Responsibility

Options Trader Friday Outlook: Will We Finish the Week Over Target Levels?

As some one already commented, a good investment for China is building an empty city or mall when costs are low in difficult economic times; China is also investing big in energy efficient public transportation such as trains, subways, and high speed rail.

For U.S., good investments should be continuing new technology development and improving/re-building infrastructures, even in difficult economic times.

Unfortunately, many in U.S. still think that consumer type consumption is good for economy, regardless of much evidence that un-sustainable consumer goods consumption is bad for everything, from economy to ecology. Marketing gimmicks and Hollywood have been soft selling people to spend and spend, rather than build and build, and into believing that we want all those toys, big and fast cars, big homes, fancy vacation trips, and many wasteful consumer habits.

Let's cheer for the continuing lowering of oil and gas consumption, and of general non-industrial consumptions. We should eliminate the so-called consumer confidence index and replace it with a consumption efficiency index that measures infrastructure efficiency: energy consumption reduction, living costs reduction, and government costs reduction.

By the way, inspite of the all the urging to increase internal consumption by U.S. to stimulate the economy, responsible foreign governments have been smart to control internal consumption very carefully; many have learned hard lessons.

Jim Rogers on the Next 10 Years

Very lively comments on many grounds. Jim R's opinions have some truth but so are others. Mostly, Jim R expressed his appreciations for the recent fast growth in China.

Just want to add that US's urgent matters are:
1. the financial sector problems
2. the war on terrorists or extremists
3. the energy shortage and
4. the trade deficit

These are the main problems that are putting US's overall economy at risk and China is not the culprit, with exception possibly for the trade deficit item that at most be 50-50 accountable between US and China.

China is a partner with US in working out these matters, regardless of China becoming a super power or not. Learning Chinese is just one little item among many items, like learning Spanish is for having more fun and convenience to enjoy our south side neighbor.

Market's Continuing Theme: Sell the Dollar and Buy Stocks

"Sell the dollar and buy stocks" is one of several proposed reasons for the market uptrend.

But as a couple of commenters have already suggested that "sell the dollar" is apparently contradictary to "buy stocks". I tend to agree and want to point out that an improving economy is at least as equally the reason for an up market, given that there are continuing issues to tackle.

The Federal Reserve Has Failed Its Economic Mission

Since trade deficit is a key problem, how can a relatively larger amount of bail out money be allocated to fix trade deficit than to other areas?

Exporting more to fix the deficit is preferred but that may take time and other efforts such as increasing values in products and lowering costs.

Reducing import is helpful to fix the deficit faster than other efforts and should become the responsibility and priority for all.

Excessive Systemic Debt: The Primary Cause of Our Current Crisis

Is the huge debt the symtom or the illness? Should we look at who have contributed to these debts? The consumers are among the contributors. What about those big shot executives who make big risky deals with lofty ideas, using other people's money to pave their careers, leaving for greener pastures with the first opportunity, and leaving behind mountains of debts and other problems for others to bear? What about those 9 to 5 employees who come to work to get their pay checks and have no real contribution?

There is a recent article in the Time magarzine that talks about the corrupted public school of DC, with lots of apparent problems of school principals who would not administer, teachers who would not take responsibility or who have no abiity to educate, students who would not study, - - - .

The debt is the result of not being accountable, not accountable to oneself.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

To encourage people to be responsible, we should have tax penalty and special points for future loans on load defaulters and tax incentive to people who keep their mortgages, to those who take on new mortgages, and to those who increase their mortgages, similar to tax on big cars and incentives for small/hybrid cars. Please spread this if you agree so that the politicians will do something.