Dana H.'s Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/328277/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/175721-climategate-climate-science-or-pseudoscience?source=feed#comment-782813 782813 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...).]]> Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:38:22 -0500 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...).]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/175641-climategate-revolt-of-the-physicists?source=feed#comment-782798 782798
I don't know which, if any, of these hypotheses is right. I do know that it makes no sense to restrict the economic growth and freedom of billions of people to "solve" a problem that may not (and probably does not) exist.]]> Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:28:03 -0500
I don't know which, if any, of these hypotheses is right. I do know that it makes no sense to restrict the economic growth and freedom of billions of people to "solve" a problem that may not (and probably does not) exist.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/171460-the-problem-of-where-to-invest?source=feed#comment-746279 746279
Well, that's life. Unless you plan to kill yourself, there's no option not to proceed. There never was such a thing as a risk-free existence, and this is true more than ever, thanks to the artificially created risks due to irrational government action over the past decades (and especially over the past two years).

Unless you're a day or swing trader, or have great faith in your powers of prognostication, the rational approach is to diversify and hedge against the various risks. Keep some assets in cash, some in precious metals, some in U.S. stocks, some in international stocks, etc. Adjust the weighting of each asset class according to your best judgment of the relative risks of inflation, deflation, collapsing dollar, collapsing U.S. economy, etc.]]> Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:24:06 -0500
Well, that's life. Unless you plan to kill yourself, there's no option not to proceed. There never was such a thing as a risk-free existence, and this is true more than ever, thanks to the artificially created risks due to irrational government action over the past decades (and especially over the past two years).

Unless you're a day or swing trader, or have great faith in your powers of prognostication, the rational approach is to diversify and hedge against the various risks. Keep some assets in cash, some in precious metals, some in U.S. stocks, some in international stocks, etc. Adjust the weighting of each asset class according to your best judgment of the relative risks of inflation, deflation, collapsing dollar, collapsing U.S. economy, etc.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/165108-is-dollar-revulsion-for-real?source=feed#comment-705707 705707
This is total crap. Inflation (which is what a weak dollar implies for the U.S.) is a destroyer of wealth, savings, and prosperity. It rewards the irrational spendthrift at the expense of the conscientious saver. Only someone who thinks of the stagflation of the 70s as the "good old days" could favor a declining dollar.]]> Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:46:28 -0400
This is total crap. Inflation (which is what a weak dollar implies for the U.S.) is a destroyer of wealth, savings, and prosperity. It rewards the irrational spendthrift at the expense of the conscientious saver. Only someone who thinks of the stagflation of the 70s as the "good old days" could favor a declining dollar.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/150812-remember-the-falling-dollar?source=feed#comment-599897 599897 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:43:37 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/148653-china-s-well-prepared-we-re-not?source=feed#comment-587958 587958
This, and the statement that wind is the "cheapest and easiest" form of alternative energy, are the statements of a scientific and historical illiterate. There is no intrinsic shortage of natural resources. The limits on their present and future availability are purely political -- restrictions on drilling, on oil shale exploitation, on nuclear power plants, on mining, on carbon emissions, and so on. And on the other side of the political coin, massive subsidies wasted on wind and solar boondoggles that suck investment capital away from better uses.

We don't need to hoard natural resources (as China is allegedly doing). We simply need to free them. More precisely, we need to free the businessmen and engineers who would exploit them if allowed to.]]> Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:34 -0400
This, and the statement that wind is the "cheapest and easiest" form of alternative energy, are the statements of a scientific and historical illiterate. There is no intrinsic shortage of natural resources. The limits on their present and future availability are purely political -- restrictions on drilling, on oil shale exploitation, on nuclear power plants, on mining, on carbon emissions, and so on. And on the other side of the political coin, massive subsidies wasted on wind and solar boondoggles that suck investment capital away from better uses.

We don't need to hoard natural resources (as China is allegedly doing). We simply need to free them. More precisely, we need to free the businessmen and engineers who would exploit them if allowed to.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/147659-inflation-with-gary-north-or-deflation-with-mish?source=feed#comment-579542 579542 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:28:20 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/145702-national-health-insurance-cap-and-trade-two-steps-in-the-wrong-direction?source=feed#comment-566984 566984
To understand this, read *Atlas Shrugged*. In short, there is no exit-plan, no plan at all beyond short-range expediency.

Dagny Taggart, the novel's heroine, was also baffled by this self-destructive behavior and kept asking herself, "Don't they want to live?" In the end, she discovered the answer: No, they don't want to live. They want you to die.]]> Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:19:24 -0400
To understand this, read *Atlas Shrugged*. In short, there is no exit-plan, no plan at all beyond short-range expediency.

Dagny Taggart, the novel's heroine, was also baffled by this self-destructive behavior and kept asking herself, "Don't they want to live?" In the end, she discovered the answer: No, they don't want to live. They want you to die.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/145566-economic-decapitation-via-cap-and-trade?source=feed#comment-563588 563588
An excellent and accurate title.

As for some people's pipe dream that green energy will bail us out, see here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:53:55 -0400
An excellent and accurate title.

As for some people's pipe dream that green energy will bail us out, see here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/144184-will-india-s-changes-bring-headwinds-for-gold?source=feed#comment-553952 553952
"India imports between 500-700 tons of gold annually, and is the largest exporter of gold jewelry. Some estimates place the amount of gold in private hands in the form of jewelry as high as 25,000 tons (roughly a 5 year supply of India's imports),..."

At least one of the above numbers is wrong, because 25,000 divided by 500 is 50, not 5. Stated another way, if 25,000 tons represents a 5 year supply of India's imports, then India's annual imports must be 5,000 tons. The age of grandma's wedding band has nothing to do with this; this is an issue of basic math.]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:57:22 -0400
"India imports between 500-700 tons of gold annually, and is the largest exporter of gold jewelry. Some estimates place the amount of gold in private hands in the form of jewelry as high as 25,000 tons (roughly a 5 year supply of India's imports),..."

At least one of the above numbers is wrong, because 25,000 divided by 500 is 50, not 5. Stated another way, if 25,000 tons represents a 5 year supply of India's imports, then India's annual imports must be 5,000 tons. The age of grandma's wedding band has nothing to do with this; this is an issue of basic math.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/141292-bernanke-speaks-stocks-fall?source=feed#comment-533863 533863
In a genuinely free market, no one is "in control". There is no Fed, no Fannie, no Freddie, no TARP, and no Community Reinvestment Act. If you want to see how an economy can thrive in the absence of all these, read the first part of the following Seeking Alpha post: seekingalpha.com/artic...]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:19:49 -0400
In a genuinely free market, no one is "in control". There is no Fed, no Fannie, no Freddie, no TARP, and no Community Reinvestment Act. If you want to see how an economy can thrive in the absence of all these, read the first part of the following Seeking Alpha post: seekingalpha.com/artic...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/141594-china-s-economic-ascendancy-part-2?source=feed#comment-533579 533579
Indeed, the choice is ours. Do we want to return to the founding principles of our country, in which government exists to protect individuals' life, liberty, and property, but otherwise gets out of the way? Or do we want to continue the trend toward the stagnation and decline resulting from an Atlas Shrugged-like assault on the country's producers and a nanny state that interferes in every aspect of our lives?]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:39:59 -0400
Indeed, the choice is ours. Do we want to return to the founding principles of our country, in which government exists to protect individuals' life, liberty, and property, but otherwise gets out of the way? Or do we want to continue the trend toward the stagnation and decline resulting from an Atlas Shrugged-like assault on the country's producers and a nanny state that interferes in every aspect of our lives?]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/140581-is-your-house-worth-its-weight-in-gold?source=feed#comment-526440 526440 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:17:22 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/140072-stephen-leeb-s-game-over-good-advice-for-tough-times?source=feed#comment-524587 524587 www.capmag.com/article...

The solution to our energy problems is to remove government restrictions on oil exploration and drilling, on oil shale exploitation, and on nuclear power plant construction -- and to drop the idea of carbon emission restrictions once and for all. If this doesn't happen, be prepared for your standard of living to collapse.]]> Sat, 30 May 2009 18:39:51 -0400 www.capmag.com/article...

The solution to our energy problems is to remove government restrictions on oil exploration and drilling, on oil shale exploitation, and on nuclear power plant construction -- and to drop the idea of carbon emission restrictions once and for all. If this doesn't happen, be prepared for your standard of living to collapse.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/140285-the-vicious-cycle-of-a-falling-dollar?source=feed#comment-523201 523201 www.opposingviews.com/...

The solution to our energy problems is to free the energy markets -- in particular to allow unhampered oil exploration and drilling, attempts at oil shale exploitation, and streamlined nuclear power plant construction (without all the enviromental impact statements, lawsuits, and everything else that makes building a plant take 5 times longer than it should).]]> Fri, 29 May 2009 14:29:44 -0400 www.opposingviews.com/...

The solution to our energy problems is to free the energy markets -- in particular to allow unhampered oil exploration and drilling, attempts at oil shale exploitation, and streamlined nuclear power plant construction (without all the enviromental impact statements, lawsuits, and everything else that makes building a plant take 5 times longer than it should).]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/138384-should-ge-shareholders-sell-to-protest-msnbc-s-left-leaning-news-bias?source=feed#comment-509556 509556 ]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 10:12:37 -0400 ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/134959-silver-the-new-magic-bullet-for-investors?source=feed#comment-490353 490353
I don't even know what this statement means. Is this by weight, or by dollar value? If the former, I don't believe it for a minute.

And to repeat another comment: Where the heck does this "one hundredth" figure come from?
]]> Tue, 05 May 2009 11:59:03 -0400
I don't even know what this statement means. Is this by weight, or by dollar value? If the former, I don't believe it for a minute.

And to repeat another comment: Where the heck does this "one hundredth" figure come from?
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/133506-peak-oil-as-a-function-of-earth-s-volume?source=feed#comment-482689 482689 www.capmag.com/article...]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:54:42 -0400 www.capmag.com/article...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/133506-peak-oil-as-a-function-of-earth-s-volume?source=feed#comment-482685 482685
Having said that, the main problem with the location and exploitation of fossil fuel reserves (and other energy sources) is political, not technical. Removal of government restrictions would vastly increase available sources of energy from coal to petroleum to nuclear. (And the alternative energy sources would have to sink or swim on their own merits rather than surviving only because of massive government subsidies.)
]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:52:43 -0400
Having said that, the main problem with the location and exploitation of fossil fuel reserves (and other energy sources) is political, not technical. Removal of government restrictions would vastly increase available sources of energy from coal to petroleum to nuclear. (And the alternative energy sources would have to sink or swim on their own merits rather than surviving only because of massive government subsidies.)
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/132604-china-takes-over-the-world?source=feed#comment-474516 474516
(To be precise, we're moving in the direction of fascism rather than traditional socialism, as aptly explained by Yaron Brook in this PJTV video: www.pjtv.com/video/PJT.../;jsessionid=abcDovzj_...

As for China, I wish them the best, and hope they can keep moving in the direction of increased freedom. The more wealthy, capitalistic countries in the world there are, the better for all of us.]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:47:41 -0400
(To be precise, we're moving in the direction of fascism rather than traditional socialism, as aptly explained by Yaron Brook in this PJTV video: www.pjtv.com/video/PJT.../;jsessionid=abcDovzj_...

As for China, I wish them the best, and hope they can keep moving in the direction of increased freedom. The more wealthy, capitalistic countries in the world there are, the better for all of us.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/132476-why-physical-gold-is-superior-to-mining-stocks-for-long-term-investors?source=feed#comment-474496 474496 ]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:37:48 -0400 ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/130635-bush-oil-obama-wall-street?source=feed#comment-461765 461765
No, the most expensive mistake we could make would be to tax carbon dioxide while hoping for the fantasy of green energy to bail us out. Good article here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...

As for the current administration, they should be listening to the CEOs of the healthy banks such as BB&T who did not take irrational risks, rather than the Wall Street executives who did.]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:16:41 -0400
No, the most expensive mistake we could make would be to tax carbon dioxide while hoping for the fantasy of green energy to bail us out. Good article here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...

As for the current administration, they should be listening to the CEOs of the healthy banks such as BB&T who did not take irrational risks, rather than the Wall Street executives who did.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/129081-roubini-s-forecasts-for-asia-recovery-are-flawed?source=feed#comment-450082 450082
It is savings and investment, not spending and consumption, that is the engine of a country's growth. So the irony might be that the entrenched defenders of the status quo will save the "reformers" from themselves. (Of course, I am exaggerating here, as I'm sure there are numerous restrictions and regulations in China that *should* be removed in order to encourage prosperity. I am speaking here only of the issue of savings versus consumption.)]]> Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:44:56 -0400
It is savings and investment, not spending and consumption, that is the engine of a country's growth. So the irony might be that the entrenched defenders of the status quo will save the "reformers" from themselves. (Of course, I am exaggerating here, as I'm sure there are numerous restrictions and regulations in China that *should* be removed in order to encourage prosperity. I am speaking here only of the issue of savings versus consumption.)]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/128991-is-there-a-parallel-between-carbon-trading-and-subprime-lending?source=feed#comment-448534 448534 Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.

Rather, it is a trace gas essential for human life. And given that the vast majority of our energy comes from burning fossil fuel, a tax on carbon dioxide is literally a tax on life.

A good article on on the green energy delusion is here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...
]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:35:02 -0400 Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.

Rather, it is a trace gas essential for human life. And given that the vast majority of our energy comes from burning fossil fuel, a tax on carbon dioxide is literally a tax on life.

A good article on on the green energy delusion is here: www.aynrand.org/site/N...
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/128917-dollar-debased-like-never-before?source=feed#comment-448079 448079
There's a good explanation here, in this PJTV interview of Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute:
www.pjtv.com/video/PJT.../;jsessionid=abcHSmjng...]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:10:49 -0400
There's a good explanation here, in this PJTV interview of Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute:
www.pjtv.com/video/PJT.../;jsessionid=abcHSmjng...]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/127585-the-gold-standard-and-inflation?source=feed#comment-438731 438731
So it would be good to see some earlier data.
]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:39:53 -0400
So it would be good to see some earlier data.
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/126904-we-should-be-fighting-a-trade-war-with-china-not-mexico?source=feed#comment-432720 432720 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:55:58 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/126601-why-investors-should-avoid-state-owned-companies?source=feed#comment-430584 430584 Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:11:29 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/125843-chinese-are-likely-to-halt-purchases-of-u-s-treasury-debt?source=feed#comment-425142 425142 ]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:32:47 -0400 ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/125337-gold-is-going-to-gain?source=feed#comment-421611 421611
No, they are traders. Speculators are simply people who make high-risk investments, with the expectation of high reward, but they may have a long time horizon.

Back to the original article: Nice critique of Keynesianism and its continued appeal to politicians in spite of overwhelming evidence that it's wrong and destructive. I'm not selling my gold any time soon.
]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:07:23 -0400
No, they are traders. Speculators are simply people who make high-risk investments, with the expectation of high reward, but they may have a long time horizon.

Back to the original article: Nice critique of Keynesianism and its continued appeal to politicians in spite of overwhelming evidence that it's wrong and destructive. I'm not selling my gold any time soon.
]]>