Another Crisis Looms Right Around the Corner [View article]
I am now testing various company's emergency rations (foods meant to be compact and have very long shelf lives, planned to provide balanced nutrition in small, lightweight packages). I will report back. I find that the quality level of the food varies wildly, but of course you will be hearing just my own anecdotal taste buds talking!
I now have 3 weeks supplies stored, and my goal is to add up to a total 3 months worth eventually.
On Nov 24 11:32 AM yellowhoard wrote:
> At the very least, everyone should go to Sams Club or Costco and > buy at least 100 pounds of dry beans and rice. > > If we have a bank holiday, you'll be very glad that you have something > to eat for a few months.
Paul Krugman's 'The Accidental Theorist' Proves He's Almost Always Right [View article]
LOL, so is Keynes.
Its like elections in Chicago, though...
Sometimes the dead really do rise up to vote. Best that we do not underestimate the power of exploded ideologies - after all, con men have been using the same shell game to fleece the unwary since the dawn of time.
Despite cries that letting the Bush tax cuts die would kill any recovery, few dare utter an uncomfortable reality, according to Gregg Easterbrook: Taxes should rise for everyone, not just for the rich. Americans think they're clobbered by onerous taxes, but U.S. taxes are relatively low compared to the rest of the world, and federal income taxes have fallen dramatically. [View news story]
This is a fake argument. It depends upon the premise that Corporations pay "income taxes". Corporations do not - PEOPLE do. Corporations merely collect said taxes (of all kinds) from real people and then forward them to Government, acting as a particularly inept tax collector (their overhead to meet reporting and collection requirements is incredibly high, and THAT gets extracted from the hides of their long-suffering customers as well).
Americans pay extremely high INDIRECT taxes via our corporations. We also have extensive state, county and local taxes, which are relatively small in tiny countries smaller than many counties who do not subdivide their government functions in this fashion.
FairTax is the solution to the underlying problem. Period.
As the Dollar Rises and Gold Falls, Should We Get Ready for Fed Rate Hikes? [View article]
Raising rates from zero to .25 would have an impact on the value of the dollar, but little impact on the dollar carry trade exiting the Fed window.
NEITHER will have much effect on unemployment, short term.
The idea of low interest rates BENEFITTING our economy needs to be re-examined. It is (for the time being) obsolete thinking. All that happens is that the banks with access to the free money from the Fed use this in the dollar carry trade, which does nothing for our economy. Its like a grammer school math game, "How many zeros to you have to add together to get "1"?"
So long as the money just exits the Fed and either enters a zombie bank, zombie insurance company or zombie large corporation, OR the dollar carry trade, its all just mental masterbation so far as jobs or true impact in the real world is concerned.
Now that they are transforming the Fed into a zombie, and adding more and more state governments to the zombie herd (California is already mooing in the zombie paddock), the plan is accelerating.
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
Red herrings abound in this swamp...
My impulse (were I king)...
Cut the gordian knot. Dump the subsidies and government welfare - but open up exploration and development.
The IMF's report that the U.S. needs to grow at 14% in perpetuity to close its fiscal gap leads Laurence Kotlikoff to conclude that "our country is broke and can no longer afford no-pain, all-gain" Ponzi solutions. Hard-core Keynesians who say any short-term stimulus won’t affect our ability to handle long-term deficits are "wrong as a simple matter of arithmetic." (also) [View news story]
Pshaw.
As all the really smart economists all know, arithmetic is a lagging indicator.
Another Manic Monday: Greenspan Finally Agrees With Me [View article]
Amen, brother, amen.
I would agree that it is PAST time for the Republicans to acknowledge their flirtation with neocon notions, but that resets the clock to Reagan and supply side ideas, not Hoover.
Sir, I love it when you wax sarcastic. I admire this ability a great deal. Cudos from this aging middle class Libertarian!
On Nov 06 09:50 AM User 353732 wrote:
> They must have forgotten to include the millions of jobs that are > being "created or saved" by the New Economics of the US Regime.<br/>Now > if only the shiftless, incompetent and ungrateful collapsing Middle > Class would avail itself of these magical new jobs all would be well. > > > After all,the Bosses in WashDC avail themselves of this magic and > Big Govt enjoys a boom. The Bosses on Wall St avail themselves of > this magic and their bonuses enjoy a "V" shaped recovery. > > In any case, Middle Class jobs, incomes, net worth, are all lagging > indicators....The US Regime says so. It has the delicately spun economic > models and the exquisitely crafted statistics to prove it. > In the New Economics the models and statistics of the Regime are > reality and truth and the Middle Class is just an atavistic economic, > social and cultural embarrassment; fortunately a rapidly diminishing > one.
How Apple's Market Share Will Propel Stock to $500, Part 1 [View article]
In one case you have a generic, disposable commodity market, driven by price, and on the other side you have an affordable product in a brand market driven by innovation and ease-of-use.
LOL, I own both platforms, mainly because of legacy software.
At some point people gravitate toward quality, even when it costs more. Apple now has the successful image of a luxury brand.
On Oct 23 10:02 AM John Galt wrote:
> > It's amazing: people say Apple sells 10 million PCs. There will > be 300 million Windows PCs sold in the same time frame. So it is > interesting to me that people spend so much time talking about the > 3 percent of the market in that case...I wouldn't trade our 300 million > new users a year for their 10 million. I just wouldn't do it. I kind > of like what we're doing and the way we're serving the market.<br/> > > What are the margins on those 300 million users and what are the > margins on 10 million users? Would you rather be selling computers > that cost over 1000 bucks or under 1000 bucks?
Forget the myth that American companies are awash in cash. The only part of that cash in the United States is on a sheet of paper called a balance sheet. Its sitting in the multinat's operations overseas, and it ain't comin' home.
What IS here in the good old USA is the debt which spawned most of that cash. Evidence that MicroSoft, which has a balance sheet awash in cash, had to go into debt to increase their dividend a few pennies.
Obama's "economic fish stories," claiming that the stimulus was several times more potent than his own chief economic adviser believes, are becoming embarrassing. The numbers so lack credibility, they might as well have been pulled out of a hat. [View news story]
I know how you feel, Virginia.
I'm a Libertarian.
We NEVER win.
Its time to stop beating ourselves up over electing he-who-must-not-be-named, and start working together to fix things.
Can Casino Gambling Save State Budgets from Ruin? [View article]
Casinos, lotteries and other state-sanctioned gambling are all taxes cloaked in entertaining trappings. Their huge appeal to politicians everywhere is that they are a method of taxation which often can be installed without getting the taxpayers worked into an uproar. In times like these, where the government coffers are running dry, and the ability to raise taxes is low (and political suicide), options like gambling (or, as in the case of desperate California, marijuana) are attractive.
The one "unthinkable" option, ie, actually cutting the size, scope and cost of government, is obviously not even being considered.
Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
The UAW has rejected the idea of using their deal with GM/Chrysler as a template for a similar deal with Ford.
Yet Ford is the only one of the 3 that is actually ADDING capacity in America right now (their recent announcement to build the Koga SUV here, moving production from Europe).
If I were Ford I would locate that plant in a right-to-work state, spin it off as a seperate, wholly-owned entity (like Toyota does), and set it up without the UAW.
THAT would be a gauntlet in the sand, and it would be interesting to see who picked it up...
Recent Stats Indicate U.S. Economic Recovery Was an Illusion [View article]
Another Crisis Looms Right Around the Corner [View article]
I now have 3 weeks supplies stored, and my goal is to add up to a total 3 months worth eventually.
On Nov 24 11:32 AM yellowhoard wrote:
> At the very least, everyone should go to Sams Club or Costco and
> buy at least 100 pounds of dry beans and rice.
>
> If we have a bank holiday, you'll be very glad that you have something
> to eat for a few months.
Paul Krugman's 'The Accidental Theorist' Proves He's Almost Always Right [View article]
Its like elections in Chicago, though...
Sometimes the dead really do rise up to vote. Best that we do not underestimate the power of exploded ideologies - after all, con men have been using the same shell game to fleece the unwary since the dawn of time.
Despite cries that letting the Bush tax cuts die would kill any recovery, few dare utter an uncomfortable reality, according to Gregg Easterbrook: Taxes should rise for everyone, not just for the rich. Americans think they're clobbered by onerous taxes, but U.S. taxes are relatively low compared to the rest of the world, and federal income taxes have fallen dramatically. [View news story]
Americans pay extremely high INDIRECT taxes via our corporations. We also have extensive state, county and local taxes, which are relatively small in tiny countries smaller than many counties who do not subdivide their government functions in this fashion.
FairTax is the solution to the underlying problem. Period.
As the Dollar Rises and Gold Falls, Should We Get Ready for Fed Rate Hikes? [View article]
NEITHER will have much effect on unemployment, short term.
The idea of low interest rates BENEFITTING our economy needs to be re-examined. It is (for the time being) obsolete thinking. All that happens is that the banks with access to the free money from the Fed use this in the dollar carry trade, which does nothing for our economy. Its like a grammer school math game, "How many zeros to you have to add together to get "1"?"
So long as the money just exits the Fed and either enters a zombie bank, zombie insurance company or zombie large corporation, OR the dollar carry trade, its all just mental masterbation so far as jobs or true impact in the real world is concerned.
Now that they are transforming the Fed into a zombie, and adding more and more state governments to the zombie herd (California is already mooing in the zombie paddock), the plan is accelerating.
Execs from the oil industry’s Big Five are pilloried by Democrats at a Senate hearing, asking why big oil needs $4B-plus a year in tax breaks while raking in enormous profits. Republicans say that removing incentives would drive production out of the U.S. Political posturing abounded, of course, but the debate is real: Are tax breaks for big oil a consumer ripoff or smart energy policy? [View news story]
My impulse (were I king)...
Cut the gordian knot. Dump the subsidies and government welfare - but open up exploration and development.
Otherwise, get used to the swamp.
Calling All Silver Investors [View article]
The IMF's report that the U.S. needs to grow at 14% in perpetuity to close its fiscal gap leads Laurence Kotlikoff to conclude that "our country is broke and can no longer afford no-pain, all-gain" Ponzi solutions. Hard-core Keynesians who say any short-term stimulus won’t affect our ability to handle long-term deficits are "wrong as a simple matter of arithmetic." (also) [View news story]
As all the really smart economists all know, arithmetic is a lagging indicator.
Another Manic Monday: Greenspan Finally Agrees With Me [View article]
I would agree that it is PAST time for the Republicans to acknowledge their flirtation with neocon notions, but that resets the clock to Reagan and supply side ideas, not Hoover.
10.2% [View article]
On Nov 06 09:50 AM User 353732 wrote:
> They must have forgotten to include the millions of jobs that are
> being "created or saved" by the New Economics of the US Regime.<br/>Now
> if only the shiftless, incompetent and ungrateful collapsing Middle
> Class would avail itself of these magical new jobs all would be well.
>
>
> After all,the Bosses in WashDC avail themselves of this magic and
> Big Govt enjoys a boom. The Bosses on Wall St avail themselves of
> this magic and their bonuses enjoy a "V" shaped recovery.
>
> In any case, Middle Class jobs, incomes, net worth, are all lagging
> indicators....The US Regime says so. It has the delicately spun economic
> models and the exquisitely crafted statistics to prove it.
> In the New Economics the models and statistics of the Regime are
> reality and truth and the Middle Class is just an atavistic economic,
> social and cultural embarrassment; fortunately a rapidly diminishing
> one.
How Apple's Market Share Will Propel Stock to $500, Part 1 [View article]
LOL, I own both platforms, mainly because of legacy software.
At some point people gravitate toward quality, even when it costs more. Apple now has the successful image of a luxury brand.
On Oct 23 10:02 AM John Galt wrote:
> > It's amazing: people say Apple sells 10 million PCs. There will
> be 300 million Windows PCs sold in the same time frame. So it is
> interesting to me that people spend so much time talking about the
> 3 percent of the market in that case...I wouldn't trade our 300 million
> new users a year for their 10 million. I just wouldn't do it. I kind
> of like what we're doing and the way we're serving the market.<br/>
>
> What are the margins on those 300 million users and what are the
> margins on 10 million users? Would you rather be selling computers
> that cost over 1000 bucks or under 1000 bucks?
A Warning for the Bulls [View article]
What IS here in the good old USA is the debt which spawned most of that cash. Evidence that MicroSoft, which has a balance sheet awash in cash, had to go into debt to increase their dividend a few pennies.
Obama's "economic fish stories," claiming that the stimulus was several times more potent than his own chief economic adviser believes, are becoming embarrassing. The numbers so lack credibility, they might as well have been pulled out of a hat. [View news story]
I'm a Libertarian.
We NEVER win.
Its time to stop beating ourselves up over electing he-who-must-not-be-named, and start working together to fix things.
Can Casino Gambling Save State Budgets from Ruin? [View article]
The one "unthinkable" option, ie, actually cutting the size, scope and cost of government, is obviously not even being considered.
Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [View article]
Yet Ford is the only one of the 3 that is actually ADDING capacity in America right now (their recent announcement to build the Koga SUV here, moving production from Europe).
If I were Ford I would locate that plant in a right-to-work state, spin it off as a seperate, wholly-owned entity (like Toyota does), and set it up without the UAW.
THAT would be a gauntlet in the sand, and it would be interesting to see who picked it up...