john s. gordon

Why Our Credit Crunch Mirrors the Weimar Hyperinflation from 1919-1923

imapop -
yes we can thank the hedgie funds, the investment bankers, the corrupted rating agencies and the clueless & compliant policy dudes & legislators for the current mess.
> jack

Why Our Credit Crunch Mirrors the Weimar Hyperinflation from 1919-1923

germany in 1919-20 had no significant war damage. battles were fought in belgium, france & italy & britain was bombarded. the 1919 treaties required reparations be paid by germany for the war damage. britain & france used the reparations money to make progress payments to the u.s.a on their war debts.

in 1914 the reichstag had voted the credits to start the war on the assumption that the war would be brief & the losers (i.e., france) would be forced to pay the total costs of the war (like 1871). plans went awry (understatement). in 1919 germany had avoided a communist revolution but was bankrupt, inflation resulted. u.s.a lent money to germany so that german factories could make goods for export and receive money for the exports. call it a round robin if you like.

after a brief 1919 recession in the u.s.a, prosperity continued in the 1920's because everybody in the world owed us money. this came to a screeching halt in 1930 when the creditanstalt in vienna failed european economies collapsed and no further debt repayments were made.

the situations are so different that drawing of parallels is dangerous.
> jack

Making Canada Our 51st State Could Make It Easier to Buy American

mr, ward - white house got burned down by the british army (not the canadian army) because the u.s forces had gone up to york & burned the place down. if the us. army had been up to snuff they would have repulsed the brits @ the battle of bladensburg.
> jack

Making Canada Our 51st State Could Make It Easier to Buy American

jimbo - i am aware that a few canadians of wealth come to usa for specialized or speedy medical treatments. others of no particular wealth are happy to get the plain vanilla care.

canadian doctors who come south (i don't believe i know any) presumably are after the $.

doctors from all over the world come to usa, after the $. should they be @ home providing care to their needy fellows?

i have many friends in canada. one of my friends in toronto has a mysterious neurological problem requiring regular treatments. he tells me his treatments cost the canadian taxpayer 1,000,000 annually. he says if he were a u.s. citizen he would be dead by now. in u.s.a health care is rationed by ability to pay cash. it seems to me the canadian system is more humane.
> jack

Making Canada Our 51st State Could Make It Easier to Buy American

well lake superior has a lot of water in it & the ownership is joint however it's contaminated with taconite tailings (asbestos) from silver bay MN.
> jack

Making Canada Our 51st State Could Make It Easier to Buy American

canada was invaded by the continental congress in 1775 but it didn't work.
the local residents being francophones for the most part (and having been abandoned by their king who felt that royal fun & games at versailles were more important) preferred to sit in a corner and sulk.

andy jackson insisted on invading (intending to annex) canada in 1812 although the new england merchants whose sailors were being impressed by the royal navy preferred trade to war. this venture turned out to be a fiasco, altho not as bad as vietnam.

fear of the usa by canadians persisted for another 30 yrs or so & resulted in construction of various forts, strategic canals, etc. but things calmed down after a while.

why would canadians want to become state # 51? they have universal health coverage for all citizens & we don't.
> jack

Barrick's Bid for Cadence Energy a Sign of Things to Come

oil/gas have replaced gold as speculation vehicle. next it will be tulip bulbs redux.
> jack