Frohickey

The A123 IPO: A Deeper Look at Cleantech and VCs

Gasoline and/or diesel is the fuel used by cars to generate the energy needed in order to move.

Batteries is the storage medium used by hybrid cars to store the energy created by something else.

How much is a $74billion battery worth if it does not have any energy stored in it?

Money Supply: The Myth of Hyperinflation

Why wouldn't the government want inflation? Tax revenues increase as inflation increases since tax brackets stay the same. This is the same reason that government likes minimum wage laws.

4 Dividend Stocks to Hedge Against Social Security Failure

Its very unlikely, almost impossible, for a new HUGE gold strike to be discovered on Earth that will make a substantial dent in the price of gold... unless an asteroid of pure gold from a far-away supernova were to somehow crash-land... if that were to happen, we'd have bigger problems.


On Aug 26 08:21 AM glassshoe wrote:

> Gold is just shiny dirt and has no compelling economic value of its
> own. True, in times of war, Gold is a good way to make wealth portable,
> but I don't expect war here. In times of poor economic performance
> demand may drop and there is always the possibility of a huge new
> gold strike, ruining the price.
>
> Gold is volatile, doesn't pay dividends and is not a suitable investment
> for retirement.

4 Dividend Stocks to Hedge Against Social Security Failure

The way to fix Social Security.

Eliminate Congressional pensions and move them into Social Security.


On Aug 25 05:15 PM SeekingTruth wrote:

> Any good and worthwhile system can be abused, mismanaged, and thoroughly
> screwed up and destroyed by saboteurs , miscreants and special interests.
> We have just seen enough of that in our banking system to get the
> attention of even the simple minded .
> In our country, this is especially true for a program that serves
> the general public instead of just special interests and marketeers.
>
> These are valid reasons for keeping those people in office that will
> protect and improve a good system, and not use it as a piggy bank
> to plunder , exploit and propagandize for selfserving, and political
> reasons.
> If my memory serves, the wholesale borrowing from Social Security
> was initiated during the Reagan Admin. wasn't it? These were not
> friends or supporters of Social Security.
> This same thinking and "strategery" is the same kind that turns years
> of surpluses into years of punishing and frightening deficits. Something
> , once started, can take years to turn around and usually gets much
> worse before it can get better.
>
> Perhaps our chances are improved on receiving Social Security and
> would be enhanced, if we keep those people in office that truly believe
> in it , are willing to financially sustain and improve it, and keeping
> those people out that are trying to propagandize, and plunder it
> for self serving reasons, and ultimately destroy it.

How Did Vermont Avoid the Mortgage Meltdown?

This is the beauty of our current system, and one thing that 'liberals' in Congress should remember.

Vermont-style can co-exist, along with a California-style, in the same country. Unfortunately, the liberals in national government want to push their 'universal' plan-de-juer down onto everyone, and in this, both Vermont and California residents are to blame, for sending their liberals to Washington, DC.

The American Economy Is Spent

Yeah. But Sarah Palin was also stupid enough to pay her taxes on time, instead of getting a 'loan' from the federal government... at least until they were nominated for a federal post by Obama.


On Jun 23 12:04 PM MudEngineer wrote:

> Complaining about Republicans who spent too much money is fine. I
> agree with that accessment! But, how do you think that electing a
> Democrat who is now spending at five times their rate is a solution
> for the future. God Help Us when the Dollar goes to worthless! Oh,
> by the way, Sarah Palin has more common sense in her pinky finger
> than Obama has in his entire body and his entire cabinet.

The Market Loves GM Bankruptcy

Name-calling of communist, socialist are not required in these posts. All that is needed is to see which group of constituents are protected in a government bailout and 'bankruptcy' of GM.

UAW is the biggest beneficiary of this GM bailout and bankruptcy. A normal bankruptcy would have destroyed the UAW, and the Democrats could not afford that, not if they want to keep winning elections.


On Jun 01 05:10 PM tedster98 wrote:

> Barack O'Commie (doesn't understand Capitalism because he's a communist.
> Instead of throwing billions of wasted taxpayer dollars into GM,
> it should have been allowed to bankrupt right off the bat and restructure.
> It would have saved a lot of taxpayer money and would have expedited
> job saving through streamlining. Yes. Some would have lost jobs,
> but it would have been less painful in the long run for all as an
> aggregate. The same goes for the other companies like AIG - except
> AIG is used to launder political money - there's the salt in the
> wound.

A Tale of Two Economies: U.S. vs. China

If you are so down on the Chinese government, why did you move to China in 2006?


On May 28 10:10 AM drDimick.com wrote:

> Jeff, the thinking reflected in this article – either amplified or
> clouded by tone and inflection -- represents one of the reasons why
> I moved to China in March 2006.
>
> Given all the statistics and analysts, where may one find the truth
> of it...?
>
> It being the given vantage point from which one so seeks to know,
> being political, social, economic, financial.
>
> First, it should be noted that the mechanics of your comparison requires
> not the US but the US/EU alliance; it has provided China with a seat
> at the G-20 (not G-7) table. As its currency remains debilitated
> by restrictiveness, the Communist Government's anti for recently
> venturing into the heady games incumbent of world financial markets
> is wholly derived from its about equal holdings of foreign capital
> reserves "issued" between those two (US and EU). The article's arguments
> lack that context.
>
> As for the specifics cited, all that I can say is that the Chinese
> banking and SOE-dominated economy is bankrupt. This last stimulus
> package -- equal to one-third of its foreign capital reserves --
> was necessary to prevent the system from seizing into a series of
> defaults.
>
> If the US and EU decide to halt treasury payments due to the CCP's
> government sponsorship of the North Korea regime, the social-economic
> consequence would return China to its cultural revolution era --
> overnight.
>
> Chinese people understand that reality relative to the dictatorial
> structure of the regime under which they live here. As I gather you
> do not, Chinese people understand Chinese history a la the 14 dynasties
> preceding the CCP. All 14 are considered by those whom I talk and
> study with to be dictatorships that repeated patterns of social-economic
> dysfunction that eventually resulted with demise.
>
> Hence why common Chinese citizenry save (cash, not via financial
> instruments) at such high rates. The people here live in fear. I
> mean fear...
>
> I grew up in Maine and have enjoyed many trips throughout Canada.
> Last time, in Quebec City, just before moving to China, I saw the
> reenactment of when the Canadian military alliances defeated the
> invading American expeditionary force.
>
> I served four years in the US Army as an enlisted law clerk. Two
> years were served in South Korea -- first tour stationed about 30
> minutes south of the DMZ.
>
> My point here is that I have experienced different levels of fear.
> When I say that China's Communist system operates and survives based
> on a sophisticated culmination of fear-based realities, I am not
> attempting to match the hyper-caustic tone of your writing style.
>
>
> Thus, perhaps, in the evolution of your well-honed macro/micro mix
> of advocacies, you might take the time to live and learn about the
> people and system with which you are polarizing in said article.
>
>
> Most Chinese people personally experienced some aspect of the last
> social-economic breakdown of the country (i.e., the Cultural Revolution).
> They know the craziness, the inhumanity that results from a system,
> this system that is absent rule of law and those First Amendment
> Rights of freedom of speech, press, and religion.
>
> Until those systematic inequalities are resolved to the satisfaction
> of the majority of the Chinese demographic, your article serves as
> a disparate collection of statistics and analysis.
>
> dr
>
> Ps. Primary modus operandi of Chinese Thinking that I have come to
> learn and understand in terms of commercial and financial applications...
>
>
> 1. Who controls the relationship, the lender or debtor? The debtor.
>
>
> 2. What is considered consensus among common Chinese citizenry and
> business people alike as to being the primary means of wealth generation?
> Stealing from the government.

A Tale of Two Economies: U.S. vs. China

Agree with you there, but what kind of changes will be needed in order to accomplish this?
-Interest income 100% exempt from taxes
-No yearly limit on retirement contributions
-No taxes on capital gains or dividends

I don't see the federal or any state government enacting this because the political class is totally addicted to spending, and you cannot have spending unless you have tax revenue.

On May 27 11:09 AM Tom- thebiggerboard.net wrote:
> America needs a new tax system that does not favor personal spending
> with tax breaks for interest debt (mortgages) and corporate spending
> with accounting methods and taxation schemes that strongly favor
> debt issuance. Once taxation incentives are corrected, with interest
> in SAVINGS accounts being deductible and benefits for corporate borrowing
> removed then half the battle will be won.

Auto MPG: The Economics of CAFE, Part One

Petropolitics... I like it.

We'd produce more petroleum if certain areas of the country were not off-limits to oil exploration and production. The reason those areas of the country are off-limits is because they are owned by the government instead of in private ownership.

Toyota and Honda are cleaning the clock of the Big 3 auto makers and taking fuel economy seriously... I take it that you mean Toyota and Honda are gaining market share and profits because the products they make are in demand by consumers. The Big 3 auto makers, last I heard, are for-profit enterprises. For-profit enterprises will do what it takes in order to make profit, if that means they make fuel efficient cars that are in demand, they will do it, without legislation. Tell me again why the CAFE standards are needed?


On May 21 04:26 PM DenverDude wrote:

> We consume far more oil than we produce or can produce from our limited
> supplies, and there is a cost to our importation of oil. It takes
> the form of our military presence and intervention in the areas of
> the world where that oil is produced. We cannot remain free unless
> we have full control of our energy sources. We need to limit our
> consumption of imported energy. This requires decision making with
> a time horizon far beyond that used by most of us when we are selecting
> a vehicle for purchase. It looks like we are finally getting decision
> making with longer time horizons from the Obama Administration.<br/...
>
> Our "Big Three" automakers have made short term decisions that have
> resulted in harm to all of us. Foreign automakers such as Toyota,
> Honda, etc. have taken fuel efficiency seriously and they are "Cleaning"
> the joint and several "Clocks" of the "Big Three" while the "Big
> Three" have invested in lawsuits to delay the inevitable rather than
> tooling for fuel efficiency that would serve consumers and our country.
>
>
> There is a 2004 study of the impact of hybrid drives, both mild and
> full upon estimated EPA mileage estimates done by researchers at
> UC Davis. Google it if you wish. It is apparent that the "Big Three"
> ignored the lessons so clearly drawn in the study.

Credit Cards, Guns and Ammo: Thanks, Washington

National Parks are hardly the park/playgrounds that you have in your neighborhood with swingsets, monkey bars and bbq pits. Most of these National Parks are large swaths of land where you can hike for a day and only occassionally encounter a Park Ranger, who is a duly-appointed officer of the law authorized to carry a gun and use deadly force.

Crime in National Parks...www.the-eggman.com/wri...

Just because you are in a 'park' does not mean that you are now safe from crime. About the only places that are crime-free are inside a police station, inside a court room, and inside a gun store. In all other locations, you need to have responsible law-abiding people able to protect themselves from harm.

On May 21 11:30 AM Joshua Morgan Brown wrote:

> i guess you and i have a different view of recreation....i have no
> problem with hunting or defense against animals, but c'mon...should
> we have a blanket law allowing loaded guns in every park, where kids
> are playing no less?
>
> What could the benefit possibly be other than to satiate the "slippery
> slope" crowd, and what in Crom's name does it have to do with credit
> cards?
>

California Looking at Massive Budget Cuts

Couldn't California just revert back to a part-time Legislature? The politicians can go back to their districts and get honest jobs again, and only convene in Sacramento for 6 months out of every 2 years.

Auto MPG: The Economics of CAFE, Part One

Seat belt standards reduced the number of injuries/fatalities per accident. This is a positive.
More CAFE/MPG standards will INCREASE the number of injuries/fatalities per accident.
Increasing the cost of new cars will INCREASE the amount of taxes/license fees paid to government.

A Modest Tax Proposal

How about raising the tax rate to 90% for each dollar over $100,000... the salaries and incomes of all elected officials in the United States.

I think that will do wonders to cut spending.

U.S. Pension Nightmare Has Begun

I beg to differ.
I'm find with the defense budget, as well as post office budget, patent office budget, printing press budge, and lower courts budget.
What I have a problem with is the Social Security Budget, the Medicare budget, the Food Stamp budget, the Foreign Aid budget, the Dept of Education budget.
Stay within the Article One Section Eight line items and I think we'd be fine.


On May 19 12:24 PM conceptwizard wrote:

> A major problem lies with the defense budget, especially the unaccounted
> black programs that we never talk about here on SA. Donald Rumsfeld
> the day before 9/11 was looking for 1.2 trillion of unaccounted for
> expenditures. The US has to back off the military agenda, and bring
> the 760 bases, with the jobs and the salaries spent here making purchases
> and buying homes. Stop funding Nevada and the other military BS.
> And look after the American citizens on its own soil. The military
> budget for US is equal that to ALL of the rest of the world and 8
> times that of China.