curious cat

Compared with Canada, U.S. Economy Looks OK

reinko, our national debt does not concern us. we have already spent that money. we are busy borrowing and printing more, so that we can buy more stuff. we had the price of gasoline so low for so long that we just kept our cars on the road, looking for stuff to buy.

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!!!!!

Compared with Canada, U.S. Economy Looks OK

algoa456,

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.

Warren Buffett on the Dollar, the Recession, Subprime and Bear Stearns

user 190263, you are exactly right about that kid. he doesn't fool me for a minute, acting like he never played the game before, drinking cokes and eating candy bars. he is talking his book every chance he gets, trying to get everyone to panic, so he can pick up the pieces on his life size monopoly board. he had the insurance company, they sold him the railroads cheap and pretty soon, he'll have all the property and charge whatever he wants. heck, i knew it was all over when he picked the hat....