide them into two categories: business/gov't and private behaviors that can stand improvement.
for institutions, i suggest we cap salaries at twenty times the lowest paid employee. i also believe we should limit the size of corporations (all business entities). these actions would reduce inflation and improve competition.
for private behavior: let's all start rereading our religious tomes with an eye towards improving our own behavior, rather than someone else's. be nicer, be more understanding, be generous, be helpful, and thank your god every day for every breath you take. when you see someone who does not look like you, smile at them. it will improve the world.
Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets
Compared with Canada, U.S. Economy Looks OK
we always thought we'd have to bring the cars back in when the price of gasoline finally went up, but we made a much wiser decision. we built much bigger houses with much bigger garages. unfortunatley, it is still possible to walk into some of our garages. so, we are not yet satisfied!!!!!! we must consume or be consumed!!!!!
U.S. Market Setting Up for a 2nd Half Rally
you are delusional. obama will probably not be president. if that ever happened, the world might sigh in relief, but not the u.s. crude prices would escalate because he would relinquish interest in iraq. turkish and iranian influences would dissolve iraq into civil war. russia would step up its destabilizing actions in europe. china would increase its defensive spending and the market here would not be confident in him or our long term prospects. however, socialists everywhere would be happier. maybe that's what you meant.
Compared with Canada, U.S. Economy Looks OK
it's good to hear from our neighbor to the north. everytime someone complains about living in america, saying that canadians have free medical care, i just laugh and tell them to move there. most of the doctors i've met in the last few years came from canada, looking for a way to make a living.
people who vote for free things, free rent, free food, free whatever, fail to understand or care that real, hard working people have to pay taxes to pay for those things. when the tax payers move away and their tax base moves with them, they just raise taxes, as if everyone is going to stay there and work for them. that's how cities end up abandoned and full of rubble.
they say that water seeks its own level. well, tax payers seek the least tax burden. if you tax them, they will leave. if you lower your taxes, they will stay, provide jobs and consumers, create industry and commerce and your area will flourish.
our michigan auto industry was crushed because they had the heaviest tax burdens and union demanded social services. that's why our steel industry disappeared too. they could not compete with countries that wanted jobs. that's why ford is going to mexico, that's why japan and korea have auto factories here in alabama. don't blame free trade for our problems. free trade provides lots of goods and services which we could not otherwise afford.
rant all you want against the corporation or the man, but they provide jobs and income. there are, however, ways of protecting workers everywhere that are more effective. ways of ensuring that human rights, minimal wages, reasonable hours, safe conditions can be delivered on a level playing field. we need to keep the size of corporations and businesses under a certain limit. that would ensure a larger number of independent businesses all competing for labor. a large number of businesses in any area would remove the leverage huge multinational corporations, like walmart, have in markets. it should be the first priority of any league of nations to have unilateral agreements not to do business with any corporations over a certain size, dictated either by gross sales, number of employees or whatever.
that's just my opinion. maybe you have a better one.
Consumer Spending: The Reality of Zero
tax revenue can be generated from any products or services we create. instead of growing tobacco, our farmers could grow food, which would help feed people. just because we have created a convoluted tax system, which employs a ton of accountants and a legal system that employs countless attorneys, does not mean that we will lose revenue if we redeploy these human resources.
some of those people are actually creative. maybe the engineer, who would have solved the high cost of desalination or the riddle of cold fusion or room temperature super conductors or whatever other pressing social problems we have, has been sidelined into one of those black holes.
joe six pack might be more productive if he weren't drinking himself into oblivion. he might make more money and buy bigger ticket items if he wasn't struggling to breath because he has lost his lung capacity. he wouldn't be a drain on societies medical resources if he did not destroy his liver and lungs or lose his limbs to diabetes because he overeats and eats the wrong foods. if he ate vegetables, instead of meat, we would have enough food to feed everyone too.
you see, clean living would actually pay off in more ways than one. our economy would not suffer, it would function with greater efficiency. our economic and social arteries are clogged because of our own irrational behavior. people could be nicer, cleaner, healthier, calmer, more productive and helpful to those who actually get a bad deal in life. instead, you try to rationalize the addictions of the many to support their habits.
Consumer Spending: The Reality of Zero
if you cannot afford a large house, new car, masseuse, getting your hair done, nails polished or jewelry, that's tough. my mother raised ten kids and never had any of those things. i remember her wearing the same clothes for years. we never accepted government handouts, even though we were eligible.
we grew our own food, cooked it without a microwave, made clothes from scratch, washed everything by hand and walked everywhere. we had no disposable diapers and there no was no need to recycle anything, except pop bottles other people threw away.
there are still people who believe they can do it, if the government stays out of the way. that's the only freedom they need or want.
Is it Better to Remain a Renter or Buy a House?
very astute observation you've made there. i was also wondering, when the issue of mortgage interest deductability came up, whether they even have that in australia.
jcrash,
i took the other side of that bet. i saved and worked 60-80 hour weeks, bought a smaller home and lived in it for 20 years, evn though i could have stretched and had a much more comfortable one. i sent my wife and son on vacations, but i stayed home and worked. now, i'm 55, we moved to a larger home, i'm retired and i write to people like you on the internet because i have time to do whatever i want. good luck with your plan.
cisco kid, was a friend of mine.