TinyTim

58 Comments

    • 4 Money Problems That Obama Can't Fix [view article]
      there's growing agreement among consumers and corporate America both that soaring healthcare costs are an inexcusable problem.

      I seriously doubt that corp America truly wants to fix the healthcare problem. Sure they complain about the costs. Connecting healthcare to employment is a travesty. It was started in WW2 to keep war production flowing. Now, many people stay in jobs with big companies mainly because of the medical benefits. The companies must be aware of it, but want it both ways-keep employees roped in, but don't make it too costly. Replace this connection with individual insurance and increase employment mobility, reduce healthcare costs through more competition, increase health through more patient accountability.

      My doctor hates insurance companies, probably for increasing his costs and lowering his gross income. I've seen arguments for govt sponsored programs in other, more fiscally responsible countries, but that's not here. Not even considering the political issues of coverage.

      Everyone has a financial axe to grind and a vested interest in this issue. A hybrid system with basic care, mostly preventive, available to anyone with a small copay ($10?) sponsored by the govt would keep overall costs down (indemnify the docs & assistants, subcontract the lab work). Individual / family insurance for major procedures / catastrophes with appropriate deductibles or for those who can afford to opt-out of basic care. The system is broke from many angles and the money spent could be better utilized to improve the quality of life for everyone.       Aug 28 03:32 PM
    • Sorry, There Is No Silver Conspiracy [view article]
      gold and silver markets, which are populated by tinfoil hat permabull gold and silver bugs that just can't understand why gold isn't already at five zillion dollars an ounce.

      Love it. And judging by most of the 42+ comments here, these bugs are plentiful, vocal, reactionary and thin skinned.
      I stopped reading most Alpha comments because of this craziness.
      It's just like 1980 except with different players and as far as I can tell, no Armageddon. Not then, not now. Talk to me in 5 years and I don't give a rat's as* who gets elected.
      FUD. Fear, uncertainty, doubt. Salesmen, politicians, markets thrive on it and create it whenever possible.
      Aug 28 02:12 PM
    • Looming Financial Catastrophe: A Real Inconvenient Truth [view article]
      It's time to realize that despite all the posturing and attempts at "product differentiation" before the election, after the election, we're stuck with the SOS no matter which party wins. As Nader says, it's always the lesser of two evils, and he's been ostracized by everyone for saying it. People get nervous when there isn't party gridlock in DC because then the govt may actually do something; however, chances are it will be irresponsible and flat-out wrong. As far as I can tell, most all are vain and aspiring. It's a great career move, with fat, automatic pay raises, great benefits, perks and a terrific pension. Most of these folks couldn't do nearly as well elsewhere.

      Term limits, multiple parties, no lobbyists and campaign reform may have an effect on elections, but the real inertia is due to the massive bureaucracy underneath it all. These people are not elected and not accountable. They didn't get into it from some high minded concept of civil service. Once again, it's a great career move with added union protections. Limiting service time and benefits eliminates the sinecure motivation.

      Lastly, there is only one surity about government departments; they grow. They are formed with a mission to solve a problem or provide a service, but with no clear-cut definition of when the mission is accomplished. Mandatory sunset laws make these people accoutable.       Aug 24 02:46 PM
    • Oil and Commodities Pricing: Fundamentals, Bubble or Manipulation? [view article]
      Let's differentiate between speculation and manipulation. Speculation is essential to the market. Speculators try to anticpate changes in fundamentals. They can also be party to and even drive bubbles. Manipulation is exerting non-fundamental influence on prices by affecting or controlling a significant amount of supply or demand. This influence can be accomplished directly in the markets (eg squeezing or cornering) or by affecting other participants (pump & dump or initiating a bubble or peak oil).
      Just because a firm like Vitol has a huge position is not de facto evidence of manipulation. "Concentration of power in the markets" isn't either. It's just difficult to believe that players can end up in this position and not take advantage of it. When the media spotlight hits them, as it just did, I don't think the drop in oil prices is a coincidence.       Aug 23 04:05 PM
    • 10 Financial Entities On the Brink [view article]
      The real culprit here is Moodys / S&P who gave stellar ratings to all the CDO's salted with sub-prime loans. They're like the accounting firms that close their eyes and hold their nose when they sign the audit docs. All just skip away and watch the havoc. Aug 23 02:42 PM
    • 10 Financial Entities On the Brink [view article]
      I think all these bank bulls have either been asleep, in denial or just got back in too early. Aug 23 02:36 PM
    • Motorola Must Hop on the Smart Phone Bandwagon Now [view article]
      "make fewer, higher quality models". Malcolm Baldridge, where are you? Six Sigma, TCS, etc
      The RAZR is iconic alright, JUNK. I have a drawer full of broken ones.

      what's the concern over the cell phone div anyway, it will be spun off.       Aug 20 04:19 PM
    • The Euro Bubble [view article]
      Great paragraph on the connection between oil and USD.
      Very clarifying, especially the role of the trader, not manipulation btw       Aug 19 12:10 AM
    • Don't Cancel Motorola's Funeral Just Yet [view article]
      Moto has been trying to sell the cell phone div for many months. no takers. the phones are flimsy. Icahn is pushing the issue.
      I don't know about new mgmt unless you mean Icahns boys.
      The set-top box business (GI) is commodity.
      Moto may have to fall back on its original product-first responder radios.

      this company seems to be getting its act together in its turnaround strategies, at least for one quarter anyway
      this is a joke, right?? it's all layoffs, nothing new here       Aug 18 11:15 PM
    • Top 10 Semiconductor Stocks [view article]
      any disclosures? Aug 16 05:27 PM
    • Everything They Tell You About Solar Is Wrong - Travis Bradford [view article]
      Residential PV has no T&D cost. roughly 50%. check.
      Residential PV is for peak load generation, not base load like nukes / hydro. Any time-of-use customer knows peak rates are much higher. roughly 350%. check.
      Excess PV gets fed back into the grid. no storage. check.
      Utility pays wholesale price for this power, not peak rate. needs fixing.

      This is a nice calculator for residential PV that illustrates some of these concepts:
      sharpusa.cleanpowerest...

      Hopefully, costs of PV panels will come down aided by increased volume due to govt subsidy and utility PV farms. As with any subsidy or tax credit, it gets sucked up before the consumer sees it and the payback period is still long. Luckily, HOA's have been told to back off.
      Aug 16 04:19 PM
    • Four Reasons We Can't Call It a Recession - Yet [view article]
      Unemployment and real personal income lead the first two. As these get more unfavorable, production and sales will drop.
      I can't believe consumer sentiment is still high. Must be the drop in gas prices or else I'm hanging with the wrong crowd.       Aug 16 02:55 PM
    • Motorola: Turnaround in Progress? [view article]
      razor, new? My kids have been breaking them for years. I have a drawer full of Razor parts that I regularly recycle between phones.
      Very flimsy and that metallic look is just foil coated plastic.
      All style, no substance.       Aug 16 02:46 PM
    • Inflation or Deflation? [view article]
      No doubt in my mind the entire system is biased toward inflation. Since the USA is one massive debt instrument at this point, and "Inflation helps debtors at the expense of creditors", only something hugely unanticipated would cause deflation. Aug 15 01:45 PM
    • Inflationary Expectations and Wage-Price Spirals [view article]
      sure M3 is increasing. We're in the middle of a severe credit crunch. M3 does not reflect the monetary contraction due to fractional reserve banking. this is a serious situation in uncharted waters. Without M3 we'd be in a major depression. Aug 15 01:20 PM
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