AlexS

George Soros: The Guru Outlook

It's not a question of smart or not. Soros has bet big on the collapse of the dollar and it's no surprise that the politicians he supports are the ones whose overspending should accelerate the collapse of the dollar. Now as to the people who don't benefit from the dollar collapsing and who support those same politicians - those are the ones whose intelligence might be questioned.

4 Drivers of the Exploding Federal Deficit

Yes, good short and clear article. Thanks.

Why the Recession Is Over

Well if the recession is over I'll just say it was an awfully long run-up for such a short recession.

California - And by Extension the U.S. - Headed for Permanently Smaller Economy

I don't believe the aging population is underconsuming. They underconsume on some items but overconsume health care. From what I've been reading the growth in U.S. GDP and employment for some time has been due to health care, increasingly consumed by people who do not work and who do not contribute to GDP. In the same way the growth in our education budgets have come largely for special needs children. In both cases, we have been "investing" in our most unproductive sectors. Meanwhile, Asian countries that have no such inclinations have been investing in steel, factories, and the education of their elite. The Obama Administration is an example of this dynamic, as most of the funds from the rescue of Chrysler went to UAW retirees, and much of our productive capacity will be forced overseas with CO2 cap and trade. Unfortunate choices, I think.

Oh, So Now There Are No Green Shoots?

There were some green shoots but Obama and Congress stepped on them first with his GHG boot and later with his health care boot and so now they are dead.

Cap-and-Trade and the Cheap Energy Illusion

OK, assuming there is an cost to the environment from releasing CO2, why then should the payment go to the federal government? What are they going to do to balance the situation? So far the proposals are 1) given everyone in the poor and lower middle class a tax refund. Or 2) hand out subsidies to politically favored companies. And if you make it more costly to manufacture and drill here, the companies will just go somewhere else where they'll be happy to have them. So all you've done is move manufacturing from the U.S. say, to China. No difference to global warming, even if you accept those premises. Oh, and any middlemen will get rich (like Al Gore) which may be a big part of the point

U.S. Energy Policy Deters Investors

The simplest explanation for Waxman-Malarkey is that the Democrat politicians hate the oil companies because oil company executives and employees give much more campaign money to the Republicans. So the self-serving politicos are out to hurt the oil industry even if it drives the economy further into the recession/depression.

Asia: The Mother of All Incumbent Advantages

They said we were so worried about Japan in the 80s and look what happened. But I would point out that GM and Chrysler have gone under, Toyota and Honda are doing very well. So did we really worry about nothing?

Why Did Bernanke Say What He Said?

He thinks we're headed for disaster and wants something in the record so we don't blame him like we blame Greenspan for the housing debacle. Hey, don't blame me either. I didn't vote for the people we have in power.

Rex Stores: Low-Risk, Pure Play on Ethanol

They had a store in town some years back. Pretty nice store, competitive prices, and good stuff, mostly TVs and TV type furniture. Hard to fight Wal Mart and Sears I think. I bought several items from them. I asked them once if they were going out of business and they said the company guaranteed they'd stay for 5 years no matter what. Five years came and went, they closed down, and now that location is a dollar store.

Obama Says We're Out of Money

This is your basic rock. That is your basic hard place. We are here, in between.

Biofuel Production Will Continue to Grow

Biofuels will continue to grow because the biofuels industry has become a powerful special interest with powerful friends in high places in Congress, and Congress can stick it in the eye of big oil by creating nonsensical mandates. All the rest is wind and blather.

Harvard's Endowment Stocks Up on Emerging Market ETFs

Well if it was cutting its stake in the overall emerging markets and increasing its stake in a bunch of individual emerging markets it's difficult to see where this is an indication of anything other than perhaps boredom.

The Carbon Emissions Tax Effect

Greenhouse gas tax = Let's export the rest of our manufacturing/production business to countries that don't take that "save the planet" stuff seriously.

The Carbon Emissions Tax Effect

Water vapor is the most potent greenhouse gas. You can see this on a summer day, after the sun goes down and the sky is clear and dry the night will cool off nicely. If the sky is cloudy and the air is moist it will stay hot. I confess I don't know if the Supreme Court and EPA will declare water a hazard to human health, but if there are taxes involved I'll bet they take the leap.