You're Kidding

12 Attractive Companies That Also Pay a Dividend

This article provides no depth of discussion on the most important topic in stock market investing: dividends.

Long term investing in dividend stocks that have been raising their dividends is the smartest, safest, and ONLY way to invest in the stock market. Academic studies have proven so.

I am getting so tired of shills hawking their investment services via empty articles with out of date data.

The author(s) should be ashamed.

At Least 43,000 New Obamaconomy Workers Freed Up

I think its important to understand one fact that most people seem to miss when the discussion turns to comparing the "government" to "private enterprise," and proclaiming that one or the other is "bad" and the other is "good."

There is something fundamental which each share, that neither can do without, because we are talking about the literal essence of each. Do you know what I am referring to?

Human beings. Human beings are underneath both, and run the Gov and private enterprise. And human beings can be selfish, short sighted, ignorant, lazy, prejudiced, blind, and intelligent, aware, etc., and whatever else we can say about ourselves. There's a big difference between George Bush and Abraham Lincoln. Would we not expect their presidencies to reflect this?

Gov and PE have their value for any society. The more intelligent and concerned their leaders are, the better they will be run and the better off their constituents will be.

If Gov is run by people interested more in the society as a whole rather than moneyed special interest groups, won't that be a better deal for all concerned? And if PE is run by people who have more in mind than short term profits and bonuses for higher ups, isn't that also a better deal for all concerned?

The wrong people in charge of any institution can destroy it and severely hurt other institutions it is connected with, Gov or PE.

It all boils down to the people running things, their sense of ethics, and the spirit of the motivations that guide their behavior.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We see this in both Gov and PE, and we see the opposite, too.

The fact is, we have both of these institutions and we can get rid of neither. They both will vie for power and as such, must be controlled by us, as history has shown us time and time again. We must insist that both Gov and PE be limited power wise and answer to us for their behavior. We are in charge of them and simply have to exercise our power when necessary to control them. We are the "government" and we are the "private sector." Not realizing this has allowed these institutions to wreck havoc on our economy and our lives. But we are waking up and the slow process of bringing them under our control is again beginning, as they both have gotten way out of hand in recent decades.

This will not be easy or happen quickly, but don't forget who you are.

We will take the long view and we will prevail.